A fierce fight to the end!

As soon as the proctor said those words, Haku threw several needles towards Naruto, who in return threw a few kunai of his own, deflecting them as both weapons flew off and landed on the dusty floor. "That's not going to work this time, Haku-chan.", Naruto said grinningly. "Like I said, I've been training and those needles aren't going to touch me!", he warned as he pulled out another set of kunai, one in each hand.

Haku merely grinned as she looked at the blond ninja before her. "We will see about that, Naruto-kun.", Haku replied as she brought her hands up in a hand sign. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!", she called out her technique as several clones appeared next to her, all of them with that same creepy smile on their faces. "Now, we won't go easy on you, Naruto-kun!", they said in unison as they charged him.

Meanwhile, up in the audience seats, those Gennin who did not pass the preliminary round and their teachers watched as Naruto began to fight the strange kunoichi. More importantly, the girls were visibly worried about their boyfriend as they all knew that the girl fighting him had it out to take his life in this match. "Naruto-kun's confident at least.", Tenten said as she watched him block the deadly needles.

"But... do you think Naruto-kun can beat her? I mean, she's so fast and....." Hinata began worriedly, remembering their encounter with the girl in the forest of **** as the rest of the Gennin watched in awe of the fight. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about him.", a new voice called, getting everyones attention as a strange, white-haired man stood there, grinning confidently."Naruto didn't let a day go to waste in his training. In fact, I daresay he is one of the hardest working ninja I ever met!", he explained.

Ino and Sakura had run into the audience quickly to talk to their teacher about last minute preparations for their matches, but seeing the old man standing next to their teammates and friends and hearing his proclamation made them wonder.

"And who are you?", Sakura asked, getting a grin from the man as he was about to do his strange dance before Ino seemed to recognize him as she said. "Wait Sakura, I think this is...", she began and Jiraiya had a look of pride on his face. Even the young generation knew his name. Then Ino finished her sentence. "... the old pervert who trained Naruto!". That statment made said man fall face first into the stairs as he was called a pervert by the blond kunoichi before him. "I thought I told him not to call me that or spread it around!", Jiraiya yelled.

"Um... Asuma-sensei, who is he?", Hinata asked curiously as the smoking man sighed before answering. "He is Jiraiya-sama, one of the legendary ninja of Konohagakure and, as Ino put it, a true pervert.", he chuckled before Jiraiya glared at him. "Hey now! I was a highly ranked ninja before you were even in the academy! Show some respect!". Narutos girlfriends and comrades gave unbelieving looks at the strange man before them as Kiba muttered to the others "What could this guy teach Naruto?".

Kurenai let a smile tug at her lips as she said "Well, considering he was trained by the Third Hokage and taught the Fourth, I think he has a lot he could have taught Naruto.". Kurenai smiled at the disbeliving looks their students were giving her as they stared at the old man witha new light as he grinned "Yep, and what I taught him, he soaked it up like a sponge", Jiraiya commented as he watched the Kiri Kunoichi making clones.

"Is Naruto really that good now?", Choji asked as a smile made its way to Jiraiyas face as he watched them charge his student. "Naruto is going to take this as a opportunity to show off, just watch closely!", Jiraiya said as they turned to see Naruto surrounded by the clones.

Naruto looked between each clone around him. "Six clones.", Naruto muttered before grinning as the real Haku stood away from the ring of herselves and called out "I thought you said you had gotten better, Naruto-kun! Now you're surrounded and my speed will take you own easily!". As she finished, her clones jumped towards Naruto at lightning fast speed, only for naruto to grin as in a flash of his own impressive speed, he brought his hand together for his own seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!", he called out and was covered by puff of smoke. Then, six Narutos burst out of the smoke and each one took a Haku-clone by surprise. The water clones burst into water again, having been destroyed by this impressive showcase of Narutos own, improved speed.

"And I told you I wouldn't lose this fight, Haku-chan. I worked on my speed the whole month while I trained. You're not going to be able to get me with the same old tricks.", Naruto cheekily said. A surprised look came over Hakus face for a moment before she shivered and smiled even more. "Well, then I will have to show you some new ones, Naruto-kun!", she yelled and charged at him.

"Go, Naruto-kun! Knock her out of the village!", Ino yelled excitedly as she watched her boyfriend and the girl begin a fierce hand-to-hand combat match with each of them trading blow for blow against each other. "Naruto has definitely gotten better. I can't believe it, but I think it's safe to say he isn't the dead last anymore.", Kiba said as Choji gave a small nod, his shock at Narutos skill making him stop eating his chips for a moment. Naruto was at least lasting longer then Choji had against Haku, but Shikamaru wondered if he was strong enough to win.

