Disclaimer: It's the leprechauns! They tell me to NOT OWN NARUTO OR WORLD OF WARCRAFT!
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
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Sakura coughed, her throat burning with each dry heave. Her mouth was beyond arid, feeling as dry as dirt and made of sand, and her lips had more cracks than an old sidewalk. She produced no saliva and little sweat, which she knew was a bad sign. Her eyes hurt and itched, and she had to constantly cover them with her hand, to ward off the sudden gusts of sand. Her mind was hazy, and she had to fight to stay conscious and coherent, lest she drift off and die from heatstroke, which wasn't far, she guessed.
In short, she was hot.
Behind her, Ino slouched along after her, looking as bad as Sakura felt. The blonde girl's hair was a mess of split ends, and she constantly had to blow or move it out of her face, as her forehead protector was in an unusual place around her waist ("I'd die if I kept it on my head!") The girl's fair skin was sunburned to an obscene degree, which Sakura also knew was a bad sign. Her own skin was painful and almost bright red.
Even further behind her lurked Chouji. The big-boned shinobi lumbered after them at near a snail's pace. Sweat made his hair fall down, and made his clothes stick to his large body. The boy looked like he was at his end; an elephant heading towards its final resting grounds.
Sakura stared at the boy worriedly. Out of all of them, she worried about her husky teammate the most. They had rationed a little bit more of their remaining water sources to him, seeing as how he needed it far more than they. But it didn't seem to be enough.
This, Sakura decided, was truly worthy of its ominous name. The Forest of Death had certainly been deadly, but compared to the Desert of the Underworld, it was nothing. She suddenly missed it, even. She longingly thought of running water, and plentiful things to eat, and a chance to rest and relax, in the shade of a large tree. Sure there had been a lot of dangerous things, but those things had been fightable.
How, exactly, did one fight unbearable heat without shade or water?
One didn't, of course. It was impossible. Unless you were a member of the Hidden Mist or Rain. Or the Hidden Sand. But the Hidden Leaf, apparently, had nothing to counteract the horrors of this endless march of death and famine. No special techniques, no special medicines or items; just toughness and a good leader who could ration properly. While Sakura thought she had done a fair job, they were already running low, and it was only the third day!
"We're going to die, aren't we forehead girl?" Ino said behind her.
Sakura grunted. Whether it was agreement or not, neither girl knew. Sakura just didn't want to talk. It hurt to talk, quite a bit.
When the three and their team sensei, Sarutobi Asuma, had shown up at the Sand for the Chuunin Exams, meant first and foremost to reestablish ties between the Leaf and the Sand, officially, none of them had been expecting what it was to be like. Asuma claimed that his own Chuunin Exam had been in Konoha. He had no idea how they ran theirs. Asuma had assured them, however, that it was nothing like the Hidden Mist's. They were thankful for that much.
The Sand had welcomed them with open arms. When they had first arrived, Sakura had been surprised to find both Temari and her brother, Kankuro, waiting for them. The two Sand-nin seemed unnaturally friendly to Sakura and her team, something that she was still wondering about. Gaara, the semi-psychotic nin that had nearly killed her last time they had met, was absent. Neither Kankuro nor Temari had commented on that.
They had shown her and the rest of the Konoha shinobi around the village. They had pointed out interesting landmarks, giving them a dry and apathetic history of each one. They had then shown them the best restaurants, shopping centers and weapon smiths the village possessed. It hadn't been the best tour, and from what Sakura could gather, they had only done it because they had been ordered too. Temari seemed particularly bored. Ino had whispered snidely to Sakura later that it was because Shikamaru wasn't there. Sakura could clearly see that Ino was jealous, and made no comment.
After the tour, Asuma had left them, saying that he had to report them in at the Kazekage's tower. The team had wanderer for a while, satisfying Chouji's usual hunger pains, before retiring to their hotel.
The actual test had begun just a day later. Like the one that they had last taken part in, even before the test had begun there had been plenty of tricks to weed out the weaker teams from even competing. There had been a genjutsu woven around the entire testing facility. It first appeared to be nothing more than an apartment complex. The genjutsu hadn't been very good, but illusions weren't specialties of the Sand. It had, however, succeeded in throwing several teams off, a shameful feat in Sakura's eyes.
Inside, they had been immediately subjected to the first test. Upon entering the testing center, Asuma had come forwards, telling them to follow him. He was to deliver them to the first test.
But even before they had started off with him, Sakura saw that something was amiss. For one thing, Asuma wasn't smoking. For as long as she had known the jounin, he had always smoked. As soon as he finished one cigarette, he'd move onto another, even in the midst of training. She thought it was a little like Kakashi's fixation with perverted books. He only stopped when eating, and as they walked down the hall, Sakura could clearly see that he was consuming nothing. But even so, it was odd. She could still smell tobacco, which clung to Asuma's clothes, and it was exactly the same smell as his normal cigarettes.
"Finally quit smoking, Asuma-sensei?" she had commented, innocently. Both Ino and Chouji, who had also noticed the lack of the cancer-causing item, looked alert as she said this.
The man had smiled. "Nope, they don't sell my type here. And could you believe that I forgot to bring more than two packs?"
"Oh?"
"Yep, why, you suspicious or something?"
"More than a little," the girl had said, flexing her muscles a bit. "This is part of the test, isn't it?"
Asuma had laughed. "This is the test, Leaf girl." He reached into his weapon's pouch, but before he could retrieve what he needed, the pink-haired girl had caught him in a death-grip by the wrist. Ino stood on his other side, a kunai pressed into his side. Chouji was in front, staring coldly at the imposter, his hands balled into fists.
"Easy," the man said, chuckling. "You passed. The first part at least. I'm to take you to the second test now."
Sakura had raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That's the whole test?"
The man chuckled, as the henge melted away from him. Sakura's eyes widened when he saw the familiar, one-eyed jounin, Baki, before them.
"You expected more, I suppose? Well, there are two reasons for why it was so simple. If you hadn't acted so quickly, you would have failed. You noticed right away that I was not your sensei. That is essential for a ninja. They must constantly take stock of their surroundings, even among supposed friends, especially in a foreign place. The minimum time for noticing the trick was ten seconds. You would have failed had you reacted even a second after that. And besides, you don't deserve to be a ninja if you can't recognize that there is something wrong with your own sensei."
Sakura nodded absently. "It seems like you wouldn't eliminate many teams doing this," she said.
Baki smirked. "You're right. Not many teams lose to this."
"What's the second reason that you made it so short?" asked Ino.
Baki gave them all a truly devilish grin.
"Because the second part of test will eliminate well over ninety percent of the teams that made it through this one."
He was without a doubt, right.
The principals of the second test were exactly the same as the one for the Konoha second test. Survive as long as possible in a place called the Desert of the Underworld, and collect two different scrolls from opposing genin teams, before heading to an oasis somewhere near the middle of the monstrous area. Unlike the Forest of Death, however, there was nothing stopping them from leaving the area. But none of them had even seen anything resembling an exit to the desert, or even a sign of civilization. They had been taken to the Desert by way of a special transportation jutsu, which dropped them at a random spot in the massive training grounds. She guessed there was a jutsu of some sort surrounding the area. They had been traveling for three days, and not once had they found anything. The Wind Country couldn't be that big, could it?
They had encountered two genin teams so far. Both had been without a scroll, and both had been near dead from dehydration and exhaustion. Thankfully they had been from opposing villages: Stone and Grass. Sakura had honestly wanted to help them, but she knew that she couldn't without sacrificing her own team's water reserves. So they had reluctantly walked on, hoping that the Sand village was constantly sending out teams to recover fallen shinobi.
