Killers

by JackalopeWitch

Team Eight was the strongest team of the Rookie Nine. While everyone was working on getting stronger and working on becoming unstoppable, Team Eight had become stronger and became undefeated… and so they were to be feared. Rated M for dark, mature themes

14. Chapter 13

Underlined italics are Team Eight's wordless communication

BOLD italics are Hinata's visions

Disclaimer: PandoraBoxx777 Does NOT in anyway own the series Naruto or any of its other name rights. Happy Reading!

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Each ninja team was grouped up in lines of three of their own teams. Team Eight stood on the left in between Teams Seven and Ten. Shino was in the back, Hinata in the middle and Kiba leading point with Akamaru sleeping on his head.

There was a tense silence as they walked into the next area.

They all took the time to look around and study the room, seeing it was some sort of small arena. There were stairs on each end of the room that lead up to catwalks on the walls to view the area below. There were three giant panels on the back wall of the room that each team faced, and in front of that, a giant statue of arms and hands holding up the Ram ninjutsu sign.

Each team's jounin instructor stood behind the Hokage and his entourage, which included Ibiki and Anko.

Team Eight looked to Kurenai who stood tall and proud amongst the other jounin, being the only female there. She smiled at her team and nodded once, signifying that they had done a good job. Each member straightened their spines at the praise, feeling their hearts lighten and happiness bloom in their chests.

Ibiki briefly glanced at Hinata, though it was a glimpse, Hinata knew he was proud.

Anko too, glanced at Shino and Kiba, smirking before turning her attention to the rest of the teams. "First of all," She announced, "Congratulations on passing the second part of the exam."

Team Eight were surprised many had made it this far, although they knew that some of the teams here were more powerful than they seemed.

Hinata glanced over to Gaara and shivered.

As Choji complained about being hungry, Shikamaru took a look around, "Troublesome," He muttered lowly, "There's too many people left. That's such a pain."

"Sasuke passed too!" Ino sighed dreamily, ignoring Shikamaru's pessimism.

"Well of course he did." He bit out, "We had to step in and save their asses. I'd be pissed if they hadn't passed and I wasted all that effort for nothing. Troublesome."

Hinata looked over to Team seven and smiled to herself, blushing slightly, 'Looks like Naruto passed too. I'm so happy for him.'

"Hey, pay attention maggots!" Anko barked out, "Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam so listen up."

Sarutobi smiled and nodded, "Thank you Anko," He said. He looked around the room slowly, his wizened eyes lingering on the Rookie Nine.

He knew Team Seven would pass, as they were powerful and unstoppable.

Naruto was unconsciously learning how to use his demon's chakra, having used it to fight against Orochimaru.

Sasuke was a prodigy in his own right, having unlocked the Sharingan, and with a talent for combat; someone powerful enough to get Orochimaru's attention.

Sakura had a lot of potential and raw power. She just needed the right motivation to unlock it, and he hoped Kakashi would be the one to encourage it. She needed his feedback and attention just as much as the others.

Team Ten was led by his own son, Asuma, and they were amazing in their own right.

Shikamaru had just about as much intelligence as his father, and with the right guidance, he would be able to be even greater and more knowledgeable. He could very well become the next Hokage advisor, if only he put in effort.

Ino was blossoming into a talented young woman, learning all of her clan secrets with ease. She was one of the most talented Yamanaka they had, and she was still only so young. No doubt she would be the head of T&I like her father.

Choji was quickly learning the Butterfly Mode as explained by his father. Though he had some issues with his weight, there was no doubt that he was the strongest Akamichi in his generation. He was almost a prodigy in using the expansion jutsus, and had profound emotional intelligence.

Finally, Team Eight, his proudest secret. He was happy they had found their ambition before it was too late, and that they had found each other as well.

Hinata's doujutsu was steadily progressing, and she was finding it easier to wield the more she practiced. Even without her eyes, she had incredible insight and outstanding political skills. Soon enough, she would be the Leaf's greatest asset.

Kiba was nearly ready to be let off the sedatives, having finally mastered his self control. He was wise and bright, often thinking outside of the box in simple, but unique ways. He would no doubt be just as great a ninja as Hinata.

Shino was developing his own breed of insects, and was soon ready to adapt and extend his seals. With the new set, he could possibly receive other abilities as well. He was amazingly smart and contemplative, often thinking of new moves that are advantageous to his team and even other ninja. He was going to be very valuable indeed.

He closed his eyes and sighed silently to himself, clearing his throat for his speech and explanation for the chunin exams, as well as giving a background on the history of said exams.

Hinata listened carefully, soaking the information like a sponge. No doubt Kiba and Shino were doing the same.

"This final exam," He began to conclude, "Is a fight in life and death for your village and for the pride of that village."

There was a silence following as everyone processed the information.

This next part of the exam could end in death, for the sake of the country and the sake of their dreams as shinobi.

There were some murmurs of hesitation and some who simply accepted it.

"You sure convinced me, Grandpa Hokage." Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"That's all well and fine," Gaara said boredly, "Just tell me details of the exam."

"Very well." Sarutobi relented, "I shall now tell you the details of the next part of the exam."

A ninja dropped in front of the Hokage, kneeling before him in respect, "Please, Lord Hokage, allow me to provide information to these genin as proctor for the next exam."

The Hokage paused for a moment, nodding his head slowly.

The jounin stood tall, slowly turning around to the genin behind him, "My name is Gekko Hayate. It's nice to meet you all." He paused as he coughed a bit, drawing weird looks from some of the genin and jounin alike. "There is something I would like to ask of you before we proceed." He then fell into a heavy coughing fit, covering his mouth as he hacked on relentlessly.

Team Eight shared a look of concern and awkwardness as the cough started to get a bit more violent.

Finally, the cough seemed to have finally calmed down as the man cleared his throat. "Now then," He sighed, "We have to have a preliminary exam before we can move on to the real one."

There were shocked and angry looks from all of the genin.

"Preliminary?" Shikamaru shouted, "Just what the hell does that mean?" He was frustrated. He expected to move on, maybe pass and then get on with his life, same as usual, but now these jounin were adding extra steps and rounds, making continuing that much more difficult.

Hayate didn't seem phased in the least, "What that means is, the first and second part of the exam must have been too easy this year. We weren't expecting so much of you to actually pass. The rules state that we can add a preliminary round at any time, if only to reduce the number of candidates."

"But is that even fair?" Sakura stuttered out.

"We just need to speed things up." He replied, "A lot of important people are going to be coming here to watch only the best compete in the exams, and we can't afford to waste their time. With that being said, if you do not feel like you're in top physical condition, I suggest you leave while you can, otherwise we'll be starting the preliminaries immediately."

Ino's shoulders slumped in exhaustion, "We just finished the last exam. Don't we get a break?" She asked desperately.

"What a drag." Shikamaru whined.

"This exam is a one on one, life or death, combat challenge," Hayate continued, ignoring Team Ten, "So once again, quit while you still can."

Hinata noticed Sasuke flinch from the corner of her eyes, clutching his shoulder in pain. She knew Kiba and Shino noticed as well, as they had shifted their stances slightly, moving away from Team Seven.

"What do we do about the Uchiha?" Kiba's attention moved to Ibiki, who, with Anko and the Hokage, was staring at Sasuke. Of course, being a ninja he could hear very well; but, with being an Inuzuka, he could hear pretty much everything.

Anko glared, "We take him out of the exam, hand him over to Black Ops and keep him locked up until we get that seal under control."

"Oh and he'll just happily go along with it all, right?" Kakashi intervened, "You forget, He's an Uchiha."

"I don't give a fuck about what clan he's from!" Anko growled, "He's a danger to everyone here! The stronger he gets, the stronger that fucking curse mark gets with him from feeding off of his fucking chakra. It's a forbidden jutsu that devours the one who bears it and frankly, I'm surprised the little shit isn't dead yet." She turned to Sarutobi, "Please, Lord Hokage, we need to pull him."

Sarutobi said nothing for the time being, seemingly lost in thought.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked in worry.

Kiba's attention was brought back to Team Seven, along with the rest of his team.

"Sasuke please listen to me, okay?" Sakura asked carefully, "I think… I think you need to quit." Both Naruto and Sasuke stared back at her in shock as she continued, "Please Sasuke, you haven't been the same since you fought Orochimaru, since he gave you that mark on your shoulder."

Sakura continued pleading, asking for him to quit. She began crying, telling her team how scared she was.

Hinata glanced at Kiba, who caught her eyes and made a disgruntled face, "Seriously, does she not notice how loud she's being?"

Sasuke caught the silent exchange and looked around, relieved that no one else was paying attention. "Sakura," He hissed, "Shut up."

"Do you think I'm blind?" She exclaimed, "I see how much you're suffering and I can't stand it. I'm going to tell them about that mark!"

Hinata noticed that there was another hand that was already raised. It was that boy, Kabuto. "Alright," He smiled embarrassed, "You've convinced me. I'm quitting."

Hayate looked at a list in his hands, "You're Yakushi Kabuto, right? A leaf ninja. You may step out of line and leave."

"Hold on just a minute!" Naruto yelled, "What do you think you're doing? You can't just quit!"

