A/N 3-24-18 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Hey y'all, it's been like three years and I want to apologize for not keeping up with this fic. But just know that I haven't given up on this fic! It's just on hiatus, but that might change this year! I just went through ALL 41 chapters and edited them out, so some things have been added in and whatnot and I'd REALLY recommend it if people would re-read this story.

With that out of the way, do try to be patient! I wanted to get through ALL these chapters and fixed them up a bit before continuing this story and now that I've managed with that...let's just see how productive I can be this year! ^^

Thank you all so much for supporting this story and as a reminder, Butterfly Child DOES have a tvtropes page and the poll has been updated! Speaking of polls, have a strawpoll for those who don't have an account on this site!

/15336561 (just add it in after strawpoll dot me)

With that out of the way, read on! Let's hope for the best this year! ^^

EDIT: 3-28-18 BECAUSE AN ANONYMOUS REVIEWER HAD THE GALL TO COMPARE CHOUKO TO BORUTO, OF ALL FUCKING CHARACTERS. NEVER COMPARE HER TO BORUTO.

I don't give a god damn fuck if you think Chouko is weak as hell, but if you even THINK about comparing her to Boruto, who is a GOD DAMN GENIUS AND THE SON OF NARUTO (OF COURSE HE'D BE SO MUCH FUCKING STRONGER, CIRCUMSTANCES NOT WITHSTANDING)...you're out of your fucking mind. There is no fucking competition. Chouko's weak as hell no matter what. But so fucking what, guest reviewer?

So fucking WHAT?! I got something to tell ya...at least she ain't Boruto. So fuck off.

I normally don't even give two shits about people calling Chouko weak, but that comparison just annoyed the FUCK out of me because REALLY, saying Boruto is stronger despite living in a different time that isn't Chouko's? Fucking remember who his parents are, god damn.

...

...

Have you ever had one of those nightmares where you felt like you couldn't wake up from it, no matter what you did? That's how I felt throughout the entire encounter with Orochimaru. Even worse, I wanted to do something, but all I could do was nothing—just watch as things happened. It was so annoying, that I just wanted to slap myself, but I couldn't even do that.

When I woke up, I was at a loss at what to think. So many things happened. I didn't even know where I was or if everything was okay—I doubt it would be. It didn't help that I woke up from a rather intense nightmare. I was so on edge that I nearly punched Sasuke in the face when he checked up on me, which would have been a bad idea because he was literally the only medic-nin on us at this point, as I quickly found out afterward. My adrenaline was pumping, even though the danger had already passed…for the moment.

It probably didn't help that it was really dark outside. The sun had long set and, as a precaution, we were using the darkness to our advantage to stay out of sight. It was sometime past midnight, according to Haku, and every little brush I felt on my skin made me jump. I never liked the dark. I had an off-and-on fear with it. Sometimes, I liked the dark, other times, I was afraid of it. I was mostly afraid what could be hiding in the darkness—especially in such a location as the Forest of Death.

Once I managed to calm down a bit, I was able to get some answers and…I wasn't feeling so well to hear that, while Sasuke managed to have avoid getting bitten, Sakura wasn't as lucky. She had taken Sasuke's place instead and just…we're all afraid that she won't be able to make it. I'm honestly glad it was as dark as it was, because I don't think I could have handled seeing Sakura's face right now.

I should be happy that Sasuke didn't get the cursed mark—really, I should. But I don't like this outcome, because there was no way that any of us knew if Sakura was going to live or not. Maybe if I had actually done something instead of doing nothing, this wouldn't have happened.

I'm so fucking useless…

I wanted to cry…I wanted to cry so badly, but I just held it in. I don't deserved to cry…that's how I felt right now. I could have done something. Could it have turned out better? I don't think so, but I at least would have tried.

Useless…

Why couldn't I move? I didn't break down, so why couldn't I move?! Why? It was just a fucking snake!

A giant snake that could have easily crushed you like the weak prey you are.

Everything was fine until that fucking genjutsu brought back all those bad memories. I had never felt so scared—but it wasn't real! The snake Orochimaru summoned was, but the genjutsu wasn't—why did it work so well?! Why?!

Why am I so weak?!

I am so lucky that things still managed to go according to canon, to a certain extent. So many things could have still gone wrong, though. Naruto would have gotten eaten. Sasuke could have missed. We all could have died…

And my hitai-ate could have not been in the right place at the right time. I was almost sure that wasn't going to work, but I did it anyways—just as a precaution. I was hoping the fabric of my scarf would have made it difficult for Orochimaru's fangs to easily puncture Sasuke's neck… That's why I wrapped it around Sasuke's neck so many times.

I just wanted to stall for time…that's all I ever wanted. I never meant for Sakura to get involved like this. I never meant for anyone to have gotten bitten. If I had done something as well, maybe Karin and Team Yamato would have gotten to us before Orochimaru could even try to bite Sasuke.

If I had done something, maybe Orochimaru could have gotten caught in the act by the ANBU that Anko had requested for in order to track down the Sannin's scaly ass. Maybe Anko could have saved us. There were so many possibilities, time all crucial to them.

It worked out so well last time…

But it wasn't just the three of you, then.

I still did something… I was only eight years old and I still managed to fight back when I could. Sure, Orochimaru broke my ankle, but I at least did it, with the knowledge that I had done him some harm to him, apart from punching him in the crotch (I was aiming for his stomach, but I was too short). To be honest, I could have died then…and I was really lucky that Iruka arrived when he did.

Hell—it was even more dangerous then, than it was now, because Sasori was there! Sasori had already demonstrated how deadly his poison was when he had attacked Hound! We could have easily gotten poisoned as well, but we didn't. I wasn't even aware of my recently developed phobia of snakes until after the incident.

So why am I so caught up in comparing what I did when I was eight years old to what happened earlier? Is it the idea that an Academy student who had no weapons whatsoever and was completely unprepared for what had happened, still managed to do more than a Genin who was armed, knew more techniques, and was better prepared for the situation?

It certainly feels like it… It's depressing when you think of it that way—that I managed to hold my ground better when I was much younger and much inexperienced. If I wasn't afraid of snakes, then maybe—just maybe…

Sakura wouldn't have gotten bit…

Her breathing was really starting to freak me out. I was afraid that she would suddenly stop—that she would just die. I don't want her to die…I want her to live.

I want everyone to live.

How is everyone supposed to live if I can't even protect my friends from the deviations that could potentially kill them?! Oh god, how am I supposed to even prevent Neji's death at this rate?! I haven't even thought about it once—just acknowledged it briefly for the sake of enjoying that Neji was (and is) still alive right now…

What am I even doing?!

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcryDON'TCRYDON'TCRYDON'TCRY…

Don't cry.

It felt like I couldn't breathe—that everything was just going to fall apart right now. Or maybe it already has... My heart was pounding so hard within my chest. My body was shaking so badly and the thought that things could get better just escaped my mind. There was just so much negativity going through my head that it was almost suffocating.

I grabbed at my hair, tugging down on it as I tried not to cry. I curled up in a tight ball onto the ground, just hoping to stay completely undetected. The darkness has never felt so welcoming—so safe. No one could see me right now. At least, I hoped no one could see me.

WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?

Don't look at me!

Please don't look at me!

Please.

I'm fine.

I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine.

Finefinefinefinefinefinefine!

I deserve to feel like this!

This is all my fault!

For being useless!

Useless useless useless!

If anyone deserves to get bitten, it should be me!

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhy?!

WHY WASN'T IT ME?!

Why…?

Nonononononononono! Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry—stopstopstopstop!

STOP!

"Ah…" Nonono—don't talk, don't talk! "Aahhh…"

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

Shutupshutupshutup!

They'll hear you.

"Mm…" Stay quiet, don't bring them into it—this is your problem, not theirs. Your issues aren't as bad as theirs are. You're not the one whose life is in danger!

You're not Sakura!

You're not the one who took Sasuke's place. You're not the one currently suffering from Orochimaru's bite. You're not the one permanently scarred by his mark. You're not the one whose future is at risk!

You're Chōko.

You're just normal, plain Chōko…who stands out so painfully amongst her family—who doesn't fit in, but manages. Who tries to ignore how much she looks like Chōji when he ingests the last of the three-colored pills—when he's so thin and so frail, because of the damage those pills had caused his body.

