Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.

Chapter Summary: In which the genin continue to beat each other up for a potential promotion and that turns out to be the least of their problems


Chapter 35: Three, Two, One…FIGHT

Sasuke was distracted from Kakashi-sensei and Rio's conversation by Hayate's announcement.

"Please see the…cough…board for the match-ups."

Sasuke looked up to the board to find his name at the very top.

Uchiha Sasuke (Konoha) – Aburame Shino (Konoha)

Nara Shikamaru (Konoha) – Temari of the Sunagakure no Sankyōdai (Suna)

Uzumaki Norio (Konoha) – Hyūga Neji (Konoha)

Gaara of the Sunagakure no Sankyōdai (Suna) – Rock Lee (Konoha)

His gaze moved to find the quiet boy, quickly finding him next to his sensei. He didn't talk to Shino much; had only ever hung around him when their teams were together. He knew that he had the chakra-eating bugs and that he was more tactical than their peers. He hadn't been far behind Sasuke in the academy rankings.

"You got this, Sasuke!" Rio grinned, nudging his arm.

He raised an eyebrow at the blond.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I don't need to tell you that," Rio's smile turned sharp. "Kick his ass."

Sasuke granted him a nod before he left, Sakura echoing a 'good luck' behind him. Kakashi-sensei hadn't said anything but he didn't need to. Sasuke knew what he had to do.

He made his way across the balcony to descend the stairs, entering the short, dark tunnel before emerging back into the bright afternoon light. Shino had moved into position across from him and Sasuke watched his opponent carefully, strategy after strategy racing through his mind.

This would have to be kept long-range. His taijutsu was better than Shino's but those bugs were the main threat. He might not be able to beat Shino before they drained his chakra, so he would do it the long way. He wasn't sure what Shino had in terms of long-range jutsu but Kakashi-sensei had been working on their ability to dodge a while before the exams so he was confident he'd be able to cope with anything Shino threw his way. He had a few in his own arsenal; Shino may be good but Sasuke was better.

The proctor looked between them, smothering a cough into his elbow. Hayate raised his hand, bringing it down quickly and jumping out of the way.

"Begin!"

Sasuke immediately flipped through hand seals, inhaling deeply.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"

He launched the fireball towards his opponent, standing his ground as the ball crashed straight into Shino. He narrowed his eyes as the earth clone crumbled to the ground. So he was earth natured; he would need to switch tactics. His Sharingan allowed him a crystal clear view of the area and he began to move as his gaze landed on a disturbed area of the arena.

"Raiton: Jibashi!"

The lightning moved through the floor, ripping up small chunks of earth as it travelled. Shino launched himself out of the ground just before it reached him and bounded closer. He overhead the Aburame and cursed beneath his breath.

"Doton: Kajuu no Doro."

Wet slabs of dirt rose from the ground around him and latched onto his limbs. Sasuke tugged on his arm but it refused to budge. He grit his teeth as he watched a few of the bugs start to latch onto his exposed skin, feeling the small drain of his chakra. Of course Shino would learn techniques that would allow him to capture his enemies; what better way to complement his kikaichū? He didn't have the chance to use hand seals so he would have to come up with something else. There had to be something.

He groaned as he found a solution; Kakashi-sensei was never going to let him hear the end of this. He closed his eyes and focused on his chakra, calming his breathing as the sounds around him faded away. He slowly began to convert his chakra to lightning, the buzzing feeling sitting around his navel. He could feel more and more of his chakra drain away and he knew he had to do this now.

His red eyes snapped open and he unleashed the converted chakra through his tenketsu. There was a bright flash as he lit up like a lantern, the arcs of electricity travelling rapidly over his limbs and dissolving the mud. It slopped to the ground to cover the many dead kikaichū that were still faintly smoking. Sasuke had to take a moment to collect himself; his entire being burned. He silently vowed never to do that again as he tried to shove the pain to the back of his mind.

"Raiton: Raisen!"

He launched the projectile at the Aburame, just wanting the match over with. Shino managed to dodge but Sasuke had followed in its path, drawing near his opponent for the first time since the match had started only a few minutes ago.

"Raiton: Takkuru no Raiton!"

