Disclaimer: See previous chapters

Path-of-Otaku - I'm working on it. Hopefully, it'll turn out well.

SulliMike23 - Yep.

airnaruto45 - Pretty much.

-0 -

He had thought to intimidate her, get her to lose composure and shorten the match. Yes, she was in the tournament, but he believed that she, like Karin, would be more support than an actual kombatant. Memories of their last meeting where she had all but begged him not to leave the village came to mind. She pleaded, cried and even made to reckless notion to go with him. But none of that stopped him (although if he was honest with himself, the tears had come close to breaking his resolve) and he left her behind. Also in mind where the times where either he, Naruto or Kakashi had to save her from dangers. And while she was quite smart book-wise, bottom-line was that he never believed her to be a physical force on the battlefield even with the passing of time.

The woman he was fighting now was definitely a physical force…

When she swung at him after he appeared behind her, he caught her arm, readying to end the match swiftly. He partly expected her to break out his grip, but he hadn't expected for her to attack him immediately after. Clearly, she had no trouble in attacking him, even though he was fast enough to dodge her strikes. He kind of found it unusual that she didn't pull out a kunai, a typical shinobi tactic when fighting up close. But then he figured that she just didn't want to hurt him.

And then she punched the ground…

And the ground exploded…

His face couldn't hide the shock as he was flung into the air from the resulting mini-cataclysm. Spiraling about, Sasuke landed neatly on his feet, only to be faced with a mid-air Sakura with her fist reared back. His gaze instinctually went to it, but he quickly caught sight of the kick that came instead. 'A feint.' Dashing back, Sasuke narrowly avoided the attack and Sakura came at him as soon as she landed, her burst rush shattering the ground as she came. Reacting on reflex and instinct, Sasuke's hands quickly weaved seals

'Katon: Gokakyu No Jutsu!' ('Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!')

The blaze of fire swooped straight at Sakura. But rather that dodging, Sakura stopped, planted her feet down and clapped her hands together, creating a powerful wind blast that completely blew out his justu. Again, he was shocked by this and she rushed at him again, faster than before. Unconsciously, his hand reached back for his sword and he slashed out, only to meet with a resulting clash as Sakura had finally pulled out a kunai in defense. Frowning, Sasuke jumped back again, knowing she could easily shove him back with that strength of her.

Sakura…was pushing him back…?

This fight was clearly not going the way he thought. In fact, it wasn't supposed to be a fight at all. He didn't miss the fact that Shang Tsung set this up purposely, but it didn't matter to him since it was Sakura. He didn't expect to put in too much effort against her, particular with her being a medic-nin (He managed to pick up on that detail). What he had expected was for her to try and talk with him, to convince him to return to Konoha as Naruto had done during their bout. But Sakura seemed content in just attacking him, leading him to make a realization in hindsight.

Sakura was pissed…

And he underestimated her…

And as she came in for another attack, he swiftly grabbed her arm while locking his sword with her kunai again. He didn't have time for this. He had a brother to kill; a clan to avenge. And he would not let anyone stand in his way. Not even Sakura.

The Sharingan bloomed to life…

Clouds…

Dark clouds as far as he could see, brewing as though a turbulent storm raged within. But it wasn't storm; it was something far worse. A large ghoulish figure towered before him in the midst of the dark haze, soulless green eyes gleaming through the clouds and glaring down at him with malevolent intent. The being began to advance toward him, letting out a booming roar that that was almost like a laugh.

But mid-way in its advance, it stopped, both in motion and in roar. The turbulence of the clouds flared even more as a second figure arose from within, more deeply shrouded than the first, but with eyes also gleaming through the haze. The two soon turned to face each other and the air sizzled with their power, leading to one inevitable conclusion.

