Chapter 48

Silence rang out between Kakashi and I as Guy was listening ever so subtly. Probably as subtle as someone like Guy gets. I bite at my bottom lip running through the possibilities again along with a very vague memory. I know Orochimaru is going to attack today but... The finer details are eluding me. Oh, how I wish I hadn't listened to Aphrodite almost eight years ago and had instead refreshed my memory on this particular anime. Enough with thinking about that. There are more pressing matters at hand. I doubt I have anything to fear as Orochimaru's sound ninja probably knows not to attack Sasuke or me. Yet if they aligned themselves with another village as I had initially thought then he probably sees their actions as another way for Sasuke and me to prove ourselves. If that is the case then would he have even told his own ninja to avoid attacking us? Probably not. Glancing around again I raise my right hand and lift my bangs from my forehead so they were out of my eyes again. Eight Anbu well seven if you don't count Kabuto in the back. If I reach out with my energy I could try reading the energy fluctuations such as Aphrodite does but I'm not sure if that is at my skill level. "I would venture a guess that some of these people here are enemy in disguise." I mutter to myself even though Guy now turns more towards me slowly so as not to take Lee's attention off of the match. Noting Kakashi and Guy's gazes upon me I sigh releasing my bangs. "Do I seriously have to explain my thought?"

"It would help us understand how you came up with that possibility." Kakashi gently eggs me on causing me to sigh. Would it even matter if I explained myself? The leaf will probably end up taking major damage and many will die anyway. Telling them would give these two the upper hand but as a whole, it wouldn't do any good. Therefore it would be unnecessary but, seeing as their eyes are still on me it doesn't appear like I have the choice of not telling them.

"It's like I said. Knowing our enemy is a powerful ninja and that he has plenty of experience he recruited help." Looking towards Kakashi briefly, I raise a brow as if he should have thought of this first. "As I had already explained before when I was initially asked about my thoughts and what I have gathered about this particular enemy. He likely allied himself with another village. Face it, the leaf isn't too popular with any of the other villages. We are stronger, more advanced in medical and Ninjutsu. Also, we have a lot of ninja that are extremely talented and well known at that. Look at it this way, to name off some in the nearest vicinity we have… the copy ninja, the green beast, Asuma, and Kurenai. That is only in the closest proximity beyond the Hokage himself. Also from what we have seen in this exam so far is that Konoha has more promising genin than any of the other villages. Just the ones who had made it to the final rounds were three sand genin, one sound, and the rest are leaf." I pause now turning to more face both of the Jonin. "It would be easy for our enemy to turn any one of the other villages against us and use them in order to attack the village. But how would you go about doing that?" I tilt my head pausing shortly to let the question sink in.

"Place people on the inside of the village while the rest are hidden outside, why you may ask?" I mention as I hold up a hand since Guy's mouth opened as if he was going to speak. "That's simple. It's a basic diversionary tactic. The ones inside the village will distract the village's ninja so the ones outside of the village can more easily infiltrate. Just from what I've seen of this enemy he will probably use huge snakes to help bust down the walls and cause further chaos. During our fight in the forest of death, he used three snakes that I can count. The one that swallowed Naruto so he could disguise himself as the knucklehead and, two during the actual taunting. I would feel safe saying that snakes are his favorite way of attacking since I got to witness a move he called, striking shadow snake, as well. So now we have huge snakes, a village turned against us, his own men, and him. It is highly likely that we are already surrounded and they are just waiting on a signal to attack."

Guy continues to look at me as if he couldn't believe what I had just said. To say the least, the look on his face was rather comical. For a recently made chunin to take this situation and break it down to tactics and even possibly a time when the attack will begin, I guess it could be seen as rather…. Odd to say the least, though I doubt anything could compare to how odd his looks are. I mean ideally, his green jumpsuit would help him to blend more into our surroundings since the village is filled with trees. I would call it a forest. Though the orange of his leg sleeves would make him stand out. Not to mention his sandals are blue along with his forehead protector which doesn't bode well with green and orange. Seriously, does this guy wish to look like a Christmas tree? To top his entire look he has a bowl haircut with his inky black hair and overly large eyebrows.

