Hey. I had a REALLY bad week. I was pretty much a zombie the entire weekend afterwards. Oh well, I think I'm back to normal now. Not much else to say, except review responses. I must say, I'm pretty pleased this time around, although I didn't get many of my old reviewers back. Oh well. Let's try to make at least 10 reviews for this chapter, okay?

Mangalover248: Who doesn't like a mooning scene?

Full-metal-sousuke: Well, every now and then leave one. Please?

Dead Prince: No

Mrfipp: Never thought about that either. I guess just run around and yell like an MMA fighter who just won a fight?

HawkofNavarre: You shall stand whenever you read my fics! (Displays scariest cattle prod ever). Well, unless you've been working a part-time job, you won't know busy until you hit college. But I've been where you are…it never does get any easier.

Pirogeth: Well, I was just trying to point out that the names I pick for characters just come out of nowhere. If you liked what happened between Yuji and Takeda then, you'll love it here!

Doom187: Lee's team is essentially comprised of our other ultimate martial arts stars, and I ripped off other anime characters (those won't last). And you should figure out what Naruto's team will become like.

DanielNieves: It can be frustrating, huh? You'll see a taste of what's to come regarding Sasuke…

And for today's disclaimer, Tony Jaa will say it! Go ahead, Mr. Jaa!

Jaa: (says something in Thai)

So long as that means some variant of 'I don't own Naruto, we're good!

Random Translator: He also said he's going to file a lawsuit for stealing his character as well.

WHAT? YOU AND WHAT ARMY?

(Jaa gets in Muay Boran stance)

….How much?

Everyone eagerly awaited their match. And everyone was nervous. Naruto was sure his team would be okay. Even if they didn't make it this time, there would be other chances; all that mattered to him was that they came out alive. Sakura was a bit worried though. She wasn't entirely truthful to Naruto; she did request to be there, but not for the other teams. She was worried about his team, especially Yuji.

Finally, the screen began its selection. "So," Shiguri said. "Who wants a go at Takeda?" The entire trio raised their hands. "Well, whoever fights him first better send him home crying!" They turned their heads to the screen. First came Shiguri. "Yes…come on, Takeda, come on…" The second name came up: Saitou Kenshin. "Damn!" Shiguri cursed. "Oh well, guess I gotta."

Further down, Team 9 wished Kenshin luck. He simply nodded. "Uryuu…this is meant to be a one-on-one fight strictly. As much as I would appreciate it otherwise, do not help me." Uryuu nodded in response.

Shiguri leapt down to the floor, as did Kenshin.

Shiguri stared at his opponent, and regretted that he didn't even watch. "If I knew that I'd have to face everyone taking the test in a battle, I wouldn't have got up and left like that." He thought.

"All right." Udon said. "You are allowed to fight using whatever techniques and tools you deem necessary. While we do want you all to attack with the intent to kill, should it look like any one of you will die, I shall stop the fight." Shiguri and Kenshin indicated they understood. Udon raised his hand, and threw it down. "Begin!"

Shiguri pulled out a kunai and threw it at Kenshin, who vanished. Before Shiguri could react, he saw the red-head boy to his side, who delivered a kick to his kidneys. Shiguri rolled onto the floor. "He's fast…I didn't even see him move!" Shiguri stumbled to his side, narrowly avoiding a straight punch that with its sheer speed would have smashed his head into the wall…which was a good 3 meters on the other side. Shiguri flipped over, and noticed in the nick of time Kenshin was up higher than him, and preparing a drop kick. Shiguri blocked it, but the momentum his opponent had built would've fractured his arms had he not broke the engagement at the last second. Shiguri could not hope to hit this guy. Not under normal tactics.

Just then, Kenshin came upon him again. "Let's finish this!" Just when he executed his first strike, a mud wall rose up. Even with his incredible speed, he could not hope to bring it down. Not only that, but he couldn't stop himself from attacking the wall.

Iori asked "What's he doing?"

Hanabi looked on. "He has practiced that technique so many times he can do it without thinking. However, because of that, the muscle memory is too strong; he can't stop the attack if he wanted to!"

Kenshin finally delivered his last strike. His fist went right through the wall, but stopped midway. "Good." Shiguri whispered. He grabbed hold of the arm and brought Kenshin to him. Shiguri punched him in the face and began to twirl with him. Shiguri finally let him go, hoping to slam his opponent into the wall.

"Shiguri, no!" Naruto shouted.

Kenshin planted his feet into the wall and launched himself spinning back at his opponent. Shiguri was back-handed across the face and fell to the ground. He was up, but he kept taking hits. "You will never land one hit on me. My God-Speed is unbeatable."

