Author's note: This chapter will tell us about the match between Inojin and Kotone while giving us some details about some other things. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.

Chapter 45: The Dilemma

Inside a great stadium, the Village Hidden in the Leaves

It was now time for the match between Inojin Uchiha and Kotone Hozuki. The raven-haired boy with ponytail had already been standing down at the battleground, as he was only waiting for his opponent to arrive. So far, Inojin had not as much as expressed frustration nor stressed about this moment, as he seemed perfectly chill about being able to face his opponent. While he had not been able to witness Kotone's match against Kimiko, the young boy felt confident in his abilities, as well as his judgement. However, Kotone had watched his match against Isamu, so that made only things more awkward.

"Go get her, Inojin! You can do it!" he then recalled Chouta saying those words to encourage him before he left for the battleground.

"Remember everything I have told you. No matter how dire the situation is, never kill your opponent" Inojin then was reminded about the words of advice his sensei had given him, but it sounded also like a plea.

As Inojin stood patiently, he could eventually spot Kotone, who approached before him while adjusting her glasses. She did not try to hide her blushing cheeks, yet she felt the need to act tough in front of her opponent.

"Listen here, Inojin!" Kotone suddenly said firmly. "You may look handsome and all, but that does not mean that I will go easy on you" she added and readied her fighting stance. "I will combat you! And in this match, I won't hold anything back" she added, her mind filled with confidence.

While Inojin was confused by hearing this at first, he eventually formed a smile with his mouth and readied his fighting stance. "Let's hope that your actions speak louder than your words" he jokingly remarked, his black eyes completely focused on the four-eyed redhead.

As Kotone readied herself, she felt herself captivated by Inojini's face. It looked so attractive in her eyes and she still could not help but to let her cheeks blush. But the redhead shook her head and remained focused on the upcoming fight. "I can't be fooling around now. I need to stay focused! Inojin will probably be my biggest and dangerous opponent I've ever faced!" the young girl admitted to herself.

From the upper tribunals, Naruto watched the ongoing fight with interest, as did Sai. "Well, now we get to see what kind of training Sasuke has put on him" the blonde-haired man remarked to the pale-skinned man.

Sai could not help but to chuckle at this. "I am confident that Inojin managed to survive his training, if not then he would probably be dead" he then joked, although Naruto did not seem to take his joke well. This forced Sai to backtrack on what he just said. "Sorry, I got carried away" he apologized.

"Considering that Inojin is the son of two geniuses in my class at the Ninja Academy, I have no reason to doubt his abilities" Naruto commented. However, there was something else drifting inside the blonde-haired man's head. "But I also hope that Inojin does not try to emulate his father. He is his own character after all and a good boy on the inside, based upon what Nashiko has told me" the blonde-haired man recalled on something that his daughter had told him once.

Karin was also focused on the match happening below, especially since it was her daughter who was now fighting. "Kotone….." the red-haired woman uttered lowly while facing the battleground with a slight worried glance. She felt nervous and began holding her left elbow with her right hand. But Karin was in for a surprise, when she could feel a hand touch her left hand. Turning to her left side, she could see Mei doing it. "Lady Mizukage…" Karin said while being stunned.

The Fifth Mizukage faced her with a reassuring glance. "Do not worry for your daughter's well-being, Karin. Kotone is strong and knows very well that this is a duel she cannot walk away from. She will stand and fight until the victor is declared. Kotone knew that the moment she entered the Chuunin Exams" the brunette assured the redhead and eventually fixed her azure eyes upon the battleground. "And besides, if this Inojin Uchiha would ever be doing something reckless as to try killing this wonderful and exceptional kunoichi, then I would personally see to it that his own life would end" Mei then admitted with a serious tone.

Karin simply nodded her head in agreement. True, she knew very well that the Mizukage always kept her word, and she would do anything to make sure the promises were kept and honored. Karin adjusted her glasses and decided to remain focused on the battleground, knowing she could trust the words of her superior.

"Now this is gonna be awesome! I've been waiting for this to happen!" Suigetsu exclaimed while resting his hands behind his neck and eventually glanced smugly at Sasuke who sat beside him. "So Sasuke, wanna start a bet?" the white-haired man suddenly suggested to him.

Sasuke simply glanced at him with nothing but dispassion. "You wage money during your own daughter's fights? How pitiful" he simply remarked and remained focused on the battleground.

Suigetsu simply chuckled by hearing his answer and patted on his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Easy there, tough guy. I was only busting your balls!" he then joked and then fixed his attention on the battleground. "Besides, I'm just looking so forward to see my own girl in action! Let's see if Inojin is as strong as you allege he is" the white-haired man added and once again rested his hands behind his neck.