Sasuke body-slammed into Shino, taking him down the floor with him. He cancelled the technique as he sat on top of his opponent, grabbing his arms and holding him immobile. The proctor walked over to them, peering over Sasuke's shoulder.

"Aburame Shino, can you continue?"

Shino remained quiet for a long moment before he shook his head slowly. Sasuke let him go and rose to his feet.

"Aburame Shino is unable to continue. Uchiha Sasuke is through to the next round!"

Sasuke sighed heavily as his shoulders slumped; that was a lot harder than he'd been expecting. He knew he couldn't lose here, not with Itachi still out there, but it proved that he still had a long way to go. He held out a hand for Shino and hauled him to his feet, his arms protesting the movement. They both began to walk to the tunnel in silence. It was just before they separated to their respective teams that Sasuke spoke up.

"Good match," Sasuke murmured under his breath.

"You too."

Sasuke walked up to his team and avoided looking at Kakashi-sensei's knowing gaze.

"That was amazing, Sasuke!" Rio bounced over to him, vibrating with excitement. "The way you were like a living lightning rod, which was so cool by the way! Your ninjutsu is insane!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes fondly.

"Sasuke, I can heal you before your next match."

He looked over into Sakura's steady gaze, her green eyes calm and earnest.

"Kazuya-sensei taught some more advanced first aid," she continued. "It's not much but I can take away some of the strain."

Sasuke hesitated for only a second before he held his arm out, only now noticing the small soot-like marks near each one of his tenketsu. He felt another hand on his shoulder and he looked up at Kakashi-sensei.

"It was brilliant of you to use our chakra-moulding exercises like that but please never do it again," his teacher said firmly. "You could do some serious damage if you did that more than once."

Sasuke nodded. When Kakashi had made him sit down and learn to mould his regular chakra into lightning chakra before he was allowed to learn a raiton jutsu, Sasuke had complained. He didn't need to do it to learn jutsu. After that match, he now found himself appreciating those hours spent sitting in the training ground.

"Nara Shikamaru and Temari of the Sunagakure no Sankyōdai, please…cough…please make your way to the arena."

Sasuke turned to watch his arm still held in Sakura's grasp; whoever won this match would be his next opponent.


Rio tapped his foot impatiently as he watched his friend dance around the Suna nin. It was his match next and he had a bone to pick with his opponent. He hadn't forgotten how Neji had treated Hinata in the preliminary round and he wasn't about to let something like that slide.

"She's a wind user," he heard Sasuke mutter beneath his breath as Temari unleashed another wave of cutting wind at Shikamaru's head.

"Yeah, you should probably use your fire rather than lightning."

"She might try to turn my fire against me and projectiles won't work," his friend nodded. "I'll need to get close."

They watched as Shikamaru continued to dodge and hide. Rio wasn't worried; Shikamaru was the smartest person he'd ever met. He had a plan.

Those thoughts dissolved as he watched in outrage as Shikamaru forfeited after capturing Temari's shadow. Rio launched himself forward, only prevented from tumbling over the railing by Kashi grabbing his collar.

"Shikamaru, what the fuck!" He yelled down at his friend who was pointedly not looking his way. "You had her!"

Rio grumbled as he took a step back and shook off his teacher. He would make Shikamaru regret giving up; his friend could think circles around every single person in this stadium, he just refused to apply himself. It was such a waste. What would happen out in the field if he slacked off now? As Shikamaru joined them on the dais, Rio watched a shudder run through his thin frame as he caught Rio's glare.

"Uzumaki…cough…Norio and Hyūga Neji, please make…cough, cough…your way to the arena."

Rio looked down to the proctor and hopped over the railing, ignoring Kashi's exasperated admonishment behind him. He used his chakra on the wall to control his descent. He walked to stand near Hayate and glared at the older Hyūga as he took his place opposite.

He shared some resemblance to Hinata in his features. Long, straight brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and a thick black headband covered his forehead. A thick beige, sleeveless jacket and black shorts covered his lean frame. His features were delicate, just like Hinata's, but his eyes and hair were slightly darker. He also didn't have the openness and kindness that he always associated with Hinata; his gaze was hard and cold.

"You look like you want to say something," Neji commented in a dull tone.

"I am going to kick your ass," Rio snapped back, his earlier fury rising up once again.

