-1

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Demon/Summon/inner Sakura speech

Demon/Summon thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters created by Kishimoto, but all OC's are my own creation.

Beta Reader:

Life of Nemo: You brought something to my attention, while I've given rough ages for Akira and Ba-yu I haven't given a rough age for shadow. He is the youngest of the group being in his late teens (some where around 17-19). Now as for the whole Kin being his girlfriend, I never really thought about giving him one but if she joins I'll think about it. (May-be I'll make a poll about that one later)

BrownPaperBag51: Yep, Tsunade and Kushina will both train him for the final round while Haku will be trained by Zabuza and Shizune.

Narutomaniac: That's actually a really good idea and if you don't mind I'll add that into the story later on.

TheDon1023: Don't worry the pairing is just going to be Naruto/Fem. Haku pairing

panther73110: I don't want to give too much away but I will say that I'm thinking about it.

clarkX100: To answer your question Minato was in the process of doing just that, so a lot of his scrolls were in the secret vault but not all of them. Also not all of the scrolls belonged to Minato, some of them belonged to other clan members who were working on their own jutsu but for one reason or another they never finished so they just left it in the vault.

Author's Note: Well once again I've been unable to contact my beta; I know he was having computer troubles but I didn't think it would take this long for him to fix them. So he's the beta version for this chapter enjoy.

Now on with the story

--

Chapter 21: The First Round! Naruto vs. Sai!

Kushina tapped her foot as she waited beside the main gate of Konoha. She checked the time one more time before she said "Where are they? The Prelims for the third exam will be starting soon, and I don't want to miss Naruto-kun's match."

Just then the gates of Konoha opened to reveal four figures, two male and two female, who were dressed in black cloaks that covered their features, and while three of them wore black masks in the shape of a bird (Raven, Crow, and Hawk), and the fourth member had their black mask in the shape of a wolf. Kushina looked at the one with the Raven mask and said "What took you so long Raven?"

Raven lowered her head in an apologetic manner and said "I'm sorry Kushina-sama, but the last mission you sent us on, took longer than we thought."

"Than I take it, the mission was successful?"

"Hai Kushina-sama, we were able to successfully complete the mission." said Raven as she raised her head and got back into formation.

A smile formed on Kushina's face as she said "Good, you can give me the full briefing after the preliminary rounds are over."

This caused all four of the Kage Ga-Do to raise their heads slightly as Raven asked "I take it that means Naruto-sama and the others have made it to the final part?"

"Not only did Naruto-kun and the others pass, but Naruto-kun's team broke the previous record by five hours." said a very proud Kushina.

Crow shook his head slightly as he thought 'Naruto-sama beat the record by that much, huh? The last time I saw him he was a little goofball who graved attention. Back then I would have been shocked to hear that, but if I knew then what I know now… It wouldn't surprise me at all.'

Wolf looked over at Crow and noticed that he was a little distracted so she asked "Hey Crow? Everything all right?"

"Yeah, Just thinking about the past." said Crow as he looked over at Wolf.

Wolf smiled behind her mask as she said "Thinking about Naruto-sama when he was just a four year old boy huh?"

Crow just nodded his head in agreement as he said "Yeah, back then he was always causing trouble around the village, I wonder what he's like now?"

"Well I guess we'll all find out when we meet him face to face, huh?" said Wolf as she put her hand on Crow's shoulder.

Just then Kushina cleared her throat before she said "All right you guys, I don't have much time, and the prelims will be starting any minute now. So I've got a split assignment for you. As you know we captured an Oto shinobi by the name of Kin, but what you don't know is that shortly after that Shadow confronted one of Orochimaru's spies by the name of Kabuto. During this fight Orochimaru intervened and wounded Shadow."

"Is he all right?! How were his wounds treated? Was there any permanent damage? Who's taking care of him as we speak?" asked Raven as her medic side took over and she readied herself for any kind of treatment that Shadow might need.

Kushina looked directly at Raven and said "Don't worry he's just fine and is resting comfortably as we speak. When Shadow arrived at the Tower in Training Ground 44, he had the luck of running into Naruto-kun, who was able to use his medical training and treated Shadow's wounds."

All four of the Kage Ga-Do was shocked to hear that Naruto was such an accomplished medic. When Kushina was sure that she had their attention again and before any of them could ask any questions she continued "If you have any question you can ask him directly. Now as I was saying, I want Raven and Crow to keep an eye on Shadow and make sure no one inhibits his recovery, while Hawk and Wolf interrogate Kin, she's in one of the holding cells at the Tower. Hawk and Wolf, I want you to treat Kin with respect she did surrender herself willingly, so I don't think it will take much to get her to talk. All right that's all I've got to tell you. So I'll be going now, I have some preliminaries to watch."

