A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long! I'm about to tell you why. :)

ALERT: I'M WORKING ON A NEW STORY!

I've always wanted to try out an antagonist-centered piece, ya know, so I'm finally doing it. Basically, it will be set shortly after the second ninja war. My OC, Chibaku, is born with Alexithymia, which basically is characterized by the inability to identify, process, and understand emotions. He won't be completely without feeling, it'll just be really hard for him to feel anything and he'll be extremely slow to emotion, even slower to understanding and accepting it. People with Alexithymia have also been known to, when properly riled, experience bouts of intense rage...

Warning: It's mainly adventure/drama/tragedy, but it's also Shounen-Ai, so if you don't like that, pleaasseee don't read it. The story isn't centered around romance, it's more of a comic relief aspect, so there won't be any explicit scenes, although the story will be rated 'M' for many darker aspects that'll be in there.

If you're interested though, please check it out when I post it!

Again, I apologize for taking so long to update DP! Please forgive me!

Disclaimers: Um. Kishimoto may own canon, but this plot and these OCs are totally mine!

They arrived at the secluded field around late morning, when the sun was most certainly high in the sky and they immediately set about making camp. Kakuzu had explained to her that he commissioned this specific splace for the nature of it's environment, strangely green in grass and trees with sand patches dusting along about every few meters. No should bother them, he said, for the next month, so he expected her to focus all her attention on him. At first, she had the urge to snort, because she remembered being just a little toddler again, bumbling around after him and chatting him up in the kitchen. They spent their days there and Yuupika gave him all of her time, effort, and affection. To some extent, she continued to do that because he was always in her mind, but when she went to sit down by the shade and he suddenly came at her with a fist, she immediately understood what he had meant. Attention, he says, like adrenaline, speed, accuracy, precision, bloodlust. All on me. All on you. The world doesn't exist except for us.

The steel beams of limbs that he had sent waves of pain down her arms and legs where she could not dodge and was forced to block or be brutally assaulted. His eyes were calculating, assessing every movement and twitch, like he had never seen her fight before – and then it struck her that he hadn't because she was gone for the better part of a year and her style had developed so drastically that he probably didn't even recognize it anymore. There was no relation to how it was before, in those few fleeting sessions he watched between her and Juzo before she was shipped away, and what it was now. Her face flushed, not from extertion, but from how her taijutsu dripped Obito and she was faced with the full force of her embarrassment. Why? She didn't know why. Maybe because she was so similar to the man that was both her adversary and her friend and she still didn't know how she felt about that. Perhaps Kakuzu could wash it away soon.

Then, as suddenly as he began, he stopped and Yuupika jumped backwards to escape him, just in case. "Hmm." He rubbed his chin with two fingers. "You're too defensive, brat. You're style is based on evasion and you only strike when you need to. This is fine if you're evenly matched, but against an opponent with greater speed and strength, you need an appropriate way to take advantage of any openings. You need to be more confrontational." She wilted slightly at this, thinking of her match-ups. "It's as I expected." Kakuzu parted from her and made way back to their bags, pulling out a scroll and throwing it towards her. She caught it easily and rolled it open. A seal of some kind. What for?

"Channel some chakra into it," He ordered and she complied, touching her fingertips to the middle of the array. A second later, a staff popped into extistence, slapping against her unguarded palm and she gripped it automatically.

"What's this for?" She asked, staring at the wooden pole in confusion.

"What does it look like? I'm going to teach you bojutsu."

She blinked. "Eh?"

Kakuzu retrieved another scroll and with a tiny burst of chakra, a much longer bo came out. He twirled it in his hands comfortably a few times and then stabbed it into the ground. This baffled her. Kakuzu uses weapons? Since when? I have never seen him have the need…he never did this in the manga! Or the anime! Yuu absently discarded her scroll as well, tossing it into the bushes. This…This is where Kishimoto let the plot fall through, isn't it? Where he failed to give depth to Kakuzu's character. This skill is one of those in betweens where no light was cast upon his mysterious darkness.

"Come at me."

She swallowed, her palms clammy as she tried to find the correct position to balance out it's weight while she held it. "Um…" I know nothing about bojutsu! Absolutely nothing! And Yuu hated not knowing. Perhaps if he had suggested kenjutsu…she still remembered her lessons with Juzo, even if she hadn't been practicing.

"Well?" Kakuzu jeered. "We haven't got all day."

