"Welcome to Konoha High School's Annual Sports Festival! We are happy to have visiting schools participating this year, so please give them a warm welcome! Remember, the Sports Festival is an opportunity to work well with your peers and to create memories that last forever. Now, I will let Orochimaru-san, headmaster of Oto Academy and representative of Suna High School, finish the opening ceremony!" Tsunade clapped as she stepped backwards to let the other school official onto the stage.

Orochimaru made his way to the front of the audience and began his speech. "Thank you, Tsunade-san. I'm honored to share this day with Konoha High School. Please, let us enjoy our time together and show off the hard work we've accomplished as schools." The audience cheered as the two principals shook hands.

Tsunade continued to smile, but hissed through her teeth. "It's too bad we can't participate, Orochimaru-san. I would whip your ass like I did when we were kids!"

Orochimaru laughed, "Oh, but you're an old woman now, Tsunade-san. We don't want you breaking a hip."

A vein bulged in her forehead at the insult, but she continued with the polite facade. He cringed as her grip tightened, forcing his bones in his hand to scrape against each other.

"Call me 'old woman' one, more time and I'll make sure to rearrange your face in the way it'd look most flattering."

The two principals walked off stage, Orochimaru holding his aching hand, and called out for each school to separate for their own calisthenics.

Itachi poked Kisame's side. "Have you seen Sakura-chan yet?"

"The girls are getting dressed now. Why? Do you want to see Sakura in her gym clothes?" Kisame had a teasing smirk on his face.

Itachi reddened. "No! I was just wanting to make sure she was still going to stand by us during calisthenics."

Deidara laughed hearing the conversation. "You don't have to lie, Itachi-kun. We're all excited to see her in those small bloomers."

"I will admit, I've never seen her wear her gym uniform, but I really want her to stand by us during the exercises too." Itachi replied, sheepishly.

Hidan drooled. "Yeah, that loose-fitting top... We'll be able to see her boobs bounce more!"

Kakuzu pushed his friend. "Why do you always say things like that?! You're making us all think about it!"

It was true. The boys, being of age and curious, always thought about sexual fantasies even as minor as bouncing breasts. But at this moment, getting excited wouldn't be the best time since they were also wearing their thin-fabric shorts and white gym shirt.

They could hear girls talking and squealing from the school and watched as they met with their school's group. They spotted Sakura pulling her hair in a high ponytail and fixing the elastic on the waist of her brief-style bloomers.

"Sakura-chan! Hurry up and come over here!" Kisame yelled, waving his hand to show his location.

She smiled and ran to meet them. Her breasts bounced lightly as she made her way through the crowd of students. The boys couldn't help, but stare at her - their eyes darted to another location as she stopped a few feet away.

Deidara and Sasori pushed through Itachi and Kisame to speak with her. "Are you excited for your first, high school Sports Day?" Deidara asked, grinning.

Sakura nodded. "I'm so ready to do this! I've been looking at the schedule this entire week and I'm happy that I can participate in almost all of the events!"

Sasori smiled. "It's easy for you to compete because you're a member of the Student Council. Just make sure to have fun and try your best."

The seniors stepped forward and joined the group. "What are you most excited for, Sakura-chan?" Kisame asked.

"Probably dodge ball or the road relay race!" she exclaimed.

Hidan pounded his fist against his open palm. "I'm ready for the first event! I'm so going to use all my strength to beat those cruddy teachers!"

Kakuzu closed his eyes and shook his head. "Why waste all of your energy on the first event? I'm sure that isn't a wise decision..." He bent down to reach Sakura's eye level. "Sakura-chan, don't forget to rest during the break so you have energy for the race, alright?"

He grabbed the bag that was strapped over his shoulder and pulled out a drink. "I've got drinks for all of us since they cost so much money here."

Hidan sighed, "You're so cheap!"

Sakura smiled and grabbed the bottle to pack it back in the bag. "It's actually a good idea. Look, he even has an ice pack in here to keep the drinks cool. Thanks, Kuzu-kun!"

Itachi raised his eyebrow. "Kuzu-kun?"

Sakura laughed nervously. "I decided last night it would be interesting to make up nicknames for some of you guys..."

"What's mine?" Deidara asked, bouncing on his heels.

"Actually, I only thought of Kakuzu's... Sorry!"

Kakuzu stood silently with his arms folded across his chest. From his outward appearance, he didn't seem very interested, but inside, his heart was dancing in his chest. It may not be a unique nickname, but when she spoke it, his heart beat faster than a hummingbird's wings.

"Alright, Konoha students! We will begin our exercises now! Gai-sensei will lead you while the teachers join in after preparing the first event! Just follow the same routine as if it was gym class. Now, let's start the Sports Festival!" Tsunade announced with her loud, booming voice.

Gai-sensei stepped out in gym clothes that greatly resembled the students. "Everyone, for a nice, cardio workout, we'll start with our jumping jacks!" He immediately began jumping up and down with his arms reaching high over his head and his legs spreading outwardly.

As they exercised, Sakura couldn't help, but express her disgust. "I never want to see him dressed like this again."

"At least it's only once a year," Itachi reasoned.

The boys surrounded around her and did their exercises in a small circle. Sakura's chest would bounce up and down as her feet landed together. She focused solely on Gai-sensei's instructions and counting that she had no idea of the boys' lowered gaze.

She continued to propel herself in the air with the jumping jacks and finally realized the boys were staring at her. She immediately covered her chest and blushed.

"Stop looking at me!" she shrieked.

"Cherry-chan, you're a girl and we're boys. It's kind of in our nature to do that," Hidan argued while continuing with the jumping jacks.

Her eyes flashed with anger at Hidan's statement. "That's a terrible excuse. You shouldn't point to a gender-based stereotype! You should actually control your perverted thoughts! Perverts!" She stepped away and turned her back to them so they could no longer stare at her chest.

"After a good cardio, it's always nice to do a few leg stretches! So, let's spread our legs wide and reach down to touch our toes!" Gai-sensei spread his feet far enough to reach the ground with his bottom and began touching the tips of his tennis shoes.

Sakura stretched and bent down to reach her toes. Being very flexible, she didn't have to spread her feet very far apart to reach her toes. Unknown to her, the boys had a perfect view of her small, rounded bottom. It was so cute how tiny it was, but then again, her entire body was very small. She seemed a late bloomer, yet the boys knew she was growing by her enlarging bust size.

She never talked about that sort of stuff, but the boys would constantly have their eyes on her. At the beginning of the year, she resembled a middle school student with her size and innocence, but now she seemed to act different and look different.

