Edited 15/05/2015

Ashley's POV

Sasuke cautiously lowers his arms from in front of his face as Sakura coughs a little, the smoke beginning to disperse. Naruto blinks in confusion, tilting his head to the side at the sight of the man now standing before us.

"Huh?" the blonde asks. "Iruka Sensei? How come you're here?"

The unfamiliar, brown haired man lets out a short laugh, dusting himself off before raising one hand in a wave. A scar runs horizontally across the man's nose, his skin even more tanned than Naruto's.

"Hi you guys" Iruka greets, grinning in amusement at the confusion of the others. "It's been awhile huh?"

I frown a little at the brown haired Ninja, crossing my arms as I study him silently. Who is he? It seems as though he knows Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke, but how? And why the hell did our Heaven and Earth scrolls summon him here?

As Iruka opens his mouth to continue, his eyes drift over to me, to which the man pauses for a few seconds.

"Ah!" he suddenly says in realization, snapping his fingers. "You must be the Ashley that Kakashi has told me about, right?"

"......Kakashi told you about me?" I question flatly, raising one eyebrow.

"Well...." Iruka trails off, chuckling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck, "More like complained about you, but he's mentioned you to me nonetheless."

"Great....." I mutter sarcastically, my shoulders drooping comically. I'm really not that bad.......Am I?

"Well, seeing as you don't know me and the others do" Iruka continues brightly, "I suppose I'll introduce myself! My name is Iruka Umino, and I teach at the Academy here in the Village. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto are all former students of mine actually."

"It's nice to see you again Iruka Sensei" Sakura pipes up, smiling cutely.

"Yeah, Iruka Sensei's the best!" Naruto announces, turning to me. "He treats me to Ramen sometimes!"

Iruka laughs at this, placing an affectionate hand on Naruto's head and scruffing up his hair.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you properly anyway" the older Ninja says warmly, to which I blink in surprise.

He thinks it's nice to meet me? I can't say anyone had told me something like that before. How does he know it's nice to meet me? For all Iruka knows, I could be a serial killer or something....

Still......

"Uhh.....Yeah...." I murmur uncomfortably, dropping my eyes to the floor. "...It's.....Nice to meet you too...."

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto all turn to me, eyes wide. They stare in shocked silence for a few moments, causing me to grow an anime vein.

So I was polite? Big deal! Why do they have to be so weird about it! I can have manners sometimes if I want to! They make me so mad!

Heaving a deep sigh, I look up, only to spot Iruka eyeing me strangely, as if unsure about something.

"Yes?" I prompt, to which the man shrugs his shoulders.

"It's nothing" he replies slowly, brows furrowing a little, "It's just that......You don't really seem the way Kakashi described you to be."

".......I don't even want to know what he told you" I state, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. I imagine he'd told Iruka quite a lot, and no doubt none of it was any good. Oh well.

"Yeah, it's probably for the best if I don't tell you" Iruka agrees with a closed eye smile, sweat dropping when I hang my head, sighing heavily.

"Don't listen to Kakashi Sensei" Sakura advises, stepping forwards, "Ashley has changed a lot. She already saved our lived three times during the Exam!"

"That's not what I meant to-" I protest, only to be cut off by Naruto.

"Yeah, she used to hate our guts!" the blonde laughs giddily, grinning at me despite the darkening look on my face. "She likes us now though hahaha!"

"What do you mean used to hate your guts?" I growl, shoving Naruto's shoulder when he steps too close to me. "I still hate you! You're all annoying!"

Naruto narrows his eyes suspiciously at me, his mouth turning up into a sly grin as Sasuke lets out a faint, sarcastic sounding chuckle that earns him a glare from me.

"Yeah" the ravenette scoffs, arms crossed over his chest, "Sure you don't like us."

Here I cast Iruka a weary look, heaving out a dramatic sigh that makes the man laugh.

"I can see that you guys haven't changed at all" Iruka muses, before pointing at my blonde teammate. "Just don't harass poor Ashley too much, okay Naruto?"

"Me?!"

"Yes, you" Iruka replies firmly, pausing to clear his throat. "Anyway, now we have much more important things to discuss. This inscription on the wall behind me for example, and how the rest of the Chunin Exams are going to proceed."

As Iruka finishes up talking to us, Sakura slumps to the ground tiredly, with Sasuke soon following suit, though he is a little more graceful about it. Naruto on the other hand, dances around the room with excitement, clearly no longer tired like he was earlier.