Konfrontation…

-0-

The eyes of the Shaolin snapped open and he forced himself to calm the panic that was raging in him. He was currently kneeling on the ground after having entered into deep meditation. Naruto had left to find his teammate a few minutes ago, so Liu Kang though it would be a good time to prepare himself for the next match should he be called for it. He was immensely grateful for the mental teachings he had learned in the Shaolin temple, for without them, his last opponent, Itachi, would have destroyed him with that technique of his. And even still, it had done a fair amount of damage to him. It was a bit of a surprise when he forfeited the match, but Liu surmised that using such a technique would have some kind of severe drawback.

In any case, he thought it would be good to reinforce his mental defenses. But in doing so, he had entered into a deep meditation and from there came the dark vision. 'Just like the last time…' It was the same vision he had the day before the assembly in the Shaolin temple… the same day Lord Raiden visited the temple.

The day he became one of the chosen…

Taking a calming breath, Liu Kang thought over the vision before it became too much of a haze in its mind. Both figures were clearly creatures of great power. Despite the frightening visage of the first being, at the very least it did seem human, at least in form and appearance. The second was too obscured to make out clearly, but it definitely wasn't the same. There was something…feral about it. Almost like an animal or beast of some kind. 'Could it be…the Kyuubi?' Was his vision telling him of the battle that would end the tournament?

"Still questioning your destiny?"

Liu Kang couldn't steel his features enough to hide the surprise on his face at the sound of the voice. Not that it would have mattered given the speaker, who had now moved up to stand beside him, facing the same direction as the Shaolin monk.

"Lord Raiden? I do not understand."

The deity spoke as though he didn't hear him. "More than anyone here, you understand what is at stake should the forces of Outworld win the tournament."

"I know." Liu Kang was more than aware of what would happen. He had been schooled on it ever since he was young and had first heard of the legends of the famed tournament. And although the team from Konoha knew the stakes as well, none of them knew it to the extent that the Shaolin monk knew it. Outworld's victory would mean the loss of balance between good and evil in all the realms.

Forever…

"It is one of the reasons that I am helping those two."

Raiden nodded. "Especially Naruto."

"There is a great strength and will in him. I sensed it from the start. If anyone has a chance of stopping Shang Tsung's plans, it is him."

"That much is true." Raiden replied. "But he is chosen for a particular role in it, just as you are. And if there is ever a chance to succeed, we must all play those parts. The question right now is, will you play yours?"

Once again the word of the thunder god confused him. What did he mean? Was he not doing what he was supposed to? He was here, fighting for the safety of the Earth and the other realms. He was even helping others in the fight, especially one who could be a key force in their victory, perhaps the one who would take that victory for himself. What was he doing wr-?

"Fulfill your destiny, Liu Kang" were Raiden last words to him before disappearing with a crack of thunder.

Panting, Sakura lifted herself upright, glancing at a Sharingan-glaring Sasuke. She remembered the brief satisfaction she felt when he activated his kekkei genkai, knowing that he was now taking her seriously, that she wasn't the same girl he had left behind and unconscious three years ago. But with that satisfaction had came the unfortunate knowledge that she had lost her only real advantage against him, that he would underestimate her.

In those first minutes of the match she had used that against him, surprising him with her strength (Inner Sakura smirked at the surprise on him face when she launched him in the air) and coming close to a solid hit. But despite his surprise, he was still quick enough to evade her long enough to come to that realization and fight her seriously.

But now that he was serious, she was going to have deal with the consequences of it. Even though she had only seen him that first day of the tournament, she knew well enough that she wouldn't be able to keep up at the speed and level that her former teammate had now reached. As much as she hated to admit it, his tutelage under Orochimaru had made him stronger than ever. Her evasion tactics were only barely working against him and the speed he whipped out jutsu was practically jonin-level.

And then there was that damn sword of his…

With a long breath, Sakura readied herself for the next assault; all the while using the teachings Liu Kang had given her in clearing her mind enough to keep focused and not let Shang Tsung's sorcery distort her thinking. –"Rage and fury are only a part of you. Allow its flow, but do not let it become the whole."- That turned out to be simpler than she thought, at least in this case. She didn't, or rather couldn't hate Sasuke. But she sure as heck could be pissed off at him. Focus on the fight, she considered her options. Her strength was still her best weapon. No matter how much stronger Sasuke had gotten, one hit from her would put him down.

