AN: Finally made it to the day of the tournament itself.

As stated before, but a lot of the Canon changes had been kept fairly understated up to this point in the fic. However, this chapter is really going to start showing the ripples as the characters that have only been mentioned before start to get introduced. I'd say this will also see the story kind of ramp up as the second phase begins. Everything before now was more or less just the set-up.

So with that, here we go.


Obito

Chapter 6 - The Great Fight


Today was finally it.

The day of the Final Exam of the Chunin Promotion Exams was finally upon us.

After our fight and subsequent reconciliation, Naruto and I had jumped right back into training the next day. He had already successfully performed the Fire Flower Jutsu before that, so from there it was just getting the Jutsu up to actual combat-use levels of proficiency. This meant being able to perform the Jutsu under a multitude of scenarios and under any kind of pressure.

It wasn't just us, but Gai and Lee had returned to help continue with that training. Naruto and I both apologized to them for the awkward scene we made after the last time, but neither of them really seemed to mind. Apparently students and teachers fought sometimes. They said it had happened to them before too, so not to worry about it. Honestly, hearing that even they weren't somehow above such things really helped. It made me realize I was just going through the same steps as everyone else.

Having a Taijutsu master like Gai around helped immensely in getting Naruto's hand to hand combat up to snuff. I wasn't shabby at Taijutsu by any means, but I had no idea how to teach it, much less to someone who didn't have the Sharingan to incorporate into their fighting style. It was good practice for Lee too, who had been looking for a way to practice combat against numerous foes simultaneously, so it wasn't like it was just us getting something out of this.

All in all, Kakashi had asked me to buff up Naruto's basics and I could say pretty confidently that I had accomplished that over this past month. Now the two of us, plus Rin and Sakura, walked through a nostalgic training ground to meet with Kakashi and Sasuke before heading to the arena all together.

"Hey, hey! I recognize this place!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, looking at the surrounding forest. "This is where we took the bell test with Kakashi-sensei."

"Heh…" I couldn't exactly hide my surprise to hear Naruto knew this place. "So Kakashi actually made you guys take the bell test too?" In all honesty I thought he might not have made them go through it. Teamwork wasn't exactly a big thing for Kakashi back when we first became Genin. He had always been a mission-first priority kind of guy back then. I suppose deep down and even he had come to change.

The bell test was supposedly the ultimate test of teamwork passed down from the Third Hokage himself who taught it to Master Jiraiya, who taught it to Minato-sensei, who would eventually share it with Kakashi, Rin, and I. Now it would appear Kakashi had passed it onto the next generation.

"Come to think of it, you did mention that you used to be on the same team as Kakashi-sensei." Sakura noted, just now seeming to remember that detail. She had been far more interested in the fact that I was an Uchiha like Sasuke when we were first introduced. "What was he like when you were on a team?"

"Good question…" I wondered aloud, debating how best to describe him.

"In a word, like Sasuke." Rin answered before I could summarize my thoughts. Although part of me wondered if the answer was to pick on Sakura, as she certainly seemed to get a kick out of the bitter expression the younger girl made upon hearing such an answer.

After that, the familiar three stumps of wood came into view. And leaning against them was Kakashi, along with, "Sasuke!" Naruto and Sakura shouted together, running to the teammate they hadn't seen in almost a month. Although he seemed far less thrilled to see them, simply holding up a single arm in greeting.

"You're late again, Obito!" Kakashi meanwhile called out to me, pushing off the stump he had been leaning on to meet us halfway. "Although, I guess it's a good thing Rin is with you, otherwise it might have been much worse."

"Aren't you just early?" I asked, glancing up at the sky to verify that the sun wasn't even all that high yet. We were definitely not what I would call late, which just meant he was messing with me. As it was, we would make it the arena with plenty of time to spare.

"I think he just likes having to wait for you at this point." Rin teased, the three of us all able to share a good laugh together for the first time in what was literal years. As the three of us got caught up, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura did the same.

Looking at them and I was reminded again in how many ways the three of them were just like the three of us. Perhaps the biggest difference was they had been lucky enough to be born during a time of relative peace and stability. I just really hoped for their sake that it remained this way for a while yet to come. If not forever.

Sasuke seemed to notice me looking over at them and shared a nod in my direction. It was about the only greeting I got from him, but I couldn't say it was too surprising. He and I had never been close and like with Naruto, he had been fairly young when I left the village with Master Jiraiya. At least he seemed to actually remember me.

"So how was it? Training Naruto, that is." Kakashi asked, breaking me from my thoughts. He had been following my gaze over to his three students and while it was hard to tell behind that mask of his, I was pretty sure he was giving me some kind of knowing smile.

"Hmph," I folded my arms and smirked confidently back at my long-term rival and friend. "Let's just say he might surprise you today during his match."

"That so?" Kakashi asked, not appearing all that impressed by my claim. "Well if that's really true, then I'll have to thank you later. You'll have saved me quite a bit of trouble with that one." It was when Kakashi said that in which reality finally hit me. I wasn't going to be Naruto's instructor after this. This was only natural, of course. Kakashi was still his Jonin-sensei and I had simply been filling in temporarily to help for these exams. Yet somewhere along the way I had forgotten this simple truth.

