Ellainna Jinto

by Deidarasbabygurl

Ellainna is just a regular, run of the mill Kunoichi trying to live her life. She likes pork buns, hates the rain, and just wants to promote to Jonin. Unfortunately, she is required to partake in remedial training with a newly formed Genin team to learn teamwork and partnership. She agrees, reluctantly, and begins on a path to a life she never expected. KakashiXOC Little SasukeXOC

10. The Mark, The Fights, What's Next?

A/N:

I wanted to know. For those of you who have seen all of Naruto, what do you think of the way I wrote/am writing Kakashi in this story? I came across a Reddit post about how sometimes people writing a cherished character ooc/ out of the context and mind frame they believe the character to be in turned them off of the story completely. I know I have yet to touch on the complicatedness of Rin but that's on purpose and will make sense later on. Irregardless, what do YOU guys think?

Also, I read on a writing Reddit that every chapter doesn't have to have an intro/outro. Blew my mind. So from now on, intros/outros will be for important things and shoutouts only. Thanks!

After a long day of volunteer work and keeping Tamryn from making bad decisions, Ellainna rushed home to prepare the beef roast she had left out. She went to work cooking it, creating a whole meal, while Tamryn sat back and entertained her. She knew she couldn't talk Ellainna down out of the stubborn fantasy she had where her parents would actually show up to dinner and be actual parents. But that was Ellainna. Tamryn tensely watched Ellainna glide around the kitchen.

"Aw, I know I'm your favorite person but you don't have to go through all this trouble for me," Tamryn said, trying to give Ellainna an out she knew she wasn't going to take.

Ellainna silently stirred her pot of gravy in a frenzy. Tamryn clicked her tongue and sighed. After the meal was finished, plated, and laid beautifully on the table, Ellainna sat in one chair at the head of the table and Tamryn in the one to her right. She was trying to avoid looking as though she was waiting for her parents but as Tamryn was her closest friend, she was failing deeply at hiding her intentions from her friend. After sitting in silence for ten minutes, Tamryn decided it was time to call it; before the food got cold.

"Ellainna-"

"Ah."

"But-"

"Unh."

"I just-"

"Nuh unh."
Tamryn crossed her arms and sat back in her chair grumpily. Another thirty minutes and Ellainna sighed in defeat and stabbed the roast with the serving fork. She hunched over and picked at her nails solemnly as Tamryn stood and walked over to embrace her from behind. She began brushing through Ellainna's hair affectionately with her fingers.

"Tam-"

"No."

"Tam-"

"The food looks good, Elly."

"Yeah," Ellainna replied dejectedly. How the food looked isn't what mattered to her.

Tamryn used her hand as a ponytail holder for Ellainna's hair so she could pull her head back and kiss her forehead.

"Come on," she said gently and began fixing a plate for the both of them. Then, she sat and they both ate in silence. Tamryn's attempts to get topics started and cheer Ellainna up didn't gain any traction. Afterwards, Ellainna went to bed, also in silence, and left Tamryn to her own devices for the evening. Tamryn decided that she'd do the dishes and clean up for Ellainna. As she did so, she reflected on her friend and what she would be able to do to help her.

After checking in on Ellainna, she tucked her in and decided to take a leisurely stroll in town. She got dressed up and locked up behind herself. On her way out the door, she noticed a note left on the porch.

This had to have been left here after we got back, she inferred. She picked up the note and read it. Displeased with its message, she crumbled it up in a fist of fury and stomped off.

"They better hope they already left or I am absolutely going to give those fuckers a piece of my mind!"

The next morning, Ellainna woke up rested and relaxed. She was okay until she remembered the previous night, and she became solemn again. She sighed heavily and sat up. She looked over to her side and saw Tamryn snoozing heavily, her mouth opened wide and snoring peacefully. She smiled and gently ran her fingers through her friend's hair. A little cheered up, she got up and started her day. After showering and her usual air-dry during breakfast, she went upstairs to brush her teeth and get dressed. Win or lose, she knew she would see Sasuke again today and she hoped to look her best. She listlessly brushed her teeth with one hand as she used the other to skim through her closet and wardrobe bin. Occasionally she would stop to hold something out with both of her hands and consider it before placing it back.

"I should probably wear a dress..." she mumbled to herself after her third run through of her closet. "Never really wear those..."

She pushed all the dresses she owned into view and moved the rest of her clothes out of the way. She resumed brushing her teeth as she perused through the few dresses she owned, finally settling between two: A green wrap around or a blue/gray tie front. Ellainna groaned and went to the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. After she gargled and spat out the mouthwash, she returned to make a final wardrobe decision, hopefully with new eyes. She stood, stumped, glancing between the two dresses, before finally deciding that she'd wear one today and one at the end of the exams.

"Perfect! Now I don't have to decide on one."

Ellainna pulled both dresses out the closet, hung the green one on the closet door so that she wouldn't forget and have to try and make a decision again, and pulled the blue and gray one on. She went to the mirror and adjusted her sleeves and the dangle jewelry down her back. She checked (admired) her body from different angles to make sure it fit her nicely. Then she noticed her mop of hair and rushed to the bathroom to fix it. She spent another agonizing amount of time trying to decide how she wanted to style it. Up or down? Half up? Formal? Casual? Pony? Bun? Overwhelmed by her overthinking, she grabbed her blow dyer and settled for a more casual look. She styled it down with a side part so it had volume on top. As she styled, she really began to notice how much longer her hair had gotten. She made a mental note to change up her style as her bangs were now getting in her face when worn the way she had become accustomed to. She decided last minute to add a bit of glossy peach color to her lips.

As she gave herself a few last glance overs in her bathroom and bedroom mirror, she thought about seeing Sasuke again after five days. She wasn't sure why she was nervous. She had been away for him much longer before when she was doing solo missions. Ellainna was confused what had changed to make her miss being around him. Then she remembered how she let him down the last time they saw each other, or didn't see each other. She considered getting him a gift and determined that her having put makeup on was gift enough. She chuckled at her joke and decided to get him some of his favorite onigiri on the way to the arena. She glanced at the clock on her vanity and was shocked that it was still so early. She was even more surprised she had woken up so early naturally.

She didn't want to spend her entire day waiting at the arena and decided to make the onigiri homemade instead to pass time. She put her hair up in a ponytail and put on an apron to protect her outfit. She was glad she ended up cooking the night before because now she had 'old' rice that would be perfect to use. She set to work making five nicely sized balls of sticky rice. There was a knock at her door and she paused to answer it. She rubbed the sweat off her forehead and wiped her hands on a hand towel as she rushed to answer the door.

She swung the door open and was surprised to see Kakashi standing there. She gulped and forced herself to stay calm and cool.

"Oh. Hey," she said, leaning against her door. "What's up?"

"Uh...Hey...I was just seeing if you were coming to the arena to welcome the team back," Kakashi replied. He reached his hand out toward Ellainna and she went rigid. Everything seemed to slow down for her. She watched his hand move as if in slow motion and felt her cheeks growing warm. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves and rapidly beating heart as she waited in anxious anticipation for his impending touch.

"But it looks like I am interrupting?"

Ellainna opened her eyes to see Kakashi holding a grain of sticky rice on his finger.

"Oh," she chuckled and sighed. "I'm just cooking a meal for Sasuke."

Come on, Ellainna. No more awkwardness! Stop being so weird!

"I thought we were going to meet at the arena," Ellainna inquired.

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed, but her offered no further response.

They stood in silence for a few beats before Ellainna side stepped and motioned inward, not sure what else he was waiting for.

"You're welcome to come in and sit for a bit if you'd like," she offered, sarcastically. "You trekked all the way out here."

Kakashi flicked the grain of rice outside and shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean, if you're offering..."

Ellainna turned on her heel and led Kakashi to the kitchen. Kakashi entered, closed Ellainna's front door, and followed her to the kitchen. He sat across from her at the table and watched as she went to work chopping up various toppings and fillings to prepare for the onigiri. Ellainna stalked to the fridge to grab the last few ingredients and then her cabinets to grab a bento box. She balanced the things in her hands as she walked back to the table and sat down. She effortlessly began filling the rice balls, wrapping them with seaweed, and packing them into the bento.

"Those aren't triangles," Kakashi taunted apathetically.

"Oh, didn't you hear," Ellainna responded dryly as she closed the box. "Balls are the new thing everyone wants."

"Figures you'd have the experience to know."

"Why wouldn't I? I'm old enough to know how to roll them."

Ellainna took a navy-blue handkerchief and tied it around the box.

Ellainna, happy with her work on the bento box, looked up at Kakashi and blinked blankly a few times, waiting for his next response for her to riff off of. Kakashi, however, had nothing else to add. He was stunned speechless at Ellainna's brazen responses. He turned his attention to flicker in Ellainna's kitchen window. He looked up to see a bird on Ellainna's kitchen windowsill. He nodded in its direction and Ellainna turned in her seat to see what he was motioning to. Kakashi stalked over to the window and opened it, though the bird flew off the second he got close to the window. Kakashi looked out the window and watched the bird fly off for a few moments. Then he looked up at Ellainna and pointed his thumb in the direction it flew off.

"You coming along?"