Yuupika clutched the staff a bit tighter and decided that she'd treat it somewhat like a spear for now. She ran at him with one end pointed straight at him, intent on forcing him to block and causing some brusing damage, but when she came upon him and jumped, thrusting the thing towards his chest, he simply lifted an arm and brushed it aside. Her jaw dropped at the same time that he caught her stomach with an open-palmed strike and she went flying back. Her body rolled once – twice, until it came to a full stop in a ditch of sand and she gagged at the feeling of grains all in her mouth. She spit on the ground several time as Kakuzu sighed.

"No good," He told her as he tossed the staff at the ground near her feet. "Come at me with the intent to kill. You'll never get anywhere if you don't."

Now don't those words seem familiar…and why does everyone always push me around during training?! I'm starting to see a trend here. Yuu frowned as she spit out the last clump of sand in her mouth and grabbed the staff once again, standing to her feet. With the intent to kill… She positioned both her hands more towards the center this time, testing the stability of her hold. Can I charge Kakuzu with that intent? Someone who is so close to me? She looked up into his waiting face, stressed with lines of impatience. Maybe if I thought of him as someone else? Yuu slowly projected an image in her mind, superimposing his features with those Jungo's and soon found breathing just a tinge harder. Right there…he's right…

She felt urgency all of the sudden and anger tenfold of what she was used to as a vision of one lifeless Kazuki resurfaced and Yuupika gritted her teeth harshly, using chakra to burst forward from her spot. Dust kicked up behind her and a smirk on that face across the way were the only things her eyes could focus on. Fleetingly, she thought she should see a therapist. Yuu held the staff horizontal in front of her when she met him finally and his own staff was held in a similar fashion to ward off her attack.

He pushed her away with his superior strength and she used chakra to balance herself on the ground as she skid back, then darted once more towards him.

Yuupika fell back onto the ground, panting like she had just been drowning. Bruises like dark rings decorted her body in a random pattern, where she could not dodge Kakuzu's harsh thrusts and parries. He was so proficient with the bo that it surprised her. She hadn't expected him to be able to do so much with so little movement, despite her raging charge at him and the way she kept it up for a good portion of the few hours they trained with their staffs. He was no slouch, she realized, even though she knew it already and then she considered that her time seeing him play gentle (if exceedingly awkward) father figure might have dulled her perception of how good a fighter he really was. He was so versatile and it honestly surprised her enough to be embarrassing.

"How…" She croaked, a little irked at the way he was smirking. "How are you so good at this?"

"Practice," He stated, stabbing his bo into ground for the first time in a few hours. Then, in a quieter voice, "The Bo was my main weapon as a shinobi of Takigaure." Yuupika swallowed at the subject suddenly turned serious, feeling curiosity and uncomfortable pressure alike on her heaving chest.

"Oh." She said lamely, cursing her brilliant brain for once at it's emptiness. Kakuzu looked off into the distance, the crease in his brow deep and Yuu grasped at straws in the silence. He never really talked about his past – neither the manga nor the anime talked about it either. "Was it hard?" She finally asked, raising herself into a sitting position. He considered this for a moment.

"Yes. My hands were often very sore."

"Oh," She swept a piece of sticky hair behind her ear, enjoying the breeze that graced her skin. "How long did it take you?"

"Decades." Then he smirked again and she was ever so happy that his voice took on a lighter tone, the heavy atmosphere dissipating. "There are few, if none, that are better than I to have as a teacher. You're lucky, brat." Yuupika giggled and hoisted herself shakily to her feet, using her staff as a crutch. Her muscles ached from exertion, her chakra was low, and she was numb in a plethora of places, including her stiff fingers. But she got up, taking a stance she copied off of Kakuzu in confidence.

And they kept going.

The month passed by quickly, as all months do, Yuupika supposed. She scanned over the hard lines of Kakuzu's covered face as they walked into the arena, watching his eyes flit this way and that. She had already mapped out the place well before they arrived, but seeing him so cautious and protective of her, one hand firmly on her shoulder to hold her close to him, Yuu couldn't bring herself to say so. His behavior caused a stir of warmth inside her chest that she held onto jealously. So what if he was stressing himself out over nothing? He could bear with this a little longer. On her other side, Pain held her small hand in his impossibly large one, rubbing her knuckles comfortingly with his thumb. She was constantly surprised by his size, it hit her every time they drew close to one another that she was still just a little girl, no matter the constant musings of her mind in science that most people would never understand in the entirety of their lifetime. She was eight years old, amazingly. She wondered if that number would ever really mean the same thing to her as it did when she was truly a child, eager to grow older and experience the world.

Yuupika observed the focused gaze of Hikaru on her person, his pupil-less eyes assessing her with a hard fervor and for a moment, she felt uncertain. Unready. Ill-equipped. Unprepared. He'll want to engage me in taijutsu, his clan's specialty. Taijutsu, what he has trained to master since he could walk. Can I really face him…?

