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

Chapter 19: Preliminaries Part III

"There are only ten of us left." stated Naruto.

The screen finally stopped and revealed the next competitors.

Tsurugi Misumi VS Shizuka

"Yes, it's our turn again!"

Shizuka smiled at her flamboyant friend. Tayaka has always cheered for her teammates.

"Your just happy because you can be loud again," Naruto claimed with a sigh.

A tick mark appeared on Tayaka's head, but before she gets a hit on Naruto, Yugao blocked her path.

"That's enough, Tayaka." Yūgao said while turning to her other student," You should start heading down."

Shizuka nodded and was about to leave before Tayaka pulled her into a hug.

"You got this!"

Naruto started chuckling and nodded his head to Shizuka. He knew he didn't need to worry about her. Shizuka was the smartest out of all of them. He always liked the way she accomplishes things involving her interests and focus. He knew that she's be in the finals because of this.

"I would say good luck, but I know you don't need it." Naruto said with a smirk.

She hid her blush.

"You better not worry," she replied.

She thought she hid her blush, but Tayaka and Yūgao saw right through it.

Shizuka walked down the stairs and saw that her opponent was waiting for her impatiently.

"Begin."

When the words left Hayate's mouth, Shizuka instantly jumped on the statue. She needed to gain distance from him.

"I'm warning you right now that I'm not like Yoroi. I don't get careless with gakis like yourself. When I use my jutsu, you'll get hurt," said Misumi.

Shizuka smirked at the older teen.

"I should warn you that the arrogant people are the ones to die first. Especially the ones who believe I'm just a gaki."

She decided to test him out before making a real move on Misumi.

Taking out six kunai, she threw them at Misumi.

The teenager used his kunai to block the projectiles. He needed to get closer to her to win the battle.

Shizuka needed to be cautious around Misumi because of Yoroi.

During Sasuke's battle, Yoroi just needed to be in physical contact with Sasuke to drain his chakra. She needs to find out if Misumi is like his teammate.

She kept throwing kunais and shurikens at the teen. Misumi was running towards her while blocking all the weapons she threw. When he jumped up to meet Shizuka, he stretched his arms and grabbed her by the arms.

Using his strength, Misumi picked up Shizuka from the statue and threw her down to the ground with him.

Shizuka landed head first to the ground. The floor cracked and burst open.

Nobody could see the two shinobi because of the dust and smoke covering the arena.

"A shinobi that can stretch their body?"

Naruto had to calm Zoro down.

When Misumi stretched his arms, Zoro was convinced Misumi is the reincarnation of Money D. Luffy.

'He's not a descendant of Luffy, you baka!'

'Luffy had kids.'

'Did they eat the fruit?!'

'No.'

'Then it's not him!'

"Looks like Shizuka-san lost." said Nawaki.

"I wouldn't count her out." Naruto said with a smirk.

Shizuka was able to throw one of her black smoke bombs before Misumi was able to slam her to the ground.

She was also able to break from Misumi's girp a few seconds before hitting the ground. She used her hurricane kick to create the hole in the ground and create a substitution to take her place.

Misumi walked towards the crater that contained her substition.

When the smoke cleared, Shizuka's substitution looked knocked out.

"I believe I won."

Before Hayate can declare Misumi the winner, Shizuka fell from the roof of the arena and kicked Misumi in the face.

He flew back from the strength of the kick. His head slammed the wall opposite of the statue. Misumi's body fell to the ground with his back on the ground.

Many of the genin flinched when they saw Misumi's face.

His nose was broke will blood bursting from the center. The left side of his head was oozing blood too.

The Shizuka on the ground turned into a large piece of rubble, clearly a substitution.

"The winner of the match is Shizuka."

"You should never count her out. She is the smartest one of us all, said Naruto while Shizuka walked up the steps.

"Yeah, she's even more stubborn than me when it comes to matches." said Tayaka.

The screen started spinning.

Tayaka was pretty sure that if Kiba were here, he would've pissed his pants.

Uzumaki Namikaze Mina VS Hyuga Hinata

Everyone except the foreign ninja was quiet when they saw the names for the next match.

Of course, this didn't stop from Tayaka muttering, "The battle of the besties."

Yugao and Shizuka didn't stop Naruto from hitting her on the top of her head with his bokken.

