AN: Onto the next chapter. I'm actually kind of mixed on this one, because while I like to think there's enough different going on to keep things fresh, I did kinda fall back to several moments from Canon too. So we'll see how that goes over.

I had it asked in a review, but Mumei is just Orochimaru in disguise as that woman whose body he stole and revealed to the Third during their fight. I wasn't trying to hide that information or anything and it's not intended to be an OC. In the first place, I don't think we every found anything out about that woman or her name? Which is why I called her Mumei (無名)because it literally means no name.

Just a bit of trivia on that decision.


Obito

Chapter 7 - Life and Death Battles


Naruto had won.

He'd actually pulled off a rather splendid victory against his opponent during the opening match of the tournament. Well, mostly splendid, so long as you ignored that finger-up-the-butt part of his final strategy.

Now the crowds below us cheered for him, going absolutely wild for the display they had just seen. It truly had been an auspicious fight, packing in explosions, unique jutsu, and a clever trick to finish it all off. I don't think anyone had seen such a fight coming from the once detested outcast of the village. Yet such things didn't seem to matter to anyone now, every single person in the stands cheering for Naruto. Solely for Naruto.

He appeared stunned, merely looking up at the source of the noise as if trying to determine what it was. His mouth hung open and shoulders were slack in disbelief. Genma said something to him, briefly catching his attention before he once again looked back at the crowd with renewed focus. He seemed to be scanning for something, eyes finally darting up to the balcony I was standing on. It was hard to tell if he would see it or not and I couldn't risk being too overt, but I extended a quick elbow-high thumbs-up.

The gesture must have reached him, because he broke out into a huge grin, returning my gesture with a peace sign. "I won!" He yelled, beginning to jump around and blow kisses into the crowd and bask in their praise. This must have been a completely foreign feeling for him, getting this kind of positive attention from the masses instead of the glares and spite he was used to. Yet that didn't stop him from absolutely reveling in it. This was a major step towards achieving his dream, receiving this kind of acknowledgement not just from his peers, but the citizens he was employed to protect.

And I couldn't be more proud of him.

He had really used his head and wit in the battle, adapting on the fly to a tough situation and quickly finding a solution. He must have begun digging almost immediately after those three Origami animals had come out in order to be able to make it to her in the time that he had. This meant he had analyzed things and broken them down in seconds, playing out the possible scenarios if he didn't get within her guard. Despite how dumb he normally acted, that was the kind of out-of-the-box thinking of a true strategist. Such an unconventional tactic might have been impossible for someone less stubborn, but Naruto was just bull-headed enough for that kind of strategy to work.

All in all, it was a good showing for him and his possible chances of being promoted to Chunin. What was important now was how he continued to respond to future opponents. Since he was going to be moving onto the second round.

On the other side of that coin was Ajisai. While she had definitely shown off a powerful Jutsu that she controlled well, there was no denying she had been out-played this time. Even if the move that determined the outcome had been several fingers rammed up her rear. If anything, that probably only made it worse.

Not just for her, but for those she was representing. Yahiko had broken out in laughter when it first happened, but I don't think anyone expected such a prank-like technique to end up leading to victory. So when I looked over at the pair of Rain Ninja, I must admit it was with no small amount of trepidation. In the end, that was unnecessary.

"Oh man, what a fight!" Yahiko leaned back in his chair, a glum smile on his face. "It's too bad, but looks like we're already out of this tournament. Still, that Naruto kid really was something. Digging through the ground like that must have been excruciatingly painful, yet he did it anyways. That's a kid right there that understands the price of victory. Wouldn't you say, Konan?" He turned his head, looking back up at the woman assigned to guard him.

In contrast to him, she looked far more dissatisfied by the outcome of the match. Yet upon hearing her leader's remarks, Konan's facial expression softened somewhat to the point that even she was capable of a small smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right." She glanced once more in my general direction. "You've instructed him well." She praised me directly.

"Come on Konan, don't be so modest about it!" Yahiko shook his head at her, smiling in my direction now. Or more accurately, at the scars on my face. Very few people could look at them so directly, even Shinobi. Yet Yahiko seemed to find them almost fascinating. "It would seem you have also seen quite a bit in your time. I bet there were a lot of painful moments for you too." His words brought up unpleasant flashes that I quickly squashed. "It's made you strong." He said, as if realizing what had just happened inside my head.

