I'm so fast, I want to pat myself on the shoulder:D

Please, if someone knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a bored beta-reader, tell me. I keep finding crap mistakes in my story after I posted it.

The Ino-Shika-Cho match has come to an end. When Hisana and Shizuha arrive they are all looking a bit worse for the wear, but proud.

"Hey."

Shiki whirls around.

"I knew it!" She grabs her ponytail protectively. "Don't touch the hair."

Hisana grins.

"So how was the match?"

"Great," Ino brags. "We wiped the floor with them."

Her black eye tells a slightly different story, as does Shikamaru's exasperated sigh. The other team though, consisting of three rowdy and frustrated looking boys, looks even worse than them.

Ino is blinking at her with big, expectant eyes. What does she want, praise?

Probably, it occurs to her. But she really, really doesn't want to give it to her.

She considers simply ignoring the girl, but Shiki is grinning at her like a fox. Busted.

"I will watch your next match," she finally offers.

The second most annoying blond in her life lights up like a Christmas tree. It's slightly creepy to watch her genuine smile turn suddenly into a haughty smirk the second team 7 arrives.

"Ino-pig," Sakura chirps, and she still seems a little battle high, "I see you've got a new look. Bruise-purple is a good color on you."

"It's the color of the kunoichi," Ino snaps, "Not that you'd know, hiding behind Sasuke-kun."

Sakura's smile turns sour.

"Cut it out," Hisana directs. "You can have it out in the arena."

"You won't be having it out in the arena," she tells Sakura, after dragging them away under the guise of a team meeting.

"What? But you said –"

"That was a lie. I don't want you to fight Ino. You can't win this."

Sakura looks devastated. All signs of the former enthusiasm are gone and she suddenly seems inches smaller than before.

"You don't think so?"

Maybe this came out wrong. She takes the girl by the shoulders and gives her a firm shake.

"Listen. You can't win this. It doesn't matter if you lose a fight against her or beat her. In Ino's eyes you won't beat her today. I don't want Sasuke to fight her either. Naruto, you'll do it."

"What? Why him and not me?" she protests.

Even Sasuke looks a little put out, if only for the principle of the thing; she's sure that he had no intention of wasting any time on Ino.

"Because it wouldn't do either of you any favors. Sakura, if you lose, do you really want to face her afterwards? And if you win – you heard her. She'll be convinced you only won because of Sasuke. Sasuke, if you fight her, you'll only encourage her. I know girls like her. She's pretty and she knows it. Her clan is big and famous and nobody ever had any doubts she'd make it. If not on active duty, then in T&I, because the Yamanaka basically own it. Her self-confidence knows no bounds right now. I outright rejected her more than once and she simply ignored it as if it didn't happen."

Sakura looks a little less sad and a little more thoughtful now – still not happy, but mostly ok.

"Yeah. That kind of sounds like her," she allows.

"So," Sasuke muses aloud, "we have to let the dobe beat her, because it's the lesser evil. And what do Sakura and I do then?"

Said girl perks up at being included in Sasuke's plans.

"Yeah. We have to do something about Ino-pig somehow."

"You'll wait it out. Today Shikamaru and Choji are enough trouble for you. I don't know how many of their clan techniques they already know, but they are dangerous in any case."

All three look skeptical.

"Don't underestimate anyone today. You have a really rare opportunity, one you'll only ever have again during Chuunin Exams. The opportunity to closely observe your peers."

Sasuke's head snaps up.

"You want us to watch them and remember for the future."

Yes, this is the one thing most important – the very thing they were supposed to do during the Chuunin Exams in the manga. She hopes that, maybe, an earlier chance at this may drive the lesson home properly. She half hopes they lose even, just to teach them a lesson. If losing is even possible for them is anyone's guess. The more time passes the more she wonders about the differences between the manga and this strange reality she's come to know. Can Main Character luck keep them safe here?

There has already been a little break down, including embarrassing bawling, when she realized that, if not, Sasuke could really die during the Wave mission. The whole thing still feels far away – three and a half more years until Sasuke graduates – but she already expects a repeat performance when the time approaches.

"Their styles are going to evolve and mutate," she says, swallowing around the lump in her throat, "but the basics are not going to change. Long-range fighters are going to stay long-range. Taijutsu users are going to keep relying heavily on taijutsu. The Nara are a ninjutu clan. They use shadow based techniques to hold their enemies in place or even attack them."

"That's … all very interesting, Nee-chan," Naruto says carefully, "but Shikamaru always sleeps in class. Maybe he's the exception?"

Hisana snorts.

"You know Shiki – she's also lazy as all hell. No, the Nara are famous for spitting out geniuses. He might be lazy, but if Ino kicks him into gear he'll run circles around you."

Another reason, why she wants Naruto to deal with Ino – so that her two geniuses can focus on outsmarting Shikamaru. Or more like, overwhelming him. She doubts anyone can flat out outsmart the Nara boy.