As Naruto and Haku weapons met again, both strained to gain the upper, pressing harder againt each other they stared face to face. "Naruto-kun, your growth for a months time is truly impressive. However, I'm going to win this match, because I have three advantages you don't.", she said lowly as they had reached a tie with their weapons clashed.

"And what's that Haku-chan?", Naruto asked, truly curious as she smiled. "Well, first of all, there is the water from my clones around us.", Haku said making him look down. 'Right, she's fom Kirigakure, so it makes sense she would use water clones for attacks later on.', Naruto thought as Haku continued. "Two, I have one of your hands occupied, leaving you with only one.".

Then Haku grinned as she brought her own free hand up and finished with "Three, I can do this!", and with that she began to do one handed seals... something Naruto had never seen anyone, not even his sensei do before. "Naruto-kun, you know of my bloodline, my control of Water and Ice? I will give you a demonstration.", she said, ending the sequnece as the water around them sprung to life and jumped into the air.

The audience looked on in amazment. Those who had the slightest bit of ninja training were impressed with the girls skill with hand seals. Not many could attest to being able to pull that off, but what shocked everyone was the seemingly hundreds of various sized icicles that floated in mid air.

"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō (Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of ****)!", Haku whispered, making Naruto stop from looking at them around him before realizing he was in trouble. Suddenly the needles rained down at once and a huge cloud of smoke was kicked up as it ended the attack.

No one in the audience said a word, too shocked at the ferocity of the attck that had swallowed up both contestents. Narutos girlfriends were especially worried for his safety as the form of Haku suddenly lept from the smoke, clear of the attack with not a scratch on her that wasn't there before. "Is the match over? Did Naruto...?", Kiba asked unsurely as Ino glared at him. "Don't you dare finish that scentence Kiba! Naruto is too good to lose like that! He can't be....", she trailed off at the end as Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dont worry yourself.", Jiraiya grinned, "Trust me when I say this... the match isn't over!".

Haku stared as the smoke began to settle. She was sure her attack connected, so why was she so... concerned? Worried even? Finally, the smoke died down for all to see and it had a visible reaction from everyone, but none so more then Haku. Naruto had replaced himself with a log, which was like a pin cushion at the moment with the number of ice cicles embedded into it.

"Naruto-kun dodged it!", Haku whispered in shock before she realized her own words and spun just in time to miss being hit by Naruto's flying kick which would have hit her in the head if it had connected. Haku quickly cleared herself from Narutos reach as he tried to land a few punches on her.

Those watching the fight gave a varied reaction to the sudden event, just as it seemed it was the end for the blond ninja he turned it around and nearly got his opponent in her daze. Narutos friends and girlfriends let out sighs of relief seeing he was okay, while the examiners were noting how well he was utilizing his skills to best her.

"Naruto-kun, I am amazed!", Haku said sincerely as she stared at him. Naruto however wasn't nearly as relaxed as she was as he stayed in his fighting position should she try something. "You are truly strong! Not only that but you survived a jutsu very few have before you, but I came here to show my village is strong! And I can't have distractions like you!", Haku yelled as she brought her hands up in a new handsign.

"What a pity!", Haku muttered as she focused and Naruto once again saw the water around him moving and the ice imbedded in the log fly up to join the gathering liquid until it took shape. What it turned into was surprising, a dome of twenty one ice mirrors hanging in the air around Naruto. Now, this was something he definitly hadn't expected, but then again, Haku was full of surprises... her wanting to kill him for example.

"Naruto-kun, I'm sorry it's going to end so quickly, but this is the end for you!", Haku said as she walked towards him from outside the dome. "This is my ultimate technique. No one has survived it once they were trapped in this, my Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō (Secret Jutsu: Demonic Ice Mirrors)!", Haku stated as she looked at him before walking to a mirror, and then to everyones shock she walked INTO the ice mirror, her reflection in all of them as they stared at Naruto.

"And what's to stop me from just walking out of here?", Naruto asked as he took a step forward, only to recieve a cut on the leg that took it, making him cry out in surprised pain. "Because I can attack in here, and to me, my speed is increased tenfold. You look like you're standing still when I move out of these. You're trapped!", Haku said with a grin. "Now, try to last a while before you give out, Naruto-kun.".

Everyone in the stands watched the brutal scene as Naruto was being attacked mercilessly by Haku. Any step he took or action he made was stopped as the girl quickly made sure to keep him in his spot in the middle of the mirrors. "Naruto-kun's in trouble!", Hinata yelled worriedly as she and the others watched helpless to do anything to stop the scene before them.

