Normal speech
Thought
Nine-tails/Other big voices
InnerSakura
A/N:
Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. This is merely for my, and hopefully everyone else's, enjoyment. Thank you!
Recap:
Gai: He has the passion of youth to spur him on, so he should be back in action in no time…!! Hopefully…
Lee: I know that we are late but can you tell me what has happened so far?
Sakura: Well… most of the first round has already been completed. The only match left is… *sad look crosses face*
Ino: … Heh… um… let's see… *fumbling trying to draw attention away from Sakura* …The match that just concluded was Shikamaru versus that Sand kunoichi, Temari. He had the match won, but… HE GAVE UP, THAT IDIOT! *red face, ears fuming*… *realizes everyone's watching & regains composure* …Oh… um… Before that it was supposed to be Shino against the other Sand guy, but that Kankuro guy forfeited. Perhaps the most shocking match was Naruto versus Neji and get this… Naruto won!
Lee: …… I… I see… Naruto, you did what I could not!
A smile crept onto his face. It did not last long however as the crowd began to become impatient that the next match had not begun. Lee then realized that the only ones not mentioned fighting were Sasuke and Gaara. He began to feel worried as he had a bad feeling about Sasuke's opponent…
Naruto and Shikamaru were standing in the center of the arena with the examiner…
Shikamaru: Jeez… these guys are really upset… What a drag… If these people don't get what they want, a riot might break out. Is Sasuke really that great…? I was kind of hoping to find out myself, but if he doesn't show then he'll forfeit. If that happens then Naruto'll have to face that freak Gaara… Could he…
Shikamaru looked over at Naruto who looked up. For a second, Shikamaru could have sworn he heard him mumble something like "it's about time." He looked up as well to see a whirlwind of leaves appear right in front of them…
Sasuke vs. Gaara
Once it subsided, there stood Kakashi and Sasuke in an all black attire. Aside from the bandages that wrapped his hands and his longer, wilder hair, there was nothing different about him. He had a short sleeved high collared shirt with his usual clan symbol and shorts except instead of blue and white, they were all black. No matter what, Naruto and Sakura could tell that it was their Sasuke…
Kakashi: Sorry we're late…
The examiner asked for the name of the genin that would be participating in the tournament. He replied and the crowd went wild.
Shikamaru: Heh… after causing trouble for everyone… the crowd is eating it up…
Naruto: How late can you be? I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show 'cause you were afraid to fight me!
Shikamaru: Jeez… Whatever… You were the one saying that he would definitely show…
Sasuke: Heh… don't get so worked up you moron. From your excitement, I'm guessing you won your match…
Naruto: *with a smug grin on his face* …Of course!
Kakashi: Good for you Naruto… I knew that you could do it… Though I say that I thought he would have lost and expected to have to explain to him that losing isn't that big a deal, but… then again, he never ceases to amaze me.
"Jeez… you're pretty late kid. Your tardiness must be contagious, Kakashi…" the examiner, Genma, said.
Kakashi: So… what is it?
Naruto: You don't have a thing to worry about. That Gaara guy is bad news… It's best you leave him to me! Being disqualified isn't so bad, at least now you get to see how it's done…
Genma: Don't worry, we pushed Sasuke's fight 'til the end… He hasn't been disqualified… yet.
Kakashi: (Nervous chuckle)… That's good! Good!!
Naruto: Well… since you aren't disqualified and you probably won't forfeit I've got something to tell you… Don't lose to that guy, not that it matters because I'll beat the winner, but… I want to fight you too!
Sasuke: Yeah…
Ino: Sakura! Your team is so cool and amazing!
Sakura: Really…? You think so?
Ino: Yeah, because who would have thought Naruto would beat that Neji Hyuuga kid and… then you've got Sasuke who is an elite Uchiha and an elite ninja. It looks like everyone here is excited about watching his fight!
Lee: Sasuke is going to face that Gaara of the Sand who I wanted to face but could not due to being defeated by Naruto… who also defeated Neji, who I dreamed of beating… Why does it… hurt so much?! *balling up his fist*
Gaara was beckoned to come down and he was on his way…
Shikamaru: Naruto, let's head on up… For this at least, we're going to slowly walk up the stairs…
Naruto: What? You're still mad that I accidentally pushed you down?
Temari: This isn't good… The way Gaara looked before he left, it's been a while since I've seen him like that. He may not follow the plan in this state. He may very well kill anyone he comes into contact with…
Temari ran to the stairs with Naruto and Shikamaru following at a slower pace. Naruto and Shikamaru were making their way up the steps when they saw Temari standing in place…
Naruto: Hey… what's wrong?