She just needed one opening…

Sasuke's form soon turned into a dark blur, alerting Sakura and causing her to instinctively lift her kunai in defense, just as the sliver of blade sliced through the air, clashing with hers. This happened several more times, with Sakura barely deflecting the slashes. Hopping back, Sakura pulled out a second kunai just as Sasuke materialized behind her. Wheeling about, Sakura flung the first kunai at him, which he easily deflected. But as it flew, Sakura bent low and charged at him, fist clenched. But as with the kunai, her attack was meaningless, with Sasuke simply sidestepping her attack. He began to move in, intent on ending this fight.

Only to have something exploding right behind him

Unnoticed by Sasuke, the second kunai Sakura held had been tied to an explosive tag, which she had stabbed into the ground as she charged at him, obscuring it from his enhanced vision. The explosion was too far to do anything to him, but it diverted his attention for a moment, just enough for Sakura to channel her chakra into her foot and stomp into the ground. The angle of her stomp propelled a huge chunk of the ground right at Sasuke. Turning back toward her and seeing the flying debris coming, Sasuke quickly rolled out its path.

Just as Sakura wanted…

'There!'

Her chakra now flaring into her fist, Sakura launched at Sasuke full speed. There was a bit of worry that she might be going too far in this attack, but if she was to beat Sasuke, it was all or nothing. Even with his speed and Sharingan, he would not be able to avoid her, not with the two seconds those distractions had bought her. But instead of attempting to try to dodge or evade, his crimson gaze locked onto hers.

"Chidori Nagashi!" ("One Thousand Birds Current!")

"What the…?!"

Out in the open walkway, Naruto stopped in surprise as a flash of bluish-white light in the distance caught his attention. For a minute, he thought it was Raiden in another match, but that was quickly dispelled when he caught the sound of loud screeching, like…

…The cry of a thousand birds.

'Sasuke!'

He hadn't even realized that he had broken out into a run, but he didn't question it. Despite this, it still took him a bit of time to get close to the site of the flash and it was only upon reaching it that he stopped, due to shock. The area was semi-charred, with a few sparks of electricity still zinging about the ground. But the shock came from the sight at the center of the battlefield. Lying on the ground in what was obviously the epicenter was a prone body. The back was toward him, but the pink hair was unmistakable.

"Sakura!"

Rushing over, Naruto bent down, turned her over and held her in his arms. She was unconscious, but she was definitely still alive and breathing. He noted a distinct bruise on the side of her head as well as other bruises on her arm, darker and charred, evidence of a lightning attack. As realization sank in as to what had happened, his gaze snapped up just in time to see the departing form of his best friend. He had missed him upon seeing Sakura, but he was in his focus now.

"Sasuke, why?!"

The raven-haired youth stopped for a step and turned his head to the side, a single Sharingan gazing back at the two on the ground.

"She was in my way."

Naruto's teeth began to grind and the surge of the Kyuubi's chakra began to flare through his system. But a low moan from the girl below him stopped him from any reckless actions as he looked back down. Her features furrowed in a pained frown, but ultimately her eyes opened.

"N-Naruto…?"

Blinking out of his moment of rage, Naruto smiled reassuringly "The one and only."

She let out another groan and her eyes began to tighten close, only for them to snap open and her hurt body to shoot upward, shouting Sasuke's name. But her rapidly action forced her pain to resurface hard and she slumped back into Nauto's hold, passing out from the pain. Naruto almost panicked, but seeing that she was only unconscious, he relaxed a little; only to remember her shout and remind him of who put her in this condition. So it was no real surprise to see that Sasuke was no longer there and had disappeared again. His anger may have diminished, but it was still there.

'How…how could you…?'

"Has the intruder been dealt with?"

"I fear not, massster."

"I see. No matter. As it stands, it is too late for them to change anything. At the very least, he has not been left unscathed?"

"Vvvery much scathed."

"That will do then. Tend to your wounds, Reptile."