25. Burning Minds and Burning Will

"Naruto-kun! Congratulations!"

Almost immediately after arriving in the waiting room, Naruto was greeted by Hinata. The girl rushed over to him and gave him a hug with enough force that she nearly knocked him over. The blonde's eyes widened in response before he returned to the hug.

"Heh, thanks Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled. He then started to wince a little as he the Hyūga tightened the hug. "Um…Hinata…you are kinda hugging a little tight…"

Hinata quickly let go of the boy, a blush on her face. "S-Sorry…"

"Nah, don't apologize." The blonde chuckled. "Heh, I didn't know you could shout that loud. I could hear your cheering all the way down there in the arena!"

Hinata's blush seemed to brighten in color, but a smile also graced her lips. "Well, what can I say? You fought amazingly!"

"Fought like a true tactician." Shikamaru commented with a smirk as he walked over to greet his friend. "I don't think I've ever seen you fight like that."

Naruto then turned his attention to Shikamaru. The two proceeded to high-five each other.

"Hey, I learned a few things over the month break. And there's more where that came from!" The blonde informed him.

"I'd hope! It means our match will be a lot more fun!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed as she walked over to the members of Team Three with a grin on her face.

At seeing Kurotsuchi, Naruto frowned as he remembered the words Risho spoke during their fight about his family situation.

"Hey Kurotsuchi, Risho's going to be alright, right? His clan isn't actually going to do anything to him, right?" He asked quietly.

Kurotsuchi's grin immediately fell as she shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know. The Kurogane clan is weird and their clan head is even weirder. It wouldn't surprise me if something like that actually happened." The kunoichi then developed a scowl on her face. "They better not try and remove him though. He fought well! He definitely doesn't deserve that!"

"…" Naruto sighed. "I'm kinda starting to wonder his home-life was like. His clan sounds like a bunch of jackasses."

"Honestly, I'm wondering the same thing." The Iwa genin agreed with a sigh of her own. "…but I at least know all of this now. I'll definitely be there for Risho if things go bad for him back in Iwa. And I know Roto and Han-sensei will help him as well!"

Naruto let a small smile develop on his face. "As long as some people are there for him, then he should be okay…" Naruto, feeling a little better about Risho's future, started to think about his next match in the chūnin exams. His smile then turned into a cocky grin. "But for now, you should be focusing on our match and trying to last longer than a few minutes!"

"Heh, dream on!" Kurotsuchi scoffed with a similar cocky grin. "You're gonna have to try and keep up with me!"

Naruto and Kurotsuchi continued to banter between the two about their upcoming match. Shikamaru and Hinata watched, listening to their colorful language in amusement.

The back-and-forth arguing between the two genin ended when Genma started to speak loudly from the center of the arena towards the crowds of people. "It is now time to start the next match! Will Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru please come forward?"

The competitors in the waiting area turned their attention towards the two competitors. Shino, who had been standing in a corner alone in the waiting area, nodded to himself as he started to walk away. He gave a curious glance at Shikamaru before he walked out, heading towards the center arena. Shikamaru watched the boy head down before he sighed, realizing that he was going to have to get his fight out of the way.

"Well, guess it's my turn." He grumbled.

"Do your best Shikamaru-kun." Hinata told her teammate with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Kick his ass out there!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I'll do what I can." Shikamaru replied with a chuckle. He waved goodbye to his teammates as he started to walk away towards the center arena, right behind Shino.

"Shikamaru?" Kurotsuchi called out the boy's name. He stopped walking and turned his head to face the Iwa kunoichi. She gave him a thumbs up gesture and smiled at him. "Good luck. Do your best out there, okay?"

"… Heh. Sure thing." He replied with a smirk as he waved back to her before he continued to walk towards the arena.

"GO SHINO! GOOOO SHINO!" Ino shouted loudly as she watched her teammate enter the center of the arena.

Both Chōji and Asuma winced at Ino's screaming. The Yamanaka was never known for being quiet, but this was even louder than how she normally was. She was also jumping around in spot during her cheering.

"Ino, I know it's a good thing to cheer on your teammate, but don't you think you're going a little overboard here?" Asuma questioned as he rubbed his ears.

"Of course not! Shino is our teammate. He's representing Team Ten down there, so he needs to do great." Ino explained with a shrug. "Besides, it's Shino! I know he's kinda weird and acts like he doesn't care that much about us, but I know that deep down, our opinion matters to him. He needs to hear us loud and clear, cheering him on." The Yamanaka then turned her attention back to the center of the arena. She had noticed Shikamaru was now arriving and a scowl developed on her face. "KICK HIS ASS SHINO! SHOW HIM ALL THE BUG STUFF YOU CAN DO AND TAKE THAT LAZY ASS DOWN!"

'… So loud…' Asuma held his ears tight.

'Shino… Shikamaru…' Chōji looked down towards the arena, feeling conflicted. On one hand, Shino was his teammate and was a nice enough (albeit really quiet) guy that Chōji enjoyed working with. On the other hand, Shikamaru was his childhood best friend and, while he was not on his team, he still felt a strong connection to them. The Akimichi didn't want to cheer for one of them over the other and he definitely didn't want to see either of them hurt. A few seconds passed before he let a smile cross his lips. 'I'll just cheer for you both to do well enough to get your promotions!'

