DISCLAIMER: Some of the text and characters are from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, which I do not own. Only the characters & text that were not in the original manga/anime series are mine.

Recap: All of Squad Seven has competed, now the battle between Gaara and Rock Lee begins!

Lee's Secret!

Lee faced Gaara determinedly. Sara smirked as Lee caught the cork that had been in Gaara's gourd. Show him, Lee. Show him what our village is made of! She thought. She sighed; I've been standing next to Lee and Guy way too long!

Lee dropped the cork as he said, "Please, don't rush things."

"All right than," Hayate began. "Let the ninth-round match begin!"

Lee made the first move by lunging at Gaara. "Leaf Hurricane!" He shouted as he aimed a brutal kick at Gaara. Lee's kick never landed. It was blocked by sand. He looked up, startled, as a wave of sand threatened to crush him. Lee nimbly dodged.

What the-? Sara thought. He's manipulating sand! I've never seen that before!

Sakura was shocked, sand? He uses sand?

What a curious technique…Kakashi thought watching the battle.

Lee slid to a stop and quickly dashed in aiming a punch at Gaara. He was foiled again by the sand. Everything Lee tried kept getting foiled by the sand time and time again. Gaara never moved a muscle.

Sakura said, "Fast as Lee is, he's getting nowhere!" Sakura turned to Guy, "Why is Lee only using Taijutsu? It's obviously useless against that sand. Lee needs to start using Ninjutsu or Genjutsu!"

"It's not that Lee won't use Ninjutsu…" Guy said. "It's that he can't. Lee has practically no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu abilities…"

"You're joking right?" Sakura asked.

Guy smirked, "When I first met Lee he had no talent whatsoever! That's why the only moves he's been able to develop are Taijutsu. There aren't many ninja who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu."

Lee had to fall back as the sand tried to reach for him. Lee jumped onto the statue of the hands that were making a hand sign. Lee was sweating and trying to catch his breath as he tried to think of a way to win.

Guy looked at Sakura, "…that's precisely why Lee will win!"

Kakashi, Sara, and Sakura turned to face Guy with questioning looks.

"Lee! Take them off!" Guy said as he gave Lee a thumb's up.

Lee saluted as he said, "B-but sir! You said never to do that unless I was defending the lives of people who are precious to me!"

"I'm making an exception," Guy said, flashing his cheesy smile.

Lee began laughing as he pulled off some weights on his legs.

"Weights?" Sakura questioned.

Sara laughed as she heard Kakashi mutter, "Oh, Guy…the most sickeningly sweet, sentimentally traditional kind of training!"

"Right!" Lee said as he straightened up, "Now I can move freely!" Lee dropped the weights. The weights smashed into the ground, leaving craters in the arena floor.

Kakashi thought as he moved his hand to cover his open mouth, though nobody could see that, aren't you over doing it, Guy?

Guy said, "Go, Lee!"

"Yes, sir!" Lee said as he disappeared from the statue. He came up behind Gaara, and barely missed hitting him.

Almost, Sakura thought.

Kakashi thought, pretty fast…

I'm glad I didn't have to face him at that speed! Sara thought, remembering the power of Lee's blows.

Lee's punches and kicks kept getting closer to their mark as the battle progressed.

Guy said happily, "It's because he had no aptitude for either Ninjutsu or Genjutsu that Lee devoted himself to Taijutsu. All his time, energy, and focus, so that even if he lacked those other skills, he'd still be unbeatable as a Taijutsu specialist!"

Lee flipped into the air and landed a devastating kick on Gaara's head.

"In terms of speed," Guy continued. "Lee can't be beat! That boy is really strong!"

Gaara glared at Lee, a cut now on his left cheek. Lee said, "Well, here we go!"

Guy shouted enthusiastically, "Lee! Now explode!"

"Yes, sir!" Lee shouted. He disappeared before everyone's eyes. Gaara looked around wildly for him. "Over here…" Lee shouted as he punched Gaara. Gaara went flying.

"W-wow!" Sakura said. "He's so fast! That sand barrier couldn't keep up!"

Gaara staggered to his feet, fragments of hardened sand falling from his face. He had a deranged look on his face.

Kakashi leaned forward, analyzing Gaara, he mummified himself in sand…! Those blows didn't even touch him!

Sakura shuddered, what is he?

Sara wondered, could he be like…Naruto and I?

