Hanako sank into her seat in the participants' box. Kabuto leaned up against a wall, arms crossed over his chest with a vapid smile on his face. He was up against Shino, like Kankuro would have been had things gone according to canon. She wanted to speak with him, to try her hand at the heralded 'Talk no Jutsu', but the opportunity had yet to present itself. If she couldn't get to him, then that was that. She knew enough of his story to counter it, but she would rather not have to. Kabuto, like so many other canon antagonists, was a victim of tragedy and questionable mental health. If she remembered correctly, it was his fragile sense of identity which served as the root of his madness. If she could fix that...

A thought for another day.

Her match was against Kumo's Omoi, about whom she knew very little beyond his loyalty to Killer Bee. Not that she needed to know anything. They were slotted to fight last, and Sasuke should get back from his father-son bonding trip with Kakashi before they actually had to fight. If not, then...

Well, she'd cross that bridge when she got to it. Gaara was radiating aggression where he sat on the other side of the box, his sister eyeing him nervously. Mah, that boy.

She'd go over to him, but Shino was sitting next to her and she didn't want to offend the quiet boy by leaving him behind. Instead, she reached out with her chakra, just barely skimming the tumultuous edge of Gaara's.

Just to let him know she was there.

Shino looked down at her, face expressionless but speaking volumes.

"I'll explain later." Where he won't hear me talking about him.

Her friend nodded. "I have not seen you in some time. Are you well?"

Hanako sighed. She knew she didn't look her best, and Shino was hardly the first person to ask after her health. Her face was paler than usual and the delicate skin around her eyes was noticeably red. The stress of the Exams coupled with her plans for the invasion were starting to take a physical toll. Hopefully, once everything was resolved, she could take a moment to rest.

"I'm alright, Aburame-kun," she said softly. "Just nervous."

He cocked his head. "Why? Have you not been training?"

She had, but not for the fight against Omoi. Her eyes stung from all the practice she and Momiji had put into her dojutsu. Although, she did have one trick up her sleeve that she'd been saving. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to use it yet, though.

She smiled. "Don't worry, Aburame-kun. I'm as ready as I can be."

On her other side, Shikamaru sighed. "You're overthinking it, Hana. Just relax until it's your turn. This whole thing is so troublesome."

His words, though said under his breath, were clearly heard by the others in the box. Temari bristled at his blatant disregard for the Exams.

"Is that an attitude to be taking when your friend is down there getting beat into the ground?"

True, it didn't look good for Naruto, but Hanako had faith.

"Naruto will win," she said firmly. Everyone turned disbelieving eyes on her.

"Oh? Is this another obvious fight?" Temari asked with a smirk. "Do tell."

Ah, well, she kind of had to, now, huh? She cleared her throat. "Mah, well, Neji-san's confidence will be his undoing."

Shikamaru nodded in consideration. "Yeah, I can see it."

"Do you care to elaborate?"

It was the first time Omoi had addressed her, and a part of her knew he was probably using this as an opportunity to better understand his opponent, but she had no plans of fighting him, anyway, so whatever.

"He believes that his victory is guaranteed," she said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Losing is impossible in his mind, so he isn't taking Naruto seriously. Neji's never lost a fight, you know, so he just doesn't understand the kind of grit and determination Naruto has accumulated as someone who always loses." She tossed the attractive older genin a smile over her shoulder. "It takes more strength to get back up than to stay standing, you know."

A considering light entered his dark eyes and he smiled around his red lollipop. "Yeah, it does."

Oh, sweet. He was nice. Good. That would make her plans go so much smoother.

She turned her gaze back to Kabuto, just in time to catch a serious expression on his face as he watched her. It was gone in an instant, replaced by that sugary fake smile.

"Wow, Hatake-chan, you have a lot of faith in Naruto-kun."

She smiled thinly. "Of course, I do. He's worked really hard to get here. From dead last to the Chunin Exams within a year of graduation. It's quite the jump, don't you think?"

"That kid was last in his class?" Temari asked, surprised. "Isn't that clone jutsu a jounin level technique?"

Hanako smiled, pride swelling in her even though she knew he would have been just as amazing without her. "It's a forbidden technique, actually. The amount of chakra needed to use it like he does can easily kill jounin level shinobi. Naruto's an Uzumaki, so his chakra levels are naturally higher than most, but he has another advantage, too."

Temari's slender brow rose in question. "Oh?"

Naruto chose that moment to release Kurama's chakra, catching everyone's eye. Great swaths of red chakra filled the air, whipping around like the fox's tails. Hanako bristled as the animalistic chakra brushed against her own, raising her hackles against Kurama's terrible anger. Gaara stiffened, his pale eyes fixed on the yelling blond in the arena. Omoi, too, was rod straight, lollipop stick drooping from a gaping mouth. Hrm. That might be bad. Oh, well.

