The plan had already been worked out. It was Balki’s idea, of course, and Keiko didn’t really like it. But, as Balki pointed out, it was the only way Keiko would have any chance of beating an experience water user like Kaori. It was odd, Keiko thought, to have Balki beside her in battle. Ever since the disastrous mock battle with Kiba, she’d always kept him out the way, which had forced to her to start compensating for her lack of close-up battle skills. Still, it was comforting at the same to see his white fur bristled and his teeth barred in her opponents direction.

******

Meanwhile, on the direct opposite side of the arena, Tsuki was herding the other group of girls to their seats, paying particularly close attention to Kristen, who kept getting distracted and wandering off.
Finally, Tsuki got Jackerah and Kristen to some seats near Sakura and Ino. Sakura, it seemed, was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Sitting on Sakura’s open side, Tsuki looked at the two, “Hey Sakura-kun, Ino.” She caught the look on Sakura’s face, “What’s wrong with her?”
“Sasuke isn’t here yet.” Ino answered, but quickly added, “But I’m sure he’ll be here soon!”
“Me, too, Sakura. I just saw him yesterday and he promised me he’d be here.” Tsuki said comfortingly with a pat on Sakura’s head.
“You…you saw him?!” Sakura asked, looking up.
“Yeah…Kakashi and I were training him.” Tsuki answered, looking confused.
“Do you think Lee-Kun will be here?” Kristen asked out of the blue.
“I don’t know.” Jackerah said in an impatient tone, “Why?”
“No reason!” Kristen said quickly, flushing.
“Anyway, whether you like Lee or not is not our biggest problem right now. There are at least four ANBU black Ops watching this.”
“You’re right.” Tsuki said, following Jackerah’s line of vision, “They’re expecting something.”
“But what could happen at the finals?” Kristen asked incredulously.
“I don’t know. But we best be ready.”

******

“Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!” A ball of fire hurtled towards Kaori, who simply dodged the attack with a smile. She knew just as well as Keiko what fire jutsu did to chakra supply. But the plan for Keiko at the moment was to keep Kaori from holding still long enough to summon her water supply.
Keiko shot another fire ball, this time taking better aim, but just as it was about to hit, a wall of water flew up to protect Kaori. “Never assume your opponent can’t get their jutsu element from the surroundings, Keiko.” She instructed, molding the water into several different shapes before fixing it to a sphere.
Without any warning of hand signs or otherwise, the ball of water expanded and rolled towards Keiko, sending her flying. She landed on her back, soaking to the bone and coughing.
A glint of metal alerted Keiko to Kaori’s kunai. With unusual grace, she flipped to her side, narrowly avoiding the first. As the second whistled towards her, she leapt to her feet and threw a senbon to deflect it. The lighter needle just barely took the kunai off its course, but it was enough to give Keiko time to get out of the way.
Just as soon as she had managed that, another wall of water knocked her to the ground, leaving her breathless. Coughing and sputtering, Keiko struggled to find Balki on the field. Instead of firing off more kunai, Kaori rushed forward. Her fist hit Keiko’s stomach and the younger girl lurched forward.
Keiko exploded in a cloud of smoke. Kaori looked wildly around, barely managing to get a shield up to protect herself from yet another fireball.
“You’re going to run out of chakra.” She warned Keiko.
“So are you. It takes a lot to get that much water out of nowhere.” They looked each other up and down at then at each other. The battle was a flurry of fist now, boding ill for Keiko who was having to use chakra to keep up. After a few minutes, Kaori landed a devastating kick to Keiko’s head.
“Now Balki!” Keiko shouted as she hit the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time in the twenty minutes since the battle had started. Balki was upon Kaori in mere seconds, but just as quickly Kaori had knocked him to the ground.
"Water style! Water Dragon Jutsu!" A massive ice blue dragon roared into being, crashing into Balki and Keiko, who felt his pain as acutely as her own. Balki's chakra bubbled into hers, much more painfully than when he had been unconsious.
Kaori seemed slightly surprised that Keiko had managed to get up, but hid it well. She stood still, staring as Keiko walked slowly up to her. The entire area was silent.
In one lightening fast motion, Keiko kicked Kaori face first into the ground, "I warned you, you know." she said grimly. Stuggling to control herself, Keiko slowly raised her right hand to forfeit.
"Don't. You. Dare." Kaori growled, pressing a blade to Keiko's throat. Keiko's flight-or-fight instincts, taken to their heighest level with Balki's chakra howling through her, kicked in.
"Ninja Art!" Keiko very nearly shrieked, "Meteor Storm!" Her kick on the ground sent her high into the air, where she thrust out her sonbon ymbrella. Fire licked every single needle as it flung itself to the ground. Kaori, spent of any chakra with which to make a shield, didn't stand a chance.
"The winner...is Keiko Ookami."

