Chapter 15 - The Battle Begins


A/N: I do not own the Naruto Franchise!

I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned.

Warnings: Contains dark themes, such as depression, murder, experimentation, emotional, mental and physical torture, possible attempted suicide and mentions of sexual activities!

Please read responsibly.

I finally got this chapter finished! I actually did a bulk of it in the last two days!

For those wondering about when the romance between Orochimaru and Kaede will begin, it could be a long time coming, I planned 20 chapters at least of this fanfic so far, and I haven't reached the romance yet. Please be patient, it's supposed to be a slow one, since Orochimaru and Kaede don't exactly have the best start.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!


It had been a full month since the Preliminary Matches leading up to the Finals, and Akari had done nothing but train for the past twelve hours in preparation. Right now, she was lying in her comfortable bed, the sun's rays shining down over her face as she sprawled out with her arm covering her eyes, trying to nap for at least an hour so she'd be able to focus when she was actually needed.

Of course, sleep did not come easily to her, as she imagined what would happen when the final battle took place, the moment she and Orochimaru would kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, in cold blood. Her life would be over, she wouldn't be able to ever clear her name...Was it really worth revenge?

Her mind returned to her family, her friends, all chasing her out of the village without giving her a chance to explain herself and she clenched the fist of the arm draped over her nose. 'I don't have time t'be worrying about this now...' She thought as she finally peeked out from under the limb, squinting away the harsh light as her eyes adjusted. 'If I lose my cool and chicken out, I'll never kill that son of a bitch...'

The Ninjutsu Expert sat up, slightly hunched as her hair darkened her eyes, not shielding them though, her bangs weren't long enough for that. 'My life, the Hokage's life, means nothing t'me anymore...All I care about is killing Orochimaru...'

Little did she know, if that had been said out loud, she would have heard how much she sounded like the Sannin in question. Her morality had finally became the scrap she'd forced it to be, her fears last night forgotten. She knew if she thought more of them, let herself give into her terror, then she'd never lift the weight of her torment from her shoulders, the weight of all those experiments, those years she would never get back.

The family she could have had if she had just been there long enough to meet someone else.

A growl of aggravation left her and she clenched her fist against the sheets until her knuckles were white and her skin was glowing. Without hesitation, she stood and prepared for the fight, slipping, reluctantly, into the Jounin level Otogakure uniform Orochimaru had prepared for her final battle.

The redhead with attitude stared in the mirror when she was done, looking over her scarred cheeks and sharp fang once more, before she tied the Oto Forehead Protector around her skull, glaring at herself with disgust before she turned and left without another word. Orochimaru was stood by the window, as he usually was, and turned his head slightly to see her from the corner of his eye.

She felt bile rise in her throat as he looked her up and down and smirked, like he was relishing in the thought of her being forced to accept her role in this mission. "Hm, hm, you seem rather tense, Kaede-chan~" He said, moving so he was fully facing her, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wooden frame of the window. "Is the uniform too tight?"

"Kiss my ass." She snapped back, walking towards the door.

"And where do you think you're going? If you're trying to run, my forces around the wall of the village will alert me of your betrayal, and I will kill you myself."

The former Suna Jounin had to bark out a laugh as she looked at him over her shoulder with her usual cocky grin. "Its not like you t'assume, Orochimaru. I'm just going t'watch the daimyo and other special guests enter the town, is that a crime?"

"Perhaps, depends on what you do to them." He chuckled darkly and Akari just rolled her eyes and opened the door. "I want you at the stadium at least ten minutes before the matches start...Or I'll personally come looking for you..."

"Hm, funny that..." Akari turned and leaned against the open wooden barrier, a hand on her hip while she rested the other above her head in an arrogant manner. "You've threatened to kill me multiple times, but I don't see y'going through with it...Might want t'put your money where your mouth is if y'want me to take y'seriously."

With that, she turned and sauntered off, leaving Orochimaru to glare at her, both amused and irritated by her response to his threats. She was right, he had been rather lenient in going through with them ever since he found out about her overwhelming power with Katon. However it wasn't just that, her reactions were far more amusing than even Kabuto's to his usual jokes and taunts.

No matter, he knew if she betrayed him in this mission, her life would be forfeit, her use mattered more than his own entertainment, once that little mouse stopped squeaking, he'd dispose of it and find a more lively prey.

