Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

A/N: Sorry I didn't update sooner guys! Brisbane was pretty fun, though manga is expensive... At least now I have volumes 2 and 3 of Kamichama Karin, which is so adorable and chibi!

Oh, anyway, I've also been working on sketches. You can find a profile of Yume in my deviantART scraps section now as well as a pretty awesome picture of Kita. Okay, well here's what you've been waiting for!

Questions for the characters!

Q- Masakari, why are you acting like such a cow?

Masakari- Whaaat? How dare you! I'll definitely be telling my father and sisters about that!

Q- Team G2: You should know a little about the Grass Sisters. So tell me, what the hell is wrong with them?

Rindou- Oh, they've always been like that... little suck ups! They always act so innocent when they're around their father, but in battle they wouldn't even hesitate to kill their own mother!

Araiki- Isn't that going a bit far to describe them, Rindou?

Rindou- No way! They're cows, all of them! Especially that Masakari! Oooh, she just makes me so angry!

Shuuki- It sounds like you're jealous actually, Rindou...

Rindou- ... what? Rar!

Shuuki- Eep...

Chapter 37: Downfall

The crowd's cheers finally came to an end, leaving the stadium buzzing excitedly in anticipation of the next match. However, not everyone had been exactly thrilled by that last match...

Tsunade's nails clicked uneasily on the sidearm of her chair as she mulled over her thoughts. She chewed her bottom lip as she motioned for Kakashi to lean down next to her. Luckily, Jouryoku had left several minutes earlier to go into some office downstairs.

"What that Kumo boy said sounds familiar," mumbled the Godaime Hokage to the silver-haired jounin. "'Red clouds in a black sky'..."

"It's exactly the same insignia worn by those members of the Akatsuki," Kakashi confirmed with a nod. "I remember from that time before..." The man's one visible eye twitched with some past memory.

"Uh... excuse me..."

Tsunade and Kakashi looked up as one of the jounin next to the Tsuchikage moved uncomfortably nearer to them. Kakashi's hand moved closer to his kunai pouch. The brown-haired man's brow was furrowed with worry. As the man moved closer, Benkeino's eyes slid across. The purple-haired woman standing next to him also looked over.

"Hokage-sama," The man with brown hair bowed respectfully. He glimpsed back at his Tsuchikage and waited until the other man nodded. "My name is Hoshino Rosuto... I am Kita's teacher."

Tsunade's mouth curved into one that showed her disapproval.

"What is your business addressing the Hokage-sama?" asked Kakashi, his hand still visibly near his kunai pouch. His other hand approached his slid-down hitae-ate.

"He's not going to attack you or anything, if that's what you're wondering... he's not that dumb," commented the purple-haired kunoichi, looking into a compact to check her lipstick. She glimpsed over at Kakashi with a miffed look. The grey-haired ninja kept his hands at the ready however.

"Please, I mean no ill-will, but I heard your exchange before," Rosuto bowed again, hoping his politeness would win him some kind of favour. "And you mentioned the Akatsuki?"

The older woman raised an eyebrow curiously. "And what do you know about that?"

"Only from what I have heard from Kita herself and their intentions on capturing the so-named Jinchuuriki," replied Rosuto. "But I hadn't heard that information before, about what clothes they wore..."

Tsunade's light brown eyes narrowed. So the Stone knows about the existence of the Akatsuki as well... but they attained their information from their own Jinchuuriki. How did she know about them? There are very few people who have had access to our data on them... is it possible she ran into someone with information on them? But why would they give her information unless they wanted to save her life... It couldn't have been Jiraiya and Naruto... I've heard rumours that he's been to the south-east of the country- nowhere near the Stone... but then... who?

"Tsunade-sama?" asked Kakashi, waiting for her to respond to the other jounin's words.

The Hokage glared up at the man with frosty blue eyes. "If you are going to ask for information on that particular classified subject, then forget about it."

"But this is for Kita's own protection," Rosuto retorted, stepping forward. "Any information you have could be vital to her survival!" The silver-haired jounin grabbed a kunai.

"Rosuto," interrupted Benkeino, standing up and placing a hand on the man's shoulder to calm him. He stared down at his fellow shinobi leader. "You have that information on what their insignia is. Be grateful Tsunade-dono is allowing you to keep that."

