After a few more days of rest, in which Sasuke refuted any reason to access his chakra, every passing Genin assembled in the main room of the tower. So, all of the rookies made it… and Samui-chan did, as well, Naruto thought to himself. Damn, I was hoping Gaara's team would somehow get defeated while in the forest, but at least we didn't run into them after coming into contact with Orochimaru.

"Sasuke. Sakura-chan," Naruto called to get his teammates' attention. "No one here is a pushover. Some people, like Samui-chan and Gaara, are incredibly dangerous. I'd just prefer to avoid fighting them at all, honestly."

Kiba gave Naruto a wary look. "What do you know about the Suna ninja?"

Naruto took a peek at them. "The people I mentioned didn't get injured in the forest. Even Sasuke was wounded; the so-called Rookie of the Year and prodigy of the Uchiha clan and Itachi's second coming. I don't know if you care about being promoted— or even surviving, Kiba— but I do."

Sasuke, to his credit, barely twitched as Naruto mentioned his brother. While he didn't want to be compared to that murderer, he knew it was necessary. Keeping his cool in the field was something Kakashi had physically and mentally beaten into his core. Even so, to hear the way Naruto spoke was unnerving; it seemed to convey… fear.

Sasuke shook his head— There's no way someone as stupid as him would be scared of anything. Wave Country and the forest proved that much already. He was more angry than anything. He was angry because… Sasuke nearly choked on the dismay, it felt so tangible. He thinks that Sakura and I might die.

Involuntarily, the curse mark on his neck began to glow as the reality seeped in. This whole time I thought I was protecting him. It's been the other way around, and he knows it. He's so much farther ahead than I am already… Naruto, just what the Hell are you?

"Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far," Hiruzen spoke from the front of the room. "These exams have served the purpose of allowing powerful Genin to advance their careers, but it also stands to show the talent of our newer generations, promoting peace and unity between the nations."

What a bunch of horseshit, Naruto thought with a snort. You can read right through that reasoning; it's full coddlings and appeasements, not true acceptance. When I'm Hokage, I'll have to make sure I don't come off like that.

Inside of Naruto's seal, Kurama laughed to himself, not allowing Naruto to hear it or his words. "You'll see the truth of what you've sown soon enough. As long as there are Indras and Ashuras, there will never be a true peace."

A Jounin coughed and stepped forward. "If you don't mind, I can take it from here, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen nodded at him, and he spoke. "My name is Gekkou Hayate. I'll be the proctor for the third section. Before that can begin, however, it should be noted that there are simply too many contestants still qualifying. Therefore a preliminary round is in order, and the winners of these one-on-one bouts will move onto the final stage. If anyone doesn't feel up to it, then just say so now."

Kabuto raised an arm. "Yeah, I don't think that I can make it through. Sorry guys, but my chakra just isn't strong enough at this point." He gave his team an apologetic smile and stood off to the side. Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

Hayate gave him a nod. "This board will now call out the first set of fighters." The board flashed through names before settling on two.

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akadou Yoroi

Yoroi smirked. "I get the Uchiha? Fantastic."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I suppose it isn't possible to get a stronger opponent…" In his mind, however, Sasuke was slightly worried. No chakra means no Sharingan, no Fireball, no Chidori… I suppose that working on my taijutsu was worth it, then.

Hayate called the match, and Sasuke was instantly put onto the defensive due to his weakened state; Yoroi began swinging wildly at the Uchiha with no pretense of actual skill. Sasuke's foot came up and into Yoroi's chin. Yoroi grasped the foot even as his head was tilted back at an awkward angle. Sasuke's skin paled as he felt his chakra forcibly being extracted. Wha-What is he…?! Sasuke broke free and launched a few shuriken in order to create some space. He glared at Yoroi. A chakra leech, is it? Kind of redundant against me at the moment… Wait, can I force him to absorb the Seal? Sasuke rushed forward, intentionally leaving his marred neck as the only exposed area of his body. Yoroi latched onto it as soon as he was able and began sucking the chakra out through his hand.