Yuupika pushed the thought away, squeezing Pain's slim fingers. I will.

Pain turned to her, getting down on a knee and Yuu stepped into his arms immediately. "I'll be going now, Princess." He whispered, kissing her forehead with chakra-warmed lips. "Do well." She nodded and in the next moment, he was gone, startling those in the viewing box for nobles as he suddenly appeared in his seat with a shunshin. She bit back a giggle at his flair for the dramatic and walked with Kakuzu up to the balcony of contestants. Izumi ran over as soon as Yuupika appeared above the steps, arms flailing wildly.

"Yuu-chan! Yuu-chan!" She came to a stop in front of her, either valiantly ignoring Kakuzu's piercing eyes or completely ignorant to them. Impressive. Or stupid. Somehow, I believe the latter more. "Where have you been? I was looking for you all over town, I wanted to invite you out to dinner with my friends!"

The girl smiled, a light blush heating her cheeks. "Well…I appreciate that very much. However, I was training. I trust you have as well?"

Izumi nodded fervently. "Yeah! Like you wouldn't believe! I'm totally pumped for my match!"

"I'll cheer for you."

The Uchiha beamed at that. "Well, thanks! You too! Hikaru is a total pain!" Said boy whipped around, his low ponytail smacking Seiji across the cheek.

"Izumi!" He exclaimed, his tone reproachful and she jumped as Seiji rubbed his face grudgingly.

"Whoops!" She laughed weakly, scratching her head. "Didn't know you were listening… Well, anyways, good luck!" Yuu bowed lightly as the other girl rushed back over to her teammate and began spouting sheepish apologies.

"A friend of yours?" Kakuzu questioned with a lifted brow.

"Ah…something like that."

His stare was so judgemental for the span of a few seconds that Yuupika didn't even know what to do with herself. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Well…you're still young." The miser guided her to the railing that overlooked the arena below, just in time for the Kazekage to rise from his seat in his box and begin his speech.

"I thank you all for your attendance today," His voice was a loud echo that effectively silenced the crowds. "It is Suna's honor to host the Chunin exams this year, and it is our sincere hope that you have…"

Yuu tuned him out, opting instead to indulge her morbid curiosity and take an idle sweep of Itachi and Kakashi. She had ignored their existence up until that point, thanking Kami himself for Kakuzu's threatening presence to ward off any approaches they may have attempted, but now she was hyperaware of the glances that Kakashi sent her way. Itachi was riveted by the words of the Kazekage, lean hands clasped around the metal of the pole in front of him and soft eyes attentively following the shape of the man's mouth. Wow. Those…those eyelashes! Yuu tensed. No, don't get distracted! Now is not the time! I'm going to fight him soon!

A bandaged man shunshin'd out to the middle of the sandy pit and Yuupika realized with a small start that the third phase had officially begun.

Hikaru charged Seiji as soon as the proctor jumped back to give them space, hands flaring with angry chakra. Seiji flipped back, narrowly missing a strike to his kneecap that Yuu was sure would have shattered it. His limbs were flooded with chakra in an effort to keep himself away from Hikaru, who continued to assault him mercilessly. More than once, his hands went towards his pouch, but he was always blocked from grabbing whatever it was he wanted as Hikaru began to speed up. What beautiful chakra manipulation, the way it spins in his palm…Juuken is so graceful. And did she really expect otherwise? His arm was suddenly disabled, and then the other, and within a few short minutes, Seiji's stomach was struck and he spluttered painfully, falling to the ground. Medics rushed out onto the field as the proctor called the match, eyeing the boy warily, then shaking his head – and Hikaru just watched, dispassionate eyes flickering up to hers in silent challenge. Yuu frowned slightly at how harsh he was with his teammate, but didn't react otherwise to his obvious taunt. It wouldn't do to get riled up. He didn't reach his swiftest speed with Seiji – so, how fast is he really?

The Hyuuga came back up to the balcony shortly and the next contestants filed down. Excitement raced through her. This is something I want to see. Hopefully I can conjure a plan if Itachi showcases some of his skill. The Uchiha stood across from the bulky boy with a blank face. The boy smirked at him, grasping the handle of his weapon and flicking his wrist to make the chain fly in circles with the spiked ball at the end threateningly spinning along. The proctor called the beginning of the match and Itachi immediately flashed his sharingan, not even moving. Strangely, the boy cried out and after a moment, began striking in random places before wrapping himself up in his own chain, a victorious grin on his face. This…this is just the same thing he did with Deidara, isn't it? Genjutsu is a powerful thing. The crowd began to boo, displeasure clear at the lack of any real action and Yuu let out a short chuckle. Not many people share the same sentiments, it seems. But, he made his prowess with the sharingan known which is sure to bring more business to the Uchiha and Konoha in turn. Smart move. Itachi shunshin'd behind the genin and held a kunai to his neck and dutifully (although with a weary sigh), the proctor called the match. When Itachi released the genjutsu on the boy, he went into a snarling rage as he realized just what had transpired, face flushed with chakra and yelling indignantly. Yuupika saw a flash of something other than chakra and tomoes in the Uchiha's eyes then, something that looked suspiciously like amusement. Although she was still more nervous than ever to face him, Yuupika had to hold back a laugh.

