Naruto: Paleblood - Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bloodborne. I'm broke.

Kurenai Yuhi was surprised when she saw Anko already seated in the packed Hokage's office. She hadn't seen her since she had disappeared from her hospital bed. Anko's skin had returned to that golden glow she had earned through years of training in the blazing heat, and the bags under her eyes were gone. It was as if the last few weeks had never happened.

Anko spotted her.

"Hey, Nai-chan! C'mon, sit here!"

Several other heads turned to see her.

If Kurenai had been anyone else she would have been embarrassed. Fortunately she was used to the Tokujo's (Special Jonin) antics. In fact, she was relieved; if Anko was well enough to publicly embarrass her then she must be back to normal.

As normal as she could ever be, she thought.

But the seat beside Anko was currently occupied by another Tokujo, the senbon chewing Genma Shiranui. Kurenai, being a polite person, decided to look for another seat when she saw that it was taken. Anko was not a particularly polite person.

"Hey Genma, find another seat."

Genma's brow furrowed. "Can't you just go sit next to he—"

The chair beneath him disappeared in a puff of smoke. In its stead was a small cactus pot plant.

To his credit, Genma didn't scream when the cactus lodged its needles in the flesh around his anus. The only sound that came from his mouth was the sharp snap of the senbon breaking between his gritting teeth.

Muffled laughter in the Hokage's office. Genma pried the cactus loose from his ass with a faint grunt, then turned to glare at Anko, brandishing it like a weapon.

"Really?!"

Anko's smirk was his only answer. Genma would have pitched it at her face if the Third hadn't stopped him.

"Would you please return my plant, Genma? Before you dirty it with Anko's blood, if you would be so kind?"

Genma turned to his Kage, took several painful steps towards his desk with the pot plant still raised, and set it down gently. Then he threw another glare at Anko.

"You know this means war, don't you?" He growled.

Anko tilted her head to one side. "You know you love me."

Genma ignored her and limped to the back of the room. Snickers trailed behind him. Kurenai quickly took the chair that was now on the Hokage's desk and seated herself beside her friend.

"Is everyone here?" The Third asked, smiling despite his better judgment. This reminded him of something the Second Hokage told him: "The Kage is a parent, and everyone within the village is part of your ever expanding family. It is your duty to care and nurture every one of your children."

Now sitting among his Jonin, giggling at another's mishap like little children, it seemed more apt than ever.

"Kakashi's late again," Asuma said, puffing on a cigarette.

"My eternal rival's hip attitude towards punctuality is most annoying." Guy commented, arms crossed and his face devoid of humour. This disturbed the others. Maito Guy was legendary for his boisterous attitude and manic nature. The situation must be grave if he was taking things seriously. Asuma butted out his cigarette. Kurenai stopped smiling. Anko straightened in her chair.

The Third sighed. Although he didn't look it, Guy was his most perceptive shinobi, and quite capable of identifying when he could behave in his usual fashion and when he couldn't. From the moment he set eyes upon the Third, Guy had known that the meeting was about bad news.

Bad news, the Third snorted, it seems that almost all my meetings were bad news these days.

He kept this comment to himself. It wouldn't do for the Jonin to see their leader weak or melancholy. One of the more obscure duties a Kage had was to ensure his forces morale stayed high. Another lesson the Second taught him: "A kage must not bleed before his soldiers."

Anko piped up. "So who's gonna go get that lazy prick?"

"No one," the Third said, bowing his head. The shadow from his hat descended, obscuring his eyes. "If Kakashi isn't here within the next five seconds, he will have his D-rank sentence extended until the end of the year."

Several Jonin winced. D-ranks for the next 6 months? Cruel and unusual.

"Five," Anko murmured.

Kurenai nudged her ribs.

"Four," Genma said.

"Three," Guy whispered, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Kurenai shot a glance to the door behind her. Sensibly shut. No sound of footsteps outside the room. In fact, she couldn't hear anything at all. The Jonin were holding their breath.

"Two," Anko said, grinning with anticipation.

Guy's gaze remained fixed upon the open window next to the Hokage's desk. The sky outside was a wonderful blue and completely cloudless. He could see the people in the streets beneath the tower and the tops of the buildings and the great wall surrounding their village. No Kakashi.

Kurenai couldn't help her small vindictive grin when she remembered all the hours they had to wait for Kakashi to arrive.

"One," she said.

"Yo."

"Gahhh!" Anko threw her hands into the air, robbed of her victory.

"So glad that you could join us on relative time, Hatake."

Kakashi didn't dare make a joke about black cats or old ladies.

"I was doing some more research on a target I've been tracking, Hokage-sama."

"Who's the target?" Anko asked.

Kakashi glanced at her and said: "It's a personal project."

Anko frowned at his non-answer.

