Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto
Co-author and Beta: Etheral-23
Note: By the by, as you all can tell we haven't been following the main cannon of Naruto. This has been getting more and looser. Cause quite honestly after Godaime Hokage Arc, everything will be original.
Chapter 20: Prelims Act 1 'I will never be useless'
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Leaning with arms on the balcony railing, Kankuro lets out a disheveled grunt; "Was hoping to see a bit more from the Uchiha."
"I've always heard stories on how dangerous the Uchiha clan was," Temari stared impassively at the arena below as she leaned against the wall. "Actually wonder what that kid could do. Or if all those stories are hot air."
Standing beside the young Suna Genin was a very tall man. He had two distinctive traits, red markings on the right side of his face, the only visible part of his head, with the rest being covered by his turban head gear and by a sheet hanging from it on the left side of his face. Wearing the standard Suna Shinobi uniform, he grunts crossing his arms; "You never underestimate any opponent Temari."
"I get that Baki-sensei, but these Konoha genin barely have a year since their graduation right? Can we really expect much out of fresh rookies from the academy?"
"Age or experience can be meaningless once a battle has begun. There are those crucial moments which can be exploited if your enemy lets his guard down precisely because of those suppositions. It's in those moments you find your either a warrior or a coward."
Gaara said nothing as his seafoam green eyes stayed fixed on Uzumaki and the long blond haired Kumo girl. Something about their chakra felt, familiar… He couldn't place it. No matter, if they challenged him then they would become a blood sacrifice for mother.
To their left the Otogakure team keep their attention focused on Team 7. Dosu's eye glared murderously toward at a certain blond Uzumaki whose chatting with Sakura and Haku. Absently his left hand runs over his thick bandaged chest. 'Orochimaru-sama's orders be damned. If I find a way; I am killing Uzumaki the first chance I get.'
"I must say Kakashi," a man who looked like the adult version of Lee, right down to the haircut, green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and monstrous eyebrows, spoke. The jounin sensei of Tenten's team, Might Gai was leaning with his arms on the railing looking to his eternal rival; "You team thus far is interesting."
Naruto squinted realizing Sakura was hiding behind him. The blond had the 'pleasure' of meeting Tenten's eccentric sensei at her shop with Lee and a couple other times. He left an impression if you already guessed.
"I had the honor of meeting Naruto-Kun so I can tell you have an impressive team. But can they match against my own. I'd like to see that."
Kakashi lazily lifted his head from his book; "Sorry did you say something Gai?"
Neji and Tenten just sweatdropped and sighed heavily at their sensei's overreaction of being snubbed while Lee simply had tears in his eyes. The Kiri and Kumo Genin who had watched the weirdness just looked on wide eyed.
'Konoha is full of weirdoes!' Kouhei mentally yelled.
Walking up the stair of the balcony, Sasuke strolled passed Kumo giving them short nod before standing by his team. "Not sure if I should feel sorry or pity for Kabuto with his team," Naruto mumbled.
The last loyal Uchiha gave a grunt; "Seriously who gives out their one weakness in the middle of a fight? Dumbass…"
Omoi nodded, rolling his lollipop in his mouth; "Unless he really thought he was better, or play psychological games, or-" His train of thought was halted by Karui's fist to the back of his head.
"Don't start please…"
Team 7 and even Kiri sweatdrop as names soon pop up on the monitor. Yugito Nii vs. Kiba Inuzuka; upon seeing the name of his opponent, the Inuzuka groaned out loudly. "Oh man, I seriously wanted the dobe!" Shino only shook his head at his teammate while their sensei sighed.
With a twitching eye, Naruto glared over at Kiba; "Be careful fleabag. You might get your wish in the 3rd exam. That is if Yugito-san doesn't kick your ass back to your kennel."
Kiba just scoffed as Akamaru barked; "Yeah right dead-last. You won't even last in the prelims." The young Genin leapt over the railing to the arena floor below.
"He's real luckily he's not facing me," Tenten lightly growled as she spun a kunai in her hand. Haku only glared quietly with Zabuza noticed the faint killer intent coming off his apprentice.
