Ok, I lied. Two short chapters. Sorry but I felt the chapter break fit this separation better than just a scene change. But on the bright side, both of those chapters are uploaded today instead of one today and one tomorrow. Right?
Well, either way my consolation prize will still stand. I'll be posting another chapter tomorrow or the day after, depending on when I have it edited.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Hayate slowly removed the sebon from his teeth as he looked at Naruto and Neji, who had squared off against each other and were awaiting the order to start. "Now, I know I'm not Genma. He's had an accident, so I'm subbing in for him." He told them. "But the rules he told you still stand. This fight ends when either one of you surrenders, or is unable to continue. If that is to the death, so be it. But if I say the match is over, it is over. Stop or I will stop you. Is that understood?"
"Understood proctor-san." Neji said in a monotone, eyeing Naruto calmly.
"You call for a stop, I'll do my best." Naruto promised, his eyes never leaving Neji's.
"You look like you have something you want to say." Neji told him, his voice light and mocking. "Something troubling your tiny mind?"
"Just trying to figure out why Hinata asked me to spare your miserable life." Naruto told him. "Understand this Neji; the fact that you survive today isn't fate. It's because your cousin asked me, as a favor to her, to let you live. It is for her sake only that you might walk out of here."
"Big words, but they fall flat when coming from a failure. It is your fate to lose here." Neji informed him, his eyes flashing and the veins in his temples growing prominent as he activated his dojutsu. "At least try to be entertaining."
"Begin." Hayate commanded, stepping back as Naruto and Neji moved.
Naruto charged forward with a haymaker levelled at Neji's head. Neji knocked it aside and lashed out with a palm at Naruto's chest. Naruto, seeing the blur of his arm, twisted and spun around the arm, landing in a crouch before sliding backwards. Neji pushed his advantage, lashing out with a kick at Naruto's head which was pushed upwards by Naruto's arm as he blocked. Naruto stood up as Neji's kick morphed into a flip that he landed before smirking at Naruto.
"You'll never beat me at taijutsu." Neji promised boldly.
"Piecrust promises. Easily made, easily broken." Naruto told him. "But if you want me to use ninjutsu, I'll oblige. Here's an old favorite of mine. It's all I'll need to beat you." And his fingers formed a familiar cross shape.
Neji's eyes went wide for a second as hundreds of Naruto's suddenly filled the stadium, and the crowd drew in a collective gasp. "I know numbers don't win a battle, but I think they help." Naruto said with a smirk of his own.
Neji composed himself and, rather than banter or boast back, simply adjusted his fighting stance and waved at Naruto. "Bring it on."
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Iruka, Sakura and Hinata sat together in the stands, Hinata a little shaky but anxiously watching Naruto's fight, Sakura and Iruka on either side of her in case the girl needed anything. As the match progressed, Sakura let out a quiet whistle at the sight of all the bunshin. "How'd he manage that sensei?" She asked Iruka. "He couldn't make illusionary clones in the Academy, and those look solid.
"They are. Naruto has massive chakra reserves, meaning he never had the chance to learn chakra control like most genin. He tried but it's like damming the ocean with a short wooden plank. Those bunshin are solid. They're kage bunshin, made by splitting his chakra evenly. It's a very dangerous and difficult jutsu." Iruka told her. "I can use it a bit but it cuts my reserves in half. I can only really manage one or two."
"H-he mastered it in a night." Hinata remembered proudly. "The night of the final e-exam."
"Wow. I think I need to change my bets for where he ends up in the finals." Sakura chuckled. She looked over worriedly at Hinata. "Are you sure you're doing ok?"
Hinata nodded, ignoring the lingering tightness in her chest. "M-mostly recovered." She told Sakura. "And I w-w-wasn't missing my team fight." She mostly managed to stifle the cough that followed.
Iruka looked her over anxiously, and Hinata understood his concern. She wasn't doing the best. She could feel it in her chest, where the damage wasn't quite healed. The hospital staff had warned no excessive stress but she wasn't about to miss her friends compete. "Let me know if there's any problems. And no using your Byuakugan. You don't need to strain yourself so soon." Hinata nodded and anxiously watched the match as Neji began destroying the bunshin by the dozen.
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Neji was good, Naruto had to give him that.
Even with all his kage bunshin attacking him, Neji hadn't been hit once. Naruto had charged him with all the skill he possessed, all the taijutsu and tactics he had at his disposal, the coordination of all the bunshin working in turn to attack. Sheer numbers weren't helping.