"You can question Kakashi later, Anko, but right now there is grave information that I must share with you," The Third said.

"No doubt that you have heard about the most recent bout of murders," he raised a brow to his audience, indicating his displeasure at the gossiping elite. Several pairs of eyes looked away. "What you might not know is that we believe that the murders were committed by a copycat killer."

Several Jonin popped from their chairs like moles from their holes, and began to shout and wave their hands in the air.

"What!?"

"How is that possible!?"

"It's impossible!?"

"What do you mean, copycat?!"

Their shouting was answered by a rapid and overwhelming power buckling their legs. It felt like the gravity above their heads had tripled. Many of those standing were forced back into their seats. Genma was crouched by it while the more experienced and powerful Guy and Kakashi only broke out in cold sweat.

Anko, having dealt with KI for most of her life, was among the few who could look the Hokage in the face while he exerted his power. His eyes had disappeared under the shadows of his hat. His mouth was a long grim line cut across his face.

"The next Jonin to interrupt me will be busted back to Genin, do you understand?" He asked in a low and dangerously calm voice.

There were a resounding chorus of nods from the crowd. The Third's KI disappeared. Several held breaths were released.

"We believe it is a copycat killer due to the inconsistency of the crime."

Kurenai made to raise her hand, lowered it, then raised it again. The Third nodded.

"What inconsistencies?"

"In all the cases, there was only one victim. They were all criminals either committing a crime or about to commit a crime, and all the victims were male. Our newest victims were identified as a young family, two fathers and a daughter. There is also the location of the bodies." He pointed to the business district less than a kilometer away. "The murders occurred behind a family owned business. All the other crimes took place in or around the Red Light District."

Sarutobi Asuma's eyes narrowed. "So he's run out of prey."

The Third frowned. Again with this theory.

"We don't know if he is eating his victims or not, Asuma. What we do know is that there were a number of inconsistencies that didn't fit our killer's methods. But there is good news: the killer left something behind."

"We got a clue?" Anko asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"A scent," the Third said, "Would you please explain, Kakashi?"

Kakashi had revealed his little orange book during the Third's explanation, and lowered it to address the others.

"There was the usual blood and bodies, but it also smelled wrong, like rotting fruit. Whoever murdered that family was sick."

"A wasting disease? Cancer?" Kurenai asked.

"We couldn't tell."

"Do we have any suspects?" Asuma this time.

"No."

"Oh come on! It has to be one of the other village's teams." A brunette Jonin named Mai said.

Kakashi turned to her. "We don't know that for sure, and while you could be right, there's a problem."

"We cannot accuse anyone at the moment," the Third said, folding his hands on his desk.

"Why not, Hokage-sama?"

"Because of the Chunin Exams, stupid." Anko said. "We invited all those teams here. If we just start accusing them left and right we're going to start another Shinobi War."

"Anko is correct. We cannot afford more bad blood at the moment," the Third continued.

"So we're helpless," Asuma stated blandly.

The third held up a hand. "Not necessarily. We know that whoever killed that family was sick. So I want you all to keep a look-out for anyone who seems to be ill. Keep an especially close watch on those Nin who reside close to the crime scene."

"You mean like the foreign ninja staying in the hotels surrounding the business district?" Asuma said.

The Hokage smiled thinly.

"Man, you think there's something wrong? Kurenai-sensei has never been this late before." Kiba asked. He was sitting on the single stump in Training Area 18 with Akamaru on his head. The yellow grass swayed easily in the slight breeze.

Hinata sat beside him and re-checked all her equipment. A dozen kunai and shuriken with another dozen of each in a scroll. An empty sealing scroll. Another scroll filled with a week's worth of rations. Then there was Naruto's gift. She opened her hand and studied the symbol on her palm.

"She was most likely called to the Hokage's office for a final briefing before the exams begin."

"Yeah, maybe," he replied without looking, "Have you noticed anything weird since yesterday?"

Hinata frowned. Kiba being quiet and withdrawn was almost as unsettling as the silence she experienced at supper. "What do you mean?"

He thrust back his head and sighed, almost knocking Akamaru from his seat. "I don't know. But the Hokage called Mom from dinner yesterday, "something urgent". When she came back, she was pissed. Wouldn't let me go out for midnight training. Said it was dangerous."

Hinata's eyes narrowed. Something horrible enough to make Inuzuka Tsume worry was not to be taken lightly.

"So you haven't noticed anything?"

"Perhaps. Father has doubled the amount of guards on the night-shift and imposed a 7 o'clock curfew for all Main Clan members. I thought it was because of the foreign Nin arriving for the exams, but it coincides with your story too well. I think he's worried too."

Kiba turned to face her. "You think it might be the killer again?"

Hinata's mouth turned grim. "Most likely."

