Author's Note: Let me warn you that this chapter is a little cheesy. I want to lighten the mood a little before things start getting really serious. That's why I tried to make this chapter a little more humorous. Sorry for my terrible sense of humor! Enjoy!

FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE FESTIVAL

"Naruto, why did you want to see me?" The Hokage asked.

The Uzumaki stood in front of the Hatake's desk and had a suspicious smile. He started to laugh quietly.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Kakashi sensei, have you noticed that Sasuke's been acting strange?"

"Well Naruto, a lot can happen in three years. So it's not strange to me if you consider that fact," he replied, still curious at what the war hero was implying.

Naruto growled impatiently and put his hands on the desk. "That's not what I meant! He's still a huge jerk! I meant, have you noticed that he acts strange around Sakura?"

The Hokage frowned with his eyes. "Oh boy. I wonder where this is heading." He leaned back in his chair and spoke. "I don't know. I guess, but you have to stop and think that maybe he's just trying to be nice to her. Maybe it's his way of thanking her for letting him stay at her apartment."

"Oh come on Kakashi sensei! You saw how he reacted when we met those guys yesterday."

Kakashi recalled yesterday's events.

YESTERDAY

Team 7 had gone around the village with each other most of the day. They had forced Sasuke to go shopping with them at some of the festival stores that had already been set up. This one in particular sold fireworks and other small explosives. Naruto had been shouting excitedly the whole way there about getting some fireworks.

"I can't wait to shoot them off! I bet Hinata will love it!"

Sasuke looked back at his best friend. "Do you even know how to do it?"

The spiky haired male laughed nervously. "Not really. I can figure it out sooner or later though!"

The Uchiha turned his gaze forward. "Tell Hinata to be ready for a fire."

The Uzumaki was about to fire back when Kakashi spoke. "Naruto, please be sure that you know what you're doing when you use them."

He put his hands behind his head and didn't say anything else.

Sakura was the next to speak. "Sasuke, after this we should go to-"

"No! I'm not shopping for clothes anymore. We've already gotten me about ten shirts and pairs of pants today," Sasuke interrupted.

"I just thought you might like a different color than black," she retorted.

He frowned. "Hn, anything dark works."

Naruto jumped forward and put one arm around each of his teammates. "You two fight just like a couple," he said with a smile.

They both pushed him off and said simultaneously, "It's not like that!" After that, they both turned red and looked away before the other noticed.

Kakashi was interested in the situation but before he could think, they arrived.

Naruto immediately ran to the fireworks while Kakashi went to the man at the counter and asked for something. Sasuke wasn't really interested, so he decided to follow Sakura around. The shop was a lot bigger than any of them imagined, and they had to keep weaving around many groups of ecstatic genin. It wasn't just genin; many other shinobi and even ordinary villagers were browsing as well. They made their way to the fireworks and watched as Naruto struggled to choose which ones he wanted.

"Should I get a few big ones or a lot of small ones?" he pondered aloud.

Sakura walked over to the Uzumaki. "Hey, what about that one up there?"

Naruto beamed in excitement. Sasuke looked up to see a gigantic firework on one of the highest shelves. It was as big as a medium sized dog.

"Whoa, it says that it splits and turns into multiple fireworks when it's in the air," Naruto said excitedly.

Kakashi had walked over to his former students and tried to see what they were looking at. He widened his eyes in surprise at the sight.

"I have to have that one!" Naruto exclaimed as he started to climb the shelves.

Sakura pulled him down. "Don't do that or you'll hurt yourself! I'll go and ask the man at the counter for you."

"Thanks Sakura!" he said as she walked off.

"What do you think?" he asked Sasuke as he came to stand beside him.

Sasuke smirked. "Hn, I think that we should arrange for a funeral soon."

"Sasuke you-" he stopped and they both turned when they heard a large group of ninja from the Rain Village laughing. Kakashi was standing a short distance away from his former students and could also hear the group, so he turned, too.

The tallest one, who was still about half a foot shorter than Sasuke, was apparently the one causing the scene.

"That girl is so hot. What's she doing hanging around a bunch of losers like them?"