You can't even use them…because your body is so fucked up.

No one can even understand how an Akimichi with a fast-metabolism came to be—or how differently it works, when anyone else could have been living a relatively normal life. But not Akimichi Chōko—she's an anomaly.

You're not even supposed to exist.

Why her, when anyone else could have been born instead?

Why me?

No matter how hard she tries, letting go of the past is so difficult. To try and live in the moment as a way to ignore how afraid she is to even exist in such a world. To know that she will never see the people she had left behind ever again…

I want to go home…

¡Mami, Papi—ayúdame!

To struggle with the knowledge that she isn't supposed to exist—but somehow, still does.

I'mscaredI'mscaredI'mscared!

To know that the girl who once existed before is dead…and accept that Akimichi Chōko is who she is now.

Helphelphelphelp!

"Uuuu…" Quiet, quiet, quiet! "Uuuu…"

Someone—anyone—help me!

"Are you okay?" And just like that, everything suddenly went so quiet.

I was still struggling to breathe, the tears weren't stopping, but I could acknowledge that someone was talking to me. My mind screamed at me to answer, but I just couldn't find my voice.

Say something!

"What's wrong?" Still the same person, but I didn't know whom—I couldn't think straight, just that I had to respond.

Please don't leave me!

"Meganekko?" Sai…ah, I see—wait, why him? How did he notice?

Why ask? Say something before he leaves!

"Fine…" Nonononono—whyareyoulying?!

Don't go, don't go!

"Chōko…don't lie." Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you for noticing, Haku!

"S-Sorry…hic!" I don't think I can stay quiet anymore… "I'm sorry…"

Sorrysorrysorrysorry!

"Stop…just stop." What's wrong, Sasuke? "Stop apologizing."

Did I do something wrong? Is it because I'm crying?

"Why are you even apologizing?" Sasuke sounded so annoyed. "What happened, happened—don't even think it's your fault for even a second. Because it's not…it's no one's fault."

"Is that why Meganekko is crying?" Sai was probably confused…and yet, he seemed to have noticed what was going on when he asked, "Because she thinks it's her fault?"

…

…

"Chōko…" Sasuke suddenly said.

"Hmm…?" I exhaled shakily. I was so close to breaking down, but I couldn't—I just couldn't.

Not now—not here.

"Why do you think it's your fault?" I was confused why Sasuke sounded so scared. "Why do you think it's your fault…when it's mine?"

I had never expected Sasuke to say something like that. "Wha?"

"It's no one's fault…but mine…" Sasuke sounded so defeated when he said that. "If I wasn't so scared…"

I was scared, too…

"If I had just moved…" Sasuke, are you crying?

I didn't move either.

"And now, Sakura is suffering because she got bit instead of me." Don't cry—please don't cry, Sasuke! "It should have been me, not her!"

Nonononono—why are you saying something like that?!

"Naruto hasn't woken up, Sakura has a fever, and you're blaming yourself for something that's really my fault…" Sasuke…please don't blame yourself!

Please…stop acting like me!

When Haku had conjured up a concentrated ball of light using a simple illumination technique in order to provide some sort of lighting, my first reaction was to jolt out of my position. I didn't want anyone seeing me curled up in a little ball, like a child who had a bad nightmare. My vision blurred momentarily, my eyes having grown so used to the darkness that the light almost hurt. Once my eyes had adjusted to the current lighting, I was able to see everyone's faces.

Haku looked so concerned and Sai…he was so confused. He probably had no idea what was going on right now and with how out of touch with his emotions he currently was, I don't think he recognized the fear that sometimes came with concern. And then there was Sasuke…here, I was, beating myself up for what had happened, and yet, Sasuke was doing the exact same thing.

Why are we doing this to ourselves?

Sasuke was hunched over, his body shaking as he continued to look over Sakura, who was breathing so irregularly. Tear drops were splashing onto her forehead every few seconds or so as they fell from his face.

"This is my fault…" Sasuke said as he placed a folded towel on Sakura's forehead. "This is all my fault…"

Stop…

I swallowed hard, barely choking back a sob when I started to crawl towards Sasuke.

"Please don't die…" Sasuke looked so scared. "Please stop crying…it's not your fault."

Stop it!

I hesitated to reach out to Sasuke, my hand shaking as it neared the fabric of Sasuke's blue shirt. Does Sasuke even know I'm near him? Should I even touch him when he's like this? He doesn't like being touched, but…

I can't leave him alone!

"Sasuke!" I'm sorry if this makes you feel uncomfortable, is what I thought as I wrapped my arms around Sasuke's waist. I could feel him stiffen, my touch most likely registered as unwanted for Sasuke. I wanted to let go, but I couldn't… And when I felt his body begin to shake, I tightened my embrace.

We shouldn't be like this.

"It's no one's fault…not yours nor mine," I managed to say before Sasuke started crying. Not long after, I started to do the same. It was as though we were finally releasing everything we had bottled up—at least, that's how it felt for me.

It wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do—to be as loud as we were, but Haku and Sai weren't saying anything. They just watched as Sasuke and I continued to cry. I think I heard Sai asking Haku why Sasuke was crying again.

I'm guessing Sasuke had cried while I was still unconscious, though it was probably for the wrong reasons. Unlike me, I would say that Sasuke wasn't capable of holding down such strong emotions in regards to feeling so at fault for everything that had happened. For us to even blame ourselves, it's not healthy…so why do we do it?

I don't know…

But it does reveal issues that exist…issues that I—we have. We were scared…and for Sasuke and I, to be in a situation so similar to the past in some ways… It shows how much Orochimaru has affected us and for Sakura to have gotten involved… It just feels wrong.

Even though we should be concerned about Naruto, we're not. We're more concerned about Sakura, because she could die. Naruto, on the other hand, is blissfully unaware of what is going on as he continues to remain unconscious. He's not in danger of dying…but Sakura is and Sakura shouldn't have even been part of this situation.

And yet, she managed to be the deviation that I could have never expected. It just comes to show that these deviations are out of my control… Which is something I should acknowledge. It's difficult, but sometimes…things just happen.

And there's nothing I can do about it…

It's frustrating, but…that's how life is sometimes. And maybe, the reason why we blame ourselves…the reason I blame myself…is because I like to think I'm in control of some of these deviations, when I'm not (like hell). Instead, most of these things are in the workings with little technicalities that are almost trivial, which end up having a bigger impact later in life.

Like the friendship between Gaara and Naruto…or my mere existence causing Sakura to end up in a different class because of an alphabetical order of names, my status as Chōji's twin sister, and the fact that I came from a rather well-known clan. Basically, shit that I had no hand in affecting directly. From there, things started to go differently than they did in canon and it's pretty much the reason why we don't have a pink-haired Sasuke fangirl in a heated rivalry with Ino.

I still don't understand why Sakura would choose to take Sasuke's place, when she could have done something completely different, but…people do crazy things when they're in the moment. And as much as I wanted to be mad at her for risking her life, because I really don't want her to die, I'm…grateful she for what she has done. It's a conflicting feeling.

And Orochimaru…I'm done letting him make us feel that way—make us feel that our fear made us weak. Made us feel that it was our fault that we couldn't do anything, when he was deliberately messing with our heads. We were just unlucky…but I want to make sure it never happens again.

Never, ever again…

If it means getting over my fear of snakes—then I'm game. I'm just done with Orochimaru making us feel like this.

I'm…not useless.

I'm not. I'm just Akimichi Chōko…and I just want everyone to live.

So please don't die, Sakura…

Please?

…

…

When I woke up, I had a near freak out because I woke up. I fell asleep…like, holy shit, what happened while I was out?! When did I fall asleep? The sun is up and IS SAKURA STILL ALIVE?!

"She's still alive—her breathing's gotten better." Thank you, Haku, for the update—why isn't Sasuke watching over Sakura?! "Sasuke-kun is still asleep…"

I blinked a few times and looked at my side. Sure enough, there was Sasuke's fuzzy blue figure—okay, where are my glasses?

"Sorry, Meganekko," Sai said as he handed me my glasses. "I didn't think you would feel comfortable sleeping with them on."

