I don't own Naruto or One Piece. Those belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda.

Chapter 18: Preliminaries Part II

Haku VS Tsuch Kin

"I was not expecting this match," spoke Tayaka with wide eyes.

The genin was curious about what Kin was able to do. Some weren't able to see what she could so in the forest.

"Haku."

Haku looked to his left to see Naruto walking to him.

"Good luck, dude."

Naruto gave Haku a bump on the shoulder and left. Haku gave Naruto a nod and headed down the steps.

"Naruto, did you just call Haku a dude and hit her shoulder." ask a confused Tayaka.

"You do know that Haku is a boy, right?"

Tayaka and Shizuka paled at the response.

Everything made more sense.

They thought about how many guys they killed in front of him. The sacred body parts they removed from some of the men in Nami no Kuni.

'Poor Haku.' they both thought.

Kin smirked in front of Haku.

"Begin."

Before Kin could attack, Haku spoke.

"Please forfeit. I wish to cause no harm."

Kin chuckled and glared at the boy.

"You'll be finished before you can even hurt me."

Kin threw senbon needles at Haku, only for ice senbons to counter them, causing them to land uselessly on the floor.

Kin looked wide eyes at Haku.

Looking at the ground, Haku spotted senbons. The bells attached to them frozen.

"I warned you. Gomenasai."

Haku used her hand and launched senbons that pierced different parts of Kin's body.

Kin tried to dodge and counter, but it was futile. Haku had fired too many senbons. She was able to launch some senbons with bells attached to them. They landed on the wall behind Haku. Smirking, Kin tugged on her ninja wires but was shocked when no sounds came out.

"That won't work," spoke Haku in a calming tone. He knew what Kin was trying to do. When it came to senbons, Haku was an expert. When he saw the bells, his instincts kept flaring.

Haku threw more senbons causing Kin to have more needles to pierce her body. She gritted her teeth.

How was he able to throw so many senbons? How did he stop the bells?

Having no other choice, Kin pulled out a kunai and started to run to Haku.

'Maybe he's only a long-ranged fighter.'

Haku only shook his head. He decided to use his speed and meet Kin face to face.

Kin was taken aback by Haku's speed.

She was kicked in the gut by Haku. She couldn't believe the speed Haku processed.

In an instant, her world turned black.

"The winner is Haku."

'Haku showed his speed, but I'm glad he was discreet when using his kekkei genkai.' thought Zabuza.

'So, Haku does have a kekkei genkai. That makes things harder.' thought Tayaka.

"I didn't expect that. That was entertaining." said Naruto in a calm voice.

Yugao raised an eyebrow. She had a suspicion her genin team are hiding secrets from her again.

"Kakashi were you able to see anything?" asked Asuma.

Kakashi kept his eye on Haku. He wished he had his Saringan on for that fight.

"No."

The screen on the board started shuffling again as Haku came back to his heam. Shikamaru eyed the boy suspiciously while Neji narrowed his eyes.

The board stopped and showed who will fight in the next match.

Akimichi Chōji VS Namikaze Uzumaki Mito

"Troublesome, you have to fight her of all people," said Shikamaru while patting Chōji.

Chōji was already upset about not being able to eat, but now he was intimidated by his opponent. Chōji always lost to Mito when they were growing up. Now, he was going to lose to her again.

"Maybe I should forfeit," said a sad Chōji.

Asuma took this as a sign to persuade Chōji to fight.

"That's too bad, Chōji. I was going to invite you to an all you can eat restaurant once everyone fought, but I guess only Ino and Shikamaru are going to eat the food."

When Asuma finished talking, Chōji felt fired up and ready to fight Mito to the ground.

"ALL YOU CAN EAT!"

Mito saw the fire in Chōji eyes as he jumped off the railing and landed on the arena.

'His motivation was food?'

She couldn't believe her eyes, but she decided to keep her opinion to herself and prepared for Chōji's attack.

She was right when Chōji started to use a bizarre jutsu that made him expand into a giant rolling ball.

"Baika no Jutsu! (Expansion Jutsu)."

Chōji tried to run Mito over, but Mito easily dodged him. Deciding she had enough, Mito prepared to use the technique Tunsde taught her.

Turning her hand into a fist, She cocked back her arm and used her ungodly strength to punch Chōji into the wall. However, she was surprised that her arm sunk into his body.

She knew that Chōji must have felt some pain. She didn't want to hurt her friend by increasing the power, so she deiced to used her chains.

Without a word, Mito's chains erupted from her stomach and into the ground. They quickly wrapped around Chōji, halting his movements.

It took a while, but Chōji simmered down until his jutsu was no more. The chains were still around him until he passed out from exhaustion.