Naruto clenched his fists and Sasuke frowned.

A different man spoke. "Why don't you ask her to come with us? There's plenty to go around."

The Uzumaki gritted his teeth and the Uchiha narrowed his eyes.

The shortest of the group spoke. "Who said anything about asking? If she says no we'll just wait outside."

The tallest spoke again. "Let's take her some place real nice." Everyone laughed again.

Naruto had had enough. "That's it," he growled, "I'm gonna kick all of their-"

Sasuke had interrupted his friend by shoving past him. Kakashi walked over and stopped beside Naruto.

The Uchiha stood in front of the tallest man with his arms crossed. "Is there a problem?" he asked casually.

"No, there aint no problem here. Get lost," the tallest responded.

"Really? I could have sworn that I heard you talking about someone I know."

The tall man stepped closer. "Well you must have heard wrong then. I thought I told you to get lost." He took out some money and threw it at Sasuke. "Go get yourself a haircut while you're at it."

Sasuke was completely calm and wasn't intimidated one bit. As they all laughed, he let his right eye change colors.

Everyone stopped laughing except for the tall man. "That's so scary. You have the Sharingan. Hehehe you must be the last Uchiha then."

Sasuke didn't speak. He kept his cool and continued to stare the man down.

"Well if you'll excuse me, I have a girl to go grab." As soon as he moved, Sasuke was in his way again. He'd never let this guy even get another look at Sakura.

"She's taken," Sasuke said. That had come out of no where. He didn't mean to say that, but since they were going to the festival together, he guessed that meant she was taken.

Naruto and Kakashi had been looking on quietly. They both raised their eyebrows in surprise when they heard Sasuke's abrupt statement. Sharing a quick glance, they turned their attention back to the brewing storm.

The man gave a small laugh. "Really tough guy? And who might she be taken by?"

"Me," Sasuke responded, still completely unmoved by the man's taunts.

The shortest walked up and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I wouldn't mess around with this Uchiha. I hear he has the Rinnegan in the eye behind his bangs. Don't forget the Sharingan either."

He pushed the hand off of his shoulder. "You think I'm scared of a few colorful eyes?"

Sasuke smirked. "Hn, I'd listen to your friend. I also take it that you've never seen another Uchiha before? Anyway, these 'colorful eyes' are quite powerful."

"Oh really? I'd like to see just how powerful they are then!"

A quick punch came towards Sasuke's face. He caught the fist with his prosthetic hand without moving his gaze.

The others in the group gasped in awe. "I didn't even see him move he was so fast!"

The one who threw the punch grunted in pain when he heard the cracking coming from his captured fist. He dropped to his knees as Sasuke shifted his gaze downward, making it seem effortless. The man's eyes widened in terror as he saw the blood red of the Uchiha's right eye. The other shinobi were to scared to help their friend and watched helplessly as Sasuke slowly lifted his right hand. It stopped a foot above the man's head. Black flames came into view and a short whimper escaped from the terrified shinobi.

Suddenly, Sasuke let go of his hand and let the flames engulf the male. He made sure only to burn his clothes though, not wanting to take it too far.

Naruto and Kakashi were already beside Sasuke, grabbing him and telling him to stop. The Uchiha shook them off and made the flames disappear. The only clothing left on the man was his underwear now. "I suggest that if that's all you want to be burned, you should leave," Sasuke calmly commanded.

The tall man immediately ran out of the shop, followed by the others from the group.

"You can back up now. I wasn't going to kill him," Sasuke said as his eye returned to its onyx color.

They did as he said, both still bewildered. Naruto spoke up. "When you said that she taken... by you, did you mean-," he stopped when Kakashi gave him a warning look.

They were both baffled when Sasuke didn't turn around and try to beat his best friend. Instead, he replied with complete indifference. "We're just going to the festival together. That's all."

Kakashi and Naruto shared another glance, trying to decide who was more confused about everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

"Naruto!" Sakura said while she motioned for him to come back to the fireworks section.

He quickly put on a smile and jogged back, with his grey haired sensei coming at a slower pace. Sasuke was still for a minute, waiting to see if those fools would come back. When he realized that he had completed his mission, he turned and weaved through displays, making his way to the rest of the original Team 7. He walked up just in time to see an employee handing the huge rocket to Naruto.