Shiguri panted "First of all, I caught you off guard once. Second…"

Suddenly Kenshin stumbled. He regained his footing, but found out he couldn't move. He looked down, and found out that the floor became mud.

"This is it!" Shiguri shouted. Several earth dragons came out of the ground. "Kazudoryu redan!" Shiguri shouted. They went straight for Kenshin.

Kenshin retracted his left fist for a straight punch, and chakra became visible all around his body. Kenshin got into a stance preparing for an upper cut. "Amatsu Garuda Hirameki!" Quicker than the eye could see, a massive chakra blast blew all the dragons away. Everyone shielded themselves from the light. When it died down, Kenshin smiled at the result. Shiguri was stunned, had burns all over his body, and his clothes were in ruins. Just when Kenshin smirked, Shiguri's body cracked and crumpled. "A-a clone?"

Suddenly, Shiguri's voice came from below. "Congratulations! You've just won the grand prize!" Kenshin was pulled under until only his head was above the surface. Shiguri emerged. "That move cost you all of your chakra, right?" Kenshin hung his head down.

Udon held up his hand. "The winner is Naka Shiguri!" Shiguri held both of his hands in his pockets as he made his way back up the stairs. Meanwhile, Sakura went to dig Kenshin out.

The board began to randomly select again. "Please me vs. Takeda, please me vs. Takeda…" both Yuji and Iori whispered. Finally, the board made its selection: Hyuuga Hanabi vs. Shidan Kagome.

The two contestants stepped down.

"You're either someone very special…or Konoha's standards have dropped." Hanabi teased her, with no hint of emotion. Kagome just stuck her tongue out.

Udon held his hand, and yelled "Begin!"

Naruto looked down from the stands. "There's no way a little girl like that could win!"

"Hey!" Kiba shouted at Naruto. "I thought you of all people would understand not to underestimate the underdog! Kagome is a genius, let me tell you! Just watch!"

Shikamaru cut in. "So is Hanabi. It will take more than intelligence to bring her down."

Hanabi activated her Byakugan, and charged. She struck…and Kagome evaporated into nothing. "What…?" Suddenly, everything was spinning violently. Hanabi felt sick, and held her stomach. "Genjutsu."

Kagome's voice chimed in. "I know hand-to-hand combat with you is suicide. So, I concocted this little illusion."

Hanabi was adept at shuriken throwing while blindfolded, but right now her whole equilibrium was disrupted. Her line of thought was interrupted when she felt the little girl's presence closing in on her. Hanabi rolled away, but still felt a kunai slash her arm. "Damn!"

The jonins, who were not affected by the illusion, were stunned. Naruto shouted "Wow, Kiba! You weren't kidding!"

Kiba said "Yeah, just don't do anything stupid like yell Kagome's position. Otherwise, I'll kill you. Right here, right now." Naruto sweat dropped.

Shikamaru, looking bored as usual, said "No, it's not going to last."

Kagome made a charge for the Hyuuga, and it seemed like this would be it. Suddenly, Hanabi turned to face her and shoved a palm into her chest. Not only did this send the little girl flying, but she felt her tenkatsu close. "H-How…"

Hanabi pulled her sleeve, revealing where the tenkatsu on her own body was struck. "To cancel out your genjutsu, I disrupted the flow of my own chakra. Are there anymore tricks you'd like to throw in?"

Kagome growled, and pulled out a scroll. She threw it in the air, and made her signs. "Ryuuseiu no jutsu!" Kunai with explosive tags came shot out of the scroll. Hanabi leapt out of the way. With her byakugan, she could easily see them all…except for one which landed in her blind spot. It went off, and she tumbled to the ground. "Here's the last of them!" Kagome shouted as the kunai came raining down on her opponent. However, Hanabi stood up and twisted. Chakra surrounded her body and began twisting with her. The rotation technique repelled the kunai…including one that got Kagome's sleeve and pinned her to the wall. She made a motion to throw the kunai away, but by then the fuse reached the end and went off.

"Kagome!" Kiba shouted.

The girl lay unconscious, with a bad burn on the side of her face.

"The winner is Hyuuga Hanabi!" Udon called.

The standard medics took care of Hanabi's scratch, while Sakura got to work on Kagome. When the child came to, Sakura said "Don't worry, you did very well. Most genin would be completely helpless against a Hyugga. I can easily see you appointed chunin within a few months." Though Kagome was still disappointed by the outcome, she still smiled, acknowledging Sakura's words.

"When are we going to get our turn?" Yuji and Iori shouted.

"Soon enough." Naruto replied. "Man, was I really that eager to fight back then?"

