I thank December Silentvale for helping me.

Flying away from the arena, bird disappeared from sight. As for the two boys there, both were covered in dirt and bruises. Panting and gasping for breath. The blond managing to remain standing while the Hyuga couldn't move a muscle as he laid sprawled flat on his back in the dirt. The Hyuga looking pretty upset which brought endless amusement from the ninja of Kirigakure. In the stands, Tenten couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

Elsewhere, the only daughter of the Haruno's cried out in cheer for her teammate. "You did it!" She yelled, the crowd clapping in applause for the amazing fight. The underdog winning when the odds were against him. Many were certainly impressed, among them being the Chunin that usually guarded the gate of Konoha.

'Wow, that Naruto kid really know how to fight.' Kotetsu thought before raising his own hands and joined his partner in clapping in applause.

'He did amazing. Though, who knows if he'll be promoted to Chunin or not. I just hope he has enough stamina for his next fight. He'll need all the strength he can get for either opponent. Gaara and the Uchiha are both tough competitors. There's no telling who is going to win that match. If I had to bet on it, my money is on Gaara.' Ren thought as she looked over the rest of the match-ups.

'After Gaara's match, it'll be Shino Aburame and Kankuro, Shikamaru Nara and Temari, and then Shachi's and Sakuya's match. Then it would have been mine and Dosu's match. With him being dead, he'll be a no show. After Naturo and the winner of match two fight, I'll move on to fight the victor.' Ren summarized.

Down below with his body still buzzing from the adrenaline as he caught his breath, it took Naruto a moment to hear the crowd's cheers over the sound of the blood rushing through his ears. "Huh?"

The applause and cheering so different from the jeers and shouts of anger and disgust he had been burdened with growing up.

"Huh?" Naruto dumbly repeated, unable to believe it was really happening, people were finally acknowledging him. They were finally showing his respect for his skills. Unused to the positive attention being given to him and little disbelieving it was really happening, Naruto could only stand there slightly embarrassed as the cheers kept coming and the applause refused to quiet down.

As it finally sunk in that this wasn't a dream, Naruto's smile grew wider. "Yeah!" Naruto shouted as he threw a peace sign up, laughter bubbling up in from his throat. "Yeah!" He repeated as he ran around wildly, basking in the glow of victory.

'Incredible. Even after that fight, he has the energy to run around. That kid has amazing stamina.' The proctor thought, watching the blond go wild.

"Yeah! Yeah, yeah!" Naruto shouted, still running.

'Naruto just keeps getting stronger.' Sakura thought despondently.

"Wow, he did it. He won the fight." A girl behind Sakura said, bringing the pinkette out of her thoughts.

"Mhm. He's on the track to success. And he's kind of cute, too." The other girl's companion remarked.

Hearing these words, only brought Sakura emotions down further as she sighed. 'I hate to admit it, Naruto, but I envy you. But watching your battle has made me realize that I have to work really hard, too, or I'll never get anywhere.' Sighing once again, Sakura thoughts wandered back to a certain blue haired kunoichi.

The time before the first exam and more importantly the time during the preliminaries. Ren had been right, She never bothered spending time with Naruto or really training. She had looked down on the blond, thinking he was beneath her and would just mess things up like in class. Now here he was, having grown so much stronger and actually defeating Neji while she was sitting in the stands. Both Naruto and Sasuke were far stronger than her.

'Ren, you were right. I'm nothing but a deadweight. A useless and sheltered little girl. I need to get serious about my training or I'll be left behind.' Sakura thought, growing depressed with her negative thoughts.

"Ugh." Shikamaru groaned. "Naruto defeated Neji? Oh man, I can't believe it. And I thought Naruto was the same as me, one of the dorky, uncool guys." He complained.

"Dorky and uncool?" Shino asked.

"Now everyone's saying that he's going to make something big of himself. Just great. I doubt I could beat him now. This is really bad. I've never felt so depressed. What a drag." Shikamaru rambled on, complaining. Thinking of how others would push him to not be so lazy.

"He was able to draw upon the Fox's chakra all by himself." Kurenai observed, impressed by the blonds actions.

"Yeah. Even the people from the Hidden Leaf Village seem totally surprised." Asuma pointed out.

'Well, well.' Ao thought from his place in the stands. 'To think that the Uzumaki actually won. Defeating a Hyuga is no easy feat. He didn't even know about the blind spot.' He praised.

'However, what was that chakra?' Ao thought with a frown. 'The Uzumaki shouldn't have had any chakra left, yet he had that much raw power. Hm. I'll have to report it to the Mizukage when we return.'

In the top stands of the Kages, both were impressed.

'Remarkable. When did he learn to control the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox to such a degree?' The Hokage thought, never having guessed Naruto could gain such control.

As for the Kazekage, while he did seem surprised, he also seemed bothered by the new development.

Down below, Naruto was still enjoying his victory, jumping around and even going so far as to do a happy dance and throw kisses at the crowd. "Yeah! Yeah!" He shouted.

As for Neji, he was being attended to by two medic-nin. The men placing him on a stretcher while the proctor spoke to him.

"Even a caged bird was smart enough, and will be able to figure out how to open the door to its cage with its beak." The man said with a smile. "The dream of flying and breaking free is too great to resist."

