Hinata grinned before she slid her entire body around in a circle, "Eight Trigrams…" Neji gasped with shock before preparing himself. "TWO PALMS!"

"Stop this," Yahiko shouted.

Neji quickly jerked his body from one side to the next, narrowly avoiding Hinata's strikes, "Four palms!" Neji once ducked and swerved under her strikes. He had performed the Hyuga style Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms countless times. He knew how it worked and where to strike. All he needed to do was trust his instincts and maybe he'd make it through this jutsu alive. "Thirty two palms!" Neji continued to dodge in what looked like a graceful dance. He had to dodge thirty two more strikes and he'd be safe. "Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms," Hinata cried out. Neji dodged the last three strikes, including the often fatal open palm to the chest that would normally have blown his heart to confetti. Hinata moved back, taking a slightly altered stance. "Eight Trigrams…" Neji's eyes widened, as did his entire teams'.

'That's impossible, there's only Sixty Four strikes! To double it would be…'

"One Hundred and Twenty Eight Palms!" Hinata spun forward and began throwing her jabs around wildly. Neji had no idea that there was a continuity of the Sixty Four Palms attack. Now he had absolutely no idea how to counter.

Neji quickly ducked down and moved to the side. Hinata's first two strikes missed, but she spun around without lifting her feet up and struck towards her cousin in disguise, striking only his hair. Neji quickly moved forward to stop this new attack before he actually got hit. The brunette threw a fist forward, but Hinata gracefully spun around it. Hinata cried out with a grin on her face as she struck towards Neji. The brunette scowled before ducked and spinning around to the side. The boy stopped when he felt his back hit against the wall and stood in a combat ready stance. He heard no footsteps or Hinata screaming. He was well out of range now for her attack to continue.

"He survived Hinata's best attack," Sasuke said, shifting his eyes up to Kakashi.

"I noticed," the masked Jonin seethed. "This kid isn't normal. There's no way he should've been able to dodge Hinata's attacks so well."

Hinata's eyes narrowed in on her opponent, glaring daggers at him. Neji started breathing heavily, trying to catch a second wind. He had no idea where Hinata was for sure, and lord only knows what other tricks she has up her sleeve after the One Hundred and Twenty Eight Palms attack. Hinata's eyes scanned Neji, trying to see anything out of the normal, anything that could make up for his loss of sight. Finally, the heiress sneered with a discovery.

"That's how you do it…" Neji scowled angrily. "You send small bursts of chakra through your feet and through your hair. With your feet you can feel the vibrations of someone walking or sliding against the ground, while if I touch your hair, your chakra gives you a mental image of my entire body, stance, footing, and whatever else you would need to know what my next attack will be. You're a very sharp shinobi, I'll give you that much. But now that I know how you make up for your loss of sight, I'll just have to be careful to avoid that hair and move as little as possible."

"Hyuga Clan members usually focus on close range," Neji replied. "It'll be tough attacking me while keeping your distance."

"I just have to be quick enough," Hinata told herself.

'No more messing around then…'

Hinata rushed forward as quickly as she could. Neji lowered himself to prepare for the coming assault. The heiress struck first. Neji ducked then threw a fist back at her with impressive speed. Hinata pulled her body back to avoid the strike and then thrusted her palm forward again. The two continued to dodge and attack the other, but neither opponent ever hit. The two Hyugas were moving across the floor in what could be confused as an aggressive dance.

"Your teammate is most impressive," Lee exclaimed. "Fighting a natural prodigy and an heiress with nothing but sure willpower and determined drive!"

"Yeah," Naruto replied softly. "He sure is a stubborn one…"

'Neji,' Yahiko thought. 'You're letting your pride get the best of you. There's no way you could win this without your Byakugan. Even if what Hinata said about your feet and hair is true, you're still fighting with an arm behind your back.'

"My, my, you must've put that boy through some intensive training to be able to stand equal footing against Hinata Hyuga," Guy boomed loudly. "Truly this Hizashi has the flames of youth ROARING within him like an inferno! It gets my blood running just watching him!"

Neji spun around then thrusted both fists forward, intending to hit Hinata's upper chest and stomach. The heiress spun around then threw her palm at Neji's back. The rogue in disguise spun back around and knocked Hinata's arm to the side with the back of his hand.

