The Chunin Exams arena was a wide, open circular area with spectator seats at the top of the walls. Like the preliminary arena, the battleground was flat. Some foliage was in the outskirts, but it was barren, perfect for an even fight. It was ironic how straightforward their combat encounters were in comparison to what an actual ninja battle was like. Eight of the ten contestants stood behind a jonin in the center.

"Hey." The jonin glanced back at an eye-wandering Naruto. He raised an eyebrow for a moment at his weirdly familiar appearance. "Face the customers." He focused on the crowd himself. "You're one of the stars."

Sarutobi and the Fourth Kazekage, really Orochimaru in disguise, sat on throne-like seats in the center balcony to their front. They exchanged greetings beforehand. It was odd but not unusual for both to be dressed in full regalia. Orochimaru wore a mask in case his old sensei was aware of the actual Kazekage's micro expressions. The old man welcomed the guests and announced the beginning of the final stage of the Chunin Exams.

Kiba, in his civvies, pointed out some empty seats in one of the balconies. "These are free!"

Nodding, Hinata took the space next to two chunin before her teammate took the one at her side. "I hope Naruto does well." She glanced at her scowling comrade. "Do you feel sore?"

He groaned. "I told you that bastard's hanging out with my sister! Even after I told her everything he said, she just brings up how I lost against him."

"You failed as the man of your house," a woman's voice behind them said. "Sure, he said a lot of crazy shit, but it's not like you could do anything about it, loser."

"Anko," the bandanna-wearing chunin greeted without turning to look.

His nose-bandaged partner turned his head to see her munching on one of the dango sticks she held between all her fingers. "Be easy on the kid."

"Oh, my favorite dumbass duo! Still being pussies while not getting any, I see."

Kiba turned to glare at the woman in fishnets. "I thought I smelled you." He raised an eyebrow as he sniffed. "Why do you smell like Naruto?" Akamaru shivering made him glance at a Hinata with murder in her eyes. "...Uh?"

"Relax, Hyuga." She munched on another dumpling. "The show's about to start."

They focused on the group below.

The jonin on the arena floor turned to the contestants. "My name is Genma Shiranui, and I'll be your proctor for this exam."

"Sasuke and Sakura aren't here yet," Naruto said, making the man shift his toothpick.

"If they don't appear in time for their match, they'll be disqualified." He focused on the rest. "The arena is different but the rules are the same: there are none, you fight until one of you can't, and I can rule when it's over. Got it?"

As a group, the present contestants nodded.

"Then we start with the first match. Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga, st–" Genma clucked his tongue at the two's almost physical animosity. "Wait until the others clear out."

Gaara looked almost jealous on his way to the waiting balcony. Shikamaru was trying to hide himself by the ever stoic Shino, hoping his complete nonexistent presence rubbed off on him. Temari and Kankuro were anxious for an unrelated reason. Dosu, disinterested in the entire affair, walked along nonchalantly.

"I know he hit Neji and beat me, but is he really that good?" Kiba asked.

From a separate balcony, Ino, sitting beside Choji, pumped her fist into the air. "You can do it, Naruto! Do it for Hinata!"

"Just watch." Anko giggled with malice. "Kakashi left him in my care and to train, so that's what I did."

"Oh no," Kotetsu said.

Izumo's face scrunched with worry. "What did you teach him?"

"Like I said, just watch."

Hiashi Hyuga, leader of the Hyuga Clan, sat beside his other, smaller daughter on another balcony. "There is no other member of our clan with such strength. Watch closely, Hanabi."

"Yes, father."

"I su–" His blank eyes widened as their representative dropped low and activated his Byakugan. "He's…"

Tenten gaped from her own seat. "Opening with that?!"

Genma waited for the other to get into a subdued jumpy stance of his own out of fairness. "Begin!" He jumped out of the way immediately, feeling something was coming.

Neji spun on his bandaged leg. "Two pa–" His eyes and many others widened at what should've been impossible: his wrists in his old foe's hands.

Naruto slammed his metal-protected forehead into his nose, let go, and took advantage of his sheer shock to uppercut his chin, sending the Hyuga into the air. He knew he'd rise the moment his back hit the ground, so he sprinted after him and jumped. While Neji kicked himself up, he palmed his face mid-air before slamming his weight down on his head, the hard ground adding to the impact. He bent his face-palming arm, letting his weight rest for a second on him, to launch himself away into a safe range.

