Chapter 9

 Clear the mind, and empty all thoughts. Find serenity; a peace nothing can intrude on. Uchiha Sasuke repeated the mantra as he meditated, trying to stay within Kakashi-sensei's training. With only a few hours to go until the Third Exam began, he reviewed everything he had been taught during the break between exams.

 "If there's one thing you need to avoid," the Copy Ninja had said, "it's losing control of your emotions. Molding Chakra is one thing, but emotions are far worse. It's human nature to feel angry or frustrated at times like these, which is precisely what Orochimaru was counting on when he attacked you. Give in, and the seal will activate."

 Kakashi was off somewhere this morning, though he'd promised he would be back in time to take Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 to the tower.

 "I'm going to go find a way to keep the seal in check. For now, keep practicing your self-control."

 The irony wasn't lost on Sasuke. Self-control was practically a part of him. Keeping himself from lashing out at his teammates when they acted like idiots all the time was bad enough. One couldn't keep her hands off him, and the other…

 That idiot's not dead last anymore, but nothing's really changed.

 What was Naruto but a lucky fool? Orochimaru had done something to him, but instead of being unable to use his Chakra, Naruto was stronger than ever. And that attack…typical of the blonde Genin, he'd named it something dumb. Who named a technique after themselves?

 Not like it matters anyway. The next time we fight, he'll get a taste of his own techniques. Then we'll see who's better.

 Sasuke ran through the list in his mind; all of the promising Genin he'd met before the exam were still alive. Gaara of the Desert, Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee…and now Uzumaki Naruto had joined them on the list of Sasuke's desired opponents.

 If Naruto had been around, the smirk on Sasuke's face would have driven him into a fit of rage. Opponents? Mere obstacles in his path. Itachi was stronger than all of them. To kill him, Sasuke would have to become stronger than even his brother. No Genin would get in his way. Even if they did…

 Curse seal or no curse seal, he would find a way to win. That would be all the peace Uchiha Sasuke needed.

* * *

 Naruto had his own ways of finding inner peace, and even a mantra of his own.

 "Okay, today I'm gonna go out there and get even stronger! Time to kick some butt!"

 Setsuna's muffled voice came through her closed door.

 "Naruto, could you kick butt outside, please? I need my beauty sleep."

 Even people in Konoha who didn't really like Uzumaki Naruto freely admitted the boy was fearless. The words coming out of his mouth proved that his reputation was accurate.

 "Aunt Setsuna, if that were true, you'd be waking up sometime next week!"

 Too engaged in laughing at his joke, Naruto missed the quiet sound of a shoji door sliding open; the pillow Setsuna threw caught him full in the face.

 "I think I can stop wondering why that Sakura girl doesn't like you."

 "Now that's hitting below the belt."

 "Keep it up and I'm gonna make you pay for the ramen you eat at the restaurant."

 "No! Anything but that!"

 Setsuna had never seen anyone go from insulting to groveling that quick before. I'll have to remember that trick.

 "Learned your place in this house, have ya? Get outta here. If I can actually get back to sleep I may forget what's happened so far this morning."

 Before the words had a chance to echo through the hallway, her nephew was gone. Setsuna looked around before shutting her door and pulling the pillow over her eyes again.

 You're about a dozen years too early to be challengin' me to a war of insults, kid.

 Naruto put the temporary defeat out of his mind after ten minutes or so, like he usually did. Unzipping his backpack, he pulled out another set of plates and rings, grinning all the while. After almost a week of having to deal with the added weight on his shoulders and legs, the spiky-haired boy felt like his movements were back to normal again. That meant it was time to crank his training up another level.

 Sitting on a bench and taking his jacket off, Naruto slipped the plates inside its shoulders, and likewise added two rings to the ones already in the cuffs of his pants.

 [Hey, you! You that Human everyone's talkin' about?]

 Naruto looked up to see a small furry creature looking at him from the leaves of a nearby bush. Before the heir of the Uzumaki legacy could respond, the animal turned into a gray streak scurrying out towards him. It stopped on the bench beside him, revealing…

 "A weasel?"

 [HEY! I'm a ferret, not a weasel! Get it straight, Speaker!]

 Naruto blinked. Speaker?

 "Since when am I the Speaker?"

 The ferret groomed its whiskers; Naruto's new ability translated that into the animal's attempt at a shrug.

 [Talkin' to me, ain't ya? Listen, the more ya talk to us, the deeper the Speaker ability sinks in. The sparrows have been tellin' everyone that runs across ya to talk, so ya get used to the idea.]

 "What, so every dog or cat I see in the village is gonna be dishing out the gossip on their masters, forcing me into the job?"

 The ferret gave an incredulous snort (or a full body shake, to anyone else's eye).