"GO SHINO! GO SHIKAMARU! DO GREAT YOU GUYS!" Chōji shouted downward with a voice as loud as Ino's.

"SHIKAMARU, DON'T YOU DARE LISTEN TO CHŌJI. IGNORE HIM! THAT WAS MEANT ONLY FOR SHINO! COME ON SHINO! KICK HIS ASS!" Ino's cheering grew even louder once Chōji started. "KICK. HIS. ASS!"

'My poor ears…' Asuma wept silently to himself.

Unlike Naruto and Risho during the match before, neither Shikamaru nor Shino had any bad blood between each other. Therefore, they did not waste any time to taunt or insult each other. They simply got into position and prepared to make the first move once their match officially started. Genma quickly noticed their focus and realized that they were ready to begin. He then decided to not waste time himself and spoke up loudly for everybody to hear: "The match between Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru… begin!"

Both Shino and Shikamaru jumped backwards, putting distance between each other. Shikamaru ultimately made the first move as he chucked a kunai with an explosive tag at Shino. The Aburame avoided the kunai as it made contact with the ground and then proceeded to jump out of the way of the subsequent explosion. He landed on the ground further away from Shikamaru and away from the hole on the ground from Shikamaru's explosion. The Aburame stared intently at the Nara as his kikaichū insects were slowly starting to come out.

'Be mindful of his insects.' Shikamaru told himself as he made note of the kikaichū that were appearing. 'I need to keep my distance from them. Not like that should be too difficult as long as I maintain adequate use of my explosives and fire jutsus.'

Shino was the one to make the next move as a swarm of his kikaichū insects started to approach the Nara rapidly. Shikamaru retaliated by making hand signs.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Shikamaru unleashed a barrage of fireballs heading directly towards the approaching swarm of insects. The fire flew at a rapid pace and it seemed as if it would make contact with the kikaichū.

Shino's eyes widened at the sight of the fireballs and he jumped forward towards his insects, making hand signs of his own. "Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"

A wall of water appeared from the ground right in front of the kikaichū insects. Shikamaru's fireballs made direct contact with the water wall before disappearing. Shino dropped his jutsu the second afterwards, having saved his insects from any potential harm.

"… You're shitting me. Of course you know water elemental ninjutsu. Nothing can be easy for me it seems." Shikamaru grumbled under his breath.

Despite Shikamaru speaking quietly, Shino managed to hear him. The Aburame gave him an amused look before speaking himself: "Of course I'd learn water style jutsus. Why you may ask? Because of the potential danger fire can present to my kikaichū. I need to keep them protected at all costs."

"No, it makes sense. Never once denied that. It's smart to learn it." Shikamaru replied with a shrug as he pulled out another kunai with an explosive tag. "It's just something I'm going to have to deal with."

Shikamaru tossed his kunai directly at the kikaichū swarm and activated the tag. The insects scattered immediately and avoided the resulting explosive. Shikamaru proceeded to toss more kunai with explosive tags at the separated insects and triggered the explosions at the smaller sections of kikaichū. The insects were now moving hectically as they avoided each of Shikamaru's explosions. Shino observed carefully the situation and was watching Shikamaru's every move, waiting for the first opening he could exploit.

With each explosion, the Nara kept moving forward on the battlefield closer to Shino. Once he felt he was close enough, he tossed out one last kunai with an explosive tag. He then, instead of making the hand sign to activate it, made a different hand sign. 'Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu!'

Shikamaru's shadow extended from his body at a rapid rate. Shino's eyes widened at the sight. The boy appeared as if he was about to jump out of the way, but the shadow moved faster than him and made contact with his shadow. Both Shikamaru and Shino were now connected via shadow.

'As predicted.' Shikamaru noted to himself as a confident smirk appeared on his face. He made a hand sign with his body, one that Shino's body mimicked due to Shikamaru's jutsu. 'Shino's too concerned about insects. All I had to do was distract him by attacking them and he'd let himself wide open for an attack.'

'… Still, that was a little easier than I honestly ever expected. Something's not right.'

The connected shadow started to slowly ascend on Shino's body in the form of a hand. The 'shadow hand' then surrounded Shino's neck and gripped it tightly.

"I don't really want to do any damage to you Shino, so I'd advise you forfeit now." Shikamaru suggested.

Shino gave no verbal reply. The Aburame seemed to have no reaction at all to not only getting caught by Shikamaru's jutsu, but also at the threat of potentially being strangled.

'This is definitely not right. What's going on-" Shikamaru's thoughts stopped as he watched the 'Shino' he had caught in his shadow start to fall apart into several, small kikaichū. He had not caught the real Shino: merely a 'bug clone'. His eyes widened in response. "What the hell? Shit!"

Shikamaru started to scan the area around him only to see that he was now surrounded by the kikaichū beetles that were inching closer to him each second. Standing amongst the insects was Shino.

"How the hell did you get away from me undetected? When did you make that clone? When did you switch out with it?" Shikamaru questioned immediately.

Shino didn't respond immediately. He looked at the Nara in amusement as his insects continued to approach him. A few seconds finally passed before Shino spoke up: "It's always a good idea for a shinobi to have an ace up their sleeves, Shikamaru-san."