I watch the blonde curiously, wondering where all of that energy comes from. He'd used up so much chakra when he and the others were lost in the Forest of Death with Kabuto, so how come he isn't at least a little weary like the others?

Is it because of the Nine Tailed Fox inside of him?......

"Ughhh.....I'm so tired...." Sakura complains loudly, to which Sasuke nods in agreement. I whirl around and throw my hands on my hips, eyebrow twitching in irritation.

"You're tired?" I ask sharply. "If anyone should be tired here, it's me! I've been getting you guys out of all kinds of problems in the last few days, but you don't see me complaining!"

Sakura blinks her wide, green eyes as I rant, probably not used to hearing me raise my voice. Sasuke merely stares at me through hooded eyes, an uncaring smirk on his face.

"Get your lazy asses off the floor and let's just go..." I growl lowly, struggling not to facepalm. My team is hopeless. It really is a miracle they haven't gotten themselves killed yet.

Oh wait......If I hadn't saved them, maybe they would have. Dammit!

Sakura quickly jumps to her feet and stretches her arms above her head, no doubt trying to feign feeling energetic. Sasuke, on the other hand, slowly rises up and salutes me mockingly, to which the others can't help laughing.

So. The usually emotionless Uchiha has jokes huh?

"Are you mocking me?" I ask softly, a dangerous edge to my voice.

Sasuke gives me a smug look as I jab a finger at him accusingly, the cheeky Uchiha reaching up and grabbing onto my hand, pushing it back towards me.

"Yeah" he challenges, "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Heh" I smirk evilly, wrenching my hand from Sasuke's grip, "This!"

My hand now free, I throw it forwards and jab a surprised Sasuke in the ribs, knocking him over backwards. Sending Sasuke a triumphant look as he takes a moment to register what just happened to him, I blow on the tip of my finger, as if blowing smoke away.

"....Okay, I didn't expect that" Sasuke admits, rubbing at his ribs as he pushes himself back to his feet. "That actually kind of hurt...."

"Suck it up Uchiha" I advise loftily, hair swishing across my shoulders as I head for the exit. "We've got an Exam to finish."

"Ha ha, Sasuke got beat up by Ashley!" Naruto teases, running after me and laughing as the Uchiha glares at him.

"You guys better follow and make sure they don't get up to any mischief" Iruka advises, chuckling to himself as he begins shooing Sakura and Sasuke towards the door with his hands.

"First of all" Anko announces, grinning at the small crowd of Genin standing before her, "I'd like to congratulate you all for finishing the Second Exam!....And for not dying!"

I can't help deadpanning at that, wondering if many people had actually died in the Forest of Death. I mean, Anko did advise them not to die, so they can't say they weren't warned.

From my spot behind Naruto, I glance around at the remaining teams of Genin. On my left is Kiba's team, with Shikamaru's group on the other side of them. We're all lined up in single file rows, with Lee's, Kabuto's and Gaara's teams to my right, as well as one team of Hidden Grass Ninja and the group of Sound Ninja we'd fought against.

Ahead of us, Anko stands beside the silent Hokage with her hands on her hips and a devious look in her brown eyes. Numerous Chunin line the walls around the room, with Ibiki and all of our team leaders standing ahead of us as well.

Peeking around Naruto, I catch Kakashi's attention and send him a cheeky smirk, my sharp teeth bared, to which the Jonin raises his visible eye towards the roof, no doubt holding in a sigh.

"I'm really hungry......" I hear Choji complain pitifully, rubbing his stomach. "When do we break for a snack?"

"What a drag" Shikamaru sighs heavily, his shoulders drooping, "There are still so many people left."

"Yes!" Ino squeaks excitedly, standing on her toes to look over Hinata's head at Sasuke. "Sasuke's team made it as well!"

"Of course they did" Shikamaru scoffs, shoving his hands in his pockets. "After we risked our lives to save them, they should've been able to pass."

Naruto crosses his arms and mutters something under his breath at this, as I huff indignantly and glare over at Shikamaru. I see Kiba raise an eyebrow and smirk to himself, probably hoping I'll attack Shikamaru or something. He silently takes a step back, allowing me to glare right at the Nara.

"Hey!" I snap, making Shikamaru flinch. "You guys only passed because I saved your pathetic asses back there! You can't take any credit for us passing, only I can!"

