Chapter Twenty Four: No Rest for the Weary
A/N: I used to have a math teacher that would always say that… No rest for the weary… I hated her… Let me just say that I was the weary.
Sachiko: Poor Author-sama…
Author-sama: Math is… wicked… Btw, this chapter is going to be very long… I didn't feel like making a separate chapter for the preliminaries… It'll probably get up to twenty pages long… Ugh… Enjoy though…
Sachiko and her team arrived just three minutes after Gaara's did. The Sand Siblings had set a new record; 97 minutes. Sachiko told herself that 100 minutes was not too shabby either. The Sand Siblings had chosen a nice spot to sit at. Sachiko resolved to join them. She really had no one else to talk to considering they were the only ones in the tower and Kentaro and Katsura were keeping themselves busy by discussing things they couldn't tell her. She rolled her eyes as she walked away from them. Kankuro sat in between Temari and Gaara. Sachiko, still remembering that Temari was trying to be catty with her over the ring, sat next to Gaara instead. He looked at her uneasily once she sat next to him. He was probably surprised that someone would choose to sit next to him. Usually even if the last seat was the one next to his, the person would stand somewhere. Sachiko had had a choice in where to sit and she chose the seat next to his. This was new.
"Konichiwa Gaara-sama," Sachiko mumbled as she took her seat.
Gaara didn't even turn his head but his eyes slanted to look at her. He was trying to be inconspicuous or maybe even nonchalant. Either one would have worked for him.
"I wanted to thank you," Sachiko whispered to him, "For the Heaven Scroll… Arigato Gaara-sama."
"Hmph," was the only reply.
Sachiko sighed deeply. Chihoko had been right; Gaara was a difficult person. Sachiko couldn't give him friendship if he didn't want it. It didn't matter if he needed one or not. Sachiko slumped in her chair. The tower had twenty rooms offered for the teams that made it early and had to stay the night there. It was two per room and the rules allowed only thirteen teams to pass. Sachiko had four more days in the tower and she wondered if maybe she was better off roughing out in the Forest of Death for a while longer. At least it wasn't boring. Sachiko turned to Gaara again, bored out of her mind.
"So… uh are we doing the same room sharing thing as we did back at the Inn," she asked. It was a simple yes or no question. That was all Gaara had to say.
"Why is it," Gaara hissed at her, "You keep irritating me today."
"Irritating you," Sachiko asked, dumbfounded. She thought she was being nice to him this whole time only for him to tell her she was irritating him!
"Yes," he said, voice low so the others couldn't hear, "First you interrupt me when I was craving blood… You made me stop and help you… I couldn't kill you… and then you come in three minutes after I arrived just to irritate me to no end."
"G-gomen nasai, Gaara-sama… I didn't mean to interrupt you or bother you or anything," Sachiko rambled on like an idiot.
"Just. Stop. Talking."
"Right… I'll stop talking," Sachiko said confusedly.
"Now."
She nodded her head and silenced herself. Gaara rose up from his seat with a low growl. Temari and Kankuro both looked at Sachiko accusingly; she was to blame for putting him in a bad mood. She looked at them apologetically but she knew it didn't help.
"I'm going to one of the rooms so I'm not bothered by any of you," Gaara said to them, "I will not come out until the rest of the days in this filthy tower are up."
No one spoke or made a comment to this. One didn't question Sabaku no Gaara. Sachiko began to pace as if she had a lot of coffee that morning. She was bored out of her mind. She had to talk to somebody she could only wait until one of her friend's teams made it to the tower.
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Kiba's team was the third team to arrive to the tower. They were all a bit worn and Sachiko knew that they were probably a bit shaken up from witnessing Gaara's bloodlust nearly firsthand. Sachiko excitedly ran up to the team to congratulate them.
"Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Hinata-chan," Sachiko cheered happily, "Congratulations!"
"We should be congratulating you," said Kiba, "You beat us here."
"I had help though," said Sachiko with a small smile, "It wasn't all us."
"What do you mean Sachiko-san," asked Hinata as she twiddled her fingers together nervously.
"Gaara-sama had an extra Heaven Scroll and gave it to me," Sachiko admitted, not exactly proud.
"You mean that crazy guy with the red hair," asked Kiba, astonished.
"How did that work out," asked Shino, who had been quiet the whole time.
"Well we're both from Sand so… we try to support each other's teams," Sachiko tried to explain to them without mixing up her story.
"Oh," Kiba laughed suddenly, "I thought you were gonna say something weird like that he's your friend or something." Akamaru seemed to be laughing as well with his little yapping.
"Oh yeah… He doesn't really have any friends," Sachiko murmured as she took a seat in between Kiba and Hinata. Shino preferred to stand.
"I can see why," said Kiba with his wolf grin, "Guy seems like a psycho… He's what you call a monster."
"Monster," Sachiko said horrified, "Why would you call him such a thing?"
"He murdered in cold blood… I think that classifies him as a monster Sachiko-san," Kiba replied still laughing.
"No… It's not his fault he's that way," Sachiko scolded, "Don't call him that… Don't call him a monster…"
"Gomen! Gomen! I didn't know it bothered you so much," said Kiba, his grin evaporating. Akamaru whined a bit.
It was at that moment realization hit Sachiko. She had grown to like Kiba very much. He was cute, mischievous, and playful. She always thought herself to be a cat and of course, Kiba was so puppy like. It was often said that opposites attract. The saying had come true between her and Kiba but that minute she knew it wasn't to be so. As soon as the word monster came out of Kiba's mouth, Sachiko knew it would never work. She could never look at him the same for fear he would one day call her monster too.
"I'm awfully tired Kiba-kun," said Sachiko, "I'm going to go find one of the rooms and lay down or something… I'll talk to you later guys… Congratulations again…"
Sachiko wandered off like a tired zombie. She may have over done the sleepiness act in front of them but she had a lot of practice during the written. Ten minutes ago she had been in desperate need of company and now she was in desperate need to get away from everyone. Sachiko staggered through the halls like a drunk. She decided to pick the farthest room on the left. Hopefully everyone else would pick close rooms and leave her be. Sachiko opened the door quietly and went in. The room was very dark but she didn't care to turn any lights on. As soon as she found a bed, she lied down in it, falling asleep instantly.
A figure moved out from the shadows. Gaara had chosen the room because it was the farthest one and he had hoped no one else would pick it. The moment he heard someone enter he hid in the shadows, hoping to surprise and kill whoever it was. When he saw Sachiko lay down on the bed he couldn't kill. The girl was getting in the way too much of his blood cravings. She had been doing so all day. Perhaps that was the true reason he was irritated with her.
