Disclaimer: I'm tired of putting this one up every chapter… it wastes a lot of space… Everyone knows Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei.
Author's blabbering: I'm back, I'm back, I'm back! Unfortunately, my computer is still having the heebie-jeebies, meaning it's not still reformatted and all, and I have to bring a diskette at the computer shop just to post this chapter! Darn it, where's the laptop you promised, nii-chan? Anyway, I'm glad you all liked the 6th chapter. In the 7th, there's a bit of conflict but it'll all be over soon and there'll more fun and laughter (actually, chapter 8 is funnier)!
Okay… Now it's time for my… Answer the reviewers, er, reviews portion! (Starbucks' strawberry frappe is really making me hyper right now…)
December Jewel: Well, I do hate the show because of the conniving people in it. It was my cousin who was addicted to it. Maybe I'll do the America's Top Model next for the kunoichis…
iA-yOh iReAlLySuCk: I'm having difficulty just typing your name… Yeah, thanks!
Fattyaddy-99: It depends actually. If I got tired of writing a chapter per day of the show, I might merge two days in one chapter or something like that.
Annie The Pipster: Hey, you guys! She's my beta, along with Fenix! See? I have two betas since I'm not much good with grammar!
Martianwedgie: Really? Thanks! It's really fun doing this fic!
Loveme731: Well, the Kure-suma pairing is not yet very obvious. I'll make it more obvious on the later chapters. It's a Shikaino, promise. I'm just keeping it Temashikaino for fun!
Payday: Gives you an icepack Is my fic really that deadly? It could kill you from falls and suffocation from the lack of air while laughing? XD Yeah, Tenten and Neji! Woohoo! My obsession with the pairing isn't really obvious, isn't it? They have a part almost every scene!
elementBLUE: Yeah, I like the two Green Beasts too! They're hilarious, really… My brother once commented they looked like walking coconut husks… About Gaara's closeness to Temari, I related it to the scene when Naruto and Gaara were fighting and Temari looked really worried for her little brother… Well, you know, sister affection… Too bad… wish I have a sister too…
Asura of Love: What part didn't you understand? The beginning?
Amberdragonfly: Okay! So that's what it's called! Thanks! Do you want Pocky? I have a whole box of them delivered from my beloved cousin! (Hi, Erie-chan!)
Moonlightpath: That's okay… you'll have more favorite parts in the 7th and 8th chapters!
Fightingdreamerccc: Thanks! Thanks for the info too!
TheGurlWithNoName: I've deleted the scan from my files since it was taking up too much space with the other scanlations so I'm not really sure… I'm quite forgetful when I read books or try to recall chapters etc. If you want, when my PC is finally reformatted, I could send a wallie made by a friend of mine with the scan in it.
Kumii-chan: Careful okay, I don't want you to die from laughter.
WarPrince2000: Thanks!
Anyway, I'm giving away Pocky to everyone who reviewed in the last chapter! Woohoo! Pocky for everyone! Told you I'm hyped up today… So that's it for now… I'll be back by… I don't know. My technician is still out of town and he's the only one I could trust when it comes to my poor computer… (sniff!) On the brighter side, my Siamese cat just gave me five cute and charming kittens! Weeeh!
CHAPTER 7: DAY 5 – SUMMER BOBSLEDDING
Neji stared at that weird contraption from yesterday. And stared at it. And stared at it some more: or rather at their team emblem painted on its side. He felt his eyebrow twitch involuntarily at the sight of the bird's silhouette. It took all his willpower not to destroy the stupid machine and chuck it in the middle of the ocean.
"You'll probably ignite it if you keep staring at it that intensely," Tenten remarked, peering over his broad shoulders.
"Wouldn't it be better?" he scoffed at the painted bird. "At least it would be gone from my sight!"
"Always the morbid one, eh, Neji?" Tenten asked giggling, but she stopped when the prodigy directed his sharp glare at her. "Okay, I'll stop!"
They were back again on that horrid, godforsaken beach that belonged now to Tsunade's group, A.K.A. 'The Homeless, Yacht-less Group'. The ANBU had built them a bungalow, saying that they didn't have the time to build a two-story one since it was getting dark. But then, from the looks on their faces, none of them had gotten any sleep. And, much to Tsunade's irritation, Naruto noticed it.
"Oi, Baa-chan! You look older than usual!" the blond boy remarked loudly. Jiraiya and Kakashi snickered at their apprentice's comment but stopped when they felt the Hokage's homicidal aura. As a result, Naruto received a whack on the head, courtesy of an irate Kage, "Ow! I was just stating the obvious, you know!"
