I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. And if I did I SURELY would have not killed Neji off! *grumbles* Anyways~~~ *bows* This is the beginning to my first published story that I started a few years back. Please be kind to me and please take care of me as I learn my way through this process! Arigato minna-sempais!
Chapter 1
"Finally we have a vacation! I thought that it would never come!" a blonde sixteen year-old ninja exclaimed, stretching his arms for added effect.
"Hn…you're never patient for anything are you dobe?" a raven haired ninja, also sixteen, smirked at his best friend. Their other companion and teammate, a pink haired kunoichi, also sixteen, crossed her arms before commenting, "You should know by now that Naruto's never been patient for anything Sasuke-kun, especially when we're told that we get two months off duty and going on vacation."
"Hey! I'm not doing anything wrong, I'm just enjoying what little extended vacation we rarely get", Naruto defended, putting up his hands, "Besides, where do you think all of the Rookie 9 and the Suna team are going on this break? I wished that Tsunade-baachan had told us at the meeting earlier."
"Wow, for once you're actually looking for the facts on something aren't you dead last?" Sasuke joked, raising an eyebrow at his friend.
"Ha ha, very funny, hey, weren't you going to tell Sakura that yo…" Naruto began before Sasuke shot him a look that could kill.
"Hey you guys, I have to go and meet the girls so we can go shopping for our vacation, okay?" Sakura told them, breaking their glaring contest, "So I guess that I'll see you later." And with that she started walking ahead of them to meet up with Ino, Temari, Hinata, and Tenten who were crowded around one of the gates of the Hokage building.
"Hey Sasu, when are you going to finally tell her that you do like her and get together with her?" Naruto finally asked once Sakura was out of their sight, "Or are you too scared to do it?"
"No I'm not scared to do it but…" Sasuke replied, sighing and let his shoulders sag, "I just don't know Naruto."
"Well I do know a couple of things and two of them is the fact that your scared silly because of a girl and that whenever girls go shopping they buy a lot of things and most of the time they can't carry it all so…" Naruto paused, letting Sasuke give his answer. Sasuke shrugged and offered, "They get us to carry it all?"
"Exactly, now let's go catch up with them before they get too far ahead of us", Naruto told him and started running ahead; "Bet you can't beat me Mr. I-killed-two-Akatsuki-members-including-my-prodigy -brother!"
"Just you wait and see dead last!" Sasuke yelled after him.
They at last caught up with the group of girls once they had reached the marketplace.
"Sasuke-kun, Naruto, what are you two doing here?" Sakura asked them when she blinked at them in surprise when they skidded to a halt in front of her.
"Heh, we thought that you guys might like some help with your things plus Sasuke and I had to go buy a few things ourselves", Naruto replied, placing a hand behind his head, "Hey, does Hinata have a fever again? Maybe we should get something for that too while we're here." Hinata 'eeped' and shook her head wildly while Ino, Temari, and Tenten rolled their eyes. Sakura just gave him an I-still-can't-believe-that-you-are-that-stupid-to- not-know-by-now look.
"Sure, why not, we could always use a few more hands", she replied and moved to check on her friend, knowing that she might pass out at any given moment. Naruto opened his mouth to speak but Sasuke beat him to it, "Cool, so where do you suggest we start first?"
Four Hours Later
The group of seven trudged out of the market place area, their arms laden with bags and boxes. Naruto even had to make a shadow clone because they were running out of room to carry stuff. Most of the stuff was Ino's and surprisingly Hinata's because Sakura and Ino had 'helped' her pick out most of her things. Naruto had offered to carry Hinata's things much regardless of her half-hearted protests. Naruto's clone was carrying Ino's things, Sasuke was carrying his and Sakura's stuff, and Tenten and Temari carried their own things since they had the least amount of stuff. The stars were coming out and the street lamps were turning on when they all started for home. They continued like this until their paths split form each other and, taking Naruto's suggestion, split up; Temari going to Shikamaru's two bedroom apartment since he was her personal guide whenever she came to Konoha under the Hokage and Kazekage's orders, Tenten was going back to her own apartment, Naruto's clone went with Ino, the real Naruto went with a fire red Hinata to the Hyuuga compound, and, with much hinting from Naruto, Sasuke went with Sakura to her own apartment.
This is what the two teammates were doing right now. Sasuke walked alongside Sakura, trying to not think of the red and black swirled halter top bikini she had gotten at one store with thoughts of how he was going to get back at Naruto for doing this to him. Until Sakura's voice brought him out of his thinking.
"Um, Sasuke, where are you going? My apartment's this way", she asked him with a worried expression on her face, "Are you okay? You were quieter than you usually are tonight."
"N-no, I'm fine", he stammered, trying to think of something to say to her to give him that smile of hers (A/N: yeah, you know that you love it Sasuke!), "Um…have you heard anything about the place we're going to and what's going to be there Sakura?" For the first time in his life, he was really wishing that Naruto was there to help him out.