It really shouldn't have been anything to be disappointed about. Yet somehow I felt kind of… empty. Like the whole reason I came back was being taken away from me. It had been the only thing I had really done this past month, after all. Once these exams were over and Jiraiya returned from hunting down the red-haired man, it was very possible I was going to have to leave the village again.

This was another obvious statement and when I had first returned to the Leaf it had been something I was only all but looking forward to. Yet now… did I really want to leave again? After finally reconnecting with my old classmates? With Rin?

"Hey, Obito." As always, Rin seemed to know what I was thinking, grabbing my elbow in her arm and smiling up at me. "You can keep coming around to have dinner with us. That offer to stay over whenever still stands too." Unlike before, when that offer had only caused me distress, it served to help still my heart this time. Hearing that my place here in the Leaf wasn't necessarily just going to disappear was exactly what I needed.

I would have to think about what to say to Jiraiya, but for now I needed to focus on other things at the moment. Such as the tournament and my role assisting the Hokage throughout it.

"Thank you, Rin." I smiled at her, letting her know I was genuinely thinking about her offer this time and not just trying to deflect like before. Even without words she understood me. As expected of my childhood friend.

"Anyways, shall we go?" Kakashi thankfully wasn't even paying attention to us, turning to go get his team to hurry them along. It was strange, seeing him act like a teacher in the same way Minato-sensei used to do for us. Yet it also somehow felt right that things had turned out this way. He had been our captain once too, so it made sense he was the one to guide them. Also, he was right about us needing to get a move on.

The six of us then set out to the tournament arena together.


Interlude


Uzumaki Nagato slowly opened his eyes.

As he did, he briefly wondered if this was a dream. It certainly couldn't be reality. That was what anyone would think upon waking up to find that they were inside the stomach of some animal. Yet he had to accept this as reality.

"Jiraiya-sensei… huh?" He wondered aloud. As he tried to move his arms and legs, he found them stuck to the walls, unable to get free.

"Oh, so it really is you, eh? Nagato." The disembodied voice of his one-time teacher came from all around him. "I must admit, you've come to faster than I expected, but that's okay. I have questions for you."

"Is this how you plan to question your old student?" Nagato's voice was full of mirth. "By knocking them out and trapping them inside one of your toads?" Try as he might, he couldn't remember how he got here in the first place. Just where had his old master even managed to attack him from and at what timing?

The last thing he remembered was waking up the day of the tournament and setting out to meet with Yahiko and Konan. Although, if he thought about it, maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise that Jiraiya had discovered him. It was because of that one-eyed Uchiha man. Nagato didn't know his name, but he had felt his gaze. It must have been him that reported to Jiraiya. Even if he hadn't known Nagato's true identity, of course his former teacher would realize it.

"You're right. It's not very polite of me, now is it." Jiraiya laughed, as if telling some kind of joke. He hadn't changed at all from the time he used to mentor them. "Sorry, but I can't be too cautious, you know? Not until I figure out your motives. What are you doing in the Hidden Leaf, Nagato? No… before that, what are you doing alive?"

"Hmph." Nagato smirked, not the least bit worried despite his precarious situation. "Why am I here, Sensei? I was invited." He ignored Jiraiya's second question completely. "I came to watch my student, a Genin of the Rain, fight in the Chunin Exams. The Leaf and Rain are allies now, are we not? So it's only natural that we would be here in a show of support for that treaty."

"...I see now. So that's what's going on in the Hidden Rain." Despite Nagato having said nothing about the current state of their village, Jiraiya had somehow gleaned some information from him. "So I take it Hanzo is dead… and you're in charge now?"

"Close, but wrong." Nagato chuckled to himself. "If you really think I would be in charge, you really have forgotten about us, Sensei." No, there was someone far more capable of running the village than Nagato. And he would do everything he could to make sure that man stayed in power now that they had finally obtained peace. Which is why he couldn't stay here.

"Really, then why don't we catch up for a while? You can remind me of some of the things it seems I've forgotten." Jiraiya finally showed himself, molding out from the very wall across from Nagato. "You and I can take as long as we need."

"No, that won't be necessary." The parts of the wall holding Nagato's hands and feet suddenly burst open, spraying hunks of innards and blood flying in every direction.

"What!?" Jiraiya yelled, jumping backwards.

Nagato looked up, revealing his Rinnegan eyes. The eyes he had kept hidden until now at all costs. "I'm not the same weakling as I was when you last left us, Sensei. Through pain, I've learned to use the true power of my eyes. And now…" He extended an open palm threateningly.

"It's time you learn a little about that pain."


Interlude - End


As we walked through the streets of the Leaf Village, I got the sense that we were truly now in the calm before the storm.

