Chapter 42:

Fried squid had never made Sakura nauseous before. When she was a young girl, it was actually one of her favorite snacks. She remembers her loose kimono and delicately tied hair; she remembers the smells of the festival and fireworks and foods wafting from various venders all around.

She would blame the sudden queasiness on her nerves, if she were nervous in the least. Perhaps she would even say that it was just bad seafood. Maybe it had been sitting out too long or coated with soured batter.

However, the way Ino was scarfing it down told her that wasn't true.

"I'm so freaking pumped," The girl says, tearing into the meat with her canines. "Tag me in and I'll rip your opponent to shreds."

Sakura rolls her eyes and steps away, a little bit closer to the trashcan and away from the slow moving crowds. "This isn't a wrestling match. You had your chance to battle—you lost."

All morning Ino had been mouthing non-stop, extra supportive and extra nice. She and a few of their friends, including Choji and his dark-skinned lover, Karui, had all gathered to meet the final contenders in the early hours of the morning. It wasn't necessarily a joyous meeting, but it was a nostalgic one. Sakura could feel her heart swelling—everyone was growing up, leaving their nests, building families and finding their places in this world.

Ino had decided to follow Sakura around as they surveyed the new coliseum. Every so often, the blonde would stop for fried foods and soft drinks and sweet desserts. Eating calmed her nerves, and somehow, though she wasn't even a participant, the girl was oozing anxiety.

"There are only fourteen people left," She begins, taking one final bite. "So it's not like I'm the worst or anything, forehead."

Of course, the Legendary Three had all made the list. Out of the rest Rookie 9, Shino and Kiba were the only two who had hung on until the end, which was no surprise. If it were up to Sakura, everyone in her class would have Jōnin status—they all certainly deserved it. In fact, every single one of them had done enough to prove they were far beyond that of Jōnin.

Kakashi was so "by the book". Nerd.

"With my luck, I'll probably have to face someone I know." Sakura murmurs more to herself than anyone else. How awful would it be if she had to fight against Naruto or Sasuke?

"Yeah, like Rock Lee. What the hell is he doing here, anyways?"

Sakura smiles and leans against the railings, looking for a familiar green jumpsuit. "I wouldn't mind fighting Lee. He's fast, but I'm strong. I think it would be a good match up."

They spend a good chunk of time just watching, checking the throngs of people for familiar faces or ANBU personnel. Out of the masses, they hear a quiet, "Hello!"

Hinata walked up to them, wearing a loose-fitting dress that curtained down from her chest in a way that hid her feminine curves without giving off a frumpy, two-sizes-too-big look. Her hair had been cut to her collarbone, curling inwards with a slight sweep. It was neither short nor long, and somehow it suited the mother-to-be perfectly.

"Well, look at you!" Ino declares, running her palm along the hidden bump of Hinata's belly. "You've got a new hairstyle, a new wardrobe, and your nails are done too! The pregnant life is treating you well, eh?"

She pokes both of her painted index fingers together shyly. "I…I've never worn nail polish before. Naruto and I got manicures and pedicures together."

Sakura and Ino laugh. That would be just like him—competing and kicking ass with his claws covered in pink lacquer.

Hinata scans the arena for her husband. He had gotten home late the night before, and was gone long before she had even had a chance to awake this morning. Being away from him in such a thick crowed was uncomfortable. She bites her lip, wondering how she will handle this lifestyle when he became the Hokage…

Across the stadium, in the box reserved for clan heads, upper-class and the Hokage himself, Naruto stands. He is serious and solemn—a rare and unnerving sight to see. Hinata's eyes follow the deep frown lines etched on his face and his furrowed eyebrows that dip together in both anger and reservation.

"I wonder w-what they're talking about?" Hinata stutters. She points a slender finger towards the booth, causing both women to turn and scan the upper section.

Sakura's vision takes in Sasuke first. Both he and Naruto flank their former sensei, each carrying stern, no-nonsense expressions. Something grim must be going on between the three. With his arms crossed chin held high, Sakura can see why the Uchiha are so aristocratic and domineering. He looks every bit as important as the two men to his right.

"Kakashi's probably telling them to reel it in," Ino responds. "You know, so they don't end up killing themselves, and leveling Konoha."

The kunoichi catch their friend's heartbroken expression just before Hinata hides it behind her layered bangs. "I've been dreading this. If it's a random matchup, what are the odds that they'll have to face one another?"

Sakura understands Hinata's worry all too well. She's not sure if she should feel grateful that someone else carries the same turmoil within them, or saddened that it has claimed yet another victim. After all, she's pretty sure they'd just had a fight last night.

The pink-haired woman rubs Hinata's back reassuringly. "They'll be fine. It will be an amazing battle, if we're graced to see it."