"Naruto is the strong one." I corrected him. Unlike me, Naruto hadn't given up on his dreams and I had come to believe he wouldn't, no matter what. "He's the one who thought of those drastic measures to win down there, I had nothing to do with that." In particular, that Thousand Years of Death as he so called it. "Ajisai was a good opponent for him. He never would have been backed into a corner like that if she hadn't been as strong as she was." These were my honest feelings, Ajisai truly did have a powerful Jutsu. The only thing was… "I do admit, her view of Konoha and the larger nations does have me a little worried."

That had been some real outrage she had been spitting at Naruto down there. Not at him specifically, but at the whole system in general. For someone so young to have such extreme views of the greater political climate was… well, worrying to say the least. It implied that they still very much viewed themselves as at war with something. I knew this, because I had been somewhat the same in my youth. Although I had desired more of an end to the war than anything.

"Hmm… yes." Yahiko slowly nodded, turning his attention back down to the stadium floor. Ajisai had now been loaded onto the stretcher and the Medical Ninja were beginning to carry her off. "I'm not sure what you heard her say," Unlike me, he hadn't been able to lip-read from all the way up here. "But I can kind of guess. All of us in the Rain had a tough life after the wars. It's like we've been picking up the pieces ever since. This has left quite a few of us, myself included, with rather deep scars." When he turned back to me, his smile was no longer there, replaced by just melancholy.

"It is because of that pain that we are here now, in Konoha. To see if we can finally understand one another." He said. I wasn't sure I understood, but it kind of sounded to me like he meant they were testing us or something. More likely trying to determine if the alliance was worth preserving. "I think watching Naruto and speaking with you has alleviated some of my doubts." While what he was saying was supposedly a good thing at face value, I still couldn't help but be uncomfortable by the logic used to get there.

"So long as we learned the same lessons from that pain." I replied, getting the feeling it was a response like that he was looking for. My hunch appeared to pay off as he gave a satisfied nod and once more looked forward. Although I couldn't say I believed in my own words. It felt too much like what that man had been trying to fill my head with. That was only going to make things worse, not better. Problems such as that were better left to the Hokage, however, not to me.

Speaking of the Hokage though, the old man raised a hand, beckoning me forward. As I leaned in to him, he whispered into my ear, "Very well handled, Obito. Maintaining a strong tie with the Hidden Rain is important, and you've appealed to their young leader wonderfully. Diplomacy and knowing when to use it is an excellent trait of any Hokage." I could say nothing to his words as I returned silently to a standing position.

During that whole exchange he had been quiet. Not speaking to the other leader as would normally be expected of him. Instead, he left that conversation to me and hadn't butted in, even though it would have been his right to. In fact, it could have possibly been contrived as more rude for him not to speak to them. Fortunately in this case, Yahiko didn't seem to mind. If anything, he appeared more interested in hearing what a young-blood like himself had to say rather than the old people who he would view as responsible for the past wars. So for now it was all good, but it still made me feel uncomfortable that the Third was essentially leaving his job to me.

It was time to put such concerns behind me as the next competitors made their way out onto the arena. Now that Ajisai had been lifted out and Naruto had taken his place in the waiting area, Nara Shikamaru and Fu took their place. As with the match before, but Genma just seemed to take a step back and was prepared to let the two of them figure out when they wanted to go at each other.

I had never met Shikamaru, but after everything I heard about him both from Naruto and his own sensei, there was no way he was going to be the one to make the first move. Hell, he might be inclined to just take a nap before actually starting the battle. This meant the honor of deciding when the match would officially begin went to Fu herself.

Fu was still an enigma to me. I had already told Naruto during our strategy sessions, but she was the one he was going to have to most adapt for. That's because the fact of the matter is I had no idea what her real abilities might be. She was pushed through to the finals by two teammates who immediately dropped out when given the opportunity which suggested she was here for a reason, but up until now her powers didn't seem like anything noteworthy. Certainly unique, but not so-much so that she absolutely needed to be in these finals.

That was what I thought until now. With my Sharingan eye, however, I finally got a good look at her chakra for myself and it was immediately apparent why she would be considered so special.

Most people only had one type of chakra flowing through them and that color was unique to everyone. Naruto for example had what I would call a yellow-like-the-sun kind of chakra signature. This Fu girl had a kind of natural-mint-green. However, the two of them also had one other chakra, one that was deep red and sinister in color. This chakra pattern was something I had seen only three times before; in Naruto, Rin, and in that Gaara kid a couple weeks ago. In other words…

She was a Jinchuriki.

Four Jinchuriki of nine total were gathered here in this arena right now. That was… there could be no possible way that was a coincidence.