Lee shrugged off any fear he had of Gaara. The sand surrounded Gaara as it fixed the broken area of the armor. "Is that all?" Gaara asked, as the sand receded slightly.

Lee was startled by those words. Sara noticed that he exchanged a glance with Guy. I wonder why he did that?

Lee unwound the bandages from his arms. He created a dust storm as he whipped around Gaara, waiting to strike.

Gaara was impatient, "Come on…hurry up!"

"As you wish!" Lee said as he kicked Gaara up into the air. "And that's not all!" He shouted as he continued to kick Gaara higher into the air, above the sand.

Guy folded his hands in prayer and closed his eyes.

Sara watched in horror as Lee flinched, "He flinched!" Sara muttered. Kakashi nodded to show he heard.

Lee wrapped Gaara into a cocoon and began to spin, he slammed Gaara into the arena floor as he leaped away. The dust settled to show Gaara in the crater that he had made.

"Lee, won!" Sakura exclaimed.

Guy said, "Yes!"

Lee stared in horror as the Gaara on the floor was revealed to be the sand armor.

Guy shouted, "When did he slip out of that shell of his? There's no way he could have gotten past Lee!"

Kakashi turned to Guy, "It happened when you closed your eyes in prayer. Lee paused in pan for just a moment. That's all that kid needed."

Lee whipped around as he heard malicious laughter and the sound of falling sand behind him.

A Splendid Ninja

Gaara made a hand sign and the sand rushed forward like a tidal wave. Lee began to crawl away. The sand easily caught him and threw him against the wall. The sand receded like a wave and came crashing back at Lee. Lee raised his arms as the sand stung him.

"Why doesn't Lee use his speed?" Sakura wondered in frustration.

Guy replied, "The lotus technique he used is a double edged sword."

Kakashi took over, "Fundamentally, it's a forbidden move. Using that level of high-speed Taijutsu puts a huge strain on the body…right now…Lee's nothing but a mass of weakness, isn't that right, Guy?"

"B-but that means," Sakura said.

"Lee's a sitting duck," Sara stated.

Lee tried to outrun the sand, but to no avail. Lee stood still breathing heavily as he waited for Gaara's next strike. A spark of hope appeared in his eyes.

As the sand rushed forward again towards Lee, Sakura shouted, "Lee, give up before he kills you!"

Lee dodged the sand with the speed he had earlier. He got into his offensive stance and dared Gaara to strike him again.

"Why is Lee smiling? He's been pushed around so much…" Sakura wondered.

Guy said, "He's about to start pushing back!" Sakura gave him a confused look. "The lotus of the Leaf Village will bloom twice!"

Gaara said to Lee, "It ends here."

"One way or another," Lee replied. "The next move will be the last."

Kakashi processed what Guy had just said, "Don't tell me you…!" Sara and Sakura looked up at their teacher, utterly confused.

"On the contrary…I did," Guy stated.

"Then," Kakashi said giving Guy a stern look. "That kid who's just a genin…is able to open the Eight Inner Gates…?"

"That's right…" Guy replied.

Kakashi muttered softly, "That's awful…" Sara gazed up at her teacher, worried.

"He has the talent for it," Guy continued as if it were no big deal.

Kakashi snapped, "No matter how much talent he has, you taught him something horribly dangerous!" He glanced down at Lee, "The Reverse Lotus tops the list of techniques you don't teach!" He looked back at Guy, "It's none of my business what that child means to you…and I'll spare us both the lecture on not being governed by your feelings… But you crossed the line on this! You disappoint me, Guy!"

Guy glared at Kakashi, "You don't know the first thing about that kid…and your one to talk about not being governed by your feelings!" He glanced pointedly at Sara.

Kakashi flinched. He gazed down at Sara as she watched the match, leaning against him, putting no weight on her left leg. Guy's got me there…she should be in a hospital room…not here watching the matches…

Guy continued, "That boy has something he values so deeply that he's willing to die for it. That's why I wanted to help him become someone who'd be able to stand up for his ideals. I had to."

Kakashi muttered, "So he was able to bounce back because he forced open The Second Gate, The Gate of Rest." He said more loudly, "Tell me, Guy…how many gates has he gotten up to so far?"

"The Fifth Gate," Guy replied.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, he turned his gaze back to the arena. That feat should be impossible to achieve through hard work alone… that boy's a genius after all.

