AN: I've decided that as of now I'll only be updating once a week on Sunday's. I'm not able to write chapters fast enough for the twice a week update. I apologize for any inconvenience my indecision might have caused for everyone reading Altered. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hinata watched Shikamaru and Naruto with a worried expression, the two had gone two shades paler ever since their walk back up to the balcony. The look of horror on their faces told her she did not want to know what they had seen.
The Hyuuga looks back to the arena and see's Sasuke and Gaara facing each other, 'This is the match everyone's been anticipating...' Hinata thinks.
"Alright, the rules of this match are the same as in the preliminaries, the battle goes on until one you dies or admits defeat. However, I can interfere at any time but that's solely my decision," Genma says, "Both of you, to the middle."
Genma glances between the two Genin, 'This is definitely going to be the most serious fight..Gaara looks ready to kill him,' Genma thinks, "Begin!"
Sand starts pouring from Gaara's gourd as Sasuke steps back to put some distance between them, 'So that's the sand Kakashi told me about..'
Gaara suddenly grunts in pain, holding his head, "P-please, I beg you...don't get so mad at me," he suddenly grins, "Mother."
Sasuke's eyes widen as he takes another step back, 'What's he talking about?!'
"E-Earlier, I know...I made you taste such awful blood...but this time..I'm sure, that it'll taste so good," Gaara says to himself.
"His conversation started already...this is bad," Kankuro says, "It's dangerous."
"I know, this is the first time I've seen Gaara get like this before a match..this is how powerful an opponent Sasuke is...watch," Temari states.
The sand in the air falls to the ground as Gaara seems to calm down, he looks up at Sasuke, "Come on."
Hinata watches from the corner of her eyes as Shikamaru and Naruto leave the balcony, 'What are they doing?'
She turns back to the fight just as Sasuke throws two shuriken at Gaara, his sand comes up and shields him, but turns into a clone and catches the weapons.
Sasuke starts attacking Gaara with high speed, matching Lee's Taijutsu, and lands a punch on Gaara's face, knocking him back, "So that's your sand armor..cmon, let's fight."
"If you won't attack, then I will," Sasuke runs forward with a burst of speed, dodging Gaara's attempt of shielding himself and kicks the red head from behind knocking him back again, "I'm going to tear off your armor."
Sasuke lands a series of hits on Gaara, his speed matching Lee's with his weights off.
'What's Gaara going to do? His sand armor is taking up to much chakra,' Kankuro thinks.
Gaara forms a hand sign and his sand starts converging, creating a shield around him shaped like a dome.
Sasuke runs forward and attempts to land another punch before its fully completed, but fails as his fist bleeds from the impact on the hardened sand.
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto yells, he and Shikamaru appearing behind Kakashi, Gai, and Lee, "You have to stop this match!"
"What are you going on about Naruto?" Kakashi asks.
"The guy Sasuke is fighting is completely different than the rest of us! He's about as far from normal as you can get!"
"Slow down Naruto, What are you saying?" Ino asks.
"He thinks his point in life is killing others! Don't you see?! If this continues Sasuke will die!" Naruto yells.
Above the shield sand starts forming and created an eye.
"You gotta believe me!" Naruto yells.
"Relax, no need to panic...you know Sasuke and I weren't just goofing around..there's a reason we were so late getting here," Kakashi says calmly.
'The third eye, what is Gaara thinking?' Temari thinks.
Sasuke repeatedly attacks the dome to no avail, the sand attacking him every time he got to close.
'I don't know what the heck your doing in there, but you can stall all you want...I'll just use the time to get ready for what I have in store for you,' Sasuke thinks, glaring at the dome protecting Gaara.
Sasuke flips backwards and stands on the side of the wall near the top, forming some hand signs before gathering his chakra.
"What's that lunatic thinking?" Kankuro asks.
"I don't know, but he's not following the plan," Temari says, Hinata, Neji, and Shino look over at her, "He's of no use to us this way."
'Plan?' The three think.