I didn't know where to look first, eventually glancing over at the waiting area for the combatants to make sure Sasuke was still there and safe. If Orochimaru was really targeting the Tailed Beasts, it made sense that he would go after him first. To my relief, I found Itachi and Izumi were both inside the waiting box with them. It would appear they had been stationed there as some kind of guards in case someone did exactly as I now feared. For now, Sasuke and by extension Naruto were in no immediate danger.

So next I turned to Mumei and Kimimaro. As possible accomplices of Orochimaru, they were the next most suspicious. Upon arriving, however, they had both done nothing more than silently observe the happenings beneath them. Ignoring Kimimaro who's facial expressions hadn't once changed since he arrived, Mumei continued that same eerie smile that seemed permanently plastered onto her face. For now, there was nothing to gain from observing them.

Which just left Kakuzu and Shibuki. The older entity was no doubt the mastermind behind bringing Fu out to this tournament. Even knowing that didn't help me. His face, like the Kazekage's, was completely covered, leaving only a tiny gap in the space around his eyes and brow for which to see through. Just because he didn't have any kind of tells didn't mean Shibuki was the same.

The moment Fu had come out on the field he began trembling. He was terrified of something. Of Fu? There was at least precedent for that, as Jinchuriki were infamously disdained no matter which village they called home.

I couldn't ask him directly, not with all the other villages here. Especially when I wasn't sure who to trust at the moment. However, I could definitely say now that the Waterfall wasn't to be trusted. Kakuzu's return and subsequent leadership alone was a red flag, but the former leader having been reduced to this terrified state was the ultimate tell. There was something very wrong with the current state of the Waterfall.

That was as far as I got before a movement below caught my eye. I turned my attention back to the arena just as Fu unleashed the opening attack of the match.

"Scale Flashbang Jutsu!" Fu exhaled a barrage of light-emitting powder and when she clapped her hands together she released the Jutsu, those thousands of particles all going off at once like a flashbang. I was forced to look away from the arena temporarily. "Webbing Jutsu!" Fu's attack didn't end there, next spitting out what looked like nets made of spider-web. They covered a wide area, spreading out over most of the ground between herself and Shikamaru.

It should have been impossible for him to dodge such a wide-ranging technique, especially considering he had just been blinded by that earlier sensory attack. Yet he rolled out of the way anyway, somehow able to perceive Fuu's webs regardless of the handicap. Or perhaps… had he already closed his eyes in preparation for that Jutsu? It had to be the case, as there was no way he could still be able to see otherwise right now.

"Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!" Shikamaru unleashed his own Jutsu the second he stopped rolling. The signature technique of the Nara clan. The shadows at his feet bent and contorted, elongated as it extended towards Fu. If he caught her in that technique, he would have complete control of her movements. In other words, it would essentially be his win.

Fu wasn't about to just sit by and let that happen. She unleashed another flurry of the light particles that flashed brightly. The light pushed back the shadows, eliminating them completely and rendering Shikamaru's Jutsu obsolete. She then unleashed more of those webs.

This was simply a battle of who could capture whom first it would seem. Both combatants specialized in immobilizing their opponent. However, Fu's light attack was the perfect foil to Shikamaru's shadows, meaning he was at quite the disadvantage right off the bat here.

He seemed to realize this too, abandoning the Jutsu to once again dive out of the way. He must have been slow to close his eyes this time as he didn't appear to quite know where he was leaping. As he landed, one of his legs slipped, nearly sending him tumbling down into the hole Naruto had dug for himself earlier. Shikamaru let out a yelp of surprise, partially sliding into it and only just catching himself at the last second. It was his good luck, the near fall causing him to duck just under the web that would have captured him that moment.

Otherwise, he had really put himself in a bad position now. Something he also seemed to realize, immediately setting up his Jutsu the moment he was out of the hole. "Shadow Paralysis Jutsu!" His shadow once again began to stretch and move.

"Scale Flashbang Jutsu!" And those same shadows were once again obliterated by the light emitting particles. From here, the match was as good as decided. It didn't seem like Shikamaru had any other tricks up his sleeve and all he could do was simply jump around in an attempt not to get caught. Fu had him completely cornered, having already covered most of the area behind him in webs too. All she had to do was throw one more volley and Shikamaru was all but guaranteed to be caught.

Yet for some reason her next attack never came. She was just standing there rooted in place… impossible! But when did he-? The closer I looked at it, the more it seemed to be the only possible explanation; He had caught her in his Jutsu. Her face was clearly twisted in a strained snarl, body shaking as it attempted to move but couldn't.