"Go freshen up in the bathroom." Kakuzu spoke suddenly and she craned her neck towards him in confusion. "Your match is coming soon." A thrill of anxious energy went down her spine at that. He's right. Hikaru Hyuuga, taijutsu specialist against me…what do I specialize in? I guess taijutsu as well. She shuddered while wishing Izumi a friendly 'good luck' as the girl raced down the stairs towards the arena for her match. I wish I knew some jutsu…

Too soon. Her match had come far too soon. Hikaru stood across from her, his gaze cool. Yuupika's heart pumped loudly. I can't let him hit any of my tenketsu.

"Ready?" The proctor asked, for formality more than anything. Hikaru nodded, taking a stance and Yuupika did as well, unsealing her bo from her pouch. Hopefully…hopefully this is enough. "Haijime!"

The Hyuuga flew at her, hands outstretched and chakra spinning like whirlpools in his palm and Yuupika…

Yuupika was surprised at the ability of her body, automatically sidestepping his hasty assault even though her nerves were frying with anxiousness. Hikaru's eyes widened, activating as he spun around to face her and charge once more. Again, she sidestepped him and his face flushed with chakra.

Is this because of Obito? Jungo? Kakuzu? All of them, their speeds were far greater than that of my current opponent…

Hikaru came at her for the third time and instead of dodging him, Yuu decided to weave through his attacks, testing her own ability in the process. The older boy's anger was clear in his eyes and his attacks became more rapid and numerous. Dodge left, right, duck, bend sideways, deflect at the wrist – the way his chakra moves is quite fascinating – jump over the kick, bend backwards, lean forward, sidestep.

The Hyuuga came to a stop but a meter away. Amazing…he hasn't even touched me… His body stiffened, chakra surging through him and with an alarmed gasp, Yuu recognized the way that it built up in areas where tenketsu lay. She leapt away, just barely missing his Kaiten, and stuck her pole in the ground, standing atop it warily. Hikaru's eyes narrowed when they rested on her once more.

I can't get hit by that, I have to be in perfect shape for my fight with Itachi. And I don't know when he'll pull it out again, which means no more close quarters… She frowned as he began to leisurely walk towards her. I don't really have any ninjutsu or long range techniques though...but, maybe if I can take him by surprise, I can knock him out quickly.

So, I'll have to take care of that Byakugan.

Her hand dipped into her old foxskin pouch, unsealing the fistful of flash powder and small acorns that she was hoping to save for her next round, and she flung it towards him. Hikaru cried out in pain, immediately deactivating his doujutsu and Yuu tensed in preparation to lunge – but stopped herself at the last second as he spun around once more in a Kaiten. She gritted her teeth.

Damnit! I just wasted one of my only tools. He knew my intentions. If I jumped at him,I would have gotten a faceful of chakra. So much for that…

When Hikaru finally came to a stop, the glare he sent at her could have boiled water. "Coward." He spat.

Yuupika didn't deign the insult with an answer, instead observing the tiny bead of sweat running down his forehead. He's running out of chakra. She realized. That technique must be costly. If I can just get him to use Kaiten a few more times, he'll be done for. But that would require me to get in close again with taijutsu or bojutsu and I barely got out of the way last time…I don't know if I can really risk that… Yuupika shifted her weight on top of the staff, holding his eyes through her blindfold.

"Come down from there…" He began, his chakra building behind his palm. It's swirling faster than before…more force… "And fight me!" He thrust his hand out, confusing Yuu for only a moment until she saw the wide wave of pure chakra surging towards her. Fast! I can't dodge it! Hastily, she lunged into the air, evading the air palm that knocked her bo backwards and well out of her range. Hikaru smirked triumphantly and charged and with a spike of panic, Yuupika realized that she had nowhere to go but down…where the Hyuuga would be waiting for her. Would she be in his field of divination? Would she have to use her senjutsu to get her out of this and kill this boy? Fuck! Yuu's flight reached it's peak and she began to descend. I've…I've got to do something! I have to make it to the next round! Closer and closer the ground came and Yuu blinked as she remembered the acorns that she had thrown earlier. Senjutsu…that's right! I DO have another choice! With a precise, concentrated wave of nature and yin chakra, Yuupika targeted the seeds lying in the sand beneath her.

