I'm sure there will be a few of you who enjoy this chapter.....You'll see what I mean ;)

Btw, I keep going to dedicate chapters to people, but I can't dedicate chapters to you if you haven't fanned me yet :/

*hint hint* ;P

Finally, a pic of Zee  --->

Third Person's POV

"I'm so looking forward to soaking in a hot bath" I sigh dreamily, rifling through my bag and trying to locate a towel. Had I bothered to pack one? Wait.....Did I ever even pack towels? What did a Ninja need with a towel anyway? I frown down at my things, now strewn across the bed and floor. Maybe I should start packing towels.

"So am I" Kyoku replies with a closed eye smile, stepping over to me and holding out her hand. Glancing up, my face immediately brightens, seeing the fluffy, white towel folded over her arm. "There's nothing more soothing for the muscles after something as straining as this competition."

Nodding my thanks to Kyoku, I take the towel from her and drape it around my neck.

"Why'd you bring a towel with you anyway?" I ask the blue haired Jonin curiously, making her pause.

"The hotel provided them" she eventually chuckles, gesturing to the towel folded at the foot of her bed and making me sweat drop. Right. I knew that.

"I don't stay at hotels very often" I feel the need to inform Kyoku, just so she doesn't think I'm incredibly stupid.

"Clearly" she laughs, picking up her own towel and opening the door, clearly amused by the dead pan look on my face. I'm never, ever packing my own towel.

Kyoku closes the door behind us and takes the lead, seeing as she knows where the hotel's bath is located. As we turn and head down through the lobby, we spot Kakashi Sensei walking in through the automatic front doors, a small bag in his hand.

"Hey Kakashi Sensei!" I call, waving my hand above my head and catching the man's attention. He strolls over to us, closed eye smile on his face.

"Hey guys" he greets coolly, opening his visible eye. "Where are you off to?"

"We're-"

"Heeyyyy" I interrupt Kyoku, closing my eyes and sniffing the air. A wonderful scent wafts up from Kakashi's bag, making my eyes pop open, sparkling brightly.

"What's in the bag Sensei?" I ask eagerly. "It smells delicious!"

Kakashi sweat drops at this, raising the bag up and hugging it to his chest with one arm.

"Uhh...." he begins slowly, apparently thinking about his words. "It's not take home Yakisoba with beef, if that's what you were thinking."

"Subtle" I mutter, my eagerness having died as soon as Kakashi had pulled the bag away from me. "You're cruel Sensei....."

"Anyway" Kyoku smiles, seeing the relief on Kakashi's face and the disappointment on mine, "Ashley and I are going to take a soak in the bath. We could both use some relaxation time. We're calling it our reward for both winning a Round in the Tournament."

"Winning honestly and winning by cheating are two different things" Kakashi says cheekily, making me roll my eyes, before he pauses. "Wait.....Did you say you're taking a bath?"

"Yes" Kyoku replies, hooding her eyes and smiling charmingly at my Sensei. I glance up, grinning wickedly at Kakashi, who seems to be thinking about something.

"Sorry Sensei, but it's not mixed bathing" I announce loudly, some other hotel goers turning to look at me with annoyance, "So you can't perve on Kyoku....Or any of the other ladies."

I then grab Kyoku by the arm and begin dragging her away from Kakashi Sensei, who is blushing with embarrassment, as my blue haired teammate chuckles softly.

"That was cruel Ashley" she says in her cool, soft voice. "Poor Kakashi..."

"He's fine" I mutter dryly, shaking my head. "That's what he gets for being a perve. You and I both know he'd have wanted to at least get a good gawk at you......Not that he hasn't seen what you're packing before."

Kyoku's eyes widen, blinking a few times, before she glances down at me awkwardly. I've never seen Kyoku lose her cool demeanour before, so it's a weird expression on her face to be honest.

"You don't really think he still finds me attractive......Do you?" she eventually asks, sounding doubtful and making me stop dead in my tracks. That's all she has to say? I drop Kyoku's wrist and turn around, dead panning.