"Well, you don't need to point it out!" Tsunade snapped irritably at him.
"I wasn't pointing!" the boy protested but the Godaime ignored him for old time's sake.
Sakura observed their senseis with a frown on her face. Asuma was seated on the stage, leaning back on the board and sleeping; an unlit cigarette on his lips. He was covered with sand waist down. Beside him and leaning on his shoulder was Kurenai, also asleep and covered in sand. Kakashi and Jiraiya sat side-by-side on the steps of the stage, also half-asleep and covered with sand, their heads lolling constantly. Once in a while, they would often bump their heads and one of them would groan. Gai was also asleep, still singing something like "17 kunais on a wall… 17 kunais…" The only ones that looked alive and kicking were Gaara and Shizune, who both seemed to have had a good night's rest. Even the Godaime, who was leaning on a piece of upright log, looked half-dead.
"Ne, Hokage-sama?" she started, raising a hand in the air. Her gaze was still on their teachers. "What happened to them?"
"What?" Tsunade blinked at her then glanced at the four Jounins and Jiraiya. "Oh? Them? They pulled an all-nighter last night."
Sakura looked confused but didn't ask anymore.
"All right!" Tsunade failed to stifle a yawn and the shinobis raised an eyebrow at her in misgiving. She scowled at them. Even a half-dead-looking Tsunade can intimidate someone with just with a mere glare. "What the hell are you brats looking at?"
"You know, I'm wondering why she still calls us 'brats' when we're already 17," Ino said to Shikamaru, who just shrugged.
"Your Hokage sure has a serious problem with her eyes," Temari commented, nodding in agreement with Ino.
"Anyway, since this stupid challenge of Gai was postponed yesterday, we're going to continue it today." Tsunade yawned again and tried to rub the sleep from her drooping eyes. Everyone let out a chorus of sighs. "Shut up, all of you! So… Kazekage-sama will explain the rules… And he will also… supervise it… Shizune… will… see… to…" The sentence was cut short when Tsunade suddenly fell on the stage, asleep and snoring. The shinobis' jaws dropped at the sight of the blonde woman.
Naruto shook his head, "When I become Hokage, I will not snore that loud!" he declared loudly.
"When you become Hokage, dobe, Konoha will surely fall," Sasuke sneered at him, dodging the punch delivered by the irritated Kyuubi boy.
"Well, if you become Hokage, Konoha will be doomed," Naruto shot back, struggling with Lee and Kankuro, who were holding him back, "You know why? Because you'd probably just use the ANBU to hunt your brother or some—" Naruto suddenly stopped when Sasuke froze, his ebony orbs unreadable. He knew in that moment he had gone way over the line.
Sakura looked tensed as she peered into Sasuke's face, "Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun?"
"What the hell did you say?" the dark-haired Uchiha growled at the blond boy who took a step back. He would've punched the lights out of Naruto if Sakura had not stood between them, holding back Sasuke's shoulders. "Take that back, dobe!"
The other group was also watching them with interest. Naruto frowned at Sasuke, then turned around. Hinata looked worriedly at the blond boy and glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi for assurance. Sakura smiled slightly at her and nodded.
"Sorry…" Naruto muttered, clenching his fists.
"Don't you dare turn your back on me, Naruto!" Sasuke growled louder. Naruto glared at him over his shoulder, which made Sakura's job a lot more difficult. Chouji discarded his food for a while to help Sakura, "You take that back, dobe, before I make you!"
"Fine, I take it back," Naruto replied listlessly, waving a hand impatiently, "Happy?"
The Uchiha heir looked even angrier, as if the boy had just insulted him right to his face. He pushed Sakura on the ground, pulled away from Chouji's grasp, then attacked Naruto, pulling his arm back for a punch, his fist glowing blue with chakra. Naruto closed his eyes for the coming contact… But it didn't come.
"You will not kill him, Uchiha, not while I'm here."
Naruto hesitantly opened his blue eyes then blinked when he saw something in front of him. It was a wall of sand, blocking his view of Sasuke and the others. He glanced at Gaara, who was wearing his impassive but angry-looking face again, his arms folded across his chest. The blue-eyed shinobi grinned at the Sand Kage and the wall fell, mixing with the white sand of the beach.
Sasuke was there, his fist just a few inches away from Naruto's face. His arms were restrained by Shino and Kiba; Shikamaru, Chouji, and Lee were holding him by the waist, while Neji had his two fingers hovering closely over the avenger's heart. Tenten stood behind him, a senbon pointed at his neck.
