Chapter 5
Sakura, at this point, is standing as she watches Sai fight one of the Sound-nin? She's not questioning anything at this point. Maybe they're not even a Sound-nin, maybe they are. The pink-haired girl couldn't care any less than she does now if she tried. Everyone around her is worried for Sai or silently cheering him on. At least, that's the case for the Konoha shinobi and kunoichi.
Sai eventually wins with a move that reminds her of Rock Lee. Speaking of Rock Lee, she looks around for him and stops and gapes at him. What the hell is he wearing? It's almost worse than before. He looks like some edgy cool kid wannabe. He has a dark shirt and pants, a dark gray jacket with fur, and she doesn't even want to think about the excessive eyeliner. And he's sleeping through it all.
She stands corrected. She is still questioning everything. This monstrous sight in particular. She freezes. Rock Lee is a mini-me of Gai-sensei. Who switched with Gai? She looks around for a similarly looking person and would've done a spit take had she been drinking anything.
Kakashi-sensei. He's different. And he's not wearing a mask, but something is preventing her from seeing the lower half of his face. It's like it's not even there. Like it has been destroyed from reality but it's still there. Is her mind perhaps censoring it because it would be unnatural for her to see it?
"Hyūga Hinata versus Haruno Sakura."
Sakura looks down at the fighting area. Last time, she had tied with Ino. This time, she will win against Hinata at all costs. Sakura notices something though. Her hair. Had she sill run into the Sound-nin?
Sakura walks down and meets Hinata in the arena. Sakura moves her shinobi headband that she had placed around her waist on a whim and places it over her forehead -- the forehead that had given her problems as a child that now serves at the holding place for her proof as a proud kunoichi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
"Begin!" the proctor exclaims as he jumps away.
Sakura rushes forward, throwing a punch at her alternate universe rival-turned-friend. She briefly muses over who Ino will fighting. She ducks under a fist thrown by Hinata. Hinata can use her Byakugan, right? What is she waiting for? Is she waiting for Sakura to drop her guard?
Sakura drops down for a lowsweep that trips Hinata who rolls back into a standing position, already running at Sakura again. Sakura hops over Hinata entirely when she aims a fist for her stomach. From behind her, Sakura throws her fist forward, feeling some major déjà vu. She misses Kaguya, but she won't miss Hinata.
She focuses her chakra in her fist enough to send her opponent across the arena. And she doesn't hit her back as she had intended. Hinata had turned around, resulting in some twist of luck, a punch to the jaw. It still sends her across the arena. Sakura grabs a kunai, runs over, and holds it to her neck as she restrains Hinata's arms behind her back.
"The battle is over. The winner is Haruno Sakura," the proctor announces. She can hear the cheering of Shino over everyone. She looks back and sees Kiba smiling shyly at her.
Sakura returns her kunai and helps Hinata up. Hinata grins and asks, "When did you get so strong, Sakura? You have to give me some pointers sometimes."
"I've been practicing," Sakura catches her up as the two girls walk back to the stands. "Maybe you could train with us -- that's Kiba and I."
"Oh? How's he improving?"
* * *
Choji had fought Gaara apparently followed by Rock Lee fighting another Sound-nin. Gaara and Rock Lee both won their fights.
"Uchiha Sasuke and Aburame Shino."
Sakura has to stop and think about what this matchup. This fight should be the equivalent of Naruto and…
Does that mean Shino and Kiba switched? It sort of makes sense. In a weird swapped universe sort of way. No, it really doesn't make sense! Why is everyone switched around?! This is way too confusing! Sakura feels a headache coming on. Shino is supposed to be a wise man of few words. Kiba is supposed to be a powerhouse who is arrogant and short-tempered. Naruto should be here instead of Sai who should be Sasuke. Lee shouldn't look or be edgy or lazy. Shikamaru should be following Nara stereotypes. Ino should have been her opponent down there, and Hinata should be shy! God, she misses her friends. Who's the godawful person who made this Hell?!
