NEW STORY ALERT *****For people who don't read my AN at the end of each chapter. 1. tsk tsk. 2. new story called LEDA is out*****

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

Warning: Anko gets pissed...a lot.

Thank you kuriboh1233, xxOchibixx, Sophiebybophie, Makaylamann51, time-twilight, Jemmy, bonitalito, Ryu Nitram Captor, and sebabug for your reviews. Sorry, I know it was a hard chapter to read. Hopefully this one will be different!

To address some of you:

kuriboh1233: Mangekyo? mmm...

xxOchibixx: Clever. Kakashi, Kiba, and Gaara are potentials for Quorra. But you know me, things are never that simple.

Makaylamann51: you'll see...

Happy reading!

Chapter thirty-four: The Warrior.

Death.

The termination of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. The body cease breathing as their eyes become lifeless; no longer viewing the world. They begin to decompose shortly after death, absorbed into the earth by worms, fueling the next generation or they are thrown in a box to rot for all eternity.

Different religions believed in different outcomes after death. Some believed in an afterlife; a little thing called heaven. That one day, you will reunite with your grandparents or your family pet. This would also mean you reunite with that girl that always pulled on your hair in school. Others thought that the present life was only a preparation for the next realm of existence. Or, a rebirth and reincarnation of their soul occurred after your last breath. All good theories but I, on the other hand, knew the truth.

Once dead, there was nothingness. No light will every reach your eyes, nor laughter hitting your voice. You become numb to the world as you witness it wiz by. Everything that you loved, found happiness for, was now gone. Sucked into this blackhole we called life. How could I know the answer to the question that has been theorized for thousands of years?

Because I was dead.

I was dead the moment Leda died, the moment her soul left her body and she went from a living creature, to a piece of meat. I was dead when Sasuke and Sakura assisted Kabuto to the tower as Mae, myself, and eventually Naruto, followed suit. Bruised and scratched, but safe. Naruto explained with dismay that he looked everywhere for Leda, but couldn't find her. He should have known his efforts were invalid.

The tower. The place where successful candidates went after they obtained both scrolls, quickly approached us. Mae filled me in that she and Leda did manage to snag the other scroll during our time of separation. But none of it matters, nothing matters anymore.

Even if I wanted to stay in the running to become chunin, I couldn't. The rules clearly stated that a team had to be at the tower with all teammates. Without Leda, we are disqualified. Without Leda, I was nothing.

By the time we got there, time was practically up. We entered a grandiose room. A ceiling high enough for an echo to get lost in. Strong, bulky columns ran along the walls, ensuring this place could survive a bombing. At the far end, hung an old, historical-looking clock. It ticked as the second hand inched up to its destination— the end of this part of the exam. Our feet clattered as we entered the room. Six pairs of feet that were unsure what came next.

"Looks like we're the last teams," Sakura observed, but immediately winced. We weren't the last teams, they were.

Teams were conjugated in the center of the abyss room. Anko was right, most of the teams were eliminated as less than half were here. Kabuto spotted his teammates and with a sigh of relief, reunited with them.

Neji and his team managed to nab their second scroll since we last saw them. Lee was jogging in place, excited for the upcoming obstacles—being his spunky, overenergetic self. Team 10 was here with Ino chatting loudly into Shikamaru's and Choji's ear. Neither were paying too much attention. Choji was eating a bag of chips, satisfied.

The Sensei were here too, even the ones whose team didn't make it. Gachero-Sensei was talking to Guy-Sensei. Kakashi, on the other hand, was hanging out towards the back. His foot propped on the wall, being the nonchalant guy that he was.

And finally there was Kiba who, at first sight of us, came trotting over. His teammates, Kakashi, and Gachero-Sensei weren't far behind.

"Hey, you guys made it! I was getting worried with time almost being up," he spoke lively.

The group and I were silent. Even Naruto kept quiet while his mouth hung open, but no words could escape his vocal chords.

