I'm sooooo sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took almost a year to update! Science class is killing me, and I had to help my parents since they were busy managing a new branch (I get to help them managing the office while they were away). Plus, my modem broke down and I need my computer to do most of my school assignment and work. So once again I'm so sorry.
Thanks for the reviews anyway and please tell me if there're any mistakes, anything that you like and don't like so I can write better. R&R!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
--------------------------------------------------
Chapter 11: Suna Vs Konoha
The soccer field was so crowded that day. Everyone came to watch the friendly match between Suna High and Konoha High. Fangirls screams could be heard alongside some supportive shoutings like, "you have to win, I bet 1,000 yen on your winning!" ... Well, I guess that was not so supportive...
The most eye catching was, as ever, the cheerleaders, led by Ino. Some guys were actually coming just to see the girls in miniskirts in action. Unfortunately, with Ino on the lead, the ones that they were actually cheering were Sasuke and Neji.
Both team were doing warm ups, while Sakura asked Kakashi, "Sensei, don't you think the odd is too big? Suna's soccer team seems strong..."
"Hmm, you think so?" Kakashi didn't even bother to divert his sight from his precious perverted book while answering, "you shouldn't understimate your own friends, Haruno."
"I don't understimate them! I'm just worried about them!" 'And just get rid of that annoying book, pervert!'
"Well then," Kakashi (finally) closed his book and told his team to gather for briefing, "have faith in them."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Temari was watching the game from the rooftop. On her left ear, an earphone was attached. She looked at her watch impatiently, and then looked back at the field. Suddenly, she heard the door opened.
Nara Shikamaru, the annoying boy who called her troublesome, looked at her in a mixture of confused and "how troublesome" expression.
'Damn, I can't have him here while we're doing the plan.' She tried to put an annoyed face and asked him with a stern voice, "What are you doing here?"
Shikamaru scratched his head, "you know, I am the one who should ask you that question." He approached her before continuing, "Why don't you go downstairs and watch your school's team there?"
"I asked you first," Temari answered, in a cold voice.
"Me? I'm just going to watch the cloud. It's to troublesome to watch them with those fangirls."
"Wait, you didn't mean you're going to be here until the end of the match?" 'If he's here, I can't give the signal!'
"Yup, you got any problem?"
'Damn, I need to make a reason or we'll fail the plan' "uhh, I..."
Shikamaru stared at her with a confused look. 'Something's fishy about her,' he thought, 'She looked very anxious and seemed to be hiding something.'
"I'm waiting," he said, getting Temari out of her thought. Temari got panicked, since she couldn't find any reasons. Then, something crossed her mind.
"Because you're so troublesome."
-----------------------------------------------------------
The whistle was blown and the game started. One of the players from Suna got the ball and started to dribble. But then he saw Sasuke coming and tried to pass the ball, only to find his teammates were heavily guarded. He tried to get past Sasuke, but unfortunately, Sasuke managed to take the ball.
"Yeah, Sasuke! Go and get them!!!"
"Kyaaah, Sasuke-kun, you're so cool!!!"
The crowd cheered as Sasuke got past the defenders. However, when he was about to kick the ball, a redhead suddenly came and tried to steal the ball. Sasuke managed to pass the ball to Naruto before the guy stole it, but he suddenly felt a slight pain on his left ankle. He looked at his left foot, his sock was torn and there was a cut on his ankle. Sasuke was sure that the cut was created when the redhead tried to steal the ball.
'They have an interesting player there.'
He stood up and helped his teammates to attack. Soon, Kiba did a feint and passed to Sasuke, who immediately kicked the ball. The ball spinned wildly and ... GOAL! The crowd cheered and the players went back to their positions. When Sasuke was going to his position, the redhead called him, "You're interesting. What's your name?"
"Before you ask for someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Sasuke answered arrogantly.
"Gaara... Sabaku no Gaara."
"Uchiha Sasuke."
----------------------------------------------------------------
Temari looked at Shikamaru, who was currently lying, watching the cloud. 'He doesn't seem to be sleeping. I have to come up with another plan,' she thought, 'but what? I'm running out of time...'
"Oi!" She heard Shikamaru called her, adding more pain to her head.
"What?" She answered. 'It should be something important,' she said in her mind, 'or you're dead meat.'
"Well, I don't really mind about this," Shikamaru answered, "But I can see your panties quite nicely from here."
"YOU'RE SO DEAD!!!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In less than 10 minutes, Gaara had scored 2 goals, hurting Chouji, the goalkeeper and some other players in the process. There in no Konoha player who didn't get hurt on the field, most of them are hurt pretty badly as the result of Suna's rough playing. The crowd had become silent, only whispers could be heard. Sakura was watching the medical team who were carrying Chouji to the clinic. Chouji looked pretty beaten up that no one would believe that the got those injury from playing soccer.
"Sensei," Sakura whispered to Kakashi, "is this really soccer?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because... Just look at them! They all got beaten up pretty badly. It seems that Suna purposely use this match to beat our team!"
"Shh, you shouldn't accuse another people without proof."
"But... Sensei, don't you care about them?"
"Huh? Of course!"
"If you care about them, why don't you stop them? We can't win this, our team seems like they are already tired while our opponent still have quite a lot stamina left."