"What?" She raised her eyebrow incredulously.

"Senjutsu promotes advanced healing in your body, no? Healing and growth. Then there should be no reason as to why it can't promote healing and growth in the world around you. You just need to learn how to manipulate it properly, child."

Yuupika frowned thoughtfully. 'It makes sense, but…I've never tried to manipulate nature chakra. I just let it flow through me. Manipulating it could turn me to stone…' "What do you suggest?" She muttered unenthusiastically.

Kakuzu rubbed his chin, glaring off into the distance. "Try pushing your chakra outside of you, just to a patch of grass. We'll see from there." Yuu placed her fingers on the warm blades in front of her and let the soothing tendrils of senjutsu flow through the tips, feeling especially disheartened when the flora wilted and blew away as dust in the wind.

"Well, that sucked." She muttered, then Kakuzu flicked her nose. "Itai!"

"Try it again – this time, mix in your yang chakra."

Yuupika steeled herself silently, ceasing the minute trembling that threatened to overtake her limbs as she began to channel chakra again. The sensation of her yang and nature chakra flowing together felt like the rushing flow of a hot river, roaring to life in rapid motion. She gasped, shuddering as she released it into the area around her – and then a large circle of death spread towards Kakuzu, causing him to shunshin away to evade it. She stopped immediately; but the damage had been done. Her eyes widened at the sight, the dozens of meters of healthy grass floating up as microscopic particles into the atmosphere. 'This is…so much faster than before…i-it makes sense, I guess. Yang chakra and nature chakra are both purely physical. So it just amplified the effects…?'

"Yuupika." 'Kakuzu!' Her head snapped up in his direction, an apology on her lips, but he spoke before she could voice it. "Yin chakra now." She nodded as she took a deep breath.

'He's still standing all the way over there…I feel guilty.' In a more subdued manner, she molded her chakra again – this time, it felt like a cool summer stream, peaceful and free, caressing her coils as she let it seep into soil around her.

The effects were immediate.

Two trees sprouted to life like lightning, the trunk coming up to just over eight feet to meet her bare foot and up in his box, the Hokage bolted up from his seat in shock.

Gasps shot through the crowd as Yuupika pushed off of the first tree with all her strength, launching herself sideways at the same time that Hikaru used gentle fist to blast through the second one. She landed behind him on her hands, twisting her lower body into a powerful, chakra enhanced, upside down kick that caught Hikaru on the back of the neck as he pivoted around to face her. The Hyuuga flew forward, eyes rolling back as he faceplanted onto the ground with enough force to cause a cloud of sand to explode upwards. Yuu jumped back, landing several meters away. The whole arena was silent for a few moments, nobody even breathing as the wind took the cloud away, revealing an unconscious, limp Hikaru.

"Winner: Yuupika Uzumaki!" The proctor yelled and then everyone burst into cheers. Yuu let out a shaky breath and smiled up at the stands, waving her hand weakly. "Please clear the arena for the next match." The bandaged man told her and she nodded at him in acknowledgement before retrieving her bo and walking slowly back towards the stairs. Kakuzu met her there, a smirk stretching his face underneath the cloth mask as he ruffled her long hair.

"Good job, brat."

Yuupika smiled up at him, using her full set of teeth to express her gratitude and the miser's hand slid to her back, pushing her gently along. Her heart felt light for but a minute – until Itachi and Kakashi came into view, both walking slowly down the stairs – and then it constricted. The copy nin was smiling, his book nowhere in sight, mask stretching as he told her,

"Good match,"

Her tongue struggled to work, so she just nodded robotically and hurried past them, Kakuzu striding closer to her than before. She took comfort in his presence, though her thoughts were racing. They don't think I have the mokuton now, right? Maybe it would be better to explain to them that I use nature chakra instead of letting them believe I harbor one of their precious bloodlines? My new surname doesn't help things at all…ugh, what a nightmare! And I wanted to remain anonymous!

"Calm down," Kakuzu commanded, leading her to one of the corners of the viewing balcony. He pulled her to him, shifting his robes so that she was covered by them and out of sight. "Just calm down." He murmured lowly this time, fingers brushing across her cheek and over her lips. A small ball was pushed into her mouth. "Chew this." Yuu obeyed silently and ate the bitter substance, immediately feeling her chakra overflow and muscles flood with relief. A soldier pill? The girl looked up at him questioningly. Isn't this cheating?

