Sasuke met Kakashi at the training ground that was farthest from the arena where the third stage was going to be held.
He wants me to be late, Sasuke moaned as he approached his teacher. After all, he's got a reputation to keep up.
"Sasuke, so glad you could make it," Kakashi said congenially.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms. There was no use wasting time in superfluous pleasantries. "What are we doing?"
"Don't be so combative," Kakashi chided. "I'm helping to prepare you, you know."
Sasuke glared at him. Fine. You win. He waited in silence for Kakashi to continue.
The wind ruffled Kakashi's steel gray hair ominously. The older nin smiled forebodingly. "We're going to perfect your chidori."
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"We have more than merely your fight with Neji to consider, Sasuke." They were taking a break from yet another sparring session, Kakashi reclining against the tree with no sign of exhaustion and Sasuke practically collapsed on the forest floor. "You'll be pitted against the winner of the Sabaku no Gaara and Abami Zaku fight. The Sand nin will win easily. You'll face him."
For the thousandth time since his interrogation, Sasuke cursed his misfortune to have missed the preliminaries. He had not had the chance to observe the other opponents. All he knew was that Gaara was according to Sakura "scary" and according to Naruto "freaking creepy". "He has a sand jutsu," Sasuke recalled.
"Yes. A very unique one," Kakashi replied. "It acts as a shield of sorts. While it may be possible for you to destroy it, I sincerely doubt you will be able to."
Sasuke scowled, thinking: thanks for the vote of confidence. "I can."
"Not with any of your current jutsu," Kakashi said, "which is why I'm teaching you a new one."
Sasuke brightened visibly, ignoring Kakashi's smile at his humorous mood swing. "What is it?"
"It's called the chidori."
Sasuke bit back a groan, remembering the results of that disastrous training session. The hand signs needed to create a chidori were fairly simple and uncomplicated, and the process itself was not overly complex; one formed the proper hand seals, concentrated lightning chakra in one's arms, and created a spike of intense, highly powerful chakra. In theory, it was very straightforward.
Sasuke had learned the hand seals easily, and he could concentrate the lightning chakra in his arms well enough, but he could not complete the chidori. It required massive amounts of raw power, power that Kakashi was certain he had and power that Sasuke was certain he couldn't access. Every time he attempted a chidori, it fizzled out, dying painfully.
"I can't master that in one morning," Sasuke asserted. I don't think I could master that in a month of mornings.
Kakashi ignored him. "Begin the hand seals."
Stubborn bastard. Reluctantly, Sasuke formed the seals. He felt the familiar flow of chakra within his body and the electrifying sensation of accessing his lightning chakra. The chakra condensed, gathering in his forearm, pressure building to a barely bearable amount.
Sasuke released the chakra, letting it flow into the spike of lightning chakra. He felt a small surge of hope as the spike grew bigger and bigger –
Only to fizzle out pathetically with an impressive sounding crackle.
Kakashi regarded his pupil thoughtfully. "Sasuke, there are no encouraging words for the disaster that is currently your chidori, so just try again."
Helpful, Hatake. Very helpful. Sighing, Sasuke stretched his fingers, cracking a few joints, and began the hand seals once again.
The most infuriating thing about the chidori, Sasuke decided, was that it had a more sadistic sense of humor than Shisui. Sasuke was so close to conquering it; he could feel it with every ounce of his body; but he could not master it. He could not create enough sheer power to successfully complete it. He could not do it, but he was so close that he could taste victory with every breath, see it with every failed attempt, feel it with every hand sign.
His second attempt failed horribly. His third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh attempts did as well, extinguishing immediately with a sad little fizzle that further exasperated him. The sun was rising farther and farther in the sky, and Sasuke was starting to wonder what had ever possessed him to wear a black jumpsuit on the day of the chunin exams.
By his tenth attempt, Sasuke no longer needed Kakashi prodding to continue. He was angry enough at himself, at his sensei, and at the "stupid #%#$ jutsu" to try again on his own merit.
I'm going to master this stupid jutsu if it takes me the rest of the day, Sasuke decided grimly. I am NOT going to be a failure. I am going to learn it.
That determination ruled his thoughts as he summoned the strength to try again and again, to keep trying, even as the sun rose and the air grew humid and hot and the shade disappeared and Kakashi's reassurances shrunk from logical, kind sentences to monosyllabic and extraordinarily unhelpful grunts to finally nothing at all. He wasn't doing it to shut up his sensei anymore; he was doing it for himself.
He lost count of the number of tries, and forgot even further the number of failures. Neither number mattered in the slightest.
Finally, finally, at what felt like the millionth try, Sasuke felt something proverbially "click". He gathered the lightning chakra in his arm, and he could feel a sudden power, a sudden surge of energy that was entirely different from anything that had happened in his previous tries.
He clamped his mouth shut, focusing on the jutsu, eyes narrowing in anticipation. He forced the chakra forward, slowly shaping the spear of lightning chakra, wincing in expectation of its collapse.
It grew. Sasuke concentrated with all his might, forcing all his energy into the creation of the chidori. It continued expanding, growing larger than Sasuke had ever managed before.
Come on, come on, just a little more!
It happened so fast, so incredibly quickly that Sasuke barely had time to process it. The jutsu peaked, and suddenly Kakashi was next to him, guiding him through the extinguishing process, helping him shut off the jutsu before it drained all of his chakra. It was so swift Sasuke had hardly anytime to bask in the rewards of his hours of work and excess of expended chakra.
He was left staring at his empty hands almost dumfounded. Kakashi cleared his throat, drawing Sasuke's attention upward. A small smile wrinkled the elder's mask before he began.
"Well, well, you've finally mastered it." Kakashi nodded encouragingly. "Good job, Sasuke."
Sasuke triumphantly wiped the sweat off his face. He smirked cheerfully, showing his sensei an expression as close to a grin as Kakashi had ever seen. I beat your idiotic jutsu, Hatake. I did it. Which, Sasuke knew, made Kakashi right and him wrong. He was too absurdly happy to care.
The bird broke the happy spell around them. It was a crow, and the little parasitic black bird was ugly even for a crow, what with its mangled face, missing feathers, and scarred feet. It cawed persistently as it flew overheard, streaking towards the arena.
The matches! Sasuke had forgotten. How had he forgotten? The single most important day of his life, and he was acting like a child and completely disregarding everything else around him.
Kakashi was speaking to him, either unaware or unconcerned with his student's distraction. "I wouldn't attempt the jutsu until your fight with Gaara, Sasuke. I think you can beat the Hyuuga," those two words made Sasuke's stony countenance crack a little, mirth breaking through the worry – I have rubbed off on him…good to know, "without it, so save it for the fight with the Sand nin. There's no use showing your hand early."
