Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back. I'm real sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I had no intention of taking this long with the production of the chapter. A combination of writer's block and creative speed bumps held me back. It also didn't help that my Microsoft Account ran into some problems.
Now onto the chapter. Ino vs. Sakura.
Chapter 43
Elimination Match: 4 Kunoichi Power
'I can feel the tension building up all the way from here. I hope Sakura will be ok.' Naruto thought to himself as a reflective shine of worry could be seen in his blue eyes. He was watching both his teammate and friend go down to the arena to face off against her former best friend. Ever since they graduated Naruto hasn't been around to see all of it but from what he understood Sakura and Ino were still antagonistic towards each other at every opportunity they could get. The never let up in their seemingly unending quest and life mission to gain Sasuke's attention and bury their rival underneath their foot. It honestly disappointed Naruto greatly to see two of his classmates act that way when they instead should be focused on their Shinobi career.
"Of all the people for Ino to fight in this room… it just had to be Sakura, didn't it?" Shikamaru sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Naruto was silently agreeing with his longtime friend in this regard as the sheer coincidences of those two being pitted against each other was just too good to be true.
Naruto even went as far as to suspect Chaos of somehow tampering with the outcome of this match. He didn't know how she would do it since she's been with him the entire time, but then he reminded himself that Chaos doesn't need to physically do anything or go anywhere to naturally or unnaturally depending on how you view it alter the space around her and the people within it. She's done it numerous times for him to even count. Upon having this line of thought Naruto felt a tiny buzzing in the back of his mind that he instinctively knew to be Chaos. Even though his connection to his two daughters was being jammed at the moment it still didn't affect his ability to differentiate between the two of them.
Naruto sighed a tired sigh to himself as while he didn't have any proof without being able to directly question Chaos herself he just felt like she somehow had something to do with this. Whether she did or didn't Naruto determined that it simply was just best for his mind and sanity to blame Chaos which he knew made her happy given the fact he felt another tiny buzz in the back of his mind.
"So, what did I miss?" Kakashi's voice spoke up as the man appeared behind Naruto is a Body Flicker. He had his laid-back disposition back in place and his ever-present orange book was pushed up into his face but for some strange and inexplicable reason Naruto felt as if something was wrong with his sensei. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was just a fleeting thought that plagued his mind. But he had no proof so he decided to just drop the subject.
"Nothing much, this is the fourth match now. The last two matches ended very quickly and violently. Shino took his opponent out in a pretty devastating way and the Hidden Sand Genin over there in the black jumpsuit completely crippled his opponent's entire body by crushing all his bones except his neck. But other than that, nothing much." Naruto explained to his Jōnin sensei in a nonchalant tone. He was mentally and physically exhausted and tired after all the events that transpired during the last few days. Other than the time he was forcibly knocked unconscious due to Orochimaru's seal Naruto has had no time to actually rest and it was taking a toll on his body. It was almost unnoticeable but he even had some small dark rings underneath his eyes signifying his tired state.
Kakashi had a sweat drop fall down the back of his head at hearing his student's apparent lack of apathy to his fellow competitors but the silver haired Jōnin would give his student some slack since he could see the exhausted state he was in. "Well it sounds like I missed a lot then huh." Kakashi said as he rubbed Naruto's head. In reality he was discreetly giving Iris who was transformed into her tiny little bear shaped pendant back to Naruto who understood the gesture. He put a fake annoyed look on his face as he fixed back his hair while discreetly placing Iris back around his neck alongside Chaos.
Naruto took a few seconds to look around the room as he saw Sakura and Ino reaching the combat arena below him. Looking across the great hall he saw the Sound Jōnin leaning against the wall with a straight face and went he felt someone looking his direction he stared directly into Naruto's eyes with a tiny smirk cracking his otherwise stoic expression. Naruto averted his eyes after this as he recalled that shortly after Kakashi left with Sasuke the Sound Jōnin also left the room and returned about two minutes before Kakashi did.
"I wonder if Ino will be able to overcome this? Will she be able to give it her all against Sakura?" Asuma Sarutobi rhetorically questioned as he took a puff of his cigarette. His gruff appearance hasn't changed much in the years that Naruto has known him and he wasn't really surprised. Being the son of the Third Hokage who is hailed as the God of Shinobi it has gained Asuma a lot of recognition in the world as well as the reputation that he has built for himself. Asuma is a part of a group composed of Elite Jōnin called the Guardian Shinobi Twelve. This group's mission is to guard the Fire Daimyo of the Land of Fire with their very life's. It is an extremely important task that only these skilled elite Shinobi can manage.
