All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
It was safe to say that Team Seven and Kabuto arrived at their destination with barely any time to spare. Out of all of the teams that were able to obtain both scrolls, they were the last to arrive.
The team got the Earth Scroll when they encountered a Rain shinobi in the forest. It was a difficult fight, considering Sakura was out of commission and could not be left on her own. Sakura could not help the feeling of uselessness that crept back to her, so she told Sasuke to let her down on her one leg so that his agility would be increased. Although she had become a liability to Naruto, who had stayed by her side the entire time, she made sure not to slow down the rest of her teammates by watching Naruto's back.
When they had reached the tower, Kabuto was immediately swept away by his team, who castigated him for getting separated and taking so long. Naruto and Sakura thanked him fervently for his help, since they probably would not have fared as well on their own. However, Sasuke remained quiet, his suspicion about the fellow leaf ninja never fading. He had no idea what it was, but it seemed as though it was all too convenient that Kabuto had been there for his team while they were in a fragile state.
He decided to drop it for the moment, but he would definitely be keeping an eye on him.
"Come on, Sakura-chan! Let's go finish this God-forsaken task!" Naruto exclaimed in glee as he ran inside the building.
"Naruto, wa- he's gone." Sakura sighed in defeat as she put her hands on her hips. "We should go too, Sasuke." Sakura said. Sasuke grunted in agreement. Sakura moved towards the door, but stopped when a searing pain shot through her foot. She winced and cursed internally as she unconsciously shifted all of her weight onto her other leg.
Sasuke shook his head at her. "Your foot hasn't healed yet. Don't try to walk on it." He ordered harshly. Sakura huffed indignantly at his rude attitude. She was about to tell him that she was fine and that she just had to be careful with the way she walked; however, Sasuke interrupted her, "Don't give me something about how you're fine. That Hyuuga said that your foot was fractured, so did you honestly think that you would be able to walk on it right away? I thought you were smarter than that." He said.
Sakura's mouth hung open, both from the audacity of the insult and the fact that Sasuske had said so many words in one sentence. Sasuke just sighed in aggravation as he moved in front of her and knelt down.
"Get on. Hurry up." He said coldly. Sakura made no retort as she quickly climbed onto his back, afraid that another argument might cause them to miss their deadline.
"Hey…Sasuke?" Sakura said nervously.
"Hn?" Sasuke grunted back.
"You may be a harsh jerk sometimes, but I really appreciate what you're doing." Sakura said sincerely.
Sasuke continued walking without looking at her. "…Whatever." He said dismissively. However, this only made Sakura grin.
It was a huge surprise to the three of them that it was Iruka who had greeted them at the end of their exam, and not their current sensei. It brought back a lot of nostalgia to see Iruka again, since he had been with her throughout all of her younger years. She knew that he was primarily there to see Naruto, since they shared the closest bond; however, just the sight of her Chūnin sensei was enough to put a smile on her face.
Iruka led them towards the others, letting them know that they had made it just in time. Iruka directed Sasuke towards the medical center to drop off Sakura before they started. He gave Sakura his best wishes for a speedy recovery, because she would truly need it.
Sakura raised her eyebrow at this. She knew that the third exam would not start for another month, so did that not give her ample time to heal?
Sasuke deposited her on one of the beds in the infirmary, giving her a curt nod before he made his way out of the room. Sakura just shook her head at him with a faint smile. She could tell that he was slowly warming up to her, and while she was not pretentious enough to think that he considered her a friend, she hoped that he at least considered her an ally.
Sakura fidgeted on her hospital bed as she waited for the doctor to see her. She did not want to miss the announcement, so she wanted someone to see to her as quickly as possible and give her a prognosis. She clenched and unclenched her sweaty fist as she tried to assuage her anxiety that seemed to be growing by the second. Even though she had been there for less than five minutes, she felt that it had been an eternity.
A muffled groan from the other side of the room interrupted her thoughts. Curious to see who her roommates were, she cautiously propped herself up on her elbows, careful not to aggravate her deep shoulder wound that seemed to have opened again. What Sakura saw made her eyes widen. On the two beds right across from her were the two shinobi that she had fought in the forest, Dosu and Kin. The groan had emitted from the male, while the other just laid completely still, as if the life in her had already passed.
Sakura dropped back onto her bed, trying to contain her anxiety. It was apparent that Dosu heard her, and positioned himself so that he would be able to look in her direction. However, that was when Sakura noticed that he not only had bandages on the bottom half of his face, but the top half as well, with only a sliver of flesh exposed so that he could breathe.
He truly looked like a mummy. Alive, but not actually. Undead.
She had made him like that.
Sakura quickly wiped her tears from her face as she heard two nurses come in, and she quickly flipped onto her side so that they could not see her face.
"…not be able to participate?" She faintly heard one of the nurses say.
