AN: Ugh. Can I just say that writing a Naruto battle is surprisingly hard!? I finally just wrote down a little and sorry if this disappoints anyone but..seriously. Temari is a bad match up which is what I was going for but I couldn't remember the plan I had!

()()()()()()()()()

Whatever was to be expected from the final sand sibling match, after the flash of several interval ones where Konoha did quite well, Suna equally well, and what remained of the other examinees who came thus far they were not getting it. Temari had floated down on her fan, standing, something she'd worked hard on so her dismount was showier than if she was crouched on it. You didn't have Gaara and Kankuro for siblings and not decide you needed a little flash after all. Naruto had jumped in and started yelling. Not only was he yelling -and at one point..dancing..- to the point the proctor was frustrated and just yelled "Start!" but he had then proceeded to warn Temari of his moves.

Of course, as Gaara had warned her, knowing it did not mean he was not still a fearsome chakra monster to fight.

"Shadow clones! Ha! Take this ya old lady!" Naruto was thrilled, he was getting to show off his skills, he was fantastic. After this surely even Sasuke would admit he was pitiful compared to the great future orange wearing Hokage! He could just see it!

Until a sweep of wind jutsu popped all his clones and sent him stumbling back a little. Naruto was not one to be deterred, he sent another wave. And another. Each time they rushed with clumsy punches and each time they were blown away. Up in the stands the two sand siblings and her friend groaned. Because Temari was not at all a quiet and timid sort.

"The heck kind of planning is this, you half brain dead little moron!? Just spamming clones?! Did you see how many I blew away last time? Didn't anyone teach you a blasted thing about how to fight? Your stance is awful, your creativity is stupid...and don't get me started on your volume!" Heedless of her hypocrisy Temari was screaming back at him but at least she was varying her wind attacks, and not calling them out.

Naturally, Naruto had to scream back with several of his clones mimicking him and only increasing the volume. Somewhere, much to the disturbance of those around him, Gai was clapping and rating his pose."What do you know you blasted harpy!? And what do you mean my stance is awful! I'm the best fighter in Konoha, believe it!"

"..actually from what we've seen so far I could. Sheesh. You remind me of my best friend and brother in all the bad ways. That does it, when this is over I'm teaching you how to actually throw a punch."

Naruto blinked and his hand dropped. "Wha...?"

()()()()()()()

Sute couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hands, giggling madly. Because, of course, Temari would see another hopeless blonde and decide they needed her assistance. It was Temari.

Nanashi himself chuckled softly. "Well, that is one way to get the opponent to drop their guard."

()()()()()()()

Kankuro blinked, scratched at his ear and then pointed from Gaara to Naruto. A single nod and the entire collective of Suna nin present in the waiting area groaned. Well, now Temari had handily warned them all of what Gaara suspected. Really though.

"You know she's gonna do it," Kankuro grumbled.

"Most likely," Gaara smirked. "Though she's blinked. The one in front is the clone..."

Temari's sudden scream of rage prompted them all to look back down, and Gaara was treated to the sight of most the ninja in the area looking highly discomforted. Looking back Gaara was not sure why. Nor why Temari seemed so angry at having twenty odd naked blonde women just standing in a circle around her posing.

()()()()()()()

Naruto was frowning, untransformed in the front. "Huh. Usually, that jutsu works.."

"I'm a girl, you idiot!" Temari lunged for him but this time she was too angry by the distraction she didn't see the rapid hand signs of a clone in the back before she leered. Not a clone at all, but a handy way to hide in the chaos while a nonsexy jutsu clone distracted her to the front.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Someone in the suddenly quiet arena piped up. "That's a biiiiig frog."

Aware of when a battle was lost, seeing as half the visible arena was now under a toad's backside even as the said creature was grumbling about being a toad, not a frog, Temari was furious about it though, and reminding herself to work on her temper and brush up on some attacks for clone spamming menances, Temari huffed. "I can see when I'm beaten. I forfeit..but I'm still teaching you to punch, pipsqueak."

()()()()()()()()()()

"Perhaps, you'd like to go check our teams over, little side-winder?" Nanashi asked softly, giving Sute an acceptable out.

"Of course, my lord." Sute bowed, then did so to the others present before patiently walking down. She all but ran after she reached the stairs though, grinning widely at her Suna companions. "Those were fantastic! Kankuro I had no idea you could be so clever! My eyes are still watering!"

"Shucks. Was just a lot of planning." Kankuro grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. "Advantage to being a puppeteer, yeah? Didn't have to see."

"Brilliant!"

"Awful pun." Kankuro sneered and blinked. "Why hadn't I thought of it?"

There was a hissing sound and Sute wasn't surprised as Gaara's patience until now finally ran out, once more sending Sute upside down by her ankle and then plopping her to stand beside him. "..quiet." He huffed. A flare of his killing intent and everyone looked away, chuckling Sute grinned up at her stoic friend. Sure enough, after a short time he glanced down at her out the corner of his eye.

"You know," Sute said quietly, so no one would overhear without using chakra. "I was most impressed with your battle out of all of them. You displayed amazing control, though..really, Gaara, you monologued."

"..The Hyuuga did it first."

Sute huffed and crossed her arms, foot tapping and from where Kankuro and Baki were eavesdropping, trying not to laugh. It was a pity Temari was still down in the arena screeching back and forth with Naruto, though they seemed to be enjoying it. She hated missing one of Sute's lectures.

"The Hyuuga is not better than you, you did not need to sink to his level." Sute scolded. She had to watch carefully but didn't miss the smug smirk that briefly showed on Gaara's face. "It's just going to make your father want to rope you in for learning more."

"Quiet," Gaara growled but his sand didn't rustle and Sute knew he was not really annoyed. Instead, she tilted her head, giggling.