The subject of the killer in Konoha had been circling the coffee tables and teacher's lounges for almost 5 years, eventually landing in their laps during their second year at the Academy. Someone was murdering people in Konoha and had been doing so for almost half their lives. At first the knowledge shocked them. Weren't the Hidden Villages supposed to be the safest places in the world? Then the civilian students refused to attend classes for a week. It had taken a personal visit from the Hokage to bring them back.

Hinata had secretly resented him for that—class had been much more productive without whiny civilian kids slowing everyone down.

"You remember when the Old Man told us that all the murders happened in the Red Light District?"

Hinata nodded then nudged him with her elbow. "That's the Hokage you are speaking of, Kiba. Address him as such."

Kiba waved off her rebuke. "Yeah, yeah, I will. But besides that, did you know that Naruto lives in the Red Light District?"

There were very few times when Hinata Hyuga was genuinely surprised, and fewer when she let it show. This was one of those times.

Kiba watched as Hinata's eyes widen. Wow. So this was what it felt like to know more than someone else for once.

Hinata took a moment to still herself. Naruto lived in the Red Light District? The dirty, bar-infested, urine stained Red Light District? The one where shinobi met their hookers?

"You are serious?" She asked in a voice like ice.

Kiba decided that he wouldn't try to surprise Hinata again.

"Yeah, I walked him home after we came back from Wave."

"And you failed to mention that our teammate lived in the most poverty-stricken area in Konoha until now?"

Kiba held up his hands. "Hey, it's not that bad. He lives in a real nice apartment building, no broken windows or nothing."

Hinata resisted her urge to slap him. "Kiba, all the murders took place in the Red Light District!"

Kiba blanched at the implication. "Y-you don't think?"

"I don't know," she said, her Byakugan bulging from her sockets, "But that might be why Kurenai-sensei is late." She turned to stare down the path leading into Training Ground 18, scanning for any sign of their smallest companion.

Kiba felt a pit begin to form in the bottom of his stomach. As he tried to set his worry aside, his mind wandered back to when the nightmares first started.

When Kiba returned from taking Naruto home, Tsume led him to one of the smaller kitchens in the Inuzuka estate. It was dark outside.

She took a seat at the table in the middle of the room and gestured for her son to sit.

Kiba didn't move. He was, in fact, a little scared. His mother's face was unusually grim, and her eyes were hard as flint.

"You're going to want to sit down for what I'm about to tell you, Kiba."

That did it. Now he really was scared. His mother never used his name. It was always "Brat", or "Pup", or even "little one", never Kiba. He swallowed the lump in his throat and quickly sat down on the other end of the table.

Tsume ran a hand through her hair. This was not how she wanted to start. She had rehearsed this conversation in her head so many times that now that it was actually happening, she didn't know how to react. The apprehension and frank fear on her son's face threw her.

"Kiba!" she said. Kiba almost hopped out of his seat. When she saw her son's reaction, Tsume laughed.

Kiba blushed. "What's so funny?" he sputtered.

Tsume took a moment to clutch her sides before she said:

"You are, Pup. You look like a dog that thinks he's about to get neutered."

Kiba winced then asked, almost timidly:

"That's not what this is about, is it?"

This sent Tsume from her chair to rolling on the floor. Kiba glared playfully at his mother as she stamped her feet and clutched her sides.

With tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Tsume said:

"God, I love you, little one."

It was a simple confession, and a balm on his nerves.

Tsume stood when she recovered and sat next to Kiba's.

"Listen, I wanted to explain why I didn't let you and that boy go through the Culling."

Kiba frowned at her referring to Naruto as "that boy", but his curiosity won out.

"Don't you mean bonding?"

"No," Tsume said, "that's just a euphemism. When they first created the ritual, it was called the Culling."

"Culling—that doesn't sound good."

Tsume shook her head. "In biology, culling means to root out bad characteristics. Remember how we had to separate that stray that kept biting all the bitches in the kennel?"

Kiba nodded.

"Same thing. It's like breeding: we put the bitches with the dogs that have traits we want their pups to have, and we separate the ones that don't. The Inuzuka have been doing it for centuries, and not only to dogs."

"What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why we Inuzuka are naturally stronger and faster and have better senses than other shinobi?"

"Isn't it a bloodline or something?"

"Nope. Sorry Pup."

"What was it?" Kiba asked, sounding like a small child wanting to know how the fairy tale ends.

"Breeding."

Hinata's elbow jolted him from his memory.

"There he is," she said, her shoulders sagging slightly.

Kiba turned to see a small, black dot in the distance.

"You sure?"

Hinata revealed her active Byakugan.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Kiba smiled sheepishly.

The black dot grew from a period into the shape of a child, approaching with incredible speed despite that it looked like he was strolling. He was dressed differently than usual. He had substituted his shorts and long, white shirt for a white robe with gold embroidered edges and a black robe worn underneath. The sleeves of the robe were wide like that of a monk's and ended just above his elbows, revealing long black gloves. A white belt circled his waist. Black boots garbed his feet.