"Yeah, from what the doctor says, this one sustained too much optic nerve damage to continue. It would be a miracle if he was ever able to see again." The other nurse replied. Sakura felt her heart crack as tears threatened to fill her vision once again. "The girl is just unconscious for now. Although she lost a lot of blood from her neck wound, she will live."
"So…will their third member be able to participate, considering his two teammates are down?" The first nurse asked.
"Hm…" The second nurse contemplated, "I think so. The rules say that if any of the members die, then the whole team is disqualified. However, seeing as though neither of them died, their team should still be legitimate. However, I don't think either will be able to participate." Sakura could not help letting out a breath of relief. She had not caused anyone to die, and they were both going to be (relatively) alright. However, that did not change the fact that she had blinded a man. The guilt, once again, began to eat at her.
I told you, you did what you had to. Even if you did kill them, you're not a monster. Inner said, reluctantly trying her best to console her conflicted host.
No! What I did was barbaric! I'm a murderer! I'm a killer! Sakura screamed inside her mind.
She could feel her callous Inner roll her eyes. First of all, no one died, so calm the hell down. Secondly, how are you supposed to be a true shinobi if you can't accept that you have to kill people that are trying to harm you and your friends? Inner let out a sigh, trying her best to calm herself. Look, I am you, so I know that you already know this at the back of your mind.
Sakura closed her eyes in shame.
Not wanting to believe it just makes you weak. No matter how much physical strength you've attained, your mind is still that of a weak, naïve little girl. Inner taunted. Sakura raised her hands to her head and clutched it tightly.
Sakura almost screeched in fright when she felt pressure on her uninjured shoulder, and immediately shot up. This, unfortunately, severely agitated her shoulder wound, and she had to lay back down in pain.
"Calm down, sweetheart. Everything's going to be alright." One of the nurses from before, who had noticed her small episode, cooed as she tried to smooth down Sakura's unkempt pink locks. She then turned around to look at the other nurse. "Go get the doctor." She ordered.
"No need." Another feminine voice said as she entered the infirmary. "I can take a look at her."
"Sh-Shizune-san!" The nurse next to her squeaked. Sakura opened her eyes to see both of the nurses bowing towards a figure that she could not see. She heard heels tap against the concrete floor as the newcomer drew closer. She could tell just by the reception that she got that the woman was a person of great importance, and Sakura could just feel a stronger presence as she walked into the room.
When the figure finally reached her bed, Sakura turned her gaze away, not certain if she could look directly at someone of such high regard.
"Oh? Is the little one shy?" The woman called Shizune said in a fond tone. "Don't worry, I'll fix you right up."
It was then that Sakura looked up at one of the most beautiful women see had ever seen. Her appearance was simple, yet very refined. She had short-cut black hair and dark eyes, and although those features could hold a frightening level of malice, they instead held kindness and humility. The strange thing was that in her arms, she held a pig, who Sakura at first thought was a stuffed toy. Shizune put the pig down on Sakura's lap and circumvented the bed to come to her side. It was then that the pig oinked and settled itself in Sakura's lap. She felt a little uncomfortable, but she let the small animal stay.
"Now, let's see here." Shizune said as she started to unwrap the bandage placed on Sakura's shoulder. "What's your name, sweetie?" Shizune asked her, still focused on her wound.
It took a few moments for Sakura to process the words of the beautiful woman talking to her. "Oh, uh, Haruno Sakura. It is a pleasure to meet you." Sakura said. She would have bowed if she did not know that it would mess up Shizune's meticulous work.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Sakura-san. My name is Shizune." She replied. "Well, this certainly looks fixable. You must have gotten in a nasty fight to sustain wounds like these." Shizune said. While Sakura wanted to feel proud at the pseudo-compliment, she could not help looking solemnly over at the Sound shinobi at the other side of the room and grimacing. Shizune noticed her downcast expression and followed the younger one's gaze. She then turned back to work without saying a word, which was exactly what Sakura wanted.
Shizune placed her hand on Sakura's reopened wound, and Sakura immediately felt her pain wash away with the influx of chakra that the older woman gave her. Sakura leaned against the backrest of her bed and closed her eyes as Shizune worked on her. Before she knew it, the sensation was gone, and Shizune had lifted her hand from Sakura's shoulder before making her way to the foot of Sakura's bed to check on her foot.
Sakura immediately looked over at her shoulder, trying to detect the bleeding gash that had been there not even a minute ago. To her surprise, the only thing that she could see was a small scar where her body's tissue left a small depression. She then slowly turned her head towards the amazing woman before her. Was this the extent of medical ninjutsu? Sakura felt herself become drawn in by the sheer magnificence of the technique and precision.
Despite this revelation, Sakura was doubtful that Shizune could fix her fractured foot as easily, and the older woman's conflicted face affirmed her thoughts. She just hoped that her foot would heal by the end of the month, when the third part of the exam took place.
Sakura's train of thought came to a halt as she felt Shizune's hands hover over her ankle, again pumping that euphoric energy into her. This process took a little bit longer than the first, but when Shizune was done, Sakura felt absolutely no pain in her foot.
