Preparations and Deciding a Representative

The next few days were spent training and building my body back up to its original strength. It turns out I was still pretty sickly even after Granny Chiyo visited me. I guess even she couldn't instantly heal me after what I had done to my body. Baki was especially vigilant about my condition which was annoying because he would always stop early during training. This was obviously so I wouldn't overexert myself but with the chunin exams coming up I couldn't afford to take it easy. My plan for the first two parts of the exam was the same as the anime. I would use my Desert Eye Jutsu to steal the answers to the written test from the hidden jonin in the room. Then I'd use small moves to conserve my chakra and get through the Forest of Death easily. Maybe I could have Kankuro and Temari pitch in for that part so I wouldn't waste any chakra. Today marked the fourth day since I had come out of my coma. I had been eating ridiculous amounts of nasty food pills in order to speed up my recovery which was definitely working. I was currently in the training arena with Temari and Kankuro. I was going over both my Sand Clone and Particle Conversion Jutsu. I had made small versions of Monstrous Sand Arm just to brush up on its hand signs as well as technique. I could now use Sand Particle Conversion Jutsu with relative ease with a few minor kinks. I couldn't fully turn my body to sand for long or I would lose huge amounts of chakra along with getting a big headache. My max number of sand clones seemed to be three which was disappointing since Naruto could easily make two dozen. I stopped what I was doing to eat more food pills and looked over at my siblings. Kankuro was working with his Crow puppet on a workbench off to the side. I guess he didn't have Black Ant yet or he didn't want to bring it. Temari was pulverizing training dummies with her iron fan, making me flinch as I watched them splinter to pieces. I really didn't want to ever be on the receiving end of her wrath simply because I wanted to live a long healthy life. Baki who had been absent up until now entered through the arena entrance. He headed straight for us which made it very apparent that he had something important to tell us. Temari, Kankuro, and I all stopped what we were doing to meet him in the center of the arena.

"Goodmorning everyone I have just been informed by Lord Kazekage of the details of the upcoming chunin exams. We will be leaving in four days' time to complete an errand on our way there. There have been a few changes including a total of three Hidden Sand teams going to the exams. They will also be completing side missions on the way to the Hidden leaf so we won't be traveling together." Looking at Kankuro and then Temari I could tell we all had the same question on our mind.

"What will our mission be Baki-sensei," asked Kankuro with curiosity. I didn't know whether or not the anime Sand Siblings had gone on a mission before the chunin exams. This was because they didn't really cover too much about them before the exams. If it was a mission on the way to the chunin exams it would most likely be in the Land of Wind, Land of Rain, or Land of Rivers. The Hidden Rain was in the Land of Rain and the Hidden Artisans in the Land of Rivers. I hoped we wouldn't be going to the Land of Rain since it was such a miserable place. Having a run-in with any of the Akatsuki, specifically Konan or any of the Six Paths of Pain.

"We are to visit the Hidden Artisans Village to give them diplomatic contracts. They are mostly a neutral village and it is time to renew their peace contract with the Hidden Sand." I knew that this could be the whole truth or not even close. Things like this happened all the time in the shinobi world, who knows what was going on between the Hidden Artisans and Hidden Sand right now. It would be nice to visit them though, considering their ninja tools were of legendary quality. I would love to expand my abilities even further by becoming proficient in a ninja tool other than the basic ones. Glancing at Baki, I thought that maybe I could get him to teach me a ninja tool. I would have to ask him after our little meeting was done.

"So we will go to the Hidden Artisans and then go to the Hidden Leaf? That will take more than a few days depending on our stay at the Hidden Artisans," said Temari. She was most likely calculating how much time we would need to make the trip.

"We will be leaving in four days along with the rest of the teams. The chunin exams are in exactly ten days. There is another matter we need to solve before then," said Baki seriously. I look of puzzlement crossed my face as I wondered what it could possibly be that we needed to do.

"What do you mean," asked Kankuro with just as much confusion as I had.

"Every time there is a chunin exam each village sending genin will have to pick a representative. In the past, these representatives have usually been the strongest genin of the group but not always. This representative will attend several dinners and meetings with their fellow representatives to promote good relations. The good relations part is relatively new and was introduced by the Hidden Leaf." Based on Baki's tone I could tell he thought this part was a waste of time. I on the other hand thought it was a perfect opportunity for me. I could scope out my competition as well as make connections that could be useful in the future. The anime hadn't shown this representative system so it was either another difference from the original or not shown. Either way, I didn't really care because it was the perfect chance to make my standing better among the other villages.

