V8 ch 7

Bombs, Dolls, and darkness, oh my!

Idai ran with his team through the darkness of the tunnel, leading them through the maze of twists and turns. He soon abruptly stopped, his ear picking up the faint sound of someone's feet shuffling on the stone floor. He signaled for Yanagi and Masaru to take different routes from his. He didn't know who was ahead, but he wasn't going to jeopardize his team's safety. It was clearly a trap.

Yanagi glued her chakra to the wall as she started to run in an arch from her point of entry. She moved swiftly trying to throw the attacker off guard as Masaru ran on the wall opposite her. She came off the wall with her leg out shooting blindly for whoever was crouched near the corner. Her foot came into contact with a person's face. She heard him groan as his fingers slipped on his weapon. The weapon the boy was holding turned over and over on the stone floor. Yanagi was on top of him in a matter of seconds.

Idai unsheathed his swords from their confinements on his back. As he withdrew his weapons, a girl came running at him from the side. Idai moved the sword in his left hand up to block the kunai blade she had grasped in her hand. He spun on his left heel, coming around to aim the other sword at her side. The blade was forced to the girl's left, her body moving back to avoid it. Idai started to spin the sword in his right hand down the blade of the other sword. A vast wind of sound came shattering through the air. His opponent quickly covered her ears. Idai had her. He flicked his wrist, causing the wind to suddenly elevate in speed and pressure. The girl was thrown backwards against the wall.

Masaru smiled as he went into hand-to-hand combat with an older boy wearing a mask. He didn't bother unclipping the large shuriken on his back. Masaru decided at this close range, it was perfect to use the Byakugan. He concentrated focusing his attention on his kekkegenkai; inherited from his mother, Hinata. Masaru saw the chakra points light up like beacons on the boy's body. He moved his arms out quickly in alternating punches to hit directly on certain points to stop the boy's attacks. The boy breathed hard moving back, finally catching onto Masaru's attacks. He wasn't giving up.

Masaru charged the boy, ducking his body as he spun around to avoid the high kicks towards the space where his head once was. He forced his chakra out from the palms of his hands, hitting the boy's legs. The chakra was now stopped on all four limbs. He watched as the boy fell over. Masaru turned to see the boy Yanagi was fighting unclip a bomb attached to his waist. He shouted for her to withdraw.

Yanagi wasn't afraid of anything. She wanted to use the training everyone had given her to outwit this opponent. As the bomb was thrown at her, she formed hand seals with rapid speed. Her body position poofed into the air moving out of harm's way. The bomb was airborne; its position heading straight down the path. As soon as it hit the floor, it was going to explode. She turned her head, her eyes following the path of the bomb.

Idai moved his body back, directing his swords at the bomb. He had to throw it off course. If it hit the floor, the entire area was going to be one big deathtrap. Idai spun both of his swords together causing the amount of wind to throw the bomb against the wall. As it headed in its new direction, he ran forth tackling Yanagi to the floor. He covered her with his body as the bomb detonated. The explosion caused the wall of the tunnel to collapse. Huge amounts of stone came tumbling down behind them.

Idai coughed as he hovered over Yanagi. He shook his head free of the debri. "We can't go back that way. No one is going to be able to get in," he commented watching small bits of stone fall onto the larger pieces. If they had been near that, by any means, they would have been buried and crushed. He turned to give the other ninja a piece of his mind, but Masaru had beat him to it – with a punch. Their opponent was left unconscious on the floor.

Yanagi blushed hard wondering when Idai was going to move from his position. Even Daiya didn't sit on her like this. It made her slightly uncomfortable. As she glanced at him, his eyes met hers. He, too, started to blush, embarrassed at where he still was. "Th-Thanks," she said softly as he rose. Idai helped her up offering his hand to her. She brushed off her clothes. Masaru was still swearing and yelling at the unconscious boy on the floor. "Masaru, it's not like he can hear you."

Idai breathed hard, his eyes darting around looking for any more signs of an ambush. He dragged one of the ninja to the wall to leave him. He turned his head watching Masaru react to the previous fight. His team mate was slightly on edge since the bomb had gone off. The Hokage's son was contemplating moving on, or ending another's life. The kunai in his hand was raised to his collarbone in defense, fingers gripping tightly. "Masaru, this is a test. Unless we're on a real mission, or our lives are in danger – leave it."

Masaru stared at the ninja on the stone floor, waiting for him to move. He wanted to limit the chances of being a target of revenge. "I can't. What if they come after us again? What if we meet some time down the road and they remember it was us who caused them to fail? I can't leave it."

Idai narrowed his eyes. "You're looking at probabilities and not reality. I'm giving a direct order – leave it!"

Yanagi handed the piece of parchment she had found off to one of her butterfly scouts. She sensed the defiance radiating from Masaru. "Whether you want to look bad, or not, is not your decision," she said breaking the dead silence in the air. "Idai is the team leader. You have to obey him."

Masaru moved his eyes to look at Yanagi. "Yeah, well, what if he wasn't the leader? We're only on teams for a short while until we get our own missions. I won't have to listen to either of you anymore, or worry about ridicule from Kiba." He walked off ahead of them in the darkness.

"He's been outweighing my authority lately," Idai stated as he issued Yanagi to move on. "Let's hope he's up against me later on. I'll slam him so hard on his rear, he'll think he broke his tailbone."

