Aaron Nowack wrote:

And here we go again.

I should warn you that this chapter is long and heavy on the fight
scenes, for reasons that should be obvious to those who have been
following the story.  

No!  A Naruto fic that is heavy on fight scenes?  Couldn't you at least
try to be more faithful to the original?

        Uzumaki Naruto knew that he was not always as observant as a
ninja should be.  

Aw heck that's nothing.  Let's talk about how he's not always as
stealthy as ninja should be.  Incidentally, isn't the time ripe for a
Ninja Scroll/Naruto crossover?  In a lot of way, the freaky mutant
ninjas of Ninja Scroll are like primitive versions of the Naruto freaks.


He'd heard that more than enough times from his

teachers back in the academy or from Kakashi and his teammates after
he'd screwed up in yet another training exercise.  This wasn't to say
that he was always unobservant, of course.  Were that the case, he would
have already died far more than a dozen times.  

Unless of course he was the beneficiary of great heaping cartloads of
luck.


It was just that,

sometimes, he didn't pay quite as much attention to things as he needed
to.
        Despite this, he had noticed quite a few interesting things
about his teacher, the legendary Sannin Jiraiya.  Even setting aside the
volumes he could write on the old man's perversity despite the fact that
he still had only the vaguest perception of what that perversity
precisely entailed, 

understanding

there were countless small habits and mannerisms of

which Naruto had become aware.  For one, he knew the way Jiraiya's eyes
shifted whenever he spoke or thought of Orochimaru.  He could read the
nuances of the vast collection of sighs Jiraiya could produce.
        Another thing he had learned was that Jiraiya rarely, if ever,
totally dropped his guard.  Even when he was sleeping, the Toad Hermit
seemed ready for any attack.  Still, Naruto could tell when Jiraiya
thought he was safe, notice the slightly more relaxed way he carried
himself.  Naruto had not seen Jiraiya like that since he had awoken on
the ship to Lightning Country.  Even now, the older man held himself
like he feared some sudden attack.
        That was not what truly was making Naruto nervous.  After all,
as Jiraiya had reminded him several times, they were in the heart of an
enemy village.  Even if the Leaf were presently at peace with the Cloud

Doesn't that make them "unfriendly" more than enemy?  Or even just
"foreign?

and even if they were under the personal protection of the High
Priestess of the Thunder Dragon, that was no reason to completely
dismiss the possibility of an enemy attack.  No, what was bothering
Naruto was that, while Jiraiya did not seem blind to the possibility of
an external assault, that was not where the bulk of his attention lay.
        As they had countless times over the past week, a thousand tiny
details in the way Jiraiya held himself told Naruto that the older man
most feared an attack originating from Naruto himself.  Naruto, not
being nearly so stupid as many thought, did not need a lot of thinking
to know why that might be, not with the convenient gaps in his memories
provided by his recent comas.  He remembered all too well the harsh
laughter of the Kyuubi as the two-tailed construct of blood and chakra
had devoured him whole before the gates of the Kyuubi's prison.  It was
not hard to imagine what might have happened in the real world at the
same time.
        What had he looked like, Naruto wondered, when the Kyuubi had
taken over?  He liked to think that he would have found out if he had
turned into a terrible, nine-tailed beast of destruction larger than
most buildings, so it could not have been that.  

There would be subtle signs that only a ninja of his skill could detect,
like knocked over trees.


But had he looked like

Gaara, parts of his body twisting and deforming into a miniature
imitation of that monster?  Or, worse, had he just been himself, only
filled with the Kyuubi's power and rage?  How could he ever bring
himself to ask Jiraiya those questions?  Best to let his teacher think
him cheerfully oblivious and hope that this Kaida lady could help him
before he had another chance to find out the answers.

Hey if Kyuubi takes over permanently, you'll never find out.  Better ask
now.

        Jiraiya let out a sigh that meant he wanted Naruto's attention
as he glanced carefully about the tiny garden nestled between two wings
of the temple building, searching for hidden observers.  Clearly finding
none, he coughed once to ensure Naruto was listening, then spoke.  "I'm
going to have to leave you for a bit, boy," he said.
        Naruto blinked.  "Why?"

Because I want to be out of the blast zone when you detonate.

        "I need access to a good library to do some research," Jiraiya
explained.  "The way the political situation here is now, Kaida-chan
isn't able to get me access to the Cloud's main library."
        "So what are you going to do?" Naruto asked.
        "Fortunately, there's a secret library not too far from the
village that should have what I need that's under Kaida-chan's control,"
Jiraiya answered.  "It's not close enough that I can head back and
forth, though."

commute?

        "Oh," Naruto said.  "What should I do?"
        "Pay attention to Kaida-chan."  Jiraiya smiled weakly.  "She'll
hit you with lightning if you don't."  His face turned serious.  "If
anyone can help you right now, it's her.  So long as you're careful, you
can trust Kaida-chan at least as far as that goes."  His eyes
subconsciously glanced around the garden once more.  "Don't trust anyone
else, though.  Remember that we are in an enemy village and that the
Leaf are not very popular here right now."  

Yeah.  Definitely "foreign" here.  To call them enemy and then say the
Leaf aren't very popular is just redundant.


Naruto nodded, the motion

reminding him that he wasn't wearing his forehead protector.  Most of
the priests knew who he was of course, but Kaida and Jiraiya had seen no
point in him advertising his allegiance to all the people who came to
the temple during the day.
        "Be even more careful than you were at Hojo's place," Jiraiya
continued.  His hand suddenly reached out to rest on Naruto's stomach.
"Whatever you do, don't let anyone but Kaida-chan know why you're really
here.  So far as anyone else knows, she's teaching you lightning element
techniques as a favor to me.  Keep it that way."
        Jiraiya's tone was serious enough that Naruto answered just as
seriously.  "I will."
        The older ninja smiled crookedly.  "No accusations that I'm just
going to go check out the Cloud Village's public baths instead of
working?" he asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.
        Naruto twitched.  "Ero-sennin!" he hollered.  "You better not -"
He cut off as Jiraiya's hand moved again, rubbing the top of his head
fondly.
        "That's my boy," Jiraiya said.  He released Naruto, who scowled
at him.  Jiraiya laughed.  "Don't look like that," he said.  "I have a
present for you."
        Naruto blinked.  "What?"
        "You have no idea how hard it was to get a copy of this here in
Lightning Country," Jiraiya said, pulling out a folded piece of paper
and handing it to his student.
        Naruto opened it, staring blankly at the diagram and the names
beneath it before realizing what it was.  "This is who's fighting who in
the Chuunin Exam!" he declared.  For a moment, all his problems were
forgotten as he studied the names.  "Neji doesn't have to fight anyone
in the first round, that lucky bastard," he grumbled.
         "That's not really luck," Jiraiya observed.  "It's one less
fight he has to impress the examination board, and it means his first
fight is going to be against a tougher opponent."
        "I guess," Naruto observed, searching for another name.  "Ah!
Sakura-chan made it!"  She was fighting an 'Uzuki Ami.'  If that was the
Ami Naruto thought it was, he really wished he could have been there to
see the fight and cheer Sakura on, even more than before.

Has Sakura been sharing her childhood traumas with Naruto?

        Jiraiya grinned.  "Good for her," he observed, and for a moment
Naruto thought that Jiraiya knew something about Sakura that he wasn't
telling him.  

I'm sure Jiraiya knows all kinds of things about Sakura that he doesn't
tell Naruto.


Then his attention was drawn to another oddity.  "That's

weird," he muttered.
        "What's weird?" Jiraiya asked
        Naruto turned the paper so he could see, pointing at one name.
"There's a Haruno Midori listed here, but it says she's from the Mist."
        "That is a little odd," Jiraiya agreed, "but it could just be
coincidence."
        "I guess," Naruto allowed, scanning the rest of the names.  He
noted idly that the genin guard he'd befriended at that Waterfall
stronghold had made it.  Hopefully he'd given Sakura his message.  He
also noticed several names that were missing.  "I wonder what happened
to Kiba and Shino's team."
        Jiraiya just shrugged.  "I should get going," he said.  "Kaida-
chan should be ready to see you in a bit, so don't waste too much time
here."  He turned away.
        "Ero-sennin," Naruto said.  "Wait."
        Jiraiya peered back at him.  "Hmm?"
        "Thanks."  Naruto carefully folded the piece of paper again,
slipping it into his pocket.  Jiraiya just grinned at him, then walked
off.
        Naruto's hand fiddled with the slip of paper in his pocket, and
he spent several moments pondering the question of how the tournament
would go.  Ultimately, though, there were too many names that he didn't
recognize for him to make any predictions.  Sighing, he decided to
follow Jiraiya's advice and go to meet with the High Priestess.  

I believe that should be "the high priestess" or "High Priestess Kaida".


He got

slightly lost heading through the unfamiliar hallways of the temple, but
eventually he found his way to where he was supposed to be.
        The acolyte standing outside the meditation chamber where he was
supposed to meet Kaida nodded as he approached.  "Kaida-sama said to go
ahead and let you in, but be quiet.  

Apparently Kaida hasn't figured out what kind of person Naruto is.


She's meeting with her apprentice."