Sakura asked, since Sara refused to, "What are you talking about? You keep mentioning these Inner Gates?"

Guy answered, "They're limiters that must be released in preparation for the Reverse Lotus."

"Limiters…released…?" Sakura was still confused.

Kakashi lifted up his headband to reveal his Sharingan as he said, "Yes. At eight points along our Chakra network or Keirakukei, there are places where the chakra nodes converge: Gate of Opening, Gate of Rest, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Closing, Gate of Joy, Gate of Shock, Gate of Death. Those are called the Eight Inner Gates. They constantly maintain limits on the amount of chakra flowing through the body. Limits that the lotus uses chakra to forcibly override, thus enabling the user draw upon strength that is dozens of times their usual level even if the user's body is destroyed in the process. Incidentally, the Forward Lotus only opens the first gate."

Sakura demanded, "And the Reverse Lotus?"

Guy replied, "They can stop at the Third Gate, since that's where one can begin the Reverse Lotus…"

"But…" Sakura began. "The Forward Lotus alone got him so beaten up if he tries to perform any more moves…"

"That's right," Kakashi said. "This technique is truly a double edged sword. The state where all gates have been opened is called 'The Eight Inner Gates Formation' and anyone who achieves it will, for however briefly, be granted strength that surpasses the Hokage's. But in exchange that person will die!"

Lee's skin changed to a red color, while veins began to stand out all over his face as he unleashed the Reverse Lotus.

Sara was just as surprised as anyone as Lee unleashed the Lotus. However, Sara asked, "Master Kakashi…why are you copying the Reverse Lotus?"

Kakashi straightened up, since he had been leaning forward in anticipation, "I…thought it might come in handy later on." He gave her a stern look that said she was not to make any smart ass remarks.

Lee bolted forward, ripping up the arena floor. Everyone in the upper level had to shield their eyes from the debris Lee kicked up.

Kakashi thought, keeping his Sharingan eye open while he closed the other, he's fast!

Gaara was kicked up into the air, yet no one could see Lee very well. The sand rose to protect Gaara, but Lee punched him in a different direction. Lee continued to deal Gaara numerous blows.

Kakashi noticed that Lee's arms were twitching in pain from the strain Lee was putting on it; his muscles have torn…if this goes any further…

"This is the end!" Lee shouted as he slammed into Gaara. He wrapped the bandages around his left arm around Gaara's waist and brought him back up like a yo-yo aiming a punch and kick at him. His blows landed. Gaara went flying towards the ground.

Sara exclaimed as she watched Gaara plummet, "His gourd's turning into sand! It will cushion his landing!"

Guy and Kakashi stared in horror as Gaara hit the ground, followed shortly be Lee. Gaara extended his right hand and sand began to surround Lee's left arm and leg. Gaara closed his hand into a fist and Lee cried out in pain. He collapsed onto the ground. Gaara sent the sand to finish Lee off.

Guy leaped down and scattered the sand with a swipe of his arm. He gave Gaara a hard stare.

Gaara grabbed his head and asked, "Why…why are you…helping him?"

"He's my loveable, precious protégé!" Guy replied.

Gaara stood up and began to walk away, his gourd reforming. He said, "Forget it…"

Hayate said, "The victor is Gaara!"

"He's…standing…!" Sara said, completely blown away, as was everyone else as Lee stood ready to fight.

Kakashi wondered, he opened five Inner Gates, his left arm and leg were crushed…how is he still standing?

Guy walked forward and grabbed Lee's shoulders, "Lee, it's over. You're in no shape to be standing…" Guy began to cry as he realized that Lee was unconscious. He hugged Lee as he thought, you are a splendid ninja!

The Preliminaries Completed

Hayate walked over to help Guy with Lee. Sakura made to jump down into the arena but Kakashi stopped her, "Sakura! How do you intend to help him? Your presence will only cause him pain…" Sakura glanced at him, and than looked worriedly down into the arena.

Naruto ran down and passed Gaara (Naruto had been standing somewhere else during the entire fight) how could Bushy Brows lose to such a jerk!

Naruto…Kakashi thought, before he said, "Sara, I'm going to go down there." Sara nodded and moved slightly, so she wouldn't teleport with him. She was surprised as he walked towards the stairs.

Hayate said, "Emergency Unit, please hurry!"