Sasuke nodded impatiently, body already turned and ready to leave. "We-"
"Wait a moment, Sasuke."
"Kakashi," Sasuke warned, looking with no small degree of angst at the bright sky. It was late and getting later. The Uchiha commanded a certain degree of respect in the village, even among the many that disliked them. After all, their previous clan head had practically caused the destruction of the Kyuubi, and many among their ranks had valiantly died to save the village. However, there was no way in hell that the proctors would wait for him. If he was late for his match, he would have to automatically forfeit the fight.
"Calm down, Sasuke," Kakashi returned evenly. "You'll be there in time." His words held the same timbre that they had had during Team 7's first mission, when Kakashi had told him that he would protect him with his life. Now, as it had then, it failed to comfort Sasuke. "I was going to wish you good luck." Cheers erupted from the arena, signaling the beginning of some genin's fight, and Sasuke glared pointedly at his sensei. "But I suppose we should leave, shouldn't we?"
Sasuke stayed with Kakashi only long enough to be courteous; the moment they reached the stands of the stadium, he ran ahead, anxious to get a seat somewhere where he could easily observe the action.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura stood up, waving her right hand excitedly. Naruto, who was seated beside her, was completely unaware of Sasuke's presence and continue to yell and cheer madly. Sasuke gratefully slipped down the aisle and slid into the open seat she had saved for him.
The fight below was between Lee and Shino. Sasuke did not particularly like Lee; his actions during the earlier stages of the exams had left Sasuke with an indelible negative opinion of the genin; but he appreciated the boy's apparent stubbornness and strong will.
Unfortunately for the "spandex ninja", as Sasuke had mentally dubbed him, that stubbornness and will was not helping him overcome Shino's impressive army of bugs. Sasuke watched composedly as Rock Lee used his remarkable speed to dodge the Bugs and close with Shino. He then punched Shino only for the clone to dissolve into a swarm of bugs which promprly engulfed Lee, defeating him.
"Poor Lee," Sakura said. The fight ended, and a team of med nin removed Lee's ravaged body from the arena. "I'm glad I'm not fighting Shino."
The fight officially over, Naruto finally decided to take notice of Sasuke's presence. "Hey, you finally showed up! Is Kakashi-sensei rubbing off on you or something?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Shut up."
Naruto's cheeky grin widened. "Watch out, Sakura-chan. Soon he'll be carrying around those porn books just like Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke shoved his teammate, not hard enough to hurt but forceful enough to communicate his mood. "Drop it."
Miraculously, Naruto did. "Hey, where'd Sakura-chan go?" He asked suddenly, craning his neck around to see.
Sasuke sighed heavily. "Her fight's next."
"Ooohhh," Naruto droned. Sasuke fought the urge to hit him again. Useless expenditure of energy is wasteful and unproductive, even if it feels good. "Hey, there goes Ino," Naruto added, eying the blond. "Boy, I hope Sakura-chan beats her up good."
Sasuke nodded, in utter agreement. Naruto continued to prattle on mindlessly, eyes on Ino, and Sasuke took that opportunity to slip out of his seat and follow Sakura to her position near the edge of the stands, close to the battleground.
It took him a few minutes, but he eventually caught sight of her standing beside their sensei. Sakura's hands were shaking as she pulled her hair up into a bun. Sasuke watched, half sympathetic, half amused, as she struggled to wrap the elastic around the mass of pink fluff. He stood beside her, offering unspoken support.
"What if I can't do this, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered frantically, eyes darting from the arena and Ino to Sasuke.
Kakashi chuckled. "You will."
Both genin stared uncomprehendingly at their sensei. "I will?" Sakura repeated uncertainly, surprised at the blatant support.
"Yes, of course. You fix your hair every other day with very few problems, and I'm sure it will cooperate eventually today."
Sakura moaned loudly. "Kakashi-sensei-"
"Relax." Sasuke wasn't sure who he startled more with his sudden command: Sakura or himself. "It's Ino. You can beat her. You're strong enough now."
Sakura's hands paused in mid-tie. She took the time to grin and blush before her fingers found strength again. "I can't let Pig win. You're right."
Of course. I'm always right. "Hn." He smirked back at her.
"Good luck, Sakura," Kakashi said, indicating the waiting Genma and Ino with his head. "They're waiting. You should go."
"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." She smiled wider, a smile that had lost some of the over exuberant and entirely annoying tenor and had gained some attractive confidence. She walked slowly towards her foe, back turned to her sensei and teammate.
"Hey, Sakura," Sasuke called after her.
She paused immediately. He stepped forward, catching up with her. And then he did something that was completely ill-conceived, absolutely illogical, and, in some people's eyes, perfectly ridiculous.
He leaned forward, lips brushing the sensitive skin beside her ear. "Beat her quickly," he whispered softly, so lightly only they could hear it. "We have other fights to get to." He let his lips brush her cheekbone before slipping back into the crowd.
Kakashi said nothing, but the conspicuous smirk on his face and sudden renewed interest in his porn told a story he wouldn't. Sasuke didn't risk looking into the crowd, knowing exactly what Shisui had to be saying about the little scene. Sasuke knew he had seen it, and he supposed he was supposed to care.
He couldn't. It felt good to focus on someone else's troubles.
He remained standing beside the last row of spectators, choosing the yells of random strangers to his teammate, who would be sure to react explosively and loudly to Sasuke's bold actions. Yes, here is good. Here is very good.
Sakura was facing Ino now, face stern and determined. Ino sneered at her foe fearlessly.
"Begin!" Genma called, and a cheer rose up from the crowd.
Sakura forced her fingers into a simple seal that Sasuke would have recognized anywhere. A displacement genjutsu…good starting technique, he thought. The displacement genjutsu was different from other genjutsu in that it didn't cause the viewer to see or cease to see anything; it merely skewed the victim's perceptions. If used correctly, it could be terribly effective.
"Fail, forehead!" Ino crowed, flinging a trio of kunai at Sakura. Sakura didn't even move in response to the apparent threat, and the weapons lodged themselves in the dirt ten meters to the right of her. Horrified, Ino withdrew three shuriken and poised to attack.
She never got the chance. Sakura tossed four kunai armed with exploding tags at Ino. The blond genin jumped to the side hastily, barely avoiding the ensuing explosions.
She rose quickly and formed a hand seal. "Dispel genjutsu!" Ino yelled, destroying Sakura's advantage.
Heedlessly Sakura charged at Ino, fists cocked. Sasuke unconsciously stepped forward, gripping the railing of the balcony. He watched silently as Sakura attacked Ino with a battle hungry fervor he didn't know she possessed, her bright red shirt whipping around her slim frame as she hit again and again.
Ino seemed as shocked as Sasuke by Sakura's transformation, but to her credit she met every attack Sakura threw at her. She block blow after blow and attempted a few hits of her own, but Sakura's wild and almost frenzied attack left no space for Ino to exploit.