Neji said nothing, his eyes drifting away from the proctor to the bird flying overhead.

"But this time, you lost." The proctor continued as the Medic carried him away.

Eventually, the crowd quieted down and Naruto joined the rest of the competitors in their box. Watching him, Ren saw Naruto greeted by Shikamaru as he congratulated him.

"Welcome back, shrimp!" Shachi shouted as he slapped Naruto on the back, causing the blond to nearly fall over. "Good job kicking Neji's butt. It was so good, I almost forgive you for calling Ren a monster." He declared as he wrapped his arm around Naruto's neck, giving it a slight squeeze before letting him go. "But not quite."

Rubbing his throat, Naruto glanced over at Ren. Guilt eating away at him once again.

"Leave him alone, Shachi." Ren instructed him. "He's already apologized for what he said and I'm no longer upset about it."

"Are you sure, Ren?" Sakuya asked.

Receiving a nod from their teammate, Shachi and Sakuya backed off.

Sighing in relief, Naruto sent Ren a smile.

"Glad that's all sorted out then. Now we can sit back, relax, and wait for the next match." Sakuya remarked.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Wait they did.

Above the competitors box, the crowd was chattering among themselves in excitement and anticipation.

"Heh heh heh." The Kazekage chuckled. "This crowd is certainly energized."

"That's because it was a terrific fight." The Hokage replied.

"Of course. It's that too. But—" The Kazekage trailed off.

"Hm?" The Hokage asked.

"—it's also anticipation. It's likely that the Shinobi leaders, Feudal Lords, and other spectators are looking forward to this next match more than anything." The Kazekage explained.

Hearing this, the Hokage considered his fellow kage's words. The man may have had a point.

"By the way, the Uchiha wasn't at the opening ceremony. He has arrived already, hasn't he?" The Kazekage asked.

"Uh— well—" The Hokage stumbled with his words. Unsure what to say.

Seeing this, the Hokage's guard leaned down and whispered what the situation was. "There's been no news of Sasuke yet. And there's the issue over Orochimaru. Please, before everyone starts to make trouble, disqualify Sasuke."

Beside them, the Kazekage merely watched with interest.

"Hey, what's going on here? Hurry up and start the next match." A man in the crowd demanded, the other spectators following his lead as the crowd turned rowdy.

"Come on, let's go!" Another shouted.

"Some time before night falls." His companion shouted.

"Gah." The proctor gritted between his teeth and sebon. The situation didn't look good.

"I wonder what's going on. The next match— Sasuke should be here by now." Ino muttered, worried for her crush.

'Sasuke.' Sakura fretted.

"That Sasuke, What in the word does he think he's doing? Forfeiting?" Shikamaru asked, irritated.

"A wise man never courts danger, leading to a wise decision." Shino replied.

"Aburame has a point." Shachi pointed out. "If I was him, I wouldn't want to face Gaara either."

"Be it as it may, the Uchiha doesn't seem like the type to not at the very least show up. He's the last of his clan. It would make them look weak and cowardly if he didn't even attempt to fight. Besides, win or lose, everyone has a chance to become Chunin if we perform well enough. There's always next time, but that is still a waste of an opportunity." Sakuya added her thoughts.

Leaning on the rail, Naruto turned his head and looked at the Sand siblings. More specifically, Gaara.

"Huh, What are you talking about? He's definitely gonna be here, believe it." Naruto declared confidently with a smile before leaning back down on the rail with a frown. His eyes locked onto Gaara.

Feeling eyes watching him, Gaara returned Naruto's stare. Seeing this, Ren couldn't help but watch Gaara with sadness. Her thoughts on what he had said the last time they spoke sending knives through her heart. Though a part of her still had hope that things between them could get better. He didn't have to carry her back to the hotel.

Noticing the stare off between Naruto and Gaara, Shikamaru couldn't help but look back and forth between them. Wondering what was going on between them.

Breaking eye contact, Naruto looked away. Despite the confidence in his words, Naruto couldn't help but worry. 'But seriously, what is he doing? If he doesn't get here soon, he's going to be disqualified.'

"This doesn't look good." Sakuya muttered as she watched the crowd.

"At this rate, we'll have a riot on our hands." Shachi grumbled. "They better do something soon."

Sighing, the Hokage hated what he was about to do, but gave his answer. "I have no choice. Sasuke is disqualified."

"Right." His guard agreed.

"Sasuke Uchiha is disqualified?" The Kazekage asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid that this has to be done." The Hokage answered.

"Ugh, what are we gonna do now? If he doesn't show up, our strategy is ruined." Kankuro whispered to his sister.

"This is really bad." Temari whispered back, agreeing with him.

As for Gaara, he didn't seem to be bothered by the fact his opponent had not arrived in time to fight him. Ignoring his siblings, he seemed to be staring off into space.

Glancing over at the red-head, Ren was slightly confused. She figured he would have been a little more upset about it, or at the very least angry.

Grunting from his place in the stands, Baki was concerned to say the least. "Could he have—" Gaara had left early that morning... and the ominous parting words didn't help quell Baki's fears. If he killed Sasuke, it would throw off the entire plan.

