The four genin stepped through the doors. Teams were already milling around the large, empty room, some congregating on the balcony in small, select groups. There were quite a few proctors; Sasuke counted at least seven, and more lurked in the shadowy corners of the room. One of them, a jonin, came forward to meet their group.
"Last I knew, genin teams had three members, not four," he said, eying Karin. "So where'd you pick up the extra one?"
"Her team's dead," Sasuke explained drolly. "She has no affiliation with us."
Karin pursed her lips and hugged herself, slightly hurt by Sasuke's blunt explanation. "Yeah, they, um, they were killed. By a bear."
Sasuke almost groaned. She sounds like she's lying, and lying badly. Kami, he's probably going to think we killed her team and kept her around for the benefits, not that there'd be any benefits of that kind. Sasuke fought to hold back a grin. But of course we didn't. If that had been our plan, I would have gagged her to keep her from prattling on the entire way here.
"Well, then you have no business here," the proctor affirmed. "You will be transported back to your village after we finish here. Until then, go speak with Takouo." The proctor indicated a lean jonin with messy blond hair and dark brown eyes.
Karin watched Takouo with interest, but she stayed glued to Sasuke's side, earning a fierce scowl from Sakura.
"A-HEM," the proctor repeated. "Go to Takouo now, or you will be forcefully escorted."
"I'm going!" Karin sped in the blond jonin's direction, throwing a few muttered curses over her shoulder at the proctor.
"Lovely kid." The proctor stretched his neck, cracking cartilage, and left to converse with another proctor.
The room resembled an arena; large, undecorated floor with balconies running along the top edge of the walls. Seven genin teams roamed the area, some speaking with their sensei, others talking with each other, and still others wandering alone. There was disquiet in the room, an undercurrent of tension. Everyone was waiting to be dismissed, to be sent back to the village for the preparation period.
Sasuke saw a familiar face appear in the crowd and start to head towards them. Well, look who showed up.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura greeted their sensei cheerfully as he approached them.
"Hello, Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke. Congratulations for surviving the Forest of Death," Kakashi said warmly. "Good to see you alive."
Sasuke nodded. Sakura and Naruto took control of the conversation, babbling on about the details of their experience in the Forest of Death. They both purposefully skipped the fight with Orochimaru; Sasuke had asked them (asked, not ordered – for once, he hadn't felt right demanding it, so he had given them the option to refuse) not to discuss it with the other teams, and they had both agreed. Sakura would agree to almost anything he proposed, and even Naruto knew to leave well enough alone.
As they glossed over that section of their sojourn, Sasuke examined Kakashi carefully. He didn't like what he saw. Kakashi was tense, tight almost, and he seemed to grow grimmer with each omitted fact. He knows.
Well, it's not like it was a secret or anything. Sasuke's reason for suppression wasn't one of fear; he had no reason to suspect punishment or retribution; but one of comfort. But he's upset about it…and not because we aren't trusting him or some ridiculous reason like that.
Sasuke felt slightly uncomfortable. Something's up, and I'd bet Shisui's life it has to do with Orochimaru. But what exactly-
"You need to go." Kakashi's words cut through his musings. Sasuke looked up, only to see that the genin groups were starting to gather in the center of the room. Several of the proctors and the Hokage, who Sasuke had not noticed in the building, were standing at the edge of the balcony. Another proctor, a pale, rather sickly looking jonin with straggly brown hair, stood in front of them on the ground level. "Go," Kakashi repeated. "We'll take more later."
Double entendre much? Sasuke thought sarcastically as he joined Sakura and Naruto. As the genin lined up before the proctors and the Hokage, Sasuke surreptitiously dissected the competition. Lee's team made it, he groused. Unsurprising. Inzuka made it to, his team with him. And that Kabuto, along with his team. There sure are a lot of Leaf nin this year…village will be happy about that.
Sasuke's eyes landed on a particular team. They made it? Sasuke thought incredulously as he watched Ino smack Choji for some asinine misstep. No way.
He focused on Shikamaru. Well, I shouldn't have ruled him out, I suppose. Shikamaru caught him looking. As usual, he did not respond to Sasuke's open gaze; he merely yawned, stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets, and let his eyes glaze over, the mask of the persistently bored, completely indifferent genin firmly in place. A few nearby genin shook their heads at his complacency.
Sasuke knew better. Shikamaru was a genius, even if he refused to reveal it to the world. Sasuke had discovered Shikamaru's innate brilliance quite accidentally. He'd been six, seven tops; young enough to still be enamored with the Academy and studying to be a ninja, young enough to still fantasize. He had arrived at school early; he couldn't remember why, but the only other students who had arrived were Shikamaru, who had been kicked out by his frustrated mother, and a young genin boy, a dull, uninteresting, unremarkable boy, one of the legions of children who were forgotten by their classmates. He had already been pegged as a dropout, one of the scores of prospective shinobi who would probably never graduate, and if they did, one of the even more numerous crowd that would retire or die within two years. He was the opposite of a standout student; he lived in the corners, and Sasuke had never noticed him before.
