Lionheart: Hey, everyone, I know it's been awhile and I hope you guys weren't too angry for the delay. I just felt very out of it the last week so I didn't update. I promise to get in at least three during the holidays. See you there.

Now, the question of pairings: As of right now, it's a lot of one-sided romance, such as between Sakura and Sasuke. I had to do this to try and keep IC. Perhaps in the near future, there will be some more pairings. Also, this is NOT a yaoi or Yuri story so if you like that, this is the wrong place.

So, enjoy this next action packed chapter, than only comes in the heat of the Chuunin Exams.

Summary: As fate would have it, Orochimaru has once again slipped past the grasp of Sasuke and Naruto, and has left a present behind in the form of his cursed seal on Naruto. The problem the Jinchuuriki faces is that if he tries to use both at once, then he loses control. And it's unavoidable is he loses control of his emotions.

Genin Rumble: Sound vs. Leaf

Sakura pulled Sasuke's limp body and she hugged, while tears poured from her face. "S-Sasuke…S-Sasuke, please wake up," she murmured as if her words would wake him. When she got no response, she hugged the Uchiha even tighter, now with tears coming down her face. She whispered into his ears, "I'm here now, Sasuke, please…wake up."

When the boy remained motionless, she tried the same with Naruto. It was at this moment she noticed the faint marking on his neck, where he had been bitten.

Scared, she touched the area. Almost immediately Naruto's body shook. Sakura snapped, remembering that her comrades were injured. She began to panic when Naruto's body began to continually shake and sweat began to pour from their pores. 'Argh…why did this have to happen? What do I do?'

Elsewhere

"Haku…did you feel that?" Haku disguised as a Genin with long black hair and with a pale white face turned around towards the area where Zabuza pointed. "Yes…Akuro-kun. It felt like a sudden burst of …chakra."

Zabuza frowned, and turned to his other teammate, Zen. "What do you think?" Zen, a young Genin with brown hair and pale green eyes thought to himself. As if by habit, he crossed his arms and he began shaking his head. "Well…right now, if I feel it right, it's an evil feeling. It's about half a mile from our position. I think we should at least go check it out, but I don't think we should be too rash about it, Akuro. Somebody either got hurt, or is getting hurt. Let's wait until the battle is over, or until their off guard and strike when they are exhausted."

Zabuza frowned again, this time out of irritation for his new name. Since the name Zabuza was recognized by most Konoha shinobi, Naruto had suggested the name Akuro for him. It still bugged him to this day, living his double life. "Alright…Haku, let's go." The three nodded and leapt off towards the direction of Naruto and team seven.

Zen took the lead, with Haku and Zabuza trailing behind. "Zabuza," whispered Haku, so that Zen could not hear, "It felt like Naruto." Zabuza inwardly cursed, 'Damn…them?' "We have to stop…and tell Zen, he has no idea," continued Haku. Zen suddenly stopped ahead, and smirked. "Hey…now this is interesting, let's watch." Zabuza and Haku exchanged curious glances, and then looked down at the scene Zen watched with interest. "I don't see anything very interesting," said Zabuza, looking confused.

"No," asked Zen, "fine I'll go check it out myself. I personally want to meet Mr. Hyuuga." Zabuza and Haku exchanged a glance. Neither of them knew of Neji, but chose not to say anything. "fine, meet up with us…we're going on ahead to do a little reconnaissance of the area," said Zabuza. Zen nodded, "Ciao."

Near Team Seven

"Neji-kun, it is now officially the second day," announced Tenten. Neji groaned as he sat up from the patch of grass he had been lying on. He turned yawned as he stretched, making sure he was in top form. "Alright, Tenten…where's Lee?"

Tenten smiled and motioned across the river they stayed near. Neji's eyes wandered until he found Lee pushing out push-ups as if his life depended on it. Neji sighed, 'Not again? When will he understand that we need to be fully prepared?' Neji stood up and shouted Lee's name.

The youthful Genin did not respond, however, resulting in another sigh from Neji. The Hyuuga drew a kunai and with a flick, sent it towards Lee's head, as the Genin did another push up. Tenten held her breath as she saw the kunai get closer to the seemingly unaware Genin. Luckily enough, just as the kunai was about to hit him, Lee pushed off the ground into midair, letting the kunai pass underneath. Tenten let out a sigh of relief as Neji smirked, "what a baka."

