Author's Note: It is with determination I ring you this chapter! I was determined to update as quickly as I could! And… Drumroll please! drumroll The final rounds are here!! Whoo! This marks the half-way point for this story and I am very excited to announce that I am planning three more stories about. By then I should have my normal computer up and running and then I won't have to type everything on my computer at home, print it, type it again on my flash drive, and then put it on FanFiction. I'm actually up to chapter seventeen on my computer and I'm pretty close to finishing too. So anyway, Happy Reading!!

Ryu

RYU?! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!

Kiba yawned loudly, sitting up in his bed. For someone who was fighting in the final rounds, he had slept pretty soundly. He had surprised himself this morning with his eagerness. Akumaru jumped onto his bed, panting happily.

You ready? his partner asked.

"Completely and absolutely!" he said.

He got dressed, ate his breakfast, gave his mom a hug goodbye, and then went out the door. She would be arriving later to watch the matches in the stands. He ran to the arena, both anxious and excited about this. As long as he proved he was capable of being a chunin, it didn't really matter if he won. He just had to show that he was worthy. When he got to the stadium, he saw that Gaara, Sakura, and Hinata were already there along with Aki, Ikara, and Saphira. Neither Ryu nor Sara had were there. The crowd roared as Sirym stood in front of them. She turned around to face them, and counted them. She looked puzzled.

"Where's the Akihara girl?" she asked, looking around them.

Gaara looked at Kiba, who shrugged his shoulders. He thought he knew where she was. Sirym sighed.

"Well, we can't wait for her, we need to start on time," she said.

She dug around in her messenger bag. "There have been a few changes so pay attention."

She took out a tournament map, and Kiba blinked. His match with Sara had been canceled. He had now been moved up to fight Aki. A strong of panic went through his head; he had to fight that freaky poison guy just like that?!

"Do I… still go first?" he said, almost not wanting to ask.

Sirym shook her head. "No, we're still going in order so it'll be easier to keep track of all of you." she said.

Kiba sighed in his head, relieved. Gaara then raised a hand.

"Yes?"

"What happened to the Mist girl?" he asked.

He remembered her match with Kankuro. His brother had later told him that she was spirit medium like him, and that she knew Ryu.

"She had to drop out due to health complications," she explained. She looked around. "Any more questions?"

No one raised their hand and that when she turned around to face the audience. She held up a hand to show that they were ready to begin, and the crowd roared its approval. The finals had officially begun. She turned and pointed at Saphira and Ikara.

"You two stay down here. The rest of you go up and wait for your turn," she said.

Saphira and Ikara took places across from each other. Hinata stayed close to Kiba as he caught up to Gaara.

"Hey," he said. The red-head looked at him. "Do you know where Ryu is?"

"I was hoping you knew," he said.

"So you're telling me that no one knows where she is?"

Gaara frowned. "Apparently,"

Kiba tried not to bite his lip. Akumaru whined quietly next to him. As soon as they were all up in the waiting area, Sirym stood a little ways away from Saphira and Ikara. She put a hand up and swung it down.

"Start!" Her voice echoed without the use of walls or devices.

The crowd roared once more. Ikara took a taijutsu stance while Saphira stood up straight. She had taken the time to look around the battlefield earlier; it had rained last night. Fat, gleaming puddles were scattered across the arena. She smiled at Ikara, friendly. Ikara cocked her head, wary and a little confused at the same time.

Saphira quickly skipped forward, and dizzyingly flipped a few times toward her. Ikara went forward, preparing to kick her. As soon as her foot connected, Saphira made a flurry of hand signs and turned into water. The water Saphira splashed into nothing and Ikara found herself alone. The Sound kunoichi looked around.

She quickly undid her hair, the tresses twisting to life. A few of the puddles started to bubble, and water clones of Saphira came out of the puddles. The water clones charged and Ikara used her hair to fend them off. She was able to get control of her hair enough so that they could form spikes. She drove them through the water clones, searching for the real Saphira.

But with every water clone she would disperse, two others would appear from the remnants. After a few minutes of this, Ikara decided to try and get some distance between herself and the clones. She took off at a run and skidded around some trees. She jumped into one and then five other Ikaras dropped from the trees. Kiba was reminded of Sakura's battle with Gegai as it turned into a battle of the clones in the arena.

The real Ikara was left standing in a drenched circle. More Saphiras came out of the remaining puddles and Ikara made a few hand signs. Electricity crackled around her. She then released it with a shout, making the clones explode into a spray. The real Saphira was sent flying.