Naruto nodded back at the young man, who opened the door.  Naruto
slipped inside and the acolyte softly shut the door behind him.
        It took Naruto's eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness.  The
surprisingly large room was lit only by a handful of candles, making the
strange characters and arcane patterns painted on the cold stone floor
even more incomprehensible to the Leaf genin.  He could just barely make
out the forms of two women kneeling across from each other in the center
of the room.  Kaida, who was facing the entrance, made a barely
perceptible shake of her head.
        Remembering the acolyte's warning, Naruto interpreted the
gesture correctly and stepped aside, pressing himself against the wall
and doing his best not to disturb the two women.  The younger woman -
Kaida's apprentice, no doubt, showed no sign that she'd noticed Naruto's
presence.  "It's good to be back, Kaida-sama," she said softly.
        "I expected you much sooner, Junhime-chan," the High Priestess
responded.  "Was the mission more difficult than expected?"
        "Yes," Junhime stated.  When Kaida raised an elegant eyebrow,
she elaborated slightly.  "The mission parameters were changed half-way
through.  The new mission was a S-rank capture mission."
        "Quite a change from an A-rank assassination," Kaida replied.
         "A target of opportunity presented himself."  Though he
couldn't see her face, Naruto could feel the young woman grimace.  "We
lost more than half the squad capturing him, and then another
transporting him here."
        "He must be very skilled, then, to do such against your
strength," Kaida allowed.  "That still does not explain why you are this
late, though."
        "He is most impressive, even setting aside his eye," Junhime
agreed.  Naruto frowned slightly, something setting off warning bells in
the back of his mind.  Kaida's apprentice continued, "We were further
delayed when we got picked up by a Hidden Sky patrol, and they debated
whether it was worth the risk to the alliance of a squad of Cloud ninja
vanishing inside their country to get their hands on the famous copy
ninja Sharingan Kakashi."
        Naruto didn't even pause to think, but even if he had it
wouldn't have changed his next action in even the slightest.  He
snarled, not noticing his teeth lengthening and sharpening or the rapid
growth of his fingernails into inhuman claws.  Red chakra flickered
around him, and he was just as oblivious to it as to the physical
changes.  Instantly noting the explosion of power behind her, Junhime
was on her feet in an instant, whirling about to face Naruto with kunai
in one hand.  Her eyes widened slightly.  "You're -" she began, only to
cut off as Naruto snarled again.
        "Oh dear," Kaida muttered, not stirring from her kneeling
posture.
        The scarlet chakra began to thicken around Naruto, and he
noticed it for the first time.  With an effort of will, he forced it to
disperse back into a faint flicker, though none of the changes his body
had gone through reversed themselves.  "What did you do to Kakashi-
sensei?"  Anger and menace filled every word.
        The door to the mediation chamber burst open, two robed acolytes
rushing in.  One reacted quickly to the sight that awaited him, hands
flickering through seals.   "Raiton: Hand of Thunder!"  One open palm
darted at Naruto's back, electricity crackling around it.
        Reacting almost on its own, Naruto's hand reached back, grabbing
the acolyte's wrist.  Crimson chakra flared briefly, drowning out the
energy of the man's technique.  He twisted uncomfortably, the chakra
obviously painful to him.  "Answer me," Naruto snarled, his eyes never
leaving Junhime.
        Junhime's cold blue eyes studied him.  "A Leaf ninja, here.  It
seems I have been away too long, Kaida-sama."  Her hand tightened around
the hilt of her kunai.
        "Don't be foolish, Junhime-chan," Kaida chided.  "He is my
guest."  He eyes flicked to Naruto.  "Release him, please.  He was only
trying to protect me."
        Naruto dropped the acolyte's hand, and the man stumbled back to
rejoin his companion.  "I want an answer," he repeated.
        "Fine," Junhime stated.  "I'll give you one.  I captured Hatake
Kakashi and brought him here.  He's now in the hands of the medical
division here and they'll study him until their certain they can safely
transplant the Sharingan.  Then if I'm lucky I'll get the eye, and if
you're lucky we'll trade him back to the Leaf."  She smiled.  "Please do
try to change his fate, little boy.  I'd love to have you take yourself
out from under Kaida-sama's protection that way."

Goodness.  Junhime doesn't have very good judgement.

        Naruto snarled, almost lunging at the woman, but he managed to
restrain himself.  Slowly relaxing, he still glared at her even as his
eyes changed from crimson to blue and the rest of his body returned to
normal.  "If he's hurt, I will find some way to make you pay," he stated
harshly, "and you'd better believe it.  I don't go back on my word."
        Junhime snorted, ignoring him and glaring back at her mistress.
"And you had best believe that the appropriate authorities will learn
just what you're sheltering here, Kaida-sama."  Naruto swallowed
nervously as the implication of her choice of words settled in.
        "I would expect no less from you, Junhime-chan," Kaida murmured.
"You have the rest of today and tomorrow off to recover from your
mission, but your lessons will resume after that."
        Junhime nodded.  "Of course, Kaida-sama," she said, her voice
strangely respectful again.  Turning back to face the High Priestess and
bowing, she continued, "By your leave?"
        Kaida nodded, and her apprentice left, not even glancing at
Naruto as she passed.  "Kaida-sama?" one of the acolytes prompted.
        "You may leave also," Kaida said, "and please get that wrist
looked at."  Once they were alone, she gave Naruto a long look, sighing.
"I see Jiraiya-kun was right when he said you had problems with
control."
        Naruto seated himself where Junhime had knelt minutes before.
"Kakashi-sensei is my teacher," was all he said.
        "I see," Kaida stated.  "I will do what I can for him, Naruto-
kun, but please do not try anything just yet.  That will only make it
more difficult."  After a long moment, Naruto nodded and the High
Priestess continued.  "I'm afraid that after that I'm going to have to
ask you to agree to some restrictions on your movements for your own
safety." She paused.  "If I can find men I can trust, you will be under
constant guard as well."
        Naruto frowned, but he eventually said, "All right."
        "Very well, then," Kaida said.  "Let us put that aside for the
moment.  Shall we begin?"

***********************************************************************

[Day Seventy]

        The arena was loud.  Even now, almost an hour before the first
match was scheduled to begin, the stands were packed with hundreds of
observers from all over the allied nations and beyond.  Vendors moved up
and down the broad stairways, hawking their overpriced wares.  It was a
shame that none of them would ever even consider daring the guarded
passageway's that lead to the Kages' platform at the top of the arena,
because Tsunade could have really used a drink.
        She'd never been to a chuunin exam like this.  When she'd been a
young girl, there hadn't been such a thing.  The rank of chuunin was
awarded after a series of informal tests, given to individual candidates
at the Second Hokage's personal discretion.  That had served the then-
smaller village well.  Tsunade had actually helped to set up some of the
Hidden Leaf's first formal Chuunin Selection Exams, but those had been
nothing like the spectacle of today's exams.  The exams had continued to
become more and more formal and public over the years, accelerating once
they had started being inter-village events.  Still, when she had left
the Leaf, the finals had still been barred to civilians.
        Tsunade sighed as she settled into the fairly uncomfortable
throne, then sighed again as s he felt Shizune's worried glance.  "I'm
fine, Shizune," she said.
        After a moment, her student nodded.  "I should probably be
going," she said, a hint of wistfulness in her voice.
        "I'm sure Anko-chan will tell you all about it," Tsunade said.
"I need somebody I can trust to do things right commanding the
defenses."
        "I know," Shizune answered.  She fiddled with one of the scroll
pouches on the uniform armored jacket she was wearing.  "I'll do my
best."  She bowed slightly, then vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving
Tsunade alone on the high platform.
        Tsunade glanced at the empty throne several paces from her own.
Traditionally, the Kazekage would be seated there, but at the moment
there was no Kazekage.  There were no Sand ninja in the finals, besides,
so it was unlikely that he or she would have attended anyway.  That
being the case, Tsunade had felt free to bend the traditions a little
bit and invite a few guests to sit with her.  If she had to be stuck in
a seat with such an awful view of the action, she was going to have some
company.
        The first of her guests to arrive were her advisers, who came
together.  "Tsunade-sama," Utatane Koharu said as she drew near, giving
a shallow bow.  "Thank you for the invitation."
        "Likewise," Mitokado Homura murmured.
        Tsunade waved her hand at the chairs she'd ordered placed on the
platform.  "Have a seat," she said.
        Homura seated himself next to Tsunade, then Koharu sat next to
him.  "There should be many interesting fights this time," Koharu
observed after a moment.
        "I certainly hope so," Tsunade said.  "I'd hate to have to sit
out here all day to be bored.  I get enough of that in the office."
        "Despite being... interrupted, the last exams set a high
standard," Homura observed.  "Still, I think we're in for a good
tournament this time."  He glanced sideways at the Hokage.  "I expect to
be impressed by Haruno Sakura's matches, for one."
        Tsunade sighed.  "You know?"
        "You weren't precisely subtle," Koharu observed, a hint of
amusement in her voice.
        "The way you spoke to me about your soon-to-be apprentice,"
Homura elaborated, "it had to be either Fuki-chan or Haruno."  He
snorted.  "That wasn't hard to figure out the answer to, given how you
had Shizune tracing Sakura's history."
        "I suppose," Tsunade mumbled.  "Your reaction isn't what I would
have expected."
        "I'm not an evil man," Homura said.  "I wish her nothing but the
best."  He shook his head slightly.  "That's one of the reasons I didn't
want to acknowledge her as Takeru's daughter.  Mitokado Sakura would not
have had a happy life, I fear."
        "I suppose," Tsunade allowed.
        For a long moment, the three old ninja were all silent.  Then
Homura spoke again.  "She doesn't know, I take it."
        "I haven't told her," Tsunade stated simply.  "Sakura-chan has
enough family problems at the moment without adding this to them."
        "This Haruno Midori," Koharu agreed.
        "She and my... and Fuki-chan have the first fight, I believe,"
Homura commented.
        "You think your great-granddaughter can win?" Tsunade asked.
        "Perhaps," Homura stated.  Then he smiled, a twinkle in his eye.
"I'd feel more confident if I could get you to lay a wager against her,
though."
        "Oh, shut up," Tsunade grumbled.  "Shizune would kill me if I
bet on anybody, anyway."
        "I'm starting to think we should have just skipped the middle-
woman and just made Shizune-chan Hokage directly," Koharu stated dryly.

        Tsunade mock-growled at the older woman, but any further
conversation was halted by the sound of approaching footsteps.  Tsunade
glanced sideways to see a young man in a Waterfall uniform.  The man
bowed deeply.  "Hokage-sama, I am Matsuyo Nissho, jounin of the Hidden
Waterfall.  I thank you for the invitation to watch the matches with
you."
        Tsunade waved a hand at one of the two empty chairs.  "Have a
seat; there's no need to be formal."
        "Thank you, Hokage-sama," Nissho said as he followed Tsunade's
advice.  He grinned slightly.  "You are as beautiful as Jiraiya-sama
described."
        Tsunade blinked.  "You know Jiraiya?"
        "We met briefly in Waterfall Country a couple of months ago,"
Nissho stated.  "He stumbled across one of our hidden bases while trying
to evade the Valley."
        "I see," Tsunade said.  "I take it that it is your team
competing, since you were chosen to be the Waterfall's representative."
        "More or less," Nissho said.  "It's complicated."
        Before Tsunade could respond, the last of her guests arrived.
Unlike the others, she came escorted by two grim ANBU guards.  "Hokage-
sama," Mitarashi Kimi said in greeting, a hint of mockery in her voice
as she bowed.
        Tsunade nodded her head.  "Mitarashi-san."  Unlike the previous
times she had seen the Mist jounin, Kimi was wearing the uniform of her
village.  "Please, be seated."
        "Thank you," Kimi said, smiling at Nissho as seated herself next
to him.
        The noise of the crowd suddenly redoubled in intensity, and
Tsunade glanced down at the arena floor far below.  The fighters had
taken the field, standing in a rough line facing the stands.  Mitarashi
Anko stood beside them, grinning widely as she waited for the cheering
to die down enough that she could make herself heard to the genin.
Tsunade shifted in her seat.
        The third part of the Hidden Village of the Leaf's Chuunin
Selection Exam was about to begin.