"Well, I think that does it. Stand up for me, Sakura-san." Shizune said as she gestured her up. Sakura immediately complied with her as she sat up. She then gently swung her feet to the side of the bed and cautiously stood up on her uninjured foot. She then took the chance at lowering her other foot, expecting to feel some sort of pain. However, she was absolutely astonished to find that she could rest her foot down on the floor without any difficulty.
Shizune looked at the younger girl in amusement as she started to jump up and down on her newly-healed foot, a grin stretched over her face. As Shizune continued to look at her, she smiled at the exuberance and reverence she showed. She had not seen someone so engrossed in the process of medical ninjutsu in a while; not since she had left the village with Tsunade. In a way, Sakura reminded her of herself when her mentor first began to teach her.
"I think that's all you need me for, then. Please be careful, Sakura-san. Even though I healed it, please don't try to put too much stress on it, and check back into the clinic every few days to make sure that everything is alright. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to prevent a certain someone from spending all of her money on booze." She said with a huff as she picked up her pig and made her way to the door.
"Shizune-san!" Sakura called out, making the older woman stop and turn towards her. Sakura then bowed lowly out of respect. "Thank you so much!" She said, trying to convey all of the appreciation that she had for the gesture. Shizune just smiled back and waved goodbye before she exited.
"Amazing." One of the nurses said when Sakura straightened up. "Fractures are almost impossible to heal in such a sort amount of time. Tsunade-sama's apprentice is truly incredible." She said as she clasped her hands together. Sakura looked at the nurse because she said a name that sounded very familiar. However, Sakura could not put her finger on who "Tsunade" was at the moment. Sakura decided to just brush it off, instead looking intently at her recovered foot.
The ability to heal comrades when injured. That was definitely a skill that Sakura wanted to have.
Sakura made her way to the other survivors of the second exam, but was surprised to find them in some sort of uproar. She quickly struggled to find her team in the commotion, finally catching a glimpse of yellow spikes and an audacious shade of orange somewhere towards the front.
"Naruto!" Sakura called out, trying to get his attention in spite of all of the noise around her. It took her a few more times of calling his name before he noticed her and pulled her out of the mob that almost ran her over. "What…what's going on?" Sakura asked, out of breath.
"Apparently, more people than expected made it through the Forest of Death. So, they are having a preliminary round to weed out a few of us." Sasuke bit out. It surprised Sakura that Sasuke would be so reluctant to fight since he always seemed to want to display his power. He just seemed exasperated at the moment.
Sakura focused back on the conversation. "You're kidding me." Sakura blanched. That was why all of the adults were wishing them a speedy recovery from their injuries. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. She definitely did not want to do another exam, especially directly after the last one.
Naruto looked downright pissed at this, as did almost all the other Genin in the room. Even Sasuke looked annoyed, deviating from his regular stoic face and indifferent disposition. However, once Sakura took another look at his neck, which he sporadically clutched in slight irritation, she immediately understood why he felt like that. Whatever was on his neck bothered him. She still was not too sure what it was, but she knew that it could not be good.
"Sasuke…" Sakura started, her eyes never leaving his neck, "have you talked to any of the adults about that thing?" Sakura asked as she motioned to it. Naruto, interested in the fate of Sasuke's strange mark, turned towards him in curiosity. Sasuke gave a characteristic scowl at the newfound attention. He dropped his hand and shrugged them off.
"There's no need. It's not hurting." Sasuke said, but both of his teammates could tell that he was blatantly lying.
"Teme, listen. Not that I really care what happens to you or anything, but just go get it checked out so you don't end up transforming into a snake or something." Naruto said, his arms crossed.
"Naruto's right, Sasuke. You really need to get that examined." Sakura implored. However, the Uchiha was indignant and refused to relent.
"I'm fine." He hissed in defiance. Sakura immediately shut up at his stern tone, while Naruto mentally cursed him for his harshness. "If I ever hear that any of the adults know about this, you'll both be dead to me." Sasuke said as he regained his composure and stalked off. Sakura's face held a conflicted expression as she watched him leave.
She felt a pain in her chest after his dismissal. She had thought that they were actually becoming friends, and she could notice the slight change in his behavior towards her. However, whatever happened in the forest seemed to have erased all of the progress she made with him.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan." Naruto said out of the blue, as if he could read her thoughts. She looked at him in surprise to see that he was staring right at her with a smile on his face. "He may be a bastard, but he's just trying to hide his emotions. He'll warm up to our greatness eventually. Even he isn't that slow." Naruto said as he put his arms behind his head. Sakura smiled at him. She always seemed to forget that even though the two of them were on each other's backs most of the time, Naruto ans Sasuke understood each other better than anyone else.
Sakura chuckled. "You should talk." Naruto did not seem even mildly offended by this.