After saying those words, Shino made a hand sign. The kikaichū insects responded immediately and flew directly at Shikamaru at a fast rate. Shikamaru cursed to himself as he started to run through hand signs.

'Well Mom, it's time to see how well I learned that jutsu.' Shikamaru told himself after he finished the hand signs. "Ninja Art: Shadow Protection Jutsu!"

The shadows around Shikamaru surrounded him and formed a circular, shadowy barrier. The barrier formed just in time before the kikaichū beetles managed to attack Shikamaru. Shino wasn't fazed, however, and continued making hand signs. His insects responded by constantly trying to attack further and break through Shikamaru's barrier. Shikamaru felt himself starting to sweat as he maintained his hand signs and kept the barrier intact.

A few seconds passed before Shikamaru broke his hand signs and made a pushing gesture with the palms of his hands. The shadow barrier that surrounded him was then pushed backwards. The kikaichū beetles that were on top of the barrier, trying to break through it, were pushed backwards and sent flying away from Shikamaru. The insects were dazed for a little bit before they stopped themselves and floated in place. They were buzzing angrily. Shino gave them a curious look for a second before he turned his attention back towards Shikamaru.

"Quite the interesting jutsu, Shikamaru-san. It seems to have severely irritated my kikaichū." Shino noted nonchalantly.

"I can piss off insects too? Go figure." Shikamaru commented with a smirk as he brushed the sweat off his forehead.

"Yes, but I wouldn't necessarily wish to deal with angry kikaichū. Why, you may ask? They're a species that remembers aggressors well and holds grudges." The Aburame commented as he made another hand sign. The insects started to charge again, buzzing even louder.

"I'm cool with that. But if they want revenge at me for that, then they better be ready, because I'm not going to let them give it to me easily." The Nara smirked as he made a hand sign of his own.

"He's good. They're both good." Kurotsuchi noted with a smirk on her face as she watched the two Konoha shinobi in the arena fight. "This is intense as hell!"

"You're telling me!" Naruto nodded in agreement, his eyes focused on Shikamaru and Shino. "They're both geniuses, y'know? I guess this is what happens when two of them fight each other."

"Every move by each of them is so calculated. It seems like they're trying to think steps ahead of each other. And when they get caught out, they can use their natural instinct to break free." Hinata spoke up in amazement as she watched the fight between the two strategists. "It's incredible!"

The three genin continued to watch the fight intently as they paid attention to the strategies of the two Konoha shinobi fighting.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"

As soon as Shikamaru released another barrage of fireballs towards the kikaichū insects, Shino summoned a second, larger wall of water to block the fireballs from hitting his insects. As soon as the fireballs and the water faded away, Shikamaru tossed multiple kunai with explosive notes at the kikaichū insects and Shino himself. The Aburame, along with his insects, managed to avoid the explosions and place more distance between the Nara and his opponents.

'Damn. All of my offensive is useless against him. He reacts so fast and avoids everything. I need to somehow get up close to him – just him, not his damn insects too.' Shikamaru pondered to himself.

It was in that moment became aware of the condition of the battlefield. The ground itself was riddled with holes from Shikamaru's explosive tags: dark holes filled with potential shadows.

'Maybe… Heh, why not? It's worth a shot.' Shikamaru told himself. 'I need to at least try something.'

Shikamaru proceeded to rush towards Shino. Shino responded by making a gesture with his hands, urging his kikaichū forward to attack the Nara. As soon as the beetles came close to Shikamaru to attack him, Shikamaru proceeded to make hand signs.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Protection Jutsu!" Shikamaru surrounded himself again with the surrounding shadows in a barrier and pushed the kikaichū insects away from him.

As soon as the beetles brushed off the daze from being shoved off again, Shino made hand signs and they charged at Shikamaru again. The Nara then repeated the same jutsu and used the same shadowy barrier to block the attacks and push the insects away from him.

'Interesting. He's still using that technique over and over again.' Shino noted to himself. 'This is going to backfire on him soon, however. He was sweating profusely after he used it the first time. That jutsu must require plenty of chakra to maintain. If he keeps using it like that, he's going to exhaust himself.' The Aburame let a small smirk develop on his face as he made another hand sign, causing his insects to charge after Shikamaru again. 'If I can get him to overuse that jutsu and overexert his chakra supply, then I shall be the winner.'

Both Shikamaru and Shino continued the same system over-and-over again: Shikamaru would activate his Shadow Protection Jutsu to knock the kikaichū beetles away and Shino would sent his insects back in to keep up their assault. With each round, Shikamaru would rush over near one of the holes in the ground to the next. He was also starting to get closer to Shino's position – a fact that the Aburame boy noticed. Still, Shino wasn't too worried. With the amount of times the Nara was using his jutsus, he had to be nearing the limit of his chakra supply.

Eventually, though, Shikamaru ended up approaching Shino. The Aburame, certain that Shikamaru did not have enough chakra for one more jutsu, urged his kikaichū to strike one final time and defeat the Nara. Shikamaru, however, surprised as he made the same hand signs one more time.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Protection Jutsu!"

