Tower

The randomization was soon done showing Shikamaru Nara vs Temari.

Shikamaru vs Temari

Shikamaru walked up to Temari with his hands in his pockets. "Guess it's me." He sighed. "Seriously, this is such a drag. I mean, I got to fight a little girl."

"Come on Shikamaru, you can do it!" Ino cheered. "Take her down!"

Temari became a little angry at that comment. "I'm not some little girl. I'm one of the best Kunochi in the Hidden Sand."

Shikamaru yawned. "If anything, that makes your Kunochi sound awful. Let's just get this over with so I can take a nap."

"I'll show you." Temari stated.

"Go!" Hayate declared.

Temari drew her fan and smashed it into Shikamaru gut knocking him into a wall with a thud. "Great… this girl's got spunk."

He got to his feet and drew a kunai with an explosive note before throwing it at Temari. She instinctively dodged but there wasn't an explosion meaning it had been a dud.

She smirked. "Come on, at least make this a little…" Temari suddenly stopped as she realized she couldn't move. "What? I-I can't move."

"That's because you're ensnared by my Shadow Possession Jutsu." Shikamaru walked forward which forced Temari to do the same. "When my shadow catches someone, they are forced to mimic my every movement. Family technique."

Temari looked at the kunai around his neck and tanto on his back as it dawned on her why he had those things. "No way."

Shikamaru reached for the kunai around his neck. Temari did the same only she didn't have a kunai to grab. He tore it off and pointed it right over her neck. She was merely pointing a closed fist at him.

Hayate called the match. "Shikamaru Nara wins."

Tower

Ino shouted. "Way to go Shikamaru!"

"Wow, Shikamaru is going to be one tough guy to beat." Daichi commented.

Hinata nodded. "If he catches you, it's over."

"I'll just have to come up with a way to circumnavigate the Shadow Possession Jutsu." Sasuke thought.

Asuma smiled. "Giving him that tanto and kunai was the best idea. With them at his disposal, an opponent will be severely out matched every time."

Shikamaru retracted his shadow and tied the kunai back in place.

Temari was in shock. "I just lost."

Shikamaru put his hands behind his head and walked away. "You got a hit in at least."

"Temari, you must clear the field for the next match." Hayate declared prompting her to move. "We will now begin the randomization for the next match."

"Alright, this time you will be picked." Guy declared. "I just know it Lee."

"No." Lee stated confusing Guy and Karin. "I have been waiting so long that I do not care. I might as well go last." The randomization finished displaying Rock Lee vs Kenjo Yagumi. "It worked like a charm." He was excited. "I knew if I said I wanted to be last, I'd be next."

Karin smiled. "Good luck, Lee."

"Just you watch Karin." Lee smiled "I'll show you how splendid a ninja I can be."

Kenjo looked at Kanja. "Well, this should be interesting." He smiled. "My opponent may look goofy, but he also seems like he'll be a fun match."

Kanja smiled. "Good luck Kenjo. Go show the…"

Kuma was leaning against the back wall. "Kanja, I know you're about to mention me. My only question is, how'd you like to become personally familiar with the wall?" Kenjo growled at Kuma. "You want to say something?"

"Alright, that's enough." Akana stepped in between them. "Kenjo, save your anger for the match and channel it correctly."

Kenjo jumped over the railing as Lee did the same.

Lee vs Kenjo

The came to stand Genin face to face.

Kenjo nodded. "I must confess, I'm glad I got you as an opponent. You seem to me like the type of guy that knows some good Taijutsu."

Lee nodded. "If you are asking such questions, then I am interested in seeing your style as well."

Hayate looked at them. "Alright, begin."

Both Shinobi charged one another.

Lee jumped into the air. "Leaf Hurricane!"

Kenjo had seen some form of attack coming, so he'd weaved the right-hand signs. "Swift Style: Afterimage Jutsu."

Lee kicked Kenjo only to move through him.

"The Hidden Mist Village still has Swift Style Shinobi!" Guy thought.

Naruto looked at Kakashi. "Kakashi Sensei, what's Swift Style?"

Kakashi replied. "It's a Bloodline Limit thought to have been the first to go when the Bloodline War started in The Mist Village. It's a powerful Bloodline that grants incredible speed. Many Shinobi would have to train to be able to react."

Lee was confused only for more Kenjo to appear as the original kept moving at a fast rate around him. Lee tried to attack him, but he just kept hitting after images.

The real Kenjo drew a kunai rushing Lee. "Swift Release: Blade Dance."