The screen started again, and the results were in: Inuzuka Hige vs. Crystal Li. Hige was nervous; he had been training, but the two C-ranked missions he had did not prepare him for combat with another ninja.

"Go get her, Hige!" Kiba shouted.

The two stood facing each other, and Udon yelled "Begin!"

"Go get her, Genmai!" Hige commanded.

Genmai bore his teeth and charged at Li. Li, however, leapt over it and delivered a side kick to Hige's sternum. Hige fell back, and threw a smoke bomb at Li. Disoriented, Li stumbled back, and Genmai attacked again. Victory seemed promising when Li was heard yelling behind the smoke screen. However, Genmai yelped, and retreated into Hige's arms. Hige felt him, and noticed blood. The wound was superficial, but it still angered him. When he looked up, Li stood there, holding a small knife in her hand.

"It must have been tucked away in her sleeve." Hige thought. Hige and his dog surrounded Li. Genmai went in first, and attacked the same arm he bit. Li beat him away, and anticipated Hige running towards her. She threw a spinning back fist to her other side. However, Hige was just outside of kicking range, and once her fist came to a half circle, he pulled out a kunai and pounced on her. He did not intend to kill her though; just press the weapon at her neck so she would not struggle, and from there, he began to elbow her while she was on the ground. Li then grabbed Genmai, who was guarding her, and rubbed his body against Hige's eyes. Though it did not get him off, the distraction made him loosen his hold, and then she was able to flip him off her body. Hige wiped his mouth. "She's good. " He and Genmai charged again, but retreated once they were almost upon her. At the last second, Li pulled out twin dao. Most standard ninja weapons would not stand up to them, and using Genmai as a shield was out of the question. Hige reached into his pocket and pulled out a soldier pill. "Genmai! Catch!" Genmai swallowed the pill. Though his fur did not change color like Akamaru, it began to display a spiky texture, much like a hedgehog. Hige got on all fours, and his dog jumped on top of him. Genmai transformed into a duplicate of Hige. "Beast Mimicry!" Hige shouted. They both charged at different directions. Both managed to make a few scratches on the girl, but Li forced them away with her swords. "Enough of this!" Hige yelled. Genmai got on top of him. "Getsuga!" Both were spinning in a tornado towards Li.

Li crossed her swords and said " Kiritasen RyuDao!" She too propelled forward, spinning like a buzz saw. The two seemed to pass each other, and both opponents touched down opposite to one another. Li got a wound across her stomach, but it wasn't serious.

Hige actually came out okay. But he looked to his side and saw Genmai collapse in a pool of blood. Hige ran over. "Genmai!" He clutched his dog, trying his best to hold back tears. Though he did not notice, Li was shedding a few tears of her own. Hige brought his face up. "Kiba! Is Cousin Hana around here?"

Hana came up and picked Hige up. "I'll take him to the clinic immediately." Before she left, she said to Hige "The two of you worked great together. I hope you and Genmai can make it next time."

"Who said I was forfeiting?" Hige hissed. Hana looked at him, stunned. "Hige! The Inuzuka clan has always fought with their dogs as one! If you continue…"

Kiba interrupted. "Hold it, sis! Let him fight!"

Hana was about to protest, but once she saw the look in Hige's eyes, she relented. "Okay." She took Genmai away, and let the fight continue.

Li said "I'm sorry about your dog. But without him, you can't win. Please, forfeit." Hige didn't respond. "Very well." Li replied. Li charged, slashing her two dao at Hige. The Inuzuka boy dodged only by a hair, but it was clear that he had the fight under control so far. Hige landed some low kicks to stop Li's momentum, but she managed to land a good slice on Hige's shoulder. Hige yelped, and fell over. "This is it!" Li shouted as she prepared to stab her opponent's foot. Hige reached into his pocket and tossed a smoke bomb. Or at least what appeared to be a smoke bomb. Instead of smoke, a greenish liquid was expelled. "AAAAH!" Li screamed. "My eyes!"

She dropped her weapons to hold her eyes. That would be her fatal mistake. "Getsuga!" Hige shouted. Alone, he became a swirling projectile and rammed into Li dead on. The girl tumbled across the floor, and hit the wall.

Udon looked, and could see she was unconscious. "The winner is Inuzuka Hige!"

Hige didn't cheer like the others; instead he ran right over to follow Genmai and Hana.

"What was that your cousin threw at her?" Naruto asked Kiba.

"His dog's pee, for lack of a better word. The dogs we raise have urine that is highly acidic, and can be used offensively. Hige must've prepared for an event where Genmai would be out of commission."

Naruto nodded, then asked "So…are you going to check up on them?"

