"She said what!"

Temari had just finished putting her hair up when Kankurou had told her what Ura had said the night before. She put down her brush and wanted to strangle the other Suna kunoichi for even saying those words. Kankurou went to Temari's mirror and began to paint his face, "I can't believe she said it either. Maybe she was just bluffing or something."

"Girls don't lie like that, Kankurou," Temari sighed as she made sure her fan was locked, "It's just… Why Gaara? Why not you? You're a guy, go out and make her love you!"

"If I had actually had feelings for her, then sure, why not. But, the fact is, Ura said she loved Gaara and that's just how it is," Kankurou shrugged as he put his paint away, "Maybe she'll just forget about him, come back to Suna, become whatever, marry, settle down, and die. End of story."

"Right," Temari rolled her eyes and began to walk out, "I'm going to go find her and talk some sense into her."

"Have fun," Kankurou waved after her, "Meet you at the first exam."

:::::::::

Ura

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She couldn't believe she actually said it. For years, she struggled with her emotions and tried to find the best word to put to her feelings for Gaara. Yes, he was three years younger than her, so what? It wasn't the age thing that made her feel angry towards her feelings, but it was why. Why did she want to love Gaara when he tried to kill her last night, then apparently he killed her dad? Ura ran her fingers through her hair as she walked towards the academy to turn in her slip. The last thing she wanted to do was be near Gaara after coming to peace with her feelings. Protecting him was one thing, but loving him? She paused and looked at the place where she had last seen Gaara, maybe it wasn't too bad being in love with him. Ura smiled to herself as she continued walking. Back when they were kids, she hadn't lost faith in him and she wouldn't turn her back on him now. In honest truth, she knew Gaara needed someone to love him without conditions. Temari and Kankurou were not enough because they were family. Their blood runs through his veins as well. But if he knew Ura had loved him as well, maybe it would change things later on.

Actions speak louder than words. Gaara didn't need to know her love for him at any moment in time. If he found out or asked, that was his own choice then. Ura made a silent vow that she would prove to Gaara that she was worth his time and memory. In order to do so, she would have to prove that she was stronger than him and able to protect him from any harm that came his ways. A smile of determination formed on her lips as she entered the academy, going all the way up to room 301 to turn in her slip. Good thing she got there early, two Chunin were there placing a Genjutsu to fool the ones who showed up later.

"Ura!"

The kunoichi turned to see Temari approaching her casually. Ura smiled and waved, but Temari seemed pissed about something. They both turned in their slips and went to the waiting room where some other Genin were also there. Temari narrowed her eyes on Ura, "I don't know what you're trying to play at, but Kankurou told me what you said last night."

A wave of nausea wafted through Ura as she listened to Temari. The blonde Suna kunoichi placed a hand on her hip as she looked Ura up and down, "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into if you say those words?"

Ura glanced at the ground as she slowly nodded her head, "I know… Look, if it means anything, I know my feelings won't be returned."

Temari stopped talking for a moment and listened. Ura looked back up at Temari with softer eyes, "I know what happened to Gaara and I can't do anything about it. Without me being there, it left him vulnerable to loneliness, and that's an unforgettable pain. The only thing I can do now is protect him and give him all the love I can give him. If that means that I will never receive the same love in return, then…then I'm ok with that. There are sacrifices everyone has to make."

"You know, if you solely love Gaara, you can't be the Kazekage then," Temari pointed out as gave Ura a serious gaze, "You must protect everyone and give everyone your all. If you can only do that for Gaara, then you will only remain less than a Kage."

Ura thought about what Temari had said as the Suna kunoichi waited for her siblings in a different part of the room. Everyone made sacrifices right? Then that would mean giving up her dream of being the Kazekage because she wanted to protect only Gaara. Though she wanted to think more, Ura decided to be with the people of her own village. Ura walked over to Temari and sat next to her. Temari gave her a confused look, "Are you sitting with us?'

"I am a Suna kunoichi, correct?" Ura pointed to her headband of Sand, "Don't I belong here?"

Temari was angry with Ura, but she still admired her old friend. She smiled and offered Ura a seat as the talked about what was going on in Sunagakure. Eventually, Kankurou and Gaara showed up as well. Gaara wasn't pleased to see Ura among his group, he didn't say anything though. Kankurou talked with Ura as well as the room became more packed with people. Naruto had an outburst saying he would beat all the others, and Ura just laughed at his little rant. Temari looked over at Ura, "Do you know them?"

