A/N: Neji seems more popular now he's pulled the destiny stick out of his ass :) I put some fanart of Akira up for the 200/250 reviews. The lighting is terrible :S ... Anyway, go Shikamara and Temari!! Thank you for your reviews, in gratitude I give you a fast update!!

Claimer: Kari and all associated with her belongs to her respectful owner, me.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-san.

Gamatte Geemu no Jikan Seigen

Isoi Kari-chan Oyubi Sasuke!

Time Limit of the Waiting Game

Hurry Kari-chan and Sasuke!

He became more and more restless, and more and more worried

Could something have happened to her?

"The crowd is noisy" the Kazekage chuckled.

"That was a nice battle" the Hokage agreed.

"Yes, that too, but… the next battle is something that the head ninja and feudal lords are highly anticipating. And from what I heard on my way here, Konoha ninja are also excited for the third match, with the young girl Kari." The Kazekage said. The Hokage looked grave and did not reply. "By the way, I did not see them at the opening ceremony, but they are already here correct?"

"Yes…" the Hokage said. The Chuunin at his side bent down and whispered to him.

"We have still not located Sasuke or Kari. And there's the Orochimaru thing, perhaps we should disqualify him before it causes an uproar." However, it seemed the crowd was already showing its displeasure.

"What are you doing?!"

"Start the next match!"

"How long are you going to make us wait?!"

"We don't have all day you know!"

"What happened? Is Sasuke-kun here for the next match?" Ino asked worriedly.

"What's that guy doing? Is he planning not to come?" Shikamaru wondered out loud. "I mean, I know Kari enough to know she wouldn't miss this…"

"A wise man keeps away from danger." Shino said looking discreetly at Gaara. "He made a good decision."

"What are you talking about? He and Kari-chan will definitely come" Naruto said while Kita yipped, pulling an angry puppy pout. How dare they doubt her Okaasan! Naruto looked around at Gaara and the Suna-nin returned his gaze with a dark glare. Shikamaru looked back and forth in confusion while Kita shuddered, her fur on end.

'But what is he doing? He's going to get Kari-chan and himself disqualified at this rate…' Naruto thought annoyed.

"I have no choice, both Sasuke and Kari are disqualified—Oh?" the Hokage was cut off when a bundle of white fur landed in his lap. Kita sat on her hind legs and folded her front legs in disagreement. "Kita-chan? What are you doing here?" Kita leaned forward and placed her front paws down she stood up and yipped. If only she could talk and tell Ojii-san how she felt! But Okaasan said she should avoid talking to people she doesn't know because they could be dangerous.

"It seems the wolf is against your decision to disqualify them." The Kazekage said while Kita vigorously nodded her head. The Kazekage gave her the creeps, but her Okaasan and Sasuke's matches were far more important!

"I must" the Hokage said regretfully, turning his old head to look at the Kazekage. Kita puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. If only she had fingers and knew sign language!

"What are we going to do?" Kankurou hissed to Temari. "If he doesn't come, our plan is going to…"

"Is this bad?" Temari asked.

'Back then… K'so, Gaara better not have killed them' the Suna sensei thought gravely.

"Sasuke, Kari, one more time" Kakashi ordered as they struggled to catch their breath. "Hm…?"

"Doushita?" Sasuke panted. Kari's ears twitched and she turned to look at the rock Gaara was behind, sweat rolling down her cheek.

"Your location is obvious with that intense murderous intent of yours." Kari's breath hitched and she shook slightly her eyes slowly becoming a warm amber, reddening by the second. "Kari, pocky-fish." Distracted, Kari's eyes returned to normal, and a soft giggle escaped her. Pocky-fish, what would one of those look like…? "Come out." Kakashi ordered, turning back to the rock.

Gaara stepped out, his eyes fixed on the silver-haired Jounin.

"You eh?"

"Gaara?" Kari asked, Sasuke's eyes darting to her before looking back at their unwelcome guest.

"Hokage-dono, can you hold on before disqualifying Uchiha Sasuke and Kari?" the Kazekage requested.

"Pardon the intrusion, but those who think lightly of their time as a ninja, have no right to become Chuunin, no matter how elite they are" the Chuunin beside the Hokage said while Kita struck him with her hardly frightening puppy glare. "Unless there is a clear explanation that will convince the head ninja and feudal lords here, there is no reason to wait for them."

