(A/N) So. It's December 24th. Christmas Eve. For those who celebrate it anyway. Keep an eye out for updates that day as my present to you all! This is the end of WBBU, so bye bye!

"I think Shikamaru would have preferred it if he was the one to get the forfeiting opponent," Shino remarked, watching Shikamaru catch Temari, then promptly forfeit.

"Look at him closely," Sakura disagreed. "He enjoyed that battle."

"I'll take your word for it," Naruto decided. "I couldn't tell Shikamaru moods apart if they wore neon colors and started dancing in front of me."

Sakura snorted at the analogy. "Alright then."

"Sasuke hasn't shown up yet," Shino said, frowning. "Are you sure he'll be here?"

"He has to be," Sakura said. "Not even Kakashi-sensei would do that, prevent him from competing in the final round."

"If you say so," Shino said doubtfully.

Sakura shrugged. "We never know, honestly. He's not exactly an easy person to read."

"Neither is Shikamaru but look what you can do to him," Naruto said, making a weird face.

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah yeah Naruto, we get it. But I know Shikamaru and how he thinks. I know next to nothing about Kakashi-sensei. I don't even know who his father was, just that he's dead."

"I can guess," Shino offered. "My best guess is that his father was Sakumo Hatake, as he was one of the last Hatake alive before he killed himself. It's a fairly standard 'lets not disobey the rules' warning in the jounin circles. Father has mentioned him a few times."

"Alright then," Sakura mused. "Interesting. Ah, there's Sasuke. He'd better have something good for Gaara."

"How would you fight him?" Naruto asked, grinning at her.

Sakura sighed, but agreed. "Water. And lots of it. The pond over there would be helpful for this. Make lots of water, bog down the sand, then strike directly at Gaara. You'd need a fair amount of speed to make it work, Gaara's sand is really fast. Even bogged down by water, an average genin wouldn't be able to out run it."

Naruto beamed. "And me?"

"Still bog down the sand, but also use your wood to trap the sand away from him. Isolate him from the sand and you should be fine." Sakura sighed. "And don't die. That's kind of important."

Naruto fake gasped. "Really? That's important?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, it is."

"Amazing," Naruto said, in clearly fake amazement. "Oh hey, why's Sasuke doing that high chirping thing."

Shino winced ever so slightly. "If he could not do that near me again it would be appreciated."

"I don't know what it is," Sakura said, shrugging. "Sounds a bit like a bunch of birds though. We'll have to ask Kakashi later."

"Aaand he's stabbing Gaara," Naruto reported. "Yes, this is a wonderful idea. Just stab the unstable jinchuuriki."

Sakura snorted at the sarcasm. "Brilliant. This is why I come up with the plans, not Kakashi."

Shino let out a soft puff of air. "Indeed. Perhaps he should leave it to the Nara. Or you."

Sakura frowned. "What are those feathers?"

Shino narrowed his eyes. "A genjutsu. Break it."

Sakura prodded Naruto, who looked to be falling asleep, prompting him to pulse his chakra and dispell the genjutsu. She did so as well, the feathers flying away from her.

"This may be what the Suna team was nervous about," Naruto said, pointing to across the stadium. "Look, those shinobi are wearing Suna headbands. And the headband of that one village, the Sound I think?"

"You're right," Sakura agreed, squinting across the arena. "Those are Oto and Suna headbands. Civilians are mostly asleep, the shinobi are fighting around and above them."

"So they're safe for the moment?" Shino asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I think so," Sakura said, nodding. "Where did Sasuke and Gaara go? And the other two siblings for that matter."

"Over the wall," Naruto said, pointing out the just now disappearing form of Sasuke over the wall.

"Drat," Sakura cursed. "Should we follow them?"

Gai and Kakashi landed next to them, fighting off a pair of Sand nin. "You three, chase after Sasuke and Gaara. Prevent them from doing whatever they intend to," Kakashi instructed.

Gai destroyed a wall. "Exit here!"

Sakura stared Kakashi down for a long moment. "Don't die."

He inclined his head, and bit his thumb, slamming his hand down. A dog sat there when the smoke cleared. "This is Pakkun. He'll lead you to Sasuke. Pakkun, these are two of my genin and the other one is betrothed to one of my genin."

Pakkun grunted. "Right, this way." He leaped out of the wall, followed closely by Shino and Naruto. Sakura nodded to Kakashi, kicked Shikamaru awake, and dragged him along. They'd need all the help they could get.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru groaned as he was dragged along.

"You'll live," Sakura snapped, pushing him in front of her. "Get a move on. This is an invasion."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned again, but hurried up.

Sakura kept a close eye out behind them.

When she spotted movement, she moved up to tap Naruto's shoulder. He turned slightly, and she used the two signs from ANBU shorthand Tenzo had shown them. Enemy and a sign that meant they were being followed essentially.

Naruto nodded, using SSL, which only he was properly fluent in, Sakura was working on it, but it hadn't been a priority before, to warn Shikamaru and Shino.

"I'll stay behind," Shikamaru said finally. "Nara are meant to be a diversionary tactic anyway. You guys go ahead."

Sakura stared him down. "Don't die. No matter how troublesome living is."

He stared evenly back. "I haven't learned nearly enough to die yet."

Sakura nodded, then watched him stop, watching them leave him there to stop those following them.

Kankuro tried to stop them as well, but Shino decided now was a good of time as any to do their fight, and held him up while Naruto and Sakura jumped ahead.

Temari and Gaara had stopped, and Sasuke was there, staring them down. Gaara was half transformed into Shukaku, and Sakura wasn't sure how stable the connection was.

Gaara noticed them, glaring at them. "Who're y- nevermind. You're just more meat and blood."

Killing intent from the genin stabbed through the air, and Sakura stumbled, although didn't fall. Naruto was unfazed, although he rarely was with killing intent, and Sasuke had fallen, clutching his head.

Sakura didn't know what to make of the black marks crawling across his skin, but she didn't like them. She saw Gaara about to spring, and quickly jumped in front of Sasuke, brandishing two kunai.

"You can't have my friend," she growled.

"Get out of the way!" He said, his voice as unstable as the rest of him.

Sakura didn't have time to dodge the claw that slammed her into a tree, forcing the air from her lungs and not allowing her to draw in more.

She passed out midway through Naruto's attempt to talk Gaara into submission.

She woke up in the hospital to her team and Shino sitting in various positions around the room she was in.

She huffed softly at seeing Kakashi with his ever present porn.

Shino realized first, looking up to see her, and looking massively relieved.

"So, did we win?" She managed in a raspy voice, hurting her throat a bit.

"Yeah," Naruto said, looking up too. "The old man didn't make it though."

Sakura opened her arms to offer a hug. Naruto happily scrambled out of his seat and up onto her hospital bed to cuddle. Sasuke joined soon after, and Shino settled on the end of the bed, patting her leg every once in a while.

Sakura figured she could happily stay in this moment forever, but they had to move on, had to rebuild. But they'd rebuild better then ever. Cause that's what you did when things got destroyed. Rebuild better.

(A/N) I'm not mad at that ending. So we end here! It was nice seeing(?) you all! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas tomorrow if you celebrate it, and if not, uh, happy holidays I guess. Tomorrow I will be posting an update of Lion King as a Christmas present of sorts! Enjoy! This'll be replaced immediately without a poll for reasons I'm not gonna bother telling you lol.