"Everyone settle down." A small, frail voice said, trying to calm the commotion. A cough sounded directly afterwards. The only reason Sakura was able to hear such sounds was because she was in the front. This was supported by the fact that the ruckus did not calm down, even after his announcement. The man in the front, who looked very sickly and tired, tried once more to gain their attention, but to no avail.
It was then that Anko showed up once more on the main floor, looking at all of the roused Genin with disgust. "Shut the hell up, you maggots!" Anko yelled in her frustration. The whole room went silent after that due to the Genin's fear that even the slightest noise would provoke her anger. "Now listen to your proctor so we can get this damn thing over with!" She exclaimed with a huff. "Continue, Hayate-san." She said monotonously before she disappeared.
"Congratulations on completing the second exam." The man croaked, his statement ending in a cough. Sakura immediately felt a pain in her heart, hoping that the man was alright. "My name is Gekkō Hayate, and I will be your proctor for the next exam. What you see behind me," he said as he pointed towards the monitor on the back wall, "is what is going to determine our matches for the preliminary round. However, because there is an odd number of you…" Hayate started, but he was cut off.
"That will not be a problem. If the exam is henceforth individual, then I forfeit." A voice said to the right of Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at the form of Kabuto, who had his hand raised.
"Are you positive?" Hayate asked, coughing afterwards. Kabuto nodded in affirmation, confusing everyone else on the floor. "Very well. You are welcome to stay if you want, but you are not required."
"Of course." Kabuto said as he bowed slightly and made his way off the floor.
"Wha-Kabuto! What are ya doing!?" Naruto yelled after him. Sakura cringed at his volume, but did not say anything to silence him. Even she was wondering about the answer.
"Sorry, Naruto-kun. My body is worn out from all the stress that it's taken. If I fight now," Kabuto said, flashing Team Seven a nonchalant smile, "I'll surely lose." He finished before disappearing off the floor, leaving Naruto and everyone else speechless.
Something doesn't feel right. Sakura thought as she stared at the spot where Kabuto was once in. She turned her gaze towards Sasuke, who caught it and nodded, affirming that he thought the occurrence was strange as well.
Hayate's raspy voice brought their attention to the front once again. "Well, now that that's settled, please make your way to the balcony so we may begin the first match." He ordered softly.
The Genin did as they were told. When they all got to the second floor, they saw that all of their senseis were waiting for them, with Kakashi standing at the very end of the railing, his face literally glued inside his bright orange book.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura yelled as they ran towards him. He raised his head, with minuscule irritation, to look at his cute little Genin that he had not seen in five days. He looked at the appearance of all three of them. All of them were battered and bruised, but they still seemed to have energy in them.
"Ara, hello you three." Kakashi said as he raised his hand in greeting. It was then he noticed that Sakura's hair was not its usual length. "Oh, Sakura-chan. I see you had gotten a haircut in the forest." He said as he took one of her shorter locks in his hand. Sakura grinned sheepishly.
"A lot of things happened in there." She said simply.
"I can see that." Kakashi said with amusement. "Sasuke." The said boy raised his head, finally looking focused on them. Sasuke raised his eyebrow. Kakashi leaned forward and whispered something in Sasuke's ear, out of Naruto's and Sakura's hearing range. The two looked at each other in confusion as they saw a smirk stretch itself across Sasuke's face. Before either of them could question anything, a blonde blur attached itself onto Sasuke's arm.
"Hey Sasuke-kun!" Ino said, hanging onto Sasuke. Irritation and dismay was evident in Sasuke's eyes, and Sakura and Naruto had to try to stifle their laughs. Even Kakashi seemed to chuckle slightly.
"Leave me alone." Sasuke said coldly. Ino complied with his commands, but only because Hayate had announced that they were going to start.
"Best of luck, Sasuke-kun!" Ino said with a giggle. She then looked towards Sakura and Naruto, who had finally gained their composure after the hilarious spectacle. She stared at them for a moment, mostly at Sakura, before she shook her head with a small smile. "Naruto, Billboard-brow…do your best." She said with a nod as she ran off to join her team.
Naruto's eyes widened considerably, while Sakura just stared after her with curiosity, a smile slowly creeping onto her face. "Thanks…pig." She said softly, even though she knew that Ino could not hear her.
Kakashi looked between his pink-haired student and the blonde who had just made her exit. "Have I missed something, Sakura-chan?" He asked.
"That's what I want to know." Naruto grumbled. Sakura's smile then transformed into a grin as she ruffled his hair, assuring both him and Kakashi that it was nothing.
A sound was heard throughout the building, and all the occupants turned to see that the board on the wall was randomizing their names. All of the Genin and their senseis waited for the first names to be called. Finally, the board stopped.
Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadō Yoroi
"Damn!" Naruto whined, seeing that the first match did not have him in it when he was just itching for a fight.