"Lord Hokage, I ask you to consider waiting a little longer before disqualifying Sasuke Uchiha." The Kazekage spoke, hoping the other Kage would listen.

"I understand your point. But no matter how excellent a Shinobi he may be, he's late, and we can't make special allowances. If there's no clear reason to make all the Shinobi leaders and Feudal Lords wait, then there's no reason not to disqualify him immediately." The Konoha guard pointed out.

"I see. Then it's clear that I do have a clear reason." The Kazekage explained, his hand twitching while he spoke.

"Huh?" The Hokage asked.

"Including myself, most of the Shinobi leaders and Feudal Lords came here simply because they want to see the next match." The Kazekage explained.

Hearing this, the Hokage was silent as he took in this information, beginning to see what his fellow Kage was getting at.

"Yes, But still—" The guard protested.

"He's the only remaining member of the Uchiha Clan. And I know that the Land of Wind especially is hoping for a bout between Sasuke and our Gaara." The Kazekage further explained.

"Lord Hokage." The guard spoke, waiting for his leader's answer.

'There's still no guarantee that Sasuke will come, but—' The Hokage thought, before giving his answer. "Very well, then. We will make an exception. We shall postpone this match and wait."

"Hm." The Kazekage nodded, pleased that the fight he had come to see would still happen.

"But Lord Hokage, I must protest." The guard stated.

"Inform the proctor right away." The Hokage ordered.

Slightly startled by this, the guard gave up the fight. "Yes, sir." He answered, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"However, it's most unusual for you to insist so strongly, Lord Kazekage." The Hokage pointed out.

"To display the full strength of our village's ninja, no opponent but an Uchiha will do. This is a big chance for Sasuke, yes, but a big opportunity for us as well." The Kazekage explained.

Meanwhile, the crowd was still jeering as the guard explained the situation to the proctor.

"I understand." He replied with a nod. The guard disappearing the same way he came before the proctor addressed the crowd. "Listen everyone. One of the competitors from the next battle has not arrived yet, so we're going to postpone this match briefly and simply jump ahead to the battle that would have followed this one."

His words startling the next combatants, Shino, Kankuro, Temari, and Shikamaru. Their matches brought up faster than they had initially thought. The sand siblings were worried how this would effect the plan. Shino was excited to fight and Shikamaru was internally groaning about his bad luck.

"Just what in the world could Sasuke be doing anyway?" Asuma questioned.

"Hm." Ao hummed. 'Interesting. I've never seen a match postponed before. The betting pool must be high for this match. But what could possibly be taking the Uchiha so long that he missed the opening ceremony, the first match, and possibly a second match...? No matter. At least my students matches will be brought up faster as well.'

"So cool. That means Sasuke is still in this." Ino cheered at Sasuke's good luck. Sakura said nothing, still wrapped up in her depressed thoughts.

For Naruto, he was relieved as he let out a sigh. "That's good."

"Hey, that means my battle's one match closer now. What a drag!" Shikamaru complained.

"Then on to the next battle. So Shino and Kankuro, come down." The proctor ordered.

"Ugh." Kankuro grunted. 'My match doesn't matter at all now.'

Shino was excited to fight, placing his hand on the rail, it looked like the Aburame would jump over it in his excitement.

For Baki, he was worried. What would Kankuro do now?

'Besides, I don't want to reveal the mechanism of my trained Crow puppet to the enemy before our plan comes to fruition.' Glancing over at his sister, he looked for her approval. Seeing her nod, Kankuro addressed the proctor. "Proctor! I withdraw."

"Huh?" Shikamaru, Naruto, Shachi, and Sakuya asked.

'What?' The proctor thought.

Though he did not say anything, Shino was looking at his opponent, confused and upset.

"I withdraw, so please advance to the next match." Kankuro insisted.

"What?! Are you crazy!" Shachi shouted at him.

"I know Aburame is a challenging opponent, but it is foolish to not even attempt to fight!" Sakuya yelled in agreement.

"Yeah! Win or lose, you still have a chance to become Chunin. Do you really want to go through all the trouble of getting here only to throw it away? Come on! You acted so tough before, where did that bravo go!?" Shachi yelled.

"It's none of your concern. I withdraw so drop it." Kankuro growled at them.

Above them, the crowd was outraged as well. Jeering at the sand ninja.

In their box, the kages shared a look, the crowd growing more restless and their previous attempt to placate them failed.

"Ugh." The proctor growled. "Due to Kankuro's withdrawal, Shino Aburame wins by default."

Enraged, crowd's jeers grew louder as they demanded a fight.

Temari gritted her teeth as she prepared to fight. Before she could however, Ren jumped out of the box and into the field.

"Ren!" Shachi and Sakuya yelled. "What you doing?"

Seeing her enter the field, the proctor and the kages were both confused. Her fight wasn't until later on, after Naruto faced the winner of Sasuke's match. Why was she on the field?

Walking up to the proctor, Ren addressed the two leaders. "Lord Hokage, Lord Kazekage. I wish to take Kankuro's place."

Her words quieting the crowd as they grew curious. Simply eager for a fight.

"Since the beginning, there have been more contestants than necessary for this tournament. I have no opponent, so with Kankuro withdrawing, that leaves an opening for that position in the match-ups. Please allow me to fight Shino Aburame in Kankuro's place. It would be a shame for Aburame not being able to fight just because his opponent backs out." Ren pointed out before addressing the crowd.

