Chapter 32
Past Friends, Present Rivals: The Strength of Kunoichi's
Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka.
Sakura couldn't get the image of their names out of her head. It felt like a trick. A cruel joke played by the higher-ups. What were the chances of their names being drawn simultaneously? By random selection no less? Of the thirteen competitors left, excluding herself, it ended up being Ino she had to fight? It didn't feel real, but it was. No matter how many times she blinked, the names remained the same.
Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka.
Still the same.
They had no choice but to fight one another. Fate or chance or someone working behind a curtain placed them together. Now they were to be shoved into an arena to physically fight through their problems; problems that stemmed from their fractured friendship.
Kami, it felt like ages had passed since they called one another friends. Since they were inseparable. Ino had been her first real friend. The person who defended her from bullies. The one who taught her about everything from flower arrangements to confidence.
Ino had been special to her. She had been a true friend, someone she knew she could rely on through thick and thin…And somehow, this precious friendship they shared ended over something so small, so insignificant, just the thought of it made this burning feeling build in her gut. Anger. It bubbled like boiling water, churned like the ocean in a powerful storm, it boiled her insides until she just wanted to scream, cry and hit something.
Not Ino, though. This anger was aimed at one person and one person alone: herself.
All it took to ruin their friendship wasn't something meaningful. No one backstabbed. No one lied constantly or talked behind the others back. They hadn't spat venomous insults like they did in the present. No. Nothing that could have ruined their friendship did. Instead it was something that should have never come between them. In fact, she actively made it come between them.
A crush. A stupid crush turned best friends into bitter rivals.
It was ridiculous.
Sakura hated herself so much for it. She hated herself for being so irrational and childish, because she owned a lot of the blame. Ino might have shared the same crush, but she hadn't wanted it to come between them. Sakura let it. She pushed Ino aside, took the helm and steered their friendship into the storm until it became an unhealthy rivalry. Why? All for a boy who saw their constant fawning and desperate need to be with him as pathetic and annoying.
I'm so stupid.
And stubborn. Too prideful for her own good to be the first one to try to mend their friendship. Too afraid her attempt would fall on deaf ears and leave her feeling worse than she already did about the whole mess. How did she even go about apologizing or asking to stop fighting when she felt it would make Ino look down on her as weak willed?
Sakura deep down always yearned to have those days of friendship back. She missed Ino. She missed her charisma, her presence, her ability to brighten her day like a bouquet of flowers from a secret admirer. But because of her actions, Sakura could never admit it or act as if she missed Ino, even when she did. It was like another challenge to see who could be stubborn the longest.
Prior to Team Seven, she pushed these thoughts and feelings away. Buried them in a fort of sheets, pillows and comforters, just like the old forts they used to make during sleepovers. It wasn't until after the Land of Waves she slowly started to acknowledge them. She was still childish before that mission. Too lost in her own ego and lovesick to see herself in the mirror—the real her, not the illusion she pretended to be.
Watching Amari, Naruto and Sasuke from the background, she learned a lot. Each in their own ways taught her a little more about what it meant to be both a great shinobi and a kind person. She saw them make mistakes and witnessed their flaws. Naruto struggled with some of the basics but was usually too stubborn to ask for help. Sasuke was too prideful for his own good on most days, seeing reliance on others as a hindrance. Amari was a stubborn workaholic. She rarely took personal time for herself and often tried to take on a struggle or a stronger enemy on her own despite knowing she could rely on her team.
But they learned from their mistakes. When they screwed up, they didn't run away from it. They owned it and tried harder to do better, to be better. It wasn't a change that happened overnight for any of them. Her three teammates were still trying.
Their actions encouraged her to do the same. They inspired her to stop hiding from her mistakes and her faults. They opened her eyes. It took her time to start learning from their lessons in strength, courage and compassion; Team Seven was a full house of stubbornness. But because of them she was beginning to grow more as a person and shinobi, even if it was only a little bit right now.
Mentally she shook her head. I was so foolish.
Staring across the arena to her old friend left her jumbled in a sea of clashing emotions. She still felt feelings of affection for her former friend. Memories of their past friendship pressed against her mental barriers. Some made her want to laugh and smile. Others made her tear up for what was lost.
Yet…she wasn't sure an apology could fix anything. They couldn't take back anything they said. Words weren't made of chalk; they couldn't be erased forever. Words, when laced with venomous emotions of jealousy and anger, left their own kind of Curse Mark on an individual. Almost like the scars on Amari's arm, words could cut deep and stay with a person forever.
What Sakura yearned for—the past friendship they used to share—she knew deep down there was no getting it back. Time moved forward always. You couldn't turn it back and stop a mistake from being made or recapture the innocence of youth. Those days in their pillow forts were gone. The days of Ino being her staunch protector, her knight in stylish clothing didn't exist anymore. Their paths diverged. They grew and matured separately despite claiming in their youth to stick by each other's side forever.
It pained her to think that way, but she knew it to be true. Their childhood was behind them, and she didn't want to be protected anymore. She wanted to be considered an equal, not someone weak who needed to be protected.
Maybe the only way to fix it was to move forward. To start new as who they were today and not who they used to be. Their history would still exist. Starting over wouldn't wipe away their great friendship or these last few years of bitterness, but by starting over they could reach a middle ground where neither had to feel as if they caved or were weak.
It wasn't as if they couldn't still be rivals. Rival could just be another word for friend, after all.
"I never thought I'd fight you. Or I didn't think it would happen this soon," Ino said.
I didn't think I would either. I was worried I would have to fight Amari or Naruto, but I never considered the possibility of fighting Ino.
The thought of her teammates made her emerald eyes flit up to the balcony. Amari and Kakashi rejoined Naruto at the balcony. The kunoichi of the pair appeared less pale than during her panic attack, though Sakura wasn't sure if that alone was enough to gauge her state of mind.
Sakura hesitated to come down here after her name was drawn. The fight didn't feel as important as knowing whether or not Amari would be okay. No one just hyperventilated for no reason. And Amari looked frightened. Shell-shocked. Lost on a distant planet far away from all of them. Lost in a dark forest in her mind with Orochimaru.
That's the second time today she's lost her composure.
First the Curse Mark and then Misumi's jutsu. Was it only because their fight with Orochimaru was so recent? Or did the fight leave deeper psychological scars on her?
"D- Don't worry about me, Sakura. Focus on your fight. I'll- I'll be fine."
Sakura frowned and cast her eyes to the floor. Amari…
Amari was always strong. Even when beaten and battered by the Sound shinobi, she never stopped fighting. She kicked and clawed her way back for more, all to protect the people precious to her. But Sakura knew the human body and mind had its limits. Too much trauma to a bone would break it. The same could be said for the mind. Even the strongest willed people had a breaking point—Amari included.
I want to believe you…
So she did, but only after promising herself to keep her eyes open.
For now Sakura would listen. She couldn't roll over and lose against Ino. Not because they were enemies. Not for the stupid reason of a crush. No, this fight for her was about proving her growth to Ino. To prove they were equals.
I don't think I'm ready to be a Chūnin yet anyways, Sakura thought, eye focusing back on Ino. I have a lot of training to do once this Exam is over so I can catch up to the others. There's more I need to learn about being a strong and smart kunoichi before I'm ready to lead a squad.
This battle might be about a promotion to Ino, but it wouldn't be for her. She knew she couldn't call herself a Chūnin yet. To lead others into battle when she was only just starting to create a foundation to stand on? No, she wasn't ready. Innocent shinobi would die under her command, and that was unacceptable.
Maybe she wasn't on Amari's or Mimi's level. Those two were leagues ahead of her in strength, speed and tactical analysis. To match them, to one day walk alongside her fellow kunoichi instead of watching them from the background, it would be a long, arduous path. It might take her years to finally catch up, but that was okay. She would work harder than before. She would stop letting everyone coddle and protect her and start standing her ground.