The screening process just to be selected is intense as well. Around Asuma's waist below his dark green Flak Jacket was a waist cloth with the symbol of the Land of Fire printed on it. This was their symbol. "Only time will tell. From what I understand they have a lot of history between them. It turned ugly halfway through their time in the academy." Kakashi choose to answer while sending a sideways glance at his colleague. Asuma took this into consideration with a soft hum as he inhaled more of his cigarette.
"Ok the fourth match between Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka of the Hidden Leaf will now begin." Hayate spoke as both combatants were a few yards away from each other in a ready position. The sick looking Special Jōnin threw both his hands down to signal the start of the match and then jumped back a safe distance to stand on the raised stage section of the arena.
Immediately the two 12-year-old girls exploded into action as they both rushed at each other to get in close. Sakura unleashed a roundhouse kick that Ino deftly dodged all the while swinging a right hook that Sakura pushed off course with a slap of her palm. Crouching low Sakura attempted a leg sweep that Ino jumped over and then proceeded to jump away to get some distance. In the blink of an eye Sakura pulled out three kunai and threw them at Ino who saw this coming from a mile away. Dodging the first one Ino then with amazing skill plucked the second kunai out of the air and tossed it back at the third and final kunai and knocked both of them out of the air.
'They aren't going all out yet.' Naruto noted as both girls moves while clean were still light hits. They weren't serious yet. "Is this all kunoichi can do in Taijutsu?" Neji Hyūga muttered with a shake of his head. He was not impressed in the least. Naruto frowned at this as it was plainly obvious that they were testing the waters between them, but not only that but there was some emotional baggage in the ring with them as well. Shikamaru sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He had come to the exact same conclusion as Naruto.
Neji's teammate, Tenten reprimanded him for his lack of insight as she explained to him that they were still fighting with their kiddie gloves on. Sakura and Ino exchanged more hits with each other as the slowly move around in a circle orbiting each other. They were peppering each other with straightforward combos and feints but they weren't being aggressive enough with pressing any advantages they would gain throughout their little bout. It was more reminiscent of their sparring matches they used to have back in the academy.
The deciding factor and opening in the fight came when Ino with boxer like skills and precision hammered Sakura's right forearm that she was using to block Ino's attacks with several powerful punches that made Sakura's arm fall limply to the side from the punishment. With the right side of Sakura's guard broken temporarily Ino invaded Sakura's disabled guard and landed a devastating punch to Sakura's stomach that stunned the pink haired kunoichi and caused her to fold over in pain. With Sakura now completely stunned Ino saw her chance to completely take the advantage in the match and so she cocked her right fist back for a powerful haymaker that if landed would take Sakura off her feet and possibly leave her semi-conscious.
That was supposed to be the plan until Ino hesitated at the last second upon seeing the brief look of pain and fear cross Sakura's face as she watched her opponents strike heading directly for her face. Ino lost all of the force and momentum she originally had as she ended up slapping Sakura across the face instead of taking the girl off her feet like she originally planned. Both girls stood in stunned silence as Sakura touched her now red hot cheek and Ino held her own stinging hand with shock and confusion.
The rest of the rookie nine lost their composure as they had shocked and stunned looks on their faces. "Oh wow. Didn't see that coming." Eva mumbled with her little blue eyes widening in surprise. Sakura and Ino completely stopped moving as they stared into each other's eyes. Both girls were starting to think of their shared past and how they got to the point they were at now. They were constantly at each other's throats and competing for Sasuke's attention, all they while neglecting their training although in recent months Sakura has been more conservative in her attempts to win over Sasuke's affections which the silent Uchiha was grateful for.
Flashback Begin
It was a bright and sunny morning as one of the many first year kunoichi classes were out in a nearby field close to the Academy. The teacher Ms. Suzume a Chūnin Instructor was guiding the class out to a small opened field where she had the young girls sit down. In the large class of about 30 children there were a few familiar faces. Sakura and Ino were seated in the front row of the group of girls and were eagerly looking to their teacher for the upcoming lesson. Hinata herself was in the far back well hidden in the mass of girls as she didn't really want to be noticed. She was hiding in the large coat Naruto had got for her not to long ago. Other familiar faces included the future Team 6 lead by Anko which was the three girls. The bully Ami, the silent Fuki, and the lackey Kasumi.
Suzume was teaching the girls how to arrange flowers and how to blend into crowds while out in undercover missions. After handing out her instructions Suzume sent out the girls to gather distinctive flowers to form an arrangement with. Ino whose family owns a flower shop instantly knew what she was looking for but her friend Sakura didn't. Turning to her friend Ino watched as Sakura ran to catch up to her. She took notice of Sakura's clothes which were not as stylish or as clean as everyone else. Her clothes were worn out, dirty and tattered, which was reason enough to attract unwanted attention.