So on they walked.
Many times their hopes had been raised in seeing something in distance. They would see a flash of a tree, or the distant glimmer of sun reflecting off water. But they had ended up expending extra energy running towards them, only to find nothing.
No genjutsu, Sakura had decided, could be as cruel as those created by the world.
"We're going to die out here," mumbled Ino, somewhere behind Sakura.
Sakura didn't respond. It hurt too much to talk. Chouji made an affirmative grunting sound, trailing farther and farther behind the two girls.
Sakura didn't want to agree. In fact, she had long learned that agreeing, or giving up, was just sign of how weak one was. No, she had learned from the best that even when the situation was this dire, if one still had confidence that they would succeed then they would.
Besides, she had things to do before she died, and she certainly wasn't going to break the promise she and Naruto had made: to bring Sasuke back.
And so she trudged on, thinking nothing of their situation. She just looked ahead.
Then, Sakura stopped.
In the haze in front of her, three figures had materialized. At first Sakura thought they were nothing more than mere mirages, having seen many similar things in the past three days. But as they neared them, Sakura realized that they weren't mirages at all. They were real.
"Lucky…"
Sakura's eyes widened at the voice.
Emerging from the dust and the heat, three Rain-nins, the very same three that she had encountered on her last Chuunin Exam, stood before her and her team. They remained largely unchanged from before. Their leader, with his fuzzy long hair and slumping posture, seemed a little taller, but he wore the same strange jumpsuit and mask. His companions, who stood about his height, one with a single eye exposed beneath his mask and no hair exposed; and the other blind, with broom-shaped dark hair. They too seemed to have changed in various small ways, but at the moment, Sakura was too exhausted to care.
The one in front grinned beneath his mask. "We meet again, eh? Your teammates have changed, however. It doesn't matter." He held out a hand. "Give us your scroll, and we'll give you a bit of our water."
Sakura blinked. "What?"
The Rain-nin chuckled. So did his companions. "I said give me your scroll. We need it. We have plenty water to spare, you see." To prove his point, he reached behind him and produced a scroll. He quickly unfurled it, revealing many winding and curling seals beneath. He touched the center, causing an explosion of white, which upon clearing, revealed a large, clear tank of what only could be water.
Cool, delicious, refreshing water.
Sakura was mesmerized by it. She watched the water run down the sides as it sloshed about in his hands. She could almost taste it, her tongue showing the first signs of life since they had arrived, as it hung out her mouth. If she had saliva to spare, she would have drooled. The water seemed more glorious than anything in the world at that point. Better than money or an extremely hot boyfriend.
Both Ino and Chouji were similarly spellbound. Neither took their eyes off the glorious bottle filled with heaven and dreams and life.
The Rain-nin chuckled. "Hehe, we have plenty, you see. Now, give us the scroll. You can't possibly fight back, can you?"
Sakura didn't respond. She just nodded. She waved to Chouji, who came forwards and handed her the scroll. She walked towards them.
The Rain-nin were growing more and more confident with every step. They had won! Why fight, they reasoned, when the enemy was already beaten? It seemed unnecessary. Besides, they had what the other wanted. It was clear the girl and her teammates would not survive another day without more water, and they would be saving their lives, to compete in another Chuunin Exam.
By the time she reached him, he was almost giddy. Lucky, lucky, lucky!
His mind came to an abrupt halt, however, when he suddenly felt something snugly bury itself in his stomach. Hard. It drove the air from his lungs, and came with so much force that he went flying backwards, the water tank slipping from his grasp. He soared away, in far too much pain to register what happened next.
His two teammates reacted as quickly as they could. One of them reached for a weapon, the other began to make a seal. Neither finished their actions.
Sakura grabbed one, crushing his hand, making him drop the kunai. He began to cry out, but it was violently cut short when Sakura lifted him up and swung him into his partner with the force of a speeding train. There was a series of loud cracks as the two connected and flew from her.
By the time they landed, Sakura had lost all interest in them. She, Ino and Chouji were ravenously attacking the water tank that she had retrieved. It was beyond anything they had ever experienced. Never had they thought such a simple thing, something they had always had in spades, could be so valuable and refreshing. For minutes they simply sat and drank. It didn't take long for them to finish. Their thirst, for the moment, was satiated.
"I'm so glad you did that Sakura," mumbled Ino, wiping excessive water from her mouth and licking it from her dirty fingers without a care for her health. "I don't know where you got the energy, but I don't care at the moment."
Sakura smiled. "Desperation makes us do many things."
Ino snorted. "I can't believe they fell for that, though. It seems pretty stupid that they'd fall for such an obvious trick. They should have been more on their guard, don't you think?"
Sakura snickered and looked over at the fallen Rain-nin, who had yet to recover. Their leader was on his back, clutching his stomach, his body unable to move.
"Yes, well, I'm sure they'll learn from their mistake, won't you guys? That's what this exam is about, isn't it?"
The Rain-nin mumbled something that sounded vaguely like "Unlucky…."
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It didn't take them long after that.
Newly energized by the water, they retrieved the Rain-nins' scroll and started off again. Now able to think clearly, Sakura began using her compass and the knowledge she had learned in lessons with Kakashi, Tsunade and Asuma on how to navigate in wilderness settings. By the time the sun went down, and the cold air that came with it descended upon them, they had arrived at the oasis, their final destination.
It consisted of nothing more than a small patch of tropical trees surrounding a small, dirty pool of water. But it was heartening to find, especially since a Sand jounin stood off to the side, watching them as they came up. He nodded to them.
"Open your scrolls," he said simply.
Carefully removing them from her pack, Sakura glanced at the other two, who nodded and crowded close, before she slowly unfurled both scrolls. She expected someone to appear as Iruka had done last time. Instead, she and her teammates were suddenly surrounded in a large swirling cloud of smoke, which obscured their vision of the desert. Following this, there was a rush of fresh, cool air and a sudden moment of complete senselessness, in which Sakura could see, hear, feel or smell nothing, and felt almost weightless. The feeling disappeared a second later, and then she felt hard ground beneath her, so suddenly that she stumbled, knocking into Chouji who in turn fell into Ino and sent her sprawling on the floor, Chouji's face buried between the shapely cheeks of her behind.
The scene that Asuma was greeted to when the smoke cleared was that of Ino sitting on top of Chouji, repeatedly smashing her fist into the chubby boy's protesting face.
"Sorry Ino! I couldn't see!"
"No excuses! Take your punishment like a man, Chouji!"
Sakura sat next to the two, still dazed from the transportation jutsu, and unsure of whether she should risk drawing Ino's wrath onto herself. Besides, she wasn't worried about Chouji. He could take a punch, and Ino wasn't the strongest fighter he had faced.
"Ahem," Asuma said, removing his cigarette and raising an eyebrow at the two.
Ino stopped hitting the boy, who looked relatively unharmed save for a slight trickle of blood running from his nose, the cause of which was rather debatable.
"Good job," chuckled Asuma. "I was getting a bit worried."
"Well," said Sakura, smiling at him, "your worries were unfounded. We got through. Now where's the water?"
Asuma chuckled again. "Hold on. I'm to explain what's to happen next. The next portion of the Chuunin Exams is to occur in a week's time."
"Only a week?" said Ino, as she lifted up and gazed in disgust and horror at a strand of her limp, dry hair. "That's all?"
Asuma nodded, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Yeah. They want to get things started a bit faster this time, and want to leave less time for sabotage. Everyone's still a little bit antsy, and the Sand wants to prove that they are still are our allies."
