Chapter 33

Kakashi sat on the stairs just outside of Sasuke's apartment. He was only waiting for Sasuke to change clothes as the ones he had taken with him were no longer suitable after a month of intense training. Though he knew he couldn't let down his guard too much, he tried to pass the time by reading Make Out Violence. His eyes scanned over the words again and again, but he had to keep rereading each paragraph. He just couldn't focus. He sighed and leaned his head back, looking up at the blank ceiling of the stairwell. Nothing would be able to settle his nerves today. The day of the tournament was finally upon them and he could only hope the training he had put Sasuke through had been enough for his fight with Gaara.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar presence approach him and his singular eye fell upon his long-time companion. "Pakkun," Kakashi greeted, "it's been awhile. Anything to report?"

The pug plopped down next to Kakashi on the stairs, "Nothing yet, Boss." He said simply. After a moment, his nose twitched and he rubbed it with his paw, "But, I tell ya, something don't smell right."

Kakashi closed his book, letting it loosely hang in his hand between his knees as he leaned forward. He too felt like something was off. "It's no surprise." With everything going on there had to be something brewing. All the top ninja in the village knew to be on high alert for whatever was coming. If only they had an idea of what Orochimaru was planning. But, it couldn't be helped. They could only hope for the best and plan for the worst at that point. Kakashi cast a side glance down at Pakkun, "How are Naruto and Sakura?"

If a dog could shrug, Pakkun would have, "That Naruto boy spent the last few days in the hospital but he was up and ready to go yesterday. The girl's fine, keeping herself busy between training and her social life."

He nodded, breathing a silent sigh of relief. It was good to know his students were doing well. There was a part of him that did feel bad about turning them away when they wanted him to train them but, he had to prioritize. That was why he had dispatched Pakkun to keep an eye on them when he couldn't. He was fast and agile, able to stay out of sight and gather intel. He could at least be sure they stayed out of too much trouble. He wanted to ask about their training. What had Naruto learned from Jiraiya? How much had Sakura grown? Where they both prepared for this tournament? But, he didn't ask any of that. Instead he asked, "And Keiko?"

Pakkun's eyes shifted up toward Kakashi and studied him for a long moment before answering. "Overworked. You know how she gets when she stresses, it's been either paperwork or running around checking on everyone else nearly non-stop." Kakashi had barely opened his mouth before Pakkun interjected, "And yes, I kept out of sight." Kakashi had told him to stay out of sight of everyone, including her. It was an odd request as Pakkun and Keiko were well acquainted and the little pug was fond of her. It was rather disappointing he couldn't at least say hello. The woman knew just the right spots to scratch.

Kakashi listened silently and nodded yet again. He had to have Pakkun stay out of sight. If Keiko saw one of his ninken running about the village it would only prove to her how worried he really was. He had to stay calm. A calm mind is a sound mind, and now more than ever he couldn't allow himself to be eaten up by his emotions. Especially for her. His fingers gripped the book in his hand a bit tighter as he remembered the last time he had seen her. The memory was torture for him and he was thankful that he had Sasuke's training to take his mind off of it. He knew Keiko had to be worried about Sasuke among everything else but, what if he was partially to blame for it? He wouldn't be surprised if she was upset. Not after he left with no warning. Right after they had been about to-

"Hey, Boss?"

He blinked, turning his head down toward the pug with a questioning glance.

The pug's eyes were unreadable. "Why did you want me to do this? You could have easily kept in touch with Keiko. She's been watching those kids like a hawk. I could smell you all over her apartment so I know you were over there at least once."

There was a pause and Kakashi could feel his heart race at the sudden question. He laughed nervously, feeling the warmth spread to his cheeks as he rubbed his neck, "Well, you see, it was her birthday and I was only dropping off a gift." He couldn't just go and tell Pakkun about what had happened. If he were being honest, he had no idea how he would be able to face her again. Those luminous blue eyes and warm smile were on his mind nearly constantly. And, as much as he fought against it, the thought of what could have happened that night plagued him in his dreams. And maybe, just maybe, reading the Make Out series wasn't helping.

Pakkun didn't push the issue but could clearly tell Kakashi was lying. "Sure. It's none of my business who you have for a partner anyway."

"We haven't officially been partners in months." Kakashi stated.

"Not what I meant." Pakkun replied. "She wears that pendant constantly. Who am I to judge how you mark your territory?" He stood on all four paws and shook himself, completely ignoring how wide Kakashi's eyes had become.

"Whoa, hold on," Kakashi said, "it wasn't anything like that."

"Whatever you say, Boss." He turned his head toward his summoner and nodded, "You're back in the village again so I'll take my leave now."

The pug disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leaving Kakashi there to process the interaction. He silently turned the book over in his hands, his fingers lightly brushing against the signature of it's famous author. So, she was wearing it... He had obviously gotten it for her with the intention of her wearing it, it was a piece of jewelry, after all. But, hearing that she had worn it everyday, it sent a pleasant warmth through the center of his being. Maybe that meant she wasn't so upset with him after all.

~0~

The roaring of the crowd was intense and Keiko resisted the urge to cover her ears. Everyone was screaming for Sasuke and it seemed no matter how many matches they shoved before his that nothing was going to be enough to satiate them. She sighed heavily and crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight where she stood.

The first two matches were intense. Naruto had beaten Neji in the first match. While from the stands, not much could be heard between them, it was easy to see just how much Neji had riled up Naruto. There was a point where she too thought Naruto would loose to the Hyuga boy. Once all your chakra points had been blocked there was not much you could do to recover form that. And yet, in a display that had every single Leaf Shinobi present hold their breath, he awakened the chakra of the tailed beast. It was then that she pieced together the point of Jiraiya's training. He wanted Naruto to harness the power of the fox.

The second match had just concluded and it was a match that had everyone on the edge of their seats. That is, until Shikamaru gave up... To the citizens watching as well as some of the nobles it looked like an act of cowardice. To the trained ninja watching it was a decision wise beyond his years. Shikamaru displayed his intellect and gift for strategizing perfectly. Every move he made was planned out and he had Temari believing that she was where she wanted to be. Not to mention, he displayed how calm he could be under pressure. Overall, out of all the Genin, Shikamaru displayed the best qualities of a Chunin. His decision to throw the match was also wise. His chakra had been completely drained after so many attempts at the Shadow Possession Technique that there was no point in him continuing. Especially since he would have to battle again right away.

The change in the brackets was sure to be a surprise to the Genin. Originally, Sakura had been set to fight Dozu of the Sound in the final match of the first round. But, he had been found dead and no one could be sure of who was responsible. The body had been unrecognizable. Mangled and bloodied. The boys end had certainly not been quick. Any detail beyond that was considered highly classified so she could not be too sure about anything else.

Now, Sakura was set to fight whoever won between Shikamaru and Temari. It would have been interesting to see Sakura go head to head with Shikamaru as they were both exceptionally intelligent for their age. While Shikamaru was a natural tactician, Sakura was adaptable and book smart. To see which came out on top would have been a match to see. Instead, Sakura would be facing Temari. A Kunoichi specializing in long ranged attacks. As Sakura was becoming more of a close quarters fighter it certainly wasn't as good of a match up.

Her eyes drifted to the waiting station for the contestants and spotted the three Sand ninja congregated together. Blue eyes narrowed, a feeling of unease washing over her. Kankuro had willingly withdrawn from his match for no reason, that alone had turned some heads. And Guy had told her of the encounter in the hospital yesterday. Gaara was, for lack of a better word, unhinged. She had wanted to talk to Naruto about the encounter but since he had been asleep the last few days recovering, Naruto was hyper focused on last minute preparation for his match.

She shifted her gaze down to the arena and the four people standing there. Genma was standing among them, patiently waiting for the time limit to expire or for Sasuke to show himself. Shikamaru was still there as his match had just concluded and then there was Naruto and Sakura. After Shikamaru had thrown in the towel, Naruto had stormed down into the arena, and Sakura had tried to pull him back but to no avail. Sakura and Shikamaru were now watching as Naruto paced back and fourth. She could just make out his lips moving and she was certain he was less than pleased with his teammates tardiness.

"What's taking Sasuke so long?"

Keiko looked over toward Ino who was seated next to Choji. Much like the surrounding crowd, she too was getting antsy. While the blond was becoming more and more irritated and worried about her crush, her teammate sat eating his chips. It had to have been the tenth bag he had eaten since he arrived. Possibly more since he had been scarfing them down in anticipation during Shikamaru's match. She smiled down at the blond, "I'm sure he will be here."

At least, she hoped so. She looked back down toward the arena, her worry growing with each minute that ticked by. Had something happened to them? Surely if something had happened, Kakashi would have some way to reach out to someone and let them know. Of course, Kakashi was always fashionably late, but this was pushing it even for him.

Of course, right as Genma was about to call the match there was a gust of wind and a flurry of leaves in the arena. The wind was so intense the breeze could be felt all the way up in the stands. Once the wind had died down, there they were. As she gazed upon Kakashi for the first time in a few weeks, the crowd went into a frenzy.

A heavy sigh of relief had her shoulders slacken. They made it. They were fine.

"So, Sasuke made it after all."

Keiko, as well as Ino and Choji turned to the familiar voice. Ino gasped, "Lee!" She didn't expect to see him out of the hospital! Not after all of the rumors she had heard about his condition. He was even walking with a crutch and was out and about in a blue robe instead of his usual green jumpsuit! She blinked, seeing an unfamiliar face. "Hey, Lee, who's your friend?"

Standing next to Lee was a girl that neither Choji or Ino had seen before. She had to be about their age and had a shaggy mop of sandy blond hair and bright green eyes that hid behind thick black rimmed glasses. She seemed to fidget uncomfortably, her eyes darting around looking at anything and everything. Ino could tell right away that this girl wasn't a ninja. There was just no way! On a completely different note, Ino could tell this girl didn't go out much. While her outfit wasn't bad, the oversized sweater definitely told Ino that she valued comfort over style.

Keiko looked down at the girl and smiled, leaning down slightly, "You must be Yuri. I've heard a lot about you from Guy." Indeed she had. Guy was just so happy to see Lee make another friend. Who, according to him, had a very 'youthful' attitude as he called it. "I'm Keiko. I do hope you've been treating Lee well."

Yuri stood straighter, "I try to..." Keiko could see the uncomfortable fidgeting she was doing with her sleeve, and how her eyes darted around uneasily. He recalled Guy telling her that Yuri was a little shy. She had to smirk at that. If Yuri was going to hang around Lee and Guy she had to wonder how long that was going to last.

"Do not be so hard on yourself, Yuri." Lee offered kindly. "I am glad to have you here."

Yuri adjusted her glasses and a bashful smile found it's way to her lips. Keiko smiled at the sight and took a few steps back toward Guy as Ino got out of her seat to talk to Yuri. Ino was certainly more extroverted and began to talk to her. Happily filling Yuri and Lee in on everything that had happened up to that point. From Naruto beating Neji to Shikamaru giving up on his match, and now boasting about how they were going to watch Sasuke dominate the fight.

Both Guy and Keiko could see how Lee's posture changed as Ino continued to speak. He looked down and there was the faintest bit of a tremble to his shoulders. Hearing Ino speak about the matches must have gotten Lee into a negative head space. Keiko's eyes softened and her heart cried for the boy. He had always wanted to defeat Neji, and Naruto had. And he had lost to Gaara, now Sasuke was going to fight him. It had to have been so frustrating for him.

Then something happened that Keiko didn't expect. While Ino was too busy swooning over Sasuke to notice, Yuri had reached down and tugged on Lee's sleeve. The two exchanged glances and Yuri offered him a smile that was just as reassuring as it was uncertain. Lee in return grasped her hand in his and smiled in return, making Yuri noticeably stiffen.

Keiko felt her heart swell from the incredibly sweet moment. A hand coming up to her mouth to stop the audible 'awe' from escaping. Guy too was touched and rested a hand on Keiko's shoulder. He sniffled, tears threatening to leak from his eyes, "Isn't it a sight to see? A true friendship blooming in the springtime of youth." Before Keiko could reply she was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Well, hello. Keiko, Guy."

The two Jonin turned to see Kakashi making his way toward them on the stairs. While Guy greeted Kakashi in the usual way Keiko found herself rooted in place as she looked at him. It was just Kakashi. The same Kakashi she had known for years. So, why was her heart hammering so loudly in her chest? There were so many things she wanted to ask him. About Sasuke and about them. What exactly happened when they saw one another last? It wasn't the proper time for any of that now though. So instead she settled on a smile to greet him. What else could she do?

Kakashi exchanged a few words with Guy, all too aware of Keiko's gaze upon him. Dare he meet it? His heart gave a pitter-patter of uncertainty but eventually he sought the strength to meet her gaze. There was a heavy silence between them and Keiko's smile only made the beating of his heart grow louder in his ears. After a long silence he finally spoke, "Sorry if I made you worry." His eyes drifted down to the pendant that rested on her shoulder. It looked nice.

"You got here before Sasuke was disqualified, so I guess I can forgive you." Keiko joked lightly, ignoring the questioning look Guy cast between her and Kakashi.

As Kakashi turned his attention elsewhere Guy leaned over toward her and whispered, "Did something happen between you two?"

The question made her pause in surprise before quickly answering with feigned ignorance, "Of course not, why?"

Before Guy could comment on the strange vibe between them Kakashi spoke up, his tone serious, "Only eight Anbu for an arena this size?"

Keiko nodded, "It doesn't seem like enough, does it?" She appreciated Kakashi's sudden leap into a different topic. She would rather not get into a conversation with Guy about what was going on between her and Kakashi. At least, not until she knew herself.

"Not nearly enough." Kakashi agreed. " What could Lord Hokage be thinking?" The Hokage had to know just how serious of a situation they were in. There should be at least twenty for this area alone.

Guy stood straighter, "Well, not knowing how the enemy is going to act, the Anbu have probably been dispersed and placed at key areas around the village."

Keiko nodded, "Right. The Hokage knew there would be other elite ninja like us around as well, perhaps he planned it that way."

The crowd roared once again and they all turned to look down at the arena floor where Genma was about to begin. Guy's eyes narrowed, "It's starting. We can't afford to let our guard down. But, for now at least, we need to watch this match." He paused, smirking before he continued, "I'll be watching your pupil. After all, you're still my rival." He looked behind himself toward Kakashi and smiled.

Kakashi blinked, turning his attention toward Guy, "Sorry, did you say something?"

Keiko stifled a laugh while Guy growled under his breath. He turned away slightly, holding up a shaking fist, "Dang you, Kakashi. It makes me so mad when you act so cool. It's no wonder you and Keiko are an item."

While Guy might have thought he was being quiet, both of his companions stiffened at his words. They turned toward one another, both desperate to gage the others reaction. When their eyes met they both looked away. Keiko could feel the blush creep up onto her cheeks and Kakashi scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Ah... about that..." Kakashi began.

Keiko perked up, eagerly listening to what he was about to say. But, before Kakashi could say anything she shook her head, halting any words that he was about to say. Her eyes shifted around them to the many people in the stands and more importantly, Guy and the Genin only a few feet away. Keiko smiled and mouthed, 'Later'. To which the silver haired shinobi only nodded, turning his attention back toward the fight.

They all watched the fight with interest, eagerly wanting to see how Sasuke was going to handle the quick and crushing sand. At first, it seemed that there wasn't much Sasuke could do against it, though Sasuke was able to defeat a sand clone with relative ease. It was when Sasuke went for a punch and the wall of sand blocked his path that everyone stood astonished. With a burst of speed none of them had seen since Lee's fight with Gaara, Sasuke easily got around his defenses and landed a hit. The Sand Genin flying back from the force.

Over the next few minutes there was stunned silence from the crowd as they were mesmerized at the sheer agility and speed of the young Uchiha. The people watching certainly must have thought this was a fight worth waiting for. While, on the other hand, there were a few present who were shocked at just how far Sasuke had come in only a month of time. Keiko blinked a few times in shock, not knowing if she should believe her own eyes. She cast a glance toward Guy and he was just as shocked as her.

Sasuke's movements were just like Lee's.

"His training, what did you two do?" Guy questioned. "To get to such a level, in a mere month."

Kakashi looked from Guy back down toward the arena, "Sasuke had copied Lee's Taijutsu with his Sharingan. So, during the Taijutsu training I did with Sasuke, I simply had him imagine Lee's movement and copy it. Sasuke mastered that Taijutsu only because he knew Lee. Of course, Sasuke had to work very hard to master it, even with his Sharingan." The long hours of training would attest to that. Kakashi had certainly not gone easy on the boy. There were a few points when Sasuke collapsed from exhaustion.

Keiko's lips tightened into a thin line as she watched Sasuke knowingly. Kakashi had to know that Lee's Taijutsu wasn't enough to defeat Gaara. Lee had opened five of the Eight Inner Gates and still could not defeat him. There had to be something else that Kakashi taught him. Something that utilized the speed from Lee's brand of Taijutsu.

"Kakashi Sensei!"

Kakashi, Keiko, Guy and Lee all turned toward the voice behind them. Coming to a halt, three Genin stood, panting at the top of the stairs. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sakura. Lee smiled seeing the two familiar faces, "Naruto, Sakura!"

Kakashi's single eye narrowed slightly, "What is it you two?" He had just seen them down in the arena and they were not this antsy before. So, what happened for their mood to change so suddenly?

"Sensei, please! You just have to stop this match right away!" Naruto shouted as he caught his breath.

"What?" Kakashi stated aloud, his eye widening to show his surprise.

Sakura took a step forward past Shikamaru, "Kakashi Sensei, we have to stop this! If we don't, Gaara will kill him!"

Keiko's eyes widened as well now. All three of them looked frazzled, but for Sakura to jump to such a conclusion... Either she was just overthinking or there was really something wrong. Based on the expressions on Naruto and Shikamaru's faces, Keiko was inclined to believe that something was indeed wrong. "What are you two talking about?"

"That guy is completely different from the rest of us!" Naruto boldly stated, "He's about as far from normal as you can get!"

Ino blinked from her spot in the stands between Yuri and Choji, "Slow down guys! What are you trying to say?" Her eyes darted toward Yuri who's eyes were adamantly fixated on the arena floor, her fingers fidgeting nearly uncontrollably in her lap. If Ino didn't know better she would say Yuri was panicking but she didn't know why.

"His point in life is to kill people! Don't you see? If this continues, Sasuke will die!"

Sakura quickly spoke up in defense of Naruto, "Please! Kakashi Sensei, Keiko Sensei, we have to do something!"

Keiko only looked over at Kakashi. In truth, even if she felt the need to stop the fight she would not under the circumstances. Knowing Kakashi, there was something that only he and Sasuke were aware of and they would just need to wait to find out.

Kakashi closed his eyes before turning back to look at the arena, "Relax, there's no need to worry." Everyone was now looking at him, prompting him to continue. "You know, Sasuke and I weren't just messing around. There's a reason we were so late."

There was a pause and Sakura tilted her head to the side. They nearly got disqualified! What reason was good enough for that? "Sensei, you said you had a reason for being late, what was it?"

"Hmm, that's a long story." Kakashi began but tapered off, no intention of sharing the real reason.

Naruto growled and the frustration he felt came out in his body language as he shouted, "Could you please do something! This is no time for talking!" Shikamaru rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, fed up with the loud and obnoxious behavior.

"Right. So, shut up and watch." Everyone looked at the Jonin in a little surprise. It wasn't often that they heard that tone in his voice. Only when something was indeed serious. "Keep your eye on Sasuke. He's about to surprise you."

All eyes turned out toward Sasuke. Keiko wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Sasuke had already surprised them a great deal. What had Kakashi taught him? It wasn't until the familiar blue lightning crackled around him that both Guy and herself shot a disbelieving glance at Kakashi.

"You always wondered why I insisted on training Sasuke myself, Naruto. Now you know. It's because he's like me."

Naruto didn't know what to say, he could only look on in shock at the display. He had never seen Sasuke do something like that before!

Guy nodded, "I see, that's what you were doing this whole time. You were building his speed up to the level required..." He still couldn't believe it. How could this kid master a jutsu with such raw power in so little time? This was what the Uchiha were capable of. It had been so long, he had forgotten just how formidable the Uchiha Clan had been.

"Exactly." Kakashi said with a closed eye smile.

Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of Sasuke. The high-pitched chirping easily able to be heard from where they were. "Whoa, it's amazing, his chakra is visible. And that noise... It's almost like your technique..." Sakura said looking over at Keiko to get her input on this.

Keiko shook her head, "No, this is much different. It requires a much higher level of control and focus to restrain the destructive capabilities. Not to mention the level of speed and awareness you must have in order to wield it." She peered back over her shoulder at Kakashi, "Frankly, I didn't think you would teach that move to anyone..." Kakashi must have cared about his student a great deal to think of teaching it to him. Not only that, she could tell there was a level of respect there as well. Even though Sasuke was young, Kakashi respected Sasuke and his level of potential. He believed in Sasuke enough to teach him that jutsu.

Guy spoke up then, "It's perhaps the only jutsu in Kakashi's arsenal that he didn't copy from someone else. The secret of the jutsu is the speed in which it is delivered, and the ability for the shinobi to focus his chakra at the point of impact. Once these two elements reach a high enough level the chakra actually becomes visible and gives off that distinctive sound that you hear."

Keiko nodded, "The chirping noise that you hear is what gave the jutsu it's name."

Just as Sasuke's crackling hand made contact with Gaara's defensive sand shield, Guy finished for her. "Chidori; One Thousand Birds." After so much hype over the Chidori, it wasn't all that surprising when it seemed to make easy work out of Gaara's shield. Only proving that the Chidori was a vastly dangerous weapon. Guy's gaze looked over toward his rival, "Not a technique to be taught lightly."

Keiko swore if Kakashi was a bird, his feathers would have been ruffled. He glared toward Guy, "Like you're one to talk." He quickly bent down and softly called out, "Right, Lee?"

Keiko gasped and yanked on Kakashi's shoulder to pull him back up into a standing position. "Kakashi, that was uncalled for." Guy already felt bad enough about what happened to Lee and the brace and crutch Lee needed to even be there was enough of a reminder already. Kakashi opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a horrified scream.

"IT'S MY BLOOD! I'M BLEEDING!"

Just from the shier terror in the tone, you would think that Gaara had never gotten so much as a scratch on him before in his life. There was a heavy weight in the air as they waited for something to happen. It felt like ages before Sasuke was finally able to pull his arm out from the shield, and they saw why. Sasuke moved as far back away from the sand as he could, but his arm was grasped in something that looked otherworldly and grotesque.

Keiko gasped, feeling her stomach do a summer sault as that ominous feeling that had been brewing in the back of her mind the last several days flared. Just what was that thing? Was that still Gaara? It couldn't be! The grotesque appendage shrunk back into the sand and shortly after that the shield fell away. The sand falling round an injured Gaara that seemed to barely be holding himself together.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, waiting anxiously for the next big upset. But, it would never come. All around the stadium there were feathers, lightly passing by in the breeze. Kakashi, Guy and Keiko all stood straighter, recognizing the start of a widespread Genjutsu. The three of them shared glances, all of them knowing all to well what this meant. Simultaneously, they raised their hands, uttering the release to break free from the Genjutsu.

Finally, after a month, they had made their move.

Part one of the Konoha Crush! Woo! A few things to go over.

One, Yuri is the same girl that had fallen asleep at Lee's bedside. Those of you that have read my story Bonds: Blooming Lotus know about her. Chapter three will actually have a scene from this chapter but in more detail! Highly recommend checking it out for a light read! Everything in that story happens in Where Loyalties Lie, just off screen.

Two, I made more art. And I gotta say, I don't know how I could do much better than this. This is how I 100% picture her, and I am so proud of my achievement. If you would like to check it out, there are links on my profile. FFN apparently hates Deviant Art and I can't get them to work properly because the website name is taken out. If you put the name of the website between the second and third slash of each link, it will take you right where you want to go!

Third and final, I am going to be moving soon. I will not stop writing, as I love this story, but I will have less time to sit and work on it as much as I do now. Thank you for all the support and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

Posted - 9/29/2021