Just for kicks, let's take a look at how the Chunin exams would go if they were taken now, with the characters at their current power levels with their current skills. This'll start with the 1 on 1 fights, and we're assuming that Kabuto withdraws again or doesn't take part for simplicity's sake. We'll also assume that they progress to completion, uninterrupted by any dastardly plans.
PRELIMINARIES
Sasuke vs. Yoroi: Absolute curbstomp in Sasuke's favour. Sasuke advances with ease.
Shino vs. Zaku: Curbstomp in Shino's favour. Shino advances, winning his match handily.
Kankuro vs. Misumi: Curbstomp in Kankuro's favour. Kankuro advances, winning his match handily.
Sakura vs. Ino: The first actually decent fight in this series of rematches. Sakura's massive strength is a major threat to Ino, and one hit would likely end the match then and there. Sakura's skill in medical ninjutsu also greatly surpasses Ino's, and so Sakura could likely easily and rapidly heal from physical injuries Ino inflicts. However, Ino has tricks up her sleeve that render both Sakura's massive strength and medical skills useless. Ino's Mind Body Switch and Mind Clone Switch make entering into close range dangerous for Sakura, as she would be at risk for getting hit with them point-blank. Both are approximately evenly matched at long distance, with no notable long or mid-range skills being demonstrated by either of them. For all her book smarts, however, Sakura's tendency to fight in a straightforward manner would likely be her downfall. While she certainly has her devious moments (her manner of demolishing the Third Kazekage puppet when battling Sasori, for example), Ino's simply better at on-the-spot planning and underhanded tactics and, from what we've seen, has had more practice at them than Sakura has. This would likely end in a manner similar to their first match, with Ino outmanoeuvring Sakura and pinning her with one of her takeover techniques. In this case, however, Ino expects Sakura's "willpower" and is prepared for the struggle and comes out on top. I am giving this to Ino, but only barely, as there are a number of ways Sakura could easily come out on top. Ino wins with extreme difficulty. Ino advances.
Tenten vs. Temari: Oh, poor Tenten. Even with the Banana Fan, which puts enormous strain on her chakra reserves, it's still an awful matchup for her. Temari comes out on top once again with ease, although probably not with quite as much as their first match. Temari advances.
Shikamaru vs. Kin: Curbstomp in Shikamaru's favour. Shikamaru advances, winning his match handily.
Naruto vs. Kiba: Naruto's just too much for Kiba at this point. Kiba puts up an impressive showing, but Naruto wins this handily. Naruto advances with ease.
Hinata vs. Neji: Byakugan vs. Byakugan, Gentle Fist vs. Gentle Fist. Neji and Hinata have both demonstrated some impressive new skills, but Neji would likely once again come out on top. Hinata has made leaps and bounds of progress, but Neji is a jonin for a reason. Hinata pushes Neji to his limit, but Neji takes this by virtue of a head start in terms of skill. Neji advances with difficulty.
Lee vs. Gaara: An excellent fight to see at this point, but Gaara most likely wins this one. Even with Lee's ability to use the gates, it's an awful matchup for Lee with Gaara's massive advantage at a distance and mobility with his sand platforms. Lee can certainly push Gaara, but defeating him is a whole other matter. Gaara advances with slight difficulty.
Choji vs. Dosu: Absolute curbstomp in Choji's favour. Choji advances with ease.
Results: At this point, the only real changes we have are Ino's and Choji's progression, despite the better showings some individuals made in comparison to their first match. We have Sasuke, Naruto, and possibly Choji as major players.
ROUND 1
We assume most of the matchups stay the same, so we have:
Naruto vs. Neji, Sasuke vs. Gaara, Shino vs. Kankuro, Temari vs. Shikamaru, and Choji vs. Ino.
Naruto vs. Neji: Unfortunately for Neji, Naruto embarasses him here. Curbstomp in Naruto's favour. Naruto advances.
Sasuke vs. Gaara: Ah, now this would be a rematch to see. Both display impressive new skills, but Sasuke is able to overpower Gaara at this point. Sasuke wins with slight difficulty. Sasuke advances.
