Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form...why would I be writing this if I did? Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto

Also, yes, I did erase the previous version of this chapter and posted a longer version.

Ok, first off, let me say this chapter is not my best work...I will admit that, I am sorry, truly I am, I am stressed out from work, school, events in my own life, and so much other crap, that I almost went crazy trying to finish this chapter. I am sorry it took longer to update this story than I intended, but life has an annoying habit of messing me up when I need it to work with me.

Note-This story is AU, the characters are OOC, and this story will NOT follow canon. Elements of canon will be extracted, but canon will not be what this story is about. Also, let it be forever known, that in this story, and likely almost every single story I write, that Kushina Uzumaki, will NOT be the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, FORMER OR OTHERWISE!

Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

Eye of the storm-Lord of Daemons

Onigumo: The Demon's Web-Lord of Daemons

Naruto: Strange Aeons-Lord of Daemons

Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

Devils Advocate-livezinshadowz

Please read and review these stories, they are really great stories, and I personally feel they are not getting the attention they deserve.

Important: I am planning a mass update of my stories, as in updating multiple stories at once, or within a period of a few days. So at some point within the next two to three weeks those of you who have favorited stories I have had the pleasure of writing will see several stories be getting update. I say two to three weeks because, once again, I have work and school, which takes up a majority of my 'free time'.

Anyways, enjoy the story, please read, review, PM, and so on...

Previously in Wrath to Come

Gaara had just entered the arena, and he could practically smell that tainted energy within the Uchiha's body, 'Mother, he-'

Shukaku heard him, 'I know child...be careful. He is far along.'

Gaara nodded, and turned towards the last Uchiha in Konohagakure.

Genma looked between the two opponents, and raised his hand, "The second match of the Chunin Exams between Sabaku no Gaara and Uchiha Sasuke...Hajime!"

Present

Gaara and Sasuke stared off at one another, until Gaara finally spoke, "Surrender Uchiha…"

Sasuke quirked an eye, "What?"

Gaara spoke up, "Surrender Uchiha, I do not wish to harm you, you are merely an obstacle in the way of what is to come, whether you realize it or not." he points to Sasuke's shoulder, "You have already felt the effects of being a casualty of this war. Do not strain yourself further, surrender now, and perhaps we can heal you."

Sasuke stared at Gaara in confusion. What in the hell did Gaara mean by 'what is to come'? How on earth was he a casualty of war? What war?

Sasuke scowled, 'He is trying to psyche me out, make me give up before I can even be given a chance…I am not falling for it.'

Sasuke lowered himself into a combat stance, and activated his Sharingan.

Gaara simply stared at him, "I am giving you one last chance…surrender now. Or I will not be held accountable for what is to happen to you…"

Sasuke smirked, "I would love to see you try."

Gaara looked at Sasuke, and closed his eyes, sighing heavily, "Very well…" only for his eyes to snap open, as his body exploded into sand.

Sasuke's eyes widened, "What the-OOPH!" Sasuke was sent flying forward as he was suddenly struck from behind.

As Sasuke flew through the air, he looked back, and saw Gaara begin to materialize right behind where Sasuke had before been standing, his leg outstretched in a side kick, which he slowly lowered back to the ground.

Sasuke cursed, and righted himself in the air, and his feet touched the ground.

"OOPH." only for him to be sent flying back into the air as a pillar of sand and earth exploded out from beneath him, striking him in the abdomen.

Gaara used this opportunity, and shot towards the airborne Uchiha, and struck him hard and fast, sending him flying backwards.

Sasuke did not have a chance to recover, and skid across the ground, dirt and sand getting into his eyes, blinding him.

Gaara shot at him, and performed a hand sign, and in a swirl of sand, his Naginata appeared, and he struck at the Uchiha with the blunt end.

Sasuke was sent hurtling backwards, and smashed into the wall.

Gaara began to twirl his Naginata and charged at Sasuke, the blade pointed at a vital point.

