Naruto: Lost in the Dark
Mission 6: scars from sorrow

Kabuto used a different type of training than I was used to.

He insisted on leaving the village to train me, going out into the woods to survive. We began facing many different ninja who were on missions, even as the Chunin Exams were going on.

"Concentrate, Kayuki. Come on, you have to concentrate!" Kabuto ordered. I nodded a little, pouring enough chakra into the medical jutsu I was performing. "That's good. It's healed."

I opened my eyes and looked at Kabuto's hand. "Kabuto… there's still a scar there, though."

He grinned widely, patting my head gently. "Hey, you did great for only your fourth time. You sealed the skin over the wound and stopped it from bleeding. Let's try one more time."

Taking a kunai in one hand, Kabuto sliced the skin once again, disrupting the newly healed wound. He barely flinched as blood started to pour from the sensitive wound. I focused once more, channeling my chakra into a medical jutsu. Placing my hand a few inches over his, I watched as the skin began to mend itself once more, the blood vanishing from Kabuto's pale skin.

He nodded steadily. "Just a little bit more concentration, Kayuki. You're doing great."

I nodded and did as he said, watching as the wound sealed up, healing over completely, leaving only a thin, pale mark. I sighed in relief and nearly collapsed from happiness. Kabuto held his hand up to his face, examining my work. With a grin, he nodded.

"Nice work."

Nearly falling over, I laughed. Doing a medical jutsu for a small cut took a lot out of me, and a lot of practice just to start to master it in the first place. Kabuto leaned over me and smiled.

"You did fantastic, Kayuki. Tomorrow we'll work on doing bigger injuries. For now, let's practice your physical strength and Taijutsu, okay?" He stood, pulling out his kunai. "What I'm going to do is go to the other side of clearing. You need to dodge all the kunai I throw at you, defeat my shadow clones, and then try to land a hit on me with your own physical strength."

I nodded happily. "Sure! But I'm not going to promise anything yet. I'm still pretty weak." Kabuto just nodded and stood.

He leapt across the clearing, landing on the opposite side of me. With a grin, he put his hands together, making a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several Kabuto clones appeared, all holding kunai.

My fists and feet flew towards the clones, many of them disappearing in a puff of smoke as they were hit. I turned and saw a sharp kunai being thrown towards me. I quickly ducked. It flew over my head and soon embedded itself in a tree right behind my back.

This pattern continued until I stood alone in the middle of the grassy clearing, Kabuto still in the same place that he started. The two of us stared silently for a single, peaceful moment.

Then, that moment was broken as I charged forward, kunai in hand. From exerting myself, I was already sweating like crazy. My legs were killing me, but I didn't want to give in to my weakness just yet. I still hadn't completed the last bit of the test he'd laid out for me.

Kabuto met me halfway, his own kunai colliding with mine. He jumped back, avoiding my punch. I attempted to drop kick his leg from under him. Seeing this, he jumped up, over my poorly aimed kick. As I stood, I raised my elbow into his gut, landing that one hit on him.

He jumped back suddenly, holding the spot that I'd managed to hit him. "That was real good. But I can see you're exhausted from just that." I nodded, bending over to catch my breath. "That's enough for today, why don't we take a break?"

The training continued over the course of the next two weeks before Kabuto and I made it back to Konoha. He'd said, "I have some business to finish. I have to cut this short."

That was fine with me. I'd learned so much from him in just two weeks. It'd definitely make a difference in the outcome of my match against Shikamaru in two weeks.

It was the day after we returned that I learned of the horrific death of Dosu Kinuta, the Sound Nin who had lost the preliminary match against Kankuro. Apparently, he'd been crushed to death by a massive force.

For some reason, I knew it was Gaara.

I didn't know how someone could end a life like that so easily. I could deal damage in the face of danger, if I knew I needed to survive. But I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that, with just a flick of his hand, Gaara could crush someone into a pulp, ending their lives.

That worried me more than I cared to admit.

But I continued to train, healing my own wounds and making continued attempts to strengthen my body enough so I could hold my own in a Taijutsu match. But no matter what I did, my strength wasn't enough.

