A/N This is for the lovely wolf's paradise. It was her birthday today, so I wrote her this NaruSaku fic, although it practically killed me to do it since I don't care for the pairing. And it's probably the longest one-shot I've done so far. Anyway, enjoy and don't forget to review and wish her a happy birthday. This is also unbeta'ed, so if there are any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them.

And…

I do not own naruto or any of the characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. However, all other characters belong to myself unless otherwise specified -ariana

Blood splattered the frozen ground, blemishing the pristine snow with patches of murky red. The metallic smell tainted the air, loud and distracting, demanding his focus as he tried desperately to dodge another volley of kunai. He dropped to the ground and rolled, missing the initial strike and the follow-through that his sensei had thrown at him. Pain radiated from his left shoulder as a shuriken bit into his skin. Growling, he ripped the blade out unceremoniously, hiding his wince as the serrated edges dragged against his skin. Panting slightly, he glanced out of the corner of his eyes to make sure his rival had been watching the display, only to find the teme sprawled out on the snow with his head propped on his survival pack. At least he had their female counterpart's rapt attention. Her eyes were locked on their fight, and he couldn't help but grin and wave at her, causing her to blush madly and look down at her feet.

"Pay attention."

He heard the warning too late, and hissed loudly as two weapons hit their mark from his sensei's throw. He should have known better than to expect the man to give him a breather. No matter he was cut up so badly that the air stung his wounds; never mind that he felt like a pin cushion, with two kunai sticking out of his right thigh and too many senbon lodged into various nerves on his body; the jounin was merciless.

He dodged another round of weaponry by dropping to the ground, then quickly signed a shadow clone into existence to take the brunt of the second row. Grumbling under his breath, he summoned six more shadow clones and had them surround him while he removed the kunai and as many senbon as he could. His teacher had managed to take out half the gathered clones before he slowly got to his feet and murmured orders to the remaining three.

In perfect synchronicity, the clones fell into formation. They bolted toward his sensei, the one in the front with a ninjato drawn to provide cover while the two others ran behind him, pooling their chakra together in preparation for the attack. His sensei, nose buried in his perverted orange book, sent a few shuriken at the clones, only to have them rebound off the main one's ninjato. Grudgingly, the man snapped the book close and fixed his lazy gaze on his student's approaching dopplegangers.

Once within range, the first threw his ninjato at the sensei (the jounin squatted down, the blade just grazing the tips of his wild silver hair) before using his momentum to plow into the man. The sensei quickly rebuffed the attack by sending his own chakra into the clone in a single surge, disrupting the flow and causing it to disintegrate. Still, he had been thrown off-balance, and was forced to do a back-hand spring in order to keep from falling over. This gave the two clones an opening, and he watched with mild alarm as they thrust a single perfectly formed Rasengan at their sensei's chest.

But the man's Sharingan gave him the insight he needed on the younger's plan. Using his height advantage over his student, he focused his chakra into his right hand and caught the young man's jutsu. His own chakra provided some protection from the initial effects, but he could only keep the attack stalled for a few more seconds. Yet he didn't let the information panic him, and, with a kunai clutched in his other hand, thrust the blade between the left clone's eyes. He watched its eyes go wide with a small feeling of sick pleasure before it disappeared.

With the absence of the other clone's chakra, the Rasengan had weakened to a miniature of its former glory. Cocking his head to the side, the jounin gave his signature closed-eyed grin before ramming his foot into the clone's chin. It held for longer than the other, allowing for it to be propelled into the air a good twenty feet before poofing out of existence. Still grinning, the jounin dusted his hands off against his flak jacket and glanced around, searching for his real student.

"Above… below… in front… then that leaves…"

"Too late sensei!"

The man spun around, visible eye widening as he watched the blond shinobi fly at him with a fully formed Rasengan cradled in his palm. There was no time for a counter-attack, much less block him. The blow caught him in the gut, summoning a quiet grunt from the jounin before he was thrown backwards. His student stood tall, smirking slightly as he watched his teacher bounce against the ground for a few hundred feet before he… dissipated?

"Shadow clone!" he growled and froze as he felt cold metal laid against the back of his neck.

"Very good, Naruto." His sensei praised while running the cool blade of his family's tanto over the nape of his neck. "Turning into your first clone's ninjato and using the other two as a distraction while you transformed back and gathered enough chakra for another Rasengan. Reminds me of the time when we went to Wave Country in your genin days." he mused, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone as he reminisced about their first major mission as a squadron.

Naruto couldn't help but smile brightly at his sensei's words. The man was incredibly strict, and never gave credit where it wasn't due. He had come to respect the man during the five years he had been under his command, all the way up until his recent promotion to an ANBU operative. "Thanks Kakashi-sensei." he said, still beaming as the older man removed his blade and came to walk beside him as they strode toward his fellow teammates.

His squad had just gotten back from their first extended mission as ANBU operatives. The job had been a simple infiltration of Iwagakure, the village hidden in the rocks, and retrieval of five Konoha nin that had been taken captive there. Without getting into the gritty details, the mission had been difficult, but ended successfully with no casualties on their side. The Rock-shinobi hadn't been so lucky. And when his former sensei met them at the village gates and suggested they have a friendly sparring match, to see how his skills had improved, Naruto had been all too eager to accept.

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto glanced up after hearing his name called, his eyes passing over the teme's still form before alighting on his other friend. He grinned broadly, scratching his nose as Hyuuga Hinata ran over to him with healing salve clutched tightly in her hands.

"Oi, Hinata-chan. They're all shallow, no need to waste that on me." he explained, but the kunoichi shook her head firmly and thrust the medicine into his hands.

"You look like a porcupine, Naruto-kun." she mumbled. Sighing, Naruto nodded and took off his grey and black armor, giving her permission to treat his injuries. He heard the usually docile young woman suck in a breath at the sight of his bare chest. This finally got the teme's attention.

"Let the baka go to the hospital." he stated forcefully as he got to his feet. Naruto locked eyes with his rival, growling quietly under his breath as the Uchiha's blank black eyes bore into his. He could feel the Kyuubi trying to influence him, the alien red chakra nearly overpowering him as it attempted to transform his body. Naruto shook his head firmly, closing his eyes so he could concentrate on bottling the chakra back up. He had worked so hard to reinforce the barriers surrounding the fox, adding to the Fourth's initial seal his own creation which kept him shut off from the Kyuubi completely. As long as he maintained the barrier, the fox couldn't even speak to him, let alone heal his scrapes. The only potential problem was the build-up of chakra--if he kept the fox's energy contained for too long, it could gather enough chakra to break out--which meant he had to forcibly revert into a Tailed-Form and burn off some of the demon's chakra to keep it in-check.

His eyes snapped open, still trained on his rival's cold gaze, but he no longer felt the fox attempting to break free and rip out the teme's throat. No matter how much he deserved it, Naruto couldn't let that happened. Sasuke was his best-friend, after all, even if he was a jerk nearly ninety-nine percent of the time.

"But… Sasuke-kun, he's our captain… It would be careless of us not to take care of him." Hinata said, but she glanced indecisively between the two young men, wondering what to do. Naruto watched the teme's hard gaze soften slightly as he looked at the Hyuuga girl.

"Hinata, he'll be fine. The baka was an idiot for accepting sensei's challenge; let him deal with the consequences." he murmured and draped a consoling arm over the woman's shoulder. Hinata blushed and glanced down in quiet defeat, briefly tapping her index fingers together before looking back up at the teme and biting her lip.

"I'll make sure he gets treated well, Hinata. Don't worry." Kakashi assured her, his face once again behind the cover of his book. She nodded reluctantly, her gaze momentarily fierce as she stared at their former sensei.

"I hope that you aren't as hard on your new squad of genin. Especially not with Hanabi-imouto."

"Maa, maa, of course not." he chuckled humorlessly, trying not to let the young Hyuuga notice how much he had paled at her accusation. "Naruto, we should get going before you pass out from blood loss." His former student nodded and, gathering up his discarded armor, managed to wave good-bye to his subordinates before bolting after the sensei.

-+-+-

"Morning Shizune!" Naruto greeted the medic-nin as they entered the hospital with his usual perk, eliciting a small smile from the woman.

"Good to see you Naruto!" she welcomed, her smile vanishing as she noticed the boy was half-naked with various contusions and scrapes covering his body. "What happened? Were you attacked? Where's the rest of your team? Are they hurt?" she demanded, darting to his side from behind the front desk in order to better assess his injuries. Naruto laughed and brushed her questions away.

"No, no, nothing like that. Kakashi-sensei and I had a little sparring match and I got a bit scuffed up, that's all."

Anger quickly replaced her worry, and she turned to glower at the Copy-nin, who had brought his book up over his face to shield him from the worst of her look. Naruto laughed nervously, trying to keep the mood light. "Really Shizune, I'm fine."

"Your injuries look superficial," she grudgingly assented, "but there could be some internal hemorrhaging. Depending on how hard Kakashi-kun went on you."

"Ruthless as always!" Naruto exclaimed brightly, causing Shizune's glower to deepen and Kakashi to bring his book so close that his nose actually brushed the pages.

"Naruto, maybe you should, you know, shut up while your ahead. Preferably before Shizune kills me." Kakashi suggested from behind the misleading orange cover.

"Ah.. Oh.. He wasn't that rough. I mean, he would have got my heart once, if I hadn't dodged, and he nicked my jugular a few times, but… um… I'll stop now." he finished lamely after realizing the older woman's killing intent had spiked to near epic proportions and his sensei was sweating bullets at his side.

"Uh… maybe you should go, sensei."

"Good idea. See ya." Kakashi wasted no time in using his transportation technique to get out of there, before he would need the use of the facility, courtesy of the Hokage's assistant. Naruto watched the small cloud that always lingered from the jutsu gradually dissipate before he returned his attention to Shizune. Thankfully, the woman had calmed considerably, a throbbing vein in her temple the only evidence to her earlier annoyance.

"I'll get you an exam room, Naruto, and assign a medic to treat you as soon as possible." she murmured and ruffled his hair affectionately before returning to her desk and flipping through her papers. He stood in the lobby awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot as his ANBU gear began growing heavier. It was so much easier to bear the weight when it was balanced, but it weighted down on his already burning arms.

After what seemed like an eternity to him, Shizune returned to his side and guided him through the double doors to their right and through a maze of hallways to the main portion of the hospital. She herded him into an empty room and informed him a medic would be in shortly to heal him before promptly leaving to return to her front-desk duties.