"I…I guess I'm just feeling a bit emotional…"

Ino drapes her arm around the Uzumaki bride's slender shoulders, shoving Sakura out of the way. "That's understandable, considering your hormones are all out of whack. You're probably super busy making a lung or like, a penis right now."

Hinata's laugh is so genuine and whimsical, even the people around send an eavesdropping smile. Touching her belly compassionately, Sakura watches a deep glow surround white, inherited eyes as she caresses her abdomen. "She's very active. I can feel her flutter all of the time."

"Oh, "she", huh?" Sakura asks, placing her hand on her swollen stomach. "My intuition said it was a boy!"

Ino pops in. "You totally cheated and used your Byakugan, didn't you?"

Hinata sticks her tongue out. "I can't see anything besides chakra points."

In an overly dramatic fashion, the blonde throws her arms out and hops directly into Hinata's line of sight. "Look at me! Look at my womb! Am I pregnant? You can tell, can't you?"

Sakura doesn't even bother to hide her chuckle. "Sai's only been back for a few days!"

"All it takes is once, you know!"

"Or twice," Hinata coyly jumps in.

"Or ten or so times…" Sakura finishes.

They all share a snicker, covering their lips in the way that gossiping, blushing children do.

As they carry on, speaking animatedly about things that didn't matter, Sakura finds that she is drawn to a certain area of the crowd.

A man purchases some popcorn for his granddaughter, and an older woman drinks hot tea at one of the scattered luncheon tables. To her left, walking through the open doors of the food section, Sakura sees her parents just as they enter.

Sakura, of course, would recognize those two anywhere. If her father's brilliant purple locks hadn't been a dead giveaway, she would have recognized his familiar gait—as she shared it with him. He was broad shouldered and long legged, yet only took half-length steps.

Her mother, who had a thick sweep of yellow fringe over her forehead, gave Sakura her strong legs and thick thighs. She had hands that were big, but gentle, and a temper that could rival a raging bear.

Sakura is frozen, unsure whether to scream out their names or turn and act like she hadn't seen them.

It had been a while since either of them had spoken to her. Not since the "coitus interruptus" incident. Before, at once per week, her mother's austere voice would hiss out of the telephone receiver. And every month Sakura tried to have some sort of get-together with them.

But somehow, everything felt wrong now. She was both embarrassed and ashamed at how things went down. The worst part was that, until she saw them now, the situation hadn't even crossed her mind.

Biting her lip, she takes a step towards her parents, wondering what she would say to them and how to thank them for showing up to her match. As she walks out, Ino pulls at her hand spins her around. There was an announcement about to be made.

Kakashi's covered face is in the center of the curved screens that dangle above the tall battle arena. A deep, echoing voice blasts from the various speakers positioned all around the coliseum, and her former sensei makes his long-awaited announcement.

"All participants are to meet at entrance number one. The Jōnin Exams will commence shortly."

Sasuke was fueled. The inside of his cheek had been bitten raw. His outward appearance was that of calm collectedness, but it was the exact opposite of his internal seething.

Both he and Naruto followed Kakashi out of his suite and towards the first entrance. It was a large, grandiose bunker that would lead directly towards the battle area. In the center sat a winding staircase that opened up to a loft for the participants to watch their brethren battle and wait for their names to be called out. It smelled new—like freshly mixed cement and woodchips.

Naruto clicks his tongue. "What's the point of battling if I'm not even at my full strength?"

Kakashi bites out his reply. "Your arguing will not change my mind. There are a lot of people here, and a stray tail—or nine stray tails aren't going to be their downfall. Wear the shackles and fight in the match, or forfeit and don't become Hokage."

They bound down a heavy set of stairs, moving quickly to join the other twelve fighters.

"When am I gonna be that weak though? When I'm Hokage I'll have all of my chakra. Don't put those things on me again. I'm not a wild-child anymore, I can control myself!"

Sasuke saw all sides of this argument. He understood Kakashi's position. If, by some chance, he and Naruto were pitted together, it would be a glorious battle that would undoubtedly cause severe repercussions. It's his duty to protect his people.

But, he and Naruto weren't reckless teens. Sasuke no longer wished to kill anyone, and his blond brother wanted nothing more than to be the same savior that Kakashi was as the Rokudaime.

"Naruto," Sasuke says. "It's fair for the others. I don't like not having full access to all of my strength, either. If Hinata were still in this, and she were placed up against me, having some sort of handicap would be justifiable wouldn't it?"

There's a long pause, but Naruto huffs and crosses his arms behind his head. "Whatever,"

Taking their respective places beside Kakashi, they wait for the others to file in.

A woman with green hair comes in first. Her face is pierced and tattooed with all sorts of jewelry and symbols. Each step is bold and confident, and Sasuke's analyzing eyes cannot help but monitor her demeanor.