The festive atmosphere of this past month had slipped away overnight, replaced now by quiet anticipation. It was a palpable enough feeling to even affect Naruto, who along with Sasuke had grown rather sullen as we made our way. Only Sakura was doing her best to ignore it, trying numerous times to strike up a conversation with Sasuke to no avail. This continued our whole way to the tournament grounds, until Sasuke finally perked up. Sakura looked relieved for a moment, as if she had finally gotten through to him. Only for a single word to bring those expectations crashing back down.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke said, spotting his big brother among the crowds of people making their way into the arena. Itachi was waiting for him alongside Izumi, the two of them just to the right of the entrance. Upon seeing them, Sasuke went racing off, leaving the rest of us behind.

Sakura looked to start chasing after him, but Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head when she looked up at him. "It's about time we went our separate ways. You can come sit with Rin and I, if you want." He said, actually sounding oddly compassionate to her plight. I didn't know he had it in him. Sakura looked to consider his offer for several seconds before finally nodding and turning to Naruto.

"Do your best." Sakura said, surprisingly her teammate. "I'm rooting for you too, so don't forget it!" She reached forward, bumping his chest with her fist.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto mumbled, seemingly in shock. That only lasted a minute before he broke out in a huge grin. "You got it! I'm gonna win this whole thing, y'know!" The laugh that followed was painfully forced, but it seemed to be enough to fool his teammate.

"You take care of Hokage-sama, Obito." Kakashi said to me as this all happened. I merely grumbled an agreement, reaching forward to shake his hand. It wasn't that I hated the idea of watching from what was essentially the best seat in the house. It was also an honor to be selected by the Hokage personally as his guard for this event. I guess… I just also wanted to watch with my friends. To be able to cheer on Naruto and Sasuke all together.

"I'll see the both of you after this is done." Rin was the last to say her goodbyes to us, rubbing Naruto's head affectionately and briefly taking my hand in hers. She seemed to linger an extra second longer too, before the three of them set out to join the crowds going into the spectator entrance of the arena.

With that it was just Naruto and I now.

"Come on." I told him, nodding my head away from the crowds. "I'll walk you as far as the combatant entrance." Despite his earlier enthusiasm just now in front of Sakura, he couldn't maintain the confident facade any longer and merely nodded along to my suggestion. I didn't say anything more for several minutes, merely walking silently with him until we were significantly away from any crowds and out of earshot from any nosey passersby.

"I never expected you to be one for the jitters." I teased him, glancing down out of the corner of one eye for a reaction. Even that only garnered a more subdued response, however, Naruto simply giving a dull shrug instead of throwing some kind of contrary remark back in my face. "Alright," I sighed, crouching down in front of him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What's up? Being nervous before a battle is one thing, but for you to take it this far. Something must really be getting under your skin."

"It's just…" Naruto started to say, but paused. I almost think he was embarrassed, eyes darting back and forth to make good and sure no one else was listening in. "What if I freeze up again? Like what happened with Gaara that night?" Now I got it. Despite that incident having been a couple weeks ago now, it really did have a lingering effect on him. Which is something I couldn't really blame him for. Although I did have an idea how to help.

"You're strong, so you won't freeze up again." I told him plainly. Just like that and with confidence. As if I could look into the future and had already seen it with my own eye.

"How can you be so sure?" Naruto yelled, still refusing to look at me and only staring at the ground. "That guy is just like me, y'know."

"You and that guy are nothing alike." I said immediately and with such force it shocked him. Naruto finally turned to look up at me, blue eyes shimmering with fear… but also hope. "You're stronger than he is. I don't know what kinda Tailed Beast he has inside him, but you have the strongest of them all sealed inside you. And you keep it at bay every single day. While he can't even control his own. From just that alone, I know you are the stronger between you two." It really was a lot more complicated than that. Such as the type of seal used and the mental condition of the host playing important roles, but Naruto didn't need to hear any of that. What he needed was a boost.

So I gave him the most encouraging smile I could. "If even all that isn't enough, just remember that I can teleport. I was able to save you last time and I didn't even know where you were. This time, I'll be watching. So fight without holding back. If for whatever reason that ends up not being enough, I'll bail you out. You're the future Hokage, after all. And as your senior I can't let anything happen to you."

"..." Naruto gaped, mouth opening and closing but no words came out. Even without words, however, I could see the light slowly return to his eyes and his sagging shoulders relaxed. Finally, he broke out in a smile to match my own. Not a forced one this time. "Thanks, Obito-senpai!" That was all he said, but it was enough.

"That's more like it." I nodded once more to him and stood up. "Now let's go." The two of us then entered into the hallway leading him to the arena floor.

As we reached the end, several other competitors came into view standing out in the view of the crowds. I also noticed another former classmate of mine, Shiranui Genma, standing among them. It would appear he was the proctor selected to replace Hayate. The arena itself was a fairly large grassy area, only a small pocket of trees planted around its outer edges. Tall walls surrounded the whole thing and to our right, above those walls were the audience stands.

As expected, but the seats were filling up quickly and even from here the full roar of people's casual chatter could be heard. No doubt all kinds of predictions and wagers were being made right now as everyone began anticipating how the matches would go from here. Assuming everything went smoothly, of course.

Above the stands was a building further. It was there I would be standing, on a balcony with five seats set out for the Hokage and the four leaders of the other villages who would be in attendance. As my one eye wandered up to that area, I saw the Hokage himself enter onto said balcony. "Looks like it's time for me to go." I mumbled under my breath.