The medic ninja began to check Lee over. One of them stood up and said to Guy, "Are you the jônin responsible for him? If I may have a word…"

Kakashi paused, in the stairway's shadow. He understood what was coming next. He continued walking, out onto the arena floor.

The medic ninja said to Guy, "Though he's breathing on his own, he has compound fractures and torn muscles throughout his body. If that were the full extent of his injuries we could still expect a full recovery but…the damage to his attacked left arm and leg is especially severe. I don't want to tell you this but…this kid's body is destroyed. He'll never recover enough to be a ninja again." The medic ninja walked back to the others and helped them to carry Lee out.

"N-no way…you must be kidding," Naruto said as they carried Lee past. Guy was in shock. Naruto rounded on him, "Well…what is Bushy Brows supposed to do? He kept saying he was desperate to fight Sasuke and that Neji! Can't you do anything to help him?"

Kakashi teleported the rest of the distance he had to cover to shut Naruto up, "Hey!" He said as he covered Naruto's mouth. "But perhaps that was his undoing. It was his own choice to use a forbidden self sacrificing art in a last ditch effort to win. He sacrificed himself to honor the unspoken oath. The oath that exists between him, Sasuke, Neji, and even you Naruto…" Naruto stopped squirming at that. "He risked his life so that he might have the chance to fight all of you." Kakashi patted him on the head, with the same gentleness as a father, ""Don't forget that."

Kakashi walked over to Guy, "Guy," he said. "I was pretty cocky earlier but…to be honest if I'd been in your position…I probably wouldn't have been able to stop Lee either." He glanced at Naruto who was still watching. "We're in the way, Guy. Let's go back upstairs…"

"Yeah…" Guy responded.

"It's the final round," Hayate said. "Both contestants come forward."

Sara watched as Dosu and Choji walked down into the arena.

Hayate said, "Uh…well…let the 11th round battle begin!"

Sara glanced towards Shikamaru and Ino.

Shikamaru shouted, "Go get him!"

"You can do it, Fatso!" Ino shouted, trying to provoke Choji into a frenzy. It worked.

Choji shouted up to her, "Shut your mouth and keep your eyes open! I'm gonna end this fast so I can come and beat you up!"

"Well than," Dosu said. "I'll dispense with the games and quickly finish it for you, Fatso!"

Choji's eyes seemed to turn red from anger. Choji used his Expansion Jutsu, covering his ears, before he used his Human Boulder. He shouted as he rolled at Dosu, "I'm pleasingly plump!" Dosu easily dodged and Choji collided into the wall, he had to stop spinning so he could reverse direction. Dosu punched Choji. Choji said, a bit muffled, "My ears are plugged so it's useless!"

"No," Dosu replied. "You're done for!" He blasted sound at Choji causing him to lose consciousness.

Hayate said, "We have a winner, Dosu Kinuta!" After the medics checked Choji over. Hayate continued, "Uh…well than…as of this moment, the preliminaries are now complete!"

What About Sasuke?

Everyone who had won their matches was in the arena, except for Sara, who couldn't make it down, plus, Kakashi had told her that she really didn't need to go down there.

Hayate said, "To those of you who won your bouts and qualified for the finals of the third part of the Chûnin Exam, although one of you isn't here, congratulations!"

Sakura said, "Kakashi-sensei, I want to ask you something…"

"…Something about Sasuke?" Kakashi guessed. "Unfortunately, I don't know very much either…don't be too worried, though." Kakashi suddenly said, "Sakura, I'm going to step out for a bit, so listen carefully to the explanation of the finals for me okay?"

Sara said, "Hey! Do you expect me to walk to the hospital?"

"No," Kakashi said. "I'll be back, and before you even say it, I asked Sakura to listen since you look like you're about to fall asleep!" Kakashi disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"…Okay…" Sakura said, slightly confused.

Sara was bound and determined to pay attention, but as Hayate handed it over to Lord Hokage, she dozed off.

Sakura sighed and moved her exhausted comrade from the railing to a sitting position along the wall. Hopefully, Kakashi-sensei will be back before the rest of us leave!

Meanwhile, at the Leaf Village Hospital, where Sasuke was resting, Kakashi arrived to snatch a scalpel from Kabuto. Kabuto said, "Only you, Kakashi would think to stop my attack from my blind spot…"

Kakashi asked, "You're no ordinary genin, are you?" He took a step forward, "You made your move immediately upon noticing my presence…you're pretty impressive."