That day, however, the boy had veered drastically from his pattern of hiding. When Sasuke entered the classroom, he was ripping apart the teacher's desk, searching desperately for something.
Sasuke was young and moralistic enough to protest. "Hey, what're you doing?"
The boy stopped with an involuntary jerk, head popping up to meet his accuser. His face turned bright red. "I, um, I'm just looking for something!" He stammered out quickly.
"What?" Sasuke had been genuinely interested, assuming that it was one of the many toys, traps, weapons, and other hazardous devices that the teachers routinely confiscated during the year.
"The an- I mean, none of your business!"
Sasuke made a loud "hmpf" noise as he posed his hands on his hips. "Teacher's just down the hall. If I call he'll come."
"Okay, okay!" The boy furtively crept towards Sasuke. Shikamaru slouched in his chair and picked at his fingernail. "I didn't finish my homework, so I'm looking for the answers."
"That's against the rules."
"Duh!" Sasuke scowled, and the boy backed down. "Look, it's just – I couldn't figure them out, and I was so tired, and I figured I could do it this morning, but I couldn't. If I don't turn in this assignment, I'm gonna fail, and if I fail, my dad will kill me."
Sasuke had snorted inelegantly. "He won't kill you."
"Yes, he will!" There was just enough fear and panic in the boy's eyes to convince Sasuke. "So I have to find the answers! I know they're in here somewhere-"
"Five." Both boys looked up. Shikamaru was in the same, laid-back position, but he was making eye contact and speaking to them. "The answer to number one is five."
The boy grabbed a piece of paper from Sasuke's desk and jotted down the answer. Sasuke watched in amazement as Shikamaru recited the correct answers to each problem, easily answering the questions that even Sasuke had struggled with.
Shikamaru finished just before the final bell rang. The children streamed in, and the teacher called for the assignments. One by one they deposited their homework.
"Nara," Teacher had barked. "Where's your homework?"
Shikamaru had just shrugged, a slight smirk on his face. "My mom ate it."
Sasuke smirked a little himself, remembering the incident. Alright, well, I can understand Shikamaru. But Ino and Choji? Some malevolent spirit must have decided to spare them to spite the rest of us.
"Alright, you maggots, listen up!" The genin obediently turned their attention to the balcony. Ibiki, the proctor from the first exam, stood at the forefront of the group of jonin and right beside the Hokage. His posture, face, and voice were as stern and commanding as ever. "Hokage-sama is going to explain the third exam for you."
"Thank you, Ibiki." The Hokage stepped forward to speak. "Welcome. I'd like to congratulate you on surviving Stage Two of the Chunin Exams."
Sasuke half-listened as the Hokage reiterated the purpose of the chunin exams: to allow rival ninja nations to butt heads and showcase their respective power through their genin without actually declaring all out war. It was an explanation Sasuke had heard before.
"Huh, whatever challenge you have set up is fine." The red haired Sand nin, one of the three siblings who had passed, spoke fearlessly, having no qualms about possibly upsetting the Hokage. "Just tell me the rules and I'll pass it."
Cocky little bastard. Sasuke could admire his readiness to end the prolongation, though; he was as ready as anyone to rest and recuperate.
The Hokage chuckled. "Very well, then. I will now tell you all exactly what you will be doing in the third exam."
One of the jonin standing behind the Hokage flickered in front of him. "Hokage-sama, before you begin, allow me, Gekko Hayate, third proctor, to have a word with the candidates."
Sasuke regarded the third proctor with a wary eye. Out of the three proctors Sasuke had met, Gekko appeared to be the most normal. He was rather pale, almost sickly looking, and the bandana that was wrapped tightly around his head did not hide his straggly brown hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in months. There were dark circles under his faded eyes.
"Very well," the Hokage said tiredly, stepping back to allow the proctor to speak.
"Well, we're going to have to have preliminaries before the third exams begin," Gekko said.
"What?"
"No way!"
"Come on!"
Sasuke didn't say anything. This has got to be unprecedented.
"I can't believe it," Sakura whispered.
"It doesn't matter! We'll get through to the third stage easily! Believe it!" Naruto declared.
"Why do we have to?" It sounded like Kiba, but Sasuke couldn't be certain.
"Well, you see, there are too many of you. The third stage is an international event. Major nobles and dignitaries have come, and they come to see the best, as such the ules permit that preliminaries may be held before any stage of the exams to decrease the number of participants. If any of you don't feel up to it, give up now. The rest of you, return to the balconies. You will participate in one on one fights, randomly selected."
