The following morning Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stood behind Idate as he stretched. The crowd was an endless sea awaiting the start of the race. Sakura explained the map to Naruto, as well as the rules before they arrived.

"Where's the other guy's ninja?"

"Probably lurking in the shadows. Keep your guard up Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah. This will go much more smoothly than the last guarding mission we had!"

"Idiot, don't jinx it."

"Ladies and gentlemen! We will be starting the Todoroki Representative Race momentarily! The runner form the Wasabi family, Morino Idate!"

All three heads snapped to the runner.

"Morino?"

"Sakura-chan, where is that name familiar?"

Sasuke scoffed.

"Our first proctor of the chunin exams."

"From the Wagarashi family, the messenger, Fukusuke!"

The sun was starting to rise.

"On your mark!

The gates of the pier opened to reveal two boats.

"Start!"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto faltered as Idate ran the other way, along the shore as the other runner ran to the boat.

"He has a plan. Hn. Sakura, Naruto, let's go."

They nodded and in a blink of an eye they were gone, following Idate in the shadows.

It seemed like hours they traveled before the enemy made a move.

Naruto had dropped down to talk to Idate, and wasn't paying attention.

"Hey, stop!"

"Idiot, don't you see the genjutsu?"

Idate stopped and formed a hand seal before releasing the spell.

How can he do that?

That's when Idate made a fatal mistake.

"Sakura!"

"Naruto! Don't let him go ahead!"

In a few seconds she lassoed Naruto around the waist as he dove for Idate, and appeared to catch him. The enemy had used a double genjutsu. One to make it appear he was running in circles, the second to make it seem like he was still in the wooded area. When he came out of the second one, he ran right off a cliff.

Sasuke pulled them both up with her, before yelling at Naruto and Idate both for being so stupid. Sakura sighed as she gathered the rope up neatly, thanking her mental self for grabbing it just in case.

Just in case in deed.

They reached the shore in little time and there was a single home and a large boat.

"Wait here."

Idate went inside the house and in a few moments came back.

"He says we can use it. This cuts down an hour. Let's go."

Go they did, as a team they quickly managed to get the boat up and going, and finally took a rest.

Sakura sat on the floor next to Sasuke where as Naruto went up the front to talk to Idate. The wind, as Idate had predicted was going against the other runner right now, and the natural current was going in their favor.

This kid is smart.

If he is related to Ibiki, he must have a element type too.

He knew how to dispell a genjutsu but doesn't look like he knows much more than that.

She stood up and walked up to Idate, pulling at his sleeve.

"Naruto, can I talk to Idate alone for a second?"

"WHAT FOR?"

"Naruto!"

He whined as he walked away, and Sakura sat on the ledge of the boat.

"Sorry about that. I had a few questions though."

"Ask me anything."

She held back a cringe as he winked at her.

"You were training to be a ninja, before right?"

"What?"

"When your brother got burned in an information gathering mission, you thought he was dead. That's why you hate ninjas, isn't it?"

"What do you mean thought? Ibiki is-"

"Alive. He was our exam proctor in the chunin exams. At least, he was the first one."

That's when the attack came. It was one arrow at first, they couldn't see the boat yet. But when more came, it was clear they were going to ambush them.

"Sakura, Naruto and I will hold them off. Keep Idate in your sights."

"Right."

Arrows struck the side of their boat, and pulled it to the enemy boat.

Naruto and Sasuke cut them quickly, but it was just a diversion attack. Sakura screamed as three ninja appeared from the boat's floor.

They were at the chunin exams!

"They're just clones!"

Sasuke winced as his sharingan activated, but Sakura couldn't worry about him right now. Something wet hit her cheek and she wiped it off.

Oil?

Looking up she saw Sasuke's hand signals.

"Stop Sasuke-kun! It's oil!"

"Shit!"

"Why is there oil?"

That's when a single arrow with a flame hit the deck, causing fire to erupt almost immediately.

Black smoke filled the air, making Sakura caugh before she turned back to Idate."Can you swim?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then go! I'm right behind you!"

"No way! I won't be your decoy!"

Sasuke called out to them.

"Go! You're becoming a burden!"

