Naruto: Excessive Ninja

by DaniBuie

Naruto Uzumaki is prideful, confident, surprisingly charismatic, and most of all excessive. Unfortunately for him, this makes him well suited to a certain ruinous power, so when he attempts to perform the Kuchiyose no Jutsu without a contract he finds himself in a place few mortals can survive. Warnings: Drugs, alcohol, child soldiers, sexual situations, and violence. Very Slaanesh

12. Preliminary Fights, Revelations of Blood

Sasuke and Sakura had both requested miso ramen, a rather basic request for a celebration but Iruka got what they requested. The chunin himself decided on chuka soba, they were celebrating after all, he was still confused why Sakura was uncomfortable around pork now since he was pretty sure she'd passed all survival tests just fine with minimal disgust at cleaning animals compared to some of the other girls from civilian families.

Technically both of Sakura's parents were ninja, her mother being retired, but the Haruno's were originally a farming family. Some ninja clans had roots as farmers, so it wasn't exactly unheard of for a farmers son or daughter to try to make it as a ninja.

Iruka couldn't enjoy celebratory lunch with the team every day, but he paid attention to the exams as the second phase came to a close. Surprisingly seven entire teams passed, something none of the proctors expected. Of the twenty-one genin the most surprising was that all nine of the rookies of Konohagakure no Sato were among them, Iruka had never felt so foolish for doubting his former students.

The genin were gathered in a stadium room with a statue of giant hands doing the ram hand seal against one wall with two balconies on either side of the room, the examining officers, Sandaime Hokage, proctors, and jonin commanders of each genin cell were gathered. Naruto's new horns attracted the most attention, although his Daemon serpent was no longer around having been sent back to whence it came until the blonde needed it again.

Hiruzen was greatly concerned about team seven, another of them had made contract with a separate clan of Daemons. The fact that there was more than one clan of these creatures, who served different gods, loaned credence to the idea that the deities they served really were some obscure gods forgotten by time.

As well as the nine rookie genin, Gai's team had also passed. As had the team from Sunagakure containing Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, Kabuto's team from Konohagakure, and a team from Kusagakure. The Kusa team had a red haired girl that looked about the same age as the rookies, with red eyes, glasses, dressed in fishnets, a skirt, and a short sleeve jacket. Her teammates were older boys, one of the boys had a long dark green jacket over a black shirt and light green pants with a ninjato wrapped in bandages on his back as well as a green bandana, the other boy had a blue jacket and black jumpsuit with a scarf. Both the boys had plain brown hair and dark brown eyes.

"Impressive that your students made it this far," Gai whispered to Kakashi, "I wonder how much of their showing can be attributed to beginner's luck. Not that it matters, my team is bound to knock them out in the next round." he taunted.

Kakashi had been staring at Naruto's new horns and pondering what he'd heard about Sasuke's new contract with his own clan of Daemons, so he only heard some of what Gai said, "Huh? Sorry did you say something?" he asked, confused when Gai turned away from him instead of answering. The green clad jonin was silently praising his rival for the 'feigned' aloofness, having no way to recover from such a cool response.

Ino was happy to see Sasuke had passed despite how scary he'd been in the forest, while Hinata was glad Naruto had passed. Secretly the Hyuga girl thought the horns made him look really cool.

"Congratulations to you all on passing the second phase of the exams!" Anko called out, stunned that so many had made it. She'd personally guessed that the results would be in the single digits, she was now glad none of the proctors had taken bets on how many would get through her test, "Now, Hokage-sama will explain about the third phase. Listen up and take every word he says to heart!" she finished, ceding the stage to the Sandaime Hokage.

Hiruzen stepped forward, his pipe held in his mouth, "Very well, the third phase of the examinations are set to commence." he began, "However before I go into specifics, I wish to make something perfectly clear. It pertains to the underlying purpose of these exams." he continued in a serious voice, "Why do you suppose an examination of this nature is being held by joint nations?" he questioned as he adjusted his Hokage hat, "To promote friendship among the allied nations and keep a raised level of standards among the shinobi arts? I'll be more clear about what that fine sounding phrase actually means. This series of examinations is, in fact, a proxy war." he explained.

The Kusa genin didn't seem surprised, the Suna genin seemed thoughtful, but aside from Kabuto's team the Konoha genin were all startled by that explanation, "Wh-what do you mean a proxy war?" Tenten questioned, unable to keep her alarm out of her voice.

Hiruzen puffed some smoke from his nose, "If you study our recent history, and look at the geography of the nations, you'll understand that the alliances between our villages is merely a temporary mutually beneficial agreement between a group of geographically contigious lands." he explained at length, "Previously these lands were in constant struggle, vying against each other openly and in secret over limited resources. The Chunin Selection Examinations were devised as a far better way of fighting over resources." he continued.

"I thought the point was to select chunin!?" Naruto burst out, concerned about that more than anything. He wanted to be chunin, wanted to rise through the ranks as proof of as abilities.

"Make no mistake," Hiruzen continued, "once these examinations are done they will have the side effect of narrowing down who is fit to be promoted to chunin, while those who yet lack the skill required are winnowed out." he assured, "However, more importantly, it serves the as the stage for young shinobi to fight for the honor of their homelands, to the death if need be!" he explained coldly.

"Honor of our homelands?" Ino spoke up, wondering how that worked.

"The third phase of the exams is a more public affair," Hiruzen answered, "traditionally a tournament of those who passed the first two phases. The rulers and nobility of the various lands will be watching closely, using this to decide which village has shinobi better fit for the tasks and missions they need done." he continued to explain and Naruto got excited at the prospect of proving himself in front of such an audience, "Among them will be the leaders of each hidden village whose ninja made it to the final round."

"So why do we have to risk our lives!?" Kiba snapped, confused by that detail.

"The strength of a land is derived from the strength of it's village, and the village derives it's strength from the shinobi who live there." HIruzen answered calmly, showing no offense at the outburst, "A shinobi shows their true strength during life or death struggles." he added simply, "These exams are a public arena for each village to boast the strength of their warriors, and thus the strength of the country itself. This test has great meaning and consequence. As you struggle for your very lives, you help fulfill the dream envisioned by your ancestors."

Tenten was disturbed by the speech from the usually grandfatherly Hokage, suddenly becoming very aware that he survived to an old age in a profession that trades in death, "So, why have you always emphasized the concept of friendship and love!?" she asked, the Hi no Ishi was a predominant faith in Konoha after all.

"I have always chosen my words carefully, although the meaning may have been subtle." Hiruzen answered, "To preserve balance of power at the risk of lives, that is the essence of friendship in the shinobi world." he explained, "Allow me to reiterate before the third exam begins, this is no ordinary test! You risk not only your own futures and dreams, but the prestige and dignity of your home village as well." he finished.

Naruto grinned, "Okay, I get it!" he announced, eager to begin.

Gaara was similarly eager though far less cheerful about it, "Whatever, can we wrap up the philosophy discussion and get down to the life or death stuff now?" he asked, losing patience.

Hiruzen harrumphed at the young Suna genin's attitude, "So you wish me to get on with it and explain the third exam? Very well then," he agreed only for one of the proctors to step down in front of him and bow.

"Forgive my interruption, Hokage-sama, but if you don't mind handing the rest of the proceedings to myself, Hayate Gekko, proctor of the third exam." The man requested humbly.

"Go ahead." Hiruzen agreed with a nod, watching the man stand and turn to face the genin.

Hayate was a young man with short brown hair, dark colored eyes and dark markings under his eyes. He wore his hitai-ate as a bandana, the standard Konoha shinobi uniform with flak vest, and his shuriken holster strapped to his right leg. To all the genin he looked rather sickly, and a few wondered if he was currently sick.

"Uh, before we start," Hayate began with a few coughs, "I must ask you all to do something for me." he spoke with a few more coughs that made the genin wonder what was wrong with him, Sasuke got the impression of disgust from Aoki for some reason, "Um, you see, there are some preliminaries to get through before we start the exams properly." he explained.

"Preliminaries!?" A few genin exclaimed, Sakura's expression turning angered in an instant, "What for!?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well, I don't want to say the first two exams weren't demanding enough," Hayate continued, coughing nervously as Anko and Ibiki looked a mix of annoyed and impressed, "but we still have too many applicants." he explained, "Basically we need to thin the herd to keep the actual third exam exciting for the audience, having a tournament last multiple days isn't great for the schedule of visiting lords and dignitaries. So if you feel unfit to continue, feel free to leave now, it's an individual merit from here on out so if you're too tired to take part in the preliminary or you don't feel mentally up to it, you're free to quit."

Kabuto raised his hand, "Yeah, I'm done, my team barely made it in time and I'm wiped out." he lied smoothly, Maemi considered informing Naruto of the lie but decided it would be better if the boy didn't call out the older 'genin'.

"Kabuto Yakushi, right?" Hayate asked as he checked his clipboard, "Alright, you can go." he agreed, causing some muttering between the proctors and Hokage, "If no one else is dropping out," Hayate continued after a few moments with a cough, "then with the remaining twenty applicants we'll hold ten bouts and the victors of those fights will advance to the final phase of the exam." he explained, "These fights will be no-holds barred, to the death or unconsciousness. If you feel your opponent is out of your league then surrender immediately if you value your life." he warned, "That being said we don't want a total blood bath, so we may step in and decide to end the match, either one of us proctors, your jonin commanders, or the Hokage himself. With that in mind, we'll show who is fighting who on this electronic scoreboard." he added, gesturing to a panel on the wall that opened up to reveal a black screen. He didn't mention that it was programmed to avoid putting members of the same genin cell against each other.

