Chapter Fourteen: Choosing A Girl

Okay so just gonna pass over the rest of the matches and get onto the next part. Also since Sakura managed to pass this time and it wasn't a double knockout there will be another match.

The last three matches were mostly one sided. Chojii Akimichi went up against the last remaining ninja from the Hidden Rain. Unlike Shikamaru though, Chojii didn't have the ability to dispel genjutsu. To the eyes of Team 7 he began throwing attacks in random directions at nothing, as if invisible foes were all around him. The last Rain ninja (Sakura recognized him as the one who had impersonated Naruto earlier) Oboro took the opportunity to throw shuriken and kunai at his opponent. Chojii screamed as the weapons hit him and he went down. Shikamaru and Ino were both shocked and concerned.

"Chojii!" Shikamaru yelled in concern for his best friend.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He wasn't close friends with Chojii, but he and Shikamaru had both hung out with him in the academy.

The chubby Akamichi boy was rushed to the infirmary for emergency treatment as blood leaked out onto the arena floor. His squad mates went with him and Naruto could only watch with his own teammates. Next wasn't much better, it was Tenten from Nejii and Lee's team, against Temari of the Sand Siblings. Temari's fan deflected all of Tenten's attacks which came in the form of thrown weapons, then Temari unleashed a powerful blast of chakra that sent Temari into the air and knocked her out. She fell back to the floor which was now laden with dozens of weapons. But Lee ran in and caught her before she could hit and get impaled by an of her own blades. It lasted much longer then Chojii's match but was just as one sided.

Then it was time for the final match.

Rock Lee vs Gaara:

This one was much more entertaining. Naruto watched as Rock Lee, the bushy browned boy who had a sensei who looked almost exactly like him and even dressed the same in green spandex, jumped down into the arena.

"Begin!" Hayate said.

Lee moved first and struck at Gaara.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

He spun in midair and aimed a kick at Gaara who didn't move, looking at Lee with those blank eyes that betrayed no emotion yet seemed filled with cold malice. Lee's kick was stopped by a large sheet of sand that suddenly came out of the bag on Gaara's back. The sand moved through the air and surrounded Gaara, forming a large wall that came down on Lee who leapt back to avoid it. He charged back in and threw a series of kicks and punches but they too were negated by the sand which turned offensive quickly and chased after Lee who again somersaulted and rolled away. It chased after him and grabbed his foot as he tried to leap over it. The sand threw him against a wall and he had to recover quickly to avoid the next attack. He then charged back and continued his close combat assault.

"I don't get it," Sakura said. "He's only using Taijutsu."

"Lee has no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu skills at all," Might Guy, Lee's sensei said.

"You're kidding," Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh that's nothing you should have seen how hopeless he was when I first met him. No talent whatsoever." Guy stated.

Sasuke said nothing, he kept his sharingan activated, watching the match, hoping to maybe pick up something new.

A large shower of sand seemed to cover Lee and everyone thought it was over but Lee suddenly appeared on top of the statue of a large pair of hands in a jutsu sign.

"Take them off Lee!" Guy suddenly shouted.

Hearing him, Lee downed into his pants and revealed a set of weights on his legs. He hadn't been moving at full speed before? He'd already been so fast!

Temari grinned overconfidently. Come on, you really think you can overcome Gaara's defenses just by dropping a couple pounds of weight?

Lee removed the weights and let them fall to the ground, resulting in a loud crash that created a good-sized cloud of dust and even broke the floor. Those were NOT a couple pounds of weight. When Lee moved it was so fast that Naruto and most of the other Genin couldn't follow him with their eyes. Sasuke could thanks to his sharingan. Even the sand of Gaara's couldn't keep up completely, and managed to land multiple blows on Gaara who was forced to cover himself in Sand Armor. Lee took hold of him and spun them around in the air, smashing Gaara to the ground only, to reveal a hollow Sand Armor that had been a decoy. Gaara reappeared behind Lee who had collapsed from the extreme of his last move the primary lotus (Guy and Kakashi explained things to Naruto and the others as they watched the match). But Lee recovered quickly and managed to get back on his feet and call on a new weapon.

"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain! Open!"

Lee's body glowed green and he suddenly moved so fast and put out so much powe that the floor of the area was broken all over. He hit Gaara even as his muscles were torn apart by the pressure of his chakra. That broke the armor and did damage, he then opened the fifth gate as well and struck the last blow. It landed but the damage to Lee was bad as well, Gaara could still move and had his sand. It connected to Lee's left arm and leg, and struck. Lee's scream as his two encased limbs were crushed by the Sand Coffin. Gaara prepared to deliver the finishing blow but… just in time, Guy went down and protected his student, seeming to dispel the sand with his bare hands.

"Why save him?

"Because he's my student and also because he's precious to me."

Gaara was shocked but after a moment walked away. Then (to everyone's amazement) Lee managed to somehow unconsciously get up and continue the fight even with his body crippled but was too wounded. Gaara was declared the winner and Guy cried seeing his student still willing to fight even after all that.

But the medics delivered some awful news.

"His left arm and leg have suffered extreme damage. He'll never be able to fight again, his life as a Shinobi… is over."

That caused Naruto and Guy's mouths to fall open. Naruto watched as his fellow Leaf Village Shinobi was taken to the infirmary.

"No that can't be true," Naruto said with tears in his eyes as well.

Even though their time together had been brief, watching that match and seeing how determined Lee was even without the use of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, and even more so once he was badly injured, and his smile had never left his lips even when his life was in danger. That was someone Naruto could admire. Sakura and Sasuke both felt similar as well.

Kakashi put a hand on his student's shoulder. "There's nothing you can do for him, Naruto. Except honor him as a fellow shinobi and do your best in the upcoming matches."

Naruto sniffled and nodded. Sakura also had tears in her eyes and Sasuke looked down as his sharingan retracted.

…

With the matches over, it was time to set up the final rounds that would take place later. All the remaining contestants gathered at the bottom again. The proctor held a box out for them.

"Form a line and come up one by one. In this box is a set of cards with numbers, these will determine the matchups for the final round."

They each took a card and went back to their spots. The numbers were called and soon they beheld the final match ups.

Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuga:

Sakura Haruno vs. Oboro.

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara

Shino vs. Kankuro

Shikamaru vs. Temari.

Nejii Hyuga right off the bat? Naruto thought. And Sakura is going up against that guy with the oxygen mask that tied me up in the forest before we ran into Orochimaru, and Sasuke has to fight that Gaara guy with the sand.

He couldn't say much for Sakura's opponent though the genjutsu might be a problem. Of course Sakura could use that too. But Neji and Gaara would be trouble. Even if he wasn't the smartest member of his team, or in the Leaf for that matter, Naruto knew he and Sasuke would have their work cut out for them with their opponents. Nejii had easily taken down Ino and it was said he was the best genin in the Leaf today, and that sand had been trouble.

"The next portion of the exams takes place in one month," Hayate said. "That will give you time to recover from your injuries as well as learn some new techniques. The matches will take place in the arena of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Sakura.

"When we get back its time to train like crazy!" Naruto declared.

Sakura smiled at him and Sasuke gave a smirk. They agreed that they were going to have to train and become stronger, both as a team and individually for their battles ahead. But there was something else on Sakura's mind, something that she had to do. She looked up at the stands where Kurenai stood with Kiba and Hinata who were mainly watching Shino, though for Hinata it was Naruto. They'd have to have a talk when they got back to the village. Naruto had to know, about both their feelings. Also, Sakura knew that she would need to train and improve her Genjutsu, as well as her other techniques. A shinobi needed to be prepared for any scenario, both in battle and in love.

With their matches decided, Sakura made her way up to the other three members of Team 8, trailing behind Shino.

"Sakura?" Kurenai asked.

"I have a request of you Kurenai Sensei," Sakura said. "Actually, a request of both you and Hinata. One each. First, I'd like you to train me in more Genjutsu and other techniques I can manage."

Kurenai nodded. "I was thinking the same thing and was going to discuss it with Kakashi."

Sakura smiled then turned to Hinata. "So I imagine we'll be returning to the village through the Forest of Death. When we get back through the entrance, lets wait for each other. I'll keep Naruto with me if we get there first. Then we can both tell him how we feel."

Hinata turned absolutely red but nodded. Sakura turned away and the Hyugga girl fainted. Kiba managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Boy, I don't know if she can manage this," the canine user said.

Akamaru barked in agreement.

…

They rested for a day and then the squads made their way back through the Forest of Death, but this time with their sensei's to accompany them. This made the journey much easier, as Kakashi Sensei easily felled one or two dangerous beasts that they happened upon.

They soon arrived at the gate and found Hinata waiting there alo… no… she wasn't alone! Much to Sakura's surprise, Kiba was there at her side.

"Ah there you are! I was getting impatient! We arrived nearly an hour ago!" Kiba said.

"Wroof!" Akamaru barked.

"Wait were you waiting for us?" Naruto asked.

"It was Sakura's request, she and Hinata had something they both wished to say to you," Kiba said.

"I didn't request for you to be here though," Sakura said.

"I figured Hinata might need a little support being the shy girl she normally is. Though she has gotten a bit bolder lately I've noticed," Kiba said.

Naruto looked around confused. "You wanted to say something to me?"

Hinata and Sakura both nodded with rosy cheeks. Their tongues seemed to twist in their mouths as the words made their up their throats.

"Yeah, Naruto the thing-" Sakura struggled to speak. "The thing is that both… Hinata and I… we… like you."

Naruto had been hoping for this day to come for years now. For the day that Sakura would confess her undying love for him that he was prepared to work years for in order to earn. But it came with an unexpected bonus in Hinata.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed.

If it had just been Sakura he would have been thrilled but instead he felt all confused now. Two girls? What was he going to do?

He looked at Hinata who was crimson. He recalled all the times she stuttered and acted all nervous. She'd always been that way as he recalled. Was it because she liked him?

"Yes N-Naruto!" Hinata stuttered. "I've liked ever since we were kids!"

Before he could respond she fainted and Kiba caught her. Sakura had rosy cheeks as well as she looked at him.

"After we got put on the same squad, I saw things that made me start to like you," Sakura said. "You being able to use shadow clones, your warm heartedness, positivity, and jokes. They all won me over!"

Naruto blushed and smiled, though there was still the confusion as he looked back at Hinata.

"But… Hinata saw the real you all along," Sakura said. "She's liked you unconditionally while I was stuck for so long liking Sasuke. Some part of me feels like I don't deserve you when compared to her. But its your choice, Naruto. If you really want me then I'd be happy. But Hinata is a great girl, probably better then me."

"Still a nervous wreck though," Kiba chuckled as he set Hinata down on a bench nearby. "Come on Hinata wake up. You can't afford to miss this."

The raven haired girl opened her white eyes.

"Naruto is gonna have to choose between you and Sakura," he told her.

Hinata sighed. "I fainted again didn't I? I'm sorry I just can't help myself!"

Naruto looked between them. It was time to make a choice.

"Well who is it gonna be Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto looked at Hinata sadly. He hated to hurt her but he knew who he liked and that was Sakura. He walked over to her.

"You Sakura," he said.

She smiled at him. He turned over to Hinata whose eyes teared up slightly.

"I'm sorry Hinata but I've liked Sakura for years now. I didn't know you felt that way and… I'm flattered you do. But I can only be with one girl."

She nodded sadly.

"I hope we can at least be friends?" he asked.

She nodded again as tears began flowing from her cheeks. "Yes Naruto! But I can't… I need to be alone right now!"

She got up and ran off. It hurt both Naruto and Sakura to see her cry. Sakura had known that was inevitable for either of them. Kiba got up and ran after her, looking back at Naruto.

"You better beat Nejii in the next round Naruto! He really hurt her, and if you don't I'll beat you up even more for losing and hurting her!"

He vanished into the trees after Hinata. That left Naruto and Sakura alone.

"Well not exactly a happy confession is it?" Sakura said.

"Yeah, not real happy at all," Naruto agreed. "You think she'll be okay?"

"She'll be fine, she just needs time to heal… and move on," Sakura said.

Her mind went back to when Sasuke rejected her before the mission to the Land of Waves. It had hurt a lot. But she'd learned that new love was indeed possible. She'd moved on. Now Hinata would have to do the same.

"I'm glad you chose me though," she added.

Then she hugged him. He slowly hugged her back and looked at her forehead.

"You know, you have a large charming forehead that makes me want to kiss it," she said.

She blushed and smiled, looking down sheepishly. That gave Naruto the opportunity he needed to lean forward and press his lips to Sakura's forehead. He drew back after a moment and now it was her turn. She pressed her lips to his own. The two of them kissed, their mouths locked and their embrace tightening. Then they broke apart momentarily.

"I love you Naruto," Sakura said.

The words shocked him. But he smiled widely.

"I love you too Sakura!" he said. "I have for so long!"

They hugged each other again. Then Naruto decided he needed to confess something.

"Hey, there's something I got to tell you," He said. "You remember the day when we got put into a team?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well you see- I kind of transformed into Sasuke and walked up to you, telling you you had a large charming forehead like I did just a moment ago," he said.

Sakura was stunned. It had always puzzled her as to why Sasuke had acted like that and then suddenly turned cold and called her annoying.

"I should have known," she said. "Sasuke was being so strange like someone flipped an off switch that only lasted a few seconds. But I see him for what he is now. Cold hearted and too fixated on revenge. He seems to have opened up more but I've already moved on. I'm with you Naruto. Forever. You're like a bright sun in my life."

She smiled at him.

"I always love seeing that smile of yours," Naruto said.

She smiled even deeper, then an idea occurred.

"Let's go and have some ramen to celebrate!" she suggested.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto shouted. "Ichiraku here I come!"

The new couple took hands and began to walk down the path to Naruto's favorite restaurant.

Okay so Naruto and Sakura are finally together, shame about Hinata but it was inevitable. She'll probably find love sooner or later. Either Kiba or Sasuke maybe. I'll probably have some of the prejudice toward Naruto come back in the next chapter as we begin to take a bit of a dark turn. See you in another few weeks. I have a story that I'm working to finish quickly so I'm doing that. But about two more weeks and that will be done and I should be able to start updating this every couple weeks. Please review and happy new year.