Shinobi Shinigami: Ack, you were right. Negative repels negative. I don't know what the heck I was thinking. Thanks for pointing that out for me.

The Cloud Shinobi! Conclusion of the Preliminaries!

"It is a pleasure to be able to face off against such an esteemed person such as yourself," complimented Lee, as he squared away into his standard Taijutsu stance, holding one hand up in a baiting way.

Saizo nodded briefly, "I see that you wear an outfit similar to the one they call Might Guy! You are trained by him, no?"

Lee's enthusiasm burst through the roof, "YOSH! GUY SENSEI is my great master and he is the greatest teacher in all of Konoha!"

Saizo smiled, "Yes, I imagine he is quite powerful to earn the reputation he has. Well, now, proctor…shall we begin?"

Hayate glanced at both men. "Are both fighters ready? Ahem…" After a nod from both Saizo and Lee, Hayate nodded, coughed, and "Alright…you may begin!"

Lee took the initial attack for himself, lunging forward. Slightly jumping up in mid-air, he threw out a quick round house kick, aimed for the head. A lazy flick of Saizo wrist knocked the kick away. Opening his free hand, Saizo gathered chakra, and flicked it open, releasing a shocking spark that hit Lee in the stomach.

Unfazed, Lee spun around, dropping to the ground, for a low sweep. The attack failed as a bolt of lightning, summoned with a swipe of Saizo's arm, struck Lee's ankle, causing the Taijutsu Specialist to miss poorly.

With a groan, Lee ignored the pain, and sprung to his feet. He threw out a punch, but this was easily blocked, and countered with a powerful round house kick by Saizo. In turn, Lee raised his own leg and twisted it to meet Saizo's leg, before using the leg to throwing out a front heel kick. Pushing off Lee, Saizo gained some distance to avoid any damage, before blocking an overhand smash.

"Lightning Style," said Saizo, grabbing Lee's hand, "Circuit rush!" From Saizo's body, lightning transferred to Lee's via his hand. Lee let out an anguished cry, but quickly broke free from the grab by twisting his arm out.

Leaping back, he countered with, "Dynamic Entry!" Jumping up, he shot forward like a rocket, breaking through Saizo's guard and knocking him to the ground. Back rolling up, Saizo spit out, before he chuckled.

"Come on now," taunted Saizo, "don't tell me this is all you've got. I expected you to be able to hit a little harder, eh? Huh? Oh shit!"

While he had been busy talking, Saizo had missed the fact that Lee was not as injured as he was letting on. With a quick move, he got behind Saizo, "Bursting Machine Gun Punch!"

Saizo was quick on the uptake, whirling around, and moving seemingly as fast as the punches coming at him. "Impressive," said Naruto, "he avoided each hit." Down below, Saizo was beginning his own set of strikes, dashing in and using his own style of Taijutsu to attack. His first attacks came with all kicks. Lee, being a Taijutsu master countered with his own brand of attacks, and for the moment, the two Shinobis were engaged in a fierce struggle to land a hit.

A moment later, Saizo spun and threw out a side kick. With his right arm, Lee blocked this. Saizo followed this with, "Ninja Art: Flash!" A surge of chakra erupted and gathered into Saizo's arm, before a bright light was suddenly let off, blinding everybody in the stadium. Next, the audience heard, "Lightning Style: Rising Flash!"

The next, they heard an anguished scream and a body hit the ground. When the initial flash died down, the results of the attack were seen. Naruto grinned, "Nice Lee!"

"YEAH LEE," shouted Naruto, "show that Cloud boy the youth of Konoha's Flames!"

Down below, Lee was panting, slightly injured from the electric shock. Naruto's shout seemed to have invigorated him, however, as he got off his knees and pumped both arms excitedly. Saizo's aim had been to direct his attention to his rising hands, and he had not seen the thunderbolts coming out from the ground. Instead, he had used Leaf Hurricane, went right into Saizo's attack, and kicked him upwards. Weakened by the electric attack, Lee's upward kick had neither power nor arc, and simply resulted in Saizo flying backwards and hitting the ground.

The Black Lightning Master wiped some blood from his mouth before standing. He grinned arrogantly, "You're pretty good to be able to hit me with that flash on. I can tell you're holding much of you're energy back. I shouldn't talk I guess since I have been as well."

Lee grinned, "You're a worthy opponent Saizo of Cloud. But Konoha's Young Green Beast Rock Lee shall crush you."