Naruto waved it off; "He likes being cocky."
"So do you," Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi drawl back.
"But I'm way cooler at it."
At that, the majority of the Konoha, Kiri, and Kumo crew on the balcony rolled their collective eyes while Yugito snickered before jumping down the railings.
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Kushina's face was blank as her violet eyes were staring a hole at the Kumogakure kunoichi getting ready to fight Tsume's boy. Even with all her experience in the ANBU, Yugao felt a deep chill in the room, along with not being able to breathe. The killer intent radiating off her sensei was so overwhelming she felt she was drowning in water.
"S-Sensei..." The purple haired young woman manage to utter while under the pressure of such heavy killing intent, trying to snap her teacher out of her hate filled thoughts.
It worked, as Kushina's head perked up and blinked a couple of times, as if suddenly realizing what she was unintentionally doing. She shook her head and focused on calming her emotions, much to the relief of her apprentice who gasped softly for air upon feeling the heavy pressure leave the room.
"Sorry about that" Kushina sincerely apologized. She could pretty much hear Sakumo-sensei scolding her about not being in control of her emotions, something she never learnt to do apparently. Not that Kushina honestly cared much for that, she was an Uzumaki, wearing her heart on her sleeve was her nature. But she had to remind herself such things had consequences.
Taking a deep breath, Kushina focused and controlled her feelings much better this time, as she stared at the screen. "Kumo... Can't remember the last time they came to Konoha for the exams"
"Sarutobi-sama was cautious" Yugao explained, "but felt it was better not to shun them and avoid hostilities"
The Uzumaki snorted in disgust. "'Avoid hostilities'" She parroted.
The ANBU could do nothing but awkwardly stand around as her sensei's gaze became lost in haze of memories. To say Kushina was angry at Kumo's presence in the village was a massive understatement. She and that village had a very bloody history, or rather, it was more accurate to say her clan and that village along with Iwa had a bloody history.
If there was two places Kushina hated more than anything in the world, it was the villages of Kumo and Iwa. One of the two villages responsible for the destruction of her homeland and the death of her clan. And adding the failed attempted of kidnapping her as a child foiled by Minato, she had nothing but contempt for Kumogakure. "And it was Kumo who just so happened to find my son as he was nearly killed by Hebi-Teme's wind jutsu," the edge in her tone could have stopped any hardened warrior in their tracks.
"W-While I am uncertain of their Chunin substitute sensei Samui; those three haven't shown any sign of underhandedness around Naruto. Kuma and Usagi had been watching them by order of Hokage-sama after confronting Orochimaru."
Kushina's gaze towards her student showed she was hardly convinced. Shifting her eyes back she watched the monitor once again.
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As Yugito passed her opponent both Kiba and Akamaru caught her scent. 'Okay she smells good but weird? I swear I-' He looked up seeing Akamaru lightly shaking; "What's wrong buddy?" the little pup just whimpered, barking softly. 'Strange, Akamaru only did that with-' He looked wide eyed paling considerably as he glanced up to Gaara who was thankfully staring at Yugito for gods know whatever reason.
His mind flashed back to his team seeing Suna in the forest...
Okay she definitely wasn't as insane and bloodthirsty as that Gaara guy, he literally reeked of it. Granted looks can always be deceiving. But why did something about her smell felt the same as that Suna lunatic? What the hell?!
Standing in front of her opponent, the Nibi Jinchurriki raised a delicate brow at the Inuzuka who was looking at her and weirdly behind her. Lightly glancing herself, she saw Gaara staring down solely at her. 'What's his problem?'
In her mindscape, Matatabi tilted her head before letting out a low growl at to what she sensed what was within the Suna child Gaara. "Oh great... So that's Suna's new host for him. Kitten, you hear this to Naruto." Both young blond's blink upon hearing the feline Bijuu speaks to them. "That Gaara boy is a Jinchuuriki."
