Naruto and Hinata walked hand in hand through the lounge room Naruto talking and Hinata giggling every so often.
" Hey, Hinata, have you see Sasuke I' haven't seen him yet all day," Naruto asked Hinata who shook her head negative.
" Nope, He wasn't in the room so I just assumed he went out to train, although He's been acting differently ever since The wave mission," Hinata said with a worried glint in her eyes for her brother figure.
" Yeah I noticed that too, but he started acting differently a couple of days before that because he had woke up screaming and when I went to his room to check on him he just gave me a hug and told me to go back to sleep, I told him he could talk to me about anything but he just waved me off," Naruto said softly with a sad sigh, Hinata noticed her boyfriends distress and just squeezed his hand gently breaking him from his stupor.
" Don't worry I'm sure It's just a phase and he'll get over it, whatever it is,"' Hinata told her boyfriend but they were still worried about their friend.
Team 7 excluding Sasuke walked into the garden part of the tower that had a training ground towards the Northwest corner looking for their missing member. The couple did not have to look very long to see their friend as he attacked the training poll with sweat glistening on his brow.
" Wow, what did the poll ever do to you Sasuke you know there's a saying that says 'treat people the way you want them to be treated'," Naruto said jokingly as Sasuke stopped and panted before giving Naruto a blank look.
" You freeze people," Was the only thing Sasuke said before sitting down and picking up his bottled water from next to the poll, to drink. Naruto sweat dropped at his comeback and Hinata giggled.
Team 7 went to the cafeteria after a small chat to eat and in Sasuke's case scope out the competition. The three ate with Naruto in the middle Sasuke on the left and Hinata on his right. Sasuke looked around and saw everyone from his year had passed along with two sand teams, three Iwa teams, though one team seemed to be looking at them or glaring actually the girl was glaring at Hinata and the male was glaring at Naruto. Kabuto's team also passed along with some other teams not worth mentioning in his opinion.
" So Sasuke you think we can pass the exams," Naruto asked his best friend who seemed to be in his own little world before he nodded silently.
" So Sasuke-kun any girls here that you would consider dating," Hinata asked catching onto what Naruto was trying to do. Sasuke looked around the room before shaking his head no.
" Sasuke are you sure you're alright you haven't been speaking to us lately and are starting to close yourself off did something happen," Naruto said with no little amount of worry in his voice getting tired of beating around the bush.
Sasuke seemed taken aback at what Naruto said. " Naruto I'm fine just not feeling all pumped up, you know," Sasuke tried with a half hearted smile. Naruto shook his head.
" No Sasuke-kun we don't know, what we do know is that you're hiding something from us, Sasuke-kun you're not alone you have me and Naruto-kun and to a smaller extent Kakashi-sensei," Hinata told her friend and Naruto just nodded in agreement.
" I agree with Nata-chan Sasuke-nii, We know that something is bothering you and you're helping no one by keeping it bottled up in yourself," Naruto said grabbing Sasuke's hand. Sasuke was now contemplating telling them.
" Sasuke-nii don't beat your self up over it if you don't want to tell us that's fine just know that if you decide to we'll always be here for you and we won't reject you," Naruto told his long time friend who nodded a small "thanks" before walking off with a conflicted look on his face.
" Do you think that we did the right thing," Hinata asked Naruto but not taking her eyes off of the retreating figure of Sasuke.
" I honestly don't know Hinata-koi, but I hope Sasuke tells us what ever is bothering him before he does something he may regret," Naruto said with a sigh bringing Hinata closer to himself and kissing her on the forehead when Sasuke left.
" Maybe he's sad because he's still a virgin," Hinata suggested jokingly trying to lighten the mood. Naruto blanched at the comment.
It had been three days since the talk with Sasuke and they have not spoken a word to each other since the, They would say hi to him and he would respond in a nod. All of the teams that passed were now standing in an arena.