"What's this? Konoha's fierce beast of battle?" asked Saizo. "Let's see how Saizo of Cloud Village does against such an opponent. Hmph, we've landed our first hits. How about we take this up a notch? Don't disappoint me now. Argh...HAH!"

A huge amount of chakra burst forth from Saizo's body, covering him an electric aura. Below him, broken pieces of the floor began to disintegrate from the sheer force of the chakra. "So, think you can match this?"

Lee smiled and glanced up at his Sensei. The latter gave him thumbs up. "Go ahead Lee…take them off."

Saizo blinked, "What's this?"

Lee jumped up to land on the tip of the jutsu sign from the model of a ninja, and then rolled his leg pants up. On them, were a set of weights. "Hn, a few pounds off isn't going to help you," said Saizo, "I thought you were going to entertain me."

"These aren't just a few pounds, my youthful friend," cried Lee, "behold." And ripping them off, he let them fall to the ground.

"Pointless," said Saizo. But his opinion quickly changed when the weights entirely broke through the floor, sending up a huge cloud of dust and rock. Saizo's eyes shot open. "No way…how could he move with that much…" He couldn't finish his thought as Lee, with a speed exceeding triple what he had shown before, appeared in front of him.

'POW!' "Ugh," cried Saizo, as his attempt to guard was too late. He flew back several feet, before managing to roll to a stand. This time, he had no smile on his face.

"Well well," grunted Saizo, "it seems I've underestimated you. Not bad for a little boy. I didn't think you could hit me that hard. Seems I was mistaken…"

Saizo charged forward again. As he moved, his hands formed complex hand signs. A cloud quickly emerged behind, before splitting into three others. From those clouds, two other Saizo's emerged. Lee leapt back, attempting to analyze this new move. To his surprise, the clouds split a second time and third time, creating seven distinct Saizo imitations.

"Are they clones," asked Lee. The seven Saizo's jumped up, before they all formed electricity in a ball in their hands. "Secret Cloud Technique! Symphony of Lightning!"

With a shout, the seven Saizo's let loose a storm of thunderbolts down upon Lee, who used his high speeds to dodge them. Then, stopping, Lee formed his hands into an X, before he leapt straight for the closest Saizo clone in midair. He did not get very far; as he was struck down by the bolts before he could get within a yard.

As the lightning attack faded, the seven Saizo's landed around the fallen Lee, in a circle formation. Gathering their energies, they linked arms, creating a circuit for their electricity to run through. As they built up energy, the lightning began to change towards a black color.

"Oh no," said Sasuke, "If Lee gets hit with that, he done for."

Naruto's eyes shot open, "LEE, get your ass up! Don't let this bum get to you!"

The shout out seemed to do the trick, as Lee's eyes shot open and he leapt up just as the Saizo's directed the current towards him. The blast left a wide six foot hole in the ground, and, should Lee have been there, he would certainly been there now.

As the Saizo's disabled their attack, Lee countered with his own, targeting a random Saizo. "Leaf Strong Whirlwind!" Lee leapt up, as the Saizo lifted his arms to initiate a lightning jutsu. He was too late as Lee's speed brought him in close for the devastating spinning kick to the face. Saizo was knocked back, and the other clones disappeared.

The blow was a glancing one however, as Saizo shot back up to his feet. "How did you know I was the real copy?"

Lee grinned, as he vanished, "Initial Gate: OPEN!"

Saizo's eyebrow raised Lee suddenly seemed refreshed. To his surprise, the Genin vanished without a trace.

"I guessed," said Lee, from below him. "Konoha Hurricane!" Saizo felt his jaw nearly shatter at the force behind the kick, and his feet was lifted off the ground. Unable to move, he glanced behind him to see Lee in his shadow, "What? Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!?"

"Yes, followed by," shouted Lee, letting his bandages wrap tightly around Saizo, "Primary Lotus!"

Spinning rapidly, Lee turned himself and Saizo upside down, before he plummeted towards the ground like a rocket. A crash sent more debris into the air, and even forced Hayate to leap out of the way. The ground shook for a moment and when the dust cleared, the audience was shocked to see both Saizo and Lee tied together, with bolts of lightning striking them from all sides.

"Ugh," said Sasuke, "poor Lee. Saizo saw that he was about to hit the ground, and he sent off a wave of electricity to stun Lee, stopping the spin and making the impact on the ground less damaging. It seems he's getting a small taste of his own medicine though."

"Yeah, but the damage to Lee is done. Crap, that Saizo is good…he was able to pull off that jutsu in midair. He's going to be a tough challenge in the final rounds."

"You don't think Lee can win?"