Gai-sensei continued shouting out new exercises for the entire student body while the other schools performed their own calisthenics.

"Why did they place the dodge ball competition so late on the schedule?" Sasuke asked, stretching down to his ankles.

The senior beside him smirked. "It's alright, Sasuke. Konoha High School apparently thinks they're so much better than any other school. We'll show them that they're dead wrong!"

After the stretching and cardio, Tsunade announced the first event - Tug of War, teachers versus seniors.

Kakashi took the end of the rope and received an annoyed glare from Kurenai. "What?" he asked, innocently.

"You take the back because you don't want to work as hard as the other teachers!" she growled.

Asuma chuckled. "Don't worry, Kurenai-san. He'll regret it."

Itachi gripped the rope and readied himself for the activity. Hidan stood behind him and had both of his hands tightly around the rope.

"We're going to win for sure against these geezers!" he boasted.

Kakuzu poked his head out from the line. "You do realize that they are only ten years older than us, right?"

Kisame sighed, "Can't we just get this over with?"

The boys turned their attention to the group surrounding the event. Sakura, Sasori and Deidara waved their hands in the air and cheered loudly.

"You can do it! Beat the pants off of those teachers!" Sakura shouted.

The senior boys blushed and turned to the other seniors. "Let's show these faculty members who rule the school!" Itachi exclaimed. The seniors agreed with cries of enthusiasm. When Tsunade yelled 'go' an intense battle of control came over each side of the rope.

"Anko-san, make sure not to step over the line!" Kurenai yelled.

"How is that possible?! The ratio of teachers to seniors is majorly uneven!" Anko growled.

Gai was pulling the rope with all his strength. "Don't give up, Anko-san! Remember, the power of youth is still inside of us!"

"Yeah? Then why are my legs being dragged across the line?!" Anko screamed, digging her heels into the earth.

The seniors yelled in excitement as teacher by teacher drifted over the line. Kakashi was the last behind the line while his co-workers ordered him to try. Their mouths dropped in disbelief as they found him reading and barely holding the rope.

Kakashi turned to see his feet near the line. "Eh." He jumped over the line and dropped the rope.

Tsunade smacked her forehead. "Erghh, I suppose this victory goes to the seniors..."

Itachi and the others exchanged high-fives. The club members turned to Sakura and smiled brightly.

She returned with a beautiful smile of her own. "You did it! I knew you could!"

Deidara patted Itachi on the shoulder. "The way Kakashi-sensei acted was hilarious! I can't believe he did that!"

Hidan stretched his legs and cracked his knuckles. "Next, is the 100 meter dash! I'm so going to win this!" A junior boy with a bowl-cut walked past Hidan and faced Sakura. His round eyes glittered with a fiery passion as he stared silently at her.

"Yes?" she asked.

He pulled out a rose and grinned, showing two rows of sparkling, white teeth. "Sakura-chan, student from class 2 - A! I promise on my heart that I will win this race! When I do, I shall take you out on a beautiful hill, overlooking Konoha, and share a picnic lunch with you, my beautiful flower!"

"What?!" the boys yelled. They walked over to threaten him, but Tsunade announced the next event.

"I must go, Sakura-chan, but I promise you will see my torso cross the finish line first!" He bowed respectfully and walked to the starting line.

The boys exchanged irritated and jealous expressions. They whispered as they went to the line. "I can't believe that he thinks he can win this race," Hidan growled.

"Who is he anyway?" Kisame asked.

"He is Rock Lee, a junior that idolizes Gai-sensei to the point he dresses like him," Sasori answered.

Hidan laughed. "That fool isn't going to beat me! I can run as fast as a cheetah!"

They took their spots while Itachi and Sakura waited near the outdoor bleachers. "Senpai, why aren't you running?"

Itachi turned to her and smiled. "I can't run very fast, but it's alright. I don't mind watching them run."

Sakura thought it was strange that he wasn't participating, but nobody seemed to be bothered too much by his absence on the track.

"Where are the other schools? Won't they be participating with us?"

"They're having their own Sports Day on the soccer field. We'll be sharing the same events with them after the break."

Tsunade blew her whistle and the boys in each year raced down the track. Rock Lee sped past everyone; his legs pushing hard against the track. The other boys watched in awe as he quickly made his way to the finish line.

The other boys gasped for breaths although the distance was rather short. "Wow, Lee-san, that's a new school record. Congratulations," Tsunade said, marking down a point for the juniors.

Sasori turned to Deidara and smiled. "Well, we didn't really need to do much. It's very fortunate for us to have him in our year."

"Yeah, then we'll be able to get our picture with the trophy this year!"

"Oh, you've got one point. Don't act like you're already in the lead," Hidan snapped.

Rock Lee made his way to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, we can go on our date!"

Hidan raised his fist. "Like hell you will!" The boys held him back as Rock Lee continued to ignore him.

Sakura tried her best to smile. "I'm sorry, Lee, but I don't want to go on a date with you."

Rock Lee's expression dropped to sorrow and his eyes dulled with the hate of rejection. "What?! B-but you agreed, didn't you?" he stammered.

"You assumed that I did, but I don't like you in that way, Lee. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." She watched, concerned, as he ran away with tears running down his cheeks.

Sasori crossed over to her. "Don't act too worried, Sakura-chan. He's really emotional, but it's funny... I never knew he liked you."

"Who likes who?" Hana's voice called out.

Itachi turned to her. "Oh, Rock Lee, a junior. He tried to ask Sakura-chan on a date."

Kotetsu laughed, "That's hilarious! Was he the kid running around with those giant eyebrows?"

"Yeah, but at least he seemed confident enough in himself," Sakura commented.

Hana nodded and turned to hear Tsunade's next announcement for the girls' turn at the 100 meter dash. "You better get going, Sakura-san. We'll be cheering you on."

Sakura hopped down to the line and waved up at the boys. Kotetsu admired the girls' uniforms. "They've changed a few things since we've graduated, eh, Izumo-kun?"

"Yeah, weren't your bloomers longer than that, Hana-chan?" Izumo asked.

Itachi turned to the trio. "They changed them two years ago."

"Probably one of the perverted, male school board members," Hana grumbled with distaste.

Sakura lowered herself and turned to see Ayame Ichiraku staring at her. Ayame had a fascinated expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked.

"I was just thinking how lucky you are, Sakura-san," Ayame spoke.

"Why?" Sakura was expecting an insult or a mocking statement.

"That Itachi-kun chose you out of every girl to be his girlfriend," she replied.