Naruto flopped down on the crinkly paper that covered the examination table, dropping his gear next to him. The ANBU captain stretched his arms high in the air, a small grin on his face as his muscles relaxed. He began swinging his legs subconsciously as he stared at the various diagrams on the wall, wondering vaguely what hospital worker would be healing him today. Possibly Ino-chan, if she was working today, or maybe Shizune herself would help him. Or maybe 'baa-chan was at the hospital and would come in to treat him. Or perhaps…

Naruto didn't glance away as he felt the familiar medical-chakra signature of the Hokage enter the room. He heard the woman inhale sharply as she looked over the state of his wounds, which had yet a chance to start healing due to his constant motion. He could already feel the paper cover beneath him becoming moist from his own blood. He grinned hugely, eyes mere slits as he finally acknowledged the healer standing in the doorway. "So, how about it Granny, will I make it?"

"Who are you calling Granny?"

Naruto started at the unfamiliar voice and quickly opened his eyes to evaluate the newcomer. Light jade orbs met his own blue, the woman behind them crossing her arms heatedly as she scowled at the alarmed nin. "Do I look like an old lady to you?" she demanded, her voice strained as she fought to keep from screeching at him. He shook his head a little too quickly, causing him to wince as the cuts on his neck burned, but he'd rather take the pain than enrage the livid woman further.

He stiffened as he heard her approach, yet stared determinedly at his now still feet as she came to stand beside him. Her chakra had spiked dangerously high--nearly the amount he would use to maintain his Rasengan. She halted right in front of him, but he still preferred the view of their feet to looking her in the face. Even so, she managed to look intimidating just by tapping a single sandal-clad foot.

"I thought it was Obaa-chan coming in to treat me… Your chakra resembles hers, and I'd tease her a bit… I'm so sorry--" he muttered the apology under his breath, hesitating slightly when he realized he didn't know her name.

"Haruno Sakura. Please address me as Haruno-san." she stated brusquely and offered her hand to him in way of greeting. Caught off-guard, Naruto couldn't help but glance up at her. She seemed entirely composed, her face a blank state as she gazed expectantly at him. He felt his face scrunch up in confusion before comprehension dawned, and he took her hand a bit too eagerly.

"Uzumaki Naruto." he replied, feeling a bit ashamed for being late on the uptake. But Sakura didn't seem to mind, and actually bristled as their hand-shake brought her attention back to his injuries. He hadn't noticed the blood had trickled all the way down his arm, and when they broke contact, he could see quite clearly the sticky plasma had smeared off on her skin.

She immediately took on a professional air, previous animosity forgotten as she directed him to sit up straight so she could clean his wounds. Sakura didn't talk much as she wiped and dabbed at various parts of his body, entirely focused on her work, which allowed him ample time to examine the woman.

Her hair was pink; why he hadn't noticed that before was a mystery even to him. It looked so soft and light… it reminded him of cotton candy. His stomach growled voraciously at the thought, and he chuckled nervously as Sakura glared sharply up at him for a moment before continuing to work on a series of scrapes on his side, courtesy of the summoned Ninken. Once he was sure she was once again immersed in her work, he resumed his examination, careful to keep his thoughts away from food.

The next thing he noticed was her skin. She was pale, though not sickly, but the tone led him to believe she likely spent most of her time indoors, working with patients, rather than outside socializing or training. And though her face was hidden by his arm, he could still remember her soft green eyes and a somewhat larger-than-normal forehead.

"Your name suits you well, Sakura-chan." he said. His statement seemed to surprise her, because she stepped back for a moment, seeming to size him up, before biting her lip and returning to her work. Naruto suppressed a sigh and went back to staring at the various posters on the wall, wondering why he had even tried to strike up a conversation with the difficult woman.

"It's Haruno-san." she corrected after a minute. Naruto hazarded a glance at her and found her stare briefly locked with his own before she looked back at the cut she was dressing. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well, your hair reminds me of the cherry blossoms, even though it's not as vivid as the flowers, and your eyes could be the leaves, even though the color is a bit too dull--" he began and flinched when the medic tied the bandage a little too tight around his abdomen. She blinked innocently at him, batting her eyelashes in a way that could only mean 'please continue'.

"You're pretty pale, probably from working too long indoors, and it would mess up the whole 'appearance to name' ratio. Except, your personality makes up for your family name. Even though I've only just met you, I imagine you're a really lovely person. I bet your friends enjoy being around you."

Sakura stepped back again, causing his confident smile to fade as she once again adopted her blank look. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think of a suitable apology, though he didn't remember what he had said that would have angered her.

"You… Really think that?" she asked, her voice so quiet that he had to lean in to hear her.

He nodded slowly, apprehension taking root in the pit of his stomach as he wondered how she was going to take his answer. But instead of reprimanding him, she merely nodded distantly before placing her hands gently on his shoulder, where he knew he took most of the damage. "This may feel a bit strange, but please try not to move." she warned before she began pouring her chakra into the wound.

He had had wounds healed in this way many times before, but her chakra felt so much different from the local medics. The energy felt like ice water, only it pooled over his injury instead of spilling down his skin. He could feel it numbing the area, and he could just see the subtle blue glow surrounding Sakura's hands as she healed the injury.

"I don't have any friends."

She was still staring intently at her hands, making sure she was performing the jutsu correctly, but Naruto knew he didn't imagine her admission. He knew it was awkward, for him to simply be staring at her, but he couldn't help it.

"Why not?"

She laughed while readjusting her chakra output, causing Naruto to cringe. Somehow, the humorless sound seemed so unnatural coming from her. "I'm new to Konohagakure--I moved here from Kirigakure a few weeks ago, but I haven't really befriended anyone. Don't get me wrong, everyone here is really nice, but I always manage to mess things up when trying to meet someone. That's why I pretty much live in the hospital, until Shizune-senpai has to force me to take a day off."

Naruto remained in silent thought even after she had finished healing him (now only a light scar was visible where the long gash had been), and when he finally spoke, she was just finishing up jotting down notes on her clipboard.

"I'll be your friend, Sakura-chan." he murmured.

"It's Haruno-san." she amended automatically, though her tone was considerably lighter as she finished writing in her flowery scrawl. She looked up at him once she was done, a warm smile lighting up her face. "Please take it easy for the next few days, Uzumaki-san, unless you want to come back here and see me again so soon." she laughed gently, the sound much more appealing to his ears than he would have thought.

Yet Naruto didn't join in--just sat there and stared thoughtfully at her, until awkwardness won out and her bell-like peals died away.

"Uzumaki-san, are you all right?" she asked, worry coating her tone as she placed a soft hand on his cheek to check for a fever. Naruto blinked rapidly and blushed subtly, the sudden contact snapping him out of his thoughts. He shook his head and jumped off the table.

"Just a bit tired, that's all. Thanks for your help Sakura-chan." he grinned reassuringly as he gathered up his armor and bolted out the door. A flustered Sakura leaned out the doorway and watched him shoot down the hallway without so much as a backward glance.

"It's… Haruno-san." she called after him, but the nin had already vanished around a corner. Sighing, she signaled for an intern to disinfect the room before gathering her paperwork and heading off toward her next patient, unable to keep thoughts of the blond jounin out of her mind--her newest friend.

--

His head was filled with thoughts of the pink-haired woman as he walked to the public park. It was dusk now--after he had left the hospital, he'd had to collect his mission's pay from Iruka-sensei, then had headed to the barracks to drop off his gear, change his clothes, and eat what he considered a snack (three cups of instant pork ramen). Still, the entire time, his mind had lingered on the foreign kunoichi.

She was just so… different. He knew women were complicated creatures, but she was completely different from what he was used to. Perhaps it was because she was a new addition to the village; he hadn't seen her around town at all, much less interacting with anyone. All he knew about her was her recent move, and her name.

"Sakura."

He couldn't help but grin as he wandered the numerous walkways and staircases that were built above the dense foliage of the park. Though their initial meeting hadn't gone well, he had made a new friend by the end of it, and had made Sakura-chan smile. That thought made his stomach flip, and his grin broadened at the odd sensation. It felt… good.

"Please take it easy for the next few days, Uzumaki-san, unless you want to come back here and see me again so soon." A frown replaced his happy grin as he remembered her words. It had been a joke--had it been anyone else, he would have laughed along with them--but the statement had gotten him to think. Remembering it made him contemplate two facts.

First and foremost, he knew that he wanted to see her again. And not just in passing or on his next physical; he wanted to see her as soon as possible, right now even. He knew she was one of the kindest persons he had ever met, despite her frightening temper. It made her interesting to talk to, unpredictable, and he didn't like things that could be figured out at face value anyway.

And second, Naruto realized that the only way to see her was to visit her at work. Sakura herself had told him she rarely left the hospital until she was forced to leave, and he didn't exactly think she'd appreciate him dropping in and chatting with her while she was trying to treat someone. Of course, he could always ask Shizune when she was taking a day off, but then he'd have to scour the village for the woman in order to meet her. And asking for her home address and favorite haunts seemed a bit stalker-like, even to him.

The sun had set by now, and he could just see the shopping district begin to light their lanterns to attract late-night customers. The blond captain immediately started for his favorite haunt, Ichiraku's, where he knew his team was would be meeting for their welcome-back dinner. As he traveled quickly through the village, hopping from tree branches and leaping across the roofs of buildings, his thoughts strayed back to her.

And he didn't mind that at all.

-+-+-

The teme and Hinata were already there when he arrived. Cloaking his chakra as he neared, he decided to catch them off guard, and dropped down from the roof of the neighboring building. Hinata gave a small gasp as he suddenly appeared in front of them, but Sasuke didn't seem at all surprised by his sudden appearance, and even snickered a bit at Naruto's bedraggled appearance. Naruto scowled at him but instead turned to Hinata and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry I'm a little late, Hinata-chan. I got, er, lost on the path of life?" he supplied, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to look convincing. Sasuke rolled his eyes in an obvious 'our-old-sensei-doesn't-even-get-away-with-it-so-why-should-you' look, but his expression quickly changed to one of mild shock when their female counterpart seemed to accept that answer.

"Oh! I-It's nothing, Naruto-kun. Actually, I should be the one apologizing." she murmured. Seeing his eyebrows knit together in confusion, Hinata blushed softly before stepping aside and revealing a young brunette girl with her same pale eyes. "I forgot it was my turn to watch Hanabi-imouto tonight." The teenager huffed loudly and crossed her arms, obviously not liking the fact that she still needed a babysitter. Hinata smiled apologetically at him. "I hope this isn't too much of a problem."

"Of course not! Hanabi-chan's welcome to join us." Naruto exclaimed, though inwardly cringed as he inconspicuously measured the density of his frog-wallet--which was nearly flat. "I guess it's a good thing that Sasuke foots half the bill anyways." he thought with a small smile and gestured for his team to enter the eatery.

