OMG we are back! With an ACTUAL chapter!!! YAY! And even more shocking, the next chapter is already being written right now so hopefully it will be up before 2011.... :) We love you all!
Ino's team had been fighting with the sound-nins for a while now and all Kagami could do was watch and stand her guard protecting the boys. It wasn't long after Lee's other teammates showed up that a huge burst of energy came from behind her. Looking over her shoulder, ready to attack, she saw Sasuke slowly getting up.
"Sa-Sasuke?" Kagami stuttered as she took a step towards him. Something wasn't right; he wasn't the brother she had grown up with. She stopped when she noticed black marks creep up the left side of his body.
"Who did this to you two?" He looked at Sakura and then back to her. "Who was it?"
"It was us," said Kazu with a smirk on his face.
Everything around them seemed to freeze, all eyes on Sasuke. When Kagami found her voice again she had to stop herself from running to him. "Your body…"
He glanced at her, eyes cold and slightly crazed. "Nothing to worry about. I feel strong…bursting with power! I got it from him. I understand now. I am an avenger…on the path I walk, I have to do whatever it takes to gain power…even if it means selling my flesh to the devil!"
Terror rocked her to her very soul. Whatever was causing the black markings had caused him to go insane, to lose his judgment.
"So…it was you."
The sound-nin tensed but Shikamaru sprang into action.
"Ino! If you stay in that form, you'll be dragged into this! Get back to your own body! Choji, let's get moving! It's
time we got out of here!"
Kagami heard her heartbeat in her ears, felt it pounding rapidly as if she were doing the fighting not Sasuke. She couldn't understand it. What had Sasuke meant by 'I got it from him' and what were the marks slowly covering his face? Were they the reason his chakra was increasing so immensely? She watched in horror as he flung Kazu with one arm and as he shot fire and shuriken in every direction. Suddenly Sasuke had Kazu pined, arms behind his back. She couldn't understand why Sasuke was smiling or why he was even fighting. The old Sasuke would have given them enough time to flee before following himself. He would never have found such enjoyment in what he was doing.
"Heh…you take such pride in your arms…time to bid them farewell."
She watched him break both of Kazu's arms and for the first time in her life she was truly afraid of her brother. She saw Sakura's mouth hanging open, looking on with disbelief and she knew her face had to be in a similar manner.
"And then there was one." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at porcupine before advancing on him. "I hope you're more of a challenge."
She had to stop him; she had to move. It wasn't Sasuke in front of her and she knew it had something to do with Orochimaru. Whenever Sasuke came out of his fit of insanity she knew he would regret hurting the sound-nin. "STOP IT!" She wrapped her arms around him and he looked at her through the corner of his eye. She felt some of the tension leave his body and watch the markings slowly disappear. "Please…please stop…" She watched his eyes rotate to her face, saw him observe the tears running tracks down her dirty cheeks, and slowly the markings retreated. He collapsed to the ground, still conscious but obviously weak. She knelt down next to him, a hand on his back to give some support.
"You are strong," Porcupine held out his scroll. "Sasuke-kun…we can't defeat you at this time. Here's a gift to you," he slowly set it on the ground. "Please let us leave. This may seem convenient. But there is something we must find out now. But I will promise you this…if there is another situation where we will meet in this exam, we will neither run nor hide." They turned to leave, Porcupine taking Kazu and Ken'ichi taking the other girl.
"Wait!" Sakura called out, finding her voice once again. "Who is Orochimaru!? What did he do to Sasuke-kun?! Why him!?"
Ken'ichi turned and gave them a sad smile. "We don't know. We were merely given orders to kill him, sorry. Bye bye and good luck!"
They disappeared, leaving the three teams alone in the little clearing. Shikamaru and Choji walked over to Naruto, who was still on the ground out cold. Kagami suddenly heard Naruto shouting about Orochimaru and had to laugh at him.
Naruto look at everyone then his eye spotted Sakura. "Sakura, what happened to your hair?"
"Oh, I'm changing my image. Though I like my hair long, in this forest it would only get in the way," Sakura told him as she ran her figures threw her hair.
Naruto then spotted everyone else that was standing around. "What are you guys all doing here?"
"They came to save us from the sound-nin Naruto," Kagami said. "You were unconscious."
"Oh," Naruto's eyes then landed on Rock Lee. "Hey! It's Bushy brows!"
The commotions continued around them but Kagami didn't care. She knew the others would all be alright, no one was seriously hurt and, as grateful as she was, her sole concern was Sasuke. As her friends talked and laughed around them she looked him over and came to the conclusion he still looked and felt like crap. The fact that he was allowing her to fuss over him was proof enough.
Eventually the teams all parted ways.
"Come on," Sakura said, the exhaustion evident in her voice. "Let's go find somewhere to camp; I'm beat."
SOME TIME LATER
Kagami finally had Sasuke alone. He had been avoiding her since the incident with the sound-nin but as they went for water he couldn't evade her any longer.
"So…next enemy is our last chance?" She asked, referring to the previous conversation. He grunted a little in reply, not looking her in the eye as he bent down to fill his water container in the river. He started to turn around towards the camp but she grabbed his sleeve.
