Page 69 of The Serpent and the Silver Wolf

They moved in a tight circle, her hands darting out in bursts while he blocked or dodged with an ease that made her pulse quicken. She feinted left, then surged right, reaching for the target, cold steel biting deep enough to draw a thin sting of blood. But before her grip could close, he twisted away, and the weapon slipped past her hand.

Just out of reach, the shuriken jingled softly in his retreat.

Damn. Panting, Aimee bent over, sucking on the blood now seeping slowly from her hand. Holding back her true speed and skill while going so hard was proving more exhausting than she’d anticipated.

“You almost got him, Aimee!” Taiga shouted from across the field, sprinting toward them. “I bet if we went together, we could do it, no problem!”

“You wouldn’t stand a chance, even with Aimee’s help, loser,” Iruka scoffed as he sauntered out from behind a tree, his usually neat hair now tousled, dark strands falling messily across his forehead.

His clothes were scuffed, and a faint trickle of blood ran down his arm, but his tone was as sharp as ever. Momoka followed, her face flushed, with strands of blue hair sticking out at odd angles.

“It needs to be all of us,” the young girl wheezed, yanking a twig from her tangled locks and tossing it aside.

“Yeah, right!” Taiga barked, though his bravado faltered as Iruka grimaced.

“She’s right,” Iruka said. “We need to work together.”

“But what about the rules? You’ll just keep the shuriken for yourself!” Taiga shot back.

Iruka kept his gaze steady, betraying no emotion. “I guess you’ll have to trust me.”

They’re getting it. Aimee smiled, casting a quick glance at Kiba, who continued to lean against a tree, pretending not to notice.

Taiga stood still as he considered Iruka's plan. Then, with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, he pumped a fist into the air. “OK, let’s do this!”

“Right,” said Momoka, and Aimee nodded.

“Ok. Taiga, you go first from the front. Be a distraction, at least,” Iruka instructed. “Aimee, you and I will flank him. Momoka, look for an opening and take it if you see it.”

He might’ve been a moody little brat most of the time, but he was competent. This would be interesting.

“Who made you the leader?!” The other boy responded.

“For crying out loud, Taiga, just go with it,” Aimee scolded, swatting him on the back of the head.

“Fine.” He huffed, glancing at the others. “Ready?”

They nodded, crouching low in preparation to strike. But before anyone could move, the small silver shuriken flew through the air to land helplessly at their feet.

“Well done, Wolf Squad.” Kiba strolled into the center of the clearing, lunch sacks materializing in his hands. “You all pass.”

The three younger ninja blinked, exchanging baffled looks. Momoka’s eyes darted from the shuriken to Kiba, then to her teammates, her mouth slightly agape. Iruka frowned like he was trying to piece together what had just happened. Taiga, meanwhile, was completely wide-eyed, frozen in place as his brain tried to catch up with what he was hearing.

“WHAT?!?” He exploded, startling a few nearby birds into flight.

Goddamn, is his volume stuck on high?Aimee thought, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

“WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!” Taiga’s head whipped between her, Iruka, and Momoka. “It’s gotta be a trick, right?”

“Idiot,” Iruka muttered, snatching one of the lunch sacks from Kiba and sitting down to eat.

“It...was...a test?” Momoka said slowly before stepping forward to grab her own lunch. “It was a test,” she repeated, sounding almost like she needed to convince herself.

“A test?” Taiga echoed, grabbing the last two lunch sacks and handing one to Aimee. “What the hell kind of test was that?”

Taiga’s question hung in the air, unanswered as they settled on the ground.

A few minutes later, after they’d settled in with the rice balls Kiba had brought, he finally explained the real rules—and why the test mattered.