Kenjo moved with a quick, graceful style as he cut up Lee who attempted to dodge. Finally, the Leaf Shinobi managed to flip away and up to the statue of a hand sign. Lee and Kenjo stared at each other.

Guy nodded. "Alright Lee, take them off!"

Lee looked at him. "Guy Sensei, you said that was only as a last resort. When the lives of important people were at stake."

Guy gave him a thumbs up. "I did, but this is an exception."

Lee smiled and removed his leg warmers revealing leg weights.

He removed them and stood holding them out. "Ah, that is much better. Without these, I'll be able to move freely."

Kuma scoffed. "He actually thinks losing a few pounds will enable him to…"

Everyone was in shock as the weights hit the sand creating large impacts. Lee then jumped off the statue surprising Kenjo by how fast the Leaf Shinobi had just become. The moment Lee landed, The Mist Genin had Swift Chakra coursing through his body.

The two engaged in a heated battle of fist and kicks as they moved around the arena at crazy speeds for simple Genin. The two of them were dodging and blocking one another in a truly spectacular display. The other Genin were amazed.

Karin smiled. "You go Lee. Show that Mist Shinobi not to mess with you." She looked at Guy. "You're the one that made him like this, right?"

Guy smiled. "That's right Karin. Something you may not know about him is that he has no talent for Genjutsu or Ninjutsu. That is why we put all his time and energy into Taijutsu and Bukijutsu. His disadvantage has been turned into an advantage."

"Bukijutsu?" Karin asked. "What weapon can he use."

"He can use my preferred weapon of choice, the nun-chuck" Guy declared.

Lee and Kenjo continued to go at it as Lee slowly outpaced the Mist Genin starting to get hits in. This left Kenjo with little choice. He needed distance to go beyond his current levels.

"Swift Style: Shadowless Flight!" Kenjo declared.

The Mist Genin glowed a brilliant blue for a moment as he delivered a powerful punch to the Lee's gut sending him tumbling along the ground. Kenjo then got into a wide stance and put his hands on his legs as Lee got to his feet.

Kenjo smiled. "I must admit Rock Lee, you are one of the greatest challenges I've found in my age group; however, I can't keep the Swift Style up eternally." He began to glow a truly brilliant blue as his Chakra seemed to build.

"Which is why I'm about to show my current best technique." The blue glow rapidly condensed over his chest before entering his body and spreading through his veins. "Swift Style: Blitzkrieg!"

Kenjo was even faster than before as he charged at Lee and began laying into him with punch after punch that the Genin just couldn't defend against despite his best ability.

"The Mist Village is here to show a new image and part of that is showcasing the team of Bloodline users at the final exam." Kenjo thought determined as he could already feel the immense Chakra drain. "I need to finish things fast."

Kakashi had to reveal his Sharingan and Sasuke had to activate his just to keep up.

"Hayate's going to need to end this soon." Kakashi stated.

Guy shook his head. "No, Lee still has one trick up his sleeve."

Kakashi looked at him. "Guy…" He had an idea. "…don't tell me you taught him…"

"I did Kakashi." Guy stated.

"So, that Genin can open the 8 inner gates and use the Hidden Lotus?" Kakashi questioned.

"That's correct." Guy replied. "Right now, it's his only way to keep up with the Swift Style."

"Guy, how many can he open?" Kakashi asked firmly.

"5 gates." Guy replied.

Sasuke looked at them. "These gates you keep talking about. What are they?"

"The gates are valves." Guy explained. "Chakra limiters that must be opened if one is to release the Hidden Lotus. They are gates along the body where one's Chakra is heavily focused. Staring at the head. Gates of Opening, Rest, Life, Pain, Closing, Joy, Shock, and Death."

"It's a dangerous Taijutsu technique that can increase one's strength and speed multiple times over at the cost of great strain to the body." Kakashi explained. "Guy, you better know what you've done by teaching him to do this."

Guy nodded. "I know exactly what I've done Kakashi."

Lee knew what he had to do as the requirement had been met. Suddenly, Lee was surrounded by an intense wind causing Kenjo to jump back.

Lee crossed his arms. "This match is going to end one way or another. Gate of Opening, open! I refuse to lose here. Gate of Rest, Open! I am here to protect my own Ninja Way." His skin turned red and his eyes white as he uncrossed his arms. "Gate of Life, Open!"