Sakura frowned. "But the second test isn't over yet. They've still got a couple more days, don't they?"
Asuma smiled.
"Unfortunately, the Sand doesn't have that confidence. Usually, the ones that end up passing this portion of the test are those that will show up during the first two or three days. After the third day, there's a very slim chance of anyone else coming out."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Did Hinata's team…?"
Asuma nodded. "They came out an hour or so before you guys. They're already resting." Seeing Sakura relax, he continued. "Since they don't want to ignite many conflicts, the Sand is going easy this year and has been sending out patrols into the Desert every so often. Any team that appears unable to move, or nearly dead, are taken out and sent to the hospital. They can't do it for everyone, but it cuts down the casualties by half usually."
The three genin shivered as they looked at each other. It was a humbling thought to know that no matter how much one trained physically, or prepared mentally, the elements and Nature could also find ways of defeating you. It was a nigh unconquerable enemy, that no matter how many jutsu or how long you have lived, could always beat you in the right circumstances.
"And," said Asuma, "They don't want to lose the few Sand teams that didn't pass this time around. They only had a few enter this year, even though it was their own village that was hosting the exams. I can't say why, because truthfully I don't know."
Sakura posed a question. "So what's the third test?"
"Tournament, like last time," said Asuma. "There won't be any preliminaries. Not enough teams. In two days you'll return and find out whom you're fighting. Then you only have a few more days to rest up and train."
"That hardly seems like enough," said Ino, crossing her arms.
Asuma chuckled. "Just remember that Shikamaru didn't win his fight, and still became Chuunin, Ino. I'm sure you'll all do fine. Now, I assume you'll be wanting that water, hmm?"
The three nodded in perfect unison, making Asuma laugh again, before he turned and walked away.
Ino and Chouji immediately followed, Chouji's mind on food and Ino's on water and bath products. Sakura followed slowly behind them, a smile gracing her face.
She hadn't once given up. She knew now, why Naruto thought the way he did. It felt so much better, knowing that she had never given up on succeeding. She had always had hope. And that, she believed, was what had gotten her through the awful desert.
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The streets were dry and dusty as Sakura walked from stall to stall, gazing idly at the items displayed for purchase. There were so many things, some familiar, some completely foreign, and each cheaper than the last.
She was in a massive market, called a bazaar, which sold everything, according to Temari, one could possibly want. It was where most people of the Sand did their shopping. Most of the items were cheap, and the merchants also loved to haggle. One didn't have to be rich in order to get the basic necessities for life in this place.
Sakura and her team still had five days before the beginning of the final test. They had spent two days recuperating from their trek through the endless desert, and as Asuma had predicted, no more had shown up. That left four teams of three to compete in the final exam.
They had returned on the designated day, and found out whom they were to be fighting. Ino would be up against at Grass-nin named Sajino: a tall, dark-haired, terribly handsome boy who wore a large, dark green and brown coat and similarly colored cargo pants. He had a roguish grin on his face the moment he heard the announcement, and smiled a handsome smile towards Ino. The girl had smiled back, though Sakura hadn't been able to tell what it meant.
Sakura would be fighting a Stone-nin named Kazara, a diminutive girl with sandy-blonde hair and a scowling face. The moment it had been announced, Kazara had sent Sakura a terribly cold look, which promised that she wouldn't lose. Sakura had matched the glare firmly. She knew that it would be a difficult fight, as out of the Stone-nins, she seemed to be the leader of the group.
And Chouji himself would be going to battle with none other than Inuzuka Kiba.
Kiba had let out a great whoop upon finding that out, and had promised Chouji then and there that he would not lose. The large boy had just laughed, and wished Kiba the best. This had put off Kiba a bit, and thinking that he was being mocked, had rushed off to train with Akamaru.
Both Hinata and Shino apologized for the boy's behavior. He was quite excited, especially in knowing that he might become a Chuunin before Naruto.
Hinata would be fighting a Grass-nin like Ino, while Shino had been stuck with a Stone-nin. They had all wished the other the best of luck, before they had parted to train individually.
Sakura was excited. Not having taken part in the past tournament, she found the prospect of potentially fighting her own teammates or friends as appealing as fighting people she had never met before. She was particularly hoping to face someone from Hinata's team. She had seen little of them save for the meetings called by a message from Naruto. She was interested in seeing how far they had come, just as much as she was hoping to test how far she had come.
The group had parted ways after that. Kurenai took her team for some last minute training, hoping to hone their individual abilities as well as possible.
But for the week, aside from daily training, she resolved to take it easy. She would think and plot, but enjoy the little time she had in the Sand as well. Despite being arid and hot, it was a very beautiful place, and Sakura was finding the people interesting and inviting. They were very friendly, and seemed to do everything they could to make her feel at home. She couldn't remember how many times people simply smiled at her as she walked by them on the street, or as she browsed shop items.
Sakura felt a strange twinge of guilt with each smile. She felt as though they should be smiling at Naruto, not her. He deserved those smiles far more than she.
Banishing that thought, she stopped at a small booth that sold all manner of knickknacks and baubles. One of the owners, and old woman with few teeth and kind, squinted eyes, smiled at her and bade her to take her time and find what she liked.
Beside the old woman, and old man was arguing with a group of very short people wrapped in desert clothes and wearing tinted goggles. She couldn't see their faces, but she decided that they simply must have been children playing dress-up. The old man had a very thick accent, making it hard to understand him, and Sakura was only half listening, so she caught little of what they were saying.
Their presence completely left her mind when a voice sounded behind her, soft and calm and very familiar. Almost immediately, the din of the bazaar seemed to quiet, as Sakura turned and found herself staring into the pale, bloodshot green eyes of Sabaku no Gaara.
"Sakura-san," he said softly.
It took but these words, and Gaara's unnatural appearance to silence nearly everyone in the area. Some stared at him with obvious shock and familiarity, and others in confusion, most likely visitors who did not know of his reputation. But none, she noticed, had an ounce of disgust on their face. They seemed only surprised.
But Sakura was surprised most of all to see him. It was so surprising, indeed, that she found herself at a loss for words. Brief flashes of his horrifying transformed appearance came to her as she looked at him, but oddly, they did not seem to fit. Gaara had changed.
He was taller, for one thing. Not by much, but tall enough for her to look slightly up to meet his eyes. His hair was the same blood-red color, but it was longer. He wore a different outfit, as well. It was still red, but resembled a trench coat. The monstrous gourd of living sand was still strapped to his back.
But it was his eyes that had changed the most. Once murderous and horrifying, cruel and unforgiving, Sakura could now see actual emotion showing. They seemed shy, confused, and though his face was perfectly composed, he refused to meet her eyes.
"Gaara…" she said, swallowing. It was probably the wrong thing to do, as Gaara seemed to withdraw even further, and shifted a little at her slight fear. She had not forgotten what he had been like. But at the same time, she somehow knew that it would be wrong to treat him with fear and revulsion. Naruto respected him quite a bit, from what she remembered, so she smiled and said, "You surprised me. How are you?"
The young man relaxed a little at her soothing tone, and said in the same soft monotone. "I am well."
"Good," Sakura said. The situation was rapidly growing more and more awkward, but she could sense that Gaara had not approached her simply to make small talk. So with a smile, she said, "I was actually about to find a place to eat. Would you like to join me? Maybe you know some good ones."
