Lea POV

"Congratulations on passing the second test!"

I rolled my eyes. Can't we skip the formalities and get right to it? I still feel a bit tired. I sighed and leaned against my sword.

"Well, you're excited for passing." Kiba grinned sarcastically.

"Oh shut up. I just want to sleep. I'm tired, that's all."

"You're always tired," Naruto chirped in.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"When you fall asleep during the middle of a fight then you'll know how bad it is." Kiba smirked at his comment.

I rolled my eyes again. "Such great advice. Too bad I don't need it." I sent him a fake smile. "But I'm sure someone else might, so why don't run along."

Kiba pouted looking contrite. "Woah okay, sorry. It was just a joke, jeesh."

I sighed and patted him in the back. "Stop sulking. You should know that I treat everyone like that by now."

"Yeah, you should have seen her when we were in the forest," Naruto said.

I gasped at him. "What are you talking about? I have been on my best behavior during the test!"

"Best behaviour? You went psyhco when we woke up for dinner! And then you went psycho for not making dinner earlier because you were starving!"

"Hey that was not my fault! You know I get cranky whenever I'm hungry or sleepy. That's just how I was made."

"Couldn't you have been made differently ...?" I heard him mutter under his breath. A vein popped up on my forehead and I cracked my knuckles, glaring at the blond boy.

"What did you just say?" I said raising my fists.

"Nothing! Nothing! I said you were perfectly made perfect in your own perfect way! You're perfect!" He waved his hands frantically to ward me off.

"I thought so," I said smiling, my dark aura disappearing. Kiba was stifling his laughter.

"Naruto you are so whipped!" he said, snickering behind his palm.

"Hey don't talk to him like that, mutt boy," I said, turning on him, my eyes narrowing to slits.

He waved his hands just as Naruto did moments before. "I'm sorry! My bad!" Naruto burst out laughing.

"Hey, you three around the back! Will you shut up?" It was the jonin talking up front. Naruto and Kiba sweat dropped and shut up immediately. I sighed, leaning on my sword again.

There weren't as much teams passing as the first test. I didn't know if that was something good, for me, or something bad. So I just tuned everything out.

I spotted Kakashi standing up front, and a small smile appeared on my lips. Dear God, the guy was gorgeous. My mind drifted off, to walks on the beach and romantic dates with a sexy silver haired beauty.

"Lea!"

I jolted out of my daydream. It was Sakura, looking at me curiously up and down. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

I shook my head, my hair flying around my face. "You don't need to know," I told her.

Her nose went up and she looked at me with disdain. "It better not be Sasuke."

I grinned evilly at her. "So what if it is Sasuke? What are you going to do to stop me?"

"It better not be! Sasuke's mine!"

"I'm not so sure he knows about that."

"HE doesn't have to know, YOU do! And you too INO! Back off!" She shouted at the blond girl passing by.

"Oh shut up! Sasuke doesn't even want you!" Ino retaliated

"You don't know that!" I smirked and backed off, leaving the two idiots to hash it out.

I had barely gotten two steps when someone else walked up to me.

"You weren't even listening were you?" Neji said, his arms crossed.

I frowned slightly then looked around. Everyone was heading to stairs to the sides. "I got bored and tuned out a bit," I admitted. "What did I miss?"

"This is the preliminaries. They're going to pair us and we fight whoever we were paired with."

I nodded and started walking. "Sounds simple enough." He fell in step beside me.

"That's weird," he said.

"What's weird?"

"You. You don't even have a scratch on you."

Oh crap. Damn it, I should have known someone would have noticed. I need to more attentive in the future or they're going to find out. I racked my brain for something to say while struggling to keep my face from giving myself away.

"We didn't get in much fights on the way here," I lied. "We got lucky I guess."

"You're other team members doesn't look in as good shape as you do," he pointed out.

"Oh that? Uh, Naruto and Sasuke got so bored they started sparring and it got a little out of hand. I was going to step in but Sakura got in first and got a few hits herself."

"And her hair?"

I shrugged. "She wanted a change."

"Hmm. That doesn't sound like something you'll do. The stepping in part."

I raised a brow at him. We had reached the top of the stairs and I leaned against the railing. "Oh? We've only spoke a few times and you already know me?"

His cheeks turned a little red. He rubbed the back of his head. "No, no that's not it. It's just that you look like the type to not care about much, that's all."

If only he knew. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

I smiled at him and for a split of a moment, I saw him smile back. The large screen at the front of the room turned on.

"They're doing the pairings now aren't they?" I asked. Neji nodded beside me. We both stared at the screen and then the names popped up.

Lea and Oboko Nominata.

"Wow, you're first," Neji said. "Just Lea? No last name?"

I didn't answer. I just gripped my sword and headed down the stairs.

"Go Lea!" Naruto shouted when I reached the bottom. "You can do it!"

"I know we aren't on good terms right now!" Sakura shouted. "But make Team 7 proud!"

"Why aren't you guys on good terms," Naruto asked her. He can be so loud, even when he's talking normally.

"It's none of your business, Naruto," Sakura answered. Okay, either she was loud too or I just have really good hearing.

"Tell me!" Naruto insisted.

"Will you too shup up?!" I shouted up at them. Silence.

I grinned and faced my opponent. Oboko was large. As in, my head would barely touch his shoulder large. How old was this guy? He had muscles the size of a tree. I would bet they would hurt as much as a tree would.

"Hey cutie," he said. I raised a brow. "Sorry about this but you have to lose today. No hard feelings."

