Match One

Hiruzen sat in a large chair on a balcony overlooking the chunnin exam arena. His aged eyes danced over the packed bleachers that were full of civilians from all over the nations, lords and ladies and even a the fire lord and his family were in attendance, everyone was excited to watch the upcoming matches between the chunnin hopefuls.

"Is it about time for the finals to begin hokage-dono?"

Hiruzen looked to his right to see the kazekage seated in the chair next to him. The man was wearing both his kage robes and hat and had a piece of white cloth covering his lower face.

Hiruzen looked away from the man, they had agreed to wait until after the finals in order to agree on a new treaty between their villages.

"I do believe it is time to start kazekage-dono." The third answered with a respectful nod as he got up from his seat and walked to the edge of the balcony. His eyes fell upon the eight children that were standing in a line down on the stadium floor with hayate standing in front of them. He raised his hand and everyone feel silent while staring up at him.

"Greetings everyone and welcome to this years chunnin exam finals!" His aged voice boomed out over the stadium and the stadium exploded into claps, cheers and excited hollers. After a moment he raised his hand once more and everyone fell silent again. He cleared his throat and continued." Before you all are the eight genin that will be participating in todays finals. Each and everyone of them have proven themselves to be the very best of their respective villages and they stand here before you all today in order to show us that they have what it takes to become chunnin!" The crowds exploded into cheers once more.

Hiruzen let a small smile come across his face as the crowds called out the genins names. He stared down at his four genin that had made it into the finals, sasuke uchiha, sakura haruno, shikamaru nara and tenten. Throughout this last month those four names had been passed around his village quite a lot.

People believed that sasuke would show the rest of the world that, despite the uchiha clan being almost completely wiped out, his clan should still be both respected and feared.

Sakura haruno, the civilian born genin that was now being trained by tsunade herself. The young girl didnt know it but she was already showing the people of konoha that it didnt matter if one was born from a famous ninja clan or from a no name civilian family, so long as you tried and trained hard enough then you could accomplish anything you set your mind too.

Shikamaru nara, the lazy heir to the nara clan. Despite his lack of doing anything really productive, he has time and time again proven that his greatest weapon was his brain. The boy was crazy smart and if the IQ test asuma had given him had been correct then his IQ was well over two hundred.

And last but not least, tenten. She too was born from a civilian family and her father owned one of the best blacksmith workshops in all of konoha. The young girl was already called the ' weapons mistress of konoha' due to her, possibly unhealthy, obsession with anything that had a pointy tip to it. Gai had assured him that she was more than ready to become a chunnin and so long as she had any type of weapon in her hands then she always had a fighting chance.

"Now, a word to the genin." Hiruzen spoke up as he stared down at all of the genin." Youre all here to prove to your villages that you are indeed ready to take on the responsibilities that come with the chunnin rank, and i know that even if you lose here today, your respective leaders will be proud of you and of how far you've come within these exams." He flashed them all his signature grandfatherly smile." Now without further ado, i wish you all good luck. Now let the chunnin exam finals begin!" He called out and the stadium erupted into excited cheers.

• stadium floor•

Hayate stared at the lined up genin in front of him and let out a tired yawn before he spoke." Alright kids you heard the hokage. Its time to bring your A-game-" he let out a few coughs." The rules are the same as the preliminaries." He explained calmly." Now each of you are representing your villages so go out there and make them proud alright?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good." Hayate nodded his head." Now everyone except sakura and murai, please make your way to the waiting area."

• up in the bleachers•

"Guys im so excited!" Naruto stated with an eye smile as he stood next to kakashi, asuma, kurenai and gai down by the railing. The five jonin were watching as the genin made their way off of the stadium floor, leaving only sakura, murai and hayate behind." Ive never watched a chunnin exam finals before!" He added.

Asuma raised an eyebrow as he flicked some ash off of his cigarette." How? Youve been a jonin for like ever. How have you not seen one of these before?" He questioned curiously.

"Ma, every time the finals would come around, naruto and i would be out on a mission." Kakashi spoke up as he put his orange book away in order to watch his female students battle.

"Yup!" Naruto agreed with a nod." Ive always just been out there kicking ass and taking names." He pumped his fist with a confident nod.

"You sound cocky naruto." Kurenai pointed out with a teasing smirk.

"Not cocky, confident." Naruto corrected the genjutsu specialist, getting a snort from kakashi.

"YOSH!" Gai shouted out." I too am excited for the up and coming battles!" He declared." Its too bad that lee didnt get a chance to show off his flames of youth today!" He cried out.

"Oh yeah, hows bushy brows doing by the way?" Naruto asked curiously and gai gave him his good guy pose.

"Wonderful! After you gave him that weird seal thing you do with your hand, he was all healed up!" Gai stated happily.