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I'm just not up for it." Kabuto sighed, "Ever since orientation, since that battle with those sound ninja, I lost my hearing in my left ear. Now they want me to fight again, without a break? Even put my life on the line? No thank you. I'm better off quitting."

Shino noticed the Hokage and his mentors whispering to each other, giving Kabuto's leaving form sideways looks as they spoke. He discreetly let a bug out of his sleeve.

"Well, there's one," Hayate continued, "Anyone else?"

Sakura attempted to lift her hand, but Sasuke slapped it down, gripping her wrist. Hinata nearly jumped in surprise with how harsh he was with her, frowning to herself as she unconsciously touched her own wrist.

"Don't you dare tell them about this mark." Sasuke hissed.

Kiba had to suppress a smile at that. 'They already know, Dumbass!'

Sakura's eyes watered but she quickly blinked them away, taking a breath, "I don't get it." She cried, "Just what are you trying to prove? How am I supposed to just watch you tear yourself apart? I can't bear to continue to watch it."

"Then don't watch and stay out of it." He countered aggressively, earning a gasp from Sakura, "You're not a part of this, Sakura. I told you before... I'm going to get my revenge."

Kiba bit the inside of his cheek, trying his best to keep a straight face. Fuck he's so theatrical, isn't he?

"This is more than the exam." Sasuke continued, "I don't care if I become a chunin at all. I want an answer to how strong I've become. I can only do that by fighting the best of the best, and all of them are here in the exams." He chanced a hidden glance at Hinata, who turned away from him, hiding her face. "This is the path I've chosen, and not you or anyone else can change that. The path… of an Avenger."

Kiba lost it, shoving his face in his elbow to stifle his laughter, which thankfully worked, as no one but his team noticed.

Hinata found herself sighing and closing her eyes. She understood to an extent what Sasuke's goal was. She knew about the massacre and how his brother was the one to do it. She wouldn't know what to do if Neji or even Hanabi were to do something so vile.

But he was becoming an avenger in such a… twisted way. He was focused on power and becoming stronger, to the point where he put himself at risk; and Hinata wouldn't be surprised if he put his own team at risk as well.

She related to becoming stronger, to be more powerful and to have a purpose, but after his revenge, what would he have? He was cutting his ties with his team, he was hurting himself and pushing himself down a destructive pather for revenge and then he would end up lost and hopeless and maybe even worthless as a ninja.

It wasn't her place to say anything, but she knew that he was going to cause a lot of his own problems in his future and even possibly, the village's future. But even more so…

She thought about his avenger declaration and sighed once again; he didn't have to be so fucking dramatic about it.

"Don't you know when to quit?" Naruto growled, "You don't need to be an asshole; she just cares about you, you bastard."

"You know, Naruto," Sasuke said, a smirk gracing his features, "You're the one I want to fight the most."

There was an intense stare between the two, lasting longer than a minute. Kiba was sure there was some sexual tension there, but he wasn't going to say anything about it for now.

"Let's see how this plays out." Sarutobi's voice caught his attention once more, "We'll let Sasuke compete in the exams for now." He said, earning an angry curse from Anko, "However, if Sasuke loses control or is a danger to anyone otherwise, we will take him out of the exams."

"I understand Lord Hokage." Ibiki said, masking his displeasure at the decision.

Anko was looking to argue, but a serious look from Ibiki and the Hokage quieted her. She glared at Kakashi who, while as concerned as she was over Sasuke, couldn't help but be a bit smug at having somewhat won the argument.

Kiba felt himself grow anxious at their decision. Sasuke, though as stupidly dramatic, was still powerful in his own right. He knew that if Sasuke got out of control, it would be bad for everyone. He hoped that his team would be spared from having to fight that asshole.

"If that's it then," Hayate announced, "Then we will begin the preliminary round.

"This preliminary test will consist of one-on-one combat. This is not an exercise; this is a full intensity type battle. Since there are twenty of you remaining, we will have ten matches total and the surviving winners of these matches will then take part in the final stage of the chunin exams.

"There are no rules. You will fight until death, until you admit defeat or until you are physically incapable of continuing at any point.

"As your proctor, it is my duty to judge every match fairly; that means I can intervene at any time, especially if a match seems hopeless. I am going to do my best to avoid any fatal outcomes."

He turned to Anko who nodded and talked into an earpiece to open a panel. A large black screen was revealed behind him. "Now that we've gone over everything, it's time to begin. There will be a screen to determine your opponents at random."

The screen flashed through the names in seconds, slowing down on both sides until they appeared on the screen.

There was no surprise that Sasuke was first.

"The two names on the board, step out of formation and come forward."

Sasuke smirked as he approached the front, looking at his opponent.

Dosu couldn't be more pleased that he would be fighting Uchiha Sasuke. Ever since Orochimaru gave him his orders, he had been intrigued. What sort of plans would his Lord have for this Uchiha if he was asking Dosu and his team to fight him? And after the curse mark revealed itself, he was sure that Orochimaru was testing him and his strength. Perhaps after Dosu defeated the Uchiha, he would be granted the curse seal as well, and become even more powerful.

Hayate wrote on his clipboard before looking at the two chosen genin, "Kinuta Dosu and Uchiha Sasuke, you have been chosen to battle against each other in the first match. Are there any objections?"

"None here." Sasuke smirked.

"No." Dosu grunted.

Hinata noticed Sasuke twitching in pain and sighed to herself. Surely, whatever point he was trying to prove was much more important than his well being. Sure, he wanted to become stronger, and maybe he was strong enough to bear the pain for now, but that wouldn't mean anything if this pain carried on and caused any, if not further damage to his body or chakra.

"Everyone except the two candidates," Hayate announced, "You are to clear the area and move to the upper levels. We will begin our match promptly."

---

Hinata smiled at her sensei as she walked over, "Hello sensei," She bowed.

Kurenai smiled in return, "Hello Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru. I'm pleased to see you've made it this far, though I'm not surprised. You three trained very hard for this. I'm very proud of you."

Kiba smirked to himself before he glanced over to Team Seven. He watched as Kakashi spoke to Sasuke, and by the look on his face, Sasuke was not pleased. Kiba figured Kakashi was telling the Uchiha Brat that he knew about the mark and that he needed to watch himself.

"Kurenai-sensei," Kiba called.

Kurenai immediately turned to Kiba. It wasn't every day that he looked and sounded so serious. He was frowning, staring at the Uchiha, "We need to watch out for him. He's bad news and everyone is whispering about this Curse Mark he got. Something's going on and I don't like it."

Kurenai looked over to Sasuke, unintentionally catching Kakashi's single eye. They stared for a moment, almost challenging each other.

Kurenai, however, shifted her casual stance for a more powerful, aggressive one; she stood completely straight, arms crossed and shoulders squared. She wasn't backing down to the likes of him and she had this protective aura about her.

Kakashi glanced to her team who all immediately tensed up. They knew something and he didn't like it. He continued on his way out of the official arena, leaving Kurenai and her team to go up as well.

Hinata glanced back at Sasuke who glared in return. She frowned to herself and sighed, turning away. She wasn't going to be a part in his own self-destruction.

The fight went off without a hitch. Hinata watched his movements carefully, noticing that he wasn't using his Sharingan. She figured it was for chakra conservation or maybe because of that curse mark.

Dosu was an excellent combatant. He was careful, that's for sure but she noticed he relied too heavily on his abilities rather than his combat. He managed to shake Sasuke up quite a bit by using the sound waves against him.

In the end, however, Sasuke had the upper hand and defeated Dosu with an impressive combo. As he was in the air, however, Hinata noticed strange markings covering his neck and face.

"Hinata," Shino called.

Hinata was almost startled with him using her first name instead of Opal, but she knew that there were too many people around to be so familiar with each other. Shino was private in that way, preferring to use nicknames in secret.

When he had her attention, he continued, "Use your Byakugan. What is that mark doing?"

Hinata activated her dojutsu, concentrating on the mark on Sasuke's neck. She cringed, "It's consuming his chakra," She said, "It's stationed on his shoulder." What an ugly curse seal to bear.

Dosu was carried away on a stretcher, the power of the kick breaking several ribs and knocking him unconscious. The medic offered Sasuke to go with him but Kakashi stepped in, offering to take Sasuke instead.

Before they could leave, however, Sarutobi called him, as well as Kurenai, over.

Sasuke waited by the exit door, panting heavily and twitching every so often. He wondered what was so important that he had to wait to go to the hospital.

The raven haired woman followed after Kakashi. Sasuke recognized her as Team Eight's leader. She was gorgeous, but there was this underlying threat that Sasuke's instincts told him to be wary of. She was dangerous.

"Kakashi, I understand you're taking the Uchiha boy to have him sealed." The old Hokage deduced, to which Kakashi affirmed with a nod. "Very well," Sarutobi continued, "In that case, you may want to take Hyuga Hinata with you; she is well on to becoming proficient with the art of sealing."

Kakashi's one visible eye widened just a fraction as he took in this new information. He was surprised that the Hokage was confident in a genin's ability in fuinjutsu to this extent. It made him wonder more about this suspiciously quiet team Kurenai had under her wing.

