Late Sasuke

Naruto and Ash remained unscathed throughout the fight. Neji never managed to find the original Naruto, even with the Byakugan. It was nearly impossible to identify the original because the clones all possessed chakra signatures identical to Naruto's. Defeating the number one genin with such ease drew everyone's attention to Naruto and his summon. For a while, all they discussed was the fight they had witnessed, completely forgetting that the next match was long overdue—a fight between Gaara and Sasuke.

After the crowd calmed down, shouts of dissatisfaction echoed through the coliseum-like structure. Sasuke was still not present for his fight. On the raised platform where the two Kage resided, a ninja walked up to the Hokage and whispered in his ear. Hiruzen's expression showed disappointment. "It can't be helped. In accordance with the rules, Sasuke will be disqualified."

The Kazekage sighed, keeping his eyes on the stage. "Lord Hokage, wait a little longer before making a decision."

Hiruzen's eyes turned to look at the Kazekage. The Shinobi who informed the Hokage of Sasuke's absence spoke up, "Pardon? With all due respect, anyone who takes punctuality lightly isn't qualified to be a chunin, no matter how good they are. Unless there is a good enough reason to convince the lords and Shinobi leaders to wait... we should proceed without him."

"In that case, there's a more than satisfactory reason. The majority of the lords and Shinobi leaders, myself included, are here mainly because we wish to see this next match."

After further deliberation, it was decided that the match would be moved to a later time. The ninja who had recently been with the Kage let Genma know the Hokage's command.

"Ok, I got it." The ninja flickered away, and Genma took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen, the contestant for the next match has not arrived yet, so his match will be moved back. We will continue with the next match." A relieved sigh escaped Naruto's lungs. 'Phew, thank goodness.' Sakura, on the other hand, was still worried sick about Sasuke's absence.

"AND THE NEXT MATCH: KANKURO AND ABURAME SHINO, COME DOWN," Genma announced to the two genin. Kankuro looked troubled. He glanced at his sister and then said, "I FORFEIT." He surrendered seemingly without cause.

Before a commotion could arise, Temari opened her fan and swung it down, creating a gust of wind that she rode onto the field. Shikamaru was about to forfeit, but Naruto gave Shikamaru a little shove that sent him over the rails, plummeting to the stage below. "ALL RIGHT, SHIKAMARU, GO FOR IT."

The match played out and ended with Temari's win because Shikamaru surrendered after exhausting his options. Though Shikamaru's performance was exquisite, and he dealt with his opponent perfectly up until he no longer could.

Naruto jumped down into the stadium and yelled at Shikamaru, "You idiot, why'd you go and surrender?"

"What a drag. Keep it down, Naruto."

Outside the stadium, Lee and Might Guy made their way inside. Two ninja at the front door noticed them. "The first round is mostly finished. Only the Gaara vs. Sasuke match is left to be seen."

Lee limped closer to the talking ninja. "Then the Naruto and Neji fight."

"That fight was unbelievable. Neji couldn't even land a hit on that kid. It was over once Neji underestimated Naruto." Guy and Lee couldn't believe their ears.

'Naruto beat Neji?' A smile adorned Lee's face. "I see... You did it, Naruto, and you've grown strong. I'LL HAVE TO WORK EVEN HARDER FROM NOW ON, ugh." Lee stumbled as he overexerted himself.

---

Inside the coliseum

The crowd, growing fed up with Sasuke's absence, began yelling and demanding for the fight to begin. Just then, a gust of wind and leaves created a miniature tornado, and within it stood Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Your name?" Genma inquired.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

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Power stones pls