~*****~

The Hokage began to speak, "Welcome all, and our deepest thanks for coming here to the Village Hidden in the Leaves for this years Chunin Selection. We have come to the final competition between the twelve candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed. Now everyone, enjoy!" The Hokage finished, and the crowd burst in cheers.

"Oh, there's one more thing before we get started." Genma started, pulling out a paper from his vest. He held it out, and we all gazed at the match line up. "Look it over." Genma snapped. "There's been a slight change in the match ups. But now it's set, so everyone take one last look at who you'll be facing."

The list went as follows;

1. Naruto Uzumaki Vs. Neji Hyuga
2. Gaara Vs. Sasuke Uchiha
3. Kankuro Vs. Shino Aburame

4. Suzumoto Yukimura Vs. (Ren Yukimura Vs. Shikamaru Nara)
5. Reina Yukimura Vs. Temari

I gazed over at the two girls that were supposedly from my clan. They both glared at me, and I couldn't help but notice that we looked like. Aside from the lighter hair color I had, it was uncanny how our traits were almost identical. 'So, whoever wins the match between Shikamaru and I will fight an extra match with Suzumoto, huh?' I stretched my neck muscles just a little bit before smiling. 'This should be fun.'

"Uh, question!" Naruto asks aloud, raising his hand. "Question."

"What is it?" Genma mumbles, stuffing the paper back into his vest.

"I was just wondering what will happen to Sasuke?" Naruto admits, looking behind him. "I mean, if he doesn't show up?"

"If a candidate is not here in the arena at the time his name is called, he forfeits the match." Genma explains, flicking his toothpick up with a snap of his teeth.

'Sasuke'll be pissed if he misses his match....' I look back at the open doors Naruto burst through. 'And then, it'll most likely be me and Naruto dealing with his moody butt until he calms down.' I placed my hand on Naruto's shoulder. He looked over with a hum. "He'll make it. You know Sasuke as well as I do. He wouldn't miss this." I reassure my teammate. Naruto smiles a little before nodding.

"Alright, listen up!" Genma snapped. "The terrain's different, but the rules are the same as before. That is; there are no rules. The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat or dies." He explained. "That bein' said, if I determine that a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time. And no arguments permitted. Understood?" We all remained silent, staring at Genma in determination. "These are the opponents for the first match. Naruto Uzumaki, and Neji Hyuga. Those two stay. The rest of you can go to the waiting area." Everyone turned to leave and I gave Naruto's shoulder one last pat before following after Shikamaru.

~*****~

I leaned against the railing by Shikamaru and stared down at the two genin. "I feel kind of bad. Lee's always telling me how Neji is very strong." I say to Shikamaru. He just nodded and leaned against the railing as well.

"It feels like an uneven match up, if you ask me." He states gently. Naruto holds out his fist, and I feel a bit proud. 'After what they told me about Hinata and Neji's fight, I can understand why Naruto's so determined to win this match.'

"I believe in Naruto." I hum, smiling at my friend. "I have no doubt in my mind that he'll beat this sour puss." Shikamaru just rolls his eyes and we watch the match intently.

The match seemed like it would've ended with the first round of Neji's Gentle Fist, but Naruto came back from the brink, and I was sure that he used the tailed beast within him to reactivate the chakra flow. After a particularly large explosion, Naruto lay in a crater, seemingly defeated. Just as Genma is about to call the match, Naruto sprung up from underneath the ground, using the clone as a cover for the hole he'd dug. He hit Neji straight in the jaw, sending him backwards and onto the ground.

"My... body..." Neji trailed, struggling to even look at Naruto. He just lay there, unable to move.

"Amazing!" I said softly, grinning down at Naruto. Shikamaru huffed in appreciation for the runt.

Naruto walked towards Neji. "You made a Shadow Clone in that situation?" He asked weakly. "Your favorite ninjutsu, eh? I was careless."

"I've failed three times in the academy finals." Naruto retorted, panting lightly. "Unluckily, the ninjutsu was given in the finals  was always the ninjutsu I hated the most. The Replication Technique was the move I sucked at. Stop complaining about fate and saying how it can't be changed. You're different from me. You aren't a dropout."

