(A/N: Here's chapter twenty five, and the last part for the second phase of the Chunin Exams. I know this is late, but Happy Fourth of July! I had barbecue and saw fireworks! Enjoy!)

One Clone Too Many

Team Seven were sitting around a fire, waiting for the meal that Kira was preparing. Somehow, Kira managed to make a big pot for cooking stew in it. As long as she got the necessary ingredients in the forest, sh could make anything. Kira picked up the fruits, vegetables, and the herbs, Naruto and Sasuke went to catch the fish, and Sakura gathered firewood.

It has been three days since the attack from the Sound ninjas, making today the last day for the second exam. Everyone had already recovered from their injuries. Kira still felt a little numb from the stab wound, but was otherwise okay. Not counting the fact that her right arm was still shattered.

Kira tasted the stew. She gave a satisfied smile. "Okay, you guys!" she called over to her other three teammates, who were having a strategy meeting. "Breakfast is ready! Come and get it!"

Team Seven gathered around the fire as Kira served each of them a bowl.

"This is wonderful, Kira!" Naruto exclaimed, amazed.

"It's really good," Sakura complimented with a smile. "What would we do without you?"

"Hn," was Sasuke's reply, but he didn't stop eating, which meant he found the food to be quite enjoyable.

Kira smiled happily. "I'm glad you guys like it." She gave a hearty laugh. "After all, a girl like me, who was raised in a forest, has a natural knack for survival. I'm practically glowing with health! It's coursing through my veins!" she said animatedly.

She laughed once again, causing the rest of them to sweat drop.

"Um, Kira?"

The black haired kunoichi stopped eating to look at Sakura.

Sakura's hair was now shorter than usual. It was now chin length. Kira had commented that she liked her new hairstyle better than her old one, even though nothing really changed…it's just shorter. She said that short hair fits her better than long hair does, and that makes her look tougher…more committed. That made the pinklette feel…happy almost. Happy that someone else on the team is acknowledging her skills…even though she has very little…someone was actually had some fate in her abilities…believed that she could grow up to be strong. That's all Sakura could ever ask for.

Sure, Naruto has acknowledged her to some extent, but he always thought of her as a delicate flower that needs protecting all the time. And Sasuke… Well, he just found her weak and annoying. A complete nuisance to the team.

Sakura can't really blame him for thinking that. It's her fault. If she had stopped trying to focus on her looks all the time to get the Uchiha's attention and had spent her spare time practicing on her ninja skills, then Sasuke would finally be accepting her. Not as a lover or girlfriend material as Sakura would like, but as a trusty comrade and friend.

The raven haired ninja would be looking at her…the same way he looks at Kira. Sakura could see it. The pride and admiration in his eyes everytime he looks at the black haired female. And after that battle with Orochimaru, even though Kira almost lost her life, that look increased.

Sakura sighed. "I can't believe I'm losing Sasuke. And to Kira no less."

"Sakura?"

Kira's voice snapped her out of her gloomy state.

"What is it, Kira?" Sakura asked, trying to forget about her earlier melancholic thoughts.

"You were saying something… What was it?" the black haired kunoichi asked curiously.

Everyone stared at her intently.

"Oh," the pinklette said, remembering what she was going to say before drifting off. "I was just wondering…why did decide to become a ninja?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, as if realizing something. "I was wondering the same thing, too. I mean, you joined the Academy so late. And you finished in a matter of six months! That's never been done before! I know Tsukikaze must have taught you the basics of chakra and everything we learned in the Academy. But you must have had some type of special training somewhere to able to become so good so fast."

Sasuke was staring at her silently. He was interested, too. When he first saw her in the Academy, he thought her as nothing more than air-headed girl with no talent. When they became teammates, he thought that she would only slow him down. But after that day, he saw the same pain in her eyes that were in his. However, unlike him, revenge was the last thing on her mind. After that he was curious…no…intrigued about her life. But he never wanted to pry. He was the type that was indifferent towards others. That was his image. The cool, stoic, and indifferent Sasuke Uchiha.

Kira stiffened.

"I'm sorry," the pink haired girl said apologetically. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Kira. You don't have to answer, if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay, Sakura," Kira finally spoke in low and hollowed out tone. It was completely foreign to her. The usual cheerful and somewhat shy girl sounded so…vacant. It was really unnatural. Whatever happened in Kira's past must have been horrendous. "Actually…I always wanted to tell you guys, but never did because I never liked talking about my past. Too…depressing."

She took a deep breath before speaking. "My childhood…wasn't all fun and games. That's for sure. After my family's death…I felt…lost."

"Lost?" Naruto inquired. "As in…you didn't have a reason to live?"

