10. Temari vs TenTen

At first, I didn't really like Temari. She seemed...well, average. Wallpaper. She had that "Oh, Sasuke's cute" moment just like every other girl. So I expected her to be like every other girl-- average in abilities, not too nice, not too mean, normal intelligence, yara yara yara.

The final panel of her battle with TenTen blew all my previous expectations of her out of my mind. I wasn't sure whether to call it a 'battle' or a 'murder'. In short, this battle was what garnered my attention to Temari.

9. Nara Shikamaru and Temari vs Tayuya

Temari's Kuchiyose: Kirikiri Mai! was always one of my favorite summonings; I meant, c'mon, a weasel with a scythe? That's so beast. And there was that way a huge chunk of the forest was ripped apart. Also, the little conversation between Nara and Temari afterwards made me laugh--or rather, Shikamaru's expression after she demolished the forest made me laugh.

8. Rock Lee vs Gaara

I've always liked Rock Lee; he was hard-working, dedicated, and YOUTHFUl! He was polite and well, to be honest, had absolutely no common sense, and was never afraid to give anything his all. So you could say I have a soft spot for him. This battle showed everything that made him one of my favorite characters.


7. Gaara vs Fourth Kazekage

Mainly for the emotional climax of the battle. I'd hated the Fourth Kazekage at first, but this battle made me appreciate him and respect him more. And I was glad to know that Karura had always loved Gaara, and that Yashamaru hadn't truly hated Gaara either. It also showed how far the Kazekage would go for his village, and ultimately, that he wasn't the cruel bastard everyone thought he was.

6. Tobi vs Konan

This battle was beast. Konan was always one of my favorite kunoichi, and this battle against Tobi (or whatever his name is now) showed her true potential. I would say she came closer to defeating Tobi than anyone else.

5. Nara Shikamaru vs Temari

Shikamaru's the lazy strategist, who normally refuses to get off his butt and actually fight. But when he does put in effort, his strategies are always so...well, manipulative. You don't know you're in his trap until it's too late.It was especially entertaining to me for Nara to put in all that effort to trap Temari, than just give up because being a chunin would be "too much of a drag".

4. Gaara vs Deidara

This battle was, hands down, one of the most epic battles in Shippuden. Young Kazekage vs a crafty, bomb-clay chewing Akatsuki, where Gaara is at his full strength (sand everywhere!) but also at his weakest--he needs to protect his village, at all costs. I think the anime did a fairly good job bringing this battle to life.

3. Uzumaki Naruto vs Uchiha Sasuke

No words needed. 'Nuff said.

2. Nara Shikamaru vs Hidan

Revenge is sweet. But this battle between Asuma's student and his killer was, well, a bit surprising--as expected, since it's Nara though. I half expected Shikamaru to pull a Sasuke--crazy psycho!-- but well, it's Shikamaru. His strategies are always amazing, and frankly, always calculated to the very last step. This one in particular, defeating an immortal, was brilliant. And the way he incorporated one of Asuma's most defining past times into Hidan's defeat was ingenious.

1. Senju Hashirama vs Uchiha Madara

Two of the greatest shinobi of all time meet in battle. Although it was never really shown in the manga, the mere fact that this took place between the First Hokage and the strongest Uchiha makes this battle epic.