"Next time, Naruto, next time." Sakura consoled. She then looked at Sasuke, who was rolling is shoulders and preparing to go to the battlefield. "Sasuke," She said, drawing his attention. Sasuke looked at her, which let her know that she had his attention. "Good luck." She finished. Sasuke nodded his head in thanks. Sakura nudged Naruto lightly in the ribs to get him to give his regard to his teammate.
Naruto scowled and rubbed the part when Sakura stuck her elbow. "I hope you don't lose, teme." Naruto muttered. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blonde before he jumped down to the first floor. "Man, hardest thing I've had to say in my life." Naruto added afterwards. Sakura just laughed.
They watched as Sasuke walked into the middle of the room, with Yoroi, one of the members of Kabuto's team. Sakura could not see the whites of his eyes because of his dark spectacles, making him look more devilish to her. She felt a shiver ride up her spine by looking at him, giving her the chilled feeling that Kabuto had. There was something about his team that was just so odd. Despite the help he had given her team, his self-dismissal from the exam was much too bizarre to be overlooked.
The opponents stood in front of each other, facing each other with the same indifferent persona and determined eyes (at least, she thought Yoroi's eyes were determined). Hayate looked at both of them before coughing again. "Are the two of you ready?" Hayate asked. Yoroi curtly nodded and Sasuke simply got into a fighting stance. "Very well. Match One, begin!" Hayate said before jumping back to prevent being caught in the crossfire.
Both of them started with their weapons, with Yoroi throwing shuriken and Sasuke countering with a kunai. Before Sasuke knew it, his opponent charged at him, his fist flared with chakra.
Sakura silently urged him to use his Fire Release, since it would effectively combat a close-range opponent. However, Sasuke remained still except for his hand that reached up and clutched his neck. He looked to be in slight pain, but quickly brushed it off and tried to stay focused on the battle.
However, despite his quick recovery, that slight distraction made him vulnerable to the hand that descended onto his face. It looked as though Yoroi was hoping to crush Sasuke's skull in his hand. Instead, it clutched Sasuke by the temples, and the chakra that surrounded it glowing wider as Sasuke screamed in pain.
Sakura had to cover her mouth to prevent agasp. She watched as Sasuke fell to his knees before Yoroi finally let go, towering over him like a master to his servant. It was obvious that Sasuke was severely weakened by whatever his opponent had done to him, but he still seemed to have enough energy to jump out of his enemy's range.
Sasuke, what are you doing? Sakura thought as she unconsciously bit her nails. He's a close-range attacker. Why aren't you using your jutsu?
Maybe he can't. Inner commented. Sakura internally urged her to continue. Look, he's doing it again. Sakura focused once more on the battle in front of her, watching as Sasuke clutched his neck in pain. And, once more, he removed his hand immediately and pretended that nothing had happened. It's that weird mark on his neck. That must be why he isn't doing anything.
But…does he know anything about the mark? Has he seen it before? Sakura asked.
The chances are that he hasn't. But, I know you have a suspicion as to who does… Just as Inner said this, Sakura looked in the direction of her sensei, who was pensively observing the battle.
Her thoughts were broken by another pained yell from the boy in question. Sakura pursed her lips together as Sasuke fell to the ground, this time struggling to get up.
"What's wrong, Uchiha? Is this the limit of the Number One Rookie this year?" Sasuke received a sharp kick to the ribs. "Pathetic." Yoroi said condescendingly as he readied his hand to go in for another strike to his chakra flow.
Sakura wanted to close her eyes. She wanted to refuse to watch the spectacle of her friend losing the battle. However, her conscience stopped her.
If you close your eyes, you're giving up on him. Are you going to do that?
…No.
As if her resolve was enough to give him some of his strength back, Sasuke quickly swept his feet under Yoroi's legs, making the latter fall to the ground. This only bought Sasuke enough time to get out to the range of his opponent once again, since he needed to store up the strength needed in order to carry out an attack. He could not risk losing any more of his strength.
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as Sasuke had saved himself once again. She took the brief period of inactivity to scan the room at the other competitors that seemed to have an eye out for Sasuke. If Sakura was not mistaken, she saw much disappointment among the faces she looked at. Clearly, they had expected something more out of the last Uchiha. However, it was obvious that they knew nothing of the situation.
"Sasuke-teme!" A loud yell sounded through the room, making Sakura cover her ears to save what little hearing she had left. She looked over at the loudmouth blonde who had the audacity to yell at his rival in the middle of his match. Sakura knew that she would be lucky if she didn't go deaf over her time spent with him. "What the hell are you doing, ya weak bastard!? Is that all the Uchiha clan can do? You're making Sakura-chan and I look bad!" Naruto exclaimed in a manner which Sakura believed was supposed to be encouraging.
Sakura could see a vein pop on Sasuke's head from Naruto's outburst. Slowly, a grin etched itself onto Sakura's face.
There was no harm adding a little fuel to the fire.
"Come on, Sasuke. Stop trying to run away and just kick his ass already!" Sakura encouraged. Suddenly, all of the attention got directed to her, and she could not help the insecure tendencies that were slowly creeping back over her. She tried to ignore them in order to achieve her purpose. It was not about her; it was about Sasuke.