"Sasuke please!" She looked down at the ground unable to meet his gaze. "Just…just talk to me…please?"
He stood silent for a moment before putting a hand on hers.
"I'll be ok Kagami."
"I don't understand what he did to you but when those marks…" She glanced up at him. She was exhausted from worrying and trying to take care of everyone else. "You were scary Sasuke. I felt like Itachi was looming over me waiting to strike all over again." She was desperate to get an honest answer from him for once, desperate for some of the old Sasuke to return to her. "I'm losing the only big brother I have. It's like you forget we're in this together…"
He was deep in thought for a few moments and she got the impression that the forest had aged him in some way. He gently put his hands on her arms and pulled her close.
"I'm not going to let anything hurt you alright?"
"I'm not worried about me!" She buried her face in his chest, breaking down. "I'm scared for YOU! You always act so tough but you're only human Sasuke! You need to be protected every once and awhile too. I don't recognize you anymore. I mean sure you were always a cold bastard at times but never with me. Now though…" she choked up, unable to get the words out anymore.
They stood in silence for a few seconds before she felt him kiss the top of her head.
"I'm sorry Kagami. Emotions…I have issues expressing them in case you haven't noticed by now. I love you, I really do."
Kagami nodded a little. "I know and I love you too. I just miss talking to you like this. You always have your barriers up."
"Damn…Why is it Naruto protects you better than I do? I'm your big brother that's my job not his…"
"You are a great big brother. Never ever ever ever EVER doubt that you hear me?"
"Heh, ya I hear you," He was shaking slightly and she put a hand to his forehead.
"I'm not sick just…scared and worried. Like I said, I should be protecting you better. If I lost you…I let my guard down too much and made some stupid mistakes."
"We all do Sasuke. Mom and Dad would be proud of you."
He scoffed a little; looking up to the sky.
"How do you know?"
"Cause I am. I'm so proud of you Sasuke," she smiled as she wiped her eyes.
He looked back at her with a visibly renewed determination. "Thanks Kagami. I…I really needed that."
"I know," she punched his arm lightly. "Now stop being such a girl and let's head back before Naruto eats all the fish we caught or does something stupid like opening the scroll."
Sasuke gave her an incredulous look. "Even he isn't THAT stupid."
"Ya…you never know so let's go just in case."
They had just reached camp when Sasuke suddenly threw his arm out to stop her from advancing any farther. She looked past him to see a ninja crouched down with Naruto and Sakura.
"An enemy?" She asked. The ninja didn't seem to be threatening them and they weren't in battle so she couldn't be sure. Maybe he was in desperate need of medical supplies or some such.
"Ah," the man turned around as they approached. "Your teammates are back. Hello again," he smiled at them.
'He seems friendly enough but that could easily be a trick to get us to lower our guard,' Kagami thought, reaching down to her kunai pouch incase he decided to suddenly attack.
"No, no, I'm not going to hurt you," he said quickly, holding up his hands to show her that he had no weapons. "My name's Kabuto, we've met remember? Your friends were just about to open the scroll so I thought it might be a good idea to stop them."
She looked at Sakura in shock. She had only been joking with Sasuke since she thought Sakura would stop Naruto from doing something so stupid. No matter how desperate their situation was breaking the rules wasn't going to get them anywhere. Who knew what the scroll contained.
"I don't believe this," Sasuke raged. "You're hopeless! We can't turn our backs on you for one minute!"
"I-I'm sorry…" Sakura looked down at the ground, unable to meet either of their eyes. Naruto opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Instead he resorted to hanging his head in shame.
"'Those who disobey the rules will find themselves in a situation where they will be force to withdraw from the exam,'" Kabuto quoted. "Last time I took this test, everyone who peeked at the scrolls was hit in the eye with a spell of hypnosis the moment they looked inside. They all lay unconscious here in the forest of death until after the exam was over…"
"You said your name's Kabuto right," Sasuke cut in. "What are you doing wandering around by yourself?
"Well…once again I'm not after your scroll," he gave Sasuke a knowing smirk.
"If you had been you would have just stolen it off Naruto right then. But you're still after the Heaven scroll too aren't you?"
"Nope, I've already got a set," Kabuto presented both scrolls. "But I got separated from my team; I'm on my way to join up with them at the tower now."
Sasuke shot Kagami a look and she nodded slowly in reply to the question in his eyes.
"See you around," Kabuto turned and started to walk off.
"Wait!" Sasuke called after him. "Fight me."
Kabuto looked at him over his shoulder as Naruto and Sakura stared at him with a mix of shock and horror.
"Fight you? Are you joking?"
"I wish I were but our time is almost up."
"Sasuke think!" Naruto shouted. "Kabuto just saved our butts you know!"
"I…I'm sorry Sasuke, but I think Naruto is right," Sakura chimed in.
"There's no other way. I tried to warn you before. Challenging him is the only way we'll be out of this forest in time to pass this test."
Kabuto smiled at them. "That's a lie."
"A lie?" Kagami looked at him in surprise. What other way could there be?
