𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕞 𝟟; 𝔻𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕤 𝕎𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕠𝕟𝕤

Cԋαρƚҽɾ Tɯҽɳƚყ-Tԋɾҽҽ - Yσυ'ɾҽ Oƙαყ

"I have been fighting since I was a child. I am not a survivor, I am a warrior."

- Anonymous

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Ino was battling in the arena.

No, she wasn't doing it for the tournament. She had won her tournament round, well, if it counted that Shikamaru forfeited because he was too lazy to finish the match off.

She was fighting for her life. Fighting for Konoha.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind-Body Switch Jutsu)!" Ino called out, before collapsing into Shikamaru's arms and reawakening in a random Oto-nin's body. Knocking out a couple of enemies, Ino then returned to her body, before using her taijutsu skills to take down two more enemies.

"Good job," Kakashi Hatake says with a thumbs up while dealing with five Suna shinobi. "I need you to go check up on my team. I've sent them on an A-rank-"

Kakashi broke off as he dodged a water attack. He activated the lightning Jutsu that Sasuke had used earlier in the match against Gaara, the sound of the birds almost promising death. Kakashi then killed three Oto-nin who had stood in a line, before yanking back his bloody hand.

"Sorry," Kakashi turned back to Team 10. "Right. I need you to go check up on my team. Well, just Sakura and Sasuke."

"What about Naruto?" Choji asked, punching a Suna shinobi in the face.

Kakashi pointed to a huge thing in the distance. "Can't you see that obnoxious orange thing on top of Gamabunta? Yeah, that's Naruto."

Ino's eyes almost bulged out at the huge gust of wind that came from the gigantic toad. That couldn't have been Naruto, right? Naruto's a baka, not someone who can do that...

"Go!" Kakashi urged, before running forwards and clearing Team 10 a path. "Hurry it up!"

The three of them ran into the forest, following whatever dog they were supposed to be following. It was a huge black dog by the name of Bull, and he was one of Kakashi's summons.

"I wonder why Kakashi-sensei asked for us." Choji mused.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Maybe because we were closest?"

"True," Bull said. "But I also think it's because you're genin and young. Probably doesn't want you guys to see so many people getting killed."

"Is that...Sakura-chan?" Shikamaru pointed to a pink thing in the distance, and as they got closer, they realised that it actually was Sakura.

Ino's eyes widened. "Oh my Kami!" 

Sakura looked horrible. Sure the two girls were rivals, but Ino couldn't help but feel terrible by just looked at the pink-haired girl. Sakura's long pink hair was cut unevenly to her shoulders, there were injuries everywhere on her body, her face was deathly pale, and there was blood everywhere.

"I think Sakura-chan killed all of them," Shikamaru said coolly, bending down to get the pulse of all of the shinobi.

Choji choked. "All of them? There are nine!"

"Five of them are impaled," Bull pointed out calmly to a field of deathly sharp spikes with bodies littered on them, "and four of them don't look like they have injuries, except for the two there who got stabbed in the chest. Pinkie had really bloody hands."

Shikamaru nodded along to what the dog said. This dog was smart, maybe they'd get along. "None of them are alive, either."

Ino paled. Sakura was strong. Definitely. Ino knew that ever since the Haruno's fight against Temari in the preliminary round. But strong enough to take down nine Sound ninjas? That was different.