Hatake Naruto

53

With the fights over the winners were gathered up in front of the giant statue of the hands, the Hokage as well as the jonins were all there as the final part was done. Everyone would be gotten a random number for the next round of fights. One by one the genins went up and took a green ball with a number on it. Once they called out their number their name was written on a board that had been brought in. Once the names were placed it was then that everyone could see their matches.

First final matches would be Sakura vs Ami, Naruto vs Gendo, Lee vs Dosu, Sasuke vs Gaara, Neji vs Shino, and finally Temari vs Shikamaru.

Neji didn't look too happy about that as he had wanted the Suna girl, but if he defeated Shino he could fight her if she won. Then again the fact he was up against Shikamaru could easily mean that she would win. He had nothing against the boy, it was just that Shikamaru was the laziest and undisciplined genin he had ever seen. The girl was obviously the total opposite so the odds were in favour of him meeting up with her.

The Mist ninja didn't look even phased by the death of their comrade, they did give cold looks to Gaara who just ignored them. Both of them were hoping to fight Gaara in the final rounds, although no one knew how Mist really operated other than Mist ninja, but failure was not tolerated. The fact that one of their own was killed only meant that he was weak and would have died at any rate. He should have tried to take the Suna boy down with him as the Mist didn't shy away from death.

Out of all the greater ninja nations, they were the smallest but it wasn't the face they were an island country, or their location, that kept them save and a force to be feared, it was how they fought. They fought with embracing death. They killed without hesitation, attacked without worrying about their own safety. If death was assured then you were to take your enemy to hell with you. That is what it meant to be a Mist ninja, you were to become demons and monsters of death and mayhem.

That was why they were one of the strongest, and why no one had invaded their lands in a long time. Because everyone knew that you would have to pay in blood for every inch you stepped.

After the Hokage dismissed them the teams were filling out of the area. A safe path would be given to the teams for the quickest way out of the forest but Kakashi had other things to do at the moment. So far he had to trail all three of his students for the final round. He had been thinking on this, each student would need to be trained individually in order to win and even survive this. Kakashi didn't like that two of his genins were going up against those Mist genins. Plus Sasuke just had to get that Gaara kid as well. At any rate he wouldn't be able to split his attention between all three and still get them ready.

He moved off to make sure that he would be able to get at least one student training by someone he trusted.

"Anko can I speak with you?" Kakashi asked as he walked up to his girlfriend.

"Sure what is it?"

"I need a favour."

She smirked at him, "Again, well just because we're dating doesn't mean its for free. So what do you need me for?"

"I want you to train Sakura for me for the month," Kakashi said to her. "I have a new Justus that she can learn and she'll need to learn them. I can't teach her but you can, plus I think she looks up to you. Also I know you can help her out and I trust you."

Anko was surprised by this and felt happy that he was trusting her with one of his genins. Sure she had helped out before but this was a bit more different, he was placing the life of his genin in her hands. She had seen what that Ami kid had done. Sakura would need to really get some training in, to survive a fight with that girl. Plus she had to admit the pink haired girl had been impressing her lately. First in the forest and now in the arena, she was curious as to what the girl could do if really pushed hard.