Author's Note: Welcome back, everyone! Some of you are going to hate me for this chapter. Not sorry, some things just need to happen.

Update: As of 02/28/24 I have deleted the announcement that was originally "Chapter 18". Figured there's no more need for it at this point. TLDR, Marsuvees Black The Dark Lord's review of Chapter 4 made me realize Anko's relationship was rushed to hell and back the way it was originally written so I changed it to progress at a more organic pace.

Disclaimer: Naruto and Inuyasha belong to their respective owners.

Dialogue Legend:

"Unforgivable" – Normal dialogue

'Unforgivable' – character's thoughts/speaking to Inner Demon/Inner Spirit

"Unforgivable" – Jutsu name

'Unforgivable' – Inner Demon/Inner Spirit/Supernatural Being speaking

Review Corner:

darthjosh2112: Absolutely. The six members of Naruto's harem are locked in stone. What will change going forward is how quickly Naruto's – and other characters – romantic relationships progress. I don't want to repeat the mistake I initially made with Anko. Hinata's relationship had years of off-screen buildup behind it, and Haku's relationship was love at first sight. Aside from them, all other romantic relationships will proceed at a reasonable pace. I had originally intended for Naruto's entire future harem to have romantic feelings for him before the end of the Konoha Crush arc. That won't be happening now. They'll all still be introduced by the end of that arc but most won't be in love with Naruto until later arcs. Same goes for Sasuke's love interests and those of other characters.

Chapter 18 – Preliminaries Part 2

"Those with orange ribbons, come into the arena!" Hayate ordered.

"Fuck yeah, it's our turn! Let's rock, Akamaru!" Kiba leaped down from the upper gallery.

"Dobe, I've got eighty Ryou riding on you ending that mutt in less than five minutes. Don't let me down." Sasuke smirked at Naruto.

"Wouldn't dream of it, teme!" Naruto grinned back before descending the stairs.

Six hours had passed since Tenten's match with Temari. Hiruzen had ordered a team of retired Shinobi who now worked for Konoha's Construction Corps to inspect the tower and determine the extent of the damage caused by Tenten's dust explosion. The tower's foundation was undamaged, but several supporting beams were cracked. The Preliminaries were suspended while the Construction Corps worked tirelessly to repair the tower's infrastructure, along with the arena. The computer used to determine the matchups had been damaged beyond repair, so a contingency method was now used in its place. Ten combatants remained, so five different-colored pairs of ribbons were discreetly given to them while they waited in their team rooms for the repairs to be complete.

"Preliminary Round 6: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka, both of Konoha! Combatants, begin!"

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Ten Kage Bushin materialized in the space between Naruto and Kiba.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun, too chicken to fight us yourself?" Kiba taunted as Akamaru leaped out of her jacket.

"This is the Jutsu that allowed me to graduate from the Academy after failing the official test. I thought you'd want to see it, Kiba-chan!" Naruto retorted.

"Well, thanks for that, but I can't help but notice your Kage Bushin don't have your sword." Kiba dropped into her clan's combat stance.

'Of course not, that Jutsu is incapable of replicating objects with powerful supernatural properties.' Tenseiga huffed.

"I don't Tenseiga to win this fight!" Naruto declared.

Kiba shivered 'Why does that name sound so familiar?' "Whatever, it's your funeral! Shikyaku no Jutsu!" (Four Legs Technique) Chakra seeped out of Kiba's body, her nails elongated into claws, and her eyes turned into slits. The Inuzuka heiress hurled herself at Naruto's Kage Bushin and decimated them within seconds. "You're next, punk!" Kiba lunged at the original, which dodged her assault with ease. "WHAT THE FUCK?! You were never this good at Taijutsu in the Academy and it's only been a few months!" Kiba snarled.

"Ever occur to you that I was holding back all those years? I thought I made that clear the day after the Graduation Exam. There were way too many unfriendly eyes in that hellhole of a school for me to safely demonstrate what I was really capable of!" Naruto growled back, not wanting to be reminded of those days.

"Woof" Akamaru whined in affirmation as he recalled the numerous times he had smelled blood on Naruto's clothes during his Academy years. Kiba winced in response, remembering – all too well – her interview with Anko and Ibiki. "AKAMARU!" Kiba swallowed one food pill and threw a second one into her partner's mouth. Akamaru's white fur turned red, and both his and Kiba's Chakra levels soared. "Juujin Bunshin!" (Beast Human Clone) The dog assumed the appearance of his partner.

