Team Seven reached the tower the following day. Surprisingly, they did not engage in any other battles, no other team bothered them. Sasuke and Sakura figured they just didn't cross paths with any other team, but Naruto could hear other teams approach them but quickly turn and head in another direction. It was as if they were off limits somehow, something turning them away.

Once inside the tower, Team Seven was met by a consultant that led them to set of living quarters that they would be staying in until the rest of the test was complete. Meaning Team Seven had a few days of much needed rest ahead of them before the continuation of the rest of this stage of the Chunin Exams.

-The Following Day-

Naruto sat on one of the green cots he and his teammates were provided to sleep on, his teammates were elsewhere. Frankly, Naruto was happy for the silence. He didn't have to hear Sakura's constant fangirling over Sasuke, which had dwindled, and he could think about recent events peacefully.

Naruto was both impressed and disappointed in himself over his performance over the course of the second stage. His fight with Orochimaru really gave him a good idea how strong he was and what he needed work on. From dropping all his weight to actually using his trump card, summoning Fukasaku, there was a lot to go over for Naruto. Honestly, Naruto was happy how that fight went. He knew going into the fight it wasn't winnable, in the sense of beating Orochimaru at full power, but he still considered it a win for what it was.

But the fact Naruto wasn't strong enough from stopping Orochimaru from giving him this curse mark was really bothering him. He was able to study the mark much more closely and came to the conclusion that his mark wasn't fully developed like Sasuke's. Naruto's mark only had one tomoe while Sasuke had three. Naruto figured that was a good thing.

There was a knock at the door. He looked at the door in confusion, wondering who come to see him. He was surprised to see his sensei open the door and walk in.

"Kakashi sensei? What are you doing here?"

The grey-haired jōnin sat down on the cot across from Naruto. "I came to congratulate you three on passing the first two stages, but I'm glad I caught you alone. I've been meaning to talk to you, Naruto. There's few things we need to discuss."

The blonde raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I want you to tell me what happened with Orochimaru."

Naruto's eyes went wide with shock. "You know about Orochimaru?!"

The jōnin nodded. "Yes, I do. The proctor felt something was off during the test and went to investigate. Anko ran into Orochimaru trying to escape. She wasn't able to stop him but she did manage to raise the alarm."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "But how did you know we ran into him?"

"That part I inferred by your injuries and Anko's description of Orochimaru's state when she found him. He had just finished up a fight that gave him a bit of trouble. You were the only one I could think of that could give him a run for his money in the limited state he was in."

Naruto felt a sense of pride. "Thank you sensei."

"You three did very to handle that situation. I'm very proud of you. But I still want to hear your version."

Naruto nodded and proceeded to give Kakashi the details of the previous days.

-With Sakura and Sasuke-

The other two members of Team Seven sat in the small cafeteria. The two genin each had a small plate of food in front of them as they ate in silence. Sasuke was just glad for something to eat and Sakura, while she was happy to be eating, was happy to be spending time alone with her crush.

Sakura decided to break the silence. "How are you feeling Sasuke?"

The black-haired Uchiha didn't take his eyes off his food. "I'm fine."

"Oh. Then how's your neck?"

Sasuke's head shot up and glared at Sakura. The sudden motion surprised Sakura. "You can't say anything about that Sakura."

"But Sasuke…"

"Sakura! I'm serious. You can't say a word to anyone. Understand?"

Sakura had never seen Sasuke so serious. He really wanted to keep the mark on his neck a secret. She nodded slightly and stopped herself from saying anything more out of fear she would anger Sasuke more.

The door to the small lounge suddenly opened wide and the team of Sunagakure walked in. The two older siblings walked behind of the youngest, not because of convince but out of fear. Kankuro and Temari walked with uneasy steps behind Gaara. Despite doing what they could to hide their fear of the boy, Sasuke was able to pick up on their apprehensiveness. Not that the Uchiha blamed them for their fear, Gaara had the calmness and stare of a psychopath, two things Sasuke was very familiar with.

The trio walked by the Sasuke and Sakura, barely batting an eye at the two of them. But Sasuke could tell Gaara's full attention was solely on him. A fire was ignited inside of Sasuke, burning that fueled his love to fight into new heights.

'That guy…I can't wait to fight him!'

-With Naruto and Kakashi-

Kakashi moved Naruto's shirt out of the way to examine the curse mark better. "Hm. This is unlike any seal I've ever seen. You said Sasuke has the same mark?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. His has three tomoe. My guess that, whatever Orochimaru did, was a one-time thing. I don't think he ever planned on giving it to me."

"From what you've told me, it seemed he was going after Sasuke specifically and wanted nothing to do with you. And Sakura, too. Does your mark give you any of the same effects as Sasuke's?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. It's only been extreme pain. The Kyuubi keeps most of it at bay. We've both been trying to figure this thing out but this thing's got us both stumped."

Kakashi's one visible eye went wide when he heard Naruto's words. The jōnin moved to Naruto's front. "Y-You can talk to the Kyuubi?"

Naruto nodded again, this time slightly. "Yeah. Until the start of the Chunin Exam, it had been two years since he said anything to me."