"Come on," Sakura shouted. "Get her!"

"Oh man this must be hurting Hinata's pride like nobody's business," Dosu stated with a gleeful tone. "The all seeing princess unable to beat a kid who can't see jack!"

Neji and Hinata both struck at the same time with their right arms. Both combatants used their other arms to knock the other's out of the way. The two spun around and stood across from each other, panting heavily. Neji had no doubt if he could use his Byakugan he could win this. However if he did then their cover would be blown. Hinata was scowling with rage. As Dosu said: her pride was taking a serious beating at the moment. Hinata grinned to herself, having the perfect tactic in mind.

"I'm so gonna enjoy taking you down," the heiress said with a grin.

Hinata rushed forward, causing Neji to snap to alarm and lower his stance. Neji got ready to strike once she got close enough. Hinata stopped suddenly, a few feet away from her opponent. Without warning, the heiress spun around, summoning her rotation. Neji cried out as the barrier barely touched him, but still had enough force to cause him to stumble and spin back. Hinata sprung forward, quickly enough that she broke through her own chakra before it could dissipate quickly enough. With a sadistic look in her eye, she pulled her hand back, ready to thrust her palm on his chest and blown his heart to shreds.

Yahiko's eyes widened at this realization then immediately sprung over the railings. Kakashi's head snapped up to the orange haired man before he too jumped off the stands. Danzo watched in silent intrigue. He knew that neither could make it in time. Tobi rested his arms on the rails, watching with an unreadable expression to any viewer. Secretly though, he was quite curious as to how Neji would last in this battle, and he wasn't disappointed thus far.

Neji planted his feet firmly on the ground, feeling Hinata's footsteps approaching. Hinata cried out as the thrusted her palm forward. Instinctively, Neji threw his arm up, knocking Hinata's strike out of the way before he thrusted his palm to her chest. There was a solid blow and an echoing thud. Yahiko and Kakashi froze a few yards away from their students, both of whom seemed frozen in time.

Hinata's eyes widened with shock before her head lowered and she coughed a mouthful of blood. She looked at her opponent's hand which was balled into a fist, barely clutching her shirt. Hinata moved her eyes up to Neji and opened her mouth to speak before she was engulfed by darkness. Hinata's body went limp as it fell forward. Neji held her up by her shirt, preventing her from hitting the ground with a thud. The rogue Hyuga gently lowered Hinata to the ground before taking a step back.

"The winner is: Hizashi," Hayate stated loudly.

"ALRIGHT," Sakura shouted, pumping her fist into the air.

Kakashi scowled before rushing forward as a group of medical ninja came onto the scene. Neji slowly stepped away, fearing the wrath Kakashi might inflict upon him. A firm hand was placed on Neji's shoulder, causing him to tense up with alarm.

"Come on," Yahiko said softly. Neji eased with relief before following his sensei. No one knew what Neji actually did though to win the match.

After a moment of stabilizing Hinata, the medics took her away and the next match was decided. Shikamaru sighed as he stood across from a large boy with orange hair and orange eyes: Jugo of Kirigakure.

"Begin."

Jugo rushed forward, drawing his fist back. Shikamaru sighed before pacing backwards with alarming speed. Jugo continued forward, keeping an equal distance with Shikamaru. Finally, the Konoha Genin sprung up against the back wall and waited for Jugo to strike. Shikamaru jumped against the wall the vaulted off and landed behind Jugo as his fist tore through solid stone.

"Well, that strength could be really troublesome," Shikamaru stated with a weary sigh. Jugo scowled before moving to attack, but found himself unable to move. "I guess I'll just have to deal with that subtly."

"Wh-what the," Jugo stammered.

"Shadow possession jutsu," Shikamaru answered. "And this…is the shadow strangle jutsu!" The shadows around Jugo's feet slithered up his body, making a hand around his throat. "Give up or I'll break your neck…" Jugo screamed and grunted like a beast, trying to break free of the jutsu. "Fine then, be that way." The shadow went around Jugo's neck and head before twisting it to the side with a sickening snap. The boy's body went limp.

Shikamaru's shadow unwrapped the boy and came back at Shikamaru's feet. Jugo's body hit the floor with a thud.

