Genin Takedown - 5

Kankuro averted his eyes from Gaara during his return to the balcony, feeling some indescribable pain raking at his gut.

It hurt that their brother had to live his life in another village. It hurt even more that before the exam's end, Konoha was scheduled to be invaded. Needless to say, Kankuro was having second thoughts and so was Temari.

Gaara had found a new home and they had yet to decide if they were willing to destroy it.

The board overhead flashed a pair of names that startled Team 2.

Hayate read aloud the next combatants, "The fifth battle will be between Sosumi Miosuke and Gaara."

Naruto and Haku turned to him, wide eyed and grinning. They knew there was no way he was about to lose this match. Gaara blinked at them, accepting their confidence in him, and turned to go down, ready as ever.

Jiraiya smirked at the red haired boy as he stalked off, "Kick some ass, Gaara."

Leaf genin had their eyes set on Gaara as he ventured down. No one was more apprehensive than Sakura. She swallowed audibly, wanting to wish him luck, but discovering that her voice had abandoned her, 'Gaara-kun...just don't do anything too rash...'

From the beginning Gaara had found Miosuke's attitude repulsive, especially in regards to his teammates. He was admittedly glad he had been selected a challenger worthy of a severe beating. Although he hadn't quite expected the mousy Sand nin's thorough knowledge of him.

Miosuke's voice was a low hiss, something only Gaara could hear, "Hey there, Ichibi-chan..."

From above, Temari and Kankuro found themselves unable to speak. They could tell somehow that Gaara intended to show little mercy to their arrogant teammate and they didn't blame him for it either.

'However this turns out...' Kankuro thought, 'It won't be good.'

By the time Hayate had advised them to begin, sand was pouring out of Gaara's gourd, and Miosuke had put a large distance between himself and his foe, ready for long-range combat.

"Let's see if you're really as tough as they say you are!" Miosuke barked, readying his enormous boomerang, "Jet Stream Slash!"

The ivory and red arc shot across the room, creating a fierce shockwave in its wake. The resulting gust nearly knocked a few nearby genin off of their feet. Gaara stood very still, scowling with his arms folded. He had seen this jutsu before.

His sand reached it half way, swarming around the boomerang, and by the time it had even gotten close to Gaara, it had been stopped fully. With a clatter, the arc dropped to the floor, useless, and unable to return to its master.

The mousy antagonist was troubled, but just as talkative, "You know, it isn't very fair that you have that sand advantage of yours when you aren't even of Suna anymore!"

Gaara's eyes widened, wondering how much his opponent would dare to expose about him.

"Can it you ass!" Naruto howled, sharing Gaara's fear, "Just shut your mouth!"

"What does he think he's doing?" Temari hissed, giving a worried look to her mentor, "He'll...he'll ruin the mission!"

"If he even tries it," Baki growled in response, just as displeased, "I'll end this match myself."

Lee turned to his own sensei, confused, "What is that Sand ninja's meaning? Gaara-kun is not originally of the Leaf village?" It was something Neji had assumed on his own, but Tenten had never suspected that a genin could hail from a different village.

Gai figured it was best not to lie, "No Lee. Gaara arrived here many years ago when he was a young child," He gestured over to the remainder of Team 2, "The same can be said for young Haku-kun as well, who is rumored to have been born nearby the Mist Village."

"How fascinating!" Lee didn't object to the idea at all.

"But sensei...why would they be forced to leave their own villages and come here?" Tenten asked, still finding it odd.

"That Tenten, I am afraid, is confidential..." Gai answered, his voice stern, "Their past lives are none of our business."

Miosuke's attention had turned to Naruto, who was yowling down at him from the upper level. He hadn't expected someone to defend the secret of Shukaku's container so fervently.

"What does it matter to you?" Miosuke spat, his wicked eyes connecting with Naruto's fiery blue ones, "Monsters like this deserve to be exterminated! You have no idea of what you speak you idiot!"