"Do you know what prompted the fox to talk?"

"That genin from Suna, Gaara of the Desert. The fox said he's a jinchuriki too."

Shock still filled Kakashi's covered features. "You're saying this Gaara has a beast sealed in him like you do?"

"Yeah. The One-Tailed Shukaku."

Kakashi rubbed his chin as he thought deeply about what Naruto told him. "Hm. Interesting. I knew Sunagakure had a jinchuriki but I never would have thought he'd come here without some type of protection."

"Protection?"

"Like his sensei or a bodyguard of sorts, someone along those lines."

Naruto nodded in understanding. Something like that made sense to him. "So is that why the famed 'Copy Cat' shinobi, one of the strongest ninjas in the village, was placed as my jōnin leader? For protection?"

Kakashi gave one of his classic eye smiles. "Not much slips passed you, Naruto. Lord Hokage wanted me to oversee you and Sasuke."

"Sasuke? For his Sharingan I'm guessing."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, though that decision was made by the council of clan leaders. They wanted for Sasuke's Sharingan to develop properly. I was the obvious choice to be his sensei. Lord Third wanted me be your sensei because I was, not only, skilled and experience enough to actually train you, but also for the Nine Tails as well. The Sharingan can keep the beast at bay if it ever tries to over take you, like what happened on the bridge in the Land of Waves."

Naruto nodded in understanding once more, recalling the events of that day. But something still didn't feel right about what happened. The Kyuubi had always been 'nicer' to him compared to what he's heard about the beast. He needed to consult the fox before asking anyone else on the matter. "That's smart, putting me and Sasuke on the same team is beneficial to both of us. The two strongest of the class training together makes total sense."

"Correct. But, even if you or Sasuke hadn't been so strong, you two would've ended up on the same team regardless. That choice had already been decided long before your graduation."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Why are you telling me all this, Kakashi sensei?"

"The Kyuubi is actually the other reason I came to talk to you."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "What about him?"

"I think it's time you told Sasuke and Sakura about the beast."

The blonde's eyes went wide and a nervous sweat slid down from his brow. "W-What…?

"I've fully understood your decision to keep your past a secret from them. I know what it's like to want to keep certain things about yourself hidden. But this is something that they will learn eventually. It would make much more of a difference if it came from you and not some stranger."

Naruto was silent as he thought deeply about this. He entertained the idea of telling them since the first day they had become a team but never decided to go through with the idea. "I've thought about telling them for awhile…and I do plan on it at some point. I just figured I'd keep the team together as long as I could."

Kakashi raised his only visible eyebrow. "Keep the team together? What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed. "People are not fond of me Kakashi sensei. They hate me. Despise me for merely walking on the same street as everyone else. Everywhere I go in this village, that hate and despair follows me. Most days, the stares don't bother me. But there are days those stares and endless taunting…hurt. A person can only endure so much hate before it weighs heavily on their mind. Being with Sakura and Sasuke help when those days are too much for me to bear. They may not know it, but Team Seven keeps me sane. I don't want them to leave me like…he did. I don't know if I could go through that again…not with them."

Kakashi placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder. He could feel the pain in his voice, knowing it was from years of hate being thrown in his face. "Give them a chance Naruto. They are your teammates after all."

Naruto glanced up at the jōnin, knowing that he was right. "I guess you're right. I did promise to tell them more about me after we finished this part of the Chunin Exams."

Kakashi eye smiled. "That's really good to hear Naruto. But I'm afraid it's not quite over yet."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "It isn't?"

Kakashi stood from his seat and turned for the door. "There's still one more stage before the third stage. But you'll learn in a few days' time about that. For now, just rest up and let me know if anything changes with that mark of yours. And keep an eye on Sasuke's too. I'll go do some digging on this Kabuto guy and see what comes up. There has to be something more going on here than just Orochimaru showing up if he has spies inside the village."

Naruto nodded and smiled. "You got it Kakashi sensei!"

-A few days later-

Team Seven were now standing in the main hall of the tower. It was a large room with a giant statue of a set of hands holding the hand seal meaning 'ram' and two walk ways that provided a great view over an open area. According what they were told when they were woken up this morning, too many teams had passed the second stage and now there would be a set of randomly selected one-on-one matches to determine who would go on to the third and final stage.

Naruto looked around the arena and saw all the teams that had made it. Team Ten was probably the team that surprised him the most. Team Eight had survived the forest, along with that team from the year before. The team of Rock Lee, Neji Hyuuga, and Tenten had arrived at the tower within hours before Team Seven on the day they arrived. And that Suna team broke the record for the fastest time through the test: 97 minutes. There were a few other teams that passed the test that he didn't recognize from other villages.

The rules of these randomly selected matches were laid to all teams beforehand by the proctor, Hayate Gekkō, and the names of all participants scrambled on a screen in the corner of the room. The first two names that came on screen: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically as he vaulted himself over the railing and down to the open area. He landed with a crouch and let out a small grunt of pain. His shoulder/neck area was still in pain from that curse mark. He was able to handle the pain but it was bothering him to where he couldn't simply ignore it. If this turned into a prolonged fight then it would be problematic for the spikey haired blonde.