"I see, then there is a good reason." The Kazekage said. "Including me, I can say that most of the head ninja and feudal lords here came to watch the next match. He is a survivor of the Uchiha clan after all, the Country of wind wishes for him to fight our Gaara. And from the rumours of the preliminaries Kari is a sight to see in battle, and we are also keen to see her fight against Gaara, should the tournament turn out that way."

Kita could have kissed him if he didn't smell so disgusting and have a horrible dark aura. There was no way the Hokage could refuse!

"Hokage-sama?" the Chuunin asked.

'There is no guarantee that Sasuke or Kari will come." The Hokage thought grimly. "Very well, we will put their matches on hold, and wait for them. And also switch them so that Kari will go before Sasuke, seeing as there are so many here to see him." Kita almost squealed and wagged her tail with joy, the Hokage patted her on the head.

"Hokage –sama are you sure?" the Chuunin asked. Kita scowled and glared at him.

"Tell Genma."

"Hai!" the Chuunin cried. Kita grinned and teleported back to Naruto's side. Watching as the Chuunin spoke to the proctor.

"But it was rare for you to say that much Kazekage-dono" the Hokage commented.

"I want to show our Shinobi's quality to the feudal lords, and they are said to be amongst the best of Konoha Genin. It's a chance for us."

"Minna-sama" the proctor said. "An examinee for the next two matches has not arrived just yet. Therefore, the matches will be delayed and we will begin the fourth match instead."

"What are Sasuke and Kari doing?" Asuma cried.

"Kari-chan wouldn't miss this for the world, what's going on?" Kurenai agreed worriedly.

"Yokatta! Sasuke-kun won't be disqualified!" Ino cheered.

"Yokatta…" Naruto sighed in relief.

"Doesn't that mean that my match is coming up faster?" Shikamaru cried.

"Next match; Kankurou and Aburame Shino, come down."

'My match isn't important. Besides, I don't want to show Karasu's hidden weapons before the plan.' Kankurou thought. He looked to Temari, who nodded. "Examiner! I give up! Go to the next match."

'Nani?' the proctor thought.

The crowd groaned and booed becoming restless and impatient.

"Kankurou has given up, therefore Aburame Shino wins by default." The proctor announced.

"Che." Temari pulled out her fan and rode it down to the arena; she jumped off, landing a foot or so away from the proctor.

"You are?" the proctor asked.

"It's my turn right?" Temari asked.

"Looks like you want to do this… Yosh, we're going to start the next match. Oi. The other one, get down here!"

"Oi, oi, why are you guys getting excited" Shikamaru grumbled. "Actually why do I have to be the ne who gets his match-ups changed so frequently?"

"Nara Shikamaru, it's you." The proctor called.

"I should just follow the other guy and give up…"

"YOSHA!! GO GET HER SHIKAMARU DATTEBAYOU!!" Naruto cried, slapping Shikamaru on the back and accidentally pushing him over the railings. Kita sighed and settled herself on a grumpy Shino's shoulder and sighed. Chuunin exams are so troublesome dattebayou…

Shikamaru landed on his back with a loud thud and scowled up at Naruto. Displeased, Shikamaru was bombarded by junk and food.

'It looks like they were looking forward to Sasuke's match and now have to look forward to some no-name's match… So now they're like "What the hell? Get out of here!"' Shikamaru thought to himself. 'There's no point in fighting this match when no one expects anything from it…'

"Nani? You're going to give up as well?" Temari taunted.

'Another woman…?'

'He had no interest in doing anything the moment I met him' Asuma sighed.

"What is he doing?!" Naruto complained, hopping from one foot to the other in impatience. "Oi Shikamaru! Stop fooling around dattebayou!"

"If you're not going to attack then I will!" Temari cried, grasping her fan and charging at the boy lying on the floor.

"Oi we haven't started the match yet!" the proctor said.

"She seems really excited about this…" Shikamaru grumbled pulling out two kunai. Temari jumped and went to slam her fan down on Shikamaru, but when the dust cleared, there was no Shikamaru to be found. She looked up to see him standing against the wall. Two feet away from the ground.

"I don't care if I can't become Chuunin. But a man can't lose to a woman" Shikamaru stated. "I guess I'll fight." Temari growled and swung her fan at him, her dark eyes flashing with anger. When the dust cleared, Shikamaru was gone again, leaving the two kunai he had been standing on. She smirked.

'This guy's quick at running away…'.

'But then again a man can't really hit a woman…But I don't want to get hit either' Shikamaru thought from his position in a nearby tree.