She could see that their tormenting had gotten through to him, if the prominent scowl on Sasuke's face was any indication of his annoyance. He chose not to say anything and just glare harder at his opponent. He would most likely give them the cold shoulder after he was done, calling them "loud" and "annoying". However, Sakura could see how his resolve was renewed by their taunting, and that was what they hoped for.
"You're little friends are irritating." Yoroi said as he readied himself in an offensive position.
"Aa." Sasuke said in what Sakura could assume was agreement. Instead of being insulted, Sakura's grin only grew.
Once again, Yoroi came after him with the intent of finishing the battle. Yoroi did not have the same kind of agility that Sasuke did, but that was almost useless if there was not some kind of jutsu to go with it. If her suspicion was correct, and Sasuke could not use any of his chakra, then he could only rely on his taijutsu to win the battle. However, with so little strength, there was not much that he could do.
At the last moment, it seemed as though Sasuke had thought up a plan, signified by the small smirk that Sakura detected on his face before Yoroi closed in. In the split second before Yoroi's hand could enclose itself around Sasuke's head, Sasuke ducked and kicked Yoroi into the air, sending him airborne. Sasuke then appeared on top of him, using the gravitational momentum to slam his leg right into Yoroi's face. "Lion's barrage!" He yelled.
Sakura's eyes widened at the display. She had seen that technique before, although it was much different from Lee's, in a way that was almost familiar.
Idiot. Inner chided. That's your technique. He must have been conscious at the time you were fighting those Sound assholes. Sakura's mouth dropped open at the realization. She looked over at Lee, who looked at her at the same time in an equal amount of shock. Sasuke had never fought him before, so there was no way that he could copy such a technique from him. That meant only one thing:
Sakura-chan had done that move. Lee thought as he felt tears well up in his eyes at the progress of his student. She had managed to pull off a technique without opening, nor knowing much about, the Eight Gates.
He truly could not have felt prouder.
Sasuke made a few more strikes at Yoroi before he allowed his opponent's unconscious body to fall to the ground. Sasuke fell to the ground as well, less gracefully than he had intended. For a moment, both of the combatants laid motionless on the floor. Sakura began to worry whether her teammate would even get up at all.
"Come on, bastard. Get up." Naruto silently said as his fingers twitched on the railing. Sakura could see frustration evident in Naruto's face; she knew that Naruto did not want Sasuke to lose to anyone besides him.
After a few moments of no movement, Hayate was about to call the match a draw. He stopped short when he saw a twitch from Sasuke, who slowly rose to his feet with great difficulty. It was obvious that he did not have any more strength in him to fight, but he was still the conscious one.
Hayate coughed during this interruption. "Since Akadō Yoroi is unable to continue, the victor is Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto and Sakura erupted in cheers as Sasuke's victory was announced. Sasuke tsked as he simply stuck his hands in his pocket, looking towards the balcony at his overzealous teammates. He caught Sakura's gaze and they stared at each other for a few solid moments. He then gave her a little nod, which, in Sasuke's language, was a way to convey his gratitude. After that, he broke their connection and started to make his way back to the second floor, trying to conceal the slight shakiness he had in his step.
Kakashi had gone down to help him, even though she doubted Sasuke would let him. She was about to go down to congratulate him herself, but she was stopped when she felt a hand on her head. Sakura shyly turned herself to gaze at the person beside her, only to see Lee standing there with his gaze towards the Uchiha below.
"Well done, Sakura-chan." Lee said as he shifted his gaze towards her. The hand on her head ruffled her hair a bit before resting on her shoulder. "I cannot convey to you how proud your work has made me feel. Thank you." He said expressively.
Sakura could feel tears well up in her eyes at his praise. She did not even question how he knew about the move that Sasuke had copied. She swallowed a deep breath to keep her will strong and the emotions down. "No Lee, thank you." Lee just looked at her and smiled; the usual melodrama that accompanied him was missing. He used his bandaged hand to wipe a stubborn tear from her eye before departing for his own team, the smile never leaving his face.
Sakura rubbed her eyes a few times to get rid of any trace of her emotions. She could not help but feel elated at the praise she had gotten from someone she respected so much. To think that after all of her hard work, she was finally able to do something right, able to do something that benefited another person. There was truly no better feeling.
"What was that about, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he swung his arm around her. Sakura looked at him and shook her head.
"It's nothing, Naruto." She said, gaining the strength back in her voice. "I just couldn't ask for a better mentor, or better friends than you guys." Naruto still seemed to be confused, but he just nodded, knowing that her emotions were complex and not something that could be put into words. Sakura shook her head at her own vagueness, but could not find the words to describe how she felt without being mawkish.
Kakashi and Sasuke appeared on the balcony a few seconds later, with the former as a form of support. Sasuke, who was barely conscious, scowled and protested that he did not need any help, but Kakashi did not relent.