I still was easily fatigued and my muscles started aching after only a few minutes of aiming at inanimate objects. It was rather sad. If Lee was better, I'd have asked him to train me.

That reminded me… I hadn't visited Lee in the hospital yet.

It made me feel like a bad person.

I sighed and decided that I'd visit him when I had time. I had to get stronger first. I knew that Neji and Naruto and Sasuke and Shikamaru and Shino must all have been working so hard. I couldn't let them get ahead of me.

They were already so far ahead of me in terms of strength. What more could I do to catch up with them? I wanted to become just as strong. So I could stand a chance against them.

Training passed faster and faster, with weeks turning into days. I only had a few days left until my match against Shikamaru. I had looked up everything on the Nara clan, including their unique Shadow Possession Jutsu.

I knew that I had enough power to win, as long as I stayed far enough away from the shadows so that Shikamaru couldn't get a hold of me. I knew that he had a range of a relatively short distance. So all I had to do was force him to exert his range to such a point that he could no longer catch me.

My next few thoughts were about Sasuke.

Like Lee, Sasuke was still in the hospital. I felt really bad, since I'd thought about visiting Lee before I thought about visiting Sasuke, my own teammate. It wasn't a good thing.

=Uchiha Sasuke=

Sasuke was laying in the hospital bed, eyes still closed. His breathing was even, as if he was sleeping.

But his mind wasn't at all resting. His mind was working itself overtime, to the fullest. He was looking for the answers inside his own mind. Why he'd succumbed to his darkness, to his hatred, and why he'd stopped when he saw his own teammate, beaten and bloody.

"Sasuke…"

There was her voice again. Sasuke nearly stirred in his sleep, his head tossing to the side that her voice had come from. He felt a warm hand on his own.

"Hey. I'm sorry I haven't visited you in the longest time… but I've been away. You made it into the finals, in case you forgot."

Even in his sleep, Sasuke felt a twinge of pride in what he'd accomplished. She had acknowledged that.

"But… but Lee won't be a ninja… ever again." There was a pause of silence and a sniffle. "He lost so badly to Gaara… his arm and his leg, th-they were completely and totally crushed… He's not… he can't…"

Then, she started to cry.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know, I-I shouldn't cry… but Lee…" She paused, sniffling once more before saying, "I hope you get better soon, Sasuke… if there's any of us rookies that have a chance to become a Chunin… it's you."

Suddenly, the warmth on his hand was gone. His hand twitched unconsciously, the change in temperature shocking him a bit. Sasuke tossed his head around again, facing the other way. He willed his eyes to open, although they just wouldn't obey his brain.

Her voice was shaky. "I… I brought you a Peony flower. I wasn't sure what kind of flowers you liked… or, I mean, if you like flowers at all… but the Peony means masculinity and bravery. It… reminded me of you."

There was a clink of glass on wood. Then, there were footsteps, slowly trailing further and further away from Sasuke's ears. He strained to hear as the footsteps walked down the hall, but eventually, the footsteps were gone.

She'd disappeared.

Now, and only now, Sasuke's eyes gave in to his brain's orders. They opened, staring at the blank wall next to his bed. Slowly blinking once, he turned his head to the other side. There was a bedside table, with a small, blue vase sitting on it. In the vase was a small, pink flower.

With one hand, shaking from exhaustion, Sasuke reached for the flower, gently caressing its petals.

It was then that he decided that he did, actually, like flowers. He liked them a lot. But his favorite would always be the pink Peony.

=Akane Kayuki=

Days passed, and each day, I returned to Sasuke's hospital room, a new Peony in hand each day. Every day, he responded differently. One day, he floated in and out of consciousness, but the next day, he was out cold once again. He slept peacefully.

The next day, Sasuke was gone.

But each day, Lee was pushing himself. It was like he couldn't accept that he would never get to be a ninja again. Everyone who was there gathered to help him. Sakura visited constantly, bringing new flowers to him and giving him the encouragement he so desperately needed.

It was clear that Lee was falling harder for Sakura each day she visited. And perhaps, even if it was only the slightest chance, Sakura was beginning to see Lee in the same light.