"The winner is Shikamaru Nara."

Danzo sighed lightly. That won't look good if he wanted an alliance with Kiri. A group of medical ninja in black came onto the scene and took the body out of the area. Danzo shifted his eye over to Orochimaru. Medics in black were the trademark of Orochimaru's personal medical staff. What in the world could the sinister Sannin want with a dead body? With Orochimaru, Danzo knew it could be any number of things.

The next pair of names came up, "Sasuke Uchiha and Fang, please come down here."

"Alright," Kiba exclaimed. "Now it's my time to shine!" Yahiko quickly placed his hand on Kiba's shoulder before kneeling next to him.

"Listen carefully," Yahiko whispered. "This kid is Itachi's brother, remember that. Don't take him lightly, and if you know you can't win there's no shame in giving up. Naruto and Neji already passed so we're here for another month at least."

"Please, I'm not gonna just step aside and let those two go to the third stage by themselves!" Kiba looked directly at Naruto and Neji. "I'll see you guys in a bit." Kiba grinned before vaulting over the rails and onto the ground.

Sasuke huffed as he turned to move, but was stopped by Kakashi. Sasuke turned to his sensei with an impatient look in his eye. "Both of your teammates didn't make it past this stage. You're the last one who can make it."

"You're worried I can't beat some nobody," Sasuke questioned.

"Hinata couldn't. This kid is on the same team as the guy who beat her." Kakashi's eyes hardened, glaring straight into Sasuke's eyes. "Make him bleed."

"You got it," Sasuke replied.

Kiba stood with a grin, across from Sasuke who looked rather annoyed. As soon as the match began, Kiba threw a fist at his opponent. Sasuke effortlessly seized Kiba's wrist before throwing him over his shoulders. Kiba spun around and landed on all fours, facing Sasuke. Before the young Uchiha could turn around, Kiba hurled a handful of smoke bombs forward that exploded at his opponent's feet. The raven haired boy huffed before making a series of hand signs. Kiba rushed towards the cloud of smoke. A series of tiny fireballs broke through the smoke. Kiba quickly shot into the air, intending to strike from above. To his surprise, Sasuke broke through the smoke and smashed the bottom of his foot against Kiba's face. Kiba was thrown further into the air, but was pulled back down by his ankle. Sasuke screamed as he hurled Kiba to the floor with all his might. The young Inuzuka was thrown head over heels before he smacked into the ground. Sasuke spun around as he fell towards Kiba. As the young Inuzuka opened his eyes, Sasuke slammed his heel down on Kiba's stomach. The brunette screamed in agony as a mouthful of blood flew out of his mouth. Sasuke rolled backwards onto his feet before he jumped on Kiba and started punching him over and over in the face.

"Damn it," Yahiko murmured, clenching the rails tightly.

"Be cautious my friend," Guy spoke. Yahiko shifted his eyes over to the Jonin standing next to him. "If you interfere during a match then your entire time could be disqualified. The only exceptions are if the match is over and the victor keeps attacking his opponent." Yahiko scowled as he watched Kiba get pounded mercilessly.

The young Inuzuka growled before he caught Sasuke's fist and threw him off. The young Uchiha rolled over on his feet, standing in a crouched position as Kiba quickly faced off against him. Sasuke stared at Kiba who snarled before crouching down. In one swift movement, Kiba pulled out a scroll and started spinning around wildly, causing kunai, shuriken, and any other bladed weapon that could be thrown, to fly towards Sasuke. The young Uchiha had his eyes closed and waited until the last second to spring up into the air. Sasuke spun around, making the last of a series of hand signs faster than Kiba could even see. The raven haired boy roared with anger as a massive fireball was launched from his mouth. Kiba's eyes widened before he dove to the side as the fireball exploded behind him.

