"You have all passed two rounds and now is the time for the final," Temari announced.
"Two members in each team will be participating in the Hill Climbing Race," Shikamaru said.
"Wha-? Why? We've been hiking for a long time. Can we do something else instead?" Tenten sighed in exasperation.
"And what do you suggest?" Shikamaru asked curiously.
"Sculpting Contest," she answered.
"Boring," he noted bluntly.
"Wha-?! Ugh… Forget it," Tenten groaned carelessly.
"Let's continue. For Team One, we have Gaara and Sasuke. For Team Two, we have Neji and Shino. Are you boys up for it?" Temari asked daringly.
"I'm more than prepared," Shino stated.
"Same," Neji slightly smirked as usual.
"Wooww!" The others swooned in response as they watched them stand in the white line.
Contrarily, Gaara and Sasuke were giving each other's discrete glances without being noticeable. They were three meters apart while they were chained by the chakra ropes on the wrists that made them a little uncomfortable. Although, they had no choice, but to go along.
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" The dark blue-haired ninja said indifferently.
"I couldn't agree more," the fifth Kazekage replied back, then faced the front trail as soon as Temari began to count.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…" her voice became inaudible when the four shinobi men slouched their backs and bent their knees firmly.
The girls were holding their hands with their teeth jittering in apprehension, except for the guys. They seem to be enthralled into the competition that their teammates were in.
Neji and Shino softened their gaze composedly, but for Gaara and Sasuke, they both hardened their eyes towards the trail.
"Five, four, three, two, one…" Temari opened her eyes in a glimmer and raised her mini flag freely with a sound of swish. "Begin!"
The teams started to dash run as the others continuously cheered and whistled for them. The amount of speed that they were running had been boosted by the sole of their sandals, using their chakra. The four of them passed by the slate rocks and thick bushes, full of thorns without staggering onto them. Everyone else teleported on the top of the hill and settled down to wait for their teammates to arrive.
The pink-haired kunoichi was resting beside the two leaders and clasped her hands in hopes that the two frenemies would make it, even if they did not win. "Gaara… Sasuke… We're counting on you…"
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…
Neji and Shino had been cooperating well as they haven't had any single argument or snide remarks. Both have some similarities of being pacific and less aggravated. They have to ensure that the scroll doesn't fall from their grip on their hands.
"We need to find a way out here. The only difference is that time is limited and the fire will start kindling once we enter this maze," the Byakugan user said as he examined the leafy walls.
"Let's do this," Shino noted daringly.
Then, they curtly nodded and made a step forward over the white line. They turned their heads to see the path on the right, so they headed there and followed along the course.
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…
On the other side of the entrance, the red-haired Kazekage and the dark-haired ninja walked slowly after they disentangled themselves from the bristle, tall plants that were stretching out. After running through the obstacles, their breaths became raddled as they were heaving off their chests. Then, they began to relax and inspect the edges of every barrier.
"These are so pragmatic," Sasuke commented.
"Hmm. They've already constructed it," Gaara said in agreement.
"Well, then. We got to hurtle because the flames can catch up very quickly," he noted.
The red-haired Kazekage gave a nod as the two strided over the starting point and noticed the tiny flames beginning to ignite. The heat was scorching the leaves into black ashes, including the bottom ground. They peered at each other and sprinted to find the trail.
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…
An hour later, the teams finally reached the exit and rolled out of the wildfire. Panting breathlessly, Gaara and Sasuke stood back on their feet and brushed the dirt off of their clothes. They almost dropped the scroll from their hands, but luckily, they had enough strength to hang onto it. Then, they continued to walk to the next route and stayed silent for about twenty minutes until the dark-haired ninja spoke up.
"I had a talk with Sakura and it seems that she's becoming very close to you…"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, no… I just find it preposterous. I get that being of service to her will alleviate the situation better. However, I don't think she would want a philanderer to associate with her-"
His eyes startled at the abrupt motion of a thick sand choking his neck, yet vexation was held back from the red-haired Kazekage, who was now glowering at him.
"I beg to differ, but weren't you the one who wormed your way back into her life with your inscrutable intentions?"
"Pfft. Nonsense," Sasuke snorted.
"Don't be so pretentious because you are more likely to take this act far too seriously than the rest of us. Tell me, do you still love her?" Gaara questioned coldly.
"What are you on about?"
"I'm asking you properly. Do you still love her?" He repeated.
Sasuke threw his head back and sighed as soon as he began to chuckle satirically. He made eye contact at the jaded orbs and asked. "You sure you really want to know?"
"Straight out," Gaara urged.
"Hmm…" he nodded and paused to lean forward with a haughty look.
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"Yes. I. Still. Love. Sakura." He emphasized every single word he was proud of, but he instantly got a hard smack on the face that caused his nose to bleed. "Argh…"
"You should've told her that a long time ago. You're the only one who's making a confusion out of her," Gaara clenched his teeth in pique as they tackled themselves with a couple of punches and kicks.
"Funny, you have a way of showing yourself. Last time I heard, you were with Katsumi," Sasuke grunted in anger.
"That's in the past. You should get over it!" The red-haired Kazekage said sharply as his face shield made a few cracks on his bottom jawline.
"And if I don't? What will you do, then?" The dark-haired ninja ignored him when he kept pummeling him on each side.
Unexpectedly, the rope broke loose from their wrists, which caused them to slip. They were panting breathlessly with indignant stares that only they could hold.
Gaara mouthed the words in determination.
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"I will stop you…"
TO BE CONTINUED...