"What happened to your glasses?" Kiba asked Mae, who hugged herself tightly. Her bottom lip quivered.

Kiba watched everyone knowing something was terribly wrong. His eyes widened with the realization. "Where's Leda?"

"Oh, Kiba," Mae cried, running into his arms. She sobbed into his jacket as he grabbed her into a supportive embrace.

Mae was full of emotion while I was stoic, numb to everyone's sadness, including my own. Like an infected cut that has been drained, my feelings went along with it. "She's dead," I stated, monotone.

As I spoke, I stared straight ahead, avoiding Kiba's hurt eyes that roamed at me, begging for me to explain myself. To tell me what I was thinking, what I was feeling, but I can't. The feelings were simple. Leda was dead, and the sooner I came to accept it, the better.

Mae cried even harder, heavy sobs were muffled into Kiba's jacket. Sasuke leaned on Sakura with a hand over the curse mark. Naruto balled up his fists with fury.

"Leda…" Hinata whispered. Her long-sleeved hands covered her mouth.

Kakashi was eyeing me as well, but knew better than to confront me. Instead, he took Sasuke from Sakura as she quietly got Kakashi up to speed with things. Gachero, on the other hand, doesn't know me like Kakashi does so when he placed a supportive hand on my shoulder, it took strength to not shrug it off. I knew he was just trying to help, but there was nothing he could do. There was nothing anyone could do anymore. The damage was done.

Suddenly, everyone's attention was drawn to the entrance. I honestly forgot all about this team, but once I laid eyes on them, the recognition and realization was instant. It was Gaara's team. And they made it just in time.

People were not discrete with their murmurs, but they couldn't be blamed. Gaara's team was dubbed the deadliest team in the competition by default. They were the team to watch out for and to avoid at all costs. And yet, they were the last team to arrive as the grand clock dongs midnight, officially closing this part of the exam with its loud, long, mournful rings.

Instead of joining the rest of the waiting groups, they headed towards us, towards me. Gaara stood in front of me with his teammates, Temari and Kankuro, trailing behind. Everyone around me was confused by the encounter as I never told them what happened in the forest. That I was caught spying on Gaara's team and their messy first-degree murder. That Gaara suffocated me with his sand manipulation with the full intent of killing me, yet here I was, still standing. It was a secret shared between myself and the sand siblings.

Kiba found the encounter infuriating, pushing Mae away. Mae was startled by the suddenness. "What do you think you're doing?" he growled, throwing an arm out, separating the short distance between myself and Gaara. Akamaru was acting strange as he jumped off his owner's head and cowered behind him. I didn't understand the aggressive defensiveness.

Gaara didn't seem bothered by the verbal attack. His eyes emotionless, dead as he stepped aside. There was something hovering behind him, something I didn't notice before, wrapped in his sand.

He flicked his hand and the object moved to the front and he settled it down. A quizzical look rose to my featureless face.

Gaara could see the puzzlement as we watched each other's eyes. Wordlessly, he controlled the sand to unravel itself. Like the grains of sand rolling down the dune from a strong breeze, the sand mound flattened. I quickly learned that the question wasn't what was hidden, but who.

I knew that red hair from anywhere. Leda.

Everyone gasped. Mae covered her mouth, eye round like saucers. We were all speechless. Even Kiba was dumbfounded, dropping his arm like a pebble thrown in the river. The waves of awe and shock were too much for me. My heart gave out and I fell to my knees besides her.

"I found the girl you were looking for," Gaara spoke. His voice was steady, factual.

When he captured me, I told him I was looking for a girl. He must have knew I was describing my teammate. I mean, who wouldn't know who Leda was. She was a hurricane and more unstable than a bucking bronco.

Looking at her now, her skin was white, making her hair all that much more vibrant. Her eyes remained open, looking up at the ceiling with a don't-fuck-with-me attitude. They were clouded over, blinded.