If it didn't feel so out of place and if I hadn't forgotten my packets of stickers, I would have smacked a sticker on Sai's hitai-ate right now. "Thank you."

Welcome back, beautiful vision!

"Naruto-kun hasn't woken up yet, but nothing seems too out of the ordinary with him." I'm jealous with how composed Haku is…then again, he should be used to crap like this. I mean, Zabuza did raise Haku.

…

"What's the longest you've stayed awake?" I'm hoping Sai also answers this question as well.

Haku paused to think for a moment before saying, "A week…Zabuza-sama told me if I didn't go to sleep, he would knock me out himself."

Is that seriously what it's like to have a Kirigakure missing-nin as a father? Wait… "Why were you awake for that long?"

"It was when we were leaving Kirigakure." Ahh, that explains a lot… "I…might have overthought the situation."

I don't blame him…I mean, Haku wasn't exactly in the best position to be in Kirigakure. It still is a bad place for him to be in, even with Mei's progressive attitude. "What about you, Sai?"

"Eleven…?" Is that an answer or a question? "I can't exactly recall."

…

OH, fuck you, Danzō—you pushed him past his limits, didn't you?!

When is he gonna die?

I seriously wanna rip Shisui's eye out from Danzō's socket, now—whoa, calm down, Chōko! Yeesh, I don't think this what a person my age should even be thinking about…but fuck it, I'm a kunoichi and it's Danzō. He's the reason Shisui is dead, when that beautiful bastard promised us he wouldn't die…I wanted him to live.

I'm still not too sure what went down during the Uchiha Clan Massacre—all I know is that Itachi is innocent. Still, I do have a feeling that, had a deviation not occurred, Itachi would have ended up leaving the village for the same reasons he did in canon. With the way he acted throughout the summer festival before we made that gruesome discovery at the Uchiha compound, Itachi was most definitely trying to make the most of his last days in Konoha. All those pictures…that's just sad.

"Hey, a squirrel!" You know, I try not to fall into stereotypical ADHD behavior, but god dammit, are squirrels ever so distracting— "Holy shit, Haku!"

What the fridge was that about?! Why are you trying to kill a squirrel?!

"What happened?!" Oops, woke up Sasuke…

"There's an explosive tag on its back…" Haku said as he crawled out of our hiding spot of sorts to look around the area. He was armed and ready for anything that caught his eye. "Someone's near…"

Who could—oh…never mind. Pfft, my memory sucks sometimes. I forgot about the squirrel bomb—oh my god, is it going to be okay?!

"Don't go out…it's dangerous." Damn it, Haku, why do you have to be right?!

"But the squirrel…" I don't even like squirrels, but I don't want it to die… That tag's gonna go off on its own after enough time.

"I'm sure someone will find it and help it out." Sai…thank you for trying to cheer me up and reminding me that Lee should be around, catching leaves as they fell from the trees.

Please don't screw this up for me, deviations.

"I am so sorry that I don't have any stickers to give you," I told Sai as I patted him on the head.

"I'm fine with this." And there's that fake smile.

"Guys, seriously…what happened?" Oops, almost forgot about Sasuke. "Wait—Sakura!"

Whoa, déjà vu—Sasuke's acting the same way I did when I realized I just woke up. Probably doesn't help that I kinda woke him up with my outburst when Haku threw that senbon… It's not exactly the best way to wake up—especially if you're a shinobi. The Academy sure knew how to train us so we'd wake up to any sudden noises while we were sleeping. And it all happened during that month spent in that forest…

It was a horrible time to be an Academy student. Emotions ran wild, tension was high, and bonds were tested. Even our circle of friends didn't do so well…at first. Then Hinata accidentally sent Mizuki to the hospital and things got a little better because little Hinata sent a grown-ass Chuunin to the hospital. That was just hilarious and worth celebrating, even if Hinata felt rather guilty about it, but it was Mizuki. None of us liked Mizuki.

And, if it helps, we were supposed to retaliate to any sudden "ambushes" Chuunin instructors pulled on us at any given moment…like when we were sleeping or trying to get over the fact that the forest is creepy at night. Shikamaru was literally the only one completely calm about the entire thing, because even Shino wasn't doing so well. By the end of day two, Shikamaru had already resigned to his position of being our security blanket of sorts…

Yes, even Sasuke was clinging onto Shikamaru. Ino was so jealous…and Shikamaru was annoyed, but let it happen because we were freaking out. What a total bro…

"Still a fever…" Sasuke frowned as he felt Sakura's forehead with his hand.

"She's getting better!" I should probably be quiet, since there be Oto-nin spying on us right now, but Sasuke needed the reassurance and—

"AAAAUGHHH!" Holy shit, Haku—who did you just hit?!

"Whoever is out there, I suggest you leave us alone, or else the next senbon will be thrown with the intent to kill." Damn, Haku, you scary…also, I am totally jealous of your aim with senbon.

Though, I am rather concerned with how our encounter with Zaku, Dosu, and Kin will go come this scenario. Haku and Sai are with us, and Sasuke is awake…but Naruto is still out and our medic-nin is down—holy shit, our White Mage is down!

Crap, crap, crap!

Okay, okay…let's just hope that Haku's precise aim scares them off—nope. The Oto-nin are here and they look just as every bit ready for a confrontation. Well, damn.

"You think a little senbon is going to scare us away?" Zaku looked extremely annoyed as he pulled out a single senbon out of his hand. "It'll take more than that!"

Sai blinked a few times and smiled that fake smile of his. "You're going to get yourself killed, saying stuff like that."

Damn straight… "Really, you oughta leave—we don't need any scrolls."

"We're not here for a scroll," Dosu remarked. "We're here to fight Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke stiffened when he heard Dosu say his name. "Not…again…"

Sasuke—what's with that look on your face…?

…

Oh hell no—no more self-blame! "It's not your fault!"

"B-But…they're here for me…" A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Sasuke's face.

"Just stop!" I will smack you if you keep it up! "They might be here for you, but they sure as hell are going to regret coming after you when you're with us."

"We got your back…" Haku said before standing up. "Just make sure to take care of Sakura-san and Naruto-kun."

"Don't let Deko down…" Sai said as he started to crawl out of our hiding spot. "She'll be worried when she wakes up and sees you hurt."

"O-Okay…" Sasuke was reluctant, but still did as he was told.

"Hey…hold my glasses, will you?" I smiled reassuringly at Sasuke as I handed him my glasses.

Sasuke stared at me for a moment before smiling. "I will…don't get hurt. Please."

"No promises!" Oh, I am totally going to regret this.

…

"Wow, I heard you were rather short, but I didn't think you were this short!" Oh, fuck off, Zaku—only Suigetsu is allowed to poke fun at my height!

"You are aware that I am younger than these two boys, here, right?" I tried to stay calm as I stood in between Sai and Haku. "I doubt it since you barely know anything about them!"

Zaku tried to say something in response to my comment, but he didn't seem to have anything…probably because I was right! The only team Zaku, Dosu, and Kin were informed about were Team Kakashi.

"Meganekko is right, isn't she?" Sai's question really seemed to piss Zaku off.

"Shut up!" Nice come back, Zaku. "It doesn't matter—we're still going to kill you!"

Kill…just hearing that word makes my stomach churn. It just makes the situation so terrifyingly real. It's all the more reason to be more cautious—especially since these three specialize in sound techniques. Physics…I will make you my bitch if it comes to it.

Let's do this, brain!

"Don't attack until I say you can," I quickly told Sai and Haku. "Just trust me on this."

"Sure thing, Meganekko!" Sai was probably smiling that fake smile of his again. Couldn't really tell, since all I can see was a black blur when it came to Sai.

"I can't make any promises, but do your best." Haku, just trust me on this one…

"Suiton Mizu Deppō!" I inhaled deeply before expelling a forceful shot of water from my mouth. Zaku, Dosu, and Kin were quick to react, jumping back to avoid my attack. Water hit the ground, soon dampening it before turning what was dry ground into wet mud.

"You missed!" Zaku exclaimed, grinning.

I ignored him as I tried to attack them again once more. Predictably, they dodged…but this time, they split up, making it easier on me to switch from a relatively harmless attack (in comparison to the one I have planned) to an even more powerful one. "Suiton Teppōdama!"