Sasuke parted the curtains, a small smirk on his face as a blushing Hinata and scowling Hanabi slipped inside the stand. He glanced back at Naruto briefly and motioned for him to follow. "Perhaps the teme isn't such a jerk after all…" he mused, but quickly changed his mind when Sasuke entered just before he did, causing the curtain to hit Naruto in the face.

"Gah! What the hell was that for, 'ttebayo?" he howled, rubbing his nose as he ducked under the curtains and took his usual place on Hinata's right. He noticed Sasuke had given his seat to the littlest Hyuuga heiress, settling for the stool on Hanabi's left. The aforementioned teme glanced up and shrugged with a small 'hn' in response. Still grumbling under his breath, Naruto flagged down Teuchi. The ramen stand owner smiled brightly when he noticed his best customers were there.

"Your usual orders?"

"You got it! Except--uh…" Naruto faltered as he looked over at Hanabi. The girl had been silent so far, staring straight ahead of her with her eyes focused sharply on something no one else seemed to see. Her intensity reminded him of her older cousin, Neji. He also realized he didn't know what she ate. "Uhm…"

"I'll have whatever Sasu-nii-chan is having." she stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto and Teuchi stared curiously at her, their gazes switching from the tranquil Hyuuga to the Uchiha, who was rubbing the back of his neck and looking extremely awkward. Hinata, for some reason, was blushing brightly, her fingers tapping together so loudly that anyone in the close vicinity could hear the nails clicking. After a few more moments, Teuchi nodded and headed to the back, yelling the orders to a disgruntled Matsu and Nishi as he did so. Naruto, however, hadn't removed his gaze from his three companions.

"Sasu…nii…chan?" he wondered, voice cracking slightly as he tried holding back his laughter. Sasuke shot him a deadly glare over Hanabi and Hinata's heads as the younger Hyuuga nodded slowly.

"Yes. I figure I might as well get used to calling him that, since-" Hinata suddenly clamped her hand firmly around the girl's mouth and let out a hysteric giggle.

"H-Hanabi-imouto, r-remember what Father said about s-speaking before thinking?" The girl glowered at her older sister but gave a small grunt in agreement and remained quiet after Hinata moved her hand. The kunoichi was still a bit red in the face, and Naruto noticed Sasuke was glaring at one of the pots boiling in the back of the stand. He shook his head, wondering what was going on between his two teammates.

"So… uhm, Hanabi-chan, how's your training going?" Naruto asked the sixteen year old chuunin, hoping to relieve the sudden tension in the air. The girl's gaze was critical as she stared at him, her unsettling white eyes making a shiver run down his spine (they were so unlike Hinata's), before she shrugged.

"Neji-nii-chan is helping me with the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but I haven't trained with my squad in a while. Shizai is on a mission with her father and brother, finding some new bug," she paused to make a disgusted face, as if emphasizing how much she loved her teammate's passion for insects, "and Inoshishi is stuck working his mom's flower shop since his sister is working full-time at the hospital. And Kakashi-sensei has been out patrolling the borders for the Hokage; apparently there's a group of enemy shinobi that have been ambushing travelers in the forests." she shrugged again and snapped a pair of chopsticks apart as her food was set down in front of her. "Please don't mention anything about sensei's missions; he doesn't know that I know."

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up in promise, but couldn't help wondering why Kakashi-sensei hadn't mentioned his missions for Tsunade-baa-chan (probably because they were confidential, after all), but was quickly distracted once his own bowl of ramen was placed on his mat. Without even waiting for the traditional chorus of "Itadakimasu", he already had his utensils in one hand and the other holding the bowl steady while he shoved the delectable noodles into his mouth.

"Sho, wut werr joo shaying erier, Hanaji-chan?" Naruto asked without bothering to wait until his mouth was devoid of food to speak. The Hyuuga girl glowered at him over her bowl of Takayama, appearing deeply offended by his lack of etiquette. However, she wasn't the only one glaring at him; he glanced over at Sasuke, only to find the man's eyes glowing red and irises surrounded by the black tomoe that signified his clan's kekkai genkai. Which meant he either spotted an enemy nin on the stool beside Naruto and was waiting to see what sort of fatal technique he would use to end his superior's life, or he had read Naruto's lips. Either way, Naruto felt sure he was going to end up dead, one way or another.

"Why were you really late dobe?" Sasuke questioned coolly. Naruto glanced over at him again, and found him picking at his food with a face that gave Naruto the impression that the noodles had insulted him. Still, that didn't stop Hinata and Hanabi both from turning away from their meals to fix curious stares at him. Naruto groaned and chewed viciously at the hunk of pork he had shoved into his mouth. He realized he was unfairly out-numbered; Hanabi, Hinata, and Sasuke seemed to know the answer to his question, but none of them knew the reason behind his tardiness. Not even slowing down his consumption rate had deterred them, and they still stared eagerly at him, even after he swallowed the last tidbit of pork.

"I… er… met someone."

The statement received mixed reactions.

Hinata and Sasuke seemed to freeze in whatever they were doing while Hinabi rolled her eyes and returned her focus on her meal, deeming the subject uninteresting. Naruto wasn't one to delve too deep into matters, but it didn't take a genius to notice their expressions had changed. The teme bore a triumphant smirk, eyes back to their normal black and glinting in the artificial lighting of the eatery. Hinata, however, appeared puzzled by his answer, her eyebrows coming together and a small frown pursing her lips.

"Well, what's her name?" was Hanabi's demand, drawing Naruto's attention back to the subject at hand. Her eyebrows were raised, but she hadn't turned away from her meal, and was nibbling thoughtfully at a piece of chicken. "His name then." she added when he didn't seem to be answering fast enough for her liking.

Naruto sputtered the bits of noodles he was eating back into their broth. "Her name is Sakura." he corrected the Hyuuga girl with a firm nod. "She's a medical-nin at the hospital. I hadn't planned on making a new friend, but she's really nice once you get to know her." he continued with a faint smile. "Sakura's really smart too. She's around our age and she just moved here, but she's already using high-level medical ninjutsu. And she looks so different, I mean, her hair is actually pink! And her eyes… her eyes look like pieces of jade…" he trailed off, his smile taking on a dreamy quality that wasn't lost on his companions.

"S-She sound wonderful, Naruto-kun. I c-can't wait to meet her." Hinata forced an assuring smile to placate her captain, who nodded vigorously in agreement.

"You'll love her, Hinata-chan. She's just got this presence about her…" The jounin sighed and shook his head, "Except, she practically lives at the hospital. The only way I'd get to see her again is if…" his voice trailed off as he swirled his chopsticks in the still steaming broth, uncharacteristically focused. Hinata looked on in concern, noticing the change in his attitude, while Sasuke was busy speaking tactics with a newly arrived Shikamaru and Chouji, and Hanabi was quietly debating whether or not her sister would notice if she slipped away.

"Naruto-kun, ar-are you feeling o-ok?"

He glanced up at her, startled out of his thoughts. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine Hinata-chan. Except, I can't say the same thing about tomorrow!" he flashed her a wild grin, which did the opposite of its desired effect of reassuring her he was, in fact, well. Hinata bit her lower lip as she replayed his words inside her head.

"W-What do you mean 'you can't s-say the same thing about t-tomorrow'?"

But Naruto's grin merely broadened and avoided any further attempts made to encroach upon the subject for the rest of the evening.

-+-+-

"Y-You… y-you need m-me?"

The Hyuuga heiress was fidgeting nervously across from him, her white eyes widened as she stared in open horror at her captain. Naruto had woken before dawn and confronted his subordinate by the lake, where he knew she trained early in the morning. She had just been finishing her warming exercises when he arrived, and her wane smile had quickly changed into an aghast 'o' after he confessed that he needed her.

"Yes." he repeated the answer earnestly, now clutching her hands in his own and looking at her with pleading eyes. "I need you. You're the only person I know that has what I nee-ow!" He felt the sharp rap of knuckles hit the back of his head, and turned his head to scowl at the culprit. He hadn't expected the Uchiha to be looking for her as well.

"Back off. You're going to give her a heart attack." he growled, his usually calm voice taking on a menacing tone. Confused, Naruto turned back to Hinata, and found the woman blushing madly and breathing in short gasps. He let go of her and stepped back, wondering what he had done to elicit such a response. The teme was glaring furiously at him, which both alarmed and bewildered his captain.

"I'm sorry if I scared you Hinata-chan."

"Baka. You didn't scare her." Sasuke snapped at him, anger and… was that jealousy tainting his voice? More confused than ever, he watched the older man take the panicked kunoichi into his arms and rub her back awkwardly in an attempt to calm her down. He shot another glare over the top of her head once her breathing had returned to normal and her blush died down.

"W-What exactly do you n-need, Naruto-kun?" she questioned softly, seeming to have recovered from his earlier statement. He still wondered why she had reacted so violently. All he said was that he needed her…

"Well, you see, I need an excuse to go to the hospital. Last night, I realized the only way I'd get to see Sakura-chan again is if I got injured again. So, I was wondering if you could kinda… sorta… maybe… attack me?" Naruto mumbled the last bit, but it still managed to be coherent enough for both of them to hear. Hinata's eyes were wide again, but all color had drained from her face instead of rising to it. He heard Sasuke curse under his breath and support the kunoichi as her legs suddenly buckled.

"If you want someone to beat you up, I'll be more than happy to do it now." he hissed venomously. The teme's inexplicable anger caused Naruto to take a few stapes back, but he pondered his offer nonetheless. Although he didn't want to lose to Sasuke, if Hinata wasn't going to help him out, then the Uchiha would have to be the next best thing. He knew attacks on his chakra system were much harder to heal than your run-of-the-mill cuts and bruises, but the only other Hyuuga he would ever think of approaching for the favor would be Neji, and he was currently on a mission with his genin in Suna. The waves of killing intent coming off the raven-haired ANBU operative were making even him increasingly nervous, but, thankfully, Hinata shook her head.

"I-If Naruto-kun needs me to do it, then I'll d-do it." she stated firmly. She and the Uchiha heir stared at each other for a minute or so before, sighing grudgingly, he allowed her to pull away from him. With his trademark grin once again asserting itself on his face, Naruto spread out his arms as permission to start. She wandered over hesitantly, her blood-limit activated as she gave his body a once over. She began blushing all over again, causing Sasuke to 'hn' softly and move to stand beside her.

"What do you need me to do, Naruto-kun?" she asked, timid yet still managed to sound completely serious, despite the lingering red on her cheeks.

"Just block up some of my tenketsu. Do a few of the vital ones too, so it looks like you were really trying to hurt me."