 [Them? Forget it. Ya won't hear nothin' from an animal that's living with Humans. Their spirits are broken, and along with that, their connection to nature. Soon as an animal loses that, even wild creatures can't talk with 'em anymore. Well, except for parrots, and they just repeat what ya say anyhow.]

 "What about the ninja dogs, or the bugs Shino's always hangin' around with?"

 [They're special cases, and ya can't talk to them either. They got specific bonds with their patrons. Besides, what's the point of talkin' to sellouts and lapdogs? You can talk to any wild creature ya want! That's loads better!]

 Naruto arched an eyebrow. "And the fact that you all get to shove your problems on my shoulders has nothing to do with it?"

 [Hey, it ain't like ya don't get advantages from the deal besides just talkin'.]

 "Oh yeah? What advantages?"

 [Summons! You got any idea what kind of power a summoning contract between a Speaker and his charges can give? Come on, frogs, snakes, and stuff don't get that big on their own.]

 Now that did open Naruto's eyes. He knew for certain that Sasuke had seen him do the Naruto Bakudan in the forest. Pretty safe to assume that he can copy it, then. Of all the things the blonde Genin resented about Uchiha Sasuke, the Sharingan was probably at the top of the list.

 For someone like Naruto, who had learned everything he knew, through hard work and drilling day after day, something that let you use another person's techniques just by looking at them once or twice might as well be cheating. Of course, Kakashi's Sharingan was different. At least Kakashi-sensei only uses it when he's fighting a bad guy, like Zabuza.

 Something that required a contract couldn't be copied (at least he hoped it worked that way). You needed to have your own contract with the animal or spirit, and no super pair of eyes could give that to Sasuke. The Speaker's job suddenly looked a lot better than it had when he'd gotten out of bed.

 "So what, you want to sign a contract with me?"

 The ferret shrugged again.

 [Who, me? I'm more a sidekick type. Us ferrets are scavengers, not fighters.]

 "I'll bet. Hey, what am I supposed to call you guys, anyway?"

 [What, our names? Every tribe's got its own traditions. Birds name themselves after where they hatch, the dogs and the wolves prefer stuff about their personalities. The ferrets around here have been livin' near the city so long we name ourselves like you Humans.]

 "You all have names like regular human men and women?"

 [Not really. We name ourselves after stuff. My uncle's called Sushi, because he lives under the Niko Sushi restaurant. My dad loves eatin' chicken, especially early in the morning, so everyone calls him Ondori (The Rooster). And of course, 'cause the big boss ferret lives up on that mountain, he's Lord Yama.]

 "So what do I call you, then?"

 [Um…]

 "You're called Um?"

 […I'm called Itachi (Weasel), all right?]

 Naruto stared at the ferret for a moment, scratching his head.

 "I thought you just said you weren't a weasel."

 Itachi sounded embarrassed.

 [Okay, so I'm part weasel! My dad's a full-blood ferret, and that's what counts anyhow!]

 "If you say so. So you wanna hang around with me, is that it?"

 Itachi scurried up on the blonde boy's shoulder. [Why not? I'm bored. Other ferrets don't do much until nighttime anyway.]

 "I'm about to go take a test, though. Who knows if that's gonna be any fun?"

 [Will there be Human girls there?]

 Thinking about the teams that had survived, Naruto counted up how many included kunoichis. There was that Sand Village girl that teamed with Gaara of the Desert and the weird kid who played with dolls. Ino had made it, as had Hinata, Rock Lee's female teammate (what the heck was her name, anyway?), and of course, Sakura.

 "Yeah, a few girls. Why?"

 [Human girls go crazy when they see guys like me! You know, 'kawaii' this, 'kawaii' that, whatever that means. They feed ya, pet ya, and all kinds of good stuff, so I always go where the girls are!]

 Naruto slapped a hand to his forehead. Of all the animals to hang out with, I get the perverted one.

 "Well, good to see someone's actually gonna have fun today. Come on, before I change my mind."

 [Sweet! I'm gonna get me some tender lovin' care!]

 So much for rest and relaxation…

 The little smile on Naruto's face as walked towards the forest, idly stroking Itachi's head, told the truth about how he really felt. Not everyone finds inner peace the same way, after all.

* * *

 Back at her house, Sakura dressed slowly, wondering what the Third Exam would be like. It couldn't have been any worse than the conversation she'd had with Uzumaki Setsuna the day before.

 Naruto's aunt had just looked at Sakura for a while after the girl had asked her to become her teacher, puzzled by the request.

 "What the heck do you think you can learn from me? I'm not a shinobi."

 Sakura looked down at her shoes in embarrassment.

 "No, but you can fight, and I can't. You're really strong."

 "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

 Setsuna sized the girl up. For someone the hyperactive Naruto was mooning over, she seemed a little plain, even weak. That had to be the problem. Her first instincts upon looking at Sakura had practically screamed "nerd."

 Well, there's only one way to find out.