"Damn, that's a fine power-up, Kiba-chan! Guess I'll have to take things a bit more seriously!" An enormous amount of Chakra erupted out of Naruto and began swirling around him. Moments later, the Chakra condensed into an azure aura. Aside from Team 7, the spectators were all surprised at this display of power, but the Genin of Team Guy nearly collapsed in shock.

"Don't worry, he's not using the Gates," their Sensei clarified, "this is just what the basic condition-enhancing Chakra techniques look like when used with an immense amount of Chakra. Typically, putting that much power into it would be tantamount to suicide, but Naruto's clan has always been known for its physical resilience."

"Kiba-chan, do you know what my last name means?" Naruto asked his gawking opponents. "'Uzumaki means 'maelstrom', and you're not ready to weather this storm!" The Uzumaki Lord launched himself at Kiba and Akamaru.

"We'll see about that! Gatsuuga!" (Fang Passing Fang) Kiba and Akamaru leaped into the air and spun so rapidly they resembled tiny tornadoes. The shockwaves produced when the pair collided with Naruto were powerful enough to make the observing Genin fear for the tower's structural integrity once more. Naruto rose from the ground, his arms covered in lacerations.

"That was a good match, Kiba-chan and Akamaru-kun. We'll definitely need to spar once you've recovered." Naruto gazed at the two craters in the wall ahead of him; directly beneath said craters were his opponents. Akamaru, having only been sideswiped by Naruto's impact, was only unconscious. Kiba, however, had taken a direct hit and her arms were broken in several places.

"Damn, you hit like a truck!" Kiba coughed. "Looking real forward to getting you back for this, Alpha!"

"Winner by incapacitating his opponent: Naruto Uzumaki! Hayate declared.

"Kakashi-sensei, the time?" Sasuke asked.

"Four minutes and thirty-eight seconds." Kakashi checked his stopwatch.

"Heh, called it! Pay up, Shino!" The last Uchiha smirked. The Aburame heir wordlessly complied. Under normal circumstances, Kurenai would have reprimanded her student for gambling on the result of a Chuunin Exam match, but she was preoccupied with Kiba's last words.

'Kiba-chan's always been fond of battle, so much so that she was labeled as a battle junkie by many of her classmates. From her perspective, it's understandable why she'd acknowledge Naruto-kun as her Alpha after losing in such a manner, but giving that title to someone not of the Inuzuka Clan – even if the recipient does not accept it – had intimate connotations in the not-so-distant past. I'll need to speak with Tsume-dono to head off any talks of an arranged marriage. Kiba-chan and Naruto-kun barely know each other, after all.'

"Excellent job, Naruto-kun." Kakashi beamed.

"Those with blue ribbons, come into the arena!" Ino and the final member of the team from Kiri descended the stairs in silence. The Yamanaka heiress had a smile on her face, while her opponent's dark blue eyes stared daggers into the arena floor. Before Hayate could declare the official start of the match, the Kiri kunoichi flashed through a series of hand seals.

"Suiton: Kyou Suisou!" (Water Release: Surging Water Claws) Water encased the seventeen-year-old's hands like a second skin, ending in claws reminiscent of a wolf.

"Bitch! Proctor, that has to be cheating!" Ino yelled.

"The rules do not prohibit the activation of a supplementary Jutsu before the start of a match." Hayate responded. "Effective use of the time before a battle begins is an essential trait for Chuunin to have."

"Once again, I have the worst luck in the family." Arashi sighed. "Neither Choji-kun nor Shino-kun expressed outrage when my sisters utilized their techniques. Why did I have to be paired against a spoiled girl?" The waves of Arashi's back-length ebon hair seemed to flutter in indignation.

"Preliminary Round 7: Ino Yamanaka of Konoha vs. Arashi Umino of Kiri! Combatants, begin!"

Ino barely dodged her adversary's slash in time. If not for the Taijutsu hell Asuma had put her through, she would have been eviscerated. Arashi maintained her assault, leaving Ino no quarter to retreat to a safe enough distance to risk using her clan's techniques. The deadly dance continued for several minutes; Ino's Chakra-infused kunai clashed against Arashi's aquatic claws over and over again.