Kiba, with Akamaru firmly attached to his hooded head, followed in similar fashioned. "This worked out better than I hoped. Looks like I'll be the one to beat that cockiness out of you!"

Naruto let loose a playful smirk. "C'mon Kiba, we all know your bark is worse than your bite."

Hayate looked at both participants before throwing his hand downward. "Begin!" Then he jumped away.

Kiba immediately made a hand seal. "Shikyaku no Jutsu!" (Beast Mimicry: Four Legs Technique) The brown-haired boy placed his hands on the ground and stood on all four limbs as a thin mist of chakra appeared around him, his fingernails grew to sharp points. Naruto compared this stance to a wild animal, true to the jutsu's name.

Up on the stands, Kurenai Yūhi, smirked when she saw her student use one of his strongest techniques. 'This Naruto kid may be strong but he's got nothing Kiba. Kiba's senses will be heightened enough to dodge most of Naruto's attacks.'

Naruto waited for Kiba to charge but was surprised when he stayed in his current position. "What? Too scared to attack?"

Kiba smiled, showing off his sharp canine teeth. "I'm not stupid, Naruto. I know how strong you are. That's why I'm going all out from the start!" He reached into his back pouch and pulled out two small red balls. He threw one in Akamaru's mouth along with his own. The ninja hound's fur turned from white to red and Kiba's features turned even more feral.

Kiba then held one more hand sign. "Jūjin Bunshin!" (Man Beast Clone) Akamaru burst into a cloud of smoke and appeared as a direct copy of his master, crouched atop of him.

"What did he just eat?!" Sakura questioned out loud.

"A solider pill. It's special medicine that is said to allow a solider to fight for three days and nights without resting. It's full of protein and contains a special stimulant that momentarily increases the user's chakra." Choji explained flawlessly.

Team Ten's sensei, Asuma Sarutobi, nodded. "Kiba's releasing his chakra and attacking like a wild beast. It's the perfect pill for him."

"Is that even legal?" Ino asked.

"It's considered a ninja tool, it's fair game."

Naruto held his stance as the two feral Kiba's charged towards him. The blonde fought off the two beasts but he was still cut a few times from his sharpened claw-like fingernails. He credited those hits to his pain from the curse mark limiting him. Naruto attempted to disengage himself from the pair but he misjudged their ferociousness as they continued to slash at him.

'Damn it! The fricken' pain from this stupid curse mark is limiting my reaction time.'

Kiba watched his opponent and noticed his slow moments. 'An opening!'

Kiba and Akamaru, still transformed, began to spin with ferocious speed in the air. "Take this! Man-Beast Taijutsu: Fang over Fang!"

The two human drills rammed against Naruto on both sides of him, dealing a powerful blow. Everyone was shocked as Naruto fell to the ground with a thud, blood seeping out his wounds. Both Sakura and Sasuke were shocked, they had never seen Naruto get hit like that before. Kakashi was mildly surprised as well. Kurenai smiled proudly, believing the match was over and her student the victor.

Asuma rubbed his chin-strap beard and fiddled with the lit cigarette in his mouth. "I guess Naruto isn't like what you've bragged about, eh Kakashi?"

Kakashi looked to his fellow jōnin with a knowing look in his eye. "Asuma, if there is one thing I've learned from being Naruto's teacher is that he is full of surprises."

"Get up Naruto!" Sakura yelled, leaning over the railing. Sasuke, too, was leaning slightly forward in interest.

"That's the difference between us Naruto. You think you're so much stronger that you get complacent and don't train to your fullest. You'll never get any stronger, not like me and Akamaru!"

Naruto pushed himself up off the ground and he sat on his knees, he kept his head down and his eyes hidden. Earning a shocked and confused look from his Inuzuka opponent. "Stronger…I will become stronger…to prove everyone…in this village…they were wrong!"

Naruto shot to his feet and closed the distance between him and Kiba. He landed heavy punches to them both, knocking them back greatly. Naruto saw the opening and grabbed one of the Kibas and headbutted him. Then grabbed ahold of him, lifted him up, and slammed him to the ground. Hard. The Kiba he slammed burst into a cloud of smoke and Akamaru laid on the ground.

"Akamaru!" Kiba screamed. "Don't hurt him!"

Naruto looked down at the dog then back at Kiba and smiled. The Inuzuka got a horrible feeling in his stomach when he saw this. Naruto gently picked up the hurt dog and cradled him his arms. Kiba, and everyone else for that matter, was scared the blonde might do something to the dog but was pleasantly surprised when he jumped up to the walkway above them and handed the dog off to Hinata, knowing the girl was Kiba's teammate. He gave a simple nod and small smile to heavily flushed girl.

Naruto jumped back down and refocused his attention to the Inuzuka boy, regaining his fighting stance. "Let's go wild, dog breath."

Kiba was wide eyed, he honestly didn't expect that. Was this really the Naruto he knew? The asshole that didn't give a crap about anything or anyone but himself? Maybe he had been wrong all along. Kiba smirked and got in his own stance. "Let's go, fox boy."

