Her Experience Chapter 10: Preliminaries pt 2, a naruto fanfic

"Inner Sakura..."

"Sakura's thoughts..."

Memory...

"Dialogue..."

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"The fifth match of the preliminaries! Tenten against Temari. Please step forward."

Tenten, team Gai's female member, leapt down from the balcony excitedly. She was pumped up after watching that last battle! It had been unexpectedly exciting, and that Sakura girl was growing on her…she'd actually been kinda happy that she'd pulled the win. After seeing how hard, daring, and tenacious she'd been in battle, Tenten was psyched to show off her own skills. It was her dream to become a legendary kunoichi, and that started right here, right now.

Temari, the female member of Gaara's team, on the other hand, seemed far less excited—almost bored as she stepped into the ring.

"Another candidate from Suna…This looks like it'll be an interesting match." Neji said, leaning more closely to the railing. Tenten was one of very few people he trusted and respected. Much like how she was able to summon whatever the team might need, she herself was always there in the way Neji needed. A training partner, a comrade in commiseration over their ridiculous teacher and teammate's antics, someone who understood…to lean on when there was no one else. He had complete faith in her, and that she'd win. But so far, Sand's team seemed to have produced some very skilled fighters. It would be fascinating to see how this one faired.

"Yeah, Tenten! Go!" Lee cheered enthusiastically.

Gaara and Kankuro on the other hand, were silent. Temari wasn't getting much auditory support.

"Begin!" Hayate called.

Tenten immediately leapt away from Temari, putting some space between them. She had to be cautious. Temari barely had a single scratch on her despite the five days in the Forest of Death. Her clothes weren't even dirty. That meant she was good, and Tenten wasn't going to take any chances.

"Go Tenten! Fight!" Lee cheered loudly.

"Believe in your own youthful strength, Tenten!" Gai joined in.

"We're behind you! Knock her with all your strength!"

"That's good! Cheer her on more, more, more with passion, Lee!" Gai shouted.

"Yeah!"

Next to them, Naruto covered his ears. "These guys are noisy! Believe it!" Seriously, they were louder than he was.

Shikamaru gave a bored yawn. Now that it wasn't his teammate and friend fighting, he didn't particularly care. On top of that it was two girls…what a drag.

The Hokage studied the situation carefully. The last battle had turned out quite surprising and unexpectedly. He never Thought Sakura would have beaten Ino—never thought he'd see the day the Yamanaka mind transfer was actually defeated. So far, this battle, though it only just started, was going far more according to how he thought it would. The spacing was just what he'd expect from Tenten, not too close. Not too far. Attacks or defense, she'd be able to respond to either one.

Hayate looked between the two. Aside from Tenten's jump backwards, neither made any move nor said anything. "What happened? Please begin."

"Are you planning to wait it out and see how I make my move? Let me just tell you, once I start my attack, you're finished." Temari said confidently, a bold smirk on her face.

She took a step forward. Tenten maintained the distance and took a step back.

"You're trying to be cool and see what I do first…but I don't want this match to be over too quickly! So why don't you go first." Temari maintained, cocky smirk still in place.

"You said it…Well, I won't hold back!" Tenten declared. She jumped into the air, throwing a fist full of shuriken and the cocky girl. They all thudded into the ground next to her feet.

"They missed? That's impossible!" Tenten cried. She never missed!

"What happened? Was that a warm up? Or are you scared your aim is off?"

Tenten growled. Her aim was never off! Who did this girl think she was?!

"I thought I would enjoy it a little bit more, but evidently it's not promising."

Tenten's eyes narrowed. This girl was really starting to annoy her.

"No way! I can't believe Tenten's attack missed!" Lee cried in shock.

"It's unbelievable indeed." Gai agreed. "Tenten's weapons always hits the mark, ten out of ten times."

"There's no reason for them to miss." Neji added. Tenten missing was unthinkable. It wasn't her. It was something else.

"That's right…she didn't miss. She was made to miss." Gai said, watching the battle grimly. This didn't bode well for Tenten.

Kankuro smirked. "As always, she's being disagreeable." How like his baby sister.

"How foolish…" Gaara muttered. What was the point of her wasting her own time like this?

"How disgraceful." Shikamaru sighed, leaning against the railing tiredly.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to him confused. He had no clue what he was talking about.

"Sand wins again." Shikamaru drawled.

"We don't know that yet." Naruto countered.

"We know."

"How? How do we know? Explain it to me, so I understand!"

"Stupid…why would I do something so troublesome?"

"Shikamaru said it so, surely that's how it is." Choji agreed.

"These guys are hard to understand…" Naruto muttered.

Tenten took a deep breath. She had to calm down. She couldn't let this girl get to her. She carefully counted the number of floor tiles separating them. If her attacks were going to be dodged, she's just have to make it impossible to do so.

Temari smirked, unbothered. This Tenten girl was measuring the spacing. That meant the next attack would be a big one. She reached back, grabbing the fan she carried on her back.

Tenten caught the movement and smirked. So that was it! That fan was the secret. If that was the case…

Tenten took off running in a wide circle around Temari. She planted her foot and pushed off, flipping into the air and unfurling a scroll. The scroll spiraled around her like ribbon as she began to spin, fast. Summoning various weapons from the scroll, she hurled them down at Temari as soon as they made their way into her hands.

She landed to see her weapons scattered around an unaffected Temari, who hadn't even seemed to have moved. The only difference in her position was that instead of the fan being on her back, it was now mildly open as Temari leaned against it.

"No way…my flying weapons!" Was there a secret mechanism in the fan?

"This is the first star." Temari said casually, indicating the purple circle painted on the fan. "There are two more. When the third star appears, you'll lose."

"Tenten! Don't be taken in by your opponent, be calm! Be calm!" Lee shouted loudly.

Tenten closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. She didn't need him to remind her…she'd really hoped to use her next move in the main battle, not the preliminary round—but it looked like it was now or never. She released a breath and pulled out two scrolls.

Lee gasped.

"She's already going to use it?" Gai muttered.

Neji's eye narrowed a little. She must have truly been feeling desperate to resort to that move so soon. He understood though. None of her other attacks had landed so far, and that one was impossible to dodge.

"Pulling out two scrolls? What does she intend to do?" Naruto questioned.

Tenten knelt, a scroll in each hand, and stood them up against the ground.

"Hah! No matter what you do, it won't work!"

She wove quick hand signs, and yelled, "Rising twin dragons!"

A huge cloud of smoke engulfed the area, making Temari wince and raise her arm to block it, as the scrolls unfurled themselves, unwinding and twisting into the air like a double helix. Tenten leapt up through the center of them, tossing a barrage of weapons as she summoned them from each scroll.

"Even if you increase the amount, it's still the same!" Temari shifted the fan so she held it from the bottom and opened it a little wider. "Second star!" She gave a powerful swipe of the fan, knocking all of Tenten's weapons out of the way.

Tenten landed, the scrolls dropping on either side of her. "I'm not done yet!" She leapt into the air, flipping herself, and flicked her wrists. The weapons she'd thrown earlier rose from the ground, controlled by the strings Tenten had around her fingers. She sent the blades at her opponent again. When she saw Temari pause and straighten in surprise, she thought she may have gotten her.

But then Temari smirked, opening the fan to its full extent and swinging it, blowing Tenten and her weapons back. She slammed into the floor hard, her weapons clattering around her. She sat up and glared, frustrated.

"Third star."

As Tenten rose, Temari crouched behind her fan. The fan started to spin, rising into the air and vanishing from sight, taking Temari with it.

"She disappeared?! Where is she?" Tenten frantically looked around.

"I'm over here—"

Tenten looked behind her to see Temari gliding toward her on her fan. She passed right over her, jumping from the fan and landing, grabbing the fan out of the air.

"Ninja art! Wind scythe jutsu!"

A sharp funnel of wind surrounded Tenten, throwing her into the air and cutting at her skin.

"Chakra is enfolded in that wind." Neji muttered.

"Huh?" Lee turned to him.

"Tenten fought well…but she won't be able to escape from that twister." He answered, his brows furrowed. To think…Tenten actually lost…

The twister of air dispersed and Tenten dropped, her back slamming directly into the butt of Temari's now closed fan. A little blood spewed from her mouth.

"How boring…really." Temari sighed.

"To think she completely intercepted all of Tenten's weapon attacks…" Gai muttered.

Neji's teeth clenched, his eyes narrowed.

"This is ridiculous!" Lee gasped in disbelief.

"What's going on with her…?" Naruto murmured. And he thought Ino had been scary…

"It's just like Shikamaru said, it's Suna's win." Choji observed.

"That's why I said it."

Kankuro felt satisfied with this development, though he hadn't had any doubt in the first place. That was two wins for them already. "There's no reason for us to lose here."

The Hokage looked on grimly. "The Land of Sand is to be feared…"

"Temari wins the fifth battle." Hayate declared.

Temari grinned. Now that it was over…she flicked her fan, throwing an unconscious Tenten toward the floor, littered with her weapons.

"Oh no!" Lee jumped down and caught her, before she could slam into any of them.

"Nice catch."

"What are you doing?! Is that something you do to an opponent who fought to the utmost?!"

"You're annoying!" Temari said, slamming her fan into the ground. "Take that trash away already!"

Lee growled and charged her.

"Stop Lee!" Neji shouted. He could be disqualified for this and that was the last thing Tenten would want.

"Leaf hurricane!"

Temari easily blocked his kick with her fan.

"You're just like you look…you're dull too."

"What did you say?!"

"Stop! Lee!" Gai said, jumping from the balcony.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Temari! Come up quick, you've been declared the winner. Don't keep company with that awful looking guy and his chaperone forever." Gaara ordered calmly.

"What…?" Lee was getting frustrated with how mean spirited these Sand ninja were. He glared at Gaara who glared right back.

"That's enough Lee." Gai said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Gai smiled and looked up at the two sand ninja in the balcony above them. "Gentleman of the Sand, let me offer you a word of advice. Be prepared. You have no idea how strong this boy really is."

Sakura stirred, flinching at her slight headache before opening her eyes fully.

"So, you finally came to, eh Forehead?"

"Ino-chan!" Sakura immediately grabbed her face, turning her head to the side to examine her bruised temple. "Do you have a headache? Are you dizzy or nauseous at all?"

"I'm fine, mom!" Ino laughed, swatting her hands away. "We have a lot of catching up to do." Her face became serious. "What you said before, about not having time anymore…Your mom got worse, didn't she?"

Sakura looked away, but nodded.

"Let me guess, you've been acting as her doctor? That's why you know so much about first aid, and diseases, yeah?"

Sakura nodded again.

"If it's that bad, she's probably been too sick to work at all, so you've been dealing with that too?"

Sakura tugged at the ends of her hair and sighed. Ino knew that was a yes.

"You should have let me help."

"I'm sorry. I…I didn't—"

"Ah well. Too late now. Worry about yourself a bit more from now on, okay?"

Sakura let out a small laugh.

"If we're gonna be friends again, I'm laying down some ground rules." Ino went on. "So, first. I'm glad you have her, but as an expert on the mind, having a whole separate version of you in your head isn't healthy. So, from now on, you say whatever you want to when you're with me. No holding back. No censoring. I don't care how mean, or immature, or whiney, you think you sound. Say it. Get angry. Make catty comments. If it's about me, I can take it and dish it back, so don't worry. Just say whatever. Got it?"

"That's…ok." Sakura said, with a slight shake of her head. "It'll be a bit hard for me, but I'll do my best."

"Good. Second. Sasuke-kun. I'm not gonna back down. I'm going to flirt with him—probably in front of you, and I'm gonna win him over. But…I won't demand that you back down either. I won't stop you from flirting with him—or whatever your version of it is. If on the off chance he doesn't pick me, I'd rather him be with you than some random floozy. So I won't back down. But I won't ask you to either. And if he does choose you, and asks you out, I'll respect it and back off. So you do the same if he picks me."

"I always would have, Pig." Sakura said, with a smile. "There's no way in hell I'm backing down!"

"Damn straight!" Ino smirked. She was already sounding more like her internal self. "Third. Don't. You. Dare. Ever. Lie to me again and try to push me away. I'm going to ignore you anyways, but it'll be a lot more painful for you if you try. I promise. If you're going through something, let me be there for you."

"Deal. That goes for you too. You better tell me if something's wrong! I'll do anything I can to help!"

"I know. Don't worry. I'm a lot of things, but I'm no hypocrite. Anyways, happy belated birthday! We're going shopping after this—don't even think about trying to get out of it! I've got three whole birthday's to catch up on!"

Sakura laughed. "Alright, fine! Shopping with you is like a full day event though, Pig!"

"That's how you know you're doing it right, Forehead. Besides, I believe a congratulations gift is in order, seeing as how you beat me."

It finally sank in. She hadn't processed that she'd won before. She'd been too worried about Ino. And then she'd passed out.

"I…beat Ino-chan?"

"We won! We won! We won! Shannarooo!"

"I won?!" Sakura cried, her eyes bulging.

"Wow…you completely forgot, didn't you? No need to rub it in, Forehead, you won." Ino turned to her and smiled sincerely. "By the way…You've blossomed into a lovely flower."

"…Ino-pig…"

"But just so you know, the next time we face each other, I'm totally gonna kick your ass."

"Just try it, Pig! See how fast I send you flying!" Sakura smirked, before blinking in surprise at her own words.

"Glad to see you're taking rule number one to heart!" Ino laughed. "Come on. Let's go watch the other matches. You're gonna have to fight some of these guys, so put that big brain of yours to use and start studying."

"Right!"

Both girls got up and rejoined their teammates at the railing.

"…He actually picked a fight with those freaks from Suna…in his place I'd run for cover…" Kiba muttered quietly.

"Th-they really creep me out!" Hinata agreed.

Sakura scanned the weapon littered floor, her eyes landing on an unconscious Tenten. She sighed. She'd completely missed the last battle, but evidently, Temari was the winner.

The medical staff ran to the unconscious girl, studied her, discussed among themselves for a minute, and then carefully placed her on the stretcher and carried her off.

Sakura noted the way Neji's eyes followed them out.

"She'll be fine. It looked bad at first, but if they felt it was safe to move her, then she'll be ok. If she'd had a spinal injury they wouldn't have been able to. They seemed worried about it at first, but it looks like that wasn't the case."

Neji's eyes jumped to Sakura. Though his face remained blank, he was actually surprised. That was a thorough medical deduction based only on an interaction between medics. She'd been unconscious before so she hadn't witnessed the battle. He'd be inclined to not believe her, but she'd also said something about the proctors cough earlier. He'd seen her give him some sort of serum, which he'd taken, and he hadn't coughed once since. She'd also looked over Lee after the run in with the sound ninja and told him his hearing would likely return—which it had. So far, her medical knowledge seemed accurate. He nodded tensely. He wouldn't truly believe Tenten was ok until he saw her when this was over, but for now he'd have to take Sakura's word for it. Even if she wasn't ok, she was with the medical corps. They'd take care of her.

"S-Sakura-chan!"

She turned to her teammate and smiled.

"Don't you lose to them, Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan…are you already feeling better?! Last time you were out for two whole days!"

"Shannaro! This Idiot just has to mention something we really didn't want Kakashi-sensei to know about!"

Kakashi tensed when he heard Naruto's words. She'd been out two whole days? Mebuki had said that if they didn't die, they usually passed out from the pain, but she said it was usually just for several hours, maybe a day at most. Why had Sakura been out for two whole days?! He studied Sakura carefully, trying to read her reaction.

"Sensei already knows we fought Orochimaru so…let's go with the almost truth!"

"Of course I needed two days! We'd gone from Orochimaru to the sound ninja back to back—and I spent the whole night looking after you two! It was one bad beating after another plus severe chakra exhaustion. This was just Ino-chan. I wasn't that injured or anything, just low on chakra. I'm fine now!"

"Yeah, that's believable!"

Kakashi blinked. She'd…after her condition triggered…she'd really managed to stay awake the entire time, and then several hours after, and go through another battle—three on one by the sounds of it…this girl was unbelievable. No wonder she'd been out for forty eight hours. She'd been fighting back the inevitable crash and pushing well through her limits. Every hour she held it off must have added more to her needed recovery time.

"Anyways, don't mind me, just worry about yourself! You can't be the only one on our team to lose, after all you've come so far. What would Sasuke-kun say if you lost now? He'll never let you live it down!"

"R-right!"

Sakura smiled at him. "…Thanks Naruto…for helping me out before! Your voice helped wake me up when Ino-chan had me."

"Yeah! I sure saved your butt!"

"That little brat!"

"No. I saved my butt. You just helped wake me up. Don't confuse the two." Sakura growled.

Naruto laughed, but half way through it changed to an excited cry.

"Okay! My turn! I'm good to go. Who thinks he can take me?!"

Lee rejoined him them on the balcony.

"Who's next? I have a feeling it will be me!" He declared.

They were both rearing to go.

Nara Shikamaru Vs. Tsuchi Kin

"Aww man!" Lee said, his head dropping dejectedly.

"Rats!" Naruto pouted.

"Me, eh?" Shikamaru sighed.

"He manipulates shadows. Be wary of them." Dosu advised.

"Heh…It'll take a lot more than a stupid technique like that to beat me!" Kin answered haughtily.

Shikamaru stood across from Kin and sighed.

"This is such a nuisance…how embarrassing…being expected to fight a girl…"

"If that's the way you feel, I'll put you out of your misery quickly!"