"Kyoku, Kakashi's attraction to you is so obvious, even blind people on the other side of the planet can see it" I inform her dryly, making her blink, eyes now back to their usual hooded position. Her brows furrow slightly as she stares down at the ground, causing me to sigh. I wonder how often thoughts like that cross her mind. I can clearly see that Kyoku and Kakashi still have feelings for each other, but neither of them are really the types to just come clean and fess up about their feelings.....Not that I'm one to talk. It took me ages to actually tell Kiba how I felt.

"Do you remember when we had to escort that stupid jerk Komara back home?" I eventually ask Kyoku, grabbing her wrist again and tugging her towards the bath change rooms, following the signs attached to the walls. "We were attacked by Liana and had to be brought back home, while Kakashi Sensei completed the mission alone."

"Yes, I remember" Kyoku replies quietly, no doubt wondering where I'm going with this. Turning through a doorway with a pink circle on it, I motion for Kyoku to sit down on a white bench, which she does, watching me blankly as I pace back and forth in front of her.

"I remember not liking you very much when I first met you" I admit bluntly, shrugging one shoulder, "And so, though it may not have seemed like it, I was watching you carefully. I don't think you realised you were doing it, but your eyes kept flicking over to Kakashi Sensei."

"They did?" Kyoku questions, before sighing. "I really didn't mean for them to..."

"I get it" I shrug again, giving Kyoku a dry half smile, "He's really handsome. But anyway, I eventually began watching Kakashi Sensei, because I'd noticed that he kept looking at you as well. From the very beginning I was suspicious that something had happened between you two, because when we first met, Lady Tsunade said that you were both from the ANBU Black Ops. Whenever I asked any questions about you two knowing each other, Sensei was way too casual about it. Like, he's pretty vague anyway, but he was acting weird, even for him."

"He's always been very vague about things" Kyoku says softly, a fond smile on her face.

"Yeah, I bet it's just great when a man's vague about his feelings" I scoff sarcastically, crossing my arms and watching as the smile falls from Kyoku's face. "Oh, sorry Kyoku. Sarcasm comes naturally to me, and sometimes I forget that it's not always appropriate......"

"It's okay" the blue eyed woman laughs. "What you said is true anyway."

"Duh" I smirk. "Anyway, there was that one night when you and Kakashi Sensei were sitting next to each other, and I knew you guys were talking. It was weird to me that you guys were so close, seeing as Kakashi Sensei seems to keep everyone, even his students, from getting too close. I feel like he's probably a bit scared of losing anyone else he cares about."

"He seems to have taken to Naruto, Sakura and yourself quite a lot though" Kyoku smiles. "He's always talking about all of your accomplishments."

"How could he not love us?" I ask wryly, smirking darkly at Kyoku. "We're adorable. But that's beside the point.....I still remember coming over to crash your party, when I saw Kakashi Sensei pull down his mask and kiss you. Seriously, Kakashi Sensei never lets anyone see his face Kyoku, let alone kisses anyone. I didn't think he was physically capable of such a thing until I saw it with my own eyes."

"He's capable of a lot more than just kissing" Kyoku informs me cheekily, causing me to pull a disgusted face and shake my head vigorously.

"That's my Sensei you're talking about" I say, shivering slightly. "He's like a hundred years old. I don't want to know...."

"Right......Sorry" Kyoku apologises awkwardly, sweat dropping and blushing slightly. Who knows what she's thinking right now......

".....My point is this" I say seriously, deciding to bypass that topic altogether, "Kakashi Sensei wouldn't show his face to, or kiss, just anyone. I've seen beautiful women fawn all over him before, and he pays them absolutely no mind whatsoever. I began to wonder if he even liked women at one point, seeing the way he ignored them all....But when I see him around you, he just.....changes. He can't stop looking at you, listens to everything you say like it's the most fascinating thing he's ever heard....I'm telling you Kyoku, he feels something for you still."

Kyoku stares at me for a moment, before dropping her eyes and gazing at the floor thoughtfully, head tilting to the side. Shrugging yet again, I turn around and begin stripping off my clothes, giving Kyoku some time to think.

It feels weird, having to convince someone as confident and cool as Kyoku that the man she clearly loves still loves her too. I mean, I'm just some girl that didn't even realise when someone loved her. How can I possibly help someone like Kyoku?

