Chapter 8: Prelims and Secrets 1/3

Hiiiiiii! 3rd update this week! I know for certain the next chapter wont be available until Sunday or Monday. Out of town starting tomorrow :)

WARNING! PLEASE, PLEASE READ THESE AUTHOR NOTES! If you decide to skip these quick notes, and get to the end and try and flame me in the comments, I will…. Read your review and pick out any actual criticism, roll my eyes, then delete your comments. Fo sho, yo.

I apologize(?) This is a BEAST of a chapter. And I'm not exaggerating. Without the Notes here or at the end of the story, I doubled my longest chapter with just under 25k words. I personally love long chapters, but if you are not one of those people, you've been warned (That's 44 pages single spaced in Word :-O)

The first half of this chapter is as expected, tbh. There's a little Kenta showman/drama queen added. He's one for the dramatics and flair. But the rest is prelim stuff. The 2nd-ish half of the chapter is full blown all me. I got an idea while taking a smoke break.. It started as something small, then like an avalanche it kept building and building until… Yeah, see first note. BUT, I'm super happy with how it turned out. It's completely unique, I've never seen anything quite like it in another fanfiction. Again, we leave the canon track.. scratch that, derail from canon completely for some sick AU world building and foreshadowing. I'm really, really nervous to see what the response is from you guys. But also excited? This is a big risk, and I'm hoping it pays off and you all love reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it. OH! Last thing. Even though we go full blown AU this chapter, we're back on track next chapter! This is a canon driven story for sure! I just, wanted to create something different and unique.

Ok those were the two big things. Without eating up more space, I really hope you enjoy!

I listened with one ear to Hayate's explanation of how the preliminaries would play out while I scanned the room in front of me. It looked as though the leaders of our village expected such an outcome. Every notable clan head was in attendance, along with many minor clan heads. I recognized the advisors to Lord Third, as well as some of the more well-known merchants. Over to the right of the raised stage I noticed to very familiar faces and my heart skipped a beat. Standing front and center was Inoichi Yamanaka. My pseudo Uncle and Clan Head. Directly to his left was my father!

'Uncle and Father are both here to observe! I need to get serious. I can't let either of them down. I'll make you both proud' I vowed to myself.

"Now, before we begin we're offering the opportunity for anyone who does not feel confident either in their ability to battle one on one, or those too injured to continue to drop out. No trick, no gimmicks. From here on out you are judged solely on your own merit. You teammates will not be penalized." Hayate informed the gathered genin.

'I don't care if my arm was ripped from my body! No way would I forfeit now. I doubt anyone would pass up thi-'My internal rant was cut off and my self-control naturally kicked in to prevent my jaw from dropping open. Not one, not two, FOUR people all raised their hands.

Hayate nodded, "I'll start to my left. You" He pointed at Sai. "What is your name and do you require immediate medical attention?"

The pale teen stepped forward with a slight limp "My name is Sai of team 7. I do require medical attention but it does not have to be this instant. I do not think that I could fight to my potential though as I am. I humbly ask Lord Third's forgiveness for my weakness." He bowed to onlookers and then stood straight up, creepy fake smile plastered on his face.

"Very well, you may wait in the atrium. A team will escort you and the others out of the forest. Now you." Hayate pointed to the suspicious grey haired teen.

"Kabuto, Mister Protor. I too suffered an injury and I do not think I can go 100%. I will not be continuing any longer."

Alarm bells didn't ring in my head, 100 gongs were being smashed with the fervor of an encroaching army. I specifically remembered a certain line that bastard had said.

"In my defense these exams are harder than they seem. And I'm not really a frontline fighter. I work mainly at the hospital."

'No fucking way someone who works primarily at the hospital wouldn't be able to heal themselves from an injury that clearly wasn't life threatening or debilitating. He's hiding something!' I quickly deduced. I took a look at his teammates who looked as though they could be carved of stone. No reaction, no emotion. Silent and staring straight forward. A wicked smile stretched my face.

'I've never had a chance to use that technique. Let's see how it works on someone who isn't expecting it.' I cackled internally, plan in place.

I glanced once around at my fellow Konoha comrades to gauge their reactions. Confusion, sympathy, disbelief, and disgust were the most common reactions. My eyes caught sight of the resident genius and I smirked. Shikamaru's usually heavy lidded bored expression was gone, in its place his eyes were sharp and narrowed in suspicion as well.

