20. Somewhere Between

My heart constricted as those yellow letters reflected in my eyes. No…No! Why Sasuke, why now? Why did he have to be the first one? Fear for him surged through me, despite our last argument in the forest. But when I glanced over my shoulder, past Naruto's head, I found Sasuke smirking; and my heart sunk a little deeper in my chest.

"Will the individuals whose names are listed on the board come forward now?" Hayate called out, his eyes scanning the participants.

Sasuke slithered out from behind Naruto, moving towards the middle of the arena floor. As he passed me, I saw his gaze flicker over towards me. Our eyes locked. I didn't know what to think, or what to feel, and so my eyes betrayed nothing. But my fingers twitched at my side, and my urge to protect him suddenly flared. Why did he need to do this? How was he going to survive this? But my earlier words to Sakura were still etched into my mind and so I squelched the thoughts. Sasuke tore his eyes from mine and walked over to Hayate.

Yoroi followed Sasuke to the arena floor. He was one of Kabuto's teammates. His impassive gaze gave me no indication of his intent in this battle and I saw nothing about him that gave me a clue as to his techniques. All he wore was the purple shirt and pants that Kabuto also wore.

"Akado Yoroi, Uchiha Sasuke, you two have been selected to compete in the first match. Any objections?" Hayate asked as he stood in between Sasuke and Yoroi, who faced each other. His gaze moved from one boy to the other.

"I'm good..." Sasuke smirked, his gaze intent on his opponent.

"None here," Yoroi agreed. His voice was as plain as the rest of him.

I watched Sasuke nervously, chewing my bottom lip. The realization that I knew nothing about his opponent was increasing my anxiety.

"It's time for the first match to commence. Everyone other than the two opponents should move to the upper gallery now," Hayate instructed, pointing to the balcony that hung all the way around the arena walls.

The genin began to disperse, half of them headed towards the staircase on the left side of the room, the other half to the staircase on the right. I began to move as well, when a familiar figure caught my eye. Kakashi-sensei had appeared from somewhere and had stepped out onto the arena floor.

My blonde teammate had noticed him as well and he called out, waving an arm high in the air. "Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi-sensei ignored him however as he came to a stop at Sasuke's side. My eyes narrowed in curiosity as Kakashi lowered his head, seemingly murmuring something into Sasuke's ear. Sasuke's face registered surprise and his wide eyes found Kakashi's face. And then, I saw Sasuke grasp the curse mark on his neck.

"Nakao!"

The sound of my name ripped me from my thoughts and I blinked in surprise. Turning my head, I saw that Sakura and Naruto had abandoned me and were making their way up the staircase. It was Kiba who had spoken as he moved over to me.

He grabbed my hand, tugging on it as he took a step towards the stairs. "Come on, Nakao, let's go."

I glanced back to Sasuke, only to find his eyes on me. Flustered, I looked away and flashed Kiba a smile, trying to hide the concern that was settling into my heart. Nodding, I let him pull me along. We climbed the staircase and I peeked back to Sasuke one last time, to find his eyes still on me. I glanced away again.

Squad seven and squad eight, Kiba's team, were situated near each other on the balcony. They were spaced apart by a good eight feet. I passed my team as Kiba went to join Hinata and Shino. Their sensei was standing behind them. I stood between Kiba and my team, about five feet away from Naruto.

Sakura was standing nearly flush with the railing, hands over her heart as she stared down below. Naruto was sitting so that his legs stuck through the gaps in the railing. He gripped the bars tightly with his hands, looking down intently. Kakashi-sensei had joined them, standing close to Sakura. I took in a deep breath through my nose and grabbed onto the railing, peering down.

"Alright..." Hayate glanced between the opponents again before taking a great step backwards, away from the immediate battle area. "Begin."

Yoroi brought two fingers to his face. "Shall I start?"

Sasuke smirked. "Go for it."

Yoroi's right hand began to glow with a green light. His left hand, meanwhile, reached back into a weapon pouch on his waist and brought out several shuriken. Sasuke quickly took out a kunai as the shuriken were flung at him, effectively deflecting them. The shuriken flew back at Yoroi, not having touched the Uchiha, and yet, Sasuke took a step back, wincing. My heart stopped for a moment. What was hurting him? Was it the curse mark? My mind thought back to our last battle in the forest, and how Sasuke had been unable to battle effectively.

I glanced across to the balcony opposite mine. The foreign teams stood on this side, and amongst them was Natsuo's team. He was lazily watching Sasuke's match with little interest. I gritted my teeth as I watched him. He knew the secret to Orochimaru and his curse mark.

A yell from the arena snapped my attention back to the match.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, pumping fists in the air.

Sasuke and Yoroi were in a wrestling match on the arena floor. Sasuke had his legs pinning Yoroi to the floor, but Yoroi's hand was grasping the collar of Sasuke's shirt. The pair struggled against one another until Yoroi finally released his grip, clenched his hand into a fist, and socked Sasuke in the jaw. I gasped as Sasuke flew off of Yoroi and clear across the arena, hitting the floor.

Yoroi did not delay in getting to his feet. He charged towards my teammate, grabbing Sasuke's forehead and pinning him against the ground. Sasuke's right hand gripped his opponent's arm, trying to pry it away. But as Sasuke struggled, I noticed his attempt grow weaker and weaker until his hand dropped to the ground.

"What's going on?" I whispered fearfully, gripping the railing in front of me tightly. I noticed Kiba shoot me a glance, but I hardly paid attention. Sasuke was slowly ceasing to move and panic shot through me. Desperately, I leaned my upper body over the railing, shouting down. "Goddammit, Sasuke! Move your ass!"

My eyes shook as I watched the scene below. My patience was straining, my knuckles whitening. Then finally, Sasuke curled his knees up, kicking Yoroi in the chest and sending him flying away.

"Yes!" I cheered with relief, pumping a fist in the air. Naruto and Sakura also cheered.

Sasuke struggled to his feet, panting. He glanced up to the balcony, his eyes sweeping over Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Naruto and me. I watched him with determination and Sasuke smirked, looking back to his opponent.