The entire arena was quiet enough for them to hear the toothpick fall from Genma's mouth.

It wasn't enough to satisfy him, but it was a start. If he wasn't choking down years worth of anger, he'd growl at the sight of his old enemy rising. "I meant to take you down!" His voice, which could be heard by everyone in their shock-induced silence, was shaking, frustrated, gleeful, and regretful at once. "In the first series of blows!" Those words were meant for just him yet their meaning wasn't completely lost on their audience.

"...Well, I wish I could say I taught him that." Anko tore a dumpling free of her skewer to munch away.

Neji saw flashes of darting orange and barely blocked a jab to his face. He moved his other arm to block one to his gut. Succeeding, he tried to counterattack but the onslaught of fast punches kept him from gaining momentum. The blows he sustained had him off-balance and unnerved. Someone was actually pushing him back. If it were anyone else, he'd be handling it far better.

"Lee." Tenten stared at the boy in orange's footwork. It was clumsy back when she knew him as a boy. What she saw in the preliminaries was passable, albeit inefficient, but he was nearly half-dead at the time. His bounces were now short steps over child-like hops. There was no over or under extension. Despite seeming more stamina-extensive than her comrade's, it gave more control over his movements and added more force from his legs into his blows than his previous style. "Snap out of it, Neji!" She circled her lips with her hands. "You're going to lose if you don't stop him!"

His brow furrowed. Her words were the truth: he was losing. And he absolutely refused to lose to Naruto of all people. Extending his pointer fingers, he brought his arms back to thrust in the small window of time between the jabs.

It was almost child's play for Naruto, who easily predicted what his next moves would be. The Gentle Fist was effective but all too basic. He extended his middle fingers and caught his hands seeking to slow him down by disabling his lungs, bringing their fingers together. Twisting their wrists, he formed the Shadow Clone Jutsu sign, creating several dozens of clones.

"What?!" Neji didn't have time to contemplate what just happened as the Narutos pulled him off and began punching to one another like they were passing him around.

"I honestly didn't think that'd work." The real one scoffed. It was all too easy to end the fight at that point, but it would be boring to so soon. "Your taijutsu is one-trick pony trash, your Byakugan is trash, and your lack of any original technique from yourself means you're just as trash."

Then the Hyuga spun, creating a protective and damaging spiral of chakra that poofed the clones around him. "You wretch!"

"He learned that from mere observation," Hiashi said, eyes staring wide at the pride of their clan proving himself while being trampled.

Naruto bounce-stepped back as Neji spun out. "I've already seen something like that." Raising an eyebrow at the technique, he released his other shadow clones, made a single one, and drew a shuriken when he stopped.

"Oh no." Anko's free hand, clean dumplings skewers to her side, covered her mouth to hide her shit-eating grin. "That kid gave him the perfect excuse to show off."

Izumi's mouth was gaping, like the rest of theirs were. "Show off what after all of that?!"

Sarutobi's eye twitched at the clone's hand signs "She didn't!" He knew by the second dog sign she did.

"Who didn't what, Lord Hokage?" Orochimaru asked, struggling his best to keep from laughing at what he already knew.

"Try this." Naruto threw the shuriken and it was joined by hundreds of others. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He drew a kunai as Neji began spinning again to deflect them.

"Ankooooooooo!"

The woman in question broke into laughter while everyone stared at her. "Okay! That was worth it! Nice knowing you dumbasses!"

Tenten nearly threw herself over the railing. "I want that!" She recalled the target of it and sat back in her seat, doing her best to avoid other spectators' eyes. "And for him to live and win, duh."

He waited for the moment he began to stop before throwing the kunai. The clone, still having plenty of chakra left over, made the snake sign and clapped his hands. While he was sure his enemy could see it with the Byakugan, he knew there was no way for him to respond or know what was about to happen. It was too slow to his ignorant mind with the hand signs of a jutsu he never saw before minimized.

Neji realized far too late. His rotation of chakra was already gone, he lacked the momentum for the spiral to form, and the wind-launched kunai was nearing the target of his eye. Valuing his life and kekkai genkai, he managed to obstruct its path with his wrist instead. The resulting spray of blood still blinded it, but that would go away in time.

"Chunin Exams?!" Kotetsu scoffed. "That kid's on the level of a fucking jonin!"

