When Rain Falls

by AwkwardMoogle137

Kotone and her team are just genin from Amegakure hoping to pass the Chunin Exams. However, very rarely do things go so nicely. After three years of being apart, they have to learn to be a team again. With new emotions and personalities, the task proves harder than expected as the ninja world is threatened by old faces. Rated M for MUCH later content.

8. This Tournament Means More

When Rain Falls: Chapter 8 – This Tournament Means More

Disclaimer: Everything, other than my own characters, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Kotone and Takumi sighed as they brushed their teeth. A month of effort for this day and they were both gambling on tools they still hadn't seen. Paired with the fact that Kotone was still hesitant to fight Takumi seriously and that made for two very worn out individuals.

"Kotone-chan, Takumi-kun, shouldn't you be feeling more excited than this?" Kaori asked while leaning on the table, her chin in her hands.

Takumi spit out his toothpaste before replying, "It's just very real all of a sudden."

Kotone nodded in agreement, but continued brushing allowing her words to muffle, "Ish not wike we want to fwight. We have to."

"Gross, Kotone," Takumi recoiled before Kotone spit into the sink. They both gargled water before sitting down with Kaori and their silent teacher.

"No words of wisdom, Toko-sensei?" Kotone asked as she lifted some toast to her mouth.

The black haired woman didn't even look up from her book. She just let out a sigh as she turned the page.

"Toko-sensei," Kotone waved from across the table. "Hellooo?"

"Leave her be, Kotone. She's not picking sides and won't allow anymore questions since the match is today," Takumi explained.

"See? He knows," Toko murmured from behind the pages. It had been agreed upon when they first started to train that the last day for help was the night before. No exceptions. Kotone could have gone missing and Toko wouldn't look until the opening ceremony was about to begin.

"Boo. Anything you say would be to the both of us."

"There is no advice for the both of you. You're against different people."

Kotone made a face at her sensei when a knock at the door had her and Takumi jumping up in their rush to answer it. They tripped over each other in their efforts to open the door, but Toko stepped over them and pulled it open, almost hitting Kotone mercilessly over the head.

"Oh, Yuuto-sama," Toko greated, inviting the tall man in.

"Toko-sensei," the man bowed politely, his long alabaster ponytail dangling over his shoulder. He opened his eyes and the deeper green tone seemed to brighten when he spotted his daughter on the floor.

"Papa!" Kotone greeted while shoving Takumi away.

"Kotone, did you fall again?"

"A-again? I never fall at home!"

He nodded and placed a hand to his chin as he traveled back in time to when she was a baby, "It's true you aren't clumsy anymore, but when you were a baby you would trip over everything in sight."

The girl blushed and stood up quickly. Takumi noticed her increased excitement and started to feel a dreaded suspicion build up. He dusted himself off after getting off the ground.

"Takumi too! Don't let her bully you, Takumi. She's like her mother in that regard."

"She's like me in what regard?" an icy voice crept from behind Yuuto's large but slender figure. The woman's black hair and lightly tanned skin was opposite her husband's pale palette, with her bangs cut in a flat line with the rest pulled into a ponytail. Her bright orange eyes seemed to glow from under her ebony locks.

"Oh, honey! I was just saying that Kotone bullies people like you."

Kotone paled at her father's direct comment about her mother's behavior, but her mom just blushed and grabbed onto his arm tightly as if it was a compliment.

"H-hi mama!" Kotone started to greet before a harsh glare hit her.

"Now you wait a minute! You greet him with so much enthusiasm, but I get a stuttered hello?!"

"You surprised me is all! Plus with Dad's comment, I thought – "

"You thought? Thought what that it'd upset me? Jeez, Kotone, he's said much worse about me before and I do bully people. You especially should know that to be true," the woman's warm eyes always danced with a cool intent like she was always ready for a fight.

"Y-yeah, but if I said anything I'd get my ass kicked until I apologize," Kotone mumbled in Takumi's direction. He knew it was a true statement that Kotone's mother, Hotaru, was likely to abuse her daughter in the name of discipline. It was always with good intentions and Kotone could fight back, but the girl already endured enough abuse from Toko usually.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! It's good you and Papa have such a strong relationship!"

The two just smiled in response before Yuuto pulled two small boxes from his kimono sleeves. He preferred tradition dress to the newer fashions, and the long sleeves gave him room to store small objects that he used to lose daily. Kotone's red jacket was designed by her father to store her kunai and other tools in the billowing material with ease. Though the fashion piece was made by her mother.

"Two boxes, Papa?" Kotone tilted her head in confusion only to realize Takumi was scratching his cheek, a gesture he only did when he was avoiding trouble. "Y-you asked my dad to make you something?!"

"You asked him to make you something!" Takumi rebutted.

"He's my dad! Of course I'm going to ask him! He made my entire arsenal!"

"Exactly! Who else could I trust with the task of making my tools! Besides, at least I paid him!"