Here and now, this fight, it wasn't to prove she could be a leader. No, her fight here was to prove she wasn't the same useless girl put on Team Seven. She would show everyone the girl who stood in the background, watching her teammates risk their lives and take heavy burdens on their shoulders as she sat protected was gone for good.
She would prove it to the person it needed proving to the most: herself.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you," Ino said.
She wouldn't want her to. If she did, it would be an insult to her as a kunoichi. It would mean Ino didn't see her as anything more than a weaker opponent, unworthy of her time and energy.
Sakura refused to stand for being taken lightly. If it even felt as if Ino wasn't taking her seriously, she would increase the pressure on her to give her no option but to use her full strength.
"Go Sakura! You can do it! Don't lose!" Naruto cheered.
"You've got this Sakura!" Amari joined him.
Amari was okay now. She didn't need her worrying when she had to fight.
I owe it to her to give it my all, Sakura thought, determination settling in.
She went out of her way to train her. She believed in her even when Sakura couldn't believe in herself. She and Lee gave her the courage to stand up and fight when they needed her most. For them, for the foundation they helped her form, she couldn't give anything less than her best.
The proctor looked between the two, checking to see if they were ready. When it was clear they were, he brought his hand up and moved it back down in a chopping motion.
"Begin."
Sakura dashed in, darting side to side to close the distance quickly and give no hints to where her real attack was coming from. Once in range, she swung her leg, aiming a high kick right at Ino's head. Her opponent dodged under and threw a punch immediately after, but Sakura was faster. She blocked it and, deciding to test a theory, she tried to land two low kicks, placing herself in a vulnerable position Ino could easily capitalize on.
Instead of capitalizing on the opening, which she could have done, Ino dodged back and away.
She's holding back on me. The position she placed herself in, no way could she have countered an attack from Ino. Any of the gathered shinobi here, Genin or otherwise, would have seen it and made her pay for it. Yet Ino didn't. She saw the opening and retreated instead of attacking.
Was it because she didn't take her seriously? Or was there some part of her holding her back because of their past friendship?
Sakura wasn't sure. It wasn't as if she didn't feel anything now, but neither of them could afford to hold back because of their past right now. This was an important fight for both of them. If they didn't give their all, if they treated this as some sort of inconsequential test over past feelings, how could they ever grow or be taken seriously as kunoichi?
Stopping to talk about it wasn't an option. All Sakura could do was what she promised: Force Ino to fight her at full strength.
She pulled out a set of kunai in-between all of her fingers. You're not going to underestimate me or give me a pity victory. Quickly tossing the kunai at her opponent, Ino dodged between most of them, snatching one out of the air and throwing it back—proof of the skill she wasn't using on her.
The opening wasn't great, but she could work with it.
Chakra flowed throughout her body like an electrical current. Rather than using the Body Flicker to increase her speed to the same level she used against the Sound shinobi, she vitalized her body and dashed in, still visible to the naked eye, but moving far quicker than before.
Ino stuttered in her reaction. She hadn't been ready for Sakura to increase her speed in such a way. By the time she tried to retreat again, Sakura was there, slamming her fist into her gut, causing her to double over forehead first into a knee. Her attack knocked the Yamanaka back up, dazed by the blow. Seeing her moment, Sakura jumped up and landed a hard kick to send her flying away.
That's it! If she isn't going to fight seriously then I'm going to make her do it! Cha!
"Sakura really isn't taking Ino holding back lightly," Kakashi observed. It was…unexpected, he had to admit. Sakura had a fierce spirit, he never doubted that, but it took a while to get it to show up—time they didn't have in battle.
Yet something clearly changed. She wasn't waiting for Ino to bring the fight to her. This time she was jumping right in to the fight. No holding back. No second guessing herself.
Even more surprising, in the short skirmish between her and Ino, she displayed a synchronized use of taijutsu and chakra control the student originally placed on his team wouldn't have thought of.
Kakashi's eye slowly moved from his pink-haired student to the blue-haired one right in front of him. One week of training with Amari and five days in the Forest of Death have really changed Sakura for the better.
"Say Amari, what kind of training did you put Sakura through?" he asked.
"I trained her in taijutsu and tactics. When we would train together, I implemented a mix of Mom's training and…an old trainer of mine. I was supportive and gave her no choice but to get better."
Old trainer…Itachi. Not a bad place to take hints from. The kid was a prodigious talent from a young age.
"I can't take all the credit, though. She brought the will to grow stronger. She wanted to change. All I did was point her in the right direction…and take every opening I had so she would learn to block and stop shutting her damned eyes."
"You did good," he complimented. "The kunoichi I'm seeing down there is not the same one put on my team."
"Thanks, Sensei."
He was genuinely surprised by the change. Nothing he tried took to her the same way Amari's training had. Yet Amari made an incredibly important point: Sakura brought the will and desire to become stronger and grow with Amari. She hadn't had that same will or desire when he tried. That was the game changer.
Naruto turned to look back at him, brow furrowed and a puzzled expression on his face. "What do you mean, Sensei? Sakura's still Sakura."
Ino slowly pushed herself back onto her feet down below.
"No, Naruto, she isn't. To say that discredits the hard work she has put into growing," Kakashi told him. "Sakura's sharper, fiercer. Amari's training and the events of this test have motivated and hardened her equally. It'll take more training, but don't expect her to need protection from any of us for much longer. Sooner rather than later she'll be a force to be reckoned with."
Before recent events those would have been empty words. The kind of thing to make someone feel better even if it wasn't the truth. But Kakashi's words weren't empty. There wasn't time for empty words in the shinobi world. Hard truths needed to be said to prevent loss of life or get a shinobi's act together.
Naruto hummed in uncertainty of what he meant but returned his eyes on the fight.
Kakashi left him to his thoughts. One day he would see it. Even dense as lead Naruto would begin to see the difference in how she held herself, the fierceness behind her attacks and the fire in her eyes. The same fire in his cerulean eyes.
"Though I have to say I am a little upset you didn't channel any of my teachings, Amari," Kakashi pouted.
His student snorted. "Oh I did. You were my inner sadist, Kakashi-sensei. Sometimes I forced her to train with a clone while I watched clouds. Almost in the same way you sat in a tree an— mmphh!"
The Copy Ninja's hand covered Amari's mouth with lightning speed even he was a little shocked at. The back of his skull lit up as red eyes drilled their way into it. He could feel sweat beginning to form in sheer nervousness at the exceptionally dangerous mother on the verge of strapping him in an eternal genjutsu.
"Didn't we talk about this already?" he quizzed, tone light against the acceleration of his heart.
This situation is deteriorating fast. I thought I finished this when I tricked her earlier, but she never stopped calculating the perfect moment to strike again. Amari's patience won out.
Kakashi, on the other hand, let his guard down and put the entire thing behind him. It was sloppy mistake. He should have known better than to think she accepted defeat. She played possum, and with her sudden panic attack he forgot all about their battle of wits.
She didn't forget. Amari rarely forgot anything.
If I release her mouth now, she could finish explaining that day for Kurenai. But if I don't release her, I'll have to stay like this until she fights, or until Kurenai removes me herself. Kakashi sweat dropped. She has me right where she wants me. I fell right into her trap.
"Teach Sasuke a new jutsu and we even," she mumbled from behind his hand.
Out of the darkness of despair his shining ultimatum appeared, brighter than the sun and held out for him to snatch whenever he realized there was no other option left.
He sighed. Well, I was planning to teach him something anyways. "Fine." No sense in prolonging his inevitable defeat, and it was inevitable. Amari placed her pieces too well for him to worm his way out by the skin of his teeth. There was no miracle play to slip through his opponent's defenses and defeat her when surrounded on all sides by danger. Kakashi would accept his defeat gracefully and begin preparing for the next battle.