Lee leaped over the water, "Neji-Kun…what is up that you have interrupted my daily one thousand push ups?" Neji shook his head, 'This is what I have to put up with.' "One day has passed since the start of the exam. We've kept a low profile so far to secure food and water for at least a week. The others teams no doubt have been wasting precious energy, so they are most likely resting right now. This is the perfect time to strike…and strike hard."

Lee saluted Neji, "HAI, Neji-Kun, let's go!" Neji held a hand, "Wait, Lee. Before we do anything, we should split and do a reconnaissance of the area. Gather any information you can…surrounding area, teams, traps, anything! If you find any teams, don't engage them. If they chase you, try to get away best you can, or send out a flare. In any case," said Neji, throwing a kunai into the ground, "we'll meet back here in thirty minutes. Be sure you're here on time…got it?"

"Yosh," shouted Lee, saluting. Tenten nodded, "Got it." "Good," replied Neji, "Let's go!" At his word, all three Genin leapt up and split, heading in different directions.

Nearby

Sakura slowly bent over Sasuke and Naruto's bodies. She had carried both boys into the shade of a giant tree near the water. Both boys were breathing, and to her surprise their injuries were rapidly healing. Sakura gently placed a wet rag on their foreheads, and then sat back exhausted.

'Uh…they're improving…finally. But both of them are still out cold. Sasuke…please wake up soon. You look terrible, especially from that attack from Naruto. I still can't believe it. Naruto, why did you attack us? And what's that mark on your neck where that guy bit you? In any case…I have to protect you…both,' thought Sakura, with a determined look.

Meanwhile, as Sakura lay near a tree, Zaku, Kin, and Dosu peered out from nearby shrubs. All three sound ninja smiled evilly, upon seeing their targets. "Ah," whispered Dosu, "There they are… hehe." "Look, they're off guard, just as we expected," whispered Kin." "Good, then we have time to prepare our attack," said Dosu. "We can finally complete the mission Lord Orochimaru set for us. Our target is…Sasuke Uchiha. We'll let them off until dawn, just as commanded."

Zaku cracked his knuckles, "What about the other two? If they interfere, can we waste them?" "Of course," replied Dosu. "I have the perfect idea of attack," whispered Kin, pulling out a slip of paper. Dosu observed it, and smirked, "Good idea…not too long now."

Back in the shade, Sakura lay panting near the tree. Fatigued she smacked her head to stay awake, 'I have to stay awake…for their sake.' She turned towards Sasuke and Naruto, and to her joy she noticed that both Naruto and Sasuke were beginning to move slightly. 'I'll let them sleep a little longer,' she thought happily.

Dream World

Meanwhile, Sasuke suddenly sat up. "WHA? Where am I?" An image appeared in front of him, taking the form of Kyuubi. "Brat, looks like you're starting to regain some chakra if you can see me." Sasuke stared around in confusion at the empty space around him. "Where's Naruto? And where are we?"

Kyuubi chuckled, "Geez, not one for small talk are you, boy?" Sasuke shrugged and sat up, "not really." Kyuubi nodded, "Okay then, we have a problem, brat. Right now, we're in a dream world that I summoned your spirit to. It uses a small amount of chakra from your body, which thankfully you're regaining quickly. Anyway, the problem is…the curse mark."

Memories of the battle flooded back into Sasuke's head. A mix of embarrassment and anger showed on Sasuke's face, before he sighed, "I can't believe the dobe jumped in front of Orochimaru's attack. Everything was going fine before that."

"It was pathetic," agreed Kyuubi, "but…remember this is Naruto we're talking about. The guy who acts first and thinks last." Sasuke scowled, "Don't judge him…he's not like that all the time." Kyuubi laughed, startling the Uchiha, "I'm not judging him…I respect him for it. It was a brave thing to do…I was just saying it was inconvenient for my stupid container." Sasuke frowned, "Well, that's obvious. What's your point?" "Well, the main thing I called you here was to ask if you knew of a way to negate the effects of the seal…or possibly remove it."

