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Fiery Dawn 20:

The sun began to rise over the great village of Konoha igniting the Eastern sky like fire as it drove away the darkness of the night.  With the rising of the sun also came the rising of anticipation of the final stage of the Chunin Exam and the appearance of the Kazekage’s convoy.  Gaara walked in front of the carriages with his wife Matsuri as they arrived at the massive gates to Konoha.  They were greeted by many smiling faces of a welcoming party composed of village elders, clan leaders, and the Hokage Naruto out front.
“GAARA,” shouted Naruto in welcome as he ran up to his old friend.
“Naruto it is good to see you,” responded Gaara in a reserved tone as they shook hands, “How are you adjusting to your new position?”
“It’s going well…”
“Daddy,” exclaimed Kaiya interrupting Naruto as she ran up to her father and hugged him.
“Kaiya-chan you shouldn’t act like that,” scolded Matsuri as she placed her hands on her hips.
“It’s okay,” replied Naruto with his trademark smile while scratching his head, “Daughters are a father’s joy.”
“Hello Gaara,” spoke Temari as she stepped up to greet her little brother with Shikamaru right behind her, “I hope your trip was enjoyable.”
“It was…speaking of daughters where is Kimi-chan,” asked the Kazekage as he looked about for his spirited niece.
“She’s training with her sensei although she should be back in time for the exams,” answered Temari with Kankuro following right on the heels of her response as he said, “Yeah she is…even though she should be resting instead.”
“Why what happened,” inquired Gaara as his daughter went to say hello to her two teammates that had traveled to Konoha with her father’s convoy.
“She was hurt during a mission,” answered Shikamaru, “Her sensei said they were going to do light training, nothing too strenuous but enough to help her maintain her conditioning until she’s fully recovered.”
“It does not surprise me,” added Gaara with a look of nostalgia in his eyes, “If I remember all three of us were always stubborn when it came to things like that especially you Kankuro.”
“Yeah I guess you’re right,” replied the puppet master with a smirk.
“Well I’m sure we could all stand here talking for hours,” commented Hinata with a polite smile, “But why don’t we go to the breakfast banquet we prepared so our honored guests can eat and refresh themselves before the exam?”
“That sounds pleasant,” replied Gaara as his convoy followed the welcoming group into the village.  On their way in Gaara did give Naruki a cold stare as he passed him by not forgetting the sudden urge to kill him a few days early.  However this finally made sense when he saw Kaiya take his hand as they walked in causing him to whisper to himself, “Daughters are a father’s joy and sorrow when they find another man to support them.”

Hyuuga Tsukika sat in the bathroom floor breathing heavily as she wiped the remaining vomit from her lips.  She had never felt like this before.  Her stomach felt like it was burning and twisting all at once to the point that it seemed it was going to split open.  She quickly drank a few glasses of water from the sink just so she would have something to throw up as she hung her head in the toilet one more time.
“Tsukika-chan are you okay,” asked Tenten, her mother through the bathroom door.
“No,” she answered with tears in her eyes.
Tenten opened the door and immediately her nose made her aware of the strong smell of stomach acid and bile.  She could see her daughter was very ill and she knelt beside her brushing her hair out of her daughter’s face just as she began to vomit again.  Her father Neji looked in when he heard the sounds of gagging and immediately his pale eyes could see that Tsukika’s chakra system was flowing irregularly.
Neji waited for her to stop vomiting before he quickly struck her in several key points on her back restoring the flow of chakra to its normal pathways.  Tsukika felt the pain subside almost instantly when her father hit her chakra points and she took a few moments to catch her breath.  Tenten took these few moments to wipe off her daughter’s face with a wet cloth before helping her to her feet.
“Thanks dad,” spoke Tsukika in a raspy voice.
“Are you okay now,” asked Tenten as she rubbed her daughter’s back.
“Yeah…I guess I ate something that didn’t agree with me last night,” she answered sheepishly as she added, “plus I’m really nervous about today.”
“Why,” asked Neji.
“I know I’ve gone on a ton of missions and fought some really strong enemies…but this is different…I’ll be standing in front of hundreds of elders, nobles and clan leaders,” she said with worry in her pale eyes, “They’ll all be looking at me…and from my performance…they’ll pass judgment on my family, our clan and our village!”
“It’s okay Tsukika,” replied Neji as he placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him so they could look face to face, “You are the strongest Hyuuga this clan has seen in sixty years and you are already surpassing me.  When you stand in that arena today do not worry about what they think…concentrate on what I know…you are my daughter and no matter what may happen today I will never look down upon you in any way.  You are my pride and my love and I will always support you with all the strength in my body.”
“Dad,” said Tsukika as she hugged him and buried her face in his chest as she began to cry.
“You have your father’s taijutsu, my weapons skill and you have both of our jutsu,” spoke Tenten as she rubbed her daughter’s head, “You will do well no matter who you face, no matter what elder watches, no matter what anyone says today…we are proud of you.  Now let’s go downstairs and see if we can make you something for breakfast that will ease your stomach…and your nerves.”

Yajuta moved quickly around the abandoned temple he had made his home removing all the traps except a choice few.  Mayu had been quiet sitting in the corner watching him especially now that he wore such a sadistic smile of utter joy.  That smile could only mean one thing…Kiba was on his way here to take her back to Konoha and Yajuta wanted a grand battle…the ultimate beast versus the ultimate hunter.  Besides she had made a vow that she would never go back and she would stand by Yajuta’s side forever…this would be a fight Kiba would not forget or…survive.