"Shikamaru! Don't you dare lose!" Ino cheered loudly.

Choji eyed her wearily…Ino was suddenly full of energy.

Sakura eyed the woman below. She was the one who had immobilized her by holding her hair, and suggested killing Sasuke in front of her.

"She's catty and vindictive, and if I remember correctly, she used primarily senbon…but I never got a good look at her technique or jutsu…"

Shikamaru had a similar thought process. Even though he learned about the strengths of the sound ninja when they'd battled during the second exam, he didn't have a clue about what this one's specialty was. On the other hand, she got a good look at his jutsu…but maybe…

"Begin!"

"Shadow possession jutsu!" It was all he had, after all.

"Just a one trick pony…how lame!" Kin scoffed, jumping out of his shadow's line of travel. "All I've got to do is keep an eye on your shadows movements…piece of cake!"

There was a chiming sound as she threw two senbon at him. He crouched, ducking them easily, the senbon sticking into the wall. There were a bells attached to the ends.

He looked back at them…bells?

"What a tired old trick! I suppose next you'll be flinging your needles in two groupings, with and without bells, to mislead me into thinking I'm safe once I've dodged the ones I can hear until the silent one's perforate me…right?!" Shikamaru smirked.

"Chatty, aren't you?"

Shikamaru felt more comfortable about this now that he knew her strategy. All he had to do was evade the silent, phantom needles. Once he masted the pattern, if he was careful, he could do this!

There was a chiming from behind him. He turned over his shoulder in shock. How were they coming from behind him? Aw, crud. The bells on the needles she'd thrown earlier had strings on them. She was pulling the strings to ring the bells…completely mocking him. But that meant…

He looked back at her to see that she'd already thrown more senbon.

"Too late!"

He was hit by her senbon and sent sprawling to the ground.

"Shikamaru!" Ino shouted in concern.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"It's a clever trick, but one that would really only work in this kind of battle, when she has the time to set it all up. Is that why she didn't use it against me in the Forest of Death?"

"Hypocrites! She and Zaku both called us one trick ponies when they only ever had one trick! Assholes!"

"Seriously…the question is, does she have any other tricks? Actually no, the better question: does Shikamaru have any others…?"

"Once I mastered how to avoid your shadow, you never stood a chance! Now to finish this!" Kin smirked.

Suddenly the smirk fell from Kin's face. She…she couldn't move!

"Okay…time to deploy my shadow possession technique…"

"How?!" She shouted in surprise. "Your shadow is nowhere is sight!"

"You don't get it, do you?"

"No way—!" She gasped, glancing down at the string in her hand, and the shadow they were casting.

"Yes, you idiot! Such delicate little threads, so high up…there's no way they could cast shadows! Where as I can make my own shadow as big as I wish…or as small, within limits."

Kin watched the shadows with growing dread. The shadow of the thread began stretching and spreading. The threads didn't cast the shadows at all!

"Those delicate filaments of shadows are all mine, tailored to fit…and attached to you!" Shikamaru explained, pointing, which Kin's body had no choice but to mirror. He pulled out a shuriken, Kin doing the same, both preparing to throw it.

"Don't be an idiot! While we're locked into this mimicry, any injury done to me will hurt you too!"

"Tell me something I don't know!"

"You wouldn't—!" He couldn't have the balls to pull a suicidal attack like this!

"It's a head to head shuriken attack! I doubt you'll hold up for long."

"No! You fool!" Kin shouted as they both threw their shuriken at each other.

As the shuriken neared him, Shikamaru shied back, dodging with a back bend at the last second.

Kin mirrored him, dodging the kunai, but her head slammed into the back wall she'd been standing near, knocking her unconscious.

Shikamaru released the jutsu, and flipped himself up.

"A shinobi uses everything to his advantage, including the terrain the the architecture as well. You were locked into the same movements as me, but only one of us was close enough to the wall to give herself a concussion! The shuriken were just a distraction so you wouldn't notice where you were standing." Shikamaru explained smugly.

"The winner is Nara Shikamaru!" Hayate declared.

"Nice one, Shikamaru!" Ino cheered.

"Awesome!" Choji joined in.

"And the guy acts totally humble…man that was cool!" Naruto begrudgingly admitted.

"So…he didn't have another trick—all he had was his shadow possession jutsu, but he had better ways of utilizing it…keeping track of her location and using the space as part of his attack as well…he's a genius! He came up with a brilliant strategy, and executed it without even knowing his opponents full capabilities! Plus he used her own trick and expectations against her…He always seemed so lazy and disinterested…I never thought he'd be so strategic!"

Dosu grunted. It looked like it was down to him.

Kiba took stock of who was still left. Just him, Hinata, Naruto, one of the sound ninja, Choji, Neji, and Lee…and the guy from sand. He didn't care who he went up against, so long as it wasn't the guy from sand!

Neji couldn't deny it. This year's rookies showed some promise, but…His eyes slid to Hinata, narrowing dangerously.

"Well next up…" Hayate said, turning to the bored.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba

Both boy's eyes widened at the screen.

"Aw yeah! It's about time! Thanks for being patient everyone! I'm gonna make this worth your wait!" Naruto declared loudly.

"Oh yess! Thank you! Thank you! We can take this guy, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted almost as loudly, secretly very relieved it wasn't the guy from sand.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto cheered in excitement.

Lee deflated. He really wanted to go…well, if he wasn't next, than it meant Sakura would hate him for having massive eyebrows…but if he was next…

Kakashi sighed. Gai truly had raised a mini version of himself.

"The seventh round battle! Uzumaki Naruto verses Inuzuka Kiba!"

"Woohoo! We lucked out, Akamaru! This fight is as good as won!" Kiba shouted, Akamaru barking happily in agreement.

"Don't be so cocky, you Jerk! Hey, Kiba, send your little puppy dog home! Cmon…he'll get in our way!"

"Whatever, Akamaru fights with me, like always." Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Aw man…you're kidding, right? Is that allowed?" Naruto asked turning to Hayate blankly.

"The rules are clear. Animals and insects used as part of a Ninja's art, are the same as any other weapons and tools." This boy…was a lot dummer than his two teammates…

"Hmph! Fine. I do my best work with a little handicap, anyway!"

"Who does he think he is? Two can play at that game!" Kiba muttered. "Sit this one out, Akamaru. I'll handle him alone." Akamaru whined in disagreement.

"Naruto! Don't you dare lose!" Sakura shouted.

"Kiba's actually a good opponent for him…They're both the loud and reckless type. Kiba's smarter than Naruto, but he's not the plotting kind. Shikamaru would have wiped the floor with Naruto, and Neji seems like the smart, strategic type too. Naruto would be outsmarted in a second. But he's got a shot against Kiba…"

Kakashi was rather excited to see Naruto's fight. He was always so unpredictable. And at the moment, he was the only student he didn't have to watch with concern.

Kurenai glanced over at Kakashi. It was too bad for him, but there was no way Naruto could beat Kiba.

Hinata fiddled with her fingers nervously. She wished she could cheer for Naruto, but Kiba was her teammate, and she didn't want to upset him…but still…

Kiba almost laughed. This was the same guy that continuously failed a successful transformation into Lord Hokage in the academy—when he'd already been a student there for three years, no less! How much strength and skill could he have possibly gained as a genin, considering how he was back in school?

"Don't worry. I'll be kind, I'll finish you off fast instead of dragging it out." Kiba boasted, his fist tightening.

"Oh yeah?! Well, right back atcha!" Naruto replied, smirking.

"You're not fooling anyone with that cool act!" Kiba accused.

Naruto's smirk was replaced by a glare.

"Well then…Begin!"

"Ninja art! Beast mimicry!" Kiba shouted, dropping to all fours, his fingers looking more like claws. "Here I come!"

Naruto was caught off guard by how fast Kiba suddenly was, as he charged directly into Naruto, sending him crashing hard into the floor.

"He's down for the count already, sir!" Kiba smirked.

"Like I figured…" Shikamaru grunted.

"There's no way a loser like Naruto could ever stand up to Kiba!" Ino agreed.

Lee gripped the railing tighter…Naruto couldn't be that lame!

Kurenai smirked smugly. She'd been right. Kakashi was out of luck with this one.

"He's such a wimp!" Kankuro muttered dismissively.

Hinata grimaced with concern—poor Naruto!

Kakashi and Sakura looked over at each other and smiled, winking.

"Of course everyone's dismissing him…I used to too…but…"

…I'll outshine even the Hokage! And then…all the villagers will have to acknowledge my existence at last!

I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!

"The way he took on Zabuza, Haku, and Orochimaru…even beating those Ameninja—almost single handed…I was wrong. You show them, Naruto!"

Naruto rose, much to everyones surprise. A serious look in his eyes.

"Don't underestimate me!"

"Naruto! Go!" Sakura cheered.

"Yeah!" Lee seconded.

Shikamaru smirked. It seemed the loudmouth finally started living up to his boasts.

Hinata gave a relieved smile…how like him…

"You talk pretty tough for someone who's bleeding all over the place. Would you just surrender already?!"

"Don't you get it? I let you pound me so I could find out what you're made of!"

Kiba flinched…was this runt really implying what he thought he was?

"You're so high on yourself…you just go ahead and fight me alone, or with your dog, or any other way you want!" Naruto said confidently, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"You'll be sorry! Get him Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, charging at Naruto with Akamaru at his side. He threw a smoke bomb, quickly engulfing the area and cutting off Naruto's sense of sight.

Naruto tried to make out what was happening but it was no use. He was being punched, clawed, and bitten all over, and so fast that he never had any time to counter. He had to get out of the smoke, or he was toast. He ran straight, finally clearing the smoke cloud, but no sooner had his vision begun to clear than Akamaru appeared out of nowhere and chomped down on his arm.

"Oww!" He fell back into the smoke cloud.

Kiba hopped out and landed on clear ground.

The smoke dissipated, wafting away to reveal Naruto on the ground, and Akamaru sitting next to him.

"All right! I did it! Good one, Aka—"

When Akamaru bit down on Kiba's arm, he stopped in shock. Akamaru never bit him!

There was a puff, and it wasn't Akamaru, but Naruto biting him.

"Gotcha!"

"You—a transformation jutsu?!"

Team 8 was in shock. Sakura smiled.

"Bout time Naruto used his head in battle!"

"Damn it! I let my guard down! Where's Akamaru?!"

Naruto released Kiba's arm from his mouth. "Ugh! You taste like dog! Yuck!"

"Over here!" A Naruto clone answered, holding the dog up by his paws. Akamaru whined in protest.

"Akamaru!"

"Amazing! Naruto was able to use a transformation jutsu right on the heels of his shadow clone jutsu! There's no way…!" Shikamaru muttered, stunned.

"That can't be Naruto! No way could he stand up to Kiba…Or maybe even beat him! I can't believe…" Ino was astounded.

"He timed his trick flawlessly…" Temari acknowledged. It had been a good tactic too.

"I had no idea he was so good…" Kankuro muttered, put off by having to eat his earlier words.

Neji almost laughed. This kid was a freak…actually biting Kiba, and then having it backfire on him…he was hilarious!

Kakashi watched with veiled pride. Since the start of the exam, despite their difficulties, his team really seemed to be coming into their own. Naruto was getting much stronger and smarter about how he used his jutsu.

The Hokage smiled. He could always count on Naruto to make things interesting.

Hinata blushed, leaning over the railing. "Oh N-Naruto-kun…th—"

"That was awesome Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"It's not really a surprise. He had some good practice pairing his shadow clone jutsu with a transformation jutsu. It's a Naruto fallback—he did it against Zabuza and the Ame ninja…Kiba though…he's fast. And his attacks are ferocious and unrelenting."

Kurenai's brows furrowed. She had thought Naruto was a total dunce!

Asuma stared in disbelief. What kind of method did Kakashi use to teach him?

"I think we're looking at a whole new Naruto!" Shikamaru declared.

"Yeah…" Ino and Choji agreed. Shikamaru was rarely wrong.

Kurenai smirked. Naruto may have gotten more mature, however, she thought her boy Kiba and Akamaru may have matured even more than Naruto had!

"I guess you've gotten stronger, eh? So this time, I'm not holding back!"

"Oh yeah? Then, right back atcha!"

"I mean it, Naruto. No holds barred…no mercy!" Kiba said, flicking a pill at Akamaru, who swallowed it easily.

Akamaru's fir began to darken, and bristle. He began snarling and growling, twisting around to bite the Naruto holding him, causing him to disappear.

"His fur…it turned red! Wh-what the heck are you feeding that dog?!"

"His name is Akamaru. It means 'red,' you dope!" He said, swallowing a pill of his own. He dropped into a deep squat, his torso bending forwards, the same way he had with his earlier 'down on all fours' technique. "Let's do it, Akamaru!" He barked. The dog immediately obliged, jumping up onto his back.

Kakashi observed quietly from the balcony…What Kiba had taken…

"A food pill…?"

He turned to Sakura, who was observing tensely.

"Where did he get access to those?!" He didn't miss the jealousy in her voice. Food pills made it so the one who took it didn't have to eat for three whole days. For someone who struggled to put three days worth of food on the table, it was no wonder she was envious. But food pills were expensive and restricted in their distribution.

"Kiba is of the Inuzuka clan. A famous and well respected clan of dog breeders and trainers…" Kakashi explained. "And clans in general are given more access to—"

"Military and medical resources…" Sakura finished sourly.

"The strength of the clans is the strength of the village…" He wished he could tell her something to comfort her, something that made the village out to be more equitable, but there was no point. Sakura was too smart and too mature for that. Lying would only hurt her more. "In return for the resources, the clans give the village their knowledge, strength, and abilities. Much of the villages medical knowledge comes from the Nara and Akamichi clans and the research they've done with the medical resources they've been given. Even without that, clans are better positioned monetarily to be able to afford these kinds of things."

Sakura nodded. She knew that was the case, but it didn't make it any less frustrating. Food pills would have saved her a lot of money spent on food for herself, which she could have used instead to make sure her mom was better fed, or buy better medicinal ingredients, or save up for proper medical treatment.

Kurenai eyes narrowed. If he was already pulling that out, Kiba was planning to end the fight right then.

Akamaru barked distinctly.

"Ninja art! Beast mimicry!" There was a puff of smoke around Akamaru. "Ninja art! Man beast clone!" The smoke cleared to reveal that Akamaru had been replaced by another Kiba.

Kiba himself looked more dog like, his nails having elongated to look more like claws and his canine teeth sharper and more pronounced.

"The look in his eyes is freaking me out! He must be hopped up on something! Hey, isn't this considered "doping"? Is this allowed?!" Naruto shouted, rounding on Hayate.

"It is permitted. Food pills are acceptable ninja tools!" Hayate answered.

"You're always saying that!" It was annoying! Seriously, was there anything against the rules?!

This boy truly was an idiot—he didn't even know the range of items that constituted ninja tools. He imagined that Sakura girl must get annoyed with him, what with how smart she was and that strange but explosive temper she had.

"What? What did they just eat?!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"They're called Hyorogan." Choji answered.

"Which means…" Ino pressed.

"Hyorogan—military ration pellets commonly referred to as food pills—are a class of nutritional supplements. People say that taking a single food pill allows a soldier to fight three days and nights without rest! They're high in protein and easily absorbed, and they have a relaxing effect…Even as they boost energy. By now, both Kiba's and Akamaru's chakras are probably double their normal level."

"This is bad news for Naruto…" Asuma observed. "Kiba already fights like a wild beast, his chakra is intense enough even without enhancement. The idea of these pills doubling the strength of his chakra…well, they're the perfect tool for Kiba."

"Knowing which tool to use to maximize your potential…it's a talent of its own…Kiba made a really smart call with the food pill…"

Naruto barely managed to dodge as both Kiba's charged him—and though he evaded the brunt of the attack, they'd still managed to get a swipe in on his head, making him bleed. He'd barely landed before they were attacking again, this time managing a cut on his arm. He was ducking and jumping for dear life. Damn! Even if he drove all his chakra down to his legs, it still took everything he had just to evade him! At this rate—

"Heyy!" Naruto jumped, narrowly avoiding being slashed by two sets of claws. Kiba smirked, this was his chance!

"Take this! Man beast ultimate taijutsu! Fang over Fang!" He shouted as both Kibas jumped into the air, rotating their bodies so fast they looked almost like drills, barreling down on Naruto, who was unable to dodge. He was sent careening into the floor and coughed up blood.

"This perfectly illustrates the difference between our levels of strength…" Kiba declared.

"I-I'm gonna…Be the Hokage…I won't…lose…now…"

"You, Hokage? You can't even beat me! No one's deluded enough to really think you have what it takes to become the next Hokage…not even you! Tell you what, though…I'll become Hokage in your place!"

Hinata thought back on everything she'd ever seen the blond go through. Kiba was wrong. Naruto was no weakling…she wished she had even half the confidence he'd always shown in himself…his courage was amazing! She knew too well how hard it could be to stand up for yourself…and yet, for the longest time, no one would admit that he had any good points at all…they refused to see him as he really was…

"Zabuza hit harder than that! Get up, Naruto! Our team has to finish this round together!" Sakura shouted.

"No one ever really does the amount of damage they think they do to Naruto…Still the way Kiba attacks is so fast and relentless…he barely completes one more before moving on to the next…"

Hinata smiled when Naruto pushed himself up. Now, everyone was watching him…everyone was acknowledging him and his determination.

Almost everyone was shocked to see Naruto on his feet—some smiled with pride. The only ones who were't surprised at all were Kakashi, Sakura, and Hinata.

