The Legend of Konoha's Shooting Star

Opposing Ability!

'Hehe...' the disguised Orochimaru thought, eager to see how this match-up would turn out.

"..." Kakashi watched Sasuke with a calm expression that belied his concern.

Sasuke and Yoroi glared at each other.

'All I can do is watch... Sasuke-kun...' Sakura thought, worried.

'You'd better keep your promise, Sasuke...' April thought, with a grim expression on her face.

'Sasuke!! If you want to fight me... then you better not lose!!' Naruto thought, furrowing his brow. He wouldn't forgive him if he lost there.

'Sasuke-kun... He seems strange...' Ino thought, also furrowing her brow slightly with concern.

'Is it because of the cursed seal...?' Dosu wondered.

'Good luck, Sasuke-kun!!' Lee thought, clenching his fist.

'This is a chance to watch his abilities,' Neji thought.

Gaara narrowed his eyes, impatient for the battle to start.

"Ugh..." Sasuke winced, ignoring his urge to grab the searing cursed seal. '... The pain isn't subsiding...'

'Hehe... Looks like the cursed seal hurts,' Yoroi thought with a smirk. This was going to be too easy.

"Now... We will be starting the first match," Hayate said, raising one of his hands to gesture to the ledge above them that circled the room. "Will everyone except the participants move to the upper level?"

Everyone began moving to do as he asked, including the jōnins, who came over to join their respective teams.

"Hey!!!! Kakashi-sensei!!!" Naruto shouted, jumping up and down and waving at their teacher when he saw the silver-haired ninja headed in their direction.

April still wanted to run and hug him, but there was no time for that with her concern for Sasuke. "Come on, let's go so they can get started," she said, placing her hands on her teammates' shoulders to guide them toward the stairs.

"But...!!" Sakura said, glancing worriedly at Sasuke.

"The sooner they begin, the less pain he'll have to deal with, and the faster we can get that stubborn idiot help!" April whispered in her ear.

"!" Sakura said, eyes widening slightly when she realized she was right. Sasuke's pain was only getting worse, which meant the longer they waited, the harder it would be for him. "Let's go, Naruto!!!" she said, grabbing his hand to drag him up the stairs as fast as she could.

"S-Sakura-chan!? Eh?!!" Naruto said, confused but still a little happy that she seemed to be holding his hand of her own accord.

'You are such a lucky dog, Naruto-kun!!!' Lee thought when he spotted them. He couldn't help but envy him for his favorable position.

'As usual, she catches on quick...' Kakashi thought, watching April as she climbed the steps on the heels of her more energetic teammates, following them as closely as her tired body would allow without wasting too much energy. "Sasuke..." he said, pausing on his way past him for a  quick word.

"!" Sasuke said, wondering what he wanted.

"Listen to April. Don't use the Sharingan," Kakashi instructed him firmly. He couldn't hear everything they had said during their earlier exchange about the mark on Sasuke's neck, but he was able to make most of it out by reading their lips.

"!" Sasuke gasped, surprised. He knew April didn't have the opportunity to tell him anything, so it was a shock to discover that he seemed to have overheard their conversation from that distance. "... So you know..." he said, furrowing his brow.