***********************************************************************

        The roar of the crowd was deafening, and Mitarashi Anko felt
herself grinning widely as her gaze swept the line of genin standing
beside her.  The third exam might not be quite as fun to run as the
second, but it did have its moments.  Her grin widened as she noted to
herself just how easy it was to tell that Hyuuga Neji was the only one
of the genin who had ever been in this situation before.  The others
were all looking around in something very much like awe.
        Almost having to shout to make herself heard over the noise of
the spectators, Anko told the young ninja, "You all had better give them
a good show."  She licked her lips, noting that the crowd had begun to
quiet as they noticed her speaking.  "I want to see plenty of blood."
Anko smiled slightly at disgusted looks several of the genin gave her,
then pulled out and unfolded a slip of paper.  "In case any of you are
morons, I'm supposed to show you who you'll be fighting again.  There
haven't been any changes.
        "The rules are simple.  You fight until one of you is no longer
able to fight or yields.  However, if I believe the match to be over, I
will step in and end it.  If you continue to fight after that, you can
and will be disqualified and the match awarded to your opponent.
Understood?"  The genin all made noises or gestures of agreement, and
Anko took a step back, returning the schedule of fights to her pocket.
"Then let's get this thing started."  Raising her hand, she gestured to
Tsunade far above, who rose from her seat and began to welcome the
visitors to the exam.  Anko didn't pay any attention to the words, but
the sudden roar of the crowd told her when Tsunade's speech was over.
        "The first fight will be between Haruno Midori and Mitokado
Fuki."  The named kunoichi stiffened slightly.  Anko cracked her
knuckles.  "The rest of you should go back to the waiting room."  She
waved vaguely in the direction of the stairs leading off the arena
floor.  Slowly, the other genin began to walk off, while Anko positioned
the fighters the requisite handful of paces apart in the center of the
arena, before taking her place between them.
        Haruno Midori grinned.  "Last chance," she said.  "Back down now
and you won't get hurt."
        "I told you before," Fuki answered, "I'm going to fight you.  I
haven't come this far just to give up."
        "Your mistake," was all Midori said in reply, falling into a
ready stance.  An instant later, Fuki followed suit, and Anko noted that
she carefully kept her eyes off of Midori's.
        Judging that the time was right, Anko activated a technique to
amplify her voice so that it could be heard throughout the arena, even
though she spoke only slightly more loudly than usual.  "The first
match," she stated, then waited a moment for the echoes to die down.  In
an instant, the crowd hushed itself almost completely.  "The Hidden
Mist's Haruno Midori against the Hidden Leaf's Mitokado Fuki... begin!"
        The crowd roared and silenced itself once more, but neither
fighter stirred.  Anko nodded slightly to herself.  They were both
playing it safe, searching for any weaknesses in the other's stance
rather than blindly charging in.  

Ah.  I see you are using the "I'm a Little Teapot" stance.


She'd thought her sister's student had

seemed overconfident enough to play into Fuki's hands like that, but
Midori was proving to have at least a little caution despite her
bravado.
        Slowly, taking advantage of Fuki's slightly averted gaze, Midori
began to surreptitiously ready shuriken in one hand.  A shifting of
Fuki's feet betrayed the fact that she noticed, even as behind her back
the Leaf kunoichi prepared her own weapons.  As though they had been
signaled, the fighters simultaneously released their shuriken, then
leapt away from their opponent's attack.
        As she landed, Midori pulled out a kunai, charging before Fuki
could prepare any defense.  Fuki flipped away from the green-eyed girl,
throwing a handful of smoke bombs to hide her retreat.  As Midori burst
from the clouds of thick black smoke, a trio of kunai flew at her.
Midori expertly parried each of them, then tossed her own kunai at Fuki.
The blade pierced her chest, then she vanished in a puff of smoke.
        "Replication Technique," Midori snarled.  "Where are you, then?"
It took her only moments to locate her opponent, perched in one of the
cluster of trees near one the far wall of the arena.  "Hiding won't help
you," the Mist kunoichi stated as she slowly advanced.
        "Who said I was hiding?" Fuki returned, reaching up to pull down
a handful of green leaves from the tree.

I see this one takes being from the Leaf seriously.

        Midori stopped, falling rapidly into a defensive stance.  "What
are you up to?"
        Fuki released the leaves, which began to flutter slowly to the
ground.  Her hands flickered through seals.  "Leaf Shuriken Technique!"
she shouted, and the falling leaves suddenly began to fly through the
air as straight and true as any real shuriken.  Midori darted and
weaved, a kunai appearing in her hands and shredding a number of leaves
that came too close, yet one leaf managed to penetrate her defense,
leaving a crimson line across one cheek.  "That's what I'm up to," Fuki
stated as she reached for another handful of leaves.
        The watching crowd erupted into loud cheers.  No surprise, Anko
thought.  While there were likely a handful of visitors from farther
away, the vast majority of the crowd were from the Leaf Village and most
of the rest from the other allied nations.  All of those would be
rooting against the Mist kunoichi.  While they weren't at war at the
moment, all the allied nations had fought the Mist in living memory.
        Breathing heavily, Midori pulled out a small flask of water.
"You aren't the only one with that sort of technique," she observed as
she opened the flask and flung it spinning into the air, spraying water.
As soon as the container left her hands, they began to form seals.
"Water Shuriken Technique!"  Bullets of water formed in midair, flying
straight at Fuki.
        The other kunoichi once more released her leaves, this time
forming a longer sequence of seals.  "Shield of Leaves!"  More leaves
fell from the tree to join the ones Fuki had thrown, formed a whirling
barrier that perfectly blocked Midori's attack.  As the leaves once more
began to fall naturally, Fuki scanned the arena floor for her opponent.
"Where are you?" she muttered.
        "Right here," Midori answered as she landed behind Fuki on the
tree branch.  The Mist ninja's fist flew at the back of Fuki's head.
Fuki half-turned to block the strike, then leapt away, landing lightly
in the branches of another tree.  "Running away?" Midori asked mockingly
as she readied a kunai.
        Fuki's hands moved through seals.  "Of course not," she stated,
her hands freezing on the last seal.  "Leaf Shuriken Technique!"  All
around Midori, green leaves, loosened by Fuki earlier, detached
themselves from the tree.  Midori barely had time to recognize her
danger before the storm of razor-sharp foliage descended on her.  "Got
you," Fuki stated, forming a fist and grinning in victory.
        Midori's form dissolved into water.  Reluctantly, Anko nodded in
admiration.  The Water Shuriken Technique had been used only to get
enough water near Fuki to create a water replication.  The clone had
been used as a decoy to keep the Leaf kunoichi busy while the real
Midori got herself into position.  It was a clever strategy, Anko had to
admit as she searched for the hidden Midori.  Her eyes fell on what
seemed like an empty branch.  There she was.
        Fuki, not being nearly so observant as the special jounin, was
still looking on the arena floor for her opponent when a thrown kunai,
aimed at her heart, seemed to appear out of midair.  Fuki noticed the
attack just in time, using the Replacement Technique to leave a thick
branch behind to 'die' in her place.  Reappearing on top of one tree,
Fuki bit worriedly at her lip.  "A cloaking genjutsu?"  A calculating
look appeared on face as she obviously attempted to work out Midori's
position from the angle of her attack.
        Midori, of course, knew this, and wasn't staying still.  Moving
closer to the trees to get a better look at the fight, Anko silently
willed Fuki to notice the slight shuffling of leaves and distortion in
the air that betrayed Midori's path.  Despite her pleas, the seemingly
oblivious Fuki managed to once more present her back to Midori.  Slowly,
cautiously, the Mist kunoichi drew nearer to deliver a killing strike.
        Then, Anko grinned.  An instant later, a massive explosion
engulfed the tree Midori was standing on as she stepped too close to the
explosive tag Fuki had placed.  Fuki had decided that she couldn't see
through Midori's genjutsu, so instead she had maneuvered Midori into a
trap by presenting a too-tempting vulnerability.  Unfortunately, it
seemed Midori had noticed the tag quickly enough to use the Replacement
Technique to escape the explosion, but now her cloaking technique was
disrupted.  She stood, plainly visible, on the ground facing the trees.
        After a moment, Fuki landed before her opponent, surrounded by
the gently falling leaves knocked from their places by the explosion.
"It's over," she stated as for the third time she formed the seals for
the Leaf Shuriken Technique, her eyes still carefully averted from
Midori.
        "You're right," Midori's voice came from the empty air beside
Fuki.  "It is over."  The visible Midori vanished in a puff of smoke,
and Anko's eyes widened slightly.  Midori was very fast with her
cloaking technique, if she'd managed to get it up again and create a
replication before either she or Fuki had spotted her.
        Fuki started, but wasn't able to avert her eyes quickly enough
as the real Midori dropped her genjutsu.  The Mist kunoichi's hands had
already formed a seal.  "Haruno Ninpou: Gaze of Binding," she stated as
her green eyes met Fuki's.  Helplessly, Fuki struggled to move, but it
was clear that she was almost completely paralyzed.  "Since you knew not
to look in my eyes," Midori said softly, "I suspect that pink-haired
bitch told you about the Gaze of Torment.  If not, the name should be
enough.  Yield now, and I won't have to use it."
        Slowly, straining against the force of Midori's technique, Fuki
nodded.  In an instant, Anko stood between the two fighters.  "Do you
yield?" she asked Fuki softly.

Tsk.  Being a little obvious with your sympathies there, Anko.

        Fuki nodded again.  "I withdraw," she muttered bitterly, and
Midori glanced away, releasing her opponent from her paralysis.  Fuki
shuddered once as control returned to her.
        Anko nodded, once more activating the technique that amplified
her voice.  "Mitokado Fuki yields," she stated.  "The winner of the
first match is Haruno Midori of the Hidden Mist."  Scattered, weak
cheers and much louder boos filled the air, and Midori snorted.  Without
waiting for any other words from Anko, she turned away and began the
walk back across the arena to the waiting room.
        Anko let her hand rest on Fuki's shoulder.  "Don't worry about
it," she told the young kunoichi.  "You did really well, particularly
for a rookie.  You probably won't make chuunin this time, but I expect
you'll manage it within a year."  When Fuki didn't say anything, she
continued.  "You can go back to the waiting room to stay with your team
or leave now, whichever you want."
        Fuki nodded.  "Thank you," she whispered, then she followed
Midori's trail back to the waiting room.  When they arrived, both
fighters rejoined their teams, the trio of Mist ninja pointedly ignoring
the quiet hostility of the others as Saburo loudly celebrated Midori's
victory.  The green-eyed kunoichi herself didn't say anything, settling
for just giving Neji an evil grin.  The Hyuuga prodigy didn't dignify
her with a response.
        Not far away, Sakura had finished giving her condolences to Fuki
and walked over to her rival.  "You're up next, Ino-pig," she said.
        "I know that, Forehead," Ino muttered.
        "Remember what I told you," Sakura said quietly, "and don't
lose."
        Ino grinned widely at her.  "I told you before, Forehead, I'm
not going to lose.  Worry about your own fight."  With that, she
casually jumped from the waiting room to the arena floor.  Sakura
grimaced as she stared after her and remembered...

***********************************************************************

        "The third exam's less than a week away."
        Sakura snorted at her rival's words.  "I know that, Ino-pig,"
she replied, taking of sip of her tea.  The two kunoichi were in a small
cafe not far from the ninja academy - Ino had loudly declared that she
would skip the meeting entirely if they were going to eat at Ichiraku
yet again.  "Maybe you aren't, but I'm perfectly capable of using a
calender."
        "That was weak, Sakura," Ino returned with a roll of her eyes.
"I'm afraid between your oversized forehead and that skill, there's not
enough room in your brain for witty insults."

Hah!  I shall best you with an even less witty insult!