Yanagi glanced at him. She didn't know what was going through Masaru's head. Is he trying to prove to us he's outgrown the team? Odd considering he still has much to learn about maturity.

Kiba waited at the top of the tower with the other trainers from around the lands. He leaned on the rail overlooking the long bridge. The water below sparkled with the cast of stars in the night sky. He breathed the air, his lungs filling with the various scents. A few teams had already made it out of the winding tunnels to find themselves out in the open. He watched as a team from the wind country crossed the bridge. They seemed to be dirty from the trial. He wondered if his team was going to pop up any time soon. His mind was a bit worried. Idai hadn't been back but a few months since his departure.

Kiba was already seeing the different attack styles and mental capabilities of each member in the team. Yanagi was the most problematic. She was able to figure out how to get out of situations using her head a lot better than using her fist. Unlike when he had first met her, Yanagi was already finding her own styles. She trusted herself a lot more. He wondered if that had anything to do with her relationship with Sasuke's adopted son. Daiya struggled with his own ailments, and in turn, he suspected that made Yanagi stronger.

Masaru was another matter. At times, the boy took direction well, but he was also stubborn in his way of thinking. Deep down, Kiba believed he was burdened with the demands of being a Hokage's son. Masaru had a lot to live up to. It messed with his head and his confidence. The boy had been showing defiance lately towards Idai. He thought Masaru would take direction if Idai came back, but now it was proving to be the opposite. He sighed, his mind weary over his team. He wanted them to be able to survive the exams.

"Looks like you've got a lot on your mind," Sasuke said from behind his fellow trainer. Kiba didn't turn around. The man's shoulders told him he was in deep thought. Sasuke moved beside him, his eyes searching the bridge. "A few teams are coming out of the tunnels. That's a good sign. Maybe it wasn't too hard for them."

"I'm surprised you aren't worried," Kiba said as his eyes saw a team coming out of the cave after the first one. He knew Sasuke wasn't going to admit anything, or speak his mind. "Haven't you been contemplating your team's chances?"

Sasuke leaned onto the rail with his arms hanging off. "If I keep thinking about it, I'll want to go into those tunnels myself and find them. I have to keep my mind off of it. They're doing the best they can."

Kiba knew the conversation wasn't just about Sasuke's team. It was also about his sons. "I hope they make it," he said speaking of both. "Ryu won't let anything happen to Daiya. He's going to be overprotective with the condition he's in."

Sasuke needed to hear those words. It made him feel a little better about allowing Daiya to participate. "I know. He's a good team leader, even with his flaws."

"Am I allowed to be pessimistic," Takeru said as he stood looking at the stone boulders now in their way. He wondered what could have happened here. "We've come so far. Man, how are we going to get past this?"

Eiyu walked up touching the rocks with his fingertips. "It looks like there was an explosion. A bomb, Takeru," he said in simple terms. "Someone decided to make sure no one got any further." He turned his head to see Onari digging through the rubble. "Onari, what good is that going to do?"

"How else are we supposed to move it, Eiyu," she countered with her usual serious tone. Her hands wrapped around a stone about as wide as Gin's father. She grunted, arching her back to lift it. As the stone came off the pile, she staggered back to place it against the wall. Onari gave the boys a certain look to make them work.

Eiyu couldn't believe they were going to have to be laborers to get everything out of the way. "You know, if another team comes behind us while we're doing this, we'll have to fight them. It's not a good situation."

Takeru figured he was right. There was bound to be teams who hadn't gotten all three of the parchments to move on to the next test. "Eiyu, what do you suppose the words mean anyway?"

Eiyu grunted heavily trying to lift a medium-sized boulder. He was forced to put it down, almost jamming his fingers under it. "This thing is too heavy," he panted. He saw Takeru put his arms around it. Eiyu went back to lifting it with Takeru's help. They moved it to the side of the tunnel. "At this rate, it's going to take us a long time to remove these. I'm not sure if it's daylight or nightfall out there."

"Eiyu, what do the words mean on the parchment pieces," Takeru asked again trying to refocus his team mate.

"Huh? Oh, the parchments we've gathered. The three words are: tower, the, and crux. So all you have to do is put them in order," Eiyu said moving to another good sized boulder.

Takeru thought about the words. "Crux the tower? No, that's not right. Tower the crux? That doesn't sound right either."

"The tower crux?" Eiyu shook his head continuing to move the boulders. Onari was already clearing the path as best she could. She wasn't appearing to move everything, but just enough so they could get through. "The crux tower?"

Onari looked up at a large boulder that was bigger than she was. She wasn't sure if she could move it. "Onari is not positive that one can be lifted."

Takeru looked up at the large piece of rock. "Ri, no offense, but I don't want you to get hurt." He saw her looking down at her hands. "You won't be able to bust through that without causing a landslide."

"He's right," Eiyu said pushing her back. "After all the ones we've moved, it seems there are too many of them. We can't move all of them. By the time we're finished, the exam will be over."

Onari began to move towards the pile of rocks again. "Onari is not calling it quits," she said stubbornly. She started to lift the rocks even faster, her anger taking over. She had worked too hard to get on a team in order to let some test defy her.

"Instead of wearing yourself out, how would you prefer some help," Areku asked from behind them. Team 9 turned around to stare at him. "We're not after your parchments," he said reassuring them. "We already have ours. Anyway, Ichigo and I can help you get those out of the way. Besides, if we don't we'll be here all night waiting for the mist-nin to let us out."