~BHBL~

Akari soon found herself at the entrance to the village, acknowledging the many glares and suspicious glances she got from Konohagakure Shinobi. They probably knew about her mission, Orochimaru wasn't exactly keeping it a secret, and if he was, he wasn't doing a good job of it. Hell, that little stunt of Sasuke was probably what tipped them off, and it still pissed her off to this second.

Letting out a grunt of irritation, she watched with slightly harder eyes as the daimyo and other esteemed guests flooded through the gates with fanfare. She could already see a familiar cart from here, one with the Wind Symbol on it, Sunagakure's Kazekage was here. Her eyes widened and she ground her teeth together in frustration.

He was the one to exile her, to make her a villain in her own town without any evidence that she committed the murder of Hamada Kiyoshi. Clenching her fist, she took deep breaths, implementing the anger management techniques she'd learned throughout the month as she watched the cart pass her. 'Calm down...Not now, if y'lose your temper, its all over...'

With one final breath, her glow faded and she looked at the 'parade' of sorts once more before she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her new uniform and turned, leaving the area without a word. She spent the next hour or so wandering the town, and taking in the sights properly before she finally made her way to the arena, with fifteen minutes to spare before the tournament began.

The reckless Redhead hadn't taken Orochimaru's warning into account, she wanted to get there early to watch the fights unfold like everyone else. Hell, she wanted to see that Naruto kid make it through more than anyone else, since he reminded her of herself when she was that age.

When she arrived, she was shown to her seat, and she took note of the ANBU stationed everywhere, it seemed they'd upped the security since Sasuke's mark had been shown off during his preliminary match against Yoroi. Not that it mattered, she knew that paranoid asshole had planned ahead and probably had something in place for such a situation.

Her attention was regained when she saw movement in the spectator area above her's, where two thrones sat, one harbouring the Hokage, while the Kazekage walked towards the other with two guards at his sides.

She wasn't aware that both she and Gaara had murderous looks on their faces as they both stared at the same man who took a seat on the second throne. For once, if she had been aware, she may have seen why Gaara had gone insane, after all, the Sand Leader was a cruel tyrant who wanted nothing more than to show the rest of the nations what he was made of.

And she hated it.

The Third Hokage soon stood, breaking her thoughts, and walked up to the railing, taking a deep breath before he called out for everyone to hear. "Everyone, thank you very much for coming to the Konohagakure Chuunin Exam! We will now begin the 'Final Round' matches for the eight who made it through the preliminaries!" Everyone's voices lowered then just a fraction more than they had already, and only a buzz of excitement could be heard from all directions. "Please watch until the end!"

Cheers filled the arena and Akari actually had to cover one of her ears for a moment as the man at her side screamed so loud, she thought she may have gone deaf. She continued to stare at the grounds below though as he did this, and something in her mind clicked. 'Wait...True there were eight at first, but I only see seven...Sasuke's missing.'

Her chocolate brown, ringed eyes scanned the area for any signs of Orochimaru, and she wondered if he and Kabuto had anything to do with the dissapearance. She sighed and leaned back a little more in her chair, gripping her arm tightly as she thought of what could have happened, and what that kid would go through if her suspicions were correct.

Her thoughts however, were interrupted when Genma, she was sure that was his name, spoke up, the senbon in his mouth clicking against his teeth as he did so, just audible over the dying cries of the crowd. "I have something to tell you before the match." He reached into his flak jacket and retrieved a sheet of paper, pulling it out and unfolding it for the competitors to see. From this angle, Akari couldn't read what was on it, but going by their shock, she assumed it had something to do with Dosu's death. "There was a slight change to the tournament. Check who you'll be facing one more time."

Yep, she was right, now if only she got a prize.

"Say...Say!" Naruo started, raising his hand to get Genma's attention, which worked as the man looked right at the Genin while stuffing the sheet of parchment back into his jacket. "Ummm, Sasuke still hasn't come." He looked at the door as he rubbed the back of his head, then turned back to the one he was speaking to. "What'll happen?"

"In that case, if a competitor doesn't arrive by the start time of his match..." The proctor snapped his jaw shut, forcing the senbon to snap up too, pointing towards the sky. "He or she will lose by default!"

