Drifting

by AlphaDelta1001

Naruto is many things; troublesome, wild, unpredictable, adventurous, untamable, unique. But there's a benefit to being wild and unpredictable; no one has the faintest idea what you're going to do next. NarutoHarem

30. Chunin Exam Arc II - The Final Step

NARUTO

Drifting

The Final Step

(Stadium – Kage Section)

"That… was brilliant," A stated while folding his arms and grinning, "Damn. I haven't seen a match in the Chunin Selection Exams like that in ages."

"Clearly, those two kids are in a class of their own," the Fourth Kazekage stated, still sweating a little from the intensity of the final exchange as he sat back in his seat with his eyes closed.

From the expressions shared by all the Kage and the way their bodies relaxed into their seats, it was obvious that they'd all been riled up from watching the final, epic clash between the two Genin that had fought in the most recent round. After watching the pair literally rip apart the entire arena below like the walls and floor were made of wrapping paper, the village leaders had not only been overcome with surprise like the rest of the stadium, but also deeply impressed. There had been only a handful of individuals in the past that had had matches like the one they'd just witnessed, and to see it in this day and age between such young contestants, it was a really welcome breath of fresh air.

Despite being from different villages, all of the Kage were voicing their approval in some way, with even the most composed of them speaking up on the matter.

"An incredible collection of skill and raw power; that's what those two young upstarts embody," the Tsuchikage said with a smirk, at the same time narrowing his eyes thoughtfully and rubbing his chin. "If I was to make an accurate assessment on the intelligence and techniques those two have shown us, on power alone, I'd say both that Naruto brat and Tsubaki are two of the three strongest competitors participating in this exam."

"That much is clear," the Kazekage murmured in agreement.

"With the Third being Gaara, I'm assuming," A finished, his eyes cutting over to the short Kage sitting on the end of the line.

The pint-sized elder nodded in response, "Though that runt has more chakra than brains churning around in his system, he's definitely the most dangerous of all the competitors."

"And now Naruto-kun is moving on to fight him," Hiruzen said, his pipe wafting smoke as he stared across at the massive screen positioned on the other side of the stadium. A smile tugged on his lips as he saw replays of the battle that had just taken place, with the crew highlighting the biggest moments that had occurred during the minutes of exciting combat that had ensued the two youngsters, "This could be an interesting turnout."

"That Tsubaki brat had quite a bit of clout for a kid her age, but that's to be expected considering her level of talent," A said with a firm look on his face as he recalled the events of the semi-final match. "On top of her incredible speed and ninjutsu prowess, she was also able to perform imitations of existing lightning release techniques, including my old man's moves. Though nowhere near as strong as his, it was still a good performance nonetheless." He then closed his eyes thoughtfully and nodded his head. "That being said, her original techniques and her ability to utilize her electricity as a magnetic element, was also quite extraordinary."

"She was even able to adapt well to all of the changes presented to her during her fight," the Kazekage added in his usual, serious tone of voice. "In spite of having a clear affinity disadvantage, she was still capable of giving her opponent a really hard time. This shows her range and intelligence when it comes to heavily involved combat situations. But despite changing her strategy and approach repeatedly, her adversary was still able to think one step ahead, and was able to turn the fight around at each and every turn."

Mei, having also been overwhelmed by the sheer magnificence of the battle she'd just witnessed like the rest of the audience and sitting in her seat in the balcony quietly, nodded her head in agreement. "Never, in all my life, have I ever seen such a powerful user of the wind element before. Not only was he able to make use of his affinity in a manner that provided him the ultimate defense against all manner of lightning based attacks, but he was also able to use it to augment his fighting style and simulate flight to reach altitudes no ordinary shinobi can even think of reaching."

"An ingenious use of his abilities, no question," the Yugakure leader Hiroto said with a sagely expression in play.

"In addition to this, his stamina is also at a phenomenally high level, and his sense of timing, his taijutsu, and his physical strength and speed are also fantastic," Mei concluded with a beaming smile framed on her face. "He was able to beat Tsubaki in all the areas she specialized in and gave her the fight of her life. That's a feat no other Genin from our village has ever accomplished before."

The Kazekage grunted while glancing across at the woman, "You're also forgetting he's deceptively clever and sharp. Despite his cheerful and outlandish appearance, he has the mindset of an incredibly dangerous adversary. When combined with his skill set and fighting style, that's not something you'd want to take lightly."

Picking up the tea that was sitting beside him and steaming away, Onoki also murmured considerately as he blew on the fumes and brought the cup up to take a sip. At the same time, his eyes stuck to the screen across the way and watched another replay of the match between Naruto and Tsubaki. The cameras positioned around the stadium had barely been able to capture their high speed battle and slow it down for the audience to see exactly what had transpired between the two, from their exchanges at center ring to their grudge match high in the sky. Even when the footage was slowed considerably, both competitors were still moving incredibly fast on the frames.

This struck a familiar chord with the Tsuchikage as he began analyzing the footage more closely, at the same time bringing up memories of past experiences dealing with skills like the ones the two youngsters wielded.

"Both those kids clearly have the strength and power of Jonin level shinobi. There's no arguing that. However, what amazes me the most out of all their abilities is their speed," Onoki stated while taking a sip. "That Tsubaki girl's shunshin capabilities are an exact mirror image of the Third Raikage's speed from when he was a kid. And that Naruto boy's… I haven't seen precision speed and movement like that since-"

It was while he was taking another sip from his cup, a profile shot of a grinning Naruto popped onto the screen, and the Tsuchikage realized seconds later exactly where he'd seen that face before.

Eyes widening like saucers, the man then spat out the tea in his mouth like a geyser and choked in shock. The other Kage looked across at Onoki oddly, wondering what the heck could have broken the monotony of his calm demeanor.

"What's the matter with you?" A asked.

Staring up at the screen in disbelief, the old village leader gawked, "I really am going blind. Why didn't I see it before?" He then glanced across at the others, before his eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi sitting down the way and looking back at him. "That brat's the son of Minato Namikaze, isn't he?"

"What?" the Kazekage asked aloud, at the same time the Third Hokage expressed momentary surprise at Iwagakure's leader finally figuring it out.

It wasn't that big of a mystery. Hiruzen knew right from the get-go that if people stared long and hard at the boy's face, they were eventually going to put two and two together and realize who Naruto's face resembles. The wise old Hokage had only hoped it would have been much later in the day.

Onoki turned to stare back at the screen, "Look. He's got the exact same hair and eyes as the Fourth's."

Puzzled as well, the other Kage sans Hiruzen looked towards the screen to see if he wasn't playing games with them. Narrowing their eyes on it and looking the profile over again, A and his companions eventually saw it as well, with their expressions soon reflecting their own surprise at the discovery. The Raikage was the most visual in terms of facial responses, with Mei coming in a close second when she looked over the smiling visage of the young Uzumaki.

"Well, I'll be…" the kunoichi whispered before a small smile crossed her lips. "That certainly explains a few things."

Lowering his head, Hiruzen breathed a tired sigh while the other village leaders processed this new information. As he remained quiet in his seat under the clamor of both the surrounding leaders and the audience, the latter of which were still oblivious to the fact that the boy who'd just claimed victory in the latest round was the son of Konohagakure's greatest hero, the current leader of the leaf lowered his hat and tried to appear as invisible as possible.

"Hopefully they won't make too big of a deal out of this," Hiruzen thought as he continued to wait out the minutes to the next and final round of the tournament.

Unfortunately, it looked like he was going to be in for a long wait.

OOO

Sometime later…

Bolting upright in her bed, Tsubaki gave a startled gasp before quickly gripping her stomach in agony, the pains from her fight still present even after being carted to the emergency room and operated on by the competition's medical staff. Groaning through her teeth, the orange haired kunoichi then flopped back down onto her bed and glared up at the ceiling, immersing herself once more in the sensations of stillness.

When her vision finally cleared and the blinding pain from her torn muscles ebbed, the kunoichi then slowly came to the realization that she wasn't alone in the room and looked around. When she did, she not only saw her two teammates sitting on either side of her, but her former opponent standing nearby, arms folded and looking on with concern.

Blinking in surprise, Tsubaki glanced over at Utakata, "W-What are… you guys doing here?"

The young man with the parting in his long bangs and wearing the blue kimono smiled, "Aside from having been hospitalized ourselves… we're also here to see how you're doing, Tsubaki.

"Did you think that we would abandon you after watching you get beaten?" Kiyoko asked from her spot, grinning from ear to ear before shaking her head. "Hell no."

Seeing the uncertain and doubtful expression thrown back their way after pretty much answering her questions, Utakata chuckled. "We're not that callous. If we were, then we would be considered a pretty shocking squad in our village… if not terrible human beings. Even though you're a tough girl and probably the strongest kunoichi we've ever met, we're still a team. That means we look out for each other."

"Yeah," Kiyoko chirped, hopping over onto her companion's bed and taking her hand in hers. When she squeezed it reassuringly, she saw Tsubaki's eyes rest on her, reflecting the kunoichi's uncertainty and fears, "We're also friends. We would never leave you behind, Tsubaki-chan, not even for a second."

Blinking at the looks of assurance and warmth being thrown her way, the orange haired kunoichi remained silent for several moments. Upon seeing her teammates make their stand, showing to her that they had no intention of leaving her, Tsubaki then cracked a smile and relaxed.

The lightning user sighed and rested into her pillow, "You guys…" A giggle escaped her lips when she dawned on their words for a moment longer. "You two can be such a handful sometimes."

"Not as much as a handful as you," Utakata replied, sitting back in his seat before looking across at the jinchuriki standing in the corner of the curtained-off cubicle. When the older teen turned to look at the blonde, everybody else did as well. "However, I'm surprised. There hasn't been a single Genin alive that's been able to go toe to toe with you before. To think that someone who didn't even seem like anything special was able to beat you in a battle of speed is astonishing."

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes on Naruto to see him also stare back at her firmly. With his arms folded and posture set, he was pulling off a really good cold-shoulder character and with the way he appeared, with a couple of bandages wrapped around him, patches and band aids, he looked really devil-may-care. However, from the vibe she was getting off of him, the kunoichi guessed what he wanted to say to her and why he was there with her team.

"If you're here to gloat… go ahead," Tsubaki said, her frown deepening. "I deserve it."

Naruto however, instead of doing that, smiled and stood up, before strolling over with his hands at his sides. "I'm not." He stopped at the foot of the bed and beamed in her direction. "Though normally I would be dancing around and celebrating after a battle like that, this isn't the time or the place. I'm just here to see if you're okay." She took a really nasty hit at the end after all.

With the power he felt from that finishing move of his, which he named appropriately for its execution, it was not designed to strike its targets softly.

This had a curious round of blinks from both Utakata and Tsubaki, with the latter giving the boy a strange look. "Why would you want to see whether I'm doing well or not? You do know that we're from different villages, don't you?"

The jinchuriki shrugged, "Just because we're from different places, doesn't mean I can't be a nice guy. I'm not so wrapped up in the whole 'enemies between nations' thing like a lot of other people are. Considering this is a tournament where so many different countries have come together to compete… well… I guess it just encourages me to mingle as much as possible and to make as many allies as I can."

Utakata stared at the boy strangely, "What do you mean by that?"

Naruto glanced around at the entire Kiri Team, all of whom had now been cleaned off of the slate and made way for the final round. He smiled when he caught a good glimpse of all of their expressions and breathed out. "You three… are some of the strongest shinobi I've ever met in my life. Tsubaki especially… she was really incredible. If I didn't have time to train before this stage of the exams, before this tournament, there was no way I could have won… even with an elemental advantage."

"But then… why?"

"To be honest… I'd rather have you guys fighting alongside me next time rather than having to fight against you in another silly matchup. It just… doesn't seem necessary and would be really counterproductive outside of a tournament setting." He then stepped towards the boy with brown hair and extended a hand to him. The grin he threw at them next caught them a little bit off guard at how pleasant it was. "If you guys are planning on changing Kirigakure in the future, to make it a better place, then I want to take it a step further… and change the world between ours and my village alongside yours."

Considering the extension of friendship, Utakata looked around at the other two before getting to his feet. Showing a momentary indication of hesitance, he eventually reached out and, after a second of pondering, shook hands with the blonde. The firmness of the other's grip held the two at pause for but a moment before they separated. When they did, they looked at each other in slight surprise from the brief period of contact while confining themselves to their thoughts.

"Kyuubi… did you sense that?"

"Yeah, I did. If I'm not mistaken… that's Saiken's chakra."

"Saiken?"

"Kirigakure's second biju, the Rokubi. So… this boy is also a jinchuriki?"

"Holy crap. Another one. So… there're two guys in this tournament who are like me… not just Gaara." Damn. What a switch.

How he was able to pick up on the second chakra through physical contact with the other boy Naruto wasn't exactly certain. However, the blonde figured it was partly because of his ability to sense living entities more accurately than ordinary people and partly because of his connection to his own tailed beast. Entities of pure chakra resonated differently than other creatures, which was how Naruto felt the tingling sensation up close, even through the medium that was the teenager standing in front of him.

Apparently, even Utakata felt the resonance of the Kyuubi's chakra with his own, which brought on a surprised look to his face.

This also seemed to coincide with what Tsubaki said before her match with Samui about her and the biju. Though it seemed slightly out of the framework back then… now it made a little more sense as to why she said that.

It was at that moment Naruto realized something important in the context of the conversation and reestablished contact with his inner demon. "Wait a second Kyuubi… Saiken is the name of the Six-Tails yeah?"

"Yeah?"

"S-So… do you mind if I ask… what your name is… and the name of the other one inside of Gaara is?" Naruto asked, before his expression perked up visibly. "Could you tell me the names of all the other biju? I'd really like to know."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… I'll think about it," was the Kyuubi's flat reply.

Brightening somewhat at the possibility of the 'maybe', Naruto beamed at Utakata and nodded to him. "It's always great to meet another jinchuriki. You would have to be the third one I've run into this year."

A bit caught off guard at that slip of info, Utakata smiled, "Really?"

While Kiyoko expressed surprise at this information, Tsubaki just stared vacantly between the two males. Being a smalltime sensor, she knew right away that she hadn't just been fighting an ordinary boy, but had been fighting another jinchuriki. While this didn't come as concern to her before or during her semi-final match, due to her previous certainty in being able to defeat her opponent and the fact the blonde's chakra seemed to meld with the Kyuubi's so well that she didn't even notice the two presences earlier, it had definitely given her something to think about. Hell, after her staggering loss, it gave her plenty to consider as she looked between the two teenagers quietly and carefully.

"S-So…" Kiyoko gulped, pointing over at Naruto, "You have a friend sharing your body too… like Utakata-kun?"

Friend? Wow. No one has actually referred to a tailed beast as a friend before, at least not to Naruto in reference to the Kyuubi. While the whisker-marked boy considered him and the Nine-Tails as companions, as strange as the relationship between them was, to hear it come from somebody else was a little bit weird. Nevertheless, it brought a small smile to his lips as he gazed across at the kunoichi in kind and responded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I have a biju sealed inside of me."

Kiyoko's expression brightened at his answer, "Wow! Is he nice?"

"He's sarcastic, really lazy, and a bit of an arrogant kind of guy that doesn't move around that much. I think he's just miserable because he's stuck behind a large set of iron gates in a dank, wet, dingy sewer. I'd open it if I could… but I don't have a key."

"Oh. Okay. But… do you guys like each other?" Kiyoko asked, glancing briefly in her teammate's direction to see him look at her stoically for a moment before she turned back to the blonde inquisitively. "I mean… Utakata-kun doesn't talk very much to his, but he says his friend is pretty nice for a giant slug. What about you and yours?"

Naruto made a so-so gesture with his hand, "I like him, but… I'm not too sure if he likes me very much. We talk a bit and he helps me out whenever I need it. It's just that I don't think he wants me around too often." He smiled a bit in hurt as he gazed at the curious kunoichi sitting on the edge of the bed. "All I want to be is his friend and to help him out. I'm sure he's had a rough life… so I really want this thing to work between us."

Though the jinchuriki didn't notice it, the Kyuubi's ear twitched ever so slightly and the giant fox opened his eyes. Looking up from his position on the floor, the enormous biju stared through the bars to where he knew his caretaker was speaking from, and simply remained that way for a good, long minute…

Chuckling a bit at the silence that prevailed, Naruto rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "That's the best I can describe my relationship with him. Sorry if I'm not being completely clear."

Giddy at the realization that she was meeting another 'Utakata' but from Konohagakure, Kiyoko sat there on the edge of the bed rocking back and forth excitedly. At first weirded out by how she was responding to the news, Naruto then turned to Tsubaki questioningly to see the orange haired kunoichi smile.

"She's just happy because she now knows there's somebody else outside of our village that's like us. I think it's even better for her knowing that it's you who shares a similar history, because the two of you are very much alike," the lightning user replied in a soft voice, shrugging her shoulders at the boy's continuous expression of curiosity. "We grew up outside of the community… segregated, scorned… not really knowing what to do with ourselves, living without a purpose. People didn't take any notice of us or recognize our existence, and if they'd known about what we were, they wouldn't have wanted us to be anywhere close to them." She gave the blonde a bit of a sad smile when she looked up at him. "Being a jinchuriki, you know how guys like Utakata and how people with feared abilities like ours feels… and vice versa. I know this much, because you have the same eyes as us."

Blinking as he gazed back at the trio surrounding him, looking from Tsubaki, to Kiyoko and then to Utakata again, Naruto measured their expressions once and the pasts they must have shared. Remembering Haku for a moment and what she'd told him when they spoke with each other all those weeks ago, he then beamed fondly at the members of the Kiri team and gave them his complete and utmost attention.

"Can I… consider you guys my friends, then?"

Kiyoko, being the most forward of her squad, lifted her hand in the air excitedly and grinned, "Of course!"

Despite having been beaten by the young man and hospitalized from their fight, Tsubaki nevertheless smiled and gazed piercingly towards the whisker-marked jinchuriki brightly. "You were the first Genin to ever beat me one on one in a head to head fight. After exchanging blows with you and seeing the kind of person you are, I see no reason to turn you down." She then extended a hand out to the blonde to take. "I… apologize for my arrogance and any grievances I may have caused you."

It was a gesture and apology Naruto gladly accepted from her, and even shared a high five with Kiyoko once he was finished trading pleasantries. With that done, he gazed back at Utakata, who stared at him momentarily before giving him a small chuckle.

"I already shook hands with you. A second time would only depreciate its value," the boy replied before averting his gaze elsewhere. "Good luck in your next fight, Uzumaki. You're going to need it."

Understanding this much and acknowledging the best wishes sent his way, Naruto began making his way out of the cubicle. Pulling back the curtain, he turned one last time to see the Kiri team send him off, and gently gestured towards the chair he'd been standing beside, where they saw Tsubaki's robe folded up on top. With one last wave, he then left the room, leaving the Kirigakure team some time alone.

As he went on his way, he left positive feelings stewing in all three of the teenagers in that wing of the medical room, with high spirits and smiles.

Utakata tilted his head in thought towards the now settling curtain, "Naruto Uzumaki, huh?"

Looking down at herself, finding her arms and stomach bandaged up and feeling the gauze around her head, Tsubaki flexed her fingers and tested her strength, before a cheerful gaze replaced her considerate one.

"He is an interesting one…"

With his hands behind his head, Naruto made his way down the corridor towards the exit of the stands. Navigating the lit hallways and following the light, just as he was passing another intersection along his path he was suddenly stopped from behind by someone grabbing his collar. Turning around slowly to see who it was, his mood lightened up even more so when he saw that it was Samui who had cut him off and was now gazing at him pleasantly.

"Is it alright for you to be walking around now?" Naruto asked while placing his hands on his hips. "You did take a big hit in your last round."

The blonde brushed her bangs out of her face as she faced the young man properly, "Shizune-san is quite the capable medical-nin. It's something you would expect from an apprentice of Lady Tsunade of the Sannin. She was able to get me up in time to see your semi-final match from the stands."

"Oh. That's good," Naruto responded happily. "It's great to see you're doing alright."

The girl smiled in appreciation at his response, before training her eyes south to size him up. It was then she quickly noticed his bare chest under his unzipped jacket and raised an eyebrow at his new manner of dress from before. Though he was wearing the same orange jacket with blue arrows on it and pants, there was one article that she saw was no longer there. "No shirt?"

Looking down at himself, the boy chuckled a bit and knocked his fist against his pectoral. "Yeah… since I've needed to take it off twice now, I figured it would only get in the way if I needed to get rid of it a third time. I'm keeping the jacket though."

Samui's cheeks reddened as she gazed back up into his own dashing gaze, "You should keep that style of dress. It makes you look more imposing as a shinobi."

"You think so?" Naruto asked, throwing his arms out and posing a bit. Nodding as he looked down at himself as well, he grinned, "Hm. Yeah. I think it works too. You know what… I'm sticking with it." It was then while he was checking his torso out he suddenly felt the girl in front of him step closer and place a kiss on his cheek, jolting him out of his thoughts and drawing his eyes back over to the Kumogakure kunoichi. When he looked back at Samui, he saw her staring at him intently.

Swaying a bit on the spot in a manner the boy didn't expect from her, the former competitor then gave the jinchuriki her fondest expression, one that did not break her gorgeous visage and laid a hand on his arm, "You kept your word. You defeated Tsubaki… just like you said."

Blinking out of his stupor, Naruto grinned, "A promise is a promise. It was a fight I was determined to win, not just for the bet I made or for the promotion, but for you. She took away my chance for a fight against you … and that was something I wasn't going to let stand. She also hurt you badly."

Elevated by his words, Samui looked at him approvingly. "I'm certain a lot of people were betting against you in that fight. Nobody except maybe a select few believed that you would be able to defeat such an opponent," the girl stated, stepping around him and looping her arm with his. "But you showed them. You fought her and you won. That's something you should be proud of."

Naruto smirked, "But it's not over yet. I've still got one more guy left to fight before I can win anything. Now that I've beaten Tsubaki, I just have to pass this last round so that I can prove to that old bat Tsunade that even someone without talent and the whole world against them can succeed in life."

"Gaara? Right?" Samui asked with a small frown appearing, "The crazy one?"

"Yeah. Although… I wouldn't really call him crazy… just… really, really angry. Gaara wasn't treated right back in his village. I learned from his sister that the people in Suna were always trying to hurt him, ignoring him and trying to take away his right to exist. Stuff like that can really mess you up, and if you can't find some way to turn it around, it will haunt you for the rest of your life… and twist you into something ugly," Naruto stated with a determined grin quickly flashing into view. "Gaara is just like me… only people back in my home town weren't actively sent to try and kill me. But I can understand a lot of where he's coming from. I want to do something about that."

"Really? Like what?" Samui asked.

"Oh… I'll think of something," the jinchuriki replied with a small shrug. He then tugged the girl closer to him and acknowledged the time with a quick flick of his wrist, "Shall I escort you back to the stands for the next round, young lady? It's coming up in about fifteen minutes and I'd hate for you to miss it."

Still left in wonder over what the blonde had planned for his next opponent, Samui gratefully accepted his offer and tightened her own hold around him. "Of course. Lead the way, Naruto-kun." She then fell in step with the jinchuriki, who continued on conversation with her back up to the seats. What he was really interested in was how the view was actually like up there, since he didn't have much time during his fights to actually see the arena from up top.

The closer they got to the upper floors where the front rows were, the louder the clamor became and the more people they passed in the hall. Villagers and shinobi alike greeted Naruto and made way for him, congratulating him for his previous fight and wishing him well for the next one. The jinchuriki shone at the praise and gladly took in their kind words, feeling like his actions and presence finally meant something to people.

He was being acknowledged for his strength by many. There was nothing wrong with that at all, especially for someone of his upbringing.

OOO

Sometime later…

Back in the stands…

After witnessing the match that just played out, Haku was unable to keep still. Arms folded and foot tapping against the ground anxiously, the raven haired girl was infected with what a normal person would call giddiness. Having been absolutely overwhelmed by the performance of both Naruto and Tsubaki, particularly Naruto, the ice user was powerless to contain her delight or her excitement for the up and coming final round, and with good reason.

"Naruto-kun has gotten so strong," Haku thought proudly, going over what she'd just witnessed in her head and slipping it into her mental diary for future reference.

Everything she had seen in that arena right up to the last match had been simply astonishing.

Tsubaki was a powerful kekkei genkai user from Kirigakure; a village known for its high abundance of individuals with bloodline abilities. In spite of the period following its last civil war that saw the persecution and death of hundreds of clans and users of kekkei genkai, there were still a high number of them hanging around, hiding out in every shadow and living in amongst the people. Tsubaki was especially unique, because her kekkei genkai allowed her to fuse with her elemental affinity completely and use it at her will, and lightning being one of the most powerful forces in the world, that potentially made her one of the strongest kunoichi in the world.

And Naruto was able to beat someone like that. Granted she was able to overcome her affinity disadvantage with an assortment of other weapons, the boy was able to match her blow for blow and turn the tide of the fight in his favor. He'd gotten faster, physically stronger, his reflexes had increased tremendously, and his proficiency in wind manipulation had also stepped up to a remarkable level. He was able to utilize the vector and rotation capabilities of his original Jet Hand to bend the wind and move his chakra how he wanted it. Furthermore, he was able to take the concept of the Shunshin no Jutsu, trained himself in its use and integrated it into his fighting style to turn it into an ability he could use at will.

After watching the match, Haku concluded that Naruto now had to be one of the fastest shinobi of his generation. That was something really incredible to think about.

But now she had another match to look forward to, and it was against the bloodcurdling Genin from Sunagakure. From his matches, the ice user saw how quickly his sand moved, how much he was able to conjure up, and how well it could take a hit. There was also an unusual transformation state he assumed too, which increased both his speed and power, and while not as fast as Naruto and Tsubaki, it was still worrisome. His recklessness and berserker tendencies were something else too, able to emit such copious amounts of bloodlust that it could choke up the entire stadium.

While this had Haku shiver, this did not instill any doubts in her mind about Naruto being able to defeat him.

Tsubaki had to be the strongest competitor in this tournament. However, Gaara's fighting style was different than hers and just as lethal, so that meant it was a tossup between them for the top spot. In any case, the blonde had a tough fight ahead of him.

She knew, Iruka knew it from the serious gaze he had in play, Hiashi and Hanabi knew it, and so did Tsunade and Shizune.

Seated in the front row, the brown haired kunoichi with the pig in her arms shuffled on the spot nervously before beaming across at the woman beside her. "It's the last round, Tsunade-sama. After watching that semi-final match, I bet this next fight is bound to get exciting too." She then noticed the desponded expression her blonde haired master had taken on and looked at her worryingly. "T-Tsunade-sama?"

The Sannin breathed out a raspberry and looked down at the slip she had in her hand, "Yeah… you may be excited, Shizune. But I'm not. I didn't expect that loudmouthed punk to actually make it into the next round. How the hell was he able to beat Tsubaki? I just can't believe."

It was then the apprentice's expression became deathly serious and both her and Tonton glared hard at the slug summoner. "How much money did you lose?"

Hearing the dangerous tone in her assistance's vocals, Tsunade perked up a little and waved off-handedly at her. "Oh, don't worry. It's only a meager 600,000 from the profits I'd made over these last two days. Nothing big. Just a small… three-quarter slice." She saw the woman's eyes bug out at the number before the Sannin stood up and began moving down her isle… surprisingly quickly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to the betting station. I've got something urgent I have to do."

Before Shizune could recover and say anything after the older woman, she was already gone, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. Watching the fumes settle and the crowd follow the disappearing trail in the direction the woman had scampered off; the medical apprentice sighed and slapped her forehead, while Tonton gave an oink of disapproval.

"I know… there's just no stopping her…"

Hopefully she wasn't going to make another radically stupid bet for this last fight.

While the medical kunoichi remained in place looking downright miserable, everybody else was sitting tense over in the instructors section.

Stomping out another cigarette on the ground and joining the dozen other ends he'd already flattened Asuma pulled out another stick and lit it, before turning his gaze back to the field, along with the other members of the entourage including Genma, Kurenai, Anko, Gai and Kakashi. All of them either had their arms folded or were standing/sitting stock-straight, their minds working a thousand miles a minute trying to figure out how this next battle was going to go, while also trying to process the end of the last fight.

"Well… who do you think is going to win this one?" Kurenai asked.

As if the answer were so obvious, Anko's grin widened, "Easy. The blonde haired troublemaker."

"He certainly has a flare for the unbelievable, no doubt," Genma chuckled, rolling his senbon between his teeth. "He's fast, strong, deceptively clever… I'd say he's the most ridiculous shinobi to fight in this competition."

The only people who'd ever performed feats comparably exceptional during any exams in the past had been the Three Legendary Sannin, Kakashi and Gai, both of whom were standing nearby, Shisui and Itachi. Those were only some of the few.

Right now, Naruto, Tsubaki and a couple of the other contestants had also etched their names into that list.

Gai, feeling a smile tug at his lips too, closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "This looks to be a promising finisher to an otherwise amazing competition." He looked across at Kakashi, whom was also looking down at the field intently. "You should be happy your student has made it so far."

Blinking at his rival's exclamation, Kakashi glanced across at the man in green spandex and gave an eye-smile. "I am." Looking back without another word, the silver haired Jonin watched as the proctors returned to the middle of the ruined ring and prepared to make their announcements. His eye rested on the competitor's balcony across the way, where he could see Gaara standing beside his older sibling and Naruto positioned next to Shikamaru and Tayuya, the latter of which had popped by to wish him luck.

His eye fixed on the blonde boy in orange, upon which he sprouted a small grin under his mask, which visibly tightened the fabric over his mouth.

"Good luck, Naruto."

Wild, unpredictable nature combined with strength and incredible insight. Oh yeah. It was like two images blended into one. He could almost see the silhouettes of the youngster's parents hanging directly behind him as the cheery troublemaker laughed along with Tayuya.

OOO

Sakura clenched her fists as she gazed down at the arena firmly, waiting with anticipation and nervousness for the next battle. "This is it… the last match."

"I sure hope Naruto-san will be able to pull through it," Kaede murmured, his hands rubbing together uneasily.

"He's had two really tough fights in a row already… and Gaara has only had one," Choji stated while looking across at the others alongside him. "I know Naruto has the most chakra out of all of us, but after facing off against that Tsubaki girl… I don't think he has enough to carry him through this last one."

"That Gaara kid is crazy strong as well," Omoi added, rubbing his chin with concern reflected in his gaze. The last match with Tayuya was still fresh in his mind and he remembered well what the sand user had been capable of. His control over the element was one thing… but that transformation at the end… that was another thing entirely. "If he was fresh and didn't have to fight all of those battles, I'm sure Naruto could win against the sand kid. But after fighting that orange haired chick… it may be asking a little bit much."

"You sound like it's the end for him," Tenten said seriously, looking over at the Kumo Nin with a frown.

Omoi shrugged in response, "I could be wrong, I could be right. All I'm saying is that it's not going to be easy to beat his next opponent."

Like the rest of them, the pessimism slowly started to spread over the members of Team Gai. Even after seeing the last couple of fights and the incredible events that had taken place, even Neji and Lee were starting to have their doubts about Naruto being able to pull a third win. However, while everybody else conveyed expressions of doubt into the last minute leading into the start of the final match, Tenten was really the only one out of all of them looking determined.

Unlike most of the Genin, she wasn't going to count the miracle blonde out yet. He was tough and after witnessing his last bouts for herself, she wasn't going to doubt that he could win.

While everyone waited patiently for the next announcement, Sakura and Ino looked across at Sasuke for a second opinion. Being one of those who knew the blonde haired wonder the most from past experience, and knowing he was his chief rival, the girls fixed their attention on the raven haired genius without a second thought.

"Do you think Naruto will be alright, Sasuke-kun?" the pinkette asked, only for her eyes to widen fearfully when a shadow fell over them and she looked up at where it was originating from.

Ino also noticed the person that came to stand beside Sasuke along with everybody else in that row, all of whom looked at the individual for a good, brief second before leaning away sharply. The collective expressions of shock did not go unnoticed by the Uchiha, who looked strangely across at the expressions of horror reflected in the multitude of faces. Eyebrows crinkling oddly, he then looked behind him to see what all the fuss is about and, following the bandaged form up to the head of the owner of the shadow, saw the exact reason why everyone had recoiled.

Draped in her familiar samurai coat, arms folded and a serious expression on her face, Tsubaki could be seen standing in the isle right next to the former competitors' section. Along with Kiyoko and Utakata, both of whom had lined up beside her, the orange haired kunoichi gazed out over the field with interest. Quickly becoming aware of the attention she was receiving, the Kirigakure girl glanced around and gazed down in surprise at the row of Genin next to her.

When her inquiries eyes set on them, she saw all of the teenagers in their seats move over one, their wide and fearful eyes set unblinkingly on her.

Realizing what must be the problem Tsubaki gave the groups a pleasant smile and waved. "Hey." Her gesture only got them all to jerk instinctively, as if her very hand had the power to kill them all in one swing. This earned a giggle from her and she shook her head at them, "Don't mind me. I'm not here to start trouble. I'm just here to watch the next fight." With that said, she went back to staring out over the arena along with her teammates.

Gulping, the fearful faces of Neji, Lee, Shiho, Sasuke, Choji and everybody else present there turned back to the ring just as Tsubaki had. When they did, their backs as stiff as ironing boards, the squads completely missed the sight of the other two members of the Kiri Team glance across at them, and Kiyoko and Utakata share a giggle and a chuckle respectively before they also faced the open field once more.

OOO

(Stadium – Arena)

Clearing his throat, Hayate glanced up towards the crowd and, tapping the mike on his collar, got right down to business. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. I hope you all had a nice one hour reprieve, because it's time to begin the final match for this tournament. This is where the competitor that received a bye in from the quarter-final matches faces off against the winner of the previous, semi-final match. Will Gaara and Naruto please make their way down to center ring, so that we may begin?"

A loud cheer immediately went up from the stands as the two final contestants' names were called out and flashed up onto the big screens along with their profile pictures. As clips were played of their previous battles in the tournament, the abovementioned individuals began making their way down to the center.

After wishing her younger brother luck, immediately after which she received the usual cold shoulder and death glare from him, Temari then watched the boy form a hand seal and disappear in a sand shunshin. Her desponded state as she followed the cloud of particles across the arena did not go missed by Naruto, who received a final pat on the back from a surprisingly more upbeat Shikamaru and a peck on the cheek from Tayuya.

"Good luck, shithead," the musician exclaimed brightly, before punching him in the chest, "Knock his teeth out."

Naruto smirked, "That's the plan." Giving a salute, he then gripped the guard rail and leapt over the side. Just before he could dash off, he glanced back over his shoulder at the two people to see him off, before he slowly looked over at Temari. Upon seeing her eyes latch onto him and catching a glimpse of her concerned expression, the jinchuriki frowned as well before finally rushing off to meet his opponent in the middle.

He arrived a minute after his opponent had landed and swung around to stand on the other side. Once he skidded to a stop, he limbered up and patted his face, before grinning at his adversary. The sand user however returned his friendly gaze with his normal, impassive stare, resulting in a one-way, intense standoff.

The blonde chuckled and nodded his way, "Let's have a good match."

In spite of his pleasant offering, all he got in return was a harsh response. "Just so you know… I'm going to kill you, Naruto Uzumaki. You are going to die here today, on this field, by my hand; in front of all these people and the ones you cherish most." His eyes developed a dark shadow when he came to the end of his threat.

Laughing at his words, the jinchuriki cracked his neck. "If you can… then bring it on."

The moment the pair traded shots with one another, the cork on Gaara's gourd popped off, which was immediately followed by a cloud of sand billowing out. It was this sight that had the proctors standing nearby ease back a tad, while Hayate glared warily at the boy. The Konoha official then looked across at the other competitor, whom he saw smirk and take a firm stand, extending both hands forward and causing a gust of wind to blow leaves around him, which provided an interesting contrast to his opponent's own floating element.

"Hey! Hey! Settle down!" Hayate said loudly, glaring back at Gaara warningly, "Don't start until I say go!"

Emitting waves of killing intent, the red haired sand user turned to the official, blasting him in the face with his menacing aura. "Start the match… NOW!"

Gritting his teeth, feeling control over the match slipping, the proctor pointed at him. "Wait." Seeing the boy continue to gaze unflinchingly at him, Hayate breathed easily before looking between the pair once more. He then held out his hand out, "The final match between Gaara of Sunagakure and Naruto of Konohagakure." A moment of pause followed his announcement… before Hayate finally drew his hand up and dropped it in one go. "BEGIN!" He then got the hell out of the way because the second he did so, the fight was on.

The audience didn't even have time to blink.

Uncrossing his arms, Gaara suddenly corked both of them back before throwing his hands forward, his expression becoming incredibly intense as he let out an angry yell. The moment he did so, the sand armor he was wearing along his arms suddenly bulked up in size and, like they were his own arms, extended forward at high speed the exact moment he chucked them. His fingers opened up to grab the blonde standing clear in his sights, the whisker-marked warrior crouching low when he saw the enormous fingers and palms approaching him.

Appearing momentarily surprised, Naruto leapt straight into the air, moving just in time to avoid the massive sand hands mashing together over the same ground he'd been standing on. A loud thump echoed out at the crushing force exerted by the limbs forming into one. However, the instant the tendrils of sand molded, they reformed again out of the ball of grains and shot skywards, following after the evading blonde. The hands opened up to grab him again, but the jinchuriki expertly avoided the gargantuan appendages that pursued him. Swinging off of one arm when it missed, he kicked at the other hand that came around to intercept him, smashing it to bits before doing the same to a second, and then a third, and then a fourth arm that came out of nowhere, hiking off of each swipe after deflecting them.

He hopped from one hand to another when they came at him, before drawing a kunai and slicing through two giant hands that came at him from both sides to try and flatten him between them. Naruto easily cut through them and appeared on the other side, before hiking off of another cloud of grains from below. Curling into a ball, he spun away through the air, before opening up on his descent and landing safely away from his foe. He assumed a fighting stance in time to watch the sand hands Gaara had sent his way float back to him and return to normal arm size, which he folded over his chest.

"Want to deal with me yourself? Very well," Naruto chirped, drawing a pair of kunai from behind and hurling them forward at speed.

As expected, the blades he threw embedded in the barrier of sand that jumped out from behind the boy's shoulder to protect its master, who didn't even flinch as he stood behind the egg shell barrier, glaring towards the blonde. However, while his sand managed to stop the blades dead, he failed to notice the two explosive tags that unfurled from around the handles, which detonated simultaneously with concussive force. The shockwaves that rang out sent a cloud of fire and smoke in all directions, blocking out Gaara from view and bringing a smirk to Naruto's face.

However, the blonde's little moment of success was cut short when spears of sand suddenly shot out from the cloud and flew at him at speed. The jinchuriki let out a yelp and began ducking, dodging and slipping around the multiple spikes that jutted out and retracted at lightning speed, pulling some odd positions as the attacks missed him by inches.

Naruto evaded them quickly, using his flexible taijutsu style to keep him out of the storm as he telegraphed every attack that came at him.

"You want to keep me defensive?" Naruto murmured, figuring this to be his opponent's strategy. It brought a determined grin to his face. "Good luck with that. I'm not that easy to keep away." Immediately after avoiding another one of the dozens of spikes sent at him and seeing it start to retract, the jinchuriki quickly grabbed the tip of it. Allowing it to yank him off of his feet, the boy was pulled from his place and through the air. Flying through the hail of spikes and expertly avoiding them, Naruto then released it and flew at his foe hiding inside the clouds, using the retreating sand's momentum as his own. "I always get my target, dattebayo!" Corking his fist back, as soon as he flew into the smoke, he attacked, a loud 'bang' ringing out when his punch made contact.

The shockwave from the attack impacting caused the smoke to part violently, revealing that Naruto had embedded his fist into another layer of sand that had curled around Gaara from the mass billowing out of his gourd at the last second. The blonde's glare fixing with the unflinching gaze of his foe, the jinchuriki immediately retracted his fist and sprang away, watching the sand floating around Gaara suddenly drop to the ground at his feet and form a ring around him.

Sliding to a stop a safe distance away, Naruto grinned up at the youngster. "Nice moves… though I figured your sand would be quick." He then formed his cross-fingered hand seal. "Let's see how long you'll be able to hide behind it. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Jutsu) The moment he shouted the name of that technique, puffs of smoke exploded all around him, which was immediately followed by a platoon of clones rushing out of the haze at speed and splitting up to surround the red head.

Gaara's frown hardened as his eyes cut between the multitudes of copies breaking up to take him on all sides. Within seconds, he was set upon by the first wave, a couple of them taking him from the front and causing his sand defense to jump up and block the hits. The clones dispelled the second they attacked, revealing them to be nothing but decoys. More came from behind, his sand wall jumping up repeatedly and blocking the attacks thrown at him, the copies disappearing one after the other. Gaara continued looking left and right, seeing more Bunshin attempt to blindside him before another tried from directly above, while a second tested his defense from below. His sand jutted up to wipe out the one sliding across the ground behind him, while his sand wall rose and intercepted the one coming from up high. It was then a whole squad of Naruto doppelgangers jumped him at once, which prompted the boy to summon all of his sand from the ground to protect him.

Like a waterfall but in reverse, the sand surrounding Gaara shot straight up, forming a defensive wave-like wall that continued blasting upwards to dispel the copies. However, while his sand defense reacted to the groups attacking him from the sides, the redhead failed to notice the ground at his feet split and crack, before it eventually exploded upwards and another Naruto slammed a jumping uppercut right into his chin. The blow landed with the sound of a gunshot, smashing Gaara off his feet. However, while this blow would have knocked anybody senseless, the cracks that appeared around the boy's chin followed by plates of sand falling off showed that it had little effect on him.

"There it is. His sand armor!" Naruto gritted his teeth, dropping to the ground as Gaara's body began to slowly descend back to earth after being lifted several feet into the air. The second Naruto landed his hit the Suna Genin's sand wall dropped, allowing four more Narutos to come dashing in. The squad of doppelgangers converged underneath the falling boy who the line-breaker had managed to setup perfectly for his next attack. "Time to take it up a notch!"

The second the five Narutos had positioned underneath the airborne Gaara, they leapt straight up at him and kicked… repeatedly. Five simultaneous kicks slammed into the sand user's back one after the other, with each blow being accompanied by a chorus of shouts from all five copies, "U-ZU-MA-KI!" The blows rang out with deafening thuds, the force of which managed to lift Gaara several stories into the air before the squad of shadow clones mercifully allowed him to fall again.

However, the moment Gaara began to descend, the five doppelgangers appeared in the air directly above him and dove straight at him, all of them converging on the red head and cocking their fists back. Taking aim, the group attacked him at once, shouting at the top of their lungs, "NARUTO RENDAN!" (Naruto Uzumaki Combo)

The simultaneous hits echoed all around with the sound of multiple cannons firing, sending the sand user's body plummeting back to ground level, where he slammed into the earth at full speed and formed a large crater. Sprawled out, Gaara lay flat out in his hole, motionless with a stunned look on his face and his entire body cracked with fist imprints visible on his front. As the dust slowly settled from his landing, Naruto and his copies dropped down from the sky and took up position several yards away.

Dispelling is clones, Naruto stood up and looked towards the crater, where he saw Gaara's fractured form continue to split, before the damage around his face suddenly caused pieces to cave in, revealing a hollow shell. This brought a smirk to the boy's mug as he glanced over his shoulder.

"I knew I was fighting a clone the moment I hit you with my explosive tags. You used the smoke as cover to make the switch and thought I wouldn't notice it," Naruto spoke while fixing on a large boulder several feet away. "You may as well show yourself Gaara… because I can sense exactly where you are."

For the first few seconds nothing happened. However, as the shell that was the Gaara replacement crumbled away and returned to its original form, the cluster of rocks behind Naruto were pushed away and a mound of sand rose up from the ground. As soon as the enormous boulders were removed and the mass of grains grew to full height, it fell away to reveal the real Gaara grinning maliciously in the blonde's general direction.

While this stare would have unnerved many other opponents, it didn't even phase the jinchuriki one bit.

Naruto chuckled, "Hello."

Gaara's bloodthirsty grin was only matched by his tongue running across his upper lip, his hands coming together to form a hand seal. "Let's make it rain with blood… your blood… Naruto Uzumaki!" Shouting the last syllables, the sand user suddenly summoned a whole mass of sand from his gourd and the ground behind him, which came to form an enormous wall in front of him. While the blonde expressed momentary curiosity at what his foe was doing as he turned to face him, Gaara brought one of his hands forward and focused, the front of his new barrier facing his opponent forming various, noticeable bumps. It was then the sand user unleashed his attack. "Suna Shigure!" (Sand Drizzle)

The second he spoke the incantation, the sand Genin began firing from his wall thousands upon thousands of what looked like long bullets made out of his natural element. They all came at Naruto in a wave with a decent spread, causing the blonde jinchuriki to frown before the attacks passed right by him. The first barrage peppered the ground behind the intended target, as if the attack had veered off course. This big miss had Gaara frown as he began firing continuous shots at his adversary, focusing all of his rounds along a single line, only to watch his target repeatedly and continuously shift between the barrages. The streams of attacks attempted to pursue the repeatedly dodging Naruto, only to veer right off course each and every time, like they didn't want to hit him or like he wasn't even there.

Gritting his teeth after a full minute of the continuous assault and nothing, Gaara ceased firing as his eyes locked onto the blonde carefully, who now stood inside the affected area looking back at him seriously.

"It's your light distorting ninjutsu, isn't it?" Receiving a nod in response to his question, Gaara grumbled. "How annoying. Are you that terrified of my abilities that you refuse to face me directly?"

Smirking, Naruto cocked his fist back. He was about twenty yards away from his foe; perfect striking distance if he knew his limits. "I'm not afraid to get up close with you. Here, let me show you! Hien!" (Flying Swallow) Throwing his right in a punch, he fired off a blast of wind in the form of a fast moving bullet that slammed into Gaara's sand wall and smashed a hole into it.

Surprised at the force of the attack, the Suna Genin quickly brought sand around to defend himself again. The cloud of particles came out in front in the form of a large tendril that began blocking consecutive wind shots from his opponent. The increased density of his sand cushioned the blows that peppered him as Naruto attacked him from long range with invisible rounds, which attempted to snake around the obstructions but were intercepted at every turn by the fast moving defense.

It was a shoot off that saw both opponents exchanging high-level attacks, the crowd awing at the display.

While he was blocking the hits, dispelling the force of every wind ball, Gaara brought up a second tendril and sent it arcing through the air towards the blonde.

Spotting the attack coming in from above, Naruto gritted his teeth and dashed forward, disappearing in a flicker of orange, a split second before the sand from above slammed into the spot he once was.

Alarmed at the sight of his target disappearing at speed, Gaara looked around quickly, only to hear a set of footsteps land directly on his side in the direction he wasn't looking in. Spinning around, the Genin's sand tendrils retracting as quickly as they could, the red head was unable to respond in time as his blonde haired opponent fully materialized out of the air with his right bearing down on him in a swinging overhand. Fist encased in a visible tornado streaking through the air and an intense look on his face, Naruto let out a loud yell as he plowed his fist straight into Gaara's face.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!" (Swallow Return)

The blow impacted with his target's mug with the sound of a gunshot, snapping the boy's head back and, thanks to the increased piercing power granted to him by his wind chakra, easily stripped the boy of his reinforced plating. The attack caused the sand armor to crack and blast off of his enemy's face in a cloud of sand, which was accompanied by a splatter of blood from his mouth, which stained the earth in a spectacular photo finish. The blow sent Gaara staggering away, the sand hovering around him slowing due to his sudden disturbance in concentration.

Stumbling to a stop, a shocked Gaara, brushing the back of his hand across his face and looking at the blood in terror, gave a gasp as he looked ahead again to see his opponent come at him a second time and ram another, left hook across his face. Both his fists and feet wafting with twisting wind chakra, the blonde jinchuriki began raining hell down on his opponent blow after blow, sending Gaara's body snapping this way and that as he hammered him with punishing blows to the face and midsection. He repeatedly broke through the armor, cutting into the Suna Genin with shockingly strong attacks that had him reeling. Not even his automatic sand shield could react at super close range as Gaara's brain was knocked about.

OOO

Kankuro, leaning forward in shock, clenched his fists tightly as he watched blood being drawn from Gaara repeatedly as his opponent pummeled him without mercy. "His armor… it… can't block those hits?! Gaara!"

"He's got him!" Lee cheered holding up a bandaged fist with an excited grin in play. "Yes! Take it home, Naruto-kun! BEAT HIM!"

"You can do it!" Tenten also cheered excitedly, rising up from her seat with eyes shimmering. "Go Naruto! Finish him off!"

With much of the stadium standing up and shouting their support for the blonde haired youngster, many failed to notice the serious looks that came across people like Sasuke, Kurotsuchi, Shirotsuchi, Neji, Shikamaru and Tayuya. While everybody else remained blissfully ignorant in their excitement of the moment, completely caught up in the sight of watching the more physically prominent Konoha Genin attacking his long-ranged foe at super close range, they completely forgot about the other important aspects that made the sand user as dangerous as he was. Clearly, those with a much calmer demeanor didn't forget and continued to show concern over this as they watched Naruto push Gaara with repeated, lightning fast blows.

"The more damage he takes…" Neji murmured in his head.

"The angrier he will get… and the more dangerous he'll become," Tayuya thought, remembering her fight well as her fists clenched nervously. "It hasn't been long since my fight with him, so his chakra levels must be seriously depleted. That means it won't take much more to push him over the edge…"

And call upon the assistance of the biju inside of him.

No matter how you looked at it, that was not a comforting thought.

OOO

(Stadium – Arena)

As his face was mashed in by the chakra coated, drill-like fists cutting through the air at him from all sides, at the same time barely being protected by his armor of sand being smashed off of his body over and over again, Gaara looked up in abject horror as he watched his furious opponent press his advantage, and throw another punch his way. His attack sliced towards him like a swing from an animal out to kill, threatening to cut him down with just one more strike.

"My armor… he's… he's breaking through it! IMPOSSIBLE!" Gaara thought desperately, only to have his face blasted in and staggered. He attempted to summon his shield again, but he was kicked in the side and doubled-over, where he then received an overhand that nearly plated his face into the ground. While it didn't, it still scattered his sand armor, which quickly flooded back over to protect him at the range he was facing his adversary.

But every time his armor repaired itself, more and more of his chakra was shaved away at an alarming rate as it was battered again and again. It was a sensation of loss that Gaara could feel as every single drop of his energy was eaten away by the continuous assault from his opponent.

"Why… how… how am I being beaten by this… this… FOOL?!" He looked up through wide eyes to see the blonde lunge in again, an intense glare fixated on him and eyes blazing with anger. "I am the strongest in this world… THE STRONGEST IN THIS UNIVERSE!" Gaara screamed in his head again, only to feel more pain shoot through him as he was smacked to the side, blood splattering across the ground from his mouth. "NO! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED LIKE THIS! I WILL NOT LOSE! NOT TO THE LIKES OF THIS LOW-LIFE SCUM!"

"Then do it… kill him! Destroy him! Make him suffer. Rip him to pieces. Kill everyone he loves!"

Hearing the voice shout loudly in his head, Gaara's eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth. Quickly glancing back to see his opponent come at him for the hundredth time, the sand user growled.

"Yes… mother! For you… I will… defeat him!"

With an infuriated roar, Gaara threw both hands forward and summoned a wave of sand from the ground, which smashed into his opponent from the side and sent him barreling across the ground. Due to its spread, the jinchuriki wasn't able to dodge it right but moved away to dispel some of the power behind it. However, after being sent tumbling to the floor, he was easily able to right himself and leapt back to his feet, skidding to a stop and staring back at his foe.

Getting distance, the sand user called his sand to him and leapt away. Upon securing a good position on top of a hill, he formed a hand seal and began calling the sand from all around the field to him. Within seconds, the clouds of particles wrapped around him to form the familiar protective dome, which consumed him and provided him an absolute, firm defense, and one that even Tayuya had trouble circumventing. This had the crowd clamor again as they looked down at the battlefield with grave concern.

Inside his dome, Gaara sat down and closed his eyes, focusing hard on his next task.

His chakra was running out fast. The fight with his previous foe, though it didn't physically affect him that much, still left him crippled with depleted chakra reserves. Even with the hour that passed, he still hadn't the time to adequately recover due to the strain of his previous battle. This was the main reason why his sand defense was so slow to respond, which left him with no other alternative.

"I am not going to disappear from this world," Gaara thought menacingly as he began communing with the voice inside of him. "I will not! I will not cease to exist! I will eliminate everyone that stands before me, everyone who will deny me my existence… and become the strongest in this universe. Yes. MY universe. The perfect universe; where I alone will reign supreme as the most powerful."

"Mother… let's eliminate this trash that threatens to destroy our perfect world…"

His eyes snapped open, showing the stress veins that had appeared as his eye suddenly transformed into a yellow, star shape shrouded in black.

"Naruto Uzumaki… if you refuse to bow before me… then I will make you bow… and give you a reason to fear me!"

The aforementioned blonde watched as the dome churned and a chink in its perfect shell formed at the front, as if knowing he was in that direction. When that protrusion appeared, the jinchuriki and the audience then noticed a small ball of sand form above the dome and an eye blink into view. This eye scanned the area briefly before settling onto him, where it then stuck and followed him as he swayed from side to side.

Testing the strange thing that appeared to float above his target, the jinchuriki stopped moving before smiling across at the mass of sand. "Oh? You modified your defense so that it could protect you from all sides this time, right? I'm guessing you also layered the ground at your feet so you could prevent me from popping out of it again." Receiving no response as he looked across at the sphere and the third eye looking back at him silently, Naruto scratched his head and thought for a moment. "Now let's see… knowing what you can do with your sand, I'm betting you'll be able to counter me if I try to get close to you. You've also packed it to make it even harder to penetrate and you've got that weird eye thing hovering outside to spot any and all approaching enemies. While that's good and all, there's still one big weakness in your defense that you haven't accounted for."

Grinning mischievously, Naruto crouched low and sprinted straight towards the dome of sand.

His actions immediately had the audience in the stands rise to their feet, wondering why the hell he was attacking the thing head on rather than pulling back to think up a more effective strategy. However, when it seemed from Temari and Kankuro's point of view that Naruto was running in to try and plow a fist through it, which would've been impossible to do, the boy instead cocked his left hand back and threw it forward, slipping under the spikes that shot out to try and skewer him.

Easily dodging the counter, Naruto slammed his palm against the surface and smiled in success. The blood that dripped down his cheek hit his sandal, all of which had come from a cut that had opened up by one of the sand spears coming a little too close to him.

It wasn't an issue though. Not at all.

"You still need to breathe, which means your sand is filtering air from outside. And wherever there's space for air, it means that my wind can get through too!" His grin transformed into a serious glare as he pressed forward with his attack, "JET HAND!" With the sound of a shockwave, Naruto's hand buried into the shell of the dome, which suddenly separated when rotating wind vectors forced their way through the grains, and blasted the dome of sand to pieces when a tornado shredded straight through the defense. The gale of wind also knocked the eye out of the air, revealing a stunned Gaara sitting inside the protective tent before Naruto dove forward and slapped his right hand against his chest. "And again! JET HAND!"

Another blast of wind and Gaara was blasted from his place, the ejection point of wind that appeared on his breast bone sending him spiraling across the arena all the way to the other side. Plowing through every obstacle that lay in his path and crying out, the still sand covered youngster eventually slammed into the barrier wall of the stadium, where he quickly found himself buried under tons of rubble from another section of it caving in.

Withdrawing after the successful combination, Naruto pulled into a proper stance and frowned, wiping the blood from his cheek. Checking the damage, he grunted before gazing in the direction his foe had shot off in, where he saw the cloud of dust slowly settle.

There, he saw to his surprise a still conscious Gaara stumble out of the mass of rubble, bruised up, gripping his arm, staggering along with blood dripping from his head, and his sand pooling at his feet.

Panting raggedly, the red haired boy glared up with a murderous glint in his eye. His pupils dilating, the sand user gave a low, animalistic growl as he gripped his shoulder tightly before letting out a bellow of absolute rage. His scream drowned the entire stadium, causing shivers to run down the former Genin competitors and nervous looks to grip both the Jonin and the Kage. Once his cry echoed out into the distance, he settled back down to glaring hatefully in Naruto's direction.

It was then, looking into his foe's eyes, Naruto saw something he did not expect and recoiled in surprise.

"Hang on… he's unconscious?" The fact that his irises were glazed over was a clear indication of this fact. Either he was out cold and was merely forcing himself to move out of sheer anger, or he was bordering falling out and was really only semiconscious.

Either way, the kid was clearly out of it.

"I… will not… have my existence forfeited… by you!" Gaara seethed.

The blonde blinked as he assumed a defensive stance and gazed across at the boy in surprise. "What? You think I want to…?"

Gritting his teeth, Gaara then threw his hands out and roared once more, "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

As his yell filled the stadium and dissipated, the crowd then watched stunned as the sand from the boy's gourd exploded outwards and enveloped him. At the exact same time, enormous quantities of sand from all corners of the field and ground began rushing towards him in rivers. While this came as a big surprise to Naruto, who miraculously stood out of the way of the tsunamis, his expression conveyed shock several moments later when the sand, gathering to such an amount that it literally towered a few stories above the barrier wall of the arena, suddenly took the shape of a figure.

With an enormous arm jutting out of the mountain of grains followed by a head, the mass quickly developed even more distinct features, giving the unknown entity shape and character. The same markings that had appeared on Gaara before in his semi-transformed state in his match against Tayuya also appeared over it. The head also sprouted ears, an enormous mouth lined with jagged teeth, and sharp, haunting eyes that would send chills down anyone's spines. Claws formed out of its arm and hand, which the sand was easily able to morph into due to its loose makeup.

Upon reaching a more stable state, despite only being half transformed, the enormous, distorted creature came to stand behind Gaara, towering above the crowd while the boy remained at its base, partially enveloped in its stomach. While it had not sprouted legs, it still rose to an unbelievable height that had the villagers and some shinobi in the stands cry out in terror as the One-Tailed Tanuki made its physical yet phantom appearance from its host.

OOO

All of the village leaders except for the Fourth Kazekage were on their feet the moment the shadow of the biju fell upon them.

Looking up at the partially formed creature in horror, Mei's fists clenched tightly. "That's the… Ichibi."

"Shukaku," Hiruzen murmured, his eyes reflecting his immediate concern at the situation while he remained in place. But even with his continued position, he discreetly began making preparations to intervene should this escalate beyond the containment of the ring.

Out of all the Kage present in that box, the Kazekage was the only one not showing any fear or worry. Hands clenched tightly together, the man fixed his stare on the demon as it let out a tremendous bellow, rattling the sky and the earth. Its rage filtered out over the crowd and drowned everyone in its bloodlust, causing every man, woman and child to literally freeze where they were seated.

Above the cries from the audience, the leader of Suna remained collected. "That boy from Konoha was able to interrupt Gaara's transformation, just like the kunoichi before him. But he was still able to undergo a partial change. It may look bad, but Gaara's still in control…"

"…just."

OOO

(Stadium – Arena)

"Wow… now that is a big fish," Naruto exclaimed brightly, at the same time looking at the enormous demon that had appeared out of the sand. Even though it was only partly complete with only one arm protruding from a full body, it was still massive. Comparing it to the stadium walls, this thing could easily tower over all of the buildings in Konoha. "So… I'm going to venture a guess that that's the biju that's sealed inside of Gaara? It looks like a giant raccoon-dog. Cute." Hearing its low growl echo out, the blonde haired boy stiffened and stepped away when he saw its killer gaze fix onto him. "O-Oh."

"Kid… I recommend getting out of the way… RIGHT NOW!" the Kyuubi shouted in his head.

A loud chuckle following, all eyes turned to Gaara, who could still be seen standing at the base of the giant sand monster. Expression manic in his partial immersion with his element, with his back wedged into the sand and some of it creeping across his face as if it were about to cocoon him, the boy brought his one free arm up and prompted the creature to move as well, showing just who and who was not in control. As the sand creature's chest above him puffed out like a balloon, the boy spoke in a very loud and strangely distorted voice.

"You won't defeat me with such pathetic attacks! Even though you pushed me this far… I will not let you make a mockery of me any longer!" It sounded like both he and the demon that was brimming at the surface inside of him were speaking at the exact same time. Laughing out again, the boy then formed a fist and leaned forward sharply. "NOW DIE! FUTON: RENKUDAN!" (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)

The sand creature slammed its hand down on its chest and fired a massive gale of wind in the shape of a sphere ripping across the arena towards its target. Seeing the ground blasting away at the invisible, fast approaching attack, Naruto did what the Kyuubi suggested of him and immediately vanished in a blur. The spot he'd previously been standing on was decimated by the blast, which crashed into the barrier wall at the edge of the arena and dispelled when its force was stopped by it.

Rematerializing out of the air from the winds that tore across the field, Naruto tumbled violently before skidding to a halt on all fours and looked up. When he did, he suddenly saw the enormous sand creature appear above him, swinging in with its enormous clawed hand. Freaking out at its speed, the jinchuriki sprang to his feet and leapt out of the way, avoiding the hand that smashed into the ground with an earth-shaking crash. The force split the earth and sent a shockwave over the audience, but missed the intended target.

Laughing hysterically at seeing his foe barrel over the floor like an insect, Gaara grinned excitedly. "Entertain me some more, Naruto Uzumaki! Suffer for me! MAKE ME COMPLETE!"

Scrunching his face at the melded voice of his adversary, Naruto then sprang forward from the ground in a sprint, charging towards the giant hand still gripping the ground it had hit. "Okay… that soundtrack has got to stop!" Upon dashing towards the arm, the jinchuriki zipped left and right in a blur, before jumping onto the limb and landing on the back of its palm, which was suddenly yanked out of the floor.

Lifting his one limb high above the stadium, trailing debris, the partially transformed Gaara/Shukaku glared at the speck hanging off of him and let out a yell. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" He then began swinging his arm about violently, throwing the boy this way and that as he clung on for dear life.

His head swelling from the violent directional changes and G-forces impacting him, Naruto bit his teeth together and timed the ascent of the limb, before releasing his hold of it when the hand was thrown upwards. Flying high into the sky, the jinchuriki glared down at the enormous demon staring after him, which he could see was filling up about a quarter of the arena's total space with its size. Suspending himself in the air, the blonde clenched his jaw and formed his familiar cross-fingered hand seal.

As he began to descend, he executed his next move. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In the blink of an eye, bursts of white smoke exploded all around him and the air was filled with a platoon of clones. The moment the doppelgangers materialized, they all dove at once for Shukaku's hand, slamming into it and sending it crashing back down into the ring. The impact was marked with a tremor and a shockwave, accompanied by a growl of frustration from the demon and its host.

Upon burying the claw into the dirt again, Naruto dispelled his clones, got to his feet and sprinted up the arm of the one-tailed beast as fast as his legs could carry him. As he scampered up its length at speed, the demon spotted him making his fast approach and began sending waves of sand along its arm to try and intercept the blonde.

Quick as ever, Naruto dodged, rolled and slipped past the waves and tendrils that tried to grab a hold of him, before blasting past the last one with his Jet Hand and rocketing towards Shukaku's face. With a loud roar, the jinchuriki spiraled through the air and slammed a chakra coated hand into the creature's forehead. A loud crack echoed out on impact with the sand demon's head being knocked back under the force of the Tsubame Gaeshi before its hand came up to instinctively swat the cretin away. The jinchuriki however managed to take off from him using his flight capabilities, jets of wind propelling him around the large flailing arm before taking him back down to ground level, where he slid to a stop and glared up with a huff of effort.

Panting heavily, the blonde steeled himself. "Damn it! This guy is seriously strong. My attacks aren't even doing anything to him!" He was also still exhausted from his fight with Tsubaki. It had been hampering his abilities since the beginning of this fight, but apparently Gaara was having the exact same problem. His fight with Tayuya had clearly taken it out of him too.

"Be careful brat. He may not be completely transformed yet, but he can still cause a lot of problems for you." His attacks weren't as potent and he was nowhere near as strong as he would be in his complete form, and the Kyuubi knew it, otherwise this entire stadium would have been leveled by now.

Spotting his target once more, the enormous demon snarled. "YOU PEST!" Gaara/Shukaku hollered as its jaw opened up and began to draw in air at an alarming rate. "DISAPPEAR!"

Seeing the wind start to gather and manifest around the creature's mouth, Naruto clenched his jaw tightly and cranked his fist back. When he did, his own wind chakra began to churn and gather around his fist, which the audience saw up on the big screen. "If that's the way you want to play it, fine!" With dust picking up from the ground by the invisible forces now whipping around his arm violently, the jinchuriki dug his feet into the earth and took aim. "Take this! Futon: Senpūken!" (Wind Release: Whirlwind Fist) The moment he shouted the incantation, he threw his fist forward and fired a tornado straight up at the demon.

Responding in kind, with its next attack fully charged, Shukaku threw his head forward and, mouth cracking open, unleashed an enormous blast of wind and sand straight towards the approaching gale. "Futon: Mugen Sajin – Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud – Great Breakthrough) An enormous blast of wind and sand exploded forth from its mouth and ripped towards his target in a visible beam.

Much like in the match between Naruto and Temari from before, the two wind attacks collided with each other in midair. As the blasts drilled into one another, a tug-of-war between the two chakra monsters occurred, with the ground beneath them being ripped to shreds by the invisible forces exploding out from the center of the exchange. Rubble and dust flying about in a storm, the pair continued pouring chakra into their attacks, until the half-transformed Shukaku's jutsu suddenly expanded and began to overwhelm Naruto's, within seconds reaching the blond himself and starting to envelop him.

In spite of still expelling wind from his extended fist, Naruto felt his opponent's blast hit him head on and begin to push him across the ground. The hot, sandy winds burned his flesh and shredded his clothes, causing him to wince under the storm and pain, as it felt like his skin was on fire. However, bracing himself firmly against the opposing force threatening to utterly disintegrate him, the blonde clenched his eyes shut before bellowing out at the top of his lungs in agony, effort and anger.

"YOU CAN'T WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" Eyes snapping open, the youngster's blue pupils flashed red and an orange aura of chakra exploded from his body. The moment it did, the wind expelling from his knuckles blasted outwards with a loud shockwave tearing apart the ground beneath him, "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHH H!"

In the blink of an eye, the tides changed. In a spectacular display of raw power, Naruto's wind attack overtook Shukaku's, the enormous tornado blasting away the sand and opposing winds and smashing headlong into the incomplete tailed beast, consuming the sand creature completely in a storm of visible wind chakra and blasting him off of his feet. At the exact same time, the tornado dug an enormous trench into the ground and tore apart the entire field, sending debris and dust flying in all directions in gales. The proctors actually had to leave the area to avoid getting wiped out.

The crowd watched in shock as the sand creature was hurled into the stadium wall, which it struck with an earsplitting crack and caused the ground to tremble violently. Slumping up against the barrier, with its body sporting noticeable tears from being hit by the attack, Shukaku let out an annoyed growl before looking up, as did an incredibly shaken Gaara.

When they saw Naruto standing at the beginning of the enormous trench he'd dug, his eyes back to normal, panting and looking absolutely exhausted, the sand demon and its host snarled.

"Annoying rat!" Pushing itself off the giant wall that was its support, the demon shuffled forward and reared its head up. Jaw cracking open once again, Gaara began gathering chakra for his next attack, wind beginning to pick up again as Shukaku's chest started expanding. "This is it! I'M FINISHING YOU OFF IN ONE MOVE!"

Watching the air start to gather around the demon's mouth a second time, Naruto shook himself out of his shaken state and leapt away for more distance. Upon securing a position, he held his hands out in front, one over the other, and began to concentrate. As he did, his legs took on a balanced stance and he glared hard towards his foe as the enormous creature began gathering chakra.

Naruto guessed it was another wind bullet technique, perhaps multiple ones, as the demon's chest was expanding rapidly and it was taking much longer for him to charge up.

This left him with only one option.

"My chakra is running thin. I need to take him out now," Naruto thought, sweat breaking from his head as he began focusing energy into his hands. Despite his exhausted state from fighting two tough battles back-to-back, he could still muster an excited grin as he prepared his own technique to counter his opponent's. "Hey Kyuubi! Do you remember that new jutsu I started making over the last two weeks and tested out before this tournament?"

A few moments of silence later and the fox's head perked up from its position on his arms. "Shit brat… don't tell me you want to use that move here. You haven't even tested it at full scale yet…"

"This is the test," Naruto interrupted, the chakra at his hands gathering as he pushed two ejection points together to form a miniature tornado in his hands. The rotating energy vectors started to pick up speed and began drawing in air at a high rate, dust kicking up at his feet, which started to spread and expand the stronger the twisting chakra in his hands became. The blonde chuckled. "I'll use what I have left in it. I don't think my arms will be able to take the strain or be able to hold a fully charged attack in my condition, but let's give it a try!"

As the audience watched the partially transformed Gaara continue to gather chakra, they then suddenly became aware of another phenomenon taking place over on the other competitor's end. Seeing the sand user respond to the peculiar sight, all eyes then trained on Naruto to see he had assumed a firm stance and, with his hands cupping the air in front of him, saw he had produced what looked like a miniature ball of swirling chakra in his hands, which he was now using to stir up the atmosphere around him.

It started off small at first, which didn't come as a concern for the audience at first. However, that all changed when seconds later, the wind whipping around the boy suddenly started to get drawn into his hands. The gale increased tenfold and soon enough could be seen being sucked into the space between his hands at speed, picking up dust and debris and causing it to spiral around him in a twister. The tails of wind streaming towards him washed over the stands, with the audience bracing themselves and letting out exclamations of shock when they suddenly felt themselves starting to get pulled by the wind as well.

Within moments, gales equivalent to a hurricane began to converge around Naruto and get absorbed into the mass he was holding between his palms. This quickly had Gaara's immediate attention and the surprised stares of all the shinobi in the audience.

Gripping the guard rail of the balcony, Temari gritted her teeth as she attempted to hold herself down under the winds whipping past her at incredible speed. Her feet slid along the concrete a couple of inches, before she used her chakra to fasten herself down. Shikamaru and Tayuya also did the same thing, with all three of them looking up through the raging storm towards the jinchuriki in the center.

"W-What is this?" the golden haired fan user spoke up above the howl of the hurricane that was spinning around the jinchuriki. "Is this… a… jutsu?"

Tayuya, also wrapping her arms around the railing to stop herself from being lifted off, glanced up in surprise at the blonde sitting in the center of the anomaly. "Naruto…"

Feeling the winds pick up a third time and needing to shield himself with his arm, Gaara glared up through the dust and the debris and gave a frustrated growl. Watching from his distance at the very center of the arena, the red head saw the dust and winds twist and whip around his target, while at the same time being sucked into the ball he had now formed between his hands.

Eyes flashing dangerously, the Suna Genin stepped forward and snarled. "You think you can beat me! Well… YOU'RE WRONG! Die on your feet like the stubborn fool that you are!" Gaara/Shukaku bellowed, bringing his free hand forward, an action that the enormous sand arm mimicked. "Futon: Renkudan!"

Clawed hand slamming against its engorged chest, the enormous sand body of the one-tail reeled forward and fired three consecutive blasts of wind from its mouth. The large bullets shot towards the blonde standing clear in its sight, ripping through the air and breaking the sound barrier at their speed. However, when it seemed like the attacks were about to tear into the whirlwind encompassing the target and rip him to pieces, the compressed shots suddenly broke apart the second they hit the gales and got sucked up inside the slipstreams. Within seconds, the wind bullets were dragged into the currents and absorbed into Naruto's palms along with the air, which had Gaara's eyes widen in shock.

"What?!"

Even the audience was stunned at seeing the wind bullets disperse in the hurricane suctions.

Gritting his teeth angrily, Gaara and his Shukaku form then recoiled when they felt the winds increase even more. It took him some time to figure it out, but he eventually realized exactly what caused his attacks to dispel.

"It's this wind!" the sand user thought in astonishment. "All that wind spinning around the area and being sucked towards him is creating a vacuum affect. It absorbed the force of the bullets and dispersed my attacks before they could even reach him!" Letting out an angry yell, the young man moved forward and brought his arm and the sand demon's arm back for a swing. "Don't get conceited! I CAN STILL CRUSH YOU!"

Seeing his titan of an opponent begin to advance and figuring he'd charged up enough, Naruto smirked and ceased drawing in on the atmosphere. Now holding a glowing white sphere of wind between his hands, he then squished it between his palms before cocking it back. "I'd like to see you try, you bastard! CATCH THIS! Fūton: Bakusai Shinkūgyoku!" (Wind Release: Exploding Vacuum Sphere) With a loud yell that echoed throughout the entire stadium, the jinchuriki threw his hands forward and fired the compressed ball from his hand at the speed of a bullet, which shot from his palms with the sound of a cannon going off.

Dust kicking up from the launch, Naruto quickly leapt away and landed hard on the ground at the very edge of the arena. Kneeling down, he shielded himself with his jacket and arm, clenching his eyes shut in preparation for the impact to come. The second he masked his face, his attack reached its target, the giant sand demon's eyes widening in horror and swinging his one arm around to block and defend its host. Mouth opening in a silent cry, Gaara was barely able to cover his own body when the attack suddenly struck the chest of the Shukaku form above him, and a loud crack of wind echoed out, silencing the stadium.

A split second later, an explosion equivalent to a biju bomb going off shook the entire stadium to its foundations when the small sphere of wind expanded width-wise at light speed, with all the air it had sucked into it and compressed being released at once. The sound of a tremendous thunder clap drowned the entire countryside as the blast reached up into the sky and filled up the entire ring in an enormous dome of an explosion, shaking the earth and causing gale winds to blast across the stands and knock stunned audience members out of their seats. Villagers and shinobi alike cried out in terror, with the Kage holding their ground as best they could against the forces smashing into them, with even the observing Itachi and Kisame shielding their faces from the shockwaves that racked the structure.

On the outside of the blast, the entire stadium was bathed in a bright, white light that blinded everyone who had previously had their gazes fixed on the center. Under the concussive gales and earthshaking tremors, the cameras shattered, seats were ripped from their fixtures and rubble was thrown long distances. Eventually, the explosion of wind died out, leaving an enormous cloud of dust choking the air and blocking out the sun. That too quickly dispelled on the easterly breeze that blew over the stadium, revealing to all those recovering from the sheer enormity of the explosion an enormous crater the exact diameter of the arena sitting in place of the battlefield that was once the foundation plate of the exams.

The only parts that remained untouched by the blast were the edges, which was where both the proctors and Naruto now stood.

Having sensed the amount of power that was being put behind the attack just seconds before its release, Hayate, Tenga and Mizore immediately got the fuck out of there before the explosion occurred, making it just in time to brace themselves on the ground. In spite of their evasiveness however, they still got clipped by much of the hot winds, leaving them all looking a bit frazzled and more than a little bit bewildered.

Coughing away the dust and getting to his feet, Naruto looked across the enormous, perfectly circular chasm he had created, scanning the area from edge to edge, where he saw water pooling at the bottom from the lake that had also got caught up in the vacuum ball explosion. Rubble had spilled into the hole to join the water too, which was all that remained of the tors.

Whistling at the sheer size of the ditch, the jinchuriki placed his hands on his hips and staggered forward.

"Wow… and that wasn't even my best shot," Naruto chuckled, scratching his scalp. "I only used what was left of my chakra to make that sphere. Next time… I want to make it even bigger! More powerful!" He said that last bit with a manic grin on his face.

Deep inside his mindscape, the Kyuubi couldn't help but break a small bead of sweat. "Brat… you scare me sometimes."

"Funny. I seem to have that affect on a lot of people," the jinchuriki chirped, casually jumping down over the edge and sliding into the crater to where it leveled out.

Strolling across it, at the same time feeling the eyes of every individual in the coliseum gluing back onto him, Naruto stopped when he looked up to the other side where he'd previously aimed his attack. When he did, he saw a mass of sand thrown up along the barrier wall crumble away, revealing a bruised, battered and bleeding Gaara who'd also suffered burns from being caught in the very heart of the blast. Crawling out of the protective cocoon that had encased him a split second before the explosion did, he slowly dragged his ruined body over to the concrete barrier.

Breathing heavily and shaking from the damage, the boy groaned out and sat up against the wall. No longer carrying his gourd and sporting a pained expression on his face the Genin gazed up towards the sun hatefully before fixing on the battlefield once more, where he saw the enormous crater that had been carved into the earth and the dust still lifting off of its scorched edges. The sight had his complete and utter attention, and filled him with a sense of astonishment.

As he attempted to rise to his feet in an effort to continue the battle, knowing his enemy was still out there, his muscles suddenly gave way and he collapsed back against the wall. His mind screaming at him to move, his body however refused, and while he tried to convince himself to get up, the voice of his 'mother' inside of his head stammered in fearful whispers.

"S-So much power… so much…"

"How? Why?" Gaara thought weakly, biting his teeth together as he felt his blood run down his face and over his eye. "How can a person… possess such strength?" His face scrunched up desperately, eyes catching sight of his opponent appearing over the edge of the crater and start walking towards him, a serious look drawn across his face. The sight of the blonde materializing out of the smoke had Gaara tremble. "W-What is it… that makes him so strong?"

In his mind, voices of his distant past echoed out. He could hear the names the people of his village called him, the words that put him down, and saw the backs of all the villagers turned on him. The silhouettes of Suna's population left his young self standing in a black void, cold, alone, racking him to the bone and filling him with sensations of hopelessness and despair. These memories, these experiences were what turned him to his current ideal, that he was the only one in this world that mattered…

That if he became the absolute strongest, that he would be acknowledged. But in spite of struggling so hard to achieve this goal, to become what he believed to be the one truth, it still wasn't enough. All of his efforts culminated in this one instant, where he found himself lying beaten and helpless against a wall and being immersed in the memories of his home village and the loneliness brought to him by the people who denied him an existence.

"Go away…"

"Leave me alone, you freak."

"Don't look at me."

"Just die!"

The feelings from his past came down upon Gaara like a crushing weight, causing his eyes to shimmer as he watched his foe approach him from the crater. It was as he was watching and feeling his memories come and go the redhead eventually became aware of the presence of his enemy and his eyes widened in horror. Backing up one last time, the sand user stared fearfully towards the enemy glaring him down.

"No! Stay away!" He tried to move, but it was no use. His legs, his arms… his body refused to move.

Naruto, stopping just in front of his downed opponent, looked down at him with narrowed eyes.

In that moment, looking into the terrified gaze of the teen lying at his feet, the jinchuriki found himself pulled back into his own past, remembering a scene very similar to this one.

OOO

Eight Years Ago…

Coughing up blood, a much younger Naruto looked up from his position clutching his stomach at the base of a wall at the various faces surrounding him. The people towering over him, as tall as they appeared, weren't adults, but children a couple years older than him and dressed in casual clothing.

The one that stood out the most from the band of ruffians was a boy wearing a mesh shirt, vest and had a Konoha headband on his head that was painted over. This indicated that he was probably a drop out from the academy, one who didn't make it past the first exam, but still had his headband as a keepsake. Along with the dozen boys standing around him, the obvious leader of the troop smirked down at the blonde child hunched up against the bricks and stuck his nose proudly in the air.

"Don't ever come here again, kid. If you do, we'll beat you up even more," the brown haired delinquent stated before kicking Naruto in the face, breaking his nose.

Kicking him in the stomach a couple more times, causing the blonde to roll over in agony, the band of hoodlums then left him lying in the gutter next to the alley. A couple of them stepped on him as they left the area, with even one of them being bold enough to spit on him as he passed.

"What a loser."

"What's his name?"

"Who cares?"

"Forget him. He's a nobody."

Upon seeing the gang leave, Naruto curled up where he lay on the damp ground and gritted his teeth. Blood pouring from his nose, he shut his eyes tightly and just stayed there, bent over in pain and unable to move. The group had roughed him up pretty badly and from his current state it looked as though he wouldn't be moving around for a while.

Hopefully someone would stop to help him.

But after several hours of lying there and looking up at the people in the street passing him by, no one, not even the face of a person who looked kind enough, stopped to help him. They just walked past him in droves, like shadows against the wall, not even acknowledging that he was even there and just moving on with their lives.

In the few instances people did look his way, all their stares were accompanied by hushed whispers. These people spoke amongst themselves in a hope that he wouldn't be able to hear them. Unfortunately, he was able to catch every word, as they were the same words that had been passed around him since the days he could remember they started.

"Is that…"

"Don't look at him. It's just the freak."

"It's staring at us."

"Look mommy. That boy is hurt."

"Leave him be, sweetie. He's nobody you should be concerned about."

"What a disgusting brat."

"I wish he would just die."

This sight plagued Naruto for the rest of the day as the sun set over the horizon. Eventually, when the pain in his body subsided and he'd healed up enough, he forced himself to his feet and staggered away. He moved down the dark road back to his home, wandering across the cold village through the night all on his own.

Crossing his arms over his stomach, the boy hid his eyes under the shadow of his hairline, lowered his head and cried. His tears trailed along the ground all the way back to his apartment, and were quickly soaked up by the earth.

OOO

Present…

Upon seeing the fearful look sent his way by his opponent, Naruto steeled himself and brought up his right fist, cranking it back. After which, when it seemed like he was going to hit the downed boy and end the fight once and for all, he suddenly slammed his knuckles into the wall above him, and watched the cringing Gaara look at him in shock. Once their eyes met, the blonde haired jinchuriki took on a sad expression of his own and gritted his teeth.

Clenching back as best as he could, the boy in orange felt tears return to his eyes as memories of his own past flashed through him, filling his heart with hurt. When he stared down at Gaara, seeing the same face he'd worn before and the eyes of a boy who'd experienced the same pains, Naruto spoke.

"It's almost unbearable, isn't it? The feeling of being all alone… not having any reason to exist… having no purpose," Naruto whispered. He saw Gaara balk with wide eyes and allowed his tears to fall. "It's a dark and lonely place. I was always scared of it… not knowing where to go, what to do… or even know if I was going to live to see the next day. I felt like I was going to die in that world… all on my own." He then clenched the fist he had buried in the wall tighter as he pushed down the negative feelings that came over him and replaced them with something else. "But… I found people in my life who are important to me… people who I cherish more than anything else in this world. I care more about them than I do myself… and I won't let ANYONE hurt them. That's the promise I made a long time ago."

Eyes wide in astonishment, Gaara stared into his adversary's sad eyes, and saw the sincerity reflected in his expression and heard it echoing off of his words. "B-But why? Why would you fight so hard for other people? Why would you do this for anyone but yourself?"

Clenching his eyes shut momentarily, Naruto opened them back up and looked down at him once more with a small smile, "Because they saved me from myself… from my loneliness. They weren't scared of me, they didn't push me away… and they didn't run. They were the first to accept me for who I am." The faces of Iruka, Tayuya, Ayame, Teuchi, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, the Hokage, Anko and many more appeared in his head, all of them smiling, all of them happy. It was a sight that filled him with a sense of happiness, and he reasserted his position with one last statement he wished to instill in the sand Genin. "They are my friends."

Astonished, Gaara watched as the boy lowered his fist back to his side before slowly, without hesitation, moving to sit next to him. Lying back against the wall, Naruto breathed an exhausted sigh and gazed up into the sky, an action that his opponent mimicked. There, high up in the clouds, they saw the sun peak through the cover and light up the world, causing a warm glow to cascade over them.

This sight had Gaara blink as he fixed on the distant horizon, where the face of a very familiar person appeared before him.

"Well love is… the heart's desire to serve someone who is precious to you… to watch over them… like my sister did," the voice of who he recognized as his uncle Yashamura spoke.

"Love? Is that… the thing… that makes him so strong?" Gaara wondered as he looked over at his opponent again, where he saw Naruto resting with a tired look in his eyes.

Feeling a person's gaze boring into him, the jinchuriki glanced across at the defeated redhead. Noting his stare, Naruto smiled and shuffled closer, placing a hand on his shoulder before pointing towards the stands. Following his finger, both of them saw the balcony on the other end of the arena, and the concerned faces of Temari and Kankuro looking down at them.

"From what I can see, you already have people in your life who care deeply for you, Gaara," Naruto said, beaming across at Gaara when he saw his eyes fix on his brother and sister standing across the way. "If you want a good start… well… there they are."

Remaining silent, the red haired boy lowered his gaze and fixed on the ground, before relaxing and sliding down the wall. Seeing the vacant stare that his adversary directed towards the earth, Naruto gave the boy a pleasant smile and kicked back as well, slipping his hands behind his head and watching as the proctors approached them from the other side of the crater. When they landed before them, they all spread themselves around and stopped.

When Hayate looked down at both Genin, where he saw the battered Gaara lying awake and staring at the floor and Naruto sitting next to him with a smile and wave, the man glanced between the two, cleared his throat and then turning to the stunned crowd. Ignoring the absolute mayhem that had befallen the stadium, the official raised his hand in the air and made his final announcement.

"Winner by TKO of the final round: Naruto of Konohagakure!"

Despite being blown out of their seats and being peppered by debris from that last attack, all the members of the audience quickly acknowledged the words spoken by the proctor with applause. The clapping flooded the whole of the arena and was also accompanied by a loud chorus of whistling and cheers, all of which were directed towards the victor, who smiled toward whatever cameras were still operational and gave the people a thumbs-up. In spite of emerging the winner, you could see how exhausted he really was, and how he did his best to put on a strong front.

Amidst the hollers and celebrations of the audience, there were a set few who expressed the most glee out of all of them. Iruka had actually shed a tear at the victory and brushed it away with his finger, looking around him as thousands upon thousands of people acknowledged his former student's strength. After hearing his words spoken to his opponent over the speakers, he also had a good enough reason to cry, and he did so without a second moment of thought. Further below in the stands, Hiashi was also up and clapping, with Hanabi next to him trying her best to remain composed.

Nevertheless, the little Hyuuga couldn't help herself but jump in the air and cry out joyously at the blonde's win. A similar response to the victory was also held by Tenten and Lee. While the latter had to remain confined to his wheelchair due to his crippling injuries, this didn't stop the two from sharing a high five and a laugh of triumph. The other Genin were also up and cheering, with the members of Team 7, 9 and 10 clapping or looking on in approval. The Iwa Genin applauded and the Kumo band expressed their praise respectively, with Samui appearing the most liberated. Tayuya, completely beside herself, had her hands over her mouth and was crying happily in the competitor's balcony, having dropped onto the railing and was now looking out over the field with her heart pounding away in her chest. Shikamaru chuckled a little at her reaction, but chose not to highlight the point for the sake of the moment and so that he could offer his congratulations his own way.

Those that also expressed their approval included the Jonin in their section, Team 8, with Hinata radiating with the most elation in that section, and Haku in the back row, who couldn't help but beam happily at the victory.

Under the storm of applause, Shizune was also on her feet and clapping along with Tonton, who sat on the ground in front of her and expressed her support at the closing of the event. While the two silently sent the child their congratulations, the brown haired apprentice quickly became aware of the presence of her teacher in the area and looked over her shoulder towards the entrance to the stands. There, framed by the open gateway, she saw her instructor Tsunade staring out over the field with a slightly surprised expression fixed on her face and a betting slip held firmly in hand.

Whether she was shocked by the result of the match, the attack that everyone had just witnessed up close, or heard the words of conviction spoken by Naruto, Shizune had no idea. Whatever it was that had the Sannin frozen in place, Shizune merely gave a smile in return and turned back to continue applauding.

"There is no doubt about it. Naruto-kun is a fantastic shinobi." And was probably going to become an even more fantastic shinobi if his display in this competition said anything about his skills.

With the crowd still celebrating the end of the match and the end of the tournament, Mizore squatted down to offer her own congratulations to the winner. However, when she placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder, she saw to her surprise that the boy was now fast asleep, with his head resting against Gaara's shoulder.

The redhead and the other proctors also noticed the blonde had nodded off, with Tenga giving a boisterous laugh at the peculiar sight.

"How about that. Strong and absentminded," the Kumo official chuckled. The kid didn't even care he was still in the eyes of thousands of spectators and had just dozed off.

However, you could not help exhaustion and Naruto was fucking tired as hell. This became glaringly apparent to all those watching as both he and his opponent were taken off of the field on stretchers, with the blonde snoring away and enjoying a pleasant dream. As he was taken to the medical bay by the tournament staff, the voice of the Kyuubi inside of his head could be heard chuckling as the fox rested his own down onto his folded arms while his chakra quickly started to work its magic.

"You really are something else, Naruto," the nine-tailed entity commented before shutting his eyes tightly.

OOO

Up in the judge's box…

Representatives from all five of the great shinobi nations, as well as all of the neighboring nations, sat looking through the notes they'd taken of all of the fights they'd seen over the past two days. A lot of the counters included those from villages who've had the most experience in this particular field and possessed the most general knowledge, including esteemed lords, businessmen and elders. Anyone with clout was currently seated in that box, surrounded by paperwork and people running errands for any requests or orders they may have.

As the excitement and celebrations from the final match and the aftershocks of all the incredible events they'd witnessed subsided, the judges went on to writing up the results.

"So… what's everyone's opinion on young Gaara? Does anyone have anything to say about him before I finish writing up this report?" a middle-aged man with no identifiable affiliations to any of the big villages spoke as he tapped his writing pad with his pen.

The old woman sitting on his right shook her head, "Too aggressive and too reckless."

"He's unable to fully comprehend the dangers on the field and is more than likely to endanger his teammates and any possible clients with his actions. His skills make for a strong and powerful shinobi of Jonin level without question, but he doesn't have the proper mindset to lead others," another judge spoke with a sagely expression in play.

"All of that power means nothing if he cannot use it properly. Allowing yourself to be completely manipulated by your beliefs can have a negative effect on your performance as well as potentially endanger people's lives."

"Agreed."

The man that asked the question nodded in understanding before beginning to jot down his own opinion and his final answer, "Well, I can certainly see the general consensus there. As impressive as his fights have been, it looks like some modifications need to be made to his personality before he can go anywhere in this world. Upbringing as a jinchuriki aside, a shinobi is still a shinobi." He then stopped on the next name when he was done casting his vote and smirked at the grinning face of Naruto's profile photo looking back at him, "How about Mr. Wonder-blonde? What do we make of him?"

"I think he is a splendid shinobi," a young woman further down the line said as she looked at his documentation. "His fighting skills alone definitely place him at Chunin… hell, Jonin-level. There's no doubt about that. He's even used techniques and methods that we've never seen in these exams before."

"He's performed far above average in this stage of the testing period. I'd say he's more than worthy of a promotion," the elderly woman spoke.

Nodding at these votes, the middle-aged man in the center then looked across when he heard a small chuckle from the old timer sitting close-by. He was a man around his eighties, wearing traditional village robes, a kazaori eboshi, and had a walking staff propped up beside him, and was holding a judges position like all the others.

"What say you, Hiro-san?" the young man asked curiously. "It seems you have something you want to add as well."

The old man assessing the contestants gave a smile of his own and glanced across at the moderator who was addressing him. "Sometimes the value of a person's skills can't be viewed for what you see at face value, but also by what the character and mindset of a person can tell us. A good leader needs to be able to lift people's spirits and instill confidence and strength in others, as well as direct them accordingly on the field. Someone who can move people's hearts and the course of a battle to their favor can mean a big difference in a fight. From what I've seen of the young man down there, he's proven his worth more than once and in more than a single aspect of shinobi practice. I think it would be inappropriate to just promote him to Chunin."

"So… what do you think we should do about him?" the young man across asked, his mind slowly working out what the elder was suggesting. The realization actually brought a grin from him.

Folding up a slip of paper from his pad, Hiro then handed it over to the younger judge, who took it and read what was written on it. Eyebrows rising at the vote, he then glanced back at the elder. "You think he's ready for the responsibility?"

"I've already passed my verdict on the one from Kumo. After seeing him out there in the arena, I see no reason to keep him back. He's more than earned his place," Hiro replied, scribbling down his final result for Naruto on paper before handing it up to the kunoichi standing beside him. She was a gorgeous young lady wearing brown padding armor, shin guards, long black pants, sleeves, and had brown eyes with a beauty mark. She also wore a shinobi headband, which had a mark on it that resembled a bridge, obviously from the village Hiro originated from, "Hanare, please see to it that the other judges read this too. I believe they will also agree with this assessment if they haven't already come to the same conclusion."

The young woman smiled and nodded, "Of course." With one last approving smile at the picture of the blonde, she then went about her duty, stopping first next to Konoha Jonin Tekuno Kanden drawing up his own results before visiting the rest of the people evaluating the Genin.

Watching the responses from the other moderators down the line, the man that had asked Hiro for his opinion looked back at him with a smirk. "This wouldn't happen to be over some feelings of nostalgia, would it?"

"In part, probably," Hiro replied with a cheerful expression, "You could say maybe a reward for his actions. Call it what you will, but his strength isn't one to be confined. It's meant to be shared with others. Even if I didn't know him from a time long ago, my answer would still be the same. I can see that he is destined to do great things for this world… and I'm not the only one who agrees with this." He then gestured over his shoulder, where Tazuna's friend Giichi from Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) leaned into view and smiled.

Seeing the other judge poke his head out from behind the old man, the middle-aged representative also gave a chuckle and clicked his pen, "I see… well then… since everyone feels so strongly about it, then I think it's time I offer my own two-cents on the matter." With that said, he began scribbling down on the document.

OOO

Sometime later…

With the matches over, the villagers and the esteemed members of the audience were allowed a moment's leave to stretch their legs and to recover from whatever shocks may have overcome them during the course of the final rounds. After the last couple of fights and the copious amounts of destruction that had been brought to the field, a strong cup of tea and/or a long bathroom break was a highly sought after commodity and one of the most recommended items on the everybody's lists. Of course, the crowd inside of the stadium would eventually have to return for the promotion and closing ceremonies of the tournament once the judges were done counting up the final scores of all the contestants, so they couldn't stray too far lest they miss the defining moments of the competition.

Since this exam was a means to bolster a village's power and a method of attracting clients, it was customary for the award ceremonies to be held publically. This was why the judges and the staff expressed how important it was for the competitors to display their aptitude for strategy and combat. The better the shinobi, the more likely people will want to hire them in the future and request the services from their village. The award ceremony in itself was a competition between the villages.

The more shinobi to get promoted, the more clients the winning villages would attract. It was essentially a numbers game.

It had been a long, trying day for everyone, especially for the competitors, some of which were still recovering from their bouts. However, nobody was having too much trouble as far as the devastation and mayhem were concerned.

Lee had returned to the medical bay to rest up, but couldn't get to sleep due to all the excitement rushing through him from watching the last two fights. Those matches had really gotten his blood pumping. Kiyoko and Utakata had also returned to their beds, with the latter exhausted and still recovering from a grievous wound to his back. Tsubaki came around to watch over her teammates when they decided to hit the hay for a little why, as they'd not been too keen on standing for too long thanks to the outcomes of their trials. Due to her kekkei genkai, the lightning user had cauterized her own wounds and recovered enough to stand, and was no longer in need of a hospital bed. However, she did find to her amusement that the Nara from the Konoha contingent, Shikamaru, had also tagged along to sleep in the medical bay; not really injured but still not wanting to be conscious either.

Those that needed the beds were in them and since the medical bay was reserved specifically for the competitors, all of them were allowed in, especially the two from the last match; Gaara and Naruto.

Speaking of which, after an hour of shut eye and working off of the fatigue from his ridiculously high level fights, the latter of the two finalists slowly awoke to the presence of a handful of individuals hovering in close proximity of him. Blinking away his sleep and seeing his vision clear up, Naruto was quick to adjust to the light of the room and identified the faces of Tayuya, Samui, Tenten, Sakura, Neji and Sasuke sitting or standing around him, all of whom were looking down at him and waiting for him to regain consciousness.

The sight of the entourage earned a few, momentary surprised glances from the youngster before he eventually sat up and greeted them. Yawning, pushing down the sheets and realizing he was still in the same outfit he came to the medical bay in due to his lack of significant external injuries, he then smiled around at all the familiar faces about his bedside.

"Hey guys. What's cracking?" the jinchuriki asked, only to find his vision blocked out by red as Tayuya dove at him in a hug the instant he was upright. As surprising as the show of affection was, the blonde just went with it and returned her gesture gratefully. "Come on. I'm not that bad off, Tayuya-chan. I'm actually surprised I'm in as good condition as I am after all the fights I'd just had-OW!" He was quickly jabbed in the arm when the musician released him and went back to sitting comfortably on his bed.

"You're such a showoff," Tayuya remarked with a teasing grin, "Setting off a nuke in the middle of the arena. I've heard of epic finishers, but that one just takes the cake." If anyone had been in orbit at that moment, they would have been able to see that attack go off as clear as day.

Hearing her loud and clear, Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and stuck his tongue out, "I've always thought about getting a flashy ultimate move to end a battle. Even though it goes against everything I believe about being a shinobi, my opponent was transforming into an enormous raccoon-thingy and was starting to level the place. I had to stop him somehow." He then went about checking his hands, arms, chest and stomach for any missing limbs. Seeing that the only real injury he had on him was the gauze wrapped around his waist from his fight with Tsubaki in the semi-final round, which looked like it had been changed out by the nurses, he looked back around at his friends curiously. "So… how's everybody else doing? Did everyone get out okay?"

"Yeah," Neji spoke up, looking across seriously at the jinchuriki to see his eyes train on him. "That last attack you used was enormous. What exactly was that?" From what he saw with his Byakugan, that was no ordinary wind sphere he had created, nor was that chakra he saw being drawn into it once the shell was made.

All of that wind had actually just been air, which he sucked in from all around him and compressed inside of a ball. The affects it generated had been astonishing, not only clearing up the arena floor of dust, sand and gravel and shaving away any loose fittings, just charging it up was able to dispel any physical attacks thrown at him. That was a lot of suction power for such a small looking attack.

Naruto grinned cheerfully, "It was my secret weapon. It's really a… work in progress technique that I'm still trying to get my head around, but for the most part I think it turned out alright?"

"Too well, if you ask me," Sasuke commented, shaking his head with a smirk. "That was a ridiculous amount of power to put behind something like that. You're lucky the stadium didn't get destroyed."

"Well, it's a good thing I ran out of chakra when I did. I was barely hanging in there as I was. All I had to do was put down my opponent and end the match as quickly as I could with the least amount of loss," Naruto replied while resting back against the headboard of his sleeping area. "The amount of chakra I put behind that bomb would have been enough to wipe out a whole group of people, but thanks to his sand Gaara was able to protect himself from most of the explosion, which was why I didn't hesitate using it against him. He still got caught up in the blast and it knocked him around quite a bit, and used up whatever chakra he had left blocking it. I wouldn't have used it if it wasn't necessary."

He was pretty sure it would have fucked up Kiyoko as well. Even steel couldn't survive that amount of crushing force.

The boy had encased himself in thick armor and had an enormous demon towering over him. Even if he could've attacked Gaara back in that ring, any blow he would have used against him would have crippled him, killed him, or risked the attacker getting buried or crushed by the mountain of sand above him. Due to the serious nature of his partially transformed state and the uncertainty Naruto was faced with, he didn't want to chance a direct attack and so went with the best possible solution for that situation. Since ordinary tricks wouldn't work on a berserker like Gaara, he had to resort to something with a little more kick that ensured the right amount of force was exerted both ways, and was able to instill a big enough psychological impact to stop the fight from escalating any further.

Naruto was just pleased it worked out the way it did; otherwise he would have used up all the cards in his deck and called it quits.

Sakura beamed at her teammate and placed a hand on his shoulder, "We're just glad that you're doing okay, Naruto." Squeezing him comfortingly, she pulled back to stand beside Sasuke again. "You were amazing out there. Great work."

Naruto grinned, and then noticed the other two girls sitting beside him. He panned over to see that Samui and Tenten were just staring at him, the former with a very intent stare and the other with a far-away look in play. When he eventually settled his attention on them, he saw them jolt out of whatever reveries had come over them, with the kunoichi from his village quickly leaping to her feet and acting a little bit skittish.

"Uhh… umm," stammering momentarily, Tenten quickly stiffened before smiling down at the blonde with a tint of red in her cheeks, "G-Great fight, Naruto-kun. I knew you could win it." She then scowled when she saw Neji staring at her from the other side, giving the boy a message that had him quickly turn away for fear of repercussions. Once he'd averted his gaze, Tenten looked back at Naruto. "Tired?"

"Yeah. I'm stumped," Naruto chuckled.

"Well… hopefully not too stumped to go out for a celebratory run of the bars tonight," Tenten said hopefully, leaning forward with a sly smile. "I may not have fought you in this tournament, but I'm still going to kick your ass at the gaming booths."

Smirking, the jinchuriki pointed at her, "I'll take you up on that bet! But it's going to have to wait until a little later." He then cut to Samui where he saw the girl blink in surprise when his attention switched to her. "I promised I'd take Samui-chan out after this was over. Maybe we can hit the streets afterwards, yeah?" This quickly got a smile from the Kumogakure girl, who brushed her hair behind her ear and nodded in acknowledgement to him.

Hearing this, Tenten quickly developed a bit of a disappointed expression, but then cheered up as she came up with a suitable compromise, "Okay then. Later. I'll meet you at the ramen stand near our hotel when you're free."

"Deal."

Looking between Naruto and Tenten quickly, Sakura raised a hand to ask something regarding the mixed messages she was receiving, but then caught a look from Sasuke that had her quickly settle down and revert to just looking around absently. This wasn't really the time or the place to really point out stuff like that. The atmosphere was still heavy with competition and they still had an 'award' ceremony to attend afterwards. You could say that everyone had their own affairs to sort out in this time that didn't require meddling.

Tayuya sighed as she laid down on the bed as well, propping her shoulder against the headboard just as Samui did as well, the two of them looking fondly at the jinchuriki. "It's a shame the tournament wasn't more flexible. I would have loved to fight more of you guys."

"Maybe next time, if there's another competition coming up," Naruto grinned, his eyes cutting to Tenten to see the girl also sit down on his bed before he turned to Neji. When he saw the boy looking at him, the jinchuriki nodded upwards in his direction. "Rematch?"

The Hyuuga smirked, "Another time."

"Sweet." Good thing their routine as mates wasn't broken. He was really starting to enjoy hanging around with all these guys. His attention then set on Sasuke and Sakura. "What about you guys? Interested in having a private tournament back home? Since we didn't fight here, we can always spar out on the training fields."

Scowling thoughtfully for a moment, Sasuke grunted and looked away, "We'll see. I'm going to be very busy when I get back to the village… but I'll try and set aside a time for a round." Even though he responded in the most ass way possible, Naruto could tell from the look in his eyes and the smile that tugged on the corner of his mouth that he was indeed up for a little workout. This brought an amused look to the jinchuriki's irises as Sakura glanced between him and the Uchiha.

Sighing, the pinkette ran a hand through her hair and panned over the faces in the cubicle, "More fighting? Really? We just went through hell on earth over a month ago and even more hell the past two days, and you still want to do more? Is this all you guys can think about?"

Samui smiled as she laid her head against Naruto's shoulder casually. "Men who sit around all day are boring."

"I concur," Tenten agreed with a firm nod, eyes fixing on Sakura. "Being active is good. You should think about going out tonight as well after the ceremonies are over."

Eyes crinkling impatiently, the kunoichi then thought about the suggestions passed onto her some more before focusing her attention on the Uchiha next to her. Throwing him an inquisitive stare, her aura eventually caught hold of the raven haired boy's stare, which rounded on her to see her eager gaze fixed on him. "What?"

Running her fingers through her hair, Sakura beamed at the boy, "Do you… want to go out to the festival, Sasuke-kun?"

Seeing the raven haired boy harden his stare, everyone waited with baited breath for his response. After about a minute of silence, the Uchiha then looked away again with his usual, unchanging visage. "I'll think about it…"

Getting this as her response, Sakura's expression brightened and she gripped her hands together eagerly. Swinging on the spot, the kunoichi slowly went on to making a list of potential plans, leaving Tayuya and the others to return to their own discussions, before the group's attention suddenly fixed on the corner of the cubicle when they heard the curtain get pulled back. When all eyes landed on the gap in the drapes, surprise overcame everyone as a gorgeous, well-endowed blonde woman stepped into view.

Naruto, Tayuya, Samui and Tenten immediately identified her as Tsunade, while those who hadn't met her yet were a little bit puzzled by who the beautiful woman was. It eventually clicked with Neji, Sakura and Sasuke about a minute later, by which time the stranger had already walked into the bed's area, puffing her sizable chest out while glaring around at all the faces around her. She then fixed her attention on the jinchuriki lying in the hospital station with the three girls around him, who didn't fail to spot Shizune standing on the other side of the curtain with Tonton in her arms.

Looking the youngster up and down, Tsunade huffed. "Still alive? I'm a little bit disappointed."

The shit-eating grin she received in response irked her somewhat. "Are you sure it's not because you lost?"

Tsunade scoffed, "Hardly. As it turns out, I was able to make back the money I lost in the previous round when I bet against you in the semi-final match and won it in the final match at the last second… plus a little extra." She brushed her hair back at the disapproving looks she received from Neji and Tenten for her words. "In a way, I'm both happy and disappointed."

"Wouldn't that technically make you impartial?" Sakura thought, not wanting to say that out loud while standing next to whom she recognized as one of the Three Legendary Sannin of Konohagakure.

Folding his arms, Naruto tilted his head at his visitor. "Nah… you're more disappointed by the fact that I won and you lost. You're just good at hiding it, baachan." His casual use of that affectionate gimmick had everyone in the room visibly cringe.

Eye twitching, a sight that did not go unnoticed by Sasuke and Neji, the Sannin forced a grin. "Aside from having the devil's luck, you've also got quite a pair on you, brat. If you were an enemy given specific instructions to take my life, I'd have sent you flying out of this village through every single wall standing in your way by now."

"Well then, what's stopping you?"

Tsunade held up her finger and thumb with a tiny amount of space between the tips. "This much, brat."

"Oh, well that won't do, now will it?" Naruto exclaimed with a smug grin. "How about I skim a little more off the top, just for the shits and giggles of it?"

"Naruto, don't heckle the most powerful kunoichi in the world. You're going to get hurt," Sakura hissed at him, feeling awfully worried at the level of killing intent she could now feel radiating from the woman.

Actually, he wasn't just going to get hurt. He was going to get pounded into a puddle and put back together several times over, that's what was going to happen.

"She's not going to hurt me," Naruto interrupted, holding up two fingers and flashing them to the group, "For two reasons. One: that would make her a sore loser. And two: she would be breaking a promise… and make herself look like a more horrible person. We shook hands on it, baachan. Remember?"

Glaring hard at the grin the kid was throwing her way, Tsunade was finding it really, really difficult to not see him as both Nawaki and Dan. Feeling the creeping feelings of faraway memories coming back into play, the woman gave a very low, rather dangerous growl, which had every Genin standing within a few feet of her back up a significant step. However, when it seemed like the woman was about to nail the Genin in front of her through the bed and the floor they were on, she suddenly reached up, unclasped the necklace hanging from her neck, and held it out to him. The jinchuriki blinked when he saw the green jewel dangling from the string, the gem sparkling under the light of the room. He held his hand out to poke it, but had to act quickly to catch the accessory when the woman suddenly released it.

Stretching the string between the fingers of his two hands, the boy looked at the necklace in awe, as did the kunoichi sitting around him. After which, he then glanced at the woman still standing before them.

Expression at first reflecting her disapproval, Tsunade then shared with Naruto a more considerate stare and, much to his and everybody else's surprise, her eyes softened. "You remind me so much of them… you know." Shaking off the puzzled blinks she got from the collection of youngsters, the Sannin slipped her hands into her pockets, turned heel and left. Stopping at the curtain entrance momentarily, she glanced over her shoulder at the kid and passed him a warm smile. "Good going, brat. I'll see you around." With a gentle wave, she officially parted from the scene, leaving an incredibly bewildered crowd in her wake.

Upon seeing the woman step out of the room and receive a smile and a polite bow from Shizune before the apprentice quickly followed after her master, Naruto then looked down at the necklace in his hand and stared at it in awe. "Wow. I didn't think she'd actually give this to me… but… wow."

"You… do realize what it is you're holding right now, don't you Naruto?" Tayuya spoke, gawking at the jewel he now had hanging from his fingers. When everyone's attention looked back at it and at the redhead in particular, the musician gulped. "That's Tsunade's famous 'Cursed Necklace'… the necklace once worn by the First Hokage himself."

Tenten blinked in surprise, "The… First Hokage?"

Nodding, Tayuya leaned further forward, awing at the crystal hanging before their eyes. "If I've got my facts straight… if you were to sell this thing, you could buy three mountains containing goldmines or a small country with the profits." This piece of information immediately had jaws drop all around, with all of the girls sitting on the bed leaning so close to the jewel they were nearly right on top of Naruto.

The jinchuriki, seeing the attention the necklace received, studied the thing for a moment before quickly pulling it out of their line of sight. Watching the sets of eyes follow it, the blonde wrapped it around his neck and tied it on, where he then allowed it to dangle comfortably over his chest. He smiled at it as the gem glistened under the eyes laid upon it, "Well… it might be worth a fortune, but it's not something I'd be willing to buy or sell either way." He then chuckled at the shocked stares he received in response for that statement. "Come on. You guys have known me for how long and you think I'm interested in stuff like that?"

He wasn't a material person. He was only interested in the principle behind gestures.

As Naruto rested into his pillow with his hands behind his head, Tayuya, Samui, Tenten and everybody else continued to look at the necklace now hanging from him, with Sasuke cracking a smirk at the way he was now coming off.

"It doesn't suit you."

"Says you, teme!" Naruto shot back.

Giggling, Tayuya ran her finger over his collar bone before bringing it up his neck, "If you like and if you're willing to trade it, I'll gladly grant you a few favors for that necklace, Naruto-kun." Did she just blow on his ear? From the sultry tone of her voice, her offering of services for the accessory potentially meant anything really, which had the boys in the room turn a bit red while the girls also sharing the space pondered over approaching the jinchuriki with a similar offering.

That was a pretty damn valuable necklace he had on; definitely something anyone would die for.

However, despite the amounts of attention he was getting from the kunoichi around him, including Samui and Tenten who began probing him suggestively with need, Naruto remained adamant in his defense. "Hey. I won this thing from her fair and square." He then considered his stance on the matter more carefully and gave the group one last look over, "They had better be pretty damn good favors if you want to have this thing around your neck by tomorrow."

As the talks from the cubicle rang and echoed throughout the room, the commotion quickly had the attention of the nearby Kirigakure team and Sunagakure team sharing the same chamber. While not divided by curtains, the squads were keeping a pretty tight circle around one another. When the voices from the mostly Konoha contingent sprang up from their end of the room, the laughter that came from Naruto being tickled by Tayuya had the attention of all of them turn to the corner.

In spite of the noise, Gaara, wrapped in bandages and looking quite beaten up, continued to stare up at the ceiling before choosing to look towards the Konoha band as well. Seeing their silhouettes through the curtain, the young man gazed at the form of Naruto surrounded by his companions. He watched the shadows move and interact, accompanied by the sounds of joy, which held the redhead's focus for quite some time before he turned back around and shut his eyes.

Temari, noticing his momentary lapse in attention, rested a hand on the mattress next to him. "G-Gaara… are you alright?"

"…"

"…"

"Temari… Kankuro," the boy spoke in a low voice, catching the pair off guard as he peaked at them through his eyelids. "I'm… sorry… for everything…"

Stunned, the brother and sister looked at one another for a moment, before the elder male sibling gulped and gave the youngster a small smile. "That's alright, buddy."

As the two continued to give him company Gaara's lips tugged slightly as his thoughts trailed off and his opponent's smiling face flashed into his head.

"Someday… maybe… I'll… be more like…"

OOO

Much later…

Once a certain amount of time had passed, ample enough for the judges to tally up their decisions and the audiences to get their fill of rest, the officials quickly moved on to the final events of the competition. Time was pressing and there were clients waiting all over the continent, so the sooner the Chunin Exams could be wrapped up and the shinobi could be returned to their formal duties, the better. The great majority of the audience of course was eagerly looking forward to the award ceremony, so a clean and concise ending was determined to be the most appropriate.

With the hours leading up to the final events running full circle, the majority of the crowds returned to their seats. When everyone looked back down at the utterly ruined arena and waited out the last few minutes for the next stage, everyone could see that the shinobi staff that had run damage control had used earth release ninjutsu to cover up the enormous crater formed in the last match to produce a flat surface again. With the final touches made and anything hazardous moved out of the ring, the ceremony was soon underway.

The first people to arrive on the open ground were the competitors, all of whom were greeted with loud cheers and applause. With Lee now on crutches and being helped along by his teammate, along with a now significantly better and chipper Akatsuchi, who had his neck in a brace, the entourage of Genin were escorted over the field and lined up by the officials. They were each told to form up in their squads and instructed to stand at attention in a single file. They did so without a fuss, and soon every competitor present had their gazes fixed on the stands of villagers and shinobi alike.

Once the former competition was arranged, the proctors then announced the arrival of the five Kage. The village leaders from the biggest nations on the continent arrived under the adulation of the crowds through the main entrance escorted by their bodyguards. Acknowledging the people with respective gestures, they all lined up in front of the contestants, all of whom bowed to them at the exact same time when instructed by the tournament staff. Once they'd all straightened up and assumed positions of attention, the head proctor of the third stage stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Congratulations and well done to all those who performed in this stage of the exams. You should all feel very proud of yourselves for having made it this far and I hope that all of you were able to take away something of value from this experience. Now that it has come to the end of the exam proceedings, we will be concluding this first joint-village event with the judges' ruling of your performances," Hayate spoke, looking across all the Genin standing before him intently. "On-site judges and the opinions of the moderators from your villages and your respective leaders are also taken into account for the decisions. The results that have been tallied up are final. Understood?"

Receiving nods from all those in the line-up, the cheers and applause of the crowd fell into a light clamor, with Hayate acknowledging the understanding gestures from the children and stepping down. Once he'd cleared the space, he pointed towards the village leaders standing behind him.

"We will start with Iwagakure. Tsuchikage-dono?"

The short leader of the hidden stone village stepped forward. Though his diminutive figure would have coaxed laughs out of an ordinary crowd, the man that approached his squad of Genin was recognized as the most powerful shinobi in his village and obviously a well-respected man. The audience was wise to keep a lid on any disrespectful comments and so were the other Genin, who remained at attention while the man faced the only three ninja from his village to have made it this far.

Serious expression in play, the man fixed on the first. "I'll start with Kurotsuchi." The elder saw his granddaughter visibly tremble and gulp, in which he found an appropriate point to lead off from and cleared his throat. "It is clear from your performance yesterday that you are a talented and very capable kunoichi, clearly on par with a Chunin's skills and abilities. However, you showed to us that you are also too keen to get into a scrap and that you rush into things too quickly without first carefully considering your approach. Actions like that can put both yourself and a squad in jeopardy." This immediately had the raven haired girl deflate and develop a despondent outlook, but the old man showed no mercy. "When you clearly had a physical advantage over your opponent, you underestimated him and allowed him to completely control the pace of the battle. Though you exercised some level of caution, it still affected you badly and cost you the fight in the end." Closing his eyes, Onoki frowned, "For that you must be punished." He then pointed down.

The crowd watched in surprise as Kurotsuchi did as she was instructed and bent over so that her head was within reach. When the Kage and the other Genin first thought the man was going to give her a whopping earful and a scolding, they suddenly saw the man raise his hand to strike her. However, when it appeared he was about to exercise extreme disciplinary actions upon the young girl, the stiffened observers then watched as the man batted the girl on the head with his palm.

He didn't hit her hard or anything… he just patted her… lightly.

He did so once, with a light 'bop' echoing out over the ring.

"Bad girl."

The moment he said that, every single person on that field face-faulted onto the ground with a resounding crash, all of whom were quick to get back up to watch Kurotsuchi straighten herself and fall into line. It was like the synchronized collapse of every member of the formation didn't even happen.

When it became obvious Kurotsuchi was not going to receive a promotion, Onoki moved on to the male member of the team, who stood at attention before him and covered in bandages. The village leader nodded to him, "Akatsuchi. You have displayed a great level of speed and strength for a boy your size, and certainly a level of perception for a sound and heavy-handed approach to combat. However, due to the unfortunate circumstances presented to you in your first match, I cannot make any concrete assessments on your other abilities at this point. You were forced to fight an opponent who was of a completely different level to you and ended the battle too quickly for much to be seen of your capabilities. I'm sorry to say that we cannot promote you either." At that, the Genin watched Akatsuchi bow out respectfully and return to the line.

When Onoki moved on to the last one, they saw the girl in white step forward with her candle flickering brightly. "Shirotsuchi. Unlike your teammate, you've taken a more desirable approach in regards to how a kunoichi of your skill set would do battle, one that allowed you to fight with the least amount of loss. Against physically superior opponents, you displayed a remarkable level of agility and cunning, able to maintain a cool head even when being pressured into a retreat, and even when forced to run you were able to keep it together. You were also capable of using your unique, advanced chakra nature abilities to make your opponents think twice about attacking you and manipulated your techniques to the point you were able to catch your enemies by surprise. A minor chink in your armor saw your stellar presentation cut short, but there is still enough here to promote you." The man then held up a vest complete with document and held it out to her, which she took gratefully. "Well done, Shirotsuchi. Keep up the good work."

The applause Shirotsuchi received drew a blush from the girl as she bowed to her leader and backed into the line, with trophies in hand. Once Onoki stepped away and puffed his chest out, Hayate then gestured for the next village leader to approach, which was the leader of Sunagakure. The Fourth Kazekage moved forward and stood before his children, all of whom were at attention, including the injured Gaara.

He moved over to his daughter and stood before her, "Temari. As expected of someone of your maturity and experience, it is clear to everyone that you fill in all of the prerequisites for a good team leader. You are head strong and have the appropriate levels of drive and equanimity for a kunoichi of your age, which you displayed in both your first and second matches. Aside from your incredible skill and execution of your wind release abilities, you're also decisive and unafraid to make decisions, which I believe will transmit very well into leadership." He then cut towards the oldest of the male siblings, "Your brother too also displayed excellent tact, timing and patience in his one match. Kankuro, even though you lost that fight, you still made your presence felt on the battlefield against a foe that was physically superior to you in every respect, and had that engagement taken place elsewhere, you would have emerged victorious. The way you were able to manipulate your enemy on open ground was impressive, and I have no hesitation in promoting both of you."

Receiving two vests from a staff member from his village on standby, the Kazekage handed one to each of them, which they both accepted gladly. They smiled and bowed towards their father and stepped back, allowing him to move on to their youngest sibling. When the Fourth stood before Gaara, he looked down at the boy with a hard stare, which was returned with a stoic one.

Unlike previous meetings with the man, Gaara didn't throw the man any visible feelings of contempt or anger. Due to the recent swirl of thoughts and emotions he'd been hit with, the best he could do was just listen and give the man whatever attention he could. While both his siblings and the Kazekage found this to be a big change from his usual state, it was a welcome one.

It allowed the leader of Sunagakure to press on without concern or worry.

"Gaara. In spite of your control over your powers and your incredible ability to manipulate sand as a battle element, there is still a lot you need to learn before you can become a team leader," the Kazekage began with a serious expression in play. "You are indeed powerful, there is no arguing that. However, all of that power is wasted if you cannot apply it appropriately on the field in a manner suitable for a mission. Because of the mindset you stepped into the arena with, you allowed yourself to be swayed by your emotions and your beliefs, took a very aggressive and unnecessary approach in battle, and ignored the instructions given to you by those with authority. That being said, since you couldn't follow instructions properly, there is serious doubt about your ability to give apt instructions to others in kind, and that you would more than likely ignore the people around you and any imminent dangers that could put both you and your squad mates at risk." The man closed his eyes grimly. "If you are able to mend these flaws in your character and perspective, I'm sure you will be more than fit for a promotion. However, at this time, I'm afraid I cannot promote you."

Upon hearing this, Gaara closed his eyes and nodded, before obediently falling back into line. His backing down was quickly met with concerned expressions from his siblings, and even some from the others around him. Eventually everyone returned their attention to the officials, at the same time Gaara subtly cracked open his eyes and looked down the row towards his adversary from the final round.

Unknowingly under the scrutiny of his last opponent, Naruto eagerly rocked back and forth on his feet, waiting and watching as the next village leader stepped forward.

Asserting his size and position clearly to all of the Genin present, all of whom looked up at the man in awe, A stepped forward. Approaching his team, who stood firmly at attention, the bulky leader of Kumogakure acknowledged each of them with a quick look over before starting at the first person on his left, just as the previous two Kage had.

"Karui," the enormous cloud ninja began, his gruff voice causing said girl to stiffen, "First and foremost, I would like to say for a kunoichi with a skill set revolving primarily around taijutsu and kenjutsu you have developed quite well. Your skills with a sword are superb and in the opening stages of your only fight in this tournament, you handled it pretty well." He saw the girl steel herself. "However, while you have excellent technique and strength, your patience and tact is considerably lacking. As your battle progressed, you quickly grew frustrated and your technique became sloppy. You moved from a precise, calm style of fighting to a wild and undisciplined one that did not come hand in hand with your swordplay, which led you to making mistakes and poor judgment calls. On the field, if you allow yourself to become impatient, to be led around by your opponent and to be moved by your emotions, it could lead to seriously endangering yourself and your team. I'm sorry but we cannot promote you."

Karui nodded in understanding and stepped away.

"Omoi," the Raikage spoke, seeing the boy step forward calmly, "From your one fight, I saw a strong, decisive shinobi with a good head on his shoulders. While your level of skill and technique with a blade would place you on the same level as Karui, it's your approach that gave you more points in your match. You fought an even-paced battle using the skills you'd cultivated with your main weapon and for a moment I thought you were actually going to make it. However, the judges concluded that they weren't able to see much of you in that battle to come to a solid conclusion, and though your strategy was sound, you showed a great deal of hesitancy when you lost sight of your opponent. You think too much for a swordsman and fought too economically. Sometimes it pays to be a little more direct, so if you can learn to be more forward, I'm sure you'll be able to secure a promotion in the next exam this year."

Message received loud and clear, Omoi stepped back.

For some strange reason though, before he could even get to Samui, the Raikage stepped back and nodded towards the proctor, clearing the floor for the next squad in the line. It puzzled some of the Genin still standing there at how casually he dismissed the girl, but weren't left with much time to ponder over it.

Once A had backed down, Hayate called the next village leader forward. This time it was Mei's turn, the gorgeous leader of Kirigakure stepping into the spot light and into the line of the cameras. The sight of her had many of the males in the crowd give her a second look, as there was no denying her enchanting appearance or perfectly shaped figure. Every boy in the lineup of Genin actually watched her saunter forward, and kept her in their sights as she surveyed her team.

Once she came up to the plate, the first to fall under her assessment was Tsubaki, who had her hands in her pockets per her habit and was gestured forward. She silently complied, and the young lightning user, famed for her final match in this tournament, fell under the scrutiny of her village leader and the rest of the troop.

Nodding, the young woman gazed down at the orange haired kunoichi brightly, "Tsubaki. As expected of someone of your talent, you displayed a superb level of skill, creative use of your abilities, and expressed an intimidating, physical presence on the battlefield. Throughout most of this tournament, you kept your true strengths hidden from your opponents, always keeping them guessing and on their toes, and managed to hold a firm grasp of each of your engagements, sans for your third and fourth matches where your skills were pushed to their limits. Though certain circumstances prompted you into changing your tactics on three separate occasions, you still showed both restraint and a level of fervor in your approaches that made you a force to be reckoned with, and allowed you to play to your strengths well. However, while your skills alone are of an incredibly high level, clearly on par with a Jonin's, what's keeping you from receiving that title is your mentality. While it's good to be confident in your abilities and you showed strong discipline for a kunoichi, your overconfidence led you into making tactical errors that you did not account for and your arrogance resulted in you making poor assessments during certain situations. You looked down on your opponents and believed them to be beneath you, which meant you missed out on a lot of important details regarding the opposition and acted too hastily, a habit that nearly ended in your defeat in the third round. You need to stop thinking so poorly of others and thinking yourself infallible, and to always… ALWAYS enter the unknown with both caution and consideration. Though it was a narrow decision, your display in combat in the end was what helped nudge you over the line… barely." She grimly held up a vest and smiled. "You're promoted my dear."

Silently, Tsubaki reached out and took her vest and certificate. Looking at the two items momentarily, she smiled and bowed to her village leader before stepping back into formation.

Permitted to move on, Mei then went straight for Utakata in the center. The boy bucked up and stepped forward as he was next to fall under her firm gaze.

"Utakata-kun, as a shinobi, you've taken magnificent steps forward in both skill and discipline. Not only have you developed your unique water release abilities to suit your relaxed battle style, you've also trained yourself to execute them from the most advantageous positions. Your strength is obvious. However, what matters most aside from superb technique and power is your ability to apply it. Your approach in battle is both even-tempered and reserved, as you only ever used what was necessary to fight your opponents. Even though you lost the second match in the tournament, you didn't panic and you didn't lose focus. This control, conservation of energy and your thought-out approaches convinced the judges you are indeed worthy of being promoted." Holding up a vest, she handed it out to the boy, who took it into his hands gingerly. "Keep up the good work."

Once Utakata stepped down, Mei wasted no time in moving over to Kiyoko, who was no longer standing at attention and was grinning excitedly with her hands behind her head. Watching the girl sway from side to side, the Mizukage giggled good-naturedly at her enthusiasm.

"Kiyoko-chan. For someone whose main strength lies only in her taijutsu, you fought all of your matches brilliantly, with the exception of your last one. Unlike most ninja, you took a completely different approach to how one would engage their opponents on the field, as you were not only able to completely control the pace of most of your battles but also your opponents from a single position. You performed some of the best defensive plays a lot of the judges had ever seen. You manipulated your adversaries through use of your body and were able to inflict damage to them using low risk moves that had a high reward. What's more, not only were you able to keep your true abilities hidden until your last fight; you also displayed a manner of high speed strategizing within your fighting style itself with enormous potential for future growth. This insight alone was enough to secure a promotion for you. Though you did show your hand against an opponent who had managed to one-up you in your last fight, by this point in time everybody had your abilities figured out, which compelled you to change your approach, but you still managed to hold it together." Lifting up another vest, the woman held it out to her with a proud smile. "I hope that this exam was a good learning experience for both you and your teammates. Congratulations."

As expected, Kiyoko gave a delighted whoop, leapt into the air in triumph and sprang forward to collect her prize. However, what no one did anticipate was that before taking hold of the vest, the blonde haired girl gave her village leader a big hug, which had everyone in the area smile at how happy she was at receiving a promotion. After getting a giggle and a pat on the head from Mei in return for her affectionate gesture, the girl took the vest from her, bowed to her gratefully, and wasted no time in slipping the new article of clothing on while backing up to rejoin her comrades.

Hayate then gestured for the Third Hokage of Konohagakure to move forward. Tipping his hat, Hiruzen moved into the spotlight, closely followed by a bodyguard carrying with him an armful of vests. Once he'd fallen under the attention of all the Genin present, he moved to the first team that had been lined up, and cleared his throat as he stood before Team Gai.

The Hyuuga prodigy blinked as he looked up at the Hokage before him.

"Neji. It is obvious to everyone who had watched your fight in the first round that you're an incredibly talented shinobi and well versed in close combat, easily on par with a Chunin's and even a Jonin's capabilities. Even though you lost that battle due to being matched up against an incredibly unorthodox opponent, you were still able to perform well in the first half and maintained a solid pace throughout its duration. You are able to fight with pinpoint precision, speed and ferocity, and you have exceptional insight granted to you by way of your clan's kekkei genkai. I've also noticed you've taken on a much more considerate approach in your battle style, where you observed your opponent closely and formed a strategy based on the information you were able to acquire. From these merits, you have easily earned yourself a promotion, my boy. Well done." With that, the Hokage retrieved the vest and certificate from the official behind him.

Neji took the items from the elder and bowed gratefully. Applause came from both the audience and his teammates as the genius backed into formation, allowing Hiruzen to move on. This time it was the resident kunoichi's turn for review.

"Tenten. Like your teammate, you only had one fight to comment on. In your match, you engaged your opponent appropriately from your distance and tested his defenses. This is a good mindset to have when going into a mission, where you'll want to take every opportunity you can to gain as much information about your targets as possible. You not only considered your field in the opening half but also your opponent's abilities. After acquiring the necessary amount of data, you then surprised both him and the entire audience with a maneuver no one expected, that would give you a big enough opening to finish the fight. Were this out on the field and you were leading a squad, your collected mentality and coordination of the attack would've been considered a textbook success against the opposition. But the circumstances of your battle prevented it from moving forward. While not flawless, you've earned enough points for a promotion." The man saw Tenten's eyes light up as he took up a vest and held it out to her with an amused smile on his face. "Congratulations."

Hurrying forward in a stride, Tenten took the vest from the elder, bowed to him, and quickly returned to her teammates' sides. It took every ounce of her being just to suppress the excited squeak she gave, which earned amused looks from a couple of the people there.

It was then Lee's turn, who hobbled forward on his crutches and stood firmly at attention.

"Rock Lee." The elder smiled at how excited the boy looked. "For someone specializing in nothing but taijutsu and having excelled this far in their career as a shinobi is remarkable. You should be incredibly proud of yourself for how strong you've become." Seeing the youngster's spirits lift, Hiruzen then suddenly gave a sad frown and nodded to him. "However, in spite of your enthusiasm and skill, you are incredibly impulsive and too keen to get into a fight, as indicated by your starts. In both of the matches you'd fought, you jumped into the fray too quickly without taking the time to consider either the dangers presented by your opponents and your approaches. In your first match you fell to your adversary's rhythm, which resulted in you taking a potentially fatal hit. Even though you won that fight at the behest of the officials, had that been on an actual battlefield the end result could have been bad for you and possibly your team. The same thing happened in your second fight, where you not only fell prey to your opponent's manipulations, but also went a little too far by activating multiple variations of the Eight Gates. As strong as she was, had you conducted your battle with a little more care and forethought, there would've been no need to open that many gates and end up injuring yourself. I'm sorry, but you cannot be promoted at this time."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Lee replied before stepping away. Though he looked visibly despondent for the briefest of moments, the boy was quick to recover and, immediately upon falling back into line, began reconsidering his abilities. Though everyone else in his group felt a little sorry for the boy, who'd tried and fought so hard, it was still not enough unfortunately.

Obviously, there were changes that need to be made, and all of the Kage were giving them that list. This was a good educational experience if nothing else.

Once Team Gai had been addressed, Hiruzen immediately moved on to the next one in line. Due to the setup of all the participating teams, the squads had been arranged by age and numbers. This meant that after the senior Genin, the next lot started with the lowest value number.

The pink haired kunoichi of Team 7 was the first of the rookies to fall under the Hokage's gaze. Said female member of the group stiffened when she saw her village leader's gentle gaze fix upon her.

"Sakura," the elder began with a warm smile, "You've certainly come a long way from what I remember seeing of you back in the academy. As anticipated, you've been able to accentuate the best qualities about your person, including your perceptiveness and intelligence. In your one match, you showed to the audience that you are able to analyze a situation and make all the appropriate decisions whenever necessary. I also noticed you have one heck of a strong arm and a good idea of what needs to be applied in battle." He saw the girl's face light up somewhat, until he continued. "Unfortunately, I am unable to promote you at this stage due to a couple of reasons. One; is a slight lacking of battlefield experience. When you were forced into a corner, you got jumpy and excited. This in turn caused you to act hastily. You ended up making a serious error in judgment against your opponent and though you were able to retaliate, it was still a glaring mistake that would have resulted in a potential loss. Second; is that we weren't able to see enough of your abilities to draw up a concrete report, meaning we were unable to come to a suitable conclusion based on a performance deemed half complete. If you're able to get in a few more missions for positive reinforcement, I am certain you will get promoted in the next exam coming up in the next few months."

Though she deflated at the news of not earning herself a vest after all her work, Sakura's spirits lifted a little again when she heard that she had a definite possibility of being promoted. She nodded in understanding to the elder's words of encouragement and retreated, returning to a firm standing position as the Hokage moved on to Naruto.

However, much to everyone's bewilderment, the old man passed right by him, surprising the blonde and getting some of the kids in that line to murmur.

Puzzled, the jinchuriki leaned over and looked down the line towards Samui, whom everyone else had noted had also been passed up by her village leader. When the fellow blonde's eyes met the jinchuriki's, Naruto shrugged questioningly. This earned a similar gesture in response, before both returned to stand at attention as the Hokage stopped in front of Sasuke.

"Of the three of you, there is one in your squad who has a clear and firm understanding of all the concepts required of him, both in combat and mental discipline." Taking note of the boy's straight up, professional expression, Hiruzen proceeded on with his evaluation. "Sasuke, you have the skill and intellect as expected of someone of your lineage and talents. You're a fierce and mentally strong combatant, able to maintain your composure and act decisively, even in dismal situations. You even showed how you were able to utilize the elements presented to you on the battlefield to your advantage and execute strategies right under an enemy's nose. The manner you conducted your matches were a good mixture of even-temperedness and directness and while you did lose in your second fight you still went out strong with a clear idea in your head of what your next plan of action was going to be." The man held up a vest and smiled. "You are promoted to Chunin, my boy. Well done."

Sasuke allowed a smile to slip onto his face as he walked forward and took the flak piece presented to him. Nodding gratefully to the elder, the Uchiha then saddled in with the others and weighed the new item in his hand. As he did so, and Sakura and Naruto marveled at their teammate receiving the article, Hiruzen moved down the line and stopped in front of Team 9.

"Kaede," the Third began with a smile, "Though your performance was stellar for a rookie not belonging to any clan, I unfortunately cannot promote you due to a couple of issues with your battle style." He saw the boy blink curiously, which gave him his cue to continue. "One is that you lack resilience. Granted, you were caught off guard in your last exchange, a single hit from your opponent was enough to put you down. On the field, sometimes it's required that you be able to take a certain amount of punishment, otherwise you become somewhat of a liability when receiving hits from the opposition. It's sometimes a necessary sacrifice one has to make when in combat. And secondly, while your approach was good for someone of your build and character, and you were able to play to your strengths, it was still in unnecessary excess, and you used a very repetitive and predictable pattern in your attack. That's something you need to try to avoid on the field. If you work on these qualities and tune them up in time for the next exam, and strengthen your physical abilities, I'm sure you'll be able to become a well-rounded and exceptional shinobi."

Smiling, the boy nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, Hokage-sama." With that said he then backed away and allowed the man to move on. It was a good review and very enlightening. While he was aware of his faults, he just didn't have much time to fix them, and only had enough time to accentuate his strong points.

Apparently they weren't enough, but he was satisfied.

"Shiho," the Hokage began with a rather sad smile, "I think you know what I'm going to say next." Seeing the girl nod in understanding, the man tipped his hat. "You're an intelligent and perceptive young girl… perhaps one of the smartest I've seen. But what you lack most, much like your teammate, is effective close-combat skill and overall combat prowess to lead a squad and apply your strategies in battle. Against strong opposition, you stumble about and aren't able to formulate any counters that can pull you out of a pinch. Granted your opponent was incredibly strong and you attempted to implement your battle plans as best as you could, it just wasn't enough. I'm sure that if you're able to strengthen your body and hand-to-hand abilities, you will be able to pass the next exam with flying colors."

The girl nodded and remained at attention as Hiruzen turned his gaze to the next member of the team…

And overshot her. For the third time that day, the Genin and those to have received a promotion saw a village leader completely overlook another contestant and move on down the line. However, while Tayuya was indeed surprised to see the elder march past, she didn't voice any complaints or concerns and just watched the distribution of results proceed.

With that part of the team's assessment done, Hiruzen moved down to Team 10. Seeing two of them standing and waiting eagerly, and another looking like he was about to fall asleep, the Third pressed on.

"As I expected of this squad, your Ino-Shika-Cho formation has a fantastic balance of enthusiasm, battle-force and intelligence. Together, the three of you create a single entity that can make any enemy think twice about engaging you and even shake the opposition up when push comes to shove," the Hokage spoke, before moving on to his next point. "However, I cannot promote Ino and Choji for what both of you are lacking at the moment. Ino, while you are a fierce fighter and aren't afraid to come to blows with your opponent, I'm afraid on your own you're still unable to form effective strategies to use your abilities to their full potential. You pushed forward when in reality you should've been moving back to rethink your options. In a way, Choji has the same problem. While you have an exceptional amount of combat strength and can easily function as the team's muscle, I fear that you also lack the maturity and mindset required for a Chunin."

Seeing the disappointed but understanding looks that came across the abovementioned, Hiruzen then turned to Shikamaru, whose eyelids dipped slightly. You could tell how laidback he was taking this entire procession.

"As for Nara Shikamaru," Hiruzen begun with a smile, "You on the other hand chose to exercise your abilities in a different manner. Unlike your teammates, you made the decision to move backwards rather than forwards, which led to your decisive victory in the first round match against your opponent." The Third lightened at this and straightened up. "While some would call it cowardice, I call it tactical brilliance. Instead of engaging your opponent right from the get-go and falling prey to her physical superiority, you chose to step back to not only gauge your enemy's abilities, but also lured her into a trap you planned several moves ahead. You executed your attack with minimal excess and subtlety, which highlights your careful battle-style. This was further accentuated in your second round match where you chose to retreat rather than fight a battle you couldn't win, often one of the many tough choices a leader needs to make on the field." Hiruzen held out his hand and had a vest dropped into it, which he then dangled in front of the boy. "Aside from all that, the fact that you only used one jutsu throughout most of your engagement that your opponent was well aware of and on the lookout for, you still won a good fight. You are promoted."

Shikamaru stared down at the vest being held by the Third for a good long minute, making the others wonder if he was even going to be bothered taking hold of it. When it became apparent the boy didn't want to take it, Ino and Choji did the only reasonable thing they could do as his teammates, and pushed him forward.

"Ugh," the Nara grumbled, looking back at his squad to see Ino stick her tongue out and Choji give him a thumbs-up, getting him to roll his eyes before taking the vest from his amused village leader, "Troublesome teammates. Thank you, Hokage-sama."

When he finally accepted his vest and held it in a manner that conveyed his displeasure at being promoted, all of the Genin from the Konoha contingent applauded.

After seeing his village leader move back, Hayate stepped forward and raised a hand towards the line of shinobi. "Let's give a big hand to those who've been promoted and to all those who fought in this tournament." At that exclamation, the entire stadium stood up in a chorus of cheers and applause, drowning the entire arena and those in it with echoes of congratulations and praise. However, just as everyone was getting into the swing of offering their praise, the lead proctor then held up his hand to stop them. Clearing his throat, the former referee continued, "This concludes the first part of the award ceremony. Now it's time to move on to the second and final part." He looked towards the line of Genin and new Chunin. "Can Naruto, Tayuya and Samui please step forward?"

Under the silence of the crowd, the jinchuriki, the musician and the Kumo Genin moved forward, with the former looking a tad bit surprised, the redhead trying not to sweat, and the latter appearing cool and collected as usual. When they moved into the spotlight, Hiruzen and A stepped forward as well, both of them looking down at their respective shinobi before the Third Hokage gestured for the Raikage to start them off.

With the abovementioned member of his team from Kumogakure standing firmly at attention with her eyes trained forward, A stopped in front of her and after a quick surveying of her person, grunted.

"Samui. Now here is a kunoichi who has a firm grasp of what is required of her," the man began proudly. "Your skills in combat aside, in all three of your matches, you displayed a keen level of insight, intelligence, observation and a surprising ability to manipulate your opponent through minimal effort, even ones with a clear strength and speed advantage over you. In every one of your battles, you never lost your cool, even in situations that would have been considered dire, and you were always planning several steps ahead. You also showed astonishing use of the battlefield, utilizing the existing elements provided for you to draw a fight to a close, and when the time came for you to come to blows with your opponent, you also showed a remarkable level of combat skill worthy of any warrior. All of these aspects of your character from your mentality to your physical capabilities make you a superb, well-rounded kunoichi, and I have no problems in awarding you the promotion the judges have decided for you." He then nodded to the girl as he held forward a jacket complete with certificate. "Kumogakure is proud to have you as a member of its forces. Congratulations."

Taking the vest given to her and nodding to her village leader politely, the girl then stood back. She briefly drank in the piece of clothing she held in front of her, getting a feel for it before tucking it under her arm and standing at attention.

Before anything else could be said, leaving the groups of shinobi waiting in line scratching their heads, A suddenly turned to Hiruzen and gestured to him silently. This time it was the elder's turn to move forward again, drawing the female musician's attention up to him and holding it when he stood before her.

"Tayuya," Hiruzen began with a wide smile and eyes fixed firmly on the redhead as she held her position. "Not only did you show your strengths as a superb long-range specialist in your matches, but your close-combat skill and general manner in which you conducted yourself on the field were sublime. For someone of your supposed specialization, it came as a big surprise to see the directions you'd taken in your development, a result that your enemies did not agree with. As a kunoichi, you've covered all of the areas where you would've been considered weakest. You didn't waste moves and always acted sensibly on the field. Your ability to analyze a situation and initiate plans steps ahead with very little time and in the midst of conflict, even when people knew of your genjutsu prowess and what you were capable of, was astonishing. With your ability to subtly manipulate the course of a fight, I see a very promising future for you as a kunoichi of our village, with skills worth passing on to others. Even though you lost to someone possessing an element no Genin should've faced, your performance even in your last fight was still exemplary, and I hope to see more of you in the future." Holding up another vest, the village leader held it out with a warm smile. "Congratulations."

Positively beaming at this point, Tayuya stepped forward and received her prize with open arms. Taking the vest off of Hiruzen and acknowledging his warm gaze, the kunoichi moved back into the small formation and weighed the flak jacket in her hands.

It was then, attention fell on the last from the Konoha contingent. Bracing himself, the blonde haired boy with whisker-marks saw the Hokage come to stand before him. After a quick look-over from the elder, he then heard the man speak.

"Naruto," the Third began, clearing his throat. "Just like the others, you've shown a firm and strong understanding of what is required of a leader, and I believe I'm right in saying that you not only surprised all of the competitors in this tournament, but also the entire audience with your capabilities. Aside from the fact that you indeed have the combat skill necessary for a promotion, without question, it is the way you were able to apply it in your battles that is the most worthy of praise. From the very beginning of this stage of the exams, you fought with a reserved and even paced battle-style, holding back a major bulk of your skills until the final rounds of the tournament when you needed them, allowing you to fight against an onslaught of opponents without exhausting yourself early. Furthermore, you not only completely controlled the pace of all of your fights, but you never lost sight of your goals, which allowed you to run an otherwise impossible gauntlet and overcome enemies who were not only considered physically superior to you but possessed a greater level of experience and talent. Additionally, as demonstrated in your second and third matches, you showed an exceptional and surprising level of thinking for someone of your character, able to come up with a plan to capture your target alive and implement a strategy that neither your opponent nor the audience was aware of until the very end when you completely circumvented her seemingly impenetrable defenses and allowed you to defeat her." Hiruzen saw Naruto blink as he led into his conclusion of his assessment. "These are among the many things you displayed in this tournament, and which the judges acknowledged as something that cannot be left alone or ignored." He then received a vest from the Konoha ninja behind him and held it out. "Congratulations, my boy."

Once the last of the vests was handed out, together, the two Kage from the two villages stepped back, and allowed the receivers of the awards to look at their paperwork.

The first one to respond was Tayuya, who blinked in surprise at the title written on the document before chuckling.

Naruto on the other hand blinked when he stared silently down at the form in his hand. At first he thought that he, Tayuya and Samui had been kept back from the earlier assessments because they were going to be acknowledged afterwards and given an honorable mention or something. However, this was not the case, at least not from the paper he was holding.

It puzzled him greatly because he always thought Chunin was spilled with a 'Chu' not with a 'Jo.' It was a question he felt he needed to address as he held the piece of paper he had up to Hiruzen. "Umm… I think there's a typo on my certificate, Hokage-jiji. It says 'Jonin'… not 'Chunin."

It was this that had everyone behind him stop and stare at him for a good long minute, whereas Samui, who had already read through her whole certificate with a serious gaze, smirked and held her vest over her shoulder.

Hiruzen and A shared a chuckle at the boy's statement, with the hidden leaf leader placing a hand on top of the jinchuriki's head. "It's not a typo, Naruto-kun. That's the genuine rank that the judges of this tournament saw fit to bestow you after watching your performances." When he saw the youngster's gaze widen in shock, he smiled warmly and gestured towards his article. "That vest and that document are a testament of the skills and strengths you showed to us in this competition. After seeing you fight for myself, I see no reason to dispute any of their decisions. That was the general consensus from the examination body, and I think it's more than reasonable."

A grunted and folded his arms. "Though it irritates me to say this, but even I can't argue against that assessment."

"The Second Mizukage strongly believed in the concept of a one in a hundred person or what he referred to as the 'golden egg'," Mei spoke up from the back, looking across at Naruto while also cutting to Tayuya and Samui. "In our books, the second leader of our village said that out of every batch, there is always one amongst the dozen that shines the most. That means that for every generation, in the most unexpected places, a person wielding great and unique qualities will emerge. I believe strongly in that statement myself, and that you are the golden eggs of your respective villages."

Hiruzen smiled back at the young woman, "He truly was a man who thought highly of others… despite his own appearance."

The Mizukage giggled and rubbed the back of her head as she looked at the elder in kind. "That's true. But I'd like to focus more on the positives than the negatives."

"In any case," the Third read on, turning back to Naruto. "You were given that rank because the people watching your matches believed your skills were better suited for a higher level of assignment, that you could do what was needed for your village, and that you are capable of leading your own teams and teaching others your ways. There have been many in the past that've jumped rank before and today is no exception. You and Tayuya have been appointed to Jonin of Konohagakure."

Hiruzen and the Kage behind then proceeded to watch the boy stare at his certificate for a few minutes longer, leaving everyone standing in silence. After waiting to see if he had anything else to say or anymore question to ask, the blonde then sprouted a big smile, which slowly transformed into an excited grin before he threw both hands into the air and cheered.

"YATTA!"

Jumping over to each other, both Naruto and Tayuya shared a high-five in front of the Hokage, with the latter wrapping an arm over the blonde's shoulders and jumping into the air a second later, a loud cheer escaping her lips as well. A chorus of applause and exclamations thundering down from the crowd around them followed immediately after their celebratory display, with the entire world and stadium congratulating the trio for a job well-done.

Samui also shared the boy and his girlfriend a smile of her own, gazing across at them momentarily before looking down at her Jonin certificate.

As the pair celebrated and their teammates walked over to congratulate them, the leader of the hidden leaf laughed and scratched his cheek in amusement.

"Well, he has the fighting sense and looks of his father… but he takes more after his mother," the Hokage thought, remembering the time Kushina was promoted to Jonin just a couple of weeks after becoming Chunin.

Oh well. Everyone takes after their parents in some way, shape and form. You can only imagine the kids that would take after Naruto when he eventually became a father.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Author's Note: And that's the final round everyone.

If you may have noticed, I took a lot of inspiration of the Naruto and Gaara fight heavily from the Boss Level in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, where Naruto fought head to head with Shukaku and won, which was bloody awesome. Ultimate Ninja Storm is the greatest series of Naruto games ever, since it shows Naruto is actually strong in the series. Being the hero, it makes sense.

I'd say the promotions in the end more than make up for more than a few disappointments I had with the original series, starting with Naruto. The fact that he's a Genin, which hangs over his head throughout all of canon, annoyed me the most, but I think I remedied the situation here. His performance was exemplary. And going along with the trend from canon, Tayuya was said to be Jonin-level in the original story, and her skills in the tournament definitely pushed her over that line.

If anyone is wondering what Naruto's new exploding vacuum ball technique looks like when it goes off, imagine Lina Inverse's Dragon Slave attack from Slayers. That explosion is bloody incredible.

Important: If anyone is concerned about the chapter updates slowing now, I just want to say that I will be trying to update as fast as I can. Now that I've churned through the Chunin Exams, I'm now trying to write several chapters ahead before posting anymore. I want to make sure I have everything right in the story before moving on, so there might be some big gaps between each update. But don't fret. I don't plan on abandoning this story.