Chapter 42

"She is a weapons specialist, as far as I know. Must have pretty good Taijutsu too," I told Sasuke as he passed besides me on his way down the balcony. "And don't forget what I told you."

He nodded without replying, but his expression remained serious. I took solace on the fact that he didn't seem to have grown annoyed at my advice and reminder. I knew that Mark had to be eating at his patience, but there was no way for me to help him.

'I hope he wins though,' I thought to myself, feeling worry building inside me. After all, if he lost, he may blame me for telling him not to use jutsu. Or he might feel like he wasn't progressing fast enough and that he needed more power, which would drive him right into Orochimaru's clutches. And I couldn't let that happen.

"Thoughts?" Shikamaru asked beside me.

"Could go either way," I replied, eyeing both fighters. "Sasuke can't use Jutsu and Tenten, as I said, specialises in weapons. Also, her sensei is a Taijutsu master so..."

"Doesn't look too good, huh?" The Nara finished, a small, concerned frown on his face. It still surprised me that I had managed to change his lazy attitude so much. Maybe, before the changes, he would have cared too, but I was sure he wouldn't have shown it as much.

"It's still Sasuke. He might surprise us," Naruto noted with a big grin and the both of us gave him a half-smile. 'He's not wrong, I guess,' I thought, turning back to the current participants.

"Begin!"

Eight shuriken appeared the second the word was finished, four from each side. Both of them caught the projectiles before they could hit. I let out a soft whistle at that, it was nice to watch, at least. Like a fast, difficult and very dangerous game of catch.

"You are decent, at least," Tenten praised with a smirk as she sent the metal stars back to Sasuke, immediately pulling out more and following up the attack.

The Uchiha, for his part, decided that catching or blocking was overrated, it seemed. Instead, he dashed to the side, the little weapons hitting the walls that would have been behind him as he ran. I was a bit surprised by that, actually. With Rock Lee as a teammate, I expected her to-

A kunai nicked Sasuke's arm then and I realized, 'She had to get used to his speed. Makes sense,' I guessed. It wasn't like throwing things at Lee was the same as throwing things at someone else. Even if you could hit something that went super fast, you still needed to at least get a hang when it came to a different target speed.

Unfortunately for Sasuke, he hadn't managed to close the gap between the both of them. I was, however, unsure if that would even help. She had two Taijutsu specialists in her team and a Taijutsu Master as a sensei. Even if it wasn't her focus, her hand-to-hand combat should still be very advanced.

From there, the Uchiha seemed to switch strategies. Instead of just running, he added dodging to the mix. Or, at least, that's what it looked like. 'It's more like he's zigzagging towards here but… he's using different speeds to mess with her aim,' I realized with a small smile.

"At least he isn't dumb, that's good," Shika voiced and I hummed.

Eventually, Tenten grew tired of the little game that was going on, as Sasuke grew closer, she pulled out a scroll. My eyes narrowed and Naruto let out an interested sound as he noticed what was going on. As little clouds of smoke started appearing from the now open roll of paper, I clicked my tongue.

Sasuke had to pull back just to avoid the veritable barrage of projectiles that came his way, but not without at least throwing some of his own back. That was good, if he let her do as she pleased, she could keep that up for a while. This way, at least she had to stop to deflect his attack. Problem was… almost all his progress was lost and it showed. His brows were now furrowed into a scowl and he was almost snarling.

'Come on, think of something,' I thought to myself, but kept silent. 'Actually,' I blinked as I turned my eyes towards Naruto for a second. The blonde was… just standing there, leaning over the railing just like Shika and me, looking at the fight interestedly. 'Weird,' I had half expected him to shout encouragement.

I turned back just in time to see Sasuke pull a handful of shuriken in each hand. If I had to guess, those were all that he still had on his arms snapped forward for the throw though, he only threw a couple and they were way off.

I frowned before a smile appeared on my face. A second later, my guess proved right when he threw the rest of his shuriken. They, like the previous bunch, went wide. But that was on purpose. The first ones had gone without much speed after all. And thus, he changed the trajectory mid-flight. It was a trick that I had never tried myself, but seeing it…

'I might try it, if only for the coolness factor,' I thought as Naruto let out a low 'woah' from beside me.

