Third-Person POV

"Well, here are the matches," Kakashi directed their eyes to the giant screen that displayed the names of the participants along with an image of them and who they would be facing.

1.

勝見 一恵 VS. みたらし 仁

KAZUE KATSUMI VS. JIN MITARASHI

2.

三浦 樹 VS. 中田 色子

ITSUKI MIURA VS. IROKO NAKATA

3.

斧 神戸 VS. 笑い 郁野

KANBE ONO VS. FUMINO WARAI

4.

厚裕 小夜 VS. 千手 朝美

SAYO ATSUHIRO VS. ASAMI SENJU

Jin froze where she stood. She seemed to get tunnel vision as she endless stared at whose name was right next to hers for the first match.

No... No way...

She did not even know if Kazue was looking at her because she absolutely refused to meet his gaze. This can't be real!!!

Iroko himself was dumbfounded. Since he and Itsuki were standing next to each other, they had exchanged glances with one another, and immediately they knew that both were thinking the exact same thing.

The blue-streaked boy smiled nervously. Man, talk about a coincidence...

Kakashi could easily tell that everyone was on edge about who their opponent was. The truth was the pair-ups, this time around, had not been randomized. Each one had been decided based on the best possible way to challenge the remaining competitors. The true object for the Final Rounds would be to see how each competitor would prepare in advance for an inevitable battle.

"You really did your research on the bunch, didn't you?" said Tsunade.

"You could say that," the Hokage replied. Then he addressed the rookies once more, "You have exactly one week from today to train and prepare yourself for the upcoming battle with your opponent. The matches will be held at a different location your sensei will direct you to when the time comes. Until then, good luck to all of you and remember to give it your all."

"Hi, Kanbe, I'm Fumino," the bubbly girl had approached the Cloud genin after Kakashi had dismissed them. "I'm really looking forward to our match!"

She held out her hand to him. Kanbe stared at it for a moment before deciding to shake it. "Same here. Make sure to bring your A-game."

As Tsunade was about to leave alongside Kakashi she caught sight of Asami staring at her again.

Her lips curled in annoyance. It was as if those eyes were staring straight at her soul, at some impure part of her being, and she hated it.

She would have said something at that moment had Sayo not interrupted the confrontation.

"Hey, Asami, right? Wow, just from seeing your fight with Baku, I already know I'm gonna have the greatest match ever with you!! Your ninjutsu and fighting style are so cool, it makes me wonder how mine are compared to yours!!"

Her saying that had made Asami realize that out of all the matches during these Preliminaries the one match she had not been present to see was Sayo's (she had been 'elsewhere' at the time), which meant that presently she had very little to go on regarding Sayo's skills. A dangerous situation, for Jin vs Rui and Ena vs Kanbe had already shown what walking into a match with little to no knowledge of your opponent's skill set could mean for your chances of winning.

However, regardless of whether or not one had a good idea of their opponent's abilities, that would not mitigate the fear one has for them if they were indeed strong, which was Iroko's case regarding Itsuki. After the battle against Yuura, he was now painfully aware of the difference in their strength. In fact, he almost felt a fool now for having reciprocated his declaration of war earlier.

Almost.

"It seems we'll get to see who's stronger sooner than I thought," he said.

"Yeah, and just you wait," Iroko raised a fist of determination, "in one week, I'll be back with enough strength to blow you outta the water!!"

"Then let's hope you'll be a match for my Kekkei Genkai......," suddenly Itsuki had slurred his words and cut himself off. He suddenly became distant as he stared down at his hand.

Huh? "You okay?"

"Yes... Iroko, listen, there's something you should know...," he hesitated.

"Yeah? What is it?"

His breath hitched and at that moment the solemn glint in his eyes had returned once more.

"I... Nothing, it's nothing. I'll see you later." He turned on his heel and began to walk away but Iroko had felt that there was something amiss, and it was important.

"Hey!" he called after him. "Are you sure everything's alright?" Is it to do with Ena?

Itsuki briefly turned around and looked at him with a face of conviction that shocked even him.

"I said not to worry about it, alright? Just be prepared to give it your all."

The tone in his voice, he seemed almost pissed off about something, but Iroko wasn't sure what about.

He suddenly stopped talking right after he had mentioned his Kekkei Genkai. Why? Is there something about it that -- Wait, hold on a second.

Suddenly, Iroko remembered something Itsuki had said to him during their last conversation.

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"My goal is to surpass the Fifth Kazekage and become the Sand's next hero, using this one Kekkei Genkai of mine, and this one only. And yours..."

