OMG IT'S HERE.

ALL I HAVE TO SAY!

NOW, READ!

The morning of the final exams came far too slowly for Sakura.

The rosette was ready and up on her feet by five o'clock, even though the participants were expected to show in the arena at nine. She was just restless, buzzing with pent-up energy and excitement. After she'd had a small breakfast, triple-checked to make sure she had everything she would need in the folds of her cloak; and read through the scroll detailing her method of attack, Sakura ran out of things to do.

So she waited till the clock struck six, an hour at which she knew Neji would be awake at. The boy, much like herself, woke up like clockwork every day and she decided to exploit that trait and pay the young Hyuuga a visit. Justification? She simply needed to give herself something to do, other than sit at home alone, and perhaps pester the teen for an early-morning spar.

Sakura grinned to herself as she hurried to get dressed, keeping in mind that she probably wouldn't go back home after her visit. She chose a simple black shirt with cut-off sleeves, and black leggings, and topped it all with the gloves and cloak Shirani-san had graciously provided her with. As she fastened the cloak and prepared to leave her house, the rosette walked past one of the cupboards, and her gaze fell on her old tanto. A devious smirk formed on her lips.

Well, why not?

She quickly snatched the weapon and secured it on her back, before she took off at a leisurely pace towards the Hyuuga compound.

Once she got there, the guards, although surprised, let her in without a second thought. She was a frequent visitor. Sakura easily found her way to the Branch House's quarters and climbed in through Neji's window, as his room was, surprisingly enough, on the ground floor. She was not surprised, however, to find the teen resting in a lotus position, meditating in the middle of his room.

Like she said, the Hyuuga worked like clockwork.

"Do not get me wrong, but what are you doing here, Sakura?" Neji asked, not even opening his eyes.

The girl in question sighed, shrugging as she plopped down on his futon, careful not to disturb the covers. "I got bored." was her simple explanation. "And I'm too proactive for my own good, so I don't even have anything to potentially worry about since I've already considered and prepared for all possible scenarios."

Neji sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her confident tone, and relaxed from his position. He opened his eyes. "And you came here hoping that I would indulge you until the finals start, right?" the brunette said in a dry tone, his words sounding more like a statement than a question. Sakura nodded and Neji rolled his eyes, proving just how relaxed he was in her presence if he allowed himself to show what he truly felt. "I am not in the mood for a spar, Sakura. However, I wouldn't be too adverse to a game of shogi, or chess." He murmured, eyes softening and all the last tension evaporating from his body as the rosette patted a spot beside her and leaned over to his bedside table to retrieve said games.

The hours seemed to pass in a blink, and soon Sakura had to leave and find her teammates as Neji was escorted to the arena by his clan. Once again, Sakura followed her gut-feeling as to her teammates' location, and found them in what had come to be known as their restaurant, casually munching on some barbecue. Or rather, Akane scarfing down steak after steak, while Kaoru sat opposite him, a bemused expression on his face as he lightly nibbled on his dango. Sakura grinned and slid in beside the brunette, laughing inwardly at their surprised expressions as she quickly grabbed Kaoru's hand and stole one of the dumplings from the stick he was holding.

"Sakura-chan!" Akane exclaimed loudly, leaning over the table to ruffle my hair. "How did you find us?"

The rosette swallowed and scrunched up her nose in fake distaste. "I could smell you all the way from my house, Akane. Seriously, you need to shower more often than once a year…"

The restaurant was silent for a few seconds, Akane's jaw hanging slack, his expression a perfect depiction of 'Eh?'. He started stuttering, pointing confusedly at her, Kaoru, and himself, over and over again. "S-Sakura, did you just- did you just make fun of me?! Moreover, did you actually joke?!" his disbelief was amusing, and Sakura noticed Kaoru chuckling, shaking with laughter on her left; but he choked on his dango as Akane suddenly jumped up. "LO AND BEHOLD!" He shouted, startling most of the restaurant. "Sakura Haruno, the most impassive, destructive, socially-retarded chick you'll ever meet has just made a joke!"

The redhead was immediately yanked down by Kaoru and Sakura, the former blushing furiously at his teammate's stupidity while Sakura was seething with anger. "I'll show you how 'destructive' I can be when I shove my kunai up your-!"

"Now, now, pinky." A new voice joined in, cutting her off mid-threat. "It's no good threatening your teammate. Especially considering you have somewhere to be, don't you?"