Temari: Shhh… *whispering* Be quiet or we could all die…!
Naruto: What are you…?
They then overheard someone talking. They arrived at the top to see two Grass shinobi talking to Gaara about what they expected of him. They threatened him that if he didn't lose his match… he would regret it.
A crazed look showed on Gaara's face and a massive killer intent flooded the halls. Naruto got an eerie feeling right before he heard horrible screams coming from down the hall. One of the two came running their way but before he could get a safe distance away he was dragged back by sand…
Like in a horror movie sand reached out and grabbed the stray shinobi and dragged him back into the darkness. There, all that could be heard were bones being crushed and grinded and the splatter of blood. Naruto tried to run to the shinobi's aid but he was stopped by Shikamaru…
When all was finally quiet, from the darkness emerged Gaara. He made his way to the steps and down them. It was as if he hadn't even noticed the three frozen shinobi. Naruto wanted to say something to him but was once again silently stopped by Shikamaru. When Gaara was finally gone, Shikamaru and Temari sighed in relief…
Shikamaru: If those guys hadn't been there we'd probably be dead… I've never seen a guy who could kill with so little hesitation like that…
Naruto: That guy is sick… I should have done something…! *balls up fists*
Shikamaru: Yeah… well it's a good thing you didn't. I wouldn't want to be facing that guy right about now…
Naruto: Sasuke…
Sasuke and Gaara were now face to face and the match was about to finally begin. Kakashi appeared in the stands with Sakura and the others. He immediately greeted them and was immediately questioned by Sakura…
Sakura: Kakashi sensei… on Sasuke's neck, there was a mark, right? Is that…
Kakashi: …Don't worry…
Sakura was relieved to hear this as Chouji and Ino got a confused look on their faces. Kakashi looked around the arena and noted the number of present ANBU. He and Gai then talked amongst themselves about the small number and the reasoning behind it.
Gai: Until we figure out the enemy's plans… they are probably on the outside gathering information.
The match was started and right away Sasuke jumped a distance back as Gaara released his sand. Before it all could come out it suddenly stopped and Gaara began babbling to himself…
Gaara: … Don't… Don't get so upset…… mother… I… I fed you some nasty blood earlier… I'm sorry… but this time… this time… it will be delicious! *a crazed look appeared on his face*
Kankuro: He's talking to himself… This is bad…
Gaara's "conversation" finally came to an end and he looked to have regained his composure. With a cold indifferent look on his face, Gaara commanded Sasuke to attack…
Shikamaru, Naruto, and a still frozen Temari were still sitting on the steps. Shikamaru noticed how freaked out Temari appeared to be and decided to pry a little bit before she ran down the hall screaming in horror as she looked to want to do.
Shikamaru: So… you're on that guy's team… Is he always that sadistic?
Temari didn't say anything. She just shivered and shuddered while dropping to the ground…
Temari: This… This is bad! I'm used to him being ready to kill at a moment's notice, but this… There's only one time that he gets like this… *looks terrified* …We could all die!!
Shikamaru: Die, eh…? Naruto, you remember… when we had a run in with that guy in the hospital? That time he said that he would kill us for sure, but… he didn't do it. Even just now, he had the perfect chance and yet… he wasn't even concerned with us…
Naruto: We… aren't good enough for him right now!
Shikamaru: Right now the only that can make him experience what he wants is…
Naruto: Sasuke!
Naruto quickly ran down the hall…
Shikamaru: Hey, Naruto! Where are you going? *looks back at a trembling Temari before running after him*
Naruto: I have to tell Kakashi sensei to stop the match… Otherwise, Sasuke will…
Sasuke pulled out a couple of shurikens and tossed them at Gaara. Without moving a muscle or batting an eye, Gaara's sand rose up and caught the shurikens. It then began to take the form of Gaara himself.
Sasuke charged with kunai in hand. The sand clone then blasted a spout of sand his way but Sasuke took to the air. While there, the clone returned Sasuke his shurikens…
Sasuke maneuvered enough in mid-air to avoid the shurikens and used his momentum to attack the sand clone. It tried to block Sasuke's kick but it went right through. Before he hit the ground, Sasuke placed his hands and whipped his legs around. In doing so, he took out a layer of sand and bounced to his feet. He then shoved his fist right in the clone's throat…
Sand began to cover his arm so Sasuke quickly broke free and continued his charge at the real Gaara. He threw a punch but once again the sand got in the way…
Before he realized that the sand hadn't absorbed the blow, a punch was delivered to Gaara's face. His sand cushioned his fall but the sand armor around his body began to crack and crumble…
Gaara: He's fast, just like… those two...!
Gai: Fast! About the same as Lee's starting speed, and…
Lee: His taijutsu is the same as mine…!