"Oh man! I can't wait to shoot this off!" the Uzumaki eagerly shouted as he took the rocket.

"You better make sure that your wife knows when you're going to use it," Kakashi warned.

"Yeah, yeah, sure Kakashi sensei," Naruto retorted as he made his way to the counter to pay.

"He's going to end up killing himself or someone else," Sasuke said as they followed.

Sakura grinned. "He's not as dumb as he used to be," she replied jokingly.

The Uchiha scoffed. "I find that really hard to believe."

Kakashi let a small laugh escape. "You'd be surprised Sasuke."

They arrived at the counter and watched as their friend emptied his wallet.

"Naruto, do you really think that it's worth it to spend all your money on one rocket?" Sakura asked.

"You were the one who pointed it out!" he retorted as he finished paying and they headed out the door.

"I didn't know that it would cost you that much," she spat back.

The rest of that day was just Team 7 hanging out. It had honestly been one of their best days together, at least that's how they all, even Sasuke, felt. However, the Uchiha was extremely reluctant to leave the Haruno's side for the rest of the day. Naruto was taking it as a "sign". Meanwhile, Kakashi had chosen to just let it be.

The Hokage returned his thoughts to the present. "Naruto, you were probably going to do the same thing as Sasuke."

"Well yeah! I wouldn't let them talk about any of my friends like that! But did you ever think Sasuke of all people would do that?!"

Kakashi sighed. "I've already told you once that a lot can happen in three years. What's wrong with Sasuke standing up for his friends?"

Naruto was getting really irritated. "Gah! This is Sasuke Uchiha we're talking about! I don't think that there's anything wrong with it! I'm just saying that it's weird! After that, he didn't leave her side once! Don't even think about telling me that he wasn't staring at her most of the time either! I think that there's definitely something going on between them!"

Now it was Kakashi's turn to get irritated. "First of all, stop shouting. Second of all, before you mention it, they said they were going to the festival as friends. And third of all, if there really is something happening between them, don't mess around with them."

"Fine!" Naruto stomped out of the room, but couldn't help but give an evil grin. He definitely had something planned. What he didn't realize was that Kakashi had caught the grin from the corner of his eye.

"What did you summon me for Kakashi?" Gaara asked when he entered the Hokage's office.

"Sit down, this might take some time to explain," Kakashi replied. He told the Kazekage of what Naruto's plans might be for Sasuke and Sakura. When he finished, the Sand shinobi was confused as to what was so important about it.

"Well that's all very interesting," he started with curiosity, "but how does it concern me?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like you to tail him for the next day or so. It's just until his 'plan' has been put into action."

The Kazekage was completely lost now. "Um, why exactly do you want ME to do it?"

"I think that you're the best choice to keep another war from happening."

Gaara was more than lost now. Kakashi noticed and explained further. "As you've probably noticed, Sasuke has quite a temper. Especially when it comes to situations like this and even more so when Naruto's the one cornering him."

"So you want me to prevent them from fighting then?"

"Well, more like annihilating each other. Also, if you do it, I can cover for you if there's anything important that you need to do."

"Um, I guess I can do it then. It shouldn't be too hard," Gaara replied.

Kakashi laughed nervously. "Oh, no. It shouldn't be hard at all. If you'll excuse me, I have some important business to take care of."

Before the Kazekage could say anything else, the Hatake disappeared, leaving behind a large puff of smoke.

Gaara walked out of the office, bewildered at what had just happened. "Does he really think that it could get that bad? If he needs me to watch and make sure nothing happens... What did I just get myself into?" He continued to wonder to himself as he started to look for Naruto.

THREE DAYS BEFORE THE FESTIVAL

Sasuke yawned as he and Sakura made their way through the streets. It was late in the evening and it was already dark outside. Last night had been another sleepless one, filled with horrible memories and nightmares. The only thing that kept him awake was his longing to keep other men away from Sakura. After the incident a few days ago, he made sure to always be close by her side. He was completely confident that she could take care of herself, but he wasn't going to take any risks. The only bad part about always being by her side was that it meant more shopping. By now he had a whole closet full of clothes and he was wearing some of his new ones right now. He was dressed head to toe in black, wearing a plain long sleeve shirt and baggy pants.

