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Sakura's POV (Medical Ward of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Sakura's failure in the previous exam had burned in her mind intensely. She knew she could have been a better kunoichi. She was nothing in combat compared to Lee. But she had figured she could struggle and overcome things as they went, especially with the support of her teammates. Yet she had been outclassed by nearly every participant. In combat, she had been helpful to some degree but it wasn't enough. Was that all she was? A supportive member of the team unable to stand on her own merit? It had been easy to decide to play a supporting role on the team. Kiba and Lee were both quick and punishing close-range specialists. How else could she contribute with her meager chakra reserves? Gai had suggested it to her heavily using it to slowly grow them, with the plan in mind to slowly grow her combat skills. Sakura had thought differently than him. Probably would be best to stick to the skills that had gotten her this far.
It was only now she recognized how stupid she had been. While her time to be promoted had gone, Sakura had been determined to grow anyways. Sakura had taken to training with Lee on Taijutsu. It would be a waste of time and effort for her bombastic teammate, but it had already made her feel more substantial. Less fragile and helpless, now if someone attacked her, she need not worry about her only defense being meager genjutsu and intelligence. Well, somewhat, anyway.
Sakura shook her head as if to shake off such thoughts. She continued on towards the Medical Ward. The hallways between separate sections were sparse, scrubbed meticulously, and lightly colored gray. There were the occasional paintings of various famed Samurai and Land of Iron politicians. But they did little to give energy to the otherwise spartan hallways. Once Lee had been heartbrokenly defeated, Sakura decided to visit both of her teammates. Perhaps her grappling with her own defeat could offer her the wisdom to ease the pain for Lee and Kiba.
Sakura saw the entrance of the Medical Ward, a locked set of white double doors guarded by two armored Samurai. Seated to the right of the door was an old, bald, petite man in a simple yellow robe who sat at a simple table. On the said table were a clipboard and two weapon racks next to it.
"Hello, young maiden." The man said with a polite smile. "Are you here to visit or be admitted to the Medical Ward?"
"Visit, Sir," Sakura said with a small but not submissive bow. She had heard people of the land of iron respected manners and confidence. "I hope to see my teammates Rock Lee and Kiba Inuzuka."
"Very well, some minor things we need to discuss and do, of course." The old informed. "Firstly, it seems clear to me you are a shinobi. That is fine, of course, but some complications must be addressed. Firstly, we need access to your Shinobi ID number to verify your identity and have it on record of your visit. Secondly, we'll need you to vacate any weapons on your person onto the racks before you and consent to a search. No need to worry; we have a proud female Samurai who can do such." Said female Samurai guardian at the door bowed at this. Finally, we will take down your name and the time of the visit. Is that all ok with you?"
Sakura affirmed such, offered her a Shinobi License, and removed the couple of kunai she always kept on her person. The search was done, and nothing was found. As that concluded, the man finished noting her details and nodded her on.
The halls of the Medical Ward were nearly identical to the previous hall, except for the top and the bottom of the walls were striped red to indicate where she was. And if possible, it seemed only more spartan. Only nurses and doctors walked around on their way to task or paperwork. Doubtless, some of them had helped her teammates, so Sakura ensured to bow to each of them as a show of thanks before she arrived at Lee's room.
When she entered, she had expected to see Lee doing some absurd training. The young man had always seemed tireless and ever diligent. Something Sakura had grown to appreciate over time. One could hardly find a more reliable teammate than the faithful Nice Guy Rock Lee. Yet she was puzzled upon walking into the room and seeing Lee sitting calmly on his bed, facing the window. It was a grim sight, further enhanced by the white and sterile room. Perhaps he was still in pain?
"Lee? Are you ok?" Sakura asked gently. Being a teammate of Kiba had schooled Sakura in the school of male pride. Few could claim to be as proud as either of her teammates. As such, she knew to approach the topic of failure cautiously. Lee doubtless wouldn't snap at her; he seemed to lack such cruelty. But she would prefer not to offend the kind man if possible.
Lee didn't respond so deep in thought he was. Sakura saw this and resisted the urge to sigh. Lee had overcome much in his life. Often due to factors outside of his own control. His new defeat, likely defeated before he could do whatever he had in mind, had only shamed and disappointed him more.
"Lee… you know you did well, right? I doubt too many could've done much to her." Sakura reasoned as she sat next to her teammate. Lee continued to stare out the window silently. Sakura could see Lee's eyes becoming watery, yet the proud man would likely not let a teardrop. Ironic since he cried openly nearly every day. "I mean," Sakura continued recognizing Lee would not respond. "Fuu was absurdly powerful; she could fly and apparently is as tough as a mountain-"
"I appreciate you, Sakura; your wisdom is only matched by your beauty." Lee said simply. "But the others… Gaara… Naruto… Sasuke. They surely wouldn't have been defeated with such ease as I… I let down you, Kiba, myself; I even let down Gai sensei." Lee replied sullenly. "If only I could've used my technique…"
"The gates tear your body apart. If you had accessed Gate Four or Five, maybe, but the cost…" Sakura replied sullenly.