"I suppose you could be right" I hear Kyoku mutter quietly, just as I wrap my towel around my body. "Everything you've said is logic and makes sense......I guess I'm just doubting that someone as....amazing as Kakashi would care for someone like me...."

"What?" I ask incredulously, whirling around and making Kyoku's head snap up, eyes wide. "Are you kidding me right now? Kyoku, you're amazing as well! Kakashi Sensei is always blathering on about how amazing you are! How skilled and talented you are! Once he starts, I can't get him to shut up about you! He even said that he knew you were going to beat me in that race we ran. He practically told me I had no hope of beating you!"

Kyoku blinks her wide eyes, watching as I throw my hands in the air with frustration. Clearly I'm not the one to come to for help when you're feeling down. I hate it when people like Kyoku, who have nothing wrong with them, begin doubting themselves.

"He admitted he had feelings for you once in the past" I sigh irritably, growing an anime vein, "And I've no doubt that those feelings are still there. I bet he doesn't talk about me half as much as he talks about you! Well, they're more like speeches about you actually. Now, I like you Kyoku, I really do, but even I get sick of hearing about what an amazing Ninja you are, or how super fast you are, or how kind you are, or how spectacular your Water Jutsu are, or what a talented ANBU you were, or how special you are, or....or.....Argh!I really need to hit something!"

Out of sheer annoyance, I whirl around and raise a fist, before throwing it forwards and bashing the wall. It trembles for a moment, before my fist travels right through the wall, my arm swiftly disappearing through the new hole as well. Heaving a big sigh, and feeling a whole lot less annoyed already, I lean back and cross my arms.

Peering through the new hole, I see the astonished face of a hotel maid, her dust pan on the floor at her feet with dirt spilling across the floor. She must have dropped it with fright. Oops.

"Sorry!" I say brightly, giving the woman a closed eye smile. "I slipped over! It's a bit wet in here, so you better come and clean that up before it happens again!"

The woman merely blinks as I raise an eyebrow at her, before shrugging and leaning back. Kyoku also stares at me, before chuckling and shaking her head with disbelief. She obviously hasn't hung out with me for awhile, if this shocks her. I think I'm becoming somewhat notorious for destroying people's property....

"In closing" I speak up, hoping to finish my encouraging speech, "Kakashi Sensei loves you, you love him and you have an amazing daughter that he doesn't know about. Introduce them and be a big, happy family. Now, let's hit the water!"

Kyoku's smile widens as she glances up at the eager look on my face, hooded eyes looking brighter than they did earlier. Maybe my speech had worked? Who knows, and to be honest, I really don't care anymore. I just want to sit in some hot water and relax!

"Maybe you're right Ashley" Kyoku muses, standing up and untying the headband from around her left arm. "But I'll take it one step at a time. Maybe happy families can happen one day, but now isn't the right time......Oh go on, I'll meet you there."

Kyoku laughs again as I give her a thankful grin, before running out of the change room and striding swiftly down the hallway. We may not be allowed to run in the hotel, but I don't want to get spotted by anyone while I'm wearing a towel. Good thing the baths aren't too far from here!

As I am walking down the hallway, about to enter the women's bath, a voice floats down the attached corridor to my right, making me freeze in mid step.

"Yeah!" the male voice cheers. "I'm gonna bomb into the water!"

"You can't do that in a bath" another male voice sighs, causing me to sweat drop. I slowly walk backwards, wanting to get out of the view from anyone coming from the attached corridor. The last thing I need right now is to be heckled by some random guys. I just want a bath!

Even as one of the guys runs down the hallway, zooming right past me and disappearing through the door to the men's bath, I keep creeping backwards. Hopefully his friend wouldn't see me either. I remain frozen, one hand holding up my towel, and watch as the other guy walks past me, muttering something incoherable about his friend.

As that guy also disappears into the men's bath without spotting me, practically naked, I can't help letting out a sigh of relief, before my back bumps into something. I straighten up, as if hit by a bolt of lightening, and slowly glance back over my shoulder.

