Journey of the Three Failures

by Kurouga of the Ink and Snow

Uzumaki Naruto's defeat at the hands of Hyuuga Neji changed the course of history. Now an outcast Naruto, Hinata, and Lee must flee Konoha to become stronger, and ultimately save the very village which scorned them. Strong Naruto, Hinata, and Lee. Dark!Neji, Nice!Hanabi. Epic length. NaruHina. COMPLETE!

20. The Champion

J3F\\\ Journey of the Three Failures

Chapter Twenty

BACK IN ACTION!

I won't say much, just that I've been through some crazy stuff and I'm hopefully on the way to recovery.

Note that there is just about a less than 1 percent chance I would discontinue this story. For seriously. And if I were to discontinue it, which is immensely unlikely after I've gotten this far, I wouldn't just not tell you. …Huh? What about that Kurau Unleashed? I do plan to continue it! Just because it's shorter, I decided for that one I won't post more chapters until I finish writing it. Still, you definitely don't have to worry that J3F will ever have such a long hiatus as that one, because, well… this is my fic! No matter what sh1t people say about it, this is one of my proudest creations and I'm not going to let this adventure go unfinished. ^_^

A HUGE thanks to Kamigawa Minato, Heavenhawk, Omega the darkness, crusader 5643, Zarcade, KoreanGal5, kurokazeryuu, No- I'm not on facebook., Andreasfr, ShadowFaux, Yaki532, Fan of the Fall, naruhinaramen, lil ramen lover, Shizuka Taiyou, Universal Hope, U. May, Kethatril, Crimson Maelstrom, NarutoFanBoy4Life, PhoenixRe (You made me cry happy tears! :') ), Oroburos69, stellacisem, Naybi, Piffsheep, Shiko Ishimaru, SrgntDrew, Ig1514, and anons who signed hysterikku, Danielle, renee8725, D-MAN, somethings bugging me, Night Warrior Shadow, and Dan for all your comments and constructive criticism! You anons who leave actual reviews are the only reason I don't block anonymous reviews. :)

D-MAN asked what'll happen to the Samehada. To answer, I won't be giving it to Naruto or Hinata, mainly because they already have their own weapons, we now know the Samehada is freaking strange (XD) and complicated, and it'll make a nice gift to the Mist, which will be supporting them (as revealed around the end of 18).

Also, for any confused by Hinata's little trip to the dark side last chapter - basically, filled with despair, she retreated into her mind and sought out the twisted manifestation of the evil side of the Blood Seal. This dark side was represented by herself in the full moon state but completely fallen, corrupted and devious; though because of her pure spirit the curse normally doesn't have the power to overturn Hinata's control, as Naruto said, she was trying to dig more out of herself when there was just nothing left - the result being the psychological manifestation of Hinata's own twisted reflection, and the encounter in which she yielded to her dark power and allowed herself to fall to the curse. This is meant in part to show again that the curse in and of itself cannot control her; only indirectly, by inflaming the darkness in her own heart can it tempt her, and though she never once loses the power to control it, upon giving in to hopelessness and rage she cannot bring herself to resist it. In short, in that scene Hinata is talking to herself, and the beast's tempting voice is her own, intoxicated by the power she knows she can possess. Torn in two, she wars with herself before finally losing herself to what she knows full well to be 'madness.' Then, of course, Itachi and Naruto save her, so it's all good! XD

There's a little more artwork up now, links on my profile. ALsO! (attention catcher) Be sure to check my profile for a link to the J3F handmade mock-AMV thing! It's not complete, but it's about a minute and 20 seconds now. I'm pretty proud of it!

Finally, The first chapter of Gaiden of the Three Failures will be posted immediately after this is up. Kicks off with the first part to Akane and Midori's backstory, so if you're interested, check it out!

Disclaimer: I don't own NARUTO.

---

Journey of the Three Failures

Twenty: The Champion

Part One: Trial

Hinata ヒナタ

"Alrighty then, I accept your challenge! One condition – if I win, you've got to teach me that Fuuton you ambushed us with!"

"Hah! I severely doubt that'll be happening, blondie!"

"Is this … okay?" Shizune asked. Gaara shook his head. Lee yawned where he sat at my side, Tonton the pig sprawled lazily in his lap. Tsunade observed with a thin eyebrow quirked, apparently more concerned at the waste of time in this unanticipated detour than anything. The nukenin wanted a shot at the Violet Phantom, so we sat back as did his traveling companions.

"I'd almost feel bad about clobbering a brat too quickly. Since you're a kid, I'll go ahead and give ya' the first move."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Haha! You're a funny one, kid!"

Though we do want to get to Lord Jiraiya as quickly as possible, the fact is Lee-kun and Shizune-san both need a little more time to fully recuperate.

"Okay, then…" Naruto pulled a light kunai. "As the generously awarded first move of this battle, I'm going to throw some kunai knives at you. Fair enough, ne?"

Tsunade-sama… even chastised Naruto-kun for not knowing and judging his comrades' limits better.

"'Some'? That's one, brat."

"If you say so."

"Holy–!"

Lee chuckled amusedly as Naruto let fly his knife and four more, from nowhere, sailed with it from various directions.

As the sole "team" medic for so long, Naruto-kun ought to have recognized Lee-kun's fatigue before she did, apparently. And 'Lee and Hinata are tough' didn't exactly sit too well with her…

The man shifted to avoid them all, and hurled his own knife Naruto's way. The moment his body was struck, it seemed, Naruto appeared behind his foe.

We've already covered a good portion of the distance just getting into Fire. Now we're headed for the nearest town, where we'll break a couple of days to let them recover – not to mention plan our strategy.

The rogue wheeled and stumbled and jumped away, starting to get a little more than nervous.

I suppose it makes enough sense; we need to move, not rush. Either way, it's not like all of us couldn't use some rest.

"For my second move, I'm going to punch you."

"From way over there?"

"Fear the Shadow Fist."

POW!

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"What do you mean we're not training today?"

Hiryuu blinked, his face calm. "Excuse me, m'lady, but I mean by it just that. We're not training today."

Face blushing hot, I turned from him and paced back and forth, head low, arms crossed. This was – argh! I'd already had my training cut for the last two days, and out of nowhere this…! I bit my thumbnail.

Hikujaku started, wiping lighthearted amusement off his face as I rounded on him. He'd never stand a chance at getting the flicker out of his eye, though.

"Onii-san, spar with me!"

Unable to fully stifle a smile, he lifted his hands sheepishly. "Apologies, milady, but I'm under orders."

"Orders?" I echoed, blinking. My eyes snapped to Hiryuu. The jounin shut his eyes and nodded, sighing patiently on the bench where he sat. I hated to pull this card, but it was the strongest in my hand, so I used it. "You said you would do everything within your power to make me stronger! I don't have time to waste on trying to become a chuunin! This is mutiny – you four have no right to refuse me training!"

"You're right – we don't," Hiryuu conceded evenly, "But in this mock-chuunin exam you, Lady Hanabi, will be the youngest competitor."

"…Huh?"

"The large majority of the entrants are in the age range of Chouji-san, Sakura-san, or even older genin. You might face shinobi more than twice your age, and before them you will be small, weak, and vastly inexperienced. However… I can tell m'lady with certainty that not a single one of them will compare to Neji."

I gasped, and my heart seemed to quake in one firm throb as his meaning clicked.

"You see? Diversify the range of your fighting experience, yes… and consider this an opportunity to measure your progress. Your ability well exceeds that of a genin… but if you cannot win this competition, you cannot defeat Neji."

I gulped quietly. With an ounce of hesitance Hiryuu reached out and patted me on the head.

"Your enthusiasm to train is encouraging, nonetheless. Rest yourself today, Hanabi-sama … and tomorrow, put your training to the test. If you wish…" he added, bowing his head.

The line of my mouth wrinkled briefly. Fists clenched at my sides, I nodded.

---

Lee リー

They had not stopped since we began eating.

That had been when the sun hung low in the sky, and by now the night had set in. They seemed aware exclusively of each other; if I was staring, they did not notice, or if they did notice, they did not care. But in twenty minutes, the little lovebirds had let surely not fifteen silent seconds pass consecutively between them.

It was not the content of their conversation that drew my attention. In fact, they spoke just softly enough that only light traces of their words could be occasionally ascertained, whether intentionally or not, always at that delicate border where the sound of speech was made apparent while remaining to all others incoherent. As the light, conversational tones grew… for lack of a better word, mushier, my eyes edged again toward the log where they sat.

Naruto, on his last bite of stew, lifted in his chopsticks the piece of meat he had apparently saved, and murmured something with playful eyes. Face a soft pink, the han'you tentatively accepted the bite offered as he guided it to her mouth. He slipped an arm behind her back and spoke again, his voice quieter still and barely detectable; she whispered back, an eyebrow lifted cutely, a hand drifting to his shoulder. He smoothly batted eyes that seemed now a bit more than playful as he responded faintly, ducking his head and touching a finger to the tip of her nose; she giggled at his words, blushing with a sidelong glance as her mouth moved, paused momentarily, and continued as she leaned in closer, her small finger tracing the edge of his collarbone, circling at the center of his chest. He said something brief, sharp but relaxed eyes flickering as he cupped her cheek in his palm; her mouth moved subtly in reply as she teased her thumb up along the vein of his neck, over his jawline, delicately across his bottom lip. He pecked her thumb, and his fingers nestled up into her hair, pinched her lupine ears, as he whispered, soundless; she nuzzled his cheek with her nose and perhaps let out a breath against him, mouth moving slowly. He drew back an inch and let a quick sentence dance out to her; she lowered her head slightly and looked up at him, and with her response traced the edge of his ear before her hand came to rest in his blond locks. Eyes barely open, he leaned closer to her; lips parting, she mirrored his action.

Their noses touched, and her finger pressed against his lips. He opened his eyes and spoke quickly and quietly against the extremity, and she nodded. They stood.

"Excuse us a minute," Naruto pardoned. Eyes bright, the two headed, hand in hand, off into the trees.

For fifteen seconds there was silence. Then, when I was certain they were out of earshot: "…Thank the gods."

Eyes round, Shizune's mouth flapped as her arm gestured wildly. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wha–? !"

"What the hell are they doing?" Tsunade demanded flatly.

"Ah…" With a twig I prodded the roasting firewood at the heart of our camp, and pitched the stick in shortly. "They enjoy… experimenting with their youthful impulses."

Shizune blanched.

"They're making out…" Gaara clarified absently as I picked up another stick.

Tsunade crossed her arms in speculation. "Or so they tell you."

The stick snapped in my hand as I shuddered. From the cold.

"I mean, think about it," the woman continued indifferently. "You saw the look in their eyes, didn't you…?"

"I trust them," I maintained firmly, head down. "Actually, I do not believe that they even so much as… touch each other." Should it really have mattered to me whether they did? I prodded my temple. "I said 'experimenting,' but to be honest, hormonal kids or not, it seems they truly are special to on another… Still, they would not do anything reckless…"

"Hm." Tsunade stood up with a groan. "You trust them, and that's all fine and well … but what if you're overestimating their self-control?"

I opened my mouth, and shut it, teeth clenching. Her hand clapped against my shoulder.

"Best to be on the safe side. Don't worry about a thing, Lee. I'll be right back."

I blinked as the sannin walked off into the trees.

…Huh.

---

Naruto ナルト

Her back met a tree, and she shivered from head to tail as I worked her ears, ran my tongue against the roof of her mouth. She murmured and prodded back, and her arms around my waist squeezed tightly before one of her hands slipped under my shirt, warm fingers grazing the skin of my back dreamily before pressing and massaging fiercely, pushing me up against her. Our mouths worked hotly together, and our passions meshed between us–

"Alright, break it up!"

"Sh–!" The two of us snapped apart in shock, and I glared in wide-eyed confusion at the intruder. I blinked, panting, and hurriedly waved my hand through a string of saliva that hung between us. "Tsu-Tsunade-baa-chan, what's wrong?"

"Sit down," the woman said coldly.

The two of us swiftly obliged.

Tsunade walked up to me, and she swiped a finger over my damp forehead. "I see I've interrupted something hot and sweaty," she said, flicking her hand disdainfully at the air.

"We were just kissing!" I protested.

"Maybe for now, you were." The woman's glare softened; she sighed. "We need to talk."

"About…?"

"Let's see…" Tsunade's eyes narrowed up as she apparently drew a blank; Hinata and I exchanged a look. She must have been searching for 'responsible adult mode' and only just realized its absence. The sannin stopped pacing, a finger at her chin. "Ah, okay. So you see, when a man and woman love each other very much–,"

"WHOA! No, just – no!" I sputtered.

"Just stop right there!" Hinata squeaked, hands waving.

Tsunade blinked. "Have you two already had … the talk?"

I gulped dryly, rubbing my neck and averting my eyes. "M-Matsuzuki-sempai…"

"Hiashi-sama," Hinata muttered with equal awkwardness.

Tsunade sighed in obvious relief. "Phew! Okay, then. Have fun. But keep your clothes on."

"Oi!" I shouted, hands covering Hinata's wolfy ears. I'd gotten to her quickly, but could still feel the steady heat radiating from her face. "We get it, we know!"

"Okay, okay, relax," Tsunade said, waving. She turned and headed back to camp.

I sighed, lowering my hands from Hinata's ears. She was almost in tears with embarrassment. "Okay…"

"If that kid turns up pregnant, I'll know who to castrate!"

I blanched dizzyingly – and Hinata flopped onto her back as if propelled by the violent spurt of crimson that erupted from her nose.

"Capisce?" Tsunade called.

"Just go!"

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"Hm…" I unfolded the paper slip in my hand. Eleven?

Beside me in line, Kiba drew his own paper slip from the box Iruka-sensei carried. He began to chuckle, and as I realized it probably wasn't at what I could presume to be a number, my cheeks lit up.

"What is it now?" I asked, glaring through narrowed eyes.

His hand thudding onto my head, the Inuzuka laughed aloud. "Little Hanabi-chan's going for chuunin, that's what!" he said in a coddling voice, mussing up my hair, utterly delighted with amusement.

"Oi!"

"I'll say – it's actually kind of adorable," Chouji chipped in good-naturedly at my other side.

"'Adorable'?" I repeated in protest, dismayed. Really!

"Come on, you can't deny it!" Kiba snickered, bending down a bit to drop his arm around my shoulders and pinch my check.

"Guys!" I whined, blushing red. "What am I, five? !"

When I tried to push him off he caught me in a headlock and noogied playfully. "You're close enough!"

"Ouch! Ah, my hair– Quit it! This is demeaning – Ki-ba-kun…!"

Directly behind us one of the chuunin who lined the walls cleared his throat pointedly. Kiba released me – thank the kami – and I straightened and patted down my hair as the boy tucked his hands behind him and grinned sheepishly back at the man.

"Now look what you've done," I muttered, scowling. "You're making us look like little kids!"

Kiba fought to stave off a smirk. "Um, no offense, Hanabi-chan, but you – hey!" he complained as I threw a good kick discreetly at his shin. "Oh, come on – I'm sorry, okay? You know we're just messing around…"

I crossed my arms in a huff. "Hmph. You act as though just because you've been through one chuunin exam it makes you experts or something, and I'm sick of it! It's not like you're all that old either. Just go ahead and laugh it up while you can – you won't be when I hit you with the full power of the Hyuuga Clan!"

"Ha! I don't think I'm ready to lose to Hanabi-chan just yet! In fact, I ain't losing to anyone – because I've decided I'm gonna win this thing!"

"Arrr, arf!" Akamaru seconded, tail wagging.

"Only if I don't squash you flat!" Chouji retorted. "I could've made chuunin ages ago!"

"And here you go, arguing over my head like I'm not even here!" I fumed, simmering. "Don't count me out just yet! I've gotten loads stronger since the last time we sparred!"

"Oho! We shall see, then, won't we?"

Once all entrants had drawn a number, we were directed to call them out one at a time. This finished, the genin were sorted into teams.

Random teams to test our abilities to strategize and coordinate ourselves effectively on the fly… It makes sense, and serves toward upping the difficulty since so many of us are familiar with each other. But still… I kind of hope I'm with someone I know.

I didn't have to wait too long to find out.

"Team Four!" Anko-sensei called. "Akimichi Chouji! Kumasa Inaho! And Hyuuga Hanabi!"

Interesting… Chouji-kun and Inaho-san… I smiled at the Akimichi, who chuckled and offered a small high-five.

A couple of minutes later found Anko-sensei shouting to finish up the team listing over the complaints, exclamations, and hushed chattering of many. "Shut the hell up, maggots! These are your assignments for the exam. If you've got a big enough problem with it, come see me to be disqualified. The rest of you have two hours to meet up with your teams. Use this time to get to know each other, plan your strategy, spar – do whatever the crap you want, just be back here on time for the first test!" She turned her head. "Anything to add, Hakage?"

Facing us at the head of the room, Shikamaru scratched his head and sighed, quiet a few moments. "Good luck. Prepare yourselves to fight with all the valor … the courage it takes, to uphold and bring honor to the emblem you all wear, as Leaf shinobi. Put the results of your hard work and commitment to excellence on display, and let your performance in the coming days be one that would bring pride to the friends, family, teachers, and comrades who aren't here with us." He lifted his hand. "Dismissed."

"Hehe… Nice, Shikamaru," Chouji whispered to himself, beaming. I looked around, frowning as I tried to peer through the milling crowd, genin searching confusedly for people they may have never spoken a word to before. It really did stink to be short sometimes, but, luckily for me…

"Byaku– Oh, wait… Yeah, there she is. Inaho-san, over here!" I called, raising my hand.

