Disclaimer: I don't own, have any contractual or property rights in the Naruto franchise; those belong to Mashashi Kishimoto, Shounen Jump, Bandai games and other affiliate companies.

A/N:

1) Here you guys go, an update much earlier than I initially expected. Unfortunately I'm going to be swamped with schoolwork and tests so I haven't the slightest when I'll update next. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks, but it could be a month or so – again I don't know (depends on how much work the university drops on me)

2) I hope the new one POV per scene style is to your liking, I'd like some feedback If it's ok, better/worse or whatever if possible – thank you. Also please be advised that the Sannin v. Akatsuki fights are simultaneous (so every half scene of Jiraiya is parallel to Tsunade's)

3) Considering I describe each Jutsu's effects I will no longer be explaining what the jutsu does (since it's very time consuming…) only translating from Japanese. If this move is unacceptable, feel free to PM me and if enough people dislike it I will return to my previous format.

4) I am trying to be as close to canon as possible so I know that I need to backtrack and update Madara's scene from chapter 5 (where he meets with the fox) to fit it with canon, change the five tailed wolf into the five tailed whale horse like canon and will fix the references to Danzou to be more fitting to his true status, a ninja with slight disabilities but battle potential none the less. I will do so as soon as possible – before the next update J

5) I want to thank everyone for the reviews so far and for sticking with me this long. I hope you all enjoy my version of the prelims, read and enjoy and reviews are appreciated (good and bad) of course.

Japanese Word Glossary:

Jyuuken – Gentle Fist

Goken – Iron fist

Jinchuuriki – Power of Human Sacrifice – the nickname for the containers of the tailed beasts

Kinjutsu – Forbidden Technique

Kikaichuu – Destruction bug/s

Bijuu – Tailed Beast/s

Shodaime – The First

Sandaime – The Third

Senbon – Needle/s

Boufuudoki – Nature's Wrath

The two former teammates were locked in a deep glare, none of them moving as they mentally gauged one another. Lee's burning brown clashing violently with Neji's apathetic silver.

Lee spoke first, breaking the tension. "Neji, you've mocked me and my abilities since day one. Today is the day I show you that a dead last can defeat a genius if he works hard enough!"

Neji quirked his brow, unfazed by the brazen exclaim. "Lee, need I remind you've never won in any of our spars in the past despite similar declarations on your part. What makes you think this is going to be any different?"

Confusion filled Neji's eyes when Lee's face darkened into a hostile scowl. "This isn't a friendly spar this time, Neji! You've turned your back on Gai-sensei, your team and your friends and for that I can never forgive you!"

His eyes narrowed and hardened at that and he gathered his chakra as a tinge of anger filled him at the boy's attitude and words. He decided to cut Lee's dramatic tirade by goading the fool into starting the fight. "I don't know what you're babbling about but let's make one thing clear: you and I were barely comrades, much less friends. And whether I respect or disrespect Gai-sensei is none of your business. Now I suggest you stop talking and take the victory you claim is yours, or are your words as empty as your ninja ability?"

Lee gnashed his teeth, his eyes burning with emotion as he charged at Neji. The Hyuuga easily diverted his straight punch with his forearm before he shifted his body backwards as Lee kicked off the ground; dodging the aerial spin kick. "You should know better than to step into my personal space so carelessly, Lee…"

Neji sent an accurate side-kick to Lee's hip, sending the taller boy off balance. He then stepped forward and smashed both of his palms into Lee's side. He watched his former teammate stagger a step sideways before the green clad boy corrected his momentum and pulled out a kunai from his weapon's pouch.

The Hyuuga grunted softly when he intercepted the Kunai, snatching it in midair. He used his free forearm to intercept a fierce kick only to have Lee step off his limb, pushing it down. The spandex-clad genin then somersaulted and then sending a vicious axe kick at Neji.

Neji sidestepped, smashing the steel ring of the kunai into Lee's temple with staggering force before he too displayed a feat of acrobatics by sending a reverse scythe kick into Lee's cheek, knocking the boy to the ground several feet away. "Lee, you are only delaying the inevitable; we both know your Goken is ill suited to deal with the Jyuuken."

Neji paused when he heard his former sensei's voice from the balcony to his right. He turned his gaze and was not surprised when he observed the displeasure and disappointment on the man's face. "Neji, your cruelty and arrogance towards your former comrade appalls me! It appears you need to be taught a lesson in the 'youthfulness' you sorrowfully lack. Lee…TAKE THEM OFF!"

The grin that split Lee's face made the Hyuuga exercise the caution he had forgone until then. He activated his bloodline, the world morphing into shades of silver and black and shifted into a more defensive variation of his taijutsu stance.

He watched as Lee stripped the weights under his leg warmers and smirked in a manner that was uncharacteristic to his usually jovial face. His former teammate then tossed them aside, shattering the floor under their weight in a manner that shocked everyone once they realized just how much weight had weighed Lee down before.

Lee reached for his side and removed a metallic cylinder. He twisted its base and it extended at both ends into a long staff, "Neji, your Jyuuken is primarily used in close quarters where your Byakugan, speed and flexibility make you nearly invincible. At my normal speed this staff would not be able to escape your eyes, but now, with my enhanced speed and longer range, you will be the one to fall!"

At first Neji found the brazen exclaim arrogant but then his eyes widened a fraction as Lee shot forth at a much greater velocity than before. The blue glow of Lee's chakra told Neji all he needed to know so he ducked low, dodging the whistling metal bo just barely. But despite his precognition his body failed to move fast enough to react to the fierce spin kick that smashed into his side.

A pained breath hissed out of lips as he staggered sideways. He then flipped backwards to avoid being bludgeoned by the follow-up swipe and though he saw Lee's next move he could do little to physically stop it. Since he couldn't repel or dodge it, Neji instead chose to weaken it as he crossed his arms and grunted in pain as the steel smashed hard against his limbs.

Neji panted faintly, his arms flaring with pain; that blow was going to leave a mark. His mind raced and he analyzed Lee's strategy and style of fighting, trying to discern how he would overcome them. "He isn't too skilled with staff so he uses it primarily to force me on the defensive. He's probably trained himself to use wide angles to loosen my stance and then follow up with a swipe in a narrow angle I can't really deflect or dodge due to his speed and my limited range…"

"Did you prepare your attack pattern to fit my fighting style on your own? Or did Gai-sensei tailor if for you like he spoon feeds you all the time, Lee?" Neji didn't spare him the scorn and distaste he felt before he broke his stance and slapped his hands together.

Neji didn't care that Lee was approaching him quickly. Instead the muscles in his legs tense before before he catapulted forth himself; he concentrated his vision on Lee's tenketsu. His hands sped through a brief hand seal pattern while he adjusted his chakra output to Lee's limited chakra pool. With his plan set into motion the Hyuuga's lips twitched into a smirk as Lee thrust the staff end at his head. "It's over…"

The Hyuuga only moved his head a fraction to the side, the attack whistled harmlessly by his right ear. He then tilted his head back and easily dodged the side swipe to his face. Lee's next attacks were all off course, his depth perception screwed up as he failed to even endanger Neji where were only moments earlier he hard pressed the Hyuuga to defend and avoid him.

Neji then shifted to the offensive as he thrust both of his hands forward and pressed his fingertips accurately against the tenketsu controlling Lee's arms. They fell limp at Lee's side as Neji shut them off with a burst of chakra before Neji's palms glowed as he augmented his blows with chakra; they impacted against Lee's chest, knocking him quite a distance away.

He then spoke in a steely tone. "I'm sorry, Lee, but this is your reality; you have no plausible future as a ninja. I don't know what white lies Gai-sensei has planted into your head about geniuses of hard work but here is your wake up call. I, a mere genin using a D-rank disorienting genjutsu completely dismantled your attacking ability. If I was an enemy you would be dead right now instead of writhing in pain at my feet."

Lee's eyes shut tightly, his breathing turning shaky as he trembled. A single tear escaped one of his eyes before his eyes snapped open and speared Neji with a determined glance. Shut up, Neji! I AM a genius of hard work and I CAN and WILL defeat you."

Neji tried to reason with Lee, beginning to get frustrated with his former comrade's stubbornness. "Lee, this lesson I'm teaching you is for your own sake. No amount of hard work can compensate for your complete lack of genjutsu and ninjutsu. You should quit being a ninja or settle for remaining in the academy. If you continue on this foolish path of yours, you're only dooming yourself to crippling injury or death."

Lee that had only moments seemed to break under the weight of reality was oblivious to Neji's words. His voice rang with his confidence and will as it shook with emotion. "I refuse! If I can't defeat you now, then I will train harder until I can. If I can't defeat your genjutsu then I'll just find a way around it! I am a ninja and I will not yield."

The Hyuuga turned his back on Lee, deactivating his Byakugan. "You're being unreasonable, I refuse to fight you any longer in this state you're in. Genma-san, call the match, his arms won't be functional for another twelve hours…"

Genma shook his head and motioned towards Lee that climbed to his feet. Neji rolled his eyes before he heard Lee murmur something, "I'm sorry, but I have to use it, Gai-sensei…"

The Hyuuga turned towards his opponent. "Stop this foolishness, Lee. You'll only injure yourself and exhaust your chakra. Opening the first gate for your Omoto Renge won't unblock your tenketsu."

"Initial gate: Open!" Lee called out and a chakra shockwave surrounded his feet as he crouched low. His arms, disabled and limp suddenly trembled as he shouted, "Heal gate: Open!" Neji's eyes widened as he activated his Byakugan and cast a piercing gaze at Gai.

Kakashi's visible eye widened as well. He cast a cursory glare at his 'eternal rival'. "Gai, isn't that a bit reckless? Teaching such a deadly kinjutsu to a teenager with such low emotional control? You of all people should know that it should never be taught to children, no matter how much you care for them"

Gai glared at his eternal rival. "I wanted to give Lee chance to be somebody. He was so desolate and desperate…but that's beside the point; you have no right to lecture me, Kakashi. Don't think I and the other jounin don't know what dangerous things you and Jiraiya are teaching your own apprentice. And we both know how dangerous his lack of emotional control potentially is…"

Kakashi's glare turned darker if possible, shocked Gai would resort to such a dishonorable retort. "You speak of things you do not understand, Gai. I suggest you don't let your care for your charge compel you into making any more unfortunate mistakes such as that; less my respect for you drop anymore than it already has."