The two exchanged strikes once more and moved all over the area, dodging and striking each other. Naruto was able to land a kick that threw Kiba up in the air. The blonde jumped up to the railing of the walkway and used the railing as a springboard to jump higher than Kiba was currently at. High above Kiba, Naruto crossed his fingers into a hand seal and four clones appeared around him.

The first clone fell towards Kiba struck him midair. "NA- "

The second clone followed suit. "RU- "

And the third clone landed a third hit that hurled Kiba into the concrete floor. "TO-

Then the original Naruto was thrown with great strength by the fourth clone towards Kiba and landed on Kiba's stomach with his knee. "UZUMAKI BARRAGE!"

When the dust cleared only Naruto stood tall while Kiba laid in a hep on the ground. Hayate jumped in and checked on Kiba's condition. He signaled for the medical team. "The winner is Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Hell yeah! Great job Naruto!" Sakura cheered. Sasuke smirked in triumph while Kakashi gave an eye smile towards Asuma.

Naruto made his way up to his team and was greeted with a cheerful Sakura, a respectful nod from Kakashi, and fist bump from Sasuke. The victory was short lived because the screen began to flash names again until it stopped on the next to participants.

"The second match will be Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka." Hayate stated.

Sakura let out a shaky breath. A part of her was somewhat relieved that she was going up against someone she knew, but that was where her worry came in. Ino was her best friend. She didn't want to do anything that would hurt their friendship, despite being rivals in everything.

Ino was having similar thoughts to that of her pink-haired best friend. Despite being rivals and always competing, Ino cherished her friendship with Sakura and loved her like a sister. The two kunoichi looked at each other, slight worry in their eyes. Together, Sakura and Ino went down to the arena and faced each other.

Hayate looked at the two and signaled for the match to begin. "Begin!" Then he jumped away.

Ino crossed her arms and looked at her opponent. "I must say Forehead, I'm kind of glad we were chosen to fight each other."

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean, pig?"

"I finally get to prove that I'm better than you. That's all. And I'll be the one to win Sasuke over." Ino stuck out her tongue to mock Sakura.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched in frustration. She raised her fist and shook it Ino. "There's no way I'll lose to you!"

The two kunoichi began their fight with a taijutsu bout. Though one thing was very apparent, Ino and Sakura were lacking in their taijutsu and their style of taijutsu mirrored each other. More often than not during their engagement, their strikes collide with one another.

Ino was able to get the upper hand by a punch to the stomach that knocked the wind out of Sakura, giving Ino an opening. She reared her arm back and shot her fist forward. Suddenly, Ino saw Sakura as her younger self, sending her through an instantaneous flashback of memories of them growing up. Memories of Ino teaching Sakura about flowers, helping her pick her favorite kind of flower, standing up to the bullies that made fun of Sakura and her 'large' forehead, everything that made them the best of friends they were to this day. Her fist quickly changed to an open palm and she slapped Sakura.

Sakura looked at Ino in confusion as Ino, herself, looked at her hand with confused shock.

-Up in the watch area-

"What's going on with those two?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I'm just as lost as you, Shikamaru." Choji added. "I've never seen Ino look so confused."

While most of the room was puzzled by the fight between the two kunoichi, Naruto leaned against the railing with a bit of worry. He had a feeling something might this would happen if Sakura were chosen to fight Ino. Knowing how close the two were, a fight between them would not be easy. And it seemed Ino realized this and tried to throw their friendship aside with those taunts earlier. Thus, making it easier for them both to fight. Ino looked to be having just as much of a hard time as Sakura.

'C'mon Sakura, you can do this!'

-With Sakura-

'Ino, for so long I wanted to be like you because of what you said to me. The way you stood up for me and inspired me to get where I am today. If it weren't for you then I don't think I would've made it this far. But now, it's time I show you how much stronger I really am.'

Sakura untied her hitaiate from her hair and retied around her forehead, Ino instantly followed suit. Naruto smirked when he saw this. One of the ultimate shows of respect and acknowledgement in the ninja world.

Sakura charged at Ino and went through three hand seals. Three clones appeared next to her as she ran, then she held another hand seal. The pink-haired girl sent a wave of chakra to her feet for a burst of speed. Using that speed, Sakura used her clones as mere distractions to get Ino into the perfect position to hit. Ino was sent rolling back from the strike was up immediately and ran towards Sakura, who was still charging at her. They caught each other's attack then jumped back from each other, both reaching for a shuriken to throw. Only for the tools to collide midair.

They charged at each other once more and hit each other square in the jaw, sending them both tumbling backwards.

Ino was thoroughly shocked. "When did you get this strong, Sakura?! How can you be so evenly matched with me?"

"Your obsession with your hair and your looks can never be surpassed, Ino. Sasuke won't be impressed by that. I've been training too hard to worry about that stuff."

Ino snarled. Out of a fit of frustration, she pulled out a kunai and cut her hair that was tied up in a long ponytail. Causing a wave of shock throughout the arena. "See?! I don't need this! You'll pay for mocking me!"

Ino held a hand sign. "I'm gonna end this now!" Then threw her hands forward in the shape of a circle.