Casual observers would have seen an impassioned young ninja, and would have passed off Sakura's brutal vehemence for a genin's natural zeal. Sasuke knew it was more than that.
He remembered, now more than ever, Sakura's days at the Academy: the fights between her and Ino; Ino's persistent badgering, persistent nitpicking; the taunts, the jeers, how Ino ostracized Sakura, made her a pariah. Something had happened between them, something that had changed them from merely strangers to enemies; Sasuke had never been privy to what capricious argument had alienated the girls; but he knew that after it happened, Sakura never stood a chance. She had already been on the bottom of the social ladder, fodder for everyone else. And it all made more sense to Sasuke now; an outsider girl, with one civilian parent who wasn't even from Konoha, a girl who shouldn't even have been in Konoha, much less attending the Academy, stood no chance in the face of Ino, a girl from a well-respected clan, the daughter of a revered ninja.
This was payback. This was revenge. This was reclaiming her self-efficacy. This was showing who she really was. Sasuke wouldn't have helped her if he could have. There were some things that a person needed to do alone.
Sakura risked a kick combination, a ruthless sequence that could incapacitate an opponent if it hit. The first three driving side kicks found their mark, but Sakura was a second too late in firing off the crescent. It was barely a moment, hardly time for a child to blink his eyes, but it was long enough for Ino to jump to the side and plant her right foot into Sakura's side.
Sakura skidded backwards, creating a gap between the girls.
"Still a crappy fighter as always, huh, forehead?" Ino sneered, gasping slightly for breath. I guess you're never too breathless to be an ass.
"Shut up, Ino-pig," Sakura answered angrily, emphasizing the derogatory "pig". Her face was red and sweaty, and she wiped her damp hands on her black shorts calmly. Ino paused for a moment, trying to predict Sakura's next move.
Sakura slammed her fingers together. Another genjutsu, Sasuke guessed calmly. Ino screamed as a flaming meteor coursed through the sky towards her. She sprinted for the edge of the training ground, desperate to escape it. It was so comical Sasuke almost chuckled, but he withheld it for propriety's sake.
Sakura used her distraction to her advantage, landing a solid hit to Ino's jaw. The blond girl went flying backwards, jaw spectacularly red.
"Go, Sakura-chan!" Naruto was cheering even louder than before, fist thrown in the air. He wasn't a fan of Ino's either. "You can beat her! Believe it!"
She rose unsteadily, hand clamped to her jaw. "This is going to end now!" Ino screamed, hands forming a diamond shape in front of her.
Sakura's eyes flashed with sudden understanding, and she started running to the side. What is Ino do-…no, that can't be it. Can it? Ino's signature jutsu was a clan jutsu, the Mind Transfer Jutsu. The user would invade the victim's mind, taking over his or her body in the process. The victim would be powerless while the user manipulated his or her body.
Sakura was running faster now, trying to evade the blow.
But why use it now? It was not particularly dangerous; Ino's empty body would be safe so long as she maintained control of Sakura's; but what could she possibly accomplish?
Forfeit. She could make her forfeit. The thought was chilling. Run faster, Sakura!
Sakura slowed, too tired to maintain her frantic pace, and Ino performed the jutsu. Ino's body slackened, like a puppet cut from its strings, and Sakura's body jerked straight, eyes rolling back into her head.
Sasuke watched in horror as Sakura turned around to face Genma. No, no, no! Don't do it!
She smiled sadistically. "I wish to for-" Her expression suddenly changed. She screamed loudly, grabbing her head with both hands and bending over.
"Cutting it a little close, Sakura." Sasuke jolted at the sudden words, shocked to find that Kakashi had come to stand beside him. He had been more preoccupied than he'd thought. "It'll be harder for her now."
Revelation dawned on Sasuke. "You knew Ino would try that."
"Sasuke, it's impossible to predict the future. I merely had a reasonable guess, and gave Sakura-chan instruction based on that reasonable guess." He leaned forward, placing his arms on the railing.
"Do you think she can break it?" Sakura's body was kneeling now, emitting screams of various frequencies and pitches.
"She's almost there already."
Fulfilling Kakashi's words, Sakura's head plunged backward, eyes up to the sky. She screamed again and suddenly collapsed.
Ino's body jerked as her consciousness reentered it. In unison the two girls stood, their bodies slow and uncoordinated.
Sakura reacted first. She ripped out a handful of shuriken and sent them flying towards Ino.
"Yes!" Sasuke cheered softly. Ino caught them easily and threw them back, but the return throw was clumsy. Sakura stepped to the side, leaving the metal projectiles to clang uselessly on the ground. "Go, Sakura," he whispered. "End it."
Impervious to his words, Ino charged at Sakura. Sakura played a baiting game, refusing to meet any of Ino's strikes. She blocked only as she had to, mainly just pulling back to avoid any hits. She led Ino in a circle, staying just out of reach, letting the blond girl expend her energy worthlessly.
Ino was getting frustrated; Sasuke could see it in the carelessness of her strikes, in the anger in her eyes. She was getting tired, too; the fight had dragged on too long.
But somehow, somehow, she managed to hit Sakura directly in her diaphragm. Wheezing, Sakura bent over, and Ino slammed her fist into the other genin's face.
Sakura! She fell to the ground, wincing. Get up! Hurry! Sakura didn't move. Blood was pouring from her nose and mouth. She lay on the ground, covered in dust, body clearly exhausted.
Ino's bravado was undiminished. She grinned as she looked at her foe, her blond hair messy and her face various shades of red and pink. She was triumphant. "It's no use trying, forehead! I'm going to win!" She chortled as approached to administer the winning blow.
"No, Ino-pig." Sakura met her opponent's eyes fearlessly. "You won't." She jumped backwards and formed several hand seals in quick succession. "Hell-viewing Technique!"
Ino froze, mouth half open, eyes blank.
"Good move, Sakura," Kakashi commented appreciatively.
"Finish it!" Sasuke called, much louder than he had intended to. Sakura looked up to meet his eyes briefly before she charged at Ino.
It was so close. As she approached, Ino was digging her way out of the genjutsu, slowly dismantling the layer of horrors that Sakura had plunged her into. The second before Sakura reached her, she returned to the world. Her body unfroze, her eyes returned to life, and she had plenty of time to see Sakura coming.
But she had no time to do anything about it.
Sakura's fist collided with Ino's face. The blond girl fell backwards, unconscious.
The crowd cheered. Sakura raised his fist and screamed joyfully. "Good job," Sasuke whispered.
The medical team carried Ino out of the stadium. Sasuke abandoned his sensei and ran down the end of the aisle, back towards the exterior of the stadium. He descended the stairs hastily, taking the steps two at a time.