The first two names flashed on the screen; Kiba Inuzuka versus Yoroi Akado.

---

Kiba grinned in excitement, glad he wasn't fighting the creepy guy from Sunagakure, "Nice to meet you, senpai, no hard feelings when I kick your butt?" he asked after the two had stepped up and the remaining genin vacated to the surrounding balconies with their jonin commanders. The Hokage and proctors acting as part of the audience as well.

"You think you can, cocky brat?" Yoroi asked, the young man was a genin on Kabuto's team and was dressed similarly, although he had round shades, wore his hiati-ate like a bandana, and had a veil over the bottom of his face.

"Begin!" Hayate said once both genin were in position. Kiba pulled out a hyorogan and tossed it to Akamaru on his head as he lowered his hoodie and stance, the dog hopping from the Inuzuka's head to his back as the chakra of the two flared.

Suddenly Akamaru transformed in a bestial copy of Kiba as Kiba turned even more bestial than before, "Alright, let's see how you do against my Jujin Taijutsu!" the Inuzuka announced before the two pounced, rushing Yoroi on all fours. The older genin simply pulled out a pair of shuriken, tossing one at each opponent to test their reactions as he backed up to lure them in.

Kiba and Akamaru both dodged, although no one could tell them apart anymore as a result of Akamaru using Jujin Bunshin and Kiba using Shikyaku no Jutsu, Yoroi didn't think he needed to know as long as he could beat both of them. The older Konoha genin tossed another pair of shuriken, but this time he leaped to grab one of his opponents out of the air as they dodged.

Yoroi grabbed either Kiba or Akamaru by the neck with his right hand, he couldn't tell yet but soon enough the Jujin Bunshin was dispelled, "Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed, charging Yoroi again, rushing to deliver a kick that the older genin blocked on his left forearm.

"I can absorb physical and mental energies, too bad for your little doggy I thought he was you." Yoroi mocked, responding with a kick of his own that Kiba flipped through the air to dodge before the feral genin leaped again with a snarl.

"Let him go!" Kiba roared as he raised both hand, showing his fingernails had become claws. Yoroi responded by lifting Akamaru to use as a shield, so Kiba changed tactic and grabbed the arm holding his ninken partner. The Inuzuka dug his claws into the flesh of the older genin's arm with a growl as he landed, pulling his grip to either side to inflict more pain.

Yoroi winced and cried out in pain, "Oh, you little punk!" he snarled, rearing his left fist back to punch Akamaru. Kiba grit his teeth and jumped, swinging his right foot up to catch his opponent in the chin. Yoroi stumbled back in surprise, letting go of Akamaru so Kiba could pull the small dog out of harms way.

"You bastard!" Kiba growled, noticing how weakened Akamaru was from having his chakra drained.

Yoroi scoffed, "If your partner isn't fit to fight, then don't fight with him, fool." he scolded as he clutched his bleeding right arm, noticing with some concern that Kiba had really mauled it in his attempts to free Akamaru. Yoroi was concerned to find that he couldn't move his pinky or ring finger, indicating tendon or nerve damage, but more concerning was the way the blood squirted from his arm indicative of a ruptured artery.

"Yoroi Akado," Hayate spoke up, "those injuries are potentially fatal. I'm calling the match in Kiba's favor." he said with another cough.

"No!" Yoroi snapped, "I can still win, just let me stem the-" he began and Kiba was on him, pouncing with his fangs and claws bared. Hayate grabbed the Inuzuka out of the air.

"I've called the match," Hayate said sternly, "I already said you can fight to the death but I was also serious about us not wanting a blood bath." he scolded, letting Kiba down after the Inuzuka undid his jutsu, returning to normal, "Kiba Inuzuka is the winner of the first match of the preliminaries and advances to the third exam!" the sickly proctor announced as iryonin came to escort Yoroi away and check on Akamaru.

Naruto smiled, "Man, it sucks Akamaru got hurt, but Kiba has a really cool fighting style, I'm glad he won." the boy said, unconcerned by how serious the fight had gotten.

"I'm glad he won too, that Yoroi guy was a total cretin." Sakura agreed with an angry huff, "Using a little dog like Akamaru as a shield, what an ass." she growled, feeling her own anger rising.

"That's how shinobi fight." Sasuke pointed out dryly. Kakashi wondered what exactly had happened in the Forest of Death, his team was even more unhinged than before.

"That's how loser shinobi fight," Naruto corrected with a cheeky grin, "Kiba put on a way better show!" he praised.

Kiba carried Akamaru up to balcony, "Don't think your praise makes me happy, loser." he bluffed, Maemi could tell he was glad to be thought of as cool even if it was Naruto saying it.

---

The scoreboard showed the next match; Shino Aburame versus Choji Akamichi.

"Yo, Choji," Asuma began, "if you win I'll take you for all you can eat barbecue on me." he offered, knowing his team needed motivation at times.

Choji had fire in his eyes at those words and leaped down into the arena as Shino was on his way there already, "I'm sorry Shino-san, but I have to win!" he declared, clearly motivated by the promise of free food.

"Kakashi-sensei, will you take me for all I can eat ramen if I win?" Naruto asked, fluttering his eyelashes at the jonin.

"Absolutely not." Kakashi answered in a flat tone without even looking at his blonde genin, he'd heard what the boy thought being treated to ramen was.

"Start when you're ready." Hayate told the genin.

"I also must win, why?" Shino responded to his opponent with a question of his own, "Because I have the honor of my own clan of Aburame to think about, and I desire to prove my abilities in order to advance to the rank of chunin. For my honor and dignity I will win." he answered his own question with an in depth explanation of his feelings on the matter, "I will try not to hurt you too badly, because we are both Konoha shinobi and I do not wish to cause undue strained relations between ourselves or our clans." he continued.

Choji frowned, "You have a really nitpicking way of speaking," he said as he cocked his head to the side, "but at least I get where you're coming from." he added with a nod before using his Baika no Jutsu and charging forth with his Nikudan Sensha.

However, when Choji crashed into Shino the boy burst into a cloud of bugs that swarmed over the large boulder of a genin, "Apologies for distracting you with my manner of speech to lure you into attacking my Mushi Bunshin," Shino spoke as he walked from the shadows under one of the balconies, "however as I stated, I desire victory. You're best to give up, because my Kikaichi can drain your chakra to dangerous levels so if you push too hard you could suffer chakra exhaustion to a harmful degree." he explained.

Choji winced, he could feel the exhaustion setting in, "N-no, my barbecue!" he cried out as he returned to his more normal form, "So hungry..." he groaned.

"Apologies, Choji-san, but I am aware of the Akamichi clans calorie control, my Kikaichi are also siphoning small amounts of your calories," Shino continued, "please surrender so I do not accidentally harm you more than necessary, because losing so many calories so swiftly can be stressful even to the body of a calorie rich Akamichi like yourself." he warned.

Choji groaned as he collapsed to one knee, "Damn it, you got me. You got some terrifying little friends." he agreed, shivering as the Kikaichi flew through the air to return to Shino.

"Shino Aburame is the winner of the second match of the preliminaries, and such advances to the third phase." Hayate announced.

Shino walked over to Choji and offered a hand, "Apologies for the underhanded tactics, but we are shinobi." he said, and Choji accepted the hand with a sigh.

Naruto frowned, "That was kind of boring." he muttered, "Also gross." he whispered, Sakura nodding quietly in agreement. Kakashi sighed, hoping one of his students got to fight soon just to stop their bizarre commentary, he immediately got the feeling he'd regret that statement though.

Neji activated his Byakugan, "I thought he'd used Kuchiyose no Jutsu to marshal those insects, but he's infested with them. So this is what an Aburame is." he mused out loud.

---

The scoreboard showed the next match up; Misumi Tsurugi versus Kankuro.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as the two descended into the arena, "Oh right, that guy. His make up is okay but his personality is ugly." he grumbled, remembering when the Sunanin had threatened to kill Konohamaru.

"It's war paint you little brat!" Kankuro snapped, having overheard the blonde. Naruto responded by sticking his tongue out and flipping the bird.

"You two can start whenever." Hayate said lazily.

Misumi was dressed much like his teammate Yoroi, although he had regular spectacles instead of shades, "You know, to me you're a brat too." he pointed out, being a young adult compared to the teenage Kankuro, "That being said, I won't be letting my guard down like Yoroi did. In fact let me be clear, you should forfeit before you get hurt." he threatened, "This won't take long." he added.

Kankuro scoffed at the bluster of his opponent, "Yeah, I agree." he said simply to the last words, pulling the bandaged mass from his back to place it on the ground next to him.

Misumi charged, "Don't try any tricks! I'll end this with the first strike!" he declared, swinging his left arm to backhand Kankuro, who blocked it with his own left arm. Misumi's arm twisted like it was prehensile suddenly, looping around the other genin, his body following suit to constrict around Kankuro's.

"Woah, kinky." Naruto said suddenly, ruining the tense atmosphere. Kakashi and Sasuke both rubbed the bridge of their noses, and Sakura threw a lazy left jab into the right cheek of her blonde teammate that jolted his head to the side.

Misumi glared at the blonde for a moment before returning his attention to Kankuro, "I can dislocate my joints and control my body with chakra, surrender or I'll break your bones." he threatened simply.

Kankuro chuckled, "No way." he responded with a smirk.

"You want to die, fool!?" Misumi asked angrily.

"Do you?" Kankuro retorted with a grin.

Misumi scowled and with a twist snapped the neck of his opponent, "Oh dear, he just wouldn't quit so I killed him before a proctor could stop me." he said with obviously fake regret.