As the brunette slowly rose to his feet, but in the blink of an eye he was punched in the stomach by Sasuke. Kiba stumbled back before returning a punch, which Sasuke easily caught. The young Uchiha pulled Kiba forward, glaring angrily into his opponent's eyes. Kiba's eyes shot open in alarm as he realized Sasuke had his Sharingan activated. The raven haired boy threw his leg up, connecting with Kiba's face. The spiky haired boy stumbled backwards, holding his face in pain. Sasuke walked towards Kiba who quickly spun around, readying himself. The Uchiha huffed before he vanished in the blink of an eye. Kiba gasped before shifting his eyes around to try and find him. Finally catching his scent, Kiba spun around to knock Sasuke's block off. Unfortunately, the raven haired boy was a step ahead of Kiba and had ducked down. Sasuke quickly punched Kiba just below his ribcage, and then again in the side of the head. Kiba spun around in place before trying to strike Sasuke. The boy ducked then punched Kiba twice in the gut. The spiky haired Genin coughed as he doubled over. Sasuke placed his hands on Kiba's back then thrusted his knee into his opponent's stomach. Kiba coughed again, a bit of blood flying from his mouth. Sasuke screamed loudly as he lifted Kiba high off the ground, above his head. Kiba was thrown over Sasuke and slammed on his front into the ground. As the spiky haired boy rebounded off the ground, Sasuke kicked him in the face, sending Kiba rolling head over heels backwards.

Naruto and Neji scowled angrily from the stands, having to watch their best friend being brutally beaten. "Stop the match," Naruto shouted.

"Your friend has to either be knocked unconscious or give up," Hayate replied, not taking his eyes off Sasuke or Kiba. Naruto growled, his anger rising as he watched the sight.

Danzo had a wrinkled smirk on his face, pleased with Sasuke's talent and ruthlessness. So far the last Uchiha was being molded just as Danzo had planned. Once the training for the third stage started, Danzo would order Kakashi to teach Sasuke that technique.

Tobi looked rather bored, leaning against the back wall while watching the fight. Despite his body language, Tobi was rather intrigued with how brutal the young Sasuke was. Perhaps Tobi could use the boy's darkness to his advantage.

Kiba was thrown back, landing on his face. The boy panted heavily as he tried to push himself up, but his arms were too weak. Sasuke stomped his foot on Kiba's back, smashing the boy back into the ground. The young Uchiha started twisting and grinding his foot into Kiba's back, causing him to groan and cry out in pain.

"You honestly think you could stand against me? I'm Sasuke Uchiha, the last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan. Scum like you can't stand against me." Kiba groaned, trying to force himself up, only to be pushed down by Sasuke again. "Let me make this message a little clearer for you." Sasuke used his foot to roll Kiba on his back, before he bent over and started punching the boy in the face.

Naruto's rage built up so much that his darkened whisker marks started to bleed through the special make-up Tsunade made for him. Neji saw the demon chakra in Naruto rising. Yahiko noticed this too, mentally cursing himself with no options left.

"He forfeits," Yahiko shouted. "Call the match!"

"He has to forfeit," Hayate replied, glancing up at the orange haired ninja. "His sensei cannot call the match for him."

"Damn it, give up now!" Kiba opened his mouth to speak, but Sasuke pushed the boy's head into the ground.

"Call the match Fang," Neji shouted.

"THAT'S IT!" Naruto sprung over the railings and shot forward, alarming everyone watching the match.

Sasuke turned his head with shock just before Naruto slammed his shoulder into the boy's back. Sasuke cried out as he was thrown off Kiba along with Naruto. The blonde was on top of Sasuke, fist raised and ready to strike. Suddenly, Naruto felt a strong hand wrap around his wrist and one on his shoulder. Kakashi planted his feet on the ground before hurling the boy towards the wall. Yahiko jumped down just in time to catch the boy. The rate in which Naruto was going caused Yahiko to slide back a bit before coming to a stop.

"Enough," Danzo spoke with a loud, echoing voice. All eyes moved up to the Hokage who looked down at floor. "The match is over. Sasuke Uchiha is the victory." A group of medical ninjas then ran onto the scene to help Kiba. "Start the next match Hayate."

"What," Sasuke growled in outrage.

"Lord Hokage, that brat interrupted the match," Kakashi stated. "He should be disqualified!"

"That jackass over there wouldn't give my friend a chance to forfeit," Naruto screamed, pointing an angry finger at Sasuke. "He should be disqualified!"