Hinata bit her lip and stared down at her feet, growing more reluctant by the second. Naruto sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look him in the eye. "Hinata-chan, I'll never force you do something. If you don't want to injure me, then I'm not going to make you." he informed her quietly. But Hinata swallowed loudly and shook her head once again.

"If th-this is really what you w-want Naruto-kun," she paused after seeing his eager nod, "then I'll d-do it." His grateful smile wasn't lost on her, and after a few deep breaths, she stepped around to his side and sent a few quick jabs into his gut. Naruto couldn't help gasping as his breathing hitched, but Hinata had rounded on his other side and shut down a few points on his arm and leg.

His breathing was labored now as he resisted the urge to collapse. Sweat was collecting on his brow from the effort of keeping his chakra regulating. He could already feel the bruises form from where she hit him (he felt at least twelve "pokes", which probably meant there were twice as many that he hadn't felt), and the Hyuuga looked down-right horrified.

"Is… Is that good Naruto-kun?" her voice, which was already soft to begin with, could barely be heard over his panting. Still, he shook his head. He knew that he'd regain the use of the points she had shut down within a few hours' time, which didn't seem to be an adequate reason for stopping by the hospital.

"Take out a few more, Hinata; if we're lucky, maybe he'll stop breathing." Naruto still had the sense of mind to mutter a "bastard" as he heard Sasuke's taunt. He gave an encouraging smile to Hinata nonetheless, making sure she understood just how badly he needed to go. Grudgingly, she came to stand in front of him, and after a few moments of mental preparation, prodded him sharply around his heart three times.

Now it was difficult to breath. He felt his heart-rate become erratic, first jumping to marathon-speed before slowing to an almost resting pace. Sweat had trickled into his eyes, blurring the two black-haired figures before him as he gave in to the temptation and fell to his knees. He could barely hear Hinata's scream over the pounding blood in his ears, but he had the unmistakable sensation of vertigo as Sasuke slung him over his shoulder.

He didn't mind the indignity of it all as Sasuke carried him through the village with a panicked Hinata going stride for stride with the former child prodigy. He was going to see Sakura-chan again, and at the moment, that was all that mattered to him. He tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace as a wave of pain shot through him. The last thing he saw was the roofs of buildings and treetops zooming past him before he promptly passed out.

--

He woke up in a room with off-white walls and an annoyingly bright fluorescent light. Squinting, he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, aware that he was surrounded by at least two people. He could only see vaguely humanoid blobs, and his chakra system hadn't recovered enough for him to be able to distinguish separate signatures.

"How disappointing; He's alive."

That was, obviously, Sasuke's voice. His vision had grown clearer, and he could just make out his black, duck-butt hair and the smug scowl that was his normal, every-day expression. He could see Hinata now, her straight black hair contrasting with the pale blue curtain that separated the room. She was smiling gently, relief evident on her face to find that her captain was not dead.

"Naruto!"

He recognized the severe tone, but that didn't keep the grin from his face, or his heart from racing. Sakura entered the room and was immediately at his side, her face a mask of fury as she shoved him roughly back into the bed. He bounced back against the mattress, wincing as he realized she had used chakra to power up the action--a sure a sign as any that she must be pretty angry with him.

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan!" he greeted warmly, though Sakura didn't seem heartened by it at all. Still looking frighteningly fierce, she began to review the various bruising that had formed from Hinata's hits, 'tsk'ing under her breath at the revelation of each new mark.

"A little too late for 'good morning', Naruto--it's nearly eight in the evening, and that's 'Haruno-san'. And, while I'm at it, what the hell happened? The moment I clock in, I get a summon to the emergency sector because my 'assistance is required for one Uzumaki Naruto', and I find you half-dead and propped up against a wall. You're lucky Sasuke-kun is so responsible, otherwise you could have died." she stated sharply, but still managed to blush and shoot an admiring glance in the teme's direction. Naruto scoffed, but managed to pass the action off as a light moan as her fingers pressed a little too firmly against a blocked point. "Don't move so much, it'll hurt worse." she warned firmly.

"I had Hinata-chan block off a few of my chakra points to help strengthen my system, but I guess I couldn't take it." He laughed, but stopped when he noticed Sakura hadn't joined in. Her expression was severe, but some of her anger had been redirected to the startled kunoichi seated at his right.

"Don't be mad at Hinata. It was the dobe's fault for asking her to do it." Sasuke informed her coldly. Sakura tensed at the force of his words, but smiled sheepishly and bobbed her head in agreement.

"Of course not, Sasuke-kun. It's all Naruto's fault." she agreed with a small giggle that made Naruto's jaw drop at the incredulity of it all. She had just met Sasuke, and she already referred to him so affectionately… At least she had called him 'Naruto' instead of 'Uzumaki-san', but that was probably because of the stress he unintentionally caused her.

Sasuke didn't seem pleased she had agreed so readily with him, but let the matter drop. Now that she had returned her full attention (and wrath) back to Naruto, Sasuke appeared to relax somewhat, and had taken a seat next to Hinata. The woman seemed to tense as he draped an arm around the back of her chair, but didn't shrink away from the contact.

"So, Sakura-chan, how's your day been?" Naruto asked, figuring he may as well alleviate some of her anger through conversation. His words had the opposite effect, however; her nails dug into his one side where she had been massaging, attempting to coax the chakra points to reopen. He fought down a yelp and managed to keep a broad grin plastered on his face as she stared incredulously at him.

"Oh, well, other than the fact that you had me scared to death and I was afraid you weren't going to make it after you went into cardiac arrest, it's been just peachy." Even though he wasn't a master at detecting sarcasm, he could tell from her dry tone that she wasn't at all serious. Naruto, however, turned his head to the side and gazed at his female teammate. "You've gotten a lot stronger, Hinata-chan. I guess I should've known, with all that extra training you do." he gave her an approving smile, which made the kunoichi's pale face darken into a blush.

"Bakanaro!" Sakura growled and cuffed the side of his head. It didn't hurt, but that didn't help his surprise as he stared up at the foreboding medic. "I told you not to move, didn't I?"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. You did tell me I'd get hurt more if I did move." he teased her playfully.

"Haruno-san." she corrected him in an exasperated sigh, but a small smile quirked up the corners of her mouth. He smiled back at her, glad he had managed to get her to calm down. "You wanted to see me that bad, huh?" she joked, and Naruto had the sense to laugh along with her this time.

"You couldn't keep me away if you broke both my legs, Sakura-chan." he winked to show he was teasing, though in his heart, he knew he was completely serious. Something about her had captured his attention like nothing else had. She intrigued him to no end--and nothing was going to take this curiosity away form him.

Sakura giggled softly, her hands considerably gentler than they had been when she first started. Grunting softly, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of her soft skin rubbing against his own, gradually coaxing each block to open. A small smile parted his lips as he gradually relaxed, glad he had diminished Sakura's rage, if only a little.

"Please take it easy this time, Naruto. And I mean it. I'm going to send a request to the Hokage to keep you out of active duty for at least a week."

Naruto's jaw dropped at the statement, but a single stubborn glance from Sakura was all it took to quell any complaints he might have had. "I'm going to need a report of what happened." she stated to no one in particular, but her gaze had settled on Hinata. Just as she had earlier when asked to attack her commander, Hyuuga Hinata paled at the implication. She started trembling, most likely from the thought of having to recount what had happened to the other woman; and Hinata looked like she'd do anything to forget this whole thing ever happened.

Sasuke seemed to sense her discomfort and, after placing a hand over hers shaking in her lap and murmuring something in her ear (which made a light crimson blush form across her cheeks and nose), he stood up and cocked his head toward the door. "I'll give the report." was his simple reply, and Sakura didn't seem to mind the change in testimony. Hinata and Naruto watched them go, their absence leaving an awkward silence to fill the room.

--

"You like her, don't you Naruto-kun."

The quiet had pervaded for a good fifteen minutes (obviously, a very detailed account was needed, or at least, that's what Naruto chose to believe), and he had started to doze off. Needless to say, Hinata's sudden observation surprised him, more-so from the fact that she hadn't even stuttered as she said it. Naruto propped himself up on his pillows, regarding the Hyuuga with a confused stare.

"Well, yeah. I like her. And I like you, Kakashi-sensei, and to a lesser extent, the teme."

Hinata shook her head, smiling slightly as her white eyes met his own. "Th-That's not what I m-meant, Naruto-kun." she murmured, her nerve seemingly vanished when eye contact was made. He didn't bother hiding his confusion as he scratched the side of his nose.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan. I don't follow."

She breathed in deeply, glancing down at her hands to find that her index fingers her tapping against each other, a telltale sign that she was nervous. "I m-mean you l-like her. M-Maybe even… in love with her?" Naruto's eyes bulged somewhat, and a cough overcame him. Hinata stared worriedly at him as he thumped a fist against his chest. Once the fit passed, they stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence. Naruto cleared his throat loudly.

"I-I dunno… How can you tell if your'e… Y'know… in love with someone?" he asked, whispering the word as if it were taboo to even mention. Hinata looked up, her pale eyes widened as she shifted back in her seat and fumbled with her jacket zipper. Her entire body language screamed 'reluctance', but Naruto just looked so innocent and eager…

"W-Well, I s-suppose your body t-tells you. Y-Your heart speeds up w-whenever they're around. Your stomach f-feels funny, b-but in a good way. S-Some people get n-n-nervous w-when--" she stopped here, since a large blush had covered her face and was preventing her from continuing to speak coherently. Naruto furrowed his brow and scratched the side of his head.

"Kind of like how you're acting now?" he asked quietly, eliciting a small squeak from the Hyuuga. He watched as her face returned to a normal shade, but her eyes were still wide and a bit glossy.

"Do you love me Hinata-chan?" Slowly, she nodded, her bottom lip trembling slightly, but she refused to cry. Naruto waited politely as she gathered her nerves, and soon enough, she had calmed down enough to speak again.

"I-I… I love you, Naruto-kun." she admitted with a small laugh when she realized that those most feared words had come out so smoothly. "B-But, I'm n-not in l-love with you. Last night--at I-Ichiraku's--I r-realized that. I've loved you f-for a long time, N-Naruto-kun, but w-when I heard you g-gushing over Haruno-s-san, I th-thought I'd be j-jealous. Except, I w-wasn't. I felt… I f-felt happy. It m-made me realize that I lo… I love you l-like a brother." Hinata smiled brightly, her eyes slightly glossy as she fought to hold back tears. "It feels s-so good to finally admit it."