"I put it in your pouch yesterday. Technically, it was already part of your supplies."

She smirked, despite herself. How sneaky. Down below, the proctor called the beginning of the match and Yuu watched idly with her senchakra, cuddling into the welcoming embrace of the former taki-nin. Izumi didn't stand a chance against this water-natured guy. I wonder how Itachi will fair…

And of course, the match was over in a matter of minutes. Genjutsu, kenjutsu, and speed provided Itachi with an easy win, showing that he was leagues above his opponent. The boy was knocked out with a sharp hit to the back of his head, provided by the butt of Itachi's ninjato (that Yuu was surprised he could carry) after the Uchuha shunshin'd behind him while he was caught in a genjutsu. He really likes getting behind people. Her adult mind giggled lecherously and she felt her face heat up even as she pushed a few inappropriate images away. Yuu felt lucky that she was immune to genjutsu, lucky that Kakuzu had trained her in bojutsu, and even luckier that her robes were woven with graphene. The girl didn't know if she could keep up with the prodigy in terms of speed, especially since he had use of the shunshin and was friends with the fasted shunshin user alive, but she had already made it this far – all she could do now was try her best.

When it came time to face him, Yuu opted to flip off the balcony railing after kissing Kakuzu's cheek and use a thin layer of chakra to soften her landing. She took her place in front of Itachi, who still had his sharingan activated, and breathed deeply to slow the pace of her racing heart. The spectators cheered loudly. All I can do is try.

"Ready?"

They nodded simultaneously, Itachi unsheathing his blade as she unsealed her staff.

"Hajime!"

The two flew towards each other and met steel-to-wood in the center of the arena. She felt the influx of chakra over her, the preteen trying to cast genjutsu as his sword began to heat with fire nature. Yuu quickly molded her chakra towards water and channeled it into her staff, marveling the way his spinning, three tomoe assessed the now dripping wood and the way his muscles tensed. He shunshin'd behind her and she ducked to avoid a kick that made the air whistle, rolling in the same move to gain distance. Itachi lunged forward and Yuu tossed the last of her acorns at him in an attempt to psych him out.

It worked – he deactivated his sharingan and jumped back, giving her time to settle into a stance. The Uchiha blinked and reactivated his doujutsu, eyeing the small seeds on the ground before looking back at her. She smiled placidly, then charged him. Block, thrust, spin, thrust, block, push, block, thrust, push, spin. They danced with their weapons for a heated few minutes, Yuu feeling the vibrations of pants, hearing the whistle of metal cutting the breeze, and world wheedled down to only the opponent opposite of her, straining under the strength of her chakra enhanced moves and constantly trying to bathe her in genjutsu.

They both retreated to a distance, suddenly and Yuu took a short moment to refamiliarize herself with the world. A tingling on her neck made her eyes widen and Yuu whirled around just in time to block a swipe from a second Itachi that probably would have decapitated her. Fuck! A shadow clone! He made it without seals! The original Uchiha sped through handsigns, yelling out,

"Katon: Phoenix Flower!"

Yuupika used a large, precise burst of chakra on her feet to propel herself backwards swiftly to dodge the multitude of bird-like blasts, meeting the original Itachi in a battle of weaponry once again. He thrust his sword towards her shoulder and she deflected it with the end of her staff, quickly bringing the other end up to block another strike from the second Itachi. She infused wind-natured chakra into her limbs just to be able to keep up with the both of them. Several times, the blades scraped across her clothes and Itachi kept stealing glances at her form, surprise in his orbs at the lack of blood and or tear. The original flipped backwards, giving Yuu the chance to kick the clone harshly on the neck and dispel it as he shouted a quick, "Kai!"

He chakra flexed and he came at her again with renewed vigor, his sword strikes more viscious as he tried to land something on her. Yuu poured more wind chakra into herself, sweeping up some of the sand around her as she went on the offensive, determined not to let him. Neither of them had landed a clean hit – that is until Yuu decided ignore a slash across her torso to thrust the butt of her staff towards the center of his forehead, splitting the skin nastily there with her strength and speed. Itachi stumbled back a few steps, then shunshin'd a short distance away, holding his head gingerly. Blood seeped through his fingers and his eyes were ever widened in disbelief that she had yet sustained no injury. His gaze flickered up to hers, guarded, but with a silent question. 'How?'

Yuu smiled vaguely. Wouldn't you like to know? The Uchiha sheathed his ninjato and in turn, she sealed her staff and they both dropped into an easy stance. Then, his hands once again blurred through seals.

"Katon: Dragon Flame Bullet!"

