Naruto Uzumaki

Chapter 10

Italics:thoughts

Normal POV

All of the rookie nine plus Guy's team had made it through the forest and were currently awaiting fight pairings for preliminaries. Since so many people were left, it was necessary to hold it instead of heading straight to the finals.

Through random selection that...

(I forgot the fight pairings so it's the same as the anime. Let's just skip to Lee vs Gaara)

Both Lee and Gaara jumped down from the stands. Lee of course shouting about the power of youth. The match began with Lee's kicks meeting up with a wall of sand. Though after the weights came off his attacks hit as he was too quick for the sand to follow. The sight of his own blood angered Gaara as he begun to order his sand to attack. Lee was no match despite opening his gates and it soon came to the point of life threatening danger. Gaara was about to crush Lee's arm and legs when a quiet voice called out to him.

"Gaara please don't"

Gaara turned and met the gaze of the person that had spoken. It was Naruto. Something inside to him to listen, so he retracted his sand and simply watched Lee stand there unconscious and Guy take him away.

The winner was Gaara.

Said winner walked away from the scene and returned to the stands away from everyone else.

Those advancing to the next round had been decided.

~Later~

Gaara stood at the foot of Lee's bed ready to strangle him, but he stopped when Naruto entered the room.

"Please don't hurt him Gaara" she said in a quiet voice.

Gaara merely tched and slowly retracted his sand, not exactly knowing why.

"Why do I listen to you?" Gaara asked.

"I'm....the same as you, so maybe it's because we're friends?" Naruto for once smiled warmly.

"Friends?" Gaara's eyes widened at that seemingly foreign word. When had they become friends?

"At least I hope you'll be my friend, people like us... we have to stick together dattebayo.

Gaara quickly disappeared afterwords when Guy came in.

"Oh Naruto!! You're here as well!!" Guy exclaimed.

"Yeah, just checking up on him"