Neji, after dispersing another bundle of clones, scowled. "How boring. You are entirely too predictable."
"Oh stuff it in your ear. What do you now about me?" Naruto snapped back as another batch of clones was produced. Let him play with a war of attrition. Naruto could outlast Neji.
"You have mastered a jutsu that means I can't tell you apart from your clones with my eyes. However," Neji charged through the clones, startling all the Naruto's on the field. "I know who the real one is. You'd never risk your real body!"
Before any of them could react, Neji slammed one palm into his chest and one into his throat. Naruto stumbled back, coughing up blood as Neji smirked at him. "It's over."
Naruto spat out a mouthful of blood and smirked. "You're an idiot. You really don't know anything about me, do you?"
Neji froze when the bleeding Naruto burst into smoke. Naruto Flickered in right behind Neji, left hand cocked back and about to connect with the back of Neji's head, the rest of the clones surging forward.
"Who says I wouldn't risk my own body?" Naruto snapped.
Neji understood what had happened in less than a second, but had no time to verbalise his conclusion. Instead of panicking, he pulsed with chakra and spun in place, "Did you really think that would beat me?" He demanded as he released his chakra.
White chakra erupted from Neji's skin, blasting Naruto aside and dispersing all his clones. The collision knocked Naruto flat on the ground, leaving the blonde groaning in the dirt. "That was almost clever. You anticipated that I would target the clone maker, assuming that it would be you to protect your body. You hoped to catch me off guard. But I have the ultimate defence, the Hyuga Clan's Heavenly Sphere. And that's not all."
Naruto struggled to stand, and was worried that Neji seemed very smug.
"You are within my divination. Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms!"
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Hinata felt her heart stop. This wasn't possible. Neji had not only mastered the Hyuga's defensive technique, he claimed to have mastered the palm strike? Those were two of the greatest secrets of the Main Branch. And Neji had mastered them on his own?
Sakura's eyes went wide. "What is he doing?" She asked Hinata.
"Th-that first technique, it's our defensive technique." Hinata explained. "Hyuga are masters of taijutsu but our ranged techniques are severely lacking and we fight best one on one. Most would simply fight us at a distance, out of range of our attacks, or swarm us with numbers. The defense allows us to push chakra out in all directions, deflecting any attack from any direction."
Hinata watched Neji start to strike Naruto and felt her chest tighten in fear. "B-but that technique... It seals all your ch-chakra nodes. And damages y-y-your organs. It's a v-very advanced, very lethal technique."
"He learned those on his own?" Sakura gaped. She watched Naruto stumble back, chakra shining through Naruto's back as it pierced him. "Oh no..."
Hinata felt her chest spasm as Naruto got hit, and coughed violently. She felt blood well up in her mouth, and she couldn't stop her coughing.
Hinata!" Iruka exclaimed, grabbing her out of her chair. "Sakura, help me move her. She's not healed; she shouldn't have come."
"But Naruto-" Sakura protested.
"Is in a match! He'll live! Hinata won't if I don't treat her now, and I can't do that in here!" Iruka snapped.
Sakura grimaced and grabbed Hinata by her shoulder and moved her to a clear area, glancing back at Naruto. "Don't you dare lose Naruto." Sakura thought viciously.
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Naruto coughed up blood for real this time, struggling to stand up. "It's over. I've sealed your chakra nodes." Neji informed him with a smirk.
Naruto spat off to the side, panting as he glared defiantly at Neji. "It's not over yet." Naruto promised.
"What do you hope to accomplish?" Neji asked. "You can't hope to win. Is your teammate that important to you?"
"Of course she is!" Naruto snapped. "What sort of Konoha ninja are you? She's your family you bastard! How could you do that?"
Neji just snorted. "I am of the Branch Family. I was destined by my birth to serve the Main Family."
"Again with this fate and destiny crap." Naruto growled. "You've already thrown mud across your family name and disgraced your headband. Be blunt; you can't do any worse."
Neji actually glared at Naruto. "My father was Hizashi Hyuga. He was the twin brother of the clan head, Hiashi Hyuga. The difference between them was my father was born second. Because of that, he and all his decedents were destined to be part of the Branch Family, to serve as protectors, servants and death fodder for the Main Branch."
Naruto stared in shock. Neji continued, "And because of that, I am cast out of the family as nothing. I am the greatest genius the clan has produced and I will spend my life serving tea to my uncle. My father lies in a cask in Kumo because he died in his brother's place, as is the duty of the Branch Family."
