It was late evening when Team 2 found the Iwa team. After checking all the inns, they traveled around the bars, restaurants, and entertainment centers. It was a large area to cover, but it was made possible, given the fact that Itachi and Kioshi knew the aura signatures and Emi knew the scent of the team. They did not have to check every place physically, and once they got on the trail, they were able to follow it.

Kioshi hesitated as team 2 moved closer to the Iwa individuals. With the lack of a crowd, the presence of the Iwa sensei could be distinguished clearly. It brought him back to that night, making Kioshi's heart beat faster. Was he really going to do this?

The sky was dark and Suna's dirt streets were lit with bright glowing lanterns. The Iwa team was spotted at a street bar, their backs turned, all of them eating hot plates of food in the restaurant's light. The action was so innocent and normal that it almost caught Kioshi off guard. He half expected them to be smirking in a dark ally.

The red-haired Iwa sensei turned as they approached. His eyes widened and then narrowed at seeing Kioshi. The Iwa students turned as well.

Kioshi stepped a little closer, Akio, Itachi, and Emi staying behind. This was his conversation. The others were only there for support. "I need to talk to you," he told the Iwa man firmly, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible.

His fear must have shown through because the red-haired ninja smirked condescendingly. "Oh really? What about?"

There didn't seem to be a clever way around it, so Kioshi decided to be direct. "I want to know what happened to my mother. I want to know if she got away from you alive."

The man's eyes darkened at this. Kioshi couldn't tell if it was from a reminder of a failure, or an affronted reaction to the mere suggestion.

The red-haired ninja stayed silent for a long moment, then spoke. "Perhaps if you agree to talk to the Tsuchikage, he can answer that question for you. I have nothing to say. You are a traitor to your country. Only our Lord can decide to offer forgiveness."

"My parents did nothing wrong!" Kioshi said, hidden anger quickly surfacing. "They only acted in defense. If it weren't for the ninjas of Konoha I would be dead!" Did the man seriously think that Kioshi was the one at fault?

"As a chakra citizen of rock country, it is your duty to serve," the man said. "You belong to the Tsuchikage."

"I belong to no one!"

"Oh really?" The man snarled. "So Konoha would just let you leave if you asked? The Hokage isn't using you for his own ends?"

The answer was "No" to both questions, but Kioshi stayed quiet. Agreeing wouldn't help his situation. The Hokage was using him, and Danzo would never let him leave. Loyalty was the only thing keeping him from being used by force. But Kioshi made the comparison. "At least Konoha isn't responsible for my parents' deaths."

"We were just doing our duty," the man said darkly. "Your parents disobeyed the law, putting our country at risk. Because of them, I am scarred for life and my friends are dead. I hold no sympathy for you." To Kioshi's surprise, the man showed true sadness at the repercussions.

"My mother did that to your face?" Kioshi asked, proud and hope rising. The man hadn't denied that his mother had been killed, but if the man had been injured, then perhaps the man simply just didn't care to correct him in that regard. Maybe she had escaped.

The man glared and didn't say anything. That was answer enough. His mother had been the one responsible for the injury.

A plan started to form in Kioshi's mind. It was risky, but Kioshi didn't see another option. He put on a sly grin. "You're not as big and tough as you look. My mother hadn't fought in years, yet she still managed to beat you. Your friends got killed pretty easily too. You guys are pathetic!"

If Kioshi could get the man angry enough, perhaps he would let something slip. The man seemed to generally care for his friends and country. Disrespecting the dead, and insulting the man and Iwa was bound to spark something.

And spark something it did. Killing intent filled the street. Suna Anbu ninja flared their chakra in turn from nearby rooftops, reminding the pair that they were watching. They seemed to be allowing the hostile conversation, but anything physical would be put down.

The Iwa ninja growled, reluctantly calming his chakra at the warning, but still shook with anger. "My friends were not weak… Don't you dare demean them! They put your father in his place. It was only because of Konoha ninjas that they died! You said so yourself! Trespassers and murderers! And you say we are the immoral ones!"

"Konoha had nothing do with it."

"Liar!"

"My dad didn't kill anyone either."

The Iwa ninja paused at this. Going this route was even more dangerous, but the man just needed one more push. His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Kioshi grinned. "You haven't figured it out yet?"

The man's brow furrowed, searching mentally, trying to see if he had missed something. Seeing Kioshi's smug expression, it finally dawned. "No… you were only low C rank and the time."

Kioshi's smile grew. "And yet, they still fell. It was quite fun… like gutting and chopping up two fishes. You should have seen their faces."