The raven-haired man simply glanced upon the battleground, his black eyes mostly fixed upon his son. It was true, Sasuke had trained Inojin ever since his victory in the semifinals, and that training was harsher than that of Inojin's teacher and mother combined. Sasuke wondered if Shunsuke was also watching the match, as he expected his other twin son not to underestimate Inojin. However, Sasuke had begun to secretly admire Shunsuke's efforts in battle, even though he did not possess the heart of a warrior.

Someone had been watching Sasuke from her seat, and it was Ino, who could not help but to see how her husband was behaving, when he was now able to watch Inojin in combat. While Ino wanted her twin son to win this match, her joy would only last a second, because if he won this match, both Inojin and Shunsuke would face off against each other in the final round. Being reminded about this, caused Ino to lose her confidence in her sons.

"Inojin…." Ino thought while seeing her twin son standing ready to fight.

Rock Lee realized that both combatants were ready, and he gave them the green light to begin fighting. "Begin!" he said and the fight was on.

Surprisingly, Kotone made her first move by pointing fingers at Inojin like she was forming two pistols with her hands. "Double Water Gun Jutsu!" she exclaimed and fired two jets of water at the raven-haired boy who simply dodged them by stepping aside gently just the moment before they could hit him. Kotone smiled by seeing this. "Nice moves, but it's not over yet!" she insisted and suddenly reached for her blade called Uzushio.

To everyone's surprises and shock, the young girl began tossing her blade like a boomerang and threw it towards Inojin, who was surprised by seeing this. However, the raven-haired boy simply dodged it by leaning backwards, causing to almost fall on his back. The audience was gasping by seeing how talented Inojin was in avoiding being sliced off. The blade was just over him, before returning back to Kotone, who was left stunned over seeing Inojin's flexibility.

"He managed to dodge it with such ease!" the four-eyed girl noted in her head and could not help but to gulp, as she was suddenly reminded about something. "Oh crud! I forgot about Kaito-sensei's advice about using Uzushio as a tool instead of a….eh screw that! This is my match, not his!" she remarked with a confident smile of her own, realizing that like Aoi before her, she would take matters in this fight into her own hands.

Kaito was watching from the tribunals, and he was even facepalming after seeing what his student had just done. "Damn that girl. Her mom's surely gonna have my ass for this" he grumbled while reminiscing on his previous talks with Karin.

"What did I tell ya?" Suigetsu asked Sasuke while grinning mischievously. "Kotone may not look like it, but she sure can be one badass of a kunoichi" the white-haired man told Sasuke, who didn't bother to say anything in return.

Inojin suddenly ran straight towards Kotone, who was awed by his incredible speed. But the redhead did not let her guard down and when she saw Inojin doing a flying kick, she tried blocked it with her blade. But what she didn't realize is the fact that Inojin was not actually trying to kick her, as the young boy quickly sprung around Kotone and proceeded to kick her from behind. The young redhead was sent away from her opponent, but with the help of her blade, she landed safely.

"His speed…..I never imagined that it would be that fast" Kotone remarked and looked up to face her opponent, who simply stood a few feet away from her and had his arms crossed. Based upon the look on his face, she could tell that she was not impressed.

"Nothing personal, but you don't impress me for a minute" Inojin said flatly.

Deep inside of her, Kotone was filled with anger over hearing this. "That jackass! How does he have the nerve to speak to me like that!?" she wondered angrily in her head. But the four-eyed girl soon snapped out of it, as she realized that she would have to take this match seriously. Kotone got an idea and formed a smug smile with her mouth as she got up on her feet, facing Inojin. "In that case, sorry to bore you, Inojin. I really had no intention of doing it. Allow me make up for it by showing you something cool!" she said and suddenly performed a few hand seals in fast pace.

"She's fast!" Inojin noted and suddenly stood his ground, as he saw Kotone put her hands on the ground.

"Water Style: Storm Upheaval!" Kotone exclaimed and Inojin could see a big shadow beneath him. Looking up, the young boy's eyes widened in surprise, as a massive amount of water was raining down on him. There was gasps amongst the spectators, yet they could see Inojin quickly emerge from the water, his entire clothes and hair soaking wet. Kotone stopped her attack, as Inojin faced her while panting lightly. The four-eyed girl simply giggled in return. "Wasn't that refreshing for you? Truth be told, you do look kind of cute when you're soaking wet" she admitted while adjusting her glasses.

Inojin rubbed his eyes to get rid of the wetness. But once he removed his arm, Kotone got stunned, as he saw Inojin's Sharingan emerge. The raven-haired boy with ponytail fixed a slight smirk while facing Kotone.

"I'm not gonna lie, you caught me in that unique jutsu of yours. Perhaps I underestimated you" he admitted to her and suddenly prepared his fighting stance. "But since I know that now, I won't hold back on you" Inojin added to his insistence.

Kotone was stunned by Inojin's words, as he felt kind of confused by hearing this. But she could not help but to blush slightly when she heard the young boy commending her abilities. Even so, she began focusing on her opponent once again.