"So you've got family issues. So what?" Naruto demanded. "What did Hinata do to you? What part has she played in this?"
"Everything!" Neji tore off his headband, revealing a black mark inked into his forehead. "My father died because Hinata was nearly kidnapped by Kumo, and demanded compensation when we killed their leader! She's the reason I was sealed! She's the reason I can never advance, and why I will die whenever she needs to! I am to be her servant, her protector, her confidant, her teacher, her everything! I was branded when I was four years old! This seal, this stupid piece of ink, will keep the Byuakugan from ever leaving the Hyuga bloodline, and will kill me if Hinata wishes it! My entire life is dictated by a seal! You have no level of comprehension for how that feels."
Naruto stood up and gave a very sad chuckle. "Actually, I'm probably one of the few who does." He told Neji, wiping the blood from his mouth. "And on another occasion, I'd give enough of a damn to sympathise. If you weren't pissing me off right now with your whining!"
Neji gaped. Actually gaped. "You say that Hinata holds your life in your hands. Yet you stand there, clear as day before me, when you tried to kill her and she let you!" Naruto snarled. "You claim to be a victim of fate but you just sit around and cry when things don't go your way! You yell at how you were treated unfairly, and yet here you stand after attempting to murder your cousin, who is not only the clan heir, but the cousin that you swore to watch over, to train and be there for! Or isn't that what the Branch Family is really supposed to do? Isn't that what you should have done, as her older cousin?"
Neji looked like a fish on dry land and each line made him flinch like he was slapped. "You fight against your fate by trying to kill the only person in that damn clan that would sympathise with you!" Naruto pressed on, his anger almost a visible aura around him. "You attacked the very girl you swore to protect, who was ready to give her life to you to balance the scales. The girl you blame for, at three years old, not stopping a jonin who snuck into the Hyuga estate and tried to take her and rip her eyes out because obviously a three year old is strong enough to kill a jonin! You blame her father for protecting her, because your father died doing his duty. You blame fate for costing you your freedom and loved ones. Well guess what Neji? You're in a shinobi village. Ask the audience for a show of hands for those who've lost someone to war, to a mission, to something unfair. I'm willing to bet none of them tried familicide. You don't try to change anything, you don't prove them wrong, you just throw your hands up in defeat and blame the world for not getting better and you perpetuate the very thing you hate in the name of destiny and fate!"
"Sh-shut up! A loser like you could never understand!" Neji snapped, his voice shaking.
"Understand what? Being powerless? Alone? Hated, judged and persecuted for something that wasn't your fault?" Naruto demanded. "Sounds like a lot of people I know. You tried to kill one of them. But words won't work on you. You can't see it if it's not delivered by force. So I'll have to speak your language." Naruto brought his fingers together and pushed his chakra forward.
"Your nodes are sealed. You can't do anything." Neji insisted.
Naruto didn't answer. And after a second, his silence was met with a roar of air as he was surrounded by a bright blue aura, and he stood there, coated with chakra and grinned.
Silence fell across the audience, as the exact implications of what Naruto had just done hit them. "Impossible!" Neji whispered.
"I thought you were a genius. Only an idiot denies evidence that's right in front of their eyes. Looks like fate has a new plan in store for you." Naruto told him and charged.
(Nothing else seems to work)
Hinata coughed as Iruka's chakra coated hand passed over her chest twice, the medical technique binding her wounds shut. He sighed as he pulled his hand away and helped Hinata sit up. "You're lucky I was close by." He told her. "You nearly died there Hinata. You shouldn't have come here."
"Th-thank you sensei." She told him. "And I needed to. I needed to s-support Naruto-kun and Sasuke."
"Well, you came. I think the match should be over by now." Iruka told her. Before he could stop her, Hinata's eyes flashed as she activated her Byuakugan.
"N-no. Naruto-kun's attacking Neji still but-" Hinata suddenly froze, before grabbing Iruka's arm in a tight, desperate grip.
"Sensei, you need to go to the Hokage right now!" She told him frantically.
Sakura and Iruka both stared at her. "What's wrong?" Iruka asked her.
"The Kazekage, in the Kage observation box. It's not the Kazekage! It's the ninja who attacked us in the exam!" Hinata exclaimed.
Iruka's blood ran cold at the thought. "Orichimaru?" He asked quietly. Hinata nodded frantically. "Sakura, take Hinata back to her seat. Kakashi will come by to make sure everything's all right. I'm heading up to the Kage booth."
