Deidara smiled. He had worked literally non-stop for the past four days, and although he was tired, exhausted, spent, or any other word used to describe the drained feeling he felt, he was happy with the results. He had come up with two new jutsu's that used his form of attack, and hopefully, the most powerful one would help him the most. He still hated that it took nearly a full minute for him to develop the attack, but what the hell. If he could just outlast an opponent long enough to use it, he felt confident that he would beat whoever he was up against.

"Yoko...it's time to fight, un!" He got up from his position on the ground, patting himself down and cracking his neck. Then, he took off, running as fast as his feet could take him back to his room in the Tsuchikage's mansion. It would be great to finally get some food into his stomach. Although he had hated to tell Yanoi that he wouldn't be eating with her, he felt that one day alone before the final matches would be good for him. He sighed. He was beginning to like Yanoi...a lot. She seemed nice, and her mom cooked great meals, especially when he was around. He thought that it had to do with her father, whom he had saved during his first days in the village. He had been a part of the crew buried under rubble and debris. Also, Yanoi seemed to like him, which suited him just fine. She got him the best clay, and if his art was happy, then he was!

It was a little later that he finally arrived at the mansion. He walked in, nodding curtly to the two guards that stood at the door. They nodded back, again going back to the position they had held. He took the stairs to the upper levels two at a time, feeling out his legs and arms. They were sore, but not unduly so. He had worked harder than he ever had before, so they had a right to scream at him. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he stopped, noticing his door open and slightly ajar. Taking a kunai out of his pocket, he slowed, stopping to listen by his door before creeping around and looking through. A figure shot out, clamping him to the floor and holding him there. He scowled up into his attackers face.

"You know, you could've given me a heart attack, Bushio! You stupid jerk, un!" Bushio laughed, getting off and helping the younger boy to his feet.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here. Jeez, I've been sitting in here for around an hour now. You know, you really need to stop keeping people waiting all the time. It gets rather annoying, you know?" Bushio laughed again, walking back into the room. Deidara walked in after, noticing that food was already on the table. "I took the liberty of cooking. No ramen tonight. This is special!" Deidara walked to the table, smelling the soup appreciatively.

"Mmm...so, what? Soup?" Bushio laughed again, taking a spoon and dipping out a piece of fish, holding it up for him.

"Right...sort of. It's fish soup, made of fugu!" He took a small sip, smacking his lips appreciatively before sitting down. Deidara took the other seat, sitting and taking a sip himself.

"Hmm...tingles. So, what is fugu, un?" He took a bite of the flaky fish meat, listening as Bushio commented on the food.

"Well, the bread is stone ground wheat. I picked it up at a small bakery. The broth is special made, from a store down the way there, and I picked up the fish from a specialty fish stand on the other side of town. Good, isn't it?" He watched as Deidara took another spoonful.

"Right...but you still haven't told me what fugu is!" Bushio smiled, taking a sip.

"It's puffer fish." Deidara cocked his eyebrow, taking another sip of his soup.

"Puffer, huh? What, does it blow up or something? Like my art, un?" Bushio shrugged.

"Don't know. All I know is that it is poisonous and can kill you." He took another sip before looking up, staring with mild curiousity as Deidara spluttered, spilling soup everywhere. "Hey! I paid good money for that! What the hell are you doing?" Deidara glared over at him.

"Trying to poison me, un? What the hell are YOU doing?" Bushio shook his head, taking another sip as he explained.

"Only the internal organs and fat are poisonous. I watched the guy who cut this up. He's good, trust me. Now, stop bitching and eat! You look starved, and it isn't going to kill you." He took another amused bite as Deidara cleaned his mess, sitting down and nervously spooning out some more of the soup. After reflection, Deidara felt that it did taste good, so he wasn't going to complain further.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Bushio, now all business, gave him a long stare. Deidara nodded, continuing to eat.

"Yep. All set. How about you, un?" Bushio nodded, looking down.

"Yeah. Tazuriko-sensei taught me some good techniques. I think I'll be ready." Deidara grinned, pushing his soup away.