"He is quite the gentleman, I'll give him that" she remarked in her head while facing Inojin. "But I am not backing down from this fight! I won't let my emotions get in my way!" she added to her thoughts

The raven-haired boy proceeded to perform some hand seals in a fast pace, in a similar manner to Kotone. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" he said and suddenly blew out fireballs that were controlled with chakra, as well as having shuriken inside.

Kotone could already see that the fireballs were filled with Chakra, so she could not help but to form a smirk with her mouth. "That's a lovely jutsu you just performed there, Inojin" she remarked but suddenly let her entire body become liquefied. Something, which made Inojin surprised again. "Liquefy Jutsu!" Kotone said and the fireballs with the shuriken inside simply passed through her, causing Kotone to laugh. "Is this supposed to be a joke…" the redhead stopped as she could see that her opponent was actually moving close to her.

Inojin was facing her seriously. "This is no game! Let's end this quick!" he said and jumped in the air once again to perform a kick in the air.

Kotone snapped in shock by seeing how fast Inojin was, yet she simply beamed with confidence, ceased liquefying her body and drew Uzushio to block Inojin's kick and proceeded to push him away. But neither she nor Inojin were done, as the moment she put her blade back into her sheath and he landed on the ground, they both charged against each other, leading them to clash by their elbows. They each tried to overpower the other.

"I'm doing well so far, aren't I?" Kotone asked her opponent in a teasingly manner.

But Inojin on the other hand was unfazed. "It's too soon to get cocky here, Kotone Hozuki" he said in a mild-mannered tone. He then managed to overpower the redheaded girl in the end delivered to punches for her to feel, thus sending her backwards. She eventually fell down to one knee, panting to catch her breath. "I'm sorry if you had to endure this. But this is a match after all, and I won't go easy on my opponent, regardless of their gender" the raven-haired boy told her while she was trying to compose herself.

But Kotone soon stopped breathing, and she lifted up her head to face Inojin with a smug grin, eventually getting up on her feet in the process. "Wow! I must say that I pretty much like you as a shinobi, Inojin Uchiha. I mean, you don't even hold back against your opponents. I'm amused" she told him and took a brief glance at the small pond lying behind her. Kotone had come up with a brilliant idea. "Let us see if you will stand a chance against my water dragon!" she exclaimed while performing some hand seals quickly. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" she called out and a large serpentine dragon of water erupted from behind, rising up in the air before diving towards Inojin.

All the spectators gasped in amazement, as they thought that once again, someone would be taken by the water dragon. But Inojin faced the giant beast with his crimson eyes, taking a quick decision while performing some hand seals. While doing that, the young boy briefly gazed at his father, who sat there with his usual unfazed expression. "I hate to say this, but I have to thank you for teaching me this" Inojin noted in his thoughts while facing Sasuke before facing the incoming water dragon. "Fire Style: Dragon's Flame!" he called out and suddenly blew out a large flame that eventually began forming itself into a serpentine dragon. The flame dragon began charging against the water dragon, who responded by doing the same thing.

Kotone was stunned while seeing this. "What kind of jutsu is that?" she wondered, but proceeded to control her water dragon, as it was nearing the flame dragon.

Normally, it would always be the water dragon who would triumph, considering that the element of water was superior to the element of fire among the nature elements. But in this case, they two clashing dragons caused a huge explosion in the battleground and steam emerged from this collision. The spectators was left stunned.

"Man" Naruto noted with surprised eyes while seeing this. "Never would I have imagined to see a water dragon and a flame dragon clash" he admitted, feeling very interested.

"You don't say" Shikamaru said in return. "That little boy really is one hell of a fire user, just like his dad" the man with the ponytail noted in his head.

Karin was stunned over seeing this, and she had even walked over by the edge, hoping to get a better look at what was going on. But the battleground was covered by steam and it eventually spread in the entire arena. Karin could even notice the steam when it affected her glasses.

Ino was sunned over seeing how developed his son had become since he entered the Chuunin Exams. She was amazed by it, and all her previous concerns about him losing was washed away. "You've really improved, Itachi" she noted in her head and began glancing at her husband, who merely sat still. "I think I now understand why you strictly told me not to follow you" she remarked with a slight mischievous smile on her face.

"Damn!" Suigetsu exclaimed in amazement by what he had just seen and then glanced to look at Sasuke. "How the hell did your son manage to learn THAT kind of jutsu!? I mean, it's obvious you know the answer, right!?" he demanded from an answer from him.

Sasuke only formed a smug look at his longtime partner. "What do you expect? He is my son" he simply replied back and took his glance upon the battleground. "And besides, haven't your daughter learned some tricks from you?" he then questioned him while Suigetsu simply felt busted.

The white-haired man simply crossed his arms and scoffed at Sasuke in return. "Always so smug" he muttered lowly beneath his breath.