Despite Shino's prediction, the kikaichū insects were blocked from Shikamaru by the same shadowy barrier and were forced backward rapidly soon after. The Nara was now directly in front of the Aburame.

'Shit!' Shino cursed mentally as Shikamaru made one final set of hand signs.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

Shino was too close and was surrounded by so many shadows that he couldn't avoid Shikamaru's jutsu. Their shadows were now linked and he was under the Nara's control.

"About damn time." Shikamaru grumbled to himself. The Nara was breathing heavily and was feeling rather exhausted.

"How aren't you unconscious from chakra exhaustion?" Shino couldn't help but question. The Aburame's eyes were wide open and were even visible despite him wearing his sunglasses.

"I should be. Thankfully I've been blowing up this arena with my explosive tags." Shikamaru commented nonchalantly. He turned his head to face one of the holes nearby so Shino could see exactly what he was talking about. "You see how dark it is? There are so many shadows down there that I was able to use with my jutsus."

"… And your jutsus do not require as much chakra if you have more shadows to control and manipulate." Shino realized.

"Precisely." Shikamaru nodded in clarification.

Shino frowned in response as realization hit him about how much he had messed. The idea that the Nara's shadow techniques were easier for them to use when they had more shadows to utilize seemed like an obvious concept in hindsight, but it was something Shino had never bothered to consider. He was so certain in his plan that Shikamaru would have gone past his limit that he let himself get careless and, as a result, he had lost. His kikaichū insects were not going to attack Shikamaru as long as Shino was under his control.

"… So, just saying, I have enough chakra to strangle you and knock you out. I can either do that, or you can just forfeit now." Shikamaru offered as he made a hand sign. A shadowy hand started to travel up Shino's body and reached his neck. "Which will it be Shino? I'd personally prefer the latter, but it's your call."

The Aburame sighed in response as realization truly hit him that he had been outwitted. He felt his own pride wounded, but he also felt respect for Shikamaru: a respect for a fellow strategist who he was able to go toe-to-toe with. He had learned about the cost of being careless, but he also learned more about his own abilities and capabilities. He had gained a lot from this match that he felt he would take on with him into his own personal career. With that thought, he found himself content, at least slightly, with his own defeat.

"I concede." Shino called out to Genma.

The proctor nodded before he pointed his fingers towards Shikamaru. "This match is over. The winner is Nara Shikamaru!"

Upon hearing those words, Shikamaru released his jutsu and freed Shino from his control. The Nara then proceeded to fall to the ground while the audience started to cheer loudly for both him and Shino for their fight.

'God, that fight was such a pain. Glad I won though…' Shikamaru breathed heavily, both from exhaustion and relief.

"Holy shit!" Anko cursed. "I'm two for three! YEAH!" The sensei of Team Three proceeded to cheer even louder from the stands. "WAY TO GO LAZY ASS! YOU WERE AWESOME OUT THERE!"

"I'm debating about searching for a different seat. Anko won't shut up." Ibiki rolled his eyes at his colleague's screaming.

"Give her a break Ibiki. She's just excited that her team is doing good." Kurenai replied with a smile as she watched Shikamaru pull himself off the ground and start to walk, along with Shino, out of the arena. "I have to say, her students are really surprising me."

"I'd agree. He and Naruto actually seem to have a very tactical mind." Ibiki commented thoughtfully as he closed his eyes. "The Nara's fight was impressive. Both he and the Aburame displayed a good knowledge of tactics and fought at a level beyond most average genin. I wouldn't be surprised if they both got promoted."

"I'd agree with that." Kurenai nodded in agreement.

"OF COURSE HE'S GETTING PROMOTED! SO WILL NARUTO AND HINATA!" Anko continued to shout loudly her praise for her team.

'… I'm starting to wonder if she's slightly drunk. I don't think I've seen her this excited except when we get really hard-to-break 'visitors' to the T&I Department.' Ibiki sighed in frustration as he watched his friend's excited reaction towards her students' victories.

"That sucked! Shino should've won that!" Ino hissed as she crossed her arms. She huffed loudly to voice her frustration. "Stupid lazy ass Shikamaru."

"Don't be too bitter Ino. Shikamaru earned his win, and Shino put up a good fight." Asuma told her with a smile on his face. "Come on, you have to admit that Shino did well and made you proud."

Ino's frustrations were calmed slightly as she really thought back to the fight and how Shino did. A few seconds passed before she smiled and responded back to her sensei: "Yeah, he did. Shino gave him a run for his money and did great."

"I think there's a chance he may have earned chūnin too. We'll see. It's all complicated stuff whether people get the rank or not." Asuma chuckled as he turned his attention to his other student. "What'd you think Chōji?"

"… Next time, I'll be up in the finals as well and I'll do just as good of job as they did, if not better." The Akimichi replied with a fire burning in his eyes.

Asuma blinked in response. Such determination was unusual to see in Chōji's eyes in situations that did not involve food. However, after seeing his best friend and his teammate fight against each other, the Akimichi felt a strong desire to not get left behind and prove himself as well.

"I'd agree with that!" Ino exclaimed as she pounded her fists together. "I was humiliated this year against that guy from Oto, but next time will be different. Chōji and are going to rock the chūnin exams big time!"

