The Greek Kunoichi
Chapter 7: Chuunin Selection Exams Finals and the Konoha Crush.
Author's notes: Here's the next chapter! It will be close to canon, but you can guess already that my portrayal of Naruto made her quite different than canon, gender excluded. There will be several emotional moments and rash things said in the heat of the moment, but it won't hurt less just because it was not meaningful. Now for the stats we have 20 reviews, 113 followers, 108 favorites, still no C2 communities and 4 688 views. Fair warning, I like to switch things up so sometimes I will use the Japanese terms and other times I will use the English translations. Also a change, Suna will still invade with Oto, but the Fourth Kazekage isn't dead and masqueraded by Orochimaru. He is not entirely responsible of his acts, but he is there in person. Now on with the story!
Jiraiya, for all his faults, really knew how to train other shinobis. He was able to pick apart her fighting style and her abilities and give a fair critic on them. Having found out about the Gods on his own, he could also find new ways for her to use her demigod's abilities. He was still sceptic about the denizens of a higher plane of existence being really Gods and not powerful immortals, but having seen the divine tourists roaming Uzu No Kuni and mingling peacefully with the civilians, he had to accept that it was the truth. He was also sceptic at first when she informed him that it was physically impossible to use Kurama's chakra and abilities he granted her along side of most of her demigod's powers (She was still a crack shot with a bow with a one tail cloak or in Sunlight speed, same thing with her voice and musical talent.), but when he saw that the demonic chakra and the reduced godly energy were cancelling each other's except on her regeneration ability and her constitution where they were working together, he had no other choice than to deal with it. It would have been a real killer combo if she could combine her Bijuu chakra and her Sunlight speed, but it was not to be. She could use regular chakra just fine when she was at higher speed, but there was a reason why gods and demons don't usually mix. Not that Kurama was a demon per se, more like an incredibly powerful supernatural animal spirit/Chakra construct given life. He wasn't in the mood to discuss his origins the last time she was in the seal and asked him about it though. They had stroke a deal, if she changed her mind scape and alter the Seal binding them together into a more pleasant representation, he would allow her the use of his powers to a certain extent. In contrast with the northern mountainous forest that her mother's mind scape was, hers became a forest of bamboo and others exotic trees upon many mountains, filled with game. Yang could hunt and roam to his heart's content now. She was too young and not experimented enough to use his full strength and they did not have a strong enough bond yet. They were becoming friends slowly but surely, yes. But Kurama had been burned too many times by humans before to trust blindly. For her part, she was just glad to making progress and having passed the "I'll devour you" trope.
He was still willing gladly to help her embarrass/prank the Pervy Sage though. Tricking all his senses with a well crafted kitsune illusion to make him feel and see that he still had his clothes on while he was walking around the village as usual as if nothing was wrong while in reality he was stark naked was hilarious! She and Yang Kurama had laughed long and hard about that prank! But her revenge would not stop there, oh no, once he was out of jail for public indecency, she told her mother what he did to her. Needless to say, Jiraiya wouldn't forget that beating for a long time! Fear the saucepan of doom and the motherly rage combined! That would make him think twice about throwing her into a ravine to make her use Yang Kurama's chakra to summon Gamabunta! Yes, she had signed the Toad Contract like her father when he was mortal and godfather before her. Oh, she had succeeded in her summoning, but the boss toad was a big grouch and she had to promise on her honour as an Uzumaki Kunoichi that she would have sake ready for him the next time she summoned him. He also mentioned that next time; she should summon a lesser toad, maybe one of his sons, Gamakichi or Gamatatsu to pass along the request for his summoning. He would graciously absolve her of her faux-pas this time since she was a new summoner and it was a situation of life or death, but next time he would not be as merciful. He was the leader of the Toad tribe of Mount Myoboku and had responsibilities to attends to, he was not a youngling who had nothing better to do than play with humans all day long.
