Elimination Exhibition

Elimination Exhibition is the twentieth Chapter of Season One, as well as of the series as a whole.

Plot
Naruto and Sakura search for Matt, and Sakura finds him at a creek bed, having not slept the night before. Matt, having been traumatized by the battle with Masuta Tatsumaki, confides in Sakura, not knowing what to do. Sakura tells him that she does not think that he is a bad person for having accidentally killed Masuta, and that letting the event eat away at him will not help him. She suggests that he move forward one step at a time, finally convincing Matt to rejoin her and Naruto. The three of them proceed to the tower, arriving and thus successfully complete the Second Exam. They open the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, which bring forth Kakashi, who asks them about their time in the Forest of Death. He then explains to them that if too many teams pass the Second Exam, a Preliminary will be held to determine who can proceed to the Third Exam.

After the remainder of the allotted five days of the Exam pass, the eight passing teams assemble in a large room inside the tower. Tsunade is present, along with many other Shinobi. The Hokage explains to the participants the basis of the Preliminary Exam they will be undertaking. Each candidate will partake in one-on-one battles, with the winner moving to the Third Exam while the loser is eliminated. The Preliminary starts immediately, with prospective fighters being chosen at random. Shino Aburame and Kinoa Sangetsu are the first pair chosen. The two meet, the battles being judged by Genma Shiranui, and the fight begins. Kinoa activates a series of techniques that grant him an early advantage in the fight, although it is unclear how he is able to do so.