Chapter 30: I Declare War (Chuunin Exams: Part III)

Konoha, 10 AM…

Senzairu was standing outside in front of his place with his squad. Akuru was standing in between the boys in civilian clothing. She had her headband on, but her white shirt and blue shorts were her street clothes. Makeinu and Ranpu on the other hand had on newer version of the outfits that Senzairu gave them for the exam. The boys looked ready. Senzairu looked at the two, he was proud of all of them. But he had other things to worry about then their matches. He had to worry about the war. But first he would be a spectator until it all started.

"Come on guys, I think we should head to the stadium now. Everyone is heading there already. Your weights are off, right?" The nod that he got from both boys confirmed that they were. Good, they wouldn't have a chance to remove them in the heat of battle. Taking the lead, the group followed him as he headed toward the stadium.

Yumi was looking out the window watching them. Konohamaru and his group of friends were ordered by Tsunade to get them to the Hokage Monument Mountains. Not now, but when the invasion started. The Hokage's reason was that if she gave special treatment to them; in regards of evacuation procedures, then she would have to give it the other civilians. That couldn't be done because Aisu would know, so she had to act like everything was normal. Konohamaru didn't care, he told Naruto he would watch over them and now that he was given his chance, he would do just that.

The Sarutobi placed his hand on Yumi's shoulder, "Come let's get going. We shouldn't be late to the arena." Yumi didn't think it was a good idea to go, well not for her sake anyway. She was worried about Hayami more so than anyone else.

Tsunade explained the reason to her so she had a better understanding. They would sit near an easy exit point; that was the plan. Yumi was ready, "Let's go. Where is Hayami?"

"She's down stairs with Moegi, Udon, and Hanabi. They're waiting." Konohamaru and Yumi exited the room. When they got downstairs, everyone was waiting for them. Yumi took notice of Hayami first. She noticed that the girl had the katana that Sasuke had given her wrapped on a string, on her left side, between the bottom of her white long sleeve shirt and the top of her blue sweats. Being that she was so short; the sheath was touching the ground next to her blue sandals.

Yumi pointed at the sword, "Are you really going to bring that, Hayami?"

"Yes. I feel safe with it. It reminds me of the one dad had." The girl tapped the handle of the sword.

Yumi understood. If it made her feel better than she had no problem with it. "Well, I guess we should be going." The group exited the place and headed towards the stadium.

Stadium, 10:40 AM…

Shikamaru; who was in his standard Jounin uniform, was surveying the stadium. He was looking around to spot people that looked suspicious in his eyes. He turned back to the Hokage's observation deck. Everyone was there except the Raikage, he figured as much. He expected the guy to arrive just on time. It didn't matter, he was getting bored already. He didn't expect this exam to be this big. Even the Queen of Snow Country was here. Nobles from all over, from what he could see were in attendance. This exam was shaping up to be more troublesome by the minute. The stadium was slowly filling up and he could see the guards that were stationed throughout. He spotted Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Yamato, Senzairu and Anko in the arena. He spotted other Chuunin and Jounin throughout the stadium. He even saw ANBU throughout the stadium.

He wondered where Temari was. He figured she was stationed somewhere outside of the stadium. He was certain that if the Cages' could have had personal guards in the observation deck, she and Kankuro would most certainly be there. He knew Kankuro was probably close by; he always stuck close to Gaara. He couldn't worry about that, he had to play his part and ref this thing. He turned back to the Genin lined up behind him. He didn't say a word; he would wait until it was five minutes till the start of the exams to do so. They let all of their enemies penetrate this far, he wondered how things would turn out for the Leaf, he even wondered if it was a good idea to do so. No time for regrets.

Fifteen minutes or so passed and Senzairu, who was chatting with Kakashi and Gai on the other side of the stadium, left them and walked up to Anko and Tenzou, "Hey, what's up guys?"

"Nothing much, I hope you got your kids ready?" Anko said with a playful grin.

"Enough about that… I see Hokage-sama has stationed 2 squads of ANBU right here in the stadium." Senzairu pointed out.

Tenzou interjected, "It can't be helped; we all have to stay on high alert. For now we will be patient and watch the matches."

Anko agreed. They would just have to be on alert. She was watching Senzairu, and when his eyes narrowed, showing his hatred for whatever he was looking at, she traced his line of sight to see the Raikage heading towards the seat next to the Hokage.

In the observation deck, Aisu greeted everyone then took his seat next to Tsunade. "Good day Hokage-dono, wonderful weather here in Konoha isn't it."

"Yes, it is always nice this time of year. I can't wait to see who will emerge victorious in this tournament. It should be exciting this year, don't you think?" Tsunade asked.

Aisu wasn't stupid, he knew she suspected something, maybe she knew about the attack, but it was already too late. He was holding all of the cards, "Yes, I think its going to be interesting. Very interesting in fact, I'm betting on the first match to go to Cloud."

"Well, I wouldn't assume that. The kid that is fighting is pretty good. But we shall see." Tsunade said.

"Do you care to make a wager? I hear you like taking gambles." The way he said it, Tsunade knew he wasn't talking about the match so much.

A small smile flashed across her face, "I only take gambles that I know I can win."

Stroking his chin while looking at the Hokage, "Really now... I guess will have to see how it turns out to know who was right and who was wrong."

Gaara, who was on her right, had his ears open but his eyes were on Hayami and Yumi, who were in the stadium, close to the exit. He saw the young Hyuuga girl and the kid that remind him of a younger Naruto sitting next to the girl. He looked at Tsunade and whispered, "Do you think that it's wise to have them watching over her? Mere Chuunin, what happened to the Uchiha?"

"The same thing that happened to your sister, he was needed else where. Don't worry, Konohamaru is very capable, besides, I just need him to get them to the destination we declared safe." Gaara couldn't help but worry. He didn't like this one bit. He would have to sit it out.

The Mizukage, who was sitting next to Gaara, leaned over "Hey, what are you guys whispering about?"

Tsunade waved him off, "Oh nothing really, just something Gaara needed to tell me."

Gaara was mad that she interrupted him. He was going to tell the Mizukage to mind his business, but Tsunade was always the peace maker. He looked at Tsunade, "It's about time right?"

The Hokage nodded and stepped forward to the metal railing. In a loud voice that projected through the stadium, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to Konoha's Chuunin selection exam today. We will now get started with the matches of the sixteen that have qualified for today's final exam. Everyone please, sit back and enjoy the show." When Tsuande walked back to her seat she heard cheers from the crowd. The exams were now about to begin.

Shikamaru looked to the group once more, "Okay, we're about to start the matches. The rules are the same as the preliminaries. The two with the first match: Inkan Jikoku… Sueshijuu Makeinu remain in the arena, everyone else please go up to the balcony and wait for your turn."

Ranpu and Futeki walked up to Makeinu, Ranpu whispered, "Try not to go over board with it, okay? Don't underestimate this guy either, you should be fine."