After taking a day off to recover from Kushina's displeasure on his person, now they were devising a few solutions to make her able to combat the Jūken. They were on to something that would become her nom de guerre. Naruto Uzumaki was going to learn the art of partial metamorphosis. With Kurama's "helpful" advice when he was laughing at her, she quickly learned what not to do. By reversing the process, she finally made progress! She was still a long way from a total transformation into a full bipedal kitsune though. In fact, Kurama flat out told her that it would be impossible for her to access that transformation without opening the Seal on her stomach first and fighting him for the right to use his powers as if they were hers.
Only when she would be able to defeat him in combat to the death would his true powers be readily accessible to her. It was years away anyway as she was not even remotely close to be ready to fight her tenant for dominance, so better not dwell on it right now. So they worked on manifesting physical tails and adding chakra in them to sharpen the fur tips into deadly spears. She also worked on transforming her hands into clawed prehensile paws to augment her striking power and her defense for the chakra bursts that the Gentle Fist would send into her system when she would try to catch the hands of Neji in their future match. After been able to materialize her kitsune appendages, she next had to learn how to use them efficiently. And also how to aim correctly when shooting her tails for an attack or a defense. Pervy Sage was always mocking her that her aim sucked. Yes, she sucked, but he could have been more courteous and not laugh about it. For that one, she took her revenge by talking out loud about what was happening with her body. She talked his ears off about the growing of her chest, hair growing where there wasn't before, the debate of chest warps vs. Bras, that kind of things. When she arrived at the subject of her period, he couldn't take it anymore, he did a runner. His face was as white as a sheet! It was priceless! The big bad Toad Sage was afraid of teenage female biology! Another successful day of training. She was missing Sasuke though. It was not the same when he wasn't home. She liked surprising him some mornings by jumping on his bed in a cartwheel just to wake him up. Of course, he would try give chase when she ran away after her successful prank. There was not much chance that he could catch her for she had inherited her father's speed, but sometimes he managed to. The last time she used her developing feminine wiles to fluster him. He had cornered her in the kitchen and she had batted her eyelashes at him and planted a little kiss on his lips. Sasuke had turned completely red as the tomatoes that he so enjoyed eating and began sputtering. It was hilarious! Oh, she was genuinely interested in him, but she felt they still had some growing up to do before trying dating. Anko had taught her the anti-pregnancy jutsu to use before a sexual relation and also taught her what she called "the glorious morning after" jutsu, for when you were too wild the night before to use the right technique; just in case. Fresh graduated kunoichis were provided with a special vaccine which would make them infertile for about a year, give or take a month, as a security measure. Rape wasn't as common as it was back in the wars, but better be safe than sorry. All of this came to the fact that when the time came, she would not let another man touch her for her first time than Sasuke. Of course, she had yet to broach that subject with him, she liked to ease him into it, but she didn't want to traumatize him for life. Her mom told her boys matured more slowly than girls so she had to take it slow.
