Enough was enough.

It was time to shut everyone up, once and for all.

No longer will I be called useless, weak, or just a civilian girl with no skill to show of.

Let's do this.

That's it Blossom.

I put one foot in front of the other and channeled my reishi to me feet.

And I fucking moved.

One second I was up in the stands being laughed at, and the next I was standing only five feet away from my opponent, looking at him while he was still looking at where I was standing only seconds ago.

I felt Genma's eyes snap down to where I was now standing, his jaw hanging loose, his senbon still miraculously in his mouth.

"Well, lets get this shit started."

Naruto's head snapped to me so quickly I was surprised he didn't snap his own neck.

"What the?"

The audience went quiet as they realized how fast I had moved.

"What in the world?"

"Did you see that?"

"No, she moved to quickly."

I barley managed to keep the grin off of my face as Genma cleared his throat before he gestured to the both of us.

"Alright then, you guys know the rules. Anything goes in this fight. You give it your all until you defeat your opponent or they admit defeat. There is absolutely no killing in these exams, got it?"

"Yes." I said, loud and clear. Naruto soon echoing my words right after me.

"Well then, once you two shake hands, you may begin." And with that, Genma jumped far away from where we were standing, but otherwise remained in the arena like he had done in the last few matches to keep an eye on the fight in case he felt the need to step in.

Naruto and I closed the distance between us and shook hands.

"Sakura." He said trying to start a conversation. "I really don't want to hurt you, please forfeit."

My fury soon returned ten fold.

"How dare you ask me to do something so stupid." I whispered, venom dripping from my voice.

Naruto looked taken aback at my words before rage took over his own features.

"Sakura, I can't hold back in this fight, you would be able to handle what I'm going to do to you."

"No one is asking you to hold back Naruto, as a matter of fact, I would be more insulted than I already am if you did." His rage filled stare remained on his face. "Now fight me the ninja are supposed to."

"You asked for it."

I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

The crowed was absolutely eating up out banter, causing them to cheer louder than they were in the last few matches.

Naruto and I jumped several feet away from each other as we both waited for one of us to make the first move.

It didn't take Naruto more than ten seconds to give in and charge at me full force, kunai in hand.

My hand immediately went to Senbonzakura. I had originally wanted to wait to use him till later in the fight, but I just couldn't help myself.

This fight was something that I can honestly say I've been waiting for.

Senbonzakura made a piercing noise as I used him to defend against the kunai Naruto had brought down on me. I pushed the small weapon away from my face and used my flash step to appear behind him and drove a kick right into the middle of his back, sending him flying forward and face first into the dirt.

The crowed went wild after seeing me move so fast again and send the Hokage's son flying.

He stood up quickly and looked at me with surprise.

"What's with the face there Uzumaki. Did you think I spent the month sitting around doing nothing? Because that's what it looks like you've been doing. What's the matter, have nothing new to bring to the table." I said, taunting him.

It usually wasn't like me to do something like that, but I just couldn't help it.

Naruto brought out a rage in me the was usually never there.

Naruto glared harshly at me before he grabbed several more kunai and added wind nature chakra to them and threw them at me, making them whistle at the speed they were thrown.

I used Senbonzakura to deflect the ones that were coming to my face and my vital organs. The wind chakra added to the blades created an almost extending like effect. So even in the knife itself didn't touch me, the chakra around it did, causing a few cuts to form on my arms and legs.

Stone braces.

Right!

While I gave up learning new earth style jutsu, I made sure to learn how to successfully perform the armor type jutsu's in order to protect myself.

I dodged the next blow from his fist by doing several back handsprings, collecting dirt in my hands along the way.

I rubbed said dirt on my forearms and calves before throwing Senbonzakura high up in the air and quickly performed the hand signs just as Naruto began charging at me again.

I felt the armor begin to harden and tighten around my limbs, solidifying into something more solid and durable.

Naruto showed shock on his face as my exposed limbs soon turned to stone.

"You know earth ninjutsu." He asked, astonished.

"Amongst other things." I said mysteriously.

My arms formed an 'X' shape in front of my face as he brought down another kunai on me, blocking said attack from hitting me.

I threw my arms down to my side and threw a kick right into Naruto's stomach, causing him to double over in pain. I used his back as a spring board and jumped up into the air, catching Senbonzakura, who I had thrown into the air only seconds ago.