"Oh, I had a reason. I wanted to protect the people closest to me, but I didn't know how. I wasn't raised in a ninja village. I didn't know anything about the outside world. The children in my village were taught to never step outside the village, no matter what."

"You can never leave the village?" Sakura asked, baffled. "That's a strange rule."

"Yes. The adults always said that it was for our protection. Not many people lived in my village. It was pretty small. However, it was always so quiet and peaceful. It had this nostalgic feeling to it. Anyway, I began to feel uncertain. I didn't know where to go or how to live. People passed by me without a second glance. I lived like a common street rat. Nowhere to go, and no one to look after me. Eventually, I learned how to hunt and fend for myself. I spent a good majority of my childhood in the woods. And eventually…I…" She paused, wiping the tears threatening to fall down. "…I found myself here. The Third Hokage offered me to become ninja...after a few tests, and then I enrolled in the Academy."

She gave a bright smile. "And here I am now!"

They all gave her such saddened looks, except Sasuke. He just looked indifferent.

"Sorry, Kira," Sakura spoke in a low and regretful tone. "I didn't mean to bring up such painful memories."

Kira waved at her dismissively. "Don't worry, Sakura. It's all in the past."

She got up. "I'm going to go get some water. I'll be right back."

Sasuke stood as well. "I'm going as well." He could hear the sound of Sakura's voice…probably protesting against it, but he promptly ignored her.

Sasuke and Kira walked discreetly towards the river. Kira was humming a happy tone to herself while Sasuke observed her silently. After uncapping the top of the bottle with unusual ease for someone with one hand, the black haired female bent down to let the water flow gently into the bottle. She did the same for the other three.

All the while, the Uchiha couldn't help but stare at her injured nails and cast covered arm. A low growl rumbled in his throat. He even though she told him the reason for her doing so…he just can't accept it! Is this what she meant by the head of the clan taking all the blame upon themselves? Injuring herself? Who knows how painful having her nails removed must have been. He inwardly cringed at the thought. That just isn't right!

The raven haired ninja crouched down at her level while Kira was still blissfully gathering water in the bottles. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her hand, tightly, the one with the injured, crusted up nails...in a protective and somewhat fierce manner, taking careful mind that her arm was still healing.

Kira cringed at the force. "Sasuke…," she said, timidly. "Can you let go of my hand? Y-you're kind of hurting me."

"Is this what you meant?" Sasuke asked in a dangerously low tone. He ran his fingers on her crusted nails. At a closer look…he could see the nails beginning to reform. The skin felt tender, yet somewhat rough under his callous fingers. "Hurting yourself?"

Kira stared at the floor nervously. "Um… Don't worry, Sasuke. I-I'm used to it. It doesn't hurt. It supposed to clear away all the bad omens. It doesn't hurt, at all. It just felt like a mosquito bite. And I…I promised Kakashi-sensei I would stop doing it, if that's what you're worried about."

The next moment went unanticipated on Kira's side. Sasuke had pulled her into a tight hug, much to the girl's surprise. Her face turned bright red in embarrassment. Sasuke? Hugging her? It was completely unnatural.

"Sasuke…," Kira gasped, flustered. "Uh? W-what are you doing?"

"Don't," Sasuke said in a both threatening and somewhat scared voice. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again. You hear me?" His hand gently brushed through her long and silky hair. The scent of citrus fruits and lilac waft into his nostrils. Such a pleasant and delicate smell.

"Her hair is much softer than I thought," the last Uchiha thought while getting lost in the feel and scent of her hair.

"Sasuke?" Kira mumbled, her face still a light shade of pink. She didn't know what was going on with her teammate. He was acting so…strange. However, she couldn't stop her heart from wildly thumping against her chest. It felt like it was going to burst.

Sasuke gingerly moved his hand to cup her face, so that they were looking into each other's eyes. His coal black eyes held such an unreadable expression. Kira thought her face couldn't get any brighter than this. Their position was a little too intimate for Kira's taste. It made her quite shy and nervous, especially coming from the stoic and indifferent Uchiha, who she deemed an arrogant jerk most of the time.

Suddenly, there was a loud, shrilly scream coming from the distant. The scream made both pre-teens separate immediately. Kira's face was so red…it resembled a tomato. Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke had a light blush on his face, but turned his back toward her and covered his face with his bangs, so she wouldn't see it.

"That sounded like Sakura's scream," Kira stated, trying to make her erratic heartbeats slow down. "We should go back to camp."

Sasuke just grunted in agreement, but he was seething underneath. "Damn you, Sakura," he inwardly thought, ruefully. "No, damn anyone who has come to harm his teammates. I was just about to…" He growled. He then took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Next time, Sasuke. Next time."

The Uchiha now knew what his feelings for Kira meant. He can't believe he was saying this, but he has grown to realize that he had developed a small crush on the happy go lucky girl.

