Nara Shikamaru sighed as he looked at the genin in front of him. "Man, this is troublesome," he says in response to the crowd screaming. "I really don't want to fight you."

Naruto shrugs. As Genma looked at the two expectantly, he looks at the tension on either side. Naruto; because he wants to release a bit of frustration, and Shikamaru because he doesn't want to fight.

"Kage Mane no Jutsu" the first to make a move, Shikamaru tries to catch Naruto in a Shadow bind technique of the Nara Clan. Naruto moves, dodging the attempts to catch him. Every so often, something would mark the ground at a certain area, and the dodging would continue.

"Man, this guy is troublesome."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" the next is heard, as three more Naruto's appear on the field. They surround Shikamaru, each staying outside of the area of the Shadow Bind.

By now the crowds are displeased with the performance. Things such as, "get on with the fighting" or "you two are stupid" were being thrown around. As thought out, the Kage Bunshins ran forward, dodging the shadows, until one got caught. Shikamaru seemed to smirk for a second, until the Kage Bunshin in his lineup disappeared. When his chin got caught in an attack, Shikamaru sighed.

'The clouds look so peaceful' as he sailed upwards. Grinning, he twists in midair and turns to Naruto. "You anticipated my movement and moved accordingly. Very well, I'll try this Chouji's way and attack head on."

Naruto wondered what he was talking about when suddenly five Kunai flew at him, all heading in different directions. When Naruto dodged those, six more flew towards him, and Shikamaru merely looked annoyed. Finally, when a full circle was completed, and those in the crowd were waiting patiently, Shikamaru said, "Kage Mane no Jutsu!"

The sun was directly overhead. Finally, it was apparent why he'd used so many Kunai; they had strings on them that gave of shadows. "Kuso, this is annoying" he muttered. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

When so many Naruto's appeared, Shikamaru cursed. "I hadn't expected that, now I will not be able to catch you.

Suddenly, he raised his hand, calling the Kunai back to him and said, "Examiner, I forfeit."

Genma looked stunned. "Explain."

"Well, I was outmaneuvered once the true deception was recognized. I had planned on using each of the strings to maneuver my shadow and bind Naruto, therefore knocking him out with a well placed Kunai to the head. However, I didn't take into account many variables. The first, and foremost, is his unending amount of Chakra. If you will look, every few minutes, I would throw a Kunai that interloped with the others; this was to provide for a way of moving directly. Had it all worked out, I could have caught a Single Naruto in seconds, but with that many, it simply isn't feasible. Plus, by the time I'd worked through the Kage Bunshin, I'd be knocked out directly."

Genma smiled. "Shousa, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto nodded, and for the first time noticed the slight fear on his sensei's face. The man looked into the crowds, and Naruto narrowed his eyes, Kabuto was standing in the crowd with an ANBU suit on, the Jounin were in the crowd, and the Chuunin that were usually on guard on the gate were sitting in key areas.

Hyuuga Hiashi-san was sitting in between five different Branch House members, and Hinata had her own guard. Neji was with her, and therefore acting as her guard.

"Next match, Aburame Shino versus Sabaku no Kankurou!"

When Naruto passed Shino, the dark haired genin slipped him a piece of paper. He saw Shikamaru studying him intently and wondered if the other had seen. When they arrived at the genin box, Naruto looked at the other Konoha-genin and said, "Well, I'm thirsty. I'm going for water."

Shikamaru nodded and the two left. When they arrived, Shikamaru took the note and said, "We're going to be invaded. This note is from the Hokage, restrains using any formidable jutsu until the signal, probably a genjutsu, and is felt. Naruto, good match."

Naruto nodded, and was about to comment when "Aburame Shino vs. Sabaku no Kankurou; Hajime" was heard.

They nodded to each other and walked back, after grabbing a cup of water. He sat down, and recognized the Hyuuga girl from the other day. She blushed when he sat down, and was immediately set upon by her guards, until Neji held his hand up and smiled at his friend.

"Hyuuga Hinata-Hime, please meet my best friend, Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata-Hime."

Hinata blushed, and grasped her hands together, hitting her fingers together in embarrassment. "Neji-niisan, please quit calling me Hinata-hime."