Gin tottered on her feet. They had came upon the other team struggling to free the path ahead. She walked forward waving to Takeru. "Hi, Takeru. You look awfully tired," she said with a soft smile. "Would you all like us to help you? I can push the rocks out of the way with one of my jutsus."

Eiyu pondered. "I didn't think of that," he admitted. "It would be easier for Gin to use her plant jutsus to free the rocks with the least damage to anyone."

Kandai stood silently watching his brother. He and Eiyu weren't on talking terms right now. He averted his eyes pretending he didn't know who he was.

Areku moved back pulling Kandai with him. "Quit zoning out on us. Whatever problem you have with Eiyu can be settled later. Right now, move out of the way. Those plants of hers don't have a mind of their own."

Gin formed hand seals in front of her body, she searched with her mind's eye for any plant life that was growing under the stone floor, or in the walls. She frowned. "There aren't any seeds I can use in this area," she said with disdained hope. "I'm sorry, I can't."

Eiyu sighed. "It was a nice thought. We just have to find another way to get out of here. We only have till morning to make it out of the tunnel. Any other plans?"

"Why not go with Areku's original plan to use he and Ichigo? They could easily move the boulders aside," Kandai suggested again holding his hand out. He shrunk back when Eiyu glanced in his direction.

"How are you and that little dog going to move those," Takeru asked. He saw Areku smile at him in a way that made him tense. "What? Did I just say something funny?"

"Ich and I are bonded to each other through teamwork and friendship. I can mold my body with hers," Areku said. "There's a lot you don't know about the Inuzuka clan," he said with confidence. "I also don't show all of my abilities in the training rings. All of you might want to move back as far as you can. Once we're molded together, the canine instinct takes over."

Onari walked with the others down the path until Kandai stopped waving her farther into the dark. "What does he mean by the canine instinct takes over? Is Areku going to urinate on his territory?"

Gin put her hands over her mouth. She blushed. Onari was defiantly Daiya's sister. They were both open-mouthed about what their thoughts pertained.

Kandai smiled at her not able to help her outright question. "No, he and Ichigo are going to get bigger. You'll see."

Areku looked once again at the boulders in the way of the path. "Alright, Ich, we've got work to do," he said. She barked her approval. Areku formed hand seals in front of his body, focusing on he and Ichigo's bond with one another. They both poofed into a large two-headed gray dog. He growled with Ichigo, both of their heads moving around to examine the area. Their scents and canine instincts were heightened.

"Oh, my,-" Takeru tensed as he saw the huge teeth on the two-headed dog. The ears of the beast were slicked back, alert for any sign of movement. He was slightly afraid to move.

Areku and Ichigo preceded to paw at the boulders. A few of them fell to the stone floor, slamming and cracking against each other. They moved them aside until the area was clear. The two-headed dog slammed both of its heads into the boulders causing them to crack. Again, Areku and Ichigo moved forward pressing their paws into the ground for stability. The boulders were beginning to show resistance.

Gin covered her ears. Areku was surely getting into the challenge. He and Ichigo slammed so hard into the boulders that several of them were lifted free of their placement. She screamed seeing two coming towards the group. Gin threw several seeds out in front of the group, reacting quickly to shield them. "Vine fortress!" The vines shot out of the seeds, growing thicker as they headed for the ceiling. "Run!" She wasn't sure if the vines would hold the boulders off.

Takeru wrapped his fingers around Gin's arm yanking her along as the boulders crashed into the vines. The impact caused the vines to break quiet easily, but it did slow the boulders down. All of them threw themselves to the ground as the boulders rolled over several times. He turned around to see a boulder no more than four feet away. If they hadn't of leapt, they would have been under them. "Working with Areku is dangerous."

Once the task was finished, Areku and Ichigo separated. It was taking a lot of chakra to maintain their current form. He breathed hard falling onto his rear. "I hope there isn't any more obstacles ahead," he breathed. Ichigo barked her reply. She hoped there weren't either.

"Good work," Gin said praising her team mate. "Now all we have to do is leave the tunnel. We're almost to the end. And time is almost up," she said starting to run down the tunnel.

Team 9 was following her. Onari had stopped to lift Areku onto her back despite his protests of being carried. She wasn't in the mood to listen to his complaints. "Be quiet, Kiba boy," she said hushing him. "There is no time to worry about pride."

"What other things do I have to worry about? You're not even on my team, Onari! What are they going to think when we exit like this," Areku shouted as Ichigo struggled to hold on.

Saori sipped water as she sat at the table inside the Crux Tower. Her team had had a bit of trouble finding the parchments, but they had made it with enough time to spare. Daiya was fast asleep on the table, his eyes closed with his head laying on his arms. Ryu, however, was sitting watching him to make sure he was alright. "He's just worn out, Ryu. He's okay," she said with a reassuring smile.

Ryu lifted his hand placing it on Daiya's head. He was still responsible for the boy's welfare. Sasuke had been right earlier. He had a lot to worry about. Shikamaru's daughter and Sasuke's son were on his team – two very important people to him. He removed his hand looking up to stare out of the window. "Well, all be damn. Here comes Team 9 and 4. Time's almost up," he said watching the sun starting to peek over the trees.

Saori turned around. "Why is Onari carrying Areku? He's not on her team."

