Ace, Kaza, and Sakura ended up with Aoba in their designated spot, right between Team 10 and Team 8, in the viewing area above the arena. This arena was for the preliminary rounds to narrow down the number of finalists to a manageable number before the finals in a month. The ring was impressive, with two hands forming a seal at one end and stone tiles making up the rest. At the center stood Ryota Togusa, the proctor for this stage of the exam, his brown and gray hair tied into its usual low ponytail.
"So, who do you think will be up first? It looks like we'll have one-on-one fights, and it could be against almost anyone," Aoba said, looking at his students. He knew the matchups were unpredictable.
"Yeah, troublesome. We have no clue who we'll be fighting. It could be a favorable matchup or not. I guess we have to be ready for anything here," Shikamaru reasoned.
"Yeah, something tells me that we won't be up against teammates, but fighting fellow villagers seems possible," Kaza said quietly.
"And if it is me, and you hold back, Kaza Togusa, I will not be happy at all. Got it?" Ino said, giving him a serious look. "I want you to take it as seriously as the last time we battled."
"Will do," Kaza said with a nod. "How are the other village's teams over there?"
"There's an Otogakure team that looks pretty arrogant, then there are the two Sunagakure teams. One has the Kazekage's children, and the other has that group with the odd makeup. It seems there are twenty-six of us left in this tournament. It should be interesting to see how this is handled," Asuma informed them as they looked across the way at the other teams.
"No matter what, let's all do our best, okay?" Ace said, looking at his teammates as well as Team Asuma.
The first match was Sasuke vs. an unknown ninja named Yoroi. The two quickly moved into the arena, and Ino, Sakura, and the rest of Team Kakashi watched intently from their spot.
"Sasuke has this, I'm sure of it," Sakura said, her eyes fixed on the two fighters. "But there's something a bit off about him right now."
"Yeah, Sasuke doesn't look like himself," Ino agreed, nodding. "Something must have happened in the Forest of Death."
As the fight started, everyone watched carefully. The battle wasn't going as expected. "It seems you're right, Sasuke is more sluggish than usual, and that other guy is messing around. He'll lose this somewhere, giving Sasuke an opening to pull it off," Kaza reasoned.
"Yeah, I agree. Sasuke isn't losing here," Shikamaru commented, observing the back-and-forth.
"Now, I think he has himself set up for a counter," Ace added, to which Kaza nodded. They watched as Sasuke executed a powerful combination, knocking Yoroi out and securing his victory.
The second match was one-sided, with Shino defeating Zaku quickly and efficiently, winning his match without any real trouble.
"So far, two for two with our classmates advancing. Can't say I'm too surprised; those two were some of the more talented from our class," Kaza said calmly, looking over to see what the next matchup might be.
As the match began, Kaza felt a rush of determination and focus. He had a plan and was determined to see it through. He took a deep breath, recalling the words of his brother, Ace, and the encouraging kiss from Ino. His opponent, Aosuke Shimo, was a tough and formidable adversary, but Kaza was ready to give it his all.
Kaza started by throwing a barrage of shuriken at Aosuke, testing his reflexes and attempting to gauge his defensive capabilities. Hidden among the shuriken was an explosive tag, which detonated with a loud bang, filling the arena with smoke. Kaza knew this wouldn't be enough to defeat his opponent, but it was a necessary step to understand what he was dealing with.
As the smoke cleared, Aosuke stood there, his body covered in a thick, rocky armor. He grinned, mocking Kaza. "You think such weak tricks like that will work on me, Kaza Togusa?" Aosuke laughed. "Go ahead, wear yourself out and attack my perfect defense. You have no chance against me. I will have my vengeance for my father, Togusa."
Kaza quickly recognized the armor as a formidable Earth Release technique, designed to protect Aosuke from physical attacks. He recalled his father's stories about the Shimo family and their involvement in a rebellion Ryota had quelled years ago. It made sense now why Aosuke had such a deep-seated grudge.