With that said Kushina disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Once Kushina was gone the group started their trek through Konoha when Crow and Wolf suddenly stopped for a moment. Raven noticed the hesitation of her two teammates and asked "What's wrong you two?"

Crow was the first to come out of his daze as he said "Sorry about that, it's just the last time we were here… was when we were banished from the village. So it's a little unsettling."

"Yeah I know what you mean Crow, but at least Hokage-sama was able to give us our freedom, since we were originally sentenced to death. If that bastard Mizuki hadn't set us up, it never would have happened." said Wolf as she clinched her fist at the memory of what Mizuki did to them.

Raven just looked at the two before she said "I know how you two must feel, it been awhile for me two, but remember we didn't come here to get revenge. When came here to do our job, now lets get going."

"We know that Raven, and we won't let those feelings get in the way of the mission." said Crow as Wolf nodded her head in agreement before all four of them headed off to their assigned task.

(Training Ground 44- Tower Arena)

After the first two opponents were named all other applicants and their respective Sensei's made their way toward the balcony above the area. Once everyone was in position Kushina suddenly appeared in a swirl of leaves right beside Tsunade.

Kushina turned to face Tsunade as she said "Sorry I'm late. The Kage Ga-Do just arrived and I to tell them their assignments. So, what'd I miss?"

While Tsunade informed Kushina what's been going on in her absence, Kakashi looked at Kushina for a moment as he tried to place her. 'Where have I seen her before? She looks so familiar, if I didn't know any better I'd swear she's…It can't be!!'

Kakashi immediately lifted up his headband and looked at Kushina to see if it was some kind of Genjutsu. After he found no evidence of a Genjutsu he lowered his headband and walked over to Kushina. Once he made it over to Kushina and Tsunade he said "It's been awhile Kushina-san. I was informed that you were killed during the Kyuubi attack. I'm glad to see that you're alive, but why didn't you let me know you were alive sooner?"

Kushina turned to look at Kakashi and in a cold tone said "Kakashi."

Kakashi was taken back by Kushina's tone and asked "What's with the harsh tone Kushina-san? And how come you stayed away for so long?"

"I have my reasons Kakashi, and I'm only back here, so that I could watch my SON take the exams." said Kushina in a scolding tone as she turned her attention back to the arena.

"You're son? But he's…" said Kakashi as he saw Kushina look down into the arena. That's when it suddenly hit him like a ton of brick's; he looked down into the arena and finished with "Naruto."

This comment caught the attention of all the Jonin on the balcony and as all their eyes widened in realization, Kurenai turned to look at Anko, who had just left the Hokage's side and was on her way over towards Kushina and the others, before she thought 'Why didn't you tell me Anko?'

A smile crossed Kushina's face as she heard Kakashi's words. She then turned her attention back toward Kakashi and said "You've only figured it out now? And here I thought you were taught to look underneath the underneath. Now you should know the answer to your other question."

"But I never treated him badly. I even helped in the search when he was assaulted all those years ago." said Kakashi as he suddenly felt like he was being scolded by his old sensei.

Kushina tightened her fist as she shifted her gaze over toward Kakashi as she said "Never treated him badly? When you let the ones who try to harm him go unpunished, you're just as guilty as they are."

Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly before he calmly said "So they told you about that did they."

"You thought that they wouldn't tell me about incident on the bridge?!" shouted Kushina as she glared at Kakashi.

Kakashi lowered his head slightly and when he noticed Anko arrive he decided to change the focus a little, so he asked "Anko? Why didn't you ever tell me about Naruto?"

Anko looked Kakashi in the eyes and said "Yeah, like I knew the Gaki's lineage back then, and even if I did I wouldn't have told you. You would've turned him into a pervert like yourself."

"I'm not a pervert. And I would never do that Anko." said Kakashi.

"Uh-huh, like I believe that." said Anko as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Before their argument could go any further Kushina stepped in and said "Will you two cut it out! The match is about to begin."

Hayate looked at both Naruto and Sai and once he decided they were ready he lowered his left hand and said "All right, BEGIN!!"

Naruto quickly sidestepped as Sai came in with a punch to the face. Sai then went for a spinning roundhouse kick to the head which Naruto easily ducked and countered with a sweep to the leg.