All three genin turned their heads and noticed Anko, a devious expression on her face as she stared at them. "What do you mean, Anko-senpai?" Kaoru, always the first to speak, asked.

"Oh, don't worry, Kaoru-chan." Anko grinned and waved him off. "I was just under the impression that the three of you were taking part in a certain Chuunin Exam, which starts in…" she paused to check her watch, an expression of faux-concentration on her face. "Oh, three minutes!" she finished cheerfully.

There was a moment of silence as that information sunk in before- "Shit!" and the genin were gone, the last of the money they left behind to pay for their meal cluttering on the table.

"Heh. Cheeky brats."

Miraculously, they managed to arrive on time, with a few seconds left to spare to catch their breath and regain their composure after the run. Much to her irritation, Akane had snatched her up the second they bolted from the restaurant and carried her all the way to the arena. Inwardly, Sakura knew that if she had to run at the speed she was currently capable of, she would've never gotten to the arena on time, but that still didn't stop her from feeling annoyed at the redhead. Thus, she felt perfectly justified as she delivered a harsh kick to her teammate's shin.

"Ow!" he hissed, but his pain was ignored as Kaoru ushered them into the arena. "What was that for?"

Any come-back Sakura might've had died on her lips as she took in the crowd.

It was definitely… unsettling, she decided, standing there before what felt like thousands of people, left to be stared at with their judgemental eyes with no possibility of getting away from them. The trio walked over towards the small group of genin who had gathered in the centre, and were quite surprised to see Genma as the proctor.

What happened to the previous one? I have never heard of changing the proctors half-way through the exam…

But nobody else appeared even vaguely worried, all too hung up on the cheering crowd and the nerves. So, Sakura dismissed the thought, instead trying to locate the Uchiha.

He's not here. She realised slowly. The bastard isn't here. The nerve!

She ground her teeth, irritated beyond belief. She felt like smashing something. I'll beat his pretty little face in. Humiliate him. Destroy him. Sakura smirked inwardly. It was like Akane said – he may be an Uchiha, but Sakura had experience. And enough common sense to know not to anger people ten times stronger than her.

During her musings, and murderous thoughts, Genma had announced that the battles should begin immediately, and all participants apart from Neji and Naruto were ushered to the spectators' balcony. As Sakura passed Neji, she stood on her tip-toes and whispered four words in his ear. Just four words. But she knew these words meant everything to the Hyuuga, because the moment they left her mouth, his eyes glittered with something she rarely saw in him; hope.

"I believe in you."

In the end, Neji had lost. But… Sakura had never been more proud of him. He had bared his very soul to the world, and yet nobody who saw the match thought any less of him. Sakura could see it in their eyes. Although it was the blonde who won the match, in the spectators' eyes it was, and would always be Hyuuga Neji who triumphed. The world finally saw the unparalleled skill and potential the teen possessed. And with that came what Neji had always secretly craved; recognition and acceptance.

Sakura had heard the story of the Branch and Head Family before. Neji had told her, when she asked him why he was so hung up on destiny. She didn't agree with his opinion that everybody's destiny was set in stone the moment they were born, but she could see how he had grown to believe in such once she learned of his past. And yet, it appeared that Neji didn't realise that he was contradicting himself – he had said that the Branch Family was doomed for failure, and that they were nought but shields to the Head Family. But Neji had easily mastered and demonstrated the secret techniques of the Main Family, ones that should not have been possible for him to even dream of, and, at least to Sakura, he would never be just a shield.

The Hyuuga Bloodline Limit was strong in him, that much was clear. And Sakura saw all the proof she neded in the man who was the sole reason behind Neji's bitterness; Hyuuga Hiashi.

The match between his nephew and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki had shaken up the Hyuuga Head. Then, when Neji pulled out his trump cards, Sakura didn't think the Hyuuga was aware of the fact that he was gaping. Hakkeshou Kaiten… the technique they worked tirelessly on… Hakke Rokujuuyonshou… the jutsu that attacked sixty-four chakra points in the opponents body, a technique which required tremendous skill and chakra control to perform… Sakura relished in the look of absolute shock she saw in the eyes of Hyuuga Head as Neji unleashed both of them. Both justu passed down the Main Branch only… so difficult that only a select few could execute them, performed perfectly by a mere child from the Branch Family.

It was a definite eye-opener for the Hyuuga.

Also, Sakura realised that she never knew Neji could be so… intimidating. He smashed Naruto into miniature pieces by toying with his mind, ridiculing him. Sakura saw the blonde's resolve weaken with every word that left the brunette's mouth. But he struck back, overwhelmed Neji with blind optimism and hundreds of clones.