But one day, the day before the finals of the Chunin Exams, as Lee was sleeping, disaster struck.

I met Naruto and Shikamaru while I visited Sasuke's now-vacant hospital room after my training for the day. I was feeling disappointed that particular day in my failing physical strength. No matter how much I trained my body to withstand physical damage and continued strain, it didn't seem to want to grow any stronger whatsoever.

So I was stuck with a weak body, fighting against someone who could paralyze me and take me down with shadows.

After I left Sasuke's hospital room, I was on my way to Lee's when I met up with Naruto and Shikamaru. The three of us decided to go together… but when we opened the door, something completely awful greeted us.

Gaara of the Desert was standing over Lee's bed, in it an unconscious Lee. Gaara's sand was hovering over Lee, threatening to kill him. Gaara was trying to finish off what he'd started in the match.

Shikamaru acted quickly, using his Shadow Possession Jutsu to freeze Gaara in his tracks. Naruto was the next to leap into action, his fist striking across Gaara's face.

"Hey! Why are you in here?! What are you doing to Lee?!" Naruto demanded, his face littered with anger, from his eyes to his mouth. Gaara didn't reply, only serving to feed Naruto's anger even more. "Well?! What were you gonna do?!"

Finally, Gaara replied. "… I was going to kill him."

I nearly gasped and prepared to douse him with water. But Gaara just stood there. "Why are you…?" I trailed off, not wanting to continue any further.

But Shikamaru took over, glaring at Gaara with a ferocity I hadn't seen from the slacker before. "You've beaten him once already. Wasn't that enough for him? For you?! What, do you have some kind of personal vendetta against the poor guy?!"

"I don't have anything against him," the red-haired Sand Nin rasped. "It's not that complicated. I just wanted him dead."

Naruto could no longer contain himself. "You're insane! This is mental, you're mental!"

I agreed to a point. "Does Lee have something you don't? What fuels you to want to kill him?!" I demanded, waving my arms crazily.

Shikamaru added, "We're not going to just stand here and let you murder him. He's our friend and you're nuts."

The confrontation ended quickly, with Gaara easily seeing through Shikamaru's bluff and Naruto's temper getting the best of him. Throughout it all, the psychotic ninja didn't even blink. He didn't move, he just stood there.

But Gaara also revealed something; he had a Demon with him, a spirit of sand. He was responsible for his own mother's death. He was born with this spirit, the Shukkaku, inside of him. It's why he'd been raised the way he had been.

Another thing… he didn't care for love. He didn't care for friends or family.

He was raised to be feared. He was raised to be a killer. People in his village didn't revere him as his father had hoped. Gaara was instead hated by those in his village. And while his father seemed to love him for the first six years of his life… since he was only a child, his father had also been trying to murder him.

Gaara had convinced himself that he only had one purpose, and that… that was to kill.

That revelation gave me so much horror. I realized what Gaara was missing. He hadn't been given the chance to make the emotional ties that every child needed in order to grow up the right way. He'd grown up in hatred, not in love.

All Gaara needed was someone who loved him for who he was.

I frowned and took a tentative step forward. "Naruto… Shikamaru… please, leave this to me. Get out. Now."

"But… Kayuki, you can't be serious!" Shikamaru protested. I didn't budge. Naruto also protested, but I wouldn't hear any of it. I had an idea of how to handle Gaara. Seeming to realize this, Shikamaru took a step back. "Fine… but I'll only release the jutsu once I know you're okay."

I nodded, listening to their retreating footsteps.

I just hoped my plan was worth it.

=Gaara=

He hadn't meant to do it.

He hadn't meant to injure her, not that badly.

It was shock. Her actions, they'd shocked him so much that he'd reacted violently. He wasn't used to people doing what she'd done. In fact, she had to be the first person to have ever done so.

But now, that girl, the girl whose name she didn't even know… she was lying on the floor of the hospital room, bleeding heavily. She didn't even seem to be alive.

Gaara, with eyes wide, stared at the body in front of him, his sand retreating back into the gourd as he stared. Her dark hair was scattered around her as she gasped for breath.

