A/N

Yo, glad I could get this chapter out sooner than I expected. This chapter is going to be a douse. Seven fights, my friends. Later, I'll let you know exactly how I set up my tournament. To be honest, It took a shit ton of planning, as I make my fights pan out realistically. (I think so anyways.) All the character moves and fighting styles have been perceived for months by the way.

Chapter 17: The First Round

-Match One: Chojiko's Heart-

"Not going to move? Very well." Chojiko's eyes jolted open and dodged the incoming attack. Kaito smirked, using the opening to blast his foe away with a sturdy punch. Chojiko slid a few feet when he hit the ground near the edge of a tree line.

Just what have I been doing all this time? He pushed himself back up, making eye contact with Kaito. "I admit it: The only reason I've gotten this far is my team. I'm slow, I suck at ninjutsu, and I've skated by being a coward this entire time. Even if I have to let down the crowd with a pointless match, I'm going to attack you with what I've got. I'm not going to be afraid of you anymore!" Kaito closed his eyes and nodded. Chojiko used an expansion jutsu and curled into a fast spinning ball. "Errahhh!"

Kaito shifted to the blunt end of his sword and smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear!" As the ball came in striking range, Kaito began a swing. Before it hit, the ball shifted to his right in a circular motion. Not bad. Kaito threw another swing at him. However, this time the ball shrunk before impact, only to rapidly expand after his attack followed through. Kaito braced himself behind his blade and halted the attack. Chojiko broke out of his spin with a wild punch. I've seen enough. Kaito drifted behind the slow attack and chuckled. "So you're a ninja after all…" With a single blow, Chojiko was knocked out. Kaito lifted his sword in a threatening posture, triggering Isami to take his sword with his right hand.

He leaned next to Kaito."Good job Kaito. I see what you did there." Isami raised the massive sword in the air and yelled, "The winner is Kaito from the Village Hidden in the Rivers! Give Chojiko a hand for not running away from this seven-hundred pound sword!" The seemingly dead crowd did as he asked and more after realizing how skilled Kaito was with the massive blade.

Kaito nudged Isami. "Can I have my sword back?" He laughed and did as the swordsman asked.

Chojiko rolled up and sighed. "You weren't trying very hard, were you? You could have knocked me out a lot longer than that…" Kaito helped him to his feet and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, and I also could have shattered your spine. Would you like me to fix that?" Chojiko laughed nervously before bolting to the combatant box. Kaito tilted his head in confusion.

-Match Two: Fleas or the Fox-

Isami cut the chatter and boomed his voice again. "Enough! Match two will be as follows." He directed the audience's attention to the ramen stand. He snickered. "I just wanted to see if you'd listen. The screen over there is the next match. Uzumaki Tsumi, rank two, VS. Aburame Shitto, rank fourteen!" The crowd showed a bit of disappointment in the match up, but clapped anyway.

"Here we go! I'll be right back!" As she leapt over the fence everyone started looking for Shitto.

Yuuki leaned over to Nagi. "Hey, where's he at?" Nagi shrugged, not noticing him all day.

"What's this? No one can seem to find Shitto!" Isami searched around, only to feel a poke. Chills ran down everyone's spine as he was there the whole time. Isami laughed. "There he is! Shitto, any thoughts before the match?"

Isami let Shitto have his mic for a minute. "Everyone forgets about me…Even the author forgets me. Why didn't I get invited to the steakhouse?" Isami took his mic back and laughed heartily.

"That's the spirit! Let's see what you guys can do. Begin!" The arena suddenly became barren and cracked open chunks of earth. The crowd showed their awe.

Tsumi began stretching before getting into an attack stance. Shitto remained still. "Aww, you're no fun at all. Fine, I guess I'll lead." With a quick pounce that shocked him, Tsumi was in the fray and starts throwing wild, but simple attacks after him.

"That idiot." Yuuki shook her head at her sister. Takeshi leaned over to hear Yuuki talk to herself. "I told not to play around with these fights." Takeshi thought to himself. But I haven't seen her do anymore than what she's doing, besides byakugan…

After a few blows had connected, Shitto bounced away from her. She smirked, almost upset. "What's wrong giving up already?" A few bugs flew by her face that wouldn't go away when she blew at them. She tilted her head. "Oh yeah, Your Shitto. You use bugs to drain chakra…" She looked down to see a mass horde of bugs at her feet. "I never liked bugs…" With that said, she became engulfed in a mass of bugs. Everyone but Yuuki and Nagi dropped their jaws.

"No way, she's supposed to be number two! Shitto really won already?"

"You shouldn't forget about people. Why? Because you take details about that person for granted." After an above average chakra pool would have been drained, he turned to the judge box, where Isami was sitting there, staring in space. Damn it. Why? Because she's his sister, and he knows she's not done.

"RRRRAAWWR!" Shitto looked back in shock. "Heavenly spin: Lightning rotation!" Within an instant, a sphere of hissing lightning dissolved the bugs.