"Soon. Hige is too emotionally distraught to pay attention to his potential opponents. So, I gotta do it for him. I'm sure Genmai is fine; Akamaru took injuries much worse and survived to bark about them."

The board began its selection once more. "Come on, let this one be me!" Iori and Yuji practically screamed.

Iori's name came up first. "Yes!"

Then another name: Kurohyo Sougen.

"Huh?" Iori yelled.

Naruto said "I think your opponent is the one grass ninja that stayed here."

Iori looked to where Kurohyo was. He was toned fairly well. His hair was brown and spiky, and his eyes were a fierce yellow color. He had combat pants, a wife-beater t-shirt and a pampas grass cape on his back. He also had a nasty look on his face.

Naruto patted her shoulder. "Listen, I don't know why you want to fight your crush so bad, but this is the way it goes. If it's to get him to acknowledge you, you can do that by facing opponents that have been deemed stronger than him. If you want revenge…which I hope is not the case…"

"It is." Yuji told him.

Naruto just continued. "…then beat those same ninjas that beat him and prove you're the better one between the two of you."

Iori sighed. "I guess I can live with that."

Iori faced off against Kurohyo.

"I guess I don't mind fighting a little girl. Especially not one as pretty as you." The grass nin whispered. Iori just looked at him in disgust.

"Begin!" Udon yelled.

Kurohyo leapt towards Iori, with a straight fist. Iori just calmly waited.

"Iori, look out!" Naruto shouted.

Kurohyo revealed a small dagger in his fist. He struck Iori right in the forehead…or at least tried to. Iori used an outward block to drive his fist away, and countered with a straight punch to the face. Kurohyo's nose was crushed, he stumbled over…and finally collapsed.

"The winner: Myojin Iori!"

Iori just looked at the grass nin in disbelief. "That…was completely unsatisfactory."

Naruto was relieved that Iori wasn't hurt. Still, he was surprised at how weak the guy was. He turned his attention back to the board. It randomly selected again: Shiro Tsume vs. Tade Megumi.

"You're up, Tsume!" Kiba shouted.

Tsume leapt down to the floor. Meanwhile, the girl from team one gave him a nasty glare. She had bluish hair tied in a bun, silver eyes, and her outfit was a purple fishnet outfit. Tsume could see all the pouches in her legs for kunai.

Just then, Megumi brought her hand to her chin and cackled. "Hahahahaha. You're the cat boy, right? I am going to enjoy taming you! Hahaha…"

Tsume snorted at this. "Calling you a bitch would be nice. Let me tell you something: Cats can learn to like you, but they can never be tamed…" He flexed his fingers. "Especially the big ones."

Udon shook his head. "Why does everyone here have to be more combative than necessary?" He threw his hand down and yelled "Begin!"

Megumi took out her kunai and threw them at random.

Tsume easily dodged them, not even taking his hands out of his pockets. "Surely, there's more to those than meets the eye, right?"

Megumi grinned evilly. "Very intuitive." She pulled her hand, and the kunai turned 180 degrees.

Tsume dodged them all, but one managed to cut his cheek. "So…you attach wire to your kunai so that you can control them in the air." Megumi continued laughing and fired her kunai again. Tsume kept dodging them.

In fact, Naruto noticed that was all he was doing. "He's had several opportunities for counter-attacks. Why didn't he…"

"Oh man, I was worried this would happen if they paired him up with a girl." Kiba groaned.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"Tsume has a thing about hitting women…even when they're trying to kill him."

Tsume kept dodging like there was no tomorrow, but one managed to go right through his leg. Tsume collapsed in pain, and yelled when the kunai was pulled out.

"Hahahaha! I think the little kitty needs to be put out of his misery!" Megumi cried. She spun her kunai right above her, and the wind got stronger. Suddenly, it was tearing the place apart. Even Udon had to duck. "Prepare to die!" Megumi yelled.

Tsume sighed. "It goes against my ethics to hit a girl. So does this…" He stood up. "But it's the lesser of two evils." He crouched on all fours, and seemed to be sucking air in.

Kiba whispered "This is…Gouzen Konpaku. He's gathering chakra in his body, and release it like a lion would roar."

Suddenly Tsume roared, stopping EVERYONE from moving. His body glowed yellow, and he spun like a wheel. The floor was torn apart underneath him, and he charged at Megumi. Instead of colliding with her, he flew past her.

When he came to a stop, Megumi cackled again. "Hahahaha! You're all bark and no bite…even more insulting when considering what you're supposed to be like!"

Tsume got up and brushed himself off. "Oh, I didn't miss a thing. You'll be missing something important though." He didn't even turn around to face her.

"Like what?" Megumi asked. Suddenly, something exploded. Not an organ. Megumi's clothes. Every male in the vicinity immediately turned their backs.