Asuma watched his students react with such fire and determination that he actually laughed to himself. He was starting to imagine the shinobi that his team will become in the next few years. All three of them were showing more determination and promise than he had thought when he was first assigned to them and each day, they surprised him in some way.

It was moments like these where he was glad he finally decided to listen to his father and take on a genin team.

"Shikamaru-kun!"

"Congrats man!"

Shikamaru winced as his two teammates forced him into a group hug the second he walked back into the waiting area. The Nara's breathing became weaker and he slowly started to cough.

"Let… Go…" He breathed out.

Hinata and Naruto immediately let go of Shikamaru. He quickly tried to relax himself as he started to breathe hard. Shortly after, he gave his two teammates a glare.

"You know, you two are going to be the death of me one day. Probably from suffocation." He told them.

"It might be easier on you if you actually return the hug. Or if you just some more muscle on you." Naruto teased back.

"Eh… maybe…" Shikamaru shrugged in response. His glare faded and the Nara gave his teammates a smile: not one of his usual smirks. "Having said that, thanks for all the cheering and everything."

"Of course." Hinata replied with a smile of her own.

"It's what friends are for." Naruto replied with a chuckle.

Shikamaru laughed in response to Naruto's comment. He soon then turned his attention to Kurotsuchi. The Iwa kunoichi gave him a smirk as she held out his hand towards him.

"You fought well out there." Kurotsuchi stated.

"I tried." Shikamaru replied as he took her hand and shook it.

"Great job out there."

"Thanks."

"You two flirt so boringly." Naruto commented nonchalantly.

"… Excuse me?" Both Shikamaru and Kurotsuchi let go of each other's hand and turned their heads toward Naruto.

The blonde shrugged in response. "I mean, 'You fought well out there'? 'Thanks'? That has no meaning behind it. It's like the two of you don't care at all! The two of you need to be more expressive and passionate when you speak to each other. Maybe like 'Oh, I knew you would win Shikamaru-kun' and 'It was because of your cheering that I was able to win'. Make the other person feel something dammit!"

Shikamaru and Kurotsuchi openly gaped at Naruto's 'advice'. Both shinobi also had a slight blush on their faces and were making a concentrated effort not to look at each other. Naruto noticed their looks and started to grin happily. Hinata also noticed and giggled quietly to herself.

Seconds later, the embarrassment disappeared from Shikamaru and Kurotsuchi both simply looked at Naruto in anger and frustration. They both opened their mouths to respond to the boy's 'advice' but the words died on their tongues as Genma started to speak.

"We'll now begin with the third match. Will Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee please come forward?" He stated loudly.

"YOSH! Finally, it is my turn to fight!" Rock Lee shouted, gathering all attention from the other genin and any nearby spectators.

The bushy-browed genin, who had been surprisingly quiet in the waiting area, wasted no time when he heard his named called. He jumped from the balcony and landed gracefully in the center of the battlefield. He then started to jump up-and-down as he eagerly waited for his match to begin.

"… Hmph." Sasuke shook his head in response to Lee's excitement. Despite the irritated grunt, the Uchiha had a smirk on his face. "Guess he's just as ready as I am to get this started."

With those words, Sasuke started to walk out of the waiting room and headed towards the central battlefield in the more conventional manner. The members of Team Three and Kurotsuchi watched the Uchiha leave before they turned to face each other.

"So, what do you guys think? You know them better, so who's gonna win?" Kurotsuchi questioned.

"I don't know. I guess Lee?" Shikamaru answered. "Didn't Sasuke and Lee have a spar before the Chūnin Exams though? I think Sasuke lost that."

"Things may have changed. Sasuke-san may give Lee more of a challenge this time." Hinata noted.

The Nara shrugged in response. "… Eh, I suppose. I don't care too much, to be honest. I just hope whoever wins is exhausted by the time I have to fight them."

'Sasuke…' Naruto thought to himself.

The blonde was never close to the Uchiha by any means and, during their time in the academy, he outright resented him. It always annoyed him how much people seemed to 'worship' him. Now, his feelings had softened and he could look at Sasuke more neutrally. As a result, he was genuinely curious how Sasuke had improved.

'Do your best Sasuke… One of these days, I'd like to take you on myself.' Naruto told himself as he waited impatiently for the match to begin.

"So, Lee's gotten better, right Gai-sensei?" Tenten questioned her sensei as she watched Lee jump in place in the arena.

"Yes he has! We've spent hours each day devoted to improving his skills! He is going against Kakashi's star pupil first, so we needed to prepare for whatever my eternal rival and his student have planned!" Gai proclaimed as he did his standard 'nice guy' pose. "I am proud of Lee. I know that he is ready for the exams and his fight and I know that he has what it takes to go far here!"

"I hope so…" Tenten nodded in response.

Unlike her sensei, Tenten was hesitant to place a bet on this match. She knew how tough Lee was, but she also knew that Sasuke was supposed to be a prodigy similar to Lee. With the right training, he could be an absolutely devastating opponent. The kunoichi always prided herself on being a realist and, as unfortunate as it was, she had admit that her teammate was going to have a difficult battle for him to win.

