A few days had left before the finals of the chunin exams and until now, everything has been very smooth and calm. During those 2-3 last weeks, Tsuki had been training with Tsume and Kiba, the training reminding her of her time with the pack. Despite the bruises and sore muscles, she could feel her body getting stronger and her attacks faster; more effective. She also became quite attached to the family of three along with Kiba's teammates, Hinata. She somehow ended up befriending not only Ino but also with the rest of the crew.

Tsuki even met Naruto's trainer, the legendary Sanin, Jiraiya. Unfortunately, she met him on the last day of Naruto's training when he taught Naruto how to summon a giant frog, also known as Chief Toad. However, in order for Chief to accept Naruto as his summoner, the blond Uzumaki had to stay on his back for a whole hour. Of course, in the end, he won but he was so drained from chakra that he fainted a second later. Then, Tsuki took him to the hospital and stayed by his side for a whole day.

Right now, the blond was sleeping on his bed while Tsuki was sitting on a chair right next to his head and was reading when Shikamaru entered.

"Still here?" he asked as the wolf girl placed the book back at her pouch.

"What can I say? I want to make sure that he is aright"

"What about your teacher?"

"She is angry but she understands. However, the moment I return, I am screwed" she explained and shivered, remembering the glare Tsume gave her when she explained the reason for her absence. Needless to say, it was terrifying and that came from a girl that grew up with big wolves for almost 6 years.

"Yikes," Shikamaru commented as Tsuki had told him about her training with Tsume, Kiba's mother and her crazy methods while they were cloud watching some days they found themselves free. Suddenly a groan snapped both of them and they looked at the bed, only to see Naruto waking up. "Hey, you finally woke up"

"… Where am I?"

"Hospital," they said together.

"Water…"

"Here," the wolf girl said and passed him the glass, helping him to drink.

"Thank Tsuki *drinks water* how long have I been out?" Naruto asked as Tsuki left the glass on the stand and helped Naruto to lift his upper body.

"I have heard that you have been out for 3 days, am I right Tsuki?" Shikamaru asked her.

"Yeah, pretty much"

"Why am here with you? … Where is pervy Sage?"

"I do not know who this 'Pervy Sage', you are talking about is, but I came here to visit Choji, even though it was a drag. However, I knew that Tsuki would have stayed by your side so I decided to see how she is"

"As to answer your question. Master Jiraiya left had something important to do. Do not worry, he said that you are ready for your match and he wished you good luck" Tsuki added.

"I see… wait! Is Choji hurt that bad?"

"Not quite… after his match, Choji ate too much barbeque and got a severe case of indigestion" Shikamaru explained while rubbing the back of his neck.

He laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Choji"

"You two aren't the type of getting any female visitors-"

"Hey!"

"Except you Tsuki, you came because you are his best friend and you were with him when he 'fainted' three days ago"

"Yeah… I guess you have a point" the girl said embarrassed while rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well, it's a huge pain but I bought this fruit basket. However, he is not allowed to have it, by doctor's orders, so let's eat it ourselves"

"I know! Let's eat them in front of Choji!" Naruto said a mischievous grin on his face.

"You are such a freak," Shikamaru said.

"Oh come on Shika! It will be hilarious and very fun. Don't you agree, Naruto?" Tsuki asked as she helped him to get off the bed.

"Who are you and what you did to the Tsuki I know?" the Uzumaki asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

The Tsuki he knew would never agree to do silly pranks, keeping a more serious attitude. Yet, the girl in front of him showed mischief in her eyes and the smile on her face only confirmed her thoughts.

"Sorry, I have made some bad companies the last few weeks" she explained while rubbing the back of her neck.

"Nah, that's okay. I like that"

"Really?" her cheeks blushed at the choice of words and she shook her head, trying to get rid of it. It was something that started to take place more and more often around the boys, something she didn't like; that much.

"Yeah, so what are we waiting for? Let's go!" He said and quickly exited the room, Tsuki and Shikamaru following close behind


The three genin walked down the hall, towards Choji's room. However, they stopped when they noticed something suspicious through an open door. They carefully popped their head and their eyes widen at what was in front of them.