Sakura's eyes darted around the track while her face grew hot. "We aren't dating! We're just friends." Her gaze searched the crowd and found the president staring down at her. He smiled and raised his hand to wave.

Sakura waved back and turned to Ayame. "I don't know what makes you think that, but we really aren't."

Ayame's face brightened. "Really? So, that means I can ask him out, right? If you really are just friends, you wouldn't mind it?"

Tsunade blew the whistle and the girls ran down the track. Sakura reached Ayame and continued to chat. "I wouldn't care if you did, but don't you think if he actually did like you, he would have asked you out by now?"

Ayame gritted her teeth. "Oh, the sound of your voice has changed, Sakura-san. Do I detect jealousy in your tone?"

Sakura's blush darkened from a light pink to a deep red. "I'm not jealous!"

"You like him, don't you?" Ayame nagged.

"No, I don't! Stop bothering me!" Sakura raced past Ayame and sped to second place, finally reaching the finish line.

Tsunade walked over to the winner, Tenten, and shook her hand. "Good job, Tenten. You scored another point for the juniors."

Tenten bowed. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Sakura trudged back to the boys. "Wow, you can run fast!" Deidara exclaimed. He noticed an annoyed glint in her eyes and quickly acknowledged it.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to see if anyone was hearing in on their conversation and spoke quietly to him. "Deidara-kun, Ayame Ichiraku was really pissing me off. She was saying that I liked senpai."

Deidara stepped backwards hearing her whispering words. "Do... you?" he gulped.

Sakura stomped her foot. "No! That's what I was trying to say, Deidara-kun!"

He could feel his muscles relax as she angrily denied it. "That's really great, hm."

Her green eyes narrowed. "Why?" She leaned forward.

His muscles stiffened again. "I was just saying that b-because... Sakura-chan, I can't take it anymore! I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time-" Sasori quickly made his way over to Deidara and covered his mouth.

"Hello, Sakura-chan. Deidara and I need to go get ready for the next event. We'll be right back afterwards." He pulled Deidara away and stopped near the field.

"What were you thinking? You know you can't yell out your feelings to her!" Sasori hissed.

Deidara groaned loudly and slapped his hands to his head repeatedly. "This is killing me, Sasori-kun! It's not fair that we have to stay quiet and wait for her to confess! What if she's the shy type? What if she wants one of us to say it first?!"

Sasori pushed him to the ground and knealt down beside him. "Deidara-kun, we'll find out when she's ready, okay? You've got to be patient and try to actually flirt with her."

"I compliment her almost everyday, Sasori-kun! What else should I do?"

Sasori looked around the area and back to his friend. "You have to try and flirt with her. Make some time alone and share a few, special moments."

"But we never have time alone! We can't create any special bonds with her. The only one that can is Itachi because he walks home with her everyday! Weekends are pretty impossible since we all spend them together as a club," Deidara replied, angrily.

The redhead couldn't think of much to say. "Deidara-kun, how about you make time with her after club activities? Go for a walk in the park, help her with her homework, do something that'll entertain both of you! Itachi doesn't have to walk her home everyday and it's not against the rules to hang out with her."

Deidara pulled out clumps of grass from the ground. "Why aren't you trying any of this, Sasori-kun?"

"I-I don't know! I guess... I might try soon since it's a few months away from the end of second semester... It's just hard to talk with her while we're alone," Sasori answered, embarrassed.

"You'll get your chance soon, Sasori-kun. Just try to crawl out of your shell and prove you can be boyfriend material just as much as Itachi." Deidara stood up and brushed the remaining pieces of grass from his shorts.

Rock Lee stopped near them. "Hey, you two! Let's go to the next event and win against the teachers!"

Deidara and Sasori exchanged smiles and surrounded the boy. "You know, I bet this will be very hard for you, Lee-san," Deidara said, a cruel smile on his face.

Rock Lee was confused. "Why? An obstacle race seems fairly easy."

Sasori shook his head and showed him his sorrowful expression. "Oh, you don't know? You'll have to face off against your beloved teacher - Gai-sensei!"

Lee's immediate response was to shriek in terror. "Gai-sensei?! But why?!"

Deidara stepped closer. "He is a teacher..."

His knees shook and the junior fell to the ground. "Gai-sensei! Forgive me for turning my back on you!"

Deidara and Sasori walked away from the bawling student with smirks on their faces. "He kind of deserves it for making a move on Sakura-chan," Sasori noted.

His blonde friend nodded. "Exactly, Sasori-kun. I'm hoping that one of us wins her, yeah!"

"Whoever does will be a very lucky man."

The obstacle race was held near the entrance of the school with spectators surrounding the roped fence. Sasori and Deidara each took their place on opposite sides of the race. Tsunade readied them for the rules.

"Alright, the obstacle race is new to the Sports Festival, so let me make the rules clear. I'll blow my whistle and the students and teachers on the north side will start running through holding their egg in their spoon. If you drop your egg, you're disqualified, but if you make it to your partner, you will exchange the egg. Whoever makes it back to the north side wins. Ready?"

Deidara held his egg in the spoon and looked on to his partner. Sasori shot him a thumbs-up and a confident smile. Gai-sensei ran in place and yelled to his partner.

"Kakashi! We are sure to win with my lightening speed!" he boomed.

Kakashi yawned. "Yeah, sure..."

Tsunade blew her whistle and they started through the race. Deidara shifted through the large steps and climbed down with ease. The large netting at his feet was fairly easy to poke through due to his rather small feet. A junior to his side tripped over the last hole in the net and shattered his egg.

"Come on, Deidara-kun!" Sakura yelled out over the roped fence.

He smiled as he heard her cheer along with their other friends. He quickly put the spoon in his mouth and slowly made his way up the rocky incline that stood in front of him. The egg on his spoon wriggled around, sure to fall, but managed to stay as he reached the top. He grabbed the handle again and slid down the other side of the steep incline.

He was amazed to see Gai-sensei flying through the race and closing in on his partner. "There's no way I'll make it in time!" he thought, his confidence slipping.

Sasori cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly, "Come on, Deidara! Are you thinking about quitting? Juniors are ahead, so let's keep it that way!"

With his competitive attitude returning, Deidara made his way through the next obstacle with ease. He crawled on his stomach and placed the spoon in his mouth once more. He crawled on his belly using his elbows and knees to push him through another segment of netting. He picked himself up and raced over the next set of large stairs. Finally meeting his partner, Deidara handed him the spoon.

"Damn! Gai-sensei is already giving Kakashi-sensei the egg!" Deidara exclaimed.

