Chapter 19: Bloodlust

Naruto and Sakura had ramen together then decided that since they'd completed their training with their substitute sensei, or in Naruto's case, multiple substitute sensei's, they would train together now.

"Okay, so I don't suppose you know how to dispel genjutsu?" Sakura asked once they arrived at their old training field.

"Dispel?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

"How to stop it from effecting you?" she asked.

"No," he admitted.

"Hmm. Should I share that with you then or keep the secret to myself?" she added with a grin.

"Hey come on show it to me!" Naruto said.

She giggled. "Maybe if you can catch me!"

She leapt into the trees and Naruto gave chase. He leapt across the branches after his girlfriend who in addition to working on genjutsu had improved her physical conditioning with Kurenia. While her substitute sensei had specialized in creating illusions, she did have some decent skill in taijutsu as Jonin needed multiple skills to survive in battle. Sakura had been trained with intense workouts and her reflexes and strength were perhaps twice as sharp as they'd been before.

She managed to outlast Naruto for a while but after a couple minutes she began to tire and he soon caught up, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Gotcha!" Naruto said in triumph.

Unfortunately she had just been preparing to jump as he grabbed her. His weight pulled her down as she did so she didn't cover the distance to the next branch. They both tumbled to the ground with a shout.

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Aah!" Sakura screamed as she faced the ground.

Naruto instinctively turned so that his back was to the ground. If he hadn't done that he would have landed on top of Sakura. She could imagine him giving a good smack on the head if that happened.

Naruto you idiot! You are so stupid! That's it we're done! He imagined her saying if he landed on top of her.

But thankfully he was the one who got landed on thanks to hid quick maneuver. Both of them grunted as they hit the ground. Sakura rolled away from Naruto by a few feet. They slowly sat up.

"You okay?" Naruto asked with a little fear in his voice.

"Yeah," she said with a slight frown, but didn't clobber him. "Guess I shouldn't have had you chase me through the trees."

Oh she was putting the blame on herself? That was a relief.

Naruto got to his feet with a chuckle. "Alright I caught you now you have to show me how to stop genjutsu!"

She had him put his hands together and expel chakra from his body, which was a technique that just about any ninja could do. It wasn't as effective as a release, but that required more chakra control and she felt this would be more his style. He expelled chakra as Sakura attempted to make a genjutsu.

"Hey Naruto! There you are!" Sasuke appeared out of nowhere. "I want to fight you! Come on! Lets see who's really the stronger!"

Naruto hadn't quite expected that illusion. He would have fallen for it if not for knowing Sakura was doing genjutsu.

"I do want that Sasuke, but only against the real you and not some imposter!" Naruto said as he put his hands together.

Disrupting his chakra flow, Naruto caused the fake Sasuke to vanish. Sakura smiled. Naruto then showed her the techniques he'd been working on with his new sword as well as the wind chakra.

"Wind Slice!" Naruto said as he sent a wave of chakra from his sword that cut through a tree.

"Whoa," Sakura exclaimed as she saw.

Naruot smiled. "Yeah, I'm gonna cut down everything that gets in my way of becoming Hokage, believe it!"

"I do believe it!" Sakura said.

She and Naruto went on to practice taijutsu. She made sure not to hit him too hard like she often did whenever he did something stupid. He was still her superior in that regard, but she was able to give her a challenge. By the end of it they were both panting and collapsed onto their backs, covered in sweat and dirt.

"I think we're both ready for the Chunin Exams," Sakura said.

Naruto nodded as he crawled over to lay next to her. They kissed for a few minutes and then got up.

…

Soon the Chunin Exams were only one day away, and Naruto and Sakura were both heading to the hospital. Naruto had decided he wanted to visit Rock Lee as he hadn't heard of the older genin being discharged from the hospital. Apparently he was still in a coma from his battle with Gaara. But as they approached the room Lee was staying in they had an ominious feeling that almost caused to stop.

"You feel that?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Sakura said as they walked hand in hand with her holding a set of flowers for Lee with a get well card in the other.

Know that the feeling they had was that of killing intent, they squeezed each others hand for support then pressed forward into Lee's room. Inside they saw Gaara, his back was to them as he looked at Lee who lay on bed peaceful and unaware of his life being in danger.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Gaara said without turning to face them. "I'm killing him."

Dread filled Naruto and Sakura as their grip on each other tightened for an instant. Then they let go and Sakura tossed the flowers she'd gotten off to the side. Both of them assumed fighting stances as they looked at Gaara. Naruto didn't have his sword as he'd left it at home, not expecting to have to use it while going to the hospital where ninja weren't allowed to bring weapons except in the event of having to guard a person that might be in danger.

"We won't let you do that," Naruto stated.

"No we won't!" Sakura agreed.

"Leave, or die with him," Gaara said coldly.

Those words sent shivers down their spines. Gaara was so confident in his abilities, as if there was no chance he could lose. Given what they'd seen in the preliminaries that confidence was likely justified. His sand defended him of its own accord and could attack. It had been able to crush multiple parts of Lee's body and left him in this state. Now his dream of becoming a Shinobi was practically over unless they could find a medical ninja that could heal him.