"Thanks for the pep talk, but you could save it. I'm going to beat this guy no matter what. His friend is the one I want." Makeinu said with confidence.

"Just make sure you win, kick this guy's ass." Futeki slapped him on his shoulder and headed to the balcony.

Jikoku decided to taunt him, "Think encouraging words from your girl and that dumb ass friend of yours is going to save you? Not likely."

Makeinu didn't like this guy. He wanted to beat him so bad, but he also wanted that Reido kid. He looked in the stands when he heard Akuru, who was sitting next to Yasumi chanting 'Kick his butt'. He turned back to the kid, "I don't count on words saving me, just my skill. Care to give it a go?"

Shikamaru, who had his hands in his pocket, was looking back and forth at the two kids. "You two can start whenever you feel like it." Shikamaru jumped back to give the boys some space to fight.

Jikoku rotated his neck causing it to crack. His goal was simple, crush this kid and show the power of the Cloud. He slipped into a fighting stance. Makeinu did the same. The boys gave one another a long stare down. Makeinu was thinking of things he could do. He had an ace up his sleeve, but he wouldn't use it until it was absolutely necessary for him to do so. He would have to get a feel for this guy.

Makeinu went to the holster on his leg to retrieve a handful of shurikens, which he immediately launched at the kid. Jikoku dodged them all effortlessly. Makeinu vanished from the sight of the untrained eye, which were civilians and most Genin, to appear on his right. The punch that was aimed at Jikoku's jaw was effortlessly blocked.

Jikoku grabbed the fist with the palm of his hand. He smirked at Makeinu, "I thought you were better than this." Following up with a punch to the face, he sent the boy skidding across the ground. He had a smug look on his face. This boy was too weak to even be considered a match in his eyes.

In the stands, Anko turned to Senzairu, "Looks like your boy is outclassed."

"Hardly" Was all that he said.

"Come again?" Anko wanted to make sure she heard him right.

In the contestant balcony, Ranpu was explaining to Futeki why this match was just beginning, "I said he's not in danger."

"What do you mean?" Futeki asked.

Senzairu looked at Anko, "I mean that he is testing the kids speed and power. From what I can gather, he knows he won't be able to end this quick. This Jikoku kid is just as good, maybe."

On the balcony, Futeki yelled at Ranpu, "Maybe! He's losing; this guy is more than good." Ranpu just pointed to the arena.

Anko look at the kid when Senzairu told her to just watch. He picked himself up and wiped the blood from his lip. Senzairu spoke, "He's about to get serious now, the warm up is over. Watch him closely." He turned to Akuru and Yasumi, "You might want to watch him as well." Anko and the others did just that.

Konohamaru was waiting for Makeinu to make this match interesting. But although he had his eyes on the match he was scanning the arena for Kumoko. He finally found her over where Kakashi was at. Well, in the general area he was in, but nowhere near him. He kept his eyes on her and he could sense she was looking at him and his little group. He tapped Hanabi, "11 o'clock. She's waiting for the right time to attack. Be on alert."

Hanabi nodded, "Don't worry I will." The two attentions went back to the fight.

Makeinu slipped into a fighting stance, "You hit kind of hard. I guess I should have taken you seriously from the beginning. Well, I won't make the same mistake twice."

Not wasting time, his speed increased greatly, to the point that Jikoku was surprised. He barely managed to block the first hit; he was unsuccessful at blocking the blow to the gut. Reacting quickly to the blow, he blocked and followed with a punch, but it was blocked. He used that opportunity to throw the boy to the other side of the stadium. Makeinu landed on his feet. Jikoku was glad he created distance between the two now he could perform his lightning jutsu.

Jikoku formed the hand seals necessary for his jutsu, "This guy is making it close combat. I hate to admit it, but he's slightly better. Let's make this a ninjutsu match. He seems to only know taijutsu, which means he probably sucks at ninjutsu."

When he did his final hand seal, "Lightning Style: Current Strike" A cloud formed above Jikoku's head. Electricity could be seen within the cloud. Ranpu activated his Byakugan; he could see chakra channeling at one point. Studying the technique he understood its purpose. He yelled out to his teammate, "Watch out!"

Makeinu did a back flip just in time, avoiding the strike that hit where he was standing. As soon as he landed another strike came toward him, but he dodged it once more. Jikoku, who was under the cloud was laughing, "You can't touch me. If you get hit by this strike, you're done for. For a taijutsu user, this must be the worst match up for you. Now that your taijutsu is useless what will you do?"

Makeinu was thinking on his move. Jikoku was right, he did favor taijutsu, but he was wrong to assume that taijutsu was the only thing he could use. "Damn, I can't get close to him, so my taijutsu is useless now. What technique can I use?"

Kakashi was standing next to Gai watching the match, "That technique is similar to Sasuke's 'Lightning Strike'; however it is a more limited version. This kid can get around it if he focuses."

Gai nodded, "Yes. The ten days I trained him, I saw his raw talent. He acts sometimes without thinking, which is his biggest flaw. If he can keep calm, I'm sure he can win."

"I guess we'll see. In the mean time, keep your eyes open." Kakashi said to his rival.

"Don't worry I'm on alert Kakashi. Speaking of Sasuke, do you know where he's at?" Gai asked when he saw Konohamaru and Hanabi by Hayami and Yumi.

Kakashi shook his head, "Hokage-sama has probably stationed him where she needs him the most. I'm sure she did this with Lee-kun as well. I know you're probably worried about him but don't be, you trained him well."

"I'm not worried about Lee; I know he can take care of himself. I just wish I knew where He, Neji, and Tenten were placed." Gai said to his friend.

Kakashi who was looking at the match turned to Gai, "Sorry Gai, did you say something?"

Gai place his hands on his head, "You did it once again my rival with that cool and witty attitude."

"Uh Gai, the fight." Kakashi said pointing to Makeinu, who was dodging the strikes. Gai just put his head down. He hated when Kakashi acted cool.

Makeinu was dodging the strikes but he was trying to think of something, "Damn. A Suiton would work, since water act as a conductor, but it would drain most of my chakra to do the 'Water Dragon' and I would be a sitting duck. Senzairu-sensei said Earth is weak against Lightning initially. However, if I had an Earth Justu stronger than his, which I don't, I could use it, so that's out. I don't have a Fire Jutsu strong enough so that won't work. Wait, my kunai and a wire on it could work."

Makeinu formed a plan; it was time to put it into action. He decided to confuse him. Using his speed, Makeinu ran circles around him. Jikoku couldn't strike him, not when he was moving that fast. He would wait. He was certain that he was trying to set him for the technique he displayed, but when kunai flew at his feet he jumped back to avoid the kunai. He smiled when he saw Makeinu do what he predicted he would. "Its over"

Makeinu appeared in front of him and went for his kick. Although it was blocked, it sent Jikoku in the air with a smirk. Makeinu tried to move as fast as he could, but his left arm was caught by the strike. Jikoku was about go for the finishing strike, but he felt a jolt of electricity course through his body. The explosion sent the boys flying causing them to hit the ground hard.