Naruto stared thoughtfully at the ceiling, his hands resting behind his head. "That makes sense, I guess. I've always… you know… you too. But in the same way." Naruto shook his head. "I guess Sasuke loves you, too, then." he mused, chuckling a bit as he heard Hinata's sharp gasp. He turned to look back at her, grinning devilishly as he noticed her entire face had turned a lovely shade of beet-red. "He's always looking at you, and he's crankier when you don't show up for training." Naruto frowned slightly and glanced over at Hinata. "And you always mope when he's not around. Does that mean you also love him?" His grin grew until it nearly touched the tips of his ears. "Or are you in love with him?"

"N-N-Nar-ruto-k-kun! I… I-I…" Hinata stared down at her twitching fingers, looking both pleased and embarrassed at the same time. Naruto chuckled at her discomfort and sat up in his bed. His body throbbed in protest, but he ignored the feeling and nodded knowingly.

"I'm just joking, Hinata-chan. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. Besides, all this 'reading underneath the underneath', as sensei would have but it, is making my head hurt."

At that moment, Sasuke and Sakura decided to return, both looking annoyed and awkward as they took in the very similar expressions on Naruto and Hinata's faces. The four stared at each other for a long moment before Sasuke had the nerve to break it. "Hinata, let's get going. If we leave now, we should be able to get back before it gets too dark."

The dark-haired girl nodded and stood up and gave a meaningful glance to Naruto. "P-Please think about what I said, Naruto-kun." she murmured, "And feel better soon." She bowed politely to him before sidling over to Sasuke. The man glanced from her to Naruto, then back again, a single eyebrow arched in polite confusion, but he didn't press the subject. He nodded to Sakura and Naruto before wrapping an arm around his teammate's waist and escorting her out of the room. To everyone's (including her own) surprise, Hinata didn't blush at the gesture, but instead slowly placed a hesitant hand on Sasuke's back. The ANBU operative's lips twitched briefly into what might've been a smile, if he would have put more effort into it, before he turned to look back over his shoulder.

"We're not bringing you back anything. And tonight they're serving those manju with the cherry-and-rum flavor. Just so you know."

The words brought an unbidden growl from Naruto's stomach, which didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, who smirked back at him before trudging down the hallway with Hinata in tow. "Stupid teme. And he knows how much I like them." he grumbled, massaging his abdomen as he tried to muffle it's insistent rumbling. Sakura kept glancing from the doorway then back to Naruto with an obvious 'what-the-hell-was-that-about' look.

"In Tanzaku Gai, there's a bakery that makes these awesome manju, but they only test out new flavors for a week every year. We were going to stop by after our latest mission, but I, er, went to the hospital instead. And then today… well, I can't blame them for being impatient. But he could at least bring me back a few, I wouldn't even mind if they were stale." he grumped and winced as his stomach roared in agreement. Sakura laughed gently, the sound bringing a smile to his face. "Maybe what Hinata-chan said was true; maybe I am in love with Sakura-chan."

"Well, you'll have to spend the night here. Sorry, Naruto. But you should be eligible for release tomorrow evening, as long as you don't over-exert yourself." her tone was soft as she laid a hand on his forehead in order to gauge his temperature. Naruto sighed contentedly and leaned back into the large pillow behind his head. He hadn't missed the casual suffix she tacked on the end of his name, and he was sure he had gotten away with one or two 'Sakura-chan's without being reprimanded for them.

"As long as you're here to take care of me, Sakura-chan, I don't think I'll miss those manju too much." Naruto murmured over a drawn-ought yawn. A light blush dusted the woman's cheeks as she brushed a few strands of hair out of his face, thankful that her patient's eyes were closed.

-+-+-

But it wasn't Sakura's smiling face that greeted him when he awoke in the late afternoon of the next day, but the unfamiliar features of a pepper-haired old healer. Naruto managed to rein in his disappointment before it reached his face, but he showed annoyance nonetheless when the medic asked him in a gruff tone to sit up so he could note his progress. Thus was how Naruto found himself shirtless yet again and trying not to wince as he was prodded by the man's rough fingers.

Naruto had tried to ask if the man knew where the pink-haired medic was, but every time he opened his mouth, the man shot him a steely glare that made his jaw clamp tightly shut. After a few more failed attempts, Naruto settled in for the long wait, willing his body to tolerate the constant pokes and digs. The moment the man stepped back to record his findings, Naruto seized the opportunity.

"Where's Sakura-chan?"

The man cocked his head to the side and grunted, an action Naruto translated as Wait for me to finish, boy, before I 'accidentally' slip you some syrup of ipecac. Naruto grimaced but waited patiently as he finished stabbing the tittle over his final 'i' and fixed him with another cold look.

"I don't know where this 'Sakura-chan' is. If you are referring to Haruno-san, however, then she just left. I believe she's finally taking a well-deserved vacation and visiting Tanzaku Gai's castle. Poor girl deserves a rest, she's been working so hard ever since she arrived here." he mused with a grisly smile creasing his scarred cheeks. Naruto nodded absentmindedly, his mouth set in a grim line as he thought about what the man said. Something just didn't feel right… Naruto could feel the bile rising up his throat. Memories of last night began to flood his head, most importantly, the short conversation he had had with Hanabi.

"And Kakashi-sensei has been out patrolling the borders for the Hokage; apparently there's a group of enemy shinobi that have been ambushing travelers in the forests… Please don't mention anything about sensei's missions; he doesn't know that I know."

The medic was just getting ready to leave when realization hit. "Wait! You said she's going to Tanzaku Gai… Does that mean she's leaving the village?"

The medic frowned back at him and tapped a pen incessantly against the metal binding of the board. He fixed Naruto with a small sneer. "Generally, when someone wants to travel to a new town, they have to leave the one they're in."

"Well, does she have an escort? A guard? Does the Hokage know?"

"To my knowledge, she was just going for a one-day trip to the neighboring town. And why the Hokage should be informed of a simple break, when she has much more important things to worry over, is beyond me." he shook his head, muttering about paranoid teenagers and youth in general as he left the room.

Three facts hit Naruto hard. First that, although Sakura was an excellent practitioner of medical ninjutsu, she didn't possess the telltale chakra stamina of a hardened field kunoichi. Second, that few knew how dangerous it was to leave the village at the present time. He suspected that only a handful of nin were aware of the trouble brewing outside the village walls, and, in order to maintain the peaceful façade, were forced to keep the matter a secret. And, third; that he was the only one who would be able to protect her.

That was an understatement of course. There were countless skilled shinobi in the village that could easily take his place, and without a doubt, would be better at the job than he could ever hope to be. But none of that mattered, he decided as he silently slipped out of bed and quickly donned his ANBU attire; he was incapable of trusting Sakura's life to one of his comrades, no matter how accomplished they were. He was still adjusting his gear as he hopped out the third-story window and efficiently made his way toward the main gates of Konoha by jumping from roof-top to roof-top.

Izumo and Kotetsu were guarding the entrance as per usual, the two nakama appearing more flustered than usual as they tried giving directions to the shopping district to a group of difficult old women (they kept insisting that it was, in fact, to the south of the Hokage Monument, not the north, no matter that the two chuunin had lived in the village their entire lives). The two barely noticed him dart past, only glancing up to offer friendly waves upon recognizing his mask.

Naruto still found it ironic that his ANBU personality was Fox. The creature that had made the majority of his life literally a living hell was now viewed as a protector, a guardian that embodied the will of the Hokage. What made it even more ironic was that the actual Fox was rarely showcased nowadays; it was entirely Naruto's own doing that made the villagers see the demon, and through association, the demon-container, in a better light.

He estimated Sakura had a good thirty minute's head-start. Tanzaku Gai was nearly a day's walk, but the pink-haired woman didn't strike him as the type to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the forest. And while not an active part of the military, he was sure that her extensive knowledge of the body's systems, chakra included, would aid her in a speedier trip. Grimacing against the subtle aching of his tenkketsu points, Naruto took to the trees and followed the main road to the famous city.

After tracking Sakura for a solid hour, Naruto didn't know whether to laugh or roar from frustration. For some reason, the medic seemed wary of his presence. True, he hadn't exactly been cloaking his chakra (he'd actually created a few shadow clones to burn off a large amount of chakra in hopes of deterring any potential enemies from challenging him), but he hadn't expected Sakura to take exemplary measures to avoid him. Not that she knew it was him. And having wriggled out of her third wire trap, he was beginning to doubt the effectiveness of his plan. At least she hadn't been attacked, yet, and if she was setting traps, at least that meant she was well prepared to fend off any possible offenders.

She made it safely to Tanzaku Gai. From his vantage point in one of the taller trees, he could just see a small pink dot jogging under the city's elaborate archway. Well, that meant half of his self-imposed mission was completed; now all he had to do was wait and shadow her home. Naruto was positive that no one would be stupid enough to attack her, much less anyone, in a town full of tourists, royal guards, samurai, and of course, the occasional nin. Besides, he wagered that Sakura wouldn't be too happy if he showed up out-of-the-blue to reveal that, not only had he disobeyed her strict order of 'rest, rest, rest', but he was also stalking her as an added bonus.

So, he made the wise decision of picking a nice, sturdy bough to lay on and hopefully restore some of his lost energy before the medic ventured out of Tanzaku's protective walls.

--

It didn't take very long.

He sensed her coming out of the city not even two hours later. Learning from the previous trek, he kept his chakra somewhat subdued as he waited for Sakura gain a suitable lead. Still, the medic seemed to know that something wasn't quite right; about seven kilometers into the trip, he noticed her scan the surrounding trees every so often, and at the ninth kilometer, pulled out a kunai.

Naruto couldn't help but admire her. Here he had thought her as fragile due to her status as a medical specialist, yet failed to realize that Sakura was still a kunoichi all the same. No matter that she wasn't out in the field with the rest of them--she still had the basic training, and then some, he'd wager, if her trap-laying skills and chakra control were anything to go by. He felt like an idiot for having thought so little of her.

"She seems entirely capable of defending herself, and then some. And I'm following her simply because Hanabi mentioned the Hokage had given Kakashi-sensei and probably some other select shinobi classified missions to monitor the forests surrounding Konohagakure… Er… Wait a minute…"

Trees exploded to their left and right, falling in perfect synchronization as they surrounded the medic, effectively trapping her within a makeshift enclosure. Naruto had to dig his nails into the bark of the branch he was crouched on in order to keep from giving away his position. He would definitely strike before the enemy-nin (because, surely, trees did not randomly combust and form a perfect barrier around a passing kunoichi) so much as scratched her, but only a fool rushed into a battle without knowing exactly how many of the enemy he was up-against. Never mind that his lips pulled into a grim smile at the thought that, had this happened a few years earlier, he would have done exactly that.

It took careful concentration to detect another's chakra, especially if they were as skilled at hiding it as this nin, or perhaps these nin, seemed to be. And Naruto didn't exactly have the luxury of meditation to focus enough on singling out the distinct energies of the opposing nin. As it was, he could barely sense Sakura's own chakra as she whipped her head around, trying to do the exact same thing he was; pinpoint their enemies.