Neji settled back into his hip, the blood vessels around his eyes bulging as a pupil appeared in his pale purple eyes.

"I look forward to your look of disappointment," he said calmly. "We both know what fate has intended for this fight."

Rio resisted the urge to tell him where he could shove his 'fate' and fell into his own ready position. He recalled what Genma-sensei had told him about the Hyūga clan; long-distance was always better. Their taijutsu style relied on close contact so it was better to get some distance and fight with his long-range jutsu. Rio understood even if he didn't like it. He really wanted to punch this guy in the face.

Hayate raised his hand, dropping it rapidly.

"Begin!"

Rio let loose a barrage of kunai as he flung himself back, his spring backflip getting him some distance. He scowled as he watched Neji snatch one of the kunai, using it to block the others. He flipped through hand seals rapidly as Neji took a step forward.

"Suiton: Suidan no jutsu!"

The barrage of water left his mouth and went straight for Neji. He couldn't see it hit the Hyūga but he would have been hard-pressed to avoid it entirely. He cut the technique as a fist swung at him and he ducked. A very wet and angry Neji swung again and Rio blocked, feeling the harsh jolt. He narrowed his eyes; fuck this long-distance thing, he was going to beat this guy with his own fists.

He swung a fist of his own and they exchanged blows, none landing but he could feel the air shift as they came close. The breath was driven from his lungs as Neji managed to slam an open palm into his sternum, shoving him back several paces. He rolled with the force and rose to his feet, flipping through more hand seals. He wanted to use the jutsu Zabuza used to hide back in Wave but there just wasn't enough water.

"Suiton: Mizu Shuriken!"

Small projectiles launched towards Neji. He huffed as the Hyūga avoided them, getting closer once again.

"You understand, right?" Neji said firmly. "You have no way of winning."

Rio rolled his eyes and launched another attack. They exchanged blows and Rio growled as Neji narrowly avoided his kick to the chin. The other boy was fast.

"What happened to beating me?" Neji commented and Rio riled at the condescending tone.

"Not only am I going to beat you, I'm gonna make you apologise to Hinata!"

Neji dodged around the flurry of punches that Rio unleashed.

"Hinata? That pitiful example of the Main Branch?"

Rio saw red and he didn't think about strategy. He lashed out and Neji took a few steps back with a burst lip. The Hyūga wiped away the blood with a harsh swipe, spreading it over his left cheek.

"I'm gonna be the Hokage!" Rio yelled. "I'm not gonna let anyone talk about my friends that way!"

"The Hokage…You are going to become the Hokage?" Neji scoffed. "At your level, it's impossible."

Rio clenched his firsts.

"Figuratively speaking, everything inherent about people is set. Are you saying that anybody can be the Hokage if they just work hard? It's not something you can become by trying to become it. It's determined by destiny."

Rio glared as his hand began to shake. Neji was wrong; Rio would become the Hokage. He knew he could. He would protect everyone.

"Even with Uzumaki-sama and Arai-sensei, you are not meant for such great heights. That is not your destiny."

"I make my own destiny!"

Neji just looked at him.

"This match is over."

Rio's eyes widened as Neji began to gear up for something.

"Eight Trigrams…Two Palms!"

Rio scrambled but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the strikes. The blows landed heavily on his torso and he called out in pain. The hits kept coming and he didn't have time to raise a block or a defence.

"Sixty-Four Palms!"

The last strikes threw Rio across the arena and he hit the ground hard, skidding back before finally rolling to a stop.

"Are you frustrated? Kneeling down before a power that can't be changed and to know your own powerlessness?"

Rio gritted his teeth as he rose to his feet, his knees almost buckling halfway up. He heard a quiet 'no way' from Neji and he grinned.

"I just don't know when to give up, you know?" He bared his teeth at the Hyūga. "I got that from my brothers."

"Just stop already," Neji insisted. "The result will be the same no matter how much you fight."

"I will not stop until you admit defeat."

"All this over Hinata? Do you know of the destiny of the Hyūga, our destiny of hatred?" he ripped off his headband, exposing his forehead and the green seal that was etched into pale skin. "Hinata's father was born first in the Head family of the Hyūga, leaving my father to be shoved aside into the Branch family. As his son, I was branded with the Curse Mark and became a bird in a cage. It serves not just as a status symbol but to keep me in line; to make sure that I know my place."