        "Are we here to talk or fight?" Sakura asked.
        "You started it, Forehead," Ino reminded her.  "I'd be happy to
play with you more, though I think you should probably make this quick.
You'll need to spend more time training if you don't want to embarrass
yourself against me in the second round."  Smirking, Ino took a sip of
her own drink.
        "Enough," Sakura snarled.  "I don't want to talk about the exam,
Ino-pig."
        Ino raised an eyebrow as she set down her cup.  "I thought you
wanted to tell me all about your fight with Shimano Ren."
        "I do," Sakura answered.  "There's something more important."
        "Spill it, then," Ino stated.
        Sakura glanced about instinctively, making sure there weren't
any other ninja within easy hearing distance.  When she spoke, her voice
was quiet but by no means soft.  "You're going to tell me everything you
know about Kakashi-sensei."
        Ino blinked.  "Didn't Hokage-sama tell you?" she asked.
        "I can't get an appointment with her!" Sakura snarled, briefly
forgetting herself and raising her voice.  She paused, taking a quick
breath and continuing in a normal tone of voice.  "Hokage-sama is busy
preparing for the exam, and Shizune-sama won't tell me anything."
        "All right," Ino said.  "I'll tell you what I know."  It was her
turn to make sure no one listening - while she wasn't really doing
anything wrong, the information was technically classified.  It took
only a few minutes to tell Sakura quietly what she knew about how Daimyo
Chichiatsu had betrayed Kakashi and sold him out to the Cloud, leading
to his capture.
        When she finished, Sakura softly snarled, "Damn it."  The pink-
haired kunoichi clenched her fists tightly.  "If I didn't know it was
stupid, I'd want to head to Swamp Country so I could kill this daimyo
myself."
        Ino laughed weakly.  "You'd be a little late," she said,
something strange in her voice.  "He's already dead."
        Sakura stared at her rival a moment, quickly realizing what
Ino's odd tone meant.  "Ino," she breathed.  "You didn't -"
        "I did."  Ino stared at her mostly empty cup for a long moment,
a hint of a shudder passing through her.  "I was in his daughter's body,
and I'd tricked him into telling me the whole story."  She swallowed
once.  "I knew what had to be done, and I did it."

Y'know, it must be a real pain in the ass to get a murder conviction in
this society.  They've got the possession defense and the shapeshifter
defense.  Of course maybe they deal with it by not having trials.

        "Ino," was all Sakura could find the words to say.
        "Don't," Ino said.  "I don't need," she began, only to trail
off.  "You know what I mean."
        "I guess," Sakura replied.
        "Enough of that," Ino said firmly.  "Now, tell me everything you
know about this Ren."
        "It's been a couple of months," Sakura said after a moment's
hesitation to gather her thoughts, "and she's certainly been training.
My information is going to be out of date."
        "I know that," Ino said.  "I'm not stupid."  Now she paused.
"Chouji fought her briefly in the second exam.  She knows that fire claw
technique of yours, and Chouji said that she has some technique that
creates a wall of fire."
        Sakura shrugged slightly.  "I don't know about that.  She also
likes to use a technique called Shadow Smoke Evasion.  It's like the
Replacement Technique, but she doesn't need to leave anything behind.
It also leaves behind enough smoke to disorient you for a moment."
        Ino nodded.  "I think I saw that one."
        "Right."  Sakura paused briefly.  "Mitarashi-sensei... our
Mitarashi-sensei, that is, told me that her sister would probably be
teaching Ren-san the Fire Dragon Fist Style."
        "Fire Dragon Fist?" Ino asked, grinning.  "Sounds impressive."
        "It's the Mitarashi Clan's secret taijutsu style," Sakura
explained.  "It uses fire element ninjutsu and integrates well with the
rest of the family techniques."  She paused.  "It's a short-range style
emphasizing speed.  I wouldn't try to get into a taijutsu fight with
her; she'll run circles around you if she's been learning the style."
        "Treat her like I was fighting Lee-san?" Ino asked, for once a
hint of worry in her voice.  She grimaced.  "Lee-san with fire ninjutsu
for backup."
        "She's almost certainly not that fast," Sakura said.  "The Fire
Dragon Fist also burns through chakra really quickly.  You can outlast
her if she uses it."  Sakura frowned in thought.  "I'd guess that she'd
only go for taijutsu as a last resort.  She seems more of a ninjutsu-
type."
        "Good," Ino responded.  "Anything else?"
        "Well, there is one more technique, but I don't think it'll come
into play."  Ino gave Sakura a curious glance, and after a moment she
elaborated.  "She knows a technique to create chakra-charged ropes out
of water."  The pink-haired genin grimaced.  "She almost beat me that
way."
        Ino's eyes lit up.  "You seem to always find yourself in that
sort of situation."
        Sakura growled at her rival.  "And I always get out of them,
too.  I beat Ren-san and I almost beat you."
        "That was a fluke," Ino stated.  "Being behind your freaky
forehead weirded me out and weakened my technique.  It won't happen
again.  This time, you're not going to stand a chance."
        "In your dreams, Ino-pig," Sakura said.
        Ino's fingers danced briefly on the tabletop.  "In the second
exam, those Mist ninja carried water with them to power their
techniques.  I think that water element technique of hers might come
into play after all."
        "Oh."  Sakura waited several more moments.  "Do you think you
can beat Ren-san?"
        Ino grinned.  "I can guarantee it."
        "Don't get cocky," Sakura warned.
        "I'm not," Ino replied.  Her grin widened.  "After all, if you
could beat her, there's no way she'll even land a hit on me."
        Sakura twitched.  "Shut up, Ino-pig," she muttered, and the
conversation went downhill from there.

***********************************************************************

        Yamanaka Ino landed lightly on the arena floor.  She took a
moment to stare up at the stands.  They looked so much bigger from down
here than they did when you were in them.  For an instant, a hint of
nervousness paralyzed her, then she forced herself to straighten and
walk toward the center of the arena, where Mitarashi Anko stood
impatiently.
        "Good luck," the special jounin told her as she approached.
        "Save it for Sakura," Ino returned.  "She's going to need it
when she goes up against me in the next round."  Anko just laughed, and
Ino glared at her.
        "Save it for your opponents," Anko told her mockingly.  "Now,
where is that student of my sister's?"
        There was a burst of black smoke, and when it faded Shimano Ren
stood several paces away from Ino, on the other side of Anko.  Ino
snorted.  What a waste of chakra.  She might be a quiet girl, but this
Ren seemed something of a show-off.  That was good.  Ino cracked her
knuckles theatrically.  "I'm not going to yield as easily as Fuki-san,"
she warned her opponent.
        Ren gave Ino a curious gaze.  "You're trying to provoke me...
Yamanaka-san, wasn't it?"  She didn't wait for an answer.  "I don't
provoke easily."  Her voice seemed soft, but it was easily heard over
the dull roar of the expectant crowd.  "You'd have better luck with my
teammates."
        "I'll keep that in mind if either of them last long enough to
fight me," Ino replied.  Since Anko showed no inclination of starting
the fight without waiting for them to finish their conversation, Ino
began to stretch casually, as though she was preparing for a warm-up
spar.
        "You'll have to get past me first," Ren stated, a quiet
confidence in her voice.  Her mouth turned up into a crooked smile.  "No
hard feelings?"
        "I won't have any, since I'm going to win," Ino said.
        This provoked a burst of laughter from Ren.  "You're an
interesting one.  Are you really this overconfident, or are you still
trying to provoke me?"
        "As amusing as this petty wordplay is," Anko interrupted, "the
spectators aren't here to watch your lips move.  

So...start doing jumping jacks!



Let's get this thing

started.  We've got a lot of fights to get through today."
        "Don't worry," Ino said arrogantly.  "This'll be over quickly."
She straightened.  "I'm ready."
        "Likewise," Ren murmured, her eyes narrowing as she studied Ino
carefully.  Though she did her best to hide it, Ino returned the
scrutiny.
        "Good," Anko said, raising her hand.  Once more, her voice began
to echo throughout the arena.  "The second match," she declared.  "The
Hidden Mist's Shimano Ren against the Hidden Leaf's Yamanaka Ino...
begin!"  Her hand dropped, and the battle began.
        Ino didn't hesitate, charging Ren directly.  Ren effortlessly
blocked Ino's first wild punch, then was forced to twist away from the
second.  Ren's leg swept out, tripping Ino, but the Leaf kunoichi fell
into a roll and regained her feet without giving Ren a chance to find an
opening.  Before Ino could attack again, Ren formed a familiar one-
handed seal, and the blonde girl jumped away even as her opponent called
out, "Katon: Claw of the Fire Dragon!"
        The flames swept at the empty air, but Ino landed unsteadily.
Ren didn't press the attack, staring quizzically at her.  "You can't
possibly be that bad," she stated as she released her technique.

Tsk.  Ren really should try to take advantage of Ino's simulated
incompetence.  Although I suppose being weak at taijutsu handicaps her
when it comes to getting off an attack quickly.