Neji smiled, not taking his eye off of the action below, "of course Hinata-sama. Uzumaki Naruto knows about my cursed seal, if that is the problem. Naruto, I received my seal on Hinata-sama's third birthday, and am meant to protect her."

Naruto frowned. "But... she's your opponent, right?"

Neji nodded, smiling at the blow Shino had just dealt to the opponent. "Ano... Neji-niisan, I will allow you to fight me fairly, and Otousan will just have to deal with it. I want you to face me as the Hyuuga you are, not as a Branch House member."

When he saw the Branch House members smile, Naruto knew she was unlike the other main house members, and decided she was a friend then. "Good," he said, placing his arm on her shoulder. "Then when Neji-teme kicks your ass, you'll be friends still!"

Neji blushed and said, "Naruto!"

Naruto smiled, indicating he was just joking and the girl blushed, giggled, and said, "thank you Neji-niisan."

Neji nodded, "now, can I get back to enjoying the guy that hurt my girlfriend get beat up?"

Naruto almost paled, having forgotten in all the excitement about Shino's match, and turned back, nearly forgetting to take his hand off of Hinata.

"Hajime!"

Shino looked coldly at the puppet master, an individual that had nearly killed the dreams of one of his closest friends. That Neji was now dating that friend, and Naruto was on her team, made it that much better because he could kick the teme's ass, and not get in trouble for allowing personal problems to get involved with his temper.

"OH, I'm so scared, a bug user! Ha! Just wait till Gaara gets going, and we'll see who has the real ultimate defense!"

Shino merely stood there, allowing the words to wash over him. When he saw the strings, he subtly had a few bugs move along the ground, and climb up the legs of the puppet. When it fell over three minutes later, the bugs having disrupted the Chakra flow of the strings to the puppet, Shino stood up and stalked forward to the large bag on its shoulder.

Ripping it open, he looked at the boy with the face paint on his face and hit him squarely on the nose. Blood spewed from the wound. When Kankurou stood up, in obvious amazement at the fact of his initial plan being found out so directly, he stood up and went in for one on one combat. Shino merely stood and waited, and as the Kunai struck, dissolved in a pile of bugs that attached to his body.

He stood again, and ran over, jumping, and sending a kick at the bug user's head, which was cleanly ducked and, with a counter of jabbing the puppet master in the chest.

Finally, Kankurou smirked and, a minute later, his skin dissolved, leaving a second puppet where the body stood. "Go Kuroari!"

The puppet seemed to stand still for a moment before running towards Shino at an alarming rate, and jumping, spinning its body and sending the bugs on it towards the bug user at an even faster rate. When the other puppet, Karasu, got back up, the bug user knew he was in trouble. He barely missed the swipe to his arm, and fell into a kick by Karasu, which was being used as a second attack target.

"Mushi Kabe no Jutsu!" Shino whispered. His bugs ran together, and started to climb in on themselves, creating a wall that the two puppets couldn't get passed. Shino sighed and looked at his surrounding elements before consuming a Chakra pill and sending his bugs into the shadows, intending to find where the source of the strings was, and attacking the opponent directly.

"Heh, I'll get around this wall soon, bug user, and then what? Nothing, that's what, you're weak."

Shino merely looked at Neji and, again, to Kimourii, who was holding her ribs patiently as she smiled. Neji had walked over to her during the battle sometime, and was holding her as she watched the action. Naruto was leaning over the side of the rail, watching his old friend do some things that he hadn't been able to before.

"Hmm, so he is hiding, you say?" whispered Shino as the puppets finally broke through the wall. Shino went through a quick set of hand seals and, as the puppet closed around his body, it dissolved. He appeared behind a pillar that was set up to support the arena and, came out a minute later, a bloodied Kankurou, covered in Kikai bugs was laid at the Genma's feet, who was wondering if he wanted to know what happened.

When Shino said, "no" and walked away, the man said, "Shousa, Aburame Shino!"

The crowd was ecstatic, and Naruto was too, as he looked at his old friend. The two of them shared eyesight for a moment, and nodded.