I flipped once in the air before imagining a solid ground under my feet while still in the air.

As Naruto stood up he wildly looked around, only to find that I was gone.

I quickly put Senbonzakura back in his sheath before calling upon my water nature chakra and pulled moisture from the air and willed it to form the shape of nearly a dozen kunai before adding my wind chakra to it to solidify them. Making them turn into ice kunai.

I quickly performed more hand signs as the crowed soon went wild after seeing where I was now standing, I had to hurry before Naruto noticed as well.

"Kaze Fuuchuufuyuu, wind levitation!" I used the wind to throw the ice kunai at Naruto, who and spun around at hearing me call out my jutsu.

Naruto barley had any time to react besides grabbing his own kunai and doing like I had done before and blocked his face and vital organs, but still getting nicked by a few stragglers.

He looked at me wide eyed.

"How in the absolute hell are you doing that?" He demanded.

"Don't worry about things you will never be able to accomplish Naruto." I began as I flash stepped mere inches away from his face, still standing around four feet in the air. I had crouched down till I was level with his face. "What I'm doing right now it something that only this little civilian girl can do, so don't even bother with trying." I said to his face.

I stood up and sent my foot right to his face, taking in a bit of satisfaction as I heard his nose break at the impact and he fell to the floor.

I jumped out of the air and right on to his stomach, straddling his ribcage. I began to rapidly throw punches. I only managed to get in about seven before Naruto threw me off of him.

We both stood up and engaged in hand to hand combat.

Now, while I did improve greatly over the last month, I've only been good at hand to hand combat for a month. There was only so much I could learn in such a short amount of time. Naruto on the other hand, had been taught how to fight at a very young age.

If I was being honest with myself, I stood no chance against him in hand to hand combat.

I was taking hits left and right, and while I managed to land a few of my own, I wasn't enough. Not yet anyway.

I let one of Naruto punches hit me without trying to block it or return the hit in favor of performing hand signs again for the wind levitation, using it on Naruto's fallen kunai knives and sent them back to him.

Too preoccupied with punching me in my face, he failed to realize what I had done, and ended up as a sort of pin cushion.

Letting out a scream of pain and rage, Naruto took several steps back and began ripping out the kunai like a barbarian, uncaring if he made his wounds any worse.

I quickly flash stepped into the trees of the arena to catch my breath and get away from the blonde who I was sure that he was getting tired of getting his ass handed to him by me, a civilian girl.

Naruto was holing back, I know he was. The amount of shadow clones he usually releases during battle is astonishing. I haven't seen him use it once, or any kind of jutsu I was sure he would have learned.

Something was going on with him, and I needed to figure out what it was. He was going easy on me and I wasn't appreciating it.

I quickly caught my breath and flash stepped into the air in the middle of the training grounds, looking at Naruto who was slowly getting back to his feet.

"What are you doing Naruto." He looked around before looking up, still just as surprised as the first time. His surprise however soon turned into a frown.

"What are you talking about Sakura?"

"I mean the way you're fighting me right now. You're holding back, I know it. Where's the clones, the ninjutsu, your usual pizazz? I was sure you would have learned something new while training for a month." He feigned confusion.

"I don't know what you're talking abo-"

"Cut the crap Naruto. I've been your teammate for several months now, I think I know at least the basics of your fighting style by now. Don't try and tell me you don't know what I'm talking about." He spared a quick glance to the audience. Or more specifically, the space right behind the Hokage's viewing box. His mother.

I think I know what's going on.

What do you think it is?

Do you recall earlier when your old sensei mentioned the rumors about your teammates and how they were treating you?

Yes?

I believe after Itachi and Shisui had heard about how the boys have been treating you, their mother found out, then told Kushina, possibly Minato, and I believe they may have told Naruto to let you push him around a little bit.

What?

I was basically seething.

Did they tell Naruto to let me win?

No, I don't think they went that far. But I'm sure they wanted you to get a little taste of revenge first. I don't think they knew you'd be this strong though.

You think?

Yes, I believe Naruto's parent's meant well in their meddling. Like most people, they probably believed you to not be able to beat their son, but at least wanted you to rough him up a bit.

I'm sure they did mean well, but I can't let the battle go on this way.

I flash stepped over to Naruto and told him to stand up.