"You…" Gaara sat on the bed horizontal from the one Sachiko lay on. His teal eyes were looking her over. He wanted to kill and now he had the perfect chance. No one would see him do it. They'd have an idea but they couldn't blame him. After all, they were ninja and they were expected to fight with a high risk of killing each other. Gaara lusted for her blood the most, yet as he sat there he found that he couldn't bring himself to take it. "You will pay for this one day… I will kill you one day… soon."
"You're a sick boy," chuckled Shukaku. Gaara hadn't heard from him in a while and now wasn't really the best time. He had been almost enjoying the break. "You have a girl lying down on a bed and you're not the least bit… excited."
"I'm excited… but not in that way… I'm excited to have her blood."
"No wonder they say you're not normal… Can't blame you for craving blood though… It's fun… but one day you sick little boy… I think I'll make you crave something else…"
"Shut up you stupid, perverse animal… you disgust me."
"The feeling's mutual kid."
"Hn…"
"Now's a good chance to see that thing on her forehead… The red thing."
"Hn. I forgot about that… Now is a good chance though."
Gaara stood up and approached Sachiko. He waited there for a moment to make sure she was fast asleep. When he saw that she was fast asleep he reached his hand out. It hovered over her forehead until it finally brushed unruly bangs away. A red scar had been uncovered by Gaara's curious hand. It was a kanji; a symbol for something.
"Hate," Gaara growled, withdrawing to a dark corner of the room. His hand went up to his own scar to rub the marring. He had maimed it himself. But his scar clearly read 'Love'. Hate and Love were very different yet nearly the same.
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Sachiko had spent all the rest of the days in the stupid tower. Food had been provided for them, which was nice. At least Anko had made sure to be hospitable. She had been very worried because Naruto's team hadn't shown up yet. She wanted to come back into the Forest of Death and look for him but she knew she would be disqualified if she did so. She had talked to almost everyone that had arrived in the tower except for Gaara. For some reason he had been avoiding her, which wasn't like him. He usually had kept an eye on her. He even eavesdropped on her at times. But lately he refused to go near her.
"I must be really lame if Gaara wants to avoid me… I mean I know he's not talkative but he at least stands by me or something…"
"Everyone hates you… Let's kill them."
"Shut your kitty lips… they do not… but Gaara does."
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Sachiko just about did cartwheels when she saw Naruto enter the waiting room. She ran up to the blonde and embraced him instantly. "Naruto-kun, I was so worried," she cried as she tightened the embrace. When she pulled Naruto back to stare at his face she found it had turned red. "Oh Naruto-kun," Sachiko said to him as she put a hand on his forehead, "You didn't get sick out there did you?!"
"Love sick," Sakura murmured to Sasuke. He gave a nod in agreement and went to go sit on one of the chairs in the waiting room. He felt completely exhausted and his neck was in terrible burning pain. Sakura stared after him, worried.
"What happened to you guys," asked Sachiko finally as she licked her thumb and rubbed some of the dirt from Naruto's cheek, "You guys took so long and you guys look completely exhausted!"
Naruto was currently blushing and unable to speak so Sakura took this one. "It's a long story…"
"Well we've got time," Sachiko said cheerily. She loved stories.
"ALRIGHT LAZY BUMS GET YOUR BUTT TO THE MAIN ROOM. THE HOKAGE IS HERE TO TALK TO YOU GUYS ABOUT THE PRELIMINARIES," said Anko's strong voice.
"Guess not," said Sachiko as she helped Sakura up from her seat. She could see the pink haired girl could barely lift herself up.
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The Hokage was waiting in the main room as all the genin who had passed the Forest of Death shuffled in. They stood in rows with their own teams. Sachiko reluctantly stood next to her team and looked longingly to the Sand Siblings. She wished Gaara wasn't being so weird lately but she would have to ignore it and move on. She began to feel sleepy again after standing in the room awhile. She had drank coffee that morning and couldn't understand why she was feeling so tired. She looked around the room but no one was looking at her. It wasn't as if anyone was making her sleepy, or so she thought. The Hokage had been explaining a few things to the people that had passed the second part of the exam but she began to drift off into her sleepy world. She would snap out of a reverie, hear a few things, and then snap back in to another. Things wouldn't be good if she didn't know the rules and she couldn't stay awake.
"According to the rules of the Chunin Exams a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining," said the proctor.
"Is that fair," asked Sakura, clearly upset having seen no point in a preliminary round.
"It's just that at this stage we have to speed things up a bit," said the proctor calmly, "As Lord Hokage said… A lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So if there are any of you who feel you are not in top physical condition, now's your chance to…" The proctor began coughing up something nasty. "Sorry about that… As I was saying… Any of you who don't feel up to this now's the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."
Kentaro nudged Sachiko and whispered, "Wake up… You can't fall asleep while they're explaining the preliminaries."
"Preliminaries?" Sachiko could almost feel herself rocking back and forth, ready to collapse on the floor and succumb to the sleep.
"Yes," Kentaro persisted, "We're to fight one battle each because there are too many of us remaining. They didn't expect to have that many ninja left. That will eliminate half of us and then we're on our way to the semi-finals… If you fight one of us… we will put up a good fight to make it look real and then let you win. The one that doesn't fight you will win his match and continue on to the semi-finals and possibly the finals in hopes to have a mock match with you. That way we can ensure your win."
"Hopefully it'll be one of us you'll fight because… the other ninja don't look like they're about to give up easily," whispered Katsura.
"Look alive," hissed Kentaro once more before finally settling down.
Sachiko nodded but could make no promises.
"Come on you mean right now," growled Kiba directing it toward the proctor's speech.
"We just barely survived the last exam! Can't we get a break," whined Ino worriedly.
"Man what a drag," added Shikamaru from behind Ino.
"When do we eat…?" Choji rubbed his stomach vivaciously.
"The winners will be determined by one on one combat… Sudden death," said the proctor, "So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now's the time to raise your hand."
"Does he really think anyone is going to quit," thought Sasuke as he stared at the proctor in disgust. He got a sudden pain in his neck and placed his hand there to rub it. Sakura worriedly gazed to him, trying to help him.
"Sasuke, listen to me," Sakura whispered to him, "You have got to quit. You've been like this ever since you tangled with Orochimaru and its getting worse. It's that mark he put on you, isn't it? You can't deny it Sasuke."
Naruto stared back at Sasuke in disbelief as Sakura spoke. "Please… Sasuke quit now before… I don't know… I'm scared. You're in no condition to keep on fighting!"
"Shut up Sakura," hissed Sasuke to his unmanageable teammate.
"You think I'm blind or something," countered Sakura.
"Will you please be quiet?" Sasuke couldn't afford to bail out now. He had come too far to throw in the towel in the preliminary rounds of the Chunin Exam.
"You think I don't see the suffering you're going through," Sakura returned with a louder voice.
"That's enough Sakura."
