Naruto - 13. excessive chain
We all know I never write anything if it isn't for a challenge community anymore. Also, the only way I can possibly justify that this is for the 30_kisses theme is by saying at least Sasuke's actually in this one, albeit in one paragraph. (And that I really need to start working on this comm again. I can't write pairings-focused stuff, clearly. It's like a sickness.)
Gaara and Naruto (despite the fact it's supposed to be SasuSaku), what might have been.
Based off of this picture by Sailor Comet.
13. excessive chain
Gaara had intended to leave the reconnaissance up to Baki, Temari and Kankuro. He knew his role in the whole affair, and he didn't care about what happened in the interval of the chuunin exam leading up to it--the trip was dull, the exam was dull, the Forest of Death was mostly dull, and the preliminary fights looked to be dull as well, unless he was lucky and got an opponent from one of the few people that actually looked like they were meant to be there. Pathetically, the most entertainment came from killing the Rain ninjas and stopping Kankuro from picking fights with lesser brats.
So he left his siblings and teacher to gather information, and spent his time studying one of the teams from Konoha, the one that had arrived last and with the most blood on them.
The Uchiha drew the first fight; Kankuro remarked to Temari that it looked like Orochimaru was doing his best to make him die on his feet. He broke his opponent's spine, stayed standing long enough to be declared the winner, and then collapsed. His teacher carried him off the floor, and disappeared.
Gaara didn't pay attention to the next fight, because the balcony was now more interesting.
The blond, Naruto--if he'd heard the half-muttered whispers from the other Leafnins right, and Gaara was adept at discerning half-muttered whispers--had been crouching on the railing since they'd gotten there; an almost negligent use of chakra, especially after he had spent three days camping in the open with minimal food supplies. It was the second sign that there was something wrong with him.
The first had been the way all the genin from Konoha had avoided the team when they walked into the room at the beginning of the exam.
Even now, the Leafnins were keeping apart. But after the teacher disappeared with Uchiha, the group had slowly moved outward during the following fight, mostly due to a blonde girl and a clone shifting along the railing to get different views, until it had managed to absorbed the female teammate. They then pulled back away from Naruto, still ostensibly shifting along the railing, taking the girl with them. They stopped when they were near the clone's teacher.
Naruto had glanced over his shoulder as they moved away, a malevolent little half-smirk on his face, but had only turned back and continued watching the fight.
Kankuro was up next; Baki was irritated when he almost killed the Sound spy, but as Kankuro said when he returned, if Orochimaru had really cared about their health, he wouldn't have left almost immediately after the Uchiha did.
The blonde and the girl wound up fighting each other next--Naruto shifted his crouch, leaning forward slightly to watch.
The blonde didn't even notice the girl using a genjutsu as she slid her hands behind her head, pretending to retie her forehead protector; the fight ended a few seconds after it begun, the time it took the proctor to speak.
Sakura helped the blonde back up the stairs as the clone called out a congratulations, and then Temari was up. She didn't play around as much as Kankuro had, but Baki still looked tired, as well as slightly wary because he'd noticed Gaara staring at Naruto as the blond watched his teammate slowly return and stop far short of his position.
("I'm sorry, Ino-chan," Sakura had murmured as they stepped against the wall, out of Temari's way as she headed to the floor. "But once we're chuunin we can escape him."
A few moments later the blonde had snorted, quietly, and didn't say anything else. They'd continued their way back to the rest of the group.)
Temari finally got bored and ended the fight, but then the clone got pissed off and tried to pick another one. Kankuro called down for her to stop wasting her time and come back; Gaara watched Naruto's face as he snickered at the clone getting stopped by her.
In the next fight, another Soundnin was beaten. Kankuro leaned against the rail and commented under his breath on the quality of their allies, but then Temari told him to shut up.
Naruto was slated to fight next. Gaara finally let his arms drop from where they'd been folded and leaned on the rail slightly; and then further down the balcony, he heard one of the other Leafnins say, "I resign."
Naruto was moving almost before Gaara had turned enough to glare. The speed of it made the sand rattle.