"Good, because if you and I end up fighting, I won't go easy on you, un!" Bushio glanced up, scowling at him. Then, he smiled. Nodding, he put his hand up, Deidara taking it and shaking it for good measure.

"Me either. But, let's hope someone doesn't beat that Junio guy before we get a turn at him!" Deidara nodded again. Each boy looked at the other, and then fell to eating once more. It was later that night that Bushio took his leave, going home to rest for the next day. Deidara sat alone in his room, contemplating the next day's events. It would be interesting, to say the least!

He was alone again for the long walk to the arena. Well, not really alone. There seemed to be thousands of people walking towards the arena, all talking and laughing. Deidara glanced from one group to the next. Some seemed to be betting on the performance of the Genins. Some were talking about the rumors from the elimination matches. Some were talking about Yoko. He sighed, wishing that Yoko could've been there. Suddenly, someone grabbed his hand, turning him around as a pair of lips locked onto his. Dumbfounded, he stood rigid as Yanoi let go, turning, and running back to her parents after wishing him good luck.

"Hmm...good luck indeed, un!" Turning back around, he took a deep breath, walking towards the stadium where everyone else was filtering in.

"Hey, you, kid!" He stopped, looking around for the voice. A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he twisted, looking up at a shinobi with a Stone village headband on. "You're a competitor right?" Deidara nodded. The man pointed behind him, indicating a door that was set off to the side. "Regular people enter here, you enter over there. Hurry up!" Deidara nodded, running to the door and opening it wide. He was amazed. Inside was a buffet table prepared for the contestants, and a personal masseuse. However, all of that would have to wait, as he was already late. He whisked through, grabbing a rice ball on his way and popping it into his mouth.

Outside of the room, Deidara found himself faced with the arena. He couldn't begin to count the people, and as he entered, some of them cheered...for him! He waved, turning all around to get a good view of everyone. It seemed that most of the ninja villages were represented here, not just the leaf and stone, but also the sand, the wind, the cloud, the grass, and the lightning. All sorts of headbands stood out, but of course, he was only after a Stone village headband. A green one, the color of a chunin!

"Finally. Took you forever to show up!" Bushio walked over, clapping him on the back and walking him to the middle of the arena. Deidara glanced at the others standing there. There were only three left to get there, and they were...

"Hey, where's that Junio guy and his group, un?" Deidara turned around, taking in everything.

"I don't know. He must be somewhere, though." Bushio grinned, waving up at his parents who were seated on the second tier, along with everyone else with someone competing. It was a special seating arrangement made for family and close friends.

"So...you did show up. Good, I didn't really feel like hunting you down." They both whipped around, confronted by Junio and his squad. Aprilio walked forward, nodding curtly to the two.

"Hope you guys are ready for this." Both boys nodded, allowing Junio to walk between them. He stopped, turning so he looked sidelong at Deidara.

"You. I hope you and I fight. Remember, my word is still good. I will reunite you with your friend. It's a pity that I can only do it once...HAHAHAHA!" Laughing, he walked to the examiner, who stood in the middle of the arena. "My team is here, let's do this!" The examiner glanced down at him, and then up at the Tsuchikage, who was presiding over all. The Tsuchikage nodded back, and stood. The crowd hushed almost instantly, much to Deidara's amazement.

"My friends! You have come from different parts of this world! Some of you from a great distance, to witness this fantastic end to the Chunin exams. Now, let us give our Genin a round of applause for making it this far, and hope that they do well in the upcoming matches!" The crowd roared, giving the Genin standing in the center a standing ovation. Deidara gave a bow. The people standing in the second row began to holler encouragement to their fighters. Deidara wistfully wished he had someone standing there. "Well then, examiner. You may begin when you deem yourself ready!" The crowd roared once more, and then hushed, all eyes on the Chunin examiner out in the middle.

"Very well, Tsuchikage-sama! Genin, please form a line here!" The Genin walked forward, each standing next to the other in a small semi-circle. "The rules for these matches are the same as before. If you are deemed unfit to fight, or if the battle is one-sided, we will call the match. If you give up, you lose. If you die, you lose. Let's," and now he looked at Junio sternly. "Let's try not to have any of that. You all know the rules. The first match will be between Bushio Mesakumi and Ping Hazamana. You others please leave the arena. The two who I have just called, please stay and prepare for battle!" Bushio nodded at Deidara, who nodded back. Turning, Deidara walked out of the arena, leaving his partner behind.