"I helped them train," Ura answered, "You see Sasuke over there? He may be the rookie of this year's academy students, but he hasn't won a single battle with me yet. Yesterday was the first time I used my kekkei-genkai with him and he didn't stand a chance."

"Damn brats…" Kankurou scolded beneath his breath.

Ibiki and other shinobi entered the room to explain the seating arrangement. Ura was given a number and found her seat which happened to be right next to Gaara. When Gaara sat next to Ura, he said nothing to her as Ura smiled brightly at him. He turned to glance at her from the corner of his eyes and grumbled, "Stop looking at me like that."

"Good luck, Gaara," Ura continued to smile as she twirled her pencil like a hari in her fingers.

Ibiki explained the rules to everyone and began the test immediately. Ura glanced over the questions with some unease forming in her as realized that written tests were not her strong point at all. The fact that they put more penalties on getting the questions wrong than cheating were quite confusing as well. In the academy in Suna, written tests were basically simple essays about how to correctly throw a shuriken or how to use the wind to the advantage. These questions… To make it even simpler, were far beyond what she would ever understand! Ura tapped her pencil in a beat to one of her favorite songs, which caused Gaara to growl at her for disturbing him.

"Sorry…" Ura whispered an apology and just tapped the pencil on her thigh.

She glanced over at Gaara to see he was using his sand to copy answers from another shinobi. Well, at least he was using some form of cheating without getting caught. Ura gazed back down at her own lack of answers with distaste. So, they were doing much more than just a written test. Getting answers would be tricky if she just looked over at someone else's paper, obviously. How could she get answers…? What about her Blood Jutsu? Ura felt her stomach churn, how the hell was she supposed to do that when blood has a strong odor? In order to know the exact movements of another person, she would need their blood for one fact. As much as she wanted to cheat, there was little for her to use many of her blood jutsu techniques. Her specialty wasn't retrieving information, it was just to kick some ass and that was about it.

In any case, she had to try something. She took the pencil to her lap and punctured her palm until she felt some blood drop to the floor. The sound of her blood reaching the floor was drowned out by others tapping their pencil on the paper for answers. Ura felt some relief, but now the hard part was about to commence. She glanced around for her first target, an open flesh wound would do perfectly if she could get her blood inside someone else to know what they know or see what they see. Her eyes scanned the people around her without turning her head, there was a guy that had a scab on his lower back. That would have to do, anything farther could mean her getting caught. Ura used her chakra in her blood to move slowly onto the guy with the scab and hard her blood absorb into the hardened blood clot. It took about a minute before she finally could feel the sensations of his organs and know he was a healthy young man. Ura closed her eyes and focused on using her blood inside of him to get to his retinas. The image she had was upside down, but it was all she needed to get some answers down.

Fifteen minutes passed before she had nine of the ten answers. Ura was very much relieved to know that she didn't get caught cheating. It was a risky process and it was even more dangerous for the person she cheated off of. Mixing her blood with his could mean a fatality on their part, but Ura knew it was worth the risk. She had to be near Gaara and in order for her to do so, she had to pass each exam with flying colors. Now all she had to do was wait for the tenth question, find some way to answer it, and call it a day.

People were getting caught cheating by the minute. Ura noticed Sakura and Sasuke doing fine on their own, but Naruto was a sitting duck. He was obviously having a hard time and was struggling. It looked like Hinata was trying to help him as best as she could though. As much as she wanted to help, Ura couldn't choose sides each time an exam was given. She had to stick by Gaara, no matter what the costs. Finally, the tenth question was about to be given. Ura remained silent as Ibiki gave them all two choices: stay and possibly fail or leave. It was an antagonizing question, but Ura glanced over at Gaara through the corner of her eye. Leaving would mean watching him become stronger than her. A glint of determination entered her pupils as she turned her attention back at Ibiki.

'You're not going to be stronger than me, Gaara,' Ura thought as she leaned back in her chair, "You ready, Gaara?"

"Shut up," Gaara growled, Ura could tell she was definitely pissing him off at that point and decided to stop trying to anger him.

"For those who remain… I'd like to say… That you've all passed the first exam!"