Sasuke grit his teeth in pain, but noticed that only the chakra in the seal was being emptied. Yoroi also screamed as his hand and forearm began to darken in color. There! I can mould my chakra again! Sasuke held up a half Ram sign. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" The fireball hit Yoroi in the face, melting through him slightly and making him curl up on the ground. Sasuke huffed. "Call the match, Proctor."

"Winner: Sasuke! Medics!"

Sasuke joined his team. "Sasuke, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't mould any chakra?" Naruto admonished. Sasuke snorted.

"That fool down there could leech chakra from other people. I just goaded him into taking some from the seal. I don't know how long I'll even be able to use chakra, but…"

Kakashi hummed. "I guess I'll be able to seal it now that you've completed your part in the preliminaries. Come on; it won't be too difficult since you managed to disrupt it. An Evil Sealing Method with a Four Trigrams Seal should be fine for this long." Kakashi gave Naruto an eye-smile. "We'll have to be careful, though. We can't see through tall grass, can we?" Kakashi and Sasuke both disappeared, while Naruto's eyes widened.

The next bout was called quickly enough: Kumo no Samui vs. Kinuta Dosu

Samui narrowed her eyes at the opponent whom she hadn't seen in the forest; indeed, he had not a scratch on his person. She hopped down to the fighting arena, followed by him. I suppose if Naruto could take him, then there isn't much cause for worry. Even so, I won't let my guard down. His home is called the Hidden Sound for a reason, I've learned.

"Begin!" Hayate shouted. Dosu raged forward, and Samui hopped to the left, immediately drawing her blade. Electricity danced along the edge, and the kunoichi darted forward to test the waters. The blade was given a longer reach due to the ethereal lightning-natured chakra coursing through it, which Samui used to slice at Dosu's vulnerable parts. Dosu was quick to counterattack, going for a quick uppercut. Samui of course was able to dodge, but soon felt dizzy. Avoiding another blow only served to make the vertigo even worse.

Luckily for the quick-witted woman, she understood the basic nature of the problem before the third blow could be thrown: Those vambraces! She sliced into one of his arms, sending blood and scrap to the ground. Samui twireld and did the same to his other arm.

Dosu growled and jumped back. "I see. So you aren't like the other Genin here. Not only were you capable of powering through my sound jutsu, but you destroyed the source as well. He got into a loose taijutsu stance. "No matter. There are certainly other ways to defeat you."

"Certainly not," Samui corrected, appearing directly behind him and stabbing her tanto into his shoulder. He was effectively tazed and dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"Winner: Samui! Medics!" Hayate called, letting loose a small cough as well.

As a gurney was requisitioned, Samui finally let loose the contents of her stomach before rejoining her team. The field was reset with a minor Earth technique, and the next fight was called.

Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino

Sakura frowned lightly. She hardly cared about beating Ino, but it wouldn't serve as a proper test of how far she'd come since Wave. Orochimaru actually wasn't a fair comparison, either… "Hey Billboard-brow; you don't stand a chance against me, I'm sure you know," Ino taunted. Sakura snorted. She'd put the pig in her place.

Once down in the arena, Hayate called the match. Ino dropped into a sloppy taijutsu stance, while Sakura twirled a kunai. She didn't want to hurt her one-time friend, but humiliation was also a fond thought, so… Sakura tossed the kunai at the wall opposite of Ino, then circled her once. The other kunai was tossed into the opposite wall, and Ino was caught in Sakura's web. "It was simple ninja wire, Ino. And you fell for it. Yield, or… well, you won't like what happens," Sakura threatened.

Ino scowled. "I yield."

"Winner: Sakura!"

Sakura cut the wires and collected her kunai, while Ino returned to the stands dejectedly. "It's okay, Ino-chan. We'll just work harder for next time," Asuma encouraged.