The rest of them month passed about the same. Training to perfect her new skills and hone a few of her older ones, banter with Pervy Sage, a few outings to Ichiraku Ramen, relaxing at home and talking with her mother. She was still missing Sasuke, her grandparents and Uzu No Kuni something fierce though. The gods could now roam the Elemental Nations occasionally, but Apollo and Artemis, more Artemis than Apollo because the God of the Sun was too busy to really do a good job to make sure everything was as it should be, well that was his excuse anyway, Naruto was convinced that somewhere in his subconscious he knew what would be waiting for him when he remembered the wife and child he left behind and was terrified about it, were still the top dogs here and the Goddess of the Moon wasn't in the mood to let the others Gods go philandering in a human populace who still worshipped her twin brother, her mother and also herself. Thus the rest of the pantheon could come on a road trip if they so wished it but were forbidden by the Goddess of Maidens to interact with the mortals, be they samurais, shinobis or anything between in any physical way. So without Artemis' permission, her grandparents couldn't come to the finals of the Chuunin selection exams in Konoha. Poseidon, Amphitrite and Artemis did not have a bad relationship per say, but they just didn't run in the same circles. The married couple had hardly anything in common with the Huntress except their shared annoyance of the childishness of the Sun Rider. He really needed his wife to get him on the straight and narrow. Hopefully that would happen sooner than later. Thus they could not trade a week-end pass to Uzu for a pass to the tournament. And there was always a chance that she would dutifully report her findings to Zeus, thus getting the "God of Theater" on his soapbox about an annex to Poseidon's domain that the Sky Lord didn't know about and a place where Gods, others immortals and mortals could live side by side in harmony, both sides ruled by a nifty divine magical binding contract. She had asked the other day her grandmother why they needed the permission at all. Poseidon was a king, one of the Big Three; he had a higher rank than Artemis and Apollo. Even if her grandmother wasn't an Olympian, she was still older and more experimented than the Letoides and she was also a queen. They could always pull rank once in a while. Thus Amphitrite explained to her granddaughter one of the most Ancient Laws. A God couldn't cross into another God's Domain without permission first. Since Delos was the isle of the Letoides, it was technically in Apollo and Artemis' Domain. It could be Leto's too, but seeing that she wasn't a Goddess, she wasn't bestowed with a Domain when Pervy King took over. Naruto raised the point that if they crossed said Domain in stealth mode they wouldn't get caught and what Apollo or Artemis didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Amphitrite had to admit it was a good point but went further into her explanation seeing as her family was taking the week end just before the finales were scheduled to start, off.
"Naruto, each God or Goddess is nearly omniscient into their Domains. Now, sometime little things can get by without us noticing, like a mid-level monster that is smart enough to lie low, per example. In our defence, we have so much territory to cover that sometimes we slip up. But in shinobi terms, a God has a godly chakra signature too big and potent to be disguised from detection from others Gods. It's a bit like you; you have so much raw power in you that you struggle constantly each day to contain and control it. If your grandfather or me or even Triton were to try it, we would be immediately detected and be confronted by Artemis. She is in one of her moods and decided to close the interaction with the mortals of Delos to the other Gods. Well except in Uzu No Kuni, but we want to keep that country a secret for as long as we can. It would be great to come see you and Sasuke fight in person, but even if we force the issue, it is not worth it. Breaking the Ancient Laws always have consequences, child."
Knowing what she was about to say, Amphitrite raised her hand to halt the diatribe before it began and took a voice filled with authority and said
"Yes, I know very well what you think of the Ancient Laws, but I guarantee you that if you swear again in my presence Naruto Uzumaki, I will put you on my knees and beat your posterior black and blue! You are not too old to be thought a lesson in good manners young lady, trust me! Triton is several millennium older than you and I still disciplined him, if you remember. Now, the subject is closed. We can't go to Konoha. But! But, we will watch from yours and your mother's mind. It's the best we can do. Ares tried to buy a pass for the finals because he wanted to see what it was all about and even if he won't admit it, to cheer on his son but he was chased away with high prejudice by Artemis herself. He returned to Olympus riddled full of silver arrows. It is not something we like to say out loud, but we are not all powerful. Even Gods have limits. Now, go forth and do us proud little maelstrom. The kingdom of Atlantis is looking over both your mother and you."
"Yes, grandma. I hear and I obey."
Naruto bowed her head in subservience at the remonstrance of her grandmother. She hated constricting rules and laws with a passion. That was coming from Poseidon and her bestial nature she had awakened after her first metamorphosis into a quadruped kitsune when she was a child. The sea couldn't be contained and a savage animal was just that, savage. Both yearned for freedom. Naruto was one of the Storm bringer's direct descendants; she had inherited some of his characters traits, not only some of his powers. Her mother Kushina was the same when she was younger, but with age came experience and character temperance. She had learned of her flaws and did her best to correct them or to alleviate them. In time, Naruto would do the same. Amphitrite shook her head ruefully; the girl was as drama prone as her father sometimes! To show the girl that she wasn't mad, she took her into her arms and held her to her breast like when she was a child. Naruto just closed her eyes and enjoyed the freely given affection. Suddenly, she started to purr! No fair! Her grandmother was stroking her whiskers birthmarks! They were hyper sensible!