When he was in his Curse Mark state, all his emotions came swirling around him, like a violent tornado. They became more dignified…more prominent. His rage…his unyielding hatred for his clan's murderer came more pronounced with renewed vigor.

And also…the ambiguous feelings he had for Kira became a little clearer. It was a far cry from love, but there was some sort of warmth and admiration there. When he heard her voice, and saw her pleading tears…he just wanted wrap her in his arm to shield her from the harshness of reality. Someone as innocent as Kira shouldn't have to endure the severity of being ninja. That includes fighting, blood, and death. However, it's already too late as Kira have already seen blood and death before in her childhood…just as he did. Although, it's her innocent nature, despite her past, that captivates him. Is it some sort of cryptic message to him? Is the universe trying to tell him something? He doesn't know. But what he does know…is that he has a crush on Kira. That is no secret anymore. At least to himself. It's far cry from love, but he still holds some adoration for her. He could guess that this is what it means to be crushing on someone.

He guessed somewhere along the lines her bright, thoughtful, and compassionate nature has gotten under his skin, like a…contagious disease. She was like his opposite in every way. In a way that is different from Naruto.

Unfortunately, Kira remains completely oblivious to his feelings for her. And he thought girls were supposed to be smart when comes to things like emotions and feelings and such.

He scoffed.

Either that's a big stereotype gender wise, or Kira is just an exception to that rule. Well, he was glad that she was too dense to notice why he treats her a little differently than everybody else, even Naruto. It would be too awkward, especially if she doesn't feel the same way. And if she doesn't feel the same, then the tragic rejection will be too painful to bare.

It would be a huge jab to his pride as Sasuke was used to rejecting girls, but to see one ACTUALLY brush him off…the mighty Sasuke Uchiha…that won't sit well for him. No, that's not the word. It would anger and frustrate him to no end. Sasuke Uchiha, the heartthrob of half the girls in Konoha, the last Uchiha, and Rookie of the Year, being rejected by a girl?! That humility alone would be a major jab to his pride.

He knows Kira would mean well, as she doesn't look like the type to heartlessly lay someone off if they declared their feelings for her… She's too nice for that. But just the thought of HIM being rejected… He will be shooting fireball jutsus until half the forest is scorched in flames. Let's just say that number one thing to do to get under Sasuke's skin is to either challenge or hurt his pride in any way, shape, or form.

In short, Sasuke is not even going to dare confess to Kira until he's ABSOLUTELY sure about her feelings for him first. And right now…unfortunately, all she feels for him is friendship. Nothing more than teammates and companionship.

He let out a frustrated sigh. This was started to get annoying. He needed to focus on getting revenge. There was no time for side tracks. Sasuke made his decision to push his feelings for Kira back. He decided to just forget it…hopefully…that as long as he focused on training, getting stronger, and seeking vengeance… He would forget that he ever had a crush on her. It's just a silly crush, right? In time, it would go away.

Gathering their things, the duo ran back to camp.

When they made it back, they spotted Naruto and Sakura along with…Kabuto! The three of them were being mauled by what seemed to a giant cat or possibly a tiger. It was about the size of a fully grown lion. It had two tails! Not one, but two! Its fur was a sandy brown color, and its ears, paws, and the tips of its tails were colored black. It had lilac colored eyes that glared ferociously at the trio. It had saber toothed fangs that sported outside of its mouth because it was too large to fit as it snarled.

Seeing his teammates in danger, Sasuke forgot about his earlier frustrations and sprinted into action. He sent a kick the beasts, however, it seemed like the giant cat was smart enough to dodge this blow as if it had human-like intelligence. Almost like Kiba's dog, Akamaru.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out, both happy and relieved.

"It's about time you got here!" Naruto complained. "Where's Kira? I thought she was with you."

"She's back there." Sasuke pointed behind him.

"Hey, Kira-!" Naruto stopped mid-sentence. "What's wrong, Kira?"

Even since had laid eyes on the twin tailed cat, a sense of uneasiness along with a hint of a euphoric textured formed in the pit of her stomach. This cat… It looked so familiar.

(FLASHBACK)

A five year old Kira was playing small brown cat. The child wore a light blue sundress with matching sandals. Her slightly wavy, black hair only reached below her shoulders, and she had a purple headband adorning her head with salmon colored flower decoration on the right side with mint painted ribbons flowing down from it.

The child was hiding behind a tree. A sense of excitement and anticipation overwhelming her. "Yudai, will never find me here," Kira giggled to herself.

Just as she spoke those few words…a small brown cat landed on her head. Just as quickly as it had landed, it hopped onto the ground, facing the girl and mewing in delight while happily wagging its twin tails.