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Come to think of it, what ... exactly did he mean by that - 'this one Kekkei Genkai of mine, and this one only?'

Once Itsuki had departed, Kazue broke his gaze off of him and Iroko and went in search of Jin. He found her trying to sneak out of the arena by blending in with the mass exodus as they made their way out.

"HEY!"

She froze where she stood and let a squeak escape her mouth. Approaching her, the thoughts in Kazue's head grew louder.

If I beat her, then I'll get to face Jiko in the Semifinals, he had better not lose to that tree-head!! Even so, I've got to worry about my match, 'cos a week from now, she'll...

Jin turned around to face Kazue, but she found she had no strength to look up at his face. Her eyes were permanently glued to the ground.

Oh no! Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no!Oh no! Of all the people... "Y- y-"

"Listen up," he spoke over her. She winced as though as she had been bit. "I want you to hold nothing back. Come at me with everything you've got. Because if you don't it'll be the worse for you, got it?"

Jin was shaking uncontrollably.

"Tch." He walked past her, leaving the girl to her own thoughts of anxiety.

Even with the advice he had given to me, if it's against him does it even matter? Fight Kazue... I have to fight.. Kazue!! What... what am I going to do?

Just as Kazue was leaving the stadium, he heard Tensho call out to him.

"KAZ!! KAZ!!"

He gritted his teeth in annoyance. Without turning around to face her he answered: "What do you want?"

"Hey, listen," she began, "I know..." she hesitated. "I know I probably shouldn't ask this of you, and it's an underhanded move towards Jin, but please - go easy on her!!"

"I won't."

"Huh?!"

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"What you displayed out there was not respect for your opponent but weakness!! One wrong move and you could have lost it all!! I don't want to see that again in the Finals, you hear? You will show 'no mercy'!! Do I make myself clear?"

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"Did it ever occur to you that they had planned this?"

Tensho raised a brow. "Who's they?"

"Who do you think? The damn Hokage and all the other higher-ups! Every single one of those matches that you saw on that screen was arranged for a reason. Mine is to test me on whether or not I'll show weakness to a comrade if I was forced to fight them. Even if I chose to go easy on Pipsqueak, it'd be counted against me, so it's out of the question. Why're you even bothering?"

"Why? You already know why. It's because I don't want to see you beat the s&$t out of her!! She's already got enough to deal with as is! Taking a beating from you will just make her anxiety even worse!!"

"You've got it all wrong, Red," Kazue objected. "As expected, you don't understand a damn thing."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"That girl," he spoke with sincerity, "has what it takes to beat me."

Tensho became dumbstruck. Had those words really just come out of his mouth?

"She does, and you know it. That's why I refuse to hold back. That's why I'm gonna come at her with everything I've got! Because if I underestimate my opponent for even a moment that's when I lose! Got it? Now get off my case!!"

Puzzled by his words, Tensho mulled them over for a moment. Does Jin have what it takes to beat him? I don't want to sound like a bad friend, but what could he mean by that? Not unless.... unless he was talking about that jutsu!!

As he made his way out of the stadium with the other four Kage, Kakashi saw Shizune running up to them.

"Sorry for taking so long!!" she apologized immediately. "It would seem the Preliminaries are already over."

"It's fine, Shizune," said Tsunade. "Just tell us what you found out."

"We checked the surveillance all the way back to a month ago and ran through the data of any and everyone that has ever set foot in the Leaf, but there was no sign of an intrusion at any point."

"How can that be?" Gaara wondered.

"Your security must be lacking, Hokage," said A.

"Are you sure you saw no one suspicious walk into the village via the surveillance?" C asked.

"No, no one," Shizune answered. "What's even stranger is that every chakra signature that passed by the Gate monitors has been checked out and cleared."

"Which can only mean two things," Kakashi decided. "Either the intruder isn't really an intruder and is a resident of the Leaf or someone from within the Leaf had let them in."

"A traitor among us," Tsunade concluded. "Shizune, tell the Uchiha Police Force to double their patrol squads and expand their surveillance."

"I also want them to start keeping a closer eye on the villagers," Kakashi added, "especially on who leaves and enters the village."

"Kakashi, would it not be wise to postpone the Chunin Exams until this problem has been sorted?" Gaara suggested.

"No, I won't do that, Gaara. Can't you tell?"

"Tell what?"

"Each of those kids are looking forward to their match with anticipation. As Hokage, I cannot take that away from them. This is their opportunity."