"Arashi-nee-chan's most troublesome habit is showing itself again." Tetsuisshi sighed. Otou-san, I thought you had stressed to her that such a thing would get her killed one day."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru was standing close to the Yama and Tetsuisshi and could not help but overhear.

"My eldest daughter hates using more Chakra or skill than she feels is necessary to end a fight." Yama clarified. "If she's not under a time limit or some other constraint that would force the issue then she's more than happy to fight with the bare minimum of effort needed to defeat her opponent. Certainly, concealing the full extent of your capabilities is an ideal thing to do, but Arashi takes it to the extreme."

"I feel I must agree." Asuma had been looking for a chance to speak with Yama – the unexpected downtime after Tenten's match had been spent checking on Choji and speaking with his fellow Konoha Jonin – and this seemed like as good an opening as any.

"Ah, Asuma Sarutobi! Well-met!" Yama extended a gargantuan hand. Asuma accepted the handshake

"You have me at a disadvantage, mister?"

"Yama, current head of the Umino Clan! I was recently promoted to Jonin due to my accomplishments in Kiri's latest – and hopefully last – civil war."

"Umino Clan? I thought I knew most of the clans in Kiri." As the heir of the Sarutobi Clan, Asuma had been taught the history of the other elemental nations.

"We're one of the oldest clans in Kiri, but we've always been small in number, and the majority of our contributions to Kiri have been kept out of the history books." Yama explained. "Kiri's numerous wars have not been kind to the Umino Clan. Now, only I and my three daughters remain."

"That's terrible! Surely, the Mizukage has taken steps to ensure the revival of your clan?" Asuma thought of Konoha's Clan Restoration Act.

"It's not that simple." Yama sighed. "Umino Clan tradition states that only those who have defeated a Clan member or have been acknowledged by one as a formidable opponent can marry into the clan. As you've seen, my daughters are terrors on the battlefield; no one in their age group back home is a match for them, though several have tried.

"And I'm guessing you don't want someone old enough to be their father as a son-in-law either? Can't blame you at all there." Asuma replied.

"Got that right!" Yama gripped the handrail of the upper balcony with enough force to crush it. Meanwhile, the duel occurring beneath them finally neared its end.

"You're tiring, Ino-chan!" Arashi smirked. "Surrender before I am obligated to take your life!"

Now that she had finally gained some distance from Arashi, Ino's only response was to weave a series of hand seals. "Doton: Doryruuheki!" Ino conjured an earthen dome.

"Now that's impressive!" Yama yelled. "Doryruheki is a B-Rank Jutsu, most Genin wouldn't be able to use it all, let alone with enough skill to form an entire dome instead of just the basic wall."

"Ino is the heiress of the Yamanaka Clan and has been trained since she could walk to master her affinity for Doton." Asuma smiled in response, glad to have found a friend from another nation.

"I underestimated you, Ino-chan; this is a wonderful Jutsu." Arashi had failed to breach the Ino's defense despite several slashes. "However, no victory was ever obtained simply by cowering behind a wall!" Arashi's claws flared with additional Chakra, and Ino's wall began to crumble beneath the renewed onslaught.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" (Mind Body Switch Technique) Ino cast her Jutsu at Arashi the instant she breached the wall. 'Got her! Now I just need to have Arashi surrender and – oh shit!'

"It's over." Asuma sighed.

"Yup." Yama agreed. Ino's plan was good on paper, but after putting a barricade between herself and Arashi she had no way of seeing what her opponent was doing. Arashi had anticipated Ino's trap and prepared one of her own. She had created a Mizu Bushin before strengthening her claws and had Kawarimied with it the instant her claw fully penetrated the earth dome. Ino had wasted her Jutsu on a mindless clone; by the time she realized her mistake, Arashi's claws were at her throat.

"I surrender!" Ino shouted.

"Winner by forfeit: Arashi Umino!" Hayate declared.

"Crud, I was sensing your Chakra with Yin Release, but I didn't detect you creating that Mizu Bushin. You must have really good Chakra control, Arashi-san, to have created it as subtly as you did."