"You're more interesting in making a big gesture than in reaching your goal. Otherwise you wouldn't have run the risk of issuing that pretentious formal challenge. If you were truly committed you would have just blindsided me. That's what being a ninja is all about," he paused to push his glasses up. "I don't think less of you for being that way. Let me show you the path you should tread. But let's move while we discuss it. The smoke from your fire and the aroma of those fish you roasted can be smelled for quite a distance. By now, every wild animal or enemy in the area must be moving in on us."
The four members of Team Seven looked at each other, debating whether or not to follow Kabuto. As one they nodded and began packing up camp. As Sasuke said, he was their last chance to passing the exam. Kagami reached down for her water container so she could douse the fire when her shoulder gave a nasty twinge. She grabbed it as white lights popped in front of her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Kabuto grabbed her arm to steady her.
"Old…old wound," she gasped through the pain. "I think it's infected."
"Let me look at it. I have some antibiotics on me that are probably stronger than whatever you guys have." He placed a hand at the collar of her top. "Do you mind?"
She shook her head and let him pull it down enough to see the gash.
"You better sit down, this is pretty bad."
He helped her to the ground and pulled two syringes from his pocket.
"Hey what are you doing to her?" Naruto ran over and sat next to her.
"This is an antibiotic that should hopefully clear up whatever is in her shoulder. At least until the medics can get a look at it."
Naruto looked at her, obviously uneasy.
"Feel her forehead, she has a fever. If it progresses too much more her life may become endangered."
She gave him a little nod. "Please?"
He injected her and she gave a little hiss of pain.
"What happened to cause this? An enemy?" He asked as he began bandaging it up.
"Giant snake exploded."
"That would do it. Feel better?"
"Ya thanks," she allowed Naruto to help her back on her feet.
"Good now let's go."
They were running through the trees at top speed, heading towards the tower.
"Are there even any enemies left this late?" Sasuke questioned, still wary about following their new lead.
"If you were more alert, you'd know it too," Kabuto shot back. "It takes intelligence to win battles in territory like a jungle or a forest. And do you know the intelligent thing to do?"
They all stared at him, waiting for him to supply the answer.
"We all share a common goal," he continued when it was clear he would get no reply. "The tower in the center of the forest. So the closer we get to the end of the exam, the more people will be carrying scrolls to the finish line making the tower and its vicinity the likeliest place to find them."
"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed. "You're talking about an ambush! We make our target someone who has captured both the Heaven and Earth scrolls and is taking them back to the tower!"
"You're one-third right. First of all, you won't be the only one who've figured that out so there are going to be a lot of desperate characters setting snares for the unwary around that tower."
"So while we're waiting to ambush them…they'll be trying to ambush us?" Kagami asked, putting the pieces together.
"Exactly. This type of exam brings out another sort of enemy; I call them collectors. Even when you're standing at the tower door and you think you're home free, don't relax your guard for an instant. The conditions of this exam are apt to give rise to them."
"What really are they?"
"Bottom feeders. They're the ones who may not be good enough to beat every enemy they find so they try to get their hands on as many extra sets of scrolls as they can to buy themselves safe passage from anyone they can't or won't face fairly. Some of them also want to have extra scrolls to offer other teams from their home villages who may not have fared as well because if those teams are on their second or third attempts at passing the exams, the collectors can barter the surplus scrolls for advance intelligence about the next stages of the test. And there are those who aren't after your scroll they're after your life! They want to eliminate strong teams now just so they'll have less competition to deal with as they move on to the third exam and beyond."
"So that's why you didn't just take off after helping us," Sasuke smiled knowingly. "You're vulnerable too! Safety in numbers eh?"
"Right. Well, we're in view of the tower," they all stopped and as they looked at their target Kagami felt a little chill go down her spine. Something in general didn't feel right. There was a slight rustling behind them and they all whipped around.
"An enemy so soon!?"
"There!" Naruto threw a kunai and there was a sickening thud as it hit its target, which happened to be a giant centipede.
"Aw man! It was just a centipede!" Naruto exclaimed as the others looked on in disgust.
"A really big centipede…" Sakura mumbled sounding faint.
"That is so gross."
Kagami nodded at Sasuke's remark. "What kind of steroids are they giving the animals here? First giant snakes, now giant bugs. What's next? Man-eating monster rabbits?"
"If one of those pop up next I'm blaming you."
"You wouldn't have time. We'd use you for bait so we could make our escape," she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Guys," Kabuto interrupted the banter. "The idea here is not to attract any attention. Let me make this really simple for you. If we stomp through the forest like a herd of wild elephants we're basically trumpeting our arrival to everyone around. And they'll throw us a welcome party but one that we'll surely not enjoy! So starting now let's keep it quiet and remain out of sight."
The other three nodded. Kagami however looked at him with wide eyes. "Ok if I see an elephant I'm feeding YOU to it."
Naruto shook his head and took her hand. "Come one Kagami, start walking."
They had been roaming around for what felt like hours now and they all seemed near their limits. Kagami's shoulder was throbbing angrily even with the antibiotics Kabuto had given her. She collapsed onto her knees, unable to walk any more. To her surprise Sakura was right behind her in a similar position.
"I'm sorry," she panted. "I-I don't know how far we've come but the tower never gets any closer."
"Kagami's right," Sakura nodded weakly.