"Winner, Uzumaki Mito."

Naruto decided that now was the perfect opportunity to talk to the sensei of the Kumo team.

He walked towards the other side of the stairs where team Kumo had been the entire time.

Naruto looked straight into the eyes of the Kumo sensei.

"Parden me, but my name is Naruto, he said while looked into the man's eyes, "If you don't mind, I would like to know your name too."

At this point, Shoma looked at the Kumo sensei with narrowed eyes and a scowl. He then looked at his opponent as she walked down to the arena.

The sensei looked at Naruto with a smile.

"I'm da rappin' Killer Bee!" he rapped.

Naruto nodded and stared into his eyes, "It was a pleasure, Killer Bee."

Naruto walked back to his spot where his team was and hopped on the railing. He can feel people staring at him, but he was too busy wondering about Killer Bee and his nine swords.

Terasaki Shoma VS Samui

"Now the fun is beginning," said Naruto in a monotoned voice.

Shizuka nodded and focused on the battle ground. Tayaka started to come closer to the railing. When the senseis saw this, the atmosphere changed.

"Shoma."

The boy turned to Naruto with determination.

"Good luck."

Nodding, Shoma started making his way to the stairs.

Shoma looked at Samui and wonder how skilled she was with the blade behind her back.

"Begin."

Nobody made a move.

"You have to hand it to him," said Shizuka, "He's getting better."

Genma chuckled at her.

"After the friendly match we had with your team, Ryu and Ami had taken their careers more seriously. Shoma is determined to face you, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and watched the match with his utmost concentration. He had a sinking feeling.

Shoma decided to start by charging at Samui.

Samui was surprised at his speed.

Shoma smirked and punched Samui in the face. The girl had the air taken out of him. Sliding backward, Samui tried to grab her sword.

Shoma was grinning at Samui. He wasn't going to let Samui use her sword. Naruto had asked Samui's sensei for his name, which meant that the man caught his interest.

Samui had that man as his sensei.

Therefore, anyone who caught Naruto's attention was a possible threat.

Samui was getting irritated.

Shoma didn't give her a chance to grab her sword.

She had no choice but to engage in a taijutsu match until she figures out a way to defeat him.

"Shoma is cautious of Samui. That's something I wasn't expecting." said Naruto.

"Why weren't you expecting it?" asked Genma.

"I'm assuming, since Samui is a cloud ninja, Shoma decided it was best to be cautious. Shoma is someone who has a plan created in his head for any situation. Even if he knows nothing about his opponent, Shoma has a strategical mind. His plan for Samui is to engage in taijutsu so he can prevent her from using his sword." said Naruto, "It's like when Ami tried to prevent Shikamaru from using his clan's signature jutsu."

"Why doesn't Shoma want Samui to use her sword?" asked Sai

"It's because of his sensei carrying seven swords." said Shizuka.

Naruto nodded in agreement. He knew Shizuka would know why Shoma was preventing it.

"Team 6 occasionally fights us in the training ground when Yu-sensei and Genma sensei want to analyze us. It helps them decide what a team member needs more practice on and helps them find any errors that need to be corrected." said Tayaka.

"Ever since our first match, Shoma was determined to beat me for humiliating him in front of Ami and Ryu." said Naruto with a sigh.

"When Naruto asked for the name of Samui's sensei, Shoma knew he needs to be careful of her kenjutsu." concluded Shizuka.

"The problem is that Shoma is going to have a harder time defeating Samui. They seem to be equal in taijutsu, but Samui has already discovered a way to end the match. Look." said Naruto while pointing to the battle.

"Is that?"

Shoma had the advantage of taijutsu against Samui.

Since Shoma was faster with hits, Samui has to be on the defense.

Suddenly, Shoma started to sweat. Samui was slowly becoming up to par with him. Every time he tried to strike Samui, he felt his movements becoming more restrained.

It wasn't until he tried to kick her that he noticed the ninja cords.

Out of instinct, Shoma jumped away from Samui. He noticed that his arms and legs had wire wrapped around him.

Before he could take them off, Samui used a lightning jutsu to electrocute Shoma.

"Agh!"

Shoma ended up on the ground, looking like burnt toast.

"The winner is Samui."

"Who do you think will be the next match?" asked Tayaka.

"It'll be a shock if it were Lee and Naruto." said Shizuka.

The screen was already selecting the next competitors.

Dosu VS Hyuga Neji

"So, he's my opponent after all," Neji said while glaring at Dosu.

Dosu narrowed his eyes at Neji.

You can practically feel the sparks flying from their eyes.

Hinata walked towards her cousin.

"Nii-san, be careful."

"Don't worry, Hinata-sama, I will finish this fight quickly."

