A/N: Please review! :) And I'm sorry that I just updated today. My internet wasn't working well yesterday. Also, updates are going to start being irregular instead of always on Monday. I just haven't had any inspiration on this story and in the spring, there are a lot more tests.

Disclaimer: Caity-chan and the plot are mine, but Naruto isn't.

Chapter 25: Battles Between Heaven and Earth

"I am stronger than I was yesterday!"

~Tenten~

Where am I? Caitlin groaned as she woke up. She hurt all over, but all the pain seemed to be radiating from her neck. What the hell happened?

"Caitlin-chan, we need to open the scrolls… Naruto murmured, trying to gently wake his teammate up.

"We got an Earth Scroll?" Caitlin asked, surprised, as she quickly sat up. She yelped, and laid back down as the pain became worse when she sat up.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Me and teme did. Caitlin… You were out of it. I've never seen you like that."

"Stop worrying about me like a kid!" Caitlin suddenly snapped. As soon as she said that, she covered her mouth, shocked.

"I'm sorry," she murmured after a tense and awkward moment. "I guess the stress got to me."

"It's alright," Sasuke muttered.

"Yeah, it gets to us all after a while," Naruto said with a shaky grin. "So, wanna help us with this puzzle?"

Caitlin nodded, and looked at where he was pointing. I really need glasses… "I think it's missing one of the words."

"The scrolls?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, I think it's time to open them," Caitlin answered, trying to sit up. Sasuke, seeing what she was doing, helped her up.

Caitlin dug in her pack until she found both of the scrolls, and nodding at each other, the boys open a scroll each.

"A seal," Caitlin murmured, just as smoke came from the scrolls.

"Let them go! It's some kind of summoning jutsu!" Caitlin shouted as Sasuke dropped his. Naruto did the same, all the genins' faces pale.

The seals overlapped one another, and Caitlin, now prepared for battle with her summoned scythe, could see a silhouette of a person through the smoke.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, flabbergasted, as they all saw who it was.

"Iruka-sensei?" Caitlin asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey," the chunin said, grinning. "What, no 'Hello' and 'How are you, Iruka-sensei'?" he questioned.

"How are you, sensei?" Sasuke inquired, smirking and trying to ruffle the man's feathers.

The man glared, but answered, "I'm fine, but you guys don't look too good- AND WHAT THE HELL IS ON CAITLIN'S NECK!"

The man grabbed the walkie-talkie attached to his vest and yelled, "I need a seal master here now! Get Hatake Kakashi as well!"

Several stressful minutes were spent waiting, and Sasuke and Naruto were quickly herded to the corner. Kakashi and several ANBU operatives were the only ones that came.

"There's no sealing masters?" Iruka asked with horror.

"None that are in the village," Kakashi answered. "I've got enough knowledge to do a botched job until he gets here, but even then, it might not hold."

"Are you saying that we should just wait?" Iruka demanded.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. Anything I could do to help might end up backfiring. Besides, I already asked him to come, so I'll just tell him to get a move on," Kakashi replied.

Iruka sighed. "So she be guarded until then?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Sasuke," Caitlin muttered. "The man, Orochimaru, he was after Sasuke, not me."

"Well then, I guess one will need to stay with Sasuke as well," Kakashi stated, his eye showing his worry. "Also, be careful with the use of your chakra. That thing acts violently."

"I guess that I better do my job, now," Iruka said. "Do you see this here?" he asked, pointing to the writing on the wall.

"Yes, but one of the words is missing," Sasuke said.

"I don't like this!" Naruto suddenly blurted out. "There has to be something we can do!"

"There isn't anything we can at the moment, Naruto," Sasuke snapped, his fist clenched.

"Naruto, don't worry about. Soon enough, whoever that 'he' is that sensei keeps talking about will be here and I'll be fine," Caitlin said, trying to smile reassuringly to her friend, but failing miserably.

"Let me explain this quickly. This is the chunin motto. 'Heaven' is the mind and 'Earth' is the body. You need to have them in balance with one another," Iruka explained.

"The missing word?" Caitlin asked.

"The scrolls are the first words, and the last word is chunin," Iruka answered.

If you lack Heaven, seek wisdom and prepare. If you lack Earth, run in the fields and seek both advantages. If you have both Heaven and Earth, you can succeed even in the most dangerous of missions. These words will guide a chunin's extremes.

x~x~x

So many people got through… Caitlin glanced around, grimacing. Too many people…

"First off, for the second test, congratulations on passing!" said Anko's voice through the microphone.

"Too many," Caitlin murmured aloud, worried, and in pain from the curse mark.

"Caitlin?" Naruto whispered.

"Don't," Caitlin said, shaking her head. She noticed the glint of hurt in Naruto's eyes, but could say nothing for fear of interrupting either the proctor or the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama will now explain the third test," Anko said, stepping to the side and letting their leader through. "Listen carefully! Hokage-sama, please."

"Yes," the wise man began, "For the coming third test, but before I explain that, there is something that I would like for you to know. It concerns the true reason for this exam."

True reason? In the ninja world, I suppose there are always hidden meanings to things.