Tenten vs. Sabaku no Temari

This fight was the most entertaining by far; the two girls engaged in a battle befitting of Jounin; however, the key factor at play here was that it was a complete mismatch. While Tenten was formidable with her thrown weapons, Temari could lazily deflect them all with minimal chakra usaged. She was quickly defeated once Temari saw the first opening. "It was to be expected, anyway; weapons didn't get you very far unless they had a special property, case in point the Kirigakure Shinobigatana Nananin Shu, Kumogakure's relics, that accursed Uchiha's fan…" Kurama silently judged within Naruto's head. Naruto couldn't help but agree.

In the next two fights, Shino tricked a genin named Abumi Zaku into defeating himself, and Shikamaru used his Shadow Possession in order to force Kin to forfeit.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba

"Yahoo! We get the dead-last, Akamaru!" Kiba boasted. Akamaru whined piteously.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Listen to the puppy, Kiba. I'm not the Naruto you used to know." Naruto hopped over the edge and walked to the center, unsealing the Executioner's Blade in the process.

As soon as Hayate called the match, Naruto charged forward to engage Kiba, swinging the Executioner's Blade before Kiba could get within unarmed range. Kiba backpedalled away before immediately dropping a smoke pellet. Naruto scoffed lightly, his pupil expanding into the Rinnegan. He peered through the smoke and threw his sword at it, the wide girth of the weapon cutting through the dense fog and nearly bifurcating Kiba. The sword embedded itself into the wall.

Still don't have much in the way of Paths quite yet… subterfuge against an Inuzuka is a decent way to gain experience, though. Naruto discretely made a Shadow Clone, noting that Kiba's senses did not extend to chakra exertion. The clone had been given instructions before he was even formed, so Naruto decided to test the waters a bit.

"I'm still gonna kick your ass into next week, Dead Last! C'mon, Akamaru! Four Legs!" The human-puppy duo jumped him and began spinning in tandem to the point that they resembled a drill, heading right towards Naruto. "Fang Over Fang!"

Naruto held out his hand. "Almighty Push."

Kiba and Akamaru pressed against an unseen force, halting them mere inches away from Naruto's person. They were quickly thrown backwards. Naruto couldn't help but smirk at his luck— they'd landed right on his trap. Ya know, Kurama, I'm glad I have you inside of me. You've done more for me than a lot of other people. Like teaching me seals, for one thing. "Endgame, Kiba. Five Seal Barrier."

It wasn't possible for Kiba to escape this, considering all five sealing tags that Naruto had placed had to be removed at the same time. "What the Hell is this, Naruto!?" Kiba shouted, punching at the barrier only to be blasted backwards. "Hey, this isn't fair!"

"Proctor, please call the match…" Naruto requested. "It isn't possible for one person to escape this barrier." Naruto collected his sword and resealed it.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

After cleaning the battlefield, Naruto returned to his team. Sasuke gave him a smirk. "So, you've finally managed to beat Kiba in a fight, huh? Took you long enough. Even with that victory, though, you aren't beating me."

Naruto smirked back. "We'll see in the finals, bastard. Sakura, you were amazing! You really showed Ino who's boss. Team Seven made it to the finals!"

"Naruto, I hope you don't mind, but I'll be training Sasuke and Sakura-chan without you for a while. Hokage-sama told me that someone has requested to give you specialized training. I think they'll offer you something incredibly useful," Kakashi said.

Naruto, while slightly put off that he wouldn't train with his team, was ecstatic about learning from someone that Hiruzen had approved. "Fine by me, Sensei! Oi, Sasuke, why weren't you copying any techniques in the Forest? That certainly would have helped."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You never used any hand seals, idiot. Oro— the Kusa-nin barely did, either, and the one he did wasn't a jutsu I could copy. How am I supposed to copy techniques without hand seals?"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Of course, heh heh…"

Sakura sighed. "Sometimes, it seems like you're getting smarter, Naruto-kun. Then you say something stupid, and you're back to square one."