"I'll be taking Sasuke somewhere, you two. I probably won't see you for the rest of the matches, so good luck to you both." Kakashi said ambiguously. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other, each of them already suspecting what their sudden departure was about.
"Can you get that thing off his neck, sensei?" Naruto asked seriously. In the background, he could hear the randomizer on the screen going.
Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "So you two know about it?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, yeah. I hope you don't mistake us for teammates that would ignore when one of our own are hurt." Sakura said as she crossed her arms.
"Yeah, and I saw some snake lady bite him on his damn neck!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura quickly motioned for him to lower his voice, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.
Kakashi gave a sigh. "I have a way to help him, but I need to start the process immediately." Kakashi replied solemnly. "Is it alright if I leave you two now?" Kakashi asked. The two Genin nodded in affirmation.
Before Kakashi disappeared, Sakura called out to her teammate. "Sasuke," Sakura said as she leaned down in order to look him in the eyes, "I know this might not be the right time to mention it, but I just want you to know that Naruto and I will never live down the fact that you didn't deny that we were friends to Yoroi." With that, Naruto burst out laughing, almost toppling himself over. Even in his weakened state, Sasuke sneered at them, but said nothing.
Kakashi shook his head bemusedly at his Genin before proceeding to disappear. Both Sakura and Naruto thought it best to focus on the next match, since worrying about Sasuke would not do anything for him.
"Man, I hope I'm next!" Naruto said as he started to hop from one foot to the other.
"I don't think so, sport." Sakura said as she pointed at the board. Naruto looked at the direction she was pointing in and immediately deflated, laying his head on Sakura's shoulder in exasperation.
Temari vs. Yamanka Ino
Sakura looked over at her once-rival. Ino was being prepped by her team, given encouragement and the like. In the end, Ino nodded and proceeded to walk down to the bottom floor. Temari, the blonde girl with the humongous fan, did the same, but with a determined smirk on her face.
Sakura stared at her as she made her way to the battlefield. There was something about her that was so unsettling; about all three of the shinobi from the sand, really. She had never actually seen them in action, but if their condescending looks were any indication of their true strength, then they were going to be hard to beat.
"Good luck, Ino." Sakura whispered, knowing that the intended recipient would not be able to hear.
Sakura heard a crunch beside her, and turned her gaze towards her teammates. Apparently, they all seemed to be having the same kind of thoughts as her on Temari. Chouji tried to calm his nerves by eating them away while Shikamaru and Asuma were watching the battle intently.
Temari and Ino faced each other, with the former looking indifferent towards the latter's display of determination. Sakura could tell that the dirty blonde almost wanted to yawn.
"Are the two of you ready?" Hayate asked.
"Ready." Ino said, her headband, for the first time, going around her forehead. Sakura's eyes widened at the significance, before smiling. Hopefully Ino's conviction was enough to get her through this.
"Yeah." Temari said flippantly, readying the gigantic fan behind her.
"Then, the match may begin." Hayate said as he jumped back.
"Your move first, doll-face. I insist." Temari said, motioning her to make the first move. Ino's eyes narrowed, and she knew that it had to be some sort of trap. However, she could not let her chance pass up.
Ino jumped to the side and threw a handful of shuriken at her. Temari stood where she was without fear of the weapons. When the shuriken were about to reach their target, a slight blur, which was barely visible, engulfed Temari for a split second. The next thing everyone knew, Ino's shuriken laid on the ground next to her opponent as if their aim had been the floor instead.
"Really? Is that the best you can do?" Temari asked mockingly. Ino stared at her in shock, not knowing what to say.
"This isn't good." Shikamaru said as he rubbed his forehead. For once, he was not complaining about what a drag the situation was. It was more than crucial that it ended quickly. From what Shikamaru could deduce, the longer the battle dragged out, the more injured Ino would be in the end.
Ino quickly launched into her next attack, flipping back to the other side while flinging a kunai at her target. Temari looked at the projectile with a bored expression before the same phenomenon happened. The kunai planted itself in the ground next to Temari, and said girl looked at it before rolling her eyes.
"Temari." A raspy voice said from behind her. She did not turn around, but Sakura could see how her body tensed up at the voice, as if she was scared. Sakura looked at the speaker on the other side of the balcony. It was the redhead, the one with the Kanji symbol for 'love' on his forehead. From what she could see, he was anything but loving. "Stop playing around and finish her." He said coldly.
Temari nodded erratically, making Sakura raise an eyebrow. Her persona had completely changed by a single instruction by that guy. From what Sakura had heard around from the other Genin, all three people on that one Sand team were siblings. If this was true, why would she be so afraid of her own sibling?
"Time to end this, girly." Temari growled out, opening her fan slightly so that one large purple circle was showing. It confused Sakura as to why she would only open it that much, considering there must not have been a lot she would be able to do with that little surface area.
