"There're now only fifty examinees left on the stage. With their numbers having dwindled so much and needing to dwindle more still, how do you guys think it will impact the exam?"

"I've no idea, though I'd imagine it's going to get way cooler with all the weaklings filtered out!"

"I wouldn't say that only the weaklings have gotten filtered out. Some serious competitors have run into insurmountable walls, made bad calls or flat out got unlucky. It was never a question that this Battle Royal would be a grueling process."

"And it seems like the examinees have finally decided it is enough of standing around one another and staring each other down. Some action is taking place again."

"Indeed, Oaira Taitgren, the final remaining member of Team Phobos from Getsugakure is showing initiative. The Ninja Info Cards state that she uses ninjutsu of ritualistic nature and it's interesting to see what that is, exactly."

"Her hand seal speed is certainly impressive, it took her no time at all to draw a hexagonal barrier around that Akimichi gent."

"That Akimichi gent is Chominu Akimichi. He is the last remaining member of his team as well so it is quite fitting that these two would find each other."

"It looks like this Chominu guy has tricks of his own! He's made rocks burst from underground and he's trying to peel the barrier cage open."

"Right you are, Konohamaru, however, it doesn't look like it's too successful."

"That's an understatement, Moegi, is it just me, or are the walls of the barrier closing in?"

"They are! They are closing in!"

"Damn! Chominu Akimichi got flattened inside the barrier, crushed by his own rocks, he needs the staff to pull him out in this condition!"

"Wh-What's going on now? It's getting a bit hard to see a thing, isn't it?"

"Y-You're right, I'm not… Not sure, it seems like the place is getting too steamy to see, come on, show us the damned view, you damn tin-can!"

"Konohamaru, stop bashing the tech, if you break it – we won't be able to see for good."

"Yeah… What a shocking difference to what we've got here now!"

"Don't bite the television box, I can get the bashing but biting it, you're just damaging your own teeth at this point…"

"Phut uph, Oegi!"

"Konohamaru, wait, I think I understand what's going on. It's Igaten Raizo and his Hidden Mist Jutsu."

"Oh…"

"I bet Konohamaru feels like an idiot now, it's such a common technique amongst Kirigakure ninja!"

"Shut up, Moegi, you didn't get it either and Udon only put it together because he's read those Ninja Info Cards!"

"Oh, the mist's clearing up. Igaten Raizo is a very skilled combatant inside that mist. He is a capable combatant with many weapons commonly employed by ninja, however, inside the Hidden Mist Jutsu, his efficiency is said to grow tenfold. Let us see who he has eliminated…"

"Oh, yeah! I bet he's cut down like… Three… No… Five examinees in this time!"

"Wow… All three? Don't you wanna dream a bit larger than that?"

"Shut up, Moegi, I'm trying to be rational and objective here, you should try it!"

"Right…"

"Oh no! What an upset! Igaten Raizo is down on the floor, he hasn't eliminated anyone!"

"You're underselling it a bit, I think, Udon, my colleague. I wonder whose foot is atop of his chest right now? Could it be Larissa Alexandersson from Kirigakure? If you wanna talk competent, I don't think it gets any more competent than disposing of a hidden assassin inside his own mist, robbed of one's sight with the silence of the mist shrieking into your ears and making you deaf to the sneaky steps that lead up to your demise."

"What's so competent about eliminating someone from your own village?"

"There are no allegiances here, silly Konohamaru, everyone's for themselves, haven't you gotten that committed to your failing memory yet?"

"Whatever… Whose side are you on anyway, cheering for a Kirigakure kunoichi… I'm telling Future Naruto to keep an eye on Future You…"

"That aside, it does seem that Larissa Alexandersson is an impressive kunoichi. Her Ninja Info Card does not list any notable skillsets aside her taijutsu prowess and she's demonstrated plenty of that already today, let's not forget it was her who stopped Kei-J's unequaled rampage across the entire stage earlier."

"Yeah, go, Larissa!"

"Uh-oh, it looks like Moegi's little favorite is in trouble!"

"You stuff that tongue back, and I hope that your eyes stay that way, you monkey-boy!"