Rio swallowed down the horror at the implications.

"My father was killed by the Head family. Hinata's father killed the head of the Kumo peace delegation and so Kumo demanded payment. They demanded the body of the Hyūga Clan Head, and instead of handing over Hiashi-sama, they killed my father as a replacement."

Neji looked up from the ground to stare directly into Rio's eyes.

"Other than dying, there's no other way to escape the Curse Mark; even though they were twins with nearly equal power, the order in which they were born decided their entire lives. When you were drawn as my opponent, your destiny was decided too. Your destiny is to lose to me."

Neji retied the hitai-ate around his forehead, covering the Curse Mark once again.

"That sounds like it sucks," Rio said sincerely. "I'm sorry that happened to you and your dad."

Neji looked back at him in surprise, but Rio continued.

"Being stuck with a burden, with something that's not your fault, it doesn't have to define you. You don't have to let it control you. People can be shitty about it but that doesn't mean you can be shitty to other people because of it. That makes you part of the problem!"

Rio knew that better than anyone. He'd been lucky with Nii-san and Kazu-nee, they'd provided a shield for most of the villagers' hate. He hadn't even been aware of it before Nii-san had been admitted to the hospital back when Nii-san had been in the academy. He had lashed out a bit before he went to the academy but Nii-san had sat him down a short while after he'd found out about the Kyūbi and straightened him out.

"People are born burdened with an inherent destiny that they cannot defy!"

"You think you're the only one with a shit hand?" Rio screamed back at him. "Wake up! Everyone has a burden, everyone has suffered! You can't dictate to people and pull them down just because you think you got it worse!"

Neji looked taken aback but Rio thundered on.

"Besides, you're being a total hypocrite! You're saying I can't change and Hinata can't change but you're trying to change yourself! There's no way you came up with such an awesome technique by just settling for what you have! You're trying to change destiny too!"

Neji paused before he straightened up.

"Then prove it. Beat me."

Rio grinned but internally he was frantically trying to come up with a plan. It felt like he had chakra exhaustion. How did he unlock his tenketsu? Sasuke used his tenketsu to spread lightning chakra but he didn't have any chakra to do that.

A terrible idea crossed his mind. It was a terrible, no good, dangerous idea but it was all he had.

He closed his eyes and searched his core, trying to find that foreign molten source of chakra that he always felt in the back of his mind. He brought his hands together in front of him into a head seal.

Kyūbi, help me out, please!

He felt something click and warmth flowed through him, to the tips of his fingers and toes. Something loosened in his skin and he felt his tenketsu open back up and his regular chakra began to flow normally. The warm chakra faded and Rio threw a quiet thank you into the abyss. There was no answer.

"What was that?" Neji demanded.

"My burden," Rio answered.

He launched himself towards the Hyūga, their kunai clashing between them. Rio stood his ground as he poured chakra into the blade and pushed harder when Neji did the same. It reached a peak and Rio felt a force throwing him back, dust and debris circling around them. The breath was driven from his lungs as he landed on the hard ground. He hauled himself up and looked for Neji, launching himself forward again and landing a hit under the bottom of Neji's chin just as the Hyūga managed to get to his feet. He stood over the Hyūga as he lay on the ground.

"Hyūga Neji, can you continue?"

There was a long pause.

"No."

"Hyūga Neji is unable to continue. Uzumaki Norio moves on to the next round!"

Rio just continued to look down at his beaten opponent.

"Sure, you can't change the hand you're dealt," he said quietly. "But once you get that hand, it's all up to you. Fuck destiny, how do you want to live your life?"

Neji didn't answer but Rio could see the conflict on his face.

"I'll talk to my brother about the Curse Mark," Rio offered. "It sounds wrong and it shouldn't be forced on anyone. He'll know a way to undo it. He's kind of a genius with seals."

He was shooed off the field before Neji could reply but he hoped things got better for Neji. He was still going to make him apologise to Hinata though.


The Kazekage was leaning forward in his seat, his dark eyes trained on the blond genin making his way out of the arena. Hiruzen wasn't sure he liked that look in his eyes.

"You have some interesting genin this year, Hiruzen-dono." Rasa finally leaned back into his seat as the area was cleared for the next match.

