AN: I don't own Naruto….(
Previously: "So who wants to go first", Kiba said, cracking his knuckles.
"I will." It was Neji.
"And who is your opponent?" Kakashi asked.
"Sai" Neji simply stated.
Chapter 3 – When's the fight?
"Ok, now everyone move so we can get this started." Kakashi said while sitting himself on a tree branch. Everyone did the same, as Neji and Sai got themselves ready.
"That's not fair! I wanted to kick that teme's ass!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Keep quiet baka. It'll be good to see different pair-ups for once." Shikamaru stated lazily next to him. Naruto thought about what he said for a while. "But still! It's no-"
"Naruto, keep quiet would you. I'm won't be able to concentrate." Kakashi stated. Naruto just gave him a small glare, but kakashi just waved it off.
"Wow, kakashi-senei; I didn't think that you would get into this." Sakura said while sitting on the branch next to Naruto and Shikamaru.
"Well, no it's not that." Kakashi said, while taking something out of his pocket. "It's just that I won't be able to read my book in peace." Both Naruto and Sakura fell anime style. Kiba and Shino sweat dropped from overhearing the conversation.
"Would you guys shut it!"? Tenten said while looking at team 7.
"Yeah, Neji can't start kicking Sai's ass because of you guys. Except you Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed. Tenten sweat dropped. Naruto and Sakura sheepishly sat on the branch next to Shikamaru again, while all attention was on them.
"How troublesome." Shikamaru muttered.
"Lets get this started already!" Ino yelled, a vein popping out on her forehead. Choji instinctively slowly moved away from the fuming kunoichi.
Neji and Sai got themselves in battle stance. Just when Sai was about to spread ink on the scrolls around him, and Neji to activate his byakugen, a large puff of smoke appeared between them. To everyone's surprise Gai appeared out of the cloud of smoke in his famous "nice guy pose". Everyone sweat dropped.
"The beautiful blue beast of koha-"
"Yes, yes, Gai. We all know, now would you mind stepping out of the match?" Kakashi said, not even taking a glance from of his book.
"KAKASHI! How dare you interrupt my speech of youth. You don't understand the concept of the springtime of the young!" Gai exclaimed while pointing his fist at his rival. Gai continued his ranting to Kakashi, not noticing Kakashi was paying absolutely no attention. Tenten and Neji went to stop Gai before things went too far. Lee was just standing there with sparkling eyes admiring his sensei. While Neji and Tenten convinced that this wasn't the time for his "beautiful" speech, Gai eventually took their advice while sitting next to Lee.
"Gai-sensei, that was……that was…..your speech….so…I want to be just like you even MORE!" Lee exclaimed.
Gai looked at his pupil. "Lee!"
"Sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Sensei"
Suddenly, out of who knows where, an ocean background with a beautiful sunset appeared around everyone at the training hallow.
"Lee!" Gai exclaimed while hugging his student, streams of tears coming from both of their eyes.
"Sensei!" Lee exclaimed in his embrace.
"That's just gay." Kiba whispered to his teammates with his eye twitching. Shino and Hinata nodded vigorously in agreement. Tenten and Neji sweat dropped.
"I wonder if we're in some kind of retarded genjutsu." Shikamaru thought while looking for a way to cancel it. (AN:I always wondered if that was it. I don't know….But, that's the only logic that comes to mind!)
"If Lee didn't like Sakura-chan, I would really believe that he was gay." Naruto thought.
"If only I had senei like that…" Sai whispered, but somehow Hinata and her teammates caught it. They were staring at him. "Ummmmm……I meant that if I had a caring sensei, but not gay like that. Definitely! Not like that!" Sai tried to convince them.
They all just looked away, believing that the guy was in denial.
"Great another fruit in the bunch." Kiba retorted.
"Kiba, you shouldn't call people names like that." Hinata protested.
"So….wrong." Sakura muttered. Kakashi didn't seem to care as though he was used to these kind of things.
"WTF….." Ino and Choji said in unison.
"Ok, enough of that." Gai said releasing his hug. Lee wiped his eyes away with the back of his hand, and the two sat on the ground under an empty tree. They both then started to cheer Neji on youth, and crud like that. Neji just chose to ignore them, like he has always done before, as he faced Sai once more.
"Ready fruitcup?" Neji said, while getting himself in a fighting pose.
"The Byakugen isn't as great as you think. Neji-san, you'll see why." Sai said while taking out fresh scrolls and a paintbrush.
"Hmph, you're not even worth my time."
"A little cocky aren't we?"
Everyone was completely focused on the fight now. Even Kakashi was now watching. The battle was to start in…3…2..- Then out of nowhere (again) another cloud of smoke appeared between the two. Everyone dropped anime style. When the cloud of smoke cleared, everyone saw that it was Tsunade and four anbu ninjas.
"This battle's never going to happen is it?" Both Sai and Neji thought.
"What's wrong Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked.
"Well it turns out there was a spy from Akatsuki (AN:Sry for all spelling!), and was killed earlier. We just need Neji or Hinata to come and maybe some others to look around for a hour or two just to make sure of some things."
