Previously:

Sakura smirked and quickly formed another hand seal. 'When April first showed me this move, I thought it was joke, but… right now, it's just what I need! Focus all chakra to my feet… and explode off the ground,' she thought, shooting forth in a burst of speed, clenching her fist. 'Rocket Punch!!'

"!!" Ino gasped, eyes wide with shock. 'Fast...'

BAMM!

"Kyaa!!" Ino cried, thrown back by the force behind Sakura's punch.

'Yes!! Gorgeous rocket punch, Sakura!!' April thought proudly, clenching her fist with excitement.

"If you think I'm the same cry-baby Sakura, then you will be hurting," Sakura scolded her rival. "Get serious, Ino!!!"

Ino picked herself up from the floor and wiped her cheek. "I'm glad you said that. As you wish, here I come..."

Chapter 66: Rivalry…!!

"Wow, wow!! Sakura-chan rules!!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Her basic chakra control is perfect for a rookie. Sakura has greatly improved," Kakashi remarked.

"Yeah… She's grown a lot during this exam..." April agreed, though she was sort of starting to feel a little jealous. She couldn't remember the last time he had praised her directly like that… She didn't want to be a brat about it, though. And she did manage to get him to carry her… Of course, the two males were oblivious to the troubles that plagued her delicate maiden heart.

"So she's better than me?" Naruto asked, frowning.

"Well, yes," Kakashi replied.

"..." Naruto stared at him. April kept her eyes on the fight.

"The ability to gather chakra from every part of the body and then using it with great timing. In just that, she's above Sasuke," Kakashi explained. 'The one with the best chakra control on the team is actually April,' he thought glancing at her back while she focused on watching Sakura's match. 'Without that, she probably wouldn't be able to use ninjutsu at all with her strange physiology… But it's such a strain for her to produce enough extra chakra for molding in the first place, that you would never know it looking at her...' He turned his attention back to Naruto. "Well, in Sakura's case, from the beginning… she was always great at the control of chakra."

'Beautiful movement, Sakura-san...' Lee thought, clenching his fist as he watched her dodge and move in for another attack.

"Go for it, Sakura!!" April shouted encouragingly. Regardless of her jealousy, she still wanted to support her teammate. She couldn't do a thing for Sakura while she was fighting on her own to protect them, so April at least wanted to cheer her on here.

Ino mirrored Sakura and the two leaf kunoichis clashed, forced into a stalemate when each caught the other's punch. They stood there, gritting their teeth and pushing against each other, trying to find a way to gain the upper hand.

'They look evenly matched...' April observed, furrowing her brow slightly.

Apparently, Ino and Sakura thought so, too, because they both let go and jumped back at the same time. While they were still in the air, both girls simultaneously drew a shuriken and threw it a her opponent. The two attacks canceled each other out.

'But her opponent is great, too…' Lee thought, coming to the same conclusion as April.

'… If they are even, this could be a long battle,' they thought as the two kunoichis landed and prepared to attack again.

Their prediction proved true. Sakura tried another rocket punch, but Ino had been expecting it and managed to dodge. The two kunoichis continued to exchanged blow after blow, attacking and counterattacking. Seconds turned to minutes. Neither girl was giving an inch.

'Since when did she become this strong?' Ino wondered as she clenched her fist and pulled her arm back again, amazed Sakura was even able to keep up with her for this long.

'Yes… I can do it,' Sakura thought with burning determination, preparing another punch.

WHAMM!!

"!" April's eyes widened slightly, impressed with the way Sakura had made adjustments at the last minute to let her fist slide directly under Ino's as she extended it, giving her a clear path to her opponents face to avoid her attempt to stop it again. Unfortunately, doing so had left her open to damage, too. Each girl was sent flying in the opposite direction from the force of the other's fist colliding with their face. The landing was harsh.

"Whoa," Naruto gasped.

'This may never end...' Kakashi thought. Sakura and Ino were too evenly matched for one to gain a quick victory over the other.

'Come on, Sakura...' April thought, willing her to get back up. 'You can do this...'

'This is long...' Hayate thought, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. 'It's been over ten minutes...'

Sakura picked herself up first, followed closely by Ino.

"Ugh..." Ino groaned while they stood there facing each other, panting to catch their breath. "There's no way you could be even with me!!!" she shouted angrily at Sakura, getting frustrated.

"Heh… Of course!!" Sakura said, smirking. "How could I be even with someone who only worries about growing her hair and looking pretty?"

