Thank you so much for all the reviews. So this one is, technically, another filler but it has a major plot event.
"Tokomo-sensei," Miu called as we saw her approaching.
"Yes?" the woman asked.
"Do you think we can watch the Chuunin Exams today? We're always on missions. Isn't one day a good break? Just one." I stood behind Miu, nodding in agreement. Takeo nodded as well, wanting to compare himself to the potential chuunin.
"Well, alright. I'm curious myself to how things will turn out. Come on. Let's make sure we get good seats." Miu and I raced all the way there, leaving our teammates behind. That's how things were for me and her. We loved the competition we posed for the other. Miu was a social butterfly and could charm her way out of any situation. She was also a magnificent genjutsu user. My genjutsu needed work. But I was faster than Miu and my taijutsu and ninjutsu far outmatched hers. Not to mention my capability to discover people's true intentions.
"Do you know who's fighting?" Miu asked. I was one of the best sources of information she knew of.
"Naruto Uzumaki VS Neji Hyuuga, Sasuke Uchiha VS Gaara, Shino Aburame VS Kankuro, and Temari VS Shikamaru Nara."
"Wow! There's a leaf ninja in every round. Who are the other three ninja?"
"They're sand ninja."
"Are they any good?" I frowned, seeing in her thoughts that she had already decided who the winners would be.
"Actually, as far as I know, all three of them are elite ninja in their village. In fact, I fear for Sasuke Uchiha's life. Gaara has a bit of a bad side…" That has to be one of the biggest understatements I've ever muttered.
"Yeah, well, I think you're underestimating Sasuke. He's super powerful and he's a part of the Uchiha clan." I knew Miu was a fan but I would've never guessed she'd go around my opinion. "So, who do you think will win? I think it'll be Neji, Sasuke, Shino, and Shikamaru."
"There's no doubt in my mind that Naruto will beat Neji. He's a lot stronger than everyone thinks. As I said, Gaara is more than capable of winning. I don't know Shino or Kankuro well enough to decided who'll win that match but I'd put my money on Kankuro and Shikamaru is too lazy to actually win. I think Temari has it in the bag."
"Seriously, Nari? You picked everyone I didn't." I shrugged. We were almost to the arena now.
"That's what makes it fun, remember?" She sighed and we both skidded to a halt in front of the entrance to the arena. "Come on, let's make sure we get Takeo and Tokomo-sensei good seats." She nodded in agreement and we rushed in. Our seats ended up being the closest to the spot where the genin in the matches stayed and right in front. Takeo and Tokomo joined us shortly after our arrival.
"Sit down, Nari," Tokomo muttered. I was leaning over the railing, staring down at the genin who had already arrived. Naruto and Sasuke weren't there but I was sure Naruto would make it.
"But, Tokomo-sensei," I complained. "I'm trying to analyze the competitors." In truth, I was discerning the bundle of information trapped in Kankuro's head about the invasion. Gaara was the sand ninja's trump card but I had a feeling things weren't going to go according to plan. Gaara already looked unusually agitated. I hadn't been able to see much of him since I had been assigned to my team but I could tell there was something wrong. I tore my gaze from the genin and looked towards the supposed Kazekage. It wasn't him. Peering into his mind, I discovered it was Orochimaru in disguise. So today is the day…
"Nari, you're in everyone's way." I sighed and finally went back to my seat next to Miu. I was on the edge of the row so I didn't have anyone on my left. Just as I sat down, Naruto came running into the arena. I smirked a little but didn't say anything about it. Miu, on the other hand, was pointing out to me how incompetent of a ninja he was. I just shook my head in defiance.
"I'm telling you; Neji's going to win," she argued confidently. I puffed at my freshly trimmed bangs(thanks to Sakura's mother, who had agree to house me until I could afford an apartment of my own). My hair was pulled up into a ponytail and my pouch of scrolls and shuriken(that I could only throw semi-decently) sat on my hip. My staff was leaning against my chair. I fiddled with the brand new leaf village headband I had on my forehead. The one with nine tails engraved in it was still around my waist.
It wasn't long after that the first round began. It was an exciting fight, much more than anyone had expected. I sat back smugly as Naruto was announced the winner. Next should've been Gaara VS Sasuke but Sasuke still hadn't arrived so they had to post-pone the match. I was hoping to see Kankuro fight but he forfeit.
This isn't good, I thought carefully. "Pfft, I told you Shino would win," Miu laughed. "Your guy, Kankuro, didn't even have the guts to face him." That's because his match doesn't coexist with their invasion plan, I wanted to tell her but I bit my tongue. I didn't worry about telling any jounin about the invasion. Most already knew.
Next was Shikamaru against Temari. That match was slow paced, but interesting for those who could see what was going on in Shikamaru's head. Had he had a team, he would've won, but he was forced to give up the match due to lack of chakra. That was disappointing but I smiled when Miu threw a fit over it.
Finally, Gaara's match had arrived. This was the one I was looking forward to. I wanted to see how much the jinchuriki had advanced and when Sasuke finally showed up, I wasn't disappointed. Of course, Sasuke impressed me as well. When his chidori penetrated Gaara's shell, I just about launched myself into the field. It took all of my self-control not to jump in. His cry of blood, though, had all the sand ninja and myself on their feet. It was amazing!
"Nari, sit down," Tokomo warned. I did so hesitantly. She realized then that I had a personal connection the genin. That's not going to be good if she has to fight him. It was around that moment that the genjutsu was cast. All four of us, having Miu on our team, released the jutsu. We were the only people in our section that were awake. The next section, across the aisle from me, had a few ninja who had released it.