"Apparently we're already enjoying some enemy's warm welcome. Look," Kabuto pointed to a tree off to the side and, to their astonishment and frustration, there was the giant centipede still impaled to the wood.
"A genjutsu…" Sasuke growled.
"That's what it looks like. And we fell for it! We've been very, very cautiously running around in circles. Whoever did this is waiting for us to wear ourselves out so they can move in and take us down!"
"Then they must realize our strength is fading…"
"So they'll make their move soon."
Sakura and Kagami got to their feet just as soon as hundreds of enemy ninjas materialized around them, creeping in. The battle raged on and it seemed the enemy would never be defeated. The doppelgangers were everywhere and when one was destroyed two more would quickly replace it. The people were definitely illusions but the real opponent was hiding in the surrounding area matching their attacks with the doppelgangers' advances.
"Ohhh! How long can they keep this up!?" Sakura yelled, going in for another attack.
"How long can WE!?" Naruto exclaimed quickly making hand signs. "If we were to dissipate all of the illusions simultaneously whoever's casting them wouldn't be able to just hurl knives at us without us seeing where they're hiding!"
Hundreds of Narutos suddenly filled the clearing to do combat only to be quickly reduced.
"That's all I got…"
The enemy doppelgangers gave way to three real ninja.
"Making us work all night," the one up front complained, pulling out a kunai.
Kabuto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kagami quickly stood up from their hiding places.
"Now who's the trapped rat?" Sasuke smirked.
"Nice work Naruto!!!" Kagami cheered him on, pumping the air eagerly with her good arm.
The enemies looked around in distressed confusion, broadening Kagami's smile.
"Suckers!" Naruto called to them, releasing the genjutsu. "Hey guys you're showing your tails just like the dirty double-crossing demon-critters you are! Pretty slick, eh? You were thinking the shadow doppelgangers were my whole act but they were just a distraction to keep you from noticing I was single-handedly impersonating my entire team!"He tried to stand only to fall back to his knees.
"You expended all your chakra Naruto," Sasuke pointed out. "I'll handle the rest."
"No way" Naruto struggled, somehow getting to his feet. "I won't stand around and let you have all the fun!"
Kagami watched in astonishment with the rest of her team as Naruto charged, even as the enemy produced more doppelgangers. 'He shouldn't be able to stand let alone fight…Imagine the power he'll have if learned to control that chakra…' she thought in awe. Sasuke collapsed slightly, grabbing the curse mark in pain.
"Sasuke, don't use the sharingan again!" Sakura yelled as the girls ran to him. Naruto was momentarily distracted by the commotion and the enemy was bearing over him ready to strike. In a moment he'd be dead.
"NARUTO!!!" Kagami screamed, running to him. She knew she wouldn't be fast enough but she couldn't sit back and watch him die.
Suddenly Kabuto pushed him out of the way.
"They're all illusions!" Sasuke called out Just as a hand appeared, coming out of the ground. The three finally revealed their hiding place, all of them emerging out of the earth. One instantly attacked Kabuto who was still on the ground, sending him flying and causing a deep gash to form across his nose. The older boy gave them a glare that rocked Kagami, sending her brain reeling. Whoever Kabuto was he could be dangerous, and she was glad he was on their side. Naruto plowed into the three, taking them down once and for all. He riffled through their pack, gleefully producing a Heaven scroll.
They walked on, quickly approaching the tower when they heard movement in the underbrush to their right.
"ANOTHER enemy!? You've got to be kidding…" Kagami muttered furiously under her breath.
"Just go, we're in no shape to fight off another attack." Sasuke whispered to her, flicking his wrist and sending shiruken into the bushes. A small white rabbit hopped out, obviously terrified. Kagami screamed and pushed Sasuke towards it.
"Eat him, not us!"
"Kagami…." He growled at her, fixing her with a glare as picked it up and shoved it in her face. "It's just a regular rabbit!"
"Oh…I um…I knew that…"
"Sure you did." He set it back down and began heading to the tower once more. "Come on, your screams will have alerted other teams."
"Uh….Sasuke…"
"What is it Sakura?" He whipped around, obviously in a foul mood and quickly losing his composure.
"It's following you," she placed a hand over her mouth trying to hold in her laughter. He looked down to see the small white ball looking up at him innocently. It hopped onto his shoe and plopped down, obviously feeling safe with the boy.
"He thinks you're his mama!" Kagami smiled at him, picking it up and placing it on his shoulder. "Hold on little guy, Sasuke runs fast."
"Can we please go you guys?" Naruto grabbed both of their wrists, dragging them forward. "The tower's right there!" He proceeded to pull them within inches of the massive walls as Kabuto held up a hand in farewell, joining his two comrades as they too came from the forest.
"This is the door we enter through," he said giving them a smile and a nod. "Good luck everyone. Give it your best!"
They opened the door, entering the empty room. They looked around taking in their surroundings. The only thing of note seemed to be a poster on the wall directly in front of them baring an inscription.
If qualities of Heaven
Are your desire,
Acquire wisdom and
Knowledge to take your mind higher.
If Earthly qualities are what you lack,
Train your body in the fields and prepare
To attack.