Dosu waited patiently for his next victim to arrive.

'That guy.'

He remembered clearly about their confrontation.

He knew he should be cautious around the genin after what happened with Sasuke.

Their mission was so simple, but they didn't expect other teams that wanted to help Sasuke. He also wondered why the boy has a curse mark on his next. His thought became dark once he saw Orochimaru disappear.

They had one mission in the exams and failed.

Orochimaru trusted them with the task, but he ended up beaten by his target. He will show Orochimaru that he is capable of completing the mission and will make sure the snake knows his value.

'He wants Sasuke; I'll give him the brat. That will remind him of who I am!'

Neji walked towards his opponent and narrowed his eyes at Dosu.

'My byakugan was able to find storage of charka coming from the gauntlet.'

"Begin."

As soon as the words said, Neji got into his clan's taijutsu stance. He activated his byakugan and looked a Dosu with a frown.

Dosu prepared for Neji's attack and smirked at him. He won't be able to touch him as long as he had his gauntlet ready. Neji can't black his ears from his sound. He already won this battle for all he knows.

Neji rushed Dosu while he prepared to used the gauntlet.

Dosu flicked his gauntlet to produce sound waves to hurt Neji's ear. Neji recoiled and fell to the ground.

Dosu looked at Neji with distaste.

However, Dsou's eyes widened when a large chunk of rock replaced him.

"You are now in my range!"

Dosu quickly turned around to see that Neji was right behind him.

Dosu flicked his gauntlet to produce sound waves to hurt Neji's ear. Neji recoiled and fell to the ground.

Dosu looked at Neji with distaste.

However, Dsou's eyes widened when a large chunk of rock replaced him.

"You are now in my range!"

Dosu quickly turned around to see that Neji was right behind him.

"Jukenho: Hakke Rokujuyon Sho. (Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)."

Neji appeared in front of Dosu and started striking his tenketsu points.

"2 palms."

"4 Palms."

"8 Palms."

"16 Palms."

"32 Palms."

"64 Palms!"

When Neji's attack ended, Dosu was on the floor, barely breathing.

Neji rose from his stance and looked at Dosu.

"I believe I won, proctor."

Hayate walked towards Dosu and saw him passed out.

"Winner, Hyuga Neji."

Naruto watched as Dosu was carried to the infirmary by the Konoha medical nin.

"Hmph! I thought the fight would last longer." He also thought that Dosu would win since many of the Hyuga families were considered close-range fighters. Neji used substitution with the rubble from Mito's match to his advantage. By replacing himself with it, he was able to catch Dosu off guard and attack from behind. Once Dosu turned around to face Neji, the Hyuga was declared the winner of the match.

Shizuka even had doubts that Neji would win the fight, but the branch member was more skilled than they both thought.

Shizuka looked over at Tayaka and saw that she had deactivated her eyes.

She was looking out for her the entire time the match was happening. Luckily for her, everyone was so engrossed by the Neji and Dosu that nobody paid attention to them.

She wanted to scold Tayaka for activating her eyes, but she knew that Tayaka wanted to see what a Hyuga was capable of accomplishing.

Namikaze Uzumaki Nawaki VS Tenten

"Finally, It's my turn to fight!" yelled Nawaki as he jumped off the railing, much to his sensei's protest.

He landed on the ground with a toothy grin as he waved at Hinata. Hinata blushed and returned the gesture with shyness.

Tenten walked down the steps and guarded herself. She knew her luck in beating the blue-eyed blonde was low, but she will make sure to advance to the finals.

"Begin."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Jutsu!)."

Four clones appeared in front of Tenten.

She was startled that these clones were different from the regular clones they taught in the academy.

The clones tried to ambush Tenten, but she was able to rid them with her kunais.

Nawaki growled that his clone couldn't touch her. He made twelve more and started to form his new plan.

They tried to attack Tenten, but like before, Tenten got rid of them. She shot her kunai to clone that was two feet away from her, striking him in the heart.

Once all the clones where gone, Tenten was left alone in the arena.

Confused, Tenten looked around for Nawaki.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu. (Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu)."

Instantly, Tenten was dragged underground with her head remaining above the ground. Nawaki appeared back above the surface and kicked Tenten in the forehead, causing her to become unconscious.

"Okay, that was the second-fastest battle in this entire match. Neji's is first," said Mito

Mina thgouht for a momnent.

Almost all the battles were fast, but not all of them. That's her opinion, at least.

Gai looked at Nawaki with a frown on his face. That kick was too brutal for Tenten. He didn't have to put so much power into it.

Aburame Shino VS Kankuro

Kankuro stretched his body and started walking towards the steps.