"I've never heard of this representative thing before, how do we decide who gets the position? It sounds pretty prestigious to be a representative for your village," said Temari. She definitely had the same train of thought that I had which wasn't good. I didn't want to have someone as social and charismatic as Temari going against me for the spot. Then again she could be very mean to others but I guess I didn't have a golden record either. Baki smiled very broadly which made me very uncomfortable to see such an uncommon emotion on his face.

"My genin class chose by a free for all battle. Whoever was standing at the end would then be the representative. Of course, you don't have to do it this way, sometimes there has been a vote or a totally unanimous decision." Kankuro, Temari, and I all started eying each other up. None of us had a vote on our mind we were all thinking of fighting for the position.

"Before you start tearing at each other's throats for the position we must gather the other six genin who will be going along with you. They also wanted to fight when told the news, or so I am told" Baki had a sinister grinning ear to ear about this upcoming fight. This probably brought back memories of his representative being chosen which was most likely a fight just like ours would be. I knew I wouldn't have a problem defeating Temari or Kohara and I could probably defeat Kankuro if he didn't have time to get more water puppets. It was the other five genin I didn't know the slightest about that worried me. They couldn't have anything too outlandish since I would know about it if they did. Being ready for anything was all I could really do.

"When is the fight," I asked Baki. How much time I would have before this free for all would really decide my course of action for it.

"We will do it in three days so you each have time to get ready. I was the one that got it pushed back so all of you would be in your prime condition." We all looked at Baki with nothing but gratitude. Kankuro and I both were still nursing some pretty severe injuries. Granny Chiyo had also visited him while she was here so he was doing just as good as I was.

"Thank you sensei, I know Gaara and I are especially thankful for this." Kankuro was laying it on a little thick but I guess it meant a lot to him. Considering the condition he was still in I guess he had a right to do that. Baki nodded his head and then began to walk off. Temari and Kankuro immediately went back to their training. it was different from when we stopped though since they both had the free for all on their mind now. I rushed after Baki who was moving unusually fast for not having anywhere he needed to be.

"Baki-sensei I have something I want to ask of you," I said as I managed to catch up to the jonin. He turned and looked at me curiously, probably since I never usually asked him for assistance.

"What is it that you need Lord Gaara?"

"I want you to teach me how to use a katana," Saying that he looked surprised would be a huge understatement. It kinda hurt me that he was that surprised I wanted to learn to use a katana.

"Why the sudden interest Lord Gaara? Is there something wrong with using your sand?"

"Not at all Baki, I simply want to learn a close-range fighting style since most of my current Jutsu and other techniques are mid to long-range moves." My sand may be a great tool but I didn't want to be some one-trick pony. By branching off and having a more diverse fighting style I would be a much better fighter. I'd have many more options to counter Jutsu or other attacks if I knew many different styles.

"Very well then Lord Gaara you truly are full of surprises," he said with a smile. Baki walked over to the weapons rack and pulled out two wooden katanas. He tossed one to me before getting into a wide stance. I wasn't sure what to do so I did my best to copy him. The katanas we held were quite long but that was to be expected. I'd never held one before so it felt pretty awkward in my hands.

"Good job copying my stance, but there are a few things you need to do differently. Your dominant hand is to be up by the guard and your non-dominant hand is below your other hand." I quickly shifted and changed to his many critiques. It was starting to get annoying but finally, he said I was good enough to start. We started with very basic movements because I was a beginner. I spent the next few hours swinging the sword in the same robotic motions for two reasons. One was to ht me used to its feel and the other to teach me the basics.

"You've been training for quite some time Lord Gaara. You cannot master being a swordsman in a single afternoon. Why don't we stop for the day so you can rest?" I totally ignored him and kept going till my arms ached in pain. Went that would happen I simply stopped and are my prescribed food pills which would give me a boost. Baki stayed with me and gave me advice the whole time. I was dead serious about learning how to wield a katana properly and he could definitely tell. Even after Temari and Kankuro left I didn't stop. They stared for a while before getting bored of my training. It soon got dark out and I couldn't go any longer. I fell to my knees with ragged breath but Baki caught me before I fell forward into the sand.

"That is enough for today Lord Gaara you have made breathtaking progress but at the cost of your health." With that, he lifted me and took me to my room. It was still a mess of scrolls and books since Kohara had down little to help me organize. All she did was make an even bigger mess by opening and growing books around. I couldn't really blame her too much since most of it was pretty exciting stuff. Baki set me down and I shakily walked to my bed and set on the edge.