The two were glaring at each other over the silent betrayal that they had both gotten outside help from Yuuto. The older man let out a hearty laugh and passed them their boxes. "I was rather happy to have you both come to me for something. You both had interesting requests and they had me stumped for a few days, but I'm happy that I was needed so much."

"You didn't tell me you were making him anything when you sent your letter."

Kotone's mother sighed and bonked her daughter over the head: "Of course he didn't tell you. He didn't tell Takumi either. You had separate requests. Now, whether or not your new toys are helpful depends on what the other asked for. That's the point of this match, isn't it? To adapt to the abilities and advantages the opponent might have?"

Kotone and Takumi nodded, bowing in apology over their fight. Though the sensation that they were combatants and not partners was finally setting in to both their minds.

"Ah, Kaori-chan!" Hotaru called to happily. Kotone cringed at how politely her mother treated Kaori, but she could understand why. Her parents decided to stop after one child when Kotone immediately showed talent and had the Ueno bloodline so present in her veins. Having two children that showed the bloodline would have been chaos, especially since Kotone would have been the older sibling, the "role model."

Kaori offered her mother the chance to have the cute daughter she had once dreamed of. Her mother loved her, but Kotone took after her father more than anything, though some of her father's patrons had once said Kotone would be as beautiful as her mother when she was older. "I wonder if that's starting to show?" she pondered, briefly throwing a glance to nearest reflective surface.

Her father tapped her shoulder and gestured for her to follow him outside for a moment. He remained silent until they were in the fresh air and the sun was bouncing off their pale and lengthy locks.

"Are you really going to fight Takumi as an enemy?"

"Well it's just a glorified sparring match, Papa –"

"No, Kotone. This is a chance for Takumi to show you how far he's come since you were first assigned to the same team. This is a chance for him to really fight you, but if you won't take it seriously, withdraw."

"W-what?!"

Her father smiled gently at her and placed a hand on her head, her hair still not braided for the day. "You don't want to hurt your teammate, but I know what you both had me make for you. You have some new tricks that could win this match, and so does Takumi if you don't take him seriously. Don't insult him by not giving it your all."

"I know it would bother him, but it's hard to see him as an opponent and not just Takumi."

"It's times like this that I know your mother and I must have done something right to have such a considerate daughter. However, the shinobi world is full of confusion and allies turning against one another. If that day ever comes, you have to be ready to fight them with the intent to capture or kill. You know this to be true," her father's voice was soft and gentle, just like his eyes. Kotone could see the conflicting feelings she saw when she first asked to go to the academy. She was strong, but the world was full of darkness that she tended to ignore.

She took a deep breath and nodded, "I will try to fight Takumi seriously. It might take a few punches into the fight, but I'm sure that he's not going to go easy on me."

"Good girl," her father rubbed her hair more viciously this time, tangling strands on top of her head.

"P-papa!" Kotone scolded before running inside to have her mother fix it. Hotaru gave her husband a dark glare as she brushed her daughter's long mane before braiding it like she always had.

In a rare gentle moment between the two women, Kotone's mother whispered, "Good luck today, Kotone." A gentle kiss was placed to the back of her head and Kotone nodded, a gentle look crossing her face. For all the chaos her mother brought, she really did love her.

"Kotone, we need to go!" Takumi shouted from the door prompting Kotone to buckle her wire gauntlets and throw on her maroon jacket which was now supplied with her new tools.

She waved to everyone before running out the door with Takumi. They reached the stadium and immediately spotted some of the other competitors entering the arena.

"Oi! Shikamaru!" Kotone called out as she trotted up to him. He was surprised that her and Takumi were traveling together, but he knew their team was rather close after the impromptu dinner she and Kaori had with his team the other night.

He gave a brief wave, "Kotone. Takumi. All this for the Chunin Exams," he said with a lazy tone. Kotone caught how little he actually wanted to endure this, but he had shown up. She could respect the fact that he was willing to commit to this challenge.

"It's nice that people can bond over children sparring, don't you think?" Kotone grinned wide causing him to smirk in response. Even Takumi let out chuckled despite his desire to resist being friendly until after their match. He had to focus on getting through the fight first.

"Oh, I don't see Naruto or Sasuke," Kotone pointed out as they stopped in the center of the stadium floor, waiting for the others. Shino, Neji, and the three sand siblings were already there, but the members of Team 7 and the one Sound ninja were missing.

"What are they thinking being late today?" Takumi mumbled with a frown. A quick glance between the two strategists and Kotone realized they were thinking the same thing, just Takumi had verbalized it.

The stadium was quickly filling up at Kotone could feel the eyes on her because of her bloodline. The Ueno clan was mostly nomadic, rarely aligning itself with any village so she was like a rare treat dangling before them.

"Who would've thought you'd be so famous," Temari called out to Kotone, a smirk on her face. "I didn't realize I was fighting a rare bloodline a month ago."