"Thank you, Hayate-san," the Hokage said. He proceeded to detail the third stage of the chunin exams, an event Sasuke already knew it detail. He'd attended the third stage of every chunin exams since he was six. It was something of a rivalry, especially in the years when a Hyuuga and an Uchiha were attempting to reach chunin status. The Uchiha clan's numbers had been seriously reduced by the Kyuubi attack twelve years before; consequently, such an event had become far rarer, but the Uchiha generally attended all exams, even ones without Uchiha. The Uchiha and Hyuuga clans were far too prestigious to actually rout against each other, but anyone with functional senses could read the competition.
Sasuke followed the crowd of genin up to the balconies. The shinobi automatically segregated: the Leaf nin took one stretch of balcony, teams carefully separated by at least a foot, while the Sand nin took the far end of the balcony. The Sound nin took the length of balcony opposite from the Sand nin.
"Let the preliminaries begin!"
The crowd of twenty one genin watched the screen eagerly as the lottery began. Names swirled on the screen, and occasionally Sasuke was able to pick out the name of an acquaintance or enemy. The names started to flash at an even faster rate, blurring into an unrecognizable blob.
"Come on," Kiba groaned. "Hurry up and pick someone!"
The screen stopped.
Haruno Sakura vs. Akado Yoroi
Sakura gasped audibly. Her hand came to her mouth as she stared at the screen. "Please, change! Change!" Sakura whispered. The names glowed stubbornly, ignoring her plea.
"Sakura-chan, I don't think it's going to change," Naruto said unhelpfully.
"Why do I have to be first?" Sakura's hands dropped to the railing, grabbing them tightly. "Why me?"
"You'll do great, Sakura-chan!" Naruto assured her. "You can totally kick his butt!"
Akado was already advancing, heading down into the arena. "Sakura," Sasuke said. "You'd better hurry."
"Do you know who he is?" Sakura asked desperately, turning to Sasuke.
"He's Kabuto's teammate."
The worry in her bright green eyes grew. "Then he's old. Experienced." She gnawed on her fingernail, visibly tense. The nail broke to the quick, and she moved on to the next one.
"He's also failed the chunin exams six times," Sasuke returned sternly. Sakura dropped her eyes. "Sakura, you can defeat him."
She raised her eyes hesitantly. "What if I can't?"
"Then you fail the exams." Sakura's face fell. "But you can beat him."
"Yeah, Sakura-chan! You took on snake-butt back in the forest, remember?" Naruto encouraged her.
"Nyahh, well, yeah, but this is different!" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Don't tell me that you have to find me in a life or death situation to fight effectively.
"Are you coming down or not?" The sick proctor coughed loudly. "We don't have all day."
"Yes, Sakura," Sasuke echoed. "Hurry and defeat him, so Naruto and I can win."
Sakura froze for a minute, taken aback by his unexpected statement. Slowly, a satisfied grin spread across her face. "Okay." She jumped over the railing, landing loudly on the arena below.
Sasuke sniggered at her dramatic entrance to the battle. Go Sakura. She threw a backwards glance his way, and he nodded appreciatively. Her grin grew.
As an afterthought, Sasuke activated his sharingan. He might as well absorb as much knowledge as could about her opponent; perhaps he could even steal a jutsu.
It was funny; as much as he had downplayed Sakura's abilities, he truly believed she could win the match. True, her skills were not nearly as strong or refined as his, and she tended to be far too submissive and scared to lead in a battle. But underneath all that, there's some steel in her, some little piece of her that is just as damned stubborn, aggressive, and strong as anyone. Sasuke had seen it in the fight with Orochimaru. All she needs is to access it. She can beat him.
"Begin!"
Yoroi wasted no time. He charged at Sakura without a moment's hesitation.
Sakura fell back into a defensive stance, hands raised for protection. She ducked deftly, calmly evading Yoroi blows. His hands and feet swept through the air as she swiftly moved her body.
"Don't let him push you back!" Sasuke ordered, noting the sudden and disturbing trend. Sakura changed her strategy, initiating a five hit sequence of strikes, one Sasuke had been teaching her.
The first two punches came close to hitting; Yoroi dropped at literately the last moment. Sakura shifted to slam a roundhouse kick into his head, her movements more confident and assured than ever. He had ducked too late to avoid her hit, and there was no way she'd miss her target: his body.
He disappeared. Sakura jerked her head from side to side, searching frantically for her opponent.
Sasuke searched with her. Damn, damn, damn! Where did he go?
Naruto found him first. "Sakura-chan, behind you!" Sasuke saw Yoroi standing in a half-crouch behind Sakura, hands forming seals. Turn Sakura! Turn!
Sakura whirled around, just in time to meet Yoroi's outstretched hands. They closed around her neck, tightening in a chokehold. What is he doing? What happened to the jutsu?
Sakura twitched, face paling from lack of oxygen. She struggled uselessly. The chakra…it's leaving her body and entering his! He's sucking out her chakra! Angrily, Sasuke dug his fingers into the railing. The little leech!