The short haired woman approached us unhurriedly. Eyes narrowed in scrutiny, she propped her hands on her hips and frowned down at me. Her nose wrinkled. "Fantastic. I get to go through the exam on babysitting duty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, holding my ground and glaring evenly.

"Do I need to spell it out for you? I don't know why they'd let little snots enter in the first place, but if you're here to mess around, I suggest you leave. I'm ready to make chuunin, and if protecting some five-year-old gets in the way…"

Oh, come on! "Hey!" I snapped. "Did you ever stop to consider that I'm here for the same reason you are? We both are New Leaf ninja." I clenched a fist in front of me. "And if you want to fight, I'll be happy to show you right now, in about ten seconds, which one of us will be doing the protecting."

Inaho laughed scornfully, chilly amusement creeping into her eyes.

"Okay, okay," Chouji said, "both of you need to cool it. Inaho-san – I mean, that wasn't very nice of you. And you, Hanabi-chan… We don't need to be incapacitating our teammates before the competition's gotten underway."

"Chouji-kun…"

"What're you…?" Inaho began, seriously ticked off.

The boy's big hand thumped onto my shoulder. "You have no idea how powerful this kid is, after all." His tone changed. "But then again, we don't really know much at all about each other. And that's what these two hours are for, isn't it?"

We nodded. Chouji sighed. A thought occurred to me.

"Inaho-san, how old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

Holy – Th-th-that's three times my… How are you still a genin? !

"What of it?"

"Huh? Nothing. I'm – eight. And Chouji-kun is thirteen. Getting to know each other, right?" I said, laughing awkwardly.

She shook her head. "Whatever. Let's find someplace less crowded and talk ninjutsu."

"Sure."

"Alright, team, let's go!"

Team…?

Team Massive Age Difference, maybe.

---

Hinata ヒナタ

"Okay. Now, touch your toes."

Tsunade's voice was clinical, mechanical even. We'd barely reached our rooms in the inn when she'd called me over to a side room for this. Even if not in a long while, she'd probably conducted such examinations hundreds of times before, and I could sense the easy certainty and expertise in her every motion. I reached down and touched my toes, and she lifted my shirt and brushed a hand down my spine.

"No irregular curvature…" The unrivalled medical genius trailed off, though, and here she paused. The base of my spine.

My face grew hot. "Qu-quit gawking! I have a tail, okay! Get over it!"

"Sorry, sorry, it's just… wow." I grimaced momentarily as she lightly pinched it between two fingers and stroked its length. She straightened, snatching a pen from behind her ear and scribbling furiously against her clipboard.

"So… Can I–?"

"Oh, yeah, you can stand up now," she said without glancing up. "Alright. Now, crouch down like this – good. Without standing up, walk forward… Stop. Good. Wh– yes, you can stand up," she said, already busily jotting away. She nodded. "Okay, strip."

"Wait… what?"

"What, don't you have canine auditory capabilities? They're in the way of examination."

I shook my head; I'd just been thrown off a moment. "Okay, but – wait, what's that?"

"Hm?" she said, pulling as scroll from her coat. "Medic's kit. I have to carry my stuff somewhere." She unrolled it on the table behind her, revealing row upon row of seal markings. "Let's see, where did I put that…"

Shaking my head again, I started to remove my shirt. I looked up at a small 'pop' from the scroll, and saw Tsunade catch the summoned tool in her hand.

"Whoops, wrong… Hey, Hinata? What's wrong?"

Sweating bullets, my back pressed hard into the wall behind me, claws out, tail bolted straight down and ears lying flat, I stared white-faced at the instrument in her hand and gulped drily.

Tsunade blinked. "Oh – this. Don't worry; I just picked the wrong seal–,"

The stronger kunoichi stepped toward me, and I … panicked.

---

Naruto ナルト

"Thanks for joining us, Onee-chan," I said, serving the tea.

"Thank you for inviting me," she replied, smiling. She'd been invited from all of three steps across the hall, sure, but our rare enjoying of afternoon tea was refreshing to share, and we'd figured she'd be bored all alone while waiting for Tsunade.

"I wonder if they will be finishing up soon," Lee said as I knelt at the low table. "Before it becomes cold…"

Gaara blew lightly on his own cup. I shrugged. "Who knows…" I reached to pick up mine.

I jumped at a thud that sounded in the other room. The doorknob banged and shook frantically, and the door slammed open as Hinata burst into the room, tripped, strode once on all fours, and turned, rising, huge eyes intent on the main door. Which was right on the other side of our tea table.

Scared for her life, face white, shirt half off, she ran as if the devil were at her heels and screeched:

"She's got a SCALPEL–!"

A dark figure flickered up behind her with glinting eyes, seizing the girl's tail. The han'you went down with a surprised yelp, banging her head clean into the edge of the table in the process. Tea and glass went everywhere.

I blinked. "Granny!"

"Relax!" Tsunade said. "This is hardly enough to break it – not that I should know." She released her tail and lifted the stunned and twitching han'you up by one furry ear, smiling daintily. "Excuse us, carry on!" she called cheerfully, waving as she dragged Hinata (who was sort of bleeding at the forehead) back into the other room and shut the door behind them. I stared a few moments.

"S-so… Not that I don't hold the utmost trust in her, but… Shizune-nee-san…?"

"Right," she sighed, standing and following after them.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"Hana– bwof!"

Before my assailant could so much as spew his attack cry I had turned, grabbed his arm and outstretched fist, and flung him over my shoulder to direct his back cleanly into the stone ground.

"K– Konohamaru-baka! What are you doing trying to attack people an hour before they're up to take the chuunin exam? ! I mean – not like you could've hurt me, but still…"

Chouji blinked, and Inaho propped up a sour eyebrow as I gave the boy a hand up.

"Ita…!" he hissed, rubbing his neck. "Sharp and brutal as ever, Hyuuga – but that's why you're my–!"

"Skip it," I groaned. "And you're attacking people why? Don't tell me you don't know what's going on."

"Neither time nor place is of relevance: this is the greeting of sworn rivals!"

Cue facepalm.

"Yarp!"

"Huh? Akamaru-chan?" I muttered as the sizeable doggie trotted up to us, tail wagging happily.

"Oi, Hamaru!"

"St-stop calling me that!" the boy complained, flustered, as Kiba and another genin approached. The Inuzuka snorted, shutting one eye to toss a sidelong glance.

"Pfft – suit yourself, Kono. Your name's too darn long. Oh…? Heya there, Hanabi!"

I blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize you two knew each other so well."

"Eh? Well, we kinda hafta," Kiba said, "We did get put on the same team, after all."

"The same… What? !" I cried. "Konohamaru-kun, you're – entering the–?"

"You betcha' I am!"

"You need to quit."

The midget cocked his head, one light brown eyebrow perked up. "What? Hey, you're not that scared of me, are ya?"

He started as my hands met his shoulders. "I'm not joking around here! Even if it's unlikely anyone will be killed, you can still get hurt. I don't think you totally understand this."

"Hanabi…"

"This exam is no place for you – not yet. While there might still be time, you need to drop out!"

For a few moments his expression was sober; then he closed his eyes and grinned. "Wow, I dunno what to say. I'm real touched that you're all concerned."

"You…!"

His hand touched my own on his shoulder. "You're really feeling high and mighty, aren't you? Even though you're competing, you're just that convinced I can't hack it? You have no idea…"

"Konohamaru!" I began as he turned away and started for his team.

"I've been training like crazy with Ebisu-sensei, you know? Anyways, good luck, Hanabi." He looked back, a fist clenched. "The next time we cross paths, I'll probably be blowing you away in the competition, whatever it may entail. Count on it!" With that he scampered off.

I reached out, mouth opening only to shut out a sigh. I shook my head. "Bakayarou…"

I'm embarrassed for you already.

---

Hinata ヒナタ

Tsunade scratched her head, frowning exasperatedly. "Brat, could you try to loosen up?"

"No," I spat, ears back as I glowered pointedly at a corner of the room. My arms were folded stiffly across my chest, my knees up to nearly touch my chin, and my tail tucked defensively against my rump.

Tsunade sighed. "Okay – look, why don't we just…"

A threatening growl surfaced in my throat as her hand neared my arm. The low rumble nearly abated when she paused, but jumped to peak in intensity as the hand drifted nearer again, way too close, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.

"Sheesh!" she cried, and the snarl of my lips relaxed slightly as she pulled back to jot, nonetheless, on her clipboard, annoying me to no end. I grunted though bared teeth.

"Sorry if I'm not all that comfortable stark naked in front of a person who's broken my tail and kneed me in the…" I held my tongue, blushing.

"Cl–?"

"Whoa!" I protested, waving my arms – and as quickly wrapping up again, head low, face red.

"Come on!" Tsunade coaxed, "We're all girls here. Or…?" She put a speculative hand to her chin, and a sly smile spread across her face. "You don't want to hear a dirty word?"

"Wh-wh-what if I don't?"

"Ah… Lady Tsunade, I don't believe you're making progress…" Shizune pointed out. She was ignored as the sannin laughed aloud.

"You're surprisingly innocent! Wouldn't have guessed it from the way you were all wrapped up around your boyfriend…"

I squeaked.

"Okay, okay," she soothed, chucklings aside. "Hinata, I'm a doctor and you're … unique. I want to examine the structure of your body, but I can promise it won't hurt a bit. I can understand your apprehension; we didn't get off on the best foot, and I regret that. We're comrades now, though, and if you can forgive me, I'll gladly leave it at that."

I lifted my head at the sincerity in her voice, and hesitantly I returned her bright smile. "Alright. Let's put the past behind us. But… Tsunade-sama…"

"Hm?"

"I would appreciate it if you got your hand off my shoulder while I'm naked."

"…Hinata, I'll need to touch you to examine you. Wait! Not like that – what're you doing now?"

"Nothing, nothing! Just putting on my underwear!"

---

Hanabi ハナビ

Teams of three are given three flags to distribute among themselves. We enter the competition area – a fresh labyrinth extending beneath the main tunnels – from different starting points…

And from there, it's a free-for-all. You can hide flags away for future retrieval, form a base, stick together, split up, set traps, stake-outs, ambushes… but as soon as you want out, you exit through a trapdoor at the center…

That's… if we can find it. Or, after 48 hours, the test ends and the proctors'll round us up.

The catch is, only the five teams that have accumulated the most flags will move onto the next test. In other words, it's anyone's guess how many will be needed to score in the top five; how are we to decide if and when to cut the chance of loss and seal our earnings? How can we even estimate how many flags remain for the taking?

I gulped, thumb brushing across the green square of cloth that Tonbo-sensei handed to me. My hands shook. "This'll be no walk in the park, huh…?" I muttered.

"Huh – it's not much next to a real chuunin exam," Inaho retorted as she folded and pocketed her own flag. "Instead of being nervous you should count yourself lucky."

I didn't look up. "Nervous? No… that's not what I meant…"

"Hey, are you saying something?"

This… I think I'm… My fist clenched. I'm excited? I could hardly comprehend it. Despite all my protests before, being here now, at the starting threshold, soon to charge into a maze and square off against others and put my power to the test… Just the thought of it was at once bringing chills skittering down my spine, and my blood to a boil.

"Give me your flag."

"What?" I looked up at Inaho, frowning. She held out her hand.

"Just hand it over. I'll hold onto it," she said simply.

"You think I can't protect it?" It was hardly a question.

"Whether you can or can't, I can protect it better."

We glared at each other for several moments. Chouji scratched his head uneasily. "Um…"

I took a deep breath. "Here."

She blinked, and took the flag offered.

"Hanabi-chan," Chouji began.

I shook my head. "You protect two of our flags, Inaho-san. I'll take point and handle our enemies, with Chouji-kun's backup."

"Pfah," she snorted quietly. "You really think you're up to it?"

"You don't think you can protect the flags and me – or can you?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Little brat… Akimichi, make sure you watch out for her."

"Huh? Uh – yeah."

"If she's incapacitated, we won't qualify for the next round no matter how many flags we collect."

I forced a passable smile. "Just focus on your role, Inaho-san."

Tonbo cleared his throat, lifting his eye from the stopwatch he held. "Get ready."

This quieted us down. As we fell silent, nothing was heard but the ticking of the timer.

My Byakugan awakened.

Inaho stepped behind me.

Chouji took up the rear.

"This is it, huh?"

"…Yeah."

"Hm."

The timer trilled out its alarm, and a moment after the resounding roars of a gong rang through the tunnel walls, ascending rapidly from a low rumble to a resonating storm of noise that pounded in my head, my bones, my chest.

Tonbo stepped aside. It was Inaho who shouted.

"Go!"

And we were off.

---

Hinata ヒナタ

Strong hands and feet blazed over the earth, tearing out my path and shoving the forest floor out behind me. Over a decayed old log I went without breaking stride; I ghosted over damp leaves and grass, splashed through puddles, barreled through shrubs and brambles in my path as the trees flashed insanely past me, and were left behind. My eyes grew madly intent with excitement. Its smell – strong, stronger – close enough to taste.

There!

Fast – not nearly fast enough. I launched myself upon the wild boar, claws meeting a side and the other shoulder as fangs found the neck, and my weight, overbalancing, brought it snout-first to the ground.

The creature screamed and fought, and I growled as I kept my body from the range of flailing, kicking hooves. I kept my hold, barely able to keep it off its feet as it writhed strongly, bellowing its furious might. But I wrestled intently – and then – at last–

My arms found their way around the neck.

CRACK!

One insane, convulsive jerk of my body, and, cleanly, it was done. I snarled and tore into the beast, starting at the throat – tearing out before burying my mouth in the rich outpouring of hot, syrupy life. I drank, drew heavily inward, and in moments pulled away, gasping, and set about ravaging the supple flesh of my prize. Slicing fangs were feverish upon the fresh meat, digging, gripping, tearing eagerly with an untold and primal passion–

My ear twitched.

The tiniest prickle on my back, and I whirled, snarling aloud in outrage as my stained claws smashed through a stick.

…What?

The unfortunate twig's former wielder had leapt fifteen yards back. Snarling furiously, breathing at a wild pitch, I pressed threateningly raised claws to the ground and focused some of the frenzied heat and haze from my mind. With much effort I found, and controlled, my voice.

"What the HELL, Tsunade-sama? !"

"Warui, warui! I was curious…"

In a sudden movement I scratched my head agitatedly – kuso, boar blood in my hair! – and shook my head rapidly. I blinked a few times. My tongue darted to swipe up a morsel of blood tickling my upper lip. "I'm trying to eat here!"

"I know that, but–,"

"Don't 'but' me! You said you'd follow downwind, in the treetops, at a distance – and I wouldn't even know you're there – a-and–!"

"Not like I'm stopping you from eating! Am I really bothering you that much?"

"Yes! Please leave!"

The woman seemed to ponder something for a moment. Wheels turned behind her eyes, and I didn't like it. "So… what if I were to, say, step toward you, like this…?"

The back of my neck prickled with fine hairs standing up on end. My lupine ears shifted downward, and I fought to repress a steadily growing rumble in my throat as she walked toward me. "Stop that!" I barked. "I mean it–!"

Her foot touched the ground some eight yards away, and my body tensed – my lip curled to bare fangs – my ears pinned back – tail straight out behind me – as I growled a murderous warning, crouched protectively over my kill.

The woman blinked. I watched her take one step back. My prepared muscles relaxed; my growl fell back again. Tsunade smirked.

"Hey! This isn't funny–!" The words broke into a growl as she shifted her foot forward again.

"Okay, now seriously–," I began before I was interrupted again. Without touching it to the ground, she moved her foot forward and back again, listening as my growl rose and fell, rose and fell.

"Will you stop that–? !"

Tsunade flinched forward, and I snarled menacingly, bristling, clawing the dirt and snapping my teeth dangerously at the air in fury. She stood a moment, and stepped back to let me speak. Her brow furrowed. "…You do realize I've got no reason to try to steal your food from you, right?"

"Well, yeah, I know tha– Rrrrrrrr… Stop, okay! Just stop!" I cried as she tested me again. This was getting humiliating!

"So even something you know as a fact can be overridden, and you feel your meal threatened… Hm… Then can wolf-demon instinct undermine a han'you's human intellect…?"

"It does not– GRRRRR!– Son of a–!"

My claws snapped into my shoulder, bit in, and blasted five waves of darkness toward the sannin.

"Alright, leaving!" she said, dodging and flickering from sight.

---

"Ah…" I yawned contentedly, lazily cleaning my claws. My feeding done, Tsunade was fine standing moderately close by.

"So tell me… why that outfit? The same clothes you train in, right?"

"What, this…?" I said, looking at my ragged and faded cropped tank and shorts. I shrugged. "Well… it's practical. If I'm hunting or training with Ani-ue, my regular clothes would get filthy or slashed to shreds in no time. These are easier to keep fairly clean – I mean, clean enough for what I need them for," I added, thumbing an old bloodstain and briefly wondering whether the offending staining agent belonged to me or to some prey.

Tsunade nodded, looking toward what remained of the kill. "So, what happens to that? You can devour some forty percent of your weight in meat… Problem is, that thing probably weighs… weighed more than you do. And if you won't eat again for another few days…"

"It won't go to waste!" I defended, appalled. I looked down. "Something like me … can find very few enemies among ookami."

"Hm?"

"I'll just see if I can't find … any Family in the area."