Naruto seized the dog before the other Leafnin had been able to back away from the railing, and jumped down to the floor below. He was holding the mutt by the scruff of its neck, out slightly since the thing was trying to bite him.
"Get down here," he called.
The Leafnin had nearly jumped the balcony when the dog was taken--he was being restrained by his teacher and the guy who had beaten one of the Soundnins, with one foot still on the railing. Another girl had her hand on his arm, trying to talk him into bringing it back down.
"Now," Naruto added, quieter this time.
The mutt's owner clenched his jaw tight, tight enough to look like he was cracking his incisors; but after a long silence, he repeated, "I resign."
Naruto shrugged and threw the dog at the wall behind him. It crashed with a wet and cracking noise, and fell to the floor, paw twitching. The Leafnin lunged at the railing again, and his teammate dragged him away, to the back wall.
Gaara leaned further over the railing, watching Naruto head casually toward the stairs. The other boy finally noticed him before he was halfway up.
Down below, the announcer was checking on the dog and gesturing to the owner's teacher, but Gaara didn't pay attention--once he'd caught Naruto's eyes, the other bijuu hadn't looked away.
Naruto stopped in front of him, ignoring the proximity to Baki and Kankuro and Temari with that completely justified arrogance that Gaara recognized immediately.
"Tanuki," he said, and Gaara noticed with near-amusement how Baki's shoulders jerked and tensed.
"Fox," he replied, looking at the scars on Naruto's cheeks.
Naruto smirked. "See you in the next round. Touch what's mine and die."
"Really," Gaara said.
"I have more tails than you," he answered, and strode past.
Gaara smiled after he was gone, showing teeth. The hand still braced on the railing was trembling with anticipation; Temari and Kankuro moved further away.
Naruto walked straight through the middle of the group of Leafnins, pausing only long enough to grab Sakura by the wrist and drag her through with him. Most of them got out of his way; the exception was the clone, who made a motion to help her until she shoved him away and toward the blonde with a sharp, concerned gesture.
Naruto yanked the girl several meters away from the group, then jumped back into his crouch on the railing and watched the next fight be set up. He didn't let go of Sakura's wrist, forcing her to stand next to him. A few drops of blood discolored the old stone of the rail where his claws had broken her skin.
"It was just a slip of the tongue...."
Gaara and Naruto (despite the fact it's supposed to be SasuSaku), what might have been.
Based off of this picture by Sailor Comet.
13. excessive chain
Gaara had intended to leave the reconnaissance up to Baki, Temari and Kankuro. He knew his role in the whole affair, and he didn't care about what happened in the interval of the chuunin exam leading up to it--the trip was dull, the exam was dull, the Forest of Death was mostly dull, and the preliminary fights looked to be dull as well, unless he was lucky and got an opponent from one of the few people that actually looked like they were meant to be there. Pathetically, the most entertainment came from killing the Rain ninjas and stopping Kankuro from picking fights with lesser brats.
So he left his siblings and teacher to gather information, and spent his time studying one of the teams from Konoha, the one that had arrived last and with the most blood on them.
The Uchiha drew the first fight; Kankuro remarked to Temari that it looked like Orochimaru was doing his best to make him die on his feet. He broke his opponent's spine, stayed standing long enough to be declared the winner, and then collapsed. His teacher carried him off the floor, and disappeared.
Gaara didn't pay attention to the next fight, because the balcony was now more interesting.
The blond, Naruto--if he'd heard the half-muttered whispers from the other Leafnins right, and Gaara was adept at discerning half-muttered whispers--had been crouching on the railing since they'd gotten there; an almost negligent use of chakra, especially after he had spent three days camping in the open with minimal food supplies. It was the second sign that there was something wrong with him.
The first had been the way all the genin from Konoha had avoided the team when they walked into the room at the beginning of the exam.
Even now, the Leafnins were keeping apart. But after the teacher disappeared with Uchiha, the group had slowly moved outward during the following fight, mostly due to a blonde girl and a clone shifting along the railing to get different views, until it had managed to absorbed the female teammate. They then pulled back away from Naruto, still ostensibly shifting along the railing, taking the girl with them. They stopped when they were near the clone's teacher.
Naruto had glanced over his shoulder as they moved away, a malevolent little half-smirk on his face, but had only turned back and continued watching the fight.
Kankuro was up next; Baki was irritated when he almost killed the Sound spy, but as Kankuro said when he returned, if Orochimaru had really cared about their health, he wouldn't have left almost immediately after the Uchiha did.
The blonde and the girl wound up fighting each other next--Naruto shifted his crouch, leaning forward slightly to watch.
The blonde didn't even notice the girl using a genjutsu as she slid her hands behind her head, pretending to retie her forehead protector; the fight ended a few seconds after it begun, the time it took the proctor to speak.
Sakura helped the blonde back up the stairs as the clone called out a congratulations, and then Temari was up. She didn't play around as much as Kankuro had, but Baki still looked tired, as well as slightly wary because he'd noticed Gaara staring at Naruto as the blond watched his teammate slowly return and stop far short of his position.
("I'm sorry, Ino-chan," Sakura had murmured as they stepped against the wall, out of Temari's way as she headed to the floor. "But once we're chuunin we can escape him."
A few moments later the blonde had snorted, quietly, and didn't say anything else. They'd continued their way back to the rest of the group.)
Temari finally got bored and ended the fight, but then the clone got pissed off and tried to pick another one. Kankuro called down for her to stop wasting her time and come back; Gaara watched Naruto's face as he snickered at the clone getting stopped by her.
In the next fight, another Soundnin was beaten. Kankuro leaned against the rail and commented under his breath on the quality of their allies, but then Temari told him to shut up.
Naruto was slated to fight next. Gaara finally let his arms drop from where they'd been folded and leaned on the rail slightly; and then further down the balcony, he heard one of the other Leafnins say, "I resign."
Naruto was moving almost before Gaara had turned enough to glare. The speed of it made the sand rattle.
Naruto seized the dog before the other Leafnin had been able to back away from the railing, and jumped down to the floor below. He was holding the mutt by the scruff of its neck, out slightly since the thing was trying to bite him.
"Get down here," he called.
The Leafnin had nearly jumped the balcony when the dog was taken--he was being restrained by his teacher and the guy who had beaten one of the Soundnins, with one foot still on the railing. Another girl had her hand on his arm, trying to talk him into bringing it back down.
"Now," Naruto added, quieter this time.
The mutt's owner clenched his jaw tight, tight enough to look like he was cracking his incisors; but after a long silence, he repeated, "I resign."
Naruto shrugged and threw the dog at the wall behind him. It crashed with a wet and cracking noise, and fell to the floor, paw twitching. The Leafnin lunged at the railing again, and his teammate dragged him away, to the back wall.
Gaara leaned further over the railing, watching Naruto head casually toward the stairs. The other boy finally noticed him before he was halfway up.
Down below, the announcer was checking on the dog and gesturing to the owner's teacher, but Gaara didn't pay attention--once he'd caught Naruto's eyes, the other bijuu hadn't looked away.
Naruto stopped in front of him, ignoring the proximity to Baki and Kankuro and Temari with that completely justified arrogance that Gaara recognized immediately.
"Tanuki," he said, and Gaara noticed with near-amusement how Baki's shoulders jerked and tensed.
"Fox," he replied, looking at the scars on Naruto's cheeks.
Naruto smirked. "See you in the next round. Touch what's mine and die."
"Really," Gaara said.
"I have more tails than you," he answered, and strode past.
Gaara smiled after he was gone, showing teeth. The hand still braced on the railing was trembling with anticipation; Temari and Kankuro moved further away.
Naruto walked straight through the middle of the group of Leafnins, pausing only long enough to grab Sakura by the wrist and drag her through with him. Most of them got out of his way; the exception was the clone, who made a motion to help her until she shoved him away and toward the blonde with a sharp, concerned gesture.
Naruto yanked the girl several meters away from the group, then jumped back into his crouch on the railing and watched the next fight be set up. He didn't let go of Sakura's wrist, forcing her to stand next to him. A few drops of blood discolored the old stone of the rail where his claws had broken her skin.
"It was just a slip of the tongue...."