"I could say the same of you, Rasa-dono," he replied mildly. "Two of your children made it through to the final matches and your daughter has fairly mastered wind techniques. You must be proud."

The Kazekage smiled but there was no warmth or pride behind it.

"Yes, I suppose so."

Hiruzen left it at that as the next match-up was announced.


Rio was once again leaning over the railing. Sakura had given him a quick once over after the match but he'd always healed fast anyway. He'd be ready to go by the time his next match came around.

"Gaara of the Sunagakure no Sankyōdai and Rock Lee, please make your way…cough…to the arena."

Sasuke came to lean beside him as the two very different genin moved towards the proctor. Gaara was slow and calm, his steps measured and his face black while Lee had already made it there, bouncing on the toes of his feet and grin so wide it almost split his face.

"You fought with Lee during the preliminaries, right?" Rio muttered over his shoulder to his friend.

"Yeah," Sasuke quietly replied, his eyes still trained on the pair in the arena.

Rio rolled his eyes as he nudged the Uchiha's shoulder. Sasuke threw an annoyed look right back at him.

"Well?"

"He's fast," he offered, his activated Sharingan already back on the other genin, "and strong."

"Begin!"

Rio whipped his head back round to catch a green blur already dashing towards the stationary Suna nin. Lee jumped and spun, swinging a kick directly to Gaara's face.

"Konoha Senpū!"

A wave of sand burst out from Gaara's gourd to block the attack, almost swallowing Lee's leg in the process. The Konoha genin managed to jump back but the sand just kept on coming, soon forming a wall between the genin. It chased Lee back against the wall before retreating back into the gourd. Gaara hadn't moved an inch.

Lee darted forward once again and tried to land a blow but for every kick and punch, sand was always there to block it. A large wave crashed down into the spot where Lee had just been but he'd moved in time. Lee looked back to where Gaara had been standing for the whole match so far but he was gone.

"You know, Naruto changed Gaara more than I think he'll ever know."

Rio jumped slightly at the voice behind him and turned around to stare at Temari. She was smiling softly down at her brother.

"Before Gaara would never have moved. He would always do everything from one spot and expect his sand to take care of everything. Now he's willing to learn other things and improve himself in ways that don't involve his sand."

Rio looked back down at Gaara, who had reappeared on the other side of the stadium. He'd vowed to learn more about his brother when he'd first met the Sand Siblings before the Exams. They'd made him realise that he didn't know as much as he should have about Nii-san. He took him for granted and that had never had been as apparent as when he'd learned that Nii-san had been kidnapped.

He knew Nii-san was amazing but was there something about him that could change people so profoundly? Did Rio just miss it because he's always been around Nii-san? What did Nii-san actually do at work? How do so many people know who he is?

He hadn't had a chance yet to sit down and talk without anyone around since Nii-san had turned up in the Forest. He got discharged today so he was watching in the crowd somewhere. Rio would win this whole thing and make him proud and then after he makes chunin, he will talk to Nii-san. He'll be a better brother.

He winced as a whip of sand grabbed a hold of Lee's ankle and started to slam him against the concrete surfaces. He looked over as Tenten joined him at the railing on the opposite side of Sasuke.

"Lee is really strong," she commented. "He can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu but his taijutsu is one of the best I've ever seen."

"That might not be enough against Gaara," he replied quietly as the sand finally let go of Lee.

The older boy landed heavily, creating a crater beneath him. Rio watched as he picked himself back up and tried again; punches and kicks and spins one after another to no effect. Lee finally slipped on the sand beneath his feet and hit the ground again. The sand elapsed over him and he felt Tenten tense up beside him. Lee managed to dodge and he landed on top of the hand statue that rested against one wall.

"Lee, drop them!"

All eyes turned to Gai.

"You told me only to do that to protect a large group of very important people!" Lee yelled back.

"That's quite alright!" Gai grinned, winking with enthusiastic thumbs up. "I give you permission!"

Rio narrowed his eyes as Lee took out something from beneath his orange leg warmers. Were those weights? That wasn't going to do much, what was his plan?

