Sumire made her way down the steps of the arena, her mind reeling. Four days ago, Jiraiya had come to her with the news that Naruto was in the hospital. He'd overdone it when he'd summoned Gamabunta by accident and life the stubborn hothead he was, he insisted on staying on the Chief Toad's head. That in itself wasn't a big deal, it was everything else that had happened in the last few days.
There'd been no sign of Orochimaru and the Oto Shinobi, Dosu, was found dead. Even worse, the third exam's proctor, Hayate Gekko, was murdered and there was no evidence of the culprit. It was possible Kabuto Yakushi had a part in it since he was discovered to be working for Orochimaru when her Tou-san caught him in Sasuke's hospital room. The spy unfortunately managed to slip away. Everything seemed to be pointing to something big happening during the Chunin Exams, and they were almost over.
Sumire sat next to Izumo and Kotetsu. They spent a few minutes catching up until the competitors showed up. Looking at the line of shinobi, Sumire realized that there was one missing.
"Hey, where's the Uchiha?" Kotetsu asked in a low voice to not alert the civilians around them.
"I don't know," Sumire said. "He was off training with Tou-san. He might have a habit of being late, but not to something as important as this. And I wouldn't think that Sasuke wouldn't dare risk his chances of becoming Chunin."
"Welcome all," the Hokage said, his voice magnified to reach everyone in the stadium. "And our deepest thanks for coming here to Konoha for this year's Chunin Selection. We have come to the final competition between the eight candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed. Now everyone enjoy!"
Down in the arena Genma explained the change in the pairings and went over the rules. He then had everyone except Naruto and Neji head up to the competitors' box.
"Hey, Sumire are these seats free?" Kiba asked. He and Hinata were standing on the stairs at the end of the row.
"They are. Hey, Kiba, Akamaru. How are you doing, Hinata?"
"Better, thanks." She sat on the end of the row next to Kiba.
"I think this'll be an interesting match," Kiba said.
"Who would've thought that little squirt would've survived this long," Kotetsu commented.
"Yeah, he's been one lucky kid so far, but his luck's about to run out," Izumo said. "He'll never survive this one."
"Yeah, its going to be painful," Kotetsu said. "Going up against one of the Hyuuga clan. He doesn't have a chance."
During their whole side conversation, Sumire's eye twitched. She turned to fix both chunin with a glare. "Don't talk that way about Naruto."
"Don't underestimate him either," Kiba said. "I did and look where we are. He's down there and I'm sitting up here on my butt."
"It is kinda the idea though," Sumire said. When Izumo gave her a questioning look she asked, "Why do you think he wears so much orange?"
"He's colorblind?" "He likes the color but doesn't realize how impractical it is?" Izumo and Kotetsu gave their theories.
Sumire smirked, "Yes he likes the color, but the brighter the frog, the more dangerous it is."
Kiba held back a snort at both the older shinobi's disbelieving faces and Sumire's reference to their blond friend's codename, Kaeru. He tapped out a message on her arm in their private mishmash of Konoha Code and the Morse Code that her Tou-san brought back with him. 'Thought we were keeping that under wraps.'
'Pretty sure most of the village knows who Ōkami and Kaeru are,' Sumire responded in kind. 'The one's they have no idea about are Neko, Kuma, and Anaguma.'
Akamaru barked softly and Kiba glanced around. 'What the hell are the ANBU Black Ops doing here?' He stuck to code to avoid alerting anyone else.
Sumire paused for a brief moment before responding, 'There's a chance of an invasion during the Exams. It's too complicated to go into details right now, so just stay sharp.'
"Let the first match begin!" Genma announced and stepped back.
Naruto charged straight at Neji, prompting Kiba to stand and yell. "You idiot, a frontal attack'll never work!"
"What is he up to?" Sumire wondered.
Naruto claimed he was just testing Neji out as a warmup. Whether he'd briefly forgotten the dangers of close combat with a Hyuuga was up in the air though. He then pulled out what was fast becoming his signature move and made four shadow clones, to most of the spectators' surprise.
"Well isn't he something," Kotetsu said.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu is a jonin level technique," Izumo said. "To think he could use such a jutsu."
"This match could be more interesting than we thought," Kotetsu said.
The clones went and attacked Neji from all sides. All their attacks were blocked and the clones were popped. Sumire hoped Naruto was using what he assimilated from his clones to come up with a strategy to defeat Neji.