'This guy uses shadows as his weapon' Temari remembered, opening her fan half way and holding it in front of her. 'He must be trying to lure me into the trees where there are lots of shadows. But that won't happen.'

'Why am I the one that has to fight a woman? That Akira gut doesn't seem that bothered.' Shikamaru complained in his thoughts.

"SHIKAMARU!!" Ino cheered excitedly. "Beat her up with your 16-hit combo!!"

"Can I sit next to you?" Chouji asked, chomping on some chips.

"What? Your stomach is okay already?" Ino said surprised.

"Are? Wasn't the next match Sasuke's? And then Kari-chan's after that?" Chouji asked, placing his bag full of bags of potato chips down and taking a seat next to Ino.

"SHH!!" Ino hissed. "Everything's fine right Sakura?" Ino said chirpily to the severely depressed girl beside her. "We're talking about Sasuke-kun and Kari here" Ino grimaced and decided to leave Sakura alone when the girls depression seemed to grow.

"Hmm… Shikamaru being in the main tournament. It seems awfully out of place doesn't it?" Chouji asked munching on another chip.

"Don't say that. It might be true that he doesn't have any strong moves, but Shikamaru's quite good at devising strategies." Ino scolded. "That's why I think we were able to last until the preliminary matches."

"Yeah that's true" Chouji agreed, pausing to answer before continuing in his munching.

"He jumped into the stage himself just a while ago." Chouji wasn't really listening and blew up his empty bag and then smacked it, causing the other end to burst open with a bang. "I think he's full of determination unlike usual. He let's his passion drive him sometimes!" Ino said excitedly. "Go get her, Shikamaru!!"

Meanwhile, Shikamaru was crouching and lazily looking up at the clouds. 'The clouds are so nice… They're so free… Actually I had no motivation to begin with… I only became a ninja because I thought I could lead a fun life…'

"Damn it! Get moving Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted.

'But… I guess things don't go that easily.' Shikamaru thought with a smirk as he stood up.

"What's with that dumb look on his face? Is he underestimating me?" Temari wondered. Ninpou; Kamaitachi!" she cried, sending s huge gust of wind at Shikamaru. The wind struck the trees, leaving cuts across it and ripping off branches. Even the crowd had to defend themselves against the brutal wind. Through the dust, a shadow shot towards her. Temari quickly ran backwards and back flipped and the shadow stopped a mere centimetre away from her before retracting.

"I see…" Temari said, scoring a line across the ground with her fan. "Kage Mane no jutsu, I've figured out its nature. Looks like there's a limit to how you can stretch shrink and transform your shadow. No matter how much you stretch or transform your shadow, you can only stretch it as much as its surface area. Isn't that right?"

"Correct" Shikamaru smirked, dust and scratches coating him.

'Even if I assume he used the stage walls shadow to increase his shadow range, this is as far as the shadow stretches. His attack range goes no further than this line. 15 metres and 32 centimetres.' Temari evaluated.

'She used her fan to measure the shadow's range. Temari is better with long-range combat then close combat. The outcome of this match is clear now.' Kankurou thought to himself.

Shikamaru looked up at the clouds then back at Temari. He closed his eyes and formed a circle with his hands.

"What is he doing? What seal did he form?" Kurenai asked.

"That's not a seal" Asuma said smirking. "It's a habit of his."

"Habit?" Kurenai repeated.

"He knows how to enjoy boring times. He's like an old man. That's why he likes go and shougi, and makes me play with him." Asuma said. "And when he's stuck on a move he assumes that position."

"Why?" Kurenai asked.

"To come up with a strategy." Asuma replied. "And I've never beaten him."

"Strategy? But this is real combat. This isn't a game." Kurenai said.

"But I've heard that the pieces for devising war strategies eventually ended up in games like that. So Shikamaru's like a clever strategist." Asuma explained.

"Chotto matte. When we were forming the Genin squads, I looked at his grades. They were about the same as Naruto's" Kurenai said.

"He said that it was troublesome to move his pencil in the academy's written test. He always slept during the tests."

"Troublesome?" Kurenai repeated.

"Since he was so good at strategy games it didn't make sense to me. So I made him take an IQ test that looked like it was a game." Asuma said.

"And? How did he do?" Kurenai asked.

"He was a clever guy alright" Asuma said, his smirk widening. "He is a super genius, with an IQ over 200."

"200?!" Kurenai repeated in shock. Shikamaru's eyes opened, his face determined.

