"This is bad. Very, very bad."
Naruto looked at Kiba, whose hands were gripping the rail with such strength that it might rip the metal pipe off, and faked innocence.
"What's wrong Kiba? I know Neji is powerful, but it can't be that bad, can it?"
"You don't understand, Naruto," Kiba shook his head; his knuckle had become white from squeezing the rail too hard. "I've only met that Neji guy once before, but I could literally see the hostility he had towards Hinata. And here, when we arrived at the tower, his team was here first, and it happened again. It's not normal hostility; it's killing intent. It's just like... he wanted to murder her. And now he has the chance."
"You're kidding," Sakura asked in disbelief. "They're siblings, right? Why would Neji want to kill Hinata?"
"Actually, they're not siblings," Kakashi explained. "They are both members of the Hyuuga clan, but Hinata is a member of the Main House, and Neji is in the Branch House. Many things have happened between the two Houses for years, and they do not get along very well."
"But that doesn't make sense!" Ino protested. "Even if they have some disputes, it cannot be so bad that they want to kill each other... right?"
She faltered when seeing the face of the jonin.
"I don't know much about this but," Lee said, "in order to protect the bloodline of the Hyuuga Clan, the Main House has established rules which clearly put the Branch House into disadvantages. The Branch House is always inferior, and because of that they all bear grudges on the Main House. I think that's why Neji-san hates Hinata-san so much."
"That's right," Kurenai agreed. "And I think that put Hinata in an extreme disadvantage now. She obviously doesn't want to hurt Neji, while he won't hesitate to take her down with everything he has."
Everyone looked at the arena, where the two Hyuuga were facing each other, with worried eyes.
"Before we fight, I want to say something. You will never make a good shinobi, so forfeit now before you're hurt."
Neji looked at Hinata with a glare full of hatred and loatheness.
"You are too kind. You always wish to avoid fighting, and you have no confidence in yourself. You are a spoiled brat of the Main House, and you forced yourself to enter this exam, thinking that if you can help your team pass the exam, you can change yourself. But you will not be able to do it. People cannot change themselves. In this world, there are geniuses, and there are failures. Failures will always be failures; their personality and strength will not change. Just like..."
"Please stop it, Neji-nii-san."
Neji's rant was cut off abruptedly. Hinata's words were said with such a confidence and power that even Neji himself was startled.
"It is true I don't like fighting, and I don't want to hurt people. But that doesn't mean I cannot change myself. There is someone... he used to be the dead last, the joke of the class, the one who always got laughed at by everyone... But he has never thought of giving up. He always believes that even a failure like him can someday become better, and he never stops pushing himself to the limit... He is the one who taught me that running away will not help solving any problem. If he can change himself, there is no way I cannot!"
"You don't get it at all..." Neji shook his head. "Destiny cannot be changed. You're destined to be a failure of the Hyuuga Clan, just like I'm to be a Branch member. It cannot be changed. It can never be changed. Just like how my father died because of the Main House."
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped. Everyone could see Hinata cringing when the words "my father" were said out loud.
"Very well," Neji said, lowering his stance. At the corner of his eyes, veins bulged up, signaling the activation of the Byakugan. "If you insist, I will show you the different between a genius and a failure."
Hinata's lips trembled, but then her eyes steeled up, and she also lowered her stance, Byakugan activated.
"And I will show you that even destiny can be changed! Neji-nii-san, let's go!"
And the two combatants charged.
"Naruto, you really did rub it off on her, didn't you?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto.
Our protagonist blushed. "Why do you think it's me she's talking about?"
Sasuke just rolled his eyes.
"Still," Ino said, "I'm so surprised about her. Who could have known that our quiet and sweet Hinata can be this strong? She is going toe to toe with that Neji guy!"
True, Hinata was, right now, doing an incredible job fending off Neji's relentless assault. Even though her attacks on Neji were not very effective, the Hyuuga boy also couldn't land a clean hit on her.
"You don't know what that girl can do," Kurenai shook her head. "Since we arrived home from the mission in Waves, Hinata has completely changed. She is no more the shy and cowardly girl who doesn't know anything but running. For her to become like this... it's all thanks to you, Naruto," she gave the blond boy a smile.
Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.
Still, Kurenai thought, even with all the changes she has made, Hinata still has a fatal weakness. Will she be able to finish the match before Neji can figure it out...?
Some people might think that a fight between two people using the same fighting style is boring, as everything the combatants launch at each other will be the same, and the match will last very, very long without a clear winner.
Well, it definitely isn't the case with this match. It's long, alright, but it is no way boring.
Left arm. Right shoulder. Head. Stomach. Spleen. Right arm. Left thigh.
Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked.
Neji was frustrated. Not only that, surprised too.
He didn't expect someone like Hinata could fend off his attacks like this. Hinata, the weakest member of the Hyuuga Clan as far as he knows, the one who is considered the failure of the clan, was blocking all of his strikes. Not only that, she was fighting back.
Worse, what she was using to fight him was not Gentle Fist.
To be exact, it is Gentle Fist, but at the same time, it isn't. All the basic elements of the Gentle Fist were there: the all-seeing ability of the Byakugan, the application of chakra into the strikes to attack the inner organs. But the stance, the movement... they're all different. The stance of the usual Gentle Fist Neji, as well as all members of the Hyuuga Clan, uses, was firm and rigid, aiming mainly on attacking and finishing people quickly with lethal piercing strikes to the inner organs and the tenketsu.
The stance Hinata was using right now... it wasn't the normal Gentle Fist stance. It wasn't even battle stance. Her movement was so flexible it felt like the flow of a river. It's just like... she's dancing across the rain of palms aiming at her.
And somehow, it managed to deflect most of the strikes.
He wanted to use the Eight Trigrams, but whenever he made some distance to go into the stance, Hinata would close in immediately and effectively negated his intending attacks with her own flurry of strikes.
It's just like the perfect counter to the normal Gentle Fist...!
However, it doesn't mean the style has no weakness.
After another unsuccessful barrage of strikes from Neji, the two Hyuuga separated, and Neji jumped back a few steps.
"You managed to defend against my attacks so far," he sneered. "But will you be able to keep up with me any longer?"
Hinata was now trembling and breathing heavily.
Sure, her new Gentle Fist stance is innovative and effective, but it is in no way perfect. It was a style Hinata and Kurenai thought of just a month ago, and all the practice she had was only in that month. There are a lot of redundant movements, and since Kurenai weren't a taijutsu specialist, she couldn't fix all of them for Hinata. Thus, when she and Neji traded blows, some of the strikes still managed to hit her, though not fatal.
And...
"You cannot hide it from my eyes. Your stamina has reached its limit. And I have landed hits on you. With that exhausted body, how much longer can you hold it?" Neji smirked while glaring at the trembling Hinata.