"Even I'm not dumb enough to make say that."

Usually, Naruto would make a sarcastic comment, but he knew about Hinata and Mina's friendship.

He used to be envious of Hinata when they were younger because of how much time they spent together. Mina was usually a busy person, but Hinata was the only one able to help her with studies.

Naruto had tried, but he even got a became bored. That causes Mina to study without his presence. The fact that at the time, Naruto was the heir to the Namikaze clan didn't help her either.

Mina looked over at Hinata with worry. She didn't want to harm her best friend.

Before she can protest, Hinata looked into her eyes.

"I'm going to fight you, Mina."

Hinata walked down the steps until she was in front of Hayate.

Everyone was shocked because she didn't stutter. Hinata was known for her stutter. She just spoke with confidence.

Team Yū knew that Mina would win, but the confidence radiating from Hinata was entertaining. They wonder how long she'd last.

"You can do it, Hinata-chan!" exclaimed Nawaki.

Now determined to fight her best friend, Mina walked down the steps.

"Begin."

When Hayate said those words, Hinata rushed Mina.

Mina quickly used this to time to back away from Hinata. Her best friend had a fire in her eyes. When Hinata stopped her advances, Mina stopped retreating.

"Mina, your my best friends, and I like you." stated a panting Hinata, "But, I want you to fight me. I want to show my strength. I want to prove to everyone that I'm strong."

Hinata reactivated her byakugan and charged at Mina.

Mina was awestruck at Hinata's words and decided to take her more seriously.

She started throwing kunai at Hinata, but the girl was able to dodge and deflect them. Minak knew that she couldn't fight her in close range because of her ability to stop her flow of chakra.

She tried long-ranged combat, but Hinata was able to block every kunai and shuriken thrown.

Hinata was finally able to reach Mina.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho. (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)."

"I have to admit. Hinata has come far from where she was at the Academy."

Tayaka ignored her sensei.

Her focus was on Hinata. Naruto had advised her to pay attention to the matches involving the Hyuga. She was relieved that everyone's attention has been on the competitors.

She has gathered so much information. Her eye didn't allow her to copy, but they allowed her to observe. That is enough for Tayaka to be satisfied.

"Tayaka, deactivate them." whispered Shizuka.

When she deactivated them, Kakashi revealed his sharingan.

She had to thank Shizuka for the save. She didn't like to use her eyes around sharingan and byakugan users.

Mina was on the floor, unable to move. Hinata was standing right in front of her. The girl had a mixture of happiness and sadness in her eyes.

Mina understood why she was sad and happy. Her sadness is because she doesn't like seeing her friends like this. The happiness was because she thinks she beat her.

Using the chakra from the stupid fox, Mina was able to move again.

Hinata's eye widened at the inhuman chakra that Mina was dispursing. She needed to cover her eyes when the chakra morphed into a fox. Nobody was able to see the fox except Kakashi and Hinata

Mina used her speed to punch Hinata in the stomach.

She didn't want to hurt her, but Minato and Kushina would be disappointed if she wasn't in the final part of the chunin exams.

Hinata was on the floor, her conscious fading.

Mina walked over to Hinata and got on her knees.

"Gomenasai, Hinata."

Hinata smiled at her without a care.

"I'm happy for us. We both were able to accomplish something."

Hinata lost consciousness and was taken by the medical team for treatment.

"Oh, I cannot wait for my turn. Today has been so youthful seeing everyone fight!" yelled Lee as the screen was spinning.

"There's only six people left. Naruto, you have a high probability of fighting a ninja from another village." said Shikuza as she kept kicking her legs in the air.

Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw a gleam coming from Gaara's eyes. The fight had caused the boy to stare at Mina. Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine when Gaara's gaze was still on Mina when she walked up the stairs. He looked scared and insane, but Naruto was able to see what was hidden underneath his gaze. It was something he knew too well at this point in his life.

Fukui Ryu VS Roronoa Naruto

"I guess its my turn."

"Aren't you going to wish him luck?" asked Kakashi while watching Naruto walk down the steps.

Yūgao sighed and looked down at her genin.

"No."

She knew him well enough to know that Naruto will win this fight.

Yūgao looked at Ryu , who had a scowl on his face. The raven haired boy has always had a grudge against Naruto for unknown reasons.

She briefly wondered what Genma could've taught the boy.