"Ah, so you did have a contingency for not being able to see my movements, very good!" Arashi's opinion of Ino shot up several notches. "As for not being able to detect my clone, take a closer look at it." Ino did, and nearly fell to the ground in shock. There was no Chakra within the Mizu Bushin! The Yamanaka heiress picked her jaw off the floor and started climbing back to the upper balcony.

"You're not going to ask?" Arashi was used to opponents with Chakra-sensing abilities demanding an explanation; the reverse was new to her.

Ino shook her head. "Not sure how things like this work in Kiri, but in Konoha, it's very bad manners to ask about someone else's clan secrets unless they're vital to the success of a mission." The pair reached the second floor and rejoined their respective teams.

"Those with green ribbons, come forward!" Hayate ordered.

"Looks like I'm up; I promise to make you proud, Kurenai-sensei!" Sakura left for the stairs. Kurenai only grinned in response.

'Sakura-chan, you were the only civilian in your graduating class. Even Naruto-kun, with all the scorn and ill-treatment he received, comes from a mighty clan. Once you realized that your duty as a Shinobi must come before any romantic attachments, you progressed faster than both Kiba-chan and Shino-kun in the time since your graduation. They are both still stronger than you, but only because of the support they have received as clan heirs. In time you will – at the very least – be their equal. You have become the ideal example of what all kunoichi should strive for. Win or lose, nothing can take that from you!'

"Troublesome, I have to fight a girl!" Shikamaru cringed.

"Would you rather have fought me, Neji, or Gaara-san?" Naruto retorted. "Get down there before I kick you off the balcony myself!"

"Tsk!" Shikamaru Shunshined into the arena.

"Preliminary Round 8: Sakura Haruno vs. Shikamaru Nara, both of Konoha! Combatants, begin!

Both Genin leaped away from each other. Sakura weaved a series of hand seals that momentarily stunned Shikamaru. "Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu!" (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique) Sakura and the arena vanished from Shikamaru's field of vision and were replaced by images of the entire Nara clan's bloody corpses. Shikamaru disrupted the flow of his Chakra to purge it of Sakura's influence. By the time his mind was his own again, the pinkette had just finished weaving another set of hand seals!

"Suiton: Teppoudama!" (Water Release: Gunshot) Sakura vomited a ball of water roughly the size of her head. Shikamaru barely dodged it in time, and the aquatic missile left a crater in the floor.

'Disorient with Genjutsu, then attack with Ninjutsu; a basic strategy, but a good one.' Shikamaru grimaced. He knew that Sakura had the best Chakra control out of anyone in their class, and he had guessed that she would use Genjutsu against him given that Kurenai was known for her Genjutsu. What had surprised him was how close her strategy had come to succeeding. The Nara Clan specialized in Yin Release, and they had a natural resistance to Genjutsu. Sakura had overcome that resistance in an instant, meaning that Kurenai had trained her to fight opponents who were able to resist Genjutsu. The proof was in Sakura's first set of hand seals. The sequence was more than what was required to cast the Jutsu, and the Nara heir recognized the additional seals as a method to strengthen the Genjutsu.

"Almost had you there, Shikamaru-kun; that big brain of yours doesn't mean much if I can clog it with illusions, now does it?" Sakura repeated her one-two punch several times in rapid succession. Shikamaru barely avoided certain doom each time.

'Damn it all! Asuma-sensei must have blabbed to Kurenai-san about the results of the IQ test he made me do!' Shikamaru had positioned himself in the perfect position to counter Sakura's next liquid bullet before he was hit by her Genjutsu again, but the expected missile was a volley of bomb kunai instead!

"You think I don't know that the same trick will only work so many times?" Sakura screamed as Shikamaru barely avoided the explosions. I know you can break my Genjutsu faster than you've been doing it! Take me seriously or you'll be lucky if all you lose is a limb!"

"Holy shit," Ino swore, "when did Sakura become this tough?!"

"Best guess: five, maybe six seconds after she put being a good Shinobi ahead of pining after me." Sasuke frowned. He was overjoyed at Sakura's growth, but his greatest desire was now even less likely than before.

"I like this one! Can we keep her?" Temari hated the preconception that kunoichi were little better than whores, and seeing Sakura dominate an opponent who had underestimated her was the best thing that had happened to her since coming to Konoha.