"Another one will always come," said Tsunade.

"But by that point, they would have lost the chance to show their potential as rookies to the world. There's only one more test left, I'm sure we can keep things together until it ends."

Suddenly Tsunade gave a chuckle, something that had caught all the Kage, their advisors and bodyguards off-guard.

A asked first. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing! It's just that you really care about those kids, don't you, Kakashi?"

"They deserve a chance, Tsunade..."

She smiled. "Well, it's not like I can overrule your decision. You are Hokage, after all."

"Indeed, I think Kakashi makes a fair point," Gaara smiled. "I would be lying if I didn't admit that there was at least one genin among those children that I would like to see finish the Exams."

"That is true," grinned A.

"Right, then, I'm on it!!" Shizune departed once again.

"And we will be off, too, since the Final Rounds will be held in a private arena next," said Gaara.

"Yeah, I think I've seen enough kids making me feel inadequate to last a while," Kakuzu jested.

Before leaving A held his hand out to Kakashi which the Hokage shook.

"Take care of yourself, Hokage, and this village," he grinned.

"I intend to."

Gaara next placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can't help but feel like something is amiss. Be careful..."

Kakashi nodded. "Will do."

With that, the Kazekage, Raikage, and their entourage made their way out of the Hidden Leaf. As Kakashi and Tsunade watched them flash-step off, the Hokage sideglanced at the Princess with concern.

"So... feel like telling me what your relationship to that girl is?"

Tsunade cast her eyes to the ground. "There is no relationship between us."

"Really? Because out of everyone, I thought you could tell me the reason why she carries the name Senj--"

"Kakashi," Tsunade's voice came sharply, "Please, just drop this."

"Sure..."

"Thank you. I'll be going now."

"Alright then. See you later."

When Kakashi was seemingly alone, he drew a deep breath before speaking again. "Did you catch all of that, Sasuke?"

"I did." The Uchiha came into view from bushes nearby.

"So what are your plans moving forward?" The Hokage asked.

"Hm. It seems like a waste of time to search for this intruder when we don't even know for sure if there is one, but I'll be sure to keep my eyes and ears open."

"Alright. Naruto will be out of the village for a long time, so it's up to you and Kazuki to ensure our safety."

"You have my word," the Uchiha proclaimed.

Kakashi lowered his eyelids. "One more thing. Will you continue to train Iroko in preparation for the Finals?"

"Yes."

"... I trust your judgment, Sasuke. Therefore I am choosing to believe that you know what you're doing."

Sasuke did not respond. Instead, he phased out of Kakashi's area, leaving the Hokage to his thoughts.

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡Around the same time⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

"Iroko, slow down, will you?" Yuura pleaded.

"No time, Yuura!" the boy said in reply, still dashing through the corridors of the stadium. "If I wanna stand a chance against Itsuki then I've gotta start training right now!!"

"Okay, but do you have a way to beat him in my mind?"

"Nope, but I can figure it out along the way!"

"H-Hold on, let's not rush this! I think it would be beneficial for you to actually formulate your training around a specific strategy."

Iroko slowed down. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it," he began through his exhaustion, "if you were to develop a sound strategy your training could be geared towards creating some sort of a counter to Itsuki's Kekkei Genkai. You have one whole week, instead of just developing your already existing techniques why not attempt to create something specifically made to deal with Itsuki?"

Iroko slammed his right hand into the palm of his left. "Oh, I get it now! So what you're saying is in addition to augmenting the strength of my existing jutsu I should also create another one specifically designed to defeat Itsuki."

Yuura nodded. The boys were now walking down the hallway together.

"It had slipped my mind earlier, but when I saw your name paired against Itsuki's I came to the realization that while Water Style may be weak against Earth Style, Earth Style is in fact weak against Lightning Style!"

"Hold on, are you saying that I have the advantage?"

Before Yuura could answer-- "Iroko!! Wait, Iroko!!"

The boys were so engrossed in their conversation that they had not noticed when they passed by the infirmary, which Ena Kishida was now running out of. Her hair had been let down and she was dressed in a patient gown. At any rate, Iroko was glad to see her on her feet again.

"Iroko, wait, I need to talk to you!!"

"Ena? What's going on?"

"Hold it right there, young lady," came Ino, grabbing her by the collar of the gown. "I'm not done running scans on you!"

"I just need two minutes to talk to him. Please?"

Ino let out a sigh of exasperation. "Fine. Just be quick, alright?"