As the two girls were picking flowers they struck up a conversation that would change them for a long time to come. "Sakura why did you want to become a ninja?" Ino asked as she was instructing Sakura on which flowers to gather. The content smile that was on Sakura's faced dimmed a bit at hearing this question as she averted her green eyes from Ino's curious blue ones. "Well… I want to be a ninja because… sometimes I go hungry and my mom and dad need help." Sakura revealed after a few seconds of hesitation as she stumbled through her words while her voice dipped down a few octaves.
Ino's eyes softened as she heard this. She didn't know Sakura for that long but the girl was sweet and kind to everyone she met and Ino natural found herself drawn to the meek girl. She reminded Ino of the indigo haired Hyūga Heiress that was also in her class, she was also a very shy and meek girl who stuck to herself that nobody really knew much about but unlike Sakura's condition Hinata was in a much better standing than the pink haired civilian girl.
"Do you not have a lot of money?" Ino asked and she saw Sakura flinch a bit at she hit the nail on the head. "No." Sakura whispered lowly as she averted her eyes further from her friend. "I'm sorry to hear that; but that's no reason to feel down. You can still make the most of your situation. You made it into the Ninja Academy so it can't be that bad." Ino countered as she tried to cheer Sakura up. "The thing is my dad earns his money from gambling in this place called a casino. He isn't really good at it though. He only makes a little bit." Sakura explained as she dimly pulled on some weeds in the grass.
"My dad says gambling is bad though…" Ino mumbled out loud and in thought as she decided to gloss over what Sakura said. "My dad retired as a Genin after his lungs got injured. There were no good doctors back then and my dad once told me that some famous kunoichi named Tsunade wanted to have ninjas be trained as doctors to make everything better but she was turned down and so a lot of people got sick and died during battles. My dad was one of those people to get sick." Sakura explained as tiny tears were welling up in her eyes.
Ino frowned as she placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "My mom works as a waitress at a local restaurant but she also doesn't make much. We live in a small apartment a few blocks away from the Slums District where they are doing all of that construction on all of those abandoned and destroyed homes." Sakura sniffled as she's never had anyone to talk to about these things. The stress was starting to build up for the young girl and the fact that she now had a friend to confide in made her want to unload everything that was on her chest.
Ino's eyes glazed over in contemplation as she made a mature decision within her young mind. "Hey Sakura how would you like to work in my family's nursery?" Ino offered as she watched the bubblegum haired girl perk up. "Nursery?" Sakura questioned. "Yeah, my family owns the biggest nursery garden in the entire country. We have a huge garden that a bunch of workers tend to everyday as their job. They're all professional gardeners and the pays really good. Our business is really booming, especially now since it's spring." Ino proposed as she rolled with her sales pitch.
"You'd really do that for me… like really…?" Sakura questioned with disbelieve written all over her face. "Of course, silly. That way you can make a little money on the side, your dad can have a real job… probably as a clerk or something that way he doesn't have to move around too much and hurt his lungs and your family can make a good amount of money." Ino said with confidence dripping off of every word she spoke. She looked like a superhero in Sakura's eyes as Ino smiled back at her.
"We can get you out of those horrible clothes, I swear they have bad fashion written all over them. We'll get you everything a young girl like you needs. I'll have you set in no time and the best thing is it will all be with money you earned. That will make you feel extra proud of yourself then." Ino added in with a bit of girlish sassiness rolling off her tongue. Ino winked in a teasing manner to her new best friend who had silent tears streaming down her face. Sakura tackled Ino to the ground below them with laughter and a continuous stream of gratitude coming from Sakura whose face was buried in Ino's chest.
The two new best friend's moment was ruined with the arrival of Ami, the classes resident bully and her two friends Kasumi and the quiet Fuki who looked like she didn't even want to be bothered with what was about to happen. She was rather distracted with scratching her back. She looked uncomfortable.
Ami did what any bully did. She bullied Sakura with cruel words and actions that really got under the pink haired girl's skin especially now in her emotionally fragile state. Ino saw this and instantly came to her friend's defense. Throwing several flowers into Ami's mouth Ino tricked the purple haired girl into believing them to be poisonous. Fuki seeing this dragged Ami away who was panicking with a sigh escaping her lips.
After the three girls left Ino stuck her tongue out playfully with a giggle escaping her lips. "I forgot to tell her only the root is poisonous." Ino giggled with a hand over her lips. Sakura looked at Ino with awe as she saw the confidence in her friend. It was at this moment that Sakura realized she had found a lifelong friend and companion.