Those words seemed to trigger something in Idate, making him freeze up. Sakura pushed his chest hard with her fist that wasn't holding a kunai.

"I'll protect you with my life I swear! I need you to go!"

Something sharp hit her back and she winced.

"Sakura!"

"Sakura-chan!"

"Go! The smoke will cover your escape! I'm right behind you Idate-san!"

He finally jumped and she pulled the kunai out of her back before running after him. When she landed in the water, she immediately broke surface. The salt in her wound was painful, but she had to make sure her team made it out as well. Finally Sasuke and Naruto broke surface a few feet from her. Turning around she saw Idate swimming up to shore.

They swam to follow him before Naruto was pulled under.

"What the-"

Taking a deep breath she dove under with Sasuke and saw the three ninja dragging Naruto down. Two of them let go, grabbing for Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto formed hand seals after knocking his off and six clones gathered at the bottom of the sea. His smirk however was both encouraging and disheartening as the ninja grabbed him again. Suddenly a current built up under the sea, and she could feel the chakra within it as they became caught up in it. But unlike the other three, they weren't harmed or caught up in it. But Sakura made the mistake of letting go of her held in air. Her eyes spotted black and she was grabbed around the middle and thrown up into the air with a chakra grip. Flailing about she retained her air before falling into the ocean again with a loud smack.

Finally the three of them reached shore and gathered their bearings.

"I wonder where Idate-san is."

"That won't be the only ninja after him. That was a diversion to separate us."

She nodded at Sasuke before catching Naruto's look.

"Naruto?"

"A storm's coming."

"Right, let's hurry then."

xxXXxx

When they finally caught up to Idate, someone was looming over him.

"It appears it was too much for them to handle."

Naruto and Sasuke attacked simultaneously while Sakura checked on Idate.

What is this?

Has he been poisoned?

That's when something sharp hit her back again, but it appears it hit Naruto and Sasuke as well.

These senbon aren't normal.

"They're a specialty of Amegakure. Die slowly, as you should. I have a race to see to."

With that he left. Sakura waited until he was fully gone to bring out a bottle of pills.

"Take this, and chew it."

"Soildier pills?"

"It must be done. We can't afford to waste time. Besides, Hokage-sama gave them to me, before we left the village."

"We have to find shelter and build a fire. Hopefully he'll wake up soon."

xxXXxx

"I'm going to carry him."

Sakura moved to stop Naruto, but he held up his hand."Sasuke, Sakura, please guard me. But as for Idate, I'll carry him to the finish line."

"You can't!"

"It's not against the rules. Come on Idate!"

With a heave Naruto had the older boy on his back, and he shifted his weight. Gathering chakra to his feet, Naruto dashed out of the cave, despite the rain.

"That idiot! He's going to get hypothermia, and probably die!"

"Let's go Sakura."

She saw Sasuke get up and stretch his legs before dumping the bucket of water onto the fire, creating smoke in the small cave.

"But-"

"That knucklehead will get himself killed, without us."

She smiled up at him before nodding and standing up.

"Let's go then."

xxXXxx

Sakura panted as she leaned against a pier. Naruto was far ahead of them on the stone steps, and making it in one dash.

"That guy, where does that stamina come from?"

"No one told you?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke looked at her with a harsh stare.

"Tsunade-sama told me that the nine tailed fox whom attacked the village fifteen years ago is sealed inside of Naruto. That's why he has so much chakra, he unknowingly taps into it."

Sasuke stared ahead blankly for a moment before Sakura clapped his back.

"Hey, don't worry about it Sasuke-kun, she says Orochimaru didn't damage the seal beyond what Jiraiya-sama could repair. Besides, when does Naruto get truly angry?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath before running ahead of her. Sakura sighed, knowing this run was going to be such a work out.

It didn't take them long to catch up to Naruto this time around, for he was stopped with Idate at the start of a bridge. But when them was the same ninja, Aoi who attacked them just off the ocean.

Sakura gasped when she saw what he had.

"That Rajin no Ken!"

He's the one who's had it?

She skid to a stop beside Naruto, noticing he was struck with the poisonous senbon. Pulling them out harshly, she ignored the grunts of pain from Naruto before popping in a different pill into his mouth. He couldn't have any more soldier pills, that was too dangerous.