Ena quickly bowed then ran towards Iroko.

"You okay? They've got you in a hospital gown and everything," said Iroko.

"It's nothing. She's only running a few scans to see if any of my nerves have been shot."

"If your nerves have been shot?" Iroko then remembered what Kanbe Ono had done to her in the final match. It was such a powerful technique that it had instantly one-shot her. That Cloud-nin was another that was in a league of his own. "That guy - what a dangerous jutsu."

"It's okay, I'll live. Something like that won't put me out of commission that easily. But, anyway, there's something else I have to discuss with you."

Suddenly she took another step towards him so that they were now only centimetres apart, presumably so she could lower her voice. However, because of the close proximity, Iroko had then been reminded that she was a girl who was probably not wearing anything under her gown, and it caused him to lock his eyes solely on hers so they would not gaze further down.

"Before Itsuki and Genzo come visit me, I need you to know something." She looked back at Ino for a moment.

Something about him needing to know something before a halt in speech felt familiar to Iroko. "What is it?"

She looked back at him. "Actually, can we talk at another time, instead? Say tomorrow, at noon, just outside of the Academy? Trust me, you'll want to hear what I have to say."

"And why's that?"

She hesitated at first but then spoke with confidence. "Because it's about Itsuki's Kekkei Genkai."

Iroko's eyes widened in shock.

"Your friend can come too if he wants. Well, see you then." Ena backed away from him then returned to the infirmary with Ino.

"Huh... What could she mean by that, Itsuki's Kekkei Genkai?" Yuura asked.

As he slowly began to connect all the dots, Iroko's expression became earnest. "Something that Itsuki himself is hiding about it."

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

That next day, Iroko had awoken to a quiet morning. There was no wind, very few birds were chirping, and many villagers had decided to stay at home, culminating in longer tenures of silence.

As the day drone don, he found himself sitting on the living room couch, staring aimlessly at the TV before him. It may have seemed like he was bored out of his mind but in actuality, he was anticipating the meeting of this afternoon with every passing second.

"Slow morning, huh?" Kiboi came as she walked into the living room with a kimono robe on.

"You could say that."

"Still reeling from yesterday's events?"

Iroko smiled. Yeah, so many amazing battles had taken place the other day. He couldn't decide which one was his favourite. In his head, he thought everyone else's fight had been far more enjoyable to watch than his. And so he was hoping, hoping for another chance to show his abilities once more and prove to the world that he had the potential to stand at the top.

If only he knew of a way to beat Itsuki.

"By the way, shouldn't you be out training with Sasuke right now?"

"Oh, right, I've decided to take the day off today," he stated.

"How come?"

Feigning exhaustion, he said: "I just feel really worn out from yesterday. That match really took a lot out of me."

"Is that so?"

"Yup..."

*

*

*

"Well, gotta go, see ya!" He jumped off the couch and dashed to the door.

"Wha- Where?"

"Yuura's. We're hanging out today."

Kiboi looked on in confusion. "Oh, okay then. Have fun--."

He slammed the door behind him without another word.

"--I guess..."

Close to noon, he had met up with Yuura and the two of them began to make their way to the Academy's gates.

"Do you think we can trust what she has to say?" Yuura inquired.

"I don't know, but it's better than nothing. Itsuki had started acting strange when he mentioned his Kekkei Genkai so there's gotta be something going on there."

"Still, one can't help but wonder what she stands to gain from doing this."

They caught sight of her on a bench that was seated on the path to the Academy's gates. When she saw them she waved them over. Iroko saw that she had tied her hair back into bunches and was dressed normally again.

"You came!" she beamed.

"Yeah, why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know," she stared down at the ground in embarrassment. "I guess some part of me thought that you wouldn't believe me."

"But what you have to say is the truth, right?" said Yuura.

"Yes, that's right, I give you my word." She stopped to gather her thoughts before proceeding. "The truth is, Iroko, I need your help."

"You need... my help?" He was surprised to hear it.

"When I saw that you were up against Itsuki from the infirmary, I thought that it has to be you. You have to be the one to save Itsuki."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down!! What's this all about and what does it have to do with Itsuki's Kekkei Genkai?!"

"To put it simply, Itsuki actually has more than one Kekkei Genkai."

"What?" Iroko and Yuura were shocked.

"More than one Kekkei Genkai?" Iroko reiterated. "Is that even possible?"

"It is, but it's exceedingly rare," Yuura answered. "The only other known ninja in the world to have more than one Kekkei Genkai is the Fifth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, but whether or not her's are genetic is still up for debate."