Ryu watched Onari drop Areku on his rear. She hurried to catch up to her team. Areku seemed stunned he was dropped so closely to the entrance. "Who knows," he said with a frown, shaking his head.

Teams 9 and 4 busted through the entrance almost
falling over each other. They were all panting, looking around the area. Other teams were watching them curiously.

"Were we the last ones to make it out of there," Kandai asked. He saw two-thirds of the original teams in the waiting area. "The tunnels took out quite a few teams."

"That's the whole point of them," Takeru said. He was starting to get weird looks by some of the teams. They were up against some powerful opponents in the next few days. This was only the beginning. "Come on, we need to find a seat. See you guys later," he said moving through the crowd of ninja with his eyes darting.

Onari flipped her head to hear the main doors shutting. "Takeru, we are locked in," she said confirming her assumption. A ninja tried to open the door out of panic, but he wasn't able to. The teams in the room were starting to get anxious. None of them had any idea what was in store for them.

Eiyu found a spot near one of the corners in the room. He kept his eyes focused ahead. "We need to figure out the meaning of the parchment. I know what a tower is. But what is a crux?"

Takeru reached behind his back taking out a kunai. He felt trapped with the other teams. They were watching each other as if there was a piece of meat out in the open and they were all starving. "I have the feeling we're not going to get any farther unless we fight again. We're at a huge disadvantage. The teams that were close to the time limit are going to be the most fatigued. Team 4 is also getting glared at. All of them are planning against us."

"Apparently some of you don't know about the graduation rites of the Mist Village," a guy with long black hair said. He smiled at the teams around his own. "This is a death match. Those of you that can survive to make it out of here alive, moves on to the next round."

"You have to be kidding," Nomi Kakimomoto from the Snow country shouted. She saw the boy sneer at her ridiculous statement. Her eyes moved around the room hearing stone moving out of place. Soon she found it. A small opening in the wall started to lift off the floor. It revealed a low tunnel type opening. There was no other escape from the room.

Hikaru Kuwabara stood his ground, his tall form towering over most of the students there. His one eye started to size up everyone in comparison. He knew what his team had when it came to combat. "We're not afraid of any of you," he said in his deep male voice.

Kaoru Sakiyurai peeped out from behind Hikaru, his blue eyes hinting at his playfulness. His small form was not to be taken lightly on his team. It allowed him to maneuver in tight spots – such as this one. Kaoru spun the long circular metal plate hanging from his wrist. "I'm ready to play with all of you," he said in his boyish nature.

Achira Baisotei from the Rice country grunted as he was hit from behind. His head swam with star lines as he tottered on his feet. Before he knew it, he had crashed to the floor unconscious.

Fusae Saga whirled around with a kunai drawn, her eyes narrowed for whoever had attacked her team mate. "Who was it," she demanded, her arms tense as she stood in the middle of the room, "Who attacked him?"

Eda Ichiro threw a small thin needle called a senbon at the girl who had her kunai drawn. The needle lodged directly into her neck, its poison seeping into her flesh. "I did," he said as his team started to move.

"Oh, crap, it's started," Saori said watching the Marsh team move through the crowd picking on weaker ninja to take out. She noticed the one who had announced his plan, was staring dead at her. Her team was being singled out due to Daiya being the weakest member. "Ryu!"

Ryu was forming hand seals quickly as the boy from the Marsh came at his team. He concentrated his mind on his genjutsu techniques. The room they were in started to transform into a dark, thick forest. "Let's see how you can attack us when you don't know where we are," he said with his voice echoing as if they were in a cave.

Saori put her hand on Daiya's shoulder shaking him hard. "Daiya. Daiya, wake up! Daiya, come on, get up," she repeated trying to jar him awake. "Daiya, please," she begged. He was so tired he wasn't moving. She had to think of something. There were a lot of teams in this room. For right now, they were confused. What can I do to protect my team? Ryu's trying to keep them at bay.

Saori thought about her training entailed by Sasuke Uchiha. Her team was her second family. They were her life. She breathed hard, trying to think. We're not allowed to use summonings. They told us that at the beginning. But now is different, isn't it? There is no other way for my team to survive when everyone is out to get us in this place. At the cost of my life, I'll defend them by any means possible.

Saori brought her thumb towards her mouth. She grimaced as she bit herself, the blood trickling to the floor. Saori crouched quickly forming symbols around her body. Taking a kunai out, she ripped the bandages around her arm to reveal the tattoo given to her from her contract with Josei. Her thumb hovered over the tiger's form. "For the survival of my team – and myself." Saori smeared the blood over the tiger's form.

The symbols on the floor started to glow with blinding light. She could hear the other teams exclaiming how they could see where she stood in the room. "Summoning jutsu! Celestial God of the West Gate, Josei!"

The light started to form into a huge, overbearing tiger with his fangs showing. Josei roared with his head downcast, shoulders raised. He began to prowl around Team 2 with his mighty body, his tail flickering from side to side waiting for one of the ninja to pounce.

"What the hell is that? A tiger?! I thought summoning techniques weren't allowed," a boy yelled with his hand up to defend himself from another ninja hitting him.

Yo Jippensha from the moon country stood with his moon staff by his side. His long white hair flowed behind his back, his gray eyes hauntingly following the movement of the tiger. "What chunin exam expects ninja to obey small, simple rules," he asked. "There are no rules during the exam from start to finish. It's who survives, that matters."