"It's about time. I was starting to get frustrated watching these battles," said Kankuro while walking down the steps.

Shino started to walk to the arena floor in silence.

"Finally, I get to see what is the power of the Aburame clan," said Shizuka while looking at Shino. She wasn't going to miss this chance.

"Begin."

Kankuro smirked at Shino as he took off the odd bandaged thing from his back. He put it on the ground and started to rush Shino.

Kankuro started to engage Shino in taijutsu by throwing a punch. However, Shino easily blocked it by just raising his arm. Afterward, Shino grabbed the arm and gave Kankuro a high kick to the chin.

He looked up at Kankuro and instantly backed away from him.

Kakuro stood and smirked at Shino.

"What's the matter, afraid to fight me?"

Shino used a finger and raised his glasses. He looked Kankuro in the eyes and started to talk.

"It's strange," he said, "I find that you are an impressive opponent. Especially with how you use your charka in battle."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Kankuro while folding his arms.

"What I meant is that you aren't even human, just a toy," said Shino.

Kankuro narrowed his eyes at Shino.

'Did he find out?'

"Let's continue, shall we."

Shino instantly rushed Kankuro. Kankuro smirked at his opponent and prepared to end the fight. Unfortunately, Kankuro was unable to move.

'Nani!'

Before knew it, Shino kicked Kankuro square in the face.

"Something isn't right," said Naruto as he narrowed his eyes at Kankuro. He could have sworn he saw something fall from his face.

"He's from Sunagakure, Shizuka. Do you know anything else from there that can help?" asked Tayaka.

Shizuka looked from Naruto to Tayaka.

"I read some stuff about the five great nations, but I don't know anything about this," said Shizuka threw gritted teeth. Shizuka was someone who rarely became agitated, but when it came to not knowing something, it bugged her like an itch you can't reach.

She's read many things from the village. Some even forbidden, but she had no idea what Kankuro or Shino are doing. Shino because he's from one of the most reclusive clans in the village beside the Hyuga and Kakuro because she knew nothing about the bandaged thing on the floor.

Kankuro's head was hanging down along while pieces were coming off of his face. He cursed as he was still unable to move.

Shino ran around Kankuro and sped to the bandaged tool on the ground. Before Kankuro knew it, Shino kicked him on the ribs.

Everyone genin, except Naruto, gasped while they heard a noise coming out of the bandaged tool.

Shino rid of the bandages to reveal another Kankuro.

Kankuro stood and leaped away from Shino. He was using on hand to hold his ribs while scowling at Shino.

"How! How did you know my trick?" demanded a frustrated Kankuro. Kankuro kneeled on the ground as he started to feel weak. It felt like his chakra was disappearing.

"I'm apart of the Aburame clan of this village. We never underestimate any opponent," said Shino cooly, "Why don't you look at your hands. I'm sure that will clear everything."

Kankuro glanced down to see bugs on his hands. He quickly glanced at his puppet. He was barely able to see it before, but now he can see that it's covered with bugs in all its joints.

"When were you able to tell it wasn't human? How am I covered in bugs?"

"When you tried to attack me with the puppet, I blocked the punch and placed my bugs into it. When I realized it wasn't human, I grabbed the arm and discreetly implanted more bugs into the puppet,"elaborated Shino, "Once I knew it wasn't you at all, I had my bugs find you by eating away the chakra they found. The chakra strings you used were eaten by my special bugs that consume chakra. Once the bugs ate the chakra strings, they attached themselves to you and started eating your chakra, weakening you."

Kankuro ended was starting to pass out. He glanced at Shino one last time. Before he passed out, Shino decided to say one final thing.

"You were so busy focusing on me and thinking why your puppet couldn't work that you never notice my plan. I even made sure that when I kick you, I implanted more bugs one you."

"Damn you, brat!"

Kankuro passed out on the floor. Shino's bugs started to retreat into his body. The ones that were in the puppet came to Shino, causing the puppet to fall on the ground.

"Winner, Aburame Shino."

"Guys," called Tayaka.

Naruto and Shizuka turned to Tayaka as she walked closer to them.

"I used my eyes. I saw that Shino's body is full of bugs. It's almost like a nest of some kind," Tayaka said while shivering. She wasn't afraid of bugs, but to know that he had them living in his body was freaky.

"So that the power the clan possesses. The Aburame clansmen have the ability to used bugs in different ways. It seems like a useful ability for many reasons," said Shizuka in wonder, " That guy, Kankuro, is specialized in master puppetry jutsus that Suna must only possess. Interesting."

Naruto didn't care so much about Kankuro. He lost, which means that he won't be a problem in the exams anymore.

He watched as the screen started to move again, selecting the next people to participate in the next match.