Hinata winced. The hits of Neji, while not fatal, couldn't be said to not cause any harm. She could already feel some parts in her body becoming numb. Her chakra was not completely blocked, but its sensation was getting weaker inside her body.
Not yet. I still have one more trump card left...
"One more time, I'll ask you Hinata-sama," Neji said again with the same threatening tone. "Forfeit now; or I won't take any responsibility for what's going to happen."
"N... no..." Hinata choked out between heavy breathes. "If I give up now... then all I said before will be meaningless... I won't go back on my words... because... that is also my ninja way..."
Neji scowled. "You stubborn... You can barely stand, I can see that. No matter how hard you trained, you can never defeat me. People cannot change; that's destiny. Why pushing yourself like that, to make yourself suffer?"
"I... am not suffering..."
Neji's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"It is not me... who's suffering right now..." Hinata repeated weakly. "Neji-nii-san, you are the one who is always torturing yourself within the destiny of the Branch House... I don't want to see you like that... I want to save you from that fate... so..."
Veins bulged up even more around Neji's eyes, and his face suddenly twisted into an expression of fury. Without another word, he charged at Hinata full speed, his hand aimed directly at her heart.
This is it... This is the time...
"Gentle Step Protection..."
What...?
In front of him, Hinata's arms started moving. Not lashing out at him to attack. Not moving aside to swat away his strikes.
No, she was waving her arms wildly around her body.
What the hell...?
Neji's instinct was screaming at him to stop the charge, but he was too close to Hinata now; he couldn't stop...
"... Eight Trigrams: Thirty-two Palms."
And Neji felt himself slammed into an invisible wall of force in front of him. Pain wracked through his body; he was thrown away a few feet, his body crashed into the ground with a loud 'thud'.
"What... what is that technique...? It is not... Gentle Fist..." He grunted out in pain, while trying to push himself up from the ground.
"It is... Gentle Fist, Neji-nii-san..." answered Hinata, who was now standing over him. She was still breathing heavily, but she was not trembling anymore. "But... this is what I created... based on the Eight Trigrams. It is not... a technique... created to harm people... It is... a technique created to... protect...," she added between breaths. "I created it... not only to protect my friends... but also to save you... from the darkness of vengeance..."
She reached out one of her hand to him with a slight smile. "This match is over... Please forfeit, I don't want to hurt you any more..."
For the first time in his life, Neji Hyuuga, the genius of the Hyuuga Clan, was made sprawling on the ground defeated, by Hinata Hyuuga, the failure of the clan, no less...
And she was showing him pity.
"And what will you do if I don't?" he snarled darkly. His voice was very small, to the level of a whisper which no one could hear, but enough for Hinata, who was the one standing closest to him, to be able to hear every word. "Kill me? Just like you already did to my father?"
Those words of Neji had an effect of a hammer strike. Hinata did a double-take; her hand reaching out was retracted abruptly. She stumbled back a few steps and stammered, her eyes glancing around hysterically.
"No... that's not true... I didn't..."
The opening she let out was exactly what Neji needed.
"Hinata-chan! Watch out!"
Naruto's yell snapped Hinata out of her stupor, but it was too late. Neji's two palms already drilled into her stomach. The poor girl gasped out; pain wracked through her liver, as if there were thousands of needles stabbed into it at the same time. Or more exactly, like a drill pierced without any hesitation into them.
But Neji didn't even have the intention to stop. Jabs after jabs were launched at where the vital organs of her body lied, each of which was packed with enough power to destroy said organs. That was not the Eight Trigrams; the techniques were invented with the purpose of disabling the enemy. What Neji was doing right now was just brutal, mindless jabs launched in vengeance with the aim of murdering...
Hinata screamed and stumbled back; her body felt like it was shattering, everything she could feel was pain. Blood spewed out from her mouth; she was going to die...
The last jab was launched at where Hinata's heart was. It was too fast, and she couldn't even move her body to dodge it...
Then Neji's hand stopped abruptly right before it touched Hinata's chest.
More exactly, it was stopped. All the jonin had jumped down and grabbed Neji before the final strike could land on Hinata. Kakashi was holding his stretching arm. Asuma was grasping his neck in a rear choke. Kurenai was crouching on the ground, holding his other arm back. And Gai was standing in front of him, gripping his wrist with one hand; his face was full of disappointment and disbelief.
"Special treatment for the Main House again..." Neji scowled in disdain, and disappointment. Gai glared at him with a stern eye.
"That's enough, Neji. Didn't I tell you not to lose your head over this matter?"
Neji snorted, but he didn't say anything else. He turned to Hayate, who was standing at the side dumbfounded. "So what now, referee? Declare the winner already. She cannot even stand up now."
The chuunin shook his head to snap his brain out of its stupor. "Er... right. Winner Neji Hyuuga!"
On the ground, Hinata puked out another puddle of blood.
"Medic! By Kami, come here fast!" Kurenai screamed, and three medical ninja flickered into the arena. One of them put his glowing hand on Hinata's body, scanning it quickly until stopping at her stomach. Then he lifted his head up and yelled to his partners.
"Left lung was punctured! Half of the liver was crushed and unable to work properly! Internal bleeding at extreme level! The patience is losing consciousness! Prepare the emergency procedures immediately!"
Everyone, except Neji, paled. Even without medical knowledge, they could know that with such fatal injuries, a normal person would have died in five minutes. The fact that Hinata could hold out until now was a miracle. But even with that miracle, she would not last much longer...!
"Damn it! It's not working; her heartbeat is going erratic! Her life force is fading away!"
Naruto's brain froze. Hinata was going to die, again... And he's here, once again, helpless...
'I can help, onii-chan.'
The voice of Saikyo inside his head startled him.
'Huh? Saikyo-chan? How...'
Then he remembered. Saikyo has the power over life energy. If he can use her power on Hinata... she might be saved...
But with the mind state of Saikyo right now... will it be able to work...?
No, there is no time to doubt. This is the time; he has to trust with all his hope in his instinct, and in Saikyo-chan...!
"Excuse me! Let me go through!"
Naruto immediately forced his way through the group of medic-nin. One of them noticed him and yelled.
"This is not the time genin! You got no job over here!"
But the man faltered when Kakashi's hand suddenly squeezed his shoulder, more forcefully than he'd ever felt before. He gulped, and allowed the boy to go through.
Naruto sighed in relief, and pushed through the crowd, putting his hands on Hinata's chest.
A warm, lively stream of chakra started flowing from Naruto's hand into Hinata's body. But instead of vivid red, it's green now like a normal medical jutsu, albeit with a very slight tint of brown. Hinata's body cringed up slightly, but then quickly relaxed. Her breathing started returning to normal, and her complexion slowly got its color back.
"Incredible..." another of the medic team muttered. "Her condition was stabilized! It's just like a miracle!"
"That level of medical jutsu... It might rival even Tsunade-sama!"
"Just what kind of genin is Kakashi training?"
Yeah, the Medic Corps of Konohagakure are full of idiots. They cannot even distinguish a normal medical jutsu for something completely different. Tsunade would have thrown a fit if she'd seen what happened to the division she had established and trained by herself after she'd left the village.
It's Naruto's luck, though.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Kakashi said loudly. "That girl is still in a critical condition! Take her for intensive care unless you want her to die!"
"Ah... right..." Realizing their mistake, the medic team hastily put Hinata on a stretcher and took her away. After everyone had returned to their places, Kakashi whispered to Naruto.
"Close shave, Naruto."
"Yeah," Naruto murmured back. "Thank you Kakashi-sensei". 'And thank you too, Saikyo-chan! You're the best!'
Naruto couldn't see it, but he could swear that he felt something on Saikyo's face that he'd never seen before. A big, hearty smile.
"Now Naruto is a medic now?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "When did you learn them, Naruto? If Sakura becomes one, it's understandable, but you?"
"Well, it's a secret!" Naruto answered, while giving his teammates a meaningful wink. The two immediately understood what he wanted to say, and stopped their questioning right before it came out of their mouths.
"Still," Sakura said, "I can't believe they still let Neji win. That last move was low. Hinata didn't even have the intention to fight him any more!"
Kakashi shook his head. "Sakura, I understand what you want to say, but Neji was still the winner. He didn't break any rule; what he did was just what normal shinobi would do: exploiting the enemy's weakness to win. That's the thing you'll always see in the shinobi world."
Naruto couldn't hold his anger. "So Hinata-chan deserves to be like that?"
Kakashi didn't lose his calmness. He looked into Naruto's eyes and answered him with a serious tone. "I didn't say that, and you will never hear me saying that, Naruto. It is just a warning for you, and I mean all of you: you can be as high-minded as you like, but your enemies will not. On the battlefield, they will do anything they can to kill you at all cost. So if you naively believe that your enemy will stop fighting after you spare his life, he will stab you in the back right after you turn around."
Before anyone could respond to this ominous pronouncement, the screen had already flashed again, revealing the name of the next fighters.
Haku Momochi vs. Choji Akimichi
"Expansion Jutsu! Human Bullet Tank!"
Choji puffed himself up, retracted into his body, and rolled towards Haku like a boulder. His moving speed was quite fast.
Haku sidestepped his attack, then made quick hand signs. Immediately, the ground was frozen, as if the arena had become an iceskating field. Coincidentally, that also boosted the speed of the human boulder on the field further, making it even more deadly.
"I don't get it sensei," Chojuro asked, confused. "Why does Haku-san decide to empower her opponent like that? Doesn't increasing the speed of that jutsu make it even more dangerous?"
"Well, actually," Zabuza chuckled, "everything has its strength and weakness. This jutsu of the Akimichi boy has power and speed, I admit, but I think the problem with it is..."
The human tank rampaged towards Haku again in the speed of a cannonball. Haku frantically scrambled away from the way of the rampaging ball of meat right before it flattened her. The ball spun around, turning to chase after the girl...
...and flew across the room, slamming into the opposite wall, drilling a rather big hole on it while still spinning.
"...he cannot brake and turn while rolling on slippery surfaces. Yeah, like that," Zabuza finished.
Immediately, ice started creeping up the huge body, covering it in a cage of frozen water.
Five minutes later, Choji was released from his icicle prison. He collapsed on the ground, shrunk back to normal size, and shivered nonstop on the ground. His face was pale due to the cold, and his eyes had become two anime swirls.
"C-c-c-cold... B-b-b-b-barbecue..."
"Even during battle, the only thing he's ever thought about is barbecue..." Asuma sighed. "Well, I'd better just go and prepare the money first..."
"Winner, Haku Momochi!"
Temari vs. Shino Aburame
The two combatants stood facing each other in the arena, their eyes meeting... Well, only Temari's met Shino's, considering he's wearing a really thick and dark pair of sunglasses.
Finally, Shino decided to start his own assault with a wave of bugs towards Temari. Temari answered by swinging her fan, sending a tornado back at the Aburame boy. All the bugs Shino sent out were eradicated. Not blown away though; they were all cut to shred by the sharpened chakra of the Wind Scythe Jutsu.
"I've known all about you Aburame," the Sand kunoichi said in a haughty voice. "You fight using the colony of bugs implanted into your body since birth. You can use a variety of jutsu with them, such as draining your opponent's chakra, or poisoning them. So if I want to defeat you, I just need to keep those bugs away from me!"
Then she swung her fan again at her back, destroying the hidden wave of bugs Shino sent silently to ambush her from behind.
"Well, that's that. How much longer will you be able to keep up with me, Aburame?"
Shino grimaced under his collar. Half of his hive was destroyed in the two first attacks without any result. And if he continued to send out bugs, the Sunagakure kunoichi would just destroy them with her fan and wind jutsu. It's not like he could send them out without being seen again anyway; that girl had been tracking down all his movement after the first attack.
"I forfeit. It's not worth risking the lives of my entire hive for this."
Kiba blinked. "That's it? He just gives up like that? That is not even fighting!"
Kurenai shook her head. "Well, that girl is, like, his natural enemy. Shino has nothing in his arsenal against something like that. And he is the one who uses his head in battle... not rushing into it head first like you, Kiba."
The Inuzuka scowled unhappily.
"Winner, Temari!"
Kankuro vs. Tenten
"Twin Rising Dragon!"
The six arms of Karasu, Kankuro's puppet, turned into six large shields, blocking the barrage of weapons from skewering the Sand puppeteer.
"Hah! Now you're out of weapon! You lost now!" Kankuro smirked when the weapon tornado had finally died down.
But he didn't notice the evil glint in Tenten's eyes.
With a quick movement, she lifted her arms and pulled hard. Ninja wires suddenly surrounded Kankuro in a steel labyrinth, tying the puppeteer up like a rat.
Worse, the weapons from before were now aiming straight at him from all directions. Including scythes, axes, and even huge bombs.
Where the hell did those last things come from, though?
"So Kankuro-san..." This time, the smirk was on the weapon mistress's face, "do you have enough shields?"
Kankuro wisely forfeited before those weapons turned him into a steel porcupine, or a mess of flesh and bones.
"Naruto, you're not gonna like this."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sasuke's worried? Now that's new. "What's wrong Sasuke?"
To answer him, the Uchiha pointed at the screen. Naruto followed his finger, and his blood froze.
Karin Uzumaki vs. Gaara. That's what the screen said.
"Uzumaki? So she's like, you know, your sibling or something like that, right?" Sakura asked, but Naruto didn't answer. Or rather, he couldn't answer with the feeling of something big and hard stuck inside his throat.
So that girl really is an Uzumaki. Just like him, Nagato... and his mother. That means... she is family. A true family. The family Naruto has never had in his life. Naruto's heart wanted to jump out of his chest when he thought about this. He can finally have a real family!
But the problem is... she was going to face Gaara. And not Gaara the Fifth Kazekage, but Gaara the crazy jinchuriki, mass murderer, terror of Sunagakure, etc etc.
What is he gonna do...? Tell jiji to stop the match...?
'Don't be a fool, Naruto. Doing that is no different from exposing yourself for the whole world to know.'
'Then what should I do? The last time, Gaara nearly destroyed Lee's shinobi career! What if...' A disturbing thought passed Naruto's brain. 'What if this time there is no one saving her?!'
'Then you go and save her, duh,' Goku said as if it was a fact. 'That was the best way to get another girl into your harem! The 'big sis' route is always the hottest route... Uh... wha... Hey, what's with the claws and tentacles... Gyaaaaah! Naruto, heeelllppp!"
Naruto sighed mentally. 'Girls, thank you for shutting the pervert up.'
'You're welcome, Naru-kun!'
'Traitoooorrrrrr!'
'Don't worry Naruto,' Gyuuki said. 'If things start going wrong, we'll always be here to help you. For now, just calm down and focus on the match.'
'Yeah...'
Despite saying so, a vague fear was still lingering inside Naruto's stomach. What will happen if he fails...?
Karin was trembling.
To tell the truth, she hadn't got the intention to take part in this exam. This team she had right now... well, people might call it a team, but to tell the truth, she hated it. She was basically forced into it by Orochimaru. For what reason? She couldn't even know.
And then the blond brat of Konohagakure was called "Uzumaki" by the scarred proctor of the first task. Thinking about this made Karin boiled with anger.
Karin didn't have many things to be proud of. She had lost everything since she was a child, and she couldn't remember much about them. One of the only things she still remembered and put all her pride on was her status as a member of the famous Uzumaki clan. Because of that, she was taken in by Orochimaru when she was just a little girl.
The Snake Sannin had seen what nobody else saw in her. He saw usefulness. He saw potential. He saw value. He saw her as things different from a breeding mare, a healing tank. And it's all thanks to her heritage that she got all those treatments.
And now that blonde bastard popped out from nowhere saying that he's an Uzumaki. The nerve of him! He doesn't even have the red hair!
Because of that, she pushed herself through the exam, even though she hadn't wanted to participate in the first place. She wanted to show that bastard who dared to spoil the name of the Uzumaki clan that, even though the clan had perished, no one would be able to mess with them!
Everything was good until this happened.
Karin does not scare of fighting. The truth is, she is quite a competent fighter. She can hold her own against enemies for quite some times without injuries, thanks to her potent healing chakra. Her Kagura Shingan is perfect for detecting any kind of hidden adversaries. And she has some good jutsu in her arsenal, too.
She just didn't expect to run into the kind of enemy she was facing right now.
She didn't even need the Kagura Shingan to know how dangerous the boy in front of her was. Despite his calm demeanor, she could feel power pouring out from his body. It's powerful; it's cold; it's... mad. Even looking at him made her hands sweating. And though it was fainted, there was an odor of blood lingering around him. Having been working for Orochimaru for a long time, Karin was too familiar with that smell.
Karin gulped. Thoughts of raising her hand and forfeit had crossed her mind.
Then she caught a glimpse of the blonde boy who claimed to be an Uzumaki, and rage exploded again in her chest like a volcano.
He was looking at her with an eye full of pity and worriness.
How dare he! How dare he show pity on her, a real Uzumaki, while going around parading the Uzumaki name like a third-rate good!
That's it. No running away. She'll show that bastard what a real Uzumaki can do.
"BEGIN!"
Karin immediately pulled out a kunai from her pouch and threw it at Gaara. Then, she withdrew her hands and went through hand signs.
"Kunai Shadow Clone!"
The lone knife became twenty, and all of them soared across the room, aiming at the Sand genin. A wall of sand immediately rose in front of him, preventing the kunai from reaching Gaara's body.
Then all the knives exploded at the same time. The original kunai had explosive tags stuck on it.
"Whoa, what the hell?" Kiba exclaimed when the shockwave from the explosion reached his face, making his unkempt hair flying wildly. "This is just overkill!"
"Why do all those with the name Uzumaki like going around blowing stuff up like that?!" Sakura also groaned.
"Hmph," Temari snorted with a smirk. "You think that kind of attack would be able to harm Gaara? Think again."
It's true; when the smoke of the explosion cleared, Gaara was still standing there unharmed. A thick wall of sand was in front of him, shielding him from all the damage which would have killed him if they hit.
"This match is decided. There is no way that girl would land a hit on Gaara. His absolute defense has never been broken."
"Is that all you got?" The ominous voice of Gaara echoed through the air. "Then it's my turn now."
Giant hands made of sand burst out from the ground, all shooting towards Karin like torpedoes launching from a submarine. Screw sand crushing power; those hands would have been able to smash her to a pulp, or at least break half the bones inside her body with their sheer force and weight if they had hit!
Luckily for Karin, although her Kagura Shingan cannot see things in slow motion like the Sharingan, or pierce through the skin to see inside the body like the Byakugan, it shows her clearly where chakra exists. And all the sand on the ground was infused with Gaara's chakra.
Because of that, she was able to make the smart choice and retreated as quickly as she could to the other end of the room, on the finger of the shinobi statue, away from the range of the sand appendages before they could crush her.
Karin knew she was screwed. Sure, she managed to avoid those deadly attacks, but she knew for sure that she was overpowered. The chakra in the sand was so strong it couldn't be of a normal genin. No, it couldn't even be of a human.
Orochimaru didn't tell her that there would be this kind of genin in this exam. What did she get herself into...?
Her instinct screamed at her to forfeit the match. And she had already been raising her hand.
Yet, something in her mind stopped her from opening her mouth.
Yeah, damn that stupid pride about clan. She's just as bad as a certain Uchiha of a few months ago.
This last attempt would probably exhaust her, but if she could execute it perfectly...
It's alright. I have enough chakra to maneuver through this... I can defeat him...
She reached into her pouch, and pulled out two round things the size of big oranges.
Then, much to everyone's surprise, Karin charged headfirst at Gaara.
"Fool..."
Waves of sand rushed towards her once again. But this time Karin had prepared.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
One clone popped into existence, and the real Karin stepped on her back then, with a chakra-boosted jump, leapt into the air before the sand wave swept through and obliterated it.
"Hey Naruto, she fights just like you!"
Karin had wanted to turn to throw a fit at the one who had just said that, but this was not the time. Sticking on the ceiling of the arena, she pulled out five other explosive kunai from her pouch and threw them all at Gaara. And just like before, the jinchuriki's sand blocked the explosion easily as if it was child's toy.
"That girl is a fool," Temari said. "Struggling like that only makes Gaara madder. She should have forfeited when she had a chance."
"Mother is craving for blood..." From under the cloud of smoke, the voice of Gaara rose ominously. "You will become the sacrifice for my existence!"
Everyone gasped when tendrils of sand blasted out from Gaara's place and skewered the redhead in a blink of an eye.
"No..." Naruto muttered in horror.
Then the body burst into water, soaking Gaara's sand to the core.
"I see," the cyclops jonin in the balcony nodded in amusement. "Sand cannot move when soaked with water. A clever use of the water clone, I admit. That girl is good."
"You mean... those bottles she pulled out before... they're water bottles?"
"Yup. Canteens engraved with seals to increase their capacity are common things to shinobi... but to have enough water to form a water clone of that scale in such a small container is an incredible feat."
From behind Gaara, the real Karin appeared and closed their distance quickly, a whole pack of exploding tags ready on her hand. Gaara's sand was still wet on the floor; they couldn't rise fast enough to block the advancing girl who was now very close to the Sand shinobi.
For the first time since the match started, Gaara's eyes widened.
"Everyone take cover!"
BOOOOOOOOOM!
A direct hit. An explosion much, much more powerful than the ones before shook the whole arena.
Karin was thrown away like a ragdoll by the recoil. Her body slammed hard onto the ground, full of burning marks, and she felt a piercing pain on her right arm. It seemed the impact had broken it.
But no matter... That last blow was a decisive hit. Her body could be mended easily with a bite, but there was no way her opponent could survive that point-blank explosion.
Then suddenly, her head jerked up in surprise and fear.
The incredible chakra signal of her enemy didn't fade away. Rather, it was becoming even more powerful...!
When the smoke cleared enough for her to see Gaara, her fear was multiplied tenfold.
Her enemy was still standing. Her life-risking maneuver didn't even manage to hurt him. The only thing showing some kind of damage on him was his skin, which was now falling off his body... his arms, his legs, his face.
Which was now donning a completely crazy expression.
"No way... sand... skin...?"
Karin knew everything was over for her. That last maneuver took away everything she had; she was now out of both weapon and chakra. And her body was injured. She was completely outmatched. There was no way she could continue the match any further...
"I forf... Gah!?"
Karin couldn't even finish her sentence. Hell, she couldn't even breathe properly any more. Sand had already crept up her body, locking her inside like a cage, and was now squeezing around her windpipe.
"Ah... ah..."
The last bits of oxygen were leaving her lungs. She's such a fool; charging headfirst into this hopeless battle without thinking of the consequences. Now she was going to die... crushed, by the mad boy and his sand...
"Stop right there Gaara of the Sand! If you don't, you will be disqualified immediately!"
She heard the voice of the proctor, but it was no use; the sand coffin around her was squeezing even harder, and she could feel her consciousness slipping away together with the pain in her body. That was it; she was definitely leaving the living world, and now she was on her way to hell... or heaven...
Then she had a very vague feeling of the sand releasing her. But it was too late; everything around her had gone dark.
Everyone was stunned beyond belief.
Not only because a girl like Karin had managed to hold her own against someone like Gaara for quite some time. Also not only because Gaara was a mindless murderer who was more than ready to squish a girl, a twelve-year-old girl, shinobi or not, to mush.
It was also because Naruto had sent Gaara flying with a punch.
"What the hell is that?" Kankuro muttered in shock. "He punched Gaara! Through the sand shield, no less!"
"Screw that!" Temari also mumbled, but with a frightened tone. "Gaara was denied a kill! He is going to go crazy now!"
Right as she said, Gaara stumbled up from the ground. The terrifying chakra of Shukaku was pouring out of his body like a waterfall, together with the massive killing intent which was making every genin in the room shudder and gasp for air.
"Uzumaki..." he growled in a dangerous tone.
To answer, Naruto flared up his own chakra. His chakra, strong as it originally was, was build up even further during his training, and now rivaled the Hokage himself at least. The two powerful waves of chakra clashed against each other, unconsciously heating the air in the room up to near dangerous level.
"That's enough, the two of you!"
Naruto almost jumped when the calm, yet stern voice of the Third Hokage rose up right next to him. He had been at the two genin's side since who knew when, and his eyes were now locking at their faces with a sharp glare.
"I declare this match over, and the winner is Gaara," the old man said briefly. "Now stop that killing intent and go back to the balcony."
The voice of the Hokage was not loud, but it contained such a powerful authority that even Gaara had to stop. The Sand jinchuriki recalled his sand back into the gourd and walked back to his team's place without another word, but not before throwing Naruto a deadly glare. Naruto refused to drop his gaze, but met the glare with his own until Gaara looked away.
"Ahem, anyway," Hayate cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, "due to the odd number of competitors here, the last match of the preliminary will be a battle royale between the three remaining competitors. So will Kiba Inuzuka of Konohagakure, Chojuro of Kirigakure and Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure come down here?"
Naruto blinked dumbly. "What is a battle royale?"
Hayate sighed. "Just think of it as a free-for-all fight between more than 2 fighters. Now that all of you are here," he added when seeing Kiba and Chojuro jumping down from the balcony, "can we start the match now?"
"You bet," Naruto answered with a grin.
"Same here," Kiba also smirked. Chojuro didn't say anything, only nodded timidly.
"Then, the final match of the preliminary, Kiba Inuzuka vs. Naruto Uzumaki vs. Chojuro... BEGIN!"
Kiba glanced at Naruto warily.
Since the mission to Waves, he had seen Naruto with another eye. The blond was no longer the goofy deadlast of the class who knew only silly pranks. Right now, he might be the most dangerous genin in this room... not considering that Gaara guy.
He pulled out a soldier pill. He must finish him first, and fast.
"Akamaru! Get ready! Man Beast Transfor..."
"Hiramekarei Release! Gigant Form!"
"Whaa... oh, crap."
A gigantichammer made of chakra was swung down mercilessly on the two Konoha genin's heads.
And by gigantic, I mean GIGANTIC. In bold. And caps. Had it not been for the fact that construct made solely from chakra couldn't create shadows, its head would have covered the whole arena in darkness.
There's absolutely no way to dodge this. Not in this closed arena.
"Earth Style: Concrete Barricade!"
Naruto's voice suddenly boomed. From the ground, walls made of a very hard substance erected and formed seven layers of dome around him, Kiba and Akamaru. The layered barriers managed to surround the two boys and dog completely right before the mighty hammer descended down their heads. And the weapon collided with the dome instead.
The first, second, third and fourth layers of the dome were shattered as if they're made of tissue paper. The fifth and six ones managed to slow down the bludgeon weapon, but the hammer still smashed through them before stopping at the final layer, where the chakra forming it finally dissipated.
Well, not before making that very same layer crumble to debris, though.
"Whaaa... what the hell... is that...? Is he... trying to kill us...?" Kiba stuttered; his eyes were as wide as two small dishes.
"He broke through my strongest defense jutsu so easily..." Naruto also grimaced.
Then, much to the two Konoha genin's surprise, Chojuro fell over.
"Still not enough chakra..." the glassed boy mumbled, and fainted.
On the balcony, Zabuza smashed his head on the rail.
"Phew..." Kiba wiped his forehead. "That was close."
"Yeah. Sweet dream, Kiba!"
"Huh, wha..."
Kiba couldn't even manage to blurt out the whole sentence before Naruto sucker punched him in the face.
Kurenai's palm met her face. "How many times have I told him not to let his guard down in front of his opponent..?"
"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!"
Akamaru whined.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate all the genin standing here right now for advancing to the third task, also the final round, and the main event of the Chuunin Exam."
The voice of the Third Hokage echoed across the room, loud and firm.
"I can see some of you had quite easy matches during the preliminary. Some of you, on the other hand, had some troubles with your opponents. But you all managed to defeat yours, and gained the right to compete in the final round."
Sarutobi's eyes lingered a little bit at Sasuke and Gaara's faces, then he continued.
"However, it will not be that easy any more. Coming to this round, you are all considered the elite of your villages. Each of you will fight to represent the power of your countries, and you will need to show off all your power without reserves. Therefore, there will be no easy matches for you in the third event of the Exam. And because of that, the third event will be held precisely one month later. It is for you to revitalize your bodies and minds, and analyze the datas you collected about your opponents to calculate your chance of winning, as well as to improve your abilities."
"Wait a sec," Sasuke raised his hand. "Considering what you just said, could it be that the third event is also a tournament?"
The Hokage chuckled. "Very perceptive, Sasuke. True, the final round is also a tournament. The final tournament will be held in the main stadium of Konohagakure, in the middle of the village, under the audience of all citizens in the village, the Daimyos, and the other village leaders."
"Uh..." Now it's Shikamaru's turn to raise his hand. "But since it's a tournament, it would mean there's only one winner, right? Does that mean there will only be one person who becomes chuunin?"
"That's not it," Sarutobi shook his head. "Your battles will be observed by the judges including me, the Daimyos and the other village leaders. Those judges will be the ones who decide if you can become a chuunin or not. Therefore, even if you lose your first match, you will still have a chance to become chuunin."
"Now, before dismiss, there is something that has to be done," Anko stepped up from behind the Hokage. "Each of you will take a piece of paper from inside the box I'm holding here. Then, read the number inside of the paper out loud for everyone to hear."
"Match arrangement, right?" Sakura asked. Anko grinned.
"As expected of my apprentice. So, start from you, Cherry!"
Sakura pulled out a piece of paper. "Three,"
"Seven," Naruto said his number after pulling it out from the box.
"Two," It was Sasuke.
"One," Haku.
"Five," Temari.
"Four," Neji.
"I got Nine!" Lee.
"Ten," Tenten (huh?).
"Eight," Gaara.
"Six... so troublesome..." Shikamaru.
"Done!" Anko said happily, throwing the box away. "So these will be the matches in the final round!"
Haku Momochi vs. Sasuke Uchiha
Sakura Haruno vs. Neji Hyuuga
Temari vs. Shikamaru Nara
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Gaara
Rock Lee vs. Tenten
"So, our chance for a rematch is here," Sasuke glanced at Haku. "This time it will not be like the last time."
"I'm waiting for that day," Haku gave him a mock smile and curtsied.
"YOSH! Tenten-san, let's give everyone a match full of youth!" Lee howled dramatically.
"I'd rather not..." Tenten sighed.
"Great, my opponent is another violent woman... This is so troublesome..." Shikamaru groaned, and a vein popped on Temari's forehead.
"What do you mean you lazy idiot?!"
"Well, if that's all, then you're okay to dismiss!" Anko called out cheerfully, then popped away in a Body Flicker. All the other jonin and ANBU also disappeared. When everyone started walking out of the arena, Sakura gritted her teeth.
That Neji! He didn't even bother to look at my face! Who does he think he is?!
The pinkette suddenly cringed when she felt a hand patting her shoulder. She turned back, and saw Naruto looking at her. His eyes were full of warmth and encouragement. But at the same time, those sapphire orbs were also filled with seriousness.
"Don't worry Sakura," he whispered. "If this was three months ago I wouldn't be sure, but now I'm confident that you can defeat Neji for sure! Don't worry; you can beat him up in the final round!"
Those words didn't get past Neji's ears. The Hyuuga boy turned back and sneered at Naruto.
"Hey loser, if you want to be a powerful shinobi, what you have to do is stop those meaningless cheering. Putting hopes into the head of someone without any chance will only bring them closer to their death."
"You..."
"Just let him be, Sakura," This time, it was Sasuke who spoke up. His voice had a tint of amusement. "Even if you lose, it's okay. I'll have a chance to show him what kind of pathetic genius he is when he falls under my hand."
Neji narrowed his eyes, but then he turned away and walked out.
"So... how are we going to get out of this forest?"
Karin opened her eyes groggily.
"Ow... my head..."
She was lying on a bed in a white room. This must be the hospital. She couldn't know how long she had been here; maybe a few hours, or one day, two days; who knows? The only thing she could remember was that she was being squeezed by the sand of the Suna boy.
She winced. That experience was something she never wanted to "enjoy" another time. That boy... whatever he was... couldn't be... impossible to be... human. He enjoyed killing. That kind of bloodlust... She had only seen that kind of bloodlust in one person only before. And that person was Orochimaru.
And everyone knows what kind of inhumane creature Orochimaru is. Yeah, even Karin.
Her ribs throbbed with pain again. "Ugh..."
"Hello, Karin-chan!"
Karin almost jumped from her bed when the face of a blond with sapphire eyes hovered right in front of hers.
"Whawhawhawhawha... Pervert!"
SLAP!
"Ow! What the hell? Is that what you will do to pay back the one who saved your life?" Naruto stumbled back and yelled, his hand rubbing the hand-shaped red print on his cheek. Karin's eyes widened.
"You! You're the fake bastard who goes around calling himself an Uzumaki!"
"What?!" Naruto barked in outrage. "How dare you! I'm as Uzumaki as you are!"
"BULLSHIT! WHAT KIND OF UZUMAKI HAS BLONDE HAIR?!" Karin grabbed Naruto's shirt and also screamed, even louder than Naruto.
"WELL, SORRY FOR ONLY HAVING MY MOTHER AS AN UZUMAKI!"
"WHY YOU...!"
"IF THE TWO OF YOU CONTINUE SCREAMING LIKE TWO BANSHEES, I'LL THROW BOTH OF YOU OUT OF THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY, GET IT!?" someone from outside screamed into the room. Karin released Naruto, but still glared at him with a scary look.
"I won't believe it," Finally, the redhead glowered. "There is no way you are an Uzumaki. Even if it's only your mother, the only Uzumaki staying in Konohagakure during the last 20 years is Kushina-sama, and she was dead twelve years ago!"
Naruto's eyes hardened, and he turned away.
"I never said my parents were alive."
Karin unconsciously clapped her hands over her mouth. If that's the truth, and the blond's parents were both dead...
"Wait... So your mother is Kushina-sama? The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero? The one who's said to have wrecked havoc together with the Fourth Hokage during the Third Shinobi World War?" Karin's eyes bulged out in realization. "No way. How can someone as famous as her be the mother of an idiot like you? You're definitely lying!"
"Hey! Why do you keep saying that I am an idiot? And I'm not lying!" Naruto protested.
Suddenly, another voice rose from the room's entrance. "You might not believe it, but it is the truth. And I'd rather you keep it to yourself, because it is a high leveled secret of Konohagakure."
Naruto snapped his head towards the entrance, and sighed in relief when he saw Jiraiya leaning at the door frame.
"Knew that I can find you here, Naruto," the Toad Sage grinned.
Karin sat there, dumbfounded. This man was Jiraiya of the Sannin, one of the most powerful and famous shinobi in the whole Elemental Continent. If he was the one who confirmed this, then maybe the blond didn't lie at all... But...
"But now, family matters aside," Suddenly, Jiraiya appeared right in front of Karin, so fast she couldn't even blink, "I want to ask you a question. Are you working for Orochimaru?"
Karin's body cringed up slightly. How could the man in front of her know about that?
"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied coldly, diverting her gaze from the Sage.
But Jiraiya wasn't someone who was easy to trick.
"Don't lie to me, little kunoichi. I've worked with Orochimaru for a long time; I can sense his presence on your body, even when he's not here. Your body reeks of his chakra and his smell. Besides, you think I don't know Kusagakure is Orochimaru's in anything but name? Konohagakure's spy network is not something you can underestimate!"
Sweat started to roll down Karin's forehead. If Konohagakure had figured it out...
"Considering your reaction, I can assume that we're right. Usually, this isn't my job," Jiraiya continued in a dangerous tone, "but because you are a relative of Naruto, I'm giving you another chance. What is your connection with Orochimaru? Spill it out, or a long-term trip to the T&I Division will be your present."
Karin nearly choked when she felt the massive killing intent from Jiraiya.
"Pervy Sage, please!" said Naruto in a scared and concerned voice. "Let me talk to her first!"
The killing intent withdrew, but Jiraiya was still glaring at the redhead.
"Karin-chan," Naruto turned back to the girl. "Orochimaru is a dangerous person. If we don't stop him, there will be a lot of innocent people who will be dead because of him. Can you please..."
"Please what?" Karin cut him short with a sneer. "Even if what you said is true, are you expecting me to betray him like that? You're too naïve, thinking that those petty talks can convince me to sell him out. I bet all those Uzumaki things were also fabricated by you to trick me! Just throw me to your T&I, or whatever you call it! You're not scaring me!"
If she's not a girl, the author would say that she got balls.
"You..."
"I can't understand Karin-chan," Naruto cut in again. "Why are you so loyal to that Orochimaru guy? He is so evil! He tried to steal my teammate's body when we're in the Forest of Death! Why do you love someone so inhumane that much?"
"Hmph!" Karin snorted and turned away. "Why should I tell you?"
"Could it be... you were somehow rescued by him before?"
Karin's neck froze on its way. How could that boy know?
Naruto grimaced. It was true. Karin was just like Haku before the battle at the bridge.
"Karin-chan, one of my best friends has the same past as you. But she's luckier than you. The man who saved her is definitely not a very good guy, but he still knows what it means to care for people close to him. Did Orochimaru ever do that to you? I don't think so. Even only meeting him once, I can say that. Someone who only wants others for their bodies cannot understand anything about friendship, families or love."
Karin wanted to retort, but she realized that she couldn't.
What the blond boy said was true. Orochimaru said that she was useful, but never before had he shown anything that she was anything more than a tool that could be thrown away easily when her usefulness was exhausted.
She had thought that it was okay, as long as she could serve him with everything she had. But now...
Orochimaru had lied to her when he said that the Uzumaki clan was extinct. Worse, he didn't even tell her that the exam had these kinds of insane genin. Surely he would have known it; his plan with Sunagakure and Kusagakure...
Isn't that the proof that Orochimaru didn't consider her anything that might be important to him? And it didn't matter if she was dead or not?
"Oh, and about whether Naruto here is an Uzumaki or not, I took a sample of your hair and conducted a DNA analysis when you were asleep, and this is the result."
Jiraiya pulled out a sheet of paper and gave it to the redhead. She took it without any question, and her eyes widened when she saw the result.
"This... this is..."
"That's right. You two are not only of the same clan, but very close relatives also. It's not exaggeration to say that you two are family."
Even Naruto was dumbfounded before this new piece of information.
"Is... is that true? Karin-chan... is really my family...?"
Karin's head felt like spinning. She had a family? Could it really? Everything in this was too good to be true... But the proof was still there, right in front of her...
"That's awesome!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, his face brightened. "That means you can come to Konoha and live with me, Karin-chan! We can finally have the family we've never had before!"
"Karin," said Jiraiya calmly. "It might be true that Orochimaru is the one who saved you and gave you a home to live all those years, but that doesn't mean he is a good person. I was his teammate during the time he was in Konoha; I know what he is. He does not care for anyone except himself, and will do anything, even stepping over his closest people as if they're insects, to achieve what he wants. If you really are working for Orochimaru, you must have understood what kind of things he does to his own subordinates. He is evil, a monster in fact. If you stay with him, not only you're helping him harming more innocent people, but he will also throw you away when you outlives your usefulness to him. Do you really want to live with someone like that forever?"
Karin couldn't find any word to retort.
"If you agree to help us, Konohagakure can also help you," Jiraiya continued. "We can offer you complete safety within the village, and you can even join our shinobi force if you want, after a probation period. And..." the white haired man lowered his voice, "we can also give you a family, a real family. What do you think?"
Finally, when she managed to open her mouth, she said.
"I... I need time to think about it. Please leave me alone."
"Karin-chan..."
"Please!" She snapped, and Naruto flinched, knowing there wasn't anything else he could do for now. Jiraiya grabbed his shoulder, and the two males stood up and walked out of the room.
"Please think of it clearly, okay Karin-chan?" Before disappearing behind the door, the blond boy still turned back and pleaded.
When the pair was gone, Karin silently activated her Kagura Shingan. She had expected guards outside of the room, but to her surprises, there was no one out there. She could have run away any time...
But instead of doing that, for some reasons, she flopped back to the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
The two had struck her weakest point. It was true that, even in Orochimaru's care, Karin was not evil at heart. The greatest wish of her was a real family, a family with people like her, not with those monstrosities Orochimaru called his subordinates.
The two hadn't left any guard outside the room... That meant they trusted her.
But... can she just throw everything away and betray Orochimaru, the one who used to save her life, like that?
What should I do...?
"Hyaaaaaaa!"
Sakura's fist struck the training post with a force so great the post shook ominously, and a bit of wood dust flew from the point where she hit.
She stumbled back, panting heavily. Although her stamina and muscle power had taken a huge leap comparing to what she'd had a few months ago, it still couldn't even compare to Naruto's ridiculous stamina, or at least Sasuke-kun's.
"Don't force yourself too hard, Sakura. Take a rest first."
Sakura turned back, and saw Kakashi walking towards her, with Anko next to him, grinning towards her.
"Sensei..." she breathed out and slumped on the ground. "I thought you're training Sasuke-kun?"
"Well, he's done for today. Besides, Sasuke isn't my only student, right? I told you I would train all of you for the final match separately after all," Kakashi answered her with an eyesmile.
Sakura sighed.
"Sensei... I don't think I can do it. No matter how much I try, I... I cannot. Before, I thought I would give him a lesson in our fight, but the more I think of it, the more impossible it seems to be to me. I'm just a girl from a normal civilian family, and he is a genius of the famous Hyuuga clan, with a kekkei genkai no less!"
"Don't worry Sakura," Kakashi rubbed the pinkette's hair. "There's still a lot of time to train; you can do it!"
"You don't understand!" snapped Sakura. "Didn't you see what happened to Hinata when she tried to fight him? She was nearly killed! And not only him... That... that Gaara boy also..."
Tears welled out of Sakura's eyes. "I'm scared sensei... I don't want to die..."
"Oi, Sakura."
"Huh?"
The next thing Sakura knew was that she was sprawling on the ground, courtesy of a punch from Anko.
"You idiot! I didn't teach you to be a coward! What is the meaning of all those training I gave you if you just insist on running away like that?"
"But... but..."
Anko didn't let her finished. "Only in life and death situation can people grow up. If you're that scared of dying, then go on, quit being a kunoichi and go back home, being a pathetic spoiled brat who will faint right in front of your enemy and become even easier to kill, like you were before! This is the world of shinobi; not of pathetic romance dramas where boys come out of nowhere to rescue you! At least if you face death by yourself, you might have a better chance of surviving!"
"That's too hard for her, Anko," Kakashi scolded the Tokubetsu Jonin. Then he crouched down to Sakura.
"Sakura, it's normal for a person to be scared of things. But if you're scared, and you run away from it, you will run away from it forever. You're not scared of fighting; the only thing you're afraid about is yourself. You're afraid that your ability is nothing comparing to them, that you are just a normal civilian girl when they're geniuses, am I right?"
When Sakura nodded dumbly, he continued. "Don't believe what that Neji said, Sakura. There is no rule saying that people cannot change themselves. Looking at Gai right now, have you ever thought that he used to be a loser who could not even use any technique, except a little taijutsu?"
Sakura's eyes widened when she heard this little piece of information.
"R... really? Even Gai-sensei..."
"Yup," Kakashi eyesmiled. "The fact that he's training a prodigy like Neji can be considered one of the greatest ironies in history. But that's for you to remember: even the most incompetent failure can some day become powerful if they put their heart and soul into their efforts."
Sakura's mind lingered back to a certain blond, whiskered genin in her team.
"Besides," Kakashi added and stood back up, "that is the reason why I and Anko are here, right? We're going to turn you into a force that no one will be able to underestimate!"
Sakura smiled and wiped her tears away.
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei, Anko-sensei!"
"What do you mean Kabuto escaped from the prison?"
"I'm sorry, Ibiki-san! But all the ANBU members assigned to guard his prison cell had already been murdered brutally when we arrived. Furthermore, the entrance of the cell looks like it was smashed apart from the outside. It's like someone broke in and rescued him, not that he broke out of the cell by himself."
"Damn it," Ibiki gritted his teeth. "This is not gonna be good..."
Two figures, one male, one female, was walking on the trail leading to Konohagakure's great gate.
"Ah... finally. I've been longing to try the famous hot spring of Konohagakure..."
"My Lady! We're not here to play!"
"Yeah yeah... Mou, you're just like an old geezer."
The two guards, Izumo and Kotetsu, spotted the advancing newcomers from afar. As the gate guarding specialists they were, they quickly pulled out their weapons and blocked the way of the two.
"Halt! State your purpose and business!"
The man of the two immediately jumped in front of the woman. Veins bulged up at the side of his eyepatch, and...
"Izumo, Kotetsu, stop! They are our special guests, and you will let them through."
The two "eternal Chuunin" turned back and bowed hastily.
"Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked out from the gate, and smiled.
"Welcome to Konohagakure, Lady Mizukage."
In the forest at the outskirt of Konoha...
"Thank you for the timely rescue, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru hissed out a laugh. "You don't think I will go and rescue you, do you Kabuto?"
"I didn't say that my lord," Kabuto hastily corrected himself. "I just didn't expect Konoha to see through my cover. They're better than I thought."
"You know too much, Kabuto," Orochimaru hissed. "I cannot let you fall into the hand of Konoha; what if they managed to get the details of my plan from you?"
Kabuto's eyes gleamed under his glasses. "So you still don't trust me?"
"And what if I don't, Kabuto?" Orochimaru answered, still with the snake-like tone, but now, there was a hint of amusement in his voice. And killing intent, too. Kabuto gulped.
Suddenly, the feeling of death stopped, and Orochimaru laughed. "Just kidding, my dear boy. Without you, how can I do all those experiments with body modification? And you're a good spy, too. By the way, I have some good news for you. The three sacrifices we prepared were perfect. No sign of adverse reaction, and they're living now, very healthy."
"Y... yeah. That's good..." Kabuto mumbled. "And... it seems Karin was also captured. Do you plan to go rescue her?"
Orochimaru laughed again. "That girl? Despite being an Uzumaki, she doesn't show any good quality except for that healing blood. No chakra chain, no talent in sealing jutsu, no exceptional chakra, nothing. Why should I bother? You're way more important to me than that failure of an Uzumaki."
Then the snake man grabbed Kabuto's shoulder. "Let's go, my boy. We need to do the final preparations. And about Karin..." he added with a sneer, "...if you find a chance, silent her."
Clothes. Check.
Headband. Check.
Weapon. Check.
'I thought you'll have to care about more important things than those trivial, Naruto-kun. You're going to war today, remember?'
'Sure sure, Mata-chan. But there's nothing wrong with making myself a little bit cooler, eh?'
'Still, why do you still need those weapons? You can create them from chakra! And you can create explosions much greater than those explosive notes!'
'Secret exposing, duh!'
Naruto pulled his gloves – a new creation he had made during the month – up on his hands, then stood up.
"All right. Time to take on the final round, and Orochimaru!"