Gai turned his gaze away, not having a real retort apparently for Kakashi's astute observation. There wasn't anger, hate or mocking in Kakashi's eye, there was something even worse – disappointment.

An explosion of chakra that shook the arena as Lee shouted audibly, "Life Gate: Open!" The spandex-clad genin's skin turned an unhealthy hue of red as his eyes seemed to whiten with energy, a hue of green emitted from his body as a storm of glowing blue chakra coalescing around him.

Neji shut his eyes briefly, "If what we've been taught is correct, there's no way I'll be able to match his speed and strength. Feh, to think I'd have to reveal this against Lee of all people. He was right though, I was arrogant. I guess my ties with Lee ran deeper than I thought, though that ends here. I should've knocked him out when I had the chance. Hmmm…Hiashi-sama, the training walls are quite thin and with what pointers you showed Hinata-sama on I was able to connect the dots myself..."

Neji's spread his hands to his side and expelled the chakra from his tenketsu all at once, his vision was blurry as he started rotating. He could feel and see Lee explode towards him as he unleashed one of the Jyuuken's most powerful techniques: the 'Hakkeshou Kaiten'. His eyes widened as he practically felt Lee's blow as it collided with his chakra barricade. He knew he only had a very narrow window of opportunity to act or else he would run low on chakra and Lee would demolish him.

Therefore when Lee was repelled by the chakra sphere a second time, Neji's stance shifted. He assumed a low, crouching stance with his arms wide; one stretching behind him and one in front him with the palm towards Lee. His awareness expanded and he thrust massive amounts of life force through his eyes to sharpen their perception and through arms to augment their speed to hyper-elevated levels. "Jyuuken-fu: Hakke Ryoukoshou Yonshou!"

Neji's hands blurred as Lee entered his close vicinity but much to his chagrin and surprise despite hitting his tenketsu Lee kept on moving and striking at him. The Hyuuga and Lee exchanged blows at impossible speeds. Neji wasted a third of his technique on deflecting some of Lee's blows and even then several slipped by. He felt his rib or two fracture and blood rose to his throat when Lee hit his abdomen with crippling force. Also, since he moved at equal speed many of his own Jyuuken driven blows were only partially effective.

When the exchange ended both genin stood silently, glaring into each other's eyes before both of them hacked blood. However, Lee was the one to collapse unceremoniously in a heap, his chakra exhausted and body injured. Neji stood unsteadily, sheer willpower holding off the unconsciousness threatening to claim him. His vision blurred as the Byakugan faded, his gaze falling on the genin at his feet as he vaguely heard Gemna call the fight in his favor.

He felt hands grab him as his legs collapsed beneath him. Everything started fading into black as he vaguely heard a cacophony of voices calling his name around him. "Damn it, I didn't want to…use such dangerous techniques on you or any other leaf nin. Why the hell…did you have to use such a reckless and deadly technique on me, Lee? Is…proving yourself so important that you'd even… kill me?"

"You had better hope Hyuuga Neji survives, Gai." Asuma cautioned. He blew a ring of smoke from his cigarette, "I don't know what you were thinking teaching a kid with a chip on his shoulder such a dangerous jutsu, but Hiashi's gonna tear you a new one. He's already on your case; you better watch your back around him."

Gai's expression pensive as he watched the medic nin carefully extract the two teenagers out of the arena. "I-I never thought he would use it on another leaf nin. I strictly forbade him…"

"I believe you, but look around you," Asuma explained, motioning how the various leaf genin were talking in hushed tones about what happened. "Once they realize what happened here, your precious Lee is going to find himself in a pretty tight bind; people tend to distrust people who are willing to kill a comrade for something as petty as a preliminary match…"

The elite jounin sighed. "I was upset with Neji's attitude and behavior, but I would never wish upon him something like this. He is still my precious disciple, though I do believe the chances of getting him back are quite slim now."

Naruto was left alone with Kakashi as Ino and Shikamaru went to talk with Asuma. He barely noticed them leave he was shocked by the battle he had just witnessed. He never imagined Neji or Lee were so strong. But that final thing Lee did was insane; his chakra capacity came near to his own when he used a low amount of the Kyuubi's youki.

Also, the way Kakashi and Gai were shocked and slightly scared when he used it made Naruto suspicious. He looked up at his sensei that seemed too quiet. "Kakashi-sensei, why do you seem so disappointed with Gai-sensei?"

The copy-ninja slouched lightly on the railing as they vaguely observed the board flash through names again. "That technique Lee used is a very dangerous kinjutsu, Naruto. It puts immense pressure on the user's body and gives him for a brief time god-like amounts of power. The fact Lee turned such a deadly jutsu on Neji is a very grave matter, if Neji hasn't used those jutsu, he would've almost surely died…"

The genin's eyes widened and the bit of information hit a soft spot. "W-what? I never thought…that Lee was so desperate and touchy about what we told him. I kinda wish I never pushed him so hard if it drove him to something like this. B-but would I use the fox to win in this chuunin exam, even against Sakura…?"

Several months ago, he could say with certainty that he would've done anything to prove himself. But now, after learning of his parents and heritage, hooking up with Ino, finding new friends and overcoming Sasuke's loss things were different. He wanted to prove himself, but not at any cost; not anymore. He had bigger things to worry about, mainly protecting his village, his friends and nothing was more important than that.

The screen flashed with a familiar name of Shikamaru and pitted him against the mysterious older genin, Tsuguri Misumi. Naruto's lips twitched and he turned to gaze at Shikamaru and Ino. They two were looking particularly somber, no doubt Asuma had explained the details of Neji and Lee's match to them; Gai's own dark and dreary expression reflected that much.

The Uzumaki stopped Shikamaru as he passed by him, blocking his path with his arm. "Shikamaru, you're a real genius and kick ass ninja. So you better win 'cause we can't let Lee's crazy ass stunt and Neji's overinflated ego ruin our village's reputation, can we?"

The Nara snorted and mumbled "As if I'd let something like that happen, It'd be too troublesome to live down you, Ino's and my own parent's crap." He and Naruto shared a small smile and nodded at one another while tapped their fists. As Shikamaru walked down the stairs Ino joined Naruto to watch their teammate's battle.

"Fifty ryou on Shikamaru winning in the first five minutes of the match," Ino murmured and Naruto smirked. He stealthily slipped his hand into hers and leaned against the railing a bit more comfortably.

"150 ryou on him winning in the first two minutes. Even though Neji's a dick with a huge ego he was kinda right about Lee, so there's no excuse for him nearly killing Neji. And while Shikamaru might not show it, he and Neji have actually become good friends in the last couple of weeks and the parallel between this and the close call with Chouji and Sakura on your mission; that guy won't know what hit him…"

Genma explained the rules, but they breezed by Shikamaru. The truth was that the obsessive desperation Lee displayed made the Nara uneasy. Sure, Neji's blunt and painful words would piss off any guy in Lee's position and Neji did deserve a beat down for being a that look in his eyes; that crazy kinjutsu he used against someone he once considered a friend...it wouldn't surprise Shikamaru if Lee would've accidently killed Neji if only to prove himself to him – how warped was that?

"Somehow, I smell Sakura's manipulation in all this," he thought. The wording of Lee's rabid accusations and the slightly darker and more vicious edge to his rivalry were not things he had thought he'd associate with the genin from what little he knew of him. "I hope that psycho bitch's gonna get what's coming for her. First she tries to have us shun Naruto and now I suspect she's trying to divide us over Lee and Neji's conflict. It's like she trying to use 'divide and conquer' methods on us from within. But to what end and why?"

His eyes focused as he felt his enemy charge at him, trying to capitalize on his distraction. His eyes analyzed the approaching foe and his hand reached to the weapon's pouch on his right leg. "You don't have time to day dream, kid!" Shikamaru frowned as he heard the pouch he just unhooked fall to the ground with a thud.

Then in quick succession he slipped into the 'Kage Mane' jutsu stance. He didn't flinch as he stopped his foe's attack a mere inch from his nose, the fist shaking as it was suspended uselessly when Shikamaru usurped control over Misumi's body. At such close quarters he easily extended his shadow and ensnared his reckless opponent. He and Naruto had trained extensively during the last month on what range, speed and shape his shadow should be to act as an optimal defensive and when it how it was best suited for offense.

Naruto's Kage Bushin came in handy in that regard, especially as Shikamaru trained with the more advanced shadow techniques his clan had in its arsenal though he dared not use most of them on a fellow Konoha ninja; his father would kill him if he used his stronger family jutsu like that. Learning those jutsu happened several weeks ago when Shikaku had warned his son about the dangers of the chuunin exam and that 'Kage Mane' might not pack enough of a punch; neither in a controlled exam atmosphere nor on the field in a real life situation so he had planned ahead and stocked up for the occasion.

Shikamaru's voice reflected his boredom, "you are a Konoha ninja, you should know better than to charge at a Nara in an illuminated area." He controlled his foe's limbs and forced Misumi's hand to slip into his weapon's pouch and procure a Kunai blade. He leveled the cold steel against the older genin's jugular and spoke firmly, "Yield."

Misumi's bespectacled eyes shifted from shock into grim satisfaction as a dark grin rose to his lips. "Why is he so…smu-ah!" Shikamaru thought before he broke the jutsu quickly as Misumi's shoulder popped out of place in his right arm, the bond between him and Shikamaru forcing the Nara's body to undergo the same painful experience.

The Nara grimaced as his hand hung loosely at his side. He leaped backwards, avoiding a kunai sweep and reached for his pouch. He tossed a smoke bomb at Misumi's feet and grimaced as he carefully grasped his arm. He hissed out in pain as he popped his shoulder into place, silently thanking the academy curriculum for covering basic field treatment.

Pain lanced through his arm, but he could still move his fingers and arm, if with difficulty and pain. He glanced upwards briefly and watched Ino watching his fight worriedly while Naruto shot him a cocky grin, "Ne! Stop playing around Shikamaru! Finish this loser so I can fight already!"

"Heh, troublesome idiot, I'm working on it!" he thought. His mind raced over various scenarios and while he was certain he could win, he wasn't quite sure he could do it without killing the other genin or severely injuring him. "How troublesome…I guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way…"

He reached into his weapon's pouch and fiddled through it until he found a small metallic sphere that fit snugly in his palm. Shikamaru flung it towards the smoke just at Misumi just as he tore through the smoke, intent to kill by the look in his eyes. It collided with the young man's chest lightly and rebounded off his body much to the confusion of all onlookers.