Naruto opened his mouth and then closed it. "I'm sorry;" he apologized, "that was wrong of me to lose hope like that." To make it up, he shouted, "HEY LEE! Come on now…you can do it."

Down below, Lee cursed as he barfed on the ground. He was clutching his chest in pain, and his body convulsed randomly. Nearby, Saizo was also panting hard, though he seemed the better of the two. "What a devastating attack! You meant to slam my head against the ground. If it hadn't been for my lightning jutsu, I'd probably have lost. What a dangerous opponent you are."

Lee lifted his head and coughed up some blood, before he allowed himself to stand. "I will beat you," said Lee, "you…you can't beat me."

With renewed energy, Lee vanished from midair, and appeared in front of Saizo, before loosing a barrage of punches and kicks. As he did so, Saizo formed a hand sign, "Lightning Style: Magnetic Repulsion!"

It didn't appear to do anything for a moment, and Saizo moved his body to dodge Lee's attempt to land more hits."

"Saizo's fast," said Kakashi, watching, "He's somehow managing to dodge all of Lee's punches. He must be feeling that last lightning attack still."

"It's not just that," said Sasuke, his eyes widening. "It's amazing he was able to do that under those circumstances."

"Do what," inquired Naruto?

"That jutsu he just pulled off," explained Sasuke, "he's given Lee's body a negative charge, and his own body a negative. It's not that Lee is too slow; it's the fact that Lee's body is being repulsed by Saizo's. There's no way that he can land a hit."

"It should work the other way around too, right," asked Sakura.

"Yes," said Sasuke, "and normally that's fine. But Lee is a Taijutsu specialist who can only use close hand to hand combat. Meanwhile, Saizo has a whole arsenal of long range techniques he can use. And even worse, if he uses positively charged attacks, they'll be attracted right into Lee."

As he said, this, Saizo found a free moment to initiate another technique. Clutching his arm, Saizo formed electricity along the edge of his arm, so that it was surrounded by it. Team Seven had no doubt that it was negatively charged. Their suspicions were confirmed when Saizo thrust his arm forward, sending a blast of electricity at Lee.

The Taijutsu Specialist dodged, leaping out of the way, only to have the attack swerve in midair.

"Oh no," said Naruto, as Lee was struck. His body shook violently from the currents, before Saizo jumped in, and with an electrically back punched, socked Lee in the face. Apart from the punch, the electricity from his fist discharged, adding further to Lee's pain. By the time Lee hit the ground, he was coughing up blood, and his shirt was practically smoking.

Saizo dropped nearby, and gently smiled, "Ah…well that was fun. Not a bad fight little boy…maybe someday you'll become a Shinobi worth my time."

He turned away and began walking, only to have a grumble stop him. Saizo's face hardened, 'There's no way,' he thought. Glancing back, he saw Lee already on his knees.

"N-not yet… I won't give up," groaned Lee. A fierce look in his eye almost startled Saizo, but the Cloud Shinobi was well aware he had an advantage.

"Just surrender, will you? You're in no condition to fight anymore. If you insist on continuing, I won't be held responsible for what happens to you, eh?"

As Lee struggled to his feet, lightning appeared in Saizo's palm. "Feel free to call the match proctor," he said, walking forward, "just do it before reach him."

Meanwhile, Lee crossed his arms in a familiar pattern. "Oh no," said Sakura, "he's going to do it. He's going for it all."

Guy seemed to also realize what was going on, as he glued his eyes to the scene below, "watch my youthful friends. Lee is about to show his true strength." Even Kakashi was watching without distraction now.

"Guy…don't tell me…he's going to use the Reverse Lotus…" He did not receive an answer.

"Second Gate! Heal Gate: OPEN!" And to Saizo's astonishment, Lee's wounds began to mend themselves on their own.

'These gates,' thought the Cloud Genin, 'I've heard of them before. I didn't think a boy as young as this could do it. There's no way he can open any more…I've got to make my move.'

But, as much as he wanted to move, Saizo found himself interested as Lee shouted, "Third Gate: Life Gate: OPEN! I … WILL NOT BE THE ONLY ONE THAT LOSES." A green aura surrounded Lee, although Saizo took no notice. He was much more concerned of the fact that Lee's speed had almost doubled again from the initial increase, leaving him faster than ever. He was now flying through the air, a painful feeling in his chest.

He heard Lee's next words, "While I'm at it, Fourth Gate! Harm Gate: OPEN!"

"He's going to make his move," said Kakashi.