Yet the audience appeared to agree with Sakura – Naruto won by luck.

Next, it was her fight.

Hyuuga Hiashi never doubted himself.

But when he saw his nephew down in the arena, when he saw the cynical lilac eyes staring straight at him with such blatant hatred, and when he saw the skills he'd never thought possible executed to the last detail by a child from the Branch Family, he doubted himself.

He doubted the system, and the separation of the Clan. He doubted the decision that led to the death of his brother, and the eternally jaded teen in front of him.

He doubted the value of one's life in comparison to another.

And as Neji was brought to his knees in front of the crowd, and his eyes closed in peace, appearing as world-weary as Hizashi had been in his last moments of life, Hiashi's resolve strengthened.

He would tell him the truth.

"Kakashi, I need to go!" Sasuke panted, sweating profusely, even if he was smirking inwardly. "My fight is starting in soon! I need to destroy that child!" he spat the words at his mentor.

"Hmm…" the jounin hummed. "If that's the case, then we can leave… but you need to eat, Sasuke. We will stop by some restaurant first."

And the Uchiha could do nought but glare at his sensei as he was dragged through the half-empty streets of Konoha to find something to eat.

Sakura… he thought with a sneer. I will destroy you.

The rosette was enraged when the Uchiha remained absent. She was shaking, the hand clasped around the rail tightened until her knuckles turned white and she felt the metal give in beneath her fingers.

Suddenly, a gentle hand rested atop her own.

"Sakura. Calm down." Kaoru's soothing voice penetrated through her rage, clearing the red haze that covered her vision. "If he doesn't show, you win by default, and go forward to fight Gaara. Is the brat really worth your anger?"

Somehow, Sakura never really discovered how, his quiet words were just what she needed to release a tense breath and let go of the railing. Her shoulders sagged and muscles relaxed, and she sighed, collapsing into Kaoru's chest. The teen reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around the rosette without a second thought, letting her rest in them. They opted for ignoring the curious stares from the other genin, not pulling away until Akane's voice interrupted them.

"So now I'm not even included in the hug of love, hm?" he asked teasingly as he appeared behind them. "You wound me, both of you." he sighed dramatically.
Kaoru raised an eyebrow and simply beckoned the redhead forward, inviting him to join. He did, and they stood there for a few seconds, simply enjoying each other's company.

"I have something for you." and out of nowhere, he retrieved three sticks of dango and handed them to the duo, keeping one for himself.

The three friends slumped against the wall, sighing contentedly as they enjoyed their sugary treat. But then, Genma's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Sakura Haruno and Uchiha Sasuke's match has been postponed till further notice. For now, will Shino Aburame and Akane Satoshi come down and begin their match?"

Akane froze.

But he relaxed just as quickly and shook his head, smirking. "I always knew the Uchiha got special treatment." And then, he vaulted over the railing, smirking at the laughs and sniggers from the audience; dango stick still between his teeth as a teasing grin made its way on his face.

Shino walked down in a more dignified manner, and stood silently opposite the redhead.

The two waited patiently Genma's 'go ahead' signal, and when it was finally given, Akane moved his hands to make a seal, but Shino's voice stopped him.

"I did my research. You're an elemental type, though you're most proficient and comfortable with water jutsu." He stated bluntly. "Yet what effect will your attack have, if my bugs can simply suck the chakra from it?"

To everyone's surprise, Akane chose to laugh rather than get intimidated or insulted. "You really did your research. I'm impressed." He grinned. "Yet, I think I'll take my chances."

And quicker than one would expect, and with far more confidence than a genin should have when performing such a high-ranking jutsu, a wall of water rose from the ground, temporarily covering Akane behind it. And, true to his word, a cloud of bugs came from Shino, and seemed to almost sit on the water, until it lost its power and sense of direction and fell down, quickly soaking into the dry ground below as the chakra guiding it vanished.

"Well, what do you know, you were actually telling the truth... Impressive."

But his hands rose once again, this time settling in a seal which Sakura vaguely recognized as the Hell Viewing Technique.

Sakura frowned.

Akane and genjutsu? The rosette thought, astounded. Is Hell freezing over?

"It's insulting that you think such a weak genjutsu would affect me. My bugs are indifferent to your illusions. Thus I am not affected by them either as they will always help me differentiate between illusion and reality."