Ellainna nodded and walked over to her black strap heels by the stairway. After she had pulled them on, she hung her apron back up, grabbed the bento box off the table, and scribbled a quick note to Tamryn. She left it on the kitchen table and met Kakashi back at her front door, whom had it open for her. Kakashi had better self-control this time to only stare at Ellainna's exposed bosom for 2 seconds before he looked away.

"That's what you're wearing today," he inquired distastefully.

"Of course," Ellainna said as she walked out the door, not missing the judgement in his tone.

Kakashi shrugged and closed the door, walking away while Ellainna locked her front door. Tamryn rose from her spot on the steps where she was spying on her friend and chuckled to herself, amused. She floated up the stairs and began getting ready for the day, humming cheerfully.

Kakashi trailed behind an oblivious Ellainna to check out the back of her dress. It appears he lacked enough self-control to ignore his curiosity. He admired the open back of the dress and followed the hanging adornment in the back down to the beginning curvature of her butt, that however being where the open back of the dress ended. He forced himself to speed up his stride so that he was walking beside Ellainna again. Kakashi steeled himself not to glance at her to avoid the chance of being drawn in by the low cut of her dress revealing a plentiful glimpse of curvature of her breasts.

They arrived at the Training Grounds some time later and ran into various Leaf Jonin and the Third Hokage walking down the hall towards the exam battle arena.

"You summoned," Kakashi asked, he and Ellainna falling in step with the Jonin.

"Yes," the Hokage answered. "You're late."

"We rushed as soon as we could, sir," Kakashi responded.

"Nonetheless, I'll just fill you in. I have some vital information I need to pass on to you."

The Hokage and his troupe of Jonin stopped. He turned to Ellainna and nodded his head towards the arena.

"Miss Jinto, I think it would be better if you ran along ahead-"

"I think she should stay," Kakashi said, cutting the Hokage off. "Temporary or not, she's apart of Team 7 and it may involve her too."

The Third took a drag from his pipe, contemplating, before responding. "Very well."

Everyone followed the Hokage's lead as he began walking again, Ellainna and Kakashi in front of the group so they could hear what he had to say. The Hokage went on to inform them of the Leaf's concern and suspicions about the events during the 2nd stage of the Chunin Exams. Namely, Sasuke's altercation Orochimaru.

"So, we think he's been branded with the Curse Mark."

Ellainna tripped over her feet in shock but was able to steady herself quickly.

What? What does that mean?! Sasuke...

"Obviously we're not one hundred percent sure so we can't act just yet. For now, we are just going to wait and see what happens. If he does end up being marked...I'll need your help bringing him in."

"Understood," Kakashi responded.

"You're included in this, Miss," The Hokage continued. "Kakashi's right. It's about time you started taking on more responsibility in the village."

Ellainna nodded her head in response to show she understood, but couldn't stop her mind from wandering with worry as they walked to the rest of the way down the hallway into the exam arena. She was worried about Sasuke and his future. The Hokage ordered the entourage behind him to join their already waiting comrades on the platform so they could shuffle in the Genin for the next portion of the exams. Ellainna stood in between Kakashi and Guy, nervously waiting to see her team. She assumed that since the Hokage only mentioned the curse mark and they were ushered here instead of in a room, that her team had passed. She sighed in relief at that prospect and was able to calm herself a bit. She gripped the box to try and settle her nerves and center herself.

"Don't worry, Sasuke will be okay. Mark or not."

Ellainna jumped in shock at the voice tickling her ear. She didn't have to glance to her side to know who it was. She could pick Kakashi's voice out of a lineup now. She wanted to glance over her shoulder at him, and melt into what she was sure would be a pair of comforting arms, but wanted to avoid any further awkwardness. Her cheeks were red and she was sure that if she turned around, another emotional stare down between the two of them would not only be awkward, but would alert the room full of high caliber Jonin to whatever funny business was going on with them and that was the last thing she wanted. So, instead, she steeled herself from turning her head all the way, though just enough to signify she had heard him, but not enough for eye contact. Then she faced fully forward and gripped the bento in her hands a little firmer as the Genin who passed through the second exam were ushered into the arena uniformly.

Wow...That's a lot of Genin...At least they made it through...

When she saw her team, Ellainna internally cheered for her their progression, pride oozing from her pores. She'd never admit it but she was actually happy to see Naruto and Sakura as well. Ellainna watched Sasuke intently for any indication of something wrong as the Anko addressed the exam participants. She had hoped the business with Orochimaru was all a misunderstanding and that Sasuke was okay after all, sans curse mark but she had doubts. From her distance, something seemed a little off.

"First off, congratulations on finishing the second exam," Anko boomed.

Some of the Genin took the immediate silence after her statement to chatter amongst themselves and Guy used it to brag about and compare his team to Kakashi's.

"I see your team didn't do too bad, Kakashi," he boasted. "They must've got real lucky. Of course with my team still around, your team is doomed to failure. After all, what matters on the next test is ability and we both know my team's got yours far out classed. Well, I guess a part of growing up is dealing with heartbreak, hunh, Kakashi?"

Guy looked over at Kakashi smugly, and Kakashi looked back obliviously.

"Hunh, did you say something," he responded nonchalantly.

Guy, of course, took offense to Kakashi's slight and got riled up, now determined to show his friend and rival up. Ellainna almost fell over in shock from Kakashi's response and chuckled to herself at their interaction, amused by how easily emotional Guy could become.

"I'm just excited for the matches, period," Ellainna commented aloud, fondly remembering her time in the Chunin Exams. She enjoyed the battles and, of course, showing off her cunning skills and fighting proficiency. She looked backed back affectionately on the praise and recognition she got nonstop after she had promoted to Chunin.

Ellainna noticed Sasuke suddenly clutch his shoulder and her worry came rushing back. She tried her best to ignore it. Sasuke made eye contact with her and she minimally shook the bento at him excitedly. He nodded in response to her and she grinned, happy that he was at least acknowledging her existence after she had stood him up before.

"All right, listen up," Anko boomed again, ceasing the chatter and gathering everyone's attention once more. "Pay attention, Lord Hokage is going to explain the 3rd Exam to you. You better listen carefully, maggots. Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

Anko turned to the 3rd Hokage and bowed her head. The Third stepped forward and addressed the potential Chunin, lecturing them on the importance and purpose of the Chunin Exams and its willing convergence with other villages. The examinees listen intently, asking questions for clarification when they needed it. Ellainna fiddled with the cloth in her arms, bored having heard this lecture and the questions being asked when she had taken her own exams. Naruto, of course, became more fired up after this lecture.

Once he felt satisfied with his speech, the Third Hokage prepared to instruct them on the next phase of the Exams. Suddenly, a ninja appeared, kneeled, at his feet and requested he take over instead. It was Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the next phase of exams. Ellainna recognized him when he rose to his feet. He was one of the Jonin she was occasionally paired up with on missions if it was needed. She was surprised he was capable of proctoring as he always seemed to be sick and in some sort of coughing fit. She reasoned that there was a reason for it and put the worry out of her mind.

In between coughing fits, Hayate informed the contestants of the rules for the next round. They were to compete in a preliminary exam before moving on, which of course didn't go over very well. Hayate informed the disgruntled Genin of the reasons and rules behind the necessity of the preliminaries and offered anybody who wanted one, an out to quit and not take the exams; no strings attached.

Ellainna noticed Sasuke and Sakura quietly arguing and wondered what it was about. She couldn't hear their conversation but she could see the desperation on Sakura's face and the determined anger on Sasuke's. He was still holding onto his shoulder in pain and she tried to keep her mind from wandering to outrageous places. She didn't have to worry for long because it seemed that the Hokage and Anko were aware of Sasuke's pain as well. They assumed it was because of the suspected curse mark. Ellainna gripped the bento box in her hands tightly to keep herself from falling to her knees in despair. She didn't have a lot of knowledge about the Curse Mark and Orochimaru but she knew that both were immensely bad news. She knew it was going to permanently make Sasuke's life harder. She tried to ignore it but there was a part of her that was selfishly happy with this new development and hoped it meant Sasuke had to give up on his dream of getting revenge on Itachi. That meant he could focus on enjoying his life there in the village and he wouldn't leave her. That small part of her hoped that this curse mark would turn into a humbling, somewhat permanent grounding sentence.

The Hokage and Anko discussed what should be done about Sasuke. She wanted to lock Sasuke away so he wouldn't be a threat to anyone while the Hokage was more interested in letting things play out until they became a danger to other people.

"Oh, and he's just going to quietly go along with this, hunh," Kakashi interjected, chuckling. "You really think so? You're forgetting: he's an Uchiha."

"I don't care what the heck he is," Anko fired back. "If he stays, he's a danger to everyone! Don't you see?! If he gets stronger, so does the curse mark! That thing is feeding off his chakra!"

"I think trying to capture and put him away, lock and key, is going to be more dangerous than letting him fight right now if that's what he wants to do," Ellainna commented quietly, a little nervous. "Imagine how big a fight that would be."

"How would you know?! You don't understand anything! You're just a child! Like him!"

Anko continued to rant about how dangerous the curse mark is and reflected on her own personal experience with it. She turned to the Hokage and pleaded with him to agree with her and take precautionary measures. Before he could voice a decision either way, a contestant raised his hand to forfeit the exams.