Anko snickered, drawing their eyes again. "Oh yeah!" She glanced at Kiba. "He choked out your sister the first time they fought! And he was rusty!"

Hinata turned back to the match at hand. "Naruto...please don't kill him."

"You can try calling out to him again," Kiba said, voice downtrodden over the true gap between his preliminary foe and him.

"Have some faith." Anko began munching on the dumplings in her other hand. "He believed in you, didn't he?" She almost choked on her snack when her entire body turned red.

"I've been waiting years for this day," Naruto said, poofing everything he cloned and stomping to his wounded opponent. Even though victory was assured, he couldn't stop feeling angry below the surface. He hated him.

Neji furrowed his brow. "You always were the type to gloat." With his wounded hand, all he could do was block. He could still attack with his good arm, but they had to be devastating. Heart, lungs, and liver were his best options.

"Those eyes…" He drifted off and bared his teeth. "Everyone's always looking at me with those eyes." The Hyuga sprung when he was in range. He grabbed the handle to the kunai lodged into his wrist and twisted it. Seeing his eyes widen in pain, he jabbed his pointer and ring fingers into them. There was one last, literally-blind attempt to go for his heart, but he broke that finger with a punch and followed up with another to break the rest. He tore the kunai free, kept Neji from falling by the shoulder, held the blade to his throat, and glared at his blank with his red. "I've been dreaming of this day for so many years, and it's finally a reality! You miserable piece of shit! I've got more than enough cause for killing you! But I…" His eyes faded back to blue at the disbelieving, broken look in his. Dropping the kunai, he tossed him aside. "Oh forget it." He looked to the proctor. "Call the match already."

Genma nodded, breaking out of his shock. "Neji Hyuga is unable to continue!" He raised an arm to the direction of the victor. "Winner! Naruto Uzumaki!" The boy's timing, ingenuity, and looks reminded him of the Hokage he used to guard.

The few people who actually bet money on him were the first cheer, likely having made fortunes from what was an unlikely thing on paper.

"The power of love always triumphs!" Ino cried out with tears in her eyes.

"That boy is magnificent," Orochimaru said. "To prevail so utterly against a prime specimen of the Hyuga clan." He knew his student wouldn't fail him, even when she hated him. Perhaps she might still be worth some interest after all.

"He turned their strength into a weakness: taking advantage of their style's flaws and seeing right through their most defensive technique," Sarutobi elaborated. "You'd never have guessed he was the worst in his class."

"When have paper reports ever been accurate?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately, they're the best we have."

"I told you to have some faith," Anko chided.

Hinata gave her a dirty look. "Don't mistake my worry for doubt." She blushed at the relief she felt. "That was very hard for him."

"The match itself was a cakewalk: that kid doesn't have a scratch on him!" Izumo felt almost jealous.

Kotetsu groaned. "He's even better than us!"

"Forever chunin losers!" Anko giggled. "Maybe if you kept training, you'd be half as good as he is!"

"It's not physical ability or just skill," Hinata began. "Naruto saw through the Gentle Fist in its entirety. It doesn't need power, so we focus on speed, but how does that help us if our opponent is faster?" She pursed her lips. "It's not that Neji was slower: they were about the same speed. Naruto could react faster and saw every move he'd make. In truth, he could have won the match far earlier. He used Neji's own fingers to create Shadow Clones, saw a flaw in the Eight Trigrams Rotation after seeing it once, and just broke his fingers when he was done playing. It's unlikely he ever fought an opponent on his level that wanted to actually hurt him to that point."

"Battle analysis," Izumo said.

Anko nodded with a hum. "The kid regularly fought an Uchiha with second stage Sharingan to the point he learned how to attack when he blinked. Against an opponent who can read your every move, your best counter is reading theirs better or surprise attacks. The Byakugan's visual prowess is useful for their style, scouting, and seeing through genjutsu."

"Not reading techniques," Hinata added. "We can see attacks, but it doesn't mean we understand them."

"Kid's a shoe-in for chunin, and he'll make jonin if he gets the Hokage's attention." Kotetsu clucked his tongue.

Kiba groaned. "I need to train harder." He glanced at his comrade. "You don't want to be left behind either, right? Especially by Naruto." He choked down a laugh at her blushing face.

"Competition for him is going to be steep now." Anko grinned when she trembled. "Every girl wants a mysterious tough guy."