"Thank you, Baki I know I overworked myself today but I need to be proficient with a sword by the chunin exams." I wanted the sword in case my sand failed in my fight against Sasuke or Rock Lee. Both would be getting in close to fight me and a sword would hopefully keep them at bay.

"You don't need to worry much then, you are a natural with a katana. That or your hard work is already paying off since you learn so quickly. I want you to take it easier than you have been. You won't be in any shape to win the chunin exams at this rate"

I knew he was right but I still didn't want to slow down. I wanted to learn as much as possible with the exams being so close. I had no idea if the Konan Crush was still going down which meant I had to be ready. With the Sand and Lead being Allie's it would be our duty to help them ward off an attack. I would need to be extra strong if I wanted to keep my team safe. I wondered if Orochimaru would team up with any of the other Great Nations. I doubted that the Hidden Cloud would ever help him but the Hidden Mist and Hidden Stone weren't totally off the table. We would simply have to wait and see when the time came.

"I will still train just as hard Baki-sensei I will become the Hidden Sand representative." Yet again he smiled at this little proclamation of mine. He was smiling a lot more lately and always seemed to be happy with our progress. Normally he would be lurking in the corners, staring at us with dark eyes. But now he had become much more involved with us and cracking a few jokes. Jokes were something he had never done before, not even once.

"I am proud of you Lord Gaara, you have changed so much in such a short time. I now have no doubts that you will become a fine shinobi." I stared at him, not sure I had heard him correctly. Did he just say I would be a fine shinobi? Me, the genin who had killed countless Sand shinobi in the past. I looked at Baki with total appreciation and respect. He had truly become my sensei in the past few weeks. With that, Baki walked to the door and left. I sat there deep in thought for quite some time before getting up to prepare for bed. I looked at myself in the mirror, a look of determination in my eyes. I didn't care what I had to do I would win at the chunin exams and be the Hidden Sand representative. I would make everyone around me proud by showing them what the Hidden Sand could do.

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The next couple of days went by in a blur. I continued to work hard on my katana skills while also brushing up on my other Jutsu. I read through even more scrolls and books with Kohara in the afternoons since she was always eager to learn more. I trained with my team bright and early every morning. Temari and Kankuro weren't backing down about the representative position. That was fine by me, it would give me more of a challenge when I crushed all the other genin. Baki praised my progress when I trained with my katana, saying that I would definitely have slightly above-average abilities by the chunin exams. Today was the day of the representative battle as well as the last day before we would leave for the Hidden Artisans' Village. Baki told us the day before to skip normal training in the morning so we wouldn't be low on chakra for the fight. He had also told me to meet him at the small armory by the arena. I wasn't really sure what he wanted me to do there yet I still found myself excited for some reason. I woke up nice and early and made my way down to the arena. I then crossed the arena floor to get to the hallway that the armory was in. I had gotten up early to hopefully beat Baki there but unfortunately, he was already waiting for me when I got there. The jonin never seemed to be late or not beat me to the meeting point. I had been discretely trying to beat him to our meeting points but so far it had proven futile.

"What are we meeting here for Baki-sensei? I notice that neither Temari nor Kankuro is here so it must mean you only need me." I couldn't think of anything that Baki would need only me for especially at the armory. Instead of saying anything, he pulled out a long bundle from behind him. puzzled, I took it from him and unraveled the cloth that protected the bundle to find a sword. It was in its sheathe but from what I could tell it was a real sword, not like the wooden ones I had been training with. I pulled the katana from its sheathe to find a basic but well-made katana. It definitely was a brand new weapon, the blade still shined and glimmered as the light hit it.

"This is a gift for you to use at the representative free for all as well as the chunin exams. it isn't anything special but I have no doubt it will serve you well Lord Gaara," said Baki. I hardly heard him say that because I was too busy running through my usual stances with the blade. I couldn't be any happier than I now was, I was unable to take my eyes off my new katana. The fact that it was now mine was the part that I couldn't wrap my head around. I turned and looked at Baki after I finally finished running through my practice stances.

"I am more than grateful for this gift Baki-sensei I must find a way to repay you."