 "Hit me."

 Sakura looked up at Naruto's aunt, startled by the request.

 "W-what?"

 "Look, I just demolished a building, and I'm pooped. The last thing I need right now is to spend an hour or two trying to figure out whether you actually need training, or if you're just insecure. The easiest way to find out how strong somebody is will always be a straight-up fight. So gimme your best shot already. Punch, kick, whatever you're best at."

 "Okay…"

 Setsuna sighed, shaking her head at the timid tone of Sakura's reply.

 "Stop right there, Sakura. Talkin' weakly is just as bad as fightin' weakly."

 "What do you mean?"

 "Strength ain't only about your body. It's as much mental as it is physical. I ask you to give me your best shot, and you bust out with some weak-ass 'Okay?' If you don't really mean what you say or do, you're never gonna be a fighter. Just a talker."

 "I don't understand."

 Setsuna strode over to a nearby log and sat down, beckoning the pink-haired girl over.

 "You ever known any bullies in your life?"

 "A few at the Academy, I guess. And girls used to make fun of my forehead, until Ino stopped them."

 "Okay, think back to those bullies. How did they manage to push everyone around?"

 "Well, all the other kids would be afraid of them, afraid of getting beaten up."

 "You're getting the idea. In the end, when did all those bullies stop being threats?"

 Sakura considered the problem for a while, finally coming up with an answer.

 "When the kids saw through the words and figured out that the bullies were no different than them."

 "Right. See, some bullies probably are stronger than the average kid. But what really sets 'em apart is image. Actually, make that confidence. That's really all image is about.

 "You could be the strongest fighter in the world, but if you lack the confidence to do anything with that strength, it's all a waste."

 "So you're going to teach me confidence?"

 Setsuna threw her head back and laughed.

 "Confidence ain't taught. It's earned, built up gradually. Look, there's a good way for you to learn both strength and confidence from me, if that's what you really want."

 That got Sakura's attention.

 "How can I do it?"

 Setsuna pointed a thumb back in the direction of the village center.

 "You were there when I cleared the land for my restaurant, right? Come and work for me as a waitress in your spare time."

 "What does working as a waitress have to do with confidence or strength?"

 Uzumaki Setsuna had plenty of stories to tell Sakura, but something told her personal experience would work best here.

 "You don't think people are born knowing how to fight, do you? When I left the village, I was barely a teenager. I knew the mechanics of fighting, but I wasn't all that powerful. Did a few odd jobs, bounced around from place to place, until I got my first job as a waitress."

 She mimed carrying a heavy tray with one hand.

 "If your restaurant's busy, you'll run into stretches where you get swamped. Sometimes you'll be handling two, three, maybe even four tables' worth of orders at once. That can help improve your strength and balance in a hurry.

 "When customers get impatient, you also have to deal with them bitching at you about it. If you don't have thick skin, you develop it fast. The confident waitress can even learn to toss back a few choice insults."

 Sakura considered that prospect.

 "Won't you get fired for that?"

 "Ha! Maybe from the first job or two. But once you get good enough at what you do, you're home free. No manager would dare piss off an efficient veteran waitress, especially if it means having to train another one for months at a time.

 "As for you, I know what the job is like, so unless you're a complete waste of time, I ain't gonna fire you."

 Sakura looked down again, trying to decide.

 "Hey, you wanted training; it's your decision. Tell you what; think it over. Come back once the Chuunin Exam is over, and tell me what you want to do."

 Setsuna had left it at that, leaving the training ground to go take her nap. Sakura watched the older woman go, trying to figure out how she managed to look like a fighting machine one minute and a lazy sloth the next.

 A day later, here she stood, still trying to figure out if she should entrust her training to such a strange woman. The sheer force of Setsuna's personality kept on coming back to Sakura. How did anyone who wasn't a shinobi still have such strength, both physically and psychologically? Naruto, she understood. His energy came from his goal: to be recognized by the village, and become Hokage.

 What about Setsuna? It seemed her only goal in life was to eat and sleep. If for nothing else, Sakura figured working for the older lady might be worth it just to figure out what made her tick. But before then…

 The pink-haired girl sighed. One more exam to go. Win or lose, she probably wouldn't be any closer to finding her peace (or confidence) until the exam was done.

* * *

 With all that said and done, the three members of Team 7 approached the old bridge slowly, each occupied with their own issues. Sasuke said nothing as usual, leaving Sakura to notice the ferret perched on her teammate's shoulder. Naruto hadn't said a word to either of them, too busy clowning around with his new companion.

 Just as she was about to ask Naruto about it, a puff of smoke atop the arches above them announced Kakashi's arrival.

 "Yo!"

 Naruto looked up and glared at their sensei.

 "So what's your excuse this time, Kakashi-sensei? Pretty girl? You got lost?"

 "If you must know, I was at the library."