"Who here wishes to see the Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village vs. the Ninja of the Hidden Mist!?" Ren shouted, gaining a round of applause from the crowd. Pumped up to see the fight.

The two Kage shared a look. The Hokage was slightly hesitant to make yet another change to the match-ups. They already made an exemption for Sasuke. It was unusual to say the least, the elderly man never having come across such a situation.

However, he would admit the young kunoichi had a few good points. The entire team of Kirinin had thrown the number of matches needed for the tournament out of balance. They really only needed eight fighters for the tournament. When they first made the match-ups, including the ninja of the Sound, there had been at the very least even numbers. It took some juggling to sort out who would fight who after the first matches, but they had settled it fairly well so that everyone would have at least three.

Unfortunately, the Sound ninja was unable to make it, so Ren was automatically moved up. However, with Kankuro withdrawing, it did leave as Ren put it an opening. He had no reason not to give in to her request.

Thinking about it, the Hokage smirked. 'That girl... She's quite crafty. She's basically forced my hand.' He thought as he looked below. The crowd was still restless as they waited for his decision. There was no telling what they would do if they were denied another fight soon.

'By addressing the crowd and making a show of it, she has practically guaranteed her new match-up. If I declined, we very well could have a riot on our hands. Not only is she solving the problem with the crowd, but she also giving herself more chances to fight with her original opponent gone. With this move, she has better chances to show her skills and move on to possibly Chunin.' He thought.

"Hm. I have nothing against it and there is nothing in the rules that says we can't rearrange the matches if there are more than eight fighters and one withdraws. What say you, Lord Kazekage?" The Hokage asked.

"I think this is a wonderful idea. I've heard interesting things about the Uminiji. Especially what happened during the preliminary matches. To see her skills first hand will be exciting to say the least. I approve." The man answered.

"Very well. Shino Aburame will now fight Ren Uminiji!" The Hokage announced, receiving applause from the impatient crowd.

Seeing that the matter of the match-ups had been settled, Shino made his way down to the field to fight Ren.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." Shachi fretted, gripping the rail in front of him with both hands.

"Aburame isn't someone to take lightly." Sakuya added.

"Huh? What are you guys so worried about?" Naruto asked. "Ren is one of the strongest fighters here." He knew Shino was good, but for Naruto, there were other fighters he was more concerned about. Out of the two competitors, Naruto thought Ren was the bigger threat, considering what happened to her last opponent.

"Are you kidding me?" Shachi asked incredulous. "Aburame's not only intelligent, but combined with those beetles, he's a dangerous force that should not be underestimated."

"Originally, she wasn't suppose to fight Aburame. At least, not right off the bat. Her main concerns were Dosu, Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara. And you as well Naruto. Though, originally we had our doubts you would be able to beat Neji." Sakuya admitted, receiving an indignant yell from the blond.

"My apologies. Anyway, only after that would she then have to worry about the others in the other bracket, including possibly either Shachi or myself." Sakuya analyzed. "The chances of them fighting were much lower. Therefore, studying ways to combat Aburame were lower priorities than say Gaara. We are worried she's not fully prepared."

"There's a lot more room here than before, but that also gives Aburame's bugs more room to hide, sneak up, and box Ren in like he did with Zaku. Those things latch on to her and they'll eat her chakra. If that happens, it'll be good as over." Shachi predicted.

"She wouldn't have insisted if she didn't at least have some sort of plan, would she?" Shikamaru asked.

"We hope she has a plan." Sakuya mutter, worried for Ren. "Besides that, another concern is that hopefully, she won't cause a scene like what happened last time." Her words causing the lot of them to shiver at the memory of Ren killing Flute.

After a moment of silence, watching Shino head towards Ren and the proctor, Shikamaru spoke up.

"Anyway, it's good for me that she intervened when she did. If she didn't, it would have been my match next and that would have been such a drag." Shikamaru complained.

Down on the field, to say Shino was a little uneasy was putting it mildly. He couldn't help but recall his own words: 'Who ever fights her in the third exam is dead.' Going out of her way for them to fight struck him odd as well. Just what was she planning? He didn't recall doing anything that would make her single him out. She couldn't have planned for Dosu to not be there or Kankuro to withdraw. Could she?

Ren walked up to her opponent, offering her hand which he hesitantly accepted and shook.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Miss Uminiji. It would have been a shame not to fight. I look forward to fighting a strong opponent such as yourself. Though, I'm not sure if you are really trying to help us both or trying to kill me considering what happened to your last opponent." Shino said.

If bringing up what happened bothered Ren, she didn't show it. Instead there was a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Don't worry, Aburame. I assure you, what happened last time will not repeat itself. For now, Let's focus on making this a good match, and show everyone we have what it takes to be Chunin. So please don't hold it against me if you end up losing." Ren replied, receiving a nod as they released the others hand and backed up to give themselves room to maneuver.

"The same to you, Miss Uminiji." Shino replied.

"Begin." The proctor shouted, beginning the match as the crowd cheered them on.

