The next morning, Team 7 was already awake and ready by the time Kakashi came to pick them up. Hinata was currently sitting on her bed and checking over her healing arm while the other three waited for her.
"How is it?" Kakashi asked as they left the room and made their way down to the main hall.
"It's healing nicely," she replied. "Do you really think we'll be fighting each other?"
He shrugged. "It's not very likely, but I'd like you three to be prepared for anything." As they made it to the assigned room, a large open auditorium with a balcony wrapped along the walls, their sensei turned to them. "Are you ready?"
They looked him dead in the eyes with smirks on their faces. "Yes!"
Kakashi grinned underneath his mask before focusing on Sasuke seriously. "If that mark starts giving you any trouble. Let me know," he warned. "Hokage-sama is already aware of the situation—that you want to wait to seal it—so he will not interfere unless it is clearly bothering you. Do not let it come to that."
Sasuke nodded. "I understand. But I will not fall behind."
"I'm aware," chuckled Kakashi. "Before you three head in, I wanted to tell you that I'm allowing you to take off your weights now." They all looked at him in surprise as they had been wearing them since they began training for Zabuza. Back then, due to the ambush, they had been unable to take them off. Eagerly, they unstrapped the weights and handed them to Kakashi before testing it out.
"Wow, I feel so light!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'm kinda gonna miss them, I'm not gonna lie."
"Maybe we can put them back on after," Hinata suggested.
"And add more weight to them, too," said Sasuke.
"We'll talk about that more later. For now, let's head in and wait for the announcements. Line up as everyone else is." Kakashi stood to the side and let them enter. In the room, all genin were lined up vertically based on their teams. In the end, Team 7 was lined up between Team 8 and Team 3, with Naruto in the front, Hinata in the middle, and Sasuke in the back, as they awaited instructions. When the Hokage came out, everyone straightened up.
The first to speak was Anko, who congratulated them for passing the second phase and voiced her surprise that this many managed to pass. Then, she stepped aside and let Minato take over.
"As Mitarashi-san stated, it was a big surprise to see that so many candidates have passed but judging by the talent everyone here possesses, it is no longer shocking. However, due to the high amount of remaining candidates, we will be holding a preliminary round to cut this group down in half," he explained. "Behind me is a large screen that will display the names of the individuals who will be facing each other in a one-on-one match. Your names will be generated automatically."
He made eye contact with his son who was standing proudly in the front of his team. Looking past him, he saw Hinata with her arm in a splint and bruises and small cuts on her face. Behind her, was Sasuke whom he was most concerned about. When Kakashi told him that Sasuke wished to wait to seal the Curse Mark, he couldn't say he was very surprised. The Uchiha was a very driven person and wasn't going to let anything get in his way, and his teammates would also fight for him.
"From this point forward, any individual can choose to withdraw if they feel they aren't up to it without their entire team suffering any consequences. Is there anyone who wishes to withdraw for any reason?" He asked, fully expecting everyone to stay in. He masked his shock well when one hand went up.
"I'm afraid I'm too injured to continue and it wouldn't be very smart to needlessly injure myself further." Everyone's heads turned back to look at Kabuto. He made it to the tower before they did, even and Team 7 was confused. Especially Hinata as she still had a feeling that Kabuto was much stronger than he was letting on.
Minato nodded. "Very well. You may leave the room but must wait until these matches are over to return to the village with the rest of us." Kabuto bowed deeply and turned and walked away. Hinata watched him go with slightly narrowed eyes until she couldn't see him anymore. She returned her attention to the Hokage where she locked eyes with him. He regarded her for a moment before slightly nodding and moving on.
"Why does it matter if there are too many people?" Naruto asked.
"There will be very important people who will be attending the final stage of the exam, as such it is important that we do not waste any of their time and only hold matches of the very best this exam has to offer. Whoever shall fail during this stage do not meet those requirements and will be encouraged to try again next time the exams are held and their sensei deem them ready," he clarified. "Are there any more questions?"
Silence.
"Good. I will now turn this exam over to the proctor of the final stage, Hayate Gekko." Minato stood back as another young man, who was coughing and had bags underneath his eyes, stood before the crowd of genin.
"I will…be your proctor for these preliminaries…and the final stage," he said, coughing between every few words. Hinata tilted her head in concern and thought about if she had something to help him. She had recently made a salve that one would rub on their chest to help with coughing. It was mostly for people who had trouble taking medication and children who weren't old enough to do so. The vapors released by the ointment would enter their mouth and nose to help relieve coughing and stuffy noses.
"There are no rules for this stage. You will… fight until one of you dies, admits defeat, or is declared… incapable of continuing… As proctor, I will occasionally step in if I see a hopeless match as… I would like to avoid cleaning up multiple bodies. You will… only begin once I've given the go-ahead and you will stop once I call the match. I will not hesitate to take you…down myself if you do not listen. Everyone, make your way up to the balcony and wait your turn."