"Earth Release, Rock Blast," Aosuke shouted, slamming his hands into the ground. Stone projectiles erupted from the floor, flying towards Kaza with incredible speed. Kaza managed to block the attack but was still sent flying back, crashing into the wall.
"See? I told you, I would kick your ass in front of your father," Aosuke taunted, his smirk growing wider.
Kaza got up, feeling the impact but not willing to show any signs of defeat. He caught a glimpse of Ino cheering him on from the sidelines, which fueled his resolve. "Well, that was it? That was all you had? I thought you had more. That lacked the impact I thought it would."
Aosuke attacked again with his Earth Release technique, hitting Kaza twice more and sending him flying back each time. Despite the blows, Kaza got back to his feet, a grin on his lips.
"I've got it now. My plan, my timing," Kaza said, brushing himself off. "Light Release: Light Illusion Jutsu," he announced, creating a dozen light-based clones in front of Aosuke.
Aosuke growled, throwing another Earth projectile at what he thought was the real Kaza, but it passed right through the illusion. "I'm not stupid! That was the real you!"
Kaza smirked as he moved swiftly, his real body concealed among the illusions. Using the distraction, he maneuvered behind Aosuke, his hands forming quick seals. "Now's my chance," he thought.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Needle!" Kaza yelled, sending a concentrated bolt of electricity at Aosuke's back. The attack struck true, bypassing the rocky armor and sending a jolt of electricity through Aosuke's body, temporarily paralyzing him.
Aosuke roared in pain, his body convulsing as the lightning disrupted his chakra flow. Kaza didn't waste any time. He followed up with a swift combination of taijutsu strikes, targeting the weak points in Aosuke's armor, and finally landed a powerful kick that sent Aosuke crashing to the ground.
Aosuke struggled to get up, but the paralysis and the damage from Kaza's attacks left him weakened. Kaza stood over him, panting but resolute. "I told you, you shouldn't count your victory before it happens," he said firmly.
Aosuke pushed himself to his feet, anger burning in his eyes. "Then be gone forever," he spat, his Earth armor shattering into a dense projectile aimed straight at Kaza. It was a powerful and desperate strike, seemingly having Kaza dead to rights.
The attack moved quickly, but Kaza was ready. "Light Release: Light Speed Strike!" he shouted. Using his Light Release, his speed increased dramatically, allowing him to zip right past Aosuke's attack. In one fluid motion, he delivered a flying knee to Aosuke's face, knocking him out cold. Kaza landed, almost falling on his face from the strain of the move. He knew he couldn't use that technique too often, especially when he was already tired.
"Winner, Kaza Togusa," Ryota declared, looking at his son with immense pride. Kaza had demonstrated skill, strategy, and determination, proving himself as a capable young ninja.
Kaza went to his side of the arena and smiled as he was greeted by Aoba, Sakura, and Ace. "I did it! First win for our team," he said, giving them a thumbs up.
"Not bad, you had me worried there for a moment, but you pulled through just like I knew you would," Sakura commented, giving him a pat on the back.
"Yeah, brother isn't going down easily against anyone. But that light speed move was cool; didn't know you had that one in your bag of tricks," Ace observed, while Aoba smiled proudly.
"I showed him that one. It was a trick I read about and figured he could handle. Seems I was right," Aoba said with a proud smile. "Now go—"
"Kaza, that was amazing! I think you were so cool out there," Ino interrupted, putting her arm around him. Kaza blushed severely.
Aoba smiled, knowing that Kaza deserved this recognition. This must be the greatest of days for him.
"Thanks, Ino. I'm glad I could win and show you just how much I've improved. Now I can't wait till it's your turn to see you fight and kick butt too," Kaza said, sitting down with Ino to his right, the pair relaxing for whatever time they had before Ino's match.
"Looks like I'm up. Wish me well," Shikamaru commented, seeing that his match was against Kin Tsuchi from the Sound. "After that fight, I can't be lazy about it. Kaza, you're as troublesome as Ino."
"Good luck, Shikamaru," Kaza replied with a grin, settling in to watch the next match.