Sakura knew this technique all too well. "Your clan's secret jutsu, shintenshin no jutsu." (Mind Body Transfer technique)

-In the observing area-

"Oh dear, Sakura might be in some trouble if Ino's jutsu hits." Kakashi stated.

Rock Lee, who was standing nearby and watching this match with great interest, had his interest peaked when he heard the jōnin speak. "What is this technique that is so dangerous, Kakashi sensei?"

"The Mind Transfer technique sends their spiritual energy into their target's body, basically the user takes over their target's body by switching their minds. There are major drawbacks to this jutsu, Ino's body will be left defenseless while using this technique. Furthermore, any injury that takes place to the target's body while controlled will reflect on the user as well. It's a very strong technique but a double-edged sword nonetheless."

Maito Gai, who was practically the grown-up version of his student, nodded in agreement with his eternal rival. "Kakashi is right. Sakura will be in trouble if this jutsu is a success."

"All so ye of little faith."

Everyone's attention towards Naruto.

"You all seem more afraid of this technique than Sakura. She's gonna surprise you all, I promise you that."

-With Sakura-

Sakura knew the positives and negatives of Ino's signature technique, she had to be nearly perfect with her dodge in order not to be caught in the technique. Or simply just not let Ino perform the jutsu. A straight attack wouldn't be smart, Ino would have a clear shot at Sakura if she came at her head on. She even briefly considered using her offensive medical ninjutsu attacks she learned from Naruto's scroll, but she quickly threw that idea out the window. She was still trying to learn them and she didn't want to accidently hurt Ino more than she needed to. A diversion could work but Ino could see through it if not done properly, Sakura didn't feel like she had the right amount of time to set up a good distraction. Then it dawned on Sakura.

'Then I'll make the time!'

Sakura reached into her weapons pouch and pulled out a small paper ball. She threw it down directly in front of her and a large cloud of smoke suddenly appeared, causing Sakura to disappear completely.

'No need to worry, this is just a diversion.' Ino realized. All she needed to do is wait for Sakura to appear and then she'd use her jutsu.

Ino didn't have to wait long because Sakura jumped out of the smoke cloud and into the air. The platinum blonde saw this and realized it was her chance, knowing it was practically impossible to dodge something midair. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

Ino's body suddenly went limp and fell to the ground. Sakura instantly grasped as she too fell to the ground. She landed on her feet and kept her head down. The pink-haired kunoichi raised her head but immediately something felt off, like the girl wasn't herself. The jutsu was a success, Ino had successfully taken over Sakura's body.

"How unfortunate…you're done…Sakura."

'Nice try Sakura but you're nothing compared to my mind transfer technique. Maybe you should train harder because certainly your looks could use the same treatment. It's only a matter of time Sasuke realizes which one of us is his real love.'

Ino controlled Sakura's movements and commanded her to raise her hand. She smiled wickedly as she looked at the proctor. "Now I, Sakura Haruno, would like to say that I- "

"Think again Ino-pig!"

The Ino controlled Sakura gasped in shock as she turned around in surprise. The smoke cloud had finally dissipated and it revealed the real Sakura standing there, completely under her own control.

"What the hell is going on?!"

The real Sakura smirked. "You really think I'm that stupid Ino? I would never let you take over my body like that. But now, I guess it's time to end this battle. Release!"

Suddenly, the Sakura Ino had been controlling disappeared. But it wasn't like a clone, which usually disappeared in a plume of white smoke, it just faded away into nothing, like an illusion. All that was left was the real Sakura and the unconscious Ino.

Hayate came in and raised his hand up, signaling the match over. "Winner: Sakura Haruno!"

-In the observing area-

Choji was completely lost. "I don't understand. What happened? How did Ino lose? I thought her jutsu was successful?"

"Sakura used that smoke cloud as a distraction to create a clone to fool Ino in using her jutsu." Shikamaru deduced.

Naruto held a proud smile. "Actually, that wasn't a typical clone. Sakura isn't as strong with the clone jutsu as me or even Sasuke, but she trumps us both in genjutsu."

Asuma looked at the blonde boy shock. "That was a genjutsu?"

"A genjutsu clone, to be exact." Sakura stated, finally have making it up to the walkaway. "I projected an image of myself to fool Ino in thinking that she had succeed in her jutsu."

"A genjutsu clone? Isn't that like a B-Rank technique?" Shikamaru questioned.

Sakura didn't respond but simply smiled proudly. Naruto reached over and patted Sakura on the shoulder.

"Great job Sakura! I knew you could do!"

Sakura's smile became even brighter when she heard Naruto's praise. Sasuke came up next to her and the sudden movement caused Sakura to look at the Uchiha. There was a look of approval adorning his features.

"You did well."

Sakura's face turned beet red as she struggled to mutter any sort of a thanks for the words. She fiddled with her fingers nervously. Naruto noticed this and turned away from the scene, something that did not go unnoticed by Rock Lee and his teammate, Neji Hyuuga.

As per usual, the victory celebration was cut short when the screen began to flash names rapidly until it finally stopped on the next two fighters…

"The third match: Neji Hyūga vs. Hinata Hyūga!"