Except Shiguri. "Don't worry, she doesn't have much to hide." he said in a bored tone. Megumi clutched whatever rags she could hold onto and screamed out of the arena.

Udon was a bit stunned at the tactics used, but decided it was best to get on with the competition. "The winner by forfeit: Shiro Tsume!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kiba yelled at Tsume.

"Hey, I didn't like doing it either, but I refuse to hit a girl."

"And what you just did is better?"

"I think so. Better for them to be humiliated than bruised."

The two continued their arguing while the board ticked away once more. The two names were selected, and someone cheered: Miyamoto Yuji vs. Takeda Nishiwaki. While Yuji screamed yes, Sakura got worried. She heard about Takeda from Iruka; like Sasuke back in the day, he made the highest grades in the class.

Naruto patted Yuji on his shoulder. "Be careful. And do your best."

"Right!" Just when he was about to go down, he stopped. Then he turned around and said "Shiguri!" Yuji whispered into his friend's ear, who was slowly grinning from ear to ear.

"No way." he snickered.

"How much you wanna bet?" Yuji replied.

"20 ryo."

Yuji whistled in response. "Then I'm about to be a rich man." Yuji jumped into the stage, while Takeda just snickered.

"That was quite a clever prank you pulled, I must admit. But your dry humor will do you little good here."

"With what I'm about to do, it won't seem the slightest bit funny to you."

"The next match…" Udon began. "Miyamoto Yuji vs. Takeda Nishiwaki: Begin!"

Yuji jumped back and threw his shuriken. Takeda dodged, and countered with his own. He then grabbed a kunai and charged. Yuji dodged each by a hair's width, and began to run away. But every so often he would come back to counter attack. They dueled with kunai for a while. Yuji dodged a slash meant for his carotid arteries, only to get a deep gash on the shoulder. Takeda smirked…and then received an air kick right under the chin as Yuji went down.

"Yes!" Naruto hissed, raising his fist. "The taijutsu lessons are finally beginning to pay off!"

Takeda got up, and made more attacks. Yuji latched himself onto the wall and smacked his hands over his opponent's ears, disrupting his equilibrium. Takeda regained his balance, and took out a scroll. He smirked, and pulled out a katana.

"Okay." Yuji thought. "It's deadly if it hits, but my wires can block it!" Takeda channeled his chakra through the sword, and it begun to vibrate. Very rapidly. Probably enough to cut through steel wires."Plan B! Panic!" Yuji screamed. He ran along the side of the wall while Takeda demolished it.

The bishonen managed to scrape Yuji's calf, causing him to fall off. "Now to finish off the little bug!" He thrust down, but Yuji shot 2 wires across the room. He practically flew to the other side, but Takeda followed right after him. Takeda gripped the hilt in his mouth and made some hand signs. "Tsuyayaka Hi no jutsu!" Suddenly, a bright light shot from his eyes, and went straight into Yuji's. "AAAHH!" Yuji let go and gripped his eyes.

"Oh no, Yuji!" Naruto shouted. Takeda gripped his sword. He rushed forward, but suddenly tripped. He didn't fall over, but his movement slowed dramatically. Yuji had shot his wires all around to give him the crucial second he needed to get away and recover.

Takeda leapt across, charging once more. "This is where you die, scum!" he shouted.

"You first!" Yuji shouted back. The boy threw a shuriken, which missed. Or so everyone thought. Yuji jerked his hand back. "Sorry, but I copied this off of your girlfriend!" The shuriken came back, and Takeda almost didn't notice. He dodged, but his surprise caused him to drop his weapon. Yuji wrapped more wires around the hilt, and pulled. The sword went straight up to the ceiling and stopped vibrating, due to lack of contact with its master. Before Takeda could jump up to retrieve it, Yuji tackled him to the ground. They wrestled for a bit, and Yuji dug his heel into Takeda's chin. Yuji then did something unexpected: He bit his opponent's crotch. Of course Takeda screamed in pain.

No one knew exactly what to make of this though, other than to be grossed out. "To think they called me a freak for biting you." Naruto muttered to Kiba.

Just when in seemed that Takeda would surrender, he flipped his opponent over. Takeda screamed and grabbed Yuji by the hair. Takeda proceeded to beat him senseless. After 3 punches to the face, a tiger claw across the ribs, and two knees, Yuji looked like he was run over by a bull. Takeda took out his kunai, and yelled "I'll kill you!"

Just when Naruto was about to leap over the rail, something unexpected happened: Yuji smiled. Yuji then kicked his feet upwards. The sound of wires retracting was heard. Takeda checked his surroundings to see where the attack would come from. Suddenly, he was hoisted up into the air by a snare, screaming. His voice was unusually high pitched, and if one looked closely, he would see why: The snare that Yuji sneakily wrapped around Takeda was not on his ankle!

