Chapter 4 - A Bet from the Legendary Loser

Early in the morning, before the dew had left the grass, a tap came at Ekyt’s window. Ekyt, who hadn’t fallen asleep until two hours ago, woke with a start, his hand reaching for the kunai he kept in a hidden pouch in his blanket. He whipped toward the window, stopping in surprise. A monkey? Who the hell had sent a monkey here this early?
Ekyt opened the window, allowing the monkey to clamber inside. Silently, it dropped a small scroll at Ekyt’s feet before it scampered back out the window. Ekyt stared after it for a moment, all sorts of questions rattling around in his head, before he knelt down to pick up the scroll. His hazel eyes narrowed at first, then widened in surprise at the contents of the scroll.
Him? Why does he, of all people, want to see me?
With that in mind, Ekyt grabbed his clothes for the day, got cleaned up and dressed, and rushed out the door.


Ekyt raced down the street, dodging various people and animals.
“Morning Sakura-san!” he called to the pink-haired kunoichi.
“Hm? Oh, Ekyt-san, good morning!” she replied, giving him a wave. I wonder where he’s rushing off to so early? Oh well. I’d better hurry, I’ve got to wake up Tsunade-sama. I hope she wasn’t out late again last night, she’s so miserable in the mornings when she stays out late! Sakura thought with a shiver. Angering Tsunade-sama was something along the lines of signing your own death warrant.


“Ah, damn! Lee!” Ekyt remembered suddenly. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” (Art of Summoning) Ekyt called, still running. His dog, Holly, fell into step behind him.
“Kid, it’s to early for your crap! Whaddaya want?!” Holly whined, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with one paw as she ran to keep pace with her human.
“Message…(pant)…for Lee-san…here!” Ekyt spoke in fragmented segments, already tired from running so quickly for so long. In his gloved hand was a scroll, with a scrawl that Holly could barely make out.
“Alright kid, but if you wake me up this early ever again, I’m going to bite off your arm. If you’re dumb enough to do it after that, I’ll gnaw off something else, and we’ll work our way up to the important stuff. Believe it!” Holly sighed in resignation and took the scroll, running off to find Lee.


Ekyt barreled up to the door, paused for a second to straighten his clothes and hitai-ate, then rang the gong.
“Ah, prompt, just like I remember! Come in, come in!” A distinguished, elderly voice called.
Ekyt walked into the house, er, mansion. The foyer’s floor was made from a rare wood, with an Oriental rug placed over a small part of it. Paintings lined the room, and there was a holder meant for a sword just inside the door. Immediately visible was an enormous deck that overlooked a pond, surrounded by an Asian garden. Every flower seemed to be in bloom, and two turtles and blue heron occupied the pond. They were picking placidly at the water, picking out the akward fish that strayed from it’s school.
“Come out on to the deck, it’s too nice a day to be inside!” the voice called again.
Still wondering what this was about, Ekyt stepped through the house and out onto the deck. A small breeze had picked up, pleasantly tossing some small leaves around and scattering petals across the pond, creating small ripples in the otherwise glassy water.
Standing before a partially covered canvas stood the one who had summoned Ekyt. The Third Hokage. He insisted on being called “Sarutobi” now, as the Hokage title had been passed on.
“Good morning to you, Ekyt. How are you?” Sarutobi asked pleasantly, making another stroke on the canvas with his brush. He stepped back to admire his work, brow furrowed in concentration.
“I…I am well, thank you, Sarutobi-sama,” Ekyt told him. As always the Third Hokage could tell when someone wasn’t being entirely truthful.
“That is not what I’ve heard. And there’s no need for the rigid, formal tone, lad. I’m not Hokage anymore,” Sarutobi told Ekyt friendly. “Please, sit down, sit comfortably. I’ve called you here for a reason that I believe will crack even your stoicism…”



“Good morning Ebisu-sensei!” Sakura intoned brightly.
“Hmph,” came the usually reply.
“Bastard…” Sakura muttered, but she went back to her scroll, studying the tenketsu.