He choked as they hit the ground, leaving two deep craters and a massive plume of smoke from where they had landed. Tenten patted his back gently but he could see the smug grin plastered over her face. Sasuke hadn't flinched but Rio could see that his grip on the railing had tightened. Lee vanished and suddenly he was circling Gaara quicker than Rio could keep track of.

"Sasuke, what's happening?"

"His attacks are getting closer to hitting him."

One such punch landed and Gaara went flying. He heard Temari's gasp even though she'd move much further along the railing. Gaara pulled himself to his feet and the sand began pouring out of the gourd at an alarming rate. It soon covered the entire floor of the area and climbed up the walls and no matter how much Lee jumped and flipped, he couldn't avoid the wave forever. It finally caught the edge of his arm and the sand began to envelop him, quickly covering the green spandex. Lee's fists appeared as the onslaught continued but eventually the only thing visible left was his face.

"Lee, can you continue?"

The boy struggled but no matter how strong he was it was hard to fight something he couldn't get a grip on. The proctor watched him struggle for a few more moments before raising his hand.

"Rock Lee is unable to continue. Gaara moves on to the next round!"

Gaara gently retracted the sand from around the struggling Konoha genin and it flowed back into the gourd on his back. He walked up to a frozen Lee and held out a hand, waiting patiently. The older genin paused for only a moment before he grasped the limb and shook it up and down far more enthusiastically than Gaara probably expected.

Sasuke shifted next to him and Rio nudged his shoulder in support. He had this; Temari was so going down.


Sasuke shook out his arms as he emerged from the tunnel. Sakura had managed to take away some of the strain from the previous match and while he still felt a bit achy, he was in a much better position than he would have been otherwise. It had taken a while to trust that she wouldn't go all 'fangirl' on him; she'd really changed since their time in the academy. It was a relief just to be left alone, but she was becoming someone he could actually rely on.

Kazuya had made a huge difference and Hana was the best role model he could think of for her. Since she'd moved into his spare room, they'd reached a truce of sorts. They generally left each other alone but they could find some common ground in dealing with the Uzumaki Clan. Sasuke'd had many years of practice with the playful and chaotic nature of the family; it was entertaining to watch Sakura deal with it for a change. She hadn't even been ambushed with one of their 'training exercises' yet.

He stopped next to Hayate and watched Temari land opposite him, having used her fan to float herself down from the stands. She was an expert in fūton so his raiton was out. His katon was strong but he'd have to be careful. He eyed the massive fan in her hands; if he set that on fire, he'd win easily. He ignored the voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Rio whispering 'pyro'. It wasn't his fault most plans worked better with fire.

"Begin!"

"Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu!"

He unleashed a barrage of shots, the small orbs of fire aimed right for Temari. She grinned and swept her fan.

"Senpū Gōheki!"

The wave of air crashed into his own technique, catching fire and forming a massive wall of flame. It also changed the direction of his technique and he cursed, rushing through hand seals.

"Doton: Moguragakure no jutsu!"

He dove into the ground, the dirt moving around him to allow him to sink unhindered. He caught his breath in his tiny pocket; he had to get close. The dark walls around him blocked out the sounds of the crowd and he took a moment to relish the peace of the moment. He understood why Kakashi-sensei liked this technique. Closing his eyes, he waited as he felt Temari move above him. She stopped moving and he crept closer. Moving to just beneath the surface, he whispered,

"Katon: Engeki."

He took a big gulp of air before the technique swallowed all the oxygen in the tiny space. Breaking through the thin crust of earth above him, he swung for Temari, catching the edge of her fan. She quickly retreated, managing to pat out the budding flame but Sasuke didn't give her a chance to release another of her attacks. He pounced forward, his fists still on fire, and engaged her in taijutsu. She blocked each of his hits with her fan to avoid the burns but Sasuke grinned viciously as he saw the increasing damage to her fan.

"Surrender," he said quietly, his face close to hers as she blocked another hit.

"Go fuck yourself, Uchiha," she spat back as she managed to bury her fan deep in his gut.

His flames spluttered out in his surprise and Temari managed to get some distance, swinging what was left of her fan. It wasn't as strong as before but it was enough to force him back a few steps. The wind sliced into his clothing and drew blood, the liquid warm on his skin as it left a trail before dropping to the floor.