"I don't believe you," the man said, but there was doubt in his voice. If the man had seen the two bodies, then the gutted and chopped part would at least be known.

Kioshi decided to add one more incentive. Activating his eyes, he found a specific bubble in his golden realm. For some reason, he hadn't gotten rid of this particular holding. It would be useful now. Kioshi backed away and made a CD-sized portal, dropping out a splash of bones, muscles, intestines, and three-fourths of a beating heart. They were incorporeal at first but changed in time to land solidly on the dusty street.

"Here," he said darkly. "You can have a saved souvenir."

There was a strong chakra signature coming off the gore. If the spiky-red haired ninja knew the cloaked ninja closely as expected, then there would be no doubt to who the parts belonged.

"I kill you…" the man said in disbelief, watching as the pulsing heart slowed and became still. He faced Kioshi in rage. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you and your mother! I will track her down and gut her! You hear me! You have signed both of your deaths!"

Kioshi blinked and backed up slightly, shocked. The reaction wasn't out of fear. Had he just heard that right?... Track her down?... Track her down! Kioshi smiled. His plan had worked! The ninja had confirmed it. His mother was alive! She was alive and out Iwa's hands! He was so happy he could almost soar.

"You sick bastard!" The Iwa ninja must have interpreted the elated expression as mockery because the man lunged. Suna Anbu immediately flashed between the two, performing a shield barrier. "Stand down! Violence is not permitted outside of the trials. Members of Konoha, leave this area immediately!"

Akio grabbed Kioshi's arm and obeyed the order without hesitation leading Kioshi quickly away. Emi and Itachi followed closely afterward.

Kioshi was in a daze. Adrenaline was still pumping in his veins. He could tell Akio was stressed due to the tight grip, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. The fear.. the anger…the joy. It was all hard to process.

He also felt sick. It was the feeling of unrest after an unsolved toxic argument, but worse than anything he had ever experienced. Kioshi rarely sought to hurt someone emotionally, and never to this extent.

Akio lead the team into their room and closed the door. Kioshi, tears in his eyes, broke away and rushed into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door. He dry heaved into the toilet, trying to tear away the images of carnage he'd proudly displayed. It had just been an act, right? He'd only done it to get information. It was like Itachi torturing the Suna ninja. It was necessary. This didn't make him evil.

Kioshi couldn't shake the feeling away of self-loathing though. What was wrong with him? This should be a celebration. His mother was alive! He'd gotten what he wanted, and it was the best news possible. Why was this affecting him so badly?

The cramped place must be messing with his head. Kioshi climbed out of the small bathroom window and crawled up onto the inn roof, sitting on top of the sandstone dome. Maybe up here he could get a better perspective.

Tears continued to fall, as he looked over the golden village lights, glowing houses blurry against the dark sky. Thankfully the Suna Anbu guards kept their distance. He didn't want to be studied closely in this state.

Ten minutes later a familiar presence crawled up behind him. Kioshi did move, keeping his knees tucked up close to his chest. Itachi didn't say anything as he sat down. They stayed next to each other for a time, the other boy simply being silent support as Kioshi worked through his emotions.

"I made a mistake," Kioshi finally said, coming to the conclusion after a time.

Itachi turned to him, curious.

"I shouldn't have goaded that rock ninja like that," Kioshi clarified.

"It was a good tactic," Itachi said neutrally. "That man was your enemy. You achieved your goal. You found out about your mother, and you did not violate Suna's rules. It is an accomplishment, of which many ninjas would be proud."

Kioshi smiled grimly. "And that's the problem, isn't it? People in this world believe it is right to do almost anything to achieve a goal. It is expected. I took the easiest path to victory, and in so doing so, I spread hatred and pain. How can there ever be peace with such actions?"

"You believe you could have gotten the information another way?" Itachi asked softly.

Kioshi sighed. "I don't know. Probably not from that source." The Iwa ninja would likely be unsympathetic to any tears or pleading. Kioshi would have had to comply and grovel to both the man and the Tsuchikage as instructed. That was out of the question. Complying would put him in greater bondage and had no guarantee of getting true information.

"You value peace more than your mother?" There was uncertainty in the Uchiha's voice. Knowing what Kioshi did about Itachi's future, he knew what the Uchiha would choose if it came down to it. That didn't make it easy though.

Kioshi swallowed. "I'll defend myself and the people I love, but I don't want to become a monster, not for anything. I don't want to rule by manipulation and fear. If I don't back up on this path now, I'll lose myself."

Just a glimpse had been enough. The power of bending a person to his will had been addicting. But at the same time, there was a loss of peace. If he ignored his conscious and justified the action, he might be willing to do something more in the future. Even now, there would be consequences. He'd made a vengeful enemy, one who would be difficult to reconcile with. Others no doubt also saw him differently.