Ino knew for herself that whatever her opponent was about to do was inevitable. So, she did the only other thing she could think of: she tried to Mind Transfer.
"Ino! Don't do it! You have to be around another person!" Shikamaru yelled, genuinely concerned. However, his warning was not registered by Ino.
Ino set up her hands to complete the Mind Transfer. She knew that if she was successfully able to transfer into Temari's mind, then her body would be safe because there would be no other enemy around.
Nevertheless, Temari was not going to allow her to make a move. Her brother said that he wanted her to finish the match quickly, and she saw to it that she would.
Before Ino was able to cast her jutsu, Temari swung her fan towards her. "Wind Release: Sickle Weasel Technique!" She yelled as a slicing burst of wind knocked an unsuspecting Ino into the air. The gust of wind seemed to hold Ino in the air for a few minutes, cutting into Ino's skin and making her release a grueling cry of pain. Afterwards, the wind disappeared and Ino began to fall to the ground.
Before she could hit the ground, however, Temari calmly walked up to the spot where she was supposed to land and stuck out her fan, catching Ino's body over it. A sickening 'crack' vibrated throughout the room, and Ino coughed up a little bit of blood.
Ino was unconscious, and the match was over.
Hayate walked up to the pair, not looking at the body that was slung over the giant tessen. "Because Yamanka Ino is no longer able to battle, the victor is Temari." He rasped.
A malicious grin spread itself over Temari's face. "I knew it." She said with a dark chuckle. "Nothing but a doll." She mocked Ino's unconscious body.
Sakura's eyes widened as Temari did not immediately let Ino down after their match. Instead, the Sand kunoichi threw Ino across the room. Sakura did not know exactly what happened or how her body moved the way it did, but before she knew it, she was down on the ground floor, catching the human projectile that had enough force to tumble her back ungracefully.
Sakura's grasp loosened around the motionless body that she was holding, quickly sitting up and trying to assess her friend's wounds through her tears. "Ino…Ino!" Sakura said as she tried to shake her awake.
"It's no use, pinky." Temari mocked. "I'll be surprised if she isn't permanently paralyzed from the strike she took to her back."
Sakura began to hyperventilate as she saw the color drain from Ino's face. She kept shaking the blonde softly, trying to rouse her, even though she knew there was nothing she could do.
"Sakura." A voice said from above her. Sakura looked up to see Asuma hovering over her before he bent down. Sakura allowed him to take Ino from her, her hand immediately taking its place over her mouth to prevent her sobs. Asuma immediately disappeared, knowing that a medic was needed immediately.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he jumped down to the ground level. "Come on, we can't be here." Naruto urged, even though he was glaring just as ferociously at Temari as Sakura was.
"My my, what a scornful eye you have." Temari said as she looked at Sakura. "It's pitiful, really. Your eyes say one thing, but your tears convey your true weakness." She placed her fan on her back. "You'd do well to remember that it's dangerous to wear your emotions on your sleeve. If you don't, you may end up in a worse situation than the blonde." Temari sneered. Sakura shook with anger for her friend, but chose not to say anything.
Hayate took this moment to step in before things got ugly. "Please clear the field for the next match." He said. Both sides scowled at each other before they obeyed their proctor's commands. When Sakura and Naruto arrive on the top floor, Sakura saw that only Shikamaru and Chouji were still at the railing, both looking downcast.
"Naruto, can you tell me what happens in the next match? I need to check on Ino." Sakura said. She didn't wait for an answer before she turned around, but she stopped when she bumped into a larger wall of green.
"I do not believe that that is a smart idea, Sakura-chan." Lee said as he pointed behind her. Sakura slowly turned around.
"Will the next two opponents please come to the center?" Hayate said as he motioned to the board. Sakura looked at it.
Hyuuga Hinata vs. Haruno Sakura
It was finally her turn.
-Special Message Below-
Hi guys! I really hope you enjoyed this extra-long chapter! Please leave a review if it is to your convenience. If you have any comments or constructive criticisms, I am more than happy to read all of them!
**I especially want to know if you guys like the interventions between New Inner and Sakura. Do you find the switch between regular text and bold to be hard to read? I personally found it fine, but I really want to hear from you guys. Also, if you have a problem with it, I would be more than happy to take suggestions.
Also, I've decided to do a special shout-out for all of those who've reviewed starting from the last chapter because it means so much to me that you guys have taken the time out of your day to write something for me. All of the support that you guys have given me has been so, so appreciated, and I really cannot thank you enough.
Shout-outs to: ErifStarTK, medistr, Shadow, just me, Emzy2k11, Shy911, the classified words, jennythegreat123, Ymae12, and Hanaeru! Thank you all so much for reviewing and giving me your feedback!
A very special Shout-out to RavenReichenbach for writing such a long and thoughtful response and letting me know what I'm doing well and what I should watch out for. I am truly so appreciative that you took the time to write all of that! And the situation you talked about is very familiar. I hope this story does not turn out like that :)
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