"Break his hold!" Sasuke yelled. "Come on, Sakura!"
Sakura slammed her knee into Yoroi's crotch, a desperate, ill thought out move that nevertheless succeeded. Yoroi's grip momentarily loosened.
Sakura threw her body backwards, forcing her weakened body out of Yoroi's gripping and cutting off the transfer of chakra. She leapt back, body shaking.
Don't panic. Stay calm, Sasuke mentally coached her. She looked up, meeting his eyes. "Focus on the battle," he mouthed. "Think!"
She started to shake her head, but Sasuke's fierce scowl stopped her. "Beat him," Sasuke said softly. "You can beat him."
His voice was too low to carry, but Sakura straightened anyway.
"That's right."
She faced Yoroi again, and Sasuke could see the fire in her eyes, the strength he had seen when they had fought Orochimaru.
Sakura held her left hand out, palm facing out. "Come on," she taunted Yoroi, ignoring her still shaking hands.
Sasuke smirked pridefully at her audacity. That's more like it.
Yoroi charged at her again, biting the bait. Despite her lessened chakra, she was more focused, more concentrated, and she side stepped his every attack, carefully avoiding his hands. When he dove to grab her, she managed a sharp little side kick into his side. He recoiled appropriately, and she slammed her fist into his face.
She started to jump back, but Yoroi recovered in time to grab her elbow. "Bad timing, little one."
She wrenched her arm sideways and hit Yoroi's elbow with her other hand, nearly fracturing the bone. "Maybe," she finished his sentence cockily, landing a few feet away.
Irked by her comparatively easy escape, Yoroi recklessly ran at her. She kept pulling back, leading him in a circle around the arena as he tried to close the distance between them.
What are you playing at? Sasuke wondered. You have to beat him, so stop the game of tag.
Suddenly Sakura's hands fell to her sides. Horrified, Naruto screamed her name, telling her to move. Chuckling, Yoroi lurched forward, aiming for the younger genin's throat.
His hands closed around a small bundle of kunai covered with exploding tags. Substitution! Excellent!
The bundle exploded. Yoroi yelled as the force of the explosion sent him flying backwards. His head hit the wall with a resounding thud.
Sakura appeared beside him. Unfaltering, she slammed her fist into his head, successfully knocking him out.
"Great job, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered loudly.
Sakura looked up, searching for Sasuke. When she found him, she grinned widely and expectantly.
"Good job, Sakura," Sasuke said. I told you that you could do it. He smiled genuinely, and she raced up to join him and Naruto.
"Who do you think will be next?" Naruto asked excitedly as the names on the screen whirled.
Sakura, who was standing beside Sasuke, frowned. "I don't know." She watched the screen thoughtfully. Sasuke thought himself excellent at reading her, at deciphering her every thought, but her next question took even him by surprise. "Sasuke-kun, do you think it's really random?"
"What do you mean?" Sasuke answered.
"Do you think that they're really selecting us randomly? Or do you think they're picking the matches and just making them look random?"
Now both Naruto and Sasuke were staring at her. "Why would they do something like that?" Naruto answered.
"To make sure certain people moved on to the next round," Sasuke replied grimly.
"Or to make sure the fights are fair," Sakura added. "I mean, it doesn't have to be a bad reason, right?"
"If you're right and they're lying to us, it doesn't matter the reason," Sasuke said angrily.
The screen stopped.
Abumi Zaku vs. Akimichi Choji
"Noo!" Choji cried, sinking to his knees. "I'm done."
"Oh, come on, Choji!" Ino cried.
Sasuke ignored the unfolding scene. He slid closer to Sakura; he didn't see a reason to involve Naruto or Kakashi in the conversation. "Sakura, why do you think it's not random?"
"Um, uh," she stalled, staring at Ino and Choji to avoid his intense glare. "It was just a stupid idea. You know, just something I was thinking about and-"
"Liar."
Sakura blushed darkly and looked away, this time staring at the opposite wall. The proctor started the fight below them, but neither paid attention. "I heard some of the proctors talking about it before."
The one time I need her to talk she's close-lipped. "They said it wasn't random?"
"They were joking about it being random. The way they said it, it sounded like it wasn't random, you know?" Sakura's hand came up to her hair, and she started messing with it, pulling it off her sweaty neck and winding it into a bun. There was a loud thud below as Choji hit the wall; he was already losing the fight. "I don't know. I thought they were just talking about stage three, so I didn't try to listen anymore. I thought I could ask Kakashi-sensei or someone else later."
"Hn." Sasuke sighed heavily, running a hand through his hand. Nothing conclusive, either way.
"It's not like we can change it, so does it really matter?" Sakura asked.
"No." Both genin jumped. Kakashi slouched against the wall behind him, nose buried in his book, eyes focused on them. "It doesn't."