Soon, condensed balls of water were shooting everywhere as Zaku, Dosu, and Kin continued to dodge. Each and every time a ball shot after them, they dodge, the ball soon hitting the ground. After some time, I stopped to catch my breath. When it comes to converting chakra into water, it requires quite powerful lungs depending on the technique. Oxygen is sometimes a catalyst to such a conversion. Thing about chakra is that it can manipulate physics—that's right, physics is being manipulated.

It's something I learned when I was making my own techniques, which is where I got my Mizu Deppō. Since Kakashi told me not to go to Zabuza and Haku for Suiton techniques, I decided to make my own. It's…harder than it looks. Seriously, I'm not joking.

What made it easier for me is the realization that the laws of physics, for the most part, are still a thing. It's just that chakra is literally a cheat code to working your way around it. That's how Dosu is using sound waves as an attack.

It's best not to think about it too much, considering how much of a rage-inducing activity it is to think about the science of ninjutsu (oh god, those two words should not be put together). I'm not even going to touch genjutsu—fuck that! There are just some things you're better off allowing to happen without an explanation, otherwise, you're trying to figure out how Sasuke's Sharingan works from both a biological and scientific standpoint and I'm just done for the entire year to even try to look into it.

Stop being a nerd, Chōko!

Never!

"For someone whose aim is supposed to be precise, you sure do miss a lot," Dosu remarked.

"Naaah, ya think?" Way to state the obvious, captain. "With that attitude of yours, I doubt you'll be making it far into the Chuunin exams."

"At least we don't miss, bitch!" Zaku snapped.

"Who says I missed?" Bingo, you guys fell for it. "Haku, you can attack now."

And when Haku threw an array of senbon at Dosu, Zaku, and Kin, they dodged…but I was expecting that. What I was actually anticipating was seeing the three immediately slip and fall flat on their asses after their feet touched the now muddy ground. It was never my goal to attack them.

I wanted to incapacitate them.

"Take a look around you—can you really move around this environment?" The once hard ground was now slick and muddy after coming in contact with the water from my techniques. There's a reason why earth is stronger than water—and it's because of how it absorbs water. "It's only a matter of time until one of us hits you at this rate."

"I told you we should have left them alone!" Kin had been quiet up until now, where she practically exploded at her teammates. "But you two just had to ignore me!"

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you, deadweight—not after what happened yesterday with your little hangover!" Zaku snapped at Kin.

"You guys were the one who made me go to that party!" Kin was not happy. "Maybe if you guys didn't make me go on my own, I wouldn't have been so hungover…"

"You didn't have to drink…" Dosu remarked. "Why would you even do something so reckless, knowing that the second part of the Chuunin exams was the day right after?"

"Well, because I didn't want to seem so out of place—have you ever considered that?!" Kin threw a handful of mud at Dosu, who was quick to use his arm to block it.

Unfortunately, Dosu used his wrong arm as he quickly found out when mud splattered all over the metal gauntlet on his right arm. "Look what you did!"

Well, this is an unexpected development. Like, holy shit—I was expecting a confrontation. Instead, I managed to create an opening for a team dispute and just…wow.

"Internal conflict within a team shows poor stability!" I nearly shrieked when I saw that Lee was standing right next to me. For someone who's Jounin-sensei was anything but discreet, Lee did a good job at showing up undetected…

It was either that, or he managed to show up while I was distracted with the train wreck that was Zaku, Dosu, and Kin fighting with each other…

"Hey, squirrel!" It took me a moment to notice the blurry brown splotch (the squirrel) on green (Lee).

"Oh, I came across the poor little thing when he had an explosive tag on his back," Lee was quick to say as he looked at the squirrel on his shoulder.

…

"I told you that someone would come across the squirrel, Meganekko." Sai sounded so pleased with himself.

"I guess you were right!" I grinned. "Thanks Lee!"

"O-Oh, it is nothing, Chōko-san!" I'm kinda regretting not having my glasses on hand, because I totally want to see the nervous look on Lee's face right now.

Splat!

Are you—are you serious? Zaku, Dosu, and Kin are having a mud fight and I…I just can't even. This is so out of place, that it isn't funny—okay, maybe it is. I mean, these three are with Orochimaru and are quite capable of killing people, like the rest of us…except I doubt they'll show the hesitance most of us have. And having taken that into consideration, instead of trying to kill us, as Zaku had practically boasted he would, they are fighting each other with mud.

"Should we just leave them?" Sai decided to ask me.

"I can carry Naruto-kun if you want me to," Haku offered.

"I dunno, I think we should watch them some more…wait—Lee, what scroll did your team get?" I'm curious since we have an extra Earth scroll on us.

"We have a Heaven scroll," Lee replied. "Though, I think I should be returning to my team right now…but I cannot leave any of you alone!"

Even though I'm quite sure we can handle the situation ourselves, it doesn't hurt to have a little more help.

"And this is for carving your name into that tree!" Kin suddenly yelled as she shoved a handful of mud into Zaku's face.

"You did what?!" Please tell me that Zaku isn't referring to the Tree of Harmony!

"It's just a fucking tree!" Zaku yelled before getting punched right in the face. "Ow, what the hell, Kin?!"

The shift from mud throwing to sudden violence should have keyed me in to a change in situation…it should have. However, I was too busy being pissed at Zaku for even saying that about the Tree of Harmony, because it was anything but a tree. It was more than that, and the fact that Zaku carved his name into the tree—the fuck, man?! And then he has the gall to say something like that?!

He is so dead.

"Take it back!" Kin yelled as she tackled Zaku onto the ground. The two of them rolled across the mud before coming to a complete stop. Kin now sat on top of Zaku, effectively pinning him to the ground as she straddled him. With his arms restrained to his sides, Zaku was helpless to stop Kin as she continued to punch him in the face. "Take it back, you son of a bitch!"

Crack!

There was a sickening crack that resounded upon Kin's fist coming in contact with Zaku's nose. I already know from experience that Zaku's nose was broken…and he deserved it! The fastest way to make enemies in Konoha is to insult the Tree of Harmony. We really take things personally when people speak ill of it.

Though, it does beg the question as to why Kin would take it just as personally. Really, she's never been inside the tree to get the full experience…has she? Oh dammit, how did Karin miss them? Then again, the Tree of Harmony is a tourist spot, so Karin could have mistaken them for tourists…

But seriously, how long have Zaku, Dosu, and Kin been spying on us, anyways? You know what—screw it! I'm done thinking about things, especially when it involves things that don't really matter right now because Kin is totally beating the shit out of Zaku, while Dosu did nothing but watch as he stood up.

Blood was spurting out of Zaku's nose as he screamed, "Dosu, get this bitch off me!"

"I can't!" Dosu exclaimed as he started making funny poses that made no sense until it hit me that he was being controlled.

And it was at that moment that it finally came to my attention that Team Asuma was within the vicinity. I remembered Lee, but I gone and forgotten that Team Asuma eventually made their way to the confrontation between Team Kakashi and whatever team Dosu, Zaku, and Kin were part of. I nearly slapped myself in the forehead when I noticed the kunai on the ground by Dosu's feet. A long, thin strip of white cloth was tied to the kunai, the ends extending toward a couple of bushes where I could make out a very familiar spiky ponytail coming from a certain Nara.

Everything is starting to make sense—Kin's spontaneous violence wasn't from her. It was from Ino. Ino is controlling Kin right now, and Shikamaru has Dosu trapped…which leaves my brother, Chōji, watching over Ino's body, most likely.

Of course, the white cloth tied to the kunai most likely came from Chōji. After all, the white cloth is the very same thing we both used as bandages to wrap around our arms. The cloth had been used to help Shikamaru extend his range in order to trap Dosu in his Kagemane. This generation's Ino-Shika-Chō trio is definitely a force not to be reckoned with.

"You guys can come out now." There's no use hiding now that I've found you, ahaha…

"Should've figured that you'd eventually find us…" And there's everyone's favorite lazy bastard, making Dosu look ridiculous as ever, all while looking as ridiculous as well.

