A/N: This is a shorter chapter than usual, mainly since I wanted to get the preliminaries out of the way. Starting next chapter, things will start getting a little more personal for out Sand Siblings. Enjoy.
Chapter 11: End of Preliminaries
"I must admit, what we witnessed just now between Lee and Gaara was one of the most impressive matches that I've ever seen in my history as a jounin sensei," said Ishida as she turned to her students. "Unfortunately, this battle could have costed Lee his career as a ninja."
"Wait, what do you mean by that Ishida-sensei?"
"Isn't it obvious Haruka?" Nanami mumbled as she watched a couple of Leaf jonin initiate a jutsu meant to even out the ground. "Opening a bunch of your Inner Gates in such a brief time span is considered a forbidden technique for a reason. . . It puts too much strain on the body, usually causing more harm than good to the user unless they're experts with the technique."
"Nanami is right Haruka," said Ishida as she too watched what was going on below. "Lee is not a jounin taijutsu master. If he was, he wouldn't be in this exam in the first place. . . He is still a genin learning the ropes on what it means to be a ninja while perfecting his trade. Prince Gaara pushed him to a limit that he still wasn't ready to handle yet, and now his body is paying the price for it."
"There is still a chance he could make a full recovery," Shizuka mumbled as she looked up at her sensei. ". . . Isn't there?"
"There is. It'll take a while, but Lee will make a full recovery from his injuries," said Ishida as her eyes found the Sand team across the room. "However, only time will tell if he will be able to physically function the same way he did before his match started."
Shizuka followed her sensei's gaze until her blue eyes landed on the redhead. Instead of looking at her or her team, he was paying attention to the ground, looking lost in thought.
"Ryuna, do you think Gaara feels a little guilty for what he did to Lee?"
I believe he feels guilty for letting Shukaku have even a smidgen of control more than anything else. The dragon demon calmly replied as the monitor started to shuffle through the names once again. He came into the match knowing he had to beat Lee to move to the next round. He doesn't regret winning. It would be wrong to assume otherwise. . . He most likely regrets the way he won though, but that's just my guess.
In the meantime, Gaara was currently engrossed in his own thoughts, momentarily tuning out Shukaku's grumbling as he thought over what just happened in his match.
"I possibly just ended another ninja's career, all because I couldn't maintain full control," the redhead thought to himself as he looked at the ground. The craters that appeared during his battle were now filled up, but there were still telltale signs of the multiple battles that occurred so far all around the ground. "Shukaku, you just had to fucking interfere . . ."
"If I hadn't interfered, you would have lost and been stuck with Baki in the stands, watching as your siblings represented your kingdom while you wallowed in self-imposed disappointment!" cried the tanuki as the monitor settled on the next two names. "That Lee kid would have beaten you clean if it wasn't for me. . . You're lucky. Trust me, if it weren't for this seal keeping me at bay, I would have done a whole lot worse."
"Haruka Nekonome and Akio Sakamoto, please make your way down for your match!"
"You would have done a lot worse, but you still would have been stopped in the end," Gaara said in return as the brunette from Princess Shizuka's team and the last Grass genin both swung themselves over the railing, dropping down to the ground with soft thuds. "Remember, we're in the kingdom that's home to your two most powerful siblings. Siblings who were sealed away in their very own jinchurikis. If the Fire shinobi can seal away the Nine and Ten Tails, then they are just as capable of sealing you away if need be."
And there you go again, ruining my fun flesh bag. Shukaku mumbled as the redhead started paying more attention to the battle instead of him. As soon as Proctor Gekko signaled for the match to begin, Sakamoto launched himself forward to punch Haruka in the face, but the Leaf kunoichi saw the move coming and dodged accordingly. She bent herself backward, becoming almost vertical with Sakamoto's arm before rolling out of the way and nailing him in the back with a forceful kick.
The kick sent her opponent sprawling to the ground, and before he could get back to his feet, Haruka flipped over him and nailed him with another kick, this time to the skull.
"One thing's for sure. That girl is definitely agile." Kankuro mumbled as he watched the Grass genin get back up to his feet.
"Agility has always been the Nekenome Clan's strong suit," Baki explained. "It comes with their long-standing partnership with the ninja cats."
"Like the Inuzuka Clan and their ninja hounds?" asked Temari as she watched Haruka's nails elongate into sharp claws that were half a foot long. Her face also became more feline in appearance, giving her a more feral look.
"Exactly," said the turban-wearing jounin as they watched Haruka release an onslaught of slashes and kicks. Her opponent tried to fight back, but it was quickly proving futile. "Actually, the Nekonome Clan have been centuries-old rivals with the Inuzukas. However, once they're side-by-side on the battlefield, they're quite the fearsome fighting force."
By the time Haruka was done, her opponent was lying on the ground unconscious, a mess of bruises and slash marks. Besides a few scratches and bruises along her arms, the kunoichi was fine.
"Winner by knockout: Haruka Nekonome!" called Gekko as Haruka made her way back to the stairs. "For our final match, Dosu Kinuta, Choji Akimichi, please make your way down!"
"So it's almost over now," mumbled Kankuro as he watched as the two that were called made their way down. "Once the fat kid and the mummy are done with their match, we'll finally move on to the third round."
"We probably won't have to wait long either," added Temari as she watched the two. "The Akimichi doesn't look like much, but he could surprise us with his clan's body expansion techniques. As for the Sound mummy, well, if he's like his teammates, it'll involve something sound-based I bet . . ."
The match ended up being one of the shortest ones of the day, with the Sound ninja taking the win after using a sound jutsu to stop Choji while he was still in the middle of one of his body expansion techniques. The Akimichi heir appeared to have had an advantage in the early goings of the match, but once he put himself in a disadvantage by getting stuck in the wall, Dosu snatched up the victory. Once the match was called, the proctor called for all the winners to make their way down to the floor, just as Sasuke returned to the room with his sensei.