Gaara was standing above the unconscious and terribly injured Lee. A deadly and murdering aura was coming from him and from the look on his face; everyone could understand that he had not come for just a visit. He raised his hand above Lee and was ready to finish the job he had left behind when Tsuki kicked Shikamaru, who unfroze immediately from the shock, and motioned for him to activate his shadow possession Jutsu.

Shikamaru quickly understood, placed his hand on the Tora sign and stopped Gaara, inches away from finishing what he had started. Naruto suddenly charged in and punched Gaara on the cheek. However, a different cry of pain was heard as Shikamaru started rubbing his cheek while glaring at Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, do not forget that while I have the shadow possession going, whatever you do to him, I feel it too!"

"Sorry Shikamaru"

"Naruto, sometimes you are a complete idiot," Tsuki said as she mentally facepalmed but quickly turned her attention to the redhead. "I suggest you sent your sand back at the gourd before things turn bad" she added in a calm but steady voice while both of them were having a starring contest.

Finally, he did as he told and the sand disappeared. Shikamaru and Tsuki entered a little more to the room, her eyes not leaving his. Suddenly, Naruto spoke and made them broke the contest.

"What do you think you are doing to Bushy Brows?!" he asked.

"I wanted to kill him"

"What?!"

"And why would you want to do that?" Tsuki questioned.

"I wanted to kill him because… I wanted to kill him"

"Do you even know what the heck you are saying?! Do you?!" Naruto shouted and Tsuki covered her ears.

"You really were not raised right, were you? You are so self-centred" Shikamaru commented.

"If you try to interfere… I will kill you too"

Muscles tensed and her ears fell on her skull, a growling escaping her lips. "You can try" She was not afraid of him and she was already mad for almost killing Lee. However, she could not help but have an odd feeling inside. There was something more to him, more than the eye could see but she didn't know what.

"Yeah! Just try it!" Naruto agreed, his fist raised.

"Hey! Quite it Naruto!" Shikamaru scolded him, fear of his impulsiveness.

"I may have not seen you fight, but I can tell that you are strong. However…"

"It will be three against one, so you will have a disadvantage," Shikamaru said and finished what Tsuki was saying as if he had read her mind.

"I will say this once more… if you keep interfering, I will kill you"

"You can't kill me!" Naruto said, rather proudly and went for an attack but Tsuki grabbed his jacket.

"Stop it Naruto! If we are going to fight, at least as fight together!"

"Yeah, well I have a real live monster inside of me! I will not lose to someone like him!"

"A monster huh? I have one of those too. Just like you said, I was not raised right. In the process of my birth, I stole the life of the woman I was supposed to call mother… In order to create the world's strongest shinobi, my father used a ninjutsu an incarnation of sand within my body. I was born a monster. Known as Shukaku, it was the spirit of the former Sunagakure elder that had been sealed inside a teakettle"

After Gaara's explanation, Tsuki was watching his with wide eyes. However, instead of showing fear or pity like most of the people, her own showed understanding and kindness. Gaara had noticed that and could not help but wonder why she was watching him like this. This was not his goal and in reality, no one had looked at him with those eyes. With the tip of her eye, Tsuki looked at Naruto and Shikamaru who had taken a step back, leaving her at the front line. On their eyes, fear and shocked were showed.

"A type of possession art that causes the fetus to be forcibly possessed…? To go that far, that is crazy!" Shikamaru said, mostly to himself. Naruto looked at Gaara with sceptical eyes. The fear and shock had disappeared and his eyes were showing the same emotions as Tsuki. "What kind of parents does something like that to their own kid? That is some twisted love"

"Don't judge me by your standards… Family? Let me tell you what that word means to me, mere hunks of flesh connected by hatred and murderous intent. My mother's life was sacrificed so that I could be brought to life as the greatest masterpiece and as the Kazekage's son. My father taught me secret shinobi skills, one after the other. I was raised in isolation, spoiled and overprotective. At first, I thought it was love… until the incident"

"What incident?"

"What are you talking about?! What happened? dattebayo!"

"For the past six years, since I turned six, my father has been trying to assassinate me"

"Huh?" Naruto and Tsuki questioned, not believing what they had just heard.