******

Feeling slightly guilty and complete exhausted, Keiko walked up the stone stairs leading to the competitor's balconey. She shook her head, angry with herself for winning, and then opened the door. Naruto roared with excitement, but she was tired and not in the mood. She smiled weakly, pushed him off of her, and walked to stand by Shikamaru, whom she didn't know as well but probably wouldn't describe her match back to her.
Naruto and Neji walked off, but not before Neji gaver her an odd look. Keiko found it strange he was even paying attention to her, but didn't give it much thought.
"Hey Keiko," Akara had walked over to them. Keiko winced, expecting to get lectured for beating Kaori, "Do you always start battles off in the gentle-fist position?" Keiko gaped.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, I don't think you used it when you were battling Tsuki." Akara conceeded, "But just now, against Kaori. You took a position like you were going to use the Byakugan."
"Really? I didn't notice." She sighed, "When we were little, I used to help Hianta practice her gentle-fist...minus the chakra. I guess I'm just so used to being like that that it's what's comfortable for my body." Akara nodded slowly and shrugged.
"Well, whatever. I was just wondering."

******

"Whoo! Go Naruto-kun!" Tsuki shouted along with Sakura and Ino, "You can do it!"
"There's even more ANBU than before." Jackerah muttered to Kristen, "Something going to happen." Kristen nodded.
"But we'll be ready when it does."

******

Naruto was making victory laps around the arena while almost every person around cheered him on. Keiko allowed herself a smile and a "Way to go, Naruto!"
"Who'd have thought that kid could beat Neji?" Akara said between cheers, "He really is growing." Keiko agreed.
Finally the cheering stopped and Naruto ran into the balcony, grinning boardly. He was covered in dirt and sweat, but looked happier than Keiko had ever seen him.
"Good job Naruto." Shikamaru said, displaying a rare moment of...um...paying attention.
"Will the next two competitors please come down here?" Genma called from below.
"I've been looking forward to this one." Keiko said.
"Me, too. SHINO AND THE PUPPET KID!" Akara grinned. Kankurou looked offended at being referred to as "the pupper kid". He muttered something to his sister, who nodded.
"Actually, I'm gonna have to forfeit." He called down. The crowd flew into an uproar. Keiko stared, Shino looked annoyed as was possible for him, and Akara screamed, "What?!? Shikamaru looked up a the sky and cleaned out his ear.
Genma waited for the noise to fade into faint "Boos!" before looking up at the rest of them with a sigh.
"Well, Sasuke isn't here. I guess he'll have to forfeit." he said. Just then, a heavily scarred man Keiko recognized as one of the Hokage's bodygaurds appeared and whispered something in his ear. He looked surprised, but nodded before the other man disappeared, "Well, we're going to give him more time. So let's move onto the next match."
"That's so unfair." Akara grumbled, "If anyone else was late, they'd be out instantly."
"Shikamaru, go on! It's your turn!" Naruto laughed.
"This is gonna be a piece of cake." Temari said as she flared out her fan and rode it to the ground. Shikamaru was paying no attention, simply staring at the sky.
"Are you coming, coward?!" Temari shouted.
"What a drag." was all he answered in return.
"Go on!" Naruto said, "Don't keep them waiting!" He shoved Shikamaru who pitched forward and fell to the ground below the balconey.
"Naaaruuutooo..."He glowered, twitching angrily. Keiko surpressed a gigle as Naruto gave him a thumbs up and Akara laughed out loud.
"Oh yeah. This is gonna be good."