Iruka stood up as Sakura helped Hinata to her feet but Iruka wasn't paying the most attention. He felt the eyes of the cat masked ANBU and his eyes narrowed. As soon as the girls were out of hearing range, Iruka gave the ANBU a simple message. "You know what I know." The ANBU vanished with a Body Flicker. Iruka gave him a moment before following suit.
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Naruto summoned up more and more clones and started flying in from all angles to strike at Neji, landing hits on the Hyuga genius for the first time. Naruto had abbandoned his normal hit and run style, opting instead for smoke bombs that stung the eyes when inhaled, steel wire loops wrapped around Neji's arms and legs and barages of kunai and shurinken raining down on Neji. "You won't win." Naruto told him. "That I promise you."
Neji, panting and bruised, snarled and glowed with chakra, launching Naruto back and breaking the wire. "I won't be beaten!" He snarled. "It is your fate to lose!"
Naruto threw another kunai, this one with and explosive tag on it. Neji jumped back but then three more clones pulled out similar kunai. "I can do this all day. Give up. You lose." Naruto told him. To prove his point, Naruto summoned up another ten clones, each holding a knife and tag. Neji didn't waver. On cue, fourteen kunai launched into the air.
Neji reacted predictably, with a spin that knocked the kunai all flying, some in the direction of the audience. Naruto's clones quickly substituted themselves for those, causing the tags to explode harmlessly in the middle of the arena. Neji stopped spinning and smirked at Naruto. "Enough with the knives. Let's finish this." Neji challenged, running forward. Naruto's clones moved to intercept but each one was burst, until Neji reached the last one, who chose to meet him head on.
"You're within my rotation! How many times can you take it?" Neji demanded as he moved, his tired arms striking each one of Naruto's chakra nodes one after another. "You can't beat me like this!"
The resealed Naruto stumbled back, grinned weakly and told him, "You're right. That's why I did this." Before he poofed into smoke.
Before Neji could blink the ground underneath him gave way and the real Naruto leapt from the dirt and hammered a punch right into Neji's jaw. The Hyuga boy rose in the air over five feet, before slamming into the ground unable to move.
Neji stared at Naruto in shock. "How?" He asked, his voice muffled and slurred by the now broken jaw.
"Simple. I baited you." Naruto told him. "All the kunai without tags I threw were clones transformed before the battle. When you knocked mine away, I substituted for one while all the other clones were protecting the audience and hid in a crater made by the tags. Then the clone I replaced just kept your attention and made sure to stand near where I was. You might be able to see in all directions and through solid rock but if you can't see the ground you walk on, you're going to trip up as soon as the ground is uneven. I just played on that fact."
Neji grunted and looked up at Naruto. "So it was my fate to lose." He mumbled.
Naruto paused at that, and turned to Neji with a tired look. "Do you know how many times I failed the genin exam? Three. Because there was one jutsu, only one out of the basic three that I couldn't do. And as luck would have it, every year it was the jutsu that they tested us on in the final. Can you guess what it was?" Neji shook his head. "Bushin. I couldn't make a clone to save my life."
Neji stared at him, uncomrehending of what was said and Naruto turned away. "Never give up. If people laugh at you for trying, try harder. If people shun you for doing what's right, ignore them back and keep doing it. You can change your fate. 'Cause if a loser like me can manage it, what can a genius like you achive?"
Neji lay there, computing the very puzzling information put towards him before the pain eventually made him pass out. The last thing he heard was the sound of the crowd cheeering.
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Naruto was grinning from ear to ear as he entered the competitor's box, with Shikimaru, Shino and Sasuke giving him apraising looks. "That was rather well done." Shikimaru admitted. "I didn't expect you to use strategy."
"An excelent display." Shino agreed.
"Good job." Was all Sasuke told him but there was no mocking or sarcasm in the statement.
"Thanks." Naruto told him, sitting himself down and looking out at the field "Who's next?"
"I'm supposed to be but..." Kankerou shrugged. "My opponent dropped out it seems. I'll be facing bug boy after Gaara's match."
"Who dropped out?" Naruto glanced at Sasuke.
"One of the Sound shinobi." Shino told him. "Dosu if I recall correctly. I'm not upset that he is gone, though I would have enjoyed fighting him if the opportunity came up."
"So doesn't that mean Shikimaru's next?" Naruto asked. As if on cue, Hayate called out, "Would Shikimaru Nara and Temari please enter the ring?"
Shikimaru groaned. "Why do I have to go down there? I just walked all the way up here." Temari had no such qualms, jumping over the railing and gliding down on her fan.