"Troublesome!" Was Shikamaru's only reply when the smoke cleared. Sakura cast her Genjutsu for the umpteenth time, but now her vision was distorted and replaced by a scene of Sasuke's mutilated body. When she broke free, pain assaulted her stomach and she became keenly aware of blood in her mouth.

"Counter-Genjutsu, huh? Must have set it to activate as soon as you got hit with one again." Sakura coughed the blood out of her throat. "See that, Shikamaru-kun? The second you took me seriously, you won. Should have done that from the beginning, you lazy bastard!" The pinkette passed out from the combination of Chakra exhaustion and Shikamaru's gut-punch.

"Winner by knock-out: Shikamaru Nara!" Hayate summoned a large towel from a storage scroll and began wiping off all the water that had splashed on him.

"You did incredible, Sakura-chan. Shikamaru was a bad match for you, and showed him that you're no civilian playing at being a Shinobi." Kurenai picked up her student and began carrying her to the infirmary.

"Those with white ribbons, step into the arena!" Neji and Hinata both Shunshined down.

"Hinata-hime, withdraw at once!" Neji glared at his cousin, the Byakugan already active in his eyes. "You are not qualified to be a Shinobi. You embody all that is light in the world; all that is sweet, soft, and weak. You're a pacifist, not a warrior; if not for the sake of your team, you would not have taken this exam and would have remained a Genin for your entire life!"

Naruto gripped the handrails so hard that his hands turned white. His Chakra swirled around him, much like it had during his fight with Kiba. Unlike before, however, wisps of red were visible within the azure aura. "That worm, he dares?" Naruto's fury was palpable.

"Naruto-kun, calm down now!" Kakashi laid a heavy hand on Kurama's Jinchuriki.

"No, Sensei." Naruto turned to look Kakashi in the eye. The Namikaze lord's left eye had lost its azure hue; it was currently indigo and was rapidly fading to deep purple. The orb's pupil was slowly shifting from a circle to a slit. "I can feel it in my soul; the secondary seal Hiruzen-sama applied all those years ago is breaking. My rage is the trigger, the accelerant, but nothing can stop the process now. The sooner it's over, the better! And from the looks of things, Neji will add plenty of fuel to the fire!"

Kakashi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Team 7 had told him of Kushina's message box, and he was there for Minato's, but the catalyst for Kurama's awakening could not have occurred at a worse time. "Then restrain yourself, and your tenant, until this fight is done!" The Ex-Anbu Commander ordered.

"Only for as long as my future cousin-in-law keeps his grudge against my fiancé within reasonable limits, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto snarled back.

While Naruto and Kakashi had their exchange; Hinata had met her cousin's verbal assault with stoic silence. Seeing that his initial psychological attack had failed, Neji redoubled his efforts. "Hinata-hime, you are the sheltered lamb of the Main Branch! No matter how long it lives, a leopard can never change its spots. Failures will always fail, and the weak shall never become strong."

"Such arrogance!" Naruto whispered. "Regardless of the outcome of this match, I vow as Lord of the Namikaze that you shall suffer for this offense, Neji Hyuuga!"

"These truths are as immutable as the fact that I am of Side Branch while you are of the Main Branch!" Neji shouted.

"Are you quite finished?" Hinata's eyes gleamed with cold fury. Her soft voice cracked the air like a whip. "I am fully aware that I have no chance of besting you in combat as I am now, but Shinobi rarely have the luxury of picking their battles! The Hyuuga Compound was a terrible training environment for me. Enemies hiding behind honeyed words and veiled threats adorn every corner of that place! Only the limited love my father could express without appearing weak to the other elders enabled me to call it home at all! I have heard your words hundreds of times; often from far crueler people than you! When I passed the true Graduation Test, I promised myself that the next person who said such things in my presence without cause would not go unpunished. So, cousin let us see if the 'pride of the Side Branch' genuinely deserves the accolades placed upon him!" Hinata rushed Neji and aimed for Tenketsu that would cripple him for life if struck.

Neji evaded, blocked, or redirected the majority of his cousin's onslaught, and the few strikes that did connect missed their mark. Even then, they still struck other Tenketsu, ones that would slow Neji down until he received treatment. 'What happened? She's never been this fast or this accurate before; this level of proficiency with the Juuken exceeds that of Hanabi-hime!' Neji retaliated, and the exchange between Juuken users reached a fever pitch that persisted for nearly ten minutes.