Kiba almost swallowed his tongue when he saw Naruto up close.

With his hair in a long, pale yellow ponytail that rested on his chest, Naruto looked so much like a beautiful, young girl that Kiba had to remind himself that this was Naruto he was looking at.

Hinata, however, noted that despite its perceived extravagance, the robes were perfectly suited for combat. They were loose enough to provide complete freedom of movement while tight enough to not get in the way during combat. There were no visible pockets. Yet a quick scan with her Byakugan revealed dozens of hidden spaces filled with kunai and shuriken. The Blade of Mercy was under his belt.

Naruto twirled on his toes.

"What do you think?"

Hinata chuckled. "You look adorable, Naruto."

He turned to Kiba and did another twirl.

Kiba's mouth opened but there was no sound. Open. Closed. Open. Closed. His cheeks burning red. He looked like a confused clown fish.

"I think he likes it too." Hinata said, smirking.

Kurenai appeared in a gust of wind and leaves to the sight of Hinata and Naruto facing one another in combat stance.

She was surprised when she saw Hinata wielding a long saber with her right hand and a dagger with her left. Since when had she practiced Kenjutsu?

She was again surprised when she saw Naruto. He had changed his outfit to something that a princess might wear.

"Hey sensei!" Kiba called out, waving to her.

She approached him.

"Good morning, Kiba. How was your week off?"

The Inuzuka heir flashed her a quick grin, exposing his fangs.

"Pretty good. Mom trained me personally."

Kurenai arched a brow. "And did you learn any new tricks?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you, Sensei?"

They shared a quick chuckle then turned their attention towards the two Genin as they charged one another.

"Since when has Hinata wielded a sword?" She asked almost offhandedly as the two exchanged steel.

"Dunno. Hinata just showed them to me a second ago. I think her and Naruto have been training together."

Naruto ducked under Hinata's wide swing, bringing up his blades in symmetrical stabs. Hinata twirled around them and lashed out at his face with her dagger. But Naruto was no longer there. He dove under her swing and slammed into her. Hinata stumbled. Swung her saber in a desperate effort to drive Naruto back. Naruto sidestepped the attack then swept her legs out from underneath her with a kick. She landed on her back. Her blades clattered onto the ground beside her.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" Naruto asked, sheathing his weapon.

Hinata groaned then rose onto her elbows. "I'm too slow."

Naruto shook his head and held out his hand. Hinata took it and was pulled to her feet.

"You were too passive."

The Hyuga heir frowned then turned to retrieve her blades.

"You're too used to being the defender instead of the attacker."

"You mean I'm too used to being outclassed by my opponent," she said bitterly.

"That didn't stop you from beating Lee."

Hinata felt a stab of irritation.

"Do you ever get tired of being right?"

Naruto grinned. "Not yet."

Clapping interrupted them.

"Well done, both of you." Kurenai said.

"Good morning, Kurenai-sensei," Both Hinata and Naruto said.

Kurenai nodded her greeting. She turned to Hinata.

"Go rest with Kiba and Akamaru. Naruto and I need to talk."

Hinata glanced at Naruto, and Kurenai despaired. Her student's pause was proof that there was still distrust between her and her team.

After another moment Hinata nodded.

Kurenai led Naruto into the nearby trees, far away enough that neither of their teammates would be able to hear them. She, however, knew that Hinata's Byakugan would be active until they returned.

She turned and bowed at the waist.

"I'm sorry," she said, this time neither stone-faced or sour, her hands were at her sides.

"Anko told you what happened," he stated.

"Yes. She told me about her addiction," she paused, "And what she did."

"I see."

"I told her what I did. She almost flayed me alive."

"Is that the reason you're apologizing now?" Naruto probed.

Kurenai lifted her head. "It is part of the reason, yes. The other is that I feel guilty for doing what I did."

"And is your guilt the only other reason you're apologizing?"

Kurenai grimaced. "No. I wanted to apologize as your teammate. I was suspicious of you since we met, and I hurt our team because of it." Her head went back down.

Naruto remained silent for another moment. Then he said:

"I will forgive you if you grant me a request."

Kurenai closed her eyes. Here it was: her penance.

Naruto lifted her chin to face him. He was grinning cheekily.

"Do you think we could be friends now?"

Kurenai laughed for a moment, completely thrown by his question. It seemed more like that of a small child asking for a piece of candy than a mature, young man's request. Then she straightened until she towered over her student. Her face becoming stern.

"Unfortunately, as sensei and student, it would be completely unethical for us to fraternize outside the confines of our duty."

Naruto's smile dimmed.

"But," Her expression melting into a smile, "I think that would be lovely."

He beamed.