" Ok genin *cough, cough*, welcome to the preliminary *cough, cough* third part of the exams," the man said, he was wearing basic ninja clothes along with his jonin vest, he was wearing his head Proctor as a hat.
" Hey, what do you mean preliminaries, I thought there were only three parts to exams," Kiba yelled like an idiot, as always. Naruto shook his head in annoyance he had a hunch on why there was a preliminary.
" They're normally only three, but there are, too many genin this year so we decided to have a preliminary to cut the numbers. Alright everyone but Uchiha Sasuke and Akado Yoroi, my name is Hayate Gekko are both of you ready," Gekko told the two after everyone had left the arena. Both competitors nodded though one of them had a confident smirk on his face.
" Wow I heard of the Uchiha being massacred save one but to think I get to fight him, I'm so going to enjoy whooping your ass," Yoroi said causing Sasuke to narrow his eyes at the jab at his family. Sasuke activated his three tomoe Sharingan and glared at the man.
" Activating your Sharingan so quickly, I guess I should feel honored, but it matters naught in a fight against me your useless bloodline won't work," Yoroi said cockily. Sasuke glared harder and put out some K.I. causing the man to sweat a little.
" Are you going to talk me to death if so surrender weakling, you have the reserves of a genin while my team and I have the reserves of mid-Jonin and up," Sasuke said mocking the large man who glared under his shades. Sasuke dropped into his Interceptor fist stance and charged the man at high chunin speeds wanting to end the match quickly.
The man was taken aback at the speed of the Uchiha before letting out a, *tch, and getting into his grapple fist style that complimented his ability. Sasuke shot a feint punch at the man before jumping over the man's low grab and giving him a round house kick to the face. Sasuke's eyes widened as a small portion of his chakra was ripped away from him. Sasuke backflipped away three times.
' So he has the ability to steal the chakra of anyone he touches, implemented with his fighting style he could be quite a dangerous foe if I'm not careful,' Sasuke thought begrudgingly not usually one to acknowledge his foe's power though he does not hold back with them.
" So you've figured out what my ability is, it does not matter though because you can't beat me," Yoroi said running at Sasuke who basically watched his run as if it was a fast walk. Sasuke jumped out of the way of Yoroi's outstretched arms as he tried to capture him, Sasuke pulled a kunai from a storage seal on his wrist that Naruto had drawn on all of team 7.
" That's where you're wrong Aka'dobe' I might not be able to touch you but I can still beat you," Sasuke mocked the man causing him to fume in anger before charging at Sasuke.
Sasuke shot fire jutsu after fire jutsu at the now sweating and panting man who kept leaping out of the way. Sasuke purposely shot a faulty fire jutsu that came out in a puff of smoke and swayed slightly in faux chakra exhaustion. Yoroi smirked and charged way faster than before shocking Sasuke for a second, Sasuke pulled out a kunai and slashed the man's hand but Yoroi grabbed Sasuke's arm and used his superior strength to push Sasuke down and straddle him as he grabbed Sasuke's head and drained his chakra.
" Sasuke-kun/nii," Naruto, Hinata, Ino, and some pitaya haired girl with a vast forehead screamed at the same time. Naruto was gripping the bars of the stadium as he stared intently at the fight.
Sasuke saw black creep into his vision as his chakra was ripped away from him. ' No I have to become a chunin and I won't let this cocky bastard deter me from my goal no more pushing back time Itachi will die, and ''No one'' will stand in my way,' Sasuke thought angrily as he felt more chakra fill his coils. Yoroi was blasted off of Sasuke with third-degree chakra burns on his palms from the evil energy. Yoroi crawled back in terror as he looked at the pissed off Sasuke who had flame like tattoos growing on his face. Sasuke smirked at the power while the rest of the crowd watched with wide eyes.
Anko unconsciously rubbed her shoulder as she stared towards the arena pausing her consuming of Dango before shaking her head and wolfing down more of the doughy sweets.