The Nara shut his eyes as he made the tiger seal "Boom…"

Misumi growled as the sphere fractured and exploded. The audible sound and recoil knocked him off his feet as intense bright light blinded and disoriented him. He clutched his eyes in agony and shouted profanities as he shook his head from side to side. Shikamaru then walked over to his foe and nonchalantly chopped his neck, knocking him out.

He could've used some Nara ninjutsu and show off, but there was no need to waste chakra or reveal any of his trump cards in a preliminary match; that could wait to show off the various Daimyo and bowed his head to Genma as he called the match and then rejoined his friends.

He smirked faintly when Ino hugged him and told him how she won the bet against her boyfriend. He looked up at his other teammate that had a mock affronted look on Naruto's face, but the thumbs up told him all he needed to know; as well as the 'firm' tap on his back by said Uzumaki.

Aburame Shino was always observant. Amongst the Aburame, perception, cunning and analytical abilities were the bread and butter of their lives. When he joined team eight "Kurenai-sensei, I detect an underlying hostility towards Tsuguri Misumi and Akadou Yoroi emitting from you and the other jounin-sensei. Is there something we should be aware of?"

The red-eyed kunoichi shifted her gaze over Shino. Her tone was firm and dismissive as she turned her gaze towards the screen. "It is nothing to be concerned over, Shino. You concentrate on your fight."

Shino adjusted his glasses and his lips twisted into a faint frown. "Kurenai-sensei, your attempts at evading my questions have only deepened my suspicion, something is definitely happening. All the jounin seem somber and tenser than usual…what happened while we were in the forest of death?"

"Proctor, I wish to forfeit," Akadou Yoroi spoke up as his name was matched with that of Kankuro. The assorted genin, leaf and otherwise all eyed him with suspicion. Shino however ignored them and observed the leaf jounin and Genma and noticed an almost knowing gleam in their eyes.

The young man pushed the black spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "I sustained injuries in the forest of death. I thought I was in shape to battle, but after seeing how strong everyone is, I don't think I can wing it."

The Aburame caught the Suna-nin named Kankuro scoff in disgust as Genma excused Yoroi so he could go to the medical wing to check on his teammate. Shino's suspicions grew as his 'fellow' leaf-nin left the area, the eyes of everyone in the room fixed on him. "What the hell just happened?"

Sumiko, the leader of the genin team hailing from Amegakure seemed contemplative as she analyzed the information she gleaned from the last couple of matches. The Hyuuga was dangerous, his Jyuuken and Byakugen would be a hassle if they fought but she had ways to deal with a close range fighter like him – the other boy; was of no consequence as a single genjutsu would be his demise.

The Nara was clever, she could tell by the gleam in his eyes. He could've won his battle in any number of ways but chose the one which revealed the least of his abilities; she would have to watch herself around someone of such cunning and intelligence.

She didn't know what to think of the face painted puppeteer. He didn't project a power aura or seemed that impressive but she had been taught that Sunagakure's puppeteers were dangerously cunning and had a very wide and dangerous variety of tricks up their sleeves so she would err on the side of caution if she matched up with him.

The emerald eyed kunoichi watched the matches alongside her sensei; the titanic man seeming to share her own notions when they conversed during the matches in soft undertones. She spoke up, unable to hold back from asking any longer, "Sensei, you weren't kidding when you claimed leaf genin hold childish emotions and petty rivalries. They really do seem like children playing ninja, just as father always told me; how pathetic."

The pair seemed oblivious to the second rain ninja as he his name was presented on the electronic board. He grunted at them and walked down the stairway; unaware of just how unlucky he was to have drawn a match against Suna's Shukaku Jinchuuriki.

Her sensei's brown eyes flickered with an indiscernible emotion. "Do not underestimate any of them, Sumiko-chan. While leaf's altruistic bullshit is questionable in a ninja world such as ours their skill is not. Also, and this is an order; if you draw against Sabaku no Gaara – forfeit immediately."

The jade eyed kunoichi looked shocked, "B-but sensei, I can…"

He lifted his hand and silenced her and pointed to the arena below them. "You cannot! You have your own goals to fulfill here; do not forget that, Sumiko. Do not let yourself get carried away and lose sight of your objective. Now watch this battle carefully and you will realize what I am talking about. No regular ninja is a match for one of the nine…"

The rain-genin gawked, the tremulous touch of fear, an emotion she had worked obsessively to quench unwillingly filling her momentarily before she squashed it viciously. Gaara's sand started slithering out of gourd; the miasma like motion of the golden mineral tantalizing as it danced on its own accord. "You mean…?"

"There is no doubt about it; he has all telltale signs of being the Jinchuuriki of Suna no Shukaku. I fought against the last of them during the third ninja war; I'd recognize that sand manipulation, deranged and homicidal gleam and deep bags under the eyes anywhere."

Her eyes remained apathetic as her teammate screamed in horror as sand wrapped around his body, blocking his mouth and stopping him from forfeiting. She glanced upwards towards her sensei and spoke quietly, "You let Sora fight him to authenticate your theory, right? So now that you've got your proof are you going to save Sora, sensei?"

The Jounin glanced to his left, observing how all the Konona Jounin eyeing his expectantly and how the Konoha Jounin was shocked by the speed in which Gaara killed the rain ninja; beaten to the punch before he could call the match.

"What do you take me for, Sumiko? Have you ever known me to waste my time? He served his purpose and is of no more use to me, or you; saving him while revealing my abilities would be counter-productive at this point."

The horrible squishing sound of bone, flesh and blood being squashed by Gaara's 'Sabaku Sousou' chilled everyone but the two rain-nin that sported a cold façade. Sumiko did feel a tint of nausea as the gory remains were revealed once Gaara's sand retreated back into the gourd before the Jinchuuriki vanished and reformed upon the balcony in a swirl of sand.

Sumiko shut her eyes briefly and crossed her hands under her breasts. "I guess it can't be avoided… I'm going to have to take things more serious than I had originally intended to."

She opened her eyes and chanced a glance at Uzumaki Naruto and her curiosity got the better of her as she wondered why he of all people seemed so much more disturbed by her teammate's death.

Yuuhi Kurenai brushed her arm against Asuma's as they watched the board flash through the names of the contestants. The genjutsu mistress smiled faintly as the Sarutobi knocked his cigarette away and crossed his arms under his chest. "Do you think Ino is strong enough to defeat Kiba, Asuma?"

Asuma quirked his brow and stole a glance at Ino that was talking animatedly with Naruto. The two blondes spoke in hushed tones; the Jinchuuriki amongst them probably giving Ino some pointers about how to deal with the Inuzuka. "Heh, Ino has grown quite a deal, Kurenai. Inoichi has been training her hard on the usage of the Yamanaka jutsu, not to mention I've been taking things much more seriously…"

Kurenai watched her disciple put Akamaru on the floor. He then crossed his arms and grinned in a feral manner. "Ne, Ino-san, no offense to you, but we both know who's going to win this fight so maybe you should forfeit, I don't wanna hurt you and get beaten up by Naruto..."

Kurenai blinked, surprised by Kiba's audacity and sexist attitude. She felt Asuma's body shake slightly beside her and noticed he was holding back laughter. "What's so funny, Asuma?"

"Kiba just signed his own death warrant," he quipped as Ino's eyes darkened and her stance stiffened.

She felt especially brazen; quite ready to gamble on her student despite his attitude. "I don't know…are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?" She watched as Ino hissed something profane and crass by the affronted and shocked look on Kiba's face.

"I don't like stealing people's money, Kurenai." Asuma retorted as Ino slipped her hands into her weapon's pouch and tossed two pellets at Kiba's feet. The Inuzuka cried out in pain and clutched his hand to his nose, while rubbing his eyes with his arm.

"What the hell was that?!" Kiba screamed in an agonized manner, his eyes tearful.

"Pepper spray…also known as mace. It aggravates the nose, eyes and throat, so to someone with hyper senses like you, I think it's far worse." Ino replied with an evil grin as she ran through a quick series of hand seals.

Her eyes flickered with vindictiveness as she unleashed one of her family techniques. She was actually rather lucky she had Shikamaru for a teammate. He had both her and Naruto pack more versatile ninja equipment to tackle a variety of possible foes; amongst them sensors like the Inuzuka.

Ino unleashed the 'Shinranshin no jutsu' and ensnared the disoriented and defenseless Kiba's body. The Inuzuka couldn't control his body and protested audibly as his hands moved to Ino's command and grabbed onto his own groin tightly. "Give up…or I'll rip it off!"

Kurenai face faulted, disappointed by Kiba as he forfeited in a slightly high-pitched and panicked manner as Ino forced his hand to squeeze himself tightly and tug quite painfully. If he hadn't underestimated Ino, he would've never been hit by that pepper bomb and be humiliated like this in front of all his peers and foreign genin as well.

Kiba looked miserable as all the Konoha genin laughed on his expense good naturedly and the foreign ninja eyed him with disgust. He murmured profanities about crazy bitches in heat and then suddenly yelped and fled up the stairs with a furious Yamanaka hot on his trail.

"Better him than us, eh?" She heard Shikamaru murmur to Naruto as she grimaced when Kiba hid behind her fearfully. She couldn't help but sigh and smile begrudgingly; joining in the small chuckles as Ino manhandled him. She made a mental memo to not kill her sexist student and teach him a lesson once the exam was over about taking fights seriously; not underestimating any opponent and most importantly how dangerous kunoichi could really be.

"Finally! I thought it would never be my turn!" Naruto exclaimed audibly and did a few squats and stretches. His grin was face splitting as he leaped unto the railing before somersaulting off and landing gracefully on his feet.

His looked up and his comrades and various sensei and pumped his fist once. He needed to vent all the tension, the emotional agony and confusion he had sustained during the prelims and second exam. So he was glad he finally got a shot to fight and also couldn't help but cry out. "Alright, let's get this show on the road! It's time to kick some ass, Uzumaki Style!"

Naruto glanced up to the Sand team and noticed Temari was conversing with her sensei, a slightly fearful expression on her face. The Jounin glanced at Naruto gravely and then shifted his glance over Gaara before he nodded. "I guess I left quite an impression on her in the forest of death. She looks like she's scared shitless; maybe I can use that to my advantage…"

Temari walked down the arena, by the looks of it she was trying to calm herself through breathing exercises. She removed the massive fan from her back. She slammed it on the ground and glared at him.