Tsunade was waiting for Ebisu when he came in.
“Tsunade-sama, you summoned me?” Ebisu said stiffly.
“Yes, I did Ebisu. I’ll cut to the chase: You wanted approval to be a squad leader. It’s the council’s opinion that you have one more test to pass. A simple sparring match. It begins in one hour’s time at the academy. I’ll dismiss you so you can prepare.”
“The match proctor?” Ebisu asked rigidly.
“I can only reveal that I will be there. There will be multiple judges, rather than one proctor.”


“Hey, Granny Tsunade, what’s with waking me up this early?! I need my rest, dattebayo!”
“Naruto, don’t call me that!” Tsuande snarled in reply. “As for why I’ve called you here, I need you to accompany me to the academy in one hour’s time, on a C-ranked mission.”
“FINALLY, something to do, dattebayo! Hey, does that freak have to come?” Naruto asked.
“Sai? (rubs temples, exasperated tone) Yes, he does. All of your team will be there. And he’s not a freak…well,” Tsunade paused, ruffling Naruto’s hair, “No more of a freak than you!”



One our later, Ebisu walked into the academy classroom. He saw Umino Iruka, Gekko Hayate, Hatake Kakashi and his team, and Tsunade.
“So, I’m sparring you, eh Iruka?” Ebisu crowed.
“Actually, no, I’m here as a judge,” Iruka replied, a smile on his face. Everyone seemed to be smiling. What are they up to?
“Hayate-san, you then, right?”
“(koff)Nope,” the sick-looking Hayate replied, a small grin on his face as well.


Ekyt and Sarutobi walked in on the other side of the room. Ekyt and Ebisu saw each other and they both froze.
“What’s HE doing here?!” They shouted in unison, accusing fingers pointed at each other.


Tsuande calmly walked between them, giving them each a shove backward with one hand.
“This is killing three birds with one stone. Ebisu, if you defeat Ekyt, you get a squad. Ekyt, if you defeat Ebisu, you will be promoted to chunin. Lastly…you two hate each other, what better way to end the hostilities?”
“He does not stand a chance! He is only a genin!” Ebisu taunted.
Ekyt piped up, not being able to restrain himself any more.
“The last time you fought me, I had one eye, a broken leg, and a ton of depression. The only way you beat me was to kick my broken leg. You don’t have that escape this time!”
Ebisu began to sputter incoherently, so Ekyt spoke up once more.
“I’ll make you a deal, Ebisu. If you win, I won’t even apply for the chunin exams for a full year, in addition to admitting that you are superior. If I win…You change your vote and let Naruto take the chunin exams.”
Ebisu was absolutely furious. “I never- I mean- where do”
Ekyt adjusted his hitai-ate. “Is your courage failing you, Ebisu-sensei?”
That was enough to spark the fight.
“You’re on!”


Ebisu lost all dignity and charged at Ekyt. Ekyt used a Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement jutsu) to disappear. As Ebisu stood, looking around in confusion, Ekyt was crouching behind him. That’s when Ebisu heard it:

“Sennen Goroshi!” (One Thousand Years of Death)

Everyone watching burst into hysterical laughter. Ekyt had taken a page from Kakashi’s book. Using two fingers, he jabbed Ebisu hard enough to propel him across the room. Ebisu’s head rocketed off the far wall.
“Wow! Ekyt-san used the Super Powerful @$$ Poke!” Sakura declared.
“I guess he really DOES write down every jutsu we show him,” Kakashi remarked, a grin visible even under his mask.


Ebisu leapt up, rubbing his, er, rectal appendage. Ekyt immediately ran in to follow up on the attack. With his black tabi boots extended in front of him, he used another basic attack.
“ Dainamikku-Entori!” (Dynamic Entry)
Ebisu parried Ekyt’s kick by using his forearm. He returned with a punch aimed at the temple. Ekyt blocked that, but was hit by Ebisu’s kick to the sternum, which sent the genin skidding backward.
“Seneijashu” (Hidden Shadow Snake Hand) Ekyt called. This jutsu was one of Orochimaru’s signatures, but Ekyt had learned it from Mitarashi Anko. Anko had taken a liking to the spunk genin, and was willing to help him out when she could. Because of this, she rode Ekyt harder than any other students during their training sessions. He had responded well to the training, and this jutsu was his reward.
The snakes stemming from Ekyt’s wrist snared Ebisu, then reeled him in. As Ebisu sailed in closer, Ekyt focused his chakra to his hand, hardening it. As soon as Ebisu was in rage, Ekyt punched him. Between the pulling of the snakes, and the “push” created by the punch, Ebisu went down hard.



