A/N Sultry: We will be seeing more of what happened to Sakura soon. About Hinata vs Ino honestly I think it would be fairly obvious who would win. Even in my fanfiction she is still very much a fangirl and only knows the basic academy jutsu and techniques. At least with Hinata she trained hard in her family jutsu.

I have been trying to figure out how to write this chapter for awhile now. It is the hardest I have had to write for any of my fanfictions. Well here it is. Enjoy and don't kill me. Everything has a purpose and nothing is ever as it seems.

On another note Tenten does not have a last name. I looked it up and she is one of the characters that just doesn't have one.

Hinata's POV

She calmly walked down to the arena. Ino came from a prominent ninja family but they specialized in mind techniques. As long as she didn't stay still long enough for the girl to use it then she would win. Her eyes trailed to where Naruto was getting checked over by the medical ninja. He was grinning madly at his win. She would make her teammates proud.

She took the first stance for Gentle fist. Academy taijutsu would be no match for this technique. Ino took a very basic stance that made Hinata's eyes twitch. It was annoying to think the girl thought so little of her.

Hayate sensei said," Second battle Ino Yamanaka vs Hinata Hyuuga. Begin!"

Hayate didn't move nearly as far away as he had with Sasuke and Naruto. Hinata didn't waste any time with pleasantries or jabs at the other. She wanted this done as fast as possible. Not even giving Ino a chance to use her family's jutsu she began to attack.

Ino stumbled back trying to block and deflect the attack. Hinata closed the chakra points in Ino's hands. That would prevent her from using her jutsus. Hinata stepped away from the blond girl.

She said glaring at her," The chakra points in your hands have been blocked. You will not be able to use jutsu now."

Ino didnt seem to believe her and tried to use the mind transfer jutsu. It didn't work. She tried again frustrated then said," I give up. If i can't use jutsu I'm useless."

Hayate said sounding exasperated," Second round. Winner Hinata Hyuuga."

Kiba's POV

He grinned at the others he groaned and said," Told you so. She didn't even get to use her real techniques. It's a shame. She has gotten really good even her confidence is higher now."

The next several fights went much the same. He was getting bored at wondering who his opponent would be. Only a few of them were left. It was down to the final two matches. Tenten, himself, Shikamaru, leaf ninja he didn't know, and the red haired boy from the Sand village. He really hoped that he didn't get that one. The scent he gave off was terrifying.

The board was going again after Chouji lost his his match. His name appeared and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief. He was up against Tenten. He could fight her. She was a weapons specialist. He was a taijutsu specialist.

They both made their way down to the arena. He said nodding at her," I heard that you are excellent with you weapons. I have been looking forward to fighting with you."

She raised an eyebrow at her as if assessing his seriousness. It was true. He had heard a lot about her when they had been preparing for the exams. After several minutes she nodded.

Hayate moved to stand in between them and said," Sixth battle between Kiba Inuzaka and Tenten. Begin!"

He dodged her immediate attack of kunais being thrown. Placing Akamaru on the ground he deflected three more. He needed cover so he could use his jutsu. Palming a smoke bomb he threw it at the girl.

With that Akamaru jumped on his back and he said," Beast mimicry Ultimate Taujutsu! Man beast clone!"

Now stood two Kibas both looking like feral wolves. He could see the look of confusion on Tenten's face. She was trying to discern which one was the real him. He didn't give her much of a chance.

He threw another smoke bomb at her and then said," Fang over fang!"

They began to spin at high speeds using the smoke to cover their attacks. Kiba hit her twice sending her straight to where Akamaru was. The puppy hit her as well knocking her out of the smoke. They landed carefully waiting to see if she would get back up.

Tenten unsteadily got to her feet pain clear in her face. She pulled out a scroll and his eyes widened recognizing the storage seal. He was forced to dodge around the massive amount of kunai that was shot at him. She seemed to be a long range fighter instead of close quarters like he expected.

They used fang over fang again. They kept pushing her towards one of the walls. It would hurt the older genin but it was their best shot at beating her. She tried to cut him with a kunai when he went to attack her. She was able to land a scratch on his right arm.

He stopped a little way away. His breathing ragged from the exertion. They didn't have the stamina to keep using fang over fang like this. He pulled out a soldier pill tossing one to Akamaru and taking one himself. The effects were immediate. They felt like they had more chakra.

Kiba turned his eyes back to Tenten. She had bruises all over her body. She was also holding her right arm close to her body. It didn't look like she was going to be able to use it very well anymore. That would make it easier to beat her.

He said calmly," You won't be able to use your weapons like that. I will likely win this round."

Instead of answering him she threw shurikan at him using her left arm. With a tired sigh he dodged away from the shurikan. Eyes widening in surprise as in the shadow of the shurikan there were others. He was able to dodge two of the shurikan. Three though landed on him. Most of the weapons attack had been blocked by his jacket. Still he was cut mildly across his chest and right shoulder.

He nodded to Akamaru and they began to use fang over fang once more. Tenten had not been paying attention to her position in the arena. Due to this over look she was slammed into the arena wall. She was practically drilled into the wall.