"Is there something you want to say?" Naruto smoothed his face into a cool façade. His blue eyes were bone chilling slipped into his family taijutsu stance. He was doing his best to imitate Kakashi-sensei when he was upset or one of Neji's infamous glares and hoped it was working.

"Actually, there is…" Temari hissed and spread her battle fan all the way, revealing all three dots. She pulled the weapon backwards and then swung it in his direction. A violent torrent of concussive wind exploded towards him as she unleashed her 'Kamaitachi' ninjutsu.

Naruto crouched low and sprung upwards with a chakra propelled leap. He somersaulted while running through a quick hand seal sequence, the wind funnel missing him narrowly. He exhaled harshly, the chakra in his lungs manipulated with the wind element before it exploded out of his lips. The jutsu 'Fuuton: Kazedan' consisted of several very small, yet high velocity wind bullets.

He frowned as Temari proved quite versatile as she dodged and crisscrossed out of harm's way. "Tch, so your battle fan is the main medium for your wind jutsu? Well, two can play that game." He landed on his feet and bit his thumb, swabbing it against the seals on his left armguard.

His ancestor's blade Boufuudoki emerged and he slashed it across his body. The broadsword's seals flashed with his chakra as it resonated with the air around it. He spun around and slashed it in a wide arc while unleashing the gathered nature chakra in form of the futon jutsu known as: 'Kazekiri'

The force behind the wind jutsu was so great it split and dispersed Temari's Kamaitachi and forced her to drop to the floor to avoid being sliced in two. She rolled gracefully and kicked back to her feet in time to growl as she unleashed one of her stronger ninjutsu, the 'Futon: Sanjuu Kokuryu Inmetsu!"

"What the hell? Shit! That's one nasty looking ninjutsu," Naruto thought as Temari swung her fan three times in quick succession. The wind chakra morphed into the shape of three dragon heads narrowed down on him. The high pitched buzzing around deafened him as the cutting wind constructs barreled down on him.

The Uzumaki did the only thing he could do; he used the replication jutsu and replicated himself with a chunk of debris from the demolished arena floor. He reappeared several feet from his original position just in time to toss to somersault upwards and avoid the last of the three dragons from tearing him apart.

He tossed his family blade upwards while he crossed his fingers in the appropriate seal and summoned several Kage Bushin. A massive cloud of smoke concealed him before he and another four clones landed on the ground and spread out. "Let's see you dodge this,"

Each of the four clones made an identical series of hand seals whereas the original caught the Hwando broadsword and leveled it across his body. Temari seemed to catch his intention and snarled at him, drawing her fan backwards before she swung it forward with all her might and unleashed a much more powerful version of her earlier jutsu, the 'Dai Kamaitachi'.

Naruto's clones were swept away and sliced in mid air whereas the original was close enough to the wall of the arena in order to leap upon its surface. He latched onto the stone with chakra and raced to higher grounds before somersaulting backwards, dodging the deadly jutsu. "Damn, she's skilled with that damned fan of hers, my clones are useless against such wide range jutsu and she's not giving me enough time to use higher level ninjutsu…this is so troublesome…"

He spun around, still leveling Boufuudoki defensively across his body when she spoke up and quickly summoned a pair of kage bushin to his side just in case. He considered using the 'Katon: Endan' to overwhelm her wind attacks with the opposite element; but it was close ranged and there's no guarantee the wind wouldn't push it back and barbeque him instead.

Using Suiton jutsu was also a possibility, but he only knew one or two offensive ones and he doubted Temari, that had proven quite dexterous and competent would be caught by any one of them, not to mention her high level wind jutsu would overwhelm his mid to low level ninjutsu.

It seemed for the first time in a long time, he was outmatched in the elemental ninjutsu department; at least in the current terrain where he didn't have the time or distance to properly wield his own high level ninjutsu. That didn't mean he was beaten, far from it. He had other tricks up his sleeve and one thing none of the opponents his age could ever hope to match – his stamina.

"This is it, Uzumaki. I wasn't supposed to reveal this jutsu…but you're too dangerous to hold back on." Naruto blinked as she bit her thumb and swabbed it over her fan. Naruto could tell she was tired, her face was flushed and her breathing was reduced to heavy panting.

However, he was impressed that she didn't falter or hesitate; still determined she thrust a massive amount of chakra through her body and then she swung her battle fan. A massive cloud of smoke heralded the summoning of small weasel familiar carrying a scythe. "Kuchiyose no jutsu, is it? By her style she's probably going to use some kind of massive wind jutsu. Well, I guess there's only one thing to do in that case…"

Everyone except Baki, Gaara and Kankuro were shocked as the small summoned beast twirled around and unleashed an obscenely wide-scaled wind attack on Naruto and his clones. "NARUTO!"Ino's voice cried out in horror, while she and every other ninja were forced to grip onto something tightly as the wind vortex wreaked havoc on everything in its path.

When the wind cleared, everyone stared in shock at the sight of a one-story tall orange toad holding a concave shield in front of its body. The mid-sized toad, also known as Gamayojimbo, croaked menacingly as it removed the shield and revealed an unharmed Naruto on its back.

Naruto reminded himself to buy something nice for his godfather and Fukusaku for forcing him to familiarize himself with youjimbo in particular. They both admonished and beat him until he got the hint that despite his awesome offensive power, he may some day meet someone with greater ninjutsu than his own and that a little protection never hurt anyone and went a long way in tight pinches.

The Uzumaki grinned cockily, his arms crossed around his body, barely winded whereas Temari seemed dead on her feet. "You're not the only one that can summon." Naruto pointed upwards and spoke innocently, "By the way, I'd dodge that if I were you,"

Temari didn't get what he was talking about at first before she noticed the twirling hwando Chinese broadsword that nearly sliced her in half. She sidestepped barely only to have the blade explode into a cloud of smoke before a fist smashed into her face.

She staggered violently and tried to lift her battle fan to defend herself, only for his heel to smash into her hand, breaking her grip. "It's over," he stated simply as he spun around and slammed a reverse roundhouse into her face, knocking her to the ground.

The original Naruto knelt and patted gamayojimbo on the head, "Thanks, big fella, send my regards to Fukasaku." His clone dispelled itself from where it stood beside Temari. "The kage bushin and henge combination is a classic…"

He leaped off the toad as it exploded into a cloud of smoke, returning to its home on mount Myoubokuzan. The Uzumaki paused when he felt that eerie, crawling feeling run down his spine and glanced over his shoulder, noticing how Gaara's sand slithered out of his gourd and rushed towards Temari, wrapping around her gently and lifting her towards him.

Naruto locked a gaze with his fellow bijuu container and noticed there was no rage or hatred there, only some odd form of relief and perhaps gratitude that was only barely visible under the usual apathy and coldness.

He was a bit distracted as he watched the puppeteer fuss over the kunoichi and the Suna jounin eye him darkly. "It's like he expected me to kill her…I guess he's used to life fucking him over, eh? Well it looks like Gaara finally found someone to care for…maybe there's hope for him yet."

Shino walked down the stairs towards the arena when the electronic board flashed: "Aburame Shino v. Kagami Sumiko"

He spread his arms to his sides, silently commanding his symbiotic allies to leave the crevices in his body. At the very moment Genma signaled them to begin he thrust both of his arms forward, unleashing a swarm of Kikaichuu at the Rain kunoichi.

The kunoichi flashed through several hand seals and slammed her palm against the concrete, "Doton: Boushikyuu no doro". The solid stone dissolved, swirling at high speed as it formed a protective barrier of rushing mud.

He spread his arms and the black swarm broke apart, circling the dome carefully. When it broke apart the kunoichi was gone. He didn't even glance over his shoulder as he kept one arm, palm open lifted while he brandished a kunai with the other.

His wrist flicked and the kunai sailing toward his foe. She dodged it, just in time for the portion of his kikaichuu that levitated above them both to envelop her from above. He frowned as the buzzing black passed right through her, her body dissolving into thin air. "Genjutsu?"

Shino's lips twitched beneath his high collar, the female bug on her person telling him all he needed to know, even under the influence of the illusion. Therefore he easily twisted his body sideways; avoiding what he felt was a weapon thrust and smashed his fist into something solid. He felt a hint of satisfaction as his foe's invisible form shimmered as it reappeared. She was gripping a long staff with a bladed end, that being the hard substance he hit. Her emerald eyes gauged him as she charged with impressive speed and swiped at him.

His body exploded into an angry swarm of black as the blade sliced through him. At such close quarters there was little the kunoichi could do as the Kikaichuu smashed into her body, knocking her backwards while gnawing at her chakra. The real Shino that reformed on the other side of the arena glared at Sumiko as her body melted into mud, "Tsuchi…Bushin? When she did she…?" He was somewhat confused and upset at how she constantly kept herself one step ahead of him. He also wondered how exactly she kept on ensnaring him with genjutsu.

He whirled around and clapped his hands, his kikaichuu rushing to his aid when he initiated the 'Mushi Kabe no jutsu' when he caught sight of Sumiko's body bursting from the earth. The girl's hands raced through a hand seal sequence, the ground in front of her once more melting into mud.

Her justu of choice was known as the "Doton: Doryuudan", a massive dragon head forming from the mud momentarily before it spewed out multiple blasts of mud at Shino. The Aburame's eyes narrowed as his living allies blocked the barrage. Shino couldn't help but smirk faintly as when he felt the cold touch of steel against his neck, a soft voice whispering in his ear icily, "I will only say this once, Aburame, Yield now and you may yet live."

He retorted icily, his body exploding into insects once more; his original body reforming behind and placing a kunai blade to her jugular. "You are in position to make demands, Kagami. Your genjutsu and Doton jutsu became inconsequential the moment I tagged you with my female Kikaichuu."

His eyes widened as the ground behind him exploded and the beaten kunoichi in front of him crumbled into chunks of stone. He shut his eyes as he heard screams of his names, "I can't believe this…this is the end,"

"Winner: Kagami Sumiko. Stand down, Kagami-san the fight is over." he was surprised when he heard Genma speak firmly from only inches behind him. He looked over his shoulder and caught sight of the Jounin holding Sumiko's naginata, stopping it inches from where it ran him through. It seemed that after Gaara slaughtered his opponent Genma was a bit more cautious and proactive in stopping fatal victories.