'Oh I always hated that rule...' Akari thought to herself, as she remembered one of her exams where she'd slept in after training most of the night, and almost got disqualified because she ran the full length of Sunagakure to reach the arena.

"Listen up, everyone." Genma started, placing his hands on his hips. "The terrain is different, but the rule is that there are no rules, the same as the preliminaries. The matches will continue until one or the other dies, of acknowledges defeat. However if I judge that it has been settled, I'll stop the match there. Arguments will not be allowed. Understood?"

They all had determined expressions and the proctor didn't need a response to know they got it. "So the first match is...Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Neji. Just those two remain and the rest of you go the observation balcony."

With a nod from each of them, the others left the arena and both Neji and Naruto were left glaring at one another, disagreement obvious between them, even without words.

Once the audience was filled with people who had arrived slightly late, including Hinata and Kiba, the fighting finally began.

At first there was little action, only some bickering between Neji and Naruto about how fate can't be avoided and that fate is in the hands of the person who chooses to go against it, etc etc. Akari wasn't really paying attention to any of that, she did agree that someone's fate was their own choosing, but honestly she just wanted to see Naruto overcome the odds of the battle and show that Neji what he was made of.

However during the fight something surprised her, a figure in ANBU clothing stepped up behind her and tapped on the back of her chair in a precise series of patterns, using the cheering and mumblings around him to ensure she was the only one to hear. Morse code.

THIS IS KABUTO, ACT NATURAL...I AM DISGUISED AS ONE OF THE ANBU. I WILL GIVE A SIGNAL WHEN THE PLAN IS PUT INTO MOTION, YOU CAN'T MISS IT. DON'T ACT UNTIL THEN.

With a cough hiding a nod, the ANBU who she knew to be Orochimaru's right hand man, retook his place right behind her, since she'd been given a seat at the back of the massive stands, aimed high above the battle ground below.

Akari would be lying if she said she didn't feel sick to her stomach over the whole thing, but she kept her goals in mind, and sat there, arms crossed as she kept her eyes on the match below, forcing back the nausia so she could focus.

But it seemed luck wasn't on her side, while Naruto struggled to fight through Neji's ultimate defense and his Hakke Rokujuyon Sho, Hinata, the girl Neji fought before, collapsed from her previous injuries and the ANBU she knew to be Kabuto took her away to be healed. Whatever he was planning, she knew she had to stay out of it, and with a little concern for the blue-haired girl, she forced her eyes back to the match.

Naruto had started off slow in the fight, almost losing as he could hardly stand. However he eventually won when he managed to summon the Kyuubi's chakra, even after Orochimaru had sealed it away. He then fought on par with Neji for quite some time before feining a loss, by letting his Shadow Clone act as his defeated form, as he burrowed underground before bursting out to hit Neji in the chin hard enough to immobalize him.

The standing ovation he got from the audience was enough to pull a grin on her once serious lips as she clapped alongside them. The kid deserved the praise. "Heh, well done, kiddo." Akari thought to herself as she relaxed in her chair, having leaned forward to see how it ended. "Fate can be changed, if y'believe in y'self enough to take hold and mould it into whatever shape y'want."

She glanced up at the Kazekage, who looked utterly shocked by Naruto's victory and smirked. 'Just 'cause we're dropouts, doesn't mean we can't change the world...I'll show you that firsthand when I take down Orochimaru...Kazekage-sama..."

Meanwhile, unaware of her words, the Kazekage sat there, chuckling to himself as his shock turned to amusement, a grin spreading over his lips under the cloth covering his lower face from view. "The crowd is noisy." He pointed out as the cheers continued at a roaring level.

"That was a nice battle." Sarutobi commented in response, rather pleased with the 'failure's' win.

"Yes. That too, but..." The Sunagakure Leader glanced over at his ally. "But the next match is something the head ninja, and the daimyo are highly antiscipating." After all, it was against Suna's own Jinchuuriki and Konaha's only surviving member of the Uchiha Clan. "By the way, I did not see him at the opening ceremony, but he is already here, correct?"

"Yes..." The hesitation he could hear in Hiruzen's voice was enough to confirm that his words didn't ring true, and it was confirmed further when his guard stepped over and whispered some vital information in his ear pertaining to their conversation.