"I'm sorry… I can't let you do it to yourself," Sakura said, "I'm going to tell them about that mark." She began to raise her hand up. "Then maybe you'll…"
Meanwhile, the Hokage, Kakashi, and Anko were discussing what to do with Sasuke. Anko suggested that Sasuke be taken away for further examination but Kakashi made a quick rebuttal to this causing Anko to get angry. She argued that the curse mark was a danger to everyone else in the exam and that he had to be taken away immediately.
"It's a forbidden jutsu that devours the one who bears it," she yelled at the masked ninja, "It's incredible the kid's still standing. By now… he should be dead." Anko turned the Hokage, "Hokage-sama!"
A hand slowly rose up, catching the Hokage's attention. Someone was withdrawing from the preliminaries. "Okay," said Kabuto, "You got me… I'm out."
"But Kabuto!" Naruto was in dismay.
"Yakushi Kabuto of the Leaf Village right," asked the proctor with a cough, "Okay you can go on and step back."
Kabuto nodded but Naruto was still in shock. "Kabuto, hold on a second! You can't quit! I don't get this what's going on?!" Sachiko cast a worried glance in Naruto's direction, seeing him all fired up over something.
"Pathetic," thought Gaara as he watched as well.
"Oh Naruto… I'm sorry," began Kabuto with an apologetic look on his face, "But my body's just too beat up. I can't hack it. Ever since orientation and that dust up with the Sound Village team, I've had no hearing in my left ear. And now to have to put my life on the line, to fight again, right away without a break… I can't do it."
Naruto said nothing in reply.
"I've seen that one before," said the Hokage, "That's not the first time he's dropped out before a battle… What kind of game is he playing?"
"Yakushi Kabuto," said Anko as she read some information from her clipboard, "Says here he failed… six times in a row."
"What do you have on his background," asked the third Hokage.
"His time at the academy is not what you'd call impressive," answered Anko, "Average grades… It took him a full three tries before he passed the graduation exam. As far as the missions he's carried out since then, there's been two C ranks and fourteen D ranks. It's not exactly a battle record to write home about. However…"
"Go on," urged the Hokage.
"There's something before his time in the academy," said Anko, "Do you remember the child?—the one that was found after the battle of Kikuyu Pass? The only survivor…"
"I remember the story… It was said a small boy was found among the enemy dead on the battlefield. He was found barely alive and brought back by a Jounin from the medical unit. You're saying this is that boy."
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Sasuke and Sakura were still arguing over whether he should battle or not. Sasuke finally told her to stay out of it but Naruto wasn't through either. It was the blonde's turn to share his opinion with Sasuke.
"Man you don't know when to quit," shouted Naruto, "What are you biting her head off for? You idiot! It's just 'cuz she cares about you!"
"Naruto you're one of the ones I want to fight the most," said Sasuke with a grin to the blonde.
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"I'm still concerned with what Orochimaru said," the Hokage told the other Jounin behind him, "Let the boy continue."
"But Hokage-sama!" Anko was more than angry, she was furious.
"However, at the first sign of the curse mark growing or his power getting out of control you will step in and stop it."
"Right," agreed Ibiki.
"As you wish," said Anko, sucking it up.
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The first match was between Sasuke and one of Kabuto's team members named Akado Yoroi. Both were ready for the fight; Sasuke was grinning like a mad man. "They sure didn't waste any time," he thought as he headed to the center of the room.
"Everyone will now clear the area and move to the upper level," instructed the proctor. All the other genin obliged to do so.
Kakashi walked near Sasuke and whispered, "Sasuke don't use your Sharingan."
"So you know about it," asked Sasuke with a smirk.
"If that mark on your neck gets out of control… your life could be in danger," replied Kakashi without really answering Sasuke's question.
"I'm aware of that."
"Just to let you know, if it gets to that point I'll have to step in and stop the fight," said Kakashi as he began to walk away. "Good luck."
It was a good match between the two fighters. At first, Yoroi had nearly had Sasuke beat. The viewers were all at the edges of their seats. Yoroi cackled but at that moment Sasuke pulled himself together. Sasuke began to punch Yoroi viciously. Sasuke ended the match with his Uchiha lion's barrage, panting for air. Anko stared in disbelief at the Uchiha. She couldn't believe he had managed to gain some control over the curse mark. As the medical nin took away Yoroi to the infirmary, one stopped to ask Sasuke to come as well.
"I think you're out of your league with this one," said Kakashi as he crouched low next to Sasuke, "I'll handle him." He whispered into Sasuke's ear, "We've got to seal that curse mark."
"Before the preliminaries are over," argued Sasuke, "I want to see who gets to go on to the finals!"
"Forget it," silenced Kakashi, "And don't even think of arguing. If we leave it alone any longer… who knows it might be too late. We already cut you enough slack as it is." Sasuke had an upset look on his face as he blinked. "Come," urged Kakashi, "Let's go."
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Sachiko's teammate Katsura got called up to fight. He didn't even smirk or grin like Kentaro would have. Instead, a tiny half smile just formed on his lips as he went down the stairs and then to the center of the room. Sachiko was very curious about Katsura. She had seen a bit of what Kentaro could do but she had never seen Katsura in action. She was excited to be learning a little about her teammates. It was good that she paid attention to this match although she was still sleepy. If she paid attention she could come up with ways to make a fight between her and Katsura look real if she ended up having to fight him in the finals.
Katsura's opponent was a Sound Village ninja named Yagami Shugo. Shugo was a scary looking ninja but there was no way a genin Sound Village ninja could beat a Sand Village ANBU. That was impossible.
Sachiko and Kentaro stood at the edge of the railing. Sachiko's eyes grew wide with fright as the match began. Katsura just stood there in his sloppy slouch. "He's certainly… not worried about the other guy…" She bit her lip as Katsura moved into a slovenly fighting stance. He moved his disheveled arms up in an offensive position but it was hard to believe he would be on the offensive with such a horrible posture and such lazy feet.
"Don't worry," said Kentaro with a grin, "Katsura has his own style of fighting… He'll win without a doubt… You'll see." Sachiko gulped and then nodded. She wasn't sure if she believed Kentaro's reassuring words but that's all she had to go off of.
The Sound Village ninja attempted to attack first. He created a whirlwind of sound waves around Katsura, enveloping the poor black haired boy. The whirlwind caved in on Katsura and crushed. When the smoke cleared, Katsura was gone.
"Where'd he go," asked Sachiko in disbelief, "He didn't just get completely… torn into smithereens did he?"
Kentaro chuckled, "Nope… look up."
Sachiko looked up to the ceiling of the room and gasped. Upon seeing her facial expression, other genin looked up as well to see that Katsura was standing upside down on the ceiling. His half smile still lingered on his face as his dark bags underneath his eyes seemed to laugh with amusement. The Sound Village ninja looked up and sent another whirlwind of sound in Katsura's direction. Katsura sent a flying kick toward the whirlwind and it evaporated.