 Naruto and Sakura looked at each other and then up at their teacher. Like they usually did at times like this, they spoke in unison.

 "Sensei, when did the village library start stocking porno?"

 Had they been behind the Copy Ninja, the two Genin would have seen a huge sweatdrop on the back of Kakashi's head. I've really got to start hiding that book in something normal.

 "Hey, I read regular books too."

 Naruto smirked.

 "Yeah, and pigs fly."

 "Do you want to get to the exam or not?"

 "Oh, sure, keep us from reporting you for corrupting the youth of the village."

 Sakura smiled a little. At least some things hadn't changed about Naruto.

 As they walked through the roped-off path into the Forest of Death, Kakashi finally noticed the furry shape now draped across Naruto's shoulders, apparently asleep.

 "What's this, Naruto? Your new pet?"

 Naruto shrugged a bit, trying to wake the ferret up.

 "He's not a pet, Kakashi-sensei, he's just along for the ride. Itachi, say hello to Kakashi-sensei."

 The ferret looked up for a bit, wrinkled its nose and whiskers lazily at Kakashi, and laid down again.

 [Hi there…now go away.]

 "Oi, Itachi, look alive and show some respect, will ya? He's my teacher!"

 The ferret's sleepy mumble was accompanied by even lazier stretching.

 [If he were a she, I probably would. If he ain't petting or feeding me, then I got nothin' to say.]

 Naruto sighed. He should have talked to Aunt Setsuna. They're a matched pair; except for the perverted part, anyway.

 "Sorry, Kakashi-sensei. Itachi's more a nighttime type, I think."

 Kakashi looked down at the sleeping animal. His mask moved in something resembling a smile.

 "Itachi, huh? An interesting choice of names."

 Naruto looked over at the Copy Ninja in confusion, and then shrugged.

 "Itachi's part-weasel; what's strange? And what's interesting about the name Itachi? It just means weasel anyhow."

 Too engrossed in talking to Kakashi, Naruto missed the odd twitch that flickered across Sasuke's face every time he mentioned the ferret's name; the same name as that damned older brother of his, Sasuke's hated foe. Is that idiot BAITING me? The mantra he'd repeated earlier began to recede, frustration and anger building up anew. Forgetting that Naruto couldn't have had the faintest idea what the name Itachi meant to an Uchiha, Sasuke concentrated all of the pent-up emotion in his head on a single target.

 Who do you think you are? Learn one new technique and you think you're better than me?

 I don't care if it's during this exam, or afterwards. You and I are going to fight. Anywhere, anytime; I don't care.

 I will be stronger than you. I HAVE to be stronger than you.

 Forget everything else; this was all that mattered. In a sense, it was all that had ever mattered after their first meeting.

 The four of them spent the rest of the walk in silence, everyone occupying their minds with their own concerns. Eventually, the central tower loomed in the distance. Naruto grinned to himself. Time to get it on.

* * *

 Once all of the Genin were inside, they found themselves in a huge room, two balconies overhead and a large pair of hands carved into the wall, forming a seal. In front of the seal stood the Third Hokage, accompanied by all manner of shinobi from the Leaf Village, and the other villages being represented in the Exam.

 Each remaining team was arranged in a line, as their teachers filed up to the stage behind the Third, who walked forward a few steps and smiled down on them.

 "First, let me congratulate you all on passing the Second Stage of the Chuunin Exam. We will now begin the Third Stage. For those of you who had a hard time getting here, you'll be pleased to hear that this is the last part of the Exam."

 Naruto looked around as he heard a loud sigh go through the crowd. He chuckled to himself, seeing Ino whacking Choji across the head for being so obviously relieved at the news.

 "Are you a man or aren't you?"

 "Hey, if it means I can get back home quicker for dinner, I'm all for it!"

 Naruto shrugged. None of my business, really… Choji was good for comic relief once in a while. What he was more concerned about was the team that had shown up with only two members. Where's Kabuto-san?

 Never one to keep quiet, the blonde boy raised his hand to ask a question.

 "Hey, where's Kabuto, the guy with the glasses?"

 His speech interrupted by Ino, Choji and Naruto, the Third cleared his throat and began again.

 "Yakushi Kabuto withdrew from the Chuunin Exam after the Second Stage, citing injuries received during that stage. His teammates, however, will continue on, leaving an even 20 Genin remaining to conclude everything.

 "Now, before I tell you what the Third Stage is all about, there is something you all should know. It concerns the real reason for the Chuunin Exam."

 Confusion quickly spread through the crowd of Genin. Nobody responded, so the Third continued on.

 "It's all well and good to talk about friendship among the allied nations. However, this test is, and always has been, nothing more than a replacement for war among our nations."

 In the rear of the group, Tenten and Rock Lee exchanged glances, the kunoichi speaking for both of them.

 "What's that supposed to mean?"