Sadly he didn't catch every word, just 'Sasuke,' 'Orochimaru' and 'uproar.' This was enough for him to know they had no idea where Sasuke was, and if he was even showing up at all.

Pretty soon after this little relevation, said uproar began and people complained that the next match should have already started, and that they needed to hurry up. Time was running short, and if they didn't move on soon, they'd lose sponsors and jobs for their precious village.

Akari's eyes narrowed as she thought over the possible scenarios for Sasuke's absense and carefully tapped the wooden chair hard enough for Kabuto to hear over the complaints.

WHAT DID YOU DO WITH SASUKE?

She didn't catch his chuckle over the noise but he did respond.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT GAVE YOU THAT IDEA, KAEDE-SAN, BUT EVEN OUR EYES AND EARS CANNOT LOCATE SASUKE-KUN AT THE MOMENT.

Akari's eyebrows knit together with confusion and she looked back at the empty arena, where the proctor alone stood. Orochimaru didn't have him, so where the hell was he?

The Hokage let out a heavy sigh. "I have no choice..." He finally said, getting both the Kazekage and his attendant's attentions. "Sasuke is disqualified."

"Sir!" His guard responded acceptingly but the Kazekage wouldn't allow it.

"Uchiha Sasuke, disqualified?"

"I must..." His friend replied with a solemn tone.

"Hokage-dono, can you hold on before disqualifying Uchiha Sasuke?"

The Hokage was confused by his words, his attentant butting in. "Pardon the interruption, but those who think lightly of time as a shinobi...Have no right to become Chuunin, no matter how elite they are. Unless there is a clear explanation that will convince the head ninja and the daimyo here...There is no reason to wait for him."

The Kazekage listened intently before he sighed and closed his eyes, turning his head away. "I see." His fingers twitched, moving to avoid cramp. "Then there is a good reason."

This shocked the attendant.

"Including me, I can say that most of the head ninja and daimyo here came to watch the next match."

"But..."

"He is a survivor of the Uchiha, after all. The Kaze no Kuni wishes for him to fight our Gaara."

The Third sighed and lowered his head, eyes closed as he thought this over, even with his attendant whispering words of warning in his ear. He then raised his head with resolve in his small eyes. "Very well. We will put his match on hold and wait for him."

The Kazekage nodded with approval. "Hokage-sama, are you sure...?" The guard at his side asked.

"Tell the examiner." With that, the conversation ended, the attendant accepted his lord's words and dissappeared into a cloud of smoke using the Shunshin no Jutsu, the Hokage now alone with the Kazekage and his two guards. "But..." Sarutobi continued looking over to his ally. "It was rare for you to say that much, Kazekage..."

"I can think of no other opponent besides an Uchiha to show our village's ninja's quality to the daimyo." He closed his eyes. "It is a chance for us."

Finally, the attendant finished explaining to Genma what was happening and used Shunshin once again to take his place by the Hokage's side. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" The examiner called over the roars of anger. "An examinee for the next match hasn't arrived yet. Therefore this match will be delayed and we will begin the next match first."

This only worsened the complaints, and Akari sighed, looking at the many dissapointed faces in the crowd. Honestly, despite intentionally numbing herself to death and causing it, she was glad Sasuke wasn't here yet. She hadn't been around for the worst of Gaara's outbreaks, but she knew how dangerous he was. Sasuke would most likely have died in that battle.

"Next match up..." Genma called out, calming the uproars once again. "Kankuro and Aburame Shino. Come down." His tone made it sound as if he just wanted these matches to end so he could go home. Akari had to agree with that tone, honestly. She wanted to sit at home and read, that's all she'd wanted for ten years.

It was almost as if Kankuro heard their innermost desires, when he next spoke. "Examiner. I'm giving up!" When Genma didn't react, but everyone else did, he repeated himself just to be on the safe side. "I'm giving up! Go to the next match."

Now the screams returned and Akari just groaned with irritation, putting a finger in one of her ears as she was at the end of the row and the person next to her let out a loud yell in anger. 'I used t'love tournaments and spars, guess it's just ain't the same when you're stuck in the crowd.' She then narrowed her eyes as she thought over Kankuo's response to his turn. Honestly with how he acted in the preliminaries, defeat seemed out of character for him, she could only assume that this was part of their overall mission to destroy Konoha.

"Kankuro has given up, therefore Aburame Shino wins by default." The Examiner announced with a sigh.