Kiba had become disgusted with the pace they had to maintain because every few hundred meters there was another trap.  He was used to going as fast as he could to overtake his prey but each time they came upon a new one Hanabi had to disarm it because she was the only one who could see all the other traps linked to the first.  This tried his patience to no end and one thing the Inuzuka clan leader swore he would do before this was all over was to make that trash, Yajuta eat one of his accursed traps if it was the last thing he ever did.
“Hey Hanabi are you almost done,” asked a frustrated Kiba as he sat on the branch watching his beloved disarm yet another device.
“Keep your shirt on…this is dangerous,” she retorted.
“That’s not what you were telling me last night,” said Kiba with a laugh as Hanabi gave him a rude gesture with her hand, “We’re almost there…and I want this to be all over with…so we can start over…together…and get it right this time.”
“Me too,” she said as she looked at Kiba with the morning sun behind him but no matter what he said she could not shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen when they reached their goal.

Taurus sat by the fire as he watched over Kimi, who was fast asleep and recovering from her intense training.  He was absolutely amazed at her progress because she had learned more in 32 hours then he did in a year of training.  Despite the fact she already had knowledge of chakra control and jutsu her brilliant mind lived up to everything he had hoped for and much, much more.  If she continued at this pace she would be able to join the ANBU in a matter of two years and to eventually follow in his steps…as the Black Death of Konoha.  Regardless of what he wanted or hoped for it would ultimately be her decision and he would support her.
“It’s morning already,” commented Kimi as she stretched.
“Yes it is,” he responded as he tossed her a rice ball, “Hurry up and change the exams will be starting soon and I know you do not want to miss your brother’s performance.”
“Thank you Taurus-sensei.”
“For what,” he asked as he put out the fire.
“For trusting me with this knowledge…and putting your faith in me,” she said as she ate.
“Whatever you decide to do or path you choose to walk you will always have my faith and trust.  Now hurry so we can get a good seat.”

“That breakfast was amazing,” exclaimed Matsuri with a big satisfied smile on her face as they walked into the arena.
“I forgot how good Konoha’s food was,” stated Gaara as they began to ascend the stairs to Kage chairs in the arena.
“I miss some of Suna’s food too,” added Naruto as he patted his belly, “but I sure don’t miss the heat…and sand.”
“I know what you mean,” replied Matsuri, “It feels so cold here especially with all the shade trees…I miss my desert.”
“So Gaara-kun are you anxious to watch your daughter compete in the exams,” asked Hinata as they all took their seats.
“I trained her well…she will do fine,” he plainly stated.
“Don’t let him fool you,” whispered Matsuri to Hinata, “Kaiya-chan is all he could talk about on the way over here…she’s his little girl after all.”
“Well I’m ready to get this exam started,” proclaimed Naruto with a look of joy in his blue eyes as he yelled down to Shikamaru in the middle of the arena, “Tell me as soon as the fighters are ready.”

Tekkan ran on ahead of his family to the arena because he wanted to assure he got the best seat for watching the exams despite the fact that the Uchiha clan already had there own section below the Hokage.  He wanted to sit as close as he could to the Hokage and Kazekage so he could eavesdrop on their discussion of the fights.  It was all a part of his plan to use his Sharingan and the comments of the Kages to analyze the fights and hopefully learn a few new jutsu along the way.
He swore under his breath that he would not lose to Naruki.  When he reached his seat he saw that Taurus-sensei was sitting with Kimi and her mother and uncle in the Nara clan section.  Naruki and his siblings were sitting in the Hyuuga section with their grandfather Hiashi.  He was about to yell something to his rival about not losing to him when it came time for their exams but decided not to when his dad and sisters sat down beside him.
“Using your Sharingan to try and learn new jutsu,” asked Sasuke as he sat down.
“Hai,” answered Tekkan with determination in his voice.
“That is a very good idea…Akina-chan you should follow your brother’s example,” stated Sasuke as he placed his arm around his daughter, “Just be careful and don’t over do it.”

Tsukika walked to the arena with her mom and dad all the while she was just trying to remember how to breathe.  She could not believe how nervous she was over this but at least her stomach did not hurt anymore.  She entered into the fighter’s area through the back while her parents went up to their seats and almost immediately she ran into her teammates.
However she took her father’s advice and kept her distance because she did not know who she was going to end up fighting.  He told her she would not want to have any sentiment or sympathy if she had to face Yuudai or Naoki and he was right.  If she had to face Yuudai she would not be able to separate her feelings and face him with a level head.
If she faced Naoki she would be afraid to use her full strength because he look’s so frail like a scholar…despite the fact she knew he was an outstanding shinobi.  Her pale Hyuuga eyes looked over the others who waited for their chance to fight.  Nara Yukio would make a formidable opponent with his shadow jutsu and extraordinary mind…she really did not want to fight him.  She knew very little about the shinobi from the Land of Grass other than he was a genjutsu user…but he did not look that impressive to her and not to mention he barely passed the preliminary round of fighting.
Akimichi Chojiro was always an underachiever regardless of the fact he could use two of the most devastating clan techniques in the whole village.  Rock Rai could use limited ninjutsu but her taijutsu skills were unequalled in her academy class.  Tsukika could only hope that she would face one of these two and then she would have a rather easy fight and make chunin for sure.  The last competitor was Kaiya the daughter of the Kazekage Gaara, someone she knew was formidable, aggressive and the one she really did not want to fight today.
She walked up to the rail over looking the arena grounds and she looked up when the crowd began to cheer as the Hokage announced the start of the exams.  She could see her cousins Naruki, Kanaye and Hana sitting in the Hyuuga clan section where her parents and Hiashi-sama were sitting.  She took a deep breath when she saw Nara Shikamaru in the middle of the arena holding up his hands for the crowd to be silent…this could only mean he was about to announce the first match.
“The first match of the Chunin Exam,” shouted Shikamaru as he looked about the arena, “is Hyuuga Tsukika and Kaiya of the Desert!”
Tsukika thought her heart was going to stop when she heard those words.  She looked over at the daughter of the Kazekage and knew this would happen since she did not want to fight her.  In her head she ran through the match up: Kaiya was a mid to long range fighter with heavy defensive capabilities while she was a short to mid range fighter…but then again she had great offensive qualities and the Byakugan.
The crowd began to roar when Kaiya appeared on the arena grounds out of a swirl of black sand.  They roared again when Tsukika jumped down on to the field and walked to the center.  With every step she took Tsukika felt her anxiety build until she began to feel herself trembling.  She did not even look up when she reached the center because she was too busy trying to calm her mind…this was a mistake.
Tsukika did not hear Shikamaru yell “Fight” but she did feel the tendril of black sand strike her in the chest and send her flying through the air.  She also felt how hard the wall was when it very abruptly stopped her mid-air flight.  It took just a few seconds to get her bearings but very quickly the daughter of Neji and Tenten was on her feet and she had stopped trembling.
“I have to thank you Kaiya-chan,” announced Tsukika as she stood to her feet.
“Why’s that,” asked Kaiya of the desert as she prepared her next attack.
“When I walked out here I was trembling…at first I thought it was fear of being in front of so many people,” she said as she looked up at her father who nodded his approval, “but it wasn’t.”
“What was it then,” questioned Kaiya as more of black iron sand poured out of the gourd on her back.
“It was excitement,” replied Tsukika as she dropped down into a fighting stance, “To tell the truth there are only two people in this arena who could truly challenge me.  One of them is Nara Yukio, who is the smartest person I know not to mention his jutsu and new puppet techniques…the other is you.”
“Then why are you excited Tsukika-chan?”
“Because now I have the chance to show everyone here the power and pride of the Hyuuga clan,” shouted Tsukika, “Before this match is over you will know just what I can do…Byakugan!”
“Just so you know Tsukika-chan I have been training to fight you…because you are the only one here who could offer a challenge to me…I’m excited too,”  added Kaiya as she adjusted her fighting stance, “Let’s do our best and show everyone here…why they should fear us both!”