As soon as the steam cleared away, the spectators could once again be given a clear view on what was happening. To their surprises, Inojin and Kotone were still standing, although something was different this time. While Inojin was standing completely calm and focused, Kotone's legs had begun to tremble. It was apparent she had put much at stake with her water dragon.

While Kotone was panting to catch her breath, she soon stopped and fixed an amazed expression on her face. "Wow….you really are…..strong" she remarked, before brandishing her blade for everyone to see. "That attack you pulled sure took its toll. But my water dragon did the exact same thing" Kotone explained while pointing the tip of Uzushio towards her opponent.

Inojin simply raised an eyebrow in return. "So, you're now gonna use your blade against me?" he simply asked and simply crossed his arms while sighing. "I suggest you surrender before things only get uglier for you" Inojin politely suggested to him.

Kotone adjusted her glasses and couldn't help but to giggle from hearing what her opponent just said. "What a gentleman, advising me to give up the fight" she noted while facing Inojin, eventually fixing a confidential smile with her mouth. "But I think it's too late to be silly. Because I'm still ready for a match!" she exclaimed and charged at her opponent with Uzushio in her hands.

Inojin stood his ground, fixing a slight annoyed expression on his face. "Tch, she never listens, does she?" he muttered beneath his breath. But he suddenly got an idea on what would change her mind about fighting him. "It's time to teach her humility" Inojin declared and suddenly performed a few hand seals once again and Kotone took notice of it. Inojin's crimson eyes became focused on her. "Fire Style: Flame Tiger Jutsu!" he exclaimed and inhaling the Chakra inside his body, he blew out a charging tiger made of fire that was heading towards Kotone.

The redhead had already stopped moving, and saw this beast running straight towards her. She then stopped and panted while pointing the blade at the flame tiger. "He sure is persistent! This attack better be worth the Chakra!" she said and began envelop Uzushio with water, as she pointing it towards Inojin. "Water Style: Water Shark Blade!" she exclaimed and them thrusted her blade, as water in the form of a shark began heading straight towards the tiger.

Both elemental beasts were on the verge of clashing against each other and as they collided, a large explosion erupted in the battleground. Kotone was panting deeply and tried her best to stand up, she even got closer to the smoke of the explosion that had happened, wanting to see if her own water shark had somehow been able to move on after clashing with the flame tiger. But before she knew it, the four-eyed girl could feel something fast emerge from the smoke and she was kicked from behind and brought up to the air. Kotone could not believe her own eyes.

"What the hell!? I'm…" she paused by seeing her opponent appear before her eyes, with Inojin facing her with nothing but a serious glance. But that seriousness was soon replaced by a smug smile.

"Sorry about this. But you fought well for a kunoichi. I commend your abilities" Inojinsaid and suddenly began performing a known taijutsu. "Lion's Barrage!" he exclaimed as he delivered some kick upon Kotone, one by one. The four-eyed girl was sent down to the ground and it ended with an explosion.

As the dust cleared, the spectators could see Kotone, lying on her back, her eyes shut. However, she was not dead, as the redhead was seen smiling and even talking to herself while being unconscious. It was clear to everyone that she was finished.

"Thank you…..Inojin" she said lowly, meaning she was thankful for hearing her opponent compliment her abilities.

Looking at her sleeping body, Lee knew that who was the victor in this match. "KOTONE IS IN CONDITION TO CONTINUE THIS FIGHT. SO WINNER BY KNOCKOUT: INOJIN UCHIHA!" he declared and many spectators shouted cheers to the young raven-haired boy. However, there were also some gasps of shock, as many were still wary about the Uchihas and their past.

As Inojin faced everyone, he could see that Ayumu and Chouta were very happy to see him, as was his mom. He even managed to get a glimpse of Nashiko, who had recovered from her match and was cheering for him. The pinkette was standing with her teammates. While Takeda simply glanced with his usual bored expression, Shunsuke was a different story.

Yes, Shunsuke could not help but to frown over seeing that his twin brother had won the match. He had really hoped to avoid such. But right now, fighting Inojin in the final match was inevitable.

"No…I don't believe it…." Shunsuke was at loss for words, as he watched his twin brother with nothing but uneasiness.

Menma could notice how uncomfortable his student was feeling, so he decided to go and take him somewhere else, where they could be having a private discussion.

"Aw man! I can't believe my sweet daughter lost!" Suigetsu exclaimed while throwing his arms in the air. The white-haired man then began focusing his attention on Sasuke, who so far, had only stared at his son with his neutral expression. This caused Suigetsu to raise an eyebrow. "Hey Sasuke, aren't you at least happy for your son? I mean, he won the match. Meaning that he is better than my own precious Kotone!" he wondered, but then began moping on the fact that Inojin won and Kotone lost.

Hearing this caused Sasuke to simply glance at him with nothing but slight annoyance. "Your perspective of this program eludes me, Suigetsu. May I remind you that the finals are not here just to see which of the genins are the strongest" he pointed out, his voice sounding less pleasant than usual.