At first, neither opponent moved. Each watching the other carefully. Though, Ren was sure Shino had already sent out his beetles to start boxing her in and wait for his signal to attack.

'Man, this is going to be rough.' Ren thought grimly, having her reservations about fighting Shino. A part of her was already slightly regretting picking this fight. 'Not that fighting Naruto or Gaara would be any better.'

Despite appearing confident before hand and showing a desire to fight, she knew better than to underestimate Shino.

'At least his beetles aren't slimy.' She thought, trying to be optimistic and find a silver lining in the situation. 'Anything but slimy bugs.' She thought, holding back a shiver of disgust at the thought.

'No matter what happens, I can't allow Shino to box me in like that fool, Zaku. From what I saw before, Shino is someone who is confident in his abilities. He won't hold back, not after seeing what I did to Flute. The main issue are those beetles. If they are taken out, then the chances of me winning this match are significantly higher.' Ren analyzed.

'Will you need my help in this battle?' Shīpansā asked via their connection. The inner animal merely observing for most of the day as she usually did ever since their connection grew strong enough. Finally able to see the outside world in real time rather than through Ren's memories. The panther's silence due to not being in mood to share her opinions about the matches.

'No, thank you for asking though, Shīpansā. However, I believe I can handle this for now. We wouldn't want my team to learn what we have accomplished yet now do we?' Ren asked her companion.

Chuckling, the feline answered with a no.

'We'll leave your introduction for later in the finals.' Ren stated as she continued to analyze the situation. 'Though, do you think your senses will be able to hear or see the insects coming easier?'

'Maybe, though I highly doubt it. Those bugs make little to no noise from what I can tell. I may be a predator, but tracking such tiny bugs are not something I am made for. Sorry.' Shīpansā said.

'It's not your fault. Heightened senses or not, I will win this match.' Ren promised as she continued to think about her options for this battle.

'Very well. I am here if you need me.' Shīpansā told her.

'Fighting close combat via Taijutsu isn't an option for now. Those bugs will be able to crawl on me easier. I must fight from a distance while able to defend myself from those bugs sneaking up on me. By keeping my distance, that will require them to fly farther, giving me more time before they swarm and attack. Though, I doubt Shino will let me see them until he wants me to.' She thought.

Reaching and opening her gourd, Ren expected for water to come pouring out of it. Instead, to her shock and dismay, beetles fell out. Screeching, she flung the gourd away before checking the rest of her form for more of the pesky insects crawling on her. Shino caught it and the bugs filed out of the gourd and back onto his form.

"Aburame!" Ren growled, glaring at him before going back to check for more beetles.

"Heh. I knew you would use your gourd sooner rather than later. As I recall from the preliminaries, your specialty was water style. Stronger water jutsus take up a lot of chakra to manipulate and control. While you can use your own chakra to produce water, it is easier with an outside source. Which is why you carry that gourd around to begin with. I sent my beetles to eat through the cork and drink the water within, eliminating that particular advantage." Shino explained.

Looking around, Ren found more of bugs already crawling around on her. Causing her to gasp at the speed the little creatures had to already sneak up on her even though the battle had hardly begun and drink the water from her gourd.

"Sorry about this, Uminiji. However, I can't really take any chances with a dangerous opponent such as yourself. This is the end. Admit defeat and nothing else will happen to you." Shino warned her.

"Ren!" Shachi, Sakuya, and Naruto shouted from the box. Worried about her.

"Heh! Serves her right! That little brat." Kankuro shouted not too far from them.

Beside his brother, Gaara felt rage simmering underneath his skin. She couldn't lose to this weakling. Not so easily. She was his prey. Ren had yet to fully pay for her betrayal.

Ren said nothing as she listened to Shino's words. Once she over came her surprise, her expression became calm even though the battle looked like it was lost. Instead of thrashing around wildly to be rid of the bugs, she simply started brushing them off her pants and shoulders. Taking off her jacket and giving it a good shake, the bugs easily fell to the ground in piles as they landed on their backs curled up.

"What!?" Shino shouted, confused. The beetle's weren't normally that easy to shake off. Why weren't they moving or flying? Why did it look like they were dying?! Their life cycles were short, it was true, but not that short. They shouldn't all have died at once.

"Aburame, do you think you are the only one able to plan ahead?" Ren asked, chucking as she seemed satisfied she had removed all the insects and placed the jacket back on. "I also did my research before the tournament. In the preliminaries, you took out Zaku's primary weapons, so I knew you couldn't resist doing the same here. While the chances of us fighting were slim, I prepared for it on the off chance that we would. To achieve that goal, my entire body is coated with a potent organic insecticide! I soaked my clothing in it as well." Ren declared, Shino gasping as he realized what happened to his precious beetles.

'Curses! Like a poisonous insect, she used it to keep larger prey from consuming her.' Shino thought.

"I knew if your chakra eating swarm could get on me, the match would be as good as over. I knew you wouldn't fool around either since you have seen what I am capable of. When your insects landed on me and perhaps tried to eat my chakra, the contact with my clothing and skin killed them. I wanted to keep my distance so my trick wouldn't be discovered too soon, there was the possibility that it wouldn't be potent enough or you had something to counter it. But it is no matter now, seeing how effective it was. With that problem solved, I no longer have to worry about the swarm and can focus on fighting you and you alone. Sending more insects will only result in their death. I doubt you would do something foolish as that." Ren ended with a smirk.