"Ah, rare might be a stretch. As far as I know the Ueno clan is rather large, just scattered. Besides, my bloodline isn't nearly as exciting at the Uchiha or Hyuga, I'm sure everyone will get bored watching my match."

"I don't know about that. Unless you don't have the will to strike down your opponent cause he's your teammate, that is."

Kotone and Temari had a brief glaring challenge before the lighter haired girl put her palms up, "I rose to the challenge last time. I think I'll manage to do it again."

"Oh?" Takumi voiced, a coy smile growing on his face. He could hear the prideful bluff in his teammate's voice. "I look forward to our match, then, Kotone-chan."

The honorific he added made Kotone cringe. Takumi only called her that when they first became teammates and hadn't developed a friendship yet. He was trying to distance himself from their current friendship, something that was painstakingly earned on Kotone's part. Takumi was like many Ame children, bitter and restful of those with natural talent. When he met Kotone as his teammate, he hated her because she was Ueno, but with her constant efforts they had become friends who could be critical of each other without hurting the others feelings.

"I admit that you can fight," Temari finally said with a sigh. Her competitive stare met Kotone's surprised eyes. "I want a rematch. One where neither of us underestimates the other and goes all out."

Kotone smiled and looked up at the audience that was near full, "I dunno about that. You seem like you're scary when you're angry."

Temari just smirked and went back to minding her own business, though Kotone thought she caught a something negative in her eyes before she turned away. The snowy hair girl didn't have much time to consider it as Naruto slid into the stadium at that moment panicking about bulls chasing him.

She applauded him with a smile, "Way to show up in style!"

Takumi sighed at his teammate's behavior, but Kotone tried to make friends when the opportunity arose and Naruto seemed to be the same. He could see why they'd get along, but he wondered if she considered that they might end up fighting if she won. "We haven't even started and I'm assuming she'll win,"Takumi thought bleakly.

The proctor held up the new line up due to the disappearance of Dosu. Takumi and Kotone shared a glance wondering what would make someone get this far only to withdraw. However, the silently made their way to the waiting room with the other contestants.

"Naruto is up first against the Hyuga, eh?" Takumi murmured.

"Don't think he can do it?" Kotone asked, a gentle smile on her face as she stared at the orange clad boy.

"Actually, I hope he does. I used to believe in a disbalance of fate like Neji does, but I hope Naruto can show him that it is hard work that matters."

"How unusually sympathetic of you, Takumi. But I agree. I'm just curious if he can do it! We haven't seen much of his potential."

Shikamaru sighed and leaned against the railing, his hand cradling his chin. "Naruto was never good at anything in the academy. He failed the graduation exam a few times too. But he kept saying how he'd be Hokage one day."

"Haha! I wish Ame kids were that motivated."

The match started in favor the Neji. He had more discipline, it was true, but Naruto refused to back down. Even when his chakra points were all sealed by Neji's 64 palm rotation. However, Kotone and Takumi weren't prepared for the darker side of the Hyuga clan to be exposed at that moment.

"Takumi, did you know about this?" Kotone quietly asked him as Neji explained the mark on his forehead.

The boy shook his head, surprised as she was, "It's likely not told to people very often. It makes sense though for such a powerful clan."

"What about this makes sense, exactly? What happens when a Head Family member dies? Isn't their body capable of revealing the secrets of the Byakugan?"

"That's true, but the job of the Branch Family is likely to prevent that from happening, or to retrieve the body if it does. It's a safety mechanism that keeps outsiders from the secret, but the price of that is the inequality forced upon Branch Family members. I'm not saying I agree, but I can understand why it exists."

"It's sick," Kotone whispered. Shikamaru and Takumi were the only ones close enough to hear her and neither disagreed.

Takumi knew of the cruelties of the world having been raised in poverty. Every meal was precious for his mother and him when he was a kid. Fortunately, schooling was completely free in Ame because why waste a potential resource by letting it die on the streets. Kotone grew up in a comfortable, borderline wealthy, home with loving parents. Even Kaori lived a nice lifestyle before her parents passed away. It didn't mean the two girls didn't understand it, but they refused to believe it was required.

"W-what is that?" Takumi gasped as Naruto started to release a red and sinister chakra.

"What the hell – ?" Kotone's eyes widened at the sudden flux in power. "How was he hiding this?!" she wondered while keeping her eyes on him.

The speed of the fight was suddenly increased, making harder to track their movements exactly, but they were always visible. Right until their final clash.

"Oh?" Kotone asked, silently activating her kekke genkai to look at Naruto's unconscious form. She could barely see it, but the edges of a hole peeked out from under his figure. Honestly, without the angle from the balcony she likely wouldn't have seen it, but Naruto wasn't done yet.

"Is that the limit?" Takumi asked before Naruto landed a solid punch from under Neji.

Kotone let her right eye return to normal with a grin spreading across her cheeks, "I didn't think so."