Ino gritted her teeth and glared at her. "You!!!" she yelled furiously, drawing a kunai swiftly, gripping it tightly in her hand. "You better stop… disrespecting me!!!"

"Idiot… letting the trash talk affect you…" Shikamaru said, frowning with disappointment. "I don't know what she's gonna do."

"I don't like that Ino..." Chōji said, concerned and also frowning.

"I hope that doesn't backfire on her..." April said. She could see where Sakura was going with this. If Ino was emotionally distressed, it could make her moves sloppy and slow her reaction time. But there was still a chance that Ino's anger might end up giving her an edge instead.

"!" Sakura furrowed her brow when Ino moved her hand that held the kunai. But she never expected what happened next.

Before anyone had a chance to blink, Ino grabbed her long ponytail with her free hand and used her kunai to slice it off.

"!" Sakura, April, Shikamaru, Chōji, Lee, and Naruto all gasped, stunned. Even Kakashi was astonished.

"Hehe… So simple..." Sakura said, smirking. She had Ino right where she wanted her now.

'Yikes… She's completely snapped!!' Shikamaru thought, grimacing as he reeled back. It was anyone's guess what could happen next.

"Uh-oh..." April said with a bead of sweat sliding down her face.

"Huh? What do you mean, 'uh-oh'?" Naruto asked her, frowning with confusion. "Isn't it good for Sakura that Ino's lost it?"

"Maybe, but… A girl who cuts her hair is about to change her life..." April said, frowning and furrowing her brow, watching the way Ino trembled while she clutched the bundle of hair that she had just lopped off.

"ORAAAAAA!!!!" Ino shrieked with rage, tossing her ponytail at Sakura. "I don't need this!!!" The strands of hair scattered in the air and fell, littering the space on the floor between them.

"Scary..." Naruto said while they watched Sakura confidently stand her ground.

"..." Kakashi couldn't argue with that.

"Be careful, Sakura!!" April called down to her.

"I'm going to end this right now!!" Ino declared, forming a hand seal. "I'll make 'I give up' come out of your mouth!!!"

"…!" Shikamaru gasped, flinching in shock when he recognized it. "Umm… Hey… No way!"

"It can't be..." Chōji said, frowning nervously.

"…!" Asuma furrowed his brow. She wouldn't…!

"!" Sakura also furrowed her brow, recognizing it from when Ino showed it to her before when they were younger. 'This is...'

'What is that…?' April wondered, concerned. 'Everyone looks really freaked out...'

"I knew it… She's gonna do Mind Transfer!!" Shikamaru exclaimed, scowling at her poor choice.

"Geez… That idiot..." Asuma sighed, holding his head.

"I can understand your desperation, but… that's useless," Sakura told Ino.

"Hmph… We'll see about that..." Ino said, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu. It's a jutsu where, by projecting your own spiritual energy at your opponent, you can take control of their body for a few minutes," Sakura said. "But that terrifying jutsu has an important weakness… First, that projected spiritual energy flies at your opponent at a slow speed. Second, if you miss your target… It takes a few minutes to return to your own body. Basically, during that time, your body… will be no more than an inanimate doll."

'I don't know why Sakura's explaining Ino's own technique to her, but that was a really helpful...' April thought. 'That must be what she used on the sound kunoichi, and what she hit Sakura with during the first test… but it sounds like Sakura will be able to avoid it if she knows it's coming….'

'It's originally meant for spying and not a battle jutsu…' Asuma thought with a frown, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. 'Ino… using that here is just asking to lose...'

'If you keep moving there's nothing to fear… Not only that, but if it fails, you can pound on your opponent for a few minutes...' Kakashi thought. 'If that happens, Hayate would have to stop it...'

"… Looks like you were worried for nothing, huh?" Naruto told April, hoping he understood that right. Whatever it was, it seemed to be working in Sakura's favor.

"Maybe..." April agreed. "It's important to stay on your guard t..."

"So what?!!" Ino's shriek cut her off. "We won't know until I try!!!"

"If you miss it's over, you understand that? Right?" Sakura goaded her with a smirk. She had the confidence that she could dodge. If Ino attacked, she would only leave herself wide open.

'It's only useful in battle with the combination of my Shadow Possession Jutsu… It's useless here!!' Shikamaru thought anxiously, gritting his teeth while he gripped the railing.

'You'll miss...' Asuma thought, the crease in his brow deepening with the end of his cigarette crushed between his teeth.