Genma was looking at his clipboard when Kakashi leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the woman next too him, and he sneezed. He looked at Kakashi, who was laughing, and swore to hit his friend later.

"Hyuuga Neji versus Hyuuga Hinata!"

The crowd stopped silent as the two looked at each other and, nodding silently, jumped down to the floor, gracefully landing with barely a falter.

Hinata looked at her father, and, as if by communication, the man did three quick hand seals. Neji gasped, and wondered what the problem was, when Hinata said, "Neji-niisan, Otousan has unlocked the seal that prevents killing intent to be used against a head family member. You are allowed to fight me on even terms for this battle, and not fear repercussions."

The genin bowed at the head of the Hyuuga Family as, surprisingly Naruto came and sat down next to the man. No one noticed the slight smile that came to Hiashi's face.

"Hajime!"

They bowed to each other, taking the traditional stance of the Jyuuken style. After a few cursory blows that were too test the defenses of the other, they stopped and, as if preparing, took off their Hitai-ate, battling as members of the Head and Branch families.

The crowd gasped for a minute at the caged bird seal on Neji's face, while Hiashi looked at Naruto, who was smug. The man wondered for a minute if he'd been had. "Alright, Naruto, what did they agree on?"

Naruto smiled at the man and said, "Well, in front of witnesses, Hinata and Neji decided to fight against each other as Head versus Branch, other than genin versus genin. Whatever the outcome, the truth will come out about the Caged Bird seal. Hinata also agreed to remove the seal of all the Branch Family members that prove to be trustworthy, whatever the outcome of this battle, when she takes over the family."

The little girl on the other side snorted and said, "as if my sister could ever take the clan. She's proven to be weak, and Otousan said that if she proves to be any weaker, she'll be in the Branch House."

The man looked over at the little girl and said, "Hanabi, quiet!"

She snarled at Naruto before looking at the ground. Naruto smirked and said, "you'll be surprised, Hiashi-sama. Hinata has been training nearly non-stop this month, a lot of that at my compound, and even I don't know what all she can do."

The man looked at Naruto for a moment before nodding. "Have you been notified of the events of later today, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at the man that helped him learn Chakra control when he was younger and nodded his head solemnly, "Hai, I wish it wouldn't happen, and it were all a cruel joke, but if needed, I'll show this village my secret, to keep it safe."

The man gasped and said, "don't speak of such things, Naruto."

The crowd started clapping, drawing their attention back to the battle on the ground, which had been waiting for Hiashi to stop talking as they were still in their Jyuuken stances. The man nodded, and the two disappeared in simultaneous flashes. The Hyuuga in the audience had the Byakugan prominent on many faces, as they kept up with the action on the field, while Naruto had the Mokushioku on, and was following with the high speed battle.

Hinata, he could tell, was taking the larger number of hits, her arms nearly closed completely. When Neji got her in the chest, accidentally, the killing intent of the Main House went over the top. Hiashi, he noticed, was simply watching the battle, and not even thinking of redoing the seals, and he could see why. While Neji was doing battle with nothing holding him back, Hinata was going blow for blow, and had blocked just as many Tenketsu as the Branch Family member.

Finally, as things looked at their best, each of them smirked, and called out, "Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

The two kaiten hit the other, and sent Neji to the far left, while Hinata went to the far right. Naruto laughed, while Hiashi muttered, "she's never showed this much progress in Jyuuken, and now pulls off a Kaiten?"

Naruto sighed, "she's not comfortable living above the Branch House, yet at the same time fears it more than anything, at least that's what Neji told me. And she meant what she said, she'll change Hyuuga or tear it down and start from the ground up."

The man smiled, "how do they plan on ending it?"

Naruto shrugged, he knew it was going to be good though. When the two Hyuuga stood up, the crowd cheered. Neji was holding his left arm, and Hinata her right. At the same time, they reached in their pouches, and pulled out a medicinal cream that was created for tenketsu problems that only responded to the Hyuuga touch. Even if it were stolen, the cream wouldn't work, because it needs a special Chakra that only the Hyuuga could create, to activate.

After liberally spreading it on their arms, the Hyuuga ran forward and aimed a punch to each other's chest.