"No one is disqualified," Danzo snapped. "The only way one of them may be disqualified is if a sensei interrupts the match. In this case, the young Ryu interrupted the match and attacked Sasuke. The match was now against these two, so when Kakashi intervened, he was not breaking any rules. Both Ryu and Sasuke will go onto the third stage. No exceptions. Now clear the way for the next combatants." Kakashi and Sasuke walked off, glaring at Naruto and Yahiko who followed Kiba, along with Neji, and the other medic ninjas.

"Curious," Orochimaru hummed. "If it were anyone else who dared to harm your precious Sasuke, you would've had them disqualified and possible killed on the spot." The Sannin looked over at Danzo who remained silent. "Could it be you're interested to find out it this boy is in fact the long lost child of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki?" Again, Danzo remained silent. Orochimaru chuckled deviously before turning to the screen.

"Rock Lee and Gaara, come down here please."

"YES! Finally it's your turn Lee!"

"Yes, Guy sensei I promise I will do my best!" Guy laughed before ginning as widely as he could.

"Knock em dead kid!"

"I will not stop until my opponent has stopped breathing sensei! I promise I will incinerate my opponent with the flames of youth!" Lee shot over the rails and landed in front of Gaara who looked at him with annoyance. "Prepare yourself my opponent, I will show no mercy!"

"How long you think he'll last," Zaku asked, resting his chin on his arms.

"With those weights," Dosu questioned. "Five seconds. HEY GAARA! YOU SUCK!" Dosu turned to Zaku, "Now two seconds." Sakura looked to the exit worryingly before she glanced back at her teammates. After a brief moment, she decided to sneak out quickly before the match started.

Kiba cringed with pain as a medic placed a cloth on a discolored circle on the side of his head. "Are you alright," Yahiko asked.

"I just got the living snot kicked out of me," Kiba groaned, opening one eye to glare at the orange haired man. "What the hell do you think?"

"He's fine," Neji sighed. Yahiko gave the 'blind' Genin a quizzical look. "If he's making smart ass remarks then he's fine."

"He's got a few broken ribs and a massive amount of bruises and some internal bleeding," one of the medics stated.

"You couldn't tell my ass was kicked," Kiba asked in fury. "You need a prognosis to know my ass was handed to me!"

"Don't mind him," Naruto murmured before looking up at the doctor. "Can you heal him?"

"There's not much we can do for him here," the medic replied. "All of our healers are busy attending to Miss Hinata, and they left to ensure she made it to hospital. I would guess that they should be back in an hour."

"A FREAKING HOUR?" Kiba groaned then leaned back, holding his ribs in pain.

"You stupid idiot, just lie down and stop bitching," Yahiko hissed. "Do you have any pain pills, or should I just bang his head against the ground until he's unconscious?" The medics all looked at each other frightfully, wondering if Yahiko was serious.

"Maybe I can help…" All the heads snapped around, seeing Sakura standing in the doorway. "I know a little medical ninjutsu, maybe I could help to stop the pain."

"Please do so," Neji said. "I can't take much more of his whining."

"My WHINING! I just got the living crap beaten out of me!"

"And saying it over and over isn't going to help either," Neji sniped back. "You lost, get over it."

Sakura walked forward and knelt down next to Naruto and Neji. She closed her eyes and sighed softly as she concentrated her chakra. The kunoichi's hands began to glow a light green. She placed her hands on Kiba's ribs, allowing her chakra to flow in the boy's body. The brunette cringed, moaning quietly in pain. After a few seconds, Sakura opened her eyes and sighed softly before pulling her hands away carefully.

"How's that?"

"Better than before," Kiba replied. The Inuzuka smiled as best as he could, "Thanks Ryu's girlfriend." Sakura and Naruto both blushed, the latter glaring at his injured teammate.

"Her name is Sakura," Naruto replied.

"I know, it's just fun to annoy you." Naruto's eye twitched with aggravation before turning his head away with a huff.

"You're lucky you're in pain, otherwise I'd beat the crap out of you…"

"Please don't," Neji hastily snapped. "Otherwise he'll keep whining like an injured mutt." Naruto smirked while Kiba shot a fierce look at Neji.

"And I thought I was just my team that liked to tease each other," Sakura muttered.

"Not, it's pretty much any group of immature children." Now the three Genin glared at Yahiko, who simply rolled his eyes. Suddenly, the entire tower shook violently.