Reido, who was watching the match, wondered what happened. He didn't understand, nor did Tsuki. "How did Jikoku get hit with his own attack, I thought he made contact."

Reido did some more analyzing. He smirked when he realized what that kid did, "Smart, but stupid at the same time."

Akuru was looking on clearly worried about Makeinu. "Makeinu…" she didn't see him move and that made her worry more.

Senzairu shook his head at the kid, "Great idea, execution not so great. What the hell was he thinking?"

Anko offered her answer, "I guessing he was trying to get the boy to shock himself. Seriously, you didn't show him any strong ninjutsu?"

"That's not the case. I showed my squad a number of ninjustu, but nothing to counter a jutsu of that caliber. I'm surprised he can use a technique of that nature." Senzairu explained to the purple-haired Jounin.

Akuru spoke, "Sensei, he's not moving."

Senzairu smiled when he saw the boy twitch, "Give him a minute, he's just trying to catch himself. He'll be up in no time."

Sure enough, the boy slowly picked himself off of the ground holding his left shoulder. "Damn it, I though I could avoid it, I took a gamble and now my arm is numb and it hurts like hell. Okay, I can't wait anymore; I have to finish it with this next jutsu."

Jikoku slowly picked himself up, but he was pissed and a little weak. He had to finish it now. Besides, that move took a lot of chakra out of him. He was going to win this. His eyes focused on the boy as a thin outline of blue chakra surrounded him. "What the hell is he doing?" Jikoku wondered.

Kakashi watched the boy slip into the fighting stance, "He's going to use that…but how does he know it?"

On the other side of the stadium, Anko turned to Senzairu, "That kid, how does he know that technique?"

Senzairu smirked, "I showed it to him of course. For the remaining of their training with me, I focused on a technique that would benefit them best. This technique best suits him."

In the Hokage's observation deck, the Raikage turned to Tsunade, "That kid… he's no normal Genin, is he? The move he's preparing to do; no Genin should be able to do it."

"Well, the same could be said about his opponent and that technique he did earlier." The Raikage turned back to look at the kid. "How does this kid know this technique?"

On the balcony, Reido, Tsuki, and the other Genin wondered what was going on. They listened when Futeki asked Ranpu, "What is he doing?"

Ranpu response, "Just watch, you'll see."

Makeinu slipped into the fighting stance and was now ready to perform the technique. "Okay just take my time… I just got it right two days ago. The numbness wore off in my left arm, but it still hurts. I have no choice, but to use it and risk further injury if I want to advance. Okay, here we go."

Jikoku started laughing, "You think that a little glow is going to help you win the match? You are so outclassed kid, it isn't even funny. I'm going to kill you now."

"I'll end it before then." A confident Makeinu stated.

Jikoku was preparing the hand seals for his jutsu, but his and everybody's eyes widened when Makeinu disappeared from his spot. Slowly turning to his right, he felt a punch in his right arm, suddenly he vanished once more only to appear on his left and place a hard elbow strike to his left shoulder. Jikoku felt extreme pain in both of his arms, but that wasn't the end of the attack. Makeinu appeared in front of him and placed a kick in the right side of his neck. He then disappeared from view; reappearing behind him to place a kick in the back of his neck. This caused the boy to fall to his knees defenseless. Before he fell, Makeinu disappeared from view only to appear 20 feet in front of him.

Jikoku looked on in fear; he was defenseless. Makeinu began to circle him at high speed until it look like a blue ring was surrounding them. When he got in the path directly in front of the boy he charged at him head on. All anyone saw was a blue blur smash into the stadium wall causing an explosion to occur upon impact.

The crowd was speechless. The first match was interesting to say the least. The civilians were shocked and the shinobi were surprised by the jutsu. Yasumi of squad eight, who was sitting next to Akuru in the stands, spoke, "What was that jutsu that Makeinu-kun did?"

Akuru ignored the girl, not because she didn't want to answer the question but because she wanted to see if her teammate was alright. When the smoke cleared, Makeinu was on one knee with one eye closed, gasping for air. Shikamaru looked at the other kid and he was down for the count. He walked up to the boy to feel his pulse but Makeinu said, "He's not dead. I reduced the force of the technique so he wouldn't die. He's just going to be out for a very longtime. So did I win?"

Shikamaru turned to the crowd, "Winner of Match 1: Sueshijuu Makeinu"

The crowd was still silent. Futeki was the first to clap. Then the sound resonated through the stadium, everyone started to clap as well. Makeinu was happy he was receiving praise, but he was hurt too. He was right though, because of that lightning making contact with his left arm, it was damaged. He couldn't even lift it anymore. He was sure that it was broken. He was mad at himself, he didn't want to use his ace, but he had no choice. Either that or lose. It didn't matter; he would find a way to advance."

A medic squad came to the arena and carried an injured Jikoku off. One of the medics came up to him, "You might want to come and get that looked at sir. You have time before your next match." Makeinu nodded and followed the medic.

Anko saw the kid arm dangling, "It seems that the jutsu comes with a price."

Yasumi asked again, "What was that jutsu that he just used?"

Akuru in a serious tone, "That jutsu is called 'Leaf Channel Strike'"

On the competitor's balcony, Ranpu was explaining the technique to Futeki, "Yes, the 'Leaf Channel Strike', that's what I said. However, there are three levels to the technique each with different points to hit. There is the 5-point Channel Strike, 7-Point Channel Strike, and the 9-point Channel Strike." The actual level that Makeinu used is the 5-point channel strike. So his technique is called the 'Leaf's 5-point Channel Strike."

Futeki understood his explanation of the technique. She actually saw him hit five places, each looking like he caused major damage to whatever that he had hit. Makeinu had become so strong; in fact she was kind of jealous, but proud as well. Proud that her friend was strong and could protect himself now; jealous because of her competitive nature. Looking at his match made one thing clear for her; she had to win.

The Raikage still couldn't believe a Genin pulled off the 'Leaf's Channel Strike'. Compared to the 7 and the 9 point strikes, it wasn't as great, but it was a powerful taijutsu combo that was dangerous. This tournament was interesting. Too bad he wouldn't get to see all of them fight. Oh well, he had a war to finish. It was unfortunate for these kids trying to be Chuunin; some wouldn't probably be alive after today. He turned to Tsunade who was looking at the boy exit the stadium smiling all the while. Shikamaru signaled for the next two contestants to come to the ring.