---

Hanabi ハナビ

Incoming, three o'clock! I signaled, altering our speed as we neared the end of a hall that forked perpendicularly in two directions. Our footfalls fell fully silent even as those of the team approaching rattled carelessly down the tunnels.

…Now!

I ran up and along the runnel wall at our left before leaping downwardly across, planting my hands on the right corner at the termination of our path, and swinging my body around before releasing so that my left foot sailed into a sprinting opponent's ankle.

Inaho fell back, and as Chouji rounded the corner the boy I'd tripped got a face-ful of the Akimichi's sharply inflating belly. Rising, I jabbed a fist, tiny though it was, quickly and precisely into an older girl's solar plexus, and smoothly I fell to the ground with the strike – just as the one I'd tripped bounced back, sailing over me and loudly knocking heads with her. The two dropped, and I sprang forward again. Just one left.

I slipped aside as he threw a punch, and chakra flared briefly from every tenketsu in my body. Strike diverted, he stumbled past as I spun swiftly behind his back, already channeling shocking energy down my arm as two fingers darted for a chakra point on his back.

Sweet dreams–!

It was then, however, that someone who was supposed to be at the tail of our group threw a punch for the opponent – was blocked and held as a means of gathering staggered balance again – and was thrown toward me with great force.

"Guh–!" About twice my weight crashed into me, throwing me off my feet. Forget catching myself; I'd barely had enough time to focus on dousing my sparking fingers. I took the hit and tumbled backwards, stumbling onto my feet. Inaho, who'd managed not to fall, exchanged quick blows with the other genin.

I saw his kick coming – the problem being, she didn't.

"Inaho-san!" I cried, hand alight with chakra as I flung two kunai forward as our opponent got the side of her knee.

She flinched, and as his fist neared her she blinked at the sight of the two electrified knives sailing by either side of her head.

"Hibana Nagashi!" I shouted as lightning jumped from my still outstretched hand to the two kunai and, in the blink of an eye, snapped to stretch between them.

The bar of lightning met the boy's chin and snapped as suddenly from existence as he keeled over, limp. Chouji yelped, jumping back as the lifeless pair of projectiles clattered to the earth at his feet.

I exhaled, wiping a gloss of sweat from my brow. Inaho shuddered and fell on her hurt knee, swearing at a mutter. Chouji tentatively spoke.

"He's…?"

"Unconscious," I answered. I had Sasuke's training to thank for that; only because of him did I have adequate control to use a handful of my Raiton without risk of lethality. There was a burn on his chin, but he'd survive that much.

I shook my head.

"Inaho-san."

I crossed my arms when she didn't answer and opted not to spare me a glance. Chouji muttered about checking for flags and turned his attention to our sleeping foes.

"Inaho-san," I repeated sternly after briefly calling to Chouji the locations of their flags. "I signaled for you to fall back. Your job is to protect our flags. Why… would you break formation?"

She didn't speak; after massaging her knee for a few moments, she got to her feet. At full height she turned to face me, glaring down her nose. "Maybe I didn't want to go on the shots called by someone too short to punch me in the face."

My Byakugan eyes narrowed. "Would you like me to prove that wrong?"

She sneered with a sound of contempt, turning away again. My kekkei genkai faded as she turned toward Chouji–

And whirled, throwing a fist for my face.

I spun aside in a flash of speed, hopped curtly upward and forward, and slammed her cheek with all my strength.

"Oi!" Chouji cried as I landed lightly and Inaho was thrown onto her back. My arms crossed again as I stood tall. The woman sat up and cringed, a hand darting to conceal the bruise on her face.

"Get it?" I warned, glaring coldly down at her. "A little height means nothing. This… is a difference in skill."

She scowled dangerously at me, face red.

Chouji cleared his throat. "Yeah… I got their flags…"

I nodded. "I'll hold onto these three."

"What?" Inaho snapped as he handed them to me. I loosened up and got to pocketing them.

"It's not so much that I don't trust you can do your part," I assured her, "But as you've shown us, people make assumptions. See… I figure very few we come across will expect the eight-year-old of the team to have been left to safeguarding any of its flags. As the oldest you're probably the primary target to begin with. Worst case scenario…" I nodded toward our victims for clarification. "The enemy loots your flags, assumes we only had our original three, and moves on without bothering to search me. All in all, we don't look like a very powerful team; we can use that for a tactical edge."

Chouji blinked. "That… actually makes a lot of sense!"

I nodded again. "Anyways, how's your knee feeling?"

"Yeah, can you stand?" Chouji asked, offering her a hand up.

She scowled, glowering at us both as she backed to her feet.

"Careful!" I said, darting to help support her weight as she stumbled. She turned wide eyes on me and pushed away, staggering painfully into the wall's support. I frowned.

"Inaho-san…"

"What's wrong?" Chouji asked. "We're just trying to help."

"Thanks," she spat, "but I don't need it. Let's just get going–,"

"Sit down."

Inaho looked down at me. I gazed icily back.

She slid slowly down the wall until she sat on her rear.

"You have gauze in your bag, right?" I asked. Not like I hadn't already seen it. "We wrap this, and then we'll move."

"Hn…" She dug it out and handed it to me, force in every motion. "I can do this on my own, you know," she pointed out, rolling up her pants leg so I could set about quickly wrapping her knee.

"I do know. But for now, could you get some burn cream?"

"…Why?" she asked, an eyebrow raised as she dug a small packet from her bag regardless.

"Not for us…" I explained as she grudgingly handed it over. Finished with her knee, I walked to where Chouji had sat the other team of genin against the wall, and knelt to fold the packet of medication in a black-haired boy's hand. "It's not too severe, but it'll leave a scar on his chin if it's left alone. It doesn't look like they have any ointment on them, so…"

Unreadable, Inaho averted her eyes when I turned around. "Yeah, whatever." She rose to her feet. "I can move. Let's go."

"Right…"

"Yosh!"

---

Hinata ヒナタ

I parted greenery with one hand as I walked, nostrils fluttering tentatively. I'd known to roll in the dirt beforehand to sufficiently purge myself of Tsunade's scent; now all I smelled prominently around me was the forest, the earthy moisture, my own sweat, and the delicate, diverse plethora carried on the passing air. I moved with the boar's hind hooves in my grip, its weight supported on my back as I towed it along behind me.

Following my nose, I ducked under a branch and skulked into the open. I called out softly, making my presence known before I proceeded. Then, as dark forms gathered at the mouth of the cave, I paused.

A grey one slipped into the open with mild caution, flanked by two others. I let off a soft fluctuation of youki, a faint conveyance of myself as I stood unassumingly. Reassured, the leader lifted his head and approached, sniffing curiously as I offered my hand. I murmured my intent at a pleasant tone, and the brother consented with formal gratitude. I stepped back, laid the carcass down in front of me, and knelt to push it toward him.

He grunted, and three more trotted into the open. The alpha ate, and when he allowed them the others joined in. They stripped it bare in minutes. When invited I chewed the bones with them; I learned their names, and they learned mine. Playfully I wrestled with the young ones. When we said goodbye, I tucked the brothers and sisters into my heart, and went to meet Tsunade.

She blurred down from the trees when I said we were far enough away.

"So, what's next?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"Questions to be answered, tests to be run…"

She eyed me momentarily. "That's… enough examination for one day. Let's head back."

"Oh… okay."

---

Naruto ナルト

I stood unmoving atop the highest apex of the tallest tree I'd been able to find. My eyes were shut, my breath steady and measured, and one foot was poised delicately at the peak of the upward-pointing branch, a perfect balance, intuitive and pure, that suspended my weight above the fragile spire. I felt my mind working rapidly, racing and generating but wordless – thoughtless – burgeoning silently with the cool energy to hold me aloft. I felt the great tree supporting me; I felt the wind on my cheeks, my chest, my outstretched arms, and I felt it meet and sift and flow around me. I breathed. As the winds pitched and kicked, faded and stirred in and out again, I felt them. I breathed. I felt them, and I did not fall.

I shifted, gradually extending my arms before me until my naginata was held level in both hands. My arms shifted, one hand releasing as the other ascended with the spear, and my knee rose. Stretched to greatest height, from the tip of a toe to a hand that grasped at the invisible sky, I held for a moment, a precise duration, before letting the polearm fall. It turned once in my hand, and as it swung upward about the axis I caught it in my grip, allowing my arm to sway slightly and fluidly with the path of its motion, and I left my perch gently. It was the other foot's toe that sank back to the branch, and I let my arm continue to circle with the staff as my knee drew upward, and I leaned opposite the spear and extended the foot aside, sole out. At length I came to transfer the spear to the other hand, and to lower it against the crook of my arm to point it downward, outward, as my free hand extended, fingers uncurling into a palm that grazed the air. Dynamic. Yet not once did the axis of balance shift, or so much as stutter. Minute after minute I moved, motions smooth but slow, always so impossible slow, restricted but unbound, gradual and certain as the trickle of molasses down a gentle plane.

Seamless.

I was one with the wind, I was one with the spear, and I could not fall.

My eyes snapped open – balance faltered – the tip of the branch snapped under my weight. As suddenly I was collected, other foot falling to take up the perch as the naginata pointed down toward a particular tree among many forty meters away.

Gaara stepped from the shadows, walking out along the branch on which he stood.

"Did I disturb you, Naruto-san…?"

I shook my head as I lowered the weapon. "What's up?"

The redhead's fist clenched. He hesitated briefly before he looked up to meet and hold my eyes squarely with his own. "I'm of no use to you as I am now. I'm little more than a liability, correct?"

I frowned, surprised. "Why d'ya say that?"

"Admit it. You know it's true…"

"So you're not quite at the same level. Nonetheless, you are quite a ways from what I'd call 'useless' on the field of battle…" I paused in thought. "Gaara," I continued when he didn't answer. "What's this all about?"

He looked down, bitterness catching his tongue. "Back there, there was almost nothing I could do … to help Hyuuga-san, or any of you. I know that standing beside you I am weak… but I also know that once we free Lord Jiraiya, there will be no slowing down."

I rubbed my neck. "You're right there. As soon as we strike one prison, it's a race against time to bust out as many of our shinobi as possible before the Sound can get their feet under them and buff up their guard. There won't be many breaks. But…" At the look in his eye I finally understood. "You're right," I repeated, "As you are now, you're not coming onto the front lines."

"Demo–!"

I held up my hand, eyes stern. "Things are gonna get dangerous. Your brother and sister … told us to take care of you, Gaara. We won't put you needlessly in harm's way."

The other boy's angered scowl wavered at this, and my expression softened as I pressed on.

"I know your heart's in the right place, and that's what's so painful about it, but… huh? You say something?"

"I want to get stronger!" he shouted up at me. "I want to wield my power the way you do – the way you, and Hyuuga-san, and Lee-san do – so that I can fight alongside you!" he cried, brow set in determination.

Myself unreadable, I held Gaara's gaze for several seconds more. He didn't show any sign of backing down.

A devilish smirk slid across my face. What could I say? I liked that look in his eyes.

"So you want to fight like us, do ya?" I called.

"Yes!"

"Then fight me…"

His eyes grew in bewilderment.

My foot touched down.

I hadn't Shadow Swapped.

"…Until you catch up," I finished simply, ankles crossed, one arm resting against the tree's trunk as I tapped the flat of a kunai against the back of Gaara's neck.

My palm pressed to the trunk, and neatly I stepped back and flung myself downward as he started away from me, as his absolute defense exploded forth in late retaliation to crash in convergence on the place I'd been standing an instant prior.

I landed on a lower branch, shot to another tree, and scurried up the trunk before launching myself back. My feet slipped in silence onto the branch on which Gaara stood as he looked at the clearing sand to just now find I had vanished. With a blunt mutter of "death" I jabbed his back lightly with the knob of the kunai's handle.

Gaara stiffened – and whirled, swinging his arm with a yell to fire a blast of sand just a bit after I'd tipped and swung to hang upside-down underneath the branch.

"Not quite," I said, and in the time it took his eyes to locate me and his hands to clap together, sending sand snapping together beneath the branch – I had done a quick backbend, brought my hands to the branch, swung my feet down and then up again above the limb behind him, and maneuvered myself to turn and hack a sharp shin cleanly into his ankles.

He grunted as his feet came from under him, and as I rose to full height I lifted my left knee to send a powerful, deliberate Shadow knee strike for his back.

A cushion of sand caught the blow.

And my upraised right hand was slammed down into Gaara's stomach, crushing him into the same wall of sand that had shielded and steadied him. He coughed blood.

The sand crumbled, and his body fell against the branch and slipped off, limp; I reached to catch his wrist in my hand.

"Catch yourself," I said flatly, swinging his weight and releasing so that he tumbled toward another tree. His feet narrowly found a branch and began to slip, and he flung his arms about the trunk and caught his balance, buckling at the waist, before he lurched, dropping to his knees and coughing out wetly. With a few shallow, audible breaths he clutched his stomach and curled, shivering in pain.

Inwardly I grimaced; I hadn't intended or expected to hurt him so badly. Outwardly my face remained objectively dispassionate.

"I am a Sound shinobi," I said, "tasked with guarding Jiraiya's prison and eliminating intruders. Will I stand here and watch you recover from my blows?"

Gaara's teeth clenched as he withheld a high groan.

"This is the situation you're asking me to let you be in three days from now. That's how long – all the time we've got before we move out. I'll ask you again: Are you up to this?"

He lifted a hand to the tree, and worked to his feet. His answer was clear as the blood on his mouth, and the resolve in his eyes. I nodded.

"If you're up against someone the sand can't keep up with, it's up to you to keep yourself alive. You see?"

"I u-understand…"

"Since you're like me, you can push hard and recover fast. We have three days to teach you how to really fight – just three days to drill until it's hardwired into your flesh. We start now!"

"Hai!"

---

Hinata ヒナタ

I cringed as the crack of force, distant though it was, rang loud and clear in my ears. "Are you trying to kill him, Naruto-kun?" I muttered to myself.

"Who knows?" Tsunade said, arms crossed.

I shook my head as we continued to spy. It wasn't as much sparring as it was a beating. This was ruthless. "I've never seen him so vicious… not to a comrade…"

"There's training, and then there's plain recklessness. How far does he think they can get in a few days?"

"Wait," I said, touching her shoulder as the sannin started to step past me, into the open. "Let's not disturb them."

"You just said…"

"No… No," I said, shaking my head. "If Naruto hurts Gaara-kun, he can fix him up, after all. Just… trust him. He knows what he's doing."

Tsunade eyed me dubiously.

"It's… a lot like when we first set out…" I murmured. "It was the three of us then… and Naruto-kun and I fought our hardest to reach Lee-kun." But even so, it seemed possible that the present gap between the two Jinchuuriki was greater still than the one that had separated us from Lee all those months ago. "Let's go…"

I turned to head to the inn. Tsunade said nothing, but followed. I fought not to wince as my sensitive ears caught every thud, every crash, every sound or howl of pain.

I can feel it, I thought. Every cruel, concussive blow of his fists… every bark of berating correction… is Naruto's will to push, to shove Gaara-kun to reach his goal!

You've set out to break his spirit… because of your confidence it won't be broken, haven't you? That's … so unlike you…

But… If Gaara doesn't allow himself to be crushed, he can only succeed.

I clasped a hand over my heart as I walked, sighing and tipping my head back a bit. My eyes shut. "Good luck, Gaara-kun."

Tsunade gave a drawn-out groan. "So, what are we to do? Brat One and Brat Two are set on a crazy training routine, Older Brat and Shizune are resting up…"

I scowled, ears bristling. After she said we were done for the day… If she asks to run more tests…

"Wolf Brat – cook me a meal."

I tripped. Catching myself, I turned and sputtered. "But – wh-why don't…" I paused, blushing as I grew aware that this would sound fairly rude…

"'Why don't…'?"

"Why don't you … cook yourself a meal–?" I stumbled onto my backside, shrieking as she made as if to slap me. I frowned, thoroughly unamused, when she promptly burst out laughing.

"But seriously," she snapped suddenly, getting my attention. "Show a little respect for your elders, will you?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"Believe it or not, the rest of us actually need to eat a few times a day. Would it kill you to show a little consideration for your injured comrades as well?"

I stood up. "Yes – I mean, no, ma'am!" I said, bowing my head and readying a shunshin. "Feel free to get some rest as well while I prepare, ma'am. I know that people your age need their naps, after all."

I body flickered, and was leaping through the treetops when the BOOM of crackling earth sounded behind me. I smiled sheepishly to myself.

Maaaybe that wasn't a great idea.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

Eight sharp, rapid thuds issued as my palms struck into his torso. With a yell I put a perfect fist in his gut as he began to stagger; as he jerked down to my level I readily seized the opportunity to uppercut his jaw.

I turned, breath steady and controlled even as my face ran with sweat. The others…!

Across the small room, Chouji was driving another genin to the wall with a powerful shoulder lunge. The boy grabbed his stunned adversary around the waist, and with a roar he hurled him into the opposite wall. As he slumped a wail cut the air; after scuffling briefly with the third one Inaho had decisively snagged and broken his arm, expert in her efficiency.

He staggered and toppled against a wall, glaring up at the kunoichi. "Dammit, Inaho!"

She shrugged. "Hand over your flags."

Looks like… we did it… My Byakugan vanished, and I blinked rapidly, rubbing my eyes. Scowling at a mounting headache, I started toward the others at a walk. I need to conserve my chakra better…

"Your team's down," Inaho was saying. "I know you have them. You can either fork them over or be knocked out – either one's fine with me."

My eyes snapped wide.

