Chapter 24

Anko walked down the hallway after leaving Naruto and Sakura alone. She was still thinking of her former sensei's words. She didn't want to believe him but he was not one to say things just for the hell of it. If there was a group after Naruto, what would they want with him? The only thing that Naruto had was the Kyūbi. If that was the reason, then he would be in deep trouble. Anyone after the power of the Kyūbi could not be doing anything good.

She sighed and realized that maybe she would have to break her rule. She was violently against teaching him any Hebi (snake) jutsu but maybe she could teach him one. She had to sleep on it first. As she made her way to her room, she saw Kakashi standing by the door of the medical bay. She really didn't want to deal with him so she just walked right by him. She saw Sasuke laying on the bed but paid him no mind. She was about to turn the corner when Kakashi spoke.

"That's kind of rude Anko. You didn't even say hello." Kakashi said in a teasing tone.

"Why would I say hello to you? We're not on good terms at the moment." Anko said and turned to continue on to her room.

"Are you still angry with me? Look, I didn't mean to step on your toes but we can't take Sasuke out of the exams. If Orochimaru is interested in him, then he could convince him to join him. Sasuke is easily persuaded and with that curse mark, he will seek Orochimaru out. If we take him out of the exam, it will give him a reason to leave." Kakashi explained.

"So we should just kiss his ass just because he's the last Uchiha? Man, if you weren't pathetic before," Anko said with a laugh. Kakashi suddenly got serious and faced the laughing Anko.

"If you have something to say Anko, then just say it." Kakashi said. Anko looked at him and grinned at him.

"You suck Kakashi. You carry this air of superiority and you believe that you are an elite but you suck. As a sensei, you are terrible. In decision making, you are terrible. You will never get my respect Kakashi until you realize that you are doing something wrong. Since I don't see that happening, I'm just going to sit back and watch as all your failures bite you in the ass." Anko said with a smile. She could see that Kakashi was not happy but she didn't really care. If he was as responsible as he claimed, she wouldn't say anything. "Well, I have to get some sleep. Keep careful watch on your student Kakashi."

Anko walked away leaving a very angry Kakashi behind.

XXX

The next day found Naruto with Anko in a training hall. He woke up with Sakura and the two went to get something to eat. They ran into team Kurenai and team Asuma and ate breakfast with them. They ignored the Suna team that and Kabuto's team and just talked to each other. Once they were done, Anko came by and took Naruto with her. Alone, Anko faced him who was pretty confused as to why she wanted him here.

"Okay gaki (brat), I know that I wasn't going to teach you any of my special jutsu but I have decided to change my mind." Anko said.

"Really?! What changed? I know that you were really adamant about me not learning any of those jutsu." Naruto said.

"That was until I met my old sensei and heard some disturbing things. I can't prove it but there are some harsh times coming. It's better that you be prepared for anything. So, I'm going to teach one of my most used jutsu, Sen'eijashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)." Anko said.

"Yes! I can't wait!" Naruto exclaimed. Anko slapped him in the back of the head. Naruto calmed down and faced her. Anko nodded and began to teach Naruto the hand seals for the jutsu.

XXX

Three days later, the second exam ended. As everyone filed into the large room, everyone wondered what was coming up next. They stood and waited form someone to speak. After a while and seeing that there were a lot of teams, the Hokage spoke.

"Congratulations, you have finished the second part of the exams." There was a sigh of relief from everybody. "However, there are just too many of you left. Because of that, we will be holding a preliminary bout."

"What?!" shouted Zaku. "We just got here! Are you tell us that we have to fight?!"

"Yes." Hiruzen said. "These exams are a substitution of a war. Will your enemies hold back just to allow you to rest?" Zaku growled at the old man but before he could speak, one of his ninja jumped forward.

"Hokage-sama, allow me to continue on." He said. Hiruzen nodded and allowed him to speak. "I am Gekkō Hayate and I am the proctor of this preliminary round. Well will randomly be cycling your names on the board that is descending right now. The winner of that match will move on to the final exam. Is there anyone who does not or cannot continue?"

"Proctor, I would like to give up. I have not fully healed up from my battles." Kabuto said.

"Very well. You may leave the floor." Hayate said. Kabuto left the floor and out of the tower. Seeing that no one else was giving up, the board began to cycle the names. The first two names were Uchiha Sasuke and Kinuta Dosu. Everyone cleared the floor and made their way to the balconies above. Sasuke faced Dosu with a smirk but Dosu looked at him with complete seriousness. Naruto saw this and was a little worried.

"I'm a little worried. That Dosu guy doesn't look like he's playing around." Naruto said to Sakura.

"You don't need to worry about Sasuke Naruto. He will do fine." Kakashi said.

"Well, of course he will. He's your only student after all." Naruto spat out. Kakashi gave Naruto a frown while Sakura elbowed him for being disrespectful. The fight got started and Sasuke wanted to end this fast. He attacked Dosu directly and that would prove to be a huge mistake. Dosu used his Melody Arm to block the attacks and generated sound with each attack. He then used the sound that he generated to surround the area. Sasuke started to get sluggish and sloppy. He was staggering and Dosu used this to attack. He pummeled Sasuke who couldn't block his attacks. He tried to activate his Sharingan but it only made his head hurt. He was sent flying into the wall.

As Sasuke struggled to stand, Dosu sneered at him.

