Arashi ducked and weaved past the massive dog's attacks, trying almost desperately to find an opening in the great beast's defense. The animal was far more intelligent than he had expected, as it was apparently covering any holes in its defenses with its overpowering size and shocking speed. He quickly leaped out of the way of a bite, then a swipe with its paws. He jumped back as far as he could, landing on a high branch nearby. He took a moment to breathe and try to think up a strategy.

The huge dog growled up at him, turning its head to try and find some way to get up to him. Arashi raised an eyebrow at this. Why didn't it just jump from where it was? It certainly had the muscle and speed to do it. Unless…

His thoughts were interrupted when the dog suddenly began leaping from one branch to the next, rapidly drawing in on him. He jumped back as far as he could, his feet landing on the tree that the branch was on and sticking thanks to chakra. He sprinted up the tree's side as the white ninja hound bounded after him. He looked back, and sure enough, the beast was right behind him, looking ready to claw his face off. He scowled and back-flipped off the tree, falling past the dog and positioning himself to land somewhat safely.

He rolled roughly on the ground, earning a few cuts and bruises from twigs and rocks scattered on the forest floor. He stood a little shakily and drew a kunai out of his holster, along with a slip of paper, which he began to wrap around the knife's hilt.

The dog hit the ground with a loud crash, wood and dirt shooting up to show the beast's weight. Arashi's eyes narrowed as he took his stance, prepared for whatever the animal might do. After a few moments of silence, the dog barked – which sounded more like a roar – and charged at full speed. Arashi didn't flinch. He waited as the dog approached him. The canine leaped into the air towards him, baring its fangs.

NOW! Arashi shouted mentally. Suddenly, he was enveloped in a cloud of smoke, which quickly faded to reveal nothing more than a simple log. Out of the bushes directly across from the dog, the real Arashi jumped out and tossed his kunai with expert aim. The dog, still in midair, was unable to dodge the weapon as it lodged itself into its left paw. When the dog landed, it yelped in pain and sent Arashi an angry glare. Arashi smirked as he made a one-handed sign. "Boom."

The hilt of the kunai suddenly glowed. The dog's eyes went wide when it realized what was happening. On the hilt of the weapon was a paper bomb.

The dog was enveloped in the explosion, the only other sound being its cry of shock and pain. As the smoke cleared out, Arashi saw the dog lying on the ground, unconscious, but still very much alive. "Sorry, boy," he said to the dog. "I don't normally try to blow up animals, but you brought this on yourself." With that said, he turned and dashed off to join his teammates.

-o-

Tai swung the blade with shocking expertise, cleaving through wood and even rock with little effort. The whole time, Hagane was complaining that he was going to get nicked if the young redhead kept slashing so haphazardly. Needless to say, Tai didn't listen.

Kiba couldn't believe he was being forced back by a kid. And one of Naruto's students no less! How could the idiot's brats be this tough? He scowled in frustration as he tried to think this through. He would have to try to get that sword out of the kid's hands. That way, he'll be significantly less of a threat. Now he just had to figure out a way to do it.

Hagane grunted as his blade slid through the ground after the Inuzuka evaded Tai's next attack. "Careful!" the living sword complained. "I may be durable, but that doesn't mean I'm invulnerable to mud! It could rust me!"

"Oh, shut up!" Tai shouted back at the blade. He hacked at Kiba again, but the jonin ducked under it and countered with a powerful uppercut straight to Tai's jaw. The blow sent the young genin flying back several feet, but he managed to regain his footing and skidded across the ground. He wiped his wrist across his chin, finding that he had blood trickling down from his mouth.

Kiba smirked at this. "You should quit now, kid. You can't beat me."

Tai looked back up to the jonin. He gave his own cocky smirk. "Sorry, dog-breath, but I'm way too stubborn for that." He gripped Hagane's hilt with both hands. "Hey, Hagane, you think you're up for the First Dance?"

"At your age!?" Hagane yelled at the boy in shock. "You're not ready for that! It requires months, even years of study and training to be able to use it correctly! And don't get me started on your obvious lack of proper swordsmanship!"

"Hey, who's the ninja here!?"

"Clearly not you, fool."

"You oversized letter opener!"

"Tactless dolt!"

Kiba just stared at the boy as he argued… with his sword. Sure, the sword could talk and all, but it was still rather weird to see. He didn't really know what to do or say here. "Do you guys… need a minute or something?"

"What?" Tai asked. "No! We're fine!" He returned his attention to his blade. "Listen, Hagane, we're using the Dance, and that's final! You got that?"

Hagane groaned in annoyance. "Very well. But don't say that I didn't warn you, fool."

"All right!" The young Yamada dropped into a fighting stance again. "Here goes!"

-o-

She was very nearly out of breath. Rock Lee was clearly far stronger than she had expected. His fists had broken through trees and even solid rock with minimal effort. She was forced to take refuge in a bush of leaves on a tree branch while the bowl-haired man searched for her. "You cannot hide forever, Asa Mizuhana!" she heard him call out. "I will find you again, and then we shall have a true battle!"