The two young shinobi did everything they could to suppress their reaction of shock and surprise at this monumental news. The most that managed to escape from them was a temporary widening of their eyes. Naruto in particular was reeling at this; Gaara was like them? Was this the reason he was so psychotic?
He didn't know if that could be true, the fox had not driven him insane nor driven him to violent acts despite his clear dislike for people. Matatabi was pretty nice actually, so Naruto was reminded that the Bijuu themselves had their own personalities. He had no idea what Gaara's tenant was like.
Picking on his thoughts, Kurama snorted. "Shukaku is a weakling, that's all there is to it"
"Kurama!" The flaming feline chastised him.
"Oh I'm sorry," by the Kitsune's mocking tone he really wasn't; "How about psychotic one-tailed weakling..." Kurama then tuned out his feline sibling's verbal ranting by going back to sleep.
Seeing how she was being ignored, Matatabi only growled before explosively huffing; "At any rate. You two be careful if you confront Gaara. Suna Jinchuuriki are known to be mentally unstable."
Focusing back to her match Yugito took a long deep breathe before giving a steely gaze to the spooked looking Kiba and Akamaru. Having the feeling he was being stared at, Gaara glanced up seeing Naruto staring at him with a wide eyed expression. Ignoring the blond's gaze he looks back down to the arena once more.
Yugito felt her eyes twitching seeing and feeling the hesitance coming off from her opponent. Putting her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot, the blond Kunoichi tilted her head; "What's wrong mutt boy? You and your little puppy's balls get cut off when you jumped over that railing or something?"
Kiba froze before his temper exploded; "What the hell did you just say!?"
"Well if you took that stupid hood off your head it might help you actually hear things you know," the Nibi Jinchuuriki chided back.
"Grrrr!" He growled, faring his sharp teeth at her.
"She's playing you, Kiba. Don't fall for her tricks" Shino advised from the stands, usually he wouldn't have been heard, in fact none of the other people in the stand was able to hear him due to how low his voice was. But Kiba's superior hearing allowed him to pick up his words.
The Inuzuka breathed in deeply and held back his anger just a bit. He shared a look with his partner, Akamaru barked, expressing that while he was nervous around this opponent he would fight alongside him with all he had.
Kiba grinned; "Let's do this boy!"
Hayate coughed into his fist before directing his gaze at the genin. "Are you two ready?"
Yugito rolled her neck, popping the stiff joints as she took a rather feral stance, crouching and spreading her fingers like claws. Kiba did the same, but placed one hand on the ground as Akamaru stood atop of his head.
"Second match; Yugito Nii vs Kiba Inuzuka" Hayate called as he rose his hand. "Begin!"
He left the arena in a blur, and Yugito charged at her opponent, nails growing and sharpening, ready to strike. Kiba and Akamaru leaped back, dodging a slash from her nails. But she did not relent, Yugito quickly pursued them, launching several slashing attack with great precision and speed. All the ninja and dog duo could do was dodge, as her swiftness left little room for them to properly counter attack.
Leaping back once more, Kiba moved to deliver a sweeping upper kick the moment she got close, his body flipping and landing on his hand as Yugito narrowly dodged the feet that nearly came into contact with her chin, forcing her to take a step back. Kiba did not stop, as soon as he landed on his palms he twisted his body and pushed himself from the ground, delivering a set of aerial spinning kicks at his opponent.
Yugito crossed her arms in front of her face, shielding herself from the kicks as they collided with her forearms. Kiba kicked her limbs repeatedly, finishing with a strong strike that pushed her back a few feet as he and Akamaru landed on their feet.
"How you like that bitch?" Kiba's grin was practically feral as Akamaru barked loudly at his feet.
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Kushina deadpans; "Oh he took after Tsume alright. Right down to the trash talking." The redhead said, ignoring the dry look that came from Yugao.
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"Glad to see he wasn't slacking off after graduation," Sasuke spoke absently watching the fight.
"Indeed," Shino actually spoke up loud enough for Team 7, Kiri, and Kumo to hear him. "You'll find him a difficult opponent if you face him Uchiha. That goes for you as well Naruto"
The blond Uzumaki snorted; "Yeah I will gladly whip that smug ass smirk off dog-breath, I'll show him I'm not the same person I was in the academy."