Several Months Later
"Hey Ino who is that boy?" Sakura questioned her new friend with curiosity shining in her eyes. Looking over Ino's eyes lit up a little as a tiny blush came to her face. "Oh, that's the new boy, his name is Sasuke Uchiha. He comes from the famous Uchiha Clan. Isn't he cute?" Ino gossiped with a little whisper into Sakura's ears towards the end with a giggle as she looked at the cute boy who had a pleasant disposition on his face as he dutifully took notes in his notebook while Iruka droned on with his lecture.
Sasuke was originally enrolled into the academy in a different class which was being taught by one of Iruka's seniors whose name was Daikoku Funeno. He is a fellow Chūnin who decided to settle down in an administrative position such as teaching instead of being a front-line soldier. He was a fairly large man with a goatee and brown hair. He wore the standard uniform of all Leaf Shinobi with his headband being in the form or a bandanna. When Sasuke first enrolled, he reminisces about Sasuke's prodigious older brother Itachi's time as a student. He states that Itachi was the most gifted student he had ever had, and expected great things from Sasuke as well.
However due to some not so subtle pencil pushing and bureaucracy from the higher ups in the government Sasuke was soon transferred over to Iruka's class that had all of the future clan heirs of all of the Leaf Village's strongest, wealthiest, and most powerful Ninja Clans. All of these clans had a seat in the Shinobi Council with the clan leaders acting as the Councilmen. It was soon to be expected and Sasuke found himself switching classes along with many other clan heirs during the middle of their first semester until all of the clan heirs found themselves under the guidance of Iruka Umino and Mizuki.
Iruka's class was further supervised directly by the administrators in the Academy with some Jōnin and Elite Jōnin stopping by to intern and teach select classes throughout the next four years. Anko and Kurenai were permanently assigned to the Academy with Anko taking over Physical Education and Kurenai teaching a class on Genjutsu. Once Kurenai put in her time as a teacher she was then finally promoted to Jōnin just in time to receive the next batch of Genin which just so happened to be full of Clan Heirs. Anko who was already a Special Jōnin found herself assigned a team from this batch as well. It didn't take a genius to see the obvious tampering going on when it came to that particular class Sasuke and all the other Clan Heirs were placed into. It was pretty much favoritism at the end of the day.
"Yeah he is pretty cute?" Sakura acknowledged with a tiny blush on her face as well which was matching the color of her hair. This was her first time gossiping about boys with another girl, especially her best friend. "I hear he has straight A's across the board and he's really smart. But other than that, nothing much is really known about him." Ino stated as she gazed at the boy out the corner of her eye. "Wow he really must be smart." Sakura awed as a more curious shine reflected off her eyes. Her interest was piqued. "Interested…" Ino whispered with a cattish sly grin on her beautiful face as she wiggled her eyebrows. "…because I know I am. A cutie like that won't stay on the market for long." Sakura's face turned cherry red as she quickly denied everything Ino tried to imply.
Several weeks later Sakura and Ino overheard in gossip that Sasuke likes girls that are thin and that going on a diet would be the best way to gain that body shape. Ever since meeting Ino and working at her family's' nursery Sakura has had enough money to buy whatever foods and clothes she wants. Currently the pinkette was eating extremely healthy and had gain a healthy body shape. Sakura over the last few weeks has had a chance to speak and interact with Sasuke. She learned quite a bit about him as he had an inviting aura. They quickly struck up a fledgling friendship with each other and Ino managed the same. Sakura however quickly came to realize that she was gaining a crush on the Uchiha. It was in fact her first crush which made it even more special for her but upon discovering Ino also liked Sasuke it formed a conflict within Sakura.
So, when she heard the rumor about Sasuke liking skinny girls Sakura decided to start dieting to selfishly get ahead of Ino. This would be a mistake on Sakura's part since her immune system after so long was finally doing well now that Sakura was eating healthily and so when she started to deviate from that path she quickly fell ill. Ino was of course concerned for her best friend and tried everything to help but Sakura was only getting worst. Even with the new job her family had it would take all of their earnings since they hadn't been working for long to cover Sakura's hospital bill.
Desperate Sakura's father turned to gambling once again but stepped on the toes of a few people he shouldn't have while at the casino. The very next night afterwards two mysterious people dressed in suits showed up at their small apartment. One was a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes and the other was a tall woman with purplish hair and purple eyes. The man roughed up Sakura's father a little bit to get the message across until he told them the reason of why he did it. Upon hearing his story the woman went to Sakura's room and with a few hand signs placed a glowing green hand on Sakura's chest and after a few minutes the little girls fever broke and it looked like she was going to recover.
"Are you a Medical Ninja?" Sakura's father asked in earshot of his daughter who was now awake. "I was trained to be one by my master. She fought hard to implement the Medical Corps into the village but she failed. We will forgive you for your actions last night Mr. Haruno and as a sign of good faith I have healed your daughter free of charge but you must give up gambling and never come back to the casino understood. Get an honest job." The woman said with a kind look crossing her face. The male had a gruff look on his face as he simply exited the house with both of Sakura's parents on the floor bowing to the two agents who they heard stories about who were called Mafia.
