I finally managed to finish this chapter. This pleases me and I hope it makes all of you happy too. Anyone who's been reading my other stories is aware that part of the slow going with updates is that I have a very difficult and heavy semester. Time is now a very precious commodity right now.

Disclaimer: you know what goes here so I'm not wasting my and more importantly your time with putting it here.


Ch. 7: Proof of Strength

They were as ready as they were ever going to be. Team 7 braced themselves and made a run for the tower. There were two days left on the time limit and they intended to beat it and have a few days to rest. If they made it past Orochimaru that is. The team had already agreed that if they didn't – if Orochimaru managed to place the curse mark on Sasuke – they'd talk to Kakashi and do whatever he thought was best. Even if their sensei told them to drop out of the exams. Hopefully, for the boys sakes, it wouldn't come to that.

All of them kept their senses open and ready for an attack. Orochimaru was going to attack. They knew this from Sakura's vision and still it caught them by surprise. The ground in front of them exploded. They jumped back to avoid any damage. When the smoke cleared, Orochimaru stood in front of them. He wasn't bothering with the disguise anymore so there was nothing to block what he was from them. A monster.

"Found you at last," he said in that almost silky voice. His eyes were focused on Sasuke. As far as he was concerned the other two were useless.

Sakura shuddered. It terrified her that something so horrible could sound so...so...not horrible. Anyone who hadn't seen what she'd seen could mistaken him for a good guy rather than the monster he was. Well, anyone who missed the look in his eyes. There was a trace of something inhuman in those gold snake's eyes.

"Now, I have a present for you, Sasuke." Orochimaru began to walk towards them.

"I don't want your present," Sasuke snapped out and stood his ground. Running wasn't an option now. They couldn't get away fast enough yet. Sakura would be the only one who knew when the time to run came because only she saw the vision.

"You won't lay a finger on him, freak," Naruto growled and Sakura saw something in the blond's eyes change. They turned red and the pupil looked like a cat's. "Not while I'm here."

"Then I'll just have to get rid of you, won't I," the snake said without any concern.

Naruto attacked. He wasn't going to just stand there and let Orochimaru kill them or get Sasuke. If he had to go down, it would be while fighting. Orochimaru knocked him aside with easy and turned his attention to Sasuke. He didn't notice that Sakura had moved away from the Uchiha. She was preparing for her opportunity to get them all away.

Sasuke took a fighting stance and prepared to attack. Behind Orochimaru, Naruto stood back up. The boys nodded to each other and made their move at the same time. Orochimaru held them off with ease. The snake was toying with them. They knew that but they weren't going to give up that easily. Sakura had told them that they got the chance to run. She didn't know if they got away, but at least they still had the chance.

Finally, Orochimaru seemed to get bored with the fight or he had found whatever he'd been looking for in the fight. He knocked Naruto and Sasuke into trees. Orochimaru's neck seemed to stretch out as he grinned at Sasuke. "You are a strong shinobi, Sasuke Uchiha, but you can be stronger. I can make you stronger."

Sasuke winced as he tried to move before Orochimaru could bite him. He was off balance and couldn't respond fast enough. Just as Orochimaru was about to bite Sasuke, Sakura shoved Sasuke and had a clone use the head-hunter jutsu on Orochimaru – a trick she'd learned from Kakashi after he used it on Sasuke during the test that made them genin. Since he'd ignored her as useless, she'd managed to get him with the jutsu without a fight. She knew it wouldn't stop Orochimaru, but it would slow him down long enough to give them a head start. Quickly, she grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him behind her. He got up and after a few stumbling steps, began to run with her. Naruto was already up and moving.

Now the hard part began. They ran with all they had in them. Sakura could hear Orochimaru behind them. They'd gotten the head start Sakura wanted. She could only hope it was enough to get them to the tower. They could see the doors a mile in front of them. That mile might as well have been a hundred. They were almost there. Sakura reached out to open the door. Sasuke didn't bother. He made hand signs as he ran for his fire jutsu. The fire exploded from him and smashed the door open. The three of them burst into the tower and through the door on the other end of the room.

Naruto slammed the door shut. They leaned on it together and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, they let out a breath. He hadn't followed them. Sakura had been right. Orochimaru couldn't afford to be in the middle of a fight with the jonin and chunin within the tower just yet. Whatever he was planning was more important than his desire to place the curse mark on Sasuke.

"We made it," Sakura said as it sank in. She smiled and hugged Sasuke tightly as she cheered, "We did it."

Naruto pumped a fist into the air. "Yeah. We got away and everything is alright."

Sasuke leaned against the wall and let Sakura hug him. He even wrapped an arm around her as the fact that they'd escaped sank in. Then he wondered what plan was so important to Orochimaru that he would give up something he obviously wanted. It had to be one major deal for the snake and that worried Sasuke a little.