"He hung him up by his WHAT?" Naruto yelled.

Iori turned around in shock. "Oh God, I was head over heels in love with him and all he had to offer was THAT? I can't even see it with binoculars from here!" she thought.

Shiguri just looked passively and muttered "I knew it."

Udon was stunned even more than the last match, if that was possible. And so was Tsunade. "It looks like 'unpredictable' is going to become the new mantra for this team." She thought. "Udon!"

Udon snapped out of his trance. "Oh, right! The winner: Miyamoto Yuji!"

"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GET THIS THING OFF MY BALLS!!"

Yuji headed up the stairs, feeling quite happy. Sakura rushed up to heal him earlier, and not a trace of the beating he took was found. "She seemed very concerned about my well being…more than most of the other contestants. Neither of our lives was in danger; normally I would have just been given some ice. Oh well, I can't complain." Yuji finally made it up to the podium. He looked straight at Shiguri, held out his hand and yelled "CACHING!"

Shiguri sighed, and gave him the money.

"Just what did you two bet on?" Naruto asked.

"Whether or not Yuji could hang that bitch by the-"

"SHANNARO!"

Everyone turned in the direction where Sakura screamed just in time to see her punch Takeda into the floor from his stretcher. The other jonin looked on in shock.

"Well, that kid deserved it." Shikamaru said. Lee and Kiba couldn't agree with him more.

"What just happened?" Naruto asked.

"That Takeda kid coped a feel on her." Kiba answered for him.

"He did WHAT?" Naruto yelled.

"Well, I don't think coming to her rescue is necessary right now."

Naruto was still pissed. And he had to agree with the other jonin: Although Sakura was in ANBU, she was still well known as the Hogake's apprentice; itwas common sense to assumeshe had her super strength.

"Well…" Tsunade began. "…despite all that's occurred, shall we move on?"

The next match began: Funny Chan vs. Kurosaki Uryuu. Uryuu swung his giant sword, which Chan dodged quite easily. The Zui Quan fighter then countered with drunken punches to his opponent's stomach and flipped kicked him. As Uryuu fell, he shot his crossbow. Chan ducked, but he was still grazed across the shoulder quite badly. Uryuu came back and kicked the boy. Following with a bunt from the hilt, Chan was smashed into the wall. He was back on his feet, but Uryuu's giant blade keep coming at him. Chan bent over and dodged each swing as he came. Though Chan did counter-attack, each one was blocked by the massive blade. Uryuu elbowed Chan away, and fired his bow. Though the arrows did not hit flesh, the two of them that were fired managed to snag onto the poor boy's pants, pinning him to the ground. "Checkmate." Uryuu said.

He fired his arrow, aiming for his opponent's stomach. He could have just as easily aimed for the heart, but given that it was a Konoha ninja he was fighting, he thought it dishonorable to strike a potential comrade down. However, he was met with surprise; his final arrow was blocked. Blocked by the very first arrow he fired. Chan quickly freed himself, tore off some cloth from his pants, and tied the ends of the arrows together into what seemed to be a make-shift shuriken. Chan began twirling it, and charged. Uryuu brought down his sword, believing it would crush the other boy's weapon. But simple blocking was not what it was designed for. Chan caught the blade between the two arrows and directed it to the floor. The giant blade was lodged to the floor, and Chan kicked the back of Uryuu's head, sending him sliding across the arena. "Give up." Chan said in an unusually cold tone. "You can't win."

Uryuu was across the other side of the room due to the kick he received. His sword was on the floor. "It's not over yet!" he shouted. He made one hand sign and stretched out his hand. The hilt of the sword glowed, and it flew back to its master. However, it looked like a completely different sword: Black and serrated. Confused, Chan looked at where the blade used to be, and saw the original form still stuck in the floor.

"That blade…the giant form was just a shell!"

"Yes." Uryuu confirmed. "That giant sword is just for training. With its true, lightweight form…" Uryuu rushed up to Chan, quicker than the eye could see. "…you've no chance for victory."