"Show off," Shikamaru scoffed, but I could hear the grin on his face.

Impressive as that was, it didn't end the match or anything of the sort. What it did do though, was get Tenten's arms with the shuriken. Solid hits at that. The wounds weren't all that, since the stars hadn't had that much strength behind them due to the trick, but it was enough to stop her barrage. The girl herself let out a slight groan and a mutter under her breath. No doubt cursing Sasuke and berating herself. She would be very attentive of that particular attack from now on, that was for sure. She was probably also going to try to copy it too, if I had to bet.

Charging once again, the Uchiha leaned down as he zigzagged towards his opponent. The reason was obvious to everyone as he started picking up weapons from the floor close to him and throwing them back at their owner. From time to time, he would throw the same trick again with only one kunai or shuriken, probably to keep the girl on her toes.

Once he drew close enough though, Tenten gave up on the projectiles, pulling out two tantos from another seal. With one on each hand, she ran towards Sasuke, who instantly pulled two kunai to parry her strikes. I didn't know how smart it was to face her, of all people, like that. She was a weapons specialist after all, but I didn't know if that extended towards kenjutsu or if it was just projectiles for now.

She looked to be pretty good to my eyes, which made it surprising that Sasuke was able to keep up. Not without effort, but, since he didn't practice kenjutsu himself, it was still impressive. What followed was a very familiar dance for my eyes, although I was more used to being a participant than a spectator by then. With blades slashing and parrying, feints and dodges, attack and defense. However…

"At this rate," I noticed with a grimace. "Sasuke will lose."

Sasuke had only had one night in the tower, besides the Mark messing with him both physically and mentally, and it showed. He was nowhere near as recovered as Tenten obviously was. I would have been hard pressed to say who had the advantage if they were both in top condition, but right then and there? There was no doubt in my mind about what would happen if this kept on.

After one last attempt, Sasuke jumped back, wasting all his efforts to draw closer to Tenten. It was the best choice for him though.

"Going to give up?" Tenten asked, one of her hands already holding a scroll that was probably filled with projectiles that would rain on Sasuke. The Uchiha himself took a deep breath in.

"Yeah… no," The boy gave a shake of his head and smirked. The sound of smoke explosions echoed on the hall as the older Genin restarted her assault. Sasuke though, just stood there, making me frown. 'What are you planning now.'

My eyes then widened.

Sasuke's hand joined together as he made a seal and then…

He vanished, leaving only little sparks behind him, where Tenten's kunai hit the ground. He reappeared to the girl's left, the lightning on his feet receding instantly. But it quickly came back as he made the hand seal again and dashed.

'So, that's what it looks like, huh?' I thought to myself as I perked up, my eyes widening and a smile forming on my face. This time, Sasuke stopped right next to a very surprised Tenten, who could only let out a shocked exclamation before the Uchiha's cackling feet met the side of her stomach, sending her flying to the side.

The boy quickly followed, running normally this time, and met her right as she tried to recover from the attack. Before she could regain her feet, Sasuke's fist collided with her jaw.

"And it's over," I settled once again.

"I expected better from someone older than us," Ino commented, not unkindly. I could understand though. It was a bit underwhelming to see a senior taken down by a simple jutsu. But it was a powerful one. And the fact that Sasuke only needed one hand seal to use it didn't help matters.

'Speaking of, since when does he know that one?' I wondered interestedly. Glancing to the side, I noticed that Naruto didn't seem surprised, nor did Sakura, who was still standing further way, looking a bit downtrodden. 'It seems my friends prepared some surprises.'

"She probably is more of a support than anything else. She has two Taijutsu specialists in her team, so… she probably distracts their opponents while they close the distance… That's my theory, at least," I mused out loud.

"Not far off the mark, I would say," Anko nodded. "Doesn't help that Gai isn't… well-suited to teach much besides Taijutsu. Maybe it didn't affect the girl though, or maybe it did."