Looking up, I see the blushing face of an awkward looking Shikamaru, his arms crossed and a sweat drop on the side of his head. Leaping forwards, I whirl around and glare at him, a blush also spreading across my cheeks as I hold up the top of my towel and tug at the hem of it with my other hand. Why?! I'd run into him like this the last time we were at a bath!

"Why is it that I'm always the one who finds you running around in nothing more than a towel?" Shikamaru groans, closing one eye and glancing at me through the other. "What a drag......Why don't you just put some clothes on?"

"It's not like I was expecting to run into anyone, and especially you of all people!" I snap, face burning with embarrassment. "In case you didn't notice genius, I was trying not to get spotted!"

"By standing half naked in the hallway?" Shikamaru questions doubtfully, shaking his head and turning it away, apparently unsure of where to look. "...Is that a Jonin thing?"

I scowl at Shikamaru, not really angry, but more embarrassed that he's making such a fuss about me being in a towel. I mean, yeah, it's embarrassing enough being seen by one of your guy friends while you're in such a vulnerable state....But he doesn't have to make such a huge, freaking deal about it!

"No it's not a Jonin thing!" I growl, mocking his voice. "I just came out of the change rooms you idiot! Now, in case you haven't noticed, I'm standing in a huge hallway with no clothes on andI'm freezing! So regardless of what else you have to complain about, I'm going to have a bath!"

That said, I whirl around and stomp into the women's bath, leaving a red faced, perplexed Shikamaru behind. About to tug off my towel, I suddenly pause as a thought occurs to me, my face slowly dropping into a dark scowl.

"Hey!" I shout, appearing back in the doorway and addressing Shikamaru, who had turned to leave. He turns back around, throwing his head back and sighing loudly when he sees that I'm still in my towel.

"Whaaat Ashley?" he drawls out, running a hand down his face. "You're killing me here, just.....Either get in the bath, or talk to me later when you're fully dressed okay?"

"What's wrong with seeing me in a towel?" I ask darkly, making Shikamaru pause, the dark haired boy raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Excuse me?" he asks, either suddenly having turned deaf, which I doubt, or incredulous about my question.

"You're standing there complaining about me wearing a towel like I'm the most disgusting thing you've ever seen" I state bluntly, throwing my hands on my hips and taking a step forwards. "I'm asking you, what's so horrible about seeing me in a towel?"

".....You....Want me to stare at you then?" Shikamaru asks slowly, thoroughly perplexed, as he tilts his head and squints at me. I blush bright red and shake my head vigorously, trying to cover myself with my arms. Though I'm embarrassed to be seen in this ridiculous towel, my Uchiha and Minami pride has been hurt a little. I mean, I can't be that hideous that Shikamaru's got to announce to the world how much it bothers him to look at me, can I?

"No!" I bark. "I just want to know why it bothers you so much! Am I that repulsive or something?! Would you like me to wear a bag on my head from now on? I mean, I wouldn't want my ugly to disturb your life or anything!"

"You think I think you're ugly?!" Shikamaru asks incredulously, slowly walking closer to me. "Are you serious?"

"Girls, no matter how mean and sarcastic" I begin, narrowing my eyes as Shikamaru walks even closer, "Don't like to be told they're ugly. But you didn't just call me ugly. You had a complete whinge about having to look at me! What's your problem?! You're lucky I don't punch you in the fa-"

"I don't think you're ugly" Shikamaru says lowly, suddenly looming in front of me and making my eyes widen. Before I can protest, he grabs me by the wrists and pushes me back into the women's bath, my back hitting the cold, tiled wall. Feeling confused, I look back up at Shikamaru and see that he's gazing down at me, eyes hooded and face serious.

"H-Hey" I stutter, feeling somewhat vulnerable all of the sudden. "What're you-"

"I don't think you're ugly" Shikamaru says again, this time more pointedly, as his warm breath fans across my face, "Far from it in fact. It's a real drag, but I actually happen to think you're very.....Alluring."

"A-A-Alluring?" I repeat nervously, blushing furiously as Shikamaru leans down, eyes still focused on my face as he pushes his body closer to mine. What's he doing?!