Shino vs. Kankuro: An interesting matchup, but all signs point to Shino's victory once again in this case. Kankuro is at a terrible disadvantage, having to constantly detach and reattach chakra strings to his puppets, and when Shino's insects reach him, it's all over. Shino is also aware of Kankuro's poison at this point, and *may* have learned the technique his father used to draw the poison from his body after their first match. Kankuro's strategic abilities have improved since their first fight, as we saw in his puppet battle against Edo Sasori, but Shino's tactical skills have most likely only sharpened since he outplayed Kankuro. When all is said and done, Shino wins with difficulty. Shino advances.
Temari vs. Shikamaru: Another interesting matchup between two shrewd analysts. Temari has the advantage over Shikamaru in terms of mobility, speed, and raw power, not to mention being vastly superior at a distance, but Shikamaru's tactical genius is not to be underestimated. That being said, both understand each other's techniques very well and would no doubt be able to come up with plan after plan for victory. The fight would consist of a series of attemped gambits on both sides, but the winner in this case seems to be Temari once again. It wouldn't be because of a surrender, though. Temari is able to simply overwhelm Shikamaru at this point, though he would undoubtedly put up a good fight. Temari wins with moderate difficulty. Temari advances.
Choji vs. Ino: This battle is one that hinges on the strategy Choji uses. Should he opt to remain at a normal size, he can win this handily by simply being too much for Ino to handle. However, if he uses virtually any of his Expansion techniques, he makes himself an enormous target for Ino to possess. Choji isn't exactly known for his tactical brilliance, however, and he's a gigantic softie when it comes to fighting people close to him, and Ino would likely take advantage of this to incapacitate him. Ino wins by sheer luck of the draw in who her opponent was. Ino advances.
Results: Looking at the battles, it's easy to see why Sasuke and Naruto advanced. Shino and Temari had trouble with their respective opponents, but the biggest upset is Ino. In terms of raw power, it's rather surprising that she made it this far. Will this blonde dark horse continue through the matchups?
ROUND 2
This is where making matchups becomes a little tricky, as we all know what happened the first time around. However, due to how the tree was made up the first time, I created the following matchups:
Naruto vs. Sasuke, Shino vs. Temari, Ino faces winner between Shino and Temari (I apologize if it looks like I'm giving Ino a free pass, but this is the closest I could come up with to how the tournament would play out).
Naruto vs. Sasuke: Ooh, I REALLY didn't want to have to touch this one. We can't really say at this point who would win here (and goodness knows I shouldn't even try), so I'm going to call this one a double-knockout draw leaving an absolutely devastated arena in its wake. This outcome's certainly feasible, and hey, it makes the tournament more interesting. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto advance.
Shino vs. Temari: This would be quite the fight. While Temari can easily blow away any large-scale attacks Shino attempts, she would have to be extremely vigilant to avoid Shino's sneakier tactics. Likewise, her winds can't do any real, lasting damage to Shino's bugs, but are able to disrupt their unity easily. The advantage, however, lies with Temari; her winds can indeed damage Shino himself rather easily, and Shino's mostly on the defensive during this fight as Temari can easily dissipate Shino's larger attacks and his small scale attacks would simply take too long to take effect. Temari wins with some difficulty. Temari advances.
Results: Perhaps most fortunately for our other competitors, neither the Uzumaki nor the Uchiha powerhouse advances due to taking each other out in a double knockout. Temari is able to wear Shino in an unfortunate matchup for the bug master.
FINALS
Luck has certainly been with Ino today, as she advances to the finals to face the Mistress of the Winds, Temari! Will her luck hold out?
Temari vs. Ino: The answer to that question is no. Temari can easily block Ino's attempts at mind control with her fan and retaliate with brutal wind techniques. Temari's a good deal shrewder than Ino's previous opponents as well, an most likely wouldn't fall for any machinations Ino attempts to gain the upper hand. Temari wins with relative ease and wins the tournament!