"So how is it possible that Itsuki has more than one Kekkei Genkai, exactly how many Kekkei Genkai does he have, what are they, how many chakra natures does that mean he can use, and how skilled is he with them?!"

"Calm down, will you?" Ena pushed Iroko back by the nose as he edged closer and closer to her in his endless inquiry. "I will answer all of your questions so just be patient."

"Sorry..."

"It's fine. Why don't we sit down since I'm gonna be talking for a while."

Once they were seated, Ena then began to explain everything to them.

"Itsuki is from a famous clan in the Land of Wind called the Miura clan. The Miura clan specializes in Mineral Style but once every few generations in their history the elders of the clan would predict that a parent would be blessed with a child who will possess the potential to naturally use three chakra natures. Itsuki was the child of this time.

"In order to ensure that the future the elders saw would become a reality, they had Itsuki's father marry someone with a powerful Kekkei Genkai, making sure that the two chakra natures her's was made up of shared one similar nature as their Mineral Style that way Itsuki would be born with the exact make-up needed to have two Kekkei Genkai."

"No way..." Yuura was horrified. "Eugenics...?"

Ena nodded grimly. "And so Itsuki was born with the power to wield Mineral Style, and the Futten clan's Scorch Style."

Iroko gritted his teeth in anger, standing up from the bench. "Dammit!! What's with all of these clans and trying to create the perfect kid?! Why can't parents be free to meet each other and gradually fall in love? What's wrong with having an imperfect child?"

"I'm right there with you," Yuura sighed, "but, unfortunately, that's just how it's always been. These sort of things have been rooted in ninja history for hundreds of years. It's all one big power struggle. And to think that Itsuki is a victim of all this..."

"But despite what I just said, for the first few years of his life, Itsuki did have a normal childhood," Ena continued. Getting the message, Iroko and Yuura remained quiet. "Though his father was mandated by the elders to train Itsuki, his dad had prioritized his happiness first, letting him be a kid as often as he could. Itsuki was still getting ninja training but at a slower pace than the elders had liked. Maybe it was because of that reason or another, but at some point, Itsuki had started performing badly in school. For someone with such a powerful lineage, the other kids would make fun of him for being so lackadaisical. But to Itsuki at the time, he thought it didn't matter because as long as he had the love of his parents everything would turn out alright."

Iroko inwardly gasped. That's... what... I had told myself before...

Ena then became filled with sorrow. "Except everything didn't turn out alright. When Itsuki's parents had heard about his performance in school, his mom became angry at his dad, blaming him for not having taken Itsuki's training more seriously. But his dad still argued that his desire was for Itsuki to have at least a somewhat normal childhood. Now Itsuki's father was actually an esteemed member of the Miura clan so most of the time the elders of the clan had no choice but to condone his actions for fear that he might rebel against or leave them. So they backed off. But the division between his parents had still weighed heavily on Itsuki. Determined to impress his mother, he pushed himself harder on training his Scorch Style, and endeavored to catch up in school. However, the damage had already been done..."

Iroko and Yuura gulped fearfully.

"Soon enough the Fourth Great Ninja War had broken out and Itsuki's parents had been conscripted to fight in it, acting as representatives of their families. That was around the time when the Futten clan had made their move. Itsuki's father may have had influence over the Miura clan, but that influence didn't carry over to the Futten's. All that they cared about was their social image and how it was perceived to the Land of Wind through Itsuki, and his father was getting in the way of that."

"No... don't tell me..." Iroko knew where this was going next.

"It didn't happen until after the Ninja War had been won. On the night after October 10th, Itsuki's mom had been found by his body."

Iroko felt sick to his stomach. What a grueling tragedy. No child should have to lose their parent like that. No one should.

"Immediately afterward, Itsuki's mother had fled the Land of Wind and was declared a rogue ninja, leaving Itsuki all alone. To this day she still hasn't been found. It wasn't until a few months later that the Fifth Kazekage had had a chance to address the situation, so he visited Itsuki and had him admitted into the newly instated orphanage of the Sand Village. That was where I had met him for the first time, a grieved and confused kid.

"For the first few years, Itsuki was too depressed to continue his training. The kids that either didn't know what he had gone through or didn't care had ended up calling him a loser. But the Kazekage had always been there for him. He helped raise Itsuki back up and reminded him that he still had something worth fighting for.