"Good good." Naruto nodded back. Naruto had not only healed neji after the preliminary matches, but he too healed lees spinal injury after his match with gaara. The red head had practically crushed lees lower spine and it had taken a lot of narutos chakra to heal the boys spine while tsunade was out of the village teaching sakura.

'Speaking of sakura.' Naruto thought as he looked down towards the arena floor where sakura and murai were standing across from one another with hayate standing between them.' She changed up her look.' He hummed silently to himself.

Sakura had cut her long pink hair. It was now chopped short, stopping about an inch or two above her shoulders. Her sleeveless red dress had been replaced with a red zip-up t-shirt that had long light pink sleeves that fully covered her hands. Her dark green spandex leggings had been swapped out for a pair of black biker shorts that were covered by a thigh high pink skirt.

Narutos ringed eyes focused in on sakuras emerald eyes and he smirked. Her look of fierce determination told him that she had indeed become far stronger within the past month.

• arena floor•

Sakura stood confidently across from her opponent. She clenched her fists and mentally prepared herself for her first match against murai.

She had grown stronger this last month under the tutelage of tsunade and she knew that she wasnt the weak genin that could only rely on her brain and genjutsu anymore. She was now, unofficially, a medic ninja of konoha and she now had a lot more to bring to the table! She was gonna prove to everyone here that tsunade didnt make a mistake when she chose to train her!

"Are you both ready?" Hayate asked both girls, idly looking between the two as they glared at one another.

"Yes!" Sakura answered with a nod.

"I am ready as well." Murai added.

Hayate gave them both a firm nod before he raised his hand." The first match of the chunnin exam finals begins... NOW!" He swiped his hand down before jumped backwards in order to stay out of the girls way.

Murai didnt waste a second as she dashed towards sakura." I wont drag this out like i did with that blond bimbo in the preliminaries!" She commented as she closed in on the pinkette.

Sakura grinned as she raised her right sleeve covered fist before slamming it into the ground just as murai was about two feet from reaching her.

The effect was immediate!

The hard dirt covered ground cratered before it simply exploded under sakuras chakra infused fist.

Murais eyes widened in both shock and slight panic as the ground under her shook before vaulting upwards towards the sky, along with a few other large pieces of earth.

Sakura jumped backwards before she threw both of her arms up, her sleeves somehow riding up on her wrists, showing off the senbon launchers strapped to both of sakuras wrists." I cant allow you to win this match!" The pinkette shouted out as she began to fire off senbon at her target.

Murai began to quickly dodge the senbon as she jumped her way back down to solid ground. Once her feet touched the ground she flashed through handsigns and slammed her palms into the cracked earth.

"Earth style: rock wall!" The iwa genin shouted out. Not even a second later a large wall of rock rose up from the ground and blocked her from the remaining senbon that sakura had sent towards her.

Murai heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching her and she jumped backwards just as her rock wall was shattered by sakuras rather small fist.

'How is she so strong?!?' Murai asked herself as she glared at sakura who was currently brushing her dirt covered fist against her light pink skirt.' Her physical strength is unnatural, she has to be using chakra to reinforce her strikes, but to have such strength, how has she not run out of chakra yet?' murais brain flashed through question after question as she started chucking both shuriken and kunai at the pinkette in an attempt to put space between them.

But her attempt was useless as sakura weaved in between the flying blades. Murai growled before she charged forward. 

• with hiruzen•

Hiruzen watched in silent fascination as the two genin fought.' It seems tsunade wasnt messing around during sakuras training.' He knew that sakura was currently only using a fraction of the strength granted via tsunades strength technique but it was still impressive to see how far the girl had come in only one months time and he had a hunch that sakura still had more to show him.

"My, i can certainly tell shes tsunades apprentice." Rasa stated as he leaned forward in he seat, watching the match with narrowed, yet fascinated, eyes.

Hiruzen nodded his head." Yeah, and sakura isnt the only gifted shinobi from her team. Her teammate sasuke uchiha has been training under kakashi hatake and im eager to see how far hes come." He admityed calmly.

Rasa looked over at hiruzen curiously." What about their third teammate? I dont recall hearing about them from my children." He questioned curiously.

"Ah, thatd be one Naruto uzumaki." Hiruzen began." Team seven was a rather odd team this year. The academy was short one student so i placed naruto on their team. The boys been one of my top jonin for awhile now."

"I dont think ive ever heard of a team with two jonins on it." Rasa stated with a hum.

"Yes, and narutos been jirayas apprenticed these last few years." Hiruzen stated with a small proud smirk." Despite only being thirteen the boys a prodigy. I have no doubt that if i was to fight him id only win due to my many more years worth of experience." The third admitted.' And thats not with him using the kyubis chakra. No doubt naruto could beat me when teamed up with kurama.' He added in his head.