Gaara looked at her a moment, expressionless, before giving a small nod and spinning around. He led Sakura away from the bazaar, through the winding and crowded streets of the Hidden Sand, eventually coming to a small, quiet area near the edge of the city. There he took her to a small, shabby looking food cart that sold everything from takoyoki to ramen. Despite its poor appearance, it seemed very cozy, and very fitting for someone like Gaara. Two pretty, young women manned the cart, smiling at Gaara as he arrived.
"Gaara-kun!" one of them said. She was a good deal older than the two, probably around twenty-five, with long brown hair and a pretty, smiling face. Her partner was somewhat younger, with short light blonde hair and pretty green eyes. She was blushing madly and avoiding eye contact with the red-haired Sand-nin.
"Good afternoon, Taki-san, Moriki-san," the boy intoned, giving a slight bow to both.
The older girl, Taki, made a swatting gesture with her hand, and blushed. "No need to act so formal, Gaara-kun! You're here almost every day, so by now you should at least be calling me Taki, or Taki-neechan!"
The boy didn't respond, and seemed a little uncomfortable with the woman's words. Seeing this, she immediately looked at Sakura, and smiled.
"And you've brought a girl this time! I didn't know you had it in you!"
This brought a reaction as well. Gaara's cheeks were tinged with pink for a moment, and to the reaction seemed so foreign to Sakura that she had to stop herself from gaping at the action.
Had Gaara just blushed?
"It's not like that," said Sakura, shaking her head. "We're just friends."
Gaara's head turned to Sakura quickly, and he stared at her in silent surprise for a moment.
Friends?
"Well," said Taki, smiling at Gaara's reactions, "any friend of Gaara-kun's is a friend of ours. Welcome to our shop, how may we serve you?"
"A bowl of pork ramen," said Sakura, smiling.
"And the usual for you Gaara-kun?" said Taki, jotting down Sakura's order.
"Yes," the boy said.
Taki nodded, and gestured to the silent girl beside her. "Well you heard them, Moriki-chan! Whip up a pork ramen and a Gaara Special!"
As the two ladies set about to cook their food, Sakura and Gaara took seats at one of the small tables in front of the cart. Gaara was completely silent, and once again avoiding eye contact. Sakura wasn't entirely sure what to say. She wanted particularly to know why Gaara had sought her out.
"I didn't see you when we first arrived. Where you on a mission?" she asked, deciding to try a conversation.
Gaara nodded softly. "Yes. A very special mission." He paused. "Forgive me."
Sakura smiled and waved it off. "It doesn't matter, it must have been more import—"
"No," Gaara said quickly, cutting her off. "Forgive me for before. For the last time we met." He lowered his gaze and head, slumping.
Sakura blinked. 'So that's what this is about,' she thought. He wanted to apologize.
The idea was so strange and remarkable that Sakura didn't answer at first. The person who had nearly crippled Rock Lee and almost killed Sasuke, Naruto and herself; who had acted with the viciousness and killing intent of a wild animal from the moment she had laid eyes on him, was coming to her to ask forgiveness for what he had done. But there was nothing of the former Gaara in him, she saw with surprise. He was genuinely sorry, and was having extreme difficulty expressing that. He had likely never done such a thing before.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter," she said with a smile. "I haven't held a grudge. And it's clear that you are sorry." When Gaara didn't react, she continued by saying, "besides, Naruto respects you a lot, I think. He asks about you often in his messages."
Gaara blinked. "Does he?" He considered this a moment. Then, he stood and bowed.
"Thank you," he said.
She smiled in response. "No problem."
As the boy took his seat again, Sakura could see the relief in his eyes, even though his expression remained the same as always. She wondered how long he had been agonizing over it, and how long it had taken him to work of the courage to talk to her. She wondered, too, if he had actually had a special mission. He seemed terribly shy, and almost as meek as a puppy. She knew that could change in a heartbeat, but it was almost impossible not to like this Gaara. He was like a silent and obedient child.
"Has he contacted you recently?" he suddenly asked. Sakura knew immediately whom he was talking about.
She shook her head, looking a little depressed. "No, he hasn't. I'm hoping there will be another when we get back. I've been a bit worried about him recently, truth be told."
Gaara was silent again for a moment. "He is growing stronger, no doubt."
"Yes," said Sakura. "Amazingly so. Though it has to be taken with a grain of salt, I suppose. Naruto's always had a penchant for exaggerating." She chuckled at little as she remembered. "But up until now, he's been fine, or so he says. He's helped the world he's been in quite a bit."
"But he hasn't mentioned anything of returning, has he?" Gaara asked softly.
Sakura lowered her head a bit, and shook it. "I know he intends to return. I just don't know when. Or how."
"He will find a way," he said.
She blinked.
"He will find a way," Gaara repeated. "I have not known him for very long. But I know that he will find a way, no matter what." As he said this, he saw in his mind Naruto crawling towards him. After fighting him at his fullest, Naruto had still crawled towards him with the last of his strength. Naruto had more determination than anyone he had ever met. Naruto was stronger in mind and body than anyone he had ever heard of. Naruto wouldn't let anything get in his way. Not even the walls between two worlds. That much he knew.
Sakura smiled at Gaara. Naruto had worked his magic again. She couldn't fathom how her goofy, annoying teammate could have such a profound effect on those he met. She had to reason that this was the biggest yet. Naruto had changed a bloodthirsty killing machine into a docile boy, shy and peaceful.
"You're right," she said. "I know him better than you, and I was worrying every day. Thanks, Gaara-san."
Gaara nodded, but didn't respond, as by this time the food had come. Moriki walked out, carrying two bowls that she set in front of the two shinobi, blushing as she quietly asked Gaara whether he wanted anything else.
Sakura grinned a little when she saw what Gaara had ordered. It was as simple bowl of ramen, filled with a smattering of meats and vegetables to make it unique. Gaara began to eat it slowly, with reverence. He tasted each bite, savoring it, because it had been made especially for him. She could only imagine how good Gaara must have felt in knowing that. Knowing that Taki had created something just for him. It was clear how much the woman cared for him.
How happy, Sakura thought, Naruto would be in seeing his friend like this.
"I am going to become Kazekage," Gaara suddenly said, as he swallowed.
Sakura's blinked. "What?"
"I would like to become Kazekage," he repeated. "If I do that, then I will be able to use the power that I once used to kill to protect. I realized that having something to protect, having loved ones to cherish and be with, brings more joy and peace than killing ever did. I would like to form a connection with this village, even the one that once shunned me and feared me, so that I might gain their respect in time. If I can protect them all, then I might be able to become as good a ninja as Uzumaki Naruto. He taught me all of this. This is the only way that I think I can truly atone for what I have done. For bringing nothing but fear to these people, for being nothing more than a horrible weapon, I want to be able to show them that I can protect them. I want to gain their trust and admiration. So, I aim to be Kazekage."
Sakura stared at Gaara a moment. Her face appeared unreadable, but that was only due to sheer shock. But once that wore off, she reacted as she felt she had to.
"If that is your aim," said Sakura, a wide, pretty smile on her face. She glanced over at Taki and Moriki, who waved to the two.
"Then I think you're off to a fantastic start. I bet that by the time Naruto gets back, you'll already be Kazekage. Then you might be able to teach him a few things, too."
Gaara ducked his head, but Sakura didn't need to see his face to know the smile on it.
"Thank you, Sakura-san."
"No problem, Gaara-kun."
-----------------------------------------
The day of the tournament arrived swiftly. In the days between Gaara and Sakura's meeting, the girl had thrown herself into training. She worked on improving her taijutsu techniques, imagining Lee and Gai's loud, obnoxious voices in her ears whenever she messed up, or Tsunade's harsh reprimands for doing something even slightly wrong. She mostly trained on chakra control, so that in a split second, she'd be able to call healing chakra to repair minor wounds or ease the pain of broken bones. She did not intend to lose against her Stone opponent, whom she had seen nothing of the entire week.