He didn't move at all, not even as her two friends ran in, that green-suited ninja from before following.

He didn't react as they carried her out, bringing her to her own room of the hospital or as he was escorted out as well. He stood in the dark corner of the room, watching as the blond and the pineapple-head leaned against the wall, both clearly worried. The green shinobi was explaining what had happened to the nurse and to several other shinobi that he recognized as ANBU. But all the while, Gaara just stood there, watching the girl.

She was coming around, bandages wrapped around her torso and her head. She looked like she was in bad shape.

The worst part was that Gaara didn't even remember doing that much damage to her.

"Hey." He finally reacted, looking up to the stern face of a Leaf ANBU. "Did you do this to her?"

Gaara didn't reply.

The ANBU growled and shook the young shinobi a bit. A weak, frail voice came from the bed. The voice's words startled everyone in the room.

"He didn't do this."

Even Gaara was shocked.

Kayuki was staring at the ceiling. "I came here right after training. I thought I healed my wounds well enough, but when I was talking to Gaara, I walked around a little and accidentally reopened the cuts when I tripped."

Her explanation was plausible. But it made no sense. The darker-haired Genin seemed to notice this.

"You tripped over air?" he asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head, wincing as she did so. "I'm… I'm just a little clumsy. I can trip over anything. Including the leg of a bed."

As if that made everything better, the green Jounin nodded. "This is definitely possible. Perhaps her youth just made her far too excited at the prospect of speaking with a handsome young man."

There was silence.

Kayuki laughed weakly. "Maybe… But you know, your theories are definitely a bit out there, Guy-sensei."

At this, Guy frowned. "But Kayuki… you realize that you won't be able to participate in the finals tomorrow, at least not with your injuries."

She nodded, smiling slightly. "I get it. I don't mind, Guy-sensei. I was pitted against Shikamaru. I was going to drop out anyways… I mean… I know I'm still not strong enough to become a Chunin."

At this, Gaara turned away and began to leave. He felt the eyes of everyone else in the room afterwards.

=Akane Kayuki=

Despite protests from the nurses in the hospital, I managed to convince them that I was well enough to go out and watch the Chunin finals.

The first match was Naruto, my teammate and friend, versus Neji, the person who I'd known since we were both little. I didn't want either of them to lose, but I knew that both of them were so stubborn that they would both refuse to give up so easily, even in the face of death or total defeat.

But I was worried that Neji would absolutely crush Naruto.

He was more experienced and much more knowledgeable on the jutsus that Naruto knew. But his views on fate were very much what would make him more vulnerable. I knew that he'd already counted Naruto out.

Naruto would have to show him otherwise.

As the candidates gathered, everyone was there except for Sasuke. And myself. I wondered what had happened to Sasuke.

The rest of the candidates cleared out, but Naruto and Neji stayed behind. Naruto was a wild card, one who was completely crazy. Neji, however, was always calm, cool, and collected, knowing just what to do in the face of an adversary.

I was sitting in the back row, when someone placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see a masked figure. It was an ANBU Black Ops. "Shh. It's just me." That voice was familiar… "It's Kabuto. Stay quiet."

My eyes went wide. "What… what are you doing here, Kabuto? I thought you had to leave…?"

He muttered, "No. I came back. But you have to leave now. Get out of here while you still can. This place… it's going to become a battlefield." His words made me begin to shake. "So leave. Before you become a casualty, too."

"Kabuto…"

He shushed me once more by interrupting me. "Just trust me. Before the final match, you should get out of here."

I frowned, but nodded. "I'll do my best… promise."

Seemingly satisfied with my reply, Kabuto slipped off somewhere as I frowned again, biting my lip. The match was just starting, neither boy making a move. As the match started slowly, it quickly heated up.

Naruto went in for an attack, no tricks and no games. Neji was simply playing around, he was dodging and blocking all of Naruto's attempts at a physical blow. The two almost looked like they were dancing.

That is, until Neji struck Naruto with a, what would be, perhaps fatal blow.

It'd almost killed Hinata, but what it would do to Naruto…

He fell to the ground, holding the place where he'd been struck. Neji was still playing with his prey, taunting him. Yet Naruto, the stubborn shinobi, was just getting serious as well.