"You guys don't trust me anymore, do you?" the dark-eyed prodigy sneered at them.
"It pays to be cautious, Uchiha," Neji replied coldly, his pale eyes meeting his dark ones. "Remember that."
They all dropped the Uchiha heir on the sand and returned to their respective teams, each wearing an unreadable expression on their face. Tenten slid her senbon back in her pouch, then glanced at Sasuke over her shoulder. "Will he be okay?" she asked Neji quietly.
The pale-eyed Hyuuga glared at the Uchiha, his eyes filled with disdain. "I'm sure he will be."
Naruto smiled slightly at Hinata, who let out an inaudible sigh of relief. He gently patted the kunoichi's shoulder and whispered, "I'm all right. Don't worry." He then turned to the frozen Sakura, who was sitting on the sand, her green eyes wide, "Sakura-chan, daijobou?" he asked, offering her a hand.
The petal-haired kunoichi looked up at the blond boy gratefully, taking his proffered hand to stand. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."
Sasuke looked at her, but she avoided his gaze, averting her eyes and forcing a smile at Hinata and the others. Sasuke growled low in his throat.
Naruto then went to Sasuke and held out a hand to him with a grin. "Sorry, didn't think you'd take it seriously!" he said, inserting a cheerful voice. The Uchiha slapped his hand away and stood up by himself, his eyes shaded by his hair. Naruto's grin even widened.
"See? We're back to normal now, aren't we?"
From afar, Neji snorted, "Yeah right!"
"So, now that you're through with your little drama…"
The shinobis all froze at the voice. They knew that stern, angry voice anywhere in the world. Slowly, they turned around to face Tsunade herself. The Hokage looked murderous, all feelings of sleepiness were gone from her face. She obviously could not believe that her beloved and prized shinobis could argue like that, ending up with fighting stances and weapons.
"Can we proceed now to the challenge?" Tsunade was gritting her teeth in suppressed rage and pent-up anger at the immature 18-year-old Nins. The shinobis nodded meekly.
At that, the blonde Hokage kicked Kakashi and Jiraiya, sending them crashing to the wall behind them, the latter for the second time. The two immediately woke up in their fighting stances. And because they had crashed into the wall where Asuma and Kurenai were leaning and sleeping, they were also awoken by the noise the two perverts created. They fell back with the board as well; however, a miracle of all miracles, Gai was unfazed and was still asleep. Tsunade, out of rage, picked the Green Beast Jounin up then and, with the might of a hundred elephants, threw him into the sea. The group sweatdropped.
"WAKE UP, YOU LAZY BUMS! I'M NOT PAYING YOU JUST TO SLEEP ON YOUR JOBS!" Tsunade was shrieking again and Shizune, ever helpful, had placed the megaphone in front of the Hokage's mouth. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE SLEEPING HERE WHEN YOU SHOULD'VE BEEN WATCHING THE KIDS! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ALMOST DID! THEY NEARLY KILLED…"
Kakashi scratched his head, grinning sheepishly at the Hokage. But the moment she had turned to Jiraiya, throwing several different weapons at him, the silver-haired ex-ANBU threw a sharp look at his students. A We're-going-to-talk-later-and-no-excuses-this-time look.
Gaara still stood up on the stage, a piece of paper in his hands. He was obviously reading it aloud (his lips were moving) but his voice couldn't be heard by anyone mainly because of the still-screaming Tsunade.
When she had finally calmed down and Jiraiya had earned several knots on his head, Tsunade turned to the group of Chuunins and Jounins. "So, back to the challenge, the Kazekage will read the instructions for you."
"I already did," Gaara replied flatly.
"Oh…" The hazel-eyed Hokage looked mildly at him. "But I didn't hear you."
"You weren't listening," the boy replied simply. "You were too busy scolding your Jounins."
"Are you sure you told them?"
Gaara's face was as blank as white paper. His eyes, though, betrayed his annoyance and irritation. "Yes."
Okay, rule number two to live a long life: Never ask too many questions to a very short- and hot-tempered Kage named 'Sabaku no Gaara'. At that point, Tsunade stopped her flood of inquiries and turn to smile unpleasantly at her shinobis.
"Now that the Kazekage had told you what to do," she started and a loud protest erupted from the group. She glared at them. "Shut up, all of you! We'll proceed now to the challenge site! Bring your bobsleds with you!"
"I didn't know this was a bobsled!" Ino muttered as she helped her teammates drag the heavy contraption up the steep mountainside. "It sure doesn't look like one!"