Naruto didn't seem to hear me, suddenly shouting for a friend he spotted hanging out around Genma. I quickly glanced that way to see Asuma's student had already arrived. Poor guy must have been dragged here extra early by his teacher. It was good for Naruto though, who was already running to see him. At the very least, it would appear his energy and confidence were back. That much was a relief for me, because it meant I could go do my own duties without having to worry about his mental state.

Glancing back and forth, I confirmed no one was looking before activating my Mangekyo Sharingan. The world twisted away, being replaced by the sight of the Hokage walking up to me. "Hokage-sama." I greeted him, bowing my head. While looking down, I took the chance to observe the stadium from a high vantage point. Naruto and the others were the size of miniature toys from up here, the whole arena looking more like a playset now.

"Obito, so you've arrived." The Hokage greeted me casually, not the least bit surprised by my sudden appearance in front of him. Of course, it hadn't been my intention to catch him by surprise, but very few people were used to me just popping up in front of them by tearing a hole in space-time.

"Yes, but before that…" I said, looking behind the Hokage and his noticeably exposed back. "Why didn't you bring any guards with you? At the very least you could have waited for me at the Hokage Tower. I would have escorted you here had I known you planned to come otherwise unattended."

My concern was met with a deep laughter. "There's no need for things like that." The Hokage waved it off and took his seat directly in the middle of the placed chairs. He looked to move for his pipe but stopped himself. Either he didn't have it on him or was trying not to smoke in public, I wasn't sure, but he clearly seemed to miss it. "Besides, I recall your constant tardiness when you were a Genin. If I had waited for you, we would have both been late." So to make up for that, he started bringing up unnecessary memories at my expense.

"Why is that the only thing everyone seems to remember about me?" I grumbled, but couldn't help the small smirk. He ignored my rhetorical question and so I took my spot directly to the back left of his chair, the two of us now in position to receive his guests. This would be my first time meeting any of the leaders. Let alone another member of the Gokage. Whether I felt I was mentally prepared for it or not, however, they were here.

With the Hokage having taken his seat and the games nearly about to begin, the other high ranking guests were slowly ushered onto the balcony to be able to take their own seats. This started with the highest ranking official from the lands, which meant one of the Gokage was next and would take the seat to the right of the Hokage. The only one of the Five Great Nations we were currently in an alliance with was the Land of Wind and so that meant the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand would be the only other one of the five in attendance.

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, approached us from the right. To his side was a man I recognized by the name of Baki. I knew him because he was the one officially signed on the records as being Gaara's Jonin-sensei.

"Ah, Kazekage-dono!" The Hokage rose from his seat, extending his hand to the chair next to him as a gesture to sit. "Thank you for taking the time to come all the way to our village. I do hope you'll enjoy the matches today." As expected of one of his title, but the conduct of his speech was of the utmost cordiality.

"Likewise, Hokage-sama." The Kazekage returned the polite speech, taking his seat next to the Hokage who then took his own. Baki and I merely nodded silently at one another, acknowledging each other's presence but also silently sizing the other up. Normally such niceties would end there, but the Kazekage himself seemed to take an interest in me, turning his head back to scrutinize my face for himself. "You are…" He spoke, some form of realization seemingly dawning on him.

I felt myself tense slightly under his hard gaze, waiting for whatever words might come next. Was it possible he had seen me that night? If my information was correct, Gaara was his own flesh and blood son. And while it may have been in self-defense, it was an undeniable truth that I had attacked him with my strongest Katon Jutsu that night. My worries amounted to nothing thankfully as he continued. "...Certainly Uchiha Obito. The one who gave the hero of Kannabi Bridge, Hatake Kakashi, his Sharingan eye."

This was the unfortunate truth of my existence. I was more well-known for the deeds performed by Kakashi who used my left eye rather than any actual accomplishments of my own. It couldn't be helped, however. The fact that I could use Mokuton Jutsu and my awakened Mangekyo Sharingan were closely guarded village secrets. That didn't mean it wasn't sometimes a little frustrating though. Even so, I couldn't allow this to show on my face and so simply smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.

Having verified this information, the Kazekage let out a low laugh. "It would appear I'm being underestimated. If you were going to have a guard, would it not be better to have the Copy-ninja himself?" The Kazekage said, speaking directly to the Third again. "Of course, while you are still young, I can only imagine the strain an actual battle would put on you."

For his part, the Hokage merely chuckled to himself. Neither he nor I could say anything directly to such insults of my ability. "I don't plan to have to fight today or anymore for some time… but you would do well not to think so little of the original owner of the Copy-ninja's eye." Or so I thought, but the Hokage's words were far more direct and aggressive than I expected him to be.

Nothing more than that could be said, as the next guest was walking towards us from the left. After the Kazekage, the other three village leaders all shared the same rank. So the order in which they would be brought out and sat was based on the length of time they had been in alliance with the Hidden Leaf. The Hidden Rain was our longest standing alliance, a treaty having been formed after the the Second Shinobi World War.