Gai quickly handed him the spoon. "Now go, Kakashi! Win the teachers a point and regain your dignity!"

Kakashi turned to his friend with tired eyes. "When did I lose my dignity?" He gripped the spoon tightly around his fingers and shouted a surprised 'Oh!' as the egg wobbled off the spoon and onto the ground.

Gai dropped to his knees. "You've not only lost your dignity! You've lost all of my respect, Kakashi!"

The teacher shrugged and took out his book. "Oh, well, maybe next year?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Next year, I need to remind myself not to place Kakashi on any team."

Deidara grinned as he stared down at the teacher's broken egg. "What a freakin' miracle! Go, Sasori-kun!" He watched as his friend made his way over the large stairs.

Sasori turned to his right and saw Neji Hyuuga hand Lee the spoon. Although they are in the same class, Sasori wanted to win to show off to Sakura.

"Wow, Sasori-kun against Lee-san? Let's see how this turns out," Itachi commented.

"Sasori doesn't have a chance," Kisame declared.

Sakura hit Kisame in his chest. "Don't talk like that, Kisame-kun! We've got to cheer him on! Go, Sasori-kun!"

The redhead watched in annoyance as Rock Lee swiftly moved underneath the net. If he wanted to win, he had to think fast before Lee made it to the other side.

"Hey, Lee-san," Sasori yelled out.

Lee turned around, still running in place. "Yes?"

"Ergh... Gai-sensei said he would never forgive you if you won against him!" he lied.

Lee raised his large, burly eyebrows. "What? But I have to win or we won't get the point!"

"It's a sacrifice, but I'm willing to have him get angry at me. Just pretend to try your best and let me receive his wrath, alright?" He showed a trusting glimmer in his brown eyes.

"That's so selfless of you, Sasori-kun! Thank you so kindly!" Lee immediately started slowing his pace and let Sasori pass him.

Kisame was shocked. "Wow, Sasori passed him!"

The pinkette turned and smiled proudly. "See? Deidara-kun and Sasori-kun are both very amazing as a team!"

Sasori dipped his feet through the holes of the netting and finally climbed up and down the stairs. He raised his spoon in the air, showing the egg perfectly safe. Tsunade blew her whistle and walked over with her clipboard.

"Very good, Sasori-kun! Another point to the juniors. Keep working hard and you'll get that trophy!" she said, writing the new mark.

He bowed to his principal. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"

His friends surrounded him. Deidara and Sakura wrapped their arms around him and smiled widely.

"Sasori, you did it and won for the juniors!" Deidara yelled happily.

Sakura hugged him tightly. "Yeah, you did a great job, Sasori-kun!"

The redhead blushed and smiled. "Thank you, guys."

Kisame leaned over to Itachi and whispered quietly. "She's becoming more touchy-feely hasn't she? When did she start hugging so much?"

Itachi's neck felt hot as he remembered the other night. "I'm not sure."

Sakura released Sasori and continued showing off her sweet smile. "I hope that we at least gain one point during the Sports Festival!"

"I know you can, Sakura-chan! You're the best girl in this entire school!" Deidara yelled with high enthusiasm.

The girl blushed. "You really think so, Deidara-kun?"

His blue eyes caught sight of her reddened cheeks. "I would never lie to you, Sakura-chan!"

"Well, it is true, Sakura. You are the best." A gruff voice commented from behind the group.

"Haruno-sama, it's a pleasure to see you again," Itachi lied, resisting the urge to run off.

Kizashi placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Sakura, are you ready to start the three-legged race?"

Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you're both entering?"

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I knew you were, so I wanted to keep it a secret!"

Itachi's stomach lurched as he heard two pairs of footsteps behind him. "Ah, Itachi! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Mikoto chirped, grabbing her son's arm and hitching it around hers.

"Fugaku-san, Mikoto-san, it's been awhile," Sakura greeted.

Kizashi and Fugaku shared a silent moment. Before Kizashi could speak, Fugaku grabbed Itachi and pulled him towards the next event.

"Come on, Itachi! Let's go and win!"

Mikoto placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "I thought I was supposed to do it!"

"You did it last year, Mikoto. I want to share a good memory with my son!" He smiled down at Itachi and the two hurried to Tsunade.

Kizashi faced Sakura and grabbed her wrists. "Let's go and beat everyone in our path, Sakura!"

She winced slightly at his tight grip. "Yeah, let's try our best."

"We'll be watching!" Deidara yelled.

A rather large group gathered at the track to watch the parents race. Itachi looked around nervously and turned to his father.

"Dad, please don't make a scene, okay?"

Fugaku turned to his son and frowned. "Why would I make a scene? I'm as calm as I possibly can be!"

Kizashi and Sakura tied the rope around their legs. "It's funny how they still have this race, huh Fugaku?" Kizashi stated, finishing the knot.

Fugaku closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, it is. It seems like yesterday that we were racing with our fathers."

"Yeah, and, of course, I'll win like I did last time," Kizashi taunted through a fake smile.

"Or what, Kizashi? You'll punch someone in the face like you did my son?" Fugaku snarled.

Itachi elbowed his father. "Please, don't start something here..."

Kizashi laughed. "Only if someone talks rudely to me. Why should I be disrespected by a child?"

Fugaku smirked. "Maybe it's because you are a child, Kizashi."

Kizashi felt the anger rise from his stomach, but continued to maintain an unusually calm demeanor. "The only children here are the students participating, Fugaku."

Naruto pulled his mother over and held up the rope. "Come on, Mom! Let's hurry before Old Lady Tsunade blows the whistle!"

Kushina grabbed the rope and tied it around their joined legs. "Calm down, Naruto! It doesn't start for a few, more minutes."

She turned to Fugaku and Kizashi. "Oh, the two rivals from high school are competing today, too? Well, this should end up being an interesting race!" She turned to see Sakura and poked her son in the side.

"Is that the girl you like, Naruto?" she teased.

Naruto round face flushed and the boy slapped his mother's hand away. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me again!"

Kizashi looked down at his daughter. "Why are you so popular with the boys, Sakura?"

Itachi couldn't help, but throw his own thoughts in. "Sakura-chan is very friendly to everyone at school. It's no wonder that boys at school like her so much, Haruno-sama."

Kizashi's eyes trailed over to Itachi. "Do you like her?"

Sakura heard her father's question and immediately shouted out. "Don't ask something like that!"

Fugaku turned to his son and whispered. "Do you?"

"No, Father, I don't," Itachi replied, looking away as he lied.

Fugaku smiled. "You only call me 'father' when you're lying. Don't worry, I won't tell."