"I'll wipe that smirk clean off your face!" Yoroi cried angrily and ran at Sasuke, hand glowing again.

Sasuke disappeared, flickered, and reappeared underneath Yoroi. He kicked Yoroi in the jaw, sending him flying upwards towards the ceiling. After he was up in the air, Sasuke followed, getting behind Yoroi.

"It's over," Sasuke said under Yoroi as he poked Yoroi in the back. "Eat this!"

My body was tense, waiting for the finishing move, but Sasuke hesitated. My eyes nervously scanned the scene, confused. And then I saw him wince.

Oh no… My stomach dropped.

There a was a moment where I forgot to breathe, waiting for Yoroi to regain his bearings. But Sasuke seemed to recover first and I saw smirk grace his lips again. Sasuke sent a kick at Yoroi's side, which Yoroi managed to block. Sasuke took this opportunity to smash his arm down onto Yoroi's chest, sending him flying towards the ground. Just as he was inches from impact, Sasuke brought a leg down on Yoroi's chest. It was the last amount of effort needed and Yoroi crashed into the floor, sending bits of tile spraying in all directions.

Blood flew from Yoroi's mouth upon impact and Sasuke skidded away from his opponent, toppling over and landing on his face several feet away. I took in a sharp breath of air. Hayate wandered forward and put a hand to Yoroi's head.

"I can tell you without even look…" Hayate stood straight, just as Sasuke struggled to his knees, wiping away a trail of blood from his mouth. "Yoroi is unable to battle. This match goes to Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yes!" I screeched, jumping up in excitement.

Sakura's cheer almost drowned out mine and Naruto laughed. "Haha, Sasuke. What a lame way to lose!"

Sasuke glanced up to us again, his eyes taking us in. He watched us for a long moment before he smirked. Kakashi-sensei suddenly disappeared from behind my teammates, reappearing on the arena floor.

"He did it!" I yelled in relief, flinging my arms around Kiba. I pulled back and my smile faltered. Kiba was watching me with knitted eyebrows. I started to frown. "What?"

"W-Wow…" Hinata muttered from Kiba's other side as she stared at the scene below.

"It wasn't that great," Kiba muttered sourly, glancing away and towards the ground.

I blinked rapidly, surprised by my friend's reaction. But then, he had never really liked Sasuke. I followed his gaze to the arena floor to see medical ninja hurry towards the opponents. Two medics rolled Yoroi onto a stretcher while another approached Sasuke. He seemed to be saying something but Kakashi-sensei shook his head, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I was caught by surprise when Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke turned, walking away and out of the room.

"The next match will now commence!" Hayate announced.

My eyes followed Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei until their backs disappeared into the next room. The digital noise of the scoreboard brought my vision back to it. Letters scrambled until it settled on two names.

Abumi Zaku VS Aburame Shino

I peered past Kiba and Hinata to their teammate. Shino's eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses as he peered up at his name. Then, silently, he turned on his heel and made his way down to the arena floor. As I watched him descend the stairs, my eyes caught sight of the door Sasuke and Kakashi had exited through.

Sasuke…

The momentary distraction lost, my mind began to wonder. Why had Kakashi-sensei taken Sasuke away? Why hadn't he allowed Sasuke to go with the medical ninja? He was clearly in need of medical attention. Surely Kakashi-sensei was aware of that?

But then my mind replayed the scene just before Sasuke's match. I remembered Naruto call a greeting to our sensei, but he'd been distracted with Sasuke. Whatever he'd said, Sasuke had covered his curse mark.

What did Kakashi-sensei know?

"Kiba," I suddenly muttered, eyes still locked on the doorway. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, okay?"

"What? Right now?" Kiba blinked in confusion.

"When you gotta go, you gotta go," I shrugged, shooting him a glance.

"But what if your name is called?"

But I wasn't listening. I'd begun walking before he could get his reply fully out. I slipped past my teammates, whose attention was focused on Shino's match, and hurried down the steps, trying to avoid making noise.

I hurried through the door, finding myself in a long hallway. The walls were made of cement and cool air brushed over my skin. Rubbing at my arms, I moved down the hallway, peering around myself as I did so. It hadn't occurred to me until now that I had no idea where Sasuke would have gone and there were several adjoining hallways.

I frowned as I moved carefully down the hall. What on earth was I doing here? My name could be called any moment. And I was searching these hallways for…what? To check on my teammate? He was with Kakashi-sensei now; he was safe; there was no need to worry.

But I need to know…

Kakashi-sensei knew something about what had transpired in the forest. Maybe he had the answers I was seeking. Who was Orochimaru? What did he want with Sasuke? What did he want with me? How did he know so much about us? What was the curse mark?

Voices suddenly caught my attention and I paused. I glanced about myself, trying to pinpoint the location through the ringing echoes my surroundings created. Turning right, I headed down a new hallway; the voices grew louder. I strained my ears.

There were two voices talking. One was Kakashi-sensei, clear as day. But the other wasn't Sasuke's…And it sounded familiar. I stopped short as my blood cooled. I did know that voice…It was a voice I had hoped to never hear again.

Quietly, I edged down the hallway, spotting a room with its wooden door ajar. I pressed myself flat against the wall as I realized a figure stood just inside the doorway. I could see Kakashi-sensei standing just past them, clearly blocking further entrance into the room. There was another figure behind Kakashi, laying on the floor. My heart skipped a beat when I recognized a head of black hair.

"It's been a long time, Kakashi," said the figure in the doorway. Their long, black hair hung to their lower back.

"Orochimaru…" Kakashi-sensei growled in response.

Orochimaru took a step forward and Kakashi stiffened. "If you don't mind, Kakashi, I need you step away from the boy behind you."

My breath hitched. Orochimaru was here for Sasuke. And the only person that stood in his way was my sensei. But fear flooded me; would Kakashi-sensei be strong enough to defeat Orochimaru?

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Kakashi-sensei demanded.

I heard the humor in Orochimaru's response. "Oh, you know how it goes. When two guys have something, the third guy just has to have it too. You have the Sharingan for a while, yeah? Uchiha blood…I must possess it!"