"What's going on?" Miu demanded worriedly.
"We're under attack," I answered, watching smoke erupt from the Hokage's sitting area. Temari and Kankuro jumped down and grabbed Gaara before hauling him off to who-knows-where. Sasuke followed him.
"What do we do, Tokomo-sensei?" Takeo asked.
"I want you three to follow those sand genin, anywhere else you'd just be in the way. Meanwhile, I'm going to stay here and help Kakashi and Guy." We nodded. "Nari, you're in charge. If it seems like a hopeless battle, I want you to retreat. Don't get yourselves killed over those three. If I wanted that, I'd send you to the walls."
"Yes, Sensei," I said, then we took off. I didn't need any help tracking Gaara. With his blood in the air, it'd be all too easy for me to find him. "Listen," I ordered. "These aren't regular genin. If we get into one-on-one fights with these guys, we're all as good as dead. Instead, we're going to try to single them out and fight as a team. Got it?"
"But we'll lose them like that," Miu protested.
"No, we won't. Trust me." She continued to argue in her head but she said nothing. Takeo didn't like the sound of it but trusted Tokomo's judgment to put me in charge. We were close on their tail when, suddenly, we were surrounded by sound ninja. I cursed under my breath, not having seen them. I wished silently that I hadn't slept the night before. There were too many to fight with taijutsu alone and my ninjutsu was unstable, at the moment.
"We're surrounded, Nari. What do we do?" Takeo whispered as we came to a halt. I looked at our surroundings. Yes, they were everywhere, a total of sixty, but we were in dense forest. If I made a distraction, Takeo and Miu could escape, leaving me to use my ninjutsu without fear of harming my own teammates.
"I'm going to attack the head and I want you two to slip out of their perimeter," I whispered back.
"What?" Miu exclaimed as silently as possible. "We can't catch up to the sand ninja without you. You know that!"
"Listen to me, Miu. I'm going to use a ninjutsu that should wipe all of them out. The thing is, if you two are in twenty-five-yards of me when I release it, you're as good as dead too. That's why you need to slip out. Go fifty yards just to be safe, and wait for me. I'll seek you out when I' m done with these guys." Grudgingly, they both agreed. I looked around and found the head. Then, I led a full attack. It worked and I smiled as the others slipped away.
"Your teammates abandoned you," the head ninja said, smiling as we jumped away from each other. I smirked and began a series of complicated hand signs.
"No, don't let her do that!" one ninja exclaimed, jumping out. I looked Hasna in the eye, saddened by his inevitable death, and released the jutsu. The explosion from my chakra was instantaneous. I let out a sharp gasp of pain as my arms seemed to explode with it. I dropped to my knees, a loud ringing in my ears.
It took me a few minutes to regain my bearings and look around. The forest was flattened, my enemies slowly crumpling to ash. I tried to push myself to my feet but yelped when pure agony seared up my arms. I looked down at the useless limbs. They were bleeding profusely, the skin in tatters. I hesitantly got up without their assistance and looked around. My mind searched for Miu's but recoiled by what if found.
"No. No! They should've been far enough away!" I screamed, running towards where the fragments of memories were pouring out. Miu lay on the ground, next to Takeo. They were both gasping for air, their skin blackened from burns. Miu didn't even have eyelids anymore, her hair completely singed off. "Miu," I cried, falling on my knees again. "Miu, what have I done?" Tears slipped down my cheeks.
"N-Nari…," she breathed. "Where did," she coughed, blood spurting from her mouth, "did you learn that jutsu?"
"My very first sensei," I answered, the tears streaming down my cheeks now. I was having a hard time controlling my breathing. She turned her head over and stared at my arms.
"You… need… doctor," she mumbled, letting out her last breathe.
"No, Miu!" I shouted, as if that could bring her back. I turned around and looked at Takeo. His breathing was shallow but stable. He might make it. "I'll bring you help, Takeo," I promised, knowing there was no way I could take him to it.
"No, Nari," he muttered. "You have a mission to complete. Don't blame our deaths on yourself. We should've gone farther."
"But, Takeo, I can…"
"I can't feel my body, Nari. You can't save me. I'm already dead. Just go and find the sand ninja. Make sure they don't do anything dangerous." I nodded, the tears still flowing. I couldn't hold them back. It hurt too much to see my teammates die. I stood again, ignoring the blood dripping from my arms. I had a mission to complete. I'd complete that mission if it was the last thing I did. I couldn't let Miu and Takeo die in vain. "Goodbye, Nari," he said as I jumped away.
"Goodbye," I whispered to myself. My explosion slowed me down. I could barely walk, let alone run. If I was going to catch up to Gaara, he'd have to stop moving. Still, despite my hopelessness, I followed his scent. It felt like it took forever to reach him, and when I did, he was laying on the ground. Naruto was crawling towards him, preaching about one thing or another.
"Naruto, that's enough," Sasuke interrupted, landing by his friend. I leaned against a tree, watching the exchange but staying out of site. Sasuke had obvious signs of the curse mark spreading across his skin but he didn't seem to be a threat. Soon enough, Temari and Kankuro appeared. They were ready to attack but Gaara called them off and the three disappeared. I just didn't have it in me to follow them any farther and by the looks of Gaara, I doubted he would cause any more damage. I let my legs collapse underneath of me and fell, the pain wearing me out. Before long, the shadows of unconsciousness consumed me.
Short, sweet, and hopefully not too boring. The next one is Gaara-centered! Thanks for reading and please review.