Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Of Kunai, Shuriken and Shinobi Love ❯ Let The Games Begin ( Chapter 5 )

We started with an obstacle course. Typical: tires that you had to go over, rope swing over a mud pit, tire tunnel, monkey bars, climbing nets and rocks… Sounds easy.

Except for the fact that our legs were tied together.

“This is to help your teamwork in the springtime of youth!” Gai-sensei cried. I watched dubiously as Kakashi-sensei tied my right leg to Sakura's left one. “Your fists of love will hit simultaneously!”

“You go through the course beginning at the monkey bars—”

“In the springtime of youth, nothing can stop you—”

“—and proceed to the tire tunnel. Then—”

“—and if you try, you can go on forever—”

“—go to the rope, then nets, then rocks. Lastly—”

“—your fists of love will never die!”

“—the tires. Go that, everyone?”

“GOOD LUCK, LEE!”

“I SHALL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU, GAI-SENSEI!” Fuzzy-Eyebrows cried. “Does anyone else understand what they're talking about?” Temari asked loudly. A chorus of voices—mine included—shouted “No!” back to her. Gai-sensei was too busy looking in a mirror to notice, but Lee looked crushed.

I sighed in exasperation, then Sakura and I hobbled awkwardly over to line up with the others. We were sixth, right before Naruto and Hinata. Kiba and Shino were first. Akamaru stayed behind with us, watching his partner avidly.

I didn't pay much attention, though I did notice when Hinata, Naruto and everyone else began laughing. I turned to see Kiba and Shino in the mud pit. They clambered out—with the help of Kakashi-sensei—laughing their heads off.

“That mud's sooo warm!” Kiba gasped, coming back over to us. “It was almost worth it to lose,” Shino added, wiping mud off his glasses, as Temari and Shikamaru ran for the monkey bars. Even I had to chuckle as they jumped for the first bar, missed dramatically, and fell in a tangle of limbs to the cold wet ground. “Ok, Hinata, we won't try that,” Naruto said as they limped past us. They gave him dirty looks.

Konohamaru and Lee made it all the way through, much to the teary pleasure of Gai-sensei and the loud cheering of Naruto. The minute Konohamaru was free of Lee he flung himself at Naruto. “I did it, boss!” the little boy said excitedly. “Didja see? Me'n Eyebrows beat the other guys!” “Yay!” Naruto shouted, high-fiving Konohamaru. “Like `boss,' like Genin,” I muttered.

Much to Konohamaru's dismay, the next three teams made it through, too. The next team, right before us, Kankorou and Gaara, didn't seem to be able to work together and fell from the rock-climbing wall, to be cushioned by Gaara's sand. Then it was our turn.

Sakura and I hobbled up to the starting line. Kakashi-sensei's whistle blared. “Go, SAKURA-CHAAAN!” Naruto instantly began screaming. “Go, SAAASUKE!” I felt sorry for Hinata. She was unfortunate enough to be right beside him.

If we had been awkward before with our legs tied together before, we weren't now. We moved like a single being—though I was abnormally conscious of her warm flesh just next to mine—and as we leapt for the monkey bars, she somehow used her momentum to jerk me around. My hands grabbed onto the cold metal, slipped for a moment—the cold rain made the bars slippery—then lifted her up so she could grab on, too.

We moved across, quickly and easily, and flung ourselves off onto the ground. I stumbled a bit here, but steadied myself as we went on to the tire tunnel. We made the decision without speaking: Sakura went first, going forward, and I went second, going backward, stretching our bound legs for more room. We made it through, ignoring Naruto's screams and cheers—poor Hinata—and darted for the rope.

We grabbed opposite sides of it. I grasped the rope as Sakura wrapped her arms around me. We pushed off simultaneously. I tired to ignore her arms around me, but it was hard…

I landed on the ground of the opposite side the same time she did. We rolled at the exact same time and came up running. Yes! I thought, adrenaline coursing through my body. We're winning! We had the best time so far. I glanced over to Sakura. She was panting, like me but harder, and her viridian eyes shone with glee. My heart jumped at seeing her like that, and I stumbled. I caught myself against a tree and kept running.

This was where we began to falter. I scrambled up the nets, Sakura right beside me. She slipped on the wet ropes, and I waited for her to right herself. But she couldn't seem to. She struggled for a moment before I grabbed both her hands and pulled her up beside me.