Kabuto replied, "I'm not so great…"

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned him. "Depending on the circumstances…I'll have to arrest and interrogate you."

"I wonder if you can," Kabuto challenged. "Someone like you?"

Kakashi said in a deadly voice, "You want to test 'someone like me'?"

What About My Training?

"What are you?" Kakashi asked. He glanced at the dead Black Op operatives, every single one of the Black Ops I assembled…he slaughtered them all…with such ease! "You're the son of a Leaf Village doctor right? A failure of a ninja… You're name is Kabuto, right?"

"Next time," Kabuto said, "You should probably ready at least ten guards."

Kakashi snapped, "Just shut up and answer my questions."

"And what if I refuse?" Kabuto countered.

"I'm the one asking the questions here," Kakashi said, slowly beginning to lose his cool. "Show some respect. Are you…in league with Orochimaru?"

Kabuto smirked, "If you arrest me, here and now, you might never be able to prove my connection to Orochimaru. No matter the torture you inflict I won't spill a single secret. And besides I don't really like confrontations. It'll all come out eventually so…why don't you just let it go for now?"

"You…" Kakashi was fighting to control his temper. "You're just a selfish brat, aren't you?" He drew a kunai knife, "You shouldn't mock your superiors."

Kabuto drew his own kunai knife, one with a hooked tip, "You won't just release me than?"

"You know the laws of the Leaf Village, how spies are dealt with."

Kabuto taunted, "You're acting awfully smug, considering the circumstances are in my favor." He lowered his blade to Sasuke's throat.

Kakashi easily knocked the blade aside and kicked Kabuto as hard as he could.

A dead Black Ops operative suddenly rose. Kakashi noticed it instantly. The operative exclaimed as it ran into Kakashi, "A Shadow Clone?"

Both Kakashi and his clone were startled when another dead Black Op stood and crashed out through the window. Kakashi bolted to the window and glanced out it; Kabuto removed the mask and smirked at Kakashi once again.

Kakashi thought, damn! He got away… The first Black Op to rise fell to the ground. "Amazing…" He walked over and checked the face of the Black Op to find that there was stitching on the face. "Just as I thought, The Art of Dead Souls, used to temporarily restore a cadaver's heart beat and manipulate the corpse. He surgically altered the face too. I'm amazed…he was very thorough in his deception…he even erased the dead body's odor…he stilled his own heartbeat disguising himself as a dead Black Op, the influence of his adoptive father is obvious in the way he enjoys trifling with corpses." His moves would put even the Head of the Anbu Black Ops to shame… If such a talented person is working for Orochimaru then… "At this rate I'll be obsolete soon, too…"

Meanwhile, Sakura had just barely managed to bolt down the stairs, to grab a number for the slumbering Sara. She explained why she was drawing a number to Anko, before she drew Sara's number; you owe me big time, Sara!

Sakura watched as Ibiki showed them a tournament list. So Sara faces that Dosu guy…I'll have to tell Kakashi-sensei and Sara that…

Sakura had only just made it to the exit, when Naruto shouted, "Sakura! Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

"He's probably with Sasuke," Sakura shouted back to him. I hope he remembers that Sara's still here.

Lord Hokage watched all of the genin leave; he glanced up at the gallery area and began to make his way up the stairs. I wonder why she's still here…?

Meanwhile, Naruto shouted as he stood at the front desk, "Hey! Where's Sasuke's room?"

"Visiting hours are over," the ninja at the desk replied.

"But why?" Naruto shouted again.

"Sorry," the ninja replied. "Hospital policy."

Kakashi scolded Naruto as he walked into the main room, "Naruto, you're in a hospital, be quiet!"

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto said as he bolted forward to meet Kakashi. "Hey, I need a favor!"

"Stop right there," Kakashi said, "I know what you're going to ask, so…I've found someone else to oversee your training."

"But…I want you to train me, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto complained.

Kakashi said, exasperated, "I've got other things going on…I wouldn't be able to give you my full attention."

"Let me guess, you're training Sasuke, right?" Naruto accused him.

Kakashi sighed, "Now, now, don't complain, I'm actually doing other things as well."

"I knew it!" Naruto shouted.

"I found you an even better teacher than me," Kakashi said, trying to get Naruto off the Sasuke topic.

"Who is it?" Naruto asked.

"It is I," A new voice said.