"Well, it seems to be a bobsled that was constructed for seven people to ride on," Temari commented as she pulled the stupid machine up the slopes. She and the other girls were to pull the sled while the boys were to push it up. "It's twice as big as a normal one. Still, it doesn't look like a normal one."
Tenten wasn't pulling the contraption itself. Instead, she had summoned her chakra strings and wrapped them around the sled. She and Neji were pulling it at the same time, "Don't they… know… that bobsleds are used… during winter!" she huffed and puffed. "This… is so… annoying!"
"Not to mention troublesome!" Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement.
"How can it be troublesome for you, you idiot?" Ino screeched, catching her breath for a second. "You're just sitting on it like some king!"
"I can't believe… we're actually… letting… Shikamaru sit… on the bobsled…" Kiba panted, draping his arms around the sled. "This is… so damn… tiring!" Much to the annoyance of the team, the sled started to slip because of Kiba.
"Kiba! Kiba, push the goddamned sled!" Temari shrieked as she held the sled with all her might. "Shino! Can you please slap Kiba to his senses? We're—Ack! Kiba, push the goddamned sled!"
Shino let go of the sled, which promptly started slipping down the slope at a rather faster pace than before, and started slapping the dog lover. When Kiba protested, Shino replied simply, "Temari asked me."
Neji and Tenten sighed as they continuously pulled the sled using the chakra strings, hoping they wouldn't be dragged when the sled decided to slip entirely down the mountain slope. Soon, Kiba (after recovering from serious injuries inflicted by one Temari) and Shino were pushing the sled again. They were right back on track.
The Sharingan Team wasn't having any luck on pushing their stupid sled either …
"Naruto, get down from there or I'll kill you!" Sakura hollered at the grinning Kyuubi, who was seated lazily (like Shikamaru) on the sled. "I said, get down!"
"No!" The boy stuck out a tongue at the pink-haired kunoichi, who was itching to pull out a kunai and strike him.
"You know, dobe, maybe we should just place Hinata there instead of you," Sasuke, who was dragging the sled up with Chouji and Kankuro, suggested flatly. He gestured at the exhausted-looking girl on Lee's back. "Wasn't it you who pointed out that she has a weak heart and therefore can't work too much?"
Naruto stared and blinked at Hinata, then got off the sled. "Yeah… I forgot…" he mumbled as Lee placed the timid girl carefully on the sled.
Now that his hands were free, Lee bounced over to the front of the sled, ignoring an annoyed Sasuke and Kankuro. "I shall help everyone bring this sled up the slopes of this majestic mountain of youth!" he declared, "I shall show everyone my youth and power! Yosh!"
"All right," Kankuro said irately. "Just pull already!"
Lee saluted him stiffly; his eyeballs filled with fire, then proceeded to drag the heavy and almost immobile sled… running at the speed of light. Fortunately, Naruto had removed Hinata from the sled, saving her from imminent danger and injuries such as falling down a mountain side because of an idiotic Jounin. Sasuke and Kankuro looked mildly impressed. Sakura was blinking blankly at the now empty space in front of her. Chouji, well, he was still eating.
"I guess we should just follow him, huh?" Sakura said tentatively. "I'm sure Lee would've reached the top by now."
"At his speed, no doubt he would've."
"What took you so long?" Jiraiya asked the huffing, heaving, breathless shinobis. Well, except for Shikamaru, that is, who was seated all throughout the journey on the sled.
Tenten wanted to impale someone already. Her hands were itching to touch any kind of weapon. Too bad Temari beat her to Jiraiya first. The blonde Sand Nin whipped out her fan and opened it to the first dot.
"Ichi no Hoshi!"
A strong gust of wind blew over Jiraiya, nearly sending him down the rocky path of the mountain. Kakashi grinned behind his mask while Tsunade groaned in exasperation.
"All right, now you know the rules—" Tsunade was again cut off by none other than the genius with an IQ of 200, Shikamaru.
"We actually don't even know what the instructions are."
The blonde Hokage pointed at the finish line, held by two tall logs, at the very, very, VERY bottom of the mountain side. "See that? You'll have to race down this mountain using your bobsleds," she replied flatly. She still was the one who explained the mechanics. "The first one who crosses that line will win the immunity. Rules: No using of chakra, no destroying the other team's bobsleds, and make sure you return with all your members ON THE BOBSLED or else you're disqualified."
"You do know that it's impossible to drive a bobsled down a rocky terrain," Ino said flatly. "Not to mention, maneuver it around trees."