Saori stood in a defense pose, her body language speaking for her. If they chose to get near her, she'd slaughter them. "Back off," she warned as a team began to advance towards them. "Don't assume he won't listen to me," she spoke of the tiger.

"Oh, we know he'll listen to you," Akitazu Okakura stated. "We count on it. There's only one of him. There are three of us and three of you."

Sakue Yonai moved around the startled team as if she were a hyena taunting them. "Your team won't make it to the door. You all are sitting ducks guarding a sleeping boy. How cute," she said with a light hearted laugh.

Eda Ichiro formed hand seals, concentrating on the genjutsu surrounding his team. "Release!" The genjutsu around him faded as if it were a hopeless dream. He smiled evilly at the tall genin before him. "Got you now," he said twirling a kunai in his hand.

"Don't be so sure about that," Ryu said. He kept his eyes focused on Eda as Daiya dropped from the ceiling on top of him. Eda was slammed to the ground, the impact of his head hitting the stone floor, knocked him out. Ryu heard Daiya's clone on the bench poof. "Next time, I'd tell Saori what your plans are."

Saori took one look at her team mates and scowled. "Daiya Uchiha, you could have told me that was a clone," she shouted at him embarrassed. Her face flushed remembering her hands on his arm trying to rouse him. In a way, she felt as if she had cheated on Ryu and betrayed Yanagi. Damn it, why does Daiya have to be attractive now of all times? He wasn't like that when he was younger.

Josei lunged at a few ninjas that were getting too close to Team 2. He roared his outrage, pawing with his claws out. The ninjas were scrambling to get away from him. A few of them were twirling weapons at him trying to attack. "You dare attack a God? Foolish mortals," he roared at them. They moved back quickly once he spoke.

"We need to get to that door," Daiya shouted as he dodged a kunai being thrown over his head. The teams around them were attacking each other. "This is bullshit," he said in anger, his body beginning to charge. His hair spiked out. Daiya began to charge at the ninja who were close to him, his arms emitting powerful electrical forces.

Ryu had his own problems to worry about. He was busy keeping two ninja off of him. Worrying about Daiya taking charge was not on his top priority list right now. "Saori, start moving towards the door," he called to her.

Saori blocked a sharp staff with Rose. "What? And leave you and Daiya behind?" She moved her body, crouching to the floor as Josei leapt over her to defend her.

"That's an order, Saori Nara," Ryu said. "We'll catch up. Now go!"

Saori swore under her breath. She held Rose out to the side, moving her around to keep the other students from hitting her with their weapons. Saori ran through the fighting crowd, her eyes focused on the door. Josei was soon on her heels moving swiftly as people were getting attacked. A boy flew over her head as he was thrown by someone. She fell to the floor, scrambling on all fours to get back up. It was utter chaos around her.

A large stone golem moved in front of the door to prevent anyone from exiting the room. Saori skidded on her feet, moving back as the creature swung a weapon at her head. She signaled Josei to stay away from it. "You can't bite through stone!"

Onari kicked a boy in his back as she twirled in the air, her arms out, kunai ready to slice anyone moving towards her team. The boy fell onto a table in the room, breaking it. He went crashing to the floor. She flipped her head seeing Saori with Josei near the door. They weren't able to get past it with a stone golem blocking their escape. Onari's anger fumed. She had warned all of them not to use the celestials at any costs during the exam. It would make them a target. Sure enough, a boy came charging at Saori twirling a chain.

Onari went straight at him, her motions a blur. She was upon him with her hand outreached to grab onto the chain. Before she knew it, she was being dropped on by two others in the boy's team. Onari growled under her mask, her arms coming up to fight the two holding her down. "Get off!"

Katamaru Takano held the girl wearing the mask down with all of her strength. "That girl isn't on your team ninja from Konoha. Why are you defending her? You must know something about that tiger of hers."

"Seems she doesn't want us to get any closer to it," Washi Hojo said as he kept twirling the chain. "You're in no position to stop us. Where we come from, there's a legend regarding that tiger. That wasn't an ordinary summoning jutsu."

Unkei Eimino let go of the girl's arm to see a ninja staring him down with brown hair in a ponytail. He smiled at the boy, moving his arm down to slip into the casing on his leg. Unlike ninja who carried shuriken, he carried metal plates that were one inch in diameter. They helped him direct his electrical charges farther in distance. "Now, now, what do we have here? With all that metal on your body, one would think you're a lightening user."

Daiya's face remained solemn, his expression emotionless as he spoke in his monotone voice. "I am a lightening user. Get your hands off my sister."

"Oh, that's sweet. We have a brother-sister combo," Katamaru said from her position. She had the girl's arm behind her back. "I wouldn't move any closer than that, I'll break her arm," she said putting more force on the bones in her grasp.

Daiya saw the symbol on their bodies. They were from the lightening country. "Whether you believe it or not, her bones don't break that easily," he said taking out a long metal rod. He twirled it in his fingertips, his eyes focused on the other lightening user. Daiya lifted his left hand as he kept their focus on what his right was doing. He aimed his electrical charge out towards their feet. Daiya erupted.

Unkei shot back, falling over Katamaru and the girl under her. "You idiots! He was using a distraction!" He got back up throwing a metal plate in the air. Unkei erupted sending his charge at the boy in front of them.