"But despite everything the Kazekage had done for him, even having gone as far as to help him train his Mineral Style, I could see it: A burning rage that was welling up in his heart, towards his mom's clan, and his mom herself." Ena raised her head to the sky. "I can still recall the day when he declared his vow to me...

"I've decided, Ena."

"...Decided what?"

He looked down at his left hand. "This power that was given to me, Scorch Style, it is a power that belongs to a mass of backstabbers and murderers. Selfish blowhards that weigh their reputation as having more substance than anyone they deem beneath them. I refuse to have any connections with such people. So I'm done with it.

"Done with what? Your Kekkei Genkai? Itsuki, slow down, let's think about this--"

"I have thought about it, Ena. If I want to become a Hero to the Sand just like Lord Fifth, I can't let my relation to the Futten clan drag me down. I'm severing all my ties with them, including my Kekkei Genkai. I'll reach the top with the Miura clan's Mineral Style and with Mineral Style only. As far as I'm concerned, everyone in that clan is dead to me."

"Itsuki....."

"Never in my life had I seen anyone filled with so much hatred. When he had stated that everyone in the Futten clan was dead to him, I knew he was talking about his mother as well. It hurt to see him like that, and I know he thinks this drive is what he needs to achieve his dream but I know he's only driving himself into a deeper hole!!"

Ena had to momentarily stop, for she had begun to cry.

"Sorry," she said, wiping away her tears.

"No, it's okay, really," Yuura put a hand on her shoulder while she recomposed herself.

"If he keeps going down this path, denying his own power when he truly needs it, it'll get him killed someday. This is why ... I need your help, Iroko. Your Lightning Style would be a hard counter to Itsuki's Mineral Style. If you could somehow make him see reason and get him to use his Scorch Style again I think we might be able to snap him out of it. Sorry, I know it must feel like I'm trying to take advantage of you and in truth, I don't even think this will really erase the hatred he has for the Futten clan but I just felt like as his friend I had to do something!!"

Suddenly, Iroko rose up from the bench once more, causing Ena to speechlessly stare at him.

He was neither smiling nor frowning, but towards that exact moment, his brain had done nothing but try to process all the new information he had been given.

I see. So that's how it's been for him. That Itsuki, I knew there was something about him that just felt so ... familiar to me.

Ena said that the Fifth Kazekage hadn't been able to reach out to him until months after the incident. If that's the case then that means he must have been alone all that time, letting those thoughts fester, with no one to talk to. No wonder he's hellbent now.

The same thing he went through had happened to me. Two whole years and in that time I had given up on the Academy and had taken to curse the people that killed my mother and father. If it hadn't been for Naruto-sensei and Oneechan, I would've...

...turned out exactly like him today.

But he wasn't alone for long. Eventually, he had met the Kazekage, Ena, and Genzo. Yet he's still refusing to change. Is it too late, too late to save him - just like Ryuun Kitto?

He turned around to face Ena.

Even so, she still hasn't given up on him. She still believes there's a chance. But why me? What can I do? Is there anything I can do, anything I can say to him? Think. THINK!! How can someone like me reach out to him?!

To answer his own question, Iroko looked back through his memories. There he found that he was standing in front of himself, an 8-year old version of himself, one that had given up on everything and everyone.

But behind him, there was a light, one that was shining like a white opening at the end of a long and dark tunnel, and there he saw them: Kiboi, Naruto, Asami, Yuura, Hisao, even Kazue.

That was when he had found his answer.

"One loser to another," he said aloud.

Ena became confused. "What?"

"I'll do it," Iroko proclaimed. "I'll help you save Itsuki. If there's even a slim chance that your plan will work then I'll take it."

"Iroko..." Yuura looked at his friend with marvel.

Ena was spellbound. She felt the tears start to well up in her eyes again. "Really? Even if you don't know Itsuki that well you're still willing to help him?"

"Actually, don't take this the wrong way, but I feel like I do know him well enough," said Iroko. "In fact, I'm probably the only other person around that knows him to the point that it hurts like heck. Which is why I have to be the one. I have to be the one to bring him back to his senses. That is if you'll let me, Ena..."

Yeah, I think I know what you're talking about, Ena thought, because he had said the same thing about you after he came back from the Edo that one time. That's how I know you're the one.

She could no longer stop the tears from falling. "Yeah, okay then. Go right ahead, Iroko!! I'm counting on you!!"

Iroko POV

And so it was.

Thus at that moment, I had taken the first step towards truly saving someone...

... the first step towards realizing what it truly meant to reach for the top while still looking down below.