"He's done thinking." Asuma said. "He's about to begin."

"Looks like you're a bit more motivated to fight now" Temari said smirking, re-opening her fan. She flung another wind attack at him. Shielding his face with one hand, Shikamaru grabbed a kunai and ran to his right.

"There's no use in hiding!" Temari cried as the fierce wind slashed against the tree bark.

"Does he really have a strategy?" Kurenai asked.

"Probably…" Asuma said, not seeing how Shikamaru could possibly succeed.

Meanwhile, Chouji was on his fifth bag of chips.

"He can't get near her like this!" Ino said anxiously. "Shikamaru! Ganbare!"

"Maybe it's pointless, he'll give up soon" Chouji said. "He's lazy."

"That won't happen!" Ino cried. "I think… But maybe…"

The winds slowly died down. Shikamaru breathed heavily, hiding behind another tree. He pulled of his jacket and held it tightly as Temari looked around trying to find his location with her dark eyes.

"How much longer are you going to run?!" Temari growled, beginning to tire. "Come out already!" she cried, hurling another wind attack at the trees. Two kunai shot at her but she dodged the first and deflected the second with her fan, she noticed the shadow coming for her again and smirked.

'It's useless, as long as I stay behind this line, I won't get caught' but despite her belief, the shadow shot over the line. 'Wait! No this is bad!' she quickly jumped backwards and the shadow followed her, but stopped an inch short.

"Good insight" Shikamaru complimented from near the wall.

"So you were killing time to wait for the sun to set and increase the walls shadow line and increase your shadows surface area" Temari said. "When the sun starts to set, shadows grow. Correct?"

"That was close Shikamaru!" Ino whined.

"But how can he use his shadow?" Chouji asked.

"As long as there's some light, there can be a shadow inside a shadow. You know nothing about Shikamaru!" Ino cried.

"A shadow inside a shadow?" Chouji asked nonplussed.

'Calculating the height of the sun and the time since the previous attack range limit… he cannot go further than this range.' She smirked and Shikamaru simply scowled at her.

"Temari!! Above you!!" Kankurou shouted. She looked up trying to see.

"I see…" Shino said and Kita followed his gaze. A shadow appeared between Shikamaru's shadow and Temari.

"Shimatta!!" Temari cried, leaping back. Shikamaru had tied his hitai are through the short sleeves in his jacket to make a parachute and looped his hitai-ate strap through the hole of a kunai to weigh it down so that it won't fly away. With the extra shadow he chased after Temari with his shadow.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Shikamaru cried.

'I didn't expect him to use his jacket as a parachute to create a shadow!' Temari thought. 'What a guy… If I noticed the parachute above, the attention to my feet would lessen. What a sick way to catch a person of guard. But this makes one thing clear; the Kage Mane jutsu is like sticky dough that uses other shadows to capture the enemy.' She landed between the two craters caused by Naruto and Neji from the previous battle. The shadow reached its limit and began to retract.

"So you've dodged this trick too, eh?" Shikamaru said as Temari straightened up.

"He didn't think that one through thoroughly enough." Kurenai said.

"The enemy is a pretty good analyzer as well. She predicts future steps well." Asuma said.

Temari glanced at the Sun, and then back at Shikamaru. 'If I take too long, the shadow within the stage will spread and his territory will increase.'She slammed her fan into the ground. 'I'll finish it off in the next move. I'll try a decoy tactic with a replication. His shadow is currently… Yosh!' Shikamaru's shadow returned to him. She bent down, hiding behind her fan and began to make hand signs.

"Bunshin no—" but stopped abruptly. "Nan de...? This can't be! My body!'

"The Kage Mane finally succeeded" Shikamaru said smirking.

"How did it happen?" Kankurou cried.

"How many steps ahead does he predict?" Kurenai cried in amazement.

"That's Shikamaru's ability" Asuma said simply.

'Why…won't my body move?' Temari thought in shock. 'His shadow shouldn't reach up here!'

"I'll show you what's behind you" Shikamaru said smirking ant turning his head, also turning hers as well. Temari gasped seeing his shadow coming out of the hole Naruto had dug to and burst out of.

"You see it now? That hole is the one Naruto dug and came out of." Shikamaru explained. "That's why it's connected with the hole in front of you."

"Did you use the shadows inside the tunnel of the holes to…?" Temari began.

"Correct." Shikamaru confirmed.