"Nice one Tsumi!" Yuuki cheered. Everyone else was dumbfounded. The ones most shocked were Nagi, Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi. A similar thought raced across their minds. Why didn't we even think of that?

"Stupid bugs! Stupid Shitto! You got me in the mood, so you better take responsibility." She flashed a few meters from him quickly, but stopped short. Shit. Why? Because she's way faster- "Empty palm thrust!" Shitto was blasted into the air, before he could register his feet lifting off the ground, Tsumi was already behind him with a high launching kick. As he reached about twenty feet up, she thrust off the ground and almost instantly intercepted him like a spear. Her arms made an X as her forearms rested on his neck.

"Woah, she's really going to kill him, man!" Kobi pointed out of concern and the crowd held their breath. Isami prepared himself. If she's really angry…and I'm not sure how much like the Kyuubi her instincts are…

Tsumi smiled as the neared the ground. "Just kidding, bugs aren't all that bad." She shoved him hard towards the ground and rolled the impact off herself. Shitto was a little less fortunate. With the full force of his momentum, he slammed the ground with a grunt.

Isami appeared before them and assessed Shitto closely with a quick medical ninjutsu. "It's over, Shitto is out cold. The winner of this match is Uzumaki Tsumi!" The crowd burst into a cheer as Tsumi posed out a victory stance. The combatants box itself found themselves cheering to.

"Hey, I guess she's pretty good after all. I think she's faster than you, man." Kobi nudged Nagi and Ripper barked in agreement. Nagi himself clapped, intrigued. Interesting. Yuuki didn't seem fazed by that elemental heavenly spin either…

-Match Three: Cousins Clash-

After a brief moment, the battle field was cleared and the terrain shifted once again. Now, it became a rolling plane with a couple of trees scattered around. Isami showed himself again and pumped his fist. "Oh yeah, match three of seven is about to begin! Who will win in a match between cousins? Kankiri, rank seven, VS. Shikamira, rank ten!" The two took center and sized each other up. Both of them lightened the mood on their face. "Begin!"

As they jumped into their stances, they froze. Shikamira used her crouching fan's stance and Kankiri started with her hand on her ninja tools. Nezero crossed his arms. "I'm rooting for my cousin on this one." The group shook their head.

In one instant, they began. Shikamira charged and Kankiri jumped back, releasing a flurry of shuriken. Shikamira waved her chakra fan and changed their path to avoid them while still charging. Kankiri smiled as she twitched her left hands fingers and threw a kunai with her right hand. That's your game! Shikamira rolled to the side and parried the previous shurikens to the ground. Controlling shurikens with chakra strings. Taking after he father, I see.

"Ha!" Kankiri summoned a pair of puppets with the opening she was given. The puppets of her choice were a salamander and spider combination. At this, Shikamira retreated to a tree with high ground. Gotta think quickly. Both of these carry a toxin of sorts no doubt. The antidote of which would likely be on her person. Futhermore, it's useless to double poison a foe, so one probably is for paralysis. I assume the salamander would be that one, as it looks a bit more capable of firing of gas over an area. She chose a spider for mobility, in case the salamander fails. I got this one. Shikamira judged the distance was too far, so she openly charged once more.

"That the best you can do, fool?" Kankiri smirked with an angry tone, moving her left fingers. Shikamira looked at the salamander on her cousins right. Diversionary tactic. It's likely she crossed the wires. Meaning… Shikamira leapt over the spider as it attacked, opening her second fan. Explosive tags shot out and made quick work of the puppet. She landed with her hands already in a seal. And now… Kankiri watched as Shikamira stretched her shadow ten feet shy of Kankiri. Her eyes widened. "No way! I was certain it would reach!"

Kankiri laughed haughtily. "I never expected you to mess up like that. Don't worry; I'm only going to paralyze you for it." With a flick of her finger smoke began pouring out of the salamander. However, the gas went straight for Kankiri. She couldn't even curse before her body fell to the floor. Shikamira released her second shadow with a smile.

"I didn't think you would mess up like that either. Puppets aren't out of my shadow's realm." Isami appeared before them and checked Kankiri. "The antidote is probably in that pocket she couldn't quite reach. Sure enough, Isami pulled it out.

"The winner of match three is..." With a violent injection to Kankiri's chest, Isami screamed, "Shikamira!" The crowd screamed and hollered at the unnecessary violence and fight they watched.

Kankiri shot up and smacked him. "What the hell did you stab me for?"

Isami eyed her with a straight face and a calm voice. "It's ok. I'm a doctor." He winked before disappearing again.

Nagi met Shikamira as she returned. "Not bad as usual. I almost believed you'd made a miscalculation." Shikamira scoffed, pushing him aside.

"You talk big now, but I plan on winning this thing." Shikamira looked up at the next two matches ahead. If I even manage to beat Tsumi, I'll have to face Kaito or Yuuki the next round. Damn. I hope my calculations are wrong.