"Jiraiya-sama, you knew the kind of opponents Naruto was going to be facing, didn't you?", Kurenai asked as she looked up at him. "Surely you taught him something that can help him get out of this!", the man stared down with a grin still on his face as he replied, "Kurenai, you have no idea of that blond idiots strength. In the time we spent together, I saw him grow by leaps and bounds as he took eveything I gave him and then asked for more. Naruto can get out of this, but I think he's just bidding his time.".

That statement made all present look back at the scene as Naruto seemed to be barely standing up.

"Naruto-kun, I see you are about to fall. I think I should let you have a quick and painless dear for the fun fight I got out of you.", Haku said giddily as she looked at him through the mirrors. 'I can't use THAT technique yet and if I was that bastard Sasuke, I could just use a fire jutsu to get out of this... No, I'm sure those things aren't that easy to beat, but I guess there's no other option.', Naruto thought before nodding to himself as he looked up.

Haku was surprised to see Naruto standing back up as his eyes showed how confident he was at the moment. "Haku-chan, I didn't want to show this trick I learned so early in the finals, but if I have to show it to anyone, I'm glad its a strong opponent like you.", Naruto said as he took a bit of the blood leaking from one of his cuts and started making hand signs.

Those of Chunnin and higher ranking were shocked at what he was doing. Did he really have THAT ability? "What's Naruto doing?", Kiba asked as Jiraiya chuckled. "Something that's going to put this exam to a whole new level.", he replied, watching Naruto finish the last sign before slaming his hand into the ground.

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU (Summoning jutsu)!!!!", Naruto yelled as a huge explosion of smoke filled the area in the dome, obscuring the view of everyone outside it. But the could hear something. The sounds of something breaking glass filled the air for a second before suddenly several of the mirrors fell from the cloud, either broken into pieces or whole as they flew across the stadium.

Then Haku jumped from the smoke, clearly shocked that her ultimate technique was broken like a twig in the hands of a wrestler. As the smoke cleared she and everyone else were even more shocked as Naruto stood on the head of an orange toad, about the size of a small house, the size of which had broken the mirrors with its size or thrown them away.

"He knows how to use a summoning technique, that's suprising!", one examiner said, not adding that it was a toad, of all the summons possible. "Yeah, the chakra to use that is incredible and he used it to escape from that one the girl had, which was equally as impressive.", the other added as they watched the fight drawing to its closing act.

"NOW!", Naruto yelled as the toad opened its mouth wide. Haku tried to avoid whatever was about to come her way, but the toads tongue shot out and grabbed her by her leg and began to toss her around like a ragdoll. She hit the ground and a tree a few times before the toad tossed her into the air which Naruto lept after her.

Forming a hand sign, Naruto shouted out "Kage Bushin!" and his trusty shadow clones appeared around him as he initiated his attack. "U! -zu! -ma! -ki!", the clones yelled as they each kicked Haku higher before the real Naruto appeared above her and pushed his foot into her body. "Naruto Rendan!", he yelled as he pushed Haku down at a great speed, aiming her body to the ground as they impacted.

The air was silent as the dust kicked up by the impact flew about the two fighters. Naruto bended down with a weapon to Haku's throat as he stared at her hardly. "I win, Haku-chan.", Naruto stated firmly as she stared up at him. "And yet you spare me?", she asked as Naruto raised an eye at her. "I won, there is no reason to fight now.", Naruto stated as she shook her head slightly. "No Naruto-kun, you have to take my life", Haku said more then determidly.

Naruto stared at her as she spoke "I came here with a mission, to show how strong my village is. But I have been beaten, I can't complete my mission and the only fate that awaits those who can't complete their mission is ****! Naruto-kun, just do it!", Haku yelled even as tears welled in her eyes. Naruto raised the kunai in his hand and brought it down, only to halt his hand as the tip of the blade was inches from Hakus face.

It was so close Haku could see herself staring into it as Naruto cursed. "Damn it, Haku-chan! Being a ninja isn't about just completing damn missions and getting rid of stronger fighters!", Naruto yelled with even greater **** then Haku had. "It's about fighting with your comrades and growing stronger! It about friendship!", Naruto said as he stood up again. "Haku-chan, in this village we believe in the bonds between people, friends, family, even comrades in battle.", Naruto said as he looked down at her.

"I think you should find an important person to protect Haku-chan, because then you can become really strong.", Naruto grinned as Haku seemed to think his words over. "An important person...", Haku muttered, closing her eyes with a small smile on her lips. 'Perhaps that is something I need to think about... Naruto-kun.', Haku thought as she let herself rest from her tiring battle.

Seeing the end of the match, the judges nodded to the proctor before he turned and yelled "The winner of this fight is Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure!".