"Where should we go now?" she asked him.

"Hn, I don't care as long as it's not shopping again," he replied after a huge yawn.

"Okay, how about we get you a haircut?" she retorted teasingly.

"No way!" he immediately yelled back.

"I'm just kidding. Besides, I think you look more attractive with bangs." As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she regretted it.

He turned his head toward her. "You do?"

Sakura quickly turned away, trying not to let him notice her blush. "Uh, yeah!" she said shakily.

Sasuke directed his gaze forward again, smirking with content.

A familar laugh came from behind them. They stopped walking and looked back to see Naruto, followed by Kiba, who for some reason didn't have Akamaru with him, Kankuro, Gaara, Sai, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and Temari.

The girls started whispering to each other as they met in the middle.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Naruto asked with a giant grin.

"Nothing much," Sakura said.

"Sakura, do you remember what we talked about the other day?" Hinata asked.

"Right now?!" she asked with a small hint of worry.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. What are they talking about?

"Alright Forehead, we're heading to the hot springs and you're coming with us whether you like it or not!" Ino yelled as she grabbed her best friend's arm.

"Let go of me Ino Pig!" Sakura shouted back while pulling her arm away. "I was going to come anyway. I could use some time to relax."

Sasuke was slightly taken aback. Then, Naruto told him to come to the hot springs with the guys. The only reason he accepted was because he could at least be nearby if something went wrong.

The girls had already started heading towards the destination and were far ahead of the guys. For now, they left Sakura alone. At first she thought that Hinata hadn't told them anything yet. To her dismay, Ino began to bombard her with questions.

"Okay Forehead, spill it. What's been going on between you two?" she asked, clearly implying Sasuke.

"I've already told you that it's nothing Pig!" Sakura yelled back. Why did they have to talk about this now? She looked back to see that the guys were too far away to hear, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Tenten was showing a grin. "Oh, come on Sakura. I remember how quick he was to put Lee down a few days ago."

Sakura was about to defend again when Temari interrupted. "We should wait until we get ot the spring to intimidate her," she said jokingly.

Sakura gave Temari a grateful look and wondered how they would corner her soon.

Meanwhile, the guys hadn't bothered Sasuke yet. Gaara was wondering what he had gotten himself into. He had never agreed to have a "guys night out" with them. However, his main focus was on the current conversation, making sure that bloodshed wouldn't happen soon.

Sasuke glanced at Gaara and noticed the dreadful look on his face. "He obviously doesn't want to come either. The only reason I'm going is to make sure that there aren't anymore stalkers like those idiots at that explosives shop. I never imagined HE would agree to anything like this. Something's definitely going on," he wondered to himself.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto started, "we'll let you go out first. I'm pretty sure you don't want us to laugh at your-"

The Uzumaki was interrupted by a giant strip of sand slamming onto his mouth. He kept walking and frantically pulling at it with no luck. The Kazekage's gaze traveled to the Uchiha. Sasuke rolled his eyes and a frown was present on his facial features. Gaara let the sand travel back to his gourd and sighed. He was worrying for no reason at the moment; what he was really there for was to stop a murder from happening when Naruto started questioning Sasuke about his "personal affairs".

Kankuro and Kiba had been snickering at Naruto and started to tease him. Sai had been smiling at the scene and joined in on teasing the Uzumaki. Sasuke thought he had figured out why Gaara was there. To stop fighting from happening, but why? This happened on a regular basis between him and his best friend. Why was anyone worried about something as irrelevant as this?

Sakura was the first to get in. Luckily, it looked like they were the only ones on the girl's side. At least they would be talking without anyone else knowing. Ino was the next to come out and she quickly ran into the water and made her way to her best friend.

"Okay Forehead, you can't dodge the question now! What's been happening between you and Uchiha?"

She was getting really annoyed and was about to start chewing Ino out when Temari made her way out of the room where you leave your clothes and belongings. "Give her a break Ino. I thought you really wanted to tell us about your last date with Sai anyway."