She happened to be facing him when a burly man emerged from the walls of her prison. His skin blended well with the color of the wood, and Naruto, nor even Sakura, who was only a few yards away from him, would have noticed had it not been for his shock of blindingly-white hair. Naruto bit down hard enough on his bottom lip to draw blood, but it at least kept him from giving away his position. There was at least one enemy counted for, and he hadn't hurt her. Yet.

"Well, well, seems we've caught a little mouse in our trap." the man mused as he advanced slowly on the startled kunoichi. He advanced slowly, ignoring the kunai clutched tightly in her hands as he backed her against one of the walls. She seemed to remember her training a little too late, and took on a defensive posture. The man simply laughed at the gesture and took another step, as if daring her to cut him.

"Mmm… what a delectable scent. And it's natural too."

Naruto couldn't pinpoint exactly where the voice had come from, but he assumed it was made by the next man that appeared. He materialized to her left, his upper body seemingly attached to the wall of trees as he curved his body to surround her. His long black hair covered most of his face, but it didn't manage to hide his lecherous grin as the medic's frightened eyes locked on his face.

That was nearly his last straw, but by rocking back on his haunches and drawing Fox to rely upon, he was able to remain hidden. He had managed to detect four distinct chakra, one of them Sakura's, which left one more enemy to reveal himself. And, by Kami, he hoped he emerged soon, because he didn't know how long her could keep himself under control.

"Now brothers, let's not get hasty. We wouldn't want to break out new toy before playing with it for a good, long while, would we?"

The third finally appeared out of the wood across from the other three. Like the first man, his long hair was almost painfully white, but he had the second man's pale complexion. Though all of them were bare-chested and shared the same, odd, iris-less eyes, the third wore a tattered cloak which signified him as their leader. The other two glanced over at him, wearing identical smirks as they soundlessly withdrew from their pink-haired prey.

The man approached her casually, appearing as though he were greeting an old friend and not confronting a victim. Sakura visibly bristled as he drew near, the kunai held close to her body as she readied some leverage to help her thrust it through his chest cavity, gut, anything.

He ignored her obvious warning and reached out to caress her cheek. Without missing a beat, Sakura wrenched the kunai backwards, the sharpened blade slicing neatly through the man's palm and extending a few inches out the back of his hand. He froze and turned his head to the side, an amused grin spreading across his face as he calmly peeled her fingers away from the knife and removed it in one fluid movement from his appendage.

"That was quite unexpected." he murmured while turning the blade over, as if examining it for some sort of special seal. "I didn't think our little friend had it in her." he continued, now tossing the bloodied weapon over his shoulder and fixing Sakura with a cool gaze. She met it with a defiant raise of her head, a mocking smile working it's way across her face as she reached for another weapon.

That seemed to infuriate the man. Though his features remained impassive, he had clenched his good hand around her throat and slammed her back against the wall. He allowed her to struggle for a few moments before lifting her up the walls, so that her face was level with his and her hands scratched at his clenched around her neck. "I do hope you're full of surprises." he murmured, bringing his face closer so that it was mere inches from hers.

Naruto watched, barely contained as Sakura sucked in a loud shuddering breath. He watched her choke and sputter, his rage building as he readied a transportation jutsu. There was no question--this guy was going to die. The other two watched closely, the expressions on their face betraying the fact that they knew what their brother was going to do next.

But no one had expected what Sakura did. Her gasps had changed to a small gurgle, and, using some leverage off the wall, relieved some of the tension on her throat. And that was all she needed. Sucking in another deep breath, she puckered her lips and expelled that breath, along with the collected saliva. The wad of spit landed its mark, right between his eyes. Despite the increased pressure on her throat, she smirked.

Naruto felt like cheering the plucky kunoichi on, but refrained when he noticed the man wiping the spittle off his face. He cocked his head to the side, seemingly puzzled by her animosity. Then a broad smile stretched his lips, as if he had found the answer to a particularly difficult problem. "Are you lonely? Is that it? Perhaps your friend would like to join us? He's been waiting long enough, after all, for an invitation."

Naruto stiffened as the man turned his head to fix his manic smile on him. Taking that as his cue, he formed a hand sign and appeared calmly within the confines of the wooden barrier. He did his best to remain ANBU--after all, when the mask was on, he was supposed to become Fox, and leave all traces of Naruto behind. But his urge to protect Sakura and simply rip out the men's esophagi without first calmly assessing the situation was becoming a little too large to ignore.

Their leader let go of her so suddenly that she slid down the wall and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. A growl rippled from Naruto's throat as the man stepped away from the weakened kunoichi, but he wasted no time in positioning himself closer to Sakura. Turning his head to the side, he managed to address her while still keeping his eyes on the three opposing nin. "Are you injured?" he asked lowly, banking on the fact that his mask and forced depth would distort his voice enough that she wouldn't recognize him.

"Y-Yes. I'm fine." she sputtered numbly, "But… please… leave while you can. I don't… don't want you to… get hurt."

Another involuntary growl issued forth from Naruto as he heard her struggle to speak. She'd nearly died, yet the only thing she worried about was him. Some protector he turned out to be. "I'm not going to be the one getting hurt." he informed her while slowly reaching over his shoulder and drawing his ninjato. With a simple shift in his position, he had taken up the standard defensive stance. He had never been any good with weaponry--his skill lay in the physical aspect of fighting, not the technical and analytical styles of it.

But Fox did have that ability. Naruto slowly felt himself succumbing to his ANBU personality, letting the Fox take over his actions while Naruto devised colorful ways in which to end his opponents lives. He remembered Kakashi-sensei's warning about relying too much on that other part of him--that it would grow more and more difficult to regain control once Fox was allowed free rein.

"I think we've let our little friends have enough time to get reacquainted." their leader purred, causing Fox's grip on the ninjato to tighten in preparation. The three noticed and laughed as one, thinking that the action had been made out of fear and not readiness.

Touji, would you like to go first?" The burly man stepped forward at his leader's urging, lips parted in a cocky grin as he cracked his knuckles. Fox kept Naruto 's limbs from tensing at the sound, his ANBU persona already gauging the man's prowess as he sensed the other pooling chakra into his massive fists.

"Earth Release: Rock Molding Technique." he rumbled. The ground surrounding them started to crack, and the two Konoha nin watched in varying degrees of amazement as chunks of rock began to compress themselves around Touji's outstretched fists, forming casts nearly two times as large as his already massive hands. Still grinning wildly, the man suddenly lurched into a run, his fists carried in front of him in order to use the momentum to his advantage.

Fox moved his body a moment before Touji would have collided with him, shooting chakra into his feet as leaped into the air. The man didn't alter his charge, but instead rammed his fists into the ground where Naruto had been. Vibrations rocked through the earth, and with a wicked gleam in his eye, he shot bursts of chakra through the underground channels he had created.

Great fissures erupted from the ground, shooting rock and debris in all direction. From where Naruto had landed, perched atop on of the walls, he could see that the crack was growing at a devastating rate--and was snaking right toward Sakura. Fighting down Fox's logical reaction--of attacking his opponent while he was distracted--Naruto darted to the fallen woman's side, clutched her tightly in his arms, and returned to his position just as the ground broke beneath them.

She attempted to pull away from him, still trembling slightly as she tried regulating her breathing again. Naruto steadied her as he felt her legs about to give-out, but the strong-willed medic brushed him away again. He allowed her grudgingly, concerned as he watched her form a hand sign and send chakra throughout her body to reinforce her shaking limbs. The walls shook suddenly, nearly knocking the woman over had Naruto not held on to her. They looked down, only to find Touji grinning up at them and pummeling his fists into the walls.

"Go back to the village." Naruto ordered while he reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a small scroll. He was aware of Sakura's eyes on him as he cut his thumb on the edge of the parchment and smeared the blood along the length of the unrolled scroll. A set of his personal kunai poofed into existence, and he handed her one of the blades. "Go."

She shook her head vigorously, her jade eyes fearful, yet determined. "I'm not leaving you alone. I can help." she said crossly. Though he admired her spirit, her stubbornness was going to get her killed. Just as he was about to explain that to her, over another attempt to knock them down, she crossed her arms and fixed him with a stern glare. "They'll only follow me, and I'll probably be killed. And then you'll be stuck facing them alone. Let me help."

"You're not in a position to be making demands."

Even Naruto was surprised by the ferocity of his tone. He took a deep breath to calm himself; Fox was starting to get the better of him, and he didn't need to be fighting with two troublesome kitsune when he could barely handle the one. But, deep down, he realized she was right. She had been their original target, and if they were just as willing to go after her as they were him, well, he couldn't leave her vulnerable to attack.

"If you're going to stay, I need you to listen to me." He waited for her to nod in agreement before continuing. "These kunai have a store of my chakra in the blades. I had planned on erecting a chakra barrier, but if you're adamant about staying, I don't want you trapped as well. Siphon the energy out and heal yourself, and stay here, out of the way. Don't move unless I tell you. Got it?" She huffed loudly in response but allowed her head to bob once, reluctantly, in promise. Satisfied, Naruto ran the back of his hand across her cheek, smiled softly at her shocked expression, then dropped back down to the destroyed earth below.

The ANBU captain slipped off the wall and landed on a relatively flat patch of earth. He crouched down, preparing for the large man's assault, but the other simply shot a smirk over his shoulder and rammed his fists into the wall again. Naruto heard Sakura's squeak of protest as she clung to the topmost tree and shouted a string of curses that, in any other situation, would have made Naruto chuckle.

"Come on down, Mousey. I can't play with ya if you're all the way up there." he called up to her after making the wall tremble yet again. A low growl rippled from Naruto's throat, compliments of Fox, and he fluidly drew a kunai from one of his pouches and hurled it at Touji. It hit its mark, embedding itself deeply into the man's back. Roaring angrily, the dark-skinned man turned to face Naruto, his face contorted in rage.

"You finally got the guts to face me?" Touji's taunts barely registered in Naruto's mind as he reassumed his grip on the ninjato's hilt. The big man took Naruto's silence for fear, and with another gruesome smile, launched himself at the masked ANBU. Naruto remained relatively still, only adjusting his ninjato an inch or so to the left before the larger man struck. His rock-encrusted fist slammed into the ninjato's blade, the strength behind the punch enough to slide Naruto back a few feet. Unflinchingly, Touji brought his other fist up and rammed it above the other one, forcing Naruto back yet again. Both nin could feel the metal shuddering as it fought against the incredible pressure of the opposing nin's rock-fists.