"You thought you could be Hokage?" Neji asked scornfully. "It's absurd. Never. These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they've shown me… People's limitations are set, fixed and unchangeable. Only a fool wastes his time trying to become something he can never be.
"A fool, huh?" Naruto said. "Not this crap again! Who are you to judge what a person can or can't be!"
"Do you think anyone can be Hokage? That all it takes is a little hard work?" Neji went on to lecture about how people were destined to be Hokage. It was something one was born to do not something to try for. "There is only one destiny we all share equally… death."
'Morbid guy, isn't he?' Sumire thought.
"Yeah? So what?" Naruto snapped. "You can think that way if you want." He held out his fist as he did in the beginning of the match and after Hinata's. "People always tell me I don't know when to give up! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" This time he created over a dozen clones.
Neji dodged the attacks and ignored all the Narutos bar the one on the edge of the fight. "You think I would be fooled by a trick like that?" He landed what could be a devastating blow on one of Naruto's chakra points. "You're the one keeping out of range for fear of me striking your chakra points like this. The more the others attack, the more you stand out for holding back."
"Please tell me you didn't actually do that, Naruto," Sumire said. Several clones burst down in the arena.
Naruto laughed. "Oh yeah? And I told you it was a mistake to count me out." He burst having been a shadow clone.
"But how?" Neji asked. He spun around to see two Narutos flying at him.
"Yes, Naruto!" "Alright! Go Naruto!" Sumire and Kiba cheered.
"You think I'd be too much of a chicken to attack you myself?" Naruto cried. "Well think again!"
His punch looked like it landed. But then chakra whirled around Neji as he spun. Naruto and his clone were thrown away. The clone bounced on the ground and burst while the original landed hard on the ground creating a sizable crater.
"What the heck was that?" Naruto asked as he climbed back onto level ground.
"Rotation," Hinata said. She recognized one of her family's jutsu.
"Take this!" Naruto summoned more clones which proceeded to drop smoke bombs.
The smoke didn't hinder Neji at all and his Rotation cleared away all the clones and smoke. Naruto laned on the ground but he didn't seem as frustrated as Sumire would have expected given the inefficiency of Naruto's attacks.
"This is the end for you," Neji said. "You're in range. And you can't escape my Eight Trigrams." He changed his stance. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams, 64 Palms."
"No…" Hinata whispered as her cousin moved faster than before which allowed him to hit Naruto's chakra points in rapid succession. There was no escape for Naruto.
Genma stepped forward. "It looks like its over."
Naruto rolled to his stomach and tried to push himself to his feet.
"I have now struck all 64 of your chakra points," Neji said. "You're lucky to still be breathing. Well, must be frustrating. Realizing how utterly hopeless it all was, this little dream of yours. You thought you could succeed through hard work alone. That's only an illusion."
"No way," Naruto said. He slowly pushed himself up until he was standing again to everyone's surprise.
"He's stubborn, that's for sure," Kiba said.
"What's he going to do with his chakra shut off, though?" Sumire wondered.
"Impossible, how could he…?" Neji said.
"He doesn't know when to give up," Sumire said.
"I told you, I just don't know when to give up," Naruto said.
"As I said," Sumire chuckled. Her words drew a small giggle from Hinata before she returned to worriedly watching the match.
"Stop this madness," Neji said. "You'll only get more of the same. I have nothing against you."
Naruto snorted. "That's touching. You're going to make me cry. Anyway, I've got plenty against you."
"I don't know what you mean."
"You don't? And here I thought you were Mr. Know-It-All. You don't remember what you did to Hinata, huh? The way you worked on her with your mind games, tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here."
"Never mind that. It doesn't concern you."
"You mocked Hinata, calling her a failure. All that stuff about the great Hyuuga clan. Main household, branch families. What a bunch of crap! It doesn't give you the right to decide who's a failure. That's what I've got against you!"
Kiba bumped Hinata's shoulder with a smile. "He's right. Don't listen to Neji. You're not a failure."
Down in the arena, Neji explained the recent history of the Hyuuga to Naruto. How his father and Hinata's were twin brothers, the branch family's curse mark he was branded with, and Hinata's kidnapping and the subsequent death of Neji's father. According to him, his father was killed in place of Hiashi Hyuuga because they were twins and Hiashi was a member of the main house and therefore not 'disposable'.