Before Saizo's body quite hit the ground, he felt it shoot up from another Konoha Hurricane. This time, however, he did not feel the familiar presence of Lee's Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. Instead, he felt a series of powerful blows hit him from all sides, knocking him in every direction.

"He's fast," said Kakashi, impressed, watching Saizo fly one way, only to get hit in another direction moments later. "It's gotta be hell for Saizo right now!"

"Impressive," said Itachi, "that boy had broken the sound barrier. Saizo must be hurting right now!"

"His muscles are beginning to tear," added Neji, who had his Byakugan on, "he's got to finish this now."

"There he goes," said Naruto.

For a brief moment, Lee and Saizo were both visible and they seemed to be frozen in time. Saizo had a pain-stricken look on his face, while Lee, covered in chakra and with a furious look on his face, was preparing for the kill. Every person in the room was watching now, including all of the stunned Jounins, who had never seen such an intense Genin fight.

The next moment, Lee shouted, "Fifth Gate! Limit Gate: OPEN! AND HERE'S THE FINISH! REVERSE LOTUS!"

"This is it," said Guy, "the Reverse Lotus…a series of rapid Taijutsu techniques done so quickly that the opponent has no chance to defend himself."

With a roar, Lee dove down towards Saizo's body. There was a loud crashing sound, as his fist made contact with Saizo's body, sending the latter shooting down to the ground.

As he landed, Lee paused for a moment, and his knees gave way. He glanced over to the crater Saizo's body had made on the ground and found the Cloud shinobi, crawling out of it.

"No way," said Lee, "he's still moving. Fine," said Lee, willing himself to stand, "Sixth Gate! View Gate: OPEN!"

"Another one," exclaimed Kakashi?!

Dashing forward with an unexpected surge of energy, Lee caught a stunned Saizo by surprise, kicking him into the air. Jumping up, Lee pulled his arm back, before, "Morning PEACKOCK!" Similar to the machine gun punch, Lee's arms were invisible to the normal eye. The chakra he discharged with each hit spread out and formed the distinct shape of a peacock's tail.

As for Saizo, the poor Cloud Shinobi was unable to defend himself as he was punched like a bag. As Lee's attacked stopped, Saizo crashed to the ground, coughing up blood. Meanwhile, Lee once again fell to his knees, clutching at his body, which was feeling the backlash of his techniques. Glancing over at Saizo gave him another worry.

Blood was flowing from multiple wounds on Saizo's body, but he was smiling. And that one smile confirmed Lee's worst fears. His opponent was not yet unable to continue. Granted, Saizo's arms and body were shaking as he struggled to stay up, but he finally managed to form a hand sign and mutter, "Black Lightning Technique! Shockwave Explosion!"

A small black ball of electricity fell from Saizo's hand and began rolling towards Lee, who was still on his knees, exhausted.

"LEE," shouted Naruto, "get away from that thing now! Hurry…that's his secret jutsu…get away!"

Down below, Lee was making an effort, but for each inch he crawled, the black ball advanced five or six inches. It was clear he was going to be struck. With an effort, Lee turned onto his stomach and punched the ground with his remaining strength. The ground cracked a bit, and, a small indent in it sent the ball rolling off course from Lee.

As Lee smiled and grinned, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Guy, and Kakashi panicked. In unison, they closed their eyes. While Lee had busied himself punching the ground, Saizo has used his remaining chakra to create a clone in place of himself. His real body had tunneled through the ground past Lee to get behind him. The rolling ball, contrary to what Naruto thought, was simply a rolling ball, and nothing else.

As Saizo emerged from his hole behind an unaware Lee, he held another black ball in his hands. Almost drunkenly, he stumbled forward. His brief cough got Lee's attention, but by then it was too late. His body was already falling, with the black ball outstretched. The black ball entered Lee's leg, and for a moment, the audience watched in suspense.

Then a cry of anguish escaped from Lee's lips as he began to shake. A cackling sound inside his body made all but the sturdiest Jounins turn away. Sakura and Naruto were on the move even before the first spasm hit Lee. While Sakura used all of her strength to repair and protect the organs, Naruto made for the med team.

Guy landed, with a stunned expression on his face, tears threatening to fall out. He glanced at his student's shaken body, and noticed that even now, he could see black electricity flowing all over. Kakashi and Sasuke followed him. Sasuke, with white light appearing on his hands touched Lee's arm and began muttering words. As he did so, the shaking became less violent, though Lee's remained pale and he continued to scream in agony.