Sakura hurried to change the subject and faced Naruto. "So who is the junior supposed to be?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I hope it isn't Bushy Brows! He wins everything."

"It's me, Sai, from the Art Club." Sai walked over with a young-looking partner.

"Wow, your dad's really young!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sai bent down to tie the ropes. "He's not my father, he's my brother."

Naruto stomped both of his legs, causing his mother to wobble awkwardly. "Hey, that's cheating! This is a parents race!"

"Tsunade-sama allowed it once since the other juniors didn't want to participate," Sai answered.

Sai's brother smiled. "I'm Shin. I graduated a few years ago so at least I'm a Konoha graduate."

Tsunade walked over. "Is everybody ready?"

Kizashi crossed his arms. "Ready to win!"

Fugaku rolled his eyes. "You wish."

Tsunade blew her whistle and watched as the four pairs raced down to the finish line. Kizashi and Fugaku were stomping along with their children forcefully toddling after.

"Someone as heavy as you can't win! That beer belly of yours will topple over any second!" Fugaku yelled.

Kizashi gritted his teeth and picked up the pace by pulling on Sakura. "Yeah, and sitting on your ass everyday at the police station is really going to help you!"

"You're sweating like a pig!"

"You're making your kid do all the work, Fugaku!"

"No, I'm not you old, fat good-for-nothing!"

The two men wrestled for a leading spot. Their children were practically on the ground, but their heated rivalry was the only thing on their minds.

Tsunade's whistle blew and the two men stopped in their tracks. "What? Who won?" Fugaku asked, surprised.

Kushina and Naruto jumped up and down as they held their rope in the air. Tsunade marked down the freshman's first point and congratulated both of them.

"Hey, the freshmen finally got a point!" Sakura remarked happily.

Fugaku untied the rope and cleared his throat. "Well, that was quite the race. Good job, Itachi."

Itachi panted loudly as his father whispered something in his ear. Itachi nodded and slowly walked over to the benches to sit. A group of girls surrounded him with cups of water and wet towels to cool him off.

Kizashi, already free from the rope, walked to Fugaku and mumbled softly. "Your son isn't right for my daughter. I will do my hardest to make sure they do not come together."

Fugaku watched as he walked away. "You can't stop them, Kizashi. If they do fall in love with each other, they will find a way. They always find a way."

The final event before their break was an event with the teachers facing off against the freshmen. Sakura chose Naruto as her partner and caused his mother to squeal like a little girl.

Minato grabbed her shoulder. "Kushina, calm down. It's not like she just confessed her undying love to him."

Ino took a spot next to Sakura and snatched her blindfold from Shikamaru. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sakura's hand raising up to cover her mouth.

"Before you try to say anything to intimidate me... Let me explain that this is supposed to be a fun day that we should all enjoy. We're on the same team so, regardless, the freshman will still win a point no matter who crosses the finish line first. I don't want to hear any insults, okay?" Sakura said, fastening her blindfold over her eyes.

Ino smiled. "Fair enough, Sakura."

Asuma tied the blindfold around Kurenai's eyes. "Okay, now that we don't have Kakashi participating, we might actually win this. So, let's try our best, okay, Honey?"

"Shh! Don't say that out loud, Asuma!" she hissed.

Tsunade blew her whistle and their partners on the other side of the track began yelling out instructions. Each separate row was created differently from the others, so their instructions often confused the blindfolded freshmen and teachers.

"There's a box in front of you! Move two steps to the left and run five steps ahead!"

"No, no! My left! Don't listen to him over there!"

"Sakura-chan, there's a small rope at your feet! Carefully climb over it!"

"Don't go over there! You're almost on the other person's track! No, now you're backwards!"

Sakura tried her best to obey his orders, but the constant yelling of everyone else left her confused. Naruto would yell out right, left, right, left as she stepped over small boxes or long ropes. She was surprised by a set of stairs and fell down as she felt a ramp on the other side.

"This is absolutely crazy!" she yelled out.

She waved her hands in front of her as she continued to waddle through the maze that lay in front of her.

Tsunade blew her whistle and Sakura pulled up her blindfold to see Kurenai and Asuma hugging over their triumphant victory. The couple immediately released as Tsunade walked over.

"We're sorry, Tsunade-sama, we-"

"No need to explain, Asuma-san. You gave the teachers' their first point of the day. Good job." She walked away with a smile on her face. She announced their break and the Student Council met near a group of trees.

Sakura rubbed her sore bottom and moaned, "Gosh, that was terrible! I hope I don't have to do something like that again."

Itachi handed her a bottle of soda from Kakuzu's bag. "You did very well for your first Sports Day," he smiled.

"Yeah, Cherry-chan! You should be really happy since you participated in so much!" Hidan yelled out.

She yawned and took a sip of her soda. "I guess, but I'm really tired."

Sasori elbowed Deidara and motioned him to speak. Deidara smiled nervously and spoke out. "You can take a nap on my shoulder, Sakura-chan!"

The others turned to him with anger burning in their eyes, but Sakura agreed. "Thanks, Deidara-kun, that'll help so much. I want to feel energized for the next events." She crawled through the grass and laid her head on his broad shoulder.

Deidara couldn't shake the butterflies in his stomach and the pounding in his chest. They were actually sharing a moment that felt absolutely perfect. She dozed off minutes later and a young man walked over with a group of others.

Itachi stood up. "I'm sorry, but Konoha students are resting here."

The boy only smiled and fixed his round-framed glasses. "Oh, we're not coming here to rest or anything. We're here to introduce ourselves." He held out his hand and Itachi did the same out of respect.

"My name is Kabuto Yakushi and I'm President of Oto Academy's Student Council. We also have Suna High School's Student Council President with us as well."

A young man with auburn hair and dark rings around his green eyes walked over and nodded his head. "I am Gaara. It's a pleasure to meet you, Itachi Uchiha."

"Yes, it is, Gaara-san. Not to be rude, but is there a reason behind this?" Itachi asked.

Kabuto stepped over. "We wanted to say that we're ready to face your team during the Student Council Relay Race."

Itachi nodded. "Oh, yes, the relay race. Well, it will be very entertaining. May the best team win."

Kabuto turned around with his group. A cruel smile crept over his face. "We plan to, Uchiha."

Sakura woke up feeling refreshed. Deidara felt her stir from her sleep and turned to her with a smile on her face. "Good sleep, hm?" he asked, his blue eyes glittering bright.

Sakura smiled and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. "Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep on your shoulder, Deidara-kun."