Sasuke obviously doesn't like what he's hearing, so he at least will take her words to heart. If only to prove her wrong. Sakura also starts nodding absently, possibly already scheming.

"Can you do that?" Naruto suddenly asks. He sounds uncharacteristically serious as he considers his teammates. "Can you two take out Shikamaru?"

Sasuke huffs.

"You doubt us?"

Hisana watches them carefully. They are still bickering, but now there's something else under the jeers and shoves. Familiarity. A certain sort of grudging, familial affection. She's never quite felt so proud and accomplished.

"Who's your next opponent?"

"No idea," Sasuke says suspiciously calmly. "Sakura, go find out."

Naruto opens his mouth, but Sasuke silences him with a meaningful look. The blond's jar snaps shut with a click.

"On my way," Sakura says and hurries towards Genma, who is, despite his earlier harsh words, carrying a notebook with the match up around.

"It's them," Sasuke says and hooks his arm into Hisana's. He's nodding towards a group of girls huddling near Iruka-sensei. Ami and … whatever her friends are called.

"They were making fun of Sakura-chan," Naruto says with a frown. "They keep saying she's ugly. Why're they doing this?"

"Because girls are mean, Naruto-baka," Hisana says gently. "Boys hit hard, but girls hit where it hurts."

The blond makes a face, caught somewhere between horrified realization and disillusionment.

"We thought if she can't fight Ino, we can let her have this," her cousin offers, deliberately ignoring his teammate's first step into adulthood. "Maybe it'll work off her temper."

"So basically, you're planning on using them as punching bags."

"Basically."

The whole match is completely ridiculous; Hisana's not even sure how they won their first fight. The girls – Ami, Kasumi and Fuki, she learns – are a joke. They slip into textbook taijutsu stances. All their movements are perfect and surely worth a perfect score in class, but it becomes apparent that they have no idea what they are doing. They are slow, and whatever they're trying to string together to withstand Sakura's assault, it seems ill suited and blocky. Sakura fights fast and dirty; Ami is the first to hit the ground.

"That's cheating!"she squawks. "I don't know these moves, how am I supposed to block them?"

The other girls try to shield her but Naruto darts between Fuki and Kasumi and they spring apart like startled birds. Mission accomplished, he backs away to safety where Sasuke is circling the group. They perform this awkward dance a few times more: Sakura lashes out and knocks one of them to the ground; when the others try to protect her, Naruto interferes. None of the boys takes a direct part in the fight.

Finally Sakura lands a good hit on Fuki. The girl wails dramatically. She tries to run but is stopped by Sasuke; she throws up her hands and screams for Iruka-sensei to call off the match.

"It's unfair! They have Sasuke-kun and we're all girls!"

In retaliation Sakura knocks out Kasumi with a punch in the nose. Blood sprays.

"Don't involve me in this," Sasuke says calmly. "I haven't touched either of you."

A swift kick in the butt sends Ami crashing into her fallen teammate and Iruka-sensei decides to end the charade.

"Ok, ok. Victory team 2."

He lifts Sakura's bloody hand dispassionately before going to check on the losers. Even from afar Hisana can tell he's scolding them while he pats them down for injuries. His face gets even grimmer as he finds none.

"You three need to take your training more seriously. Kunoichi Class is not all there is to a being a ninja."

The fight did nothing to temper Sakura's ire.

"What's wrong with them?" she fumes. "I beat them all fair and square and they still say it was Sasuke who did it? Everyone saw!"

She probably doesn't even notice how she's addressing her crush, and how, for the first time ever, she's glaring at him.

"Don't be angry with me," he repeats in the same calm tone he used on Ami, "be angry with them."

"Don't fight," Naruto says firmly. "Not now."

Sakura growls at him, but she does seem to remember that her team is not the enemy. 'The enemy' is, in fact, readying for the next fight.

Team Ino-Shika-Cho, or team 5, is up against more familiar faces. Shino and his two nervous looking teammates appear awkward next to the well oiled machine they're about to face. Ino, Choji and Shikamaru have their heads together, the latter unwillingly, to discuss their battle plan. A bandaged leg has been added to Ino's injuries and there's a big band aid on Shikamaru's cheek. Choji seems entirely unhurt.

Every time the Aburame tries to engage in any sort of conversation with his teammates they just shake their heads and back further away to whisper among themselves. Hisana winces. She knows it's hard to make the first step. And to be rejected for it like this must sting quite a bit. She waves over team 7 and they quietly squat down on the sidelines to watch.

"So who am I supposed to root for?" Hisana asks Shiki.

"I honestly don't give a crap," Shiki answers. "Ino-chan could use a good beating, Choji-kun can take one and Shika-kun doesn't care either way. If this day ends with all of them alive, I'll count it as a win."