The enormity of the blazing flame that rushed towards her was truly incredible, the girl mused for a moment, before flooding herself with an excess of earth natured chakra, weaving it into her very cells, and dropping into the earth. She knew it wouldn't fool him for long, not really since it wasn't even a technique, just a mimicry of Zetsu's 'Mayfly', but as long as Itachi was powering his jutsu, perhaps he wouldn't notice in time.

Yuupika flowed through the particles of dirt under the layer of sand, completely one with them, underneath the stream of fire that was pouring through his lips and all the way up to his feet, emerging from the ground in an upwards kick. To his credit, and Yuupika's amazement, he just barely leaned back to dodge it, the torent of flame abruptly cut off in shock. Itachi wasted no time throwing a punch that Yuu deflected, then jumped back to perform more seals.

"Katon: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

For Kami's sake, how many of these techniques can he spit out?!

Large balls of fire came rocketing towards her and Yuu bent her body uncomfortably to evade them, feeling the scorching heat through her clothes as she leapt about like an acrobat.

"Katon: Grand Fireball!"

What the hell.

"Katon: Grand Fireball!"

Seriously?

"Katon: Phoenix Flower!"

Fuck! One of the bird-like flames grazed her leg and she winced in pain at the feeling of the skin there blistering. Itachi paused for a moment to glance at it.

"Katon: Phoenix Flower!"

Why has no one taught me any jutsu yet?! This is ridiculous! I'm going to strangle Obito when I get back!

"Katon: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

Fuck!

"Katon: Dragon Flame Bullet!"

She was just a tinge slow to dodge this time and the back of her hand and part of her wrist caught the end of the flame, leaving her with first degree burns.

"Yield." Itachi spoke and Yuu shook her head. Never. The boy regarded her for a swift moment before charging towards her on foot and Yuu gladly met him. His fist swung wide and she blocked it without a second thought – gasping at the way the tender flesh on her wrist seared in protest and Itachi took the momentary distraction to land a solid kick on her stomach, sending her skidding backwards. Sly bastard… Itachi flipped out a kunai and Yuu had a particularly nasty idea in that moment, molding lightning chakra and channeling it through her arms when he came at her again, mixing the yin half with nature. To his surprise, when he guided the kunai in a sweep towards her, she met the metal with her fist, turning it instantly to stone and shattering it to pieces. Her momentum took her into his guard as he closed his eyes to protect them from tiny shards and, pulling back the nature chakra, her sparking knuckles were able to smash into his nose with a sick crunch.

The Uchiha flew back with the force, spasming for a moment before flipping on his hands to right himself into a wavering stance and his hand came up to gingerly prod his face. Definitely broken. She allowed a small smirk at the grotesque sight of his crooked nose and the blood freely flowing from it. That, combined with the nasty gash on his forehead, made an intense feeling of pride swell in her chest.

Huh…his eyelashes don't look so pretty when the rest of his face is beaten up.

It was then that her exhaustion made itself known. Yuu's knees trembled uncertainly, something that was not lost on Itachi, and the lack of blood in her head made her dizzy for a fleeting instant. I'm running out of chakra. Panic seized her for a moment – until she noticed the same symptoms in the preteen as well. She sniffed the air, taking in the scent of sweat that made his hair stick to his jaw and the short, harsh falls of his chest, the way he fisted his hands to keep the shaking at bay. Yuu smiled. This is our last stretch.

Will you try for a few more techniques? Or will you engage me in taijutsu again?

In the blink of an eye, Itachi pulled out a handful of shuriken and threw them, forcing Yuu to quickly unseal her bo and bat them away. He dipped back into his pouch with both hands and retrieved more, sending them out in quick succesion. Yuupika spun her staff so fast that it blurred, using it as a shield to prevent the sharp projectiles from reaching her. Kunai were next, coming like a hailstorm and Itachi rushed in behind them, flying in a kick at her neck. She sidestepped it, deflecting a punch in the next moment and feeling the familiar wash of a genjutsu uselessly trying to overtake her. She blocked a kick to her midsection by bringing up her leg – and then instantly regretting the way the burn there caused her to gasp and shudder. Itachi's killing intent spiked and he shunshin'd behind her, a kunai rushing forth.

Time seemed to slow down as his arm began to snake around her shoulder, intending to hold the sharp tool to her neck and forefully make her surrender. A rush of unexpected adrenaline coursed through her veins and her brain rested on a single image. Yuupika used a large chunk of her dwindling chakra to imbue herself with wind and her own arm shot up her torso and over her shoulder, the chakra swirling wildly in her palm – like Hikaru Hyuuga, smashing through the trunk of that tree – and she reached back, slapping the middle of Itachi's split forehead.