Despite being spoken to like this, Suigetsu didn't seem to mind, as he was constantly used to Sasuke's stern and strict personality. Even as adults, he still felt like Sasuke was the same man he used to be partners with, although with moral compassion of course.

"Well done, Inojin! You were terrific out on the battleground!" Ino cheered for her twin son, yet suddenly felt her spirits fly away, as she knew what was next. The blonde-haired woman had hoped that she would not have to see her twin sons fight each other, but now that Inojin had emerged victorious from his fight with Kotone, it was real. But Ino suddenly felt somebody put a hand on her left shoulder. It was Sakura, who had just gotten back and was facing her longtime friend with a sincere expression. "Sakura…" Ino said stunned.

"Ino…there is something I will need to tell you right now" Sakura said and took a deep breath before coming up with the answers. "It looks like I somehow misjudged your family. I take it all back" the pinkette admitted.

Ino was only stunned by hearing this. "What do you mean by that?" she asked while not particularly getting the meaning of the situation.

"Well, I always used to say that you spoiled your twin sons, and that Inojin was nothing but a reckless and dangerous brat. I cannot imagine the bullying they had to experience as small kids" Sakura told her and then faced the ground in shame. "I am always so focused on my own family, that I sometimes fail to put myself into other families' perspective. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Nashiko has thought me much about your sons, and I'm happy to know that she is friends with your twin sons" Sakura explained.

Although it felt odd hearing this from her sworn rival, Ino felt happy on the inside. It also forced her to smile. She was happy to see that Sakura was among those who did not side with the abusers against her. The two women had always been close as both friends and rivals, but even as mothers and wives, they would still keep their friendship. That friendship between them was similar to that between their husbands.

Karin could get a glimpse of her own daughter smiling while being in her unconsciousness. It caused the red-haired woman to facepalm. "Kotone, your feelings for Inojin only distracted you from the real deal" Karin remarked in her head while expressing slight disappointment of her daughter.

"Hey Karin" the four-eyed woman snapped by hearing the voice of the Mizukage who faced her with a cunning smile. "I must say, your daughter really put up a great fight. You and your husband should be lucky to be Kotone's parents" Mei added to her explanation.

Karin simply bowed her head formally in return, not knowing what else to say. "Thanks, Lady Mei" she simply responded while taking a brief and stern glance at Suigetsu. "Husband? Hah! We may be married and all, but that cocky jackass has spent most of our time as a couple cheating on me!" she noted in her head while crossing her arms. She was certain that Suigetsu would never take notice of her watching him.

The Sand Scorpions had also taken notice of the fight, as they were amazed by Inojin's abilities. Even the calculating Tsubasa had to admit that Inojin showed some promise. But the reddish brown-haired boy felt that Kotone was no real challenge for him, even though she also seemed to impress the trio. But it was mostly Atsushi and Haruka who felt like they were impressed.

"So what do you think, cuz? Are you wishing to fight this Inojin-dude?" Atsushi asked his cousin in a laidback manner, which only annoyed Tsubasa. The boy with the weird markings didn't get this and simply shrugged his shoulders. "What? You have said that you always fight those who are talented. And this Inojin Uchiha fits into that category, don't you think?" he pointed out while asking him once again.

"First of all, I have never said anything about fighting opponent because of talent" Tsubasa calmly, yet sternly pointed out, much to Atsushi's own mischievousness, who simply liked the idea on pushing buttons on his cousin.

Haruka sighed by seeing the two boys being like this, and she fixed a stern glance on them while crossing her arms. "Focus, boys! We may be here to watch the finals, but the Kazekage's protection is also our priority. Remember that!" she told them.

"Way to go, Inojin! You really did it!" Chouta cheered for her teammate. The chubby girl proceeded to look at her sensei with a gleeful face of her own. But she could see that Ayumu was feeling happy with Inojin's win, yet he did not smile. This also made the chubby girl frown, as Chouta knew what this meant. Inojin and Shunsuke would have to face each other in combat.

Ayumu took notice of Chouta's expression and decided to not drag her into this feeling of doubt. "Listen Chouta. I know that you feel distressed, but this is something that even we cannot solve. Inojin and Shunsuke will fight, that is inevitable. But I don't think that neither one of them has any desire about killing the other, even Inojin" the red-eyed man explained to her.

Chouta took her time to think about what she just heard. As hard as it was for her to listen, the chubby, brown-haired girl soon realized that some of the things her sensei said, could perhaps be true. While Chouta knew that she could not control him, she believed that maybe Inojin possessed at least some understanding about not to take his fight for granted. Inojin was not really a cruel boy, and neither was Shunsuke. None of them sought to kill each other. After all, this was just the battle to see which genins was the most talented.

