Naruto stood alongside the rest of the genin that made it passed the second stage. Like Anko said at the start, the teams would be cut in half, and thanks to the blond, he assured that two teams wouldn't proceed.
Hiruzen stood before the six teams that made it to the finals. To his delight, most of the shinobi were from Konoha with the sand siblings being the only foreign participant.
"I'm proud to say that you have all made it through the second exam. Before I continue, I'd like to explain the reasoning behind these exams." Hiruzen said as he gazed at each participant.
For the longest time, shinobi villages have been at war with each other. You see, war is a double edge sword. While their is often a victor, it doesn't come without cost. The chunin exams are made to minimize the cost and reveal a villages' strength.
While jonin exams reveal to true extent, chunin exams show the potential a village has. Also, as each village is watched by the Damiyo and others of high power, the performance of a village allows them to get new clients for more missions. In turn, this allows for the village to grow." Hiruzen said.
"But wait, if this is to avoid war, why is it that many of us are risking our lives?" Kiba asked.
"That's easy, Kiba. In the shinobi world, life or death battles are common. So, to have exams like this without any worry of death, it gives us the false expectation of what is to come." Naruto explained.
"Naruto is correct. While in the field, survival isn't guaranteed. However, these exams often minimize the chances of an early death." Hiruzen said.
Appearing inside the tower, Hayate greeted the Hokage. "Lord Third, with your permission, I'd like to take over from here." Hayate said.
"Of course, my boy." Hiruzen said with a nod.
"Alright, before we proceed on, there must be a preliminary round. Since there will be important people coming to watch these matches, we want to reduce the number of matches that would be pointless.
Since there are sixteen participants left, we'll do eight one on one matches. However, at this point, your team is no longer affected by if everyone advances." Hayate said.
"Wait, does this mean only one of us will become chunin?" Temari asked.
"No, just like winning doesn't guarantee your promotion, losing doesn't knock you out. However, by winning, you'll have more chances to reveal your skills and more people to impress." Hayate said.
"Now, the names will be randomized and two people will be selected." Hayate said as the electric board started going through names.
"The first match will be, Sasuke Uchiha and Tenten. Can I have everyone except those two, go to the stands?" Hayate called out.
As Sasuke stood with a smug expression, he was met by Kakashi. "Sasuke, don't use your Sharingan. It will cause your curse mark to act up. If that happens, I'll step in and end the match myself." Kakashi said in a stern tone.
"Right." Sasuke said.
"The rules are simple, you win by knocking out your opponent or killing them. I will step in if I deem a match one sided to save as many lives as possible. Please begin." Hayate said.
Tenten jumped backwards into the air as she flicked three kunai. Sasuke saw this easily deflected the kunai, only for them to have exploding tags on them.
"Shit." Sasuke thought as he quickly moved to the right, only to receive a kunai stabbed into his shoulder.
"Damn, this girl is fast and good with weapons." Sasuke thought as he looked up.
"I thought the Uchiha were known by all and feared by all? I guess Lee really exaggerated your level of skill." Tenten taunted.
"Hmph, I'll show you skill." Sasuke said as he flicked five kunai that were connected to ninja wire. Twnten saw this and was able to avoid the direct damage.
However, as she moved, the woman found herself tied up in ninja wire. "What? How did I let myself get caught so easily?" Tenten asked.
Sasuke went through a series of hand seals. "Time to show you why the Uchiha are the greatest. Fire Release - Fire Dragon Jutsu!" Sasuke roared as his fire Dragkn charged at Tenten.
"Kakashi, a jutsu of that level isn't need. What is that boy thinking?" Guy asked with a serious expression.
"The kid likes to reveal what he can do. Nothing either of us say will change anything." Kakashi said lazily.
Tenten was able to break free of the ninja wire by her hidden kunai. This allowed her to dodge the fire jutsu. However, she found herself kicked into the air in the same fashion that Lee did to Sasuke.
"No way, he copied Lee's movement." Guy said.