I simply hummed as the match was called once Tenten tapped out. All the joy I felt at seeing my friend win was swept away once I saw Sasuke turn around. He was hunched over, his right hand already over his left shoulder and his expression a clear pained grimace. I stood straight up and made my way to the stairs to wait for him.

"Good fight," I told him and he let out a grunt. "Take deep breaths," I advised softly and he did so, even though it sounded forced. "Concentrate on my voice, ok? Deep, slow breaths… pull your hand back, stand straight and relax your shoulders," I told him slowly and kept my voice low. He did so, even closed his eyes for a moment as he let out a drawn out breath.

"Better," He replied, but I could see that his expression was strained.

"Now you know why I told you not to use Jutsu," I said with a wry smile. His expression turned apologetic.

"I know you told me, but-"

"Don't worry," I interrupted with a raised hand. "You would have lost if you hadn't used it. And I know how much it matters to you. I'm happy you at least ended it quickly," 'I hope this doesn't help the seal much though,' I added in my mind, hiding my concerns.

"That's what you told me to do," He replied and I patted his right side with a half-smile.

"And I bet you are glad you listened," He gave a nod at that and I chuckled. "You did great, by the way. "

He only gave a small smile back as we moved back to our group.

My eyes then went to read the screen that showed the name of the next pair and- 'Oh, would you look at that?' I thought, raising an eyebrow. The two, together? It was… something. 'Don't know what, but definitely something.'

Kurotsuchi vs. Neji.

"Bets?" Ino asked curiously once I was back where I stood before, between Shikamaru and Naruto. Sasuke had taken a place next to his blond teammate.

"Kurotsuchi," I said, although there wasn't much certainty in my tone. "I don't know much about her though."

"Oh?" Anko entered the conversation with a raised eyebrow and a twitch to her lips that told me exactly what was passing through her mind. Troublesome woman that she was, she probably really wanted to jump at the chance to tease me.

"We crossed paths in the Forest. I didn't see much of what she could do, but she seemed good with Ninjutsu. And I've already said that he is a Taijutsu specialist… obviously, since he is a Hyuga."

"So… it depends on if he can close the distance before she can shoot something at him," Shikamaru finished for me and I nodded. "Know anything about anyone else?" He asked this time, and I felt everyone turn to me.

"Not really," I said, even though that was a lie. I knew what Temari and Kankuro could do, that was true. Same with Haku and Choujurou. Problem was, I hadn't seen them actually do anything as Eiji which meant that I couldn't possibly know. "The guy I told you about before? He can control Sand… and I'm guessing that gourd on his back is full of it."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Ino mused, doubtful of my previous warning.

"It sounds really bad," Shikamaru disagreed instantly, frowning. "How good was the control?"

"I saw him break trees very easily when attacking," I explained. "He moved it pretty fast too."

"How fast are we talking about h-"

"Begin!"

"Let's watch and I'll tell you later, yeah?" I told the Nara as my eyes snapped back to the small arena. Nobody replied, everyone had turned back to the fight too.

Meanwhile, the fighters had already started moving. The Konoha nin had immediately jumped forward, charging straight at his opponent the second he was free to do so. As for the Princess, she either expected just that, knew Neji's specialty or really didn't want to be up close with her opponent. Why? Because the first thing she did was jump backwards as far as she could.

Kurotsuchi's hands were already running through hand seals too, and that made it so that when she set her feet back on the ground, she was already done. With her hands formed a circle around her mouth in a way that reminded me a lot of Sasuke's Great Fireball technique, she spat out a cloud of white dust.

"What is that?" Ino asked, clearly confused. "An Earth jutsu?"

"Might be," I replied noncommittally. 'That's a good question though,' I mused. 'What is that? I know it's probably her Lava Release, but that's not exactly lava. Food for thought, I guess,' I mused to myself. It wasn't like I was the one that had to deal with it right then and there. And I, at least, knew what it was used for. Or one of its uses, at least.

Neji himself might not have known anything about the technique, but he was smart enough to know that he had to dodge. And that's exactly what he did, jumping to the side and leaving. The jutsu proceeded to fall harmlessly on the ground where he had been before. My eyes fell on it for a moment, the corner of my mouth quirking up.