In the stands, those among the crowd were in awe of her ability to plan ahead. Though, some had harsher words than others.

"Wow. The match only just begun and Shino's in trouble. These shinobi from the Hidden Mist village are something else." Ino muttered in the stands. "I just hope nothing bad happens like last time. How they didn't disqualify her for killing her last opponent is beyond me. That monster shouldn't be here." She shivered in fear.

Beside the platinum blonde, Sakura couldn't help but remember the fight as well. Ren had nearly acted like an animal when she had fought, though the difference was no mere animal took such sadistic pleasure in killing it's prey.

'Watching her, our skills are in completely different levels. She's way better than me. I'm smart, but I wouldn't have even thought of doing something like that. Who would have thought to go that far in planning for a fight they might not even have? I... I can't compete with that... I'm being left behind in the dust... First Sasuke and now Naruto. Am I really that pathetic and far behind?' Sakura thought in despair.

'That's my student.' Ao thought with a proud smile. 'Youngsters these days never cease to surprise me.'

"I-Impossible! The match has barely begun... and she's already taken out Shino's main form of combat. No one has ever used something like this against Shino before!" Kurenai said, shocked such a possibility never crossed her mind. To think someone created an insecticide and coated their clothing and entire form in it on the mere off chance they would fight.

"Man, the Aburame Clan is not going to be happy about this." Asume said as he smoked beside her. "A lot of feudal lords and rival ninja villages would love to get their hands on that insecticide. It could be dangerous if used against the Aburame."

In the competitors box, Ren's team and the few she had made a good impression on gave her praise for her efforts.

"Whoa! Ren really did have a plan! That's my teammate!" Shachi shouted.

"That's so awesome, believe it!" Naruto shouted amazed.

"Huh. I can't believe I didn't seriously think about that strategy. I figured it would be too much of a pain to gather all the materials and prepare everything." Shikamaru confessed.

"The chances of them fighting were so low, yet she went this far ahead in planning. We'll have to be careful if and when she fights one of us, Shachi. Who knows what she has in store for us." Sayaka remarked.

"Ugh! Don't remind me! It's bad enough we have to fight from the get go. We might not even fight seeing how the match-ups keep getting switched around." Shachi groaned.

"But that isn't the only places I had insecticide." Ren added, pointing at Shino.

Looking down, he gasped as he saw the beetles that had drunk the water dying and falling helplessly to the ground. Some of the beetles what had contact with them dying as well.

"What the-!?" He started to say, watching as he was powerless to stop the slaughter of his tiny allies.

"Like I said, I knew you would go for my gourd. It was the other place I had more insecticide. The water inside was laced with it. It's not as fast acting as the one coating my body and clothing since the water diluted it slightly, but I needed it to so you wouldn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Not only did your insects drink it, but they also got the water on them. When they were returned to you and interacted with the others of the hive, it caused them to be contaminated with the insecticide as well. We are now seeing the results." Ren explained.

"I'm sorry I had to do this, however, it's because I both fear and respect your skill with your beetles that I felt it was an necessary evil." Ren apologized.

'Amazing. No wonder she leaped at the chance to fight Shino Aburame. From the beginning she was prepared to fight him.' The Hokage thought. 'Impressive.'

"And to think this is only one member of the team." The Kazekage spoke, his voice laced with amusement. "It seems that the rumors I've heard about the Mist ninja are true. They are a force to be reckoned with."

Gritting his teeth, Shino admitted to himself that Ren came up with an amazing strategy to stop his beetles. One he could not counter at the moment. But even now he was racking his brains for a way to over come this obstacle. There had to be a away to remote the insecticide, the real question was how.

Although he favored the use of his insects in battle, he was still quite capable in taijutsu, so he still had some options. He wasn't out for the count yet. However, he wasn't sure of that alone would help him in this battle. Ren did hold her own against Flute for a while.

Thinking back, Ren had used a number of mid to long range attacks in the preliminaries. At the very least, she would have to limit her attacks so they wouldn't drain her chakra too much since she had no outside source. There were other battles to be had later that day after all. Seeing her ability to plan ahead, he knew she was going to be conservative with her chakra for the battles ahead.

With that in mind, Shino charged forward, throwing kunai at her.

Seeing her target coming at her and the projectiles, Ren smirked. Holding her position, Ren shot the weapons out of the air with a few water bullets. Once that threat was neutralized, Ren waited until the last moment when Shino was close enough to attack.

"Water Style: Water Wall." Forming more hand signs, she spat out a stream of water from her mouth at the ground, the liquid circling around her and rising above her head to create a wall. Her timing was perfect as the wall flinged Shino away as it rose.

Being tossed like that unexpectedly, Shino fell to the ground in a heap, water clinging to his clothes. Groaning, Shino coughed as he glared at Ren behind his glasses.

"You had a point earlier, about strong water techniques requiring lots of charka. While the gourd does help, that hardly means I can't fight without it. Besides, who said I didn't plan for that either?" Ren asked.

Watch her moving hands, Shino was shocked to see water falling from the top rim of the arena.