When both Heaven and Earth
Are opened together,
The path of peril will
Revert to the righteous path forever.
This " " is the secret way…
…the guides us on from this
Place today.
The Third Hokage
"Well now what do we do?" Naruto asked, looking up at the writing. "'If…Heaven…your desire…' I don't get it! And what's with the blank space?"
"I think it refers to the scrolls." Sakura explained. "I think maybe it's telling us to open both the Heaven and Earth scrolls but…" she trailed off as Naruto handed her a scroll, taking the other. They looked at each other before quickly ripping them open. They both contained writing surrounding a single character in the middle. The paper began to sizzle.
"A summoning spell!" Kagami yelled as Sasuke simultaneously ordered them to drop the scrolls. There was a huge puff of smoke that gave way to reveal Iruka smiling at them.
"Hey kids! It's been a while, eh?"
He was greeted with silence as the kids stared at him in utter confusion.
"You four look like you've really been through the wringer."
"Master Iruka what are you doing, popping out of a summoning spell?" Naruto broke the silence.
" The spell was designed so that we chûnin could greet the applicants at the end of the second exam. It was just good luck that I got to be the messenger for the four of you." He pulled out a watch giving it a quick glance. "You barely made it!" He snapped it shut returning it to one of his pockets. "Congratulations! You all passed the second exam! I wish I could take you out for ramen-"
"YAY!!!!" Naruto tackled him, cutting him off.
"H-hey Naruto! Let me finish…"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!!! I'm so happy!!!!"
The other three stared at their teammate once again in awe of his endless energy.
"You haven't slowed down a bit have you Naruto?" Iruka asked, shaking his head.
"If we had sneaked a peek at the scrolls before the exam was over," Sasuke smiled, giving Kagami a quick wink. "What would you have done Master Iruka?"
Naruto quickly quieted down.
"Sasuke, you're as sharp as ever," Iruka bent over and picked up a scroll. "As you seem to have guess and important component of this exam was that you demonstrate the ability to remain within a mission's stated parameters. And you were specifically instructed not to open the scrolls until you got here."
"So if we had tried to read them too soon…?" Sakura prompted.
"Our orders were very specific. Anyone standing around an open scroll was to be knocked out until after the second exam was over."
"Heh," Sasuke laughed at Naruto and Sakura's looks of utter horror and relief.
"Oh, right! Master Iruka! What can you tell us about the wall scroll?" Sakura asked, pointing to the writing.
"Part of why I'm here is to make sure you understand the message of the scroll so…read it again. It's the directive set down by the third Lord Hokage for all chûnin journeyman ninja. In the text the word "Heaven" refers to the human mind and "Earth" refers to the human body. 'If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher.' In other words, if Naruto's weakest are is his brain and academic knowledge he's got to study hard and learn the principles that will help him on his missions."
Naruto scowled at Kagami and Sakura's giggles.
"And," Iruka continued. "'If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare for attack.' If Sakura and Kagami's weak point is with their lack of strength and power, they need to train hard and find the riches of physical stamina and skill."
The two girls looked at each other in embarrassment.
Iruka turned to Sasuke, "and once you access the qualities of both Heaven and Earth no mission, however dangerous, will be a wrong path for you. You'll be walking a safe path, even in the midst of the most perilous mission. That's it!"
"But what about the blank space?" Kagami pointed it out to him.
"The word that goes there is a description of what a chûnin should be. The single character that belongs in the blank space is the one from the interior of the scrolls. It's 'jin,' meaning one person or all people. The challenge of seeing who survived these past five days was a part of the exam designed to test the applicants' basic chûnin abilities. You all passed with flying colors. Chûnin are the unit commander class responsible for leading their teams. They can only do so by a combination of intelligence and strength. I can't emphasize it enough. Learn it. Live it. Believe it from the bottom of your heart! Keep the Chûnin Directive foremost in your mind as you move on to the next exam. That's it! That's the entire message!"
"Yes sir!" Naruto saluted him.
"Heh, be careful you guys. Go through that door their and you'll get the rest of your instructions," Iruka pointed to a door on their left.
They all stood and began walking over when Sasuke turned around and approached Iruka.
"Here," he took the rabbit off his shoulders and placed it in Iruka's hands. "Class pet."
The four left the confused teacher and entered a great big arena. Everyone else who passed was already assembled, looking up at the Hokage, their teachers, team leaders, and examination proctors.
Sasuke leaned into Kagami, "I've got a bad feeling about all of this."
"Ya me too…."
"Now Lord Hokage himself will explain about the third exam! Listen up and take every word he says to heart! They're all yours, my Lord." Anko exclaimed, handing the stage over to the awaiting leader of Konoha.
The old man stepped up, clearing his throat before starting.
"The third examination is about to commence but before I go into specifics of how it will be conducted let me make one thing perfectly clear! It pertains to the underlying purpose of the exam."
Kagami listened to him lecture about how, although the chûnin exams were outwardly to promote peace, they were also a way for the allied nations to do war. He continued to explain that the leaders and nobility of all the allied countries would be present to watch the third exam along with several other important figures. If any single county were to rise above the others, clients would quickly turn to them and likewise, if a country showed a lack of skill "…commissions to agents of that country will dwindle." They all stared at him in wonder.