He summoned four shadow clones, all drawing kunai. The five Naruto prepared for an attack, Neji easily deflecting most of them, but in a split second, Naruto seemed to have gotten a good, clean hit in.

Neji was stronger than that, though, his Taijutsu alone knocking out two of Naruto's shadow clones and his Byakugan assisting him in defeating the other two. The real Naruto was the only one left.

And then he was off, preaching about fate once more.

I sighed. I wanted to scream at him each time that he began speaking about the fixed level of destiny. If everyone had a fixed level, then that meant that I was also stuck where I was. But I knew, deep inside, that if anyone could fix his broken way of seeing the world, it was Naruto.

He really didn't know when to give up.

His response was another Shadow Clone Jutsu, summoning up a few dozen Naruto shadow clones.

Gritting my teeth and clenching my fists, I willed Naruto to find a way to defeat Neji, to show him that destiny wasn't always set in stone.

Even Neji couldn't see past Naruto's techniques, fooling the Hyuuga into thinking that one of the Naruto clones was the real thing. Neji fell for it, and fell right into the trap Naruto had set for him.

But Neji was just proving a bit too much for Naruto, using a defensive jutsu, known as Rotation, to blow back both the Naruto's that had leapt at him. Naruto continued to use his Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Time and time again, Rotation kept defeating the clones, no matter how many Naruto threw at him.

I winced as the battle continued, Neji walking all over the poor blond boy. Using the Eight Trigrams, he continued to bat back Naruto, attacking all of his chakra points. I gaped, standing straight up from my seat and wincing in pain.

"Naruto!"

There was silence.

But Naruto didn't give up just yet. There was still some fight left in him. I didn't know what made him so strong, what gave him the strength to still be able to stand on his own two feet.

Maybe it was those who never gave up.

And so, Naruto didn't give up either.

The stadium watched in silence as Naruto struggled to his feet, defeating all the odds that were stacked against him.

I smiled broadly and cheered, "Way to go, Naruto!"

The two boys, both equally hotheaded and stubborn, continued the match with yelling, Neji finally admitting that he was part of the Hyuuga family that wasn't the Main Branch, and showed his Curse Mark, the one branded onto his forehead since he was only a child.

He told the story of how he'd received his curse mark, the story of why he'd been the one branded, and why he held such hatred toward the Main Branch of the Hyuuga Clan.

Neji was raised to protect Hinata, but after his father was murdered because of his uncle's mistake, for his uncle. He continued to blame the Main Branch for his father's death. That was the reason that he turned away from the Hyuuga Clan, why he held so much hatred for his family.

It was why he believed in destiny… and the idea that destiny could not be altered.

But then, there was Naruto, who was the very antithesis to that belief. He'd been born, and then shunned as he grew up. He'd grown up as a failure, a class clown If he had been born and raised that way, than wouldn't that be his destiny? Yet there he was, standing in that arena.

He'd passed his graduation exam and become a Genin. He'd become stronger with every mission he took on, with every time he pushed himself. He'd gained friends that would stand by him no matter what he did.

Naruto Uzumaki was living proof that destiny could be changed.

And so, he went on to prove that. He showed Neji that destiny could be fought, could be changed according to will, if it was strong enough. Even after being victim to Neji's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Naruto stood up to Neji and fought him tooth and nail to show Neji that he was wrong.

Naruto went in fighting… and he came out a victor.

He'd defeated Neji, something that the latter had said was impossible due to destiny, but somehow, he'd overcome the blocks that Neji had put on his chakra… and he'd come out on top.

I was… proud. I wanted to see Naruto win, even though I cared about Neji. Perhaps Neji would have more faith in me now that he was defeated by someone he'd deemed a failure, a loser, in a battle that meant everything.

=Uchiha Sasuke=

Even though it was the day of the matches, that didn't matter much to Sasuke.

He had to get strong enough to ensure that he would win. And he still hadn't mastered that move that Kakashi had begun to teach him. Not to mention the fact that he was still recuperating from his stint that put him in the hospital in the first place.