He saw Sumiko snort and nod curtly, her eyes flickered with mirth as she whispered a taunt only he could hear. "You never tagged the real me with your female bug, Aburame. I hid in the stone ground all along while I sent my clone to fight you. I had this fight in my pocket from the very beginning, you pathetic fool."

Shino's stomach plummeted, gazing at her back. His shoulders slouched as he dragged his feet on the way back to the balcony. "Father, you were right. I have become overly dependent on our Kikaichuu."

Sakura's eyes were slightly wide as she watched Sumiko resume her place beside her sensei. Her alternate persona quipped commentary they both listened in on Shino divulging what Sumiko had told him to Kurenai. "Wow, that crazy bitch really kicked Shino's ass and he's no pushover!"

"Damn, that kind of foresight's impressive. I'll have to keep that in mind, it might come in handy in the future," Sakura thought distractedly. The psychotic kunoichi walked down the stairs, ignoring the hostile and/or suspicious looks most of her comrades and the foreign ninja sent her.

She tilted her head at Tenten, the two kunoichi the final pair left. Tenten's eyes gleamed with hostility as she removed a scroll from her weapon's pouch. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she reached into her weapon's pouch. "Oh? So it's off with the big guns, is it?"

Her hands smoothed against the icy steel of four shuriken as she prepared for the barrage she knew was coming. White smoke concealed Tenten for a moment before dozens of weapons were flung towards Sakura.

The crimson haired kunoichi weaved through the rain of steel, directing the chains on her arms with her chakra to deflect any weapon that got too close for comfort. When the maelstrom was over jade eyes she thrust both of her hands forward, sending her chakra conductive extensions towards Tenten "You sure aren't pulling punches. What's wrong, Tenten? I thought I was just a piss poor rookie so why the warm welcome?"

Tenten's lips twitched, her hands reaching for her side as she suddenly pulled out a pair of sai, much to Sakura's suspicious surprise. Green eyes followed the older kunoichi as she acrobatically twisted away at the very last possible second and stabbed her weapon's through the links of the chain. "Wha…what's she doing?"

Sakura didn't have much time to think as Tenten used chakra augmented strength to drive the sai deep into the concrete, successfully disabling the weapon before she charged. "I can't…move my arms! She…she tricked me?"

Her inner persona sniped at her, "Of course she did. She capitalized on our arrogance and saw enough of our chain style to figure out it's our first line of offense and defense. I can't believe we didn't just mind rape her with genjutsu when we had the chance…now it'll be a hassle to distract her enough to ensnare her!"

Sakura's head snapped back knuckles smashed into her nose, the follow up hook punch rattled her teeth. The Kunoichi ducked barely under the spinning roundhouse kick and pushed upwards with her shoulder when Tenten's foot sailed over her, knocking the other girl off balance.

When Sakura was taught the chakra chain style by the jounin Retsu months ago he cautioned her that the chains are both an advantage and a liability, so one always had to have a contingency. Sakura's weapon was in reality two chains connected by a single chakra controlled clasp, one that in times on need could be disconnected.

She slipped her hands out of the chains, shrugging them off quickly; but not quick enough however to avoid rising palm that struck her nose. A resonating cracking sound rang in Sakura ears just as her nose exploded in pain and breathing became hard as she stumbled backwards dazedly.

"That fucking cunt! She broke our nose!" Inner Sakura raged whereas the main persona brought one of their hands to stop the rivulets of crimson.

"That was for Lee, you crazy-ass bitch!" Tenten hissed at her venomously as she struck again and again. Sakura recovered quickly enough; weeks of being beaten and abused by Anko and forced to learn to fight through pain and injury were a testament to her resilience and strength of will.

However, much to Sakura's dismay, being trained with Maito Gai for over a year and being pairing up with both a Hyuuga genius and taijutsu specialist had its perks for Tenten. The older girl's assault was painfully accurate and her defense was solid, Sakura constantly left on the defensive and unable to spare the time for a genjutsu or ninjutsu to push her back and she had neglected her taijutsu ever since Anko stopped training her and now it was showing.

"Neji warned me but I didn't listen! I actually trusted you and then you go and screw Lee over in front of all of our friends for the sake of your stupid grudge with Naruto!" Tenten spat out, spittle spraying Sakura's face as she leaped backwards and finally got a breather.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as Tenten evidently thought of the most vile and hurtful jibe she knew of as she spoke next. "But you know what? You're nothing but an obsessed and pathetic loser. Even if Sasuke was alive, I bet the only thing he would've done was either laugh or spit at you!"

There was a moment of silence as the words resonated across the arena. Once they left Tenten's lips there was no going back, there would be no mercy, no quarter – now it was personal. Sakura's external persona receded and let her homicidal, darker half take the reins. Sakura stood up, her eyes closed. Her trembling had stopped; her uncertainty melted away and left only a completely calm posture. "Don't…talk about Sasuke-kun as if you knew him." Her eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of liquid ice emeralds.

Her lips parted to reveal crimson stained teeth through her hostile façade. "You think you're so tough, don't you?" She watched the effects of her change of tone and wording hit home. "Well, prepare yourself 'cause this 'pathetic bitch' is coming, and the kiddy gloves are off!"

"Bring it!" Tenten taunted her and pulled a pair of scrolls from her pouch and leaped into the air. Before she could prepare her 'Soushouryu' Sakura returned to the basics and flooded the arena with regular illusionary bushin that started to run around in a chaotic mess. She easily distracted and avoided her prey, concealed under a second layer of genjutsu, mainly a low level one that blurred her and bended the light around her; thus noticing her would be more difficult to whoever wasn't looking closely enough. She snuck towards her chains; very carefully and quietly pulling the sai out of them and using her chakra to tie them into one.

Tenten seemed to hear the chains rattling but it was entirely too late, even as she pulled on the invisible strings on her weapons. Sakura was one step ahead of her, twirling her chain like a lasso before she ensnared the weapon's mistress' ankle and pulled her to the floor violently. Tenten crashed hard into the concrete like a sack of potatoes and with a sickening crunch her arm and elbow snapped upon impact. Sakura then tugged the other side of her chain and wrapped it around Tenten's waist, tugging her to her feet. "Yield."

Tenten's left arm hung loosely at her side, the grit teeth and shaky posture signaling how much pain the weapon mistress was in. Sakura was unimpressed as weapon mistress slid her good hand into her weapon's pouch and procured a kunai before she spat out, "Drop dead."

Sakura sneered and the violent persona felt the main personality struggling to regain control but it was too little, too late. She was behind the wheel and she wasn't going to relent until she made Tenten pay for her insults against them. "I'd say I'm sorry for hurting you, but I'd be lying, you pompous little whore."

The crimson haired kunoichi waited and intercepted the weapon mistress' thrust, wrapping excess chain around her good arm and waist. Tenten however managed to surprise her with her flexibility and taijutsu prowess and manipulate the situation so the tip of the kunai was placed against Sakura's jugular.

"Looks like we're at a stalemate, bitch," Tenten taunted as a crooked grin spread on her lips. She glared heatedly into Sakura's eyes and chuckled tiredly in what she perceived was a victory against the red haired femme. The crimson haired sociopath mimicked her grim expression and leaned towards her ear, struggling to disengage until she noticed Tenten had manipulated their position so neither femme could move. It appeared the two were stuck – but appearances could be deceiving. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

"NO! You'll ruin everything, stop it, just knock her out…don't do this!!" Sakura's more docile personality screamed desperately in their joint mind.

Inner Sakura retorted icily in a logical manner that her main persona could not contest. "There is nothing to salvage, Sakura-chan. You know what our intentions are and she made it quite clear she is no ally and/or friend. Besides, Ino has abandoned us for crimson-eyes, we have lost our influence on Lee and nobody else will give us the time of day."

An honorable foe, would've turned to the proctor and asked him to call the fight or would've knocked out the obviously wearier opponent with a head butt. But Sakura was a kunoichi; honor was a luxury for either those too weak to win or those who were invincible and could afford such altruism – she was neither.

Sakura made a show of struggling while hissing something in Tenten's ear, beginning to gain leeway as she pushed her chakra through her limbs. "You know, Tenten. I didn't tell you guys something during our initial team introduction…"

Tenten attempted to smash her knee into Sakura's sternum, but the younger kunoichi smashed her shin against Tenten's before she could. The darker persona laughed inwardly when Tenten spat in her face as she shouted. "Cut the bullshit and tough act, Sakura! Neither of us can win, so let's just call this a draw. Don't tempt me and make me carve you a second smile…"

Sakura smirked as she manipulated her gathered life force, raw energy converting into nature chakra. Crackles of electricity danced around her arms and wrists before her irises pulsed briefly with light as she whispered in her opponent's ear: "I like my meat well done and extra crispy!"

Tenten screamed her bio-electricity erupted angrily and travelled down the chains, shocking her prey excruciatingly. Sakura's predatory expression belied her violent intent as Tenten convulsed against her, the sound of multiple voices calling the bitch's name filling Sakura's ears. Then her fun was ruined when her chakra was violently extinguished by a sharp pain piercing her neck. She immediately retracted her chains as her survival instincts screamed at her to move when she felt something move behind her.

She leaped sideways, to avoid a blurry form that passed by her and caught Tenten's unconscious form. The weapon mistress's body was still going through spasms, the scent of burnt flesh nauseating as the girl's arms and abdomen, now exposed as they were burned off marred by chain-patterned burns.

Genma's calm and authoritative tone was like a douse of cold water that freed her main persona from its bindings. "Winner, Haruno Sakura. Medic, take her to the E.R now."

The original Sakura felt true when she felt various killer intents flash around her but kept her expression calm, being subjugated to Anko's ferocity and Danzou's intensity had given her that skill at the very least.

"All winning contestants please join Haruno-san on the floor so we can select your exam matchups and to receive several announcements." Gemna commanded and the genin obliged swiftly.

Sakura's skin crawled as her 'fellow' genin gathered around her. She was thankful Lee and Neji had been extracted but the look Gai was giving her made her want to crawl under some rock and hide. Her eyes widened as the message escaped the examiner. "First order of business is that I regret to inform everyone that six days ago the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen died. Regrettably, you all missed his funeral due to the exam."

She stole a glance at her fellow genin, watching the shock on the Konoha genin and the outright grief on the face of 'crimson-eyes'. A thought suddenly struck her, Danzou was now uncontested; Sandaime was the only force holding him back, that much was obvious by how the shadowy elder operated in secret – what would happen now – to Konoha, to her?