Chan jumped out of the way, but Uryuu swung his sword and still left a nasty cut on his chest. Chan clutched it, and continued to dodge as his opponent attacked. "I can't dodge once he's begun his attack! I can only dodge effectively before he moves, and that's proving to be difficult!" Chan still got many cuts and gashes. He could not counterattack: if he did, he would loose a hand. Another just missed piercing his skull, and Chan was sent to the floor. His back was in pain too, and when he looked, he found out why: He landed on his arrow shuriken. It didn't pierce deeply, but it was another annoyance on top of the one he was dealing with. When he looked up, he noticed a crack in the roof. Then he looked back at Uryuu, who was lunging at him. What was about to happen next looked like a well-thought out plan. But there was no time for that. It was purely dumb luck. Chan rolled over, and threw the make-shift shuriken up into the crack. Uryuu lodged his sword right where Chan was once lying. Then, a big block from the ceiling came down and landed right on Uryuu's head. It was a big one, as evidenced by the genin's bleeding head. He was still standing, but he was clearly quite wobbly. He readied his next attack…and took a blow to the throat from Chan. Uryuu went down, and everyone knew it was over; after all, almost nobody gets back up to fight after being hit in the windpipe.

"The winner: Funny Chan!"

"Well done Chan! The power of youth is shining bright within you!" Lee yelled, with fire in his eyes (literally).

Chan just scratched the back of his head. "Um…thanks." Chan always wanted Lee to praise him, but now that he got it, he wasn't sure it was what he wanted.

"Welcome to my world." Jaa said as he patted his teammate's shoulder. The board did not begin it's usual routine; there were only 2 contestants left.

"The final preliminary match: Oogata Kuma vs. Tiger Jaa!"

Oogata Kuma smirked. "I got lucky; I'll get to make YOU kiss dirt."

Jaa looked at Kuma, and realized that this was the bully that was harassing his teammates earlier. Jaa said nothing, except put up his unusual guard. Kuma jumped up despite his apparent bulk, bringing down a powerful kick. However, Jaa evaded it and double uppercutted his foe. "Hanuman!" Kuma went down hard, but he wasn't out. He swung a right hook, but Jaa ducked and landed an elbow to Kuma's forehead as he did. "Sanjuurokkei!" Kuma charged again, only to be halted by low round kicks. Jaa jumped back, and ran forward. "Hanuman Ukagu Lanka!" He jumped and landed on Kuma's face with a flying knee, sending the bi g genin into the wall.

"I've never seen a taijutsu style like that before." Naruto said in wonder. "Lee, that style…"

"Ah, yes. Jaa is a refugee from Elephant country. They already had a form of taijutsu that focuses on using the elbows and knees, as well as the legs and fists. It is called the Science of Eight Limbs. And with my training, it's nearly invincible."

The battle continued, and it became clear that in terms of taijutsu skill, Kuma had nothing on Jaa. "How could this be?" he thought. "I got an A in taijutsu every year. It was the only subject I was good at!" When he hit the floor face first again, he noticed some debris gathering. "Hmm…well, we're ninja after all." He gathered the dust up and threw it into Jaa's eyes, who doubled back. Kuma picked Jaa up, and threw him onto the ground. Jaa was back on his feet, but his sight wasn't back to normal. He blocked Kuma's onslaught with his elbows, but it would mean nothing if he couldn't counterattack. Kuma finally managed to land an uppercut and sent Jaa to the ground once again. However, despite the dizziness he was feeling, Jaa got back on his feet and push kicked Kuma away. Kuma just looked at him. Every time he hit the tanned boy, it felt like he was punching a tree without chakra. He was very tough skinned. "Okay, enough of this hand-to-hand crap." He threw two kunai, both of which Jaa easily dodged. However, he didn't see the wire that connected them and got tied up. It was only then that he noticed the explosive tags. A second later, Jaa was engulfed in flames.

Kuma held out his middle finger and yelled "Fuck Taijutsu!" He regretted those words in an instant when Jaa came out of the fire with a flying knee to Kuma's nose. His legs still on fire, Jaa landed a spinning kick on Kuma's shoulder. Combined with the force and the fire to burn his skin, Kuma was fairing even worse. Jaa landed a round kick across Big Bear's sternum, and jumped into the air. He took the two bones strapped across his back and as he landed on Kuma's shoulders, smashed them over his head.

Kuma was not quite down yet, so Jaa yelled "This is it!" He grabbed Kuma's arm and broke it over his shoulder. Kuma screamed in pain, and struggled to rise. He obviously couldn't.

"The winner: Tiger Jaa!"

Naruto's team looked at Jaa in fear. "Oh man…I hope none of us have to fight him…" Yuji said.

"The only way that's happening is that we face someone who's better than him!" Shiguri yelled.

"All right, excellent job!" Tsunade shouted. " This concludes the preliminaries! And I want to congratulate all of our leaf genin: For the first time, the final part of the exam will consist entirely of genin from Konoha!" Tsunade shouted.

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement. Then, Moegi came forward. "Everyone please pick a number from the slot." she instructed. Every genin did so, and looked at their numbers. "Now, you will be paired with whoever holds the number closest to yours. For example, number 1 will face off against number two, and so on. Number 1!"

