A/N: Alright, so we're finally free of the prelims. The next few chapters are going to be character–based, and will largely focus on Team Seven and their endeavors. There's gonna be some possibly controversial stuff in the following chapters, but bear with me. It all serves a purpose.

And, I hope there's still interest in this fic. Numbers kinda dove way down once the prelims started. So, I guess these next few are a test to see if this is still worth updating haha

Time for Chapter 31

Enjoy!


Satsuki rubbed her eyes and groaned as she sat up in what appeared to be her own room. She was covered by blankets, the lights were off, and it seemed to be nighttime based upon the lack of light streaming through the window above her bed. She was groggier than she normally was upon awakening, and her entire body was sore. Overall, she felt mediocre at best, and porous at worst.

"Morning, sunshine."

Flinching at the sudden interruption of the silence she had woken up to, the Uchiha girl's eyes shifted to the corner of her room, where Kakashi sat on a wooden chair. The Jonin looked rather tired himself, with his only visible eye half-lidded and lazy. Rubbing her eyes to clear the sleep from them, Satsuki ignored the strands of hair falling into her face.

"Why're you in here?" she asked. The Jonin adjusted a small knick knack on the dresser he was seated next to.

"I needed to make sure your condition was stable. Thankfully, you seem fine." he replied. The Uchiha girl frowned at his answer. It was both vague, and full of unknown implications.

"What happened after I passed out?" she inquired. Kakashi pointed to his own neck, prompting Satsuki to check her own. While she could barely see the marking through her peripheral, she could make out a new set of symbols encircling the original tattoo.

"I put a restraining seal on it. It shouldn't bother you as much for the foreseeable future, and even if it does, we can also tighten it again." the older ninja explained. Satsuki nodded and squirmed out from under her covers. Once her legs were free, she settled into sitting cross-legged atop her mattress.

"I could feel it draining me during my match. It didn't help that the guy was stealing my chakra on top of it, either." she recalled. The fatigue she had experienced against Yoroi Akado had been unlike anything she had ever brushed with before. It had been like drowning on dry land. No matter how many deep breaths she took, she was always starved for air.

"You still handled him just fine. It wasn't a clean performance, but you showed some real grit. Don't get down on yourself." her teacher said encouragingly. Satsuki exhaled through her nose and fiddled with the folds in her bedsheets.

"I'm not down about how I did. I won. I'm satisfied with that. That's exactly what's bothering me." she said honestly. Kakashi audibly shifted in his seat.

"Everybody reacts to their first kill differently. I shut myself in my room for a week straight after mine, but other people just don't think much of it. It's not a bad thing to be indifferent, so long as you respect the dead." he said. It was a logical answer. People were varied, and levels of empathy were inconsistent, even within the same person. Despite the sensibility of the idea, Satsuki couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her gut.

"I hear you, but it just doesn't fit with who I am. Who I think I am, anyway." she said quietly. Kakashi scooted his chair closer to her bedside with a sigh.

"I'm not gonna make you talk to me about how you're feeling, but it would help me to know." he said. Briefly looking the Jonin in the eyes, Satsuki pursed her lips.

"When I slammed him into the floor, I felt his neck snap under me. I heard it too. The thought even crossed my mind while we were falling. I knew it would probably kill him. I didn't care." she admitted. She then gripped her thighs.

"Even after I got a good look at his body, I didn't feel anything. He was just a pile of limbs and skin to me. Hell, I even named the move I murdered him with." she said rigidly. Kakashi nodded silently, allowing her to let her thoughts flow out.

"Even before all of that happened, I maimed another genin in the forest. I snapped his arms just because I was angry and sore. I enjoyed it, too. I got high on torturing him. I was gonna do the same to his teammate, too. Shikamaru stopped me before I could." she continued, self-disgust from deep within laced into her voice. She hated every word that was coming out of her mouth, both because of their meaning, and because she meant every single one of them.

"Even after that, when we all piled into our room in the tower, I…woke up with Naruto shaking me. I was standing up, and I'd been watching him sleep. I don't even remember that. Not even a second of it. But he was telling the truth. He looked afraid of me. He tried to hide it, but I saw it in his eyes." she said, finding that particular memory especially unpleasant to relive. Turning her eyes to Kakashi to check if he was still paying attention, Satsuki found that he was still very much listening. She then lowered her eyes back down to her sheets.

"Long story short, something's been wrong with me since Orochimaru knocked me out. Naruto almost dying made me so angry I just about went insane, then I went and killed a person without batting a day less than a day later. I feel different, and not in a good way." she summarized, finding that explaining herself had managed to relieve some of her tension. Kakashi, after a time, broke his silence.

"How close of a call was it? With Naruto, I mean." he asked strangely. Though the question was unexpected, Satsuki answered regardless.