Sakura looks down there just as Sasuke makes the most embarrassing win she could possibly think of. It's more embarrassing for her to see Sasuke win the same way because she still compares him to the cool, mysterious guy she had a crush on as a child.
"Next, Yamanaka Ino versus TenTen."
"What the fuck," she says. It had intended to be a question and maybe a little quieter, but it gets her point across just as well.
She watches TenTen stand across from a shy Ino. No. No, no, no. Fuck no. Hell fucking no.
"Will you excuse me? I need to go," Sakura says to anybody who cares as she walks out and to where she will hopefully find a bathroom.
* * *
When she returns, the fight is still happening, but intense action is happening. And TenTen is winning. She watches as TenTen throws a miscellaneous weapon at Ino and successfully puts her out of commission.
"Oh! Hey, Sakura! You're back. You missed everything. That TenTen girl seriously beat Ino up! I… kind of feel bad for her," Shino informs Sakura, losing his normal enthusiasm towards the end.
Sakura's heart hurts. Seeing her new friend who she knows to be talkative and easily excitable being so quiet and upset, it bothers her. As much as she misses her own quiet and wise Shino, she has to accept this world. And for this time, this is Shino. And he's worried about his friend.
Sakura smiles and laughs a little, "Don't worry! I'm sure she'll be just fine. She's strong. You have to give her some credit."
Sasuke is yelling at TenTen about one thing or another. If it still reflects her own life, he should be wanting to avenge her and to beat TenTen up. But she can't hear it. Her ears are ringing. She still loves Sasuke. But this is a weird, optimistic alternate universe Sasuke.
She has to move on. He just looks like him. She never truly loved Sasuke anyway, right? Right. It's just a childish crush that came back to mess with her… right?
"Temari versus Nara Shikamaru."
A way too excited Shikamaru hops down there and yells in excitement. She flinches at Shikamaru's overexcited double, not that her Shikamaru was here by any means.
And the battle begins. It's intense. And Shikamaru is surprisingly fast. It reminds her so much of Rock Lee. Wait. Rock Lee. Rock Lee had been nearly disabled in this fight. Shikamaru will be destroyed! She wants to scream and yell to him to be careful or that it's not worth it. She wants to tell him everything. But he's too determined. He will fight and train until his last breath. And she's positive death won't keep him down. If Shikamaru is anything like the Rock Lee of her world, then, he won't listen, and if he does, he'll be even more determined to fight Temari.
So Sakura is left to watch as Shikamaru just keeps going. He uses all his usual moves, but Temari blocks him from succeeding every time. At some point, he drops ankle weights that are possibly ten times his own weight. He and everyone else is left to think he is winning. But Sakura knows the truth.
"I can't. Not again. Rin-sensei, make sure Shikamaru doesn't get hurt too badly. I can't watch this any longer," Sakura requests her sensei.
"Oh, uh, alright? Do you not believe in him?" Rin-sensei asks worriedly.
"Oh, I didn't mean to imply that. I do believe in him, just not against Temari. She really unnerves me," Sakura enlightens the woman.
"Alright. I'll watch out for anything suspicious if that'll ease your nerves," she suggests.
"Thank you so much. I'm going to visit Ino."
* * *
Sakura walks around. She had briefly checked in on Ino. Then, she walked around for a while before returning to her team in the stands.
She seems to come back just in time. The proctor asks the winners to go down there. They all do. He explains the specifics. Then, they all have to draw numbers. Sakura pulls out the number nine. She realizes there will be one extra battle because she made it to the final rounds.
"The Finals will take place a month from now," the proctor starts as he continues to explain that there will be important people coming to watch, and it allows the participants time to train for the final round and such.
Sakura looks at the board. Her opponent will be that one guy. The one that had been who the Sasuke of her world fought in the preliminaries.
Sakura wonders what she is supposed to do now. She has a whole month to train and prepare to fight her opponent. If she is correct, he should be the chakra-sucking guy. Her Sasuke had been able to beat him with his own power. Sakura should theoretically have the power of a Chūnin, so she can do this!
One month to train. That'll be more than enough! She might have time to settle some things that have been bothering her.