"Damn it!" Kenjo took a deep breath. "I have to go further beyond." The Chakra within in his veins began to turn a dark blue. "I refuse to lose because the Hidden Mist Village is counting on my team to showcase it's stuff at the Third Exam. I won't let our Mizukage down."

"Whoa, those two are insane!" Naruto exclaimed.

Everyone, eSasuke, was impressed. Both Shinobi sprinted at once another cracking the very ground they stood on before colliding with multiple punches. Eventually, Lee ducked under a punch and kicked Kenjo into the air.

"What the heck!" Shikamaru exclaimed.

"This is insane!" Ino commented.

Kenjo frantically looked around as much as he could. "No! The only thing I can do now is expend the Chakra for a final Jutsu. Hope it's enough."

Lee appeared above Kenjo and laid into him with a punch. From there, it was just a series of punches which threw Kenjo around the room.

Eventually, Kenjo managed to time it at the exact moment Lee made contact him. "Now!"

Both Lee and Kenjo suddenly vanished before reappearing on the ground.

"That was a body Flicker." Guy stated.

"Not just any Body Flicker." Kakashi stated. "That was a Swift Style Body Flicker. It's the only way he could have done it that fast with so much pressure on him."

Kenjo instantly went for a punch with Lee doing the same. They nailed each other in the face hard sending the other flying. Both crashed into walls cracking them with their bodies. They slid to their butts as the Eight Gates and Blitzkrieg dispelled. The Genin were unconscious.

"These Mist Shinobi are no joke." Daichi thought.

Hayate looked at them both. "Since both competitors are unable to battle, it's a double knockout. Neither one will move onto the finals."

Kakashi replaced his head band. "Fortunately, the battle ended when it did." He looked at Guy. "If it had gone any further, both boys would be dealing with more than broken bones."

Guy looked at Lee. "You set out to prove yourself a splendid Shinobi. While you may not have won, no one here will forget this match."

Kuma chuckled. "Looks like he just couldn't hack it."

Kanja angrily wheeled around on him. "Hey, my brother gave it his all out there for the village. Unlike you, he actually cares about our home."

Kuma lunged forward grabbing her by the shirt and lifting her a couple of inches off the floor. "I don't want to be lectured! How many times do I need to tell you that?"

Kanja stared him down. "Did you ever think that we lecture you because you need it?"

"I don't need anything from you, Akana, or Kenjo." Kuma retorted.

"Kuma, put her down." Kuma ordered.

Kuma threw her into the wall before walking away. "I don't need anything from the Mist Village, nor do I want anything. Just leave me alone already."

He went to stand by himself as the next match was set displaying Daichi Ryu vs Zaku Abumi.

Zaku chuckled. "Perfect. I'll make quick work of this guy."

Dosu looked at him. "Kin didn't heed my warning, so Zaku definitely won't."

Daichi nodded. "Alright, it's my turn."

"Go for it Daichi." Kakashi stated.

Daichi smiled. "Got it Sensei."

He jumped over the railings and ran to meet Zaku.

Daichi vs Zaku

The two Genin stood across from one another.

"I hope you give me more of a fight than you did my team in the forest." Daichi smiled. "After all, I wish to pay you 10x what you intended to do against them."

Zaku smirked. "You can try, but we both know I'm winning."

"Keep dreaming." Daichi stated.

Hayate looked at them "Begin."

Daichi jumped back and started weaving hand signs while his opponent held out his hands.

Daichi slammed the ground with his palms. "Earth Wall."

Zaku fired off the Jutsu from his arms. "Slicing Sound Wave."

The Jutsu tore through the wall like butter, but Daichi was perfectly fine as he now stood behind Zaku who was shocked to see him there. It was too late as Daichi grabbed him by the back of the throat and placed a kunai over it.

Hayate said, "Daichi Ryu moves onto the third round."

Tower

Daichi stepped back from Zaku, put his kunai away, and started to walk away.

This infuriated the Sound Genin. "No… No! I lost the exact same way!" He pointed his hands at Daichi. "I refuse. I refuse to lose!"

"Slicing Sound Wave." Zaku declared.

All he hit was a section of the arena torn apart by Lee and Kenjo's fight as Daichi appeared behind him once more this time sweeping the legs and punching him hard enough in the face to knock the Shinobi out.

"Sorry about that." Daichi looked to Hayate. "Hope I'm not disqualified."

Hayate nodded. "I saw him attack you, so you're good."

Daichi nodded and walked back up to Team Seven as the Sound Sensei collected him.

Kakashi nodded. "Your son's growing at a fine rate Hagane and Mara."