"Let me reiterate before the third exam begins, you are taking no ordinary test! You risk not only your own futures and your dreams but the dignity and prestige of your home village as well."
"No pressure huh?" Kagami told Sasuke weakly.
"Forgive my interruption, Lord Hokage but…" a man suddenly appeared in front of them. "If you don't mind handing the rest of the proceedings over to me, Gekko Hayate, proctor of the third exam."
"Go ahead," The Third nodded before falling back.
"Good to meet you everyone. I'm Hayate." He turned to face the small crowed, striking them all with his sickly appearance. He looked as though he could pass out at any moment, dark bags hanging under his eyes that rivaled Gaara of the Sand's. "Uhh…before we start the exam I must ask you to do something for me." He broke out into a coughing spell. "Ummm….you see there are some preliminaries to the exam proper and whether you proceed to the main exam is contingent on how well you manage those."
The group instantly broke into exasperated protests.
"I don't want to say the first two exams weren't demanding enough but the truth is we still have too many applicants. Under the traditional rules of the exam, we have to have a preliminary test to reduce the number of applicants who'll proceed to the third exam. As Lord Hokage mentioned, a number of honored guests will be observing you during the third exam so we much make the exam intense, tight, and fast-moving. Hmmm….so anyway, now that you know something of what it's really about…anyone who doesn't feel up to the challenge, either physically or mentally, can walk away. Just take one step forward because the preliminaries start right now!"
"NOW!?" Kagami yelled in shock, no surprised that she was the only one taken back. After everything they had just gone through over the last five days they weren't even allowed a break?
"Well…I'm outta here." Kabuto held up a hand.
"What!? Kabuto!?" Naruto starred at him in astonishment.
"Um…aren't you Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha? Okay. You can go. Uhh…in case I forgot to mention it, from here on in, you fight as individuals not as members of teams. So you can make the decision that's right for you without worrying about anyone else. So anyone else want out? Show of hands!"
"Hey Kabuto! What's up with you quitting?!" Naruto asked as the older boy walked passed them.
"Naruto, I'm sorry but those guys we fought beat the crap out of me. Plus I've been deaf in my left ear since a run in with the sound ninja. Now they're saying this could be a fight to the death and I just don't think I'm up to that!" He gave them a small smile before walking out.
Sasuke put a hand to his shoulder, wincing.
"So uh….looks like no one else is bailing out," the proctor commented.
"S-Sasuke maybe you should quit too!"
Kagami shot a warning look at Sakura. She knew nothing would talk Sasuke out the exam and no amount of pain would cause him to quit.
"Ever since that Orochimaru attacked you, you haven't been yourself! That mark on your skin is hurting again, isn't it? And it just keeps getting worse!"
Naruto shot Kagami a confused look but she shook her head. "I'll explain later," she mouthed to him.
"Please…please withdraw…I…I'm afraid…" Sakura wiped away tears. "You're in no shape to fight! Sasuke, I know that you've barely been able to contain the pain all this time! You leave me no choice. If you won't listen to reason I'm going to tell all the teachers about that mark!" She began to raise her hand but Sasuke quickly grabbed her wrist, forcing it down.
"Keep your mouth shut!" He hissed. "Not a word about the mark! It's my decision and it's none of your business!" He glanced around at the remaining chûnin contenders, oblivious to Sakura's tears. "This is more than just a test for me and I don't care whether I achieve the level of chûnin or not. "Am I strong?" Finding that out is all that matters to me now. I'm here to test myself against the best of the best. And the best opponents I could find are all around us, here and now." She saw his eyes linger on Gaara, Lee, Neji, the sound nin, and even Naruto and herself. He squeezed the mark a little, obviously in pain.
Kagami put a hand on his arm. "I'm not going to stop you but do NOT use the sharingan alright? Promise me that much and I won't make a single move to stop you from fighting."
He nodded at her. "Only if you kick ass."
She nudged him a little. "I always kick ass! Worry about yourself and pay attention! The proctor's talking again."
"As there are a total of 22 combatants remaining, we will hold a total of 11 bouts. This is no-holds-barred combat. Each pair of combatants will fight until one of them is dead or unconscious…or admits defeat. As soon as you sense that your opponent is over-powering you, immediately concede your loss if you value your life. Uhh…since we don't want a total bloodbath on our hands, there may be cases where we ascertain that there is an undisputed winner and step in to end the match. But don't count on that way. From here on out, the key to your fate is held in," he paused to allow a curtain to rise and reveal a giant screen. "Ummm….this electronic scoreboard. At the start of every round, we will display the names of the two combatants competing in that match. So, umm…not to hurry you all to the slaughter but let's begin. We'll now announce the first two names."
They all looked up at the screen. Kagami's heart was racing as the seconds dragged on.
UCHIHA KAGAMI
VS
MIYAZAKI KEN'ICHI
She starred at the screen, the names registering but not fully sinking in until Naruto gave her a small hug.
"You'll be great, I just know it!"
"We'll be cheering for you Kagami!" Sakura smiled at her, patting her back. "Sasuke, wish her luck!" She chided him.
