Aki here: OMG the end of the chapter is cuuuuute! that is all.

"Are you sure we're allowed up here?" Sakura asked as she walked behind Naruto up the side of the back wall behind the Kazekage's building. Both of them had large bags full of smaller bags of free stuff and purchased goods.

"Hai, Matsuri said it was alright as long as we don't destroy it or something like that." He said reaching the top. He walked in a couple feet and sat down looking up at the sky setting his bags aside. "A few more minutes… You don't mind loud noises do you?"

"Eh? Depends, you're not going to start yodeling are you?" She joked and sat down a few feet away. They looked around; suddenly a white flare went off. "What's going on?"

"If I were you," Naruto said laying back and resting his head on his arms, "I'd lay down, better view." He said and stared up at the stars above. She looked at him then noticed a second and third flare. She was nervous but lay back as he did.

The whistle was loud, suddenly an explosion of white hit the air and immediately after a loud explosion sound hit them. "We're right under them!" Sakura said suspired; she turned and looked at Naruto who was too busy smiling to look back.

"Great huh? Think we have three more nights of fireworks!" Suddenly a large red and blue firework exploded. She stared at him and smiled.

"You're home late…" Temari said putting the scroll she was pursuing down, "and you're absolutely beaming?" She tried to think for a second on the matter. "So you really do like Naruto."

"Who told you?!" Sakura said dropping the bags on the floor.

"Hold your horses, I couldn't care less or more. Not my life." She said and rolled the scroll up. "Shikamaru told me. Don't worry, only I heard it, I asked why you two seemed so dependent on each other, and he told me."

"Everyone knows now, even Naruto…" Sakura said collapsing on the couch. "But until he asks me I can't say yes." She huffed sending a stay hair flying back into place.

"Why don't you go to bed, it's a long day tomorrow." Temari said smiling, Sakura ignored her and nodded. Temari waited as Sakura went to into the room, was quiet for a minute then yelled 'Nani!?' and rushed back out. "He did ask me out! I have to go tell him yes!"

"Tomorrow, it's late!" Temari said quickly. "Both of you need sleep, you'll be used as a stand by healer in the next few rounds. Navi has volunteered you and herself. So you need sleep."

"Uh… alright. Hey, mazdai! You already read this!" Sakura said catching on. Temari laughed to herself muttering 'that took long enough…' through jeers. "Whatever, I'll see you in the morning." Sakura went back into the room and closed the door.

Temari pulled her scroll out and was about to start reading when the door opened and Shikamaru walked in. "I've got the schedule for tomorrow's matches. Read them."

"Next time, knock." She said sternly taking it from him. She smiled, "we get first fight."

"Hai. I'll see you on the field tomorrow." He said and began to walk out. "One last thing Temari, there's no way I'm letting you win." Shikamaru closed the door after himself.

"This is a good line up." Temari set the list down, closed the scroll and headed off to bed.

Temari and Shikamaru stood, hands on their knees for support, staring at each other while the sand disappeared. She smiled over at him threw the beads of sweat rolling down. "You were serious, huh Shika?"

"Huh… Hai." He said regaining his breath. "Twenty-four minutes… didn't think it would take this long…"

"I'll end it!" Temari said gathering a burst of strength she waved her fan causing sand to rise against Shikamaru, she vaulted into the sun's light and came down fist flaring with a kunai. He saw in time and blocked it, the kunai went faster and faster, attacking and blocking then blocking and attacking. "Forfeit already."

"And I quote 'and you can't forfeit.'" He smiled and raised a hand quickly and caught her shadow. Shikamaru used the blunt end of his kunai for her sharp end. "Forfeit…"

"No." He lowered it and made a slash on his arm, her's was made actually. "When I break this, I'm messing you up." He did another one. They weren't that deep, not even enough to bleed for more then a few minutes.

Temari's breaths became harder to keep up, she passed out. Shikamaru looked in surprise, "I won?" He suddenly released the chakra, he himself passed out from exhaustion.

The crowd was in a confused state of mind. Matsuri grabbed a clip board and closed her eyes circling at random. "Both Temari of the Sand and Shikamaru of the Leaves are disqualified! Taking the winners place, the following contestants will move on to the next round! Tori of Iwa and Matsuri of the Desert. Hey! Cool!" She said realizing it was her. Suddenly Gaara and Kankuro were in the area checking in on Temari. Sakura and Navi both raced in as well, though Navi was still a little drunk and had a bad hangover.

The four of them moved Temari and Shikamaru off the field. Navi leaned over Shikamaru letting out a small glow. Sakura healed the minor injures on Temari's arm then moved to healing her overall. They both pulled away. "They'll be fine."

"Hai, they do need ran to the hospital though." Navi added.

Gaara whistled and several sand nin ran over. They yelled 'hai' and saluted. "Take them to the hospital." The nin hurried to gather them and ran with them away into town. They left the area and Matsuri continued. "Okay! Next match is… Gaara-sempai and Rock Lee!"

"Oh good…" Gaara said mildly enthused. He stepped in the area as Lee jumped in and they stared at each other. Matsuri's whistle blew and Lee disappeared into the air and appeared behind Gaara. Gaara grabbed Lee's foot and tossed him aside. Lee came back, Gaara simply tossed him away everytime. Lee finally stood up slowed and Gaara showed up behind him. "Lee, I've trained to beat you…"

The sand rose and engulfed Lee's legs to his knees and kicked him squarely in the back with a solid kick. Lee landed on the desert sands, his body failing until he balanced and began to race back at Gaara. It became a blur. The audience stood amazed as they watched, no one could see anything. "GO Semapi!" Matsuri cheered.