The screens randomized the next match showing Kanja Yagumi vs Kankuro,

"Kankuro, I want you to forfeit." Gaara stated. "This is starting to bore me."

"Kankuro… you better do as he says." Temari thought.

"It's probably best I saved my techniques for the plan anyways." Kankuro gulped. "Proctor, I withdraw. Please continue to the next match."

Kanja looked at him. "That's not how I wanted to get into the finals."

Hayate nodded. "Very well."

There was only one match left. The screen showed Neji Hyuga vs Hinata Hyuga. Hinata looked at this with a mixture of determination, dread, and hope. Daichi was staring Neji down, Sasuke was confused why Daichi was doing this, and Naruto was oblivious to the situation

"Hinata…" Kakashi thought as he stared at the board.

Neji Hyuga vs Hinata Hyuga

Hinata and Neji came face to face on the main floor. Neji, despite seeming calm, was feeling angry. He was ready for this. That story Shun told him was running through his mind making his blood boil.

"I'm looking forward to showing you your destiny as a failure Hinata." Neji declared

"I'm am not looking forward to this brother." Hinata declared. "Despite that, I will fight."

Naruto was shocked. "Wait, that's Hinata's brother?"

Daichi spoke up. "That's not the case." The remining Genin of Team Seven looked at him. "The Hyuga clan is made up of two branches. The Main and Branch Families. To my knowledge, the Main and Branch aren't on good terms as the Branch is subservient to the Main.

It only got worse after the Hyuga Affair. Neji's father, head of the Branch Family and twin brother to Hinata's father, gave his life to prevent Hiashi's death. The damage was done even though Hiashi has always tried to unite the two family.

Unfortunately, the Hyuga Clan head is not all powerful. They answer to a council of elders that are set in the old ways. It doesn't exactly help that the Branch Family has a mark on their forehead that the Main Family can use to kill or torture them."

Sasuke looked at him. "How are you aware of this but not the Dobe?"

"Hiashi Hyuga was a good friend of my father." Daichi informed. "We get together for tea and discuss clan business. Naturally, I don't have business as I'm not Clan Head of the Fusion Clan until I become Chunin, so we discuss the Hyuga among other clans."

Hayate looked at the Hyugas. "You may begin when ready."

Neji took a deep breath to calm his rising anger and tuned the story out of his mind for the moment. "Before we do this, a word of advice. Hinata, withdraw now. You know you were never meant to be a ninja.

You're to kind and gentle. You seek harmony and avoid conflict. You allow yourself to be easily swayed by others. Admit it. You have no confidence. You feel inferior. It'd have been better for you to remain a Genin."

"You're wrong." Hinata stood firm. "Kakashi Sensei never told me about that rule, and I got the chance to make my own decision. I choose to be here of my own free will because I've learned something from my teammates.

You can have the determination to fight, even fight with those closest to you, yet at the end of the day you can still love them in whatever way you do. That is why, I'm going to stand and fight. I don't back down or go back on my word. That's my Nindo. My Ninja Way."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "Hinata's adopted my Ninja Way as her own." He smiled. "You tell him Hinata! Take Neji down a few pegs!"

Kurenai looked at the former, Hyuga heiress. "You've really grown Hinata. Those elders were wrong to revoke your status."

"Your words mean nothing as a pampered member of the Main Family." Neji firmly stated. "You are a failure and will always be a failure. If you need someone to beat you into the ground and remind you of this fact, I shall oblige."

The Genin made the appropriate hand sign. "Byakugan!"

They got into their proper stances before charging at one another with open palms. Thus, began an intense series of dodging and deflecting each other's Chakra infused strikes.

Hinata saw an opening and began infusing her next strike with water nature. "Now!" She smashed that palm into Neji's chest. "Water Style: Azure Dragon Palm!"

Neji was legitimately shocked as he was hit with a spiraling torrent of water that slammed him clear into the wall behind him.

"That's the way Hinata!" Naruto cheered.

"Not bad, but she's going to need to start getting in Gentle Fist strikes if she hopes to take Neji down." Kakashi thought.

Neji stood up visibly angry. "You got in a lucky move Hinata…"

He didn't get the chance to finish as Hinata had already woven another series of signs and slammed her palms on the ground. "Earth Style: Flying Thrown Stones!"

Small chunks of the stone floor flew into the air before launching at Neji.

With no time to dodged, he spun around casting out Chakra. "Palm Rotation."

The stones collided with the Chakra.

