A.N.: Here comes another chapter. Sorry this one is a bit shorter, but there are only certain places where I can cut it.

A.N.2: Now reposted with less grammar and spelling errors.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"The second match of the quarterfinals, Akatsuchi of Iwa against Shinkudai Toshiro of Suna," announced Maruishi loudly.

The combatants for the second match walked into the arena. They presented a sharp contrast to the previous two. While the participants in the first match were both short and slender, those two were big and muscular, both of them promising to become real giants of men once they fully grow up. Somehow it seemed inappropriate that the ground didn't shake under their footsteps.

They stopped in the middle of the circular battleground and measured each other with stony expression, trying to intimidate each other. It wasn't working.

The proctor decided to cut their staring contest short. "Begin," he signaled and disappeared from the arena in a swirl of sand. The two contestants wasted little time. Toshiro lifted his giant straightsword and ran at Akatsuchi. The Iwa genin wasn't idle as well. His fingers flew through a short sequence of handseals and a wall of stone rose from the ground in front of the charging Shinkudai clan member. The boy in the samurai style armor had to jump high to avoid smashing his face on it. The Tsuchikage's grandson was waiting for him. With a speed belying his size he avoided the sword and punched the still airborne genin into the ribs. The samurai-like armor absorbed most of the hit, but Toshiro was sent flying nevertheless. Akatsuchi ran after him before he even landed.

Even the Suna genin was deceptively fast for his size. He rolled on the ground and pointed his weapon at the approaching combatant. The Iwa ninja had to swerve abruptly to avoid being pierced through. It was all the time the Shinkudai needed to get to his feet. He hefted his enormous sword and attempted to skewer his opponent again.

The big Rock shinobi came to the conclusion that a taijutsu battle would do him little to no good. He jumped back to gain distance and attempted to cast a jutsu. His opponent was dead set on preventing him from finishing the handseals. Akatsuchi managed despite having to dodge the giant blade in the process. The ground under Toshiro's feet shifted and he jumped up just in time to avoid being grabbed by stone hands that suddenly formed from the sand. The Iwa genin threw a couple of kunai while he wasn't able to dodge. The Suna chuunin hopeful scoffed. His armor was strong and couldn't be penetrated so easily. Then he noticed the already burning tag on the handle. He threw his arms in front of his face. The blast inflicted little damage, but he was flung backwards.

He rolled on the ground for a moment before he was halted by slamming into something hard. It was a rock pillar. He was certain it hadn't been there before. Alarm bells sounded in his head and he pushed himself upwards with all his might. He almost didn't make it. Another stone pillar tried to squeeze him on the first, but it slid on the smooth surface of his armor. He escaped the trap with only a couple of scratches on his attire. It had been uncomfortably close for his comfort.

Glancing at his opponent, he noticed that the redheaded Iwa boy just finished another seal sequence and slammed his palm on the ground. A crack appeared in the arena floor, the sand falling into it. It headed straight for Toshiro. The genin in red armor didn't wait for it to reach him. He jumped out of the way, but the crack changed its course. He had to dodge again. And again.

Finally the jutsu came to its end. The Shinkudai let out a breath of relief and readied his weapon for another charge. Akatsuchi rose from his crouching position preparing for an attack as well. His hands were already prepared to cast another jutsu.

Toshiro pumped chakra to his legs and charged. Akatsuchi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, he had no idea his opponent was capable of such speed, then he slammed his hands to the ground again. Stone spikes rose from the sand threatening to impale the speeding genin. He avoided them by jumping high.

Akatsuchi smirked. The Suna genin was becoming predictable. He changed the flow of energy in his technique. Now it was the Suna boy's time to be startled.

The airborne combatant didn't even have time to swear. A spike bigger than the others formed right in front of him. He had only a moment before he slammed into it. He barely managed to put his sword into a defensive position before the impact.

It felt, unsurprisingly, like hitting a rock. His weapon was torn from his grip and the spike slammed into his stomach painfully. Breath left him in a huff. He fell to the ground, hitting a few more spikes in his descent.