Daiya used the rod in his hand to hit the metal plate as if he were hitting a baseball. Unkei's charges went off elsewhere, away from him. He moved towards the boy darting around the electricity hitting the floor. Daiya swung his arm aiming straight at the boy's face. As he came within close range, he nailed him so hard, his jaw was dislocated.

Washi went after the girl who had summoned the tiger. That was his focus. His team could fend for themselves. No sooner had he thrown his chain at the beast's mouth, he felt a sharp object poking him in the side. He turned his head to see a tall boy with spiky hair watching him with intent.

Josei narrowed his slit eyes at the mere thought
of being confined. He opened his mouth struggling against the chain. The ninja in front of him was over confident. He started to pull back, his paws embedded into the floor. The ninja in front of him was being taken by Ryu, who was not tolerating such an action on Saori.

Saori tried her best to remove the chain from around Josei's mouth. Her fingers tried earnestly to grip it with the tiger struggling against the ninja was still holding him. "Josei, stop. I can't free you if you keep pulling. The chain is too tight!"

Ryu pressed the kunai into the boy's side more, drawing blood. "You're not afraid to die. Let the tiger go," he warned.

"I don't think so," Katamaru said bringing out one of her dolls. She lifted her hand causing the doll to walk towards the girl and her tiger. "Oh, don't be foolish. She's not a puppet. She's very much alive."

The doll smiled at the girl and tiger with a menacing look. Her stitched mouth opened to sing a rhyme, "Fearless and talented, I hold your fate. You have an appointment at hell's gate. Don't bother to flee when you meet your doom. Five, four, three, two, one…I'm about to go kaboom!"

Saori screamed and urged Josei to break the chain. The doll was a bomb! Ryu fell back letting Washi go. He grabbed a hold of Daiya's arm, his fingers wrapping around the electrical charge being emitted. He yelped in pain, but managed to get Daiya's attention. "Move back! That thing's a bomb!" As his voice was raised, the other teams around him turned their focus on his position. He watched all of them drop what they were doing to either run towards the escape in the wall, or move towards the locked door.

Onari kicked Katamaru out from under her legs, having been forgotten for the moment. She ran to one of the walls punching it as hard as she could. It started to crack. With all of her force, she brought her kekkegenkai into motion. Her arms moved with lightening speed to make a hole in the wall. The morning air blew through the hole.

"Onari! Catch," Yanagi shouted as she threw the
doll at her. She was pushed to the ground by Idai covering her as the doll's eyes started to go black. It was sparking.

Onari grabbed onto the doll forcing it through the hole in the wall with sheer strength. Once it was sticking halfway through, she heard it click. Her eyes widened as the bomb exploded. Onari was thrown backwards, along with other ninja who were too close. She slammed hard onto a table, blacking out.

The smoke in the room drifted through the air. Debris was raining down on the unconscious students. The room had been destroyed. All of them laid on top of each other in heaps as they had tried to get away from the doll. Takeru coughed trying to get the smoke out of his lungs. He raised his head, looking around for his team. Eiyu was laying on his back, his arms out on top of three others. "Eiyu! Eiyu!"

Eiyu heard someone calling his name. He groaned feeling as if a ton of bricks had hit him square in the head. His eyes opened to see Takeru getting up. He was walking with a limp. "Where are we?"

Takeru fell once he had managed to get over the lying ninja. "Someone threw a bomb, remember? We have to get out of this room," he said helping his team mate sit up. "Where is Onari?" He stood up leaning slightly on his right leg for support as his eyes scanned the area. Students were laying in every which direction, their bodies flopped over by the impact. He grunted as he began to recognize his colleagues strewn out all over the room. Takeru made sure Eiyu was trying to get up with a glance. He had to get everyone out of the place.

Eiyu saw Takeru making his way to Areku Inuzuka. Kiba's son was being crushed by the weight of another ninja on top of him. He began to assist Takeru in the search for others they knew. Eiyu activated his Byakugan to heighten his sense of sight. He was able to zone in on particular areas as he searched for hands, arms, legs, or any other part of person's body he recognized. Eiyu hopped over a person sprawled out, his eyes signaling in on Daiya. Onari's brother appeared to have been thrown under a table to help shield him. It must have been Ryu.

Eiyu placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, shaking him hard. "Daiya Uchiha, wake up," he said forcefully his arm not stopping. Eiyu saw him stir, but he figured he must have sustained a concussion. "Sorry about this," he said pinching the fire out of Daiya's wrist.

Daiya yelled as his head rose fast, almost hitting the table he was under. He looked around until he saw Eiyu Hyuuga standing in front of him. "Wh-Where are..we?" Eiyu was forcing him to stand. Daiya grunted.

"We've got to get the teams out of here. If the bomb didn't take everyone out, they'll be on our tails soon enough in the tower," Eiyu stated. "We can't find Onari either. She had her hands on the doll."

Daiya was alerted by the words escaping Eiyu's mouth. "Go help Takeru," he ordered pointing as he staggered on his feet. Daiya started moving people out of the way with his strength, searching for his sister. "Onari!" He didn't see anyone around him move. "Damn it," he swore with aggression in his voice. He heard the sound of Masaru getting up somewhere behind him off to his right.

Masaru didn't recognize the waiting room. "It's a
total mess," he commented, his body trying to move. Takeru was busy helping Saori up. Josei was nowhere to be found. Masaru figured if Saori was knocked unconscious, like any summoning jutsu, the creature you conjure, vanished. "Idai, Yanagai," he called trying to find them. Masaru kept calling until he saw Yanagi's yellow sleeve waving about in the air. "Yanagi!" He ran to her at full force hopping over people.