He reached the bottom and waited. Sakura yelled one more time before she caught sight of him. Grinning from ear to ear, she ran towards him, out of the battleground and into the belly of the stands.
"I did it!" Sakura squealed as she reached, enveloping him in a hug.
"Sakura," he hissed. He had his reputation to keep up, after all, and letting Sakura hug him would be highly deleterious to his carefully constructed character.
"Sorry!" She let go, beaming. "I did it! You saw, right? I beat her!"
Sasuke smirked. "Yeah, I saw. Took you a while, though."
Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "I still did it!"
He nodded. "You did. I expected nothing less."
If possible, her smile grew wider. "Thank you." She pointed at one section of the stadium. "My mom came. I didn't think she would, but there she is!"
Sasuke nodded. He couldn't empathize; for him, his family's presence was more of a burden than it was a delight; but he understood enough to sympathize.
Sakura stepped beside him and took his hand. "I guess we'd better get back up. Naruto-kun's fight is next, right?"
Sasuke nodded. He held her hand gently as they climbed up the stairs together. I knew you could do it, Sakura.
"Great job, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled when he saw his friend. He jumped over a few rows of seats to join the rest of Team 7.
"Thanks, Naruto-kun," she answered shyly.
"Yes," Kakashi concurred. "Excellent work." He turned to Naruto. "Are you-"
"'Course I'm ready! I've been ready this whole stinking day!" Naruto had made certain that everyone had known how displeased he was with having to wait "until almost the freaking end!" to have his fight. "And I'm gonna beat that stupid Sand girl! Believe it!"
"Well, if you plan on accomplishing that," Kakashi said dryly. "You should probably join Temari in the battleground. You can't very well defeat her from up here."
Naruto grinned expectantly and leapt over the edge of the railing, landing with a loud "thud" on the ground. Kakashi shook his head at his hyperactive student.
"Go, Naruto!" Sakura cheered loudly. He turned around to flash Sakura a quick smile before turning back towards Temari.
The Sand nin was standing confidently five meters away from Naruto. Her ash blond hair was pulled into two taunt ponytails, and her ubiquitous fan was primed and ready for action. She had a cynical sneer on her lips, and Sasuke knew that her estimation of Naruto's abilities was not high.
"Do you think he can do it?" Sakura questioned softly, eyes on the two genin.
Can he? Yes. Will he? There's no way of knowing yet. "He can."
Sasuke tilted her head, noting the obvious deflection of her question. "Kakashi-sensei?"
"Let's not doubt Naruto before the fight starts, eh?" Kakashi said.
"Begin!" Genma yelled.
Naruto slapped his hands together. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A dozen Narutos appeared around him. The wave of bodies ran towards Temari fearlessly, fists and voice raised together.
Temari rolled her eyes nonchalantly. "Please," she said. "Give me a real challenge." With one mighty sweep of her fan she rebuffed the wave, sending the bodies flying across the battleground. The wind jutsu that powered the attack destroyed half of the clones immediately; the rest disappeared into puffs of smoke as they collided with the stone walls.
Sasuke suddenly noticed two shuriken on the ground behind Temari. What the hell? When did he throw those? Without warning the weapons transformed into two clones. Kunai raised, they charged at Temari.
She whirled around just in time to meet them. "Damn, how many of these things did that idiot make!" She rebuffed the attack, easily defeating the two clones.
"Nice try," she yelled, back still turned to Naruto, "but you're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that to beat me!"
"You haven't seen the best I've got yet!" Naruto declared loudly. Thirty clones appeared around him, each armed with three kunai equipped with exploding tags.
The crowd of Narutos cocked their arms and released their kunai. Temari jumped backwards and managed to avoid the blades, but the explosion caught her off guard, knocking her down.
The Narutos cheered in unison before rushing towards Temari. The girl rose unsteadily, still slightly shaky from the blast. The wave of bodies encompassed her, the boys pig piling on the Sand nin until she was no longer visible.
"Whoa," Sakura said, appropriately awed. She leaned slightly over the edge of the balcony to get a better look. Sasuke automatically wound an arm around her waist.
"Careful," he warned sternly. Kakashi was unusually quiet beside them, but Sasuke noticed that his little orange book had not made an appearance yet.
"Do you think?" Sakura asked quietly, eyes glued to the giant pile of Narutos.
Temari appeared behind the pile, directly in the middle of the arena. "That would be a no, Sakura-chan," Kakashi said. Temari withdrew her giant fan, opened it, and released a giant gust of wind.
The pile dispersed instantly, Narutos flying left and right, smacking into the walls of the arena and hitting one another and the dirt and disappearing. The original was sent flying head over heels into the edge of the battleground directly behind him. He hit the wall with a highly impressive thud and fell forward, body flat on the ground.
Temari rested the tip of her fan on the grin and smiled condescendingly. "Told you so," she said loftily. Her words were as haggard as her appearance, and her chest heaved from the exertion of the fight. Sweat trickled down her tan face, and she futilely wiped at it with her right hand.
Naruto lay motionless on the ground, face to the sky, dark red marks covering his face and all visible portions of his body. His breathing was even but far too slow for a conscious shinobi.
"Come on, Naruto!" Sakura's voice was gentler than usual as she prodded him. "Get up! Don't let her win! Get up!"
Come on, dobe. Get up again. Sasuke watched his friend, face betraying nothing. You have to get up.
Kakashi's impassive mask weakened as he watched his student. Sasuke could see the concern in the elder's visible eye, and it scared him.
The worry broke. Kakashi smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. It'll be fine."
Perplexed, Sakura turned to her sensei. "What do you-"
"Look!"
Naruto was standing behind Temari. With an entirely unnatural scream, he attacked, hitting Temari square in the back with a vicious kick.
The Sand nin fell forward, but she was conditioned enough to roll out of the way of Naruto's next attack.
"Go, Naruto!" Sakura screeched, one of her hands cupped around her mouth and the other held up to the sky.
Naruto and Temari faced each other. Both genin were tense and stern, the cavalier, if brutal, jokes and taunts of earlier gone.
They're getting serious. They're aware of how hard the other will fight to win. Sasuke leaned back a bit, observing the scene carefully. Even Naruto's grown appropriately serious.
"I'm gonna kick your butt! Believe it!" Naruto yelled. Then again, maybe not. Sasuke smirked at his friend's tenacity.
"We'll see about that," Temari scoffed, and Sasuke saw her bite down on her thumb. She withdrew her finger from her mouth and wiped the bloody digit along the length of her fan, starting the summoning process. Here we go.
The summon appeared in a small poof of smoke, appearance disappointingly non-dramatic. The summon itself was unusual, if not too intimidating; it was a white weasel, not that much larger than a cat, although significantly uglier. It wore a patch over one of its eyes and a small, fitted vest that wrapped tightly around its body and was clutching onto a sickle that was almost the length of its body.