"No I haven't and I've tried everything I could think of to get it out of Tsunade-sama, even giving her the best sake I could find in her stash to loosen her tongue. But she's probably related to a steel trap she's that hard to get information out of", Sakura sighed, shaking her head lightly before grinning, "Though I did find out that she does like Jiraiya-sama, even when he's not being polite and being himself." Sasuke stared at her, completely thrown off. She looked at him and gave him 'that' smile, "Shizune-nee-chan gave me the same exact look when I told her after she spit out her tea all over the place. Is it really that shocking?" Unable to say anything, all Sasuke could was nod, still affected by her news and her 'beautiful smile no jutsu'.
"Um…Sasuke, are you alright?" Sakura asked, waving a hand in front of his face, "Earth to Sasuke-kun, can you hear me at all?" He shook his head to remove the last of her previous enchantment on him, "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired that's all from all of the excitement and leaving for our vacation tomorrow."
"Same here, I wonder what we're going to do once we get there", she said then thought for a minute and giggled, "I wonder if Naruto going to still be completely clueless about Hinata's major crush on him once he sees her in what we 'persuaded' her to get."
"I have no doubt that he will still be clueless. He's Naruto remember?" he added, smirking at the thought.
"Hey Sasuke-kun, we're here", Sakura said to him after they had walked the rest of the way in complete, slightly awkward, silence. Sasuke walked her up to the door of her apartment building, wracking his brains for something to say to her like Naruto had suggested.
"Well see you tomorrow morning at the usual meeting place?" Sakura asked him before going through the door, "You know, to meet up with Naruto and Sai to leave."
"Sure, um…about 6 to 7 so we can get a head start before Lee actually wakes up and starts to do his 'power of youth' crap", Sasuke replied, looking at Sakura, "Neji and Tenten told me earlier that they were going to drug him with a sleeping draught tonight so he won't act like he usual does in the morning." Sakura turned pale for a moment before replying, "But what if it doesn't work on him?"
"They got the draught from Shizune', Sasuke replied blankly, "Don't you remember giving it to them two days ago?"
"Oh so that's what that nasty looking liquid was", she shuddered.
'What do you think you're doing?!' Sasuke's inner voice screamed at him, 'Follow Naruto's advice and tell her that you like her already dang it!' The clinking of a set of keys brought him back to the real world and he made the terrible mistake of looking at Sakura in the eyes thus sending Sasuke off into lala land.
"Well, goodnight Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said happily, repressing a yawn, "See you tomorrow." The words were tumbling out of his mouth before he could think of a proper Sasuke response, "Goodnight Sakura-chan." He bolted out of there, completely afraid of what she might say. He raced down the streets of Konoha and didn't stop until he was safe inside the Uchiha mansion that he had recently reacquired and locked into his room. He fell on his bed and invited himself to a self-pity party of his own until he fell asleep.
Unlike Sasuke, Naruto didn't have an embarrassing time though Hinata kept turning different hues of red the entire walk to her house and almost fainted once when he pushed her out of the way of a black, blue, and pale colored blur that came tearing down the street, making both of them lose their balance and having Naruto fall on top of her. (How LOVELY!)
The Next Morning
Like they had promised, Sakura, Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke met at the usual spot on the bridge and left together to meet up with the rest of the Rookie 9 at Konoha's gates.
"Okay you kids, you're going to be staying at a place a couple of my former students own and live at just east of here", Tsunade slurred, clearly having drunk way too much sake again this morning, "It's only a couple of miles from here so they are expecting you somewhere around noontime. The Kazekage and Kankuro will be joining you as well. Even though you all are going on a vacation doesn't mean that rouge ninja and such of the sort are as well. Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino will be the group leaders in case of an attack. If there are no questions, quirks, comments, or concerns, and there shouldn't be any because I'll give you so many D-rank missions once you get back to last you a lifetime!, Dismissed!" Sakura covered Naruto's mouth just in the chance he was planning to say anything to tick off the Lady Hokage. Surprisingly he looked completely calm so she took her hand off and released a sigh of relief. All of them left after a rather disturbing scene that went on between Gai and Lee that involved a lot of tears running from strangely shaped eyes, repeats of the 'good guy pose', blinding white flashes from way too bright smiles; the whole nine yards. *sweat drops* Then the drug that Neji and Tenten had slipped into Lee's food and drink last night finally decided to work and just before the younger green beast of Konoha started to proclaim their 'fires of Youth were burning brightly' and that type of crap, Lee fell down and started to snore quite loudly on the ground.
"I'm not carrying him", Neji stated gruffly, "Go find someone else to do it for you". After much persuasion from Tenten and promises for absolute training for the next two months without Gai and Lee accompanying them to their training field, Neji was flying through the trees with the others to their vacationing spot.