Ino slapped both of her hands on top of the water. "Oh my gosh! You're right." She moved away into the middle of the water and started telling, in detail, about the date. Temari was trying her best to look interested. She was trying to spare Sakura some time. When Ino had found out about her having some "love issues", she had demanded to come. They were going to ask her anyway, but Temari knew right away that she would get right to the point with Sakura.

Ino had gotten halfway through the story when Hinata and Tenten made their way out to their friends. Thankfully, Ino stopped talking and moved on to another topic.

"We're all here now!" She turned to Sakura and asked her once again what was happening.

Sakura had given up on protesting, knowing that she was eventually going to have to answer. "I honestly don't even know what to say," she said, starting the conversation.

Hinata spoke next. "When you asked me how I felt about Naruto not knowing how I thought about him all that time, I think I knew how you were feeling. But Sasuke knows how you feel about him, doesn't he?"

"Yes. I don't want to bother him though," Sakura said.

Temari let out a short laugh. "Sakura, after everything he's done to you and everyone else, I think you have the right to bother him a little. Besides, seeing as how he actually tried to apologize to me and Kankuro, I think that he would agree with me in saying that you have that right."

She frowned. "Well, I guess you're right. He keeps telling me not worry about bothering him because of that reason."

"Then there you go! He should be grateful that you're still willing to like him after everything anyway!" Temari stated.

Tenten smiled. "Temari is absolutely right! If anything, he should be the one confessing to you."

Sakura blushed lightly. "I don't know about confessing. I can't force him to like me back."

Tenten laughed. "What were you two doing up at three in the morning a few days ago then? Also, when Lee asked you to the festival, Sasuke was pretty quick to say that you were going with him."

Ino gasped. "You're going to the festival together?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because we're just going as friends Pig!"

Hinata grinned. "Did he ask you?"

"Well," she stuttered, "yes."

"Forehead, first you have one of the sexiest men alive living with you. Then, he asks you to the festival. If that isn't a sign then what is? Don't tell Sai I said that first part," she added.

Before Sakura could curse at her friend, Hinata butted in. "I think it's pretty sweet. Even if it isn't in a romantic way."

The others agreed, except for Ino. "By the way, he came into the flower shop a couple of days ago. It was a few hours after the match between him and Naruto. He asked if I had seen you and he was really worried."

"Really?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"Yup. And if you don't believe me, then just ask Sai. He was there, too," Ino finished.

Temari got into the conversation again. "I think that he's just so full of pride that he doesn't realize how he really feels. Uchiha has always been that way."

"I can believe the part about him being full of pride, but do any of you honestly think that he likes me that way?" The others looked at each other and when they turned back to Sakura all of them nodded. She couldn't believe they all thought that.

Tenten snickered. "Since when did you learn so much about that kind of stuff Temari?"

The kunoichi from the Sand scoffed. "Oh I don't know. Maybe because I'm actually in a relationship!"

Tenten put both of her hands up in protest. "Hey, I'm single and I'm proud." An evil grin appeared on her face. "Speaking of you being in a relationship, how's it going with you and Shikamaru?"

Temari became extremely flustered. She didn't like discussing her relationship, even if it was just with the girls. "I thought we were talking about her!" she desperately claimed, pointing to the Haruno.

Tenten smirked. "We did. Now it's your turn!"

While the others began to pester Temari, Sakura pondered to herself about the recent conversation. How could they possibly think that Sasuke Uchiha liked her in that way? They were apparently seeing something that she was completely ignorant about. Ino said that he looked really worried about her when she left the field. It was hard to believe at first, but then she remembered that he had started to yell at her when he found her. It had only been a few words before he silenced himself, but it did seem like he'd been worried. She pushed the thought of him liking her as more than a friend to the back of her mind. It was impossible to believe that it was true.

Sasuke was in his own corner of the spring. He sank low so that all you could see was his head down to chin. He had made sure that he was the first one out; not wanting to be the butt of Naruto's stupid jokes. Gaara had been the next to arrive, concealing himself with sand from the gourd until he had been completely covered by the water. The Kazekage had also sunken low and waded to his own corner. Kiba, Kankuro, who was not sporting any face paint, and Sai were next to come and they were carrying out a long conversation.

