A Hero

Chapter 38

I don't own Naruto. We're almost done with the preliminary matches. I suspect that I only have one more to tell after this one. As for why these two in this match, I don't want to repeat myself in another story, and I just wanted to have these two face off.

"Next contestants!" Genma called out, taking two strips from hand, "Number 16 and Number 8!"

From his seat beside Hinata, Naruto was surprised to see Sakura and Sasuke both rose in their seats, each seeming a bit surprised to see that the other was their opponent.

"Names?" Hayate inquired, suppressing a cough.

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura replied.

"And Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke added when Hayate turned to face him.

"Thank you," Hayate said as he returned to the table he and Genma were sitting at, only to start coughing again.

Once Hayate stopped coughing long enough to tell him the names, Genma continued and said, "Next contestants: Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha! As you should all know by now, but I'm required to say before each match, the winner gets to continue to the official matches, while the loser will not even be able to be evaluated for advancement in rank until the next Exam session. Now, begin!"

Immediately after those words were uttered, Sasuke began to rush Sakura, who maintained a solid stance, seeming to plan on staying her ground. Once Sasuke was fairly close to her, however, she quickly dropped down, attempting to knock his legs out from under him. Just as she nearly made contact, however, Sasuke leapt back, throwing a pair of kunai as he did so.

Sakura's immediate response was to roll away from the weapon, tossing three shuriken as she rushed towards Sasuke, pulling out a pair of kunai as she picked up speed. While she charged, however, Sasuke immediately moved out of the path of the shuriken, letting loose a few of his own, which Sakura dodged without breaking her stride, occasionally batting a few aside with her kunai. Switching her grip on the kunai in her left hand so that it was reverse grip, she immediately lunged, only to be sidestepped by Sasuke, who knocked the kunai out of her right hand as he dodged.

As one of her two weapons was batted away, she immediately switched her grip and lashed out towards him with the remaining weapon, swinging her blade in a horizontal arc to get a strike on his vulnerable shoulder. Moving as quickly as he could, Sasuke turned and blocked the strike, only for Sakura to drop the weapon into her waiting right hand before she moved for another strike. It took a quick reaction from Sasuke to avoid being hit, but he managed to get away with just a cut on his upper-arm. He immediately launched a counter attack with a kunai of his own, managing to get a cut on the back of her right hand, causing her to drop her kunai in surprise as she pulled away. Once she was regained her bearings, she swung out with her left hand clenched in a fist, knocking Sasuke back a good distance as she drew another kunai.

The instant Sakura was close enough to Sasuke, the Last Loyal Uchiha performed a sweeping kick, which Sakura immediately dodged, only for Sasuke to successfully get a cut on her leg. As a result, Sakura stumbled ever so slightly as she landed, but recovered as quickly as she could. Unfortunately it was still enough time for Sasuke to close the distance. Before he could strike, however, she lashed out with another kunai, managing to get another cut on his arm.

The intensity of the battle quickly increased, with the pair trading blows and counters, both intent on besting the other. The match drew on for some time, but eventually, one of them finally emerged victorious.

"Winner!" Genma called out, "Sasuke Uchiha!"

Much like Hinata and Neji in the match before them, Sasuke and Sakura leaned against one another as they dragged themselves to the medics, having both take a good number of hits in the match.

"Danzo, we need to speak privately," the Sandaime said as he walked up to his old friend and rival.

"Very well," Danzo said, turning to one of the nearby ROOT agents Hiruzen had stated nearby, "Stay on guard while we talk."

Once they were in the silent room, Danzo asked, "What is it?"

"You remember the discussion we had previously?" Hiruzen asked, "About Suna and Oto?"

"Of course," Danzo said, "What new information do you have?"

"Anko Mitarashi and Kakashi Hatake told me that Orochimaru was in the Forest of Death during the Forest portion of the Exam," Hiruzen said, ignoring Danzo's look of surprise "We suspect that he's the one in charge of Oto, since it would give some explanation as to why Jiraiya couldn't find that much information on their leader. If our suspicion is proven right, then we have two villages and one of our greatest traitors working against us."

"He has to have someone in the village who's helping him," Danzo mused, "The best way to get into a village without getting caught is to have at least one person on the inside as a spy. Turn the right piece in a game, and you can have the perfect strategic position. He's been playing a long game. . ."

"I think that you're right," Hiruzen remarked, "Which is why I'm going to need to use a few more members of ROOT, alongside some of the actual Anbu, working in teams of two, one Anbu for every ROOT. The ROOT agent needs to be skilled at stealth, while the Anbu will be there to watch for any sign of something off about anyone they find. Am I clear?"

"I think that I have a handful members that I can put up to this, at most," Danzo agreed, "I only have a few reserve members that haven't been assigned after your last command."

"That should do well," Hiruzen replied, "Give me a list of just how many you have on hand, and tell them to follow the orders of the Anbu they're teamed up. I have a few members of the Anbu in mind, and they might need to alter the protocol if things go badly. With any luck, everything should work out exactly as expected."