The Tsuchikage's grandson smiled victoriously. He moved in to finish his opponent. It turned out he was celebrating prematurely. Shinkudai clansmen were tough, as he learned the hard way when Toshiro's fist impacted with his chin with no warning. He stumbled backwards. His opponent scrambled to his feet and jumped out of the spiked area. He took a scroll from his pouch and unsealed a giant spiked mace. His stomach was hurting, his armor was dented and he was in an exceptionally bad mood. He'll make the arrogant Iwa upstart pay for what he had done to him. He was going to crush him.

Akatsuchi smirked at his opponent's anger. He was prone to making mistakes before, now he was bound to become even more reckless and make a fatal one, not to mention that he was clearly in pain. It was going to be a walk in the park from now on.

The Suna genin attacked with a roar. He wielded the giant mace like it weighted nothing. The Iwa ninja knew it to be deceptive. One hit from that thing and he would be done for. He didn't plan on getting hit. He prepared to unleash another technique.

Toshiro almost didn't notice the boulder rising from the ground before his foot caught on it. He stumbled and tried to regain his balance. It proved to be a hard task because there were suddenly rocks appearing everywhere around. He slammed his weapon in one of them shattering it and used it like a pole to jump over the danger zone. He tried to kick his adversary in the face, but the redhead from Iwagakure dodged without trouble. The Shinkudai landed on his feet and lifted his weapon for another blow. Akatsuchi didn't wait for him. He darted forward and with a burst of speed he hadn't exhibited before he appeared inside the other boy's guard. He punched his already injured stomach with all his might.

The genin in the samurai armor had barely enough time to shift and make the blow slide on his chest plate. He prevented the worst damage, but he was sent flying sideways anyway. The Rock ninja was upon him in an instant.

But Toshiro was a Shinkudai and his clan was renowned for being resilient. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind and swung his mace. Akatsuchi managed to lift his hand for a block and somehow avoid all the spikes, but his arm felt broken. He cursed and jumped back to assess the damage. He moved his fingers first, then hand, then the whole forearm. It hurt like hell, but it moved without any resistance. It seemed it wasn't broken after all, but he guessed the bone was cracked. No time to fool around, he'd have to finish it quickly.

He forced his fingers into the appropriate positions for seals. He had to bite his lips to prevent a howl of pain from coming out. He had hoped he wouldn't have to use that, but in order to achieve a swift victory he was forced to utilize his best technique.

Toshiro didn't know what hit him. One moment he was running at his opponent, the next he was falling because the ground suddenly disappeared from under his feet. He looked down in surprise. There was an abyss opening its maw, threatening to swallow him whole. He threw his humongous weapon to the side to give himself some momentum. He caught the edge of the hole and propelled himself upward. His feet stuck in something. One look down revealed that the abyss closed again, imprisoning his legs in hard earth. It refused to budge. He tried to use a Kawarimi ('why didn't it occur to me before?' he wondered), but something prevented him from doing so. He was in a pinch, but he still refused to give up.

"You're caught," the Tsuchikage's grandson called. "Do you yield?"

The Shinkudai just formed some seals in response, taking a deep breath simultaneously. He raised his hands to his mouth and blew out. A huge fireball formed aiming to envelope the Rock chuunin-hopeful. Akatsuchi simply performed a quick Kawarimi and appeared behind the trapped boy. The Sand genin sensed him, but he couldn't turn to him. The redhead smashed his fist into his helmet. It felt like he broke the bones on his other hand as well, but it served its purpose. Toshiro slumped down unconscious.

The proctor reappeared in the arena to confirm the fact. "Winner: Akatsuchi of Iwa," he announced. The Rock genin didn't feel overly elated. Sure, he had won, but it took him too much time and he even sustained a hindering injury. This shouldn't have happened. He was the Tsuchikage's descendant, elite of Iwagakure, and his opponent was just some nobody from a lesser clan of such a weak village as Suna. He should have crushed him within the first minute. He could already hear what his grandfather would have to say to it. On a lighter note, his next opponent would be that snotty Konoha kid. He had shown some level of competence in his first round, but nothing that could endanger him. He would enjoy that fight. He hated Leaf shinobi with a passion. Especially the blond ones. His father had died during the last days of the Third Shinobi War after his battalion unexpectedly ran into the Yellow Flash. Yes, he was sure he'd relish crushing that kid.

