Ah I'm sorry for the delay!

I must have written and rewritten this chapter about twenty times.

Just so you know I have no clue about how combat works, so sorry if Tomoko's fighting doesn't make much sense.

Also! I know some of my readers wanted me to create a some sort of Deviant Art page, so I have and here is the address:

.com

Already I've done a sketch of both Tomoko and Haruo, I'm also thinking of creating a Love the way you Lie group on there.

Anyway, go check that out and enjoy the chapter

:)


The next morning, myself and Sasuke set off earlier than usual so I could stopped at my house and get a change of clothing.

"Maybe you should wait outside" I suggested, "we don't want a repeat of yesterday." Sasuke nodded, agreeing with me.

Opening the front door, I saw Haruo in the kitchen washing dishes.

"Ahh Tomoko! You're back!" he cheered turning his head with a smile. Closing the door, I couldn't help but give him a suspicious glance, he seemed rather chipper today.

"Er… hi Aaron" I replied as I walked further into the house.

He gave me a toothy grin, "so… Did you have fun at Sasuke's house?" he dragged out. Suddenly, his eyes deceived his smirk. Now, his eyes were glaring evil vibes at me, you thought Sakura was scary? This was ten times worst.

"Er…" I began "fun isn't the word I'd use."

"Oh! really" he mused mockingly, he then turned around fully and began flinging his arms up in the air.

"YOU EXPECTING ME TO BELIEVE THAT! YOU SPENT THE NIGHT AT A BOYS HOUSE!" He shouted with flames in his eyes, "FOR ALL I KNOW THAT BRAT COULD BE STEALING YOU'RE INNOCENTS!"

I felt a wet drop appear on the back of my head "stealing my innocents? what are you talking about?"

"YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT" he screeched and began running towards me, "DON'T LIE TO-"

I managed to grab a nearby newspaper and whack him in the face with it, causing him to hold his nose in pain.

"OWEEEE!"

"That is enough!" I hissed with a vein popping out of my head, "what you're suggesting is illegal, not to mention disgusting!" I made a 'hm' sound, "I don't have time for this, Sasuke is waiting for me and we have to meet the rest of the team."

I began to make my way to my bedroom, but not without hearing Haruo's dramatic cries.

"Tomoko… hit… me…" he whined, making me stop and sigh heavily, "could this be… that she's finally rebelling against me?"

"Oh good grieve" I muttered, "will you stop already, I'm not rebelling against you!"

"You use to be such a good girl" he sniffed "raising a young lady is tougher than I thought."

I knew what he was doing, he always acted like this when he wanted an apology. Even though he was in the wrong, and I had no reason to say sorry, he will pull this stunt to annoy me enough so I say it anyway.

"Haruo…" I said through gritted teeth.

He looked up at me, with a very hopeful puppy-dog look "Yeah?"

"Stop it!" I snapped, "god you're annoying!" And with that, I stormed upstairs.


"What took you so long?" Sasuke asked, rather annoyed as I walked out of the house.

I didn't answer, instead, I grabbed his wrist and stormed off.

"Oy!" he yelped slightly, taking his wrist back, "what's going on?"

"That stupid idiot!" I yelled, "he has the nerve to accuse me of sleeping with you! I swear, I'll kill him one day!"

"Sleeping with… what?" Sasuke questioned with his eye twitching.

"Exactly!" I screamed, "as if it would ever cross our minds!"

Sasuke blinked a couple of times, before turning really pale. "So he thought… that's sick, I think a threw up a little" he grumbled.

"I know" I said agreeing, "he got me so mad, I forgot to ask him what Kendra meant."

Sasuke stopped walking, "Kendra?"

"Oh!" I gasped halting as well, "I didn't tell you, that the guy that attacked me kept calling me that?"

"You may have forgotten that little detail" he answered, "Kendra sounds like a very old name."

I began walking again, "that's what I thought, only olden names like that haven't been used for centuries."

"Well" spoke Sasuke, "lets not dwell on it for now, we gotta meet the others."

It didn't take us long for us to reach the bridge to meet everyone, well… not everyone.

"Seriously…" I groaned, "this is getting really old."

Once again, Kakashi was a no show, and we had waited for two hours!

And Sakura, finally cracked.