The water was coming from two separate places, each were like a waterfall as gravity helped it fall.

Ren gritted her teeth as she performed the hand seals, a long and complicated list running through her head to successfully perform the B-rank jutsu.

The streams of water that had been falling suddenly started curving upward, colliding and intertwining the the other as Ren shouted out the name of her attack, completing the hand signs as the water formed into a mighty dragon. It's eyes glowing golden as it roared.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Seeing the incoming mass of water, Shino began to charge at her, evading the coiling beast as it weaved it's body back and forth in a effort to snap him up in it's jaws.

Hidden by the collar of his coat, Shino glanced at Ren and smirked. Only to frown in confusion when Ren didn't seem upset by his ability to evade.

'She's toying with me!' Shino realized. 'Like a cat with it's prey before it goes in for the kill.'

So busy he was looking at her expressions, he didn't realize the water dragon had backed off. Eventually dissipating and transforming into puddles to use at her leisure later while more water was falling from the opposite side of the arena. This time transforming into a giant panther-like beast and landed in the arena.

"Water Style: Water Beast." Ren muttered. Turning, Shino's eyes widen as he caught sight of the beast before the powerful streams of water it had launched from its mouth hit him head on. Throwing him across the arena, past Ren and into the wall behind her. Pinning him there with the oncoming force of a waterfall, the beast drawing more water from the previous water dragon attack laying around.

The pressure causing the wall to crack and create a crater. Within, Shino was unable to move. Slowly drowning.

Approaching, Ren relinquished her focus on the water beast, forcing it to become nothing more than ordinary water. Embedded in the wall, Shino appeared to just barely retail his consciousness.

"W-Where? How-?!" Shino sputtered as he coughed, feeling bruises forming already. Confused where all the water was coming from since Ren did not use her chakra to produce it.

"As long as there's water, even mere vapor in the air, I can use it for my attacks." Ren began to explain as she walked towards the slowly recovering Aburame. Struggling to push himself out of the rock wall.

"Tell me. How do you think my team and I created that mist during our entrance? That was a lot of mist and very thick. Don't forget it covered the entire arena. It would have been rather draining, even with the three of us working together without a source. So, before the tournament began, we place a barrel of water on the rim of the arena and used it for the technique. However, that wasn't the only one we placed up there." Ren admitted with a slight smile.

'She used the water in the barrels as an outside source to save chakra!' Shino realized, his eyes shooting straight up at rim of the arena. 'Who knows how many barrels they set up there.' Shino gritted his teeth in frustration.

Standing before him, Ren let her small smile fall. "Don't worry, there isn't any insecticides mixed in with it. Please forgive me for this. However, I can not allow myself to lose."

Without any other warning, Ren punched him in the gut. However, instead of hitting hard muscle underneath clothing, Ren was shocked feel something move before seeing the Shino before her turn into a swarm of beetles.

'A decoy! This is what I get for going off on a monologue!' Ren managed to think before the real Shino appeared and forced her head into the crater where bug clone had been.

In the competitors box, Shachi and Sakuya were instantly on edge, fearing Shino had activated Ren's other side. Seeing how Shino flinched and paled when he did it, it seemed he had momentarily forgotten that fact in the heat of battle.

"Oh, no." Shikamaru muttered in fear. "Looks like Shino goofed! That freak is going to kill him now!"

"Ren's not a freak!" Sakuya yelled at him.

"I-Is there any way to stop it!?" Naruto asked, thinking back to Flute's mangled corpse with a shiver.

"Nuh-uh! Do you think what happened last time would have happened if we knew how to stop it!? Aburame better hope he didn't hit Ren hard enough to activate it or so hard it knocked her out completely. Otherwise he's done for!" Shachi shouted.

Watching intently, Gaara subconsciously moved closer to the rail, trying to get a better look. His face showing the slightest of irritation.

Hearing a inhuman growl, Shino backed off. Watching her warily for an movement.

Pushing herself from the wall, Ren said nothing. Shaking her head to shake off the loose pebbles, Ren's head hanged down as she turned towards Shino. Her face hidden by the veil of hair.

The silence, grating against his nerves as he waited for something to happen. In a blink, it suddenly happened. His body groaning and bending in half from the punch to his gut. This time hitting the real Shino.

Falling to his knees, his looked up to see Ren standing before him. Her skin scuffed up and slightly bleeding from the wall. But the most important part, her eyes, were the same brown as before, gleaming with mischief.

"Psych!" She shouted, then kicking him in the jaw and sending him flipping backwards. Sending him rolling across the field until he managed to crouch to a stop. His hand digging into the moist earth.

In the box, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Some where louder than others.

"Thank goodness." Ren's teammates groaned.

Down below, Ren straightened and addressed Shino. "I promised you a good fight and I intend to keep my word. So fight me!"

Looking into her eyes, Shino could see the ferocity, the thirst for battle in them. Nodding, Shino reached into his pouch and pulled out throwing stars. Throwing them as he charged at her.

Grabbing a kunai, She deflected the weapons and rushed to engage.

Shino, grabbing his own kunai, locked blades with her, the metal clashing and sparks flying before pushing each other back.

