Genin Takedown - 8

After a short round of coughing, Hayate called out the next combatants, "The eighth match will be between Haruno Sakura and Tenten."

The surprise that dawned on the pink haired girl's face was painfully obvious, 'Tenten? She's got to be the best kunoichi who graduated last year!' Sakura honestly knew little about her other than her amazing skill with weaponry, 'Well, it's better than having to fight Hinata-chan...'

If she were to face off against her pale-eyed friend, well, Sakura would much rather call the match. It was something her heart would be unable to take.

"Look sharp, Sakura." Kakashi smiled at her from behind his mask and she nodded to him brightly.

Inwardly, however, the silver haired jounin knew better than to underestimate Gai's students, least of all the kunoichi of his team who, it was rumored, had already thrown down a number of Rock ninja on a past mission, 'She needs to be cautious in this fight. I didn't train her to fend off weapon-masters...'

Sakura felt lighter after receiving a confident nod from Sasuke and moved down to the main floor. The Uchiha prodigy then aimed a contemptuous glare at Tenten who, across the way, was also descending for the match.

Lee's cries of encouragement rang after Tenten as she sulked off, wishing Neji could've at least attempted to not be indifferent about the development. She tried to clear her head and focus on Lee's advice: "Harness your burning flames of youth, Tenten!"

Tenten focused on relaxing more than Lee's proclamations.

Hayate glanced at either kunoichi before backing away, "You may begin when ready."

"Sakura..." Tenten's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Give it all you've got!" Sakura gave her a blissfully cheerful smile, "I don't want either of us to do less than our very best!"

Tenten would've liked to have protested further and convinced her to concede, but Sakura had begun without her as she hesitated.

The pink haired girl hurled a handful of shuriken at her opponent as a starting diversion, while leaping back to add some space. Tenten deflected the projectiles expertly. Sakura frowned, 'If she's really as good as they say, it'll be more of an accomplishment defeating her than even Ino-pig!'

"Yeah, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned down as the pink haired kunoichi darted back from Tenten, forming hand seals. Gaara's eyes narrowed suspiciously when he observed for the first time that Sakura's hair was noticeably shorter; something that irritated him a great deal.

Two clones formed on either side of the pink haired ninja, hoping to confuse Tenten who had already thrown two infallible kunai at the duplications. To Sakura's annoyance, they were destroyed nearly as soon as they had been created.

Tenten tightened her grip on her kunai, looking for an opening, 'That can't be all she's got...I know that she has a plan of some kind! I...oh...what the-?'

The bun haired girl felt a strong sensation of dizziness catch her off guard as her head swam in a fog. Sakura paused for a moment, glad that her genjutsu had taken effect. It was the first time she had used it. She was unsure if it had been successful; being that she herself had no direct control over her opponent's visions.

The victim created their own illusion, Kakashi had told her after demonstrating it, that being the reason it was so unpredictable. It was a slightly more advanced technique specifically for surfacing things in the foe's mind that they feared the most, trivial or profound. Sakura waited, noticing Tenten's movements slow.

Tenten shook her head from side to side momentarily as her vision became focused again, 'Good...now back to business!' She raised her kunai again, moving ahead to catch the pink haired girl.

She found something different.

Tenten saw herself, though at first she hadn't quite been able to recognize it. The familiar posture and hair style came to her attention. Her doppelganger's back was turned from her and she halted again, perplexed, 'What? Wait! I didn't make a clone or-!'

She saw Sakura again.

Her double had plunged the knife into the pink haired kunoichi's throat, not in the least bit reluctant. It was a motion so practiced she was certain that she had actually done it.

Sakura fell to the floor, completely still, but the proctor did not call the match. Tenten didn't even bother to look around for Hayate, because she was preoccupied with the horror of her physical double's attack and how Lee leapt down and ran to Sakura, futilely.

The doppelganger then moved to Lee, fluidly, gracefully, and Tenten felt her voice catch in her throat like a fluttering bird as her reflection aimed a downward slash at his back, 'No don't-!'