"Oh, you found me, Yudai," the child said in a defeated tone. A bright smile graced the child's features as she scooped up the cat in her arms. The cat affectionately nuzzled its snout against her cheek, making the girl laugh.

Kira plopped down on the ground, gently setting Yudai down in front of her. "Here, Yudai." She pulled out a maroon ribbon from her pocket. "I made you a ribbon."

She tied the ribbon securely around the feline's neck. In response, the cat jumped onto the child's shoulder and licked her face in gratitude.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

"Yu-Yudai? Is that you?" Kira spoke in a ghost of a whisper, not trusting her own voice.

However, the cat heard her, and its ears perked up. It cocked its head in Kira's direction.

Tentatively, Kira took a step forward.

The cat made no move nor sound. It was watching her closely.

Hesitantly, Kira reached a hand forward to stroke the cat's fur, unfortunately, she quickly retracted back when the feline growled at her.

"Kira, stay back!" Naruto warned her, but it went unheeded by the girl.

"It's me, Kira," the black haired girl spoke in more calming voice.

The cat ears twitched at the sound of that name and its growls lessened. But it still looked at the girl in a skeptical way, as if having a hard time believing what it had heard.

Kira pulled out a maroon ribbon, however, the fabric of it was shredded and tattered. It seemed kind of old and worn out.

The cat took a cautious step forward to sniff the ribbon. It then began to sniff Kira as well, and circle around her, like a predator trying to identify its prey.

They all watched the spectacle with guarded eyes.

The cat stood in front of Kira once more, carefully examining her. It sniffed her and the ribbon once more as if double checking something.

The next moment made Naruto and Sasuke spring into action as the cat took a big leap at her.

However, they paused in utter confusion when in its place was a smaller version of said cat happily licking away at a giggling Kira's face.

"Uh?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "What's going on?"

The others were wondering the same thing. Instead of the giant, ferocious cat…in its placed laid a delicate, small, almost harmless one.

"Yudai! I knew you'd recognize me!" Kira said in between fits of laughter. She stood back on her feet, and scooped Yudai in her arms.

She held out the cat for the others to see. "Guys, don't worry," she said in a reassuring voice. "This is Yudai! She's my family's pet. I thought I lost her after my family's…" she trailed off, but the other's got the message.

"A-are you sure that cat isn't dangerous? Naruto asked, hesitantly. "Just moments ago, it tried to eat me and Sakura."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

Kira just playfully laughed. "Yudai is just…territorial. She doesn't take to kindly to strangers. But don't worry. She'll start to warm up to you guys."

Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh. "Now, since that's over…" He sent Kabuto a critical eye. The other three almost completely forgot about the bespectacled ninja. "What are you doing here, Kabuto?" he asked, voice dripping with venom.

About half an hour later, Kabuto explained everything on how he stopped Naruto and Sakura from reading the earth scroll, and almost making the team become disqualified for breaking the rule, to how Yudai showed up because of the noise and smell of the cooking fire and started attacking, which Kira apologized for.

"I can't believe you guys," Sasuke said in a disappointed tone.

Kira could only shake her head sadly at them. How can they be so stupid? She can expect this kind of behavior from Naruto. But Sakura? The girl practically follows every rule laid out to her. To hear her almost willingly break a rule…is kind of a surprise.

"Could it be that Naruto is rubbing off on Sakura?" Kira thought, amused.

"If I hadn't come along when I did…" Kabuto trailed off.

"Sorry, Sasuke," Sakura said guilty.

"Um, sorry," Naruto grumbled under his breath.

Kabuto explained to them on how other teams tried to looking at the scrolls, only for them to be immediately knocked out.

"Kabuto, right?" Sasuke asked, his voice holding a hint of suspicion. "We met at the registration. What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Don't worry," Kabuto said, amused. "I'm not after your scroll."

"I suppose not because if you were, you would have just swiped it from Naruto when you had the chance. So, you're looking for a heaven scroll, too, huh?"

"Not really. You see, I already have them both." He pulled out a heaven and earth scroll from his pouch.

Sasuke's eyes widen in surprise, and Kira could only stare in awe.

"I had a run with luck," Kabuto stated while pocketing the scrolls. "I was just on my way to the Tower to wait for my teammates to show up. So, if you'll excuse me…"

The bespectacled ninja began walking away.

"Hold it…!" The Uchiha called out to him.

Kabuto paused in his steps, and glanced back at the Uchiha.

"I'll fight you for it," Sasuke challenged.

"You'll fight me for it?" Kabuto mused.

"But, Sasuke," Sakura mumbled, uncertain.

"Hang on a second…! Is this a joke or what?" Naruto yelled, annoyed.

"Are you serious?" Kabuto asked, unfazed.

"Perfectly," Sasuke replied, ignoring his teammates' protests. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play nice.

