SailorStar9: Wha...? So, are only two people reading this fic? Anyway, Chapter 23 goes up, this is Chapter 24. To all my non-reviewing readers, I love you all! Will love you more if you review! *hugs all round!*

Disclaimers: I do not own both the animes. However, I do own the pairing, I hope.

Chapter 24: The Ultimate Formation! Ino-Shika-Chou!

"Ino, why are you here?" Sakura wondered.

"I'm not letting you take all the good parts in front of Sasuke-kun"! Ino smirked.

"They just keep swarming in." Dosu remarked. "Konoha's bugs have wandered in here again."

"What are you two thinking?" Chouji whined. "These guys are too dangerous!"

"It's troublesome, but we have to do this." Shikamaru reminded. "Since Ino revealed herself, we men can't just run away."

"Sorry to get you two involved." Ino chuckled. "But we're a three-man team. We do everything together."

"Oh well." Shikamaru shrugged. "Whatever happens, happens."

"No!" Chouji protested. "I don't want to die yet! Let go of my muffler!"

"Shut up!" Shikamaru retorted. "Stop moving!"

"You can run if you want." Zaku chuckled. "Fatty."

"What did that person just say?" Chouji twitched. "I couldn't hear him well."

These words are taboo to Chouji. Shikamaru winced. If he says it again...

"I said you can go jack off in the woods if you want." Zaku repeated. "You fat ass!"

"I"m not fat!" Chouji exploded. "I'm big-boned! Hurray for big-boned people!"

Wow... Sakura blinked when Chouji expanded his charka.

"Okay!" Chouji looked at his teammates. "You two understand that this is a fight between Konoha and Oto, right?"

Good, he got pissed off. Ino smirked.

"Geez, this is going to be troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.

"That's our line." Zaku retorted. Damn it, we were told to kill Sasuke before the exam ended.

Sasuke-kun... Sakura looked at the raven, still brimming with the purple charka and Keena, despite her energy depletion, was trying her best to suppress the evil charka.

"Sakura." Ino started. "Take care of the three back there."

At Sakura's nod, she told her team, "The Ino team's going to go with everything they have!"

"Roger!" the two males chorused.

"Formation Ino!" Ino declared.

"Shika!"Shikamaru added.

"Chou!" Chouji ended the war cry and the three attacked.

"How disgusting." Neji remarked after Team 10 was soundly beaten. "A mere minor Oto ninja... acting like victors after beating these second-class ninjas?"

"What?" Dosu demanded.

"They're from Lee-san's team." Sakura blinked.

"Lee!" Ten-Ten looked at their fallen teammate.

"It looks like he screwed up." Neji noted.

"You guys keep coming out like roaches." Dosu snorted.

"That bobbed hair kid there is on our team." Neji replied.

"Looks like you went overboard with him!" he snapped, activating his Byakugan.

What's with his eyes? Dosu wondered. It's like he's able to see everything with it.

"If you're going to continue to fight, we will fight with everything we have." Neji swore.

"What is it, Neji?" Ten-Ten blinked when the Hyuuga stopped.

This charka is... Neji frowned.

"If you don't like what we're doing, stop showing off and come down here." Dosu challenged.

"No, it seems that there's no need for me to do that." Neji corrected.

"Sasuke-kun! You woke up...?" Sakura beamed.

Oh no! Keena was forced to back off when the purple charka engulfing Sasuke erupted into a tornado.

The 'Curse Mark' is...! she was stunned to see the black tattoos on the raven's body.

"Sakura, Keena." the Uchiha looked at the two girls. "Who did that to you two?"

The cursed seal has covered his body. Dosu noted.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura muttered. "Your body..."

"Don't worry." Sasuke assured. "More importantly, I can feel the power inside me. I'm feeling good right now. He gave it to me..."

"What?" Sakura blinked.

"I finally understand now." Sasuke added. "I'm an avenger. I must obtain power no matter what, even if I must let the devil take hold of my body."

I see... Dosu noted. Just as I thought... the bruise on his neck that the Sakura girl was talking about was that curse seal. Still, I can't believe he woke up.

But why? Keena was stunned. Why did you have to take it this far, Peacock?

"Sakura, say it"! Sasuke barked. "Who the hell hurt both of you?"

"I did!" Zaku smirked.

With Ino returning to her body, Team 10 removed themselves from the pending battle.

This is... Dosu was shocked when the tattoos engulfed the raven's body. This is too much for us! His charka is too huge!