That event stuck with Sakura for the rest of her life as the notion of a Medical Ninja was implanted into the far recesses of her mind. After Sakura's return to health Ino was ecstatic but friction started to arise between the two best friends when it became publicly known between the two that they both liked Sasuke as well as many of the other girls in the class. Sakura wanted to break away from Ino's shadow and so thought that by getting Sasuke which no one has done yet would be her end goal but that line of thought drove a wedge between the girls until came to a boiling point where they broke off their friendship. Sakura quit her job at Ino's nursery and instead got an internship at the local library and this infuriated and offended Ino who felt betrayed by Sakura which started the bitter rivalry between the two that lasted throughout their time in the academy.
One day after their graduation ceremony Sakura and Ino met in the same field they had their flower picking assignment a few years back. Sakura returned her red hair ribbon that Ino had gotten for her on that fateful day they became best friends. "I won't lose to you Ino." Sakura said as she passed the ribbon to Ino. "That was a present… besides that headband is supposed to go on your forehead." Ino retorted as she again felt offended by the gesture. "The day I put this headband on my forehead is the day I will have become a true kunoichi." Sakura declared with determination burning in her eyes. Ino's scowl slowly melted off her face as the same fire was lit in her eyes as well. "Sounds like a plan. Then I will do the same." Ino agreed as the two girls shook hands with the ribbon in between their palms.
Flashback End
Standing across from each other the same fire ignited in Sakura's eyes once again as she took her headband off the top of her head and tied it ceremonially across her forehead with an exaggerated pull at the end as she tied it firmly in place. Ino's eyes widened as she recalled the significance and meaning to this as she slowly smiled. Doing the same Ino grabbed her headband from around her waist and tied it to her forehead in the same manner that Sakura did. "I'm ready for you Sakura." Ino declared as the same fire burned in her eyes now.
"So am I." Sakura declared as her body tensed before both girls took off far faster than they were ever going before and met in the middle with a thunderous clash as their shaking fists met each other with surprisingly enough a small shockwave rippling out across the floor which shocked most of the onlookers up in the balcony. Just when everyone thought it was going to be a stalemate Sakura shocked the whole room when with a cry of exertion, she punched Ino's fist back with brute strength which forced the Yamanaka Clan heir back almost twenty feet.
'No way… when did Sakura get so strong…?' Ino thought in sheer disbelief. 'She's starting to get it… Sakura you're doing great.' Naruto thought to himself as he witnessed the display of strength Sakura demonstrated. Over the last few months Sakura has actually stepped up her training and accidentally discovered that she actually has some deceptive physical strength hidden away within her body. She landed a punch on Naruto at the very climax of their fight in one of the few spars that they had together and that sent him reeling almost ten feet.
"This is going to be different Ino, don't underestimate me!" Sakura announced as she charged at her rival who gritted her teeth in anger. Jumping back Ino performed several backflips to widen the gap between them. Going through the basic hand signs Sakura performed the classical Clone Jutsu that created two clones who ran with her. Visually they were solid but they were not real like Naruto's Shadow Clone technique. Rapidly switching places with her two clones Sakura didn't give Ino enough time to discern one of the techniques most glaring weaknesses. The clone created from this technique lack shadows or any other physical indicator that they are interacting with the environment around them. By rapidly darting around Sakura made it difficult for Ino to determine off first glance which individual had a shadow and which one didn't.
Forcing Ino into hesitation Sakura capitalized on Ino second guessing herself at the last minute and managed to land a powerful blow to Ino's jaw that threw the platinum blond haired girl into the arena wall where her back bounced off the wall with a thud. Getting back to her feet with shaking legs Ino let a low growl escape her lips. "So, that's how you want to play huh? Fine then!" Ino yelled as she took off at a speed she hadn't demonstrated before. Caught off guard Sakura took a kick straight to the chest that sent her flying almost half way across the arena. Tossing several shuriken at her prone form Ino continued her assault. Landing roughly on the floor Sakura quickly rolled out of the way of the shuriken at the last second with the very last one even cutting off a few locks of her bright pink hair.