"I had a different technique in mind… something Gai Sensei didn't teach me." Lee countered. "But it didn't work." Lee frowned, something Sakura couldn't claim to have seen often. He said no more, too down to force conversation. Sakura racked her brain before she decided on a method of cheering him up.
"Do you remember our first week as a team?" Sakura said, breaking the silence that had filled the room. "Gai Sensei had us running drills endlessly. Apparently, we needed bodies worthy of the shinobi we would become."
"Of course, I always listen to the wise words of Gai Sensei." Lee replied, seemingly confused.
"Well, only you could keep up with it when we started. Kiba did marginally worse, but I couldn't do it at all. Everyday, twice a day, for two weeks, I would collapse well before the exercise was over. I almost quit being a kunoichi." Sakura explained with a small smile. "It seemed impossible; how could I ever keep up? The question seemed so obvious to me that I couldn't, but each and every time I nearly gave up you and Kiba would help. Cheer me on, help me finish, support me the whole way."
Lee blinked, confused. "Of course we did, you are our precious teammate." He confirmed.
"I remember at first I resented you two. Why did you both try so hard? Why were you both so much better than me? Yet as I struggled, and you two helped, and I overcame my previous limits, I realized something. Something I think Gai has been trying to teach us from the start." Sakura explained as she leaned her head against Lee's shoulder. She usually wouldn't do such, especially with Lee, who held his torch for her plain as day. But she trusted he would know she meant it as supportive instead of affectionate.
Lee was now not so down, distracted by the idea that there was a teaching he had yet to grasp. Was he truly such a bad student?
"It's something you know, just have forgotten in the moment. Failure is merely a part of growth. It only is a true failure if we fail to learn a lesson." Sakura finished with a smile.
"Gai Sensei said that at our first meeting… he always says it. I see you are most youthful, Sakura." Lee said as he stood, his eyes containing some of the fire they had lost. Clearly, he was still down, but at least he seemed determined again.
"Thank you, Lee," Sakura said as she got up and walked to the door. "Let's go visit Kiba now, alright?"
"YOSH!" Lee yelled as the two marched on. They briefly discussed various topics, but they soon arrived at the door. Lee, ever the gentleman, knocked on the door and waited for Kiba's answer. Sakura frowned as a minute stretched over with no answer. She walked past Lee and opened the door herself. Unlike Lee's room, Kiba's room was somewhat destroyed. The bed was untouched; the walls and ceilings were torn as if a giant beast had been in the room. On the bed lay an emotionally miserable-looking Akamaru. Kiba was nowhere to be seen.
"Kiba? Did his Youth overcome him? Perhaps he went to train." Lee reasoned.
"That's something only you do, Lee," Sakura said. "Why isn't he here? What happened here?"
"My dear students! I understand you may be down, but fret not! Gai Sensei will ensure such misfortune will never befall you again!" Gai roared as he posed at the door. The alarmed Sakura and confused Lee met his gaze. Gai, perhaps by instinct, knew something was wrong. His gaze slid around the room, taking in the state. "Where is the youthful Kiba?"
"We… don't know." Sakura answered honestly.
Gai grimaced before his face became stony. "Sakura and Lee, both of you spread out and look for Kiba. We're not on home turf; he must be found. Otherwise, he may be in danger. Go forth with Youth." Sakura and Lee, rarely hearing such a severe tone from their sensei, raced off to do as he ordered.
Gai Sensei waited a moment before he, too, raced off. He couldn't help but worry Kiba may need help.
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Neji groaned as he awoke. While he had been conscious after his bout with Sasuke, the pain had exhausted him, and at some point, he must've slipped into sleep.
"Ah, good you are awake. Felt like a creep waiting for you to wake up." A female voice called out, alerting Neji of her presence. Instinct flared in the Hyuga as reflexively he tried to activate the Byakugan. A dull pain distracted him; he was out of chakra…
Neji sat up on his bed as he eyed the voice. He was surprised to see a bandaged and bruised Tenten sitting in a chair in his room.
"Excuse me, where am I?" Neji politely asked, glad to see it was what should be a friendly face.
"The medical ward, of course." Tenten replied with a smile. "And no need to worry, not here for vengeance on Team Seven."
Neji nodded before eying Tenten again suspiciously. "So why then are you here?"