“How troublesome…these two girls are going to go all out,” stated Shikamaru as he quickly took sanctuary on the arena wall.

“This is going to be a great match,” shouted Naruto while Gaara silently watched.

“Black Desert Tsunami,” shouted Kaiya as a tidal wave of black sand eight meters high launched toward Tsukika.

“If she gets hit with that it’s over,” commented Kankuro as Temari nodded in agreement.  Kimi took note and continued to watch without saying anything because she had fought beside Tsukika and she knew she was a strong kunoichi.

Tsukika’s eyes revealed there was a consistent amount of chakra throughout the wave with no visible weaknesses.  Her eyes also showed her that Kaiya’s chakra points were not visible which could only mean she was using the Armor of Sand.  If she remembered correctly the Armor of Sand uses a lot of chakra so it left her with the question…how much chakra did Kaiya-chan have?  When the wave reached her Tsukika rapidly spun as she said, “Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin!”
Kaiya watched as the wave of sand broke harmlessly against the vortex of wind generated by her opponent’s high velocity spin.  She was impressed because Naruki’s information was right about her although knowing about someone and seeing them in action is two totally different things.  Kaiya knew she was going to have to up her performance if she was going to win.
The roar in the arena became deafening as the battle between the two kunoichi intensified as Kaiya lashed out with tendrils of iron sand and Tsukika countered with her spin while moving ever closer.  All the other chunin hopefuls watched in amazement at the battle taking place as they stood at the railing.  A few others realized that after this spectacle there would be little hope of impressing anyone who was watching today.
Tsukika finally closed the gap enough to use her scrolls.  She quickly dodged three black tendrils as she pulled out two scrolls from her pouch.  Tsukika used just enough chakra to activate the scrolls not wanting to waste anything as she performed her hand signs.  She threw the scrolls, one on either side of Kaiya as she shouted, “Screaming Twin Dragons!”
The two scrolls unleashed a barrage of kunai and shuriken all directed toward the daughter of the Kazekage.  However Tsukika watched on in horror as Kaiya’s sand spun around her at incredible speed and grinded up every last one of the weapons adding the iron they were made of to her arsenal.  Kaiya smirked as she said, “Using weapons made from iron sand is not a good idea against me.”
“I’ll have to try something else then,” stated Tsukika as she threw ten kunai to different areas of the arena which exploded on impact encasing the entire arena in smoke.
“Cleansing Breath,” spoke Kaiya as she form several hand signs summoning a wind to blow away the smoke.  However as the smoke cleared the kunoichi from the desert found that she was surrounded by fifteen Tsukika.  She looked around gathering her iron sand around her, “Using clones smart…but futile…Black War Tree Jutsu!”
The moment she said those words her black sand formed into a massive tree whose branches filled the arena.  Then within the moment of a breath the branches slammed down onto all fifteen Tsukika piercing them with their sharp edges…however they all were revealed to be clones.  The moment this happened Tsukika erupted from the ground at Kaiya’s feet as she said, “Eight Trigrams Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms!  Two strikes!  Four strikes!  Eight strikes!  Sixteen strikes!  Thirty-two strikes!  Sixty-four strikes!  One hundred twenty-eight strikes!  Two hundred fifty-six strikes!”
Tsukika knew she just blew through over half of her chakra easily but it would all be worth it if it worked.  She watched as Kaiya’s body bounced and rolled across the arena ground.  When she finally came to an abrupt stop there was a large cloud of iron sand that exploded from off her body.  At that moment Tsukika knew she had destroyed the Armor of Sand and that she had sealed at least fifty key chakra points.
Kaiya coughed up a mouthful of blood as the arena spun around her but as she regained her composure she could instantly tell that her chakra flow had been disrupted badly.  She had been trying to keep Tsukika at a distance for that simple fact and Naruki was right…it did hurt.  Kaiya looked over and saw that Tsukika was still waiting to see if she would get up along with all the other spectators.  She would not disappoint as she used the remaining chakra she had at her disposal and screamed, “Iron Tomb Jutsu!”
Tsukika was caught flatfooted when the tree of black sand suddenly changed shaped into that of a gigantic mouth and swallowed her.  She could feel the suffocating sand begin to squeeze and tighten around her forcing the air from her body but what was the worst part of this situation was she could not breathe.  She inwardly cursed for being so careless but she couldn’t lose not like this…not to her.
Kaiya staggered to her feet, her left arm was useless because of Tsukika’s chakra sealing attack and now she was using what little she had left to maintain the tomb.  She could feel Tsukika’s heart slowing and her breathing coming to a halt but she had no intention of killing her…besides she could not even complete the jutsu.  At the point Kaiya was about to release the jutsu the black tomb blasted open from Tsukika using the Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin Jutsu.
“I am a Hyuuga (cough)…I will not lose…I will (cough, cough),” spoke Tsukika through labored breathing as she fought to fill her lungs with air and coughed up black iron sand, “I will…”

