This was it. The day of the final stage of the Exams. It's been one month.

Truth be told, Sakura wasn't expecting the exams to be so much of a commotion. She was surprised when she saw just how many people actually came to see the genin fight against one other. It was shocking, yet pleasant.

She recognised Amegakure's Daimyo. He nodded at her and she smiled back.

"Oi, Forehead-chan, who's that?" Ino asked.

Sakura sighed. She wanted to walk with Ino and Shika because she felt slightly less lonely. It was nice, but at the same time depressing when she realised that the next time they see each other will most probably be on a battlefield. She pushed that thought away.

"It's Amegakure's Feudal Lord, Piggy. Seriously, don't you read?"

"Sakura! You sounded like my mother!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Shikamaru chuckled. "Troublesome women…"

Just then a group of Academy children shoved past Sakura and Ino, heatedly discussing something.

"Did you hear? The Hyuuga Neji is going against some chick from Ame! Who do you think will win?"

"You're asking us? It's obvious! The girl doesn't stand a chance!"

"B-But I heard she defeated Yamanaka Ino with a simple Shadow clone. A-and Ino had the highest score in the Genin tests and as a R-Rookie."

"Oh, come on, Naomi! Even if, Hyuuga is still WAY out of her league. He'll defeat her in no time!"

Ino and Shikamaru could see that Sakura was fuming. She was being discreet, but the way she was practically glaring a metaphorical hole through the boy's head gave her away.

"I don't know, Shuji… She seems pretty powerful to me…"

"What is there not to know? She has pink hair for Kami's sake! Who in their right mind-"

The boy was cut off when a blur of black and pink appeared before him. A hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

When his eyes refocused he saw a girl with pink hair, her expression murderous.

"Say one more thing you little brat, and I will paint the closest wall with your brains." She hissed quietly.

The boy froze, his eyes wide. "G-Gomenasai!" he gasped.

Sakura released him, and turned on her heal, walking back to her two shell-shocked companions.

Suddenly, Shikamaru laughed. "Now I know how Ino was defeated so easily… I didn't even see you move."

Ino was still staring at the rosette, her mouth opening and closing as if she wanted to say something.

"Hey, Pig-chan, you'll catch flies if you keep doing that."

Someone behind them laughed. Sakura turned around and saw Umi and Shiso walking together, Shiso's arm around Umi's shoulders while she was grinning manically.

"Saku-chan, I think you might've permanently traumatised that boy." Umi pointed out while still giggling.

"Hmpf. Whatever. It's his fault for judging people by appearance."

"Keep telling yourself that, luv. But anyway, the final Exam starts in ten minutes. Shall we?"

"Yeah." Ino said. "I don't want you lot to be late."

~::~

Everyone was by now leaning forward in their seats, trying to get a glimpse at the genin who were lined up on the arena.

Shikamaru, Naruto, Shino, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Neji, Shiso, Umi and Sakura were all waiting for the Hokage to declare the Exams started.

Sasuke wasn't present but the Jounin who was responsible for being the 'judge' for the matches, Genma Shiranui, decided to give him time till his fight came on to show up.

Hiruzen stood up. "Let the final stage of this year's Chunin Exams begin!" his declaration was greeted with cheers and applause from the onlookers.

Genma cleared his throat. "The participants for the first match, Uzumaki Naruto and Shiso No Ame, stay here. The rest of you, please head up to the balcony and wait for your fight."

Shiso stepped forward, but was pulled back by his two female teammates and enveloped in a bone-crushing hug.

"Go on, Shi-kun. Make us proud." Sakura whispered.

"Yeah, 'cause when Saku-chan and I become Chunin, we will rub it in your face so much that you'll go crazy." Umi added.

"I'm already crazy. You two had rubbed off on me." Shiso said, smirking.

"Haha, very funny. Now, shoo. The blonde idiot is waiting for you." Umi shot back.

Sakura laughed. "Umi-chan, blonde isn't always synonymous with retarded." She chastised.

"In his case it is."

"Yeah. Point made."

~::~

"Are you ready?"

"Hn."

"As ready as I will ever be, believe it!"

"Then let the first match begin!"

~::~

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Naruto shouted.

Shadow clones…? Not bad, Blondie.

Naruto grinned at him, as if the mere fact of him being able to make clones of himself was enough to scare Shiso away.

Slim chance.

The clones ran at him with a mighty roar, fists ready to strike.

Poof.

Poof.

Poof.

One clone gone.

Second too.

Poof.

Poof.

Poof.

Once again, only one Naruto stood on the battlefield, jaw ajar, eyes wide.

"D-Dattebayo? How the hell?"

Shiso smirked. "Are you done yet? I'm bored."

"NO! I'll win this match, believe it! Kage Bunshin!"

Two more clones ran at Shiso, and like before, he stood still, letting the clones ran up, but just before they reached him, Shiso outstretched his hands, the tip of his pointer fingers glowing blue, and just as both clones' chests connected with his fingers, there was a quiet zap and a cloud of smoke enveloped the battlefield once again.

"It's electricity. What I'm doing is simply electrocuting your clones."

The arena was quiet.

Suddenly, Shiso jumped towards Naruto, his whole hand engulfed in a sparkling baby-blue glove. The second his hand touched Naruto's abdomen, the blonde flew back, blood dribbling down his chin.

"W-Wha…?" he wheezed.

"You had your two minutes. Now it's my turn." Shiso closed his eyes. "Kage bunshin."

Three more clones appeared, each turned on his heal and walked off into one direction of the arena.

One went west, the other south, another north while the real Shiso went east.

Naruto stood, still dazed in the middle.

Each of Shiso's clones together with him, outstretched their arms, hands touching, above their heads. Bluish, crackling electricity engulfed their hands, stretching and growing. But that wasn't all. The electricity sizzled slightly and did the unspeakable.

The north and south beams connected like a rope from one side to the other. Same with the east and west.

The ropes of swirling electricity were now in an X shape, while still expanding. A delicate, shimmering blue web began to form between each rope, making it look like half a sphere – round, semicircle-like shield rose above Naruto and Shiso.

Suddenly there was some commotion on the stands. Asuma stood up.

"Someone stop the match! This can't detonate! It'll ki-!"

Too late. Shiso thought grimly. Now, you all watch.

"LIMELIGHT!"

BOOM!

The sphere exploded. The onlookers had to cover their faces to avoid having stray debris shoot into their faces.

When it calmed down, the brave ones risked a peep.

Gasps, shocked shouts and widened eyes. Those were the expressions on practically every single face, ninja or not.

The destruction site was incredible. The trees were burning, some lying horizontally as if someone uprooted them. The earth was raw and pierced in multiple places, some of the grass patches also burning.

Naruto was lying in the middle of the mess, his body cut and bleeding.

Shiso was nowhere to be seen.

Just when Genma was about to step in, the earth to the left of where Naruto was lying shook slightly.

A hand poked up, then a messy brown head, and finally the whole torso.

Shiso.

He scrambled out of the hole, his clothes slightly singed, but his face clean of any dirt, or emotion.

He dusted himself off and looked towards Naruto, his eyes widened slightly.

Everyone was still deeply in shock from his technique, so nobody noticed the light, orange hue which covered Naruto.

Slowly, his body shook slightly, then more, and finally, his eyes snapped open.

He got to his knees, grimacing and wincing from the pain.

Not wasting any time, Shiso sauntered up to him, his fingers lightly poking his forehead.

Naruto's head snapped up to look at him, growling. He got to his feet, taking out a kunai. Quickly running up to Shiso, he shot his arm forward, the kunai piercing into the flesh of the brunette's abdomen.

Only when Shiso's blood splattered on his hand, did Naruto realise what he did. He looked up, his eyes shocked.

Shiso was still smiling. His bloodied hand gripped Naruto's shoulder.

"Body Pathway Derangement Technique." He murmured.

Naruto stilled.

Shiso, his face bloodied and pale, turned to Genma. "I forfeit."

Silence.

"WHAT? WHY?" Naruto yelled.

Shiso smiled. "Don't you understand? You have the Nine-Tails chakra in your body. That's how you survived the technique which nearly killed me. Also, the technique I used a moment ago, the Body Pathway Derangement, was designed to attack the victims nervous system, sending false signals to the brain, so you wouldn't be able to move any muscles." Shiso glanced at his opponent. "That includes your tongue."

Naruto continued to look puzzled.

Shiso sighed. "Move your left pinkie."

Naruto's pinkie twitched.

"See? In the space of less than a minute you've already broken out of my technique. You have your Jinchuuriki's chakra almost full, while I'm almost drained. This was the only way to quit with atleast a bit of dignity left. Show everyone my masterpiece, outsmart you, give up. I can't say I planned this from the beginning, but what can I say…" he coughed.

Genma cleared his throat. "Winner of the first match: Naruto Uzumaki."

There was applause, but it was half-hearted. No matter what would later be said, even if he forfeited, to everyone, Shiso would always be the winner of that particular match.

"Now, Nara Shikamaru vs Temari. Come down please."

~::~

Shikamaru's match was also quite incredible, but half of the people were still deeply in shock about what happened to Shiso. Everyone saw him being carried away on stretchers, the wound on his stomach was immediately treated.

Shikamaru gave up as well, but it wasn't as flashy as Shiso's, though Sakura thought that if anyone of the four who'd fought had any chance of passing, it would be those two; Shiso and Shikamaru.

"Now, the participants of the third match; Hyuuga Neji and Haruno Sakura. Get down."

Murmurs once again started. Most people knew of Hyuuga Neji as the talented prodigy, while many of them had also heard about Sakura's extraordinary victoru over Ino.

Oh boy…

~::~

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