Yet Naruto held fast and began channeling his chakra through his ninjato. Light yellow chakra enveloped the blade, solidifying into a sharp, powerful outer-layer. Fox wasted no time in correcting the blade's position, and after settling it along a fault line in Touji's bottom fist, applied the right amount of force to crack the rock casing.

The chakra cut through the solid earth like a knife through butter. He felt no resistance as he sliced the limb neatly in half right up to the elbow joint. The nin's eyes widened in shock, not yet able to register the pain as his upper fist slid down the blade and directed him toward the ground. With cold detachment, Fox swung the ninjato around and stabbed it through the man's exposed neck.

Everything was suddenly very quiet.

Fox removed the chakra-enforced blade from the man's body, once it had stopped jerking, and wiped off a few stray bits of bone that had clung to the energetic surface. Once satisfied that the blade was once again up to par, he leveled it toward the two remaining shinobi. His voice was even and indifferent, evidence of Fox's influence over the jinchuuriki.

"Who's next?"

The black-haired man stepped forward, lips pulled back to expose rotted teeth. Naruto fell back into stance, preparing himself for the other's attack, whatever it may be. But the other man placed a hand on his underling's shoulder, halting the man's advance. He glowered up at his brother, then jerked his head toward the still body of his fallen comrade. "He killed Touji-ototo." he hissed, but the other simply shook his head and turned to address Naruto.

"How rude we've been. We haven't even introduced ourselves properly." he said with a flourish and gestured to the man whose shoulder he was clutching. "This is Gen'yu, my little brother, and that over there-" he nodded toward the corpse, "-was our littlest brother, Touji." He smiled genuinely and made a sweeping gesture with his free hand. "And I am Yamakaji, the eldest. We are ronin of Iwagakure, but hope the death of a few of our former enemy's top shinobi will make the Tsuchikage see the mistake in his decision of banishing us." Another smile, this one taking on a manic glint as he removed his hand from Gen'yu's shoulder. "My little brother seems intent on avenging our sibling's death. I hope you have no objections, Fox-kun, in letting us know the name of our next kill, to record for convenience sake."

"Telling you won't matter in the slightest; Both of you are going to die." he countered, eliciting a small chuckle from Gen'yu.

"Let me kill him already, Aniki. He's starting to get on my nerves." Yamakaji sighed, as if deeply grieved by Naruto's quip, but didn't raise an objection to Gen'yu's words. Like Touji before him, he immediately launched into a complicated series of hand signs. "Earth Release: Black Flood."

Black liquid began to ooze out of the crags, covering the battlefield in an ankle-deep layer of sludge. Frowning behind his mask, Naruto carefully picked up on of his feet and wiped his finger across the bottom. "Oil?" he mumbled, noise scrunching up at the acrid smell. Gen'yu smirked idly at him before making a final sign.

The sludge rippled, as if a giant stone had been dropped, and began building up to the man's left. Naruto stared, transfixed as the blob began to take shape, elongating into a large black serpent that took up nearly half the arena. It hissed angrily, globules of black pitch falling off its frame as it arched its head back and struck.

His reaction time was slowed down by the oil. He realized, too late, that some of the goop around his legs had formed into a pair of hands and held him in place. Growling, he collected chakra in his hands and held them flat in front of his body. The snake didn't slow down; simply rammed into him at full force. The chakra disrupted its form, at least, and oil splattered everywhere. Naruto was thrown backwards, logs splintering as he landed against one of the walls.

He coughed, blood and oil trickling out of his mouth as he slid down to the ground. His left shoulder had taken most of the impact, and he let out another frustrated growl when he found he couldn't move that arm. And on top of that, his tenkketsu were still recovering from Hinata's Gentle Fist attack. Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to use the more advanced jutsu in his arsenal; he doubted he could gather enough chakra to form even a Rasengan.

Panting, he stuck close to the wall and watched as the splattered oil began to reform into the large snake. And all around him, he noticed more blobs forming, this time in humanoid shapes. They ambled toward him, their slow gaits and jerky movements reminding him of those zombies in that movie his sensei had taken his squad to see their first year together (he still had nightmares). Instead of dodging away from them, he waited until they came within striking distance and began hacking through them with his ninjato.

He cut them in half, shucked off limbs, stabbed through heads, even slashed them until the oil molecules couldn't hold together, yet they still came for him. Nothing slowed them down. And what was more, he found himself backed against one of the walls with the oil creatures surrounding him. He heard Gen'yu's laughter goading his creations on in the background.

One of the oil clones merged back into the sludge around his feet and kept him in place while two others oozed around his arms. Naruto struggled, realizing he was stuck, and tried slashing at the one holding his right hand with his ninjato. But his attempts were in vain; the oil-snake loomed over head with Gen'yu watching with a proud smile in the background. The remaining clones merged with the snake, allowing enough excess oil to be gathered to form hardened fangs.

Just as it was about to strike, Naruto heard an unearthly scream coming from behind the oil beings. To his amazement, the clones holding him began to melt back into the sludge at his feet. Even the snake was falling apart, large hunks splashing back into the ground. Leaving no time for confusion, he wiped the oil off his ninjato and prepared to attack Gen'yu directly, now that he didn't have his creatures to protect him.

Only, Sakura had beaten him to it.

The oil-nin must have been so immersed in his revenge that he had completely forgotten about Sakura. And the kunoichi had taken that to her advantage. While he had been distracted with Naruto, she had taken the remaining chakra-embedded kunai and launched her own campaign against him. Needless to say, the man hadn't expected to have a string of kunai lodged in his back and one slicing open his throat.

She stood over his fallen form, eyes wide in disbelief and unaware of Naruto's approach as she stared into the man's slack face. Naruto placed a hand on her back, struggling to keep standing as she suddenly collapsed into his arms. "That's the first time I've ever ended a life." she mumbled, a harsh laugh escaping her lips at the irony of a healer killing someone.

"I told you not to move." he growled softly as she buried her head into his shoulder.

"He was going to kill you. I had to do something." was her muffled reply. He stroked her hair awkwardly as a sob racked her tiny body, but his ANBU training refused to let him be caught off-guard. There was one more opponent he had to face.

"How unfortunate. Both of my brothers dead." Yamakaji's tone held an edge of mock-sadness to it as his eyes roved over the bodies of his two brothers. Naruto felt Sakura stiffen in his grasp as she turned her head to glare at the man.

"Why didn't you help them?" she demanded. Though they were enemies, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't worked together as a team. Instead, they had attacked him one on one, a strategy that might have worked, if they had been stronger.

Yamakaji shrugged and nudged the body of Touji with a disgusted sneer. "They were getting on my nerves, and neither were particularly adept ninja. You actually did me a favor in killing them; It would have been difficult for me to dispatch of one without the other noticing." He frowned and removed the kunai that Naruto had thrown into his back. "And they did do a good job of tiring you out, though I've the feeling you weren't at your best to begin with." He tossed the blade in the air and caught it, smiling once again as he turned his blank eyes on the pair. "No matter. I can't afford to let you live. Your deaths will surely convince the Tsuchikage to allow me back into the ranks. I might even be made a captain!"

Yamakaji didn't bother wasting anytime in attacking. Naruto dropped to the ground, dragging Sakura with him as a volley of weaponry sailed over their heads. He heard the clink of metal on metal, signifying another attack was coming, and the remaining oil wouldn't let him dodge fast enough. Without a second thought, he fell over Sakura, shielding her from the blades as shuriken lodged themselves into his back and legs. He couldn't help grunting as the no doubt chakra-reinforced edges cut through his armor and bit into his skin. Sakura stared up at his masked face the entire time, and Naruto mused that she still looked lovely, even covered in oil, grime, and his blood.

"How touching." Yamakaji drawled, redirecting their attention. Naruto cursed quietly when he noticed the crazed man was cradling a ball of fire in his hand. Though he couldn't tell Naruto's expression, the ex-Iwagakure nin seemed to sense his surprise. "Yes, I'm one of the few shinobi from Rock country that has a natural affinity for something other than earth. As you can see, mine is fire." his lips twitched as he tossed the flaming ball in the air and caught it in his hand again. "And thanks to the sacrifices of my brothers, the battlefield is to my advantage."

"You need to leave. Now." he murmured into her ear as he stood and helped her to her feet. She opened her mouth to protest, eyes burning at the audacity of such a suggestion But her objection fell short when she found his mask had been pushed up to expose the lower half of his face, and his mouth was pressed against hers. He embraced her tightly for a moment, just enjoying the taste of her on his lips before he pulled away and stroked her face again. "Please, Sakura-chan. I don't want you getting hurt."

She nodded slowly, her eyes full of regret as she leaned forward and kissed him a final time before sliding his mask back into place. "Promise me you'll be okay." she whispered, voice cracking slightly as she struggled to hold back tears. He inclined his head, smiling grimly behind his mask.

"Get away while you can, Sakura-chan." he told her, his own voice hoarse with emotion as he watched her hop up to the top of the wall and drop down on the other side. Now he didn't need to worry about accidentally injuring her. He turned back to face Yamakaji, slipping his ninjato back into its holster as he did. The pale man's grin bordered on psychotic as he tossed the flame in the air again.

"Don't worry. After I'm finished with you, I'll take care of your little girlfriend." he swore, holding Naruto's gaze as he purposely missed catching the flame. Naruto watched the flame fall into black sludge below, perfectly calm as the oil ignited. Flames spread behind the crazed man, covering his half of the terrain in a matter of moments. Using whatever jutsu this was, Yamakaji managed to keep the fire from taking over the entire enclosure. He spread his arms wide, head tilted back as he laughed manically.

Naruto settled into a crouch, eyes trained on the man while his thoughts wandered into the recesses of his mind. He watched as the hazy form of a sewer gradually took shape, until Yamakaji and the wild fire were completely vanished. All that remained was the steady dripping of a broken water valve and the thick bars that restrained his greatest enemy.

The Kyuubi's laugh echoed in the empty tunnels as he glared at the man before him. So, you've finally come crawling back to me with your tail tucked between your legs. The demon's gravelly voice was sharp in his ears as he taunted him. Naruto just smirked at the fox, something that enraged the beast.

What makes you think I'll help you? he demanded, his chakra spiking so high that it began seeping out of his cage. Naruto remained impassive as he moved closer to the large seals that barred the Kyuubi, his own, and the one belonging to the Fourth Hokage.

"You'll help me, or we'll die. Which would you prefer?"

The fox chuckled dryly at the wry sarcasm in Naruto's voice, but didn't find any reason to dispute Naruto's removing of his seal. The moment the parchment was pealed away, Naruto felt the demon's malignant chakra engulf him. The Kyuubi's laughter followed him as he was returned to the world, eyes still locked on Yamakaji, but now dyed a deep red.