Temari, who was getting very sick of the whining, yanked her fan from her back and swished it through the air, sending a massive gust of wind into the stands, silencing the uproar as she rode it down to the arena ground below.

"And you are?" Genma asked.

"It's my turn, right?" Temari asked in response, reflecting his question.

"Looks like you want to do this." He said, as a dig towards Kankuro's cowardise. "Okay, we're going to start the next match. Hey!" He called out, looking directly at Shikamaru. "The other one! Get down here." When Pineapple didn't move, he emphasised his meaning. "Nara Shikamaru, it's you."

He contemplated giving up, but Naruto, with his boundless energy, wouldn't let that happen. He actually hit Shikamaru that hard in the back, he fell from the observation area, and landed hard in the arena. Akari actually laughed at that. 'Nice one, Naruto!'

The fight between Temari and Shikamaru was a slow starter, like Naruto's fight. Pineapple spent a lot of the time hiding away, thinking through strategies and gauging his opponent's skills, before he actually began to engage as well. He tried to catch her by waiting for the surface area of the shadows to enlarge as the sun went down before using his jacket to create a larger shadow in the middle of his stretched one when it just wouldn't reach. However she was too quick and managed to avoid capture.

"Temari..." Akari said out loud, her arms crossed as she too analysed the fight as it was happening. 'She's pretty good...From what I've experienced, this Shikamaru is a genius with strategies, but she can come up with them just as easily...She's really grown up since I left."

The wind-user from Sunagakure underestimated him however and was eventually caught thanks to the shadows that remained in the hole Naruto had dug for himself to gain victory in his last match. He moved her to the centre and raised his hand to finish the battle, only to give up.

Akari nearly fell out of her chair in shock. "What?!" She called out, surprised at herself for getting so engaged in the matches. 'He had the win right in his hands, why did he...?' The uproar from Sasuke's delayed match returned with a vengence with this latest development, nearly deafening the poor woman.

Genma however smirked. "Winner, Temari."

'You definitely ain't a Genin, kid...' The Redhead thought to herself as she watched him massage the side of his neck with a pout. 'Even at Chuunin level, I could only come up with half the strategies you've come up with...Hell, I only just surpassed you at Jounin level, and that's only 'cause I've got more life experience! Guess natural born genius' outgrow their elders...'

She smirked and uncrossed her arms, placing it over the back of the bench she sat on, while the other rested against her thigh. 'I'm getting old~' As the older woman thought this, her younger reincarnation of sorts jumped out and began lecturing Shikamaru for giving up. 'The world's leaving me behind...'

The complains faded to curious questions and conversations as they realized that Sasuke's match was next, Akari couldn't help the twist in her gut at the knawing sense she knew was incoming danger. Whenever Gaara was mentioned, she felt it. She knew from before her kidnapping that he was Suna's Jinchuuriki, but other than that and the few catastrophies he'd caused in Suna before her departure that he was not a force to be reckoned with.

It was annoying how quickly the mood in the audience changed as they began to complain again and Akari wished she could shut them up. While she was contemplating standing and screaming for them to wait patiently, the Hokage's attendant whispered to his lord, once again the Kazekage could only make out some of the words.

'Sasuke' and 'hasn't arrived.'

The Konohagakure leader sighed and closed his eyes. "I have no choice then...I cannot let the guests wait like this."

"Ten more minutes." Came the Kazekage's sudden reply, catching both their attentions as he stared ahead at the arena, barely showing any emotion. "Can we try and wait for ten more minutes?"

"But-!" The attendant started.

"The guests have been waiting for this match. It would be cruel to cancel it. We have waited a long time already. Waiting an additional ten minutes is nothing..."

The Hokage thought to himself as his guard waited for a response, he could hear the cries of irritation and confusion from the audience and came to a conclusion. "Kazekage-dono, you have a point." He looked over to his ally. "Then may I extend the waiting period an additional ten minutes?"

The Kazekage's lower eyelids curled up with glee, the only indication he was smiling beneath the mask. Something was off with him, and the Hokage knew it. The older Konoha leader looked ahead as he spoke once more. "Go tell Genma about this."

His right-hand agreed and stepped back, using the Shunshin no Jutsu to appear behind the examiner, tell him the order, and get back to the Hokage in little to no time at all. The proctor sighed and pulled out a pocketwatch, checking the time before he cleared his throat and shouted to get the audience's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, Uchiha Sasuke hasn't appeared for his match as of yet, therefore we will grant him an extra ten minutes to arrive, before we are forced to cancel. Please wait patiently in your seats, snacks and drinks will be distributed shortly."

The crowd didn't like this, and some trash was thrown into the arena as a rebuttal, but Akari didn't care, she sat there, letting out a heavy breath, as she thought to herself once again. 'If he's a clever kid, he'll keep his distance, one match ain't worth y'life.' How hypocritical, she actually let her lips quirk up in response to her own words.

One match wasn't worth a life, yet one chance at revenge was? Sometimes she didn't understand her own words, but honestly, she didn't care anymore. The sooner she got it over with, the sooner she could die happy.

Some matches are worth a life, if it's for the good of others.

The time flew by in mere seconds to some, but in long lifetimes for others, however in the end, ten minutes slipped by and Sasuke's time was up. Genma hesitated since he had a pile of trash ready and waiting to be thrown his way with his next words. "About the final match...Time's up, so..."

However right before he could finish that sentense, everyone went silent as a torrent of wind swirled around beside Genma, fast enough to create a small tornado, and leaves whisked around it from the trees hidden in the shadows of the large arena walls. When the torrent died down, it revealed two very familiar figures, one with white spiked hair and a concealed Sharingan, and the other with black hair and an odd new outfit that seemed like a black pair of shorts and a shirt that had been fused together.

Kakashi and Sasuke had arrived, and only Akari seemed dissapointed.

"Sorry we're late~" The white-haired sensei said with his single eye closed, smiling behind the fabric of his mask.

Genma didn't respond to Kakashi though, instead he met Sasuke's eyes and asked a simple question in the most arrogant of ways. "Name?"

Sasuke's expression steeled. "Uchiha Sasuke..."

It took a second for his appearance to truly sink in, but the moment it did, nearly the entire audience, save one person, errupted into cheers. Naruto himself was truly elated by the sight of his best friend. "You were awefully late!" He said with a snide smirk. "I thought you weren't going to come because you were afraid to fight me."

"You won the first round?" Sasuke asked, not letting his jeers get to him.

"Of course!"

"Heh, don't get so excited over it, idiot."

Kakashi interrupted by rubbing his head with a nervous noise emitting from the back of his throat. "Well, um...It's hard to ask this after we've entered the stage with a flashy performance...But did Sasuke get...Disqualified?"

Silence passed for a moment as everyone in the arena turned to Genma, who smirked and closed his eyes. "He must've caught your habit of being late."

"So, is he...?"

"He's fine." The Examiner finally responded. "Sasuke's match was put on hold...And he arrived just in time, so he didn't get disqualified."

Sasuke's childish sensei let out an awkward, yet relieved laugh. "I'm glad to hear that." He looked at the boy, in an attempt to share the relief with some cheerful, silly words, but stopped when he saw that hevwasn't truly paying attention. Following his gaze, Kakashi's own eyes met Gaara's which were fixed on his student.

"You better not lose to that guy." Naruto commented, staring at the Suna Jinchuuriki with determination and hatred.

"I know." The blue/black haired Genin agreed.

His rival looked over and smirked. "Sasuke!" He shouted, getting his friend's attention. "I want to fight you as well..."

Sasuke was silent for a moment as he processed this, not once did his expression change from a blank seriousness, but his tone portrayed what his face did not. "I know."

The two Kage looked down at the arena, at Sasuke, and finally the Kazekage's gleeful grin spread beneath his cloth, curling his eyes once again, more twisted and unsettling than before. 'It's about to begin.'

"Gaara, come down!" Genma called up to the boy who seemed ready to burst with insanity, as Shikamaru and Naruto headed back inside so they didn't disrupt the match. The eyebrow-less Genin from Suna didn't directly respond, instead he turned and walked out of the observation area. It took him almost five minutes to make it down, but when he did he smirked as the sun touched his face, far enough down to show it was already late afternoon.

"So it finally begins" The Special Jounin in charge said as Gaara stepped over to them. "The rules are the same as in the preliminaries...The match will go on until one of you dies or gives up. If I determine that there is a clear winner, I may stop the match...But I will make that decision." Both competitors didn't respond to his words, they just glared at one another, anyone watching could feel the bloodlust between them. The redheaded Genin's murderous grin didn't help things either.