"It was all part of his strategy" Asuma said. 'He made Temari calculate the shadows range many times to lead her into the final trap. Temari only went after the shadows constantly calculating the range limit and fighting behind that line. So he ran her down with an unpredictable shadow that couldn't be seen and caught her from behind. There's no escaping that.'

'Could it be that… The attack using that jacket… Was intended to move me to this location?' Temari thought. 'That was just a ploy? This guy…'

"The next move is checkmate" Asuma told Kurenai. Shikamaru began walking towards her, forcing Temari to walk as well.

'My body is moving on its own!' Temari thought. 'I can't control it!'

The crowd was stunned, staring at the scene before them in amazement.

"Everyone is being drawn into this match."

"A guy no one knew turned out to be a dark horse."

"Yosha!" Naruto cried. "Get her!!"

"Go Shikamaru!!" Ino cheered.

"Checkmate." Asuma stated with a smirk.

Shikamaru raised his hand; Temari's automatically dragged up with it.

"I lose. I give up" Shikamaru said. Temari's eyes widened in shock, but it was nothing compared to Naruto's and Ino's bulging eyes and dropped jaws. Kita sighed and shook her head.

"Ah, Shika of Ino-Shika-Cho is such a lazy bum…" Kita stated.

"NANI?!" the crowd cried.

"That's why I told you he would give up" Chouji said, dropping another empty bag of chips onto the dozen already lying at his feet. "You know nothing about Shikamaru Ino."

"What did you say?!" Temari cried.

"I used of too much Chakra using my Kage Mane no jutsu so many times. I can only hold you for an additional ten seconds. So I've thought about 200 possible moves. But time's up." Shikamaru dropped his hand down and shrugged. "It's too troublesome to do more. One match is good enough for me."

The proctor smirked. 'What a weird guy…?'

"Winner; Temari."

Shikamaru's shadow retracted and he sighed holding the crook of his neck.

"I'm tired…"

"What a waste!! Nande?!" Ino whined in dismay. He grabbed a hold of Chouji's scarf and shook him. "He had a good chance of becoming Chuunin!"

"He's just being himself" Chouji said simply, smiling as he was half strangled by his female comrade.

"Really… I can't tell if he's serious about this or not…" Kurenai sighed. 'But his intelligence and strategies aren't Genin level… if a basic platoon carried out that mission, his victory would have been determined at the point Temari was captured. I guess he won the fight, but lost the match.'

"I don't understand either…" Asuma agreed. 'It's unfortunate that he doesn't seem motivated… but in exchange he didn't lose his head or panic during battle. That's why he was able to retreat calmly as he determined the situation was bad. That comes from his calm decision-making ability. If we look at the qualities expected of a Chuunin, Shikamaru possesses the most important attribute… leadership.'

"If we look at the platoon leader attributes, he understands the need to protect the platoon from danger, over completing a mission." A Chuunin said impressed.

"Yeah 'I accomplished the mission but got everyone on the platoon killed' doesn't work. You need to be able to weight the risks with the mission and think about survival first, or you're not worthy of becoming a Chuunin." His partner agreed.

"If we look at that point, the Hyuuga guy and Naruto fail. They're okay as Genin though."

"But I do think Shikamaru gave up too quickly. What do you think?"

"He probably has a better chance than Naruto."

"Why did he give up dattebayou!?" Naruto cried, smacking his fist on the railings. "Baka!! Now I'm getting mad! I'll go lecture him dattebayou!" The blonde Shinobi jumped down into the arena, Kita sighed and ran down the wall, trailing after the knucklehead ninja. It was clear she was the one looking after Naruto and not the other way around…

"Oi baka!" Naruto shouted at the stretching Shikamaru.

"Urusai baka."

"Why did you give up dattebayou?!" Naruto complained.

"That's a matter of the past now. It's all good now." Shikamaru said simply.

"No it's not! You almost won the match!!" Naruto cried. Kita jumped onto Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Shika is Shika Naruto-kun."

"Put that topic aside." Shikamaru agreed. But Naruto wasn't listening, lost within his lecture.

"And you gave up right before you won!"

"And lets get ready for the next match" Shikamaru finished.

"Totally unacceptable and—eh?" Naruto was distracted. "Next?" Shikamaru smirked, giving it a moment for Naruto to figure it out.

"Kari-chan! And then Sasuke!" Naruto cried grinning.

"The match after the next is finally the Uchiha one!"

"Yeah, but who's this Gaara his opponent?"

"Hmm… Bet he's nothing compared to an Uchiha."