Ura was about to fall out of her seat, spit up her breakfast, and possibly pass out if she wasn't already shocked that she wasted her time on gaining information. Then again, exaggerating wasn't the best idea, so she just waited through his spiel about information and the importance. Of course it was important, Ura scribbled her name at the top and looked up to see Anko, one of the elite Jonin, drop in through the window. Though she saw the woman as a nuisance, she definitely got someone's attention rather quickly. Ura was happy to hear that the next exam would be a survival one. They were dismissed for the time being to get some rest and calm down, but then Anko approached her, "Hey, you, I need to talk to you in private."

"What the hell for?" Ura crossed her arms, then noticed that another shinobi appeared behind Anko.

"I heard that the Lord Hokage gave you permission to continue the exams on your own," Anko commented as she eyed Ura, "I say you have to be on a team."

"I don't care what you have to say, I'm on my own," Ura was about to walk out, until the shinobi appeared in front of the door.

He was a Sand-nin, but she couldn't remember which one he was. He eyed her with a smirk, "You've grown strong, Ura, I'm impressed by your strength and kekkei-genkai."

"This is Baki, he will be your new sensei," Anko came in between them, "I'm sure you'll like your new team…since you come from the same country as they do."

"But… Kakashi-"

"Has already signed the papers to your release," Anko showed Ura the papers, who read them quite carefully, "If you pass these exams and become a Chunin, you're free to go back with Baki. The same if you lose, you are free to go whenever you please."

Freedom. The ability to return home and see her family once again. To be able to be on the same team as Gaara and protect him at whatever cost. That was what Ura had truly wanted. But, she looked up at Baki with uncertainty, she didn't know who he was or how he dealt with people. Kakashi was laid back and gave Ura a hard time sometimes, but this guy…he seemed like the type to not piss off. Baki smirked down at her, "I'm sure you will be quite pleased."

"Right… I'm gonna go-"

"You will begin your training," Baki stated as he grabbed her wrist, "I want to see your kekkei-genkai."

::::::::::::::

Team 7

::::::::::::::

Hearing that Ura was no longer apart of their group gave some relief, but it also gave them something to worry about. Sasuke knew that Ura's allegiance to Suna was great, but signing her back over? Was that even wise of Kakashi? He had trained Ura personally and he just gave her away as if she wasn't an asset? The Uchiha had seen her kekkei-genkai, she wasn't the type to be given away that easily. He looked over at Sakura to see a smirk on her face. She definitely shouldn't be smirking. If they were in a battle with Ura and the new team she was on, then they would all be killed within a minute. Sasuke glared at his feet as Kakashi waited for their reactions.

"Why…why would you do that?"

Kakashi was surprised to see how angry Naruto was and how bad he was taking the information. Naruto growled up at Kakashi as he balled up his fists, "That's not fair! You're the one who trained her! She trained us and even helped us become stronger! Why did you let her go!"

"She wasn't ours to begin with," Kakashi stated as he stared down at Naruto, "You know Ura has always claimed herself as Suna kunoichi and never a Leaf-nin. Giving her back to her own village was a necessary move."

"It's for the best," Sakura waved off the angry air around her and placed her hands on her waist, "She wasn't really on this team anyhow."

"Sakura… You saw her Blood Jutsu… You saw how strong she is compared to any of us," Sasuke glared over at his female teammate, "She is capable of killing us all."

Kakashi sighed as he leaned against the building closest to him, "Ura will not use her kekkei-genkai jutsu on any of you to kill you. Letting her go back to Suna will settle some animosity inside of her and give her relief. Just get over this and go back to your exams. Ura is not your enemy, just watch out for her teammates."

:::::::::::::

Ura

:::::::::::::

Now that she was once again a true kunoichi of Suna, Ura felt even more freedom as she showed Baki her entire Blood Jutsu. He seemed impressed, but saw the toll it left on her body from using her own blood. It nearly made her lifeless and weak. Baki grimaced, he would have to train her harder than ever to prepare her for the next exams. He approached Ura and took away her umbrellas, "If you plan on continuing, you will need to learn how to use your own jutsu before you use these. By midnight tonight, I expect you to master your Blood Jutsu without getting exhausted or tire from blood loss. If you cannot, I will take you off this team."