Sasuke scowled at him, ready to argue.
Kakashi used his book to gesture at the arena. "And you should be ready; this fight is almost over."
"What?" Sakura turned to look down. Choji was lying unconscious on the floor, and the proctor was declaring Zaku the winner.
"Hmpf. That was over quick," Naruto said, unimpressed. "Didn't expect anymore."
The screen started spinning again. Come on, come on. Sasuke just wanted to end his fight. There were only a few genin he considered actual challenges, but each of them were exceedingly gifted.
The names slowed. Sasuke saw his come and pass. Damn. Kakashi sighed from behind him. Was he hoping for me? Well, not like it matters. Kakashi's hopes for the order of the matches didn't matter. He did seem unusually concerned about it, though.
Two names slid into place.
Uzumaki Naruto vs. Nara Shikamaru
Well, this is going to be interesting.
"Alright!" Naruto cheered loudly. "Let's get it on!"
Sakura shook her head, smiling. "Good luck, Naruto."
He stopped jumping long enough to smile back at her. "Thanks, Sakura-chan." He turned to grin at Sasuke. "Hey teme."
Sasuke met his competitive glare with an "hn".
"I'm going to win my fight faster than you're gonna lose yours."
Sasuke chuckled cockily. "Yeah right, dobe. We'll see."
Naruto smirked and jumped off the balcony.
"This is going to be such a drag," Shikamaru grumbled as he entered the arena slowly.
"Go Naruto!" Sakura cheered.
"Beat up, Shikamaru! You can kick that loser's butt!" Ino screamed over her.
"Don't listen to Ino-pig Naruto!"
"Forehead doesn't know what she's talking about! Come on, Shikamaru!"
Kami, not again, Sasuke thought as the yells grew in volume and fervor. At least they're fighting about him instead of over me. Oh, yeah, and good luck, Naruto.
"Begin!" The proctor announced, quickly leaping back to avoid the genin.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled. Instantly a crowd of clones surrounded him. The wave attacked Shikamaru hastily, clamoring to hit him.
Shikamaru retreated rapidly, flinging kunai after kunai at the crowd. One by one they began to vanish, disappearing in an understated "puff" of smoke.
He's trying to whittle their numbers down so he can use that shadow control jutsu of his. Hopefully Naruto can see through that. Sasuke rolled his eyes. This is Naruto. Okay, hopefully he can counter it.
A group of three Narutos routed Shikamaru, cutting off his path of escape. Without forethought they tackled him, pinning him to the ground. The other four Narutos that were still in existence ran towards the pig pile at full speed.
Poof! Poof! Poof! Shikamaru rose shakily amid the puffs of smoke, kunai outstretched towards the Narutos running full speed at him. He slipped his hand into his pouch and retrieved three shuriken. Fanning his hand out, he allowed the shuriken to slip between his fingers. With one sure movement, he sent the four spinning out towards the Narutos before retrieving another quartet and flinging them in a similar fashion.
The Narutos ducked valiantly, jumping theatrically and falling to the ground to evade the kunai. One Naruto threw a fistful of kunai at Shikamaru, who was forced to practically fall on his face to avoid them.
Shikamaru's aim was better than the Narutos dodging skills. One by one they disappeared, leaving only the original standing. Naruto and Shikamaru faced each other hostilely. The three meter distance between them seemed smaller than ever.
Hurry, Naruto! You have to make more clones!
"Good tricks, but they're not gonna work anymore!" Naruto started to bring his hands together. "Shadow Clone-"
"Not going to happen," a breathless Shikamaru said, clasping his hands a second earlier, his face molded into a rare expression of determination and focus. The shadow stretched out, winding its way towards Naruto at a breath taking speed. No, no no!
The shadow latched onto Naruto, forcing his body into a perfect copy of Shikamaru's.
Shikamaru's face relaxed. "Good. That was getting to be troublesome."
"Okay, so, so you trapped me!" Naruto declared. "Fine. But you can't hold me forever! And it's not like you can hurt me! You haven't beaten me!"
"I can't, huh?" Shikamaru laughed a little. "All I have to do is – nah, too troublesome to explain. I'll just show you.
Naruto's closer to the wall than Shikamaru is, Sasuke realized suddenly. If he runs at it, Naruto will hit it first, and if he sprints – Sasuke closed his eyes. Well, there goes Naruto's match.
"Sasuke, look!" Sakura whispered, pointed at the ground. "Look at Naruto's kunai!"
"What?" Intrigued, Sasuke peered at the kunai Naruto had thrown during his assault. They seemed quite ordinary -
Until one of them twitched. They're…they're moving! Two Naruto clones appeared behind Shikamaru.
Sasuke chuckled softly and shared a knowing glance with Sakura. It's like the stunt he pulled against Zabuza. Nice. He had come quite a ways from his old manner of excoriating Naruto's every move. Of course, Naruto's come a long way from the pathetic skill level he started with as a genin.