"Did you hear? The Uchiha kids going to give up his match!"

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah. I heard he got hurt badly during the training before the tournament."

"Oh man! I took a day off so that I could watch this match! Don't disappoint me!"

"The match will be won by Uchiha." A feudal lord said, looking at the information pamphlet.

"You can't quite say that, I am expecting something from the Suna rookie" another Daimyo said from beside him. "I know I am right about this."

"In the world of fighting, something always happens, it is unpredictable."

"But what of the two fighting before him?" The Daimyo turned to the page about the one form Konoha.

"Not a lot said about her, pretty little thing, but women shouldn't be shinobi."

The proctor looked around at Gaara, then to Akira as the crowd began to get restless. He then looked to the doors. Nothing.

"Hokage-sama, about Uchiha Sasuke and Kari… they haven't arrived yet." The Chuunin whispered.

"I have no choice then, we cannot allow the guests to wait like this." The Hokage said.

"Ten more minutes" the Kazekage requested. "Can we try and wait for ten more minutes? The guests have been waiting for the last match, it would be cruel to cancel it, and it wouldn't be fair not to treat Kari as Sasuke's equal. We have waited a long time already, an additional ten minutes is nothing."

"Hokage-sama…?"

"What's wrong, start the next match?!"

"Where's the Uchiha?!"

"When's it going to start? Hurry!"

"Kazekage-dono you have a point. I will extend the waiting period another ten minutes." The Hokage turned to the Chuunin. "Go tell Genma about this."

At the gate, two figures were making their way towards the arena.

"Oi is that…?" one of the guards asked.

"Man, what is that idiot doing?! Kari-chan is gonna kill him!" Naruto cried. "They haven't arrived yet dattebayouuu!" Kita too was getting anxious, but focused on believing in her Okaasan.

"Welcome you two."

"Please hurry to the stage."

"Yosh!" Lee cried, leaning heavily on his wooden crutch, but still full of gusto.

"Yosh!" Gai cried, striking a pose. "Let's go Lee!"

"Most of the matches in the first round are finished" a guard explained. "The only matches left for this round is Kari against Murasaki Akira and Uchiha Sasuke against Gaara."

"What about Naruto-kun and Neji's match?!" Lee cried desperately.

"That one turned out rather interesting. The Hyuuga lost."

'Neji lost… to Naruto-kun?'

"Is that so?" Lee asked with a smile.

'You did it… Naruto-kun!'

"Oi time is drawing near" Kankurou said as Temari joined him in the waiting area. "Are they really going to come?"

"They will" Gaara stated. "I am sure of it."

"Geez what are they doing?!" Naruto cried as the crowd became more restless.

'Thirty more seconds' Genma thought, looking at his clock.

"Sasuke… hurry up and come! Kari-chan is gonna be so mad with you dattebayou!" Naruto cried pacing back and forth.

'Time's up…' Genma read. He sighed and looked up at the audience.

"About the final match, time is up so…" he was distracted by a change in the wind, a leaf fluttering before his eyes. Kita's ears pricked, her eye's bright. A gust of leaves blew through the arena and a small whirlwind formed.

Back to back in a triangle stood Sasuke, Kakashi and Kari.

Sasuke's hair was longer, his bangs falling past his jaw and almost to his collarbone. He was wearing all black, his shorts were shorter and his shirt tighter than before. His arms were bandaged with rubber bands wrapped around them. His hitai-ate remained at his forehead.

Kari's hair was also slightly longer, her golden bangs falling into her eyes. She wore her usual fishnet shirt, but instead of a tank top, a black off shoulder shirt was worn instead. She wore reasonably tight capris, which ended below her knees. She had a trademark gloves, and her arms and legs were bandaged. Her katana were crossed over her back and held by black leather straps and the sheaths. Her ears and tail were in full view, her hitai-ate around her neck.

"See, they're here." Gaara said.

"Finally, Kari-chan" Akira said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry we're late" Kakashi said simply.

"Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried with glee, rushing and glomping her for all she was worth.

"Ite-e! Naruto-kun!" Kari giggled as he span her round. He took her in, her smell of spring air, her texture, her smooth skin and soft hair, her bright eyes and warm smile, it was Kari — his Kari chan.

"I won Kari-chan! I won for you! I kept my promise!" Naruto cried, his eyes alight and his smile softening. Kari looked at him in surprise before a joyful smile spread across her face and she planted a kiss on his lips leaving him blushing and stunned.