"What do you expect from a clan that's only known for stealing other people's hard work." Naruto said as he watched.
"You have the Sharingan too, that's pretty hypocritical." Sakura pointed out.
"Actually, Sakura. I've never stolen a fellow Shino I'd jutsu and anytime I've copied an enemies jutsu, I've only used it as a last resort. I actually create my own versions of these jutsu that work differently, but share the base core." Naruto explained.
Sasuke continued kicking Tenten in the air as he was floating behind her. "Alright, I'll admit that I stole that technique. But from here on out, it's completely original." Sasuke muttered.
The raven haired boy swung his fist over and struck Tenten in the chest, and then followed up with his heel into her stomach, smashing her to the ground. This caused Tenten to cough up blood and get knocked out.
"Lions Barrage!" Sasuke roared as he was sent flying from the momentum.
Hayate walked up and saw Tenten was knocked out, while Sasuke was still awake. "Alright, Sasuke Uchiha wins." Hayate said.
"Alright, way to go Sasuke!" Sakura cheered.
"You showed her, Sasuke!" Ino cheered in as well.
"Tenten!" Lee exclaimed but was stopped by Guy.
"Relax, Lee. She lost fair and square. But we must not let our flames of youth be extinguished. We will make our flames burn brighter than ever!" Guy said.
"That little bastard took Lee's taijutsu." Anko said as she was leaning against the railings. Next to Naruto.
"Don't worry, he's nothing but a bullshit copy." Naruto said.
"Alright, it's time for the next match." Hayate said as the names were being scrambled. "Shino Aburame will battle Kankuro. Please come down." Hayate called out.
"I'm sorry, proctor. But I'm pretty beaten up from the second exam. I'd like to forfeit." Kankuro said.
"Understood, the winner by default is Shino Aburame." Hayate said.
"Kankuro, why did you surrender?" Temari asked her brother.
"I don't want to reveal any secrets if I don't have to. If I were you, I'd stick to only taijutsu." Kankuro said.
"Coward." Gaara muttered as he watched the names get scrambled once more.
"You lucked out, but boy." Sasuke taunted but received no answer from Shino.
"I'd like to have Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi step down." Hayate called out.
"Shikamaru, I can't fight you. You're my best friend." Choji said.
"Relax, Choji. You're my best friend too. But come on, I think you've got a good chance against me." Shikamaru said, shocking everyone with his motivational words.
After a few minutes, Choji nodded. "Alright, I'll fight you." Choji said and the two boys walked down to the center of the arena.
"If both are ready, let the match begin." Hayate said.
Shikamaru jumped back and flicked a kunai. "Partial expansion jutsu!" Choji shouted as his left arm grew massively in size. He was able to deflect the kunai with ease.
Choji followed up and while he was moving slow, the power behind his enlarged arm caused the arena to shake. "Damn, if I'm hit by that, I'll be in trouble Shikamaru thought.
Choji slammed his fist into the ground, causig the arena floor to shake. "Sorry Shikamaru, but I'm going to win!" Choji declared as he used his arm as a way to send himself flying.
As the larger boy grew closer, Shikamaru rolled forward and when Choji took a few minutes to recover, he'd already get caught.
"Shadow possession jutsu." Shikamaru said as Choji began mimicking his friend's movements.
"Damn, you got me. Proctor, I concede the match, I cannot win." Choji said.
"Huh? Why are you giving up so easily?" Ino yelled.
"He got me with his shadow. There was nothing Incould do." Choji said as he shook Shikamaru's hand.
"He was holding back greatly. It's because of their friendship that he didn't want to go all out." Naruto said.
"Huh? You mean?" Kiba asked.
"That's right. Choji can't hurt his friends. While it's looked down upon among shinobi. He's someone that would never abandon their friends." Naruto said as he nodded towards the boy with a soft smirk.
Choji saw this and nodded back. "Alright, hopefully my match is next." Naruto said as he watched the screen shuffle through names.