“That is true Hyuuga pride,” commented Hiashi to Kanaye as the entire arena watched in silence, waiting to find out what would happen next.

Kaiya looked at her opponent, then at herself and she knew neither one of them could continue.  Her remaining chakra was sealed and Tsukika used what she had left to escape the tomb…they both were barely standing.  Kaiya looked up at her father wondering if he was disappointed but instead she saw him smile and nod to her.  She knew then she had won the day because she had not disappointed her dad and he was proud of her.
“I’m stopping Tsukika-chan…before we end up killing each other,” said Kaiya as she started walking toward the back, “I can’t use my chakra and you’ve used all yours…I’d rather end this now knowing we both did our best…and that we could count each other as friends.  Shikamaru-sama I forfeit!”
“Why,” asked Tsukika when Kaiya limped past her.
“I made my dad proud…that’s all that matters,” she replied with a blood filled smile as she coughed up another mouthful of the red liquid.
“Winner Hyuuga Tsukika due to forfeit,” announced Shikamaru as he once again returned to the arena grounds.

Neji and Tenten both appeared beside their daughter from swirls of leaves.  Tsukika could no longer stand as she collapsed into the arms of her father who held her with all he had as she asked, “Did I…make you…proud…of me?”
“No father could be prouder,” answered Neji with tears in his eyes as he picked up his little girl, who was now unconscious.
“Let’s take her to the hospital,” said Tenten as the spectators cheered for both competitors and the two parents vanished with their child.

“Hiashi-sama I’m gonna go check on Kaiya-chan,” announced Naruki as he got up from his seat and ran to the back where she would be.

Kaiya decided to walk to the back under her own power and she was closely followed by her two teammates who had watched from the competitors’ area.  She knew she was hurt because after the match she could not even pull her sand back into her gourd; she would have to come back for it when she recovered.
“So Kaiya-chan you can’t use any chakra right now,” asked one of her comrades.
“No, the Hyuuga are powerful foes indeed,” she said as she grunted in pain.
“Good, that’s just what we wanted to hear,” sneered the other.

Naruki reached the back but what he found was not he what he expected, when he arrived he saw two strange shinobi tying Kaiya up.  He yelled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing, dattebayo!”
Before he could react one of the foreign shinobi was upon him and from the chakra he had Naruki could tell he was jounin level at least.  However this was a small matter compared to the kick the enemy ninja delivered to Naruki’s ribs sending him into the stone wall of the hallway.  The Hokage’s son desperately fought to remain conscious but it was little use as everything around him went black…and in that blackness he heard a voice.

“Naruki,” spoke a voice that sounded a lot like someone dragging their fingernails across a blackboard at the academy.
“Who’s there,” he asked in near panic.
“I’m the one you have IGNORED, I’m the one who’s voice has nearly been FORGOTTEN because you always drowned me out with those headphones of yours,” snarled the voice with an entwined anger, “I am that little piece of essence that my father the Kyuubi left in you.”
“Shut up I don’t want you in me,” screamed Naruki as he looked around the darkness until he saw a fox standing two meters tall appear before him.  The fox only had one tail but his fur was charred and covered in a thick layer of soot, there was also a crimson colored liquid dripping from it.  The fox’s eyes were a baleful green and just making the slightest of eye contact Naruki could feel this creature’s insane blood lust.
“Too bad little boy…but you are stuck with me.  Getting rid of me would be like trying to cut off your own head.  Now SHUT UP AND LISTEN,” roared the fox, “I am Kyribi, the Fox of the Burning Valley, I crave battle and I want to FIGHT!!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about those two pieces of trash that are trying to take Kaiya-chan,” growled the fox as he bent down looking Naruki in the eye, “I need your body.”
“Forget it!  I’m not becoming a monster!”
“If you want to save her then listen to me,” snapped the fox, “I can’t manifest like my sister Kiyobi nor can I grant you some vast amount of chakra…the fragment I was born from was too small for me to do that.  However I can offer you something far more valuable.”
“What’s that,” asked Naruki as he stepped closer.
“The knowledge of your father…the knowledge of his jutsu,” spoke the fox as he smiled sinisterly, “All I need is for you to let me have control.  What do you say Naruki…my brother?”

Naruki felt like he was just watching his body move all on its own when he stood to his feet.  He could feel the chakra in his body begin to move and flow into each arm down to his palms.  There it began to gather, spin in all directions as it formed into balls of pure chakra one in each of his hands.  Then Naruki heard a voice come from his mouth that was not his own…it was Kyribi’s but as the fox spoke it felt all too natural.
Naruki then realized he was running toward both of the enemy shinobi at full speed all the while the fox was hurling insults about what he was going to do to them.  The Hokage’s son could see that Kaiya was still tied and gagged but she was watching what was going on…and he felt ashamed at what he was allowing to happen to save her.  However his attention was drawn back to his enemies when he got within arms reach of them and he heard a word come from his mouth that sounded all too familiar like it always belonged there when he heard the fox shout, “RASENGAN!!!”