"Okay," he surrendered. "You got me. I'm out."

He wearily stepped forward, much to Naruto's vocal opposition. Hayate confirmed his identity, checked him off the clipboard he was holding, and accepted the resignation.

"Kabuto! Hold on a second," Naruto cried. "You can't quit! I don't get this! What's going on?!"

"Oh, Naruto," Kabuto responded. "I'm sorry. My body is just too beat up. I can't hack it. The truth is, ever since that dustup with the sound ninja, I haven't had any hearing in my left ear. And now to have to put my life on the line? To fight again? Right away without a break? I can't do it."

Naruto looked away sadly. The Third Hokage recognized Kabuto's face and said as much out loud, remembering this isn't the first time he's given up. He wondered if there were some ulterior motive. Ibiki instructed Anko to look up what she had on Kabuto so they could get a better idea of who he was. She looked through the file she had of him and reported that he was a basic, average, every day ninja who didn't stand out anywhere. He had no notable skills. Surprisingly, he has failed the Chunin Exams 6 times in a row. Also, there was an event; from before he went to the Academy. He was the only survivor from a battle in a town nearby years back. While the Hokage thought on that, Hayate asked if there was anybody else left that wanted to quit.

Ellainna turned her attention back to the crowd of Genin to see Sasuke grabbed Sakura's hand, causing her to make a sour face. She still couldn't understand what was being said but she could tell it was a heated conversation from their expressions. That and Sasuke was still holding onto Sakura. She momentarily considered if she should really be worried about Sakura before mentally laughing at her incredulous thought and put the concern out of her mind. Though, she still didn't like Sasuke holding Sakura's hand. When he finally let go, he said one last thing and turned away from her. This prompted a charged response from Naruto but of course, Ellainna still couldn't make out what was being said. She gave up on trying to figure anything out and turned her attention away from them, which was easy for her to do as the Hokage had finally made his decision on Sasuke's fate.

He decided to let Sasuke fight which Anko tried to argue with him about. He ignored her and continued listing his conditions and safeguards. He was worried about Orochimaru's interest in him continuing to compete but would allow it so long as he didn't let it take over. If it got out of control, they would have to step in and restrain him. Ibiki immediately agreed and Anko came round as she realized there was no way to change the Hokage's mind.

Kakashi put his hand on Ellainna's head and she nervously looked up, back at him.

"You understand that, El," he asked her.

Ellainna shook her head slowly and then faced back to the Genin. Kakashi, however, didn't remove his hand from her head. Hayate began giving out the rules of the preliminaries and what would happen: 10 one-on-one spar matches to the death. Those ten Genin would move onto the third round. You lose by collapsing, forfeiting, or dying. Otherwise, anything goes and everything is allowed. The display board to announce the matches was then revealed and everyone turned to watch as it randomized the first fight: Sasuke Uchiha verses Yoroi Akado.

Sasuke smirked and his opponent seemed to be equally pleased. Ellainna shrugged as she wasn't worried about his match placement as she was about the curse mark taking over him. She was glad, however, because that meant there wouldn't be a lot of anticipation. They'd know right away if he would be okay or not. Plus it meant that his food wouldn't go bad before he could eat it and he wouldn't be puking it up all over the arena if he ate before his match.

Hayate called both fighters to the middle of the arena and asked if there were any objections. Both Genin arrogantly answered with a definitive no, excited to get the chance to show their skill, though for different audiences in mind. Hayate herded everyone off the arena and to the balconies above to watch the match. Kakashi then finally removed his hand from Ellainna's head and made his way towards Sasuke as he walked towards the balcony, Ellainna following closely behind. Naruto and Sakura also lagged behind a little bit to reconvene with Sasuke before his match. Naruto exuberantly called out to Kakashi and Ellainna, proud of his progress through the Exams so far. Kakashi paused to whisper some instructions to Sasuke before he joined all the other ninja up top.

"Sasuke...Don't use your Sharingan."

"So you know about it," Sasuke asked, a cocky smirk forever plastered on his face.

"If that mark on your neck gets out of control, your life could be in danger," Kakashi said.

"I'm already aware of that."

"Just to let you know, if the match gets to that point, I'll have to step in and stop the fight...Good luck."

Kakashi walked away and Sasuke looked after him incredulously. His match being interrupted was the last thing he wanted. Naruto and Sakura followed after Kakashi, leaving Ellainna with Sasuke. She pulled him in a one-armed embrace and rested her nose on his shoulder affectionately.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Sasuke lightly placed his hands on Ellainna's back, embracing the hug.

"I know."

Ellainna stepped back and smiled at him. Sasuke smirked back.

"Is that what the bento is for," he teased.

"No," Ellainna chuckled. "That's what the lipstick's for. The bento is just a perk of having the best girlfriend in the world."

"Is that right? Then what's the dress for?"

Ellainna grinned, turning to show off the back of her dress. A whistle came from above on the balcony behind Sasuke as she did so. Ellainna glanced to see who was whistling and noticed the Sand ninja from the alleyway a few weeks prior winking at her.

"Shake it, baby," he called out to her.

Ellainna rolled her eyes and ignored him as he continued to jeer at her. Sasuke made to turn towards him and Ellainna pushed his face with one of her hands, making him look at her.

"You'll have to find out what the dress is for after you win," Ellainna said to him, responding to his question.

Ellainna smiled at Sasuke and he did in return other before Ellainna touched his shoulder gently.

"But, seriously, Sasuke...Just...come back better, not worse, for wear...okay?"

Sasuke nodded his head and Ellainna gently squeezed his shoulder before she joined her team on the balcony.

"You're going the wrong way, baby," the Sand ninja yelled across the arena. "I'm over here!"

The female in his group knocked him upside the head and scolded him. He was finally silent, much to Ellainna's delight.

Sasuke turned to face Yoroi and debated how he could fight without using jutsu. Irregardless, he was determined to win and was prepared to do so. As Ellainna sat down on the balcony, dangling her legs through the railing and over the edge, Hayate began the match. Both ninja got in ready position and then the match began.

Yoroi fed some chakra into one of his hands and reached the other one into his ninja pouch, but didn't make another move after that. Impatient, Sasuke takes out a kunai in defense. Simultaneously, Yoroi launches some shuriken from his pouch. Prepared, Sasuke deflects them and send them flying right back at his opponent. Before he can make a counterattack, the curse mark throbs, sending pain shooting through Sasuke's body. Off balance, he falls to the ground. Ellainna gasps silently and begins wringing her hands anxiously. Whoever said there wouldn't be any suspense was wrong.

Yoroi takes advantage of Sasuke's fall and appears right next to him, launching a punch towards his head. Sasuke is able to dodge it at the last second, pushing himself across the floor in the opposite direction. Yoroi's punch creates a hole in the ground, breaking some of the rock of the arena floor. Sasuke uses his kunai to stop his slide from sending him too far away and launches a counterattack. He uses his legs to trip Yoroi, knocking him to the ground and locking him in an arm hold. Ellainna's face lights up hopefully and Naruto cheers out excitedly for his teammate.

Unfortunately, it seems this is the perfect predicament for Yoroi. He grabs Sasuke's collar with his captured hand and activates some chakra. Sasuke quickly finds that his strength is waning and he involuntarily releases Yoroi, who then smacks Sasuke's chest with the back of his hand before escaping his reach. Sasuke began freaking out. He could barely move, let alone stand back up. What did that guy do to him? Ellainna gasped again in fear as Yoroi charged at Sasuke. He forced himself to move and was able to sit up before Yoroi advanced on him, but that was it. Yoroi activated chakra in his hand again and grabbed Sasuke's head, knocking back down and sapping his strength again. He chuckled evilly as Sasuke futilely fought against him until all the strength in his arms left him.

"What the-my chakra-What are you doing," Sasuke called out weakly.

"You're just noticing it now," Yoroi chuckled tauntingly.

Sasuke had no choice but to lie there and feel his chakra slowly being drained from his body. He tried to fight back but it was fruitless as his strength was waning with every drop of chakra. Miraculously, Sasuke was able to kick Yoroi away from him and struggled to sit up.

"So, you still got some strength left," Yoroi taunted. "Impressive...for a guinea pig!"

Sasuke struggled to catch his breath and regain his strength while Yoroi continued to mock and tease him.

"Don't worry, little man. I'll make this short and sweet!"

Yoroi charged at Sasuke again with his chakra filled hand and Sasuke was able to force himself to fight back. He dodged all of his opponent's attempts to grab him, though this was no easy feat. He was still weak and in pain.

"What's the matter? Is that really the best you can do?"

Sasuke tried to kick Yoroi in retaliation but he was too quick for him. He jumped out of the way. Realizing his speed was not up to par, Sasuke tried to think of another way he could attack. Frustrated with Sasuke's subpar showcase of his skills, Naruto called out to Sasuke, trying to motivate him to try harder.

"Come on! Stop Messing around and get it in gear!"