"Now I can return the favor!" 'Kankuro' said as his head twisted around, revealing a puppet as the real Kankuro revealed himself from the bandages he'd been hiding in, "Think how much more flexible you'll be with all your bones broken." the Sunanin said with a grin, chakra strings extending from his hands to the puppet, and with a twitch of his fingers the puppet burst arms from it's torso to wrap Misumi in a hug and squeezed tight, snapping bones with multiple cracks, "I'll leave your neck though." he decided with a cruel smirk as he showed just enough mercy to let his opponent live.

Hayate coughed, "Well, that was brutal." he said as iryonin came to carry out Misumi, "Kankuro is the winner, so he advances to the third phase." he added, and Kankuro returned to the balcony as he wrapped the bandages back around his puppet.

---

Ino Yamanaka versus Sakura Haruno was the next match to be shown on the scoreboard.

Asuma raised an eyebrow as he noticed his kunoichi student go pale, "What's up with you?" he questioned, figuring she'd be the last one he needed to motivate.

Ino jumped, startled, "Oh, uh, I guess I just remembered something I saw." she said vaguely, going down to the arena. Her words did let Asuma know that whatever she saw must have been scary, but he wondered what that had to do with Sakura.

"You may begin when ready." Hayate said once both kunoichi were in position.

Ino pulled her hitai-ate from around her waist, "I see you started wearing your hitai-ate over your billboard forehead." she taunted, although the look in Sakura's eye at the words almost made her flinch, "So I'll take you seriously too." she said, tying her own hitai-ate around her forehead. The Yamanaka remembered when they first became genin, that Sakura told her she'd only wear her hitai-ate over her forehead when she was ready to stand up to her as a shinobi. After what she saw in the forest, Ino wasn't going to argue with the self assessment of the other kunoichi.

Sakura seemed confused for a moment before she remembered the same thing, "Oh right, that feels like ages ago now." she mused, "In any event, I'm not losing to you, pi-" she began to insult before flashes of butchering Zaku's corpse flashed in her minds eye and she turned pale green, "Ino," she corrected herself, trying to get the images out of her mind, "I'm not letting you near Sasuke-kun either!" she added, getting riled up.

Ino smirked, "Oh? Trying to be the bigger shinobi by not resorting to insults when I make fun of your forehead? That's unexpected." she said, having no idea the true reason.

Sakura shivered, for a moment the images of Zaku were replaced by images of Ino in the same situation and she felt like throwing up, "N-not quite..." she confessed with a shudder, "I just remembered something unpleasant." she added, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

Ino took a taijutsu stance, "If your head isn't in the game then you should give up," she said, psyching herself up, "you may have done some impressive stuff in the forest, but you're not ready to be my equal." she taunted.

Sakura smirked, "Yeah, your obsession with appearance, only Naruto could be your equal there." she retorted, taking a stance of her own.

Being compared to Naruto of all people had Ino's eye twitching, "You act like I forgot, we both started growing our hair because of that rumor that Sasuke-kun liked girls with long hair." she shot back.

"Who even started that rumor?" Sasuke wondered, he'd never said he was interested in girls with long hair.

"Oh that was me," Naruto responded, startling the two kunoichi who hadn't started fighting yet, "I started it because I think girls with long hair are cute." he confessed with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head bashfully. Kiba noticed Hinata snap her head up at those words.

Sakura's eye twitched as she glared at Naruto, feeling her anger building up just looking at his goofy expression, "Wait, so what kind of hair does Sasuke-kun like?" Ino asked, distracted from her fight. For some reason the continued discussion made Sakura's blood boil, she wasn't sure why but her head was throbbing too.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I don't care about hair," he began, "I'm not a girl." he added, smirking at the indignant cry from Naruto. Sakura was startled to find even Sasuke's words angered her, then she realized she was angry at who she used to be and winced as she clutched her throbbing skull.

"Are you two going to fight?" Hayate asked, noticing the pink haired kunoichi seemed to be in pain.

The word 'fight' made Sakura jolt, "Yes!" she snapped, pulling out a kunai, "Fight, that's what we're here to do!" she snarled, her expression startling Ino who realized a switch had flipped and Sakura's anger had bubbled completely to the surface.

The kunoichi of cell seven charged the kunoichi of cell ten and Ino pulled out a kunai of her own to defend herself, the Yamanaka swiftly found herself on the defense but managed to land glancing blows with taijutsu as she parried Sakura's wild kunai strikes.

"What got into her?" Kakashi wondered, raising an eyebrow, "Sakura-chan usually has amazing chakra control, but she's only using it to enhance her own speed and fighting like a raging animal." he said as he watched the two young girls fight.

Ino suddenly hopped back and threw her kunai, Sakura dodged it and leaped at her opponent with a cry of rage. The watching jonin from Konoha were alarmed to notice the genuine blood lust Sakura was giving off, but Ino caught Sakura's right wrist in her left hand and threw a punch with her right.

To the surprise of the Yamanaka, instead of defending herself Sakura just slugged her right back with her left hand. The fists of the two girls impacted each others cheeks and Ino stumbled back, narrowly leaning back to avoid another swipe of Sakura's kunai.

The young Haruno reversed her grip and swung her arm back at Ino again as she leaped forward, the blonde kunoichi catching the other girl by the forearm with her right hand and wincing at the force behind it. Ino took a step back but Sakura followed, throwing a left hook that the young Yamanaka caught in her left palm.

Ino attempted to pull Sakura off balance since she had a grip on both arms but was caught off guard by a vicious headbutt from her pink haired opponent, the sound of metal colliding on metal far louder than the usual sound of skulls colliding. Ino stumbled back clutching her head but noticed Sakura had actually hurt herself more than she'd hurt the blonde girl, blood dripping from under the pink haired girl's hitai-ate.

"You reckless fool," Ino panted, although that headbutt hurt her too it hadn't broken skin, "all you did was reopen your own wound!" she snapped, putting on a show of bravado. However she shivered when Sakura glared at her, the look in the other kunoichi's eyes was absolutely murderous.

"Sakura-chan sure looks cute with blood dripping down her face." Naruto whispered with a dreamy grin, Kakashi was worried he was getting too used to the antics of the blonde because he didn't even react to that. Maemi just noticed Hinata was feeling jealous of the pink haired girl being called cute, the Muse definitely needed to get that Hyuga girl out of her shell if she was more interested in being called cute by Naruto than disturbed by his taste.

"I heard that!" Sakura snapped, pointing her kunai threateningly at Naruto with a furious expression.

"Please do not assault the audience." Hayate said sternly, surprised he even needed to say that.

Ino meanwhile was shivering with fear, she tried to swallow it but she could feel Sakura's malevolent intent, she remembered the girl who had tried to chew through the arm of her opponent, and most of all she remembered Zaku Abumi's head being cut off as Sakura's kunai hacked into his neck.

Ino could feel panic rising up, causing a lump to form in her throat and when she swallowed it the gulping sound was audible enough that Sakura turned on her again. The eyes of the Yamanaka heiress snapped wide open and she leaped back while palming a kunai, landing in a defensive stance as she kept her eyes on her opponent.

Asuma frowned, "What has her so spooked?" he asked, noticing Shikamaru and Choji seemed to have an idea at least.

The Nara genin frowned deeper than he already was, "In the forest, we kind of saw Sakura fly off the handle at an opponent." he revealed, "This is kind of similar to back then, and that guy was strong enough to blast Choji's Nikudan Sensho into the air with his chakra, but in the end Sakura killed him." he explained, "With Sasuke's help." he added, deciding not to mention the boy had been pinned down when Sakura killed him.

Choji gulped and nodded, "Yeah, she probably doesn't want to end up like that Zaku guy." he added, remembering seeing the execution as well.

Sakura halted at those words, wincing and clutching her throbbing skull with her left hand as the words of the audience caused more images of Ino being butchered to flash through her mind. Seeing the Yamanaka shivering in fear just angered the pink haired kunoichi more, Sakura scowled as her rage continued to build.

Sasuke frowned, Aoki was mentally warning him that Sakura was about to become far more dangerous if no one stopped her, but he was curious about that. Aoki wasn't too insistent he should stop his teammate so he just watched with narrowed eyes.

Neji also frowned, but activated his Byakugan, "Strange," he mused, catching the attention of the other audience members, "Sakura Haruno doesn't have all that much chakra but it's going wild." he explained, narrowing his eyes as he focused on the odd shape of the wound under Sakura's hitai-ate, "Why is her chakra flowing into her blood like that? Is this some kind of jutsu?" he wondered.

Sakura gasped, taking deep breaths more from pain than any tiredness. Energy wise she felt amazing, but she focused herself and reminded herself that she had a fight to win, "I won't lose," she panted, her left hand fingers scratching the side of her scalp as she clenched them, "I will- I will-" she stammered, "I'll rip and tear!" she snarled.

Gaara's eyes widened with interest, curious since as far as he remembered the girl was nothing special when he met her back when he first arrived in Konohagakure no Sato. He hadn't even recognized her until he saw her two teammates standing with her, so he wondered if she'd been hiding her lust for blood during that first meeting.

Ino shivered and swallowed her fear, "You think you're the only one who can take being a ninja seriously!?" she asked, reaching up and cutting her own long hair with her kunai before tossing it between herself and Sakura. Shikamaru was stunned by that, wondering if his teammate had lost it from fear.

Then Ino made a hand seal that startled her entire team and actually surprised Sakura enough to briefly calm her down, "What?" the pink haired girl asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, "You- that- Shintenshin no Jutsu!" she snapped, jumping over her own words as she grit her teeth, "Do you think I'm dumb enough to charge you head on just because I'm angry!" she snarled, "Fuck you!" she screeched, charging.