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, just in time for him to see a glimmer of light before he felt a horrible stabbing pain in his chest.

Gaara looked down upon Sasuke, his gaze showing no emotion, "You should have surrendered…" Gaara twisted the Naginata in Sasuke's chest, blood pouring out of the wound…

And Sasuke screaming in pain, "AAAGGHH!" Sasuke screamed, his hand shooting up in a vain attempt to pull the Naginata out, slicing his hand open in the process.

Gaara looked at him impassively as he began to push the Naginata deeper into the wound.

Sasuke grit his teeth in pain, and he slowly looked up at Gaara, blood dripping from his mouth, staining his teeth red.

A smirk on his lips.

Gaara's eyebrows quirked in confusion, and he began to pull the Naginata out of Sasuke's chest.

It did not move a single inch.

'What?!' Gaara's eyes widened in confusion as he began to tug on his Naginata harder, it still did not move. He moved his arm to grasp the hilt of the Naginata to try and pull it out.

His arm would not move from its spot.

Gaara's eyes widened further, 'Why can't I move?' his gaze then shot to Sasuke, specifically at where his Naginata had been buried in his chest…that is when he saw it.

Growing up, after he snapped due to being ostracized, hated, loathed by his village, he had killed many foes in all manner of ways. He had crushed them with his sand, he had sliced them open with kunai, he had spent hours torturing one of his opponents, and throughout all this, he had gained an intimate knowledge of what the inside of the human body looked like. So when Gaara looked at the wound upon Sasuke's chest, where his Naginata cut through flesh, muscle, and bone, he knew with absolute certainty…

That that…is not what the inside of a rib is supposed to look like.

'Genjutsu'

In the Stands

The crowd looked down confusedly at the arena. Conversations began to flutter about as they tried to understand what on earth was going on.

"Why did that re haired boy kick the air? The Uchiha was right in front of him." one civilian asked a Shinobi sitting next to them.

The Shinobi shrugged, just as confused as the civilian, "I have no idea, the Suna Shinobi could have won the round right there if he wanted to."

The civilian looked back, their confusion still present, while all around them, civilian and Shinobi alike were trying to fathom what was happening.

Why had Gaara created a pillar in the middle of the arena?

Why had he unsealed his Naginata, and thrust it at nothing?

Why did he twist his Naginata in the dirt?

All these questions echoed throughout the stands, but in the waiting area for the Chunin Hopefuls, where the remaining Jinchuriki watched…they had seen what had happened. Or, rather Fu saw it, and had told the others.

Sasuke had activated his Sharingan right before Gaara closed his eyes, and a burst of chakra exploded from Sasuke. After that, Gaara began to attack an opponent that was not there to begin with.

They knew what had happened, somehow, Sasuke had placed Gaara under a Genjutsu…but what they did not understand was why Gaara did not notice. He had seen Sasuke activate his Sharingan, surely, so, why had he not released a burst of chakra?

Why had Shukaku not told him he was in a Genjutsu?

Gaara

Gaara cursed, how could he have not noticed sooner?

Quickly firing his chakra through his coils, he snapped, "Kai!"

The Genjutsu began to dissipate, Sasuke's body fell apart, the blood vanished, and the tattered clothes evaporated.

"Gaara!"

Gaara jumped as he heard Shukaku's voice yelling, 'Mother? What happe-'

"I have been shouting for you since that Uchiha activated his Sharingan, why didn't you answer?!"

Gaara's eyes portrayed confusion, 'Sharingan? Mother he didn't activate his Sharingan.'

Shukaku's voice echoed in Gaara's mind, "What? But you looked into his eyes the moment he activated them, you saw them activate how di-…Gaara, move!"

Gaara's confusion only increased, 'Mother, what is-' Gaara ceased his mental conversation as he felt an immense burst of chakra behind him.

"Katon: Taiyou Kaze no Jutsu!"

Gaara snapped his head around in time to see a great burst of white light, and an intense heat come straight towards him.

'BOOM!'

