More people must review! Otherwise...um...I don't know. I will go insane, and all will be blown to bits by my awesome powers of...well...I don't know. Just review, wouldn't ya? Oh yeah, sorry this took so long. I've been busy with things. But its out now, so I hope you like it!

Bushio stood in the waiting room, checking the clock once again. Only five more minutes before the next set of matches...most namely, his. He sighed, staring over at Deidara, who was busy stuffing his face with rice balls. The room was a nice touch, and he smiled as he gazed from Deidara to the others who meandered around. However, his gaze hardened as it fell on Junio. The boy was sitting alone in the corner, his eyes closed and his hands wrapped around the sword he carried. He was mumbling to himself, but from his looks, he was insane, so the mumbling was probably a part of the insanity. Bushio shook his head. Whatever happened, he was going to have to fight that guy. Deidara was to slow and small to do anything against him. The moves he had been taught would allow him to be victorious anyways, he had no doubt as to that. He would just have to finish the girl off fast, leaving himself enough chakra to beat Junio in the final match. He looked over at Deidara again. How would he beat Deidara? If both he and Deidara won their matches, they would be opponents in the next set of matches. He would have to fight his teammate to get to Junio. Would he be able to do it? He shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts. If it came to it, he would just ask Deidara to forfeit, so he could go on to the next round.

"Well well well. Are you ready?" A feminine voice, directly in front of him, was talking. He glanced up, noting Maey, who was staring at him. He grunted. "Good, so am I! I've been wanting to fight you, you know? I want to see if you can beat me. You can't...but I want to see you try anyways. Hahahaha!" She turned, still giggling, to go and sit near Junio. Aprilio had a plate of food, turning and walking over. He offered some to Junio, who stoically refused any. The boy shrugged, downing the food with alacrity.

"Hey...are you alright, un?" Deidara walked up, still munching on a rice ball. Bushio looked at him, nodding.

"Yeah." Then, he sighed, taking a deep breath to go on. "Deidara, I've been thinking. If we both win...that is, I mean...you know." Deidara looked at him questioningly, and Bushio began again. "Look. If we both win the next matches, that means that we will have to fight each other. I don't want that, so..."

"The hour is up! Please return to the arena and get ready for the next set of matches!" Bushio and Deidara turned to the door, where a Chunin was beckoning them all out again. Deidara grabbed a hand, propelling Bushio forward.

"Come on, Bushio! It's time for the next matches! Come on, un!" Bushio was still trying to say what it was he was trying to say, but the boy in front of him was far to eager to listen. He didn't have any breath by the time they made it to the balcony, where the Chunin Examiner was busy calling the next set.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The time has come for the second round of the Chunin Exam to commence! The hour is over!" The crowd began cheering, and Deidara glanced up at them, waving at the crowd directly above him. One face in particular stood out, surrounded by his friends from the school, who were all cheering him. He grinned up as Yanoi bent over, blowing him a kiss. He felt his cheeks redden as the others began to josh her, making kissing sounds and other lewd noises. She took them all in stride. Deidara again set his sights on Bushio, who was gripping the rail, breathing heavily. The examiner held his hands up, heralding the stadium to again become quiet.

"Very well. The next round will begin. The next match is between...Bushio Mesakumi versus Maey Tamagazi! Please return to the center of the arena and await the beginning of the match!" Bushio gulped, turning towards the stairs, where Maey was already walking down.

"Good luck, Bushio! Beat the pants off her, un!" Bushio turned, smiling at his cohort, and then began descending into the arena. Finally, both competitors stood, facing one another in the center of the arena. The crowd was still cheering them both on, until the examiner held his hands up.

"Very well. You may both...start!" He dropped his hands, and walked back aways to watch. The two stood stock still, still sizing the other up.

"Well, go ahead. Fight!" Maey was trying to taunt him. She was trying to make him make a move to see what he was worth. He flexed a hand, feeling the joints pop. Bringing his hands up, he made hand signs.

"Ninjutsu Arts: Rock Clone Jutsu!" Three clones rose from the ground, looking at her. She smiled, taking a kunai from her pouch. They pounced, closing the gap between her and them. Lashing out, she caught one in the chin, sending it backwards. Dropping to the ground, she threw out her foot, catching another in the stomach and sending it flying back. The last clone dropped, attempting to catch her between itself and the ground. She rolled back, allowing the clone to hit the ground uselessly. Standing, she brought her foot down in a massive chop, cutting the clone in half. It broke apart instantly. She smiled, catching her breath easily.