Yanagi coughed, groaning as Masaru pulled her out from under Idai. "He's hurt, Masaru," she said turning around to get the fallen stone off of her team mate. "He shielded me from the blast," she said with sadness. Idai was laying on his side, his head back as if someone had sucker punched him.

Masaru bent down checking Idai's pulse. He was still alive, but not able to respond to either of them calling him, or shaking him. "I'll have to carry him," he said. Masaru started to lift Idai, his own body shouting complaints with pain. "Oh, shut up," he told his arms and legs. He turned around to see some of the others being found or assisting in the searches. "Do you want us to help?"

"No, get inside the tower," Ryu ordered. "We can find the others. Take your team and go!"

Yanagi flipped her head to see Daiya watching her as he searched for Onari. "I love you," she called before she turned on her heels. Yanagi Lee was soon following Masaru through the dust with an unconscious team leader through the opening to the Crux Tower. She bit her lip, her heart jumping the moment she was on the other side with Daiya and his team still in the other room.

Masaru urged her to keep moving. "He'll be alright, Yanagi. He's with his team. Right now, we have to help Idai," he said trying to re-focus her. Yanagi soon nodded, her mind still unable to maneuver away from Daiya's image.

Gin Akimichi found Kandai on his stomach, his body laying as if he had been thrown like a rag doll. "Kandai!" She started to lift people off of him with Takeru's help. Gin kneeled quickly to the floor, her hand searching him for life. "Kandai," she called.

"He's hurt pretty badly, Gin," Takeru said rolling Neji's son over. There were bruises all over his body. "Areku," he called to gain his attention. "Help Gin get Kandai out of here. You two need to make it inside the tower," he said. Some of the teams were starting to move. "They're not going to be too happy once they fully gain consciousness."

Areku lifted Kandai onto his back. Ichigo was limping slightly. Gin picked up the dog to carry her in her kimono. "Takeru, I hope you all find her," he said with one last look to the Uchiha boy. He and Gin were soon off headed for the entrance to the tower. It was crucial the teams made it inside. Who knew what kind of traps or obstacles lay ahead.

Takeru turned his head hearing Daiya's panic over finding his sister. He was soon running through the broken room, trying his best not to trip, or step on anyone. Takeru tried to get closer the moment he saw Onari's limp form crashed into a broken table. Saori was pulling him back.

Daiya's eyes searched the mask Sasuke had made for his sister. The mask was cracked down the front, yet it was still holding together. Daiya crawled over his sister to get his hands on her. "Onari," he said, but she wasn't moving. Carefully he lifted the mask off of her face. Her eyes were closed, head tilted back, blood running down her nose and mouth. Daiya placed his hand on her cheek, moving her head towards him. "Onari," he said again. She appeared lifeless to him.

Daiya lifted her body up where he could hold her. Her head fell forward, her long hair draping over her form. "Ryu," Daiya shouted, his arms protecting his sister.

Ryu was already on the way, his hand reached behind his back to open the pouch on his waist. He was taking out bandages, ointment, and smelling salts. "I'm coming," he said moving past Takeru and Saori. Ryu kneeled beside Daiya, his hand lifting to check Onari's pulse. "She's lucky it didn't kill her," Ryu said dabbing the bandage on her face in order to clean her up. "Her pulse is slow, so she's alright."

"The mask sensei made protected her head," Saori said, her eyes staring hard at the crack upon it. Takeru was loosening his body. He had remained unsure until Ryu had diagnosed the problem. Saori saw the change in his eyes.

Ryu moved the smelling salts under Onari's nose. "Come on," he said letting it drift slowly into the air. Onari's head jerked. She started moaning, her vocal noises a welcome sound. Daiya was kissing her forehead, relieved she was only injured. Ryu's head turned to see a few teams rising out of the debris. "Whoever's carrying her, better take her now. We have to bail. They don't look too happy," he said.

Takeru moved forward to lift Onari, but Eiyu placed his hand on his chest to stop him.

"I need you to protect us, Takeru," Eiyu said. "I'll carry her. You've done enough," he said stepping up to the plate. Eiyu gently lifted Onari onto his back, adjusting his feet so he could rise without tumbling over. Eiyu halted in his footsteps towards the exit. Teams were singling them out again. They were withdrawing their weapons. It wasn't over.

Daiya began to charge, his anger getting the better of him. Despite the calming lessons he had taken from Izumi, or the strict discipline enforced on him by Sasuke, he was still a hot head. "Get my sister and brother out of here, Eiyu," he said telling the Hyuuga twin to keep moving. Daiya charged fully, his eyes narrowed. "You've got me to deal with!"

Eiyu moved his leg kicking Takeru in the rear. "Move, Takeru! We can't stop him!" They started to run towards the exit with Onari's head hanging over Eiyu's shoulder. The teams were starting to move towards them with speed, their hands throwing weapons in their direction.

Takeru formed hand seals as he ran, his mind concentrating on the jutsus he had learned from his mother, the elite of the Mist Village. He grit his teeth, his mind focused on protecting his team. Takeru turned around, running backwards, watching the shuriken and kunai coming straight at them. "Water wall," he shouted as droplets of moisture started to come together, forming walls around his team. The weapons were caught in the water, their momentum slowed down. Takeru turned around once he heard the weapons clattering to the floor, his form disappearing into the darkness once he was through the exit.

