Kyubed:Shinobi's Revenge on Naruto

by ContraBardus

A young Naruto meets two strange men in the woods, with an even stranger story. After agreeing to special training, he finds the path of the true shinobi a bit different than he, or anyone else in the village expected.

38. Chapter 38

Kyubed: Shinobi's revenge on Naruto

Part 38

Ino's Final Exam: Round 1!

OooOOooOO

The other side of the observation deck across from the delegates and guests of Kumo was filled with twenlve Genin and their four Jounin instructors. They had been given a small talk by Shi, the proctor and referee of the final exam. The rules were the same as the Konohagakure exams. Fight until one opponent is incapacitated, gives up, or the referee stepped in to halt the fight. Killing techniques were permitted, but deaths were to be prevented if possible by the interference of the proctor.

Ino glared out across the arena. There was a lot of room, the bottom was a shallow pool of water, with about twenty five pillars made of wooden logs jutting up from the ground. They varied in height, and didn't reach the log suspended over the arena where the matches would start. The highest of them were about three feet below it, but most of the posts were anywhere from five to seven feet below it, with about twenty feet to the water below from the suspended log. "Interesting."

Tenten glanced at her and smirked. "Well, I'm looking forward to the fight." She would be facing one of Ayume's companions, the Genin with green hair. "I hope we get to fight, it's obvious you're stronger than you were before."

The blond glanced at her. "Careful what you wish for."

The dark haired girl in Chinese style clothes seemed amused by the comment. "Well, you've grown, but that doesn't mean you've got a chance at winning."

Neji and Ayume were beside her and ignoring the conversation. Lee was behind her with his arms crossed. "I'm anxious to begin."

Ryoji and Genji were leaning against the wall behind him. Neither one seemed interested. Genji was facing one of the Kumo ninja, Ryoji was fighting one of Ayume's companions. The blue haired boy who's name none of them knew. They were quiet, and kept to themselves through the exam. They seemed to look to the Hyuga girl as their leader. Lee was facing a Kumo girl with her white hair tied into a bun behind her head and an eye patch over her left eye. Neji was fighting another Kumo Ninja in his first match, a large boy with white cornrows and a scowl on his face. He was muscular for his age, but nowhere near the size of the Raikage with two short spiked clubs poking out over his shoulders.

Ino couldn't see Naruto in the opposite observation deck. It didn't strike her as odd, but the young blond girl his three Kitsune friends were standing around seemed familiar. "What the? What the hell is he doing?" She seemed to realize it was him after noticing the black forehead protector she was wearing. "What is with that weird pervert anyway?" She knew she wasn't supposed to say anything about him anyway, and decided it was best to just ignore it and forget about it.

She looked towards the entrance to the field as the Jounin who had explained the rules hopped up to the middle of the log. "The first match will begin as soon as the first two Genin are ready. Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuuga Ayume." The Hyuuga girl smirked at her in a dark manner as she strolled towards one of the entrances. There was a small stairway that lead down to a small walkway along the edge of the wall. Each end of the log had a separate entrance for each of the two Genin who would be facing each other. His name was Shi, and he had light skin and feathered hair that seemed to lie on top of his forehead protector.

Ino gave no indication she'd noticed the gesture and walked towards the closest entrance. Ayume kept her eye on her as she made her way over to the other. Both of them stepped out on the log and Shi was looking towards Ayume. "All right, that's one. Where is Yamanaka? Did she forfeit or something?"

"I'm right here. Anytime you're ready." The blond girl had her eyebrow cocked and her arms crossed behind him.

Shi glanced behind him and seemed surprised. His eyes went a little narrow as he looked at her. "What the?" He was a chakra sensor, there was no way she should have been able to walk right up behind him without him knowing it. He tried to cover up his surprise and nodded. "All right. Bow and begin."

Ayume had her eyes locked onto her opponent's and bowed. "You're so dead."

Ino returned the gesture and remained silent. Both girls stepped back in a combat stance as Shi jumped back onto one of the taller log pillars to observe.

The Hyuuga girl charged. "Get ready to die!"

Ino stood her ground right up until her opponent neared her and tried lash out at her with two extended fingers. She simply slid sideways and stood on the bottom of the log with her arms crossed and hung there.

Ayume was thrown off balance by the maneuver and growled as she staggered back into balance. "What the?"