When Naruto's sweep knocked Sai's feet out from under him, Sai rotated his body and did a back flip so that he landed on his feet. Sai then got back into his fighting stance and did a side kick to the torso and when that was blocked he went for another punch to the face.

Naruto got a slight smile on his face as he sidestepped the punch, he then grabbed Sai's wrist and said "Not bad, your stance is solid, your style is pretty fluid and you're swift with your attacks. This is going to be fun after all."

He then let go of Sai's wrist right and landed a punch to Sai's torso, which knocked him back a few feet. After Sai got to his feet he pulled out his sword and said "That punch sure was weak, are you sure you even have a dick?"

Naruto got a look of disbelief on his face before he shook his head before he pulled out his Kodochi and said "Whatever… But since you seem so eager to use your sword, I'll show you the power of 'Kyuubi's Claw'."

Many of the Konoha Genin looked curiously at Naruto when they heard the name of his sword but Sakura was the one to voice their question. "Kyuubi's Claw? Why would he name his weapon after the demon that attacked Konoha fourteen years ago? Does he hate our village that much that he did it out of spite?"

Tsunade started to chuckle when she heard this and after a few moments she said "That's not it at all. He chose that name very carefully and if you're lucky he'll show you the reason behind the name. But don't count on it."

With that said everyone turned their attention back toward the match.

The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard as Naruto blocked everyone of Sai's sword strikes. After the last block Sai twisted his body and used that momentum to do a backward slash at Naruto's neck.

Naruto twisted his own body so that the blade passed mere inches above his nose. He then continued the twist and backhanded Sai right across the face, which caused Sai to stager backwards a couple of steps. Naruto then pointed his sword so that the tip of his blade was only a few inches from the bridge of Sai's nose and said "Damn what's with you? That's the third time I blocked a lethal slash. Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"

Sai knocked the sword away and got in a defensive stance as he said "Not really dickless, death is permitted after all. And besides, for the wellbeing of Konoha…"

Sai then suddenly charged Naruto and did a downward slash. Once Naruto block the attack Sai leaned in so he could get closer to Naruto and once they were face to face he said "I'm going to kill you."

Naruto then used his strength to shove Sai back several feet before he said "I see, so you're just like all of those villagers huh? Fine then, show me every ounce of hatred you've got!"

"Those villagers? What's he talking about?" asked Ten-Ten as she looked at all of the Jonin for an answer.

Before any of the Jonin could answer her question Haku spoke up "Naruto-kun's talking about the fact that most of the people in THIS VILLAGE hate him so much that they want him dead."

"You can't be serious! Konoha is one of the nicest villages around here! We'd never treat anyone with the kind of hatred you're describing. Right Asuma-sensei?" shouted a defensive Ino as she looked at Asuma for reassurance.

When Asuma remained quiet and lowered his head slightly Ino got a concerned look on her face and said "Asuma-sensei?"

But before he could answer they all heard Sai say "As you wish."

Back on the arena floor Sai pulled out a scroll, and opened it to reveal a picture of a giant Ogre before he said "Ninpo: Choujii Giga" (Ninja art: Super Beast Imitation)

Naruto watched as the Ogre sprang from the page. When the Ogre charged, Naruto didn't move an inch; he just stood there and glared at the Ogre as it slammed its fist right on his head. The impact caused a huge amount of dust to erupt completely blocking everyone's view of what happened.

Hinata got a worried look on her face as she said "Naruto-kun."

Tsunade looked over at Hinata and when she saw her worried expression she put a reassuring smile on her face as she said "Don't worry Hinata, a weak hit like that isn't enough to stop my Naru-Chan."

"A weak hit?! That thing just caused a massive amount of dust from one blow, and you call that a weak hit Tsunade-sama?!" said Sakura as everyone turned to look at the two.

"Your forgetting who trained him Haruno-san, I hardly have to hold any of my strength back anymore when we spar." said Tsunade as she turned her attention back to the arena floor before she added "Just watch, you'll all see what I mean very shortly.".

As the dust settled it revealed that Naruto was still standing in his original position with his head slightly lowered so that his hair covered his eyes and his left hand was above his head to block the punch.

"No way!! He blocked it with one hand!!" shouted Ino while Sasuke clinched his fist and silently seethed at Naruto's display of power.

'Impressive, perhaps this one will provide a worthy challenge.' thought Neji as he let a smile cross his face

Flames erupted in both of Lee's eyes as he shouted "Yosh!! Naruto-kun's flames of youth burn brightly!"

