Well, this is my story. The story of 19 year old Haruka Suzuki and how she, well I, became friends with one of the most legendary ninjas of all time. Expect some comedy, hopefully a good plotline and yes, a little romance also. And so it begins...

-oOo-

'Right, that's it. You're out!'

'But...'

'You haven't paid the rent in over 3 months and don't give me any of that 'but I'll have it soon' rubbish. Just get out!'

I stared hard at the short, plump man who was, or used to be, my landlord.

'Just give me a couple of...'

'Get out!'

Rotten man. I hope you trip over something and break your neck, yeah like my foot. Hateful thoughts aside, I grabbed my frighteningly empty suitcase and headed out the door, taking care to shove my landlord as I went out.

This was not a good start to the day...
-oOo-

Konoha seemed to be extra busy today, I guess that's expected with the festival coming up and all. Perhaps I would be able to sell more strawberries today. Yeah, that's right I sell strawberries. It's a 'hard' profession.

'Juicy apples! Buy one get one half price!'

'Wanna be a ninja? Then buy all your equipment here!'

'Flowers for your loved ones!'

'Hats!'

'Shoes!'

'Cucumbers!'

Good grief. They really were trying to get the tourists to buy any cheap old tack. I wouldn't be surprised if they started selling 'I love Konoha' t-shirts. I mean no one would buy them...okay I might, but, the sun was shining and the sky looked empty. Perhaps it would turn out to be a nice day after all.

'RAMEN!'

What the...? I froze in a state of shock as a little boy, no wait, a teenager was charging towards me, a huge smile on his face stretching from ear to ear. Blond hair, loud voice, running around, yup that had to be Naruto Uzumaki.The, Naruto Uzumaki. A sharp gust of wind swept my hair to the side as he sped past. There was no doubt as to where he was headed, but I hoped poor Ayame could handle the hyper active buffoon.

Well, there it was. My little hut, stall, thingy. It wasn't much compared to the other shops, which had a roof that actually kept the rain out, but it was my shop. With a long sigh, I began to unpack the boxes containing the strawberries and set them out in cute little trays to display. With the weather looking so good, people could always do with sweet-tasting strawberries.

As the hours passed, a customer came here and there, but my wallet wasn't getting much bigger. How the heck am I gonna afford a decent place to stay? I'm gonna have to ask Yuki if I can stay at hers.

'Hi there'

A chirpy voice knocked me out of my worrying thoughts. I looked to find myself staring at the face of a lovely young girl. She had beautiful pink hair that framed her face and the deepest green eyes I'd ever seen. Man, I wish I had hair like that. Mine's just dull and boring. I'd seen her before with Naruto and I think they were in the same team, but when it comes to ninjas I don't know much. She can't be that much younger than I am. Two, three years perhaps?

'Could I have a bag of strawberries please' she asked with a smile. Her good mood was so refreshing.

'Of course!' I gently placed ten strawberries in a bag, sealing it with a pink ribbon. How fitting to match her hair, 'Are they for anyone inparticular?

No answer. I looked up but she was staring off into the distance, taking a sudden interest in the different coloured ribbons. Her emerald eyes looked downcast and sad. Did I say something wrong?This was awkward- I needed to change the subject.

'You can have a different colour ribbon if you want'

She snapped her head up, as if released from a trance, 'Oh! I'm sorry! I was just daydreaming' she gave me a weak smile, 'the colour's fine, but I'd better be off now. Thanks for the strawberries!'

'Anytime!' and she was gone. I hope she's okay.

Well the day drawled on, but to my disappointment, no one seemed to be interested in strawberries. The sun was setting (already?) and I still had to move these boxes down the street to Yuki's restaurant. She was a great friend and all, but she had a knack of making strawberry pie in her restaurant at the most inconvenient times. You see, Yuki's pies was known for their delicious taste in Konoha and with the festival coming up, she needed to make as many as possible for the tourists. So with a huff and a puff, I piled the boxes in two stacks of five. The restaurant should be closed by now and I can make it there in two journeys. Shouldn't take me too long, it's only down the ro...whoa!

The strawberries from the top box, rolled onto the street. No! Quickly, I began to scatter them up and put them back in the box, but they were already covered in dirt. I flopped on the ground. This sucked. Firstly I'm kicked out of my home, then no one wants to buy strawberries and I know I'm whining bu...

'Could I be of any help?'

The voice surprised me and I whipped my head up. Standing there was a tall man, wearing navy pants, a green jacket and a headband covering his right eye. A ninja.