10 Minutes later, Konoha's Northern Gate …

Standing on a building near the gate, in a black short sleeve shirt, sweats, and sandals, with the Uchiha symbol on the back of the shirt, just above the sword on his back, Sasuke was on look out. He was certain that the enemy would enter through here, as well as from other secret locations. He would do what he had to do to keep them at bay. He wondered where Sakura was at. Also, he hated to admit it but he was worried about Hayami as well. He decided to focus on something else, but the only thing that came to his mind was Naruto. "Where the hell are you idiot?"

Wiping the hair away from his eyes, Sasuke waited patiently. He would have preferred to be stationed at the stadium, but he was sure whoever was there would be more than adequate. His assignment was to keep the enemy at bay. A problem for Sasuke… hardly.

Stadium's Infirmary…

Makeinu was sitting on the table while Sakura was healing the arm damaged by the lightning strike. "You're lucky that only a small portion hit you. This arm would have been dead to you for at least a week not to mention it would have taken about 2 months or so to heal. I healed it, but it's not one hundred percent done. You have mobility, but it's limited. In all honesty, you shouldn't fight in the next match; you risk further injury to the arm."

Makeinu held his arm in front of him. Moving it up and down, left and right, he was satisfied with the movement "Its okay, I have all the movement that I need. Granted it hurts moving certain ways, but I will manage. Thank you, Sakura-san."

"You're welcome, but you shouldn't be thanking me; it's my job you know. You should go to the balcony with your friends. Good luck in your next match." The boy smiled, then waved goodbye as he left Sakura alone.

Just as he exited, a medic squad entered the area with another fighter. She frowned when she saw the boy was a Leaf Shinobi. The medic on the other side of the room was handling the situation, but Sakura needed to see what was going on.

"So how is he?" Sakura asked the medic healing his arm.

"Not to good, Sakura-san. This boy is lucky to be alive. He just fought a Genin from the Rock Village, he lost badly. Both of his arms are broken, several fractured ribs and he seems to have a concussion." Sakura looked at the blooded and bruised boy. She probably would see more of this when she enters the battle to come. She would be required to heal first and fight second. She was a part of the joint invasion to the Sound village. She knew the goriness of warfare. Most of these doctors were rookies, they would soon find out, she just hoped they could adapt quickly.

She turned to the doctor, "I'm going to watch the following matches. I assume medical squad 11, 15, and 18 are all at the arena."

The guy nodded, "Yes, Sakura-san. They are where you stationed them. Shizune-san is sending squads 21 and 33 over immediately. She can't part with anymore she said, so your request for four squads has been denied."

Sakura was holding the door open, "Okay, just carry on. While I'm gone, you're in charge, Houshou." The Medic left the group behind to see what was going on in the stadium. It only took her a few minutes to enter the stands, where the spectators were. Sakura was looking at the match. From where she was, she could see the battle was between Sand and Grass. She giggled when she saw Shikamaru, he looked utterly bored. She turned to look at where Tsunade was sitting. She prayed that Tsunade would be okay; whether the older lady knew it or not, she was a like a second mother to her.

Sakura turned to her left to scan the area. There were a few ANBU in disguise. She also spotted the three shinobi from the Cloud she met with in Mist. She watched the female closely. That's the one who wanted Hayami. Sakura was certain she would make her move sooner or later. Hearing her name being called by a familiar voice, Sakura turned around to see Kakashi and Gai approaching.

"Hello Sakura, how are you today?" The masked Jounin asked.

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei. How are you two today?"

"Well, bored to tell you the truth, I can't even read my book." Kakashi appeared to be sad about that.

A vein appeared on Sakura head, "You're a pervert, Kakashi-sensei. Anyway, I assume you two are keeping and eye on things here. If that's the case you two must have noticed those Cloud shinobi."

Gai spoke in a serious tone for a change, "Yes, we have. We're keeping close tabs on them."

"Good, but where is Hayami?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi pointed across the field to the other side of the stadium. Sakura followed Kakashi's finger until her eyes landed on Hayami, Konohamaru, Hanabi, Moegi, Udon, and Yumi. Sakura continued to watch the girl when she saw two guards from Snow Country along with Queen Koyuki. Kakashi looked at Sakura and both nodded, they where going to greet her. Kakashi turned to Gai, "We're going to introduce ourselves to a friend we haven't seen in a longtime. Hold down the fort." The two disappear in the smoke the Shunshin created.

Princess Koyuki went to greet the girl, "You must be Hayami. I was informed by the Daimyo of Sea Country that you were the daughter of the great Ryuho. It's an honor to meet you Hayami. The reason I'm here though is because of your affiliation with one called Uzumaki Naruto."

Hanabi didn't like this lady, one she was suspicious and two, Konohamaru was ogling over her. "What is your business with Naruto and this girl?"

Koyuki responded, "Well, I hear that she knows him on a personal level and I was wondering if she knew where he was at. I would really like to say hi to him, as well as the other members of Team 7."

Sakura spoke, "Well, I'm sorry Koyuki-hime, but Naruto and Sasuke aren't here at the moment, I hope you don't mind half of team seven." Turning to see Kakashi and Sakura Yuki smiled, "Kakashi, Sakura, how are you guys? It's been a long time."

"Yes it has. How have you been?" Sakura asked.

Konohamaru cut her off before she could answer, "Sakura, you know Princess Fuin?"

Sakura nodded but corrected him, "Yes, but her name is Kazahana Koyuki; Princess Fuin is a fictional character Konohamaru."

"I know that, but I had no idea you guys knew her." Konohamaru said.

Kakashi spoke this time, "Well, we were assigned a mission to protect her about six year or so ago. We met then."

"You're being modest, Kakashi," she turned to Konohamaru, "Truth be told, Naruto and the others helped turn Snow Country into what it is today."

Yumi was laughing and Koyuki turned to her, "Is there something funny?"

"I'm sorry. It's just seeing you remind me of the picture that you gave Naruto. It's funny." Yumi explained.

Sakura remembered the picture and started laughing herself, "Yeah that picture is kind of funny. I can't believe he still has it."

Yumi nodded, "Yep, he tried to hide it but I got it. I wish I had it on me."

Koyuki looked at the girl, "Well, he was recovering and it was the only time I had free so I took the picture then, I wasn't trying to embarrass him. He just looked so helpless that it was kind of cute. So do you guys know where he is?"

Kakashi shook his head, "Nope. I'm sure he will be back today. More importantly, why are you here?"

"I came to see the exams. I have a say in the shinobi that we hire and well I want to see the field of talent and to see Naruto. I heard so many negative things about him these past years, but I know they aren't true. I mean, how can they be? He wouldn't slaughter close to 300 hundred shinobi without just cause, right? I just need to look into his eyes and see."

Sakura looked at Hayami and smiled, "Whatever you heard about Naruto is mostly false. Want to know why he killed all of those shinobi? Just look at the girl and you'll have your answer."