Ino stepped back around the log behind her in a rather casual manner. She didn't say a word and spun into a kick that took the white eyed girl dead in the back of her head.

Ayume was thrown off the log and landed on the side of one of the pillars. She stuck in place and glared up at the rather malevolent looking blond girl as she stood on the log with her arms crossed while glaring down at her. The dark haired girl was rubbing the back of her skull and looking annoyed. "What the hell? How did she do that?" The veins around her eyes were bulging as the Byakugan worked at full strength. She gasped and jumped to the side of the opposite log as another Ino made a grab for her from behind the other side of the log. The young Hyuuga girl growled in frustration. "No way! I...I can't..."

Ino's voice spoke up. "Can't see me?"

Ayume looked up and growled. The blond ninja was standing on top of the log she was latched onto looking down at her. She screamed in rage and pushed up the side of the log with her hands, throwing a kick at the blond girl and forcing her to jump down to the top of a lower log. She was crouched and her long ponytail circled around her.

The dark haired girl pushed off and dove at her. "Stand still!"

Ino didn't move out of the way and caught her hands. She flipped them both over and ended up holding her hands with her feet in her opponent's belly. A rather large spray of water was kicked up as she landed on top of the Genin about ten feet below.

Ayume was coughing but managed to scream in time to clear her lungs and prevent getting the wind knocked out of her. The impact had also freed her arms. She jerked her hands and Ino was forced to jump back as three kunai knives passed through where she'd been. The white eyed girl was on her feet and glaring at her. "That hurt."

Ino stayed in her line of sight and nodded with a serious frown on her face. "It as supposed to."

The Hyuuga girl gritted her teeth and charged again. "I can't lose sight of her. I don't know how she's doing this! There's nothing to spot her with. She's got no chakra. I don't understand how she's even moving! This is crazy!" She was beginning to see why Hiashi wanted her dead. She'd seen that the girl had no chakra before, but had never considered that it rendered her Byakugan unable to track her outside of a direct line of sight.

Ino didn't move to hide and took a defensive stance. The white eyed girl jabbed at her with her fingers extended, attacking her chakra points.

The blond blocked and shifted out of the way, but took several strikes on her arms. She countered an overextended strike with a punch to Ayume's face, sending the girl staggering back. Again, Ino didn't move out of her line of sight.

Ayume was growing frustrated and was even more confused. "What? There's no way her arms should still work! What the hell is this? Some sort of Genjutsu?"

Ino crouched a little and put her hands up with her palms forward as she narrowed her eyes. The girl was thinking out loud. "You think I'm going to explain or something? You'd better think of something fast."

The dark haired girl growled. "I have." She had two kunai in her grip and tensed her legs. "I'll just have to cut you to shreds." Her glare became wild as she rushed forward again.

This time Ino backed away and weaved through the logs. Ayume managed to keep up, but the blond girl was difficult to keep track of. She ended up cutting several gashes into the wooden logs, but didn't manage to cut anything else but air.

Ino hopped up the side of one of the logs as her opponent stabbed at her and ended up impaling the wood instead.

Ayume's eyes darted up and she growled. "No you don't!" She knew she couldn't lose sight of her for a moment. She freed her weapon and jumped up after her. The pair bounced around the sides and top of the logs around the arena. Ino was staying just ahead of the girl and just out of reach.

The Hyuuga girl screamed in triumph as Ino stayed in place a moment too long one the side of one of the taller logs. She stabbed down with both weapons, and ended up sticking them both deeply into the wood as her target vanished in a puff of smoke. "What? A clone?"

"Shintente."

Ayume gasped in shock as her arms were suddenly pinned at her sides. She looked over at the bottom of the suspended log with wide eyes. A huge long glowing blue arm was protruding from Ino's left shoulder, the girl's real left arm was hanging by her head in a limp manner. She felt her world shift in a violent manner as the giant arm ripped her from the side of the log and tossed her into the air. "What? No way!"

Ino intercepted her in mid air by grabbing her arms and pulling her down. She was looking at her in the eyes with a rather blank expression as she held her in place and started to fall beneath her. The Hyuuga girl growled and tried to shift her feet into her opponent's belly, hoping to maneuver herself into a little payback once they hit the ground. "You dope. I've got you!"