Results: A great victory for the Sand Village as Temari of the Winds takes the tournament by storm (pun most definitely intended)!
Thoughts on the matchups and alternate results are most appreciated!
PRELIMINARIES
Sasuke vs. Yoroi: Absolute curbstomp in Sasuke's favour. Sasuke advances with ease.
Shino vs. Zaku: Curbstomp in Shino's favour. Shino advances, winning his match handily.
Kankuro vs. Misumi: Curbstomp in Kankuro's favour. Kankuro advances, winning his match handily.
Sakura vs. Ino: The first actually decent fight in this series of rematches. Sakura's massive strength is a major threat to Ino, and one hit would likely end the match then and there. Sakura's skill in medical ninjutsu also greatly surpasses Ino's, and so Sakura could likely easily and rapidly heal from physical injuries Ino inflicts. However, Ino has tricks up her sleeve that render both Sakura's massive strength and medical skills useless. Ino's Mind Body Switch and Mind Clone Switch make entering into close range dangerous for Sakura, as she would be at risk for getting hit with them point-blank. Both are approximately evenly matched at long distance, with no notable long or mid-range skills being demonstrated by either of them. For all her book smarts, however, Sakura's tendency to fight in a straightforward manner would likely be her downfall. While she certainly has her devious moments (her manner of demolishing the Third Kazekage puppet when battling Sasori, for example), Ino's simply better at on-the-spot planning and underhanded tactics and, from what we've seen, has had more practice at them than Sakura has. This would likely end in a manner similar to their first match, with Ino outmanoeuvring Sakura and pinning her with one of her takeover techniques. In this case, however, Ino expects Sakura's "willpower" and is prepared for the struggle and comes out on top. I am giving this to Ino, but only barely, as there are a number of ways Sakura could easily come out on top. Ino wins with extreme difficulty. Ino advances.
Tenten vs. Temari: Oh, poor Tenten. Even with the Banana Fan, which puts enormous strain on her chakra reserves, it's still an awful matchup for her. Temari comes out on top once again with ease, although probably not with quite as much as their first match. Temari advances.
Shikamaru vs. Kin: Curbstomp in Shikamaru's favour. Shikamaru advances, winning his match handily.
Naruto vs. Kiba: Naruto's just too much for Kiba at this point. Kiba puts up an impressive showing, but Naruto wins this handily. Naruto advances with ease.
Hinata vs. Neji: Byakugan vs. Byakugan, Gentle Fist vs. Gentle Fist. Neji and Hinata have both demonstrated some impressive new skills, but Neji would likely once again come out on top. Hinata has made leaps and bounds of progress, but Neji is a jonin for a reason. Hinata pushes Neji to his limit, but Neji takes this by virtue of a head start in terms of skill. Neji advances with difficulty.
Lee vs. Gaara: An excellent fight to see at this point, but Gaara most likely wins this one. Even with Lee's ability to use the gates, it's an awful matchup for Lee with Gaara's massive advantage at a distance and mobility with his sand platforms. Lee can certainly push Gaara, but defeating him is a whole other matter. Gaara advances with slight difficulty.
Choji vs. Dosu: Absolute curbstomp in Choji's favour. Choji advances with ease.
Results: At this point, the only real changes we have are Ino's and Choji's progression, despite the better showings some individuals made in comparison to their first match. We have Sasuke, Naruto, and possibly Choji as major players.
ROUND 1
We assume most of the matchups stay the same, so we have:
Naruto vs. Neji, Sasuke vs. Gaara, Shino vs. Kankuro, Temari vs. Shikamaru, and Choji vs. Ino.
Naruto vs. Neji: Unfortunately for Neji, Naruto embarasses him here. Curbstomp in Naruto's favour. Naruto advances.
Sasuke vs. Gaara: Ah, now this would be a rematch to see. Both display impressive new skills, but Sasuke is able to overpower Gaara at this point. Sasuke wins with slight difficulty. Sasuke advances.
