The month up to the finals went in a blur with Naruto going to Yugao early in the morning for training then joining Jiraiya in seal theory in the evening. To be more correct, he would leave theory papers on more complicated seals for Naruto to study and memorize and would not start till he could memorize it. Tanna divided her time between home, school and hospital throughout the whole month, more than once she had to scold Lee to take better care of himself. Sakura had become short tempered thanks to Lee's antics reminding Tanna of her older teen self from the Shippuden era.
Sakura ヽ(｀д´)ノ, "Lee, I swear to Kami, if you get up again I will break your bones and make sure you cannot stand up again."
Lee shivered, "But Sakura - chan I need to train or I will not get stronger."
Sakura had a dark look on her face, "I can and I will write you up for suicidal behavior and you can kiss goodbye to being a shinobi."
Lee, "But... But Sakura - chan."
Tanna entered then, "Listen to what she says Lee - kun."
Lee perked up, "Tanna Sensei.... But I... "
Tanna, "You cannot be a shinobi if the doctors do not clear you. The way you are behaving right now, you are not fit to be one."
Lee deflated, "Sensei, you too."
Tanna, "Lee, tell me. What are the top three responsibilities of a shinobi?"
Lee, "Shinobi are responsible for the safety of the village."
Tanna, "That's the second one, but carry on."
Lee, "Only shinobi who are responsible for keeping proper mental and physical health are allowed on the the field."
Tanna smiled widely, "Thank Kami, I do not have to lecture you a tenth time."
Lee turned red, "Sorry Sensei."
Tanna, "It is not me you should be apologizing to, Lee - kun."
Lee, "I am sorry about my irresponsible behavior, Sakura - chan."
Sakura huffed, "As long as you promise to behave from now on, I will forgive you."
Tanna chuckled, "Lee - kun, I get it you know? You want to become stronger to be the best."
Lee, "Yes Sensei, I want to protect my friends and family."
Tanna flicked his nose, "You can't do that if you lose your shinobi title due to impatience, Lee - kun."
Sakura nodded, "Sensei is right, you know? If you keep acting up, I have to write you down for an evaluation."
Lee pouted, "Yes, I get it."
Tanna ruffled his hair, "You stubborn student of mine. Please, get some proper rest so your body can heal."
Sakura left Lee to rest while following Tanna out, "Thank you for talking sense into him, Sensei. I was at my wits end and close to punching him out cold."
Tanna snickered, "You should consider just doing that sometimes especially with shinobi patients. Heaven knows how stubborn and foolish they are when it comes to their own mortality and limits."
Sakura paused, "Are you saying this is just the beginning?"
Tanna, "It certainly looks that way. I bet Lee will forget this talk in a week or less and try to do heavy training again."
Sakura had black lines on her face, "I need to get a clearance for exercising forced healing on my patients. Please, excuse me Sensei, I will see you tomorrow."
Tanna, "Good luck Sakura - chan. Just remember to take breaks, ok?"
Sakura, "Yes Sensei, I will I promise."
Tanna left to visit her other students Koharu and Takemi who had gotten injured during the exams as well and were recovering in the hospital. They greeted her with bright smiles as Koharu asked if Lee - sempai was once again creating trouble for the nurses with his obsession over training. Tanna huffed as she sat down nodding and then asking them how they were doing and how long till they got discharged. The two of them unlike Lee were actually well behaved which made Tanna wonder if being obsessed with training was a Lee and Gai thing. They talked till it was time for Tanna to leave the hospital due to visiting hours being over as she left though she saw Sakura running after another shinobi patient.
Tanna, 'Ara ~ Looks like my presence here did change a few things for better. Sakura - chan is now a medica because she wants to be one. It is not because of her indecisive nature anymore.'
Kakashi, "Ah! Tanna Sensei."
Tanna was about to step out, "Kakashi Sensei and.... Sweet Kami! What happened to Sasuke? Why is your hair burned? Your arms too? What were you doing? Are you alright?"
Sasuke pouted looking away, "I just wanted to try something new."
Kakashi sighed, "I taught him one of my more powerful techniques and this foolish child decided to experiment with it before even mastering it."
Tanna stared hard, "Well, I will be. Tell me Sasuke. Is this because of Naruto?"
Sasuke, "No, not completely at least."
Tanna, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Sasuke, "Not yet."
Tanna nodded, "Alright, but at least be careful ok. Your exams are in half a month after all."
Sasuke, "Yes Sensei."
Sakura shrieked, "Sasuke? What happened to you?"
Sasuke sighed, "Training accident."
Sakura stomped over, "I swear to all that is sane and living. You shinobi patients will drive me up the wall. You better behave and stay put or else."