--

"That's a nice look on you." Yamakaji commented as he motioned with his hands. The fire reacted, gaining another few feet in height and burning over three-quarters of the field. Naruto didn't have the heart to thank him, as he was busy trying to keep the Kyuubi from influencing him too much. He already felt his nails elongating, and though his mask hid his eyes, he knew they were blood red. A feral snarl rippled form his throat as not one, but two tails formed behind him.

This man had hurt Sakura--he didn't deserve as painless a death as his brothers.

For the first time, the man showed an emotion other than maniacal glee. A frown crossed his face momentarily before it was once again taken over by his usual grin. "Your chakra is simply amazing. I might actually have to put some effort into this fight."

Naruto could feel the chakra begin to chip away at his mask, and knew he wouldn't be able to keep control over the fox much longer. After a quick alteration to his plans for the man's death, he was ready. He leaped forward, running on all fours with his fangs bared as he prepared to end the wretched man's life.

Yamakaji directed his fire like a grand conductor, his hands sweeping and gesturing wildly in the air, and the flames conforming to his will. They spread out quickly, burning up the highly flammable liquid and covering the rest of the ground with flickering embers. Tongues of flame reached out to impede his progress, but he dodged each attempt, bounding off the charred logs that imprisoned them and using the fox's chakra as a sort of shield to counteract it.

The man realized his attempts weren't working and began lobbing balls of flame at him. An anthropomorphic fox arm shot out of its own accord, swiping away the fire that threatened to burn the demon's host. The fox sent out a last surge of chakra that broke Naruto's ANBU mask to pieces. He wasn't in the correct mind to feel the anger he was supposed to (that was the fourth mask that had been destroyed by one entity or another), but at least now Yamakaji could fully appreciate the lengths he had taken to destroy the man.

The chakra arm grabbed Yamakaji around the throat and hoisted him in the air. The fire roared up angrily to protect him, but the energy pouring off his Two-Tailed form was so great that it nullified the attempt. Yamakaji struggled gamely as the fox's grip tightened around his throat, the fire beginning to die down as the life was slowly choked out of their master. Naruto came to a stop a foot or so away from the tall man, standing up straight once again so he could look the guy in the eye.

"P-Please… Don't. I won't hurt her--I promise." his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets as he pleaded with Naruto. The blond nin curled his lips back to show his fangs, disgusted.

"There's nothing that sickens me more than a coward. If you're going to die, die honorably." he snarled as another chakra arm formed and grabbed onto the man's right arm. Yamakaji sputtered some-sort of plea to spare him, but Naruto simply smirked grimly and pulled.

His arm came off with a sickening wrench, which was only drowned out by the man's scream of pain. Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes as he glared death at his captor. Naruto remained ineffective, serene even as he tossed the bloodied limb into the dying fires and enclosed the hand around Yamakaji's left leg. The man didn't beg this time; his remaining hand convulsed and his body trembled as the limb was torn off, accompanied by a stomach-churning spurt of blood.

The chakra arms dissipated, dropping Yamakaji to the ground. The flames gathered around him, tiny flickers that licked at his wounds like a frightened puppy. Naruto fell to the ground as well, feeling the fox's presence leave him as the Fourth's seal regained control over the lost chakra. The red chakra veil was gone, but he could still feel the sharpened points of his teeth and his claws digging into the burned sludge.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, urging him on as he unsheathed his ninjato and crawled toward the broken man. Normally, he would have finished him off long ago; after all, he wasn't one to take some sadistic pleasure in torturing his opponents. Yet he just couldn't let this man have an easy death. He had made it apparent from the beginning he would show no mercy, but above all else, he had hurt Sakura. And anyone who did that would pay. Dearly.

He stopped once he was close enough to the sitting man and leaned back, hoping to use the momentum to stab him through the chest. Yamakaji didn't bother deflecting the attack--he was grinning again, blood trickling out the corners of his mouth as the blade went deep into his gut. Naruto panted from fatigue, squinting at the now laughing man as his own blood trickled into his eyes.

"Why… Are you… Laughing." he demanded through gasps, withdrawing the blade and thrusting it back in again. Yamakaji's face contorted in pain, but that didn't stop him from chuckling.

"Because… We're both going to die." he threw back his head and laughed again. Frowning, Naruto pulled the blade out and wiped it clean on the man's dirtied cloak.

"Sorry. I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

"You don't have a choice kid. Touji's body is made out of explosives clay, and Gen'yu's blood is all around us. And I'm the spark that keeps them under control." His remaining hand pointed at his little brother's body. Naruto's blood ran cold as he saw a small trail of flames streaking toward the fallen man. He turned back to Yamakaji, the man's face pulled into his trademark grin.

"See you in Hell."

-+-+-

He was staring at a painfully bright light, though, he realized, it wasn't that light, but one from an artificial bulb. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he found he was in a room with off white walls. He could also see vaguely humanoid shapes on the fringes of his vision.

"Naruto-kun!"

Nostalgia hit him hard as he heard someone yell his name, and sooner than expected, he found himself being squeezed to death by the force of someone's hug. "Can't--Breathe--Hinata-chan!" he wheezed. He immediately found himself released, but quickly found he would have preferred death by asphyxiation when he felt his head sting from a sharp cuff.

"Baka! I'm not Hinata-chan." Naruto felt his breath hitch as the blob hovering over him gradually became distinct.

Sakura glared down at him, not unlike the first time he had met her, with one arm hugging her stomach and the other retracted, ready to strike again. "I have nothing against Hinata-chan, but it's very insulting to confuse the two of us." she stated sharply.

He couldn't help it--he started laughing. Though it strained the numerous stitches on his body and made his body ache, he didn't mind it at all. Sakura's expression softened into a faint smile as she rested her hand against his cheek. "You didn't keep your promise, Naruto." she whispered, her eyes glossy as she held back her tears.

Naruto's brows knit together in confusion as he tried to remember why he was in the hospital. He remembered following Sakura somewhere… Then three guys confronted them… And then there was fire everywhere, then nothing. She noticed his confusion and had the decency to fill him in.

"I made you promise me you'd be okay after I left. I headed back here, although I almost didn't, but thankfully a squad had been sent here to investigate the fallen trees. Half of them went back to Konoha to get reinforcements, and I led the other half back to where you were, but this huge explosion rocked through the ground, and I thought… I thought you were…" she hiccupped loudly and buried her face into his neck. Naruto started in surprise but forced his hand to move and patted her awkwardly on the back.

Memories came flooding back to him. Of following Sakura to Tanzaku Gai and being accosted by the Iwagakure ronin on the return. Of fending off the men to protect Sakura. Of… kissing her. Then telling her to leave so he wouldn't kill her by mistake when the Kyuubi took over. Then the explosion, and then he woke up here. He felt heat rush to his face when he remembered that he actually had kissed Sakura… And that she had returned it. He had assumed he had done it in the heat of the moment, and thanks to Fox's influence, he hadn't truly thought of the repercussions of doing it.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Sakura-chan." he mumbled into her hair, unable to keep himself from smelling her shampoo. Strawberries. She stifled another sob and pulled away from his moist shoulder, her eyes puffy from the effort of crying.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." she whispered fiercely. "You survived the blast, just barely. Somehow, you didn't suffer any burns, but you knocked over a tree and were unconscious when we found you. You almost didn't make it though. We had to stop twice to restart your heart, and your chakra coils were rejecting our chakra." She shook her head violently and smacked him softly on his forehead. "I told you not to push yourself, baka."

He grinned sheepishly and took one of her hands in his. His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, caress the smooth skin in an attempt to calm her down. She forced a smile and collapsed into the chair behind her.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

An amiable silence overcame them, broken occasionally by the beeping of the various machines he was hooked up to. Naruto leaned back into the pillow he was propped up on, biting his lip. Something had been bothering him ever since he remembered what had happened, and he was having trouble pinpointing exactly what it was…

"Oi! Hey, Sakura, why did you go to Tanzaku Gai in the first place?"

It was her turn to grin sheepishly. Her hand slipped away from his for a moment to fetch something at her feet. He arched his brows, curious as she placed a neat paper bag on his lap.

"You mentioned you wanted to try those manju, and you seemed upset that Sasuke-kun wasn't going to bring you back any. So I decided to take a half-day and go get some for you, as a get well present." she giggled softly and opened up the bag, presenting him with the fried treat. "You also mentioned you wouldn't mind if they were stale, and, well, I tried to keep them as fresh as possible, but it's been a few days… Naruto, are you okay?" she stopped upon realizing the odd face he was making.

"That was really nice of you Sakura." he mumbled, "And I don't mind that they're a bit stale. Except, I can't move my hands much, so I'll have to take a rain check on eating--mmphm!" Naruto quickly found his mouth full of the sticky manju. Sakura smiled brightly and pulled out another one, a hint that he should chew, swallow, and be thankful it wasn't someone like Rock Lee feeding him. And he did exactly just that, a grin growing as she slipped another into his mouth. Her fingertips accidentally brushed his lips, and they both looked away, an embarrassed blush asserting itself on their faces.

And that's when Naruto realized he wasn't alone with Sakura.

His eyes went from face to face, his blush darkening to an unhealthy shade when he noticed Hinata, the teme, Kakashi-sensei, and his new squad were all present and accounted for. "What… What are you guys doing here?" he demanded, ducking his face as he tried cooling the intense heat he felt there.

"Calm down, dobe, we already saw and freaking out will only make it more hilarious."

"SHUT UP TEME!"

The two scowled at each other for a tense moment before both cracked a small smile. Their female counterparts stared worriedly at them before breaking into grins themselves. "W-We just wanted to make sure you were a-all right. And to ask S-Sakura-chan when you can be r-released." Hinata informed him pleasantly.

All eyes fell on the pink-haired medic as she tapped her lips with a thoughtful finger. "I suppose you can sign out tomorrow; your body's recovered well, but it may ache a bit for a few days. You can resume training too, except nothing too extraneous. And I mean it this time. No sparring, no chakra-consuming jutsu, nothing." she informed him with a stern shake of her finger.

Naruto frowned at her. "But Sakura, that's my training! Maybe if we could spend the day together, I wouldn't mind it so much…" he left the though unfinished and winked at her. Her lips twitched into a brief smirk before she shook her head regretfully.

"Sorry, Naruto. I actually have to work tomorrow; Tsunade-sama is coming in to teach some new medical ninjutsu, and I can't miss it. And as for the training you could do, well… maybe you could play with a paddle ball and work on your hand-eye coordination?"

"But… What if I get a splinter from the paddle?"

"Then I guess you'll have to come to the hospital." She winked playfully at him, causing the corners of his mouth to turn up into one of his broadest grins.

"It's a date."