"Heh, Shadow Paralysis: Success!" Shikamaru grinned, having still been in the stance for his Jutsu up until now. As he stood up I finally saw it. It was the hole Naruto had made earlier. One end of it was behind Shikamaru from when he nearly fell into it… the other was behind Fu.

Now I got it. When she had used that flash-bang like Jutsu, it was true the shadows in front of her and in between the two of them had disappeared. But the shadows behind them would have only grown larger. He waited for that timing, when her shadow became so large that he couldn't possibly miss. Then by using the holes as a sort of bridge, he managed to trap her in the Jutsu. All while it seemed like her Jutsu was the perfect counter to his, it was actually that same technique that made this strategy viable.

"Not bad…" I mumbled aloud, not able to contain my awe. Naruto's own tactic had been brilliant in that it required guts only someone like himself could pull off. This was a level even above that, turning his greatest disadvantage into the winning ticket.

"Damn, you really got me." Even Fu herself was impressed, chuckling all the while still trying to break free of his Jutsu. Even in this situation she wasn't about to give up. And she might not have to. It was like I told Naruto, but this Jutsu put an incredible strain on the Chakra of the user. If you had enough Chakra, it was possible to just run out the clock. I figured something like that would work with Naruto due to his massive reserves of Chakra, but that was also a distinct advantage Fu shared with him as a fellow Jinchuriki.

The question now was, did Shikamaru have a way to take her down while she was trapped in his Jutsu? He was going to have to do it fast too, because it already looked like his control on the Jutsu was beginning to waver. "Tch, no good huh?" Shikamaru sighed, raising his arm over his head, forcing Fu to do the same. "Alright, I give up." Or he could just do that.

While I couldn't say this outcome came as much of a shock to me, it sure seemed to have been for most of the others watching. This was going by the sudden silence that was immediately followed by shouts of malcontent. Many in the crowds beneath us went as far as to start chucking their food and beverages into the arena below. Shikamaru appeared oblivious to all of this, simply sighing as he released his jutsu and starting to stretch.

Fu, for her part, just appeared to be in a state of shock, having not yet decided whether to be happy she won her match or mad it had ended in such a way. Just because she didn't though, didn't also mean her village leader hadn't decided. "What a worthless victory." Kakuzu spat, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair.

"Victory is victory, and there is value in that." The Kazekage responded coolly in comparison to the outrage being demonstrated by the one next to him. "She will get a chance to redeem herself in the next round." That was right, now that she had won, the next stage was going to be her against Naruto. Jinchuriki versus Jinchuriki. Not that either one of them was likely aware of this at the moment.

Before that, there were still two more matches of the first round to be decided. Shikamaru and Fu were walking off the arena together, the former apparently getting an earful from the girl he just made a fool of. I almost felt bad for him, but he had kind of brought it on himself. From what I could tell, Fu didn't seem to be a bad person. It made me feel kind of sad that someone like her might be getting used by the likes of Kakuzu. At least for the moment she could be like a more normal girl and interact with her peers.

"So Obito, what do you think?" The Hokage asked me. "Is Shikamaru ready for the promotion to Chunin?" Again, it would seem he was asking me to weigh in on something that was ultimately his job. Although I guess giving my own two ryo wouldn't hurt in this case. Those few short minutes were all we had to base his promotion on, after all.

"Well, it's certainly troubling how fast he gave up after catching her, but…" I once again leaned forward to speak into the Hokage's ear as the two of us conversed. None of the other leaders appeared to notice, everyone else engaged in their own conversation, but it was better to be cautious. "I do ultimately think he made the right choice. He knew it was an unwinnable match." I was reminded of a fight Kakashi and I once had about the importance of cherishing your comrades versus completing the mission no matter the cost. "His way of thinking seems to be in line with my own, I think he would place the lives of himself and his teammates first. A person like him is someone I would feel comfortable with having as captain of a squad."

"I see." The Hokage merely nodded along to my words, not offering any of his own input. Which at the very least probably meant he agreed with what it was I was saying. If he didn't, he would surely say something.

Down below, as Shikamaru and Fu left the arena, Aburame Shino and Dosu replaced them in it. All things considered and it was a tough act they were going to be following up. While the fight before this hadn't necessarily been the most flashy, it certainly had gotten the people fired up in an unusual way. It also kind of put them in a bad mood, and you could feel the negative energy permeating all the way up here. I could only imagine what it must feel like to those two, having so many people already wound up looking down at you.