"Closer than I'll ever allow again." she said shortly. Seemingly satisfied with the brief answer, the Jonin then leaned forward and gave her a serious look.

"I know a bit about what happened in the forest. Shikamaru told me most of it. Naruto tried to give you an opening to run, am I right?" he inquired, drawing a nod from the Uchiha girl.

"Not sure why he thought I'd take it, but yeah, he did." she confirmed. Kakashi stared out of the window for a few moments, silently contemplating something.

"He was right to try to send you away. I'm not sure how, but he knew that Orochimaru was there for you. I don't blame you for not listening to him, but he had a good reason, even if it was just a gut feeling on his part." he said thoughtfully. Satsuki's hand then drifted up and grazed the mark on her neck.

"He was there to mark me, wasn't he?" she asked. The Copy Ninja gave a thumbs-up paired with a forced smile.

"You're a little too popular for your own good, kid." he said. In contrast to what she had expected to feel, Satsuki did not feel fear at the revelation. Perhaps because she had suspected what she was being told, but in part, she was simply too raw emotionally to feel much more than she already had. As such, nothing but a hollow laugh escaped her.

"I really am, aren't I?" she mused. The student and teacher then lapsed into silence. There was little left to be said, it seemed.

"How long have I been out for?" Satsuki asked after a time. Kakashi glanced up at the clock just above the room's door.

"Just under a day and a half. The matchups for the final round were announced yesterday." he said. The Uchiha girl sat up a bit straighter at the news.

"That involves me, right? Who am I up against?" she pressed. Kakashi stood up from his chair and stretched.

"You're facing Gaara. Rough draw, I know, but I'll get you good and ready for him." he reported. Satsuki suppressed a shudder. She had interacted very little with Gaara, but the limited exposure to him she had experienced was far from pleasant. He had a disturbing air about him.

"Let me guess, Naruto got Choji, and Shikamaru got Shino?" she joked. Kakashi laughed and shook his head.

"Naruto's matched up with Neji, and Shikamaru is booked against Temari." he corrected. Satsuki threw her legs over the side of her bed and joined her teacher on her feet.

"Man, we all have it rough, then." she grumbled. Kakashi then stepped out of her room and into the outer hallway.

"You'll all do just fine. I'll make sure of that. Since you're healthy, I think I'm gonna head out. Need anything before I go?" he asked. Satsuki shook her head and pushed her messy hair out of her face and back over her shoulders,

"I'm good. I think I'm just gonna shower and go back to bed." she said. Kakashi promptly waved and vanished into a puff of smoke. Now alone once again, Satsuki took a deep breath, held it in for a moment, and then released it. She then turned back toward her bed and crawled up onto it. On the windowsill over where she slept were the rose and sunflower she had bought upon Team Seven's return from the Land of Waves.

'Still in good shape. I'm getting better at this whole plant thing.' she thought to herself with a smile. She then jumped down from her bed again, exiting her room and heading for the bathroom to take a well-earned shower.

Once she was gone from the room, a petal silently fell from her black rose.


Naruto took a large bite out of his sausage patty as civilians came and went through the cafe. It was early, hardly past six-thirty in the morning, and he had been practically dragged out of bed less than an hour prior by Kakashi to gather for a briefing with the rest of his cell. The lack of advanced warning had been irritating, but the blonde was glad to be with his team. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, things were calm and tranquil.

"Is it just me, or did the exam feel a whole lot longer than it was?" he asked, his mouth still full. Satsuki, who was seated next to him at the small table Kakashi had picked out, cleared her throat and drove her elbow into his side.

"Swallow before you talk." she chided him. Mumbling a weak retort under his breath, Naruto did as he was told. Shikamaru snorted and scratched his cheek absently.

"You've got no room to talk. You were out cold for most of the forest phase. Same for Satsuki." he said pointedly. Satsuki shrugged her shoulders and nibbled on her scrambled eggs.

"I was awake for longer than blondie over here, so I should get a pass." she said casually. Shikamaru nodded in agreement and sipped his water.

"Good point. That puts you in last place, Naruto." he said humorously. The Jinchuuriki prickled slightly at having been teamed up on.

"The weird snake guy turned me into a pork chop. Cut me some slack." he grumbled. Interestingly, despite the mood having been entirely joking, Satsuki seemed to soften at his words, as her expression shifted to one of sobriety for a brief moment. The change vanished as quickly as it had come.

"All of that aside, what are we here for? I appreciate the free food, but I need a reason to be up this early." the Uchiha girl asked Kakashi, who was seated directly across from her next to Shikamaru. The Jonin had not ordered any food for himself. Not even a glass of water.

"Well, I figured you three would appreciate doing something normal. You've all had a rough week." he replied. It was far from untrue, and each of the genin knew it. Naruto himself had been quietly pleased.

"There's something else, though, right? You said there'd be a briefing." the blonde asked. Kakashi nodded and adjusted his mask.