'Glad I'm not the only one onto him.'

Hayate excused Kabuto the same way as Sai before turning to the last two who had voluntarily stepped down. "You two, names and do you require medical attention."

The two glanced at each other before giving Hayate their weird Taki salute. The smaller of the two spoke up. "My name is Doron, my teammate is Gi. We do not require medical attention. Our mission, now that we are no longer required for Miss Fú to continue in the competition, is complete. We will return to Taki and take the next Chunin exams with our real third teammate." He was barely able to contain the disgust he felt towards Fú contained.

Hayate frowned but nodded, "If that is what you want, you may join the other two and await your escort."

"No need for that, Sir Hayate. I will personally escort the four Genin to the edge of the forest." A jonin captain supplied as he stepped forward. He was the Taki Jonin Captain.

"You still have one student in the competition. Do you not want to wait and at least see if she moves onto the final round?" Hayate's frown deepened. There was a low buzz of voices coming from the stage, no doubt rumors flying freely between noble lips.

"No. Lord Shibuki has faith in her ability. She will send word if she advances. If you will excuse me, I will take my leave now." His clipped reply came, followed by a deep bow to Lord Third and his entourage. He straitened, turned on his heel and marched out the door, his two students in tow.

I stared at Fú, unshed tears were dancing in her eyes. Her shoulders slumped and she hung her head. My heart was aching to rush over and comfort her. The low, feral growl, rumbling behind me indicated Naruto wasn't pleased with the situation either. I continued to watch Fú. After a few moments, her head snapped to attention. She stood tall and proud. Shoulders back, head held high. Though her eyes were still damp, and a few tears had managed to escape, her spessartite orbs held a steely resolve. Despite the situation, I felt a smile cross my lips and a faint blush had started to creep up my face.

'My Gods, is she gorgeous. How much stronger can you be, Fú?' I continued to admire her profile before I was snapped back to reality by a poke to my back. I subtly glanced back at Naruto, who despite being completely oblivious to a certain female's feelings for him, seemed to read me like an open book. He waggled his eyebrows and nudged his head towards Fú before closing his eyes and imitating kissing someone. I rolled my eyes at his antics and turned back around. His barely subdued snickering clued me in onto the fact he knew exactly what I was thinking. I sighed before tuning Hayate back in.

"If there is no one else that wants to retire, then we will begin immediately. You'll notice the screen behind me and to my right. Before each match it will randomly select two individuals and display the names. The two contestants will join me on the arena where the match will begin on my signal. Are there any questions?" No one raised a hand or voiced a concern. This part was pretty straight forward. "No? Then will you turn your attention to the board as it announces the first match."

We all looked up and saw the screen light up. Two blank, rectangular boxes were all that could be seen. On Hayate's commander, all the contestants' names began to cycle rapidly through the two boxes. Seconds later, they stopped abruptly.

"Will Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi of the Leaf please stay in the arena, everyone else, please proceed up the stairs to the observation deck. The first match will start once the floor is clear!"

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As soon as Hayate finished his sentence I rushed forward and grabbed Fú's hands and pulled her with me. A small 'eep' escaped her in surprise, followed by delighted laughter. I turned around and grinned at the small but deadly kunoichi.

"You'll be watching these matches with us. No way am I letting you be alone and get stuck in your head over the fucking assholes." I growled out. We were up the stairs now and marching over to join the rest of my team and Konoha rookies. At some point (or were they up here the entire time) our Jonin captains had arrived and were scattered about the observation deck.

Fú finally had enough of me dragging her along and she rushed to my side and leaned into me. The warmth of her small frame sent fire coursing through my veins. She looked up at me with a small but genuine smile. "Thank you, Kenta" she said quietly. "Meeting you and your team has been the only bright spot in my life. I'll always be thankful to you."

I frowned at her omission but quickly wiped it off my face. Fú didn't need pity. She was too strong of character to ever want anyone to pity her. She'd probably castrate me if she ever thought I was pitying her. I grinned down at her. "Well, Fú Bear, I don't know how you did it, but you somehow wrapped me around those dainty little fingers of yours. I am yours, mi'lady." I laughed loudly at the adorable blush that erupted on her cheeks. My laughter quickly became a coughing fit as her elbow was driven into my gut.

"D-don't say such weird things, Kenta!" She stammered out, her blush deepening. I quickly recovered from my coughing fit and let go of her hand, wrapping my arm around her slender shoulders and leaned down so I was a hair's breadth away from her ear.