'I have to step it up a notch if I want to win.' Sakura encouraged as she created more clones to confuse Ino. 'Now try this.' Going through some hand signs that were masked by her clones Sakura activated her Jutsu. "Genjutsu: False Perception Delay." Sakura whispered as she zeroed in on her opponent. "This Jutsu again… that won't work on me twice Sakura, even you should know that!" Ino taunted as she took out several kunai and was about to throw them at the approaching group of clones, until Sakura suddenly darted past her with a speed she's never seen her old friend use before. However, what Ino didn't realize was that from everybody else's perspective she abruptly slowed down tremendously in her bodily movements. It was like her reaction time was completely stripped away from her. It was basically slow motion. Outmaneuvering Ino and getting behind her Sakura dropped a sealing tag onto the ground behind Ino's feet. It was a simple Entrapment Seal that the academy students are taught how to use but usually it's a skill many of the students tend to forget.
It was at this moment that Sakura's Genjutsu timed out and Ino resumed her actions and threw her kunai into the crowd of clones. Jumping back to give herself more space to work with Ino stepped right on top of the seal and activated it. Four long cords of rope summoned themselves out of the seal and wrapped themselves around Ino who was taking by surprise at this. Falling to the ground with a startled yelp Ino hit the ground in a heap as she found herself tied up securely within the ropes. "What the? Sakura, how did you?" Ino started to question in surprise. "Genjutsu… I nailed you with one when you weren't looking. And as for these ropes… well you know what they say. It's always good to go back to the basics. They can save your life in a pinch." Sakura gloated as she pulled out a kunai.
Kakashi nodded in approval of the simple but very effective tactic. 'Wow, even I would fall for that trick. Genjutsu was never my strong point but maybe Chaos would help overcome that if I fell into that situation.' Naruto speculated as he smiled in pride at what his teammate just did.
"So, you want to come at me with Genjutsu huh? Well two can play at that game Sakura!" Ino declared as she used the Rope Escape Technique that is taught in the first year of the academy to the students. The ropes surrounding Ino slid off her body as she jumped to her feet and kicked the kunai out of Sakura's hand while also injuring said hand. Jumping back both girls tried to gain distance with Sakura holding her sprained wrist and Ino forming several hand signs. "Genjutsu: Flower Profusion." Reaching into her back pouch Ino pulled out a yellowed colored flower that had a paralysis liquid secreting out of it. All Sakura saw was a storm of multicolored flower petals assaulting her as they washed over her in a tidal wave.
She never saw the flower until it was too late as it hit her in the arm. Snapping out of the Genjutsu due to the outside stimulus Sakura grabbed her arm in pain as she looked behind her to see the flower on the floor. "You poisoned me?!" Sakura exclaimed in shock and an undertone of hurt. "Oh, no it's just a paralysis flower. The more adrenaline your body releases the more your body becomes paralyzed." Ino explained with a smug aura around her, though you could tell by the look hidden in her eyes that she would never poison Sakura.
"Now it's time for me to win this match!" Ino declared as she raced at Sakura with her fist ready. Meeting the challenge Sakura and Ino entered a slugfest that lasted nearly three minutes straight where both girls demonstrated some impressive flexibility and martial arts that had most of the onlookers impressed but on a more technical standpoint the girls were evenly matched still. Sakura had a sprained hand and she slowly felt her body slowing down and she knew Ino was forcing her to expend a lot of energy and adrenaline to make her poison work faster but she had no choice but to defend herself. However, Ino never anticipated that Sakura would be so good at Taijutsu even one handed and that was because Sakura has been training with both Naruto and Hinata with the Hyūga Heiress being a powerful Taijutsu expert. Ino never received this kind of specialized training so it left her about even with the severely handicapped Sakura.
Ino growled in anger as she couldn't understand why Sakura was able to keep up with her despite the handicaps she was inflicted with. 'When did she get so good at Taijutsu? She's not completely using the Academy Style either. I don't know what she's mixing in.'
"That's it! I don't know how you're this strong Sakura but I won't let this stand. I don't need this anymore!" Ino yelled as she took her kunai and cut her ponytail off. Sakura's eyes widened in shock at this but she soon composed herself. "You think that will help?" Sakura taunted. On the inside, she was a little shaken up that Ino would do this. Many rumors spawned during their time at the academy. Some of the most popular being Sasuke's preferences to skinny girls and girls with long hair. To see Ino cut her hair was just as significant as when Sakura cut her hair in the Forest of Death.
Ino threw the bundle of hair on the floor between them with a screech of anger. "This will help more than you think Sakura." Ino rambled as she put her hands into a unique hand sign. 'Is that?' Sakura questioned in shock. "Is Ino out of her mind. What is she thinking using the Mind Transfer Jutsu here of all places? Especially without us there to back her up." Shikamaru exclaimed in shock. He was thrown for a loop with his teammates reckless tactic.