'You can do it Lee.' She told herself, trying to brush off her more cynical thoughts. All she could do was hope that she was just thinking too much into the fight and that Lee would come out victorious.

"You know, I realize Kakashi-sensei is always late, but I imagined he would've shown up to watch one of his students in the finals." Kiba grumbled as he looked around the seats of the arena for his sensei for the umpteenth time. Once again, he could not find him, which caused both him and Akamaru to growl in irritation.

"He'll be here eventually." Sakura shook her head with no concern for Kakashi. "How do you think Sasuke-kun will do?"

"Well, Lee kicked his ass pretty hard last time." Kiba noted with a snicker.

"Kiba!" Sakura rolled her eyes and raised her fist as if she was going to punch her teammate.

"I'm just kidding." The Inuzuka raised his hands in defense as he started to sweat nervously in fear of his teammate. "I know Lee would have kicked mine too if we fought back then." Kiba then brought his right hand to his head and started to scratch it. "Hmm… You know, I don't know. Sasuke's probably gotten better during the last month, but so has Lee probably. This should be a much more interesting match than their last time, though."

Sakura didn't reply to Kiba's opinion. She focused her attention on the center of the arena. Sasuke had arrived and was now starting to get in position. 'Sasuke-kun… Good luck!'

"You know, I've been looking forward to this match since our last one before the exams." Sasuke told Lee with a smirk. "I underestimated you then. That won't happen this time."

"I would hope so! I won't to be able to take you on at your strongest. It won't prove anything to anyone here if we don't fight each other with all we got." Lee informed the Uchiha as a grin of his own developed on his face.

"Then let's get right on with it. No more talk: let's begin." The Uchiha stated confidently as he got into position.

"YOSH!" Lee exclaimed in agreement as he got into position to charge to Sasuke as soon as the match started.

Genma didn't waste any more time and raised his hand into the air: "The match between Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee… begin!"

Sasuke quickly jumped backwards and started to make hand signs: "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The Uchiha released a giant fireball from his mouth aimed for Lee. The taijutsu specialist proceeded to dodge the fireball and rushed forward to Sasuke's position. He attempted to punch Sasuke, but he managed to block with his arm. After blocking Lee's attack, Sasuke continued to jump backwards, making similar hand signs to his previous set.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Sasuke released multiple, smaller fireballs that flew directly towards Lee. Lee proceeded to move quickly and dodge all of the oncoming attacks. Once again, he then charged Sasuke.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Lee jumped towards Sasuke and attempted to high kick him in the Sasuke. The Uchiha avoided the kick, and then avoided another, lower kick that Lee attempted to make on him. The elder genin proceeded to try and land a punch again on the Uchiha. Sasuke blocked all of Lee's attempts to punch him and tried to place more distance between the two, but Lee kept rushing him. He made sure that the two genin were always in close quarters of each other.

"Hyah!" Lee shouted as he attempted another punch at Sasuke's face.

Lee's fist connected and Sasuke was sent backwards. The Uchiha responded to Lee's attempt by doing backflips once he landed on the ground at a rapid rate. When he finished, he placed a good amount of distance between the two.

"You seem pretty adamant about keeping distance." Lee noted. "A different approach to how you tried to fight last time."

"It's your specialty." Sasuke answered. A grin the developed on Sasuke's face as he brought his hands to his shorts. He raised his shorts slightly, revealing weights on his legs. He then started to untie them. "However, I guess this is getting nowhere fast if we keep fighting like this. I'll take you on: head-on!"

Lee quickly glanced into the stands and looked for his sensei. Once he exchanged eye contact with Gai, the genin gave Sasuke a grin as he reached down for his own leg weights.

"Very well then! Let's see just how fast you are!" Lee exclaimed as he took off his weights.

Both Lee and Sasuke dropped their weights at the same time. The resulting weight from both of their sets crushed the earth, creating craters. Immediately after, the two genin charged at each other and attempted to land a hit on the other.

"Holy… shit…" Naruto gasped as he watched Lee and Sasuke fight.

The waiting area was silent for a while as they all watched the taijutsu fight between the two competing genin. Both Sasuke and Lee were moving extremely fast and were in engaging in fast-paced combat. Each of them were blocking each other's attacks while subsequently trying to land a hit of their own. Nearly all of the competitors were impressed with the speed and strength of both fighters.

"… And you're telling me I'm going to have to fight one of them later?" Shikamaru, quickly, realized his predicament. "Fan-fucking-tastic…"

"Good luck next match lazy ass." Kurotsuchi commented, not looking away from the fight.

"Wh-When did Sasuke-kun get that fast?" Sakura gasped as she watched both Lee and Sasuke fight against each other.

"I trained him to."

Kiba, Akamaru, and Sakura gasped at the sound of their sensei's voice. They turned away from the fight briefly to see Kakashi sitting in the seat behind them. He gave them a small wave and a smile from behind his mask.

"Where the hell were you?" Kiba questioned with a growl. Akamaru barked, expressing the same irritation as his partner.

"Sorry about that. I kinda slept in today and by the time I got here, there was a really long line in the concession stand. But I skipped breakfast this morning, so I had to wait so I could get something to eat." Kakashi told his students as he ran his left hand through his hair sheepishly.