The silver-haired genin took a deep breath to calm herself. She had to be ready for just about anything. She didn't want to leave this fight with a broken everything. She needed to think up some kind of strategy. From she had seen so far, Rock Lee had only been using taijutsu, and that had been enough to reduce huge boulders to mere pebbles. The idea of him using a ninjutsu or a genjutsu was absolutely terrifying. But maybe she could take advantage of his use of hand-to-hand combat. She took another deep breath as an idea gradually formed in her mind. She pulled a few slips of paper out of her pouch. I hope this works.

Lee searched and searched for the girl, but she was nowhere to be found. Naruto had clearly trained her and the two boys well. She really knew how a ninja normally took things. She must be in hiding, waiting for just the right moment to strike. He smirked and closed his eyes, letting his ears search for him. He waited. And waited. And waited.

Suddenly, a form leaped out of bunch of leaves behind him. He turned, ready to fight as Asa descended towards him, a kunai in hand. The jonin grinned excitedly and leaped to meet her. "We shall see what you are truly capable of, Asa Mizuhana!" He slammed a fist directly into her gut, forcing her to… explode in a puff of smoke. She was replaced by a short log covered almost completely in paper bombs. His eyes went wide in shock at the sight before…

BOOM!

He was very nearly swallowed up by the massive explosion, but was able to evade the blast, if only barely. His jonin vest was heavily singed, and his massive eyebrows had narrowly escaped the resulting heat wave. He looked back up, and his eyes widened again when he saw dozens of kunai flying at him. He jumped back and dodged the knives, and was just about to rush to where they had been thrown from.

"Water Style!" he heard Asa's voice call out. He turned in in surprise to see her behind him, her hands making the monkey hand sign. "Flying Torrent!" She fired a huge blast of water from her mouth, drenching Lee completely pushing him straight through a tree and into another one, where he left a man-shaped crater before the water subsided. Asa wiped her mouth and chin and eyed Lee carefully. He looked somewhat dazed. But he wasn't unconscious.

He looked up at her and let a huge grin form on his face. "That was a most excellent display!" he proclaimed as pulled himself out of the tree and stood as if nothing had happened. "I can see now why Naruto has such faith in you and your friends!"

Asa smiled gratefully. "Thanks, sir," she replied. "Have you seen enough, or do you wanna keep going?"

He thought about it for a few moments. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "You have proven yourself to be very strong! Stronger than you give yourself credit for, I bet. We shall see each other again someday! Count on it!" And just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished in a flicker of movement. She gave a sigh of relief. She was glad that he didn't want to continue. Her last attack had left her pretty much drained.

Suddenly, just as she was about to go and find Tai and Arashi, she heard what sounded like a massive wave crashing onto a shore. She faced the direction that the sound had come from; the general direction in which she was about to go to find her friends. Worry quickly took hold as she sprinted forward. She hoped that nobody was hurt.

-o-

His technique worked. Sort of. He had successfully called forth an enormous wave of water that crashed into Kiba, sending the Inuzuka man far out of sight. He had also succeeded in sapping all of his strength and nearly drowning himself. Hagane was right about one thing: the First Dance alone was frighteningly powerful. It almost made him afraid of what the more powerful Dances could do.

"I warned you, fool," Hagane bragged. "You shouldn't have tried it."

"Whatever," Tai said between heavy breaths. "At least… I beat him… right?" Hagane would've rolled his eyes if it was possible, but didn't argue. The boy clearly still had a lot to learn. "I think it's… time for you to… go."

"Yes," Hagane replied. "I believe so. The next time you call me, make sure you're at least a little more mature. I can't stand working with hotheads like you." With that, Hagane Nayami vanished in a puff of smoke, which quickly dissipated. And as if that was their cue, Asa and Arashi arrived just when the smoke cleared.

"Tai!" Asa called to him as she rushed over to his side. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he replied with his trademark cocky grin. "Just a little tired is all."

"Then we should find a safe place to set up camp for the night," Arashi suggested, to which Tai and Asa nodded their agreement. The three of them then ran off to find the ideal place for a campsite.

-o-

Kiba groaned as he walked over to the whimpering Akamaru. Where had that wave come from? He supposed maybe he shouldn't have underestimated that kid. "Damn," he muttered as he sat down next to his dog. "Those kids are way tougher than we thought." Akamaru whined, letting his master know of his agreement.

Just then, Lee appeared before them, a smile on his face. "Naruto's student's all seem to have amazing potential, do you not agree, Kiba?" The Inuzuka snorted in response, but that did nothing to lighten the green-clad jonin's mood. "I am eager to see what they are all truly capable of."

Kiba couldn't help but agree. If that Tai kid could beat him, then who knows? Maybe those three could be the next Sannin, just like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are now. Only time will tell.