Naruto whipped around to see a tall man with a bandanna style headband covering his head and glasses like Shino's. "Hey…you're… Super Perv!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi was dumbfounded, "Master Ebisu…a Super Perv?"

Naruto shouted, "Why would you choose such a loser to train me? Besides, this guy is weaker than me!" Naruto pointed angrily at Ebisu. "Come on! I mean he even fell for my Harem Jutsu and he…" Ebisu quickly covered Naruto's mouth.

"Ninja…Harem…?" Kakashi was still dumbfounded.

Ebisu said, "Uh…um…it's nothing sir!" He than whispered to Naruto, "I'll treat you to anything you want later, don't say any more, ok?"

"Swear on it!" Naruto whispered back.

"Wow," Kakashi said. "I didn't realize that you two knew each other."

Ebisu laughed nervously, "Well, maybe opposites attract or…"

Naruto complained, "But why him? This stinks…"

"Indeed, if it weren't for Kakashi's request I would never choose to teach you!" Naruto growled at him.

Kakashi raised his hands up and said, "Hey! Both of you please…" Kakashi squatted and whispered to Naruto, "Naruto! Master Ebisu is an exclusive private tutor who teaches the elite…he's a Special Jônin! He's a better teacher than me, I promise!"He straightened up, "And…well Naruto, out of all the members of Squad Seven you're the weakest at the basics. This time listen closely and learn it right."

Naruto said, "Whoa there Compared to the others how in the world do I come up short?"

Kakashi handed it over to Ebisu while he thought, I get the strangest feeling that I've forgotten something…

Back at the arena, in the upstairs portion Lord Hokage woke up Sara. Sara looked around and muttered, "Where did everybody go?"

Lord Hokage smiled, "They all left, except for us, what are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for my teacher…I think he might have forgotten…" Sara said sheepishly, having fully awakened.

Lord Hokage said, "He'll be here shortly." He disappeared.

Ebisu had just finished his explanation as to why Naruto was the worst at the basics. Naruto shouted, "But there've been times when I was way better than Sakura, Sara, or Sasuke!"

Kakashi said, "That's because out of the four of you…you just happen to have extraordinary stamina." It's the influence of the Nine-Tailed Fox that makes his stamina so amazing…but that's also the reason his chakra control is so erratic. "Well than, Master Ebisu, thank you." Kakashi headed for the exit. Sorry to abandon you, Naruto, but you have so much untapped potential...not to mention that I have some important things to take care of…good luck…

Kakashi had only taken a step out of the hospital when Lord Hokage appeared in front of him. Kakashi jumped. Lord Hokage asked, "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

Kakashi muttered, "Sasuke's in there…Sakura's fine…Naruto's with Ebisu… Sara's…!" Kakashi teleported.

Lord Hokage chuckled, "I hope I live long enough to see those two actually living in the same household, they could both do with the other's companionship."

Kakashi appeared in front of Sara and said, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to forget you! First there was Sasuke, and then Naruto…!"

Sara laughed, "I don't really care, Master Kakashi."

Kakashi smiled as he picked her up, he said, "I'm not going to have you put any weight on that leg." Sara nodded in agreement, Kakashi than teleported back to the hospital.

An hour later, after they had examined the damage done to Sara's leg, a medic ninja motioned for Kakashi to follow him. Kakashi stood up and followed. He was amazed when they went into a different room rather than the one Sara was in.

"You're her teacher, correct?" The medic ninja asked. Kakashi nodded. The medic ninja pointed at two x-rays. "Take a look at these… Do you notice anything different between the two, besides the fractures in one?"

Kakashi looked at the x-rays and answered, "One almost looks…like…it may be hollow…"

The medic ninja nodded, "That's exactly what it is, and that is the x-ray of her leg. It's not completely hollow, but for some reason it has healed that way. Who knows when it will eventually be hollow, like a bird's bones."

Kakashi shook his head back and forth, damn that bird! It heals her internal damage, but not the right way! "Will she be all right?"

The medic looked grim, "I would like to say that she would be…but…she…her chakra network has been damaged, and were not sure as to what extent… I'm sorry but she may never be a ninja again."

Kakashi stared in shock at the medic before he nodded. "Has anyone told her yet?" The medic shook his head back and forth. "I'll go tell her." The medic nodded and went to take care of his other patients.

Kakashi stopped at Sara's door and pressed his forehead against it, how could this happen?

*Sorry this one is short! The next one should be longer...should be!