Gaara was extremely embarrassed. Not only was he naked in public, but the fact that he had agreed to this was truly humiliating. At least they were the only ones in there and Naruto wasn't out yet. He glanced at his gourd, which was beside him on the edge of a rock. Most likely, he was going to need it soon if Kakashi was right.

The guys stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the entrance when they heard an excited scream. Naruto Uzumaki ran out and jumped in next to Sai. The former ANBU laughed lightly.

"What's so funny Sai?" Naruto asked with complete annoyance.

He stopped laughing and smiled. "It looks like I was right when I said you didn't have any b-"

"SHUT UP SAI! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS FOR ONCE!" the Uzumaki angrily interrupted.

No one said anything for the next couple of minutes. The war hero was the one to break the silence.

"So Sasuke," he started with a suspicious tone. Gaara's attention was focused on the upcoming conversation.

"What's been going on in your life lately?" he asked as he slung his arm around his teammate. The Uchiha quickly pushed him off.

"If you do that again, your wife will start to question your preferences," he said with as much venom as possible.

"Just answer the question!" his best friend spat back.

Sasuke frowned. "Hn, why do you care?"

The others came closer to hear the argument. Gaara also moved closer, and he guessed by the looks on the other's faces that they were in on it, too. He gave Kankuro a pleading look, basically warning him not to help Naruto. Kankuro waded towards his little brother and told him what the troublesome Uzumaki was doing.

"He told us that he was gonna make Sasuke tell him something important. I don't know anything else though," the puppet master explained.

Gaara turned his gaze back to the growing storm.

"I just want to know how you and Sakura are doing. You ARE living together, aren't you?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "We're fine. And you know that we are." Now he understood why the Kazekage was there. He was there to prevent bloodshed in probably the next few minutes. Naruto wouldn't stop with his theory that something was happening between him and Sakura. Now that he understood completely, he knew what was coming and it would be easier to keep his calm, no matter how far he'd push it.

Naruto put on a suspicious grin. "So you two have been real close recently then?"

He had expected this question. "If we live in the same apartment then why wouldn't we be close?"

Naruto was getting irritated. "So it looks like he's already figured out what I'm trying to do." He did some more thinking.

"Is that so? You've been a little protective of her lately. Why's that?" he pushed further.

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes at his friend's stupidity. He wasn't going to get anything out of this. "She's my friend. Why wouldn't I be protective?"

Naruto pondered, trying to think of a question that the Uchiha couldn't counter, but nothing came. "I guess you're right." One question popped into his head that might work. Then again, if it did work, he might end up dead.

Naruto took a deep breath. "Have you thought about getting a girlfriend yet? I mean, isn't one of your goals to revive your clan, or as I like to call it 'make Uchiha babies'?"

That was a question Sasuke wasn't prepared for. His expression became flustered and Naruto knew that it had worked. A few of the others held their breath, waiting for an explosion or something. Gaara's sand floated around him; he was ready for anything.

Sasuke had become really angry. Not just at the question, but more at everyone's expressions. Did they really think that he was this insecure? Instead of the springs erupting in flames like everyone expected, he answered calmly, expertly hiding all of his rage.

"Not really. I'll get to it eventually. But if I were you Naruto, I wouldn't be concerned so much about my love life. First of all, I'm not really your type. Second of all, Hinata would be pretty upset."

Everyone else started to laugh except for Gaara, who breathed a sigh of relief as he let his sand travel back to the gourd.

Naruto growled in frustration. Not only had Sasuke ruined his plans, but he had also humiliated him in the process. "Sasuke, you're so gonna get it later!"

After everyone settled down, Kiba made an announcement that wasn't very shocking, knowing him. "I'm gonna go take a peek. Anyone else wanna come with?"

Sai asked, "What is that?"

Kiba snickered. "Oh, it's pretty amazing. I'll explain on the way."

Sai got out and Kankuro was about to follow but his brother stopped him. "First of all Kankuro, I'd hate to think that you would participate in such vulgar activites. Second of all, what do you think Temari would do if she found out or saw you?"