"It's not your fault," Sumire said to Hinata who was looking down. "There was nothing you could have done. You were only three."
"She's right," Kotetsu said. "No three year old, even one with a little training from family or the Academy would have been able to prevent what happened that night."
"I didn't think the Academy took students under six," Hinata said.
"It's a long story," Sumire said. "Short version is there could have been complications if I didn't unlock my chakra before a certain point."
They turned back to the match.
"It's your destiny to lose to mem" Neji said. "That's it."
"Oh yeah? Well, we won't know that until you beat me, will we?" Naruto said, defiant. "Ok, so your father was killed a long time ago and I know it wasn't fair and maybe you're upset about that, I understand. But that's got nothing to do with destiny. If you think I'm buying that you're wrong!"
"You will never understand," Neji said. He charged at Naruto and landed a hard blow to the blond's chest. "Proctor, it's over. You're a failure." The last part was directed to Naruto who was on the ground.
"Wait, don't walk away from me," Naruto said. He stood holding his ribs. "I'm not done yet. I don't quit and I don't go back on my word. That's my Nindo, my ninja way."
Neji scoffed. "I've heard those words before."
"All this destiny crap… Well, if you really believe it, why are you the one walking away?"
"You impudent little brat. Why waste my breath explaining it to you. We are all given a destiny at birth and it's pointless to fight against it. You don't know what its like to be branded with a mark that sets you apart. A mark that can never be wiped away!"
Sumire and Kiba exchanged a look. Neji didn't know how wrong he was.
"Oh yeah," Naruto said, glaring at Neji. "I know what that's like. Well? Big deal? Who cares? Man, you think you've got troubles? I've got news for you, Neji, you're not the only special one around here. Did you ever think that Hinata might be suffering as much as you? It's not her fault her father was born ahead of yours. But you resent her for it, you disrespect her, even when she's trying so hard to improve herself. All she wanted was your respect. That's what she was fighting for. Even though it almost killed her. And what was that all about anyway? I thought it was your destiny to protect the head family not to beat it to a bloody pulp! After all you said about how you can't fight your destiny, you don't really believe in it either, do you?!"
"Naruto…" Hinata whispered, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Heh, I have blocked all 64 of your chakra points," Neji said. "How are you going to keep fighting when you can't use your chakra against me? It's fitting that you sympathize with Hinata because you're about to share her fate!"
"Oh really?" Naruto yelled. "You think that Byakugan sees everything. You know everyone's weakness, right?"
"That's right, but if you think you're the one who can prove me wrong… Well, be my guest."
'Well, that's an invitation you really shouldn't give to Naruto,' Sumire thought with a grin.
"Proctor, this has gone on long enough. I suggest you stop the match. If he's foolish enough to fight. I will not be responsible for what happens to him."
Naruto snorted and made a hand sign to focus his chakra.
"It's pointless. I told you," Neji said. "Why bother? You have no chakra to sue. Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?"
"Because people called me a failure. I'll prove them wrong." Orange chakra whipped around Naruto.
"But how?" Kotetsu asked. "All of his chakra points were blocked."
Kiba and Sumire grinned at each other. The Kyuubi's chakra wasn't affected and it seemed that Naruto was able to use it now.
Sumire felt Naruto was maybe overdoing it a little or going for drama and intimidation since the chakra whipped around in nine tail like shapes. His chakra consolidated until it coated him. He then created a mass of shadow clones all of whom moved much faster than before. Neji was barely able to keep them at bay with his Rotation especially since when one would pop 2 more would appear.
"Ok you," one of the Naruto's said. "I hear you like close combat, huh" They all charged straight at Neji. "It may be the Hyuuga way to cave into destiny but it's not mine!" if you think its futile to fight, then don't. just stand there and take it! I'll change the way of the Hyuuga clan! After I become Hokage!"
Naruto dismissed his clones right when they were about to make Neji use his Rotation again. The smoke cleared to reveal Neji standing alone. The ground under his feet cracked and before he could do anything but look shocked, Naruto burst out with a vicious uppercut. Neji went flying and landed hard on his back.
"How did he…?" Kiba wondered.
"The clones were just a distraction while he… tunneled?" Sumire said. "But when?"
"I can't move," Neji groaned.