"Duck!" I yelled, leaping toward Inaho with all my strength. My arms slipped beneath her arm and around her neck, and the high collision took her off her feet. She turned her head, a glower of outrage entering her eyes – until my foot was caught by a shooting missile of lightning.

Of course it didn't exactly hurt me, but as my system absorbed the fierce influx of electricity, I thought in a split-second to freeze my chakra flow – halting it forcibly – and rooting the active power before Inaho could be fried via our contact.

Another team–?

Inaho landed on top of me. I'd intended such when I knocked her over, but had perhaps underestimated our difference in weight. She flattened me.

"Ch! Outta the way!" she barked, shoving my arms from her as she charged to engage an opponent. I rolled over on my front, wheezing. I hadn't hit my head…?

A shadow loomed over me.

"Sorry kid. I'll end this quickly."

The lightning user thought his jutsu had stunned me. "As if!" I grunted, scooting back to dodge his kick – and lunging to drive a forearm into the ankle of the foot supporting him. I was rising as he caught his balance, and turned to jam an elbow into a point on his back. "Chouji-kun!" I cried, whirling sharply once to unleash the Hakkeshou Kaiten.

"Roger that!" The Akimichi swung underhand, and a monstrous palm caught the launched genin and smacked him to the ceiling in a blow that shook the room. I turned.

Shoot…!

I shouted too late. The first genin, the one with the broken arm, lunged from behind as Inaho broke from combat with one of the new opponents, and he captured her right arm between a strong elbow and knee.

"Eye for an eye!" he growled as a CRACK! broke the air, and Inaho yelled.

Chouji launched himself and briefly expanded, and his body blow flung the other boy to the wall with a crash.

I was in front of the staggered woman, teeth clenched, to narrowly catch in both hands the huge fist of the enemy she'd been facing. In a flash his foot left the ground – and sank heavily into my gut. My eyes lost focus, and before I could react a stinging heel landed at the center of my collarbone.

I thought that I would crash into Inaho. But as I sailed, I promptly found that she'd…

…Ducked…?

The impact with the stone wall made my ears ring. I crumpled, barely catching myself on wobbly arms as I hunched and coughed, desperately fighting to blink the darkness from my eyes.

If not for Hiryuu-oji-san's training, I would surely have fainted there; instead I curled up and breathed out hard, shaking and defenseless but for the most part conscious, until Chouji came and put a hand on my back. By how hard it was to breathe, not much time could've passed.

"Th-they…?"

"We took care of 'em," Chouji affirmed. "Are you alright?"

"Think so," I said, accepting the hand offered and clambering to my feet. I loosed one more cough as my breath normalized, and looked to see Inaho using her teeth and good hand to tie off a crude sling. I frowned a moment, but took a steadying breath and suppressed my thoughts. We were… teammates. "Oi…"

"We've made too much noise here," she said without facing us. "Let's grab their flags and get moving."

I couldn't argue; the flags took priority here. We gathered up only three – the ambushing team had apparently already tangled with misfortune – but brought our total to a solid twelve regardless. The moment this was done, Inaho set off for one of the paths from the room.

"You're breaking formation," I pointed out.

"Then hurry up," was her rebuttal.

"Inaho-san… Are you alright?"

"What do you think?"

My jaw locked. I strode up to her. "Okay, seriously! I'm tired of this! If you have something to say to me, come out and say it– unh!" I grabbed her wrist – and loosed a tiny yelp as her hand flashed sharply across my cheek.

"You ran here from a clan of traitors and cowards! What, do you expect us all to kiss the ground you walk on because a Hyuuga has graced the resistance with her presence?"

"Wh-what?" I gasped, startled.

"You people make me sick! The Leaf's great clan, the mighty Hyuuga – took all of three days to roll over like a dog, and turn its power against us real shinobi!"

"What's that got to do with me? ! I'm on your side!"

"You're all the same! Since the snake's invasion, do you know how many brave lives your treacherous blood has taken? !"

"I'm not the same as them!" I persisted. "I haven't ki–!"

–"Four…"–

I paused an instant, and she tore on without mercy – without anything, but hatred and rage.

She pointed her finger at me.

"You call yourself their leader? As far as I care, as much of our blood is on your hands as theirs."

"It's not!" I screeched, shaking my head. "What the Branch has done – i-it was Neji who… who…!"

"So you blame your Branch family? Convenient, isn't it? You're the pure and just, and they a lot of crooked scoundrels – that what you're telling me?"

"No!" I protested with a shudder, training wide eyes on the dirt floor. "N-Nee-chan… Nee-chan wouldn't blame them," I whispered. "It can't… it's not … their … fault that all this happened!"

"Then if they're not to blame, who the hell is? !"

"The…!" My knees gave out, thumped to the earth. "The customs… the ways of the Head Household – they did this to Neji, to all of them…! It's not right… But all the same, I can't forgive them…! What they've done… I can't forgive that man for the Hell he's put me through!"

"So, then…" She walked up to my shivering form. "As their great leader, how do you plan to redeem them?"

"I don't know!" I yowled, eyes shut. "I didn't choose to be born who I am, dammit! I never asked to be a leader!"

"Well you are! So tell me – how will you atone for the weight of their crimes – atrocities your own damned noble blood brought about? !"

"I can't!"

"Then how do you plan to rectify this situation? ! How are you going to put things in order? !"

"I'm here, getting stronger, right? ! I'm going to fight Neji! I'm going to defeat him and take my clan back – I'll fight the traitor, and I-I'll–!"

"And you'll what–? !"

"I'll kill him!"

---

Hinata ヒナタ

Tsunade lifted a spoonful of stew and drew a slow, cautious breath. Delicately she sipped the broth, and moments later at last took a bite, slowly chewed ten times, and swallowed. For several seconds she did not move.

"…You can cook."

My eyebrow twitched. "What, did you think I'd serve raw meat to humans?"

"Well…"

"I'm insulted!" I cried, ears flattening.

"YOOOOSH!" Lee exclaimed, lifting his bowl high. "You truly have outdone yourself, Hinata-san! I can practically FEEL my strength returning to me!" he shouted, flexing and arm before throwing out an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"I'm glad!" I said, blushing.

"Yes, it really is delicious," Shizune said happily, "much better than anything Tsunade-sama could whip up…"

"You're too kind," I said, ducking my head and chuckling as Tsunade protested in mock indignation.

"But it's amazing…" Tsunade began after a few more bites. "A human who became han'you… and hardly left subhuman with the tradeoff, the traits of man and wolf coexist in one body and mind, adapting to enable a unique but fluent lifestyle and various social interactions…"

"I kind of wish you'd stop talking about me like the discovery of the week… And what do you mean by 'subhuman'? Ninety-nine percent of the time I am mostly–,"

"Say – could you… scratch your ear for me?"

I blinked. Oh, no, I hadn't been saying anything. I lifted my hand. "Okay, but what does that have to do with – AH! Did you expect me to do it like this? !"

"Oh my gosh–!"

"What? ! I-I'm flexible, okay!" Glowing red, I lowered my foot, crossed my arms sourly, and leaned back in a huff to rest my head on my bag behind me.

As the heat left my face, I became suddenly aware of my heart beating at an abnormally fast resting pace. I laid a hand on my chest in wonder.

"…Imouto-chan…"

"Hinata-san? Did you say something?"

In answer I shook my head, shutting my eyes briefly as they began to bud with moisture.

Why are you weeping … Hanabi-chan?

I frowned, gazing into the blank ceiling above.

Why are you crying … angry and confused…?

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"Byakugan."

We'd secured twelve flags. I'd sought and discovered the labyrinth's exit within the range of my sight. Once we got out, I could more than likely kiss this team goodbye; needless to say, I'd miss one teammate an astronomically greater deal than the other. But first, we needed to get out of here.

I could see the exit. I could also see numerous genin hidden in the shadows of the paths leading to it and branching off of them.

Collectors, the others called them. They were lying in wait to ambush those teams confident enough in their winnings to make for an exit route. And surely enough, as Chouji and Inaho had predicted none carried flags on them, having already hidden them safely elsewhere in precaution.

Chouji's big hand enveloped my shoulder with an encouraging pat. I met questioning eyes and nodded.

My hand fell, and the three of us raced around the corner, Chouji in the lead, heading for the exit. Chouji and I both swept through our own handseals, and held them.

"Four shuriken," I warned at a grunt, and when the stars flashed out from the shadows Inaho, making use of height difference, threw some of her own over mine and Chouji's heads. With a ring eight shuriken collided a way in front of Chouji, and as the figures of attempted ambushers began to take form from the shadows, the Akimichi sprang into action.

"We're coming through! Nikudan Sensha! !"

Two surprised male screams cut out promptly, and the human juggernaut barreled forward, Inaho and I running close behind. Attacks from the front – taken care of.

But attacks from the side…

Two on the left, one on the right! I signaled quickly to Inaho behind me. "Hibana!"

As we reached an intersecting corridor I thrust my arms out. Flaring electricity danced through a storm of shuriken; the concentration of energy was strong enough to conduct, but weak enough to only briefly stun.

I darted to the left, two palms flashing into two older genin's abdomens. Unflinching, I put swift knuckles in a stomach and a heel kick in another, and as I turned back saw Inaho, holding the sign of the ox, unleash Suiton: Foam Blast upon another stunned adversary, bowling him over with a water bomb to the face.

Fitting, I mused bitterly, that such a person fights by vomiting at her opponents…

We swept back into the main path without breaking stride or formation, catching up to stick close to Chouji again. Without incident we rolled past another offshoot passage; focusing up ahead, I signaled two at three o'clock, one at nine.

"But they're further away!" I snapped, and as Chouji barreled past it and I emerged in the intersection, I launched into the Hakkeshou Kaiten.

Projectiles from many hands and trip lines alike were deflected, but one of them–

A flash bomb–!

A moment after my all-seeing eyes were dazzled, I glimpsed Inaho leaping above my Rotation, spewing a Foam Blast down to the right. I managed to keep spinning a moment longer as I realized in quick succession that she hadn't jumped hard enough to go clean over me, and that she hadn't intended to.

I had to admit, she couldn't have done it better. Even as the water blast went crashing into two of our foes, her left shoulder touched down just beside the topmost vertex of the whirling dome of chakra. The result was that she was spun around above me, in front, to the other side – across her back and onto her other shoulder – at which point she loosed a consecutive blast dead into the chest of the lone shinobi on the left.

The Rotation broke, and I staggered dizzily, blinking stars from my eyes as my Byakugan failed. She may or may not have staggered a tad as well, but a moment after I heard her sandals tap to the ground beside me (and I bumped into her), I felt the neck of my shirt tighten as she lifted me and flung me forward.

"Hurry it up!"

Granted, I would never have so quickly determined which of the four ways to go otherwise. I stumbled and ran forward half-blindly, tripped with dizziness, caught myself, heard Inaho swear–

"You're too slow!"

"Oi!" I cried as she grabbed me around the waist, tucking me under one arm like a package, and took off sprinting. Resisting the urge to complain, I tried to clear my head. "I think we're almost there!"

"I can't see past Akimichi – what kind of almost are we talking about? They're gaining from behind!"

I formed a string of seals, and then grabbed Inaho's right hand in my own. "Throw me at them!"

"What? !"

"And put some spin on it! Do it, now!"

Inaho skidded to a halt.

She turned, and her arm under me uncurled, and my arm uncurled, and she released.

A rain of metal flashed toward me.

A tremendous boom shook the earth itself as Chouji crashed square into the wall.

Inaho fell.

Three enemies tripped.

But I was in the air, spinning. Projectile defense…!

"Sparkstorm Rotation!" I cried, and shoved out what chakra I had left.

The energy leaped out with the deflected weapons, lighting up the hall. I landed, spun to a halt to see three electrified genin staggering and toppling, and fell onto my rear, gasping for breath.

"You out of your mind?"

I was lifted like a kitten once more, dragged a ways, and flung upward by the back of my shirt.

Being short came in handy in the most demeaning ways.

"Whoa!" I crashed into a soft cushion of flesh, and Chouji's big arms folded around me. "Wha– where are we?" I asked as Inaho blurred into existence in a crouch beside us.

"As of now, you three are safe. The members of Team Four, hereby accounted for – you've completed the first test!"

I looked up. "Iruka-sensei!"

The chuunin chuckled back at me.

---

Hinata ヒナタ

–"Tsunade-sama… There's something else I wanted to ask of you…"–

I spewed a mess of red down into the grass.

It was a lot like last time, I reflected with a grimace as I fell. The difference being, this time she didn't need to be careful not to make me bleed.

"We about done for the day?"

I grunted, pushing myself up again. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to continue a bit longer…"

"It's fine with me, but you, on the other hand…"

I cracked a grin. "I b-believe wholeheartedly that fighting tougher opponents is a surefire way to get stronger… maybe as much at first a surefire way to wind up beat, but since I'm pretty tough I can handle it…!"

I lunged toward her again, and my claws were dodged. Already I was reacting well to the sannin's moves, dipping and dodging from the paths of fists that rattled the air; I diverted by the forearm, punching for her face. When she dodged I wrapped my left arm around the one I'd diverted, locking my right arm over it and kneeing for her gut. She caught my knee in a palm and flipped over me, wrenching my arms and turning the hold against me to punch me sharply in the face – and knee me in the gut. I shut one eye with a hiss, and she grabbed my shoulder to hurl me back behind her. Upside-down, my back impacted a tree.

"Ita-ta-ta-ta-ta…!" I hissed, rolling onto my front.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to grapple riskily with an opponent who's physically stronger?" She shook her head. "I already know your body's tougher than the average mutt's, but still…"

"This is nothing," I panted. "Actually, it kind of reminds me of when I fought Lord Shodai and Lord Nidaime…"

"You couldn't…"

"Youkai no Kokudo is a mysterious place. Their spirits were called back, and their forms channeled through their familiars. Nonetheless they retained all their powers…"

"And you fought them?" she snorted.

I smirked. "The last of my trials was the longest and most terrible. It was preceded by a day of rest, and a great hunt in which I feasted with many upon the fearsome beasts of the wild land; then I prayed long to the Ookami for strength, and from the night of the new moon until that of the full moon, fourteen nights and fourteen days, I fought – alone. At first it seemed my supplication was all for naught… but as I at last abolished my fear and cast off all traits and thoughts of the cowardly, I felt the strength of the Ookami, rising up inside me. As the moon waxed it only grew stronger, and I along with it; if I hadn't kept up – had fallen inferior to it – I would have been overwhelmed and corrupted by its might. When the full moon rose and I'd survived, I became a sister of the Wolves…" I lifted my hand.

"That was my first true taste of it – the power I earned. That… was Youki."

Release.

Tsunade smirked as the telltale markings of han'you patterned my skin. "Well, I may not be a Wolf-sister, but if you're out to test yourself then I wouldn't be one to have the Senjuu pale in your eyes…"

BOOM!

I landed in a tree from my blurring leap of evasion, clawed hands and feet adhering to the trunk. "Unfortunately, we don't have so much time on our hands this time around," I pointed out with a grin, clawing my shoulder and slinging off powerful scythes of darkness. I flashed to the ground and struck into her evasion, spitting fire as she twisted to escape my claws. Only the tip of one of her toes could find the earth, but its strength alone proved enough to launch her, albeit the slightest bit clumsily, from harm's way.

We traded blows until she knocked me through a tree.

I growled deeply, rolling to my feet. But I, too…!

I leapt out from the dust, right fist drawn back.

…Have grown far stronger than I was the day I joined the pack!

Tsunade slipped outside my punch.

I opened my hand, turning my palm out.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

An indirect Chakra Concussion Blast threw her to the treeline.

…It also dislocated my arm.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"Lady Hanabi!"

"Huh? Hitaka-kun?"

The three of us had barely handed in our flags and started off to the awaiting rooms when the boy came barreling up the hallway, a huge grin on his face. Propriety alone likely caught him just short of tackling me in a hug.

"It is good to see you, milady! I heard that you have finished the trial, with time to spare… I mean–," He knelt, bowing his head. "Are you well? Uninjured?"

"Raise your head, please. I'm fine, simply tired…"

"I'm relieved…" he replied, smiling.

"Pff…" Inaho walked past, clearly none too intent on busying herself with us any longer. She halted, however, upon spotting another walking up the hallway.

"Oba-san!" I said.

"M'lady," Harumi greeted, bowing her head to me. She looked aside. "Inaho-san."

She had said it in greeting, but my as of now former teammate only suppressed a scowl, muttered a "Hm," and walked on into a room.

Guess that was goodbye… Not like I could honestly say I missed her, but still…

"Hyuuga-san," Chouji said suddenly a couple of moments after, "Do you know how many other teams have finished already?"

The jounin nodded, but before she could answer–

"Haha, so you made it out, huh?" Kiba laughed, smacking aside the sheet in the doorway of a room a short way down the hall and unceremoniously lunging to capture me in a headlock.

"Will you quit that? !" I complained. With a jovial "Never!" he knuckled the crown of my head as I struggled, and Hitaka and Harumi looked on in awkward dismay, possibly contemplating averting their eyes.

"Okay, o-kay!" he said, and I gasped and patted down my ruffled hair as he finally released me.

"Wait!" I gasped, shaking my head. "How is Konohamaru? Is he–?"

"I'm right here–!"

I whirled, dodging a fist, hooking my arms across a neck, and reaching with my foot before snapping to sweep the backs of his ankles. I landed in a crouch as he thudded onto his back.