Sasuke looked out into the ground, searching for his brother and cousin. He found them easily. Shisui was laughing hysterically; the appearance of the weasel had been an opportunity too great for the jonin to miss. Itachi was glaring at his cousin, his "I am not amused" face firmly in place. Sasuke wished fleetingly that he could have shared the moment.
Down in the battleground, the weasel snarled furiously. It flew at Naruto at amazing speed, teeth bared, it slashed into him with the sickle. Naruto yelled as the animal drove a deep gash into his arm.
The crowd murmured appreciatively. Beside Sasuke, Sakura shivered empathically. "I actually thought it was cute for a minute," she lamented.
Sasuke and Kakashi exchanged incredulous looks, and Sakura blushed. "Well, I mean, it's – never mind!"
"Damn animal!" Naruto yelled as his fingers encircled the weasel's neck. He slammed it into the ground. Even from his perch high in the stadium, Sasuke was sure he heard something in the weasel break.
Naruto reached into his weapons pouch, clumsily withdrew four smoke bombs, and rapidly released them. The battleground quickly filled with smoke.
Idiot! Sasuke snarled from his seat, wishing he was close enough to smack Naruto. You don't use smoke bombs on an enemy with an elemental affinity for wind!
Fulfilling Sasuke's dire thoughts, Temari effortlessly blew the smoke away. "That was effective. What other useless toys do you have in that bag of yours?" She formed hand seals, and Sasuke watched silently as a whirlwind appeared around Naruto, capturing the boy. "Ah, well, guess we'll never find out, huh?"
Naruto's body was whipped violently back and forth by the winds. Dark marks certain to leave bruises appeared on his body, and his trademark orange jumpsuit was starting to tear at the edges. Temari watched confidently as the boy was beaten, waiting for an admission of defeat.
"When are you going to give in?" Temari yelled over the roar of the wind. "It's hopeless! You're stuck! Give up now; you're wasting everyone's time, including mine! You-"
Two dirty hands emerged from the ground and grabbed Temari's ankles and yanked her down. Temari screamed wildly as her body was forced into the ground.
The dirt around her cracked, and three Narutos burst out of the ground. "You should get it through your stupid girl head! I don't ever give up! Believe it!" Naruto screamed as he knocked Temari out.
Well, good job. Sakura cheered loudly beside him, and Kakashi acquiesced with a small, polite nod.
And now it was his turn. Funny how quickly it came, how fast time passed when one wasn't paying attention.
Sasuke inhaled deeply and stood, fighting back the creeping anxiety. Now was not a time for worry. Now was a time for action.
Sakura kissed his cheek surreptitiously, hiding the crowd's view of them with her body. "Good luck," she whispered. "And hurry up." She grinned widely at her subtly daring comment.
"Hn," Sasuke threw back, pretending to be offended. He offered her a quick smirk over his shoulder before jumping down into the battleground.
Sasuke didn't have to look to know what his family was doing. He knew his mother was leaning forward, hands clenched as though in prayer, elbows resting on her knees. Itachi was as stoic as ever, stern pale face revealing nothing as he calmly watched. Shisui was harder to pinpoint, but Sasuke decided that he was probably currently playing the "straight", almost as impassive as Itachi, fully aware that the moment the fight began he would erupt and act the part of the wild onlooker.
"Sasuke, you're not going to win because of your family." Kakashi was eying him as he spoke, trying to read his reactions. "You're going to win because it means enough to you. Their desires can't spur you enough to beat Neji."
Kakashi had told him that two days before, and Sasuke couldn't push it out of his head as he landed on the ground. Neji was already there, pale face as blasé as ever. Oddly enough, Sasuke didn't feel scared or even anxious. It seemed almost strange: months of preparation, four weeks of intense training, countless pep talks and orders; all led to this one little fight, this short match that would be over before the day was. It was so unimportant and so utterly crucial at the same time.
Genma's approach focused Sasuke. Genma looked at the two genin engaged in a silent contest of wills. "Oh, this will be interesting," he said, grinning. The day was hot, and his dark hair was plastered against his sweaty neck. His pale face was finally showing some color: it was the exact same shade as Sakura's hair.
Genma grinned. "You two ready?"
Sasuke nodded. Several meters away, Neji nodded as well, long luxurious hair mimicking his every movement.
Genma chuckled. "It's a good thing this fight isn't about who's more talkative. Begin!"
Sasuke leapt into the air immediately. He flung a demon wind shuriken Neji's way, clinging tight to the near invisible wires attached to it. Halfway into its flight the weapon spilt into two shuriken. They cut a wide arc around Neji, who instinctively took a step back, head distrustfully following the path of the weapons.
The weapons curved around the Hyuuga, tightening the wire noose around him. At the last conceivable moment, Neji serenely jumped up and out of the trap Sasuke was spinning for him.
Didn't know he had a tendency towards showboating, Sasuke thought sarcastically as he sent Phoenix Flowers, powerful little bursts of fire, flaming Neji's way. Sasuke bounced backwards as he attacked, landing on the edge of the wall of the stadium. He stood horizontally for the barest of moment, just long enough to catch his enemy's eye.
Now the fun begins. Sasuke shifted quickly, utilizing the innate speed that had been passed down from his parents, the speed he shared with his brother and cousin, the speed he'd spent the last month learning to fully harness. He ran behind the Hyuuga, hands forming the seals he had known for years. He didn't quell the scream of the words "Fireball Jutsu" as the flames left his mouth.
Neji spun around, moving faster than Sasuke had, moving so quickly that his body was a mere blur. He waved his arms around, emitting a massive amount of chakra. It shrouded him, a blue blur covering him. The chakra repelled the fireball easily.
What the hell? Sasuke had never seen that defense before.
Without warning, Neji broke through the blue blur and charged at Sasuke. Damn! Sasuke leapt into the air, flipping over his opponent and landing several meters away.
"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled. As he released the jutsu he flung a shuriken, hiding it inside the fire. The "flowers" of flame shot forward, heading directly for Neji.
The Hyuuga easily sidestepped the first two flowers, ducking first to the right and then the left to avoid the hits. The last flame, the one hiding the shuriken, flew towards Neji, on track to slam into his head.
Neji charged his left palm with chakra and met the flower directly. The flame disappeared, and Neji snatched the shuriken out of the air with his right hand.
He examined the shuriken with a bored expression. "Really?" Neji said in a mocking voice. "You're insulting me."
Sasuke wanted to knock that arrogant smirk off Neji's face. He wanted to erase the look that communicated more than words could, the look that said exactly what Neji thought of Sasuke. It irked Sasuke more than he had ever thought it would, and he had a sudden urge to show Neji just how wrong that egotistical jerk of a Hyuuga was.