"Well done, Naruto," Kakashi said behind them in an appreciatively soft tone. Habitually, Sasuke turned to face him.
Something about Kakashi's face caught him off guard. He had expected Kakashi to appear proud and maybe even triumphant; after all, Naruto's achievement was a reflection of Kakashi's teaching, and Sasuke had suspected that their sensei was prepared to gloat over his success.
Kakashi was neither proud nor arrogant. Oddly, the famously imperturbable Kakashi looked distracted.
Does he know? Sasuke shook that thought away immediately. This was Kakashi; while the jonin kept up a pretense of a porn-loving, perpetually late, scatterbrained ninja, he was one of Konoha's finest, and he was highly respected. Someone had to have told him.
"Go Naruto!" Sakura's yell turned Sasuke's attention back towards the fight. The Naruto clones had pummeled Shikamaru from behind. Sasuke shifted just in time to watch Shikamaru's unconscious body collapse to the ground.
"Yeah!" Naruto yelled. "I'm going to the third stage of the chunin exams! Believe it!"
"He did it!" Sakura smiled at her teammate, especially effusive in light of his win. Sasuke nodded at Sakura absentmindedly.
Naruto returned to the balcony, and Sakura and a timid Hinata came to meet him.
"Let's hope your match is next," Kakashi said calmly, ever enigmatic.
"Why?" Sasuke wasn't about to let him get away that easily.
"Trust me."
That helps, Sasuke thought sarcastically. The selection was starting again, and Sasuke decided to abandon his fruitless conversation with Kakashi in favor of watching it.
"I wonder who'll be next," Sakura said aloud.
The selection took less time than it had before. The screen cleared, two names brightly lit.
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku Kankuro
"Excellent," Kakashi breathed.
"Time for you to lose your match, teme," Naruto joked playfully.
"Oh, Naruto, just shut up already. We cheered for you."
"Okay, okay, Sakura-chan. Geez, I was just-" Sakura raised her fist, and Naruto cut himself off. "Good luck, teme."
"Yeah, good luck, Sasuke-kun," Sakura echoed.
Sasuke nodded before leaping off the balcony. Kakashi's disturbing behavior, Orochimaru, the upcoming third stage, his team – he had to push all of it away and focus on the match. He had a battle to win.
Kankuro was one of the Sand nin siblings. Sasuke sized him up as they waited for the proctor's signal. Kankuro wore a long sleeved pitch black jumpsuit with a small, purple and yellow symbol in the middle. His face was painted with long, delicate streaks of purple. There was an odd bundle on his back. Is that some sort of tradition with Sand nin? His teammates have packs on their backs too.
Distraction. Focus on him.
Kankuro sneered at him smugly. "I hope you're ready to lose. How does it feel, knowing that you're the only on your team that won't make it to the third stage?"
"I wouldn't know. How does it feel, Sabaku?"
Kankuro's eyes widened.
"Begin!"
"You'll pay for that," Kankuo hissed. He withdrew two fistfuls of senbon and flung them indiscriminately towards Sasuke.
Activating his sharingan, Sasuke dodged the senbon, heading towards the balcony to avoid them. Scowling, Kankuro sent out another volley, forcing Sasuke to retreat to the side of the wall, almost at the balcony.
More and more senbon came Sasuke's way. He had no time to form the signs for a jutsu or even to retrieve a weapon of his own. All he could do was dodge the senbon.
Not how I pictured this fight going! Sasuke grit his teeth as he narrowly ducked a trio of senbon aimed at his face. The senbon had an unnatural glint to them that Sasuke didn't trust, and he was not going to risk getting hit.
I need some breathing space! Sasuke chanced a jump into the middle of the arena. Mid air he whipped out a kunai armed with an exploding tag and threw it as hard as he humanly could at Kankuro. The Sand nin jumped backwards to avoid the projectile, but his jump was not natural; his body moved slowly, almost swaying in the air, as though he was floating across the arena.
He's going too slow! Sasuke pressed his advantage. "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" The flame balls started to streak across the arena towards his opponent.
Kankuro flipped a small purple pellet at Sasuke. A gas bomb!
Sasuke used his sharingan to pinpoint the pellet's path and directed a petal of flame from the jutsu towards it. Bull's-eye. The pellet was incinerated.
Sasuke hit the ground. There was a safe distance between him and Kankuro, and now that the other genin was burned from the jutsu-
He's not burned. He was fine, absolutely unharmed by the jutsu. What the hell happened?
Sasuke studied him carefully. There are incongruities in his chakra pattern…it's almost like it surrounding him, like a genjutsu! But that's impossible; he doesn't look any different than he did earlier!
Wait. The source of the chakra was his pack, not him! He's a freaking puppet! His real body is in the wrapped bundle on his back!