And this was where everything went wrong. In the rain, the climbing rocks were extremely perilous. I felt a flash of worry. We shouldn't be going up them! There were no ropes to hold us steady if we fell, only our partner. I hoped Sakura was strong enough to hold me, just in case…

I began moving cautiously up the wet plastic `rocks.' Sakura went right beside me. We had to grab with both hands for individual rocks, move our attached legs up, then move our free legs. This worked fine. At least until we were halfway up.

I grabbed for a rock at the same time Sakura did. She pressed down, gripping my hand, before realizing it was my hand and not the rock. I pulled my hand back, flinching with pain. My foot—the one bound to hers—slipped. She was jerked down—and let go of the rock wall.

She hung, still bound to my leg. I gasped at the sudden weight and she screamed as she suddenly found herself hanging fifty feet above the ground. I clenched my other hand firmly to the wall.

There were shouts from the ninjas gathered below. The four Jounin—Kakashi-, Kurenai-, Gai-senseis and Neji—and Gaara began bolting for us.

I heard the fabric holding us together rip a bit. They won't make it in time, I realized. “Sakura!” I gasped. “Grab a rock! Any rock!” The fabric tore a little more. “Can't reach!” I heard her yelp. “S-Sasuke, it's tearing!” The Jounin and Gaara were closer, but…

I moved my leg, trying to get her a little closer to the wall. Her hand hit hard on a rock, and there was a crack. She yelped in pain, but grabbed it.

Just as the fabric tore.

Sakura's grip was weak enough that she let go when her arm took her full weight. She plunged fifty feet to the ground below—and I could do nothing but watch helplessly.

“SAKURA!”

The agonized shriek didn't sound like me at all. It was more animal than human. Grey hazed over my eyes. No… She was falling, falling… she'd never survive fifty feet… Sakura was going to die…

A black shadow darted out of the underbrush. I couldn't make its identity out through the rain, but it was just short enough to be Gaara. It stretched its arms out, stood there casually for a sec, then fell as Sakura tumbled into its arms.

I sagged with relief, sobbing softly. She was all right. Sakura would be ok. I didn't even struggle when hot sand plucked me gently off the wall and down to the ground.

Gaara caught me when my trembling legs discovered they couldn't hold me anymore, and sat me down. The rain seemed almost to becoming down harder, if possible. He kept the sand cocoon wrapped around me—it was sooo warm—and checked my eyes.

“Shock,” he announced. The sand warmed a notch. He snapped his fingers imperiously at Neji. “Bring Sakura-san over here,” he ordered. “She might be in shock too.”

Obediently, Neji took Sakura from her saviour and carried her carefully over to where we were. I blinked, confused. If the person who'd saved Sakura was Gaara, then why were there two Gaaras? Was it a clone? Or was it someone else?

Sakura was placed gently on the sand next to me. Her viridian eyes were wide and blank. Gaara took a single look at her, pronounced her “in shock too” and wrapped sand around her.

The other Chuunins and Genins were beginning to surround us, chattering frantically. Naruto hobbled over to us, dragging Hinata behind him. His expression was fearful.

“OH MY GAWD!” he yelled. “ARE YOU GUYS OK!?” He threw his arms around us and continued screaming. “I WAS SOOO SCARED! I THOUGHT SAKURA WAS A GONER! HELL, I THOUGHT SASKUE WAS GOING AFTER HER! BY THE WAY, WHAT THE HELL WAS WITH THAT SCREAM, SASKUE? THAT FREAKED THE HELL OUTTA ME!” I would have slapped him if I had the strength. Instead, I growled, “Stop screaming in my ear or I'll sic Sakura on you.” He relented a bit, and sat down in front of us. Of course, poor, forgotten Hinata was dragged along too.

I sighed, taking a kunai out and slicing their bonds. She gave me a look of gratitude, but I merely nodded before turning my attention to Sakura.

I brushed some pink hair off her brow. Her pupils were huge, and she was trembling. I looked around for her saviour, but he'd vanished. A Clone, then, I guess.

People buzzed all around us, but I ignored them, even if they were talking to or about us. I touched her face gently. She jumped, and her green eyes flicked to me. “Sakura?” I asked quietly. “Are you ok?”

Her eyes rolled up in her head and she went limp. I gave a shout and caught her before she fell.