For a long time it was Hanzo the Salamander who had been the leader of the Hidden Rain. He was the man strong enough to fight my Master and his two teammates to a stalemate single handedly and had been the one to give them their moniker. All present information gathered by Jiraiya and myself would have indicated that he was still the leader. Yet it was a younger man, perhaps the age Minato-sensei would be now, that approached us. Next to him was a woman of about the same age, a peculiar rose made of paper decorating her blue hair.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my name is Yahiko and this is Konan." The man greeted us, bowing respectfully to the Hokage who had yet to rise from his chair. "I apologize for the recent secrecy surrounding our village, but as perhaps you understand, transitions of power are not always… easy." That was one way to word a likely coup d'etat. Still, this guy couldn't be no slouch to have potentially done in Hanzo. Another one to be careful of. "Out of respect for the alliance, we have decided to finally show ourselves and hope we can continue relations as they used to be between our two villages."

He seemed earnest enough. At the very least his words were polite and the fact they showed themselves at all implied some sense of normalcy had returned to the Rain and they were looking to once more come back out into the world. Although the appearance of that red-haired man still troubled me and lingered at the back of my mind. I never had heard from Jiraiya after he said he was going to take care of that personally. I just hoped everything was alright. Any kind of conflict between them could potentially ruin the effort this man called Yahiko was putting forward now.

The Hokage for his part smiled. "I am always open to a dialogue between villages. Now please, have a seat and let's all enjoy these matches together." He gestured for Yahiko to take a seat. The man nodded in appreciation and took his place to the left of the Hokage.

Konan took up her spot behind him and again she and I began to size one another up. I was starting to not like this, being the one directly in the center of this gathering. Having only my right eye made this especially troublesome, as I was essentially entirely blind to the left without obviously turning my head.

The surprises kept coming as to our right the leader of the Hidden Waterfall approached. Again, it was a different leader than what our information would suggest, but unlike with the case of Yahiko, it was a much older existence that had taken the role. One older than the Third Hokage even, despite the fact that you wouldn't think so going by his appearance alone.

"It has been a long time, Hiruzen." Kakuzu greeted as if speaking with an old friend. Just behind him was the man who was supposed to be the leader, Shibuki, who had apparently stepped down for whatever reason and was now just the guard.

"Kakuzu…" Even the Hokage appeared surprised, which was quite rare for someone as veteran as himself. No one could fault him in this case. Kakuzu was supposedly a Missing Ninja according to the bingo book and had been on the run from his village since before the Third even took the position of Hokage. Yet here he was now, its supposed leader.

"No need to be so surprised." Kakuzu didn't wait to be offered a seat, merely taking his place next to the Kazekage. "It turns out running a Shinobi village is quite profitable. So I simply returned to the place I was meant to be. Waterfall has been suffering for manpower lately too, so they were all too glad to have me back. Isn't that right, Shibuki?" He asked of his underling.

"Yes, Kakuzu-sama." Shibuki merely bowed his head in a docile manner. It was hard to tell for sure, but I got the distinct impression he was on the verge of tears.

Still, it wasn't our place to say anything about the affairs of another village and so the Hokage merely nodded in acceptance to his presence. He had come here peacefully so far. So despite being a former Missing Ninja, maybe he really had come to change his ways? Again, I felt that pressure I once had. Just like before the Uchiha incident. Something here wasn't quite right. There were too many unknown variables stacking up all at once and it made me uncomfortable.

All of those variables were nothing in the face of the last one, however. The latest and most recent village to join our alliance that was being represented in these matches today: The Hidden Sound Village. A possible front for Orochimaru's schemes, or at the very least a village that had joined hands with the snake in some way. Their leader was the last to approach, once again from the left.

A woman with long black hair, chubby cheeks and the most off-putting smile I had ever seen approached us. Her purple eyes were like poison, her whole existence causing my skin to crawl and immediately putting me on guard. Despite being the most physically non-intimidating presence here, she was the one I was most weary of. Next to her was an incredibly pale white-haired man, two red dots just above his eyes being his otherwise most defining characteristic.

"Good day to you, My Lords." The woman greeted us, voice dripping with honey. "My name is Mumei; The leader of The Hidden Sound Village and this is my guard, Kimimaro." She gestured to the pale man. "I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you all for allowing me to join in this alliance with you. I hope we can continue to help one another out from this point forward." She bowed deeply, black hair falling in front of her face to hide whatever nasty expression it was she was now making.

No one, not even the Hokage returned her greeting, merely continuing to stare at her and her guard as if sizing her up; the same as I was doing. If the silence bothered her, she did not mind and simply took her seat next to Yahiko. The whole time smiling that sickly, forced smile. To my right, Konan also noticeably tensed up, having these newcomers being the closest to her and her master.

My gaze must have caught her attention, because she silently turned back to me and a quick nod of understanding was shared between us. Like it or not, I was left with slim pickings for actual allies up here. Despite the fact we were all supposedly in an alliance. Among all these figures and despite being new faces themselves, Yahiko and Konan gave me the best impression. It was just a gut feeling, but if Jiraiya were here he would tell me to trust that instinct.