Ino jolted and swiftly changed to a ram seal, startling Sakura again by halting the girl with her chakra running through her hair, "No." Ino answered, sweating from nerves and eyes wild with fear, "I just needed you to think I was going to do it, now I can actually do it." she intoned, gaining some confidence back now that Sakura was pinned.

Then Sakura's struggles let her barely lift her foot and in a panic Ino used her clan hijutsu, Shintenshin no Jutsu. Sakura finally slumped before groaning, "What is this throbbing migraine?" Ino wondered in Sakura's voice, "Sakura was fighting with this? What's her problem!?" she snapped, wincing in surprise at her own sudden anger.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, having trouble following.

"Ino has used her Shintenshin no Jutsu to take over Sakura-chan's body," Kakashi answered as he watched the fight, "your teammate isn't even awake right now, but I'm worried about her condition from what Ino is saying." he continued as he frowned under his mask.

Ino raised Sakura's hand shakily, "I, Sakura Haruno, wish to-" she began but halted suddenly, the pain in Sakura's head making her nauseous, dizzy, "Why the hell does this damn forehead hurt so much!?" she screamed, clutching the sides of her head only to suddenly wince as she felt Sakura somehow push her consciousness aside, "Get out!" Sakura screamed, falling to her knees and slamming the front of her skull into the ground hitai-ate first.

Most of the audience winced, Shikamaru frowned in concern as well when he saw some blood dripping down from under Ino's hitai-ate now. Sakura lifted her head as if to do it again and Ino swiftly undid her jutsu, returning to her own body in a panic.

The pink haired kunoichi panted breathlessly as her hitai-ate slipped off from the force of that last headbutt, and the entire audience stared at the open wound on her forehead. It was not so much a wound as it was a scarred symbol, almost like the shape of a crude axe head facing down with four prongs coming out the top.

"Blood!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed, not even bothering to get to her feet she leaped at Ino with a frenzied look in her eyes. The pink haired kunoichi reared her right arm back, kunai held in a white knuckled grip.

"I surrender!" Ino shouted, flinching to fall back with her arms raised in defense out of fear that giving up would not spare her the wrath of her opponent. It almost didn't if Hayate didn't grab Sakura by the wrists.

Sakura didn't struggle, just panted, heaving lungfuls of air as she stared in confusion at Ino, "Sakura Haruno has won, she moves on to the third phase." Hayate said, slowly releasing Sakura. The pink haired girl turned to the proctor in surprise, then looked around at the watching audience. From the look on her face it seemed the girl had forgotten where she was in the heat of the fight.

Sasuke and Naruto both heard their Familiar's giving them mental information and confirmation, somehow, without a contract or a Daemon Familiar, Sakura had been marked by Khorne, the Ryuketsu no Kami of the Konton no Kami. Naruto of course couldn't help himself, "Wrath really isn't cute." he muttered, grinning at the killing intent Sakura gave him for that.

"You're lucky I don't want to be disqualified for stabbing you." Sakura snarled at her blonde teammate as she picked up her hitai-ate and returned to the balcony.

"No shame in giving up there." Asuma tried to reassure his student, but the girl still seemed pretty shaken up.

Ino just shuddered, "Not a cherry blossom, those don't have thorns like that." she muttered to herself, confusing her team.

---

The next match, between Tenten and Temari, was far more one sided and far less interested. Temari simply negated all of Tenten's thrown weaponry with gusts of wind from her oversized fan, and even sent some back at the owner to graze her.

By the end of it, Temari had Tenten sprawled across her fan, "How dull." she mocked, tossing the unconcious kunoichi towards the weapons scattered on the ground.

Lee leaped down to catch his teammate, "What's wrong with you!? Is that how you treat an opponent who fought their hardest!?" he snapped angrily.

"Oh shut up, get that loser out of my way." Temari responded cruely, half hoping the other genin attacked.

Lee looked like he was about to do it when Naruto's voice cut in, "Man, for such a pretty girl with a graceful way of fighting, your personality sure is ugly y'know." the blonde told Temari, causing her to turn a glare on him, "Ah! Like the opposite of Lee, he's got a plain appearance but a beautiful personality and fighting style!" he added with a grin.

Lee frowned at the backhanded compliment, "Naruto I told you to be nicer to Lee-kun!" Sakura snapped, looking a step from assaulting her teammate. Naruto just gave the pink haired girl a cheeky grin.

---

The arena was swiftly cleared for the next match, Naruto Uzumaki versus Shigeri.

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed, jumping from the balcony eagerly, "Hey, which one of you is Shigeri!? Hurry up I've been waiting for my turn y'know!" he demanded as Maemi hopped down next to him.

The red haired Kusa kunoichi frowned, "So he is Uzumaki?" she wondered in confusion, looking between the name and the blonde.

The Kusa genin with the bandaged ninjato on his back jumped down, "That's me, but damn you seem like a moron, are you even a ninja?" he asked, giving his blonde opponent a mocking smirk.

Naruto just grinned, "Actually, I'm the Kajo no Ninso y'know! Chosen champion of Slaanesh-kaasama, the Kajo no Kami, Yokubo-hime, Yorokobi-sama!" he answered with a laugh.

Shigeri raised an eyebrow, "Wow, you really are a moron." he said, frowning when the other genin just smirked at him, "I have a question before we start, are you seriously Uzumaki?" he asked.

Naruto frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?" he asked in response, "Who else would I be? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, always have been y'know." he answered.

Shigeri shrugged, "You look nothing like an Uzumaki, that clan are famed for their red hair after all." he said, surprising the other Konoha genin.

"Clan?" Naruto asked, eyes wide with shock. Maemi frowned, she didn't know enough to comment on this situation at all.

"What? Is your name just a joke?" Shigeri asked, "That was going to be my next guess, that you were named after narutomaki, but what kind of parent names a kid after a ramen topping?" he continued. Kakashi exchanged a glance from Hiruzen, frowning under his mask as the look in the Hokage's eyes warned him not to interfere.

"I..." Naruto paused with a frown, "I don't know, I have no idea who my parents were." he answered hesitantly, confused.

"Oh! Well my bad, I guess some orphanage or someone gave you the name as a joke, sorry." Shigeri said, although his tone and expression were far from apologetic, "I was curious is all, because we brought our own Uzumaki, but she doesn't know any of the Fuinjutsu that are supposed to make that clan famous." he explained, gesturing towards the red haired kunoichi on his team, "You both seem pretty useless, but I've never heard of a blonde Uzumaki, let alone one with horns." he finished with a shrug.

Naruto's eyes were wide and he started breathing heavily, Maemi noticed with some alarm that the boy was on the verge of a panic attack, "Are you both ready to begin?" Hayate questioned, schooling his expression.

The horned, purple eyed genin turned his gaze towards the Sandaime Hokage, but the old man had an unreadable expression and measured body language. Maemi frowned in further confusion, she could feel guilt coming from the old man, and frustration was directed at him from Kakashi.

"Naruto Uzumaki, are you fit to fight?" Hayate asked again when Naruto didn't respond.

"Wow you seriously didn't know?" Shigeri asked, "I figured you must have because of that spiral on your sleeve." he said, pointing out the white Uzushio spiral on Naruto's left sleeve.

"Those are on all Konoha flak vests, aren't they." Shikamaru asked, trying to piece the puzzle together.

"The red ones are," Asuma answered, "the red ones are a memoriam for Uzushiogakure no Sato, the old homeland of the Uzumaki." he explained, "The white ones are a symbol of the name Uzumaki, but the clan is pretty much fractured after the destruction Uzushiogakure, and I honestly don't know for certain who Naruto's parents are." he added.

Naruto stared at the spiral for a few moments, "If Naruto Uzumaki is unfit to fight-" Hayate began.

"No!" Naruto snapped, "I-" he choked up and took a deep breath, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I'm fine!" he insisted, clutching the spiral on his left sleeve tight enough that the already damaged kimono ripped further under his grip.

Shigeri just continued to smirk, amused by how much he was able to tilt the other genin, "Then you may begin the match when ready." Hayate said after another moment. The Kusanin unsheathed his ninjato, taking a defensive stance.

Naruto had bluffed, he was not okay. He reached into his tool pouch and pulled out the container of his combat drugs, "Set aside despair, set aside despair, set aside despair," he repeated as he shakily tried to get one of the small white pills but the remainder of the container spilled into his hand.

The blonde didn't count how many there were, his opponent was charging him. Naruto dropped the container and shoved the entire handful of combat drugs in his mouth, pulling out his water bottle quickly as he choked on them. Swiftly, Naruto upended the water bottle, chugging down the mixture of water and methamphetamines as Shigeri swung with his ninjato.

Suddenly Naruto grabbed his sheathed sword by the scabbard and lifted it from his sash with his left hand, catching the blade of his opponents sword against the guard of his sheathed blade on the handle side in a startling display of what would have been hand eye coordination if he was looking.

Hayate sighed in relief, concerned for a moment that the blonde was going to be killed. The watching proctors and jonin of Konoha were all still concerned though, for varying reasons. Those who knew of the combat drugs wondered what was about to happen.

Then Naruto twisted, grabbing his katana by the pommel with his right hand and spinning the sheathed weapon to shove the ninjato of his opponent to the side before ramming the end of the sheath into Shigeri's left eye socket. The blonde followed up by spinning on his heel as he unsheathed his sword, tossing the scabbard aside as he slammed the sharp edge of his sword into the side of his opponent.