Naruto walked up to his downed opponent, breathing heavily.
"I should have guessed you'd use the Shadow Clones to distract. I got careless," Neji said. "They're your specialty after all."
"For the record. I failed the graduation exam, three times. 'Cause there was this one jutsu that I just couldn't master. My clones were pathetic. That's right, I flunked the Clone Jutsu every time. So, don't come whining to me with this destiny stuff, and stop trying to tell me you can't change what you are. You can do it, too. Because after all , unlike me, you're not a failure."
"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki," Genma announced. The crowd erupted into cheers.
"Yes! Way to go Naruto!" "You did it!"
It didn't take long for the cheers to turn to cries of outrage. Seems Sasuke hadn't shown up yet.
"What is that Sasuke doing?" Kiba asked.
"No idea," Sumire said. "I can't think why he would willingly be so late. And Tou-san doesn't show up late to things this important."
"Maybe he's planning a big entrance."
"Is he that arrogant to think he could get away with that?"
"Listen, everyone!" Genma called. "One of the competitors from the next battle has not arrived yet. So, we're going to postpone this match briefly and simply jump ahead to the battle that would have followed this one."
"Lucky," Sumire said.
"Then on to the next battle. So, Shino and Kankuro! Come down!"
"Proctor!" Kankuro called down. "I withdraw! I withdraw, so please advance to the next match!"
'What the hell?' Sumire thought, eyes narrowed. 'From the way Gaara talked about him, he didn't see the type to give up without a fight. Something's definitely going on involving Suna. And I'd bet it'll happen during Sasuke's match… if he shows up.'
"Due to Kankuro's withdrawal, Shino Aburame wins by default!" Genma looked over as Temari flew down into the arena. "And you are?"
"It's my turn, right?"
"Well, you sure are an eager one," Genma said. "Fine, let's start the next match then. Hey, you up there! Come down!"
"Shikamaru, if you withdraw, I'm going to kick your ass," Sumire growled. Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Shikamaru Nara. Come on!"
There was a yell and Shikamaru went flying into the arena face first. He lay on his back glaring up at the waiting room.
"Did Naruto just push Shika in?" Kiba asked, snickering.
Sumire giggled. "Well, someone must have." Her eyes narrowed. "But if he doesn't get up…"
Shikamaru didn't move even when the crowd threw trash at him.
"What is it?" Temari asked. "You planning on giving up too?"
"Move your ass, Shikamaru!" Sumire cried. The gleam in her eyes made Kiba, Izumo and Kotetsu shudder.
"You don't want to know," Kiba said to a curious Hinata. "But if Shikamaru has any sense of self-preservation he'll move."
"Well, if you won't move I will!" Temari charged toward Shikamaru. She slammed her massive fan where Shikamaru was lying. The dust cleared and Shikamaru was standing on the kunai he'd lodged in the wall.
"It doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me whether I become a Chunin or not," Shikamaru said. "But I really shouldn't give Sumire a reason to be annoyed with me. She is scary when she's angry. So, let's do it."
Temari sent a blast of wind straight at the Nara, but he was no longer there. He'd crossed the arena and into the shadows of the wall.
"I'm not that bad, am I?" Sumire asked.
Kiba shrugged. "Not most of the time. He probably doesn't want to be dragged into one of your training sessions which you might do if you were really irritated with one of us. And those can be scary. The only time I've really seen you angry was over four years ago."
Izumo and Kotetsu nodded in agreement of the fact that some of her training sessions could be scary having participated in some before their Chunin Exams.
The continuation of the fight kept them and Hinata from asking what happened over four years ago and Sumire from dwelling on it.
"Ninja Art: Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari sent a rush of cutting wind towards Shikamaru. When it was over, she had to move back quickly to avoid his shadow stretching towards her. She almost got caught but was just outside of his range. "Now I get it. Almost got me. Aren't you clever. With that Shadow Possession Jutsu of yours, you can manipulate any shadow you're in. The wall's shadow for instance. But there's a limit isn't there? No matter how thin you stretch it, it'll only reach so far. Isn't that right?"
Shikamaru grinned sheepishly. "You got me."
Temari slammed her fan down on the line she drew for marking his range. Shikamaru stared up at the clouds before putting his hands together.
"What hand sign is that?" Izumo asked.