To be continued…

Description
Fiery Dawn 20:

The sun began to rise over the great village of Konoha igniting the Eastern sky like fire as it drove away the darkness of the night.  With the rising of the sun also came the rising of anticipation of the final stage of the Chunin Exam and the appearance of the Kazekage’s convoy.  Gaara walked in front of the carriages with his wife Matsuri as they arrived at the massive gates to Konoha.  They were greeted by many smiling faces of a welcoming party composed of village elders, clan leaders, and the Hokage Naruto out front.
“GAARA,” shouted Naruto in welcome as he ran up to his old friend.
“Naruto it is good to see you,” responded Gaara in a reserved tone as they shook hands, “How are you adjusting to your new position?”
“It’s going well…”
“Daddy,” exclaimed Kaiya interrupting Naruto as she ran up to her father and hugged him.
“Kaiya-chan you shouldn’t act like that,” scolded Matsuri as she placed her hands on her hips.
“It’s okay,” replied Naruto with his trademark smile while scratching his head, “Daughters are a father’s joy.”
“Hello Gaara,” spoke Temari as she stepped up to greet her little brother with Shikamaru right behind her, “I hope your trip was enjoyable.”
“It was…speaking of daughters where is Kimi-chan,” asked the Kazekage as he looked about for his spirited niece.
“She’s training with her sensei although she should be back in time for the exams,” answered Temari with Kankuro following right on the heels of her response as he said, “Yeah she is…even though she should be resting instead.”
“Why what happened,” inquired Gaara as his daughter went to say hello to her two teammates that had traveled to Konoha with her father’s convoy.
“She was hurt during a mission,” answered Shikamaru, “Her sensei said they were going to do light training, nothing too strenuous but enough to help her maintain her conditioning until she’s fully recovered.”
“It does not surprise me,” added Gaara with a look of nostalgia in his eyes, “If I remember all three of us were always stubborn when it came to things like that especially you Kankuro.”
“Yeah I guess you’re right,” replied the puppet master with a smirk.
“Well I’m sure we could all stand here talking for hours,” commented Hinata with a polite smile, “But why don’t we go to the breakfast banquet we prepared so our honored guests can eat and refresh themselves before the exam?”
“That sounds pleasant,” replied Gaara as his convoy followed the welcoming group into the village.  On their way in Gaara did give Naruki a cold stare as he passed him by not forgetting the sudden urge to kill him a few days early.  However this finally made sense when he saw Kaiya take his hand as they walked in causing him to whisper to himself, “Daughters are a father’s joy and sorrow when they find another man to support them.”

Hyuuga Tsukika sat in the bathroom floor breathing heavily as she wiped the remaining vomit from her lips.  She had never felt like this before.  Her stomach felt like it was burning and twisting all at once to the point that it seemed it was going to split open.  She quickly drank a few glasses of water from the sink just so she would have something to throw up as she hung her head in the toilet one more time.
“Tsukika-chan are you okay,” asked Tenten, her mother through the bathroom door.
“No,” she answered with tears in her eyes.
Tenten opened the door and immediately her nose made her aware of the strong smell of stomach acid and bile.  She could see her daughter was very ill and she knelt beside her brushing her hair out of her daughter’s face just as she began to vomit again.  Her father Neji looked in when he heard the sounds of gagging and immediately his pale eyes could see that Tsukika’s chakra system was flowing irregularly.
Neji waited for her to stop vomiting before he quickly struck her in several key points on her back restoring the flow of chakra to its normal pathways.  Tsukika felt the pain subside almost instantly when her father hit her chakra points and she took a few moments to catch her breath.  Tenten took these few moments to wipe off her daughter’s face with a wet cloth before helping her to her feet.
“Thanks dad,” spoke Tsukika in a raspy voice.
“Are you okay now,” asked Tenten as she rubbed her daughter’s back.
“Yeah…I guess I ate something that didn’t agree with me last night,” she answered sheepishly as she added, “plus I’m really nervous about today.”
“Why,” asked Neji.
“I know I’ve gone on a ton of missions and fought some really strong enemies…but this is different…I’ll be standing in front of hundreds of elders, nobles and clan leaders,” she said with worry in her pale eyes, “They’ll all be looking at me…and from my performance…they’ll pass judgment on my family, our clan and our village!”
“It’s okay Tsukika,” replied Neji as he placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him so they could look face to face, “You are the strongest Hyuuga this clan has seen in sixty years and you are already surpassing me.  When you stand in that arena today do not worry about what they think…concentrate on what I know…you are my daughter and no matter what may happen today I will never look down upon you in any way.  You are my pride and my love and I will always support you with all the strength in my body.”
“Dad,” said Tsukika as she hugged him and buried her face in his chest as she began to cry.
“You have your father’s taijutsu, my weapons skill and you have both of our jutsu,” spoke Tenten as she rubbed her daughter’s head, “You will do well no matter who you face, no matter what elder watches, no matter what anyone says today…we are proud of you.  Now let’s go downstairs and see if we can make you something for breakfast that will ease your stomach…and your nerves.”

Yajuta moved quickly around the abandoned temple he had made his home removing all the traps except a choice few.  Mayu had been quiet sitting in the corner watching him especially now that he wore such a sadistic smile of utter joy.  That smile could only mean one thing…Kiba was on his way here to take her back to Konoha and Yajuta wanted a grand battle…the ultimate beast versus the ultimate hunter.  Besides she had made a vow that she would never go back and she would stand by Yajuta’s side forever…this would be a fight Kiba would not forget or…survive.