Naruto sighed dejectedly. "Sakura thinks I'm stupid… woe is me…"

Hayate coughed gaining everyone's attention. "The next match is between Akimichi Chouji and Kumo no Karui."

Karui grinned and hopped down into the arena. Chouji looked hesitant to compete. "C'mon, Chouji; if you fight, I'll treat you to barbecue later," Asuma encouraged.

Chouji had a fire in his eyes like never before. "Yosh! For barbecue!" He jumped into the arena as well.

Karui unsheathed her long blade. "I'll show you Konoha-nin who the real strongest of the five is: Kumo!"

Hayate called the match.

It happened like this.

Chouji shouted, "Partial Expansion!" His fist was enlarged several times, and he brought it down upon Karui. Karui disappeared in a Body Flicker and reappeared in front of Chouji directly after his fist came down, a clone next to her. Together they delivered a crushing double uppercut to his chin, sending him into the air and cancelling his expansion. One of the Karui's tossed her sister at Chouji, dispelling the airborne one and discharging electricity into Chouji's body. He came down to the ground with a thud, the only movement being an odd twitch.

"Winner: Karui! Medics!"

"Eeh? She won in two moves! And she only used two jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You mean the clone and the lightning jutsu?" Asuma asked. Naruto shook his head.

"That was a Lightning Clone. It works similarly to a Speed Clone, but it's infused with just lightning instead of lightning and wind. When it dispels, it reverts to lightning, electrocuting anything it touches. The Speed Clone is better, but you need to possess Swift Release in order to make any use of it…"

Kurenai cocked her head. "Then what was the second jutsu? And how do you know about the Lightning Clone? I haven't even seen it in the field…"

"The other jutsu she used was a Body Flicker… and I know about the Lightning Clone because I have come across it. Kaka-sensei's started tossing around ninjutsu every now and again during our spars. Keeps us on our toes. I think he just doesn't want to lose, personally…"

Asuma snorted, "Yeah, like Kakashi would be worried about going up against rookie Genin."

Naruto gave him a knowing smirk. "More than you'd know. Now hush; the next match is about to begin."

Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji

Hinata's face paled. Neji smirked and hopped down into the arena. "Oi, oi; Hinata-chan, why're you making a face like that? You were one of the top graduating kunoichi for a reason, ya know? Kick his ass!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata smiled shyly at him. "Naruto-kun…" Her eyes hardened, and she entered the arena.

Neji gave Hinata a condescending staredown. "Hinata-sama, I'm sure you know which of us is fated to win this match. I beseech of you to stand down."

Hinata activated her eyes, the veins on her cheeks pulsing. "Nii-san… I'll never bow to you again. It has nothing to do with fate. I just won't allow you to do as you please anymore."

"Begin," Hayate called. Hinata and Neji immediately shot forward, tossing blows that looked more glancing than anything else. Even still, Naruto could clearly still see the chakra bouncing off of their fingertips.

Huh. So that's the Gentle Fist. It wouldn't hurt to bastardize it even if I can't see Tenketsu like a Hyuuga… Naruto studied their chakra build ups and releases carefully. It wasn't as simple as Sasuke's copying, but it was certainly effective.

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction as he witnessed the skill that Hinata displayed. "She's been holding back quite a bit more than I'd anticipated," he noted. Sasuke and Sakura looked at him, with Sakura vocalizing their shared question.

"You knew she was this strong, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head. "I knew that she'd pulled her punches back in the Academy, but I wasn't certain to what extent. She may have equaled or surpassed Sasuke's taijutsu at one point, though there's no way that that's the case now."

"Hm," Sasuke muttered. "And here I thought she was just weak and timid."

Sakura uncharacteristically snorted. "While being an heiress to a clan? No one would accept that, least of all a clan like hers."