"Are you telling me or asking me?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter. You're good as dead."

I laughed softly at him, shaking my head. "Oh how little you know."

The jonin who had been talking before came up to us. He coughed two times then, after a few mandatory sounding and boring words, raised his hand. "Begin!" he said, his hand coming down.

As soon as the word was out of his mouth, Oboko did his hand signs and slammed his hand down on the ground. "Earth Style: Earthquake!"

The ground shook violently and it broke apart under my feet. The ground flew up into the air, taking me with it. I stood my ground. Other pieces of the ground flew up and I jumped down unto another one. I rolled my eyes. He thought this would bring me down? I jumped from rock to rock.

"You need to be better than that," I told him, landing on the ground.

He smirked at me. "Do I?"

That's when I felt the ground sink. I looked down, bewildered.

"I turned the ground to quick sand while you were getting down," he boasted.

I gritted my teeth, struggling from the hold.

"The more you move, the faster you sink," he said. I stopped moving immediately.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" My clones appeared, all on the rocks suspended on the air. "Get me out of here!"

"Oh no you don't! Rocks Barrage!" The rocks started moving all over the place. My clones grabbed unto my arms quickly and tugged. The rocks flew into a few of my clones but, thankfully the dragged me out before enough of them could poof away.

As soon as I was out the quick sand the floor turned back to normal.

I flipped my hair. "I admit you got me there," I said. "But I'm getting serious now."

Oboko smirked at me, all confidence. "So am I." He raised his hands and the rocks fell back in place.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

I charged at him, brandishing my sword. We collided, my sword to his kunai. He grinned at me. "You're pretty fast."

"Ugh, stop talking."

I jumped back and slashed at him with my sword. He blocked it. I kept coming at him, fast and sure but he kept blocking them. With each swing I released a cry of frustration. "Stop blocking it damn it!"

He ducked under my sword and punched me straight into my stomach. I was right. It felt like a tree had just tried to knock me out. I had no time to react because his foot came around and slammed me right in my face. I flew to the side.

I struggled to my feet, wiping the blood from the side of my mouth and clutching my stomach. Oboko motioned to me with his hands, taunting me.

He charged after me, giving me little time to brace myself. His knee hit me in my chin and his hand swung around but I ducked under his arms. His other arm came after me but I grabbed it. It pushed me back from the force. I sent him a bloody smirk, then flipped him over my shoulder. It felt like trying to lift a freaking mountain.

He flipped over a few times but landed on his feet. "You can do better than that," he said.

"You're right," I said. I held my sword in both my hands, pointing it downwards. "Fire Style: Blazing Sword!" My black sabre lit up with fire and I grinned. Damn, I'm good at this.

I charged after him again. He kept dodging them, flying backwards to avoid the flaming sword. I kept swinging and slashing at him until finally his back hit the wall. I pointed the sword at him. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.

"Give up?" I asked him.

"As if." He raised his fingers and the ground shot up and curled around my hands and legs. He slid against the wall and took the sword from my hand by the hilt. As soon as it left my palm the fire went away. He threw it away.

"Give up?" he asked back at me.

"Don't worry, Lea-chan!" Naruto shouted at me. "You can beat his ass!"

"Go Lea!" Kiba shouted.

I struggled against the strong hold. My hands were still positioned in front of me so I couldn't even do a jutsu. Oboko circled me, with that ever present grin.

"I think she surrenders!" he shouted.

"NO I DO NOT!" I continued struggling, getting angrier with every second. I won't allow this cocky guy to beat me. I won't be the first one to lose my fight.

The jonin appeared beside us and coughed. "Do you surrender?" he asked me.

"Are you deaf? I can still fight! As soon as I get out of this thing!"

"Hey, no need to shout at the nice man," Oboko said.

"You do look like you can't move," the jonin observed. I didn't answer, just gritted my teeth and struggled vigorously. "I'll give you a minute and if you can't get out by then, you lose."

"Damn it!"

"You can do it, Lea-chan!" Kiba shouted.

"Shut up!!"

I struggled, trying to get my hands to my face to make clones that will bash this stupid guy's face in. I still couldn't move.

The minute passed and the jonin coughed. "Lea - um - yeah Lea. Since you can't get out, you are no longer able to fight. Oboko Nominata wins."

Oboko whooped. Naruto and Kiba shouted. I didn't hear what either was saying. The red haze had blocked everything out.

"I. Am. Not. Going. To. Lose!!!!" Red chakra blazed up around me like a geyser. My hair shot up in the air and I could feel the solid rock wasting away. Finally I could move.

I turned around, slowly. The jonin had wisely disappeared and Oboko was staring at me with his mouth open.

"What's happening?" I heard Naruto ask.

I stepped forward. I felt powerful, I felt invincible. I kept moving forward, the ground breaking off as I walked. "You messed with the wrong person." The words didn't sound like they came from my mouth but Oboko shook in fear, backing up as quickly as he could.

I didn't allow him to get far. I was behind him in a flash and I threw my arm out. He flew straight into the opposing wall. I watched as he tried getting up and I made my way to him.

He whimpered and tried to run but I wouldn't allow it. I appeared before him and grabbed unto his neck. I lifted him up against the wall. He clutched unto my hand.

"Please let me go," he begged.

I felt myself smile. "Rule number one when messing with me: DO NOT GET ME ANGRY!!!!"

I bashed his body into the wall. The wall cracked. I kept bashing over and over again.