"Why? Why Uchiha blood?"

"For my new home, of course. The Village of the Sound, Otogakure. You know how it goes; good help is hard to find."

My breathing was shallow, my heart hammering in my chest. So Orochimaru was trying to enlist Sasuke. Why? For what nefarious purpose?

"What did you do to him!?"

Orochimaru shrugged. "It seems I left him a little parting gift. I did wonder whether he might jump in the way. I would have taken either of you, but I'm particularly pleased. You might try to hide from your past, Nakao, but Sasuke will run straight for his; and he'll want me on his side when he does."

The memory still chilled my blood. Orochimaru was so sure that Sasuke was going to join his cause…whatever that was. And I was terrified.

I swallowed against my throat, reaching for my daggers. I silently pulled them from the sheaths, palming the handles. Counting to three, I rushed forwards, aiming with one dagger to strike Orochimaru in his kidney region. But before my blade could make contact, Orochimaru's hand snapped out, grabbing my wrist without even turning around. My hand shook as I struggled to stab him despite his hold.

Slowly, Orochimaru pivoted to look at me. An amused smile slipped onto his lips as his snake-like eyes gleamed with mirth. "Makase Nakao, what a pleasant surprise."

I only glared in response, moving in close to him to strike his abdomen. But I felt the pull of chakra and my attack was stopped. My eyes widened as I tried to push my attack through, but it was like my arm was paralyzed.

"Nakao, what are you doing!?" Kakashi-sensei yelled angrily, the pitch in his voice betraying his fear.

Despite my own fear, I glared openly at Orochimaru through my bangs. I tried to wrench my wrist from his hand, but it was no use. "What are trying to do with Sasuke!?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "I thought I already told you, Nakao. I don't have to do anything. Sasuke will choose his own path."

"He'll never choose you," I whispered fiercely.

Orochimaru tutted. "Your loyalty is touching, Nakao, but Sasuke-kun-"

"Don't call him that!" I suddenly snapped.

A sickening grin spread across Orochimaru's face. He leered down at me but I held my ground, gaze never wavering. I wouldn't let him see the fear in my eyes, only my contempt.

A high-pitched squeal shocked me from my thoughts and I peered past Orochimaru to Kakashi-sensei. One hand appeared to be holding molded chakra, which sizzled like bolts of electric blue lightning. It was his Chidori attack. "I don't care if you're one of the legendary sannin; if you don't let her go, one of us will die here."

Orochimaru spent the effort to physically throw back his head in laughter. Angrily, I swung my foot at Orochimaru's shin. He merely let me go and released all holds on me and I stumbled backwards before my foot could make contact. I stumbled into the door frame, sending a shock of pain up my spine.

"You just can't see it yet, Kakashi, but the boy will come," Orochimaru said to my sensei. He then turned his cold eyes back to me. "And Nakao…do reconsider your feelings of me, won't you? And don't listen to everything your brother tells you. He has a way with honeyed words."

My mind was racing and there were too many questions and emotions to explore. It was all I could do to continue to glare at the man. He turned on his heel and breezed past me, his footsteps echoing through the hallway as he made his exit. As the footsteps grew further away, I pushed off of the wall, releasing a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

Kakashi-sensei deactivated his Chidori before studying me. "Are you insane?"

I shot my sensei a flat look, but he looked tired. So I rolled my eyes and shrugged. "He wouldn't have killed me. He wants me…for something."

Kakashi-sensei looked at me intensely and I wondered if he wanted to say something. But he only sighed, looking defeated. I glanced past him to my teammate. He lay on his front, several feet away from me. He was unconscious. I moved around Kakashi-sensei to get a good look at him.

Kneeling down beside him, I searched his face. Unlike the last time he'd been unconscious, his face was not tight with pain. His features were smooth, but there were bags under his eyes and his face was dirty and scratched. His shirt was off and his curse mark was stark against his pale skin. Though now it was surrounded by a ring of tiny markings.

"What is this?" I asked, pointing to the new addition.

"I sealed the mark," Kakashi-sensei said vaguely.

"Curse mark…that's what it's called," I said quietly.

Kakashi-sensei shot me a sharp look. "How did you know that?"

"One of the genin teams here…two actually, are working with Orochimaru."

Kakashi-sensei watched my profile for a long moment before he sighed again. "I know."

I was hardly invested in my conversation with Kakashi-sensei. I was focused on Sasuke's prone form. I frowned, reaching forward and brushing some black locks out of his close eyes. "Is he going to be okay?"

At this point, I was too tired to care how small my voice sounded.

Kakashi-sensei remained silent for a moment before he walked over, placing a hand on my shoulder. "He will be fine, as long as he believes in his own power."

I nodded absently, but couldn't help remember how sure Orochimaru seemed about Sasuke's destiny.

"You should return to the arena, Nakao. They could call your name any minute…if they haven't already."

I sighed and got to my feet. He was right of course. I spared Sasuke one last glance before exiting the room and making my way through the dim hallways until I found the arena room once again.

Slipping inside the room, I blinked against the bright florescent lights. My eyes had grown accustomed to the dim hallways. I silently closed the door behind me and headed for the stairs. As I ascended, I finally looked over to see who was fighting and the pair caused me to pause.

Sakura and Ino were in the center of the room. Their headbands had been removed from their usual resting spots and were now tied around their respective foreheads. They were fighting one another using taijutsu, but they looked tired. How long had they been fighting before I'd returned? Ino landed a punch to Sakura's abdomen and she flew back, the air knocked out of her.

Glancing away, I hurried up the stairs so I could watch the match from the balcony. It wasn't as though I had a vested interest in the match, but I did want to watch. I found Ino to be the stronger fighter of the pair, and I wondered if Sakura could put up a fight against her. But I wasn't going to get out my Sakura pennant. I was still pissed at her from her performance before Sasuke's fight.

I found myself beside Kiba once more and he turned to look at me, eyebrow quirked. "That was a long bathroom break."

I waved my hand airily. "I got lost. What's going on here?"