"You're too loud," I groaned, standing and giving him a hand. "You'll blow my eardrums with that high voice – poor Akamaru-chan must be sick of it…"

He brushed himself off. "Yeah, whatever. How many flags did you get? !"

"H-huh?"

"Twelve!" Chouji supplied proudly.

The kid grinned, and turned his eyes on me, barely containing his mirth. "You don't say…"

No way in heck was I about to ask him. Chouji seemed to pick up on this.

"And you guys?" he asked Kiba. Note – Kiba. Not–

"Sixteen!" Konohamaru exclaimed.

"Big deal," I scoffed. I expected that had mostly been Kiba-kun's doing either way.

"But wait…" Chouji murmured. "That means… there are twenty flags left in the mix, and fourteen teams. In other words… there's no way we won't score in the top five!"

My lips parted. He's right…

We'd passed the first test.

---

Hinata ヒナタ

I remained silent as Tsunade examined it carefully. I was unexcited; I pressed her with no questions. Shouldn't I be overjoyed? Hopeful? But my ears were low with trepidation, and a dour frown hung on my face for reasons I couldn't entirely understand. I was lost in my own thoughts, and getting tangled in them.

But I had to know.

Tsunade looked up at my face briefly, but said nothing. My shoulder had been set again; we were in the shade of some trees at the clearing's edge. Apparently… she'd noticed the wound the first time she saw me. Even now that we were sure allies, she hadn't given it much thought and I hadn't asked.

But now…

Tsunade looked up from my crippled arm and held my eyes.

"I can heal this."

My breath froze. A furrow, as if of alarm, jumped in my brow. Just like that…

"The wound's old… we won't be able to restore it all at once. The scarring's set in deep, and your keirakukei's long adapted to the change and sealed off…" She ran her hand over the claw scars once more. "This arm's chakra network will never be what it once was … but it can be functional again. However…"

I took a deep breath, and looked up to meet her eyes.

"You'll need to stop using that attack." She paused, looking down coolly. "You've turned your arm into a cannon… but it's simply not built to contain such a radical concentration of chakra." She tapped her fingers between the fourth and fifth scars. "You can probably see as well that this point is the worst. The keirakukei is malleable, in a sense; if I can mend the flesh, and the flow is gradually restored … it'll take some rehabilitation, but eventually we can get your chakra going down the right paths again… going all the way to your hand. But there's barely anything left of it as is. The passages have atrophied with lack of use, and have sustained repeated damage from your seal-directed chakra blast."

My mouth worked a moment. "So, then…"

"So… eventually, there will be nothing left. You're searing out what little is left of its chakra network. Keep using that move, and soon this deadened arm… will never handle chakra on its own again."

"I see…" I withdrew my arm, and began wrapping it again. "That's a relief."

"What…?"

A calm smile had crossed my face; I looked up. "I had to know … because I had no idea what I would feel, what I would want, until I did. Now that I know my arm can be fixed, I can understand it for certain. I don't want it fixed."

"But – why?"

"This scar … has become a part of me." I clenched my fist tight, making knuckles pop. "When I first received it, I was filled with despair… but then, even though I was impaired, even crippled, I worked past it. It's made me a stronger person in more ways than one… By keeping it, I'll always carry a reminder of what I'm fighting for. And if I can get past this arm being broken, then – then I know that with enough effort I can overcome anything that tries to deter me from my path!"

---

Naruto ナルト

"Hyaaaa–!"

Sharply, I ducked; deadly sand cut above my head. But without halting in my charge, I touched a hand to the ground, rose again, and threw my fist at Gaara's gut.

He hit my wrist with his hand.

I flipped aside as his other hand swept down, dropping a compact pillar of sand where I'd been. Pressing forward, I unleashed a barrage of blows; eyes wide, breathing fast, he blocked and shifted and sidestepped, backpedalling neatly as floating sand around him darted to catch Shadow Strikes.

He grabbed my right fist in his left, and his right arm, from under his left, swept violently to direct a blast of sand toward my side. I flipped over it, and as my arm was freed I captured Gaara's own wrist. My feet met ground, and I threw him over myself – but he caught himself on his feet, was steadied by the sand, and lunged sharply back to ram my chest with his shoulder. I tipped back, but found my feet ensnared – and swore as sand twined rapidly up my legs, about my body, lifting and binding and hurling me down–

POOF!

In the air behind my foe, I flung three shuriken that ricocheted off a wall of sand. I swapped past the following Sandblast, and my fist cracked into his cheek; blood was cast from his mouth at another lightning blow, and he grunted and reeled, ducking before blocking with sand and blowing me backwards with a short heave of the shield. I backflipped and landed, completing a flurry of seals to spit an Air Bullet; encompassed in churning sand, he jetted forward through it and tried to strike into me. Jumping above the sand that was launched forward as he halted, I fired a Konoha Sempuu kick for his head. He rolled aside, and as he rose and I landed he swept lashing sand around himself. My sleeve was shredded in my tight evasion, and as the sand arced behind him he directed it over himself and sent it plowing down toward me from above.

I jumped curtly back, and the ground cracked and shook under his blow even as he rose, uplifted on a mass of sand before shooting forward, swatting fiercely at me with the lurching wave of sand under his feet.

I jumped high as he plunged to again fracture the earth, and in his landing the sand sifted smoothly to his sides before arcing toward me in the air, from my left and my right.

Gaara's fist cracked firmly into his palm, and in the next instant the sand smashed together with a roar that jarred the air.

Behind him, chakra suppressed, I considered clearing my throat or otherwise hinting myself away. In the brief moment that I was considering it, however, I was forced to duck as a sudden backfist lashed around for my head.

I slipped outside and stayed behind him, my back to his as I maneuvered light feet over the earth and the staff through my hands. With precision and intense concentration I dodged neatly, staying behind him as he struck furiously with fists and sand, trying to face me. The staff flowed about me all the while that we circled together – above my head, at my side, behind my back, catching a swing beside my head before we changed direction again.

As he swung I slipped back under his arm, turning to face the direction he was and at last hooking the staff in my elbows, behind my back…

As Gaara began to grab a hold of the hair at the back of my head, a knockout strike was winding up in his other fist.

THAMP–! !

Turning slightly, I bent my knees and jerked forward in one sharp movement. Gaara's whole body shook once when the knob at the end of my spear connected with his back.

"Gh…" His hand slipped from my hair. I didn't move, looking straight ahead as my opponent fell flat to the ground.

Sighing, I put down my weapon and looked down at him. The other boy gasped for breath with pain and fatigue, eyes screwed shut, pale face drenched in perspiration. Splotches of bruising peppered his face, and blood ran from his mouth as he pressed trembling hands to the ground, struggling with shaking arms and little result to rise again, but trying all the same.

I stood up, and bent to offer a hand. "Here."

Eyes opening, he looked at me and hesitated a moment.

"Come on. We're done."

His face fell, and he took my hand. As he started to his feet, I took his arm around my shoulders, and with our combined effort we got him to full height.

His mouth opened.

"I… failed."

"Hm?" I asked as we walked. "What're you talking about? I was just thinking I'm feeling a lot better about having someone like you on the front lines with us, y'know…"

"Wh-what? You mean…?"

I smirked. "Time to rest up, Gaara. We're heading out tomorrow, after all."

"Right!"

It was almost time to move on. Or, rather…

Time to put things in motion.

---

Twenty, Part Two: Champion

Hanabi ハナビ

"Is all of that clear?" Genma-sensei finished.

"Hai!" over a dozen voices chorused. We, the victorious teams, were lined up in the center of the room. Newly carved out of the stone, this arena was a deep, sizeable rounded pit; walls edged the fairly level floor, rising a ways before escalating outward in rows of stone benches for seating, now packed in their first use with chuunin and tokubetsu jounin, and the occasional civilian. Stone and wooden pillars patterned the walls, and well overhead a single central opening provided a skylight from above. Finally, on a high platform that jutted from an indention in the wall, Shikamaru sat with his chin resting on a bridge of interlocked fingers, hawk eyes under his sharp brow poring over the contenders, as Anko stood dutifully at his side. The underground arena couldn't compare in size to the splendor of the true chuunin exam stadium, but today it would serve the same purpose.

Genma nodded to Iruka-sensei, who stepped up at his side with a bucket in his hands. The chuunin shook the tin container, and from it issued the sloshing of water and the rattle of its other contents.

I gulped. Restlessly I rocked forward and back on my heels once and again, swung my arms slightly, clenched my fists. I drew a silent breath in under the rumble that filled the arena. A way down the line, Kiba grinned with fearless eagerness, visibly itching to fight. At my side, Chouji stood with his heavy arms crossed, and for any trepidation his eyes may have betrayed his mouth and brow were set in the picture of determination. Sakura, whose team had managed to round out a tied fourth place with six flags, stood tall and firm – obviously anxious – but determined not to fail here. Broken arm or not, Inaho showed no weakness, a hard glower on her face emitting a challenge to anyone who looked her way. All the other genin stood unmoving, some with hands in pockets, some with chins high and confident, eyes calm as if they were doing nothing of greater significance than standing in the supper line. I again found Oji-san, Oba-san, and my cousins in the audience, and I wondered if they saw me. I decided to stop fidgeting.

A clang rattled out as Iruka reversed the spin of the water in the tin pail. Moments later, he removed the lid, and with a gloved hand, without looking down, reached into the container and withdrew two small stone rectangles.

He drew back and threw them up high; the dripping tokens glinted under the skylight at the peak of their flight, but were shadowed and unreadable. Finally, halfway between the assembled line of genin and Genma, they landed.

One landed flat immediately, and upon reading the name etched into it I was flushed with a chill of exhilaration. I knew without doubt I was ready – but even so, right off the bat?

The second stone token hit ground on a corner, bounced, and turned over before settling.

Haruno Sakura.

Me… against Sakura-chan, huh…? "Alright," I breathed, swinging my arms loosely again. I wasn't sure what I thought about fighting Sakura, particularly – mostly because it didn't matter who it was, though I did find it nice to be fighting a friend first. Moreover, though I knew if asked ten seconds ago about being first up I wouldn't have know whether I'd prefer it or not; now that I knew it was time to fight, I was ready to.

…I couldn't wait.

At Genma's order the others started heading up to a reserved spot in the crowd. I looked at Sakura with a smile, but was surprised at what I saw. She watched Iruka writing in chalk our names under the first bracket of the tournament tree on the wall, something akin to despair on her face.

"Sakura-chan?" I said, confused.

"Huh?"

I stuck out my hand, smiling again. "Let's make this a good fight, okay?"

She forced a smile back. "Right," she said, shaking my hand. We separated, moving apart and facing each other with some ten yards between us.

Genma eyed us both, shifting the senbon in his mouth and nodding. "Haruno Sakura. Hyuuga Hanabi. If both competitors are ready… Let the first match of the first New Konoha Chuunin Selection Examination tournament begin!"

Byakugan!

My foot shifted out, squaring my stance.

I paused.

"…Sakura-san," I said, frowning. I raised my voice. "Sakura."

"Wh-what's up?"

I caught it in her eyes the moment they met mine: guilt.

My brow furrowed. "The match has started, you know… so why wouldn't you look at your opponent?"

"I…" She bit her lip.

"You don't want to hurt me. Okay. But we just said we'd make this a good fight, didn't we?"

A response sparked in her eyes, but faded a ways before being made an utterance.

Well, she was looking at me now – so I could do this in fairly good conscience. Fairly.

"I–,"

THOK.

"Sorry," I whispered.

Stunned beyond belief, mouth open to admit a sharp grunt, Sakura fell promptly from the small fist in her stomach, sank to her knees whilst hugging her midsection, and with a weak breath crumpled down onto her side, eyes white. She hadn't seen me coming.

I lowered my outstretched fist, returning to full height and looking momentarily at my foe. I looked up at the silent crowd, scanning over disbelieving faces, until my eyes came to rest upon the competitors' section.

I know I should've been glad that I'd made it through a round with minimal effort and no harm to myself, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to fight.

My fists clenched.

"Hey!" I called. "Anyone who's thinking about going easy on me, just – just stop it!"

For a moment my breath was fast, audible, in the silence. Then Hitaka cried out.

"Hanabi-sama!" he cheered.

The crowd erupted, hollering, applauding. My breath settled; I blinked in startled confusion, and my face flushed. I found Hiryuu's cool eyes in the excitement, and slowly he nodded.

Genma's teeth clamped shut on his senbon as he observed a moment longer. Putting two fingers to his lips, he loosed a piercing whistle, summoning the medics before turning to face the crowd.

"Haruno Sakura cannot continue. By knockout, the champion of the first battle is Hyuuga Hanabi!" he declared, grabbing my hand and lifting it up.

The crowd erupted anew.

---

Naruto ナルト

The eight of us – me, Lee, Gaara, Hinata, Kurogiba, Tsunade, Shizune, and, well, the pig (okay, maybe not so much the pig) – spent well over an hour in the inn poring over maps and talking strategy. It was almost reminiscent of our debriefing in the woods when it was just the three of us having come together again, but now we had a definite course of action; now Gaara stared attentively at the maps, adding an occasional nod or word to the discussion; now Lee was coddling a pig that had taken quite a liking to him; now Hinata and Tsunade, forcing identical smiles, began a glaring contest when the latter inquired as to the meaning of a few date-riddled, colored lines dotting one of the former's maps; now Shizune pored over our written intel and produced a slew of questions; now we all tossed around battle tactics.

Finally, we drafted in code and memorized a rough plan for the order in which we would strike the successive prisons.

Hinata sealed up the documents again. Having paid in advance, we walked from the inn.

As we reached a shaded path, Kurogiba, who had exited via the window, emerged silently from the shadows. Hinata nestled her hand briefly over his flaming shoulder as he joined us.

When we were a mile away Hinata sank to all fours, and our party broke into a brisk run.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

Okay. Okay. I really should've been counting myself lucky. The first rounds complete, the remaining competitors had been cut down to eight; two matches had since been fought, and I was selected for the third.

How lucky could I be? My first opponent had been caught off-guard, and now my second-round opponent… well…

He was grinning like a fool.

"You were just wiping your nose a second ago," I pointed out, a skeptical eyebrow raised as he reached out for the handshake.

He frowned in confusion. "No, I wasn't."

"I saw you."

"Oooh, that! My nose wasn't running or anything."

"Then why do you do that?"

He blinked. "I'm … not really sure, actually!"

I scowled and shook his hand. Oh, well – all the better. He'd gotten here by luck himself; as we had started with fifteen finalists, there had been only seven battles in the first round, cutting the total down to a round eight by having one person sit out. It was time for me to knock him out of the running before he actually came up against someone dangerous.

Still… I noticed as we walked ten yards apart, Even though it's only the two youngest competitors … the crowd actually seems pretty excited about this one…

"Sarutobi Konohamaru and Hyuuga Hanabi! If both of you are ready … you may begin!" Genma declared.

Byakugan! I sent chakra to my feet.

"All right, rival! Right here, right now, get ready to l–!"

Konohamaru started in confusion as I flashed behind him. A bewildered "huh?" was barely passing his lips as I hurled a kick for the back of his head.

Fwoosh!

He… dodged?

"Chance!" he chirped, lunging with a smirk to put a fist in my back.

"Guh–!" Off-balance, I stumbled and fell, caught myself, scrambled up and away from him with an arm behind my back. Wh-what the…? !

I turned and glared coolly. How? I thought, staring into the triumphant eyes of the boy who now stood with a grin, still brandishing his fist. I actually gave him the first strike? It was nothing beside one of Hiryuu's blows, but all the same … as far as striking form and even placement went, his punch had been fundamentally perfect.

"You look a little surprised, Hyuuga," he teased.

I grunted. Kuso! Don't lose focus…!

He struck suddenly, and I dodged.

What's going on…?

I blocked a kick, dodged a punch, kept my balance–

"You just don't get it, do you?" he shouted.

"Get what? !" I retorted, narrowly dodging his fist and glancing his temple with the heel of a palm. There! I thought, already kicking his ankle as he cringed from the strike. If I could just knock him to the ground and touch him with a kunai, they'd call the match.

My palm raced forward.

Like heck I'm losing to someone who could never hit me a day in his life!

He jerked back, dodging but losing his feet.

My eyes caught him touching a hand to the earth a moment before his foot lashed across my face.

I spun on heel and fell tumbling to the ground. He fell as well, if only with clumsiness – and he got to his feet more quickly than I did, smugness glowing on his face.

"I mean I wasn't kidding when I said I've been training like crazy! If you think you're the only one around here who's gotten stronger, you're wrong."

"Hn! I see," I said, "And at every single 'ambush' of yours, you've continued just letting me flatten you in order to lull me into a false sense of security." All this, just to defeat me… Smirking, I rose to full height. "Problem is, now I know not to underestimate you. From here on out, I'll be fighting you seriously!"

"As my rival?" he asked stonily, fists clenched.

For a moment I was surprised. I smiled again. "Sure. Why not?"

His eyes widened in recognition – but he couldn't dodge the fist that flashed across his face. He reeled, blocking one blow before suffering another, and another.

You're fast, and agile…! I thought as I attacked, as he fought just to defend, to regain ground, to counter. I swatted a strike aside, dusted his abdomen with a harsh flurry of jabs, kicked his knee, hit his shoulder–

But you're not as fast as I am!

–And I swept my palm into his jaw.

The focus wavered in his eyes as he staggered back, rolled backwards and onto his feet again, and tottered back in a loose half-circle, one hand brushing the floor before he ground his teeth and charged toward me.