He removed his hand off her mouth and retreated from the battle with his wounded pride. Amari spared him a victorious smile then focused back down on the fight. That girl's mind is a dangerous weapon. Kakashi smiled proudly behind his mask. Keep it up, Amari. "Did you really cloud watch while Sakura trained?"
"Maybe," she giggled, "but she didn't know it."
Inner sadist indeed.
"Listen up, Ino! I'm done fighting with you over Sasuke," Sakura stated firmly. "The constant bickering, the stupid fights for no reason, the name calling, I'm over it. I still care for him, but I can't keep chasing after his shadow or the shadows of my teammates if I'm ever going to be a kunoichi. I have to catch them. I have to become strong enough to stand on my own without them always protecting me. But at this point, if you don't get your act together and start taking me seriously, I'll end up dashing right past you. Then you'll have to chase my shadow."
"What did you say?" Ino snarled. "You better watch your mouth, Billboard Brow."
"I'm done chasing you, Ino. I've caught up to you." There was finality to her statement that only angered Ino further. "Now there's someone else I have to chase. Someone who helped show me how to be strong just like you did. I owe it to her to do everything I can to win. That means I have to blow right through you!"
"Whoa, Sakura's getting pretty intense," Naruto said.
"As she should be," Amari said. "For Sakura, this fight isn't about getting to the finals to become a Chūnin. She has the self-awareness to know she isn't ready for the promotion. Right now, Sakura is fighting to prove herself."
Ah, so he wasn't the only one to notice the subtle difference.
"Do you mean she's trying to prove her strength to Ino?" Lee asked.
"Yes and no. I don't know everything going on in her head, nor do I know everything about her past with Ino. We weren't exactly friendly with one another back in the Academy. But based on what she said, I have to assume Ino played an influential role in her life. She helped her to grow in some way when they were younger. At some point, though, their friendship splintered and became volatile over their crush on Sasuke. Rather than focusing on their shinobi training, they started to focus on their beauty.
"But after our mission to the Land of Waves Sakura realized how colossal that miscalculation was. She saw me get critically injured, Naruto exhausted of chakra and Sasuke put into a death-like state, yet she went unscathed. Unharmed. In her eyes, she failed us. She held us back because we had to protect her every chance we could."
"Bu- but that's not how it was!" Naruto argued, shocked by the revelation.
It didn't surprise Kakashi his student was only now learning of Sakura's state of mind. He was sure even Sasuke didn't know. Both boys had been too self-absorbed after the Land of Waves. Sasuke's ego and pride were wounded by his defeat at Haku's hands and Naruto's ability to win, unaware it took him losing some control over the Nine-Tails to do so.
Naruto saw Amari shatter faster than one of Haku's mirrors right before his eyes, her strength fading as she was shaken off her path and left crying in agony. It left him with an innate need to be stronger so he could protect her. At the same time, Sasuke's attitude drove him to prove he was cooler than him and becoming as strong as his rival.
Amari struggled with her own internal conflicts; conflicts his other students still didn't know about, but she took her duty as the balancing point seriously. She put it above her own issues. Ironically, she was similar to the very crows watching after her. She watched and listened from her perch in the shadows, noticing every tiny little detail and gathering good Intel so she could act accordingly.
Kakashi was almost certain, if he asked, she could describe exactly every detail about her teammates states of mind after the Land of Waves verbatim. It was a great skill of hers and one of the reasons her position as the balancing point was so important. Her ability to not just understand, but sympathize and empathize with her teammates was why he trusted her to handle Sakura.
"We never felt that way," Naruto declared. "And if she did feel that way, why didn't she say anything?"
"What did you want her to say, Naruto? That she felt like a failure? That she didn't feel good enough to be on the team?" Amari asked in return. Those words took the steam right out of Naruto's argument. "Don't blame her for not speaking up. Weakness is never easy to admit to. We are trained to be strong, unflinching warriors. That's what shinobi are. We're trained to bury our emotions, to hide from them, to pretend everything is okay when it isn't because we cannot afford to be seen as weak.
"Sakura didn't need to be told she was amazing or that everything was okay. She doesn't want to stand in the background watching us defend her. What Sakura needed was someone to support her growth so she could become stronger. Someone who understood exactly how she felt. Someone who wouldn't go easy on her because she's a girl or weaker than them."
"So that means…"
"I'm the one she's chasing now."
"Does that mean she intends to prove herself to you and Ino?" Lee asked.
"No." Amari shook her head. "She wants to prove to Ino she's become an equal, but there's someone far more important she's trying to prove her strength to. Someone who needs to see it more than Ino and I do."
"Who?"
"Herself." Sounds of confusion came from the two boys. Kakashi nodded to himself, agreeing with his student's point word for word. "Sakura has to prove it to herself she's grown. That's why she wants Ino to fight her at one hundred percent. Anything less will make a victory hollow."
"I get it," Mimi said. "What you and Lee did for her in the Forest of Death gave her a foundation. Now she's trying to build on it. The first step to her is proving she's Ino's equal. Proving she's outgrown her past so she can start on the path towards her future."
"Exactly," Kakashi agreed. "This fight has far more weight to it than a promotion. Win or lose, this is Sakura's chance to prove to herself that she belongs here. Not just on Team Seven, but as a shinobi of the Leaf."
Down below Sakura's features remained set in determination as she untied her headband and stared intensely at Ino.
"So it begins," Amari murmured.
"What in the world is going on?" Naruto questioned.
"What do you mean?"
"Why are those two getting so worked up just staring at each other?"
"You're one to talk. You are the same way with Sasuke."
"Huh? How do you mean?"
Amari rolled her eye and shook her head. "Forget it. It'd be too troublesome to explain."
Deciding to throw the kid a lifeline, Kakashi spoke up. "Rivalry is a tricky business, Naruto. It can bring out the best in two shinobi. Not that I would know."
Amari giggled and looked back at him, a smirk on her lips. "Of course you wouldn't know. Because I never got dragged into your 'not-a-rivalry.' My trip to the hospital after fighting strangers was completely voluntary."
Kakashi squeezed his eye shut and mentally kicked himself. Another sloppy mistake. How could he forget she was involuntarily dragged into Guy's challenges? And Guy was standing barely a few steps away. If he didn't play this off cool, he'd lose another round to Guy.
As if on cue, Guy glanced over to him, eyes stony in determination to snap at the slightest opening. Kakashi schooled himself, cool as a cucumber, and offered a small wave. "Oh, hi there."
Guy's brow furrowed, the only sign on his stone-face that hinted he knew he lost the round.
Phew, that was a close one. Almost lost to Amari and Guy in a short time frame.
Way too close for comfort.
Sakura tied her headband around her forehead as Ino followed her actions, taking her own off her waist to do the same.
Now they were going to fight at full-power, as equals.
The pair charged back in, their fists connecting against one another causing a swirl of power and chakra to form at the impact point. The force repelled them, sending them sliding on their feet away from each other. Neither wasted time charging back in again.
Sakura's hands moved through the Clone Jutsu handseals. Two illusions of herself joined her, one on each side, dashing in with their original towards their opponent. Illusions are good for diversions, but they aren't solid like Naruto's or Amari's clones. What are you planning, Sakura?
Suddenly, in a similar burst of speed as earlier, all three Sakura's sped ahead, weaving in and out to conceal who was in fact the real one. Ino, unable to decipher which was real, prepared as best she could for the incoming attack.
The three Sakura's went for a strike, but at the very last moment possible the two illusions popped, allowing the real one to land a punch square in the Yamanaka's face. Ino tumbled across the ground. Sakura followed her attack with a taunt to keep Ino from shying away from the fight.