Ikara quickly went after her and Saphira jumped to her feet. She wobbled a bit, unsteady from the electric shock. The electricity continued around Ikara as she sent her hair at her. The hair snapped around her limbs and sent electricity straight to her. Saphira yelled in pain, struggling to get out of Ikara's hold.

Ikara started to drag her toward her, so she'd be easier to knock out with her hands. Saphira struggled to put her hands together to form hand signs, trying to ignore the pain. More electricity started to whirl around the girl as Saphira was brought closer. The Mist ninja was finally ale to put her hands together and quickly formed had signs. She stuck her hand out as Ikara realized what was happening.

A water prison sprang out of the remnants of the water clones near her. Ikara's electricity was attracted to the water and spun itself around her. Inside the prison, Ikara screamed as she ended up shocking herself with the hit meant for Saphira. She went limp inside the water and Saphira let the jutsu go. Sirym put her hands up, and pointed at Saphira.

"Saphira Wazarahi is the winner!" she said.

Saphira waved to the crowd as the medic nin came out to pick up the unconscious Ikara.

"That was pretty clever," observed Sakura from where the other stood. "She was able to use her own electricity against her."

She then heard Sirym's voice fly across the arena.

"Alright! Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga! Please come down here!"

The two girls looked at one another and went down the stairs. Kiba nervously tapped his foot. His match was next, and Ryu still wasn't here. He bit his lip. Gaara looked at him.

"Kiba," he said. The boy looked at him. "Don't worry, she'll be here."

He sighed. "I know, it's just…" He let the sentence trail off, and then thought of something.

"Gaara, do you think you can do something for me?"

Gaara nodded.

"If Ryu isn't here by the time my match starts, can you go to her apartment and see if she's there?"

"Sure, I'll do that," he said.

They then turned their attention to Sakura and Hinata's match, which had already started. Sakura was keeping her distance from Hinata's chakra attacks, and using shuriken and kunai knives against her. But it seemed Hinata had worked on her speed, as she had been warned about Sakura's sudden bursts of quickness. She had watched her in action before. So as Sakura kept her distance, Hinata dodged and jumped Sakura's attacks while coming closer.

Sakura suddenly jumped onto the wall, using her chakra to stick to it. She threw a few more kunai knives that Hinata dodged. The quiet Hyuga then saw the burning papers attached to them. She quickly shielded herself, and they exploded. A burst of noise came from the crowd.

Sakura jumped down to see if Hinata was still standing. The smoke had yet to clear. Hinata suddenly jumped from the smoke, ambushing Sakura from the side. The lines of Byakugan lined her eyes, and Sakura was unprepared for what hit her.

"Sixty-four trigrams!"

She was suddenly being pummeled every place imaginable. Sakura didn't even have time to shout the hits cam so quickly. She was knocked few feet away from Hinata as she finished the mve. Sakura tried to get up, but her legs wouldn't move. Every single chakra point in her had been blocked except for the ones that kept her alive.

She threw some kunai and shuriken at her in a last attempt, but Hinata easily dodged them. She was then suddenly behind her, and hit Sakura in the back of the head with a light chakra blow. Sirym pointed at Hinata.

"Hinata Hyuga is the winner!"

The crowd shouted its approval, even though it had been a quick match. Hinara blushed in embarrassment. She searched the crowd and saw Naruto and Kakshi sitting there. She blushed even harder, but then realized that she had just beaten his teammate. As the medic nin came out, she gave them one of her healing ointments to use on her.

Kiba sighed; he had known Hinata would win. If only she had just made it longer. Now it was his turn to fight that freaky poison user. He was nervous as his stomach turned to ice. He didn't want to be poisoned like some kind of rat! He looked at Gaara, who nodded.

"Good luck," he said. Kiba sighed once more.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." He looked down at Akumaru. "Ready, boy?"

Let's do this!!! Akumaru growled fiercely.

They went down the stairs and came out into the bright light of the arena. He could see the small craters left from Sakura's fire bombs, and the scorch marks left by Ikara's electric attacks. Aki stood a little ways off.

"Hoo," he blew under his breath.

Okay, ready or not, it's time to face this creep, he thought as he looked at the black haired boy. His thin purple braids blew in the wind as he stood calmly in front of him. He sighed in his mind; alrght, he had to beat this guy. It was either him or this guy who might be facing Ryu in the end and he'd rather it be him. At least he knew he wouldn't try to kill her.

If she shows up that is!! He though angrily. He looked around. Ryu?! Where the hek could you be?!

Sirym held up her hand and then brought it down.

"Start!"