Yuki bent down and looked into Hayami's innocent eyes. "You have beautiful eyes, Hayami, what did Naruto do that involved you and the death of all of those shinobi."

"I was taken away from my home and I was treated badly by the guys who took me. But Naruto-niisan showed up and well… all I remember is him telling me that he was proud of me. The next thing I remembered is Naruto-niisan carrying me." Hayami said to the lady.

Koyuki saw all she needed to see in this girl's eyes. He couldn't be as bad as the Daimyos of all the countries, excluding Sun and Sea made him out to be. She was glad. She wished she could see him though. Koyuki heard Kakashi's name being called; this caused her to turn to see a stocky old man, a female about her age, and a teenage boy heading toward them. She recognized that guy; he was the master bridge builder/ architect Tazuna. He did work in her country a few years back.

The old man placed his arms on Sakura shoulder, "Good to see you Sakura and Kakashi."

When he saw Koyuki he bowed, "It's a pleasure seeing you again, Koyuki-hime."

"Likewise, Tazuna-san. I wasn't aware that you knew Kakashi and Sakura."

Inari spoke, "Of course we know them. Why do you think we built a bridge titled, 'The Great Naruto Bridge'"

This was the first time Hayami heard about it, "You mean nii-san has a bridge named after him?"

Inari looked at the girl. Her calling Naruto-nii-san confirmed it, "You must be Naruto's sister. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tazuna heard the story from his family. He never doubted Naruto's reasons for doing what he did. Speaking of which, "Where is Naruto by the way?"

Kakashi spoke once more, "Naruto isn't here. In fact no one knows where he is at."

Yumi spoke, "Don't worry, Naruto will be here."

Tazuna didn't know who this girl was, but he nodded as if to say okay. He leaned into Kakashi's ear and whispered, "I know who the little one with the lavender hair is, but who is the pretty brown-haired girl?"

Kakashi answered in a whisper, "Naruto's fiancée. The kid did pretty well for himself, eh?"

Tazuna nodded, "I would say."

Yumi decided to introduce herself, "I'm sorry where are my manners, I'm Yumi, Naruto's fiancée."

Koyuki was surprised by this information, so was Inari and Tsunami. Inari bent down next to Konohamaru, "That's Naruto's girlfriend? Go Naruto!"

"Hey! Yumi is like my sister, so don't even think like that." Konohamaru whispered back to the boy.

He stood up, "I wasn't even thinking like that, just saying."

Tsunami was staring at the match, "I'm in awe every time I see you ninja do a technique."

Kakashi turned to look at the match, "Looks like Sand shinobi won and the next match is between another Sand nin and the girl from Cloud. This should be interesting."

Kakashi turned to Koyuki and Tazuna, "Well, it was really good seeing you guys. I have to go, but I just want to say, be careful. These types of events can draw some unruly people."

Kakashi walked off. Sakura bowed, "I must be going too. I'm on duty as well it's been really good seeing you all. Oh and Konohamaru, Moegi, Hanabi, and Udon… you already know. Later." She caught up with Kakashi-sensei.

Tazuna looked at Sakura then at Konohamaru, "What the hell did he mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it." Konohamaru said.

Koyuki looked at Hayami, "Hayami-chan, would you like to look at the rest of the tournament in VIP section. The Daimyo of Sea Country would like to meet you as well as the others."

Konohamaru answered, "Sorry but…"

Hayami grabbed Konohamaru's arm, "Please Konohamaru, we don't have to stay long. I just want to see Kujira-sama."

Konohamaru didn't want to but he decided to agree. "Okay, but we can't stay long."

Koyuki nodded, "I understand. Just for this fight, okay?"

Hanabi stood up and looked at Udon and Moegi, "Watch over Yumi, would you? I don't trust her."

Moegi whispered to Yumi, "She's jealous that's all." The two started laughing. Udon ignored them. He didn't think it was wise either, but he would keep close lookout till they got back.

When the group reached the VIP section, Konohamaru noticed the Daimyos from every Country in the little section. There were also one or two shinobi standing next to them. When Hayami saw Kujira, she walked up to the man, "Kujira-sama, it's a pleasure to see you."

The old man smiled at the girl, "The pleasure is all mine, Hayami." He looked at Konohamaru, "So you are her care taker, where is Shinji?"

Konohamaru spoke, "Shinji left her in our care until he returns."

"Alright. It's been a while with the… you know and all." Kujira's implications to the girl cause her to put her head down.

Hanabi felt eyes glaring at the girl. Not surprised that it came from a Rain and Rock shinobi. "Do you have a problem with the girl?" Hanabi said to the two.

The female Jounin from Rock spoke, "Nothing, I don't intend to correct."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes at the girl but everyone turned to the navy blue haired and blue eyed female, "I thought that was all in the past. Besides, your issue is with Uzumaki Naruto, not her."

The Daimyo from Rock spoke, "You're right, Yokoana. But we are trying to put that loss behind us. For some it's harder than others."

"Well, seeing as what happened in Sea Country, I would say that more than settles the debt, but really it doesn't. Seeing as Earth and Rain Country were the cause for his actions." Yokoana stated.

The Daimyo from Rain was furious, "Listen here you, that man destroyed our shinobi. I personally want to see him die."

"You bastard." Konohamaru said to the guy. "You're country is despicable for even kidnapping Hayami-chan here. What were the Earth and Rain Country's reason for this?"

The Daimyo from Rain spoke, "How dare you talk to someone of our status that way. Are you going to allow him to talk to us like this, Hiseki?"

The Lord of Fire Country responded, "I'll admit, young Konohamaru here is a bit sharp with his tongue, but I'm inclined to agree with him, what was the purpose of kidnapping the head of the clan's daughter from the strongest samurai clan in the world?"

The Lord or Earth couldn't respond, but Hanabi did, "its simple… military power. They probably figured that our recent war with Sound made us weak, but still strong enough to take on Earth and Rain alone. So why not train in a strong sword style and crush the Leaf, am I right?"

The Daimyo of Rain and Earth were speechless. It was true, partially. What Hanabi didn't know was that Aisu forced their hand, along with the military leaders of their villages.

Sea Country's Daimyo spoke to ease the tension, "Please, no more of this talk. The girl here lost her family; I just wanted to see an old friend's daughter without this turning into some political debate."

The Jounin from Rain spoke, "What about us sir, those who lost our friends and family to what that bastard did for her?"

Konohamaru was about to speak but Yokoana cut him off, "Well, maybe you should blame your village for sending your friends and family on a mission such as that. They did it to strengthen the military for each country; he did what he did to protect the little girl. If Cloud would have kidnapped her or even Leaf, the results would have been the same I think. Your country just took the wrong girl and they paid the price. That's why when you gamble, you should always know the stakes."

"You bitch…" The Rain Jounin stepped forward but was cut off by a shinobi in a black mask, leaving only the eyes visible.