Hinata was shocked. "P-Palm Rotation!?" She became determined. "You really are a prodigy my brother. No instruction from the Main family, yet you've learned such an advanced technique."

Neji was staring Hinata down with a dangerous look.

Shun's stories started to play through his mind while his thoughts mixed in there. "I'm taking her down." Neji became deadly serious. "I'm done playing."

The prodigy rushed forward moving to slam a palm into Hinata's chest. She did the same. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as they hit each other at the same time. Then Hinata coughed up blood while the barest dribble ran from the sides of Neji's mouth.

Neji growled and got into another, familiar stance. "8 Trigrams 64 Palms." Hinata went wide eye as she attempted to jump back, but it was too late. "Not fast enough." He lunged forward and began striking into her. "2 Palms. 4 Palms. 16 Palms. 32 Palms. 64 Palms."

Hinata was sent flying and coughing up more blood before she impacted with the ground.

"Hinata!" Naruto and Daichi shouted worriedly.

Even Sasuke was looking on in shock and anger. This may not be like his situation with his brother, but the simple fact that Hinata's own family was doing this to her. That was enough to earn the Uchiha's anger.

"I've sealed off enough of your Chakra Points, Hinata. You won't be able to unseal them which means you can't continue to fight. Realize now that you are a weak pathetic girl and stay down. Continuing to fight someone out of your league will lead to your death." Neji coldly stated.

Hinata slowly rose to her feet. "I never go back on my word." She was panting as she moved into a different stance with closed fist. "I will defeat you Neji."

Neji sneered. "So be it."

The prodigy charged here, and it became a beat down on Hinata. She was worn and unable to be more than a punching bag. This infuriated Naruto as his eyes became red and his whisker marks more pronounced. Orange Chakra was noticeably pouring forth from him getting everyone's attention. Kakashi immediately placed two hands on Naruto holding him in place.

"Calm down Naruto." Kakashi commanded. "Give Hinata the respect she deserves. She is a Shinobi, not a timid girl. We can't fight her battles for her."

Naruto took deep, calming breathes causing the orange Chakra to cease, but his eyes and remained as they were. Hinata desperately threw punches and palm strikes only for Neji to deflect and dodge the strikes. Eventually, Hinata overextended her hand allowing Neji to strike.

The former heiress was sent skidding along the ground. Hinata covered her mouth as she coughed up blood. Neji wasn't done. He struck his fellow Hyuga with a powerful palm strike in such a way that visible Chakra was seen leaving her back.

Hinata fell over, and Neji drew a kunai aiming at her head before looking at Hayate. "Call the match now."

At this point, his Curse Seal was flaring up as his anger corroded his will and the black markings started to appear. He was gritting his teeth at Hinata's body angrily as the mark continued to aggravate him

Before Hayate could even make a call, Naruto screamed. "HINATA!"

Just like that, his hair turned full on red as demonic red Chakra flared up around him. The Nine Tailed Fox's Chakra had just been compounded with his Technique. It was such a quick change that it caught everyone, including Kakashi, off guard.

That was bad as Naruto laid a powerful elbow into his Sensei's stomach knocking Kakashi against the wall. The knuckle head then jumped down to the first floor and charged Neji who now had purple Chakra flaring up around him.

Neji three the Kunai at Hinata's head before turning his attention to Naruto and rushing to meet him head on. At the same time, every Jonin, except for Kakashi who was moments late due to Naruto's attack and the Sound Sensei, jumped into action.

Akana had cut his hands and quickly wove hand signs before slamming his palms on the ground. "Blood Style: Blood Wave Jutsu!"

A wave of blood rush in moving Hinata's body just enough to the point that the kunai imbedded itself in the young Genin's right side. Guy and Kurenai came in as the female Genin distracted Neji with a Genjutsu depicting Hinata dead.

He was way to overjoyed and filled with power to utilize his Byakugan to see through it. Guy came in delivering a powerful chop on his student's neck knocking him out. Asuma got in the way of Naruto surprising the hyper focused Genin.

He grabbed Naruto and slammed him into the ground. This may have seemed harsh, but it knocked the Genin out stopping his influx of powerful Chakra. The Third Hokage had been ready to jump in from there if things got any more out of hand.

Only now did he breathe a sigh of relief. "If those boys had been at peak strength or not focused on each other, we'd have a problem on our hands."

As for the Genin that remained, they were utterly shocked by what had transpired. Even the insane Genin were shocked to some degree.