My look of grief made Gaara uneasy. "But… but I didn't kill her. I promise." His siblings were baffled by their brother's actions, but knew better than to say anything.

Silently, I placed Leda's head in my lap. She was cold and rigid to the touch. I caressed my hand in hers, moving her petrified fingers in hopes of finding her necklace. But as stiff as her fingers were, the necklace was nowhere to be found. It must have fell on her journey here. I immediately regretted losing the only thing I had left of her, but I would have gave it up just to see her one last time.

"Thank you, Gaara. I don't know how I will ever repay you for this." Heavy tears rolled down my soot streaked face. "You're my hero." It was a bold statement, but I meant every word of it.

Gaara's stone eyes widened, taken aback by the passion of my voice. He might not know what happened to Leda or what he has done for me by reuniting me with her, but he repaired something that I thought was broken forever.

The medical team allowed us some time to say our proper goodbyes to Leda. It wasn't a lot, but then again, it would never be enough. And as much as I didn't want to admit it, I understood their concerns. There was precaution when handling a body, such as diseases, and proper steps needed to be taken to prepare for her burial. They also didn't want to hold back the exams any longer, which was understandable, even if it didn't affect me. It was pointless since we will be disqualified for missing a teammate.

Twenty shinobi conjugated in the arena. This room was larger than the last. There, stood Lord Hokage himself along with the sensei and proctors for the exam. Iruka-Sensei stood beside them as well. Behind them were enormous statues of a pair of arms and hands that were positioned in the boar sign.

We were assigned to stand in line with our teammates. I stood in front of Mae while Naruto took lead of his team next to me. Teams were buzzing to each other with concern and excitement, but once Anko cleared her throat, everyone fell silent.

"First of all," she began. "Congratulations on finishing the second exam. Eighty-one ninja took this exam and, frankly, I'm surprised this many have passed."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Sakura questioned.

"What a drag," Shikamaru complained. "There are so many left. This is such a pain."

"I'm hungry," Choji whined.

"Sasuke and his team passed, too." Ino smiled, fiddling with her hands in excitement since her crush was here.

"Of course they did." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "After all the trouble we went through to keep them safe, they better have passed. Quorra's team passed, too." He eyed me. "Well, perhaps not," he mumbled a bit too loud.

"I'm really hungry," Choji fussed.

"I also want to add how during this time around, a record has been broken," Anko added.

"A record? For what?" Ino asked.

Anko smirked. "One of the teams made it to the tower with both scrolls with the fastest time in Chunin Exam history."

The remaining teams searched scrutinizing at their opponents, not knowing who Anko was referring to. The only teams that were here before us were Kurenai's, Asuma's, Guy's, and Kabuto's but Kabuto didn't arrive with them so that doesn't count. Observing between the three remaining teams, they all looked curious as to who broke the record as well.

Anko smiled a toothy grin, enjoying the fact that everyone was out of the loop but her. Like she had a secret only she knew.

"Team Baki of the Sand Village made it to the towers with both scrolls in thirty-six minutes," Anko eyed the team, not completely believing what she was saying. "They blew the previous record out of the park."

That's Gaara's team. Dozens of eyes, including my own, stared at the sand siblings. Gaara stood in front of the line while Temari, and then Kankuro behind. Gaara's arms were folded across his chest, untouched by all the stares he was receiving.

Kiba asked what everyone was thinking. "That's bull! We all saw them, they were the last team to get here!"

"Exactly," Neji concurred. "They arrived when the clock struck time was up."

Everyone was building up on the two, agreeing with them.

"There must be a mistake," Sakura concluded.

"It's no mistake," Anko promised. "They arrived here after thirty-six minutes. They requested to leave the tower when they got here."

"Request to leave?" Ino's mouth was practically to the floor. "Why would that do that? Are they even allowed to do that?"