"You know something," Anko pointed out curiously as Kurotsuchi repositioned herself. The Iwa nin had made sure to put the dust in between herself and Neji. She was already going through the motions to use the same technique again.

"I do," I admitted easily as my smile grew. Kurotsuchi had used the jutsu again already. Neji's space to move was quickly reducing, I realized without a problem. It was easy to see from up on the balcony, but it was probably equally as easy for the Hyuga to know.

Granted, he could have jumped over it, probably. But that would leave him open for an attack while he was up in the air. That was the problem with having no ranged attacks. A fatal flaw in the Hyuga's fighting style, since they had barely anything to attack from a distance. And this Neji also didn't have the rotation shield, whatever its name was. Or, at least, he didn't seem to know it. Not that it would have helped much.

"This is finished already," I said.

"Don't look so happy, brat," Anko chidded, although there was no heat in her words. "You should cheer for your fellow Konoha nin."

"Neji is a bastard though," I shot back instantly.

"You sound like Naruto did with Sasuke," Ino pointed out, the mirth in her voice clear for everyone to see.

"I mean… he is like Sasuke was, actually," I shrugged. When I turned to my side, I was treated to what I swear was a pouting Uchiha. A rare sight, I assure you. "The guy thinks too highly of himself, that much is clear. And he also has this believe in fate that is just all sorts of wrong."

"Huh? I think it's the first time I hear you complaining about someone."

"But, I complain about you all the time, sensei," I replied with raised eyebrows, drawing snorts from both Asuma and Kakashi. 'And Kiba,' I added in my head.

"Brat, I'm gonna-"

"Wow, look," I interrupted, turning to the match. "It's almost done."

Neji's attempt to close the distance had continued, albeit ineffectively through our conversation. Now though, there was very little space for him to even stand on. And it was plain for everyone to see that he was very frustrated, if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.

"Why won't you fight me?!" The now very angry Hyuga shouted. 'Is he just annoyed because she hasn't really attacked yet or is he annoyed that his 'destiny' is being denied or some shit?' I wondered to myself. It would have been interesting to know what the boy was thinking. From an outside perspective though, he looked like an entitled child, complaining because his opponent didn't want to fight on his terms.

"But I am fighting you," Kurotsuchi shot back, standing from the other side of the room. "It's not my fault that you never bothered to learn ranged attacks," She added with a shrug before her expression turned into a smirk. "Or are you just bad at those?" She asked and I had to suppress a snort. She wasn't wrong about that.

I had often wondered what the Hyuga Clan's problem with mid/long range attacks was. It didn't seem to be something that they outright refused to do though, since Hinata had had no problems with Shurikenjutsu at least, and Hiashi hadn't mentioned anything about that. Maybe it was only with Jutsu? That didn't make much sense. The thought that it was because the Clan was just bad at them was hilarious.

"Besides, why would I change my strategy when I've already won?" The girl asked then, and Neji's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" The boy asked/demanded.

"I noticed that you didn't answer the first question. Is someone incompetent with ranged Jutsu?... or maybe it's Jutsu in general!" She pointed out then, her grin widening. 'I wonder,' I thought to myself, narrowing my eyes at the Iwa nin. 'Is she-?'

Just then, two things happened. The first is that Neji opened his mind, evidently going to defend his pride from the insulting question. The second was that Kurotsuchi started going through hand seals once more. This time though, she was much faster than before. 'She intentionally did the others slower for this?' I realized with my eyes widening slightly.

Before the Hyuga could react to the incoming attack, the Princess was already shooting a jet of water out of her mouth with her hands cupped in front of it. The stream didn't actually hit her opponent though, no. Instead, it hit the ground in front of the boy.

"Maybe you should improve your aim before mocking others?" Neji asked, standing where he had been previously. Apparently, he had realized that the attack wouldn't hit and decided to stay. 'Bad idea,' I thought to myself. Although, really, he probably couldn't have dodged fast enough anyway.

"So… proctor," Kurotsuchi turned to Gekko and raised an eyebrow. She also pulled up her hand, holding three shuriken in between her fingers. "Will you call the match or do I get to use the boy as a training dummy?"