Gai, furious and uncomprehending, descended after Lee tumbled down on top of Sakura in a heap. Her sensei knocked the kunai out of the double's hand, ready to pummel her, but the sword in the left hand had gone unnoticed until Gai had been skewered.

Tenten's legs were locked, 'Stop it! You can't! I won't-!'

It shouldn't have been that easy. It couldn't have been. Tenten then saw the face of her malicious doppelganger lit with childish delight. Countless other ninja had by then jumped down, reluctant to go near the crazed kunoichi.

Tenten was beginning to wonder if they could even see her.

What she wished wouldn't have happened did in fact occur.

Her last teammate appeared, his fierce eyes teeming with the power of the Byakugan. Neji moved to the double without fear, hands poised to strike tenketsu. The sword moved downward again with freakish speed and Tenten was moving, at last, seizing her double and grappling with the bloody demon even as Neji struck them both brutally, unable to tell the two apart. As if they were one and the same.

The same.

The blade was ripping down her arm, aimed for the Hyuga prodigy. Tenten felt no physical pain, but she couldn't on top of the guilt that was clawing its way up through her throat, 'I won't let you! You aren't me! I would never do this!'

The fog came back and Neji vanished, even as she reached out frantically with her cries unheard.

Sakura's genjutsu had only lasted about two seconds, much to her disgruntlement, and the pink haired girl found it intriguing how it had frozen the opposing kunoichi in her tracks. She then planned her next course of action as Tenten began to come to.

Lee turned to Gai again, "Gai-sensei, what has happened to Tenten? Will she be alright?"

"I can't say that I know, Lee," Gai frowned, "Though it appears she has now overcome the genjutsu."

Kakashi's Sharingan eye narrowed after sneaking a peak at the effects of Sakura's attempted genjutsu, 'My...I'm sure that has to be disturbing. What has Gai been doing to evoke such a fear in his own student? This is serious. I didn't know any of Gai's students were this capable of killing yet...' He pulled his hitai-ate back down over his red eye.

"Sasuke," The Uchiha prodigy looked up at Kakashi when he had been addressed, "This is more dangerous than I thought."

"What are you talking about?" He was annoyed with his teacher, as usual, "Sakura's holding up well."

"It isn't Sakura who's the problem." The jounin answered, though Sasuke still didn't understand his meaning.

Tenten straightened herself, back in reality. Her eyes were dark.

A hail of kunai and shuriken shot forward unexpectedly, and Sakura barely had time to substitute as she avoided the storm of weapons, 'I guess my jutsu didn't work. She's just as strong as ever...' Sakura gave a crack at another genjutsu, creating dozens of replications of herself, completely surrounding Tenten, 'Maybe this will slow her down!'

Sakura had unwittingly pushed Tenten to her psychological limits.

Tenten procured two familiar scrolls on reflex, not even noticing the horrified look on Gai's face, "Rising Twin Dragons!" The weapons specialist leapt up, hurling various weapons at the numerous pink haired replications encompassing her.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's eyes widened in alarm as the blades rained down, and he turned to Gaara, "What does that girl think she's doing? She's gone crazy!"

Gaara couldn't say he disagreed with the idea. Tenten had suddenly become ruthless, almost panicked.

Sasuke was finally beginning to see Kakashi's point. Even he would have trouble facing down someone who kept that many weapons with them.

The genjutsu dispelled instantly once Sakura had been hit, and she did her best to avoid the last of the incoming projectiles but with little luck.

Tenten landed; aggression visible on her delicate features. She felt so violated, so horrified that someone had actually been able to exploit her true vulnerability. It something that not even Neji had accomplished.

Sakura removed a shuriken which had sunk into her shoulder, and ignored the many gashes and cuts lining her quaking arms and legs.

The on-looking genin watched apprehensively, unsure of what would happen. Kakashi knew that he may soon have to step in if Gai didn't, judging by the dark look on the taijutsu specialists' face.

"I won't give in..." Sakura whispered, knowing that she still had a chance, "I guess I can't save this for later like I wanted to..."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, anticipating Sakura's next move, and Kakashi gave him a curious sideways glance.