Ino and Chouji worked similarly as hard, also alone. About three days before the tournament, a procession from Konoha had arrived, and Shikamaru had joined his former teammates, helping them in various little ways, mostly in strategy (though it was likely that Ino had forced him into this). Ino and Sakura rarely saw each other, and their interactions were even fewer. Sakura wondered if she would end up fighting Ino again. The prospect thrilled her, mostly because she had the confidence that she could beat Ino this time.
However, remembering the chart, if she won her first fight, she'd end up facing either Hinata or her Grass-nin opponent. The prospect of that was less thrilling and more worrisome, mostly because though she knew Hinata was rather docile, the techniques of the Hyuuga clan were not to be underestimated. She knew nothing of how the girl had changed through her training, since the only times she saw Hinata were in meetings about Naruto.
However, having seen Hinata fight so well against Neji in the last Chuunin Exams, Sakura knew better than to assume she was weak.
Sakura got a few tips from Tsunade as well, as she had arrived along with Shikamaru and a few other Jounin and Chuunin. The woman hadn't said much, only that she should use her head, and not her power. Being a Chuunin was more than just being skilled in a fight. One had to think calmly and clearly, especially in a battle against another ninja.
"You'll do fine," the woman had said, at the end of her warnings. "You're my student, after all."
And so after nearly five days of training, Sakura, Ino and Chouji made their way to the center of the city. It was a massive structure, probably twice as large as the Konoha Arena, and easily more ancient and ornate. It was called Sunakagure Coliseum.
Being the contestants, they entered through a much smaller side door, which led up to a separate set of seats especially for them. It not only gave them a great view of the entire arena, but also had easy access to the ring, using not but a simple flight of stairs down onto the sandy ground.
The other contestants were already there.
"Good a-afternoon, Sakura-san, Ino-san, Chouji-san," whispered Hinata, who was standing near the edge of the railing, looking down.
"Hello, Hinata," said Sakura, smiling at the shy girl. Hinata too had changed. Her hair was now much longer, almost near the point where Sakura's had been when she had grown it out. She had also begun to grow in other ways, though the bulky jacket hid most of it. She still had the same shy smile, but she stuttered less, and Sakura wondered if by the time Naruto got back, it would be gone.
She didn't know why that bothered her.
"Yo! We haven't seen much of you guys," grinned Kiba, suddenly appearing at Sakura's side. Next to the dog boy stood Akamaru, who had grown greatly in the past few months. He now stood nearly up to his master's thighs, and was covered in thicker, shaggier fur. His tongue lolled out, making him look goofy and harmless, but Sakura could see that his eyes were always darting about.
"True," said Ino, smirking, "but if we had seen each other, you'd probably try to wheedle out some information on Chouji's techniques. Wouldn't you?"
Kiba looked affronted. "We'd never!"
"I seem to recall you saying different," said a soft voice from behind, causing the three to jump. For the life of her, Sakura couldn't tell just how Shino had changed. The boy now wore two jackets: one long, form-fitting black beneath a lighter, puffier hooded jacket. Now all that could be seen of him was a slim bit of flesh next to his goggle-covered eyes. She shook her head, amazed that he wasn't dying of heat stroke in such an outfit.
Kiba glared at his friend hotly. "Geez, some teammate you are."
Shino didn't respond.
Chouji, however, laughed, and said, "You pretty much know my techniques anyways. They haven't changed much. I'm looking forward to the fight, though. I've always wanted to fight you, Kiba."
Kiba's face split into a canine grin. "Heh, me too. After hearing about how you took that Sound-nin guy down, I was pretty impressed that such a fat— OW!"
Kiba grabbed his shin, hopping up and down, moaning in pain from where Sakura had kicked him. Chouji blinked, but shrugged it off. Sakura was always kicking something for some reason.
"You should know by now not to call him that, Kiba," Shino admonished.
"Dammit! You nearly broke my leg! What the hell is wrong with you?" Kiba screamed, glaring at Sakura, who shook her head in exasperation.
"Buck up, you baby," she said, smirking.
Kiba glared at her angrily for a moment, but cowered away when she raised a clenched fist in his direction, and flashed him a frighteningly menacing glare.
"U-um, I think we should stop. It is about to b-begin," Hinata suddenly said.
They crowded near the railing that overlooked the rest of the coliseum, and saw that it was indeed true. The crowd's din was gradually subsiding, and a man had stepped down onto the floor of the arena. The jounin wore a mask to cover most of his face, and from the box Sakura couldn't identify him. He wore the Sand's typical jounin outfit.
"Welcome to the Third Part of the Chuunin Exams," he called. His voice echoed throughout the area, making it easy to hear him. "I am Kazaguno Himeda. I will be refereeing this tournament, on behalf of the Sand. The tournament will consist of six matches, followed by the quarterfinals, consisting of three, then the semi-finals, which will consist of only one, before the final round. There are only two rules. Lethal force cannot be employed, and any use of techniques that can harm the audience is strictly forbidden." He turned and bowed to the far end of the coliseum, straight across from the booth that Sakura and the others were in. "We of the Sand also thank the Lady Hokage, Tsunade-sama, for traveling all this way. We also thank her for her kind heart, and her willingness to repair the damage done to the relationship between our villages. We wish nothing more than to restore the alliance between our two villages."
In the Kage's platform, Tsunade gave the barest of nods. Beside her sat a very old woman who didn't looked at all pleased to be sitting next to the Hokage.
"Then we will begin. Will the first contestants, Yamanaka Ino and Garashi Sajino, come down to the arena."
"Good luck, Ino," said Chouji, smiling at the blonde girl.
"Don't lose Ino-pig," Sakura said, also smiling.
"Thanks Chouji, Forehead-girl," said Ino, giving a strained smile at Sakura and a true one to Chouji. She sauntered down the stairs, smirking.
Sakura noticed, as Ino walked away, just how much the girl had changed. She was taller, her hair had grown out long again, and she wore a much tighter, darker outfit. She had grown more beautiful that Sakura had ever imagined, and carried that beauty effortlessly. It was almost enviable.
Sajino, the Grass-nin, followed her swiftly. Though Sakura could only see the back of his head as the two walked away, she was sure that he was looking down slightly. She rolled her eyes. It was just Ino's luck.
When both Ino and Sajino stood on the arena floor, the referee, Himeda, walked in between them.
"Follow what I said before. No killing or techniques that may cause collateral. Everything else is free range. Do your best."
With that, he turned and walked away to a safe distance from the fighters. He raised a hand, and bellowed.
"Fight!"
Ino snatched a kunai immediately from its holster on her thigh, and threw it at the Grass-nin. Sajino raised a kunai of his own, and deflected the hit, smirking a little as he did.
"So, your name's Ino, eh?" he said, eyeing her appreciatively. He had a cocky grin on his face, and he was slowly lowering his kunai.
Ino stopped, her hand inches away from her weapons pouch. She frowned.
"Yeah, so?"
Sajino gave her another roguish grin. "You're kinda cute, if you don't mind my saying."
Ino, to everyone's surprise and Sakura's dismay, suddenly giggled and blushed. "Really?"
"Sure," said Sajino, relaxing slightly. "A definite hottie, in my opinion. I know we're from different villages, but supposing we went out some time before we both headed back?"