The twin blades on her back are intriguing.

Others make their way in, lining up in a single file line ahead of their leader. Sasuke recognizes Shino Aburame in his high-collared shirt and dark sunglasses. He smells Kiba before he arrives. Two girls, no older than 16, come in holding hands and laughing flirtatiously—neither seem to be very interesting or powerful in the least.

Sasuke feels Naruto's penetrating gaze. He leans back to peer at the man from behind Kakashi, watching him mouth the words: "I hope I get to fight Hojo." While pointing at his chest.

And, as if Naruto's sentence were an introduction, Hojo walks in with a sickeningly sweet expression plastered to his face and a hand pressed between Sakura's shoulder blades as he ushers her into the bunker.

Sasuke had seen Sakura get ready this morning. He watched her pile wispy tendrils into that very same high-ponytail she wore in this moment. He watched as she slid on those ankle-length black leggings, shooting him a sly smile because they both knew her spandex shorts would reveal the marks he'd left between her thighs.

The boots she had on were calf-length, clicking throughout the small, empty room as she follows behind Hojo who is explaining something to her fervently. Her red dress is short in the front and long in the back, exposing her tiny bellybutton as it tapers off on either side of her feminine curves. Two jade bangles grip onto her slender wrists delicately, and when she tucks a loose strand of her thick bangs behind her ear, Sasuke sees his brother's ring shine as it picks up the artificial lighting in the room.

He smirks.

With a bold step, the Hokage stands and waves out a single arm towards the contestants and halts their chatter. "Congratulations," he begins in a voice that conveys no emotion "This has been a very difficult contest. I extend my awe and my gratitude to those of you who have progressed, despite mechanical mistakes and failures on behalf of my team and the electronics systems."

Naruto leans back, hissing to Sasuke in his loud, not-so whisper. "Hey, Sasuke, he's talking about you."

Sasuke replies non-verbally, flashing his middle finger.

Gracefully stomping on his successor's toe, causing the Kyuubi to gather his foot in both hands and hop around, the Hokage continues. "For this round, I will make things as simple as possible; no robots, no demi-dimensions. We will all have a simple one-on-one battle."

A collective, thankful sigh washes over the participants.

"In the event of a forfeit, in which a participant does not show or gives up the battle, I will personally decide who will gain their title—if any."

At this point in time, two familiar bodies step into the room. Sasuke shifts his gaze from the clock to Shikamaru, who casually drops his lit cigarette to the ground and stomps it out with the back of his heel.

"You're early," Kakashi greets.

"The faster I'm here, the faster it's all over," He mumbles back.

Beside him, Karin adjusts her glasses and hides a laptop under the curve of her arm. Immediately her eyes fall on Sasuke, and the two share a moment that somehow reminds Karin of the first time they met.

She sees a flash, a large bear, a gentle smile. Her haze dissipates with three heavy blinks, causing the adolescent to morph into the adult before her. She can separate the old Sasuke from the new one, easily. Without meaning to, she lets herself fall into the dark ebb of his chakra. Though it's not near as demonic as it used to be, it wouldn't be "Sasuke" if there wasn't a twinge of his bittersweet, sadistic, and tormented soul.

Before that familiar, attractive heat can convulse through her, Shikamaru interrupts with a lazy greeting.

"I'm the proctor," he says. "I stop the fights if they get out of hand. I keep it fair. Do me a favor and don't make me step in."

There's a chuckle from both Kiba and Sakura, because they find his laziness to be nostalgic and comforting. Karin looks at the girl before her, and feels a mixture of emotion well inside. Oh Sakura…you look so happy…I'm sorry to burst your bubble.

"Anyways, here's a quick walkthrough about how this is going to go down." He glances at Karin, who opens her laptop and starts the elaborate presentation she'd finished just minutes before with the aid of Suigetsu and hot coffee.

There are fourteen, poorly drawn bodies all gathered in a circle. In the middle, the giant, curved TV screen that gives everyone an up-close and personal view of each fight. It is highlighted to display two random names.

"Two people will be picked. They will take their places opposite of each other and the dome will close. Inside of the dome, the crowd and the other contestants will see you, but you cannot see them. The only person you will see and hear during your battle is your opponent."

Sakura nods mostly to herself, watching as the computer displays Shikamaru's words in a visual manor.

"Before your battle starts, while you are being read the rules and regulations, the crowd will watch…what are they called?"

"Music videos, Shikamaru," Karin repeats for the umpteenth time that day.

"Right, "music videos" for each of you to show everyone a little bit of your past and childhood—who you are, where you came from, what your goals are, your battle style—things like that."

Suddenly, there's a lump in Naruto's throat. His hands turn sticky and he tightens his lips, wondering just what they would show everyone about his childhood.