Hinata was visibly shaken, her opponent was her very own cousin. The one person she never wanted to fight. It was very easy to see that Hinata was scared out of her mind. Regardless, the fearful girl made her way down to the arena where Neji was already standing.

"I never thought I'd be facing you, Lady Hinata."

Hinata fiddled with her fingers nervously as she kept her eyes averted from Neji's.

"Before we begin this fight, I'd like to say something, Lady Hinata. Forfeit now. You are not a good shinobi and are not strong enough to challenge me. You wish to avoid conflict and wish for harmony. You never stand up to others and have no self confidence in your abilities. I thought it would be best if you did not take the Chunin Exams. But the exams can only be taken in teams of three and you did not want to deny your teammates chances of being promoted and unwillingly entered. Am I wrong?"

"N…No..I wanted…to change myself…do it…myself."

Neji closed his eyes and shook his head. "I've always thought of you as the spoiled brat of the Main House, Lady Hinata. People cannot change themselves. Losers will always be losers, nothing can change what they were born into. Expressions such as elite and loser are created with the differences we are born in. Looks, brains, personality, size are all unchangeable factors that we are judged by. Forever to be discriminated against and suffer. Just like the fact I am from the Branch House and you are from the Main House cannot be changed. I've seen through many things with my Byakugan. I know you're just acting strong, deep down you want to run far away from here."

"N-No…really…I…" Hinata's stuttered words died in her throat when she saw Neji's eyes.

The veins around Neji's eyes became visible and bulged greatly. His usual featureless eyes became more tuned as his pupils became more distinctive. Hinata could no longer muster up any courage to speak.

"You just moved your eyes to the upper left. That's a sign you are remembering something from your past. Your painful past. Then you looked to your lower right, a sign for thinking of physical and mental pain. Basically, you are thinking everything that'll happen to you when you lose this match. You've realized the reality that you cannot win this match nor change your fate. From the day we are born, fate decides- "

"Hey asshole!"

All eyes went to the sound of the loud, booming voice that echoed throughout the room. Naruto was gripping the railing to hard that it bent from his grip.

"How about you stop deciding who people are and what they can be before they can even decide! You don't know anything about fate!"

"N-Naruto…" Hinata said in amazement. Something flipped inside Hinata's brain and her fear was no limiting her. In fact, it was starting to motivate her.

Neji glared at the blonde, his dōjutsu flaring from his anger. "I don't know anything about fate? Listen here you annoying- " The Hyūga boy had to stop his sentence to counter Hinata's sudden attack. He quickly misdirected her attack to miss him completely.

Hinata stared at her cousin with her own Byakugan activated, holding the taijutsu stance of her clan. "Brother Neji…we fight."

Neji moved into the same fighting stance. "Fine."

-Observing area-

"Hinata's entire demeanor has changed. She's ready to fight now." Kurenai said with a soft, proud smile.

Gai nodded in agreement. "Yes, your student is ready. But I don't believe she is prepared to face Neji."

"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned, she was amazed at the rate her and Neji were exchanging blows. "Hinata's holding her own against him."

"For now." Lee spoke up. "Right now, they are using the strongest taijutsu style in the Leaf. This what makes the Hyūga clan so great. The Gentle Fist."

"What's the Gentle Fist?"

"The Hyūga clan's secret taijutsu. It targets their opponent's chakra points and damages their chakra flow and inner organs. Even a small hit can be fatal." Gai answered. "It may not look like anything but you will feel the damage afterwards."

"How can they do that?" Choji asked.

Naruto was the one to answer, never taking his eyes off the battle. "They have the Byakugan. They can see everything."

Kakashi nodded. "The Byakugan is one of the advanced bloodline abilities that is passed down the Hyūga clan. It's said the Sharingan and the origins of the Uchiha lie with the Hyūga. It's an eye ability similar to the Sharingan but the Byakugan surpasses it when it comes to sight."

-With Hinata and Neji-

Hinata went in for a critical blow, hoping to end this battle and prove to Neji he was wrong. But her hope was destroyed when she felt Neji remove his hand from her abdomen, he had just palm struck her heart and all the surrounding organs. Blood fell from her mouth as she clutched her upper body, Hinata stumbled back and collapsed to her knees.

"Lady Hinata, this is the difference between us. The difference between an elite and a loser. Forfeit before this ends bad for you."

Hinata struggled back to her feet, clutching her bleeding organs. "N-No…I'm not…backing down. Not…to you."

Neji shook his head once more, it was no longer in his hands. The girl had made the choice she was fated to make. The Hyūga genius charged at the beaten Hinata. But his strike was stopped a mere two inches away from the girl by four of the jōnin in the room. Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, and Hayate all placed a hand on Neji before he could kill Hinata.

"Winner: Neji Hyūga." Hayate announced.

The jōnin went back to their respective places and Hinata was helped by the medical team out the arena. Naruto watched Hinata practically get carried out the hall, he couldn't help feel bad and proud for the girl. She overcame her fear and fought her absolute heart out against an opponent well out of her league.

