The whole way to the gates Sakana's mind was on the outspoken, raven-haired boy named Sasuke. Why was he so familiar to her when she was sure they had never met before? And the symbol on his back seemed familiar, too...She continued to play with these thoughts even after arriving at their designated meeting place. She knew Baki-sensei was talking, but she couldn't seem to focus on his words.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Temari. "Sakana-chan, are you with us?" she asked, an amused look on her face.
"Gomen, I was…thinking about something," she replied, blushing softly. "What did I miss?"
"Baki-sensei asked us to spar - you and me."
The three men stood off to the side as the two friends positioned themselves. "Okay then. Temari-chan, Sakana-chan, get ready," Baki-sensei said.
Temari removed her fan and rested it lightly against a nearby tree, not wanting to destroy the terrain. Even without it Sakana knew her friend was a tough customer, but then again, so was she. They got into their fighting stances and waited for Baki's signal to start.
"Begin!" he shouted.
Sakana took a few running steps towards Temari and did a forward wheel kick which connected solidly with Temari's head. Then she sent a kick at her stomach, launching the older girl into the air. Temari quickly recovered and threw a volley of shuriken at her. Sakana pulled out a kunai to knock the shuriken aside, and then threw it at her. The blade cut Temari's shoulder and she winced, distracted. By the time her teammate hit the ground, Sakana was already behind her with a knife to her throat. The entire match had lasted a matter of seconds.
Sakana helped Temari up and they both stood at attention in front of Baki. He nodded and said, "You two are ready. That was an excellent match."
A smile spread across Sakana's face as she and Temari both bowed respectfully to him. "Arigato, Baki-sensei," they said.
Sakana then turned to Temari and asked to see her shoulder. Fortunately, the wound from her kunai wasn't deep. She made a sign and her hand glowed blue with chakra. She then placed it against Temari's shoulder, easily healing the cut.
"Thanks, Sakana-chan," Temari said when she was done.
"No problem, Temari-chan," she replied, smiling. Sakana had been a healer since she was four; she had even learned from the best in Suna, Lady Chiyo - a quirky, but good sensei.
After another hour or so of practice Temari, Kankuro and Gaara were dismissed, but Sakana stayed behind. Baki-sensei had promised to help her with some of the more difficult jutsus she'd been attempting to learn. When they finally stopped practicing it was nearly dark and they were both worn out.
"Well done today, Sakana-chan. You are most definitely ready. The first part of the exam is tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp, so don't be late."
She straightened up and nodded. "I won't be. Goodnight, sensei." Then she turned and started back to the hotel.
Once she was back inside the village, Sakana jumped onto a nearby rooftop and ran swiftly from building to building. She knew when she reached the right one because she saw Gaara sitting quietly on the roof. She slowed and walked over to him. "Goodnight Gaara-san." He turned his head and nodded to her. She jumped down from the roof, took her shoes off and placed them next to Temari's. Feeling more tired by the second, Sakana quickly made her way up to her room where she gratefully changed into her sleeping kimono and collapsed onto the bed. She closed her eyes, relaxing every part of her body. Suddenly, the symbol on Sasuke's back swam into her mind's eye. Its familiarity was beginning to annoy her! Why did she recognize it!? But before Sakana could think about anything any further, sleep overtook her.