"Dosu, don't be afraid of that half-dead guy!" Zaku retorted.

"No, stop Zaku!" Dosu warned. "Don't you understand?"

"I'll kill them all with this!" Zaku declared. "I'll finish this in a flash! 'Maximum Air Cutter'!"

"They blew up into pieces." he smirked.

"Who did?" Sasuke corrected, punching the Oto nin away with a punch.

"Zaku!" Dosu gasped.

He's fast. On top of that, he moved instantly while holding those two. He looked at the raven, Maya having taken her mistress to safety.

"Fire Element: Phoenix Fire!' Sasuke released his attack.

"Don't get so cocky!" Zaku snapped "I'll erase it!"

"What?" he demanded when the fire around the flame bullets were dispersed, revealing the shurikens underneath. "There are shurikens in the fire!"

"Zaku! Below you!" Dosu warned.

His warning came too late when the raven kicked him under his feet, his foot planted on the Oto nin's back.

"You seem to be proud of your arms." Sasuke smirked.

"Stop it..." Zaku stammered, realizing what the Uchiha had intended to do.

With a sickening crack, Sasuke broke both of Zaku's arms.

"That leaves just you." the raven looked at the other two Oto nins. "You better entertain me better than him."

This isn't... Keena looked at her 'Bonded's back in despair. This isn't... that isn't the Sasuke I remember!

"Stop!" she screamed, dashing towards the raven and holding him back with a hug.

"Stop!" she begged.

At his glare, she pleaded, "Have you forgotten what you promised me before l left? You told me that when I came back, you'd never allow me to leave you again! You swore you'd be waiting for me!"

"Now, I'm back." she whispered, lifting her left hand to remove her mask and letting the mask drop to the floor. "So... please... stop..."

At the sight of those sparkling sapphires he had longed to see for so long, Sasuke relented, the tattoos receding from his body.

The curse seals are disappearing... Dosu noted. Looks like I'm okay for now.

"Sasuke." the newly-revealed Eva knelt by her 'Bonded's side when the raven sank to the ground.

"You're strong." Dosu admitted. "Sasuke-kun, we cannot defeat you."

"Let's make a deal." he added, placing his team's Earth scroll on the ground. "Please let us leave for now."

"We might be asking too much, but we have something to confirm." he picked up his wounded teammates. "In exchange, I will promise this, if we are to fight each other in this exam for the second time, we will not run or hide."

"Wait!" Sakura called out. "Who is Orochimaru? What did he do to Sasuke-kun? Why Sasuke-kun?"

"I do not know." Dosu replied. "We were ordered to kill Sasuke-kun."

"You ordered us to assassinate Sasuke-kun, but you went ahead and did something." he muttered, turning around. "And instead of killing Sasuke-kun, you left that cursed seal. What are you thinking?"

With the Oto nins out of earshot, a shocked Sasuke looked at his trembling hand.

"What was I..." the raven muttered.

"Hey, are you okay?" Chouji called.

"It's troublesome, Ino." Shikamaru added. "But you take care of that Lee guy."

"Okay." Ino returned to normal and nodded, dashing towards the green-clad teen.

That charka was abnormal. Neji noted. The Uchiha clan's power is beyond my knowledge.

Sasuke felt Eva's soothing hand overlap his quivering palm and seeing the Bond Ring he had given to her when they were younger sitting prominently on her ring finger, turned to the girl beside him: the only one girl who had his heart, the one single girl he truly loved; not that he would admit it to anyone.

Without any warning, the raven grabbed the Guardian, and much to the horror of Sakura and Ino and the astonishment of everybody else, pressed his lips against hers. Eva was too surprised to react at first, but her mind kicked back into gear when she felt Sasuke nip her bottom lip. Her arms slipped around his neck to put him closer to her, and she gently kissed him back.

They tenderly kissed until they both needed to come up for air. Their lips slowly parted, but they still had their arms wrapped around each other. They both sat there as if time had stop moving, staring into each other's eyes.

"You mind telling me what was that for?" Eva raised an eyebrow at the smirking raven.

"I told you if you're going to kiss me next time, you better kiss me like that." said raven's smirk widened at the blushing girl.

Aside, both Sakura and Ino watched, slack-jawed, before turning into stone and crumbling into dust in the background.

Maya snickered at her flushing mistress. She knew that boy was good for her.

SailorStar9: Wow, now that's done, read and review.