"Come on Shika. You don't want to drop out just 'cause it's easier, do you?" Naruto asked.
"When you put it that way... Yes." Shikimaru told him. Naruto just eyed Sasuke and nodded with a grin.
"You just don't want to walk down there right? Too much effort?" Naruto confirmed. Shikimaru looked suspiciously at him but nodded. Big mistake.
With that, Naruto and Sasuke each picked Shikimaru up by a shoulder and dropped him feet first over the rail. Shikimaru's curses were heard by the whole arena.
Naruto chuckled and sat back down, looking very pleased with himself. Sasuke stayed by the rail, asking, "Don't you want to watch?"
"I can see just fine from here. Besides, we know who's going to win. Shikimaru has this in the bag." Naruto told him.
"As if. That girl is way stronger than him." Sasuke countered.
"Shikimaru's no slouch. And he's smarter than her." Naruto retorted. "I bet you he wouldn't lose unless he forfeited."
"No fair. She can force him to forfeit." Sasuke told him, making a cutting motion with his arms.
"Fine. I bet you that Shikimaru will only lose if he willing forfeits to get out of work." Naruto offered. "Loser pays for lunch next time."
"Deal." Sasuke agreed, offering a hand.
Gaara looked over at the two and told thim, "You two are too noisy. Be silent."
"Or what? You'll kill us?" Naruto asked cheekily. "You've promised that for over a month and I'm still here. What's the matter, do we drown out Mother's loving words?"
"Are you insane?" Kankerou hissed. "Don't piss him off!"
"I'm not worried about him getting angry." Naruto said with a shrug. "I'm worried about him getting bored and taking a nap. So I'll just provide a little noise and entertainment." Gaara stiffened and turned away.
"What was-" Sasuke asked but Naruto shook his head slightly.
"Kurama?" Naruto asked. "You were right about the insomnia thing."
Silence greeted him and Naruto felt a sliver of worry squirm through him. "Kurama? You've been pretty quiet. Everything all right?"
"... No." She replied. "Be on your guard. Hinata just saw Orochimaru."
Both Sasuke and Naruto sat up straighter. Kurama continued, "He's here. And that means he's got something big planned. Sasuke, take great care when you fight Gaara. I think there's more going on behind the scenes that we know. Iruka has gone to warn the Hokage and Jiraiya knows about this as well."
Naruto swallowed heavily and his fingers twitched in anticipation. If anything happened, he had no qualms about summoning his sword and cleaving through anything in his path. Sasuke relaxed his body and activated his Sharingan for an instant, and left his body ready to call it up again. Whatever happened next, they would be ready.
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Shikimaru's match was a long one, which was a blessing and a curse. A curse because the afternoon was hot, and audience members and competitors sat there sweating in the hot sun while the Nara boy hid from Temari's fan, leaving everyone cranky and impatient.
And good, because it gave both sides enough time to line all their ducks in a row. When Shikimaru finally finished his match by surrendering to Temari after capturing her with his shadow, claiming it was, "too troublesome to keep going through with the tournement." But when he came up the stairs to the competitor box, he sat bside Naruto and Sasuke and immedietly sat in his thinking pose. "Good luck." He told Sasuke
Sasuke nodded, looked at Gaara with a calm, steady stare and headed down from the competitor's box. The crowd waited with baited breathe. This was the fight they had come to see, and no one wanted to miss anything.
Shikimaru sat down beside Naruto, who turned to the Nara boy and quietly warned, "Be on guard."
"I know." Shikimaru replied under his breathe, leaning back to appear asleep. Or to actually sleep. His chakra capacity wasn't large enough for him to use his jutsu for extended periods of time and he'd fought for over an hour. Shino stood silently by the edge of the box just close enough to have heard Naruto, while Kankerou and Temari looked over at them suspiciously but didn't do anything. Everyone's attention was focussed on the match.
While Sasuke and Gaara walked down slowly, Iruka was just outside of the Kage box, attempting to catch his breathe. He was sweaty and his vest was torn up but he didn't appear harmed. And walked past the chunin guarding the box door and waited to be announced. "Hokage-sama, there is a chunin her with something for you. He says it's urgent.
The Hokage looked up from the starting match, and nodded once to Iruka. Iruka swallowed once and stapped forward, sliding something from his sleeve and thrusting it at the outstretched hand.
(Nothing Else Seems to Work)
Sasuke felt a strange calm wash over him, instead of the forced one he normally carried. Gaara may have been an eerie being but he didn't scare Sasuke right now. He felt his limbs ready to move, his weapons pouch within reach and his chakra all but pulsed under his skin, raring to burst out.