Well, that changes things. He had to attack the real body; it was the only way to destroy the genjutsu and win the battle. It's time to put this sharingan into real action.
Sasuke concentrated, activating the speed he had learned from Lee in their fight. Effortlessly he zipped across the arena, running behind Kankuro's body before the Sand nin could turn around. As he turned the curve he allowed the momentum to build up behind his kick, and he hit Kankuro's body directly in the center with the full weight of his body.
There was a loud cracking noise as several bones broke simultaneously. Kankuro yelled in anguish. The genjutsu fell, revealing an ant-like puppet.
Sasuke didn't waste any time. "Fireball jutsu!" This time, the jutsu collided with the real body, sending Kankuro flying across the arena.
This fight is over.
Sakura and Naruto cheered in unison as Kankuro was removed from the arena and Sasuke ascended to the balcony.
"Great job, Sasuke!" Sakura gushed. She refrained from hugging him, although Sasuke could tell she desperately wanted to. Although he didn't say it, he appreciated her restraint.
"Thought you were gonna lose for a while there, teme," Naruto said.
"Hn. If I lost, I couldn't kick your ass in the final stage."
"Ah, shut up, teme. We both know I'm gonna kill you."
"Look," Sakura interceded. "They're getting ready for the next fight."
Naruto scrambled to the railing at the edge of the balcony, eyes glued to the screen in anticipation. Sakura joined him, and Sasuke made a move to follow them.
Kakashi clamped a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. That urgency Sasuke had felt earlier had only increased during the time that had passed. "Come on, Sasuke," he said softly.
Sasuke nodded. He wasn't entirely sure where they were going or who had ordered it, but he had a strong feeling that it had something to do with Orochimaru. With one last furtive glance towards the screen, he started to follow Kakashi.
"Wait!" Kakashi kept walking, but Sasuke allowed Sakura to catch up with him. Her eyes wide with concern, she stopped beside him. "Kakashi-sensei, where are you taking Sasuke-kun? The preliminaries aren't over, and I don't think we're supposed to leave yet."
"It's fine, Sakura," Kakashi answered soothingly. At least, as soothingly as he was capable. "Go back and watch the rest of the fights. We'll meet again later."
"But Kakashi-sensei," she protested, her eyes on Sasuke.
"Go now, Sakura."
She stood her ground, eyes glued to Sasuke. "It's fine," he said quietly. "Go. I'll see you later."
Doubtfully, she nodded, looking as insecure as ever. Sasuke grasped her hand gently, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. Pay attention to the fights; I want to know what we'll be up against in the finals."
Sakura fought to create a cheery smile. "Sure, Sasuke-kun." She released his hand, caressing his thumb as she slid her fingers away. Resolutely she backed up, eyes still on Sasuke.
Sasuke gifted her with one last fleeting glance before he followed Kakashi down a darkened hall and away from the arena.
Kakashi was silent as he led Sasuke down into the inner halls of the small building. What Sasuke had initially taken for an unimposing outpost was quickly proving to be an extensive labyrinth, one that made the quiet even more oppressing. Even taciturn Sasuke was starting to find Kakashi's silence unnerving, although he kept his feelings to himself.
We'll definitely be discussing Orochimaru, Sasuke determined. They'll want to know what happened. I wonder if Anko defeated him.
Sasuke doubted it. He knew the slightly psychotic proctor was powerful, but Orochimaru was far superior. Even in that weakened state, he could have killed her. The question was, had he killed her? Or had he let her live? They had to have some history together. Would that be enough to keep her alive, or would just seal it her fate?
"Sasuke." Kakashi had stopped outside an unmarked door. Sasuke stopped as well, facing his sensei. "You know what this is going to concern."
It wasn't a question. Sasuke almost wished it was. "Orochimaru."
Kakashi nodded solemnly. "Do you know who he is?"
I know he's an insane, super powerful, sadistic ninja who trapped me in a sick jutsu and tried to kill me. "No. I've heard of him, but-"
"He's one of the three Sanin."
"The three legendary Sanin: Orochimaru, Tsunade-sama, and Jirayia-sama," the teacher said as he held up a picture of the three ninja in their youth. "Does anyone know who trained them?"
Sakura raised her hand. "Hokage-sama."
"Correct, Sakura-chan. Yes, Hokage-sama trained the three Sanin, the three most powerful ninja this village has ever known."
"Didn't Orochimaru defect?" Sasuke turned, trying to find the speaker. "Isn't that why you don't call him Orochimaru-sama?"
"Yes, Orochimaru betrayed the village. He is considered a traitor and is no longer a recognized ninja of the Leaf."
"How come we didn't kill him, then?" Brunette girl, maybe a year or two older than Sasuke, asked.
"Because-"
"Because we couldn't catch him," the same loudmouth interrupted. "Because no one could defeat him."