"Back off, Sasuke!" Naruto retaliated. "In case you've forgot, this guy saved our asses."

"Naruto's got a point," Sakura said tentatively. "We don't want to seem ungrateful or anything."

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped at her harshly.

The pinklette face twisted in hurt. "But Sasuke…"

"It can't be helped. It's either him or us. Out here…it's all about surviving and winning. Nothing else matters!"

"You're lying," Kabuto stated in a matter of fact manner.

"H-he is?" Naruto questioned, confused.

"C'mon, admit it. With all your tough talk, your heart really isn't in it."

Sasuke inwardly growled, but made no move.

"If it was," he continued. "If winning was really the only thing that mattered to you, why openly challenge me to a fight? Why announce it and put me on my guard? Why not jump me when my back is turned? After all, that's what a ninja would do."

Kira stepped between the two. "That's enough, guys," she said, somehow becoming the mediator between them. She lightly punched Sasuke on the arm. "Don't be such a jerk, Sasuke." She gave Kabuto an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for my teammate's rude behavior. You see, he can be…difficult at times." She gave a small bow. "Please forgive him."

Kabuto chuckled. "Don't worry about it. In fact, you guys have got my interest."

Team Seven's eyes in both surprise and confusion.

Kira was the first to regain her composure. "Kabuto, you've taken the exams before, right?"

"That's right," Kabuto replied, sheepishly.

"So, you must know some sort of secret to this test. After all, you should be an expert by now and have carefully calculated almost every possibility that this exam has. You know, all the possible traps, layout of the area…where the enemy may attack on the LAST day of the test. Things like that," Kira finished while exaggerating the word 'last'.

Kabuto gave an amused look. "Well, aren't you an insightful one." He pushed his glasses back. "Actually, I do. I was about to show it to you right now." He turned. "Follow me." He leaped off into the air.

Team Seven all looked at each other, coming up with silent agreement before following after him.

Team Seven along with Kabuto, were racing across the trees. Yudai was securely perched on Kira's shoulder.

"You think there's still other candidates here?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, yeah," Kabuto answered. "Just think about it. What do you think is the most efficient way of finding the scrolls in an area as large as this? To go searching through the forest for them?"

"Uh, no?" Sakura responded, hesitantly.

"No. You wait for them to come to you. The Tower at the center of the forest is the goal, right? So, on the last day of the exam, that area will be converging with teams with their scrolls."

The pinklette's face brightened. "Oh, yeah. I get it. Like an ambush! So, we just head for the Tower, find a hiding place, and when team comes along with a heaven scroll…we'll jump them and take it."

"That's one third of the problem."

"Huh?" She was confused.

"You guys aren't going to be only ones thinking of this," he started to explain. "Every other team, who is lacking a scroll, will be lying in wait. Just like you."

"So, what?" Naruto scoffed at the notion. "The more, the merrier, I say! Whoever they are, we'll take care of them! Wouldn't want this to be too easy. That wouldn't be any fun. Okay, we grab someone else's scroll, and keep those losers from grabbing ours and bingo…! We've passed the second exam!"

"That's two thirds of the problem."

"Well… At least we're getting closer," Sakura said. "What else?"

"There's bound to be some collectors lurking around at the finish line."

Kira raised a questionable eyebrow. "Collectors?"

"Even when you think you're home free, you can't let your guard down for a second. This kind of exam always brings them out. Collectors…they gather extra sets of scrolls to use for various ends. For example, to bribe their way out of unexpected situations. Or to provide their village mates with a scroll their lacking. Some steal them to keep candidates from rival villages from passing, or to help out the teams from their own village who couldn't find a scroll on their own. Others steal them for their own dark purposes. They hang on to them to use against the other teams further down the line. They'll be there alright, and they are bad news. The closer you get to the Tower, the more likely you'll be to run into them."

"Wow," Kira said, shyly. "I guess the last day is where all the pressure builds up, huh?"

Sasuke smirked. "I see! And I'm beginning to understand why you brought us along with you."

"Hmm?" Kabuto glanced in Sasuke's direction.

"It's because you're frightened, isn't it?" the raven haired ninja asked, somewhat amused.

"You beat I am!"

Half the day had already passed, and it was now nightfall. They could spot a huge building out in the distance.

"There's the Tower," Kabuto stated. "And that means the end is in sight. Now comes the hard part."

Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Well, it's about time. Bring it on!"

Everyone felt a sudden presence.

"There's someone back there," Sakura announced.

Naruto swiftly took out a kunai, and threw it at where they felt the presence. They were met with a loud, grotesque sound, like stepping on the cockroach and hearing its bones crunch underneath.

It turned out to only be a giant centipede. It was dead from Naruto's kunai.

"False alarm," Naruto said. "It's just a centipede."