******

"What the Hell?!" Akara screamed at the same time Naruto shrieked, "WHAT?!" Keiko had to agree. So, it seemed, did Temari.
"W-what are you doing?" she demanded of Shikamaru, who's hand was raised after his forfeit.
"Would you belive that I had the next 180 steps planned out?" He sighed, "I don't have enough chakra to finish it, unfortunately.
"The winner is...Teamari." Genma said with some surprise in his voice.
"Heh. Told you." Tai told Selina.
Just then, Naruto collided into Shikamaru. As the pair were pelted with discarded items from above, Temari walked off.
"I can't believe you did that, Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"I already said, she would have beat me anyway."
"You're so lazy!"
"Yeah? Well no one asked you."
"A-hem." Genam cleared his throat. The two boys stopped wrestling and looked up, "Sasuke's going to be dropped. We've waited through the entire first round."
"No!" Naruto gasped.
"Why do you care, Naruto?" Shikamaru inquired. Once again, the scarred man showed up.
"Lord Hokage says to give Uchiha fice more minutes."
"Okay, but the crowd's getting antsy." Sure enough, the crowd, like one viscous, many headed moster, were already shouting for Sasuke's match in increasinly angry tones. Instead of leaving, Shikamaru and Naruto stayed, staring at Genma and looking around for any sign of Sasuke.
"He'll be here." Tsuki reassured Sakura. A singly a leaf fell into the center of the arena; no one took much notice of it until a sudden swarm of leaves swilred around it faster and faster.
Kakashi and Sasuke were revealed when the leaf storm subsided. There were collective gasps and cheers.
"Omigosh! He looks completly ridiculous!" Akara cried, joining in Keiko's laughter at Sasuke's new look. He was wearing a skin tight one piece spandex outfit that cut off to form short sleeves and very short shorts. His arms and legs were bandaged and his elbows and knees were covered in holed cloth.
"Oh dear. I do hope we aren't late." Kakashi said, looking up from his book.
"'I hope we aren't late' my foot." Akara growled, "Try 'I hope my pathetic need to show off Sasuke didn't get us kicked out.'"
"We skipped your match and gave you five more minutes to show up," Genma answered. Kakashi had the grace to look worried, "But in answer to your question, yes you made it. Barely."
"Good. You had me worried for a second there." Kakashi said, "Well, good luck Sasuke."
"Hey, don't lose!" Naruto told Sasuke.
"I won't." He anwered cooly, "What about you? Did you win your match?"
"Of course!" Naruto laughed.
"Good. I meant what I said. You're the person I want to fight the most."
"Naruto, we should clear the field." Shikamaru.

******

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as he ran towards where Sakura, Ino, Tsuki, Jackerah, and Kristen were seated. They had been joined by Gai and Lee and ever more recently by Kakashi. Kristen was pretending to be engrossed in coversation with Jackearh and Sakura's face was still crumpled with the relief that came from Sasuke being alive.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked in his usual bored tone as Naruto raced up, Shikamaru in tow.
"You've got to stop this match!" Naruto shouted in near hysterics, "That sand ninja is going to kill him!"
"Oh. Is that all?" Kakashi turned back to Gai.
"Really! Shikamaru and I saw him kill two thugs on the way back up!"
"Are you saying you don't think Sasuke can beat him?" Tsuki asked.
"Gahhh!" Naruto shouted, "No, that's not what I'm saying!"
"Then what ARE you saying Naruto?" Kakashi said.
"I'm saying you need to stop this!"
"Calm down, Naruto-kun." Tsuki said, "Sasuke is completely, 100% prepared for this. No need to worry."
"You're so smart. I'm going to marry you one day." Kakashi told her. Tsuki gave him a small smile and the smacked him across the top of his head.
"Stop saying that."
"Kakashi-sensei..."Sakura intterrupted, looking even more downcast then before, if that were possible.
"Yes, Sakura-kun?" Kakashi asked, turning from Tsuki.
"Sasuke...I mean...is he okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well...in the forest..."she trailed off.
"Don't worry about it, Sakura." She looked puzzled, "Trust me." She looked at her teacher for a moment longer.
"It's okay, Sakura. Really it is." Tsuki assured her.

******

"Hey look Selina." Kaori said, "Sasuke's here." Selina looked down.
"He's okay!" She said with a grin.
"Of course he is."
"Kick his butt, Sasuke!"

******

Sasuke was annoyed, "How much longer are you going to make me wait?" He asked Gaara, who was holding his head in what seemed like a massive amount of pain.
"I'm sorry mother," he answered, "I'm sorry I made you taste such awful blood before. But this time I promise it will taste oh so sweet."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke snapped.
The battle began. Sasuke was tearing up the ground, racing around faster than Keiko had ever seen him move. Gaara's sand, however, was able to keep up. Meanwhile, Sasuke was growing more and more frustrated.
After several more long minutes of it, Gaara yowled and sealed himself into a huge, still ball of sand. For several minutes, Sasuke attempted to get into it, but the sand protected Gaara from ever attempted attack.
"Fine with me. More time to prepare." Sasuke smirked and walked upo the side of the arena.
"I wonder why the sand ninja are getting restless." Akara whispered to Keiko. But right was she was about to answer, sparks erupted from Sasuke's hand and he ran at light speed towards Gaara's protective shell.
His chirodi penatrated it. Inside, Gaara let out a blood-curdling scream. Sasuke's triumphant grin became a horrified grimace as he tried to pry his arm out and found that he couldn't.
At that moment, several things happened at once: Gaara's shield disolved, leaving him defenseless on the ground, feathers began to snow on the crowd, and Temari and Kankurou leapt into action with the words, "The operation has begun!"