Even Takumi let out a chuckle at the way Naruto won, his nails bleeding from digging the hole. It was a clever way to win given the circumstances and Neji really didn't think he could lose.

"Well, what do you know?" Takumi shrugged. "Guess Neji will have to learn that life isn't as simple as fate and destiny."

"Hopefully he gets the peace of mind he needed."

Naruto paraded himself around few a minutes before he joined everyone else in the waiting area. Kotone high-fived Naruto. Though the happy congratulations were quickly quelled by the fact that Sasuke still hadn't arrived and the crowd clearly came to see the last Uchiha fight.

"He'll be here, right Naruto?" Kotone asked curiously. She hadn't gotten a good grasp of Sasuke's personality yet, but the way he fought made it seem like he was desperate to prove himself to someone. Surely he wouldn't just quit.

"Don't worry, he'll be here for sure!"

"The rules say that if he doesn't show up for his match, he's disqualified," Takumi reminded them. "But will they stick to that with how the crowd is reacting?"

Sure enough, they postponed Sasuke's match to give him time to arrive. They would go last, meaning Kotone and Takumi were closer to fighting. Especially when Kankuro forfeited before even getting in the ring with Shino. A decision that made Kotone feel nervous. The Suna boy was stubborn and standoffish, but it was like the match didn't matter.

"Something's not right. First Temari seemed distracted and now Kankuro is give up before getting in the ring. I don't like this," her mind started to race. There wasn't much merit to him quitting, but it also seemed like the audience only cared that they weren't being entertained.

Temari quickly entered the ring when it became apparent that it was her a Shikamaru.

"You wanted a piece of advice? Don't get hit," Kotone quickly warned before Naruto practically pushed him from the balcony.

"Did you intend for that advice to have multiple meanings? Or did Naruto surprise you?" Takumi asked, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

"You should know that answer."

Kotone had to admit she was surprised at Shikamaru's reflexes compared to Temari's attacks. The fan had to weigh a lot and could only be swung so fast, but she attacked him while he was still laying on the ground. For him to get to kunai into the wall and be on them in the short time it took a dust cloud to dissipate was impressive.

"Oh, the motivation is gone," Kotone noticed as Shikamaru stopped moving to look at the sky allowing Temari to land her wind art on him, though it allowed him the opportunity to use his shadow possession jutsu and scare her a safe distance away.

"He's planning something," Takumi recognized the look in Shikamaru's eyes when he came out of his stance.

Kotone's brow furrowed at Temari's increased power, but Shikamaru seemed comfortable in his position despite the constant blusters she sent his way. He was getting to her mentally though by hiding. Though, she put a finger to her chin as a thought crossed her mind, "What's he going to do when he catches her?"

Takumi nearly fell over at the question, but he did realize there was a good point to her question. Unless he could catch her in a spot like his opponent in the prelims, there wasn't much merit to just chasing her with his shadow.

"Oh?" Kotone grinned when the shadow ducked into the hole Naruto left behind.

"Good use of the battlefield's conditions," Takumi agreed though he was clearly a little upset that Shikamaru was proving to be smarter than he was.

"Still, what is he going to do now that he's got her? I don't know know what to expect."

Takumi and Kotone both leaned on the railing in curiosity, wondering what Shikamaru would do as his final move.

"Good grief. I give up," he finally declared.

Kotone could resist laughing at his decision to surrender. Takumi nearly punched her because he felt it was a waste of the tactics, but the decision had some sense once Shikamaru explained he was out of chakra for anything else.

"I wouldn't consider it a loss on his part, though," Kotone finally came off her laughter, "he outwit his opponent and caught her in his jutsu. That's worth merit."

"Why the heck did he give up?! This ticks me off," Naruto shouted as he hit the railing.

Kotone giggled at the display when he jumped down to scold Shikamaru before being reminded that there was another match to watch. Takumi and Kotone hopped down, the former waving at them until they returned to the waiting room.

The proctor glanced between the two, the crowd had interest in the fight. However, he was having issues deciding if both had the same level of intention with the battle.

He called for the fight to begin and Kotone activated her kekke genkai immediately before she jumped to the trees. She was quick to lay her wires in a chaotic field that way Takumi wouldn't be able to predict the pattern and cut it blindly. She stood at the end of her field, a smile on her face.

"Well, Takumi?"

He sighed before pulling out three small bombs. Kotone used her right eye to magnify them, surprised that they were smaller in size than usual. It must be the ones her father made because Takumi didn't have the talent or the tools to make the smallest ones yet, they were too small and his fingers fumbled.

"That's not a challenge you should be starting, Kotone. Not when you won't take me seriously," he said coldly before throwing one of the bombs above her, the other two to her sides. Kotone smirked and pulled out a mask, a tool that caught Takumi off guard.

"D-don't tell me –!"