"Father, who is that boy?" Hanabi asked, a look of awe on her face.

Hiashi watched the figure walk up the stadium wall to the waiting balcony and the medic-nin going to the figure below. He recalled a rumor going around that the village Jinchuriki was trying to kill Neji. When he asked the boy, he simply called him a worthless nuisance. "An unfortunate child breaking the chains of his destiny." He rose from his seat. "I must see to Neji."

She, eyes fixed on the young man, nodded. "Yes, father."

The rest of the contestants paid the victor no mind, save for Gaara's bloodthirsty stare. He was going to be a difficult fight for all of them. While his teammates were nowhere to be see, he was a more than adequate representation of their strength.

What room awaited the failed contestants was another crispy white sterile box. Neji lay on one of the beds with his fingers reset, wrist bandaged, and his eyes closed. It was the most wounded he'd ever been in his entire life. While the medics told him his eyes were fine, they hurt from the gouging. The overall pain he felt in his being made that feel like a dull ache.

He opened his eyes at the door opening to see his clan patriarch walk through. "What do you want?"

"To tell you the truth." And Hiashi did. Despite being completely unnecessary, the boy's father gave his life in place of his. The Hokage was willing to go to war over the infamous kidnapping of Hinata Hyuga, but he didn't want anyone else to die after a long period of non-stop conflict the likes he wished to never experience again. He offered his head and Hizashi went in his stead, literally incapacitating him to do so, to break free from the chains that bound him. Saving his brother and anyone who could've died in an extended conflict was a bonus.

"Do you expe–" Neji froze at the sight of his uncle bowing his head as low as he could.

"Believe me, please."

Closing his eyes again, he turned his head to the ceiling. "This is unbecoming of both of us." Tears streamed down his cheeks. "A boy I wrote off as nothing, a boy that couldn't even scratch me, has become someone I couldn't even scratch. My father would respect him more than me."

"Hizashi loved you." Hiashi rose. "The words were difficult for him to find, blinded by his hatred and anger, but our lives meant everything to him. You would only lose his respect if you squandered yours for nothing. What do you want most, Neji?"

"I...want to change, like he did; like Lady Hinata did. To break free from the binds I put on myself."

He smiled and walked back to the entrance. "I know you will." With no further words, he left his nephew alone to rest.

Outside, the birds flew freely in the clear blue sky.

The crowd roared in excitement for the next match. While horribly one-sided, the first was one hell of a spectacle to watch. A genin with jonin level jutsu and skill coming from a clan no one ever heard of dominated one of the Hyuga clan, famous for their taijutsu, in taijutsu. An Aburame and a literally who Kankuro were next. After them, it was literally who Temari and a Nara. The literally whos Sakura and Dosu would fight before Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha, and Gaara of the Sand finished the first round.

"Kankuro and Shino Aburame!" Genma called out. "Come down for the next match."

The Sand ninja exchanged a look with his sister before leaning a bit over the railing. "I forfeit!"

"Pussy!" Naruto yelled from his side of the balcony.

Kankuro's grip tightened around the rail. "Fuck you, man!" He shivered as his brother glared at him. Their sister unfurling her fan broke them both out of it.

Temari, taking a page out of Team 7's book, jumped over the rails and flew down to the arena floor on her choice of ninja tool. "Hurry up, Shadow Boy!"

"Troublesome." Shikamaru was leaning on the railing when he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He blinked, turned, and saw a grinning Naruto. "...Please don't."

"Sasuke and Sakura aren't here yet." His eyes narrowed.

"Uh?"

"You're going down there to buy time, even if I have to throw you over."

He threw up his arms. "I'm walking!"

"Fucking better be! So help me if you forfeit a minute in!" Naruto shook his head free as Shikamaru disappeared into the staircase. "Looks like I'm going to have to beat your ass, Shino, or spank Temari's again, only in front of a crowd this time."

"You may find me a difficult opponent in comparison to Neji," the strange boy said.

"I don't like kekkai genkai, but I have to admit yours is pretty cool. Not quite sure how to handle a swarm of insects. Sure I'll come up with something though."

Shino murmured. "Your abilities are impressive as well."

"I know." He leaned over the railing and raised an eyebrow at Kankuro. "Why the hell are you still here? Fuck off, loser."

"I'm watching my sister's match."

He grinned. "So am I, but unlike you, we actually had the balls to fight our matches."