Ellainna gripped the bars of the railing anxiously. Her fingers were sore from gripping her hands so this was the next best thing for her nerves. Sasuke got a bright idea from looking at his audience as Yoroi grew frustrated with Sasuke carelessly taking his attention off of him. Yoroi charged at Sasuke, intent on finishing the match. Sasuke, rejuvenated in his will to win the battle, begins dodging Yoroi effortlessly. Seeing an opening, Sasuke unleashes a new attack in his repertoire: Lion's Barrage, a move inspired by Lee's Primary Lotus. Sasuke kicked Yoroi into the air, catching him off guard, and leapt in the air after him. Ellainna pulled herself forward in excitement and carelessly hit her forehead hard against the rail.

She watched in excitement, ready to see Sasuke's new move, only to become crestfallen and worried when she sees Sasuke in pain once more from the curse mark on his neck. She turns to Kakashi, worry filling her eyes, but he ignores her and focuses on the match and Sasuke.

"Here we go."

Ellainna's head whipped around when she heard Sasuke speak confidently and was surprised to see he was okay again. Sasuke launched his new barrage of hits on his opponent, smashing him back down onto the ground. Sasuke landed ungracefully and rolled backwards until he was lying on his stomach, but he wasn't moving.

"Sasuke..." Ellainna whispered nervously to herself. She gripped the bars in front of her until her knuckles we painfully white as she watched Hayate slowly approach Yoroi. He crouched down to check his pulse, drawing everyone's attention away from Sasuke. That is, until they heard him struggling to stand. Everyone looked back to Sasuke in shock as he rose to his feet, breathing heavily. He wiped the bit of blood away from the corner of his mouth and Hayate declared the match over with Sasuke as the winner. Naruto and Ellainna wasted no time in cheering for him. Having been on edge the entire match, she had no better way to release the pent-up energy than to cheer. She was so glad he was okay, tears were sprouting from her eyes.

Sasuke was too weak to stand any longer and Kakashi appeared to catch him from behind with his leg, giving him something to lean against.

"Not bad," Kakashi praised. "Funny...before the lion's barrage...your technique was very reminiscent of Guy's taijutsu. You must've used your Sharingan to copy it when you fought with Rock Lee."

Ellainna swung down from the balcony as Naruto called out to Sasuke.

"You okay," he shouted, a gleeful chuckle in his voice. "Hey, Sasuke! You won, but in such an uncool way! You came out looking like you're the one who got beat up!"

Ellainna excitedly trotted over to Sasuke while Naruto cackled at his own joke.

"Idiot," Sasuke mumbled, annoyed. "Give me a break you little-oh well..."

Ellainna restrained herself from attacking Sasuke with relieved and gleeful hugs and instead stood with her hands loosely clasped behind her back. She grinned cheerfully and gently nudged his thigh with her foot.

"Congrats, hot shot," Ellainna said. "You won."

"Seems I did. And I remember something about a prize," Sasuke teased.

"Oh, right. With a performance like that, I think-"

"Okay, you two lovebirds," Kakashi said. "Not here with an audience, hunh? Besides, we've got work to do, Sasuke."

Sasuke intended to say something smart alecky but the pain radiating through his body was catching up to him and he needed to rest. As Yoroi was carried away on a stretcher, a medic ninja approached Sasuke and suggested he go as well to get checked out.

"I think you're out of your league with this one," Kakashi said. "I'll look after him."

"Me too," Ellainna whined, feeling left out.

"Okay, up we go," Kakashi said, ignoring Ellainna. "You're coming with me. We've got to seal that curse mark."

"Before the preliminaries are over," Sasuke complained.

"You can barely stand, Sasuke," Ellainna said forcefully. 'You're going and there's no if's, and's, or but's."

"I wanna see who gets to go on to the finals," Sasuke continued.

"Forget it," Kakashi said firmly. "And don't even think about arguing. If we leave it any longer, who knows, it might be too late. I've already cut you enough slack as it is. Come on, let's go."

"You'll know who progressed afterwards, anyway," Ellainna chimed in as she helped Sasuke to his feet. "Not only do they announce it all over the village, you're given enough time to prepare for your opponent in the meantime."

Sasuke, clutching his shoulder, Ellainna, and Kakashi walked off to another secluded room to get his mark sealed off. Once inside, Ellainna chatted with Sasuke while Kakashi prepared the seal on the ground with a kunai and his blood. She had Sasuke fill her in on his experience in the Chunin Exams and how he got the curse mark. She had to bite her lip frequently to prevent herself from interrupting as he spoke.

"Okay, ready," Kakashi announced when he had finished.

Ellainna smiled at Sasuke to reassure him before she pulled his shirt off of him. Sasuke sat in the middle of the symbol on the ground and Kakashi went to work drawing the rest of the seal on Sasuke's body.

"Okay," he said after he finished. "It'll be over quickly. You ready?"

Sasuke could only nod his head 'yes' in response. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he was nervous. He didn't know what a seal entailed or what was going to happen. Ellainna held Sasuke's shirt as she watched Kakashi from outside the edge of the seal. He made numerous hand signs and put one hand on Sasuke's curse mark, performing the jutsu. A brilliant white light appeared and Sasuke cried out in immediate pain from the sealing. Ellainna teetered nervously from one foot to the other as she watched the seal move inward towards Sasuke's mark and complete the sealing jutsu. He felt residual pain and hunched over as he waited for it to subside.

"There," Kakashi began. "Now the next time that curse mark starts acting up, the seal should keep it in check. But remember, this curse sealing jutsu is only as strong as you are. It derives its power from the strength of your will. If that will ever weakens, if you ever begin to doubt yourself, the curse will unleash in all its fury."

The pain was beginning to get to be too much for Sasuke and he collapsed. He had had a long week and he was just worn out from it. Ellainna worriedly rushed over to Sasuke to check on him.

"Amazing. Too tired to even argue," Kakashi joked, which garnered a chuckle from Ellainna.

"My. How you've grown."

Kakashi and Ellainna were caught off guard by a creepy voice, followed by the presence of an even creepier person.

"To think you've become strong enough to perform the curse sealing jutsu," the voice continued as its owner appeared from out of the shadows behind Kakashi.

"Ellainna, stay behind me," Kakashi said as he turned to face the creepy man. "You."

"Long time, no see, Kakashi."

Ellainna could feel Kakashi's uneasiness and it made her worried in turn. If Kakashi was worried about this enemy, that meant she really stood no chance. He must be really bad news. Ellainna wanted to ask Kakashi what was going on and who the creepy ninja was but she figured her questions could wait until they were in a better position to do so. She was sure that if a fight broke out, he would need all her at her best, especially if Sasuke was unconscious and a liability. Ellainna reach for a kunai from her pouch and remembered she didn't bring it with her. All she had was that darn bento. She cursed herself for not coming prepared and hoped that if it came down to a fight, they would somehow be able to alert help.

"Orochimaru," Kakashi growled.

Ellainna felt a new fire burning in her stomach. She knew that name.

Orochimaru? That's the guy who did this to Sasuke!

"No offense, Kakashi," Orochimaru said. "But I didn't come to see you. My business is with that boy behind you."

"You can't have him," Ellainna said fiercely. "You've done enough already!"

"What do you want with Sasuke," Kakashi asked.

"You've acquired something new," Orochimaru said, ignoring his question. "How I envy your good fortune. I don't believe you had it the last time we met. Did you...? The gift...The Sharingan in your left eye!"

Kakashi steeled himself just in case there was a battle but made no move to dissuade Orochimaru.

"It's only fair that I should want it, too," Orochimaru continued. "The Uchiha power."

"What's your game," Kakashi asked darkly.

"The Sound Village that everyone's worried about? It's mine. You see, I created it. I think you understand without my saying anymore?"

"You and your wild-eyed ambition."

"Oh yes indeed," Orochimaru chuckled. "As always, to play the game I need pieces on the chessboard. Willing pawns who will do my bidding."

"And Sasuke is one of your pawns?"

"Not a pawn. He's a far more valuable piece. The others...well...You know how it is in a game of chess. Pieces must be sacrificed."

Orochimaru slowly began approaching Kakashi, making him tense up. When he realized he wasn't going to stop, he activated Lightning Blade.

"Stop," he ordered. "Don't come any closer!"

Ellainna again cursed herself for being unprepared. She had no weapons and her jutsu was nowhere near capable to stand a second against Orochimaru.

Orochimaru momentarily stopped, intrigued with Kakashi's jutsu.

"I don't care if you're one of the Sannin 3 of the Leaf Village. I swear, take one more step towards Sasuke and one of us will die here."

Orochimaru began laughing heartily, unsettling both her and Kakashi.

"Funny, is it," Kakashi asked.

"Poor Kakashi," Orochimaru replied. "All your noble efforts, all in vain."

"What?"

"Do you really believe that the seal will hold? Do you think you can keep him? From what he truly desires? You know I'm right. A heart like his hungers for only one thing will not be denied. No matter what obstacles, or pretty faces, you put in his path. He's an Avenger, isn't he?"

"So you think you can take advantage of that," Kakashi growled. "Not Sasuke!"

"You can not stop me. At some point he will come to me. In search of power."

Orochimaru turned on his heel and began walking away. Kakashi slowly began releasing his jutsu.

"Unless, of course," Orochimaru taunted. "You carry out your threat to kill me. Now's your chance. Take it...If you dare."

Ellainna waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps or see his back to relax. Kakashi, however, was temporarily paralyzed from fear. He chastised himself for going against Orochimaru so boldly and recklessly. He took a deep breath and was able to calm himself down and stand up straight.

"Kakashi," Ellainna said, worriedly. She had so many questions but she wasn't sure where to start, what to ask, or even how to ask.

"We're going to take Sasuke to the infirmary," Kakashi responded.

He walked over to where she and Sasuke were and bent down to pick up and carry Sasuke.

"So we're not going to talk about what just happened?"

"You were there. What's to talk about?"

"Everything," Ellainna shouted angrily. "What about Sasuke? Orochimaru? What about what he said? What-"

"Right now, our concern is taking Sasuke to the infirmary. Anything after that is not important right now."

Ellainna grumbled as she followed Kakashi, who was carrying Sasuke on his back. She followed him to the infirmary and then followed the nurse team who took Sasuke to a treatment room. They treated him for his injuries and quickly left, having done their job. Ellainna sighed at sat down on the chair by Sasuke's bed. It was then she realized one of the nurses was still standing there in the room.

"Visiting hours end early today because of the exams" the nurse said quietly and unsurely. She wasn't sure if she should kick Ellainna out or not since technically there weren't any visiting hours that day to begin with. The nurse didn't have to wait very long, however. Ellainna turned to face her but the door slid open and another person entered the room.

"Alright, Ellainna," Kakashi said. "We've gotta get back."

"But what about-"

"Sasuke will be fine. He's got the best care in the village treating him and watching over him."

Ellainna grumbled but stood to leave all the same. She bent down and kissed Sasuke's forehead before she left out the room. The nurse was waiting outside the door with Sasuke's chart in her hands. Ellainna handed her the bento lunch she had prepared.

"Can you...make sure he gets this when he wakes up?"

The nurse nodded and took the box.

"Absolutely. The moment he wakes up!"

"Thank you."

Ellainna bowed as well as she could in her dress and met up with Kakashi. They both poofed almost silently behind Sakura and Naruto back at the Chunin exams soon after.

"Kakashi sensei," Naruto exclaimed. "Ellainna!"

"Hi," Kakashi responded.

Ellainna waved and grinned. If she couldn't get any real answers from Kakashi, she didn't want her comrades to worry either. She figured a false bravado was the best one to have until she had better information. No news was good news after all.

"Whaddya mean hi," Sakura said incredulously. "Is that all you can say?! What about...What about Sasuke? How is he?"

"Oh he's fine. Sleeping soundly in the infirmary."

Sakura didn't accept this response but she had little choice; the next match was announced. She and her teammates turned to the board to see the next two opponents: Kankuro and Tsurugi. The Sand ninja with the obsessive crush on Ellainna and a sound ninja entered the ring to battle.

"Are you watching up there," he called out to Ellainna, waving at her. "This is how a real ninja fights. I'll win without passing out like a wimp!"

Ellainna rolled her eyes and hoped he would lose, and quickly, so that his ego was hurt just enough that he would leave her alone.

The match was over just as quickly as it started, the usual amount of trash talking involved. The sound ninja had a special jutsu that allowed his body to bend and twist like rubber. He used this technique to wrap around his opponent and snap his neck.

"That's the end of that," Ellainna smirked, crossing her arms.

Suddenly, the boy's head snapped around and began talking, much to everyone's shock. A shell around his body cracked and fell away in pieces as it revealed a puppet was inside. It quickly wrapped its arms around the opponent and began squeezing him mercilessly. The real Sand ninja emerged from the discarded bundle on the ground, revealing his clever ruse.

"Oh," Ellainna exclaimed disappointed, but interested, as she leaned in a bit. "The Sand's bringing it this year, I guess."

The Sound Ninja struggled in the puppet's grasp, but could not set himself free. The puppet's arms squeezed mercilessly and the Sound ninja called out in surrender.

"Enough! I give up!"

"But if your bones are all crushed, think of how much more flexible you'll be," the Sand ninja taunted.

The sound ninja passed out from the pain and fell to the ground, bringing Hayate to close the match.

"Because his opponent is unable to continue, the winner is Kankuro."

"Wow, okay," Ellainna mumbled, dissatisfied by the victor.

"How about you come congratulate the winner with a kiss," Kankuro called out to Ellainna, pointing to his cheek.

Ellainna rolled her eyes and was grateful once again when Kankuro's female teammate berated him once more, shaking a threatening fist in his direction.

"Kankuro stop acting like an idiot and get up here!"

"Two against one," Naruto cried out quizzically to Kakashi. "That's hitting below the belt, isn't it? I mean, is that thing even fair, Kakashi sensei?"

"It's not really two against one," Kakashi explained. "It's a puppet, not another ninja."

"Yeah, it's just Puppet Master Jutsu," Sakura needlessly added on. "He's controlling the puppet with chakra. It's a ninja tool. Like a shuriken."

After that, she walked off to use the restroom while the medics carried off the injured ninja. Ellainna sighed at her departure and walked over to Kakashi. She leaned over and rested her folded arms on the guard rail just as he was doing.

"So when are we going to talk about it," she inquired quietly.

"Not now," Kakashi replied. "It's not an appropriate setting to do so."

"Well, then let's go find one!"

"I'm sure you want to watch all the matches."

"Yeah, because these matches are soooo much more interesting."

Ellainna rolled her eyes.

"Good, I'm glad you agree."

Kakashi patted Ellainna's head like she was a dog and she growled like one in response.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

Ellainna grumbled to herself but left Kakashi alone about Sasuke.

By the time Sakura returned to the arena, Hayate was just announcing the next matchup.

"Let's continue. It's time to begin the fourth battle."

The sign began its random selection once more.

"Well, no matter who's picked, it'll be two weirdos. The contest is chick full of 'em," Naruto complained, anxious for his chance to battle.

"You're tellin' me," Ellainna agreed.

"Well," Kakashi began. "You're both one to talk."

"Hey!"

Ellainna spun to face Kakashi and pointed a threatening finger at him but quickly let it go. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back around to the arena. Sakura giggled and pointed fun at Naruto.

"Yeah, Naruto."

"Oh, give me a break," he cried in response.

The signed dinged as it had come to its decision:

Sakura Haruno v. Ino Yamanaka

Sakura looked at the sign warily, and looked to her opponent. She steeled herself as they both walked towards the arena below. The girl, Ino, made her opening speech about not going easy on Sakura and Ellainna rolled her eyes.

"Melodramatic, much? Show her with your actions, not your words."
"Go Sakura," Naruto cheered. "You can do it! Don't lose!"

Kakashi elbowed Ellainna, implying that she should join in.

"Oh, yeah," she said apathetically. "Rah, rah, go, go, go. Is that good enough?"

Ellainna looked to Kakashi for approval.

"I'm sure you can cheer better than that," he responded in his trademark dry tone.

"Yeah, but only when I wear my uniform."

Ellainna turned away, having left Kakashi momentarily speechless, and Hayate announced the beginning of the fight. The girls immediately began fighting, matching blow for blow, kunai to kunai, and shuriken to shuriken. The spectators discussed the battle and how it was going. Suddenly, Ino got a punch in on Sakura, surprising her. Just as Ino was about to follow it up with another punch, she seemed to get spooked by something and stopped, smacking Sakura instead.

"You've got to be kidding me," Ellainna mumbled. She wanted to leave during the boring fights but she didn't want to take a chance at missing the exciting fights. She grumbled as Sakura began making a long winded speech in return to Ino. It was very hard not to roll her eyes as they shouted over Sasuke. Naruto complained about how mean Sakura seemed to be towards Ino and Kakashi tried to explain their true intentions behind fighting. After making a big show of putting their headbands on their foreheads, the girls charged at each other once more, no longer holding back it seemed.

Kakashi watched Sakura fight, impressed with her skills and growth. Ellainna found herself silently fuming with jealously, though she wasn't quite sure why.

"Hold on," Naruto interrupted. "You're not saying she's better than me?!"

"No, Naruto, you're the greatest," Kakashi replied sarcastically, prompting a chuckle from Ellainna.

The fight continued with the girls matching each other blow for blow. Whether they landed or not, they met each other's attack equally. Ellainna gave herself a headache trying not to roll her eyes the past ten minutes. In a fit of rage, Ino cut her ponytail off to prove a point to Sakura. She then balked about a special jutsu she was going to use to win the match. After arguing more, Ino used her jutsu and Sakura attempted to evade it.

To everyone's surprise, Ino was successful. She tricked Sakura by infusing her chakra into her discarded hair strands, catching Sakura in place. Her opponent now immobile, Ino used her Mind Transfer Jutsu. Ino/Sakura attempted to force Sakura to voluntarily forfeit but was having trouble doing so. She seemed to be fighting Sakura's spirit inside her body. Sakura was able to force Ino out of her body, resuming the fight. Though, they were both pretty spent. They were immensely out of breath and worn out. They both tenaciously charged at each other once more, each with a fist pulled back ready to launch. Both punches landed and cleanly knocked them out. Hayate closes the match as a simultaneous loss.