        Ino gave her a cocky grin.  "I'm just getting started."
        "Good," Ren said.  "I like a tough fight."  She quickly
reactivated the Claw of the Fire Dragon and charged.
        Ino moved quickly, knowing that she couldn't let Ren get into
range with those flaming talons.  Once more she jumped away, noting idly
that Ren was pushing her away from the trees.  A smart precaution, Ino
supposed, though it wasn't going to do Ren any good in this fight.  Ino
laughed as she landed, then retreated again.  "That's it?" she asked.
        "You can't run forever," Ren stated.
        "I suppose not," Ino said, her next jump taking her up to the
wall of the arena.  Using a quick flow of chakra to stabilize herself on
the vertical surface, she rapidly formed seals.  "Katon: Fireball
Technique!" she shouted, bringing one hand to her mouth to guide the
flames.
        The massive globe of fire sped at Ren, who was forced to drop
her technique and dodge, narrowly avoiding being caught on the edge of
Ino's technique.  Ino didn't let up, repeating the seals and creating
another fireball that drove Ren farther away from her perch.  A third
fireball drove the point home, and Ren found herself with her back
almost pressed against the stands, opposite Ino.  The Mist kunoichi
frowned, one hand inching toward forming the seal for Claw of the Fire
Dragon.
        With a laugh, Ino jumped down from her perch.  "You're not going
to beat me that way," she stated as she landed.  "Fire element
techniques are my village's specialty.  Haven't you got some water
element techniques to show me or something?"  She slowly advanced on
Ren, who began to walk forward herself.
        "Now you're trying to goad me into switching to water element
techniques," Ren commented, her hand resting over where she had to have
hidden a water container.  She very deliberately moved her hand away.
"I'm not so foolish as to fall for that."
        "Hey," Ino said, "if you want to not use some of your
techniques, I'm not going to complain."  Her hands filled with shuriken.
"Let's go."  In one smooth motion, she launched her shuriken at Ren, who
flipped out of the way.  However, Ino had used this time to circle
around to Ren's side, and now she charged, kunai in hand.
        Ren barely had time to draw her own kunai and parry Ino's first
strike.  "Now you're backing up your words," the Mist kunoichi said
before counter-attacking.  The two kunoichi exchanged dozens of strikes,
but neither managed to land a solid hit on each other.  Sensing the
stalemate, Ren again kicked at Ino's legs, but this time Ino was ready
for the attack, darting aside and slicing at Ren's side.  Ren weaved
away from the blow, but not quite quickly enough.  Ino's blade sliced
open Ren's hidden water container, releasing the contents onto the
hungrily dry ground.
        Ino backed away, grinning at the damp earth.  "Now you really
can't use your water element techniques."
        Ren paused.  "You've just made two mistakes, Yamanaka-san," she
stated softly, sheathing her kunai.
        "Oh?" Ino prompted as she followed suit.
        "First, you assume that I only carried one source of water with
me," Ren chided her.  "Second, you assume that just because the ground
has absorbed my water that I can't use it."  Her hands blurred into a
rapid sequence of seals.  "Suiton: Water Rope Technique!"  Water boiled
up out of the earth, thickening and forming long tendrils that stretched
from Ren's hand to wrap themselves around Ino.  Ren pulled once on the
water ropes, making Ino stumble.  "Do you yield?" she asked.
        Unable to keep her footing, Ino fell to her knees.  Slowly, she
began to laugh.  "It's over."
        Puzzled, Ren repeated herself.  "Do you yield?"  Then she
suddenly stiffened.
        "It's you that made the mistake," Ino explained.  "You should
have listened to yourself.  I was trying to goad you into using this
technique."  She smiled.  "These ropes work both ways.  They limit my
movement, by they also provide a conduit for my chakra to reach you.
Now I'm using a variation on the Paralysis Technique, and you can't move
at all."
        "Even so," Ren stated calmly, "you can't attack either.  It's a
stalemate."
        "Not so," Ino declared.  "You're about to yield."
        Ren's eyes widened.  "What?"
        Slowly, tortuously, Ino managed to get her hands into position
to form a rapid sequence of seals.  "Mind-Body Switch Technique," she
breathed, and then she slumped over.  An instant later, the ropes of
water dissolved and Ren took a step backward.
        "Examiner!" the Mist kunoichi called out, raising her hand.
        Anko was beside her in less than a second.  "Yes?" she asked
carefully.
        "I yield," Ren stated cheerfully.
        "Right."  There was more than a little sarcasm in Anko's voice.
"Just for the record, who is yielding now?"
        Ren grinned.  "Why, me, Shimano Ren, of course!"
        Anko rolled her eyes.  "I hate that technique," she muttered.
"Seems too much like cheating."  Still, she raised her hand.  "Shimano
Ren yields.  The second match goes to Yamanaka Ino!"
        As the somewhat confused cheers began, Ren smiled, forming a
single seal.  "Release!" she shouted.  Then she stumbled forward, her
expression changing to a grimace.
        Ino rose, smiling.  "No hard feelings, right?" she said.
        Ren gave her a long look.  "You deserved the win," she admitted
after a moment.  "I knew you were trying to manipulate me, but I walked
right into it anyway."
        "I was really worried for a moment there when you said I was
trying to goad you into using water element techniques," Ino said with a
nod.
        "How did you know about that technique?  Sakura-san told you?"
        Ino nodded again.  "She did."
        "I see," Ren murmured.  She bowed shallowly to Ino, then walked
off.
        Anko grinned at the younger Leaf kunoichi.  "Good show," she
stated.  "Even I wasn't entirely certain whether you were as arrogant as
you were acting or if you were really planning something."
        Ino laughed.  "You must have listened to Forehead too much if
you thought I was that stupid," she said.  "I suppose I should get back
to the waiting room so she can have her turn."

***********************************************************************

        Sakura shook her head as she watched the end of Ino's fight.  It
seemed to her that Ino had taken an awful risk.  What if Ren had chosen
to use some other water element technique?  

Then Ino would have just kept on saying "Is that all you've got to show me?"


Still, she had to admit it

had worked, and she was glad, however sympathetic she felt toward Ren -
watching Ino puppet Ren's body and force her to "concede" brought up too
many bad memories.  Now, all she had to do was defeat Ami, and she would
get the one fight she really wanted. She clenched the railing, almost
shaking as she realized that it was now her turn to fight.
        Beside her, Chouji finished cheering his teammate's victory and
turned to Sakura.  "Are you ready?" he asked.
        Sakura nodded.  "If I'm not, it doesn't really matter, does it?"
        Not far away, Ami laughed.  "Scared, forehead girl?" she asked,
pushing a strand of her purple hair back behind her ear.  "I'm looking
forward to crushing you."
        Sakura gave her old tormentor a steady stare.  "You'll be
waiting a long time," she stated as she studied her soon-to-be opponent.
She could see strong muscles under the other girl's dark shirt and
shorts, and she wore a short sword on her back.  Could she expect sword-
focused taijutsu?  She had to admit she didn't know what techniques the
Uzuki family used.
        "We'll see," Ami said, then leapt from the balcony.
        Rather than follow her, Sakura turned away from the railing and
headed down the stairs.  She'd barely made it a quarter of the way down
when she passed Ren, who murmured, "Good luck."
        "Thank you," Sakura returned before continuing on her way.
After a handful of seconds that seemed like an eternity, she met Ino at
the bottom of the stairs.
        "Now it's my turn to say don't lose, Forehead," Ino stated.
"I'll never forgive you if you lose to Ami."
        "I've got no intention of it, Ino-pig," Sakura stated.  "We're
going to have our fight."
        "And then you'll lose," Ino said confidently.
        "Only if by lose, you mean win," Sakura said as she pushed past
Ino.
        "Sakura," Ino said seriously, not turning to face her.  "Kick
her ass."
        The pink-haired kunoichi grinned.  "That's the plan," she said,
and then she walked out onto the arena floor.  She was greeted by the
awesome roar of the crowd.  They weren't even really cheering yet, just
waiting for the fight to begin, but it sounded so much louder now.  It
was hard to believe that she was actually here, about to fight to prove
herself strong enough to become a chuunin.  Her stomach twitched
nervously as she thought of all those people, watching her.
        She took another step forward, and realized that she was still
wearing the weights Gai had given her.  She glanced down at the
atrocious orange leg warmers that hid them - she kept on forgetting to
get around to purchasing something less ugly - and considered taking
them off.  It would be wise, but on the other hand she was curious as to
how far she could get without them.  

Dumb.  So very very dumb.  Lee really is dumb so it isn't so much of a
problem for him.  But each fight will be that much more fatiguing
wearing those things.


The thought that leaving them on

would help to hide her true speed from future opponents settled the
matter.  If Ami pressed her too hard, she could always take them off,
after all.  Nodding to herself, Sakura rapidly walked to the center of
the arena, where Anko and Ami were waiting.
        "Took you long enough," Ami grumbled.
        Sakura didn't respond, instead imitating Ino and starting to
stretch.  "I'm ready whenever you are, Mitarashi-sensei," she stated.
The thought struck her that Anko and Ami looked sort of similar, and she
idly wondered whether there was some connection between the Mitarashi
and the Uzuki.  She shook her head slightly.  This wasn't the time for
that sort of thought.
        Ami's hand rested on the hilt of her sword.  "I'm ready," she
said.
        Anko clapped once.  "All right, then!"  She grinned at Sakura,
then raised her hand.  "The third march, Uzuki Ami against Haruno
Sakura... begin!"  Her hand lowered, and the crowd roared.
        Neither combatant moved for a moment, then Ami began a slow
circle around Sakura.  The pink-haired genin forced herself to laugh.
"I thought you were going to crush me?"
        Ami snarled at her, but didn't charge.  "I'm not an idiot," she
stated.
        "You could fool me," Sakura stated as she slipped a smoke bomb
into her hand.  She waited for just the right moment, then tossed the
bomb at her feet.
        As the plume of smoke obscured Sakura, Ami cautiously increased
her distance.  "What are you up to?" she muttered.  An instant later, a
half-dozen Sakura burst from the pillar of smoke, charging her in
unison.  Mere seconds before they reached her, Ami's sword flashed out
of its scabbard, cutting one Sakura in two.  There was a puff of white
smoke.  "Replications aren't going to fool me," Ami snarled as she leapt
into motion, disrupting two clones with a single slice of her sword as
she charged the rearmost Sakura.  "I know where the real one is."
        Before Ami could attack, all three remaining Sakura exploded
into smoke.  "You should think again," the real Sakura stated from
behind Ami.  The purple-haired girl managed to flip out of the way of
the trio of kunai that flew at her back, twisting in midair to face her
opponent.  Sakura grinned.  She should have thought of combining
deliberately poor ordinary replications with the Perfect Replication
Technique that way a long time ago.
        Ami's free hand tossed shuriken at Sakura as she began to circle
once more.  "That'll only work once," she stated.
        Sakura easily avoided Ami's attack.  "How about this one?" she
asked.  Her hands flickered through seals.  "Katon: Fireball Technique!"
A burst of fire flew from her lips, but Ami easily sidestepped the
attack.
        "You'll have to do better than that," she said.
        Sakura nodded.  "I will," she said.  Then she vanished in a blur
of motion.  Ami backpedaled furiously, but not quickly enough as Sakura
reappeared inside her guard.  A strong kunai strike almost forced Ami to
drop her sword, but the rookie managed to maintain her grip.  An instant
later, Sakura's sandaled foot struck her in the stomach, sending Ami
flying.
        Just barely, she managed to land on her feet.  "Damn you," she
snarled.
        Sakura didn't respond as she raced at her opponent, flinging the
kunai she held.  As Ami parried the projectile, Sakura formed a one-
handed seal.  "Katon: Claw of the Fire Dragon!" she shouted, flames
sprouting from between the fingers of her other hand and sweeping at
Ami.  The other girl's eyes widened, and she stumbled backward to avoid
the fire.  Sakura pressed her attack, swiping again and again with the
fiery claws, but she was never quite able to land a blow.
        Finally, Ami gained enough presence of mind to jump out of
range, and Sakura let the claws die.  This time, she didn't charge,
waiting to see what Ami would try next.  Smiling as the thought occurred
to her, Sakura began her own slow circle around Ami.
        Ami grimaced, sheathing her sword.  "I was hoping to save this
for another fight," she commented.  Her hands formed seals, ending on
one that left her hands clasped together.  Flames began to gather above
them, condensing into a small, painfully bright sphere.  "Katon: Fire
Soul!"  Still locked into the seal, Ami's hands thrust forward, loosing
the sphere.
        Sakura darted aside, but the ball of flame slowly twisted in
midair to follow her.  Thinking quickly, Sakura realized that Ami's
hands still formed that last seal.  Breaking into a run to stay away
from the technique, Sakura hurled shuriken at Ami, who didn't move until
the last moment, when she was forced to break the seal and jump away.
        Moments before it would have struck Sakura, the ball of flame
stopped and pulsed.  Eyes widening, Sakura flung herself to the ground
as Ami's technique exploded behind her.  When the dust faded, there was
a shallow crater near where she had been standing, and Sakura gulped as
she realized what might have happened if that attack had hit her.  Not
wasting any more time, she regained her feet, keeping her eyes on Ami.
        Her opponent grimaced.  "I'm not through yet," she hissed.
Strangely, she took her still-sheathed sword, scabbard and all, off her
back, holding it loosely in one hand by her side.  She began to slowly
walk toward Sakura, her dark eyes flaring with anger.  Sakura tensed,
waiting for Ami to reveal her next attack.  Ami paused a few yards away
from Sakura, inching her blade out of her scabbard with her thumb.
"This is the end," she hissed, and then she attacked.
        Ami drew her sword and cut at Sakura in one single, smooth
motion, almost too quickly to see.  The perfect strike was too fast to
dodge, cutting the pink-haired genin in half at the waist.  Grinning,
Ami sheathed her weapon as Sakura's halves fell to the ground.  Then
they both vanished in twin puffs of smoke, revealing the small log that
had actually been cut.
        "You shouldn't telegraph your moves like that," Sakura stated as
she reappeared behind Ami.  The other girl froze, 