"His habit when he's strategizing," Sumire answered. "I don't recommend playing shogi with him. He's very good."
"Looks like he's figured out his plan," Kiba said a few moments later.
"So you have some fighting spirit after all," Temari said. She opened her fan. She sent a blast of wind at Shikamaru who moved to take cover behind a tree. "No use in hiding!" Her wind made large cuts on the tree.
The wind died down but Temari started another barrage. But she immediately had to dodge one kunai and block another with her fan. She smirked when she saw the shadow coming. She promptly panicked when it crossed the line. Though it only went another six inches or so.
"You're pretty quick on your toes," Shikamaru said moving out from behind the tree.
Sumire's eyes narrowed. 'Where's his jacket?'
"Now I see what you've been up to," Temari said. "You weren't just hiding. You were killing time, waiting for the sun to get lower, and the shadow of that wall to get longer. The longer the shadows, the farther your range is, right?"
"Temari! Over your head!" Kankuro yelled.
Everyone looked up to see Shikamaru's jacket turned into a parachute with his headband and a kunai. Temari had to move fast since the parachute created a new shadow for Shikamaru to use. She darted around as Shikamaru chased her with his shadow. It didn't take long for the improvised chute to fall and cut of the source of the extra shadow.
Temari slammed her fan in the ground as a shield and crouched behind it. Once Shikamaru pulled his shadow back she hid behind the fan. That made it so she didn't see Shikamaru had only pulled his shadow back far enough to reach the hole in front of her.
"It took a while," Shikamaru said. "But my Shadow Possession finally worked." He smirked. "Look behind you, I'll let you."
Temari was standing right in front of another hole.
"Don't you recognize that hole?" Shikamaru asked. "It's where Naruto popped out of the ground and knocked Neji for a loop. The hole in front of you is where he went into the ground. The two are connected."
"Now I see, I never thought of the shadows underground."
"That was your mistake."
"Alright!" Kiba cheered as Shikamaru walked forward forcing Temari to move with him.
Sumire grinned widely as Kotetsu said, "Look at everybody. A minute ago they were throwing things at him."
"Well, who would've thought the guy would turn out to be a ringer," Izumo said.
Shikamaru raised his and Temari's hands. "The hell with it. I give up."
The grin slid off Sumire's face and Kiba froze shocked.
"What? What did you say?" Temari asked.
"I've used up for chakra than I wanted to on that Shadow Possession Jutsu." Shikamaru explained. "And I won't be able to do another match. Bummer. And here I'd already planned out the next 200 moves in my head. But my chakra's running low. Anyway if I was to win this thing, it would just mean more work."
"The winner is, Temari!" Genma announced.
"What is he thinking?" Sumire complained.
"It's Shikamaru," Kiba said. "He doesn't like doing any more work than he has to."
"He may not be as motivated as some of the others, but you know it's not a bad thing for a squad leader to trust his head more than his gut," Izumo said. "He'll get in a lot less trouble that way."
"You said it. A squad with a hotshot for a leader is a squad that's not going to survive very long," Kotetsu said. "Some of these kids don't understand there's not much point in completing a mission if your whole team gets wiped out. That's not what being a chunin is about."
"If you're scoring them on that, Naruto and Neji fail the test," Izumo said.
"And so would've a lot of those who've made chunin," Sumire said. "It's not easy to keep emotions in check when it gets personal."
"True," Izumo said. "Anyway I can't help but feel Shikamaru gave up too soon."
"No need to worry about giving him a piece of your mind, Sumire," Kiba said. "Naruto's already doing it." As the orange blur dropped into the arena, Kiba tapped out a message, 'Besides think about what Shikamaru said. I think he suspects.'
Sumire blinked. He was right. Shika said he wouldn't be able to do another match and that he used more chakra than he wanted to, 'Well he's always been observant,' she replied.
Ten minutes went by with no sign of Sasuke. Genma was about to call the match when Sasuke and Kakashi showed up in a swirl of leaves.
"I'm sorry we're late," Kakashi said.
"And you are?" Genma asked Sasuke.
"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." He seemed annoyed to have to five his name.
"Well, I know its rude to be showing up all flashy like this," Kakashi said. His hand went to the back of his head and Sumire could have sworn he'd used the motion to sign something to Genma. "How late are we? Has Sasuke been disqualified?"