Koyuki was looking at the little girl the whole time. Every negative thing said about Naruto caused the girl to get angry; but instead of showing it, she just clenched her fist and smiled. She looked at Lord of Rain and the Lord of Rock, she was glad that she turned down their alliance offers and signed an allegiance treaty to the Leaf a few years back. The Lord of Lightning jumped up excited, "Yes! I knew Tsuki was going to win. Where is my money?"

Everyone, except Yuki, placed a bet on the match. She wasn't here for that. She came to enjoy the show. She hadn't even seen what happened, but the Daimyo ranted on about how that Doton crushed that Sand nin. Konohamaru's voice caught her attention.

"We should be going, our friends are waiting." Koyuki understood.

Hayami bowed to everyone then the Lord of Sea before following Hanabi, who didn't even give them a second glance. Konohamaru did the same until Yokoana said, "Hey kid, what's your full name?"

Konohamaru turned around slowly, "Sarutobi Konohamaru." After answering her, he and the girls headed back to their group.

She smiled, "I knew I've seen that face before. He's related to Sarutobi Asuma and the late Hokage, correct Hoseki?"

The middle-aged man nodded, "Yes he is. I remember when he was small; now look at him, I'm sure his grandfather is proud."

Ebisu, the one who was guarding the Daimyo spoke, "He's a handful, but being his trainer for the majority of his life up until he passed the Chuunin exam, I would say he has always been very vocal."

The Daimyo from lightning was smiling, The ref just called out the next match and it was between Reido, the Raikage's son and Ranpu, a member of the illustrious Hyuuga Clan. He turned to Hoseki, "So, care to wager 1 million Ryou on this match? I say Reido wins."

"I'll take that bet, the Hyuuga kid is going to win." Hoseki said.

The Lord of Wind was skeptical, "Well I don't know. The last Hyuuga I saw fight lost. They said he was the prodigy of his clan and he lost to a no name kid at the time."

The Lord of Tea entered the conversation, "He was a no name kid then. But it was the beginning of his legend. In fact, every member of his Genin squad all became excellent shinobi in their own right"

The Lord of Earth asked, "So, who is this great kid that would make you bet against the Hyuuga?"

He pulled out the form he held on to listing the stats of Naruto during his chuunin exam. He handed the old wrinkled paper to the man. The man examined it, but when he saw the name, he turned to the guy, "That kid was Uzumaki Naruto."

Koyuki walked over to look at the piece of paper, "Hey Kakashi, Sakura, and even Sasuke are listed. Are those his stats? They look pretty low?"

The Rain leader came over, along with Yokoana, and looked at the photo, "These stats… how could he defeat a prodigy with these stats."

Yokoana commented, "Foxes tend to be clever; deception is easy for them. Maybe what was listed no way correlates to what he can actually do. So he was trained by 'Sharingan Kakashi' and teamed up with the Last Uchiha. That girl, I'm not really familiar with her."

Hoseki spoke, "That is Sakura-san. Lovely young lady and if she is anything like her master Tsunade-hime, I wouldn't mess with her."

The female Jounin from Rock spoke, "So it seems that the girl and the Uchiha were trained by the Sannin. Well I guess it doesn't matter, Uzumaki was trained by the head of that Samurai clan and Kaito, so in addition to Kakashi they were trained by elite shinobi."

One of the Leaf Shinobi standing guard said, "He also trained with Jiraiya-sama, as well."

"What!" The female Rock shinobi said. Everyone knew of the Sannin responsible for training perhaps the greatest shinobi ever, Konoha's Yellow Flash.

"Yes, Uzumaki Naruto trained with Jiraiya-sama as well. I was to train him during those exams, but Jiraiya-sama took over that duty for me. To think he would take on another apprentice when he vowed never to take on another shinobi after our beloved Yondaime died. I guess he saw the same thing I saw in the kid." Ebisu, who was now one of the Royal guards, said.

The Lord of Lightning decided to turn the subject back on betting, "Whatever, place your bets now."

Everyone started placing their bets, except Koyuki. Ebisu adjusted his shades and looked at the Hokage "I wonder when he will play his hand. Just be careful, Hokage-sama."

In the Hokage observation deck, Tsunade turned to Aisu, "It seems your son is going to have his hands full."

"I suppose so, that kid was trained by Senzairu, correct?" Tsunade's eyes widened slightly.

"Don't be so surprised that I know your son is alive, Hokage-sama. We have kind of a history, but it's buried in the past; so to speak. Let's enjoy this match; I'm sure its going to be a match for the ages." The Raikage said with a grin that rubbed Tsunade the wrong way.

"I'm sure it will." She looked at Gaara. He knew what that look meant, it meant to be alert; they could be under attack any minute. Gaara hid his hand so no one could see the signal he was forming.

A Few Miles Away From the Stadium…

Kankuro, who was a few miles away from the stadium, but was looking at Gaara with binoculars turned back to the group he was commanding, "That's the signal. Gaara said to close in on his position in twenty minutes."

Speaking through his communication device, "Temari, we move in twenty."

He heard her in a garbled response, "Copy that. I'm on stand-by near the stadium walls. Where are Yumi and Hayami?"

Using his binoculars he looked at where she was, "Well, she's walking back to her seat with that gaki Konohamaru and some Hyuuga girl. They're moving towards Yumi. She's okay sis, just make sure you do what you have to do."

Northern Hills…

Rin came in Naruto's room to see if he was up. "Damn it, he's still asleep. I knew he over did it; I'll give him another half an hour to wake up."

Rin was ready for battle judging by her get up. Wearing a burgundy Gi with a fish net shirt under the Gi, a white sash, black spandex shorts under the Gi that stopped at about four inches above the knee, which didn't matter because it was covered by the Gi, and matching color leg sleeves as well as sandals, showing she was dressed for battle. The pouch on her hip was filled with weapons, medical creams and ointments. The holster on her thigh was filled with shuriken; she was ready. The question was when would Naruto be ready. "I'll give him a half and hour, that's it." She sat on the log outside waiting for Naruto.

Back at the Stadium…

Ranpu and Reido were standing face to face. It was finally here, the match that most people wanted to see. Senzairu was looking on with pride, "Alright Ranpu, show this kid what you're made of."

"Seems your boy is up, this should be interesting." Anko said.

Yamato nodded in agreement. He couldn't wait to see this match.

Akuru was thinking the same thing but she was also praying that he wouldn't get hurt. Yasumi saw that her friend was worried. She placed a hand on her leg, "Don't worry, Ranpu will be fine." She could only hope Yasumi was right.

In the ring, the boys were staring into each others eyes with a fixed but intense gaze. Shikamaru looked at the two boys, "With the crowd, it kind of reminds me of Gaara and Sasuke's fight. I wonder who's going to win this one. I am excited to see this one, but I have to keep my guard up."