Shino gave his former classmate a look before turning back to the fight. Hinata all the while had been quiet, glancing at Naruto several times. Kiba's previous words ringed in her mind; 'Naruto-Kun has changed a lot Kiba-Kun... Like I want to...'
Karui only scoffed; "Won't matter how good he is, no way he's beating Yugito. She's trained harder than any of us. Samui-neechan is a badass, but Yugi-chan is the best of us because she earned it through blood, sweat, and tears."
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Lowering her arms, Yugito's cat-like eyes gaze towards Kiba; "Was that all you got mutt boy?" Before vanishing in a burst of speed.
"Tch!" Kiba's eyes widened as his opponent's speed seemed to have increased exponentially. "Akamaru, with me buddy!" The pup barked in acknowledgement and the two prepared their special move, he triggered the Four Legs Technique, driving his body's physical capabilities to new heights by enveloping his entire body with chakra to the point it became visible. He took on an even more feral look as his eyes turned into slits, his canines enlarged and his nails grew. He was now a beast-like human.
For the second part of his technique, Akamaru stood atop him, synchronizing his chakra with his partner. This would allow Akamaru to turned into a sort of clone of himself by using a full physical transformation technique, and fight against their opponent with the same capabilities a human body would provide.
Kiba felt Akamaru transform above him, but his senses were focused on the Kumo ninja, he could hear the sound of her footsteps, smell her scent to pinpoint her location even if she was moving at such high speed. Together, he and Akamaru in this state would be able to defeat her.
But there was one factor Kiba didn't account for-
Yugito appeared at their side in a blur, and delivered a sweeping roundhouse kick that knocked the transformed Akamaru far away from Kiba's back, sending him crashing across the ground several feet away from them.
-they weren't fast enough to intercept her.
"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted in concern for his friend. He barely had time to direct his anger and lash out when a backhanded strike hit him across the cheek. Spit and blood escaped his mouth as Yugito mercilessly continued her assault. A knee to his stomach, followed by a series of punches that build up their way from his midsection until they connected to his chin with a devastating uppercut.
Kiba stumbled backwards, pain dulling his senses as he was grabbed by collar of his hoodie and pulled back, Yugito buried her fist directly on his right cheek and sent him to the ground.
Akamaru had just shook off the pain and was ready to retaliate and aid his partner, his human form took a very canine stance as he was about to jump into the fray. The pup froze in place seeing his partner on the ground, bruised and bloodied, groaning as a forearm pressed against his throat, while long sharp nails hovered threateningly above him.
One look at those cat-like eyes that met his gaze and he received a clear message; 'Try it, and your partner is done for'.
With little choice, the pup growled in anger as he remained still.
Satisfied, Yugito turned to her downed opponent. "Give up"
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Naruto and Sakura both cheered and winced as the proctor called the match upon Kiba's verbal submission. Akamaru returned to his original canine form running back his master. "Damn she is brutal," the blond Uzumaki spoke up as Yugito starting walking away as Kiba sat up with a hiss.
"Don't expect anything less if you by chance face her Uzumaki," Samui responded looking to the stairs as Yugito comes up; "Cool fight."
The Kumo Jinchuuriki shrugged; "It was alright. But it didn't really get my blood pumping though." She'd like something excitement to happen in these exams… Something that didn't involve a lunatic Konoha traitor sannin like in the forest, she never wanted to press her luck like that ever again. But a good fight against someone that was and equal to her. That would be her kind of fun!
Grunting Kiba soon reached the balcony as he passed everyone by. He spoke not a word as Akamaru laid on his head whimpering. As soon he got to his team, Kurenai and Hinata began to fuss over him in the blink of an eye. "I'm fine sensei, Hinata."
The genjutsu mistress was not buying it; "If you're not getting medically looked at then I'm looking you over, so off with that shirt."
Kiba just grunted as his puppy leaped into Hinata's arms.
