In Team 7

Chapter 15

"Shino! If you lose, don't wish for me!"

"I won’t give you chips!" said Choji.

"Ho, you have interesting comrades."

"Even though they behave like this, they are still my friends."

"So you have to be happy!" Temari attacked first.

"I didn’t even say start…" Shino summoned his beetles. They should stole Temari's chakra, but she send them away.

"This won’t stop me." Shino hid the female beetle under Temari’s shoe. Beetles suddenly appeared from the ground. There were many, and Temari did not have time to react. The beetles took almost all the chakra from her.

"Shikamaru, I hope to fight you again…"

"I … give up!" said seriously Temari.

"Temari?" Shikamaru was shocked.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am! Otherwise I wouldn’t say it!" He was scared of her.

"A-all right. The winner is Aburame Shino!" Sasuke still didn't show up.

"There is nothing we can do, we must disqualify him," said Hokage.

"Wait," said Kazekage.

"The audience is impatient. I can’t-."

"Just 10 minutes."

"All right, but nothing more."

"Deal." Suddenly a wind appeared on the stage and leaves in it.

"We are sorry we are late...!" said nervously Kakashi.

"Sasuke-kun, his hair are longer!" thought amazed Sakura. Ino was happy too.

"It’s Sasuke-." Suddenly, Hinata felt sick. Naruto, returning to his seat, noticed.

"Hinata!" He called her, but she wasn’t responding.

"Just when I wanted to confront Sasuke!" However, Naruto knew that Hinata was more important and tried to find a medical ninja. 

"Lay her on the ground," said Kabuto masked as ANBU.

"What will you do with her?!"

"Calm down, I’ll heal her."

"You can do it?"

"No worries, but I need to concentrate, could you be quiet for a moment now?" Naruto nodded. Although Kabuto healed her, she had to go to the hospital again. The injuries Neji caused her are much more serious.

"What happened to Hinata?!"

"She has some complications now, but she will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?!"

"I'm a doctor, trust me." Naruto swallowed. Then he looked at Sasuke. He was still standing in the battlefield. Naruto didn't hesitate and jumped in there too.

"Sasuke!"

"It's you, Naruto. How did you end up?"

"What do you think? Of course I won," said proudly Naruto.

"Well, I can expect a lot from you, maybe even a win."

"What was that supposed to mean?! But that isn’t important. Hinata is in a bad condition. I have to make sure she’s okay."

"Is Hinata hurt? I thought she didn't make it to the finals."

"She didn’t… It‘s still from the preliminaries."

"Seriously? It's been so long."

"This is the last thing I tell you, Sasuke. I also want to fight you!" said Naruto and went back. He wanted to visit Hinata, but Hiashi didn’t let him in, so he went back to watch Sasuke’s match. But when Sasuke attacked with Chidory, Gaara ran away and Kazekage was revealed to be Orochimaru. Then everyone fell into a genjutsu. Even Naruto. Fortunately, Sakura recognized the genjutsu.

"Kai!"

"I see you knew that, Sakura. Could you please wake Naruto and Shikamaru?" Sakura nodded. Kakashi summoned her Pakkun.

"Go after Sasuke. He went after Gaara. Pakkun will help you to find him."

"You can count on it!" Sakura woke Naruto, but it showed up that Shikamaru is just sleeping. He wasn’t caught in genjutsu.

"Shikamaru!" Sakura looked at him sinisterly.

"Sakura? What a drag…"

"What did you say?!" She punched him.

"Uhh, so bothersome…"

"Shikamaru, go with them and find Sasuke."

"Why me?"

"Others are caught in genjutsu, stop complaining and go!" Shikamaru understood and went with them. But because of the pursuers, he separated from them after a while. Sasuke also ran into problems, but Shino helped him.

"My first match was supposed to be with him, I want to make up for it."

"All right, I’ll leave him to you." After a while, Shino won, but was poisoned, so he stayed put. Sakura and Naruto continued to search for Sasuke, and they also found him.

"Sasuke!"

"What are you doing here?"

"We came to help you!"

"It is not … necessary." Sasuke was caughing blood and the Curse mark on his shoulder was bleeding.

"S-Sasuke-kun." Sakura watched it in fear. But Gaara took advantage of it and caught her. No longer like Gaara, but like a monster hidden in him.

"Naruto, save her…" said Sasuke and fell unconscious. Naruto hesitated for a moment, then decided.