Anko rubbed her face with annoyance. "Well, typically, it isn't allowed. But, as blondie argued," she gestured to Temari who was giving cocky glares. "There aren't any rules against leaving the tower. The rule just states that you and your teammates must be at the tower with both scrolls before time is up. There aren't any rules against, leaving once here. As long as they made it back in time, no one had the authority to stop them."

Everyone was causing a commotion. No one, including myself, could believe what they were hearing. Teams struggle and even die— to pass just this part of the exam. We all had to trudge through rough terrain, fight face eating creatures, defeat enemies and then survive long enough to make it to the tower. And, yet, they were willing to venture back out there? What reason could be strong enough to do something that suicidal?

Were they looking for Leda?

"Alright, now pay attention," Anko drew everyone's attention back towards her. "Lord Hokage will speak now so you better listen carefully, Maggots." Satisfied with our cooperation. "They are all yours." She gestured to the Third.

Lord Hokage was about to speak when someone interrupted him. "Lord Hokage, if I may. I would like to say something before we begin," Iruka-Sensei requested.

The Third nodded. "Very well, then."

Iruka cleared his throat. "Again, I would like to congratulate everyone who has made it this far. These Chunin Exams are no easy feat and you should be proud with how far you have all come."

No one replied to the praising sensei as the room was filled with silence and coughs.

"Get on with it, Iruka," The Third demanded.

"Oh, right," Iruka responded, flustered. "I wanted to explain the meaning behind the two scrolls you had the mission to obtain."

"What about them, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura called.

"Yeah, what about them? They are just dumb scrolls that would paralyze you if you opened them," Naruto added.

"Naruto, these aren't just dumb scrolls," Iruka scolded. "And, yes, that is true. If you did open them in the forest, a paralysis jutsu would kick in and knock you out until the exam was over. But, that's not all." He wagged his finger.

Naruto gave a puzzling look.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Look, you see that parchment hanging over there?" He pointed to the large sign underneath the statue hands. On it was writing that was made with the brush strokes of a paintbrush.

"Give it a good read." Iruka instructed and we did. Silently, twenty pairs of eyes read:

If qualities of heaven are your desire,

acquire wisdom to take your mind higher.

If earthly qualities you lack,

train your body, prepare to attack.

"They're instructions Lord Hokage recorded as principles that chunin should follow," Iruka explained.

"They're instructions?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, heaven stands for your mind and earth for your body. Get it?"

"Nah," Naruto stared dumbly at the scribbles.

"Alright, I'll explain," Iruka patiently said. "If your weakness lies in your intellect, Naruto, then you have to make doubly sure that you work hard to learn all the information and skills you need to prepare for your missions."

Sakura giggled at Iruka's scolding, covering her mouth with her hand.

"And you," Iruka gestured. "If your weakness lies in your physical strength, then you have to make sure you work on your physical conditioning every single day so it improves all the time."

Sakura's face turned pink with embarrassment and quickly nodded her head.

"When heaven and earth are open together, their perilous path will become righteous forever, meaning your mind and body will be working together as one. These five days of survival were to test your abilities as chunin and you guys did magnificently. I want you to memorize these instructions on your next one."

Iruka glanced at the young shinobi with hesitation. Something else was on his mind. "Also… be care on the third exam. You-"

"You don't need to worry, Iruka," Naruto exclaimed. "See this headband?" His thumb pointed to the leaf sigma on his forehead. "This means I am a full-fledged ninja. We all made it this far and we're not going to back down so easily."

Iruka stared with awestruck, speechless.

"You don't need to worry, we got this."

Iruka smiled proudly at his formal student. "That you do, Naruto." He stepped aside so the Hokage was in full view. "They're all yours, Lord Hokage."

The leader nodded, acknowledging, and took a step forward. "As the Third Hokage, I want to explain something you need to understand about the test itself."

Everyone was in silence waiting for him to continue. No one dared to speak their mind or theories, he was the Hokage after all.