"Ummm…go little sis?"
She gave him a weak smile. "Th-thanks."
Everyone cleared the arena, crowding into the risers above. She followed her team with her eyes, getting a slight confidence boost as Naruto gave her a thumbs up. She focused back on her opponent, the kind sound nin from the forest who had tried to help them as her comrades attacked.
"Hi again!" Ken'ichi waved to her.
"Uchiha Kagami, Miyazaki Ken'ichi…you two have been selected to compete in the first bout," the proctor approached them. "Any objections?"
"Not at all!" Ken'ichi smiled, bouncing slightly.
"I'm good," Kagami said feeling a little faint. She was sad to have to fight such a nice girl possibly to the death.
'I couldn't have gotten a different member of her team?' Kagami thought. 'I'd gladly beat the crap out of one of them.'
"Uhh…it's time for the first round to commence all right?"
Kakashi walked up to her and put a hand on her arm. "Good luck and don't underestimate this one. Not everyone is as powerless as they seem."
He walked off and joined the rest of Team Seven.
"Alright…please begin!" The proctor walked over to the side.
"Sucks we have to fight each other huh? " Ken'ichi pouted, suddenly seeming nervous and a little scared. She looked down at the ground and bit her lip, obviously lost in thought and oblivious to the small amount of blood that welled from the bite until it trickled down her chin. She licked it away and looked up with eyes that were suddenly malicious slits
"But oh well," Kagami took a step back in horror as the girl's mood darkened. "Guess you'll just have to die."
Ken'ichi gave her a sadistic smirk that sent ice down Kagami's spin. It was like she was a whole new person.
"Make it quick 'Ichi!" The black haired girl called down, giving Kagami a smug look that clearly said 'well aren't you in some serious shit?'
"Shut up Kin! I don't need a helpless bitch like you telling me what to do!" Ken'ichi screamed back up, flicking off her teammate.
Kagami looked up at Team Seven only to find them with expressions of shock that must have mirrored her own.
"Don't turn your back on your enemy!" She whipped around just in time to see Ken'ichi coming at her, twin katanas raised to strike. Kagami dodged and pulled out her tessen, unfolding the steel fans with a quick flick of the wrist. She ran to the far wall and closed her eyes for a brief second, calming her racing heart and pulling out the sharingan.
'So the girls a good actress…that or something's wrong with that head of hers. Either way you've faced scarier things. The others are watching,' she gave herself a little pep talk as she dodged another slice. 'You can't let them down. Not Naruto and especially not Sasuke. If you can't beat a little girl how can you expect to kill Itachi!?'
Warmth and confidence flooded into her. The other girl had pure power but not technique; at least not enough that could out do the sharingan.
"What's that little smirk for huh? Thinking about your boyfriend?" Ken'ichi mocked her, laughing manically. "I wonder how he'll take your death!" They exchanged blows for several minutes, paring each other's attacks in a swirl of sharp metal. Kagami caught one of the swords between her fans and sent it flying through the air. As Ken'ichi flipped back to get it Kagami looked up at Sasuke. She wondered how he'd react when she used his move. Quickly she formed the hand symbols she had memorized from watching him and set the paper running along the edges of her fans alight, the fire blazed nicely and quickly warmed the metal.
'It's odd,' she thought as she watched Ken'ichi seemingly dance her way closer. 'She never uses a special attack or any other types of jutsu. Maybe she hasn't changed that much after all. If I can get those katanas away from her she'll be helpless.' She sent a fan flying, nicking Ken'ichi's leg, fire jumping onto her leg. Much to Kagami's surprise however that didn't stop the other girl's advance. 'Hasn't she even noticed she on fucking fire!?'
"Kagami behind you!" She heard Sakura scream. She turned to see Ken'ichi coming at her. She plucked her other fan from the air just in time to block. The other Ken'ichi burst into smoke sending her flying.
"Some Sharingan, is that all your little magic trick can do!? Fire distracts you that easily huh? Damn, you're even more feeble and useless than Kin and that's saying something!"
Kagami jumped to her feet. The fire was out on both her tessen, the bamboo thicket painted on each marked with ash. Ken'ichi was standing over her, toying with the katana, staring at her like a cat the just cornered a mouse. A very wicked cat that wouldn't just kill its prey but instead had to play with it until it died.
She maneuvered the blades expertly, digging a hilt into Kagami's bad shoulder. "Oh that's right! You're injured! How pathetic."
Kagami fell to her knees; the world seemed to be spinning. There wasn't time to get her bearings, she could hear the swords cutting through the air ready to strike. She found Ken'ichi's ankles and using her fans sliced the back of both all the way down to the bone, severing all the tendons. The blood and screams coming from Ken'ichi were unbearable as she fell forward, katanas skidding uselessly away.
"Ken'ichi I'm sorry…I'm so so sorry…" she muttered in horror as she watched the other girl slowly bleed out. "I can't kill you so please just declare defeat! You can't move!"
"You BITCH!" Ken'ichi screamed, turning rabid as she lunged, grabbed Kagami's leg, and went at it with tooth and nail. Without thinking Kagami raised a fist and smashed it into her opponents head as hard as she could. She watched the girl slump to the ground and quickly wiped the blood and tears off of her cheeks.