"Yes, we know that!" Gai had taken Tsunade's limelight again, much to the annoyance of the Hokage. "That is why I chose this challenge for you, young shinobis with youthful hearts and spirits! It will be a test of courage, determination and… Who can guess the last word?"
"Resourcefulness?" Tenten shrugged.
"No, it's—"
"Agility?" Sasuke tried.
"No! Actually, my dear stude—"
"Endurance?" Ino guessed blankly.
Gai looked at each one of them as if they had lost their minds, "No, it's POWER! YOUTH POWER!" he exclaimed, the set changing into that sunset-thingy-with-waves-crashing-on-the-rocks background.
"HOORAY FOR YOUTH POWER!"
"Oh…" the shinobis, except Lee, chorused in a monotone voice.
Tsunade pushed Gai away from her spotlight, nearly shoving the poor Jounin off the cliff. She cleared her throat. "All right, start your engines!"
"But there's no engine here, Baa-san!" Naruto, who was still carrying Hinata on his back, pointed at the bobsled.
"Naruto, maybe you should just give Hinata to me," Kakashi said with a smile, taking the Hyuuga heiress from the boy's back. Naruto was reluctant but handed her carefully over. "We can't let her get injured, ne?" He winked at the blond boy, who then ran to his group.
"I still think the emblem should go," Neji commented dully, twitching visibly as he stared at the black silhouette of the bird on the side of the bobsled.
"Forget about the emblem, Neji! We can deal with it later!" Tenten told him impatiently.
Shikamaru waited for the two to stop arguing before he turned to the group, a bored look on his face. "The plan's simple," he said, "I'll sit on the front while you guys push the sled. When it reaches a constant speed, you all jump into the sled. Neji will use his Byakugan to see the obstructions in our path so we can avoid them."
"Won't we tumble down the mountainside?" Kiba asked hesitantly. He sure didn't want to roll down a steep, rocky and tree-filled mountainside.
"Nope, we'll just do fine."
Ino glanced once more at the bobsled, eyeing it apprehensively. "You know, I really doubt this would run on plain ground," she said, "I mean, the only reason it runs is because there's snow."
"Ino's right," Tenten agreed with a nod. "And besides, we don't have someone who uses a Suiton jutsu here. The water would've been helpful to accelerate us."
Shikamaru frowned slightly, returning to his thinking position again, "Yes, but we can't exactly use chakra here, Tenten, so even if we had had someone who uses a Suiton jutsu…"
Temari grinned at all of them, her fan in her hands, "How about we try a Fuuton jutsu then?"
"No, Temari, no chakra, remember…" Shikamaru faltered when he suddenly realized what the grinning blonde was trying to say, "Oh, crap! Not that again."
"What?" The Sand Nin looked at them with a cocky smirk, "My technique is taijutsu. And besides, we could use that method we used on the previous challenge!"
There was a collective groan from the team and Temari's grin widened even more. It was another flying session for the Byakugan Team!
At the Sharingan Team…
"Lee, you push the sled and we'll catch you up," Sasuke directed and the green-clad Jounin saluted, "Make sure you push it very fast so we could reach the end in no time."
"Wait, Sasuke-kun," Sakura started, a frown on her face, "I don't think that's a good idea."
"And why not?"
"Because if Lee pushes the sled at top speed, we might not be able to catch him," she replied patiently, "We should all push it first at moderate speed and one-by-one jump on. The last to push would be Lee since he's the fastest runner among us and he could probably push us easily down the mountain."
Sasuke thought about her plan then nodded, "Fine, let's follow that."
"We also need to balance the weight," the kunoichi continued, "To balance the sled and prevent us from crashing or falling, the two, er, most 'generously proportioned' should be at the front and at the back," Naruto and Kankuro snickered at her friendlier term of the word 'large and fat', "It should balance the sled as well as us."
"All right, Kankuro and Naruto will be at the front, next is Sakura, then me and Lee then Chouji," Sasuke said, nodding. "That should be balanced enough."
Sakura still looked hesitant about this challenge. She looked at the bobsled then at her teammates and an inaudible sigh escape her lips, "You're so lucky, Hinata-chan…"
"Let's make a bet!" Jiraiya announced to the other Jounins as they watched their students strategize and plan for their win, "I bet that the Hyuuga's team will win."
"Yeah, I bet on that one too!" Kakashi said, glancing briefly at the Chuunin on his back. Apparently, he had lost his confidence on his three students after they lost in the first challenge. After all, it was a VERY rare case when Kakashi's team loses.