"In the past, all our currently allied countries used to continuously fight with each other for power. In order to avoid meaningless destruction, nations picked champions to do battle on behalf of their country at a mutually selected location. That was how the chunin selection exam originally began."

"That's great, but why do we have to go through the exam. I mean, it's not like we're picking chunin to go fight," Shikamaru asked.

"That's not the whole story," the Third explained. "Nowadays, many leaders and people of prominence from various countries are invited to watch your battles and take note of the strengths that each ninja and nation are developing. The strong nations are inundated with job requests while the countries that are deemed weak, decline. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better our position is when negotiating with neighboring countries. It is important to show how much military strength we have."

"Okay, even so, why is it necessary for us to risk our lives, then?" Kiba barked. Iruka was sour by this point.

The Hokage took a puff from his pipe. Thin wisps of smoke left his lips. "The country's strength is the village's strength and the village's strength is the shinobis' strength. And the true strength of the shinobi is only achieved when it's pushed to its limits such as in a life-and-death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of its shinobi, hence the strength of the nation itself.

"The third exam is the fight for life, the pride of your village and for your own dreams for which you continually strive for. These are all at stake. This exam determines the course of your ninja work from here on out."

The Hokage, as always was right. These exams were fights, yes, but they have been so much more for me. They were the battles towards becoming something, becoming someone. This has been a dream since coming to Konoha. To have a purpose.

"Any test is fine. Just tell me the details of what the exam are already. I can handle anything you throw at me," Gaara said, eagerly. He wasn't as touched or motivated by the Hokage as I was.

Hokage wasn't intimidated by Gaara's words. "Very well then. Now listen closely, the third proctor is going to tell you exactly what you'll be doing on the third exam."

An awkward, middle-aged man stepped to the front. He had short brown hair, dark eyes and even darker bags under his eyes. "Right, huh. I'm Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the third exam." Then he was silent, unsure of himself as he stared at 20 pairs of curious eyes. "Before we begin, I notice that Team Gachero is missing a teammate. Is this correct?"

I knew this was coming, but I couldn't help wincing. "That is correct." I tried to act confident. It wasn't working.

Hayate nodded with understanding. "Alright then. Since this team is lacking a third teammate, I am afraid to announce Team Gachero is dis-."

"Wait!" Mae rose her hand.

Hayate looked confusingly at Mae. "Yes, what is it?"

Mae cleared her throat. "According to the rules, they state that all three teammates must be physically here with both scrolls before the slotted time was up."

"Yes, what's your point?" Hayate wasn't catching on, and honestly, neither was I.

"Our teammate is physically here. Team Baki from Sunakagure brought her body to us before time was up. The medical team can vouch it," Mae pointed out.

"Don't be ridiculous," Anko snapped. "They have to be alive in order to compete."

"Anko…" The Third warned.

Mae wasn't backing down. "Nothing in the rules does it state that all the teammates had to be alive, just that we are all physically here and we are."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Mae's using that genius mind again to keep us in the exam, searching for a loop hole. How long did she have this planned? Why didn't she tell me?

"She does have a point, Lord Hokage," Kakashi added, raising his brow with curiosity.

The Hokage was in a rough position as he rubbed his chin in ponder. "That is true…"

Anko was still holding her ground. "Lord Hokage, the rules say that all three have to be present— present to be fighting. Who would we be if we let them stay? The best of the best need to be here and these two simply aren't."

"But they are the best of the best," Iruka interrupted. I couldn't hold back my shock. The sensei who always feared we weren't ready was defending us. "They were the two survivors of a team of three. The best of three."

Suddenly others were standing up for us. Gachero-Sensei, Kiba, Kabuto and Team 7 all were saying how we should be here, even if that means we would be competing against them. They believed that Mae and I deserved to be here. That we were worth paying attention to.

"Come on, Old Man. Let Quorra and Mae fight!" Naruto yelled.

"Just let them fight," Kankuro said with annoyance.

"Yeah, they are here anyway. Might as well have them prove themselves," Temari added.