At the gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves

The gates that protected the village was still tall as before the Fourth Shinobi World War. But with the rebuilding of the Leaf Village, a new and impregnable wall had been erected, that also give the guards a better view of what was going on, as well as four watchtowers. These watchtowers were subtitle for discovering potential threats. With the finals of the Chuunin Exams ongoing, security at the gates had been tightened. Therefore, any form of infiltration seemed inevitable.

But the young genin from the Village Hidden in the Sound, Noburu Yakushi was determined on entering the village. But he did not want to kill the guards that were watching the entrance, as he hoped to avoid bloodshed as possible. In order for him to do that, we would have to do a more wiser method on infiltrating the Leaf Village.

Disguising himself as a member of the village's Medic Corps, Noburu waited until a large group of almost 30 medics arrived at the gates by simply walking. Without even being taken notice of, Noburu easily blended in with the large group, and none of the medics seemed to even care about the fact that he was with them. In some of the medics' eyes, his face reminded them of some other members in the Medic Corps. This large group of medics had just been out in the field on a trip around the Land of Fire, and were expected to arrive on the same day as the finals of the Chuunin Exams began.

When the medics approached the large gates, it opened, thus granting them free passage. However, there were guards stationed by the entrance, and each of them observed them closely while the large group entered. None of them seemed to find Noburu suspicious, especially since he was not wearing his glasses.

As the large group of medics had entered the Leaf Village and were on their way to the hospital, Noburu simply stood still and remained behind, with the rest of the medics proceeding towards their destination. Guided by his quick instincts, Noburu immediately headed for the nearest alleyway. He knew that there were also guards patrolling both in the streets and on the rooftops. Therefore, the grey-haired boy would have to find somewhere more reclusive and he knew just the right place: the bushes in the park.

After reaching the park, Noburu quickly jumped into one of the large bushes, where he knew he could hide from any suspicious eyes. Taking off his disguise, he took off the backpack he was holding onto by his stomach and then packed up some stuff he had brought with him. He put on his glasses and decided to tie his forehead-protector around his right biceps. But there was something else that was packed inside the backpack.

"Naruto Uzumaki….." Noburu began thinking about the blonde-haired man, whom had schooled him about what a person Kabuto was. "That cursed Jinchuuriki represents those idealistic fools who still believe that the Will of Fire is the ultimate ideology. He needs to die! That will only convince people to stop following him blindly" he added angrily to his thoughts while gritting his teeth in anger.

As he dug deeper into his backpack, he finally reached picked up a crossbow and held it in his right hand. The crossbow was one-handed, and it even had a trigger, which almost made it look like a gun. Putting the crossbow away, Noburu began picking up arrows for the weapon to use. He put 5 arrows onto the ground beside the crossbow.

"These arrows will do the job. Once I've infiltrated the stadium, I will climb to the top and then begin my assassination on that ignorant fool!" he concluded. But a thought suddenly entered the young boy's mind. Did Naruto really deserve such fate? He had a family and he was never personally involved with the shaming his father had received from the Leaf Village. And Noburu still recalled that Naruto had once admired Kabuto before his machinations with Orochimaru was revealed. But all these thoughts were thrown away in anger by Noburu. "Screw him! To hell with these bullshit feelings! That Nine-Tailed son of a bitch claimed he understood me, but he doesn't know a damn thing! He's a fraud! Like all the Hokages that existed before him, Naruto Uzumaki is nothing but a sorry excuse for a shinobi, whose faith in the liberal ideas will only result in him dying!" he angrily said and almost lost his cool.

Noburu calmed down and came back to his senses. But he remained focused on the task ahead of him, as he knew what was being at stake in his quest for vengeance. But even so, he felt nothing but anger inside of him and was determined to carry on with his mission. Exiting the bushes and dressed in a black hood, Noburu made his move.

But unbeknownst to the young boy, someone had been eavesdropping on his plans, as they had been hiding by the trees of the park. It was Tadeshi Shinamori and Isamu Morino, who had been assigned on guard duty in the village during the finals. They both saw as Noburu was making his move towards the stadium.

"Alright, this is it" Tadeshi said and faced his partner. "Let us tail that little bookworm and bust his nerdy ass!" he said to Isamu.

But the tall man simply stared at him dispassionately. "Have you forgotten what Naruto-sensei told us? He said that he would deal with this himself" Isamu pointed out.

But Tadeshi only scoffed at his words. "Screw Naruto-sensei and his wishes! His life can be in serious danger! We must at least follow him and see what he plans on doing!" he angrily insisted to him.

Sighing deeply in defeat, Isamu agreed to his friend's demand. "Okay, we'll follow him. But remember what Naruto-sensei has told us" he said and began following their target.

Tadeshi simply scowled underneath his breath, getting tired of hearing him saying that. "What's the big deal? I mean, you weren't one of Naruto's students. I was" the man with sunglasses said, and joined his comrade in following their suspect, trying not to let Noburu know that they were watching him, let alone following him.