"You so–" The Sand ninja froze as he felt actual sand wrap around his body.

"All you've done for this entire event is be an embarrassment." Gaara willed the sand to drag him away and it did. "I'm going to kill you if you say one more pointless word."

Naruto smirked. "Thank you."

"I'm going to kill you too."

"Sasuke's going to roast you like a snake in a forest fire."

Dosu rolled his one-eye. "Can we stop measuring dicks for a minute and watch the match?" He finally spoke, pointing at the arena floor where the two contestants stared off.

"I don't want to fight, and I don't care about becoming chunin, but I'm not going to lose to a girl," Shikamaru said.

Temari scoffed. "Shadow Boy, I'm going to skin you and give it to that perverted bastard."

"He really made that good of an impression, huh?"

"It's not…" She drifted off at the facetious look on the Nara's face. "Fuck you."

Genma took a deep breath, rolled his eyes, and sighed. "Begin!"

Ino jumped up. "Get her, Shikamaru!" She looked to her other team member. "Come on! Cheer with me!" The sight of him only munching sucked the wind from her sails.

It was not a short fight. Shikamaru was blown back almost immediately, and he stayed there. Instead of attacking, he just took cover behind foliage. Naruto would've mistaken his actions for stalling on his team's behalf if it wasn't obvious he didn't have much in his arsenal. There was an attempt made with his jacket and a kunai that went pretty much nowhere.

"Damn." He groaned. "I was hoping I didn't have to do this."

"Ready to give up?!" Temari yelled.

Shaking his head, he stood up and started running around the perimeter of the arena. "Not quite yet!"

Asuma grinned with a cigarette between his teeth. "Can't laze out of this one, Shikamaru." He glanced at his curious totally platonic female friend. "Just watch, Kurenai. While not nearly as insane as Kakashi's punk, I taught him some moves."

The boy stopped short of a cutting wind, dropped down from a follow-up, sprung to his feet, unhooked his pouch, and threw it between them. "Don't laugh."

"At wh–" Temari stared as small, top-heavy balloons flew from it into the sky. "...Are you joking?"

"I wish." He dropped down and made the rat sign, extending his shadow forward. He smirked when she realized there were small yet sizable shadows dotting the arena floor. The brief moment of surprise was all it took, and the possession was complete. "I told you not to laugh." He walked over to the pouch and took out an explosive tag before approaching the girl who had no choice but to do the same without the ninja tool.

Her eyes widened. "I… I gi–"

"I give up!" Shikamaru admitted first.

"Betrayal!" Ino cried, pointing a finger at him. "After all of that training?!"

Naruto nearly jumped into the arena. "You fucking bitch! You had it!"

He dispelled the jutsu and held out his arms, careful to not trigger the explosive. "I'm running out of chakra, I just used my trump card, and I really don't want to blow a girl up while she has time to think about it!" He narrowed his eyes. "Don't you think that'd be a little fucked up?!"

"Noooo!"

Genma shook his head. "Winner! He lifted the arm in her direction. "Temari!"

Anko rolled her eyes at the two returning to the contestant balcony. "Well, that was lame."

"Eh, it was the wise thing to do," Izumo said.

Kotetsu nodded. "He'd make a good chunin."

"Maybe even better than the other one, considering he fought more with his head."

"Oh, so I guess seeing through one of our best styles and tearing it apart, like it were academy shit, isn't fighting with your head, huh?" Anko scoffed. "This is why you'll never make jonin."

Kotetsu glanced at her and scowled. "Being jonin doesn't mean you're better than us!"

"That is literally what a jonin is to a chunin," Hinata deadpanned.

Kiba patted her shoulder. "I think we should stay out of this."

"Nonsense!" Anko grabbed them both by the shoulder and leaned her head in by theirs. "Feel free to stay in as long as you want!" Her eyes narrowed. "You do agree that I'm better than these two literal gate guards, right?"

"We go on missions," Izumo protested.

Kotetsu nodded. "We're proctors for the Chunin Exams right now!"

"So am I; you're not special."

Kiba gave her an odd look. "You're a lot like Naruto."

"No, she isn't," Hinata glared at the woman and pried her hand from her shoulder.

Anko laughed as she ceased her grip. "You're cute when you're angry! If he sees you like that, I'm sure he'd think the same thing." She laughed again at her blushing.