Many people knew nothing of the old Naruto Uzumaki. They only knew of the village savior, the Hokage-to-be, and the sweet, understanding man that shared and showed kindness to everyone. He and Kurama didn't used to be on good terms, after all. Naruto was somewhat of a…holy terror.

The blonde looks over, past Kakashi, to see that Sasuke is unbelievable displaying the same expression as he was.

Sakura thrummed her fingernails on her thigh. Of the twelve people in this room, she only knew four on a first name bases. Shino was a quiet, creepy kind of guy that never really bothered with silly things like small talk. Lee was much too busy watching the arena to carry on a conversation. And Kiba was acting like a wild animal, holding his body over the railings dangerously as the crowd roared with excitement.

On the giant screen, Sakura can see that the camera crews have turned towards this bunker, filming the inhabitants as newscasters gave a play-by-play over what these fights entailed.

"I would have never thought you would be nervous." Hojo says, walking up behind Sakura. She was expecting him to find his way to her eventually, but the first match hadn't even begun yet.

"I'm not nervous in the slightest." Sakura replies as the crowd starts to chant. Names fly across the giant screen—ones that are familiar and foreign to her. After a few more seconds, two people finally pop up—Sato Uri and Guru Shodai. The two men stand, eyeing each other suspiciously as they make the short trek down the spiraled staircase to the center of the arena.

Pointedly ignoring the man beside her, Sakura focuses on the view ahead. Sakura doesn't mean to be rude, but she was incredibly interested in the "music videos" Karin had produced. She had no idea how wonderful the girl was with computers. Having someone like her in the hospital would be a life-savor.

Instead of staying in his area, Hojo takes his place back by Sakura's side and crosses his arms gently. "Are you and the Uchiha fighting?"

The question is perplexing.

Sakura didn't think Sasuke was upset at her, and she certainly wasn't angry at him. Yet, the entire time he stood beside Kakashi, he'd only looked towards the group once, and that was to watch Karin as she walked in.

The pink-haired woman had no idea just how closely tied those two former teammates really were. Sasuke must have thought highly of her to have the woman travel around with him in his search for Itachi. She often wondered, if she had trained harder as a girl, would Sasuke had knocked her out that night? Surly monstrous strength would have only benefited him at that time. Still, in many ways, she's thankful for his decision. Sakura wasn't sure she'd be able to live with herself if she followed the same dark path Sasuke had turned down on.

"Not that I know of," She answers honestly.

Suddenly, the speakers around them start to belt a popular, melancholic song that played frequently on the radio. The slow piano opening syncs beautifully with the scene presented, showing flashes of Sato's life first.

Sakura is amazed by how far back the film is. There's a grainy, highly edited snapshot of the man coloring on his notebook, drawing himself in a Hokage wardrobe. The crowed "awe's" and cheers as the man seemingly grows with them. They watched as he threw his first kunai, and as he completed the transformation jutsu effortlessly to pass the academy. He's a young man, running through the woods, trying to capture a certain loose kitten, and then he's a fully formed teen slamming his fist into his opponents cheekbone to win the Chunin exams.

It's like we've all lived the same life. Sakura chuckles to herself.

Throughout the video, his voice echoes around. "I'm gonna protect you and everyone in this village!" He yelled. "Man, can't they give us a better mission than this?" He complained.

"I like that about you." Hojo says quietly, pulling her from mind away from the show. "You've always been so sure of yourself."

Sakura turns towards Hojo, who acts like he's interested in the second participants though he continues to engage her in conversation. His words make her smile, but not in a happy way. She shakes her head, amazed at how little the man knew about her.

"I'm sure of myself now, but it certainly hasn't always been like that."

"No way," He mutters, wincing as the ground below them shakes from a body being thrown into the wall. He looks back towards the battle, but speaks to the woman beside him. "I wouldn't have ever guessed that."

"I'm a lot different than who I used to be. I mean, we all are—Naruto and Sasuke and I. I don't know what Karin has on me, but I'm sure you'll be granted some of my more embarrassing moments soon enough."

He shakes his head and laughs. "I'm not looking forward to my video either. This is all a bit too personal, isn't it?"

Sakura shrugs her shoulders. "It's politics. The best way to let the people know you're watching, without letting them know too much, is to show them just how far back these cameras can go. Besides, if you would have read the papers we signed before the beginning of these tests, you'd have seen the fine-print about this." She finishes with a wink.

He smirks and, this time, turns his body fully towards her. "You caught me. I just signed my soul away and didn't even read the first word."

"Your sister Amu tried the same thing when she started at the hospital. You two are a lot alike."

Another quake rocks the stadium and the civilians erupt with excitement. One body is down, and Shikamaru holds the victors hand up high. The ninja looks around, startled by the sound of cheer. "Round one, end. Sato Uri is victorious."

And with a dramatic applause, the first battle is finished.