"This is what I had him make! I won't be going to sleep anytime soon!" she proudly said before moving to dodge the full blast of smoke. Her eyes went wide, however, when her right eye started to burn, having been the only open eye when she moved through the smoke, trying to keep Takumi the focus of her kekke genkai. If he moved she would've seen it, but something was wrong.

She stopped before the end of her wire field and braced a hand to her right eye, the pain swimming in the small sphere.

"W-what the hell did you do?!"

"I knew you'd predict every movement I made with that kekke genkai of yours. The ability to figure out where your opponent will move based on the smallest of muscle twitches that you can only see with that magnifying jutsu. That, and now you're trapped in your own web of wires. Can you confidently maneuver through them without the ability to see them?" Takumi smirked before grabbing more bombs. He couldn't charge in there, he had to smoke her out.

The crowd was cheering at Takumi's short work of her bloodline limit.

Her breathing was ragged behind the mask, but she knew it'd at least protect her against his genjutsu, the only real threat she thought he had. Even disabling her kekke genkai didn't prevent the pain and she had to keep her eye closed because of the irritation.

"That's what you meant by not being serious, eh?" Kotone murmured. Takumi threw another bomb as Kotone jumped up and out of her field. She could sense the open path with her chakra, but Takumi's bomb caught her by surprise due to her now limited peripheral range. "Shit!"

She missed the brunt of the blow, but she could hear her shirt burning. A few drops of the liquid in the bomb made her skin burn. Realizing the cause she rapidly stripped her jacket off and threw it. Takumi had her father make an acid bomb. He had designed the specs for it weeks ago, but he didn't have the materials. Plus testing it was out of the question.

Kotone was panting. She released the wires from her field, half of them having been dissolved by the acid. She closed her left eye and focused. She could control the wires without trees or tools. She just had to focus. Takumi was charging at her and in her efforts to focus he landed a strong kick, knocking her into the air. Once Kotone was up, she flipped and extended her arms. Her wires darted all around Takumi, snaring him in a much more random field, even cutting his cheek because she couldn't see the wires for more than a second before they were too far for her normal eye.

She landed on the ground a few feet away, her black dress rising and falling over her chest as she panted. The fishnet stretching from her collarbone to her neck. She crouched to move when Takumi readied more bombs.

"What surprises are in these ones, Takumi?" Kotone challenged, finally unleashing her speed to dodge them expertly and leave herself in a position to see the next one. It wasn't until he hid one in the shadow of the other that Kotone took another hit. This time by a bomb that froze her right wire gauntlet solid.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She clawed at her arm, desperate to free the machination that allowed to release wires, but it wasn't budging.

"Don't forget, Kotone. All it takes is enough chakra and these strands will snap," Takumi explained, cutting a path for himself. "You still won't take me seriously?"

"You want me to take you seriously?" Kotone's eyes were growing wild and with the mask present her face must have looked frightening because Takumi took a step back. "Then let's end this!"

She charged at Takumi, her speed frightening as she aimed a kick to his chest. He deflected her attack and went to punch her, but Kotone stopped it. Surprised when the hit actually hurt to grab. "He trained his physical strength?" Kotone realized how much effort he had put into preparing. While she hadn't slacked off, she knew Takumi was fighting to prove he could stand next to her and not trail behind her. He had been working hard and she assumed he'd come with the same old tricks.

She grunted and dodged another strike before landing a strong kick to his chest, sending him crashing into the wire field. Another frost bomb exploded under Kotone, trapping her in her place. "He must've dropped it when I landed my hit. Smart as always," Kotone felt bad about her plan, but it was the only way to show she was taking it seriously. She had had her father prepare one other thing for her to help in case she needed it.

Takumi was getting up and reading another bomb, but Kotone quickly stretched out her right arm. Takumi froze in place, his eyes wide as his arms twitched in retaliation.

"B-but your guantlet is frozen. H-how are you –?" Takumi groaned out.

The chakra threads became very apparent as Kotone focused extra chakra to hold the control. "You forget my mother is a puppet master. What do you think training with her entails?" Kotone asked with a smile. "Sorry, Takumi. I didn't think you'd have so many new tricks so I underestimated you, but that time is up."

Takumi's eyes widened when she extended her left arm, he could hear the wires rapidly crossing the distance, they were moving so fast. They wrapped around his wrists and ankles, effectively trapping him in place.

"N-now what? We're both stuck," he joked, unsure where Kotone was heading with this.\

"Well we could wait until I thaw or you find a way to break free," Kotone finally released the chakra threads with her right hand, though the strain of using them was apparent. "But I'm not that patient."

She made the hand signs and her left hand glowed with lightning chakra. Kotone smirked, "Charged wires!" Takumi's eyes widened in surprise when he realized she was actually going to do it. Her left hand grabbed the threads from her gauntlet and she sent the charge toward her teammate. He cried out in pain as the lightning shocked his extremities. It wasn't enough to kill or do serious harm, just enough to deter him from moving for a while.