"You're funny and loyal" Shikamaru continues lowly, eyes darkening, "But you're also sarcastic and arrogant. You don't listen to good advice and you rush into stupid things, overly relying on your own strength to get you out of tough situations, which are usually created through your own stupidity."

"Hey!" I bark, brows furrowing despite my embarrassment. "That's not-"

"And yet, I can't have you" Shikamaru continues seriously, making my eyes widen again. He meant those as positive things? "You're like a beautiful, one in a million gem in a museum. I can't touch you, so that only makes me want you more..."

"Sh-Shikamaru..." I say softly, feeling guilty for some reason, as Shikamaru's face takes on a pained look.

"And yet, you're standing here in front of me, like that" he continues quietly, addressing the fact that I'm only wearing a towel, "And wanting to know what I think.....Why are you doing this to me?"

"D-Doing what?" I ask hesitantly, watching as Shikamaru momentarily closes his eyes.

"So strong, yet so innocent at times" he chuckles softly, though he doesn't sound amused. He sounds sarcastic, if anything. Should I know what he means by that?....I would never hurt Shikamaru purposely! He's one of my very best friends!

I pause as Shikamaru's left hand releases my wrist, sliding it gently down my arm, across my shoulder and up my neck, before resting it on my cheek.

"You're asking for trouble" he informs me, "By getting inside my head like this....You'd deserve what you get by looking the way you do and asking me such a thing..."

That said, Shikamaru leans forwards, still staring in my eyes. I stare back at him through wide, panicked eyes, though my brows are furrowed. I'm so confused by the way he's acting right now. What's he trying to prove? I just wanted him to answer a simple question! What's going on here?!

I can't help thinking about Kiba as Shikamaru stares at me, his face only centimetres from mine. Though I don't think of Shikamaru as anything more than a close friend, I know that Kiba wouldn't be happy if he saw this. Not that I'd blame him. If I saw another girl this close to him, she probably wouldn't have a head anymore.

After a few more seconds, Shikamaru releases a soft, painful sigh and moves his head down towards me, his right cheek brushing against mine.

"....But I'm a good guy" he whispers in my ear, "I don't need Kiba hating me for the rest of my life......What I want and what I think......Well, I don't want to do anything that'll get me a punch in the face......."

Shikamaru suddenly leans back and releases me, closing his eyes as he stuffs his hands in his pockets. I slowly slide my hands down the wall, bringing them to my sides and watching Shikamaru worriedly. Is he alright? That....That didn't seem right.....Shikamaru is never strange like that....

"Sh-Shikamaru?" I ask uncertainly, making the boy's eyes open. He gives me a brief, troubled look, before turning on his heel.

"Wait!" I call, throwing out an arm. "Shikama-"

"Enjoy your bath Ashley" he interrupts coolly, raising an arm in the air and not bothering to turn around. I watch as he strolls down the hallway, before disappearing around the corner.

Releasing a breath, I tilt my head back and lean it against the wall, my heart beating strongly against my ribcage.

"What....What was that?" I ask myself, closing my eyes and resting the back of my hand against my forehead.

"It seems like I'm not the only girl with boy trouble" a cheeky voice speaks up, making me jump with fright, my neck wrenching around and my eyes widening. I see the smiling face of Kyoku looking back at me, causing me to sweat drop and sigh with relief, shoulders drooping.

"How did you get here before me?" I ask wearily, stepping around the wall I'd been leaning on and walking towards the actual women's bath, as Kyoku winks at me.

"I'm an ex ANBU" she says mysteriously. "And a speedy one at that."

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Areki's voice greets, his voice barely audible above the screaming of the audience. "Welcome to the Final Round of the Grass Village's Fighting Tournament!"

The audience continue cheering and clapping wildly, as I glance around the stadium warily. All of the competitors from the opposing Villages are here as well, though twenty of them won't be competing today. They'll be more like......A cheer squad or something I guess.

Tozoku catches my attention and performs a slit motion across her throat, making me roll my eyes. She wasn't going to get to me today. Grinding her into the dust was going to be my revenge. Not that I'm allowed to kill her during this Tournament, but hopefully we're allowed to break a few limbs or something in the Final Round. She deserved a few broken bones. I'd go for her spine.