Sasuke watched her for a moment, his Sharingan catching all of her subtle movements. He couldn't copy her techniques; they required a fan and fūton was the hardest for him to learn. He had weakened her fan to the point where she couldn't make any big moves. He smirked as she tried not to obviously favour her left leg. He thought he'd managed to graze the limb earlier; this would play into his hands.

He ran forward as fast as his legs could push him and while the Suna nin was fast, she was no Kakashi-sensei. He slammed a leg into her fan, forcing it down before he lashed out. She dodged around his fist and lifted her fan once again. He grinned and twirled in a roundhouse kick, aiming for her unprotected legs. He got a direct hit on her injury and she was forced to her knees with a grunt.

"Katon: Engeki."

He placed both hands on her fan and watched as it destroyed the rest of the beige fabric until all that was left was a charred frame. He leaned over her, pushing the wood in her stomach to keep her pinned. Hayate appeared over his shoulder, muffling a cough into his elbow.

"Temari, can you continue?"

She struggled beneath his hold but Sasuke did not give an inch. He was starting to really feel his own injuries from the fight and he didn't want to get anymore. He still had another match. Hayate watched for a moment before he raised a hand.

"Temari of the Sunagakure no Sankyōdai is unable to continue. Uchiha Sasuke moved on to the next round!"

Sasuke let go amidst the thundering applause, his chest hurting with each breath. She might have nailed some of his ribs earlier. She rushed to her feet, brushing herself off and stalked off. Sasuke quickly followed her into the tunnel.

"What are you following me?" Temari snapped, whirling around in the middle of the corridor. "You won! Isn't that enough for you?"

Sasuke watched her quietly for a long moment.

"That was a good match," he said calmly. "You're the strongest genin I've fought so far."

She stopped short as she scrutinized his face. He was sure she was searching for an ulterior motive but he meant what he said. She was incredibly strong; opponents like her were what he wanted. They would help him get stronger.

She scoffed but a lot of the anger was gone.

"Easy for you to say," she rolled her eyes, turning and continuing to walk away. "I don't know many genin who can use three different elemental jutsu."

Sasuke walked after her, shoving his hands in his pockets with a wince.

"Gaara is going to beat you," Temari said with confidence as they began climbing the stairs.

"He has to beat Rio first," Sasuke retorted.

"Gaara's only ever lost once," she said back, but there was a smile at the edge of her lips. "He learned his lesson."

Sasuke rolled his own eyes but there was no malice behind it. Temari was strong and she had his respect; he couldn't imagine her brother was any different.


Rio bounced down the stairs, coaxing a high-five out of Sasuke on his way past. That fight was amazing! Kashi had apparently taught Sasuke a lot more than speed during their month of training. He couldn't wait to fight his friend in the final; he just had to beat Gaara first.

His opponent was very dependent on his sand and that could work for Rio. He had a few water techniques up his sleeve; it would have been better if there was a water source nearby but he could make do. They would have to make him a chunin if he made it to the final; he could follow in Nii-san's footsteps by becoming a chunin as a rookie.

He finally emerged from the tunnel, back into the bright lights and sounds that he'd grown accustomed to over the course of the day. He grinned widely at Gaara who was already standing next to Hayate.

"Let's have a great match, Gaara!"

Gaara nodded and Rio fell back into his ready stance.

During the day they'd first arrived, when they'd given the Suna team a tour around Konoha, he'd learned a little bit about his fellow jinchūriki. Gaara was quiet and reserved; he kept things close to his chest. Rio had managed to pick up on his interest in flowers and botany. They almost hadn't been able to drag the boy back out of Yamanaka Flowers. He'd also picked up on the fact that Gaara's life hadn't been quite as happy and protected as Rio's had been. He hadn't asked but he wanted to know what the other boy had been through; what Rio had escaped. The villagers had taken until he was in the academy to warm up to him but they had never tried to harm him. He kind of wanted to know how much Nii-san had protected him from.

Hayate looked between them before raising his hand. As he was about to lower his hand and start the match, white feathers began to fall from the sky. Rio felt tiredness creep into the edge of his mind and he frowned. That didn't feel right.

"Kai!"

