Naruto Primer: All
Three-Legged Race
"The next is an obstacle course." Asuma explained to everyone. "There will only be two people from each team participating in this event so you'll have to choose. The catch, however, is that it's a three-legged race! If you don't cross the finish line attached to your partner, then you lose. You may now choose your two participants."
"A race!!" said Lee, getting all pumped. "I'm definitely in this event!!"
"No, think about it." said Tenten. "If you are attached to one of us, it won't make a difference how fast you are. Your speed will probably end up hurting us in the end."
"No way!" complained Lee.
"So I suppose Neji and I will do this event." Said Tenten. "Is that all right Neji?"
Neji didn't really agree with Tenten's reasoning, but he was rearing to go so he wasn't going to argue with her. "Sure, sounds fine." He said.
"Sasuke, you and I should go!" said Sakura just because she wanted to be attached to Sasuke for an extended period of time.
"No, you'd just slow me down." Said Sasuke. "We haven't won an event yet so it's crucial that we win this one. And, even though Naruto will slow me down too, he'd probably be a better choice than you."
Sakura sighed. Kakashi had explained to her about Sasuke's extreme superiority complex so she didn't bother getting offended or angry.
"We are definitely going to win!" said Naruto, getting pumped.
"I just want to say one thing before we choose, and then I'll allow you two to work out the rest," Ino said to Shikamaru and Chouji. "Personally, I think that after Shikamaru's abysmal performance in the triathlon, he probably shouldn't be in this event."
"I agree." Said Shikamaru. "It's ever so troublesome."
"But I don't want to be in this event either!" complained Chouji.
"It's better to have someone who's at least WILLING to try hard when we're in the middle of the race!" said Ino.
"So you two can go." Said Shikamaru. "I'll cheer you on from the finish line."
"Well, Akamaru and I are definitely participating." Said Kiba as he pet Akamaru's head. "All that's left to decide is which one of you two is doing it with us."
"It doesn't matter to me." Said Shino to Hinata.
They did a quick round of Rock, Paper, Scissors and it was decided that Shino was to join Kiba and Akamaru in the three-legged race.
The teachers tied the legs of their own pupils together as they stood at the starting line.
"Whatever you do, don't slow me down." Said Sasuke to Naruto.
"YOU don't slow ME down!" said Naruto, at a loss of anything else to say.
"I don't feel much like running." Chouji confessed to Ino.
"Don't say that…" said Ino sadly.
"Let's try to keep in step," Neji said.
"No problem." Tenten replied.
"This'll be a piece of cake!" Kiba said to Shino.
"…Yeah." Said Shino.
"On your mark…get set…GO!!!" yelled Gai as he did some kind of crazy starting pose.
Sasuke and Naruto were off, immediately getting a commanding lead.
Ino and Chouji started off VERY slowly.
Kiba and Shino had previously thought up a plan and put it into action. Kiba simply lifted up Shino and began a-runnin'.
Neji started with his left foot, and Tenten started with her right foot. They both fell on their faces.
"Hey, I said to say in step!" Neji said.
"I was in step!" argued Tenten. "YOU weren't in step!"
"Come on, we have to get started!" said Neji as he attempted to stand back up. But Tenten was also standing up but they were, once again, not in step and just ended up falling down again.
Meanwhile, Shino and Kiba were catching up with Naruto and Sasuke. Actually, they were more just kind of KEEPING up with them. Both teams were maintaining a steady speed.
"Are you sure what we're doing is legal?" Shino asked.
"No, but none of the teachers have said anything so they obviously don't have any objections." Kiba replied.
"Okay." Said Shino.
Ino and Chouji were going at a rather slow speed. It's not like they were crawling, but were definitely not as fast Shino and Kiba. They knew they weren't going to win.
"I think I need to rest…" gasped Chouji.
"We're almost there!" said Ino even though she was lying just so Chouji would keep going. She didn't want to finish LAST! Knowing that Neji was behind her was not a comforting thought because, even though they were having a bit of trouble, she knew that they'd eventually be able to catch up.
"I NEED to rest!" Chouji said.
"Just a little further!" Ino pleaded.
Naruto and Sasuke were continuing on their way. "They're catching up," said Naruto, looking at Kiba and Shino behind them.