In the Stands

The whole crowd stood up, trying to get a better vantage point of the explosion of white fire that had struck at Gaara.

They had been so preoccupied with what Gaara had been doing, they did not notice what Sasuke had been doing until he attacked.

By then, the only thing they saw was a stream of white fire shoot at Gaara, and saw it collide with the Suna Jinchuriki.

Arena

Sasuke stood in the arena, his breathing heavy as he struggled to stand. His gaze fixed on the spot where his technique smashed into Gaara.

During the last month, he had been without a sensei, no teacher, nothing. He had to work from his own direction, with no help from a sensei whatsoever. He had scoured through the Uchiha clan library, looking for anything that could give him an edge against his opponents. He had practiced every technique he could find until he dropped unconscious in his clans training grounds, he would often awaken in the middle of the training field, exhausted and sore, before he got back up and started training again.

All the while, he plotted, schemed, and strategized ways he could defeat his opponents, before they ever had the chance to fight back.

He had spent days, sleepless, restless, calculating every possible way to defeat his opponents in a manner to give him the advantage he needed.

Sasuke stared into the burning cloud where Gaara had been standing, expecting to find an injured Gaara…

Not a shattered dome of hot glass.

Inside the dome of hot glass, Gaara stood tall, his arms crossed, his teeth grit in pain as he slowly uncrossed his arms.

A sharp stab of pain shot through his arms and his forehead. His gaze shifted downwards, and he looked at his arms. The whole of the back of his arms, and part of the back of his hands, was covered in glass. Whatever strike had hit him was hot enough to turn his sand armor into glass.

He grit his teeth as he moved his hand towards his forehead, and he felt a burning sensation on his fingertips.

The sand armor on his forehead had also been glassed.

Gaara cursed,

Inside his mind, Shukaku spoke, "Gaara, something is wrong…"

Gaara slowly began to move as he tried to pry the glass off of his body as painlessly as possible, 'What is it mother?'

"Your wounds…I am having a hard time healing them. The jutsu the Uchiha used on you was laced with demon youki."

Gaara's eyes widened in shock, 'What?! He can't possibly be so far along in his corruption that he can charge demon youki into his jutsu…can he?'

"It is the only explanation…it…would explain why you don't remember seeing him activate his Sharingan."

Gaara was confused, 'What do you mean mother?' he asked while he began to pry the glass off the back of his arms, causing him incredible pain.

Shukaku was silent for a minute, before she spoke, "When he activated his Sharingan, he cast a multi layered Genjutsu on you. I didn't notice it at first, but I managed to examine it as you were releasing it. The first layer made you believe that you were fighting a physical representation of the Uchiha, the second layer created a landscape illusion all around you, it was subtle, as the Genjutsu didn't create a new environment around you, it only altered your perception of the existing world, for example, making you think you saw the Uchiha's shadow when it wasn't there, thus when you used a jutsu you thought you were attacking the Uchiha himself. The third layer made you lose perception of where the Uchiha really was, thus your focus was solely on the Genjutsu representation of him. The fourth layer of the Genjutsu altered the Genjutsu representation of the Uchiha so that whenever you struck him, it did damage that was realistic, however, this layer was flawed, which is understandable, I do not think the Uchiha has ever truly seen the inside of another ningen. The fifth layer supplied sensory input information, while cutting off all your other senses, which is why you could not hear me shouting for you. The sixth layer of the Genjutsu…it made you forget he had ever activated his Sharingan. He must have known that if his Sharingan was activated, you would have been able to connect the dots sooner, and release the Genjutsu."

Gaara's eyes widened, and for a moment he forgot about the pain in his burnt arms, which had deep and painful burn marks due to Sasuke's jutsu turning his sand armor into glass while it was still on his body.

Gaara could not believe what he had heard, such a complex Genjutsu, and a powerful one. Multi layering a Genjutsu was difficult enough, but applying a layer which made one forget? That was beyond difficult, it was impossible for a human to EVER do…which meant only one thing.