The Uchiha stumbled back, kunai falling from his hand as his sharingan flickered off, ebony orbs unfocused in their wake, and with a sharp breath, he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Silence.

"Winner: Yuupika Uzumaki!"

The crowd roared their approval, both Uchiha and Hyuuga wide-eyed at the display. Medics ran onto the field with a stretcher, a woman in chunin garb not unlike the proctor's immediately fretting over her burns. Soothing, green chakra swept over the damaged skin and within minutes, it looked as fresh and healthy as it did before the fight. Someone urged her to sit and she found her butt planted in a wheel chair, a disgruntled frown marring her face at how often she seemed to end up in one. Pain and Kakuzu touched down in front of her, startling the woman still doing diagnostics and with a hard glare, the miser sent her away. Pain cradled her face in his hand.

"I'm proud of you."

Yuupika thought that maybe she should be alarmed by how quick tears were to spring to her eyes and how readily she leaned into his warmth. Kakuzu ruffled her locks affectionately, his words in the depths of his iris' and she felt blissful in his silent support. I love you guys.

The Hokage and Kazegake appeared some meters away in a shunshin, Kakashi following not a moment after with his nose in Icha Icha, inviting himself.

Pain turned towards them. "Ah, Kazekage-sama, Hokage-sama." He greeted with a tip of his head and Yuu found herself shuddering in a weird, prideful pleasure at how the three men were stiff in his presence. "A pleasure."

"Likewise," The Hokage spoke first, smiling amicably. "I'm afraid I don't quite recall your name."

Pain stared unblinkingly at the Sarutobi, then stated, "I am the Amekage," He laid his hand on Yuu's shoulder. "This is my daughter, Princess of Ame."

"Ah, Amegakure. Yuu-sensei is a native, yes?"

"Yes."

The Kazekage rested his eyes on her. "Congratulations on your victory, Amehime." She didn't so much as nod in thanks before he focused back on Pain. Jeez, how rude! "I would be delighted to hear of your arrival personally if you should decide to visit again. You're welcome in the Kage box come next exams."

Pain nodded once in acknowledgement and after a moment of silence and uncomfortable, testosterone-induced staring, Yuupika tugged on Pain's sleeve. "Tou-san." He looked down at her, a gentle squeeze urging her to continue. "Should I wait for you at the hotel?"

The corner of his lip quirked upwards and he shook his head. "No, I will accompany you." He moved gracefully behind her and grabbed ahold of the handles on her wheel chair, then nodded towards his fellow kages. Yuu and Kakuzu gave a more substantial bow and then they were on their way, the subject of many curious gazes.

"Tou-san?"

"Hm?"

Yuupika traced his jawline idly with a wandering finger, breathing in his familiar scent of rain and ink at their close proximity. He shot her a small smile, eyes only straying from his book for a second. "I missed you. Why were gone for so long?"

The man considered this for a moment, shifting a bit on the bed. "I had something very important to take care of." Yuu wondered if he was spying on Gaara, an uncomfortable stirring in her stomach.

"I missed you," She reiterated softly and he pressed an affectionate kiss to her crown.

"I missed you as well, Princess." Pain's voice was like rich chocolate, similar to one she knew all too well.

"Don't leave too long, okay?" Even as she said this, her mind supplied her with a completely different visage, one of high cheekbones, lush lashes, plump lips, and alluringly slanted eyes. Who was she really talking to? The man chuckled, vibrations spreading like wildfire underneath her skin.

"I make no promises. However, I will try my best."

The girl guessed that his words would have to suffice for now. Hopefully, he hadn't captured or wasn't planning to capture any tailed beasts yet…she still had no idea how she was going to approach that situation. Yuupika snuggled into his heat more, propping up her legs on his from her position in between his loosely crossed legs. He kissed her crown again.

"We must return to Ame tomorrow. Rest." He whispered into her hair as he set his book down and his arms encased her shortly after.

"It's still afternoon, Papa." Yuu reminded him and he laughed lowly.

"It is a long journey, Princess. You'll need all your energy."

She only hummed noncommittally. In truth, Yuupika didn't really care what time of day it was – she was only scared of dreams and all the things she might see in them. The insanity of loneliness, the faces of her loved ones screaming out in pain, the smell of burnt flesh, the slimy feel of innards slipping through her fingers, the cold snow biting at her mercilessly, the eyes of a tiger, Jungo, his broken, petrified body, the children turned statues, their horrifying screams, the heat and intensity of flames jetting towards her or – or worse:

Beautiful, rough scars, a lovely set of teeth smiling at her, rippling muscles on a shirtless torso, seductive ebony orbs beckoning her closer, and open arms, waiting patiently for her inevitable return.