"I was wondering when you three were going to come out from there." Haku's honestly more perceptive than I will ever be…

"Is she okay?" Sai asked, most likely referring to Ino's unconscious body, of which Chōji was carrying.

"Of course she is!" Chōji was quick to reassure Sai. "Though, maybe you should ask her yourself…assuming she isn't too busy beating that jerk up."

"I…am…perfectly…fine!" Kin said in between punches.

It took Sai a couple of seconds to make the connection. "Oh, so Flower Girl is that one girl who was with Megane!"

Megane, in case anyone is wondering, is Chōjūrō. Of course, Chōjūrō and I would get a nickname referring to the fact that we both wore glasses. Though, to be honest, it's a rather flattering nickname, considering what I've seen in my past life. Us glasses-wearing characters sure do seem to be rather popular. In some cases, it's a charm point, ahaha…

Aaaand that's enough for this self-esteem boosting session—now time to focus back on the current situation.

"Ino's part of the Yamanaka clan, so she's capable of taking control of others when the situation calls for it," I explained to Sai. There are a lot of drawbacks to it, which is why there is a reliance on strategy and teamwork to make it work.

"The Yamanaka clan is truly admirable." Lee was certainly impressed.

"So is there any reason why it took you guys so long to do something?" Not that I mind or anything, I mean the Oto-nin weren't exactly doing any better before Team Asuma intervened.

"We were going to jump in, but you guys seemed to have everything under control," Chōji replied as he carefully made his way through the muddy terrain towards us. Shikamaru kept his distance, as so to keep Dosu occupied.

"Of course, then Ino had to jump in when that Oto-nin opened his big mouth," Shikamaru remarked. "How troublesome…"

"He spoke blasphemy!" Ino was not going easy on Zaku as she continued to make Kin punch the male Oto-nin in the face. "Just a fucking tree—I'll show you, you bastard!"

"Uhhh…Ino, I think that's enough!" Look, I know Zaku pretty much deserves what he's getting, but I'd rather Ino not accidentally, you know…kill the guy. "C'mon, you're going to kill him at this rate—do you really want that?"

Zaku whimpered when Kin's fist was literally centimeters away from his face, Ino having deciding stop and mull over the question I've asked. A minute passed and Kin removed her fist. Slowly, she got off Zaku and stood up, making a face when noticed the blood on her hands.

"Eeugh, now that I think about it—maybe I shouldn't have been so rough…but then again, you need to learn when to keep some things to yourself," Kin said before roughly kicking Zaku in the side. "If you act up, I'll kill this girl, so do try to behave yourself."

Ino sure knew how to make threats… God, she takes after her father so much… It's no surprise that Inoichi is part of the Torture and Interrogation Force. At this rate, Ino is going to end up there as well. So this is how Ino developed when she's still friends with Sakura…sure, Ino still has a crush on Sasuke, but Ino has flourished alongside Sakura.

"Ino-san, watch out!" Lee suddenly exclaimed.

Without any warning, Kin was forcefully pushed backwards by an attack coming from Zaku's hand. Even after all that has happened, Zaku still had the gall to push his luck. What really bugged me was that the muddy terrain I had created ended up being used to Zaku's advantage as shown by how fast Kin was moving across the mud.

An unwelcomed sense of déjà vu came when I saw Kin's body crash into a tree, back first. The impact of the crash was enough to cause Kin to cough up blood before her body hit the ground.

"Ino!" Chōji yelled, as I was pretty sure that whatever bodily harm Kin had just received was transferred over to Ino.

"Shit!" Shikamaru swore.

Oh fuck, has it been five minutes already?

"So five minutes is the jutsu's limit, isn't it?" Dosu asked the question I had hope he wouldn't. "And that girl's jutsu—she can transfer her spirit into her opponent's body and take control of their body, but…"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

"Though, from the looks of that internal bleeding, it seems that killing Kin would kill her too." Fuck, Dosu saw through the bluff!

"You…bastards would seriously hurt your own teammate?" Ino was shocked with this discovery, as shown through the expression on Kin's face.

Honestly, it shouldn't be that surprising that shinobi from other villages would act this way. While Konohagakure values teamwork, other villages might not hold the same viewpoint. Considering how the Oto-nin are with Orochimaru—it only makes sense. That still doesn't make it any less shocking.

"Our goals are not the stupid scrolls nor to safely complete this exam," Dosu explained.

"We're here for Sasuke!" Zaku exclaimed before spitting out a tooth. His face was practically unrecognizable after all the physical harm Ino had caused him while controlling Kin's body.

"Of course, that's not all we're here for." I barely had enough time to blink when I suddenly found myself face to face to what I believe was Dosu's bandaged up face before feeling an unimaginable pain in my stomach.

That motherfucker punched me in the stomach—ulp! I staggered back a few steps before throwing up on the ground, feeling rather sick and disoriented. Just when I thought my shitty vision couldn't get any worse, it did and along with that, my sense of balance decided to crap out on me. I could feel something dripping out of my left ear and it didn't take me long to realize that Dosu ruptured my eardrum…fucking ow.

I could already hear my friends calling out to me and before I could even react, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders and cold metal pressing against my neck. I had enough experience to know that was a kunai and holy shit—no, do not tell me I'm about to be used as a meat shield by Dosu!

"Any sudden movements, and I'll slit her throat!" God fucking dammit, Dosu!

I am so done with this…like so done. What is my life—to deserve to become this dick's meat shield? I don't want to die, but I am so mad.

"You are so lucky you got the upper hand." Must…resist…urge to jeopardize life—why is it so hard, dammit?!

"I don't think you are in a position to talk," Dosu said as he pressed down on the kunai again.

Fucker was trying to intimidate me!

Stay calm, stay calm—don't do anything you might regret!

"I'll let her go is Sasuke comes with us." Oh not this shit again! "After all, we're only here for him…but, if the situation calls for it, we'll be fine just taking her, instead."

Shit, shit, shit, shit!

Why am I the bargaining chip?! This is so not fair! Can't I get a break from this sort of shit?!

"I'll go…just don't hurt her." Sasuke, noooo!

Someone just slap me—wake me up from this nightmare! I'm done being in this position! I'm not useless…so why does it feel like I am? Why?

Why, why, why, why?

I really wanted to cry out of frustration. I was so close, but then a loud cracking sound caught me by surprise… Well, it caught everyone by surprise. What happened right after was just as ridiculous as it sounded. Seemingly, out of fucking nowhere, Neji came swinging down on a vine, à la Tarzan and knocked Dosu and me onto the ground.

Thud!

It was a rather painful and disorienting fall, and maybe a bit nerve-wracking because I still had a freaking kunai at my neck. I mean, freaking heck—that could have killed me, but it didn't! And the only reason it didn't, was because I managed to use this opportunity to grab the kunai out of Dosu's hand. It was a good thing I did, because the sharp metal blade of the kunai was starting to dig into my skin and I think it might have actually cut my neck a bit. Nothing too seriously, but I did feel something on my neck.

This wouldn't have happened if I had my hitai-ate and scarf on—where are they, anyways? Forget that! Get off me, Dosu, you're heavy—huh?!

Whoa!

I was about ready to shove Dosu off of me, when someone else managed to do that, instead. Almost right after, someone helped me off the ground.

"Are you okay?" It was Tenten. "O-Oh, your neck!"

Yup, that's definitely a cut… "I'm fine—I got the kunai before it could do any serious damage. What's going on?"

"I think you might want these back." Sasuke caught me by surprise when he suddenly put my glasses back on my face. Though, considering how I was almost used as a bargaining chip, it does explain why he isn't with Sakura and Naruto…

I blinked a few times before looking around to get a good look at my surroundings now that my glasses were back on my face. My vision blurred a bit before it cleared when I came across the scene of Neji beating the ever-loving crap out of Dosu. I winced when I noticed that Neji's Byakugan was activated—he was using the Jūken on Dosu. Just, eeugh—hope you like internal bleeding, ya bastard. That's what you get for using me as a meat shield and rupturing my eardrum!

Ugh, everything just seems to spin whenever I move my head. This is going to be a problem, unless something is done about my ruptured eardrum…

"H-Here, let me heal that for you," Sasuke said as he walked closer to me. "Sorry if I can't do much…"

"It's fine!" C'mon, Sasuke, cheer up a bit! Please? "Just do your best…okay?"