Pushing himself had only made it worse.

But he'd just about done it. He'd gotten lucky with the technique, considering he'd been blessed with a specific kekkei genkai, the Sharingan. It allowed him to copy the technique that Kakashi showed him, although he'd definitely needed to work on the skills.

But after weeks of training non-stop, Sasuke had done it.

He'd mastered Chidori, the Lightning Cutter technique.

Out of breath, but clearly proud of himself, Sasuke grinned. He was more than prepared for his match.

=Akane Kayuki=

Because of the popular response that the match up of Sasuke Uchiha against Gaara of the Desert had gotten, the Hokage postponed it until after the last few matches were completed. Even so, the next few matches had been a waste.

After Gaara and Sasuke's match was postponed, Kankuro and Shino Aburame's match was next. Kankuro forfeited against Shino, meaning the bug-controlling shinobi was moving on. Almost immediately after, Temari and Shikamaru Nara faced off in the arena with Shikamaru becoming the victor after a long, grueling match.

Finally, the most awaited match of the entire Chunin Exams was there. The time for Sasuke to meet Gaara in the arena had come.

But still, Sasuke wasn't there.

He only had a few minutes before he would be disqualified for not arriving when his name was called. I frowned, biting my lip in fear of his disqualification. Looking around, I waited.

He wouldn't miss this match for the world, even if he didn't know who he was going up against. But after he disappeared from the hospital, his whereabouts had been unknown. Not even the ANBU Black Ops had been able to track him down.

… come to think of it, Kakashi-sensei hadn't contacted anyone, either.

Maybe… they were together.

As if on cue, to confirm my thoughts, the gates to the arena opened, revealing the Sharingan-bearing, black-haired, stubborn as all get out teammate of mine, Sasuke Uchiha. Standing with him was my manipulative, intelligent, and all-together amazing sensei, Kakashi Hatake.

They'd made it, and just in time.

And so, the match started.

Both Gaara and Sasuke were giving it their all, going at each other with everything they had.

But who would come out on top was anyone's guess.

=Gaara=

Even while he was fighting, the flashbacks kept overtaking his mind, dangling the memories of emotions that he didn't understand, feelings he couldn't quite place… his mind kept hitting the rewind button.

It felt like torture.

He remembered his mother. He remembered how the green Jounin saved that green boy, even after the green boy had failed. He remembered how the two boys and the little girl had protected the green boy against his sand. He remembered how that same little girl had wrapped her arms around him in what he'd heard was called a hug.

She hadn't been afraid of him. She'd walked right up to him, even though she knew he was dangerous. Yet she'd told him something, just before his sand had ripped her skin open and almost broken several bones in her body.

That girl… she'd told him, "I'm not afraid of you. You're still human."

Just those words, being spoken from a few inches away, had made him acknowledge the heart that beat in his chest. For the first time in years, someone had seen him as a person, not just as a monster or a tool or a killer. She'd seen him as a human, which no one else seemed to be able to see.

It took a pre-teen girl to see through the walls Gaara had built up around himself and it took a hug for her to break through them.

But it didn't change the fact that Gaara still could only find one purpose in his life. That purpose was still to kill others, to find the deaths of others and perhaps to end their lives himself.

Sasuke Uchiha… was just another person with a life that needed to be ended. Even if he had to murder the boy in cold blood in front of the entire stadium of people, in front of his own father, Gaara had no qualms about that. He'd gladly do so if that was the only way to end the Uchiha's life.

There was nothing that Gaara was afraid of. Not when it came to death.

So on he fought, attempting to destroy Sasuke Uchiha with no regrets. But this time, his prey fought back, not allowing Gaara to even catch him. It irritated the Sand Nin to no end, trying to catch something that could continue to pass him by with such speed and grace… even the power in that blur was irritating to Gaara.

And so, Gaara listened to the Shukkaku.

His sand surrounded him, cocooning him in its security. Everyone had to stop and stare at what was happening. Gaara could feel the one-tail's chakra flowing through his body, empowering him beyond his wildest imagination. He chuckled darkly, glaring down at the rest of the world.