" What's wrong Aka'dobe' you were talking mad shit before, and now you're backing down like a bitch," Sasuke taunted evilly as he disappeared from Yoroi's vision. Yoroi was sent towards the stadium wall from a harsh kick to the gut delivered by Sasuke who was now standing where he had previously been cowering. Yoroi threw up everything he had eaten that morning when Sasuke kicked him in the gut again causing Yoroi to leave a deeper imprint.
" I give *cough, cough* this match to Uchiha Sasuke *cough* due to Akado Yoroi being knocked out," Hayate said. Sasuke ignored the Proctor and reeled his foot back for another kick only to be restrained by several jonin other than Kakashi who still had not broken from his stupor.
" He already called the match Uchiha next time you ignore the proctor you will be disqualified, understood," Kurenai told Sasuke forcefully. Sasuke snarled but nodded before hunching slightly when the seal retreated back into its nesting form. Naruto and Hinata were the first down to catch Sasuke who sent an appreciative smile at his friends. Naruto glared at Kurenai who still had her kunai out and was giving Sasuke a hard look.
" I'd suggest you put that kunai away and fix that look Yuhi I don't take it too well having my team mates threatened," Naruto threatened with his chains dancing around him like tails, nine of them to be exact. Kurenai wanted to yell at the disrespectful blonde but noticed Hinata giving her the same look. Kurenai put her kunai away and shunshin'ed away. Kakashi appeared next to his team.
" I need to take Sasuke to get this cursed seal taken care of," Kakashi told them reaching for Sasuke, only for Naruto and Hinata to pull him away making the exhausted boy grown in discomfort.
" No, where he goes we go," Naruto said with narrowed eyes. Kakashi was about to scold them for their childish want of being with their friend but stopped when he saw the look in their eyes. It was a look that said ' You hurt him I obliterate you'.
" Alright let's go get this taken care of, and Proctor just push back the fights of my genin if we're not back," Kakashi told the proctor who nodded. Kakashi grabbed Naruto's hand and teleported them to a small four by four room with a small bed with a table next to it with the basic utensils for sealing.
Naruto and Hinata laid Sasuke on the table as they sat on either side of him. Kakashi took out a pair of scissors and slowly cut away the fabric around Sasuke's neck before taking a look at the seal.
' It looks a little different from the one on Anko but that matters naught the seal will work either way,' Kakashi thought nodding to himself as he dipped the brush into the chakra ink and calmed his breath before smoothly going the sealing array with precise ease. Hinata and Naruto watched Kakashi move through the array slowly as to not mess up, Naruto wanted to complain but he knew the dangers of messing up seals and did not want to be the cause of Sasuke being harmed.
Kakashi put the brush down on the table next to him before channeling chakra into the seal. Hinata watched in fascination as the seals glow red before spreading around the seal until it covered the seal like a circle, the excess inside of the circle seals started sinking into the seal before small lines started crawling across the inside of the seal coming from the top and right sides of the seal making it look like a jail.
" Alrighty It's all finished now Sasuke just needs some time to rest, alone, and before you argue you still have matches to fight unless you want to quit the chunin exams, the second one is not an option," Kakashi said when he saw the looks in their eyes. ' They would give up their chance at ranking up for the moment just to be with their friend,' Kakashi thought with a fond smile.
Naruto gave Sasuke a quick glance before making a portal and leading Hinata through it. Naruto and Hinata appeared just in time to hear the proctor call her's and her cousin's name.
" Good luck Hinata-chan, do your best," Naruto said softly knowing that she was conflicted about fighting her cousin. Hinata just nodded hesitantly and leaning into Naruto's embrace before steeling herself to fight.
" Are both competitors ready," Hayate said looking between the two one was glaring at the other and nodded, while the ladder looked unsure but none the less nodded.
" Begin," Hayate said disappearing from the area leaving the sealed prodigy of the Hyuga to fight the so called unsealed main Hyuga failure.
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Hello, well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter sorry it took so long for me to update, I kept getting side tracked, well enough excuse. Thanks for reading so far.
Ja Ne