"Keep it up, Sakura!" Amari cheered.
Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Nice! You're doing awesome, Sakura!"
Kakashi stood, intrigued and a bit flabbergasted by the type of attack Sakura pulled off. "Powerful strikes using chakra while simultaneously vitalizing her body with chakra to increase her speed? Top notch considering she's a rookie. I've never seen Sakura this good."
"Sakura's chakra control is one of her greatest strengths," Amari said. "But she wasn't using it in battle to increase her speed or strength when she could. It's going to take time to build her physical strength and stamina, more than the week I had, so this was the best way to supplement it in a short time."
"Best, and also incredibly difficult to pull off," Kakashi said. "Strength and speed enhancement together like that isn't easy, especially for young kids. With the exception of you, Sakura and Mimi, I don't think the Genin here could pull that off."
Not even Sasuke or Neji. They had their strengths; Sasuke had power and Neji had great chakra control, but combining strength and speed enhancement via chakra wasn't in their wheelhouse. Gentle Fist worked best in close-range, either allowing an enemy to close the distance into their range of attack or closing it themselves. From there it was all about hitting chakra points, not devastating external blows.
Sasuke's style aimed for powerful blows and agility, but his was based on natural strength and speed, not chakra enhanced. He needed finer chakra control before that became a possibility for him.
Naruto turned around, a slightly perturbed look on his face. "Hey, you're not saying they're better than me, are you Sensei?"
"No, you're the greatest," he drawled. Naruto slouched and groaned in defeat while Amari hid a giggle behind her hand. The kid set himself up for that one. "Sending chakra all throughout her body in conjunction with a well-timed jutsu, all the while enhancing her strike with chakra? That takes a level of chakra control most shinobi don't possess."
But it doesn't come without a cost. Sakura may have great chakra control, but she needs a lot more training to pull off techniques like that without exhausting herself within a few moves.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
The struggle to win was never ending.
For every opening Sakura used to land a solid, strong blow on Ino, her opponent came back with her own, hitting just as hard. Using chakra enhanced strikes was becoming more difficult; it was exhausting her, taxing her tired body.
Ino was in the same boat, possibly even a little worse off than she was, but she couldn't assume anything. She couldn't afford to underestimate Ino or overestimate herself, not when she was reaching her limit. Now was the time to fight smarter, not harder.
Shaking off the thoughts of exhaustion, she moved back in for a strike, dodging past a punch, spinning on her toes to kick Ino. The kick connected in her gut, but before it did she infused a tiny bit of chakra into her blow. The chakra did as she hoped, knocking Ino back as if kicked by a horse to give her breathing room.
I need to finish this soon. Bruises on her face and stomach pulsed with pain. Her entire body felt heavier while her head felt lighter than air.
Sakura watched Ino get onto one knee, the pair panting out of synch of one another.
"I- I don't understand…How can you be evenly matched with me?!" Ino shouted in disbelief.
An exhausted laugh escaped Sakura. Much as she wanted those old days back, she felt satisfaction from Ino's shrill shout. It was the acceptance she yearned for. The acceptance from her old friend that she didn't need to be coddled or protected by her anymore. They were on even ground, finally.
"Heh. I told you, I'm done chasing your shadow. There's someone else I have to reach. Someone I believe is already a real kunoichi."
Ino glared at her. "What did you say?"
Another laugh, this one self-deprecating. These next words, they were going to be full of painful truth both of them needed to hear. "Ino, it's time we both face the facts: Amari is way out of our league." She took in several breaths and continued. "We wasted so much time trying to get Sasuke's attention, focusing more on our beauty than our training. Besides training with Amari, I can't remember another time where I was this winded. And that's my own fault. My lack of conditioning is my mistake. I fell behind everyone, even you, because you still trained your ninjutsu."
Her mistake. Her fault. Her problem to fix. She couldn't cast away the blame; it'd only boomerang back and end up cracking her in her giant forehead anyways. She didn't train. She studied, earned high scores on written tests and focused solely on her infatuation with Sasuke. Even the act of growing her hair out had been the result of believing he only liked long-haired girls.
Sakura did everything she could to be seen, and in doing so faded into the background like the sun. Everyone knew it was there, but no one really paid attention to it. She lost her identity, her own sense of self. Rather than being unique and drawing her own portrait of who Sakura Haruno was, she colored in the lines of someone else's ideal.
Ino didn't. Ino always had a strong sense of self. She knew who she was and walked to her own beat. Not her, though. She followed trends, she didn't create them. She fell in line instead of burst from the pack.
All of this was her mistake. Her current lack of conditioning, her lack of training, it all came back to a decision she made. A decision to be obsessed with being even a small part of someone else's life instead of living her own. It was a mistake Ino somehow made as well. Otherwise they wouldn't be here, panting in exhaustion and staring at each other as equals. Ino would have still been a shadow on her if she kept walking to her own beat.
It saddened Sakura she stopped. Ino was always so confident. Always a leader and a unique individual, never coloring in someone else's lines. It…it was like the shattering of their friendship threw her off course, and that filled her with a great sadness and sense of guilt that twisted her gut.
"But even though you trained more than me, you still weren't as focused as Amari," Sakura continued. "She trained harder than everyone to become a kunoichi. In her first year in the Academy she caught up to everyone. In the second she surpassed everyone, even Sasuke. She became the top kunoichi and top rookie of our year."
It took Amari time to find her feet, she wouldn't deny that, but when she did, Amari charged ahead on her path. It's what Sakura wished she had done. Amari didn't allow herself to fade into someone else's shadow. She wasn't content to be a side character in someone else's life; she strived to be her own person, to be true to herself, especially after finding her nindo.
It was just like Ino used to be.
Amari wasn't Ino, though. She didn't have the same boisterous charisma or the unshakeable confidence. She wasn't the type of person who would approach a random stranger to start a conversation. And, if they were honest, Amari didn't really care much for being stylish.
Yet, despite those differences, Amari's friendship meant as much to her as Ino's had. They both taught her so much. Supported her through her weakness and gave her the strength to stand on her own. She owed them so much.
Ino growled. "You leave One-Eye out of this!"
Sakura's eyes hardened. "Her name is Amari. Stop trying to cut her down with petty insults about her appearance. It's beneath you, Ino, and it comes from a place of jealousy. Don't try to deny it; I know you feel that way because I did too. When I looked at Amari, I saw everything I wasn't. She was stronger than me, more skilled at taijutsu and ninjutsu, intelligent beyond the textbook and confident in her abilities."
Why was all this bubbling out of her? It didn't embarrass her. Honestly, admitting her inferiority and her mistakes felt freeing, as if a heavy weight was being lifted from her shoulders. For so long she buried it all, pretending at the time as if the problem really was Amari and not herself. But she finally reached a point where she could accept her failures and insecurities, learn from them and move forward. She could improve and become better than the brat who tried to attack Amari back in the Academy.
"I've seen her engage enemies I cowered at. You should see her, Ino. She's incredible. That's why I've stopped measuring myself to you, because all the kunoichi in our class should be measuring themselves to Amari—the top rookie kunoichi of the Leaf." She took another breath and smirked at her opponent. "So, where do you fit on that measuring stick, Ino?"
The last jab was a last minute decision. The condescension in her voice was pretty low of her to stoop to, but it was part of her new plan to get Ino to lose her cool. Physically she was at her limit. So she decided to take a move out of Amari's and Shino's book: mind games through facts. Nothing was worse for an opponent than being toyed with by someone who knew their worst fears or insecurities.
If she could make Ino fight harder than necessary, she might leave herself open. Perhaps she could win this.
Anger contorted Ino's pretty features. She pulled out a kunai and said, "I've had enough of you making fun of me, Billboard Brow." Then, without hesitation, the Yamanaka cut her ponytail clean off right below the hairband.
