Uzumaki

Contained

Naruto's hands were slick with injury.

(A shame it wasn't his.)

He couldn't hear the room buzzing with chatting beyond the roar of his heartbeat in his ears. He could, however, feel Neji's gaze wearing through him.

"This is your fault."

Hinata's corpse was being stretchered out by medical ninja. Still on his knees, Naruto didn't pull his gaze away from the sight, only to feel himself pulled up by the collar to face Neji. The boy held him up with one fist, and cocked back the other.

"This is your fault!"

Naruto's jaw cracked under Neji's knuckles, and his vision flashed white with pain. Neji was crying, face twisted with anger, and Naruto looked back at him, saying nothing beneath the Hyuuga's searching gaze.

Neji choked back a frustrated sob, gritting his teeth before lashing Naruto onto the ground and running through the doors.

Gaara, on the other end of the arena, was walking calmly to the stairs to the mezzanine, and Naruto heard every single step.

But he couldn't tear his eyes from his hands, red with Hinata's blood. For a moment he was glad for it, and then the panic set in.

The world blackened.

After Kakashi had knocked out a hysterical Naruto, and Hinata's corpse had been cleared away, Sakura really couldn't say the mood alleviated. She herself was stuck in horrified shock.

The matches passed from there on in a daze, even Satsuki appearing distracted during her fight - which only turned out favourable likely because of her inexperienced opponent, Yoroi.

Sakura scraped a victory past Chouji, whose brute force had been easily manipulated into a loss with some traps, along with some very unremarkable genjutsu that had allowed Sakura to get behind him and deliver a finishing blow to the back of his head with the handle of her kunai.

Kakashi arrived at the end, after the matchups had been announced: Sakura couldn't say she listened much, but she did hear one pair:

"Uzumaki Naruto versus Sabaku no Gaara."

Her skin prickled at the thought. She pushed it aside to address Kakashi, employing a familiar sullenness so she could ignore the forever-echo of skin pierced.

"You didn't even see our matches!"

"It couldn't be helped. My apologies. But you got through, I see?" Kakashi said, turning a page. "Well done."

The two girls frowned, before Satsuki reached out to speak.

"...Kakashi." She stepped forward. "Naruto is-"

"In safe hands," Kakashi interrupted, snapping his book shut and smiling at them. Sakura felt her stomach drop with the unease of lies.

"Don't worry," he continued. "Now. I had a feeling you two would pass. Satsuki, you'll be trained by me."

The girl grunted. He turned to Sakura.

"I've got you someone special. You'll be meeting your new sensei at the bridge, tomorrow at 9."

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura tried to smile, but found the expression falling off her face and her fingers fumbling. "But what about Naruto?"

"Well," Kakashi said, "I've put him in the hands of... someone else. He'll be fine. But for now, focus on your own training. And well done on passing, both of you."

They nodded, but Sakura saw the subtle dissatisfaction written all over Satsuki's face.

Kakashi nodded in Satsuki's direction. "We'll meet at 9 at the Training Grounds. Don't be late."