"We should join Kiba and Hinata before they come looking for us," Kurenai said.

Her blond Genin turned to begin the walk back. But as he did, he said something that froze her:

"To be honest, Sensei, I have been keeping secrets from you and the team. But I promise I will never endanger the team to keep them, because," and here his voice became less melodic, gaining a sternness befitting a Hyuga heiress, "I won't work with anyone else."

Hinata noted the shock on her sensei's face when the two returned from their private conversation. She relaxed her Byakugan as they broke the treeline. Kiba stopped channeling chakra to his ears.

"Did you catch any of what they said?" She asked.

Kiba shook his head. "Nothing. All I could hear was rushing water."

Hinata shook her head.

"Thank you for trusting me with Naruto, you two." Kurenai said.

Both students repressed a wince.

"Now, before I send you off, there is something that I have to say."

She bowed again. "I'm sorry."

It was their turn to be shocked.

When she straightened, Kurenai continued:

"You have both noticed my behavior lately, and I feel that it's time that I explain. Before we became Team 8, one of my friends became seriously ill. She became distant and guarded. She stopped going out. Stopped communicating altogether. She began to self-medicate. When we returned from Wave, she almost overdosed."

Kiba grimaced. His mother had explained the dangers of addiction to him just after he graduated.

"Ninja tend to be easily addicted to shit. Some choose drugs, others booze, some get addicted to sex. And when they get older, if they don't die in battle, their vices kill them. And I don't want that for you, pup."

"I don't know if you can understand how helpless I felt," Kurenai said, her eyes down and away, "but I took it out on you and Naruto. I was angry and upset, and Naruto's secrecy triggered those feelings. I felt that if I couldn't even control my own Genin, I wouldn't be able to help her at all."

"So that's why you had him arrested!" Kiba said, standing.

Kurenai met Kiba's gaze with steel eyes, "I was in the right when I took him before the Hokage. Naruto endangered the team by hiding his abilities." Then her cheeks caught fire. "But I would be lying if I said my emotions didn't play a minuscule part in my decision."

"Vindictiveness isn't a very admirable trait, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata commented dryly.

Kurenai gave her a pained look. "No, it isn't." She closed her eyes and sigh

"I won't force you to follow me. If you feel that you can no longer trust me or my leadership, I will resign."

Naruto would have applauded her bravery if the situation weren't so delicate. Kurenai had offered them all the power in the situation. She was showing them that she trusted them implicitly.

Kiba and Hinata shared a look.

"I, for one, can understand the strange and misguided things people do under stress," Hinata said, remembering the way she had attacked Naruto, "Although I can't say I'm not upset at your behavior, I can't hold it against you without being a hypocrite."

Kurenai smiled weakly.

"I don't think I could've forgiven you if you said it wasn't your fault," Kiba murmured, "but you didn't. You admitted you were wrong instead of trying to shift the blame. And that takes guts." He smiled. "I can respect guts."

Their sensei bowed again. "Thank you."

Kurenai led them to a large white building on the other side of the village. It w It had a courtyard converted into sparring area with white chalk..

"This is where the First Exam will take place," she said.

Kiba groaned. "This doesn't look like an arena. Is this gonna be a freaking paper exam?"

The rest of the team smirked at his despair.

"Don't worry, Kiba. I'm sure there aren't any spooky written exams waiting for you," Hinata said.

Kurenai took a step back. They all seemed so big now. She had regarded them as babies when she first met them, babies that had just learned to walk in a world that expected too much of them. And in her desperation to make sure they were ready, she had made some… questionable… decisions. The extermination mission had been one of them. Withholding important information from them was another. But the one mistake she would never make was underestimate her team. She would believe in them wholeheartedly from now until the day they no longer were Team 8.

"I would say make me proud, but that's impossible. I'm already proud of you."

This time, it was team who bowed.

Naruto had one more private conversation with Kurenai.

"Why didn't you tell them about my blood?" he asked.

Kurenai sighed. "Besides the fact that I would be executed, everything I said was true. I did focus my anger and anxiety on you. I did lie to the team. I needed to take responsibility for my actions."

"And?"

"And… you did help Anko. I've never seen her cry before. She's no longer just hiding behind her smile. And when I can tell how much she cares about you. Now whether that's just a side-effect of her addiction," she looked pointedly at him, "or if you somehow managed to pierce that thick skull of hers, still remains to be seen."

Naruto nodded.

"But, let me say this: I don't approve."

He frowned.

"No matter what she says, the fact is that she is innocent when it comes to matters of the heart."

"I would never intentionally hurt her," Naruto protested.

"I know that. But you have to realize that Anko has only ever been this vulnerable with one other person."

"Orochimaru."