Ryu looked at Naruto with determination.

Naruto sighed and motioned Hayate to start the match.

"Begin."

Nobody moved.

"Before we start, I want you to fight me with those swords," said Ryu.

Naruto shook his head and brought out his bokken.

"No, Ryu, but I'm not going to use my blade on you. You are a shinobi of this village, which means you are my comrade. I will only use a katana if you push me to use it during the battle," Naruto said with narrowed eyes. He wasn't going to use it unless it was necessary.

Ryu scowled at Naruto while pulling out the two swords he had on his back.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Naruto!"

Naruto motioned Ryu to come to him.

Ryu ran towards him and swung his blade at him. The sword on his right hand swung at an upward slash with a strong force. Naruto used his bokken to block the upward strike from Ryu.

Naruto knew that Ryu's strikes were like a hefty butcher knife. His strikes were direct and powerful. It wasn't graceful or gentle.

Ryu used his other blade to sever Naruto's right arm, but Naruto kicked Ryu's wrist, causing the sword to embed itself into the floor.

Naruto grabbed the blade and used it to flick the other sword away.

He twisted his body and ducked. Using his bokken, Naruto hit Ryu's ankles hard, causing Ryu to fall on the ground. Naruto used Ryu's sword and stabbed Ryu's thigh. He made sure the blade is embedded into the floor too.

"Aghh!"

"Ryu, we've told you a million times that you can't use your blades in this manner. It's shameful. You kept using them sloppily. I was able to subdue you effortlessly. May that stab will remind you about this," Naruto said.

While motioning Hayate to come, he said," Ryu, if you ever face me in a fight again, you better know how to wield it properly."

Ryu cursed at himself and Naruto as Hayate declared Naruto as the winner.

"The winner is Roronoa Naruto."

"Hey, Yūgao."

Yūgao looked at Asuma. He had been bugging her about her genin team in the past, but she always told him that they're very introverted.

"Yes?"

"Have you considered have your team take an IQ test?"

Yūgao shook her head. She knew her team was smarter than kids their age. Shizuka more so than anyone.

"With your permission, can I have your team take that test?"

"If they let you. I don't mind."

Ausma already had an idea. Tomorrow he will pick up the three of them with Gai. Then, he's going to trick them into taking the same test that determine Shikamaru's IQ.

He nodded at Gai.

"You could have finished earlier!"

"Don't yell at me, Tayaka," said an agitated Naruto.

The screen picked the next competitors.

Chōjūrō VS Abumi Zaku

"Begin."

"Might as well give up now." Zaku said confidently.

The aura around Chōjūrō suddenly changed. At first, he looked nervous, but now he wore a calm face.

"I can't do that. Withdraw." Chōjūrō said with a small stutter.

Zaku shook his head and prepared to attack Chōjūrō.

Using one of his arms, Zaku thrust his palm out to Chōjūrō. He rushed Chōjūrō until he was next to him.

"Air Slicer!"

Chōjūrō pulled out his sword and blocked Zaku's attack. He ended up rolling back a few feet.

Zaku was smirking, thinking that Chōjūrō wouldn't get back up. He was shocked when the boy stood and zoomed towards him. Zaku never saw someone move so fast. Using his sword, he hit Zaku above the head with a furious force. Chōjūrō stood and placed his wrapped sword on his back.

Hayate walked to the crater and saw a dead Zaku bleeding from his craked scull. The sight was appalling to many of the genin. The boy never stood a chance.

"Winner, Chōjūrō."

Rock Lee VS Gaara

Team Yū was shocked after looking at the match.

Naruto knew about the inner gates, but he didn't think they'd be this strong. Naruto couldn't believe that Lee had so much power. It wasn't enough to beat Gaara, but it was superb. Lee had gained a lot of respect from Naruto.

Shizuka was upset that Gaara crushed Lee's legs. Without them, there was no hope in Lee becoming a ninja again. Tsunade was his only hope.

Tayaka, Haku, and Naruto had their attention on Gaara. They saw a familiar look in his eyes that made them feel nostalgic. They saw the look of pain.

"The preliminaries for the third exam is now completed. Will the winners please walk down the steps and face the Hokage."

The matches walked down until they were in front of the statue.

Hayate stood next to his fellow proctors while the Hokage faced the genin who will fight in the finals.