"Oi, Inuzuka" The blonde genin from Kumo called, and Kiba regarded her with an apathetic look, expecting her to gloat about her victory. To his surprise, there was no smile of smugness, no satisfaction in her eyes, but instead there was acknowledgement. "That was a good fight. Keep it up and you'll get better"
It wasn't mockery she spoke with, but respect. She was recognizing him as a respected opponent rather than a defeated enemy to lord over with a sense of superiority. Something he'd have expected from Kumo.
His surprised lasted little, as he found himself smirking. "Next time, I'm gonna kick your ass"
"You can try" Yugito smiled challengingly.
A cough gathered everyone's attention once more as Hatake called from the arena; "We will now choose the participants for the next fight"
The screen randomly began rolling their names; everyone held their breath as they expectedly waited for the names to be displayed.
It finally settled in two; Shino Aburame vs Haku Yuki.
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Kushina winced seeing Tsume's boy get brutally beaten down by Kumo. As much as she hates that village, she will acknowledge talent when seeing it, begrudgingly... As the new names come up the redhead brightens; "Shibi's kid!" She tilted her head looking at the fifteen years old Kiri Kunoichi; "So that's the Haku that Naruto kept talking about."
"From Sempai's report about Nami no Kuni; she was personally trained by Zabuza Momochi. Combined with her bloodline limit Hyoton she can be a dangerous opponent," Yugao spoke in an analytical tone, eyeing the monitor seriously.
"Sochi was right; she really is a beautiful young lady." Kushina's sole student face faults; "I can see why he has bit of a crush on her."
'She wasn't listening to a thing I just said…'
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Standing a good distance in front of each other, Haku gave a respectful bow to the Aburame heir. "I hope we both do well Shino-san."
In return, Shino gave a short nod; "I feel the same Haku-san."
Coughing, Hayate raised his hand; "Third match; Shino Aburame vs Haku Yuki... Begin!" And vanished from the arena.
Haku immediately took a stance, going through the proper hand seals to ready her ice element. The Aburame had not moved, he stood still with his hands on his pockets, but Haku knew this was not from arrogance on his part, Aburame fought at a distance as Zabuza had taught her. They relied on their hives to fight.
Haku had little to no experience when fighting insects. There had been encounters in which she faced opponents capable of summoning giant insects, but not entire swarms of creatures so small they could easily escape her vision. She would play on defensive first; if her suspicions were correct then his hide would not be able to withstand the cold.
Shino slowly took his hands out, small insects of many varieties swarming over his limbs as they seemed to come out from his very skin.
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Karui paled significantly, a reaction mirrored by Omoi. Yugito gagged pressing a hand over her mouth. "Oh... Oh gods that's new" She had heard the tales, read the reports and everything. But to see it firsthand was something else. "When I heard about the Aburame being 'living hives' I thought that may have been... hyperbole"
"Nope" Sakura shivered. "Literal"
Chojuro felt nauseated while Kouhei thought his eyes might bulge out of his head. "That's... disturbing"
Zabuza rolled his eyes. "Wimps..."
A loud yawn came from a bored looking Shikamaru who lazily leaned against railing while Chouji ate chips beside him. "I could be taking a nap right now." Asuma only rolled his eyes, lighting a new cigarette. Ignoring the glares from Ino, Kurenai, and even Hinata… well, 'glare' was too strong a word for the young Hyuuga, at most it could be called 'vague disapproval'.
"Take a nap after the prelims dummy," Ino lightly snapped. "Till then suck it up."
"Troublesome..." Shika kept one eye open on the arena; 'I know Shino's noticed already.'
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'The temperature is dropping,' Shino soon noticed his own breathe even as he kept his eyes on his opponent. 'A bloodline limit?'
Haku's eyes never left her opponent as frost soon coated the floor around her feet and started to spread more and more.
The Aburame heir quickly took action before the temperature could drop further. He sent a swarm of his bugs flying straight towards his opponent, beetles and other fliers numbering in the hundreds, their amalgamation creating a shifting cloud-like form from there.