-Match Four: Actions Over Words-

The arena changed into a lake. Isami signaled the next combatants. Yuuki glanced at Takeshi. "Good luck." He shook his head and jumped onto the lack. This is trippy. "Alright, the water level! That's fun, right?" The crowd went to scream, but Isami cut them off. "Rhetorical question! Of course it's awesome! match four, begin!"

Takeshi dodged the shurikens, activating his sharingan. Distance, he's backing up. So if I charge him like this…zipped close to Vin at a far faster rate than he was ready for, but he drew his blade in an attack. Just like she said. Now all that's left is to get him down before I see what else he can do. Takeshi effortlessly danced around Vins attacks, but struggled to find an opening. Takeshi took out his kunai and began parrying for a better angle. There!

Takeshi swung his body and double round house kicked his sword out of his hand and Vin's chest. The sword sank, and Vin just turned his head to the Uchiha. "Interesting." Before Takeshi could react to him speaking, Vin took the opening and attacked with an odd martial arts. It seemed as the attacks would turn into grapple techniques, making you have to double defencive effort. Moreover, it was heavily influenced by how agile you could move your legs. Takeshi tracked as the man kneed at Takeshi's left side. As Takeshi blocked, the knee pointed down and a kick whiffed by his face, resting on his right shoulder. Where's the grab? His left arm barely reached up as the man spun his body and attempted to strike with his left heel. Damn. Takeshi could hear Vin forming a jutsu and knew there was no conventional way left to block it. Takeshi smirked. This ought to be a good time to get my opening. "Suiton: Suishouha!" A massive ball of water appeared high in the air and began to drop on them. However, Takeshi let the chakra out of his feet and sank under the water. Vin was smashed by the massive orb.

The side lines stood still waiting for someone to rise. Yuuki bit her nails, knowing he should have gotten away from the danger. Underwater, things were a different story.

Suiton: Suishi no Jutsu! Vin had quickly recovered, seeing Takeshi attempt to surface. The Jutsu he made created a whirlpool that started taking Takeshi down.

Damn. This guy's tough. But it's not like I haven't been learning combat scenarios for nothing. Takeshi made a few hand seals. Fuuton: Reppushou! As Takeshi utilized a powerful jet of wind, he bolted a kunai into it. As it traveled through the air bubble, it's speed was far faster than one underwater should ever achieve. Vin could not move himself quick enough, and the tool nailed him in the left thigh. Air bubbles rose to the top, along with his blood. I've got the momentum somehow. How about I make it rain oil? Suiton: Kokuun! Now Takeshi focused on escaping the whirlpool. Suiton: Suichuu Teigen no Jutsu! With the chakra assisted underwater movement jutsu, Takeshi managed to break out of the average whirlpool jutsu and shoot up towards the surface. Vin was escaping to the surface. Good, I'm out of ideas down here anyways.

OoOo

Everyone who couldn't see what was happening were becoming very tense. It had been a minute and no one had surfaced. Suddenly, blood mixed with air bubbles began to surface. Inora ran over to Yuuki. Just as she did, black clouds began raining oil over the blood. "Yuuki, is Takeshi alright?

As she confirmed Takeshi was able to get out of the whirlpool, she turned to Inora with a smile. "Takeshi's actually won the underwater battle." Inora smiled back, turning toward the battle field.

Vin surfaced, gasping for air and getting above water. It was then that he'd realized he was standing in oil. However, with that one opening, Takeshi was behind him. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Vin jumped to the side, landing on his left leg. Damn. As the mass of oil blazed the surface, Vin managed to focus and side step Takeshi's superman punch. This is it, Uchiha! Vin began making dozens of hand signs.

Nezero winced at Vin. "That's not going to bode well for the Uchiha if he gets it off. On top of that, he only has a moment to stop him. As everyone tensed up, Inora looked over to Yuuki, who walked over to a seat and sat down.

"Oh, come on! I know I'm not the only one who saw that…It's Takeshi's win."

Nezero looked back to Yuuki, confused. "What?" Yuuki pointed to the fight.

Takeshi staggered on the water, but raced after him. Come on! That jutsu can't be good news. Right as the man finished, three kunai struck his shoulder. As he reacted to it, Takeshi was instantly crashing his knee into Vin's face. The man was launched back, barely able to slide and catch himself on the water. As he used his good arm to fire a kunai at Takeshi. To his shock, it hit. Or so everyone thought. The kunai actually went right through the kawarimi and Takeshi gripped a kunai to Vin's throat. His other hand was on Vin's shoulder, using cakra to stick to him. Vin rose his better hand. "I give."

Isami jumped in and slapped Takeshi hard on the back. "How bout that, folks? A submission victory. Let's see how those kunai ended up in Vin's shoulder." The footage rewound to when Takeshi was rising out of the water. "You can see here, Takeshi has injured Vin's left thigh. Takeshi correctly sees Vin turning, and so, he uses the oil and fireball as his distraction. Vin uses his good right leg to jump left, is distracted by the pain of his left thigh, Takeshi's reckless punch, and attempts to punish Takeshi for the opening with a jutsu I don't even recognize. Looks like it was finished, but as he goes to use it…Boom!"