"Your training situations are going to be a bit unique, since all three of you are in the finals bracket for the exam." he said. The group nodded concurrently, awaiting further information.

"Preparing all of you as a group would be a conflict of interest. As such, I'll be taking different different schedules with each of you. Monday and Tuesday will be for Naruto, Wednesday and Thursday for Satsuki, Friday and Saturday for Shikamaru, and Sunday will be your day off. Does that sound fair?" Kakashi explained. Shikamaru raised his hand.

"My dad wants to do most of my prep. He was gonna ask you himself, but I might as well do it for him since I'm here." he interjected. The Jonin thought for a moment.

"I'm fine with that, but I want you working with me once a week at least. Your taijutsu needs some serious work." he said. The Nara boy nodded. The Jonin then turned his attention to Naruto and Satsuki.

"If Shikamaru's mostly going to be working with his family, how does an even split sound? Monday through Wednesday for Naruto, Thursday through Saturday for Satsuki." he suggested. The pair glanced at each other, and then nodded as well.

"Sounds fine to me. Didn't they say we had a month until the final round?" Naruto asked. While he had been present for the announcement, and the details that came with it, his memory was inconsistent.

"Twenty-nine days, actually. Either way, it's a decent chunk of time to prepare. You should all be fine. Just keep in mind that there's a decent chance you end up fighting one another. Be ready for it." Kakashi said. Satsuki, seeming to have remembered something, sighed heavily.

"If both Naruto and I win our matches, we'll fight in the semi-finals. That's just lame." she muttered. Shikamaru smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"I know who I'm rooting for, then. If you beat Naruto, and I fluke my way into the final match, three out of my four exam fights will be against girls." he said. Naruto grinned and extended his fist across the table.

"I gotcha. Don't you worry." he said. The Nara boy bumped his fist into the blonde's. Satsuki rolled her eyes and flicked a piece of cold scrambled egg at Shikamaru.

"Just surrender against the sand chick if it bothers you that much." she said sarcastically. Kakashi glanced at Shikamaru and shook his head tiredly.

"Don't encourage him. He might just do it." he said jokingly. The shadow user sunk down into his chair and finished the last of his water dejectedly.

"You guys are a massive drag, you know that?" he said tiredly. The conversation continued rather aimlessly for another twenty minutes, with numerous topics being broached. Including, but not limited to, whether or not Kakashi wore a mask while bathing, if Shikamaru had been born wearing earrings, and how many times Naruto had managed to dodge paying his rent. Once they had all finished their respective meals, Kakashi gestured toward the door.

"I'll pick up the tab. You three go out and relax until noon. After that, meet me by the Hokage monument. We're gonna do a group run and some sparring." he said. The genin all did as they were told and stood up from the table. They quickly filtered out of the cafe, leaving their teacher to pay.

"I'm gonna go back to bed. If you need me, I'll be back at home." Shikamaru informed his teammates once they were out in the early morning street, both of whom couldn't help but chuckle a bit at how very characteristic the plan was. As the Nara boy walked away, Naruto turned to face Satsuki.

"What're you gonna do?" he asked. The Uchiha considered the question momentarily, soon shrugging her shoulders and kicking a pebble.

"I need to buy some knitting thread. My favorite shirt got ruined in the forest." she said. Naruto furrowed his brow as he recalled a question that had been bouncing around in his mind.

"Every outfit I've seen you wear has the Uchiha symbol on the back of it. Where do you get them?" he asked. Satsuki stared at him wordlessly at first.

"They didn't bother taking the clothes when they came and cleaned everything up in my neighborhood." she eventually said blankly. Immediately kicking himself mentally, Naruto lowered his eyes to the asphalt.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question." he apologized. The Uchiha girl responded by flicking him on the nose, causing him to flinch and back up a step.

"It's whatever. It's actually kinda convenient. I don't have to buy clothes. Just material to fix them sometimes." she said dismissively. Relaxing somewhat, the blonde rubbed the tip of his nose.

"Bright sides to everything, I guess. Well, uh, I'll let you get on your way now." he said rather awkwardly, turning on his heel and beginning to walk away from Satsuki and the blunder he had committed. He hadn't made it ten steps before he was halted by her voice.

"Naruto." she called out. Glancing back over his shoulder, the JInchuuriki met her dark eyes skeptically.

"What's up?" he said. An unreadable smile then crept across the Uchiha girl's lips as she maintained eye contact.

"You're not allowed to lose to Neji. Nobody's beating you but me." she said. While he found her words strange, and her tone stranger, Naruto nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind." he replied, beginning to walk away once again. As the distance between them grew, just at the edge of earshot, he caught one last sentence from his teammate.

"You'd better."