As the fists struck, they were both sent backward, and Hiashi said, "They're reading each other perfectly. This is amazing."

Naruto nodded. "Hai, they are good friends, and now that the Caged Bird is common knowledge, they will be able to openly be friends."

The man smiled at Naruto.

"Neji-niisan," whispered Hinata. This drew the crowd's attention as the two Hyuuga looked at each other in the eye. Neji smiled. "Hinata-sama?"

"You are in the field of my divination," she said, and the crowd gasped as Neji too took the stance. The message unbidden, attack at your own risk.

"Hakke..." the girl said.

"Rokujuu," Neji countered.

"YONSHOU!" the two said at the exact same time. Hiashi looked shocked while many of the Head Family were about to do seals that would kill Neji. Naruto hit the man in the shoulder, which drew his attention. "Stop!" he commanded.

In unison, the Hyuuga on the field shouted, "Hakke Nishou! Yonshou! Hashou! Juurokushou! Sanjuushou! Rokujuu Yonshou!"

When the attack was over, Hinata fell to the floor, passed out from the pain, while Neji fell to a knee. Genma walked over to the two fallen genin and said, "Shousa, Hyuuga Neji!"

When Naruto jumped up, in the middle of the Hyuuga, who were silently pissed, and shouted, "YATTA!" he could feel the killing intent on both himself and Neji.

It wasn't until Hiashi started clapping that they understood what they saw. A Branch Member had surpassed a Head Member, in honorable battle. As the medic-nin ran onto the field, Neji looked Naruto in the eye and smiled, as he helped Hinata to the treatment room, where he waited for his next match.

Genma smiled, looking at the clipboard filled in the appropriate name, called out Sabaku no Gaara," who appeared in a swirl of leaves, and "Sabaku no Temari!"

She called out, "I pass" and the man said, "Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke simply said, "hn" before appearing in a swirl of leaves as whispers in the crowd began in full force. "Hajime!"

Sasuke didn't falter, going through seals faster than anything Naruto had ever seen. "Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

A giant dragon flowed from his mouth and towards the Sand user, who protected himself with a dome of sand. The sand dissolved and Gaara stood up, before he was met with a kick to the chin and, to Naruto's displeasure, said, "SHISHI RENDAN!"

After three well-placed kicks to Gaara's ribs, Sasuke landed on two feet and smirked, before turning and saying, "examiner, its over."

Genma seemed to agree until an immaculate scream of, "blood! MY BLOOD!" filled Naruto's heart with a small amount of terror. Suddenly Genma stiffened and backed up from the battle. "UCHIHA SASUKE!"

What came out of the small hole that once held Gaara's body wasn't Gaara, it was more of a disfigured mountain. Gaara's entire right side of his body was covered in sand and looked to be forming the rest of the way.

"I WILL HAVE BLOOD!" an unearthly scream came from Gaara's mouth. Naruto cursed when he saw Gaara's eyes closed. He was unconscious.

"Sasuke! Do whatever you have to, to wake him up!" Naruto shouted from his seat. The Uchiha smirked and said, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A gigantic fireball flew towards Gaara, who simply swiped it in response and ran towards Sasuke. One hit was all it took to knock Sasuke out now that Shukaku was out to play.

"Shousa, Sabaku no Gaara!"

Naruto was actually happy when Kakashi appeared, and with a simple swat to the back of the head, knocked the genin to the ground, waking him at the same time. Gaara looked around and shuddered before walking towards the booth and looked Naruto in the eye, the slight crazed look of a psychopath paramount first off.

"We will now have a ten-minute intermission, where the competitors will rest, eat and then we will have the semi-finals of the Chuunin Selection Examination."

Naruto jumped up in obvious excitement as he looked at the various choices of Ramen before him, with cups that had, "brought to you by Ichiraku Ramen." When he picked up the first bowl, he shoveled it down faster than any he'd ever eaten before, after all, this was ramen! He smiled at Ayame, who was smiling at his never-changing eating habits, before he put the first bowl down.

When old man Ichiraku came in, carrying another pot of ramen, Naruto's eyes lit up. The man smiled and said, "eat up, it's on the village today."