"I may say weird or strange things, but I never lie. And especially to you, Fú Bear, I will never, ever lie." I whispered. Her small body slightly quivering from my breath tickling her ear. I waited with bated breath for her to react violently or reject me. The smile that lit up my face by her next words would be a day I'd always remember.

'I have NO idea where all this confidence is coming from, but I'm going with it!' I mentally pumped myself up.

She snuggled in closer, face the shade of the deep crimson of a setting sun and muttered "Smooth Talker," before a small smile crept onto her beautiful face. Our moment was interrupted as we approached the large group of Genin and Jonin Captains.

"KENTA AND FÚ, SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-URK!" Naruto's song once again interrupted, this time courtesy of Sakura, my NEW best friend.

"Thank you, Sakura." I smiled warmly at the pink haired kunoichi. She returned my smile with a mischievous smirk.

"That was only because he was singing too loud, had it been an inside voice I would have let him finish. You two looked absolutely adorable walking up here." She practically squealed. I laughed loudly at my friend's antics. I then glanced over and noticed that the first match was about to begin. Almost forgetting my plan, I gave Fú's shoulder a firm squeeze before I turned to face the two competitors down below fully. I smiled menacingly and turned my head slightly to address the group that had gathered closer to watch the first bout.

"Ladies and Gentleman, if my suspicions prove correct, which they usually are. This one backed by a fellow genius rookie, then you're all about to witness the biggest train wreck in history. Please observe."

I made the familiar handseal made famous by the Mind-Body Switch technique, however, I then twisted my hands so that the seal was inverted. Taking my aim at Sasuke's opponent, I molded my chakra to the precise level it needed to be at.

"Yamanaka Clan Style: Aphrodite's Influence" I quietly said. The technique took flight, like a gentle breeze on a crisp spring afternoon. The invisible cloud of pure yin chakra covered the distance quickly but gracefully. Reaching its target, it began to warp Yoroi in its haze of euphoria. I grinned savagely when I felt the technique take hold. Now to watch.

"You may as well just give up, boy. You stand no chance of defeating me. Give up, or die, for I-"Yoroi abruptly cut off. His entire posture tensing before relaxing like a man who'd just spent hours in the hot springs of Tea Country. He focused on Sasuke and a manic smile lit his face up. "YES! I will kill you Uchiha! I will kill you and prove to Master Orochimaru that I should be his chosen one! ME! Not some freak with a bloodline!"

I grinned in savage triumph and stole a glance towards Lord Third and the other elites of the village. Shock was the most prominent, but confirmation shone in the eyes of the ones who deal in information and counter-espionage. So, I wasn't the only one with suspicions.

"What the hell did you do, Kenta?!" Naruto yelled.

I laughed. "A simple, but effective technique my dad developed. 'Aphrodite's Influence' creates a euphoric haze around the target. It whispers in their mind and promises their one true desire to be fulfilled if they tell the world their darkest desires." I glanced over the group we had gathered and laughed again, louder this time at the looks my explanation generated.

"Don't worry, it's not as dangerous as it sounds. It's a simple D-Rank technique. It's actually got a very high rate of failure. One reason my technique took hold is because it was completely unexpected. His mental defenses were wide open. Second, based on his confession, his heart is full of ambition and greed, the two emotions that particular technique feeds on."

This seemed to relax everyone in the vicinity, though Cpt Kakashi's curious eyes met mine. "Two questions. What made you decide to use that technique just now? If any other words would have left his lips, you could have been disqualified for tampering. You may still be actually. Two, for what purpose is that technique usually executed? I'm curious because it's clearly not a battlefield technique."

I eyed the silver haired cyclops warily. My assurance in their guilt was so certain I hadn't even THOUGHT about what the consequences would be if I was wrong. Or even if I was right as Cpt Kakashi pointed out. I reflected back on my actions over the last few days, even weeks, searching for the answer. I glanced around the gathering of people and my eyes landed on Fú, and clarity came to me.

I met the single onyx eye with conviction. "I got cocky. Plain and simple. The thought that I was wrong never crossed my mind for second. It was a rash and illogical conclusion. I should have brought my suspicions to my first in line superior officer rather than taking matters into my own hands. My assuredness came from that man's teammate. The one who dropped out. Kabuto Yakushi. We've had several interactions with him over the course of the exam and every single word out of his mouth set warning bells off with me and my gut told me it wasn't without merit. Yoroi's confession is the what my gut was trying to tell me. I believe that entire team, not just Yoroi, is associated with Orochimaru. Kabuto though is more dangerous than he lets on." I took a deep breath but before I could continue Shikamaru jumped in.

"I agree." He drawled. "As troublesome as it is, I've been suspicious of this Kabuto guy as well. He had these cards with information about every Genin competing in the exams. Classified information. Information no normal Genin should have access to. He's a spy. That is my conclusion as well."

I smiled gratefully at the Nara genius. Cpt Kakashi spoke up again. "I can understand all that, and just by the limited evidence you've supplied I'd have a tail on him within the hour. But, that doesn't explain why you went about it in the way you did with that technique, Kenta."

At this I smiled sheepishly. "I, uh, well. You see, I, uh." Naruto jumped in.

"Because Kenta is a goddamn drama queen who thrives on his big elaborate schemes!" Naruto loudly declared. Seeing the look of indignation on my face he faced me fully, finger pointing accusingly at me. "What?! It's true! You're the one who has spent three, THREE MONTHS, planning on the best way to reveal to your clan the technique you developed! You admitted, and I quote you directly, idiot, you wanted to "shock and wow your entire clan at your amazing accomplishment." I repeat. Drama. Queen!" He finished with a victorious smirk my way.

"Traitor!" I muttered loud enough for him to hear. A cheeky grin was all I got in reply. The musical giggle from the mint haired kunoichi beside me helped ease my bad mood a bit. She leaned up and got as close to my ear as she could reach.

"I think it's cute." She whispered. Ok, bad mood gone. I smiled brightly. I cast a glance down at my uncle and father, their heads were together whispering rapidly. The small smile on both their faces made my stomach do a backflip.

'Did they hear? Of course they did it was Naruto talking. What are they saying? I hope father doesn't yell at me for keeping it secret for this long.' Judging by their smiles, I kept the hope alive that they weren't, in face mad. A throat clearing caught my attention. I turned towards Kakashi and he gave me that irritating eye smile thing he does.

"Anything else, Kenta? That's it?" His Onxy eye locked onto mine and I saw that there was no point in trying to bullshit my way out of this one.

I sighed, resigned to my fate of torment. I gave what I thought was coherent reply, but I was wrong.

"What was that, Kenta? You'll have to speak loudly and clearly. Getting old over here, hearing isn't what it used to me." Kakashi sing-songed with that infuriating smile of his.

"I said. I may have been trying to impress someone!" I growled out. Louder than I had intended in my embarrassment.

Throaty chuckles and high pitched giggles filled the air, my face flushed and my ears burned.

"See? That wasn't so hard. Now answer my second question please." Kakashi cheerily 'asked.'

"Are you serious? You know exactly why my father developed that technique" I hissed, my frustration at the one-eyed Jonin reaching its peak.

"I forgot." Kakashi casually shrugged.

Grinding my teeth, I took a calming breathe that did absolutely nothing to calm to me down. "It's a technique that's employed when all the normal means of interregation aren't working." I bit out.

"How do you mean?" This question came from Fú. My irritation at the infuriating Jonin was quelled just by the sound of her voice.

I smiled down at her. "Well, Fú Bear, say you have a prisoner. Sleep deprivation. Starvation. Dehydration. Torture. Nothing is working. You're at your wits end. What do you do? You flip the script and come from the opposite direction. The prisoner is expecting more torture. You use this technique and send a rush of euphoria into their system, whispers of freedom caressing your subconscious. You give in to the only thing it asks for you and tell your deepest desire to your captors."

"What good does that do? That isn't the information you want." Kakashi innocently asked.

My irritation was back tenfold. "You now have a key piece of information. Potentially something that can completely break them. You just put a chip in the armor and you can now begin hammering away until you break the shell. CAN WE PLEASE JUST GET ON WITH THESE FIGHTS?!" Losing my cool, I bellowed to no one in particular. Fú interlocked her tiny hand with mine and gave me a comforting squeeze. I instantly calmed back down. This little vixen had cast some kind of spell on me. That's the only explanation.

Lord Hokage's voice cut through the inane chatter that had started up at my loss of composure and silenced the room. "Well we've all been thourouly entertained and enlightened. Yes, I agree… Let us continue. ANBU! Take this-"

"Wait, Lord Third!" Sasuke's voice cutting him off. "I apologize, but this thing insulted my honor and my clan. I humbly request you let the fight continue and allow me to soften him up for Mister Ibiki and his team." Sasuke bowed slightly to Lord Third.

Lord Third took all of one second to make his decision. "Done. Just hold back enough to keep him alive. Hayate! Begin the match!"

I focused my attention on Yoroi to see what his reaction would be. Even hiding behind dark eyeglasses, his gaze was frantically searching for a way out. Sweat rolled down his brow in torrents. Hearing his verdict, his gaze locked onto Sasuke. Fingers twitching, ready to fight for his life. The vindictive pleasure that had clouded my brain earlier was back in full force. The one thing I despise above all others are traitors to our amazing village. I itched to see him suffer.

"Sasuke are you ready?" Hayate asked. He received a curt nod, Sasuke's eyes narrowing dangerously. "Then begin!" Hayate jumped back to the edge of the arena.

Sasuke tensed, but Yoroi had started moving before Hayate had called start. His hands flashing quickly through a set of seals, his hands igniting in a menacing blue aura.

"If I'm dying today, I'm taking Lord Orochimaru's pet down with me!" The desperate traitor bellowed. Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.

Yoroi quickly closed the distance and once within striking range lashed out with a chakra coated hand. Sasuke effortlessly dodged, using a move that looked FAR too familiar.

"YOU GOD DAMN THIEF! DON'T STEAL MY MOVES!" I bellowed.

The "SHH" I got was loud enough to make my ears ring, considering it came from two dozen voices. I grumbled to myself about thieving Uchiha's but focused on the match.

Sasuke's stolen evasive maneuver put him on Yoroi's right. While he spun gracefully out of the way, his foot lashed out, tripping the spy up. Yoroi was sent tumbling to the floor face first. Sasuke spun on his heel, raised his leg above well above his head and sent his heel crashing down in a bruising heel drop into the small of the traitor's back. Yoroi cried out in pain. But Sasuke wasn't done, he was just getting started if the look of fury on his face was anything to go on.

Yoroi crashed into the stone floor and hit with such force that he bounced slightly off the stone. A second graceful spin put Sasuke at the head of the traitor. As he reached the apex of his bounce off the concrete, Sasuke's foot connected solidly with the chin of the traitor. He rose into the air, like some human puppet being yanked into an upright position by the master pulling the strings. Sasuke immediately dropped to all fours, and as gravity began to pull the spy back to the ground Sasuke sent yet another bone crushing kick right into Yoroi's jaw. The force was enough to launch him into the air. Sasuke disappeared in a burst of speed appearing in the shadow of his airborne opponent.

"Everything else is all original" Sasuke boasted.

What followed next was a very impressive display of flexibility and technique. The last Uchiha unleashed a brutal 6-combo flurry of kicks on all sides to the spy. The sounds of bones shattering was heard more than once. Sasuke's onslaught ended with a powerful rolling heel drop straight into the gut of his bruised, battered and broken enemy. Yoroi was sent rocketing towards earth and crashed to the unforgiving stone floor beneath him, the impact strong enough to slightly crack the stone. The beating finally ended with a final, devastating gravity aided axe kick to the traitor's abdomen. Bloody spittle forcefully erupted from his mouth. Sasuke jumped back and stared at his opponent impassively. The anger at the insult to his heritage burned out.

Hayate quickly flickered over to check on the wheezing, broken body of Yoroi. "He's alive. Sasuke Uchiha is the winner!"

The declaration was met by thunderous applause and cheers. Sasuke turned to Lord Hokage and the other delegates and offered a polite bow before casually returning to the observation deck.

I whistled in appreciation at the display. Moments later Sasuke rejoined the group to many congratulations for the impressive display. He nodded politely once in recognition before noticing the fist I had extended his way.

"Nice one, dude. Even if you are a thief." I smirked slightly.

Sasuke looked down once more at the fist awaiting acknowledgement. Instead I got a "Hn" and the bastard turned and leaned against the railing. I gnashed my teeth, the vein in my forehead throbbing dangerously. Just then I had a flashback to a couple days ago. My scowl quickly fading as I rushed the Uchiha. I was in striking distance before he noticed my presence and in moments… I planted a big, sloppy wet kiss right on his cheek. I then quickly retreated before his brain could comprehend what happened. When it did, his face skipped all stages of coloring straight to purple.

"YAMANAKA! What th-"

"I told you, Uchiha, in the forest. If we escaped that mess alive that I was going to give you a kiss and you were going to like it." I grinned in triumph. "Maybe next time you won't be a dick and just give a fist bump back, neh?"

In a surprising move a snort escaped Sasuke's lips before his scowl was back in place. "You ever do that again and I'll gut you."

I couldn't hold it in anymore and joined Naruto in his loud laughter. Soon the entire room erupted and it was Lord Third who finally reined us back in.

"Quite amusing, young ones. Now, ANBU, please take the other all but suspected traitor an-"

"Lord Third, Please wait!" I called out. I flickered to my leader and knelt down. "Every single Genin here has worked hard to improve our skills since we graduated. If you arrest Misumi now, that will leave one person without an opponent. If it were me I'd feel cheated and that I got a free pass to the finals while everyone else had to prove their merit. Plus, you'd be denying one person the absolute honor of fighting and showing their skills not only in front you, Lord Third, but all of the powerful men and women behind. You can't be so cruel as to deny a bright, budding up-and-coming star that honor. So, please. Arrest Misumi after his match. Please, Lord Third." I finished my passionate speak with my best, and blinding smile directed directly at our wizened leader.

In return, I received the MOST unimpressed stony face I'd ever seen in my life. My smile slipped a little but I kept the puppy dog eyes on full blast. Finally a snort escaped Lord Third's lips.

"You're a Yamanaka, Young Kenta. Work on your manipulation tactics. That was pathetic. Fine. I won't arrest him until after he's fought." I jumped up with a cheer, bowed to my leader, and flickered back to my rightful position next to Fú.

He pinned Misumi with a stare, the audible gulp actually echoed in the large room. "You will not try anything. You will wait until your name appears, and you fill fight your opponent as planned. I'll even sweeten the deal, if you manage to defeat who you are paired with, I will tell Ibiki to go easy on you."

Misumi nodded his head so frantically and forcefully, a part of me wondered if he wasn't trying to snap his own neck. After holding this gaze for another 5 seconds, Lord Third turned to Hayate and bid him continue.

Clearing his throat and fending off a coughing fit, Hayate pulled everyone's attention towards the board. The name roulette began and again, everyone silently praying they were next.

Sakura Haruno V. Shikamaru Nara

"Cha! I'm up! Best of luck to you Shikamaru. I'm going to kick your ass!" And Sakura leapt over the railing and down to the arena.

Shikamaru's shitty posture became even shittier. Any further and he'd fold in half. "What a drag. I have to fight a girl." He muttered. Or so he thought he had as we all heard the enraged bellow from the arena.

"WHAT WAS THAT SHIKAMARU? ARE YOU UNDERESTIMATING ME? COME DOWN HERE AND I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

He sighed once more, pathetically before slowly making his way down to the arena. Taking the stairs slow and with meticulous care.

Everyone had had enough of the dramatics.

"Shikamaru Nara, you have 3 seconds to reach the arena or you will forfeit your match." Hayate's unimpressed voice drawled.

THAT seemed to perk the Nara up a bit. "Wait? You mean I can forfeit? Hmmm. Tempting." He picked up the pace and made it to the arena as the timer reached zero. "Troublesome. My Mom would nag me if I forfeited now. She'd nag until the next exams rolled around in six months. Not worth it."

Hayate wasted no time. He cleared his throat a few times "Sakura are you ready?"

"CHA!" Was the energetic reply.

"I'll take that as a yes. Shikamaru are you ready?"

"No."

"BEGIN!"

I'd seen a lot of things in my young but adventure filled life. The instant change in Shikamaru took the cake as the most phenomenal. As soon as Hayate called begin, his heavy lidded eyes sharpened, his gaze narrowed, his shitty posture got a little less shitty. This was mission mode Shika. He'll bitch and complain until the cows come home, but when push comes to shove he'll do what he needs to.

Sakura made the first move, charging straight at Shikamaru. Shikamaru crouched to the ground while simultaneously making the rat sign. His shadow lashed out, extending rapidly aiming straight for Sakura. Sakura, on a dime, bolted to her left, avoiding the Nara's shadow.

I whistled low in appreciation at that move. Naruto looked at me odd. "What? Sure it was a nice dodge but it wasn't anything special?

I rolled my eyes and explained. "No, Naruto. It wasn't "just a dodge." She instantly molded and directed her charka to her leg, reinforced her muscles and joints with the precise amount while simultaneously pushing the exact amount needed out of her foot to turn that sharply running full speed. Her control… It's flawless."

Naruto was left gaping at my explanation, as were a few others. Sakura had come a long way. I was excited to see where she'd go next. We focused back on the match.

After dodging at a 90 degree angle, Sakura continued her charge. Shika abandoned his position and fled from the enraged pink haired kunoichi. He withdrew half a dozen kunai and launched them at Sakura. Sakura countered by swiftly and efficiently dodging or deflecting the deadly throwing blades. After the last deflection she launched her kunai back at the shadow user. Immediately after the kunai left her hand she raced through a set very familiar hand seals. Instantly 2 sets of triplets appeared to either side of her. Shika dodged the thrown kunai with ease. Seeing her tactic he smirked and stood his ground.

"Really Sakura? Illusionary clones? That's the basic of th-" He cut off abruptly, eyes widening in panic and darting from side to side. Abandoning trying to find the real from the fakes, he threw 7 shuriken, 1 for each Sakura. All 7 passed straight through, dispelling the illusion.

"SHHHHAAAAANARRROOOO!" Sakura's war cry was followed by her fist connecting solidly with the Nara heir's face. He was sent rocketing across the room. He hit the stone floor, hard, and rolled a few more feet. Sakura stared down at her fist in wonderment before turning to were Shikamaru landed. She smirked and got ready to finish her fight.

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"Amazing" I whispered. "Absolutely incredible."

"W-what's going on?" Ino asked confused. "That's not Sakura. That can't be Sakura! She cannot have gotten that good since we graduated."

Ami was grinning from ear to ear, her excitement for friend's success palpable. "She's come a long way. She's absolutely throttling Shikamaru using nothing but the basics we learned in the academy!" There was a touch of wonder and awe in Ami's voice.

"I don't get it. Why did Lazy Ass go from all cocky to freaking out when she made those clones? What gives, huh?" Naruto asked equally as confused as Ino.

The Illusion Mistress of Konoha took up the explanation. "Normally, the illusionary clone is used as a split second diversion to confuse your enemies. It's not made for prolonged tactics, especially in the unconventional method that Miss Haruno used it. In a forward charge like that it should be extremely easy to differentiate the illusion from the user. There's usually a breakdown and flaws are easily picked out."

"Usually?" Naruto asked.

Cpt Kurenai nodded. "The concentration and chakra control required to maintain perfect synchronization is… well that's near Jonin level control."

Several gasps escaped and every single person on the balcony turned to stare at the pink haired civilian born. Sakura piqued the interests of a number of people. Including a certain dark haired genius.

I stole a glance towards Ino and was pleased to see the look of confusion and curiosity. After seeing Ami in action, maybe, just maybe, she might start questioning her life choices. I could only hope and dream, it was Ino's decision where she went from this point moving forward. I couldn't miss the golden opportunity to ruffle her feathers though. I still owed her for the feminine comment she made before the first exam. Yes, I'm petty and hold grudges, sue me!

"Jeez, Ino, look at that. A kunoichi who takes her craft seriously. Kind of amazing seeing what putting in some effort can do. What truly baffles me is the hours of exercising and 5000 calories she eats a day haven't made her muscular or fat! Didn't you tell Cpt Asuma you couldn't do more than 30 pushups or you'd look like man? Huh. Guess that's not true. Ami, how many pushups do you do a day?"

"200" Ami offhandedly replied, eyes glued to the battlefield.

"200?! Wow Ami, you're so not muscular at all! What's your secret?!"

She glanced my way and sent me a knowing smirk. "I'm a girl, idiot. We don't get muscular without taking male hormones."

"Ah. That explains so much. Thanks for sharing that incredibly enlightening and not at all well-known fact." I sarcastically praised. I glanced at Ino again, expecting to see her red-faced and ready to lay into me. I had to do a double take. Instead of getting angry, Ino was glancing around the room, taking in the appearance of every female warrior in the room. She then looked down at her own body and frowned. Her attention returned to the fight as the two seemed ready to start their second exchange. I turned back as well, a small, genuine smile on my face.

'Come on, cousin! Open your eyes! Stop being an idiot!'

***************************************Ba Dum***************************************

Shikamaru pushed himself to his feet. Rubbing his jaw and testing if Sakura had indeed broken it. He fixed his calculating gaze on the petite terror he had to somehow take down. He closed his eyes for a second, muttering under his breath. Sakura, seeing a window pumped charka to her legs and took off like a missile towards the planning Nara. Shika's eyes snapped opened as his hands were already reaching for the pouches on his hips. He tossed 4 kunai in rapid succession and his hand once more dove into the depths of his equipment pouch.

Sakura seamlessly dodged one, two, three, four Kunai and smirked. The smirk quickly morphed into a look of horror as the fourth kunai she had just narrowly avoided glowed ominously. As quick as she could, she abandoned her charge and fled the glowing kunai, narrowly avoiding the explosion that just rocked the arena. As soon as she landed, Sakura was engulfed by a smoke cloud courtest of the smoke bomb Shikamaru had perfectly planned and timed.

The second the smoke bomb erupted, Shikamaru crouched low and hands once again folded into the rat sign. He closed his eyes once more. Four heartbeats later he opened his eyes and his shadow surged forward in a seemingly random direction. We all looked on in confusion as the shadow barreled towards nothing. Just as the shadow reached the fringe of the smoke cloud a second explosion rocked the left side of the arena and Sakura's form burst from the smoke cloud to the right. She landed in a crouch but instantly stiffened.

"Shadow Possession Technique Successful" the bored drawl of Shikamaru rang out. The entire room had been so silent that Shikamaru's normal voice sounded like a shout. Sakura proved her remarkable improvement during the first half of the exchange, but Shikamaru controlled the fight the moment Sakura sent him flying. She did amazingly. Better than anyone in the room expected her to. But despite his overly lazy demeanor, Shikamaru was a tactical genius and would always be 20 or more steps ahead of you.

Shikamaru rose out of his crouch and wiped the layer of sweat from his brow; Sakura copied his movements precisely. "Troublesome, woman. You gave me a hell of a fight. I'm sorry to say though that it's over. I'd rather not deal with my mother for the next week." He sighed. Reaching down to his left side he rummaged in the equipment pouch, making a show out of it. Sakura did the same, though her hands were grabbing nothing but thin air.

"You know what happens next Sakura. I'm not going to kill you, but I'm going to keep throwing these at non-vital areas until you surrender. Please just surrender now so I don't look like a total jerk. Explaining that to Mom would be a drag." Shikamaru emphasized his point by flourishing the three shuriken in a hypnotic manner.

Sakura was red-faced and struggling to break free, but it was useless. While she had made great strides, and her chakra control was next level, years of neglect and punishing her body added on to only taking her training serious over the last 6 months left her with paltry reserves. Shika, on the other hand, came from generations upon generations of proudly lazy shinobi. Even had he not ever pursued a career as a shinobi, he would still have reserves larger than his civilian counterparts. He could hold her long enough to turn her into a pin cusion.

Sakura struggled for a few more minutes, tears of frustration threatening to fall. Shikamaru sighed and raised the first shuriken, flicking it lazily at Sakura. It whizzed by her head, slicing a few strands of pink hair and nicking her ear. Her eyes flew wide and she stared at Shikamaru in disbelief. Shika's eyes hardened.

"I'm not playing around anymore Sakura. You're delaying the inevitable." He raised another Shuriken "This time I won't intentionally miss."

The tears she had been holding back finally fell. In a voice laced with emotion, she spoke quietly but loud enough for those in the room to hear.

"Mister Proctor, I surrender."

"Winner, Shikamaru Nara!" Hayate called out.

Shika ended his technique immediately and Sakura collapsed in a boneless heap. Sobs wracked her body. Ami was instantly by her friend's side and, to my shock Ino. The two girls consoled their pink haired friend. Finally getting her to her feet and bringing her to the viewing area, the continued whispering words or encouragement.

I turned to Naruto who was vibrating with energy and looking like a kicked puppy. "I feel so bad for Sakura, ya know? She tried so hard. I want to give her a hug or something, ya know." The subdued voice was a clear indicator that Sakura's turmoil was really affecting him.

"I know, Naruto. Me too. Let the girls do their thing though. You know we'd only say something stupid and upset her more. We'll talk to her later. I still want to ask her how she's doing after getting that seal from Snake bastard."

Naruto nodded. Hayate called the room to direct their attention to the board once more and name roulette kicked off once more.

Tenten V Temari

************************************Same Fight****************************************