"Why do we have all allied countries taking the exams together?" the Hokage asked. "'To promote friendship among the countries.' 'To raise the level of shinobi.' I don't want you to be confused by the true meaning. This exam is…" He paused for dramatic effect and put his pipe to his mouth for an instant, smoke billowing out.

"A replacement for war among the allied countries," he ended. Murmurs spread through the crowd, shocked and alarmed. "If you go back in time, the current allies are enemies who fought each other over who would rule. In order to prevent wasteful fighting, the stage that these countries chose for battle…That is the origin of the Chunin Selection Exam," he continued.

"Why the hell do we have to do that crap?" Naruto demanded. "Isn't this thing for deciding who's a chunin?"

"It is a fact that this exam decides which shinobi have what it takes to be a chunin. But on the other hand, this exam has another side where each countries' shinobi risk their lives to protect their land's prestige," the Hokage continued.

"Prestige?" Ino questioned, slightly perplexed and very curious. The Yamanaka Clan wasn't known as Konoha's largest source of gossip for nothing.

"Yes. Watching this third exam will be leaders and influential individuals from many countries who make clients of the shinobi and the leaders of the countries will also be there to watch each of your battles," the old ninja explained, his face growing grave. "If the strength of a country is clear, then they will receive more clients. And conversely, if seen as weak, will lose clients."

Everyone was silent, captured by his speech. "And this will signal to potential enemy countries 'our village has this much power'. So, it will send a political message to outsiders."

"Yeah, but why?! Why do we have to risk our lives in battle?!" Kiba demanded, shouting.

Kiba is such an idiot… Hokage-sama just explained why.

"The strength of the country is the strength of the village," the Hokage further explained. "The strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi. And a shinobi's true strength is only born through life risking battles. This exam is a place to see each countries' strength and to show off your own strength. It only has meaning because lives are at risk. And that's why those that have come before you have fought in the Chunin Exams for this dream that is meaningful."

"But then why do you say stuff about it being for 'friendship'?" Tenten asked.

Civilians need a safe answer. It's why they don't know about many things that go on in this village.

"I said it in the beginning that I didn't want you to confuse the purpose of this. By losing life and establishing balance. This is the shape of friendship in the world of shinobi," the elderly man answered.

"Before we begin the third test I will tell you one more thing," he said. "This is not just a test…This is a life risking battle with your dreams and your country's prestige on the line."

Naruto smirked. "I get it."

"I don't care what it is," murmured a red headed boy from Suna. "Just hurry up and tell us what this life risking battle entails."

"Yes, I'd like to now explain the third test but-" began the Hokage.

"Actually," a sickly voice interrupted him, pausing to cough. A man dropped down in front of the Hokage, kneeling before him. "I apologize, Hokage-sama. From here on, as referee, will you please allow me, Gekkou Hayate?"

"By all mean," the Hokage replied.

The sickly man paused to cough. "Hello everyone. I'm Hayate." Cough. "Um, before the third test there's…" Cough. "Something I'd like to do." Cough. "Um, it's a preliminary for the third test." Cough. "To decide who gets to participate in the main event." Cough.

"You have got to be kidding me," Caitlin muttered under her breath, her bad mood worsening. Of course they can't make it that easy for us!

Mutters of dissent flooded the crowd, many of the chunin hopefuls angry and annoyed.

"Why isn't everyone allowed to participate in the next test?" Sasuke demanded, his face conveying his anger, even though he was trying to hide it for Caitlin, worried that it would set her off also.

"Um." Cough. "Because the first and second test may have been too easy this year." Cough. "We have a bit too many people remaining." Cough. "According to Chunin Exam rules we must have a preliminary and reduce the number of participants for the third test." Cough. "As Hokage-sama indicated earlier, there will be many guest at the third test." Cough. "Since the fights could take too long, we are limited in time." Cough. "Um, so anyways." Cough. "Those who are not feeling well, and those who feel like quitting after these explanations please come forward now since we will be starting the preliminary immediately." Cough.

Caitlin felt a momentary shred of panic. What do I do?! The only thing that stopped her from having a full blown panic attack was the fact that her teammates were beside her, supporting her. Both of them were now tentatively grasping her hand, understanding her terror. They would support her whatever decision she made.

Looking towards her sensei, she could see the same support in his eyes. She took a deep breath, ignoring the rest of the world. This was her decision. So she stepped forward.

"I am unable to continue," Caitlin stated, noticing the only other to step forward was a white haired kid that she vaguely remembered from the first exam. Something about him screamed danger, though. He shouldn't be here! Get him away! He should DIE!

She clutched her head with pain. She felt her knees hit the stone floor, the bone cracking as though it were glass, ripping a scream from her throat.

She could hear shouts from her teammates and friends behind her, but the only thing that she could focus on was a ninja standing with the senseis. He's-!

The world swirled around her before she could shout a warning, and then everything went black.

Question: If different parts of your life were seasons, what would they be for those parts?

My answer: Being a child would have to be summer. Right now, I'm in winter with the cold and hard times. I imagine after this I'll be in the spring, and old age will be autumn. I can't wait for autumn. I'll have as much time as I like to read and write. ;)