"If you try to come between me and the title of Hokage…you'll whimper like a whipped dog!" Naruto declared, glaring. He wouldn't lose his dream to this guy—never!

"Geez, you're a stubborn one, aren't you? Let's go Akamaru!"

The two Kiba's once again ran at Naruto and began their fang over fang attack again. Naruto barely managed to dodge, but then they threw a smoke bomb and came at him again. This time he knew he was screwed.

Even though he'd seen the technique before, it was still a tough one to keep dodging. He had to think of something fast. What would Sasuke do? Never mind, probably some flashy show off move with his sharingan…forget the bastard, what would Sakura say?…That he'd need to take one of them out…but it had to be Kiba, or what was the point? But who was who? An idea clicked in his head…That was it!

He smacked his hands together in the hand sign needed for a transformation jutsu, and with a pop, he stood in the slowly thinning smoke disguised as Kiba, just as the other two approached him.

"Aha…Very good!" Kakashi muttered.

"Huh?" Sakura turned to him. The smoke wasn't thin enough for her to see through yet.

"Watch closely, you'll see in a second."

The smoke cleared enough for Sakura to see three Kiba's standing, staring at each other. No Naruto in sight.

"Oh!"

"Naruto really thought this one out! If Naruto transforms into Kiba, then the real Kiba won't know which fake Kiba is Akamaru, and which one is Naruto…if he attacks either one, he risks taking out his partner. Likewise, Akamaru doesn't know which "Kiba" is his master and which one Naruto is, so Akamaru can't attack. Naruto is the only one who knows for sure that both of the others are his enemies, so he can attack either with impunity! He's given himself an opening! Nice!" Sakura's brow wrinkled when a problem occurred to her. "But dogs rely on smell more than vision. Akamaru should still be able to tell which one is Naruto…so he could still attack…"

Kiba smirked. He saw what Naruto was up to, but…

"A word of warning. I was careless before, but now I'm on to you. Your transformation jutsu no longer works on me, and here's the reason why…" Kiba said, swiping at one of the fake copies of him, and sending him flying. "I can smell you! Never underestimate a canine's olfactory acuity!"

Kurenai smiled. By gathering his chakra to his nose, Kiba could multiply his sense of smell to tens of thousands of times the normal strength, so he could differentiate specific individuals by scent alone! It's what made him such an excellent tracker.

Sakura's eyes widened. "I predicted that being an issue on Akamaru's end, not Kiba's! How…?"

"Kakashi-sensei? Is that a clan ability unique to the Inuzuka? heightened sense of smell?"

"No. By focusing his chakra to his nose, he heightens his sense of smell…the Inuzuka employ this heightened sense frequently, as part of their clan style, so it's probably second nature to Kiba by this point. He was probably raised to do it. But it isn't unique to them. I've utilized it as well."

"Is it true for all senses? If I focus my chakra into a particular sense, I can heighten it?"

Kakashi glanced at her. She had a calculating look on her face, which knowing her meant that she was analyzing this new potential use of chakra and its applications.

"…Yes. To an extent. Focusing chakra into your eyesight won't give you the abilities of the sharingan. It may increase a specific aspect of your vision depending on where exactly in your eye you're focusing it. Doing something like that can be risky—if you aren't very careful about the amount and rate of chakra you focus, you could end up blowing up your own eye…or any of the senses really. That's why most ninja don't do that kind of thing unless they've been trained from a very young age."

"Hmm."

The copy Kiba had punched laid on the floor moaning.

"I win." Kiba stated.

There was a poof as the transformation dropped, but instead of Naruto, it was Akamaru lying on the ground.

Kiba's eyes widened. What the—Akamaru?! No!"

Team 8 was in shock. Shino couldn't conceive that it was possible. How could it be? With Kiba's nose, how could he mistake Naruto for Akamaru?

Sakura's brow furrowed.

"If Kiba's sense of smell is as sharp as a dogs, then it's not possible for him to make a mistake like that, so how…wait…Did Naruto…When he fought Zabuza, he disguised himself as a windmill shuriken and had his clone pass himself to Sasuke…when we were in the forest of death, he disguised himself as us in that fight with the Rain ninja, and he transformed into Akamaru earlier…that's it! Naruto used the same transformation as earlier! Kiba really did deck Naruto! But instead of dropping the Kiba transformation, he cast another to make himself look like Akamaru…it definitely threw Kiba for a loop, but it'll come down to which sense Kiba trusts more, smell or sight…"

Kiba glanced behind him, bewildered. What in the world was going on?! If that was actually Akamaru he'd punched, then the one behind him had to be—

"Then you must be Naruto…mocking me!" Kiba shouted, decking the clone behind him hard in the face.

The Kiba clone was sent tumbling, bouncing hard on the ground, before skidding to a stop. There was a puff of smoke as the jutsu dispersed to reveal…Akamaru.

Kiba's eyes went wide. What?!

Lee gasped, while Sakura smiled.

"We totally called it! Do we know our teammates or what?! Shannaro!"

Kakashi's mask hid his smile. It was a prank worthy of his little practical joker, and a prank in real life translated to a trick in battle. Naruto may not have been the smartest, but he was never short on tricks and cleverness.

Kurenai was shocked—to think Naruto had actually managed to trick Kiba so completely!

Behind Kiba, Akamaru stood and shook himself off. There was a puff of smoke, causing Kiba to turn in time to Naruto jumping from he smoke.

"Take this!" He shouted, his foot colliding with Kiba's jaw and sending him flying back.

Kiba glanced over at Akamaru, who was knocked out cold.

"…You little jerk!" Kiba barked.

"Heh…before you start throwing those techniques around, you should really think about the consequences, otherwise they'll just be used against you, fool!"

"When did Naruto get so smart?!" Ino murmured as team ten watched on in shock. He'd always been the class flunky, when had he gotten so good?

Sakura recognized the admonishment as the same one Kakashi had given him during the bell test. She glanced over to see him watching, a little exasperated.

"…Very funny…" he muttered dryly, making Sakura giggle.

"Hey, at least you know he listened. He even learned something." She joked.

Kakashi glanced over at his pink haired student, and had to remind himself that she was indeed his student. Moments like this, speaking so casually and maturely with him about her team members, made her seem more like a peer than a subordinate.

"…I must be teacher of the year…"

Kiba knew he had to calm down. He was getting too caught up in Naruto's taunts. The verbal wrangling was completely pointless! He couldn't let Naruto set the pace, he had to center himself.

He bit down on his hand, his sharp canine teeth immediately drawing blood. The pain and use of his jaw helped him to concentrate. There was no way Naruto could keep up with his moves. So he still had the advantage. He'd watch his movements and strike when there was an opening. He could get him with the down on all fours technique! There was nothing to worry about. If he stayed relaxed, this was definitely a match he could win.

"Amazing! At a low point in battle, Kiba was completely able to recenter himself and calm down…he can go from ferociously wild to centered so easily…"

"What? Do we have a crush on Kiba now?…He's cute but he's no Sasuke-kun!"

"It's not that…I'm taking notes…I barely won my battle, whether Kiba ends up becoming a potential opponent or not, it's without a doubt that almost everyone here is a better fighter than I am—"

"We can hold our own! We won our battle! Shannaro!"

"I almost didn't—I passed out right after the battle ended…If Ino-chan got up, she would have ended up the winner…studying how others fight will help me fight better. Give me ideas of things I can try or adapt…like I did when I thought about how Lee-san moves and it gave me the idea to try dancing…"

"Admit it, you do think Kiba's cute though!"

"Why are you like this?! You said it yourself, he's no Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun is way more caring and kind and intense, and protective and skilled and strong and obviously he's hotter—"

"Ha! Finally admitted it! Your part of us is always trying to push all that stuff to my part of us! Bout time you acknowledged it!"

"What the hell do you want from me! I already acknowledged I'm in love with him! Out loud!"

"Shannaro! Saying it and acknowledging why are not the same thing!"

She closed her eyes in irritation, knowing she was blushing for no reason. Sakura took a deep breath, bringing herself back into reality. She needed to focus if she wanted to actually learn anything useful.

Kakashi observed the battle quietly, oblivious to Sakura's internal argument with herself. The enemy had cooled off…what would Naruto's next move be?

"Finally taking me seriously, eh Kiba? Well, there's a new killer move I've been practicing that should end this fast!" Naruto said, thrusting his hands forward, his fingers forming a hand sign.

Kiba growled. A new killer move?! He didn't recognize the hand sign, so he'd just have to stop him from using it. He released a barrage of shuriken, forcing Naruto to jump and dodge. Now was his chance. Kiba activated his beast mimicry jutsu, down on all fours technique, and jumped behind Naruto with a low squat. Naruto was still attempting to gather his chakra for this killer move he'd bragged about, but Kiba would put an end to this, here and now.

"Too late! Take this—" He shouted, pulling back his clawed hand for a powerful slash at Naruto.

At that moment, Naruto did the unthinkable…he farted. Right in Kiba's face. Kiba froze, his keen nose twitching. His eyes began to water as he let out a pained revolted cry, clutching at his nose.

"Aarrrgh!"

Everyone's jaw dropped. Kakashi couldn't help pitying Kiba. Fast movements and a sharp nose…his beast mimicry skill had just become his undoing! Well…the fart was probably unintentional but trust the number one knuckle head ninja to turn breaking wind into an attack!

Kurenai was in shock…never in a hundred years had she considered that happening…Poor Kiba…In his present state, his sense of smell was tens of thousands of times sharper than usual…

"That revolting idiot! They're gonna look down on our team even more now!"

"Well…it's certainly…inelegant…but it gave him an opening. If he's smart enough to use it to his advantage, no one can say anything about us—we'll all have passed!"

"Naruto! Now's your chance!"

Naruto was rather shocked an embarrassed by what had happened—the fart had been just as unexpected for him as it was for everyone else—and as a result he'd sort of frozen. But when he heard Sakura's voice, he realized she was right—Kiba was debilitated at the moment, holding his nose and crying in pain, it was now or never!

"Right! I was overdoing it a little…but now it's time for me to start showing you my new move! Shadow clone jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke as four more Narutos appeared, two flanking the original on either side.

"All right! It's time to repay all the abuse I've taken up til now!"

Four of the Naruto's surrounded Kiba, while one flipped up into the air. One punched Kiba in the face. "U!"

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!"

Each one of the other three said a syllable, sliding on the ground supported on one leg and arm while high kicking up with the other, sending Kiba flying upwards.

"Naruto barrage!" The Naruto that had flipped into the air used the downward momentum of his flip to kick Kiba hard, sending him slamming into the floor.

Everyone's jaw dropped.

"So…that was his 'new move'…"

"Liar! He wasn't practicing that! He totally stole it from Sasu—wait both Naruto and Sasuke-kun have a taijutsu barrage move?! Why didn't we get the memo?! We gotta come up with something!"

"Yeah but to think…Naruto was able to use Sasuke-kun's move as a road map to develop his own combination—and on top of that, he used his own strengths in conjunction, the shadow clones…Naruto's really improved…"

Kakashi let out an exasperated sigh. A new technique…He really studied Sasuke's earlier move…that rascal. Even the name was almost identical….

Hayate checked KIba, but it was clear he was unconscious. Who knew the dumb one who didn't even know what constituted a ninja tool would be the winner…

"And the winner is, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto clenched his fist and smiled. He really had gotten stronger.

"Incredible! Naruto beat Kiba!" Shikamaru cried. All of team ten was smiling…it was hard not to—Naruto, the one everyone thought was a total low rank loser had actually beat a really tough opponent…it was hard not to feel a bit proud.

"Oh yeah! Shannaro! That feels good!"

Sakura smiled. Her whole team made it. They'd all passed the preliminaries. They were all still in this together!

Kakashi smiled. He'd never really doubted that Naruto would pull through, though he'd had no idea how he would…it certainly had been an entertaining battle. He was proud. Despite all the set backs and handicaps his team had placed on them, they'd all passed on their own strength. They'd all come so far…

Hinata smiled. She was so happy he'd won, so happy that others were cheering for him and acknowledging him.

"Woo hoo! Easy as pie!" Naruto cheered as he bounded up the steps to the balcony.

Hinata fidgeted, holding a small jar of ointment. Should she…shouldn't she…As Naruto passed behind her, she closed her eyes tightly and called, "N-Naruto-kun…"

When he turned, she thrust the ointment container at him, her eyes still firmly squeezed shut, face flaming.

"Huh…?" Naruto blinked in confusion…why was she trying to give him something?

Kurenai's eyes widened…was Hinata really…!

"What's that stuff?"

"…an ointment for wounds…" Kurenai answered when Hinata didn't.

Naruto stared at it, normally he'd just use Sakura's—hers really worked. Except, he'd used up the jar she made for him already, and they'd used up hers on her after her battle with the sound ninja…and Kiba had landed some good hits on him…he was pretty banged up…But why was she giving it to him? They weren't even teammates…

"For me…? Why…?"

"…Just take it from her, Naruto!" Kurenai prompted. This boy was truly dense…

"Uh…ok! Thanks, you're a good guy, Hinata!" He said, taking the ointment. She really was—she'd also offered to let him cheat off her during that first test. She was really nice! He headed over to Sakura and Kakashi. Sakura was glaring at him.

"You're not mad I took her ointment instead of yours…are you Sakura-chan?" Why else would she be glaring at him?

"Of course not! We're almost out of mine, and Hinata-chan has access to better, more expensive medicines and ingredients than I do. Hers will probably work even better than mine."

"Oh…uh…then why are you glaring?"

"You're a good guy, Hinata? Is that anyway to talk to a Lady?! And a cute one who's trying to help you, no less?! Are you kidding me?! At the very least add an honorific!"

"Mannerless idioit…"

"Heh…Sorry Sakura-chan…" All though she'd just yelled at him, he couldn't help feeling grateful when she was like this—it hadn't even occurred to him that he may have done something wrong in talking to Hinata that way…No one had ever taught him. It was her way of looking out for him, and it meant a lot to him. And it wasn't like she was wrong. Since Sakura had started yelling at him for his inappropriate behavior, he'd started behaving better (at least when she was around) and he noticed that people responded to him slightly better than they used to. It wasn't much. But he'd been completely looked down on before, scorned and scoffed at…even if it was only a little, now that his manners had improved slightly, people were a little less rude to him in turn. It was why he liked Sakura so much—she made him better. And there was no way in hell he'd lose to that Bastard!

Kurenai smiled a little as she looked at Hinata…Kiba had nothing to feel ashamed about. It turned out he'd fought with a worthy opponent after all.

Hinata was still blushing, a small smile on her face as she watched Naruto…Neji had watched the whole interaction, and it made his eyes narrow. She was looking awfully carefree…how lucky for her…

Naruto spread the ointment on a cut, which immediately began to heal.

"This stuff really works! Great medicine! You wanna try some Sakura-chan?!"

"It's only working that fast cause he naturally heals quickly…any medicinal aids he puts on only help to speed up his already fast healing process…whether it's mine or Hinata-chan's, or any other topical…"

"He just has the memory of squirrel so he doesn't remember how fast ours works on him…"

"I'm fine. Besides it was Hinata-chan's gift to you, not me."

Kakashi sighed, his thought process very similar to Sakura's. No one else's wounds would heal as quickly as Naruto's…The nine tailed fox within him gave him amazing recuperative powers. Though, He didn't agree with Sakura's assessment that this ointment would be better than hers. Sakura's ointment was good enough to be sold by an apothecary, after all. He'd been on the receiving end of her ointment, and it truly worked better than most he'd encountered. He figured she was lying when she said Hinata's was better earlier, in her attempt to make sure Naruto kept and used it…although she might genuinely believe it…She had a tendency to undersell herself or assume that those who came from clans would automatically have the best—be it skill, jutsu, weaponry, medicines, or clothes. In all fairness to her, there wasn't much evidence to support otherwise…but Sakura's homemade remedies really did work better than many others he'd tried. Hayate's cough was another prime example of her skill at mixing effective medicines. Or her mother's illness—the progression of which had definitely slowed thanks to Sakura's interference.

Hinata ran down the steps to where the medical corps had Kiba on a stretcher.

"Uh…Um…Th-this is a healing salve…for Kiba…and Akamaru…" Hinata muttered quietly. Offering the slave to the medical staff. Kiba was her teammate and friend after all…

"Nice of you to worry about everyone else…but save some of that concern for yourself!" Kiba advised. "There are only six of you left…You, Choji, Neji, Lee, one of the sound ninja, and that guy from sand. Listen Hinata…If they pair you against that sand ninja, withdraw immediately! And not just him! The same thing goes for Neji. If you have to face him, don't fight, forfeit. He's so cruel to you…He won't hold back—you'd be torn to pieces…" He really wasn't trying to put her down, Hinata had more skill then she realized—she could definitely take Choji, and maybe even Lee or the sound ninja. But that guy from sand…they'd come across him in the Forest of Death and he set Akamaru on edge…he was really bad news…and as far as Neji went…there was so much family drama, and a lot of personal baggage…he might just kill her.

"Well then…the next match will be…"

Hinata turned to face the board and paled, her eyes going wide.

Hyuga Hinata Vs Hyuga Neji

"Damn…" Kiba muttered, his teeth clenching.

Kurenai bit her lip, worriedly.

The Hokage smirked, these contestants got more and more intriguing.

Gai was silent for once, his brow furrowing slightly.

The two stood facing each other tensely.

"I never dreamed we'd find ourselves fighting each other…Hinata-sama…"

"…Neji-niisan…"

"Huh?! She's his sister?!" Naruto shouted.

"Both are members of Konoha's oldest and most illustrious family, through whose veins flows the most elite and accomplished blood…the Hyuga Clan…But they're not brother and sister."

"Then…how are they related?" Sakura asked. She knew they had been, and that there was family drama, based on the way Hinata had reacted when Kabuto had mentioned Neji back before the first exam started. But she still didn't know how they were related…

"Well…it's complicated…I guess you could say they're related in the same way a tree branch is related to the trunk."

"Branch and trunk?" Naruto didn't get it.

"Yes!" Lee cut in. "Hinata-san is a member of the main branch of the Hyuga clan…and Neji is a member of the side branch that supports it."

"So it's family fighting family. That'll be hard on both of them…although…it seems like there's some tension…"

"An excellent observation, Sakura-san. Yes…there's been strain between the main and side branches of the Hyuga clan for some time…relations aren't exactly friendly."

"Hmm…why's that?" Naruto asked. Other than being a total wall flower, Hinata never gave any indication that something was wrong with her family life…but then again, neither had Sakura, and she'd been carrying so much by herself without even a little hint that anything was wrong…maybe Hinata was similar.

"I don't know all the details, but it sounds like a pretty common tale among older families. The first generation of Hyuga clan made all sorts of rules and decrees that favored the main branch of the family in order to preserve the family line and retain the purity of their blood. It's said that members of the side branch still burn with anger and humiliation."

"So this is something of a fateful showdown." Sakura muttered.

"Well…please begin the match!"

"Before we begin, there's something I have to point out to Hinata-sama. You're not cut out to be a shinobi. Withdraw from the match!"

Hinata's breath caught in her throat.

"You're all sweetness and light, a peace-maker, not a trouble-maker. You're easily led, not a leader."

Hinata looked away from him, her brows furrowing sadly. She knew it was true how many times had she been told she wasn't good enough to be a shinobi? Kiba had even advised her right before this to withdraw…

"And you have no self-confidence. You've got a world class inferiority complex, so I know you would have been more comfortable and content staying at the genin level. But applicants for the Chunin exams must enter as a trio…and you couldn't bear to let your teammates down. The truth is your participation has been reluctant from the start, hasn't it?"

"…N-No. You're wrong. I…I really…wanted to change that about myself…so, of my own volition, I…" She struggled for the words, after all, while it may have been the truth, it still felt like a hopeless dream…

Sakura watched stone faced.

"This…this is psychological warfare he's waging…and he's winning…poor Hinata-chan…she was never bullied at school but…that lack of self confidence comes from somewhere—her own family by the sounds of it…and it seems like she doesn't have a coping mechanism…"

Naruto wore an annoyed expression, his face turned away. Who did this guy think he was, anyways?! Why'd he make it sound like Hinata being a good person was such a bad thing?! Who was he to say she wasn't cut out to be a shinobi?! He wanted nothing more than for her to tell him off—he seriously hoped she would! Someone needed to put this asshole in his place!

Shino watched his teammate with silent concern.

Kurenai's mouth was drawn into a frown. She thought back on how right after Hinata had been placed under her command, she'd gone to see her father Hiashi, to confirm that was what he wanted. Being a genin could be dangerous and Hinata, as the eldest child to the main branch, was supposed to be the next heir. But her own father had called the girl superfluous, a failure who couldn't even compete with her younger sister, Hanabi, five years her junior. He'd thrown her away like she was nothing. And worst of all, when Kurenai had stepped out of the room, Hinata had been standing by the door. She'd heard everything her father said about her. She'd seemed sad, though unsurprised—she'd probably been hearing her fathers disappointment in her for a long time. In her own way…Hinata really had been trying to improve herself…

"Hinata-sama…you're the sheltered little princess of the main branch, aren't you?"

"What?"

"A leopard doesn't change its spots. A failure will always be a failure. And a weak personality won't become strong."

Naruto growled. This guy was such a jerk…!

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "That's not true…It can't be true…I…I need that to not be true…or else, I'll never be able to fix mom…"

"Oh come on! We're not really falling for this guys act, are we?! We've never once believed crap like that and we're sure as hell not starting now! If that bullshit were true, Naruto wouldn't have won his match—we wouldn't have won ours!"

"Right…no one's born strong and successful…He's definitely wrong. But it doesn't look like Hinata-chan's reached the same conclusion…I hope she'll be alright…"

"It's precisely because of that unchanging nature of humankind that differences between people are born…It's why we've coined terms like "elite" and "failure." It doesn't matter who you are. We're all judged on the basis of our looks, intelligence, talents or personalities, just as we judge others in turn. Yes, it's a form of discrimination. And the factors that it's based on don't change. We have no choice, we must live within the boundaries set for us by the judgements of others. It's as unchangeable as the fact that I'm of the side branch of the family and you're a member of the main branch."

Every word seeped into Hinata, unraveling her more and more, her hopelessness growing exponentially by the second.

Naruto was trembling, his teeth clenched hard in his anger.

"I've seen through many things with these all seeing byakugan eyes…and so I know, this courage you're displaying is just a bluff! In the truest deepest part of your heart, you're desperate to run away from here right now."

"N-no…I really want to…"

"The byakugan?" Sakura asked, turning to Kakashi.

"They say that Sasuke's own Uchiha clan can trace their origins back to the Hyuga clan. The "byakugan" that he mentioned is one of the kekkei genkai passed down in the Hyuga family. An ocular jutsu in some ways similar to the sharingan…but in its penetrating perceptive ability, the byakugan surpasses the sharingan completely."

"That's really frightening…I never got to their chapter in clans of Konoha because I ran out of time, but if their jutsu's more powerful than Sasuke-kun's, I should probably look it over, incase I have to fight one of them…poor Hinata-chan…she's got the same ability as him, but her confidence is too shattered to place any trust in it. She can't dish back anything even though he's given her a lot of amo…"

"Yeah if we were her, we'd so call this guy on his bullshit! He keeps talking like that, and all he'll ever be is a side member of a clan's side branch. Nothing more!"

Hinata jerked when Neji activated his byakugan. She didn't want him to see how scared she was, but there was no hiding it now. Her hopelessness continued to mount.

"My eyes can't be deceived. Just now, to escape my stare, you averted your own eyes, glancing towards the upper left. It signaled your recall of a past experience, one that brought you pain. When you subsequently glanced to lower right, it indicated that you were envisioning physical or mental agony. In other words, you recalled your own previous experiences, and based upon those memories you imagined the outcome of this match. You foresaw your own defeat."

Hinata's eyes were wide. She was trembling and sweating bullets. Everything he said cut deeper and deeper into her, shattering her barely existent confidence. She was breathing hard, seconds away from hyperventilating, her hands coming up in front of her in a pathetic attempt to shield herself. Neji saw it all.

"Even now, as you bring your arms up in front of your body as if to shield yourself…your body is signaling your desire to raise a wall between us, to create some distance from me. You implore me to come no further. To peer no more deeply into the innermost secrets of your heart. Because everything I've said so far has been right on target! In addition…"

Naruto was shaking almost as hard as Hinata…growling under his breath…Hinata looked completely wrecked and it didn't sit well with him…she'd been so nice to him, trying to let him cheat off her so they could all stick together, giving him medicine even after he laid out her own teammate…she didn't deserve this…no one did…this guy was so full of it. And he was dead wrong. There was no way a failure was always a failure. No way people couldn't change. And if Hinata wanted to—if she had the courage to come this far in her attempt to, then that was proof already that she had! How dare this guy belittle her and try to convince her that her efforts were meaningless!

"The way you're touching your lip…it's another of those tender, intimate behaviors that express the agitation in your heart…it's a defensive reflex…an attempt to ease your own anxieties and doubts…"

Tears pooled in her eyes.

"It's completely clear, whether you admit it or not, that you are aware that you can never change yourself."

He couldn't take it anymore.

"Yes she can! You don't just get to decide these things about other people, you fool! Show him, Hinata! Beat up this idiot!" He shouted, making both look at him. His knuckles were white on the railing from how tightly he was grasping it.

Hinata stared up at him…Naruto…He'd changed…he'd gotten strong enough to beat Kiba…but even if he hadn't, he'd always been strong…just trying repeatedly despite all his failures made him strong.

"…Naruto-kun…"

"Come on, Hinata! Are you just gonna take that? At least talk back to him! Just hearing him has made me mad, and you're the one that has to fight him!"

Hinata looked down, her bangs hiding her eyes. He was right…Naruto…thank you….

Neji had been distracted by the loud mouth—he was so annoying. But when he looked back at Hinata, the look in her eyes was different.

"So you're not going to withdraw? Then I won't be responsible for what happens here." He warned.

Hinata closed her eyes, summoning her byakugan.

I don't quite and I won't run! I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!

"…I don't want to run anymore!" She declared, the veins around her eyes bulging as she activated her kekkei genkai. She slid into her battle stance. "Neji-niisan…Let's fight."

"Okay then." He answered, taking the same stance.

"That's…They have the same Hyuga style, after all…even her stance is identical to Neji's."

"Hyuga style?" Sakura asked, turning to Lee.

His fist clenched as he spoke. "…The strongest school of taijutsu in Konoha!"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused. Wasn't Bushy Brow's the taijutsu master?

"…I've mentioned it before, I'm sure…that the strongest genin is a member of my own team! I was referring to Hyuga Neji!"

Lee kept saying Neji was the best, but as the two started fighting, Sakura was actually more taken with Hinata.

"Despite how fast they're moving, her movements are so graceful! They flow and connect beautifully. Neji's more precise and economic. He's moving as little as possible to counter her…if they were music styles, Neji would be staccato and Hinata-chan legato…She even uses the momentum of blocked or dodged attacks to further her rebound—she's attacking so continuously as a result. Her reaction time is so fast…she's beautiful!"

Hinata saw her opening, shifting her footing quickly and delivering a glancing blow to his side. Neji grunted, stumbling back a little.

Hinata pulled her palm back, already adjusting for her next strike…

"Did she get him?!"

"No…It's just a scratch!" Naruto replied, a little disappointed—he wanted to see this guy get his ass handed to him…still, Hinata was pretty awesome. For all his bullshit of her being a weak failure, she was giving him a real hard time!

"But…a scratch is all it would take. That's why the Hyuga clan is often regarded as Konoha's most illustrious family." Lee said.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, annoyed by her own lack of knowledge on the subject…she was usually the one with the answers.

"…I really need to read up on the Hyuga clan…And I should probably look up the Uchiha while I'm at it…I only got through learning about the Yamanaka, Nara, Akamichi, Inuzuka, and skimmed the Aburame…"

"Among the Hyuga, there's a unique fighting style passed down from one generation to the next!" Gai explained. "Unlike the taijutsu Lee and I specialize in, which is all about beatings, bruises and broken bones—a style its proponents call goken or 'ferocious fist'…The Hyuga clan employs Juken, or 'gentle fist,' to inflict damage to the enemies chakra network, through which the chakra flows. That leads to a breakdown of the internal organs, destroying the foe from within. It doesn't look like much, but the effect grows gradually after the initial attack."

"They…attack the internal organs…That's frightening…"

"There's no way of strengthening the internal organs, so an enemy struck with that blow is going to succumb, no matter how strong." Kakashi finished.

Hinata kept attacking him relentlessly, never pausing in her offensive flow. She wasn't going to back down…not now…even she could change!

She almost landed another blow on him, catching Neji off guard and forcing him to lean back to dodge.

Shino watched silently. Hinata was actually pushing him! She was fighting harder than he'd ever seen her fight before.

Kurenai was trying to sort through her feelings, pride, shock and concern all mixing…Hinata…

"Yeah, Hinata!" Naruto cheered excitedly. Who knew shy little Hinata could be so aggressive in her offense? It was awesome!

"To attack the chakra network…just who are they?" Sakura murmured, drawing Naruto's attention.

"Hey! Hey! What's a chakra network?" Naruto asked.

"…Here we go again…"

Sakura sighed. "So you slept through that class too, huh?"

"Allow me, Sakura-san." Lee cut in. "The chakra network is a kind of network of energy lines, spread throughout our bodies in much the same way as the human circulatory system. It's like a system of vessels that carry chakra throughout our bodies!"

"Oh, like passageways for chakra, eh?" Naruto clarified, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Yes…and it's delicately intertwined with the organs that manipulate chakra. Attack the chakra network, and the organs will suffer as well!"

"Huh, you know a lot, don't 'ya?" Naruto said casually.

Sakura elbowed him lightly. "Naruto! Be respectful! He outranks us!" She didn't dwell on his mannerless blunder though, she was too busy processing what Lee had said.

Gai glanced down at Lee's tight expression. It was understandable. Lee regarded Neji as his greatest foe, so…of course watching this battle would get him worked up.

"It doesn't seem possible." Sakura said, turning to her sensei. "The chakra network is inside the body…how do you attack something you can't even see?"

"They can. Those two…their byakugan can see them. And gentle fist attacks are different from the purely brute force kind. You take your own chakra and release it through the energy portals in your own hands, forcing it into the body of your foe where it can inflict massive damage on the enemy's chakra network."

They watched as the two seemed to strike each other at the same time.

"All right!" Naruto cheered. There was no way Hinata missed him!

Shino and Kurenai watched tensely…had she gotten him?

Hinata's chest gave a painful throb as blood spewed from her mouth, landing on Neji's outstretched arm.

"So this is the full extent of the main branches strength?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Hey! What the heck?! What about Hinata's attack?!" She'd hit him! He knew she did! So why was she…why was she the one coughing up blood?

Hinata was breathing heavy, her brow furrowed. N…not yet…she wasn't done yet…

She pulled back her other hand, aiming for Neji's face. He caught her arm, poking her a little above the elbow with two fingers. He pulled up Hinata's jacket sleeve, revealing small precise bruises dotting her arm. Hinata's eyes widened.

"It can't be! You mean from the very beginning…?"

"Precisely. My eyes can detect chakra points!"

Kakashi couldn't believe it…what a fighter…

Kurenai's lips pursed…this was very very bad for Hinata…the situation hadn't been good to begin with, but it still had managed to get worse.

The Hokage smirked…it seemed like those who had called him the greatest genius in Hyuga clan history hadn't overstated the case…

"Wh-what's he saying?!" Naruto didn't get what was going on, but it was obvious the tables had completely turned…Neji was coming out ahead big time, and it would probably make him think he was right about her—which obviously he wasn't, or she wouldn't have even followed through with fighting him.

"Along the chakra network that we spoke of earlier, there are 361 chakra points…no larger than the head of a pin. In theory, if you can accurately hit them you can halt the flow of an enemy's chakra, or enhance it, controlling it in any way you wish. But while we're on the subject, let me add…these chakra points…they're undetectable, even to my sharingan eye. And regardless of having all-penetrating eyes, to be able to—in the heat of battle—perceive and accurately target them…"

Naruto frowned deeply. So, the tables really had turned, and Hinata was in a really tight spot…It wasn't fair! Sasuke, Neji…why'd all the talented geniuses have to be such cold hearted, superior bastards?! Sasuke had said that he wanted to fight him, so that meant Sasuke had started to think of him as strong…so maybe he wasn't so bad, but Neji? All his failure for life mentality really pissed Naruto off! People could change! Always! They could get stronger! He didn't care if he had all seeing eyes—if he couldn't see how much Hinata had changed, how strong she was, then he was blind!

Neji shoved Hinata away, sending her skidding to the ground.

"Hinata-sama…this is the unalterable difference in strength…the distinction that separates the elite from the failure. This is the unchangeable reality. From the moment you said you wouldn't run, your defeat was inevitable. The only possible outcome was your present despair."

Hinata slowly pushed herself up, onto her forearms, breathing hard…maybe…maybe she'd never be able to beat him…maybe he was right, and she was a failure…but that…that wasn't an excuse…that didn't mean she shouldn't try…

"Withdraw!" Neji ordered.

"…I…" She pushed herself up into a kneeling position. "N…Never…go back…on my word…Because…that's…my shinobi way, too!" She declared proudly, pushing herself all the way up to standing.

Naruto's eyes widened…Hinata…!

"Whoa! Hinata…man, she's got guts!" He muttered. Where was it all coming from? She'd always seemed so shy before! Had he really never noticed, or had she really changed herself that much? How could Neji not see it?!

"She's a lot like you…" Lee said. After all, Naruto was the one to stare down a Jonin interrogation expert and announce that he never went back on his word.

Sakura smiled. "Yeah…I've noticed that she's always watching you, Naruto…"

"Finally he's starting to notice her…maybe he'll take the hint and figure out how much she likes him…"

"Huh?" Hinata had been watching him? He turned back to observe the battle. If Hinata had always been watching him, then he should watch her, now.

She was breathing hard…just standing up had required a lot of effort.

"Come here…" Neji said dangerously…if she was so insistent on fighting, then fine.

Hinata's chest gave another painful throb. She doubled over, coughing up blood, the red drops staining the floor near her feet.

Naruto's eyes widened in concern, his teeth clenching…he may not know as much medical stuff as Sakura, but he knew coughing up blood was very bad. Hinata was badly hurt, but she'd still pushed herself up. Still stood to face him…she was really something.

Sakura's grip on the railing tightened. Every instinct in her screamed to jump down there and check on Hinata. But that would void that match…she'd automatically be declared the loser, and she couldn't do that to her. Not after she was working so hard to face Neji. Not after he gutsiness had finally gotten Naruto to pay attention to her. Hinata had worked too hard for Sakura to just recklessly mess it up.

"She took a direct hit the the chest earlier, and based on what Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei said about the gentle fist, that means either her heart or lungs were damaged…the more strain she puts on them, the longer she waits for medical attention, the worse it'll get…"

Kurenai's jaw clenched. Hinata was already at her limit…one more attack and she'd…!

But it didn't stop Neji from shifting into a battle stance.

"Neji's strikes on her chakra points have completely arrested the flow of Hinata's chakra. She's lost the capacity to perform the gentle fist attacks that flood her chakra into her opponent's body. This fight is as good as done." Kakashi stated. He doubted that against a fighter like Neji, even Sasuke would prevail.

Gai's face was serious. It seemed inevitable that Neji would win.

Gaara squirmed…he was getting antsy…

Ino shivered as she looked at Neji's byakugan. "Those eyes…so creepy! Hinata…she won't get killed, will she?"

"His level of strength…this isn't fair…it's a mismatch…"

"He's just too strong…" She muttered out loud.

Naruto's teeth clenched. He let out a frustrated growl. How could everyone just write her off like that? Did they not see how strong Hinata was? Who cared how skilled this Neji guy was, he'd bet money that if Neji'd been the one wounded, he wouldn't have been able to make himself stand back up, much less ready himself for another attack! Hinata needed to hear someone tell her she could do it, not everyone agreeing she was a goner!

"Hang in there, Hinata!" He shouted.

Hinata activated her byakugan…Naruto-kun…!

She charged Neji—much to his surprise. She shouldn't have been able to move much less attack. And that look of strength was back in her eyes again.

She readied her attack…she'd been watching Naruto…she'd watched him for years…why was that?

The two entered into another deadly dance with the gentle fist, their moves fast dodges and blocks as they continued to counter each other.

But I can do it, I'm awesome!

She heard Naruto yell through her memory. She didn't know what it was, but when she watched Naruto…

And none of you are gonna beat me!

…She felt a well of courage bubbling up inside her. She felt like if she just did her best, then even she was worth something! That was how she started to feel!

Neji knocked her strike out of the way and sent the heel of his hand in an upward strike to her chin.

She stumbled back, coughing up more blood.

"Ah!" Naruto leaned forward, in concern.

Sakura's knuckles were white against the railing as she wrestled with all her instincts.

Kurenai's eyes narrowed. "…Hinata…" she'd always had a habit of quitting…but at some point she'd started trying to change. She'd trained constantly, desperately…long past when the boys wanted to go home…but on missions she was always full of mistakes. She faltered. She was weak. And she never had faith in herself. But that wasn't true anymore. The Hinata she was looking at now, had a look in her eyes unlike anything she'd ever seen!

Hinata panted, blood trailing from her mouth. She charged at Neji again. She wouldn't give up!…Naruto! She'd been watching him for such a long time…but now, at last…he was watching her!

Neji struck her in the center. She slipped to the ground, more blood spilling from her mouth.

"Don't you know when to quit? From the start, your attacks have been completely ineffective!" Neji said, standing over her imperiously.

Kurenai watched her fallen student in concern, internally begging her to call this off. She may have lost the match, but she'd succeeded in changing herself! She did a great job!

Naruto's mouth tightened. He couldn't get Hinata's words from earlier out of his head.

I really…wanted to change that about myself. So, of my own volition, I…

His brows drew together.

"That was Neji's master stroke. It targets the heart. It's a pity, but the girl can no longer even stand…" Gai said.

"Seeing as the match cannot go on I—" Hayate began but didn't get to finish.

"Don't stop this match!" Naruto shouted.

"What are you talking about?! She's taken two blows to the heart and is coughing up blood! She's got nothing left!" Sakura admonished.

Sakura's jaw dropped, along with everyone's except Naruto's, when she saw Hinata slowly pushing herself up.

No one was more surprised than Neji, his eyes wide and his mouth parted as he watched Hinata struggle up onto all fours, before pushing herself up unsteadily onto her feet. She was shaking, panting, one arm hugged around her side…she shouldn't have been able to stand at all…

"…Why are you getting up? If you push too far, you really will die…"

She knew why. It was because the person she had admired for so long was finally watching her, and…

Neji blinked. Why was she doing this?

…in front of him…she couldn't bear to look uncool. She looked up with a small smile. Naruto was smiling at her.

Neji growled.

"Th-this isn't over yet!"

"You're not fooling anyone. I can sense with these eyes…it's taking all your strength just to stand! You were burdened from birth with the destiny of the Hyuga clan's main branch…you hated and punished yourself for your own weakness and frailty…but you can't fight your nature…or change your fight. But you need not suffer anymore. Be at peace!"

"But you're wrong, Neji-niisan…I can see it now, that even more than me…it's you who are torn and suffering…caught between the destinies of the main and side branches of our clan!"

Neji's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing, as he growled. How dare she! For the first time since the battle started, Neji charged her.

Hayate's eyes widened, he shivered when he felt Neji's murderous intent. He was going to kill her!

"Neji! The match is over already!"

Neji's movements were suddenly halted. Kurenai was squatting in front of him, her back to him as she held his left arm in a tight grip. Kakashi stood calmly to his side, one hand in his pocket, the other around Neji's right arm. Hayate stood in between him and Hinata, two fingers extended out, poking into his forehead. Gai stood behind him, an arm wrapped loosely around his neck, not strangling Neji, but if he tried to press forward, he'd be choking himself.

"Enough, Neji! Before this began, you swore you wouldn't drag the issues you have with your clan's main branch into this!" Gai admonished.

"Well, why is it that the other Jonin are getting involved? Special protection for the main branch, eh?" Neji spat.

Hinata's chest gave a painful throb. She collapsed, coughing and spewing blood.

"Hinata!" Kurenai ran to her.

Naruto, Sakura, and Lee leapt down from the balcony. Sakura and Naruto immediately knelt beside Hinata.

"Hinata! Hey, are you all right?!" Naruto cried.

Hinata's eyes slowly closed…N-Naruto-kun…she wondered if maybe she…managed to change…just a little bit…

Her consciousness faded.

Naruto looked down at her full of worry. Maybe he'd been wrong to stop Hayate from stopping the match sooner…but he just knew she wouldn't have been happy if he had…She wanted to keep trying. To keep getting up until she absolutely couldn't anymore. He could tell. He'd often felt the same way. This battle hadn't been about winning for her, it was about not giving up, no matter what. He understood that perfectly. As far as he was concerned, she'd won. She was certainly no failure. She was strong.

He looked at Sakura, who met his gaze and nodded. They'd been a team long enough for her to understand what he wanted—he wanted her to look over Hinata. She shifted closer, removing her weapons pouch and using it as a cushion to prop up Hinata's head.

"Hey, Mr. Failure!" Neji called to Naruto, getting his attention. "A couple words of advice. A true shinobi warrior would have too much class to make a spectacle of himself by cheering during a serious match. And one more thing…you may as well accept who you are. Once a failure, always a failure!"

Naruto and Lee both glared at Neji.

"You wanna try me?" Naruto growled.

"Heh…"

Naruto charged at Neji, but Lee slid in front of him, his arms out, blocking his way.

"What…?!" Naruto snapped. Why was Lee getting in his way? He had to feel it too! Naruto saw the bruises on Lee's hand—he trained so hard…he had to want to teach this elitist prick a lesson too!

"I understand almost painfully well what you're feeling, Naruto! But…we have to limit our battles to the confines of the scheduled fights. The prospect of seeing a failure defeat a genius through sheer force of will…it really makes you look forward to the final rounds, eh…? Even though his opponent could very well be me! But even if it's you in the finals, Naruto, I'll have no regrets!"

Naruto wanted to argue. He really did. But Lee had a point. Fighting now wouldn't prove anything. He sighed. He understood Lee. Naruto really wanted to be the one to kick some sense into this sorry bastard, but if it were Lee, that'd be fine too.

"Yeah…I get it, okay?" Naruto relented.

Lee looked over at Gai-sensei, giving him a thumbs up and a sparkling smile. Was he cool, like him? Did he do it right?

Gai returned it with a thumbs up and gleaming smile of his own. Lee, that amazing kid! Nice job!

Hinata shivered and coughed up more blood, drawing everyone's attention back to her, in concern.

Sakura hurriedly unzipped Hinata's jacket and placed one hand over her heart and the other over her pulse in her neck. Her heart rhythm felt abnormal. With growing worry, Sakura dropped her ear to her chest, focusing on the sounds of Hinata's weakened heartbeat. Her eyes widened with fear—she remembered reading about this condition.

"I think it's ventricular fibrillation! She doesn't have long before she goes into cardiac arrest, she needs medical attention now!" She said urgently to Kurenai, who was across from her, hovering over Hinata in concern.

Kurenai turned and glared sharply at Neji…he'd really intended to kill her.

"Instead of wasting your time scowling at me…you'd better take care of her." Neji said, looking smug. God how she wanted to wipe that smug look off his face…but he was right…

"Where are those medics?! Hurry!" She barked as the medical corps finally came scurrying into the hall.

"S-sorry!" They knelt and moved her onto the stretcher. Her condition was very bad. "At this rate she won't last ten minutes! We've got to get her to the emergency room right now!"

Naruto ran over, watching them move her and lift her up on the stretcher with an unreadable expression.

He couldn't process what it was he was feeling. There were too many emotions mixing into a confusing mess. Intense anger at Neji for doing this to her, upset at her condition, fear that she wouldn't make it, worry about if she thought this meant she really was a failure, guilt at having pushed to have the battle continue and potentially worsen her condition, respect that she hadn't run away, given up, kept pushing herself up no matter how much she was knocked down, pride at how far she had come, how she had succeeded in changing herself.

"Move it!" The medic cried, the group of them carrying Hinata away. Naruto's eyes remained on Hinata the whole way.

"She'll be okay…won't she?" He asked quietly.

"There are procedures and treatments for ventricular fibrillation…so long as they make it in time, she should be okay…" Her voice sounded thin and unsure even in her own ears…She couldn't help with something like this—couldn't do anything for Hinata…just like with her mom…She felt afraid. Hinata had professional doctors looking after her. She'd be all right. She could believe that…Hinata would be okay.

"What if mom eventually goes through this…what will I do?…what can I do?"

That thought, she was struggling with.

Naruto grasped onto Sakura's reassurance, needing to believe that Hinata would be fine. But he couldn't let the injustice done to her pass…Hinata…

Because…that's…my shinobi way, too…!

He knelt, dipping his fingers in a puddle of her blood. Silently, he gave her his word. He stood up and faced Neji, holding out his fist, Hinata's blood dripping from his closed hand.

"I vow…to win!" Naruto declared. He didn't care when it was—at some point during those finals, he'd fight Neji, and when he did, he'd be sure to beat him, no matter what! For Hinata. He's prove that a failure wasn't always a failure. He'd make that bastard see how much Hinata had changed herself!

"Hmph…" Neji grunted. Like that failure could really take him? How laughable.

Lee stared at Naruto with admiration…one of them would fight Neji, and one of them would make sure they won. He could rest assured in that.

Sakura's eyes softened.

"Naruto…of course Neji's mentality would get to him…he'd been at the bottom of the class for so long. But not anymore…Naruto's changed, just like Hinata-chan has. He probably sees himself in her…He never goes back on his word…he'll make sure he's strong enough to beat Neji—even if he's not, he still won't lose. He won't let himself. Not after a vow like that…I've never seen him this serious before."

Kankuro sighed. "…That kid so doesn't know his place, it's funny…he has no idea how outranked he is!" Now they knew there were two monsters there…but their's had an inner nature that was uniquely bad. He glanced sideways at Gaara, who was squirming. This wasn't good…Gaara had smelled blood…and now that thing was waking up, starting to fidget…the demon that lived within him!

Kankuro looked back down at the group of leaf ninja, slowly making their way to their balcony. That Neji guy…you'd think he hadn't even been harmed…that he still had hidden reserves of strength…they had to start planning ahead, to prepare for the final rounds…maybe some intelligence gathering was in order…Naruto was an idiot but he'd be a good place to start.

Kankuro ran down the steps of their balcony and over to the other to catch up with Naruto.

"Hey…!"

Naruto turned to see Kankuro coming towards him…what did this guy want? He was already irritated…he didn't want to talk to this bully!

"You're a funny guy! I like that!"

"Yeah well, you're not funny at all, and I don't like that!" Naruto countered.

Kankuro twitched in irritation. That miserable little—he was so dead when Kankuro got the excuse!"

"What the heck do you want?!" Naruto growled. Why was this guy even talking to him?

"Well…you see…it's about that Hyuga Neji guy…but…"

At Neji's name, Naruto's irritation grew. "I'm gonna get that guy!" He muttered tensely, clenching his fists.

"…fine, fine, but that's not what I asked…" Maybe trying to get information out of Naruto hadn't been such a good idea…

"Now then…time for the next bout!" There were only four applicants left—two matches and the preliminaries would be over.

"I guess it's finally your turn! Go Lee!" Gai cheered, despite the fact that the opponents hadn't been picked yet.

"No way!" Lee said with a shrug, surprising Gai, Neji, and Sakura. It was so out of character for him, he'd been so eager before. "I've waited this long…if it were up to me, I'd rather be the final act!" He said, his body rigidly straight.

"Is Lee-san…?"

"He's definitely sulking!"

Shikamaru leaned over to look at his best friend, who'd broken out in a nervous sweat.

"Hey Choji, you're in trouble now…"

"Only the strongest are left…what'll you do?" Asuma asked. "Especially that kid from the sand…the look in his eyes worries me. He's the most dangerous type!"

"I'll just withdraw right away…so it won't matter!" Choji answered nervously.

Asuma leaned in close to him with a smirk. "Well, you'll be giving up your chance for an all you can eat barbecue once the exam is over…"

"Hey! Don't bait him with food!" Shikamaru protested.

"B…but…" Choji said, already feeling himself start to lean towards competing…how could he turn down the chance for an all you can eat barbaque?

"Don't worry. If it gets bad, I'll jump in and stop the fight. Just like with Hinata! ok?!" Asuma said reassuringly.

"You hear that Choji! You can go for it. Asuma-sensei will be looking out for you!" Ino encouraged.

Shikamaru wasn't so sure…when Hinata got into trouble, he was the only teacher from Konoha who didn't jump in to stop it! He hoped Choji would be all right…

"Let's go! Think of the barbecue!" Asuma continued to bolster.

"Oh yeah! All the meat I can eat!" Choji cheered, taking the bait.

Shikamaru just hoped the poor sap didn't get eaten first.

The remaining four watched the screen, three excited, one reluctant. Gaara didn't even finish reading the screen before he appeared on the floor in a flurry of sand. All it had taken was seeing the first character of his name to know.

"Don't keep me waiting." Gaara growled.

Choji let out a long roar, startling the other leaf ninja.

"I'm safe!" He shouted in relief.

Gaara vs. Rock Lee

"So it's Lee-san…"

"What's with the gourd on Gaara's back?"

"I don't know but I've got a bad feeling about it…"

"Okay! You caught me!" Lee shouted excitedly, throwing some practice kicks in the air. "As soon as I said I wanted to be last…I was thwarted! It's a natural law—you can throw a stone at a telephone pole time and again and never hit it, but the minute you aim to miss you end up hitting the thing dead center. I didn't really want to be the final act anyway!"

Gai leaned towards Lee.

"Lee! I've noticed something crucial that most people may have overlooked!"

"Yes, sir!" Lee saluted, listening intently for his master's advice.

"The gourd thing of his is quite suspicious." Gai said conspiratorially.

"I see…" Lee said, pulling out a notebook and scratching away at it.

"Stop taking notes! You won't have time to consult them in the heat of battle!" Gai advised.

"…I see…"

Neji sighed. This was why he needed Tenten. She helped mitigate the stupidity of his sensei and other teammate. Usually she was the one to reign them in when they got carried away. Although a piece of him was glad she hand't been there to see his battle. She knew about his issues with the main branch. She understood. But he was glad she hand't seen him lose it—he was certain she wouldn't have approved of the way he'd treated Hinata…

Sakura watched the interaction with a frown.

"Will he…be ok?"

"Gai's…interesting. But he's strong. I wouldn't be so quick to underestimate his students…" Kakashi answered, though that Gaara kid had a look in his eyes Kakashi found concerning.

"All right, Lee! Go get him! Lee!" Gai cheered.

"Yes, sir!" Lee answered, leaping from the balcony.

Lee straightened, squaring off with Gaara.

"Facing you so soon…makes me very happy!"

Gaara grunted.

Lee took a battle stance.

Naruto gulped. Gaara gave off bad vibes, but Bushy Brows was strong…this battle was going to be tough…

Kankuro smirked. "I don't know what kind of tricks this bowl-cut kid has up his sleeve, but there's no way he'll win against Gaara."

"No…he's stronger than you think…" Naruto muttered, thinking of the kick Lee had dealt Sasuke at the very beginning of the exam.

Lee caught the cork lid that went rocketing off the gourd.

"Please don't rush things." Lee said, staring Gaara down.

"All right then. Let the ninth-round battle begin!"

Temari smirked. He may have been fast, but his kick wasn't anything special she thought, thinking back on when she'd had to block his kick with her fan after beating his teammate. He was no match for Gaara.

Lee charged at Gaara. "Leaf hurricane!"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. Sand suddenly poured out of the gourd, moving up in front of Gaara and blocking his kick.

Lee hurriedly jumped back, putting distance between himself and the swirling sand that seemed to respond naturally to Gaara.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"He's manipulating sand?!"

Kakashi stared in disbelief…what a curious technique…

Naruto was shocked—the gourd was full of sand?! What did that mean for Bushy Brows—it couldn't be that bad right? How much harm could sand do?

Sakura watched as Lee zig zagged around, trying every angle to punch and kick Gaara, but the sand always stopped him, rising up like a barrier around the red haired boy who hadn't even moved.

"Fast as he is, Lee's getting nowhere." She observed.

"His attacks just aren't working!" Naruto complained to Kankuro.

"Physical attacks are useless against Gaara. The sand forms a shield to protect his body…independent of Gaara's will. That's why to this day, there's not one person who has ever wounded him…"

Naruto gulped, his eyes going wide. Even Sasuke had taken damage in the past! Just who was Gaara, anyway? How was Bushy Brow gonna beat him?! He understood Lee…He thought he'd seen it in the bruises on his arms after he fought with Sasuke, but then after how he'd responded to Neji and Hinata's battle…He knew Lee was like him. Someone who only had hard work to thank for their strength. But how could someone who only had that beat someone who'd never taken any damage before?

Sakura watched as yet again, Lee punched a sand screen instead of his intended target, letting out an audible grunt as his fist collided with the sand.

"Why is Lee-san only using taijutsu? Taijutsu is ineffective and painful against that wall of sand. He needs to use ninjutsu and start attacking from a distance!"

"It's not that Lee won't use ninjutsu…"

Sakura turned toward Gai, confused.

"…it's that he can't."

"What? How?

"…Lee has practically no ninjutsu or genjutsu abilities…"

"Is he joking? Then how has he lasted this long?!"

"What causes something like that…is it a chakra control problem?"

"When I first met Lee, he had absolutely no sense…an no talent or ability whatsoever! That's why the only moves he's been able to develop are taijutsu. There aren't many ninja who can use neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu…"

They watched Lee back handspring away from small pillars of sand that chased him, until he flipped up onto the fingers of the hand sign statue behind them.

"…and that's precisely why Lee can win!" Gai concluded.

"Huh?" Sakura couldn't follow his logic.

"Hm?" Neither could Kakashi.

"Lee! Take them off!" Gai shouted.

"Take off what now?!"

"Why are you making this sound dirty?"

"How else do we read that comment?!"

"B-but Gai-sensei! You said never to do that unless I was defending the lives of people who are precious to me!" Lee shouted back, reflexively saluting, as he was prone to do whenever Gai spoke to him.

"It's all right! I'll allow it!" Gai said, giving him a thumbs up.

Lee stared back at his master blankly, processing what he said, before he broke out in a smile and started laughing. He sat down on the statue and tugged his leg warmers off, revealing leg weights. He untied them and held them up, smiling happily.

"…Weights?" Sakura questioned.

"Oh thank god that's all he was talking about!"

"When did you get to be such a perv?"

"So weights huh? We did the same thing!"

"Except mine were crappy and homemade, probably not nearly as heavy as his, and I didn't wear them when coming here…to think he's been wearing those this whole time, and he still moves so easily and naturally…"

Kakashi sighed. Leave it to Gai to use such an antiquated training method.

"Right! Now I can move freely!" Lee declared, dropping the weights.

"I see!" Naruto nodded—if Lee didn't have the extra weight to worry about, he'd probably be able to move a bit faster.

Kankuro smirked. This guy was so dumb! What did he think that would do?

Temari thought the same. There was no way dropping a few weights would let him keep up with Gaara's sand.

At least, so they thought. And then the weights hit the ground. There was a loud boom as clouds of dust spiraled into the air. The ground shattered into two small craters where the weights landed.

Everyones jaw dropped.

"O…kay…his weights were a lot heavier than mine…"

Kakashi's face was maybe the most expressive it had ever been, his hand covering his already masked covered mouth…Gai was definitely overdoing it with this one…

"Go Lee!" Gai shouted.

"Yes sir!"

Lee leapt from the finger statue and appeared behind Gaara. He was just a blur as he threw his punch, nearly landing a hit to Gaara's face before the sand blocked him at the very last minute.

Every kick and punch Lee threw got closer to Gaara than anyone else had ever come, and while none of the strikes had yet to make contact, the red headed boy found the assault a little alarming. His eyes were wide and his mouth slightly opened when Lee's foot was stopped mere centimeters from his face.

Sakura leaned forward over the railing.

"Almost!"

"Moving at that speed must be fantastic—it must be so freeing! We need to up our speed, imagine dancing that fast!"

"Well there's no way I'm gonna get anywhere near that speed anytime soon—but upping my ankle weights, or actually investing in some real ones might be worth it…"

Kakashi observed with interest. Lee was fast. Very fast. Faster than Sasuke. But with some work, Sasuke might be able to get close to that speed…he was naturally fast to begin with…

Naruto's jaw dropped. He thought Lee had been fast before, but this was a whole new level!

Temari and Kankuro couldn't believe what they were seeing. No one had ever gotten so close to injuring Gaara before—especially not with taijutsu alone. It was…kind of scary.

"It's because he had no aptitude for either ninjutsu or genjutsu, that Lee devoted himself so exclusively to taijutsu all this time…all his energy, all his focus…so that even if he lacked any other kind of abilities at all, he'd still be unbeatable…as a tai jutsu specialist!" Gai explained.

Lee slid behind Gaara, just a blur of green. Gaara turned, directing his sand to defend him, but then Lee flipped up into the air, bringing his foot down on Gaara's head, before the sand had time to react.

Temari and Kankuro's eyes went wide in shock, their jaws dropping as they leaned over their respective balconies. Nobody had ever landed a hit on Gaara before. Ever. Their little brother had a cut on his cheek—no body had ever cut Gaara before either. He'd never taken any damage. It was unbelievable that this Leaf village weirdo had actually managed to do the impossible.

Naruto was shocked—Gaara seemed unbeatable, even for Bushy Brows! But he'd landed a hit! The "failure" had injured the genius. Lee might prove Neji wrong yet, without ever having fought the cold hearted prick!

"He did it!" Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. "He really managed to land a hit using just taijutsu and speed…his attacks employ acrobatics too…I can't move as fast as him, or hit as hard…but gravitational momentum would add a lot more force to my hits—even Naruto employed it. The finishing kick from his barrage attack was a drop kick from a flip…Just like Lee-san just did!"

"In terms of speed, Lee can't be surpassed. I thought I gave you all fair warning…that this boy is really strong!" Gai proclaimed proudly.

Lee skidded away from Gaara. The red head glared up at him from one aqua colored eye, the other closed in pain. He wasn't used to it. Pain was a new experience for him. He didn't like it.

"Well…here we go!" Lee said, one hand braced on the ground, the other behind his back, ready to launch himself forward or up as needed. He straightened, returning to his initial battle stance as he and Gaara stared each other down.

"Bushy Brows has gotten even faster!" Naruto noted. He really was strong.

Kankuro could barely speak through his disbelief, only managing to mutter out a short "…No way…"

"Lee! Now explode with he power of Youth!" Gai shouted, thrusting a fist in the air.

"Yes sir!" That encouragement from his sensei was all he needed. He hopped into the air landing behind Gaara, but when Gaara turned to look behind him in surprise, Lee was just a blur, already having jumped away.

"Over here!" He said, landing a hard hit on Gaara's face from his front and sending him flying. His sand managed to catch and right him before he made contact with the wall, but it was undeniable that Lee's hits were finally getting somewhere. Lee huffed, smirking. He was wearing him down.

"W…wow! He's so fast! The sand barrier couldn't keep up with him! It was no protection at all!" Sakura cheered.

"Maybe Lee-san really will pull through this okay!"

"W…wow…" Shikamaru muttered…the effort one had to make to get as fast as Lee was now…it was troublesome. Impressive. But unbelievably troublesome.

"His moves are so fast, my eyes can't even track them!" Choji agreed.

Ino didn't say anything. Her family's jutsu were tied in sensory perception. The Yamanaka were inherently sensory types. She hadn't begun learning it yet, but her sensory skills were above average for a genin. It was how her team had ended up coming across Sakura in the Forest of Death. She thought she had sensed Sakura's chakra, which was strange and concerning since it didn't seem like Sakura had been near by and she never had all that much chakra to begin with, and had lead them towards where she sensed it coming from. Even after it had faded, which was all the more concerning. She hadn't told them that was what she was doing, and since Shikamaru was too lazy and Choji too hungry to care, neither put up any argument and let her pick the direction. She had to focus, but she could keep track of Lee, not with her eyes, but by sensing his chakra.

Kankuro's lips pursed. "…This is bad…"

"You got that right! That racoon-eyed jerk! After the way he just got hit, he shouldn't even be standing!" Naruto taunted.

"…That's not the problem…" Kankuro muttered darkly.

Naruto frowned in confusion. What was he talking about?

Gaara's face began to crack, making Lee's wide round eyes widen even more. Pieces of Gaara's face began to crumple and fall away, reveling clean, uninjured skin underneath.

The red head's shadowed eyes were wide and crazed, his mouth stretched in a psychotic grin, that made a shiver of fear run down Lee's spine.

Kakashi's brow furrowed. Gaara had mummified himself in sand…! Lee's blows barely touched him.

Sakura's eyes shot wide, one hand coming up to her mouth, the other going white against the railing. What was he?! She recognized that look on Gaara's face. It was the similar to the look Sasuke had when he was breaking Zaku's arms…sadistic and bloodthirsty…

"I knew Sasuke-kun wasn't really like that. That he could be woken up—it was just Orochimaru's influence…but I don't know Gaara. This might be how he is…he might not be able to be stopped…which means…"

"You have to stop this right now! Lee-san's in danger!" She said, turning desperately to Gai.

Gai made no move, didn't even acknowledge her statement. He simply observed the proceedings with brows furrowed. He had faith in Lee. He wouldn't interfere unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Whoa! His whole face just broke and fell off?!" Naruto cried, leaning over the railing—he'd never seen anything like it.

Kankuro watched tightly. So, he was wearing the sand like a shell…eh? It had been quite some time he'd seen that expression on his face. He was usually as composed as a statue, the picture of politeness and decorum—if it hadn't been for the cold and uncaring look in his eyes, he would have seemed like a good guy, the perfect gentleman…he had sensed that during this chunin selection exam, Gaara was becoming more and more unstable…but…the other Gaara was now totally awake!

"If this Gaara is able to catch Lee…"

Naruto gulped, the way Kankuro trailed off gave Naruto a really bad feeling.

"…Lee will be toyed with and then killed!" Naruto turned to Kankuro, wide eyed. He said it with so much certainty and…fear. This wasn't a cocky proclamation of Lee's weakness, this was a scared admission of Gaara's strength. And with that scary look in Gaara's eyes, Naruto didn't feel inclined to doubt the older boy's statement.

Temari and their jonin sensei watched in fear. Gaara was becoming unhinged, and it was never good news when that happened.

Gaara's sand swirled around him, beginning to converge on him and coat his body. His grazed grin dropped to a crazed grimace, and then a slightly more reigned in glare as the sand spread across his face like a shell.

"Hey! What's that?! What's he…? Is it some way of protecting himself from Bushy Brows?!" Naruto asked, figuring Kankuro, as Gaara's teammate, probably knew his moves. He wasn't disappointed.

"It's sand armor."

"Armor…?"

"Yes. Gaara can create a thin shell of sand to cover and protect his body, controlling it by the force of his will. It differs from the sand shield, where the grains automatically flow to form a protective barrier…It's Gaara's ultimate defense!"

"…then…there's nothing Lee can do! It's got no weaknesses…!" Naruto gasped.

Kankuro grimaced. That wasn't exactly true. The sand armor was actually riddled with weak points…it was his last resort protection. It wasn't automatic the way the shield was…it required a massive outpouring of chakra to call on and maintain. Its defensive strength was less than that of the sand shield, and since the sand itself was lying directly against the skin, it increased the weight of his body so he had to expend more physical strength just to move. If Gaara had been driven to using the armor, then his mind was purely on defense. He'd been driven into a corner. That Lee was really something! But the end of this was a forgone conclusion, because Gaara was a genius!

"Is that all?" Gaara question, seemingly unfazed by Lee's attacks, though that was far from the truth.

Lee jolted. It was an amazing defense! He'd encased his entire body in protection, which rendered his own speed irrelevant. His only shot was to keep pounding and wearing down that outer layer of sand…The Lotus!…He was only supposed to use it to protect those dear to him, like Sakura or his teammates, but that was also the case with removing his leg weights, which Gai had allowed his to do.

Lee glanced up at his sensei, who nodded at him. Lee smiled and nodded, before turning his attention to his arms. He partially unwrapped the bandages around his arms, preparing himself for the move.

Gai observed, his face serious. The Lotus technique would let him strike at his foe at high speeds, a thin layer of sand wouldn't stand up to it. And if it happened that Gaara was wearing a thick shell of sand, it will be almost impossible for him to kick outward…in which case…

Lee took off, running circles around Gaara, kicking up dust clouds, running so fast he was nothing more than a blur.

"Come on…hurry up!" Gaara growled impatiently.

"As you wish!" Lee answered, apprising under him and delivering a swift upward kick to Gaara's chin, sending him up off the ground.

Gaara let out a grunt of pain.

"And that's not all!" Lee pushed off the ground, landing several rapid hits on Gaara—so fast it was almost impossible to follow, before employing the dancing leaf shadow technique. He winced and let out a brief cry of pain, closing his eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by Gaara.

Kakashi, frowned his brow furrowing.

Gai closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in prayer. Even an ordinary Lotus move exerted a great strain on the user's body…that many consecutive kicks may have been too much, even for Lee…He'd better make this next move a decisive one!

Lee's eyes popped open, glaring. He would finish this! The loosened bandages wrapped around Gaara, binding the two of them together. Lee grabbed tightly onto Gaara's side.

"Gotcha!" He maneuvered them so that they were spinning head first towards the ground. "Primary Lotus!"

Gaara smashed into the ground so hard, it left a crater. Lee released himself, hopping away at the last second.

"D-do you think he's dead…?" Naruto murmured quietly.

"Uh…you're kidding, right?!" Kankuro answered. Sure that move was a damaging one—but killing Gaara was…impossible…

"Lee-san…did he…is it over?" Sakura asked, her mind still reeling at the amount of damage Lee caused.

Kakashi didn't answer, just looked on solemnly, which didn't give Sakura a good feeling.

"Yes!" Gai cheered, raising a fist in solidarity.

Hayate glanced over at Gaara.

Lee landed, he was sweating and breathing hard. His muscles twitching and shaking in pain.

The sand armor began cracking and crumbling, but there was no body underneath. The sand shell was just that. A shell with nothing inside…

Lee's eyes widened.

"When did he slip out of that shell?! There's no way he could have gotten past Lee!" Gai shouted in alarm.

"It happened when your eyes were closed in prayer, Gai. Lee paused for just a moment…and that's when…" Kakashi answered gravely.

Gaara rose up behind Lee, sand dripping off him, the crazed look back in his eyes. "Heh heh heh…"

Sakura swallowed hard.

"If Gaara slipped out of the attack when Gai-sensei closed his eyes, then that means he did take damage from all those kicks, but escaped the worst of the attack. But Lee-san's tired and hurt—the last time he'd used that move on the sound ninja, it did some damage to him as well…this is really really bad! Gaara still looks…he looks like he's gonna kill him!"

Naruto's jaw dropped. Kankuro had said that if Gaara caught Lee, he'd toy with him and then kill him—and it looked like Gaara was about to catch Lee…

Neji's impassive eyes narrowed. This Gaara certainly was a difficult opponent, Lee's Primary Lotus had been pointless in the end.

Kankuro winced. It had fully awakened! Gaara's inner demon!

Lee stared in shock at the wave of sand Gaara was sending towards him. At the last minute, he just barely managed to push himself away. He slammed his back against the wall, landing on his knees. He let out a cry of pain as his body protested against the movement. With the sand still bearing down on him, it was all he could do to cross his forearms in front of his face for protection. There was an explosion as the sand smashed into him. The dust cleared and the sand melted away, revealing a crater in the wall around Lee, who had his arms extended out, huffing.

Gaara licked his lips, as he stared at Lee with crazed, blood thirsty eyes.

Kankuro winced on Lee's behalf. He was at the end of his rope…Gaara was just toying with him now.

"Why isn't he moving?! He needs to move! He's a goner cornered against the wall like that!" Sakura asked, unable to keep her rising panic from her voice.

Kakashi glanced over at her sharply. "Sakura! Calm down!"

"But—"

"I know you're worried about Lee, but just like with Hinata, we will intervene. We won't let Gaara kill him. This is a controlled setting. Panic is both unnecessary and distracting." He tried to make his voice as soothing and sure as possible. Her panic was understandable—Gaara was scary—but he couldn't let it progress. It would be bad if her chakra reacted, and Gaara didn't seem very stable, if she attracted his attention, it would be very very bad. "Take a deep breath. Lee is strong, and we won't let Gaara kill him. Calm down."

Sakura stared at her sensei suspiciously. He'd stressed that she needed to stay calm even before the first test, but it was never something he'd said to her before.

"What is this? Why does he keep telling me that?"

"Cryptic old geezer! Do we really buy his initial explanation for it?"

"No. I don't…because it's not necessary to be a voice of reason right now…it's something else…but I'm sure he has a reason. And he's right. Panicking isn't going to help Lee-san."

Sakura took a deep breath, tugging lightly at the ends of her hair, before turning to Gai.

"Why won't he move out of the way?" She asked, her voice considerably calmer.

Kakashi relaxed a little.

"The Lotus technique he just used…It's a double edged sword." Gai answered seriously, his eyes never leaving Lee's huffing form.

"A double edged sword? So it's dangerous to him as well?"

"Fundamentally, it's a forbidden move. Using that level of high-speed taijutsu puts a huge strain on the body…right now, Lee's nothing but a mass of pain and weakness. Isn't that right, Gai?" Kakashi answered, his tone reproachful.

"…but that means…"

Lee threw himself out of the way of another lash of sand, wincing as he landed in a pile of rubble.

"…at this rate, Lee-san's gonna…" Her voice shook with concern. She may not have been panicking anymore, but worrying was second nature to her.

Gai never moved his eyes from his student. Lee…he was always teased and taunted for his inability to use ninjutsu of genjutsu. In the academy, the other kids had picked on him for it, telling him he'd never become a ninja. But he'd never listened to them, insisting that he would one day…the little hot head who couldn't…But Lee took his mediocre skills in taijutsu and made exercise and practice his obsession, and then he'd managed to graduate and had been placed on Gai's team. He remembered asking them their goals. Neji hadn't wanted to share, and Tenten wanted to become a strong kunoichi like her idol, the legendary sanin, Lady Tsunade, but it was Lee's goal that stuck out to Gai the most.

Master! I want to prove that even a person who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu can still become a splendid ninja! It's my only goal!

Gai had smirked at the time. He'd liked the look in the kid's eyes—like he'd do anything to make his goal a reality. But Lee had repeatedly been beaten by Neji, who belittled his efforts, and while Tenten supported Lee's goal, she was also a fan of evidence, and Neji was an undeniable genius. But Lee had never given up. He trained with such ferocity—not even Neji could keep up with Lee's regiment. If he gave out on one exercise, he simply moved on to another, setting impossibly high goals. And Gai had watched through all of it. There had been a time Lee came close to cracking, to losing faith in himself and his ability to reach his goal, since no matter how hard he trained, he kept losing to Neji. Gai had stepped in to tell him that he was a different kind of genius.

A genius of hard work.

Lee was having issues. He kept being pummeled by sand. He could barely dodge. His body ached in protest every move he made. He was giving out and he knew it. He was breathing hard, his arms blocking his face when a memory of his sensei's words struck him.

All your hard work will prove worthless unless you believe in yourself!

'I want to prove that even a person who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu can still become a splendid ninja!' That's your shinobi path, isn't it? It's a great goal…one worth fighting for. It's the path you chose so you have to follow it! Become such a strong fighter that I can just sit back and enjoy the show!

He was so grateful for Gai-sensei.

Another barrage of sand headed his way.

"Lee-san! Give up before he kills you!" Sakura cried.

"If he's already strained his body so much with the Lotus, continuing to fight could be really damaging! And that look in Gaara's eyes—if Lee's body gives out, he's gonna go in for the kill…And he seems less rational than Neji…I don't know if the Senseis will be able to stop him…"

Everyone's jaw dropped when Lee suddenly became a blur of motion, easily dodging the sand.

Naruto gasped. Bushy Brows somehow got his speed back!

Lee straightened. Gai-sensei was sitting back and enjoying the show! Just know that was enough to revive him, and to make him stronger than ever!

He smiled, slipping into a battle stance.

"He's being pushed around so brutally…why is he smiling?" Sakura muttered leaning forward.

"He's about to start pushing back!" Gai answered proudly.

"Huh?"

"How?! Scratch that—No! He shouldn't! If the Lotus put that much strain on his body, he really needs to stop now!"

Gai smiled down at the pink haired girl. "The Lotus of Konoha will bloom twice!"

The fighting lotus of the leaf will grow and flower again! Before we meet again, I'll have become a stronger man. I swear it!

"So this is where Lee-san learned it from…"

"Yeah but we had no idea what it meant then, and we still don't get it now!"

Gaara and Lee squared off against each other. The ground between them a mess of uneven cracks, boulders, ruble and patches of sand.

"For you, it ends here." Gaara growled.

"Well, one way or another, the next move will be the last." Lee acknowledged, smiling.

Kakashi's eye widened, his head straightening. The Lotus of Konoha will bloom twice?

"Gai…don't tell me you…!"

"On the contrary. I did."

Kakashi's eye narrowed.

"Then that kid, who's just a genin, is able to open the eight inner gates?"

"Yes…that's right."

"Eight inner gates…?" Sakura looked between the two, confused.

Kakashi braced himself against the railing. It was awful…he knew Gai was a bit much, but this…

"He has the talent…"

"No matter how much talent he has, you taught him something horribly dangerous!" Kakashi barked, sternly. "The Hidden Lotus tops the list of moves that you shouldn't teach!"

Neji turned towards Kakashi, his brow furrowed. The Hidden Lotus…? What was that? He'd never heard of it or seen Lee do it before.

Kakashi glared at his self proclaimed rival, he couldn't believe Gai would go that far.

"It's none of my business what that child means to you, and I'll spare us both the lecture about not being governed by your feelings…but you crossed the line on this! You disappoint me, Gai!"

Gai glared back at him. "…You…don't know the first thing about that kid…" Gai answered coldly, his gaze returning to Lee.

I want to prove that even a person who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu can still become a splendid ninja! It's my only goal!

"That boy has something he values so deeply that he's willing to die for the sake of it. That's why I…wanted to help him become someone that could stand up for his ideals. I had to." He had warned him when he taught it to him that the Hidden Lotus was even more forbidden then the Primary Lotus. That it could only be used once and under one condition…

Lee closed his eyes, focusing, summoning his energy. Gaara's eyes narrowed.

Kakashi watched Lee closely. So that was how he'd managed to bounce back from exhaustion with such abnormal speed…because he'd forced open the second gate of rest.

"So tell me, Gai…which of the eight inner gates has he gotten up to so far?"

"The fifth gate."

Kakashi jerked his head toward Gai in surprise.

Sakura looked between the two in confusion. She still hadn't managed to figure out what these inner gates were from their conversation, and she was becoming acutely aware that she hated not knowing things…on top of that, her sensei was usually much more collected than he was acting now. She'd never heard him sound so angry when he'd been admonishing Gai, and she'd never seen him look as surprised as he had just now.

Kakashi turned back to Lee. He'd really managed to open up to the fifth inner gate? That feat should have been impossible to achieve through hard work alone…so the boy was a genius after all.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

"What are you both talking about?! You keep mentioning these inner gates?"

"The gates act as limiters that must be released in preparation for performing the Hidden Lotus." Gai explained vaguely.

"Limiters? You mean for chakra flow, right? So these gates are a part of the chakra network?"

"Yes…" Kakashi answered. She always had been quick, able to infer from even the least helpful of explanations. He lifted his hitai-ate for a closer look at Lee. "At eight specific points along the chakra network, there are places where the chakra points converge, two in the head, five running down along the spine to the tailbone, and one at the heart. The first gate of opening, the second gate of rest, the third gate of life, the fourth gate of pain, the fifth gate of closing, the sixth gate of joy, the seventh gate of shock, the eighth gate of death. Those are called the eight inner gates. They constantly maintain limits on the amount of chakra flowing through the body…Limits that the Lotus uses chakra to forcibly override, enabling the user to draw upon strength that is dozens of times his usual level, even if the users body is destroyed in the process."

"Incidentally, the Primary Lotus only opens the first gate." Gai picked up.

"And the Hidden Lotus?"

"Opening the first gate frees the user from his own mental inhibitions. The opening of the second gate boosts his strength…and with the opening of the third gate, one can begin the Hidden Lotus."

"If the gates are chakra limiters…and that time in the forest, when my chakra went wild…did my inner gates fail?…but if that's what happened—that was agony, and it wrecked my body. I was out for two whole days recovering…If Lee-san has to purposely open those gates…how's he supposed to fight through that? I could barely even move! It puts great strain on his body…"

"We don't know that's what happened to us…"

"…No…but even if what happened with my chakra had nothing to do with the gates…The strain the Primary Lotus put on his body—and that was just one gate…opening more can't be good for him…"

"The Primary Lotus alone got him so beaten up…Is his body even able to handle opening more gates? If he tries to perform any more moves…" Sakura asked, voicing her thoughts—well, part of them.

"That's right…" Kakashi answered. "This technique is truly a double edged sword. The state where all the gates have been opened is called 'Eight Inner Gates Formation'…and anyone who achieves that state will, however briefly, be granted strength that surpasses even the Hokage's. But in exchange…that person will inevitably die!"

Sakura's eyes widened. She looked away and bit her lip in thought.

"That can't be what happened to me then, or I'd be dead…but maybe…maybe I almost did die, I was trying everything I could to control it but maybe if I hadn't, I would have…It was a lot of chakra, but it was uncontrollable, there's no way that constitutes power that surpasses even the Hokage's—it wouldn't be effective…and I didn't try to open them…"

"Kakashi-sensei…do the gates ever…fail? Or open accidentally?"

Kakashi's eyes widened as his gaze shot to his student. It was the nail on the already in the grave coffin. Her condition had been triggered, and she was trying to assess what could have caused it. She truly was brilliant to draw the connection. Not enough, actually practically nothing, was known about her condition to really say if that's what happened. If it was, there was more to it, it wasn't just the gates failing alone—if at all.

"…Not to my knowledge…" He answered slowly. He didn't want to tell her otherwise, lest he was wrong. Besides, they still needed to have an actual conversation about it—all of them, since it would effect the whole team.

"…Oh…" She felt her frustration mounting. Nothing bothered her more than not knowing. Not knowing was slowly killing her mom, rendered her useless to help Sasuke with that mark, or Naruto when he and Sasuke got trapped in Haku's ice dome. Now there was something wrong with her—and she didn't know what it was. It was infuriating.

"I'll talk to sensei about it later…even if I knew what happened to me, there's nothing I could do about it right now anyway, so focus. This'll be really harmful for Lee-san whether he wins or loses…he's going to need serious medical attention…"

Lee was emitting so much energy, small pieces of gravel were beginning to fly up around his, his hair rustling with the small draft created by his own chakra. Neji…Sasuke…and even Naruto…He would not be the only one who failed! The veins on his forehead stood out, his skin darkened, his hair standing on end, his chakra surrounding him like an aura. He hoped Gai-sensei would notice him now of all times, now that he'd finally obtained his shinobi path!

"The third gate of life, release!"

Neji's eyes narrowed. He'd never seen Lee like this before.

Naruto's jaw dropped. The color of his skin…changed to red?!

Sakura's eyes widened, her brows furrowing in concern.

"Forcing the gates open must work in conjunction with the internal organs and strain them to work harder! The red color's probably from seriously increased blood flow do to the exertion…"

Kakashi watched in morbid fascination with his Sharingan eye. He'd opened the third gate…he was going to make his move.

"Hyaaaaaa!" Lee gave a cry of spirit as he forced open the fourth gate of pain. The veins on his forehead popped even more, his nose began bleeding.

Kakashi couldn't hide that he was impressed. And horrified. That kid was really something…

Lee's foot shattered the ground where it pushed off as he charged Gaara, so fast it was barely visible. There was an explosion of dust as Lee's foot shot into Gaara's chin, the force sending him flying up fast through the cloud of dirt.

Everyone in the balconies were forced to cover their faces to guard against the pieces of rock and dirt that emanated from the shockwave of Lee's attack. A piece of stone clanked against Kakashi's hitai-ate, his eyes wide from shock. This kid was fast!

"Gaara?!" Kankuro's head swiveled around frantically as he scanned for his little brother.

"Where'd he go?!" Naruto cried, equally confused.

"Look up!" Shikamaru shouted, as he caught sight of Gaara flying through the air.

"But what about Lee?! I don't see him anywhere!" Choji muttered.

Sakura watched as Gaara's sand raced to catch up with its master.

"The sand just can't keep up!"

Lee appeared in front of Gaara—hardly more visible than and phantom, just a blur of motion and color, and slammed a fist into him, hard. Gaara was sent flying backwards, but before he could slam into anything to arrest his momentum, Lee was behind him, delivering another hard hit that sent him flying with a bang. Gaara was ping ponged around the air, his sand unable to reach him quickly enough, and Lee's hits too fast and hard to even begin trying to counter.

Gaara grit his teeth. It was unbelievable! Was his sand armor actually peeling off?!

That sand armor again? Lee's jaw clenched in pain, he could hear his muscles stretching passed their limit. At this rate…

Kakashi watched in horror. His muscles had torn, if Lee went any farther…

Gai's face remained impassive as he looked on.

Neji was in shock, his byakugan activated and brows furrowed. But…it was only Lee! When—no, how had he gotten so…? He'd never seen him train or practice this! He'd never been this fast or strong before! How?!

Gaara flinched when Lee appeared above him, bearing down on him.

"This is the end!" He let out a roar. "Fifth gate of closing! Release!"

Gaara's hand reflexively came up to his face. His sand armor was completely cracked. His defenses were failing…was Lee even human?!

Lee had been keeping this move in reserve to use against Neji, but he figured he'd give the byakugan user a sneak preview.

His fist slammed hard into Gaara's stomach, sending him flying, but he was suddenly yanked back towards Lee, the bandage from Lee's arms wrapped around the belt on his waist.

Temari gasped. The sand shield couldn't keep up, and much of the sand armor had been torn away…this wasn't good.

Gai studied that battle above him seriously. The Hidden Lotus, a series of taijutsu performed with such speed that the attacker was untouchable! These rapid moves were Lee's key to winning the match. There was no way the sand could catch up! This was the finale!

"Hyah!" Lee yanked Gaara up towards him to meet his fist to the stomach, hard. "Hidden Lotus!"

Gaara was sent rocketing to the ground, the shockwave of Lee's hit so strong, it forced the spectators to squint or close their eyes and protect their faces from debris.

Lee felt his calf and forearm snap under the pressure from using the Hidden Lotus.

Gaara had to act fast, or he really was going to be in trouble. He focused his energy into the gourd on his back, using his chakra to break it down.

Gai's and Kakashi's eyes widened…it couldn't be! The gourd was turning into sand!

There was a huge crash as Gaara fell to the ground, a dust cloud from the impact engulfing him. Lee's body was too banged up to land gracefully, or even well. He buckled on impact, falling to the side and skidding across the floor with his momentum.

The dust cleared to reveal Gaara, horizontal, cushioned by swirling sand, his hand outstretched.

Two tendrils of sand incased Lee's left arm and leg.

Sakura's knuckles went white on the railing. This was very bad. Lee was a goner.

Naruto gasped, unable to believe Gaara could have survived such an onslaught.

Neji and Kakashi watched tensely.

Gai felt his breath leave him. The gourd had been made of sand…He'd used it to protect himself. And the Reverse Lotus left Lee too injured to even run away.

Shino tensed…Team 8 had seen that move—Gaara had used it in the Forest of Death to kill a whole team. This was very bad for Lee.

"Sand coffin!" Gaara's outstretched fist clenched. The sand around Lee's leg and arm constricted, crushing the bones. Lee let out a horrible cry of pain.

Neji's brow furrowed—Lee was still his teammate, and he didn't take kindly to people causing his teammates pain.

Sakura gasped. She'd heard it. The bones snapping had been audible. And Lee could only use taijutsu, he relied on his ability to move.

Naruto couldn't believe it. Gaara could still attack after all that?! How was that possible?!

Gai watched in alarm as sand began to converge on Lee—Gaara was going to kill him, and he couldn't let that happen!

Gai was in front of Lee in a second, taking on the brunt of the sand, and knocking it away, glaring at Gaara. If this boy still wanted to try killing Lee, he'd have to go through him first.

Gaara stared at the man, glaring him down. He was used to being glared at—by his father, his siblings, their teacher, other kids…but never on someone else's behalf. It didn't make sense! People didn't put themselves at risk for another, they only looked out for themselves. Wh-what was this guy doing?!

A wave of pain pounded through his head, making him clutch at his hair and causing him to tremble. When he opened one eye through the pain, the man was still in front of the boy, glaring him down…he hadn't moved at all. But he'd lost. So what was the point of protecting him?!

"Why are you…helping him?"

Gai saw all of Lee's hard work flash through his mind. All his effort. All his determination. His Ninja path…so very like himself. To him, Lee was…

"He's my lovable precious protege!" Gai declared.

Gaara glared at Gai, who stared him down unblinkingly.

The sand's jonin instructor sighed. Those words and sentiments were beyond the scope of Gaara's understanding.

Gaara stood, his remaining sand armor falling off, and his sand reforming and returning to the gourd on his back.

"Forget it…" He muttered, turning away from the strange man and student.

"The victor is Gaara!" Hayate announced.

Everyone jerked and leaned in in disbelief when Lee…got up…He was trembling, his muscles popping, blood pouring from his arm and leg, but he was somehow standing in a fighting stance.

Kakashi was shocked…he'd opened five gates, his arm and leg were crushed…how could he still be standing?!

"He has to lie down right now! With all the damage his body took, it should be impossible for him to be standing—I have no idea how he's doing it—but he has to take weight off his bones and muscles now! He's only making his condition worse!"

"Lee…it's all right, it's over." Gai said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He couldn't believe it. "You're in no shape to be standing…"

Gai took a closer look at Lee, at his face, and felt his eyes burn and well with tears. Lee…was an incredible kid…Even though he'd been knocked senseless, and putting new meaning to the term 'dead on his feet', he was still trying to stay true to his shinobi way…He was already a splendid ninja. Gai couldn't stop himself from squeezing the boy in a hug.

Gaara watched silently, glaring. He didn't understand. No one had ever responded to him that way…

"Lee-san!"

Sakura leapt onto the railing, fully ready to jump down.

Kakashi knew he couldn't stop her, but a part of him hesitated to let her down there while Gaara was still on the floor. He didn't want that terrifying boy's attention to be drawn to her.

"Sakura…Your presence will wound his pride and cause him more pain."

Sakura stilled for a second considering his words.

"I'd be embarrassed if Sasuke-kun saw me that badly beaten…"

She shook her head. His physical health was more important at the moment, and he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"He won't even know I'm there, sensei." She answered, before jumping down. He was too unconscious to know.

Sakura ran to Gai. "Gai-sensei, stop! We need to get him off his feet, now! If you hug him too tightly, you might injure his arm more." Her voice was calm and authoritative, making Hayate turn towards her, brows furrowed. It was unnatural for a Genin to sound so sure while issuing orders to a jonin. Even stranger to hear her sound so calm after what they'd all just witnessed.

Gaara stopped, at the sound of her voice. Once again confused. Why did these people care so much?

Gai didn't question her, choosing to listen instead. He carefully lowered and deposited Lee gently on the floor. Sakura knew from the start there was nothing she could do for him. If it had been a matter of a broken bone, she might be able to reset it and form a splint, but this was far beyond that. His bones were shattered, his muscles torn. This was as far beyond the scope of her abilities as Hinata's injury had been. Her eyes shot up to Hayate's, who turned away from her and called to the medics.

"Emergency unit, please hurry!"

Naruto was on the floor in a second, rushing towards Lee. He glared at Gaara as he passed. How could Bushy Brows lose to such a jerk?!

"E…excuse us!" A medic said, making Gai, Hayate, and Sakura step back to give them some room.

Naruto stopped not far from the scene and watched. One of the medics stood and looked at Gai.

"Are you the Jonin responsible for him? If I may have a word…"

The two stepped away, but it was within earshot of Naruto.

"…Though he's breathing on his own, he has compound fractures and torn muscles throughout his body. If that were the extent of his full injuries, we could still expect a full recovery, but…the damage to his attacked left arm and leg is especially severe. I don't want to say this, but…this kid's body is so destroyed, he'll never recover enough to be a shinobi again."

Gai felt like he'd been punched.

"N…no way…you must be kidding…" Naruto shook as they carried Lee past him.

Gai was trembling…Lee…he'd never let himself think that Lee could lose…he'd wanted to help him achieve his shinobi path…He'd have to beg him for forgiveness, for not stopping him before it was too late…

"Well…what is Bushy Brows supposed to do?! He kept saying he was desperate to fight Sasuke and that Neji guy…can't you do anything to help him?!" Naruto shouted at the retreating Medical Nin, who didn't so much as spare him a glance. "Hey I'm—"

Kakashi grabbed Naruto from behind, slapping a hand over his mouth. "But maybe…that was his undoing…"

Sakura came up next to him, her eyes saddened. Naruto stopped struggling, glaring up as Kakashi continued.

"It was his own choice to use a forbidden, self-sacrificing art in a last ditch effort to win. He sacrificed himself to honor the unspoken oath that exists between him and Sasuke, Neji, and even you, Naruto. He risked his life so he might have the chance to fight you all. Don't forget that." He said, placing a hand on Naruto's mess of blonde hair.

Naruto looked down, frustrated. "Is what they said true, Sakura-chan? Will he really have to give up being a ninja?"

"His condition was really bad…medical miracles do happen sometimes…and he's the kind who won't take no for an answer…but…" She glanced at how upset and defeated Naruto looked, and found that she couldn't finish her initial sentence. Defeat didn't look right on her boisterous blonde teammate. She changed tactic. "His odds aren't good…99% of people in Lee-san's condition would have to call it quits…but maybe Lee-san's that 1% that does somehow pull it off."

Naruto gave a small nod, thankful for the small grain of hope Sakura had been able to plant in him.

Neji closed his eyes in respect and resignation. Even at the bitter end, Lee hadn't realized that the heavens would never allow him to advance further if his triumph were a pyrrhic victory.

Gaara watched the medics pass him, taking Lee away, before allowing his sands to whisk him back up to their balcony.

"Welcome back, Gaara…" His sister greeted with a small smile. Gaara glanced up at her from his side. The smile she was giving him didn't reach her eyes. There was hesitance in her gaze…she didn't trust him. Wouldn't risk her life for him the way that man had done for the boy.

"Gai…" Kakashi called. His self proclaimed rival didn't respond. He couldn't blame him…he'd been pretty cocky earlier, admonishing Gai like that…to be honest, if he'd been in Gai's position, he wouldn't have been able to stop Lee either…after all, he knew what it was like to have willful, stubborn students. He doubted he'd be able to talk any of them out of it, once they'd set their mind on something. He glanced back at Naruto and Sakura. They were just like Lee…

"Gai…we're in the way. Let's go back upstairs…"

"…yeah…"

The four of them headed back up to the balcony, clearing the floor.

"Well…it's the finale…the 10th battle round. Both contestants, please step forward!" Hayate called.

"Looks like I'm last…" Dosu growled. In any case, he had to make it to the finals to fight Sasuke, otherwise he'd fail to meet the expectations of Lord Orochimaru. He finally understood what he was up to, when he'd hunted down Sasuke in the forest, and instead of killing him, placed his curse mark…The three of them had been Orochimaru's guinea pigs. He'd sent them after Sasuke with assassination orders, but really he'd just intended for them to fight him to test his abilities. What he wanted wasn't Sasuke's life, but Sasuke himself…Orochimaru had been toying with him too. Sakura's words still echoed in his head.

it seems to me your orders were designed to get you killed…

He jumped down from the balcony, onto the floor, landing in front of Choji, who was waiting.

"Uh…well…let the 10th round battle begin!"

"Go get him!" Shikamaru called to his best friend.

"You can do it, Fatso!" Ino shouted, attempting to provoke him so he'd be more inclined to fight.

It worked. A vein throbbed on his forehead as he turned his attention up to Ino.

"Ugh! Shut your mouth and keep your eyes open! I'm gonna end this match fast so I can come beat you up!"

"Well then…I'll dispense with the games and quickly finish it for you, Fatso!" Dosu growled.

Choji's ire was turned on his opponent, the mummified, rain-poncho wearing creep! He'd fought him before, so he already knew his weaknesses! He released sound waves from that device on his arm, so…

"Ninja art! Expansion Jutsu!" He tucked his head into his scarf, making his large round body a perfect sphere, as long as he protected his ears, he'd be fine. "Human boulder technique!" He shouted, rolling at Dosu.

"All right! Crush him Choji!" Ino cheered.

Shikamaru smirked. This guy used sound attacks without ever being in direct contact with his opponent, but…that was when his enemy's ears were exposed. Choji's head was buried in his body, so his ears were completely plugged up…how could that guy use his sound attacks on a giant, earless, rotating meatball?

Dosu jumped away from the oncoming ball, backing himself against the wall. When Choji bore down on him, he leapt up out of the way, allowing the rolling mass to bury himself in the wall.

Dosu looked down at Choji as gravity took effect, pulling him back towards the floor. The fatso had missed him! And now to get free, he was going to have to rotate the opposite way, which meant that, for a moment, he'd need to stop spinning entirely…That was his chance!

As Choji's spin slowed to a stop, Dosu dropped down, stabbing his fist into Choji's stomach.

"My ears are plugged, so it's useless!"

"No…you're done for!" Dosu said, focusing his chakra into the sound wave.

There was a pause before Choji let out a cry of pain, shrinking back down to regular size, too dizzy and shook to move.

Dosu smirked. "Over 70% of the human body is composed of water, a great conductor for sound. So it's not difficult to transmit shockwaves through a wall of flesh. As long as you ceased your vexing rotations, I could target the approximate location of your eardrums and send my shockwaves right to them."

"We have a winner! Kinuta Dosu!" Hayate called, bringing the preliminaries to a close.

Dosu's fist tightened as he walked away…Lord Orochimaru—or Orochimaru, rather…He'd show him that he wasn't just his guinea pig!

"Hey are you alright?" A medic asked, crouching next to Choji.

"I…I want…to eat meat…" He muttered dizzily.

Shikamaru sighed, leaning on his head on his hand. "He even went easy on him…"

"Well…he lost, but I guess I'll still take him out for barbecue." Asuma allowed.

Hayate sighed. At last it was finally over.

"Uh…well then, as of this moment, the preliminaries to the third exam…are now complete! All finalists, please come to the floor."

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura started as Neji, Shino, and Shikamaru headed for the floor. Naruto had started to go as well, but stopped and waited when Sakura hadn't gone immediately.

"You want to ask about Sasuke, right? Well…unfortunately, I don't know very much yet, either…but don't be too worried." Whatever came next was up to Sasuke…and she would have to worry about herself. The time to tell her was drawing near, and it'd be best if he talked to the three of them together. Still, he had to go check on Sasuke. "Sakura, I'm stepping out for a bit, so listen carefully to the explanation of the finals for me, ok…When they're done, both of you come find me and Sasuke at the hospital." He puffed away, before Sakura could say anything.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked.

"I think he went to check on Sasuke-kun. He said for both of us to find them at the hospital when this was done."

"Got it. Let's go Sakura-chan!" He said, jumping off the balcony to the ground floor. Sakura followed suit.

The Hokage examined the line of Genin before him. Including the absent Uchiha Sasuke, there were six Konoha, three sand, and one sound…interesting.

"Uh…well, Hokage-sama, they're all yours." Hayate murmured.

"Yes…well then…starting now…I shall begin the explaining the finals…"

Naruto smirked. Okay! Finally!

"As I mentioned earlier, you will conduct your final round of battles in front of everyone. Each of you represents the battle strengths of your respective lands…so we want you to exhibit and fully showcase your various talents. And thus, the finals will commence one month from now!"

"We're not doing it right here, right now?" Naruto asked.

"We call this the requisite preparation period…"

"What do you mean?' Neji asked.

"Well…it's a period of time that allows us to relay the results of the preliminaries to the rulers and shinobi leaders of each land…and to summon them to finals. And it also serves as a preparation period for you applicants." The Hokage explained.

"That makes sense…so we have time to train and get better—good. I'd be screwed otherwise. I'm clearly the weak link here…"

"Shannaro! We can take them all!"

"Oh I most certainly cannot!"

Kankuro grit his teeth in annoyance. The old geezer was always beating around the bush. "I still don't get it, what do you mean?"

"During this period, you can analyze the intelligence you have gathered on your foes during the preliminaries…and use it to increase your chances of victory. Even though, up to this point, all battles have been real battles…they were conducted under the premise that you were fighting an 'unknown enemy'…"

Shikamaru glanced at Gaara with a huff. Uknown enemy was an understatement. He'd never dreamed that that guy would use sand as a weapon.

"However, the finals are a different story…some of you probably ended up exposing everything you've got in front of your rivals. And some of you may have gone up against comparatively strong opponents and found yourselves badly injured. In order to make the finals fair and just, we give you this month. Each of you must embrace the opportunity to practice hard, learn some new tricks…and of course get some rest as well!"

Naruto glanced at Gaara, and then Neji, then called up the mental image of Sasuke. At his current rate, it wouldn't be enough…just one month…there was no way he'd have the luxury of any relaxation.

Sakura pursed her lips…There was no way she'd be able to get by on the minimal training she'd been doing. She'd need to do more. Train more.

"So…those are the basics. I would like to let you all go now, but first…there's one last thing we must do for the finals."

"Hey come on! I need to start training now!" Naruto shouted.

"Now then, don't be so impatient…there are lips of paper inside the box Anko is holding…each one of you take one."

Anko stepped forward, a box in her hands. "I'll come around, so stay in line! One per person!" She barked.

Everyone pulled out a slip of paper. Naruto got 1. Sakura got 10.

"All right…does everybody have one now? Good. Then…starting at the left, each of you read out the number written on your slip!"

"I have 9." Dosu growled.

"I got 1! Believe it!"

"7." Temari stated confidently.

"5." Kankuro answered.

"3." Gaara rasped.

"8. What a drag."

"2." Neji said cooly.

"6." Shino stated quietly.

"10." Sakura hated the trace of apprehension she heard in her voice.

"So Uchiha will be number 4." Ibiki muttered.

"Good! Now I will reveal the match order for the tournament style finals!" The Hokage proclaimed.

"We so knew it!"

"What?!" Naruto shouted. They already had that figured out?!

"So that's what the drawing was for?!" Shikamaru cried.

"Well Ibiki, show them the pairings."

"Yes sir."

Everyone watched closely as Ibiki turned the board he was holding so the group could see. The board had a tournament style bracket charted out:

Bracket 1:

Battle 1: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji

Battle 2: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Gaara

Bracket 2:

Battle 1: Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino

Battle 2: Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru

Battle 3: Haruno Sakura vs. Kinuta Dosu

Sakura bit at her lip. Since the second bracket had three battles, the winner of battles 2 and 3 would have to fight an extra round…which meant if she won her battle, she'd have to fight an extra battle against either Shikamaru or Temari.

"An extra round and I'm facing off against that sound ninja…"

"Did we break a mirror when we were a kid?"

Dosu smirked. So he got to fight that little brat. It wasn't Sasuke, but that was fine…he owed that pathetic little girl a beating, for Zaku and Kin. And her obnoxious words that he couldn't get out of his head.

Temari blinked. What? The finals were just a simple tournament—no more to it than that?

Shikamaru sighed. He had to fight an extra round if he won and fight another girl…what a drag…

Kankuro was relieved. He was in a different bracket than Gaara…thank goodness.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. So he was fighting Uchiha Sasuke. Good.

Neji smirked at Naruto. This was perfect. He couldn't wait to put that loser in his place.

Naruto glared back. He was facing Hyuga Neji right off the bat, huh? He couldn't have picked a better opponent. He'd make good on his promise to Hinata.

"Now then…it's time for you to go plan your strategies, rest up, or whatever you please. We're all finished here…unless you have questions?"

"May I?" Shikamaru drawled, raising his hand.

"Sure!"

"You said this is a tournament, so…there's only one winner, right…? Then…does that mean only one person gets to become a chunin?"

"No! That's not the case. For the finals, you will be observed by many judges…not only me, but the Kazekage, and the rulers and shinobi leaders of countries that will be requesting missions, as well. Based on your performance in the tournament, those judges will assign you an absolute value…and all those who are deemed to have sufficient ability to be chunin ninja…even those who may have lost in the first round…can become a chunin."

"Do you mean…it's possible that all of us here could become chunin?" Temari asked.

"Yes. However, it is also possible that none of you will become chunin! The advantage of fighting in more rounds in the tournament is in having a greater number of opportunities to display your talents for the judges. Does that answer your question, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru gave a huff. Geez…he didn't have to throw it back in his face.

When Shikamaru gave no answer, the Hokage smiled. "Well then, good work, all! You are dismissed until one month from now!"

Naruto folded his arms across his chest in thought. His second round would be against either that Gaara guy or Sasuke…and Gaara was strong enough to wipe the floor with bushy brows, so…

Naruto…you're one of the ones I want to fight the most.

If Sasuke wanted to fight him, he'd have to beat Gaara. Either way…both were strong. He'd have to ask for Kakashi-sensei's help training.

"Sasuke-kun's against Gaara…That's…they're both so strong…and Sasuke-kun's fast…but he's not as fast as Lee-san…"

"We know we love Sasuke-kun to hell and back, but we gotta worry about ourselves! That Dosu guy did a number on Lee-san too!"

"…I know…and I'm not even half as strong as him…"

"That wasn't the point! Shannaro! We can totally take him!"

"Sakura-chan! Let's go find Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, snapping her out of her mental dialogue.

"Right!" She wanted to check on Sasuke anyway. And all of their opponents were difficult. Consulting with their sensei was the obvious next step.

She and Naruto headed for the hospital together, eager to begin training for the finals.

Author's note: I've actually had the exact conversation Ino and Sakura have with my own best friend. I've been lucky enough that my type hasn't overlapped with my friend's ever, but there was one time, and the mutual pursuit and support was the conclusion we reached...I thought this Sakura and this Ino would care enough about each other to reach that conclusion as well.

There was more Naruto and more Naruto growth in this chapter since it was finally time for his preliminary. I also shamelessly ship NejiTenten so I added a lot of his thoughts and opinions specifically in regards to her. Since this tracks with Canon, I'll say this now. Naruto's or Sasuke's training archs that are shown in Canon might not be shown here unless Sakura sees them or participates in them directly. That doesn't mean they don't happen, but since this is Sakura-centric, it's going to focus on her training archs (I'm saying this preemptively for the next chapter), The same way the anime and manga focus only on Naruto's training archs, a little on Sasuke's, and none of Sakura's.

I'm sorry this took so long. I was so ready to write the next chapter that I didn't really have the patience or desire to write this one.

Thank you all so much for the favs, follows, and especially the reviews! They really mean a lot to me and are really excellent motivation...I'll do my best to keep this going as long as I can without it becoming boring, so please keep leaving reviews-they make me smile.

Thanks so much for reading this far! :)