Perhaps he didn't so much charge as he did launch himself, but his fierce shoulder blow was evaded easily enough all the same. With fire in his eyes he now tore onto the offensive, and adroitly I avoided his increasingly unpredictable moves; a diverted fist passed just beside my head, and an arcing kick just before my nose. I could scarcely throw in a strike edgewise. How is he doing this?

He snatched my wrist as I threw a palm. He caught the other fist – and lunged to headbutt me full force. Releasing, he took in both hands the neck of my shirt, and I grunted out hard as he buried a shoe in my stomach. Releasing me again, he flung himself into an insane axe kick that I barely caught above my head – but almost as soon as his ankle met crossed wrists and he tumbled neatly to the ground, he gathered himself up again and rose hurling a fist into my face.

I tried to roll with it, but did little to lessen the sudden impact and was thrown off my feet.

Kuso! The little monkey…!

This isn't just about making chuunin to him…

I sprang to my feet, narrowly shifting to dodge another blow.

And if I don't want it as much as he does…

My hand slipped into my kunai pouch.

I really am going to lose here!

"Kaiten!" I cried, deflecting yet another strike before knocking him away. I was letting fly a knife toward him even as the Rotation faded.

He dodged in a quick backbend, and sprang to his feet hurling four shuriken to nullify my own.

Eight throwing stars and one kunai thudded to the earth.

"You're tougher than I thought," I muttered, charging with a knife in hand.

"You're every bit as tough as I expected," he sneered.

And here it got tricky.

I knocked from his hand the knife he drew, and as it met the ground he took up another. The blades rang as we traded blows, neither of us giving an inch, until we broke apart and flung them so that they again collided between us and fell to the earth. I threw a handful of shuriken and a handful more, and he deflected them all about himself with a practiced knife hand before leaping aside of a third wave and retaliating with his own. I deflected with my own knife before launching a brief Rotation when he threw two hands of stars and knives at once, and the projectiles scattered to the earth all around me.

Eventually, both panting for breath and much lighter around the holsters, we paused.

A smirk slid across my face. I cast my knife to the ground.

"What's so funny?" he asked, suspicious of bluffing if anything.

My all-seeing eyes studied the arena floor very carefully. I raced through a string of seals and paused. "Konohamaru… I need to ask you to take a step, about a half foot back, if you don't want to get seriously hurt."

He frowned, and murmurs of disapproval and doubt rolled through the crowd above. I ignored it; smirks aside, my face was all seriousness now.

"Rivals' honor," I said in a moment. "You have to trust me here."

He held my eyes only a few moments before he complied. "And now…?"

"Now… try not to move a muscle.

"Hibanaaaa! !"

Sharply I thrust out my arms. In the blink of an eye burning electricity had strung itself crazily from conductor to conductor, draped and tethered up in all directions to weapons lodged in the walls and ground, blanketing the arena floor and lower portion of the pit and soon arcing, drifting, rolling, crackling freely about the air directly above.

I stood as the nexus supplying this monstrosity, still with focus, hair whipping wildly behind me, and Konohamaru, mouth slightly agape, stood stock-still in its midst, taut bands of radiant energy flashing inches in front of his chest, rolling along centimeters from an ankle.

"Wh… what…?"

My face was straight as I uttered one word that rang throughout the blinding room. "Lightning…"

I bade the power flare briefly, and watched it very nearly touch him. Then I ceased in the output of chakra, and successfully forbade myself to look even minorly winded as I loftily resumed full height and held Sarutobi Konohamaru's stunned gaze in a challenge.

His wide eyes returned to the present, and the bitter sweat on his pale face dripped to the earth as he looked down, peered in wonder at his own shaking hand.

He again met my eyes, for a long moment. His face hardened, and his hand rose.

"I… I give up!"

I was taken aback. "What? !"

He looked down. "You could've fried me with a thought just now if you'd felt like it… It's only the rules of this tournament that restrict you from really hurting me." He raised his voice. "Did you hear me? I said I withdraw! I'm forfeiting the match!"

I looked to Genma, but there was a smile on his face. Iruka-sensei nodded … approval?

Genma stepped up and took hold of my hand – shocked himself – and tried again, lifting it up. "Due to Sarutobi Konohamaru's withdrawal, Hyuuga Hanabi is awarded the match by forfeit!"

But – Konohamaru-kun…? Barely hearing the applause of the crowd, I looked again to meet the boy's eyes. "Why…?"

"Kuso…" he murmured, hiding the moisture in his eyes. "If I've lost, it had better be to the tournament champion – my number one rival!"

My mouth shut, and I nodded my understanding. Until next time, then…

---

Naruto ナルト

We waited on our feet, crouching in shadows or with backs pressed to trees – five people, invisible in the dusk.

We snapped to attention when Hinata crashed back into view, Kurogiba bounding not far behind. The two skidded to a halt, and seemed anxious to keep moving.

"So…?"

"This one's empty," she grunted. "They've moved him."

I nodded, and Lee said, "Onto the next one, then?"

She again grunted the affirmative, and with no further delay took off to the north. The rest of us blurred along behind.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"Begin!"

My bloodline flared up around my eyes. This guy… I wouldn't have seen her as a pushover with or without a broken arm, but he beat Inaho like it was nothing… The young man was in his later teens, his hair dusty brown, his face smart, his body lean and packed with muscle. He called out aloud.

"I hope you don't hold it against me … but you said to go all out, and that's exactly what I'll do. I have no intention of losing here… so I'll end this as quickly as I can!"

Not quite, I thought, reacting, dodging as he struck. He's definitely good, but I can keep up…

The crowd pitched and hollered as I sharply dodged a series of fierce blows; I struck out and was blocked, and broke swiftly away. Studying each other, we circled slowly, and in a flash we were engaged again. Of course the crowd of shinobi had realized it, just as I had. I had defeated thus far a girl with no particularly special abilities and then, though the grandson of the late Sandaime-sama, the second-youngest genin in the competition. To see an eight-year-old girl going toe to toe with a man considerable taller, largely regarded the tournament favorite, must have been baffling to the eye, but my skill was true: we were evenly matched.

Panting, we broke from another heated exchange of blows. I'd taken no direct hits, but conversely had managed to hit him only occasionally and with little effect, other than weakening one of his arms with Juuken. He clearly hadn't anticipated such a challenge from me, but remained confident and focused. However long it may take, he didn't believe he would be losing to me – and if it took long enough, whatever his earlier reservations may have been, he would probably start whipping out some of his ninjutsu as well.

I can't let this drag on! For the first time in the fight I initiated offense, lunging, attacking. I forced him to backpedal.

Then I hit his shoulder.

He recoiled with a grunt at the stinging Juuken strike – and in blinding succession I brought my fist across his face, kicked the side of his knee, hit his face hard again – I had him off-balance – got some knuckles sharply in his ribs, his stomach–

He swung, and I ducked easily under his arm, whirled behind him, tucked right fist into left palm, and–

To finish it–!

Slammed my elbow solidly into a blocking hand.

"…Huh–?"

WHAP! !

Stance low and square, he turned his body and plowed a crushing fist dead into my face. A crunch broke in my ears, and I heard myself give a startled cry; I hit the ground, blinked at the rocking ceiling, and nearly passed out. All my training kicked in to force my eyes wide open – to snap my mind to wakefulness – as I shivered and coughed confusedly.

People were yelling. My eyes focused on the airborne figure directly above, leaping toward me, a kunai in hand.

I ground my teeth hard and rolled up on my shoulders, desperately kicking up my feet with a prayer that I would hit his gut or chest and keep the knife from touching me.

Another crunch sounded, and the knife dropped from his hand as he fell on top of me, and he rolled off as I blindly pushed away. My foot – he'd fallen against it? – it had kinda sort of caught him the neck.

"Hanabi-sama!" Uncle's voice boomed harshly down above the chaos. "Stand up!"

Double – shoot, they'll call a double knockout! I scrambled onto my front and shoved to my feet, shaking stars out of my eyes. My foe was still down, a hand at his throat, as he kicked in wide-eyed pain. My standing was all Genma needed to call the match.

"Medics! Hurry it up!" he called.

I turned my head to see two people had flickered down behind me. "Oji-san, Oba-san…?"

Harumi grimaced when I faced them. What was up? Why were they…?

I lifted a hand to my face as blind numbness ebbed, giving way to pain. I froze. Then, following Hiryuu's gaze, I looked down at the mess of red streaked down my shirt, dripping steadily from my broken nose.

Oh…

My tongue felt thick. I swallowed nervously, and tasted – it. B-b-bl…

"Hanabi-sama–,"

It went dark.

---

"Uh… Ah–!" A hand at my stomach, I lurched again, shutting my eyes to the sickening splatter of my most recent meal hitting the floor.

Harumi's hands were cool and steadying on my forehead and bare back. Finished, I gasped, shivering weakly. "There, the worst's over; we're almost done…" Her skillful hand had painstakingly repositioned and repaired my crushed nose; now light, healing chakra worked to soothe the swollen, tender flesh at the site of the impact. "Are you all right? Can you breathe through it now?"

I gritted my teeth and got out an affirmative-sounding grunt.

Hiryuu halted in his rapid pacing to turn toward me again. "How many times have I warned you about your reach? Why the hell would you try to use your elbows against someone two feet taller than you? !"

I didn't answer. I looked to Hikujaku, standing back and gazing impassively off in another direction with the air of that practiced way Branch members were so good at pretending they weren't in a room; I looked to Hitaka cleaning up the mess I'd made, and looked away again. "I don't know," I finally muttered stubbornly.

His response was that I'd gotten careless – cocky.

"I screwed up, okay! Sorry!"

"Sorry?" He laughed oddly, his face harsh. "Do not apologize to me, m'lady."

"Then what do you want me to say? He'll be fine, I'll be fine – why don't we just leave it at that?"

He glared down at me a moment. Then he shook his head and turned, striding from the room. "Use this time… Wash up and prepare for the final."

"Hai…"

Ten minutes later found my nose securely back in place, and Harumi and I alone in the communal bath. I shivered, exhaling softly as she poured lukewarm water down my bruised, aching back before she began to lather my skin with a soapy sponge. It was in fact mine to choose whether the servant who bathed me was dressed or not as she did so; whether I preferred her clothed to avoid discomfort at my own comparatively undeveloped body, or if I should fancy her unclothed to prevent either embarrassment or risk the sense of inferiority in my own state of nudity, she was obliged to comply to my wish. Routinely I required Harumi to bathe me in the nude, not for such traditional reasons so much as to allow her to bathe herself when I was finished rather than force her to wait for my absence to undress and bathe while I met up with and departed the baths with the guys. That would leave her to hurry and catch up to us alone later.

"What are you thinking about, m'lady?" Harumi inquired gently as she began to comb out my hair.

"Oji-san…" I began, and paused. "I don't understand him."

"Hm…?"

"I mean – sometimes it seems like he's proud of me, and others it's like – like he'll never be satisfied. Like he can hardly stand to look at me… I won the match, didn't I? It's not like I had a ton of fun getting my nose broken, but I won. Isn't that what matters?"

"Well…" A motherly hand brushed down my bruised face. "Keep in mind that it is rather … unpleasant for us all to watch you being hurt in these battles…"

"So he's yelling at me for getting hurt?"

"Well, not quite." She sighed patiently. "Hiryuu-san is a proud man. He may be harsh at times, but you need to understand that he means only the best for you."

"That doesn't make a lot of sense…"

She laughed. "Doesn't it?"

I shook my head.

"You see, Lady Hanabi… In his eyes, the Hyuuga Clan has fallen from grace."

Well, that was different.

"Indeed, with Neji's usurpation and the Branch's treachery, we're nil but a contorted shadow of our former glory. Think about it. The noble, honored defenders of the Leaf became overnight a band of cowards and traitors. In what light would you suppose our comrades view our blood now?"

I gulped quietly. "Perhaps many of them… They hold the Hyuuga largely responsible for Orochimaru's success, don't they? The greatest clan… and when it fell, many followed…"

I didn't need to see her nod. Her voice was solemn. "The Branch's actions have brought shame immeasurable upon our exalted name; and if one exists for us, the road to forgiveness will certainly be a long and arduous one. We may very well be damned. But just imagine how painful it is… the frustration a proud warrior like Hiryuu must feel, to struggle against disgrace and seek out honor irreclaimable…"

"How is it irreclaimable?" I asked. "You're here, aren't you? Serving the Leaf, protecting me, 'preserving the order' of the clan… All of you…"

"Aye, but still we are looked upon with scorn and distrust. Surely milady has seen it as well…?"

I nodded very slightly.

"We may protect you and nurture you – we may lay down our lives – but in the end, there is only so much the four of us can do."

"Then what is it … that makes me different?"

She smiled. "You, Lady Hanabi, are something greater than every one of us. You are our leader … our champion … and to Hiryuu, and Hitaka, and I as well, you embody our finest hope for redemption."

"I'm just a kid…"

"A child you are, but you alone hold the power to be our salvation. Young Hyuuga of pure spirit and rightful blood… It is Hiryuu's hope that you will win this competition and shed honor upon our name. Show New Konoha the presence of its Hyuuga Clan, and let it feel no regret in sheltering us. Let them have faith that such a fine prowess as your own stands among them, and herald the righteous Hyuuga's return." Her hands brushed over my shoulders. "It may be a mere competition, but through it you can demonstrate that you have the power – the great power to command all our clansmen – the power to rectify this tumult and put your house in order. So, please…"

I looked down. "Oba-san… Do you and Inaho-san know each other?"

"Ah… Her older sister was once on the same genin team as I, and we served often together in our chuunin and jounin years as well."

"Inaho-san has a sister?"

"She had a sister… she used to."

With that she announced she was finished. We dried and dressed, and left the bath.

The intermission was almost up. It was almost time for me to face the other finalist…

To fight Inuzuka Kiba.

---

Naruto ナルト

"What is your business here, taichou? I thought you were on duty back in the village."

I returned the salute of the leader of the Oto-nin who'd stopped me. Voice cool and pleasant, I explained that I was not released to disclose much information. "I am here by Godaime-sama's command. We are to escort the prisoner immediately to the southeast prison."

The man was surprised, but nodded. "Confirmation?"

Time to find out if Hinata's info is on the mark… "Green, 12H7X36M3 tatsu K54J mi, hitsuji, mi."

The man nodded.

…No. Way.

"Come; you must be weary from your trip."

"Quite," I said, smiling as they led me to the prison. This one was aboveground, and could as easily serve as a fort – or fortress, at that. The solid stronghold was encompassed by an outer wall some ten meters high. Not discreet as the underground ones were, its emphasis was on high security and a bulk of forces – troublesome stuff – and according to Hinata, Jiraiya was confined in a central chamber sealed and spelled up so thoroughly it was all but impervious to her Byakugan eyes. We had no time, however, to wait around until the old man was moved to a less tenacious holding, but if we could manage to have them transport him out – aw, shoot–!

Slssh–POOF!

My heels slid back a ways as I swapped from the group I'd been walking with to see a kage bunshin, knifed by three shinobi at once, go up in smoke.

"Is there a problem?" I inquired flatly as they caught sight of me again.

"Nothin' major – except that you're obviously an imposter who hasn't seen Komuso-taichou recently enough to know of his recent haircut!" the leader barked, pointing in accusation.

"You don't say?" Of all the rotten…! I lifted my hands, smiling cheerily. "I guess you got me."

"Damn right we did. Now go ahead and show us your real face!"

I lifted a playful eyebrow. "Why don't you come on over here and make me?"

"What's that–?"

I swapped a few yards straight backwards without dispelling the duplicate left in my place. And the moment my doppelganger did vanish upon having its face busted in my stead, I had already lunged low from where I was hidden behind it and swapped to lever my shin clean into his ankles. Already overbalanced from his punch and the evaporating target on which it had landed, he fell forward; in a flash my hand was at the back of a skull, breaking his nose into the earth.

"Next?" I offered, looking up at the others.

After a stunned instant they came charging together – and were blown collectively off their feet as sand exploded from the earth before me. Discarding my guise as the ice blue-haired ANBU Sound captain, I rose to full height. As the dust faded, the others were standing around me.

"What the – who are you? !"

I smiled dangerously. "Since you asked…

"The cunning and mysterious – Purple Fox!" I declared.

"The dashing and indomitable – Green BEAST!"

"Th-th-th-the gentle and ferocious – Bl-Bl-Black Wolf Fang!"

"And the cold and furious – Crimson Sandstorm!" Gaara growled, stance spread and arms flung out as gusting particles of sand spiraled about him.

Looking to Tsunade in a moment, I cleared my throat.

"Oh, Hell no!"

Nonetheless! Our foes were petrified in awe. "These guys – these are the Three Failures – the Legendary Tsunade – and…?"

I patted Gaara's shoulder, muttering, "It takes a while for your reputation to precede you, y'know?"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata began.

"Hai, hai."

Seemingly unprompted, she, Lee, and I vanished. A silent moment later, nine Oto-nin were falling to the ground; as I struck the last a curt hand chop to the neck, Hinata's bare foot met his chest and threw him solidly to the outer wall fifteen meters away.

Sand snaked up his body before he was allowed to fall, twisting his arms firmly behind him and squeezing him tightly, restricting any motion. His eyes were bulging in terror as Hinata skulked coolly up to him, skin sheet white, hair jet black, baring razor fangs in a predatory smile. The girl's hand snapped to his jaw, so tightly that I may have heard it creak under stress, and she made no effort to prevent her claws from puncturing his flesh. Glinting obsidian teeth clicked and gnashed with her voice as she calmly spoke.