"Why couldn't you just talk to me telepathically," asked Sasuke. Kyuubi rolled his eyes, "Well…sure, I'll just sit around all day trying to talk to an unconscious body…dear me, why didn't I think of that." Sasuke waved his hands, "Okay…okay, I got your point."

Kyuubi rolled his eyes again, "Great, now can we move on?" Sasuke mumbled something incoherent, though Kyuubi picked up the words 'trying' and 'small talk.' The fox sighed, "Can you remove the seal or not?"

Sasuke nodded his head slowly, though Kyuubi could see that the Uchiha was feeling uncertain. "What," asked Kyuubi, "is there a catch?" Sasuke nodded, "Yeah…first thing is, the jutsu I need to perform requires to people, and second thing it requires at least ten hours to perform, with no room for mistakes. But…the third thing is the worst. Even if you perfectly perform the jutsu perfectly, there is still a fifty percent chance of death."

Sakura

Sakura leaned back, when suddenly a slight noise attracted her attention. Closing her eyes, Sakura inched her fingers toward her kunai pouch. Sweat poured from her fatigued body and she clenched the kunai tightly. As the sound got louder, Sakura suddenly stood. She immediately sweat dropped and her she sighed, slightly disappointed.

'A squirrel,' she thought, disbelievingly. Amused, Sakura smiled slightly, and turned to face the squirrel entirely. "Hey, what are you up to, sneaking up on me and scaring me like that?" The squirrel looked up in response to Sakura curiously, and then began to leap towards her.

Alarmed, Sakura quickly threw her kunai knife, shouting, "HEY!" The knife struck a spot right in front of the startled animal, which promptly turned tail and scrambled away. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, 'Whew…that was close…way too close.'

Meanwhile, the three sound ninja, frowned as they saw the squirrel run away. Zaku grunted in frustration, "She's pretty tightly wound that one. I wonder if she noticed the letter bomb we attached to the squirrel's back."

Dosu shook his head, "No…that's not it. If she had noticed the letter bomb, she would definitely be on guard now. Instead, she is calmly watching over her sleeping comrades. It's something else that made her drive the squirrel away." Zaku frowned, thinking, "What then, Dosu? What's going on?" Dosu smiled as he peered through the bushes, "Well, that's the question ain't it? We'll just have to get closer to find out."

"About time…what are we waiting for," interrupted Kin." The three sound ninja nodded and all leapt upwards. Behind a tree, Gaara watched the unfolding scene, unblinkingly. He made no move to stop the sound three or help. 'Naruto…Uzumaki,' he thought, 'what will you do?'

Nearby

Nearby, Lee bounded from branch to branch swiftly, making little noise. He suddenly spotted a large branch and grabbed it, flipping around multiple times. The shaking caused multiple leaves to fall through the air. When he saw this, Lee quickly counted the number of leaves. He shook his fist and fire burned in his eyes.

'If I can catch all twenty of these leaves before they hit the ground, then Sakura will fall in love with me. But…if I miss even one,' thought Lee has his head dropped, 'then my love for her will never be requited. She'll probably make fun of my hair too.'

In a burst of rage, Lee dove towards the leaves, and with tremendous speed, began nabbing leaves. He continued for several seconds before finally spotting the last one two feet from the floor. Lee pushed off from a nearby tree trunk, 'Last one…last one, one more!'

He was just about to nab it, when he heard a noise. Forgetting about the leaf, Lee turned towards the source and spotted a squirrel. Something was smoking on its back. Lee's eyes widened as he recognized the letter bomb, and used his hand to push off the ground. He grabbed the squirrel, and quickly ripped the letter in half, letting it burn on his finger. His other hand held the poor creature as he stared at it with pity. "Who would do such a thing to a creature?"

Elsewhere

"Ooh," complained Ino, "this sucks." Chouji walked along with her munching on potato chips, "I told you that you should have brought something to eat." "No, you baka," said Shikamaru, slapping his head, "she's talking about getting a scroll…how troublesome." Chouji shrugged, "you should have brought chips too, Shikamaru." Shikamaru sighed, when he heard a noise from the right, "hide guys," he whispered.

As if they had practiced for weeks, the three Konoha leapt simultaneously into the bushes nearby, just as Neji walked into the clearing from a line of trees. The Hyuuga prodigy continued walking until he had nearly passed the rookies. Ino held her breath, 'He won't see us…he won't see us.'