"Alright," Naruto said at last, "Let's finish this exam since we're here."

The other two nodded in agreement and made their way to the other side of the room. They still kept one eye behind them just in case they were wrong and Orochimaru was just waiting for them to let their guard down. Sakura read the writing on the wall and said, "I guess we open the scrolls now."

They did and Iruka appeared. He told them that they passed and told them about the writing on the wall. They could now move on to the next step in the chunin exams. Naruto suddenly developed the energy to run around and cheer. Sakura and Sasuke sat and wondered where in the world Naruto got that energy. Oh well. They'd made it through the second exam and prevented Sakura's vision from happening.

Later, they walked into a room provided for them to rest in. Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke. It wasn't until she saw the jonin, that Sakura realized just how tense she'd been. The relief of seeing Kakashi and knowing for sure they were safe was so strong that she slid to the floor again.

Naruto and Sasuke were on either side of her in an instant asking if she was alright. Sakura smiled. "I'm fine. It's just...Now Kakashi is here so it really is safe."

The copy ninja crouched in front of Sakura. "You've grown a lot, Sakura. You should be proud."

"I'm just happy that I prevented the worst." She let out a breath. "Now are we safe?"

"I don't know," Kakashi replied. His eyes moved to Sasuke. "Orochimaru is many things but predictable isn't one of them. You'll have to be very careful, Sasuke. The sannin doesn't give up easily. We'll be relying heavily on Sakura's Foresight to keep prepared. You will carry the heaviest burden, Sasuke. Orochimaru will come after you if given a chance. Don't give it to him."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. He'd already figured that much out. At this point, there was no way he'd go anywhere there wasn't any jonins. He couldn't risk it. Not with Orochimaru as his enemy. Sasuke's eyes trailed to Sakura and Naruto. They both nodded in agreement. All they had to do was watch each other's backs.

For the next two days, they'd rest and let their injuries heal. Kakashi made certain that there was at least one jonin near them at all times. More if he could manage it. Frequently, he was one of the jonin. Finally, the time limit for the second exam ran out. All those that passed gathered in a large room with a statue on one end and a balcony as the upper floor. All the teams stood in the center facing the shinobi standing at the base of the statue. Sakura could see the hokage and all of the jonin trainers. Anko stood next to the hokage and told them all to be silent for the hokage to speak.

Sakura found the entire thing rather boring but listened anyway. Their next proctor, Hayate, told them that there would have to be a preliminary exam before the finals to shorten the number of candidates. Sakura glared. Each one of them worked hard to make it this far and now the higher ranking shinobi wanted to eliminate even more of them. Kabuto chose to drop out, saying he was too tired and injured to continue. Things got even worse when Sasuke's name came up for the first match.

"Sasuke, be careful," Sakura said as she placed a hand on his arm. "We're all still exhausted from the last exam."

He gave her a smirk that was so typical of him, she couldn't help but smile a little. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'll be fine."

"You better win," Naruto insisted.

"Naturally," the Uchiha agreed.

Sakura and Naruto made their way to the second level, where they would watch the match. At first, Sasuke seemed to be on the losing end. His opponent could absorb chakra from his enemy, which drained Sasuke considerably. The Uchiha was not about to give up. He had to prove to everyone and himself that he didn't need Orochimaru. As Sasuke tried to break free of his opponent's hold, he kept seeing moments from the second exam. Seeing Orochimaru for the first time and the fear that the snake brought with him. Sakura's efforts to keep him safe so he wouldn't leave. Naruto's strength and determination as they ran and fought together.

His eyes snapped open and the sharingan was active. No way would he lose now. They'd come too far for that. 'I'll prove to everyone that I don't need Orochimaru.' He kicked his enemy off of him and stood on shaky legs. 'I don't care what it takes. I will win.'

Naruto shouted something at him. Sasuke looked up briefly then saw Lee. That was it. With a plan ready, Sasuke took a fighting stance. With a well aimed kick, he knocked his opponent into the air. He jumped up and with yet more kicks, slammed his enemy into the ground. It was over and Sasuke had obviously won. Naruto and Sakura cheered. He smirked up at them and saw Lee's face. So he'd stolen a little of Lee's technique and incorporated it into his own style. Whatever worked...well almost whatever...obviously he had his limits or he'd just join Orochimaru. Still, he'd won.

Sasuke stumbled a little as he made his way back over to the upper level. Then Naruto was there, letting him lean on him just a little. Sakura greeted him with a warm smile as he approached her and Kakashi. His sensei simply placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke felt something in him loosen. It was finally okay. It didn't matter if he left to join Orochimaru or not. He could get strong right here, with this team. The win was proof that he could do it. And he would damn it.