"Fine, I bet on Neji's team as well," Kurenai said, "Kiba and Shino are there and since Hinata's not participating, I should just cheer for the other two."
Asuma stuck another unlit cigarette stick in his mouth, "Yep, I bet on Neji's team too!" he said, folding his arms, "Sasuke has Chouji on his team so I doubt their sled would even run!"
Kurenai frowned at her fellow Jounin, "Asuma, what a thing to say about your student!"
"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Asuma shrugged nonchalantly.
Jiraiya turned to Gai who was crouched and watching Lee (coughfavoritestudentcough) while tears ran down his cheeks, "So, Gai, what's your bet?"
"Of course! I bet on my beloved student's team!" the Green Beast exclaimed flamboyantly. "The Sharingan Team shall win! You shall see! I shall defeat you, Kakashi, my eternal rival, in this simple game of betting!"
"So, what's the prize?" Kurenai asked Jiraiya. "Don't tell me it's a lifetime supply of your books because if that's the case then you should just give it all to Kakashi!"
"Nope!" The sannin grinned at her, his long white hair billowing with the wind. "It's an all-you-can-eat treat at Ichiraku, courtesy of our beloved Hokage!" Tsunade threw several weapons that included kunais, shurikens, fuuma shurikens, and senbons at him. "Hey, c'mon, Tsunade-hime, just this once!"
"Fine!" the Hokage replied tetchily. "But I bet on the Uchiha. If I win this bet, there won't be an all-you-can-eat treat for all of you!"
Jiraiya snorted, "You just gave us all a gift, Hokage-sama! The Hyuuga will win!"
Tsunade shrugged, "Who knows?"
The two teams got ready, holding their sleds in place. Tsunade stood on top of the stage the ANBUs had built for her on the flat cliff overlooking the beaches.
"On your mark…"
Kiba, Ino and Sakura were praying to the gods for their wellbeing while Naruto was praying to Yondaime for his safety. Neji was cursing the stupid painted bird on the side of the sled. Chouji was eating another bunch of bananas. Sasuke was brooding yet again.
"Get set…"
Shikamaru yawned as he sat up front, waiting for the signal to start. Temari was also waiting for the signal to start, her fan in one arm, ready for use. Tenten too was also waiting, her chakra strings in one hand, hoping she wouldn't use it to pull herself if they suddenly fell into a—Oops, bad thoughts! Kankuro was yawning as well. Lee was warming up and Shino was standing still, not saying anything again.
"GO!"
The two groups started running down the steep, rocky mountain side, pushing their sleds as fast as they could. Actually, considering how rough (the word is an understatement, people!) the landscape is, we could just say that they were trying to run and push their sled as fast as they could without tripping, slipping or stumbling and banging their heads on the stupid sled.
Halfway down the mountain, the Byakugan Team decided to jump and settle on the sled as carefully as possible. First was Ino behind Shikamaru, then Kiba, Tenten, Neji, Shino and finally Temari, her fan opened to the third purple dot.
"San no Hoshi!"
Kiba let out another ear-piercing, eardrum-shattering, mind-freezing scream when their sled started to fly like their raft had. And, much to the team's surprise, astonishment, shock, fright and everything in between, their now-airborne sled had hit a cliff that looked eerily similar to a ski jump. And so, the said now-airborne sled was REALLY flying now, not just skimming a few inches above the ground.
At the Sharingan Team…
Kankuro whistled as they watched the other group's bobsled fly like a projected rocket, minus the thrusters of course, "Now I know why their emblem was a bird…" he commented, holding the supposed means of maneuvering the sled A.K.A. the rope attached to the front.
"They just love to fly, don't they?" Chouji said, throwing the banana peel over the side of the sled.
"Kankuro, keep your eyes on the road," Sasuke roared. "And you guys just shut up! You might bite—Ow! Dammit!" He suddenly stopped and yelled something when their sled hit a rock, the impact nearly throwing them off. "Goddamned rock!"
"What were you going to say, teme?" Naruto hollered. "We were going to bite what?"
"Your tongue, you idiot!" Sasuke then kept his mouth shut. Nope, he wouldn't yell again, unless he wanted his tongue to get cut in half.
"Stop shouting, you guys! You're not even helping here!" Sakura snapped angrily, her fingers in her ears. The boys turned to her, a blank look on their faces, "You know, if you haven't noticed it yet, we're barely moving while those guys from the other group are moving at the speed of light!"