"Okay you know the rules. When I jump back, you can start. Is that clear?" Shikamaru didn't even receive a nod. He knew; however, that it was their way of saying they understood. Shikamaru jumped back to give the boys space.

Reido made a slight movement with his hands; this caused Ranpu to jump back some distance. Reido smiled at this, he was on edge which was good. He would get a good fight.

Ranpu slipped into a fighting stance "Okay Ranpu, calm down. He just wanted to see if you were ready. Okay, let's start this."

Reido slipped into a fighting stance as well. Both inched closer to there holster. On a quick reflex, they drew shurikens and launched them at one another. When the shruikens canceled each other out, Reido performed a lightning strike, similar to Jikoku's, but with only one bolt from the sky. Ranpu side flipped out of the path and performed 'Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu'. Reido avoided the blasts by jumping into the air. He shot a couple of liquid bullets from his mouth, but Ranpu back flipped out of range of the powerful liquid bullets. When Reido landed, Ranpu was preparing the hand sequence for the 'Donton: Muddy Vice Grip'

Ranpu went to attack but realized that there was water on the ground near him, when he saw Reido preparing another lightning strike. He performed a frontal flip, avoiding the lightning aimed at the water. When he landed, Reido was free and both boys were smiling at each other.

"Your playing with me Hyuuga, don't do that. If you're going to waste my time I will end this quick. But if you're ready for a fight…" Reido slipped back into a fighting stance.

Ranpu closed his eyes, "Very well." When he opened them, the Byakugan was now activated. "I can't see the chakra points as well as Neji-san, Hanabi-san, or Hinata-san. But, I can see them."

The boys continued to glare at one another. The wind blew in the stadium and a few leaves from the tree flew in front of the boys. When one of the leaves split in half both boys vanished from the sight of the crowd, mostly the civilians and Genin. Even some Chuunin were having a hard time keeping up.

In the stands, Senzairu was following the fight. "That kid is good, he must know about the Gentle Fist. Keeping a decent distance and avoiding the palm thrusts. His father must have warned him about the Gentle Fist."

"Maybe, but give him credit as well. He's using his own speed and mind to come up with a course of action. This fight is awesome. As far as fighting, most of these kids are Chuunin level." Anko commented.

Back on the battle field, Ranpu struck at Reido's head, but Reido moved his head to the side. Reido used the time to try out his 'Lightning Style: Electric Palm' similar to the Jyuken, but it didn't seal off chakra or cause damage to the internal organs; it was used to numb the area, making it useless. This would allow him to use another technique; a more powerful technique. He went to hit Ranpu in the arm, but Ranpu saw the technique with his Byakugan. He knew lightning was involved and that wasn't good, so he ducked but his right shoulder was slightly grazed. However, using his left palm he slightly grazed Reido who immediately jumped back for distance.

Ranpu cursed himself, "Shit that would have done it. But that jutsu, it's numbed my shoulder slightly. So, that's what it does. That's his game… this guy is good."

Reido was leaning toward his right do to the pain of Ranpu's hand grazing to his side. "That Jyuken is dangerous. I knew it was dangerous, but reading about it and encountering it first hand are two different things. I have to end this soon; we've been fighting for at least 15 minutes; any longer and well, we're not going to finish our match."

Ranpu smirked at the boy, "Feeling the effects of the Jyuken? Don't worry; I will end it with the next move."

Reido smiled, "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." "Okay time to break out my jutsu. Let's see if you can dodge this." Reido extended one arm to the sky and the other aimed at Ranpu. Both hands were glowing as the boy prepared his technique.

Ranpu decided it was time to use his technique as well. He did the hand seals required.

In the stands, Kakashi pulled up his hiate, "That technique… I have to analyze it."

Gai glanced at Kakashi then back at the boy. He wondered what the Hyuuga was doing.

Sakura wondered about this as well.

Anko turned to Senzairu, "What the hell is he doing?"

"He's about to use a technique I thought would benefit him. It took me a while to learn it and how to control it fully. He should have no problem with it since it requires the chakra control that the Hugs' have. Just watch."

In the Hokage observation deck, Aisu turned to Tsunade, "What is that kid doing? I've never seen this jutsu before."

She shrugged, "I don't know, this is new to me as well."

The Raikage didn't care, when this attack ended, the war would began. He signaled one of his men with mere eye contact. That man then gave the signal to the others. More signals were given out from one shinobi to another about the attack. He looked at Senzairu, "Okay, as long as I know where you are. In a few more minutes, Operation Destroy the Leaf begins."

On the battlefield, Lightning struck Reido's hand. The lightning was channeling through his hand like electricity traveling through a wire. His extended fist was closed though; the electricity could be seen in his closed fist."

Ranpu started spin, much like how the Hyuuga did when performing the Kaiten. He on the other hand wasn't performing the Kaiten, he was gathering enough wind to form a mini tornado. A tornado was formed and people felt the gust of wind it created. Not strong like a real tornado, but it was pretty strong.

Reido smiled, "Your shield won't save you." He opened his closed fist 'Lightning Release: Human Rod' the lightning shot from his closed fist and hit the tornado. However the tornado expanded more and more, slowly closing in on Reido. Reido couldn't believe what he was seeing; a jutsu was standing on even ground with his.

Hanabi was watching the fight and was trying to figure out how he was maintaining the jutsu. The Kaiten caused a Hyuuga dizziness if used for an extend period of time. She activated her Byakugan to see how. What she saw was that he was standing in the middle of the jutsu with his hands extended horizontally; he was feeding the tornado with his chakra.

Before Anko could ask he explained, "That technique he's using is a Wind Release I created. It's called Raging Cyclone. It's loosely based on the Hyuuga's Kaiten. Only differences are instead of releasing your chakra, you use wind and do the spin until you have a self-sustaining tornado. Once that's done you have to maintain it, and that's done by standing in the eye of the jutsu and distributing chakra proportionately throughout. Increasing the chakra output expands the jutsu. It will continue to expand depending on how much chakra he can put into it."

Tenzou spoke, "So it's like a shield that cuts, Impressive. It seems that his lightning is holding it… my mistake."

Ranpu was increasing the tornado, people in the stadium felt the wind gust and were shielding their eyes. Reido on the other hand couldn't believe it; his technique was being over powered. He kept placing more and more chakra to increase the lightning but it didn't work. When the jutsu got within 4 feet of Reido, it exploded and a gust of wind and dust blocked everyone's sight from what had happened. When the dust settled, Ranpu was breathing hard but standing. Reido was on one knee holding his left arm. The draw back of using that technique for over a minute was that it drained most of the chakra and it numbed the hand for god knows how long. The Hyuuga was still standing, breathing hard but still standing.

Aisu looked at the shinobi; a jutsu to put the people to sleep was being performed. Everyone was slowly falling asleep. Kakashi looked at Gai and Sakura. "It's starting."