Kurenai was conflicted. On one hand, she was proud that her student was being recognized, but on the other, she wanted Hinata at full capacity to fight and participate. The sealing would surely hinder her chakra.

"With all due respect, Lord Hokage," Kurenai reasoned, "Hinata is proficient, yes, but I would like for her to participate in the exams at her best. This sealing would take a lot of her chakra, as well as take her from the exam itself."

"Right," Kakashi agreed, "Besides, I think we wouldn't be as discreet. Hinata should participate and I'll handle my student's sealing myself."

Sarutobi was quiet for a moment, thinking to himself before nodding, "Very well. Do try to collaborate on it sometime though. I think it would be very good practice for Hinata and somewhat easier for Sasuke."

---

Both jounin bowed and took their leave, walking side by side.

Kakashi glanced over to Kurenai suspiciously, who stared straight ahead as she walked. "I didn't know Hinata practiced sealing." He suddenly said, "One would think that, because of her family history, she would avoid such a ninja art."

Kurenai knew what he was doing. He was trying to get more information out of her. It was natural, seeing as he was ANBU before she was, and by all rights had a sort of authority over her, especially if he decided to go back, but she knew better than to give him what he wanted.

"Hatake," She sighed, "I understand that, as shinobi, we try to gather all the information we can; whether it is about an enemy, a situation, or even fellow shinobi comrades. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power.

However, if you want more information on my students, you'll have to go directly to the Lord Hokage about it, as I am bound by loyalty and orders to keep my mouth shut." With that, she walked off.

Kakashi stood dumbfounded for a moment. Kurenai was a bit of a hardass sure, but she never talked back and never walked away from a superior before. He wondered what exactly was going on with Team Eight.

---

Kakashi left with Sasuke, so the next round was about to begin. Hayate was still coughing, so the rest of the candidates waited anxiously until he finished to announce the next round.

Names flashed and cycled through the screen. Everyone drew a collective breath until it landed on two names.

"Ha," Zaku smirked, "Who's the sucker who gets to fight me?"

Hinata smiled softly, "Shino, your name…"

Kiba grinned, "Hell yeah," He exclaimed, "Now everyone will see what Team Eight has to offer. Go get 'em Shino."

Shino rolled his eyes good naturedly as he started his descent, "Kiba, you should know better than to blurt such things out loud so carelessly. I'm not sure why you're so eager to paint a target on our backs."

Some people cringed at how harsh he sounded, but Kiba, however, didn't bat an eye, "Whatever." He brushed off, "We're fighting for our spots in the exams so everyone is bound to see how hard we've been training. Just go kick some ass already."

"Do you think Shino can handle that guy?" Naruto asked Sakura.

Kiba, who heard, laughed at the question, "Don't you worry about Shino." He reassured Naruto, "Trust me, he's the last guy you would want to go up against."

Zaku and Shino faced each other, waiting for the match to begin.

Shino took this time to study his opponent. He remembered him as the cocky Sound ninja that attacked Kabuto earlier in the exams. His teammate had a special ability with his village's namesake, so it would be safe to assume the same of him.

His arms were in a sling, but that could be a ploy, after all, ninja's were the masters of deception. It would be safe to make sure that he gathers as much data as possible from the fight, therefore, he would have to let the opponent make the first move.

Hayate coughed, "You may begin."

Shino was a human, but when he fought, when he focused, he was a spider. Spiders are intelligent and dangerous. Spiders are calm and collected. Spiders are efficient and brutal. He was going to win.

The spider spins its web carefully, diligently, and with patience. It looks over its creation, noting the details of its own masterpiece, and waits.

Shino took the opportunity to poke at Zaku's confidence, "If you fight me," He warned, "You may not recover. It's wise to give up while you still can."

He knew he hit a nerve when he saw the ninja glare. "Well I would," Zaku said, "But I've still got some movement in this arm." He 'carefully' took his left arm out of the sling, "All I need is one to beat you." He flexed the muscles in his arm, positioning it to attack.

Shino noticed that the movement was smooth; too smooth for an injury. He was correct that the ninja was faking.

He calculated his options. He didn't know exactly what this ninja could do, or what he was capable of, but he knew that he needed to be prepared for anything. He commanded his kikaichu to wait at their entrances on his body.

The fly bumbles by, cocky and none the wiser. He doesn't see the trap he's about to enter. "Come into my web." Said the Spider to the fly.

Zaku dashed forward, swinging his arm to throw a punch.

Shino easily blocked it, throwing up his arm as a counter, but he noticed something. Zaku hadn't made a fist; instead, he left his palm exposed, giving Shino a glimpse of a little hole in his hand. In order to see what it did, he had to push a little further, "Is that all?" He taunted, "You couldn't beat me using both of your arms."

"Is that right?" Zaku yelled.

Shino was close enough to hear the chakra in Zaku's arms sucking the air into the hole. That was probably a preparation for an attack. If he expelled the air in that hand into Shino's ear, he could very well deafen him and even cause fatal damage to the brain.

The Sound ninja grinned victoriously, "How about I try this? Blasting Sound Wave!"

Kikaichu rushed to protect his ears, blocking them up in time as A large blast of air expelled from the holes and onto Shino's head.

He had to admit that the wind hit him a little harder than he anticipated. His head spun as he fell to the floor and rolled from the force of the attack.

"Have enough yet, loser?" Zaku taunted.

'Shit. That really sucked.' Shino thought to himself as he began to stand, surprising his opponent.

The dizziness was beginning to go away and his blood was rushing. Shino was surprised to say that he was excited. He was excited to fight this ninja, to scare him, to hurt him. He didn't know what this meant, but he didn't mind. This made him feel human.

"There's no way!" Zaku exclaimed, "You shouldn't be standing after that!"

Shino smirked under his collar. His bugs began to buzz and chirp, loud enough for everyone to look around in fear and surprise.

It was a bit twisted to want to instill fear in everyone as well, but it would ensure a bit of safety for his team and hesitation in everyone else. Plus, the look on their faces was priceless.

Finally, he let them out, almost laughing at Zaku's surprised face. His bugs poured out of his body, thousands of beetles roaming the room discreetly. He needed to distract Zaku long enough to plug the hole he had in his hand, maybe both of them, just to be sure.

The Aburame commanded his bugs to gather behind his opponent, and waited.

"Cool," Zaku sneered, "Now that you've managed to gross us all out, what comes next?"

Shino tilted his head, looking behind Zaku, who turned to see what he was looking at. He exclaimed in horror at the army of beetles behind him. There was a massive swarm, thousands upon thousands of little bugs waiting for a command.

Shino lifted his hand, a small beetle on his fingers, "These are a rare breed of insects known as kikaichu. They're parasitic, attacking in swarms and eating the chakra of their prey. An army this size could suck you dry in less than a minute."

Speaking of which, Shino watched as a smaller swarm crawled their way up Zaku's legs to his arms. He was relieved to see that his distraction was working, as Zaku was too focused on the swarm behind him and Shino's words to feel them plug up the holes in his hand.

"Your only intelligent option is to forfeit the match." Shino continued, "You can't fight two opponents at once in your condition. If you focus your jutsu on me, my friends will consume you, and if you attack them, you'll have me to worry about."

Shino held up his fingers in the Ram sign, ready to attack, "Your defeat is certain and it will be very unpleasant for you. It's wise to always have an ace in the hole."

Zaku closed his eyes, shoulders shaking. Shino couldn't decide whether he was laughing or crying, but it didn't really matter, did it? He knew he had won.

Suddenly, there was a yell of rage, and Zaku was now aiming his hand at Shino, "Now you've done it!" He growled, "You've really pissed me off!" He aimed his other hand at the swarm, opening his palm and gathering his chakra.

"What the fuck?" Kiba barked out, "I thought his arm was useless."

Shino lowered his hands and stuffed them in his pockets. He was ready to see what exactly would happen.

The Sound nin smirked to himself as he prepared his next attack, "It's just as you've said: Always have an ace in the hole, right?"

Zaku yelled out a battle cry as he expelled his chakra to attack. He was going to tear this twerp to shred and win. He wasn't going to be afraid anymore, especially not of this cocky bastard.

The spider slowly approaches his prey, fangs bared and dripping venom. The fly shakes and thrashes, but it's too late. He's trapped, and the spider is hungry.

Shino watched in satisfaction as the chakra ran out of his arms instead, ripping the skin to shreds in a rush of wind, blood and chakra.

People gasped in surprise, expecting Zaku to prevail only to have his arms blow up. This was indeed a turn of events.

The poor boy cried out in pain, ceasing his attack and dropping his arms, "What happened to my arms?" He yelled, "What's wrong with them?" He looked down to the holes in his hands, shocked to see bugs buried tightly within them

Shino took the opportunity to move closer, almost flickering behind him. "Earlier, when I was distracting you with my very helpful advice, I was sending some friends to plug up those bothersome holes in your hands. I even plugged both of them, just to be sure. It's true that an ace in the hole is good, but you know what?" Shino leaned in closely. His voice dropped, sinister and evil as he hissed out, "Two aces are even better."