Haku's eyes narrowed; with a shift of her handsigns she increased the potency of her ice element taking effect on the air around her. The moment the insects got within a feet of coming into contact with her, they suddenly splintered off and moved around her as to avoid her. Many of the swarm falling to the ground frozen.
Shino quickly recalled the swarm back to him as he analyzed the situation. The temperature around his opponent was too much for his hive to handle, the insects had instinctively avoided her, and even them various others had fallen prey to the low temperatures, almost frozen in an instant.
'Temperatures are too much for my swarms' Shino thought critically. 'Adaptation to the temperatures will require a bit of time before they can withstand it. But by then my foe will have already attacked, her ice element will be too strong for me to counter on my own' He tried to draw out any possible outcome that might result in his factory. 'Arena unsuitable for evasion tactics and stealth. Not enough time to remain at bay and let my hive adapt' yet the odds decreased with every alternative he thought of. 'Chances of victory... very low'
Shino let out a silent breathe; "Proctor. I submit defeat..."
Appearing back in the arena Hayate gave the Aburame teen a look; "You're certain?" Getting a nod the proctor announced the winner; "Haku Yuki wins by opponent's verbal submission."
"A wise decision," the Hyoton user smiled as her ice soon vanished with the temperature returning to normal. "I glad there was no need to spill blood."
"I'd rather not sacrifice my insects; you are quite skilled Yuki-san."
A loud grunt came from Zabuza gaining people's attention; "You're still too soft Haku."
The Hyoton user merely smiled; "I know."
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Kushina whistled; "She's good... She knows her bloodline limit well." Yugao gave a small nod. The redhead's eyes lit up seeing the next match. "Oh this will be cool!" Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka; "Wonder how good Inoichi's daughter is."
The ANBU woman simply looked the other way.
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Blinking, the rosette put her hair in a low ponytail giving Naruto a thumbs up; "Wish me luck."
"You don't need it," Naruto smirked back watching his teammate go down the stair. "Hope she doesn't kill Ino," the blond muttered as Ino walked by winking to Sasuke who ignored her.
"I'll win big time Sasuke-kun," The Yamanaka sing-songed before going down the step.
Samui's critical eye never missed a detail as she spoke to the boys of team 7; "She's a little thin for someone her age."
Naruto nervously chuckled as Haku and Shino came up the stairs and back to their teams; "Um, Ino is bit of a... Fan-girl..." Why did he just feel a hint of rage surge from Karui, Yugito, and Samui?
"...A bit?" Sasuke spoke up lifting a brow.
Kakashi momentarily took his gaze up from his book; "Say Asuma" He called to the leader of Team 9. "What kind of missions have your kids taken?"
"D-ranks. Occasional C-Ranks with bandits, nothing mayor, mostly bodyguard duty" The Sarutobi said as he took a drag from his cigarette. "Thought it would have been enough for her to wise up a bit"
"Did she kill anybody yet? Seen a corpse at least?"
"Nope" Asuma said regretfully. "Usually those are good eye openers"
"Well, I guess we were lucky in that regard" The Copy Nin said optimistically. "Our first serious mission really gave my cute little students a good welcome into the shinobi life"
"Yeah" Naruto drawled, a bit disturbed with how casual the jounin were about the whole thing. "With a psycho A-Rank ninja trying to kill us..."
"Yo" Zabuza lazily waved at them.
"You fought THAT guy?!" Kiba, now shirtless and covered with some bandages, yelled as he pointed to the Kiri Nin who yawned.
"DO I LOOK CRAZY FLEA BAG?! I was fighting Haku-chan while Kakashi-sensei dealt with the lunatic over here!" Naruto yelled back. "How the hell she stayed normal when being raised by that is beyond me!"
Zabuza oddly enough took the jibes with pride puffing up his chest out. Till Haku spoke; "Zabuza-sama is hopeless when it comes to cooking, I had to teach him." The swordsman face faulted.
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Standing face to face with her opponent, Sakura pulled out her black gloves and put them on. "When did you start wearing that billboard brow?"