"Naruto-kun! You did it! You did it!" Kari cried embracing him tightly, he grinned and laughed.

"Namaeha?" Genma requested.

"Uchiha Sasuke" Sasuke answered. Seeing Kari was too caught up in showering her love over Naruto, Sasuke answered for her. "And Kari-baka." Kari's ear twitched, then her eye twitched and she glared at him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried. "Kari-chan!"

"They made it in time." Lee said.

"Lee-san!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd and Kari blushed awkwardly.

"You were awfully late, I thought you weren't going to come because you were afraid to fight me" Naruto said smirking. Kari shot him a slight glare. "I know that it was all his fault though Kari-chan!"

"You won the first round?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Of course! I promised Kari-chan after all!" Kari grinned and rubbed her cheek against Naruto's in affection.

"Don't get so excited over it urasatonkashi. And Kari-baka's been like that most of the week, her mood swings have been a nightmare."

"Well… It's hard to ask this after we've entered the stage with a flashy performance… But... did Sasuke and Kari-chan get… disqualified?" Kakashi asked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"They must have caught your habit of being late." Genma said simply.

"So…?" Kakashi said paling at the glare Kari was giving him.

"They're fine, their matches were put on hold and they arrived just in time so they don't get disqualified."

"I'm glad to hear that" Kakashi said with a weak laugh.

"BAKA!!" Kari hissed, pulling off her katana sheath and thwacking Kakashi around the head. "Apologise to everyone for making them wait!"

"Gomenasai minna-sama…" Kakashi said holding the bump on his head as Kari readjusted her katana, some people laughing at the student scolding the sensei.

"You better not lose to that guy" Naruto said, noticing Sasuke glaring at Gaara.

"I know, Kari's already lectured me." Sasuke said with a smirk at his ever faithful kunoichi companion who smirked back at him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, causing Kari to grasp her sensitive ears. "I want to fight you as well" Naruto said determined.

"Aa."

"Group hug!" Kari said happily as Shikamaru and Kita watched the odd scene before them.

"No." Sasuke, as emotionless as he now seemed to be, wavered under Kari's scolding glare. She huffed, swishing her tail and turned to the other nearby adult.

"Anou… Genma-sensei" Kari asked shyly, a blush adorning her face.

"Aa? What is it?" the proctor asked.

"Eto… is it time for a break?"

"Iie… Nande?" Genma asked, raising an eyebrow at the strange girl.

"Kari-chan needs the bathroom…" Kari said sheepishly.

"I wouldn't argue with her if I was you…" Kakashi whispered to the proctor. "It's her time of the month and she's extremely violent…"

"I heard that!" Kari cried going to kick her sensei in the shins.

"Minna-sama. We are going to have a ten minute break where you are welcome to get refreshments. I'm sure you want to be fully prepared for the final matches" Genma announced after a nod from the Hokage.

"Arigatou Genma-sensei!" Kari cried happily embracing him around the middle before disappearing.

"Ah… Doushimashite?"

Kari quickly darted through the corridor, listening and searching. Finally she found what she was looking for and stood apprehensively outside the door. Biting her lip she grasped the handle and silently slipped inside.

"Who is it?"

"EEP!" Kari squeaked accidentally banging the door when she jumped. She looked around to see Neji staring at her with wide eyes, his lips slightly parted in shock.

"…Kari?" Neji whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

"Ah… Hi?" Kari said awkwardly, looking down at her toes.

"Please" Neji said, patting the bed beside him.

"So you lost to Naruto-kun?" Kari said plopping on the bed beside him.

"Aa. I learnt a lot, even though I lost" Neji said, not taking his eyes off her. Sadly, Kari seemed to find her knees far more interesting than his face. "I want to apologise, I was wrong about Hinata-sama, and in my foolishness you were hurt…"

"Ne?" Kari whispered, finally turning to look at him in shock, his lavender eyes were sincere, his guard down. "N-Neji!" she cried, her eyes shining.

"A-ah! Don't cry!" Neji cried awkwardly but was cut off when she flung her arms around him. "You baka! Baka! Baka! Baka!" she cried, almost suffocating him in her arms. "You finally see clearly! Neji-kun I'm so proud of you!" Neji's shock faded to a smile and he embraced her back.

"Arigatou Kari-chan…" He pulled away from her slightly and handed her a scroll. "It's from my father, it showed me the truth…" he motioned for her to read it. She did so, her eyes scanning the kanji.