"When he betrayed Konoha, the villagers turned their blame onto her. She had to learn to harden her heart against their hate, and that made it difficult for people who actually cared to connect with her. I'm one of the few she chose to let in, and even I think it was mostly luck." She smiled melancholically. "I'm a little jealous actually."

"Thank you."

"But there lies the problem. Anko has decided to make you part of the few people she genuinely cares about. But at the same time, she's completely vulnerable to you, and that scares her. She spent most of her life trying to escape that man's shadow, and she's terrified it might end the same way. Could you imagine what she must be feeling, immense longing mixed with numbing fear? If you have any idea, then you can understand why she did what she did."

"She wanted to sever any bond she thought was leashing her to me."

"And in the process she ended up doing something that nearly destroyed her. Do you understand what I'm saying? Do you understand how much you could hurt her, even if you didn't mean to?"

Naruto didn't respond.

"No matter how mature you are, you're still a child. And despite the fact that she has the emotional maturity of a teenager, she's still an adult. I want her to have normal relationships, to fall for someone her own age, to experience petty heartbreak and little crushes and all the other things she missed because of that bastard, but that's not going to happen. Life isn't fair. And her heart's settled on you."

Blue eyes stared staunchly into her.

"What would you have me do?"

"Love her. With your whole heart. For as long as it lasts."

Naruto bowed then left.

The foyer was a long, wide room lined with enormous, stone tiles. In the middle of the room, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura faced each other. The Uchiha was low and tight, legs spread in the traditional Uchiha Taijutsu. Sakura remained loose, fists up, chin down, bouncing from one foot to another.

That's right. Keep moving. A stationary fighter is a dead fighter.

The others, including Higurashi Tenten and Rock Lee, were standing beside the only other door in the arena.

Sakura was the first to move. She took a single step with her back leg and flew, her feet never touching the ground before she came to a dead stop in front of the Uchiha, her left hand coming in on an arc. Sasuke stepped back to let the blow pass in front of his face.

Mistake, Lee thought.

Sakura in turn took a step forward and swept with her left leg. When Sasuke lifted his leg to avoid it, she struck.

She closed the distance. Ducked low. Came up with a gut punch on Sasuke's left side. It landed with a heavy smack like something heavy hitting a side of beef. He made a whooping gasp and tried to back away, but his opponent persisted. A left hook loosened his jaw, gut punch, right cross on his chin, solar plexus, gut punch. Each emphasized with heavy smack noises and sharp grunts. It looked like it was going to be a short fight.

Then she started to miss. Her blows began to glance. The Uchiha began to defend himself, to counter: repelling an uppercut with a well-placed block, turning aside her attempt at haymaker and landing a sharp blow on her chest.

Naruto couldn't see what had changed from where he stood, but he did catch Lee's reverent whisper: Sharingan.

Sakura didn't let up, handing out blows and receiving them with the grim courtesy of a triage doctor. Sasuke, on the other hand, was quickly frustrated at her lack of reaction. Why? Why were his blows so ineffective? Why was she suddenly better at Taijutsu than him? WHY WAS HE LOSING!?

With a yell, Sasuke threw himself forward, trying to match her blow for blow. This was his final mistake. Sakura had spent a whole month training and sparring with some of the best Taijutsu practitioners in Konoha, and all of them agreed upon her one defining trait: Grit.

Sakura had a near indomitable will. Guy had spotted it from the moment he'd seen her train. He had been so impressed that he had offered her a parting gift when the teams separated.

Sakura dropped her arms and thrust her head forward. The enraged Uchiha didn't think to halt his attacks before one fist landed squarely on the top of her bronze forehead. There was a cracking noise, a spurt of blood and a scream.

"Congrats on your win, Sakura."

Tenten smirked and clapped a hand on her shoulder. Sakura felt something burst within her at those words. She was finally an equal. She smiled back.

"That was a most youthful display, Sakura-san!" Lee said, bouncing from one foot to another.

Kiba clapped.

Hinata remained silent, her face was inscrutable under pearl eyes, her arms folded over her belly. Sakura cowed slightly under her gaze. It felt like she was in front of a panel of judges. Then one side of the Hyuga's mouth lifted in a half-smile.

"Impressive."

Sakura grinned.

Shino gave her a thumbs up.

"I see you've been keeping up with your training." Naruto said, appearing from behind her.

Much to her credit, Sakura only hopped this time.

"DON'T… do that, Naruto-sensei," she said.

Hinata and the others quirked a brow. Sensei?

Naruto tilted his head."Since when do you call me sensei?"

Sakura's blush was hidden by her new tan. "I just thought that it was appropriate considering that you spent more time training me than Kakashi-sensei did."

Tenten frowned. "Has he been neglecting your training?"

"No. I mean yes, but I don't think he's doing it on purpose. I just think he's been busy preparing Sasuke for the exams," she sputtered.