Genma could see this and narrowed his eyes, prepared to step in if things got out of hand, and raised both arms to gesture them closer. "Fighters, to the centre."

Both of them stepped closer until they were a full person apart. The proctor raised his hand and gave them both a moment to prepare their stances, before he swiped it down. "Begin!"

He jumped out of the way and the battle took place.

To start the match off, Gaara produced his sand, which swirled above his head. However before he could attack, he grasped his skull in pain and started talking to himself. It took a moment of one-sided conversing before another wave of pain took over and the sand fell to the ground. The redhead looked down as he calmed and slowly snapped his eyes onto Sasuke, now serious and collected, as he had been during the earlier tests.

Akari felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as he talked to himself and grimaces with discomfort. The Ichibi really had a bad effect on his mental health, and now more than ever, she felt sorry for Sasuke. 'Y'have no idea what you're up against, kid.'

But Akari didn't account for the kind of training Sasuke had done, the parrying of attacks between the the boy genius and the Jinchuuriki's newly made Sand Clone was rather run-of-the-mill until Sasuke got his hand stuck and managed to escape by punching the clone in the head, turning it back into the particles it was made from. Then when he went to attack once more, which would have been blocked by the sand shield like all his other attacks, he dissapeared.

The older Suna kunoichi gasped with surprise and leaned forward, eyes wide as she recalled the moves he used from Gaara's earlier battle with Rock Lee. He too remembered the same thing and barely had time to register that the Uchiha child was attacking when a fist connected with his cheek, cracking the sand armor he adorned and sending him flying back, his impact just cushioned by the dust that protected him.

Meanwhile Kabuto was stood in the crowd above, a small distance from Akari, watching the match as he awaited the moment he was to make the signal. Kiba stepped up behind him with a warm smile, Hinata nowhere in sight. "Thank you, Mr. ANBU person!" He said, having no idea who he was talking to. "They told me that Hinata will be fine as long as she stays quiet."

"Really?" Kabuto asked as he turned slightly, his aura almost changing completely as a devious smirk curled his hidden lips. Akamaru sensed this change and growled, on alert for any of the Otogakure spy's movements.

Kiba however, wasn't so observant. "You know him? What are you talking about? He's an ANBU person."

The puppy whined and barked.

"'Not that, we met him during the exam'...? What do you mean?"

Kabuto turned fully, on the verge of being found out. He raised his hand and pushed some chakra into it, enough to be visible to the young Genin, who was shocked at the sight. "This is what it means."

And then he shoved the hand against Kiba's chest, knocking the poor boy to the ground, using enough force for the current to pass through the owner into the dog, immobalising him as well.

Akari glanced over at the noise, her ears open at all times for the signal, while everyone else focused on the match below. If Kabuto was openly knocking out Kiba, her time would soon arrive. Hopefully she could enjoy a few more moments of sitting and watching the potential in the arena before she was forced to do a duty she hated.

While this went on, the battle below continued, Sasuke causing more injuries to Gaara's sand armor the longer the fight went on. He moved at the same speed as Lee and Akari could tell his Taijutsu had improved far more in one month than she'd ever be able to pull off in her remaining lifetime. 'Heh, guess y'gotta suck at something t'be good at something else.'

Only ten minutes into the fight and Gaara had, had enough. He stood and formed a seal with his hands, the sand that he held enveloping his form like a bubble. Sasuke saw this and rushed forward to halt the process, as hardened sand can be difficult to break through, but he was too late. As his fist collided with the orb, Gaara's body now completely consumed, spikes shot out and cut both the Uchiha boy's knuckles and cheek. He jumped back and blood leaked down his leg, a delayed reaction to the assault.

No one could hear the mumblings inside the orb of sand as the Suna Jinchuuriki closed his eyes and almost chanted, as if summoning a monster forth. Instead an eye appeared outside the bubble, watching Sasuke's every move, a familiar jutsu he performed during the First Exam.