Sasuke wasn't human, not anymore.

But one thing troubled Gaara, why such a complex Genjutsu, all Sasuke had done was fire off a single jutsu at him, a powerful one, but why the complex Genjutsu?

That is when it hit Gaara, whatever that jutsu Sasuke used, it either had more hand seals than what Sasuke could run through at a fast enough pace for it to be useful against him, or he needed to charge it up to use it. Either way, it required time to use it, time that Gaara could have used to make it all but impossible to use the technique on him.

Sasuke had used the Genjutsu to buy himself time to use that one jutsu, that meant that Sasuke had placed a lot of hope on that jutsu to give him a victory.

Gaara looked down at his arms as his skin slowly began to heal. The demon youki lacing his jutsu was certainly probable, in fact it was the only possible reason his wounds were not healing faster.

If that was the case, Gaara intended to end this fight before Sasuke had another chance to fight back.

Gaara stepped out of the glass dome, and looked at the Uchiha, an impassive look on his face.

Sasuke was noticeably shaken. Clearly Gaara's theory on that jutsu being his greatest hope was well founded.

Gaara cracked his neck before he reached up to his forehead…and swiftly ripped the glass off of it, leaving the burned flesh visible to the world.

Sasuke visibly flinched when he saw the burnt skin.

Gaara dropped the glass to the ground, and crushed it underfoot as Shukaku's youki began to work on the burn, "Is that all you've got Uchiha?"

Sasuke stopped staring, and snarled at Gaara, and began to run through hand signs, "Katon: Gokakyu no-"

Sasuke was silenced when Gaara shot towards him, and buried his fist directly into his face, sending him careening backwards, skidding across the ground.

Gaara shot at Sasuke before his feet ever touched the ground, swinging his Naginata.

Sasuke managed to right himself, his Sharingan eyes spinning wildly as he tried to predict Gaara's movements.

He was rewarded with the sharp end of the Naginata slicing across his cheek, going deep enough in to cut the bone, "AAAGH!"

Gaara did not stop there, he swung the blunt end of the Naginata at Sasuke, smashing it into Sasuke's ribs, knocking the wind out of him.

Sasuke stumbled back as he tried to refill his lungs.

Gaara did not give him the chance, and smashed the tip of the blunt end into Sasuke's ribs, causing several to crack as Sasuke flew backwards.

Sasuke smashed into the nearby wall, falling face first onto the ground.

Gaara saw Sasuke's vulnerable position, and shot at Sasuke, Shukaku's youki shooting through his body as he swung his Naginata downwards, aimed at Sasuke.

Sasuke slowly lifted his head, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw the sharp end of the Naginata headed directly towards him.

'CLANG'

Sasuke stared in shock as the Naginata was literally touching his forehead, stopped by a pair of kunai, wielded by none other than Kakashi Hatake.

Gaara glared at Kakashi, his burns have gone, "Move Hatake-san…"

Kakashi simply glared at Gaara, "No."

Gaara frowned, and began to apply more pressure on the Naginata.

The Naginata would have cut into Sasuke had the Uchiha not scampered back like a trapped mouse in a drain pipe.

Kakashi tightened his grip on his kunai and applied more pressure against Gaara's Naginata.

Hayate finally got to them, "Enough! Due to interference from Kakashi Hatake, the winner of this round is Gaara no Sabaku." he looked at Gaara, "Cease and desist…now."

Gaara glanced at Hayate…and for a moment, it seemed as though he was going to go against Hayate…before he withdrew his Naginata, and snapped towards the exit, walking off without a word.

Kakashi sighed as he shrugged his shoulders one at a time, the strain used to hold back Gaara causing his body to become sore rather fast.

Sasuke meanwhile was panting heavily, his eyes filled with fear…and the black marks of the curse seal slowly sinking deeper into his body.

With the Jinchuriki

Gaara had returned to the rest of the Jinchuriki rather quickly, all of them were waiting for him.