There was a slight shift in chakra, and Sakura knew that the genjutsu had indeed been broken. She glanced to her right, expecting Kaoru to look as crestfallen as she felt, but the brunette surprised her; he had a proud grin on his face, and his eyes never left the battle. Curious, Sakura turned back to watch, eager to discover what Kaoru knew that she didn't.

Her answer came almost immediately, as Akane created a giant earth wall. The swarm of bugs moved like one big black body towards it, but Shino had not moved in the slightest. It was like he hadn't even noticed the wall was there.

Just as the bugs were about to sit on the wall, it curled over and folded around them, forming a sphere, with the bugs trapped inside. Grinning at his achievement, Akane immediately formed the hand-signs for a fire jutsu, and directed it at the earth ball. There was a horrible squeal as the bugs burned, and Akane didn't stop till the earth was black and dry, and ashes at his feet.

Throughout all this, Shino hadn't moved a single muscle.

Akane was about to move towards the teen, but more bugs suddenly burst from the ground and swarmed around him. Sakura shut her eyes in horror. Of course. There were thousands of kikaichu in an Aburame's body. Impossible to get rid of all of them with one simple jutsu.

To her surprise, Kaoru's elbow jabbed into her ribs, startling her enough to make her eyes snap open.

"Watch." The brunette commanded. "Akane is not so stupid to be taken down with such an obvious thing."

And just as the words left his mouth, the kikaichu suddenly dispersed, looking almost confused.

Akane… wasn't there.

There were wild whispers and pointing fingers as people tried to find the redhead. Sakura couldn't see him anywhere.

"Where is he?" she asked Kaoru, seeing as he still had the small knowing smirk on his face.

But Kaoru didn't have to say anything, as not five seconds later the earth directly behind Shino split, and Akane climbed out, standing up and dusting himself off.

He walked towards the teen, grinning madly as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and when the kikaichu made to fly towards him, he merely pulled out a kunai and pressed it against Shino's throat. The bugs, seeing their master being threatened stayed in one place, buzzing restlessly. Akane smirked victoriously, and his other hand came up, and formed the most surprising sign of all; kai.

There was a sudden shift in chakra, and the Aburame jerked suddenly. Were it not for Shino's glasses, Sakura could've sworn he was blinking owlishly, confused as to why there was a very real and sharp kunai pressed against his jugular...?

Now Sakura understood, yet the situation had yet to dawn on most of the audience and Shino himself. It seemed as if Akane had realised too, as he grinned and nudged the brunette.

"Any questions?" he asked teasingly.

Shino seemed to stumble for a few seconds, unable to find the right question, until he finally settled for a simple "How?"

It seemed to be the question Akane had been waiting for.

"Well, contrary to popular belief, I actually did my research too. I knew your bugs could suck out chakra from my jutsu, and using my tanto against bugs seemed just stupid, even for me. So genjutsu it was, and I am seriously thanking the heavens for giving me Kaoru-chan as a teammate. Seriously. But then there was this tiny problem of damn, illusions don't work on bugs. After I realized that, it was a matter of finding a way to trick you into thinking your bugs had discovered the genjutsu and making you think you have broken it. Which was pretty much what you saw, wasn't it?'

Though the question was rhetorical, Shino nodded. He still looked slightly shell-shocked, and the kunai pressed to his throat wasn't making anything easier for him.

Akane shrugged lightly. "Therefore all I had to do was create a genjutsu which messed with your vision, and made you see what I wanted you to see, and ta-da. We find ourselves in this position."

Genma seemed to take the sudden silence that descended over the arena as his cue. "Akane Satoshi is the winner of this round."

Only then did the cheers break out. And Kami above, they were deafening.

As Akane climbed up the stairs, Kaoru beat the rosette to the congratulatory hug, and tackled the redhead. Sakura waited for her turn, and then jumped with equal enthusiasm, praising Akane for his fight.

"Hey, Kaoru-chan!" Akane said after he'd thanked them. "Genjustu is actually quite fun, you know?"

Sakura froze, staring at the teen in shock. Woah. Forget Hell; is the world coming to an end?

The brunette just shook his head, smiling fondly. But before he could say anything else, the proctor called the other participants.

"Now, Kaoru Yuhi and Kankuro, come down."

Kaoru sighed, and disentangled from the hug. He seemed to ponder the stairs, but then suddenly changed direction and also vaulted over the rail, landing lightly on the ground before Genma.