I may have pushed it a little too far with my inferiority speech. On the outside she kept her face in a determined smile. "Heh, you think that'll help?"
"That's it!" Ino shrieked before tossing her hair across the ground. "See! I don't need this!"
It isn't about the hair, Ino. She hadn't cut her long hair because short hair somehow made her a kunoichi. Cutting her hair let her escape Kin, and in the process started her on the path to fix the mistakes she made in the past.
To explain that at this point, however, wasn't possible. Ino went even further off the edge than she expected her to go. Granted this worked into her plans, but it wasn't her intention to drive her old friend to chop off her hair.
"All right, I'm going to end this right now! Get ready to tell everyone you lost to me, Billboard Brow!" Ino extended her hands out in front of her and created the Mind Transfer Jutsu handseal.
Ino officially lost her mind. There was no way she could think using this jutsu was a good idea. "Look, I know you're frustrated, but using that jutsu like this is pointless," Sakura told her.
"Oh yeah? We'll just have to see about that."
"Sakura, don't get overconfident! Keep thinking tactically and take her seriously!" Amari coached. "In shogi and in combat it only takes one move to turn the situation against you! Overconfidence and underestimation always lead to defeat!"
I know she's right, but Ino's jutsu can only be launched where she aims it. If I dodge away from there then she won't hit me. Just like you say, Amari, every jutsu has a weakness.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu is a jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan. It allows a user to take over their opponent's spirit and arrest control from their body away from them for a few minutes. They achieve this by discharging all of their own spiritual energy and striking their enemy with it, but despite its power there are major flaws to this formidable jutsu that makes the use extremely dangerous," Sakura explained, for both Ino to hear and to hear herself think.
Maybe she was missing something. Something Amari realized that she hadn't yet. If she worked her way through the structure of the jutsu, she might find it.
"First: The user's discharged spiritual energy can only fly straight and it moves at a very slow speed. Second: Even if the spiritual energy misses the enemy, it can't return to the user's own body for several minutes and this would take place in battles that are most often measured in seconds. I should add that while the user's spiritual energy is gone, the user's body—your body, Ino—can't move at all. It'll be little more than a doll."
That was everything she knew, and it seemed like she was right to be confident in her ability to dodge it…but then why couldn't she shake Amari's warning off? There had to be a detail she was missing. Something Ino could be planning to succeed in using her jutsu.
Whatever happens, I can't let her hit me with that jutsu.
"I don't care! I won't know unless I try," Ino declared.
Sakura took up a running stance. "You do realize that if you miss, this is all over?"
The Yamanaka stared hard at her, refusing to budge from her decision. Sakura didn't wait any longer. She dashed away from her original spot and kept running on fatigued legs.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
A brief moment passed of nothing. Then Ino's body slumped down, yet Sakura remained in control of her body and mind. The kunoichi stopped running and exhaled a breath, blonde locks underneath her sandals and between her and Ino.
"This is over, In—"
"Sakura, get the hell out of there!"
Sakura's muscles locked up. The moment of hesitation in listening to her comrade cost her. Her feet wouldn't budge. No matter how hard she tried to lift them and run, they remained firmly placed on the ground. Glancing down with wide eyes, she saw the reason.
Chakra? Blue chakra flowed from Ino, through her hair and to Sakura's feet. The chakra strings tied around her ankles and held her down.
"No way," she gasped.
"You fell for it, Sakura," Ino snarked.
This is bad. She tried to move her legs but they wouldn't budge. This is really bad.
"I finally caught you. All those handseals were fakes to get you to run right into my trap. You can't move, can you?" Ino calculated the entire charade. The anger, the cutting of her hair, she played right into her confidence to get her in this trap. "You're being held in place by a special rope made of my hair with my chakra poured into it."
Ino placed a foot where her hands once were to continue feeding her chakra to the special rope holding her in place. "Now that you're trapped I can take over your body and make you say you're giving up on this match." She did her handseals again and aimed them right at Sakura. "There's no way I'll miss with this jutsu now."
"You've gotta get out of there quick!" Naruto shouted.
"Move Sakura!" Amari's voice followed.
She struggled to move but her feet may as well have been covered with cement. I can't move.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu."
After a few more attempts to break free, everything went black.
"Oh no." Amari squeezed the railing tighter with her left hand. Ino played Sakura perfectly into her trap, and now it was all over.
"The Mind Transfer Jutsu worked," Kakashi echoed her thoughts.
Lee, who stood next to Naruto and Amari, turned to look back at their sensei. "The Mind Transfer? Does that mean that Sak- Sakura—"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Sakura's spirit has been completely taken over by Ino." Naruto gasped. "Ino's spirit is inside Sakura now. Now she will move forward with her plan to force Sakura to forfeit."
Sakura's hand started to rise. Damn it, this will undo everything Sakura's trying to do. If she loses by forced forfeit because of a single mistake, she'll be crushed.
But what could she do? She couldn't physically get involved in the match or they'd disqualify Sakura. There had to something she could do. Some way to stop Sakura from losing this way.
Think, Amari. Think.
Sakura hung in dark limbo, unaware to the world around her or her current place in it. Everything was silent, almost like she was in a dreamless sleep.
Then, through the silence, the loudest voice she knew disturbed it all.
"Noooo! Sakura, don't!"
Naruto?
Why did he sound so distant? What was he trying to tell her not to do?
"You worked so hard to get here, Sakura! Don't disgrace yourself now by letting Ino make you forfeit!"
If she could have, her eyes would have widened in shock. The entire fight came flooding back. Every moment, every punch, every word spoken before the Mind Transfer Jutsu pushed to the forefront of her mind.
That's right! I was in the middle of fighting Ino when she hit me with her Mind Transfer Jutsu.
Which could only mean Ino was in the process of trying to make her forfeit. She couldn't allow it!
Sakura could feel Ino's presence, but without a body she wasn't sure how to break free of this. How could she stop Ino? What could she do from this position if she didn't have the power to fight back?
"You can't give up, Sakura!"
Amari too? But what could she do? This wasn't a physical fight to win. Her spirit was arrested by Ino's jutsu, just like she said it would be. I got too confident. I underestimated her and let myself fall into this mess.
"Don't cave in! Fight it! Show her your strength and break free! I know you can do it! You still have strength left to fight, so fight damn it! Don't let all your hard work be for nothing!"
From deep within Sakura, she felt a flame ignite.
Chaaa! It roared. Amari and Naruto are right! I've put in too much work to lose like this! Inoooooooo!
She heard a shriek of shock as her spirit grew in size and gained physical mass inside her mind. Blazing eyes landed on the invader of her mind before clutching her old friend in her grasps. If you don't get out of my mind right now, I'm going to crush you!
Again in the distance she heard another voice, this time belonging to the proctor.
"I ask again: Are you withdrawing from the match, Sakura Haruno?"
Sakura snarled in fury as she took full control of her body. "No! Never! Not in a million years! I refuse to withdraw! Not today or any other day! CHA!"
Ino! Out! Now!
"Good plan, Naruto," Amari complimented.
"Hehehe!"
"What's up with Ino? Something looks wrong," Shikamaru stated in surprise.
"Sakura has retaken control of her mind," Amari said. But they're both at their limit. The next blow will decide this fight.
Chakra surged off of Sakura's body and returned to Ino's limp body. Sakura collapsed to her knees and joined Ino in panting from exhaustion.
"How can you have two spirits in you?" Ino demanded. "Just what are you anyway?"
"Someone who is just as strong as she is beautiful," Sakura responded, the previous fire dissipating. "I mean, a girl has got to be tough to survive in the ninja world."