A ball of electricity forms in Sasuke's hands, he grins down at the dome before running down the wall, the electricity damaging the wall as he ran.
Sasuke attacks Gaara's defense with his attack and penetrates his dome, "Now I've got you."
"W-What is this? It's so warm and wet...AUGHHHH ITS BLOOD! ITS MY BLOOD!"
Sasuke struggles to get his arm out of the dome but a giant arm made of sand pushes him backwards and slowly returns inside the dome.
Sasuke watches the dome carefully, looking visibly spooked as he sees something inside the dome moving around.
It slowly cracks and melts down, revealing Gaara holding his injured shoulder with his other arm, he's panting deeply as he looks up, his eyes bloodshot.
'Something's different, that's not the same look in his eye's I saw before,' Sasuke thinks.
Slowly the people in the arena begin falling asleep, Hinata, Neji, and Shino notice the petals and simultaneously create the same hand sign, "Release!" The three call out, Hinata and Shino grateful for all the practice Kurenai had them go through with Genjutsu.
A smoke bomb blows up in the balcony where the Kage's were seated. Everyone still awake looks over in shock.
The Sand and Sound attack on the Leaf begins.
Line Break
Kakashi and Gai watch the barrier form around the Hokage and Kazekage, 'They outwitted the Anbu Black OPs,' Kakashi thinks.
Another Anbu appears in front of the two Jounin, two Sound Ninja appear on either side of him.
Sasuke watches the barrier, "What's going on here?"
"Stop it Gaara!" Temari yells, the Uchiha looks over at the Sand Genin.
"What are you three doing now? Can't you see the operation is underway?" Baki demands.
Temari and Kankuro leave, taking Gaara with them, Baki watches Genma and Sasuke, "Lets go."
"Sasuke, I'm sorry, the Chunin Exams end here for you, you've already reached Chunin level," Genma says.
"So in other words your saying to go after Gaara?" Sasuke asks.
Genma nods, "Just be careful, this is the real thing now..not a match."
Sasuke leaves the arena going after Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. Shino, Neji, and Hinata watch him leave quietly, the three of them still standing in the balcony.
Inside the stands Kakashi, Gai, and a few other leaf ninja take on the Sound ninja.
"Sakura! Release the Genjutsu on Shikamaru and Naruto," Kakashi says, "He'll be excited, it'll be the first A-Rank mission since the Land of Waves."
"But Sensei! What are you doing?! With this battle going on why send us off on some mission!" Sakura cries.
"Sasuke is chasing Gaara and the other sand ninja, Sakura, release the Genjutsu and wake them up, and follow Sasuke," Kakashi states.
"Wait, shouldn't we wake up Choji and Ino and go as a group?" Sakura asks.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Kakashi says, a dog appears, "Go release the Genjutsu!"
Sakura makes her way towards Naruto and Shikamaru and releases Naruto first then wakes him up, "Hey..what's going on Sakura?"
"Get down!" Sakura yells, "I'll fill you in now stay down!"
Pakkun walks over to Shikamaru and bites his leg, Shikamaru cries out and sits up straight trying to shake the summon off him, "Shikamaru!! Why were you faking?!" Sakura yells.
"I didn't want to get involved, I don't really care about Sasuke anyway," Shikamaru says, Pakkun bites his hand and drags Shikamaru after Sakura and Naruto.
Shino, Neji, and Hinata listen in from around the corner as Hinata and Shino nod to each other before taking off after them. Neji joins his Sensei after they leave and helps with fending off the Sound Ninja.
Pakkun leads the three Genin through the woods, he senses nine Sound Ninja pursuing them. They attempt to shake them off their trail but it doesn't work for long, and soon enough Pakkun, Sakura, and Naruto run ahead as Shikamaru stays behind as a decoy to delay the Sound Ninja.
Line Break
"Hurry!" Temari yells, 'We have even more pursuers? Two..no three,' "We have to move faster Kankuro!"
"Okay okay!"
'I won't let you get away,' Sasuke thinks as he continues to chase them down.