Glancing at the Mist Ninja, I see Tanzaki already watching me, her four male teammates towering over her. I narrow my eyes slightly at the girl, who I think is actually older than me. I still haven't heard any of them speak yet, and I'm beginning to wonder if they've even got mouths. That would explain the masks covering the bottom half of their faces. No one wants to look at a person with no mouth.

"If we could have our competing finalists step forwards please!" Areki announces, glancing down at a sheet of paper in his hand. "From our very own Grass Village, Tozoku Rinosuke and Peikirin Akarashi!"

The crowd shouts and screams with excitement, as the two girls skip forwards, with Tozoku's cute façade in full effect. She blows kisses to the audience, giggling and waving so cutely, I feel like I'm going to be sick. No, scratch that. I feel more like I'm going to accidentally fling a kunai through her face. Yeahhhh......I like that a lot more.....

"From the Mist Village" Areki continues, reading his piece of paper, "Tanzaki Kyomura, Shin Danzui and Fuisuke Kakonura!"

The three said Mist Ninja step forwards, their swaggering steps just brimming with confidence, though their eyes promise there will be trouble if they're challenged. Seems like they're fired up today, in their own silent, creepy sort of way.

"Give it up for Okita Souijin, Shiona Himurii and Tanza Itomaru" Areki grins, "From the Hidden Rain Village!"

I watch as Okita, the purple haired girl who won the Precision Round and her two teammates step forwards. I recognise the other two from the Speed Round, although I wasn't sure at the time if the red head was a girl or boy. Judging from the name Shiona, I'm going to assume the short haired girl is well, a girl.

"Kana Isuke and Kochi Asakimura from the Sand Village!" Areki continues with his announcements. "Welcome to the Final Round girls!"

The cheering and screaming continues as the two Sand Ninja separate themselves from their teammates, heading to the centre of the stadium as well.

"From the Hidden Snow Village, Zee and Yue Monomori!" Areki shouts excitedly, almost dropping his microphone in the process and sweat dropping, while Yue and Zee step forwards as well. I watch the small, mysterious boy walking alongside the taller girl that looks very similar to him curiously.

"So they have the same last name?" Shikamaru speaks up, eyebrow raised. I nod wisely, realisation dawning on me.

"They must be related somehow" I say decisively, looking over at Shikamaru. He glances at me from the corner of his eye, before sighing and looking ahead again. This hurts me for some reason. I don't like being ignored by my friends, and he's been acting weird like this all morning. What did I do to him?

Kakashi glances between us, not so subtly, before raising an eyebrow at me in a silent question. I shrug at him and shake my head, releasing my own sigh, as Nobu and her shaggy haired friend step forwards, the only two Stone Ninja to make it through. I see her smirk at me triumphantly, causing me to roll my eyes. Why does it seem to be so easy for people to hate me?

"From the Hidden Waterfall Village" Areki continues loudly, "Irazen Hyogashi and Ita Kogato!"

As the crowd cheers for the two serious looking female, Ita suddenly glances over at us and smirks deviously.

"You're goin down Hyuga!" she calls, cupping her hands around her mouth, before poking her tongue out and throwing her head back proudly. Looking back at Neji, I see him smirking as well, seemingly accepting the orange haired girl's challenge.

"No smart come backs Neji?" I ask wryly, to which he chuckles lowly and shakes his head, pale eyes filled with amusement.

"She won't have any either when she's unconscious in the dirt" he replies, making me blink, before I grin approvingly.

"I like that attitude of yours Hyuga" I say with a wink, causing Neji to chuckle again.

"And last, but certainly not least, we have our team with the most competitors still remaining in the Tournament!" Areki calls over the crowd's cheering. "From the Leaf Village, Kakashi Hatake, Ashley Minami, Kyoku Mizu and Neji Hyuga!"

"Don't get into too much trouble while we're gone Nara" Neji teases, placing a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. The dark haired boy responds by rolling his eyes, shrugging Neji's hand off of him and sighing lowly.