The crowd grew restless and wild, rooting for the young Uchiha. The arena became level, and Vin was even given his sword back. The two opponents departed to the combatant area and both sat down and sighed. Yuuki kicked Takeshi's foot and shook her head.

"That jutsu he was going to use would have been bad news. Be a more careful with your bait windows next time." She turned around and stared on. Takeshi shook his head in disappointment. "Just kidding. That's was a pretty cool fight. You've gotten faster and smarter." She never turned around but Takeshi could at least smile.

Kobi pounded Takeshi's fist and Ripper licked him. Tsumi joined in a small compliment, but focused more on aggressively playing with Ripper. Yuuki noticed the reaction. Doesn't seem like they have anything going on between them…It looks like Tsumi is actually targeting Kobi. Yuuki shook off her head. Nah, no way anyone would like Kobi.

-Match Five: A Gentlemen's Match-

"Go for it, Bakano!" Datsu slapped him in the back, making him almost lose composure.

"Datsu, refrain from interpolating an unnecessary consonance on my name. And go die." Datsu snickered as Akano stepped into the center of the ring. Isami waved him in, so Nagi followed suit. The crowd silenced as the arena changed into a narrow corridor. Both Nagi and Akano seemed amused by the circumstances.

Isami spoke quickly. "The fifth match is between Nagi, rank six, VS. Akano, rank thirteenth. Begin!"

Nagi instantly got in his stance with the byakugan active. Akano dipped down, sweating. "So, you've got strange eyes as well. I wonder if I'm capable."

Nagi smirked. "I will be so bold as to ask you to surrender before you regret it."

Akano gave him a matching smirk. "I must apologize. My honor prevents me from making such choices. Let us continue."

Nagi wasted no time zipping to him and using gentle fist. Akano reacted well, parrying his foe and jumping to the wall, kicking down at him. "Heavenly spin!" Nagi blasted Akano back against the wall as Akano fluctuated his chakra movement. Nagi became confused, anticipating a kick, but took a head-butt instead. Nagi backed up and reassessed Akano. Chakra in the ears, chakra in his feet, and from what I can tell, a sensory ninja. Not bad.

Nagi rolled out a scroll and summoned a mass of ninja tools. Akano deadpanned. "Wasn't expecting that…" Nagi smirked running up and down the walls, rapidly hitting his target are at varying angles. He's too fast, and there are too many tools. I have to close in on him. But then there's the gentle fist techniques. I've only seen a fraction of what it can do. Damn. Akano parried what he could and jumped up after him. As he did, Nagi was suddenly behind him. "Shit!" As he turned, a weak explosive tag detonated to blast him backwards. Now, the danger was behind him again.

"Empty palm thrust!" Akano felt his like his back was being torn to shreds, but now Nagi was inside the smoke of the explosive tag awaiting Akano's body. Ridiculous. People with different eyes are too strong. "Eight trigrams, sixty four palms!" Yuuki watched carefully as he hit his target masterfully. As the smoke cleared, Nagi stood and Akano lay limp.

Akano looked up towards Nagi. "If it's any consolation, I'll surrender to you now."

After a slight examination, Isami raised his hand. "With overwhelming speed, Nagi is the victor!" The crowd applauded Akano's ability to hit a member of the Hyuuga clan, and were shocked to see a byakugan user use so many ninja tools so effectively.

Datsu began sweating. "Damn, that guy's legit. Akano needs to start listening to us more though. Ninjutsu's would have helped in that fight."

The arena transformed into a perfectly flat plane. Isami assisted Akano onto his feet and escorted him to his team. Akano avoided eye contact, but Datsu just put a hand on his shoulder. "If I get to fight him, I'll hit him with a water jutsu for you." Akano nodded.

-Match Six: Match Made In Heaven?-

"Alright, two more matches left in the first round! How's everyone feeling?" Isami pointed the mic up and the guest cheered once more. "In the first round, her brother showed how strong his courage was, but still could not achieve victory. Will Inora be able to overcome the son of the Kazekage?" Nezero blew a kiss at Inora, which she swatted at. The two stepped forward and stood by Isami. "Match six! Inora, rank eleven, VS. Nezero, rank four. Let's go!"

Nezero put a hand up to stop Inora. "Before we start, how's about we make this interesting. If I win, you have to go on a date with me."

Her face flushed and her eyes narrowed. "No way!" After a quick thought, she smirked. "How about if I win, you're never allowed to say that again?"

Nezero grinned. "I accept. Looks like we have a wager." Inora pulled back. I didn't mean it like… "Enough! Time to fight!" Nezero made a few seals. "Fuuton: Reppushou!" A strong gust launched at Inora, who had already began a jutsu of her own.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Nezero panicked as his jutsu was consumed and formed a few seals.

"Crap, crap crap, Doton: Tsuchi Kairo!" a massive dome surrounded him and blocked the incoming flames.

The combatant group had been fairly impressed, Yuuki included. "I guess she really has been training after all."