Tsunade got a big smile on her face as she said "See, what did I tell you."

Naruto raised his head so everyone could see the fierceness in his eyes as he said "Is that the best you've got? Because if you're really trying to kill me…"

He then tightened his grip on the Ogre's hand as he twisted his body and threw the Ogre across the room as he shouted "THAT WON'T NEARLY BE GOOD ENOUGH!!"

The Ogre exploded into ink the moment it made contact with the wall, and after that Naruto turned around and faced Sai once more before he said "Your move."

Sai remained emotionless as he created about a dozen lions, which quickly surrounded Naruto. Once he was surrounded Naruto looked from left to right and after he analyzed the situation he thought 'Twelve of them eh? I could use Kage Bunshin to defeat them, but that would be too easy. Besides I have something better in mind.'

As Naruto tightened his grip on his sword he started to channel some of his chakra into his sword, just as he finished all twelve of the lions attacked at once. Naruto sprung into action and at a high speed slashed at all of the lions while his blade never got closer than six inches from his targets. Once he finished his strikes he sheathed his sword, a moment later all the lions exploded into ink.

"Impossible!! He didn't even touch those lions!" shouted Sakura as she looked on in disbelief.

Asuma ignored Sakura's outburst and said "Impressive, to think that one so young, would have such mastery over wind manipulation."

Chouji looked at Asuma with a puzzled look on his face as he asked "Wind manipulation? What are you talking about Asuma-sensei?"

"He was able to focus his chakra and use the very wind to extend the length of his blade, thus increasing the range of his attack… Did you teach him that Tsunade-sama?" said Asuma as he turned to look at Tsunade.

Tsunade shook her head and then looked over at Asuma before she pointed to Zabuza and said "Nope, Zabuza taught him swordsmanship. So if you have any questions ask him."

When everyone turned their attention towards Zabuza he merely leaned back against the wall and said "I may have taught the boy swordsmanship, but he learned how to do that all on his own."

Asuma's eyes widened in shock before he looked at Naruto and thought 'He managed to get to this level all on his own! It makes you wonder what he'll be capable of in the future.'

Back on the arena floor Naruto got a very serious look on his face as he looked at Sai and said "And now… It's my turn."

Naruto then moved at a very high speed and delivered a massive uppercut directly to Sai's jaw which sent him sailing into the air. Then before anyone could blink Naruto appeared above Sai and said "This one's for you Anko-neechan! Kage Bunshins Senei Jashu no Jutsu!" (Shadow clones Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)

'What the hell?! When did he…?!' thought Anko as her eyes widened in shock when she saw four snakes come out of his right sleeve and bite into Sai's arms and legs.

Naruto then twisted his body so that Sai would rotate around him and go flying back toward the ground. When the rotation was complete the snakes released their grip on Naruto and went with Sai as he was sent sailing downwards. Then moment he hit the ground the four snakes got off of Sai and surrounded him before they reverted back to normal.

As Sai got to his feet the first bunshin ran in and delivered a punch to Sai's face. As Sai fell backwards the bunshin said "U!"

"ZU!" "MA!" "KI!" was quickly added as the other three bunshins rushed in and delivered powerful sliding kicks to different parts of Sai's body which sent him back up into the air.

Sai's ascension was short lived however as Naruto's heel came down right on his head as Naruto shouted "NARUTO RENDEN!!"

The force of the blow to his head caused Sai to go sailing downwards and created a small crater when he collided with the ground.

"You see, didn't I tell you that this would be one hell of a show!" said NiYal as he looked at Tsunami and Anika.

They could only nod in agreement as they looked down at the crater before Tsunami said "You're not kidding Ba-yu-san will be mad that he missed this fight."

"Yeah, I still can't believe Konoha let someone as talented as Naruto-sama slip right through there fingers. But there lose is our gain." said Anika as a smile appeared on her face as she surveyed the damage to the arena.

NiYal shook his head slightly as he looked at Anika and said "From what I hear Naruto-sama still hasn't decided yet. But since Kushina-sama is trying to build the bond that she should have had with Naruto-sama, who knows what he'll do."

Meanwhile Sarutobi just lowered his hat slightly and let out a sigh as he mumbled "I see Naruto has picked up your bad habit of collateral damage Tsunade."

As Naruto landed at the edge of the crater he saw Hayate checking Sai to see if he was alive or not. Naruto shook his head slightly as he said "Don't worry, he's still alive, I wouldn't want to cause anymore of a ruckus, than I already have. But I can guarantee you that he won't be doing any missions for awhile."