"Liar!" Kiba and Akamaru barked in unison.

"You trained Sasuke-kun to run and fight like that?" Sakura questioned Kakashi, bringing the topic back to the match.

Kakashi turned his attention towards the kunoichi on his team and nodded.

"Sasuke needed to move this fast if he wanted to even stand a chance against Lee. So, I pushed his body as far as he could go. We trained him with weights and I had him to try to mimic my own speed and fighting style." Kakashi explained how the training month went to his students. "Hmm… I'd say Lee may still have an edge on Sasuke in terms of speed, but Sasuke's not slow enough for Lee to really pounce on him. He's just fast enough to really give him a proper fight."

"I'll say!" Kiba hollered as he turned his attention back to the match. "I mean, damn! Look at them go!"

'Sasuke…' Sakura smiled to herself as she watched her crush move and fight. '… You're so cool.'

"I must say, you have indeed gotten better." Lee complimented Sasuke in the midst of their fight as he attempted to land another punch.

"Damn right. I worked my ass off for this fight. I'm not going to lose, especially not in the first round of the exams. No way in hell!" Sasuke exclaimed to Lee as he blocked Lee's fist and attempted to kick the spandex-wearing genin.

"You've realized just how much hard work and dedication matter to shinobi! I am pleased to hear that." Lee actually smiled sincerely as he blocked Sasuke's kick. "You are a great opponent Sasuke-kun, and I respect your determination." Lee's smile then developed further into a smirk. "However, this is where our match ends!"

Lee disappeared in an instant. With Lee no longer attacking him, Sasuke made two hand sign for a jutsu as fast as he could. Just as Sasuke finished, Lee appeared right below him and delivered a kick that knocked him upwards.

'I'll end it with the lotus-' Lee's thoughts ended as he looked upward. Sasuke was no longer floating in the air. 'Wait, what? Where is he?'

A circle of leaves surrounded Lee for a moment. His vision became hazy for a few seconds, but it returned to him shortly after. The bushy-browed genin then realized what was happening. 'He must have used the shunshin or something! He's hiding from me!'

Lee quickly scanned the area around him and could not find the Uchiha anywhere. To his eyes, it seemed as if Sasuke had just vanished from the world.

'He's here somewhere… Below?' Lee wondered as he looked downward. 'Behind?' Lee turned his head to check. Still, there was no sign of him.

"I'm right here!" Sasuke's voice exclaimed.

Lee turned in the direction of the voice, but it was too late. The Uchiha delivered a punch to his jaw that sent the genin flying backwards. Lee hit the ground hard. He tried to stand up afterwards, but his body wasn't letting him. The taijutsu specialist's eyes widened as he tried his hardest to stand up, but all of his attempts were failing.

'What's going on? I know he didn't hit me that hard! Why can't I get up?' Lee continued to struggle to stand up. His mind could simply not process what was happening.

"The winner of the match is Uchiha Sasuke! Once again, showing that hard work is not enough: a true shinobi also needs the right bloodline and genius to succeed." Genma spoke up, announcing the winner and giving a lecture.

'WHAT?' Lee's eyes widened at the declaration. He attempted to get back up and speak up, both to show that he could still fight and to reject Genma's statement, but his body refused to move and his mouth wouldn't open. There was nothing he could do. 'Something's not right! What… What's going on here?'

"LEE!"

Gai jumped down to the arena and stood directly in front of Lee. He looked down at his student with visible disappointment in his eyes.

'Gai-sensei…' Lee attempted to respond to his sensei, but he couldn't open his mouth still.

"We spent days… weeks… working so hard, but it wasn't worth it. You just couldn't do it." Gai sighed in response as he started to walk away from his student. "I guess you taught me something, Lee. I need to stop encouraging false ideas in my students if they are only destined to fail…"

'GAI-SENSEI!' Lee's eyes widened at the words of his sensei. Visible tears started to roll down his eyes as he tried his hardest to scream and protest.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Lee screamed loudly before he fell to the ground, unconscious from the shock.

Sasuke stood next to his body, a smirk evident on his face. "Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Jutsu."

Genma quickly rushed over to Lee's body to make sure he was, truly, knocked unconscious. Once he confirmed Lee's condition, he quickly pointed towards Sasuke. "Winner of the third match: Uchiha Sasuke."

The crowd cheered loudly: louder than the two previous matches. Sasuke's smirk became smugger as he started to walk out of the arena. Just as he was exiting the battlefield, however, he turned his head back to look at Lee's body.

Sasuke's genjutsu presented Lee with some of the worst fears in his heart. The Uchiha was very well aware of what Lee had just witnessed and, considering what he knew about the boy, he knew precisely how Lee would feel and react to it. While Sasuke was content with it, knowing that the shock was enough to knock Lee unconscious and win him the match, he felt a small pain of guilt about using the technique.

Sasuke had, indeed, developed a bit of respect for the taijutsu specialist, and knowing that he attacked the very thing the Sasuke respected in Lee, the Uchiha felt a small pang of guilt.

'… It can't be helped. That's how a shinobi fights.' Sasuke shrugged to himself before he officially left the arena.

'Sasuke-kun… You did it!' Sakura smiled in relief as she watched Sasuke leave the arena okay.