Throwing her kunai at him, Shino evaded it only to be kicked by Ren in the side instead. Dropping his own weapon. Before she could retract her leg, Shino grabbed it and gave a tug. Pulling her forward as she hopped on one leg, stumbling towards him to keep her balance.

With Shino holding her leg hostage, Ren knew she had to free it. Breaking through the hold on her leg, Ren spun away from him. Her leg twisting out towards the opening of his hand. Freeing her leg as she continued to spin in a full circle and punched him in the cheek before going for a round house kick. To which Shino caught again.

Once again trapped in his hold, Ren hooked her her foot behind Shino's back, pulling him towards her. Jumping on the one foot she had free, Ren moved towards him and grabbed the sides of his head as he came within reach. Clinching her leg and stomping it down, she pulled her leg out of Shino's hold. With both legs free, Ren first kneed him in the sides, one after the other, and brought his head down. Kneeing him in the head.

Backing off, Ren moved in for another punch while he was still recovering from her last set of attacks. Unfortunately for Ren, Shino had recovered somewhat quickly.

Grabbing her outstretched arm and pulling her forward, Shino jabbed her in the stomach. With a groan, Ren was stunned. Moving her arm over his shoulder, Shino flipped her over, aiming for a lingering puddle to hopefully wash away the insecticide. Seeing what was about to happen, Ren moved her feet to hit the puddle first, creating a little splash but nowhere near what Shino had intended.

Her back arched as if she was trying to do the limbo while holding Shino's arms with one hand.

Grabbing the arm still holding her own with both hands Ren knew he would be too heavy to try flipping him over her shoulder. Instead, settled for injuring him slightly into letting her go. Ren's nails grew longer and claw-like as they began to dig into his skin. Startled by this, Shino released her, holding his arm closer as the scratches stung on his skin.

With her back still turned towards him, though she was starting to whip around to face him, Shino moved forward to attack. Seeing the punch aimed to connect with her face, Ren back flipped a short distance away, subsequently hitting Shino in the jaw with her foot. Giving herself more room to work with.

Landing and crouching down low from her back flips, Ren's inner animal helped her move as she leaped forward. Claw-like hands digging into the earth as she covered ground quickly. Reaching him, Ren swung her legs around with Shino's legs swept out from under him.

Forcing him to land with a grunt before rolling away and getting back to his feet as quickly as possible as she aimed to hit where he once was with her claws.

Leaping at him again, Ren was unexpectedly pulled away. Growling behind her, Ren turned to Shino had grabbed a hold of her jacket. Looking back at the Shino that was in front of her, the clone quickly fell apart as the beetles moved and broke apart from formation. Meanwhile, the real Shino, using her jacket like a rope yanked her back.

Pulling her backwards, forcing her to stumble back before Shino decked her in the side. Knocking her down as Shino dove in, landing and sitting atop the other combatant. Facing each other as Shino's shadow blocked the sunlight from Ren's eyes. Though this would do her little good.

Thus, the two began to grapple each other with Shino having the advantage of position and strength. The position giving Shino more momentum for his strikes. Mounted on her hips as he held her shoulder with his right hand, holding her still as he started throwing punch after punch to Ren's face with his left. His anger for Ren killing his beetles fueling his fists.

Her shorter arm length and Shino's height from his seated position giving him the upper hand.

Gritting through the pain, Ren growled at him as she tucked her elbows in by her ribs, keeping the boy from sliding under her elbows and further restricting her movement. Grabbing his wrist in her right, and using the left to grab his tricept, her locked elbow keeping him from escaping from her grip.

Using her left leg to step over and around his right, Ren moved her right in the center of his legs. Using leverage from her back with the help of her elbows, without letting go of his arm, twisted her hips and flipped them over.

Releasing his arm, Ren punched him in the face before creating a few water clones. The clones holding Shino's arms and legs down while Ren pulled out another kunai. Holding it at his throat.

For a moment, Shino glared defiantly at Ren. Not wanting to admit defeat.

"I... I yield..." Shino conceded, sighing in disappointment. His head laying back against the hard ground. Even with his concession of the battle, Ren did not release her clones or hold on him. She shot a glance at the Genma, waiting for the proctor to officially end the fight.

Seeing this, Genma addressed the crowd. "The winner is Ren Uminiji." The proctor declared.

The crowd clapping and cheering in celebration of Ren's triumph.

Getting up, Ren had the clones release Shino and run to grab her water gourd. Once returned to her and dispelling the clones, she moved the water into the gourd.

Turning towards the crowd, Ren bowed repeatedly to them in gratitude. Rising and searching the spectators, Ren pinpointed her sensei's location. When their eyes meet, she was rewarded with a his pleased nod.

Bowing once again, Ren looked over at her fallen opponent. The Leaf shinobi still flat on his back, groaning a bit as he shifted and tried to roll himself over. Walking back over to him, Ren waited for him to notice her and look at her. When he did, Ren spoke.

"Thank you... Shino. You fought well. It was an excellent match. We showed them what we were made of and I enjoyed myself. Would you like assistance back to the competitors box? " Ren asked, offering her hand to help him up.

For a moment, he seemed surprised by her offer. Glancing between her and her hand before accepting it. Allowing her to help pull him up and steady him.

Muttering a quiet thank you, the two headed up back to the competitors box to watch the next fight.