"You're supposed to be unbiased!" Sakura told her.

"Um… what's unbiased mean?" She asked quietly.

"You don't root of either side." Navi told her.

"Then who do I root for?" Matsuri asked and nearly missed as a green blur was thrown out of the area. The whistle sounded. "Gaara-sempai wins!"

The crowd erupted in a loud noise of cheers and screams. Lee stood up in the desert and looked down as he was only a half a foot out of the area. "Damn… that was close."

Sakura ran out and landed next to Lee, "any injuries?"

"No, just a good fight." Lee said laughing. "That was fun. It's always…"

"Come on, off the field." Sakura said giving him a LARGE push, lee was shoved about fifty feet back into the crowd. She then left the field, Gaara was completely gone from the matches.

The Kazekage landed softly in his office from the window and picked up the phone, he dialed quickly and a voice came over. "Yes, hello Shizune, is Tsunade there?"

He waited for a second and then heard the Hokage. "I just wanted to check up on the Kage situation, we've had four small cells attack afterward, they were all eliminated." "Alright, keep me informed." He hung up the phone and left again.

Kankuro smirked. He pulled the scroll out from behind his back and opened it, the Naruto's raced across the field at him, several making Rasengan. The charge foreword, Kankuro summoned his three puppets; Sanshouo, Kuroari, and Karasu. They made there way foreword. Karasu's mouth opened and shot poisoned needles at the clones. Two of the many clones disappeared; the rest used various dodges while one held out the Rasengan destroying the needles.

Kankuro realized what was going to happen and tried to pull Karasu back, but the Naruto was faster. He hit the puppet in the face, it's fake black hair flying everywhere, the puppet badly damaged. Kankuro dropped him quickly and had Kuroari shoot out many kunai and needles. The fleet was down to the real Naruto, and two clones as loud poofing noises went around.

Naruto rushed foreword, the clones pitching everything they could, including the kunai and needles the puppets had just launched back at the puppets. Kankuro pulled them back and blocked Naruto who jumped up and was met by the puppets. "Too slow!"

Naruto belt and copied Gaara by showing up behind him and kicking him square in the back. Kankuro lost control of his puppet and fell to the ground. He landed in front of the abandoned Karasu, Kuroari and Sanshouo landed next to him. Kankuro grabbed a finger and Naruto's shoulder jerked. "You're too slow! I attached a Chakra string!"

Naruto pulled out a kunai, it began to glow with chakra and he cut it, he also cut two other lines Kankuro hadn't yet used. Naruto then threw the kunai which crashed threw the arm of Sanshouo, "What's a matter Kankruo?"

"I'll actually have to fight, that's the matter." He said and pulled out a kunai of his own. They rushed foreword and their kunai hit. Kankuro tried to hit Kankuro with his hand, but Kankuro moved back his shoulder and Naruto began to fall foreword. He landed on the hand instead and rolled away. "Kai!" Naruto said quickly.

Kankuro's face lit up as the explosive note Naruto had tried to place was set next to him instead of on. Kankuro was still blown down. Naruto saw his opportunity, and picked up Kankuro and ran to the edge of the area while the puppet master was still in a daze, he tossed him gently out and Naruto threw his hands in the air. "Yat-ta! I did it!"

"That's a good way to end today! Winner Naruto of Konoha!" Matsuri said and the crowd erupted again and began to quickly disperse. Matsuri hopped over to them; Kankuro was in the middle of trying to swear Naruto out in the most friendly manner. "Watch your language, Kankuro-sama!"

"Yeah, I know, I know Matsuri." Kankuro sat up and Sakura and Navi were there, he waved them off. "I'm fine, it's just hurt pride."

"You look so surprised Kankuro." Naruto said happily sitting down next to him. "It's like you expected me not to win…"

"Well… you do goof off a lot." He said staring over. "I didn't think you'd incorporate other peoples move though. That note, that was a real surprise. Did you think of a strategy?"

"Nope, found it in the sand, figured I could use it." He said laughing. He stopped and scratched his head, "strategies are hard to come up with if you don't know who you're opponent is…"

"Ah, hai." Kankuro said standing. "Well, I have to go see Temari, good luck in the next round. Later." Kankuro said disappearing.

"I better go find Gaara-sempai, he promised to take me around the carnival tonight. Sayonara!" Matsuri said and vaulted into the sky landing on the wall then jumping behind it.

"I wish I had her energy…" Sakura said staring. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Uh… I… I don't know. What do you want to do?" Naruto asked somewhat puzzled. "I didn't know we were supposed to do anything tonight."

"Would you take me to see the fireworks again, Naruto?" Sakura asked in a bubbly tone.

"Sure!" Naruto said standing up, he slowed his attitude down some, "but what do you want to do for the next two hours then.

"Dinner? Temari told me about a small shop on the edge of town, said they were good and give discounts to shinobi." Sakura said turning around and walking. She heard Naruto walking behind her, he eventually was walking besides her, she decided to tell him already. "Hai."

"Hm?" Naruto asked.

"Hai. You asked me a question remember." She said and stared ahead. Naruto stopped and thought for a second, he knew the question, and he knew the answer, but was having trouble realizing the connection.

'I'm dating Sakura-chan…" "Seriously?" He asked running back up to her excitedly.

"I told you, if you asked me, I would say yes, and I did. Come on, let's go get dinner, Naruto, I'm getting hungry." She said calmly. She was suddenly being squished, Naruto had thrown his arms around her and was smiling larger then he ever had.