He left the arena to get medical treatment before the next round.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kage booth~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The Shinkudai is strong and good with his weapons, but he has little to none strategy," the Tsuchikage said. "He stood no chance against somebody like Akatsuchi." The pride he felt was palpable in his voice. His grandson had faced a strong opponent and clearly prevailed.

"While this is true," the Hokage said, "he forced your grandson to use too much of his chakra. That is a valid strategy itself."

"It might work against weaker opponents, but it doesn't make him worthy of becoming chuunin," the Kazekage objected.

"That is true," Sarutobi agreed.

The Kazekage silently fumed. Second match and his shinobi had lost again. Even though he fully expected it in the first round, it was a blow to Suna's pride nevertheless. And to make matters worse, it had to happen in the presence of their daimyo. It was all he could do not to glare daggers at that man. There'd better be somebody to redeem their reputation soon or else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Finalists' booth~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ouch," Mizue said wincing. "That had to hurt. And you know how Toshiro is with a headache."

"Yes," Akira nodded, "but you should be more worried about Youkou-sensei. Who knows what he would do to make sure such an ignomious defeat doesn't happen again."

"Yes," she grimaced. Their already insane training regime was going to step up even more. Kurotsume, the black panther accompanying Akira, meowed unhappily.

"Then we just have to make sure we don't lose," the cat user said.

"Yes," the long-haired kunoichi nodded. "I can't imagine what would happen if all of us lost."

"That's the stuff of nightmares." Despite the hot day he shuddered.

A few steps away, a different conversation was taking place.

"It seems like you're up against a tough one, Naruto," Hotaru said.

"It seems," Naruto shrugged. "I wonder how tough he is after what the samurai look-alike did to him."

"Hah," sounded from close by. It was the Iwa girl speaking. "Don't underestimate Akatsuchi. Such lovetaps are nothing to him. He's going to crush you in the next round."

"He's welcome to try," the blond replied evenly.

"Oh, he'd enjoy it," Kurotsuchi smirked.

"I don't know," the other Iwa genin said. "This little one is tough as well."

"Shut up, Kageromaru," she turned to him angrily. "I don't know what were the instructors thinking when they put a loser like you on the same team with us. My brother won't lose to the likes of him."

"You think you're so tough just because of your ancestors?" The Kamizuru clan member spat angrily.

"Cut it already," she scowled. "Your match is coming next. There you have the chance to prove you aren't a good-for-nothing washout like the rest of your once-used-to-be a clan."

Kageromaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm going to do just so." And he headed for the arena.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The arena ground~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The third match of the quarterfinals," Maruishi announced, "Kamizuru Kageromaru of Iwa against Gennosuke of Suna."

The two combatants walked down the stairs with measured steps, both of them doing their best to emit an air of calmness and serenity. Yet their excitement could still be seen in the light in their eyes, in the twitches of their fingers, in the covert glances they shot at each other. They assumed their assigned places on the arena ground. None of them uttered a word. The proctor looked between them and then signaled for the match to begin.

The Kamizuru clan member sent his bees into the air. The puppeteer attached chakra strings and launched the horse-like device for an attack. For a moment they just stood there, measuring up each other, waiting for the first move. Then Gennosuke noticed something. Namely a lone bee nearing him from behind. He had to give it to his opponent, he was good. If he hadn't been specifically looking for a trick like this, he would have completely missed it. Fortunately for him he got his hands on a scroll describing the Kamizuru clan techniques and that one had been there.

He pretended not to have detected it and sent his Hisan Uma for a charge. Kageromaru jumped back to get out of range. The puppet user waited for the last possible moment, when the bee was almost upon him. Then he whirled around, his long robes raising enough wind to blow the dangerous insect aside. Then his eyes widened. There was another bee already sitting on his head covering, trying to get to his neck to sting him. He had no intention of finding out what its poison would do to him, he had heard rumors that the Kamizuru clan was using some nasty stuff. Almost as nasty as Suna puppeteers.

He batted the bee aside. It tried to sting him, but it couldn't pierce the thick material of his gloves. He shivered at the close call. He'd have to be extremely careful on this one.