Ignoring the jibe, the rosette gave her former friend a look; "When I decided to be a real kunoichi."
"What the hell does that mean?" Ino's eye twitched feeling like she was insulted.
"Means exactly what I said," Sakura kept a calm demeanor as she popped her knuckles; "Thanks to Naruto and our first mission as a team I had my eyes open." She soon took one of the two Taijutsu stances that she and Naruto have been learning together for several months now. "Let me show you."
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Kushina perked up seeing that Taijutsu stance; "That's…." Yugao nodded as her sensei looked at her then back to the monitor with a smirk. "Let's see how far she and Sochi got using my Taijutsu." Her face soon turned serious; "What did she mean by now being a real kunoichi?"
"Sakura-san I believe became a ninja for the wrong reasons…It was to impress a boy," Yugao shook her head remembering the pinkette's original attitude and outlook on life before Nami no Kuni.
The redhead paused before a long loud groan came from the redhead's throat as she now glared; "She was a fan-girl?"
"Yup, her and Ino-San… Though by how it looks, Only Sakura-san started taking her duties seriously several months ago. Inoichi-san's daughter…"
"Are you-" Kushina growled as she ran her hands over her face. "I swear everything was fine till that masked bastard showed up and I was sealed away. Then I wake up and the whole damn village has GONE TO SHIT!" she screamed before huffing.
Yugao rubbed her sensei's back in sympathy, she honestly shared her sentiment.
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"Are the contestants ready?" Hayate asked after recovering from a coughing fit. Upon receiving two nods of confirmation he raised his hand; "Fourth match; Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka... Begin!"
By the time the proctor started the match Ino was already sure of her chances. All she needed to do was lock on to Sakura with her mind transfer technique and manipulate her body to make the pinkette surrender. It seemed as though Sakura was aware of her plan so she wasted no time in charging at her.
Ino smirked as Sakura raised her fist, jumping away as to avoid the fist that missed its marked and carried on its trajectory towards the floor.
The fist made contact with the ground, and the ground promptly exploded.
By 'exploded' what it actually means is that the sheer force behind broke through concrete that it send small chunks of stone flying upwards by a few feet. Cracks spread like a twisted spider's web until it reached around three to four feet in size with an indentation of the concrete of at least one foot.
The act had made Ino lose her balance and fall flat on her butt, leaving her to openly stare at the pinkette with horror. "Ah... ah... Ahhhh..!" She managed to utter only incoherencies as a she comically trembled before what she had just witnessed.
Hiruzen's and Jiraiya's jaws drop along with majority of onlookers seeing the destruction of Sakura's punch to the ground. Naruto just shivered painfully remembering the sparring sessions his clones had as she learned that technique. Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth, which was mimicked by the chip in Chouji's hand.
Tenten and Neji's eyes were the size of dinner plates along with their sensei's while Lee gawked. Team Kiri and Kumo who had not seen the rosette in action were not faring much better as Zabuza robotically turned to a visibly stunned Kakashi. "What the fuck did you do to her Kakashi?"
Sasuke to his credit tried to keep his cool as he looked over at Naruto; "H-How?"
"Very painfully," Naruto still shivered.
"NOT ANOTHER ONE!" The Hokage and Gama Sannin bellowed in terror.
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Kushina's jaw dropped; "Oh fucking hell... She figured out how to do THAT?!"
"All by herself," Yugao said warily having watched the training sessions of Naruto and Sakura did on their own.
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The 'Jounin Sensei' of Oto lifted a brow; 'crude, but a remarkable recreation of my old teammate's monstrous strength. More than what I expect from a civilian-born,' Might as well keep an eye on her, out of curiosity.
As the smoke cleared, Sakura almost predatory stared right at Ino; "Like the new me?"
'WHAT THE HELL! Sakura was genjutsu type, even I know that!' Ino just looked wide eyed trembling.
The pinkette rolled her neck; "I figured out that if my chakra control was that good, I might as well put it to use for more practical means"
She called having the punch equivalent of a bomb 'practical'?!