Tsk.


and Sakura grinned,

thinking of Ino's words to her before the match.  Then she her foot
slammed into Ami's rear, sending the other girl stumbling forward, her
sword slipping from her hand.  Before Ami could recover, Sakura had
grabbed her, placing a kunai at her throat.  "Yield?" she asked softly.
        "Never," Ami snarled as she struggled to escape Sakura's grasp.
        The pink-haired kunoichi sighed.  "Mitarashi-sensei?" she called
out.
        Anko appeared in front of the two fighters, sighing.  "I can't
do anything just yet," she stated.  She glanced at Ami.  "You going to
do the smart thing?"  Ami just snarled at her.
        Sakura guessed the meaning behind Anko's words, and she pressed
her blade harder against Ami's throat.  It still took her a moment to
work up the courage to actually try to cut it.  Before she could do more
then scratch her opponent, her weapon went spinning out of her hand and
Ami was stumbling forward.
        "That's enough," Anko stated, grinning widely.  "No need for
unnecessary deaths."  She once more raised her hand.  "Haruno Sakura
wins the third match!"

***********************************************************************

        "Good girl," Tsunade breathed as Anko announced her soon-to-be
apprentice's victory.  She was honestly impressed.  She'd read Sakura's
records when the young kunoichi had first approached her, and it was
hard to believe that she had been watching that then-unimpressive ninja.
Sakura certainly had come a long way in the past months.  She glanced
sideways at Mitokado Homura, who was smiling.
        When the Hokage raised an eyebrow, Homura commented quietly,
"That Ami has always been a bad influence on Fuki-chan."
        On Tsunade's other side, Mitarashi Kimi snorted.  "Wasn't that
impressive," she muttered, in a way far too much like her sister for
Tsunade's comfort.
        Between the two women, Matsuyo Nissho grinned.  "Still
disappointed that one of your students was knocked out?" the Waterfall
jounin asked.
        Kimi glared at him.  "Don't push me, you little man," she
snarled.
        Utatane Koharu coughed.  "You would do well to remember where
you are, Mitarashi-san," she stated.
        Kimi smiled innocently.  "Why, thank you, Utatane-sama," she
said cheerfully.  "Without your reminder, I would have forgotten that
I'm at the heart of an enemy village with probably a half-dozen elite
ANBU ready to kill me in an instant if I even breathe suspiciously."
        "Mitarashi-san," Tsunade said harshly.  "You should not push me,
either."
        The Mist ninja paled slightly.  "Forgive me, Hokage-sama," she
murmured.
        Perhaps hoping to change the subject, Homura gestured to the
arena floor.  "It looks like the next match is starting."
        Kimi smiled dangerously, leaning forward in her seat.  "This
should be fun," she said, pointedly not looking at the man sitting
beside her.
        "Yes," Nissho replied calmly.  "It should be."
        From far below, Anko's voice came.  "The fourth match, Aoki
Saburo of the Hidden Village of the Mist against the Hidden Waterfall's
Yuhara Maya... begin!"
        Before the echoes had faded, Saburo broke into a run, charging
straight at Maya.  The kunoichi reacted quickly, summoning her naginata
and using it to keep the Mist ninja at bay.  A series of rapid thrusting
attacks pushed him back, until finally he was forced to leap away from
Maya, landing perhaps ten yards back.
        Nissho laughed.  "This should be quick," he stated.
        "Yes," Kimi agreed.  "It will be."
        Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she studied the fight.  What was the
reason for Kimi's confidence?  At the moment, Maya was using wind-based
techniques with her weapon to drive Saburo about the battlefield, and
the boy seemed helpless to respond.  What was she missing?  It was so
hard to see the details of the fight from this far away.
        Saburo tossed a small canister into the air, and a blast of
cutting wind shattered it.  Water spurted out of the broken container,
falling all him.  A slight grin on his face, Saburo's hands flickered
through seals and the falling water congealed into three perfect clones
of himself.  As one, the water replications charged.  A single blast of
wind shattered them, but Saburo was following them, still forming seals,
and the clones quickly reformed themselves.
        He was using the clones to shield himself, but it had to be
wasting a lot of chakra.  Tsunade frowned as they drew nearer and
nearer, and then suddenly the clones flung themselves at Maya as Saburo
leapt away.  The replications exploded in a sequence of bursts of water
that engulfed the unfortunate kunoichi, and Saburo laughed loudly as he
landed.
        Then the burst of water stilled.  Amazingly, Maya stood
untouched in the middle of a bubble of air.  Her polearm was moving
rapidly, somehow pushing the water away from her and keeping it the air.
She snarled something that Tsunade couldn't catch.  Then, her weapon's
motion changed subtly and she shouted loudly enough to be heard.  "The
Second Stance: Commanding the Waves!"  The water surrounding her melted
into a massive globe at the tip of Maya's naginata, then exploded into a
torrent that slammed Saburo into one of the arena walls.  The wall
cracked slightly under the force, and Saburo slumped slowly to the
ground.
        "That's my girl," Nissho declared.  Below, Maya approached her
fallen foe.
        "Don't gloat yet," Kimi stated.  Tsunade nodded slightly as
Maya's naginata poked at Saburo.  The Mist ninja grabbed the weapon by
the blade.  Then his form wavered and burst into a blast of water
rivaling Maya's attack.  The kunoichi went flying, landing heavily on
her back.   Her weapon landed far away, and Saburo emerged from the
ground next to it.
        "When?" Nissho asked, shocked.
        "Idiot," Kimi snarled.  "If you couldn't see that, you don't
deserve to be a jounin."
        "He wasn't as stunned as he looked," Tsunade explained.  "He
summoned a water replication after hitting the wall and went
underground."
        Below, Saburo gingerly picked up Maya's naginata and advanced on
his fallen foe.  As she struggled to rise, Saburo pointed her own weapon
at her throat and said something.  Maya nodded, and an instant later
Anko stood beside the two, declaring, "The winner of the fourth match,
the Hidden Mist's Aoki Saburo!"

***********************************************************************

        Yamanaka Ino grinned at her rival as she returned to the waiting
area, a sullen Ami trailing after her.  After accepting congratulations
from Rock Lee among others, Sakura approached Ino.  "It looks like we're
going to get our fight, Forehead."
        Sakura's smile was as wide and as dangerous as Ino's.  "That's
right," she declared.  "You'd better lose impressively, Ino - it'll be
your last shot to impress the judges."
        Ino laughed.  "In your dreams," she said.
        Standing beside them, Akimichi Chouji coughed.  "The next match
is starting," he stated, instantly drawing the two girls' attention to
the battle between Saburo and Maya.   No more words passed between the
two kunoichi as they observed the relatively short match.
        As Anko announced Saburo's victory, Ino frowned.  "He can really
take a hit," she allowed.  "I thought he was out of it when the
Waterfall girl knocked him into the wall."  Her gaze went to the faintly
visible cracks where Saburo had impacted the wall.  "He didn't seem all
that tough in the second exam."
        "It has been a month," Sakura stated.  "I'm sure he was training
too."
        "I guess," Ino replied.  She glanced at Chouji.  "It's your turn
next, isn't it?" she asked.
        Tenten, passing behind the trio on her way to the stairs,
answered for him.  "It is," she stated.
        "Good luck," Ino told Chouji.  She performed some quick
calculations in her head.  "If you win this one, we'll be the only team
to have all three people make it into the second round."  

And therefore I predict that he will lose.


Chouji only

nodded and followed Tenten down to the arena floor.
        Beside Ino, Sakura frowned.  "This could be a tough fight for
him," she told Ino.
        "No way," Ino said.  "You know how strong Chouji was in the
second exam, and he's been training."  She grinned.  "Shuriken girl
isn't going to know what hit her."
        Sakura shook her head.  "I did some training with Tenten-san,"
she said.  "She's no pushover either."
        "That's right," Rock Lee stated, suddenly appearing beside the
two kunoichi.  "It will be an interesting fight."
        Ino jumped.  "Don't sneak up on me like that!" she snapped at
the green-clad ninja.

Always sneaking.  You'd think you were a ninja or something

        "I'm sorry," Lee apologized, but Ino's attention was on Sakura,
who had frowned as she looked at Lee, then glanced in the direction of
the Waterfall team.
        "What's wrong, Sakura?" she asked.
        "Lee-san," Sakura stated quietly.  "About your opponent for the
first round."
        "Chiba Ikkei-san?" Lee asked, and Sakura nodded.
        "I was talking with his team last week," she said, "and they let
something slip.  It's not much, but they seemed pretty confident that he
couldn't be beaten with taijutsu."
        "I see," Lee replied calmly.  "It will be a good challenge,
then."
        Sakura sighed, but before anyone could say anything else Anko
announced the beginning of the fifth match.  "Tenten against Akimichi
Chouji," came her enhanced voice.  "Begin!"
        All eyes turned to the battlefield below, where for several long
moments there was no movement.  Then, Tenten almost casually flung out
an arm, and the air between them filled with steel.  As the storm of
shuriken and kunai neared, Chouji didn't move.  An instant before he
would have been skewered by dozens of projectiles, he plunged into the
ground like it was water.
        Tenten didn't wait to react, leaping into the air mere instants
before Chouji burst from the ground, fist extended for an uppercut.
Though Ino couldn't see the scroll Tenten must have used, there was as
puff of smoke as she summoned a dark staff in midair.  One end plunged
into Chouji's gut, knocking the stocky ninja back to the ground.  Tenten
used the leverage to push herself away, gracefully landing a good
distance away from her opponent, her weapon snapping into a ready
position.
        "Not bad," Ino allowed after a moment.
        "I told you she was good," Sakura replied.  Below, Chouji had
regained his feet and seemed to be cautiously considering his options.
Not waiting for him to decide, Tenten advanced, her staff spinning in
her hands.
        Apparently, this was what Chouji had been waiting for, as one of
hands swelled to gargantuan size.  Before Tenten could react, he had

