It's been a long time coming! Presenting the final matchup of the preliminary round!

Chapter 10: The Curse of Hatred

Sasuke vs. Zaku

"It's finally time," Sasuke growled. His blood had been pumping throughout the examination despite the frequent pangs of agony he had been experiencing as a result of that mark on his neck. He felt it spreading down his neck. He felt it leeching on his chakra and…was it enhancing it? Sasuke shivered. Kakashi watched his subordinate cautiously.

"Don't think I haven't noticed your…let's call it an injury," Kakashi said in low tones. Sasuke raised his head slowly and stared at his sensei. "The only reason I haven't stopped you yet is because I know you would fight even if I stepped in. With that said, Lord Hokage has ordered your immediate disqualification if it takes complete control over you, so be careful."

"Humph," Sasuke entered the battlefield, withholding a wicked smile. What had happened to him in the Forest of Death? It had been a familiar sensation…

As Zaku landed in front of him, Sasuke eyed his arms that were wrapped together in a sling. "I've been waiting for this," Zaku snarled.

Sharingan! Zaku winced as Sasuke's eyes became blood-red, two tomoe around the pupils. Sasuke visibly shuddered as the curse spread over his body like wildfire, but he restrained through sheer force of will. It slowly retracted and with his enhanced vision, Sasuke noted the proctor and veteran sideliners loosening up, the tension they had built from scrutinizing Sasuke fading.

"You've clearly fully recovered," Sasuke said with an air of superiority that irked his opponent. "But you won't be for much longer. Let's see if I can break those arms of yours again."

"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted warningly, but Sasuke disregarded his sensei and raised his fists. Yes...he vividly remembered the sensation he felt in the Forest of Death: pure hatred. That ugly, beautiful contradiction that defined him. His heart had been changing...but was it time to embrace it again?

Hayate, caught in a coughing fit, lowered his arm with tears in his eyes. "Start," he gasped. Zaku, his trick exposed, blew through his bandages in an indiscriminate burst of power. Sasuke summersaulted away with grace, still cringing from the curse mark, but otherwise unharmed.

"That all you have?" He chided Zaku. "I had been looking forward to fighting the Sound ninja again, but it turns out you're just a one trick phony."

"Yeah? Well take this!" Zaku shouted, placing his palms into the ground. A wave of stone and cement rippled upwards towards Sasuke as Zaku blasted the floor. Sasuke swore and dived to the side, the curse starting to slink up his body.

"Kakashi-sensei! What is that?" Naruto asked alarmed. He received no answer; a deep sigh was Kakashi's only response. Sasuke had successfully dodged Zaku's attack, but was already extremely fatigued from the act of dodging.

"You talk a big game," Zaku taunted, "but you can't even fight back against the attacks of a 'one-trick phony!'"

I'm definitely gonna break your arms again just to shut you up. Sasuke glared at Zaku. But the more ninjutsu I use, the more I feel this curse mark responding. It appears to feed on my chakra…so I probably had better try to use some taijutsu. And the best taijutsu specialist I know is…

"You can do it, Sasuke!" Lee yelled from the sidelines.

"You aren't gonna lose here when I'm moving on to the next round are you?" Naruto taunted Sasuke.

Shut up. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he began debating his options again. Clearly the Primary Lotus is the most powerful technique I have seen Lee use so far…but unlike him, I can't completely confine Zaku's movements. He'd just blow me away. I've got to change it up…

"How about this?" Sasuke took a deep breath as he activated the proper hand seals. An admiring squeal came from the sidelines from those who had not yet seen Sasuke's pyro technique. A fireball erupted from his mouth, threatening to engulf the Sound ninja.

"I've seen this before!" Zaku retorted, fighting fire with air pressure as he expelled chakra through the tubes in his arms. He knew this was not the full extent of Sasuke's strategy and dived to the side, successfully dodging the shuriken that were hiding in the flames. As he sprung back into place, a foot came into hard contact with his chin. Gasping, Zaku was lifted into the air by the brunt of the attack.

"That's my…" Lee gasped in surprise.

"Not quite," Sasuke read the genin's thoughts as he appeared behind Zaku in midair. "I lack the proper speed and constraints to ensure that I don't get counterattacked, so from here on out, it's all me."

"The Dancing Leaf Shadow?" Kakashi observed from the sidelines interested. "Perfect movements…he's really come into his own!"

"This is the end!" Sasuke spun into a kick. Zaku caught Sasuke's leg with his hand and gave a quick blast to deflect the contact. Consequently, Sasuke spun around at an even quicker speed for his following kick, catching Zaku across the midsection. Saliva flew from Zaku's mouth as Sasuke flipped Zaku onto his back and came down on the Sound ninja's chest with his foot. "Lion's Barrage!" Sasuke exclaimed as they neared the ground.

"I don't think so!" Zaku yelled, blasting the ground at an angle. The ground came up and caught the duo before they could meet the ground, sending Sasuke tumbling away from Zaku. Sasuke came up gasping, the curse mark beginning to spread out over his body once more.