There was no shame in that.

-Several fights later-

Both Naruto and Sakura considered themselves extremely lucky that they had already won their fights, they didn't have to worry about who their opponents could be. This really gave them an advantage to scout their possible opponents for the third stage of the exam.

Naruto wasn't particularly worried about anyone who he could chosen to fight against, he knew he was strong and prepared enough to handle anyone. But watching Neji utterly destroy his very determined cousin, Hinata, did give the blonde some insight to the Hyuuga's abilities. The Hyuuga clan's taijutsu style was very accurate and even more lethal. Using the Byakugan, Neji targeted his cousin's chakra points and disabled her chakra with perfect strikes. Hitting chakra points wasn't even the worst, poor Hinata was almost killed by a palm strike to her heart.

And Gaara was able to win his match without sustaining a single hit, that sand of ultimate defense of his is really something. The speed of which the sand was able to surround Gaara really showed how amazing his control of the sand was. The showing made Naruto question if the sand had a mind of it's own.

Shikamaru really proved himself as the master strategist when he fought that girl from Otogakure. He did so much preparation and distraction just to catch her in his shadow paralyzing technique and make her hit her head on the wall. Naruto thought it fit well. Shikamaru's teammate on the other hand didn't prove much, Choji's match was a double knockout. And despite a very impressive showing by Tenten, Temari and her huge fan blew all the ninja tools away.

There were only four fighters left to compete.

"The next match will be Rock Lee vs. Kankurō." Hayate called out when the screen finished its randomization. "That means the final match will be Sasuke Uchiha vs. Shino Aburame."

"Yoshi!" Lee cried out in extreme joy. He vaulted himself over the railing and landed gracefully in the arena. "Finally! A chance to showcase my skills!"

"Do your best Lee!" Gai screamed in like fashion as his student.

Kankurō was not happy with the selection of his opponent. He knew this guy was way too strong for him to beat without resorting to his puppet. He had orders to not use his puppet in a exam match so his strategies and abilities could be kept a secret until the invasion started. He, Gaara, and Temari were vital parts to the plan. They had their own orders and he had his own.

The boy with the purple markings on his face raised his hand. "Proctor, I forfeit the match!"

"Say what?!" Lee screamed

Hayate sighed. "Very well. Winner of the match by default: Rock Lee."

Lee's head immediately dropped and he slowly made his way back up to his team. His sensei was quick to the consult the boy.

"Do not fret my youthful student! I will train you so hard that you will blow away the competition in the third stage!" Gai gave his student a thumbs up.

Lee's attitude changed instantly and copied his sensei's 'youthful' gesture.

Kakashi had a sweat dropped from his brow as he looked on at his rival. 'Gai you are too much…'

"Then it's time for the final match. Will the final two participants make their way down to the arena so we can get this over with?" Hayate said.

"Finally." Sasuke sighed as he made his way down the stairs to the arena. Shino did so as well, keeping his hands in his pockets.

Once the two stood across from each other, Hayate signaled for the match to begin and jumped away.

Sasuke didn't waste any time and closed the distance between them, he sent a well-aimed kick to Shino's skull but Shino was able to block it completely with his forearm. Seeing an opening, Shino pushed Sasuke's kick aside and went in for a strike of his own. Sasuke had the opportunity to side step it then duck down to sweep his leg. Shino had the wherewithal to jump over and fall back to a safe distance.

Kakashi realized what his pupil was doing and nodded in approval. 'Good work Sasuke. Those attacks may have not seemed like much but they gauged Shino's taijutsu level to yours. Which are better than I would've thought.'

Sasuke was honestly surprised, Shino had better taijutsu and reaction time than Sasuke ever gave him credit for. He never paid any mind to Shino, or the Aburame clan itself. He knew of the clan's abilities with insects but he never saw it as a good ability, regardless Sasuke kept his guard up.

Likewise, Shino was quickly racking his mind for a way to defeat the Uchiha. The insect user was fully aware that the Uchiha clan was known for being all-around tough opponents. Shino also knew he could be quickly overpowered by better taijutsu and stronger ninjutsu if he didn't make the first move. He needed to end this battle quickly.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and was instantly shocked. Throughout of Shino's body, both inside and out, he could see insects moving. They seemed to be integrated into his chakra system.

"Your bugs…they live inside you?"

Shino nodded. "Yes. All members of the Aburame clan are infused at birth with the special insect called kikaichū. Why you ask? Because that is our clan's bloodline technique."

"I didn't ask why but whatever."

"I know you did not ask why but I explained it regardless. Why you ask? Because nobody ever listens to what I have to say."

Sasuke was, honestly, a little dumbfounded. "Okay then…"

Shino's insects began to rapidly crawl out of the sleeves of his jacket and began to fly around him. The insects spread around the arena at an alarming rate. Before Sasuke was able to realize, or even react, what was going on, Shino had surrounded him and Sasuke in a small ring of insects.

"You're trapped Sasuke!" Sakura called out. "Get out of there!"