"So" Sakura's smile was a bit cheeky. "What have you learnt since the academy? Been working on your family's jutsu right?" The genin took a few steps forward, walking out from the rubble. "So come on, try using it against me"
Ino gulped. This was not good; this was most definitely not good. She did not expect for Sakura to have grown this much stronger since they started training with their teams. It made her own progress look paltry in comparison- No! Now was not the time for doubt, she was as much a kunoichi as she was!
The Yamanaka first thought of using her mind transfer technique, but hesitated when she realized the pinkette was most likely goading her. Sakura was smart; she must have laid some sort of trap, or had something in mind that would work in her advantage the moment she did her technique. Genjutsu would not work much, as chakra control was Sakura's specialty. This led her with one option.
A frontal assault, she would have to outmaneuver and outpace her.
So Ino got to her feet and shifted into a taijutsu stance.
"...Tell me she's not serious" Tenten deadpanned.
"Attacking Sakura-chan head on seems... unwise" Lee tactfully said.
Asuma facepalmed; "Ino, you're supposed to be smarter than this..."
Chouji noted his longtime friend had closed his eyes and was trying to rest on the railing, "Uh, Shikamaru, don't you wanna watch Ino's match?"
"Why bother?" The young heir of the Nara clan yawned. "Ino already lost"
The Yamanaka charged forwards, chakra coursing through her legs as she accelerated in a dash of speed, fist reared back to strike her opponent. Sakura did not move, which Ino mistook as a sign she wouldn't react in time, leading her to throw her punch.
Sakura caught it unflinchingly with one hand.
"You're really thin you know" The Haruno casually commented as though they weren't in the middle of a fight. "You should eat more protein, build up muscle"
For the second time today, Ino gulped.
Finally the blond kunoichi couldn't stop herself; "How did you change so much!?" Looking at her former old friend up close now, she saw how toned and fit Sakura's muscles were. Granted she saw them in the first exam, but now really looking the rosette was in the best shape she'd ever seen.
Sakura's jade eyes gave her a warm look; "I had a wakeup call on my first mission, and Naruto made me see some things differently" She really owed her friend so much for helping become the kunoichi she is now. Just seeing Ino like this, how she also used to be, it really bugged her.
"Why would you listen to the Dead-" Ino winced as Sakura glared as she squeezed the blond's fist.
"Don't you ever call Naruto dead-last. He's has gone above and beyond from the person we remember during the academy. Sure he's a cocky smart-ass, but that will never change. And you saw his bloodline limit in the first exam, but that's the tip of the iceberg." The rosette shook her head; "Ino, you need to start being a real kunoichi. You're the heir to one the shinobi clans of the village. And it scares me to think if your teams gets into real trouble and you're still like this. You're a better person who just shouldn't settle for being weak fan-girl Kunoichi."
Outrage, humiliation, the feeling of her pride being wounded, the Yamanaka held these emotions in her heart as the pinkette's words cut deep. She wasn't just some fangirl, she was a kunoichi! She was Ino from the Yamanaka clan!
She would show her, she would show everyone she was worth it of that name. She wouldn't let the Sakura's judgement, or anybody's, get to her like this. Ino knew who she was, she knew she was strong.
That's what she was telling herself.
"I-I am a true kunoichi!" The Yamanaka seethed through gnashed teeth, holding back the tears of anger. She reared her free arm back, hand closing into a fist. "I am-!"
Ino's sentence was cut short as Sakura's free arm lashed out with a swift left hook. Ino's head turned to the side as her body fell almost boneless as consciousness left her. Sakura grabbed the Yamanaka's form and gently laid her on the ground.
She turned to proctor who immediately approached to check the blonde's condition. He coughed before declaring; "Winner by knockout, Sakura Haruno!"
The rosette wasn't really listening as she stared at the unconscious form of her former best friend; 'Maybe we can be friends again after all this...' She soon noticed Ino's sensei appearing and picking up his student. "She should wake up in a bit. I made sure to hit her softly... I just hope she listened."
Asuma smirked; "We can hope, good show kid, be proud of that."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Allons-y!