"What in the world was that," Neji questioned over the booming echo.

The tower shook again, just as ferociously as before. Suddenly, entire wall behind Naruto, Neji, and Sakura exploded outward. Dust and debris was thrown everywhere, causing the shinobi and medics to shield themselves. Everything settled, revealing a battered and bleeding Rock Lee lying amongst the rubble and dirt.

"Lee," Sakura shouted.

Inside the arena, Gaara stood, panting heavily with his sand armor cracked all over his body. Craters littered the ground around him, and the entire room seemed to be falling apart. "Now…it's over…"

"Th-the winner is Gaara," Hayate announced.

Orochimaru shifted his eyes to where Lee lied as Guy quickly darted towards his student. "Such power and ferocity in that battle…to think Guy would push his favorite student that far…"

"Might Guy's first loyalty is to the village. For that, he'd teach a hundred children how to open the Eight Gates if I so ordered it…" Orochimaru moved his eyes to Danzo.

"Did you order Guy to teach the boy that technique?" Danzo remained silent before he turned back to Hayate on the ground.

"Will the last two contestants please step forward?"

"YAY! It's finally Tobi's turn!" The masked man quickly dove over the railings and rolled across the ground. A boy with white hair and purple eyes made his way down and stood across from Tobi.

"Suigetsu Hozuki and Tobi, prepare for the final battle of the preliminaries."

"Lee," Guy called out before sliding forward on his knees. "Lee, speak to me!" The medics and Sakura quickly rushed over to Lee and started tending to him.

"What the hell happened out there," Yahiko questioned, looking through the now massive hole leading to the arena.

"Lee…he opened the Eight Chakra Gates," Guy stated. The four rogues' jaws dropped in unison, gapping with awe and shock. "His opponent was the Jinchuriki of Sunagakure: Gaara of the Desert." Naruto blinked with shock, closing his mouth. "He managed to get by Gaara's ultimate defense, but then he went berserk and partially transformed into his demonic form. Something about not taking any more chances against Konoha shinobi…" Sakura lowered her head slightly, feeling a pang of guilt for Lee's current condition. "And then Lee opened five of the Eight Gates, and a ferocious battle ensued, but Gaara won in the end…"

"Th-that boy can open the Eight Gates," Yahiko questioned. Guy nodded, not taking his eyes off Lee. "W-why in the world would you teach a Genin such a dangerous technique?"

"Lee can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, only taijutsu. To make up for his loss of talent, and to make him a formidable ninja for his village, I had to teach him this. I'm still so proud of him though. To be able to fight toe-to-toe with a Jinchuriki is no small feat. He truly is a skilled shinobi to have gotten this far." Lee groaned before he groggily opened his eyes.

"Guy sensei…?"

"I'm here Lee," the Jonin spoke, stepping into the line of sight.

"Did…did I win Guy sensei…?"

"No Lee, but your youth has never burned brighter!" Guy grinned, a bright sparkle coming off his teeth. "I'm so proud of you!" Lee sniffled before tears started pouring down his face.

"G-Guy sensei!"

"Lee!" Guy started crying as well before he fell to his knees and hugged Lee tightly. Sakura gave a questioning look before stepping back from the two bowl-cut shinobi. She looked over her shoulder at Yahiko and his students before giving an uneasy shrug.

"Will all the participants heading to the third stage please come back inside," Hayate's voice called out.

Naruto, Sakura, and Neji looked back into the arena, shocked to see that the final match was already over. A group of medics in black quickly rushed inside and took Suigetsu's lifeless body out while the winners lined up. Danzo, Orochimaru, Hayate, and the ANBU captain stood before the Genin while the Jonin stood behind them.

"You all have made it to the third stage," Danzo stated, "Congratulations. Now, Hayate has a box. Inside the box are a group of balls with a designated number on them. These numbers will determine what match you'll be set in. Since there is an odd number of participants, one of you will get a free ride to the second round of the third stage. Now, when we call your name, step forward and take a number."