The blond girl gave a smirk. "Do you?" She vanished in a puff of smoke, and the last thing Ayume remembered seeing was the top of one of the smaller log pillars as it slammed into her face. Her limp body flipped once in the air, and she landed on her back in the pool of water at the bottom of the arena out cold.

Yamanaka Ino was still standing on the bottom of the log with her arms cross, just as she had been for the entire match. She seemed pleased with herself and put her fingers up in a 'V'. "I win!" She tried to jump, but seemed to forget her position. After a moment of panic, she managed to flip over and land crouched next to where her opponent had landed. The girl's nose was broken, but she wouldn't die. "You're lucky I'm not supposed to kill you." She looked a bit annoyed as she noticed her condition.

Shi was standing over her. "Yamanaka Ino is the winner." His hands glowed blue as he put them over the fallen girl's face. Other medical nin were approaching to collect her and take her to the infirmary.

Lee was looking at Tenten and crossed his arms as he approached the railing of the observation deck. "Still sure you want to fight her?"

The girl frowned at him. "I won't be so easily tricked."

Neji looked rather passive and gave a small sigh. "I warned her. Oh well."

Ryoji cringed a bit. "Ouch. Brutal."

Genji shook his head. "Well, I can't say she didn't have it coming. She's been egging her on since we met her."

The larger boy nodded. "Indeed. Still, that seems like a bit much."

Her two teammates were visibly shocked. "Ayume!" cried the green haired boy.

"What the hell?" muttered his blue haired companion. "It's like she couldn't even see her!"

Their Jounin looked just as confused. "Ayume lost? What was that technique she used? I've never seen any Yamanaka do such a thing."

Yugao nodded. "Neither have I. Very interesting."

Gai seemed to agree. "Yes. A strange technique. I am also unfamiliar with it. I didn't expect Yamanaka to be so dominant in this fight."

Her Jounin glanced at him. "I didn't expect anything less. Neji might be a bit of a challenge, but I never considered Ayume to be much of a threat."

Both men looked at Yugao, the redhead seemed annoyed. Gai just appeared thoughtful. "The Yamanaka clan has always been well respected and spirited. However, I have never known them to be so overpowering in a fight. Where did she learn this technique she used?"

"I made it up." The girl was right beside the trio as they talked. "It's mine. I developed it myself."

Gai nodded and seemed less surprised than the other man. Yugao was also less than confused by her sudden appearance. Maito looked over at her. "What is it?"

The blond girl wagged her finger. "Like I'd tell. Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I went around telling people how my techniques work? Naruto would torture me for months!"

The redheaded Jounin scowled. "Naruto?"

Ino looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. No way I'm pissing him off like that. You're just gonna have to figure it out on your own."

Ayume's two teammates were glaring at her, but neither one seemed interested in speaking up. They weren't happy and were keeping their distance. It was easy to see they were shaken by the Hyuuga girl's loss. Especially considering how easy it seemed for the blond girl to beat her.

OooOOooOO

Neji's first battle was a short affair. He had no difficulty with his opponent. The large Genin he was facing used two clubs to fight, and quickly fell apart after his hands were rendered unable to hold them. He won in less than three minutes, and his opponent was never given much opportunity to retaliate.

Ino didn't seem that surprised, and glanced at him as he walked by.

He glanced at her and frowned. "I hope you've made your preparations. I am your next match, and you will not survive."

The blond girl tossed her hair. "You've got no chance. I'm not impressed. I could have beat that loser in less than two minutes."

He gave a humorless chuckle and shook his head. "Be ready. I cannot show any mercy."

"I know," Ino didn't seem the slightest bit concerned with his threat. "It's no accident that you weren't told to stop. I'm here to prove something, and if you think you're strong enough to kill me, you're in for a nasty surprise, Hyuuga."

The boy's face fell a little. He didn't look angry, but was clearly surprised by her reply. "You know. I almost hope you're right."

Lee scowled at him as he moved past. Tenten looked a little worried. The boy moved up to Ino's side. "Ino. I do not wish to sound as if I do not respect your strength. You have grown much stronger than I imagined. However, perhaps it would be best if you forfeited your next match. Neji has more than just your defeat in mind. I have no desire to watch you die. Even I would not fight him under such conditions. He is the most powerful Genin here."

The girl frowned at him. "No. I am."

The female Kumo ninja glanced over at the pair. "You Konoha nin sure talk a lot. That was a pretty impressive fight, but you're not the strongest kunoichi here. I am."