The boy-genius attacked the orb several times with kunai, his fists, his foot, everything, but nothing made a dent. However he didn't stop smirking, instead he took up a more flashy pose and pulled one of the clips loose on the band around his bandaged arm. He flipped backwards and jumped onto the wall of the arena, using Chakra in his feet to hold on as he skidded back until he neared the barrier at the top. He then formed a few seals and pointed his hand down, lowering his head as if charging an attack.

"What...The hell?!" Akari gasped as she leaned forward further, standing and grasping the railing as she watched sparks of electricity shoot from the boy's palm, gouging a hole in the wall as he moved the arm behind him and pushed off into a sprint rivalling Lee's speed once again. 'I ain't ever seen a Jutsu like that...Or with that much power!'

The lightning emitted a strange sound akin to a thousand birds chirping and Akari's eyes were transfixed as Sasuke approached the orb of sand, trailing dust and debris behind him. When said hand connected with the hardened particles, it almost moved like water, being pushed aside by the force of the Jutsu alone.

Everyone went silent as a moment passed, almost all their jaws dropping at the sight alone, while the Kazekage's expression twisted into disturbing glee over the power the Uchiha boy displayed. Akari was both amazed, and terrified of how powerful this Genin was, after only a month of training, it was downright unnatural.

'Most people have to work for years to get that good, myself included! The new generations are really putting their all into their training!'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a blood curdling scream from within the ord. "Blood! My Blood!" Gaara cried and Akari actually shivered by the pure terror in his voice. Sasuke gasped as he tried to pull his arm out, but found it stuck, feeling a claw wrap around his flesh. To free himself, he sent another lightning Jutsu his opponent's way, releasing another scream from the boy before he managed to pull back.

A shudder ran down the former Suna kunoichi's spine as a claw made of pure sand followed him out, before slipping back into the shield. It was Shukaku, the Ichibi that had been sealed into Gaara at the time of his birth. The sight alone reminded her of the many times Shukaku had escaped and reaked havoc, even before Gaara's birth, some she even witnessed for herself.

It was not something she tried to remember often.

Once the arm retreated into the orb, leaving a hole in its surface, Sasuke went silent for a moment, as if looking at something inside, before he froze in place, his expression not visible from the stands, but it didn't take a genius to realize he was frozen in fear. The 'absolute defence' cracked from the force that had been put on it before it disintegrated around Gaara's feet, the boy looking exactly the same as he did before, apart from the blood coating his hand and right shoulder.

It was at that moment that Kabuto began the attack, he slowly placed his hand on a man's shoulder, who found himself exhausted within seconds, trying to keep his eyes open for a moment before his head dropped, now out cold. Once that worked, the Medic made a special sign with his hands and Akari blinked as she saw feathers enter her vision.

Where did they come from?

Slowly her energy began to drain and she looked around as she forced back the sensation of sleep. Her eyes widened when she saw Kabuto and it clicked, this was the signal! With no time to lose, she too formed a special sign of her own. 'Kai!' With that simple phrase, and a surge of Chakra, the exhaustion left her and she straightened up, now completely alert and ready to move.

She looked around to guage how many Konoha shinobi managed to stave off the Genjutsu, and smirked when she could see less than ten within her vision. 'With this many, I can only assume the other stands will have a similar number, that ain't too bad, Orochimaru's soldiers can deal with them easily.'

She carefully, and without alerting others, pulled a kunai from the holster on her right leg, awaiting her moment to move. 'The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I gain his trust...Don't think about what y'have to do now, think about the end result!"

The Hokage and the Kazekage both shared a look, and Sarutobi knew then that his ally had been plotting something. "Let's begin." The traitor said, and without a second's notice, his two attendants shot forward and released a smoke bomb, enveloping the area in a grey smog.

'Now!'

Akari ground her teeth and jumped onto the balcony, rushing towards the two kages' location, when the balcony ran out, she hopped onto the outward facing pillar using chakra in her feet to keep her grip and hopped between them.

She had to do it, and she had to do it right. There was no space for error.

The battle had begun.


A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, it really helps me improve.

Japanese = English

Hakke Rokujuyon Sho = Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms

Daimyo = Feudal Lord

Katon = Fire Release

Ichibi = One-Tail

Kyuubi = Nine-Tails

Sunagakure = Hidden Village in the Sound

Konohagakure = Hidden Village in the Leaves

Otogakure = Hidden Village of Sound

Kazekage = Wind Shadow

Hokage = Fire Shadow