Ellainna sighed, happy the fight was over, as people rushed to check on the girls. Asuma and Kakashi both entered the arena to carry their respective pupils to the waiting area above the arena, where they were immediately surrounded by concerned teammates. Kakashi instructed them to be quiet and let the girls rest. That would be the best for them, allowing them wake up on their own. The next match was being determined but the girls awoke before it began. Ellainna sighed and looked at the board, waiting for the next match to be decided.

Naruto Uzumaki v. Kiba Inuzuka

Naruto jumped up and down, cheering as it was finally his turn to fight. He and his opponent stepped into the ring, trash talking as usual. Naruto inquired if Kiba was allowed to have his pet, Akamaru, in the ring with him. Hayate informed him that it was allowed, just as Kankuro was allowed his puppets. Naruto accepted this information with a new determination to win and Ellainna cheered for Naruto.

"Come on, Naruto! You can do it!"

"I didn't peg you as the 'Go Team, Team Spirit' type of person," Kakashi teased Ellainna.

"Why not," she responded. "Naruto is my teammate after all."

"You didn't cheer for me," Sakura pointedly proclaimed.

"Yeah, you didn't cheer for Sakura," Kakashi said with mock concern for Sakura's point.

"Oh," Ellainna shrugged, uncaring.

"Hey," Sakura retorted angrily.

Ellainna, however, was uninterested in continuing the conversation and she turned her attention to Naruto's match. Sakura angrily did the same, channeling her fury to cheering for Naruto.

It seemed like Kiba had the winning hand as he definitely had a better technique and better skill in speed than Naruto did. Sakura looked back at Kakashi questioningly and he quietly chuckled back. Kiba knocked Naruto flat on his back with an elbow to the stomach. The match seemed to be over as Naruto didn't immediately stand back up. Kiba turned away arrogantly and began walking away. Then, Naruto got back up on his feet, determined to continue fighting and, ultimately, win.

"Yeah, Naruto," Ellainna cheered again once he finally got back onto his feet.

"Don't ever underestimate me," Naruto loudly proclaimed to Kiba.

"You tell 'em!"

Naruto continued to taunt Kiba, riling him into launching another attack. This time he used smoke bombs and while no one could see what was happening, they could hear Naruto's voice and the impact or attacks. Suddenly, Naruto appeared, running from inside the smoke cloud. Though, it was short lived because Akamaru quickly attacked him, knocking Naruto back inside the cloud.

"Come on, Naruto," Ellainna cheered. "You're better than that!"

Kiba appeared outside the cloud as it began to dissipate, confidently looking on at Naruto on the ground. Kiba cheered and Akamaru ran towards his open arms. Instead of leaping into them, however, Akamaru leapt and bit down on Kiba's arm. It was then revealed that 'Akamaru' was really Naruto and the 'Naruto' that was knocked out on the ground was really a clone hiding Akamaru!

"That's it! Show 'em what you can do," Ellainna called out, pumping a fist in the air.

Both boys taunted each other once more before Kiba launched another joint attack with Akamaru, tossing him some kind of pill from his tool pouch. Akamaru's fur turned a brown/orange color and he began to become more vicious than before.

"If I were you, Naruto, I'd let Akamaru go," Kiba warned.

Akamaru growled ferociously and attacked the clone holding him, destroying it and leaped back to Kiba's side. Kiba in turn took a pill himself and taunted Naruto before performing his hat trick: Man Beast Clones! Akamaru turned into a copy of Kiba.

Naruto complained about their use of food pills and demanded they be disqualified again. Ellainna sighed wearily.

"You idiot," she mumbled.

Hayate informed Naruto of the legality of food pills since they are, in fact, a ninja tool.

"I thought you were the best, Naruto," Ellainna jeered, trying to spurn Naruto on and keep him focused. "If you were, it wouldn't matter because you could beat him with one hand tied behind your back!"

"That's right," Naruto responded, resolved once more. "Get ready, Kiba, because I'm going to win this!"

Kiba and Akamaru Kiba both launched towards Naruto, ready for attack. At the last minute, Naruto moved out of the way and they crashed into the ground instead. They continued to launch attacks at Naruto, working together seamlessly to try and catch Naruto off guard. It was all he could do to just dodge the attacks. Unfortunately, his opponent was able to achieve an opening and launched his fang over fang attack on Naruto. It knocked him to the ground, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.

Naruto rallied himself to stand once more while Kiba taunted and teased Naruto, assured he would be the victor of the match. Naruto stood and spurred Kiba into another attack, which Naruto tried to dodge. Then Kiba tossed more smoke bombs in Naruto's direction and launched his Fang Over Fang repeatedly, trying to take advantage of the shroud the smoke gave him. When the smoke cleared, Kiba jumped back and taunted Naruto again. Naruto did the same as he braced himself for another attack. Kiba launched another smoke bomb attack with his Fang Over Fang. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that there was now three Kiba's and no Naruto's.

Kiba was unfazed, believing his skills as a sensory ninja were optimal, and confidently attacked one of the Kiba clones. He explained that his sense of smell was phenomenal and could easily tell an imposter from the real thing. The jutsu wore off and it was revealed he had punched Akamaru Kiba, knocking him out. Angry, Kiba punches the other fake Kiba, thinking it had to be Naruto. The jutsu wore off and it too was Akamaru. Now Kiba wasn't sure what was right and what was wrong anymore. Ellainna clapped her hands together and giggled.

The Akamaru that Kiba initially attacked stood and a jutsu was undone to reveal Naruto, who launched an attack on Kiba. He kicked him square in the face and he landed next to the real Akamaru. Riled up by Naruto's deception and his lecturing, Kiba prepared to attack again. Naruto announced he too was going to attack, with a new move. Kiba threw multiple shuriken at Naruto and took advantage of the opening created to attack Naruto with his All Fours Jutsu. He seemed to gain the upper hand again and attacked Naruto with one hit after another.

A few blows later, Naruto used Kiba's instability during one of his attacks to throw Kiba back and buy time to weave his hand signs.

"You made it this far, Naruto, you can win," Ellainna encouraged.

Naruto began building chakra for his secret move and Kiba charged him. Instead of going for an obvious frontal attack, he tried a fake out and went to attack Naruto from behind. Just as he was going for the finishing blow, Naruto...farted.

"What," Ellainna exclaimed. She fell over from shock.

Kiba backed up, his superior scent making Naruto's fart that more unbearable for him. Naruto took advantage of this opening to unleash his barrage of Shadow Clones on Kiba. Taking inspiration from Sasuke's Lion Barrage, Naruto created a Naruto Uzumaki Barrage with his clones. This brought the fight to a close with Naruto as the victor.

Ellainna wearily smiled, still unsure how she felt about how he won, but glad nonetheless that he did.

"Good job," she said questioningly. "We're proud of you?"

"Yes, Naruto! That's my teammate! Way to go," Sakura cheered before turning to Ellainna. "See, that's how you cheer on a teammate."

Kakashi in a flash caught Ellainna by the arm and swung her around to hold her back from Sakura.

"Nope, we're not doing this right now," he mumbled wearily.

Ellainna went on a tirade trying to get to Sakura, who smirked arrogantly.

By the time the next round was announced, Ellainna had calmed down enough for Kakashi to let go of her arm.

Hinata Hyuga v. Neji Hyuga

Ellainna was interested in seeing what a fight between two ninja from the prodigious Hyuga clan would look like. She listened in while Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, and Lee conversed about the Hyuga Clan.

When the fight began, Neji opened by demeaning Hinata in an effort to get her to forfeit without a fight. When Hinata disagreed with his assumptions and refused to back out, Neji activated his Byakugan in preparation to fight. Hinata timidly looked away, unsure of her decision to fight. Neji continued to pick apart everything about Hinata, each and every mannerism she had and word she spoke, until Naruto's rising anger exploded.

"That does it! Who gave you the right to tell her what she can or can't be," Naruto shouted. "Go on, Hinata. Show this guy he's wrong! Hinata! You just gonna stand there and take that?! Do something! You're driving me crazy!"

Hinata took Naruto's words to heart and stood further in her resolve to fight. She activated her Byakugan and stood prepared to attack Neji. He prepared himself as well. They both rushed at the same time, though Hinata attacked first. Neji easily countered it and dodged her attacks, sending some of his own back at Hinata. Hinata dodged and blocked those expertly as well. Their match became an ebb and flow of attacks and blocks. Neither side seemed to gain any headway until Hinata almost got through and made contact. Neji took a minute step back to dodge the attack.

He and Hinata edged along in a circle, trying to read each other and find an opening to launch another attack. This time, Neji attacked first and the volley began again, though it ended the same with them stepping in a circle. This became the pattern until Neji was able to get a hit through on Hinata. From there, the match was uneven. Hinata kept fighting but Neji was past her skill level, especially after being able to block one of her vital chakra points. Neji continued to attack her chakra points in any and every opening he had, viciously attacking her blow for blow. He made sure to continue to insult her with every onslaught of attacks. Each time Hinata got back up to fight again, Neji beat her ruthlessly to convey his superiority over her.

"So we're just going to do nothing," Ellainna growled and looked to Kakashi.

"There's nothing we can do. It's a match. If he needs to step in, Hayate will."
Ellainna growled and crossed her arms to keep herself from acting out.