Itachi and Kioshi stayed silent up on the roof for a while afterward, enjoying the peaceful breeze of the night. Kioshi then wiped away the remaining traces of tears and sighed. "We better get to bed. It wouldn't be good to be tired tomorrow."

Itachi nodded.

They both crawled back down the side of the dome structure and entered through their room's open window. Akio and Emi didn't ask questions, and they all went to sleep.

000000000

The next morning Team 2 walked back to the stadium to compete in the semi-finals. More Anbu followed them this time, probably due to last night's events.

Akio was on edge as well. The man was somber and now looked at Kioshi with a mixture of sadness, worry, and a touch of wariness. The admission of killing two rock ninjas, along with the sinister nature displayed must have come as a shock.

Kioshi hoped this didn't ruin their relationship. It was clear now that he wasn't an innocent boy. His hands were stained, which was rare for someone so young. He was dangerous. This was already known, but having the ability to cause death and actually doing so were very different things. Actual murder meant that there would be less hesitation to kill in the future. This was good for a ninja, but also disconcerting if it caused or was done in an unstable state.

Kioshi reassured his sensei that it hadn't been a pleasurable act. He'd only done it to help his father. The words told to the Iwa ninja were lies. Akio seemed to have already suspected this, because his demeanor didn't change.

Sadly, the spiky-red-haired ninja didn't hold such views. Was there any way to come to peace? Kioshi killed the man's friends. That was permanent. But would apologizing for being crass help?

No. That would just make things worse. The man already had a set view of him. Any attempts at retracting the mocking words would be seen as manipulation or a weak and fearful response. Suna probably wouldn't let him approach the man again anyway.

Team 2 entered the stadium, and the crowd cheered on their entry. They were quite popular. It was rare for all three members of a single team to reach this point.

Kioshi looked over to the Iwa section and saw that the spiky-red-haired man and his pink-haired student were already present. Neither looked in their direction, both angry and glowering. The Kages entered, and Kioshi could tell the same ignoring hostility existed between the Tsuchikage and the Hokage. It seemed like some sort of conversation had taken place.

The crowd didn't seem to notice, ripples of excitement murmuring through them.

"Welcome to the Semi-finals of the Chunin Exams!" the announcer exclaimed brightly, once everyone was seated. "These are battles we have all been waiting for! Before you now are the four greatest genin in the all elemental nations! The applicants here have already demonstrated the right to rise in rank, but this will be a test to see if they can rise even further to compete for the championship! Lord Kazekage shall we begin?"

The Lord of the Suna nodded.

"Then bring out the bowl!" The announcer waited for the assistant to come, and then drew out two folded pieces of paper.

"The first match shall be Itachi Uchiha vs Emi Inuzuka!"

The crowd cheered.

The two teammates looked at each other, shrugging. Being paired against a fellow member was unavoidable for Team 2 at this point. They were three-fourths of the competition. It was lucky something like this hadn't happened sooner.

Itachi and Emi walked to their starting points and faced each other, getting into a ready stance. It had all agreed at the inn that no matter who they faced, they would each do their best to win. This would bring the most honor.

"Begin!" The announcer said, hitting the gong.

The teammates rushed at each other. They started fighting claws against blade, ducking and swiping with great ferocity. Both used dulling chakra. There was no desire to permanently injure.

Kioshi didn't know who to cheer for. Itachi would most likely win, but it would be a pleasant surprise if Emi pulled through.

The two teammates continued to fight, moving at a speed too fast for civilians to follow. Emi's shields and strength were formidable. She blocked Itachi's fireballs with ease, and her keen physical senses could also distinguish between reality and illusions.

Itachi's speed and tactics, however, eventually found an opening, and the Uchiha struck. The sword blow hit Emi in the ribs. It was only due to a last-minute strengthening technique that no bones were cracked. The girl was sent crashing into the arena barrier. When she got up, Emi nodded and made the sign of surrender. A sharpened blade would have killed.

"The winner of the first match is Itachi Uchiha!" The announcer shouted.

The crowd cheered, taking the hypothetical victory in stride.

Itachi waited until Emi neared, and then they walked off the field together.

The announcer's assistant brought out the bowl again, and the two last folded pieces of paper were drawn. Kioshi didn't see the point. Everyone already knew what they would say.

"The last match of the semi-finals will be Akari Harada vs Kioshi Hirano!"

The crowd cheered. They cheered even louder when Kioshi got up and walked out onto the field. Apparently, he was a crowd favorite. Kioshi smiled and waved.