Back in the stadium

With the match between Inojin and Kotone over, it was now time for the match before the final match between Inojin and Shunsuke. While they had enough time to reflect, depending on how long the match would be, the spectators were anxiously waiting for the match between Hisoka Sado from Team Hideki and Jurou Kaguya from the Mist Village team.

This was the first time, a member of Team Hideki would fight, while it was also the last time a member of the Mist Village team would fight. Many rumors had been spread across the spectators, about which of these two were the strongest.

Both Guy and Kimiko had their eyes concentrated on their teammate with dreadlocks, as he entered the battlefield while glancing around. "I can't believe I'm actually seeing this" Guy noted in his head while fixing a slight smile in the process. "But then again, Hisoka is someone who you should not write off so easily. Being his teammate, I can understand why" the brown-haired boy added to his thoughts.

Kimiko faced her teammate with a slight concerned glance. "Guy" she said and the young boy faced her with his fuzzy eyes. "Be honest with me here! Do you suppose that Hisoka will stand a chance against Jurou?" the blonde-haired girl asked her in a serious manner.

"It's not about whether he stands a chance or not, Kimiko" Guy suddenly replied, causing Kimiko stare at him stunned. The brown-haired boy then turned her gaze on the battleground. "It's all about having faith in him! We both know what happened to Hisoka after he witnessed my match against Jurou. He and Hideki-sensei began intense training. And when those two train together, it's always about to get real!" he added to his explanation.

Hearing this caused Kimiko to giggle, as she was starting to become amused by the fact that Guy was now speaking about their teammate in a more positively manner than usual. Apparently, she also knew about the things that both Hisoka and Hideki were known to do, even though they had a rocky relationship.

"So Hisoka's up against that Mist Village shinobi, huh? This should be interesting" Ringo remarked while facing the two. "Who knows? Maybe he'll win" he added.

"Well he better win, because if that violent freak made Guy this way, then who knows what he will do to Hisoka" Asuka suddenly remarked and then faced Guy, who fixed a slight frown after hearing what she said. "Why the long face?" she asked him.

"Maybe you misunderstand something, Asuka. Jurou never made me unable to walk" the boy with the fuzzy eyebrows said and suddenly clenched his right fists tightly. "The state I'm in, is one but my own responsibility" Guy told her while facing the ground with a hint of shame in his eyes.

Asuka simply raised an eyebrow in return. "You blame yourself for this?" she asked in disbelief. "Now that is just a preposterous thing to say, Guy. I mean…." Asuka was interrupted by her teammate speaking.

"Just cut it out, Asuka. What happened there is something that should only be kept between Guy and his parents. You weren't there, remember?" Ringo said while questioning her methods.

Asuka was about to fight back, only for Hanzo to intervene in their discussion. "Both of you should stop this idiocy. Neither of you are helping Hisoka in this" he said to his teammates lowly, yet strictly.

Ringo and Asuka only got stunned by hearing how slightly miserable their teammate sounded. The black-haired boy had so far, only rested his right hand underneath his chin and his left arm on the armpit. It was clear to them that Hanzo had been feeling different since the match between Nashiko and Manami ended. But since this was Hyuuga clan business, the two decided not to get involved with the drama that Hanzo had been forced to contend with.

Kaito was still sitting on his seat, this time, facing Jurou entering the battleground. This time, the expression on his bandaged face seemed more uncertain than usual. "Damn. It's bad enough that Kotone tried to use her sword as a weapon. But with Jurou now entering the finals, I'm starting to actually feel worried about his student's opponent. He then glanced at Hisoka, who was still waiting for his opponent to arrive. "Then there's Hisoka Sado. Beneath his know-it-all attitude, there lies a boy with extreme combat skills. Rock Guy may have been surprising us all with his taijutsu. But Hisoka has both extreme combat skills and perceptiveness like that of a jaguar. This could end up getting ugly" Kaito remarked, as he watched the battleground with his scanning eyes.

But Kaito soon noticed someone coming. Facing sideways, he could see Hideki Sado approaching him while not feeling happy to see him. Yet despite this, the bandaged jounin from the Hidden Mist Village simply waved his arm at him in a friendly manner. Seeing this, Hideki simply shut his always stern eyes and moved past

Kaito mused to himself underneath the bandages. "Heh, didn't expect you to be that cold towards strangers" he remarked smugly.