Neji's fingertips brushed over one of Hinata's arms. "Fate put me below you as a mockery to both of us." Hinata hacked blood as Neji continued to speak. "The two of us were born to a pair of twins. Both of a noble house. Yet my father was discarded and branded. Yours was heralded as a God. Why? They were equal!" Another glance made Hinata's ear ring and her mouth droop. "Yet, here you and I are. With me, entering my father's shoes, and you entering yours. The two of us aren't equal. I'm far stronger than you, and far more worthy… but Fate put me below you! Fate made me better than you, but also worse!"

The fight increased in intensity, with Naruto being able to see the chakra in the air even more clearly. Even so, it was obvious that Neji would at some point be the victor. Hinata fought well, but Neji was on another level entirely. Neji's palm came into contact with Hinata's clothed chest, and blood spilled from the clan heiress' lips. She fell to the ground, convulsing heavily.

No one moved for several heartbeats. Then Hinata crawled back to her feet, eliciting a snarl from Neji. "Proctor, call the match. She cannot continue in such a state." He re-entered his stance.

"No… I can still fight…" Hinata moaned, also preparing for another bout. Naruto-kun is watching… for him… for all that he means… Her eyes hardened, even though her vision was blurry from her wounds. I can't give up here. Not until I can't move anymore. And even then…

"I won't stop fighting," she said, her voice clear once more.

Neji growled low in his throat and charged forward, intent on ending it once and for all. Hinata shakily moved to meet him, but in a puff of smoke, she was gone. A few paces away, one could see her being cradled by Naruto, who used his body as a shield in case Neji decided to engage again. His head was turned, with his Rinnegan glinting maliciously at Neji. There was no scowl. There was no grit in his teeth or tremor in his bones. But those cerulean, ringed eyes…

Neji saw the Devil within them.

"Who do you think you are…?" Naruto muttered lowly. His voice seemed to boom, even if it were barely a whisper in the wind.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata muttered, attempting to lift a hand up and touch his face. She was too poorly and faint to manage it, however.

"Is this the treatment of the Main Branch once more? Here, of all places?!" Neji roared into the sky, unable to direct the words at Naruto himself. Not after what I saw in his eyes, he thought. I'll never look in them again.

"She's done nothing to you, Neji," Naruto said with a calm bordering on sociopathic. "I know about the Hyuuga and their branches. Do you know what any other Main Branch member—, no, what a ninja, who is supposed to embody unfairness and any tactical advantage possible— would have done to beat you? They would have used that seal on your forehead."

"Who are you to speak of—!" Neji's next rant was stopped cold by Naruto's calm voice.

"Shut up while I'm talking."

Neji froze involuntarily. Naruto continued. "You know… sometimes I think people are too absorbed in themselves, in their own anger and madness, to truly understand that while the world is cruel… It isn't out to get anyone. We aren't puppeted around on strings. Any excuse for why you hate the Main Branch… is an excuse on why you feel yourself inferior. Hinata is better than you. Not because she's from the Main House… not because you're from the Branch House… but because in her eyes, you're only people. In her eyes, you're only family. And in your eyes, there's an imaginary division."

Hinata's eyes leaked tears as Naruto spoke. He understands… more than Neji-nii does… and Neji-nii is the one with a seal… It was then that she realized something. Two things connected Neji and Naruto. Their eyes, and their seals. No… they've always been the same. With the same burden. Naruto-kun just chose to rise above it.

"Neji… I'm not looking for you to learn from my words. I'm not looking for you to change. The second I saw you try to kill her over something like this… was the second you became not a person to me. I'd better not fight you in the finals." Naruto handed Hinata over to a medic.

"Winner by disqualification: Hyuuga Neji!" Hayate called.

"Neji… I'll show you who defines Fate."

Neji's eyes narrowed as Naruto entered the stands once more. Those eyes mean nothing. He is still beneath my notice.

"Naruto…" Kurama growled. "If you don't learn to control your emotions better, then you'll end up like you did every other time over the course of your lives."