"He should have been busy preparing all three of you, not just Sasuke." Tenten turned to address Shino. "What about you, Aburame-san? Has he been ignoring you as well?"

Shino was tall with short, black hair. He wore a thick, faded green coat with a collar that hid the lower half of his face, and round, black glasses that hid his eyes. He spoke in a deep, calm voice: "Yes. When I asked for training, he informed me that he did not know any Aburame techniques, and that I should focus on mastering my clan's Ninpo. I did not think much of it until I saw Sakura-san's bout against Uchiha-san."

"What did you see, Aburame-san?"

"Sasuke's Taijutsu. It is much more advanced than what I recall from our previous spars, even though he rushed in and let his arrogance blind him to his opponent."

Sakura felt her new-found pride fade a little. Shino was right. Sasuke's arrogance had been as much a part of his downfall as her strength. If he had been calm and relied upon his Fire Ninjutsu, she would have lost, or even worse, been burned alive. Shino, ever observant, noted the slack in her shoulders at his words.

"Don't mistake my words for criticism, Sakura-san. You fought well and earned that victory through your skill alone. Any fault that weakened him was his own."

The pinkette straightened slightly and nodded her thanks. Shino nodded in return.

"And there was the small fact of his Sharingan," Hinata said.

Shino acknowledged her with another nod, his glasses never dipping from his eyes.

"The Sharingan is famous not only for it's power, but the price one must pay to activate it."

"My mom told me it takes a life-or-death situation for the Sharingan to awaken," Kiba said.

Shino nodded again. Some of the Genin wondered if that was the only expression he knew.

"Could Sasuke have activated it when he was young? He was there when Itachi killed his family," Sakura said, secretly cursing that it sounded like she was defending him again.

Shino shook his head. "If he had activated it, he would have shown it during the mission to Wave. I do not believe Uchiha-san has the patience necessary to hide his strength for that long."

"So he most likely got it working because Kakashi forced it out. That must have been some serious training." Kiba commented.

"And judging from his proficiency in activating it, one might safely assume training in its use."

"Bastard," Tenten snarled.

"Tenten-san!"

"That's what he is, Sakura. He knew what you would face going into the exams, yet he refused to train you, a civilian descendant, because he had to think of the precious Uchiha. He couldn't have taken an hour a day to instruct you? That's bullshit, Sakura. I can understand Shino needing to learn his clan techniques, but you, with no one to guide you and no clan to fall back on? He abandoned you!"

Sakura, dismayed by her anger and touched by her concern, couldn't think of anything to say.

"And I'm assuming that neither of you have reported him to the Hokage yet?" She asked darkly.

Sakura's eyes swelled. "I couldn't."

"You can and you must, Sakura. How is he going to learn if you let him get away with it? What's going to happen if you get injured or crippled because of his neglect?"

"But if I report him, it might break up the team." She defended weakly.

"What team, Sakura? The team where he neglects you and runs off to train his Uchiha brat!?"

"But—"

"No more 'buts'! What is the problem!? Why are you so intent on protecting them?!"

"Because I don't want to beat them that way, alright!?" Sakura shouted, her eyes shining. "I don't want to win by telling on them! I want to win by beating them! I want to face Sasuke in the finals and kick his ass in front of the entire village! I want to look Kakashi in the eye when they hand me that Chunin jacket, and I want him to know that I don't need his help to be strong!"

Tenten's jaw set. Her eyes went flat and hard and glittered like river stones. Sakura met her gaze. Kiba took several steps back, just in case it came to blows again. Then the brunette relaxed. "You better do that. Because if you don't, if you lose before you kick the Uchiha's ass, I will report him for neglect and misconduct befitting a Jonin-instructor."

"I will," Sakura said, "I won't lose."

"See that you don't." Tenten smiled.

As Sakura and Shino left to find Sasuke, Team Guy and Team 8 shared an awkward silence. Naruto turned to the two. He bowed lightly. The two surprised him by bowing lower.

"I'm sorry for my recent behavior, Naruto-kun."

"Me too, Naruto."

Before Naruto could accept their apology, Hinata stepped in front of him. She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze upon the two.

"And what's brought this on?" She asked.

Lee bowed his head. Tenten looked away.

"Well, after you left, Guy took us aside. We tried to explain our outrage but he shut us down. Then he told us to explain the real reason we blamed you. When we couldn't convince him, he made us do laps around the village until we 'recovered our youthfulness'."

"So you're apologizing because you'll be punished if you don't," Hinata accused.

"No! That's not the reason we're apologizing, Hinata-san." Lee said. "Guy-sensei made us realize that our anger wasn't against Naruto-kun at all, but at ourselves. Naruto-kun was just the easier target."

"What does that mean?"

Tenten sighed. "It's Neji. For a while now, he's been… drifting from us. When we first became Team Guy, he was distant, but that changed after our first couple missions together. We were a real team. He even ate with us sometimes. He even… smiled.

