Shino lay battered, his bugs frazzling about worriedly around him. The moment the referee had started the match, Sakura had gone straight for him, moving quickly and hitting hard. Shino was good with taijutsu himself, but soon he began to tire of Sakura's hard punches. He tried sending his bugs out, but Sakura had him moving too much on the defensive to let his bugs crawl over her. What's more, he soon realized that Sakura kept a thin, protective layer of chakra around her body, shielding her from his attacks and from his bugs. An impressive display of chakra control. After fierce, thirty minute hand to hand combat, Sakura thought she had displayed enough of her stamina and skill, and so lured him onto a trap and blew him up.

It was a sad battle. Especially because Shino had mistook her hesitation to hit him as a chance to overpower her, and had quickly urged his bugs onward. As soon as the majority of the bugs were buzzing in the air, the ground underneath him had exploded, taking him out and many of his flying friends.

But Shino surprised Sakura. He had managed to sense at the barest of moments the sudden surge of chakra beneath his feet, and had quickly made a bug clone of himself. It had pained him to sacrifice many of his precious friends, but it had to be done.

Alas, the moment he rematerialized on the other side of the field, Sakura had already predicted this outcome, and had her fist up his chin in a second. Shino flew across the field, hitting the stadium wall, then sliding to the ground, motionless.

Sarutobi nodded at the impressive battle. Both had done well, but Sakura's excellent hand to hand combat skills caught his eye, as well as her ability to predict. In the last battle Naruto had impressed him greatly, with skillful manipulation of his opponent. And a great deal of knowledge in seals.

By the time Sakura walked up to the second floor waiting area, all the boys were staring at her in fear, while Temari looked appreciative.

"Umm, that was fast. Even though it was slow." Naruto commented.

Sasuke sighed. "You're being ambiguous again Naruto. Stop talking in oxymorons."

Naruto pointed at his only female teammate. "Sakura's an oxymoron. She's tiny in size, but big in strength!"

Sakura smirked. She personally liked Shino for his coolheadedness, and she felt sorry for beating him up the way she had, but hey, being a Chuunin meant no more D rank missions!

Who's next?"

"Shikamaru and that dude from the Sand." Sasuke answered. He pointed. "The one who has paint on his face. The big ugly burly guy."

Kankuro frowned. "I can hear you just fine you know."

"Hmm, though now that I look more closely, his paint...looks quite well thought out.." Ignoring the putters from Kankuro, Naruto stroked his imaginary beard as he tried to imagine the beautiful abstractness of Kankuro's purple battle paints.

Sasuke just bopped him on the head and told him to shut up. All while Sakura was down fighting, he had been the one to keep Naruto under control and relatively not-so-annoying- to the other competitors, which had been a feat, in and of itself. It had drained him considerably too. Why couldn't have his match come before the babysitting? Sasuke mourned internally, but decided not to let it affect him too much.

On the other hand, the members of the team from Sand looked troubled. Two victories already, and to the leaf! Everything was progressing too slowly. Gaara had to be up front, by the time the signal came! Temari looked at Kankuro, and Kankuro nodded.

"Um, examiner," Kankuro raised his hand. "May I forfeit?"

Genma looked up. His eyes narrowed for the tiniest fraction. Few nights ago, there had been an emergency meeting of all Jounin and Anbu, summoned by the Hokage. Hayate had been found dead, most likely from a wind technique. There were around four wind users in the village proficient enough to cast such wounds onto a Jounin such as Hayate, and three of them were devout Konoha ninja. That left one suspect: Baki, the Jounin from Suna.

Of course, nothing was proven yet, and with the alliance between the two villages so strained, the Hokage hadn't wanted to worsen their relationship further by accusing straight up. But now, this sand Genin was forfeiting...for what reason? Shikamaru didn't look very scary, nor was he very threatening. That Kankuro boy didn't look tired, nor sick, nor hurt.

But what could he say? "Fine. Nara Shikamaru becomes automatic winner of third round." A chorus of ehhs came from the crowd. "Though the Winner of the third round was naturally supposed to have a full rotation of rest in preparation for his next fight, since he didn't fight at all let us move directly to the fourth battle. Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari."

"Eeeehhh?" Shikamaru complained. "I thought I get more time to sleep."

Naruto ehhed too. "Why does he get to win?"

Temari gritted her teeth. The Konoha ninja were up to something, she knew. And even if they didn't, in order to keep up appearances, she would have to fight. She pulled out her fan and jumped down to the field.

Shikamaru sighed. "Why do I have to fight a woman? They're ruthless, naggy, and scary. Man, what a drag."

Temari glared up at Shikamaru. "Hurry up and get down here you lazy ingrate! Not afraid to face me are you?" She swished open her fan with fanfare and began whipping it back and forth, creating intimidating air currents all over the stage.

Shikamaru, while trying to step down onto the field was hit by a gust straight in the face, which blew him several meters backward -"oomph!"- his breath knocked out of him.

Naruto and the others on the standby balcony laughed at the poor boy's predicament. Shikamaru grumbled and repeated something that sounded suspiciously like "scarier than mom". Before he could brush himself off and hop down though, Naruto's impatient personality took control of the situation.

"Hurry up you lazy ass! I wanna see you fight! Hahaha!" Naruto cackled. Grinning he pushed Shikamaru right off the balcony. Unceremoniously, Shikamaru fell a story and a half before landing onto the dirt. People booed and threw stuff at his face. It was all very very troublesome. With a peek through all the trash flinging about, he saw the shadow of the agitated Suna girl who was about to smash some heavy fan metal into his face. Very very very troublesome...