"Alright." The Hokage said, bringing my attention back to him as he rose from his seat and took a couple steps towards the railing at the edge of the balcony. "Now that we're all here, shall we get started then?" It was a rhetorical question and he didn't wait for an answer from any of them, sucking in a deep breath and then booming out with a voice you wouldn't believe wasn't being amplified by some Jutsu.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming out to the Chunin Exams hosted today in the Hidden Leaf Village." It was incredible, the once constant ruckus from below was suddenly silenced. Every single person in attendance now gave the Hokage their complete and undivided attention. For a single man to have such power in just his voice alone… even now, time and again; I was in awe of Sarutobi Hiruzen as a person.

"We shall now begin the main matches between the eight contestants who passed the preliminary round." He continued. My Sharingan eye turned down to see all eight of the young Genin standing proudly in representation of their village. Naruto stood beside Shikamaru and Sasuke, Shino not far from them. It was this half of the group that made up the Leaf's representatives.

To the other side, was a single Shinobi each from the Sand, Rain, Waterfall, and Sound. Those four formed their kind of own group, not that there was much choice. Individually, they were outnumbered by the Leaf Genin. Which was also why the matches had been purposely set up with one Leaf Genin against one of the members from a foreign nation.

"Please enjoy the fights." The Hokage finished, returning to his seat. On the floor of the arena, Genma began giving instructions to the eight gathered Genin. His back was turned to me, so it was impossible to read his lips from here, but it was no doubt standard information anyways. Such as rules for the matches and where they would be directed while it wasn't their turn to fight and such.

Finally, he seemed to finish and six of the Genin began to shuffle their way off the field. Leaving just behind Uzumaki Naruto and Ajisai. The two combatants of the official first match of the tournament.

While our first strategy meeting had been interrupted by the arrival of Gai and Lee, the two of us had managed to finish going over his tactics for his fights at a later date. There was no fight we put in more work than this first one. Ajisai didn't seem to be a particularly powerful opponent compared to what he might have to face later, but she wasn't someone to just be underestimated either. Especially considering she would also be taking this first round the most seriously.

The very nature of the Chunin Exams meant you had to put it all on the line in the opening bout. After all, winning and losing were ultimately irrelevant to whether or not you would receive a promotion or not. It was just about your performance, which meant this first fight might be your only chance to show your stuff to the higher-ups.

Of course, there were also some things you shouldn't be showing off for everyone to see. For example, Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki wasn't something we exactly just wanted to flaunt. It was already possible he was being targeted as it was, so revealing such information was only going to increase the potential number of people after him for the Tailed Beast within.

Naruto hadn't been thrilled when Rin and I told him he shouldn't rely on its chakra if he absolutely didn't have to. Apparently Rin had been teaching him a little about how to pull it out and use it ever since he was younger. It was an area I didn't have much expertise in, despite having a Sharingan, so I passed on furthering such training myself. That was something better left to another Jinchuriki, like Rin.

Even without such power, I was confident in Naruto's ability to take this fight. He just had to do what he had been doing during our spars; use his head and think on the fly. So long as he was open to being able to adapt to the situation, he should be able to handle himself. Just like what a true Chunin would be expected of doing.

Naruto and his opponent turned to face one another. Genma had already given them space and it looked like the start of the fight was free for the two of them to decide. Now it was just a matter of waiting for who would break first and attack.

"So that's Uzumaki Naruto, huh?" Yahiko asked, leaning forward to better watch the fight. "I've heard a lot about him this past month." My shoulders tensed, wondering exactly what it was he had heard. Even among the civilians of the village, Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki wasn't exactly a carefully guarded secret. To my knowledge that secret had never left the village walls as even they didn't speak about it. "Seems he's not very popular and is considered a bit of a screw-up. I was actually reminded a bit of myself listening to them talk about him. I'm hoping he will be a good adversary for our Ajisai." It would seem that secret would continue to be safe for the moment too.

I turned my eye from the yet-to-begin battle to once again study Yahiko. He claimed Naruto reminded him a bit of himself. That was a feeling I was also very familiar with at this point. Perhaps it was because I had somehow sensed that he and I were similar that I felt okay with trusting them a little? I couldn't say for sure, but it was a start at least.

"No matter what anyone says about him," The Hokage smiled, beaming down at Naruto with pride. "Naruto is a splendid Shinobi of The Hidden Leaf and it is an honor to have him represent our village. Likewise, I am looking forward to how Ajisai will test him and push him to further himself."

Yahiko nodded and said, "I'm glad then. For Ajisai's first opponent to have been someone who overcame so much pain to earn that respect. I look forward to this match." There was something about his wording that slightly put me off, but I wasn't sure what it was. Maybe not the words themselves, but the tone? As if there was some undercurrent of hatred running through him… hatred for what, I wasn't sure. I could tell now this guy was only showing us the surface. There was far more going on underneath than I had originally assumed.

As soon as he finished speaking the battle below began. So for now I pushed all other thoughts aside and turned my Sharingan eye back to the field. I had also been looking forward to this fight. So I wasn't about to miss a second of my student as he put it all on the line.