"I…can't believe you were able to stop that," Sasuke panted. Zaku was clutching his chest with a painful grimace on his face.

"Not entirely. You broke…at least three ribs," he admitted. "Still," he raised his palms in front of him, "this is not as bad as that crap you pulled in the Forest of Death. You're out of options, Sasuke Uchiha."

"Never…underestimate the Uchiha," Sasuke hissed. Kakashi yelled out in alarm as the curse spread over Sasuke's whole body. Zaku shuddered as he remembered his earlier encounter with this form. Before he could consider his next move, Sasuke had knocked Zaku across the arena and was charging at him with a frenzied fervor.

"W…what's up with Sasuke?" Naruto gasped horrified.

"It's happening again," Sakura whimpered. "We're going to lose Sasuke…aren't we?" She asked Kakashi tearfully.

I should have sealed up the curse earlier. Kakashi sighed deeply, silently cursing his naivety. "He is still himself, Sakura…I will step in as soon as there is any evidence that is contrary to that."

"Look at him go!" Rock Lee cheered, oblivious to the corruption at work. Sasuke tackled Zaku, slamming a fist into his broken ribs. The Sound ninja screamed in agony and directed a decapitating air wave at his berserk opponent. Sasuke dodged around it effortlessly, kneeing Zaku in the back. As Zaku fell to the ground, Sasuke pulled back both of his arms and locked them up, placing a foot on Zaku's back.

"Remember this?" He hissed menacingly in Zaku's ears. As the memory of the crippling act surged throughout his body, Zaku's eyes filled with tears.

"No…no…I GIVE UP!" He screamed.

"That's enough, Sasuke!" Hayate commanded. Sasuke grew still for a moment before he reluctantly let go of Zaku's arms. The curse mark receded back into the seal on his neck and he fell to his knees. Zaku collapsed on the ground in relief, regaining the feeling in his arms. As the threat of his incapacitation vanished, anger swept over him.

"I let down Lord Orochimaru…no! I've just got to kill Sasuke Uchiha!" Zaku mumbled, prompting stares from the other participants and sideliners as chakra gathered around his palms. "This exam doesn't matter…I will kill Sasuke!" Zaku roared unleashing all the air pressure he had built up.

"Look out!" Naruto yelled alarmed.

"The fight is over!" Hayate exclaimed angrily, but Zaku continued to shoot blast after blast of sonic airwaves at Sasuke, breathing heavily as his chakra reserves were depleted.

"Did I…did I do it?" He gasped. He felt a pair of hands slide around his head as clouds of debris drifted past him.

"Nope."

CRACK!

As the dust settled, Sasuke reappeared in everyone's line of sight. Zaku was lying on the ground, his neck contorted grotesquely. Hayate kneeled beside the Sound ninja and felt his pulse.

"He's dead…" He stated bitterly. Sasuke shrugged; why shouldn't he feel justified in breaking Zaku's neck? The bastard tried to attack him after Sasuke had been merciful enough to spare his arms…idiot.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke blinked as Naruto's fist collided with his jaw.

"What do you think you're doing…moron?" Sasuke asked as he spit blood. Naruto was visibly shaking, his eyes dilated in anger as he pulled Sasuke close to his face.

"Why…why did he have to die, Sasuke?" Naruto exclaimed.

"What's your problem, loser?" Sasuke asked, raising an eyebrow. "He attacked me, so I attacked him back. Would you have preferred it if I had been killed?"

"No…but that wasn't the only way!" Naruto cried. Sasuke turned his head to the side indifferently, further spurning Naruto's rage. "You…!"

"Naruto! That's enough!" Kakashi commanded sharply. Naruto lowered his head in shame.

"But Kakashi-sensei…he –"

"I know and I will take care of things later, but now is not the time or place for you to be fighting between each other," Kakashi said sternly. Turning to Sasuke, he bent down. "First chance I get, I am sealing that curse mark."

"Fine," Sasuke replied as another twang of pain struck him.

"Where's Sakura?" Naruto asked looking around.

"She was hungry so she left," Kakashi said. "She hasn't had anything to eat for hours." Wonder if he'll buy that? She couldn't handle seeing Sasuke like that…poor girl.

"She left?" Naruto exclaimed surprised. "But…isn't the third round about to begin?" Before Kakashi could say anything, the proctor's voice interrupted the buzz of activity that was sweeping over the competitors.

"With this, the preliminary trials for the Round 3 test have been completed!" Hayate declared as the Hokage moved towards the middle of the arena. "Winners, please gather before the Hokage. It is time to go over Round 3!"

Winner: Sasuke

Author's Note: The sequential chapter is structured primarily to provide a sense of closure to the Chūnin Exam. On the negative side, there is not a fight in it. On the plus side, the initial pairings for the final tournament are revealed. I am using present tense in this author's note because I have already completed the chapter. I will release it in a few days, so please stop sending me hate mail. I don't like hate in my positive world.

Crow