Inora observed the lack of action inside the dome. Is he going to go anywhere with that, or hide? Earth and wind, huh? She reached in her pocket, waiting for something. Her eyes shifted down. Below! She leaped forward, avoiding an upper cut from underground. In the air, she spun and threw poisonous flowers. "Can't block these!" Give me another wind jutsu…

Nezero turned and formed hand seals once more. Tsk. This kind of game, huh? "Fuuton: Reppushou!"

Bingo! Just as he used his wind jutsu, three flame balls had already headed his way. "Katon: Gouenka!"

"Oh shi-" The fire balls combined into one massive one that engulfed the floor in a blaze. A smoke covered the area as she landed in wait. Hope I didn't kill him.

OoOo

Takeshi walked over to Shikmira and nudged her. "Hey, she wasn't nearly this good before. That was a B-ranked ninjutsu! What have you guys been doing?"

Shikamira laughed. "I told you, we're taking our training more serious than anyone." She shifted her eyes between Takeshi and Yuuki. "Ok, maybe not more than Team Seven. I've got to admit, I'm not sure I could even beat Inora. She's even innovated a few things within her clans that she's been working on before the academy."

Takeshi looked back at her in a new light. "No kidding? Is she really the same Inora?" Nagi walked up next to Takeshi.

"I've seen it recently also. Inora's chakra pool is greater than yours, and highest out of the normal genin. Well…Yuuki and Tsumi aren't normal to me anymore." Nagi laughed and Takeshi's jaw dropped. Seriously? I'm starting to worry about this one…

Datsu began nodding next to Takeshi. "I see…not bad for a minor character." The group stared at him like he was an idiot.

OoOo

Moans were heard and Nezero was revealed to be covered in burns. Inora got closer, almost worried. "Hey, you can't be serious, right?" She carefully observed, finding the situation a bit outlandish. There's no shadow! On a whim, she dipped back, just dodging an uppercut once more. This time, she tightened her fist. Nezero was dumbfounded that his strategy didn't work. With her whole body, she jabbed him several feet back. The audience went wild.

"Damn it!" Nezero punched the ground and looked back up to her with a grin. "You're way stronger than you look, babe!" Inora grinned with anger boiling. There he goes with that weird attitude. Is he a masochist? She raced at him and he formed a few hand seals. "Doton: Doryuu Kekai!" A greater than average fissure opened in front of him that made Inora leap after him.

"Nice try!" Nezero blocked her superman punch, also dipping to barely avoid her other fist. She's pretty quick, but I should have the edge here. He clinched his fist and struck her in the midriff, also tossing her over him. As she landed, he pressed his attack. I'll lead with a kick! As he squared up to kick high, she bent forward and placed her hands on the floor. What? Inora kicked her feet up and smashed him in the face. Using her momentum and his back step, she flipped up. She proceeded to double kick his face and come down with a right hook. However, Nezero managed to catch her fist with a creepy laugh.

"Yes! That's it, keep it up!" Inora dropped her jaw with a blush. He really is a masochist! With his right fist, he punched her square in the jaw, round house kicked her back and finished a series of hand seals. "Doton No Jutsu!" A large piece of the stage slammed her mid-air and launched her far. Nezero crossed his arms, licking the blood from his nose. "I will have that date after all!" The audience winced in pain at the combo as Inora came to a halt, barely conscience and gasping for breath.

OoOo

"Man that was a good fight! I figured Inora was about to run a train with that kick combo, too. A little more work and she won't leave many openings, huh?" Takeshi eyed Shikamira, who was biting her nails.

"She's not the best at taking hits…Hopefully she can get back up and finish this fight." Takeshi pulled back, looking over at Yuuki. She was pretty intently watching with her byakugan, so he went to investigate.

"Hey…what are you thinking about? There's no way she can do anything in that condition, can she?" Yuuki swatted at him.

"Just look, I don't know…something weird is happening with Inora's chakra. I wish you could see this." Takeshi looked back for a second look.

OoOo

Ugh, can't take to much more of that…I've got to get up and show everyone what I can do. Inora forced herself to her knees, and eventually to her feet. Nezero squirmed in enjoyment.

"YES! I think I love you!" His joy dropped a little as he saw something peculiar.

"Then..I hope you won't mind if I get serious?" Suddenly, a visible chakra exploded around her. Nezero backed up. That's not something you see every day… Now, the chakra began compacting into wings that resembled a butterfly's. Inora looked up to him with a grin. "Sorry, I ate a ten-thousand calorie bar before we got here! If you enjoy pain, I'm going to make sure you die happy!" Inora began to laugh excitedly. Everyone but Team Eight stared in shock.

Nezero formed hand seals. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi!" I gotta get underground too. Nezero formed a thick wall of earth, but shit himself when Inora exploded through it in one punch and hit him square in the solar plexus. Following it up, she grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face several times in the ground.