They all knew Sakura was right. The weight of the sled plus their own weights (coughChoujicough) multiplied by the rocky, steep and snow-less terrain was really making it difficult for them to move. Sure, they were moving a considerable speed but that was because Lee, who had removed his leg weights, was pushing them with all his might.
"Well, at least we're moving," Kankuro replied, shrugging. "And we're safe. Not like them…" He pointed at the still-soaring sled of the other team.
Sakura sighed, "I guess you're right, Kankuro…"
Back to the Byakugan Team…
"Doesn't this stupid contraption have any brakes whatsoever?" Tenten shouted over the wind blowing at them at 74mph (that's the wind force of a mild hurricane).
"A conventional bobsled would have one, Tenten," Shino said calmly, "And since this sled doesn't seem to be a conventional one, then I'd say there's none."
"We should tilt the sled to the left," Neji called loudly for everyone to hear.
The weapons mistress turned to him, a scandalized look on her face. "Are you insane, Hyuuga Neji?" she shrieked, "If we tried to tilt to the left, we'd fall! Do you even understand what's happening to us right now? We're flying and—"
"We'd hit that incoming tree if we don't," the Hyuuga prodigy said simply, pointing at the large tree looming nearer and nearer.
"Temari!" Shikamaru called from the front and the Sand Nin looked at him over her shoulders, "Use your fan as a rudder at the back. The wind should catch it and slightly push us to the direction we want to go. Everyone, tilt to the right!" He pulled the rope like some kind of a horse rein to the right.
Tenten was just about to protest when she felt two strong arms grab her around the waist. She looked around at Neji's impassive face, "Neji…"
"C'mon, you have to move your body to the right," he told her, not meeting her eyes, "You won't fall, don't worry."
Just in front of Tenten, Ino was pushing Kiba to the right since the Inuzuka heir wouldn't lean because of his fear of falling from the sled. "Dammit, Kiba! Move to the right! Your right, Kiba! Are you directionally-challenged?"
"Maybe we should descend," Shino said shortly, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge. The group looked at him over their shoulders inquiringly. "We're entering the forest, and flying isn't really the best and safest way to enter it."
But his statement was a second too late. And so was Neji's Byakugan. He shouted about a large incoming tree the moment they turned right but they turned away from it a moment too late. They slammed into the tree headlong with a loud crash, the impact embedding the sled deep into the tree's trunk, high above the ground.
The Byakugan Team sat there, blinking stupidly. Then, Kiba was the first to speak.
"Why don't we try the conventional way of traveling for humans next time? How does the word 'walking' sound to you?"
Jiraiya winced as he peered into the binoculars he was holding. "Ouch…" he muttered with a frown, "That's got to hurt…"
"What?" Tsunade scowled at him then snatched the binoculars from him. She peered into it and after a few minutes, her jaw dropped in surprise. But she soon recovered, a large grin on her face, "Well, no doubt about it. They're stuck!"
"What do you mean 'they're stuck'?" Kurenai asked, "Who's stuck?"
Tsunade passed the binoculars to the red-eyed kunoichi, who peered into it for a few seconds. She let out an exasperated sigh before handling the binoculars to Asuma. The Jounin raised a dark eyebrow in disbelief before giving the binoculars to Kakashi. The silver-haired Jounin raised his gaze from his book for a while then looked into the eyepiece.
"They flew again, didn't they?" he said shortly before burying his nose again into his book, "No wonder their emblem was a bird."
"So… That means I win, right?" Tsunade said smugly.
"Oh, no, you don't, Tsunade-hime!" Jiraiya protested, waving an impatient hand in the air, "At least, not yet! The race isn't over yet! I'm sure those guys will find a way out of this predicament!"
The blonde Hokage shrugged her shoulders then turned back to Gaara,
"Do you have any twos?"
The Kazekage looked up at her flatly, "Go fish."
"What?"
The Sharingan Team was looking up once more at the Byakugan Team. But, this time, it wasn't because the other group had performed another crazy tactic like making their sled fly like a plane. Nope, it was because the other group had crashed headfirst into a large tree.
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk, "Finally, the Hyuuga's arrogance paid off."
"So, does that mean we'll win?" Naruto asked their 'supposed' leader.
"We have a high chance of winning now," Kankuro replied, steering their sled carefully away from a tree, "The other team wouldn't be able to bring their sled down from that height."
"Hey!" Lee called, panting, "I'm tired… already with… all this pushing! Someone… help… me…"
Naruto brightly jumped off the sled and started pushing the sled as well, "There's no way they could catch us now, ne? So maybe we could just travel at a reasonable pace."