"Was that it?" She looked up, but Bushio was no longer standing where he had before. Maey glanced around, wondering where he had gone.

"I'm right here!" He dropped down from above, having used a pillar to create confusion and hide him. She brought her kunai up, catching his. Then, they went at it claw to claw, using their kunai to attack and defend. Bushio would stab out, Maey deflecting and stabbing out herself. Over and over they jabbed, thrust, and deflected, until they both stood, neither seriously wounded, but both trying to breath.

"Your good, I'll give you that!" Maey smiled back.

"Yeah, thanks. Your pretty good yourself. However, it's time to end this!" She laughed lightly, her eyes closed. Suddenly, her eyes shot open, and Bushio noticed they both had a red tinge to them. Her muscles expanded, and her veins popped from her skin. Bushio recognized the technique...the only one that he knew she possessed. The muscle manipulation technique! She laughed again, and then shot forward, her arm behind her ready to punch. He gasped, sensing her more than seeing her. Her hand shot out, her knuckles white against her skin. Bushio rolled on his heels, bending over backwards. They stood like that for a minute, until Maey realized that she had missed. Missed! She was stunned. From that range, without any warning, no one had ever allowed her to miss. She had missed! She was still stunned as Bushio went into action. Body still bent, he continued his movement, slamming his foot into the girls chin and sending her flying. Then, he was off, coming up above her and punching her as hard as he could in the torso, sending her into the ground. He continued his flight, flipping and catching himself, feet first, on a pillar. Then, he landed on the ground, smiling as he heaved.

"I knew you would do that...so I got good at dodging. I was waiting for you to use your muscle manipulation technique, so that you would be off guard. You should have waited for it though. You're through now!" The examiner noticed that Maey wasn't getting up out of the hole that Bushio had dug for her...with her own body. Walking over slowly, the examiner glanced down, noticing. Then, he looked up at Bushio, shrugging. Bushio gazed back at him. What the heck did that mean?

"You shouldn't have stopped!" The ground below him vibrated, and he looked down...just as Maey popped from the ground, her eyes still blood red. She caught him, a vicious hook to the jaw that sent him flying up, embedding him into the lower part of the arena ceiling. He coughed, feeling the pain in his jaw like a shot. Then, his body fell from the solid rock, thudding against the ground and throwing up dirt. Maey, her body rocked by convulsions as her technique dissipated, stood on the spot, heaving.

"Got ya...didn't I? No one...escapes...me. I'm...the best. I...never...miss!" She laughed, the outcome of the technique still showing against her lean frame. The examiner walked over, bending down and prodding Bushio's body. He nodded.

"Very well. The winner...Maey..." However, he stopped short, glancing down as Bushio stirred. Slowly, he got up on one arm, massaging his broken jaw with the other hand. Maey couldn't believe her eyes. She had hit him with everything she had, and he still wasn't out. That move would have destroyed someone lesser. But...it didn't even knock him out? She was still rooted to the spot as Bushio stood, swaying slightly. He felt the lump on his head where his cranium had collided with the rock.

"Well, I guess those dodging lessons were only half useful..." he remarked, mostly to himself. He hated the fact that she had almost beaten him. What she forgot to notice was that he hadn't hit the rock above with as much force. Also...she hadn't hit him as hard as he would have thought. "Your running out of chakra, aren't you? That shot should have been harder!" Maey gasped. He had figured it out. To be able to attack twice with the technique, she had learned to use only a small portion of her chakra for each attack. True, a small portion was still a large chunk of her remaining chakra, but the second strike should have been enough. She grunted, her body finally coming under control.

"So, you think you figured it all out, huh? Well, I'll show you!" She couldn't attack again with the technique...unless she knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge. If he knew she was going to attack like that, then it would be pointless. She would just waste more chakra. His hands flew up, creating hand signs once again.

"Ninjutsu Arts: Rock Clone Jutsu!" Three more clones appeared, and each took off, spreading out and attacking. Maey, though low on chakra, was still able to defeat three clones easily. Each one went down with a series of attacks. One with a slash to its throat, the other two she simply dodged, allowing them to collide with each other. She smiled, looking up. The smile was wiped from her face as she noticed four Bushio's in front of her. So, the brat had learned to make more clones while other clones were out on the field. Interesting. She looked at them all, trying to decipher the real one. They all flew at her, spreading out around her in a figure four. She glanced at them all, trying to find the real one. Then, they all attacked, closing the gap between them. She lashed out with a punch, striking one on the chin and sending it backwards. It crumbled. Turning, she backhanded another, catching the one next to it and hurling it like wood into the last one. All three crumbled instantly. She stood, taken unawares for a second. None of them were real?

Bushio stood behind a rock, gasping for breath. How was he going to beat her? She was amazingly accurate at how she fought. She didn't leave any room for mistakes. How could a Genin be that good? Bushio sighed, staring up at the clouds. What could he do? Suddenly, a solution grabbed him. That was it!

"Hey! Come out! Come out and fight me, you wuss!" Maey yelled all around her, trying to pick out where Bushio had hidden himself. If she attacked the wrong area, he could ambush her. Best to stay in the middle where she had an open view of everything.

"I'm right behind you!" She turned, narrowly missing a kunai that he threw from the right side of the rock he had been hiding behind. She smiled, straightening herself.

"All right, kid. This is all over now!" Bushio nodded.

"Yeah...it is!" He brought his hands together, making more hand signs. "Ninjutsu Arts: Rock Clone Jutsu!" Four clones appeared this time, and the five Bushio's milled about, attempting to confuse the kunoichi. She gazed at them all as they stopped, glaring across the expanse at her. However, she seemed to notice that they were slightly confused, or appeared that way. She just had to figure out which one was real, and then clobber him. Suddenly, she noticed small eye movements, each one glancing briefly at the second one on the right. He was returning the motion each time, but only for a scant second. She smiled. So, that was him, giving signals to the others. They all began running, straight at her. She smiled once again, initiating her technique. Her muscles bulged again, her eyes becoming red with chakra and power. She bulked, and flew off, straight at the real Bushio, who registered complete surprise as she bypassed the clones. He was still surprised as her fist crashed into his face, sending him flying backwards into the arena wall and smashing him through it. She heaved, her body still poised in the attack position. The clones glared at her for a moment before they broke apart, the jutsu having been released. She smiled to herself again as the crowd went nuts.

"I saw that. You were using...eye movement...to signal your clones! But I saw through it! Ha...couldn't dodge that one...could ya!" She laughed, her hands coming to her sides. She was completely convulsed in mirth.

"Oh yeah? Dodge THIS!" Her face dropped, and she turned...just as Bushio's fist collided with her nose. She flew back, stopping as she flew into a pillar, causing it to crack straight through. She was still stuck in it as she looked at him, her eyes slowly clouding over.

"But...but how?" He smiled, his body still heaving with his exertions.

"I transformed into that kunai. I had a clone throw it at you, and from the other side of the arena, I made more clones to attack you. I trapped you with your own ability to recognize and decipher attacks. You lost for noticing to much!" Her eyes widened with understanding. So, this kid was better than she had given him credit for. She smiled, her eyes closing as her body flopped to the ground. The examiner stood a moment, waiting to see if she would rise. When she did not, he nodded, glancing up at the crowd.

"Your winner...Bushio Mesakumi!" The crowd roared, and he acknowledged them briefly. His legs and arms felt leaden, but he couldn't let that stop him. He was going to the next round...which hopefully Deidara would be in...so he could convince him to quit and allow himself to fight Junio. He owed him anyways. He began to ascend the staircase to the waiting platform as Deidara cheered him.

"Bushio, that was amazing, un! I never knew you could transform yourself like that!" Bushio smiled at him.

"I learned it in the few days that Tazuriko-sensei taught me. Pretty good, huh?" Deidara smiled, nodding.

"Yeah! It was fantastic, un!" The examiner stood in the center of the arena, waiting for the medical nins to leave with the prostate form of Maey, who still hadn't come back yet. When they had departed, he stood, looking up at the crowd.

"The next match...will be between Aprilio Zamahedo and Deidara! Please come to the arena and await the beginning of the match!" Aprilio smiled, turning and beginning to walk down the stairs. However, as he passed Junio, the other boy grabbed him, wrenching him to the side.

"Ow...hey, watch it!" Junio glared at him, and Aprilio held his silence. Under his breath, the other boy gave Aprilio an ultimatum.

"You go out there, and you make it look good. But you lose, you got me?" Aprilio cocked an eyebrow, looking at him.

"What? Why?" Junio smiled crazily up at him, turning to look at Deidara.

"Because...I want that one...to myself!"

Ok, remember what I said? Do it! Do it right now. Review! DO IT! OR ELSE! Please...I'll give you a muffin...you know, the kind you get at a super market...hey, they're good! Seriously...chocolate muffin...mmmm. Or blueberry if you want. But please review. PLEASE!