Shigeri screamed in pain as the katana cut deep into his torso, then Naruto's left palm struck the back of his own blade as he pushed harder with his right arm. Shigeri's scream halted as the force of the blow disembowled him and tossed his body to the side.

There was a moment of stunned silence as Naruto stood there panting with sweat dripping down his face, "I don't know," the blonde began staring at the sword in his shaking hand, "I have no idea about this Uzumaki clan, but," he looked pleadingly to the Hokage, "I'm me, aren't I?" he asked desperately.

Hiruzen wasn't sure what to say to that, and the jonin sensei of the Kusa team looked furious. The other two Kusa genin just stared in shock. Hinata frowned, horrified by the display but worried about Naruto's mental state.

Maemi picked up Naruto's scabbard for him and approached him, "Naruto-sama," she said to get his attention, "I don't know about this Uzumaki clan either but-" she began.

Naruto sighed, "Right, thanks Maemi-chan." he interrupted his Muse with relief, surprising her, "I don't need anything else." he decided with a smile, "Slaanesh-kaasama loves me," he continued as he switched his katana to be held in a reverse grip in his left hand and reached up for the symbol on his left sleeve before tearing the entire sleeve off, "so I don't need a clan. I'm Naruto, champion of Slaanesh-kaasama." he declared before leaping up to the balcony, "Sorry, Uzumaki-chan, I killed your teammate and wore your clan symbol, you can have this." he apologized, handing over the symbol he'd ripped off.

Kakashi gave Hiruzen a subtle glare, noticing the man was still keeping his expression measured as he carefully watched their Jinchuriki.

The jonin of the Kusa team scowled at the blonde, "Shigeri-kun was a promising shinobi-" he began, looking barely a step from violence.

"Well now he's a carcass." Naruto responded with a smile, returning the killing intent the man was giving him. The two Kusa genin took nervous steps back from their sensei, the kunoichi in particular looking like some of the killing intent was directed at her from the expression she wore.

"Naruto Uzu-" Hayate began and the blonde genin turned his killing intent on him, startling the sickly proctor, who gave a worried glance to Hiruzen, "...Naruto wins, and advances to the third phase." he said after the Hokage said nothing.

Naruto hopped back over to his team, breathing a little heavy still from the high dosage of drugs in his system, and pulled off his purple sash to clean the blood from his sword as Maemi joined him.

"Um, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, surprising her team that she approached him, the blonde looked at her with blank eyes and a small smile that seemed not quite right, "C-congratulations for winning." the Hyuga girl said, surprising the other Konoha ninja and her own team even further. Maemi smiled, she could tell that as scared as the Hyuga girl was she was trying to make Naruto feel better.

Naruto's smile faltered for a moment before it returned, in his eyes as well this time, and those eyes watered, "Thank you, Hinata-chan." he said gratefully.

Hiruzen felt terrible, guiltier than he'd felt in years. He tried to convinced himself that keeping Naruto's parents secret was for his own safety, but after that display he worried if the blonde would ever accept his parentage.

---

For a moment Hinata had felt good, she'd congratulated Naruto and he'd seemed genuinely grateful. His victory had been disturbing, and he still didn't seem fully okay, but she took comfort in the fact that she'd made him feel even a little bit better.

Then the scoreboard showed the next set of names, Hinata Hyuga versus Neji Hyuga. Hinata's mood dropped faster than her stomach, she shivered a little bit.

"Oh," Naruto said as he looked at the names, "I guess it's your turn to win!" he told the girl with a laugh and her confidence surged. Maemi smiled proudly, her blonde master was still developing but he was already getting good at inspiring people. Charisma was a favored attribute of Slaanesh, so it was fitting that Naruto had some.

Kurenai frowned with concern, she knew Naruto meant well with his words but she didn't think Hinata should fight Neji. Few were aware but the Hyuga clan was borderline abusive to Hinata for her percieved weakness, they didn't have to worry about her showing up with bruises or signs of physical abuse outside of those caused by training, but emotional neglect could be just as harmful.

Still, Hinata went down to face Neji, "To think we'd fight each other here, Hinata-sama." the elder Hyuga male said.

"Neji-niisan..." Hinata greeted hesitantly, now that she didn't have Naruto smiling at her and was faced with Neji her confidence was faltering.

Naruto jolted in surprise, "Oh right, their names are the same, so they're actually family." he added, glancing at the red haired Uzumaki girl who was still watching him curiously. She held onto the symbol he'd given her though.

Lee nodded, "Hinata-san is a member of the main house of the Hyuga clan, while Neji-san is a member of the branch house." he explained.

"Family fighting family huh?" Sakura asked, having bandaged her forehead again by now, "Must be rough." she mused and Sasuke flinched at the words.

"Well," Lee began, "normally yes, but relations between the two different houses of the Hyuga clan are strained." he tried to explain, "Certain things were done in the past to protect their Kekkei Genkai, things decided by the main branch to the detriment of the branch house, so there's some bad blood." he wasn't sure of all the details himself.

Naruto frowned, focusing on Hinata, he could see she looked nervous to be fighting the older Hyuga. What bothered Naruto more was that Neji was glaring at the girl.

"Well, please begin the match when ready!" Hayate announced with yet another cough.

"Before that," Neji spoke up, "there is something I must point out to Hinata-sama." he continued, "You are not cut out to be a shinobi. Withdraw from the match." he said curtly, Naruto's eye twitched as he reminded himself to set aside his wrath, "You're all sweetness and light, you may try to act like you approve of Naruto's victory but I can tell his methods disturbed you. You're a peacemaker not a troublemaker, easily led and not a leader," he continued and Hinata averted her eyes, "and you have no self confidence. You have an inferiority complex, so I know you'd have been more comfortable staying at the genin level, but applicants must take the test in teams of three and you couldn't let your teammates down. The truth is, your participation has been reluctant from the start, hasn't it?" he asked.

Maemi could feel Naruto starting to hate Neji, she thought that was a bit cute actually, but she didn't let it show due to the serious nature of the discussion, "N-no..." Hinata denied with a stammer, "You're wrong. I-I really wanted to change that about myself." she said as she looked down sadly, "So, of my own volition-" she tried to continue.

"Hinata-sama," Neji interrupted, his choice of honorific conflicting with his attitude towards her, "you're the sheltered little baby of the main branch, aren't you?" he asked.

"What?" Hinata asked in surprise.

"A leopard never changes it's spots." Neji continued, "A failure is always a failure, and a weak personality won't become strong." he lectured and Naruto found it harder and harder to swallow his anger, "It's precisely because of that unchanging nature of humankind that differences between people are born." now Sasuke could feel a wave of annoyance directed at Neji from Aoki, surprising the Uchiha until he realized it was from the older Hyuga calling anything unchanging, "It's why we've coined terms like 'elite' and 'failure'. It doesn't matter who you are. We're all judged on the basis of our looks, our intelligence, our talents, or our personalities. Just as we judge others in turn. Yes, it's a form of discrimination, and the factors it's based on don't change. We have no choice, we must live within the boundaries set for us by the judgements of others. It's as unchangeable as the fact I'm from the branch house and you of the main house."

Sakura frowned, noticing both Naruto and Sasuke directing glares at Neji. She wondered why Sasuke cared, but the fact it was making Sasuke angry made her angry, so she joined in glaring.

Neji ignored team seven and glared at Hinata, "I've seen through plenty with this Byakugan, and so I know, this courage of yours is a bluff!" he accused, "In the truest, deepest parts of your heart, you're desperate to run away from here right now!" he added.

"N-no! I really want to-" Hinata tried to deny.

"You can't fool my eyes." Neji interrupted again as the veins around his eyes bulged to signify he'd activated his Byakugan, "Just now, to escape my stare, you averted your eyes, glancing towards the upper left is a signal you recalled a past experience, one that bought you pain. When you subsequently glanced to your lower right, it indicated you were envisioning physical and mental agony. In other words, you recalled previous experiences, and based upon those memories you imagines the outcome of this match." he explained, "You foresaw your own defeat!" he snapped with a glare and Hinata flinched, "Even now," he continued, "as you bring your arms up as if to shield yourself, you indicate your desire to put a wall between us, to create some distance from me." he continued to break down the psychology of her subtle movements, "You subconsciously beg me to come no further, to peer no deeper, because everything I've said had been right on target. In addition, the way you're touching your lip is another of those tender, intimate behaviors that expresses the agitation in your heart." he continued mercilessly as Hinata's eyes watered and her breathing became harder, "It's a defensive reflex, an attempt to ease your own anxieties and doubts, it's completely clear, whether you admit it or not, that you are aware, that you can never change yourself!"

"Would you shut your face already!?" Naruto snapped loudly, "Hinata-chan hurry up and beat some sense into that wordy moron!" he demanded, Hinata stared back at him in surprise so he continued, "Come on! It's my turn to congratulate you for winning next! Don't be greedy!" he encouraged, flashing a grin that bared his unnatural canines.

Bizarrely, Hinata found the sight of the horned blonde baring such sharp teeth encouraging and steeled herself. Neji had turned back to glare at the blonde for interrupting and insulting him, but when he turned his look back to Hinata he was surprised to see her sudden resolve.

"So you're not going to withdraw?" Neji asked, "I won't be responsible for what happens if you don't." he warned.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, "What kind of chunin would back down now?" she asked and Naruto's grin widened at the familiar words, "Neji-niisan, let's fight." she challenged and lowered herself into a stance, Neji lowered himself into the same stance.

Lee frowned, "They're both Hyuga, so they both have the same fighting style, the same stance." he mused.