It's amazing how far Sakura has come, especially her ability to break out of that jutsu. Of course Ino's lack of chakra played a role in it, but you can't discredit Sakura's will, not for a second. Like Naruto, Sasuke and I, she too has a strong will. She can push past her limits just as we do.
Amari smiled as the two prepared for their final attacks. Do you see now, Sakura? You are strong. And with more training you'll one day find you're no longer chasing after our shadows. You'll be walking with us. Until then, though, you have a fight to finish. You've got one shot, so make it count.
The two charged in, their fists cocked back, ready to land the final, victorious blow to decide who went on to the finals. As they came into range, their fists connected against the other's cheek, knocking their headbands off and sending them sliding across the ground away from one another.
Both tried to stand again. Neither made it. Their bodies crumpled to the concrete and showed no signs of moving anytime soon.
Hayate called the match a double knock out and ended the round. There was a small uproar by some of her comrades, mostly in worry for the two, yet Amari smiled silently to herself.
You knew you weren't ready for the promotion. You had the self-awareness to notice your faults and the need for more training, but don't take this loss too hard, Sakura. You may not have won the match, but you won something far more important.
You won against your doubts. You proved to Ino and yourself that you were different, that you were stronger than before. The fight isn't over, though. This is something you'll have to keep fighting to become even stronger. I will continue to help you train as promised, but it's in your hands where you go. I can only show you the way. You have to walk it.
Asuma and Kakashi jumped down to retrieve the two girls and their headbands. They returned shortly after with both teams and Rock Lee joining the adults to check on the two kunoichi, concerned for their health.
And who knows, Sakura, maybe it's you who we kunoichi will measure ourselves to one day. Maybe one day you'll inspire others to become stronger.
Who can say?
Kakashi shushed the gathered group and motioned to the sleeping pair with a nod of his head. "I don't think the treatment will be necessary," Asuma said as he stood up. "They'll probably just wake up after a little while. But they both put up a great fight."
"Yeah," the Copy Ninja agreed.
"You made the right choice to send her here, Sensei. She's found strength she wouldn't have through my help alone."
Kakashi eye smiled at her, appreciative of her words.
Mimi crouched down next to the two kunoichi and rested a hand on their foreheads. After a few seconds she removed them and stood up. "They've got some bruising, but they'll be okay without treatment."
The exams continued on. The next two combatants chosen were both kunoichi, neither of which were Amari.
Tenten vs Temari.
Amari slouched and groaned in despair. "I just can't catch a break today. What a drag."
Naruto joined her in slouched defeat. "I know how you feel."
Behind them, Kakashi chuckled at their expense and ruffled their hair. "Don't be so dramatic, you two. You'll both get your chances at some point."
At some point wasn't soon enough.
The two kunoichi met down below and stood across from one another. Tenten stood with confidence, prepared to show her own talents after watching the brawl between Ino and Sakura. Temari appeared smug, as if she had already won the match.
This is a bad match up for Tenten. Amari didn't doubt Tenten's skills. She witnessed her abilities with a variety of ninja tools firsthand; her accuracy was exceptional, especially for someone without a dōjutsu, and she wielded every tool she used with impressive skill. She didn't fumble around or lack technique regardless of the tool she used, which made her a dangerous opponent.
But Temari carried a large fan on her back. As a native of Suna, it was all too likely she used the tool to enhance Wind Style ninjutsu.
Tenten preferred long distance combat; she was comfortable there and could do a lot of damage. Against a user of Wind Style, however, fighting long distance wasn't a viable option. Tools could only do so much against a powerful ninjutsu user, and if Tenten didn't find a way to close the distance and force Temari into close combat, she wouldn't win this match.
Guy and Lee didn't lack any of their exuberance, though. They cheered for Tenten despite the match not being started, pumping their fists in the air with every rowdy cheer. Mimi watched quietly, blue eyes full of activity, piecing together every little detail she could about her teammate's opponent by looks alone.
Hoping to help, Amari moved closer to her fellow kunoichi and said, "She's as arrogant as they come. Considering her team made it through the Forest of Death without a scratch, I can only assume her arrogance comes from a place of skill. She's sharp, too. I don't think she cheated during the first exam, but it wouldn't surprise me. She has two years more experience on you guys. Three on my class."
"How did you learn that?" Mimi was genuinely surprised by her knowledge.
"Ran into her before the exam. She showed us her Ninja Identification Card and I saw her age," she explained.
Mimi snorted in amusement. "Nothing slips by your eye."
"I'm pretty sure she's a Wind Style user as well. Tenten needs to avoid a long distance fight if she wants to win."
Mimi nodded but didn't appear alarmed or worried for her teammates chances. "Yeah, but she doesn't need me to tell her that. Tenten's smart. She'll test out her opponent to confirm if she uses Wind Jutsu and then, if she does, switch up styles to close-range combat." She scratched at her chin. "Won't lie, it's gonna be tough for her. She isn't a slouch at close combat. Her struggle will be keeping the fight there if Temari is a long-distance fighter. Temari won't just stand there and take the beating. She'll do everything she can to keep her distance."
"Mm," Amari hummed in agreement.
"By the way, Kabuto lied about his ear. He was in perfect condition. Not a scratch on him."
Frustration crackled to life in her heart faster than a bolt of lightning cracking the earth in a thunderstorm. Amari shut her eye and grit her teeth. "Damn it."
He played them like a fiddle. Played her like a fiddle.
"I already told Kakashi-sensei and the others when you collapsed earlier. I wasn't sure if he was just being a coward at the time, and maybe he was. But considering the way you reacted to Misumi's technique, I'd bet my next mission payment he and his buddies work for Orochimaru."
She would bet her lifetime earnings on his loyalty to the slithering Sannin.
"And I trusted him like a fool," she cursed.
Mimi lightly jabbed her arm. Her voice took on warmer, softer tones. "Don't be so hard on yourself. He wore his mask well and tricked everyone, including the more experienced shinobi here. You may wield a dōjutsu, but you're not all-seeing, Amari. No one is."
"…Yeah."
She was right. No one was all seeing. Kabuto clearly had a talent at immersing himself into a group to gather information, and he had fooled her superiors. But she still didn't feel any better about it.
Amari returned to her team, joined by an awakened Sakura. She congratulated her teammate and was happy to find she didn't take the loss too hard, but her mind did not leave from Kabuto. He tricked her with a friendly face. Faked his smiles so well she snapped at his lure and let him reel her in. He used their inexperience against them, befriending the helpless rookies to pretend they were allies when he was an enemy.
He tricked her. The enemy tricked her and she fell for it like a foolish kid.
Despite her initial suspicious gut feelings, she trusted him because of a kind smile and a Leaf headband. Even when he appeared suspiciously in the Forest of Death, she didn't think anything of it. She let her exhaustion cloud her judgement and allowed him to walk among her team as an innocent sheep instead of the wolf he was.
They could have died because of her terrible judgement of character. But he left them alive. Why? She could only assume because he was gathering information on the state of her team. How was Sasuke taking to the mark? How were her injuries healing? Did his other minions do any damage?
He never expected Mimi to be there, though. He didn't expect her to be healing Amari or for her to be fast enough to get her blade to his throat. But her being there allowed him to gather more information on Mimi. Kabuto learned more about them than they did about him, and now all of that information gathered on his Ninja Info Cards would land in Orochimaru's hands.
It infuriated Amari. She allowed herself to be played so well. After all her training to see through deception, she failed when it really counted. Now their enemy was in possession of more reliable information regarding his prey.
He better hope we never meet again because I'll make him regret playing me for a fool. She clenched her left hand into a fist. I won't make the same mistake again.
Below, the fight picked up. Tenten tested Temari with ninja tools at the start, as Mimi predicted, and Temari used Wind to deflect the tools. Knowing long-distance wasn't a viable option of attack, Tenten switched to a Kusarigama—yet another weapon she wielded with exceptional technique.