Before she could ponder the situation the bandana wearing Jounin continued. "We've randomly generated the final's matchup by mixing up the winners. This is the order of the final examinations exhibition matchups: Match one will be Hyuuga Neji versus Haruno Sakura. Match two will be Sabaku no Gaara v. Yamanaka Ino. Match three will be Uzumaki Naruto versus Kagami Sumiko and the final Match will be Nara Shikimaru versus Sabaku no Kankuro."

Sakura's eyes widened considerably, she was against the Hyuuga? Her mind raced as she realized just how fucked she was considering whom her opponent was. His Byakugan would negate all her genjutsu and his taijutsu was unrivaled and worst of all, she had wounded his friend (or more) in the prelims.

Her alter-ego commented quietly as Genma informed them they had a month to train and prepare for the finals. "It looks like we're in for quite the battle, Sakura-chan. Let's hope Danzou-teme has an idea…or perhaps that Kabuto character…"

As the genin scattered, Sakura scrambled away quickly. The panic and paranoia she had almost forgotten for the last week or so ever since Kabuto assured her he would get her out of Konoha vanishing. Because now she wasn't quite sure she would survive long enough to meet up with the silver-haired genin.

Considering the bloodlust she felt off Gai, Sandaime's death and the fact Danzou wasn't known to be the most reliable man her existence seemed bleak. And worse, even if she survived long enough to participate in the exams, she was quite certain almost all of the participants would see her dead.

Only one thought crossed through her mind, "I'm screwed…"

Jiraiya tried to gauge the bizarre looking Akatsuki in front of him. The grotesque stitches crisscrossing across his body stood out even more than his green and red eyes. There was very little information on this Kakuzu's abilities, the only warning his sources had was: "Don't get close and don't stop moving or else you'll die."

The sannin's eyes narrowed, "His stitches…they're moving!" Jiraiya's hands moved at blurry speed, running through a hand seal sequence while the sound of ripping flesh and shifting substance startled him; though it didn't stop him from preparing his designated jutsu "What the hell…?"

He slapped his hands against the ground, his life force spreading through the earth. Jiraiya invoked the ninjutsu known as: 'Doton: Daichikyojin no Assaiki.' The ground broke around Kakuzu, collapsing and reshaping itself. Jiraiya waited patiently, observing his enemy as two massive hands of earth made a clapping motion, aiming to crush the Akatsuki. "What the hell…"

Kakuzu spread his hands to his sides; his forearms literally breaking off. Black metallic tendrils burst out of his arms and pierced the rock, ripping it apart easily. Meanwhile, two eerie looking white masks connected to similar black substance flanked his shoulders; their mouths opening.

The sannin cursed as he sensed two chakra imprints spiking at once. He ran through some rapid hand seals as he watches a pulsing scarlet gather in one mask's mouth and a hollow white in the other's mouth. His hands hit the ground once more, this time it ripped the earth upwards, creating a stone wall that shielded him via the 'Doton: Doro Gaeshi'.

"This doesn't make sense…how can use Earth, Fire and Wind? Does he have a bloodline limit or something?" He could literally feel the heat of the combination jutsu that impacted against the wall of earth he created. The sound of cracking alerted him he had to move and so he moved away from the wall only to come face to face with a most unsettling sight.

There stood a vaguely humanoid construct of black with a white mask on where the face should be. In its open mouth was a pulsing blue ball of lightning that was aimed right at him. Jiraiya reacted instinctively, using a burst of chakra to invoke the 'shunshin no jutsu' and move out of the way of a nasty looking blast of lightning chakra.

Jiraiya glanced at his foe, watching the eerie humanoid return to its master and leap towards him. The masked creature reattached itself to more of the black tendrils and and molded back into Kakuzu's shoulder. "So…those masks must bee the key to his multiple element ability…"

Before he could move both he and Kakuzu stumbled as the entire area shook violently. Jiraiya barked out a dry laugh at Tsunade's destructive abilities and a grin crept onto his face. "It looks like your little friend is in trouble; insulting Tsunade like that…he's definitely going to die."

He blinked as the Akatsuki suddenly laughed bitterly and all four of his elemental masks spread shifted and moved eerily. There was an odd gleam of amusement melded with anticipation in Kakuzu's eyes as he spoke with unflinching certainty, "You are wrong, Hidan is doing just fine. If you must know, it is Tsunade you should worry about."

Jiraiya frowned and his mind raced with battle plans and tactics, trying to figure out how to get close enough to kill Kakuzu. He didn't conceal his doubt in the Akatsuki's confidence until he heard Shizune scream. "And why is that? From where I stand, Tsunade just clocked your buddy real good and everybody knows nobody gets up from one of her punches."

Kakuzu didn't reply for a while, settling for pulling off his mask and revealing the nauseating sight of his hollow, unnaturally wide mouth. He then titled his body forward before he made a retching sound and unleashed a massive amount of tendrils from his mouth, the cacophony of dancing around him.

Hidan's laughter made Jiraiya start as he couldn't help glancing over his shoulder and stare at the resurrected zealot, standing upright with crimson constructs of blood dancing around him. "SHIT! Blood…Tsunade hemophobia! This is bad, if something happens to her..."

The sannin's chakra erupted as he prepared to take the battle to the next level. He knew enough on how to battle the Akatsuki now – it was time to go wild. He turned his gaze back to Kakuzu and was slightly impressed his battle aura did nothing to deter the monstrous ninja who taunted him calmly.

"You said earlier that you would kill us both. That was an empty threat, Hidan can't die; unlike you, Jiraiya-san."

Hidan's lips parted, revealing his diabolical grin. His scythe whistled through the air as he aimed to carve the slug sannin in two. He was not surprised when he missed, but he was surprised by her recovery speed and just barely dodged her retaliation.

"She isn't that tough…Just like I thought…all these legends are nothing but pansi…" He thought as he flipped backwards and avoided a follow-up punch. His smugness disappeared as he knuckles impacted with the ground, a massive shockwave rocking the nearby area as the earth collapsed into a huge crater. "Geez, crazy-ass temperamental bitch plus insane super strength equal one fucking pain the ass!"

He landed somewhat awkwardly, stumbling a bit on the broken earth. He grabbed the hilt of his scythe and swiped his chain at the figure he caught making hand seals to his right.

"Shizune, stay out of this!" he heard Tsunade command acidly, but the young woman ignored her.

Hidan's eyes flickered with feral intensity as Shizune just barely dodged his attack. He had gotten what he wanted though as her concentration was broken. He closed the distance between him, ignoring the impotent stinging of senbon that were coated by a poison that could not stop his undying body – no poison could; one of many perks of being one of inquisitors of the order of Jashin.

Pain suddenly exploded through his side as he was swept off his feet by a mid-sized chunk of rock colliding into him at break neck speed. He rolled against the ground several times, awkwardly climbing to his feet in time to catch sight of a shadow blocking the light. He cursed as Tsunade's airborne form came closer and closer, her 'Tsuuten Kyaku' aiming to pancake him.

Hidan surprised both kunoichi when he twisted his arm and ensnared Shizune, the chain near her feet slashing upwards. He then tugged on it tightly, pulling himself to safety while dragging Jashin's next meal ever closer. But as he dragged the protesting woman while lifting his scythe he was stopped from eviscerating her by the ground quaking violently.

He stumbled unwillingly and glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of Tsunade now standing in a jagged wound in the earth, both of her hands fisted together where they demolished the landscape. Hidan smirked and sent his chakra through the chain, blade slicing the surface of Shizune's ankle as he pulled it away. "Hehehe…It starts…"

He then stepped forward and kicked Shizune towards the charging sannin, stopping her as she moved to catch her companion. He used the situation to his advantage and quickly somersaulted several times backwards before he knelt to the ground and drew Jashin's symbol upon the ground.

He didn't have much time, but he was quick when he wanted to be; despite Kakuzu's constant complaints. Once the esoteric symbol was ready he removed his upper robes and shouted towards the two women as he bound the spiritual link to his sacrifice. His skin morphed into a skeleton pattern in coloration and his eyes shifted to an eerie violet.

Hidan stopped Tsunade by turning his scythe upon himself. The sannin was so surprised by his supposedly suicidal tendency; that is until realization hit her when the teeth of the weapon sank into his side and elicited a gargled sound from Shizune. "Stop where you are, you crazy cunt, or I'll kill your little friend!"

Satisfaction filled him, a sense of supremacy to watch horror and hesitation fill her brown eyes which were homicidal only moments ago. "Jashin-sama has your friend's soul now and there is no escaping his hunger or his magnificence. Now, she's going to die, the only question is, shall I make it quick, or should I let her suffer…?"

"Or…you could step closer and take her place…" he started before his eyebrow twitched when he saw Tsunade wasn't listening to him. Instead she seemed deep in thought, her eyebrows creased and eyes flicking between him and Shizune.

"Have it your way…you stupi-d! Aaaah!" he laughed before making a surprised sound as Tsunade moved and grabbed the chain on the ground. She tugged on it hard once, then let it go, pulling him off his feet violently. As he watched the charging sannin get closer and closer only one though filled his mind: "Holy shit, she figured out how to use my weapon against me and disable my ritual with just several glances at my style?

His eyes narrowed and he did the only thing he could think of to salvage the situation. He tried to grab onto her arm as her punch smashed into his abdomen. His lips twitched into a smile before he shut his wide eyes as all his body exploded with nerve wracking pain. He felt the bones in his body shatter and the organs within rupture under both the force and the fragments of his ribcage.

He flew backwards at impossible velocity, more bones breaking as he bounced off the ground several times due to his speed. Then his inertia came an end deep within the now Hidan shaped indention a small hill nearly a fifty yards away.

As Hidan lay in a broken heap, unable to move all but his left arm and leg he laughed audibly and wildly. The pain was so marvelous! He felt more alive than he ever did; nothing had ever damaged him quite so much all at once; not even Kakuzu's combination ninjutsu.

He didn't know where his scythe was and he couldn't feel it nearby; but he didn't need it, not when he had 'Purifier' in his possession. He heard a wild, horrified scream in the distance but paid it no heed as he slipped his hand around something cold, sharp and thin that was strapped to his hip.