Naruto, feeling the same frustration, cheered Hinata on. Her resolve renewed again, Hinata attacked Neji again with a flurry. She seemed to once again be on even par with him, not letting him get an opening to attack her again. However, this was short lived and Neji gained an upper hand once more. He delivered another blow, this time to her heart, knocking her down indefinitely.

Hayate tried to close the match but Naruto cut him off. Hinata struggled to her feet once more, not ready to give up. She disputed everything he said about her, determining that he was projecting his feelings onto her. Of course, not ready to hear this truth, Neji angrily charged at Hinata. Hayate wasn't quick enough to stop without help.

He, Kakashi, Guy, and Kurenai all appeared on the arena floor to stop Neji. Ellainna appeared to hold Hinata before she fainted again. Guy scolded Neji for losing control and Neji vehemently inquired why the match was stopped. Hinata fell into Ellainna's arms, the pain in her body becoming too much for her. Kurenai rushed over to Hinata's aide. She and Ellainna laid her down to wait for the medical ninja to come and treat her.

"Are you kidding me," Ellainna shouted, jumping up. "Special treatment? You think stopping someone from being killed is special treatment?!"

Kakashi was again quick in his response to Ellainna's anger and was able to grab her before she could take a step in Neji's direction. As Naruto, Sakura, and Lee rushed in to check on Hinata, Kakashi pulled Ellainna to the side to calm her down.

"Look, if you can't get yourself under control, you're gonna have to go home for the day," Kakashi said.

"But-"

"A Jonin has tact and self control even in the face of difficult situations. They do not allow themselves to be ruled by emotion."

"What was I supposed to do," Ellainna growled. "That guy-"

"I'm aware. But you can't always go in, fists blazing, fighting everyone every time you disagree with something. Sometimes you have to wait it out and make your move to win the war, not the battle."

"So we just sit back and let everyone do whatever they want? He was going to kill her. If nothing else, aren't we supposed to stick together? We're all Leaf ninja. We're supposed to have each other's back."

Kakashi sighed heavily, knowing there was no way to talk Ellainna down. She was too riled up.

"Look. Either you reign it in and stay or you go home and wait this part out. Pick one."

Ellainna made a face and stalked off. She flicked Neji off before she stepped outside the room into the hallway. She paced back and forth, trying to calm herself down. Unfortunately, she was only egging herself on so she punched the wall a few times before walking back inside. She leaned against the wall next to Kakashi because she didn't trust herself not to react should something happen again. Kakashi noticed her bloody hand and opened his mouth to inquire about it. However, before he could, Ellainna cut him down.

"It's fine."

Kakashi disregarded it for the time being and returned to watching the match. The match had already started by the time Ellainna had returned but she was okay with that. She could just get right into it and distract herself from the events of the previous fight. At this point in the fight, Lee was perched on a statue in front and released his leg weights. When they crashed to the ground, the impact and sound shocked Ellainna so much she jumped and grabbed Kakashi's sleeve.

"What the...?"

Lee was now moving so incredibly fast, he was hard to see, let alone keep track off. This seemed to catch his opponent, the last Sand Ninja, off guard. He launched a flurry of attacks and while his sand defense continued to block him, he was able to break through further and further. He was close to landing a hit on his opponent. Then, he was able to land a devastating kick to the head. This left a scratch on the boy's face, drawing blood. Ellainna blinked her eyes in surprise, impressed in Lee's skill. She had to admit, she too had underestimated his capabilities.

Lee continued to create openings to attack by confusing his opponent. The boy seemed to get fed up and you could feel the demeanor in the air change. The boy stood to reveal that he had a layer of sand as a shield around his body, but it was broken and crumbling after Lee's attacks. The look on his face became more depraved and...bloodthirsty? His sand started to swirl around him menacingly. Lee began to unravel his arm bandages a little before he charged towards his opponent once more.

He raced around his opponent invisibly before charging at his opponent. His kick landed but did not launch him into the air as it normally did when starting the barrage. Thinking quick on his feet, Lee continued kicking the Sand ninja into the air, creating the opening he needed. Once he did, he wrapped his loose bandages around the opposing ninja, turned him upside down, and began spinning swiftly as he guided both of them down towards the ground. They landed with a huge bang, creating a large crack in the ground. Ellainna's grip on Kakashi's sleeve tightened as she gasped in surprise. She had never seen this attack before.

Lee left his opponent in a cloud of dust, he himself no worse for wear and his bandages rewrapped on his arms. Ellainna unwittingly held her breath as she waited for the literal dust to clear. She was anxious to see the results of Lee's attack. Though, to be fair, so was everyone else, Lee especially. When the dust finally settled, the Sand ninja's body was lain in the rubble of the floor, though something seemed off. It was cracked all over. Like a vase one wrong breath away from shattering. Lee and his spectators assumed this meant the end of the battle. They cheered for him, prematurely showering him with praise and awe. Others questioned whether the Sand ninja was still alive. Hayate approached the body to confirm that suspicion. Before he could take even 3 steps, the body began crumbling away, revealing that it wasn't a body after all. It was a clone made out of sand!

Lee's sensei, Guy, questioned when the Sand ninja could have possibly had time to switch himself out for a clone and Kakashi explained: Lee briefly closed his eyes during his onslaught of kicks from a pain in his leg. However short it may have been, it was more than enough time to make a switch and fool Lee. Ellainna looked on worriedly, knowing now that Lee's opponent was possibly too powerful for him to have been matched up with.

The Sand ninja reappeared behind Lee, chuckling maniacally. Lee tried to brace himself for the sand attack launched at him but was too weak from his early attacks to stand much of an attack. The Sand ninja ruthlessly sent wave after wave of attacks. Sakura angrily questioned why Lee was losing helplessly despite his skills. Kakashi explained the reason behind Lee's sluggishness: the risks of his use of the Forbidden Technique used earlier in the fight and the aftereffects they were all seeing now. It was all Lee could do to stay conscious, let alone defend and dodge the attacks.

Everyone had to look on helplessly as Lee took every attack thrown at him. He refused to give up or give in until he was the undisputed victor. Somehow, Lee found the strength and motivation to continue on fighting through the pain. His sensei Guy, made a cryptic remark about a lotus flower blooming and it yielded a strong response from Kakashi.

"Guy, you didn't!"

"Yes. I did," Guy responded confidently.

"That boy is able to open the eight inner gates and use the Hidden Lotus?"

"That's correct."

Ellainna wasn't sure what all the talk about lotuses and their gates were but she knew it had to be serious to make Kakashi lose his usual steely composure. She looked from him to Lee, worried about what was going to happen. Kakashi was at such a loss for words, he wasn't sure how to or where to start scolding Guy. He decided that was something he could do later and instead questioned how far into the skill Lee could propel himself.

"Five gates," Guy answered assuredly.

Sakura, fed up with not being knowledgeable on the topic of the discussion, angrily questioned Kakashi on what he and Guy was talking about. Guy responded and explained in a short overview what the jutsu was, but that wasn't satisfactory enough for her. So Kakashi stepped in and explained it in as much detail as he could so she could understand. Of course, this information didn't help Ellainna alleviate her worries about the match. The she realized how worked up she was getting about the matches and became confused. Why did she care so much? She barely knew these ninja from Sam Hill and here she was worried about their wellbeing and safety during the exam.

She didn't have an answer for herself, however, and she quickly found herself distracted from finding the answer as the fight in front of her picked up again. Lee opened the next gate and made a speech before opening the next gate too! He charged his opponent faster than before, if you could believe it. His skin turned a sickly orange-red color and his chakra swirled around him in a brilliant display. This time Lee had no trouble getting his opponent in the air where he had no trouble pummeling him relentlessly. The sand ninja's sand defense couldn't keep up at all.

Lee opened another gate as he came to deliver a final blow. He punch/kicked his opponent with all he had and sent him crashing to the ground. Lee no longer had the strength to adequately break his fall and landed roughly, rolling to a stop. This time seemed to be the end of the fight. Unfortunately, it was not. As the dust cleared again, it was revealed that his gourd too was made of sand and it created a barrier that alleviated the impact from the fall. He wasn't uninjured, but he was definitely better off than he would have been otherwise. He strained himself to send another attack towards Lee, who couldn't outrun it this time. A giant sand hand was created that attached itself to Lee's left arm and leg. The Sand ninja closed his hand into a fist and the sand on lee began crushing his limbs. Lee fell to the ground, unconscious, and the sand began to rush him further. It was going to crush him completely this time!

Ellainna tugged on Kakashi's sleeve in distress but they didn't have to move a muscle. Quick as lightening, Guy appeared in front of Lee's body, preventing the Sand ninja from further injuring him. He stopped his advance and asked Guy why he saved Lee.

"Because he's my student," Guy responded solemnly. "And also because he is precious to me."

The Sand ninja wobbled to his feet as the gourd on his back reformed and filled itself with his sand. He began walking away and mumbled that he quit. That was useless however, because Guy's interference spelled loss for Lee. Hayate began to announce the final results of the match but was caught off guard when Lee stood back up. Through the pain, he struggled to stand to continue to fight. He didn't want to lose. Guy tried to talk Lee back down and began sobbing. He felt guilty for training Lee in a way that caused him detriment to his mental wellbeing. Hayate meanwhile announced the winner.