"Why do you want to kill him anyway? What did he ever do to you?" Sakura asked, not able to completely mask the fear in her voice as she tried to reason with him.

"He's done nothing to me. I just want to kill kill him is all," Gaara stated before finally turning to face them, a mad look in his eyes as he grinned. "When I take the life of another person, it makes me feel ALIVE. It proves my existence! It is my purpose in life to kill those that are worthy, and he certainly was!"

This caused Naruto and Sakura to freeze up as they looked at him in shock. How could anyone end up like this?

As if reading their minds, Gaara told them his story. "When I was in my mother's womb, my father, the Fourth Kazekage, put a monster inside me to make me strong. The birth killed me, and when I could walk, I was feared by everyone. I was alone, but I embraced this one day, the day I took my first life. I learned the thrill of killing, and it became my one joy in life."

Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened upon hearing this.

So, he's got one in him too? Naruto thought.

"I fight for only myself, I love only myself," Gaara continued. "That is true strength."

We're so alike Naruto thought. Yet we're so different. Could I have ended up like this guy if I'd never met Sakura and Iruka Sensei or others that opened up to me? This guy, I don't if I can beat him.

Naruto began to shake. Sakura looked over at him in alarm.

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

More sand flowed from the gourd on Gaara's back and surrounded the couple.

"Die!" Gaara said.

Naruto and Sakura were sure it was over when suddenly-

"What's going on here?" a voice asked from behind.

Might Guy, Lee's sensei who looked almost exactly like him, stood in the doorway. Sakura would have assumed they were father and son, but that wasn't the case. Still, their relationship was close enough to that it seemed.

"Not causing trouble are you?" Guy asked, narrowing his bushy eyebrows.

Gaara looked at the Jonin, his eyes still not betraying any emotion. But inside he was conflicted.

This guy, there's something about him that gives me this feeling. That I can't beat him. Gaara thought.

"No," he said. "I was just leaving."

Naruto and Sakura let out sighs of relief as Gaara walked out.

"Thanks sensei," Naruto said. "I thought we were goners."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed looking through the door after Gaara. "He's a lot like you."

"I know," Naruto said. "I don't know if I can ever beat him."

Sakura looked at him with sympathy. Seeing someone else who was so similar to him had to be nerve wrecking. But even so-

Bam!

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed the spot where she had hit him. "What was that for?"

"Doubting yourself!" Sakura snapped. "You are a great ninja! He may have a monster inside him, but he talks like a monster! As if he's become one! He is not as strong as you! Maybe physical, but not in spirit. He's weak! He let himself be consumed by the monster within! You haven't!"

She looked at him, her emerald eyes stern.

"You managed to remain you despite everything you went through. All the ridicule from the villagers," she spat as she looked out the window showing outside. "And from me."

She looked down in remorse at how she treated him in the past. Scorning him and always rejecting his advances while being single mindedly loyal to Sasuke as a fangirl. Naruto approached her and wrapped an arm around her as tears began to well in her eyes as she thought of how she treated the one she'd grown to love.

"I'm sorry I hit you," she said as she looked at him.

"I needed that," Naruto said. "It really snapped me out of it. Thanks Sakura."

"I'm sorry I'm hard on Naruto," Sakura said as she hugged him.

"You're the brains, I'm the brawn," Naruto said. "Maybe if I'd paid more attention in class I wouldn't be so stupid."

"Sometimes brains aren't necessary," Guy said. "Lee managed to become a ninja with only taijutsu, sometimes all a ninja really needs is the guts to keep going no matter what. And I've seen that you have that Naruto, just like Lee. I'm sure you'll become stronger then someone who fights only for themselves. That can be strong, but those that have no one and are truly alone don't have anyone to rely on. When you have someone by your side, you can get stronger together."

Naruto and Sakura looked at him, and smiled.

"Let the power of youth and guts guide you both forward," Guy said giving them a thumbs up. "And if you add a little intelligence and a lot of love into the mix, you might just become the strongest ninja of all."

Naruto listened and recalled something Haku had said.

"Protect the one that's precious to you."

Naruto nodded to Guy, as well as himself as he recalled Haku's words.

"Thanks Bushir Browed Sensei," Naruto said. "I'll do my best."

"So will I," Sakura said before looking at Lee. "What about Lee?"

"I'll make sure he's under guard," Guy said. "Can't have him unprotected right now with someone possibly after him. In the meantime, you two should probably your rest if you've been training hard!"

He was right, the Chunin Exams were tomorrow. Naruto and Sakura both felt confident they could win. Also-

"We should be seeing Sasuke and Kakashi Sensei tomorrow," Sakura said. "Can't believe we've all spent a month apart."

"I know," Naruto said. "Well, I guess you'll probably be heading home now?"

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you," Sakura said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Love you too," Naruto said as he kissed her forehead.

The ninja couple split up and headed off to their own homes. Tomorrow was a big day.

Okay, another chapter done. I will likely be taking a couple weeks off of writing this story and several others. My other story involving Narusaku is nearly complete and I want to get it out of the way. So I'm gonna be focusing on it for the next couple weeks. So see you in about three to four weeks from now. Please review and I will take your comments under consideration, as long as they are not meanspirited or anything like that.