"Haruno, can't you see their eyes? They still want to play. That's why I don't stop them."
"But, if this continues..."
"I told you right? Have faith in them. Half-time is near, if you can convince them to stop, them I will let them stop."
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Temari, report the situation. Now." The voiced that came from her earphone alarmed Temari
'Damn it. I'm late' Temari glared at Shikamaru, now half-beaten, 'All because of this guy.'
"Shut up, I'm busy now. It seems I can't keep up with the plan, go on without me," Temari whispered so that Shikamaru couldn't hear her. Unfortunately though, Shikamaru was able to read the movement of her lips and became more suspicious of her.
Temari turned away, trying to leave, but Shikamaru stopped her. "Wait," he said, "tell me, what exactly are you guys from Suna have been plotting?"
'Ugh, he finds out about that,' "W-what are you talking about?" Temari smiled nerveously.
"It's no use hiding about it. I've known there is something fishy. First of all, you, the head of the student's committee came here just to watch the match. It's not usual, you know. And you are watching here from the roof, instead of at the side of the field. You're the president of the student's committee, you should get no problem in getting a good spot to watch and support them."
Shikamaru stopped to take a deep breath while Temari was standing quietly, listening to Shikamaru hypothesis.
"Secondly, you're standing here, as if you are waiting for something. That means you have no intention to watch the game at all. And I've been hearing whistles and some fuss down there, there must be something happening and I believe you guys have got something to do with it."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You guys, stop this nonsense at once!" Every member of the soccer team looked at their manager puzzled.
"But Sakura-chan, they are still leading. I won't stop until I can score a goal and beat that Gaara," Naruto answered while pouring some water to the wounds on his arm and legs.
"But what they're playing is not soccer. They are beating you up!"
"Ah, this? Sakura-chan, I'm happy that you are worried about me, but we will be okay. We are used to it after all."
"Why do you insist on playing so much? You could end up lying in the hospital. And there are chances that you wouldn't be able to use your legs anymore."
"Oi, Pinky, just shut up. We aren't going to stop and we aren't going lose this either. Just watch quietly here."
"But-"
"Well, it seems you failed to convince them, Haruno"
"Kakshi-sensei!"
"Since you guys want to win that bad, I guess I will teach you a little."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The match continued, as well as the beating from Suna. Using the strategy Kakashi told them, Konoha was able to play a lot better. But, their stamina has dropped rapidly and their movement speed has decreased greatly.
When Sasuke finally managed to get the ball in front of the goal, Gaara appeared suddenly and kicked the ball hard. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the ball was less than an inch near his feet. The ball hit his right leg and sent him to fall to the ground.
"Noo! Sasuke-kun!!!" The fan girls screamed.
"Dude, he deserves a red card for that!"
"No, he only kicked the ball, so he won't get the red card."
"Sasuke, you okay?" Naruto asked while helping Sasuke to stand.
"Hn," Sasuke tried to stand by himself when he felt a sharp pain right on the spot where the ball hit him. 'Shit, why at time like this...'
"Oi, Sasuke-teme, you sure you're okay?"
"Just shut up, dobe, and concentrate on scoring a goal."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the ball went inside the goal, the crowd cheered. Naruto's kick was too fast for the goalkeeper. And it's all thanks to Sasuke's assist, although Naruto wouldn't admit it. He was busy looking for Hinata to show her his victory sign. But...
"Sasuke!!!"
Sasuke was lying on the field. He was holding his right leg and his face shows that he was a very painful injury. Everyone became silent, as they saw Sasuke being carried to the clinic.
"Damn it!!!" Naruto hit the ground with his fist, "I won't lose this match!"
"It's useless," suddenly Gaara approached him, "You can never beat me. All of my life, I've been training intensively so that I could become the best among the students in the world. Rubbish like you won't be able to defeat me."
"Shut up! I swear that I won't lose to someone like you!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And third, I saw the small device in your pocket. It's a bomb detonator isn't it? So I guess your plan is to use this friendly match to get everyone's attention while you plant the bombs and detonate them in a place where no one can see you. And you will use the chaos to steal some important document and blame our school for poor security. Am I right?"
Temari smiled, "Oh well, you ARE really a troublesome guy." She closed her eyes. "You got almost all of them right. So, what are you going to do? Hand me over to your principal? Stop the match?"
"Hmm, nothing I guess. That's just way too troublesome."
Temari was really surprised, "What?! Don't you care about your friends? Maybe you don't know but our plan includes destroying your football team."
"Heh, don't worry, they aren't as weak as you though. See?"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just right before the match ended, Naruto scored another goal, making the score 3-2 with Konoha victorious. All of the audience cheered, while the Suna High's team looked very disappointed. Especially Gaara.
"How could this happen? You shouldn't be able to defeat me?"
"This is the reality, Gaara. You see, someone like you who don't play fairly and legalize every way to win won't understand why we who enjoy soccer very much can beat you. If you play fair and square and try to enjoy the game more, you will understand why you can't win."
"Well, that's not like you Naruto, to say such long and touching speech," Kiba teased, "But I must say that I agree with you."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"This can't be... Gaara lose...?"
"Sometimes everything won't go as planned."
Temari, who had recovered from her shock, only nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then she turned to Shikamaru, "Thank you."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "For what?"
"For stopping me..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tbc
R&R!