'Oh, this is so funny. What a good prank.' Chaos said with a giggle from next to Naruto's ear. Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at suddenly hearing his daughter's voice. Shikamaru noticed Naruto suddenly go stiff like he was just startled but instead of asking what was wrong his attention was drawn to the Uzumaki's shadow which seemed to be shimmering ever so slightly. 'Chaos?' Shikamaru thought with a raised eyebrow. "Sweetie what are you doing?" Naruto whispered while trying to look as natural as possible. "Don't worry Dada. Nobody can see me or hear me." Chaos assured with her patented giggle. "How?" Naruto questioned but all he got was another mysterious giggle from his deranged daughter which didn't really surprise him after all this time.
"What are you doing Chaos?" Naruto questioned as he could feel the Angeloid's excitement growing under her skin. "This is the good part… it's such a funny prank." Chaos added on with a giggle as she focused in on Ino's hair. Seeing her line of sight Naruto noticed the strange way the hair was deliberately laid out between Ino and Sakura. 'It's a trap. Ino's laying some kind of trap for Sakura.' Naruto realized as he noticed the fact that the bundle of hair Ino threw landed inconspicuously in a straight line all the way up to Sakura's feet.
"Sakura! You have to move!" Naruto shouted as he tried to warn his teammate but it was far too late. Hearing her teammate shouting out a warning for her Sakura tried to move away but it was at that moment that she realized the trap she was in. "I can't move…!" Sakura shouted as she struggled against a seemingly invisible force holding her to the floor. "That's right Sakura, you're trapped. My chakra is being streamed through my hair on the floor. You won't be able to dodge this attack." Ino declared as she aimed her hand sign directly at Sakura's face.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" In that exact moment Ino's body slumped to the ground and Sakura's body went completely rigid. "Did it work?" Chōji mumbled in anticipation as he leaned more over the railing. "Success." Ino said through Sakura's body as she grinned. "Oh no…" Naruto whispered as his eyes showed worry. "Sakura's going to lose." Hinata mumbled in her soft voice as she placed a hand over her heart. 'It's all over now Sakura… you lose.' Ino thought as she initiated her plan.
"Proctor… I Sakura Haruno would now like to for…" Ino using Sakura as a mouthpiece started to speak up. It was plainly obvious what her plan was. "Sakura don't give in! You can still beat her!" Naruto suddenly shouted startling his friends around him. "Naruto… what are you…?" Shikamaru started to question but with one look at his friends face the lazy genius instantly knew Naruto wasn't the one talking. 'Chaos what are you doing?' Naruto questioned in surprise as he was not expecting his unpredictable daughter to highjack his body at the last minute. "Just following the script daddy!" Chaos said with a happy go lucky laugh at the end that left Naruto both confused and concerned. He could feel Chaos influence recede back into his body as the tiny terror transformed back into the choker that is on his neck. The shimmering of his shadow also stopped as well.
'Naruto… he's right I can't lose here.' Sakura thought as she started to fight Ino off inside her subconscious. "Get out of my head Ino!" Sakura yelled as she grabbed her head in pain as the audience could see her visibly struggling. 'How is this possible? How can she fight me off? My Jutsu is supposed to be invincible.' Ino exclaimed in shock as a manifestation of Sakura's subconscious trapped Ino within her grasp. "Release!" Sakura yelled as she forcefully took control of her body and formed the release hand sign.
Both girls had reached their limit as they were huffing and sweating profusely. "How can you have such a strong spirit. That's not possible." Ino mumbled as she got to her feet with barely any strength left. "A girl has got to be strong if she's to survive in these times, right?" Sakura retorted with a smirk as she herself got back to her feet on wobbly legs.
'Sakura's grown. She's displayed a level of strength here that she's never shown before.' Kakashi thought with pride as he looked at his student getting back to her feet. 'They don't have any chakra left. So, this battle is going to come down to pure strength.' Kakashi added on as he watched both girls charge each other with everything they had left.
'I'm going to give it everything I've got!' Sakura thought with determination. 'This ends now Sakura!' Ino declared as both girls slammed their fist into each other's faces with everything they had left. They were ripped apart from each other with tremendous force as the two kunoichi's slid across the arena floor. They tried their hardest to get up but they both couldn't. They were unconscious.
Hayate took a look at both girls and deemed that they couldn't go on. "Due to the condition of both participants, and the fact that they are now incapacitated I deem the fourth round of the preliminaries a draw." Hayate announced by raising both his hands and this left some of the audience shocked as they were not expecting this outcome.
"It's over… and it's a draw…" Naruto mumbled as he saw his teammate unconscious on the floor. Kakashi and Asuma jumped down to the arena floor and picked up their students respective. Returning to the balcony the experienced Jōnin placed their students against the wall right next to each other. "Are they going to be ok?" Rock Lee asked as he was close by. "Yeah they will be just fine. They won't need any medical care… just a little rest." Kakashi said in reassurance which worked as a visible sign of relief could be seen on all of the Genin's faces.