 The Third, his face normally smiling or gruff, looked uncommonly stern now.

 "Relations between the shinobi villages haven't always been so good. We're not far removed from the last great war for dominance. In the end, it proved to be a waste.

 "Instead, the allied nations created a stage on which a different battle could be fought, which eventually formed this Chuunin Exam."

 Naruto puzzled over it, and didn't come up with any reason for the change.

 "What the hell does a bunch of Genin trying for promotion have to do with wars?"

 The Third's expression didn't change, unless you caught the sudden gleam of challenge, and maybe a little pride, in his eyes.

 "That much is true. Part of this exam is about deciding who has what it takes to be a Chuunin. But at the same time, it's also about prestige. In other words, the shinobi of each village risk their own lives to protect their land's reputation and power."

 For once, Sakura looked confused too.

 "Why prestige, Hokage-sama?"

 "This stage of the Exam is special. Previously, there were no witnesses other than your fellow candidates and the examiners. The Third Stage will have an audience, composed of influential leaders and individuals from all nations. You could say these are all potential clients of our villages.

 "The basic point should be obvious. Villages that do well in these battles will be seen as stronger. They will then attract more clients. Those who do poorly will see the opposite effect. Similarly, a weaker village may be seen as more vulnerable to attack by other forces. Political consequences are at stake here."

 Kiba's snarl broke through the nervous whispering in the Genin ranks.

 "Fine, then! But why do we have to risk our necks?"

 The Third's reply carried both wisdom and experience.

 "The strength of the country is the strength of the village. And a village is only as strong as its shinobi. The only way to determine that strength is through life-risking battle."

 Tenten took over with a question.

 "So why all the stuff about friendship, if we're all going to be trying to kill each other?"

 "To a shinobi, friendship is nothing more than achieving balance through life, and the loss of life. That isn't the kindest view of life, to be sure, but then this isn't a kind profession.

 "So let me make things perfectly clear before we begin. You will battle with your lives on the line, and the stakes are not only your dreams. The honor and prestige of your nation lies in the balance as well."

 The Third stepped back as another Leaf ninja appeared.

 "Hayate, please begin."

 Racked by a fit of coughing, the examiner nodded to the Hokage and turned to the candidates.

 "Hello, everyone, I'm Hayate. Before the Third Stage begins, I'll have to ask you all to do something.

 "We're going to have a preliminary round, to determine who advances to the actual Third Stage."

 Shikamaru roused out of his usual laziness for once, voice raised in protest.

 "Preliminary? What the hell is this troublesome crap?"

 "Well, it seems that the first two stages of this year's exam may have been too easy. There are too many candidates left, and we only have so much time for the Third Exam, since the audience is full of busy people. Therefore, we need to reduce the number of candidates.

 "Anybody who doesn't want to continue should leave now, since the preliminaries will begin immediately."

 Naruto laughed. Like I'm gonna wuss out now!

 Sasuke wasn't laughing. You utter moron… The thought had hardly come to him when the Sharingan user flinched, grabbing at his shoulder.

 More than one person watching him knew what that meant.

 I told him not to get emotional. Kakashi knew Sasuke wasn't stupid, but the Leaf Village couldn't afford to lose such a talent to Orochimaru. If you give in to the curse seal, you're finished. Anko had told him as much. If I have to stop you from hurting yourself, even if it means pulling you out of this exam, I will.

 Sakura, closer to the problem, took hold of Sasuke's arm.

 "That seal thing is acting up again, isn't it? You shouldn't be fighting in this condition if you're still in pain!"

 When her teammate didn't respond, Sakura turned and took a step towards Kakashi, up on the stage. This time, Sasuke moved, blocking her path.

 "Shut up and stay out of this. Kakashi-sensei's already seen it. I've been working on controlling this thing.

 "This test doesn't mean anything to me. Promotion's not my goal. All I want to do is find out how strong I am. If I'm to be an avenger, I need to fight the strong; this is the best place to do it. If you get in the way of that, I won't forgive you."

 Naruto might not have been speaking much to Sakura, but he wasn't going to let that comment slide.

 "What's your problem? Sakura's worried about you, even if you damn well don't deserve it. Where do you get off threatening her?"

 "Naruto…" Sasuke gave him that annoying smirk. "I'll especially be looking forward to kicking your ass."

 The blonde boy's eyes narrowed, but he kept his mouth shut. The hell you will. What do you want to do, steal my techniques? Better to keep up appearances, though.

 "Try it, if you think you can. I'm not gonna go down so easy. So if you wanna use that thing as an excuse when I whip your butt from here back to the Wave Country, then go right ahead."

 Before they could start throwing punches at each other, Hayate's voice intruded on the situation.

 "If there are no more takers, we'll begin the preliminary. It will be composed of one-on-one fighting, as if you were truly battling each other. Only the winners will advance to the finals.