A challenge, Ura thought to herself as she glared up at Baki, but not one she would give up on. Ura nodded and summoned her blood back into her. It would be a long nine hours if she wanted to prepare herself to remain on the team. She started off by using her chakra to combine with her blood in order to preserve her strength. Her chakra control was phenomenal for her specialty and would help her improve her kekkei-genkai. As she trained through the long hours, the only thoughts Ura could keep to help keep her going was of Gaara. She wanted to be able to protect him and keep him safe from all the harm in the world. In many words, she wanted his forgiveness and to be able to be good enough for him. She wasn't good enough to remain in Suna, she wasn't good enough to have a team made for her when she came as a Genin to Leaf, and she was now finally good enough to join a Suna team with Gaara as her teammate. With all the strength she had in her, Ura trained until she could feel no pain from losing her blood in her kekkei-genkai. Even as the night wore on and the stars shined above her tired, aching body, Ura continued to train until Baki showed up again at the stroke of midnight.

With her on-spot-training strength exercise, Ura had managed to skip the cut and remain on the team. Baki was still not impressed and tossed her the umbrellas, "Use your Blood Jutsu with your umbrellas. Have that to an acceptable potential or I'll take you fully out of the Chunin Exams for good. I'll be back at sunrise."

Ura wanted to pass out and rest, but it wouldn't do her any good. With bruises and cuts all over her pale, moon light skin, Ura readied her umbrellas with hari. She place a small amount of her blood in a capsule that she strapped to her thigh close to where her black shorts ended high on her thighs. The capsule would be a place where she could dip her hari into when she needed a quick Blood Jutsu. For her umbrellas, since it was tricky enough, drilled a hole through the pole with a hari and poured some of her own blood inside each pole. To hold the blood inside, she used a cork similar to Gaara's gourd cork. The only way she could use a Blood Jutsu for her umbrellas if she threw a hari through the cork to where the blood was. Once the blood was captured by the hari, she could manipulate her blood to seep through to the other hari hidden in the umbrella to use her jutsu.

Plus, it would be even easier if she could use her opponent's blood as well. Ura was quite pleased with her work and trained even harder until the sun began to rise. Baki showed up again and noticed her new abilities that he had instructed her to create. It would do, for now. Accepting her work, Baki allowed her to rest before the next exam was to begin. Ura strapped her umbrellas on her back, but couldn't make another move. She stumbled onto the ground, exhaustion finally came at a price and sleep took a hold of her.

When she woke, she was in a soft bed that wasn't her own. She sat up slowly and rubbed her head, where was she? That room didn't look familiar at all. Ura went to swing her feet off the bed, but found that she couldn't move! She took off the sheets to see sand gripping her legs, threatening to crush them to pieces. There was only one person… Gaara formed from the sand at the foot of her bed. A craze look in his eyes as he glared down at her with such hatred that Ura didn't know if she was going to live to see another day. She waited for his next move. If she was to lose her legs, then fine. But why? Why was Gaara doing this all of a sudden? It then occurred to her, he had been told by Baki or his siblings that she was now on his team. His glare intensified as he watched her put her right hand into the hand sign of 'blood'. Ura's legs liquefied into blood as did the rest of her body. The real Ura was at the corner of the room with her guard up, "We can't fight now, Gaara…"

She could see the veins in his eyes, the blood rushing through him as his anger rose to a higher level. He was too mad for words to know that she was now his teammate. Ura didn't want to fight Gaara at that moment, she was still too weak from the training from the night before. Instead, Ura lowered her guard, Gaara didn't need to see her try and cower away like others did before they met their death. She would see him as an equal, like a person, and that she was good enough to keep alive for a little while longer.

There was nothing she could say. She wanted to be on his team whether he liked it or not. He had to know that she wasn't going away just because he wanted her to. Ura was not the type to run and hide like a scared school girl. She was Suna kunoichi who loved the one her village feared the most. Her gaze softened as she saw the scared little boy she had protected years ago. The young man in front of her was not that same little boy, but he was still there, deep inside. Ura took in a deep breath as she walked passed Gaara and to the door. When their shoulders met, Gaara then whispered, "All the same, I will kill you before we leave this village."

"I'm stronger than you, Gaara," Ura dared to say as she passed him and left the room. Well, make that running out of the building as soon as the door closed.