"We all know he's got this one, right?" Ace commented, looking at the others, who all nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, he's been acting a little more proactive recently," Choji added, noting the slow development of his best friend. "When it comes down to it, he always finds a way to win or come out ahead. He's the smartest ninja I know, no offense, Kaza, Sakura."
"None taken," Kaza replied with a wave of his hand.
"Yeah, if he wasn't so lazy, he would have beaten us both in grades at the academy," Sakura added with a nod.
The fight itself was pretty anticlimactic as Shikamaru was able to outmaneuver and outthink the overconfident Kin rather quickly. He won the match and walked back over to his team, looking as nonchalant as ever.
The next match didn't go as well for Team Asuma, though, as Choji ultimately lost to Dosu despite his best efforts to pull off an upset. This left Team Asuma one and one for the day as they watched the next few fights play out before them.
First was the Naruto and Kiba fight, which was interesting but a bit clumsy. Naruto won with a fart, which was a strange way to win a fight. However, everyone gathered could see how much Naruto was growing and how fast he was improving in his ninja skills. Then there was the fight where Team Guy's Tenten battled Aosuke's teammate, Miraju. In another one-sided fight, Miraju used his speed, skills, and quickness to slip through Tenten's attacks, using a lightning homing strike to turn her metal weapons into liabilities before finishing her off with a powerful combination.
"Wow, that was brutal," Ace remarked, shaking his head as he watched Tenten get carried off. "Miraju is definitely someone to watch out for."
"Yeah, his speed and lightning jutsu are impressive," Kaza agreed. "But we've got skills and strategies of our own. We just need to stay sharp."
"Exactly," Ino added, giving Kaza's hand a reassuring squeeze. "We've trained hard for this. Let's just keep our focus and give it our all."
"Agreed," Sakura said firmly. "These fighters might be good, but we aren't pushovers ourselves. We have worked too hard to just give up after all."
The next matchup was announced, and everyone was on edge. It was Temari of the Sand versus Fire Fist Ace.
Ace walked into the arena, glancing at his opponent, Temari, with a confident smile. "Well now, sorry about this, but this is a really bad matchup for you, I think," Ace said, glancing at his father. "Now, good luck, and may the best ninja win."
Temari smirked, opening her fan slightly. "Don't underestimate me. I have my own tricks up my sleeve."
"Can't wait to see them," Ace declared, taking his stance. Temari released her fan, aiming to take him down by firing off a blast of wind.
Ace smirked as he performed some quick hand seals. "Fireball Jutsu!" he called out, firing off his fireball right into the wind, letting the wind aid his fireball and forcing Temari to dodge quickly.
"Blaze Release: Fire Fist," he called out, following behind his own fireball to strike fast. Temari used the metal of her fan to block the attacks, smiling as she enjoyed the fight against this Konoha ninja.
Ace moved quickly, impressed by Temari's abilities at close range for a ranged fighter. Her skill in using her fan's metal side effortlessly made the fight really fun for him.
He pushed forward, formulating a plan. He attacked, drawing her attention, then slammed his foot into the ground, sending a geyser of fire under Temari and knocking her into the air with force. He followed it up with a counter of his own, knocking her into the wall, out cold.
"Winner: Portgas D. Ace," Ryota declared with pride for his adopted son. Having both his sons advance was a proud moment for the middle-aged ninja.
"As I said, wind vs. fire is a bad matchup. But I was wrong; you are an impressive kunoichi," Ace said in Temari's direction as medics came to help her.
Ace turned and moved to the side, getting a smile from his brother. "Good work, bro. You were as cool as ever," Kaza commented with a smile.
"Yeah, that was a good trick you pulled. Glad you're using your head more now," Sakura said, giving him a playful punch on his shoulder.
"Well, two for two. Sakura, you know you better win, right?" Ace countered, looking down at the pink-haired girl.
"Of course, and you better cheer me on too," she replied.
"Of course. Wouldn't think of doing anything else."