his hands

wrenched the staff from her hands with monstrous strength, flinging it
aside to vanish in a burst of smoke.  Even as Tenten jumped out of his
range, the rest of his body expanded to match his swollen hand.  His
arms and legs vanished into his expanded clothing, followed a moment
later by his head.  His roar of "Human Bullet Tank!" was audible even in
the waiting room.
        Tenten tried once more to jump out of the way, Chouji was too
fast, slamming into her with full force.  "Get her, Chouji!" Ino
hollered at him.
        Chouji stopped rotating briefly, possibly to give Tenten a
chance to yield, but the kunoichi trapped underneath him exploded into
white smoke.  A moment later, the massive ninja rolled away, revealing a
shattered log.  "Where is she?" Sakura muttered.
        Lee pointed to the trees on the opposite side of the
battleground.  "There," he stated.
        Ino's eyes followed his finger, finding Tenten perched among the
branches.  "That's not going to help her," she said after a moment.
        Indeed, on the field below it seemed that Chouji had noted
Tenten's location as he rolled across the field, rapidly picking up
speed as he traveled.  A half-dozen kunai, weak explosive tags hanging
from their hilts, flew at him, but the over-sized ninja bulldozed
through them, apparently not inconvenienced in the least as they
impacted against his bulk.  With a tremendous crash, he slammed into the
tree that served as Tenten's sanctuary.
        Ino cursed as she saw that Tenten managed to jump away before
the tree toppled, but the kunoichi landed poorly, almost collapsing.  In
an instant, Chouji had reversed his course, barreling back toward his
fallen foe.  Without to dodge, Tenten used the last moments she had to
bite at her thumb, rapidly forming a short sequence of seals.
"Summoning Technique!" she hissed, and a pillar of smoke interposed
itself between her and Chouji.
        Everyone in the waiting room could hear the sound of Chouji
hitting something hard, but it still took several moments for the smoke
to fade.  When it did, it revealed the strange sight of Chouji pushing
against a turtle perhaps half as large as his swollen form.  As he
slowly began to gain ground, Tenten flipped away, pulling out a pair of
scrolls.  "Now!" she shouted, as she landed in a crouch, carefully
placing the scrolls on either side of her.
        The massive turtle began to push harder, slipping under the
still-rotating Chouji.  With an almost-human grunt of effort, the animal
somehow hurled the massive ninja high into the air, then dissolved into
smoke.  As Tenten formed another set of seals, she too vanished in a
massive cloud of smoke.  Two smoke dragons rose out of the cloud,
twisting and spiraling around each other as Tenten shouted "Twin Rising
Dragons!"
        The smoke faded, the dragons turning back into the scrolls she
had placed on the ground, unwound and still turning about each other in
midair.  Tenten jumped straight up through the center of the winding
scrolls.  A series of rapid explosions of smoke traveled up and down the
scrolls as countless shuriken, kunai, and other weapons popped into
existence, hurled in an unending blur of motion by Tenten at Chouji.
        Still in midair, the massive ninja managed to stop his rotation,
his head and limbs reemerging from the cocoon of his clothing.  He had
only a moment to take a deep breath and form seals before Tenten's
weapons hit.  "Katon: Fireball Technique!" he roared, a massive torrent
of flame spewing from his lips.
        The force of the blast knocked the projectiles aside, sending
them plummeting to the ground.  Chouji himself landed heavily, the earth
shuddering and cracking under his enhanced weight.  A moment later,
Tenten landed gracefully in another crouch not far away, but despite the
futility of her attack she was grinning widely.
        Ino blinked, then her eyes narrowed as she studied the field.
Then she cursed as Tenten tensed before leaping into the air.  Her hands
danced, suddenly visible wires lifting the litter of weapons surrounding
Chouji.  The stocky ninja seemed unafraid and unsurprised, merely taking
in another deep breath.  Once more the weapons flew at him, and once
more he used the Fireball Technique.  This time he spun as he did,
allowing the burst of fire to counter all the weapons attacking him.
        Tenten landed in a crouch once more behind him as her weapons
once more clattered to the ground.  She raised one hand, closing it into
a fist.  Too quickly for Chouji too react, the discarded wires
surrounding him rose into the air, twisting around him and binding him.
Turning to face the over-sized ninja, Tenten brought the other end of
one wire to her lips, her hands forming a seal around it.  "It's over,"
she said loudly.  "Yield!"
        Ino laughed.  "She's made her mistake."
        Exploding into a brief burst of gray smoke, Chouji returned to
his normal size.  The wires that had bound his larger form fell around
the shrunken ninja.  One hand reached out and snagged a wire, bringing
it up to his own mouth.  Before Tenten Could react, Chouji's hands
blurred into seals.  "Katon: Dragon Fire Technique!"
        Flames raced down the wire toward Tenten, who spit out her end
not a moment too soon.  Then she blurred into motion, racing alongside
the still-blazing wire even as it fell to the ground.  Dropping his own
end, Chouji baked away, but not quickly enough.  As Tenten neared, she
leapt into the air, shouting "Leaf Whirlwind!"  Her foot struck Chouji
hard in the jaw sending his flying.
        "That's," Ino gasped, glancing at Lee.
        The slightly older boy nodded.  "Tenten is Gai-sensei's student
also," he stated, his eyes tracking her opponent's path through the air.
When Chouji landed, he twitched but did not rise.  Breathing heavily,
Tenten fell to her knees, clearly exhausted.
        Anko appeared next to Chouji, briefly inspecting him.  Then she
raised her hand.  "The winner of the fifth match, Tenten!"

***********************************************************************

        Sakura winced as beside her Rock Lee loudly began to cheer his
teammate's victory.  "Tenten-san will be up here soon enough, Lee-san.
There's no need to shout so loudly."  She paused, glancing at Ino.
"Besides," she started, then trailed off.
        Lee caught her meaning, stopping his wild hollering and
straightening as he turned to Ino, his voice serious.  "Chouji-san
fought well," he said.  "There is no disgrace in his loss."
        "I know," Ino said flatly as she watched a pair of medical ninja
help Chouji off the field.  Sakura knew the stocky ninja couldn't be
seriously hurt, as he was walking more or less on his own, but it looked
like he wouldn't be heading straight back to the waiting room.  "I
should go check on him."
        Sakura nodded.  "I'll come with you," she offered.
        "No," Ino replied.  She grinned weakly.  "We need you here to
report on the fights."  It was a poor excuse, but Sakura just nodded
again.  Despite their brief time together earlier in the exams, she
wasn't really Chouji's teammate.  "I'll be back in a bit," Ino murmured,
then she headed for the exit, pushing past Tenten as the weapon-expert
returned.
        "Tenten!" Lee shouted, waving her over to join him.
        She complied, nodding in greeting to Sakura.  Despite her cool
poise, she looked tired to Sakura's eyes.  Clearly, the other kunoichi
had been hard-pressed by the fight.  "Who's next?" Tenten asked after a
moment.
        Sakura was the first to respond.  "Hiraki Arata," she said,
pointing back at the Waterfall team, "against Inuzuka Shinta from the
rookies.  Then Lee-san against the last Waterfall."  Arata and Shinta
were already moving toward the exit, exchanging quiet words as they left
the room.
        Sakura started, feeling movement behind her, but realized as she
realized it was only Neji moving to join his teammates.  Her attention
returned to the field, where the two fighters had already positioned
themselves and were only waiting for Anko's word to begin.  Then she
started again as Neji suddenly spoke to her.  "Sakura-san," he intoned
gravely.
        She turned slightly to face him.  "What is it, Neji-san?" she
asked politely, resisting the wild urge to angrily demand that he not
scare her like that.  The sound of Anko loudly announcing the next fight
floated up from the field below.
        "My opponent for the next round, this... Haruno Midori," he
stated.  "What can you tell me?"
        Sakura grimaced.  She knew why she was always being asked about
her, but it was annoying.  "Not much."  She glanced out to the arena,
seeing only a typical set of opening probes with kunai and shuriken.
"She's a doujutsu user."
        "I'm aware of that."  Neji's voice was calm.  "Mitokado Fuki
said that you had experienced a doujutsu technique of hers that she did
not display in the first match."
        "Yes," Sakura said, shuddering briefly.  "It's some sort of
genjutsu that she has to catch your eyes for."  She paused, searching
for words.   "It's pain."
        Neji blinked.  "Elaborate."
        "Every thought, every sensation," Sakura replied after a moment.
"It all turns into pain.  I could barely move, much less fight."
        "That's awful," Lee stated, and even Tenten seemed slightly
shaken.
        "Thank you," was all Neji said, his attention turning to the
field.  Sakura followed suit, seeing that the battle had traveled almost
to the wall the waiting room's balcony was situated in.  Somewhat
surprisingly, it was Hiraki Arata whose back was to the wall, though it
didn't seem like either fighter had pulled out any serious moves yet.
        Thanks to the fact that they were almost directly beneath her,
Sakura was able to clearly hear the two ninja's words.  "You're not
bad... for a rookie, that is," Arata said boldly, crouching as he caught
his breath.
        Inuzuka Shinta let out a bark of laughter.  "You're not going to
goad me into something rash that easily," he stated.  "Ami is far more
abrasive than you could ever be."  Sakura wasn't able to resist a smirk
and a glance at the purple-haired bully, who snarled, glaring back at
all the eyes on her.  Only Fuki's hand on her shoulder seemed to
restrain her from doing something stupid.
        Below, Arata grinned.  "Maybe hanging back was just what I
wanted you to do."  His hands leapt up off the ground where they rested,
blurring through a sequence of seals before returning to their prior
posture.  "Doton: Well-Digging Technique!"  Reacting instantly, Shinta
jumped away as the ground under his feet crumbled.  Arata just formed
another sequence of seals.  "Suiton: Geyser Technique!"
        A massive pillar of water sprouted from the hole his first
technique had created, twisting in mid-air to fly straight toward
Shinta.  The Leaf ninja crossed his arms in front of his face to shield
it from the worst of the blow, but the attack still knocked him back to
the ground.  He landed heavily, unmoving for a moment before rolling
shakily to his feet.
        Arata stood as water rained down between the two of them, and
Sakura saw that, as the name of the technique that had created it
implied, the hole he had made was filling with muddy water.  The
Waterfall ninja was not going to have any trouble powering his water
element techniques.
        Neji frowned.  "That just made all the Mist ninja more
dangerous," he stated.
        "Surely you're not worried," Tenten said, smirking slightly.
Neji didn't respond, all his attention on the battle.
        "Your move," Arata said lightly as he slowly advanced.
        Shinta took a deep breath, clearly calming himself.  "All
right," he stated.  His eyes flickered closed as he concentrated,
clearly summoning all of his chakra.  His hands began to move through a
sequence of odd seals.  Beside Sakura, the veins around Neji's eyes
bulged as he activated his Byakugan.
        Shinta's hands locked into a final seal.  "Inuzuka-Style Rare
Beast Transformation:  Hungry Wolf Technique!"  There was a blast of
smoke, and when it faded Shinta was gone.  In his place stood a large
gray wolf, almost as tall as the boy himself had been.

You mean at the shoulder?