The exhaustion vanished and the sense of wrong only grew stronger. He looked up into the stadium and his eyes widened at the sight of rows and rows of sleeping civilians. Kashi and the other jounin were fighting off shinobi dressed completely in black. He took a step back as Temari and Kankuro appeared next to Gaara, their eyes wide in fear.

"Please tell me he didn't," Temari whispered.

"We have to get Gaara out of here," Kankuro swallowed hard.

"Wait, no, what the fuck is going on?" Rio regained himself and took a step forward.

"I think I would like to hear this myself," Hayate said next to them, sounding more serious than he'd been all day.

"My father mentioned an invasion before we arrived in Konoha," Temari admitted. "He wanted Gaara to lose control during one of the final matches, to provide a distraction and the start signal."

"But he said no!" Kankuro added desperately. "We all did! Gaara can't even lose control anymore thanks to Naruto's seal!"

"We thought that he'd stop or lose interest," Temari insisted. "Gaara was a big part of the plan and without him, Suna doesn't have the power or numbers to do anything."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Rio yelled.

The rest of the genin from the exam landed on the arena ground from their place in the stands. Sasuke led them over to him, watching the Suna trio with suspicious red eyes.

"The sensei sent us over here," he explained quietly. "They're fighting off some shinobi that attacked us."

"We didn't know! Nobody said anything after that! We didn't think he would go through with it!" Temari shouted back, her hand tightening on Gaara's shoulder. "I promise we would have tried to stop it."

"I would never do anything to hurt Naruto." All eyes were drawn to Gaara. "That applies to his village and comrades."

"Tou-san has always had a grudge against Konoha," Kankuro grimaced. "I don't know why he would do this."

"Kazekage-sama didn't do this."

Rio's breath caught in his throat as Nii-san appeared next to Hayate in a swirl of leaves. He stood a bit taller than the other man and his long red hair was tied back into a high bun. Dressed in his usual shinobi gear of black trousers, sandals and a sleeveless crop top, with his brace covering his left arm and a bracer to his elbow on his right, he cut an intimidating figure. The tattoos on his ribs and stomach were on display and his hitai-ate was wrapped around his brace. Intense blue eyes swept over the stadium before landing on the trio of Suna genin.

"Your father was never here," Nii-san continued. "Orochimaru most likely killed him and disguised as him to get close to Hokage-sama. He probably misled your fellow shinobi; when ordered by their Kage, they wouldn't have had a choice but to follow his orders."

Rio followed Nii-san's gaze to see a translucent blue barrier rise over the stand the Hokage and Kazekage had been sitting in.

"Hokage-sama will have to handle him," Nii-san dismissed as he turned back to the genin. "Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, you need to get out of here. Go back to Suna and report to your council about what's happening here."

Kankuro nodded and began to drag Gaara away but Temari had paused.

"Please don't kill them," she hesitated. "I know they're attacking your village but they didn't know either. They thought they were following orders from their Kage."

Nii-san nodded.

"I will put the order out. Now go."

He didn't even pause to watch them go when he turned to the rest of them.

"Hayate, you're with me. We need a Yamanaka. Sasuke, Shino, Shikamaru, you are now in charge of your respective teams. Do not engage unless you do not have a choice; I need you to start escorting civilians to the safe house in the Hokage Mountain. I repeat, you are not to fight, am I understood?"

Rio joined in the chorus of 'Yes, Sir', automatically responding to Nii-san's tone of voice.

"Stay safe," Nii-san added before he and Hayate disappeared.

Rio remained frozen for a few seconds, trying to process the last ten minutes. Sasuke interrupted him by shaking his arm.

"We need to start waking people up."

Rio nodded and quickly ran after his team. He could think about all this later; right now, he had some civilians to help.


Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Raiton: Jibashi – Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder
Doton: Kajuu no Doro – Earth Release: Mud Weights
Raiton: Raisen – Lightning Release: Lightning Flash
Raiton: Takkuru no Raiton – Lightning Release: Lightning Tackle
Suiton: Suidan no jutsu – Water Release: Water Bullet Technique
Suiton: Mizu Shuriken – Water Release: Water Shuriken
Konoha Senpū – Leaf Hurricane
Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu – Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique
Senpū Gōheki – Fan Wind Roaring Wall
Doton: Moguragakure no jutsu – Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique
Katon: Engeki – Fire Release: Flame Attack

Thanks for reading!