The boy at her side rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Sahara." He was another light skinned ninja with loose clothes and had some sort of chain weapon hanging around his waist several times.

She frowned at him. "Shut up, Kudami. You've never beaten me." She was wearing a tight fitting bodysuit with an equally tight skirt. Her hair was tied up behind her head, and she had dark skin like a majority of the Kumo ninja.. "All this talk of strength bores me. We'll show you what truly strong ninja are."

Ino frowned at her. "Heh. We'll see."

The male Kumo ninja glanced down at the arena. "Something seems to be bothering Shi. He's been glaring at her quite a bit."

Sahara narrowed her eyes. "So what? I'm not going to lose to the likes of these Konoha brats. One of the Hyuuga is out of the way. So that only leaves one, and I doubt this girl will beat him. I'll get to finally defeat one of them and show Raikage that there's nothing of note about them."

Tenten frowned over her shoulder at her. "You talk pretty big. You don't seem like much to me."

Lee didn't speak up but glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was his first match.

Sahara looked at Kudami and nodded towards the arena. "You're up. Try not to be to hard on these weaklings. We've got to show Kumo's strength and uphold our village's honor. Don't screw up."

The boy didn't seem pleased, but didn't argue as he moved towards the arena. Genji followed after him with his hands in his pockets. "Should be interesting. Hopefully all that stupid training paid off. That sadistic jerk you stuck us with was a real asshole."

Ryoji nodded. "I'll say. What the hell was with that prick anyway? He told us that he'd slit our throats if we failed."

Ino narrowed her eyes at them. "Sasuke is awesome, you dopes. You'd better listen to him too. If he said that he meant it."

The large boy seemed a bit annoyed. "Yeah. Right."

Genji shook his head. "As if. He's..."

Ino scowled at them both. "I'm not joking. You'd better pass."

The brunette seemed a bit nervous as he staggered out to his place over the arena. He glanced towards where the Hokage was sitting and turned a bit pale as one of the two ANBU guarding her lifted his hand up and ran his thumb across his throat. "Crap." He turned to face his opponent.

Ryoji noticed it as well. "Don't tell me...that's..."

Ino seemed pleased and nodded. "Yeah. Isn't he great? You'd better do your best and hope you pass, cause he's watching you."

Shi looked between the two combatants. "Are you both ready? Good. Then bow and begin."

Both boys gave the minimal display of respect and stepped back into a combat stance.

Genji moved first, rushing forward to attack. The Kumo boy jumped back onto one of the poles and swept his arm. The Konoha Genin noticed a purple glow in his hand. "Some sort of jutsu?" He gasped as he was forced off the suspended log and onto another of the log pillars. The chain that had been around the boy's waist was uncoiled and swung at him like a whip. The brunette frowned as he was forced to jump back and down as it changed trajectory in mid swing and arced back at him again. "What the?" He ended up stuck on the side of one of the poles.

Kudami chuckled. "You're a close range fighter. How fortunate for me. I have an advantage in my first match."

The Konoha Genin narrowed his eyes. "Do you now?"

The Kumo ninja looked quite smug. "Of course. My weapon is infused with my electric chakra, creating an electromagnetic link that allows me to control it completely. A powerful defense, you can't get close enough to hurt me." The whip circled around his body several times suspended in the air about two feet away from him providing a barrier of chains.

Genji jumped off of his perch and onto another pole as the whip lashed out again. The end of the chain had a kunai on it as a counterweight. It looked to be about fifteen feet long and was made up of medium sized inch long links. "Interesting."

Kudami remained on his perch and lashed out with the weapon. "All you can do is run. Sooner or later, you'll wear down. Why don't you just give up?"

The boy bounced away as the tip took another stab at him and put his hands in front of his mouth. "I'm not a close range fighter." He blew into his palms and jumped away again leaving a trail of flames from his cupped palms at his side. He landed on the side of another pole and thrust his palms forward. "Hidama!"

The Kumo nin growled as he jumped away and landed on top of another pole. He lashed at the projectile with his whip.

Genji was glaring with is right two fingers pointed up in front of his face. "Hidama Shihai Setsu!" Just before the chain hit, the fireball split in two and arced around the weapon.

Kudami gasped as they both slammed into him. His clothes caught fire and he tumbled down in the shockwave of the blast. His chain went limp as he splashed into the water and staggered to his feet. "Damn!"

The brunette landed in front of him with his first raised up and one knee lifted up to his abdomen. "You can't use that technique of yours when you're in the water, can you?"

The Kumo boy gasped as his eyes went wide. The Konoha ninja attacked, using his elbows and knees to repeatedly slam into his body. The unfortunate white haired boy was sent reeling and staggered in the wake of the blows. Genji took a step back and pulled his arm into what looked like an uppercut. "Kasai Senpuu!" He punched at the air between them, not even aiming at his opponent. A small flaming tornado about as tall as he was shot forward and slammed into the Kumo boy's body. Kudami was lifted off his feet and spun into the air in flames. He ended up tossed to the right after about a second and landed face first into the water.

Genji started to move towards him, but the boy was on his feet and dashed away. Kudami narrowly missed being kneed in the face by his opponent and Genji's knee crushed a large dent in one of the poles.

The brunette boy squeezed his eyes shut and hopped in place for a moment.

Kudami was up above the water again. "Bastard!" His chain whip became charged again as he tossed the kunai on the end at his enemy. "Get over here!"

Genji hopped out of the way and landed on one of the poles again. "Shit." He was being forced to run again as the chain whip sped after him. He'd really pissed the Kumo Genin off. He dashed through the poles and glanced over at his opponent. The chain was keeping him away from him and on the move. "Heh. He's not paying much attention." He started to dodge about from pole to pole and ended up landing between three of them after a few moments. The chain jerked at him, but stopped cold a few inches from his face. He smirked at it and looked up at the Kumo ninja. "Well, seems you're stuck." It was completely wrapped around the three poles he was standing between about four times and couldn't reach him.

Kudami snarled and looked quite smug again. "You think so?" He gripped the chain and jerked hard.

Genji got a little wide eyed. "Oh shit." The three poles surrounding him snapped off on their bases and closed in to crush him on three sides. He ran up the side of them, bouncing from pole to pole twice and landed on top of the three of them just before they closed on his ankle. He took a second to regard the close call and looked at where his opponent was positioned. "Heh." Rather than jump down, he shifted his weight towards the Kumo ninja.

Kudami almost dropped his whip as he realized what was going on. He tensed to move out of the way, but it was too late. Genji came down from above with the momentum of the falling pillars and elbowed him dead in the face.

The Kumo ninja ended up face down in the water with his weapon stuck and wrapped around the three logs. He was down and didn't get up.

Shi flipped him over. "The winner, Otori Genji."

The brunette boy crossed his arms and regarded his opponent. "Not bad."

Kudami was awake again and nodded. "Yeah. You're stronger than I though."

Genji offered his hand and lifted him to his feet. "You're just lucky you didn't get stuck with that brat Ino. She's a sadistic monster."

Both the gesture and the comment caught him off guard. "So, she's Konoha's strongest Genin then?"

The brunette nodded. "Don't tell her I said it, but that Hyuuga guy doesn't stand a chance. He's gonna get creamed."

Shi narrowed his eyes at the conversation but didn't say anything. Neither of them noticed as they moved towards the exit. There was a small staircase that lead to a hall that would take them back up to the observation deck. Kudami would have a nasty black eye, but he wasn't really hurt. "Ino? Who is that girl? Why can't I sense her? What is this?" He glanced up and noticed the Hokage was looking quite smug in her seat.

The Tsuchikage was looking on and seemed a bit bored. The Raikage seemed annoyed, but not that upset at the loss. Sahara was their strongest contender, but Genji was expected to be just a Konoha scrub. The only real fight they were expected to put up was the Hyuuga pair. The Yamanaka girl was a total upset, no one had been expecting it. She was fighting on a level far above Genin. She made him nervous, he couldn't feel anything from her. It was as if she wasn't there.

His eyes turned up to the box again. "What the?" He'd not noticed at all, but there were two ANBU standing behind the Hokage. Two more dead signatures, two more ninja with a presence he could not sense. "No way! This is..." It was dangerous is what it was. It was something the Raikage needed to know. Masking one's chakra was one thing, but hiding your presence in plain sight, in the middle of a fight no less, should not have been possible.