Kakuzu reached in his bag and handed her a sandwich. "Here, you need to eat something before we go out for the next event."

The sandwich had teriyaki chicken, lettuce, mayonnaise, and two hamburger buns that held it together. "Wow, you made this Kuzu-kun?! It looks so good!"

Kakuzu zipped up his bag. "it's not really that great, but my mother helped a lot."

"How did you know what I liked?"

He blushed, "I heard you talking about it before and I wanted to make you one..."

She took a bite and let the taste savor. "It's so delicious! Thank you!" She gobbled it down and sighed with a content smile on her face.

"There's one more event for Konoha students only. After that, we will join all three schools and start the last three," Itachi explained, rubbing some crumbs off of her cheek.

Their ears buzzed as Tsunade's loud voice rang throughout the school lot. "The No-Handed Bean Bag Toss is beginning in five minutes. All participants meet in the gymnasium. No points will be offered!"

The boys stood up and Kakuzu held out his hand to help Sakura up. She grabbed his hand and was brought up with ease. She couldn't help, but comment on his large hands.

"They're so big!" she exclaimed.

Kakuzu felt his heart pound again. "My hands?"

"Yeah, I bet you're a good hugger, huh?" She blushed as she turned to see his brow crease in embarrassment.

"I... I'm sorry that sounded weird, didn't it," she mumbled.

He shook his head. "No, it's really okay. I've just never been told that before, so I don't really know what to say. Should I say 'thank you' or something else?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. It's just when I see big hands... I see a person that can hold me tight and make me feel safe."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "Gah! Sorry that I'm acting so weird!" Her eyes turned to him as she felt him tighten his grip around her small hands.

His gaze softened as he faced her and let himself smile. "I don't think you're weird at all, Sakura-chan."

Tsunade instructed the students that it was boys versus girls. "The rules are very simple! You cannot throw your bean bags with your hands or you are disqualified. You can use your mouth, feet, head, or any body part that will not get you expelled. Whichever team has the most bean bags in their baskets are the winners." She blew her whistle and the opposing sexes began the game.

Sakura knealt down and grabbed a bag with her mouth. It didn't taste very good, but she ignored the bitterness. She cocked her head and threw it into the basket. The other girls cheered and continued to throw them in their basket.

Deidara took his shoes off and picked up a bean bag with his toes. He kicked his foot up and watched as the bean bag sailed through the air and missed the basket by an inch.

"Dang it! This is a lot harder than I thought!" he yelled.

"The girls seem to be making more baskets than we are," Itachi examined.

Sasori grabbed one with his toes and threw it again. "Yeah, but that's because most of them are using their mouths..."

"I'm not fucking touching my mouth to one of those!" Hidan yelled, trying his best to pick up a bag with his elbow.

They turned their attention to Sakura and watched as she picked up the bean bag and threw it in the basket. "If we don't do something they'll win by a landslide," Kisame stated.

Itachi sighed and finally bent down to stand on his knees. The other boys stared uncomfortably, but decided to copy him and started making easier baskets. Itachi felt embarrassed being down on his knees. It was an act that seemed so submissive and the other boys felt the same way.

Tsunade looked down at her watch and waited as the timer ticked down to zero. She blew her whistle and ordered some volunteer students to count each basket for both teams.

"Tsunade-sama, the girls have over 112 bags while the boys have 84," one of the students announced.

The principal walked over to the participators and raised her hand into the air. "The winner of this year's No-Handed Bean Bag Toss is..." Her hand moved to the girls' side. "The girls!"

The girls jumped up and down and cheered for their victory. Itachi sighed, "We humiliated ourselves for nothing!"

"Yeah, well, they deserved the victory. We shouldn't have gotten so embarrassed," Sasori said, brushing grass off his knees.

Sakura ran over and pointed to the group. "Ha! We beat you!"

Hidan laughed, "You only won 'cause you're always on your knees!" He covered his mouth immediately and turned to his shocked friends.

Something that not many knew, was Sakura's terrible temper. It happened rarely, but once she was mad it was hard to calm her down. She stepped over to Hidan and punched him in the chest. He stepped backwards and felt the throbbing pain in his chest worsen as she hit him again.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say it!" he yelled out, guarding his face. She pulled her arm back to hit him once more, but Kisame picked her up.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, squirming around in his grasp.

Kisame struggled to hold her. "You know how Hidan is, Sakura-chan. He doesn't think when he says stuff like that!" She finally calmed down enough for Kisame to set her back down on the ground.

"Besides, you can take all your anger out on the other schools in dodge ball," Itachi added.

Kabuto walked passed them. "I doubt it," he said quietly. He turned to them and noticed the tiny girl in their party.

"Where is Zetsu? Is he not a member anymore?" he asked, searching the crowd.

"No, we had to kick him out. Tsunade-sama wanted us to have a girl in our group and here she is - Sakura Haruno." Itachi pushed Sakura in front of him.

Kabuto looked her over and turned to Itachi. "What is she fan-service or something? She's so scrawny and cute."

Itachi's eyes hardened. "No, actually she has an important role on the Student Council."

"Oh?" Kabuto bent down slightly to meet Sakura's gaze. "Are you a Rep or something?"

"No, I'm the Mascot of the Student Council," she answered proudly.

Kabuto couldn't hold in his laughter. "Wow, the Mascot! Tell me, have you dressed up as anything yet?"

She looked away. "Well, for the Cultural Festival I wore-" Kabuto interrupted her with a burst of laughter.

"Stop, stop! This is too hilarious! Can't you see that they're just using you for their own personal gain? A cute girl like you will only be used to bring the Student Council more money by flaunting around in a little, Lolita dress." He walked to the soccer field.

"Face it, you're only an object in their eyes. They like watching you dance around and sooner or later, they will throw you away since you lost your importance. Once graduation comes, you'll be forgotten and they'll move on to the next girl at their university."

Sakura was shocked by this sudden humiliation. She turned to the boys with an unusual smile on her face.

"Sakura-chan, he was just trying to mess with you. Please-"

"I know... But he made a mistake by trying to hurt me because all he did was get me pissed again," she said, interrupting Itachi.

The Uchiha smiled. "Then let's go beat his ass in dodgeball."

"You're hit and you're out! Easiest rules ever! If you catch the ball then you can bring one person back. Oto Academy and Suna High School versus Konoha High School, let's enjoy the rest of the day!" Tsunade yelled. She took her seat next to Orochimaru.

"Your little academy is going down, Orochimaru-san," she muttered.

Orochimaru chuckled, "We'll see."