Once Hayate confirmed that Sai was indeed still alive he stood up and pointed his left hand at Naruto and said "Winner Uzumaki Naruto. (Cough, Cough)"

After Hayate made the announcement Naruto started to turn towards the balcony when a piece of Sai's ripped clothing moved slightly to reveal his 'Ne' tattoo.

'Ne huh? So that Danzo guy has made another move against me? I better let Kaasan know about this.' thought Naruto as he finished his turn toward the balcony and looked directly at Sasuke just in time to see him winced in pain from trying to activate his sharingan. Naruto let a smile form on his face as he made his way back toward his team and once he passed Sasuke he said "You're wasting your time Sasuke-teme. I didn't use hand seals so it's going to be a lot harder for you to copy that move."

"Whatever dobe. Like I would want a weak jutsu like that anyway." snarled Sasuke as he turned his head away from Naruto. This caused Kakashi to shake his head ever so slightly in disappointment.

"Unbelievable." was all Naruto said as he shook his head and made his way over toward his team.

The moment Naruto rejoined his team Haku gave him a quick hug before she immediately pulled back and blushed slightly as she said "You were great Naruto-kun. But don't you think that you let it last a little too long, and that last jutsu, wasn't it a little overboard?"

Naruto blushed slightly from the hug he then got a foxy grin on his face and started to rub the back of his head before he said "You think so? But I've been dieing to try that one out for awhile now."

Just then Anko walked up behind Naruto and smacked him upside the head. Naruto got a confused look on his face as he rubbed his head and said "Hey!! What the hell was that for Anko-neechan?!"

Anko glared at Naruto and crossed her arms as she said "I didn't teach you that jutsu for a reason Gaki! So I don't want to see you use a modification of it either!"

"But I just wanted to…" was all Naruto said before he noticed the look in Anko's eyes so he let out a sigh and added "Fine, I give you my word that I won't use it unless I absolutely have to."

Before Anko could even say anything else Tsunade walked up to both of them and started to ruffle Naruto's hair as she said "Then it's settled, so lets just sit back and watch the remaining matches. Ok?"

"Stop it Kaasan! That's embarrassing." said Naruto as he removed Tsunade's hand from his head.

Naruto then got a serious look on his face as he said "Kaasan… he's a 'Ne'."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly as she turned to look at Sai while a couple of medics put him on a stretcher and took him to the infirmary before she turned back towards Naruto and said "Are you sure?"

When Naruto just nodded his head Tsunade and Kushina looked at each other for a moment before Kushina whispered "I'll get someone to watch him, maybe we'll discover something."

Tsunade just nodded her head in agreement and discreetly summoned a slug as Kushina jotted down a message. She then handed it to the slug before she whispered "Give this to a person named Raven. She's in the infirmary as we speak."

The slug nodded its antennae and puff out of existence. Kushina and Tsunade then turned back toward the arena as though nothing happened and waited for the next two combatants to bee called.

Meanwhile Kakashi was lost in his own thoughts after he heard Naruto mention 'Ne'. 'What's going on? I thought Hokage-sama disbanded that organization a long time ago. And from the looks of things it appears that they're after Naruto. But why?'

Kakashi's eye widened slightly as he thought 'Wait a minute, could they be the reason Kushina-san let us think she was dead? Just what the hell is going on here?!'

But before he could ask any questions the scoreboard came to life and selected the next two combatants. Everyone looked on as the board displayed the next two combatants:

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akimichi Chouji

Chouji dropped to his knees as he said "Oh man, I'll never be able to beat Sasuke. Maybe I should just give up right now."

"Now, now Chouji, you can't just give up. I'll tell you what, if you take part in this fight, I'll treat you to an all you can eat dinner at any restaurant of your choosing after the exam. Ok?" said Asuma as he knelt down next to Chouji.

Chouji shot to his feet and with flames in his eyes he shouted "Yeah! ALL YOU CAN EAT! ALL YOU CAN EAT!!"

Ino just put her head in her hand as she thought 'That was low Asuma-sensei, preying on his weakness like that.'

As for Shikamaru he merely shrugged his shoulders and in a lazy tone said "So troublesome…"

When Naruto saw the names for the next two combatants he turned to Haku and said "Sasuke-teme's up next huh? Well Haku-Chan, I guess now we get to see how he fairs against another shinobi."