"What?" Neji asked.

"What?!" Ino and Naruto exclaimed equally confused and much more vocal.

"Look down," I said, louder than I needed to, so that the people down at the arena could hear me. The Hyuga turned to me with a scowl before doing as I said. He realized too late the trouble he was actually in. His eyes widened at the sight of his feet.

They had been covered in a mix of water and the white dust, which I knew had solidified already. And if that substance could hold Gaara's sand for at least a second, then I knew the boy there couldn't hope to break free of it.

"Is that thing strong?" Shikamaru asked.

"Neji won't be able to do anything unless she frees him herself. I'm sure of that."

"Just what happened in that forest?" Anko muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes at me,

"You didn't actually ask for details," I replied with a shrug and an unrepentant smile.

"Fucking brat."

"What is this?!" Neji asked from below us, trying and failing to move his legs.

"Quicklime," Kurotsuchi answered easily, grinning from ear to ear. "When hit with water, it'll dry quickly and harden. With that said…" She trailed off and turned to Gekko once more, tilting her head questioningly.

"No, I won't be defeated like… like this!" The Hyuga shouted. His opponent though, simply ignored him. The proctor looked between the two.

"He is still conscious and can still fight," The man answered neutrally. Although, it was plain for everyone to see what he thought of the match. It was obvious for everyone too, actually. The fight was done. Neji just wouldn't accept it, and so it continued.

"So, should I use shuriken or kunai?" The Iwa nin mused out loud for everyone to hear.

"Where's your destiny now, huh? Neji?" I asked under my breath. Was it petty of me to be happy that the guy was taken down a peg? Maybe. It certainly didn't feel like the adult thing to do. But really, I had grown tired of his speeches about destiny and how he was destined to be superior and blah blah blah. And I had only had to deal with it a few times. Besides… sometimes it was difficult not to feel like a child.

I snapped out of my thoughts as Kurotsuchi apparently decided what to do. It was neither a shuriken nor a kunai though. Instead, she spat a rock bullet at the still trapped Hyuga. 'Wonder if that's the actual technique name Rock Bullet,' I mused disinterestedly. It was difficult to feel much when the fight was so one sided and on top of that boring. It reminded me of the Tenten vs Temari fight in the anime that my notes mentioned. Neji countered so hard that it wasn't even a fight anymore.

That attack was blocked though, the boy's hand destroying it mid-flight. Kurotsuchi didn't stop there though, she proceeded to spat even more stones his way. 'Huh, she doesn't use seals for that one,' I noticed then. Although, the technique looked like it could be Earth Release's version of Embers, so that made sense.

And so the barrage continued. Eventually, the boy was either overwhelmed, tired or his hands just gave up little by little from breaking literal rocks. That's when he started to receive a hit here and there. Kurotsuchi, for her part, barely looked like she was tiring at all.

When a stop hit the Konoha nin's head particularly hard and knocked him out, the one-sided fight finally came to an end.

Curiously, I turned to look at the boy's team. Tenten looked just… sad that her teammate lost, I guessed. Rock Lee looked angry, although that was probably for how the battle had gone and how his teammate's opponent hadn't fought honorably or something.

Gai seemed to get it though, shaking his head and looking disappointed. Really, there was no reason to be angry about this. It wasn't even like Kurotsuchi had wanted to mock him. She had only started to talk when he did, actually. If that had been Naruto or someone else, I would have smacked them for not just surrendering when it was obviously a lost battle. He hadn't even had a plan to support the fool's errand. There was not giving up and then there was being stupid.

"If one of you decides to do something like that, you better have a plan," I voiced to my friends. "I won't sit here to see you get smacked around because you are stubborn."

Everyone turned towards Naruto and the boy pouted indignantly.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" The blonde asked.

"Better to just smack him later," Shikamaru decided and I nodded with a sigh.

"Eiji," Anko called out and I blinked before turning to her. She was looking straight at the screen and, when I followed her gaze, I paled.

Eiji vs. Gaara.

'Well, fuck.'