The Hyuga princess's eyes widened.

"It was only for a moment, Hinata-san, but it happened. We were sparring and I came close to defeating him. But he beat me when I incorrectly performed the Konoha-Senpuu (Leaf Whirlwind). I was so excited that I had come so close to defeating him and Neji… he smiled and said that it was a good match."

"But then something changed," Tenten added, "Around three months ago. He started avoiding us. We would come back from missions and he would excuse himself right after coming through the gates. He stopped speaking to us outside of training or missions. And he would shut down every time we cornered him. It was like we were talking to someone who… who… "

"Like someone who fully expected to die," Hinata finished her thought.

Tenten looked stricken then nodded. Lee rubbed at his itching eyes.

"He was distancing himself from you because he felt that he would die soon. He was hoping to lessen the blow for you."

"But why would he think he was going to die?" Kiba asked, stroking Akamaru for comfort.

Naruto stepped out from behind Hinata.

"Perhaps he was about to do something that he believed would end in his death," he said. Hinata's head snapped in his direction. "No."

"He tried it once already."

Tenten noticed their exchanged look. "What? What did he say?"

"He suggested that perhaps Neji was about to do something he was sure that would end in his death."

"Like assassinating a fellow Konoha-nin?" Surprisingly it was Lee who figured it out.

"Lee! You can't mean that!" Tenten protested.

"He already tried before, Ten-chan! Remember what he said."

Hinata's Byakugan activated. The veins around her eyes bulging menacingly.

"What did he tell you?"

Both looked away.

"You both apologized for your unfounded accusations, but I seriously doubt your sincerity if you won't divulge another attempt upon my teammate's life."

Tenten flinched as if struck, and then squared her shoulders. She confessed.

Neji had invited them both to their native training ground after practice. When they arrived, he was already settled under the fading shade of the trees.

They approached cautiously.

"Tenten, Lee, I have something to confess." He patted the grass beside him. "Take a seat."

They did as told.

"What's this about, Neji?" Tenten asked.

He didn't answer her. He just stared ahead and spoke:

"I don't care about the exams. I don't care about advancing. I have one goal: to kill Uzumaki Naruto."

When Tenten and Lee tried to protest, he dealt two simultaneous blows to their necks, paralyzing them. Then he relaxed again.

"And I will kill anyone who gets in my way. But it won't be out of revenge. No. I have moved past that. It will be because fate has decided it to be so. Fate decided that a child would cause my father's death. Fate decided that my father would be chosen. Fate decided that I would avenge him when it made me a prodigy. It was fate that I failed to kill the Uzumaki. And it will be fate that will guide me to him again. But let me be fair."

He produced a single Ryo coin from his pocket. On one side was the face of the Fire Daimyo. On the other was Konoha's symbol. Heads and tails.

"If this lands on the head, then I will abandon my vengeance. If it lands on the tail end, the Uzumaki dies."

He flicked the coin into the air. Despite being paralyzed, Tenten and Lee traced its path, glittering in the dusk light, flipping over and over, heads, tails, heads, tails, heads, tails, until it landed in Neji's open palm. It came up tails.

"It's decided then." Neji said. Then he slapped it down onto the back of his other hand. When he revealed the coin, the stern eyes of the Fire Daimyo stared back.

"Uzumaki dies."

"So he intends to kill Naruto during the Chunin Exams?"

Tenten nodded.

"It makes sense. Father informed me that the second part of the exam would involve an all-out battle where our lives are forfeit. If he killed Naruto then, he wouldn't be liable to the law." Hinata stated in a mechanical voice.

"What I wanna know is where you stand on this." Kiba interjected, taking his place on Naruto's other side. "If Neji finds Naruto, will you look the other way? Or will you try to stop him?"

"There is also the fact that this might be your only chance to save Neji," Hinata continued, "If he is set on killing Naruto, then you might consider helping him. If he does it during the second phase, he'll get away scott free."

"We would never!" Lee protested, his face pale.

"So you would stand against him if it came to it?"

Tenten looked away. Lee looked like he had just been stabbed.

"As I thought," Hinata said, grasping Naruto's hand. "Remember this: If Neji tries to murder my teammate again, I will kill him."

With a final Byakugan-enhanced glare, she stormed away with an apologetic looking blond in tow.

Author's Note: If you haven't noticed, I have another story called The Power of Selfishness.

Another thing: I'm not made of paper. And I admit that I've been fishing for likes. But what I want is feedback, not flattery. So, if you find that there's something you don't like about my story, then you can either leave a constructive comment or PM me. I won't suddenly change things, but it would give me the tools I need to better my writing, and better the reading experience for you.

Anyway, thank you for reading my story, and have a nice day.

*Dives into the sink and disappears with a gurgling sound.*