 "A win is achieved either through a knockout or surrender; I may also stop the fight if I think a winner's been clearly established. Now, if you'll turn to the scoreboard on the back wall, we can start the first match. The battles will be determined by random draw."

 The draw had, in fact, begun as soon as Hayate had mentioned the electronic scoreboard, all of their names flashing across the screen as the order was determined.

 Eventually the two lines stopped flashing, as two names emerged.

 Akadou Yoroi vs. Uchiha Sasuke.

 "Very well," Hayate nodded to both of them, "let's have the two fighters step up, please. Will everyone else go to the upper level while you wait?"

 Naruto noted Kakashi stepping off the stage as he filed up the stairs with Sakura and the other Genin. If you want a shot at me, you'd better not bow out here, Sasuke.

 The Copy Ninja had few words for Sasuke; he knew the boy wasn't in a listening mood, especially after nearly coming to blows with his own teammate.

 "I'll make it simple. Don't use the Sharingan, or any other jutsu. If that seal activates, you could be killed. Best to end it quick, if possible; if I see the seal activating I'll stop the fight myself. Got it?"

 His student nodded, attention mainly focused on Yoroi, standing still opposite from him with an unreadable expression. Kakashi shrugged. He'll find out soon enough whether I'm serious.

 "All right, once the fight is over, I've found something that'll help with the seal. So there's your incentive to get this over with as fast as possible."

 Sasuke kept his eyes on Yoroi. Even without the Sharingan, he knew things weren't going to be like normal. No fire jutsus, not even clones or body-switching. This would have to be a pure slugging match; something he wasn't ordinarily used to.

 Hayate stepped up between the two Genin, glancing first at one, then to the other. "Now then, please begin the match."

 With the speed that only comes from years of martial arts training, the combatants were a hundred feet apart in the blink of an eye. Each readied an attack, Yoroi's right hand surrounded by an eerie glowing energy while his other hand drew forth some shuriken. Without chakra, Sasuke could only reach for the kunai strapped to his thigh. Let him make the first move; maybe he'll give away his strategy. The masked Genin didn't keep him waiting long.

 Yoroi hurled a brace of shuriken at his foe; Sasuke hung back, still unimpressed. That can't be all you're capable of. You never could have made it here if that was the only attack in your arsenal.

 Sasuke parried the thrown weapons with a cool wave of his kunai. Come on, don't get all shy now. At that moment, Kakashi's warning flashed across his thoughts, accompanied by a searing burst of pain from the curse seal. Idiot! Pride's as much an emotion as anger or frustration. Don't get too high, or too low on yourself.

 Any happiness he could have found in realizing his mistake soon vanished. As the seal's flare-up staggered Sasuke, Yoroi closed in for the kill. The Sharingan user could hear his opponent's footsteps closing, but it was almost too late by the time he regained enough control over his rebelling body to get clear of the descending fist.

 This isn't working. He was too riled up over Naruto and too frustrated by Orochimaru's seal to stay focused for long, and keep the seal in check. Every time it flared, his mobility took a hit. The only way to win the fight would be to restrict Yoroi's movements. He had to wear down the masked boy's speed and agility until they were evenly matched again. Then, there might be a chance to land one good attack.

 With that in mind, Sasuke stopped his escape, plunging the kunai into the concrete floor. Swiftly capturing one of Yoroi's legs in a leg scissors, he levered the Leaf Genin down onto the floor, shifting the fallen body in order to trap one arm in a classic armbar, threatening to break it. It won't hinder his movement much, but knocking down his attack potential will do.

 Straining to dislocate or break his opponent's elbow joint, Sasuke focused his energies on that task. As precious seconds flew by, he suddenly realized something was wrong with the situation. Wait! Why isn't he struggling?

 Sasuke had discovered his opponent's trap, but entangled as they were, there was no escape. Helpless, he watched with a curious detachment as Yoroi's hand turned around and made contact with his chest. There was no pain, but that wasn't the point of the attack, as Sasuke discovered.

 The flame that had enveloped Yoroi's hand began to glow even brighter than before, and suddenly the Uchiha boy's grip on that right arm began to slacken, strength gradually leaving his limbs. Soon enough, the masked Genin had pulled out of the armbar, retreating back across the arena.

 "My strength…what the hell did you just do?"

 Yoroi's only response to the weak-voiced question was to charge back towards Sasuke again, his glowing right hand a silent promise of more pain to come. Still in shock from the odd technique that had been performed on him, Sasuke never saw his opponent coming. A scream from above snapped him out of the trance.

 "Sasuke-kun!"

 He sat up, responding to the urgency in Sakura's shout, and immediately wished he hadn't, as Yoroi's hand latched onto his face. The weakness spread faster this time, a tired feeling sweeping through Sasuke's body as the seconds passed.