"Sasuke Uchiha," Hayate spoke. The young Uchiha walked forward and reached inside the box. He grabbed the first ball he touched then pulled it out and showed it for everyone to see. "Sasuke Uchiha, number 2." Orochimaru wrote the number down on a clipboard before nodding to Hayate. "Shikamaru Nara." The lazy genius stepped forward, pulling one of his hands out of his pockets as he reached inside. Like Sasuke, he just pulled out the first ball he touched. "Shikamaru Nara, number 3." Orochimaru scribbled the name down. "Zaku Abumi." The black haired boy showed his number to Hayate. "Zaku Abumi, number 6. Tobi, step forward." The masked man skipped forward and reached inside, digging around for a few seconds before pulling out a random ball. "Tobi, number 9."

"YAY! Tobi gets to pass round one! I rock, you all suck!"

"Dosu Kinuta." The hunched over Genin dug around the box before pulling out a number. "Dosu Kinuta, number 8."

'That's just my luck,' Dosu thought grimly.

"Hizashi." Neji walked forward and reached inside. After a few short seconds, he pulled out a number then showed it to Hayate. "Hizashi, your number is number 1." Neji's eyes narrowed under his headband. Sasuke huffed with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the blind Genin.

"I'm sensing animosity," Zaku whispered sarcastically to Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi rolled her eyes.

"Gaara of the Desert." The Jinchuriki stepped forward, reached in, and pulled out a number. "Gaara, number 7." Zaku and Sakura's eyes shot open with alarm before turning to Dosu, who was slouching lower than usual, his single eye ready to pop out of his head.

"FUCK," Dosu shouted, throwing his head back.

"Sakura Haruno." The pink haired kunoichi sighed as she walked forward and pulled out a number. "Sakura Haruno, number 4. That leaves Ryu with number 5." Orochimaru finished scribbling on his clipboard before holding it out to the Genin. "These are the matches that you'll each be fighting in, and in what order."

The first match was Sasuke vs. Neji, second match Shikamaru vs. Sakura, third match Naruto vs. Zaku, fourth and final match Gaara vs. Dosu, while Tobi got a free ride to the second round.

"These matches are final," Danzo spoke. "You all will have a month to train and better prepare yourselves for your matches. You are not required to use this time to train, but it is highly recommended that you do. With that said, you all are dismissed. In one month's time, you're to come to the Chunin Exam Arena on the south side of the village. If you do not know where that is, I suggest you or your sensei find out quickly." Danzo nodded to the Genin and turned and walked away.

Sasuke turned and walked towards Kakashi who stared at him with cold, expectant eyes. They were the first ones to leave after Danzo and his escorts. Shikamaru sighed before walking over to where Guy and an injured Rock Lee were. Gaara shifted his eyes to Dosu before walking to the exit as well with his sensei and siblings following behind him.

"I can't believe this," Dosu murmured. "Of all the opponents in the world…why him? I hardly even touched him during the second stage! Why can't he fight you!" Zaku looked at Dosu's finger pointed at him before he shrugged.

"Maybe fate wants me to beat up Sakura's boyfriend." Said kunoichi screamed as she threw her fist at Zaku's head. The young Genin was a second quicker, successfully ducking under his teammate's strike.

"This isn't even fair…"

"Hey, I've gotta take on Konoha's smartest ninja," Sakura muttered spitefully. "How do you think I feel?"

"I HAVE TO TAKE ON A CRAZY JINCHURIKI!"

Naruto looked to Neji, who seemed to be deep in thought. After a second, the blonde finally spoke, "What're you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna do what you'd expect Kiba to do," Neji replied. "Sasuke Uchiha is going to try to beat me to avenge Hinata, and I'm planning on doing the same for our comrade. The difference being…I intend to be the victor." Naruto smirked before turning to Yahiko. Their sensei pulled his head towards the exit. Naruto nodded then pulled Neji along towards the exit.

Around nightfall, the Genin moving on to the third stage had made it back to the village. Zaku and a now calmed Dosu escorted Sakura back home once they got to the village. Sakura walked up to the front door and turned around, waving goodbye to her teammates.

"Tomorrow," Zaku snapped, "Lunch, courtesy of Anko sensei!"

"I'll be there," Sakura replied. "See you guys tomorrow." The boys waved before walking down the street. Sakura opened the door and entered the house quietly. To her surprise, her uncle was lying on the couch, reading a book by candlelight.

