A/N: Hey all! i couldnt find a better title for this...i have updated at least once a day! wahoo! i have managed to also fail science, oh well its only yr 8! i love the reviews, thx for all the constructive critism or wateva

Chapter 9

The race

The three of them stood around quietly waiting for Kakashi to show up. Naruto had calmed down and was glaring at Sasuke for no reason. Sakura was writing something down in her diary she always kept. Sasuke was thinking...

Suddenly a dog barked then Shino, Kiba and Hinata and Akamaru ran up to them. "Arigatou... Sakura...Sasuke... and Naruto-Kun" Hinata greeted them quietly. "Hi HINATA!" Naruto replied.

"I asked Naruto to the dance... Don't worry, I have a plan..." Sakura whispered to Hinata. "Hey Hinata, why is team 8 here?" Naruto suddenly asked.

[Finally a semi-intelligent question...]

"Ummm... Our sensei (Kurenai) asked us to come here today because we are supposed to train with your group today..." She replied blushing, Naruto was actually talking to her....

"Anou... by the way... Where is your sensei?" She asked Naruto. "Probably doing his early job, being a pervert...and reading perverted books!" Naruto laughed even though it wasn't really funny.

"Baka..." Sakura muttered.

"Ok..." Hinata murmured.

"FINALLY some one who didn't critzize my excellent skills!" Kakashi appeared behind them, his new book was with him again.

"THAT'S BECAUSE HINATA IS TOO NICE! Anyway...SENSEI YOUR LATE AGAIN!" Naruto yelled.

"No I wasn't! It's just that all of you were early today!" Kakashi put away his book so he could use Narutos head as an arm rest. Naruto tried to remove the hand, but failed.

"Anyway today we have 6 people here for training..." Kakashi began. "DUH!" Naruto muttered. Kakashi igored him.

"Ahhh the wind is blowing rather loud today..." Kakashi started talking completely about another subject.

"THE MISSION SENSEI!" Sakura reminded him.

"Oh yeah... Anyway I am going to split you up into 3 groups randomely, it doesn't matter if you are with your orignal team mates or not. It's about who can finish the mission first, like a race. It's too simple really... See that forest, he pointed towards a bunch of tall dark clump of trees standing behind them, well I'm going to put the teams in 3 different places ther and the first ones to find the middle , where I will be reading... will be the winner." He told them. "Now the choosing the teams..." He began.

Sakura inner thoughts: I want to be with Sasuke! On seconds thoughts I don't think it would be fun being in the same team as him, since he never talks to me and well maybe Naruto would be fun, because he likes to tell jokes... and Hinata... She is my close friend...And Shino or Kiba would be good to have as partners aswell" [Ahhh! I can't decide,oh well he is going to be choosing them... PHEW!]

"Anyway how I will choose them is my ancient technique... Inny menny monnee mo..." He started.

[WHAT!]

"Shino and Kiba, you are a team one..." Kakashi told them and started the picking again.

"....Hinata you are with.... Naruto... in team 2" Kakashi decided and handed told them where their starting point was.

"That leaves Sasuke and Sakura to be a team 3 , who start here..." He declared.

"I'm with the weakling!" Sasuke complained.

"SAKURAS NOT A WEAKLING!!!Sensei! Can I go with Sakura then?" Naruto suggested hopefully.

"I'm not a weakling!" Sakura snapped at Sasuke angrily, she might not have any special techniques, but she was strong in her own way, she didn't need other people to tell her what she was.

"I'll go with Hinata then.." Sakura told Sasuke.

"..." Hinata didn't say anything.

"Huh? Did you guys says something?" Kakashi looked up from his book. "Shino and Kiba are already gone...I better get going then." Kakashi picked up his book and dissapeared.

"Damn." Sasuke muttered.

(Though he wasn't really complaining , that's what he always did to cover up his feelings and emoctions, it was just something he had learned to do to all the people he seemed to care about the most...)