Naruto glanced at Lee, "Same fighting style?" he asked curiously,

"The strongest taijutsu in all of Konohagakure." Lee confirmed with a nod, "I mentioned it before I believe, that the strongest genin in Konoha is on my team, I was referring to Neji." he explained.

Naruto watched as the two danced, his eyes widened at the grace of the fighting style, "Beautiful..." he murmured quietly. Maemi wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing Hinata hadn't heard that.

Gai decided to explain, "The Hyuga pass down a unique taijutsu in their clan," he began, "unlike the taijutsu I have taught to Lee, which some refer to as Goken, that goes for bruises and broken bones, the Hyuga practice a taijutsu style called Juken, in which they strike to inflict damage to the keirakukei, through which the chakra flows. That leads to the breakdown of internal organs, destroying the foe from within. Even a light touch can be dangerous, and it's impossible to harden your internals against damage." he explained, Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Aoki disagreed with that last statement.

Sakura frowned, "The keirakukei are energy lines inside the body though, how can they attack what you can't see?" she asked.

"They can." Kakashi answered simply, "They can see the keirakukei with their Byakugan." he clarified when Sakura looked confused, "Juken isn't simply a physical strike, they strike with chakra, expelling it from their hands as they fight." he explained.

Naruto watched, mesmerized and losing himself in watching the dance to forget his own mental torments, so when it seemed like Hinata landed a telling blow he cheered, only to frown when Neji seemed unharmed and Hinata coughed up blood from the counter attack. The shy kunoichi hardened her gaze and tried another attack but Neji grabbed the arm and poked it before rolling up her seeve.

Hinata's eyes widened, "It can't be! From the start you-" she began, clearly stunned.

"Precisely," Neji interrupted the girl yet again, "my eyes can see the tenketsu." he explained. Although the explanation did little for the younger genin.

"What?" Naruto asked, confused and concerned for Hinata.

Kakashi frowned under his mask, "Along the keirakukei there are three hundred and sixty one chakra points." he began and Maemi frowned that the number was so close to being a multiple of six, "They're no bigger than the prick of a pin, these are called tenketsu, and in theory if you can accurately hit them you can halt the flow of chakra or enhance it." he explained, "That being said, not even the Sharingan can see these or the keirakukei," he continued and Sasuke frowned, "but regardless of having Byakugan to be able to hit them in the heat of battle like that..." he trailed off.

Neji struck Hinata again and the girl fell back with a cry of pain, "Hinata-sama, this unalterable difference in strength is what separates the elite from the failure." he lectured, "This is the unchangable reality, from the moment you chose to stay and fight your fate was this despair." he explained. Sasuke scowled as Aoki hissed something about being disgusted by Neji, Sakura frowned as she felt her rage bubbling, and Naruto narrowed his eyes to glare at the Hyuga boy, "Withdraw!" the boy demanded.

"N-never!" Hinata spat as she struggled to her feet, "I will set aside despair!" she said resolutely and Naruto grinned proudly. The girl continued to fight, and each time she tried to land a strike she ended up hit instead.

"With her tenketsu sealed up, she can't even use Juken." Kakashi said, feeling bad for the girl. Still Hinata kept trying until she collapsed.

"Don't you know when to quit?" Neji asked, "From the start your attacks have been completely ineffective." he pointed out harshly.

"That was Neji's master stroke, it targets the heart." Gai said sadly, "A pity, but the girl can no longer stand." he added.

"I'm calling the match." Hayate declared.

"N-no!" Hinata coughed out as she tried to rise.

Naruto frowned, he saw her getting up and jumped down, "Hey! Hinata-chan!" he called out as he crouching down next to her, and as the girl looked up at him he gave her a grin, "You fought way more beautifully than he did! Great job!" he praised.

Hinata stared up at the horned boy in shock for a moment before she suddenly coughed, hacking up blood, "Thank you," she gasped out, "Naruto-kun!" she said gratefully, returning his grin with as much intensity as she could manage before collapsing.

"Hey, loser-san," Neji said, frowning when Naruto didn't respond, "I'm talking to you, the blondie with the bull horns." he clarified.

Naruto turned his killing intent on Neji, "That's odd, I don't see anyone else with blonde hair and horns around here." he said with a smile as he stood up, "Are you dumb enough to be talking at me, you scum?" he asked, baring his canines at the still conscious Hyuga as his pupils narrowed into even more narrow slits.

"A couple of words of advice." Neji began, "A true shinobi warrior would have too much class-" he began only to halt at the suddenly oppressive malevolent feeling of raw hatred and blood lust coming from the grinning blonde.

Naruto laughed, "That's funny, I could have sworn a piece of trash like you was going to lecture a Ninso like myself." he mused as his purple chakra flared around him, "Wrath and despair are really no good y'know." he lectured, "Unfortunately you're a really disgusting person, and I can't stand that. I don't get how you're related to someone as beautiful as Hinata-chan." he said with a sigh, "I'll just kill you in the third phase." he finished with a grin.

"Going against your own preachings there aren't you?" Neji asked and, although his expression and body language were measured, his perspiration gave away his nervousness.

Naruto smirked, "Only if I'm doing it out of wrath, but what I'd be doing is more of a good deed as far as I'm concerned. I'll cut you down quick and clean so you can never direct your wrath at Hinata-chan or try to force her into despair ever again." he explained, "I wonder where I should cut though..." he mused, "Ah, I know! You hit Hinata-chan in the heart so it's only fitting I do the same." he decided.

The malevolent aura Naruto gave off was eerily familiar to many of the jonin of Konoha, all of them were only watching carefully because it was still the same unnaturally cheerful Naruto as ever. Kurenai was impressed that the boy was standing up for Hinata like he was, but the woman was distracted by her student coughing up blood.

The jonin of team eight hurried to check the girl and scowled, realizing Neji had been going for a killing blow she glared at him, "Waste of time to be glaring at me, isn't it?" he asked with a smirk.

"Where the hell are the iryonin!?" Kurenai snapped and they hurried over, having been paralyzed by Naruto's aura briefly, the quickly took her to the emergency rooms.

Naruto's chakra slowly retreated, "Ah man, I'm still high from my combat drugs." he complained, "I really want to turn you into tonkatsu," he told Neji who glared at him, "hurry up with the next matches!" he demanded, returning to the balcony with his team.

Kakashi quietly breathed a sigh of relief, glad that as twisted and high as the blonde genin had gotten he was still obeying protocol to a degree. His desire to slaughter a fellow Konoha shinobi was concerning but completely understandable at that point.

"Hey, Gai," Kakashi said and the man looked at him, "listen, you may want to convince Neji to surrender if he has to fight Naruto." he warned, surprising the other jonin, "Don't get me wrong, Neji's taijutsu was well above any normal genin, but Naruto isn't a normal genin. If you want Neji to live just try." he suggested.

Gai frowned, "I understand your warning, but I doubt I could get through to the boy." he confessed, "I will just have to hope he isn't killed and that he learns from a humbling defeat." he muttered hopefully.

---

"Finally." Sasuke grumbled as he hopped down to the arena as soon as the scoreboard showed his name; Sasuke Uchiha versus Jinpachi. The other male Kusa genin hopping down to meet him.

Jinpachi frowned, "Jeeze, my opponent is from that Uchiha clan." he complained, "To make matters worse, you're part of that Oni team." he added.

Sakura's eye twitched, "Is he lumping me in with Naruto?" she asked. Maemi decided not to needle the pink haired girl, now that the Haruno was practically a champion of Khorne the Muse wasn't going to risk it.

Sasuke just smirked, "I'll have you know I'm exactly as terrifying as those two." he warned, activating his Sharingan.

Jinpachi sighed, "Yeah that figures," he groused, "well I at least have to make an attempt at avenging my teammate." he decided.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Revenge?" he asked, "If you want that you should run away and hide, get stonger and come back to face Naruto instead of wasting your life trying to beat me." he lectured.

Jinpachi tried a smirk of his own, "Oh yeah? What have you got that's so scary?" he asked as he tried to hide his nervousness.

Sasuke considered showing off, and Aoki encouraged it so he lifted his right arm and pulled on the chakra swirling in his altered Juin. Purple chakra flared around him as the strange and irridescant eye marking flowed over his flesh, "Aka-en." he intoned and the chakra condensed into a dull red fire in the palm of his right hand.

Jinpachi stared at that in surprise, "Kai!" he said, trying to undo what he thought might be a genjutsu, "Nope, those talons and freaky marks are real, I'm out." he decided, quitting there.

Sasuke blinked owlishly, he hadn't expected his opponent to actually quit, "Seriously?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jinpachi nodded, "Yeah, fuck this, pride and dignity of Kusagakure or not you guys are an actual team of bakemono, that's straight up cheating." he said, returning to the stands, "Sorry Zosui-sensei! I'm not dying for this just because Shigeri did!" he announced.

The jonin commander of Kusagakure rubbed the bridge of his nose before turning to the kunoichi, "Do not disgrace our village." he ordered bluntly. The red haired girl who was apparently Uzumaki swallowed a lump in her throat.

Sasuke turned to Hayate, "Uh, I guess Sasuke Uchiha wins by forfeit?" the proctor said it as a question, turning to Anko and the Hokage who were both looking at the strange markings on the Uchiha with concern, but they nodded, "Alright, Sasuke Uchiha advances to the third phase." he confirmed.

Sasuke frowned for a moment at being denied a fight before shrugging and pulling the Daemonic chakra back into the Juin, Aoki helping him bundle it all back up.

---

The scoreboard showed the next match; Gaara versus Rock Lee. Shikamaru breathed a loud sigh of relief and collapsed against the wall behind him, "I never thought I'd be relieved to have a girl for an opponent." he said, recognizing that after this match there would only be one genin for him to fight.