Genma raised his hand to Naruto. "Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!"

The crowd roared in cheers. I let out a shrill cry of utter happiness and leapt onto my lazy friend, hugging him tightly. "He did it! He did it!" I repeated enthusiastically.

"H-Hey!" Shikamaru yelped in surprise as he nearly toppled over, trying to keep us upright. Naruto started waving to the crowd, and blowing kisses before coming up the stairs and into the waiting area. I immediately detached from Shikamaru and leapt onto Naruto, hugging the life outta him.

"You're amazing, Naruto! Brilliant!" I praised, ruffling his unruly hair. He just grinned with a flush on his cheeks.

"Gee, thanks Ren!" He giggled, rubbing the back of his head.

Neji was carried away on a stretcher as we awaited for the next match. Gaara Vs. Sasuke. Unfortunately, Sasuke had yet to show up. "What's that guy doing?" Shikamaru asked impatiently. "Is he planning to not come?"

"A wise man keeps away from danger." Shino stated. "He made a good decision."

"There's no way Sasuke would miss this." I argue, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't care what you say about him, Sasuke's not the one to back down from a fight."

"With the way you're talking, I'd assume you liked the guy." Shikamaru said plainly.

I cocked my head a bit. "Course I like him. He's my friend." I grinned. Naruto and Shikamaru both fell to the ground.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Announced Genma. "An examinee for the next match has not arrived just yet. Therefore, this match will be delayed and we will begin the next match fist."

The crowd responded in disappointment. Naruto sighed in relief. "That was close." I hummed in agreement.

"Does that mean my match is coming up faster?" Shikamaru groaned.

"Next match up, Kankuro and Shino Aburame." Genma stated.

"Examiner!" Kankuro shouted. We all looked over at him. "I'm giving up! Go to the next match!"

"Huh?" I say loudly. "What was it Shino said? A wise man would avoid danger?" I jeered, earning a glare from the painted boy.

"Sh-Shut up!" He screeched.

Genma sighed in annoyance. "Kankuro has given up, therefore Shino Aburame wins by default!" I giggled at the painted boy before leaping down from the waiting area and went to Genma, bouncing around in excitement. "Then the next match, is Shikamaru Nara and Ren Yukimura. Winner will fight Suzumoto Yukimura." Genma announced.

I waited patiently as Shikamaru leaned over the railing in despair. "Go get her, Shikamaru!" I hear Naruto shout excitedly, shoving the poor genin over the railing. He lands on his back and the crowd starts to boo and throw junk at him. After a few moments of thought, Shikamaru gets up and comes to face me.

"Man, I should've just taken the punishment of giving up." He groaned.

"Heh, then I'd have no choice but to completely cut you out of my life! And you mean way to much to me to do that!" I say with a soft smile. His cheeks turn bright red as I got into my fighting stance.

"This is such a drag..."

~*****~

The match started. I took the first blow, swinging my leg out for a high kick. Shikamaru flips out of the way, and into the shadows. "Playing like that, huh?" I jeer, jumping out of the way of his approaching shadow possession jutsu. "Water Style: Great Cannon Ball Jutsu!" My cheeks swell up, and when I open my lips, a large torrent of water bursts out, destroying the trees behind Shikamaru. The shadow's area is lessened by a quarter. Shikamaru leapt backwards, back into the shaded area and took cover as I kept destroying the trees. Water started to cover the ground below us, and even though the shadow's wouldn't be affected by it, I knew the jutsu I had been developing would stop the jutsu from reaching anything in this battle. I clasped my hands together and sighed out calmly, closing my eyes as I focused my chakra. Forming the tiger sign and reopened my eyes. Shikamaru's shadow was starting to stretch across the arena. "Ameogan!" The water on the ground burst upwards and created a bubble above the arena. The water acted as a mirror and shone down on the entire arena, casting everything with light. The shadow Shikamaru had been using suddenly stopped stretching and disappeared.

"What?" Shikamaru gasped, making himself known. "Impressive. You used the water from your attack to create a dome so my shadows wouldn't be able to stretch out as much." Shikamaru recited, coming out from behind the tree.