Inora looked down to him with an amused face, almost as excited as he was before he was demolished. Nezero rolled over, vomiting blood. His arms sprawled out as he began losing vision. However, he pushed himself to hold his right hand up. "I may enjoy pain, but…I think you…like dishing it out just as much." He laughed through the pain. "You'd make a good dominatrix! And by the way…" Inora 's face was red, but she let him continue. His hand hovered as he observed the butterfly wings matched with the view up her skirt. His hand formed thumbs up. "Nice angle!"

Inora's screamed as she cocked her foot up high. "Time to die, pervert masochist!" Nezero managed to form the best rock cushion over his groin as possible before she obliterated it. A loud scream was let out that eventually turned into an excited laugh. Every guy in the stadium covered themselves and cringed. The laughs became infrequent until he finally passed out. Garra facepalmed.

Isami showed up, but covered himself just in case. "Upset of the day! Inora Akamichi Has triumphed over Nezero!" The crowd showed their full life as an earthquake of applause and cheers could be heard. Inora blushed, waving to her parents before returning to the combatant area. Isami quickly disappeared with Nezero to heal him.

"Way to go Inora! That was awesome!" Shikamira high-fived her teammate and everyone came in to congratulate her. After a while of compliments, Inora sat down and grunted. I'm soo tired…and hungry now…

-Match Seven: The Idiot's Championship Match-

Kobi coughed really loud next to Tsumi. "Well, looks like I'm next. You know, I could die out there." Yeah, this should get her attention.

Tsumi turned to him and shrugged. "Well, we don't all live long. Good luck in the great beyond!" Kobi's eyes shot open and his jaw dropped. She really does hate me, man! Ripper nodded in agreement.

The stage switched to a wintery wonder land. Datsu jumped to the center and began pumping his fist. "Yes! It's finally my turn to fight!" Kobi sheepishly walked up to the middle with Ripper. Datsu pointed at Kobi. "Hey, are they really allowed to bring animals into combat?"

Kobi laughed haughtily. "Of course we are. I warn you though, Ripper here better not be seen as a mere 'animal!', man. Isn't that right, Ripper?" Ripper barked excitedly while fire ignited in Datsu's eyes and pointed even harder.

"I wasn't talking about Ripper!"

Kobi pointed to himself. "Me? But I'm not an-…" His eyes shot open as he finally caught on. Kobi gritted his teeth and stared at the troll. He really does treat every match like a rivalry, doesn't he? "Alright idiot, I'm going to rip you apart for that one, man!"

Isami appeared in the center. " ." Isami vanished before anyone could comprehend he was there. The audience and combatants both tried to decipher exactly what he had just said. However, Kobi assumed that loud gibberish meant go, so he started off with a charge.

Datsu prepared himself. "I accept your punching contest!" Kobi blasted Datsu cleanly in the face, but Datsu refused to budge. "My turn!"

Datsu proceeded to punch Kobi in the face, in which he refused to budge. Kobi grinned. "Ok, I get it. My turn!" Again, he punched Datsu in the face. Ripper tilted his head in confusion. They traded blows faster and faster, until they were each getting off a good four punches per second.

Everyone who observed the idiocracy was speechless, aside from the waking Nezero who wishes he would have thought of that. After a good minute, everyone's jaws had dropped. Yuuki was hiding her face in embarrassment of even knowing them. The crowd began cheering, some letting out laughs. Finally, ripper growled and bit Kobi in the behind.

"AHHHH!" Datsu stopped after not getting punched with a grin. Looks like I win another game. I'm so awesome. Kobi glared at Ripper. "Bad dog! Bad! I would have had him, too." Kobi looked back to Datsu. "Alright, best two out of three. This time I pick." Datsu nodded his head in agreement. Kobi thought for a very long time. Ripper barked. Kobi agreed. "Cool, man. Now we're going to do mobile taijutsu until someone hits the ground. Ready?"

Datsu put on a tough guy face and nodded. "I accept! No more turn by turn engine either! They're out-dated!" Datsu used kage bunshin to produce five clones. Kobi, on the other hand, got on all fours.

"Let's see what those 'shadow clowns' can do!" Kobi and Ripper began spinning insanely fast.

Datsu pumped his fist in anger. "Not clowns, clones! Quit making typos and making them work as an insult!" Before anyone could figure out what he was talking about, Kobi charged at an impressive speed and began wreaking Datsu's clones.

"Fang over fang!" Kobi and Ripper spiraled around each other and headed straight for Datsu.

Datsu cocked his fist back and charged the duo. "I will not back down!" At this point, everyone was covering their faces. Datsu's fist was knocked upwards and his body was slammed by the fang over fang. It began to push him several meters over a frozen pond before the duo let up, landing in the snow. Datsu was covered in blood and scratches, but somehow didn't go down. The witnesses showed him a bit of respect for that. Datsu himself inhaled and grinned. "Ha! I just have to hit you next time, that's all." Datsu went to take a step, slipped on the ice, and fell on his ass. The crowd started laughing, even some cheering now.

Kobi himself stood tall. "Aha! I win this one. Tie game." Datsu cursed under his breath and got up.