Gaara was already in the arena with a suna shunshin, eager to finally have his own fight. Lee looked excited to finally have his own fight coming up. Kiba looked worried for the other Konoha genin, Sakura wondered what the deal was with the gourd.

"Lee!" Gai announced, "I've noticed something crucial most people may have overlooked." he told his student in a teacherly tone.

"Yes sir!" Lee responded, snapping to attention and saluting.

"That gourd of his is quite suspicious..." Gai pointed out as if it wasn't the most obvious thing about the Suna genin.

"I see..." Lee answered, quickly taking out a notepad and pencil to write that down.

"Stop taking notes!" Gai scolded, "You won't have time to consult them in the heat of battle!" he pointed out.

Lee wrote that down as well, "...I see..." he answered. Sakura wondered if the boy with the bowl cut would be alright.

"Alright! Go get him, Lee!" Gai ordered boisterously.

"Yes sir!" Lee responded with equal gusto before he leaped down to face his opponent, "Facing you so soon, it makes me very happy!" he told Gaara with a smile, Naruto grinned at the attitude of the bushy browed genin. Gaara just harrumphed in response, wanting the fight to start already.

"Alright then, let the ninth round battle begin." Hayate declared before he stepped back.

Lee opened by charging and attempting his Konoha Senpu, leading with a his left leg, only for his leg to impact against a wave of sand that burst from Gaara's gourd and caught the blow. The Konoha genin was surprised but what made his eyes widen was the wave of sand crashing towards him, the taijutsu specialist leaping back to tumble away in order to avoid being caught by it.

Those in the audience who didn't already know of the sand were surprised, while Kiba looked concerned. He wouldn't say it, but the Inuzuka was glad it wasn't him down there.

Lee was not perturbed and continued his assault, moving around to try and attack from multiple angles but nothing broke through the sand. Naruto frowned and wondered if he'd be able to cut through the sand while Sasuke considered the idea of simply glassing it with fire, Sakura however just watched with concern for Lee.

"Physical attacks are useless against Gaara." Kankuro spoke up, "The sand forms a shield to protect his body, indepent of Gaara's own will." he explained, "That's why, to this day, no one has ever wounded him." he added.

"Why is Lee only using taijutsu?" Sakura wondered, "He should back off, fight with ninjutsu and attack from a distance." she pointed out, Kakashi was glad the pink haired kunoichi was still capable of tactical thought after slamming her skull into the ground.

"It's not that Lee won't use ninjutsu," Gai began, "it's that he can't." he clarified, "Lee has no aptitude for ninjutsu or genjutsu." he explained.

Sakura was startled by that information, "How has he lasted this long then?" she asked as the fight continued below them and Lee backflipped away from the sand.

"Due to his lack of talent or ability for ninjutsu or genjutsu, he has developed his taijutsu exclusively," Gai answered as Lee jumped up onto the monument of the ram hand seal to escape Gaara's grasping, "which is precisely why he can win!" he declared confusing both Kakashi and Sakura, "Lee! Take them off!" he called out.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I see, so nudity makes him stronger." the blonde said seriously.

"That's obviously not it!" Sakura snapped, throwing a left hook that her teammate leaned away from to evade.

Lee seemed surprised by the call out, "B-but Gai-sensei! You said never to remove them unless I was defending the lives of people precious to me!" he pointed out, and Naruto pouted as the wording shot his theory down.

"It's alright!" Gai responded as he gave a thumbs up and a wink, "I'll allow it!" he declared. Gaara wondered why everyone from Konohagakure seemed to be such a loudmouth. Lee seemed stunned for a moment before he laughed in a giddy tone, reaching under his orange leg warmers to pull out a pair of leg weights with the kanji for 'konjo' on each pouch.

Kakashi sighed, he should have known Gai would rely on such a sentimentally traditional kind of training. It was so sickeningly sweet but it had its merits. Most assumed that just removing some weights wouldn't change much besides allowing him to move a bit faster, those who understood taijutsu better knew his form would likely improve but they wondered how much that would matter.

Then the weights hit the ground and kicked up massive clouds of dust, "What!?" Naruto exclaimed in shock before his lips widened into a massive grin, "That's so excessive! I want some!" he decided immediately. Kakashi couldn't contain his groan, he was pretty sure the amount of weight Gai let Lee wear was completely over doing it.

"Go! Lee!" Gai cheered loudly, and Lee went. The boy was now moving so fast and striking so hard his blows were actually coming close to hitting Gaara, the Suna genin seeming startled as he struggled to follow the movements with his eyes. Naruto was visibly amazed and interested, "It's because he had no aptitude for ninjutsu or genjutsu that Lee was able to devote all of his training, all of his focus, all of his energy purely to taijuts." Gai explained with a proud smile, "So that even if he lacked any other ninpo, he'd still be unbeatable as a taijutsu specialist!" he announced proudly.

Maemi thought it was a bit odd to devote so much effort to physical training and then not use any weapons at all, but she couldn't really argue with results. Lee finally managed to land a blow, a spinning axe kick with such speed and force that it seemed to split Gaara's cheek. The shinobi from Suna seemed especially shocked by that, as they knew not even jonin assassins had ever landed such a solid blow.

"In terms of speed, Lee can't be surpassed!" Gai added proudly and Maemi decided Naruto definitely needed to copy that training weights idea, so she was glad he seemed interested already. The Muse knew that with Naruto's healing factor he could tear his muscles training far more frequently and with far less downsides than any normal person.

Lee moved so fast Sasuke activated his Sharingan just to track the movements and the Uchiha could tell he still wouldn't be able to keep up, it was a humbling thought. Aoki suggested that even being able to see into the future beyond the natural abilities of the Uchiha dojutsu might barely be enough to keep up, and the implication behind that mental suggestion piqued Sasuke's curiosity.

Gaara's sand couldn't react in time and he was getting floored by Lee soon enough, "This is bad..." Kankuro muttered, frowning. The puppeteer had noticed Gaara was becoming more unstable, and the face of the red haired Sunanin cracking and falling away to reveal an insanely bloodthirsty grin beneath an encasing of sand only confirmed his concerns.

Sakura frowned, "That sand, so Lee-kun still hadn't fully touched him." she realized, her concern returning as Gaara covered up his gleeful expression with the sand, "What is that sand?" she wondered.

"Suna no Yoroi," Kankuro answered, "if the Suna no Tate is the first part of his ultimate defense that's the second. While the Tate moves independantly of his will, the Yoroi is held tightly around him by the force of his own will." he explained. Naruto frowned, wondering where the weak point was. What Kankuro wasn't telling them was that the Suna no Yoroi was a last line of defense, it required a constant expenditure of chakra and made the young genin far heavier and thus forcing him to expend more effort just to move.

"Is that all?" Gaara asked, as Lee had taken a moment to pause and consider the ultimate defense of his opponent. The green clad genin looked to his sensei and, recieving the nod of approval, he loosened the bandages around his arms. Lee dashed around the Suna no Tate, the outer layer of sand protecting Gaara, before leaping to skid beneath the other genin and kick him up into the air. The taijutsu specialist followed through with further kicks to launch him higher despite the weight of the Suna no Yoroi.

Gai prayed for his students success, knowing that Lee was putting even more strain on his body than the jutsu he was about to use usually required by using consecutive kicks. Finally Lee wrapped the Suna genin up in his bandages and spun with his opponent as the two fell out of the air to hit the ground with his Omote Renge, the Konoha genin leaping away from the impact.

There was a moment of stunned silence before the Suna no Yoroi cracked and fell apart to reveal the shell was empty, "Impossible!" Gai exclaimed, "When did he-?" the man wondered.

"When you shut your eyes in prayer," Sasuke answered, surprising Kakashi who had been about to point out the same thing, "during those consecutive kicks Lee hesitated when he winced in pain, which let Gaara use that shell of his for a kawarimi." he explained, his Sharingan having seen everything.

Gaara rose up from a mound of far looser sand with a chuckle before going on the attack, smashing Lee into a wall with a blast of his sand. Then sending a wave of more sand to crash against the boy to slam him further into the wall, licking his lips as he toyed with his opponent.

"Why doesn't Lee-kun dodge!?" Sakura asked angrily, her worry for the older genin making her aggravated.

"The jutsu Lee just used puts massive strain on his body." Gai answered quietly, equally as worried but far more tempered.

"Fundamentally, it's a kinjutsu." Kakashi clarified, "Using that level of high speed taijutsu puts strain on the body, right now Lee is likely in incredible pain and his muscles are weakened by the backlash." he explained.

Maemi frowned, "It's not that his muscles are weakened, they're damaged." she corrected, "They'll heal, but he's only human." she added, trying to figure out how to reverse engineer such taijutsu so Naruto could learn it.

Sakura scowled, "Lee-kun!" she cried out, gritting her teeth as the thought of telling him to give up made her head throb with pain for a reason she couldn't identify. Gaara's sand crashed towards the Konoha genin like a tidal wave, but Lee dodged it this time. Maemi was surprised by that, wondering how he recovered his speed already, "Why is he smiling?" Sakura wondered once she got over the sudden headache.

Gai smiled, "Lee is smiling because he's found his second wind," he answered, "the lotus of Konoha blooms twice!" he announced proudly.

"For you, it ends here." Gaara told his opponent, done with toying with the taijutsu specialist.

Lee continued to smile, "One way or another, this move will be the last." he agreed.

Kakashi's visible eye widened as he realized what Gai's words meant, "You didn't?" he asked, hoping he misinterpreted.