Neji flung the shuriken back at him with astonishing speed and accuracy. Sasuke jerked to the side to avoid the hit, and even he knew that his motions looked sloppy and uneven next to Neji's.
Neji scoffed. "You're just like the rest of your clan and the rest of your family."
Sasuke's countenance darkened from rage. Insulting one's clan was bad enough, but touching that person's parents and siblings? That was a death offense. "What the hell are you saying, Hyuuga?" He spat out Neji's last name, saying it with an unhealthy vehemence.
Neji's milky lavender eyes narrowed underneath the omnipresent white bandages around his forehead. "You're a blowhard and an illusionist, with no substance to back up your words. The only power you have is stolen. Those abilities are weak facsimiles, and they won't save you now."
Sasuke was seeing red, and he now saw the inherent truth in what Kakashi had preached to him; his motivation couldn't be what his clan wanted. His motivation had to be intrinsic. He had to be driven to win by his own compulsions and wants, and right then every single one of his wants had something to do with harming the cocky bastard standing in front of him.
I'm going to burn that sneer right off your face! "Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke announced, anger clouding his judgment as he released the flames.
Neji leapt to the side and dove for the ground, rolling elegantly to avoid the flames. Infuriated, Sasuke initiated yet another jutsu, returning to the familiar comfort of the Dragon Flame Jutsu. He was so frustrated and angry – this was not going the way it was supposed to – that his hand signs were sloppy, and the jutsu was weak; the flames died out quickly.
Sasuke could feel his concentration slipping and his focus disintegrating. He released two Phoenix Flower jutsu in quick succession, hoping to buy himself some time to recuperate. He needed time, even if it was just a few seconds, to cool off and center his mind and body.
Neji evaded the first one, but the second Phoenix Flower jutsu had derailed from its track and gone wide to the right. Normally, Sasuke's inaccuracy would have harmed his cause, but this time he was lucky. The flowers of fire were centimeters away from Neji, heading towards a direct impact.
To his credit, Neji tried. He leapt, trying the quickest and safest way to escape the flames. The first two passed under him harmlessly, but the third hit his shin just below the knee.
Neji promptly disappeared.
A clone? Completely taken off guard, Sasuke whipped his head back and forth, frantically searching for his lost opponent. Where is he? He spun in a small, tight, fast circle, releasing kunai every thirty degrees or so.
Sasuke felt the spike of chakra behind him. Damn! He didn't even have time to turn around. Neji slammed his finger into Sasuke's arm, destroying one of his chakra points.
Sasuke was lucky. The momentum from his little spin was still enough to carry him around, to nudge him just out of the way of Neji's next strike.
"Whatever you do, Sasuke," Kakashi said as he gripped his student's arms. "Don't stay next to him, especially if he starts shutting down your chakra network. He has it down to a science; each involuntary reaction to his hits gives him a place to land the next strike. Get away if at all possible."
Sasuke jumped backwards. He nearly fell on his butt in his haste to put some space between him and the Hyuuga, but at that point he was beyond caring.
I was lucky. I was damned lucky he didn't set off on that crazy Hyuuga spiel of effing with my chakra network, Sasuke thought bitterly, a snarl marring his face. Neji watched him, unimpressed by his efforts thus far. Sasuke noted with bitterness that Neji's crisp cream shirt was still unstained and his alabaster arms were as Kami-awful pale as ever, while Sasuke's were marred with dirt and scratches.
Neji withdrew a dozen shuriken from his back weapon pouch. Drawing his arm back, he released them, and they whizzed off in a dozen different directions. The sun caught them, and the glint that he saw told Sasuke that Neji had wires attached to his shuriken too. Sasuke rolled and jumped and dodged to escape them, contorting and twisting his body in ways even he didn't think he could manage, desperate to avoid the blades.
The last shuriken was his downfall. It cut him across his cheek, slicing into the sensitive skin.
First blood drawn. He could hear the crowd murmur and whisper as he wiped away the blood.
The sharp, sudden pain did something that hours of pep talk could not. It cleared his mind.
Sasuke withdrew, pulling even farther away from Neji, as though he was truly cowed by his foe.
I can't beat him like this. I'm getting tired, and he's still hitting me. I'd have to completely deplete my chakra levels to use enough distance jutsu to wear out his defenses.
Sasuke met Neji's eye. He knew what he had to do. Hatake would kill him for it later, and doubtless Itachi would berate him for his woeful underperformance, but the plan was all he had.
I've got to beat him at his own game. I'm going to have to close the distance between us.
Sasuke clasped his hands together. Fireball jutsu should work. He put as much chakra as he dared into the jutsu, and the fireball was one of the largest he'd ever created.
He charged forward, using the flames as a cover as he ran at Neji. This is either the most brilliant or most idiotic move I could possibly make. Guess I'll find out which it is soon enough. Chakra-enhanced fist raised, Sasuke surged even higher the flow of the chakra in his legs, speeding fast enough to stay within the cover of the flame.
Neji used the same defense he had before, hiding behind the blue blur of chakra. It sucked the flames inward, annihilating the gigantic ball of chakra-wasting flame.
The moment the last speck of flame disappeared Sasuke slammed his fist into the center of the blue blur.
Sasuke's timing was perfect; the sudden jarring hit struck Neji just as he let the defensive jutsu fall.
Sasuke only had a second. It was all he needed. He slammed his leg into Neji's side. A loud "crack" rewarded his efforts.
Neji clenched his jaw from the pain. His hand shot forward, but Sasuke easily parried his sloppy attack. Neji jumped backwards, and Sasuke leapt with him, pressing the attack.
Neji's fist collided with Sasuke's jaw, and the raven-haired boy faltered. In that moment of weakness, Neji steadied himself and recharged his hands with chakra.
"You'll pay for that," Neji hissed, and he lunged fearlessly.
Sasuke ducked, narrowly escaping the first hit. I've got to channel Lee's speed. He had the capacity to outpace Neji, especially with the cracked rib. He didn't have a choice; he had to beat him.
Neji's hits increased in vigor and speed, and Sasuke was on his toes, dancing to avoid the hits. He could scarcely afford more than a jab or two edgewise, but it was enough. Neji was exhausting himself. It had turned into a battle of wills and chakra levels.
As he pranced around the other boy, Sasuke knew what a dangerous game he was playing. This was Neji's advantage, his strong point, and he was audacious to believe he could beat him at his own game. Humility's never been my strong point, and this is the only way to win.
He pulled away from Neji just long enough to instigate a small Fireball Jutsu. The flame is small but powerful, and despite the Hyuuga's best efforts it clipped his side.
But whatever harm it did to the boy, it did him almost as much good. With a renewed vigor that Sasuke had not been anticipating Neji charged once again. Sasuke moved faster than he ever had, even in the preliminaries when he was fighting for his very right to stay, even in the second stage when he was fighting for his right to live.