Kiba had become disgusted with the pace they had to maintain because every few hundred meters there was another trap.  He was used to going as fast as he could to overtake his prey but each time they came upon a new one Hanabi had to disarm it because she was the only one who could see all the other traps linked to the first.  This tried his patience to no end and one thing the Inuzuka clan leader swore he would do before this was all over was to make that trash, Yajuta eat one of his accursed traps if it was the last thing he ever did.
“Hey Hanabi are you almost done,” asked a frustrated Kiba as he sat on the branch watching his beloved disarm yet another device.
“Keep your shirt on…this is dangerous,” she retorted.
“That’s not what you were telling me last night,” said Kiba with a laugh as Hanabi gave him a rude gesture with her hand, “We’re almost there…and I want this to be all over with…so we can start over…together…and get it right this time.”
“Me too,” she said as she looked at Kiba with the morning sun behind him but no matter what he said she could not shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen when they reached their goal.

Taurus sat by the fire as he watched over Kimi, who was fast asleep and recovering from her intense training.  He was absolutely amazed at her progress because she had learned more in 32 hours then he did in a year of training.  Despite the fact she already had knowledge of chakra control and jutsu her brilliant mind lived up to everything he had hoped for and much, much more.  If she continued at this pace she would be able to join the ANBU in a matter of two years and to eventually follow in his steps…as the Black Death of Konoha.  Regardless of what he wanted or hoped for it would ultimately be her decision and he would support her.
“It’s morning already,” commented Kimi as she stretched.
“Yes it is,” he responded as he tossed her a rice ball, “Hurry up and change the exams will be starting soon and I know you do not want to miss your brother’s performance.”
“Thank you Taurus-sensei.”
“For what,” he asked as he put out the fire.
“For trusting me with this knowledge…and putting your faith in me,” she said as she ate.
“Whatever you decide to do or path you choose to walk you will always have my faith and trust.  Now hurry so we can get a good seat.”

“That breakfast was amazing,” exclaimed Matsuri with a big satisfied smile on her face as they walked into the arena.
“I forgot how good Konoha’s food was,” stated Gaara as they began to ascend the stairs to Kage chairs in the arena.
“I miss some of Suna’s food too,” added Naruto as he patted his belly, “but I sure don’t miss the heat…and sand.”
“I know what you mean,” replied Matsuri, “It feels so cold here especially with all the shade trees…I miss my desert.”
“So Gaara-kun are you anxious to watch your daughter compete in the exams,” asked Hinata as they all took their seats.
“I trained her well…she will do fine,” he plainly stated.
“Don’t let him fool you,” whispered Matsuri to Hinata, “Kaiya-chan is all he could talk about on the way over here…she’s his little girl after all.”
“Well I’m ready to get this exam started,” proclaimed Naruto with a look of joy in his blue eyes as he yelled down to Shikamaru in the middle of the arena, “Tell me as soon as the fighters are ready.”

Tekkan ran on ahead of his family to the arena because he wanted to assure he got the best seat for watching the exams despite the fact that the Uchiha clan already had there own section below the Hokage.  He wanted to sit as close as he could to the Hokage and Kazekage so he could eavesdrop on their discussion of the fights.  It was all a part of his plan to use his Sharingan and the comments of the Kages to analyze the fights and hopefully learn a few new jutsu along the way.
He swore under his breath that he would not lose to Naruki.  When he reached his seat he saw that Taurus-sensei was sitting with Kimi and her mother and uncle in the Nara clan section.  Naruki and his siblings were sitting in the Hyuuga section with their grandfather Hiashi.  He was about to yell something to his rival about not losing to him when it came time for their exams but decided not to when his dad and sisters sat down beside him.
“Using your Sharingan to try and learn new jutsu,” asked Sasuke as he sat down.
“Hai,” answered Tekkan with determination in his voice.
“That is a very good idea…Akina-chan you should follow your brother’s example,” stated Sasuke as he placed his arm around his daughter, “Just be careful and don’t over do it.”

Tsukika walked to the arena with her mom and dad all the while she was just trying to remember how to breathe.  She could not believe how nervous she was over this but at least her stomach did not hurt anymore.  She entered into the fighter’s area through the back while her parents went up to their seats and almost immediately she ran into her teammates.
However she took her father’s advice and kept her distance because she did not know who she was going to end up fighting.  He told her she would not want to have any sentiment or sympathy if she had to face Yuudai or Naoki and he was right.  If she had to face Yuudai she would not be able to separate her feelings and face him with a level head.
If she faced Naoki she would be afraid to use her full strength because he look’s so frail like a scholar…despite the fact she knew he was an outstanding shinobi.  Her pale Hyuuga eyes looked over the others who waited for their chance to fight.  Nara Yukio would make a formidable opponent with his shadow jutsu and extraordinary mind…she really did not want to fight him.  She knew very little about the shinobi from the Land of Grass other than he was a genjutsu user…but he did not look that impressive to her and not to mention he barely passed the preliminary round of fighting.
Akimichi Chojiro was always an underachiever regardless of the fact he could use two of the most devastating clan techniques in the whole village.  Rock Rai could use limited ninjutsu but her taijutsu skills were unequalled in her academy class.  Tsukika could only hope that she would face one of these two and then she would have a rather easy fight and make chunin for sure.  The last competitor was Kaiya the daughter of the Kazekage Gaara, someone she knew was formidable, aggressive and the one she really did not want to fight today.
She walked up to the rail over looking the arena grounds and she looked up when the crowd began to cheer as the Hokage announced the start of the exams.  She could see her cousins Naruki, Kanaye and Hana sitting in the Hyuuga clan section where her parents and Hiashi-sama were sitting.  She took a deep breath when she saw Nara Shikamaru in the middle of the arena holding up his hands for the crowd to be silent…this could only mean he was about to announce the first match.
“The first match of the Chunin Exam,” shouted Shikamaru as he looked about the arena, “is Hyuuga Tsukika and Kaiya of the Desert!”
Tsukika thought her heart was going to stop when she heard those words.  She looked over at the daughter of the Kazekage and knew this would happen since she did not want to fight her.  In her head she ran through the match up: Kaiya was a mid to long range fighter with heavy defensive capabilities while she was a short to mid range fighter…but then again she had great offensive qualities and the Byakugan.
The crowd began to roar when Kaiya appeared on the arena grounds out of a swirl of black sand.  They roared again when Tsukika jumped down on to the field and walked to the center.  With every step she took Tsukika felt her anxiety build until she began to feel herself trembling.  She did not even look up when she reached the center because she was too busy trying to calm her mind…this was a mistake.
Tsukika did not hear Shikamaru yell “Fight” but she did feel the tendril of black sand strike her in the chest and send her flying through the air.  She also felt how hard the wall was when it very abruptly stopped her mid-air flight.  It took just a few seconds to get her bearings but very quickly the daughter of Neji and Tenten was on her feet and she had stopped trembling.
“I have to thank you Kaiya-chan,” announced Tsukika as she stood to her feet.
“Why’s that,” asked Kaiya of the desert as she prepared her next attack.
“When I walked out here I was trembling…at first I thought it was fear of being in front of so many people,” she said as she looked up at her father who nodded his approval, “but it wasn’t.”
“What was it then,” questioned Kaiya as more of black iron sand poured out of the gourd on her back.
“It was excitement,” replied Tsukika as she dropped down into a fighting stance, “To tell the truth there are only two people in this arena who could truly challenge me.  One of them is Nara Yukio, who is the smartest person I know not to mention his jutsu and new puppet techniques…the other is you.”
“Then why are you excited Tsukika-chan?”
“Because now I have the chance to show everyone here the power and pride of the Hyuuga clan,” shouted Tsukika, “Before this match is over you will know just what I can do…Byakugan!”
“Just so you know Tsukika-chan I have been training to fight you…because you are the only one here who could offer a challenge to me…I’m excited too,”  added Kaiya as she adjusted her fighting stance, “Let’s do our best and show everyone here…why they should fear us both!”