"Okay…" For the most part, Sasuke sounded relieved.

I think now, things are going to be a bit okay…of course, I spoke too soon as Kin suddenly yelled, "Get this son of a bitch off of me!"

Oh shit, we forgot about Kin—I mean, Ino! Well, Ino in Kin's body…so Kino it is! In any case, with me having been used as a hostage, no one really had time to keep an eye on anyone, besides me… So while everyone was trying to be careful, so as to not agitate Dosu anymore, Zaku had managed to make his way over to Kino (until Ino is out of Kin's body, this is the nickname I'm enforcing for the body). He did a little role reversal, so now it was he who had Kino pinned underneath him as he punched her in the face.

Considering how close Dosu held that kunai to my neck, I doubt Ino was going to risk going back into her body, as her reanimation would probably count as a "sudden movement" by Dosu. And thanks to Zaku's role reversal, Ino couldn't end the Shintenshin even if she wanted to. As Zaku continued to punch Kino, marks started to appear on Ino's body. Her face was taking a beating and if it weren't for what happened next, I would have thrown a kunai at Zaku's head.

What had happened was that a certain pink-haired kunoichi decided to wake up and ask, "Who…did that to Ino…?"

Oh my god…what the fuck am I looking at?

I got a horrific sense of déjà vu just looking at Sakura as she slowly walked forward. Black marks were covering the left side of her face, trailing all the way down to her leg. What were once gentle-looking green eyes were now dark purple eyes, full of hatred.

"Who did it?" Sakura asked again.

And like an idiot, Zaku proudly answered, "I did it!"

I already had an idea what was going to happen…and when Sakura disappeared within the blink of an eye, leaving only a trail of leaves where she last stood, I prepared myself for the worst. I wasn't that surprised to see her appear right next to Zaku and Kino. I didn't even flinch when Sakura grabbed Zaku by the neck and pulled him off of Kino.

BAM!

I winced when I saw Sakura smash Zaku's face into the tree that Kino had crashed into earlier. That, added up to the fact that Zaku still had injuries from the beating Kino had done to him earlier…yeah, that nose is definitely broken and he's gonna need some serious medical care if he wants to make it through the end of the day.

Zaku's body crumpled to the ground shortly afterwards and if it wasn't for his groaning, I would have mistaken him for dead. A civilian would be dead by now after going through what Zaku had experienced. Zaku was only lucky that he wasn't a civilian.

"You think you're so proud of yourself for hurting my friend, huh?" Sakura said as she grabbed onto Zaku's arms by the wrist. She placed her right foot flat on Zaku's back and started to forcefully pull on his arms, her foot pushing his body in the opposite direction. "Huh?!"

Never had I ever considered that such canon events could play out in such a way. It seemed so similar to what I had seen in the manga…except, unlike in the manga, it wasn't Sasuke who was dislocating Zaku's arms.

It was Sakura.

"Shannaro!"

SNAP!

Sakura never liked to hurt people. She would if she had to, but that never meant she liked it. She preferred to heal people—especially if they were her friends. But to see her do this to someone like Zaku…something was definitely wrong with her. Even if Sakura was just being vindictive towards the treatment Ino had received, it still felt out of character for her to have a sadistic side to her.

Laughing upon hearing Zaku's pained screams…what happened to the pink-haired girl who wanted to become a medic-nin because of an incident during her Academy days? What happened to the girl who always smiled and cared for others' well-beings?

What happened to our friend?

"That's what you get for hurting my friend!" Sakura spat as she roughly kicked Zaku aside.

None of us knew how to react—Neji had even stopped attacking Dosu, who was currently curled up on the ground, in pain. It was just so horrifying to see how our friend was acting right now.

Sasuke never looked so terrified. "N-No…"

Slowly, Sasuke started walking toward Sakura, taking a step at a time as the pink-haired girl debated whether or not she should continue kicking Zaku while he was down, kill him, both, or leave him be. Then Kino sat up and Sakura turned her attention away from Zaku.

"Did you hurt Ino, too?!" Sakura was quick to grab Kino by the shirt and hold a fist to her face. "Did you?!"

Kino's eyes were so wide with shock. Out of all of us, Ino had known Sakura the longest. The two were the closest of friends…and for Ino to witness such out-of-character behavior from the person she knew the longest… It was almost as though she couldn't recognize Sakura.

It probably didn't help that Sakura couldn't recognize that Ino was currently harboring Kin's body. Having said that, it explained why Sakura would be so quick to make threats to a person she didn't recognize as a friend. And it was that realization that shocked Ino the most.

"S-Sakura?" Ino must have been so shaken up, because what came out of Kin's mouth was by far the most pitiful voice I had ever heard. It was almost as though one wrong thing could just break her…

"Don't talk to me like you know me so well!" Sakura snapped. "Now answer me! Did you hurt Ino?!"

By now, tears were streaming down Kin's cheeks. Had Ino not been so shaken up, she would have most likely ended the jutsu by now. But with her current predicament, Ino was at a loss. "S-Sakura…it's me—Ino."

And just like that, everything went quiet.

…

…

Minutes passed and Kin's body went limp, while Ino's body reanimated itself. Now back in her body, Ino coughed a few times, blood trickling down the side of her mouth. Chōji tried to ask her something, but Ino stopped him as she stood up. She wobbled a bit as she turned her attention to Sakura, who had only just dropped Kin's body.

Sakura seemed conflicted as she stood there, just staring at the bodies before her feet. Maybe it was the idea that she had almost hurt her friend…it was most likely that. And yet, the marks on her body were still there.

Ino was about ready to walk over to Sakura, but then Sasuke got to the pink-haired kunoichi first. Déjà vu crossed my mind with what I saw next, and instead of Sakura hugging Sasuke…it was the other way around. So much role reversal and yet…this one didn't horrify me as much. It just made me sad when I heard Sasuke say, "I'm sorry, Sakura…I'm so very sorry…"

Despite what I had told Sasuke—despite what I had told myself…

"It's all my fault…" Sasuke sounded as if he was about ready to burst into tears. "That you're like this…"

It's my fault, too…

Sasuke still blamed himself…and so did I. Even though we really shouldn't being doing this—it just wasn't healthy. And yet, just seeing what had happened to Sakura…

Why?

Why did it have to be Sakura?

Every single consequence that came with the mark…was now going to be pushed onto Sakura. Will she even be able to use medical ninjutsu? I doubt it, since the cursed mark will eat away at her chakra whenever she uses it or however it was that it had affected Sasuke. Does Sakura even know what's happened to her?

What will she think of us when she finds out?

I felt like crying again, even though I was the one who had told Sasuke that it was nobody's fault. None of us could have prevented this—not with how these events have deviated…and yet, the guilt still lingered. How was Sakura going to be a medic-nin if the cursed mark kept activating whenever she used her chakra? Of course, unlike Sasuke, Sakura didn't have the Sharingan, so it could affect her differently… That still didn't erase the consequence of the mark corroding her mind, as Orochimaru had intended it to do with Sasuke.

"I'm so sorry…" Sasuke sniffed. "I'm sorry…"

Slowly, the marks on Sakura's body began to recede until they had completely disappeared. It was shortly afterwards that she collapsed onto the ground and that was when everyone finally reacted. We all made our way to Sakura, taking care to watch our step as we walked across the still-muddy terrain.

Sasuke was currently tending to Sakura, checking if she was hurt in way. Sakura looked so exhausted and tried her best to say that she was fine when Ino asked her if she was okay, when she really was not. Upon noticing how hurt Ino was, Sakura had tried to heal Ino, only for Sasuke to stop her.

Sasuke explained that Sakura was in no condition to do any healing and as much as Sakura probably didn't want to admit, he was right. And it was at that moment that everyone else realized how dangerous our situation was. Our only capable healer of a friend was incapable of healing.

Not in her current state, that is.

"We should leave," Haku was quick to suggest.

With Dosu, Zaku, and Kin all incapacitated, now was probably a good time to leave, without any more needless confrontations. It didn't feel right, but Dosu was still conscious, so he was probably capable of activating his seal (the one that sent up a flare)…not so sure about Zaku or Kin, though. Still, they weren't completely helpless. Everything after this would be up to them. So if anything bad were to happen, it would fall entirely on Dosu for not doing anything.