I give Shikamaru a troubled look, before following after my teammates, coming to a stop in the centre of the stadium. Looking around the stands, I see people jumping up from their seats, screaming things out and throwing their fists in the air eagerly. People clap excitedly and laugh, anxious to see if their favourite competitor is going to win. I wouldn't be surprised if people were betting on us and trying to gain some money from our victories.

This Round had better be worth it, because right now, I'm really not in the mood for another seemingly pointless Round. We'll probably be competing to see who can catch the most butterflies or something equally as ridiculous.

"Now!" Areki laughs, eyes sparkling. "Time for the rules of the Final Round! To keep a long, complicated story as short and simple as possible, all twenty of you will be competing in this Round, but it won't be taking place here. Stepping onto a special scroll that our Jonin have been preparing for a good week now, you'll all be transported to another scroll, which is......in a different location. Sorry, I can disclose where exactly you'll be, that's part of the challenge.

'Well, this is sounding interesting already' I muse, crossing my arms and tilting my head back, watching Areki on the big screen. 'At least we won't be here with all of these people watching us.'

"You'll be transported to an unspecified forest away from the Grass Village" Areki continues. "The Jonin who transports you will point out the basic direction of the Village, but that's all you'll know about its whereabouts. Once in the forest, you'll have to meet up with the rest of your team and work together to find a flag that we've hidden in the forest. You'll recognise your flag instantly, as it will have your Village's symbol on it. Once you've obtained the flag and found all of your teammates, then you'll have to make it back to the Stadium. The first team back wins the Tournament!"

As the audience begins cheering again, I dead pan and turn to Kakashi Sensei, who has a sweat drop on the side of his head.

"So basically, we're at a disadvantage by having more people still on our team" I state dryly, as Kakashi sighs, nodding his head in agreement.

"Maybe some of us should have copied Shikamaru and dropped out" Neji mutters, crossing his arms and frowning at the ground. "Hopefully we won't be too spread out."

"It shouldn't be too hard to find each other" Kyoku speaks up, ever the positive one. "Neji can see over great distances with his Byakugan, Ashley can sense us all with her Katsuryoku and Kakashi's Ninja Hounds can track all of our scents. No problem!"

We all stare at Kyoku as she gives us a closed eye smile, a look of adoration mixed with admiration on Kakashi's face. Oh so adorable. Too bad Kyoku's too stupid to notice it. Well, maybe stupid is the wrong word.......Naive.

"There will be two entrance points to the forest" Areki suddenly announces, catching our attentions. "So ten of you will transport with one Jonin, while the other ten will go with the other Jonin. While they won't be sticking around, we have planted hundreds of micro cameras throughout the forest to keep an eye on you all. As soon as we see even one rule broken, Jonin will transport themselves to the forest and the rule breaker will be disqualified."

"So.....Those two scrolls are the only ways to get to the forest quickly?" Tozoku murmurs thoughtfully, before turning to Peikirin, holding a hurried, whispered conversation with her. Whatever. She's probably wondering how she can use the scrolls to cheat and beat me.

"As for the actual rules" Areki says seriously, eyes swiftly scanning a list in his hand, "Jutsu and weapons are allowed, but there is to be absolutely no killing force. I repeat no killing force. Don't be the one to start a feud between Villages......That's basically it! The only other rules are that you must be with all of your teammates to finish and you must have your flag. Other than that, go nuts!"

"Not many rules this time" Neji comments, as a dark smirk slowly stretches across my face, eyes locked on Tozoku. Oh sweet, sweet revenge.....

"Heh, the less rules the better" I growl lowly, catching Kakashi Sensei's attention. He sighs again and points a finger at me.

"Just remember Ashley" he warns, "No killing force. At all."

"Psh, Kakashi Sensei please!" I laugh, still smiling darkly, teeth visible. "There are so many things worse than death. Death is the easy escape....."

Kakashi sweat drops again, his hand dropping slightly as he gives me a wary look. Neji nods slowly, seeming to understand my want for revenge, as Kyoku just watches me curiously, probably not used to the sadistic side to me. Which is fair enough I guess. I do try to keep it hidden, but hey, the leopard can't change its spots.