"Miyamoto Yuji!" His name was written down.

"Number 2!"

"Tiger Jaa!"

Yuji turned so pale that it would have made Orochimaru looked like he got a tan, and simultaneously his jaw would have dropped to the floor if he had no bones. Yuji pictured the likely scenarios…none of them turned out good. "Fuck me sideways…" he muttered.

"Number 3!"

"Myojin Iori!"

"Number 4!"

"Hyuuga Hanabi!"

Iori turned to face the Hyuuga. "So, what's so special about their clan again? They're blind?"

Hanabi rightfully got mad, and charged. Before she was upon her opponent, however, she stopped.

"Not now." Shikamaru said. "You'll get your chance soon enough." The jonin used his Kage Mane to stop her.

The drawing continued. "Number 5!"

"Shiro Tsume!"

"Number 6!"

"Funny Chan!"

"Number 7!"

"Naka Shiguri!"

"…And that means Number 8 will be Inuzuka Hige." Tsunade finished. "You have one month to prepare. You've seen the techniques of everyone inside here. I suggest you make use of it. Dismissed, and good luck!"

The proctors vanished, while the students who would participate met with their teachers. Shikamaru congratulated Hanabi the best he could; he didn't really know how enthused he should be, since it was really no surprise. Kiba muttered "Good job" to Tsume and went off to find Hige. Lee hugged both Jaa and Chan, saying something about the springtime of youth while his pupils were struggling to get out of his grasp.

Naruto smiled and patted each of his students. "I'm real proud of you, you know? It's almost unheard of for an entire team to make it into the finals. " The three smiled a little.

"I'm very impressed…Naruto." Sakura said his name seductively.

Naruto pretended to be modest and scratched his head. "Well, what did you expect, Sakura-chan? After all, I made it to the finals after I kicked Kiba's ass…"

"Naruto, you farted in his face." Sakura corrected him, in a teasing manner of course. Team 12 slowly started to giggle at him.

"Sakura-chan!"

Yuji then said "Well, I'm glad we've made you proud, and kudos to you for using your team to score points with the ladies…but the fact is I've got one month to live if you don't do something about it!"

Naruto sighed. "I have to admit, that Jaa guy is quite scary. I'll get you ready the best I can." Naruto looked at them all seriously. "And to do that, I think we'll need to go on a trip."

Back in Otogakure, 3 mercenaries gathered, each one of them carrying unusual swords.

"This is them?" Sasuke asked. "The last of the Mist Swordsman? Zabuza and Kisame are dead, and reports have stated that Gin should be disposed of as well. We should have four."

One of the swordsmen answered "The last one of us would never have agreed to go along with this, that bitch."

Sasuke turned around. "I suppose the three of you are enough. Kabuto! How's Orochimaru doing?"

"His new body has managed to circulate chakra normally now."

"Excellent. Send him now. When the opportunity comes, he will send us the signal. Oh, and please remind him that he's not allowed to summon Manda."

He turned back to the Mist Swordsman. "You're only job is to protect him until he kills the Hokage. Then you shall help him exterminate the council and anyone else who would want a government position. Finally, you will destroy the treasury. Is that clear?" He only got a few grunts, but that was enough for him. He walked down the hall, into the 'throne room' and slept. "Soon Naruto…everything you have ever lived for will be erased…just like you have erased what I have lived for…"

Next chapter: Naruto and his team leave for a training trip. And back in Konoha, someone dies! Will it be Sakura? (Sakura Gasps) Will it be Kakashi? (Kakashi gasps) Or will it be one of these bajillion costars? (Displays all Naruto characters at hyper speed)

Sakura and Kakashi: Woo-hoo!

Also, for whoever may be a Heaven and Earth member and read in the fanfiction section that I would have voting for which fights the viewers wanted to se first…I apologize. It's hard enough balancing the pleasure of writing with the pressure of school, and I was not patient enough to wait. So, no voting. In this fic…I AM GOD.

Well, you get the idea.

Amatsu Garuda Hirameki-Heavenly Garuda Flash

Kazudoryu redan-Nine Earth Dragons Barrage

Ryuuseiu-Meteor Shower

Kiritasen RyuDao-Truthfully, I forgot. The last part is supposed to be "Dragon Dao".

Sougen Kurohyo-Plain Panther

Gouzen Konpaku-Roaring Soul

Tsuyayaka Hi-Beautiful Sun

Sanjuurokkei-Avoiding Danger

Oogata Kuma-Big Bear (remind you of anyone?)

Hanuman Ukagu Lanka-Hanuman Visits Lanka