"I'm halting this match before it goes any further." She looked around wildly for the source of the voice. 'Just the proctor. Calm down.' She told herself, trying to regain her composure. Sure she was suppose to fight with all gloves off and Ken'ichi had tried to kill her but every time she looked at her beaten adversary all she could think of was the concerned girl that hated fighting. "In other words Uchiha Kagami is the champion of the first battle and advances past the preliminaries to the next level!"
Medic nins came rushing in and loaded Ken'ichi onto a stretcher. As they passed, Ken'ichi's eyes fluttered open. They were softer, kinder. Gone was the crazed killer.
"You won…" she said weakly. "Sorry I turned…evil like that…forgive? Wanna…friends…" Her words slurred as she lost consciousness once more.
A medic Kagami, helping her to her feet.
"Please come with us so that we can address your wounds."
"I-I will…my brother. After him and the rest of my team fights I'll go."
The man frowned obviously not pleased with her decision. She cut off any protest he might have been about to utter by walking over and picking up her fans.
"Thank you but I'm fine for now."
She walked up the stairs to where her teammates were, shaking with the emotional and physical trauma of it all. Sakura met her half way up and supported her best she could, helping Kagami gently to the ground.
"Thanks Sakura…"
"Of course," Sakura brushed the hair out Kagami's eyes, giving her a kind smile. "You were great out there."
Kagami huffed unable to stop fresh tears.
"Kagami!" Naruto ran over and took her hand. "You ok? You're really pale!"
"She just did battle you moron," Sasuke reprimand him. "Now get out of the way, it's my turn."
Kagami looked up at the score board and sure enough there was Sasuke's name in bright lights.
"Please be careful Sasuke and remember no sharingan!" She whispered furiously into his ear. He gave her good shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"I know. See you in a few minutes, just try to relax a little or I'm taking you to the medics myself."
"Sasuke," they both turned to see Kakashi crouched down next to him. "You had better listen to her. If the spell-marl on your neck is allowed to run rampant the consequences will change your life."
"H-how did you know…" Kagami asked glaring at Sakura's turned back. Had she really gone and told Kakashi?
"She didn't breathe a word," Sasuke assured her before turning back to their sensei. "I figured as much."
"If they see any sign of that, the match will be suspended and I'll be forced to stop you. Please don't forget that."
They twins looked up at him in horror. Was the mark really that serious? Sasuke regained his composure first and gave them a little nod before heading down the stairs and out of sight.
"What were you three whispering about?" Naruto asked her.
"I-it's nothing. I'll explain it all later ok? The match is starting."
Naruto sat down next to her and ran his fingers through her hair a few times before wrapping an arm around her and letting her lean into him.
"You're really hurt Kagami. After Sasuke fights I want you to go to the medics ok? Sakura and I will be fine and one of us will come find you as soon as our matches are over. You need to go get meds."
"But Naruto…" her shoulder throbbed, sending the scene below into a blender. The shouts and bright lights weren't helping and she had to close her eyes before either her head split open or she threw up. "Ok…I'm sorry Naruto. I should be watching you but who am I kidding I can't even focus on Sasuke's match!" Tears of shame ran down her cheeks. She was disgusted with herself. 'What kind of sister and girlfriend am I if I can't even cheer them on in a life or death battle?'
"Hey calm down," warm fingers landed on her face, mopping up the tears. "Keep your eyes closed and I'll tell you what's happening ok? You aren't going to like it though. Sasuke's down, the guy has a hand on his head and from the sound of it he's draining Sasuke's chakra."
She heard Sasuke scream first in terror and then in desperation. "Son of a-!"
"Sasuke's free," Naruto whispered into her ear and she relaxed a little. He growled a little in frustration, his nails digging into her.
"How can you still call yourself Uchiha Sasuke!? You're a disgrace to yourself! Aren't you embarrassed to have everyone see you as a big loser!?"
"Naruto!" She scolded him.
"Sorry but if he keeps fighting like this he's gonna lose! Ok now he's staring at me like he just had some huge revelation. Sure the guy isn't gay? Oh no…wait…looks like he's staring at Bushy Brows. God that's just creepy." There was a sharp intake of breath. "Ok I see now! He used sharingan when he fought Bushy Brows! Now he's using Lee's move to take the guy down! Looks like – what the hell?"
"What? What's happening Naruto?!" She opened her eyes in time to see blood fly from Sasuke's mouth and the curse mark creeping up his neck like a creature with a mind of its own.
"SASUKE!" She screamed, jumping to her feet and the rail.
"Kagami get back here before you fall!" She barely felt Naruto grab her around the waist to hold her steady.
Her and Sasuke locked eyes and all she saw was cold determination. To her relief the mark began to shrink, a small smile playing on her brother's lips.
"Let's go!" He yelled right before he flipped his opponent up and over, landing a series of punches and kicks that plowed the man straight into the ground but not before sending Sasuke flying. He landed with a sickening thud but soon struggled to his feet.
"Sasuke won…" she managed to get out before collapsing into Naruto's arms, unable to move or prevent the darkness from finally consuming her.