"You see," said Kentaro, "Katsura is no good fighting with his hands… The only thing he ever does with his hands is eat sweets… He does everything else with his legs and feet… When he fights, it's almost as if he's dancing. His moves are generally wind based and they have great power when they come from his powerful legs."
With that said, Katsura made mince meat out of the Sound Village ninja. He sent many powerful flying kicks at the guy. Wind sliced at Yagami Shugo and tore his skin apart. A great whirlwind covered the scene. No one was sure who would be standing but they all had a good idea. Katsura stood, back arched in a slouch and hands in pockets. A beat up Sound Village ninja lay on the ground, completely thrashed and unable to continue.
"Insane," murmured Sachiko as Katsura walked back up the stairs after the proctor announced the winner. "Amazing… Katsura-kun," said Sachiko.
Katsura looked at her with his blank stare and stuck his thumb in his mouth to nibble on it, "Thank you… let's hope you don't get paired up with one of the Sound Village ninja though… They're a tough bunch."
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The next match had been between Shino and Zaku from the Sound Village. Shino quickly put a stop to the Sound Village menace by plugging up the wholes in Zaku's hands with beetles. The beetles had even begun to eat up Zaku's chakra. Zaku stubbornly attempted to use his attack and ended up destroying his arms. He was quickly taken to the infirmary and the match was over. Shino stepped away victorious. Sachiko cringed a bit as she saw the beetles return to Shino. Kiba had once explained to her that the beetles actually nested in his body. That was a bit unnerving.
"Wow… uh… C-Congratulations Shino," said Hinata, stuttering as usual.
"Yeah way to go," agreed Kiba, "Good work."
"Hmph. Just see that you two do the same," said Shino in a rude tone. He could be a bit full of himself, to say the least.
Kiba gave him a death glare and thought, "Yeah? Who died and made you team leader, huh?" Akamaru looked up and gave Kiba a few licks on the chin to calm him down.
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Kankuro's turn was up. Sachiko had told him good luck but he acted as if he didn't need to hear it. Meanwhile his sensei and Gaara weren't thinking the nicest things of him.
"Careful Kankuro," thought Baki, "You'll underestimate your opponent one time too many."
"Idiot," Gaara seemed to hiss at Kankuro with his teal eyes.
The Leaf Village genin were all curious to see how the Sand Village genin would fair. Scowls set to their faces; they all stared down curiously to watch the match. Kankuro's opponent was another one of Kabuto's strange teammates. His name was Tsurugi Misumi. Misumi walked to face Kankuro with a smirk underneath his mask. He was practically laughing inside.
"Piece of cake," he thought to himself. "I'm not like Yoroi," said Misumi, "I don't get careless not even against kids. A piece of advice; once I go into my jutsu, give up quick. If you do, I promise to make it short and painless." He'd soon see how wrong he was to think those words.
"Funny," replied Kankuro as he began to untangle Crow from his back, "I was about to say the same thing. Though, I can't promise it'll be painless."
The two stared each other down and then began the match. Sachiko bit her lip down when Kankuro finally exposed Crow. Crow was the kind of puppet that could give anyone nightmares and though Sachiko used to have a crush on Kankuro, she couldn't imagine going on a Honeymoon with him. Kankuro would probably take Crow with him. That was scary for any newly wedded girl to face. She stuck her tongue out and squished her face together. "Creepy!"
Kankuro had played a nasty trick on Misumi. He had Crow in a transformation jutsu so that Crow was Kankuro and Kankuro had transformed into Crow. It was a good trick and well played out. Kankuro soon had Misumi down. It was too easy for a Sand Village ninja. Kankuro grinned greatly. The proctor announced the winner and then Kankuro was on his merry way back up the steps.
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After Kankuro, Kentaro was called up. Sachiko was excited to see what kind of moves Kentaro did. She had an idea of what he could do and it was about to be tested. She wished him good luck and leaned over the railing, excited to watch the match. Kentaro would be facing the other member of the Sound Village ninja that Katsura had defeated. He apparently was the brother of Shugo. His name was Yagami Shigeru. Sachiko guessed that his attacks might be similar to his brother's.
Kentaro wore a huge goofy grin. Sachiko had never seen him look so strange. Kentaro grinned often but not in a goofy way. She wondered what he was up to. She looked to Katsura for an explanation but he only gestured for her to watch the match. Kentaro was definitely more talkative than Katsura.
The moment the proctor allowed the fight to begin, Kentaro attacked. His strategy was always to attack before your opponent had a chance to. Sachiko would have called this rash impatience but Kentaro would have referred to it as effective surprise. Usually there was a stare down between opponents or banter but Kentaro preferred to keep quiet at the beginning of the match and launch a series of attacks.
Kentaro's attacks were wind based as well but they were a bit different than Katsura's. Kentaro was more of a punching type of guy whereas Katsura liked to kick. Kentaro would do a crazy twisting fist and then sock his opponent a good one while a small whirlwind unleashed from his fist and hit his opponent from the opposite side. It was a double whammy.
Shigeru, after suffering a fury of punches, figured out a way to dodge them. He reappeared at Kentaro's feet and knocked him down. He sent out thousands of sound waves. Kentaro stood still for a minute and then fell to his knees. Shigeru had made Kentaro loose his balance, which was a smart move on his part. Kentaro would have a harder time launching his punches from the floor because he could get himself into a steady fighting stance. Kentaro only chuckled, causing Shigeru to worry. Kentaro began to walk on his hands and landed a double kick into Shigeru's stomach. Kentaro had made it appear that he was no good with his feet. The kick unleashed two waves of wind. Shigeru got hit in the chest with the kick and the wing, each knocking the wind out of him.
Kentaro took his time to sit down on his opponent. Sachiko noticeably sweat dropped and so did Katsura. Shigeru was much too dizzy to get up from his position and with Kentaro's added weight on his chest; he couldn't catch his breath back. The proctor announced Kentaro as the winner and when Kentaro stood up Shigeru was finally able to catch his breath. Shigeru clutched his chest.
"This isn't over," hissed Shigeru as he got up, "I'll find you again one day."
"Oh it looks pretty over to me," said Kentaro with a laugh and walked back upstairs to join his teammates.
"You guys are so amazing," Sachiko beamed, "I don't think my fight will end as quickly as yours did."
"Well we're a higher rank Sachiko-san," said Kentaro, "I have a bad feeling that us being paired up with that Sound Village team was no accident…"
"I agree," said Katsura as he removed his thumb from his mouth, "Most likely you will fight the sister… Her name is Yagami Sayuri… She's far more dangerous than her brothers…"
"We had hopes that you would fight one of us… but you're going to have to make it to the finals on your own kid… Hopefully we'll get matched up at the finals," said Kentaro.