Basically, if he had wished to ever find a girlfriend he's going at it the wrong way. Yes, his facial features are nearly chiseled perfectly if you are into that sort of thing. Not a single line is out of place or even dulled down by an extra portion of fat. High cheekbones and dark eyes, nearly picture-perfect I guess. If he would change his hairstyle, pluck his eyebrows, and get a new wardrobe. I bet he would be in the running with Kakashi from how attractive he could possibly be. I won't tell him that though with the way he smiles and always comments on his 'manly' features I bet he believes he looks the ideal part for a heartthrob. Yet, just seeing him gives me the itch to do what Misa would call a makeover. I guess that just means… I really am a female at heart. Shaking my head I giggle to my own thoughts causing both Guy and Kakashi to look at me curiously. When I realize it had slipped I clear my throat and look away from them.

Guy is an idiot and if I even uttered my thoughts to him he would probably think that I have a crush on him. I'm not that kind of girl, I don't prefer the haughty chiseled features, I prefer the more subtle definitions. When a face would look soft to the touch without all of the hardness from bones getting in the way, someone that isn't completely packed with muscles where their chest would feel like a rock when you lay your head there. Sadly though, except for the Akimichi clan, no ninja would even be remotely soft. As for that clan, they are too soft in my opinion. To find a happy medium would be to deny me what I really want. Nearly audibly sighing I think about the soft well kept brown hair, amber eyes, his tall yet finely defined form. He had muscles but never enough to be too muscular, and the way he would smirk as he looked down at me. I felt my heart give a shuttering throb of pain from my memory of him as I reach up with my right hand to grasp onto a necklace that was missing at this current moment.

-Darn it, Kira, get your head in the game. This isn't a time to get lost in your memories… no matter how much you want to. - I inwardly tell myself nearly causing my gaze to fall towards the floor as that painful ping in my chest feels like a full-on ache. Eating away at my very being bringing the prickling sensation of pent-up tears to my left eye as they threaten to spill. –Light, I swear to you. I will get your necklace back and we will be together again someday, for eternity this time.- Why am I even noting on a guy's looks anyway? Even with Lucien who I was the closest to beyond Light I never even found the gem hidden beneath his creepy vibe. Somehow, I feel like I just silently betrayed Light. Before I could completely plunge into my despair from such thoughts I am brought back to the present time from the sounds of Naruto's Yelling. "Kakashi Sensei!" Turning around slightly slower than everyone else I see Naruto along with Shikamaru coming to a stop at the top of the aisle breathing heavily. Shikamaru not having quite the amount of stamina that Naruto himself does kneels to try and catch his breath with his left hand on his knee.

"What is it Naruto?" Kakashi questions before the others can, I note the urgency in Naruto's eyes further enforcing the tone he was using when he had brought me out of my thoughts. Shikamaru being there with him would also lead me to believe that he himself feels the same urgency, he's just too worn out to express it.

"Sensei, please! You just have to stop this match right away!" His words have me biting my bottom lip as the others give sounds of question. Confused as to why Naruto who was all for this match to suddenly say such a thing.

"What?" Kakashi comments in disbelief obviously unable to figure out where Naruto is going with this, and from his breathing, I would say his heart is hammering in his chest right about now.

"The guy Sasuke's fighting is completely different than the rest of us. He's about as far from normal as you can get!"

"Naruto, slow down what are you trying to say?!" Ino pipes up from behind me as I raise my right hand and lift my bangs like usual, now looking towards the ceiling above us.

"He thinks his point in life is to kill people, don't you see?! If this continues Sasuke will die!"