The teams each either appeared on the balcony, jumped up, or walked casually on top. Knowing it was a way to show how fast each team was if they so desired, Team 7 opted to take the stairs and surprise their opponents rather than intimidate. However, once they made it to the top, the mark on Sasuke felt a pain shoot to his neck, causing him to grunt and press his hand down on it.
From the bottom, Minato watched the action and turned to Anko. "Get me the information on the boy who just dropped out."
"Yes, sir. Will you really continue to keep Sasuke Uchiha in the exam? If he loses control and the mark takes over, everyone here will be in danger," she explained, thinking of her own mark. "It's a painful curse and feeds off of one's chakra, eating away at their body from the inside."
Minato gave her an apologetic look. "I understand how you're feeling, Mitarashi-san, but he must continue to move forward or we will be risking everyone in the entire village. And even if you tried to get him to withdraw or forcibly take him, Sasuke will not go quietly or easily. I know my old student and I can tell you that he will be fine. He has only one goal in mind and he's not going to let the Curse Mark stop him."
Back on the balcony, Hinata was putting a healing hand on Sasuke's mark even though she knew it wasn't going to help. He pushed her hand away.
"I'm fine. Save your chakra," he said. "The pain is…going away now."
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Hinata accepted with a nod, pulling her hand away. Kakashi and the other Jonin joined their teams on the balcony.
"The first match is about to be announced," he said, pointing to the screen that was now running the names.
Yoroi Akado vs Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke smirked and turned to his teammates confidently. "I've got this."
"Remember—"
"I know," he said, cutting Kakashi off. "I got it."
"And don't use your sharingan," Kakashi added, shocking Sasuke. "I know you're becoming aware of how the mark affects you. It's your chakra. I will not hesitate to call off this match if it gets out of control." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi.
"Fine."
"Don't you dare lose, Sasuke," Naruto said. "We still need to have our fight. All of us." He nodded at Hinata who stood between them.
"Yes, he's right," she added. They had only once talked about having a serious free-for-all to see who was truly the strongest, but it was over a year ago that that discussion happened. Still, it lingered in their minds and it drove them to continue bettering themselves.
Smirking at them, he held out his fist and they took turns fist-bumping him. "I'll finish this as quickly as I can, and then I'll be waiting to see you both fight as well." He hopped over the railing of the balcony and landed with barely a sound. His opponent did the same and they both stood across from one another. He looked back up at Hinata and they seemed to have a private conversation before he returned his attention to his foe.
The mark on his neck pulsed and he just barely held back a wince at the pain; however, it seemed his opponent had already noticed and he cursed silently. It was now a known weakness that his enemy could exploit. He was already suffering major handicaps with not being able to use his sharingan or even any of his own jutsu, with his foe aware of something wrong… He knew it was going to be a difficult match.
"If you're ready," Hayate started, "begin!" He coughed as he took a few steps back.
From the balcony, Naruto nearly fell off of it trying to get a good look at Sasuke's opponent. He frowned, a single brow raised. "Hey! How does that dude's glasses stay on his face? Is his nose just big enough or something?" He asked his teammate and sensei, though it echoed off the walls due to his loud voice.
Yoroi grew visibly angry at this and his eyes briefly flicked to Naruto's direction, but it was enough for Sasuke to throw shuriken in his direction. His opponent just barely dodged it, retaliating with his own weapons but Sasuke was already on the run, moving to a different location. Everyone aside from his team and sensei were shocked at the speed Sasuke was displaying, even Rock Lee and Guy. They stood across from one another once again, but this time Yoroi smirked confidently as he made a hand sign Sasuke didn't recognize before his hand was coated in his chakra.
Now, his opponent was coming for him directly and he knew he needed to avoid getting hit with that hand. His other hand didn't seem to hold the same visible chakra and he concluded that was the side he needed to attack. So far, he'd done well in not using any of his chakra. He hadn't even thrown the shuriken with his full strength as he would always put his chakra behind it or put any chakra to his feet to run faster or body flicker. It was a nuisance, but doable especially seeing as his foe was coming right for him and teeming with confidence.
As Yoroi drew closer and pushed his arm out to touch Sasuke with his chakra-coated hand, Sasuke, with a kunai ready, met him head on. However, Sasuke slid between Yoroi's legs, slicing his leg and sliding out the other side with his kunai ready to strike his left side. Yoroi dodged just in time and put distance between them.
From the upper level, his teammates watched him fight without using any charka. Hinata had her eyes activated as she looked at his opponent's hand to understand the mechanisms around it. She couldn't tell what it did, but she knew Sasuke had to stay away from it.
Sasuke launched his kunai toward Yoroi, grunting in pain as the mark flared. His eyes shut as he held his neck, putting pressure on it. It was the only opening needed and he suddenly found himself being pushed down to the ground by his head, Yoroi hovering above him with his chakra-filled hand holding him down.
"Sasuke!" Naruto gasped. Hinata gripped the railing tightly as though it was physically difficult to hold herself back from going to Sasuke's aid. Naruto turned to Hinata. "Do you think it would help if we tell him that Sasuke's already taken?" Again, his voice echoed out and Yoroi growled up at the blonde.