Takumi slumped against the wires, though still conscious. Kotone shivered as she placed her chaged hand against the ice forcing it to break, but exposing her to the breeze.

"What do you say, Takumi? Do you give up?" Kotone traveled toward her teammate.

A light chuckle came from him, and he smiled and nodded, "Proctor! I surrender, please call the medics."

Kotone let her wires fall, but she caught and freed Takumi first.

"How did the wires not melt or burn?" he asked as the medics placed him on a stretcher.

"I didn't only ask him for the mask. He makes my wires, I just asked him to make them stronger against electricity. I couldn't risk really hurting my teammate, could I?"

"Just wash out your right eye with water. Be happy you had your left eye closed or you would've been blind."

The crowd was cheering loudly over their conversation. Takumi lifted a thumbs up as the medics carried him away. She looked at her otherwise ruined jacket and opted to have a medic quickly treat the small burn on her arm from the acid.

"Kotone-chan! That was great! I didn't know you were so fast!" Naruto cheerfully greeted as he and Shikamaru came down to congratulate her.

"Well, I typically don't have to move that fast, but Takumi wanted me to fight seriously," she rubbed at her right eye while trying to pacify Naruto.

Shikamaru tossed her a bottle of water, something she almost missed catching. She immediately poured the liquid into her eye, relishing in the relief that came with it.

"I meant you for you drink it, but that works," he teased.

"Ah, sorry, my right eye is more important than hydration."

"Oh! That's right, explain your eye! It's like the Sharingan or Btyakugan?!" Naruto prodded.

"No! No! It's not that great. Here, let me show you," Kotone said before performing the handsigns. Naruto and Shikamaru, and a slightly curious Temari, stared at her right eye as the markings appeared.

"Whoa! It changed!" Naruto's excitement was endless.

"Yep! Typically I'm too far away for someone to notice it, like during my fight with Temari. Or more accurately, when I observed Tenten's moves exactly. I can change the distance it sees at will though the farther I look the more strain it puts on my eye. The Ueno clan bloodline is this eye; the Kakudaikyou. Every Ueno with the ability to use it has white hair and green eyes, though of varying shades."

"That makes it kind of obvious doesn't it?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but the Ueno clan is mostly nomadic. They take no sides in wars, but some are mercenaries who will fight for whoever pays the most. The jutsu isn't really desired like the Sharingan or Byakugan because it just magnifies things. I adapted it to notice small muscle spasms when someone is about to move. I dedicated a lot of time into learning how muscles move for it to work. Plus, my wires are thinner than normal, but I can see them clearly with my right eye."

"So then who made the wires?"

"My father!" Kotone smiled and tilted her head. "He retired from being a shinobi when I was born, but now he makes weapons and tools like my wires or Takumi's bombs."

Shikamaru and Naruto blanched at the realization that the last match was a fight based on her father's craftsmanship.

The crowd once again grew restless due to the absence of Sasuke. Kotone put a finger to her chin as she sensed that something wasn't right. Even Gaara seemed convinced that Sasuke would come, and that made her more feel worse. He wanted him to show up. "Maybe he just wants to fight Sasuke?" Kotone considered, though it felt like a shallow reason.

It was only seconds after that thought that Kakashi showed up with Sasuke.

"Well then, shall we get back up there?" Kotone gestured to the waiting room. She stopped them at the top of a staircase when she caught sight of Gaara and two unknown shinobi. Their efforts to have him lose were met with his merciless strength.

Kotone cringed at the sounds of bones crunching and sand shifting. Even the following silence was nearly unbearable, though Gaara just moved past them as if they weren't important. Kotone remained standing while the two collapsed after Gaara was gone.

"This is the first I've seen anyone kill without hesitation like that. This isn't looking good, even for Sasuke," Shikamaru's dread carried through his voice. Kotone looked to Naruto who clearly carried concern for his teammate.

"Let's hope his training wasn't a waste then," her smile did little to soften the mood, but Kotone knew they were shaken. In Ame she had seen people commit crimes for pathetic reasons, but this was also her first time seeing something so cruel. There wasn't a chance for the two unknown shinobi.

The silence hung over them for a few moments before Shikamaru finally spoke up, referring to something that had happened the previous day.

"'I will kill you all without fail?'" Kotone repeated to herself. "Don't tell me..."

Kotone left the two boys and darted up the steps, standing behind Temari and Kankuro while masking her presence. She was surprised to see Sasuke's speed having passed her own and matching Lee's. Her expression remained calm though the air felt heavy between the two Sand shinobi. Even the arena seemed to be filled with tension thanks to the match. The audience didn't know how to feel when Gaara enshrouded himself in a sand orb.

Temari swore when the eye appeared above the orb. "Dammit Gaara."

The next comments affirmed Kotone's fears about the strange behavior of the sand shinobi: "He's not even abiding by the plan. He looks like he's just going to screw things up!"