I watch as two Grass Village Jonin suddenly enter the arena, each carrying a large scroll. Standing on opposite ends of the arena, they set the scrolls down and unroll them. From over here I can see black letters written on the scrolls, but I can't actually read what they say. Not like it matters anyway I guess.

"Could Ita Kogato, Shiona Himurii, Tozoku Rinosuke, Kyoku Mizu, Yue Monomori, Okita Soujiin, Ashley Minami, Fuisuke Kakonura, Kana Isuke and Nobu Seshimaru all head to the Jonin at the South of the arena, while the rest of you will head to the North. You will be transporting with these Jonin in a matter of minutes."

"Be seeing you soon guys" I say, nodding to Kakashi and Neji as we separate and head to our instructed Jonin. I have to bite my lip to hold in a sigh, as Tozoku bounds up beside me, skipping joyfully.

"Oh how fun!" she chirps, giving me a closed eye smile and slinging an arm across my shoulders. "We'll be transporting together Ashl-eeeyy!"

Tozoku shrieks out the last part of my name as I reach up and clamp my hand around her wrist, doing my best to crush it but not break the bones. Oh how I want to though....

"Yeah, this will be fun" I reply stonily, roughly shoving her arm back towards her. "Watch your back bitch, because I'll be hiding in the shadows."

Tozoku blinks innocently at me, hugging her hand to her chest. She watches me, face falling into a frown, as I stride over to the Jonin.

Hmph. Let her frown. That's not going to help her when she's fighting me face to face.

"Alright everyone" the Grass Jonin announces as he places his hands together in a hand sign, "Step onto a free space on the scroll. We'll be transporting to the forest in a few moments."

Stepping onto the parchment beside Kyoku, I glance up and see Kakashi, Neji and the others doing the same on the other side of the arena.

"Transporting in three....." Areki begins counting down, sounding excited. I grin over at Kakashi, who I see wink back. Although, considering his head band is covering his other eye, he could've just been blinking....

"Two............One.......Transport!"

I place two fingers against my forehead, as the Leaf Jonin mutters something, performing hand signs at the same time. Pulling my fingers away from my head in a playful salute to my teammates, we suddenly disappear from the stadium.

Third Person's POV

A long, white scroll lies in the middle of a large, mountainous forest, beams of sunlight peeking between the leaves of the tall trees and casting an almost disco ball effect across the ground.

Suddenly, the black Kanji letters on the scroll begin glowing, before eleven people suddenly appear in a quick flash of light. Two of the girls fall over, one being Tozoku Rinosuke and the other being Nobu Seshimaru.

"We're here" the Grass Jonin announces, palms still together. Ashley Minami rolls her eyes, withholding all sarcastic remarks. Wasn't it obvious that they were there?

"Remain on the scroll until I say begin" the Jonin growls, as Shiona and Tanza move to step forwards. "The Village is to the North of here......Stand still, we begin in three.........two.........one.......aaaaaannddd.............................Go!"

The Jonin begins performing hand signs again, disappearing as the contestants around him begin leaping in all directions, wanting to find their teammates as quickly as possible.

As the flurry of Ninja disappears however, one contestant remains by the scroll, tapping her chin thoughtfully and tilting her head to the side.

"Hmmmm...." she mumbles, before a nasty smile appears on her face. She begins laughing darkly, shaking her head as she reaches into her weapons pouch. She pulls out a handful of smoke bombs and throws them at the ground, causing them to explode. Black smoke billows through the area, rising up into the sky and providing her with some coverage.

Then pulling out a handful of exploding tags, the girl crouches down and begins smacking them down all over the scroll, still laughing to herself. As she rises to her feet, the girls dusts herself off, before jumping backwards and placing her hands together.

"Hopefully you've done the same Peikirin" the red haired girl grins darkly, watching as the exploding tags blow up and spread flames everywhere, utterly destroying the scroll. She quickly leaps away, disappearing under the cover of her smoke bombs. The fun was about to begin.

For those of you who care (No one lol) Yakisoba are grilled or fried Chinese style noodles mixed with pieces of meat, cabbage, carrots, or other vegetables, and garnished with red ginger. It is a popular festival food.

Oohh, interesting......Not