When they finally relented they jumped away. It was silent for a moment before she fell out of the spot on the wall and stayed down. Hayate went to check on her. After a moment he nodded to the medics.

As Hayate stood he said," Round six winner Kiba Inuzaka!"

He let out a sigh of relief and let the medics look him over when they came up. His wounds weren't severe but it was best to have them looked at.

Naruto's POV

He moved to where Kiba was getting looked over by medics. He asked worriedly," How are you?"

Kiba said with a smile," I'll be fine. Just some cuts and bruises."

He ignored his teammate in favor of looking at the medic. The medic said finishing patching up Kiba," You teammate is fine, Uzumaki. He won't have any lasting damage."

Their attention was drawn to the arena when the board started going. They watched in tense apprehension. When it stopped they all let out a sigh of relief. Gaara vs Yoroi. Naruto could feel the darkness that practically radiated off the red head. It was terrifying. He knew that this would not be a long fight. Even if Yoroi was a good ninja this red head was something else entirely.

Hayate looked a little nervous at being near the Sand genin. He said clearing his throat," The final battle is between Gaara and Yoroi. Begin!"

The leaf genin did a set of hand signs for an unfamiliar jutsu. His hands glowed blue with his chakra. He didn't get the chance to use whatever technique he was preparing for. Sand surrounded the older genin cutting off any form of escape.

The Sand genin said coldly," Sand burial."

Naruto felt the blood drain from his face. He watched helplessly as the sand compressed and a sickening crunch filled the air. Blood was dripping from the sand as it went back to the red heads gord. He was stunned. The genin was already a killer and he was the same age as Naruto.

Hayate said trying to hold back his emotions," Final round winner Gaara of the Desert."

The red haired ignored him and turned to stare right where he was standing. He flinched at the cold stare that he was given. Hayate then said staring at the rest of them," All winning combatants come down and get in a line."

The all jumped down to do as they were told. Only nine out of the 17 passed. Shikamaru had gotten lucky had didn't have to fight in the preliminaries. The other eight were: Himself, Hinata, Kiba, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Neji Hyuuga, and Rock Lee. He had missed most of the matches when the medics had to patch up his hand. Ascending thunder strike had done a lot of damage to the bones in it. He wouldn't be able to use that technique very often. Only as a last resort until he mastered it.

A jounin came around with a hat and they all drew numbers from it. Opening his he saw that he had a number one. He wondered who his opponent would be. Hopefully it would be anyone but Gaara. It did beg the question why they just weren't continuing with the random battles.

Hayate said once they all had one," Now your numbers will pair you up with your opponent. You will have one month to prepare. During that time you will hone your skills to beat your opponent. People from all over the elemental countries will be there to see you fight. As well as leaders from each country. Based on your skills, tactical knowledge, and ninjutsu you could even be promoted though you lost your fight. Now sound off from left to right about what number you are."

As they did so the jounin that gave us our numbers wrote it down. Naruto was first up to fight against Neji Hyuugga. Hinata was against Shikamaru. Kiba was against Kankuro. Temari was against Rock Lee. Gaara would be left to face whoever won in the fourth round. With that they were dismissed.

As they were leaving Hayate mouthed ramen to him. He grinned happily. His sensei was going to take him out for ramen. Looking down at his destroyed jacket he realized he should probably change first. He pointed to his jacket and the man rolled his eyes before waving him off. They would meet at their usual time that evening. That gave him plenty of time for a real shower and to change.

When he reached his apartment he immediately pulled off the jacket. He threw it in the trash with a mournful look. Kiba had helped him get that jacket. It had been his favorite reminding him he was no longer alone in the world. He then stripped down as he entered his shower.

After half an hour he finally emerged clean and drying his hair with a towel. He changed into a grey t-shirt and black pants. He stared at his closet trying to figure out what jacket he wanted over it. His eyes trailed to where his old orange jacket was. He couldn't believe how much he had changed in the last two months. Never in a million years would he have guessed that he was a guardian's vessel. Nor would he have guessed that he would become someone's disciple. So much had changed in the two months.

Shaking himself from his thoughts he decided on a black jacket. It opened in the front or closed depending on how he wanted it. For the moment he left it open revealing his grey t-shirt. Satisifeid with his appearance he left his apartment.

Ichiraku's ramen stand was open and there was no one there yet. He smiled at the old man who asked," How did the exams go? Did you make it to the finals?"

Naruto said with a happy nod," Yep. I face Neji Hyuuga in the finals."

The old man said with a smile," We are going to be placing all bets on you Naruto."

The blond blinked at the first people to be kind to him. He said quietly," You shouldn't do that. I'm good but you shouldn't be putting everything on me."

The two of them stared at him before Ayame said," We believe in you, Naruto. You will do great I know it."

A warm voice said from over Naruto's shoulder," Of course he will. I will be training him to improve his swordsmanship. First we have to get a real sword for him."

Hayate sensei! He jumped to his feet and hugged his teacher that had come to be like a father to him. The man stiffened and for a moment the boy though he made a mistake. Before he could pull away Hayate's arms wrapped around him.

