The four ninja were still alone ten minutes later. By now Kiba was standing up with his arms crossed, staring at the woods around them. He changed direction every few seconds. "Where could the others be? Do you think they're all right?"

"Relax. There's only one real Sasuke. The odds of Hinata ending up fighting that one are one in eight," Kankuro said from his place on the ground.

Kiba gulped. "Those odds don't sound very good to me..."

Ino shuddered. "Me neither..."

Neji didn't say anything, instead choosing to stare up at the sky, but inside he felt his heart beat a little faster, and nervous butterflies were forming in his stomach.

"But still, why are they taking so long if most of them have shadow clones?" Kiba pointed out.

"Well, when my fight started, Temari and Gaara were still chasing their Sasukes. So maybe they had to travel farther, and their fights might have also taken longer. And the travel back here would take longer, too."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Ino started.

Neji sat up suddenly, staring at a spot in the woods. He could have sworn he had heard something rustle.

"What is it?" Kankuro asked him.

Neji focused on that one spot intently, so nervous that he forgot to use his Byakugan. The other three looked in the same direction.

"Do you see someone?" Kiba questioned.

"Yeah, do you? Cause I don...CHOUJI!" Ino cried, standing up and running over to the boy as he stumbled out of the woods. She practically tackled him in a hug. "You're okay! Does that mean you got a shadow clone?" She asked as she led him over to the rest of the group. Chouji collapsed next to them, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, I got a shadow clone. It was a tough one, though. I don't know why it took me so long to take him down..."

Ino pulled a bag of chips out of her bag and handed them to him. Chouji quickly shoveled them down his throat. "Um...did you happen to see Shikamaru?" Ino asked nervously.

Chouji shook his head. "When our fight started, he was still chasing Sasuke. I don't know what happened to him."

Ino looked down at the ground. "Oh...okay..."

Chouji put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, Ino. It's Shikamaru! I'm sure he's okay!" He grinned at her. Ino forced a smile.

Another rustling sound came from nearby, and everyone looked up quickly. Kiba caught a glimpse of purplish hair before he took off running towards the figure. Hinata spotted him at the same time, and with a cheerful laugh ran towards him. They met in the middle and Kiba lifted her up in the air, spinning her quickly and then placing her on the ground. They grinned at each other, and then Kiba's smile faded. He rubbed a bloody spot on her cheek with his thumb, and Hinata winced.

"You got cut," Kiba pointed out.

"It's okay...it doesn't really hurt that much," Hinata replied.

Kiba stared at her for a moment, but then the smile returned to his face and he grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the rest of the group. "Hinata's back!" he exclaimed.

Kankuro grinned at them, and both Neji and Ino gave them strained smiles. Kiba noticed this and frowned at them. "Don't worry guys. I'm sure they're okay."

"Two in six," Neji said.

"Huh?" Kankuro asked.

"Two in six. There's a thirty-three percent chance either Tenten or Shikamaru got the real Sasuke. One third."

Kankuro frowned. "Relax. Gaara probably got him, and Sasuke's probably done for. Quit worrying so much."

"What about me?"

The other six turned around to see Gaara staring at them.

"Shit!" Kankuro cursed. "Let's hope it's Temari, then..."

Both Ino's and Neji's hearts fell lower and settled somewhere in their stomachs.

"THE POWER OF YOUTH PREVAILS!"

A voice echoed from above them, and out of nowhere, Rock Lee came flying through the air, landing with a large bang and scaring the crap out of Hinata, who leaped into a startled Kiba's arms.

"Ugh...half of me wishes Rock Lee had gotten the real one just so he would die..." Kiba muttered.

Rock Lee pretended not to hear. "That shadow clone was no match for my Tai Jutsu!" he cried, raising a victorious fist in the air.

Gaara sighed. "My fight was shorter than the actual chase. But Kankuro's right. Konoha's ninja's are talented, but it would be fortunate if Temari were to get the real Sasuke."

"You know there's a two in four chance now, right?" Ino said to Neji. He nodded dejectedly.

Gaara, Rock Lee, Hinata, and Chouji settled down next to the rest of the ninja, and they all sat and talked about their current situation.

"You know what? I think maybe each squad should go and help their teammate. That way nobody will get hurt," Kiba pointed out.

Gaara sighed. "That would be a good idea, other than this: picture this scenario. One of our teammates has just finished their fight, and they are seriously injured. They make their way back through the woods, using all of their energy. They are on the verge of death, and finally they reach this clearing...only to find it deserted. What do you think would happen? That's why we can't leave. They could be heading back right now and we might miss them."

"He's right," Ino said with a sigh. "As much as I'd like to go help Shikamaru, we can't desert anyone who might come back looking for us."

Neji stared at the ground for a moment. "One," he finally said.

"Hmm?" Hinata asked, looking up at him.

"We send one person to go help each of them. That way we'll still have four to stay here, but some of us can go help."

Ino nodded forcefully. "Yeah. And I'm going!"

Neji stood up. "So am I."

Gaara cleared his throat. "I suppose we could do that. But what if you don't come back?"

"Then assume we got the real Sasuke," Ino told him.

"Alright." Gaara looked at Kankuro. "Who's going?"

Kankuro looked at him expectantly. "My puppets are all used up for today, bro."

Gaara nodded, also standing up. "I'll go help Temari then."

Kiba and Hinata looked at each other, and Kiba traced the cut on Hinata's face. "I don't want you to get hurt. I'll go."

Hinata looked at him nervously. "Are you sure?"

Kiba grinned at her, standing up. "I'm sure Shino's fine anyway. He probably won't even need my help!" The four shinobi gathered chakra into their feet, ready to leave, when suddenly there were some more rustling sounds, and Temari and Shino came walking out of the woods, side by side.

Both Neji and Ino's eyes widened and they were both in the air and gone in a flash. Gaara and Kiba quickly ran over to their teammates.

"You guys okay?" Kiba asked. Shino nodded.

"It was no problem."

"Yeah. Mine was easy too. I had to chase him forever though. It took me a while to get back here," Temari explained. "Is everyone else back?"

"No. Either Tenten or Shikamaru got the real Sasuke. We're not sure yet. But Ino and Neji went to help them. I guess we'll find out in a few minutes. Whichever group doesn't come back..." Gaara trailed off. "I just hope no one is seriously hurt."