Rosuto's shoulders dropped a little and he bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama..." He stepped back.

Tsunade flicked her head back to the field below. Kakashi stepped back as well, though his hands continued to grip the kunai, ready to spring into action. He cast a look at the purple-haired kunoichi who berated him before. Her bright blue eyes glimpsed back at him through her compact. She turned her nose up a little and looked away.

Who...? Tsunade asked herself wonderingly. Her eyes widened slightly suddenly. Is it possible that the Mitsukai child has some connections to Gaara? We did send some vague information on the Akatsuki to the Sand during peace agreements and cleaning up after the Sound attacked. Tsunade's nails clicked nervously on the sidearm again. Below, the next match was about to begin. Damn that Gaara... if he becomes Kazekage, I don't know what'll happen...

Masakari flipped her hair back confidently as she strode into the centre of the field. She turned her head to face the other door, where her opponent was walking out. She recognised the boy from the preliminaries- Hyuuga Neji. Masakari smirked. From what she had observed before, he was a close range fighter, using the Gentle Fist style she had heard so much about from her father. However... the younger boy would definately be running low on chakra after that last match with the weird kid with the face paint. Needless to say, in Masakari's mind Neji would be nothing but fodder for her way to the top.

The crowd whispered eagerly in the stands. Masakari smiled. It was natural they'd be talking about her. They'd be talking about her even more after she won the match.

Neji took up his position and slid into a familiar fighting stance, preparing himself for the start of the match. She was quick at the start; he knew that much along with the fact she was a long-range fighter, making her his natural enemy. However, the Hyuuga was sure that she didn't know much about his Gentle Fist style and his way of using chakra. He studied her stance- she looked confident, almost too confident. Neji guessed that she was either underestimating him or she had already determined a way of victory. Either way, Neji hoped she didn't have any extra nasty tricks up her sleeve.

The examiner raised her hand. "Match three; Hyuuga Neji of Konoha versus Ouritsu Masakari of Kusa, begin!"

Neji instantly sidestepped as Masakari's vine snapped out.

"Byakugan!" yelled Neji, activating his bloodline's famous doujutsu.

"Divide!" yelled the burgundy-haired girl. The vine split into two and started to fly towards Neji.

The same trick her sister used... thought Neji. I won't fall for it!

"Hakkesho Kaiten!"

Masakari gripped onto her weapons tighter as they were flung back from the wall of swirling chakra. Neji slowed to a stop, panting softly.

I've used so much chakra today... I need to be more careful. Neji straightened up his fighter's stance. I don't even think I can use Hakke Rokujuyon Sho... and the Kaiten takes up so much too, but I need to use it to stay on the defensive. I'll just have to time the Kaiten at the right moment then and keep it short.

This kid's annoying... Masakari started to snap her vines one at a time to keep him at bay whilst she thought. He's very agile, but he's tired as well. Not surprising from that tied match of his. No problems though, it's only a matter of time before his strength runs out and then I can tear him apart.

Neji's eyes darted up and down, observing the flow of chakra in his opponent's body. He started to notice a distinct pattern in Masakari's movements as she cracked her vines back and forth before him. Neji counted- Masakari followed a beat, and as she did, she sent an influx of chakra into the vine. That explains a bit about her style of attack. It also means she can only launch a specialised attack when the chakra fills the whole vine, and that is when it cracks. Neji's brow furrowed. I can use this, but first I need to get close. If I'm right, she won't know what I'm planning.

Suddenly, Neji took off running towards Masakari. The girl's eyes widened as he began to dodge her whips, moving out of the way just in time. Masakari raised both her arms, sending her vines up and down towards Neji.

The Byakugan-user jumped. "Kaiten!" He spun momentarily, enough to deflect both of the vines before flying down towards Masakari with an outstretched palm. "Hakke Kusho!" He hit her in chest, pushing her back to skid along the ground.

A dribble of blood came from Masakari's mouth as she coughed. She fell onto her backside, clutching at her throat. She clung desperately onto her whips.

Neji straightened up. "You should give up before I kill you. You can't attack with your whips in such a short range."

The Grass Sister's eyes glinted slyly. "Toge Wana!" She flung her arms out. The vines in her hand came to life and slithered like snakes, swiftly creeping up Neji's body and binding him tightly around the waist and arms. The Hyuuga struggled, but the thorns only dug deeper into his skin.

"I know enough about the Gentle Fist style," Masakari smirked, standing up. "To know that even a blow like that couldn't have damaged me much when you didn't put enough chakra into it. And you're underestimating me! It'll be your downfall!"

"Hakkesho Daikaiten!" Neji bellowed, chakra billowing out from his body in a powerful whirlwind.

The vines binding him unwrapped themselves in the opposite direction. Masakari gave a scream as she was flung off the ground. The force of the spin jerked her hands off and she flew away.

Neji dropped onto his hands and knees as his Kaiten attack ended. He winced as he heard a sickening crack from small a grove of trees. He turned his face up- Masakari had been flung straight into a tree trunk, back first. The girl slid onto the ground, the back of her head bleeding. She looked up at him with an expression of fury and disappointment on her face before she slumped down unconscious.

"You fell for the same attack so many times," muttered Neji tiredly. "In the end, it was you that was underestimating me."

The female examiner raised an eyebrow as she scanned over Masakari. Damn, Jouryoku is not going to be happy over this... She turned to the crowd to announce it. "The winner of match three is Hyuuga Neji of Konoha!"

The crowd roared excitedly. The match had been quite an excellent display for many, especially those not familiar with the Hyuuga techniques.

As they cheered, a medical team carted Masakari off and helped Neji limp back to the hospital centre after healing the more serious puncture wounds.

Kita flexed her hands. Hana had put some salve on them to get rid of any infections before applying a healing jutsu to the burns.

"That was quite an impressive match," commented Yume, clapping along with the crowd. "I bet that match won a lot of brownie points with the higher-ups."

"Impressive for those who didn't know much about the Hyuuga style of fighting," Jieichou added with a frown. "That Neji guy didn't use a very large collection of attacks during the whole match. And even then, it seemed quite reserved. He was running out of chakra the entire time."

Yume tapped her chin thoughtfully with a finger. "You're right, Jieichou. I hadn't thought about it that way. I remember that previous match with that guy from the Sand. He must be on the verge of collapsing from chakra exhaustion by now!"

Yanagi glanced across at Kita. "So, what did you think?"

Kita's mouth twitched in a smile. "I can't say I'm not happy with the outcome..."

"That's good then," Yanagi grinned and turned back.

Kita looked up at the sky after she made sure Yanagi wasn't about to ask anything more. But... she thought, I wonder what would have happened if it had been me that faced her?Would that have happened again? Images of Masakari's sister's face flashed in her mind- the terrified look in the girl's eyes, the smell of fear... and the voice that had spoken. I'm not even sure who I am sometimes, or if I'm even truly human... In the back of her mind, she felt like there was something dark and ominous waiting for her to let her guard down so it could be set free. And Kita wasn't sure if it was the Nekomata, or herself...

"I hope that we get to see Sora fight soon!" Hana chirped, interrupting Kita's thoughts.

"I want to see Tansei fight first!" Yume replied.

"They're both in different rooms, so they may end up fighting each other." Kita mentioned. She had a strange look on her face.

"Well, it's obvious that Sora would win because of his bloodline!" Yanagi grinned smugly, not noticing Kita's slightly worried expression.

"No way, Tansei would win!" retorted Yume. "He knows all about Sora's abilities, AND he's a natural genius!"

"He is not!" Yanagi stood up.

"Is so!" The blonde girl stood up as well.

"Oh my," Hana sweat-dropped as the two girls began to wrestle, grabbing each other into headlocks.

Jieichou turned back to watching the field, trying to ignore the frivolous argument... At least until Yume's boot squashed up against his cheek whilst she struggled to get free of Yanagi's grip... the grey-haired boy sighed.

Kita closed her eyes, taking the spare moment to rest while the others were occupied. She wondered what Gaara had been thinking about after they split up.

Aw man... this means that I'm either going to face Tansei, or that Araiki guy. Sora gulped as he heard the examiner's announcement through the door before the crowd cheered. Either way, I think I'm screwed, but I'm more worried about that Araiki guy than about Tansei. At least I know more about Tansei because we grew up together. I don't know how I would face someone with power like Araiki. He'd be strong like Kita... he'd probably crush me in one blow!