"On the contrary, I did." Gai retorted calmly, focused on watching his pupil fight.

Kakashi frowned under his mask, "So, that kid, who is still just a genin, can actually open the Hachimon?" he questioned, narrowing his eye at his self-proclaimed rival. Sasuke's eyes widened as Aoki was startled by the word and suddenly pushed information about them into his brain, the Uchiha wincing a bit from the sudden flash of knowledge.

"Yes," Gai confirmed, "that's right." he added somberly, "Lee has the talent for it." he explained.

"No matter how much talent he has, you tought him something incredibly dangerous!" Kakashi snapped suddenly, "The Omote Renge is one thing, but the Ura Renge is not the kind of thing you teach a genin!" he argued.

"Isn't one of your own students doped up on combat drugs right now?" Gai retorted, narrowing his own eyes at Kakashi.

"What?" Naruto asked, realizing he was being talked about, "Why does everyone want to scold me for that? Maemi-chan made them for me! Besides I feel fine." he explained, surprising everyone due to the dosage he'd taken, "I'm not even coming down yet!" he added, turning his attention back to the fight.

"How many can he open?" Kakashi asked, recognizing that Lee had recovered by opening Kyumon.

"He's up to the fifth gate." Gai answered and if Kakashi didn't have his mask on he'd be openly gawking, stunned that a genin got that far.

Sakura was confused, "What are these Hachimon you guys keep talking about?" she snapped, annoyed at being out of the loop. Naruto and Maemi both listened, the horned blonde out of curiosity and the Muse to try and figure it out.

"The Hachimon are limiters placed on the body that must be released in preparation for the Ura Renge." Gai answered simply as the jonin of team seven lifted his hitai-ate to reveal his own Sharingan.

"Yes," Kakashi concurred, "at eight different points along the keirakukei there are places the chakra nodes converge." he explained in more detail, "Kaimon, Kyumon, Seimon, Shomon, Tomon, Keimon, Kyomon, and Shimon." he listed and Maemi smirked that the sixth gate was named for joy, "These are called Hachimon. They maintain limits on the amount of chakra flowing through the body, limits that the Renge forcibly overrides, enabling the user to draw upon strength many times their usual level, even if the body is destroyed in the process." he continued and Maemi noticed some similarities to Zeitakuna Kutsu, "Incidentally, the Omote Renge only opens Kaimon."

"What about the Ura Renge?" Sakura asked, becoming increasingly concerned.

"Opening the Kaimon frees the user of mental inhibitions." Gai began and Maemi realized that Zeitakuna Kutsu actually did force that open, she just hadn't known about it, "The opening of Kyumon boosts strength, and with the Seimon open the Ura Renge can begin." he explained. Maemi mentally informed Naruto that the Zeitakuna Kutsu she'd taught him actually opened Kyumon and the eyes of the blonde widened in surprise.

Sakura grit her teeth, "Lee-kun hurt himself so much with Omote Renge already, if he keeps going..." she trailed off.

Kakashi nodded, "A trule double-edged weapon." he confirmed, "Anyone who opens all of the Hachimon will enter a state called Hachimon Tonko no Jinhave the power to surpass even a Kage, but the strain will kill them." he explained. Naruto perked up at the mention of having more power than a Kage but frowned at the concept of dying from it.

Lee opened the Seimon and his skin turned bright red, followed by the Shomon and his veins bulged as a bit of blood dripped down his nose from a burst vessel in his sinus from the strain. Neji activated his Byakugan, watching curiously as the genin he considered a failure moved so fast even he could barely track it.

Gaara was swiftly being kicked around the arena by Lee, the Konoha genin barely perceptable to those with dojutsu as Gaara's Suna no Yoroi was peeled away and the Suna genin himself was juggled out of reach of his sand by the high speed taijutsu combination. Finally Lee wrapped his opponent up and opened Tomon, then knocked Gaara away again before using his bandages to pull the other genin back to him and deliver a combined palm thrust and kick with such force that everyone in the audience felt it.

"What the hell is up with these Konoha shinobi...?" The jonin of the Kusa genin cell wondered, baffled by the display. The remaining genin of the team, the kunoichi, sent a nervous glance at Shikamaru and took some comfort that he seemed startled as well.

However, Gaara's gourd became sand to cushion his landing, so the boy was not knocked unconcious by being slammed against the ground as Lee had intented. Lee himself could barely stand after his performance, too slow to evade his left arm and leg being caught in the sand as Gaara lifted his right hand towards the taijutsu specialist.

Kiba and Shino recognized what was about to happen, and the Inuzuka winced in sympathy as the sand suddenly imploded around the limbs it had trapped in response to Gaara clenching his fist. The sand moved again to grab at Lee fully, but it was knocked away by Gai as the jonin leaped to interfere in the match to save his pupil.

Gaara glared at Gai as he stood up, then winced and clutched his head in pain, "Why are you helping him?" he questioned, failing to understand.

"He's my precious protégé." Gai answered, unaware that such words were beyond Gaara's current understanding, the Suna genin unable to comprehend caring about someone enough to protect them.

Gaara's sand returned to the shape of a gourd and encased him once more, "Forget it." he retorted as he turned to leave, annoyed that his kill had been interrupted. The audience were all surprised when Lee stood once more despite his broken leg, Gaara turned back to see what the commotion was.

Gai frowned, "Lee it's over, you-" he began only to halt as he realized the boy was unconcious. The eyes of the jonin watered and he hugged his broken pupil, impressed that the boy had enough resolve to stand while unconcious and proud that he could attempt a taijutsu stance while out cold from muscle memory.

---

As Lee was taken away by the iryo specialists, Naruto frowned as he overheard them say that the boy would likely not recover enough to be a shinobi anymore. Sakura grit her teeth and glared at Gaara, clenching her fists around the handrails of the balcony until her knuckled were white.

"Well, there's no need for the scoreboard," Hayate called out as Gai left the damaged arena, "will the finally two contestants please come down for the tenth match?" he called out. Shikamaru sighed and lazily trudged down to fight, the Kusa genin seemed relieved about her opponent.

"So, you're the Uzumaki your teammate was talking about?" Shikamaru asked curiously, "I guess since we don't have the scoreboard I should introduce myself, Shikamaru Nara. Honestly I don't like the idea of fighting a girl." he confessed, his attitude and words annoying the kunoichi in the audience.

The Kusa kunoichi herself glared as well, "Karin Uzumaki," she introduced, "I can't afford to lose here." she said with resolve but Shikamaru noticed her shiver. He frowned and glanced at the jonin in command of her genin cell, a man the other surviving genin had called Zosui. The lazy Nara was perceptive, so he could tell that the red eyed girl was scared of her jonin commander more than she was of losing the fight.

As far as Shikamaru was concerned this whole thing was a pain, he was tempted to surrender and just go home. He knew Ino would make a big deal out of it if he did though, so he was hesitant to just give the girl the win.

"Uh, well, let the tenth round begin!" Hayate announced. Karin moved first, pulling out some shuriken, two in each hand, she tossed the four bladed stars to spin through the air. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he rather easily evaded the telegraphed attack, seeing what her teammate meant about her being useless. It was harsh but the Nara had to wonder how the kunoichi even got as far as the preliminaries.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he recognized her as the girl he'd rescued in the forest, he'd saved her from the bear on a whim simply because he found the idea of seeing someone be mauled by a bear distasteful. Then when he saw she didn't have the scroll his team needed, the Uchiha had left her be.

Karin ran around to her right and tossed another shuriken as she attempted to circle Shikamaru, the Nara boy dodged again as he considered how best to deal with the girl. He didn't really feel like chasing her, and unless he could position her the Kagemane no Jutsu wasn't exactly an offensive ninjutsu.

Suddenly Shikamaru yawned loudly and Karin scowled at the insult, charging the other genin as his eyes closed from the force of his own yawn. However the kunoichi lacked the speed to cross the distance before he finished and he swiftly formed a hand seal before his shadow lashed out to paralyze his opponent.

"Ah," Shikamara said, seeming surprised, "I shouldn't have done that. Man I'm too tired for this." he complained, "I'm basically out of stamina after using my jutsu," he bluffed, truthfully he was just too lazy to engage in taijutsu and he didn't want to hit a girl, "I guess I give up." he decided.

Asuma sighed, none of his team had advanced to the third phase. He supposed they'd at least beat the second phase, he just wished Shikamaru was more motivated. Ino glowered at her lazy teammate, she could tell he was bluffing. Karin stared at her opponent in shock, surprised she'd actually won somehow.

"Uh, well then, by forfeit of Shikamaru, Karin Uzumaki advances to the third phase." Hayate said, a bit surprised by the sudden throwing in of the towel as well, "So with this, the preliminaries are complete!" he announced.

Karin risked a glance at Zosui and saw the man was glaring at her despite her victory, likely due to her poor showing and the girl winced.

Shikamaru frowned, hoping the girl didn't end up dying because he was too lazy to win.

Naruto pouted, "Man, what an anticlimax." he complained in a whining tone.

---

AN: I know, I did Tenten dirty, but in my defense so does canon. Also Karin, although flashbacks imply she wasn't very impressive as a genin, and that Kusagakure merely used her for her healing abilities.

Also this is my longest chapter yet even without this note at the end. I decided not to skim over the preliminaries since, with Zaku dead, there needed to be a different team and as one very astute reviewer guessed I planned on it being Karin's team.

Translation: Ryuketsu - Bloodshed, I considered using the more simple Chi for Blood but Chi is more associated with lifeblood while Ryuketsu is more associated with blood that is spilled and could be considered a synonymn for gore.