"You know, I hope that at least one of you faces me. It would be a shame to keep that Yoko girl waiting any longer..." Deidara glared up at Junio, who gave him a smile before walking up to the waiting platform, along with everyone else. Suddenly, Deidara felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned, staring at Maey, who had bent down towards him.

"Look, I'm begging you. If you find yourself up against Junio...just quit. I don't want to see you die. He, he'll kill you. I know he will, he's a monster, and..."

"MAEY!" Maey gulped, nodding at Deidara as she ran up the stairs to her waiting teammates. Junio glared at her for a second before settling down to watch the match. Deidara began the climb, stopping at the head of the stairs to glare at Junio before taking up a position at the top.

"If you two are ready to begin, then I will start the first match of the final round of the Chunin Exams!" The crowd burst once more, cheering both competitors. Deals were already being made as money exchanged hands. The Chunin glanced from one to the other, and then let his arm drop. "Begin!" Bushio crouched, eyeing the kunoichi's lean frame as she picked out a kunai.

Ok, I know how she fights. I saw her fight in the very first match. I also know that she has that water jutsu. If she uses that, I may be out of luck. I have to finish this fast! Ping grabbed her kunai, jumping the short distance to where Bushio stood. She swung, a slice just above the ear. Bushio smiled, dodging expertly away. She grimaced before attacking again. However, each time she attacked, Bushio merely moved, avoiding injury. She couldn't lay a finger on him. So, the dodging lessons that I got were worth it after all! Suddenly, Ping stopped, forming hand seals. Bushio remembered the seals she had used before, thoughts flashing through his head as he made his own seals.

"Water Element: Water Entrapment Jutsu!" A bubble formed below him, and Bushio finished his hand-signs as it trapped him in a watery coffin. He coughed, feeling the air pressing from his lungs. Kicking out vainly, he felt himself trapped like a rat, and his oxygen supply was getting low.

"I decided that, instead of wasting chakra mindlessly attacking you, I would just finish it like this. I hope you enjoy it, because your time in the Chunin exams is over!" Ping laughed, watching him struggle. Suddenly, she found her neck wrapped by two legs. She squealed, sailing up and around and face planting into the dirt. Her chakra was disturbed, and her jutsu was released, dumping Bushio unceremoniously on the ground. He coughed, exhaling water from his lungs. Wiping his mouth, he stood shakily, walking over to the kunoichi who lay moaning on the ground. He knelt down, eyeing his clone who was standing above her, smiling.

"I knew you would use that trick, so I learned how to make clones away from myself. I purposefully allowed you to trap me in the water cocoon, so you would be distracted from my clone." Bushio eyed the kunoichi, who looked up at him, spitting dirt. "Now, do you give up?"

"No...never!" A fist crashed into her face, sending her into unconsciousness. Bushio stood, wiping his hand on his pants.

"Well, now you do." Turning, he began walking towards the stairs as the examiner bent over, glancing at the kunoichi before standing once again.

"Your winner, Bushio Mesakumi!" The crowd erupted into applause, Bushio giving them a slight wave before ascending the stairs.

"Wow! Great work, Bushio! You sure showed her, un!" Bushio shook his head, leaning on the railing with Deidara.

"Naw, she was just weak. She was also overconfident, and that was her downfall." Deidara nodded, though he didn't quite understand. Still, it was nice to know that his teammate would go on to the next round.

"The next round will be...Junio Mezanuchi versus Por Mihoto! Please come down and prepare for your match!" Junio smiled, turning and brushing past Deidara and Bushio. The kunoichi, Por, stood stock still for a second until her brother, Deko, gave her a pat on the back.