Regardless, it was something that would have to wait until the events were finished. He was anxious to see the Yamanaka girl's next match. He needed to be sure, but he'd not sensed her presence unless she used that Jutsu. That arm thing that had ripped the Hyuuga girl off her perch and tossed her. Not even when she was jumping about the sides of the pillars using the tree climbing jutsu.

Shi took his place on the suspended log again. "The next match will begin as soon as the participants are ready."

OooOOooOO

Ino smiled and slapped Genji on his shoulder. "Hey. Good job!"

He winced in pain as it was a little harder than it needed to be. "Yeah. Thanks."

Ryoji gave a nod at his opponent as he passed. "That guy was pretty strong. You're lucky."

The brunette boy frowned at him. "Hey. I won fair."

Ino seemed pleased. "Yeah. Maybe Sasuke will let you live now?" She looked towards the three Kage at the tiger masked boy. "He's so awesome!"

Tenten's match was up. She was fighting the green haired boy on Ayume's team. Ino leaned over the rail. "I hope she kicks his butt!"

The match wasn't anything special. Tenten was a skilled weapons user, and her opponent was of the same type, but with less experience. Both used summoning jutsu to conjure weapons, but Tenten was able to conjure a lot more, and was better able to use them. The match took about ten minutes as there was a lot of cover, but ended as the dark haired girl managed to get a kunai up to the boy's throat after ambushing him from behind one of the pillars.

Ino seemed pleased with the result. "Yeah! She's not bad. I'm so gonna kick her butt if we fight though."

Ryoji gave a small snort. "Whatever. I guess I'm up next." He moved by towards the entrance to the arena. His opponent was the other member of Ayume's team. Shi was waiting as they both moved out.

The dark haired boy nodded at his opponent after he bowed. "Never caught your name. I'm Hidori Ryoji."

His opponent nodded. "Udawa Kensuke. Shall we begin?" He was considerably smaller and thinner than his opponent.

The larger boy nodded and removed his mace. "Anytime you're ready." He seemed laid back and relaxed as he put the weapon on his shoulder.

The blue haired boy started forming hand seals. "Suiton Mizu no Tatsumaki!" The water below formed a small vortex that surrounded him.

Ryoji cocked his head. "Should have expected." He hefted his mace and slammed it down onto the log. The vibration was enough to send his opponent off the side of the foothold and into the water below. The larger boy hopped down with him.

Kensuke rolled aside to prevent being landed on and ended up crouched on one knee. "Well, thanks. I was wondering how I was going to get you down here."

His opponent didn't look worried. "I figured as much. Hand seals are slow, and you've got to keep your distance."

The blue haired Genin frowned. "You don't seem to be taking this seriously."

The larger Genin shrugged. "Does it seem that way?"

His opponent rushed forward at him. "Suiton: Suihachi!" He thrust his hand forward and a powerful jet of water blasted out of his palm.

Ryoji shifted to his right, and the attack ended up getting the side of one of the pillars wet. He reached around the log as the boy staggered to a stop, grabbed his shirt, and pulled his face into the side of the pillar from behind it. "You're pretty good at water Jutsu."

Kensuke was annoyed and staggered back clutching his nose. "It's my specialty." He performed a few more hand seals, or rather tried too.

His opponent rushed out from behind his cover as he started and swung his mace down. The blue haired boy managed to dodge the full force of the blow, but didn't realize that his enemy wasn't aiming for his head or body. There was a resounding crack, and his right wrist snapped. His hand went rather limp and he fell to his knees.

Ryoji was standing over him and put his mace on his shoulder. "I expected better. Oh well. Are you going to give up, or should I belt you over the head?"

Kensuke growled and balled up his fist as he glared at him. "I won't give up!" The larger boy arched his eyebrow and jumped back as he realized he was doing one handed seals.

The whirlwind of water technique he'd used before blasted around him creating a barrier. Inside Kensuke was performing more seals with his good hand.

Ryoji cursed and started dashing around the arena behind the pillars. "Shit." Balls of water were shooting from the wall of water that protected his opponent. He took a blow to the side and slid onto the ground on his belly.

Kensuke's barrier fell before he hit the ground and the boy was rushing at him with a kunai drawn. "I have you!"

The dark haired boy grunted and grabbed at something in the water. "Catch."

The blue haired Genin's eyes went wide as the three chain wrapped logs flew at him as Ryoji jerked the chain hard and threw them at him. He stood up looking on as the boy was pinned to the wall by the wood while holding his side. "Huh. I guess that's that." He walked up and lifted his mace over his head.