It was a small mistake, a mistake that in almost any other fight would have been inconsequential, but it made the difference. Sasuke was sliding to the right to avoid a brutal knife hand strike from Neji when his foot slipped.
Later, he would curse his foot, curse his shoe, curse the ground itself, but then he barely had time to process what was happening before Neji's hand slammed into his shoulder.
The hit had a little too much power, and Sasuke fell backwards, thankfully out of the Hyuuga's reach. His shoulder was throbbing intensely, and he knew that his chakra point had been shut down. Carelessly he flung a handful a kunai Neji's way and strategically retreated several meters.
I've got to end this. It was so very clear to Sasuke. It can't last any longer. Sasuke gave the crowd one last furtive glance. Sorry, Naruto, but I'm going to have to steal your trick.
Sasuke took a deep breath.
And he forced himself to recreate the jutsu Naruto had just used to defeat Temari.
He charged at Neji again, releasing a Phoenix Flower Jutsu potent enough to distract the Hyuuga. He dropped three smoke bombs the moment before reaching the boy.
He ducked, relying on his ability to sense Neji's chakra to avoid being hit. He left a shadow clone behind and burrowed down into the crowd.
The smoke began to clear, and Sasuke felt Neji attack the clone. It disappeared upon contact.
Sasuke could feel Neji's nervous footsteps above him, anticipating his approach. Sorry, Hyuuga. It's too late. Sasuke broke out of the ground as flamboyantly as Naruto had, bright red eyes tinged with a familiar hatred.
Neji stepped backwards just in time to avoid Sasuke's initial thrust, but he was still in reach.
Here goes nothing.
Sasuke lunged forward at Neji, using the speed he had learned from Lee to trap Neji's arms before he could move. It was time for another stolen technique.
It had been a month since he had witnessed Yoroi suck the chakra from Sakura's body, but time had not diminished his memory. Gritting his teeth and ignoring his own revulsion at the jutsu, he gripped Neji tighter and activated the jutsu.
Neji's chakra flowed into his body immediately. The chakra didn't come in soft, gentle waves; it came as a torrent of energy, ripping out of Neji's body and into his. Neji released another of his noiseless screams, mouth open in horror.
Sasuke didn't let go, even as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. The chakra was replenishing his reserves and depleting Neji's and, more importantly, was incapacitating his opponent. He could suffer a moment longer.
Finally he freed Neji, and the Hyuuga boy crumpled to his knees, gasping for breath.
Sasuke refused to waste any of the chakra. He pulled back his hand and punched the Hyuuga, knocking him unconscious.
The crowd roared as he fell, limp and still as a corpse. Sasuke felt like sinking to his knees beside him, but he held on for appearances' sake.
I did it. I beat him. It almost didn't seem real. I did it. I beat him! I beat that bastard!
Sasuke couldn't banish the prideful smirk, and he had no enticement to try. He raised his right arm in victory, and the cheers resounded. He closed his eyes, basking for a short moment in the glow of his victory. If he listened closely, he could almost pick out his family's voices, the yells of his teammates, the good-natured cheers of his friends.
It was a good feeling.
"Alright, kid," Genma said gruffly, although Sasuke could see a slight smirk on his lips and an amused light in his eyes, "get a move on. We've got other fights to hold. Yours ain't the only one."
Sasuke didn't walk into the hall as he was supposed too. Instead, he walked across the middle of the arena and towards the edge where his friends were waiting. Cautiously he increased the flow of chakra to his feet, and when they were sufficiently powered, he confidently jumped up and over the railing.
Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi met him there, ready with small congratulations. Sakura hugged him as long as she dared, which amounted to approximately 1.12 seconds, and Naruto congratulated him as only Naruto could, with plenty of bluster.
Kakashi gave his approval simply. "Well, you advanced. Congratulations. I've decided to stop giving you advice, as you'll merely disregard it, but excellent work in the fight."
Sakura's hand came up to touch the cut on his cheek, which was now encrusted with drying blood. "Did that hurt?"
He didn't point out the ridiculousness of her question, even though that cut was a tiny flesh wound and all three of them had far worse marks all over their bodies. "No."
She smiled at him again, congratulating him, and he regretted his harsh words of the morning.
"Alright, alright," Naruto inserted. "Can we go sit down? The next fight's gonna start and we'll still be here propping up teme's ego!"
"You move first, dobe." Sasuke pushed him lightly on the shoulder. It was a friendly shove; a brotherly shove, and despite Sasuke's labelling of him as such Naruto was not an idiot. He was beaming as they returned to their seats.
Sakura said only four words at the beginning of the Gaara vs. Zaku fight.
She turned to Sasuke and whispered with a timorous voice, "Gaara's gonna kill him."
Sasuke nodded solemnly, turning back to watch the contenders prepare to fight.
"I don't think he'll kill him, Sakura-chan," Naruto interjected.
"Of course you'd think that, dobe," Sasuke scoffed.
"Shut up, teme."
Sasuke eyed him disbelievingly. You really think he wouldn't kill him? Sasuke had heard – well, technically he had eavesdropped on one of Shisui's conversations, but that was beside the point – that Gaara had singlehandedly killed the team of Cloud nin that had given them so much trouble before the exams. He'd kill Zaku without a second thought and, worse than that, he can.
"Okay, okay, yeah, I guess he would," Naruto relented. "But I don't think they'd let him, would they? I mean, the jonin stopped that Hyuuga bastard from killing Hinata-chan."
"That was in the preliminaries," Sakura said softly, eyes on the lean form of Zaku as he stood before his foe. "And I don't think Gaara's as…stable as Neji." She discarded the suffixes for Sasuke's benefit, something he infinitely appreciated.
"Whaddya mean?" Naruto looked appropriately confused.
"Just be quiet and watch," Sasuke ordered. "The fight's starting."
Gaara was standing solemnly in the middle of the arena. His loose baggy clothes rustled with the soft wind, and his red hair was characteristically unkempt. The kanji for "love" was scripted on his forehead, and Sasuke couldn't help but think it was an odd choice for someone who was so seemingly emotionless.
Zaku entered the arena confidently, wearing the air of a champion prematurely. He was taller than Gaara, and slightly leaner, but the Sand nin was certainly the more imposing of the two. Sakura's right; he doesn't stand a chance.
Genma raised his hand, and Sakura slid closer to Sasuke as the proctor yelled for the fight to begin.
The cork on the gourd on Gaara's back popped off the jar. Sand slowly crept out of the container, forming a huge wall of sand that covered Gaara's back, completely blocking it from the view of the spectators.
"What, are you afraid?" Zaku taunted Gaara loudly. "You should be! I'm going to beat you so bad you won't even be able to walk! You'll be practically dead by the time I'm done!"