"Just a centipede?" Sakura muttered, freaked out. "That creepy thing is as big as a bus."

Kira tilted her head. "Hmm, I think it's kind of cute…in a weird, creepy kind of way."

Sakura sent her a creeped out look. "Are you serious, Kira? How can stand to look at that creepy thing?"

The black haired kunoichi just shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey, Naruto…"

The orange clad ninja turned his attention towards Kabuto.

"Do us all a favor and try to keep it down to a dull roar, will you?"

"Hmm?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"You see, the whole idea is not to let anyone know we're here. If you go crashing through the forest, like an elephant, you're going to draw collectors like flies. We want to find them before they find us."

Yudai growled and hissed, her hair bristling up.

"Guys, I think it's too late for that," Kira said, getting in a defensive position. "We've already been spotted."

Yudai hopped down from her mistress's shoulder,= and with a burst of blue fire. In seconds, she transformed into her larger, saber toothed self. She let out a mighty roar.

The others got into a defensive stance as well.

A rain storm of kunais showered at them.

Reacting quickly, Kira made a few hand signs. At least tried to… Still managed to do it, somehow. "Barrier Release: All Force Dome Jutsu!" A clear dome like barrier surrounding the group. The weapons effortlessly bounced off the jutsu. She released the jutsu.

She inwardly yelped at how much pain shot through her right arm by trying to force it to move. "Okay, no more jutsus until my arm is healed," she chastised herself.

"That's a pretty handy jutsu you got there, Kira," Kabuto commented.

"Thanks," Kira replied. "But now's not the time for complicates." She narrowed her eyes at the black clothed Ame ninjas emerging from the tree lines. "We've got to focus on them first."

"I see, you noticed our genjutsu," a voice resonated throughout the area. "No matter. We'll still take your scrolls!"

Sasuke smirked. "Well, Naruto? You said you wanted a fight."

Naruto grinned, amused. "Four against forty… I like those odds!"

"What are they?" Sakura questioned in a panicked voice.

"Clones from the look of it," Kabuto answered. "And a whole lot of them."

One of those clones chuckled evilly. "Like cornered rats."

"Oh, yeah? Cornered rats, are we?" Naruto challenged angrily. He punched a clone, only for his fist to go through it, like butter. The clone had a slimy feel to it.

"What are they?" Sasuke contemplated.

"I just touched him and he turned to mush," the orange clad ninja said, baffled.

A clone emerged from within the damaged clone.

"What's really going on here?" the Uchiha, his coal black eyes analyzing the situation. "Sharingan!" He activated his kekkei genkai.

A clone had a kunai out, ready to strike Naruto down.

"Naruto! Watch out!" Sasuke threw a few shurikens at the clone, making it lose its arm.

The clone towards the Uchiha's direction and chunked a double edged kunai at him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out in warning.

Sasuke prepared to dodge the attack, but the burning pain in his neck kept him from moving.

"Sasuke, look out!" Kira shouted, perturbed. She quickly knocked him down on the ground, so that the kunai would miss. However, it pierced through the skin of her though. She hissed in pain.

"Kira!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in shock.

Sasuke said nothing, but the surprise and concern in his eyes was clear.

She gave them a reassuring smile, ignoring the slight pain in her new wound. "Don't worry, guys. This is nothing." She glared at the hundreds of clones. "More importantly…we have to get rid of these annoying…pests." She took out Hanshahikari out of its sheath. "Let's go, Yudai! Let's tear these punks to shreds!"

With a swift swing of her katana, Kira sliced through one of the clones. With a mighty roar, the twin tailed feline followed suit in mauling the many clones.

The others could only watch dumbfounded as their black haired female teammate slash through the barrage of clones. The katana dancing gracefully in her fingertips with every swing she took. However, they could detect a hint of restlessly with every swipe of her sword she took.

"Uh, is it me or does Kira seem a little…irritated? Impatient?" Sakura asked, stupefied.

The other two males in their team could only nod, dumbly.

A confident smirk played across the blonde's shinobi face. "Well, I'm not going to let Kira have all the fun!" He made a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" With a puff, dozens of clones of Naruto appeared.

There was a huge mob of attacks left and right.

"Those two…are just total…idiots," Sasuke frowned. "Even though they are wasting chakra, they are still going at it."

The others were carefully calculating the best way to defeat the enemy at their own genjutsu game as Naruto, Kira, and Kira's new pet, Yudai, took care of their illusionary clones.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Sakura asked Sasuke.

"Those morons," the Uchiha scowled. "They've given us no choice. We've got to now!"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto joined in the fray as well.

It was nearly almost sunrise, and the clones just wouldn't stop. Team Seven and Kabuto collapsed in exhaustion. The last of Naruto's clones were defeated.