"Well," said Ino, also relaxing. "It might be possible, I suppose. When are you free?"
Sakura clapped a hand to her forehead. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, INO?" she screamed.
The girl ignored her completely. Instead, she was focusing all of her attention on Sajino. She was smiling cutely, and had brushed the lock of hair that usually fell in front of one of her eyes back. Her eyes were solidly fixed on Sajino, showing nothing but interest in him.
"Anytime after this tournament, actually," said Sajino, smirking again. He could see the girl's interest. It was unbelievable. He knew he'd make her angry once he had defeated her, but he wanted to do it with as little trouble as possible. Maybe she'd forgive him, even. She was really cute, and did seem a little ditzy…
"Oh. Really? I wouldn't have expected so."
Sajino blinked. "Why's that?"
"Because," said Ino, forming a complex seal with her hands. The look on her face had completely changed. There was no more flirtatious smile or inviting gestures. Her eyes were cold, and her face was framed by a victorious, mocking smirk.
"I imagine you'll be in for the reaming of a lifetime from your teammates after losing this tournament without hardly a fight. Shinranshin no jutsu!"
Sajino jerked back, his eyes wide with a sudden look of fear. His hand, still gripping the kunai, suddenly came up and placed the deadly knife across the exposed flesh of his throat. He let out a scream of dismay and shock.
"W-what the hell? M-my body w-won't work! S-stop!" He attempted to pull his hand away, but it remained held at his throat, so close that blood was beginning to trickle out. The rest of his body shook madly, as if it too was trying to move, but couldn't.
Ino walked forwards. Calmly, she leaned forwards and whispered into his ear.
"That's what you get for staring at my ass, hot stuff." Then, she reached up and chopped the boy in the back of the head, knocking him out. He crumpled forwards, releasing the kunai.
The crowd exploded into a frenzy of cheering and whistles as Ino turned and held up to fingers in a "v" formation, smirking. Sakura and Chouji cheered loudest of all, amazed that their friend had handled it so well. It was quite an Ino way to end a battle, too.
From her box, Tsunade let out a burst of laughter, duly impressed by the blonde girl's tactics. They had been unconventional, to be sure, but she had handled it flawlessly, and as a kunoichi. She'd have to remember that girl in the future. She definitely had promise.
Shikamaru, who was standing near the back of the Kage's box, shook his head, smirking. Temari, who stood beside him, chuckled at the girl's flawless use of her beauty. It helped that her opponent had been stupid, too.
"Hmm, she's not too bad, that girlfriend of yours," said Temari, lazily.
Shikamaru made an annoyed sound. "She's troublesome. Though I admit she's a good kunoichi. She's changed a lot." He then glared at her. "She's not my girlfriend, by the way."
Temari smirked.
Shikamaru stared back, a slight smile on his face. 'Hmph, she really has changed. A year ago she would've fallen for that pretty boy's act easily. But I guess with everyone training, and Naruto's constant updates on how strong he has gotten has motivated her. She doesn't want to be left behind any more than the rest.' He shook his head again. 'Too bad she's so damn troublesome to deal with.'
Asuma, who was sitting in the back of the audience with Kurenai, let out a booming laugh at Ino's performance. Kurenai chuckled.
"You've taught her well," the woman commented lightly.
Asuma chuckled. "You think I could've taught her something like that? She's got talent." He lifted another cigarette to his lips. "She's got what it means to be a kunoichi ingrained in her. Not many can balance the feminine beauty she had with the effectiveness and deadliness of a true shinobi." He glanced at Kurenai, chuckling. "Like yourself."
Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Thank you. She is definitely off to a great start."
Sajino's teammates, in turn, glared darkly at the fallen form of their ally. The girl, who had lime green hair and similarly colored eyes, scowled and spoke to the other, a larger boy with cropped brown hair and wearing as similar outfit that Sajino had worn.
"That idiot's off the team, agreed?"
"Agreed," her teammate muttered, shaking his head.
'I won!' Ino cheered to herself, a wide smile on her face as she mounted the steps to the contestant's box. It had been so easy, too! Everything she had wanted to say had just come to her, unbidden. She had not only kicked the pretty boy's ass, but she had done it in a spectacularly cool way, too. And she had done it doing something she did best. She hadn't handled it like that macho chick Temari.
'See that, Shikamaru?' she thought, smirking.
When she reached the box, Sakura and Chouji walked over to her. Chouji gave her a big smile and a pat on the shoulder, while Sakura just shook her head.
"Honestly, I thought you were really interested," said Sakura, smirking.
Ino rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I like flirting, but not on the battlefield; what am I, ten?"
"Not anymore, I suppose."
Ino's eye twitched, and she leaned forwards, readying to attack the pink-haired girl. Sakura danced away, smiling.
"Good job, Ino. I'm glad you won."
Ino blinked a few times, unsure of the truth of Sakura's words; but the smile on her former best friend's face told her the sincerity of it. She smiled back.
"Thanks Sakura."
The pink-haired girl grinned.
Hinata, Kiba and Shino walked over to congratulate their friend as well. Kiba was howling with laughter at the boy's defeat, finding it quite hilarious that he had been so stupid to fall for such an obvious trick. Shino's comment, however, had sobered the boy sufficiently.
"Would you have acted any different if she had used her charm on you, Kiba?" the bug-boy had asked.
Kiba had opened his mouth to respond, only to have Ino flash him an incredibly sultry look that had caused any sort of argument to die on his lips. He shuddered, turning away, and ignored Sakura and Hinata's giggles, and Chouji's good-natured laugh.
A few minutes later, the announcer's voice filled the air, catching everyone's attention.
"Will Akimichi Chouji and Inuzuka Kiba please come to the ring now."
"Woo yeah!" roared Kiba. "Come on, Akamaru!" He and the dog instantly hurtled down the stairs, not bothering to hear Hinata's quiet wishes for luck, and Shino's monotonous admonishment not to get too excited.
Chouji nodded, and turned to follow the boy.
"Good luck Chouji!" said Sakura, smiling at the boy. "Hope you win."
Chouji smiled. "It doesn't matter if I win or lose, does it? I'll do my best, and that's all that matters."
Ino laughed. "I bet Shikamaru told you that, huh?"
The boy smiled again, but followed Kiba down the steps without another word. Sakura and Ino immediately went to the railing, eager to see their friend do his best, both of which they were sure was good enough to defeat the hotheaded Kiba.
Chouji stepped onto the sand floor of the arena, and walked to his place across from Kiba. They stood about ten feet away from each other, Kiba with a fierce smirk and Chouji with a pleasant, friendly smile.
"Yo, Chouji, let's make it a good fight, eh?" said Kiba, holding up a curled fist.
Chouji nodded. "Agreed."
Himeda, who was standing between the two, nodded. "Alright. Begin!"
Kiba and Akamaru dashed forwards suddenly. The dog-boy drew a kunai, while his partner bared his teeth and growled menacingly. It took them but a short moment to reach the large shinobi, who hadn't moved since the start of the fight. Chouji's face was carved into an intense glare, as solid as stone with eyes as bright as fire. He lifted a meaty hand, which suddenly seemed to grow larger and meatier.
Kiba, moving far too quickly and already far too close, didn't attempt to pull away. He thrust out his kunai, bracing himself, while Akamaru ducked under, aiming for Chouji's ankles. Both dog and boy struck simultaneously, and neither caused the intended damage.
Chouji's left fist was twice its normal size, and it clutched Kiba's offending arm, nearly swallowing it. Similarly, his right foot had swelled to the size of a small dog and his shin as thick as a tree trunk. Akamaru's bite did not pierce the thick, tough skin, and the dog had to let go with a yelp of pain, his jaw stretching to the point of being painful.