…

…

It rained later that day and rather than separate, we all stayed together, high up on a branch—completely out of sight to anyone who didn't look closely. At the moment, Sasuke was trying his hardest to heal my ruptured eardrum. The most he had been able to do, earlier, before Sakura surprised us with her awakening, was heal the cut on my neck.

I had to be carried all the way to our current location because I couldn't walk straight without stumbling or falling. Lee had almost challenged Neji to a spar when Neji had been quick to offer to carry me. In the end, it was Neji who carried me on his back, while Lee took to carrying Naruto, who was still asleep. About halfway to our current location, Shikamaru slapped the hell out of Naruto and woke him up.

Naruto nearly attacked us for that, considering the situation he had once been before blacking out. Then he noticed how some of us weren't exactly looking all too well (Sakura, Ino, and I), and freaked out. Overall, it was typical Naruto behavior appropriate for waking up after missing out on everything that had happened.

We ended up giving the extra Earth scroll to Team Asuma, who had been struggling throughout the entirety of yesterday with a hangover, due to that party at the Uchiha compound…

In hindsight, we should have just gotten more drinks instead of bringing out the booze…too late to do anything about that, now. That aside, Team Gai had already gotten their own Earth scroll and upon finding out that all of our teams had been given Heaven scrolls, I felt something was up. I'm pretty sure Neji and Shikamaru caught on as well, but we didn't really say anything.

For now, I was just waiting patiently for Sasuke to finish healing my ruptured eardrum. I would be happy to have my sense of balance back (Dosu's attack messed with my vestibular system), as well as my hearing in my left ear, thank you very much… Meanwhile with Ino, she was waiting for her turn to get healed, her face having swollen up a bit from the beating Zaku had given her. Unlike Zaku, she at least didn't have her nose broken, but she did have a black eye and lost a tooth (last baby tooth, by the way).

The healing process took longer than usual, since Sasuke only had minor medic-nin training. When Sakura tried to help by healing Ino, it soon came to our attention that it was impossible for her to use medical ninjutsu without causing her pain. Sakura had tried to hide this, but upon seeing her cursed mark activate, Ino stopped her.

"Just stop—you're hurting yourself," Ino said.

Sakura frowned. "But you're hurt!"

"I don't care!" Ino snapped. "I'd rather stay like this than have you hurt yourself for me."

"Ino…" Sakura seemed touched, but at the same time, she was sad. The pain and the fact that she couldn't heal her friend must have really bothered her.

I wasn't surprised to find that Sasuke was crying after seeing that. "Sasuke…"

"Sorry—I just can't…" Sasuke exhaled shakily. "It should have been me, not Sakura… At least with me, it wouldn't make that much of a difference because I barely have any training, compared to her…"

"Do you…really think that?" Sakura asked Sasuke.

"Think that…it feels like that." Sasuke seemed so close to breaking down. "I was supposed to have gotten that mark—not you. You could have died…you could have died, Sakura! Why did you do that?!"

Silence…

…

…

"Why?" Sasuke's voice cracked as he asked again.

"Because you've been through too much," was Sakura's response. She smiled reassuringly at Sasuke, who just stared at her, agape. "That's why."

It had never occurred to me, that Sakura would have ever made a decision just so someone, like Sasuke, wouldn't have to deal with any more unwanted burdens. Losing Shisui, then his entire family, and finally, his older brother…Orochimaru's cursed seal (mark, whatever the fuck it is—it doesn't matter) would have just been another thing to add to Sasuke's list of troubles. Even though she couldn't really use her medical ninjutsu—the one thing that she had been so proud of—because of what she had done for Sasuke, Sakura didn't seem to mind. She didn't even blame Sasuke.

Just like Sasuke hadn't blamed Naruto for Itachi's departure from Konoha.

"S-Sakura…" Sasuke was at a loss for words. "You idiot, you—!"

Sasuke was cut off when Ino suddenly pushed Sakura towards him. With Sakura so close to him, Sasuke just wrapped his arms around her waist and started sobbing. Sakura was absolutely stunned, not knowing what to do with her current position. A moment passed before Sakura smiled and patted Sasuke reassuringly on the back.

"It's okay!" Sakura said. "It's okay…"

There was something about watching this scene as it occurred, that made my heart ache. I just…I should be happy with how things are, because Sakura is still alive. She survived…she's here…and she doesn't blame anyone.

I guess…it's because the feeling is so bittersweet. It sure seems like it…

We're alive.

And I guess I should be happy with that. No one died…

Smile.

Because that's all I can really do right now.

"Here, Chōko-san…" Neji caught me by surprise when he handed me my scarf and hitai-ate. "Ino gave it to me so that I could give them to you."

"Why didn't she give them to me?" Why did Ino even have these on her?

"She would have, but she's busy right now…" Neji directed my attention to Ino, who was currently talking to Sai. It seems as though Ino was explaining something to Sai…probably in regards to his emotions, or lack thereof.

Still, why did Ino have my stuff—oh, Sai probably had them…well, then why did he give them to me earlier? I should just stop asking questions and focus on what's happening now. It honestly felt good to cover my neck again—especially after all that had happened. I had never felt so exposed…

"Thank you, Neji," I said after I adjusted my scarf a bit. I still wore my hitai-ate around my neck…the only time I'll ever wear it on my forehead is when I'm wearing Rin's clothes. Apart from that, I'm keeping it where it is now—regardless of how impractical it seems. It's my choice of how I wear it, anyways.

"Are you sure you are fine?" Neji asked.

I blinked and forced a smile. "Kind of…I had my eardrum ruptured, got punched in the stomach, and nearly had my throat slit—I still need some time to recover from that."

I purposely left out any mention of yesterday's events—they're pretty self-explanatory anyways.

"Do you need a hug?" I honestly should have expected that from Neji…

I was about ready to say yes, when Lee decided to interrupt us by saying, "If it is an embrace that you need, I will be happy to supply one!"

And promptly right after that, Tenten bonked Lee over the head. "Lee, you idiot!"

Neji seemed so annoyed, Tenten was apologetic, and Lee was just in pain…I snorted before bursting into a fit of laughter. I don't know why I found it funny, but I just did… Laughing never felt so good and it was only until now that I realized that this is the first time since yesterday that I had actually laughed.

I was with friends…and I felt safe. I actually felt safe…and it seems the others felt the same way as well. While Sasuke continued to cry, with Sakura trying her best to comfort him, everyone else was laughing alongside with me. Even Neji and Lee were laughing, despite the former's annoyance and the latter's initial confusion.

It's good to see a return to the lighthearted atmosphere that we usually have with us. Even if it is only for a moment, I really welcome it.

Smile…because you have a reason to.

…

…

As soon as Sasuke calmed down, he focused on healing Ino as best as he could. He was at least able to get rid of Ino's black eye, and minimize the swelling on her face. Though, Sasuke focused more on healing the internal damage that had been done when Kin had crashed into that tree—damage that had been transferred to Ino, due to her Shintenshin. We all left shortly after that, as we all had two scrolls each to our teams.

We still stuck together, helping each other out as we focused on reaching the tower in the center of the Forest of Death. It was still raining, but that made it easier for us to move, as most other Genin would be struggling to find shelter. Honestly, it felt nice to be ahead of most others within the first twenty-four hours.

With Neji's Byakugan, it really didn't take us that long to reach the tower without any more confrontations. Just making it so long without any troubles was so…refreshing. Even though we were moving through the rain, it didn't really bother us. Seriously, after what had happened, things could be a lot worse than rain.

Also, I like rain…it made me really, really happy, despite the fact that my clothes were completely drenched. Ino was annoyed, as was Shikamaru. Chōji was trying to make the best of the situation and Naruto was having the time of his life annoying Sasuke by jumping in the puddles, making sure the water would splash on the Uchiha. Haku and Sai were rather protective of Sakura, asking if she was okay. Sakura seemed a bit uncomfortable, but that may be because her teammates never acted this way towards her…they never had a reason to until now.

Lee seemed to be taking after Naruto with the whole jumping in puddles thing, though he was trying to turn it into a contest with Neji. Neji was irritated and Tenten was just laughing awkwardly.