With an extended ponder he pounded his fist into his palm. "I got it, the perfect tie breaker. Here's the rules: Anything goes, and whoever gives up, loses consciousness, or isn't the main character loses. Sound fair?"

Yuuki was smashing her head against the wall. "Idiots…those are the original rules in the first place! And shut up about that 'main character' nonsense! This is the real world!"

Kobi completely disregarded Yuuki's yells and agreed. "That's genius! We already know I'm the main character. I'm stupid, powerful, and the underdog. Perfect main character traits! Let's just beat each other up!"

Datsu formed ten shadow clones. "Excellent!" Ripper barked at Kobi, making him pay attention to Datsu's hand seals. Crap… "Kirigakure No Jutsu! Suiton: Chakra Kenpa No Ame!" As a mist coated the area, rain began to pour down.

Kobi tried to squint his eyes. "Damn it. This rain and thick mist is making it impossible to track him. I need to…throw a smoke bomb? No, that's not right, man." As Kobi contemplated what to do, another clone prepared the next jutsu. "That's it! I should listen really hard and keep moving!"

"Suiton: Mizuame Nababara!" Before Kobi and Ripper had a chance to move, their feet were cemented to the floor. The mist cleared away.

Upon clearing, Kobi and the rest of the crowd could see his predicament: about fifteen Datsu's standing around him in a circle, all making hand seals. His face deadpanned. "Fucking shadow clowns, man." He covered his face and his crotch. Everyone else covered their eyes.

"Rapid water's Suiton: Taihoudan!" Kobi was barraged by dozens of water bullets that would make even a jonin cringe. After the assault was halted, everyone was shocked to see Kobi still conscience. Ripper shook himself off, not actually being targeted by any of the nasty jutsus.

Kobi raised a hand, slouched over and not very happy. "I didn't want to be the main character anyways…I give up, man."

Isami showed up with a cup of ramen in hand and pointed to Datsu. "Kobi has given up, realizing his idiocracy powers are hopeless compared to Datsu. The winner of this odd bout is Datsu from the Village Hidden in the Rivers!" Datsu pumped his fist and showboated for as long as possible. Isami swiftly teleported him to the combatant area. Now, Isami slurped down the rest of the ramen. "This concludes round one of the final exam. Win or lose, we know how these genin got here. I trust it was a good time?" Isami pointed the mic into air and the audience showed their support. As they died down, he returned the mic to him. "At this time, there will be a one hour intermission. Use this time for important things, like using the bathroom, or buying some delicious ramen in a cup." The audience was silent, and Isami's eyes went crazy. He launched a kunai at the same unlucky guest as earlier. The man screamed and cried in fear. "DOOOO IIIIIITTT!" He gave the still trapped Kobi the turned off mic and vanished. All the fighters headed to the break room and Kobi was left alone.

His eyes bulged out and he screamed into the mic. "Hey, you've got to be kidding me, man! You can't just leave me here!" To his surprise, Tsumi came over to him. "Oh thank god. You've come to help me?"

Tsumi gave him a quick look. "You know the mics off, right?" Kobi shot his eyes to the off switch and threw it in anger. She blew him off and helped Ripper out of the glue. "There you go, Ripper. Is your master getting you into absurd situations again?" Ripper barked happily and licked her. He proceeded to head for the break room. Tsumi stood up and walked back as well.

"Ripper! How could you betray me again?" Kobi sagged down, feeling the fatigue get to him.

Tsumi turned around and made hand seals. "This might sting a little." Kobi's pupils narrowed. "Katon: Komakai Kaki." A small fireball struck his legs and melted the glue. Kobi jumped out screaming and landed in the snow.

"Are you crazy? Why did Ripper get the easy way out?" Tsumi was laughing at him as he sulked in the snow.

"Because it's funnier this way." His face deadpanned before he got up and then turned to a somber tone.

"You know, I wish I could have fought as awesomely as you did. I'm just really not that smart, man." He put his hands in his pockets and headed to the break room.

Tsumi ceased her laughing and caught up to him. "Hey, don't get all butt hurt about losing. I really liked that fight. No one can say you're not tough. I mean, you took like a four-hundred hits to the face and about thirty c-rank jutsus. It was an entertaining match."

Kobi eyed her suspiciously, and then stuck his nose in the air. "Yeah, well I'm still not smart enough."

Tsumi stepped on his foot and glared at him. "Then just get smarter!"

He returned her glare. "You think I can just magically do that? I just can't focus on boring things, man."

Tsumi shook her head. "Not all learning has to be boring. It looks like I'm going to have to hold your hand through it then." She continued ahead of him as he stopped. Did she mean to say it like that, man? "And enough with saying, 'man', at the end of your sentences!" Kobi became shocked. She can read minds, too? Tsumi looked back him. "No, I can't read minds. It's just your imagination."

OoOoOoOo

"So, what'd you guys think? Those were some pretty good matches, wouldn't you say?" Naruto sat at his round table with his friends and awaited some input.

Choji was the first to respond. "That Kaito guy is pretty scary, so it warmed my heart to see Chojiko stand up to him. I didn't have that kind of courage for a while."