Naruto pokes his tongue out at Shikamaru as Sakura begins giggling at my little outburst, with Sasuke expertly ignoring all of us. Naruto pauses for a second however, my words registering in his mind, before he turns and sends me a deadpan look.

Clearly he doesn't agree that I'm the only reason we passed. I mean, I guess the others fought and stuff as well, but I'm trying to make a point here!

"What?" I growl at Kiba, spotting him grinning at me from the corner of my eye.

"Heh, you're cute when you're angry" the Inuzuka informs me, to which I momentarily close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, releasing a low sigh.

"I really hope I get to fight you at some point" I state, dropping my hand and looking up at Kiba through hooded eyes. "I'm looking forward to beating the shit out of you."

"Yeah, we know you saved us" Shikamaru pipes up, dragging my attention away from a now uncertain looking Kiba. "We've already thanked you for it too, so stop milking the situation, it's such a drag."

".....You know" I comment after a brief pause, hands on my hips and one eyebrow raised, "For such a lazy person, you're a pretty big smart ass."

"I suppose it takes one to know one huh?" Shikamaru replies, his lips turning up into a very faint smirk. I blink at that, more amused by the Nara than anything else. I can't say I'm used to people talking back, in the same way I tend to.

We all fall back into silence, tuning in as the Hokage addresses us, apparently already half way through some sort of speech. Before I can really begin to catch up and understand what the Hokage is talking about, I hear Akamaru begin whimpering softly, causing me to glance over.

Kiba, already looking down and talking quietly to the animal, places one hand on Akamaru's head. The puppy trembles inside Kiba's jacket, only his face poking out.

"What's wrong with Akamaru?" I ask cautiously, not overly wanting to start a conversation with Kiba. He'll probably throw out some corny line that will result in me hitting him or something......

To my surprise, the Inuzuka regards me with serious eyes, his mouth turned down into a frown. He leans a littler closer to me and nods his head over towards the Sand Village's team.

"We ran into those guys back in the Forest" Kiba explains quietly, a strange edge to his voice, "And we saw the red haired guy fight off a whole team on his own. He killed them without even breaking a sweat. He seems crazy powerful and I mean, there's just something real creepy about him.......Akamaru's pretty scared of the guy's weird chakra."

'Of course he's powerful' I think to myself, glancing over at Gaara thoughtfully, brows furrowing, 'He's carrying the Ichibi inside of him.....'

"If he's really that strong" I state, "Then I can't wait to fight against him. It'll be good to test my own strength."

"Are you crazy?!" Kiba asks in a frantic whisper, shaking his head vehemently. "I get that you're strong and all, but you didn't see what he can do! He'll crush you, so don't go anywhere near him!"

My eyes widen a little as Kiba stares at me imploringly, seeming to be perfectly serious in his demand. Is he.....Worried? About me getting hurt? I'm not sure, but it seems very out of character if he genuinely is concerned for my safety.

No matter. His anxiety is unwarranted. Gaara can't be that strong. Kiba and the others are just weak.

"Don't worry about me" I inform Kiba dryly. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

".....Yeah, I can see that" the brunette replies, giving me a side long look, before straightening up and turning his attention back to Akamaru.

I scowl as I also turn around. What was that supposed to mean?

"I am Hayate Gekko" I hear someone announce from ahead, "The Proctor of the Third Exam. Nice to meet you all."

Tilting my head to the side to see around Naruto, I spot a dark haired Jonin now standing beside the Hokage, his eyes holding a tired look.

"So uh...." Hayate begins hesitantly, pausing to cough a few times before continuing, "We kind of have to uh, hold a Preliminary round before the actual Third Exam...."

"A what?" Sakura asks loudly, her eyes widening in dismay.

"Preliminary round?!" Shikamaru exclaims at the same time, before running a hand down his face in frustration. "Such a pain!"

"Why do we have to have a Preliminary round?" Ino asks, pouting and crossing her arms. "Why can't we just move on to the last Exam, like we were told?"

"Well, it would seem that the first two Exams were too easy for you guys" Hayate explains hoarsely, clearing his throat. "See, we didn't think so many of you would make it through to the last Exam. According to the rules of the Chunin Exams, we can stage a Preliminary at any stage to reduce the number of candidates."

"So, there are too many of us?......." Sakura asks rhetorically, head tilting to the side in thought.