"Katon: Fire Flower Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, forming the seals and opening the battle with the Jutsu I had taught him. His voice was impossible to hear from all the way down there, but my Sharingan easily allowed me to lip-read without a problem.

"Paper Shuriken Jutsu!" Ajisai returned Naruto's ranged attack with one of her own, throwing a barrage of origami paper folded into the shape of shuriken throwing stars. I immediately studied this new Jutsu, Sharingan eye breaking down the chakra molded into the paper. Like with the Fire Flower Jutsu, it would appear she could manipulate the trajectory of the paper and tucked inside the folded origami were explosive seals.

It would have been a devastating Jutsu, but Naruto seemed to realize how she was manipulating the shuriken and so guided his own fire-encased shuriken to meet those. Each combatant had thrown out ten projectiles. All ten of them collided in the middle, the fire setting off the explosive seals that immediately covered the whole arena and temporarily blocked them both from view.

With the fight temporarily unwatchable, I glanced at Konan once again while I could afford the opportunity. As I thought, the paper rose in her hair was emitting the same type of chakra frequency as the paper that Ajisai had just used. It appeared to be some form of Yang-type manipulation, but at that level it couldn't be easily taught. I imagine there were only a couple users of such a style in the whole world. As I reached this conclusion, Konan glanced over at me and smirked, not at all perturbed by the gaze of my Sharingan.

"That Katon Jutsu was a favorite of the Uchiha during the Second War." She said, no doubt making the connection between my Sharingan and the Jutsu that Naruto had just used. "It would appear this is also a battle against our students." She readily admitted to being the one who taught Ajisai that paper jutsu.

"So it would seem." I agreed with her, turning back to the field. There was no more need to study her Jutsu and I didn't want to risk missing anything further. All the same, I felt the competitive fire inside me burn just a little more brightly. Even more than before, I wanted Naruto to show the results of our training.

Several more explosions rang out, kicking up further smoke and dust. Yet within it all I could make out several things. It would seem Naruto had already pulled out his clones and was sending them out en masse to surround the enemy. There was something else moving within the smoke that I couldn't make out, but they appeared quite large whatever they were. And they were halting the advance of Naruto and his clones.

Finally the smoke cleared enough to reveal over a hundred Naruto clones and three giant animals made of origami. All three of them were easily the size of a small house. One was a bird, currently circling overhead. The second of them was a dog which was currently on the offensive, ripping through Naruto's clones like he was the one made of paper. The last one appeared to be a salamander and for now it had just taken a defensive position, wrapping its body and tail around Ajisai to protect her from any potential attacks.

"Katon: Fire Flower Jutsu!" Several of the clones unleashed a blaze of fireballs at the salamander. It was in this moment that the paper-bird circling above flapped its wings, generating powerful gusts of wind that immediately put out the flames, exposing the Shuriken hidden within. The tail of the paper-salamander then slapped those shuriken away, making the attack all but worthless. As this went on, the paper-dog continued to maul its way through the wall of Narutos, just now taking out the ones that had unleashed the Katon Jutsu.

It was a fearful combination. Combining an aerial and ground-based offensive with a solid defense all at the same time. As it was, I didn't see how Naruto was going to get out of this without more firepower than what he was currently generating. He needed a bigger Jutsu. Or at the very least a distraction big enough to get within guard of that salamander.

"You ready to give up yet?" Ajisai seemed to realize Naruto was about to be beaten too.

"In your dreams!" Several of the Narutos shouted at the same time. They were immediately ripped apart by the paper-dog. The whole display caused Ajisai to let out a big sigh before glaring at whichever Naruto was closest to her.

"You Leaf Shinobi are all the same." She spit out darkly. "So carefree and happy-go-lucky. It honestly makes me sick. Seeing you live the way you do after piggybacking off of the wealth of poorer nations like mine."

"The hell are you talking about?" Naruto asked, busy running around and preparing the seals for another Katon Jutsu, aiming to take down the paper-dog this time. The moment he unleashed it and the paper-bird immediately put the flames out again. The shuriken hit their mark and just stuck to it worthlessly, the origami creature incapable of feeling any pain.

"You seriously mean you don't know about how your village and others ravaged across our lands in the last couple wars?" His ignorance on the matter only seemed to anger her further, Ajisai leaning on the paper tail of the salamander to yell at him. "Your careless actions made generations of my people suffer!"

"Beats me!" Naruto yelled, that clone barely dodging a swipe from the paper dog by rolling underneath it. He was then immediately crushed by a whip of its tail. "If you really care so much about something like that though, I'll work on making it up to you one day!" Another nearby clone continued where the last had left off, jumping up on the back of the rampaging origami creature and stabbing at it with a kunai.

"How do you plan to do that?" Ajisai scoffed at the clone that was obliterated when the dog rolled over, crushing it along with a dozen other Naruto's in the process. "You can't even do anything against my Origami Beast Jutsu!"

"It'll be easy." Aside from a couple stranglers here and there, there was only one conglomerate of about twenty Narutos all stacked up together in one group left. "I'm the man who is gonna become Hokage, y'know!" They all declared confidently and loud enough to even be heard by those of us in the upper balcony.