On the other side, Konohamaru touched Yumi and Hayami to cancel the jutsu, "We better get going. He grabbed both of their hands and exited the stadium along with Hanabi, Moegi, and Udon. He had to get them to safety.

Senzairu, Anko, and Tenzou cancelled the jutsu; so did Yasumi and Akuru who was curious to what was going on. Senzairu turned to the Hokage observation deck to see nothing had happened yet. Instantly, his eyes met with Asuma who was on the other side of the stadium. Both nodded; understanding the situation. He then checked to see that Makeinu was okay as well, he was glad he taught them how to counter genjutsus like this.

Finally, an explosion occurred, causing everyone to turn and see the explosion. Seeing smoke in the sky, everyone turned their attention to the smoke until three more explosions went off that caused all of the shinobi to look around.

Aisu looked at Tsunade and smiled, she was watching him to see what he was going to do. As soon as a hole was blown in the stadium walls, shinobi came storming through. He grabbed her up and jumped to the roof top. Gaara went to go after Tsunade, but when he arrived on the roof the Tsuchikage was standing in front of him cutting off his path. Gaara narrowed his eyes, "You bastard." He said to Aisu, who held the kunai at Tsunade's neck.

Aisu spoke, "Sorry Gaara of the Desert, but if you make one false move... I'll slit her throat."

Senzairu was watching all of the Kages on the roof standing by their allies; all except his mother, who was in Aisu's arms, with a kunai at her throat. Acting on his feelings to save his mother, he wasted no time moving toward the tower. Two shinobi jumped at him to block his path but he just cut through them with a kunai and landed on the roof.

"Aisu."

"Senzairu, its good seeing you, but any move and your mother is dead." Aisu placed the kunai closer to her neck.

Tsunade didn't seem worried in the least, "Do you think you can claim my head so easy?"

"The objective wasn't to claim your head." Realizing what he was thinking, she yelled "Senzairu, watch out!"

It was too late; six shinobi surrounded him, placing him in a hexagon barrier. Gaara tried to take out one of the barrier constructors but his sand was disintegrated by the barrier they placed around themselves.

Aisu laughed, "Well now that you're out of the way, you can watch me kill your mother."

Tsunade's hand formed a chakra scalpel. Aisu glanced at her hand that was aimed for his arm, he hand no choice but release the kunai and jump back, or lose his arm, he did the former. Tsunade jumped to where Gaara, Shibuki, and the Kusakage were at. Before them, the Tuschikage, the Amekage, the Mizukage, and Aisu.

Kakashi, who was attacking shinobi after shinobi, lost sight of Kumoko. He cursed himself. He looked at Sakura who was having no problems fending off attacking shinobi, "Sakura, I need you to back Konohamaru and his squad up. I fear Kumoko went after them."

Sakura nodded. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei." Using her strength, she punched a hole through the wall; she was now in pursuit of Konohamaru and his group.

Shikamaru watched as the two Cloud shinobi landed next to Reido while Makeinu, Yougan and Futeki land next to Ranpu. He was about to stop them but a Jounin from Cloud appeared in front of them. Tsuki looked up, "Daki-san."

"Get Reido out of here, once you guys recovered enough, rejoin the war." They nodded and fled the stadium. Shikamaru looked at the kids run. Ranpu was about to follow but Shikamaru said, "Ranpu stop. I have a mission for you Futeki, Makeinu, Yasumi, Akuru and Yougan. Find Konohamaru and provide support to him and the others helping the civilians get to safety."

Ranpu spoke, "What the hell is going on?"

Shikamaru lazily replied, "War. This is the real thing, get going. Head that way, you know the protocol for this sort of thing, follow it."

The group left. Daki launched three kunai at them, but Shikamaru stopped them with three of his own. Daki turned back to look at the Nara. Shikamaru felt he could take this guy... that was until he was surrounded by seven to nine shinobi. "How troublesome."

Somewhere outside of the Stadium

Sasuke's sword was pointing toward the ground. Around him, about 40 shinobi from enemy villages laid at his feet defeated. He turned toward the stadium, "I guess I should head toward the stadium and lend support." He vanished in a whirl of leaves.

Outside of Konoha…

Naiya, Hinata, Shinji, and Kaito were heading towards Konoha. They were only five minutes or so away. Hinata was worried about her clan. Naiya wondered what was happening. Kaito stopped, this caused everyone to stop.

Naiya looked at Kaito, "What are we stopping for?"

"This is where I go my separate way. I have some unfinished business to take care of. You guys be careful okay and Naiya…"

"Yes?" she waited for him to speak.

"Don't do anything stupid." He took to the trees and headed out.

Hinata turned to Naiya, "I will meet up with you at the stadium in ten minutes I need to check on my clan."

Shinji spoke, "I have to find my cousin; I will start at the stadium."

Naiya was about tell Shinji she was going to go with him, but when shinobi surrounded them, she said, "You guys go ahead, I will deal with these guys."

Hinata and Shinji left her behind. She looked at them and smiled, "You guys are going to stand there all day or what, who's going to ask me to dance?" Naiya would take these Cloud shinobi down and then move on.

At the Stadium…

One of the ANBU squads arrived on the roof, but was cut off by the BOLT. The long purple haired leader looked at Senzairu. Yuugao wanted to save him and do her duty to protect the Hokage, but she wouldn't be able to. She would be engaging BOLT nin. Both sides waited for the other to attack.

The blue flare in the sky caught the Mizukage's attention. He smirked, "Seems like you were right, Aisu. Sorry; but this is your party, I just want Kaito." Showing why he was a Kage, he moved at a speed only those on Kage level could follow. Tsunade smiled, "It seems the level field is in our advantage."

That was until the bald head shinobi from Rock joined the fray. He looked at Gaara, "Gaara of the Desert, I wish to fight you."

Gaara was already angry. He needed something to vent his frustrations out on. Without second's notices, a stream of Sand shot at the Rock shinobi, transporting him and the sand miles away from the stadium. Gaara intended to take his fight as far away as possible; he didn't want to risk Shukaku getting free here. He turned to Tsunade, "You're going to be okay."

She nodded. Gaara vanished using Sand to cover his tracks. Now it was three on three, Until the Tsuchikage and Shibuki headed away from the stadium along with Amekage and Kusakage. Tsunade and Aisu were on the roof alone, well Senzairu was there but he was stuck in a barrier seal. She knew how bad he wanted to save her but he wouldn't be able to. It didn't matter; she wasn't the Hokage for nothing. With here hair blowing in the wind and a smile on her face, she looked at Aisu a few feet away, "I guess we wont have any interruptions. Good, I don't have to worry about holding back."

Aisu returned the grin, "Neither do I… Neither do I."

The two continued to stare each other down waiting for the other to attack. Tsunade forgot this feeling. She knew what it implied. Whenever she got this feeling in the bottom her stomach it was always because of one thing… and that one thing was war.