Sasuke looked at the scene with wide eyes. "That look in Neji's eyes reminds me of Itachi."

Seeing that was unappealing to the Uchiha.

"There Chakra was cold and dark." Karin thought.

For a good moment, the room was silent as people processed what just happened.

The Third broke this silence. "We need medical Shinobi in here immediately!"

That got things moving as six medical Shinobi came in to attend to the downed Genin. The third then walked up and talked with Hayate.

Once they were done, Hayate announced, "Neji Hyuga is declared the winner. This concludes the Preliminary Exam. Will the remaining winners please come down and we'll explain the Third Exam?"

The Genin watched as Naruto, Hinata, and Neji were taken out of the arena before the winners walked on down.

Arena Main Floor, Some Time Later…

The remaining winners of the preliminary rounds stood before the Hokage, proctors, and Sensei. The other Genin, who hadn't been taken for medical care, stood off to the side.

"Counting the absent Naruto and Neji, we have 6 Leaf Genin, 1 Sand Genin, 2 Mist Genin, and 1 Sound Genin." The Third Hokage tipped his hat down. "Before I explain the final round, the answer to what happened is a Leaf Village S rank secret.

Unfortunately, at this time, I cannot divulge what that was between Naruto and Neji. As for the third round, your battle skills will be put on display. Accordingly, it will begin one month from now. There are multiple reasons why this is the case.

First, we must distribute the proper summons for the final selection. It will take time to distribute all of them, and those wishing to attend will need to make the journey here. Secondly, you all need time to prepare for the battles to come."

"What do you mean?" Kanja asked.

"Up to this point, the battles have been real." The Third stated. "I'm sure you can all attest to this; however, these battles were conducted on the premise that you were fighting an unknown enemy. That's no longer the case. To make the finals fair and just, we're giving you this month to train.

Each of you must embrace the opportunity to practice hard and learn some new tricks because by now everyone here knows your techniques or has a general idea. Using your old, tired tricks is a sure way to lose. Remember, get plenty of rest."

Daichi thought, "It's definitely a good opportunity that I'll have to take full advantage of. I may not have shown everything I have, but I don't think what I have left is going to be enough."

"With that behind us, I'd like to begin winding things up. Before we can bring this exam to a close, there is one more mater we must take care of. In a calm, orderly fashion you will take a slip of paper from the box Anko is holding." The Hokage looked at Guy, "Guy, you will take one of the two remaining numbers from the box for Neji. Naruto will be assigned the remaining number."

"Got it Lord third." Guy stated.

"Everyone stay where you are." Anko ordered. "I'll come to you."

Everyone took a paper.

Ibiki said, "Now, from left to right, tell me the number on your slip."

Daichi said, "5."

"4." Kanja said.

Shikamaru said, "3."

"8." Gaara said.

Sakura said, "6."

"7." Sasuke said.

Guy said, "Neji has 2."

"That means Naruto has 1." Ibiki declared.

The Hokage nodded. "Right, now I will tell you how the final selection tournament is going to work."

"Is that what the numbers are for?" Shikamaru thought. "Drawing lots?"

"Ibiki, you may reveal which ninja have been pared up." The Hokage stated.

Ibiki said, "Yes sir."

The Genin were either shocked or surprised at who they'd be facing.

Naruto vs Neji

Shikamaru vs Kanja

Daichi vs Sakura

Sasuke vs Gaara

Kuma vs Dosu

"Sasuke Uchiha…" Gaara thought.

Shikamaru thought, "I have to fight another woman, troublesome."

"Sakura… Getting a better defense against Genjutsu will be crucial." Daichi thought.

Kanja thought, "If one good thing came from not fighting, it's the fact that my first opponent will have no idea what he's up against. Based on what I saw, taking advantage of this month to learn more will be crucial."

"Looks like a perfect tournament to me." Sasuke thought.

Kuma thought. "Doesn't matter to me who I face because I'll be out of here well before the final tournament."

Dosu thought. "If I take out Gaara and Kuma before the tournament, I get a straight shot at Sasuke."

Shikamaru raised his hand. "May I ask a question?"

"You may." The Hokage replied.

Shikamaru asked, "If this is a tournament, then will there be only one winner? Does that mean only one of us gets to be a Chunin?"

"Actually, the contrary is true. There are going to be several judges in the final round including myself, the Kazekage, and the Mizukage. Throughout this tournament, the judges will observe you closely. They will say if any or all of you possess the qualities of a Chunin." The Hokage explained. "Now, we shall adjourn until next month."