"Well, for one…" Tenten said as a tanto suddenly appeared in her hands. Neji refused to flinch or show fear but knew he would be primarily helpless should she decide to attack. "We're neighbors!" Neji deflated at that. It seemed she was some sort of joker. "But more honestly, I had a few questions I hoped you could answer."
"Question about what," Neji said with a frown. He had been defeated by Sasuke. It felt like these days, for a "genius," he seemed to be constantly being defeated. It annoyed him; he had aches and was very much not in the mood for a conversation. Especially ones that appeared to be a hidden interrogation.
"About your lovely teammate, everyone's favorite, blonde, knucklehead, one Naruto Uzumaki." Tenten replied bluntly. "Before you tell me no, and to leave." Tenten stopped him from doing just such. "I just need to know him better. It's important… I heard early on that you and Naruto did not get along. Up until you both beat the hell out of each other. He defeated you, correct?"
Neji scowled as he was reminded of his defeat. He held no grief towards Naruto for such. Neji had been deserving of the defeat, and it was well fought. But the reminder after his recent failure stung all the same. "Correct." He snapped, his annoyance dripping from his voice.
"Very impressive considering your fight with the Uchiha." Tenten continued.
"Your point?" Neji asked, now done with her questions. Was she trying to infuriate him?
"My point is you are quite the shinobi; I consider myself one as well, and yet he defeated us both. I was just wondering if you could tell me a bit about it. How it felt, how he seemed." Tenten explained. Neji was silent as his Fury boiled beneath the surface. He had indeed come a long way since the start of his career. But he had never been a very sociable person.
"OK, I can see you dealing with your defeat poorly. You realize you only have yourself to blame?" Tenten countered, apparently realizing his inner turmoil. She recognized this may lower her chance at the information. But she couldn't help but be a bit snarky.
Neji wanted to stand and attack her but was much too tired and wouldn't shame the Hyuga by acting like a brute. "What. Do. You. Mean."
"You are undeniably strong, smart, and fast, yet you limit yourself," Tenten replied. "If you had simply fought to win instead of fighting like a Hyuga, you may have won."
Neji wanted to reply angrily, but her words reminded him of Eagle's.
"You are doubtless an extremely talented shinobi, but as long as you are only a Hyuga, you will be limited. Instead of fighting like a Hyuga, you should fight like Neji."
He had brushed off the words then. How much more could he adapt? He was the only Hyuga he knew who bothered to use element jutsu! He had taught himself the techniques of the clan. But he tempered his anger; perhaps he needed to think more. He decided to answer her question for now. He would need time alone to think. He could sense she wouldn't be leaving until satisfied.
"The battle was one of anger and pride. Naruto was a placeholder for my frustrations. I had no true reason to resent him, and yet I did. He, to my shock, was bold in standing before me. Although I was held a genius of our year, he was confident he could stand as my equal. In the fight, I had been assured of my victory and fought as such. Naruto never backed down, never gave up, and never stopped. He matched me blow for blow, took my worst, and gave better. He never seemed to be aiming to hurt me, yet I cannot say the same for him. It was odd how determined he was to defeat me, yet I never sensed him enjoying the pain he caused me. Soon, he met my strongest defense with an attack I could not defend against. It was shocking, yet it felt as if we somehow had gained a level of understanding. It made me respect him…"
"Similar to my own experience then…" Tenten said, trailing off as she seemed to focus on something else. Neji raised a brow. She thought she would grill him and then offer nothing in return?
"I answered your question now answer mine. This isn't everything. Why are you so interested in Naruto Uzumaki." Neji replied stiffly.
Tenten chuckled but decided to answer. "I have hated combat for years. Unlike some, I've seen the real thing: men and women mercilessly killing each other. Oftentimes for reasons that seem awfully unjustified. I've been trained to do the same. Combat to me for the longest time was merely a prelude to death."
"You were one of the Genin in the Root, weren't you." Neji replied casually.
"Rumors were spread of Genin being in it. Though they never quite mentioned names."
"Of course, they didn't. It's a law to leave it unknown. I was in Root along with my teammate Sai. Our original goal had been to investigate various other Genin. But we had been active and in use since a very young age. It is why I grew to hate combat. Yet when fighting Naruto, I felt at ease… as if we weren't dancing with death but with each other. It was… well… I wish all combat could be like that." Tenten explained. "I just want to learn about Naruto Uzumaki because I'm certain he will be a big name soon enough."
"He intends to become Hokage one day." Neji added. "I often find myself believing in such."
"Well, then, I intend to stick around him. I could use someone like that in my corner." Tenten said with a smile. "Want some company until the healing kicks in?"
Neji went to tell her no but hesitated. It had distracted him from his anger…
"Sure."