"Indeed Naruto-kun, now we get to see if he lives up to all his boasting, about being the best genin of Konoha." said Haku.

Sasuke however just got a smirk on his face as he started to make his way toward the arena, but was soon stopped as Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and said "I wouldn't use your Sharingan if I were you. Your body still hasn't fully recovered from the effects of the curse mark. Oh and by the way, don't use that curse mark, because if you do I'll stop the match and you'll be disqualified."

Sasuke looked at Kakashi in shock for a moment before his smirk returned as he said "You don't have to worry, with the opponent I'm fighting I won't need to go all out."

A few moments later both Sasuke and Chouji were in the arena waiting for Hayate to begin the match. Sasuke got a smirk on his face as he looked at Chouji and said "So fatso, are you ready to get your butt kicked."

Chouji flinched ever so slightly as he said "What did you just call me?"

"I really need to repeat myself? Huh, fatso?" said Sasuke as he let his smirk widened.

"I'M NOT FAT!! I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY OOKKK!!" shouted Chouji as he shoved his fist into the air.

Up on the balcony Ino got a surprised look on her face as she said "I know Chouji doesn't stand a chance against Sasuke-kun, but Sasuke-kun didn't have to be so mean."

"Hah, you sound surprised. Don't tell me you didn't know that he was like this?" said Naruto as he looked over at team 10.

Ino just glared at Naruto while Shikamaru just shook his head in disbelief as he thought 'What a drag. Doesn't this guy know that Ino goes postal anytime someone insults Sasuke?' But before Ino could say anything they heard Hayate shout "BEGIN!!"

The moment the match began Chouji started to channel his chakra as he shouted "Baika no Jutsu!!" (Multi-Size Technique)

Immediately following this jutsu Chouji pulled in his arms and legs before he pulled his head in to make a perfect ball. He then rolled toward Sasuke at a high speed.

Sasuke was a little surprised by this attack but easily got out of the way as Chouji slammed into the arena wall, which caused him to revert back into his normal state with swirls in his eyes.

A smile appeared on Sasuke's face as he said "Well fatso, it looks like I'm not really need here, you're more than capable of taking yourself out."

Chouji shook his head to clear the cobwebs and then recklessly charged Sasuke as he said "I TOLD YOU I'M NOT FAT!! And I'll show you just how capable I am!"

"Perfect." said Sasuke as he suddenly vanished and then delivered a powerful kick to Chouji's chin, which sent him flying into the air.

Sasuke then appeared underneath Chouji, and delivered another kick to Chouji's arm before he twisted the other direction, and hit him with a back fist to his chest which sent him back toward the ground. Then just before Chouji hit the ground Sasuke delivered a spinning heel kick to Chouji's midsection before he said "Shishi Renden!!" (Lions Barrage)

"Naruto-kun isn't that…?" asked Haku as she looked over at Naruto.

"Yep, but just let it go Haku-Chan…, just let it go. It's not like he'll admit to it anyway." said Naruto as he shook his head and let out an aggravated sigh.

As Hayate went to check on Chouji, Sasuke pointed at Naruto and said "Your next."

"In your dreams Sasuke-teme. I can't wait for the chance to take you down a few pegs." replied Naruto as he glared at Sasuke and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Moments later Hayate declared Sasuke the winner which caused Sasuke to get a cocky smile on his face as he made his way back toward the balcony.

Sasuke then returned to the remainder of his team while Naruto looked over at Haku and said "He was kind of slow there, don't you think Haku-Chan?"

"Indeed Naruto-kun, I was able to follow his movements quite easily. He hasn't improved as much as he said he did." said Haku as she nodded her head in agreement.

When Ino heard them talking she immediately interrupted with "HEY! Give him some credit! I mean he was fighting Sasuke-kun after all."

"Huh? Oh, I wasn't talking about Chouji, I was referring to Sasuke-teme." said Naruto as he shook his head and calmly looked over at Ino.

Ino just stood there for a moment in shock at the realization that Naruto had just told her that he thought Sasuke's movements were slow. Once she recovered from this she glared at Naruto and said "What do you mean Sasuke-kun's movements were slow! Didn't you see how fast Sasuke-kun finished his match?"

"I saw, and I could still follow all of his movements, so I don't see what the problem is." said Naruto as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Why you!!" shouted Ino as she glared at Naruto, but before she could take it even further the scoreboard choose the next two combatants.

Tsunami vs. Ten-Ten

Both combatants entered the arena and as they waited for Hayate to start the match Ten-Ten got into her fighting stance as she said "I plan on showing everyone just what a Kunoichi can do."