Chouji smirked.
"Bubun Baika no jutsu."
Chouji suddenly lifted Kiba off his feet, and swung him around, flinging him across the arena. Despite his high-speed flight, the dog boy landed on all fours, digging his hands into the ground to keep himself from skidding. At the same time, he whistled, making Akamaru leap away from Chouji's engorged foot, and return swiftly to his partner's side.
"Well, partner, we better take it up a notch, huh?" said Kiba, grinning at Chouji, whose hand and foot had returned to their normal sizes.
Akamaru barked affirmatively, and lowered himself into a crouch. Kiba did as well, and both bared their teeth at the husky shinobi. Chouji lowered himself into a fighting stance, his legs bent and wide, and his arms resting on his thighs. Kiba and Akamaru charged again, one a dark blur, the other bright white. Streaking towards Chouji, Kiba's hands came together into a seal, and he reached out and grabbed Akamaru, shouting.
"Yamainu Uneri no jutsu!"
Akamaru sucked in a deep breath, and put on a sudden burst of speed. Mere feet away from Chouji he released the built up breath, discharging a howling blast of wind, which toppled the big-boned shinobi and sent him careening backwards.
Kiba didn't waste any time. He rushed towards Chouji's fallen form, another kunai drawn.
Chouji suddenly vanished. Kiba skidded to a halt, dismayed at seeing only a block of wood lying on the ground.
Above, Sakura and Ino cheered their teammate's use of Kawarimi no jutsu.
Kiba sniffed the air, frowning. Chouji's scent was difficult to locate, especially amongst the hundreds of sweaty humans around him. But when Akamaru came to his side, and informed him with a few short barks that Chouji was quite near, Kiba lifted his kunai and waited.
He didn't have to wait long. In a burst of smoke, the log behind Kiba became Chouji, who lifted an engorged left arm and swung it down in a powerful hammer blow. Kiba didn't bother to turn, instead falling to all fours and leaping to the side. The monstrous fist crashed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of sand, but hitting no target.
Shikamaru smiled from behind the Kage's chair, immensely pleased with his friend's ingenuity.
'That looks like something Naruto would've thought of,' the lazy Chuunin thought. He gave a rare smile. 'Good job, Chouji.'
Twisting immediately once he was out of danger, Kiba stood up and called Akamaru to him again. Once the dog was at his side, he lifted a small pill from his weapons pouch, and tossed it to the dog. Akamaru gulped it down in a heartbeat. His fur then began to darken, turning a reddish-brown and becoming longer and wilder.
His hands coming together in a few seals, Kiba cried, "Jujin Bunshin no jutsu!"
Smoke swirled around Akamaru, obscuring him. When it vanished, a perfect duplicate of Kiba stood on all fours, his face twisted into bestial rage. The true Kiba adopted the very same look and position, only with an added grin.
"Come on, Akamaru! Let's take him down!"
The two beasts charged. Kiba leapt up onto Akamaru's back, his arms crossed as he did. Akamaru then jumped into the air, holding his claws up in a similar fashion. The two descended towards Chouji, who raised his arms in defense.
"Won't work!" cried Kiba. "Rouga Juuji!"
Both dog and boy suddenly slashed their hands outwards, and waves of blue, cutting chakra erupted forth. Chouji's eyes grew wide, and with a muffled cry, he raised an arm, making it grow nearly as big as his entire body.
"Bubun Baika no jutsu: Niku Tate!"
The slicing chakra struck the swollen arm, shattering the enlarged arm-guard that protected it, and cutting into the flesh. Hot blood gushed from the wound, but the attack did not cut too deep. With a hiss of pain, Chouji pulled his wounded arm back, while enlarging the other. With amazing speed and force, causing the air to hum and sending gusts of sand as it soared past, he punched at Kiba with the car-sized fist.
Kiba and his dog, however, managed to leap away just in time. Both landed on all fours, smirking at their opponent.
The smirk vanished when Chouji raised both arms, and grew them to a point that seemed beyond the possibility to manage. Both arms were a thick as redwoods and their fists could have crushed small houses.
"Cho Bubun Baika no jutsu!"
It seemed as if a hurricane had suddenly descended. The air whistled and thrummed as Chouji's fists fell to the earth. The stadium seemed to explode in a massive cloud of dust, and from their positions in the contestant's box, Sakura and Ino could feel the vibrations from the attack so much that they nearly toppled, even through the sand.
From within, it was impossible to see a thing. Kiba knew that the attack hadn't hit him, because he was still conscious. But he couldn't smell, see, or hear anything but the smell of sand and sweat, the clouds of brown dust, and the cries of both the wind and the audience. He struggled to his feet, still slightly unsteady. Akamaru barked and growled, managing to get to his feet without any trouble. They both waited for the attack to resume.
As the sand settled, Chouji was revealed, standing in the very same position, now before two monstrous craters. Each crater was so cavernous that Gamabunta might have found them comfortable resting places.
Both of Chouji's hands had returned to their normal size, and the wounded one didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. The boy was gasping for breath, but his eyes remained fixated on Kiba.
Though shocked by the attack, Kiba was never one to stay down for long. He wiped the sweat from his face and said with a renewed smirk. "Pretty good. But Akamaru and I have a few more tricks up our sleeves, so—"
"That won't be necessary. I forfeit."
"Eh?" Kiba said, blinking. "Forfeit?"
In the stands, both Sakura and Ino gaped at their friend's decision.
"What is he doing?" asked Sakura.
"I don't know…" Ino mumbled, frowning. Her eyes darted across towards the Kage's box, where she knew Shikamaru would be watching from. 'Sounds like something he would do…'
"Oi! Chouji, whaddya mean you forfeit?"
Chouji scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "Well, it doesn't make much sense to continue fighting, does it? Both of us are pretty much evenly matched, and when that happens, isn't the best thing to do just pull back, and wait for another chance?" He shrugged, and lifted both arms. "Besides, that last attack just used up almost all of my chakra, so it wouldn't be long before I gave out. You win, Kiba." He smiled. "It was a good fight, though, wouldn't you agree?"
Kiba stared a moment, his eyes wandering towards the two craters.
"Y-yeah. I guess it was." He shook his head, before walking forwards. "Well, thanks for the great fight then. Next time, though, you'd better not give in!"
Chouji laughed. "I'll train real hard and make sure I don't use up all my chakra in one go like that again!"
Himeda watched the two a moment, then nodded and called Kiba the winner. The crowd cheered, though it was considerably less explosive than the cheers for Ino's fight.
"He just gave up," said Temari, frowning. She turned and glared at Shikamaru. "Did you tell him to do that?"
Shikamaru shook his head. "Of course not. That's just like Chouji, though." He caught Temari's questioning glance, and said. "Chouji's too kind of a person to fight against those he considers friends, even in such a situation as this. That's one of his best traits, I think." Shikamaru glanced back towards his friend. "Besides, that's one thing people look at. Chouji has shown everyone that he's one of the best teammates possible. He gets along with everyone, and for a Chuunin, that's a good trait to have, wouldn't you say?"
Temari nodded, still frowning. "I still think you put him up to it. It's the same thing you did in our fight."
Shikamaru shrugged. "Maybe."
Tsunade, who had caught the conversation, chuckled softly. 'That's wrong. He didn't just show how good of a comrade he could be. He's incredibly powerful, and though that dog boy won technically, it's clear to just about everyone who the real winner would have been if Chouji weren't so kind. Good job.'