Power filled him and he felt all his pain vanished, leaving in its place an encompassing and awe-inspiring awareness and sense of enlightenment. "You stupid bitch, you've done it now. Now that I have your blood…you will witness Jashin's truth wrath…"

Kakuzu was getting a bit impatient; Jiraiya was proving to be more resourceful than he initially anticipated. He hadn't fought this seriously with anybody, not since he fought tooth and nail to escape the clutches of Senju Hashirama.

His survival senses scream at him when he saw the sannin bite down on both of his thumbs. "I'm afraid your friend's little show changes everything. I was going to play with you a little longer, maybe encourage you to talk about your little friends some more, but you guys leave me no choice but to get serious…"

Kakuzu simply threw his hands forward, unleashing a wave of deadly black at the sannin, "That flippant attitude, that unbreakable confidence, you have a lot of nerve, kid. But I won't let you unleash whatever summoning you've got up your sleeve. I've had enough of meddlesome familiars to last a lifetime!"

Jiraiya moved with impressive speed, rushing through the familiar hand seals while weaving through the black miasma of death. He leaped backwards while slapping both of his bloody palms together while shouting: "Kuchiyose no jutsu: Sanjuu Tonboyari Harakara no Koden!"

A massive cloud of smoke enveloped the area right before three massive collision sounds deafened Kakuzu. His tendrils repelled the chunks of stone and debris as he prepared himself for anything. "The toad clan always was always one of the more resourceful of summons. I better keep my guard up…"

When the smoke dispersed Jiraiya was standing on the back of a mid-sized bright green toad. In its hand it held a large spear with a wave-like blade. To his left was an equally sized grayish black toad with an identical spear only its blade was vaguely shaped like a tornado. The final toad was yellowish green with a spear with a lightning bolt shaped blade. All three were wearing blue Yukata and held their weapons in an offensive manner.

The toad Jiraiya stood upon spoke in a gravely, booming tone as it looked up at its summoner. "Yo, Jiraiya-san, you need us ta' do some pulverizin'?"

Kakuzu's analyzed the situation, the symbolism of the spear's bladed heads bothered him as he remembered the old folklore fairy tails of the mythical dragonfly cutter spears that could slice through everything and control nature itself. Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he spread his hands and three of the black tendrils humanoids leaped out of his back.

The three masked creatures opened their maws, one collecting high pitched air, another pulsing with lightning and the final one collected a deep sphere of scarlet. "I have to take the initiative and keep them separated." The ancient ninja ran through some hand seals whereas his tendril familiars opened fire, unleashing raw nature chakra at the amphibians.

The three toads leaped upwards, easily avoiding the attacks and their chakra erupted, blanketing the area with a heavy, oppressive aura."Yeah, that little guy out there's become a problem. Do you guys mind helping me a bit?"

What happened next could only be described as pandemonium. The lightning bladed spear pulsed with electricity a raging lightning bolt aiming to fry Kakuzu. At the same time the wave bladed spear exploded into blue light, the moisture in the air around it focalizing as the toad swung it and unleashed a massive torrent of liquid at him. Finally the wind bladed spear buzzed audibly as it blurred when the wind around it gathered before a titanic gale at the Akatsuki.

Kakuzu and his masked familiars zigzagged out of the way, dodging the natural disaster while partially repelling them with opposite elements. A burning wave of flame blocked the wind torrent, a massive wind bullet weakened and stopped the lightning bolt and Kakuzu erected a concave wall of earth to block the wave of liquid.

But the difference in power behind the techniques was obvious, Kakuzu's efforts overshadowed by the raw intensity behind the attacks. The treasurer's familiars were outmatched as the nearly frantic amount of dodging and maneuvering proved.

"This is…troublesome…" Kakuzu observed to himself, dodging debris and deflected nature chakra. He barely managed to follow the massive toads that leaped and unleashed various raw blasts of the elements at him. That's when it hit him; he could only see the toads and somehow Jiraiya had vanished in all the chaos. For a moment all three amphibians were airborne he could hear the sound of swirling chakra and he looked up. "It's over…RASENGAN!"

Blue light reflected in his abnormal eyes as a sphere of raw chakra slammed into his upper body. A gurgling pained sound escaped him as pain exploded through his body as a massive force pushed him a foot or two into the earth. Kakuzu remained completely still, feeling how Jiraiya loomed over him. He didn't move as he felt as each of his black tendril familiars was killed when it was pierced by a massive spear each. The mask on each one of them exploded into pieces as the pain of his four of his hearts dying ailed him but he held his breath and didn't move; his life depended on it.

He heard the toads laughing merrily and the slapping sound of high fives. In truth he realized the entire dodge and attack routine meant to manipulate them into a cluster position where they were easy pickings for the battle toads which saluted Jiraiya and returned to the summon world.

Kakuzu's waited until he felt his lungs burn before his eyes snapped open. He took a deep breath and at the same time commanded all his tendrils to shift at once and striking at the sannin's back. Jiraiya leapt by instinct, he was fast; but not fast enough as some of his tendrils sunk into soft flesh with a lovely squelching sound.

The sannin grunted and Kakuzu let him slip away so he could rise to his feet. He watched Jiraiya stumble a bit before he turned until he slipped into a somewhat shaky battle stance. The Akatsuki's body hurt all over, he was down to his final heart, his own heart as he had sacrificed his Suiton mask to shield his body from that bizarre chakra sphere and even then he couldn't stop the full extent of its damage.

Both S-class ninja panted, covered with bruises, dirt, grime and blood. Before they could end the battle Hidan's cursing voice startled them just before they heart a sickening cracking sound and looked over to see Tsunade punting Hidan's head into the distance.

Jiraiya blinked and then laughed, though his grimace and the blood on his lips belied his agony. "Looks like your friend just kicked the bucket; looks like you Akatsuki lose this one."

Kakuzu chuckled and bowed his head, "I have to hand it to you, Konoha ninja. You really are something. You actually got rid of the annoying idiot. So be it, as a token of my gratitude I'll let you live, Jiraiya-san."

The sannin glared at him and spoke harshly. "What makes you think I'll return the courtesy?"

"This…" he said cheekily and began sinking into the ground. His greed urged him to strike at Jiraiya, to kill him and collect his bounty. But his rational side knew it would take the last bit of his strength and then Tsunade would kill him.

No…it would be more beneficial to escape and acquire new hearts for now. Perhaps his next partner would be better suited for a battle with sannin and then he could try again. Besides, his senses were right, this was his lucky day; he might have lost a bounty and gotten weakened but he could recover and he had finally been freed from that zealous moron – lucky day indeed!

"B-blood…my blood…!" her mind tried to process that inescapable fact as she looked down at her right arm. Long lacerations bled lightly where Hidan's fingernails had raked against her flesh. The physical pain was meaningless but the horrible, violating color made the world around her slow down.

Her heart raced and breathing became difficult. Tsunade's body trembled uncontrollably as small, distressed sounds escaped her. Brown eyes widened as spectral images sped through her memory; her mind revisiting the horrors of her past in black and white. In the grim coloring associated with her loss only the blood remained prominent standing out with its bold shade.

"N-no…I can't…I can't deal with this…" she uttered quickly, her teeth rattling. She was conflicted between cleaning it to remove the damnable color and looking away to avoid its taunting shade. The memories, the unbidden guilt and survival's guilt smashed against her mental dam. Years of suppressed self loathing she had hid behind heavy intoxication and compulsive gambling coming back with one hell of a backlash.

"T-Tsunade…sama…" the voice filtered through her ears, but her mind couldn't grasp it, couldn't recognize it. All she heard were the voices of Jiraiya telling her of Nawaki's death and the teammates that dragged her bodily away from Dan's broken and bleeding corpse.

"L-let me…" Shizune's voice pierced the veil momentarily, before Tsunade's eyes fell on her. She screamed and scooted away from the wounded kunoichi as if she were the death god itself. Shizune's breathing was labored, crimson leaking down her clothes, arms and legs.

"No! Shi-Shizune…" her mind screamed. A part of her, buried deep beneath the years of repressed emotions twitched and gasped for life – demanding she stop weeping and start acting. It was long lost kunoichi within, that part of her that was forged and baptized in blood and tears alongside Sarutobi, Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Its voice was weak and hoarse, it having been beaten into submission upon Dan's death. "Move, move damn it! Summon a healing slug! Heal her, don't just let her die!" But as soft as it spoke, so was its influence in the face of waves of panic, traumatized paranoid fear and irrational unease.

It was then she heard an explosion behind her. She shifted her gaze over her shoulder and her eyes widened. That Akatsuki bastard was standing, how the fuck was he alive and able to move after she punched him?

Her face was twisted in disbelief, mingled with horror as she watched the now very pale man with an inverse skeleton coloring surrounded by a churning wave of crimson blood. His eyes were hollow red and he was holding a chipped and crooked looking blade in his hand that was surrounded by a blood red hue.

His voice was audible, a bizarre echoing distorting ringing behind his words: "You've done it now! You've angered Jashin-sama by disrupting my ritual! Now you will face his ultimate wrath! Chiton: Akagekido no Teishu.

Tsunade looked upwards, her pupils dilating as an amorphous face formed out of the blood. The crimson face roared before it rushed forward at high velocity. "TSUNADE-SAMA!" she heard Shizune screaming but didn't move even as the sickly hot liquid engulfed her.

The blood was hot, violating, and repulsive as it engulfed her. She shut her eyes, asphyxiating as blood forced its way down her throat and covered her fully from head to toe. Worse were the stench and bitter taste that invaded her nostrils.

The sannin rolled several times; the force behind the crimson wave having swept her off her feet. She lay on her side, her eyes wide and breathing rapid as she looked, felt and smelled the blood all over her, everything around her becoming silent except for Shizune's screams and Hidan's booming laughter.

Her mind wandered, losing grip of reality, submerging in the memory of the last time she had turned catatonic due to such a bloody state. It was so long ago, the memory almost lost in the passing of time; back then, just after her grand-uncle Tobirama had assumed the mantle and several months before her grandfather Hashirama died.

=(Flashback Begin) =

Tsunade's eyes were wide, tears running down her cheeks. The sickening, sticky red drowned her, as she looked upwards. She looked up at the face of her beloved grand-aunt Touka; her aunt's soft brown eyes were vacant.

A small smile left on her lips as her arms crushed Tsunade protectively. The stench of salt and iron filled her nostrils as she just barely managed to hold her aunt's weight. Tsunade's voice trembled softly, "A-auntie…? Auntie Touka…?"