The matches moved on and Team 7 watched carefully. They would end up fighting the winners of these matches in the finals. Shino won his fight with apparent easy. Personally, Sakura always found him sort of creepy, but no one could deny his skills. Next to here, she heard Guy's team talking about Shino in surprise. That's when everyone found out about the Aburame clan's specialty. So that was why Shino was so creepy. After Shino's battle, all eyes moved up to the screen to wait for the next match. Names scrolled over the screen until they landed on two. Sakura could feel Naruto's disappointment vibrate through the air.

The sand nin called Kankuro - the same one that had caused trouble for them before the exams - made his way down to the first level. Shortly after the next fight began. It was quick and held just as many surprises as Shino's fight.

Halfway through, Sakura's eyes met Ino's briefly by chance. The world faded away and Sakura was no longer on the second level. The vision showed her a battle between her an Ino, the girl who'd once been her only friend. The Sakura in the vision had come to a decision. She wanted to fight Ino with all she had to prove to herself that she was stronger than she'd been. Ino would just have to accept that.

"Sakura."

She jerked a little and looked at Kakashi. He pointed and her eyes trailed over to the screen. Her and Ino's names were displayed in bright green lights. So, it was time for her own fight. Sakura knew from the vision that it wouldn't be an easy one, but she would fight hard. But before she went down there, she had to know one thing.

"Sesnei?" Her eyes didn't leave the arena below. "Is is cheating to use Foresight for this? I've already had a vision of my battle so I know how to win."

Kakashi shook his head. "No. For you, Foresight is a tool, much like my sharingan or Shino's bugs. A shinobi uses every tool available to him or her with very few limitations. Those limits being if it would endanger your teammates."

Sakura nodded in agreement and made her way to the stairs.

"Sakura."

She looked back at Sasuke.

"Good luck."

Naruto nodded in agreement with that grin of his.

"Thanks," she told them.

Sakura met Ino on the first level. The tension in the air so thick she could barely breathe around it. At the signal, Sakura began without holding back. As expected, Ino started out by holding back. Well, Sakura knew how to fix that. A part of her felt bad for this. Ino had been her friend once. The blond girl had pulled her out of a dark place where she'd been all alone. Ino was more than just a rival. She was Sakura's first friend, and that changed everything.

A bittersweet smile formed on Sakura's face. She'd been so childish in her dealings with Ino. How did she not realize that? The beginning of their rivalry had been Sasuke, but that was a battle neither of them could win. Not as long as Sasuke didn't want to be won anyway. Yet they'd acted as if they could. Her eyes trailed up to Sasuke. He nodded in encouragement. She'd earned his friendship, but lost Ino's for it. She wouldn't take that back. Never would she give up Sasuke's friendship and respect. But still, she wanted to at least have Ino's respect. After this battle, she would have Ino's respect.

She taunted Ino until the blond's anger overrode her pity. Now the fight would get serious. Just to be sure Ino really understood, Sakura moved her headband to her forehead. She was pleased to see Ino really did understand when the blond moved her own headband. Now this fight would really get somewhere. She was right. The punches each had more force and their speed increased dramatically. With well aimed punches and perfectly timed chakra bursts, Sakura managed to match Ino's skill perfectly. This upset the blond kunoichi. Sakura conserved as much of her energy as possible, watching for the right moment. She'd seen how things turned out in her vision. Now all she had to do was alter one thing. Then everything would change.

Sakura said something to annoy Ino, so to prove Sakura wrong, Ino cut her hair. There was the first sign post. The second was when Ino formed a circle with her two hands. Sakura braced herself for what was coming. This would take perfect timing on her part or she'd lose. Just as Ino was about to cast her justu, Sakura ran to the right. Carefully, she made sure she was positioned just right. She felt the hair rope wrap around her ankles and grinned. Perfect. She quickly hid the smile.

Ino grinned up at Sakura. "You fell for it."

Sakura let her talk as she prepared for the next part. Ino prepared for the mind transfer jutsu yet again. The pink haired kunoichi looked up at her team for a second. Sasuke nodded in encouragement. Naruto shouted at her not to give up. Kakashi watched her to see what she would do next. They believed in her and she wasn't going to let them down.

She turned her full attention back to Ino and waited for the right moment. Ino cast the jutsu. Sakura jumped, pulling herself free of her shoes. She'd been very careful to make sure that Ino's hair touched nothing but her shoes. So with careful movements, she simply pulled her feet free of her shoes.

Ino's body slumped to the ground. Sakura grinned in triumph. That was all she needed. She walked over to Ino's body, and stopped. This was an exam, not a real fight. She couldn't hit Ino when she was like this. So she turned to the proctor. "It's obvious that I've won. Do I really have to knock her out?"

Hayate shook his head. "No. I'll call the match." He raised his hand. "And the winner is Sakura Haruno."

Sakura heard Naruto's cheers and found herself smiling. She'd won.


That's it for now. I'll get the next chapter up asap.