“How troublesome…these two girls are going to go all out,” stated Shikamaru as he quickly took sanctuary on the arena wall.

“This is going to be a great match,” shouted Naruto while Gaara silently watched.

“Black Desert Tsunami,” shouted Kaiya as a tidal wave of black sand eight meters high launched toward Tsukika.

“If she gets hit with that it’s over,” commented Kankuro as Temari nodded in agreement.  Kimi took note and continued to watch without saying anything because she had fought beside Tsukika and she knew she was a strong kunoichi.

Tsukika’s eyes revealed there was a consistent amount of chakra throughout the wave with no visible weaknesses.  Her eyes also showed her that Kaiya’s chakra points were not visible which could only mean she was using the Armor of Sand.  If she remembered correctly the Armor of Sand uses a lot of chakra so it left her with the question…how much chakra did Kaiya-chan have?  When the wave reached her Tsukika rapidly spun as she said, “Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin!”
Kaiya watched as the wave of sand broke harmlessly against the vortex of wind generated by her opponent’s high velocity spin.  She was impressed because Naruki’s information was right about her although knowing about someone and seeing them in action is two totally different things.  Kaiya knew she was going to have to up her performance if she was going to win.
The roar in the arena became deafening as the battle between the two kunoichi intensified as Kaiya lashed out with tendrils of iron sand and Tsukika countered with her spin while moving ever closer.  All the other chunin hopefuls watched in amazement at the battle taking place as they stood at the railing.  A few others realized that after this spectacle there would be little hope of impressing anyone who was watching today.
Tsukika finally closed the gap enough to use her scrolls.  She quickly dodged three black tendrils as she pulled out two scrolls from her pouch.  Tsukika used just enough chakra to activate the scrolls not wanting to waste anything as she performed her hand signs.  She threw the scrolls, one on either side of Kaiya as she shouted, “Screaming Twin Dragons!”
The two scrolls unleashed a barrage of kunai and shuriken all directed toward the daughter of the Kazekage.  However Tsukika watched on in horror as Kaiya’s sand spun around her at incredible speed and grinded up every last one of the weapons adding the iron they were made of to her arsenal.  Kaiya smirked as she said, “Using weapons made from iron sand is not a good idea against me.”
“I’ll have to try something else then,” stated Tsukika as she threw ten kunai to different areas of the arena which exploded on impact encasing the entire arena in smoke.
“Cleansing Breath,” spoke Kaiya as she form several hand signs summoning a wind to blow away the smoke.  However as the smoke cleared the kunoichi from the desert found that she was surrounded by fifteen Tsukika.  She looked around gathering her iron sand around her, “Using clones smart…but futile…Black War Tree Jutsu!”
The moment she said those words her black sand formed into a massive tree whose branches filled the arena.  Then within the moment of a breath the branches slammed down onto all fifteen Tsukika piercing them with their sharp edges…however they all were revealed to be clones.  The moment this happened Tsukika erupted from the ground at Kaiya’s feet as she said, “Eight Trigrams Two Hundred Fifty-Six Palms!  Two strikes!  Four strikes!  Eight strikes!  Sixteen strikes!  Thirty-two strikes!  Sixty-four strikes!  One hundred twenty-eight strikes!  Two hundred fifty-six strikes!”
Tsukika knew she just blew through over half of her chakra easily but it would all be worth it if it worked.  She watched as Kaiya’s body bounced and rolled across the arena ground.  When she finally came to an abrupt stop there was a large cloud of iron sand that exploded from off her body.  At that moment Tsukika knew she had destroyed the Armor of Sand and that she had sealed at least fifty key chakra points.
Kaiya coughed up a mouthful of blood as the arena spun around her but as she regained her composure she could instantly tell that her chakra flow had been disrupted badly.  She had been trying to keep Tsukika at a distance for that simple fact and Naruki was right…it did hurt.  Kaiya looked over and saw that Tsukika was still waiting to see if she would get up along with all the other spectators.  She would not disappoint as she used the remaining chakra she had at her disposal and screamed, “Iron Tomb Jutsu!”
Tsukika was caught flatfooted when the tree of black sand suddenly changed shaped into that of a gigantic mouth and swallowed her.  She could feel the suffocating sand begin to squeeze and tighten around her forcing the air from her body but what was the worst part of this situation was she could not breathe.  She inwardly cursed for being so careless but she couldn’t lose not like this…not to her.
Kaiya staggered to her feet, her left arm was useless because of Tsukika’s chakra sealing attack and now she was using what little she had left to maintain the tomb.  She could feel Tsukika’s heart slowing and her breathing coming to a halt but she had no intention of killing her…besides she could not even complete the jutsu.  At the point Kaiya was about to release the jutsu the black tomb blasted open from Tsukika using the Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin Jutsu.
“I am a Hyuuga (cough)…I will not lose…I will (cough, cough),” spoke Tsukika through labored breathing as she fought to fill her lungs with air and coughed up black iron sand, “I will…”