Shi's hand stopped him from giving the knockout blow. "That's enough. This is over. Hidori Ryoji is the winner."

The larger Genin relaxed and rubbed at his side in irritation. "Man, that's gonna leave a mark. He glanced over his shoulder to find Shi moving the logs out of the way as the medical team came to take him off and take care of his wrist. He wasn't really hurt otherwise, but looked displeased with his loss. Ryoji paused at the exit as they moved by him. "You shouldn't rely on hand seals so much. It puts you at a disadvantage."

"Shut up." Growled his opponent as he was led away.

Ryoji shrugged and moved back towards the observation deck. "Hey." He greeted his two teammates as he leaned against the wall. "What's up?"

Ino seemed pleased. "Hey. Good job. You kicked that guys butt. So, I guess you might get to live too."

The dark haired boy scowled. "He's not going to kill us. He might just beat us up or something. It's murder to kill us, not even he could get away with it. Stop posing."

The blond girl shrugged. "If you say so."

Genji glared towards the seated Kage. "I'm not willing to risk it, are you?"

His companion crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Like I'm going to lose on purpose or something. Don't worry about it. We'll be fine either way."

Ino gave a small sigh. "Whatever. Hey, Lee is up next. He's got that Kumo girl." She didn't know him, but he seemed nice enough. "Sasuke beat him in the last exams. I heard he's really strong."

Sahara gave a smirk as she moved by towards the arena. "He's about to lose again."

Shi was waiting for them and glanced at each of them as they approached. "All right. Ready to begin?"

Lee bowed. "I hope that it is a good match."

The girl lifted her nose. "Well, aren't we the polite little schoolboy? I hope you're ready to lose."

Rock Lee seemed a bit put off by her attitude. "I see. I shall not go easy on you because you are a woman. I respect both sexes, and you are my honorable opponent."

She returned the bow out of formality. "You'd better take me seriously. I'm the strongest Genin here. I will crush the Hyuuga boy, and anyone who stands in my way. For the honor of Kumogakure."

The boy in green put his hands up to prepare for the start. "For the honor of Konohagakure then, I shall give my best!"

Shi hopped back as usual. "Begin."

Lee rushed forward, but Sahara nimbly hopped over his head and bounced over to one of the nearby poles. The boy was less than surprised and kicked off his momentum to flip into the air and hack at her with another kick.

The girl ducked beneath it and gasped. "He's fast!" He landed below her and clung to the side of the pole face down.

She scowled down at him and looked confused. He pulled his knees up to his gut and pushed off bouncing from pole to pole building up speed. "What's he up too?" He was moving right at her, but about ten feet below towards her foothold. She hopped out of the way, and Lee hooked a kick that split the pole in two sending the top half of it into the water. He shifted his aim again and launched himself at her next foothold. "I see. He's pretty strong." Rather than continue to break the footholds she hopped down into the water pool and landed on top of it.

Lee followed and slid to a stop on his knees, sending a spray of water that arced and fell into the pool just in front of her toes. She smirked at him. "You intend to keep me dry then? How cute."

The boy raised his fists as he stood upright. "There is no need to be rude in this fight."

Sahara chuckled with her arms crossed in front and a relaxed pose as she stood on the surface of the water. "Chivalrous, how quaint. My, you are quite the specimen. I wonder, what it is that you fear?"

The boy did not move forward and looked confused. "Pardon?" His hands fell a little as he seemed to realize that she was not going to attack him. "It seems I must initiate this battle."

The girl pulled her hand up to her eye patch as he charged and flipped over him, kicking off his shoulders and landing behind him as he shattered a portion of the wall of the arena. He remained extended in his punch for a moment and looked over his shoulder. "She's quite nimble." She wasn't as fast as him, but seemed to use precise timing to evade his strikes. "It seems I must try harder, I cannot let up. My speed is a clear advantage."

The girl had her eye patch in her hand and her left eye was close. "No. It doesn't matter." She opened it revealing a completely red eye. "Areno Osore."

Lee tensed up as his gaze caught the eye. "What? Genjutsu!" Hands of water reached up and latched onto his legs and arms. It was not the girl before him, but his Master. "Gai....sensei..."

The man was frowning at him. Not just any frown, but a frown of severe disappointment. "Lee, you've failed. Worse, you've severely disappointed me!"