Beside him, Gaara suddenly pushed off of the wall to face the door. Sora turned as the door opened.

A helper looked down at the clipboard in their hands. "Gaara, please come to the centre of the field, your match is up."

Gaara began to walk outside.

"Oh, hey!" Sora spoke up, making the Sand genin pause. "Uh, good luck..."

"I don't need luck," grunted the boy in a mumble and continued outside.

"At least do your best then... for Kita's sake."

Gaara halted and turned his head, his jade eyes staring at Sora. He gave a solemn nod and the door closed behind him, leaving the blue-haired boy alone.

Sora went back to leaning against the wall of the dark room. "I can tell that the both of you have a strong bond, stronger than just plain old friendship," he muttered to the darkness. "I don't need psychic powers to know that... I noticed whenever Kita looks at you, there's just a happiness there that isn't whenever she's with us." He sighed. "Kita... are the memories that painful for you? I don't see how they could be, but then... I don't think I could ever fathom something like what you've been through."

Araiki bumped his head against the back of the wall as he stared up at the ceiling. He winced, but continued to stare up above him, where he knew the crowd was.

Tomorrow, he thought, we get a short rest before the finals the day after. These secondary matches have six fights in total. That means then we'll have three matches... leaving three finalists. And from what I heard from Rindou and Shuuki, the final three will be the first ones at the top for being considered being promoted to chuunin. I'd like to be a chuunin... though I never really wanted to be a ninja. I'd be able to show the village that they shouldn't fear me, because I want to help them.

Araiki went cross-eyed slightly as the tied parts of his backwards hitae-ate fell onto his nose. He shooed them out of way.

Since we have a break tomorrow, maybe I should do something other than rest... that'd be just boring otherwise. Maybe I could... um... maybe... Maybe I could ask Kita-chan out on a date? He blushed slightly, thinking about what he would say. But how would I ask her? And she doesn't know me very well... No! He shook his head. I'm going to ask her out, and that way we can get to know each better then!

A sound made the shaggy-haired boy jump. He looked around, seeing that nobody was left in the room except himself.

"Did I miss the next callout?" Araiki asked quietly.

"Hey, look! It's Tansei!" exclaimed Yume, pointing down excitedly at the field from amongst the tangle of bodies that was her, Yanagi, and funnily enough, Jieichou, who had been reeled in when Yume's boot got caught in his ponytail.

"Darn," Yanagi pouted, pulling herself free to sit down. "I was hoping for Sora's match to be the next one..."

Jieichou untangled his ponytail carefully before sitting down as well. He wiped his brow. "Finally... that was painful..."

"Go Tansei!" screamed Yume enthusiastically, waving at the field. She paused. "Oh, hey... isn't that that freaky Sand guy?"

Kita blinked and looked down. Gaara...

"I don't know if I want to cheer for him..." whispered Hana next to Kita. She moved uncomfortably in her chair.

"Me either," Kita gave an uneasy smile, putting a hand on her shoulder. Win this match, Gaara... do it for me, please. But... but don't kill him. I know I told you all about that day with him, but... just show him a lesson.

Tansei's hands tightened their grip. So he was going to fight the strong guy from the Sand. He grinned with the thought of the challenge. There was one definite that couldn't be denied. He glared at Gaara. "Sand can never beat a stone!"

Gaara remained silent as he crossed his arms. This is the kid Kita told me about- green hair, overconfident. He was the one that caused her all that pain... The cork in his gourd wriggled itself free. Gaara could feel that old lust bubbling up again in his mind...

A/N: Phew, so there you go (Haha, take THAT, Masakari!)... I hope you enjoyed that. I actually had to rewrite it quite a bit... haha, but at least now it's a slightly longer chapter than what I've usually been doing. Remember to leave a review guys, along with anything you have on your mind! I'm really interested in what you guys think, and longer reviews make me happy! So until next time!

Jutsu used:

Any not described here probably are official jutsu that you can find on Wikipedia or some other informative Naruto site, or ones I've described before. If there's anything more you would like to know, please ask. And any jutsu listed are available for you to use, as long as you seek permission from me first.

Toge Wana (Thorn Snare)(Weapon Skill) An ability created by the Grass Sisters, this uses chakra to control the vines manually to ensnare an enemy and bind them.

Ooh, can't wait for next time! Leave a review for me, guys!