Tenten worked hard to close the distance, using both the sickle blade and the long chain and weight to force Temari onto the back foot. The Sand kunoichi never lost her air of arrogance. She kept her calm. Calculating eyes measured the distance between herself and her enemy at all times to ensure she was out of range of the chain.
Neither landed a physical blow on one another despite their many attempts. Tenten kept on her toes and dodged the Wind ninjutsu; Temari narrowly dodged many attacks when her opponent would close the distance faster than she could prepare an attack.
Both put on a clinic of technique and intelligence, always calculating their distance between one another and rarely wasting energy on unnecessary movements or attacks.
One of the best exchanges came close to the end. The chain and weight zoomed towards Temari, who skidded back on her heels to dodge back out of range. When certain she escaped the range, Temari smirked and prepared to counterattack by bringing her fan back behind her. Before she could unleash her technique, the weight passed the perceived line in the sand and continued on its path right at the Sand kunoichi.
Temari didn't have time to dodge back further. Her feet were planted, leg muscles braced for the technique she originally intended to hit. All she could do was shift her body a mere inch out of the way of the weight. Still, the weight hit its intended target—Temari's fan. Tenten's strike collided against the tool and knocked it right out of her opponent's hands.
"Perfect shot, Tenten!" Mimi cheered, grinning proudly at her teammate.
"I thought for sure Temari made it out of range," Sakura said, dumbfounded by the attack landing.
"She did," Mimi confirmed. "But Tenten is a weapon nut. She doesn't settle for the average weapon variation. She goes out of her way to save up the money necessary to purchase special versions of ninja tools. Her Kusarigama has an extension feature hidden within the hilt. It extends her reach that extra bit more to hit out of reach targets."
"Hm, I see. When she realized Temari was calculating the range of her weapon, she pressed her attack, allowing her to get used to the range so she would leave herself open for a strike. Smart," Amari said.
"Woohoo!" Lee cheered, pumping a fist with fire in his eyes. "Masterful plan, Tenten!"
Guy laughed loud and proud. "Excellent work, Tenten! Let the fires of youth explode and consume your very soul!"
Tenten charged in, retracting her chain and preparing it again for another strike. Temari didn't sit and wait for her to approach. She hopped back towards her fan, never removing her eyes from her opponent, though the frustrated snarl on her lips was telling of her irritation.
"Take this! Ha!" Temari barely dodged the weight as it swept across the floor to take out her legs. Tenten came up, continuing her spin, using the momentum of her last attack to throw the weight again. It extended just as Temari tried to get out of range. The majority of the Sand shinobi's body barely made it out of range, but her arm didn't. The chain wrapped around the limb tightly and gave Tenten the leverage she needed.
Tenten tugged Temari forward, nearly pulling her arm out of the socket as she did and sending her chest first to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the Leaf kunoichi rushed in, prepared to end the battle once and for all, but her opponent wasn't done.
Temari escaped the chain and started her retreat again. Anger was clear on her face; anger that would not bode well for Tenten if she couldn't put her opponent away.
The fight did not last much longer, nor did it end in Tenten's favor. Temari regained control of her fan and, when the opening came, used it to catch Tenten in a giant vortex of wind. Sharp cuts of wind sliced at Tenten's outfit and arms. Nothing grievous she couldn't recover from, but definite finishers to this fight.
Mimi and Lee tensed, helpless to do anything except watch their teammate get ripped apart by the wind.
When the vortex ended, Tenten plummeted towards the ground, no fight left in her body. She landed back first right on Temari's fan; a purposeful and vindictive unneeded attack done out of spite. Feral growls left Mimi. Her grip on the railing tightened as her body began to quiver under held back rage.
"The winner of this match is Temari," Hayate called the match.
Temari, full of arrogance and disdain, tossed Tenten off her fan and away. Mimi and Lee dashed into action, the boy of the pair catching his unconscious teammate before she could land on the concrete.
Their completely ruthless just like Kiba warned us.
Lee laid Tenten down and allowed Mimi to run a Diagnostic Jutsu to check for all the damage.
As if she hadn't done enough already, Temari scoffed at the trio. "Why don't you scram. And while you're at it, take that trash with you."
No genius level intellect was needed to predict the reactions of Lee and Mimi. Amari summoned her chakra through her body and Body Flickered from the balcony down to the floor where the two Leaf shinobi were. Lee took off without hesitation directly at Temari, immediately getting out of her reach.
Mimi didn't hesitate to move, but the extra second she needed to prepare her All-Fours Jutsu gave Amari the chance to stop her. The slightest hue of red chakra surrounded Mimi's body. It was nowhere near as intense as before, though her transformation was likely incomplete.
Being down to one arm didn't give Amari much room to stop her without Shadow Possession Jutsu. To use her jutsu, however, would only cost her valuable chakra when the strong kunoichi would fight it with all her rage.
Left with only one real option left—and a troublesome one at that—Amari hopped onto Mimi's back. She wrapped her left arm under the Inuzuka's chin and locked her legs around her waist, using her feet to restrain her legs just enough to halt her charge.
"Mimi, stop!" Amari ordered.
"Get the hell off me! I'll tear her to shreds!" Mimi thrashed about, hands rapidly grabbing at anything she could grab on Amari like some sort of demon claw attempting to pull her to hell. Amari dodged and kept her grip as best as she could.
Today really was becoming a drag.
Aoko transformed into Mimi and chased after Lee. Amari hoped she planned to stop the boy, not lash out at the Sand kunoichi, but she had other problems to worry about. Chief among them being the furious Inuzuka about to tear her to shreds.
Mimi continued to grab at her. Sharpened nails dug into her skin as she tried to get a solid grip on the younger kunoichi. "Stop! You attack her and you'll waste all the hard work you put into getting this far! Use your head, Mimi!"
The Inuzuka growled viciously at her. Not a moment later, she felt her friend's hand clutch her good arm. The nails dug in even deeper into her skin than before, enough to feel warm blood be drawn.
In a mere moment Mimi reversed her chokehold and had her back pinned against the ground. She didn't appear to want to waste any more time on her. Her eyes left the Nara and her body began to turn to charge Temari. Amari, unwilling to give up, snatched her wrist with her good hand, pulled it back towards her and locked her legs around the limb. Mimi's already wild blue eyes intensified as they snapped back to her.
"Let go of me!" she demanded.
"Not a chance! If you attack her then you get disqualified and Tenten's loss will be in vain! You're both in the finals, which means you have the chance to fight her. You'll have the chance to have a one-on-one no-holds-barred match where the proctor and the Jōnin won't stop yo—"
The clawed hand gripped around her neck. Amari's eye widened and a strangled gasp pushed its way up through her throat, but she did not loosen her grip.
"Let. Go. Of. Me. Now." The wild eyes seemed to barely register who Amari was.
Behind her, Guy joined the fray to try to cool Lee down after his failed attack on Temari. Aoko had the boy gripped in a chokehold of her own and didn't appear to have any intention to let go until he was calmed down. The feeling was mutual.
Directly behind Mimi, Kurenai appeared, a serious expression on her face. Mimi's nostrils flared as they picked up the new scent but her eyes remained pinned on Amari.
"Mom, stay out of this, please." A knot formed between her mother's brow and she opened her mouth to speak, but Amari cut her off. "Please, Mom. Head back up, I'll be there shortly. Trust me."
This was between her and Mimi. Getting her mother involved or another adult would only complicate the situation. They would want to add their opinions and their feelings into this—legitimate opinions and feelings, of course, but now wasn't the time for them. To their eyes this only looked like an overreaction of Mimi's fiery temper, leading to her grappling with a comrade.
This went deeper than a simple overreaction, though. Much deeper.