Ino positioned her hands so the round opening between her thumbs and her index and middle fingers framed Sakura.

Sakura moved immediately, dashing to the side through the scattered hair to outrun Ino's attempts to keep her in line for her jutsu.

"!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"!" Kakashi said.

'Come on, Sakura…!!' April thought, gripping the railing bars tight.

"!!" Shikamaru gasped. "Idiot!! Don't!!"

"!" Asuma said.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!!" Ino shouted.

Sakura's eyes widened, and Hayate watched closely as her body suddenly ground to a halt. Sakura's head hung low. Ino's body had doubled over, her own head almost touching the floor.

"..." Shikamaru had his eyes squeezed shut.

Everyone else watched anxiously to see which girl would emerge victorious.

"Which one?" Shikamaru asked, peeling one eye open.

"Hehe… Too bad..." Sakura said, raising her head with a smirk on her face. "Ino..."

'She did it!' April thought proudly.

"She's finished…" Shikamaru said with a frown.

"It didn't work..." Chōji said, disappointed.

"..." Asuma watched with concern, wondering what Sakura would do to Ino while she couldn't fight back.

"It's over now..." Sakura said, preparing to put Ino into a grappling hold she saw April use on Naruto before that she had called a Body Triangle. All she had to do was restrain Ino so she couldn't fight back anymore, and the match would be over. "Huh?" she said, flinching in surprise when she tried to move her legs and found that she couldn't. "!!" Sakura gasped when she looked down and saw that strands of Ino's hair had wrapped themselves around her ankles. "This is..."

'Is that her hair…!?' April thought, furrowing her brow. 'Damn, that means this whole thing was…!!'

"You fell for it, Sakura..." Ino said.

"!" Sakura gasped, alarmed.

Ino smirked at her. "Phew, I finally caught you," she sighed with a smile. It was over now.

"… No way..." Sakura said, shocked. No matter how much she tried to move her legs, she couldn't get them to budge.

"Hehe… Exactly, that was all an act to get you to fall into this trap," Ino told her with a smirk, confirming April's suspicions as well. "So? You can't move, can you? It's a special rope I made using my hair and chakra."

"Ugh..." Sakura grimaced, struggling harder against her restraints.

"Now I just enter your body and have you give up," Ino said confidently, reforming the hand seal for her mind control jutsu. "There's a 100% chance I'll succeed this time," she gloated, framing Sakura with her hand seal again.

"I see..." Kakashi said, furrowing his brow.

'She distracted Sakura so she'd let her guard down… and made something similar to the chakra strings for puppets...' April thought, frowning. With that holding her there, Sakura wouldn't be able to dodge the next attack.

"That idiot… snapping was also an act?" Shikamaru asked. That was pretty smart, for Ino.

'Uhh… I can't move...' Sakura thought, furrowing her brow and gritting her teeth while she struggled desperately to break free. "!" She suddenly remembered what April had said about flaring her chakra to detach Kankurō's puppet strings and tried to do the same with hers. She closed her eyes and concentrated on building it up. It needed to be quick and sharp.

"Now…!!" Ino gasped, so startled when Sakura suddenly broke free, that she missed her chance to cast the jutsu. "?!!" Her eyes widened in alarm.

"!!" Everyone gasped as Sakura stepped to the side and leaped forward, throwing herself at Ino with her fist pulled back, primed to deliver another punch. They were only inches away from each other.

"!!" Ino exclaimed, quickly adjusting her aim in a desperate attempt to save herself from a knockout. 'Mind Transfer Jutsu!!!'

"!!!" Everyone exclaimed. April jumped up to lean over the railing next to Naruto as Ino's body slumped. Sakura froze, her fist only a fraction of an inch away from her opponent's head.

"Hehe… Too bad… Sakura!!" Ino said, raising the other kunoichi's head, forming a smirk with her lips.

"!" April gasped, a bead of sweat sliding down the side of her face.

"Sakura-san..." Lee said, frowning and furrowing his brow with concern.

"Oh!!" Naruto exclaimed, shocked, also frowning and furrowing his brow.

"Phew..." Ino breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from Sakura's face. "That was a close one!!" One second later, and she would have been a goner! It was a good thing her jutsu was able to travel that short distance faster than Sakura's fist. 'That'll teach her to call it slow...' she thought smugly.

"What? What's with Ino? Plus, plus… Sakura seems strange!!" Naruto said. "What are you waiting for?!! This is your chance!!! Do it, Sakura-chan!!!"

'It's useless...' Shikamaru thought, smirking. It was obvious to him that Ino had succeeded.

"To use the Mind Transfer Jutsu there…" Kakashi said, furrowing his brow.

"!" Naruto and Lee looked at him.

"Then, Sakura really was…?" April asked, deflating a little.

"Yeah… It's over," Kakashi replied with regret. Sakura did well to break free. It could have gone either way, but luck had been on Ino's side.

"Mind Transfer?" Lee asked, his frown and concern deepening. "So right now, Sakura-san is…?"

"Yeah," April said, also frowning. "Right now, Ino is inside Sakura."

"…!!" Naruto gasped in alarm.

"Well…" Kakashi said. "Ino's plan is most likely..."

'To use her control over Sakura's body and make her forfeit…!' April thought, tightening her grip on the railing.

'This is it,' Ino thought confidently with a smirk. 'Goodbye, Sakura.'

Lee and Naruto gulped anxiously as Ino began to raise Sakura's hand.

"!" Hayate looked at her. "..." he furrowed his brow. It looked like this match was finally about to end.

"I… Sakura Haruno..." Ino forced Sakura to say, "would like to for..."

"!" Shikamaru, Chōji, Naruto, April, and Lee gasped. Asuma smirked, while Kakashi frowned. Nothing could save Sakura now. April opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto beat her to it.

"Don't!!! Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"!" Ino stopped, surprised. 'Heh… He's so annoying,' she thought, glancing up at him.

"You've come this far!!!" Naruto continued. "If you lose to that Sasuke idiot… You're not a woman!!!!"

'It's all useless,' Ino thought.

"That's your body, Sakura!! No matter what, Ino's just a visitor!!!" April shouted, leaning over the railing. She didn't know if she could hear, them, but it was worth a shot. She shot Sakura a rueful, challenging smirk, giving Ino a thumbs down. "Kick her ass out!!!!"

"!" Kakashi said, glancing at her in surprise.

'Hmph! Now she's making a fuss…!!' Ino furrowed Sakura's brow and gritted her teeth, startled by the strange feeling that came over her. Sakura's body began to tremble, and her hand started to lower itself. 'This sensation..' Ino bent over, grabbing Sakura's head in her hands.

'Geez, that Naruto is annoying,' Sakura's voice echoed inside her mind, causing Ino to flinch in shock. 'But he and April are right, I can't lose here...'

"Gu..." Ino groaned, clutching her head tighter, struggling to hold on and stay in control. 'Sakura…!? Now way...'

"What is it? You want to forfeit?" Hayate asked her.

"Cha! Forfeit?" Sakura exclaimed incredulously as Inner Sakura shoved Ino aside. "Like Hell I'll forfeit!!!"

'Which is it?' Hayate wondered. Which one should he count?

'Wha… What is...' Ino thought, bewildered, as she struggled against Inner Sakura's absurd strength.

"!!!" Kakashi gasped, a bead of sweat sliding down his face. 'Sakura...'

'No way… My jutsu failed?' Ino thought, shocked when Inner Sakura only grew in size.

"INO!!" Giant Inner Sakura snarled fiercely, scooping her up to trap her in the tight grip of her hands. Like April said, she was kicking her ass out! "If you don't get out of me you'll be sorry!!!"

"Huh? What's wrong with Ino?" Shikamaru asked, startled.

April smirked. "Sakura's fighting back."

"!" he furrowed his brow, glancing between her and Ino inside of Sakura's body, the way she was shaking and groaning.

'No good… At this rate, I'm in trouble,' Ino thought, quickly forming the hand seal to end her jutsu. 'Release!!' Ino fled back to her own body as fast as possible.

Sakura fell to her knees, panting hard from the effort it took to fight back. Ino stared back at her, also panting with exhaustion.

'Yes!!' April thought with a grin, clenching her fist. 'It looks like Sakura succeeded!'

'Impossible…' Shikamaru thought, stunned. 'She defeated Ino's jutsu...'

'Maybe she used too much chakra before using the jutsu?' Asuma thought, frowning.

"Two minds… What are you?" Ino asked Sakura, furrowing her brow with confusion.

"Didn't you know? Women have to be tough to survive," she retorted with a smirk. 'Right, April?' she thought, sparing a glance in the older girl's direction.

'Once you are caught in that jutsu, it isn't easy to push out the invader…' Kakashi thought, watching them. 'Ino's lack of chakra… that may be part of it, but… More important may be Sakura's inner burning desire to defeat her rival Ino… Naruto and April's cheer acted as trigger to awaken that… That's not even it… Sakura is the same as Naruto… Her inability to accept defeat is beyond the average person...'

"Don't look so surprised, Sensei," April said, looking up at him to flash him a sunny smile, surprising him. "I said it before, didn't I? Sakura's grown a lot since we started this exam."

"Yeah…" Kakashi agreed, returning her smile. Here was someone else who hated to lose, though April sometimes seemed to have her own definition of it. He turned his attention back to the Ino and Sakura's match. 'But neither of them have very much chakra left...'

'This next move will decide the winner...' April thought, gripping the railing while she watched Sakura and Ino force themselves back onto their feet.

The two kunoichis smirked at each other.

'This is...' they thought, lunging forward.

They clenched their fists and bent their elbows.

'The end!!' they thought, unleashing their final attacks with all of their strength.

Images of those precious childhood memories flashed before their eyes again, but they didn't stop. They didn't hold back.

Asuma, Shikamaru, Chōji, Lee, Naruto, April, and Kakashi all furrowed their brows, stunned as they watched both punches connect with their targets, delivering powerful blows to the sides of each other's heads that knocked their forehead protectors clean off. Sakura and Ino bit the insides of their cheeks, drawing blood. Drops of it hit the ground near their fallen forehead protectors. Sweat dripped down the faces of everyone watching as the two girls slid across the floor, thrown several feet back from their starting point by the force of the attacks.

"Ugh..." they groaned, struggling to sit up.

"Oh!!" Naruto gasped, thinking they might still be able to fight, but then they collapsed back onto the floor.

"..." Hayate looked left, and then he looked right. The two kunoichis were out cold. "Both fighters are unable to continue, this is a double knockout. The fifth preliminary match has no winner!"

"What?!!" Naruto shouted incredulously.

'A case of mutual destruction, huh?' April thought as Kakashi disappeared behind her, watching him appear below to collect their unconscious teammate. 'Still… no matter what, Sakura didn't lose...' She smiled, feeling proud of her. Even though the match ended in a draw, she thought Sakura did well for herself. There was no question that she gave it her all.

"Now..." Asuma said, picking up Ino.

"Geez..." Kakashi sighed, holding Sakura.

They really did a number on each other.

"!" April said, turning when their teachers reappeared behind her and Naruto. 'They're black and blue...' she thought, furrowing her brow slightly with concern, while Kakashi and Asuma set the two girls down gently in a semi-reclined position with their backs against the wall. The two girls were covered in bruises and scuff marks from their fight.

"Hey!! Ino..." Shikamaru called, hurrying over with Chōji to join them.

"Are you ok, Sakura-chan?!!" Naruto exclaimed anxiously.

"Shh..." Kakashi said, holding a finger to his masked lips to shush them. Their injuries were relatively minor, but it was clear that they had completely exhausted themselves. It was better to let them rest.

"Looks like we don't even need the medical team..." Asuma remarked. "They should regain consciousness in thirty minutes or so."

Their teammates and Lee smiled with relief.

"!" April gripped the railing tightly when she felt her knees start to buckle the moment she relaxed, and quickly lowered herself back into a sitting position before she fell.

"..." Kakashi watched her out the corner of his eye. The sudden movement had him concerned, but she didn't seem to need his help.

"But that was surprising..." Asuma said.

"Yeah..." Kakashi agreed.

"?" Naruto and April said, curious.

"I could understand Sasuke or Naruto, but even April and Sakura… have grown this much..." Kakashi mused. The girls had really surprised him. He didn't think April had much growing room left with her handicap, but she had fought through it and won. She had amazing stamina. He used to be unsure whether Sakura, who always seemed to be more focused on chasing Sasuke than training, really had what it took, but she sure proved him wrong today.

'Even April… What's that supposed to mean?' April wondered, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly while she raised an eyebrow. Just what sort of view did he have of her? She and Sensei needed to have a talk when this was over.

"Many things have happened..." he continued, remembering how adamantly Iruka had opposed his decision to nominate them. They had a lot of close calls, and it was unfortunate that Orochimaru and that perverted nut job who was after April got thrown into the mix… actually, he was still pretty pissed about that, but… "But from the bottom of my heart… I'm glad I entered them in this Chūnin Exam." They had grown a lot while they were apart, and not just as individuals, but as a team, too.

The names for the next pair of participants appeared on the board.

TEMARI
VS
TENTEN