"Pipe down Naruto." I mutter calmly causing the others to look in my direction. "We are standing ten feet from you, yelling does nothing but give me a headache." Looking at him from the corner of my eye I nearly smirk. "I've known since our first encounter with Gaara that he's a killer. So naturally, Sasuke does as well."

"Huh? You... Knew?" Naruto questions for once not screaming from his sudden confusion, tilting my head straight I look to him directly, my hand still keeping my hair from my eyes.

"Yes, as Sasuke and I were on our way to train leaving Sakura and yourself alone I had smelled a sudden whiff of blood, and lots of it. So we backtracked and hid behind the fence just before that little kid ran into Kankuro. I knew Gaara was going to appear since the scent of blood was coming ever closer and I had told Sasuke about it. We were going to just hang around until the one with such a stench arrived but, you guys needed to be saved. So yes, Sasuke knows full well that Gaara is dangerous." I drop my hand to my side and turn slightly to look towards the match, the others still in the way so I couldn't get a view of what is going on. "Besides, I dare you to try and pull him out of this match while his blood is boiling." Glancing back towards Naruto I give him a smirk. "Have a little faith in our teammate. He'll definitely win this match. He has more heart and soul than a blood-thirsty beast could ever dream of having. Like all beasts, he will resort to nothing but pure instincts and that can be overcome with methodical planning."

"Well said, Kira." Kakashi says before turning around to face the arena as well. "Relax no need to panic. You know Sasuke and I weren't just goofing around, there is a reason we were so late getting here"

"That's true. I thought it was rather odd that you didn't have him resting and changing into his new clothes sooner than today. It would have made far more sense if you had let him rest a couple of days at least after having trained for so long." Kakashi gives me a smile before his attention fully falls on the arena below us.

"Sensei?" Sakura questions calmly drawing Kakashi's attention again as he gives a sound of question. "You said there was a good reason for your being late, so what were you doing?"

"Well, that's a long story." Kakashi replies causing Naruto to freak out. Having turned my back towards him I could hear him stomping around.

"Ahh, come on will you please do something this is no time for talking!" Naruto speaks quickly as if to show us again his urgency.

"You're right, so shut up and watch." Kakashi scolds causing me to smirk as the others make sounds of question simultaneously "Keep your eye on Sasuke, he's about to surprise you." Kakashi elaborates calmly. It was then I could hear the sudden sound of electricity as if someone had pulled down a power line or something.

"Huh? But, it can't be?" Guy comments glancing towards Kakashi.

"If you wondered why I always insisted on training Sasuke myself, now you know." Kakashi pauses briefly causing me to look up at him as his eyes remain settled on Sasuke. "It's because he's like me." But, if Sasuke and I are so much alike wouldn't that mean I am like him as well? Guess Sasuke and I aren't as alike as we thought if Kakashi insists on training him but not me. What is this feeling coursing through my veins? I silently ask myself as I clench my hands into tight fists at my sides. Is it… I'm jealous? Not only Naruto but Sasuke as well both have people pushing to train them… I only had Aphrodite and she was just purposefully holding me back. Why is it that everyone keeps pushing further forward around me and yet I…. it's like I'm standing still.

"I see. That is what you were doing all this time. You were building up his speed to the level required." Guy's voice practically echoes around us.

"Exactly." Kakashi responds simply. Though I couldn't miss the tone in his voice that clearly shows how proud of Sasuke he is.

"It's amazing. His chakra is actually visible. How is that even possible?" Sakura speaks up in amazement.

"Whoa, I've never seen him do that before!" I guess it was Naruto's turn to speak.

"That bizarre noise, what sort of technique is it?" Sakura points out and questions only to be answered by Guy.

"It's a jab."

"Huh? A what?" They question as I close my eyes. It's a lightning-natured jab huh.