"Crude or not, Konohamaru's commenting with objectivity here as both Gyllfa Ellidani the wicked old bones wrestler of Team Kyanite and Tarui have united their skills against the Kirigakure wild card. I've heard that Kumogakure and Iwagakure have had a falling out in this universe, prompting most Iwagakure ninja to either bolster Kumogakure's dwindled forces or to disband, I wonder if her changed allegiances helped her at all to work alongside a Kumogakure ninja?"

"Hmph… If anything, she should've been bitter about that. I'd look to kick as many Kumogakure ninja butts as I could in that old lady's shoes…"

"Konohamaru might have been onto something! Old lady Gyllfa has locked her hand around Tarui's wrist from behind, just as the two were preparing to charge at Larissa and pulled her in for a jaw-breaking knee strike! What a backstabber!"

"It looks like that one kick was enough to knock Tarui out. It takes four staff members rushing in to pull the unconscious kunoichi out of the stage to stop Gyllfa from finishing her suplex that would probably break the neck of the Kumogakure ninja. That's one lady that's not willing to collaborate with the occupant."

"Konohamaru… Maybe you shouldn't say that out loud… It might cause Gyllfa some trouble back home. You should be more sensitive about politics than this."

"Calm down, Moegi, nobody can hear us but Future Big Bro Naruto and whoever else is listening in with him."

"Whoa. Gyllfa darted off to the other side of the stage and used the walls to kick off harder at Larissa Alexandersson but the Kirigakure wild card countered with an arm-bar of her own. I do not like the way that Gyllfa's arm bent."

"Oh no! That looks so awful."

"Yep, they're pulling her out, she's out too. I guess she'd have rather stabbed a Kumogakure ninja in the back and gotten kicked out than collaborated with one for a potential win. The old lady's got some spunk in her bones still!"

"Now there's a big, six-pack challenge going on in the eastern part of the stage. Check that out, Udon."

"You're right, it seems like Yukata from Sunagakure, some weird-looking black-haired guy with silver, whirly eyes, Hoshigaki Morei of Kirigakure, Epsiriya Corot from Iwagakure, Shikadai Nara from Konohagakure and Ameno from Sunagakure are all duking it out there."

"Wait, you mean to say that you don't know that guy's name?"

"The one with long, black hair and silver eyes that look like Pain's eyes? Nope, there were no Ninja Info Cards on that guy."

"We may not know who that creepy guy is but he's sure whooping some ass! Just now he's jumped way over Shikadai's Shadow Possession and placed his arm on the ground, it seems like the returning shadow tendril isn't affecting him at all!"

"That seems to be like some sort of chakra absorption ability…"

"Uh! His arms are spread out! What!?"

"Holy shit!"

"Th-That's the ability Pain used back in Konoha! Wh-What's going on here!?"

"Wow, that creepy, silver-eyed guy seemed to have even psyched Udon out… Mind reporting the losses, maybe?"

"Why don't you do it, genius?"

"You know very well that I can't without the Ninja Info Cards, Moegi!"

"Udon has just called all those guys out, surely you can do it by memory!"

"Nope… Forgot all their names already…"

"Don't… Don't laugh as if you're proud of that…"

"Teehee… Sorry 'bout that…"

"Anyway… This mystery examinee seemed to have used some uncanny gravity manipulation ability and pushed everyone around him away from him, they all hit their heads pretty hard on their way back so… It looks like this one creepazoid eliminated Yukata, Ameno, Morei, Corot and Shikadai all at once."

"The weird part of that is that nobody seems to have focused their attention on that guy. It's as if the gusto that invites the examinees to challenge whoever is kicking up a ball has gone so much overboard that it's actually popped and out went all the courage from that deflating balloon. Nobody wants a piece of that guy, it seems."

"Let's leave that up in the air, for now, look there, Momochi Kuchige from Kirigakure has collided with the staunch Kazami of Kusagakure in the center of the stage!"

"What are your predictions of this engagement?"

"Well… Kazami is a shinobi who uses waving a flag for a fighting style so… Probably a not too favorable engagement when looking from his end."

"Don't go around counting the chickens yet! Kazami's Wind Release blasts seem to be holding Kuchige in place and inconveniencing him quite a decent amount. He might still get blown back and hit the edge of the cube and snap his neck, or something…"

"You were saying?"