Sasuke stared at his angry and fuming pink haired teammate then turned to Tanna who mouthed Lee was making trouble with his training obsession. Sasuke blinked then nodded promising Sakura he would behave so that he could get discharged faster. That made the young kunoichi blink and calm down before nodding and guiding her teammate to one of the rooms. Tanna hummed as she entered her home and noticed Naruto was already back from his training with Yugao and reading through the scrolls Jiraiya had given him. Tanna smiled as she cleaned up and started on dinner for both of them, things were different and she was actually a little excited about watching the tournament.
Naruto, "Nee - chan, nee - chan, can we have that omurice that you made last month for dinner?"
Tanna, "Of course, it has been a while. I was thinking about adding some pork to it this time along with the sausage."
Naruto, "Sounds great. I heard Lee was causing Sakura a head ache again."
Tanna laughed, "Lee has always been stubborn, too stubborn for his own good. I worry he will work himself to death sometimes."
Naruto, "Poor Sakura - chan, she has her hands full despite not being a full time medic yet."
Tanna, "Well if she can pull through this then she can pull through as an Iryo nin. Just don't cause problems like others, if you ever get hospitalized okay?"
Naruto, "I will try nee - chan, though I doubt the Kyuubi would allow sickness to defeat him or his vessel."
Tanna, "You never know. The Kyuubi could be compromised and you could be left vulnerable."
Naruto, "Are you talking about those rumors about the demon thieves?"
Tanna, "Rumors start from somewhere."
Naruto, "That is true but I am sure we will be fine, nee - chan."
Tanna, "Well as long as you are safe, I suppose I don't really care about rumors that much."
Naruto eyed his sister, 'You are too sharp for your own good nee - chan but then again Pervy sage did say you two are distant relatives. I should do my best to not make nee - chan worry too much about me.'
Soon enough it was time for the final leg of the Chunnin exams. The tournament was here and Tanna was now moving among the viewers with Yoshino who had brought tickets for both of them. Her husband like the rest was in charge of security and more importantly her students including Lee, Koharu, Takemi were watching. She was inwardly glad that Lee could join Tenten to cheer on for Neji who was interestingly enough battling Shikamaru. This time the line up for the fights were different, she expected it to be different but she was not expecting what she saw.
Tanna, "Uzumaki Karin vs Uzumaki Naruto. I was not expecting that."
Yoshino, "Yes, it has caused quiet a stir among everyone who saw the line up. It is all people can talk about."
Tanna, "I wonder how Naruto is taking this knowledge."
Sasuke, "Hurry up Sensei."
Kakashi, "Maa ~ Maa ~ Sasuke - kun, it is not my fault you overslept."
Sasuke, "Yeah, yeah, my fault. Now, come on or I am leaving you behind."
Kakashi sighed, "So impatient. It's not even you who is going first."
Sasuke, "I know but as Tanna Sensei said, observation is forty percent of a successful strategy."
Kakashi picked him up, "Alright then, hold on."
Sasuke, "OOF! A warning next time."
Kakashi eye smiled, "You wanted us to hurry."
Sasuke muttered, "I hate you sometimes."
Kakashi, "Did you say something?"
Sasuke retorted, "Want me to announce it to the world?"
Kakashi, "I am your teacher so you should respect me, you know?"
Sasuke, "A sadist is what you really are!"
Yugao, "Kakashi, Sasuke, you are late. The opening ceremony is already started."
Sasuke, "Dammit! This is your fault."
Kakashi laughed waving him off, "Sure, sure."
Yugao looked exasperated, "You should not tease him so much Kakashi - sempai."
Kakashi, "But my student's reactions are so cute though."
Yugao, "That, I can't disagree with."
Kakashi, "How are you holding up Yugao - chan? Especially after what happened."
Yugao sighed, "I am alright. It is Hayate who is in a coma not me."
Kakashi, "We will find out who did that to him and make them pay."
Yugao nodded, "Yes, I owe Yoshino - San a couple of favours now. Not only did she find Hayate barely alive, she carried him to the hospital herself."
Kakashi, "That's the wife of a clan leader for you."
Yugao, "She told me she was pulling a Tanna when I asked her why later on. If something needs to be done do it yourself."
Kakashi, "They are close friends so I am not surprised."
Genma, "Now that everyone is here, let's begin this tournament."
Saauke placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed it, "Show them who's boss."
Naruto grinned, "Of course."
Genma, "The first two battlers stay behind everyone else head to the waiting area."
Karin turned to her blonde relative, "Looks like we are the first."
Naruto nodded, "Let the best Uzumaki win."
Karin smirked, "You are on."
Tanna watched as Naruto created clones and sent them to attack Karin who attacked using one chain. Tanna was surprised, she recalled Karin in Shippuden using multiple chakra chains, she supposed Karin was saving energy or she just mastered one. It was very fasinating to watch the young red head fight with the chain though from the awkward movements even Tanna could tell she just started training with it. Naruto was using his clones and a combination of Kenjutsu to counter the red head and Tanna noticed the clones were pushing something into the ground everytime they poofed. She had to wonder if Naruto would be doing what he did in the anime, it may be a simple tactic but it was effective.
Naruto grinned, "I win."
Karin, "Excuse me? I am still standing."
Naruto, "I caught you though."
Karin realized she could not move, "What is this? These are not chakra strings... Wait, is this a seal?"
Naruto, "Yup, one of my favorites."
Genma, "Countdown begins now, 1, 2, 3... "
Yoshino, "I was not expecting that."
Lee shouted, "Yosh! That is the power of youth."
Tanna, "I knew he was learning and practicing seals very thoroughly. I did not realize it was to this extent."
Kazekage hummed, "Very impressive Sandaime - sama. I did not realize you had such a budding seal user."
Sandaime smiled, "We encourage our shinobi to learn whatever carches their interest. Young Naruto - kun enjoys seals so he is being trained in the art of sealing."
Kazekage, "Is that so? I suppose seal Master Jiraiya is teaching him then?"
Sandaime, "Yes, yes he is. Whenever he can that is, after all he is one of our strongest shinobi out there."
Kazekage, "That is true. Hmm.. You have interesting shinobi among your ranks."
Genma, "Winner of the match, Naruto."
Karin, "Ugh! Next time I will win."
Naruto, "Heh! I look forward to it."
Genma, "Clear the area for the next fight."
Naruti started to grab his seal papers and rushed out while Karin deactivated her chakra chain letting out a sigh of relief as she did so. The next two contestants were Neji and Shikamaru, the genius of the older batch vs the lazy genius of the younger batch. Now, this is one fight that Tanna was not expecting to ever see though a lot of people had commented and speculated on how this fight would turn out back in the old world. Neji was eyeing Shikamaru with a wary look which was good in Tanna's opinion, it means Neji will not start insulting Shikamaru.
Neji was recalling one of his lessons back in Academy, 'One of the most dangerous shinobi of Konoha is a motivated Nara. Do not be fooled by their laziness, you will suffer.'
Neji, "Nara."
Shikamaru, "Sempai."
Neji, 'Let's end this quickly.'
Genma, "Begin."
Neji moved fast making Shikamaru curse and jump back before the Hyuuga's hand could touch him. Hinata clenched her fist on seeing Neji use their most prized technique so openly and wondered when her cousin had mastered it. She was honestly happy for her cousin and hoped this would at least lower the animosity between them but then she remembered the cold shoulder he gave her in the morning. Hinata deflated a bit on remembering their last interaction but then looked up determined, she was going to show Neji that she supported him no matter what the Elders say. Besides, didn't Sensei always tell her to listen to her heart about things like family?
Hinata muttered, "If you want to support them, do it with all your might."
Hanabi, "Did you say something nee - sama?"
Hiashi stared as his eldest daughter stood up, "What are you doing, child?"
Hinata shouted, "YOU CAN DO IT NEJI NII - SAMA. SHOW EVERYONE WHAT YOU HAVE GOT!"
Hanabi stared at her then, "Yeah Neji nii - sama, show them who is the strongest."
Neji twitched, "Those two. I don't need them to tell me what to do."
Shikamaru, "Hey there's no need to be that harsh is there? They obviously support you a lot. Even back in the Academy I remember Hinata - chan always bringing you lunch."
Neji, "Shut up and fight."
Despite the show of annoyance, Neji felt a little happy inside to hear his cousins cheer him on during battle. He knows Hinata and Hanabi supported him, they showed him that more than once. Even Tanna Sensei pointed it out but he could not just openly accept the support for two reasons. One the Clan Elders could not be trusted and two, as their future protector and being part of the second branch, he had his pride. Shikamaru huffed, the Nara could see the denial in Neji's face and decided they wasted enough time and stood up.
Shikamaru, "I forfeit."
Neji, "Excuse me?"
Shikamaru, "This fight has gone on for long enough. It's already longer then ten minutes, how troublesome!"
Gemma, "Neji has won the match."
Neji twitched, "You little brat."
Shikamaru, "Good luck in future matches."
Neji fumed, 'I do not need your charity Nara.'
Naruto sweat dropped, "Sempai is pissed."
Ino, "I pity anyone who gets him next."
Jotaro, "Yeah, poor fella. You are next Ino - chan."
Ino, "Ah right! Against the scary nee - chan of the scary red head. Why did you get the cuter girl?"
Naruto deadpanned, "Best of luck, Ino."
Ino laughed as she jumped down to the battle field, "Introduce me to your cousin later, nii - san."
Genma, "Now, are both sides ready? Then begin."
Temari started off blowing a strong gust of wind in Ino's direction but Ino did not stay still of course. Every since Naruto shared his close technique with them, she had trained to be able to use more than ten clones using the leaf clone technique. Sakura had been very impressed as she mostly used five and never above eight, ten was a bit excessive for her. Naruto though had however very enthusiastically encouraged her to train with lots of clones or rather that blond minx encouraged her clones to attack her. In the beginning, she was annoyed but seeing how her speed and awareness of attacks heading towards her, she supposed it was working out.
Temari, "Got you girl."
Ino's clone disappeared, "You wish, hottie."
Temari twitched, 'What is with Konoha kunoichi and their clones? First it was that Tenten girl now this blond.'
Ino's second clone attacked, "Don't get distracted."
Temari huffed as she used her fan to disperse the clone, "I will win. I promise you that."
Then another clone attacked her followed by a fourth and fifth surrounding Temari and attacking her. Temari however used her tornado jutsu to get rid of the clones that surrounded her and she looked around more attacks only to jump up. Temari tsked at the kunai and shuriken being thrown at her but she stayed focused and used another wind jutsu to blow the weapons away. Then from the walls sprung five more Ino clones using each other as a spring board to attack her and Temari had to admit she was impressed by the tenacity. This kunoichi was definitely serious about the fight and her position as the Clan heiress. Temari was forced to land as flying was eating away at her chakra at a fast pace especially with all the dodging she was doing.
Ino, "He, he, he, I got you."
Temari froze feeling a blade against her throat, "Not bad girl, not bad at all."
Ino, "Thank you, you gave me a run for my money though."
Temari tried to move her fan, 'Is it stuck somewhere? Wait a minute, that's..... '
Ino, "Do not even think about it. My clones have you surrounded."
Temari took a deep breath then released it, "I forfeit this match."
Genma, "Ino has won this match. Please clear the grounds for the next fight."
Temari, "You know you Konoha kunoichi are not that bad. I have been surprised twice now."
Ino, "Thank you, we had an amazing model kunoichis to look up to. Even though they are no longer active kunoichis they are amazing teachers."
Temari, "You have to introduce me to them then. Good luck with the next match."
Sasuke, "My turn now."
Naruto, "Sasuke, best of luck."
Sasuke nodded and jumped, "Let's do this."
Shisui from behind, "Best of luck Sasuke."
Tanna sweat dropped, 'I did not notice him there. He is as supportive as ever.'
Yoshino, "Shisui - kun is as active as ever compared to other Uchihas."
Tanna, "It is one of his cousins battling down there."
Genma, "Begin."
Kankuro released his doll and attacked, "You are going down Uchiha."
Sasuke, "Hn! We will see."
Kankuro huffed as he attacked Sasuke who dodged and threw shuriken at Kankuro who used his followers to defend himself. After a bit Kankuro taunted Sasuke to use his blood line specialty the sharingan though Sasuke ignored the taunt. Compared to the taunts and teasing dumped on him Kankuro's just sounded really juvenile and ineffective, instead Sasuke released his fire jutsu. That made Kankuro jump away in order to dodge the attack though one of his dolls caught fire and Kankuro had to abandon it. The sand shinobi tsked at the loss of the wooden doll but did not let it hold him back as he took out another that was made of metal.
Sasuke, "I do not require sharingan to trick you into giving up."
Kankuro, "Hah! Do you think I will give up that easily? Think again asshole, you are going down."
Sasuke, "You tell me."
Kankuro, "What the? Why you little! KAI!"
Sasuke smirked, "Fell right into my trap."
Kankuro activated his doll's weapons, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeves."
Sasuke hummed as he jumped back from the sharp knives or mini swords attached to the dolls arms. The dark haired boy eyed his opponent who was now fuming and running chakra all over himself. That would make it more difficult to place him under another genjutsu but it would not be impossible, maybe he will use his sharingan as his opponent requested. Kankuro took out a small container and Sasuke had a feeling that was one of Suna's infamous poisons, yeah he was ending this. Sasuke stood up activating the sharingan and using it to dodge the attack heading his way.
Tanna, "Oh! He is fast."
Naruto, 'Come on Sasuke. You can defeat him.'
Gaara watched everything with a contemplative stare, 'Mother wants all of their blood but getting it will be hard, not to forget that green teacher.'
Sasuke attacked, "Think fast."