"Tell me Naruto, did your parent's put you up to letting me do this?" Immediately, his body stiffened, giving me enough of a answer. "Well stop it. This isn't how a fight is supposed to be, I want you to fight me with out holding back. You haven't shown me much respect at all. Some, sure. But not the kind of respect I deserve. If you had any amount of respect for me, as a person, a shinobi, your friend, any respect at all. Then please Naruto. Fight me like you mean it." He looked at me with a new kind of light, before slowly he sighed, and nodded.

Soon a weight lifted, and I felt a little bit of gratitude towards the blonde.

We got back into our fighting stances, and Naruto created a dozen clones, two of them came together and started performing some kind of jutsu that created a chakra sphere in the palm of his hands.

Eagerness soon began coursing through my veins all over again.

This.

This is what I wanted.

To be treated equal.

If I had been able to look into the stands I would have seen a few things.

Like Kushina, realizing that she may have crossed a line she shouldn't have by interfering with my fight.

I may have noticed Sasuke finally arrive in the stands with the rest of the contestants that weren't in the hospital, watching Naruto and I battle with wide eyes.

And maybe, just maybe, I would have noticed the change in the crowd. If only I wasn't so excited to be fighting against Naruto.

Because, yes, I was excited.

Naruto charged at me with the swirling ball of blue chakra.

Senbonzakura hummed with renewed vigor, and I couldn't help but agree.

I raised him up and held it against the ball of energy that was causing the blade to vibrate in my hand. I stuck out one hand and began a new spell incantation that I learned while training.

"Hado, number 58. Tenran!" A small tornado like structure formed from my hands, causing Naruto to fly backwards into a giant heap on the floor.

Naruto sprung back to his feet a second later, before charging back at me again.

"I'm not even going to ask anymore." He said, causing me to laugh.

I see the boy learned quickly this time.

So it seems.

It's about time.

I fought Naruto with Senbonzakura against Naruto's kunai. Blade clashing against blade.

I swung, dodged, retaliated, and jumped all over the place.

We were both starting to slow down now, finally beginning to get tired and run low on chakra.

By now, Naruto had run out of kunai to throw and I was pretty much depleted.

I chose to remain in the air and fight from above, not that it mattered too much, Naruto had learned some wind jutsu while training for that one month.

I chose to end this fight, and end it now.

I flash stepped right behind him and swung down, too slow to react this time, Naruto received a deep slash across his back, sending him to his knees. But he tried to stand up again.

"Not this time Naruto. this time you're staying down."

"Bakudo number 1, Sai!" Invisible restraints wrapped around Naruto's arms and pulled them behind his back, tying them together, and no longer able to stand up.

Naruto tried in vain to release his arms, but to no avail. He was truly wrapped up and unable to get out.

Seeing that Naruto could no longer move, Genma appeared before the both of us and inspected Naruto before finally ending the match.

"Uzumaki Naruto can no longer continue this match, Haruno Sakura wins!"

And there it was again.

That feeling like I was walking on air again for the first time.

Euphoria.

"You see Naruto. This is what a civilian born can do. And I'm not the only one like this you know." I said as I began walking towards him while he was still bound, wiggling slightly to try and get out of it. Not that it would have worked anyway.

"All this time, with everything you've ever said against me, it made me wonder if you ever knew that you were also insulting your own father the entire time." Naruto stopped moving.

"What?"

"You mean you really didn't know? That you're own father was a civilian born?" His body tensed. "I mean, wasn't your name enough of a give away? Uzumaki after your mother's well known clans name, and name that already makes you someone to look out for. Not Namikaze after your father, who's the Hokage? Your father is someone to be feared. But he's the only Namikaze to be feared. Next time Naruto, be careful of the words that come out of your mouth, you might end up choking on them later." And with that I released the binding spell I put on Naruto, setting him free.

I didn't spare him another glance, I just flash stepped back to the waiting area for the next fight to happen after the arena gets cleaned up a bit.

I landed right next to Neji, who was looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"You see Hyuuga-san, just because the whole world thinks of you in one way, doesn't mean you can't change it later on and recreate you own fate, because that's exactly what I just did." All Neji did what hum as his gaze went back to the arena.

Naruto was no longer on the arena floor, but he was also no where near the waiting area.

I payed no attention to it as I looked at Sasuke who nodded at me once. I retuned the gesture before telling him good luck as his and Gaara's name was called.

It was finally their turn.