"Contrary on Konohamaru's predictions, Momochi Kuchige has used his Water Style whip-like tendrils to race across the entirety of the range between the two and pull the flag out of Kazami's hands. From that point on, it was all too easy for a whip to slam Kazami to the ground and knock him out."

"Whatever… I just wanted to keep the discussion and intrigue alive. I bet Kazami worked really hard to hone those flag-waving skills and all of you just dismissed him immediately. Plus, that Kuchige guy looks really shady, dressing like a pompous prick, like that… Does he really need to wear that cape, I ask of you?"

"Just because the guy takes care of his hair and wears his best tuxedo to a battle doesn't mean he's nefarious."

"Though, you must admit, Moegi, he does appear somewhat villainy dressing like that…"

"Okay, yeah… I do see him as the type of guy to tie a fair maiden to a tree and leave her in a forest somewhere…"

"Nevermind that, we've got ourselves another alliance of two, waging a valiant struggle against all around them, looking to eliminate as many people as possible to hasten the end of the exams!"

"Indeed, Konohamaru, I don't believe that Doshu Goetsu and Jishi Hitokawa of Konohagakure's own Team Fir have anything in common. They have to just both favor the good, old fashioned fisticuffs outside of the Demonic Trilimbo seals, where they can utilize the full extent of their abilities for a better chance at victory and therefore they're aligning their forces."

"And there goes Vinda Calkem, overwhelmed by Jishi's Wind Release bubble that seems to manipulate the opponent almost like some telekinetic lift, if you will. Batsu of Team Shiore also got a rough slam from Jishi's Wind Release gusts. What an unexpectedly efficient guy!"

"Examinee Obito might have seen through the flurry of chops of the examinee Kiyomi from Konoha, but he didn't see the ring locking around his waist and a blowgun dart putting him to sleep coming. Doshu Goetsu proved that he too has something to add to this strange alliance."

"Although those two must not have seen the response coming. Where they've assumed that they would just put their forces together for the common goal, the remaining pool of examinees responded with an impromptu alliance of three instead."

"That's right, Moegi. Qarsufly from Sunagakure, Koshira Guna of Kirigakure and Akimichi Chocho have forged an alliance of necessity, though it remains to be seen if this alliance is meant for a greater goal than just to bust this team of two."

"Qarsufly's summoned Ninja Beetles have already rammed poor Doshu Goetsu and pinned him to the ground. It doesn't look like the poor guy's conscious so we can expect an intervention from the staff at any point now."

"Be that as it may, but we've already seen examinee Jishi achieve great success with his impressive Wind Release ninjutsu range control. Look at him manhandling Koshira Guna, it doesn't matter how tough that girl is, she can't handle being slammed against the floor this many times!"

"And she didn't… Wait a second! Oooh! She seems to have collapsed into some disgusting snot! It was a clone! A goop clone! It was a goop clone all along and all of us bought it! Jishi is in serious trouble, submerged in snot, she's just like you, Udon. She uses snots for fighting too! You've gotta ask her out!"

"Uh… Well… That's a bit…"

"Don't be so mean, Konohamaru, that young lady looks to be far out of Udon's league anyway, don't set the poor guy up for heartbreak like that!"

"Uh… Well… Guys… Come on…"

"Yeah, you're right, she's probably proud of her ability, judging by how much skin she shows, she's way too confident for you, Udon. Sorry, buddy…"

"…"

"You broke him again, Konohamaru!"

"Okay, let's just agree that it was a mutual breaking, you've also added more than a pinch of it."

"And I'm gonna just… Swoop!"

"Yeah, that's a good call, Moegi, while Moegi's getting accustomed to working those Ninja Info Cards, I'll let you all know that Chocho pitched into eliminating Jishi with a supersized butt-slam. While Jishi must have been proud of wearing that helmet on his head, no helmet can prevent concussion."

"Ahh! It seems like this alliance broke through the moment they were done with those two, now they're fighting in between each other!"

"Qarsufly's beetles are swarming Guna, as agile as that girl is, you've gotta ask yourself, for how long can she evade all of those attacks without getting tagged?"

"Plus, she's still doing her best to keep that oversized top-hat attached to her head too, it's not the best time worrying about one's wardrobe in the middle of a battle…"

"Moegi, that brings a fair point, do you have anything valuable to pitch in on wardrobe?"