"I'm glad they're both ok." Hinata said in her soft voice. "Me too…" Naruto agreed with a nod of his head. "…but I have a feeling they'll have a lot to talk about once they wake up." He commented as he could feel the animosity and emotional baggage the two girls were carrying with them into the fight. With the conclusion of the fight being a draw, they would then need to sort out their feelings and move on from there.
[Tenten vs. Temari]
"Ok now we will now move on to the next round. Will Tenten and Temari please step forward." Hayate requested with a coughing fit nearly interrupting his speech. The bundle of hair Ino had left on the floor was quickly swept away by one of the Chūnin in the room.
The two girls in questioned quickly dropped down to the arena floor ready to face off against each other. Temari's hand was on her delicate hip as she watched Tenten who was a year younger than her take her position about 10 yards away. 'This should be easy. Then again, the person who I really wanted to fight was that boy. Naruto Uzumaki. The mystery surrounding him is just too enticing. Especially with his strange younger siblings.' Temari thought to herself as she casted a glance at Naruto who was quietly chatting away with Hinata and Rock Lee who was enthusiastic to see his teammate perform. He was casting Tenten a look of general curiosity and sportsmanship since she is a fellow Genin of his and he secretly wonders what her fighting style would be like.
When he felt a pair of eyes on him he looked across from Tenten to see Temari staring directly at him. Naruto rose an eyebrow at this and so did Shikamaru who caught the look. Temari's eyes held suspicion and curiosity in them and that got Shikamaru thinking that maybe she somehow knew one of Naruto's more guarded secrets. Hinata was a little uncomfortable with the look the older girl was sending her best friend as she wasn't sure what to make of it. A sheen of worry and apprehension reflected in her lavender eyes.
"Ok the match may begin." Hayate announced.
Jutsu Library
1.) Clone Jutsu - One of the three basic Jutsu's required by the academy for everyone (with exceptions of course) to master in order to pass or at the very least to adequately on. The Jutsu creates a fake image of yourself next to your body that is identical to you in every way except that they are not real and are purely just images or illusions. There are many limitations and setbacks with the Technique. For one the clone is not real and as such can be noticed right away. They cannot speak or make sounds. Finally, and worse yet they can't interact with the environment around them. When they walk they don't make a sound, they don't leave a shadow of themselves whenever they find themselves in light, and they can't physically touch something and no one can touch them.
2.) Genjutsu: False Perception Delay - A basic genjutsu that causes the target's perception of reality to slow down. The target will feel everything going in slow motion. However the effectiveness of this jutsu depends on the skill of the caster. This technique like most genjutsu are mainly used as tricks and delay tactics as well as distractions.
3.) Entrapment Seal - This is a basic seal that all Academy Students are taught how to use early in their curriculum. This is the gateway technique into the Trap Making Subject that teaches ninjas how to lay successive and complex traps. The seal once activated ejects four long cords of rope that automatically ensnares and ties up whoever sets the trap off as long as they are in a predetermined radius of about three feet.
4.) Rope Escape Technique - A basic technique taught at the Academy. It allows a ninja to free themselves if they have been tied up.
5.) Genjutsu: Flower Profusion - Ino casts an illusion that tricks the enemy, causing them to see a storm of flowers. This technique has different variations ranging from a field of flowing petals to an overflow of petals surrounding the enemy. Once Ino has a clear shot, she throws the poisonous wolfsbane flower at the enemy hitting them in the head.
6.) Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu - This is the signature technique of the Yamanaka clan. Originally, this ninjutsu was suited for intelligence-gathering missions rather than battle. With it, a ninja sends his mind as spiritual energy into a target's body supplanting the target's mind with their own. The user transfers their consciousness to the target, giving them complete control of the body for a short period of time. While in control of the body, the user is able to communicate with the target. Since the user is in another body, they are also able to use that body's chakra. Conversely, however, the user's original body is left defenceless while this technique is active, leaving it susceptible to attack until they return. The mind transfer moves slowly in a straight direction and takes some time to return to the user's body if it misses. Similarly, if the opponent's will is strong enough, they can force the user from their body. Also, if the user's chakra level is low, the technique will be harder to maintain. Furthermore, should any physical injury befall the victim's body while the mind link is active, it would cause the user's body to also receive those same injuries.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys so how was that? It was still a draw but just what kind of influence did Chaos have in regards to the match? I started the match between them exactly the same way it was in the anime. However my friend and I decided to spice up Sakura's and by proxy Ino's backstory. It shouldn't be rocket science to recognize who healed Sakura as a child. Beyond that point I added to their fight a bit to spice it up.
Other than that I've laid the seeds to move the story forward.
That's the end of Chapter 43 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 3/30/2017