"Yeah, so anyway" Hayate continues, "If anyone doesn't feel that they're in top physical condition, now is your chance to quit-"

I deadpan as Hayate breaks out into a fit of coughs, finding the irony both amusing and a little sad. Talk about not being in top physical condition. Is he sick, or is he always like this?

"Sorry about that" Hayate apologises monotonously, not sounding sorry at all, "Like I said, if you're not ready to fight right now, you should leave. The Preliminaries are going to begin immediately."

"What the hell?!" Kiba barks angrily, sharp teeth visible. "Right now?! Don't we even get a chance to rest or anything?!"

"I want to take a break" Ino whines, sighing wearily. "We only just finished surviving the last Exam....."

"When are we going to have a chance to eat?" Choji asks, sounding fearful that he may not have the chance.

As a few of the other Genin begin complaining amongst themselves, I narrow my eyes at Sasuke, noticing that the ravenette is grabbing at his neck. He grits his teeth in pain, glaring down at the floor stubbornly.

If only I'd been able to protect him.....I wish I could've stopped Orochimaru from hurting Sasuke like that.....

"H-Hey Sasuke?" Sakura asks timidly, biting her lip. "I think.....I think you need to quit, okay?"

"What?" the Uchiha replies, his dark eyes widening a little. I can't help sending Sakura a harsh look at her request, though she's too busy focusing on Sasuke to notice.

While I'm not at all happy that Sasuke is now suffering from the curse mark, this is also my chance to see if he'll be able to control it. Considering how quickly he adapted to it back in the Forest of Death, I don't doubt that he'll be able to learn to control it.

Plus, Sasuke is an Uchiha and has proven to be pretty smart, so I have silent faith that he'll be able to at least not lose control of his power while fighting. I don't know what I'll do if he can't control it though, I mean, what can I do? I didn't create the curse mark and I certainly don't know a cure for it, otherwise I'd have already used it on him.

"Sasuke, you've been like this ever since we fought with that Orochimaru guy" Sakura whispers. "You're in pain because of that mark he put on you, isn't that right?"

I cross my arms as Sakura begins to tear up, Naruto's blue eyes widening in concern.

"Please quit before....Before.....I don't know..." Sakura pleads, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, "Before something bad happens. I'm really scared about what might happen, so please don't fight Sasuk-"

"Shut up Sakura" the Uchiha hisses, not wanting everyone else to overhear, fingers still pressed against his curse mark.

"Do you think I'm blind?!" Sakura cries, almost in hysterics.

"Please just be quiet" Sasuke urges firmly, to which I can't help sighing. My team can never make anything easy.....

"I can see that you're suffering" Sakura continues, ignoring Sasuke and frowning in thought. "I'm.....I'm gonna tell the Proctor about that mark, then you won't be able to compete!"

Before the pinkette can do so however, Naruto lets out a gasp and points over to our left. Turning my head, I can see that Kabuto has raised his hand, wanting to opt out of the Preliminary round.

"I'm calling it quits" the silver haired Ninja announces, rolling his neck.

"Okay.........Ah, Kabuto Yakushi of the Hidden Leaf" Hayate mutters, eyes scouring the clipboard in his hand. "Alright, you can step back and leave the building then."

I scowl at Kabuto's back as he turns and heads for the exit, wondering why he'd quit. I mean, I'm glad he's leaving and I won't have to deal with him anymore, but why is he leaving? He's not that weak.

He must have some sort of plan in mind.

"What are you doing Kabuto?!" Naruto calls out, raising one fist in the air. "After everything we did to get here, why are you just quitting?!"

"I'm sorry Naruto" Kabuto apologises, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head. "I'm pretty beat up though, and I can't take a one on one fight right now. Truth be told, ever since that brush with the Sound Ninja during our Orientation, I've been deaf in my left ear."

'Liar' I immediately think, silently scoffing at the sympathetic look in Naruto's eyes. Seeing as those Sound Ninja are working for Orochimaru, I highly doubt they'd really hurt Kabuto.

I watch the man have a quick, hushed conversation with the other two members of his team, before they break away from each other, Kabuto smiling brightly and waving goodbye to us all.

I respond by raising my middle finger, keeping my stony expression in place. I almost smile at the look of distaste on Kabuto's face as he turns to leave, Kiba laughing beside me.

Seeing Naruto's shoulders slump as he heaves a dispirited sigh, I roughly slap him on the back, just about knocking the unsuspecting Uzumaki over.