Tsunami got a smile on her face as she said "Funny, I was going to say the same thing."

The moment Hayate started the match Ten-Ten did a back flip to get some distance, while at the same time she threw a couple of kunai at Tsunami to keep her occupied. After Tsunami used her staff to deflect the kunai, she looked at Ten-Ten and thought 'Not bad, she managed to get some distance while at the same time she kept me occupied with her Kunai. Looks like she'll be a challenge.'

"That's the way Ten-Ten, use the power of youth!!" shouted Lee as he pumped his fists into the air to cheer Ten-Ten on.

Gai shoved his own fist into the air as he shouted "That's the spirit Lee! Keep cheering her on!!"

Naruto shook his head at the antics of Lee and Gai when he suddenly heard NiYal say "This should be a good fight, I just wonder if Tsunami will use it during this fight?"

Naruto looked over in NiYal's direction and saw Anika standing right next to NiYal when she said "I don't know but I sure hope she will she just finished learning it. So she might use that jutsu in this match."

'Jutsu she just learned? I wonder what they could be talking about?' thought Naruto as he turned his attention back toward the fight.

Tsunami used her staff to block a couple of Kunai that Ten-Ten threw her way. As she knocked the last kunai she spun around as she pulled out a couple of shuriken and threw them at Ten-Ten.

The moment Ten-Ten saw Tsunami spin she pulled out a scroll opened it and bit he thumb before she smeared some of her blood on one of the seals. This allowed her to summon her own three handled nunchaku (AN: Not really sure what this weapon is called). Ten-Ten then locked the handles into place to form her own staff and blocked the shuriken.

The two of them then charged each other and attacked with their staffs. Tsunami swung her staff up high in an attempt to nail Ten-Ten in the head, but Ten-Ten ducked and countered by using her staff to sweep at Tsunami's legs.

Tsunami did a quick jump to avoid the sweep and then did a spin kick aimed at Ten-Ten's head, who used her staff to block it.

As they separated both of them threw kunai at each other. When the kunai collided in midair Tsunami took this opportunity to bite her thumb as she pulled out a scroll. She then smeared her blood on the scroll which summoned a barrel of water out of storage.

Naruto got a curious look on his face when he saw the barrel and thought 'Could this be part of the jutsu that NiYal was talking about earlier?'

"I think it's time we finish this." said Tsunami as she went through a series of hand seals, and once she finished she shouted "Suiton: Kyousei Howaido Gyorai!" (Water Style: Great White Torpedo)

Ten-Ten's eyes widened in shock as the water from the barrel came out and shot at her like a torpedo. As it traveled through the air the front of the water morphed into the head of a Great White Shark.

'I guess I'll have to do this on the move.' thought Ten-Ten as the attack got closer the Shark's head suddenly opened it's mouth in a menacing fashion. Ten-Ten jump into the air at the last second, avoiding the attack, and pulled out two scrolls of her own before she did the necessary hand seals and opened them. Once the scrolls started to spin around her she said "Soushouryuu!" (Twin Rising Dragons)

She then used the scrolls to launch a barrage of weapons at Tsunami. As Tsunami started to dodge some of the weapons she focused her chakra and had her attack turn around and once more head for Ten-Ten. The moment she changed the direction of her attack a kunai imbedded itself into her leg forcing her to the ground. Once on the ground several more kunai imbedded themselves into her arms and legs deep enough so that she was pinned to the ground.

Ten-Ten got a smile on her face when she saw this and said "Looks like I win." Just then however Tsunami's attack made a direct hit to Ten-Ten's back and then proceeded to slam Ten-Ten into the hard ground.

When Ten-Ten didn't move, Hayate made his way over to check on her. Once he found her unconscious he said "(Cough, cough) Since one competitor is pinned to the ground and unable to move, and the other one is unconscious. (Cough, cough) Neither one is able to continue, so this match is ruled a draw and neither combatant will advance to the final exam."

When Akira heard this announcement she turned to face Tsunade and said "Tsunade-sama, I know this is asking a lot, but do you think you heal Tsunami's injuries."

Tsunade got a small smile on her face as she pointed at Tsunami and said "It doesn't look like I'll be needed."

Akira got a curious look on her face but when she looked down into the arena, she let a smile appear on her face. For both Naruto and Haku were at Tsunami's side removing the kunai and treating her wounds, with NiYal and Anika close by, while Shizune checked on Ten-Ten.