Daiya sent his electrical charges at each team he encountered. They were doubling back, but he was hot on their tail to stop them from attacking his team, or following Team 9. He growled as a girl threw a chair at him. Daiya punched the wooden chair, his fist going straight threw it. It broke into two, hitting the floor.

Fubuki Kamioka summoned her stone gargoyle who had blocked the exit earlier. She told it to take out the teams who were preventing her team from advancing. "Attack," she ordered again. The eight foot tall gargoyle started to move slowly through the room, its large feet stepping over those that were fallen.

Chichi Noro from the Stone Country was busy fighting off the team from the marsh. They were serious about stopping anyone and everyone from getting inside the tower. He bit his thumb the moment he was free from his offensive attacks. Once they brought their arms up to block his weapons, or poof to another location, he lowered his body, crouching to spin on his heels rubbing blood on the floor. "Stonehenge formation," he said as huge stones broke out of the ground to shield him from anymore attacks.

Satoru Okawa was swinging his stone mallet at the boy who was emitting lightening attacks on everyone in the room. He sent the weapon at his head, but the boy was ducking the moves, his feet moving as if he were a dancer. Satoru turned his body in the air, unleashing small stone pellets to be sent forwards.

Daiya crouched low grabbing part of a table to shield himself from the stone. The stone hit the table going halfway through it. He blinked, dropping it only to use his twirling rod to fend off the stones. He shouted to Ryu and Saori to get to the exit. He would hold them off.

Saori sent Rose twirling at a team, the puppet's arms brought out with weapons drawn. She felt Ryu pick her up, causing her chakra strings to go slack. The puppets weapons came within inches of slicing and dicing. "Ryu! We can't leave him behind!"

Ryu was carrying her on his hip with the weight of the puppet causing him to dig his heels into the stone. The puppet was dragged onto the floor, tripping over anyone who was trying to follow them. He hurled Saori through the dark hole, throwing her inside with complaints drifting to his ears. Ryu went through the exit, leaving Daiya behind.

The trainers from the various countries watched Team 2 exit the room. They had left one of their team mates behind. As they stood in the room watching the monitor, Sasuke's body tensed. Other teams had started to arouse from the explosion. Daiya was having to defend himself from multiple attacks. "Get out of there. Get out, Daiya," he said softly his eyes remaining focused on the screen.

Rock Lee was glued to the monitor like Sasuke. He was contemplating Daiya's chances of making it out of there alive. The boy was really having to emit a lot of charges to keep other teams from taking him down. He was slightly on edge himself. It wasn't just the fact that his daughter was dating Sasuke's son; it also had to do with Rock Lee's own inner ambitions. He wanted Daiya to overcome the obstacles he was facing around, and within himself.

Shikamaru's mouth was agape, his cigarette hanging off as he narrowed his eyes with intense waiting. Daiya had allowed his other two team mates to go ahead of himself. Saori was safe for the time being, but he was not. As soon as a stone gargoyle starting swinging its weapons, Daiya took the chance to kick it back as he spun in the air. The creature moved back, staggering. Daiya took the opportunity to glue his chakra onto the gargoyle and as it started to fall backwards, he moved his legs, going up and over it. Daiya landed safely behind it. He was now faced with the ninja from the stone country.

Kiba lowered his head, covering his face with his hand. He couldn't bear to watch any further. He soon felt Shikamaru lower his arm.

"Don't ignore it," Shikamaru said glancing at him. "Whether he makes it or not, we have to give him that bit of hope. Keep watching the monitor."

Jun Umehara took out the handle of a sword from his oversized white shirt. He whipped his hand back, then forwards causing the device inside to click. The blades of the sword came out of the handle, clinking in place. "Now, don't be surprised," he told the ninja in front of him. "Technology is always increasing with creative influences in various countries." He started to move his sword from side to side with his hand behind his back, feet moving on the stone floor. Jun glanced at the boy with the brown ponytail. He was stunned to why he was assisting him. "You're related to Takeru, yes?"

Daiya moved his rod to send a weapon off in another direction. He overlooked the man from his shoulder, his head nodding slowly. "How do you know my brother?"

"Met him earlier, before the first trial," Jun said as his sword clanked with the shuriken in the ninja's hand. "He's a good kid," he said admiring the boy's personality. "My team and I can take care of these fools long enough for you to make it through."

Enshi was already using his jutsus on the wall to send himself flying from one point to another. The ninja around him were finding him a hard target to master. "You guys couldn't hit the broad side of a barn," he taunted.

Chie's long slender body turned into three versions of herself twirling long necklaces on her hands. "Avoid me if you can," she said throwing the necklaces towards several ninja. Some of them moved, others were in the wrong positions. They were up against the wall. One necklace went around a boy's neck. It appeared harmless, until Chie formed hand seals. Her eyes locked with his. "Defend me," she commanded. The boy's pupils dilated. She had him. He began to move like a zombie towards his own team mates, attacking them.

Daiya took the chance to make a run for the exit. He ducked his head low, trying his best to miss anything flying through the air. "Thanks," he called to the tall blond headed man who was still fencing off attacks. Daiya had to catch up to his team. As he entered the crux tower, reality seemed to disappear all around him.

To be Continued…