But Kankuro stayed put. "Eh, I wish to forfeit!" He called down.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. She had not had much contact with the Sand Siblings, but from what she had seen, they were not the type to forfeit. She expected Kaoru to just nod and move off the arena, but the brunette surprised her.

"Oh, come down here, you third-rate, cowardly puppet master. Or are you really so scared?" he taunted. It was such an out-of-character move from him that Sakura stood and gaped for a few seconds, until she heard Akane chuckling beside her.

"Hook, line and sinker." The redhead muttered. He snickered as Sakura sent him a puzzled look, but before he could answer, Kankuro was already running down the steps.

"Like hell! We'll see who will be the scared one after I'm done with you!" the puppet-master hissed.

Unfortunately, Genma had other plans, and as he neared the Kaoru, the proctor stopped the Suna nin. "You already forfeited, so this will have to wait. For now, the winner of this match is Kaoru Yuhi."

"No, come on, proctor!" The teen whined.

"Nope. Should have thought of that before you mindlessly forfeited." Genma replied evenly, and Sakura smirked. It was obvious that his mind was already made. "Get back to the stands. We'll start the other match."

Suddenly, a cluster of leaves was swept up, and from the sudden gust of wind emerged the teen Sakura had been waiting for. Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sorry if we're a bit late." Kakashi scratched his head sheepishly. "Something came up, and-!"

"Save it, Kakashi. Now leave your brat and go to the stands. We're about to start the match, now that you decided to show yourselves."

Sakura smirked, and jumped down before the proctor could announce that it was, in fact, her turn.

Genma gave her an appraising glance, and sighed. "Let the match between Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno begin!"

The rosette smirked. She knew she was going to win, because she wasn't going to give up until she did. With one final grin, she pounced.

Kaoru and Akane were among all the other genin who stood in the audience with their mouths agape. The duo thought that since they practised with Sakura, they knew everything she had to offer. But apparently, that was not the case.

It was always clear that Sakura was not one for long-distance fights. Her aim was average, she wasn't proficient in ninjutsu, and knew only a handful of genjutsu. But right now, she was holding her own against Sasuke, throwing deadly-accurate shuriken, making quick Shadow Replications, and forcing the Uchiha to keep moving around. At some point, the Uchiha got close to rip off the chest piece of her chakra armour, but he apparently didn't know what it did as he just chucked it away.

After a few minutes, it was clear that Sasuke was getting frustrated. He was getting nowhere, and his cheeks were already flushed from running around, while Sakura remained seemingly unaffected.

"She's going with your plan." Kaoru realised belatedly. "She's going to make him run around until he drops."

But it seemed Sasuke had realised that as well, as he quickly stopped, and, with a burst of chakra, disappeared.

"This is the problem with copying the style of a person I'd seen and fought with before." Sakura paused, and raised her eyes to meet the Uchiha's. Emerald pools that were full of defiance, and steel confidence. "You risk making the same mistake as they did."

Sasuke was silent, then snorted. "And what mistake would that be?" he asked, sneering.

"Just the fact that you're letting me know exactly what you're doing." The rosette stated evenly, and shrugged.

The raven narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "You're bluffing."

Sakura raised her eyes to the sky. "Am I? Or are you just that predictable?" she took Sasuke's silence as a cue to continue. "You stole Lee's moves because they gave me a bit of trouble when I first saw them. But you weren't there for the fight. You could only copy the style which had been undoubtedly copied before and relayed back to you. It is not your own, thus you struggle to find the right moment when to apply it. So, you just learned something, and I did, too. You know nothing about me, Uchiha. That is why you had to use that style – to see if I would fall for the same trick twice. Well, newsflash, Sasuke; I won't."

The rosette smirked cruelly, a maniac glint flashing across her eyes. "Though I suppose I should thank you; now I know exactly how to wipe that over-confident smirk off your face."

"Enough!" Sasuke yelled, cutting off anything else Sakura might have had to say. "You know nothing about me either, so just shut up and watch."

And with those words, Sasuke ran to the edge of the arena, then continued going up the wall, until he stopped, perched parallel to the ground like some grotesque spider.

Then, suddenly, a sound like a thousand chirping birds ripped through the air. A sounded so alike… thunder.

Sakura froze.

Her mind went blank.

All she could hear was the thunder, and all she could see was that daunting, black-rimmed scroll. Everything else lost its importance.

She could see the Uchiha getting nearer and nearer, the tantalizing ball of blue electricity coming much too close for comfort. But she was powerless to stop him. So Sakura screwed her eyes shut, and waited for the inevitable.