"But this jab is a jab like no other, it's the only weapon in Kakashi's arsenal that he didn't copy from someone else. It's a weapon of choice for assassinations. The secret of the jab is the speed in which it is delivered and the ninja's ability to focus his chakra at the point of impact. Once these two elements, speed, and focus, have obtained a certain level. The chakra actually becomes visible and gives off the distinctive sound that you hear like birds chirping." Guy explains for us and I allow a sigh to escape from me dropping down towards the floor so I was now squatting keeping my eyes closed. "It is the unique sound that gives the technique its name. Chidori! One thousand birds."

"To me, it sounds like a condensed form of electricity with a stronger current than you would find even in a power line. Even though I cannot see it for myself I know it is lightning-natured. With it being a jab, I can safely assume it is being held in his hand. Yet from lightning focused to such a degree it would burn the wielder. Thinking this, it would possibly be why Kakashi wears gloves just as Sasuke suddenly added wrappings to his look around his hands. Probably learned the hard way what it does to the flesh."

"Yes, it is a lightning-style jutsu and it can be a bit of a double-edged sword as you described." Kakashi responds to me. Looking up towards him I give him a smirk even though he is focused on the fight in front of him.

"I don't suppose you'll show me the hand signs will you?"

"Why? Jealous Kira?" Kakashi asks mockingly nearly causing me to grind my teeth. He didn't need to point that out. I already know I'm jealous. "Hmm, well it depends if you can focus your chakra in your hand?" This time he does glance down at me but only briefly nearly causing me to laugh.

"I've been able to do that since we first learned about chakra." I close my eyes again ignoring the eyes that were upon me briefly.

Upon hearing a crashing sound I hear everyone around me gasp in shock and I can only assume that meant Sasuke had made contact on his mark. Utter silence follows the sound as they all wait with bated breath. At least until Guy speaks up again sounding as if he was finishing his thought the smirk clear in his voice. "Also known as Lightning blade." So it seems I was correct with my first assumptions.

"Why's that?" Sakura suddenly questions.

"It got that name because Kakashi once used it to cut a bolt of lightning in half before it could touch the ground. But whether it be called a thousand birds or lightning blade it's a technique of unimaginable power, requiring almost inhuman levels of speed and chakra, but once perfected it transforms a ninja's arm into an indestructible and invincible sword. A ninja's technique not to be taught lightly."

"Yeah, you're one to talk." Kakashi responds before I hear movement from his direction as he chuckles. "Right Lee?"

"Well, whatever I don't understand a word of it all I know is. It looks awesome!" Sakura comments and I couldn't contain some of the laugh that forced its way out of me nearly causing me to snort from my attempts to keep it penned up.

Gaara's sudden screams echo throughout the area drawing everyone's attention. "Blood! It's my blood!" He shouts more in shock rather than in pain. It was then I heard the sound of Lightning blade again just as Gaara screams out.

"Eh, what's that?!" Guy exclaims in shock it was only after his comment that everything fell silent again. So silent I wondered if this is what the saying means when you could hear a pin drop.

"Huh?" I could hear Naruto's silent sound of question just before I could see falling feathers even behind my eyes. Feeling the effects of sleep I hastily take in a breath. Reaching within myself and pushing my chakra to a momentary stop before I suddenly push my energy from within me so it was now coating my form. Pulling my energy closer towards myself I tuck it tightly around me. I open my eyes as I stand the feathers having vanished from my view. "What's going on, everything is getting all fuzzy." Naruto mutters just before I hear him hit the ground.

"Kakashi is it really?" Guy questions as he stands with his back towards Kakashi's.

"Yeah, a..." Kakashi begins before I cut him off.

"Genjutsu?" I question as Guy and Kakashi form a hand sign and release the jutsu from themselves. There are two ways to release a Genjutsu, to use your chakra in the releasing jutsu or to disrupt your flow of chakra similar to what I had done. There was a sudden explosion that draws the attention of all ninja that managed to stave off the effects of the Genjutsu. Reaching behind me I touch my blades as I run my tongue along my lips. "It seems I was correct on most aspects though he didn't wait for the end of the exams as I had initially thought."