Ino smiled brightly. "And it looks like Inora's pestering about the calorie technique has paid off very well. I've never seen her have that much fun in a while." She looked over at Garaa and narrowed her eyes. "Your son turned out…interesting."

Garaa rubbed his forehead. "I'm sorry. He's usually not like…ok, yeah, he's strange. I'm glad he finally lost an actual match, maybe he'll learn to take things more seriously now. Although I still have to figure out why he likes pain so much…" He quickly changed the subject. "That was the first time Shikamira and Kankiri have fought. They did well, but I guess Shikamira's inherited your family's intelligence."

Temari grinned at the compliment. "Well she is the most competent out of our kids. Asumaru and Tekaku are too much like their father: Lazy and consequence free."

Shikamru grunted. "Whatever. I'd like to know what jutsu the Vin guy was about to use." He sighed. "Looks like it doesn't matter. Takeshi looked pretty smart in that fight."

Sakura pumped her fist. "Of course he did! We've been training him for the exams, but he's always had a good head on his shoulders. Unlike Hitomi." Everyone in the room gave her a questioning look.

Sasuke leaned back. "Just ignore that. I think Akano did well to last as long as he did, but Nagi's looking pretty tough." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Ah who am I kiddin'. That was one of the worst match ups I've seen in the exams."

Ten-Ten giggled. "See? And I still have to explain why ninja tools are so good. I remember teaching him how to get faster by constantly barraging him with kunai for motivation." The room seemed quiet, staring at her for a moment. She laughed nervously. "It's not like I hit him or anything. Just nicked his clothes when he was slacking." Sweat began to drop.

"He has done well. The same can be said for Tsumi. Sorry Shino." The room seemed to be surprised Shino was sitting at the table the whole time. He just shrugged. "I don't know why I never thought to put an element to byakugan techniques. Did you teach her that, Hinata?"

The women in question nodded her head. "No. I only teach them how to use the moves, but they always disappear and come back with some crazy idea. Naruto didn't even know, so that means he's starting to get over his stalking phase." She smiled at him, making the group laugh.

"Haha, that's hysterical. Almost as funny as that last match." Everyone looked at Kiba like 'damn!' Naruto quickly saved himself. "I'm not bashing Kobi, it was just legitimately fun to watch." All eyes turned backed to Kiba as he scoffed.

"The kid just has problems focusing. At least he showed he could take a hit…for no reason. And what's up with that other clown? Datsu right? Why does he know how to use shadow clones?" All the eyes went back to Naruto.

With a sigh, Naruto answered. Time to dig myself out of a hole. "Yuuki wanted to learn a water jutsu, so they exchanged techniques. I'm not happy about it, since it's forbidden and all, but he seems to mean well. Usually I'd be concerned with his chakra, but he's got a crazy amount. Rekano assures me he's going to keep tabs on him." The group quieted down for a moment before checking the time. There was still a small chunk of time left.

"Why, for the love of god, did you let Isami be the announcer and ref?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

Naruto grinned. "What, is he too good? Come on, how many chunin exams have you been to with that kind of crowd energy?"

"Did I mention he's confusing the crowd into agreeing with him? Also, he almost took someone's head off today! Twice!" Sasuke argued.

"That was staged. You didn't read the ninja plan of the day?" Naruto smiled at Sasuke's scoff as he read the paper.

He looked back to Naruto with a scowl. "You paid someone to get a deadly weapon thrown at them twice?"

Naruto nodded. "…yeah?"

Sasuke leaned back. "Not bad." The group shook their heads.

Shikamaru pulled out a stat card. "It would seem I need to tweak these a little. Two of the outcomes weren't compliant with their ranks."

Temari grabbed the card from him and ripped it in half. "Enough already. When you first started messing with stat cards, you didn't sleep for three days. Leave a little bit of room for upsets why don't you?"

Shikamaru sighed. "So much for that idea…"

Naruto looked at the time. "Well, I guess we should head back out there. I don't want to miss Yuuki's fight with Kaito. I've never seen her fight since she's improved, only read!"

Shikamaru stood up. "You know, Kaito's speed is pretty high, and his swordsmanship is twelve. Are you sure she can handle it?"

Naruto grinned. "I know you've read the mission reports and her stat card. But, we're about to find out. To the second round!"

-END-

A/N

Whew, there you have it. Every match is important to me, so that's why you see them all. On to the planning. I have, since day one, been recording my characters stats in excel. That's where "Stat cards" come from. Now, for the match ups, I assigned "rank" By "Stat", took Yuuki on her bye, and used the "RandBetween(2,15)" for match ups. I believe I only tweaked one, but I can't remember. I decided this whole tournament a couple months ago.

O_O

I'm ranting, so let me know if the justu's throw you off, the way something happened was confusing, (Vin's attack maybe?), Or you felt it could have been approached better. If you don't like a result, and you make an outstanding point, I have no issue tweaking my careful plans. Better be OUTSTANDING though. :P