Nearby, Saizo, helped by Shinjo and Kinjo, was lifted up to the upper gallery. Kyo, on top, scowled, "You waited too long to use your technique, you idiot. And even then, you failed to kill him. That lightning user, Uchiha, is nullifying your attack. That boy's strength will be weakened, but he will still live."

"Well, now we know how strong he is," said Saizo, who was now tending to his own injuries, "I'd like to see you do better."

"Don't worry…I will," replied Kyo darkly.

Down below, a full team of medics had arrived, and, along with Sakura, they carried Lee's unconscious body. Naruto watched them go, before turning up towards Saizo. The Black Lightning User nodded at them, impressed by their ability to nullify the damage of his jutsu. Naruto glared at him, but then turned to Kyo, who was sneering.

Meanwhile, Hayate, who had had his mouth wide agape, had regained his composure. "Um," he mumbled coughing, "the winner is…Saizo."

Back on top of the gallery, Naruto sighed, "I think he'll be okay. Damn, to think Saizo was able to live through all that pounding. He was injured, and he'll be out of it for a long time, but just the fact that he was still able to initiate his jutsu."

"Relax," said Sasuke, "Saizo will get what's coming to him. In the meantime, we only have a few matches left. After that, we'll go decide what to do."

"Right," said Naruto. He glanced to his left, where Shikamaru was scowling. Naruto glanced at the screen displaying the next two fighters.

Shikamaru vs. Shinjo

Without a word, Shikamaru dropped down to the arena. It was apparent to his everyone from Konoha that he had vengeance on his mind.

"Don't overdo it," mumbled Naruto to himself, as he saw Shikamaru face off against Shinjo.

"Begin the match," said Hayate.

Shinjo made the first move, leaping high into the air. "I don't know what your specialty technique, but I won't let you use it. Lightning Style: High Voltage Meteor Crash!"

Surrounding himself with electricity, he twisted and shot down towards Shikamaru. The genius tactician, gently side stepped, and Shinjo crashed beside him. With a lazy flick of his ankle, Shikamaru kicked Shinjo's stunned body, sending it flying into a nearby wall.

Groaning, Shinjo stood.

"Sheesh," said Shikamaru, "good technique, but easily avoided. That kind of move is more for when you trap your opponent or render them immobile."

"Ah shut up, you little Konoha bug," growled Shinjo. He made to move forward, but found he was stuck in place. "W-what the…? What did you do to me?"

"Oh…I thought you wanted me to shut up," retorted Shikamaru, cheekily. "Ah, I'll let you see." And, he tilted his head down.

As if by magic, Shinjo's head imitated this movement. And to his horror, his shadow was being connected to Shikamaru's. "I see…shadow possession…"

"Hm? You know of the shadow possession," asked Shikamaru, "not bad. Looks like you've done your reading. Too bad there's nothing you can do to stop it. Any action I make," said Shikamaru, posing in a very interesting manner, "forces you to move in the same way. So…"

And with this, Shikamaru pulled out a kunai. Lifting his arm, he made to throw it. Shinjo's eyes shot open.

"Y-you wouldn't," he said in fear.

"Wouldn't I," asked Shikamaru, who followed up with a very mysterious and creepy laugh.

Up above, Naruto slapped his head, "God that guys loves to toy with his opponents."

"He's using Shadow Possession," laughed Sasuke, "what do you expect? It's in their nature to confuse, trick, and use big words."

Down below, Shikamaru flicked his wrist, sending his kunai flying. At the same time, Shinjo released his own kunai. To his relief, Shikamaru began to bend backwards to avoid it.

Chuckling he began, "Hah! I knew you wouldn't…"

'CRASH!'

Shikamaru was fully extended backwards as the kunai flew above his arched body. On the other side, Shinjo had struck the wall with his own head; the kunai striking the wall an inch above his face.

Groaning, Shinjo slid to the ground, as Shikamaru released his jutsu. "Pretty pathetic," said Shikamaru, "worse than your brother did anyway. God, you must be embarrassed. And dashing forward, he punched Shinjo hard enough to break two ribs and send him flying across the room.

Shinjo did not get back up.

"Winner of the match….Shikamaru Nara," announced Hayate, once he touched Shinjo's arm.

"Tch," grunted Shikamaru as he began walking back towards the upper gallery. "Too easy," he bragged once within Naruto's earshot.

Naruto shook his head, "Hah! That's two for Konoha and one for Cloud. Really now…I thought Shinjo was going to be much more a problem, but I guess it just goes to show how a simple technique will really baffle someone."