"Shut your damn mouth, you loud brat!" He yelled. Underneath him, Sasuke's strength was slowly being taken away. He could feel his chakra leaving his body through that hand. "You have an annoying teammate."
Despite feeling weak, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk though he cried out in pain just after. "He…is," he panted. "But he's right. I'm…just not into you like that, so get off!" Sasuke raised his leg up and kicked Yoroi away as hard as he could.
Taking Naruto's lead, Hinata glanced closer at Yoroi and tilted her head. "Wait, you're right about his glasses!" She exclaimed. "But it doesn't even seem to have a nosepiece. They're…just lenses, so how do they stay on?"
"Right? It just seems impractical! Stupid, really, because it makes him look silly," Naruto agreed.
Getting to his feet, Yoroi glared up at his opponent's teammates. Kakashi chuckled at their way of helping Sasuke by distracting his opponent. As far as he knew, it wasn't against the rules to talk during the matches as shinobi are supposed to be able to keep their focus on their enemy no matter what distractions there may be around them. After Naruto's first observation, it was clear that Yoroi Akado was not capable of that.
Sasuke's mouth twitched up gratefully as he looked at his teammates and all the other rookies watching over this fight. He was looking bad, he knew this, so he needed to save face or risk making his clan look weak.
"Both of your teammates are really annoying," Yoroi corrected as he turned back to Sasuke only to be met with a kick to the chin, causing him to fly up into the air. Sasuke jumped up, performing the Leaf Shadow Dance. Rock Lee gripped the railing himself, leaning forward as he saw Sasuke using a move he often utilized.
Just as Sasuke was about to make his neck move, the Curse Mark activated and the marks began spreading across his body, covering over half his face. Kakashi and other Jonin prepared to move in.
"Sasuke!" Hinata called out, leaning forward over the railing as well.
Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wanted to bring his brother back, but he didn't want to rely on poison to do so. He wanted to do it purely through his own strength and he wasn't going to let that damned snake tamper with his body anymore. Through sheer willpower, Sasuke pushed against the mark and it began receding until it was no longer bothering him.
Now back in the game, Sasuke hit his opponent in the face with a backhanded fist, sending him back toward the ground. Sasuke followed it up with another punch before finally twisting his body around and kicking Yoroi directly in the stomach just before he made contact with the ground, causing him to be slammed into it harshly and leaving a crack beneath him.
"Lions Barrage!"
Sasuke flipped over and slid to a stop, panting harshly as Hayate checked on his fallen opponent.
"Because his opponent is no longer able to fight, Sasuke Uchiha will be advancing to the finals!" Hayate announced. Sasuke sighed in relief as he fell back onto his bottom. Kakashi was already behind him, holding him up.
"You didn't do too bad, despite using a move that was reminiscent of Guy's," Kakashi said. "You were able to to copy that when Lee used it on you, huh?"
"It really saved my skin, so I have him to thank," Sasuke replied.
"Let's get going now. It's time to go seal that Curse Mark."
Sighing, Sasuke stood up. "Can I at least see who fights next? I really don't want to miss Naruto and Hinata's fights." They walked to the entryway where his teammates were already waiting for him.
"We'll be fine, jerk," Naruto said with a confident smile.
"If neither of us are fighting next, can we go with you, sensei?" Hinata asked worriedly.
Kakashi shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. If you leave this room for any period of time other than a restroom break, you'll be automatically disqualified. Setting up is going to take a while, too. I'll let you know of his condition once it's over, but he'll definitely be on bed rest after it because while it is relatively quick, it is extremely painful."
"I understand." Hinata reached for Sasuke's hand and squeezed it. "I'll be there with you. We both will," she said. Sasuke bit back a pleased smile, only gripping her hand in response before the panel began mixing the names.
Abumi Zaku vs Shino Aburame
Hinata narrowed her eyes at Zaku's name and hoped that Shino's bugs could render him completely useless. He was one of Orochimaru's underlings and they needed to be taken out or incapacitated in any way. Sasuke squeezed her hand and brought her back from her dark thoughts.
"We're going to get going now. You two…you better not lose," he said, looking at them both seriously.
Naruto grinned brightly. "Just go do what you have to," he said. "We got this."
Sasuke nodded and turned and left with Kakashi after one last look at Hinata. She smiled at him and then turned around to Naruto. "Let's go back up," she said.
Naruto put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it. "He'll be fine. He's tough, you know."
"Yes, he is." They made their way back up to their original spots with Guy's team.
"If those chosen… by the board would step… forward, please," Hayate said. Both appeared in the arena. "Good. If you're both ready, begin!" Hinata watched Zaku with a clear look of disgust and anger in her eyes.
From the corner of her eye, she saw their sensei disappear in a cloud of smoke. If they were working under Orochimaru, she knew their sensei had to be as well.
In a room far away from the matches and cloaked with darkness, Kakashi was setting up a large seal around Sasuke with his own blood. Sasuke watched as Kakashi drew characters with his blood on Sasuke's body and stretched out around him on the ground.