 "You…" he gasped brokenly, looking into the cold black lenses covering Yoroi's eyes, "…you're draining my…chakra?"

 "Good to see you're not a total fool. Finally noticed it, eh?"

 Above them both, up on one of the balconies, Orochimaru, cloaked in the form of a Sound Village Jounin, looked down on the battle.

 Yoroi's ability is to drain his opponent's chakra by touching him with the palm of his hand; when you run out of chakra, my dear Sasuke, you will have no choice but to release the seal and rely on my power. That is, if you want to continue fighting, to keep growing stronger.

 Summoning what was left of his flagging strength, Sasuke wrested himself out of Yoroi's grasp. What now? He's impossible to beat in close combat, not that I'd survive another shot from that hand of his. How am I supposed to win if I can't hit him from a distance OR up close?

 As his rival ran through his options, Naruto watched the fight, feeling torn. On the one hand, he wasn't fond of seeing Sasuke win all the time. Then again, even if he hated to admit it, he was still proud of everything their team had accomplished. Sasuke losing would totally screw with our good record so far. Reluctantly, Naruto urged on his teammate, in the only way he could without feeling like an airhead cheerleader.

 "Hey, Sasuke! How are you gonna beat me if you can't even get past a one-trick pony like him? Get off your ass and finish this!"

 Even in later years, when their relationship had gone through twists and turns of all sorts, Sasuke would look back on Naruto's shout as one of the few times the spiky-haired boy had treated him as a friend, and in spite of himself, remember the moment with a smile.

 I hate to say it, but the idiot's right. I've been going about this the wrong way. This guy relies on close combat, getting inside your guard and doing his thing. I have to take him out of his element to beat him. Without chakra, there's only one way to do that.

 Sasuke's thought process ended when Yoroi rushed forward again, fully intent on ending the match.

 "You don't have time to daydream, kid!"

 The audience had enough time to see the corners of Uchiha Sasuke's mouth rise a little, before he disappeared from view. When the Sharingan user reappeared, everything changed.

 Rock Lee was the first to notice what had happened, as he probably should have been.

 "Th-that's my…"

 He had a right to be stunned. Sasuke had just launched Yoroi airborne with the same taijutsu kick that Rock had used on him before the Exam.

 Naruto didn't remember what most of the thick-browed Genin's attacks looked like (he'd been unconscious both times Rock had fought for real), but he didn't have to. The other boy's expression said it all. Sasuke had copied another move with the Sharingan.

 Itachi woke up as his new friend's shoulders moved, shaking slightly as Naruto clenched his fists.

 [What gives, Speaker? You're shakin' me out of a nice dream here.]

 "It's not fair," Naruto muttered in a low whisper. "I worked my butt off learning all these new moves and abilities, and Sasuke could take most of 'em in the blink of an eye. What's the point of all that work if what's yours won't stay yours?"

 [Hey, he's not a Speaker, right? Never will be; he ain't got the blood for it.]

 "Take what I've got and be happy with it, huh?"

 [Something like that. For us wild creatures, life is short, and there could be something lurking behind the next tree waitin' to eat ya. Instead of getting down over it, we try to enjoy the good times, and try not to get too down in the bad times. It ought to be the same for you; focus on what you're good at, master the stuff nobody can take away. If you do that, what damage could this Sasuke guy hope to do?]

 "That so?" Naruto grinned, still whispering as he picked the ferret up off his shoulders and brought it up in front of him. "Then you and the rest of the animals can have your Speaker, on one condition."

 Itachi's whiskers quirked, like the arching of an eyebrow.

 [And that condition would be?]

 "When the Exam is over, win or lose, you're going to go into the forest as my mouthpiece. Find all the tribal leaders you can, and get them to sign summoning contracts with me."

 [Words are well and good, but ferrets don't carry much weight with the wolves, bears and other big shots out there. Without proof we're a team, I'd just be a snack once I set foot in predator country.]

 "Tell you what; I'll find something you can wear, and then we'll both go to the sparrows and tell them all about it. If they're going to set me up for the job, those birdbrains had better do some work for me."

 [If you say so...just don't forget about that proof, OK? I'm too cute to die!]

 Naruto snickered.

 "Don't flatter yourself, you lazy poofball."

 That issue resolved, Naruto put Itachi back on his shoulder, both settling down to watch the end of the fight. You might be able to steal the Naruto Bakudan, Sasuke, but I'll make sure you can't steal anything else from me again.

 It wasn't something he could explain well, if at all. How could he, without giving away what he knew about his parents? Call Uzumaki Naruto sentimental, an emotional sap, if you wanted. None of his critics had had to live without parents for twelve years. The things he'd seen with Arashi, the memories of Haruka, were more than just training to Naruto. They were family moments; what he had been missing for so long.