The two Hyuuga paused to assess their injuries. Neji had taken far more damage than he expected to. His strategy to block the Tenketsu in Hinata's arms from the very start of the match had failed completely. The Hyuuga heiress was too fast, and too skilled, for such a thing to be possible. Ultimately, however, Neji could not be denied. Nearly all of the Tenketsu in his right arm, and several in his left, were closed now, but all of Hinata's Tenketsu in both arms were now sealed.

"You have lost, Hinata-hime" Neji smirked. "With the Tenketsu in your arms sealed, you can no longer use the Juuken. This outcome was inevitable; no matter how much you struggle, I am a wall you cannot climb!"

"It is the journey that matters, not the destination." Hinata echoed the words her fiancé had said just before he accepted her love. "You thought me a lamb, and I have proven to you that I am a lion! No matter what occurs next, that is one victory you shall never take from me!" Hinata rushed Neji again.

"You weak FOOL!" Neji counterattacked with a vicious set of Tenketsu strikes that caused all of Hinata's limbs to erupt in pain. He then executed a roundhouse kick that sent her flying through the air. Not waiting for Hayate to call the match, Neji began marching toward the stairs.

"Turning your back to the enemy?" Hinata coughed as she stood on trembling legs. "What would Hizashi-san say if he could see you now?"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK MY FATHER'S NAME!" Neji leaped at Hinata with his left arm pointed straight at her heart! The Jonin in the room flew to intercept, but a vermillion flash beat them to it!

"That's enough!" Naruto's scarlet slits glared into Neji's lavender orbs, and his clawed hand nearly shattered the Hyuuga's wrist.

'AWAKE AT LAST!' Kurama roared in triumph from the depths of Naruto's soul. Naruto wanted to respond, but a grip nearly as hard as the one he had on Neji brought his mind back to current events.

"Naruto Uzumaki, release Neji Hyuuga immediately!" Kakashi demanded. Naruto complied and walked to Hinata's position.

"Naruto-kun, given the circumstances of the current fight, and in consideration of the fact that you have already qualified for the Finals of the Third Exam, I will not disqualify you for intruding on Neji-kun and Hinata-chan's match." Hayate decreed.

"And what of Neji? The match was over in all but name when he launched his deathblow!" Kurama's Chakra was receding, but Naruto's rage was not. "That is precisely why Neji-kun will also not be punished for his actions." Hayate countered. Whether Hinata-chan died or not has no bearing on the prior events of the fight."

"As much as I'd love to cave your face in for how hypocritical that is, I have someone to bring to the infirmary! Hiruzen-sama!" Naruto turned to face the Sandaime Hokage. "Know that I intend to file a complaint in my official capacity shortly. I expect this filth to be replaced by a proctor with functioning eyes and brain cells for the Finals!" Naruto picked his fiancé off the ground and fled to the infirmary at the safest possible speed.

'I'm sorry that had to be the first thing you saw and heard after twelve years of forced dormancy, Kurama-sama.'

'Naruto-kun, you know how to speak with me?' Kurama thought she would have to talk with her Jinchuriki in his dreams to establish contact with him.

'Over the years, I've tried several times to communicate with you; only that consciousness-suppressing seal placed by Hiruzen foiled my efforts.'

'He meant well; he had orders from – '

'I know; I've already listened to Mom and Dad's Chakra boxes.'

'So soon? You're underage, and this is the testing ground for prospective Chuunin, so that means – '

'Yes, I have awakened to my Daiyoukai heritage, and I have it on unquestionable authority that I have the highest affinity with it in the history of my clan.'

'Tenseiga?'

'Tenseiga.'

'And what of this Hyuuga girl? Is she your mate?'

'She is, and the bastard that did this to her is her cousin. The day of our match in the Finals will be his last!'

'Excellent! But how do you intend to kill him without getting imprisoned for life or executed for murdering a member of nobility?' '

You have twelve years' worth of my memories to sift through; you'll get your answer before you're done. Speaking of which; Mom said thanks for everything you did for the Uzumaki!'

'Of course she would say that! I don't even know why I'm surprised! You spend a woman's entire life sealed inside of them and they can still shock you!' Naruto had reached the infirmary, so Kurama broke her connection with him and began catching up on his memories. Naruto refused to leave Hinata's side while the Medical Ninja did their work. Fortunately for him, the operating room was large enough that he could remain in a corner while said work progressed.