"Okay," Kurenai relented, sighing.
She disappeared via the Body Flicker, leaving the two kunoichi alone once more. "Calm down," Amari ordered through gritted teeth. The red chakra was becoming more visible by the second—another reason her mother showed up. She could sense the same fury Amari could.
"You don't want to do this here, Mimi. I get what you're feeling, trust me. I'd feel the same way in your position. And I know you would be here stopping me if our roles were reversed, because that's what friends do for each other. They do what they know is best even if it puts them at odds."
"Let go and I'll end her now," Mimi demanded.
"No, you won't, because every Jōnin will stop you. The only reason we're still here is because I stopped my mom from interfering. Had I not, you'd be stuck in a genjutsu or unconscious, and you know that." No argument formed, but she clearly wanted to. "Wait for the finals, Mimi. You'll have your chance to avenge Tenten without interruptions there. It'll be so much sweeter to tear her ego and arrogance to shreds in front of a larger audience, don't you think?"
The stalemate between them passed like years. Only seconds passed in reality before the red chakra dissipated. Her nails reverted to normal and the grip around her throat loosened.
Mimi shut her eyes, nose scrunched in frustration. "Just let go of me already."
Amari released her and lay there, ready to spring forth and grab her again should the need arise. Mimi didn't attempt to go for Temari again. She returned to Tenten's side without a single word or glance in the direction of the Sand shinobi.
Phew. Amari got back on her feet with a relieved sigh. She really didn't want to do that ever again. Aoko padded by in her natural form back to Mimi, who knelt next to her teammate's unconscious body with her gloved hands glowing green.
"Amari…" The blue-haired kunoichi hummed. "For whatever its worth, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that," she apologized sincerely.
"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I understand how you feel." She wasn't the only one to fly off in a rage without a single rationale thought left. "I know what it's like to be lost in a rage and do something stupid."
"If you win your match and end up fighting her instead of me, do me a favor." Mimi lifted her eyes from Tenten to look directly in Amari's onyx orb. The slit pupil was still wild. "Make her regret ever touching Tenten."
Amari nodded. "I promise."
The Inuzuka nodded back then returned her attention to Tenten.
Guy and Lee joined Mimi while the medics came to help. Up above on the opposite balcony, Gaara's cold stare penetrated through them. Amari met his gaze, onyx eye unflinching in its strength.
Neither spoke a word, yet no words were needed to convey their feelings.
Someday they would meet in battle. It was as inevitable as the rise and fall of the sun on any given day. One chance encounter bound them together by a string of fate lost to the sands of time. A light lost in a world of darkness. Soon, though, that light, that thread, would bind them together towards inevitability. Towards the clash between his cold heart and her fiery will.
When that day came, only one of them would walk away on their own free will, head held high in victory and assured in their existence and ideals. Amari could feel it in her heart, and in that frozen over place devoid of emotion he called a heart, Gaara felt it too.
When Tenten was placed on the stretcher, Amari disappeared from the arena floor back up to her team.
"Are you okay, little one?" Kurenai asked immediately, stepping over to her.
She glanced to her mesh covered arm and the blood running down it. The wound stung, but it wasn't severe. It wasn't like her outfit didn't already have dry blood on it anyways. Compared to her recent injuries, this was nothing. "I'm fine, Mom. It really isn't a big deal." She met her red eyes with an earnest look. "Don't be mad at her. It could have easily been me in Mimi's position and her stopping me."
Their connection was growing. Their small skirmish didn't lessen it in anyway. If anything, it helped her understand it more.
Her mother sighed. "Fine, but only because you asked and because I understand the circumstance. This is her only freebee, though." Two fingers prodded her forehead. "And you need to be more careful. You still have a fight ahead of you."
"I know, and I will be," Amari promised.
Kurenai nodded once. "Good."
Amari rejoined her team and had her hair ruffled by Kakashi. "Good work calming her down, Amari," he said.
"Thanks."
The monitor jumbled through names and picked the next combatants. None were Amari, but she didn't groan. She remained focused.
Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi of the Sound Village.
"Guess it's my turn now. What a drag," Shikamaru drawled.
As her cousin walked by, she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Be smart and safe, Shika. They know you can use the Shadow Possession, and she's the only one we didn't learn enough about. Stay on your toes."
He nodded and continued on his way down to the arena floor at his lazy pace. The two met at the center of the arena and the match began a few moments later. Shikamaru extended his Shadow immediately at the start of the match. Kin, likely having suspected the attack, dodged it quickly and tossed two senbon with bells attached to them.
Bells? Amari quirked her eyebrow and pursed her lips. It's a simple trick. By attaching bells to her senbon, it'll train Shikamaru to dodge the sound rather than what his eyes see. So, in theory, he'll only dodge the senbon he hears, failing to dodge the ones without the bells.
Shikamaru dodged the senbon and prepared for the next. When the next set came, he dodged both those with bells and those without. A simple tactic like that wasn't going to work on her cousin. He was too smart for it.
Or, that was what she thought, but then she heard the chime of a bell despite no senbon being tossed. Shikamaru turned to look back at the wall in shock, leaving himself open to another set of senbon from Kin. The sharp needles hit him in his arm barely an inch away from a fatal point.
Upon closer inspection, Amari realized exactly where the bell chime came from. Kin's first set pierced the wall behind Shikamaru and had ninja wire attached to them. With the ninja wire still in her hands, she could create extra noise to throw Shikamaru off. But it went deeper than that as well.
Shikamaru fell to his knees and placed his hands over his ears in an effort to block sound only he could hear. "Shika…" Amari bit her lip in worry. "So that's her specialty." Another sound based technique, just like her teammates.
Kin brought out more senbon and tossed them at her cousin. Unable to move, he could only block them with his arms and be slowly turned into a human porcupine.
"I don't get it. Why's he just sitting there?" Naruto asked.
"Shikamaru's been immobilized by a sound based genjutsu. It's paralyzing and disorienting him so he can't do anything except sit there and get attacked," she answered.
Shika…
She knew the ruthlessness of the Sound shinobi. If Kin had the opportunity, she would turn her cousin into a pin cushion to spite her and for vengeance.
The sight of a slim shadow moving along the ground underneath the ninja wire eased her nerves. As Kin moved her hand back to throw another set of senbon, she stopped and returned her hand back to her side, unable to resist her cousin's Shadow Possession.
"It took me a little while, but my Shadow Possession was a success," Shikamaru said, standing back up, no longer effected by the genjutsu.
Amari exhaled a sigh of relief. Damn it, Shika. Don't scare me like that.
Shikamaru grabbed at his shuriken holster, forcing Kin to do the same and setting her up for his final act.
"Shika wins. Man, this is just like playing shogi with him. One moment you think you have him and the next you lose."
They threw their shurikens at one another. Shikamaru then started to lean himself back, and then at the last moment swung himself down fast into a backbend. Kin did the same, the only difference being how close she was to the wall behind her. As she mimicked his movements, her head cracked against the concrete and knocked her out.
"The wise shinobi carefully scouts the physical layout of the battlefield and never loses sight of their position on it."
It had been one of the first lessons Shikaku taught her, and thus taught Shikamaru as well. Kin was so focused on Shikamaru, she forgot about the wall right behind her, just like Sasuke forgot about the tree behind him when we sparred before the Land of Waves. What Shikamaru lacks in physical strength he makes up for in intelligence. He could make a great ninja if he actually put some effort into it.
The arena cleared and the machine prepared to pick the next combatants. When it stopped Amari bumped Naruto's shoulder with her own in a show of support.
"You can do this, Naruto. Show us what you're made of," she encouraged.
"Good luck, Naruto. Do your best," Sakura said.
"You bet I will! I'm going to win this for sure!"
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka.