Once you had finally tuned back in, you managed to calm yourself. Leaning against the railing beside Neji - who took note of everyone's moves. Sasuke's battle had already ended, and it seemed Shino Aburames was at the end of his. You were glad you had missed out on it if the bugs coming out of the enemy's arms that had been blown off said anything - then Neji confirming with his Byakugan that the Shino guy had bugs living in his body did. A shiver went up your spine at the grossness, maybe you had no place to speak in the sense of having some sort of animal living in oneself, but Diaval was a different story! You hoped so, at least.
You were never one to question the matters of one's clans, but giving a babys body to bugs for a nest? "Talk about gross..." You groaned, leaning further into the railing. Watching those bugs made you feel antsy, as strong as the Shino guy was, knowing he was on your village's side was a relief. You'd never want to be on the receiving end of that - being so wrapped up in who would be fighting next made you miss the fact that Kakashi had pulled Guy aside. While he was sure the matter of his student being given a curse mark by none other than Orochimaru was a big and private deal between him and the Hokage; he figured Guy should be the first to know that his student was also under potential risk of Orochimaru's watchful eye.
You could almost feel your soul fly out of your slacked jaw at the name picked. "Kankuro...!?" You whispered-yelled, any hopes that the people of the sand weren't a group of siblings you knew flew out of your mind. "I'm done for...." You mumbled, lowering your head. You weren't sure why you were so eager to avoid them, if anything, you should've been excited to see them after so long - but it wouldn't be the same as it used to be. What if they thought you were lame? Because Kankuro sure looked like a mysterious cool guy down there, especially when he used his puppet to act as him and win easily despite getting his neck 'broken'. It was such an easy win - one that had your stomach churning again. Sakura and Ino's fight was interesting enough, you knew the two to be friends. At least, they were when you first met them. That was a while back now when you had first met them they were. But things always changed. The two of them ended in a well-fought draw.
You would have joined the others that gathered around the two to make sure they were okay, but you were frozen in your spot on the railing. Staring wide-eyed at the screen showing the two next competitors.
"Temari Vs [Firstname] [Lastname]. Please come up." You could feel the frown on your face grow bigger, of course, you were pitted against one of the sand despite all of your pleas. You brought a hand up to your mouth to cover any curses that could mindlessly slip, watching as Temari made her way down.
Neji was silent beside you, Guy was missing, and Lee was distracted. You had considered forfeiting the match there, but you found yourself walking down into the arena. You were pitted against a complete mystery of a person, someone you once knew that was rendered a stranger now. The two of you stood face to face, your nerves evident while Temari stood tall, hands on her hips.
"Begin!" Hayate announced before jumping back. The two of you remained face to face.
"I almost can't believe it... A/an [Lastname], that I get the honors to fight. You won't blame me if I finished your clan off here, would you?" It was like her words didn't even process in your mind. "I can't believe the little girl I knew years ago turned out to be alive... And the last of her clan at that..."
"She's completely shocked into silence," Neji commented as Lee had quickly noticed your absence, returning to the railings to watch you from above. The two of them stared down at the scene. "I know she's not very talkative beyond those she's close with, but she's not shy, either." Lee nodded his head in agreement. Watching your still back as the blonde spoke of your clan so freely, he figured someone from the sand would show more respect toward a fallen clan.
"Ooh..." Lee clenched his fists before throwing them into the air. "You got this, [Firstname]! Power! Youth! You have got this!" He cheered loudly. Usually, a ploy like that would work, but it was like nothing was registering in your mind.
"I'm cheering for you louder, [Firstname]!" Naruto yelled, cupping a hand around his mouth in an attempt to increase his volume.
"A cheer squad, huh?" Temari pointed out, a hand on her hip and the other on a fan she carried. "At this rate, you should drop out before you let them down." She warned, taunting you with her fan in a ploy to get you to react. You stood still, blinking. You seriously considered the option of dropping out there - your eyes wandered up toward her brother, Kankuro standing in the crowd. Beside him was a red-haired boy you recognized immediately - and it suddenly felt as if the pressure of the entire situation was pressing itself down onto you. His eyes eventually wandered toward you, making you freeze completely. His eyes - as dull and bored as they were - widened as they recognized you. You hardly recognized him now, the boy that used to look at you with shiny curious eyes was replaced with the shell of him now. You weren't sure why you assumed he was dead, but it seemed now it wasn't the case - but it made complete sense as to why he would think you were dead. Your entire clan was wiped out, and you had disappeared.
"I'll save any tearful reunions for later. I can tell you're a Leaf Shinobi now, with your meek attitude." She grinned, taking a few steps back before bringing up her weapon - opening it to the first moon to catch you off guard with her first attack.
The strong wind had managed to knock you back, sending you good ways across the arena. She jumped back - creating more distance as you sat up, finally knocked out of your thoughts. "Come on, snap out of it would ya' [Firstname]!? You're killing me here just taking it!" Naruto yelled out.
Being alert during a battle was the first step, and reaching that first step let you know your first mistake. You had let distance grow between the two of you that would only give Temari an advantage. She already snapped her fan open to the second moon, using her entire body to swing it - the result of it was a strong wind jutsu, fast too. You couldn't block it, so you jumped up from your position on the floor in an attempt to dodge it - forming a few hand signs together to counterattack. She threw a few Kunai at you in response, not giving you enough time to finish your Jutsu as you landed back onto the floor.
She focused on the you that landed in front of her, not noticing that the shortened Jutsu had worked as a clone Jutsu. The real you landed as close behind her as you could without quickly catching her attention. But she managed to turn around as you were preparing your attack - which gave her enough time to jump up - creating distance and an advantage. From above, it would be impossible to miss. You knew that well, she could tell by the way you began to brace yourself for the hit.
Neji watched, arms crossed. 'If her opponent was anyone but [Firstname], a wind Jutsu for above would be impossible to counterattack.' He observed, his Byakugan catching onto the way your Chakra points began to ignite. 'But a fire-user of her level is any wind-types worst enemy... Heat redirects the wind.'
You stumbled back a bit as the Jutsu hit, but you stayed upright, the blazes around you dying down along with the harsh wind as you lowered your arms. The focused look on your face had Neji smirking, it was like he thought - despite your nerves, you always knew how to put on a good poker face and get yourself together.
During the midst of it, you had performed another clone jutsu - surrounding her with them. Temari was stunned for a second, barely catching onto you coming in from behind as you kicked your leg out - she managed to lift her fan in defense, blocking your hit.
The two of you made eye contact, stuck in the position before she grinned. "Make sure it's just you and me here, don't go using a ghost to make you stronger." She said, pushing your leg away from her - making you stumble back. Her next move was one of instinct, turning her body on her heel to kick you farther. But you regained your balance, catching her leg in your hand before kicking your leg out toward hers - knocking her off of balance. As you had figured, close range was her overwhelming disadvantage. You had managed to make her lose her cool, just as she had with you.
While she lay on the floor, you knelt to her level, keeping your eyes trained on her. "... This wasn't how I thought our reunion would go... Though, I didn't begin to think there would be one in the first place..." You mumbled, eyeing her carefully as she looked back at you. You could've knocked her out there, but you had allowed her to sit up slowly - which allowed her to catch you off guard as she stood to her feet, pulling out a Kunai as she aimed for your face. You managed lean back, dodging it. But you had lost your balance, falling onto your back. You quickly reached down for where you kept your Kunai - pulling your own out just in time to block the Kunai she was bringing down to stab you with. You were locked into that stalemate for a second before you brought your free hand up - aiming for her neck. The suddenity of it had her grip faltered - you took advantage of that split second and threw your Kunai to the side - quickly grabbing onto her shoulder to switch your positions. Now she was on the floor, with you holding onto her from atop.
She looked as frustrated as she did startled, a grimace on her face. She couldn't lose on her first battle, the plan relied on all three of them winning their matches - Kankuro had won his, and there wasn't a chance Gaara would lose his. She refused to be the only one that lost.
"Ahh... What is happening...!" Lee said frustrated, leaning so far against the railing that a single poke of the shoulder would have him falling off.
"... [Firstname] has the advantage to end this match right now, but she's not landing the final hit," Neji explained clearly.
Lee sighed, shoulders sagging. "It seems she is ailed by the matter of the sand more than I thought. Neji, how could we let this happen!?"
Neji scoffed, shutting his eyes. "There's nothing we could have done. Her feelings of her clan and nation are something we have no play in. That's how it was destined to be."
"Neji, your talk of destiny does not translate to this scenario!" Lee huffed. "You and [Firstname] are not of the same ideology!" He declared. "Maybe you need a good fight to knock you out of it, as well." He said, crossing his arms. "If so, then I will definitely be willing to be your opponent."
"Stop talking nonsense." Neji scowled.
"Ahh, shut up! BOTH OF YOU!" Naruto demanded loudly, irritated at their voices during your match that he deemed very interesting.
With-in their bickering, they didn't watch as Temari managed to get the upper hand - hitting you with another wind jutsu, from so close, you couldn't begin to think about repeling the wind. She managed to knock you away similarly to how she did at the beginning of your match. A few of your clones from before had attacked her as you got back onto your feet, she knocked them away with her closed fan - making them disappear. While she was distracted, you finally managed to form your long string of hand signs.
Temari slammed her fan into the floor, making it dig into the floor so that it would stay planted in the ground. She slid it open all the way up to the third moon before she began to form a few hand signs of her own. Before you could see the end of it, she crouched, hiding completely behind her fan. Anyone in the crowd could see what she was planning, a clone suddenly appeared by her side as she thought of her next plan. You hadn't released your Jutsu yet, perhaps waiting for the right time to strike. So she had sent out her clone, hoping it would make you release it so she could catch you off guard. But she couldn't hear a single thing coming from your direction - not until she heard the sound of skin on skin - you had punched her clone directly to the jaw. You hadn't even blinked at her distraction.
'It was a smart idea in hindsight...' Shikamaru thought, one eye closed. 'But she left a few details out that made her plan obvious. She left her fan behind; which has proved to be her only strength in battle as of now.' He analyzed, rolling his shoulder back.