"Hey, hey, Hey!" she screamed, "why does that person always make us wait, when he's the one who calls us up?"

Naruto hastily agreed with her. Sasuke, as usual, was leaning against the bridge rail, with me standing in front of him.

"How is he going to compensate a girl, who woke up late and had to give up blow drying her hair?" she complained, shaking her fist.

'That's her issue?' I thought, typical Sakura.

"I woke up late" Naruto confessed, "so I couldn't wash my face or brush me teeth!"

'And that, is just gross. Typical Naruto!'

Sasuke just kept glaring into the floor. Due to me waking him up so early, I guess he wasn't in a perky mood. I kinda felt bad…

Finally, Kakashi made his appearance. "Hello, gentlemen" he greeted, "I got lost in the path known as life today..."

"A LIE!" both Naruto and Sakura yelled, making my ears ring.

"Seriously!" I snapped, "lower the decibels!"

By the time Kakashi jumped down, myself and Sasuke joined the other two, standing in a line. I wondered what we'd be doing today, probably more crappy missions.

"I'll get to the point" our sensei said, lifting his index in front of his face. "I recommended all of you to the Chuunin selection exam, so…" He then dug in his pocket and pulled out four pieces of paper. "Here" he said, "take these applications."

I stared at him wide-eyed, was this really happening?!

"Chuunin exam?" Sakura repeated slowly.

"However, the recommendation does not force you to take it." Kakashi quickly explained "you can decide if you don't want to take it or not."

This is really happening, I had the choice to take this exam!

"Wait" I spoke remembering something, "is my brother okay with this?"

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter" Kakashi stated firmly, "this is your decision to make, not his."

"Yes!" Naruto perked up and launched himself at him, "I love you, Kakashi-sensei!"

Embarrassed, Kakashi quickly pushed out of the of the embrace. He handed Naruto's copy of the application, probably to stop him from hugging him again.

"Only those who wish to take it are to sign the applications" he told us, "and five days after that, get to school by three pm and go to room 301, that is all."

He handed out everyone's applications, leaving me last. Slowly I read the paper…

Mori Tomoko

I recommend one with the name above to the Chuunin selection exam under my name, Hatake Kakashi.

Jounin

Hatake Kakashi.

"Told you."

I looked up at the page to Sasuke smirking at me.

"I told you we'd be given a chance to enter" he clarified.

I smiled at him, "yeah you were right."

Kakashi didn't give us any missions that day, so we could get our paper work sorted. For me and Sasuke, this was a no brainer. He needed to enter to test his abilities, and I needed to enter so I could face that Tetsuya fellow.

"The Chuunin exam, eh?" Naruto mused, as the four of us walked. "There must be a lot of strong guys" he noted.

"Of course" I cut in, "Genin all throughout the land take this exam."

But Naruto wasn't listening, he seemed to be daydreaming about something.

"Hey Tomoko" heard Sakura speak, "does ninja from the mountain country enter this exam?"

"Well, yeah…" I answered, "but its more like a rite of passage, rather than gaining the next ninja rank."

"A rite of passage?" she repeated.

"Yeah, like a pilgrimage for warriors, lets see…" I began. "To obtain to the higher rank of beadurincs, they must issue themselves a challenge. It can range from finding materials, that would further advance military power and benefit the country, to going off into the wildness for three months and kill a great beast."

"I see" Sakura breathed, "so taking the Chuunin exam is another option for the pilgrimage?"

I nodded, "yes, but, it's not often that beadurincs take that option, due to it being outside of Yamakure. However, the shinobi nations came to an agreement that we would be allowed to enter the exam if we choose to. the only condition was that the Yamakure councilmen alone, would decide whether the participant has completed the pilgrimage."

"So, this will this be considered your pilgrimage Tomoko-chan?" Naruto quizzed.

I shrugged, "yeah I guess, but I'm now technically a ninja of Konohagakure. So whether I'll be examined by the councilmen or not, I'm not sure."

Sakura raised her hand saying, "well, did your brother get assessed?"

"I don't know" I answered truthfully. "The Chuunin Exams was held in a different country when he took it. I was still living with the Uchihas, we not long moved out after he returned home."

Sakura didn't say anything after that, in fact, she remained silent for the rest of the walk.