And then…

Everybody in the audience gasped in shock when they saw that the Uchiha's strike had, in fact, hit its mark.

As if in a mutual agreement, everyone became silent as they gazed at the two duelling teens below. Kaoru shut his eyes in fear of what he would see when he noticed the Uchiha backing away from the rosette. Because of that, he missed Sasuke's confused look when Sakura remained standing.

"Hey, Kaoru-chan, look. Something is off." the redhead's voice made him open his eyes. When he did, he realised what Akane had meant; Sakura, whom he had fully expected to be bloody, if not dead, stood there calmly, apparently back to herself when the sound of thunder ceased to exist. Her hands outstretched before her and a curious look on her face as she admired them.

"Uh... Kaoru-chan? Is it just me, or is she actually sparkling?" the Akane's tone sounded perturbed and Kaoru soon realised why; he was right. The rosette was buzzing with electrical energy.

And when she moved her hands a little higher, they saw the unmistakable blue glow accompanied by a crack of electricity.

"Hm. That's interesting."

Kaoru hated how Sakura managed to sound as if she was conducting a scientific experiment rather than in the middle of a dangerous battle. He hated how she didn't seem concerned that she might have been fatally wounded. He quickly checked, hoping against hope, that he had imagined the chakra armour being ripped off. Nope. It was still there, laying in the shade of one of the trees surrounding the arena. He cursed, then turned his attention back to his teammate.

Slowly, the rosette reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai. Sure enough, the lightning energy that encased her hand travelled up the knife and covered it in a pale blue glow with the occasional crack of electricity.

"Well, Uchiha, how do you feel about having your own jutsu turned against you?" and with an evil grin, she flicked the kunai at the raven.

Sasuke's eyes widened comically, but he managed to quickly leap out of the way of the flying projectile.

"Aw, damn." Akane whined, unhappy that the Uchiha had avoided the knife.

"No, wait." Kaoru muttered, having noticed something that the redhead had missed.

He smirked.

Always a step ahead, aren't you, Sakura-chan?

For before their eyes, a barrage of senbon that hid in the kunai's shadow and was heading towards Sasuke at an alarming speed. Too shocked to dodge, the Uchiha was hit by a dozen of electrically charged needles.

Kaoru grinned.

It was over.

However, the rosette had other plans. She pulled out another kunai and moved towards the fallen raven, and Kaoru was glad she did, for not a second later, the Uchiha spasmed and raised himself up on his elbow, fully intent on standing up.

But Sakura moved before he even had a chance to blink. She jumped on him with her knee on his back and yanked his head towards her by his hair.

She pressed the kunai to his throat.

The Uchiha had lost.

Genma realised that too. "I declare Sakura Haruno the winner of this match." his voice rang through the arena. There was a moment of silence before the crowd erupted into wild cheers.
Anko had a smile on her face, proud of the petite rosette, yet at the same time, she was wondering about the same thing Kakashi struggled to understand - how on earth is Sakura still standing? The Copy Nin knew that it was no small feat to survive, not to mention withstand the Chidori. He created it as a method for a one-strike kill. And he had no doubts that the Uchiha had copied it perfectly. So how could the rosette not have been affected by it?

Back in the stands, Akane asked the same question.

Kaoru frowned. "I have two theories." he said.

"Well, shoot."

"Firstly, Sakura's taijutsu is composed of her ability to channel and emit a precise amount of chakra at a given moment. So, you could say that her body had become a conductor for chakra. Therefore when the Uchiha's lightning jutsu hit her, her body, instead of being destroyed by it, absorbed it. And, since she's so proficient at chakra manipulation, she was able to treat it as normal chakra and make it do her will. Because although it seems like electricity, what the Uchiha used was still only chakra. And Sakura is a master at pure chakra control."

"And the second theory?"

"Well, the second is simply something I suspected from the very beginning;" he paused, and sighed. "We've got a monster at our hands."

Woah!

This is a monster.

I will never be able to explain how much effort it took to find the time to write this chapter! I'm so sorry for the delay. I have a few explanations; jumping from country to country for basketball tournaments, exams, more tournaments, some health issues, and MORE exams.

Originally, this chapter was 8, 574 words long. BUT. It didn't fit, so I cut it out, and you'll see it next chapter, which will get to you on Wednesday THE LATEST!

So, PLEASE tell me what you think (even if only to shout at me for not updating sooner!)

Thank you!

And see you soon!