"You taught Sasuke genjutsu?" Kiba questioned Kakashi.

"Yeah." Kakashi shrugged in response. "The Uchiha shinobi were also renowned as genjutsu experts, so I figured Sasuke should at least be familiar with the art."

"I see." Kiba nodded in acceptance. "Pretty devastating technique, don't you think though?"

"It is, but it's also a relatively basic one for genjutsu. There are much worse he can learn if he truly has an interest in the subject." Kakashi noted. He then turned his attention to Sakura. "How about you Sakura? Were you interested?"

"Huh?" The kunoichi looked at her sensei in surprise. "Interested?"

"Your near-perfect chakra control would make learning genjutsu easier for you. It's a talent that we could cultivate, and it could make you a truly devastating kunoichi." Her sensei explained. He then gave her a smile as he looked at her intently. "Well? Would you be interested in learning that jutsu Sasuke just used, and maybe some more genjutsu?"

'Interested…' Sakura was truly impressed with Sasuke and all that he was able to do, but she had also felt like she was outclassed watching him and Lee. She felt trivial and weak next to everything he could do. Hearing her sensei tell her that she could accomplish one of the techniques that Sasuke was able to do and that she could become an expert in a field make her excited. A fire burned in her eyes as she nodded fervently in response to her sensei's question. "Yes. Of course!"

"We'll begin tomorrow once the exams are over then." Kakashi informed her with a smile.

"Genjutsu…" Gai frowned as he watched his student get escorted out of the arena.

"Gai-sensei?" Tenten noticed Gai's tone-of-voice and turned her attention towards him.

Gai didn't immediately respond. His mind was running through different scenarios in his hand, where he helped Lee more with his understanding of genjutsu and how to counter it. In a world where he taught Lee this information, would he have gotten out in time and managed to keep fighting Sasuke? And maybe managed to defeat the Uchiha? It was all hypotheticals, but Gai genuinely believed it would have happened. In his mind, Lee lost because he didn't properly prepare him for the fight.

"Gai-sensei?" Tenten repeated her sensei's name louder. Concern was now evident in her voice.

"Huh? What?" Gai turned his attention towards Tenten. He then laughed nervously to her. "Did you say something Tenten?"

"Are you okay sensei?" She asked him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"… I'm fine." Gai replied after a few seconds. He then gave her the 'nice guy' pose. "I'm just thinking about things I can change with my teachings. There is so much more that I need to teach you, Lee, and Neji and I will make a concentrated effort to work on these things once the exams end."

"Um… okay." Tenten sighed in response. Gai's mood seemed to flip-flop within seconds. It was interactions like this that made her wonder if she would ever understand him, or Lee for that matter.

"You know, I have to admit: Sasuke did a good job." Naruto commented, offering praise towards the Uchiha's fight.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he quickly made a hand sign. "Kai!"

"What are you doing?" The Uzumaki questioned.

"Sasuke must have hit us all with a genjutsu as well. That's the only way I can ever see you giving him a compliment. This can't be real life." The Nara explained as he made the same hand sign. "Kai!"

"Oh, shut up!" Naruto rolled his eyes.

Both Hinata and Kurotsuchi giggled at the banter between the two boys.

"He really was pretty impressive, you know? He's going to be a lot of fun to fight later in the tournament!" Kurotsuchi smirked in response.

"Yeah, well I'll trade places with ya. I'm not looking forward to that fight next round." Shikamaru grumbled.

"I'm sure you'll do fine Shikamaru-kun." Hinata informed the Nara. She placed her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Shikamaru scoffed in response. Hinata, at first, frowned at his reaction. Then, an idea entered her head and she started to giggle. "Then again, you'd need to stop being a lazy butt and actually work for that victory."

Shikamaru's eyes widened at what Hinata said and he immediately shook his head. "Hinata, don't you get started on that shit too. I already have enough people calling me out on that stuff."

"What, she's just stating a fact: you're a lazy ass." Kurotsuchi deadpanned.

"She's right, y'know?" Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Mhmm." Hinata expressed her agreement as well.

"... Troublesome people." Shikamaru grumbled to himself, which earned laughter from his friends.

'Lee…' Neji shook his head as he watched Sasuke enter the waiting room again after his match. 'Hopefully now, you understand that destiny cannot be changed. No matter how hard you work to fight it, certain facts were set in stone by fate. A genius will remain a genius and a failure will always be a failure…'

Neji turned his attention to a group of genin in the waiting room: the members of Team Three and the Iwa kunoichi, Kurotsuchi. He watched them talk and laugh amongst each other as they discussed the Uchiha's victory and what the rest of the tournament. Neji watched Hinata giggling with her teammates and smiling. He glared directly at her.

Hinata seemed so different than how she was nearly a year ago. Her time with her time was seemingly changing her personality. However, no matter what Hinata does to try and change herself, Neji knew the truth. She was the failed heiress of the main family. Nothing was going to change that fact; she was going to prove herself a failure. At the moment, it seemed like she had forgotten that fact about herself. It was about time she was reminded about the path destiny had planned for her.

'Hinata-sama… It's about time I teach you the same lesson Lee learned.' Neji tightened his fists as he thought about the next match.