There was no answer; the only thing escaping her aunt's lips was blood as she gurgled helplessly. Then the older woman's body was forcefully pulled away and thrown aside. Tsunade looked up, transfixed by the sight of the man holding the bloody kunai in his hands. His headband was that of the leaf, but there was a long line drawn across the village symbol.

The man leveled an icy glare at her as he pulled the kunai back and tried to attack before the earth around him burst apart. Tsunade shrieked as the blade descended and shut her eyes. They snapped open once she was grabbed around the waist and pulled to safety and she looked upwards to see her grandfather's face twisted in a hard expression.

"Ha-Hashi…" the assailant choked, his body constricted by multiple limbs of wood. Tsunade snuggled into her grandfather's yukata and sobbed, hugging him desperately. The grip around her tightened briefly as the Shodaime Hokage whispered quietly into her ear, "Don't worry, you're safe now, Nade-chan."

She kept her eyes shut and clutched unto Hashirama as she heard her grand uncle's voice bark orders in a harsh and cold manner. She could felt Tobirama's rage, its force intense like a rain storm as it engulfed the area as his footsteps told her he approached her and Hashirama.

His voice was however was opposite than his aura; it was soft and there was a light timble behind it. A hand smoothed through her hair so gently it hurt her inside, the tears returning anew as she remembered Touka's soft gestures and voice, "Is she…do you need any help?"

"No, I will deal with it, Tobi." her grandfather said quietly but with an air of finality. "You take care of the traitor and tend to Touka's body. I will talk to Tsunade…"

"I understand, brother," her grand uncle replied quietly before she felt her grandfather's chakra spike and the air around her whooshed.

"Tsunade…are you alright?" Hashirama's voice startled her as she felt him sit down. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up. The way her spoke, how his arms cradled her gently broke all the dams as the horrible, overwhelming feelings exploded and she whispered his name.

She sobbed hard as broken words escaped her "Why Grandpa?! Why did auntie Touka have to do that?!"

He sounded faintly amused as he ruffled her hair. "Why do you think she did that, Tsunade?"

Tsunade's chest tightened and she hugged her grandfather even tighter. The guilt filled her as she gripped on his robes. "I don't want her to be dead! It's not fair! Why did she have to die for me?!"

"You were precious to Touka; she never had children of her own and saw you as her surrogate daughter. Of course she was going to protect you, Nade-chan; she loved you. Every Shinobi is willing to give their lives for their loved ones, for their village."

"B-but, grandpa, what if…what if you're left all alone? What if everyone gives their lives to protect you and then…then there's nobody left!? I don't want to be alone?!" Her voice became high pitched, panicked as she looked up at him searchingly; begging him for an answer.

"Tsunade…" his whisper was soft, but carried a knowing edge to it."I won't lie to you, that's one of the greatest risks of being a shinobi…"

The blonde girl's eyes widened and she shouted fearfully, disrupting the former Shodaime. "Then I don't want it! I rather never become a kunoichi and have a family than fight and lose everything?!"

Hashirama blinked and then chuckled softly, "Tsunade, I know you don't mean that." He smiled at her patiently and stroked her hair. "If you don't become a kunoichi and your precious people die anyway to protect you, would that be better? You have the power to protect and fight, there are no guarantees in life, but as a ninja, you at least have a fighting chance."

"That's not good enough, Grandpa! What if I try my best and it's still not good enough! I don't want to be alone! I don't want to ever have someone I love die in my hands!"

Her grandfather nodded, "I cannot promise you that you will never fail as much as I cannot assure you that nobody you love will ever die. But just as you would give your life for anyone you love, they will be willing to give their lives for you."

She wailed, unable to accept it. The mere thought of losing anyone she cares for too painful, too terrifying. "But I…I don't want anybody to die!"

"The people we love never truly die. As long as you honor their sacrifices and keep on living, then their dreams, their hopes and memories will live on with you. As long as you love them, think of them and fight for them; they will always be with you – you will never be alone because their love will always be with you – giving you the strength to keep on living."

He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. "That is why I am a Shinobi. That is why I became Hokage and stopped the age of chaos, Tsunade. As long as I live, I will fight to spare everyone the pain of loss; just as I shoulder this burden, I know and believe in you, my dear granddaughter. You and I share the love for life, that is why I know that no matter what, you will never disappoint me. I love you and will always make me proud by fighting for the future; Konoha's, your loved ones' and your own."

=(Flashback End) =

Tsunade's eyes narrowed and gradually the trembling in his body stopped. She grit her teeth, blocking out the scent, the heat, the nauseating feeling of the blood with sheer will. It would take time to put her demons to rest, but now was a time of action, not of weakness so for now 'mind of matter' would prevail.

"Grandfather, I'm so sorry. For so long, I've shamed you and our family. Jiraiya was right, I am a coward. But not anymore…I won't run away anymore. I will stand…and I will fight!" Her pupils focused and her hands curled into tight fists. "Too long have I run away from you, Nawaki, Dan…I've tried so hard to keep your memory alive that I've betrayed you and your dreams for my own selfishness…"

She looked up, watching Shizune struggle to avoid Hidan's attacks; her apprentice looking worse to wear; panting hard and covered in bleeding cuts and bruises and her earlier deep wound. "But I was wrong, I thought there was nothing worth fighting for when the real reasons to fight were right in front of me. Jiraiya…Shizune…Sarutobi-sensei. Forgive me, for taking so long…"

The slug sannin stood up, adrenaline filling her as chakra thrust through her body. She rushed and stood in front of Shizune, blocking her from further attacking Hidan. "Shizune, stand back and tend to your injuries. I will deal with this."

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama…your Hemoph-phobia…"

Tsunade turned her gaze halfway towards the younger woman and shot her a slightly shake, if cocky grin. "It looks like you've had enough exercise for now, Shizune. I think it's time I end this so you can rest."

The last Senju looked forward, observing the Akatsuki controlling waves of blood with the sword in his hand. It pulsed with unnatural energy and seemed to be the hub of the immortal man's power. Her eyes looked around her and then narrowed when an idea formed in her head.

"Oi! If you bitches are done with your little tea party can we get this show on the road? Jashin-sama is hungry and I'm a bit tired of knocking you two around…"

Tsunade's face darkened as she knelt and grabbed the chain of Hidan's abandoned scythe. She started twirling the weapon around, ignoring the outraged Zealot that pulled his own blade back. "You know, your voice is really starting to get on my nerves, kid. So just shut up…and die!"

The Sannin tossed the weapon, watching the cocky immortal barricade himself with a wall of rushing blood and grinned. It was a little known fact that Tsunade was more than just a medical ninja; though she seldom used her ninjutsu abilities; they weren't something one could afford to underestimate.

The metallic alloy suddenly exploded into bright white light as Tsunade charged it with raw lightning chakra. The elemental force sliced through the barrier of blood and wrapped around Hidan. "Do you know what happens when you charge water, the main substance in blood with continuous currents of electricity?"

The immortal laughed, the shock not killing him though his skin begin burning off. He seemed to enjoy the pain by the elated expression in his face and the undertone of his laughter. But Tsunade noticed that his struggles against the chain became increasingly feeble. Also, the blood he used to trying to break the chain with evaporated rapidly. "W-What have you done to me, you fucking bitch? Cut it out!"

The sannin spoke coldly, her expression absolutely malevolent in a manner that would not shame the likes of Orochimaru. "It's a chemical process called Electrolysis. Right now all the water in that blood is breaking apart into Hydrogen and Oxygen. You may be immortal, but your body can't operate without blood and now that you're sufficiently weakened…"

She pulled the chain back forcefully, the pressure and lightning chakra slicing Hidan's body. His eyes widened and he screamed profanities as the chain sliced his body in multiple places. The gory display of it collapsing into dismembered and bloody disarray quite unsettling; but Tsunade had left such weakness behind. She was Senju, she was a kunoichi in battle – she would not falter ever again!

Tsunade then rushed forward and using her momentum punted Hidan's head with all her might. The chakra enforced kick shattered and turned whatever brain the immortal had into a goo-like substance as his head was launching into the distance at impossible velocity.

The Sannin then shot a glance towards Jiraiya and saw him glare at a fleeing Akatsuki. Tsunade knelt beside her protégé and applied the healing chakra as she watched a wounded Jiraiya limp his way towards her; obviously severely wounded – he would need treatment.

It would be so easy to kill him now; if he was gone Konoha had no true ninja in her caliber to hunt her down. She would be free from her home town once and for all! For a moment the tempting thought nearly overwhelmed her before shame and self loathing replaced it as she killed the line of thought.

She shook her head and a tear slid down her cheek. It had taken nearly twenty years but at last she remember what it was like to care for someone, to protect someone because it was the right thing to do. With that in mind she knew she could never betray Jiraiya, not now, not ever.

She smiled faintly when she felt Shizune ease down in sleep; the danger gone. Jiraiya squeezed her shoulder and with the adrenaline gone her body trembled. "Grandfather, thank you once again, for reminding me...of what's important and what's worth fighting for. I promise, from now on, I'll live up to your namesake and make you proud!"

Jutsu and technique translation:

Omoto Renge – Initial Lotus

Kawarimi – Substitution

Henge – Replication

Kage Bushin – Shadow Clone

Hakkeshou Kaiten - Eight Divination Palms of the Hand, Heavenly Spin

Jyuuken fu: Hakke Ryoukoshou Yonshou –

Sabaku Sousou – Desert Funeral

'Futon: Sanjuu Kokuryu Inmetsu - Triple cutting dragon destruction

'Fuuton: Kazedan – Wind Release: Wind Bullet

Kamaitachi – Cutting Whirlwind

Kazekiri – Wind Cutter

Tsuchi Bushin – Earth Clone

Soushouryu – Rising Dragon/s

Doryuudan – Earth Dragon Projectile

Boushikyuu no doro - Spinning Mud sphere

Mushi Bushin no jutsu – Bug Clone

Mushi Kabe no jutsu – Insect Wall Technique

Doton: Daichikyojin no Assaiki - Earth Giant Crusher.

'Doro Gaeshi' – Mud Overturn

'Shunshin no jutsu – Body Flicker Technique

Chiton: Akagekido no Teishu - Blood Element: Bloody rage of the master

Tsuuten Kyaku – Bruising Sky Leg

Shinranshin no jutsu – Mind Derangement Technique

Kage mane - Shadow Imitation Technique