"Alright" spoke Sasuke stopping, "let's go Tomoko."

I realised that we were now on the outskirts of the training grounds, "right" I answered and hurried to follow him.

"Wait!" Naruto called "where are you going?"

The both of us stopped, I noticed the surprised look on Sakura's face.

This won't be good, if not worded correctly.

"Well…" I began nervously, "we, um… the both-"

"We both decided last night, that if we got selected to take the Chuunin exam, we would train together" answered Sasuke in a bored tone.

Sakura looked like she had just seen a ghost, oh boy…

"What!?" Naruto exclaimed, "but I wanted to train with Tomoko-chan!"

I grimaced slightly, "I'm sorry Naruto, I'll make it up to you…"

"How?" he grumbled.

"I'll… treat you to a bowl of ramen!" I quickly suggested.

Naruto's eyes twinkled in excitement and quickly agreed.

Well that didn't take much convincing.

"Hang on" Sakura said meekly, "what were the two of you doing last night?"

'Don't answer that Sasuke, don't answer that Sasuke, Please don't answer that Sasuke!'

"She slept at my house" Sasuke replied.

'Sasuke, you're an idiot.'

The look on Sakura's face wasn't pretty.

"What!? Is that why you turn me down straight away yesterday!? It was because of her!" she screeched, completely enraged.

"Now Sakura, its not what it sounds like…" I began.

"And what does it sound like exactly?" Sasuke cut in, "What I do with Tomoko is none of your business Sakura."

Sakura tried to make a comeback, but his harsh words seemed to freeze her on the spot.

Sasuke at this point, already began walking off. "Tomoko… hurry up."

I let out a nervous laugh as I waved by to them, and walked along side him.

"Oy" I whispered glaring at him, "did you have to be so harsh about it?"

"She's been annoying me all day" he complained, "besides, we've got nothing to hide. Anyone smart enough can see that we're only friends."

In a sense he was right, I had no attraction to Sasuke what so ever, and he had no attraction to me. We grew up together, the idea of liking him was like incest!

However, this is Sakura we're talking about… and everyone knows about her opinion on my friendship with Sasuke.

We managed to find an open area, a perfect place to train.

"What do you want to work on first?" Sasuke asked.

"Well… I haven't had a good spar in a while" I confessed.

Sasuke smirked "weapons or no weapons?"

"Hand to hand for now" I established, "I know how lethal you are with your shuriken."

"Well, I guess I could teach you a thing or two" he suggested in a jokey manner.

I took a fighting stance, spreading my feet apart, and my back straight. Holding my right arm in front of me, I flexed my fingers into a claw. "Maybe later" I said with a little smile.

"Oh" Sasuke mused with a mischievous gleam, "its been a while since I've seen that stance."

I chortled, "well, you saw Haruo fight plenty of times." I then pulled a smirk myself, "The thing is, I'm a lot better at the dúnsæte fýst (mountain fist)than he is."

"Ahem" breathed Sasuke, "We'll see about that." And like a flash, he disappeared. I stayed in one place and closed my eyes, listening to the breeze.

He was coming at me from the left, Sasuke was fast, but not fast enough. As I managed to block his punch, by hooking his arm. He went for a kick, which I dodged.

"Ha! now your mine!" he yelled and used his free hand to strike. However, he forgot that I had a free hand to. Turning it to the left, I struck my claw into his tiber.

"What?" he gasped, but before he even realised it. I used his locked arm to fling him over my shoulder and he was flat on his back.

"Ow" he groaned. knelt above him, holding my claw close to his chest.

"I win" I chimed.

He shot me a very unamused glare.

"This blow to the heart would kill you instantly" I told him, "well, depending on how much force I put behind it."

Slowly I got off him to let him stand up.

"I was going easy on you" he confessed.

I raised an eyebrow, "sure you were."

"Okay" he breathed, "that lock, how would I be able to counter it."

"You're first mistake was the high kick" I informed him, "if you'd have kept my hands busy, my legs would have been vulnerable."

"Okay…" he spoke slowly, "but the name, dúnsæte fýst, it's a little misleading."

"Ah you noticed" I expressed happily, "yes it is, even though its is form of Taijutsu." I held my index finger in the air, "in the modern tongue, its called Mountaineer fist, but we don't actually throw any punches."