He turned back to his opponent. The Iwa genin had circled around the horse puppet and was now running at him, the battle bees surrounding him like a cloud. He couldn't have that. He commanded Hisan Uma to run back to him. The horse's mouth opened and a hail of senbon was launched at the brown-haired boy's back. His swarm warned him and he swerved out of the way. Another barrage shot towards him while he was still in the air. They pierced him through, but the Kamizuru turned into a swarm of bees. Gennosuke recognized it as another of their signature techniques.

The bees were flying at him top speed. He moved Hisan Uma to move closer and opened one of many secret compartments on the puppet. A cloud of sickly gray-green smoke enveloped the puppet and the insects.

Some of the bees emerged out of it, but they were slow and sluggish, struggling to keep their direction. The puppeteer smirked. Those particular stingers wouldn't be bothering anybody anymore. Now just to find where their master was hiding.

Kageromaru observed him from a hiding spot behind a boulder left from the second match. He as well entered the contest well informed about his possible opponents' abilities. He had read a lot about Suna puppeteers and their favorite strategies. One of them was hiding themselves and sending a puppet to pretend they were the real one. He had already spread out his servants all over the arena, looking for where the robed boy could have concealed himself. So far it seemed that the one standing in the open was the real deal, but he wouldn't bet his match on it. He'd just have to launch some attack and try to figure out something from his opponent's reactions.

Gennosuke found himself surrounded by bees on all sides. They were closing on him from all sides. If he tried to poison them again, he would hit himself too. But he had more tricks up his sleeve. He waited until they were almost on top of him. The bees suddenly sped up, turning into globs of honey. They landed on the sandy robes, trying to immobilize its wearer. Then he turned into Hisan Uma. Compartments opened in the puppet's sides and let out another cloud of poison. The bees inside it started dropping down. Kageromaru congratulated himself for sending mostly just Honey Bee Clones, otherwise he would have lost most of his swarm.

Gennosuke quickly reconnected the chakra strings. He cursed inwardly. The honey from the attack got into some of Hisan Uma's joints and hindered its mobility. It was irritating, but not too much of a setback. The puppet as a whole could still move well and most of its weapons were still ready for use. But he couldn't afford to take another such hit. He would have to end it quickly or his puppet would be rendered useless.

He made the horse-like construction run around the arena. He had to determine where his opponent was hiding before he could do anything. He spotted him, behind a boulder and then near another one. Which one was real? It didn't really matter. He sent poisoned senbon at both of them. And both of them dispersed into bees upon being hit. Gennosuke wasn't too surprised.

The bees attacked the puppet and the puppeteer swiftly withdrew it. He threw a smoke bomb in the middle of them. Then he was forced to dodge a hail of kunai. His eyes widened in surprise. He didn't expect the Kamizuru to use anything but his bees. In retrospect it was stupid of him. Especially when his dodge sent him in the middle of a waiting swarm.

He pulled a Kawarimi, but some of the insects managed to get hold of his clothes. He frantically tried to shake them off, but they were persistent. Thankfully they couldn't reach him through the thick material of his clothing. Then he felt a stinger enter his body. A cold shiver ran along his spine. What kind of venom was flowing through his bloodstream now? He prayed it was just a regular bee poison. He stiffened. Then he swayed on his feet. He called Hisan Uma closer to protect himself. He leaned on the puppet for support, but sank to his knees nevertheless a short while later. He tried to get back up, but he lost his balance. He slumped to the ground, trembling slightly. The puppet collapsed next to him.

Kageromaru smirked. It seemed his plan, however simplistic, had worked. The Suna genin was lying in the dirt, presumably unconscious. He sent more bees to sting him, one could never be too sure, he could be faking. Well, after the bees finished their work, it wouldn't be faking anymore.

He waited for two minutes, then left his hiding place and cautiously walked to his downed opponent. The puppeteer was motionless, his long robes obscuring his body. His bees assured him this was the real one, but puppeteers tended to be tricky. He aimed a handful of kunai and threw them. For a moment, he wondered why the proctor wasn't calling the match. Did he somehow know that the body lying in front of him wasn't real?

He got his answer soon enough. The kunai impacted with a dull thud, indicating they struck only wood. Something closed around his ankles, a brief glance revealed it to be a pair of mechanical arms. Before he could think of plan B, a small pouch exploded in his face. The knockout gas promptly sent him to the realm of dreams.