"I'm just warming up," Naruto panted.

The clones started to dissolve, revealing the real culprits of the genjutsu. It was those Rain ninja that attacked them on the first day of the exam!

"It's you guys…!" Kira growled.

"Lucky us," the one in the middle said. It felt like he was grinning underneath his mask. He recognized Sasuke. "You…!" he snarled. "I know you! You're the one who cut me on the shoulder! That really messed me up, you know?" He held up a kunai. "Oh, well. Now, I can finally pay you back. With interest." He chuckled menacingly.

"Well, well. Now who's the cornered rat?" Sasuke's voice resonated through the forest.

The three Ame-nins were bewildered.

Sakura giggled. "Worked like a charm, Naruto!"

Kira laughed as well. "You said it, Sakura!"

The Ame ninjas turned around. "What?!" the one in the middle said, baffled. It seems to always be the one who talks. "It can't be...!" He spotted Sakura, Sasuke, Kira, Yudai, and Kabuto behind him. "If they're over there, then who are they?" he mentioned towards the others panting on the ground.

"Confused?" Naruto mocked. "Sorry, but it was the only way to get you out of hiding." The duplicates turned out to be shadow clones using a transformation jutsu.

"How…?" the Rain was started to get frustrated. "Don't tell me that little brat… It's not possible."

"The shadow clones were only the first part of it. My real trick was coming up with clones for the rest of my squad," he explained while getting on his feet.

"While our doubles did all the fighting and took the beating," Sasuke added. "We were safe and sound, waiting for you to show yourself. What do you think guys? I think our little plan worked."

Kira made a peace sign. "It sure did! Seeing as these cowards decided to crawl out of their nests."

Naruto was starting to feel the effects of fatigue get to him as he fell down on one knee.

"Naruto!" the raven haired ninja called. "Take a break! You've used up too much of your chakra!" He smirked. "Don't worry. I got them."

To their surprise, Naruto came at them with a swift punch, hitting on of the Rain shinobi in the jaw and making him crash into his teammates.

"After all the worked I've done," Naruto grinned while panting heavily. "There's no way I'm going to stand back, and let you guys have all the fun!"

"Whoa…" Sasuke thought, surprised. "Is this Naruto? What happened? When did he get…this good?"

Kira's eyes twinkled in admiration. "Naruto is just…amazing!"

"This kid shouldn't be able to move, let alone this," the Rain ninja said, troubled.

"Naruto?" Sakura muttered out. Even she was baffled at the blonde's display of sheer willpower.

"His chakra is incredibly resilient," Kabuto noted, amazed. "To be able to pull off a multiple shadow clone jutsu, and then transform five of them into clones of his companions…and to still come out fighting! And all this on the fifth day! If he ever truly masters his chakra, this kid would be unstoppable."

"Not bad. But that doesn't mean it's over," the Ame-nin declared smugly. "But we're still feeling lucky."

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Kira cut up with a swift kick in the abdomen. She bashed the other one's hand, and the swipe of her claw, Yudai took care of the last one.

The three Rain ninjas were out cold.

"Yep, Kira is definitely impatient about something," Sakura confirmed.

"Ugh! I wanted to be the one to finish them off!" Naruto whined.

Sasuke smirked in content.

Kabuto looked relieved.

Kira searched through their person along with Naruto to find their scroll.

Kabuto stared down at an exhausted Sasuke and noticed the Curse Mark on Sasuke's neck. "That mark on your neck… Is that a bruise?" the bespectacled ninja asked curiously.

In response, Sasuke covered the mark with his hand. "It's nothing," he replied, but there was a sharp undertone in his voice.

"We've found it, guys!" Kira announced, cheerily as she waved the heaven scroll around.

"It's just what we needed!" Naruto exclaimed. "A heaven scroll!"

"Good for you!" Kabuto cheered.

Sasuke sent Kabuto a scrutinizing look. "There's something about this guy. Something I don't like."

About half an hour later, Team Seven made it to the Tower. Yudai was carrying Sasuke and Sakura on her back. Sasuke had his arm wrapped around Sakura's waist to keep himself steady because it looked like he could fall over any minute.

"There you are, Kabuto."

They turned to see Kabuto's teammates emerging from the tree lines.

"You're late."

"Sorry about that. I got a little…sidetracked," Kabuto said apologetically.

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, and are we glad you did! After all, it's only thanks to you we got both the scrolls!"

"Naruto's right!" Kira agreed. "Thank you again for your help, Kabuto." She gave a polite bow.

"Not really," Kabuto responded modestly. "You guys did most of it on your own. Especially, you, Naruto, very impressive. Well, this is the door we go through. So long, and good luck to us both."

"Right!" Naruto said.

Kabuto smiled and gave them the thumbs up. He walked away along with his teammates.