"Then please root for cousin Shino," Shizuha quips from behind them. "He looks very distressed as is."

To Hisana he still looks like every Aburame, motionless and mostly unaffected, but it stands to reason that he'd at least feel as dejected every other rejected eight-year-old.

"How did they do up to now?"

Shizuha shrugs her shoulders and makes a vague so-so gesture.

"They are average in skill and exceptionally lucky."

"Good combination."

Their match is overseen by a big, burly man Hisana's only ever seen from afar. Funeno Daikoku-sensei is currently teaching the lower years and Sakura and Naruto greet him with an enthusiastic wave. He good-naturedly raises his hand in greeting.

"Everyone, get ready," he rumbles and the sound effortlessly carries over to them.

"Who are those boys?" she whispers to Shizuha.

"I am uncertain," the girl admits. "The one on the right, cousin Shino called him Aki-kun, looks like he might be a Sarutobi. The other is called Daisuke-kun; I believe he is from a civilian family."

Her eyes wander over to a cheering man in merchant clothes and a woman hiding her face against his arm.

Daikoku-sensei whistles. Immediately Choji positions himself in front of his team, while Shikamaru quietly steps away to the side. Ino is coiled to spring – the lure to their trap.

Aki and Daisuke slip into a fancy but unwieldy looking formation. Shino is watching them impassively. The slight turn of his upper body looks innocuous enough; only Hisana's familiarity with Shizuha's style lets her recognize it as the Aburame basic defensive position.

In a matter of seconds Ino collides with Aki. Hisana winces in sympathy for the girl, but the only one who yells is Aki, as Ino digs her knuckles sharply between his ribs. He doubles over and with a kick she sends him crashing into Choji, who lifts him up and simply throws him out of the arena. Aki is out.

Daisuke stares at them in horror. He turns around to look at Shino, for help maybe, but the Aburame boy is gone.

Instead Shikamaru makes a choked noise and then a yelp as he crashes into Ino and both are catapulted out of the arena. Where the Nara used to stand Shino is watching them silently from behind his round glasses.

It's Choji against two boys now. An unfavorable position, but be is truly huge for an eight-year-old and towers above both of them, and Daisuke is shaking so hard, he seems more like a hindrance than help. The boy's mouth opens, but before even a word can come out Choji punches him in the head and he drops like stone.

Shino seizes him up; two heads taller than him, three times as wide and angry.

"Forfeit," he says quietly. Daikoku-sensei whistles. "Victory team 5."

To Hisana's immense relief, Ino slinks away with her head hanging. Her performance was alright, certainly better than most kunoichi she's seen so far, but most of their success is obviously to be attributed to Choji's intimidating figure.

"She reeeally wants to impress you," Shiki confides.

"Yes, so I've noticed."

"Then why aren't you a little nicer to her? She's a bit of a diva, but you set Sakura straight. Why not her?"

Hisana slants her a look.

"Do you want me to?"

"Maybe. She knows me too well, so she won't listen to me; her parents see nothing wrong with being proud of herself – and can you see Shika-kun or Choji-kun telling her to ease up a bit? She'd beat them stupid."

In the manga Ino seemed to have straightened out herself during Sasuke's absence. If everything goes according to plan, Sasuke won't be absent though, so there'd be no reason for her obsession to fade. Would she really never grow out of this childish behavior?

Hisana rings for the right words.

"I don't like … how she treats Sasuke. Sakura was easy, because she just wants to be liked by anyone at all. Sasuke was always just … secondary. Even if she wouldn't say so. I don't know what to do with Ino, without making both Sakura and Sasuke unhappy."

Shiki seems to consider this. There's a long silence, in which team Ino-Shika-Cho licks its collective wounds, Shizuha speaks in hushed tones to Shino and Shiki thinks.

"You should come to eat with us tonight," Shiki finally decides. "We're all meeting for yakiniku; Choji-kun's and Ino-chan's family and us. To celebrate, or, you know, distract them if they lose."

Hisana can almost feel the color draining from her face.

"Come on," Shiki wheedles. "You survived Nii-chan and he's basically the worst of all of us in one annoying package."

She shakes her head, but Shiki has already set her mind to it.

"Hisachi, they're all curious about you, don't fight it ~"

"This sounds wrong and slightly alarming," Shizuha informs them. This time both, Hisana and Shiki, jump a foot into the air.

"Do I need to buy you a bell?" the Nara squawks.

"I have been practicing my stalk," Shizuha repeats patiently. "What is the fuss about?"

"She's trying to push Ino onto me," Hisana says and immediately feels like a child. Shiki appears to have caught it too.

"Did you just snitch on me?"

Shizuha's face turns very slowly to the side. She stares into the air for a second, where she seems to be ringing with herself, before looking back at them.

"Yes," she says nonsensically, "Hisana-chan, Shiki-chan, I want to introduce my cousin, Shino-kun."