Sasuke heard his teammate's cry and mentally rolled his eyes. Obviously, he needed to get out and he knew he was trapped. But he was partly curious on what Shino's plan was. They were in a confined space and that was an advantage for Sasuke, close quarter combat was always good for Sasuke.

The giant swarm of insects began to close in on Sasuke, Shino stayed put and let the swarm ingulf him.

"You are trapped and this match is over. Why you ask? Because my insects will absorb all your chakra as they get closer."

Sasuke immediately went on the offensive and executed a series of hand signs. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

A burst of flame flew out of Sasuke's mouth and burned a section of the insects that were swarming him. He saw an opening but it was quickly closed up by more insects that emerged from Shino's jacket. He then thought about jumping his way out of the swarm, but that too was not an option. The insects closed in around Sasuke completely, he was now trapped inside a dome of bugs.

The Uchiha watched the dome of insects cautiously with his Sharingan, learning their movements and waiting for an opening to get out. He didn't have much time though, the dome was growing smaller and he could feel his chakra beginning to be drained by every little bite.

'Damnit! All my chakra will drained at this rate if I don't do something quick!' Sasuke kept swatting the bugs away and smacked all the bugs he could that were on his body. 'Even if I could use a jutsu right now, I'm not sure I'd be able to escape fast enough.'

The mark on his neck throbbed, reminding Sasuke it was there. He was running out of options and needed to end this battle now.

'Fine.'

Whatever restraints were holding the curse mark back were now off and the black markings spread up Sasuke's neck and down his left arm. He didn't need much power to escape so he stopped the spread of the markings partly down his arm, the markings ended just beyond his short sleeve and only reached the bottom of his ear.

The insects immediate reaction was to back off from Sasuke. The ones that did not were killed almost instantly when they bit into the Uchiha. Shino felt the sudden difference.

"You've changed. My insects will no longer take your chakra. Why?"

Shino was surprised when Sasuke calmly walked through the swarm of bugs. With each step the Uchiha took, the further Shino's insects got from the Uchiha. There was a massive amount of chakra coming off the Uchiha and Shino could see a bloodthirsty smirk on his face.

"For once, you don't answer your own question."

Sasuke's speed had increased greatly and Shino could not dodge the strong punch to his stomach. The insect user could do nothing but let out a gasp before falling over and passing out.

Hayate jumped in and quickly separated the two before anything else could happen. Shino and Hayate weren't the only ones to feel the difference in Sasuke, all the jōnin were either about to jump down or watching Sasuke carefully.

The Uchiha in question backed away slowly from the unconscious Shino before turning around to head back up to his team, but he was stopped when Naruto stood in his path. His arms were crossed and the look on his face was fierce.

"Calm down, Sasuke. Don't let it take you over."

Sasuke, with his Sharingan still active, glared at the blonde for a few moments before regaining control over himself and forcing the markings to retract back to the seal. He let out a strong breath and reopened his eyes, his Sharingan now gone.

Sasuke closed the distance between him and his teammate and stood eye to eye with him. So many unsaid things were passing between them.

"I can't wait to fight you, Naruto." Sasuke walked past Naruto and left the arena.

Naruto watched the Uchiha leave the area and thought about their conversation from a few days ago. There was a total tone shift in Sasuke and Naruto was positive that the curse mark had something to do with it. Was the mark affecting Sasuke in more than just strength?

Naruto turned back and Sakura was now standing near him, she had a worried look on her face.

"Everything's fine Sakura. You don't have to be worried."

The pinkette nodded her head but she was not swayed much. "What's going on with Sasuke…? I've never seen him like this."

"It's that damn seal that snake bastard gave him. I think it's affecting him in more ways than just strength."

"I think you're right Naruto." Kakashi said, coming up behind the blonde. "That mark is definitely affecting his personality."

Naruto nodded in understanding. He turned to follow his friend but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go talk to him. You and Sakura stay here and listen to what the proctor has to say about the next stage of the exams."

The two genin nodded and walked towards where the rest of the match winners were. Naruto and Sakura went and stood next to Shikamaru in the small gaggle of genin.

"Congratulations to all of you who won the rights to compete in the third round of the Chunin Exams. Even though one of you is missing, the eight of you will fight in one-on-one tournament style matches. These matches will be watched by everyone, guests and other Kages to show if you have what it takes to be a chunin. You will have one month to rest up, heal any injuries you might have sustained during the second stage, and improve yourself. But most of all, use this time to get to know your enemy and yourself. Now, everyone come forward to receive a number."

It took roughly five minutes for the seven genin to walk up to Hayate and grab the small piece of paper with a number on it. "Now, everyone say the number they got so we can determine who faces who."

"Two."

"Six."

"Seven."

"Four."

"One."

"Five."

"Three."

After a couple of minutes of writing the names on a clipboard and placing them in the correct spots, Hayate announced the matches. "Perfect, these will be the matches for the third stage in order: Neji Hyuuga vs. Sakura Haruno, Rock Lee vs. Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari of the Sand, and Gaara of the Desert vs. Sasuke Uchiha."

"Remember, you have one month to prepare yourselves as you see fit. More information will be put out to you the closer the date comes. Your senseis will escort you from the tower and out of the forest. Good luck to you all."