"There are fifty-eight shinobi still guarding this base. You're going to tell me their ranks. Now. You're thinking about lying – don't do that," she said simply, scalding his soul with her demonic Byakugan.

He whimpered, eyes watering. Her eyes didn't leave him.

"Gaara-kun…"

The sand at his leg slowly twisted; I heard bones break. "S-six black ops! Ten more jou– jounin! The rest – chuunin – Stop–!"

She knocked his skull against the wall, and Gaara released him.

"A haircut," I groaned, rubbing my neck. "Well, so much for that…"

"Trouble will come quickly when this patrol group does not return. Onto plan B, then?" Lee said, and I nodded.

"Make some noise, you guys – I'm going in!"

"Pfft…" Walking past us, Tsunade cocked back her fist and took down a good twenty meter portion of the outer wall in one smooth stroke. "Noisy enough for you?"

"Suppose it'll just have to do," I snickered, ducking through the debris before, effectively, vanishing.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

When we met at the center of the arena, I was more than a little wary he would put me in a headlock.

In front of all these people? I still wouldn't quite put it past him. Sure enough, his hand drifted out…

To clap lightly onto the crown of my head.

"You done good, Hanabi," Kiba said, beaming through a crooked grin.

I nodded, shutting my open mouth. "Thanks… You, too."

We shook hands, and separated.

Genma lifted his hand. "Hyuuga Hanabi! Inuzuka Kiba! If both competitors are ready, may the final match of this first New Konohagakure no Sato Chuunin Selection Examination begin!"

My Byakugan slowly awakened. Akamaru sprang from Kiba's shoulder to the ground.

"Been a while since we sparred, hasn't it?" Kiba remarked.

"It has…" I agreed, thinking back.

"Okay! Time to see how well they've been training you, squirt! Let's give the crowd a nice fight, ne?"

A smile tugged at my lips. "You got it!"

We raced to meet with a trade of blows, sizing each other up before really starting to let loose. Kiba was a solid pack of wiry, versatile strength, not to mention a quick and agile foe, at that; I could be in bad shape if I took even a few blows from him. His furious strikes pushed my speed to its limits. I dodged a blinding flurry of fists, hopped a sharp leg sweep, dodged a lunging strike and neatly blocked another few punches, dancing from his strikes; when I saw an opening I took it, but he was much too quick to allow me to land any good hits, either. His arms shifted to catch a series of rapid punches until he wisely dodged a surprise palm. He blocked the following kick – and caught my ankle in his hand.

Uh-oh!

"Waahoo!" He unleashed his wild, signature holler, heaving his weight into a powerful backhand swing of his arm as he released me. I saved myself a lot of pain in getting crossed arms in front of my face, but staggering force alone hurled me to the ground.

I slid quite a distance and sprang to my feet only to see him already upon me again, and barely managed to block another solid punch. I ground my feet into the dirt as I went sliding back again, unwilling to let myself be thrown into the rapidly nearing wall behind me – and in a blur he had closed in again, a wicked fist drawn back.

My head bumped the wall as I dodged away from the swing; as he followed through with the motion his hand sank to the earth and Akamaru sprang onto his back. The sizeable pooch was poised only a moment before strongly launching a shoulder into my belly.

Who would've thought a dog could hit like that…? My back hit the wall, and, cringing, I brought two fingers to the arm of Kiba's advancing fist. His arm shuddered, planting his fist only in the wall beside my head, and I pushed from the wall behind me to drive a leaping knee strike clear into his gut. With this I both earned a grunt of pain and successfully pushed out of a corner; pressing the momentary advantage, I wound up and planted a palm on his belly, and brought a solid fist snapping into his face.

Hurriedly he put some distance between us; recollected, he spat on the ground. "Who'd have thought such little fists could even pack such a punch? That's an accomplishment in and of itself, Hanabi-chan!" he teased, fingering a bruise at his jaw.

I was tempted to retort about his beast of a dog – the mutt that'd once ridden easily atop his head was now the size of a retriever, but muscled as a husky – but decided against it. "You're not holding back. I like that."

He sneered. "We've long since passed the point that I could safely hold out on you. I can tell you this much – you're way tougher'n Hinata used to be!"

---

Hinata ヒナタ

Teeth flew as I wrenched my right fist into his face.

"Who's next?" I barked into the ring of Oto-nin around us. I lapped a spot of blood sharply from my knuckles. "Come on, don't be shy!"

'Easy there, koinu,' Kurogiba chided in a chuckling tone.

'They do have numbers on their side. If they're scared, well, me might as well roll with it, right?'

'I suppose so,' he conceded playfully, and we leapt apart again.

I slipped my fist into a kunoichi's stomach, landed a palm on her chest, and leapt to spring a heel across her face. I turned my head to see a vicious water drill come spiraling down toward me from behind, and in a flash I had jumped in evasion as soon as it slammed to the earth; before I was detected I fell hard, feet meeting a man's shoulders to drive him to the ground, and on the way down I grabbed the back of a shinobi's neck in my left hand and slammed his head down as well. In my right hand I had caught hold of another's sleeve, and now wrenched him down off his feet before flinging him upward. Kurogiba's great flaming jaws snapped him from the air, thrashed left and right, and hurled him roughly back to earth.

A quick palm met the back of the neck of the man I'd landed on, and my hands met the earth, my body twisted, and I lashed clawed toes back across the belly of an approaching foe. The man could hardly flinch before my other foot thumped into his chest with a burst of chakra, kicking him off his feet. I fell, but without pausing a moment I kicked my feet from the earth and stood up on my hands; my ankles struck into the shoulders of a chuunin who had been charging in from behind, and I got my feet behind her neck and jerked her off her feet, throwing her face first to the ground. Kicking the dazed woman into another Oto-nin, I turned.

My hands clapped into Tora, and as swiftly broke apart again so that my left caught an ankle above me as I ducked under a kick. Sweat flecking from my brow, I opened my mouth and spat a burst of flame past my upraised arm, blasting the shinobi away.

The sharp jet of flame pushed me back in effect, and I rolled back onto left shoulder blade and arm and thrust my right foot into another's gut, knocking him back and tumbling onto my feet to turn and slam a backfist across his face. My left darted to pepper his torso with a blurring flurry of palms in the moment before my right returned, crashing into his unbruised cheek.

Easily anticipating a punch from the side, I dodged back and snagged the attacker's wrist from behind – pulled – and wrecked a good portion of his ribcage over my knee. The man tumbled to the earth with a cry, and I swept my palm into the forearm of an incoming fist before bringing my right into the side of his jaw with a grunt. I ducked neatly under a strike, whirling as I slipped behind the lunging adversary and brought a curt elbow to the small of her back with force sufficient to send her sailing. My hands had met in the Hitsuji seal as the sharp elbow landed, and I now turned and stepped, diverting a punch on my right forearm whilst sweeping my palm around; the air ignited and flared and crackled past my spread fingers, until at last my palm was blanketed in flame.

"Enshou!" I growled, slamming the Blazing Palm into the man's stomach and knocking him well away.

Another…! By the time I turned my head, however, the Sound-nin who had lunged for me from behind was punched harshly away by a boy that materialized out of thin air.

"Not getting tired, are we?"

I ignored the clone's teasing. "You– are not supposed to be fighting," I reminded it, clawing the arm of a knife-wielder as we fought back-to-back. Our coordination flowed seamlessly as if he were the real deal. "What happens if you're dispelled and the original needs to communicate with us?"

"I think I'd be willing to risk it to ensure these fellows don't upset a hair on your head," he said smoothly, fending off three foes at once with some impressive staff maneuvering.

Kami, my boyfriend's clones were as witty as the real deal, too. "Kagebunshin-kun," I warned, grunting as I successfully clotheslined a shinobi, throwing him by neck to the earth.

"Everything's running smoothly," he assured me, looking over his shoulder. I spat into my left hand and whirled, and he twirled his staff over himself and whirled; I swung my arm under his to hurl a ball of fire at a kunoichi behind him, and in the same moment his staff swept just over my head to whack into that of a taller shinobi behind me.

"The Violet Phantom's army is tearing the place apart," he added at a lower tone, touching a finger to the tip of my nose. "That's the latest."

A sudden punch halted an inch in front of my face – and its shadow counterpart sent an enemy behind me reeling.

"Focus, Hinata-chan," he groaned, and I snorted.

It was then that I sighted a fairly large log sailing toward us that could very well dispel the copy. I could barely prepare to shove him away, however, before an azure blur flashed by in a roaring storm of gnashing, liquid silver. Thousands of wood splinters fell to our feet; Lee threw back a blinding grin before swiftly knocking out the log's thrower and racing into another throng of shinobi, Gaara alternately attacking and defending close at his heels.

I squeaked, ducking away as a man went shooting past me to crash loudly into the prison thirty yards away. "Tsunade-sama!" I complained.

"What? That one was being stubborn," she said, nodding to the scattered pack of unconscious Oto jounin that had tried to gang up on them. Shizune rubbed her neck nervously, a blush lighting her cheeks.

"Let's not get careless, m'lady," she urged the sannin.

She was right, I knew. Even if we'd made more of an effort to spread out and surround the prison, some would still have slipped by. And judging from the proximity of the outposts in the vicinity, we only have an approximate eight to eighteen minutes left before reinforcements arrive.

If we're not out of here – if Jiraiya-sama can't be gotten out of the prison before that happens… we may be in for quite a battle!

The Naruto clone started, gaze snapping to the fort.

"What's happened?"

It met my eyes. "In fact, we've got a teensy bit of a problem."

---

Naruto ナルト

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

Shoot! Come on, come on, come on…! Whipping out a slender kunai, I deflected the shuriken thrown toward me as the seal workings of the lock lit up on the door. This was done whilst running chakra into the arm of an unconscious jounin (not the easiest accomplishment) I held on my back as a shadow clone held the man's hand around the key and turned it in the lock. Seeing another shinobi now sprinting up the hallway from the other direction, I scowled and threw and awkward shadow slash toward an enemy's chest before dropping the unconscious man, springing to the wall behind me, and waving an arm toward the other rapidly nearing foe.

"WALL!" I shouted out, and almost at once heard a sharp thud from the other side of a Shadow wall of brick. My foot shoved me from the hallway wall as I met it, and snapped around to cleanly slam open the unlocked door with a crash. I landed neatly poised within the cell, meeting a pair of baffled old eyes. "Pervy Sage, get down–!"

I shadow swapped backwards as one of the guards lunged upon the clone left in my wake. My foot was buried in the chest of a second guard behind me, knocking him into the opposite hallway wall, as the clone successfully grabbed its assailant and threw him over itself; I lunged down with a fist back, and in almost the same instant the man's back hit the floor, the crouching clone vanished, and I sank two knuckles between the guard's eyes.

I was nearly too keyed up to speak. With so much adrenaline pounding that for sheer swiftness I may have looked like I infiltrated maximum security Sound prisons on a daily basis, I blurred across the small cell, broke a shackling chain cleanly beneath the knob of my staff, and grabbed the prisoner's hand to hasten him to his feet. I met his stunned eyes again.

"Let's go."

Jiraiya nodded.

Ten steps from the steel cell, however, we – or, he – ran into a familiar roadblock.

"No," I breathed, staring in disbelief at the hazy wall of red light that had caught him. The wall – seals. I tried, ineffectually as before, to rub them off. "No, no, no, no, no!"

"You didn't anticipate this?" he demanded incredulously as I returned to his side of the barrier.

"Well we did – but when Hinata's Byakugan didn't pick up any of these, we figured the solidity and defenses of this place had left the sealing blocks deemed unnecessary… Kuso!" I swore. "These weren't here a minute ago! They must have triggered remotely–!"

We saw the rigged kunai flying toward us at the same time. I swept forward, and my finger grazed the projectile in its flight; I swapped twenty-five yards and back almost unnoticeably.

Behind its thrower, a paper-bomb tagged knife exploded.

They'll … risk killing him over risking his escape…? I realized as the guard was thrown horribly against a wall and to the ground at our feet, a shockwave rolling down the hall.

"There's the intruder!"

More were coming from both directions, beckoned by the noise and explosion. I crossed two fingers of each hand in a seal. Dammit…!

A flood of shadow clones stormed in both directions, half running, half a tumbling sea of bodies and spears moving with only two general directions as the hallway was rapidly stuffed tight. The Oto-nin were carried back away from us on a tidal wave of purple and black. Reaching out, I snagged one doppelganger's arm and pulled it to me.

"Guys, we've got trouble! Onto plan C," I grunted, and the one clone burst from existence. Just as the hall was packed from floor to ceiling, leaving a space only around Jiraiya and me, I tapped the fox's chakra, slammed a hand to the earth, and unleashed my mind.

"Shadow Matter! !"

And the swamped hallway on either side of us metamorphosed at once into solid stone.

To this network of living matter I was connected; into it, I was projected. My mind filled every inch, every crevice of the great hallway, unifying, fortifying. A drop of sweat fell from my nose.

Solid as stone. Unwavering. Rigid, but not brittle. Still, stable, firm…

I ground my teeth as the Oto soldiers at last realized it could be dispelled. Clone by clone, they hacked the seemingly solid stone away – though their fists and weapons suffered a toll.

"What're you…?"

"Stalling," I answered the sannin, not breaking my meditative state. My focus could reinforce our shadow barricade, but it wouldn't hold them back forever.

It's up to you guys…!

---

Hinata ヒナタ

"Roger! Onto plan C!" Naruto's clone affirmed. We nodded, and without further delay Tsunade charged directly up to the prison and smashed into its wall a gargantuan punch.

The multi-layered wall was dented; it cracked for the most part superficially. It was solid and heavy; whatever alloys the structure was composed of, it was built to absorb force and withstand. Guess the outer gate's just for show. The prison itself is what's meant to be impervious…

Tsunade cast a look my way, and I nodded. Gathering a considerable concentration of energy in my legs, I sprang far backwards, meeting ground again to handspring multiple times before sliding back on my feet, coming to a halt some hundred meters from the prison. My Byakugan awakened, tunneling straight forward, seeking, determining, boring out a path; I nodded once more, flat hands clapping together before me. 'I guess we're up.'

'Right you are…'

I drew out a fair deal of youki, focusing intently.

–"Should all else fail, it comes down to this: the prisons' locks, barriers, anything reinforced by sealing spells are just that – reinforcement. Even a barrier spell is nothing more than an extra layer of security over existing walls and fortifications."

"So, then…"

"If you can topple the structure, you can topple the foundation of the barrier."–

I breathed deeply in and out. Gradually the fights going on, my friends and my foes, lost substance as I became singly focused.

–"And that's where I come in?"

"Actually, Tsunade-sama … this particular prison is a fortress. It might take even you quite a bit of time to bring it down."

"Then what…?"–

The air began to hum, shivering around me.

–"Out of all of us, Hinata-chan more than likely possesses the most powerful single-shot attack."

Tsunade is dubious.

"But… It's not anything that can be repeated easily like your strikes. It takes a while to prepare, and to pull it off she'll ideally need plenty of comrades to watch her back. About right?"

"Precisely. And that is where you come in."–

"Okay…" I whispered. The air was shuddering. My body temperature was climbing unnaturally; light crawled on my skin. Stance spread, I bent my knees and breathed in through parted lips.

"Youkai Hou: Weight of Spirit…"

At once, innumerable tiny orbs of energy were expelled from my body, halting within a five meter radius from me to float peacefully in the air. The shimmering droplets of unearthly white and black light hung in the air, suspended, leaving me weightless. Fingers interlocked, I braced myself.

"Weight of Gut."

The energy snapped inward again – and promptly a shock hit the air as the earth around me shattered with an enormous crash.

I grunted as my hands fell heavily to my sides. My teeth ground as I dug one foot at a time, slowly, from the deep ruts they'd created. I lifted my head with a sudden move, sneering viciously with the utterly massive concentration of leaden power compressed into my form. Mental power, activation, physical potential. Momentum, acceleration, impact.

I stepped forward.

It was a baby step, and I more or less dragged my foot. But when the foot stopped, I felt myself gradually begin to overbalance – until I moved the other foot past it again. Lifting my foot a bit this time, I stepped again, and again, and again, with staggering effort; hunched slightly in the back, and moving my arms in conjunction, I soon enough came to a purposeful walk.

The hard earth crackled, buckling under my feet at each step.

In ten or so seconds as I transitioned to a light jog, the ground was outright wailing under each footfall, and as a more bounding component rose in my steadily hastening stride the ground began to shake, to rumble. My arms pumped, teeth gritted as I charged, burgeoning vigorously into an all-out run.

–"I see. Running in a straight line with tunnel vision probably gets a little hazardous when you're surrounded by shinobi after your head."

"Well, that's the thing. We don't need to worry much about enemies hurting her, particularly…"

"Naruto-kun…"

"We just need to make sure she isn't bothered with any extraneous motions that might throw her focus."–

Step after powerful step slammed brutally against the earth. A line of broken rock trailed in my wake. Still I accelerated.

–"What happens if she's distracted?"

"What? Oh, that's simple."–

I became vaguely conscious of numerous enemies noticing and converging on me.

–"She'll trip."–

"INFINITY!" An approaching form was arrested by a furious green blur, and swiftly he and wildly thrashing sand dispatched of a number more, darting madly about me, clearing my path.

I heard some other attack fended off as Shizune passed me to join Kurogiba at my back. The prison was sixty meters away.

A ways in front of me and to the right, a purple-clad wraith shot up into the air, staff twirling artfully above his head.