Kankuro shivered. "I completely forgot she was over there. I'll pass."

Kiba was instigating again. "Why aren't you coming Naruto? Would you rather stay here with Sasuke?"

Naruto immediately jumped out of the water. "No way!" His defense quickly turned to worry. "What if Hinata sees us?!"

"Oh come on! They won't know anything."

They started walking. "That's easy for you to say! You aren't married to her!"

Sasuke and Gaara were both thinking the same thing. "Immature perverts," they said in unison.

"I guess this is our chance to escape," Sasuke said as he climbed out and made his way back to the changing room. Gaara followed but Kankuro stayed where he was.

After they had gotten dressed and gathered their things, the Kazekage started a conversation.

"I guess you've figured out the reason I was there. I'd like to apologize."

Ignoring his annoyance at the apology, Sasuke replied. "I knew that you'd never agree to anything like this willingly."

A small smile crept its way onto the Kazekage's lips. "Kakashi put me up to it. He apparently had a conversation with Naruto that made him worry about the outcome of today."

"Hmph! The dobe won't leave me alone about it, just because I'm living with her. And honestly, if you hadn't come, then I wouldn't have figured it out sooner. In that case, he'd probably be dead." Sasuke was ready to be alone now. He hoped that this explanation would finish his part of their conversation.

Gaara realized the Uchiha's intentions and tried to end their chat. "Well, at least I prevented any bloodshed." They set out for the main entrance. When they arrived, they were both waiting for a few of the others. Sasuke for Sakura, and Gaara for Kankuro and Temari. The two shinobi stood there for a few minutes, neither speaking. Then, loud screams could be heard and about half a minute later, Kankuro came from the spring, fully dressed, and collapsed to the ground laughing. Gaara and Sasuke shared a glance. Both knew exactly what had happened before Kankuro explained.

After catching his breath, the sand sibling spoke through enormous laughs. "I went to see if they were really doing it," he stopped to laugh some more. "The first thing I see is Kiba being pulled over the fence by Tenten. Apparently the girls already knew because they had their towels on. Then, Naruto and Sai got it. It was hilarious!"

A few seconds later, the girls, who still only had their towels on, were dragging all of the "peeping toms", who surprisingly were also wearing their towels, into the room. Ino came first, dragging Sai, followed by Tenten, who had Kiba, and Hinata with Naruto. Temari and Sakura came last, both looking as infuriated as the other women.

Gaara and Sasuke quickly helped an amused Kankuro to his feet and moved out of the way, not wanting to suffer the same fate as their comrades were about to. To all three of them, nothing was worse than an angry kunoichi. The women turned to look at them. The males gulped and held their breath, but the girls turned their attention back to their catch. They breathed a sigh of relief. So they had decided to spare them, apparently agreeing that they were innocent.

Naruto was pleading with his upset wife. "Hinata, Kiba made me do it!"

Sai also butted in to help himself and Naruto. "Yes, Naruto is right! I didn't know what the term meant!"

Ino was the one to fire back first. "I don't give a crap if you were forced or not!"

Temari put on a giant smirk. "What do you gals say we teach these little perverts a lesson?" The kunoichi nodded in agreement and cracked their knuckles. The males widened their eyes and waited for the worst. Sasuke quickly escaped the scene and headed to the apartment as the wrath of the kunoichi began.

Sakura closed the door and set her things down on the table. Sasuke had been lying on the couch and he opened his eyes when he heard the door.

"How long are they going to be in the hospital?" he asked.

She frowned. "Sadly, they aren't going at all. Gaara stopped it before it got too ugly. Not before we all got in some hits though."

He smirked and closed his eyes again. They said their good nights and she closed the door to her room. For some reason, he had felt a small wave of pride rush over him when he heard the outcome of the whole situation.

Author's Note: So I guess this chapter was filler. Oh well, everyone has those chapters. Anyway, I took this as a chance for a "calm before the storm" type moment. The next chapter will be REALLY important though, for two reasons. I bet all of you can guess without me telling. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Thanks for the follows! Please review!