The day of the finals was finally here. All the competitors stood together in the center of the coliseum, in full view of the crowd. It seems that some changes were made during the month; Dosu had "disappeared" after trying to eliminate Gaara, Suna's instable Jinchūriki and the previous proctor wasn't there. He had been attacked by somebody but saved in extremis from death by blood lost. He was consigned into the hospital, poor guy, but in time would make a full recovery. With new medical discoveries, the doctors would also be able to heal his lungs problem, but he was not coming back. The new guy introduced himself as Gemna Shiranui. He had brown, shoulder-length hair which hanged about his face and brown eyes. He was wearing his forehead protector like a bandanna, and the standard jonin outfit and always has his trademark senbon (metal needles with a point at both ends) in his mouth. A change in the line up of the matches was announced; with Dosu's "disappearance", Shikamaru would fight Temari instead. Genma told them that the rules were the same as the preliminaries; everything was permitted, though death was frowned upon. The match would be over when he announced it over or he would step in and end it himself. If they were incapacitated, knocked out, if they forfeited or left the stadium, they lose the match. End of the discussion. In the box reserved for the Kages, Hiruzen then got up and with a gesture silenced the crowd. Once he had everybody's attention he said with a powerful voice
"Let the Chuunin Selection Exams finals, begin!"
All the others fighters were instructed to leave the field, only Naruto and Neji were to remain. The boy was looking at her in a way that made her blood boil. She hated condescending pricks like he was! And he had the gall to tell her to give up!? She looked up her opponent with no small amount of disdain before putting her guard up. Neji had fair skin and long black hair. When his Byakugan was not active he had featureless white eyes. Neji wore a khaki shirt, a dull blue shirt beneath that, and mesh armour beneath that. He also wore dark brown shorts, blue shinobi sandals, and wrapped bandages around his right arm, chest, and right leg. He usually tied his hair back in a loose ponytail tied a few inches above the end. He wore a black forehead protector, under which is a smaller headband with two straps that frame the sides of his face, both of which hide his Hyuuga main family's juinjutsu. (Cursed Seal) He also had a massive stick up his ass and the ego to match it.
"Fate has decreed that I will win today. You should give up while you can. A loser like you will not amount to anything good. Save yourself some pain and walk away little girl. Go play with your dolls."
Something dangerous flashed through the sky blue eyes of Naruto after those words. Something primal had been awakened. Her pupils became a slit and her whiskers birthmarks started to darken slightly. When it was clear she was not going to answer and banter back, the proctor started the match. She dodged in back flip one strike of Juken, tried to hit her adversary under the chin with a foot, but he saw it coming and dodged backwards too. Naruto started to act like a predator, stalking her prey by walking in circles around him, but Neji was not an amateur, he stayed in his guard stance and waited. The girl decided to shake things up, but not by charging, she created several adamantine sealing chains, proving her Uzumaki heritage to the world and sent them towards Neji, who's eyes had widen a bit by seeing the feat. Fast as he was, he dodged them, knowing instinctively that trying to block them would end in a world of pain by seeing the speared tips. Wanting to make him waste his stamina; she mixed things up by sending a squad of Kage bunshins to harass the boy while she prepared herself for one of her tricks.