Naruto smiled, and put his bowl forth, savoring the noodle and broth this time, and enjoying every minute of it.

As the ten minutes passed, Naruto looked at Shino, who merely nodded and, before the match was called said, "Naruto, we need to act like we are using a lot of Chakra, to lull those that would attack into a false sense of security. I will use a lot of chakra, and I would like you to do the same, make it seem that you are going all out, and I will do the same. I have Chakra pills to use."

Naruto nodded. The genin went out first when his name was called, disappearing in a swirl of leaves. Naruto, when his name was called, used the Kawarimi and switched with a rock on the field. The two genin stared each other down and bowing, went into their respective stances.

Genma lowered his hand and said, "Hajime!"

"Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu!" Shino said as soon as the match started. Naruto jumped back, and looked between the two Shino, who had started running faster, in a circle, to get their opponent lulled into a false sense of security.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto said, making a single Kage Bunshin. Shino nodded and the two of them ran at each other, the Bunshin attacking each other simultaneously.

"Naruto, I will now unleash the true wrath of the Aburame Clan!"

With that, the bug user jumped up and, using a combination of hand seals said, "Mushi Yose no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, Kikai bugs from each Aburame in the area crawled towards Shino, who simply used them to create walls surrounding Naruto. The genin wondered for a moment what was going on before Shino appeared before him.

"Naruto, I have a Mushi Bunshin outside, I need to say something. The current situation is dangerous. You saw that Gaara person earlier, and we know he's got something to do with this. So, for the good of the village, I request you end this battle early."

Naruto nodded, "hai, arigatou!"

Shino nodded.

With that, the wall exploded, exploding tags flying in every direction. Shino flew backward as Naruto created Kage Bunshin. Suddenly, he was kicked in the chin. "U" the one kicking him said.

"Zu!" another said as he kicked him higher in the air. "Ma!" a third Naruto Bunshin said while the fourth kicked him and said, "Ki!"

The real Naruto appeared above him with three more Bunshin and said, "Naruto Rendan!"

Suddenly, they kicked Shino in each of his limbs. As Shino landed, a Kage Bunshin caught him, and as Genma said, "Shousa, Uzumaki Naruto!" he disappeared.

As Neji, who was still weak from the Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou appeared on the field, Gaara glared at him. When the Sand User appeared in a swirl of sand, Neji got into the stance, his Hitai-ate firmly in place.

"You" Gaara said, "I remember you. You... You were with Naruto."

Neji nodded. Gaara grinned. "Good, you shall offer a perfect appetizer before the main course!"

With that, the Sand attacked, flying at Neji, almost so fast he couldn't see. Neji spin, releasing a perfect amount of Chakra, and said, "Kaiten!"

As the sand withdrew, Neji stopped and shifted into "Byakugan!". Gaara sighed, and used his sand to attack, but it was swiftly blocked by Neji, who could see the evil chakra that flowed from the genin.

"Sabaku SouSou!" Gaara said, hoping to distract Neji. But Neji again began his spin, and blocked the Desert Graveyard jutsu. Gaara was getting pissed, it was visible on anyone's faces. "You, I will have your blood!"

Neji smirked, "obviously, I think differently. I thought like you before, that destiny showed us the future, and that we are brought together, and only the strongest will survive. I... I learned differently. I was... I was acknowledged by my friends, and my baka rival, Lee. When you stepped into this match, you left your destiny behind you. You will not defeat me."

Gaara simply stoically stood as if he had better things to do. Neji, who still ached, had used the cream minutes before the match, to make sure he could use his Chakra. Now, he wished that he'd taken the medic-nin's advice.

Wincing at the pain that came with sudden movement, Neji barely had time to raise his hand before a grip of sand caught his arm.

"You, you were acknowledged? Then die for your acknowledgement!"

He threw Neji into the air, and raised his arms. "Sabakurou!"

Suddenly, he was surrounded by sand. Gaara, on the ground, controlling the Desert Prison, couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the blood he would soon be getting.

"Sabaku Ryuu!"

The sand shifted, making an oblong structure that hit the ground and started sinking in. "Sabaku SouSou!"