“So, Tsunade-sama, your plan worked perfectly.”
Tsunade shrugged at Sarutobi’s words. “These two were going to fight whether I sanctioned it or not. I figured I might as well use that to everyone’s advantage.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, Tsunade-sama, who’s your money on?” Kakashi asked.
“Is that a bet, Kakashi-san?”
Kakashi shrugged. “My money is on Kaguya Ekyt.”
Tsunade replied: “No bet then. So’s mine.”


Ebisu leapt up, furiously making hand signs.
“Kage Bushin no Jutsu!” he shouted. Three clones of Ebisu leapt out from behind him, all aiming for Ekyt.
Ekyt threw a series of kunai, all laced with exploding tags. While Ebisu focused on that, Ekyt went for the jugular: “Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!” (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique).
“Kai!” Ebisu said smugly, ending the genjutsu while deftly dodging the exploding tags. His right fist tagged Ekyt in the face. While Ekyt was distracted, Ebisu took the opportunity to throw a kunai at him. Ekyt saw it, but could only block it with his forearm. That gave Ebisu an opening:
“Joro Senbon!” (It’s raining needles from heaven). Hundreds of razor-sharp senbon zipped toward the already wounded Ekyt. At least half pierced him in different places.
“Agh!” Ekyt grunted with pain. He plucked one needle out of his skin before Ebisu used a chakra-enhanced punch to send Ekyt into the wall. Bloody at the corners of his mouth, a tell-tale sign of internal injury, Ekyt slid down the wall, landing with a thud.

Hayate, the closest judge, asked Ekyt “Do you want to give up?”
Ekyt shook his head, coughing out a glob of blood, then wiped his mask with his hand.
Ebisu flew over and grabbed Ekyt around the neck, holding him up. Ten times Ebisu’s fist glanced off Ekyt’s face. A knee to the stomach ended Ebisu’s devastating combo, leaving the opposing genin lying in a heap.

Ebisu rocketed in for the kill. Ekyt had one more trick up his sleeve.
“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” (Summoning Jutsu). Ekyt’s summon, a Chinese Water Dragon named Umisu, popped up in front of Ekyt. To everyone’s surprise, it spat out a Mizu Bushin no Jutsu (Water Clone) of Ekyt.
Ebisu snickered and slashed the clone with a kunai. That left his back open for the real Ekyt to do some damage by virtue of taijutsu.
“Mikaihatsu shindou koutei!” (Backward Impact Flight, formerly known as the Backward Konoha Snapdragon)
Ekyt gripped Ebisu around the neck and around the legs, then used his chakra to leap high into the air. Ekyt shifted his weight and aimed Ebisu downward, then pushed forward, increasing the momentum.
The impact was devastating. Ebisu was lying in a crater, unconscious from the impact.
Ekyt stayed standing for about three seconds longer, then he crumpled to the floor, needles sticking out of him, and his body resembling one giant bruise.



“Well, he won. Once he regains consciousness, I’ll give him his vest and make the announcement. Sakura, once you’re done stitching him up, you’re officially a Tokubetsu Chunin, so you can brag to your crush there (Points at Ekyt, earning a glare from Sakura) that you still outrank him. Since I know you can handle stitching him up, I’ll congratulate you now,” Lady Tsunade offered.
“YES! I CAN TAKE THE CHUNIN EXAMS! UZUMAKI NARUTO IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO BECOMING HOKAGE, DATTEBAYO!”
Sakura gave him a hard hit on the head. “Stop it, can’t you see I’m working here, you retard?”
Sai came over and looked at Ekyt’s body. “He’s a wimp.”
“Don’t say that about Ekyt-san!” Sakura snarled.
“Hey, don’t put me in the same category as a ****** like Ekyt!” Sai replied.
Kakashi held back Naruto and Sakura. “Good to have things start to turn around…I think…”

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