"Don't worry Naruto" I assure him wryly, "As lame as you are, you'll do fine. Even without Kabuto here."

Naruto slowly turns his head to look at me, eyes narrowed so much, they're just about closed.

"Ya know something Ashley" he drawls, sounding unimpressed, "You really suck at making people feel better. You could at least smile or something."

"My face will crack if I smile though" I reply in a flat tone, to which the eavesdropping Kiba laughs again, Naruto just rolling his eyes.

"I was being totally serious" I inform the two boys dryly, raising one eyebrow when Akamaru barks in agreement.

"Quiet boy" I hear Kiba mutter, quickly turning away from me. "I'm the one that's gonna get a pounding if you insult her...."

I almost do crack a smile at that. So, Kiba really is at least a little bit afraid of me. As he should be.

I glance up as Hayate clears his throat to gain our attention, holding up his clipboard.

"So, anyone else wanna quit before we begin?" the Jonin asks, eyes flicking between the small crowd of Genin before him.

As Sakura immediately begins to raise her hand, much to Sasuke's dismay, I latch onto her wrist firmly, tugging her arm back down and glaring at the girl.

"Ashley!" Sakura gasps. "What are you doing?"

"Have a little faith Sakura" I advise, not releasing her wrist. "It's not up to you to keep Sasuke from fighting. That's his choice and his alone."

"Am I just supposed to stand around and watch Sasuke get hurt?" the pinkette asks me tearfully, eyes wavering. "Sorry, but I can't do that."

"Don't watch then" I counter, regarding Sakura seriously. "This has nothing to do with you, so you need to stay out of it. Sasuke has a lot to prove to himself right now, and he needs to learn to overcome that mark....."

Here, I pause and turn my head, looking over at Sasuke and Naruto. The blonde stares back uncertainly, blue eyes wide. Sasuke, still holding onto his neck, watches on through determined eyes, his mouth set in a firm line.

"If anyone can do that" I finish, my expression softening, "Don't you think it's Sasuke?"

As Sakura bows her head, I release her wrist, ignoring the shocked look on Sasuke's face. I suppose he's surprised by my words? Hell, even I'm surprised by them........

"Yes, I suppose you're right Ashley....." Sakura says after a few moments of silence, sniffing quietly. She raises her head, making me jump as she suddenly grabs onto me, a desperate look on her face.

"But please" the pinkette begs, tears in her eyes, "Promise me that if anything happens to Sasuke, you'll help him!"

"Wh-What?" I stutter, my own eyes widening at the unexpected request. "What could I possibly do if anything happened? I don't know what you expect me to do."

"Just.....Just protect him if anything bad happens" Sakura reiterates pleadingly. "Please Ashley?"

"..........Fine" I eventually sigh, closing my eyes and turning my head as I pull myself from Sakura's grip. "If the mark starts acting up, I'll step in and try to protect him, okay?"

"I don't need your protection" Sasuke tells me lowly, to which I open my eyes and smirk meanly.

"Oh, but I really think you do Sasuke" I sneer. "I mean, I only saved your ass how many times during the second Exam.....Maybe you'd have preferred if I'd left you there to die? Then what kind of Avenger would you be?"

"I am an Avenger" Sasuke growls, sounding irritated. "I really don't care whether I become a Chunin or not after these Exams, I just want to see how strong I am. I can only do that by beating the toughest Ninja here, the very best.......This is the path that I've chosen to walk and no one, not you, not Sakura, can change my mind."

"Oh Sasuke........" Sakura sighs sadly, as I just narrow my eyes at our dark haired teammate.

"Oh poor Sasuke" I spit sarcastically, earning myself a nasty look from the Uchiha, "You're the only person here who has a traumatic past. No one else here has ever gone through hard times or struggled to keep living. Get over yourself."

Naruto quickly steps forwards as Sasuke and I glower at each other, the blonde waving his arms around wildly.

"Hey man, what are you biting their heads off like that for?" Naruto demands to know, brows knitting together. "They're only being like that coz they care about y-"

"Naruto" Sasuke interrupts, "You're one of the ones I wanna fight the most."

The Uzumaki's eyes grow wide with shock, Sasuke's words sinking in. This had to be the first time the Uchiha had ever acknowledged Naruto's strength, so I can only imagine how surprised the blonde is right now.

"You too Ashley" Sasuke adds, his onyx eyes regarding me evenly. I stare back for a few moments, before turning my head.