He looked down on everyone. That was what he did best.

Gaara knew he was better than everyone who doubted him.

=Akane Kayuki=

I shot up from my seat, gasping as Gaara retreated into his shield made completely from his chakra-infused sand. I knew, at that moment, that Sasuke would have to use everything that he had, absolutely everything, just to penetrate his defenses.

And Sasuke did.

Somehow, he'd learned Chidori, the Lightning Cutter, a technique I'd only ever seen two people use and actually be able to pull it off. Both of them were Jounin-level, and Sasuke… he was only a Genin.

The black-haired Leaf shinobi charged forward, Chidori sparking in his hand. I could see the determination on his face, the way he was going all the way out with this jutsu.

Quicker than I could blink, Sasuke's chakra-infused Lightning Cutter slammed into the sphere of sand, which defended Gaara… but it didn't keep Sasuke from getting through. I smirked a little as Sasuke grinned. He'd made his way past the seemingly impenetrable defenses of sand, created by Gaara and defeated by no one. He'd even managed to wound someone who had seemed to be invincible to all types of wounds.

"Blood! My blood!" I heard.

It was Gaara's voice, shrieking loudly from within the prison of sand. I saw Sasuke cringe and rip his hand from the sand, his arm now injured and shaking. Gaara was still going strong, even after the Chidori had given him a good, clean hit.

The sand shell melded away, revealing Gaara, standing there with a blood dripping from the large gash on his shoulder. He looked murderous, even now, as Sasuke was standing in front of him.

Within the next few moments, something strange happened.

Feathers started raining down upon the stadium. I didn't know what it was. My eyes were transfixed by the soft feathers that were falling from the sky. Even though I didn't know what was happening, I couldn't look away.

As soon as I knew this, my eyes were already dropping closed.

It was then, that I knew… that something bad was happening.

But by that time, it was too late, and I'd already succumbed to the drowsiness that attempted to pull my eyes closed.

=Orochimaru=

Finally. The time had come for the Invasion of Konoha. He was prepared to slaughter the Third Hokage, his old teacher. But first, he had something else to do. Something very important that could no longer wait.

The Snake Sannin slithered through the Leaf Village, unnoticed by its sleeping inhabitants. He almost laughed; it'd worked like a charm. Everything had been far too easy to execute. Kabuto had done his work well.

Perhaps… he would allow Kabuto to be the one to help continue his line.

Soon after he'd reached the stadium, still going unnoticed, his eyes searched for the young girl that he'd asked Kabuto to keep an eye on.

Her dark hair came into view. She'd fallen asleep, just like the rest of her village. The Sannin gently knelt down, picking the girl up in his arms. She was small, fragile, like she would break if not handled with the gentlest touch that Orochimaru could muster.

Surprisingly, that was very gentle.

He pushed back some of the hair that fell into her peaceful, pale face, a small smile coming over his face, showing how satisfied he was with his work.

Her name was Kayuki Akane. She was beautiful, strong, and intelligent. She looked just like her mother, and, according to the information that Kabuto had gained during the Exams, was every bit as strong.

Orochimaru's blood ran through her veins. Of course she had been born strong.

He chuckled darkly and disappeared, the girl still in his arms. Kabuto would take good care of her. After all, he seemed to have a soft spot for her, one gained over such a short period of time.

Sucky reveal, but it was necessary. The entire point of the reveal will be... well, revealed... within the entire rest of the story. I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I really hope that I kept most of the characters in character.

Also, I really liked the idea of someone just giving Gaara a hug. I just felt as if someone shouldn't have had to hurt him like Naruto did to snap him out of such a state and into a mindset that was so violent and saddening at the same time. I feel as if someone had just given him a hug or any sort of physical contact, he wouldn't have been such an ass or he'd at least been thrown into his own thoughts. It's probably not a great idea, seeing as Kayuki got badly injured 'cause of it. But there's them breaks.

Here comes one of my personal favorite chapters, next up, when I really begin to exploit the characters and make them more human than shinobi. I hope you're still with me in this instance, because everything is beginning to get rather wonky, isn't it?

Oh well.

Please leave a review, they make me very happy!