"I had to come up with a plan to go against your shadow possession jutsu. This seemed like the logical choice." Shikamaru smirked a bit and knelt down again.

"Well, lets see who'll give up first, then." He stated, bringing his hands up to his lips.

I take the initiative and discard the weights around my ankles and run at him, full speed. The shadow darts towards me, and I leap back, dodging the incoming shadow. And just as I predicted, the amounted time he can use it is severely lessened. He let out a pant and focused again, sending another shadow towards me. I dig my heel into the ground and leap away. I jump towards the wall of the bubble and start running along it, using my chakra to stay attached. I pull out three kunai and throw them at Shikamaru. He deflects them with his own and changes positions, rushing towards the lining of the bubble. He leaps away from the wall and gets a few meters away, and brings his hands up again, preparing for another shadow possession as I get ready for the Leaf Hurrican.

"Leaf Hurricane!" I shout, going in for the kill. Shikamaru takes the full brunt of the attack, straining heavily as he skids to the side for a moment. He bites his lip as his arm shakes from my kick. But, I can't move. "What the-"

"Shadow Possession complete." He groans out with a smirk, making me gaze downwards. The kunai I had thrown were deflected and stuck in an almost perfect pattern where there shadows connected. He used that to his advantage in the brightly lit arena. My leg slinks down to the ground with ease. I'm awe struck. He raises his hand, and I'm closing my eyes to brace for the worst. "I give up!" My eyes pop open, and I'm staring at the smirking lazy ninja.

"Wh-What?!" I gasp.

Genma raises his hand. "Winner of this match, Ren Yukimura." The crowd erupts in different reactions. Some of them are booing Shikamaru, and others are cheering for me.

"Look, I used up most of my chakra chasing you around with that shadow. And I don't exactly want to fight another Yukimura." He explained as my cheeks puffed up in anger. "Besides, I need my arm looked at. It feels like I went toe to toe with Guy Sensei." His arm is red, and starting to form a very large bruise. I rub the back of my head sheepishly.

"Sorry." I mutter bashfully.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'll be waiting over here for you when your match is over." He says, pointing at the door way. I nod with a hum and watch him leave.

Genma speaks up again. "The next match with be between Ren Yukimura and Suzumoto Yukimura." I gazed at the blonde girl across from me. She looked pissed, to say the least. "If you're ready." He glanced between the two of us, before thrusting his hand down. "Begin!"

She was quick, I'll give her that. She ran towards me and threw the first punch. I grasped it and reached out, tightening my hand over her kimono and threw her over head. She got back up and looked absolutely deadly. Her eyes were wide as she threw her arms around, and started screaming. "Just because you beat Takashi doesn't mean you get to act all high and mighty, got it!" She screamed, and I just about fell on my face.

'She's worse then Ino and Sakura combined when it comes to Sasuke...' I thought glumly. "Look, I'm not acting anything like that. Takashi is a good fighter. And I hope he becomes the head of the clan."

"You have to no right to say who gets to be head of the clan! You're the demon child!" She screeches, weaving the hand signs for the Liquid Bullet Jutsu. Her cheeks swelled up and she spat projectiles towards me. "All he talks about now is how great of a fighter you are and that he wants a rematch as soon as possible! But the entire month he tried to talk to you, you were being stupid! Walking around with that weirdo dressed in spandex the entire month! Who gave you the right to ignore him!"

"Ehhhhhh, it's not like I had a choice... Jeez, why're you getting so worked up over it?" I ask plainly, stopping the jutsu as I lifted my hand, causing the water to form into a giant ball. Water starts to bubble up from the ground, leaving a small circle around me. I weave two signs. "Water Style: Syrup Trap." Suzumoto makes a move to step across the sticky substance, but slips on the syrupy mess I made, and sticks fast, her anger inhibiting her chakra control. She struggles to remove the mess from her body, and starts fussing over her hair. I channel my chakra into my feet and stand above her, gazing down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-You!" She snarls, trying harder to get up, but it just makes it worse.