Kotone's eyes slowly crossed the span between them and Shino, barely catching his shift in weight. Being so unnoticeable, much like a fly on the wall, was working well for him. Now the two of them knew something was going on.

The olive eyes were drawn to Sasuke when his left hand glowed with electricity though it was significantly more than her own ability. Kotone's was more of a charge that was spread out evenly over her hand to apply to her wires or other mediums. Sasuke's was meant to attack with the hand in a stabbing thrust.

Kotone was forced back to reality when a shiver inducing cry range out from Gaara and a disturbing looking arm forced Sasuke away. She looked to the siblings to see just what they were doing, but their fear had them paralyzed to the spot. When she turned back to the arena, feathers danced in her vision though having trained with Takumi against his preference of genjutsu, she was fast on disabling the illusion.

"Who wants to tell me the truth?" she offered firmly, her smile ever present.

Temari and Kankuro looked to her in surprise before nodding to each other and jumping to get Gaara. Kotone followed immediately, throwing herself off the edge of the waiting room. Kotone landed near Sasuke and put a hand on his shoulder.

"They're attacking the village, Sasuke," Kotone quickly informed him as Genma stepped in front of them.

Once the Suna team's sensei explained some of the finer details of their plan, he instructed them to take him away until he could be useful.

"Tch, like it's that easy –!" Kotone was prepared to follow, but Genma blocked her path. He opted to send Sasuke to chase Gaara as service to the village, but Genma eyed Kotone with uncertainty. She didn't owe Konoha anything, but she was a strong ally if she would help.

"Is your sensei nearby?" Genma asked, his eyes never leaving his opponent.

"Yes. Just up in the stands."

"Defer to her judgment."

Genma kept the Sand jonin from attacking Kotone as she jumped up to the level her sensei was on. Kaori was slumped over in the genjutsu, but Toko was waiting across from a few Sound shinobi. She activated her bloodline limit before reaching the railing.

Kotone threw her wires out as she landed behind them, tugging harshly when they were in place, dragging two of the shinobi over the bar and letting them fall the full height still tangled in the threads.

"Toko-sensei!" Kotone greeted with a smile. Her sensei narrowed her eyes and Kotone could only hear the clang of metal as her teacher deflected an enemy kunai aimed for her head.

"I was wondering where you were. Do you know what's going on?"

"The sand team plans to use Gaara for some part of the invasion. I'm not really sure what else, they were tight lipped about the matter."

Toko blocked an attack with one arm and sighed at her student. "We'll work on your information gathering skills next."

"Genma-san asked me to defer to your judgment. He sent Sasuke after Gaara alone. What do you want me to do?"

Toko landed kunai into the chest of her final opponent and looked at her student. She nodded in the direction of Kakashi and Gai, "Inform them of Sasuke's task. Maybe you can get the rest of his team to join you. I don't want you chasing them alone, Kotone. Do you understand me? Takumi is still in the infirmary getting treated and I'm not letting Kaori break the jutsu until the danger is over."

The younger woman nodded and traversed the distance quickly, using her full speed to land behind Sakura and block a would be attacker by attaching chakra threads to his body before he could get close enough to hurt her. Her only advantage was that he hadn't seen her coming, same as the other two. They had bigger targets to focus on allowing her the chance to land a few good moves.

Kakashi cut down the man and turned to Kotone. "Isn't your team over there?"

"Sasuke went after Gaara. I would like to follow, but my sensei doesn't want me to be reckless and go alone."

Kakashi nodded and called to Sakura, praising her ability to deflect genjutsu and asking her to wake up Naruto and Shikamaru. "Naruto will be delighted, it will be the first mission in a while. Be careful, it's the first A-rank since the Land of Waves."

Kotone didn't understand what happened on this mission he was referring to, but it made Sakura nervous over what their current task was.

"Go after Sasuke."

"But, shouldn't we wake up Ino and Chouji and have a larger group?"

Kotone shook her head to answer in Kakashi's stead as he defended them from Sound shinobi, "Larger groups are slower in their actions and are easier to detect by the enemy forces. Don't worry, Sakura! I won't let anything happen to you three."

Kakashi nodded though he glanced to Kotone, "Though you will make a fifth member. I'm counting on you, Kotone-chan."He summoned a ninja hound before refocusing on the enemies before him.

Kotone had to admit she wanted to call the dog cute, but Sakura getting scolded for no reason was enough for the white haired girl to avoid the issue. Kotone stood guard and deflected a kunai with one that landed on the ground near Naruto.

"Well, I'd love to stay here, but shouldn't we be going?" the older girl asked.

Kotone wasn't prepared for the ninja that appeared behind Naruto, but thankfully Gai stepped in this time. Kakashi stood in front of them and declared the mission once more. Naruto tried to question the reason, but Sakura dragged him out the hole in the wall. Kotone waited for Shikamaru and Pakkun to leave before following them, taking the rear guard spot.

"Kotone-chan," Naruto called out, "what about Kaori-chan or Takumi-san?"