Kabuto grabbed the spongy ball and threw it at a girl bending down to get one herself. She yelped in surprise and took her seat at the end of the field. Although Itachi was throwing and catching, his mind was only focused on finding Sasuke through the crowd. His eyes would play tricks on him, thinking he saw him at one side and then the other, but he was nowhere. He quickly ducked to avoid one of Kabuto's throws and threw his own ball.

The bespectacled senior was the target of all of the members of the Student Council. He would have to dodge every few seconds and was growing tired. Sakura grabbed a rolling ball and threw it right into his face. He screamed out and held his nose as he walked over to the sideline.

"Good hit, Cherry-chan!" Hidan hollered, throwing a ball at another Oto student.

"It looks like we're winning," Deidara laughed, watching the other teams' numbers dwindle. He was surprised to feel a strong force push against his abdomen. When he looked down a ball rolled from his lap and onto the grass.

"Who threw that?!" he yelled.

Sasuke walked over holding another ball in his hands. "I did."

Itachi's eyes widened. He seemed so different and yet it was only months ago that they shared the same home. Sasuke turned to Itachi and smirked. He threw the ball and watched as Itachi barely dodged it.

"Itachi, be-" Kisame was cut off by a ball hitting his shoulder.

Sasuke knew he was the last left on his team and made it clear he wasn't going down without taking some with him. He threw one of the balls high in the air and watched as Sasori readied himself to catch it. He grabbed another and threw it with all his strength. Sasori hadn't noticed the other ball flying at him until it hit him in his chest.

"Damn, he throws hard for a freshman," Sasori complained, rubbing his stinging chest.

Kakuzu was the next out, but he didn't seem fazed by Sasuke's throw. He shrugged and walked over to the others. "Looks like Hidan, Sakura, and Itachi are left."

"Uh, Hidan just got out," Deidara said, pointing to a cursing Hidan. Hidan took his seat in the grass and slumped down.

"Fuck, he does hit hard!"

Sakura, being so tiny, moved gracefully around the field without Sasuke hitting her. He grabbed a rolling ball and moved sideways to avoid Itachi's.

"This is for not giving me a chance!" Sasuke yelled, reeling his arm back. He threw it hard and watched as it hit Sakura in the thigh. She shrieked out and walked away to watch Itachi and Sasuke face off.

"I didn't give you a chance because you only think about yourself. You're a selfish brat who thinks he deserves the world at his feet," Itachi replied.

Sasuke could feel the heat rise to his face. "You've had everything handed to you, Itachi! I bet if you were the second-born, you would feel the same way!" Sasuke threw two balls and stomped around as his brother dodged each.

Itachi was growing annoyed, but wanted to try his best to befriend his brother again. "I really wanted you to stay here, Sasuke."

Sasuke laughed, "Like I really wanted to stay there and continue to walk in your shadow. Here at Oto, people like me for me and not who my big brother is!"

"I never wanted you to be in my shadow, Sasuke. Why can't you understand that?"

Sasuke looked down at the grass and found a single ball on his side. He picked it up and yelled at the top of his lungs. "I hate you!" Itachi felt the air escape him and clutched his stomach as Sasuke's group huddled around the freshman.

Sakura and the others raced over with his father and mother following after. Mikoto and Fugaku picked him up and gave him a bottled water. They continuously whispered to him, scolding him for pushing himself so hard.

"Is he going to be okay?" Sakura fretted.

"Yeah, he just got the wind knocked out of him. He'll be fine," Kisame assured.

For the next event, the students watched as teachers from the different schools tossed eggs to each other. Kakashi and Gai were immediately disqualified due to Kakashi's behavior. The students laughed as some of the teachers struggled with their eggs and acted very immature and child-like.

The winners were announced as Shizune and Shiho from Konoha which was a surprise due to the two's clumsy behavior.

Sakura walked over to Itachi and his parents. "Are you doing better?" she asked.

Mikoto smiled. "He's just fine, Sakura. Why don't you two walk together to the relay race starting point?" Itachi stood up and accepted his mother's offer. As they walked, Sakura would occasionally glance over at Itachi.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. Stop worrying so much, okay?"

"I know, but I can tell your feelings are hurt because of what Sasuke said," she replied.

He turned to her with a stern look. "Sasuke only said that because he's very hurt and angry. He wants to be noticed so desperately by our family and friends, but he continues to be pushed into my footsteps. I don't take his insults too seriously... but yes, it does hurt. Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Yeah, okay... Let's just focus on this relay race and win it!" She tried her best to bring him back into a good mood.

He frowned, "Yeah, the relay race. Thank goodness it's the last event."

The final event was a relay race between the Konoha Student Council and Suna and Oto Academy's Student Council. Sakura readied herself at the beginning and heard another girl's cackle.

The girl had brown glasses that framed crimson eyes. She wore her red hair in a long, straight style and tied her gym shirt to appear shorter, exposing her navel.

"I'm Karin, the secretary of Oto's Student Council," she boasted.

Sakura tried her best to be polite. "I'm Sakura, the Mascot of Konoha's."

Karin smiled, "We don't have a mascot due to it being very degrading. It's interesting to know that you are okay with that label."

"It's not degrading. It's a lot of fun to play a role in the Student Council."

"Whatever, I'll show you that Oto Academy is the best school. You'll be eating my dust as soon as your old hag of a principal blows her whistle."

Tsunade placed the whistle in her mouth and blew. The two girls raced off with their batons in their hands. They were on equal grounds with speed and endurance, but Sakura's determination was greater. She wanted to prove to these Oto snobs that she wasn't some scrawny object and picked up her pace. Her feet pounded against the track and felt herself gaining more distance between herself and Karin. Ahead she could hear Karin's teammate running his mouth.

"Come on, idiot! Move your fat ass and run faster!"

Karin gritted her teeth tightly. "Shut up you annoying bastard!"

Kisame readied himself for Sakura and began running as she crept closer. She passed the baton finally and cheered him on as he raced off. "Go, Kisame-kun!"

The boy beside her frowned, "Ugh, ya' see, Karin? They're in the lead now because of your fat ass!"

Karin finally caught up and hit the boy on the shoulder. "Then catch up, Suigetsu, you idiot!"

Suigetsu rubbed his shoulder and snarled at the girl, "You're a crazy bitch!" He raced on after Kisame.

Kisame hated running, but he couldn't refuse this event. His large size and his terrible exercise routine caused him to move slower. Suigetsu smirked as he finally caught up to the large senior.

"Hey! Looks like you are really slow!" Suigetsu taunted with his sharp teeth.

