Hi everyone. I'm so so so sorry that I haven't updated this fic for over a month, I guess that time just flew by and I kind of forgot or something. I know it isn't an excuse, but I'd rather tell the truth then tell a lie, so there it was.

I hope that you like this chapter, and I'll try and update some more, we'll just have to wait and see.

Also, I know that the fourth Hokage's name isn't Kazama Arashi, but Namikaze Minato, but I like Arashi and that was what I started with and I'll end it with it as well.

After Hinata had been placed on a stretcher, the medics had taken her out of the sparring hall and to the hospital.

The names on the board began to shuffle again until they landed on the next two opponents. Nara Shikamaru and Tsuchi Kin. Said people made their way down, Shikamaru taking his time whilst getting down and Kin standing there looking annoyed.

"You don't honestly expect me to spar against a guy like him who can't even be bothered to get down without making it look like an effort. Honestly, it's just pointless if you ask me." Kin complained.

Shikamaru just sighed. How troublesome, but… it'll get even worse if I don't try because then I'll have Ino on my back… troublesome women… He thought to himself.

The two got ready and began. At first, it looked like Kin would get an easy win, but then suddenly at then end, it turned out that Shikamaru had had the whole thing planned out from the beginning, winning by knocking her out, as he head had been slammed into the unseen wall behind her.

Shikamaru went back up the stairs in the same manner as he had come down.

The board shuffled again and stopped at Sabaku no Temari and Tenten. The two tough kunoichi quickly came down to the ground and began, with Temari winning at the end, and Tenten being taken away by the medics.

Sabaku no Gaara and Rock Lee were next. Their battle was by far one of the most amazing battles, as the strength of each shinobi was increased until it had everyone watching intently, even Shikamaru looked like her was into it. But sadly, Rock Lee lost after the great fight and was taken away by the medics like many other of the genins.

Then there were only two left, the board not bothering to show their names as it was obvious. The two were Akimichi Chouji and Abumi Zaku. The two respective ninja made their way down, Chouji's hands free of their usual possession of a bag of crisps. At first he had been nervous, but after his sensei, Asuma, had said that there would be all-you-can-eat barbeque, how could he refuse?

"Contestants ready?... Begin."

The two opponents just stood there, Chouji staring at Zaku curiously and Zaku had a smirk plastered on his face, it grew wider as he began to speak. "So… I'm supposed to face this guy. Com on, I mean he doesn't look like much… shinobi standards anyway."

Chouji caught onto what he was hinting and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Hn… You a bit big to be a shinobi aren't you? You probably tire down easily and you're probably also really slow. It's a wonder how you came this far, being fat and all. You look like a beach ball…"

"What did you say?!"

"I said that it's not muscle that you got hiding behind that thick layer of skin!"

Up in the stands…

The other members of team ten all had one thing going through their mind. That Zaku guy's in BIG trouble now… No-one ever gets away with calling Chouji fat…

Down to the spar…

Zaku was finding it hard to keep his laughter at bay, though he still managed to somehow. The subject of this laughter was one Chouji, as his expression was one of a very pissed off person, and he didn't think it suited the guy.

"I am NOT fat!" Chouji shouted as he began to make some handseals and calling out 'Baika no Jutsu' when he was done. His body increased in size until it became an almost perfect sphere. It began to spin, gaining speed at the same time, though it was still in one place.

Zaku, however, wasn't expecting this but smirked to himself as he figured that he could just use his wind pipes in his hands to end the spar. He quickly did a couple handseals before calling out 'Zankūha'. Supersonic blasts escaped through the tubes in his palms and were heading straight for Chouji at an incredibly high speed, which Chouji wasn't able to dodge. However, he didn't actually need to dodge as his body was spinning to fats for the blast to have any affect on him, and therefore rendering Zaku's attacks useless.

When Zaku noticed that his attacks didn't work, he began to worry. But, to make things worse for him, Chouji began to move and was now heading straight for him.

He threw himself to the side and narrowly dodge, but that would probably be the last time as with each passing second, Chouji would gain speed.

Chouji hit and rebounded off of the wall, leaving a large dent and headed straight towards Zaku again, who just about managed to jump to the side, and stumbling a bit as well.

But he didn't have time to dodge again as Chouji had quickly changed his direction and now made collision with the sound-nin.

This resulted in Zaku getting hit and thrown to the other side of the hall, landing flat on the wall, and falling down limp to the ground, unconscious.

Chouji, when he noticed his opponent was out, slowed down, stopped and returned to his normal size. He was standing, though he couldn't keep his balance and kept on leaning from side to side, his eyes spinning as he was very dizzy. He was also extremely exhausted as being in that form took a lot of energy and chakra out of him.

"Winner… Akimichi Chouji!" Hayate declared, ending with a short fit of coughs. Medics came and took Zaku away on a stretcher. A couple more came and took Chouji away, though he wasn't injured, he still needed to recover.

Up in the stands, Ino was cheering out loud for her teammate, though on the inside, she was a bit sad as she was the only one of the three not to have made it through to the next round, but then she realised that the same could be said for Sakura, both of her teammates had made it through. Sasuke and… and…. Now that she thought about it, she had no idea who her female teammate was, though Ino had gathered that she wasn't that bad a kunoichi as she had easily knocked Kiba out, but she also lacked a lot of confidence, she might even be worse the Hinata… Ino hadn't thought that possible until just now…

Back down on the stage in front of the screen, the Hokage had everyone who made through to the next round standing in front of him, apart from the ones who were with the medics. He was telling them how they had a month to prepare for the final exam and he had them all draw numbers from a bowl to see who would face who.

The opponents would be:

1st match: Hyuuga Neji vs. Junshin Kazama Niina

2nd match: Sabaku no Gaara vs. Akimichi Chouji

3rd match: Aburame Shino vs. Sabaku no Kankorou

4th match: Nara Shikamaru vs. Sabaku no Temari

5th match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. winner of 4th match.

Everyone was then dismissed and the Hokage left. All of the jounin senseis also left with their genin groups in tow.

Okay, I'll end it here and I'll try my best to update soon again, also, I'll try and update 'Konoha's Scarlet Claw' soon as well, it's just that I've been ill for the last week and I could only just write this.

Until Next Time…