Shikamaru turned onto his back in the darkness of his room. He was rather sore, as sparring had been more rough and tumble than usual. Naruto had been his usual self during drilling, which meant that he was an absolute workhorse. He never rested, even when he was ordered to. He was the sort of person to do pushups while his teammates were catching their breath. His endurance was superhuman, and his drive bordered on obsession.

'Couldn't be me.' the Nara boy thought to himself as he stared up at his ceiling. It was only eight o'clock, so the sounds of his parents toiling about on the floor below were still audible. He was making up for lost time in terms of sleep, as he had been robbed of a substantial amount of it during Team Seven's hellish stint in the forest of death. The entire experience had been harrowing from start to finish.

From the moment they had stepped into the foliage, they had been silently under the pressure of an unseen menace on their trail. One they could not see, smell, or touch. Not initially, at least. Unfortunately, they had become far more acquainted with their stalker than any of them had ever wished to be. Orochimaru had put them through the mental and physical wringer. He had nearly killed all three of them. Then, even after they had survived by the skin of their teeth, Shikamaru had been forced to face the Oto genin by his lonesome, a battle he lost terribly.

'Until she woke up, anyway.' the shadow user added within his mind. Sastuki's sudden awakening and transformation had been disturbing, to say the least. Her power had skyrocketed beyond even her most enraged peak against Orochimaru, as had her thirst for violence. Had he not stopped her, she almost certainly would have killed both Zaku and Dosu.

'She's been acting a little weird since then, too. She stayed quiet about it, but she got up in her feelings about Naruto being stronger than she expected during the prelims.' Shikamaru recalled. Satsuki was many things, but insecure was hardly one of them. She could be frustrated and surprised, but her ego was sturdy to the point of arrogance most of the time.

'It's that tattoo. It's gotta be.' Shikamaru insisted. The shift in personality was subtle. So much so that even Naruto seemed to seldom notice. But it was there. The way her eyes would glaze over ever so slightly, only to light back up again. As though she were drifting in and out of consciousness. Having been an observer most of his young life, Shikamaru had developed a keen sense for the finer details of a person's mannerisms. Currently, that intuition was blaring like a siren.

'Sensei's noticed it too. We're only two days out of the preliminary round, and he's barely let her out of his sight. He trailed her home after training today.' Shikamaru recounted. It was hardly his place to do anything about whatever was transpiring, and even if it were, for all his smarts, he was at a loss. He was a tactician, not a therapist. As he pondered the many twists and turns his career path was taking him down, a knock came at his door. Rolling over onto his side again, Shikamaru attempted to feign sleep.

"I know you're still awake in there. Somebody's at the door requesting you." came the voice of his mother. Sighing heavily and sitting up with a groan at the soreness in his back, Shikamaru looked in the direction of his door.

"Tell whoever it is that I'm not home." he called back. His door knob then began to turn, much to the genin's dismay. A moment later, his door opened.

"I'm not doing that. Even if I wanted to, I'm outranked." Yoshino, who looked rather tired herself, said. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. His mother had long since retired from her career as a kunoichi, but she still retained her rank as a Chunin. Though he initially jumped to the conclusion that Kakashi was sending for him for one reason or another, he quickly ruled it out due to the vague wording his mother had used.

"Gimme a minute." Shikamaru grumbled, grabbing the shirt he had tossed aside an hour earlier and putting it on loosely. Once he was fully clothed, the Nara boy stepped past his mother and trudged his way down the stairs. Upon reaching the base floor, he caught the eyes of his father, who wore a raised eyebrow. Choosing to find out for himself rather than ask questions, Shikamaru made his way to the front door, which was open. Standing just outside of the entrance was a rather surprising sight.

A member of the Anbu Black Ops.

Dressed in the corps' unmistakable gray flak jacket and black pants, with a mask resembling that of a hawk, the figure stood a tad shorter than Shikamaru himself.

"May I help you?" the Nara boy asked politely, attempting to suppress his irritation at having been requested mid-rest. Much to his surprise, the Anbu chuckled.

"So cordial. Where was this side of you last time?" came the voice of the covert Ninja. The voice was unmistakably feminine, and Shikamaru recognized it instantly. His eyes widened. Easily sensing his shock at what he had heard, the Anbu removed her mask to reveal the face beneath it.

Fair skin, brown eyes, long brown hair hanging freely over her shoulders, and a knowing smile. Somehow, someway, wearing the uniform of his own village's most prestigious unit, Haku Yuki stood before him.

"Long time no see, Shikamaru-kun."


A/N: Oh fuck yeah, Haku is back baby. Reading reviews for this story has informed me that Haku was a rather divisive figure in this fic's fandom, but I'm gonna write her anyway. She was set up to be important, so I'm gonna follow through on that.

And…yeah. I don't know how many of you are still into this fic, I know I kinda fumbled the prelims a bit, but I really hope you stick around. It would mean a lot to me :)

I love you all

Read and Review!