"Akatsuki!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Well, we're not completely sure it was them. We only saw one, and it was a mere glimpse. The fact that there was just a blur of black and red before that person left, gives us suspicions.
"I'll go." Neji volunteered. Everyone stared at him.
"No, it's ok ni-san, you're in a fight. I'll go." Hinata protested.
"No, I feel that I would have more of a challenge if I meet an Akatsuki member." Neji said looking at Sai.
"Oh…Disssss!" Kiba thought. There was a tense moment.
To break the silence Tsunade exclaimed, "Anyone else?"
"I'll go with him." Both Tenten and Shikamaru said while approaching the elite group. Everyone was then looking at Shikamaru in surprise. "When did he ever start volunteering for work?" Everyone thought. "This way I have a better chance of not fighting" Shikamaru thought. Neji just nodded at the two.
"I'll go too." Shino said. Everyone turned their attention to him now, some with a few raised eyebrows. "To make the numbers even." Shino said, answering the questioning looks. Everyone agreed. Another silence.
"Ok then, we'll be leaving. Continue with your training." Tsunade exclaimed, and they all left in another cloud of smoke.
"So then." Kakashi started while putting away his book. "I guess we need to pair up again." Kakashi was about to pull out the black pouch when Naruto yelled "Hey! That way sucks scrolls! Can't we just fight the people we want?"
"Wow, that sounded like a good idea for once." Kba complemented.
"Well, ok. But I still don't want you guys to fight with the people you always train with. That's, well, boring." Kakashi stated. "Alright, keep in mind of what I said and choose your partners."
The ninjas started to pair up. Naruto wanted to pair up with Hinata, but saw that she was paired up with someone already. So he continued to look around. Everyone seemed to have a partner after a couple of seconds later. Sakura, seeing that Lee was going to ask her to fight, quickly went to find someone else. Don't take it the wrong way. She saw Lee as a good friend, but he would go easy on her, and she didn't train her ass off for an easy win. Naruto only saw Sai and Sakura left from the cluster of paired shinobi. Realizing that she might be his partner, he quickly went towards her. Sakura saw that Sai and Lee were left, and the decision was hard. The jackass, or the fruit…….who to choose. Sai was in the same situation, and before he was able to get the pink-haired ninja, Naruto quickly asked if she would be his partner. She agreed in the same quick, and relieved tone. Now this leaved Sai alone with Lee. "Shit." They both thought. Lee was sad that Sakura couldn't be his partner, "again".
"Ok then." Kakashi said looking around the pairs. "It seems that everyo-"
"Hey. How come Sakura-san and Naruto are together?" Lee asked.
"Now Lee, no need to be jealous. Spring comes again every year." Gai said to his smaller clone.
"Yeah, Lee's right." Ino agreed.
"I wish I was with Naruto." Hinata thought sadly.
"Well, if you must know. Sakura never really trained with Naruto before, just Sai, Neji, and…I think the other kunoichies. She didn't ever go one-on-one with Naruto before and after he left. So this I can let go." Kakashi simply stated. Everyone looked dumbfounded.
"Really!" Almost everyone exclaimed.
"Yes. And now, I'm curious in what they would do. From what I can see, this would make a good battle. Sakura, Naruto, you guys are up first!" Kakashi said.
"Yeah, I'm fighting Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.
Naruto and Sakura nodded to each other and went to their positions.
"Naruto, promise you won't hold back. I trained even harder with Tsunade-sama after the incident with Sasuke-kun, and I don't want it to go to waste." Sakura stated.
"I promise! I won't hold back. That's my way of the ninja! I'll fight you as hard as I would with that teme!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura nodded. Everyone took their positions on the tree branches as the two friends took their fighting stances.
"This should be interesting. They've grown so much, I wonder what they can do now?" Kakashi thought.
"Be careful Naruto-kun, you too Sakura-chan. No need to go overboard." Hinata thought.
"Kick his ass girl!" Ino cheered to herself.
"Use the power of youth Sakura-san!" Lee called out. She only waved at him in response.
What everyone didn't understand or know, even Kakashi, was how much Sakura and Naruto have changed.
Next time: "I-is tha..that really Sakura-chan?"…… "I'm not weak anymore, I'll prove it to my friends here, that I'm not the one who's going to hold everyone back! I have as much strength as Naruto to bring Sasuke back. I'm not looking at their backs anymore. I'm looking straight into their eyes!"
AN: Yes, I know….where's the freaken fighting! And who's with who? Don't worry. Thx to the review from "someone", I have some ideas now. Thank you! Funny though….this story was first suppose to be about Neji and Sakura, now it's a totally different. LOL. How weird. P The next chapter is going to be long, cause I have a life, no, no, jus kidding….I want Sakura and Naruto to have a good fight. The next update might take a while, plus it's testing week at school. So I'll try and clear things out in the 4th chapter. If you have any suggestions or anything you think I should clarify, don't hesitate to write anything in the reviews. ) thx 4 even reading my story!