"Naruto-san, Hinata-hime will fully recover in time, but her rehabilitation will be a long one. The damage she has received is extensive, and she will have extreme difficulty controlling her Chakra for the foreseeable future."

"Thank you, Sensei." Naruto bowed to the chief Medical Ninja. Several minutes later, Naruto was sitting at Hinata's bedside. After what seemed like hours, his thoughts were disrupted by Guy's voice.

"There's truly nothing you can do?" The Green Beast of Konoha sounded terrified.

"The most we can do at this stage is ease Lee-kun's passing into the next life, Guy-san." The same head doctor who had saved Hinata was now speaking with Guy. Naruto's curiosity got the better of him, and he discreetly left Hinata's bedside to find an ideal eavesdropping position.

"Please! There must be something!" Guy begged.

"Not even Tsunade-sama could save your student now." The head doctor replied gravely. "If she had been there at the moment these injuries occurred, then she may have been able to heal him, but the numerous fractures on all four of Lee-kun's limbs have caused massive internal bleeding. We've managed to heal the worst of the damage to his veins and arteries, but over two-thirds of Lee-kun's blood is outside of his cardiovascular system. Only the medication we administered earlier has prevented the rapid heart rate and altered mental status that typically accompanies severe hemorrhaging. His organs have already begun to fail, we cannot save him now."

"Guy-sensei, it's alright." Lee said weakly. "It was a beautiful dream I had, to be a great Shinobi without the ability to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Guy-sensei, for doing all you could to help me realize that dream. Before I go, I have one last question: did I make you proud, Guy-sensei?"

"You did, Lee-kun, more than any student I've ever trained!" Tears were flooding down Guy's face, but he forced his voice to remain calm.

"Then I shall wait for you on the other side, and the heavens shall weep with joy upon seeing the flames of our youth!" Lee closed his eyes, at peace with his fate. Several minutes later, the Handsome Devil of Konoha breathed his last. Guy's cries tore through the infirmary. Naruto shed no tears, but he also mourned the loss of such a promising Shinobi! Hiruzen eventually arrived to console Guy, and Naruto made a decision.

"Does Lee-kun have any next of kin?" The Sandaime Hokage asked.

"None, sir; his parents and all other relatives perished in the battles with Kumo and Iwa that occurred after the Kyuubi's attack. He has a sizable amount of Ryou in his checking account. I will see if Neji-kun or Tenten-chan wish to in – "

"Naruto-dono, why are you in this room?" Hiruzen interrupted Guy as Naruto opened the door.

"I believe you know why, Hiruzen-sama." Naruto had a hand on Tenseiga.

"Y-yes, that sword's power was mentioned in Kakashi-san's report concerning your mission in the Land of Waves." Hiruzen realized Naruto's intent. "I will only approve such a thing if Guy-san also agrees."

"Agree to what? What can that sword do?" Guy yelled.

"This blade holds the power to resurrect a dead person once, so long as they have not already been revived by other means." Naruto answered.

"That's imposs-"

"There are other restrictions." Naruto cut Guy off. "Most importantly, at least 50% of the target's body must be free of severe injuries or disease or the resurrection will fail. Given what I overheard, Lee-kun's body may be too damaged for Tenseiga to revive him, even with everything the Medical Ninja have done for him."

"Could we restore Lee-kun's body and then revive him?" Guy was desperate now.

"I doubt it; another restriction is that the resurrection must occur within eight hours of the target's death." Naruto broke the news as calmly as possible, and Guy knew better than to inquire further. His time in the Third Shinobi World War had taught him just how long emergency surgeries could take. Eight hours was a fool's bet, and they had substantially less than that now.

"Okay, Naruto, do your best!" Guy consented.

Naruto drew Tenseiga but did not look at the pallbearers of the afterlife. 'Tenseiga, what do you think?'

'I do not know, Lord Naruto. The majority of Lee's vital organs are undamaged – lack of oxygen notwithstanding – but all of his limbs have several fractures and his cardiovascular system is lacerated in several areas.'