"Is this all you can do? No wonder he gave you that power. You are weak. I'm going to finish you off and I'll show that it was a mistake to give you that power." Dosu said. Sasuke snarled and did some hand seals.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)" Sasuke fired a stream of fire at Dosu but he dodged it. Sasuke kept it up but Dosu kept avoid the attack. Dosu threw several kunai at Sasuke, making him stop his attack and dodge. Sasuke did another set of seals and called out his attack.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)" Sasuke shouted and spat out several balls of fire. Dosu countered by releasing a supersonic blast of sound. It dispelled the flames and shattered the shuriken. Dosu rushed Sasuke and threw a punch with his arm. Again, Sasuke was feeling a sense of vertigo. Dosu beat on Sasuke again and was making Sasuke look like an academy student. He jumped away to get some distance and to clear his head but Dosu would not allow him. Realizing that he needs to get one good blow, he remembered what his Sharingan copied earlier.

When Dosu lashed out again, Sasuke disappeared. Dosu was shocked until he was launched in the air by a strong kick. He was stunned and looked around for what hit him when Sasuke appeared behind him. Sasuke lashed out with a punch that caught Dosu in the jaw. He spun again and landed another blow to the chest. Sasuke continued his assault, using the descent to increase the power of his blows. At the end, he slammed the heel of his foot into Dosu's stomach just as his body hit the ground. Dosu growled in pain and could feel the contents of his stomach come up. He laid on the ground, unmoving and out cold.

Sasuke moved away and struggled to get to his feet. He was hurt and he was beaten but he was victorious. Hayate announced him as the winner. Ino cheered for him but Sakura did not. Naruto just looked at him and shook his head. Sasuke made his way up to his team and gave everyone a look. When he saw Naruto smirk at him, he narrowed his eyes.

"You fine something funny?" Sasuke asked with an edge.

"Just that your title of 'Rookie of the Year' is a lie. That was just pathetic Uchiha. And what's really funny, is that you had to steal a move from your comrades to win. That move you used to start that combo, I've seen that guy with the super hairy eyebrows use that same move. Face it; your title is nothing more than a joke." Naruto said. Sasuke threw a punch but Naruto caught it. He added some pressure and forced Sasuke to his knees.

"That's enough Naruto!" Kakashi ordered. Naruto scoffed and released him. He walked away and went to the other side of the balcony. He ignored the calls of his sensei and stopped at the edge of the balcony. Everyone looked at the scene with wide eyes and confused looks. Even the Hokage looked concerned about what he just saw. Kakashi looked over to the Hokage only to see a smirking Anko. He ignored it for now and helped his student.

The board cycled again and two more names popped up. It was Yamanaka Ino versus Sabaku no Kankuro. The two came down to the floor to fight. Kankuro looked at her with a smug grin which pissed the girl off. She was going to make this guy walk around in his underwear. Once Hayate started the match, Ino quickly used her specialty.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu! (Mind Body Switch Technique)" Ino shouted. Kankuro was surprised as the jutsu hit him. Ino slumped down and Kankuro stood still. That was until the bundle unraveled and the real Kankuro appeared. He then dispels the Henge (Transformation) over his puppet. He moved the puppet and has it show all his weapons. He held there and poised it to kill her. He looked at Hayate who announced him the winner. He goes back to his team while Asuma comes to get Ino. He knew that the girl would not be happy about her lost.

After a while, the names cycled on the board. The next two names were Aburame Shino against Tsurugi Misumi. The two appeared on the ground and they faced each other. Hayate started the match and Misumi attacked Shino with gusto. Shino dodged his attacks and kept ahead of the larger teen. Misumi continued to attack him and managed to corner Shino. He then did something that pissed off Anko and Naruto. He seemed to dislocate his joints and began to choke out Shino. The ability was too much like Orochimaru's.

"Heh, I've got you now kid. If you surrender, I won't kill you." Misumi said. Shino did not answer him. After a few minutes and a few threats, Misumi got angry. He snapped Shino's neck and was smirking at his victory. It suddenly turned to shock when Shino dissolved into a lot of kikaichū (Parasitic Insects). Misumi would not escape in time as he was consumed by them. He kicked and screamed but it soon stopped and Misumi was no longer moving. Shino appeared next to his fallen foe and the bugs returned into his coat. Shino is declared the winner and he moves back to his team.

On the balcony, Naruto watched Shino and was a little freaked out. He always thought that Shino was a quiet, reserved person but he saw a vicious side to him that he would have to be careful about.

"Hey Naruto." a voice said. Naruto turned to see Shikamaru. "You want some company?"

"Yeah, it was getting lonely." He joked. They stood there and waited for the next match to begin. "What made you come here?"

"Ino woke up and started to complain. Her voice was annoying and I didn't want to deal with it. So, what's up with you and Sasuke? I know that you guys don't really like each other but that looked kind of personal. Is it because of what happened in the forest?" Shikamaru asked.

"It isn't just the forest. You saw what he did. Sasuke has no remorse about what he does and Kakashi doesn't police his actions. You think that was the only move he copied with his Sharingan? I bet you right now he has it active and is looking to copying some more moves. It might be a powerful tool but that doesn't give him the right to abuse it. Trust me, he does that shit to me again, I'll bleed his ass." Naruto said. The board stopped on two more names. It was Sakura versus Tsuchi Kin. Shikamaru saw Naruto get a smile on his face.

"What are you so happy about? It's Sakura." Shikamaru said.

"Get ready to see something amazing Shikamaru. Sakura isn't that same annoying girl that you remember."

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Authors' Notes: Well, I got a new chapter up. I will be updating this story every week because I know what has to happen. I will also be going into more detail with each match. I liked how this chapter came out because I was more into the fight I envisioned. I really liked the Dosu, Sasuke fight. I personally like Dosu and I think that not all of his skills were showed in the manga or anime. His Melody Arm and his ability to use sound as a weapon does make him a very dangerous foe. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.