Rock Lee vs. Sabaku no Gaara

"Yosh! The moment I've been waiting for!" Lee shouted as he leaped into the air and landed in the arena. Naruto turned to look at Gaara, only to notice him staring. Naruto stared right back, noticing that Gaara may have been the only person to feel no intimidation from looking him in the eye. Gaara then broke it by Body Flickering into the arena.

"Let the match begin!"

Lee instantly rocketed forward, intent on defeating Gaara as quickly as possible. But Gaara's sand was intensely quick, blocking every shot that Lee took. This pattern continued in a stalemate, with the sand being quick enough to fight Lee of, but not quite quick enough to counterattack. Lee backed of, huffing and looking for an angle.

"Lee! Take them off!" Gai shouted.

Lee took a pair of weights out of his ankle warmers. "Now, just what the Hell are a couple of—" Temari was cut off as the weights impacted against the ground, creating massive craters.

Naruto grinned. "Well, damn. Looks like he wasn't even warmed up yet. And on top of that we use the same style."

Kakashi gave a smile as his team turned to look at him. "Well, I suppose that if Gai had a disciple, I'd go ahead and create one for Lee. It's more of a prank, really. On you. Have fun."

Naruto rolled his eyes before turning back to the bout.

As Lee managed to land a hit, Gaara began moving the sand manually, drastically improving the speed. "Lee! Remember what I said about protecting your comrades!" Gai shouted over the whooshing sounds of Lee's and the sand's movements.

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee acknowledged.

"Well, you can't protect them all without using your full strength!" Gai admonished.

"Hai, Gai-sensei! Then…" Lee responded.

"Full Burst!" Gai responded!

"Now, just what the Hell does he mean—!" Temari was once more cut off when dense chakra rolled off of Lee in spades.

"Gate of Opening: Release!" Lee shouted, blitzing Gaara with even higher strength and intent. His blows began connecting quickly, with Gaara too stunned to respond. "And then! Gate of Healing! Gate of Life! Gate of Pain! Release!" With godspeed, Lee began beating around Gaara like a ragdoll, tearing up the arena like wet paper. The aura was so great that many people had to brace themselves.

Naruto stared wide eyed. He then narrowed his eyes. That power-up won't last long. And here I thought that it might be useful. Last stand techniques aren't really my thing.

Two dozen punches impacted against Gaara, all of which contorted his face into a different shade of agony. Finally, Lee partially undid the wrappings on his hands and wrapped them around Gaara, taking him down to the ground. "Front Lotus!"

The boom was near deafening.

Once the rubble settled, Gaara stood over Lee, with Lee having one of his legs and arms crushed to near paste. Gaara's sand tried to constrict Lee even further, but Hayate, Gai, and Kakashi interfered. "Lee is defeated. Continuing to fight will result in disqualification," Hayate warned.

Gaara nodded, recalling his sand. He then looked at Naruto. "You are next, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Winner by debilitation: Sabaku no Gaara!"

Gaara returned to his team.

"What did you do to piss him off so much, Naruto?" Kurenai shrugged.

"I guess he's calling me out because I'm stronger than him."

Kumo no Omoi vs. Sabaku no Kankuro

"This will be the last match, as there are no more contestants. Misumi gets a pass into the finals," Hayate announced

"Oh man… what if I lose? Will I be disgraced? Disowned? Excommunicated? Assassinated? Im—" Omoi was cut off by Karui kicking him into the arena, a deadpan present on her face.

"Kankuro, you better not lose!" Temari shouted.

"Begin," Hayate ordered, stepping back.

Omoi unsheathed his kodachi and charged it with lightning chakra. "You know, I didn't think I'd get to fight you again so soon."

Kankuro smirked. "I'll show you what Suna is truly capable of this time. Come at me!"

"Hoh…? So those two teams crossed paths in the forest? Why didn't Samui-chan say anything?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"So I'm supposed to tell you everything now; is that right?" Samui pondered, walking up to the group.

"Well, not everything, but that would have been pretty pertinent," Naruto responded cheekily.