Naruto won. Whoohoo! She cheered just as loudly as anyone else in the stands, giving out a shrill whistle in celebration.

"Huh," Omoi said once things settled down. "You were right."

She smiled at him. "I usually am."

Temari scoffed. "Oh? Then, how will the next match go?"

"Well, since Sasuke has decided to take after my dad and be abysmally late, the next fight should be between Aburame-kun and Yakushi-senpai."

"Eh!?" Naruto exclaimed, having just rejoined the group. "What do you mean he's late? Teme still isn't here?"

Hanako shook her head as Naruto took a seat on the other side of Shikamaru. "Nope. Knowing Daddy, he's probably putting him through some last minute exercises."

"But he'll be disqualified!"

"No he won't," Shikamaru snorted. "He's the last Uchiha, Naruto. Literally everyone here wants to watch his match. The Hokage will have to issue a postponement if he wants to avoid a riot."

Naruto looked to Hanako for confirmation.

"He's right. Sasuke's lucky he's the scion of his house."

Shikamaru sighed loudly. "This means my fight's moved up, doesn't it? Tch, how troublesome."

Naruto laughed at his friend's expense, a loud guffaw cut off by the announcement that Sasuke's match had been postponed. "Woah, you guys are psychic!"

"It can seem like it," Kabuto agreed, as he stepped over to the railing. "They're just smarter than the rest of us." Then, he called out to the proctor, forfeiting his match.

Huh. Some things really can't be changed, can they?

Shino watched him with tangible displeasure as he made to leave the participants' box.

"What? Come one, Kabuto-san! You're finally here! You can do it!"

Kabuto chuckled in the face of Naruto's outrage. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I'm afraid I can't go any further than this."

Naruto stood blubbering as Kabuto left. Hanako got to her feet.

"Not you too, Hana-chan!"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not forfeiting, Naru-nii. I'm just going to go talk to Yakushi-senpai. I want to make sure he's alright."

"But what about Shikamaru's match?"

She smiled and left without a second glance, rushing down the hall after her one time teammate. This might be her only chance.

"Yakushi-senpai!"

He stopped, turning around with a surprised expression.

"Hatake-chan? Don't tell me you also—."

"No, no I didn't. I wanted to speak with you."

His mask slid back into place. "Oh? What about?"

"The invasion."

He froze and she took the opportunity to barrel through.

"I know it's going to happen. I know Gaara is meant to be the big flashy distraction while Orochimaru fights the Old man using the resurrected corpses of the First and Second Hokages and I know things are not going to end the way you want them to. So, please, Senpai, reconsider."

He stared at her, dark grey eyes wide with honest shock. "H-how...?"

"I don't have time to explain," she insisted. "But Senpai, your life will only get so much worse if you go with Orochimaru. Konoha is flawed, deeply so, but it's not so far gone that you need to throw it away. I'l vouch for you. You're Root, so we can push it all on Danzo, please—."

"How do you know all that?" His tone was harsh and his expression void of all affection. This was the real Kabuto, she realized, and she was glad to finally see it. "Not even the Hokage knows about that."

"Shall I recite your life's story, too? You woke up on a battlefield with no memories, were taken in by Yakushi Nono who was a Root agent herself and—."

He held up a hand to stay her, the other coming up to cover his glasses. "Stop, stop! That's enough. How?"

She growled in frustration. "I told you, I don't have time to explain. I'm lucky I even got this chance to speak with you."

He looked down at her, his entire body taught like a line of ninja wire. "Why?"

She sighed. "You deserve better than what you'll get if you go with him. You—."

She cut herself off, freezing as she recognized the angsty chakra running up against her own. No! Not yet!

She turned around and looked into pale green eyes. "Gaara."

Damnit! How much did he hear?

Kabuto placed a hand on her shoulder, laughing softly when she jumped at the contact. "Thank you for your concern, Hatake-chan. I will consider your words."

No!

He was already walking away, and Gaara was too unstable to leave alone. Damnit!

She took a moment to calm herself, deep breaths and counting backwards bringing her temper back in check. It wasn't Gaara's fault she'd gone and fostered a dependency in him. Agh! Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? She knew everything would turn out alright for him, so she could have just let him be!

Who was she kidding? No, she couldn't. She never was one to ignore a child in need.

"Hey, Gaara," she said at long last, reaching to him with her newly calmed chakra. "What's up?"

"He angered you."

Well, actually.

"Haha, you noticed? I've been trying to convince him to join my team permanently, but he's a little attached to his current sensei, so we butt heads."