Soon enough, the clones were dispelled; her taijutsu was no match for the Gentle Fist style. Annoyed by the fact that this little girl was making him work for his victory, he activated his Byakugan and charged toward her, intent on punishing her for defying Fate's decree. When he was just before her, she put a fox like grin on her lips; she opened her closed palms and out of them came too fast to dodge, two balls of bright golden fire the size of a baseball, shooting towards him! Temporary blinded by the intensity of the chakra inside the golden flames, Neji instinctively deactivated his eyes, screamed in pain and closed his eyes by reflex! Now with his clothes on fire, the Branch family Hyuuga dropped down and rolled around in the sand to extinguish the flames! The crowd was laughing loudly at that! The girl got him good! The downside of the Fox Fire was that unchecked and without a constant source of chakra from the caster to fuel it, it consumed itself quickly. So Neji was on his feet quickly, red with anger and embarrassment. That's it! No more mister nice guy! With renewed speed, he charged towards his adversary who was still smirking at him. Speed seemed to be her forte, because she was dodging each blow, making him waste his chakra in the air. Taking a page from his sensei's book, he changed his tactics without warning and surprised her by breaking through her guard with a Goken (Strong Fist, Maito Gai and Rock Lee's taijutsu style.) style fist right into the stomach and followed by an uppercut under the chin before she could recover!
Winded as she was by the hits, he didn't stop to banter or gloat and went for the kill figuratively speaking; only to be stopped by something that made him buggy eyed, slack jawed and made the crowd gasp! Naruto's right hand was no longer human! Her entire arm up to her shoulder and down to her now silvery black clawed anthropomorphic paw was covered in golden fur reflecting the sunlight! Not only that, but he could feel the very powerful muscles into the non human member when she imprisoned his fist in hers, before she retaliated with a direct left. Normally he would have scoffed at such a beginner's tactic, but he could now see her right arm returning to normal very fast and he was too late to guard himself when her left arm transformed in a flash and the animal fist buried itself in his gut! With strength not natural to such a slim girl evidently build for speed, she launched him into the air but before he could go far, her left arm became human again and from her tailbone, nine golden white tipped tails emerged! At an unnatural speed that even the Kages in their box had a hard time to follow, the tips flattened and hardened at the same time, then she bombarded him with hits after hits! When the tails vanished, she morphed her right arm again and punched him directly into the jaw! Neji went flying to the other side of the arena and crashed into the ground while the crowd was gawking. Even the Feudal lord of the land was blinking in surprise and the old guy had seen weird and unimaginable stuff from his ninjas during his long reign. But it never crossed his mind that one of his shinobis could be a Kitsune. In thinking more deeply, he could see the uncanny resemblance between her and Minato. So, that one was Minato and Kushina's little girl! One of Konoha's Jinchūriki. He looked behind him to see the shinobi assigned to his protection. Kushina Uzumaki, the Red Hot Habanero herself, the other Jinchūriki, the Yin half, so Naruto had the Yang half. She was smirking at him like she could read his mind! That was all the confirmation he needed. Now to see if she merits ascending in rank after this or if she could benefit to wait to the next exams. She had the physical skills needed, that was for sure. But there is more to a Chuunin than pummelling an enemy.
Neji was hurting all over. Those hits had really hurt. So, she could transform parts of her body into those of a fox and used once transformed the proportional strength ratio that an animal would have if he had the general height and weight of a human. It was a clever trick he had to admit, really clever. Worse of it was in the transformed state, the chakra was running through the arm and the fur, making an effective armor against the Juken. But now, her curiosity would cost her. She had foolishly approached near him and she seemed a bit winded. So, those metamorphoses were taxing. Good to know. In a flash he was on his feet and went into his stance for the Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) a jutsu usually reserved for the main House that he had managed to reproduce. Naruto was taken totally by surprise, thus taking all six four hits. She did get up again though, but she was a mess. Her Tenketsu (chakra points) were sealed, she was bruised everywhere and blood was dripping from her lips. But her eyes, oh but her eyes! They were telling a different story. She was far from being done! They were still as defiant as ever, mixed with an animal instinct that was making Neji very nervous. Enough that he decided to end this match right now before she could become a bigger threat. But she still had a few aces up her sleeve. But first, she had to ask permission for the one she had in mind. Better be safe than sorry. In a flash of golden light, having absorbed enough sunlight to go in Sunlight Speed without running up to a certain speed before changing states, she backed away at high speed and came to a stop near the Kage's box. Addressing her leader, she asked with a serious tone
"Hokage-Jiji, can I use it?"
She then put one hand on her stomach. In other situations, it could have meant that she was pregnant, but Hiruzen was not naive, he knew what she was asking for. Her hand was on her Seal. He gave permission with a nod of the head, but before she returned to the fight he told her in a grim tone of voice that was all the Shinobi No Kami (God of Shinobi) and not the kind grandfather she usually dealt with
"Be very careful with that power Naruto. If you lose control and I have to step in, you will bitterly regret it. Am I understood?"
She shivered a bit at the thought of getting a beating by the Hokage and nodded her head very quickly before descending a few meters, but still on the wall. The Kazekage (Wind Shadow) turned around on his seat and said with mirth in his voice to his Fire counterpart
"You let a slip of a girl talk to you like that? Seriously Sarutobi, you should command respect to your Genins, not let them get away with silly nicknames."
Sabaku No Rasa (Rasa of The Desert), the Fourth Kazekage, had auburn hair, dark eyes and was usually depicted with a very stern look on his face. He wore a simple black jacket and pants with mesh armour underneath. Today he was also wearing his Kazekage robes and hat. He carried a small canister strapped to his hip. As he got older, he gained two creases around his mouth.
Sarutobi snorted with derision and answered with mirth
"She's an Uzumaki, Rasa. They are more stubborn than oxen. There's nothing we can do about the girl's tendency to give nicknames to people, trust me, her mother and I tried. You should hear what she calls Jiraiya or Tsunade though. Those ones are hilarious! Pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade! Ha! But now let's stop with the banter and let's look what will happen next."
Rasa grunted in acknowledgement and turned back his attention to the match. Naruto was still on the wall, fixing her opponent with a foxy smirk. She then asked her sealed friend for some of his chakra. She got a grunt of confirmation and an admonishment to not use too much for just a little human boy. Oh boy was Neji in for a surprise! She could have used her feminine wiles to get back at him, but what she was planning was a bit more spectacular. She had done her research and was persuaded that he had some kind of ultimate defense technique and she was planning to make that his downfall. If she was wrong, she could always trick him with some kitsune illusion or attempt to fluster him with some seduction as plan B and plan C. But now, back to plan A. Suddenly, an intense feeling of dread rose all around the stadium and it was coming from the girl. It was similar to killing intent, but not quite focused enough. Naruto was going through another transformation, but this one was more terrifying on the senses. Her whiskers birthmarks expanded and darkened, her hair became wilder and a shade or two darker, her upper fangs poke through her lips, her sky and feral blue eyes became red and animal like. Red corrosive chakra began to bubble out of her Seal, some going through her chakra circulatory system and unblocking all her Tenketsu points. It hurt like a bitch yes, but she was a big girl; she could take a little pain. Then her Uzumaki regeneration and her Apollo healing factor kicked in faster with both Kurama's chakra and the sunlight of noon helping along. In a few seconds, all her injuries disappeared. In a trail of red chakra light, she dashed quickly toward her opponent who had a really good poker face, but her nose was telling her he was reeking of fear! He had used his Byakugan to take a peek at her chakra circulatory system and Kurama had turned it back against him by scaring the shit out of him as a joke. Yes, for the kitsune scaring a human witless was great and harmless fun.
She was upon him on seconds, but since it was slower than Sunlight speed, he managed to do something that had Hiashi, the clan head, who was in the crowd, gasp in surprise! Another technique that was exclusive for the Main Branch of the clan that his nephew managed to learn. Not that he was displeased; he was looking for years for ways to bridge the gap between the two branches of his clan and to defang the elders! For Naruto though, he was walking directly into her plan A!
"Hakkeshō Kaiten!"(Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)
The dome of pure chakra collided with a Kurama enhanced dropkick. She could have used a punch, true, yes, but women were not as strong in the upper body than men, and with her legs build for her great speed, they were her best bet. The collision was intense, to the point of creating an explosion. Seeing that her plan A was a go, she used the explosion momentum to be flung away and flushed the red chakra out of her system once in security. Of course, the Bijuu chakra protected her from the backlash and healed anything damaged beforehand. Kurama had been crystal clear; her body couldn't handle all the transformations at once. It was literally and physically impossible. If she used his red chakra cloak (She could manage up to three tails! *Proud grin*) she couldn't use the partial metamorphosis or the quadruped kitsune mode. It was one or the other. Just like her demigod's powers and his Kitsune abilities he gifted her. Once the red chakra cloak completely and safely flushed out of her system, she dashed towards the flying Neji in Sunlight speed. Once she was perpendicular to him, with her trademark fox like grin, she cut the Sunlight, manifested quickly a kitsune arm and elbowed him in the stomach to the ground! To make her victory decisive once she came to a stop, she put a hand on his torso once her arm became human again, similar to her others abilities, she couldn't use her regular chakra externally in that form yet, she applied an imprisonment seal used for high profile and/or dangerous criminals to shut him down. Once assured that he wouldn't get up, she then said out loud
"Proctor, I claim victory. My opponent can't fight anymore."
Genma Shiranui was not a man easy to impress, he had seen a lot in his carrier, but that girl had blown away all his reservations! Coming near to inspect the condition of the Hyuuga kid, he saw he was shut down by some kind of seal. Yes, with all she showed, she would get his vote for a promotion. Once Naruto was declared the winner, she applied the counter seal on Neji, who take his defeat more or less sourly, but was man enough to know he was beaten. The speech she gave him after that about making his own fate and to not let some seal decide his life touched him. He was not an idiot, he had studied Bijuu before. The red chakra, the fox like characteristics, her date of birth. All pointed to the fact that she was the Kyuubi's jailor. If she could bypass such a burden and live as free as possible, he could do the same. After such a match, it was now time for Gaara and Sasuke to fight. But to Sarutobi's frustration, Kakashi had decided to be late. He was probably waiting to make an entrance. Seeing as many of the patrons came to see the Last Uchiha and that it was not the boy's fault and making a mental note to punish Kakashi, he postponed the match and ordered to pass to the next fight. It should have been Shino Aburame versus Sabaku No Kankurō, the Kazekage's eldest son, only for him to forfeit, much to Shino's silent annoyance, having wanted to prove himself. Thus It was Shikamaru versus Sabaku No Temari, Rasa's only daughter. The Nara wanted to give up right there, but Naruto actually showed him into the arena when she passed near him in the waiting box for the competitors. She tried to converse with Shino, but he wasn't in the mood, so she left him alone.
The fight between Temari and Shikamaru was not as intense as hers with Neji, but it was interesting all the same. After cornering Temari and finally binding her with his shadow, he forfeited. He lost the match, but in a real life situation, Temari would not have survived. Then, finally, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in the field in a whirlwind of leaves. He had changed his hair longer, his outfit with more black and some kind of bandages on his right arm. She was glad to see him all the same. After a quick remonstrance by the Hokage, Sasuke's match against Gaara could start. Her counterpart from Suna arrived in the arena in a sand shunshin and after letting the crowd revel in the scene, the proctor started the match. This was the battle that the crowd had been looking forward to. Sasuke demonstrated that his speed had vastly increased, to the point where the sand guarding Gaara could not keep up. Sasuke also demonstrated Chidori (One Thousand Birds), a Raiton technique he had learned from Kakashi and his only original technique, to injure Gaara. Before the match could finish, however, a smoke bomb was set off in the Kages' box. Rasa's eyes had suddenly become glassy and gold dust escaped from its canister. A substitution was made, Orochimaru appeared and kidnapped Hiruzen, and Rasa was sent Gods know where. Master and student went to a roof of a mansion and Orochimaru's elite bodyguards erected a double barrier to keep everybody out and to protect themselves. Master and student were inside the barrier. Inside the stadium, a mass genjutsu was applied and Suna and Oto shinobis shot into the civilian crowds! They were invaded!