Kisame rolled his eyes. "Wow, you're so smart. I'm guessing you were enrolled in Oto Academy due to your excellent grades."

Suigetsu laughed, "No! I got in because of my skills in swimming!" He obviously didn't catch the sarcasm.

Kisame only grunted and noticed happily how close he was to Kakuzu. The two made it to their other teammates and watched as they ran off. Kakuzu faced off against a blonde girl that separated her hair into four different ponytails. He knew she was the Vice President of Suna High School, but had no idea what her name was. He could hear Hidan yelling from his starting point.

"Come on, you moron! Run faster! Can't you move or is this all you can do?!" he shrieked.

Kakuzu ignored the boy's pestering comments, but Hidan continued to yell.

"Kakuzu, you're so slow!"

"I've seen turtles move faster than you!"

"Com'on, let's beat the hell out of these guys! If you go any slower, you'll-"

"Oh my fucking lord! Will you shut the hell up you annoying, little prick?! How the hell did you get your spot on any Student Council with that loud mouth of yours? If you yell out one, more time I swear I will come over there and kick your ass!" the girl yelled, startling Kakuzu and the others.

She turned to Kakuzu after taking a deep breath. "I'm Temari."

"Kakuzu."

Hidan shut his mouth and the two students running made their way to the others. Temari handed her baton to a very tall student from Oto with bright, orange hair. Hidan jumped up and down while Kakuzu finally handed his baton to Hidan.

The two boys ran along side, battling for the leading spot. Hidan looked over and only noticed a stoic expression on the boy's face.

"What? You're not going to insult me or anything?" Hidan tested.

The boy refused to respond, causing Hidan to grow angrier. "Oh? You're too good to speak to me, huh? Well, your silence doesn't bother me at all!"

The boy, again, didn't speak a word to the silver-haired senior. Hidan angrily raced in front of him.

"I'm in front of you now, idiot! What are you going to do about it?"

The boy's flame-colored eyes shifted over to Hidan. Although he stared at him, he didn't speak.

"Hey, assface! I'm talking to you! Stop ignoring me!"

The boy blinked. "My name is Juugo not Assface."

Hidan, already annoyed, yelled loudly at the boy. "Well, Juugo, how do you feel about our team winning against you? Because that's what we're going to do!"

Juugo blinked once more. "But we're going to win." He stretched out his long legs and quickly passed Hidan. He handed the baton to a boy with messy, brown hair.

Hidan hurried to Sasori and handed him the baton. "Don't let these weirdos beat us!" he yelled after Sasori.

Sasori was always lazy and didn't like to do the exercises during gym class. He knew his team members wanted to win so he decided to try his best. His opponent was quite sluggish and seemed to be tired. When he reached him, the boy turned to Sasori.

"Running is such a pain," he muttered.

"Agreed," Sasori answered. He noticed a pin on his gym uniform. "That pin is from my grandma's old puppet shop. How do you have it?"

"Oh, I used to go there a lot before it closed. I really like puppets."

"Yeah, I grew up with them. What's your name?"

"I'm Kankuro from Suna High. Who are you?"

"Sasori. Man, I can't even see Deidara yet... Why do they force me to do such hard labor?"

Kankuro laughed. "Yes, I'm one to just lay back and enjoy myself, but my younger brother, Gaara, ordered me to take part."

"Wait, your younger brother Gaara is the president of the Student Council... Why would you want him to become president when he's younger than you?"

"I'll admit, I don't like kids, but he's a good president for someone so young," Kankuro explained briefly.

Sasori nodded. "At our school, the title is only restricted to seniors."

"Well, although we both are equally lazy, how about we finish this race up?" Kankuro offered.

Sasori finally caught sight of the next two participants and accepted. "Okay, let's start the competition... now!" The two boys raced against each other at their top speed with Kankuro slightly in the lead. He handed his baton to his brother and the president raced off without a word.

"Beat them, Deidara," Sasori huffed through strained breaths.

Deidara shook his head with a smile. "I'll do my best!" The blonde took off, his long, blonde hair waving through the air as he zipped passed the redheaded Suna student.

"Hope you like looking at my back because that's all you're going to see!" Deidara stuck his tongue out and dashed to the final player - Itachi.

Kabuto crossed his arms and impatiently waited for the baton. Although Itachi was in the lead, he was actually jogging more than sprinting. Deidara cocked his head. "What the...?"

Itachi knew it wasn't smart to waste his energy, but he couldn't shake off the looks he was receiving from his fellow students. His eyes locked on to the finishing point until he could hear loud footsteps following behind him.

"Wow, Itachi, you're really slow! I was actually worried for a second, but I see I will win this thing easily." Kabuto laughed and raced in front of him. Itachi and Kabuto's distance grew larger and the Uchiha knew that he was going to lose. He watched as the arrogant, Oto Student Council President crossed the finish line and received cheers and hugs. He slowed his pace and walked passed the same line with his friends waiting for him.

"What the fuck, Itachi! Why didn't you run?!" Hidan shrieked.

"I'm really sorry, guys," he said, panting through his words. His father and mother hurried to his side with concerned faces.

As they looked him over, they continued to mutter worried phrases. "Wow, they are so overprotective," Sakura thought.

To his surprise, Itachi found Sasuke walking towards him with a smirk on his face. "Did we show you? Did we show you how much better we are than this stupid school?"

Mikoto frowned at her younger son, "Don't talk like that to your brother, Sasuke! He's-" Itachi raised his hand to stop his mother from speaking.

"It's okay, Mom. Can Sasuke and I have a moment alone to speak?" He was asking each of them to leave.

As his club members left in a group, Hidan chuckled to himself. "I hope Itachi really beats the hell out of his brother! He deserves it more than anyone!"

Sakura turned to see Itachi mouthing words to his younger brother with a stern look on his face. Sasuke stepped backwards with his eyes showing shock and disbelief. She desperately wanted to know what the two family members were speaking about, but she knew it wasn't her business to poke in to.

Sasuke's mouth opened, but he couldn't think of the right words to say.

"Do you understand now?" Itachi asked, his eyes staring into his younger brother's.

Sasuke looked away and sputtered out, "But... what about the job Dad was offering you?"

"Sasuke, I couldn't have that job even if I wanted it!" Itachi snapped.

The young Uchiha could feel his heart sink into his chest. "Why didn't you tell me...?"

Itachi walked closer to his brother. "Sasuke, this is a secret between us. You must not tell anyone and I mean anyone!"

xxx

Holy moly, almost 10k words. This will probably be the longest chapter. Any who, Vomment. <3

xTsu