"Is he your boyfriend or something?" Kotetsu asked, making her condition worse.

Izumo hummed. "It would explain how well he knows the Gentle Fist: intimate training sessions."

"That's enough, boys." Anko raised an eyebrow at the red, shaking Hyuga girl. "She can't take much more."

Asuma took a drag from his cigarette. The outcome wasn't ideal, but he was still proud of his student. "What do you think?"

"He'd make a good chunin," Kurenai answered. "Just needs more motivation."

"I'll make sure to tell his mother."

She choked down a laugh. "That's what's been helping him improve?"

He nodded. "A man can resist many things." He exhaled smoke. "But he is powerless in the face of his mother expecting more from him."

"Speaking from experience?"

"She's been dead for thirteen years, and I still have dreams where she tells me to do more."

Half of the next contestants being absent halted the declaration of the match. One was already forfeited before it even began, so they were holding out to appease the audience, who were getting antsy. Lee and Guy arrived to sit beside a contemplative Tenten in the meantime. Then members of the audience began voicing their complaints.

Genma glanced at Raido Namiashi, an old friend and a fellow former guard for the Fourth Hokage, flickering to his side. "Disqualification?" He hummed at his nod. "Becau–"

A leafy gust of wind in the center of the arena floor cut him off.

Naruto leapt over the railing and darted towards the three familiar figures. Crashing into two of them, he put his arms around their shoulders to bring them close, a gesture they returned. A hand patted against his head to join in. "I missed you." He could feel tears well up in his eyes as he pouted. "And you missed my match!"

"Missed you too, but we needed a wardrobe change," Sakura, in a far more form-fitting red qipao and with shorter hair, said.

Sasuke, now with the longest hair and in black, rolled his eyes. "She insisted on it, and to be fair, we were in covered in dirt." He looked him up and down. "Not a scratch on you; is Neji alive?"

"What would killing him have changed?"

Kakashi eye-smiled. "I'm proud of you!" He opened his eye and narrowed it. "Now, what did Anko do with you?"

"Nothing," Naruto half-lied.

The eye twitched. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"

He narrowed his own eyes. "Why did you give her explicit orders to protect my virginity at all costs?" He tilted his head. "My personal relationships are none of your business."

"Actually, they are."

"Naruto, don't lie to us." Sakura squinted at him. "What did that crazy lady do to you?"

"Oh come on! Not you too."

Sasuke shook his head. "If she did something, he'd be bragging about it." He glanced at the nearest proctor. "And we're holding up the exams."

"Kakashi," Raido greeted.

The Copy Ninja inclined his head. "Didn't expect to see you two here. We'll go to the proper areas, no worries."

"Sakura Haruno, I presume?" Genma spoke, looking at the girl in question. He hummed when she nodded. "Just in the nick of time." He turned to the contestant balcony. "Dosu!"

Naruto walked to the stadium wall with his teammate by his side while Kakashi flickered away. "Kick his ass, Sakura!"

"It'll be over in a minute." Sasuke smirked, walking up to the balcony the ninja way.

"Your entire team is troublesome," Shikamaru said as they reached the railing. "I'm glad I gave up."

Naruto scoffed at Sasuke's questioning look when they climbed over it. "He got the fan chick in his shadow possession and was about to paper bomb her before giving up. Something about having already lost the tournament."

"And Shino?"

The boy in question seemingly appeared from nowhere. "My opponent forfeited before the match began."

"So we only missed one fight."

"Hey," Temari and Shikamaru said in unison.

"Do you really want to compare your match to mine?" Naruto grinned at their dismayed faces. "That's what I thought."

Sasuke leaned back on the railing. "What exactly happened?"

While they explained the fight to him as they waited for Dosu to get into position, Kakashi sat behind Guy. "There are only two anbu teams here," he whispered.

"They are probably on the outside gathering intel."

The final stage of the Chunin Exams just barely started. Factors years in the making were about to collide. An attack was assured. Survival was questionable for many civilians and unprepared shinobi. It'd be unforgettable regardless.

AN: It was so satisfying to write this out. The next chapters are going to be insane. Everything has been building up to this, and we're about to hit 100k words. Granted, a few thousand of that has to be from my author's notes.

I really liked the way Shikamaru lazily fought in canon, but events in this fic made that passive combat style ineffective. Good thing events also forced him to change, whether he liked it or not.

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.