Gaara stared at her, clearly not buying her flimsy excuse. Hanako deflated. Honesty really was the best policy.

"Oh, alright. That was a lie. I can't tell you the truth, though, so please don't ask."

He kept staring, chakra still agitated as it wrapped her up in the stinging of windblown sand. For a moment, she feared he would push her for answers, or that he'd overheard enough of her conversation with Kabuto to recognize her as a threat to the invasion. Death by sand did not sound fun.

"Naruto," he said slowly, clearly choosing his words. "He isn't...normal."

Oh, thank God. She could work with this. "Yeah, he's a jinchuriki, like you."

He looked at her sharply, clearly stunned.

"Killer Bee's one, too. There are lot here, now that I think about it."

Lies. She'd thought about it a lot, had planned around it, depended on it.

"How?"

She smiled at Gaara, letting the expression be as honest as possible. "I've known since the moment I laid eyes on you, Gaara. I can feel Shukaku's chakra under yours."

He immediately pulled his chakra back, leaving her feeling oddly bereft. "You're a sensor?"

She sighed. "You know, you're not the first person to ask me that. I'm starting to wonder myself, now."

It would certainly be convenient. She still doubted it, though, since she could only sense chakra signatures after touching them with her own. From what she remembered, sensors could 'see' chakras from a distance and recognize them on sight. She was fairly sure that her bastardized ninshu was less versatile than actual sensing, but if calling it that helped people sleep at night, then more power to them.

"Gaara," he flinched, hands rising to clutch at his head. Oh no. "Gaara, please, look at me." She stepped forward, through the wall of swirling sand, and gently pulled at his wrists. "Gaara."

He looked up at her, the face of his sand armor still stoic, though she had a feeling he looked very different underneath. "Why?"

"Gaara, I don't care that you're a jinchuriki. It makes no difference to me."

"I-I've killed people."

She huffed a small laugh. "You're a ninja, Gaara. It's in your job description." One she never followed, but still. This wasn't about her. "If killing people makes you a monster, then everyone in this arena is one, too."

His chakra was churning violently, burning her own where they touched. Digging deep, she bolstered her chakra and tried to calm him down. If not, then to at least impress upon him how completely unafraid of him she was.

"Gaara," she said softly. "I believe in you. I know it can't be easy, having Shukaku whining in your ear all the time, but you've come this far. I have faith you'll go much farther, too."

"Mah, kiddo, I was hoping my clone was lying."

She didn't turn around. "Your clone should mind his own business."

"Mah, be nice to the clones. They're just doing their job." Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder, clutching her tightly. "Let's go on up, hm? Sasuke's already in the arena."

Already? How long had she been down here? Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving her alone with her father.

Come on, Gaara. Not fair.

"So," he said with false cheer. "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

"Not really," she answered honestly, ignoring the way his grip on her shoulder tightened. "It's private."

"Hanako."

She looked up at him, brows furrowed crossly. "You don't get to ditch me for a month only to question how I spent that time, Dad. Gaara is my friend. A good friend. End of story."

He seemed shocked by her sudden vehemence, and guilt had the wind leaving her sails. She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his jounin vest and taking in his scent. Kakashi wasn't really one for physical affection, hair ruffles and pats on the back as close as he ever got. But Hanako was a hugger, and she needed on right then.

"I'm sorry."

"Mah, kiddo. What's going on with you?"

"If I say puberty, will you drop it?"

"Like a hot kunai."

She laughed and pulled away from him, scrunching her face when he ruffled her hair. "Mah, Daddy, what are you going to do when it actually happens?"

He smiled easily. "That's what Pakkun is for."

Oh, that poor pug.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's go watch Sasuke's fight."

Yeah, yeah she could do that. Her nerves were back with a vengeance, her insides churning with anticipation. Soon, everything would start. Was she ready? Would her plan be enough? Would her presence and interference just make everything worse?

Oh, she really didn't feel good.

They stepped into the participants' box just in time to watch Sasuke activate the Chidori. Hanako leaned over the railing, watching with mounting trepidation as his lightning wreathed hand punctured Gaara's ball of sand. He pulled it free, sending the sand crumbling to the ground and revealing an injured Gaara. This was it, she had to act now. No time to sit around and hope that Kabuto had a change of heart. The first tingle of genjutsu brushed against her brain as she leapt into the air, leaving Kakashi behind as she rushed to the Kage's box. The sounds of explosions almost drew her attention, and she knew the giant snakes had come.

Hanako landed with little grace, rolling into the wall with a grunt. She scrambled to her feet, looking up at the bewildered faces of Killer Bee and the Raikage.

"Please," she cried desperately. "I need to speak with Gyuuki-sama!"