"I'm nearly done," Kakashi said. "I was really impressed by your match."
"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled.
"Worried about your teammates or just your fiancée?" He teased.
Sasuke huffed out a laugh. "I'm not worried about either of them. I'm just disappointed I won't be able to see them kick their opponents' ass."
"I suppose you have a point. I'll make you a deal. I'll let you know how it goes."
"Why don't you record it with your sharingan and share it with me later?" Sasuke suggested.
"That is another option."
"Speaking of that…"
Kakashi finished the last of his markings. "Okay, it's time to begin. Are you ready?" He asked, cutting him off.
Sasuke braced himself before nodding, promising to remember to ask Kakashi about his eye. Or at least remember to ask his father about it. "Yes, I'm ready."
Kakashi did a sequence of hand signs—hare, snake, horse, ram, bird, tiger, hare, snake, horse, ram, bird, tiger, hare, snake, horse, ram, bird, dog, and rat—before slamming his hand down on the mark. "Curse Sealing!"
Sasuke screamed out in agony as the seals written in blood slowly began crawling up his body until it eventually compressed into a circle around Orochimaru's Curse Seal. His body shook with pain, but he stayed as still as he could. Once Kakashi pulled his hand away, he fell forward onto his hands, panting harshly as the mark and its seal glowed with a fiery color.
"It's finished. The seal should prevent the Curse Mark from toying with you too much, but it's important to remember that this seal is only as strong as you allow it to be. This seal is driven by your will to not use the Curse Mark. Should your resolve ever weaken or you begin to doubt the seal, the seal will unbind and the Curse Mark will release all its fury upon you," Kakashi explained.
Sasuke couldn't even acknowledge what he said before promptly passing out on the cold floor. Kakashi sighed softly, relieved that Sasuke was okay for the time being.
Zaku was laid out unconscious and separated from one of his arms while the one still attached was heavily injured and useless. From the upper level, Hinata let herself smirk before stomping down that feeling quickly and shaking herself out of it. She didn't want to turn into some maniac who enjoyed seeing her enemies get hurt. She refused.
"The winner of… this match is Shino Aburame!" Hayate announced. Medics came out to gather up Zaku and his severed arm before rushing him to the medical wing and yelling about getting his arm attached.
As Shino walked by them, Hinata put a hand on his forearm, stopping him. Naruto raised a brow and waited to see what she had to say.
They gave each other a long look before Hinata gave a slight nod and a thankful smile. Shino returned the nod and continued walking once she pulled her hand back.
"The next match will now be decided!"
Everyone focused their attention on the screen as it mixed the names.
Tsurugi Misumi vs Kankuro
When both fighters stood facing each other in the ring, Hayate called for them to begin when they were ready.
"You've grown strong, Kakashi," a voice said from the darkness. Immediately, he recognized that voice. The voice of a traitor. "You're even strong enough to seal my Curse Mark, how impressive."
Slowly, Kakashi turned with a widened eye. "I should've known you'd check on him, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru smirked. "You should really consider yourself lucky that I didn't have time to mark that other brat of yours. She's part of the main branch of the Hyuuga, isn't she?"
"So you were going to mark her."
"Of course. I didn't get to see her in action much as Hyuugas aren't typically long-ranged fighters, but she did prevent me from marking Sasuke the first time with an elemental jutsu," he explained. "Anyway, while it was nice seeing you again, my business is with the unconscious boy behind you."
Kakashi grimaced. "That's gross. He's only a child."
"A pervert like you, who goes around reading that filth, would let their mind automatically go there, wouldn't they?" He chuckled.
"What do you want with him?"
Orochimaru regarded him for a moment. "You've acquired a certain gift since the last time we met, haven't you?" Kakashi glared. "It's only fair that I would like the same gift: the priceless Sharingan."
"I see. So you couldn't handle Itachi Uchiha and instead came for his little brother," Kakashi goaded. He knew he wasn't strong enough to take the Sannin, but he wasn't going to let him get his hands on his student.
"Childish taunts like that won't work on me."
"What's your endgame?" Kakashi demanded.
Orochimaru hummed. "You see, Otogakure, that village everyone seems curious about? I created it myself. It's my village. I'm sure you now understand what I'm trying to say."
Kakashi scoffed. "Such ambition. One day, Orochimaru, it is going to be your downfall and I can't wait to see it all blow up in your face."
The sannin chuckled. "You'll probably be dead before that happens, but you're correct about my ambition. See, in order to play, I need pawns. People to do my bidding."
"People who are easy to manipulate, you mean," Kakashi added. "Sasuke doesn't fall into that category. He would never."
"Oh, no, Sasuke is much more important than a simple pawn. He's going to be very useful to me one day. The others in this exam, however…Well, surely, you understand that sacrifices need to be made."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes as Orochimaru took a few steps forward and he quickly got ready to do his chidori. "Take another step closer to Sasuke and I will end you, Legendary Sannin or not!"
Orochimaru seemed briefly taken aback by the chakra Kakashi was holding in his hand before laughing. "You think your silly little seal is going to stop my Curse Mark? Certainly not, it's no use."
"Sasuke is stronger than you give him credit for!"
"On the contrary, it's exactly what I want, Kakashi. Do you really think you'll be able to stop him from his goal? He has only one desire in his head right now, only one single thing on his mind, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it."
"His teammates, and even myself, we'll bring him back ourselves. You underestimate their bond, their love for one another," Kakashi hissed. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt his comrades, just as they would do nothing to hurt him!"
"You think you three will be enough to stop him from seeking the power he needs to bring his precious big brother home?" Orochimaru chuckled.
"If you think you can possibly use that against him, then I question whether you're truly worthy of the title sannin."
Orochimaru turned and began walking away. "He'll come to me eventually, Kakashi, in search of power. I promise to take excellent care of him when he does." He stopped walking. "Unless you're going to make good on your promise and take me out now. Now's your chance." The killing intent he released on Kakashi was nearly paralyzing, his chidori quickly fading away and he was left slightly shaking.
He turned to Sasuke and sighed in relief. "Me and my big mouth," he muttered. He picked up his student and took him to the medical wing.
By the time Kakashi appeared behind his students, Kankuro had been announced the winner and the medics were coming in to retrieve the last of Kabuto's teammates.
"Did I miss anything interesting?" He asked.
Hinata shook her head. "Not really. Although, Shino is very strong and managed to have one of the Oto nin blow off his own arm and severely injure his remaining one."
"I see. That's good then," he said.
"The next fighters will now be chosen," Hayate notified. Everyone's eyes went to the board. And the Rookie 9 were all mostly shocked.
Sakura Haruno vs Hinata Hyuuga
Hinata took a steady breath before turning back to look at Naruto and Kakashi with a smile. "I'll be fine," she said.
Naruto glanced down at her healing arm worriedly. "Are you sure?"
Hinata tilted her head. "Are you doubting me now?" She teased. "Yes. I'm sure I'll be fine. After all, I can't disappoint my own team, sensei included." Kakashi put his hand on her head before letting her go. She calmly walked down the stairs while Sakura jumped down from the balcony. She didn't want to reveal her speed quite yet.
"When you are ready, you may begin!" The proctor declared before stepping back.
Sakura narrowed her eyes at her opponent. "I want you to know something, Hinata-chan. I will prove to myself and everyone here—including Sasuke-kun—that I can be just as good as you, if not better."
Hinata remained quiet, letting her foe speak freely.
"You had everything handed to you. You never had to work hard at anything, and I'm going to show you that hard work trumps a princess with a silver spoon in her mouth!" Sakura shouted.
Naruto's eyes widened. "I had no idea Sakura-chan felt that way about Hinata," he said.
Kakashi hummed. "Love is a powerful emotion. What Sakura feels for Sasuke, it seems she's still holding Hinata's engagement to him against her."
Hinata's eyes turned sad. "I'm sorry you've had to hold these emotions inside, Sakura-chan, but I cannot allow you to talk as though you know anything about me." She activated her byakugan. "I have worked hard to earn any skill I have acquired and I will prove that to you as well."
Sakura tied her headband over her forehead rather than on top of her head as usual. She pulled out a kunai and got ready to defend. "Let's see just what you can do with that broken arm of yours."
Faster than the blink of an eye, Hinata was behind Sakura, kicking her in the back, her leg shooting chakra out of it and into her target, and sending her flying across the floor with a pained yelp.
"Whoa, when did Hinata-chan get so fast?!" Lee exclaimed, looking over at Naruto.
The blonde smirked, a finger at his lips. "It's a secret." Kakashi chuckled fondly before turning his eyes back to the match.
Sakura was getting to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth. "You've gotten a lot faster." Sakura took out weapons and kept her distance from Hinata by preventing her from getting any closer. Hinata blocked every single weapon diligently. She took a few breaths, put up the tiger seal, and began body flickering all over the arena to disorient her opponent. Sakura, having sharp eyes, could read her pattern and got Hinata with a punch to the chest. Hinata grabbed on and spun her around before tossing her against the nearby wall. She charged chakra into her palm to deliver the final blow, but Sakura jumped into gear and maneuvered away.
Sakura was skilled at evading and Hinata was mostly a close-range fighter, so they could keep doing this for hours and that was something Hinata didn't have. Her eyes were beginning to feel the strain from the second phase. While she could fight without her byakugan, her arm would give her an even bigger handicap.
After dodging the next set of weapons, Hinata clutched her arm in pain, closing her eyes tightly as she hissed. Naruto and Kakashi's eyes widened. She said her arm had been fine but it was clear that she had kept the true condition from them, no doubt not wanting to worry them.
"Hinata!" Naruto called out. Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder.
"She'll be fine," he assured him.
"But her arm..!" Naruto bit back whatever else he was going to say and focused on the match.
Sakura smirked. "Fighting with a broken arm was a really stupid move, Hinata-chan."
Hinata looked up at her, still clutching her arm. "This arm was broken when I defended my teammates from enemies while they were down," she explained. She felt bad about these next words, but she needed to taunt her. "What did you do in the forest, Sakura-chan, other than let Lee-san rescue you?"
While she had been eating and half asleep on the side of the river, she had overheard Lee talking about how he rescued Sakura from a group of Ame nin while he and his team had separated in order to scout the area.
Sakura gasped, her eyes turning from amused to hard in a quick second. "How dare you!"
Hinata smiled, tilting her head. "Are you going to take me down now or will you rely on someone else to do that for you as well?"
On the balcony, Naruto looked back at Kakashi, confused. "What the hell is she saying, sensei?"
Kakashi shrugged. "It seems to me that she's trying to goad Sakura into getting closer to her so she can fight her at close range."
"She's gonna feel guilty," Naruto sighed.
"I didn't know Hinata-chan was so manipulative," Lee mumbled. "She definitely has Hyuuga blood in her."
Naruto shook his head. "Don't let that fool you, buddy. Hinata, she's naturally very kind-hearted, you know. This is definitely hurting her to say and I bet she'll be apologizing to Sakura once the match is over."
Lee nodded, looking down at the salve she had made for him and then smiling. "You are right. Hinata-chan is just doing what she needs to."
Back in the arena, Sakura rushed for her. "I work my ass off, Hinata-chan, and you've had all these great teachers to help you!"
Hinata stood there, waiting for her to get closer. "I had wonderful teachers, but even the best teachers cannot teach someone who does not have the potential. The moment you stop coming up with excuses on why you're not as strong as you'd like to be, that's when you will start bettering yourself!"
Sakura let out a yell as she jumped up and grabbed onto Hinata's healing arm tightly. Hinata couldn't get an opening to hit her tenketsu and steeled herself for what needed to be done. Sakura punched and punched and punched on her injured arm and Hinata let it happen, waiting until she had an opening, until her arm eventually broke again. She let out a pained grunt and Sakura was shocked.
There. Using two fingers, Hinata thrust them into the center of Sakura's stomach. Too late, Sakura realized that Hinata had planned for this to happen and even went so far to break her arm again to win this match. Instantly, Sakura flew back, rolling to a stop completely unconscious.
From above, Naruto was seeing Hinata almost in a different light. He saw what she was willing to do to get stronger and move on to the next phase. More than anything, he felt proud. He smiled back up at Kakashi.
"She's crazy, huh?" Kakashi chuckled.
Nodding, Naruto laughed. "I can't believe she was willing to do that!"
"I would expect nothing less from any of you," Kakashi said.
Hayate walked over to Sakura before stepping back, closer to Hinata and raising his hand. "Hinata Hyuuga will be advancing to the finals!" Naruto cheered loudly. Panting through the pain, Hinata took a container out of her pouch and held it up to the proctor. "Can I help you with something?" He asked with a raised brow.
She handed him the salve. "This should help with your cough," she panted. Behind her, the medics were putting Sakura on a stretcher. "Just rub some on your chest and under your nose." He took the container with raised brows and awkwardly thanked her. Hinata bowed politely and put a glowing hand on her broken arm as she turned away.
From the sidelines, Minato smiled proudly at the turnout of two of his old students' matches, though he had been surprised that Hinata had gone so far. He couldn't wait to see what his son had to give.
Kakashi and Naruto met her at the bottom of the steps.
"Hinata, you were awesome!" Naruto said.
Hinata grinned. "I actually feel bad that I had to say such harsh things to Sakura-chan, but…"
"You believe those words would also help her, right?" Kakashi said. She nodded. "It was difficult, but something she needed to hear. You did well. You should go to the medical wing and get that arm fixed up again."
"I will. I will try to be back before Naruto's match, whenever it is," she said.
"I'll let you know." Naruto patted her shoulder and they watched her go. With a longing sigh, Naruto tore his eyes away from her, causing Kakashi to raise a brow. "What's with that sigh?"
Avoiding eye contact, Naruto shrugged. "Well, when I thought I was going to die in that forest after I was swallowed by one of Orochimaru's giant snakes, I decided that I was gonna tell Hinata that I loved her."
Kakashi's eye widened at this. "...Really?" Naruto nodded. "What about Sasuke?"
"I'm gonna get his permission to tell her, but I have no plans to steal her away or cause trouble, you know. I just…don't want to go any longer without telling her how I feel, because we can die at any time."
Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed. "That's true. You're really growing up, Naruto. I'm proud of you." The genin smiled up at him before they returned to their spots on the upper level.
After putting some of that salve on the recommended areas, Hayate raised his hand, feeling much more clear. "The next fighters will now be chosen!"
Tenten vs Temari
The two kunoichi made their way to the area.
Hinata, turning into the medical wing, came across Kabuto sitting in one of the waiting chairs. When he noticed her, he smiled at her warmly but she still felt uneasy about him. Pushing that aside, she returned it.
"Hurt?" He asked, nodding to her arm.
"Ah, yes. It got broken again," she said, smiling sheepishly. "Are you here for your teammates or are you still waiting to be seen?"
He shook his head. "I'm here for my teammates. They're both just resting for now so I thought I'd wait out here. I've been meaning to ask, Hyuuga-san, where did you learn medical ninjutsu?"
"I learned from one of my sensei who was taught under Tsunade-sama," she explained.
"Oh, I see. That's very impressive. You're talented, but as a Hyuuga, your chakra control is already expert-level by a young age."
She bowed her head politely. "You're very kind, Yakushi-san."
He waved her off. "No need to be so formal," he assured her. "It'd be nice if we could all be friends, you know? Well, I guess that would be more difficult since I have failed the exam once again. Maybe on the eighth try!" He laughed.
"I believe you can do it," she smiled. "I'm sorry, but I must go in to see a doctor now."
"Oh, right! I'm sorry for keeping you." He said. She said goodbye and began walking away. "I'll see you around…Hinata-chan." Hinata continued walking, but the tone in his voice when he said that made her skin want to crawl. There was definitely something about him that she was right to be uneasy about. She just had no idea what it was.
Getting her arm broken back into place a second time within twenty-four hours was excruciating, but after it was rewrapped and she was given a warning to be more careful, she was let go. She made her way to Sakura's room where she was still lying unconscious. She activated her byakugan and slowly unblocked her tenketsu. It took an exceptional amount of of chakra control and she was slightly sweating by the time it was finished.
Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes and looked up to see Hinata. "You won, didn't you?"
Hinata nodded. "I was announced the winner. I came here to apologize for the harsh things I said during our fight."
With a sigh, Sakura turned her head away and looked at the sky out the open window. "You were right about everything you said. I just…wait to be rescued and I definitely don't train as hard as I should. I don't train with my team outside of us training with Kurenai-sensei."
Hinata listened quietly, knowing that Sakura needed to get these emotions out.
"If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry for the things I said to you. I don't know anything about how hard you train, but I've seen the results and I know that that didn't come easy. I was just… jealous of how strong you've become, Hinata-chan."
"I'm not angry with you. I understand that certain things have been difficult since we graduated, but I still consider you a friend of mine and I hope you'll do the same," she said.
Sakura smiled up at her. "Of course. Do you have any advice to give me when it comes to training?"
"Pick a goal and let nothing stop you," she told her. "And train with your teammates more. Shino-kun and Kiba-kun need to be able to trust you with their lives as you trust them with yours. A team needs to be well-balanced in order for it to work properly. It may take some time, but I have faith that you three will be excellent."
"Thank you, Hinata-chan. My teammates specialize in tracking, so I want to do something that will make our team known as the best tracking team in ninja history."
Smiling proudly, Hinata encouraged her. "Yes, I think that would be perfect! You should talk to them about it so they can give you some pointers on what they need that would complete their team."
"I'll do that." Then Sakura looked down at her arm. "Is your arm okay, by the way?"
"Yes, it's fine now. I just got it broken back into place."
Sakura huffed out a laugh. "I still can't believe you did that in order to get a shot at me."
Hinata giggled. "You were really keeping your distance, so I had to come up with something. You've always been very clever, Sakura-chan. I wasn't going to not take you seriously."
Her friend blushed. "You really…considered me a threat? But—but you're so strong!"
"I mean, if my arm hadn't been broken and my byakugan strained due to the last phase of the test, I would have still taken you seriously. Sometimes, strength does not matter…especially if your opponent is as smart as someone like you," Hinata explained. "The moment you get too confident and think you're going to be better than all the people you encounter, that is the moment you begin your road to inevitable defeat."
Sakura's eyes widened. "You're so wise," she gasped in awe.
"Hokage-sama and Kushina-sensei are very knowledgeable and have passed their lessons onto us. I've been very blessed to have wonderful teachers."
Sakura nodded. "I'm glad you three got that. Listen, Hinata…About Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry for overstepping any boundaries," she said sincerely.
Hinata shook her head, smiling gently at her. "It isn't my place to tell you how to deal with losing someone you feel so strongly about. I am also not offended. Sasuke, though he is to be my husband, is my best friend first."
"What if…he ever falls in love with a different person? What would you do?" Sakura asked curiously.
Hinata thought for a moment. "I will continue to be loyal to him, but I suppose I'd allow him to do as he liked so long as he was honest with me. I'm not entirely sure. However, I don't believe I ever have to worry about that because Sasuke is as loyal as I am."
Sakura smiled. "Yeah. I don't think Sasuke-kun would ever do that either."
Hinata blushed. "About what I said about Lee-san, please know that I did not mean that. I'm very relieved he was there to aid you."
Sakura's eyes lit up as she smiled. "You should've seen him, Hinata-chan! He's so strong and powerful," she said with a soft sigh.
Hinata nodded. "He is a very strong person, but also strong at heart."
"You know he immediately confessed to me when we first met?"
"I was told about that," she giggled, deciding not to tell Sakura that she had the same experience. "How did you feel about it?"
Sakura shrugged. "Well, I denied him because he was just too intense and kinda weird looking with that bowl cut and green jumpsuit, but after seeing him defend me so seriously…I can't help but see him in a different light, you know?"
"I understand. I think he would be very lucky to have someone like you think of him in such a way. You're very pretty, talented, and smart, Sakura-chan. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to."
"You're so sweet," Sakura replied with a blush. "I think, with everything that's happened, I should finally let go of Sasuke-kun and begin moving on and I think I'd like to give Lee a chance," she admitted.
Hinata took hold of her hand and squeezed. "Do you like him, even just a bit?"
Squeezing her hand back, she nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm starting to."
"Then I believe you should go for it! I will support you all the way," she said. Had Sakura explained that she didn't like Rock Lee, she would have suggested that she give it a bit more time as she didn't want someone like Lee to be used in order for her to move on from Sasuke. She was relieved to see that Sakura was developing genuine romantic feelings for the taijutsu specialist.
"Thank you, Hinata-chan. For fighting me seriously and for talking with me."
"Of course. Maybe we can grab some food sometime, too," Hinata said. "I love my teammates, but I desperately want to have more girl friends. It's…very tough with how hostile quite a few of them are to me since my engagement was announced."
"Yeah, me and Ino saw that. We don't hang around with those girls anymore."
"Do you think Ino-chan would like to come, too?"
Sakura nodded. "I think she'd like that. We'll get together sometime after the chunin exam," she said. "We'll plan it out there. Maybe we could even have a sleepover!"
Hinata grew a bit giddy at this suggestion. She'd never been allowed to sleep over at anyone's house before growing up, but maybe her father would change his mind this time around. "I-I'd love that!"
Sakura smiled brightly at her.
Suddenly, Kakashi was walking into the room. "There you are. Naruto's about to fight."
Hinata jumped to her feet. "Oh!" She turned to Sakura. "Get some more rest, Sakura-chan. I'll see you again soon."
"Wish Naruto luck for me!" Sakura called out as she left the room.
"I knew you'd be talking with her. You felt bad, huh?" Kakashi asked as they rushed back to the arena.
"Yes. I said some harsh things and I didn't like how it felt coming out of my mouth," she admitted. "Those words…tasted awful."
"I haven't heard it put quite that way before," Kakashi chuckled. "But it makes perfect sense."
"You didn't see Kabuto Yakushi-san on your way here?" She asked when she noticed they hadn't passed him.
"That kid that withdrew, right?" She nodded. "No, I didn't see him. Why?"
"I just…get a bad feeling from him, is all. He makes me uncomfortable," she explained. "I don't trust him, so I've been keeping my guard up since we met him in the first stage."
"I see. Can you pinpoint why?" Kakashi asked.
"I don't think he's only just a genin. When he first approached us, I didn't sense him at all. It was almost as if you had come up behind me. I just know that he's really skilled and the fact that he's taken these exams seven times and not passed is concerning. I fear he's…up to something."
Hinata seemed really troubled with this Kabuto kid, Kakashi thought. Her senses weren't all-powerful, but she could still sense quite a bit more for her age and he wasn't going to push it aside.
"I'll keep an eye on him as well. Don't worry," he assured her.
"Thank you, sensei. Who is Naruto going against?" She asked.
"Kiba Inuzuka."
"That will be a good match. Whose matches did I miss?"
"Tenten versus that girl Temari from Suna. Temari won. Then there was Shikamaru versus that girl from Oto," Kakashi replied. Hinata stopped dead in her tracks. "What is it?"
"He won, right?" She asked.
"He did, yes."
She continued walking at that. "Good. I hope…it was painful for her."
Kakashi raised a brow at her unusual behavior toward the Otogakure shinobi. He understood she fought them and got severely injured, but she didn't know the specifics. "I'm surprised to hear you say that."
"They tried to hurt Sasuke and Naruto while they were injured and down. Not only that, but they follow Orochimaru…and I cannot forgive something such as that, especially after going against him. There's also that mark on Sasuke, and then there's Dan—" Hinata cut herself off as she realized what she was saying and who she was saying it to.
"Then there's what?" Kakashi prodded.
"Then…there's his obsession with Sasuke and his doujutsu, no doubt," she half-lied. "He could've come after me, too. He was going to but I got lucky, and Sasuke didn't." More than anything, she felt helpless and guilty for not suffering right alongside her best friend all because Orochimaru didn't have enough time to make it happen.
"Hinata, there's was nothing you could've done," Kakashi tried.
"I know," she replied. "And that's what bothers me. I'm going to continue getting stronger and eventually see to it that he's taken down."
Kakashi regarded the girl walking just a bit in front of him and almost smiled. No, I think she'll make a fine ninja yet.
we hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! originally, the prelims weren't going to be split, but since the word count came out to nearly 15k words, we thought it would be best to make it two chapters. let us know what you think of the fights! thank so much for everyone's reviews, follows, and favorites. they mean the world to us and motivate us to work even faster
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 11/25/23