Again, a giant wall of sand came crashing on the ground, this time hitting the coffin structure. Gaara turned, and was about to claim the win, when the sand shifted for just a moment, and a blue sphere was seen, Neji in the center.

Naruto grinned as he saw his friend, broken and hurt as he was.

"You are within the field of my divination!"

The crowd gasped in excitement as a green genjutsu covered the field, a pentagram, with Gaara in the center. "Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!"

As he went through the steps to close tenketsu, Neji gained in confidence. Finally, when he was finished, Gaara was on the ground, bleeding from the nose. Suddenly, the Suna-genin grinned, and his skin crumbled, revealing someone perfectly healed. Neji had seen enough. He was out of Chakra, and he was about to be crushed.

With all the dignity in the world, Hyuuga Neji fainted. "Shousa Sabaku no Gaara!"

Gaara's sand stopped inches from Neji's throat, and he turned to Naruto, as if daring the Genin to come.

Sarutobi stood and was about to call for an intermission when the Kazekage said, "let him go."

The man nodded and, nodding to Genma, the man sat back down. Gaara suddenly glowed a demonic orange color, and his cuts, scraps and bruises healed before the very eyes of the crowd.

Even before Genma could ask Naruto to the field, the Genin jumped down. A few jounin in the crowd started whispering about the crazy kid, and whether or not they should force Genma to make him quit.

"Uzumaki Naruto versus Sabaku no Gaara! Hajime!"

They both bowed to their respective Kage and to the crowd, as was required in the last match of the Exam. Then, to the crowd, it looked like they were bowing to each other. "Gaara."

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto looked at the genin in front of him, whose eye still had a glassy look to it, probably from the bloodlust. "I will feast on your blood!"

"Not this again, you baka. It didn't work before, and it won't now." Naruto stated calmly. The crowd gasped as the Kazekage looked sharply at Sarutobi, a small surge of killing intent evidencing itself.

Gaara ran forward, surprising many people in the crowd, because throughout the day, he'd not made a move, other than a few hand seals.

Naruto jumped backwards, going on the defensive to the eyes of the Konoha-nin that were used to his brash, "forward and onward" attitude. As Gaara took fervent swipes, Naruto blocked, biting his thumb for a moment, and saying, "Koukaku!"

When a crust appeared around his body a few that remembered seeing Uzumaki Rioku started in amazement. The others that had thought Naruto was just taking the name of a great woman also started, and the attitude changed, just a little bit.

"Come at me, Gaara, with all you have."

Gaara went in and landed a clean punch on Naruto's face that sent him flying. Gaara grinned and stood up to gloat, but was shocked when Naruto didn't even seem fazed. "Mokushioku!"

Grabbing a Kunai from his packet, Naruto threw it at the Suna-genin, who dodged it. Naruto smirked, "Hiraishin no Jutsu!"

The crowd was shocked a moment later to see a pure light appear and disappear, taking Naruto with it. When Naruto appeared in front of Gaara, he threw a punch that sent Gaara flying into a wall. Gaara snarled when he stood up, bleeding from his chin. He wiped it before glaring at it, and running forward, summoning a Tanuki. The crowd seemed stumped by the sight of the tanuki in front of them.

Naruto grinned and went through the seals, and said, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

From nowhere, a fox with a single tail ran forward and hit the tanuki, and, as Gaara landed another punch that sent them both reeling, the two summonses attacked the other.

Naruto landed first, using his feet for braces, and a finger to slow down. Gaara stuck to the wall with Chakra when he hit, and merely walked down the structure.

When they were back in the middle of the field, they glared at the other. "Uzumaki Naruto!"

He stopped and, for just that second, thought Gaara was actually going to talk. When sand surrounded his midsection, and compressed, Naruto gasped. Gaara laughed and bit his finger, only wincing at 'his blood' for a moment, before saying, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

When a giant demon appeared from nowhere, a terrible scream sounded in the stands. A subtle genjutsu then started falling over the arena. Silently thinking Kimourii, Naruto went through a few seals and said, "Bariagen no Jutsu!"

A slight hue surrounded his eyes, nose, and ears, as he struggled to get out of the way of the demon that was coming his way.

End Chapter