Once Naruto finished the treatment he said "That was an interesting jutsu you used back there. Did you come up with it yourself?"

Tsunami lowered her head slightly as she said "Hai I did come up with it myself but it hasn't been completed yet Naruto-sama."

"I'm impressed, not many genin could create their own jutsu's like that. Don't you think so Haku-Chan?" said Naruto as he got a smile on his face and looked over at Haku.

Haku got a smile on her face and nodded her head in agreement as she said "Indeed Naruto-kun, not many genin would be able to create their own jutsu's like that."

Tsunami blushed slightly from the complement as her teammates helped her to her feet. Once everyone was off of the arena floor Hayate motioned for the next two combatants to be chosen. The scoreboard once again came to life and did its job:

Haruno Sakura vs. Haku

Sakura's eyes widened in shock and she got a nervous look on her face before she looked over at Haku and thought 'I have to fight her! But she's the one that beat Sasuke-kun in Wave! How am I going to be able to beat her?!'

Haku however got a look of displeasure on her face as she shouted "No not Sakura! Give me Lee, Neji, I'll even take any of the Suna shinobi, just give me someone with more skill than her!"

Naruto put his arm around Haku so that his right hand was on her right shoulder and said "Come on Haku-Chan it's not that bad, just try and look at the bright side to this match."

"Oh? And what's the bright side Naruto-kun?" said Haku as she blushed slightly from the close contact.

"Well aside from the fact that you're guaranteed a spot in the finals. Think of this as an opportunity to teach Sakura, what it really means to be a shinobi." said Naruto as he gave Haku a one armed hug.

After she thought about it for a moment, a smile appeared on Haku's face as she said "You're right Naruto-kun I think I'll do that, but I plan on teaching her more than that. Who knows? Maybe I'll teach her some humility as well."

When Naruto saw the glint in Haku's eye he felt a shiver run down his spin as he started to get a little concerned and thought 'Oh-uh, I remember the last time she got that glint in her eye, and it wasn't pretty.'

"Ha, Ha, Ha! I remember that kit! And the look on your face as she senboned your ass with that Hyouton: Makyou Hyoushou (Ice Style: Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors) of hers was just priceless!" said Kyuubi as she continued to snicker at the memory.

'Give me a break Baa-Chan! How was I supposed to know that Haku-Chan was taking a bath, when I wanted to try out my new Suiton Jutsu! What I still don't get is that even after I apologized to her the moment I knew she was there, she still nailed me with that jutsu of hers.'

Kyuubi just let out a sigh before she said "Kit you saw her when she was trying to take a bath, of coarse she was going hit you with something, but what I want to know is… why didn't you dodge any of her strikes? I know you could have."

Naruto choked for a moment before he thought 'ARE YOU MAD BAA-CHAN!! I learned a long time ago that there are certain times when a woman is piss at you; YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING ELSE TO PISS THEM OFF EVEN MORE! If I had dodged her strike, who knows what she would have done then.'

While Kyuubi snickered at his outburst, Naruto noticed that Haku had a concerned look on her face just before she said "Are you all right Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah I'm fine; I was just reminded of an awkward moment that's all. But more importantly, make sure you have fun in your match all right?" said Naruto as he quickly tried to change the subject.

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, I'm sure to come up with a few ways to entertain myself." said Haku as she used Shunshin no jutsu to move to the arena floor.

Once both combatants entered the arena, Hayate said "(Cough, cough) The fourth match of the preliminaries… Sakura vs. Haku. BEGIN!!"

Haku got into her fighting stance as she said "Well, are you ready for your lesson to begin Sakura?"

"You don't scare me! I've gotten a lot stronger since we last fought in Wave." said Sakura as she put up a brave front so no one could see how worried she was.

Haku got a smile on her face as she said "We'll see Sakura… we'll see."

Next Chapter: Haku's Lesson! The True meaning of a Shinobi!

--

Author's note2: Well I hope you liked the fights in this chapter, and I'll give you a heads up for the fights I'm planning on for the next one: Haku vs. Sakura (Obviously), Temari vs. Ino (I've got an idea to make this interesting, I hope), and NiYal vs. Kiba.

Now as for the poll 'Kin's Fate' here are the results so far:

1. Kin lives and eventually joins Kumori. (86)

2. Kin lives and is let go. (10)

3. Kin dies. (8)

Wow option 1's lead has gotten even bigger but it's still not over, but if she does live and join Kumori she will play a roll when Oto becomes involved later in the story. Well I hope to see you all next time.