SUMMARY: The battles continue.
The two girls smile and nod respectfully at each other.
They both know that Temari is going to win because she can blow away all of Tenten's weapons but that doesn't mean they can't have fun.
The battle drags on.
Tenten is using it as a practice for her accuracy - Lee and Neji don't like doing it with her.
Probably because they are the targets.
Temari's just dodging.
Finally, she seems to have enough and opens her fan.
Tenten forfeits.
Sakura has a plan going on and this is part of it.
Neji doesn't look too happy.
He never looks particularly happy.
Normally, it would have bothered her a lot more but she has other friends now.
Neji isn't her only one.
Of course, she still cares about him and respects his opinion but...
Tenten doesn't need to try to please him all the time.
She has the others.
She wants him.
She doesn't need him.
The thought is strangely liberating, like a weight she didn't know about has been lifted off her chest.
Tenten likes it.
It feels nice.
Especially in their line of work, it is difficult to feel that way.
They are killers.
But killers feel too.
Don't they?
Ra watches the next match with muted interest.
On one hand, this is her stalker and on the other, it's bound to be a boring match.
Somewhat.
The Naras like to make everyone believe most of them only know one strong jutsu.
Undoubtedly, Shikamaru is only going to use his Shadow Imitation Technique and his mind.
They are formidable weapons but she knows he has them.
She isn't going to learn anything about him by watching this.
Still, it might be a little interesting.
She hopes.
Clearly, she doesn't hope hard enough.
The Oto Nin lets herself get angry.
Now, sometimes emotion is a good thing.
Ru fights better that way.
But clearly, it's not the same for this girl.
Pineapple quickly wins the match.
She hopes the next one will be somewhat interesting.
Although, she has got a bit of a headache from her match with Ino so maybe a quiet will be better?
No one else here does quiet.
Brilliant.
"Uzumaki Naruto VS Inuzuka Kiba!"
Especially not those two.
Maybe she can go back to the medics...
Ru is capable of efficiency.
Naruto isn't.
Ideally, one of them needs to pass, otherwise, they have no obvious reason to be at the finals.
Ru can defeat Kiba.
Naruto may be able to defeat Kiba.
They will have to find out.
After a while, Naruto gets an idea.
Kiba has an unfair advantage with Akamaru.
They are Shinobi.
Ra always reminds Re that life isn't fair.
Re replies that she can wish and try to make it as fair as possible.
Ru agrees with Re.
Naruto transforms himself into a third Kiba, using the smoke to his advantage.
Confused, Kiba ends up knocking out Akamaru.
By the time he realises, it is too late.
Ru knocks him unconscious.
Hopefully, he's been obnoxious enough that no one noticed his slip up.
He should have done something with a bit more flourish.
Ru has learned to be pragmatic.
Naruto hasn't.
But he managed to stay in character the rest of the time.
It isn't as difficult as you might think.
Naruto is who he could have been.
But Hikaru is who he is.
Still, he beams when the proctor announces him the winner.
The smile threatens to slide right of his face when Hayate announces, "Hyuuga Neji VS Sumire!"
NO!
That is not good.
Not at all.
The guy might be Cat's boyfriend but in that moment, Ru wants to attack him.
This is all his fault.
Re is not ready for this.
Usually, when she is anxious about something, she tries to calm herself down.
It rarely works.
But here, both logic and emotions agree:
She is screwed.
She is trying to keep a very Hyuuga secret here - what if he finds out?
And what if people try to look for similarities when they see them together?
Her backstory is going to need some work.
She claims her mother died in childbirth.
It is the truth.
She remembers the faint whispers of a woman and a little sibling.
Everyone is always ready for lying.
They don't look too deep when you tell the truth.
She doesn't know who her parents were.
She can't remember.
She had been young, after all.
And they say trauma can cause people to repress memories.
Sumire doesn't think she wants to know.
She is as happy as possible in the circumstances.
She doesn't want to get dragged off to the Hyuuga compound.
That does not sound exciting.
Even Anko - actually, she'd probably take the opportunity to cause as much chaos as possible, never mind.
On any account, she is not intending on going there any time soon.
She casually embraces Sakura, taking the chance to slip her backup seal onto her.
On the occasion that Neji manages to cut the one on her skin, the seal in Sakura's pocket will activate.
It will only take a split second.
She might have made hers more durable but she doesn't want people's attention to be drawn to it so it has to seem like a little drawing. Not a seal.
So, no protection.
But still, she doesn't need to worry.
She'll just have to blink.
She is still worrying.
She put another on Ru too but she bets the boy has somehow damaged it by now.
There is a reason why she carries so many around.
So it will be fine.
It has to be fine.
Sumire faces her opponent shyly.
Obviously, the Byakagun is out.
She doesn't want to get beaten into a pulp, though.
She doesn't need to win.
Just fight believably.
She can do this.
The Byakagun can see through Genjutsu so that leaves Fuuinjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.
She is not going to use the first.
Excluding her secret, it is the biggest ace in the hole she has.
But she is never going to beat a Hyuuga at Taijutsu.
And Neji is accustomed to Tenten's projectiles.
But she doesn't have to beat him, she reminds herself.
He is standing there, belittling her.
It makes her angry.
But what makes her angry, also makes her sad.
She could breakdown here.
Might.
He's ranting about 'Fate'.
Re manages to hold back her snarl.
She really wants to shout "If Fate was real, I'd be dead by now!" but Sumire would never do that.
And she doesn't like broadcasting her feelings so she beats it back and engages him in a battle of Taijutsu.
She is readying herself for the knockout blow when he catches the spot where her seal is.
She tries to blink.
It is too late.
"Hinata-sama?"