"You're so late that we extended the deadline, twice," Genma said. "In fact you only just made it. He hasn't been disqualified from the match,… however he will not be allowed to become a Chunin in these exams."
'Good. He needs to learn there are consequences for his actions,' Sumire thought.
"Understood," Kakashi said. "Don't look at me like that, Sasuke. I'm not the reason we're late."
Sasuke turned away from his sensei and up to where Gaara was waiting.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto said. "Don't lose. Because I wanna fight you myself."
"Yeah," Sasuke said.
"Alright, Gaara come down here," Genma called.
"Come on, Naruto, they don't need us here," Shikamaru said. "And I'm gonna take the stairs this time, if you don't mind."
"Come on, are you still upset that I gave you a little push?"
Kiba laughed. "He did push Shika into the arena. Though he does need a little shove now and then."
An anticipatory hush fell over the arena as Genma began the match. Gaara's sand burst out of his gourd and then stopped moving.
"Please, I beg you! Don't get so mad at me," Gaara rasped, gripping his head with one hand. "Mother… Earlier, I know… I made you taste such awful blood. I'm so sorry. But this time, it'll likely taste good." The sand suddenly dropped. "Well, come on." He seemed calmer now.
"That kid's changed in the past two years," Kotetsu said.
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked.
"He wasn't so crazed and murderous," Kotetsu explained.
"And he didn't seem to be fighting a battle in his head," Izumo said. "But we didn't speak to him as often as Sumire did."
"I'd asked him for directions one day," she said to questioning looks from Kiba and Hinata. "He was surprised I was talking to him, especially when I continued to do so even after villagers would tell me not to 'for my own safety'. He just seemed lonely and resentful to me."
Sumire's eyes widened slightly as pieces fell into place. Suna villagers glaring at Gaara behind his back. Hushed whispers of demon and monster. The same looks and words directed at Naruto. the similarities were to uncanny to be a coincidence.
Sasuke moved to punch Gaara, but as the sand rose to block it, Sasuke suddenly moved with a speed he hadn't demonstrated before and reappeared behind Gaara. It was very reminiscent of Lee's fight. Sasuke managed to send Gaara flying and cracked his sand armour.
"Come on!" Sasuke taunted. "If you won't, then I will!" Sasuke got in under the sand shield and kicked Gaara across the arena. "What's the matter, Gaara? Is that all you've got? I'm going to tear off all your armor." He sent his opponent flying again, but it seemed he was running low on stamina.
'Why did you just work on Taijutsu?' Sumire wondered. 'Or did you have another plan, Tou-san. You were there for Lee's fight.'
Gaara made a hand sign and his sand rose up. He formed it into a ball that surrounded him. The ball didn't crack at all with Sasuke's punch bit it did sprout spikes around the point of impact. Sasuke jumped back to a safe distance as an eye formed above the sphere. He made multiple tries to pierce the shell but all were deflected. The sphere even attack back if Sasuke got too close.
The Uchiha ran up the wall and crouched near the top. He made some hand signs and gripped his left wrist. Soon after his hand became surrounded by crackling chakra.
"What is that?" Kiba asked as Sasuke charged at the sphere.
'That's why you were building his speed up so much,' Sumire thought before answering Kiba's question. "It's a jab that Tou-san created for assassinations. The speed it's delivered at makes up for the chirping sound it makes. The sound is what gives it the name Chidori. It's derived from Tou-san's other jutsu, Raikiri that he used to cut a bolt of lightning in half. The thing is, because of the speed both Chidori and Raikiri require, the user gets tunnel vision and so they can't dodge an attack unless they can see it coming somehow. Because Tou-san and Sasuke have the Sharingan they can use the jutsu safely. I have to adapt it so I can use it." 'Unless I can somehow combine it with apparition once I learn that.'
Everyone stared as Sasuke pierced the sand sphere with the Chidori.
"Damn," Kiba breathed.
There was a scream from down in the arena. "Blood!" Gaara cried. "It's my blood!"
Sasuke used his chakra to free his arm from the sand. There was a strange arm holding onto him until he got free. The arm stretched towards Sasuke before disappearing back into the sphere.
Sumire's eyes narrowed. The chakra coming off the arm and the sphere felt similar to earlier when Naruto let out the Kyuubi's chakra. It seemed she may be right. Gaara was a jinchuriki just like Naruto.