"Look, wear whatever you want, but all I'm saying is, I'd like to pull off that tight and flashy jacket and shorts but I don't think that the usual argument made for the agility that the fishnets provide applies with a uniform as tight as this."

"You might be right…"

"There you go, she's impaled on a beetle horn now…"

"No!"

"Goddamn she duped us all again!"

"It was a goop clone!"

"Son of a…"

"It was a goop clone! It was a goop clone all along!"

"The goop is going into the beetle's eyes, in between the chitin shell links, it's an all-around bad time, it's a what the pros call not-where-you-wanna-be-in-situation."

"And that beetle's kind of going haywire…"

"Watch out!"

"Uh-oh, that beetle ended up eliminating Qarsufly himself by accident."

"Chocho is going for it, she's seeing red, she's hearing voices!"

"She's going for that Lightning Release: Thunderclap Fist from up above, in her Butterfly Form, no less!"

"Well, it looks like that's it, I don't think anyone's excited about it but… This time Guna didn't make the replacement in time."

"I think I saw her tripping up on the tail of her jacket, it might not have been the best idea to have those strings go down quite that far."

"And there you have it, folks. Chocho might just make it through the second stage of the exams if she keeps this up."

"Oh! Wait just a goddamn second! Larissa Alexandersson, ladies, and gentlemen!"

"Wait… Wait up… She can't seem to land one punch, it's as if her opponent is quite literally inside her mind!"

"It truly is a feat to behold, considering the fact that Larissa is known in her village for a particularly wild and unpredictable hand-to-hand combat style. The Wild Fist it is called. It is comprised of swings using the Lion's Paw stance, where one's fingers are bent inward and one strikes from the entire palm or swipes and hooks with the bent inward fingers and performs agile kicks and vaults."

"Nevertheless, her opponent, Kiyomi from Konoha has the number of Larissa Alexandersson, it seems. She's got her downloaded completely. What a brutal combination of blows, it does the deed, though. Unexpected but… Examinee Larissa Alexandersson, Moegi's favorite has been downed and eliminated. I bet that just makes you furious, doesn't it, Moegi?"

"Nice try, Konohamaru, I'm all for girl solidarity but… If you'd pay attention for once, you'd notice that Larissa has been eliminated by none other than Yamanaka Kiyomi, not only a fearsome kunoichi in her own right but also a Konoha ninja, the alternate version of Konoha but Konoha nevertheless! Solidarity is even stronger with this one! Go, Kiyomi! You're my favorite now!"

"Ugh… Sometimes I can't even with this one…"

"I have to admit, Konohamaru, you're a loose cannon most of the time but your declaration of your favorite competitor has been consistent, at the very least, even if your favorite isn't even competing."

"Thank you, Udon and… Hey, glad to have you back."

"And what we're seeing on the other side of the stage is no less impressive as well – examinee Sarada has eliminated Yodo from Sunagakure by outmatching her in taijutsu skill, it's no wonder, seeing her flaring Sharingan eye."

"Forget that, another clash between two kunoichi on the eastern side!"

"No shit, I can hear the sound of shattering from here, whoever that poor blond girl is, she's not putting up much resistance against Wakizashi Meiko from Konoha."

"Yep, barriers aren't meant to be broken by a mere punch but Meiko sure makes it look easy. That's a wicked right cross and Meiko's right on top of the poor kid, somebody, please remove her already!"

"And there she goes. I think she gave up, I don't think she's been knocked out. Yep… The staff is leading her away and she's on both of her feet. What a poor kid, to be frightened so much that she just called it quits after going so far, not only that, she's almost outlasted the rest!"

"That's right, the tears of Namikaze Asuka are understandable when you realize that there are now just thirty examinees left in the entire competition. While tears are unsightly for a ninja, she was so very close…"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter how close you were, look at the childish fit she's throwing, she got beat, she's the one who called it quits, she's the only one to blame…"

"You know, Konohamaru… You're the one to blame people for being childish…"

"I'm just not too fond of quitters, especially ones that then whine and complain about their loss when they were the ones to quit."

"It didn't seem like she had much choice. Meiko was ready to pound her into a swollen pulp from a superior standing position. None of Asuka's barriers seemed to be fending anything off."

"Come on, Udon. Let's just call this thing to the end."

"Right…"