Of course, as a member of the reclusive Aburame clan, Shino likely wasn't one to mind unless his personality was outside the usual clan parameters. Just looking at him led me to believe that wasn't the case. Dosu, meanwhile, looked equally unaffected by all of it. Although it was hard to tell what was going on behind his mummified face.

There was a lot to be weary of with this Dosu character. For starters, if the Sound was to make some kind of move today, it would make sense that they would be waiting for some kind of signal from him. So I had to be especially weary during this battle. This was for Shino's sake too. If it looked like anything funny might happen, he would be the first casualty. I had to be prepared to jump down to him at any time. Even if it meant exposing the power of my Mangekyo Sharingan.

Like with the last couple fights, Genma had taken to allowing the two to figure out for themselves when they would come at one another. However, unlike the previous two fights this one began almost immediately. Dosu bent his body low, breaking into a sprint as he charged right at Shino. Despite this, Shino didn't attempt to move or guard in any way. Instead he just stood there as Dosu swung at him.

I'd read a little about the metallic contraption attached to Dosu's arm. It was some kind of sound manipulation device that when swung would distort sound waves in such a way as to cause a sense of unbalance and nausea. No doubt Shino had seen this attack in action already. So he knew how imperative it was that Dosu not get close to him. Yet he let him close the distance anyways.

Most opponents would dodge the wild haymaker Dosu threw. It was when they dodged that his true attack would hit, the distorted sound waves attacking your sense of hearing directly. So in a way, the perfect counter to such an attack was simple when you thought about it: Just don't dodge the punch. Which is exactly what Shino did, allowing Dosu's fist to clock him in the side of the head.

Or should I say, that is what Shino's clone did. Shino had replaced himself at some point, possibly even before the match had started with a bug clone of himself. The moment Dosu's fist socked him in the face, and the whole clone broke apart, turning back into thousands of tiny insects. Not just any insect, however, Kikaichu. The special chakra-sucking bugs, unique to the Aburame clan.

As this happened, the real Shino stepped out from behind a tree nearby the entrance they both would have used to get into the arena. Dosu was too busy currently swatting away the insects that had latched onto him to notice. Many of them crawled their way inside his sound manipulation device, jogging the mechanisms that made it work. The rest simply began to drain his chakra.

"You cheated!" Dosu yelled out, giving up on swatting off the bugs and instead making a break for the real Shino.

"Untrue." The original Shino said, adjusting his sunglasses. "Why is that? Because the proctor himself already said it: There are no rules. You simply failed to realize I made a clone before the match had started. That is all that happened." What Shino said wasn't necessarily untrue, but it definitely was a dirty way to fight. If I had been his opponent I would have been furious too. Just because it wasn't exactly ethical didn't mean Shino wasn't right. He was simply taking advantage of the rules, or in this case lack thereof.

This was simply one truth of being a Ninja.

Dosu let out another vitriol scream, swinging wildly again at Shino just as he got in range. This time the original Shino did move, simply pulling a hand from his pocket and almost lazily catching the wild haymaker. Then with a simple jab he returned fire, blasting Dosu directly in the nose and sending him sprawling on his back.

From there, Dosu attempted to rise back to his feet but it was no good. The Kikaichu had already sucked dry too much of his chakra, essentially draining him of any energy needed to move. He gave another gasp, trying to say something, but failing even that he collapsed once more and went still.

Just like that, the match was over as quickly as it had begun.

"Winner: Aburame Shino!" Genma announced. The applause that followed was much more subdued than before, the audience not even able to get the energy to be excited after such a quick and uneventful match. At least Shikamaru's had been interesting by comparison and it had certainly gotten them fired up in a way.

This was just sad. Especially for the Hidden Sound, as this was their first real showing of what they were capable of to an open world. It would be hard for them to get any kind of clientele like this. Not to mention it made me feel like an idiot for having been so worked up over what kind of signals or danger Dosu might pose while on the field. He had been out there for less than two whole minutes and had been promptly outplayed in the first move without ever getting to do anything.

Although their leader didn't seem to mind. "Oh my! How embarrassing!" Despite her words, Mumei just giggled uncontrollably, as if she really couldn't help but find it funny. "Then again, that is to be expected of the mighty Hidden Leaf Village. You truly do have the strongest Shinobi, like they say." She turned her head, leaning down to smile at the Hokage. "My village didn't even stand a chance. Even when you don't win, your ninja perform in such a way that it feels like we lost."