Naruto leisurely opened the door.

Inside, they were met with a rather empty room. The only thing there was big board in the front. It had a message.

"What's the deal?" Naruto asked, confused. "There's nobody here."

"I think I'm fine on my own now, Sakura," Sasuke said, getting off of Yudai.

Sakura gave a tense smile. "Oh, yeah. Sure."

"Ugh!" inner Sakura growled, irritably. "What a drag! I was enjoying that!"

The Uchiha gave Yudai a soft pat on the head, which she purred in content.

The pinklette hopped off the feline's back as well.

Kira was grinning excitedly. Finally, this exam is over! Maybe now she can finally have lunch. Her stomach has been killing her for the past few hours.

"Great!" Naruto's voice dropped. "What is it?"

Kira came to stand next to her teammates with Yudai, in her kitten form, perched on her shoulder.

"'If qualities of heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities is what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When heaven and earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. This 'something' is the secret way that guides us from this place today'," Sakura read.

"This what?" Naruto questioned, dumbfounded. "Or is that a secret, too?"

"It's like there's a word missing here. Anyway, it's about the scrolls. I think…we're supposed to open and read the heaven and earth scrolls now."

The pinklette took the heaven scroll from the blonde's hands while still holding onto the earth scroll.

A few moments of tense silence went by.

"Okay," Naruto gulped, nervously. "Here goes nothing."

Tentative hands ripped the scrolls open.

To their surprise and relief, nothing happened.

The orange clad ninja tilted his head, bewildered. "Wh-what does this mean?"

Sakura was just confused. "A man? A person?"

Sasuke gasped when he noticed the scroll starting to react. "Oh, no. This is a summoning jutsu. Naruto! Sakura! Quick! Get rid of the scrolls!"

The two ninjas forcibly tossed the two scrolls away.

"What's going on?" Kira asked, puzzled.

A large puff of smoke materialized from the scrolls.

(A/N: That's the end of twenty five! I hoped you guys enjoyed! There's not really much to say, except I find those Rain ninjas really annoying. To all you Sasuke fans, and people supporting Sasuke/Kira…yes! Sasuke has finally realized his little crush on Kira! Start clapping! Now, stop…because here comes the bad or disappointing news. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to follow through with it. Why? He's too prideful. That's why. Similar to how Sasuke is too prideful to acknowledge Naruto, he is too proud to confess to Kira. Why? Two reasons. One, Sasuke has come to another obstacle in his life, per say. He used to having girls fawning over him. All, except Hinata and Kira. To have HIM ask a GIRL on a date, he's just too prideful for that. He would rather have Kira come to him, then him go to her. He's just too proud to risk the humiliation of rejection. He's simply too proud and arrogant for his own good. And two, we all know Sasuke. And we know how he is. Revenge is his top priority. No matter what, revenge and seeking power comes first. Sasuke hopes his mere crush on Kira would go away, so he can just focus on getting his revenge. Yes, Sasuke has a one track mind. He won't focus on anything else, not even his feelings for Kira…until his lifelong ambition is complete. Sasuke is…stupid. That's all I can say.

And this doesn't mean Sasuke/Kira is going to happen either. But I really shouldn't tell you that. For people still waiting on pairings… Just wait until the pairings make themselves known. Not really focusing on them, though like the originally canon, romance is a minor subplot. But I won't have it overshadowing the concept of this fanfic. Adventure/Action [still needs improvement]/Friendship/Drama [a little bit of it] comes first.

And yes, everyone has to have a cute little mascot, whether in anime or manga, or even fanfic. And in this story, it's Kira's twin tailed cat companion. Before you say anything, no, Yudai isn't something I came up with at the last minute. In truth, Yudai is the second being I came up with while I was still figuring out Kira. I thought about how cute it'll be for a little girl to have faithful pet companion by her side. Yudai came to me even before the design for Kira's family. The only problem was how to make the feline's appearance into the story. Also, Yudai isn't going to become like Akamaru. And by that... she isn't just going to be dubbed 'Kira's cat companion' and nothing more. I had some future chapters in mind coming entirely from Yudai's perspective. Yay? Yeah, I'm not sure how you guys will think/feel about reading a few chapters coming from a cat's POV. You will either find it dull and boring or interesting and amusing, depending on how you feel on seeing into the mind of a nonhuman being. Yes, it will be interesting to see inside the mind of a non-human being, at least to me. But whether you will find it fun or boring will depend on your own opinion on it. It's almost like in those Pikachu's Adventure anime shorts for those of you who are familiar with Pokemon. So, yeah... That's all to tell. And yes, animals have brains, too. Just because they aren't human doesn't mean they are stupid. They are just more primal.

Please read and review! Constructive criticisms are welcomed!)