Rasa looked back down towards the two genin that were currently locked in a fierce taijutsu match." It almost sounds as if this team seven is the next sannin.."

"No..." hiruzen shook his head." I believe that they'll become far stronger then the sannin.."

•arena floor•

Sakura sent a fist rocketing towards murais head but the iwa genin ducked under the blow before slamming her own fist into sakuras gut.

Sakura gritted her teeth as the punch sent her sliding back a few feet. Both girls took a few seconds to calm their rapid breathing and sakura took that chance to further check her opponent out.

Murai was breathing heavily with a few bruises forming on different parts of her face and body. The girl had scuff marks and tares along her clothing, along with a bit of blood dripping down from her bottom lip.

Sakura was in way better condition than murai. Her speed and evasive training with tsunade was really paying off! She could easily see murais attacks and had barely any trouble with either dodging or redirecting them, its why she was in almost perfect health. Despite a few bruises on her body and her slowly draining chakra reserves that is.

"This match is taking to long." Sakura muttered out before she let her arms rest at her sides. She silently began to channel chakra into her finger tips and said finger tips began to glow a light green color.

"Chakra scalpels?" Murai asked with a bewildered look on her face.

"Yep!" Sakura nodded with a grin on her face before she brought her hands up and readied herself." Ill do my best to not hit anything vital."

'Thats not comforting at all..' murai gulped silently before she to readied herself.' I cant let her touch me..' she told herself.

Sakura dashed forward and began to lash out at murai while aiming for the girls joints in an attempt to put her down without fatally wounding her. She had no intentions of killing the girl, she only wanted to knock her out of the finals.

Murai began to quickly redirect the pinketts strikes in a vain attempt to not allow the girl to touch her but she felt her hopes fly out the window when both of her hands suddenly fell limp.

"Shit-Ahh!" Murai cried out as sakura jabbed her in the elbows before the girl dropped to her knees, spun around behind her and sliced her chakra scalpels against the back of her shins. Murai dropped to her knees as both of her Ankle tendons were effortlessly cut.

Murai then felt sakura grab the left side of her head and yank it to the side before the pinketts chakra infused fingers stopped centimeters away from the most important vein in her neck.

Sakura stood behind murai with her left hand grabbing the side of the girls head and holding it to the side while her right hand was rested rather closely to the girls neck, the chakra scalpel covering her hand was letting off a soft hum.

"Surrender." Sakura ordered with narrowed eyes.

Murai gritted her teeth as she tried to move anything below her elbows. She let out a heavy sigh as she realized that she had no chance of winning while in the state she was currently in. So with a heavy heart she slumped her shoulders a bit.

" i surrender.."

Sakura let the girls head go and deactivated her only remaining chakra scalpel before letting out a relieved sigh just as hayate appeared next to them.

"Winner of the first round, sakura haruno!" The swordsman called out and the crowd exploded into cheers.

• with naruto•

Naruto was clapping with an eye smile while kakashi stared proudly down at sakura. It was good to know that sakura had obviously flourished under tsunades guidance and he had no doubt that once the exams were over, even if sakura didnt win the entire exam, shed most likely get her medical ninja certification. Her being tsunades apprentice practically guarantied it, yet he also had hope that even if she didnt win the exam shed hopefully still end up with a chunnin vest.

'Im proud of you sakura.' The white haired jonin thought to himself as he watched sakura wave at the cheering crowds around her.' Ive no doubt that youll one day surpass even tsunade-sama herself, just keep working hard and youll be there in no time..'

"Shes gotten stronger." Naruto commented as he finally stopped clapping." It makes me wanna spar with her." He added.

"Haha!" Asuma laughed as he looked down at naruto, his eyes full of humor." Do you think a twig like you could take a super chakra enhanced punch without breaking?"

Naruto gave the smoking jonin the middle finger." I dont know asuma-baka, you think you and kurenai could keep it down when you think youre alone in the jonin lou- ACK!" Naruto was cut off when a brightly blushing kurenai appeared behind him, wrapped her arm around his neck and began to choke him out.

"STOP TALKING NARUTO! YOU DAMN BRAT!" Kurenai cried out in embarrassment as she choked him harder.

Naruto, whos ringed eyes were bugged out, was flailing his arms around wildly." Cant...breath..h-help..d-dying!"

Kakashi stared blankly at a nervous looking asuma." Really asuma?.." he questioned as he sweatdropped." The jonin lounge? Come on man.."

Gai stood behind kakashi, his arms crossed over his chest and a rather disappointed look on his face." Most un-youthfull.."

Both men were promptly taken out by an unconscious flying naruto, courtesy of a red faced kurenai.