"The hell was that, bitch?" Kakuzu clearly realized the insult was thrown directly at him and Fu's performance in the last match. He looked to rise from his chair. In that instant, tensions from all the present Ninja mounted and I could feel the swelling of chakra. Kakuzu was at one end and Mumei at the exact opposite other. So if a fight between them broke out, it was likely to engulf us all.

Again, I really hated the fact we were placed smack-dab in the middle of this gathering. Despite this, the Hokage himself didn't even seem to feel any pressure at all and I didn't sense any tension rising from him. Instead, he smiled casually and turned towards the aggressor. "Now, now, Kakuzu-dono. There's no need for us to resort to violence. I'm sure Mumei-dono meant no insult. She is simply young and new to this stage of politics. What do you say? Shall we forgive her for a simple slip of the tongue?"

For a second, it looked like Kakuzu was going to ignore the Hokage's words. Even he must have realized how bad an idea it would be to get involved in a fight here of all places. So after several moments of consideration, his chakra simmered down and he slumped back into his chair.

"As you say, Hiruzen." Kakuzu didn't bother with any of the honorifics. Of course, to someone of his age, even the Third must appear young. "There's no profit in getting involved with such a young village as theirs that lacks history." Even if he wasn't going to attack anymore, that didn't stop him from firing off one more shot.

"My apologies to Kakuzu-sama…" Mumei giggled as she spoke, making it hard for anyone to take her words as sincere. "Truly, you are the epitome of compassion, Hokage-sama. It is no wonder a village as great as yours would accept such newcomers as my village." Again, for all the sweetness of her tone, I couldn't help but smell the poison leaking underneath the surface. There was some double-meaning to everything she said, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was she really wanted to be saying.

"No, no." The Hokage simply chuckled along with her, despite the fact he no doubt felt her venom too. "We welcome all those who truly seek to build a greater future together." As expected of him, he had been able to calm Kakuzu before things escalated and now laughed amicably with the one who started it. All in only a couple words.

It was good timing too. As Dosu had just finished being lifted out of the stage on a stretcher, leaving the arena open for the next two combatants. Shino had already made his way back up to the waiting area. Sasuke had jumped down from the top, preferring to take the faster route instead of traveling down along with his opponent. Not that I could blame him, I wouldn't want to be in the same arena alone with that maniac. It was highly likely Kakashi had warned Sasuke of as much too. He had to know how dangerous Gaara was, even without knowing he was an unstable Jinchuriki.

Despite the audience's growing disappointment after the last two matches, you could tell that the anticipation for this one was greater than anything that had come before. It wasn't too surprising. Sasuke was one of the last surviving Uchiha and Gaara was already becoming a miniature celebrity for his brutal fighting style and the official records showing great promise. It wouldn't be underselling it to say this fight was the day's main attraction.

Even so, I couldn't share in this excitement. Not when one from my clan was about to go face to face against such an unstable child. One with a literal monster living inside his stomach. The images from that night flashed before my mind's eye again just as Gaara himself appeared, walking slowly out onto the arena.

Despite the fact that he was only a Genin, I had unleashed my strongest Katon Jutsu against him, all to no effect. That was the power of a Tailed Beast, that I alone could never hope to stand against. Yet we were somehow hoping that Sasuke could? Of course, if everything went well, Gaara should have no desire to unleash his Tailed Beast. My concern was if he even had a choice.

"You know…" The Kazekage suddenly said, catching my attention. As I turned to regard him I realized he had been staring back at me. "My son tells me the other night he had been attacked by some unknown assailant. Apparently the fire produced in the attack was no small feat. Something only a Jonin could be capable of, I imagine." There was no way. Had he seen me that night? Or was it… could he be testing me to see if I would make a mistake and reveal myself?

I swallowed my nerves, holding the Kazekage's gaze with my Sharingan. "That so?" I asked. "Interesting, I heard from Naruto that he was attacked by a wave of sand. It would seem someone was targeting our Shinobi before their matches. If you like, after this is over we can set up a joint inquiry to see if we can get to the bottom of those incidents." It was a bluff, of course. No doubt by saying that much I was also exposing myself, but I had to gamble on the possibility he didn't want that coming to light just as much as I did.

For several tense moments, the Kazekage held my gaze. It might be the longest anyone ever willingly looked straight into my Sharingan. Yet he wasn't the least bit anxious about it at all. As expected of one of the Gokage. Finally, he turned away and refocused his gaze down below.