"This is interesting."

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke had activated his sharingan and was gathering his chakra.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Let's see what's stronger? The Rajin no Kin or my Chidori?"

The chirping was loud and echoing in the chasm behind them.

"So the rumors were true."

The sparks of lightening clashed for a second before Sasuke was thrown back. But he wasn't deterred.

"The youngest Uchiha, the runt, is truly the weakest. That genkai of yours is a fluke boy, you don't deserve those eyes!"

It caught Sasuke off guard enough to be hit with the sword.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sakura-san, run!"

She looked at Idate who was analyzing Aoi with his eyes.

"No!"

"Take it back."

Sasuke got to his feet rather quickly to her surprise before she realized he was using the soldier pill still.

"Oh?"

"Don't you dare underestimate me."

The crackling of the Chidori was heard once again.

He launched his attack, and to her surprise she heard a crack in the sword before a bright light blinded their vision. When it cleared Sasuke was screaming out in pain as Aoi didn't let up on the sword's attack. He threw Sasuke behind him, and Sasuke landed on the bridge. Sakura threw a kunai bomb at him, making Aoi move in time for her to skid to her knees in front of Sasuke grabbing his hand.

"Sasuke-kun, wake up!"

She heard the snap before she felt it. But the bridge fell from beneath them, and for a second she thought she could hold Sasuke up with one arm before she was pulled with him.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Think.

The cold air was whipping at her face. She pulled Sasuke to her chest, tucking his head away from the air.

Think.

The ocean looked angry from the storm.

Think!

Her breath hitched.

Think!

She spared a look at Sasuke's face, resting.

THINK!

Flipping them around, she gathered chakra to her hand.

Then her feet.

Grabbing a hold of the wall, she skidded them to a stop before falling to a ledge. Setting Sasuke down, she panted and leaned against a wall. He wasn't going to be moving anytime soon.

Naruto, stay strong.

You can do it on your own, I have faith in you.

That's when she felt the dark chakra she knew to be Naruto's untapped chakra form the nine tails.

She felt the chakra levels flux for a few minutes before being started by Aoi passing by them and falling into the water, and in her hands fell the Rajin no Kin.

"Naruto! Good job!"

"Wait there I'll-"

"No! Do a massive shadow clone, make a bridge from them and get Idate across the cavern! Don't worry about Sasuke and I, we're fine!"

"But, Sakura-san!"

"Idate! You have a race to finish! Don't forget that!"

"Yosh! Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

She watched from her spot that stacked Naruto's creating a bridge, and how Idate ran across it, followed by the real Naruto.

"Way to go Naruto!"

"I'll be back for you guys!"

Sakura sighed before looking back down to an unconscious Sasuke.

Man.

How am I going to get us out of this mess?

Sitting on her butt, she took a few deep breaths before moving the hair out of Sasuke's eyes.

Eventually she got tired of waiting and decided to see how bad Sasuke was.

Scanning over him, she realized his injuries were worse than just burns. His ribs looked cracked. She grabbed a roll of medical paper and wrapped it around his torso. He winced and slowly opened his eyes.

"Don't move so much, you're injured."

"Where is he?"

"Aoi? He fell off the cliff."

"Naruto?"

"He got Idate to the race. I don't know if he was too late though."

Sasuke sat up to a sitting position, arm resting over a bent knee, but he had broken into a cold sweat.

"Don't move so much Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

xxXXxx

When the boat left the dock, Sakura found Sasuke in the same sitting position.

"Does it hurt?"

He shook his head 'no'.

"When we get back to Konoha you can be healed."

"Yeah."

Naruto walked up behind her and put his arm around her shoulders before leaning his head on hers.

"Sakura-chan!"

A whine was coming on.

"I used so much chakra!"

"That a part of being a ninja Naruto, you finish the job."

"Yeah, yeah."

But Sakura wasn't paying attention to him, she was looking at Sasuke who was silently seething.

Naruto walked away to talk to one of the jonin steering the boat and Sakura sat beside Sasuke.

"You were very brave you know."

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun, Aoi didn't know what he was talking about. You're not weak, not at all."

He just looked at her with a half serious glare.

She just sighed.

End!