"Do not even think about it Lord Gaara, it is my duty to properly equip my genin. I was simply doing my job." I doubted that any other sensei would ever get their genin a katana this well-made. Usually, you would give the bent or rusted swords to the genin for them to learn on, and then when they were promoted they would be given a better weapon. I took the sheathe and tied it to my back right where my gourd get smaller in the middle. There was just enough room for the blade to sit there comfortably. If I started using a bigger gourd though it wouldn't work, it only had enough room because I was now using a smaller gourd than the original Gaara did.

"Maybe I'll get the chance to use this today during the free for all," I said as Baki and I began walking to the training arena. The free for all would begin in only a few hours and I planned to practice with my katana before then.

"I have a feeling you will get the chance to Lord Gaara," said Baki with a smirk. A part of me couldn't help but agree with him. When we got to the arena we found that there was already a team of genin there. Since our building had its own training arena I usually never saw the other genin. I recognized one as Kohara so it must be her team. She was paired with another girl and a boy. The girl had very short shoulder-length blonde hair, wore metal guards on her wrists, and had brown eyes. The boy had a mean look to him with black hair that had white streaks. His eyes were an unusual red with a scar on his cheek that looked to be from a burn.

"Why don't you go acquaint yourself with the genin you'll be fighting in a few hours?" With that, Baki left the arena to probably go check on Temari and Kankuro. Sighing at Baki giving me no other option other to go introduce myself, I decided to do what he said. Baki had said it just loud enough for them to hear so that I would look bad if I didn't go talk to them.

"Kohara it's nice to see you, are these your teammates?" I only asked this as a formality since they were obviously her teammates. I didn't think it would be a good idea to come off as rude or snobby. Kohara nervously smiled and gestured to both of her teammates.

"This is Rasho Kataka and she is Mizuni Gihara, they are my teammates." I glanced at both the girl and boy who were also observing me with careful eyes. The boy who was named Rasho looked at me harshly, as if I had wronged him somehow. Mizuni on the other hand seemed much more friendly judging from her gaze.

"So your Gaara huh? Kohara always has a lot to say about you but just looking at you doesn't make me think you're anything special," said Rasho harshly. Great, your stereotypical tough guy that has something to prove to everyone else. He would definitely be annoying to deal with and I could tell Kohara didn't like him much either based on her murderous expression. Mizuni giggled at Rasho's comment which made me feel like she wasn't a very serious person.

"Wait until I make you eat sand Rasho then we will see if you think differently," I told him with a smile. Rasho's face twitched angrily and I could see him clench his fists. I didn't really care about offending a guy like Rasho, right now he was a waste of time. Possibly in the future, he might get better and be someone to be friends with but right now he was just a jerk with a temper. Mizuni giggled just like she had before which enraged Rasho even more. I saw fire flicker out of his hands which made me frown. Was he really going to fight me now? Talk about disappointing if he had that short of a fuse. I guess he was because both of his fists were suddenly engulfed with flames. Rasho threw a punch straight for my face. Man, this guy really was a hothead wasn't he? The sand from the arena floor automatically shot up to protect me. His punch slammed harmlessly into the sand without hardly any effect. Rasho's fire wasn't even hot enough to turn my sand to glass like the rogue ninja. I used the sand to grab his hand and then picked him up. Rasho struggled as he was lifted off the floor, even trying to use his other fire-coated fist to break himself free.

"Let me go right now," shouted Rasho with rage. I glanced over and found that both Kohara and Mizuni were a little shocked. It would probably be best if I ended this right now before things got out of hand.

"Sure," I said and they threw him into the air using the sand. Rasho soared before crashing into the ground painfully. Perhaps I should have been a little more gentle but it was too late now. Rasho quickly got up with fire in his eyes and also in his hands. Quite the unique Jutsu he had there, I would have to ask Kohara about it later. Kohara and Mizuni ran straight for Rasho and grabbed him. They quickly started talking to him and he shouted something back at them. Kohara then said something that seemed to make Rasho shut up which was definitely nice. Mizuni then took Rasho away as Kohara came back to talk to me.

"I'm sorry about him Gaara he has quite the temper," she said with embarrassment. I felt bad that she had a teammate like that but it couldn't be helped.

"It's alright Kohara, good luck to you and your teammates in the free for all."

"I think we all know who is probably going to win, don't we Gaara? Doesn't matter to me though I am still going to try and get that position." Kohara was most likely right about me winning the fight but who knows, maybe there will be an underdog that came up with a method to defeat me. I was very curious to see how strong the genin going to the chunin exams were since they would technically be our competition once the exams began.

"We will just have to wait another hour to see if your right Kohara," I said with a grin. This was going to be a lot of fun.