Neji looked towards the bushes suddenly and said rather abruptly, "Come on out…unless you're too cowardly." Team ten's eyes widened, "How'd he spot us so fast," asked Chouji. "He's too good," whined Shikamaru. "Shhh," said Ino, "okay, plan A – hiding until the enemy has passed has failed. Time for plan B." Shikamaru groaned, 'great,' he thought.

Ino stepped out of the bushes followed by Chouji and Shikamaru. Each put on awed poses. "Oh," exclaimed Ino, putting on fake glee, "what an honor! Lord Hyuuga, Neji, last year's rookie of the year…fancy meeting you here." Shikamaru threw his hands up, "Oh wow! Can I get your autograph," he said, though not as excitingly as Ino.

"Oh," said Neji, bored, "it's you three." Neji suddenly seemed distracted for he looked to the left, "Why don't you come out? Unless you are too cowardly too."

Surprised team ten stared around the clearing until they heard a laugh. "My, you're quick aren't you?" Zen stepped into the clearing, smiling crazily, "Wow, you're good. I didn't expect any Genin to be able to see through my camouflage jutsu." Neji shrugged, "What do you want? Does that look in your eye mean you want to fight me?"

Zen crossed his arms and seemed to think, "Oh…sounds fun, but I think I'll have to pass. Why bother, since I've already gotten two scrolls, I just want to see all the interesting little fights going on around. Everybody is different and have their own little tricks, so I'm going around seeing the talent. But…if you're suggesting you want to fight…" said Zen, leaving the challenge open.

Neji frowned, surprised at Zen's willingness to fight him. "Let me ask you this…what makes you think you can beat me?" Zen shrugged, "Like I said, everyone has their own little talents…you have your eyes and I have my…well I have my own little tricks."

Neji smirked, "Hmph, at least your more interesting then these three losers over there." Ino suddenly shook her fist, "what'd you say?" Neji glanced over, "Does that fist your shaking mean you want to fight?" Ino suddenly lost her tough girl look, and shook her hands, "N-no, I didn't mean to offend you." Neji shook his head, "Get lost…I wouldn't demean myself by taking a scroll from you…I'd be the laughingstock of the Konoha Chuunin when I become one."

Without any further comments or hesitation, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji suddenly smiled, and vanished into the tree line, making sure not to look back.

Meanwhile, Neji turned back to Zen, "they're like cockroaches." Zen laughed, "Oh…I don't know, don't judge them too quick. If they made it so far in this forest, then they must have some talents." Neji frowned at the words talents, "They have the talent of hiding…that is all. But…I'm interested in discovering your 'talents' as you say… what's your name anyway?" Zen grinned, "That'd be Zen to you, Mr. Hyuuga. I wouldn't underestimate the Nara kid though by the way…but it's nice to meet you anyway, I don't have too much time for chatting, so I'm off."

Zen waved and then suddenly melted into the ground, disappearing into a puddle. Neji smiled, "So…that was a water clone. Then that meant…" Neji face suddenly darkened, "So…you were hiding there? Then you must be from the Yaru clan." From a nearby branch, Zen smiled at Neji, who could now see him, "Ah, caught me have you," whispered Zen, "Very interesting." Zen suddenly disappeared into the tree. Neji continued to frown as his Byakugan picked up Zen's retreating form, "Zen Yaru…" he said slowly.

Meanwhile, Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru stood panting by a tree they stopped at. While, Chouji munched on another bag of chips, Ino looked back behind them, "Whew, I don't think they chased us." Shikamaru sighed, "This is hopeless, and we're never going to find anyone weaker than us to take a scroll from." Ino sat fell down onto her knees, "Yeah, there's nobody." "Well, actually," said Shikamaru suddenly, "there's Naruto's team."

Ino stood up suddenly, angry, "Are you crazy, Shikamaru?! They'll cream us." Shikamaru cringed, "But…they have…" Ino interrupted, "They have Naruto and Sakura…two losers, but then they have Sasuke – the best of the best. None of us can beat him."

Shikamaru shrugged, "Well, don't you wonder why he's with them. Maybe he's better in theory than in practice…you never know." He stopped, seeing the sudden murderous look in Ino's eyes. Shikamaru backed away a step, "O-okay okay, never mind what I said." Shikamaru sighed softly, as Ino turned away with a huff, 'Geez…whenever I mention that guy's name she goes off on me.' "H-hey," interrupted Chouji suddenly, dropping his bag of chips, "Sasuke and Naruto are lying unconscious and it looks like Sakura's trying to protect them from those sound ninja."

Shikamaru and Ino turned to see where Chouji was pointing. When they saw the scene their eyes widened, 'OH!'

Sakura

'It's about time I change the towels again,' thought Sakura, as she removed the rags from Sasuke and Naruto's' foreheads. "So," interrupted a voice, startling Sakura, "you've been standing guard all night have you?"

Sakura froze and gently set down a fresh towel on Naruto's head. She then stood up, and turned towards the voices. She noticed their headbands, and immediately jumped back, in terror, "Y-you…you're with h-him aren't you?"

Dosu and Zaku exchanged a glance, "Sorry, we don't know what you're talking about, little girl," said Zaku. "Just get out of our way, so we can fight the Uchiha over there." Sakura didn't budge, "No way, Sasuke already fought that creepy snake guy Orochimaru. I won't let any of you near him."

Dosu started in surprise, "What?" "You heard me," replied Sakura, drawing a kunai, "you're not getting anywhere near Sasuke." Zaku suddenly leapt down, "I don't know how you know about Orochimaru…but after hearing all of that, I think I want to kill you. Dosu?" Dosu shrugged, his mind elsewhere, "whatever, Zaku."

Zaku nodded and turned to Sakura. He pointed one of his hands at her. Sakura glanced at the hole, immediately realizing he would most likely shoot something out of it. Before anyone could move however, Dosu suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and grabbed Zaku from stepping forward, "Wait…Zaku."

Zaku glared at his teammate irritated, though not entirely angry. "Why?" Dosu pointed at the ground, "look…freshly turned stones, exposed soil…grass in places it would never grow…someone's been setting traps. But," said Dosu, turning to Sakura, "they were very poorly down, seeing how obvious they were."

Sakura snarled in response, as Kin laughed, "amateur." "Let's make this quick," said Dosu, suddenly leaping up. Sakura grinned, 'Got you.' With the kunai in her hand, she cut a rope, releasing an enormous log from above the sound three. Startled, Dosu looked up, 'What? The trap was from above?'

Unfortunately, the sound Genin soon overcame his initial surprise and swung his arm, sending out a massive sound wave that crushed the log into tiny bits. Sakura gasped as her entire trap fell to pieces, leaving its victims unharmed. The situation was worse, as Sakura realized they were coming straight for her. "Too bad," said Dosu, almost tauntingly, "Maybe if you were a little smarter…"

His words were suddenly cut off as Lee appeared from nowhere shouting, "KONOHA SENPU." Lee's kick combination knocked all three sound Genin backwards, while Sakura stared up at Lee, startled.

Dosu landed, skidding along the ground, while his companions struggled off their behinds. "Who are you," he asked. Lee smirked as he got into his trademark fighting stance, "Konoha's handsome green beast…Rock Lee!"

Sakura stared at Lee wondrously, "I-it's you. W-why are you here? Where did you come from?" Lee smiled as he turned to look at Sakura, "I came…because you needed me. And I always will! Sakura blinked, as she tried to understand what she had just been told. Lee suddenly turned grinned, "Actually…" he said, dropping the squirrel on his shoulder, "it was all thanks to my little friend here."

A tear fell from Sakura's eyes, as she finally realized how kind hearted Lee was. 'I'll never insult him again,' she thought to herself. Sakura blushed, "I don't know how to thank you Lee…you're a real lifesaver." Lee grinned, "I promised you when we met, didn't I?"

Sakura gave him a questioning look, as she racked her memories of their first encounter with Lee. She suddenly remembered Lee's vow. "I'll protect you Sakura…until death do us apart," said Lee, suddenly, "and now I'm making good that promise."

The words hit Sakura like a hammer, and she dropped her head, remembering all the times she insulted and laughed at Lee. Lee lightly nudged her "Hey, Sakura, it's alright." Sakura smiled, 'Thanks Lee,' she thought. Dosu laughed, "Isn't this romantic…but I'm sorry it'll have to end. It can't be helped." Dosu turned to Zaku, "Zaku, you can take little Sasuke…I'll end this guy right now." As Zaku smiled, Dosu suddenly vanished, out of Sakura's view, jumping high up. As he pulled his sleeve away from his arm, he smiled at Lee's stance, 'this guy is obviously skilled in Taijutsu…he'll make an excellent plaything.'

Lee immediately took note of Dosu's jump and turned to see Sakura's condition, 'She doesn't look like she has much fight in her. I'll have to take them out one by one then, while protecting her…but with my strength, I should be able to do it. Master Gai…I feel it now…the condition has been met. I'm protecting the one I love with my life!'

To Sakura's astonishment, Lee began to remove the bandages from his arms. 'That technique…he never showed us it…I wonder what it is.' As Dosu came down, Lee suddenly crouched. Dosu blinked, 'what? What's he doing?' "Konoha SENPU!," shouted Lee, just as Dosu began his punch. The sound Genin was unprepared for the sudden counter, and was kicked in the chin. As he flew upwards, Lee vanished and reappeared underneath him using, Kage Buyo.

'Here it is,' thought Sakura, excitedly, 'the technique.' Dosu shifted his head, 'Where'd he go?' "Hey," said Lee, from behind him, startling the Genin, "I'm not done with you yet." as Lee wrapped his bandages around his torso, as if wrapping him like a mummy. 'Not good…what's he doing,' thought Dosu, as he was flipped upside down.

Zaku stopped in his attempt to attack Sakura. Fear was all over his face as he heard Lee shouted, "Omote Renge." To Zaku's further dismay, Lee began to rapidly rotate, and it was clear he was going to pile drive Dosu into the ground. "Oh crud, he's wide open with no chance to defend himself. I gotta do something," noted Zaku.

He slammed his hands into the dirt and sent his sound waves out, forming a soft cushion under Dosu. At the same moment, Lee and Dosu formed a second larger crater upon impact with the ground. Lee quickly got up and resumed his defensive position in front of Sakura, while Dosu lay motionless on the ground. Lee groaned slightly, 'this does not feel good.'

"Is he…dead," asked Sakura frightfully. Her question was answered, as Dosu suddenly began to get on his knees. 'Whew, I was in time, then,' thought Zaku. Lee frowned, "Oh no…that last attack just toasted me, I've got nothing left," whispered Lee. Dosu, finally back on his feet, shook his head. "What a terrifying attack. I managed to land on a soft pillow of soil…and I was still almost wiped out. But, now it's my turn," said Dosu pulling up his sleeve once again. Lee frowned, 'This is not good.'

Dosu suddenly charged and swung at Lee, who quickly leapt back. Sakura smiled, but it quickly died, as Lee suddenly convulsed and vomited. "N-no way…" choked out Lee, "I-I dodged it." Dosu chuckled, "what's the matter? Did my sound attack get to you?" Lee stared at Dosu confused while clutching his ear, "sound?" Dosu nodded, "Let me explain. This appliance here on my arm…using it I can amplify sound waves. There's no possible defense against it?"

Sakura blinked, "what are you talking about?" "Its sound…do you understand the fundamental nature of sound?" Sakura blinked again, "vibrations?" Dosu nodded, "precisely. When you hear a sound, it's actually those vibrations displacing the air, which trembles against your eardrum. And the human eardrum, the tympanic membrane ruptures when exposed to sound levels in excess of 150 phons. Moreover, if the sound is powerful enough to upset the liquid within the semi-circular canals of the deepest inner ear, then it becomes impossible to maintain balance."

Sakura glanced at Lee, who continued to shake and tremble. "So," continued Dosu, "since it'll be awhile before your equilibrium returns. And by then," said Dosu, raising his arms, "it'll be a little too late. It's such a shame though…you're Taijutsu attacks are brilliant. It's just no use against our sound." "You did pretty well though," said Zaku, praising Lee, "it's rare for a foe to force Dosu to reveal the nature of his techniques…actually it's never happened at all. But now the tide has turned against you."

Dosu smiled, "enough talk, I'm ending this," said Dosu suddenly, charging. Lee gritted his teeth, 'darn it.' Dosu swung a second time, while Lee, who was still off balance could only block. This time, the Genin was punched back by the force of the blow, and did not stand again. Dosu grinned, "Now, for the coup de grace," he said, raising his arms for the kill. "No you don't," shouted Sakura suddenly, throwing her shuriken knives. Dosu paused in his attack and raised his arm. The shuriken bounced off his metal appliance. "You're getting to be a nuisance…Kin." Sakura gasped as Kin suddenly appeared behind, and grabbed her by the hair.

"My," taunted the sound kunoichi, "what delicate hair. What jutsu made this? The deep conditioning jutsu," she said, mockingly. Kin suddenly slapped Sakura, "you should worry more about your training, then your looks. Then maybe you wouldn't be in this situation. Oh," said Kin, as Sakura slumped down, morally defeated, "did I touch a nerve there? Maybe watching your friends die, will take your mind off things."

Bushes Nearby

"H-hey," said Chouji frightened, "running away looks like a good idea right now. Those guys are getting creamed." Shikamaru backed away and took a breath, turning to Ino. The blonde kunoichi seemed frozen with fright. "Ino…what are we going to do?" Snapped from her thoughts, Ino turned abruptly, "What? Why are you asking me?"

Shikamaru suddenly gasped, "Ino…what is the matter? Sakura's getting…INO! There won't be a Sakura if we just stand here and do nothing." Ino anxiously looked at Sakura, "ugh…what do I do?" "Ino…weren't you friends with her at one point?" Ino blinked at Shikamaru, "Wha?" Ino suddenly remembered the time long ago when she used to be friends with Sakura. She suddenly cleared her head, 'Why am I suddenly rmemebering that?' "Ino," said Shikamaru, watching Sakura sit helplessly, "you better decide quickly."

Inside the clearing, Sakura was lost in her own thoughts. 'I'm such a let down,' she said, 'always watching Sasuke…scolding Naruto. But they always were there to protect me…even Lee came when I was helpless. And what have I done? Nothing…just get in there,' thought Sakura sadly. 'But now,' said Sakura, beginning to feel a sudden sense pride, 'Now it's time I do something for them…it's time they watch my back,' she thought drawing a kunai. Kin watched the move, amused, "Please, no trick you pull will work on me."

Sakura blinked letting her tears fall. "Oh yeah, you really think so." Kin watched amazed as Sakura took the kunai and cut off the hair she had been growing for years. Ino saw the move as well and gasped, 'Sakura…you didn't…'

Now, free, Sakura turned sharply, "now it's my move." "KIN! Get her," shouted Zaku, while Dosu watched amused. Kin nodded, "right," she shouted, before landing a sharp side kick on Sakura. Unfortunately, to the kunoichi dismay, Sakura was replaced by a log, "What, kawarimi no jutsu?" Zaku grinned suddenly, as Sakura appeared to his right, "Hehe, look at that…you're coming right at me. How foolish!" Sakura threw her kunai, though Zaku sent it straight back with his sound attack. Sakura vanished again, as her own kunai hit her. "Hn, it's obvious," said Zaku, "you're above me."

Zaku flung a kunai at the kunoichi, and watched as it hit her. Thinking it was another kawarimi; Zaku looked down, "now where are you coming from next?" The next thing he felt was a sharp kunai in his back, and the smell of blood. He turned head to see Sakura behind him. "So…t-that was the real one," said Zaku, "you…are dead." Zaku, ignoring the pain in his back, turned suddenly and pushed Sakura way, "HA! Have you," he shouted, taking aim, at Sakura who was off balance.

Before he could fire, a voice came from the right, "Baika no Jutsu (Multi-Size Jutsu). Nikudan Sensha, (Human Tank Bullet)" shouted Chouji. "Gah," exclaimed Zaku, as Chouji, now enlarged rolled towards him. The sound Genin leapt out of the way, while Dosu Chouji continued rolling along.

Dosu, now recovered from his initial surprise made ready to attack Choui with his arm, but suddenly found he was unable to move. "What…why can't I move?" From the bushes, Shikamaru stepped out, "You…my friends are trapped. I call it the Kage Mane…shadow possession jutsu."

Lionheart: Man, that took awhile. Hope you enjoy it. Ciao.