Upon his arrival, Utakata was the first to speak, "Quite the fight brother…I am surprised you got caught in the Uchiha's Genjutsu, I figured you would have seen through it."

Fu spoke up next, "Yeah, what gives brother?"

Gaara walked to the edge as he reached up to his forehead as he felt Shukaku's youki heal his scarred and burned flesh, "The Uchiha trapped me in a multi-layered Genjutsu, made me think I was fighting him, cut me off from all outside connections, the Genjutsu providing all the sensory input to make me believe I was fighting him."

This shocked the other Jinchuriki, such a complex Genjutsu.

Gaara continued, "Because of it, mother was cut off from me, and I believed I was harming the Uchiha."

Kirabi spoke up, "But, even if he did all that, you saw him activate his Sharingan, you should have been able to connect the dots?"

Gaara slowly turned his head, "The final layer of the Genjutsu made me forget he had ever activated the Sharingan…"

Everyone was silent at that, they knew what implications such a Genjutsu held.

Yugito was the one to speak up, "Ningen cannot perform Genjutsu strong enough to make somebody forget, no matter how powerful."

Amaru continued, "So, that means that if Sasuke isn't a demon yet…" her eyes widened as Gaara continued.

"…he soon will be."

Yagura spoke up, "If that is the case, why didn't you just kill him? You could have overpowered Hatake-san, and the proctor would not have been able to stop you."

Gaara sighed, "They already suspect something is going on Yagura, we don't need to give them any more reason to suspect."

Naruto had been listening to the conversation thoughtfully, and he finally spoke up, "Speaking of which, Kitsunji-sensei spoke to me, he said that our Bijuu have something to discuss with us." he held out his hand.

The other Jinchuriki quickly placed their hand over his.

And they were all pulled into the mindscape.

Mindscape

The ten Jinchuriki stumbled as they entered the mindscape. As they looked around, they saw their Bijuu, all in their human forms, looking at them.

Naruto turned to Kitsunji, "What is it you wanted to tell us Kitsunji-sensei?"

Kitsunji looked at Naruto, "You all know what is coming next…you will all be fighting each other, one by one. You also know what awaits the victor."

The other Jinchuriki nodded.

Kokunai spoke up, "Because of this, we all agree that since you are all to fight one another, to ensure all of you are on even ground, none of you will be allowed to use our youki while fighting one another."

Roshi walked up and asked, "Why is that?" why were they not allowed to use their youki?

Hedoro was swift to answer, "This is a test to see which amongst you is most worthy, if you use our youki, then the one with the stronger Bijuu will win out in the end, regardless of the skill of the individual. This is your test, not ours."

Sennyo chortled as she leaned on Aburamushi, "I thought you would have gotten that?"

Kitsunji sighed and looked at them, "The fights you will partake in shall change all of you, but only if you fight on your own…without our help this time."

Naruto nodded his head, "I understand." he looked back at the other Jinchuriki, "I think we all understand."

The other Jinchuriki nodded their heads as well.

Kanadzuchi grinned, "Alright then…now get out of here."

In a burst of light, the Jinchuriki exited the mindscape…leaving the ten Bijuu inside, waiting for the ultimate end to the inevitable battle between their own Jinchuriki.

Suijouki sighed and leaned back, and whispered, "So…it begins."

The silence was her only response.

Sigh...sorry, a shorter chapter than I would have liked...I am absolutely burnt out of energy, I literally had no more energy to write this chapter with, so please, keep the complaints to a minimum, I am stressed out and tired.

Also, I don't CARE what the canon names of the Bijuu are, I refuse to use them!

Now, does anyone know where I got the idea for the Genjutsu Sasuke used on Gaara? Take a wild guess!

If you have any questions, concerns, etc, please review the story, PM me if you wish to be more direct...also, feel free to flame me, I really don't care if you flame me or not, as I write these stories because I enjoy writing them, I am not going to bend over backwards and make a story what the readers want it to be. I tried that once and let me tell you not a day goes by I don't regret it.

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