        "A transformation technique?" Sakura muttered in thought.
        "That's it?" Tenten asked.
        "No," Neji responded.  "It's not an ordinary transformation
technique.  It's a complete physical shape-change."
        The wolf tensed briefly, then vanished in a blur of motion.
Sakura had to strain her eyes to catch Shinta's attack, a familiar
rotating blur of fangs and claws that came at Arata from the side.  

You cannot defeat my Tasmanian Whirlwind Attack!

        "Oh, no," Midori stated.  "They are right, and my visit here has
only proved it.  Didn't you even listen to the examiner a moment ago?
The Hyuuga are the most feared clan in the Leaf, not the most loved.
I've seen and read about the way your kind have lorded it over this
village.  One day, enough of them -"  she waved broadly at the crowd "-
will see the light and overcome their fear.  Then you and your whole
family will be hunted through the streets and torn to pieces like the
subhuman abominations you are!"
        She took a deep breath, visibly calming herself.  "That won't
happen today, though.  Today, I'll just beat you and rip out your eyes.
Just like I promised you, no?"

Gosh.  I guess that means she's going to lose.

        "No," Midori said, "and that's why I'll win."  She smiled.  "So
proud of your freakish eyes, aren't you?  Now that I've confirmed the
field of vision they give you, I can end this fight anytime I want."
Her smile turned vicious.  "That time is now.  Haruno Ninpou: Gaze of
Torment."

Clever.

***********************************************************************

        Sakura let out a deep breath as she saw Midori fall to the
ground.  Neji might possibly be the opponent she was least likely to be
able to defeat - for much the same reasons that her brief spar with his
cousin had been so humiliating - but at least he had no desire to see
her suffer.  Once all this was over, she was going to have to ask Neji
what Midori had been talking about; she'd caught just enough words to
know that it had been interesting.
        Beside her, Ino laughed harshly.  "You've got nothing to be
relieved about, Forehead," she said.  "We're up next, and I'm going to
show you just how much of a fluke our last fight was."
        "Damn right," Sakura snarled back at her.  "You're not going to
stand a chance, Ino-pig!"
        The blonde put one hand on the railing, smiling a surprisingly
good-natured smile at her rival.  "Race you," she said.
        "Not yet," Sakura observed.  "The medics are still looking at
Midori."
        Ino rolled her eyes.  "No really," she said.  "Once its time,

"No, really?"

        "Be more creative, Forehead," Ino returned.  "That was dull."
        Sakura shrugged.  "I spent more time training than coming up
with banter," she allowed.
        "Perfect."  Ino grinned at her, cracking her knuckles.  "I want
a good warm-up for my fight with Neji-san."
        "Dream on."  Sakura began to stretch slowly.  Again the thought
of taking off her weights occurred to her, but again she decided to see
how far she could go with them on.  Maybe Gai and Lee were a little
contagious, she supposed.  It really wasn't terribly wise.  All her
bravado aside, she was expecting a tough fight, and this one was
important to her.
        She had already met the letter of Tsunade's requirement for
becoming her apprentice.  "I expect you to improve your performance over
your showing last time," Tsunade had told her, and by beating Ami she
had advanced further than before.  Yet, in her mind, this had to be the
real test.  At the last exam, she had been unable to defeat Ino.  Now it
was her chance to prove that she really had changed, that at least she
wasn't chasing Ino's back anymore, even if Sasuke and Naruto seemed as
distant as ever.
        "All right then," Anko declared.  "Let's get this thing started.
Try not to take as long as you two did last time.  Even with the
shortened break, we've still got a lot of fights to go through."  Her
hand formed a seal as she enhanced her voice.  "The second quarterfinal
match, Yamanaka Ino versus Haruno Sakura.  Begin!"
        Despite the special jounin's words, neither genin moved for a
long moment.  Then Ino's hands went to her forehead protector, tied
securely around her waist like always.  "Shall we?" she asked.
        Sakura nodded, quickly untying her own forehead protector.
Almost in unison, they wrapped their protectors around their heads,
tying them into the proper position with simple, firm movements.  Sakura
fell into a ready stance.  "Let's go?"
        "Time out," Anko, surprisingly, interjected.  "You two did that
last time, didn't you?  Why?"
        "It's a sign," Ino said, "that we're taking this seriously."
She grinned.  "It'd take too long to explain."

Everything gets wavy...

Ino:  No flashbacks!  Geez, do you want this fight to take three episodes?

        Ino's replications vanished in puffs of smoke, and the real
Ino's shadow returned to normal.  Sakura tested her bindings, noting
without surprise that wires were charged with Ino's chakra and wouldn't
easily be cut.  "All that was just to get me into the trap you prepared
with the shuriken you threw at the start of the fight," she stated after
a moment.
        Ino nodded, standing.  "That wasn't really Shadow Imitation
Technique," she explained after a moment.  "Shikamaru called it the
Shadow Art Technique.  It just lets you manipulate your shadow."

That's a very amusing strategy.

        "Could Shikamaru capture me with a replication's shadow?" Sakura
asked.  Part of the reason for her question was simple curiosity.  The
other was to keep Ino talking while she thought of a way out of this.
The beginnings of a plan began to come together, and she slowly moved
her free hand behind her back, reaching for her pouch.  Carefully, she
slipped her hand inside, feeling for what she was going to need.
        "Don't ask me."  Ino yanked hard on her end of the wires, almost
making Sakura fall.  "The question is, are you going to yield yourself
or are you going to make me force you to yield?"
        "You must be joking.  I'm never going to yield to you," Sakura
replied.  "Do you really think I'd just accept defeat so easily?  I'm
not poor little Sakura-chan helplessly trailing after you anymore.  I
haven't been for a long time, and this time I'm going to prove it."
        "Damn it, Sakura!" Ino shouted.  "You think I don't know that?"
For a moment, real rage was visible on her face, so different than the
almost-mock anger that usually passed between the pair of rivals.  "If
that's all you want, fine!  I admit it, you've grown.  You're good,
almost as good at me, better at some things."
        "Almost as good?"  Sakura forced herself to laugh, hoping the
reaction she was about to provoke would distract Ino from her
preparations.  "I'm better than you."
        Ino shook with anger, but visibly forced herself to calm down.
"Damn it!" she repeated.  "What is with you?  Can't you get it into to
your stupid, giant forehead that I'm the closest thing to a friend
you've ever had and not just some... just some wall for you to
overcome?"  Her voice turned almost pleading.  "Can't you stop trying
over and over to beat me so that we can just be friends again?"
        For what seemed like an eternity, Sakura wasn't able to say
anything, shocked by Ino's decision to utter the forbidden word.  Ino
herself seemed just as surprised.  Finally, Sakura responded.  "No," she
said.  "I can't.  I... I need this, Ino.  There are promises I have to
keep."
        "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ino demanded.
        "You've always been one step ahead of me," Sakura stated.  "I
can't settle for that.  I never could, really, but now more than ever.
If I can't close that gap, how am I ever supposed to catch up with..."
She trailed off, not able to determine what name to say - Sasuke or

I think "which" works better than "what" but I'm not sure why I think 
that.  I'd also with "decide" instead of "determine".

Naruto.  "I'm sick of always being the weak one, always being
protected," she continued after a moment.  "I'm never going to just
settle for watching anyone's back again.  I'm going to get stronger and
stronger, until I'm strong enough to protect everyone."  She laughed
softly.  "Maybe that's my way of the ninja."
        Ino's eyes watered slightly.  "I understand," was all she said..
Then her hands slowly formed seals.  "Mind-Body Switch -"  Sakura's free
hand moved, flinging a kunai at Ino.  The blonde kunoichi darted aside,
easily avoiding the weapon.  "It's not going to be that -"  The second
kunai that had been hidden in the first's shadow embedded itself in
Ino's leg.  For a long moment, Ino stared at the explosive tag wrapped
around the hilt.  "Sakura," she breathed.  "You wouldn't."
        Then the tag exploded.  The force of the blast sent Ino flying,
the wires she held falling from her hands.  With Ino's chakra no longer
running along them, Sakura easily wrestled herself free, then turned to
face Ino, who was struggling to rise.  The blonde's leg was a mess, but
through some force of will she managed to stand unsteadily, glaring at
Sakura.  "I can't believe you did that," Ino snarled.
        "It was a weak explosive tag," Sakura forced herself to say
flatly.  "You'll be fine."
        Ino made a fist.  "Let's finish this," she said, no weakness in
her voice despite her injury.
        Sakura echoed her rival's motion.  "Fine."  In unison, the two
charged each other.

***********************************************************************

        "Idiotic," Tenten stated as she watched the fight.  "Yamanaka
can't last another minute like that, but Haruno's risking everything on
a stupid suicidal charge.  Just like she did last time, but this time
she's got no sane reason to do it."
        Not even Lee protested, though his eyes grew more and more
worried as the two kunoichi below drew neared.  "Sakura-san's form is
all wrong," he stated.  "She's leaving herself wide open."
        Neji studied the fighters for a moment, then nodded to himself.
"It's over."  Below, the two rivals met in the center of the field.
Sakura's punch went wide, but Ino's easily penetrated the pink-haired
girl's misplaced defenses, delivering a powerful blow to the side of
Sakura's face.
        There was a puff of smoke, and Ino's knuckles scraped against
wood.  Sakura came at her rival from above and behind before Ino had a
chance to react, striking Ino in the back of the head.  The blonde
stumbled into the still-falling log that Sakura had used for the
Replacement Technique.  Sakura, breathing heavily, only watched silently
as her rival slowly collapsed, unconscious.

Doesn't that technique switch you with your substitute?

        Neji ignored his own theoretical rival's display of exuberance
as Anko announced Sakura's victory.  Haruno had left an obvious opening
to keep her opponent from coming up with any trickery of her own.  It
still would have been wisest to avoid the confrontation at all, but no
matter.  It seemed as though Haruno Sakura was to be his opponent for
the semi-final round, most definitely not something he would have
expected at the start of these exams.
        Almost reflexively, he activated his Byakugan and began to study
the girl, pondering the fight that was to come.

        Then Saburo formed a rapid set of seals, and more water flew out
of the small well.  It joined the water that rapidly spinning around
him, constantly deflecting Lee's numerous attacks from every direction.
For a moment, the attacks stopped, but then Lee reappeared in the air
above Saburo, his foot aiming directly for the other boy's head.
        Water deflected the attack, but Lee simply used the defense for
leverage, pushing himself up into the air and the brining his foot down

then bringing

on Saburo again.  More water raced to halt the stronger blow, and Lee
continued to hammer at that spot until it seemed like a small pond was
floating over Saburo's head.  Then Lee appeared in front of Saburo,
inside his protective field, and his foot solidly struck at the Mist
ninja's jaw.

        Anko groaned.  "I can't force you to fight," she said
regretfully after a moment.  "Whichever of you retracts his concession
first will get the credit for the win."  As she expected, neither of
the two made a move to do that.  She rolled her eyes.  "Both fighters
withdraw," she finally announced sourly.  "The final match ends in a
draw."

Slap Sakura around.  It's her fault!







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