He said," It's good to see you too, Naruto. I worried about you all through the exams. I knew you could do it though and look at you. You beat Sasuke Uchiha in the preliminaries and are on your way to the finals."

Naruto said hiding his smile," Thank you sensei. I wanted to make you proud."

The brown haired man turned him around and pushed him back into the ramen stand. He said to the two smiling cooks," The usual please. Naruto dinner is on me tonight."

They spent the better part of the evening eating there. Hayate walked him back to his apartment late that evening. Hayate said when they reached the door," I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. I've got patrol tonight so let's meet up at say 3 for training."

Naruto nodded eagerly. He couldn't wait to get a new, proper sword. This one would actually be a fit for him instead of a training blade. For now though it could wait another night. Hesitantly he hugged his sensei goodnight. The soft look on the man's face as he closed the door made it worth it.

Hayate's POV

The evening patrol was the same as it usually was. Check the perimeter for suspicious people. Report anything you find. A rank C mission that he had volunteered for to get out of doing anything higher during the month break. He wanted to be close so that he could train his student.

Naruto had come so far since the start of his training. Gone was the reckless fool that he had been. Instead stood a boy who had gone through a lot od hardships and valued his precious people. Yet was still willing to fight for others.

With a sigh he made his way back towards the gate. It was nearing the end of his patrol shift and he wanted to get some sleep. A strange sigh though caught his eye. Two men stood atop of one of the roofs. Concealing his presence he made his way to listen in.

His eyes widened even further when he recognized them. Kabuto the genin recently revealed as a spy for the sound ninja. What was he doing here? He also recognised Baki leader of the red haired sand ninja's team. This couldn't be good. Who would have thought that their allies the Sand ninja would ally themselves with the sound. He needed to go find Lord Hokage immediately.

He froze when he heard Kabuto say," Oh and don't worry I'll take care of our little rat."

Shit! He had been found out! He tried to body flicker away. Getting this information to the Hokage was priority. He tried to put on an extra burst of speed to put some distance between him and the traitor. He had to dodge though when Baki appeared in front of him.

They exchanged blows neither giving an inch. Hayate jumped back placing his hand on his sword. He brought up his other hand. He called forth four shadow clones. He wasn't as proficient at the jutsu as Naruto was but he could use it as needed.

Using them to cover his approach he called out," Dance of the Crescent moon!"

He attacked from the air but his clones were quickly dispelled by the man. His attack landed but it was a shallow cut. When he tried to withdraw his sword he found he couldn't.

Baki said with a sadistic smile," Impressive. Dance of the Crescent moon and to be able to master it at such a young age. As expected your village is filled with talented ninja."

Hayate's eyes widened with surprise as the man brought his hand up and the wind picked up. The man said as if lecturing the younger jounin," But stopping a regular sword is easy. Stopping a wind sword is impossible."

No. He tried to get away from the man but he was too slow. The wind tore right through his jounin flak jacket and protector. The wind sent him flying into the air. He hit the ground hard his breaths coming in ragged gasps. He was going to die if he didn't get help. But he couldn't move.

A roar sounded. It sounded like that of a wild animal. But them world was going dark. The last thing he saw was sky blue eyes staring down at him.

Naruto's POV

It was early the next morning when a knock sounded at his door. Looking at the alarm clock it was only five in the morning. Grumbling he made his way to the door.

To his surprise it was one of the anbu standing there. Naruto could see the tension in the anbu's shoulders. It wasn't because of who he had come to get. Something had happened.

He said his voice just as tense," Naruto Uzumaki the Hokage wishes to see you immediately."

With a nod he quickly went to change into his usual clothes. Black shirt with a black jacket over it and grey pants. He barely had time go grab his headband rushing out. They made it to the tower in record time.

The Hokage said when he knocked on the door," Naruto come in."

He did as he was asked. The room was mostly empty. Iruka stood near the Hokage's desk as did Kontetsu and Izumo.

He asked looking at all of them," What's going on?"

The old man seemed to age by the second. The man said," Naruto late last night a body of one of our jounin was found," The blond could feel his face drain of blood. No! No no no!

He barely heard the old man say his voice tight with his own emotion," Hayate Gekko was killed last night."

He didn't wait to hear what else the man had to say. He could hear them yelling for him to return. Something had snapped inside him. A darkness like he had never felt before filled him. He ran through the village to the training grounds. It was his safe spot.

It seemed like it took an eternity for him to reach the training grounds. Like it had been almost three months prior it was completely empty. Looking at it, it would be like the past few months never happened. Once again he was alone. He had no one!

Unbeknownst to him black chakra was swirling around him. Despair seemed to fill the air around the boy. He was slowly succumbing to the darkness within his own heart. There was burning sensation in his wrist that he ignored. It barely compared to the pain in his heart.

He couldn't help but feel the despair. It was worse than when he saw Sakura get bit by Orchimaru. The light in his darkness had gone out. His anger was taking over his grief. He would find the one who killed his sensei and end them.