Naruto grits his teeth, 'Don't do anything stupid Sasuke.'
Temari lays her head on the bark of the branch, "Well?" Kankuro asks.
"He's close, very close," Temari states as she stands up.
"What are we going to do?" Kankuro asks.
"Leave this to me," Temari says as she pulls some trip wire out.
Sakura suddenly stops and looks over in the direction of an explosion, "What was that?!"
"A trip wire trap, they certainly aren't making Sasuke's job any easier," Pakkun says.
"Is he ok-"
"Don't worry about it Sakura! Sasuke's gonna be fine," Naruto says.
'I sure hope your right Naruto,' Pakkun thinks.
"I finally caught you...as if you thought I'd really let you get away," Sasuke says, facing Temari and Kankuro.
"If it isn't Sasuke Uchiha," Temari says with a smirk.
"I sense that Sasuke stopped moving, but he's still a long ways ahead of us," Pakkun states.
'That means Sasuke caught up to them...we need to hurry!' Naruto thinks.
"This is as far as you go," Sasuke says.
"Go Kankuro! Get Gaara away from here!" Temari yells, "I'll take care of this one."
"You can't take him yourself," Kankuro says.
"This is what I've been waiting for, get going Kankuro," Temari states.
Kankuro sets off with Gaara on his back once more.
"Take this!" Temari yells as she sends a wind gale at him, blowing the Uchiha backwards.
"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari says when he sends another kunai, she blows him back again.
"Fire Style! Phoenix Foower Jutsu!" Sasuke yells, blowing for small fire balls at her, 'Now to finish her off,' "Fire Style! Fire Ball Jutsu!"
"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari jumps up and knocks him to the ground, "Your mine now."
Sasuke uses Substituion Jutsu and leaves explosion tags on the log, knocking the blond back, "I've wasted enough time on you," Sasuke says before going after the other two.
Temari sits up shakily, 'Hopefully..I've held him off long enough.'
Kankuro comes to a stop on the branch as Sasuke appears before him a few feet, "I guess I'll take you on."
"Wait!" Temari yells as she appears next to Kankuro.
"I thought he finished you off," Kankuro says.
"He could've, but he didn't," Temari says as she glares at Sasuke, "I didn't delay him for long did I."
"It's fine, as long as Gaara recovers his chakra levels and the more Uchiha wastes his own chakra is good for us," Kankuro says.
"Go Temari, I'll handle him," Kankuro says.
Temari nods and grabs Gaara before running ahead.
"Let's go!" Kankuro says.
"Wait!" Sasuke looks to the left where Hinata and Shino stood facing Kankuro, "I'll handle him," Shino states.
"How'd you find us?" Sasuke asks.
"I planted a female beetle on you, they give off distinct smells, none that you can sense, but male beetles can, and they'll stop at nothing to find them," Shino says, "You and Hinata go ahead."
Hinata looks at Shino, "Are you sure you can handle him by yourself Shino?"
Shino nods, "Give me ten minutes, then I'll go check on the both of you and make sure your okay."
"I don't need the Hyuuga's help," Sasuke says.
Hinata turns to him and activates her Byakugan, "I'll help make the hunt easier, with my Byakugan I can see both Temari and Gaara up ahead, and gaining distance."
"Tch...fine," Sasuke says before jumping ahead, Hinata places a hand on Shino's shoulder and smiles at him before going after Sasuke.
To be continued...
AN: Woohoo! The next chapter is done! Next is the finale of the finals and Konoha Crush! I apologize for not focusing on Orochimaru and Sarutobi's fight. The story is more focused on the Genin than anything..and let's be real, no one can rewrite that fight..it was too epic!
I've been rewatching the finals and the episodes following it and when Asuma comes in to save Shikamaru he low key reminded me of the Wolverine from the X-men lol. I just thought I'd share that.
To Sara(Guest): Your review makes me so happy!! I'm so happy you enjoy this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
A special thank you to abbiedobbie for Favoriting and to jhossietaisho, Pau-0806, and chinaluv for Following Altered! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!
I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!