Gennosuke used a Kawarimi to get out of his hiding place. It had been a close call, but he managed to exchange himself with a backup puppet when he had Hisan Uma collapse. He bowed when the proctor declared him the winner. He left the arena without any more dawdling. If he wanted to remove all the honey before his next match, he had his work cut out for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kage booth~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Finally something resembling strategy," the Tsuchikage grumbled. He was disappointed that the Iwa genin lost, but his performance allowed him to vote for his promotion.

"Indeed," the Kazekage nodded. Finally one of his had won and in a spectacular battle to boot. Maybe this Exam wouldn't be a disaster for Suna after all. Now if just more of his genin showed such potential.

"But in the end, the Kamizuru came out in the open when it wasn't confirmed his opponent was down. That is a fatal mistake," the Hokage pointed out.

"I'm certain he did everything to make sure the puppeteer wasn't able to fight anymore," the short Kage said. "He just wasn't able to tell it wasn't so."

"In a real fight it doesn't matter," the Kazekage remarked.

"Too true," nodded the Hokage sagely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Finalists' booth~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Way to go," Kaede shouted. She shouldn't be even there, being defeated and all, but once the medics cleared her to leave the infirmary, she immediately returned to support her teammates.

"Good work," Daiki added. Gennosuke waved them and continued dragging the puppet out of the arena.

"They both seem dangerous," Naruto mused. "Aren't you worried about facing him next round, Hana?"

"She should be more worried about facing me now," Akira said. The giant black feline meowed in agreement. The Haimaru siblings growled angrily.

"You're the one who should be worried," the Inuzuka said with a smile. "Cats are no match for dogs."

"What dogs?" he raised an eyebrow. "You can't possibly mean those puppies. Kurotsume eats such for breakfast." The cat licked his lips. "The only way they can be dangerous for him is if they get stuck in his throat."

"Funny you say it," the dog mistress retorted. "My dear Haimaru are in need of a new chew toy."

"Then give them your teammate," he suggested. "He's small enough. They shouldn't have any trouble dragging him around."

"Hey," Naruto scowled. "I'd kick your butt for this, but Hana would be angry if I didn't leave anything for her to play with."

"That's true," the Inuzuka clan heiress nodded. "I hate it when somebody touches my punch bags."

"Don't be so cocky," Mizue advised. "Akira is the strongest of our team and our team is the strongest in Suna."

"I beg to disagree," Daiki said, but he was ignored.

"That doesn't mean much," Kurotsuchi voiced her opinion.

"Nobody asked you," Mizue scowled.

"I think you should spare your energy for the fight," Hotaru advised. "The match is about to start."

Sure enough, Gennosuke finally succeeded in removing Hisan Uma from the arena and Maruishi stepped forward to announce the next duel.

"The fourth match of the quarterfinals: Inuzuka Hana of Konoha against Kineko Akira from Suna." The two combatants scowled at each other one last time before heading down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spectators' stands~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Watch, mom, big sister is going to fight now," Kiba exclaimed. He was bouncing on his seat with excitement.

"I know," Tsume answered. She maintained a dignified exterior, as dignified as an Inuzuka could manage, but she was feeling the same as her son. Kuromaru was sitting beside her, his tail swishing left and right.

"She is so gonna beat him. Hey Hana," he shouted, even if it was doubtful she could hear him over the roar of the crowd even with her sensitive ears. "Kick that overgrown cat around, will you?!"

"Yes, go for it," Tsume joined the cheering. She knew she was supposed to be a calm and collected clan head, but she didn't care. It wasn't every day your eldest fought in her first Chuunin Exams Finals. The Inuzuka clan had a reputation for being unruly anyway and there weren't many people who knew her personally around. "And you, pup," she turned to her younger offspring, "better watch carefully. Now you'll see what an Inuzuka is capable of. What you could be capable of if you just studied diligently," she couldn't help but add.

"Why do you have to bring it up now?" he whined.

"Because you still don't listen," she replied. "And quit your whining, they're about to start."

That's it for now.

Next time: Hana's and Hotaru's fights.