"But you just said that your father spoiled you… so what do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.

"A presence that is too powerful, become a presence that is feared. Having been born through jutsu, my mind is unstable. It seems the fools of the village finally realized I had emotional issues. To my father, in his role as the Kazekage, I was the village's most powerful weapon, but at the same time, I was a fearsome and dangerous object. So apparently, when I turned six, they determined that I was too great to liability. Prior to that, I had merely been handled with care like any other hazardous instrument. To them, I am now a relic of the past that they wish to erase and forget. So, for what purpose do I exist? Why am I alive? At first, when I asked myself that, I had no answer but while I continued to live, I need a reason. Otherwise, I am just dead"

"What is he talking about?"

"So, this is what I came up next… I exist to kill all humans other than myself… Leaving in constant fear, knowing that I might be assassinated at any moment, I finally found inner peace. By killing those who are sent to kill me, I was able to discern a reason for living and justifying my own existence. I would fight only myself and I love only myself. If all the other people exist to magnify that love, then there is no more splendid world than this one. They allow me to experience the joy of leaving for as long as there people out there for me to kill. Then I will not cease to exist"

"What's the matter Naruto?" Shikamaru asked as he and Tsuki were watching their friend shake.

"Naruto what is wrong?" Tsuki asked but he did not answer any of their questions.

Suddenly, the sound of sand moving, draw their attention, only to see Gaara with an evil smirk on his face and his sand ready to attack Lee. Tsuki was ready to grab a kunai when a voice made all of them stop.

"Enough!" the voice boomed and echoed in the whole room. The four genin turn their attention towards the door, only to see Guy standing there. "The finals start tomorrow, do not be in such a hurry... unless, you are eager to become impatient today"

Gaara grabbed his head as if he was in pain and glared at the 3 genin and the jounin. "I will kill you all… just wait"

With that, he passed next to Guy and left the room. Tsuki without a second thought, she turned and headed towards the door.

"Tsuki, where are you going?!" Naruto asked.

"Ehm… I have the training to do" she said and with that, she exited the room.

She raised her speed and with her heart in her throat; she started to search for someone. Suddenly, she spotted red hair not too far away from her.

"What do you want?" Gaara asked as he stopped; turned and glared at the white-haired genin that was now standing not too far away from him.

"Look, I understand that you passed all this because you are a jinchuriki but that doesn't-"

"And what do you know?"

She left out a sigh. "Trust me, I know way more than you think but what I am trying to say is… you are not alone" she said as she started to walk towards him. "I know how it feels to be feared, to be an outcast with no family or home" Gaara looked at the young short girl that was now standing in front of him. To his surprise, the sand hadn't dared to make a move to protect him and he had too much pride to show any fear. Suddenly, he grabbed his head once again while shutting his eyes right. The sand around him started to create a circle, creating a small sand tornado around the duo. Tsuki's eyes widen and quickly grabbed Gaara's shoulders. "I know that you are in pain but do not let him win. You are stronger than him Gaara, you are far better than a killer. You can control it, I know you can"

Her words, soothing… her voice, soft…. Her tone, caring… That was something new to him, something completely strange. He didn't know why but her voice was calming him down while her grip on his shoulders was taking the pain away.

Slowly, the small sand tornado started to die and when it did, Gaara was panting heavily. He opened his eyes and his seafoam one locked with Tsuki's lavender-blue ones. Without saying a word and quickly remembering who he was, Gaara slapped her hands away and turned to leave. Tsuki was not taken back as she knew that sooner or later, he would react like that. He was too damn proud, to show any emotions.

"Good luck tomorrow," she said with a smile before turning and heading the opposite direction.

Gaara had stopped walking and looked behind him, only to catch a glimpse of white hair before the young genin took a turn to a hallway.

He didn't know and couldn't understand why she had such an impact on him. He wondered how she could calm him down when no one in the village could. However, on top of that, he wondered…

Why was she so good to him while he tried to kill her friend twice and threatened to kill her too along with her Naruto and Shikamaru.

He stood there, watching the empty hall for another good minute before heading towards the exit, a barely visible smile on his face.