"To be honest, it wasn't a very big thing. It was a tiny skirmish where we didn't get to showcase much before I deemed it not worth the risk. I fought Gaara, while Karui handled the blonde with the fan. Omoi fought the doll-face puppeteer. I doubt he'll fall for that little trick of his again, though." Samui was watching the fight the entire time she spoke.

Naruto grinned. "I can't wait to fight you, Mui-chan."

Samui cocked an eyebrow amusedly. "Getting a little informal, are we? You're interesting, Naruto-san. Or would you prefer 'Ruto-kun?'" The unfaltering smile on the Rinnegan wielder's face told her the answer. "I can't wait until we clash, either. I hope it comes soon."

Sasuke noticed Sakura glaring at Samui. "So you really do like him?" he whispered to her.

Sakura blushed. "What? Of course not. Isn't it obvious who I like by now?" she countered.

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, it is obvious. Very."

Sakura said nothing else. Naruto and Samui continued to idly chat while watching the fight.

Omoi went for a stab at Kankuro's chest, but it was blocked. Unexpectedly, Omoi dropped his kodachi, jumped up, and kicked at the sack on Kankuro's back, landing and catching his kodachi in one move. The bundle separated from Kankuro, and Omoi stabbed into Kankuro's heart, ripping up and sending springs and wood everywhere.

The bundle unwrapped itself, revealing Kankuro. "Tch. I knew it wouldn't fool you again, but I also didn't think I'd be fighting you. Didn't have time for a new tactic, or to even switch back. Now my puppet's gone. Doesn't matter. I won't give up."

"Oh, I would if I were you," Omoi said, pointing behind Kankuro. Another Omoi was poised to cut him down. "I'd do it right now, actually."

"...Fine. I yield," Kankuro said through grit teeth.

"Winner: Kumo no Omoi!"

"Well, Mui-chan, it seems that Kumo hasn't relaxed their training at all. Your whole team passed to the finals even though you chose the worst possible place to enter, considering our village histories. I'm impressed, honestly," Naruto commended.

Samui gave an appreciative nod. "That's nice of you to say. Your team isn't too shabby either; especially with the Uchiha. And your eyes are peculiar. Can't say I've seen them before, but I'd wager your barrier techniques are apart of it."

Naruto gave a nod, not going into detail. "That isn't all I'm capable of. It doesn't define me at all."

Samui offered a smile. "I don't judge based on bloodlines. I judge based on work ethic. You obviously put effort into being a shinobi. You care about and respect the profession. That's why I find you so interesting. Most Genin of your experience think it's some kind of fairy tale. Or a coat of honor. It isn't. It's a game of death. And no eyes, no matter how fancy, can make or break that mindset. That's more than your blood. That's who you are." She rejoined her team.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Looks like you have a girlfriend, Naruto. And a Kumo kunoichi, at that."

Naruto suddenly found his sandals very interesting. "What of it?"

"Could all of the finalists return to the floor so we can determine the finals fights?" Hayate requested. Once everyone entered the arena, the results were posted.

Round One, Match One: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji

Round One, Match Two: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Gaara

Round One, Match Three: Kumo no Samui vs. Haruno Sakura

Round One, Match Four: Nara Shikamaru vs. Sabaku no Temari

Round One, Match Five: Kumo no Omoi vs. Aburame Shino

Round One, Match Six: Kumo no Karui vs. Tsurugi Misumi

"You have one month to train. Analyze your opponents and overcome your weaknesses. For now, I bid you adieu." Hayate left.

"Naruto, you'll most likely find Jiraiya-sama in the hot springs. You'll know him when you see him," Kakashi said. "Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan; with me. Naruto-kun, ja ne!"

"Bye, Naruto-kun!" Sakura said.

"Later, loser," Sasuke said.

"See ya, Kaka-sensei, Sakura-chan, Bastard. I'll get stronger and defeat everyone in the finals."