By hearing this, Hideki finally turned around and glanced at his fellow jounin with nothing but eyes that could be described as either steel or iron. Yet, Kaito did not feel intimidated. "Don't try to be a jackass with me, Mist ninja. If not for us being in this stadium, I would've personally let my fist to the talking with you!" he sternly said and even crossed his muscular arms while glaring at Kaito with dispassion. But that dispassion soon vanished, and a smirk was formed on the black-skinned man's lips. "You know, instead of watching our students fight. How about you and I go somewhere else and have our own match? Or are you perhaps too much of a chicken to face me?" the man with long, black hair suggested in a mocking manner. "Well? Spit it out, mummy!" he then tried to taunt him

Kaito only glanced at Hideki with narrowed eyes in return, and he even held onto his blade. While the idea sounded interesting to him, Kaito still wanted to see Jurou's match. And he still had not forgotten the task he was given by the Mizukage. Forming a smirk on his face, Kaito walked away, but not before saying something to Hideki. "Sorry, but I have more important manages to attend to than being stuck with an overgrown gorilla that is afraid to lose. If your student triumphs over mine, you get to call me all the names you want. But until then, quit your babbling and do something productive, like supporting your nephew" Kaito said before walking away.

Hideki had not done anything in response, only glaring at him with nothing but contempt for the swordsman. "So, he thinks he's such a hotshot, huh? We'll see about that" he said, before he then recalled on what Kaito had just told him. "A snooping hotshot, indeed" he added to his thoughts.

On the top of the stadium

While most of the spectators and the spies were focused on the upcoming duel taking place, Noburu had used his impressive infiltration methods to reach to the top of the stadium. Surprisingly, he had done that by simply climbing to the top, as entering the stadium would only leave him getting caught.

But as the young four-eyed boy gazed upon what was below him, Noburu could see that he was high above ground. The stadium had been renovated, and it looked much higher from the ground than what it used to be. Crouching to the end, he scanned the tribunals for his one and only target: Naruto Uzumaki, Hero of the Leaf. It was now time for him to carry out something that his father should've done.

As his irises spotted Naruto, Noburu gritted his teeth in anger. "There you are, liberalist pet! Sitting there acting like you know all the answers!" he thought while seeing that Naruto was conversing with both Shikamaru and Sai. He seemed to be having fun, as Tsunade and the others watched them laughing. Not wanting tow waste any more time, Noburu aimed his crossbow at the blonde-haired man. It was now loaded with an arrow. "The time has come! I will bring down the liberals of the Leaf Village, by starting with their precious spokesman! Then, the rest will follow! They will suffer, as my father did!" he thought, putting his finger near the trigger.

But as his angry eyes glanced at his target, Noburu suddenly found himself standing still. He did not know why he was feeling like this, but it was not the winds that he felt while being on the top of the stadium. Now was his chance! All he had to do was to pull the trigger and the deed was done! These thoughts kept swirling inside Noburu's head. The grey-haired boy felt no love towards anything related to the Leaf Village, and Naruto was no exception.

However, what struck him suddenly was something that his own sensei had once said to him. "I understand that you hate the liberals, including those who believes in the Will of Fire. But the Curse of Hatred is no better, as it is the worst thing that has ever been spread out amongst mankind" Shinichi had said to him. Noburu's eyes snapped and he also was reminded about another set of words that Shinichi told him. "What if you could make your own ideology? One that was neither the Curse of Hatred or the Will of Fire. Just imagine if you were one who lifted peoples' spirits with your own wisdom. Would that perhaps be more sufficient to follow, rather than seeking vengeance?" these sentences kept invading Noburu's thoughts.

Signing deeply, Noburu put away his crossbow and faced as he got up on his feet. The young boy was lost in thoughts and he didn't know what to even think about. However, tears began streaming from his glasses, and Noburu sniffed as his tears were blown away by the winds.

"Damn it!" Noburu cursed while gritting his teeth in frustration. "The way of the shinobi is….not what I expected. But I want to achieve something productive in this world…something that does not involve any forms of ideology or thought. I'm sick of all those bullshit ideals! Screw them all!" he said and slowly but steadily began walking away from carrying out his assassination. He packed up his stuff and then was on his way to climb down.

Back at the upper tribunals Naruto was facing the top of the stadium with a smile of satisfaction. Why was he doing that? It appears that he somehow knew what was really going on, and even knew that something like this would happen. While his comrades were concentrated on other things, Naruto kept looking up the top with his smile.

Closing his eyes, Naruto took his time before uttering out some sentences. "You made the right choice, Noburu Yakushi. You did not let hatred turn into the same thing it did with your father. For that, I commend you" Naruto said lowly, indicating that he knew about this assassination attempt. "You can continue with having this enormous resentment towards me. But it won't matter, as I have my own plans for changing the way of the shinobi. I will make you see that I am not the Hokages of old, not even my father or Grandma Tsunade" he added to his explanation and desires.

To be continued…

Author's note: That was a good chapter! The next will of course be focused on the fight between Jurou and Hisoka. Considering that the fight between Inojin and Kotone was short, I decided to also dig into Noburu's intentions for entering the Leaf Village. But even though he has chosen not to assassinate Naruto, he's still not leaving the Leaf Village. Oh no, his part is far from over. See you around!