Sasuke nodded wordlessly before turning his eyes to the pink-haired kunoichi sitting quietly in front of him. Her hair, which had finally grown over the years back to its original length, was blowing freely in the wind. He caught the scent of her shampoo. Cherry blossom… he thought absently.
"Ah, Sakura…" he started and the girl looked around at him, puzzled.
"Your hair is getting in my face."
The young lady's face burned then mutely gathered her petal-colored hair over one shoulder, holding it with one hand. She turned back to face the front of the sled.
Sasuke didn't know whether to feel glad or irritated that Sakura wasn't talking too much. She was often annoying him, asking him trivial questions and stuff, so he should have been glad that she wasn't annoying him now. But then, it felt weird that she wasn't talking to him, or even looking at his direction.
Is she mad about the incident earlier?
"Sakura…"
"Hmm?"
Okay, was that even a reply? No. Actually, in his, Shino and Neji's stoic-and-cold-people's dictionary, it's a reply along with 'Hn'. It is often accompanied by a raised eyebrow, either because of amusement, interest or inquiry. But that kind of reply was only for him, Neji and Shino. Anyway, he cleared his throat, hoping she would at least face him. Unfortunately, Sakura wasn't in the mood.
"Hey," he started again, tapping her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. That wasn't really the answer he was expecting. But he didn't exactly expect her to start ranting and bawling, "Sakura, is this about the incident earlier?"
"No."
"Then why—"
"Guys, we're nearing the finish line!" Kankuro cut him off and they all looked up. He was right. They were nearing the finish line.
Later, Sasuke thought crossly. I'll talk to her LATER.
"That was the most idiotic mission I've ever done in my entire life!" Ino muttered as the Byakugan Team trekked down the mountainside on foot.
"I don't think you'd want to say that yet," Tenten said dryly. "I'm sure there'd be more ridiculous challenges later on."
"I bet…" the blonde Leaf kunoichi said darkly, folding her arms and pouting childishly.
A few moments after the Sharingan Team had passed them by, Tenten had volunteered to go down first and attach her chakra strings on a tree branch to serve as their harness in going down. Temari, using her fan, went down as well to help her. After a while, all of them had descended from the tree. The sled, on the other hand, was left there high up in the tree. It was too heavy to even pull it down.
"So what if they won the immunity?" Shikamaru yawned widely, "It's not like there'd be any elimination for us tonight."
"I guess that's the bright side of this," Ino said grudgingly. "And the fact that we're safe and unscathed."
Tenten let out an inaudible sigh as she slid her hands in her pockets, raising her gaze to the blue sky. It was already past lunchtime and her stomach was growling already. Wait… Was that a ramen bowl-shaped cloud?
She grinned inwardly. If only Naruto could see this, he's probably run back to the nearest village just to get one.
A few more clouds passed by her sight and she could feel herself relax. It was no wonder to her anymore why Shikamaru liked to watch the white, fluffy water vapors. It was so relaxing, so peaceful, so calm, so… Neji?
She glanced sideward at the young man walking beside her then grinned at him when he felt her gaze, "Thanks!"
"For what?"
"For, well, holding me earlier!" she replied brightly, "I didn't fall because of you!"
Neji just inclined his head in response. It must've been a nod of acknowledgement or something. She nodded as well before turning her gaze back at the sky.
"Ne, Neji?"
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you feeling bad that we lost?" she asked quietly with a shrug, "I mean, it's Uchiha you're against and—"
"It doesn't matter."
Tenten turned to him, a frown on her face. Was Neji sick? Did he just say 'It doesn't matter' to something Uchiha-related? "Neji, are you sure—"
"I don't care about Uchiha and his ass," the prodigy replied coolly. "As Shikamaru said, there'll be no elimination tonight so there's no need to think about the immunity anymore."
"I guess so…"
Suddenly, much to her surprise, Neji smirked, "Of course, I hate to see that sore loser win," he said thoughtfully. "He'd probably rub everything on my face again."
The chestnut-haired girl grinned as well. "That's too bad, huh? Getting humiliated by Uchiha nonetheless?"
"Nah, it's much worse getting humiliated by Lee or Naruto."
Kakashi and Gai met them at the end of the forest, grins on their faces. And as if they had practiced it, they basically shouted to their faces, "Sorry, you lost!" The Byakugan Team just shrugged it off, not caring if the other group got the stupid-looking immunity. They were just that cool. Except for Kiba, that is.
"Heck! I was nearly killed and I didn't even get a consolation!"
Review, review, review… I eat reviews… As for chapter 8, it's still on the works.