Disclaimer: After 17 chapters, do you still think I own anything?

Author's Note: I'm finally somewhat on track again….Yay… And this one's a rough draft, frogive me but I just wanted to post it.

Chapter 17: Distraction

"Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun, please, I love you!" she pleaded, finally releasing the pent up tears.

"…Thank you," he said. She glanced up, but he was gone. She gasped suddenly in pain, he had just delivered a blow from behind. She collapsed instantly and blacked out.

XXX

As the best tracker available since it would take too long to find Kakashi, Neji was sent out to track down the reckless Uchiha. Naruto had tagged along, partly out of anger and partly just the fact that it was Sasuke.

Thankfully, Naruto knew better than to try and get Neji to talk.

The first thing they found was Sakura passed out on a bench, a sight only getting Naruto more pumped up to find his teammate.

"Take her back to the hospital," Naruto ordered Neji, who turned and glared.

"Excuse me? I thought I was the tracker," Neji retorted.

"Neji, if you don't let me do this I'll beat you to a pulp right now," Naruto seethed, his eyes almost seeming to flash red. Neji took a step back, remembering the broken bones the last time he crossed Naruto. He scooped up Sakura in response and the blonde dashed off towards Sasuke.

XXX

"This is ridiculous!" Neko screamed at Hiashi in the middle of the arena, ignoring how many Hyuuga branch members were backing away slowly.

"Rules are rules, you arrived on the premises and you must do the competition," Hiashi explained calmly.

"Neji isn't even here, because my clan head isn't here!" Neko continued to fume. "This is not how things were supposed to work out."

"Why wait for your cousin when he didn't even care enough to arrive on your special day?" he questioned.

Neko froze in anger and hurt, Hiashi recognized this as the time to put Hinata in the ring and clear the area for the tournament.

XXX

"What happened?" Tsunade wanted to know when Neji brought Sakura into the hospital.

"Uchiha Sasuke ran away, Naruto and I were sent to track him and we found her," Neji explained. "Naruto is continuing alone, with any luck he'll be able to catch up to him."

"Sasuke? Isn't Neko's tournament today?"

"Yes…"

"Get back to that, I'll send Kakashi," Tsunade said and waved Neji off. He sent her a questioning look, wanting to know how she would get Kakashi anywhere on time but he left anyway, not knowing htat Tsunade had Jiraiya's book as a secret weapon.

XXX

"Hyuuga Hinata versus…" the announcer's voice faded as Neko waited for this to be over with, after all this was the last place she wanted to be. "…Uchiha Neko. You may begin."

"Hinata-chan… I'm sorry if this gets out of hand…" Neko shook her head regretfully. Hinata nodded in understanding, but still shook like a leaf.

XXX

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura bolted upright in her hospital bed. Tsunade happened to be there and laid the girl back down before she got over excited.

"You were knocked out," Tsunade explained emotionlessly. "Probably by Sasuke."

"Where is he? Did they find him?" Sakura was frantic, she tried to sit up once more but Tsunade pushed her down again.

"Naruto is on his way, Kakashi is following," she said and Sakura seemed to take relief from that. Tsunade rose to give her some privacy, but Sakura grabbed her robe to stop her.

"He's going to Orochimaru, did you know that?"

"…Yes…" Tsunade paused. " I did."

XXX

Since byakuugan was allowed, Neko was also allowed basic level sharingan. She used it as she did when sparring with Neji--to stay out of range when needed.

Hinata had clearly also been training, she was considerably faster and could now use the 64 hands of Hakke technique that Neko was so carefully avoiding. Neko could see the girl was holding back since she was fighting an old friend, Neko however found she wanted this over with as quickly as possible.

She released five shuriken from each hand, successfully sending Hinata into a kaiten. Neko landed in front of the whirlwind, poised in preparation. As soon as Hinata stopped, Neko released a fireball.

Hinata squealed in pain and Neko used the distraction to jump back once more. By the time Hinata recovered she was in the middle of Rising Twin Dragons. She heard smart-alecky mutters as she prepared the attack. They all believed this to still be her ultimate attack, little did they know her chakra had only grown.

Instead of using kaiten, Hinata receded just out of range, forcing Neko to come down as she launched the last of her favored projectiles. Neko had come in range, and she could see Hinata readying a frontal attack.

That would be the last mistake of this round.

The voice in Neko's mind told her where to move, and she started to dodge Hinata's hit--

--But she suddenly screamed with pain, then writhed in agony when Hinata's gentle fist connected with her side.

"Oh my god," Lee murmured from the audience.

"What?" someone next to him wanted to know.

"That was her kidney…"

Shock flooded the audience as Hinata backed away carefully, her face a mish-mash of emotions as she waited for Neko to get up. Little did the Hyuuga know, this was the least of Neko's issues.

Neko slowly staggered up, one hand on her side and the other on her head. She turned to the white-eyed girl and lowered herself into a fighting stance.

'Are you okay?' Hinata mouthed and Neko nodded, trying to shut out the yells in her mind.

XXX

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed at his teammate as he finally came into view. The Uchiha only began to run faster, but Naruto was right on his tail. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Suddenly Naruto found himself slammed into the nearest rock, a kunai at his neck and red eyes staring into him deeply.

"I'm doing something I should've done a long time ago…" Sasuke growled.

XXX

"What the hell happened? She was kicking butt out there!" a spectator near Lee said and he bit his lip as he watched his teammate. Neko was now on the retreat, Hinata's blows coming too fast and too furious.

He knew she was tired, he knew she was new to most of the abilities allowing her to hold her own. But something was very wrong here.

As Hinata neared range for the hands of Hakke, Neko did a back flip and actually landed on the railing of the audience, sending an array of gasps around the crowd. Hey, it wasn't against the rules. She saw her opponent getting ready to run up the wall after her, and to avoid that Neko dived forward--launching weapons at Hinata as she went.

Hinata was caught off guard and found herself unable to do a kaiten in time, although she dodged most of the weapons two kunai embedded themselves in one of her legs. Neko prepared for a landing, flipping in the air and reaching the ground on her feet. She watched as Hinata wrenched the weapons out of her leg and charged, Neko waiting for her to come into range.

Three steps…Two steps…One…Neko flicked her wrists and the chakra strings hooked onto her weapons tightened and tripped Hinata.

Some people in the audience laughed, thinking that the Hyuuga had tripped on her own, but most knew better. Neko did not waste time when Hinata was on the ground, she quickly added more chakra strings to pin the girl onto the ground.

The proctor waited for Hinata to try and get up, and made a hand signal to the announcer when enough time had passed.

"Round one winner is Uchiha Neko!" the announcer cheered and the audience drowned the sound with applause. Neko sighed in relief and undid the chakra holding Hinata.

"Hinata-chan?" Neko asked, watching the girl turn towards her.

"T-that was g-great Neko-chan!" Hinata smiled. Neko grinned back, but her hand found its way back to the area where Hinata's gentle fist had skimmed her. It still hurt like crazy, but she would have to stick it out for another round.

She just wished that Sasuke would stay out of her head for at least that long.