"I've had enough of your nonsense." In contrast, Ajisai seemed to be done with the conversation, whispering quietly to herself. "The real you is obviously in that crowd. This battle ends now." The paper-dog leapt in the air, coming crashing down on the twenty or so Naruto's and flattening them out of existence. "...What?"

If the original had been there, the remaining Naruto clones should have also burst into smoke after taking such a devastating blow. Yet the four or so clones that had fanned out over the arena were still there. Meaning it had to be assumed one of those four was the real Naruto.

"It doesn't matter. Your situation hasn't changed." Ajisai thought as much at least. What she failed to see, however, that was clearly apparent from my angle, was the man-sized hole in the ground below where the paper-dog had just belly-flopped.

The real Naruto was burrowing! I realized now why he had kept his clones so conspicuously gathered like that, as it had been to hide what the real one was doing. It had to be the original because there was no way a clone could withstand the effort needed to forcibly claw your way through the earth as Naruto had to be doing. All for the single purpose of getting between Ajisai and her paper-salamander.

Ajisai never realized her mistake, eyes still tracking the remaining visible Naruto as her faithful origami dog hunted them down. It destroyed two of them, leaving just two left. As it zeroed in on the third one and wiped it out, leaving only the last one was when the real Naruto reached his destination.

"Wha-" Ajisai must have heard him just seconds before he broke through, looking down too late. Naruto broke through the dirt, a confident smile splitting his mud-covered face and hands already in the tiger sign.

"Hidden Leaf's Secret Taijutsu!" He called out the name of his technique. One I hadn't heard of before. Had Gai secretly taught him some kind of forbidden Taijutsu? Whatever I thought I was about to witness didn't prepare me for the disappointing truth. "Thousand Years of Death!" The disappointment of watching my young student shoving his fingers up the butt of his female opponent.

"Kyahhh!" Ajisai screamed at the top of her lungs, jumping literally fifteen meters into the air, either of her own volition to get away from the jutsu or just out of reflex. I had no idea which.

"Pyuhahaha!" Yahiko broke out in a fit of laughter, unable to contain himself. Konan didn't seem to share in his humor, staring at me with such an intense gaze I thought I might be liquified on the spot.

"Obito… is this what you've been teaching Naruto?" Even the Hokage had to ask, pulling his ceremonial hat down so he didn't have to watch any further.

"Like hell I taught him that!" I momentarily forgot my station and yelled out in indignation. "That kinda technique is definitely Kakashi's work! I have nothing to do with this!" Although I couldn't deny, going underneath the opponent in that way to get them like that had been exactly what he tried with me the day I decided he was ready to start learning strategy. Had I unknowingly influenced him to think like this?

"It would appear his attack isn't over." The Kazekage, unlike the rest of us, hadn't turned his attention away from the battlefield. "He knew he couldn't land the finishing blow coming up from below like that. So he's put her in a position where she can't guard anymore. The real conclusion is about to come."

"Katon: Fire Flower Jutsu!" Naruto's clone yelled. It was just as the Kazekage said, the last Naruto clone unleashing his Jutsu and attacking the now exposed Ajisai who was suspended in the air. None of her origami creatures were close enough to save her. But they didn't need to be, the bird flapping its wings to extinguish the flames surrounding the shuriken. Only this time they didn't go out.

"Wha- '' Ajisai for the second time didn't get to finish that exclamation. The flaming Shuriken all burst into smoke, revealing ten more Naruto clones that were flying right for her. It was at that moment I understood. Naruto hadn't actually used the Fire Flower Jutsu. He merely made it look like he had, because he knew Ajisai was going to be focused on putting out those flames. This had cost her the valuable couple seconds needed to prepare a counter-attack and the shuriken had simply been Naruto clones that had used the Transformation Jutsu in order to get in close.

"U- zu- ma- ki!" Naruto began calling out his name, with each syllable one of the clones striking Ajisai with a powerful blow. She managed to block the first couple, but was quickly overwhelmed by the pure numbers that had gotten in close. "Naruto Barrage!" All the clones called together, delivering powerful kicks that sent Ajisai flying to the ground below. It was a technique inspired by watching Lee unleash something similar on his own clones. While he couldn't produce the same power individually as Lee could, his clones together more than made up for that. Although he wasn't getting any points for his naming sense.

Ajisai hit the ground headfirst and was temporarily covered in the cloud of dust kicked up from the impact. All the Naruto clones weren't far behind, landing nimbly on their feet only seconds later. The real Naruto had been trapped in the tail of the salamander immediately after unleashing his surprise attack, but it along with the other two had frozen in place, waiting on standby for some kind of command from their caster.

When none came, they reverted back to miniature size in bursts of smoke, the bird falling out of the sky. The original Naruto was freed and landed on his feet. He dismissed the rest of his clones and slowly began to approach where Ajisai had landed. It looked like he wanted to call out to her, but as he approached, it became apparent that she was already out cold. Likely from the moment her head hit the ground.

Genma also approached, bending down to inspect Ajisai's condition. He then nodded to someone unseen and a moment later several Medical Ninja with a stretcher began running out onto the field. As they came out, Genma held up his hand, extending it towards my student.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"