"Jeez! Just because he's your best friend, doesn't mean you can act like Shikamaru!" growled Ino, when Chouji returned to the box with Kiba.
"Sorry Ino," said Chouji, scratching the back of his head. "I just couldn't do it. I guess there's always next year, right? I can do it with Naruto, anyways, so it won't be too bad."
Ino opened her mouth to rail at the boy more, but Sakura cut in. "You said it yourself, Chouji, it doesn't matter if you win or lose. You definitely did your best, and I think Tsunade-shishou saw that."
Chouji smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah. Besides, if you act like Shikamaru a little more, than Ino might go on a date with you."
Ino puffed up, ready to explode at Sakura again. However, she was interrupted.
"Will Haruno Sakura and Tikado Kazara please come down to the arena."
Sakura glanced over at Kazara, who got up from her team and walked immediately to the stairs. She nodded and smiled at her friend's words of encouragement, and Ino's biting comment not to let her forehead get in the way too much, and slowly followed the Stone-nin.
The heat hit her hard when she stepped onto the broiling sands of the arena floor, and slowly walked towards the middle, where Kazara and Himeda were waiting. The Stone girl glared at Sakura, while Himeda gazed patiently.
When Sakura had taken her place, Himeda informed them again of the rules, before raising a hand.
"Begin!"
Sakura fell into a fighting stance almost immediately. She clenched her fists, and began to channel chakra into them.
"Don't even try," said Kazara coldly. "Nothing you do with be of any use against me. I will defeat you without you even touching me, Leaf."
Sakura scoffed. "Let's see it then."
Kazara smiled. "You will be sorry." She slapped her hands together, making a swift and accurate seal.
"Tsuchi no Senkin: Kai!"
The girl's postures suddenly changed. She stood upright, swiftly, almost as if some invisible force had dragged her up. Then, she moved.
Sakura didn't quite know how many times Kazara's punched her, but she would've guessed around a dozen or so, in the span of a few seconds. Each punch felt like a sledgehammer in her gut, causing pain to blossom up her chest. The air was blasted from her lungs, and she suddenly found herself airborne. Her return to the ground was painful, but she could barely feel it. Her senses were dulled and her mind hazy. She tasted blood.
As she struggled to regain her wits, a shadow descended upon her. Kazara.
"That's it? I'm not impressed Leaf. You people are supposed to be one of the strongest villages. I want to see the type of ninja that killed my grandfather in the last war."
Sakura managed to push herself into a sitting position, but before she could fully regain her wits, Kazara had hit her again. Three kicks, strong enough to shatter stone, slammed into her stomach again, sending her flying. She skidded across the boiling sand, each bounce causing the rough sand to rip away her skin with burst of hot pain.
Ino, Chouji, Hinata, Shino and Kiba stared dumbly at the scene.
"How the hell is she able to move so fast? She's a Stone-nin!"
"I-it was that technique…" gulped Hinata. "I-I am n-not sure what it does, b-but it seems to h-have made her faster."
Sakura got up again. She wiped the blood that had formed in her mouth. The pain in her stomach was nearly crippling, but she was able to soothe it with healing chakra from both of the hands that were clutching it.
"Weight training," Sakura muttered under her breath.
Kazara heard the mutter as she slowly walked towards her opponent. "Smart. Didn't take you long to get it."
"The name of the attack was pretty much a dead giveaway," Sakura stated, straightening. Though she was far from fully healed, she could move properly again. Kazara, despite her obvious superiority in speed, seemed to be taking her time in defeating Sakura. It was a stupid mistake. She was underestimating Sakura.
"So it was," Kazara said, smirking. She blurred, moving towards Sakura again with that frightening speed.
Sakura raised a foot, and with a cry, slammed it hard into the ground. The sand exploded around her, stopping Kazara before she could reach Sakura.
Emerging from the cloud, Sakura swung her fist at Kazara's head. The Stone-nin ducked under the blow, and punched Sakura in the ribs, with four, lightning-fast strikes. Sakura flew backwards, stunned again.
Tsunade shook her head. This wasn't good. There was a clear difference in strength between the two. Maybe Sakura wasn't as ready as she had thought.
But…
Tsunade smiled. It meant that Sakura would be forced into using what she probably hadn't expected to use right off the bat.
Sakura pulled herself to her feet again. He vision was slightly hazy, and she believed that the last attack might have broken a rib or two. She stifled any attempt to cough or otherwise move her mouth, as it hurt immensely to even breathe. She once again took advantage of Kazara's foolishness and raked her hand over her chest a few times, lessening the pain and healing the minor wounds.
"It won't be any fun if you don't fight back anymore, Leaf," said Kazara. "I was always told that you guys were to be feared. You're supposed to be some of the strongest ninjas in the world. I think this is pathetic. I came here hoping to fight a Leaf-nin with some strength, and instead I get a weak little girl with stupid-colored hair and an annoyingly large forehead." She shook her head, disgusted. "I'm disappointed."
Sakura straightened again, wheezing. Her fists were clenched. She looked up with fierce emerald eyes, like those of a wild animal, temporarily making Kazara freeze.
"My forehead may be big, but there's a good reason for that, I've found," she put her hands together, making a single seal. "This technique I came up with on my own. I'll show you that the Leaf is something to be respected." She slowly sucked in breath, and closed her eyes.
"Nouha Sayuu! (Brainwave Domination!)"
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Done.
Sorry it took so long. Fresher's Week (as they call it here in St. Andrews) was busy and fun. I did find time to write, but I wanted it to be as good and non-rushed as possible.
This mini-arc will last for another chapter. Next chapter will introduce the next villain as well.
I once again thank everyone for their help and kindness. I changed the last chapter a bit according to what you guys thought of it, and hopefully it seems more real. I added scenes with Neera and Tsuwabuki as well, so that should help.
Well, that should be it. I'm only taking three classes, so I should have time to update every week or so. If I'm late a couple times, it's because I'm still getting used to the life around here. But don't worry. I don't expect any big delays.
Thanks to Frankto again, for helping me with the Japanese in this chapter. It was a bit harder to write, considering I have no idea what type of attacks the canon characters will be springing on us in the near future. I hope this was good enough.
Well, seeya next week!
General Grievous
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Rawr, congratulate my brother on a job well done. This chapter wasn't quite as riddled with mistakes as the last one was ;)
-Nozdormi
Spellbook:
Shinranshin no jutsu (Mind Body Disturbance Technique)—Makes opponent either attack themselves or their teammates. Makes them confused and unable to control their own actions. Stronger version of the Shintenshin no jutsu.
Bubun Baika no jutsu (Partial Multi-Size Technique)—Makes a part of the body much longer. Incredibly powerful if used correctly.
Yamainu Uneri on jutsu (Wolf Howl Technique)—Discharges a blast of sound-based chakra that can cause lots of damage depending on the size.
Jujin Bunshin no jutsu (Man Beast Clone)- Turns a dog into a clone of its master.
Rouga Juuji (Wolf Fang Cross)—Attacks opponent with cutting chakra dispelled from the claws. Can be very dangerous.
Cho Bubun Baika no jutsu (Super Partial Multi-Size Technique)—Greatly enhances a single portion of body. Can be extremely powerful and draining, not to mention hard to handle.
Tsuchi no Senkin: Kai! (One Thousand Pounds of Earth: Release!)—Releases an invisible weight training technique that makes the user far heavier than normal. Once released, the user's speed is greatly enhanced.
Nouha Sayuu (Brainwave Domination)—An attack that is as of yet unknown. Created by Sakura.