"No, that won't be necessary." He said, relenting. "It would appear no harm befell either my son or your student. So I think we can put those incidents to rest for the time being." It would look like I pulled that off. For now anyways. I couldn't help but wonder what he had hoped to accomplish by bringing it up now of all times, however. It truly felt like he had just been trying to gauge my reaction. But to what end?

Down below, Sasuke suddenly leapt back as the fight began. Sand had already burst out from the gourd on Gaara's back, but it didn't chase after him. It would appear it had simply come out as a defense measure for now. Even so, if Gaara wasn't going to be the first to attack then Sasuke was.

Pulling out two shuriken, Sasuke threw them at Gaara. The sand quickly reacted without a single seal of any kind, moving in front of Gaara and forming a type of poorly crafted sand clone that caught the shuriken.

Sasuke wasn't far behind his shuriken, already charging straight for Gaara and his clone. A wave of sand burst from the clone in direct response to this charge. This didn't slow Sasuke for even a second who jumped high in the air, leaping clear over the attacking sand. The clone aimed the recently caught Shuriken and threw them at the airborne Uchiha. Unable to dodge, Sasuke threw his own, the projectiles colliding midair.

The immediate danger out of the way, Sasuke fell towards the clone, spinning his body and unleashing a powerful kick that blew away the clone's arms. Sasuke landed on his hands, spinning around and coming to his feet in one fluid motion. He didn't stop there, continuing with his spin until he came back around, thrusting at the clone with his entire forearm. Unlike before, there wasn't enough power to completely blow through it and sand began to creep around his arm, trapping him in place.

The first instinct might be to panic, but Sasuke pushed that fear down and instead jabbed with his free arm, blasting through the clone's entire head and freeing himself. Now there was nothing between him and Gaara. Sasuke closed the remaining distance and swung again. Just as he was centimeters from Gaara's face, sand faster than the eye could track popped from the gourd and formed a protective wall in front of its master. Gaara himself had yet to even blink, simply allowing the sand to defend him on his own.

At this moment, Sasuke smirked. As if he had been waiting for this exact situation. He turned on his heel, suddenly disappearing from the spot he was standing in. Gaara didn't even have time to realize he was gone before Sasuke appeared behind him, slamming his fist into Gaara's exposed cheek.

The Sand Ninja was sent flying, the sand from his gourd forming a buffer that caught his fall and helped him back to his feet. While it looked like Sasuke's fist had connected, that actually appeared to not be the case. Gaara's face was cracked, sand falling from the hit area; a type of sand armor.

Sasuke didn't appear worried, taking a battle stance I had recently seen, because it was the same one Gai used. Kakashi must have used his Sharingan to mimic the movements and show Gai's fighting style to Sasuke, who then copied it with his own Sharingan. That was the only way he could possibly be using such perfect imagery of a stance he otherwise wouldn't have seen before now. Kakashi knew the only way through Gaara's first line of defense was speed. As expected of my rival. I bet this was just eating up Gai, however. Knowing his style was being used like this.

Now there was just getting through that sand armor. Sasuke smirked, beckoning Gaara forward with the hand he had extended. "Come." He said. When Gaara didn't move immediately he frowned, body bracing for action. "If you won't, then I'll just come at you." He was off like a rocket, immediately closing the distance between them.

Gaara's sand was too slow, unable to catch Sasuke as he simply breezed right around the side of it. Catching him from behind wasn't going to go so easily a second time, however, and the sand was already moving to intercept him from the rear as well. Sasuke wasn't just quick on his feet, but nimble as well. He twisted around the slower sand, easily getting by the thinning defense to unleash a powerful kick that connected with Gaara's lower chin. Gaara was once again sent flying, only to be caught and stood up by his sand. The armor had yet to break.

Despite that, Sasuke once again stopped and resumed his stance. He must have understood that a single attack at a time wasn't enough to break the armor so why…? If I had to guess, I would say this was because it was a hastily done decision. There was no way Sasuke could work himself up to Lee's level of stamina in just a month. So even if he could temporarily match his speed, there was no way he could maintain it for long.

The same could also likely be said about Gaara. That sand armor… It was exuding an incredibly high amount of chakra. Which might be fine for a Jinchuriki to maintain, but even if it was Naruto it wouldn't be something he could maintain for very long. That meant it was a last resort type of defense. As things stood, he couldn't just take it down. Not with Sasuke's bursts of speed a potential risk.

That meant this was going to be a battle of stamina, although unlikely a long one.