It seemed laughable that he had forgotten. Then again, the village rarely discussed Orochimaru; he was a blight on the village's history. "Do you know why he attacked me?"
Kakashi shook his head. "He's been off the grid for some time now. No one knows why he chose to reappear now, much less attack you."
"Hn," Sasuke said softly. Why come back now? Why come after me?
Kakashi gestured towards a closed door. "After you."
Sasuke squared his shoulders and resolutely entered the room.
The room, if it could be called that, was not much larger than a closet. The three men already present made it seem even smaller. A small table with an accompanying chair was the only furniture. One of the men, the proctor from the first exam, was standing directly behind the table. The other two, ANBU agents garbed completely in black with their characteristic white, porcelain masks painfully visible, stood slightly behind Ibiki, bodies taunt and rigid.
"Sit down, Sasuke," Ibiki said, his voice as deep and serious, though not half so sarcastic, as it had been at the beginning of the chunin exams.
Sasuke wisely followed his order, sitting in the chair provided. He focused directly on Ibiki, choosing to ignore the imposing ANBU agents. Kakashi stepped in and shut the door, effectively sealing the five of them in the room.
Sasuke understood Kakashi's urgency. ANBU didn't like to be kept waiting; if his match had come later, they may have removed him.
"We are aware that you encountered Orochimaru in the Forest of Death." His face radiated strength and a menace that clearly read "do not toy with me."
Sasuke found that his mouth was incredibly dry. "Yes, I did."
"Please detail your encounter." Ibiki crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Sasuke to begin. "Don't leave anything out." There was a threat behind his last order.
Sasuke licked his lips slowed and took a deep breath.
He started with the fight with the Cloud nin. Carefully, he explained the wind, the jutsu, and the ensuing fight with Orochimaru as descriptively as he could. Occasionally Ibiki interrupted to ask for clarification or for more details, but for the most part Sasuke was allowed to speak. It was much more difficult to describe the genjutsu than he had anticipated. As he rehashed every little torrid detail it came back to him a thousand fold; he could feel the spongy, wet, blood red floor oozing around his legs and the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped and the overwhelming sense of helplessness. He refused to show weakness, especially in front of his brother's and cousin's associates, but maintaining a calm and unaffected façade was nearly impossible. He rushed through the genjutsu as quickly as he could, focusing mainly on his observations of Orochimaru and the fight after Sakura had helped him escape.
"After I hit him, Mitrashi-san," Sasuke hated using honoraries, but one did not disrespect ANBU in front of other ANBU, "attacked him. My team retreated." Sasuke deliberately forget to mention that he had lost consciousness. His passing out was not applicable to his fight with Orochimaru.
Ibiki was silent, almost visibly processing the information. There were many questions Sasuke wanted to ask him or Kakashi, but he knew enough to keep silent. Hiro had taught him that much.
"And you're sure," Ibiki said, "that it wasn't a normal genjutsu? Some can be very disconcerting."
Sasuke shook his head as he searched for an adequate way to describe the jutsu. "It felt like he was trying to take me over, like he was destroying my mind and replacing it with his. I couldn't even access my chakra anymore, or even feel it, just his." Even to Sasuke's ears the words sounded strange and disturbing. "And when Sakura broke his concentration and I escaped, he was almost as winded as I was."
Ibiki merely nodded. "Yes, Anko did mention that Orochimaru appeared weak," he said, more to Kakashi than to Sasuke.
"Anko- Mitrashi-san is alive?" Sasuke mentally kicked himself for the question; it had slipped out before he could stop it.
"Why, Sasuke, I didn't know you cared so much," Kakashi responded dryly with a hint of sadistic humor.
"Yes," Ibiki confirmed, frowning deeply. His hand rested on his chin as he spoke to Kakashi, almost ignoring Sasuke's presence. "This jutsu Orochimaru used must have been created by him. I have never heard of it before." Ibiki was quiet for a moment. "The power to seize someone's body and silence his mind."
Ibiki shook his head. "I suppose we should be grateful that you managed to finagle your way. Still, we will have to ensure that there are no…pieces of Orochimaru's consciousness imbedded in yours."
What precisely does that mean?
Ibiki smirked. You're enjoying this far too much. It was making Sasuke nervous."Don't look so worried, Sasuke. We're simply going to have Yamanaka Inoichi examine you. It will be virtually painless."
Fan-freaking-tastic. Sasuke suppressed a moan as he stood and allowed himself to be escorted out of room by the ANBU agents and Kakashi.
A/N: 200! WOOHOO! Sorry about that ;) It's a very happy number. Isn't 200 so awesome?
ANYWAY, about the chapter: more will be forthcoming about Orochimaru. It's so hard not to just spill it out right now! Urgh! But I will contain myself. For now ;) Sorry this chapter is short; next chapter is going to be long, I can already tell. Well, you know the drill, let me know what you think :) Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/fav'ed/read!