The spider opens his jaws, wider and wider until finally...

Zaku felt the killing intent behind him, and it reminded him of Orochimaru. There was a chill that unsettled him deeply, and he was angry to find out that he was in fact, scared out of his wits.

With the last bit of his fury fueling him, Zaku swung his arm to attack, ignoring the pain for a brief second until a new one replaced it.

He bites, his powerful jaws crushing and piercing, injecting venom into the fly. It's over.

Shino, having anticipated the attack, had lifted his arm to retaliate, claws extended and impaling Zaku's arm. It was a reflex, but it still surprised him. He hadn't thought he would go as far as to stab him, even in his arm.

He briefly wondered what it would be like to use the other hand to shove the claws in under his chin, holding him in the air for everyone to see. 'No,' He thought quickly, 'I'm not that kind of shinobi.'

With that, Shino used his other hand to punch Zaku as hard as he could, sending him flying away and off of his claws.

Hayate walked over, bending down to check on Zaku, who groaned and twitched in pain. There was blood seeping out of his arms, which were practically mutilated from the chakra explosion in each of them. "I'd say this one is done." He muttered to himself before standing and clearing his throat, "The winner of the round is Aburame Shino."

Kiba and Hinata smiled, excited for their teammate.

---

"How is he able to do that?" TenTen asked curiously, "Is it a summoning jutsu?"

Might guy sighed, "Shino is a part of a clan here in the Hidden Leaf, a clan of insect users. One would think they were summons, but in reality, they are actually living inside of his body."

"Really? Inside of him?" Rock Lee yelled.

Neji nodded, "I've heard of them too," He added, "They say that when a bug master is born, he enters a sacred pact with the insects. He provides a home for their hives and lets them feed off of his chakra; in return, they fight his battles for him."

"So you're saying that Shino is a master?" Lee asked carefully.

Neji nodded, staring as Shino walked back to his team, "It would appear so."

---

Kiba smirked as Shino took his place by their side, "Hey man," He said, roughly patting his teammate's back, "Great job out there."

Shino huffed as he half-heartedly shrugged Kiba off, "Just be sure to keep focus so you can do the same." He said, having, once again, people cringe at the cruelness of his words.

Naruto growled and pointed a finger at Shino, "What's with you?" He yelled accusingly, "He's just trying to be nice, why do you have to be such an asshole?"

Kiba laughed loudly, throwing his head back as he did so, "That's just the way Shino talks," He explained, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. He has a hard time expressing himself. Right, Shino?"

Shino in turn shrugged his shoulders, turning away from everyone who was now staring at him.

---

Once everything more or less calmed down, the next match was beginning. Kankuro of the Sand vs Tsurugi Misumi.

Shino found himself very interested, stepping closer to the railing to watch as Kankuro slung off the strange mummy on his back.

After exchanging a few words, the two began.

Misumi had the strange ability to dislocate all of his joints, using his chakra to control his body and constrict himself around Kankuro.

Hinata was fascinated, if not a little grossed out. She wondered what kind of training he had to endure to master the ability as he had.

Misumi, now wrapped around Kankuro, began to squeeze, threatening to break Kankuro's neck if he didn't concede. Kankuro had smirked and refused, ultimately pushing Misumi into killing him.

There were gasps around the room, Team Eight looked around to the other rookies and realized that they had never seen such a careless death before. It was an interesting thought, to think that Team Eight were practically desensitized to something as somber as death. Meanwhile, the other rookies were looking pale and scared of a body with a broken neck.

Interesting indeed.

Hinata chanced a glance at Gaara, who looked on emotionlessly, before turning away in disinterest. She wondered as to what happened to him, or possibly between him and his siblings, that caused such a deep rift in their relationship.

As it would turn out, however, the victim that Misumi had wrapped around was in fact a decoy, a puppet. Kankuro revealed himself to be the mummy. He was a puppet master it seemed, as he used his chakra to control the puppet to grab onto Misumi and crush all of his bones, thus ending the match with him as the victor.

---

The next match was Ino and Sakura. Hinata didn't know much about them, only from what she observed and heard.

Sakura and Ino used to be friends, best friends, but then one day, they were unexpectedly at each other's throats.

Hinata remembered seeing them walk to and from school every day when they were children, sitting together at lunch and in class. They laughed and played and Hinata had a deep desire to be a part of that, to have bonds so strong.

Suddenly, they sat as far away as they could from each other, they called each other ugly names and fought all of the time. She watched, concluding that the reason for their loathing towards each other was caused by a boy, by Uchiha Sasuke no less.

She found herself strangely disappointed in them. They threw away such a beautiful friendship- something she never had with another female before- for a boy bent on revenge and hatred. She was sure that they knew next to nothing about the Uchiha, nothing meaningful anyways, and yet, they let their pettiness get in the way of what could have been a sisterhood.

The fight started. They exchanged a few blows, evenly matched.

Ino's stance and fighting style was a bit more sure and adept. She caught Sakura with a few blows and went in for a punch, but she hesitated and slapped her instead.

There was a moment of stillness as both females registered what had happened before Sakura took a stand and declared that she wasn't fighting Ino over Sasuke anymore, and mocked her.

Ino visibly bristled, growing angry and yelling back, stating she wasn't going to go easy on sakura anymore.

At that moment, both kunoichi took off their headbands and tied it around their foreheads. Hinata was a little proud of them for finally deciding to take their training and fighting more seriously, even if it was still fueled by a rivalry.

They fought long and hard, beating each other senseless. Sakura was surprisingly good, using basic jutsus in otherwise well thought out strategies.

Ino was just as good, however, but Hinata could tell she was floundering.

She was confused as to how Sakura was just as skilled as she was, asking her how she had gotten so strong.

Sakura bragged about her training, going as far as to make fun of Ino for paying more attention to her looks above everything else.

Ino had lost it.

She reached up and cut nearly all of her hair, throwing it at Sakura in a rage. Her teammates were surprised, leaning against the rails in shock as Ino attempted her Mind Transfer Jutsu.

As it would turn out, she tricked Sakura, pretending to have missed before she revealed that she infused chakra into her hair to create a special binding rope to hold Sakura in place. She actually activated her jutsu once more, but was stopped when Sakura managed to push her out.

In the end, both girls were evenly matched and managed a double knock out. Neither had won, but Hinata knew that it was for the best. After all, neither girl would survive the next round.

Hinata noticed that when they woke up, sitting side by side, there was a feeling of closeness once again between them, even if it was just a bud.

---

Choji was called up next fighting against that Temari girl from the Sand. Choji used his expansion jutsu to try and crush her, but he didn't seem to have any control over his movements.

Temari revealed the large fan on her back and explained that she used it to control the wind. She managed to catch Choji in a cyclone jutsu, cutting into his skin and injuring him.

He landed back first on her fan, effectively knocking him out. She tossed him off and walked back to her place as the medic nin took him away.

Hinata chanced a glance at Shikamaru, who glared openly at Temari. She knew that Choji was his best friend, after all, they grew up together, and seeing him hurt made him borderline furious.

Ino didn't bother to hide her rage, calling Temari obscene names and cursing her to and from.

---

Kiba looked at the board and smirked. He was up next. He grinned at Hinata and Shino who smiled back and wished him luck. Kurenai ruffled his hair and scratched Akamaru behind the ear, giving him words of encouragement.

With Akamaru on his head, he walked down the steps to face his opponent.

TenTen was a bit nervous to be facing Kiba. She briefly thought back to their first encounter and shivered. She didn't know a rookie was capable of such killer intent. She put on a brave face and walked down to face him, cringing at Lee and Guy's overly enthusiastic cheering.

Both genin stepped forward, Kiba smirking and TenTen determined.

Kiba knew that he needed to assess her skills before he had an actual game plan. She was more experienced and he had never seen her fight.

The Inuzuka clan was known for their prowess in hand-to-hand combat as well as fighting with a ninja dog, but no one knew about his weapon. He needed to keep that a secret until he needed it most.

"Inuzuka Kiba and TenTen of the Leaf," Hayate announced, "You've been chosen to be our next fight. Are there any objections?"

"No sir." TenTen replied.

"Nope." Kiba followed.

"In that case, you may begin."

TenTen immediately jumped back and waited, trying to see what Kiba would do.

Kiba, however, stood still, staring back and studying her. While he was playing it cool, he was nervous. He wasn't sure what he should do. He figured he should play it confident and poke at her.

"Are you going to wait until I attack to try and see what I'm packing?" He mocked lightly, "If that's what you want to do, I'll play along. But be careful because one hit is all I'll need."

Tenten didn't react much, but he knew that she was bothered by his words.

Kiba pulled Akamaru out of his jacket and placed him on the ground, rubbing his ears as he did so. TenTen watched carefully, wary of his calm demeanor.

He clasped his hands together and gathered his chakra, taking deep, calming breaths. 'Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All Four Jutsu.' He lowered himself to the ground, feeling his nails and teeth grow and sharpen.

After his transformation was complete, he watched TenTen take a step back in fear and caution. He got ready and charged, driving his elbow into her stomach. She coughed up spit and a little bit of blood, flying back and skidding across the floor.