Sasuke: So that's the sand armor, eh? Come on…
Sasuke took a stance similar to Lee's and smirked. Gaara stood up and Sasuke charged again. This time Gaara directed his sand as he tried to impale Sasuke. Sasuke was too quick and got around behind him however. The sand tried to converge on him but Sasuke slipped through the wave defense and delivered a kick to Gaara. Once again Gaara was sent flying with his sand cushioning his fall…
Sasuke: What… is that it? *smug look on his face*
The crowd was in awe as they watched Sasuke do his thing. Truly the Uchihas were great…
Sasuke: That armor… I'll rip it off!!
Sasuke charged again and became nothing more than a blur as he circled Gaara. Again he found his way around the sand shield and to Gaara. This time, unfortunately for Gaara, it wasn't just one devastating blow but a string of them. Gaara received a kick to the jaw followed by a knee to the gut and another kick to the chest…
Gai: He's about the same speed as Lee… without the weights.
Sakura: What…? His taijutsu is like Lee's… and his speed is totally different from before…
Lee: Sasuke… you truly are a genius that surpasses the imagination… How many years did it take for me to gain that kind of speed? But in only a month, you…
Gaara was on the ground and Sasuke was struggling to catch his breath…
Lee: But as expected, keeping up that kind of movement uses a lot of stamina.
Kankuro: What are you going to do Gaara? The Armor of Sand uses up too much chakra… You can't use it for long…
Gai: What kind of training did you do? To come this far in only a month…
Kakashi: I had Sasuke mimic Lee's taijutsu with what he had copied with his sharingan before… I first got the idea after witnessing how Naruto's speed was too much for Gaara's sand shield to keep up with in their little skirmish. Because Sasuke knew Lee and had seen him in action before with his sharingan, he was able to master the style… It was a lot of work of course…
Gai: Why would he concentrate on mastering only taijutsu when Naruto's attacks didn't do much to Gaara?
Gaara's sand began to slowly envelop him. Before it could completely, Sasuke tried to get to Gaara one more time, but didn't make it in time.
Kankuro: Gaara isn't…! Not that jutsu…!!
Sasuke had tried to crack the egg shell shaped wall of sand but narrowly avoided being run through by points that had branched out. It reformed and tried to get him again but Sasuke retreated to a safer distance. He didn't go unharmed though as blood was dripping from cuts on his right cheek, knuckles, and side of his body…
Sasuke: Using all of the sand to protect himself… So it gets this hard when it's packed tight… An absolute defense…
Naruto: Kakashi sensei…!
Naruto and Shikamaru had finally arrived where Kakashi and the others were.
Sakura+Lee: Naruto!
Ino: Shikamaru! YOU QUITTER!
Naruto: Oh… Lee! Are you alright?
Lee: I am fine, nothing to worry about…
Naruto: That's good…
Kakashi: Um… You wanted me?
Naruto: Oh, right… Sensei, you have to stop this fight! That Gaara guy isn't like the rest of us… He's out of his gourd!!
Ino: Naruto, what are you talking about?
Naruto: He lives to kill others!! If we let Sasuke fight him then…
An eye of sand began to form outside of the impenetrable shell…
Temari walked onto the observation deck just in time to see this…
Temari: There's no doubt about it, it's that jutsu… This is bad!Gaara's forgotten the plan entirely… He's going to kill that Sasuke kid…! I… I've never seen Gaara like this … Is he really that good of an opponent?
Kakashi: Well… don't worry, he and I weren't late for nothing…
Everyone watched as Sasuke attacked the shell of sand with blatant attacks. Nothing seemed to work so he retreated up the stadium wall…
Sasuke: Hiding in there… I don't know what he's up to, but… this is perfect since, my attack also takes some time to prepare…
Sasuke unbuttoned a strap that was around his bandaged left hand and began to cycle through some hand signs…
Temari and Kankuro were panicking and worried that Gaara would ruin their plan. Even though they were trying to keep it to themselves, Shino managed to overhear them.
Once done, chakra began to jump from Sasuke's hand…
Gai: No way… Is that…? *looks at Kakashi*
Kakashi: The reason I trained Sasuke is because… he is the same type as me…
Like a shot, Sasuke was off and running, leaving a trail of debris in his wake…
Gai: I see… so that's why you only focused on taijutsu… and had him greatly increase his speed…
Sakura: Incredible…! You can clearly see the chakra in his hand… What's going on?
Once again the only thing that could be seen of Sasuke was a blur with a flash of light along with it…
Naruto: Whoa… What's that?!