"The winner...is Gaara."

Sakura hopped on the rails, intending to rush down to Lee's side. Kakashi however, stopped her.

"There's nothing you can do for him right now. There are times when sympathetic words only make things worse."

Naruto, regardless, rushed to Lee's side anyway, filled with anger and revulsion for Gaara. Hayate called for the medics to retrieve Lee quickly and they were loading him onto a stretcher by the time Naruto arrived next to Guy. Ellainna worried watched them. She hadn't noticed the cramps in her hand from her grip on Kakashi's sleeve. Naruto had a hard time coping with the medic's assessment that Lee would never be able to fully recover to achieve his dream of being a shinobi. He began shouting angrily but Kakashi stopped him and calmed him down while also delivering a lesson. He also took the time to apologize for his outburst with Guy before they all cleared the way for the final match:

Choji Akimichi v Dosu Kinuta

Choji declared with confidence that he would not only win his match, but do so quickly. A fire was definitely lit in his belly. He performed his expansion jutsu and combined it with his Human Boulder technique and charged his opponent. He follows his opponent before being tricked into crashing into a wall. From there, Dosu punches Choji and unleashes a sound attack, which promptly takes Choji out. Dosu explains how Choji overlooked that the water in his body could transmit the sound from his attack.

Hayate announces Dosu's succession and the 2nd round of the Chunin Exams are officially over. While sad that another Leaf ninja lost, Ellainna was happy the matches had ended on a simple and suspense free note. She wasn't sure if she could take another drawn out battle where her comrades got hurt. She then kicked herself as she realized that Kakashi's training must be working. It had to be the reason she suddenly cared about people she didn't know and rooted for their victory. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. A ninja doesn't need a heart, they need skill. That's what she should be focusing on in her training. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself, but that mindset didn't resonate with her anymore. She didn't believe it anymore. She silently cursed Kakashi for leeching his training ideals on her.

Hayate announced the end of the second round and gathered everyone available who moved on victoriously to the next round. He began giving instructions on what will happen next in the third exams and congratulated them. Up in the stands, Sakura began to ask about Sasuke but Kakashi informed her he had no information on the subject.

Liar.

Ellainna rolled her eyes but stayed silent, knowing that she would be more likely to get information one on one versus in a crowd of people. Kakashi told Sakura not to worry and announced that he was leaving. He wanted her and Ellainna to get the information Hayate was giving out about the finals.

"Hey! Wait! I-"

Before Ellainna could catch him, Kakashi was gone. She growled and grumbled to herself but didn't feel like trying to chase him down. She wanted to get the information to give to Sasuke. He was going to need it. The Third Hokage addressed the contestants and informed them of what would happen next in the exams and what was expected of them.

A month from now, the finals would commence and the finalists were to take that time to train, grow, and rest, in preparation. Everyone was then ordered to grab a slip of paper from a box that was passed around, each with a number on it. Those with matching numbers were paired together as opponents.

Naruto Uzumaki v Neji Hyuga

Gaara v Sasuke Uchiha

Kankuro v Shino Aburame

Temari v

Shikamaru Nara v Dosu

Ellainna was worried for Sasuke. His first match would be against that Sand ninja, Gaara. She wondered if he had enough time to recover and train to survive the battle. She also wondered if Naruto would be able to beat most of the people on the list, let alone his first opponent Neji Hyuga. She had to admit she was slightly jealous that she wasn't in this year's exams but also glad so she didn't have to fight that monster of a genin Gaara.

Shikamaru asked the Hokage if the tier fighting style meant only one person would move on to become Chunin.

"Actually, it's quite the contrary," the Hokage answered. "There are going to be several judges for the final round, including myself and the other Kage of your villages. The will evaluate you on and your abilities thoroughly and make a decision if any or all of you possess Chunin qualities. Even if you lose your match you could still be eligible for promotion."

"So there's a chance all of us could become Chunin," Temari asked.

"Correct, but conversely there is a chance none of you could as well. The advantage in more rounds is more chances to display your skills in front of the judges. Does that answer your question, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru didn't verbally answer but the Hokage took that as one. He dismissed everyone. Ellainna quickly rushed off towards the hospital to see Sasuke. She hoped that he was awake by now. Somehow, Naruto had beaten her to the hospital and was making a fuss about something. Before she could quiet him down, Kakashi appeared from the hallway and did just that.

"Naruto, this is a hospital. Keep it down."

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto exclaimed, still just as loud. "Boy am I glad to see you! I gotta ask you a favor!"

Ellainna trailed behind Naruto as he rushed over to Kakashi excitedly.

"Stop right there, I already know what you're going to ask so I've been looking for someone who can oversee your training for the final rounds," Kakashi said.

Ellainna chuckled as Naruto grumbled, none too pleased that he would not have Kakashi as his trainer.

"Hold on! Why can't you train me, Sensei?"

"I have other matters to handle. I don't have time to deal with you Naruto."

"You're not the favorite," Ellainna whispered to Naruto jokingly.

"Hey! Ah-ha! You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto exclaimed.

"Now, now, don't complain," Kakashi said.

"That means yes," Ellainna said.

"You're not helping," Kakashi complained. "Listen, I've found you an even better teacher than me."

"Well, who is it?"

"A consolation prize," Ellainna interjected.

"It is I," a voice rang from behind them. Naruto and Ellainna turned around to see a man they both recognized from two different situations but for the same reason.

"You," Naruto cried out in surprise. "You closet pervert!?"

The man just readjusted his glasses and called Naruto insolent. Ellainna made another mental note to stop crapping where she eats so she can stop running into situations like this. He hadn't seemed to be interested in her and she was glad. If her previous interactions with him were any indication, Ebisu was a very clingy man and she had a hard time getting rid of him the previous three times so this time around would be just as annoying.

Ellainna hoped she could slip out unbothered and visit Sasuke later. She backstepped and stood close to Kakashi, hoping if it came down to it, he'd be able to help. Naruto still pointed his finger at Ebisu, complaining about him.

"You've got to be kidding me," Naruto decreed. "Out of all the guys you could've picked, you picked this guy to train me?! What a joke! He's weaker than I am!"

"What makes you say that," Kakashi asked.

"I'm serious! You should've seen him. He saw my Harem Jutsu once and he fell to pieces!"

This is where Ebisu's composure broke a little and he got worried. Ellainna mentally chuckled at him.

Guess you don't want the whole world to know how much you really like your women.

Ebisu quickly grabbed Naruto, covering his mouth with his hand, and waved off Kakashi's questions about Naruto's claim.

"Well, well, I had no idea you two were so acquainted," Kakashi said.

"Oh, yes, we go way back," Ebisu responded, petting Naruto on the head.

"I still don't get why it has to be him," Naruto grumbled. "I mean, anybody else."

"Look, you," Ebisu retorted back. "If it hadn't been for Kakashi who asked me this favor, I would never consider training you!"

"Yeah? Well, then don't!"

Kakashi stepped up to break up their argument.

"Hey, hey. Come on you two, let's calm down."

He crouched down to Naruto's level and whispered to him.

"Listen, Naruto, you're wrong about Ebisu-sensei. He's a special Jonin: A private tutor who only trains the elite. Frankly, he's a better teacher than I am."

Naruto took in and dissecting what Kakashi said as he stood back up and began talking, this time not whispering.

"Anyway, Naruto. I've got to say that of the three Genin in squad seven, you're the one who's basic skills need the most work. That's what I want you to focus on this time around."

"Wait, hold on a second," Naruto fired back. "Are you saying I'm not as good as Sasuke or Sakura?!"

Kakashi sighed and explained to Naruto the importance of having basic skills over the big flashy skills, something he definitely didn't have. Basically, you have to walk before you run. Kakashi turned to leave, dropping Naruto off with Ebisu. Ellainna quickly scurried behind him, not wanting to be left behind with Ebisu.

Once they were outside of the hospital, Kakashi began to poke fun at Ellainna.

"You sure got quiet really fast back there. I figured you'd have kept trying to tease Naruto."

"Don't worry about it," Ellainna grumbled, crossing her arms. "Let's worry about Sasuke! How is he? Did he wake up yet? If not, when will he wake up? What's going to happen to him? What are we doing about Orochimaru?! Will he be safe? Will he be better by the second round? When will he wake up anyway? Will he have enough time to train? I-"

Kakashi put his hand on Ellainna's head and she stopped talking.

"Sasuke will be okay. Everything will be okay."
Ellainna nodded as though agreeing with him before pointing her finger at Kakashi and angrily shouting at him.

"You can't just say that everything will be okay and it happens! That's not how it works!"

"Why not?"

"You can't will the universe to make everything okay! There are serious problems in the world!"

"What about wishful thinking?"

Ellainna paused for a moment to consider this revelation.

"You don't believe in wishful thinking..."

"Doesn't matter if I believe. All that matters is if you believe."

Kakashi ruffled Ellainna's hair, his hand not having moved from her head, and she considered his statements.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Ellainna grumbled, crossing her arms. "But what about-"

"I said all I can say on the matter, El."

Ellainna began to argue with Kakashi, but decided to save her breath. "Fine. Whatever."

She wanted to just return home and relax from all the excitement and rest before visiting Sasuke the next day.