Sachiko tried to gulp but she had a knot in her throat. She was letting her nerves get to her. "Get a grip Sachiko-san…" She thought to herself as she rubbed her throat a bit to remove the knot. Sachiko could feel the sleepiness come over her again. She sat down on the floor and would watch the next match by sticking her head in between the rails.
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Ino and Sakura was the next match. Sachiko gasped as Sakura met her opponent on the battlegrounds. Sachiko had heard from many other genin that Sakura and Ino were rivals. They used to be best friends so long ago but both girls had a crush on Sasuke. They had allowed him to tear their friendship apart. "Stupidity," thought Sachiko, "Friendship is more important than a boy… Sasuke doesn't even pay attention to either of them."
"Girls are so foolish when it comes to boys… I hope you don't end up that way with your Kiba and your Naruto."
"I don't like them," Sachiko fibbed to the cat.
"Don't be modest… I am part of you… I know your deepest desires Sachiko… and you don't think I don't know about your silly little crushes…?"
"Hush! The match is starting…"
Sakura and Ino stood staring at one another for the longest time. It was nerve wracking to watch. Neither of the girls were the best of kunoichi. Ino was a step above Sakura because she was able to use a mind transfer jutsu. Sakura, on the other hand, was a very smart girl and studied the basics avidly. Sachiko wasn't sure who would come out on top of this match. They were too evenly matched and both were armed with competitive rivalry. Ino took the first hit from Sakura. It was a strong punch that had sent Ino flying.
"You're doing awesome Sakura," cried Naruto.
"I've never seen Sakura this good," said Kakashi.
"You're not saying she's better than me," asked Naruto, mystified.
"No," Kakashi said in a sarcastic tone, "You're the greatest."
Both girls sent a small shuriken at one another but they cancelled out. They would each take turns landing punches on each other. It was a long battle. Neither was getting a step further than the other.
"How can you be evenly matched with me," asked Ino in shock.
"Well Ino I spent time practicing while you played with your hair," Sakura taunted with a smirk.
Ino took a kunai and chopped off all her hair, shocking her teammates and the rest of the crowd.
"You think that'll help," asked Sakura.
Ino screeched and threw her hair on the floor, "I don't need this! Get ready to tell everyone you lost billboard brow!"
"Look I know you're frustrated," Sakura told her, "But that's pointless… If you miss it's all over… You do know that right?"
Ino missed.
"You're done Ino," said Sakura with a laugh. She stepped closer but then felt her feet get caught by something.
"You fell for it Sakura," Ino said, "I caught you. All those hand signs were to fool you. Now you're trapped… I made a special rope with my hair. Now that you're trapped I can take over your body and make you give up on this match." Ino didn't miss this time and Sakura was now under Ino's mind transfer jutsu.
"The mind transfer jutsu worked… Sakura's done for," said Kakashi.
Rock Lee and Naruto both gasped but Naruto quite grasp the idea and so Kakashi explained to the both of them what was going on. They all watched intently as Sakura's hand flew up.
"Now I, Sakura Haruno, would like to with—"
"NO!" Naruto hung over the edge of the rail screaming. "Sakura don't! You worked so hard to get here! Don't disgrace yourself now by losing to that lame Ino girl!"
"Yell all you want," Ino thought, "There's nothing you can do now."
Sakura began to clutch her head. Ino was losing control of Sakura's body for Sakura's will was too strong. The proctor asked her, "Well are you withdrawing?"
"No I will not be withdrawing! Not today or any other day," shouted the real Sakura. "Release," Sakura said, forcing Ino to return to her own body. Inner Sakura had won.
"How can you have two spirits in you," asked Ino as she panted, "Just what are you anyway?"
"Someone who's just as strong as she is beautiful. I mean a girl's gotta be tough if she's gotta do something like this," Sakura replied happily.
Sakura and Ino, both nearly out of chakra, attacked each other simultaneously both shouting, "This ends right now!" Upon impact, both girls knocked each other out. It was a draw. Both girls lost. It had been an intense battle. Sachiko ran to Sakura's side instantly after she was brought to the upper level by Kakashi.
"Sakura," Sachiko whispered as she brushed some of her pink hair out of her face, "You've grown so much… You were amazing…"
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Tenten was about to fight Temari but Sachiko remained at Sakura's side taking care of her. Naruto stared to Sachiko and Sakura admiringly. He was glad to have such amazing friends like them. Sachiko would watch the match between Temari and Tenten at Sakura's side. It would be a great match but Sachiko knew that Temari would win. Tenten was a weapons user and Temari's attacks were solely wind based but her fan could blow away just about anything. The match would be cake for Temari, and she knew it.
Sakura barely began to wake up and Ino asked for some time alone with her. Sachiko nodded and went to go stand by Naruto. Naruto's eyes were filled with excitement to see the next match. "Bet you Temari wins," Sachiko whispered back.
"How do you know," asked Naruto, "You've never seen Tenten fight."
"Yes… but you've never seen Temari," replied Sachiko with a smirk. She didn't care much for Temari and Sachiko was still upset with her over the whole ring thing but she knew that Temari was going to win. "Clean house Temari-san," murmured Sachiko as the match began.
"Tenten. Temari. Get ready," said the proctor, "Begin!"
"She wants me to make the first move. Big mistake," Temari said in an intimidating voice, "The first move I make will be the last move you see. So you go first… Come on girl; show me what you've got."
"If you insist," Tenten countered, and the real match began, "Remember you asked for it!"
Sachiko had been correct in her assumption. Tenten pulled out everything she had but it was not good enough to beat Temari. Even rising twin dragons had been a failure for the poor brunette. Once Temari's fan reached the third moon it was all over. Sachiko had been Temari's sparring partner for a long time and she knew how exactly how that fan worked. It was an incredible asset to her and Temari could maneuver it expertly. Sachiko and she had often come to a draw in their sparring. But one day Sachiko had used her kekkai genkai and beat her. Ever since that day, Temari treated her differently. Temari tried to belittle her every way she could like the way Naren had.
Rock Lee had unexpectedly tried to attack Temari with his leaf hurricane. It was easily blocked with her fan.
"You know what, you're as dumb as you look," hissed Temari with a devilish look in her eye.
"What did you say," asked Rock Lee in anger but Gai sensei came down to put an end to it.
"Lee stop," Gai said.
"But Gai Sensei," croaked Lee.
"Temari," said Gaara from the upper level, "Forget them… The match is over. So get up here. You won. Why are you wasting your time with that pathetic loser and his ridiculous mentor?"
"A word of warning," said Gai to Gaara, "You Sand Villagers have no idea what Lee is capable of. Remember, he still hasn't fought yet. So I'd be careful if I were you."
Temari smirked as she went back to her spot on the upper level. She looked at Sachiko for a moment and grinned. The look was meant to intimidate but Sachiko only returned the gaze with her own ferocity. Temari was the first to look away.
"You were right," Naruto said to Sachiko, "That girl is really ruthless… Impressive alright… That girl is scary!"
"That's Temari for you," Sachiko said with a laugh, "And just between you and me… She scares me too but not because she's a good fighter… She's a scary girl to know."
"I better get back to the others," Sachiko said, "I'll see you guys later."
Sachiko ran off to join her teammates, who were standing next to the Sand Siblings. Both Kentaro and Katsura were congratulating Temari. Sachiko didn't really want to, but she knew she had to.
"Congrats Temari-san," Sachiko told her, "You did a good job… quick too."
"Hmph… Thanks kid," Temari replied with pride, "If you're lucky you'll win too… but I doubt your match will end as quickly… The girl I fought kinda sucked."
"Yeah," Sachiko agreed uneasily, "The Leaf Village ninja are good but it looks like Sand will take."
"Just make sure you win your match," Temari said curtly, "Then you can brag."
Sachiko turned her face in the other direction to scowl. That was exactly why she didn't want to talk to Temari. Gaara only stared at Temari but said nothing. Kankuro was the one to speak.
"Looks like we made a clean sweep through," he said, "Sachiko-san make sure to win your match… Not only for your mission but it looks good for Sand as well… Don't forget you're representing us too."
"Shut up," Sachiko snapped, tired of his bad boy behavior, "I know that."
Gaara was a bit shocked to hear those words from Sachiko. He hadn't heard her ever snap at Kankuro before. Kankuro didn't reply back so Sachiko's words had indefinitely affected him. Gaara turned toward the battle arena with a smirk on his face. He could sense somebody's bloodlust rising, not just his.
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Shikamaru had to fight a Sound Village girl. The Sound girl was an expert with needles and bells. Shikamaru had thought he had her attacks figured out but had been terribly wrong when he found himself caught in a trap.
"See you don't ever ask 'For whom the bells toll?' Because it tolls for thee," said the girl with a triumphant grin. The bells would ring and bring on paralysis. The sound was impossible to block out once it gotten inside the head. The arms and legs are rendered immobile. Plus, Shikamaru found himself seeing doubles. But Shikamaru had caught her shadow by using the shadow of the thread attached to the bell. His shadow attached itself to hers.
"That's a cute trick," said the Sound Village ninja, "So I mirror you. What's the big deal?"
"Man, you're annoying," grunted Shikamaru, "Just shut up and watch."
It was then that everyone realized Shikamaru's genius. He had expertly come up with a plan and executed it. He reached into his shuriken holder for a shuriken. She did the same.
"It's like a game of chicken," said Shikamaru, "Let's see who ducks first."
He threw the shuriken and dodged it expertly. She, on the other hand, attempted to dodge it but ended up getting hit right on her forehead protector by it. It knocked her out instantly.
"And that's what I call using your head. The wise shinobi carefully scouts the physical layout of the battlefield and never loses sight of his position on it. That was your problem. I made sure she was so busy focusing on me she didn't notice the wall inches behind her head so when we both dodged backwards kaboom! Now who's hearing bells?"
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The next match was tough for Sachiko to watch. She was forced to see her two friends battle it out. Inuzuka Kiba against Uzumaki Naruto. Her two beloved friends would have to fight one another. She could cheer for neither, only watch in horror as the scene played out.
Sachiko kept her mouth silent the whole time as she watched. Kiba had been beating Naruto to a pulp but Naruto refused to give up. Sachiko began biting at her nails, which would quickly re-grow back to their original state because of Chihoko's power. She looked at Gaara who had a disgusted look on his face. She knew what he was most likely thinking. He was thinking Naruto was weak and an embarrassment. Naruto was not an embarrassment!
"GO NARUTO-KUN," shouted Sachiko, "YOU CAN DO IT!"
Kiba looked up at her horrified. She was cheering for him? How could she? Naruto saw that Kiba was distracted and took this chance to land a nice and sturdy punch. Akamaru even seemed distracted as Kiba flew back and slammed into the wall.
Sachiko closed her eyes as the battle wore on. It was too much to see Naruto lose. When she opened her eyes again the sleepiness returned. She began to feel woozy and fell over. She felt something soften the landing but then it quickly withdrew itself for some reason. It didn't matter to her whether it was there or not. Sachiko drifted off to sleep for a bit. Sachiko didn't know it but Gaara's sand had risen to catch her. The moment he had realized what he had done, the sand recoiled into his gourd. He corked it swiftly and said nothing.
"G-Gaara… you caught her," Temari stammered, evidently in shock.
"Shut up you stupid bitch. You don't know what you're saying… now watch the match," he hissed to her in one of his best threatening voices.
Kankuro had been smart in the situation and said nothing. He learned that it wasn't a good idea to bring up anything that Gaara did that could be considered a somewhat act of kindness. Last time he did that, Gaara tried to strangle him with his sand. Luckily for Kankuro, his father came in and stopped Gaara. If the Kazekage hadn't been walking by, Kankuro knew he wouldn't be standing there.
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Sachiko had woken up about five minutes before the match ended. She looked down to the battle arena to see that Naruto had turned the tables. She bit her lip down after seeing Kiba on the floor with Akamaru. He was trying to get back up but was failing miserably. Akamaru seemed out of commission as well.
"Kiba-kun," Sachiko shouted down, "Get up!" She had felt a bit guilty for cheering for Naruto and had decided to cheer for Kiba. Kiba and Naruto were both her friends. She couldn't show favoritism. Her cheering must have given Kiba strength because he struggled his way back to a standing position. But it was all for naught, Naruto attacked him once more. It was the finishing touch. Kiba was done and so was Akamaru.
As medical ninjas took Kiba away on the stretcher he mumbled something to Naruto. "Good job Naruto… you fought well."
"You did too… Kiba," said Naruto with a friendly smile, "Now get some rest."
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"Hinata," cried Naruto as the girl fell to the floor, completely defeated, "HINATA!"
"Naruto," Sachiko said resting a hand on his shoulder, "She fought well but she can't go on… Neji completely destroyed her."
"That jerk," said Naruto as he jumped down from the rails to confront him.
Sachiko smiled. Naruto was always defending those who couldn't defend themselves. Naruto had a tremendously big heart. When he did such kind actions, he reminded Sachiko why she was so fond of him but seeing him yelling at Neji over what he had done to Hinata opened Sachiko's eyes. Sachiko had liked Hinata well enough but saw her as a bit of a rival because she knew that Hinata liked Naruto as well. Sachiko had never been cruel to Hinata by any means but if she ever became more than friends with Naruto; it would just kill Hinata inside and that was something Sachiko couldn't do. Sachiko had a new goal at that moment. She would help Hinata and Naruto get together, even if it meant the she would have to give up her own crush on Naruto. After Naruto finished threatening Neji and had vowed to get revenge for Hinata he came back up the steps.
What Sachiko found amusing was that Kankuro had taken it upon himself to go over and speak to Naruto just to see what he was about. Upon approaching Naruto, he smiled as friendly as he possibly could. Sachiko could tell the smile was fake and that Kankuro was trying very difficultly to be nice.
"So what's that Neji guy about, huh?"
"I don't know," growled Naruto, "But I'm gonna kick his ass!"
"Pretty feisty little guy aren't you," said Kankuro as he began to chuckle lightly, "Wanna be friends?"
"Not to be rude but I don't like you and I'm not interested in making friends with the likes of you," Naruto shouted at him, "I'll kick your ass too!"
Kankuro walked away without saying something more. He looked very unsettled and disturbed by what Naruto had said to him. With Kankuro's new bad boy attitude, Sachiko was surprised he didn't say anything in reply to Naruto's comments. Sachiko smirked. Naruto was something else. She was glad to be his friend.
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Sachiko had gone back to standing with the other Sand Village citizens. The names for the next match were being randomized. Gaara's name and Rock Lee's appeared; bad news for Rock Lee. Sachiko hadn't really known Lee too well but she knew he wasn't the nicest boy she had ever met; nicest person, for that matter. He was always kind and gentlemanly to everyone. She prayed that Gaara wouldn't harm him too much.
"Good luck Gaara-sama," said Sachiko, even though she knew he didn't need her telling him that.
"Hn," he replied as he went to meet his opponent.
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Sachiko gasped as Rock Lee was taken away on a stretcher. One of his legs was completely thrashed and so was one of his arms. She had hoped that Gaara would have taken it easy on Rock Lee. Meanwhile a strange feeling was coming over Sachiko after having seen so much blood. She had been sleepy during Rock Lee's match but now she felt wide awake with a lovely craving. "I want… I want… to blood…"
"Too much blood for you in that last match? Now you're hungry aren't you little one?"
Sachiko could feel herself panting. "Yes… blood… I need…it…"
Gaara gazed to her and smirked. His bloodlust had been very strong when he fought against Rock Lee. He would have killed him if they had only let him. Now Sachiko had become, as Gaara referred to it, 'Thirsty.' He was almost excited to see her match. He was almost excited because he knew that her match would be bloody and deliciously sweet to see.
"Kazemichi Sachiko and Yagami Sayuri," called the proctor, "You're up."
"Good luck Sachiko-chan," called Naruto and Sakura from where they were sitting. Sachiko nodded casually. Whoever that Yagami Sayuri was—she was in for it.
As soon as the two stood face to face, the tension was nearly visible by the crowd watching. At first glance, Sachiko hated the girl and craved her blood, and she could tell the Sayuri girl felt the same. The proctor began to cough up something nasty all over again. Sachiko and Sayuri waited patiently for him to stop his coughing.
"Begin," he said.
"Been feeling sleepy lately Sachiko-san," asked the Sound Village girl.
"Y-You," Sachiko stammered, "Did that?"
"Mhmm," Sayuri said, "Let's just say I had a feeling I would be fighting against you very soon." Sayuri pulled a scroll from behind her back, opened it, and threw it up in the air. She leaped up to the scroll and performed various hand signs. When she was through with her hand signs she landed back onto the ground with an instrument Sachiko had never seen before. "This is an ocarina," said Sayuri with a proud smile, "Every person has a unique pitch that they respond to. I know instantly what it is the moment I come in contact with you."
"And when was that," snarled Sachiko as she took a few steps back.
"I sat next to you at the written portion of the exams," Sayuri said, "Or did you forget? You were doodling silly little pictures all over your test."
"I remember now," Sachiko said angrily, "You were done with your test in less than five minutes…"
"That's right," Sayuri told Sachiko, "Jealous that I'm so smart?" Sachiko didn't reply for Sayuri gave her no chance to. Sayuri placed the ocarina to her lips and began to play a slow melodic tune similar to the lullaby Sachiko remembered her grandmother played for her. It had always sent her to sleep as a child.
"No! If I fall asleep… it's all… over…"
"You sleep… I will fight…"
"What?"
"I'm not being nice so get that thought out of your head. I want blood right now and this dumb little bitch is giving me the perfect opportunity for her own blood. It's like an open invitation. How unfortunate for her."
"Don't kill her… I can't let anyone see me kill here… I don't want Naruto to think badly of me… He's watching…"
"Shut up and sleep. I'll do as I please."
Sachiko couldn't fight it anymore. She could feel herself falling into a deep slumber. She could feel her demon taking over. It was too late for her to be able to do anything. The Sound Village girl had no idea who she was dealing with but she would soon find out.
The crowd gasped as Sachiko fell to the ground. Gaara gave her a disgusted look as if to call her pathetic. Temari and Kankuro turned their heads in shame. Sachiko would make the Sand Village look bad after all. Kentaro and Katsura hung their heads low. They were both uncertain of Sachiko's power and didn't think she could hold her own in a fight. Naruto clenched his fists in anger crying, "It's not fair! She put her to sleep! Sachiko's been sleepy since before the match! She's been using that thing on her since before the match! That's cheating."
"Quiet Naruto," silenced Kakashi, "She's waking up, I think."
A feral growl escaped from the lips of a blue haired girl. It appeared she was trying to stand back up but then she rested on all fours like the way Kiba had. Sayuri said, "Tch." She wasn't about to take some girl pretending to be an animal seriously.
"You made a big mistake in making Sachiko fall asleep," said a voice that didn't resemble Sachiko's at all.
"How so," asked the Sound Village girl. She wasn't sure how she was making her voice sound so different but it was most likely a ploy to distract her. Sayuri braced herself and placed the Ocarina back to her lips. The same notes she had played earlier sounded again.
"That worked on Sachiko but not on me… Silly little bitch," said the blue haired girl.
When Sayuri saw that Sachiko had not fallen asleep she gasped. Something was going completely wrong. "What… are you?"
"Your worst nightmare," said the demon cat that had taken over Sachiko's body, "And I'm very thirsty." Sachiko began to cackle wickedly, scaring Sayuri a bit.
"Thirsty," Sayuri echoed, "For what?"
"Your blood," hissed Sachiko as she leapt on the girl and dug her sharp nails into her.
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"That's odd," said Kakashi to Naruto and Sakura, "Your Sand friend's chakra is going through the roof… along with bloodlust."
"Bloodlust," repeated Sakura, "What do you mean Kakashi-sensei?"
"Can't you feel it," he asked his pupil, "Didn't you hear her growl earlier? She's no normal ninja…"
Naruto said nothing; he was in too much shock.
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As Sachiko's claws dug into the girl, blood immediately oozed out. Sachiko took a big whiff of the blood, her eyes slit like a starving, feral cat. She wanted badly to lick it all up. Sachiko felt a good knock on the head and looked up, hissing like the cat she was. The Sound girl had hit on the head with a terrible sound wave emanating from her ocarina. Sachiko howled like the untamed animal she was and launched herself at the girl again. She took the ocarina in her mouth and broke it with her sharp feline teeth. The Sound girl gasped. Her instrument was shattered and would never work again.
"Looks like you're out of tricks," hissed Sachiko.
"Yeah well I can still withdraw," said the Sound girl as she backed away from Sachiko, terribly frightened of her.
"I don't think so little girl," growled Sachiko as she pounced on her again. Her claws flew over the girl and aimed for the throat, "One little cut is all it takes… Bye, bye goes your jugular vein…" Sachiko cackled again and again. She couldn't stop herself.
"STOP," cried the girl, "PLEASE STOP!" But Sachiko would not. She lifted her claw and extended her pointer finger's nail. She rose up her paw in the air, powering up her fatal swing.
From the upper level Naruto had finally gained his voice back. "Sachiko-chan what are you doing? You're going to kill her!! STOP IT!"
"Naruto," breathed Sachiko as she put her hands down on the floor, her eyes returning to regular pupil.
"Go back to sleep you fool… I'm finishing this girl off."
"No you're not Chihoko… No… you're not…" Sachiko clutched the sides of her head like a raging lunatic.
"Smell the blood again little Sachiko! Smell it again!"
"Sachiko-chan, stop it! You're not a killer," cried out Naruto, "You're a good person!"
"He sees the good in me," Sachiko breathed heavily as she backed away from the Sound girl. Sayuri was rolled up in a protective ball, quivering with fear.
"There is no good in you! Let me back out!"
"No… Stay back… Stay back… I'll withdraw you stupid cat… I'll withdraw!!"
"Don't be a fool, you're winning."
"If you won't go away, I'll do it!" Sachiko was screeching at herself. The proctor had backed up far away from the girl. She was absolutely insane. No one behaved in such a disturbing way like she had; not that he had seen. It was entirely unsettling.
"Are you going to withdraw or are you done yelling at yourself," asked the proctor, coughing after his words.
"Shut up you stupid fool or I'll cut your throat too! I'm not withdrawing," hissed the cat from within Sachiko.
"No don't listen to her… She's… AHHHHH!! Make it stop… Make her stop," Sachiko screamed as she began to pant, "Go away… Go away… Go away!" Her voice was hoarse from screaming so much. She couldn't speak anymore. She couldn't withdraw if she wanted to.
Meanwhile, the Sound girl had gotten a bit braver and decided to take advantage of the situation. She had a kunai in her hand and was approaching Sachiko carefully so she wouldn't be noticed. "Fine, fight on your own you brat! By the way, the girl is coming back after you."
The warning came too late. Sachiko tried to move but ended up getting the girl's kunai thrust deep into her gut. She made a horrible cry of suffering and then blood slowly spilled from her mouth. "You're lucky… I heal… fast," huffed Sachiko as she cleared the blood that gushed from her mouth with her arm, her other hand reaching to pull out the kunai. She carelessly tossed the bloodied kunai aside and then she slowly rose to stand. "This may not be where you die but this is where you lose," Sachiko said to her as blood covered hands performed hand seals. "Inazuma," she whispered as little clouded wings emerged from the sides of her ankles, electricity pulsating through them. "Here I go."
Her feet propelled Sachiko toward the Sound girl at amazing speed. Sachiko sent a flurry of punches and kicks at her too fast for an untrained shinobi to catch. Sayuri skidded across the floor, knocked out cold. Sachiko panted as she fell to the ground. "I win… and I did it without you…" Sachiko wiped the blood from her hands onto the floor as the proctor announced her the winner. Sachiko stood up and began to make her way back up the steps but collapsed on the stairs. Naruto rushed to help her but was stopped by the boy who had ended Rock Lee's career as a ninja.
"Leave her alone," hissed Gaara, "Let her get up on her own…"
"She can't get up," whined Naruto, "She's completely out of it!"
Kakashi rested a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder to pull him back. "Naruto… leave her to the other Sand Villagers. I know she's your friend but she belongs with them."
Naruto nodded and stepped back.
"Get up," Gaara barked at Sachiko without leniency, "Do it."
Sachiko struggled to climb up the stairs. She pulled herself up each step very slowly for it caused her great pain in her gut. Medical ninja had offered to take her to the infirmary but she had refused them. The medical ninja waited at the bottom of the steps waiting for her to take them up on the offer even though she had denied it.
"I'll just rest right here on the stairs," Sachiko said as she panted heavily and clutched her open wound, "If it's okay, Gaara-sama."
"So be it then," he growled and then returned to Kankuro and Temari's side in a puff of smoke.
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The last battle was the Leaf Village's Choji and the Sound Village's Dosu. Sachiko had never seen the chubby boy fight though she did remember bumping into him and being redirected by his great stomach. He may have been a bit on the chunky side but Choji used his 'big boned-ness' to his benefit. He had very powerful jutsus made chiefly for his heaviness. Though it was a great match, Choji had lost. He had done the best he could do. His team loved him for his great effort anyway.
Sachiko's wound had just begun to close up at the end of the match. "Stupid medical ninja," Sachiko laughed to herself, "Who needs them."
After the preliminaries all the teams were to return home or wherever they were staying. Sachiko was helped back to Konoha Inn by her teammates. They had newfound respect for her after her last match. Kentaro raved about how he was at the edge of his seat and Katsura was saying something about percentages and probabilities of winning a preliminary match. Sachiko knew she had made some new friends in her fake teammates; she was glad. Kankuro and Temari had even congratulated her on a job well done but Gaara said nothing to her. He refused to look at her the whole time. The way he saw it was that no one congratulated him the way they did for her. He had a great victory as well. Didn't he deserve to be ranted and raved about?
Gaara slammed the door in Kankuro's face as he entered the hotel room. He wanted to be alone in there and Kankuro would just have to take the hint. Gaara began to clench his fists as he sat down; they began to turn lifeless white.
"Sachiko… your days are numbered."
It was an empty threat, right?
A/N: I can't believe I'm finally done… only for me write about more fight scenes in the actual Chunin Exams and then Gaara and Naruto's battle… this is all going to take its toll on me… I rather dislike writing prolonged fight scenes. It's very tiring and annoying… This is by far the LONGEST chapter I've ever written. 22 lovely pages on word… I thought about splitting them up into two different chapters but I did say No Rest for the Weary, right? That goes for me as the author and for you as the reader… here's Sachiko to talk about other things… I'm spent.
Sachiko: Author-sama wrote 22 very long pages about the Chunin preliminaries and so you faithful readers must give her NICE LONG REVIEWS! Do it for Author-sama! She is so tired now!