“That is true Hyuuga pride,” commented Hiashi to Kanaye as the entire arena watched in silence, waiting to find out what would happen next.

Kaiya looked at her opponent, then at herself and she knew neither one of them could continue.  Her remaining chakra was sealed and Tsukika used what she had left to escape the tomb…they both were barely standing.  Kaiya looked up at her father wondering if he was disappointed but instead she saw him smile and nod to her.  She knew then she had won the day because she had not disappointed her dad and he was proud of her.
“I’m stopping Tsukika-chan…before we end up killing each other,” said Kaiya as she started walking toward the back, “I can’t use my chakra and you’ve used all yours…I’d rather end this now knowing we both did our best…and that we could count each other as friends.  Shikamaru-sama I forfeit!”
“Why,” asked Tsukika when Kaiya limped past her.
“I made my dad proud…that’s all that matters,” she replied with a blood filled smile as she coughed up another mouthful of the red liquid.
“Winner Hyuuga Tsukika due to forfeit,” announced Shikamaru as he once again returned to the arena grounds.

Neji and Tenten both appeared beside their daughter from swirls of leaves.  Tsukika could no longer stand as she collapsed into the arms of her father who held her with all he had as she asked, “Did I…make you…proud…of me?”
“No father could be prouder,” answered Neji with tears in his eyes as he picked up his little girl, who was now unconscious.
“Let’s take her to the hospital,” said Tenten as the spectators cheered for both competitors and the two parents vanished with their child.

“Hiashi-sama I’m gonna go check on Kaiya-chan,” announced Naruki as he got up from his seat and ran to the back where she would be.

Kaiya decided to walk to the back under her own power and she was closely followed by her two teammates who had watched from the competitors’ area.  She knew she was hurt because after the match she could not even pull her sand back into her gourd; she would have to come back for it when she recovered.
“So Kaiya-chan you can’t use any chakra right now,” asked one of her comrades.
“No, the Hyuuga are powerful foes indeed,” she said as she grunted in pain.
“Good, that’s just what we wanted to hear,” sneered the other.

Naruki reached the back but what he found was not he what he expected, when he arrived he saw two strange shinobi tying Kaiya up.  He yelled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing, dattebayo!”
Before he could react one of the foreign shinobi was upon him and from the chakra he had Naruki could tell he was jounin level at least.  However this was a small matter compared to the kick the enemy ninja delivered to Naruki’s ribs sending him into the stone wall of the hallway.  The Hokage’s son desperately fought to remain conscious but it was little use as everything around him went black…and in that blackness he heard a voice.

“Naruki,” spoke a voice that sounded a lot like someone dragging their fingernails across a blackboard at the academy.
“Who’s there,” he asked in near panic.
“I’m the one you have IGNORED, I’m the one who’s voice has nearly been FORGOTTEN because you always drowned me out with those headphones of yours,” snarled the voice with an entwined anger, “I am that little piece of essence that my father the Kyuubi left in you.”
“Shut up I don’t want you in me,” screamed Naruki as he looked around the darkness until he saw a fox standing two meters tall appear before him.  The fox only had one tail but his fur was charred and covered in a thick layer of soot, there was also a crimson colored liquid dripping from it.  The fox’s eyes were a baleful green and just making the slightest of eye contact Naruki could feel this creature’s insane blood lust.
“Too bad little boy…but you are stuck with me.  Getting rid of me would be like trying to cut off your own head.  Now SHUT UP AND LISTEN,” roared the fox, “I am Kyribi, the Fox of the Burning Valley, I crave battle and I want to FIGHT!!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about those two pieces of trash that are trying to take Kaiya-chan,” growled the fox as he bent down looking Naruki in the eye, “I need your body.”
“Forget it!  I’m not becoming a monster!”
“If you want to save her then listen to me,” snapped the fox, “I can’t manifest like my sister Kiyobi nor can I grant you some vast amount of chakra…the fragment I was born from was too small for me to do that.  However I can offer you something far more valuable.”
“What’s that,” asked Naruki as he stepped closer.
“The knowledge of your father…the knowledge of his jutsu,” spoke the fox as he smiled sinisterly, “All I need is for you to let me have control.  What do you say Naruki…my brother?”

Naruki felt like he was just watching his body move all on its own when he stood to his feet.  He could feel the chakra in his body begin to move and flow into each arm down to his palms.  There it began to gather, spin in all directions as it formed into balls of pure chakra one in each of his hands.  Then Naruki heard a voice come from his mouth that was not his own…it was Kyribi’s but as the fox spoke it felt all too natural.
Naruki then realized he was running toward both of the enemy shinobi at full speed all the while the fox was hurling insults about what he was going to do to them.  The Hokage’s son could see that Kaiya was still tied and gagged but she was watching what was going on…and he felt ashamed at what he was allowing to happen to save her.  However his attention was drawn back to his enemies when he got within arms reach of them and he heard a word come from his mouth that sounded all too familiar like it always belonged there when he heard the fox shout, “RASENGAN!!!”

To be continued…