"Fantastic" I retort sarcastically, "I feel super special now. I look forward to crushing you and that giant ego of yours. At least then your massive head will fit through the door."

"Whatever" Sasuke grunts, though I can see him smirking in amusement. It's almost like he has a smirk permanently pasted to his face or something.....

"Alright, seeing as no one else has elected to quit" Hayate speaks up, catching everyone's attention, "The Preliminary round will begin. These will all be one on one fights and no, they are not just an exercise. They will be full battle intensity. As for rules, well, there aren't any."

"Heh, sounds perfect" I comment, grinning devilishly as I see Kiba, Hinata and Shikamaru's entire team sweat drop from the corner of my eye. I imagine all of them are hoping they won't be fighting against me.

"The battle will end when one of the three following options happen" Hayate continues, coughing hoarsely, "When one of the candidates is physically incapable of continuing, when one concedes defeat or when one has been killed. Of course, those who are losing their match are encouraged to concede to avoid reaching a fatal ending."

"Of course" Hayate explains, "As your Proctor, I may intervene in a fight if it seems hopeless for one candidate. We would like to save as many lives as possible thank you. Now, it's time to reveal who will be fighting first."

We all look up as Hayate gestures to a large panel along the far wall, as it begins to slide up, revealing a big computer screen.

"Each person has randomly been matched up with an opponent" our Proctor informs us. "Every match will be displayed on the screen up there. Now, seeing as I have nothing left to explain, let's begin."

A few people hold their breath in anticipation as we all look back to the computer screen, names flashing across it speedily. It's impossible to guess which two Ninja will be up first, but I can tell that most people here are hoping they won't be seeing their names just yet.

A dark smirk spreads across my face as two names appear and remain on the screen, with Sakura letting out a gasp.

"Will the first two candidates, Rakeru Machiko of the Hidden Grass" Hayate announces, "And Ashley Minami of the Hidden Leaf, please step forwards."

"Good luck Ashley!" Naruto encourages as I stroll past, sending me a determined smile. "You'll do great!"

"I know" I scoff, coming to a stop in the middle of the room and crossing my arms over my chest, as my opponent also walks forwards. The girl's long, pale pink hair swishes around as she walks, blue eyes narrowed at me.

She stops about ten metres away, placing one hand on her hip and sneering, a look of confidence about her.

Well, I'm about to shatter that confidence into a million pieces.

"Everyone who is not currently participating, please head to the staircase nearest to you and make your way to the upper balconies" Hayate instructs.

Sakura gives me two thumbs up as she follows a number of others towards a nearby staircase, when Kakashi walks by, hands buried in his pockets.

"Good luck Ashley" the Jonin says kindly, to which I can't help rolling my eyes and barking out a short laugh.

"Yeah, you're probably secretly hoping I'll get the shit beaten out of me" I reply knowingly.

"Who said it was a secret?" he asks innocently, before chuckling to himself and walking off.

"Sorry Kakashi" I apologise flatly, "Not gonna happen."

"Oh, but it is going to happen" Rakeru speaks up, bringing my focus back over to her. "Not only am I the prettiest girl in my Village, I'm also the strongest Genin."

".....Being the strongest Genin isn't really much of an achievement" I inform my opponent monotonously, eyes hooded. "You'd need to be at a far greater level than that to defeat me."

"You're pretty confident for a short, talentless nobody" Rakeru informs me nastily. "I can't wait to show you what real talent looks like."

"Hey!" I hear Naruto bark indignantly, before someone quickly throws a hand over his mouth, smothering the blonde's voice.

While I can appreciate his offense on my behalf, I hardly need Naruto to fight my battles for me. Let this girl run her mouth. I'd show her.

"And I can't wait to kill you" I eventually reply, my tone dark.

Rakeru bursts out into mocking laughter at this, the high pitch almost making me wince.

"Oh, that's rich!" the pink haired girl squawks, wiping away a non existent tear from her eye. "The day someone as weak as you kills someone as talented as me, is the day I stop being completely gorgeous."

Rakeru smirks at me for a few moments, hoping for some sort of reaction. I merely continue to stare at her through half lidded eyes, choosing to remain silent for now.

The girl quickly grows irritated with my blank look, an anime vein appearing on the side of her head.

"Ughhh......" she groans in annoyance. "Which means it'll never happen!"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes, as Hayate takes a few steps back, glancing between the two of us.

"Alright, if the two of you are ready" he advises, "Then begin!"