Seeing that the pink-haired girl hadn't risen yet, the noise died down and mumbles began to emerge. "Akari Harada," the announcer said. "Are you going to fight?"

The girl still looked sullen and angry. "No, I forfeit."

The crowd gasped. There were cries of disappointment and outrage, and Kioshi could understand why. People had paid to see two fights, not one. This was a major rip-off.

The Tsuchikage, Kioshi noted, didn't look surprised by this turn of events. Was this on his orders?

Kioshi looked at the red-haired ninja. He didn't seem surprised by the statement either. He just glared like his student. Kioshi thought in the man's position, he would want his student to fight. Specific instructions could be given to do something sinister. With the right tactics, a fatal strike could be inflicted.

But maybe the red-haired man wanted to kill him personally. It was also possible that the Tsuchikage didn't want Kioshi harmed yet.

But if this was the case then why not just let the girl fight? Even if there was a high chance of Kioshi winning, it seemed more honorable to at least try.

Perhaps they were protecting the girl? The thought made Kioshi grimace. Had he really made such a bad impression? He didn't particularly like Iwa, but that wouldn't cause him to go on a murdering rampage, especially against someone who hadn't caused him personal harm.

"It seems Akari Harada has decided to forfeit folks!" the announcer said with reluctance, trying to sound happy. The crowd booed, giving credit to the man's nervousness. "The winner of the last match is Kioshi Hirano!"

000000000

The next day was a match between Itachi and Kioshi. Despite the disappointment of yesterday, the people in attendance were in good spirits, eager to see what the final match had in store.

Itachi and Kioshi would both try to win against one another, just like Emi and Itachi did in the semi-finals. Kioshi was excited. Fighting against Itachi was always fun, and today would be less stressful since the Iwa team was back with the rest of the crowd.

Eliminated teams usually stayed to see the conclusion of the exams. It was safer to travel back home with their Kage, and it was both educational and entertaining to remain and observe. The Konoha team that was disqualified in the second trial cheered loudly as Itachi and Kioshi faced each other. Other fire natives also cheered. Some shouted Kioshi's name while others shouted Itachi's. It didn't matter who won. Konoha would go home the victor.

The gong rang and Kioshi and Itachi rushed at each other.

Itachi started off with genjutsu, fading from sight. Itachi had recently perfected the ability to create or hide both auras and physical traits through illusion. It made it so Itachi could appear to be in places that he was not, even to sensors. Kioshi could tell his mental and spiritual chakra was being manipulated, but it took a lot of concentration to determine the actual illusions. Because of this, it was a decision between saving physical chakra, or staying focused.

Staying focused was the best option. His physical chakra levels were high, and in the end, dispelling genjutsus was just as draining as creating them. Genjutsu caused you to tire mentally. This fatigue made it harder to use chakra as time went on. Ninjas used adrenaline shots to combat this, but Kioshi doubted Itachi would resort to such tactics. It wasn't healthy.

Kioshi and Itachi clashed blades and started an intense battle of kenjutsu. Itachi tried a few more genjutsus while doing so, but gave up after a while. The boys then started to attack with lightning, fire, and thrown projectiles. Kioshi didn't want to give away everything with his portals, so he stuck with things the audience had already seen. He supplied himself with food and knives and threw them at the Uchiha, but he never absorbed or sent out attacks directly. He also didn't teleport, crush, block, or slice anything up. This may not make that much of a difference in the long run, but it made Kioshi feel better.

The fight lasted for several minutes, giving the audience a good show. It ended with Itachi striking Kioshi hard in the back with his blade.

Kioshi grunted, stumbling and falling to one knee due to the force. He quickly got up and turned around afterward, affronted. "Hey! That's my move!"

Itachi smirked. "Then you shouldn't have left yourself open to it."

Kioshi sulked. Kenjutsu was his strong suit. The defeat wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't demolished that particular pride and joy. Damn Uchihas and their copying ways…Sighing, he made the sign of surrender.

"The winner of the match is Itachi Uchiha!" the announcer said.

The crowd cheered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the champion of the Suna Chunin Exam!"

People cheered even louder, and Kioshi smiled at his friend. "Good job."


A/N: I'm going to start updating twice a month instead of every week. Sorry to fans of the story! I'll keep going, but things are getting busier in my life, and I want to have some time to work on my art and music. To those who want to see my other creative projects visit Emily's Art Studio on YouTube! There you can see how I painted the cover image for this story along with other works. Thanks for reading! Please feel free to point out grammar and spelling mistakes or offer constructive criticism. Also, tell me the parts you like and why so I can do more of it in the future!