"Make me."

Temari finally walked up not long after, Naruto having split after a good natured yell-a-thon and promise to meet up so Temari could fix his punching, to see a not unfamiliar sight. Chuckling she grinned at Kankuro. "So, why's sand covering Sute's mouth anyway?" Not that the girl ever seemed to really mind, she just tilted her head and waved, evidently smiling under the sand wrapped around her lower face but still not covering her nose so she could breathe.

"Shut up," Gaara growled.

Temari just started laughing. Ah. He'd already gotten lectured. No doubt she would be next. Sure enough, Sute started wagging her finger in Temari's direction.

"Later, I think Gaara wants us all to be quiet." Temari teased.

Much to her bafflement Gaara suddenly had the most startled expression and then glared, looking away but the sand fell away leaving a giggling Sute.

She didn't want to know.

()()()()()()()()()

Really it wasn't like she'd not shoved his sand in her mouth as a kid, Sute reflected, so since he had it comfortably distant as if it was a hand, even shaped like one, she saw no reason not to pull the same trick Kankuro did if she tried to shut him up and lick it. It just tasted like sand anyways and the chakra kept it tightly bound enough that it wasn't like any came loose.

A warning squeeze to the sand around her wrists though told her to not try it again. Still, it was entertaining.

When Sasuke finally showed up for his match Sute snorted. "Okay, dramatic much? Right down to the second before they disqualified? He was so waiting nearby for that. And his sensei with him...I think there's a few geisha who could learn something about showmanship from that."

Baki choked on his laughter. "It's a powerful ninja's prerogative to be flashy."

"More like it's a sign 'hey all my brains have left me and I'm an over confident moron at retirement age, take me out please.'" Sute argued back.

"Oh?" It was a single word but with a lot of dark warnings implied from Gaara. Sute naturally, did not feel the pressure from his killing intent that was leaking out and distracting those nearby from the Uchiha's battle.

"You've gotten better and you aren't flashy on purpose. You're just an uncontrollable force that sometimes is as a side effect. Like when the earth shakes and mountains collapse." Sute remarked flippantly before gesturing back down. "Seriously. He's got an attack that sounds like birds. You would know that was coming even if you weren't a ninja."

Gaara snickered and everyone pointedly turned back to the fight. His voice was low, private. "I hope he wins. I want to fight him."

Sute smiled. "Then so do I."

"No lectures?" Gaara raised a brow, entertained. He liked it when Sute unnerved everyone around them by simply not acting as they expected. It helped reassure him that he wasn't the only one entirely baffled by his best friend. Though he still owed Temari a spar for claiming her as her own best friend. He didn't like sharing to that degree.

In response, Sute waved her hand dismissively. "Pfft. Just don't kill him. Konoha's a little obsessed. Honestly, creepy."

Gaara blinked. "Creepy?"

Blonde hair ruffled as Sute nodded and lowered her voice, aware he'd done something with his sand shifting around them that helped disguise their conversation and was well beyond her comprehension. "All these adults and everyone obsessed with a single twelve-year-old boy? Creepy."

Gaara blinked and then had to concur. It was odd. "We are that age."

Sute grimaced at the reminder. "And if someone was obsessed with us it would be creepy."

Gaara's gaze fell to her bracelets.

"Different," Sute assured him. "That's because I'm not all there that way and this way I don't mope. Nanashi likes to lecture me about moping."

"You..moped." Slowly he let his unhinged grin start to show. It only grew as Sute huffed at him. They had this talk many times. He never seemed to tire of it.

"Of course I did. You are perfectly aware I don't like being away from my best friend. You still like hearing it though." The last part Gaara was certain he wasn't supposed to hear, instead, he just smirked further.

"I miss the cliffs." He finally confessed, never letting his attention fully stray from the battle. Nor did he need to, they had a large area all to themselves, even his sensei and siblings giving them space. He could feel Sute's fingers clasp around her smaller bracelet, the faintest sense of the chakra she held just by being alive enclosing his sand. It was not entirely unlike if she'd twined their fingers together, though he would not tell her as much.

It had been an accidental side effect to the bracelets that he found comforting.

"It's been strange, enfolded in this place." Sute agreed. "Too green, too loud, too open. Yet, I like the Hyuuga's cousin. I would like to keep in touch with her. She's been a lot of help with perfecting how to hit without chakra, too."

"Do what you like." Gaara shrugged it off.

"You don't mean that." Sute teased and he snorted but didn't reply. She knew perfectly well what he meant.

When the Uchiha was announced the winner Sute grumbled quietly. "Yeah, who didn't see that happening? Raise of hands? Nope? No takers..."

Right away there was the announcement that the Uchiha would be fighting Gaara. Sute smirked up at him for that. "Well? Go prove you're better than any other ninja here already!"

Gaara paused, then smirked at her. "Oh? There are kages here, Sute."

"Like I said." Sute grinned at him.

"What no hug for good luck?" Kankuro snickered only to whine as Temari hit him with her fan. Sute though snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Gaara doesn't like hugs, remember? But I'll cheer loudly." Sute winked then. "Now go on, I want to see flashy birdy boy eat sand."

With a mocking bow, Gaara shifted, pouring himself into the arena and taking up his usual stance. He had seen first hand how deadly that attack was. Nor, would Gaara back down. Instead, the itch of the beast he caged within was rattling, hissing, wondering...

Would he push him that far? Give the excuse to loosen his reins in a way that would only trigger the onslaught of sound if it was coming, where all the ninja from Suna knew what to do if he lost control, where he didn't need to worry Sute would escape?

Could he let Shukaku loose and buy some peace for himself? Use the Uchiha as a way to drench his sand in blood as he hadn't since the second stage of the exams?

Oh, he hoped so.