The stands of the arena were bustling and noisy, everyone comparing their brackets and placing bets on who would win. Many were looking forward to the last Uchiha's fight.

"I still can't believe Sakura beat me so easily!" Ino sighed, trying to block out the sounds of the excited crowds and her teammate's loud munching.

"Really?" Chôji stopped eating for a second and looked at the blonde. "Sakura graduated at the top of our class." After that, he began eating again, this time on a bag of chips.

"You're unbelievable," Ino muttered, then crossed her arms.

"Shhh," Chôji shushed her, chip crumbs spraying on her face, "Shikamaru and the others are finally coming down to the arena! It's kinda unfair that Sakura doesn't fight anyone in the first round, though. I guess it's because of the odd amount of people."

Immediately, she shot up, looking for her crush. "Sasuke-kun's not here! Where is he?" Ino stood up, and leaned over the rail to get a better look. She spotted all three from Sunagakure, Sakura and Shikamaru talking quietly to each other, Shino, Naruto (she was still surprised he had managed to beat Kiba and get to the exams on time), and the others that were to fight. But no Sasuke.

"Shikamare said that Sakura said Kakashi-sensei is always late to everything, and that Sasuke was training with him this month. She also said Kakashi-sensei likes to be fashionably late, although I'm not sure she would actually put her wording together like that, considering—"

"Do you ever stop talking about what Shikamaru or Sakura says, Chôji?! Kami, just stop!"

After that, the brown-haired boy looked down into his nearly empty bag. "I'm gonna go get more," he said quietly, then left.

Ino blanched. "H-hey, Chôji, I didn't mean it!"

:::

Shikamaru smirked lazily. "And how are you so confident that you'll fight Temari and not me?" He placed his arms behind his head and yawned.

"Because you will most likely forfeit when you realize it is too much laborious work to win against Temari of Sunagakure," Sakura replied, her green eyes analyzing her future opponent. Shikamaru took this time to look at the pinkette. She seems...more at peace. What did she do during this month?

The brown-haired genius turned and began staring at Temari too. "Probably," he muttered.

Sakura turned back around and searched through the small group. "I wonder where Sasuke is at the moment. It is not like him to be late. Perhaps Kakashi has influenced him to be late."

Before Shikamaru could reply, the proctor cleared his throat. "Alright, I'm Genma Shiranui, the proctor for the final Chūnin Exams! You already know your opponent, so be ready to fight! I'm just going to count and make sure you're all here—" He stopped when he saw Sakura. "I didn't know you were in the final rounds. You're Kakashi's, right?"

Sakura blinked. "I do not belong to Kakashi. He is an—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. It's just that I talked to him earlier this month, and he never mentioned you. Only Sasuke and Naruto."

"Does that mean you can't proctor if you personally know the competitors?" Shikamaru stepped forward, his eyebrows raised.

Genma sighed. "Unfortunately, I can't. We'll have to have someone else proctor. All of you can go back to the waiting area until I can find someone that qualifies."

:::

Shikamaru plopped down next to Sakura, Naruto on her other side. "It is strange we did not have the same proctor at the first part of the fights," Sakura observed.

"Whaddya mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto frowned, then scratched his head.

"Hayate Gekkō, was it?" Shikamaru muttered aloud. "Yeah, that was it...I dunno where he is, actually. The only reason he wouldn't proctor is if he were bedridden, or dead." He exchanged looks with the blonde and pinkette.

"That is abnormal," Sakura replied, her eyes looking forward.

"So...what'd you guys do to train for the fights, dattebayo?"

"Just trained with my Otou-san," Shikamaru replied, his eyes closed.

"I went on what you would call an 'intensive journey'," the pink-haired girl replied. "I was exposed to the outside for a month to hone special techniques."

"Err...whaddya mean, —ttebayo? Also, if you were outside, how come you didn't get tan?"

"It is not relevant," she said, dismissing the questioning stares. "I believe they have found another proctor. Let us go." All three rose, and were directed once again to the center of the arena.

:::

Naruto groaned. "Not him again, —ttebayo! He's pure evil!"

Ibiki Morino grinned sadistically. "Too bad. I'm the new proctor for the final Chūnin Exams! You already heard the rules, so let's get started. Also, before any of you ask, if Sasuke Uchiha doesn't show up for his scheduled fight, then he will be disqualified. The first match is Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga. What are the rest of you standing there for? Scram!"

Naruto grinned cheekily, then turned to Sakura, who was still standing there. "Wish me luck, —ttebayo!"

Suddenly, her eyes hardened. "Rule number three of the Shinobi Code states: 'Hone your reflexes; they often react without you realizing it.' You do not require luck if you trained well enough." With that, she walked away.

"That was harsh, —ttebayo." The blonde turned to his opponent, Neji Hyūga. His pearl-colored eyes stared into his, showing no emotion.

"Let the first round of the Chūnin Exams begin: Naruto Uzumaki versus Neji Hyūga!" The excited cheers were deafening in Sakura's opinion.

:::

"We have to get back soon, or we'll be late, Sasuke," Kakashi reminded his student.

"It's hard when you're carrying a full-grown man to the bottom of a mountainside," the dark-haired genin muttered, pissed off that he was going to be late.

"You know..." Kakashi drawled, looking up from his book, "Sakura's fight might already be going on right now." He didn't even try to hide his smirk, because after a minute passed, they were already more than a quarter of the way down the mountain.

Do you want to hear about Naruto and Neji's fight, even if it's exactly the same, or do you want to read about the next fight?