I gestured to the match below and Kiba switched his attention there. A popping noise caught my attention and I glanced over to see Kakashi-sensei had appeared behind Naruto. I glanced back to the fight to see Sakura back on her feet and Ino aiming a punch for her face. It would have landed, if Ino hadn't halted at the last second, as though she had changed her mind.

"What the heck was that?" Kiba asked, scrunching his eyebrows together.

I shrugged. "Sentimentality?"

"What?" Naruto asked, distracted as he glanced over at me, standing a good four feet away from him.

I slouched forward, crossing my arms atop the railing. "They used to be best friends, remember? And then Sakura decided they couldn't be friends anymore because both her and Ino liked Sasuke."

"Are you serious?" Kiba asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes. "I know right? I mean, practically every girl in our class liked Sasuke. But for some reason, Sakura got it in her head that he was more important than friendships and declared Ino her nemesis. I don't know. The whole thing's ridiculous."

Sakura ran towards Ino, pulling back a fist. Ino copied her movements. As they met, they caught each other's punches and proceeded to struggle against one another. As neither girl could break through, they broke away. They each grabbed for a shuriken and flung it, but those, too, met in the middle and they fell harmlessly to the floor.

I glanced over to Kiba, arching an eyebrow. "Has this been the entire fight?"

Kiba rolled his eyes and nodded. I copied and glanced back to the fight. The two went to punch one another again. They made contact with one another and both of them skidded backwards.

Sakura smirked at Ino. "There's no way someone who obsesses over her appearance and hair is my rival."

I snorted.

Ino took out a kunai, angrily shouting back to Sakura. "Don't underestimate me!"

Sakura's eyes widened as Ino brought the kunai to her ponytail and sliced the blade through it, sending golden locks fluttering all around her.

Sakura smirked. "You are so weak minded..."

Oh my god…what the hell got in her panties? Someone has a complex problem…

Ino held the bulk of her ponytail in front of her before flinging it away. "You see!? I don't need this!"

Her hair scattered to the ground, joining the rest of it.

Ino put her fingers together in a handsign. "I'll end this now, by making you give up!"

"That's not going to help you," Sakura smirked.

I watched Ino in alarm. "Is she out of her mind!?"

"What?" Kiba asked.

"She's trying to use her Mind Transfer Jutsu. She can transfer her mind energy to another body for five minutes-meaning she can control Sakura's body; although her body will be completely defenseless. But she has to actually be able to hit Sakura with her jutsu. If she doesn't, her mind won't return to her body for five minutes and she'll be a sitting duck."

"Yikes. Why are girls so crazy?" Kiba turned to me, catching my look before catching his mistake. "B-Besides you, of course!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Mind Transfer Technique!"

Kiba and I grew silent, eyes glued to the match. Ino's body slumped to its knees, as it often did when her mind had left it. My eyes shifted to Sakura, who was standing completely still, arms at her sides.

Suddenly, Sakura laughed. "Nice try, Ino."

Sakura smirked and made to step towards Ino, but found that she couldn't. Surprise, she glanced to the ground to find Ino's golden locks wrapped around her ankle, trapping her in her spot. Her locks were all connected, from Sakura's ankle, to the hands Ino was resting on the ground.

"You've fallen into my trap, Sakura," Ino glanced up smirking; she'd never used her technique. "I tricked you. I pretended to miss so I could send chakra through my hair, making a rope so you can't move. Now, it's time for you to give up."

I stood, stunned. I was actually really impressed. Ino's plan was frankly brilliant. As smart as Sakura was, she'd been tricked this time. And the really shitty person that lived inside of me felt some satisfaction over Sakura's dilemma. I know she's my teammate, and I should support her but…

"Mind Transfer Technique!"

Silence pressed against the room as Ino slumped to the ground again. Sakura brought her legs together and it was very clear that Sakura was no longer in control of her own mind.

A smile appeared on Sakura's face and her arm began to rise into the air. "I, Haruno Sakura, give-"

"NO!"

I jumped in surprise, looking to the source of the shout. It was Naruto, standing on the bottom bar of the railing. His body leaned forward as he shouted down. "Sakura! You've come a long way to get here! You can't let her get to you now!"

"Ah! Get out of my head!"

My eyes wide, they shot back down to the match. Sakura was clutching her head, shaking it.

"Get out!"

"Hey, are you going to forfeit or not?" Hayate asked confused as he stared at the girl arguing with "herself".

"No, I'm not!" Sakura yelled. "Get out!"

"No way, this can't be!"

"But it is!"

I watched Ino and Sakura battle inside her head, both still sharing Sakura's voice. I was astonished, truly. I never fathomed that the Mind Transfer Technique was beatable. But here Sakura was…battling through it.

Sakura's fingers came together. "Release!"

A blast of chakra surrounded Sakura before it shot back into Ino's body. Sakura slumped to the ground, breathing heavily but still managing to glare in Ino's direction. Ino, regaining composure, raised her head to glare right back.

They stumbled to their feet, ragged breaths betraying their exhaustion. Still, they ran at each other once more, fists pulled back. Ino's fist met Sakura's face at the same time Sakura's fist made contact with Ino's. The force of their punches knocked both of them back and they both fell flat on the ground. Weakly, they both struggled to sit up but after a moment, they both fell backwards, unable to move.

Hayate stepped up, glancing between the pair. Both seemed to be knocked unconscious. "Both are unable to fight. This is a double knock out; we will move on to the fourth battle."

"Well that was a huge freaking waste of time," I rolled my eyes.

Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei, Ino's sensei, both jumped down to the arena floor to collect their students. While they did so, Naruto turned to me. His face was creased, his blue eyes looking at me sadly. "Nakao…do you really hate Sakura that much?"

Surprised, I glanced to him, studying his face. I frowned, mind working, searching for an answer. It was a reasonable question; did I really hate Sakura? It was a loaded question.

Memories popped into my mind, ranging from the time we were children to her outburst before Sasuke's fight. They flashed before my eyes and I experienced them with a wide range of emotions. I watched the growth of our relationship, watched animosity and bitterness develop into indifference and frustration.

Before I could give Naruto an answer, the scrambling letters of the scoreboard caught my attention. We both glanced up, watching the names that now flashed there.

"Next match: Temari versus Ryuuku. Will the two please step forward?" Hayate called out, his eyes drifting to the audience.

I hadn't answered the question, but I seized the opportunity to ignore it. Naruto was too distracted to press the issue and we watched the two competitors move down the stairs. They descended side-by-side, indicating they knew each other on some level. Which made sense, as they were both from the Sand Village.

The two faced off once in the middle of the room and Hayate gave them the green light to commence their fight. But they stood for a long moment, neither moving.

"If you don't start attacking, you'll be finished off in a second," Temari finally said.

Ryuuku snorted and he reached for the staff-like weapon on his back. As he did so, Temari reached over her shoulder, grabbing the thin, black instrument that hung there. She placed one end of it on the ground, holding it vertical to her body. It was so tall it reached to her shoulders. Ryuuku stood idle for a second before finally rushing the blonde. Temari flicked open her weapon; it was a giant fan.

As Ryuuku neared, she picked up her fan with ease despite its size and slashed it towards Ryuuku like she would a sword. A gust of wind emanated from it, striking Ryuuku with such a force that he was thrown backwards. He did a somersault in the air, landing on his feet. Looking closer, I noticed that Temari's fan wasn't completely open. It was only one-third of the way open and one large purple, full moon was visible on the creamy background of her fan.

"This is the first moon," Temari explained with a smirk, as though reading my mind. "There's two more. When you see all three moons, you know you're finished."

"Those Sand ninja sure are strong…"

The high-pitched voice startled me. Kiba, myself and Naruto glanced over to see Sakura had woken. She'd been out since her fight, propped up against the wall behind us.

"Sakura!" Naruto smiled happily.

My eyes followed the girl as she came to a stop near the railing on my left. If I reached out, I could probably graze her with my fingertips. It was uncomfortably close considering the high clash of my own emotions, and hers, since the start of the preliminary matches.

The moment Sakura's green eyes flickered to mine, I tore my attention away and back towards the match. Temari was clearly winning; Ryuuku was covered with bleeding cuts and his staff was broken in two. Rough treatment for someone she clearly knew. Still, she held her fan in front of her.

"Third moon..." she said quietly before disappearing. Ryuuku began to look around wildly, eyes wide. "Up here."

Temari was flying overhead atop her fan, like it was a magic carpet. She smirked cockily, falling to the floor. As she did so, she swung her fan with a mighty heave. "Ninpou Kamaitachi!"

A large twister appeared, plowing into Ryuuku before he couldn't even think of a defense tactic. The two were blocked from view, my only sight the swirling vortex of her wind. The billowing sound it caused blocked out any other sound within the arena.

We watched on, eagerly, until the twister died down. Temari's pink dress immediately caught my eye; she was standing on the ground, holding her fan vertically again, it was once again closed. Ryuuku was falling towards her, his silver hair broken free of his ponytail. He fell atop the edge of the fan, in the middle of his spine, effectively breaking his spine judging by the loud snapping noise that rang through the room. I winced.

"That was boring..." Temari simply commented, throwing Ryuuku off of her fan like a ragdoll.

"Winner of the fifth match, Temari," Hayate announced.

"Holy shit…" I said slowly as medical ninja rushed into the area.

"That was beyond ruthless," Kiba agreed.

Naruto and Sakura nodded as we watched the girl ascend the staircase across from us. Ruthless was one word for her; dangerous was another. Still, there was a small piece of me that was relieved that one of Natsuo's teammates had been picked off. It made me wonder if Natsuo, himself, may be beatable after all. My eyes shifted to him.

He casually leaned forward, watching his teammate be carted off with very little interest. His elbow rested atop the railing, and his chin rested in his palm. And just like that, that hope was squashed.

Once again, the scoreboard shifted through names. I watched it wearily, now beginning to feel a little apprehensive. The number of opponents was dwindling. What if I had to face Natsuo? The thought had me swallowing hard against my throat.

Oppositely, Naruto was bobbing up and down on the heels of his feet. "Come on, come on, let it be my turn!"

I glanced at him and back again just in time to see the names flash on the board.

Uzumaki Naruto VS Inuzuka Kiba

My stomach dropped. No!

"YES! Finally! It's my turn! It's my turn! Finally, it came!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

I stared on in horror, looking from Naruto's grinning face to Kiba. He was grinning equally large, eyes shining as though it was Christmas morning. "We got the kid! We got lucky, Akamaru!"

Anxiety began to wrap around me. Fate was cruel. What was I supposed to do? Kiba was my best friend, and Naruto was my teammate. Who the hell was I supposed to cheer for?

In his excitement, Naruto decided to forgo the stairs. He simply hauled himself over the railing, dropping to the area below.

"Do your best, Naruto!" Sakura called after him.

Akamaru barked, grabbing my attention. Kiba was looking at me, a wide grin on his face-until he saw the look on my mine. His smile faltered slightly.

I forced a smile onto my face. "Do your best, Kiba."

Kiba's face lit back up and he playfully punched me in the shoulder. "You don't need to tell me that."

As Kiba passed me, headed towards the stairs, I let my smile drop again. Dread swirling in my gut, I peered down to watch the two boys meet in the center of the room.

"The seventh match is between Uzumaki Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba," Hayate announced, stepping back. "Begin."

"I'm so going to win this!" Naruto smirked confidently.

"Nani!? Keep dreaming!" Kiba practically scoffed.

"Ha! You know you're going down!"

"Why you...!"

Oh boy…

Sighing heavily, I resigned myself to my fate. I slouched forwards, folding my arms across the railing and digging my chin into them.

Kiba took Akamaru from his jacket and placed the small dog on the ground. Naruto watched him suspiciously before pointing to Akamaru. "Hey! Don't leave that puppy here! He'll interfere with the match!"

"Bakka," Kiba rolled his eyes. "Akamaru fights with me."

"Hey, hey, is that legal!?" Naruto rounded on Hayate.

"Animals and bugs are considered as weapons," Hayate recited.

Annoyance flashed across Naruto's face before he huffed, turning back to Kiba. "Fine! I'll just beat you both then!"

Kiba looked down to his companion. "Don't worry Akamaru, I'll finish this by myself."

"Don't lose to this guy, Naruto!" Sakura called from two feet away from me. I shot her a glare, but immediately glanced away again. It was going to be a difficult match to watch without her commentary.

Kiba kneeled on one knee, running through a string of handsigns I was all too familiar with. "Gijyuu Ninpou, Shikyaku no Jutsu."

Chakra surrounded Kiba, forming changes in the parts of Kiba's body that he targeted. His fingernails and teeth began to grow, nails becoming claws, teeth becoming fangs. Kiba crouched down onto all fours, his posture mimicking a wolf. In a flash, Kiba rushed forward, plowing an elbow into Naruto's stomach. I watched Naruto fly backwards, crashing into the tiled floor.

In this form, Kiba is incredibly fast. He's faster than me…even faster than Sasuke.

Kiba smirked triumphantly, straightening himself. Naruto remained on his back, unmoving and my eyes began to rank his form.

What the hell was that? There's no way Naruto lost already!

Sure enough, as Kiba pivoted to speak with Hayate, Naruto staggered to his feet. Kiba scowled, his eyes narrowing. I couldn't help the flash of annoyance I felt towards Kiba. Did he really think he'd taken Naruto out in one blow? But then…he didn't know post-Academy Naruto.

"Don't ever underestimate me!" Naruto told Kiba, using his wrist to wipe away a trail of blood that ran down his chin.

"You're bleeding so stop trying to act tough!" Kiba scoffed.

Naruto smirked. "I'm just fooling with you! Why don't you stop acting tough and use your dog!"

Kiba growled. "You're going to regret this! Akamaru, let's go!"

I groaned. Was Naruto ever going to learn to keep his big mouth shut? His cockiness was going to get him killed one of these days. Maybe even today.

Idiot.

Akamaru joined his master in the center of the room. Wordlessly, the two rushed Naruto. As they did so, Kiba shoved a hand into a pouch on his waist and brought out two, small balls.

Naruto blinked. "Smoke bombs?"

"Take this!" Kiba thrust the smoke bombs forward and they exploded against the ground, encasing Naruto in a thick cloud of purple smoke.

A shout rang out, clearly Naruto's. My head lifted off my arms as my eyes searched the dense cloud of smoke. Finally, Naruto came running out, becoming visible to me. But Akamaru was right on his tail. With surprising force from such a small animal, Akamaru knocked Naruto back into the smoke.

It seemed to take forever, but the smoke finally dissipated. Naruto lay on the ground and Kiba jumped away from him. Akamaru sat beside Naruto, wagging his tail happily.

Kiba laughed, kneeling beside the dog. "Alright! Good work!"

Suddenly, the dog lashed out, biting Kiba's left arm. I gasped, body growing stiff, eyes growing wide. Akamaru never bit Kiba, ever! They were a single entity.

All became clear as Akamaru suddenly disappeared in a small cloud of smoke and it was now Naruto biting Kiba's arm. He let go, taking a few paces backwards and shaking his head. "Ew! You taste nasty!"

Kiba began to look around frantically. "Where's Akamaru!?"

"Over here!"

Kiba, and everyone watching, glanced over to where Naruto had been laying. But he wasn't laying now. This Naruto held Akamaru by his front paws. I winced and I made sure to firmly seal my lips, as the urge to tell Naruto to stop pushed against them.

I was feeling the strain in my shoulders as the stress seeped into my muscles. I knew this was a battle, that there could only be one victor, and one loser, but the fact wasn't making watching this any easier. I wanted Naruto to win, to grow stronger, to achieve his dream of becoming Hokage. But I wanted Kiba to win, to become a chuunin, to attend hunts with his family, to carry on a legacy.

Naruto and I had faced death together. We'd strained our bodies to breaking limits, we protected once another from peril. But Kiba was my best friend. We'd been inseparable for four years. He was my shoulder to lean on, a hand to get me back on my feet. He'd filled the whole in my heart, put there by Sasuke; filling a need, the likes of which he couldn't have ever realized.

"Uh…helloooo!?"

I jumped, blinking rapidly. I turned my gaze back to Kiba, who was sitting beside me and watching me skeptically. His round, ten-year-old face was scrunched into a pout.

"What?" I asked, feeling heat flush in my cheeks.

"You haven't heard a word I've said the last five minutes."

I scoffed. "That's not true."

Kiba rolled his eyes and followed the direction I'd been staring in. Two aisles down, Kiba's eyes found the head of raven-black hair.

"Were you staring at Sasuke?" he accused, his nose wrinkling.

"No!" I blurted out, my face a flashing beacon of red.

Kiba crossed his arm, flopping back into his seat. He shook his head. "You don't have to lie to me, Nakao. All the girls like Sasuke."

I crossed my arms indignantly and hmphed. "All the girls except me."

Kiba's eyes judged me carefully before shrugging. "Why do all the girls like him anyway?"

I sighed heavily, as though Kiba had asked me the purpose of life.

"I don't know. He doesn't even have blonde hair."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Doesn't Prince Charming have to have blonde hair?"

Kiba watched me strangely. "Uhhh…no. I don't have blonde hair."

I stifled a giggle. "Since when are you Prince Charming?"

Kiba scoffed. "Since forever."

"Where's your white horse?" I challenged playfully.

"I have Akamaru!" Kiba responded happily, scratching beneath the puppy's chin. He yipped.

I laughed. "Well alright then, Prince Charming. Should I go wait in my tower?"

Kiba waved his hand airily. "Later. I need your help on this essay we're supposed to be doing."

I tore myself from the memory, but the feelings it had provoked still swirled in my chest. Kiba had calmed himself now and was watching Naruto intently. He reached into his back pouch. "Naruto, you're going to give me back Akamaru."

Kiba pulled out a small, dark orb that looked similar to a marble. He flung it over to the hostaged Akamaru, who caught it in his mouth. The dog swallowed it and the effects were immediate. The dog began to grow in size and his fur bristled as it turned a deep red color. Akamaru growled loudly and kicked back, causing the clone holding him to disappear.

"Wh-what did you feed him!?" Naruto gaped as Akamaru returned to his master's side.

Kiba smirked and popped the same orb into his own mouth. "Let's go, Akamaru!"

Once ago, Kiba got down on all fours, running through handsigns. Akamaru jumped onto his back. "Gijyuu Ninpou! Jyuujin Bushih!"

Naruto's eyes widened as Akamaru transformed into a copy of Kiba, still sitting atop Kiba's back. Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the pair as he turned to Hayate. "Hey! He used some weird drug! That outta get him disqualified!"

"Food pills are considered a tool," Hayate confirmed, coughing.

"What did he eat?" Sakura asked quietly.

"A food pill," I immediately replied, mind caught on the match. "It can help a soldier fight for three straight nights and days. Right now, Kiba's and Akamaru's power is at least doubled."

And Naruto is in trouble…

"Four Legged Technique!" Akamaru and Kiba both dashed forward but Naruto jumped out of the way just in time. The two beasts slammed their fists into the ground, flinging debris and small pieces of tile into the air. As the dust cleared, one Kiba ran forward, sending multiple attacks at Naruto, all of which he dodged, very narrowly.

I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched. Fear for Naruto's safety was flooding my system. Despite my friendship with Kiba, I didn't want Naruto to get hurt either. We'd been through so much together; life and death, good and bad, serious and stupid.

"One bowl of beef-flavored ramen, please!" I announced the moment I stepped into the Ichiraku Noodle Stand.

The old man who ran the restaurant, and the pretty blonde girl who worked there, glanced up in surprise as I walked in. Two people lagged behind me; Naruto and Sasuke. Grinning, I plopped into a seat at the counter, swiveling in my chair to look at my male teammates.

I pointed at Sasuke. "My friend over there will have…what do you want, Sasuke? Chicken? Miso? One bowl of miso please!"

Sasuke remained silent, hands dugs into his pockets as he wandered forward, taking the seat beside me. Naruto slinked after him, his face the most depressed I'd ever seen it in a ramen stand. Naruto took his seat and I grabbed the old man's attention, jabbing a thumb in Naruto's direction.

"Make sure this all goes on his tab," I winked.

The old man blinked as the pretty blonde began to work on our orders. He looked to Naruto in surprise. "Naruto, since when are you so generous when it comes to ramen?"

"Naruto lost a bet!" I was quick to inform, smugly looking over to the blonde.

Naruto groaned, slamming his forehead into the counter. Sasuke's eyes were shut as he was clearly questioning his decision to accompany us.

I rolled my eyes, elbowing him in the side. "Come on, Sasuke, what's wrong with you? You're missing a prime time to be making fun of Naruto."

"Every moment is a prime time," Sasuke replied.

"Excuse me!?" Naruto twitched, raising a fist in Sasuke's face.

At that moment, the blonde set our bowls of ramen before us. Eyes twinkling, I grabbed for my chopsticks, ignoring the twitching eyes on my teammates as they watched me devour my meal.

Kiba swiped at Naruto's head with sharp claws; an attack Naruto barely dodged. Kiba swiped again and Naruto had to jump back, then immediately dodge another attack. How much longer would Naruto be able to keep up with Kiba? Naruto jump into the air, avoiding another attack.

"Man Beast Ultimate Move!" Kiba shouted, running under Naruto. The two "Kibas" started to turn quickly, becoming a blur. "Fang over Fang!"

As Naruto landed, the two went straight at Naruto at an enormous speed, knocking him into the air again.

"Naruto!" I whispered, hands grasping at the railing.

Kiba skidded back on all fours as Naruto hit the ground with a loud thud. I clenched the railing tightly. Naruto's face was against the floor, but his hand twitched. "I will...I will be Hokage..."

"How are you going to do that? By lying flat on your face?" Kiba smirked. "Well I have news for you kid, I'm gunna be Hokage!"

Kiba let out a loud laugh as Naruto's body twitched in embarrassment. My eyes darted between the two.

"Come on, do you really think a weakling like you can become Hokage?" Kiba asked. "You must be weak in the head."

"Naruto; you can do it!" Sakura called from beside me.

Slowly, unsteady, Naruto got to his feet. "Sorry but...I'm the top dog around here."

"You're a big talker aren't you?" Kiba scoffed. Naruto smirked so Kiba glared. "Fine, it's your funeral."

Kiba and Akamaru, who still appeared as Kiba's clone, ran straight for Naruto. Naruto smirked, blood running from his mouth and from under his headband. "How long are you going to use that old trick?"

"Just once more!" Kiba began to spin again and he and Akamaru once more became gray cyclones from spinning together so quickly. Naruto smirked and jumped into the air, avoiding the two. Naruto fell back towards the ground, but couldn't quite catch his footing. He fell onto his face. Kiba smirked and took out two small smoke bombs, throwing them down by Naruto.

"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba called, repeatedly attacking Naruto within the smoke.

I couldn't see the scene, but I could picture it in my head. My heart was racing, concern for Naruto swelling. How on earth was he going to get through this attack? I'd yet to find a way to counter it without the use of my kekki genki.

After long moments of straining my eyes in hopes of seeing through the smoke, two Kibas skidded backwards out of the haze and the smoke finally began to fade. Naruto was on the ground, but got to his feet, wiping at his mouth. Kiba ran forward again, throwing two more smoke bombs.

"I can't see anything," Sakura bit her lip, concerned.

Another battle was fought within the smoke before it cleared again. But this time, the area cleared to reveal two Kibas lying on the ground, one Kiba remaining on his feet. I watched in confusion as the two fallen Kibas got to their feet.

Is Naruto trying a transformation jutsu? That won't work on Kiba. His nose is ridiculously sensitive; he'll just sniff Naruto out…

"So, I see you've gotten better at your transformation jutsu," Kiba smirked. "But you forgot, you can't fool my nose!"

Kiba punched the Kiba in front of him and he went flying, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. There was a poof of white smoke and the fallen Kiba turned into Akamaru.

I gasped. "That's impossible!"

I could feel Sakura's and Kakashi's eyes on me, but I did not take my own eyes off the scene.

Kiba's eyes were as wide as mine before his face turned into a scowl. He drew back an arm, aiming a punch between the remaining Kiba's eyes. Like the other copy, he went flying away, smacking into the ground. A plume of smoke engulfed him, disappearing to reveal Akamaru!

"What!?" I cried in surprise, mouth dropping open.

I can't believe it! Naruto's playing tricks with Kiba's head, and it's working! Kiba sniffed him out the first time, but he turned into Akamaru to throw him off. This is incredible…!

"Good going, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

The first 'Akamaru' transformed back into Naruto. Wasting now time, he ran at Kiba, his remaining target as Akamaru was down. Naruto's leg shot up, his foot connecting with Kiba's jaw. Kiba took the hit, his body flying upwards, before he crashed back down. Sakura cheered as Kiba shot to his feet, rage evident in his body language. He took out several shuriken and Naruto held two fingers in front of his face.

"Now that you're finally serious, Kiba, I can use my new jutsu!"

New jutsu? What new jutsu?

Kiba scowled. "New jutsu? Whatever! You're bluffing!"

"Really? Then try me!" Naruto challenged. He held out his hands.

"You ready!?" Kiba ran forward. He threw his shuriken at Naruto, who was forced to dodge to the side. More shuriken rained down upon him, keeping Naruto in a never ending dance of avoidance.

"Beast Mimicktry! All Fours Jutsu!" Kiba rammed into Naruto. Naruto skidded backwards but Kiba was right there, punching Naruto across the face.

"Naruto!" Sakura worriedly called. My knuckles shown white as I gripped the railing.

As Naruto stumbled to his feet, Kiba circled around him so quickly he was nothing more than a grey blur. He shot at Naruto with a clawed hand, forcing Naruto back. Kiba followed relentlessly, clawing at the blonde again, but Naruto managed to block. He grabbed Kiba's shoulders and threw him across the arena. Kiba flipped, landing back on all fours, eyes watching Naruto carefully.

Naruto reformed his handsign. "I will be Hokage! And I won't lose to you!"

"How can you beat me when you can't even keep up with me?" Kiba ran forward and jumped into the air, rushing down at Naruto.

Naruto jumped forward, barely avoiding Kiba's attack. Kiba landed behind Naruto, wasting no time in rushing him. Aware of the danger, Naruto held up his handsign.

"Too late!" Kiba called cockily, ready to strike Naruto from behind. But just as he drew close enough, Naruto let out a loud fart. I winced.

Kiba staggered backwards, grasping desperately at his nose. "Ah! That's disgusting!"

I grimaced. Poor Kiba…his sense of smell is ten times higher than a normal human's…

"Uh...whatever works, Naruto!" Sakura chirped after a ringing silence. "You slowed him down at least!"

Naruto shrugged, looking confused. "I wish I could say I planned it. But now it's time for me reveal my new technique. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Fingers together in the handsign he'd been so desperate to execute, multiple forms of Naruto appeared, standing side by side, a total of five. The clones circled Kiba, who was still nauseated by Naruto's flatulence. One Naruto punched Kiba backwards, catching him completely off guard and allowing another Naruto to pounce on his back. Three other Naruto clones kicked Kiba up into the air where another Naruto waited.

I suddenly realized why the move looked familiar. It was the same move Sasuke had executed in his fight. And the same move he'd borrowed from Lee.

"Uzamaki Barage!" Naruto called out, kicking Kiba in the face and sending him towards the floor.

Kiba's face slammed into the tiled floor and a large spurt of blood shot out from his mouth and nostrils. I gasped in fear and concern, leaning over the railing, desperately fighting the urge to jump down into the arena.

Naruto gracefully fell back to the ground, his clones disappearing. Kiba twitched on the ground, but made no move to stand.

Hayate coughed before announcing. "Winner, Uzamaki Naruto."

"Way to go, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

Naruto glanced up and grinned, making for the stairs without a second glance at Kiba; but I paid no mind. I was already bounding down the staircase, hopping over the last three stairs. This is where I passed Naruto. He glanced at me with a victorious grin, opening his mouth as if to say something, but I pushed right past him, eyes trained on the scene he'd just evacuated.

I should have congratulated him. I should have showed him my support. I should have told him I was glad he was okay. But I wasn't thinking about it, and I didn't care in this moment. Naruto was okay, and Kiba wasn't, and that was all I cared about.

I rushed to my fallen friend, who was already being tended to by two medical ninjas. They'd placed him on a stretcher while another medical personelle collected Akamaru. I skidded to a halt beside the stretcher and the medics stopped, allowing me access to my friend.

I grabbed Kiba's hand, eyes ranking over his face. "Kiba, are you okay?"

Kiba's eyelids twitched open, rolling his head slightly to look at me. His eyes were a little dazed, and the smile he forced onto his lips had a dreamy quality about it. A trail of crimson ran down his chin. "You came…"

I shook my head, eyes screwed up in disbelief. "Of course I did."

"I didn't hear any cheering," he joked weakly, clearly trying to focus on my face.

"I couldn't just cheer for one of you," I scolded him gently, punching him gently on the shoulder.

He winced, but retained his smile. He squeezed my hand. "Don't lose."

I smiled softly, trying to sound heartened. "Well duh."

Kiba smirked but his eyes fluttered shut. The medics were going to have to watch him closely for a concussion. I stepped back, allowing the medics to take my friend from the room. I watched them leave as several forms came to quickly sweep away the mess. I turned towards the staircase, ready to return to my team and congratulate Naruto on his win, when the sound of the scoreboard grabbed my attention. I glanced over just in time to see the two names spelled out.

Makase Nakao VS Shiro Etsuko

Author's Note:

Just a quick note to thank you all so much for your support! Hoping you're safe and well! XO