The boy gasped in shock as his jaw dropped. "No! I...I didn't! I did my best!"

Gai shook his head. "I see now I was wrong about you. Even your best is not good enough. It will never be good enough. You've failed, you're a failure, I am ashamed that I am your teacher."

Tears fell down his eyes as he fell to his knees. There was no more water around him, just sand. A vast open landscape with the sun beating down upon him. "What is this? How could I have failed? I do not understand!" He looked at his hands, the skin was starting to flake off as it became gray and dried. "What? No! I...this isn't..."

"Real?" A familiar voice chuckled. "I'm afraid that it is. You'll never win." Neji was looking down at him with a smirk on his face. "Just give up. You've already failed. Admit defeat."

He fell to his palms and gripped the sand between his fingers. "Failed? I...No! I would never give up! I won't fail Gai sensei! If he will not accept me, I'll work doubly hard, until I have redeemed myself! Even if it kills me! I shall never give up!" He stood tall and balled up his fist. "I shall not lose!"

He blinked. All around him was the arena again, he was ankle deep in the water with a fallen log at his side.

"I'm afraid you already have." He went tense as he felt something at his throat. Sahara was behind him with her weapon pointed at his jugular. "You've got a strong body, and an admirable will, but anyone can be easily distracted with their own worst fear."

Shi looked on from just above them. "That's enough. Sahara wins."

The Raikage smirked and settled in his seat with his chest puffed out. Tsunade glanced down at him and seemed surprised.

Lee's head slumped down. "Drat. I lose again."

The girl shifted her hips and left the arena. He followed after her and slumped down near to Neji and Tenten. "I lose again. I've failed again."

Gai put his hand on his shoulder. "That's all right. I know you gave your best. I would never reject you that way."

Lee blinked and looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Gai...sensei?"

"Don't worry Lee, you'll train even harder, and succeed! The Energy of Youth cannot be destroyed by only a few simple setbacks. Just work hard, and you'll succeed in your goals!"

Lee rushed into his arms in tears. "Yes! I'll train twice as hard Gai sensei! I'll succeed for sure!"

Neji was flushed and looking away. "You idiot. You were screaming all that nonsense at the top of your lungs. Everyone heard you."

Tenten looked confused. "What happened? You just froze up."

Gai scowled. "It seems Kumo has managed to revive a lost Jutsu. The Manako No Reikan, or 'Eye of the Soul'. Areno Osore, or 'Desert of Fear' is one of the techniques it allows the one who possesses it to use. It's an eye Jutsu, and the clan that once held the secret to this technique was a great rival of the Hyuuga clan during the Second Great Shinobi War. It was thought they were all killed. I do not know how they managed to revive this technique."

Neji growled and balled up his fist. "Manako No Reikan?" He glared over at the Kumo girl. "That's...impossible. The Hyuuga destroyed it. How did Kumo manage to revive it?"

Gai looked over at him. Lee had a serious frown on his face. "What does it matter? They have, and it's not all that surprising or impossible. We all know they have been very interested in studying eye jutsu since the end of the last war. The Hyuuga and Uchiha clan were ferocious and feared by them. Now, it appears they have recovered one of their own that was once lost to them."

Yugao spoke up from behind him. "Agreed. A very interesting development, but hardly of any consequence. The Hyuuga clan's Byakugan was clearly superior. They destroyed them."

Gai shook his head. "They very nearly destroyed each other. The Hyuuga would not have won that clash without the aid of the Uchiha clan. This is something we must remember. The Manako No Reikan allows for very powerful Genjutsu, and is not to be taken lightly."

Ino was listening in nearby. "Huh. That's interesting. She's pretty strong then?"

Yugao looked over her shoulder at her and nodded. "So it would seem. I don't know much about it."

Gai frowned. "Nor do I. I took an interest in the History of the Shinobi Wars after the end of the Third. It is a little unsettling, but I doubt we should consider it a threat at the moment. It is something we should be mindful of when dealing with Kumogakure in the future."

Neji scowled at her. "You don't have time to worry about her, and neither do I. I hope you've made your preparations, because the end of your life has come." He turned away from the group and moved towards the arena.

Ino scowled and followed after him. "You jerk. Just shut the hell up. I'm gonna kick your sorry butt!"

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next Time: The Second Round!