Chapter Seven: Saki Versus Kuroe
"Wow, Sasuke has definitely gotten a whole lot cooler." Konohamaru said before all of a sudden Keiko turned over to look at him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"What do you think I'm doing here? I came to watch the Chunin exams with you. Kizashi would have come with me but he isn't feeling so well. I think he's coming down with a bit of a cold and he missed school and a mission today." He told her.
"Aww,.. that's too bad. Hopefully he'll feel better by Friday." She said while taking ahold of him by the hand.
"I know. I feel really bad for him. Since we've known each other since we were really little we're really more like brothers him and me." he told her.
"I just hope that he doesn't get Ami sick." She said.
"Whatever it is my guess is that he probably caught it from her." He said.
"Welcome to the 2023 Chunin exams." Sasuke began loudly as all of the girls suddenly began to swoon and whistle at him and he narrowed his eyebrows and glared. "Oh and just so you're all aware I am a happily married with two children and a baby on the way." He added as he heard a few sighs in response and even a few sobs and Sasuke just simply heaved a heavy sigh. "Anyways as always the fighters and their opponents are chosen entirely at random." He explained when suddenly Kuroe began to walk over to Konohamaru and Keiko.
"Hey Kuroe, what's up?" Konohamaru questioned her with a grin while slightly waving at her with his free hand much to Keiko's anger and annoyance. Her face went beet red as she let out another growl.
"Oh nothing, I just wanted to say hi to you that's all." Kuroe told him.
"Alright, well you just did so you can be on your way now." Keiko said through her clenched teeth.
"Huh?" Kuroe inquired while widening her eyes with complete and utter astonishment and disbelief as Konohamaru laughed nervously while scratching his neck as he started to blush.
"I almost forgot to tell you." He began. "Keiko's my girlfriend now and she gets rather jealous of other girls that are trying to flirt with me." he finished.
"Oh,.. I'm sorry." She replied while hanging her head sheepishly. "I really didn't know." She added.
"Oh." Keiko began. "That's alright." She finished quietly. "Damn it, what do I do!? I really want to hate her but she seems really nice!" she thought to herself when all of a sudden the first pairing was announced.
"Saki Takahashi and Kuroe Hiden you're the first ones up." Sasuke announced before they both turned around to face each other.
"Well, looks like this is it." Saki said before she quickly teleported down to the bottom of the arena.
"Wow, I didn't know that she could teleport." Keiko said.
"Well, I guess I better go too." Kuroe said when all of a sudden she levitated off of the ground and hovered over the railing and then landed back down on top of the ground in front of Saki.
"Wow! How cool! Gaara has a sister who can fly!" Konohamaru exclaimed excitedly but Keiko just simply folded her arms and rolled her eyes.
"Big whoop." She said while turning her back to him in complete jealousy.
"Alright, let the first match of the Chunin exams begin!" Sasuke cried before slowly backing away from the girls.
"I'm really, really sorry about this Saki." Kuroe said before she threw a paper bomb at her. That's when suddenly Saki shrank to the size of a flea and managed to avoid it as it flew straight past her.
"Whoa! Where did she go!?" Konohamaru cried.
"I don't know she just disappeared." Keiko told him while she turned over to look at him.
"That's funny, I've never seen Jutsu like that before." Sakura said with a gasp of astonishment as Saki returned to her regular size and suddenly turned into an enormous black bear. This time the whole entire arena gasped as Saki stood up on top of her hind legs and roared at Kuroe before swiping her with her paw and knocked her over onto the ground with her paw.
"Are you sure that your best friend isn't a witch or something?" Konohamaru questioned his girlfriend.
"I was pretty sure up until this point." Keiko began. "But now I'm starting to think that she's using magic." She finished.
"No, I don't think she is." Sakura began with a shake of her head. "That one looks like the transformation jutsu to me." she told her when suddenly Kuroe leapt back up onto her feet while Saki returned into her human self.
"Come on Saki! You can do it!" Keiko shouted down to her before she glanced up in her direction. Just as she had been distracted Kuroe had been making hand signs and transforming her body into a lightning shield and Keiko gasped. "Oh no, just like her brother." She whispered while grabbing onto Konohamaru's hand and clutching it tightly.
"She's going to kill her." Konohamaru said as he gasped as well and held on tightly to his girlfriend's hand. However that's when suddenly all of the power in the arena went out and it got dark and cold.
"Something's wrong." Sakura said to herself being able to see her own breath. "I have to get down to Sasuke." She added before leaping over the railing.
"Umm Konohamaru,.. I really don't like having to mention this but I'm scared." Keiko said shakily as her pupils grew large and her eyes turned black.
"It's alright Keiko." He whispered softly. "And I won't let anything happen to you, I promise you that." He reassured her soothingly before placing a tender kiss on her cheek. Then all of a sudden there was a great loud thud and a boom as the windows burst open and the glass shattered into millions and billions of pieces.
Everybody started screaming as members of the Akatsuki leapt through them. Sasuke gasped and activated his sharingan and cursemark at exactly the same time before he quickly turned his head to see his wife racing towards him. "No Sakura! Get back!" he ordered for he had a feeling he knew why they were here and who they were after. All he knew right then and there is that he had to find Keiko and get to her as soon as possible.