"Hey, don't worry sis. I'll be up here, rooting you on all the way. Go in there and show him what you can do, alright?" Por glanced up, nodding. Taking a deep breath, she began walking to the stairs, smiling faintly at Deidara and Bushio on her way down. Now, all eyes were on the two young Genin in the middle of the arena as they stared across the expanse. Junio smiled at her, a feral smile, his teeth showing. Por gulped, waiting for the examiner to give the go ahead, which he did not more then a few moments later.

"Well, since your so young, I guess I'll give you first shot then. Go ahead...astound me!" Junio gazed at her without any real concern, looking down and grimacing at the dirt under his nails. Por gave him another glance, but began making hand signs without another word. Suddenly, a sword appeared between her hands, stopping further signs. Her face shot up, and the look of shock on her face only fed Junio's insane appetite for destruction as he stood not more then two feet away, sword balanced lightly in his hands. "Oh...I'm sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt. Go on." She stared at him for a second, then hopped back lightly, finishing her interrupted jutsu.

"Earth Style: Rock Clone Jutsu!" Immediately, two clones appeared, one on either side of her. Junio cocked an eyebrow as all three began running towards him, kunai out.

"Hmm, so, rock clones is it?" Taking his sword and grasping it by the hilt and the blade, he held it out, focusing chakra into it.

"Sword Technique: Sword Lash!" Whipping it back, he let fly, a narrow thread of chakra whipping out and lashing the three figures running at him. Por went down heavily, her two clones breaking up next to her. Junio laughed as he began walking towards her, sword ready. "Stupid girl, your through!" Terrified, the kunoichi threw her hands up, creating hand seals as fast as she could possibly make them.

"Earth Release: Gaia Reclamation!" Junio halted, staring at the ground as trees began sprouting from the earth, blocking his view, and path, of the girl. He took a few steps back, hopping this way and that to avoid being bashed by the increasing number of trees. Soon, however, they stopped sprouting, trapping him in the corner of the arena. He glanced at them all, and then smiled, putting his sword up once again.

"Ninjutsu Arts: Whirling Scythe Blade Jutsu!" His sword erupted with chakra, and he lashed out, sending the wave of energy rippling into the stand of trees. For a moment, the arena was quiet, and then, as if on a signal, the trees buckled, all falling at various angles to each other. Junio watched as they were felled, and soon, he saw the girl, standing rigidly behind the grove of fallen timber. "Now, you're mine!" He flew across the gap, sword upraised to strike the kunoichi down.

"I quit!" Her words were like acid in his ears, and he stopped short of his intended victim, clenching his teeth.

"What? What did you say?" The girl, badly shaken, and already a witness to what the boy could do, held her hand up for the examiner to see.

"I quit. I can't win this...and I don't want to die. I quit!" She turned, walking back towards the stairs as the examiner nodded.

"Very well. Ladies and gentlemen, your winner by technical elimination, Junio Mezanuchi!" However, the boy wasn't listening, his intent still plainly written.

"No...you can't quit. I haven't finished yet!" He took off, his sword still upraised to strike. The kunoichi turned, shrieking, as the sword fell...and hit nothing. The examiner and three other Chunin blocked his path, holding his sword up over a terrified Por.

"This match is done. You will retire to the upstairs box and wait for the next match. If you do something like this again, you will be disqualified. Do you understand?" Junio glared at the four Chunin blocking him from his intended target. However, knowing that he couldn't fight the jurisdiction of the examiner, he nodded, allowing the sword to fall limply to his side. The four let go, watching him walk up the stairs to the waiting booth. "Young lady, please leave the arena now." Por smiled slightly, nodding and walking dumbly out the door to the main arena seating. The crowd was still, except for one. Her brother, Deko, who was clapping.

"Well done, Por! You gave it your best shot! I'm proud of you!" Junio glared over at him.

"You idiot. She didn't even fight...I never laid a hand on her." Deko turned, glaring straight back.

"Shut up...murderor." Junio smiled, turning back to the arena.

"Glad you know who's who around here. The brother of a coward shall fall where his sister chose to run!" He snickered slightly to himself, both Aprilio and Maey edging away a little. Deidara and Bushio cast disgusted glances at him before returning to the arena floor, where the examiner had already called the next match.

Up in the tiers, people were shouting, cheering, and booing their favorites, giving vent to their feelings and frustrations. Betting was still taking place, especially on who was to be the victor in the matches.

"I have to put my money on that Junio character. Did you see the way he leveled those trees? That girl looked like she peed herself. Yep, he'll definitely take this thing, the whole way!" One man, a corpulent looking trader, turned to him.

"Maybe...but what about that Bushio fellow. He seemed to have a fairly good start, and look now. He's in the next running. I'm sure he'll win! I'll bet three hundred on him!" The other man grinned, taking the bet.

"Um...what about that one boy, Deidara...how about him?" Yanoi, having heard the conversation, looked at them with interest. They turned to each other, and burst into laughter.

"Deidara? Never heard of him. I haven't seen him fight either. I've heard of him though. Oh yes, I have heard of Deidara. The boy that saved the village, but that was almost a year ago. Things change in a year. Oh yes, I believe that Junio will be the victor of this show." The trader nodded.

"Yes. I have heard that this Deidara kid is only ten as well. He has no chance against two boys who are years older. I would have to say that this boy, Bushio, would be able to take him no problem. I would even bet on that Junio fellow if it were against Deidara. True, I've heard he has talent, but age and experience are the winners here, take my word for it." Yanoi growled, her face darkening. Suddenly, a handful of cash was stuck out, and both men turned around, eyeing the young girl.

"Here...I bet five-hundred on Deidara to win this thing. So what do you think about that?" Both men looked from her, to the money, to her, and to each other. Again they burst into uncontrollable laughter, but the merchant took the money.

"Very well, little girl. I shall see your five-hundred. In fact, I will give you two...no, make that four-to-one odds against Deidara, how about that?" Yanoi looked questioningly at him.

"Wait...four-to-one? What do you mean?" The two men glanced at one another. Clearly, the girl knew nothing about trading or gambling.

"It means, little one, that if your Deidara wins, I will give you two thousand, since you gave me five hundred. If he loses, you just lose the five. Deal?" He put a hand out, and she smiled, shaking it.

"Deal!"

Deidara glanced at the arena. Already, two more matches had come and went. The examiner stepped out, looking around. "The next match shall be between Yamagara Washi and Deidara...umm, that's it I guess. Please come down into the arena!" Deidara took a breath, staring over at the kunoichi who confidently made her way into the arena.

Damn...her match was after Yoko's. I have no idea what she uses! He began walking down the steps, each one huge to his feet. After what seemed like an eternity, he arrived, staring up at the faces in the crowd. He smiled, waving, as the examiner called them both over.

"Alright, you both know the rules, so I won't repeat them again. You may begin when I give the signal!" They nodded, walking a distance apart and turning, staring at each other. The Chunin examiner glanced at them both once before dropping his hand, beginning the match. The kunoichi began with a flourish. She brought her hands up, creating hand signs that Deidara could barely follow.

"Earth Style: Wood Upheaval Jutsu!" She slapped her hands against the ground, and slowly, a colossus of a tree grew, sprouting limbs, branches, and leaves before Deidara's eyes. The kunoichi smiled, hopping onto a lower branch as the tree continued to climb into the sky. Finally, it climaxed, stopping at roughly one hundred feet in the air. Deidara glanced up, noting how tall it was.

"Wow. That's amazing, un!" Suddenly, the kunoichi made more hand-signs, slapping the tree when she finished.

"Ninjutsu Arts: Dagger Leaf Jutsu!" Leaves began raining down, turning into kunai in midair and splattering the earth with a hail of death. Deidara gasped, jumping backwards. However, no matter how hard he jumped, or how fast, the rain of kunai's was right behind him, pounding down into the earth. The kunoichi laughed from her position in the tree, watching the blonde's progress around the trunk. "Give it up! You won't beat this technique! This tree has millions of leaves, which means it has millions of kunai! It's a never ending rain of death!" Deidara grimaced as a kunai grazed his cheek, jumping across and over into the lee of the tree. He dipped his hands into his pockets containing his clay, feeling the tongues lapping it up and processing it. He had hardly any time to rest as another rain of kunai flew at him from above, making him look for another hiding spot. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, his hands spat the mixture out into his palms, and he frantically worked it. The kunoichi had been watching him, and noticed him working on something. "It won't work!" She put her hands together again, forming more hand signs as Deidara frantically dodged the kunai.

"Ninjutsu Arts: Leaf Dance of the Thousand Blades!" Untold numbers of leaves fell from the great tree, being picked up on a wind and twirled about. They raced down, encircling Deidara in a maelstrom of green. Then, they closed. Deidara crumpled, feeling the leaves cut into his skin as they whipped about. Yamagara sighed. This was becoming boring. She didn't understand why this boy had obtained so many scrolls. He didn't really do anything, did he? It was only then that she felt the tree shake...then stutter...and then fall. She gasped, looking down as her view on reality turned sideways as the tree began to topple, split down the middle. Deidara grinned, even though the pain made him want to scream. His plan had worked...somewhat. The clay he had molded he had turned into worms, which he had dropped on the ground close to the trunk of the tree. They had burrowed in, making for the root system and blowing it apart in four places, making for an efficient axe. The kunoichi jumped from her branch, tumbling to the ground as the tree caved, falling heavily onto the arena floor. The leaves stopped twirling, and Deidara was once again able to move. Standing, he glanced at Yamagara, who glared back.

"You...you killed my tree somehow. You basturd!" Deidara nodded, looking at the behemoth tree. It had been a shame to fell such a fellow, but he needed to do it.

"Yeah, sorry about that, un!" Yamagara took a kunai from her pouch, menacing him with it.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll still get you!" She brandished the kunai, making good on her threat. Deidara threw his hands up, making a hand sign.

"I don't think so. Explode!" Suddenly, there was an explosion in front of her as a limb from the once great tree exploded, whipping it back into her face and catching her unaware. It slammed into her, falling to the ground in front of her feet. For a moment, she stood, glaring down at the branch and then at the impudent grin on Deidara's face. "You...you little..." but she didn't finish as she fell heavily to the ground, her lights efficiently out. Deidara shook his head.

"I put five charges in the tree. But, one was a burrowing worm. It burrowed through the tree and into that branch, since you were on it. I thought I could just blow the branch you stood on and catch you unawares, giving me enough time to figure something else out...but this seems to have worked rather well to, un!" He smiled, looking up at the crowd, who were on the verge of chaos.

"Well, I never. That kid really is something." The trader glanced at his friend, who nodded.

"I'll say. Deidara, hmm...That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard of it before now."

"Oh, you're just saying that. This kid is as new as spring." They were both interrupted by a certain girl, who cheekily stuck her face between them.

"Just have my two thousand ready for me! My Dei-kun will win this thing!"

Deidara, still grinning, made his way back up to the tier. Bushio grunted, smiling at him as he gained the threshold.

"Good job. Now, we just have to worry about..." and he took a sidelong glance to his right, where Junio, Aprilio, and Maey were standing. Junio gave them the barest glance before returning his sights to the arena.

The rest of the matches took another two hours, each one playing out with about a two minute interval in-between. After all was done, the examiner walked out, looking at his list. "Very well. The first rounds of the finals are over! The next round will begin in one hour. Between that time and now is a short interlude for our Genin to get something to eat, drink, and to rest. That way, they will be at a higher level of performance for the last matches! The matches to follow are; Maey Tamagazi versus Bushio Mesakumi. Deidara versus Aprilio Zamahedo! Junio Mezanuchi versus Rotas Tubaki! Last will be Deko Mihoto versus Joley Warashi! Competitor's, get some rest. The final matches will begin...in one hour!" Bushio glanced at Maey, who flounced into the back, followed closely by Junio and Aprilio.

So...the girl, huh? He smiled to himself.

Ok, since I have 8100 views on Deidara: The Early Years as of right now, I am going to make the very last chapter the longest. It's because I love you all so much! Oh, and junk. Ok, stick around. Deidara: The Early Years will be back after these commercial messages. Next chapter: Maey Vs Bushio! See you there!