It almost felt like everything was back to normal…of course, we still had an exam to finish. Hopefully, there's a place for us to change out of our wet clothes—where the hell are we going to stay until the time limit is up? I think I should worry about that after we enter the tower.

It was at this point, that we all went our separate ways, since there were multiple doors around the area of the building where we were at, and we were under the assumption that it was one team to a door.

…

…

Iruka was completely surprised when he appeared in front of Naruto, Sasuke, and I, shortly after we had opened the scrolls, which turned out to be summoning scrolls. I don't think it had ever crossed his mind that his former students could actually finish the second part of the Chuunin exams so early. And after nearly an entire minute of silence between the four of us, Iruka was caught completely off-guard yet again when Naruto, Sasuke, and I tackled him onto the ground.

We were just so happy to see the face of someone so familiar who made us feel safe. It also helps that it had been Iruka who had come to our rescue, nearly five years ago when Orochimaru made his first appearance into our lives. Naruto was crying, saying how much he had missed Iruka.

I found myself crying as well, mostly because I was so relieved. We were definitely safe with Iruka around…he wasn't considered for ANBU for nothing.

Sasuke didn't cry, but he did laugh. He had been so tense up until now, where he was finally loosening up. And then he passed out on Iruka. Poor Sasuke was probably just as relieved as I was—maybe even more.

"He didn't even wait for me to say that you three passed the second test…" Iruka sighed, smiling afterwards as he ruffled Sasuke's hair. "It must have been rough, huh?"

Rough is an understatement…

"Well, remind me to buy you three a round of ramen after this is over." Iruka seemed so proud of us. "Other than that, congratulations for passing the second test."

We did it.

…

…

…

A/N UPDATE: Yeah, I've noticed like five drops in alerts and, to be honest, I was actually expecting this, come this chapter. To anyone who sticks with this story all the way to the end, thank you. To those who decide to drop it, thanks for sticking around as long as you have and giving this story a chance! ^^

UPDATE 7-27-15: I have not given up on this story, don't assume that two months of no updates means I've gone and abandoned this story. I'm just taking a break in order to plan out the clusterfuck that is this story's Chuunin Exams. This shit ain't easy when canon got hit with a curve ball. In the meantime, I'll be working on my other Naruto SI OC fic, Metamorphosis. By the way, I FINALLY caught up with Naruto, so that's another reason I've been lagging behind (aside from Jojo and One Piece). Reason I brought up Metamorphosis is because that story and this one are connected through world building. World building from here carries over to there and vice versa. The only difference is that instead of Akimichi Chōko, you have Aburame Shiki, someone who's actually finished Naruto, an upcoming Third Shinobi World War, and a whole lot of world building. Make what you will of that and thank you guys so much for taking the time to read, review, follow, and/or favorite this story! It really means a lot and I'll try to come back to this as soon as I can! ^^

Hey everyone, yeah, I know it's been a while, but school bitch-slapped the hell out of me and just…college. Just college…so I made this chapter extra-long to make up for the late update!

In other news, I updated the poll, yet again and while I'm at it, should I add a Chōko/Harem option the next time I happen to update the poll? Keep in mind, it'll be for shits and giggles and the poll doesn't effect the outcome of the story. Think of it as the joke option and really, just have fun shipping. I'm just saying, we have some reviewers talking about Chōko's strong harem game, so yeah…that's why I'm asking if you guys want the joke option.

In case anyone asks about Chōko's breakdown at the beginning of the chapter, yes, she thinks her body is fucked up because of how she stands out amongst her family. Have you ever wondered why she takes a moment to boost her self-esteem? That's why…Chōko still has issues that were carried over from her past life to now. Remember, her fast-metabolism and her Akimichi genes are the reason she's as thing as she is (those two things do not go together in this clan).

And while it seems as though she has accepted her life as Akimichi Chōko, she feels conflicted about this to a point as to—why her? This is her first time actually questioning why she is even here. Chōko has her ups and downs—she is only human. She also has some things she has been keeping to herself, so do keep that in mind.

Serious matters aside, Sakura lives! Unfortunately, that cursed mark is preventing her from using her chakra—you can see why Sasuke would feel like it's his fault. After all, Sakura was the one to give Sasuke his first step into the field of medical ninjutsu. And then there's the fact that the reason Ino is the way she is, is because she has also flourished as well, upon seeing how Sakura was improving. Their friendship is also strong and not strained.

Sasuke is much more open with his emotions, here, than his canon counterpart is because of his upbringing. He cries, he worries, he protects—Sasuke cares for his friends deeply. This fic might have started out slow, but it was all set-up for future events.

I want to say that, originally, things were going to play out like in canon…but then things deviated along the line, much like how they have for Chōko. Sometimes, I don't see these openings until later, so a lot of you were expecting Chōko to get bit—and I had that idea in mind…

But then Sakura popped up and caught everyone by surprise. As you guys can assume, Orochimaru is pissed off that things went differently than he had planned originally. He also has a rather deep grudge against Chōko for the crotch punch, considering Dosu has mentioned that they weren't just there for Sasuke…they were also there for Chōko.

And I wasn't kidding when I said I implemented SCIENCE to into Naruto…I just happened to implement it to chakra. Considering how weird chakra is, up to how it came into existence, it might as well be a rule manipulator to existing laws of science. Chōko does do a lot of things when she is bored. So expect some science from time to time, because Chōko likes to complain about it.

And if you think this is weird, I applied the concept of genetics to Kingdom Hearts when it comes to magic. I even extended it to Black and White Magic…I have too much time on myself sometimes. This is why I have contemplated on taking chemistry as my second major at my university (apart from Honey Lemon in Big Hero 6 reminding me how cool chemistry can be when it isn't annoying)…I probably will do it when I find the time (and funds).

Oh, and you have ChibiFoxAI to thank for Neji-zan (Neji as Tarzan). The branch he was standing on broke and he grabbed a nearby vine and…yeah, that's basically what happened. By the by, you guys should really read Party at Sasuke's Place by ChibiFoxAI—it's literally the story of what happened at that party last night that left mostly everyone hungover. I'll be referencing that from time to time—especially since someone, like Kin, has reasons to because she is the only one from her team to have attended it.

Speaking of Kin, she's acting more differently than ever and again, you have that party to blame…but other things as well. Just keep in mind how personally she took when she shoved mud in Zaku's face, saying that that was for him carving his name into the Tree of Harmony. Also recall how they were all spying on everyone for an unknown amount of time…basically, something else in the process of a deviation.

And Mizu Deppō translates into Water Gun—YES, Chōko went into Pokémon for that name for her technique. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, Deko means forehead…which is Sai's nickname for Sakura. It isn't ugly—it's forehead. Sakura doesn't take it personally, because it's Sai and because he doesn't refer to its size specifically.

Anyways, shout out goes to wolfzero7 for being reviewer #690, duchessliz for being lucky reviewer #700, Viviene001 for being reviewer #710, Queen of the Millennium (your name is awesome!) for being reviewer #720, and Okamishiru for being reviewer #730. Honorable mentions go to Empress of Murk, Ninazu, KeiGinya, Em Cay (sorry, not sorry for chapter 40), Ash6751, anonymous reviewer Hawk, IchirakuRamenInc, Umbrardor (cool name!), and baba69, who has given me cool nicknames for Chōko. We got Nutcracker Chōko or Jewel Crusher…and then there's the Butterfly Sniper!

Thank you guys so much for the reviews, everyone! Sorry if I haven't replied to any of them, but I've gotten so busy…so I just want everyone to know that I really appreciate it when you take the time to review! And I really do enjoy hearing how much you guys like Chōko the way she is, especially after what has happened with the whole "useless" or "weak" Chōko. I'm really proud of how she has developed as a character and I also proud of how everyone else has developed. As a writer, to hear people say that about the characters I write…just thank you, everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story and taking the time to review! ^^

Also, in case anyone is wondering for the summary change, Silimaira gave me a heads up about the rules when it comes to this site's summaries and I'd rather not risk it, so better safe than sorry, everyone!

And I think that's it for this chapter. Sorry it took so long again, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time, everyone! KD out! XD