Well, he's terrified. Grandiose and ridiculous sounding bravado was one of the many tested and true markers for leaned back into his seat, impatient for the fight to start.
Zaku grinned as he prepared his first attack. "Hiding's not going to help your sorry hide!" He extended his arms, and Sasuke could see a small hole in each of his palms. "Get ready to die!"
A head-throbbing noise rang out in the arena. Sasuke reflexively clamped his hands over his ears.
"What is that?" Sakura yelled over the noise.
The sound suddenly stopped. Zaku screamed something incomprehensible and jerked his right and left arms in two opposing arcs, emitting two perfect sound waves towards Gaara.
The pale redhead didn't blink. He kept his green eyes focused on his opponent and his arms folded hostilely over his chest.
The second before the waves hit him a barricade of sand walled in front of Gaara. The sand wall joined with the mass of sand behind him, forming a perfect shell around the ninja.
Zaku sneered, ignorant or uncaring of the fact that Gaara couldn't see him. "Your stupid sand can't protect you against my sound!"
He unleashed another pair of sound waves. They cut at the shield, slashing and beating, to no avail. The shield wasn't even scratched. It stood as impenetrable as ever.
Zaku gritted his teeth and tried again and again and again. He released sound wave after sound wave, putting no space between his attacks, desperate to break the shield. The waves dissipated harmlessly, leaving only the barest of marks, which immediately disappeared when the shield healed itself.
The crowd was aberrantly silent. What, are you bored because no blood's been shed yet? It was a brutal, although not unjust, statement. Sasuke supposed that their silence could have been one of comprehending horror, a silence that was caused by an understanding of just how badly Zaku was about to lose. Sasuke doubted it, though. He really doubted it. He had attended the third stage of the chunin exams since childhood. He had sat through countless battles, watched a myriad of jutsu, seen innumerable defeats, and heard the roar of the crowd an immeasurable number of times.
For most of the crowd, the exams were a spectator sport, a World Games of sorts. One came to the village it was being held in, cheered for one's team, booed the other individuals, and roared with appreciation for every brutal hit and every ounce of blood spilled. Of course, there were some families in the crowd; clans that showed up to cheer on their respective members, lowly ninja families that went to support their genin; and, of course, jonin and chunin that came out of obligation.
But the rest were spectators, pure and simple: pleasure-seekers looking for a thrill, a thrill that Zaku wasn't delivering.
The genin was becoming exhausted. His attacks were losing their power, and the space between each wave was growing larger and larger. His chakra reserves were depleted, and he was losing the will to keep fighting.
Finally, he slouched and dropped to his knees, staring hopelessly as the giant shell of sand.
"Now it begins," Kakashi said softly. "Or I suppose you can say now it ends. Either one would be fitting."
A gigantic claw shot out from the shell of sand. Zaku screeched as it closed around his throat and tossed him across the arena. His body flew several meters up in the air before crashing down into the ground.
Zaku managed a small moan before the claw grabbed him again, flinging him to the other end of the arena, slamming him into the wall. His jaw broke, and blood spurted from his mouth and nose.
Sakura was wincing, and Sasuke could see her fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands. The sand shell around Gaara grew, increasing in size and strength. It spread apart in front of his face, allowing the crowd to see the redhead's sadistic, evil smile.
The claw clenched around Zaku's midsection, picked him up, and slammed him into the ground. It picked up him and did it again. Again. Again. Again. Zaku's body was breaking down, slowly but surely. Bruises mottled his formerly white skin, and blood smeared on his clothes. Gaara showed no sign of remorse, only signs of pleasure. And they call Naruto "demon child". Even the most vicious of the crowd had stopped cheering, and most were looking to the proctors to end the fight.
Zaku fell unconscious. Finally, it's over. Sasuke had no urge to watch a defenseless genin suffer.
Genma stepped forward, arm raised. "That's enough! He's beaten!"
Gaara's head whipped in Genma's direction, evil smile even larger. The sand moved with him, shell still protecting his body. "Oh, no, he's not done yet!" Gaara hissed, head jutting forward slightly as he spoke. "It's not over yet!"
On cue, Zaku uttered a soft moan. Stay down. Damn pride, just stay down! Oblivious to Sasuke's mental commands, Zaku slowly eased himself up.
Gaara formed a hand seal, and his sand shield started to condense into an orb. What's he doing now? Genma watched distrustfully, poised to stop him if necessary.
The orb started growing, expanding exponentially. Sasuke looked on in horror as it started drawing in the ground underneath it.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura whimpered. "What's going on?"
"I wish I could tell you," Kakashi answered honestly. "I wish I could."
The orb was growing faster and faster, sucking more ground in as it grew.
Kami. It was over sixty meters tall now, and it loomed ominously over all of them. Kami, he can't – how the hell can he be doing this? What is this?
The orb stopped. It started morphing, changing its shape, slowly but surely. Two gigantic legs emerged from the mass and rested in front of the body. It was turning into a beast.
A tail stretched out from the back; it was long, thick, and it seemed to be composed of hundreds of "scales" of sand, overlapping each other to protect the underbody. The head, tan as the rest of the creature, differentiated itself from the body. Its head was flat and broad, with thick eyebrows over black and golden eyes with star-like pupils. Its mouth, with its psychotic, toothy grin, was the only thing that bore any resemblance to the genin that had spawned it. Sasuke supposed Gaara was somewhere inside the belly of the thing, but he had no way of knowing.
Blue veins appeared on the fat body, marking it conspicuously. The monster stretched his neck, causing a loud cracking noise.
It faced the crowd, and the creature's smile grew even wider as it took in the crowd's fear.
"This is bad, isn't it," Naruto stated. "Really, really bad."
No points for stating the obvious, idiot! "Hatake?" Sasuke said, looking to the jonin for direction.
Kakashi had raised his headband, and both of his both eyes were glued to the beast.
"Kakashi!" Sasuke yelled, a bit desperately.
Finally, his sensei turned to them. "I hope you three are ready for a fight."
"Hell yeah!" Naruto answered, throwing his fist in the air.
"It's moving!" Sakura yelled, drawing their attention back to the monster.
"Ah," the beast moaned, voice gravelly and deep and darker than almost anything Sasuke had heard before, "it is so good to be free again."
A/N: Okay, so I was hoping to have this chapter up earlier, but I've been babysitting a LOT this week…30+ hours last week (less this week, but still)…and I had a bad case of writer's block. I also share my computer with the seven other people in my family, so I have considerably less time on it.
Yes, I know they're lame excuses. Pete's already told me. He's hissing at me right now, actually, ordering me to get the next chapter started (which, btw, is going to be very interesting – grins evilly – I've got so much planned! I's so excited :0))). Well, anyway, thanks again to everyone who reads this lil story of mine :)