 Setsuna was funny and treated him well, but right now, taking care of Naruto was just what she'd called it, a job. There was no guarantee his aunt would ever love him as Haruka would have. Until that moment came, all he really had were the things his parents had "taught" him. Uzumaki Naruto wasn't about to just let someone just come along and take that away. So he watched Sasuke work, and the distance between them, bridged just moments ago, silently widened again.

 Sasuke hadn't noticed. He was too busy dealing with Yoroi in mid-air.

 "From this point out, I'm going totally original!"

 While feelings of triumph were usually good, in Sasuke's case they were disastrous. As he prepared to finish his opponent off, the seal flared to life again, even stronger than before.

 NO! Not now, damn it! I was so close to letting Kakashi-sensei deal with the stupid thing!

 He had a right to be angry, but it wasn't helping things. Sasuke could feel the burning pain spreading, to his face, shoulder, arms, everywhere.

 Calm down! Can't let it control you, or else Kakashi-sensei stops the fight!

 How could he bow out so easily? It would disappoint Sakura (and probably set her off crying again), and he wouldn't be able to face Naruto in the actual battles, if it all ended here.

 Don't be angry, or frustrated. Find peace, and you'll win.

 Below on the stage, Mitarashi Anko's jaw dropped wide open. Not only was the seal's spread slowing down, but…it was receding? How can he have this much control?

 It was easy, as long as Sasuke could remember not to feel anything about it. Keeping firmly focused on his goals, he spun Yoroi about, whipping a leg through the air aimed at the other Genin's side, only to be parried away by Yoroi's arm.

 "Ha! Not quite enough, kid!"

 Sasuke gave him the trademark smirk.

 "I'd agree with you…if I were actually done."

 His opponent had no time to respond; not when Sasuke had already spun about and booted him in the chin with his other foot. Following Yoroi down, Sasuke sped up the descent by punching the falling Genin in the face. Let's end this now!

 "One last shot for the road! Shishi Rendan (Lion Combo)!"

 Yoroi didn't say anything this time, either. Then again, it's hard to say much when you've got a foot planted in your stomach, helped out by gravity. Both of them skidded apart upon making contact with the ground, but Hayate didn't have to check on the fighters in order to know who'd won.

 "The winner of the first preliminary, and first to reach the finals…is Uchiha Sasuke!"

* * *

 Naruto watched Sasuke and Kakashi leave the arena, as Hayate and some other Leaf shinobi cleared the floor of stray weapons so the next match could begin. What the two of them were going off to do, he didn't know, and didn't care. Geez, how lucky could I get? If I get picked to fight next, I can pull all the tricks and techniques I want and Sasuke won't see any of them. Not that he'd come up with any new ones, but if it happened during the fight, he'd have them all to himself (for a while, anyway).

 Glancing over at the scoreboard, he silently willed his name to come up; thus, when the second battle was set, he was probably the only one in the room who wasn't surprised.

 Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba.

 "Bwahahahaha! Man, I must be psychic or something!"

 Kiba was laughing too, but for a different reason.

 "Wahoo! Talk about your strokes of luck; we can beat him for sure, Akamaru!"

 Naruto just grinned, leaping over the balcony railing to land on the floor below.

 "You gonna fight me, Dog Boy, or just keep barking? Ain't no way you can just talk me to death! Heck, might as well use that pooch of yours to even up the odds a little!"

 Kiba came down from his perch just as quick, putting Akamaru on the ground next to him.

 "Ha! A straight-up fight against Naruto, the loser? I could take you myself!"

 Going down on all fours, Kiba began the fight.

 "Beast Effect Ninpou: Quadruped no Jutsu!"

 Whatever this new technique was, Naruto was stunned to see its effects on Kiba. The other boy's face had taken on an animal-like quality, nails lengthening into claws; his hands now looked more like paws. He didn't have time to observe much more, as Kiba charged straight at him.

 Is he nuts? All I've gotta do is dodge!

 Simple it might have been, in Naruto's mind. Except for one small problem, which he discovered as he tried to move away.

 Oh, crap. You've gotta be kidding me.

 In all his excitement over being able to fight without Sasuke present, he'd forgotten about one tiny problem that was proving not so tiny after all.

 The weights! Why did you put them in today? Hell, why did you leave them in after you found out what was going on? This is a fight; how the hell are you going to dodge Kiba's attacks if you're only half as fast as normal?

 There was no way to ask for time to take the extra set of weights out, and no time to try and at least take his jacket off. Just gotta find another way.

 He could focus chakra to his feet and use it to speed up his dodging, but that wasn't going to work forever, and he'd run out of chakra he needed for other techniques. Think of something, or else running out of chakra's gonna be the least of your concerns! 

 Naruto got a sinking feeling, racking his brain and coming up empty, even as he crouched to try and get clear of Kiba. This was going to hurt, in more ways than one. I just KNOW Dad's gonna kill me for this.

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