"You're slowing me down." Said Sasuke. "I told you not to slow me down."
"I'M slowing YOU down?!" demanded Naruto. "I'm practically pulling you along!!"
"Yeah right," said Sasuke. "I'm probably going at one tenth my regular speed so that you can keep up."
"That's not true!" said Naruto angrily. "Everyone can see that you're slower than I am!"
"Me slower than you?!"
"Yeah, you're slower than me at everything!!"
With that, Sasuke suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, causing Naruto to stop as well. "What are you doing?!" demanded Naruto.
"That's it, we're racing right now." Sasuke said.
"Yeah, no kidding!" said Naruto as he watched Kiba and Shino pass them. "And they just passed us!"
"No, we're not racing as a team anymore." Said Sasuke as he untied their legs so they weren't connected anymore. "It's me against you. I'll show you who's the fastest."
"You just disqualified us from the race!!" Naruto yelled.
"It's obvious to see that you are all talk." Said Sasuke just as Ino and Chouji passed them.
"NOW we're in third." Sighed Naruto.
"Screw the race, fight me now!" commanded Sasuke.
"No, no, a race will be fine." Said Naruto.
"So now you're scared to fight?" Sasuke said.
"No, I'm just saying that a race will be fine." Said Naruto.
Sasuke glared at Naruto. He was so much better than him.
Meanwhile, back at the starting line…
"Right…left…right…left…" narrated Tenten as she and Neji went at a walking speed.
"At least we're moving…" said Neji.
"No, left, LEFT!!" Tenten yelled but they both toppled over before their mistake could be fixed. "What possesses you to take two steps with your right leg and just NOT with your left leg?!"
"Because I took sort of a small step so I was going to step again to make up for the lost ground!" Neji said.
"You can't do that in a three-legged race!" said Tenten.
"Okay, I know that now!" Neji said.
Shino and Kiba were well on their way. They could see the finish line off in the distance. "There it is!" Kiba declared.
Shino quickly looked behind him. "And no sight of any other team." He said.
"What do you think Naruto and Sasuke were doing back there?" wondered Kiba.
"Doesn't matter." Shino said.
Seconds later, they passed the finish line first.
"Yay!" said Hinata. "My team won! Great job!"
"Oh man, I thought we had this race in the bag…" said Sakura half to herself.
"I wonder where my team is." Said Lee, looking off in the distance.
Suddenly, there was a huge cloud of dust that got bigger and bigger. The figure of Sasuke was in front of it. Sprinting alone.
"This looks rather familiar." Kurenai said as Sasuke ZINGED past the finish line.
"YAY!" cheered Sakura. "Too bad you came in second though…"
"…Where's Naruto?" said Kakashi.
"I beat him." Said Sasuke as if that answered the question.
It was then that Naruto came running up and crossed the finish line. "That doesn't mean that you're faster than I am!" Naruto was yelling.
"Ha!" said Asuma. "That means you two are disqualified for crossing the finish line UNATTACHED!!"
"It was worth it." said Sasuke.
"Why did you two do that?!" demanded Sakura angrily.
"Believe it or not, it was ALL Sasuke." Said Naruto.
"Yeah right." Said Sakura.
Glare, glare, glare, from Sasuke.
A few minutes later, Chouji and Ino crossed the finish line. Chouji collapsed from exhaustion as Ino threw herself a victory party. Even though they came in second, (because Sasuke and Naruto were disqualified) she still felt it to be a personal victory for her to complete an entire race attached to Chouji.
They waited around for about ten more minutes and then decided to go on yet another scavenger hunt for Tenten and Neji. They were found about twenty feet away from the finish line covered in scratches, dirt and bruises.
"This is…the hardest thing…I've ever done…" Neji gasped.
"Tell me about it!!" Tenten said angrily. "Are you dyslexic or something?!"
"It's not all MY fault!" Neji argued.
"Well…to save myself anymore embarrassment, we'll just say you guys finished third." Said Gai.
"We didn't lose?" said Tenten.
"No, Naruto and Sasuke were disqualified." Said Gai.
"Wow, so even though we are still in view from the finish line, we came in third." Tenten said to Neji. "That's not too bad."