Well that last match was anticlimactic . . . Shukaku grumbled as Gaara followed his siblings to the staircase. . . But at least we weeded out the men from the boys.
"I guess you could say that," Gaara grumbled in response as he looked across the room to see Princess Shizuka's team already descending the other staircase. "There's only 12 of us left now."
Which means six matches, if they continue the whole on-on-one battle route . . .
Gaara chose that moment to leave his inner conversation as he followed his siblings down the stairs. When they reached the ground floor, he joined the line that all the fight winners formed in front of the Fire King and his jounin subordinates, waiting to hear what's next.
"Congratulations! After 13 battles, you 12 genin have proven yourselves worthy of making it to the next round," said King Minato as he took a step forward, his hands clasped behind his back. "I'm sure you are all under the impression that the third round will immediately start today, but that will not be the case."
"What do you mean by that?" Kankuro blurted out, getting a sudden feeling of self-doubt when he felt all eyes suddenly on him.
"Today marks the end of the preliminary competition. As per Showcase tradition, the finals will be held one month from today. This month of reprieve is meant to give you 12 the time to rest and recuperate, maybe even add a new jutsu to your respective arsenals if need be," the King calmly explained, not even hinting that he was annoyed by the interruption. "This month is also meant to give enough travel time to those who plan to watch you all during the final rounds, as well as make their respective bets . . . Judging from the looks of things, there is no question that at least two other monarchs will be making the trip to Konoha to see the proceedings."
The only ones that he could possibly be talking about is the Sound King and your father. Along with Fire, Sound and Wind are the only other kingdoms that still have a stake in this competition. . . Ready to see your old man again flesh bag?
"Hardly" was Gaara's quick response.
I knew you would say that.
"Before you can all leave, there is one more thing that needs to be addressed," said the King as Proctor Morino came forward with a box in hand. "You all need to pick lots to determine who you will face first in the finals. You will come up one-by-one in alphabetical order. Please, don't open the paper until I give you the go ahead . . . Genin Kinuta, you're first."
The mummy-looking Sound genin simply nodded his head before stepping forward. Once he picked his slip of paper, everyone else, starting from Prince Gaara and ending with his sister, came forward to grab slips of their own. When the redhead opened his, he looked down to see that all there was inside was a blue dot.
"Now then, each slip has one of six colored dots stamped on it. Whoever has the same colored dot as you, well, that person will be your first opponent in the finals," King Minato further explained as he locked eyes with each finalist. "Let's see, for the finals' first match, who has a red dot on their paper?"
Both Neji and Naruto's hands went up. When he saw that, the King simply nodded his head before sneaking a quick look at Proctor Morino, who was writing something down on a clipboard he somehow procured.
"For the second match, who has a blue dot?"
Gaara slowly raised his hand, and when he looked down the line, he saw that Sasuke had also raised his hand.
So the Uchiha will be our next opponent . . . Shukaku said in a tone that Gaara didn't like very much. I can't wait till we get to spill his blood.
"And there you go again, acting like the bloodthirsty animal you are," Gaara mumbled as he tried to pay attention to the proceedings. "You can't go one day without mentioning blood in some way."
That's just the way I am . . . Shukaku said with a chuckle. But still, aren't you excited? If not for the blood, then you must be excited to face an opponent from such a strong lineage as the Uchihas.
"I haven't given it much thought. I have only just learned about the matchup after all," Gaara mumbled. "Still, it will be interesting to see which comes out on top: sand or Sharingan."
If you allow me to take control, then no question, we will be the ones on top. . . Once Uchiha is beaten, if they're successful in their matches, the Fire brats that hold my siblings will be future opponents. Then again, the same could be said for your own siblings . . . I hope you don't plan to take it easy on them.
"They may be my family, but that doesn't mean I plan to make things easy for them, or let you have any fun for that matter." Gaara argued. "So don't even get any bright ideas. You've already done enough damage for one tournament."
Again, I helped you win!
Eventually, the King finished asking his questions and stepped back just as Proctor Morino took a step forward. When he flipped his clipboard around, everyone had an idea on how the finals would go.
Naruto Namikaze vs Neji Hyuga
Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha
Kankuro vs Haruka Nekonome
Shino Aburame vs Nanami Otoribashi
Dosu Kinuta vs Shizuka Namikaze
Temari vs Shikamaru Nara
"There you have it. The first round of the finals has officially been established," said the King. "You can use the upcoming month any way you see fit, but if I were you, I would use the time I've been given very wisely . . . Good luck. You're all dismissed."
Before anyone else could say anything, King Minato used his signature Hiraishin technique to disappear from the room, leaving without a trace.
"Ok, that was impressive," mumbled Kankuro as he looked at his two siblings. "So, that's it huh?"
"Yep, that's it," said Temari as people started leaving the room. "We now have a full month to prepare for the finals. I get to face the lazy kid, you go against the girl with claws, and Gaara gets to fight the moody Uchiha . . . This should be fun."
"It may be fun, but remember, you have both the kingdom's reputation, as well as your own reputations as royals, to uphold," Baki quickly advised as he appeared beside his charges. "But preparations can start tomorrow. For the rest of the day, you'll rest."
"Fair enough . . ." said Temari as she followed the man to the exit. Kankuro quickly followed them, leaving Gaara to bring up the rear. Before he followed the rest of his team, he snuck one last look at Princess Shizuka's and Prince Naruto's teams before leaving, both teams lingering before making the move to leave.
"With the kind of people still left in this competition, this year's finals should be quite the interesting one."
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