Genma steps in. "Can you continue?" He asks the girl softly, kneeling down to her. She struggles once again, and then lets out a huff and plops onto the ground. I cock my head at her change in attitude. "Suzumoto Yukimura is unable to continue. Ren Yukimura advances." The crowd screams in confusion, and the syrup trap dissolves.

"Hey-"

"Don't try to be friendly with me. You're trash. That's all you'll ever be to the Yukimura, so get used to it!" She snapped, striding off with a stomp. I rub the back of my head nervously, sighing out.

"The next match will be between Temari and-"

Temari speaks out. "I resign too, continue to the next match!" She shouts, and I start to snicker.

"Okay... Uhm, Temari forfeits. Reina Yukimura wins by default." Genma announces as I make my way over to Shikamaru, smiling lightly when Naruto appears as well. We stood in the doorway for about ten minutes as the crowds booing gets louder and louder. "About the final match..." Genma suddenly announced. "Time us up, so-" He was cut off when leaves started swirling around like a tornado. Two figures stood in the middle of the arena. I felt my heart leap at the sight.

"I'm sorry we're late." Kakashi said casually.

"Name?" Genma smirked at the boy besides Kakashi.

"Sasuke Uchiha." He said coolly. My cheeks felt hot as I stared at him. Naruto and I shared a look of excitement before going over to him.

"You were awfully late," Naruto jeered. "I thought you weren't going to come because you were afraid to fight me!" I snorted at Naruto, earning a sideways huff.

"You won the first round?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"Of course!"

"Don't get so excited over it, idiot." Sasuke retorted. He turned to me, smirking at my flushed complexion. "I'm guessing you won your match?"

"That and my extra match!" I replied with a smile.

He snorted a bit and pulled me into a tight hug. I inhaled a bit as he buried his hand into my hair. "Congrats."

"Well, um..." Kakashi trailed off, bringing me back to the present. He looked at Genma sheepishly. "It's hard to ask this after we've entered the arena with a flashy performance... But did Sasuke get.... Disqualified?"

Naruto, Shikamaru, and I looked up at the Chunin, who simply smirked. "He must've caught your habit of being late." He remarked.

"So, is he?"

"He's fine. Sasuke's match was put on hold and he arrived just in time, so he didn't get disqualified."

Kakashi laughed nervously with a sweat drop. "I'm glad to hear that."

"You better not lose to that guy!" Naruto said adamantly.

"I know." Sasuke responded.

"Sasuke! I want to fight you as well!"

"I know."

I smiled at their little moment before grasping his hand. "Be careful, got it? He's not like anyone we've ever faced." I stated seriously.

"Gaara, come down!" Genma shouted.

"Naruto, Ren. Let's go up." Shikamaru said, waiting for me to follow.

"Okay!" Naruto called.

"You don't need to worry about me, Ren." Sasuke smirked. I flinched and puffed up my cheeks before following after Shikamaru and Naruto.

"Let me at least use the stairs when I go up." Shikamaru said monotonously.

"What? You're still mad that I pushed you down?"

"In life, nothing good comes out of hurrying." Shikamaru said, annoyed.

"Actually, in my book, the guy is supposed to hurry-" I stopped short as I turned around on the stair well, staring down the dark hallway adjacent to it.

"What is it?" Shikamaru asked, noticing that Naruto had joined in my stare.

Gaara stood across two grass ninja in the corridor where no one else was around. We couldn't hear them speaking. Then, out of no where, the light bulbs exploded, and I felt a wave of fear slice over me as they started screaming. We stood there, frozen as Gaara made his way around the stair well and passed us on the stairs, not bothering to look back. Once he disappeared, we all sat down instantly.

"If those two weren't here..." Shikamaru trailed off. "He would've probably killed us. I've never seen someone kill people like that without any hesitation. Sasuke may have trouble with him." Shikamaru gazed down at me as I shook, grasping tightly onto his shirt. After all this time, after making my vow to never be scared again, that guy turned me into a puddle of frazzled nerves and a weak constitution. And I don't think a blade in my hand will help....

I closed my eyes. "Sasuke...." I muttered, biting my lip. "I don't think... this match will end well... I've got a funny feeling about this...."