Even the sand siblings wanted us here. But, why? I searched Gaara for answers, but should have known better than to expect anything. He was stone.

With the overwhelming amount of argument, he had made his decision. "Very well, then. Allow Team Gachero to continue the exam," the Third finalized.

"But, Lord Hokage!" Anko spoke high-pitched, no longer keeping her cool.

"That's enough, Anko. My decision is final," Lord Hokage dismissed.

Naruto jumped with joy. Mae was excited as well and I wished I was, but worried filled me instead. Why was Mae so adamant about staying? After all this, after what happened to us, happened to Leda? I feared she was doing this to be near Kiba, just like when she helped him cheat so he could stay. But, I had to believe this was all faith, that this was Leda's doing. I smirked to myself. Leda always made her presence known, even after death.

After the heated Anko settled down, Hayate continued with protocol. "Before we begin, there's something we must do. Huh, we have to have a preliminary exam."

"A what!?" Naruto and Kiba yelled simultaneously.

"Preliminary exam? What do you mean by that?" Temari asked, angered that the proctor could even mention such a thing. "Why can't we move onto the third exam?"

Hayate shifted uncomfortably. "Huh, well you see, the first two exams might have been too easy. According to the rules, huh, a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining. Even if Team Gachero was disqualified, we have to speed things up a bit."

"But is that really fair?" Sakura asked, devastated that this was another obstacle they would have to trudge through.

"As Lord Hokage said, a lot of guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. The preliminaries will start immediately."

"Are you kidding me? Right now?" Kiba screamed. Mae looked at him with worry, hating to see him so upset.

"We just finished barely surviving the last exam. Don't we get a break?" Ino whined with exhaustion.

"Man, what a drag." Shikamaru sighed.

"When do we eat?" Choji held his stomach to contain the tide of rumbles that were trying to bust at the seams.

"Shut up with your food obsession, Tubs," Kankuro yelled.

"What did you call me? I should eat your face for that!" Choji went from 1 to 100 in 0.2 seconds. Shikamaru had to hold him back from pummeling Kankuro. Kankuro sneered, making Choji all the more maddened.

"The winners will be determined by one-on-one combat sudden death," but the proctor's voice was lost in the chaos. I couldn't blame everyone's angst. It was one thing if we had time to prepare. To heal physically and emotionally from the wounds the Forest of Death had inflicted. But to start fighting right away— and to the death, it's mad.

Sasuke was determined to get the battle to the death started, but the waves of pain have been coming sooner and sooner as he gripped his shoulder tightly once again.

Sakura winced at Sasuke's pain. "Sasuke, listen to me, you've been like this ever since you tangled with Orochimaru and it's getting worse. You can't deny it. Please, Sasuke, quit now before—"

"Shut up, Sakura," Sasuke said.

"You think I'm blind or something?! Come on, you know as well as I do you are in no condition to keep on fighting."

They were so invested in their heated argument, they failed to hear Kakashi and Anko were battling as well.

"What do we do with him?" Ibiki, proctor from the first exam, asked.

"We take him out of the exams, hand him to Black Ops, and keep him locked up. We have to keep that seal under control," Anko demanded.

"And he's just going to quietly go along with all of this? You really think so? You're forgetting, he's of the Uchiha clan," Kakashi subtlety pointed out.

"I don't care what the hell he is! If he stays, he's a danger to everyone!" Anko exploded, not taking Kakashi's observation to heart. "Don't you see? As he gets stronger, so does the curse mark. That thing is feeding off his chakra. It's a forbidden jutsu that devours the one who bears it."

Anko sounded very familiar and vocal with whatever was happening to Sasuke. She didn't even see the mark, but she seems to know everything about it. As if her mind drew from the pages of an encyclopedia. But the passion behind her voice, it was different from when she yelled at us, calling us maggots or when she wanted Mae and I disqualified. This voice had meaning.

She glanced sadly at the Uchiha. "It's incredible the kid is still standing. By now, he should be dead."

Were they hiding something? Keeping something from us as we watched Sasuke suffer?

"You don't think I don't see the suffering you're going though?" Sakura was on the verge of hysteria. "They aren't going to allow you to fight."

"That's enough, Sakura." Sasuke snapped.

"Man, you don't know when to quit. What are you biting her head off for, you idiot," Naruto yelled.

"You don't get it," Sasuke hissed. "I'm an avenger. These exams and becoming chunin mean nothing to me. I'm only here to find out if I am as strong as I can be. And the only way to find that out is to fight the strongest, the best. And the best of the best are all here."

"It's just that she cares about you-"

"Naruto, you are one of those I want to fight the most."

Naruto was the most shocked I have ever seen him. He tried with all his might not to smile as the corner of his mouth twitched. It was no secret Sasuke and Naruto were the definition of frenemies. They respected each other as teammates, but they really wanted to have a brawl. To prove which was stronger than the other.

"Let him do it," I said, bluntly. I knew Sasuke and he rather be dead than to give up a chance to fight. Sakura appeared like a fish out of water. Sasuke and Naruto were curious, but my declaration, too. "They seem to be allowing him to fight."

The three didn't understand where I was coming from. That's when we all heard it.

"You got to be shitting me!" Anko practically screamed. Our attention was drawn to her.

Lord Hokage rubbed his goatee, stressfully. "We'll keep an eye on him. At the first sign of the curse mark growing or his power getting out of control, you will step in and stop him," he gestured to first exam proctor, Ibiki.

"Understood."

"But…" Anko objected, but knew her efforts would be futile. "As you wish."

"Alright then," the third proctor began. "We will begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one-on-one individual combat. There are 20 of you meaning 10 matches will be held. The surviving candidates will advance to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or concedes defeat or has rendered physically incapable of continuing. Furthermore, as proctor, I might intervene if a match seems hopeless to save as many lives as possible."

Hopeless. The word rung through the air, becoming the haunting ghost on our shoulder, the devil whispering in our ear, the screams that filled our heads.

"Now it's time to reveal what fate has been chosen for you. Open the panel," the proctor announced.

On the back wall, one of the panels retracted to reveal a screen.

"The names are chosen completely by random. Now, huh, let's begin."

The tension was so high, it could be rung out and made into soup. Hinata and Mae stared at the screen, mesmerized by the flashing of names. Naruto was shaking his fist, too excited for words. Akamaru was cowering under Kiba's hoodie, while his owner wore his signature cocky grin. Gaara and his sibling were expressionless. To them, these exams were too easy and they were more than prepared for some excitement. Possibly blood.

For me, feeling overwhelmed was the nice way of putting it. So much was at stake. Even with the Hokage granting us the right to stay and continue competing, was my heart fully in this? Was my heart even capable of this? I've been through so much and the others have as well. I felt like I could drop dead at this very moment. Who would I be competing against? Some people I felt like I had a chance, while others—my thoughts immediately flashed to Gaara. If I went up against him, I might as well be dead.

My self-doubt wandered towards thoughts of Leda. She was unsure of herself when we began that crazy journey and I was the one that pushed her and convinced her we could do it. Who would I be if I didn't follow my own advice, listen to my own words, my motivation. Remind myself why I was here in the first place. To become chunin, to help save lives and make a difference in this world. To make a life and family for myself. The thoughts of Leda stung but I couldn't help but smile. This preliminary exam, this future, wherever it leads me, I had another reason to keep on fighting.

For Leda. The Warrior.

Quorra and Mae are still in the running to be chunin! Man, that's some quick thinking. And why do you think Gaara brought them Leda?

I'm not going to be including all the battles in this story. I will spear both your eyes and my finger from writing it. But, what battles do you wish to read? Should they be different? Who do you want Quorra to fight?!

Until next time!

xo