Genin Takedown - 9

Her hand seals were hurried as she rushed blindly at Tenten, who was already drawing out another scroll, "Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

Tenten had the present sense to leap out of the way before Sakura breathed a huge fireball that completely dumbfounded Naruto and Gaara.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his student, "Now I wonder where she picked that up from?"

Sasuke smirked, proud of her mastery of the jutsu.

Sakura's attack ended a few moments later only for her to see, much to her terror, that Tenten had disappeared, 'Did I...did I get her?'

Neji, being the most familiar with the tactic, was the first to look up. He was just in time to see Tenten summon her Bo-staff. She plummeted down and Sakura leapt back a split-second before the bun haired kunoichi reappeared, unscathed by the fire jutsu, 'She avoided it!'

Tenten had always been an adept jumper.

Naruto called down to her as Sakura blocked the first blow, but Tenten merely had to poke her gut to stun her before landing a knockout blow to the side of her head, which she found much more preferable than finishing her with another hail of knives.

Sakura landed on the floor with a soft thud and Tenten frowned, upset with herself, "I'm sorry Sakura...I took this too far and you paid the price," The pink haired girl didn't catch her apology, "I should've had more control over myself."

"The winner is Tenten." Hayate stifled a cough after declaring her the victor.

Gaara was very still at that moment, unable to take his eyes away from the pink haired kunoichi who had shocked him completely.

"Gaara-kun?" Naruto gave him an incredulous look, "Are you coming?"

The red haired boy was silent.

Tired of waiting, the blonde shinobi jumped down to Sakura, Sasuke having beaten him to her.

Kakashi sighed aloud, grateful she hadn't been harmed any worse than she had been as Gai approached him, looking solemn, "Kakashi?"

He turned his visible eye to Gai knowingly.

"Tenten did her best to hold back, I can assure you," Gai appeared deeply troubled, "However, on a recent mission she was unfortunately forced to take a life-"

"I know Gai. I don't take it personally." The silver haired man didn't want Gai to feel guilt over things beyond his control.

Lee looked to Neji uncertainly, unsure of what to do. His first thought was to go see how badly Sakura had been injured, but he feared that checking on the pink haired girl would offend his teammate who had fought against her.

After using his better judgment, Lee decided to stay where he was.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Naruto gave the pink haired girl a small smile as she leaned against her teammate, numerous wounds lined her pale skin, "You did awesome!"

Her head bobbed as she nodded, smiling back at him in response.

Sasuke couldn't think of anything comforting to say, being he had his gaze locked on the weapons specialist as she returned to the upper level, 'The match should have been even. Something happened that made that knife-freak panic around Sakura.'

His glare intensified as Lee and Neji looked down at him, sensing the killing intent aimed for their teammate. Tenten was far too exhausted to pay any mind to the Uchiha as she trudged down the pathway, grateful she hadn't actually killed anyone. Neji stared back down at him. His expression promised death if Sasuke made so much as a slight pass at Tenten.

"Tenten! Um...your battle was very impressive..." Lee's congratulation was unsure and peculiarly quiet, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I am, Lee..." Her reply was gloomy, not at all like her normal tone of voice. She settled between her teammates and leaned on the railing, feeling slightly ill as she noticed Gai exchanged a word with Kakashi across the way, 'Great...I've caused a problem for Sakura's team? What's wrong with me? Why did I have to freak out like that?'

Her anxiety doubled when her eyes locked with Neji's, almost as if he had seen right through her façade. It was if he could tell what had unnerved her during her battle, even if there was no evidence of it.

To her relief, he spoke, "It was no contest, Tenten. Your skill is above that of any other Leaf kunoichi."

Tenten briefly wondered for a moment if she had misheard, 'Did he just praise me? Like he actually thinks I did something right?'

It was an absurd notion, although it was accurate.

She nodded, giving him the most cheerful smile she could muster, "Thanks, Neji."

It was a heady feeling, having the Hyuga prodigy name her the most skilled kunoichi right out of his own biased opinion. The fluffy, warm feeling ebbed away after she noticed Lee behind her nodding sagely, approving of Neji's confidence in her.

Naruto reappeared beside Gaara, knowing better than to say anything. He knew that more than anyone, Gaara had wanted to be the first to rush to Sakura's side, but he was so emotionally crippled at the time it was difficult enough just to speak to Naruto.

Gaara kept his gaze away from his brother and sister, wondering how he was supposed to explain their presence to his friends.

Hinata stood beside Kurenai, sadness visible in her silvery-white eyes, 'Sakura-chan...please feel better soon. I know Tenten-san never meant for you to come to harm.'

Hayate called down the next two shinobi displayed on the board, "The next match will be between Akimichi Chouji and Kinuta Dosu."

Chouji's stomach growled audibly and he frowned, not looking forward to facing one of the Sound ninja he and his teammates had encountered in the Forest of Death, "Er...sensei, why don't I just withdraw from this match?"

"Aw, giving up so soon?" Asuma smirked down at his hefty pupil, "Even if I take you to an all-you-can-eat buffet if you win, Chouji?"

Ino joined in, wanting to motivate him, "Yeah, Chubby! What do you say?"

"Ino! I'll finish this guy quick and then teach you a lesson!" A mix of anger and determination was engraved on his face and he immediately went down to the main floor.

Shikamaru sighed, knowing it was a match he was not intended to win.

"Begin." Hayate backed away and Chouji didn't waste a second while performing his trademark jutsu.

"Human Bullet Tank!"

Chouji transformed himself into the human equivalent of a steam roller that could have landed a devastating attack on Dosu, had he not been moving so slowly. The Sound ninja dodged his rolling attack with no effort and merely led him along until he crashed into a wall.

"My sound amplifier is the only thing I need to finish you." Dosu announced, brandishing the device attached to his arm.

"You can't hurt me if I can't hear you!" Chouji hadn't heard Dosu's warning, which may have been a bad thing.

The sound ninja jabbed Chouji's gut with the amplifier, letting the ultrasonic waves course through his body. It didn't take long before Chouji had fallen unconscious, and Hayate had announced Dosu as the winner.