"Hey there," Higure greeted.

"Hi," Sakura replied. "Why is it so dark?" Higure shrugged as he shut his book and threw his legs off the couch. He looked at his niece for a moment, examining her curiously. "What…?"

"You REALLY need a shower." Sakura scowled angrily, a small blush forming across her face. "Hey, you've been in the forest for god knows how many days. I don't blame you for needing a shower."

"I'll take one in the morning," Sakura murmured. "I'm beat."

"So I take it you're moving on to the third stage?" Sakura nodded, yawning as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her uncle. "But, since you're here so late I'm assuming that you had a little preliminaries match?"

"How'd you know," Sakura asked.

"Your mother had to go through the preliminaries when she took the Chunin Exams."

"Weren't you two in the same squad…?"

"Well…yeah, but I was still older than her. My sensei put your father and I together in the Chunin Exams first. Unfortunately, your father held me back in the first stage. Couldn't pass a written test to save his life…" Sakura smiled before leaning back on the couch. "At least at first. The second time around he passed with flying colors."

"Well Zaku thought he was gonna fail, but Ryu, out of nowhere gave this random outburst of a speech and somehow convinced the proctor to let us all pass. And then in the second stage, we found this clearing and had the idea of just staying in the same area and set up traps so when someone stumbles across us we could spring the traps and get a scroll no problem. And then, of all the people to stumble across us, it was Hinata and her team."

"I'm assuming you let loose with all the traps right?" Sakura smiled then shook her head, trying to fight a yawn that escaped from her mouth.

"It was a good thing we didn't either, because then the Jinchuriki, Gaara of the Desert showed up, and we were all forced to work together to survive."

"The Land of Wind's Jinchuriki…wow, you had your first run in with a Jinchuriki and you're still alive."

"Yeah, but god it was crazy. He would stay down. We dropped trees on him, blew him up, and he just kept coming! But finally Shino used his bugs to paralyze him, we took the team's scroll and made a break for it. Well…Hinata's team got the scroll, but we just wanted to get the hell out of there. And then we started the preliminaries a few days after that. Dosu got the first matchup against Choji and beat him in no time flat. Zaku fought Shino, and he used the Hokage as a line of defense." Higure's brow rose with curiosity. "But he ended up winning using a poison we got from the Forest of Death. And then I had to fight some puppet user and beat him with a quick genjutsu. Now in the third stage, I've gotta fight Shikamaru, Zaku's gotta fight Ryu, and Dosu has to fight Gaara."

"Sucks to be him." Sakura nodded, his eyes drooping from exhaustion. Higure looked over, seeing his niece's head bobbing back and forth heavily before she finally fell back, letting darkness embrace her. The older man sighed before he stood up and moved towards Sakura. He lifted her up and carried her upstairs and into her bed. He lied Sakura down in her bed, pulled the covers over her body, and then left her room quietly.

Outside of the Haruno household, a cloaked figure stared intently at the home in front of him with a curious Sharingan. 'The little shrew…with her around, manipulating Naruto will be difficult.' Tobi lowered his head, keeping his eye on the house before him.

"What're you thinking Tobi," a figure asked as it emerged from the ground. The being known as Zetsu showed itself, staring at his master curiously. "Are we going to take out the little pink haired girl? She's just going to make our job of using Naruto that much more difficult."

"I know…but now wouldn't be the proper time for a reunion."

"A reunion," Zetsu repeated with curiosity. "I thought you hadn't interacted with the girl yet."

The mysterious Tobi turned around, looking back over his shoulder. "Maybe another time," he spoke, seemingly ignoring Zetsu. "The opportunity to deal with Sakura Haruno will present itself another time. Until then, we'll take our time."

"Of course," Zetsu murmured. The plant creature merged back into the ground as Tobi turned his head forward and leapt off into the night.

So…I apologize for two things: One I apologize for not getting this up sooner (like around the weekend when I said it would). My inspiration just suddenly vanished about halfway through this chapter. Two, I apologize for Gaara and Lee's fight happening off screen, but I didn't feel like recreating a fight from the canon that would've had the same result. Also Lee didn't get his arm and leg crushed, so he's not going to be a cripple, again like the canon.

With that said: please R&R, gracias.