"Ah, Takumi is safe and Toko-sensei wouldn't let anything happen to Kaori. My parents should also be somewhere helping, but honestly they can take care of themselves."

As she followed the others, Kotone started to leave her wires in random places. They would only serve the purpose of informing her if someone was gaining on them due to the large distance she'd be covering. It was too much for her to keep chakra in the end.

A wire went slack and Pakkun called out to the group.

"There's an eight man squad behind us. No... There are nine people following us."

Kotone was impressed with the dog's knowledge of misleading footprints and the like. He was Kakashi's ninja hound, but the intelligence coming out of the squishy puppy was hard to her to accept. Though she could picture the anger it would cause Takumi and that made her smile cheerfully.

"They're all chunin or higher probably. We'll be wiped out if they catch up," Shikamaru cursed when Pakkun informed them they were still gaining up on the five.

Kotone started to think through plans while Shikamaru explained why an ambush wouldn't work. She sighed, garnering attention from the three youngest in the group. "If they gain on us more I could leave my wires behind and find a spot nearby to maintain chakra flow through them. Without chakra constantly moving through the wires they're completely ineffective. I could sit off the path and maintain them, confusing the enemy for a few minutes, but that's the type of reckless behavior Toko-sensei would kill me for."

Shikamaru nodded and continued, "In the first place, the enemy is a special unit organized for this operation. But we have a fool, a kunoichi who's nothing special, one dog, and me with the number-one cold feet!"

"Eh? Am I not included?"

"Actually, you're an expect in laying elaborate traps and disabling the enemy, but you work best with your team, especially Takumi who uses bombs and genjutsu. It's unknown how we'd do with those wires of yours. A tactic is grasping the conditions that are there without fail and formulating an optimal plan. There's only one thing that we can do now..."

"One?" Sakura asked.

"A diversion in the guise of an ambush. One person will remain, pretend to ambush, and delay the pursuers."

"Then wouldn't that make me the prime candidate? I already thought of laying out wire traps –"

"Yet your sensei even warned against that behavior. The one who stays behind will likely die," Shikamaru finally addressed the hazard.

They all stopped on the branches of a tree, the weight of leaving someone behind hanging over them.

"I guess it has to be me," Shikamaru admitted.

Naruto and Sakura responded in shock, though Kotone could see the merit. His jutsu, if he landed it, would keep him from harm for at least a short while. She sighed before nodding in agreement.

"Though, I disagree that you have the highest chance of surviving. You used too much chakra in your fight, right?"

"Kotone – !"

"I'll stay with Shikamaru. Go get Sasuke!" Kotone ordered, ignoring the expressions on their faces. "Do you really think the two of us will lose?"

"We're counting on you, Shikamaru! Kotone-chan!" Naruto cheered before they continued.

Shikamaru sighed and looked to Kotone. She smiled at him and let out a light sigh herself. "I'm used to being told what to do by Takumi, so just tell me what you need, Shikamaru. I'll do my best."

He nodded and had her prepare a net to lay over the enemy once they caught up. If they could trap them and she could shock them like she did during her match, they might get away with this crazy plan.

Kotone waited, completely masking her presence when Shikamaru caught them in his jutsu.

"Oh, he's just a kid. To think we'd all get caught like this," the Sound shinobi grunted in disapproval.

Kotone started to weave her wires when a figure stopped in front of her. She hadn't sensed him at all, but her eyes flashed to the group where she counted only eight. "Shit!" she thought when a hand pat her shoulder. She blinked in surprise and finally looked at who was in front of her. A relieved smile crossed her lips and he held a finger to his mouth to signal her to stay quiet. She watched as he released the jutsu, likely wondering where she had disappeared to for the plan when the sound nin called out to the ninth member of their team who was unconscious under the arm of the familiar face before her.

He jumped down on cue, startling both the Sound shinobi and Shikamaru. Kotone joined them, patting Shikamaru's shoulder as he watched his sensei easily defeat the small platoon. The boy fell to the ground in exhaustion and from the near death situation he was just in.

Kotone chuckled and kneeled in front of him, "Sorry to scare you. I was going to do my part, but Asuma-sama had me stay put. He stole my part if you ask me."

Asuma nodded, "You did well, Shikamaru. Kotone, thank you for not leaving him behind alone."

Shikamaru let out an exaggerated sigh and looked up at the clouds. Kotone nodded at Asuma and opted to wait with Shikamaru. The rest was up to Naruto and his team.

AN: It's twice as long as normal because I didn't know where to cut this in half. So I hope you enjoyed a longer chapter. If I changed how I was spelling Gai's name, I'm going to keep going with the one I use here, Gai. If I type this with an accidental lowercase there's little confusion, but if I accidentally type guy it could be mistaken as a random guy or shinobi in some cases. It's been both ways in the manga based on who was translating it, but either way I'm sticking with the Japanese spelling.