Disclaimer: See previous chapters

SulliMike23 – That's the gist of it, yep.

Kaelin The Black Swan – I'm trying to lean toward spontaneous in this story. I don't want to give too much away all at once. But I will say that Sakura will have a place in the storyline. I try to give all the characters as much of a spotlight as possible.

airnaruto45 – No pairings. As far as the member of Team Kakashi is concerned, it's mainly teamwork. And Sasuke… I've always held the belief that he is more of a wild card than anything at this point and this fanfic will more than likely present that.

ALLAN – Here it is. ^_^

-0-

Opting not to return back to the palace, Team Kakashi settled around the campfire outside. The light of the fire glowed dully, reflecting the mood of the three seated around it. Sakura had just finished telling the team what had happened regarding her fight against Kano. She had to cut her story short, as Naruto anger began to flare upon hearing what the Black Dragon had done to her. As he settled down (at Sakura's prompting), Kakashi took in her story thoughtfully.

While Naruto's release of the Kyuubi was expected somewhat, Sakura wasn't one to let her anger get out of hand, at least not in the heat of battle. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was something off here. He had thought he had sensed something wrong before, but the experiences of the two teen seemed to confirm it. His gaze turning skyward, the copy-nin removed his hitai-ite.

"Kakashi-sensei, what is it?"

Through the Sharingan, Kakashi was able to see what appeared to a mist in the air. They all saw this when they first travelled to the island on the ship. But there was something different about it now. There seemed to be something else in it; an extra ingredient if you may. It took him a minute, but Kakashi soon recognized just what exactly it was.

"Violent intent."

Both Naruto and Sakura gasped in askance as Kakashi surveyed their surroundings. "There is violent intent in the air, everywhere. Quite subtle too."

Sakura's mind took in this new information. It certainly explained her aggression in her fight. And Raiden had mentioned that the tournament was corrupted. But she didn't expect this; the tournament being used to turn them into bloodthirsty combatants. Looking over at Naruto's face, she saw him come to the same conclusion as well. But with him, the consequences would be dire indeed if he gave into that bloodlust. The Kyuubi would use that to further its influence on the boy and Naruto would become…

…a real monster.

"What can we do about it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

His sole eye lifted thoughtfully. "Hm. Well it looks like I'll have to teach you two on how to deal with it."

"Really?" Naruto blinked in fascination. "You can do that?"

"Well, I don't see why not. The mist isn't affecting me as much as you because I know how to deal with it. It's something all jonin learn. But it will take some time and I don't know how much we'll have before we have to fight again. And also…" Kakashi directed his gaze squarely on the blond shinobi. "…this may not be too effective for you, Naruto. Between this and the Kyuubi, you're basically fighting a battle on two fronts." He then gave a careless shrug. "But I suppose little help is better than none."

"I'll take whatever I can get." Naruto smiled hopefully. "So what do we do?"

The bright glow of the moon illuminated the ring as Itachi Uchiha stepped into it, following the shadow monk. His opponent had yet to arrive, but he didn't mind the wait. Behind him, Kisame was stationed just outside the ring and Itachi could practically see his partner's snarling expression. The reason being the defeated he suffered at his previous match; a match Itachi was there to witness.

It had started like all the others. Kisame was eager in putting down another opponent. So far, the pair had been undefeated in the tournament, which would work out to their benefit later. And it was no surprise that Kisame was the first to dispatch an opponent via fatality; using his Suiton: Goshokuzame (Water Style: Five Sharks Frenzy) to tear his unfortunate victim to shreds. And Kisame had continued in his slaughter, more than pleased all the while. But then his opponent entered the ring, folding away his shades and cockily settling into his stance.

Johnny Cage…

From the offset, Cage had little to no advantage over the former Mist ninja as Kisame rushed at him with Samehama (Shark skin), eager to slice him to ribbons. Cage had shown resilience, dodging the sword slashes and scoring some damaging blows, but ultimately Kisame had battered him down. Kisame then rushed in for the finishing blow, but then it happened. Cage slipped under the lethal slash by dropping down to the ground with a split and then struck forward with a fierce punch.

Striking right between his legs …

Even Itachi had to wince at that, especially from the loud crack that echoed out as a result. Kisame had practically folded in half, moaning in pain for a good minute and unable to so much as move. That was more than enough time for Cage to recover and hit Kisame with a forceful uppercut, knocking him down. Kisame was angry, but still hurt and as he staggered up to his feet, he received another blow, this time a Shadow Kick that smashed into the side of his head and knocked him unconscious, giving Cage the win.

Even now, Kisame was enraged (and hurting) by his loss, so much so that he swore to tear Cage apart if he ever saw him again. But Itachi had reminded him of their mission; to keep the jinnchuriki of the Kyuubi safe and out of Shang Tsung's hands. If nothing else, Kisame's defeat reminded Itachi not to underestimate any of the fighters here.

Itachi's musing was soon silenced as another shadow monk appeared, bringing Itachi's opponent to the ring. The man was clad only with black pants and shoes, but Itachi sensed an unusual strength from this fighter. He may have looked ordinary, but this man was anything but. He would have to be cautious. His Sharingan gazed unflinching as the match started.

…And the man -Liu Kang- launched into attack…

On another end of the island, Sasuke was also meeting his opponent. After Suigetsu's beating at the hands of Naruto, he and Karin retreated into hiding, taking the battered Suigetsu with them. Even though Kakashi had seen him, he knew his former sensei wouldn't come after him; his concern for Naruto's well-being took priority. All the better for Sasuke, as the young Uchiha was in no mood for a confrontation.. He had one mission and one mission only.

Itachi…

In all honesty, Sasuke wasn't sure he would stand a chance against his elder brother now, but after hearing of Itachi's involvement in the tournament, he just had to take it. If anything, the rules of the tournament would give him glimpses of Itachi in action and help Sasuke prepare for their coming fight. And it would come; his team was put together just for that purpose.

He just had to deal with their bickering…

At least for now, that wasn't the case as Suigetsu was still unconscious when Sasuke left and Karin remained behind to heal him. Now solo, Sasuke followed the shadow monk into a forest area where the ring was placed as the only clearing. Torches burned around the ring, illuminating the area a great deal more than Sasuke thought necessary, but that didn't matter. What mattered was his opponent, who was already awaiting his arrival in the middle of the ring.

'Another shinobi…'

A yellow-clad shinobi, with pupil-less eyes…

AN: This chapter came out shorter than I would have liked. *sigh*