Shino vs. Kankuro: An interesting matchup, but all signs point to Shino's victory once again in this case. Kankuro is at a terrible disadvantage, having to constantly detach and reattach chakra strings to his puppets, and when Shino's insects reach him, it's all over. Shino is also aware of Kankuro's poison at this point, and *may* have learned the technique his father used to draw the poison from his body after their first match. Kankuro's strategic abilities have improved since their first fight, as we saw in his puppet battle against Edo Sasori, but Shino's tactical skills have most likely only sharpened since he outplayed Kankuro. When all is said and done, Shino wins with difficulty. Shino advances.
Temari vs. Shikamaru: Another interesting matchup between two shrewd analysts. Temari has the advantage over Shikamaru in terms of mobility, speed, and raw power, not to mention being vastly superior at a distance, but Shikamaru's tactical genius is not to be underestimated. That being said, both understand each other's techniques very well and would no doubt be able to come up with plan after plan for victory. The fight would consist of a series of attemped gambits on both sides, but the winner in this case seems to be Temari once again. It wouldn't be because of a surrender, though. Temari is able to simply overwhelm Shikamaru at this point, though he would undoubtedly put up a good fight. Temari wins with moderate difficulty. Temari advances.
Choji vs. Ino: This battle is one that hinges on the strategy Choji uses. Should he opt to remain at a normal size, he can win this handily by simply being too much for Ino to handle. However, if he uses virtually any of his Expansion techniques, he makes himself an enormous target for Ino to possess. Choji isn't exactly known for his tactical brilliance, however, and he's a gigantic softie when it comes to fighting people close to him, and Ino would likely take advantage of this to incapacitate him. Ino wins by sheer luck of the draw in who her opponent was. Ino advances.
Results: Looking at the battles, it's easy to see why Sasuke and Naruto advanced. Shino and Temari had trouble with their respective opponents, but the biggest upset is Ino. In terms of raw power, it's rather surprising that she made it this far. Will this blonde dark horse continue through the matchups?
ROUND 2
This is where making matchups becomes a little tricky, as we all know what happened the first time around. However, due to how the tree was made up the first time, I created the following matchups:
Naruto vs. Sasuke, Shino vs. Temari, Ino faces winner between Shino and Temari (I apologize if it looks like I'm giving Ino a free pass, but this is the closest I could come up with to how the tournament would play out).
Naruto vs. Sasuke: Ooh, I REALLY didn't want to have to touch this one. We can't really say at this point who would win here (and goodness knows I shouldn't even try), so I'm going to call this one a double-knockout draw leaving an absolutely devastated arena in its wake. This outcome's certainly feasible, and hey, it makes the tournament more interesting. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto advance.
Shino vs. Temari: This would be quite the fight. While Temari can easily blow away any large-scale attacks Shino attempts, she would have to be extremely vigilant to avoid Shino's sneakier tactics. Likewise, her winds can't do any real, lasting damage to Shino's bugs, but are able to disrupt their unity easily. The advantage, however, lies with Temari; her winds can indeed damage Shino himself rather easily, and Shino's mostly on the defensive during this fight as Temari can easily dissipate Shino's larger attacks and his small scale attacks would simply take too long to take effect. Temari wins with some difficulty. Temari advances.
Results: Perhaps most fortunately for our other competitors, neither the Uzumaki nor the Uchiha powerhouse advances due to taking each other out in a double knockout. Temari is able to wear Shino in an unfortunate matchup for the bug master.
FINALS
Luck has certainly been with Ino today, as she advances to the finals to face the Mistress of the Winds, Temari! Will her luck hold out?
Temari vs. Ino: The answer to that question is no. Temari can easily block Ino's attempts at mind control with her fan and retaliate with brutal wind techniques. Temari's a good deal shrewder than Ino's previous opponents as well, an most likely wouldn't fall for any machinations Ino attempts to gain the upper hand. Temari wins with relative ease and wins the tournament!
Results: A great victory for the Sand Village as Temari of the Winds takes the tournament by storm (pun most definitely intended)!
Thoughts on the matchups and alternate results are most appreciated!