"I'll tear that armor right off you." Sasuke was on the offensive again. He was running circles around Gaara, looking for the slightest chink in the sand that surrounded and protected him. He must have seen one, jumping in and ducking under the spinning sand to land right in front of Gaara. He delivered another kick, catching Gaara by the strap of his gourd before he could fly back this time. Then he pulled Gaara forward, right into his rising knee. That was as far as he could go, unable to keep up a consecutive attack longer than those two simple blows.

The sand around them closed in and Sasuke was the one to leap away this time, placing himself at a safe distance. Gaara collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. It would appear the sand armor had taken its toll on him. Sasuke, while certainly winded, appeared to be faring much better. He knew not to overexert himself with those attacks and knowing his limit was what would allow him to continue to dominate this fight so long as nothing changed.

Something his opponent must have also realized.

Gaara weaved a single hand seal. The sand around him rose up, encircling him inside a cocoon. An all too familiar looking cocoon to me. It was this form in which I had first met him in. There was no way… he couldn't possibly intend to unleash his Tailed Beast here? Right now? With this timing?

Sasuke had no way of knowing the danger he was charging into, simply sprinting forward in an attempt to catch Gaara before he completely sealed himself away. Even with his new speed he was too slow, punching at the solid sand covering the area Gaara's eye had just been looking out from. Spikes shot out from the sand, stabbing at the intruder, but Sasuke leapt back in time to avoid serious injury.

Blood oozed from several open scratches he had received, but it would appear none of them had cut too deeply. He would be fine for now and the sand wasn't pressing the attack. As it was, there was no way for Sasuke to get at his opponent either. This kind of situation would have been ideal for the strategy I came up with for Naruto, but there was no way Sasuke could ever sustain such an attack with his chakra levels. So then… what was it Kakashi came up with for this scenario? Knowing him, it had to be something.

Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life, activating for the first time since the match began. I noticed that he had achieved all three tomoe already, despite his young age. He was even younger than I was when I first activated my own. Of course, the Uchiha Incident had been quite traumatic for someone as young as him, so he awakened it from a very early age in his life. He charged at the sand cocoon, throwing three kunai as he ran.

The kunai struck at the shield from the front as Sasuke put on a burst of speed to hit it in the rear at the same time. Neither attack was any good, the kunai being knocked away and Sasuke forced to retreat before the spikes emerging from the cocoon could spear him. He somersaulted into the air, coming down on top, but even that proved fruitless as his kick bounced off pointlessly. Sasuke was left with no choice but to retreat just outside of range of the cocoon's offensive zone.

He looked to consider his options, but at the moment it really didn't seem like there was anything he could do. I don't think there was a Genin alive in the village capable of getting through that shield as it was. What was more terrifying was what might emerge from it. This wasn't the time to just stand around and watch, but I couldn't just jump in right now either. If I interrupted things as they were I would just be putting the village in trouble.

Sasuke seemed to have an idea, and before I could decide what to do he retreated to the wall of the arena, scaling more than halfway up by sticking to it with the chakra gathered beneath his feet. He then ran through several hand seals that I didn't recognize at first, but it was only when he took his stance I knew exactly what he was about to do. If it was that technique… then maybe there was a chance. One way or the other, we were about to find out.

Chakra built up in the palm of Sasuke's hand to the point it became visible. Sparks of electricity danced and tiny bolts of lightning began to fly off that chakra. The frequency at which it hummed became louder and louder until I'm sure those in the crowd could hear it. The chakra pierced a hole in the wall just below where he was holding it. All without even thrusting it yet. That's how strong this technique was.

He took off, running down the side of the wall, leaving a trail of broken cement as he went. So this was why Kakashi had really been upping his speed so much over the past month. Not just to get around Gaara's defense, but to properly unleash this technique.

Sasuke hit the ground without slowing down and the chakra continued to build even now. The Jutsu had become so loud even we could hear it; the chorus of a thousand birds. Kakashi had become known as the Copy-ninja while using my eye, but this was his true legacy. The only technique he had ever created. And now he had passed it on to Sasuke.

"Chidori!" Sasuke called out the attack's name, dodging the sand spikes that attempted to ward him off. He thrust forward, the spear of electric chakra piercing Gaara's once impenetrable sand.

Complete silence followed that strike, the sound of chirping birds disappearing as the attack deactivated. Whether or not it had been successful, it was too early to tell. Had Sasuke managed to pierce all the way through… or was even Kakashi's ultimate technique not enough to counter all that sand? I didn't have to wait for long to get my answer.

"My blood!" A scream tore out from the cocoon.

A blood-curdling, pained scream that signaled the beginning of the conflict to follow.