"Fuuton!" He seized the spear, in a vigorous movement angling it down. "Kazeryuudan! !"

Riding within a raging dragon of wind, he dived, blasting as a missile, to sweep before me and intercept a group of shinobi approaching my path. The wind dragon eschewed, his feet slid along the earth, and he rose from a crouch and turned to leap upon another nearing foe.

With a kick, the Naruto clone was dispelled.

The Oto ANBU turned toward me…

And had his face knocked in by a neatly manicured fist.

The man went flashing into the distance from Tsunade's outstretched hand. Our eyes met as I passed her, and I grunted a "Thanks" as she nodded.

My crushing feet were flying; angled forward, my whole body was. The prison was staggering rapidly nearer.

Eyes huge, teeth bared, I completed one final step, and another – and then, fifteen meters from the prison, turned my upper body, brought a hand lightly to the earth, so that fingers only barely grazed it – and brought both feet to the ground to launch myself forward.

My eyes closed, and my shoulder wrenched around to smash my bludgeoning body tremendously into the steel wall.

---

Naruto ナルト

At once a rapid string of booms roared, volleying, through the world – a small form flashed across the hall, a few feet to our right – and shockwaves jarred the air and earth alike as walls were violently demolished, each one staggered with explosive force. A structure of lesser integrity would have been obliterated in a clean instant. It spoke volumes for the prison's strength that only a line of jagged, couple-meter wide gaps had been left, edged with a corrugation of ripple patterns, and only a misshapen droop firmly impaired the ceiling.

Most importantly, we now had a path to walk out of here.

"What was that?" Jiraiya asked.

"That was my girlfriend," I chuckled, standing up and grabbing his hand. "Let's get out of here!"

---

Hinata ヒナタ

When I burst into the open night air again, momentum finally petering out to exhaustion, I tumbled multiple times before flopping unastoundingly to a halt on my back. I drew a hand up over my hammering heart as the spell dissipated, and shook my head slowly.

"Looks like you could use a lift."

"Naruto-kun… It worked…?" I started as a pale man with a tangled lion's mane of white hair, his ghostly face decorated with a pattern of red etched down from either eye, stepped up next to the blond in my currently inverted view. A cottony bramble of facial hair clung unkempt to his chin and upper lip, and he wore the moth-eaten grey garb of a war prisoner. In my current position, I put forth an idiotic attempt at bowing my head as he lowered his quietly astonished gaze from the starlit world and met my eyes. "L-Lord Jiraiya…"

"It worked," Naruto confirmed my earlier question with a chuckle, and let fly a flare high into the air. This signal held distinct meaning to our comrades – success. We were out, and were immediately to scatter.

Jiraiya started, jumping back defensively as Kurogiba Fire Flickered to my side. "Another friend," Naruto explained as my familiar unceremoniously slung me onto his back.

"It's not time to relax just yet," the wolf said. My weary arms managed to wrap snug around his strong neck before I could fall right off again.

Naruto nodded, speaking quickly. "Right – I'll stay with Ero-sennin. Different directions, now. Let's move!"

Kurogiba bounded blazing into the night; Naruto and Jiraiya vanished. With a pop dozens of flickers of purple raced out under the moonlight in all directions, ethereal, fleeting, vanishing.

---

Hanabi ハナビ

"Tunneling FANG–!"

"Sparking–!"

Zzzp– WHAM!

His monstrous strike barreled into my gut full force and carried me backwards until my small frame met the wall in an altogether bone-rattling impact. Any trace of breath I may have retained since the initial strike was smashed soundly from my grasp as my back met stone and something cracked.

Then the world was pitching, tumbling over, and my shoulder struck the earth and I lied with arms hugging my torso.

Standing above me, Kiba spoke softly between gasps. "It's over… Ugh!"

The boy's body gave off a short, odd spasm. Then he toppled to his hands and knees.

"Wh-what the…? !" Furious, he fought to stand but did little more than twitch and shiver.

"Huff…" I coughed weakly, pressing sweaty, shaky hands to the ground and pushing myself slowly, slowly, slowly to my feet. Shaky though I was, leaning momentarily against the cracked wall for support, I could still move. Kiba stared up at me in confusion as I painfully assumed full height. I gathered up some breath and spoke. "I got you."

"When did…?"

"I d-drew the direct hit … got you to charge straight for me to claim the match. But just before you hit, I managed to direct some lightning energy to a few vital tenketsu of your chakra network… You can't stand, can you?"

His sharp teeth clenched. He heaved in an effort, but could not move. My hand slipped into my kunai pouch.

"This f-fight … is mi–,"

My hand darted up to cover a sudden cough, and was sprayed with a mess of liquid warmth.

My eyes stretched wide. My heart throbbed into my ears.

Slowly my hand pulled from my face, and I observed a palm caked in crimson.

N-no… no, no, n-no…

It – my mouth. Out – from – my mouth – inside…

"Hanabi…"

Kiba's eyes were torn wide between realization and incredulity. Unblinking, I wondered faintly what I looked like as I held his gaze.

My bloody lip trembled.

Emitting a miniscule whimper, I lost my footing and plunged into the dark.

---

Naruto ナルト

An hour had passed. Six figures were huddled silently in a cool, dark thicket, tucked carefully away from the eyes of the outside world.

In the down time since she and Kurogiba had shown up, Hinata had constructed a sealing mechanism to weaken Jiraiya's chakra restraints. She observed one of them before having him place a shackled wrist on a scroll she produced, and proceeded to coat the restraint and the paper beneath it in an inky array of spells and patterns. Having observed but said little throughout, Jiraiya shook his head simply when she supposed herself finished, and the two may have lapsed into another language altogether as he directed her through a few tweaks, additions, and corrections to the formula she'd improvised. Then she activated the spell, and a various few of the tenacious properties that another had sealed into the restraint were dampened, counteracted, or drawn altogether from it. Little more than a ring of metal now, a short flick of Tsunade's strength successfully snapped it in two. Methodically the other three were discarded. In the meantime Tsunade had checked and rechecked for injury, Shizune at her side, and conducted what minor a medical examination she could in the cramped circumstances, finding little more an issue than moderate malnourishment. I offered a nice hunk of break from my bag, and the man nibbled it feebly but steadily until it had disappeared.

The reunited pair of legendary sannin at first seemed more like strangers than former teammates. This perception may have been spawned in part by the fact that Jiraiya remained still in perpetual awe of the things around him – the earth at his side that he teased in his fingers; the leaf that fluttered to the ground and came to rest among dozens, and yet his sunken eyes remained fixated upon for minutes on end; the shimmering patterns of moonlight that washed faintly through sparse gaps in the branches and leaves that enshrouded our rendezvous point, and the way they oscillated when a breeze stirred and rippled through the woods. Absorbed in thought that could only be sober, he seemed to me so unnervingly different – so vulnerable – that perhaps he would've appeared a stranger to his closest acquaintances.

Before our eyes, however, he seemed to miraculously revitalize. Gradually dim old eyes brightened beneath unkempt brows, giving tell of the sharpening thoughts that swept acutely behind them, and at some point the lifeless slouch that had draped itself about his strong frame and cast a dull slackness about his face had straightened out to now project from where he sat alertness and cool power. It was then, ironically, that Tsunade at last opted to speak.

"You look like crap."

Not to say he didn't; he was fresh out of an enemy prison, his hair was a mess, clothes tattered, skin pale from long deprivation of light, and to top it all off, he reeked. They hadn't exactly pampered him in there. Nonetheless, after taking mock-offense, he found a grin to concede at a low chuckle that he'd seen better days.

Still, an hour had passed. I found myself hiding the fact that I was getting to feel sick. Whether she was trying to hide it or not, Hinata wasn't faring so well. Uncharacteristically I neglected to scold her when she started nipping at her hand. I put an arm around her shoulders, and for several, several minutes the anxious tapping of clawed fingers at her other side stood as the lonely flicker of movement in the thicket.

Out of the blue Kurogiba shortly turned his resting head, pinning the nervous fingers flat under his muzzle. He looked up at the girl, and an unspoken thought slipped from his eyes into her own. Then abruptly she started and he lifted his head, and Hinata's head snapped around to shoot her flaring Byakugan out upward and to the right.

Two more figures blurred near soundlessly down into what little space was left. Scuffed up a bit, Lee grinned at us, supporting a weary Gaara's arm around his shoulder.

"Gomen," the older boy apologized. "We ran into a spot of trouble…"

I shook my head with a smile, and Hinata lunged to wrap them both in a loose hug.

"I'm just glad you're alright…"

"Well, then…" Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Now that everyone's here, I think some introductions are in order. I'm–,"

"Everyone already knows who you are, Pervy Sage!" I snorted.

"Could've fooled me. Hanging around you, I wouldn't be shocked if your friends have never heard my name! Besides, I'm trying to be polite here," he said, bopping me lightly over the head. "As I was saying…

"Even if they're not all what I expected, it's a pleasure to meet the folks responsible for saving my tail. I… am none other than Densetsu no Jiraiya, the Toad Mountain Sage!"

---

Hanabi ハナビ

When my turn arrived, I took a deep breath. My dignified posture and smooth brow ought to disguise my pains, and any accompanying weakness that might be conveyed by what was visible of the bandaging that wrapped much of my body, from my arms to my torso to my neck to my forehead. Head up, shoulders back, confident that all four-and-nearly-a-half feet of me were the picture of power, I strode from the hall and into the cafeteria.

The moment I emerged in the light of the room, I was met with a bellow of acclamation.

For an instant I was stopped in my tracks and blinked in honest surprise. I tried to reassume my dignified air, but couldn't suppress a soft smile as I walked across the room, meeting eyes and waving at my applauding comrades until I reached a large stone table and, as Hiryuu regally pulled out my chair, sat beside Kiba at the second most honored seat in the house.

Packed with more liveliness than any Leaf shinobi had likely witnessed in a long time, the expansive room was full to bursting with the spirit of celebration. The tournament competitors lined the table at the head of the room; dozens of shinobi and citizens, half of New Konoha, cheered and clapped and whistled from their own seats. Stone tables were lined with still-steaming platters of baked chicken and rabbit meat, beans and corn and potatoes and rice and loaves of fresh wheat bread, and pitchers full of sweet water or mild sake for the first feast New Konoha had ever seen.

As the noise died down, Shikamaru jumped down to leave his 'throne' of sorts, the large and elaborate stone chair behind our table, and walked up to stop between Kiba and I. Hiryuu stood tall behind my outside shoulder, and an older Inuzuka whose face was littered with scars stood similarly behind his nephew. Shikamaru took our hands, having Kiba and me raise our arms high.

"Let us congratulate all those who competed valiantly in these trials!" he said, his clear voice escalating to fill the room with practiced ease of volume. "To our new chuunin! Let us welcome these two to the upper ranks!"

"Aah!" The room shook with a hearty, collective bellow as glasses rose up, and the cheering began anew as Hiryuu and Kiba's relative deftly but unhurriedly each tied a starched green kerchief, neat and snug, about the shoulders of our upraised arms. Kiba and I exchanged a smile, his almost goofily joyous, mine blushing, before the boy stood again and fired a powerful fist into the air, ushering another roaring wave of acclamation. My smile softened.

"Oji-san," I said beneath the noise, not turning to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry, m'lady?"

"I couldn't win the competition," I said, and repeated, "I'm sorry for that."

He was silent a few moments. "…You did your best. You did well."

"Uncle…?"

His hands massaged my shoulders gently. "You're eight years old, and you're a chuunin. Of my leader I could ask for little more." He began serving my plate. "Now enjoy the feast, Hanabi-sama."

"Is that an order, Uncle?" I chortled. I might have heard him laugh.

"Maybe."

Kiba, however, wasn't finished firing up the crowd, and I'd barely picked up a slice of bread when he hoisted my dignified form suddenly onto his shoulders.

"H-hey!" I protested, face lighting up.

"He's right, Hanabi-chan!" he said at a light chuckle. "You only get promoted to chuunin once, after all. Soak it in – go ahead and give'm a smile!"

"You!" I complained halfheartedly, but I couldn't keep myself from laughing. He pumped his arms into the air, and I grinned and flashed a V-for-victory with my fingers; our combined effort brought another rousing, vibrant swell of spirit over the room. The air was brimming with conviviality when a few broke into song, and in moments the room was rollicking with the words of some old folk tune of the early days of the Leaf, words that had surely lain near to fading forgotten into the past, but many younger hands clapped along with the melody all the same. Someone got to drumming on pots and pans, and still another produced a flute; most prominent of all, though, was the rich collection of exuberant voices that overtook the cold stone hall with warmth.

Amid such life and festivity, it was almost hard to imagine that we were a tragic people struggling through a losing war, that we were the downtrodden and fading revolutionaries, that on any one day we could be tempted to lose hope in our shared future. In that moment we were the New Village Hidden in the Leaves, and as long as our hope survived we would not die.

This family… I'll do whatever it takes to protect it. And if it should turn out that means it falls on me to set things right… I'll set them right.

---

Naruto ナルト

I took a long, deep breath of a crisp breeze that rolled through the plain, feeling the dawn light soft on my face. Hinata, Lee, Shizune, and I had just returned from purchasing supplies in a small town – among them, a change of clothes for Jiraiya. "Ero-sennin… you sure you're up to this? After just a night of rest…"

A tattered old shirt flopped to the ground, heaping beside the matching pair of pants. The man pulled a fishnet over his head and slipped over it a warm-grey gi, which he tied off at the waist with a thick red belt. He wagged a hand as he slipped a fresh pair of wooden geta shoes onto his feet. "You forgetting who I am?"

"Most certainly not," I snorted, tossing a dark haori his way.

He whirled, slipping the coat over his shoulders even as he caught it, and his hands flashed through five familiar seals before he slammed a palm to the grass. A huge green and red scroll sprang into existence, and he slung it onto his back before swinging his newly combed-out white hair once around above his head, dropping into a low stance with a stomp of one foot, arms and fingers spread as he grinned sharply and gave off a monstrous flare of chakra.

I took an involuntary step back. W-whoa…!

Chuckling, he let up and returned to full height, walking up to me and patting a huge hand onto my head. "Just checking. You've done good, Naruto… but you don't expect me to kick back now and let you have all the fun, hmm?"

"Guess not," I returned as the others stepped up to join us. Leaves flicked into the air, dancing by as another wind rolled past.

"I told you I've seen better days," Jiraiya said, gazing off toward the awakening sun. "But as long as our shinobi are still suffering, I can't ease off and rest. It's not my style. I believe you kids should understand that…?"

I smirked.

"Alright, then…!" Lee said, popping his knuckles.

"No slowing down…?" Tsunade remarked, arms crossed as she let slide a small smile.

"I guess not…" Shizune agreed, and Gaara nodded coolly.

Hinata stretched her arms, ears twitching alertly. "So, we move out… Time to get prison-hopping?"

I nodded, stepping out in front and flinging a fully outstretched hand at the distance before me.

"Okay, here we go! It's a straight shot to the end!"

---

ナルト / リー / ヒナタ \ ハナビ \ ネジ

End Chapter Twenty

Lee: I am not so sure about this, Naruto-kun. Should we really mess around with jutsu in some bizarre old scroll you found?

Naruto: Let's just try it! Come on, what's the worst that could happen?

Lee: Okay, then…

Naruto/Lee: Fuuuuuuuu–sion – HA!

Hinata: Hey guys, what's up–? AAAIIIEEEEEEEEEEE–! ! !

-THUD-

Leeruto: Oh snap, we killed her!

(–static–)

Sound ninja: L-lord Orochimaru, we've got trouble!

Orochimaru: WHAT? ! What do you mean there's been a prison raid? !

Neji: Impossible! How could this be?

Sakura: Hanabi-chan, have you heard the news?

Chouji: Yeah! They're sweeping across Fire like a typhoon, laying waste to every enemy in their path!

Hanabi: Huh? What are you talking about?

Kiba: Rumor has it that…!

Lee: The time has come. It seems… we truly have become a force to be reckoned with, have we not?

Naruto: No question. It's time to see that all our effort, all our struggles, have paid off. Sensei, we're coming for you! You know what they say about an object in motion, right?

Hinata: Right. Next time, Chapter Twenty-One: Into the Gauntlet. There's no slowing down any more…

DONE! With random exclamations.

Half-demons don't like scalpels.

This chapter seemed okay to me… not great, not terrible :/

Youkai no Kokudo (妖怪の国土) - Youkai Realm; the Domain of Demons

Warui - Sorry

Kazeryuudan (風竜弾) - Wind Dragon Bullet

Hibana Nagashi (火花流し) - Spark Stream

Enshou (炎掌) - Blaze Palm

keirakukei - chakra network

tenketsu - chakra point

What did you think of it? The chuunin exam, the Hyuuga drama, Hanabi's development? How about the New Konoha scenes? Does Hanabi's power seem reasonable? Were any of Hinata's scenes with Tsunade funny? Any thoughts on her interaction with the pack of wild wolves? How about Naruto's training with Gaara? Any action scenes stand out? How was the prison break, Naruto's mind skillz, Hinata's Weight of Spirit/ Weight of Gut combo? Hanabi vs. Sakura, Konohamaru, nameless genin, Kiba... As always, what was good, what was bad? Questions or comments, let me know! Reviews are welcome and appreciated!

I'm awful at estimating, but if I had to guess, I'd say there'll be around five more chapters, maybe a bit more. We're really getting into the final stretch now ;)

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! Until next time!

:o) Hinata0321 :o)