"I congratulate everyone who has made it to the third part of the exam. In this part, you will be showing your skills in front of others in our arena. Many people will be participating in this event, including your village's daimyo. You all will be representing your village in this event."

When Minato finished speaking, he told each genin to take a slip of paper from the box Hayate was holding.

"I got the 15," said Naruto in a bored tone.

"I have 10!," yelled Tayaka in excitement.

"I have 11," said Shizuka

When everyone finished saying their number, the Hokage nodded at Anko to flip the clipboard she held.

Gaara VS Temari

Uzumaki Namikaze Mina VS Uzumaki Namikaze Mito

Uchiha Tayaka VS Uchiha Sasuke

Shizuka VS Nara Shikamaru

Uzumaki Namikaze Nawaki VS Hyug Neji

Haku VS Aburame Shino

Samui VS Sai

Roronoa Naruto VS Chojuro VS Omoi

"Hokage-sama, why does the eighth fight have three people?" asked a confused Mito.

"The rules state that no competitor is allowed to be given a pass. Since there Omoi has nobody to compete against, the rules automatically state that he is to fight in the last battle." stated Minato, "In the ninja world, there is always a chance you must fight more opponents than planned. This match is no different."

"Now, please leave with your sensei's to prepare for the final match. I expect to see great things from each of you." stated Minato as he disappears in a flash.

"I won't be surprised if he calls me for a meeting." Naruto started while using his fingers as quotation marks.

'Naruto, focus. After observing the matches, you know you have more work on your hands. Especially with that kid with glasses. He's going to be a problem.'

'I know Zoro, but remember that I got to train in the cave. That means I need to sneak away from Hayate and Yugao-sensei's radar.'

'I'll plan something out.'

Naruto cut off the connection when he saw Yugao headed his way. No doubt, the team's fights have piqued her curiosity.

"Let's go to Kumiko's. We need to talk."

Kumiko's

Team Yū is sitting in their usual table.

Yūgao was looking intently at her genin team, particularly Naruto.

"So, now that we finished our meals, I think we should discuss what happened during the preliminaries."

Naruto twitched.

Naruto knows he's fucked because Yūgao gave him the 'tell me now' stare.

"Let's talk about how friendly you are with Zabuza and the ex-hunter from the exams."

Naruto groaned, but Shizuka decided to answer.

"We encounter them leaving Nami no Kuni while you were passed out. They were leaving after discovering about Gato's betrayal. They decided to return to Kiri after being asked for help from the revolutionaries."

Shizuka decided to tweak the truth. If Yūgao found out about them killing the thugs, she'd no doubt report to the Hokage. That job wasn't in the mission description.

Yūgao saw the truth in her eyes and decided to accept the response for now.

"Okay, now let's talk about the one month break."

Before Yūgao could discuss her plan, Tayaka stopped her with her hand.

"Sorry sensei, but we already have it planned out." stated Tayaka, "Naruto is going to be training with Hayate since he is more knowledgeable in swords. I'm going to train with you since you have the qualities and strategize I lack severely. Finally, Shizuka is training with Anko because of their common specialties."

Yūgao smiled at Takyaka.

"You took the word right out of my mouth. Very well, we shall start tomorrow."

Naruto shook his head at Yūgao.

"Sorry sensei, but were starting next week. We have things we want to prepare for the third exam before training."

"Yeah, I want to read a special part of Shishu's scroll that he instructed me to read alone." stated Tayaka while holding out the scroll.

"I want to finish my new poison concoction and test it on an animal Naruto captured." stated Shizuka while holding out a blueprint to Yūgao," I want to run it by Anko when it's finished."

"I need to practice my new technique I want to finish before showing Hayate. I also want to know that the Hokage will want to talk with me tomorrow after what he saw in the exams today."

Yūgao sighed.

As much as she wanted to force them into training, this was their decision.

"Fine, but in a weeks, training will begin at sunrise."

"Hai, Yū-sensei." the three said in unison.

Gaara was sitting on a roof by himself. He stared at the moon as his beast became silent. It was the moon that calmed them and made it slumber in peace.

Gaara hugged his legs as he felt someone behind him.

"Quiet, it's sleeping."

The person behind him sat next to him, surprising Gaara .

"I have wanted to talk with you, Gaara," whispered Naruto.