Kiba smirked, "I warned you." He called out, assessing her condition before taking a quick step left. He barely dodged a kunai knife.

TenTen stood shakily, clutching her stomach and breathing hard, "That was a good hit," She complimented, "But you won't get the chance to do it again."

She pulled an array of kunai and shurikens from her pouch and threw them, straight and true.

Kiba moved out of the way but found himself having to run as TenTen threw more and more weapons, almost too many to count.

TenTen's aim was perfect, managing nicks and cuts along Kiba's arms. He was struggling, still a beginner in the weapons aspect of ninja talents. If he could get in close and take out her arms, he could win easily. All he needed was a distraction.

Kiba gave a low sounding whistle, signaling to his companion. Akamaru, understanding completely, ran around behind Tenten and jumped off of the wall, landing on her back. TenTen stumbled, giving Kiba the chance to get close enough to attack.

She barely dodged in time, turning and shoving a kunai out to stop him. Kiba had moved Akamaru out of the way and took a kunai cut to the hand. He threw himself back to avoid more serious damage.

TenTen threw more shurikens, smirking to herself as she used ninja wire to pull them back and wrap them around Kiba's feet, managing to trip him.

Once he fell, she brought another handful of weapons down on his back. Kiba grabbed Akamaru and threw him out of the way, throwing up his arms as a shield and rolling to avoid most of the damage. He felt a few punctures in his arms and legs, but he didn't feel as much pain as he thought. It must have been the adrenaline from the fight.

He noted that she was only using her weapons, constantly moving herself a long enough distance to use them. His tetsubo would be otherwise useless but he could have it as a last resort, using it only when he had her completely by surprise.

"So," He chuckled as he pulled the shurikens from his body, "You're a weapon user."

TenTen smirked to herself in pride, "That's right," She answered, "You're looking at The Hidden Leaf's next weapon's mistress. I have plenty more where that came from, too, so don't you worry."

He stood and shook off the dust, "I hope so," He taunted, "It would be a shame if you had to actually fight me. Seems like you focused your time and energy on your aim, so I'm guessing you're trash at hand-to-hand combat, am I right?"

TenTen scowled and drew a scroll from her pouch, "I won't need it to defeat you." She declared, presenting it for him to see, "I can end this match easily with this alone."

"We'll see about that." Kiba retorted, "Ready Akamaru?" Amakaru barked in response as Kiba grabbed his own kunai, throwing it to startle the girl. It worked, as she moved to dodge.

He then grabbed two smoke bombs and threw them at her feet, encasing her in a thick purple cloud. Kiba threw himself in the smoke with her, landing a few hits to draw her out.

As she ran to escape, Akamaru caught her by surprise and bit into her arm. She cried out in pain and threw him off, covering the wound with her hand. Akamaru landed gracefully on his feet, running to Kiba's side to fight again.

"What did I tell you?" He asked, scratching Akamaru's ears. Akamaru barked a laugh, wagging his tail.

TenTen was finally frustrated and was finding herself to be quickly running out of options. She had to do her best to keep Kiba at a distance to attack, but with Akamaru getting in the way, she wasn't going to get very far.

She briefly checked her arm and was thankful that the bite wasn't too deep, but it was going to make her aim a bit more wobbly.

TenTen had noticed as they fought, Kiba did his best to keep Akamaru safe. He risked getting injured and taking the most damage so Akamaru didn't have to.

She wasn't one to hurt animals, in fact she loved them, but she knew that the longer Akamaru was in the picture, the more likely she was to fail, and by incapacitating Akamaru, she could fight Kiba one-on-one and win.

With a heavy heart, she knew what she had to do.

Gripping the scroll once again, she ran, leaping and flipping into the air, she unraveled the scroll and spun, seemingly suspended in the air. Using her chakra, she unsealed weapon after weapon from the scroll, throwing them all in an endless barrage.

Kiba moved quickly, outrunning her attack. Akamaru ran the opposite way, trying to find a way to distract the weapons user once more.

TenTen, expecting the separation, directed a barrage of weapons at the ninja dog, managing a hit strong enough to have the dog cry out in pain.

"Akamaru!" Kiba screamed out, running straight to his best friend. "Are you okay boy?" He asked, carefully moving the pup so he could see the injury. Akamaru whimpered in pain, shaking and crying whenever Kiba moved him too much.

TenTen looked over his shoulder, wincing as she saw the pup covered in red. She hadn't meant to hurt him so much, but she needed to do everything she could to pass the exam.

Kiba whipped his head around to face her, eyes narrowed and angry, "You're going to pay for that." He growled, jumping up and slashing at her face.

TenTen flipped out of the way and threw another barrage of weapons, to which Kiba dodged. He threw them back with deadly accuracy, surprising TenTen and her teammates.

While his technique could still use work, he was surprisingly aiming and throwing well. No one thought that Kiba was that good with weapons, considering most of his attacks were hand-to-hand combat.

While she was distracted with avoiding the knives, Kiba threw another smoke bomb to distract TenTen, and used his superior speed to rush in and punch her in the gut, landing a successful hit.

However, TenTen had used a substitution, learning from the last time Kiba threw smoke. She came up from behind him and wrapped him in ninja wire, pulling tightly so he couldn't escape. She rolled out another scroll, twirling it around herself and kicked him onto the floor, where he landed on top of more weapons.

Kiba gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, and stood to attempt to free himself.

"I'm not finished," TenTen said, rolling out another scroll. She threw spears around him at his feet and summoned a throwing dart, wrapping it around the spears and effectively trapping Kiba within them. "You're trapped," She smirked, "I win."

Kiba laughed, "You sure about that?" He asked, glancing behind her.

TenTen didn't have time to react as she felt a pair of teeth bite into her arm once more, this time deeper than the last. With the pain shooting up her arm, she released the hold she had on Kiba and fell back.

Akamaru was attached to her arm, uninjured but still red. She managed to pry him off, throwing him away from her with a shout of pain. Akamaru landed perfectly on his feet, jumping onto Kiba back who stood free from the wire.

"Akamaru had a special pill made by and for the Inuzuka Clan." Kiba explained, "Once he takes this, he's much more powerful and able to perform special clan techniques with me. I knew you would try to hurt him, so we devised a plan to make you think he was incapable of fighting to gain an advantage."

Kiba smirked maniacally, throwing his hands together to perform a hand sign, "Now, let's have some fun. Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: Man Beast Clone."

Akamaru turned into a clone of Kiba in that moment, the both of them engulfed in chakra.

TenTen knew she was in trouble now, but she refused to give up.

Suddenly, they were attacking. TenTen did her best to avoid their claws, rolling and flipping away the best she could. She didn't have time to summon any more scrolls and she was running low on chakra as it was.

Kiba and Akamaru managed to slash her arms and legs pretty good, as she stumbled around from their assault but she managed to stave off the worst by donning a simple kunai, slashing back with equal vigor.

Kiba and Akamaru ran straight towards her, claws extended, "Man Beast Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: Fang Over Fang!" It was a direct hit.

TenTen had attempted to slow them down with anything she could throw but it was of no use. Their attack was too powerful for her to stop.

She flew into the air, but still attempted one last move.

Kiba smirked, and stopped the attack to land on the ground below her. He pulled his hand pulling back to meet the other, which was winding up for some sort of attack. TenTen was unsure of what was happening but she had to move quickly in order to gain some upper hand once more.

As if in slow motion, a weapon revealed itself, stretching and expanding. TenTen had stopped whatever she was doing and watched in a mixture of shock and awe as Kiba stood firm, swinging the weapon over his head and then at TenTen as she fell within range, connecting the tetsubo with her back and sending her flying into the wall hard.

She was done, unable to move and passing out in pain and exhaustion.

Hayate moved to check her, confirming she was still breathing and calling over medics to assist her to the med bay. "TenTen is unable to fight," He announced, "Kiba is the winner."

Kiba, however, was still covered in blood and wounds. The medical ninja insisted he follow after them to get patched up. He cast a glance over to his team, who waved him goodbye as he left.

---

It was time for the next round.

Shikamaru was up next, disappointing Naruto and Lee who were itching to fight. He himself didn't deem that enthusiastic grumbling to himself as he walked down.

He passed Team Eight, casting a glance at Hinata who was still watching the doors Kiba exited through. He didn't like seeing her so worried, though he knew he should be focusing on other things.

"Hey, Hinata," He called.

A pair of lovely pearls entered his vision and he suddenly found himself speechless; there were tears in her eyes and her face was pink from holding them back. It was saddening but still cute and endearing.

Shikamaru cleared his throat and looked away, "They'll be okay." He said, motioning to the door, "Your teammate and his dog are a bit of a drag, but they fought well. They only got a little banged up and will be back before you know it; so stop looking so sad and worried, it's troublesome."

Hinata felt herself blush in embarrassment. She knew that Shikamaru was trying to cheer her up, and though she didn't know why, she appreciated it. She rubbed her eyes and smiled shyly, "Thank you, Shikamaru." She whispered.

He waved her off as he continued down the stairs, smiling lazily to himself.

"Are you done talking to your little girlfriend?" Kin taunted, "I'd like to get this fight over with."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, "This is such a drag. Do I really have to fight a girl?" He faced her with an otherwise bored expression, thinking back to Hinata's smile.

The match began. Hinata found herself leaning against the rails to better watch the fight. She didn't know what to make of Shikamaru's sudden interest, but she wasn't complaining. After all, it was mostly harmless.

He formed the hand sign for his shadow possession jutsu, ready to attack. Kin taunted him, apparently already having seen the attack before. This angered Shikamaru, as he yelled at her to shut up.

Hinata never really heard him raise his voice over the lazy drawl like almost every other Nara she encountered, so it was quite a shock to hear it.

Kin was apparently a senbon user, as she threw a pair with bells attached that had a strange ringing vibration that affected the brain.

Shikamaru was on his knees, weak and disoriented. He started to hallucinate, eyes darting and searching for the real Kin.

He had to think fast, as she was throwing senbon to slowly injure and kill him. He had to preoccupy her, but seeing as how she was focused on the torturing, it wouldn't be that hard.

He managed to cast a shadow, catching her within his trap. He then pulled out a shuriken, shocking Kin and everyone else. He seemed amused, almost enjoying himself at this point.

Hinata watched, enthralled by the fight.

He threw his shuriken, causing Kin to throw hers as well. Shikamaru gracefully dodged, throwing himself back into a bridge. Kin smirked as she unwillingly followed his lead, hitting her head hard against the wall behind her.

Shikamaru chuckled to himself, chancing a glance at a smiling Hinata before he lifted himself upright, explaining her flaw was her not being more aware of her surroundings. He was declared the winner, earning cheers from Ino.

He walked back up to his spot, glancing at Hinata as he passed. She smiled wider and bashfully congratulated him, to which he smirked and winked back at her.

Ino was watching the two interact from her spot and grinned mischievously. Something juicy was definitely going on here.

Kiba came back just as Naruto was called up next to fight against another leaf village genin, Yoroi Akado. He was a member of Kabuto's team, therefore Team Eight were wary.

---

Naruto didn't sense the danger and admittedly was talking himself up, bragging loudly that he would win and pass onto the finals with no problems.

Hinata found herself smiling, refreshed by his confidence. It always warmed her heart to see that Naruto was ready for any fight and was prepared to win no matter the circumstances.

The fight began, Naruto attacked Akado with gusto but found himself weak and tired suddenly. As it turned out, Akado had the ability to absorb chakra and then use it as his own.

Naruto was fighting to stay on his feet, finding it more and more difficult with each blow.

Akado finally slammed him to the ground by his head, sucking the remaining chakra out. He mocked Naruto and his strength, claiming that he was a doomed failure.

Sakura called out to him, screaming for him to fight back. Hinata wished she could do the same, instead silently cheering him on with her teammates passively watching by her side.

Naruto, finding courage and strength within himself, managed to kick Akado off, taking a moment to breathe. He stood up, listening to Sakura and Lee cheer him on, "I'm not going to let a jerk like you win." He declared, "I'm not going to give up, not until I beat you. I'm going to become the Leaf's future Hokage, but only after I kick your ass. Believe it!"

Akado mocked Naruto once more, before attacking again, faster this time. Naruto dodged, avoiding Akado's attacks in the nick of time. He struggled, as even a brush of his hair left him weak once more, but he persisted.

Naruto conjured his clones, surprising some of the spectators that he was able to mold enough chakra to do so, including Akado. He attacked all at once, each poofing away in failure and defeat. He tried combos and planning around Akado but he was no match; Akado had him beat.

He summoned another gaggle of clones, attacking together once more. Akado dissipated all of them, or so he thought. Naruto had used a transformation jutsu to turn himself into a giant shuriken while Akado was busy defeating the other clones. He threw it with all of his might, and when Akado ducked under it, Naruto dropped the henge and kicked him hard.

He then attacked with another set of clones, copying Sasuke's Lion's Barrage, and making it his own.

The attack left Akado incompacitated and thus Naruto was the winner.

Hinata was happy, pulling out a special ointment she had made for her teammates and one knuckle-headed ninja. Kurenai smiled and stood behind her in support, patting her back in reassurance. Hinata took a deep breath and thrusted out the jar to the oblivious blonde, face red and steaming, "Naruto," She nearly whispered, "This is for you."

Naruto looked at the jar dumbly, not knowing what to do, "Uh," He said intelligently, "What is it Hinata?" He asked.

Hinata had to take another breath and forced the words out in a rush, "It's a healing ointment. It heals wounds and promotes chakra circulation. Take it."

Naruto eagerly took the jar from her hands, fingers brushing along her knuckles, "Wow,! Thanks a lot, Hinata!" He smiled, teeth shining and face bright.

Hinata smiled back, having successfully made another friend

"You know," He said, "There are a lot of tough people here. I hope you win your match, whenever that is." And with that he walked off, calling to Sakura about the ointment.

Hinata sighed, burying her face in her hands to stop the overwhelming feeling of embarrassment and shame in her bashful nature. She tried really hard to talk to him, but she was almost always too shy to get a single word in.

Kurenai smiled at her and guided her back to her spot between the boys, "It's ok Hinata," She soothed, "One day you'll have the courage, but until then, just keep working on it, ok?" Hinata nodded looking at the board change in names as they walked.

She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the board in horror.

---

What were the odds that she would have to face her cousin? Her tormentor?

A sickening feeling wormed its way in her stomach and up her throat. She felt her heart racing and her breath shortening. Was she swaying? It felt like the floor was rippling under her.

The room was spinning so quickly, the lights were blinding and the voices were laughing, becoming louder and more angry. It was too much, too much, TOO MUCH!

"Hinata," Kurenai's gentle voice pulled her consciousness from the back of her head. Hinata looked up with tearful eyes at Kurenai's loving ruby orbs, "You don't have to fight him, Hinata," She consoled, "You can walk away if you're not ready. We don't see it as cowardice, we don't see it as weakness. We will still love you."

Kiba and Shino stood beside her in support, holding her hands tightly. She knew they would still love her, but it didn't stop the fear of disappointing them, the fear of never being ready.

She knew what she had done to gain his hatred, but she remembered a different time when he loved her too. Playing tag in the gardens, feeding the koi in the ponds, daisy chains and wild flowers in his hair.

She wanted to reach out to him, to understand, to fix. She wanted her brother back, but she didn't know how to repair what had been broken for so long.

She did know, however, that the longer she avoided his wrath, avoided this fight, she would never be truly free of him, of the Hyuga's hate. She decided to fight for her life.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up, determined and brave, "I will do my best to win, Sensei." She swore. The pride that shone in everyone's eyes fueled her confidence as she turned on her heel and walked down the steps to meet her cousin, who was impatiently waiting for her.

"Who would have thought we would fight against each other, Princess?" There was that accursed nickname again, sripping in venom and hatered.

Hinata said nothing in reply, standing stone still and tall.

"I may have forgotten," He spat upon her lack of response, "That you think you're too good to talk to a lowly branch member like me. Let me remind you then, of why you will lose." He smirked upon finally getting a reaction, as Hinata had lowered her head and closed her eyes.

While it was safe to assume she did so in shame or fear, she was trying to search, trying to find a way to survive this encounter. She had gotten nothing, too focused on his hatred and negativity to find her way in the future. She was beginning to think she had made a mistake.

"-too weak to properly face me, hiding behind your hair and status every spar we partake in." Hinata had to sigh at that one.

If Neji truly believed that Hinata's status meant anything, especially when he was able to abuse and demean her in front of everyone in the family, then he was not as great a genius as everyone had said.

The only thing her status was good for, was keeping her from dying by his hand, and even then, that was pushing it. No one would care that she died, but the elders cared if she, a main branch member, died to a side branch member.

It would be a signal, a victory of some sort, that the slaves of the clan could rise up and fight back. The elders could not allow that to happen, they had to make sure they stayed hopeless to ensure their obedience.

Neji, having finished his monologue, got into his stance and gave her a final warning, "Give up now and save yourself a painful loss."

Hinata hesitated. Was all of this really worth it? Was fighting to the death, was fighting at all what needed to be done? Was this one moment worth all of the abuse that would follow afterwards if she lost?

"Hinata!" Naruto was shouting her name, "Don't let him talk to you like that! Show him what you got!"

Hinata's head snapped up to him, leaving her speechless. Did he really have that much faith in her abilities? Did he really believe in her?

"What are you waiting for? Kick his ass already; you're driving me insane!" Naruto was about ready to jump down with her, Sakura holding the back of his jacket to keep him still.

Hinata smiled gently, happy to be encouraged and recognized by her greatest admiration. Naruto would fight, not taking the insults lightly. He would never give up or back down.

Hinata looked to her team. Shino nodded once, Kiba gave her a thumbs up, and Kurenai smiled back at her. Her team believed in her too.

She looked at Ibiki, and while he didn't look pleased, he was proud and confident in her. Anko made a fist, a signal to fight, and the Hokage looked on past the smoke of his pipe, eyes gentle and warm.

She even caught Shikamaru's eyes in a passing glance. He was frowning but nodded his encouragement.

All these people believed in her and knew that she was worth more than her fleeting title and the shadow cast by her prodigy cousin. They were ready to see what she was made of, and damn it, she would show them her strength.

She slid easily into her first position, which mimicked the Hyuga's Gentle Fist with a few altercations of her own. Neji assumed it was due to her incompetence in their family's fighting style and smirked, chuckling to himself as he prepared to fight, "I warned you." He sneered.

Hinata didn't hear the word begin, but she saw Neji's body tense as he stepped forward to attack and strike at her chest.

Taking a step back, Hinata centered her gravity evenly and parried the blow, moving to the side and ramming her shoulder into Neji's exposed flank with a strong shout. There was no need to use chakra, as raw power and strength sent Neji flying back in a heap.

There was a moment of shocked silence in the arena, even the Hokage was surprised at the speed in which Hinata sent Neji to the ground.

Kiba's snort broke the tension as he hid his guffaw in his hands. He was near tears at seeing Neji sitting on his ass, staring at Hinata who stood above him.

Neji, brought back by the laughter, jumped to his feet and charged again, attacking with a new fury.

Hinata slipped into her stance once more and faced him. She practically danced around his attacks, spinning on her feet and flipping around him. She fought back, of course, her powerful attacks laced with chakra doing damage and hurting Neji as he did his best to block and retaliate.

Hinata realized after some time that couldn't block much longer, as she noticed Neji sneakily curving his hand and blocking a chakra point in her arms.

She flipped back, pushing chakra into her arms to see how many he had gotten. A dull pain ran through them. There were more than ten blocked in each arm, and while she hastily unblocked them once more, the damage had already been done. She needed to be more careful now.

Neji didn't give her much room to plan her next attack, as he was already chasing her down, hands ablaze with chakra. He landed a strong hit to her shoulder and threw another at her head. Hinata ducked under the strike and turned, keeping her back to him as she stood straight.

Neji was surprised to see Hinata's eyes peering at him from over her shoulder, back completely exposed. What was this outlandish stance? it was so painfully un-Hyuga to turn one's back in a fight, especially to an enemy.

Taking advantage of his surprise, Hinata performed the Peacock Kick, landing it perfectly. As his head fell, she quickly lowered her leg and swung it impossibly high to kick him back up. Neji didn't have the chance to retaliate, as Hinata Immediately struck him with a palm to the solar plexus.

Pain rippled through him as he skidded back, but he remained on his feet. His chakra was beginning to dwindle, but he knew that Hinata was in equally short supply, as her chakra was weak from his earlier attacks, so the damage was not as extensive. She was in just as much pain as he was and breathing heavily as well.

"I see you've gotten better," He spat, "But without Hyuga methods. You've been acting braver lately, still timid and weak, however. Though you're improving, it makes no difference. You are still the Hyuga embarrassment; your own father has no faith in you.

What are you hoping to accomplish? What are you trying to prove? You think you're so great now, don't you? The main branch member destined to defeat the side branch, just as all the others in your status and those before you. You act so high and mighty while there are others suffering beneath you. You know nothing of our pain."

Hinata looked at him, and suddenly saw everything so clearly. He was jealous, he was hurt and he was confused. All of his life, he was meant to be someone great, and it was all taken away by people with more power, simply because they could.

She remembered a time when it was rumored that Neji was to be heir in place of Hinata, that he would be taught main branch techniques due to his gift. But when Hanabi was born and began to show talent in the Hyuga arts as well, he was branded and pushed to the side, a lowly servant once more. He had never gotten the chance to improve and learn by the Hyuga as he believed Hinata did.

"I may be a main branch member," Hinata's voice was heard loud and clear, "But you are not dense enough that you cannot see the 'benefits' of my status, nor are you deaf to the whispers and lectures. You are not unaware of the constant situations I'm put in as 'heiress' to the main branch.

"I understand what pain you go through, but you understand nothing of me. You hold me accountable for everything that's wrong in your life because I'm the easiest target, instead of taking action and responsibility for yourself. Even with you putting me on such a high pedestal so unwillingly, you still look down on me as if I were the lowest thing on earth."

Hinata smiled bitterly, "But you must know, brother, that you and I are the same. You don't want to admit it, but we are. I see through you, I see your pain and suffering, I see you struggle and your despair. However, you are too blinded by your own misplaced hatred for me to see that, and for that, I truly feel sorry for you."

Neji stood and charged once more, screaming in hate-filled rage as curses spewed from his mouth. His next attack was sloppy from anger, so Hinata was able to easily dodge and lower herself into the Art of Phoenix.

Neji's eyes followed her, widening in surprise as she stared back bravely. He no longer saw fear as she gazed up at him, he saw everything she had been put through: depression, anguish and hopelessness; but above all, he saw something dark and evil, the intent to kill under a thin layer of determination.

Hinata rose, gathering her chakra into both of her hands, preparing to attack.

This was it. The killing blow. Neji moved his hands to strike first, but it was too late. Hinata had the advantage, landing the next hit and shutting down his chakra system so quickly, his heart and lungs would violently rupture.

Her eyes twitched.

---

"Hinata," A gentle voice called. Hinata turned her attention from the dirt floor to the soft eyes of her cousin. He had his arms out, posed to defend with a few spots of dirt on his face and training clothes, but was deceptively relaxed and loose.

He was older, more handsome than when he was a genin. His hair flew gracefully in the wind, tied into a low ponytail like his father's, and Hinata found herself mentally counting the amount of wild daisies she could put into his hair.

"Are you alright, Hinata?" He asked, concerned, "You've suddenly stopped your attack."

She looked around for a moment, seeing they were in the farthest area of the training grounds so as to not be disturbed. She wasn't sure of what was the matter, but she had the sudden need to stop.

"Yes brother, I'm alright." She rubbed her aching forehead and sighed, "I may have pushed myself to the limit today. I'm not in the right mindset to continue training. I apologize for wasting your time." She bowed lowly, earning a smile from Neji.

"No time wasted," He assured her, "I myself was feeling weary. Would you like to join me for some tea? I believe your favorite shop has a new recipe."

Hinata smiled thankfully, "That sounds wonderful."

Both cousins walked through the shop in peaceful silence. Hinata wound her arm in Neji's, who happily took it as he led on. She watched the hustle and bustle of the market area as they walked, remembering and discovering it all once more.

Neji led her into the shop, ordering her dango and cup of water along with their tea. They sat in their usual booth by the window, where they could see the streets clearly. Occasionally, they would see the other Rookie Nine, or members from team Gai, but all knew to stay away from the cousins when they were alone. It was their time together only.

They drank and made small talk, laughing and smiling at each other the entire time. Hinata never felt more at home with anyone in her family until this moment.

Neji noticed the look on his cousin's face and couldn't help but smile, "What has you so happy?" He asked playfully.

Hinata's own smile was so brilliant and shining, Neji felt the warmth of the sun with it. "I'm glad I have you back, Neji," She whispered, "I've missed you so much."

Neji, feeling the raw emotion behind her words, hid his face behind his cup as he took a sip, overwhelmed but joyful. He didn't have to say anything, because Hinata already knew.

He had missed her too.

---

Blood ran down her chin. Neji looked horrified as Hinata coughed out blood on his arms hands, staining them bright red.

Everyone was confused. What had happened? She had him defeated, but now…

Hinata had slowed down, having hesitated from her vision. Neji, too immersed by the flash and color of her eyes, didn't stop his attack and hit her straight through the heart.

The room was spinning and her legs shook as she tried to steady herself. She felt herself sway and land on Neji, who was still in shock. Hinata smiled at his familiar scent of mint and green tea, his favorite, and attempted to wrap her arms around him, delirious from the injury and vision.

"I've missed you brother." She whispered, sliding off of his shoulders and falling to the floor, "I've missed you so much."

Kurenai caught her before she could fall, cradling Hinata in her arms and opening her jacket to assess her. She heard Hinata's heart slowing down and panicked, calling the medics to take her.

Kiba and Shino ran alongside Naruto in fear and worry. Kiba was pacing and panicked, ready to cry and rage at anyone nearby as Shino stood stone still, bugs buzzing in agitation and ready to make a mess.

Kiba turned to Neji and lunged, to which Kakashi intervened and held him back, "Kiba," He warned, "I know you're upset but there are rules. You can have your chance at Neji some other time."

"Fuck you!" He yelled back, "That bastard needs to pay for what he's done to Hinata!"

"Kiba's right!" Naruto yelled, "He was calling her weak and other names! He doesn't have the right!"

Neji said nothing as he watched Hinata being carried away on a stretcher, twitching and slightly seizing. He turned to Naruto and glared, "It's your fault," He hissed, "You shouldn't have encouraged her to fight. A weakling should know their place, and that includes you."

Naruto was about to punch Neji's lights out until Rock Lee stepped in his way, arms out and peaceful, "Naruto," He consoled, "It's not worth it. Neji is way out of your league, and you'll have a chance to fight him in the finals."

Naruto pondered this for a moment, a determined look on his face. He leaned down, dipping his hands in the blood Hinata shed and held it out in a fist towards Neji. "With this blood," He announced dramatically, "I vow to win. Believe it."

---

Gaara watched all of this from the stands, staring at the small puddle of blood Hinata left behind. Even from where he stood, far away, he could smell it. It smelled sweet and pure and innocent. It smelled like something Shikaku couldn't wait to get a taste of.

The demon's voice echoed in the back of his head, chanting over and over to kill her, to maim her, to devour her. He had to. It's what mother wants. Mother wants that girl's blood. He can't rest until he gets it for her.

'Yes," Gaara thought, 'I'll get it for her. Mother will thank me for this blood.'

He distantly heard his name being called by the proctor, 'I'll just have to get this next fool out of the way first.'

---

Hinata woke up to the sound of muttering and talking outside of her room and the distinct sound of a heart monitor next to her head. She strained her ears as best as she could with the awful headache and pounding blood in her ears.

"-a lot of heart damage… lucky that she even… bed rest…"

Hinata couldn't make out a majority, but she had an idea.

She sighed and laid her head back on her pillow, closing her eyes and listening to the heart monitor once more. Her door opened, and she turned her head to see a nurse walk in, followed by her team and Ko.

Kiba held a wrapped box, Shino held a few books and Ko and Kurenai held two different sets of flowers.

"Oh!" The nurse exclaimed in surprise, "Lady Hyuga, you're awake. I'll come back to take your vitals in a bit. Your team and caretaker are here to see you, so I'll let you have a moment to talk with them."

She exited promptly, closing the door gently behind her.

Hinata looked at all of the concerned faces and felt tears well up in her eyes, "So," She croaked, "What did they say?"

Kiba brought her a glass of water and turned to Kurenai who smoothed her hair back into place.

Hinata felt the anxiety build, causing her heart monitor to speed as well.

"You were very lucky to have survived." Kurenai started slowly, "The doctors were able to get you under a stable condition within minutes. If Neji had added any more chakra to the attack, your ninja career and life would have been over. Thankfully, the damage wasn't too extensive and you should be fine after one week of bed rest and a month of light training."

Hinata looked up hopefully, "You mean…?" She whispered, unsure of what to say.

Ko smiled, tears in his eyes as he hugged Hinata, "You are going to be just fine, Lady Hinata. You'll still be able to be a ninja without any complications."

Hinata burst into tears, hugging her team and Ko close. She knew the risk she took in letting Neji hit her, but after her vision, she couldn't help it. She knew that there was a chance to save him from his darkness, from himself, and she was going to take it.

She asked Kiba about the final match: Gaara vs Rock Lee. Hinata listened on in horror as he grimly recounted the awful details.

Lee struggled in the beginning, seeing as Gaara's sand defense was perfect. But after taking off his impressively heavy weights he was so fast that Gaara's sand couldn't keep up, and he was able to hurt Gaara. But it soon became clear that Lee was pushing himself physically, as his fighting style was putting a large strain on his body.

He managed to get Gaara down, and everyone thought he had won, but Gaara was still able to perform one last attack. WIth the last bit of his energy, he wrapped Lee's arm and leg in sand and crushed them, breaking everything within the limbs. He even attempted to kill him, but Guy stepped in the way before that could happen.

Lee was currently in the ICU being worked on.

Hinata felt bad. Though she didn't know Rock Lee, personally or otherwise, she feared for him and his shinobi career. If he wasn't able to recover…

She forced her mind elsewhere, focusing on Kiba and Shino who now talked about the final part of the exams, which they had one month to prepare for. Kiba was going to train with Shino under Anko and Ibiki, as Yamato had a mission to attend.

Hinata was happy for her team, promising to be cheering them on from the stands. Ko supported them as well, wishing them luck and victories.

Eventually, their conversation was cut short, as the nurse had to take Hinata's vitals and visitor hours were officially over. Hinata would be released after two days so that her heart could be closely monitored. With hugs and kisses, Hinata received her gifts and bid farewell to her team.

---

Gaara grinned to himself as he watched Hinata's team leave. He waited in the trees outside, staring into her window as he waited. The nurses would be a pain, but he figured that he could wait until they left as well.

He anticipated her bloodshed, relishing the memory of the sweet smell she gave off. He would do it quick, saving time and keeping himself safe from blame or suspicion, and then he would continue his mission.

---

Night fell and Hinata was still awake, she was reading one of the books her teammate gave her, seemingly engrossed in it. The nurse had just been in the room to check on her, so he had some time before they came back.

As silent as ever, Gaara used his sand to sneak into Hinata's window, causing her to jump. He relished in what he perceived as fear, and entered the room himself, grinning menacingly.

Hinata didn't move, watching him as he made his way over to her bed. She closed her book and set it aside politely, "Good evening Gaara." She greeted, "I'm assuming you're here to kill me?"

If he was surprised he didn't show it. Hinata nodded, more to herself than anything, "I see," She said solemnly, "If you would do me a favor, though, can you listen to what I have to say. The nurse won't be back for a few hours, and it would be nice to talk for a moment. I have something I would like to tell you."

Gaara hesitated, he was thrown off by the fact that Hinata accepted death so easily if only he would listen to what she had to say. On the other hand, he was impatient to kill her, to bathe in her blood and lose himself with her murder.

"I think you're lost," She started, which earned sand to wrap around her throat. She choked but didn't falter, "You're full of hatred for everyone and everything. I won't pretend to understand your feelings, but I will say that it's going to be better. You will become Kazekage, you will lead your village into an era of peace, and they will love you.

"Don't give up on people just yet. There's someone else just like you. He's going to save you, I know it." She couldn't say much more, since Gaara's sand was beginning to tighten. She saw spots in her vision and so she closed her eyes.

The door opened suddenly, and the sand retreated back into Gaara's gourd. He looked as Neji stood in the doorway, red-faced and furious,"What's going on here?" He demanded.

He swerved his head to Hinata, who coughed and struggled to catch her breath, and softened his glare a moment, before turning to Gaara, "It would be in your best interest to leave." He threatened, "You wouldn't want to start a war between our nations, do you?"

Gaara said nothing but he glanced back at Hinata once more before leaving through the open window and into the night.

Neji scoffed after him, turning to Hinata once more, "I understand that you're not well enough to fight just yet," He started, "But the least you could do was call for help. What would have happened had I not been commanded to guard you? You would be dead, and that would be a waste of the second chance fate has decided to grant you." Hinata said nothing, turning away from his stare.

Sighing to himself, he poured her a glass of water and begrudgingly handed it to her, waiting until she drank to speak. She finished, but then he realized he didn't know what to say, and so he sat in the unoccupied chair by her bed and pondered a moment.

Truth be told, he came of his own accord. He knew his responsibility to Hinata as her new protector, but he left to the hospital before Hiashi could give the order.

He was curious, and his curiosity was a dangerous thing. It kept him awake at night just thinking and craving answers. Unfortunately, he knew where to get them, it was just a matter of having the courage to ask.

Hinata fidgeted with her blanket, unused to such an awkward silence between her and Neji. He was always straightforward, knowing what exactly to say, but it seemed as if he were nervous, more nervous than she was, in fact, and that threw her off.

"Would you cut that out?" He scolded, "It makes you look even weaker." Hinata suppressed a smile but did as she was told. It was silent once more.

"Did you really mean that?" He suddenly asked, "When you said we were the same?" He tried to sound haughty, but the need to know was prominent in the question.

Hinata thought a moment before she answered with a weak, "Yes." She cleared her throat and tried again, "In a way, we are, since we both suffer at the hands of our family's divide. You lost your father and I lost one of the only people who cared for me. Your skills are repressed and you are chained by the curse mark, while I am chained and repressed without one.

"If you really thought that I was better off than you, simply because of my lineage, you are mistaken. Everyone there at the compound… my own family hates me for something that is out of my control, for something I cannot help but be." Her haunted, sorrowful eyes met his, staring so deeply into his soul, "Even you hate me for something you know I had no choice in."

Neji sat stone still, unable to speak for a moment. He turned away from her and closed his eyes, "Get some rest." He ordered, "You need your rest to be well again."

He had heard enough for one day, but he knew, one day, he would be back to seek answers to the new questions she prompted.

"Neji," Hinata called, picking up her book once more. He said nothing, but she knew he was listening, "When we go back to the compound, I shall request that my father give you a letter. I think it's something you should read."

Neji ignored her, choosing not to answer, but it did not deter Hinata.

She smiled to herself, thinking forward into the future when they would drink tea together and love each other once more. She had to be patient. She opened her book and picked up where she left off.

Later, when she finally fell asleep, Neji would carefully take the book from her hands and think back to when those very hands would braid sunflowers in his hair.

---

"My Lord," A shadow called from the dark, "I have news that will interest you."

A moment of silence. "Yes?"

"There is a team, all of which seem to be a little too unextraordinary. We've collected data over time and this last report involves that of Uchiha Sasuke."

Another moment of silence. "Excellent. Please leave them here and I shall get to them when I'm finished with my transformation."

"Yes my Lord."

"Oh, and Kabuto?"

"Yes?"

"Be sure to leave this information out of the hands of Akatsuki. We don't need them meddling into anything just yet."

Kabuto smirked, "Of course not, Lord Orochimaru."