I clenched my hand into a fist, and held it right in front of his chest. "a punch is clumsy, you need a lot a force behind it and it is very noisy to a wind reader. You're fingers are clenched so tight together, it causes friction in the skin, creating a slight vibration."

I then changed my hand into the claw shape. "This, is a little bit more lethal. It's kinda like the Gentle Fist that the Hyūga use, only it targets the bloodstream and not the chakra pathway system."

"So, its sorta like a stab" Sasuke stated.

"Yeah" I confirmed, "except it doesn't pierce the body. Imagine a tiger claw, tigers catch there prey by pouncing, and digging there claws deep, inflicting a lot of damage. But unlike like tigers, we aren't blessed with claws."

I then pressed the claw gently to where his heart was. "This is where the Gentle Fist comparison comes in. As I stated before, The Gentle Fist inflicts internal damage through attacking the body's Chakra Pathway System, which is closely intertwined with organs in the body. The dúnsæte fýst however, focuses on the arteries and veins in the body."

I took a breath, "look at where my hand is now, my fingers are positioned on the vital veins and arteries connected to your heart. With enough pressure, this shot can crush all the veins and arteries connecting to your heart, blocking the blood and oxygen."

"Is it really that effective?" sasuke asked surprised.

I removed my hand from his chest, "it is, if you hit the right place, which is incredibly difficult with a moving target."

"So what are the vital points?" Sasuke quizzed.

"The most effective but hardest place is the heart" I told him, "with that one you gotta get up close and personal, which leaves you very vulnerable."

Sasuke crossed his arms, "so what's the easiest target?"

"When using the dúnsæte fýst, the warrior primary, targets the head."

"The head?"

"Yeah, by attacking the head, you can create some serious disorientation, and even brain damage if you hit them hard enough" I explained. "But like I said, its difficult when your opponent is moving."

"So basically" Sasuke started, "don't get hit with that claw, no matter what."

"Yep!"

"Alright" Sasuke announced with a smirk, "lets do that again!"


For the past three days, myself and Sasuke spent our time training. We mixed it up every time with Taijutsu and weapon work. We even threw in some Ninjutsu for Sasuke.

He tried to teach me the fire ball justu, but we soon realised that it wasn't my forte.

It was two days before the exam, I had arrived at the training grounds a little earlier so I could get some prayers done. I reflected on my training, and my sleepless nights.

Yes, I still had the nightmares. In fact, they were getting worse and worse to a point where I'm waking up screaming. My brother hasn't been noticing much, because he's so busy with the exam.

Suddenly I sensed unfamiliar movement, coming towards me, with the full intention of attacking.

"So clumsy" I muttered, I jumped on my feet and caught my attackers fist in my hand. I took in his appearance, his straw hat indicated that he was from the Rain village. His face was completely covered by a mask and wore a heavy cloak.

"Impossible!" he sneered, "how did you detect my movements."

"You're breathing was so loud, I could have struck you in the dark" I commented. I went to strike him, but he managed to dodge it. Jumping back, he snickered slightly "looks like I underestimated you." He then suddenly threw several Kunai at me, aiming right at my chest.

Closing my eyes, I listened to the knives piercing through the air. With perfect timing, I deflected the Kunai effortlessly with my right vambrace.

The mysterious ninja was beginning to get frustrated now, and threw another Kunai. Like a flash, I caught the tip of the knife between my thumb and fingers, and flung it back, hitting him in the shoulder.

The ninja cried out in pain and cradled his wound, "you have certainly gotten stronger" he commented.

I smiled, "you're gonna have to a lot better than that to beat me."

"Indeed" he mused, "but I'm not through just yet."

I smirked "oh I think you are."

"And why's that?"

"Because my friend is behind you" I answered pointing.

"Huh?" He never got to finish his sentence, as Sasuke gave him a stiff kick in the face, knocking him out instantly.

"What a stupid thing to do" the Uchiha remarked.

I let out a 'ahem' noise, "I was wondering when you were gonna show yourself."

Sasuke adjusted his armbands "I was intrigued with what the fool would do. But, my curiosity has been sated."

"Fair enough" I commented "come on, lets go to the lake so you can practice your fire ball justu."