Gai: A simple thrust… but it is the Leaf's number one technician, Kakashi the Copy Ninja's sole original technique. It's a technique specifically for assassination. The speed of the thrust and the great amount of chakra that creates the heightened flesh… because the chakra is concentrated in the hand and with the speed of the user, you hear… a special sound like a thousand birds are coming at you… It's called… "Chidori"!!
Naruto: Hold on a second!! Kakashi sensei, you gave Sasuke some one-on-one training and taught him a cool new technique…!? You've been playing favorites lately and it isn't fair!! I hope you plan on teaching me that same technique too…
Kakashi: Well… (nervous chuckle)… *scratching the back of his head while seat dropped*
Sasuke was now standing in place next to Gaara's shell of sand. Blood began to drip onto the ground from Sasuke's wounds… along with sand. Sasuke had punched his way through Gaara's defense to everyone's surprise…
Kankuro: No way…!! Gaara's "absolute defense" has been…
Temari: It can't be…!!
Gai: The Chidori, or "Lightning Edge", earned its nickname when Kakashi used it to cut a bolt of lightning in half. Chidori is known for its stabbing speed that pushes the limits of the body… and the huge amount of chakra that is focused in the arm. That arm becomes the blade of a sword that can cut through anything. But… what a truly ridiculous technique it is…
Kakashi: Like you're one to talk… Right, Lee? *eye smiling*
Sakura: Well… I don't quite understand it, but… what an amazing technique!!
Lee: I can understand… I wouldn't run with that speed straight at my opponent in that manner… Actually, I can't do it… A straight forward attack makes it easier for the opponent to counter… and I don't have the eyes to see that counter…I'm jealous of your lineage, Sasuke. The one time we fought in the past I told you, "Even if you can see it, if your body can't keep up then there's nothing you can do." That was my sense of superiority… But now… you have the same speed I had… but you also have the Sharingan!
Sasuke: I got you.
Gaara: *in the darkness of his shell* …What… What's this… warm stuff…? Mother, what…?
As he realized that the warm dripping liquid that baffled him was his own blood, his wails echoed throughout the stadium. After a while they died down. Once they did, Sasuke could feel something clamp down on his arm inside the shell… hard.
Try as he may, Sasuke couldn't seem to get free. In desperation he activated his Chidori once again and eventually pulled out and away. He jumped back a great distance as something from inside the shell followed after him until it stopped and slithered its way back…
Gai: What… is that?
Kankuro: It's… "his" arm… Did he transform into his "complete" form?!
Temari: I don't know! It looks like he's been wounded… This has never happened!
Kankuro: *shudders* …I'm getting chills just from the memories… The first time I saw it, I wasn't able to eat for a while… since it looks…
Sasuke stared intently at the sand shell and the hole he had made. Suddenly, he was startled by what appeared to be an eye, of the likes he had never seen before. Immediately after they locked "eyes", a deafening howl was heard…
Naruto: This… There's something wrong… What's this feeling?
The shell of sand soon began to crack and soften back into regular sand, and revealed Gaara who was now nursing a wound in his right shoulder. With a crazed look, Gaara glared at Sasuke intensely…
Sasuke: No, it wasn't those eyes… What was that… thing that was looking at me before?
Kiba and Akamaru had caught up to the ANBU that had helped Hinata. Now that she was no longer having coughing fits, her father decided to take her home to rest properly. Kiba's reasons for finding this guy was to thank him, and also to figure out why Akamaru said that they knew him…
Kiba: Hey…! You…! ANBU guy…! I just wanted to thank you for helping my friend. She was in bad shape and it would have only gotten worse if yu hadn't been there when you were…
ANBU: It was no problem, but that isn't the real reason you came to find me… is it…?
Kiba: Huh…? *scratches the back of his head, looking embarrassed* …Yeah, it just bothered me that there's something familiar about you… but that can't be right, can it?
ANBU: No, you're right… you do know me…
The mysterious ANBU operative instantly punched Kiba in the gut with a glowing hand. As Kiba fell unconscious, the ANBU began to cycle through seals. Once done, feathers began to drift from the sky and many people were starting to feel drowsy, namely…
Naruto: Huh… What's… (yawn)… this?... (yawn)
Sakura: Huh… This is… genjutsu!
As many drifted off to dreamland, a few of the Leaf shinobi realized what it was and dispelled the technique…
The Kazekage eerily looked over to the Hokage who then looked back. Before anything could be said or done, a smoke bomb went off and enshrouded them in a thick layer of smoke. Soon smoke blanketed the village signaling the beginning of… the invasion…
End of chapter...
Sasuke finally shows up and the crowd goes wild...
With a dream it started, but as smoke clouds things up will there be success...?
Next chapter: An invasion...?