The proctor looked at Sasuke, then at Gaara. "The same rules as before." Hayate warned. "If you don't stop when I tell you, I will stop you."
"Start the match or I'll kill you." Gaara demanded.
Hayate gave him a flat look. "I'll start the match when I start it. So keep your shirt on." Gaara glared at him but Hayate didn't flinch. Sasuke had to give the man credit for that. Hayate looked at Sasuke and asked, "You ready?"
Sasuke looked Gaara in the eyes, and Gaara's unblinking eyes met his. "Yes." He said. And he was.
"Yes you are. And I will help." Kurama told him quietly.
"What?" Sasuke thought seriously as Hayate raised his arm.
"Listen to me and listen well Sasuke. I'm going to teach you how to kill a jinchuriki."
Sasuke almost stopped where he was, before instinctively flipping backwards as tendrils of sand rushed at him. "You'll what?" Sasuke asked her.
"Listen to me and listen carefully." Kurama told him. "I need you to live Sasuke. You are one of mine. You, Hinata and Naruto are mine and I'll be damned if I'm losing you, especially to this thing. I'm going to tell you how to kill any jinchuriki."
Sasuke swallowed heavily. "I'm all ears." He told her, his hands flipping through signs as he shot his Phoenix Flower Jutsu at the next set of tendrils, leaving patches of glass across the stadium. He felt pretty smug about countering the sand until he watched as the remaining wave of sand smashed and ground the glass up into sand again, right before his eyes. "How is that possible?"
"Lots of chakra. Listen closely Sasuke. I know the jutsu that Kakashi taught you. You were taught to go for the head or the stomach. You can't, not with one of our hosts." She told him firmly. "The stomach will heal quickly, and the head... We can sometimes save the mind, pull it into our seals and keep the person alive. Even if you destroy their head, if we've got our host we can save them and regrow it. How well they survive depends on the seal but it won't kill the host. There's only one place that's a sure kill."
"Where?" Sasuke asked, ducking under tendrils and striking them away.
"... The heart." Kurama said softly. "The centre of the chakra network. Strike through the heart, destroying it and even we can't heal them. They die, and we're caught in the seals."
Sasuke felt his chest tighten for a moment. "If that happened, you and Naruto would die, wouldn't you?" He asked softly, crouching down and undoing his weights.
"Yes." Kurama told him, almost too quietly for him to hear. "I'm telling you a great secret Sasuke. I'm trusting you."
"I know. And I thank you for that." Sasuke told her, standing up tall. "It's not misplaced."
Sasuke threw a kunai with an explosive tag, scattering the sand before it could attack him again before swiftly forming three signs. His Sharingan flashed, his body tensed and he held out a hand pulsing with chakra. And the air filled with the sound of birds chirpipng.
The entire audience froze as Sasuke stood still for a moment, the chirping birds filling the arena as the visible chakra on his arm sparked and reached out. "Go." Kurama told him. And Sasuke vanished.
Gaara let out a scream before anyone knew what was happening, and Sasuke sunk his arm up to the elbow through all the layers of sand armour, and felt blood dripping past his wrsit, his hand out in open air and still sparking. Sasuke grinned, feeling the strike connect. "Got him." Sasuke thought viciously.
"No." Kurama warned softly. "Not yet. He's screaming. Be careful."
"Blood... I'm- Gah!" Gaara screeched. "Mother! It's blood! My blood!"
The sand and Gaara convulsed, lifting Sasuke off the ground, his arm still in Gaara's chest. "I missed." Sasuke realised. "Missed anything vital." He started trying to tug his arm out but he couldn't as the sand suddenly gripped him. "What?"
"I- I won't! I won't dissapear!" Gaara yelled into the sky, his face distortyed. The sand convulsed again, this time forming a tail.
Sasuke's eyes widened as he struggled to free his arm. "Is he letting out his demon?" Sasuke demanded.
"No. He's preparing for it though. Get out of there!" Kurama ordered him.
Sasuke grimaced, flattened his hand the best he could and pulled, both feet planted against Gaara's chest. And with his arm free, Gaara screamed louder than before and became coated in sand. The sand rushed through the arena, huting for Sasuke beforeit suddenly retracted. Gaara stood there, his body slowly being covered in sand and it forming a coating, an almost shell of sand shaped like a raccoon-dog.
There was movement in the stands following that. Feathers started to fall over the audience. And all hell broke lose.