'We'll just have to see, then!' Naruto slashed at the pallbearers of the afterlife. When he revived Zabuza and Haku, they faded from his sight after he decapitated them. Now, their heads remained firmly attached to their necks, as if Tenseiga's blade was nothing more than a trick of the light.

"I am sorry, Guy-san." Naruto had a thousand-yard stare as he sheathed Tenseiga.

"No-no, thank you for trying!" Guy replied.

"I thank you as well, Naruto-dono. Now, please return to your fiancé's side. I must return to the arena, and Guy-san should be left to his grief for now."

Chuunin Exam Arena

"We will now determine the matchups for the Final portion of the Chuunin Exams!" Anko brought a box to each victorious Genin and they all withdrew a single sheet of paper from it. "Now, starting in the order of your Preliminary matches, each of you will call out the number on your paper!"

"Nine!" Sasuke said.

"Five." Tetsuisshi said.

"Three!" Kankuro said.

"Four." Shino said.

"Six!" Temari said.

"Seven." Arashi said.

"Eight." Shikamaru sighed.

"Two." Neji said.

"Ten." Gaara said.

"Meaning that Naruto-kun is number one!" Anko cheered.

"So be it; the Final Matchups are as follows: Round 1 – Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuuga; Round 2 – Kankuro vs. Shino Aburame; Round 3 – Tetsuisshi Umino vs. Temari; Round 4 – Arashi Umino vs. Shikamaru Nara; and Round 5 – Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara!" Hiruzen declared.

"Make good use of your one-month grace period, maggots!" Anko advised. "Since you're not competing with each other this time, I trust you can all see yourselves out of the Forest of Death. Have fun!"

Chapter End

Rest in Peace, Rock Lee! In canon, only two of his limbs were mutilated by Gaara. Changing that to having all four of his limbs damaged was the only alteration I made to that fight, and I didn't want to put the whole thing in there when that's the only thing I changed. Lee was killed off for 2 reasons: First, to avoid - or at least mitigate - character oversaturation; between the existing cast and my OCs, there are a lot of characters I want to put in the spotlight at one point or another. Fat needed to be trimmed, and Lee was one of the few characters I didn't have anything planned for in the long run that couldn't be done just as well, if not better, by a different character. Being stuck with only Taijutsu really hurts Lee's viability against a lot of his potential opponents, and I had no intention of going off the deep end to somehow give him the ability to use Ninjutsu/Genjutsu. I considered the possibility of Naruto turning Lee into a Youkai or Hanyou but ultimately decided against it because Naruto will already be doing that for a total of seven characters (Sasuke and his entire harem) and coming up with unique traits for all of them is going to be enough work as it is.

The second reason is a narrative one. In chapter 2's end note I mentioned that most of the Konoha 12 have supernatural ancestors. It shouldn't surprise anyone that Lee is one of the few who don't have one since giving him a supernatural ancestor goes against his characterization. In this story, a character without a supernatural ancestor might be able to win against someone who does have one, but the odds are going to be against them. Gaara has a supernatural ancestor in addition to being Shukaku's Jinchuriki, so him killing Lee establishes that precedent.

For those who are curious, the others among the Konoha 12 without a supernatural ancestor are Sakura and Shino, though in Shino's case the insects have one instead. Also, for those wondering, Gaara/Lee's ribbons were colored black.

Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu is the Genjutsu Kakashi used against Sakura in the canon-Bell Test. It shows the victim their worst fear. Realistically, Shikamaru's worst fear could be any number of things he considers "troublesome", but since he was a kid when the Uchiha Massacre occurred something similar happening to the Nara Clan could feasibly be a contender for his worst fear as well.

I was tempted, so very tempted, to have Naruto erase Neji in this chapter, damn the legal consequences! But the Finals are a much better stage for that to occur. That means that Kurama's debut was toned down drastically from what I originally had in mind, oh well.

The month between the preliminaries and the finals may end up being split into 2 chapters. There's a lot of ground I want to cover in that time period.

Thank you for reading!

Suiton: Kyou Suisou: Water Release: Surging Water Claws (C-Rank) – the user coats their hands in Suiton Chakra, which take the form of "gloves" that end in claws. In addition to making the user far more dangerous in close-range combat, the claws can also be purged as a surprise projectile. When used in this way, the Jutsu's destructive power is comparable to that of the Suiton: Teppoudama jutsu.