"Your Otousan was a smart man" Kari said with a slight sniffle. "And you cried. And I wasn't there for you…"

"You're here now" Neji said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and resting his chin on the top of her head. "That's all that matters…"

"Hiashi made you cry…"

"Eh…?"

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!!"

"IIE!" Neji cried, holding her back as Kari attempted to find the Hyuuga head and give him a scolding. "It's alright now Kari, he apologised!"

"Not good enough!"

"He got on his knees and bowed to me!" Neji cried.

"That on the other hand is a satisfactory apology." Kari smiled, content with the images of the grovelling Hiashi-sama floating in her head. "Was it hard? Showing everyone your seal…?" Kari asked, glancing at his forehead. His hitai-ate was over it, but she knew it was there.

"Aa." Neji looked thoughtful, at ease now she had calmed down. "It was a relief too in a way."

"Neji-sempai is becoming mature" Kari laughed, wrapping her arms around his middle.

"And Kari-chan is Kari-chan" Neji said simply, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close to him. It felt like forever since she was in his arms, and his mind was now refreshed, remembering every little detail.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kari asked suspiciously. A month with Sasuke and being called an idiot everyday, she was a little more on guard.

"You're perfect the way you are." Neji said with a soft smile. Kari looked up at him with wide eyes and rosy cheeks, truly touched. "What have I told you about that look…" Neji said blushing and turning away from her.

"And Neji is Neji" Kari said decidedly. "Oh! I had this thought a while ago but I never told you about it." Neji gave her an odd look but waited for her to continue. "Well, you know about kings and queens, and princes and princesses… Seeing as your Otousan was brother to the 'king' of Hyuuga he is till royalty and therefore Neji-kun is like a prince!"

"The Hyuuga family aren't royal Kari-chan…" Neji said giving her an odd look.

"You're missing the point Neji-ouji" Kari said with a grin. Neji smirked and shook his head, knowing better than to argue.

"Were you alright in the last month with Uchiha and Kakashi?" Neji asked, his eyes scanning for injuries.

"Anou… It was ok" Kari shrugged.

"You're very pale."

"Che, I'm always pale" Kari said brushing his worries aside. Neji felt her forehead and gave her a scolding glare.

"You're cheeks are flushed and you have a temperature."

"Eto… I'll be fine!" Kari said simply.

"You had better be, don't overdo it again" Neji said, his hand instead moving to her cheek, which was still pink, but from fever not embarrassment. "You have a habit of pushing past your limit."

"I'm a lot stronger!" Kari cried defensively. Neji smiled, but his eyes clearly showed his worry.

"I know, but be careful" he said softly, brushing her bangs aside he placed a kiss on her forehead. Pulling away he noticed her cheeks were much more darkly flushed. It was odd how openly she showed friendly affection, but when it came to receiving deeper affection she turned extremely shy. Neji moved his hand back to her cheek. "I don't want you getting hurt again."

"You can be really sweet sometimes, but a right temee at others" Kari mumbled but smiled holding his hand to her face. "I've missed you Neji, be good and take care of Hinata-chan so I don't have to get mad at you again."

"I've learnt my lesson. I'll look after her from now on" Neji said and Kari smiled warmly. "Naruto said when he became Hokage that you and him would change Hyuuga."

"Hai! I'm going to be his right hand woman!" Kari said happily. "And we will! No more seals, no more branch and head families and no more slavery" she said determinedly. She knelt up and pushed his hitai ate up revealing his seal and traced it with a cold finger. Her determined face softened. "And then you won't have to live in fear because they won't be able to hurt you."

"I look forward to that day" Neji said, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. She lightly kissed his curse mark and smiled sitting back down, she giggled slightly at his pink tinted cheeks.

"So do I, and then can I go beat up the Hyuuga elders?" Kari asked, looking at him expectantly.

"Of course not" Neji said reopening his eyes and pulling his hitai-ate back into place, Kari straightening it and then smoothing his dark hair. "You had better win in the finals, isn't it your match next?" Kari stiffened her pale, slightly flushed face going stark white.

"EEH?! I'M LATE!!" Kari cried in alarm jumping off the bed. "Sumimasen! Ja Neji-kun!" she kissed him on the cheek and ran out the room.

"Ja…" Neji said weakly, touching his cheek where she had kissed him. He was warm, his face flushed. It seemed all Hyuuga's were shy when it came to affection… But then a slightly dopey smile came to his face and he sighed softly.

'Ganbatte… Kari-chan…'