"Simple," asked Shikamaru, "my friend Naruto; you mean effective and efficient. Whereas you use big techniques and take forever, I take about a third of your time without suffering any injury to myself."

Naruto stuck his tongue, "Yeah, whatever, Shikamaru. Anyway, the next match. Only two more! Sweet!"

Kyo vs. Chouji

"Oh wonderful," said Sasuke, "Now we get to see that Rock guy in action."

Next to him, Chouji let out a moan, "Me? Against that guy? I don't know if I can."

"Oh c'mon," said Asuma, "how about this? If you win, we'll go out for some barbeque afterwards."

"That's unfair," said Ino, smiling, "taking advantage of Chouji's love for food."

Asuma rolled his eyes, "Alright, Chouji. Here, how about this. If the fight gets too bad, I'll jump in and bail you out, alright."

Chouji frowned, "Okay," he said, reluctantly.

"You can do it, Chouji," said Shikamaru, "just do your best."

Chouji nodded, "All right!" And with that, he walked down the stairs, to the arena below, where Kyo waited.

"Are both contestants ready," asked Hayate?

"Let's go," said Kyo, with a bored tone.

"Y-yeah," said Chouji.

"Alright…begin!"

"C'mon FATSO," shouted Naruto, suddenly. The Konoha Shinobi tensed as Chouji's eyes shot open in anger, "NARUTO! I'm gonna knock this guy out and then I'm gonna get up and knock the crap out of you. OHHHH!"

Kyo looked at his opponent in a strange matter, "What a weirdo… you fatass."

Chouji looked over at Kyo with a fire burning in his eyes. "Oh, you did not just say that," shouted Chouji, "I'm gonna murder you! Akimichi Clan Technique! Art of Expansion!"

Enlarging to resemble a huge boulder, Chouji began to roll forward. "Human Juggernaut! I'm pleasantly plump, you jerk!"

Quickly, the rolling boulder that was Chouji approached Kyo, who had remained motionless. With an amused look, the Rock Shinobi closed the distance and shouted, "Crusher Arm!" With a swipe of his arm, he hit Chouji, creating a sound that could be compared to a gunshot.

The result was Chouji flying the opposite direction towards the wall.

Above, team ten was greatly surprised. "That Rock guy," said Asuma, "he just knocked Chouji's attack back with his arm."

"Interesting technique," observed Shikamaru, "he gathered chakra in his arm and then discharged upon contact with Chouji, giving off that bang sound. Looks like this fights over. Ah well, at least he didn't hurt too badly."

Down below, Hayate examined Chouji, who had returned to normal size and was looking quite cross eyed. "Winner…Kyo!"

Shaking his head, Kyo snapped his fingers and a large rock emerged from the ground, lifting him up to the upper gallery. "Well, Saizo…what about that?"

Saizo scowled at him, "You're lucky you got the easy one. Here, I had to deal with that Lee guy. Shit, I'm still feeling those last shots he got on me."

"What a pussy," exclaimed Kyo, "be a fucking man, Saizo. Good god, it can't hurt that bad."

Saizo's face turned to an ugly look, "I know I didn't just hear that from a guy like you," he said, "don't forget who the boss is around here." The killer intent he released did not seem to faze Kyo, but the Rock Shinobi did not continue his jibes.

Down below, Hayate turned to the last two contestants, Gaara and Haku. "Alright…this is the final match of the Third Exam Preliminaries. Gaara vs. Haku, be step up.

Disappearing in a swirl of sand, Gaara emerged on the ground. He glanced up expectantly, waiting for Haku. The Ice-user shrugged, "Sorry, I quit. I give up!"

Gaara blinked. He was definitely not expecting that. Next to him, Hayate looked over to the Third, and then back to Haku. "Are you sure? You will not be able to change your mind."

"I'm sure."

Hayate paused as if to register this new information. And then, he cleared his throat and, "Alright then! Gaara is the winner of the Final Match. Because of the earlier double knockout, a second battle between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara will not take place. The Prelims of the Chuunin Exams are now concluded!"

Lionheart: Yes yes yes, Haku fans out there, I'm sorry. Unfortunately, due to plotline, Gaara must advance to the next level. In any case, I was asked not to make Haku lose terribly; get owned, so I just had him surrender. It's still a loss, but at least it would be explained in the next chapter.

Until then, see ya.

Also, I'm thinking of writing a new time traveling story that will bring an adult Naruto and Sakura into the past. So, here's a small poll for you.

POLL: Should an adult Naruto be the Jounin Sensei of team seven, consisting of Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto?