A/N: So long since I last updated - sorry. -_-

The Chuunin Exam Finals were stressful, obviously. Not only for the participants, but for the audience too. (Sasuke was firmly hoping - not that he'd ever admit it - that Naruto would lose to Neji. Then, even if he lost to Gaara, he could still tease Naruto about losing.)

Said blonde was panting, exhausted, in the exam arena.

"Fate is determined at birth," etc, etc, yada yada was what his opponent Neji was going on and on about.

Naruto scowled. He had already used his favorite jutsu, Shadow Clone Technique, many times and many ways only to be slapped aside by Neji's "Gentle Fist." Then he brightened and grinned. Why?

Because Kakashi-sensei had taught him a special jutsu, that's why! The Silver - no, Gray - Jutsu was to be his ace in the hole.

Now was the perfect time to use it.

Back in the stands, Kakashi looked up from his little novel.

He grinned underneath his mask, as he could see that his pupil was going to summon a Gray One with the jutsu that the Fourth Hokage himself had created.

It wasn't tested yet. Still a prototype.

Not anymore, he thought, and resumed reading Ichi Ichi Paradise.

After rapidly performing the hand seals the best he could, before Naruto was a poof of smoke accompanied by some weird hissing noises.

Neji broke off from his spiel. "Oy, Idiot, what do you-"

"Voila~ who's summoned me to Konoha, now?" The Hyuga was cut short by an older teen with flaming red hair, an eyepatch, bandana, and uniform who stepped out from the smoke.

"Uh, who're you?" Naruto asked quite intelligently.

They could've sworn there were sparkles in the red-head's eyes. "Me? I am… " *dramatic pause* "LAVI BOOKMAN JU-NYUUUURR!"

Kakashi began observing the match.

"Oh." Again, intelligently from the fluent mouth of Naruto.

With that said, Lavi whipped out a tiny glowing hammer.

"Big hammer, little hammer, grow, grow GROW!"

The weapon extended to length of about seven feet, but the exorcist wielded it with ease.

"Hey, are you compensating for something?" Neji inquired sassily, a hand resting on his hip. He was irritated that nobody had actually been listening to his speech.

The carrot-top's shimmery smile froze in place, then cracked.

"Flame Seal."

Lavi leapt up high into the air and used all his might to bring his flaming Innocence crashing down on the Hyuga. With a thunderous growl, his hammermade-fire-dragon dissipated. Lavi kept his hammer at its current size, though.

"Is… Is…That all you've got, Summoned Rabbit?" Neji wheezed, trying in vain to recover his pride. And his honor, dignity, etc. as a supposed prodigy of the Hyuga Clan.

"Do it again!" cheered Naruto. He had no idea what his summoned Gray One really was, or what he was doing, but Lavi beating up his opponent, so he wasn't going to complain.

"With pleasure! HEAVEN SEAL!"

There was a gory squelching crackle-ish noise. Probably the pleasant onomatopoeia of Neji's bones collapsing.

Lavi had turned around, satisfied with his work, when Kakashi spoke up from the stands (amongst a whole lot of people with dropped jaws. Except Sasuke).

"If I recall correctly, Lavi-san, the jutsu summons strong fighters from an alternate dimension - it was written in the Fourth's notes. So, pray tell, how did you know that this is Konoha?"

There was a twinkle in the other's one visible eye as Lavi replied, "I'm in line to be a Bookman. And a Bookman knows all."

Then he vanished, and chaos erupted amidst the onlookers.

On another note:

Neji Hyuga couldn't even sit up for a couple of months after the "incident."