Lee cheered out in response to your punch, his voice not dying down as the real Temari stood, lifting her fan with her. Although her clone didn't work, it still left her an opening - she was able to bite through her thumb and spread the blood across her fan - a summoning Jutsu. You were on guard, adding a few more hand signs to the Jutsu you had sealed earlier; unbeknownst to either of you, both of your teams were thinking the same thing.
'To think she'd reveal a Jutsu like that during the preliminaries...' Kankuro huffed.
'That Jutsu so soon?' Neji and Lee thought in unison.
But your jutsu had come out a bit different than before, the massive wall of fire you had released with the swing of your arm wasn't directed at Temari - it was to make her back away farther with a jump. Your attack had overpowered hers, but not completely. A good amount of the blades she had summoned managed to get through and slice at you - one of the Kunai had even managed to pierce you through the shoulder. It did little to slow you as you got closer - quickly managing to close the distance. That speed is what made you realize you hadn't even picked your weight back up after your death experience.
Temari had hit the wall behind her, face red as a result of all the heat. Once she had hit the wall, you stopped a little ways in front of her, flaming chakra gathering at your foot before you landed a blow to her stomach. The impact was loud, startling a few in the crowd. Temari slid down the wall before she landed on her knees, hands on the area of impact.
You placed your leg on the floor, regaining your full composure as Hayate cleared his throat, a hand in his pocket as he surveyed the situation. "Fifth match-winner... [Firstname] [Lastname]!" He announced.
"WOOO!! Yay, [Firstname]!! The power of youth prevails!" Lee cheered, pumping his fists.
"Yeah! No blonde punk would ever take [Firstname] down!" Naruto laughed, his chuckles eventually died down as he realized, he too, had blonde hair.
"Yay!! Good job, [Firstname]! I knew you'd win!" Sakura squealed, cheeks a light pink.
But those weren't the ones you kept your eyes on, it was Gaara. He was staring back at you - as if he had never taken his eyes off of you in the first place. It was hard to, it was like he was finally opening his eyes again. Eyes that were shut ever since his only friend had died. Or, shut since he assumed she was dead.
"Man, girls are scary..." Shikamaru sighed out at the battle he just witnessed. "After the sand girl hit the floor the first time, it was clear who had the advantage..."
He leaned against the railing, blinking up at the screen that announced the next two competitors as you began to finally walk away from the arena - Temari pushing herself off of two medics as she regained consciousness. He groaned loudly seeing his name get picked, on your way up the stairs - he was making his way down. He noticed the dull face you had picked up into something lighter as you wished him luck with a polite smile. He could only offer a bothered 'thanks'. But that single interaction gave him a few ideas of what type of person you were.
"Well, she's certainly strong. Are you sure you're the one training your students?" Kakashi commented, hands in his pockets as he tried to lighten Guy's mood after hearing what possible danger his student was in. It seemed to have worked - because Guy's serious face eased up.
"Of course I am! And that wasn't half of her skill, just you wait and see!" He declared.
Kakashi shut his eye with a smile. "Look now, I never said I doubted your students... But at this rate, I'm sure my students will catch up." He taunted.
Guy huffed, crossing his arms. "I'm not falling for your taunt, Kakashi..." He huffed again, closing his eyes. "My students mean more to me than just their abilities. To be honest, they are like the children I never had."
"Mmm... So you admit mine will be stronger?" That finally set Guy off.
Once you had made it up, Lee was quick to greet you with a calling of your name, cheeks pink. "Your match was amazing! It has motivated me! I will win my match no matter what, for you!" He declared boldly, a hand up against his chest. "So please, my love, watch me!" He plead. "I am sure I will be next after this fight!"
You blinked, nodding as you settled between the two of your teammates. "Thank you, Lee. I'll make sure to watch closely." You nodded - watching as Guy had walked up to the group of you, hands on his hips as he looked directly at you. He looked serious as he had said he need to speak to you, even pulling you off elsewhere. It made you believe you were in trouble, even Lee and Neji were a bit off put. But he needed to talk to you, and get you some medical assistance. You couldn't walk around with a Kunai on your shoulder.
On the other side of the building, Temari had walked back to her group with her head down in shame, fists clenched. She was frustrated - even a little scared of how Gaara would react. But he was completely silent, arms crossed as he looked elsewhere. Kankuro was unsettled, eyes on his younger brother, yet not a single word being said. He knew this condition of Gaaras, he always got like this just before he had another sort of fit. His prediction was on point, seeing as Gaara put his hands over his head - his breathing becoming labored.
"Dammit, Gaara hasn't even had a chance to fight yet and he's already freaking out. This is bad...!" Kankuro said quietly.
"... I mean, you did see who was down there right? There's no mistaking it, that girl was [Firstname]." Temari confirmed in a whisper, sweat lining her brow. "I never thought she'd actually be alive...! It was such a stupid idea I didn't even think of it as a possible mishap...!"
They were only thinking one collective thought; whoever Gaara ended up fighting was in danger.
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i was thinking hmmm mc a lil too strong ... but then it occurred to me, IDC!!! and I LIVED BITCHES last chap was a false alarm