Gaara's sand had impacted him, cutting his rant short and barreling him over.

Miosuke struggled to his feet again, fuming.

'He'll be wanting his weapon back, seeing as he has no skill in close-quarters,' Gaara predicted, untying his gourd and letting it fall to the floor with a thud, 'If I catch him by surprise he will be all too easy to defeat, being he's so distracted.'

After all, Miosuke's words would not win him the match.

Gaara was more about action.

Jiraiya eyed the crater Gaara's sand gourd had formed incredulously, 'Yeesh! What is that kid thinking? He could injure himself carrying around all that weight!'

Sakura's eyes widened, much like Kiba's had, who stood next to her. She had no clue as to what he was planning, 'Since when did he get this strong? I know he said he and Naruto-kun have been improving their taijutsu but…could he be over-doing it a little?'

Gaara's sand swarmed over the earthbound boomerang, obscuring it from sight. Miosuke ground his teeth together in frustration, 'I can't take him close-range...if I don't get Tsubakura back, this may take longer than I expected.'

"Come on you bastard!" Miosuke hurled an alarming number of kunai and shuriken with deadly accuracy and Gaara didn't bother to avoid them.

To the mousy shinobi's horror, his projectiles bounced off of Gaara futilely, leaving him unharmed, "But how-?"

"Sand armor!" Haku muttered, smirking, "It will slow him down though. It's heavy and consumes a lot of chakra. He's sure to discard it soon..."

"Looks like that Sand creep isn't so tough after all!" Naruto snorted, folding his arms.

Gaara, being a courteous ninja, decided that Miosuke could not be crushed to a bloody pulp when he was the teammate of his siblings. Still, he wouldn't hesitate to beat him into submission.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as Gaara's sand armor peeled away from him and he rushed at the stunned Sand ninja, who found he was out of shuriken.

"I thought he could only fight with sand..." Temari whispered, having never seen Gaara utilize hand-to-hand combat skills. It was almost fulfilling to watch Miosuke stumble as he received a jab in the gut, and double over in pain after Gaara delivered a fierce roundhouse kick.

"Looks like he's learned a thing or two while he's been here..." Kankuro surmised, giving her a lopsided smile. He too found it amazing.

"Yeah! Gaara!" Naruto's cheers were far louder than anyone else's, though only a margin above Sakura's.

Miosuke's pathetic block was broken and he was sent crashing into the wall a moment later, his eyes watering. He touched his chest gingerly, wondering if any of his ribs had been broken, 'This freak...he's using that thing's chakra to make his blows stronger I bet!'

"Woo hoo!" Lee's excitement radiated of off him, "Just like in our training Gaara-kun!"

The battered Sand ninja slid down the wall, exhausted, wiping the blood from his lip.

Gaara knew there wasn't much more he could take.

He turned away, sand gathering around him in wait, "Proctor," Hayate looked to Gaara from the sidelines, "Call the match."

It seemed that it was something he was already considering without Gaara having to tell him.

Miosuke, seizing his chance, drew back on the chakra strings he had concealed, pulling Tsubakura back to him frighteningly fast. Gaara stood near his gourd, not intimidated.

The Sand nin's eyes lit up with new hope as his hands closed around his beloved boomerang, and they narrowed at Gaara as he stood shakily, calculating his next move.

'He must enjoy pain,' Gaara thought blandly, not interested in fighting any longer, 'Ninja like him don't survive long anyway...'

Miosuke gripped Tsubakura eagerly, "You filthy monster! I'm surprised they kept you here at all outside of a cage!" He couldn't stop his rambling mouth, and he gave a brief glare up to his teammates, "Temari and Kankuro said that you are ten times the ninja that I am," Miosuke smirked to himself, "But I don't make a habit of listening to demon-loving traitors!"

Few noticed the murderous looks that came over both Kankuro and Temari's faces. If Miosuke so much as even hinted about the presence of the one-tailed beast again, they'd aid Baki with disciplining the fool.