Chapter 21: The Challenge Begins

I know it has been long since the last update but I sadly haven't had any ideas for it but I am trying to update all my stories as much as I can but please don't be mad if one doesn't come for an entire week, because I virtually have no time during it so most chapters will either be on Saturday or Sunday, Forgive me.

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~ 5 DAYS LATER ~

Sakura sighed, it had been a long 5 days, she hadn't even realized that Temari went through hell practically everyday just so Gaara and Kankuro wouldn't kill each other. 'This is going to kill me…' she thought as Kankuro and Gaara started to argue once again.

"YOU KNOW I HAVE THE RIGHT MIND TO CATASTRATE YOU!" She screamed barging into the room.

Both boys instantly stopped fighting and jumped up covering their lower areas, "S-S-sorry Sakura-Chan…" Kankuro apologized.

"You better be… And Gaara shouldn't you be doing your paperwork by a chance?" Sakura asked with an annoyed look.

Gaara looked around, "Yeah…" He quickly disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Sakura sighed, 'This is going to be a long two weeks…' She thought and headed out of the mansion and to the training grounds but was stopped by a shout.

"HARUNO SAKURA! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A FIGHT!" A girl with brown hair shrieked.

'Matsuri…' Sakura thought grudgingly, 'The brat just doesn't know when to give up…'

Matsuri was Gaara's student, well very annoying student she was practically trying to kill Sakura because she was so close to him and all her thought of her was as his student. While Sakura was more to him then just a friend, Sakura knew this for a fact considering he would practically kill anyone if they tried to hurt her. But this girl was the most annoying thing she wouldn't shut up about being Gaara's student and she constantly insulted Sakura to no end. Plus there was the fact that she always would scream she was going to marry Gaara when they would fight and that Gaara could never love a pink haired freak.

Sakura sighed in anger, "Please… For once in your god damned life leave me alone for one fucking day?!" She yelled.

"NEVER!" Matsuri screeched and again challenged her.

"Okay… Fine…." Sakura growled her annoyance at the brat growing.

Once they got to the training grounds Sakura walked to one side of the field while Matsuri went to the other and fell into a fighting stance. "I WILL BEAT YOU AND THEN GAARA-SENSEI WILL LOVE ME MORE!" She yelled and charged at Sakura.

Sakura's eye twitched, "I'll finish this fast…" She muttered darkly and quickly side stepped the younger girls lunge. "How pathetic…"

Matsuri let out a shriek and again lunged at Sakura who just sidestepped her once more. "TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!" She roared, and pulled out her special weapon swinging it at Sakura who once again dodged.

"You call yourself a ninja but you can't even put a scratch on me… You really are pathetic… And really I am not in the mood for this so I'll finish this now…" Sakura growled and raised her hand in a motion that Matsuri didn't recognize.

"What the hell are you do--- AHHH!" She screamed before she could finish her sentence for wooden arms had wrapped around her and made sure she couldn't move. "WHATS GOING ON!!! WHO SAID YOU COULD CALL FOR HELP?! THAT JUST SHOWS HOW WEAK YOU ARE!!!" She screamed as another pinned her down.

"Who said I called for help? These are my puppets…" Sakura said and again moved her hand and Matsuri was flung to the ground. "Himeko, my very first puppet. And then there is Chime… The one I made myself… The rest are all in their respective scrolls." Sakura said a slight smile appearing on her face. "And one other thing… You lose… Now leave me alone Brat…" She growled and walked away from the training grounds her two puppets disappearing in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

Matsuri screamed in anger and stormed off to her home to complain to her parents, who hated Sakura just as much as Matsuri.

Sakura sighed as she made it to the mansion without anymore annoyances, 'You know I might just go to sleep for a few hours…' She thought and walked to her room and promptly fell asleep within seconds of her head touching the pillow.

A few hours later she was awoken to the sound of an explosion and instantly was out of bed and heading toward the Kazekage tower her annoyance back, 'So they were after Panda-Chan… But did they have to attack so soon?' She wondered and stopped dead as she saw the hugest bomb ever.

"HOLY SHIT!" she screamed and this caught the attention of the psycho bomber and Gaara.

"SAKURA GET OUT OF HERE!" Gaara cried, but Sakura only ignored him as she jumped and landed on the bubble of sand that Gaara had made to protect himself.

"Like I'm missing this fight…" She laughed and jumped toward Deidara as the huge bomb glowed brightly and exploded. Sakura's eyes widened in shock as the huge wave of power hit her and sent her careening toward the ground.

'Great idea Sherlock' Inner cried, 'Now we're going to die!'

'This is just not my day…' Sakura thought but suddenly was jerked upwards by a hand that happened to have a mouth on it. "EAHHH!!!" She yelped, "IT LICKED ME!!!"

"Sorry… Hm." Deidara growled as he threw her onto the birds back, "Your dad would kill me if you died…"

Sakura smiled, "You should have let me fall… Cause you just gave me on hell of a opening…" She laughed and took aim to punch him.

Deidara only smirked, "You seriously think I would be that stupid? Hm." He chuckled and Sakura froze as something crawled on her shoulder.

"Oh hell no…" Sakura growled and was sent flying back by the small explosion the clay spider caused. "Tell him the game is on!!" She yelled and then hit sand as she lost consciousness.