If only: Chapter 1

Naruto sat there on the swing not moving a muscle, as he watched the other children run around and play the classic game of tag. He was used to all of this; soon the playground would clear and he'd go back home, get ready for bed, and start another day. But something he wasn't used to was the great pink blob bouncing through the air. WHAT? Bouncing through the air? Naruto looked at the blob again as he saw a little girl about his age running toward him with a great big smile on her face. 'Hi,' she suddenly blurted out, 'I'm Sakura, what's your name?' Naruto couldn't believe his eyes, or ears, someone was actually being nice to him? 'N-Naruto,' he managed to stammer out but quickly looked at the ground, expecting her to run away from him just like all the other kids did. 'You wanna play with me?' she questioned suddenly shy. Naruto looked at her like she was out of her mind, but Sakura got the wrong idea. 'Oh, alright, its okay you don't have to play with me, I just wanted to make some friends that's all,' she said with tears in her eyes threatening to spill. She turned around and walked away, presumably to go back home. 'Wait,' said Naruto with a huge smile that rivalled the Cheshire cat 'what do you want to play?' 'Ummmmmm... TAG!' Naruto's grin grew wider as that was the game that he always wanted to play but it needs more than one person. Suddenly Sakura walked over to him solemnly and he closed his eyes expecting the worst. He soon felt a light tap on his forehead and he opened his eyes to find Sakura running away from him yelling, 'YOU'RE IT!'

Naruto would remember that day as the best in his life. He and Sakura had played till it got dark. He remembered Sakura telling him that she was enrolling at the Ninja Academy in the fall so he decided to as well. As he was heating his Insta-Ramen a thought came to him. What would it be like to be the best ninja around? Everybody would have to respect him and look up to him. With that in mind he decided on a life time goal, he would be Hokage. He brushed his teeth and quickly got into bed because tomorrow was a long day as he and Sakura were planning to play ninja the whole day.

Naruto and Sakura met at the playground the next morning at the swings which they had appointed as their meeting place. They planned to spend the whole day together but something put a stop to their plans. Or, rather, someone. They heard a sound of metal entering something in a nearby meadow and decided to go and check it out. Naruto wanted to run in and find out who it was but Sakura stopped him. 'Naruto-kun if you barge in then you might get hit by whatever they're throwing,' Sakura said but Naruto wasn't paying attention because he was blushing at the honorific she had used. 'So let's hide up that tree and find out who it is.'

'Right Sakura-chan let's go with your plan... but how are going to get up there. There are no branches.'

'By chakra, silly'

'Okay! Um... what's catra?'

'Well... chakra is this kind of force inside you that lets you do amazing things. Like climb this tree.' She then channelled her chakra into her feet and walked up it while Naruto gaped at her amazed. 'Can you teach me? Huh, can you?'

'Sure. First imagine some energy is flowing into your feet,'

'Okay... nuts all it did was make me want to pee,'

'Concentrate Naruto-kun I know you can do it'

Naruto concentrated really hard and then looked down. His feet were glowing blue. 'Now run up the tree' Sakura yelled. Naruto run up the tree focusing as hard as he could, but he broke the tree and fell down to the ground. 'Who's there?' a certain young Uchiha called out and came to investigate. He spotted Naruto and asked angrily 'were you spying on me?'

'Um... no?'

He saw red and threw his kunai but it was blocked by a kunai with a pink tip knocking off course. 'Don't you dare try to hurt Naruto-kun again.' Sasuke looked up to see a very angry pinkette with eyes blazing with fury glaring at him. Sasuke gulped because he knew she would kill him if he tried anything.

'Let's kill him now and hide his body in the bushes! CHA!'

'Inner me, you know Mommy said we can't kill anyone'

'Yet...'

'Who are you,' Sasuke asked in awe, even he couldn't throw a kunai that well. 'Sakura Haruno, believe it.' She jumped down from the tree and put out a hand toward Naruto, helping him up. 'Come on Naruto-kun, let's go,' she said and they walked away.

As they were walking back to Naruto's house after playing all day they spotted this huge building. 'I can't wait to start there,' Sakura thought as they passed the Ninja Academy and turned a corner. Suddenly, Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and she saw that annoying duckbutt-headed guy do the same. His older brother noticed them glaring at each other and stooped down next to his brother. 'Go apologize,' Itachi said to Sasuke.

'Huh- whatdya Itachi,' Sasuke replied not believing what he had heard.

'You obviously did something to annoy her, otherwise she wouldn't be glaring at you so harshly,' Sasuke then walked up to her as slowly as he could and stuck out a hand. Mentally glaring at his brother he said, 'I apologize for trying to kill your friend, Sakura Haruno,'

To his surprise she yelled out, 'NARUTO-KUN, HUDDLE!' after which they made a little semicircle with their backs to him and even more to his surprise he found himself wishing he was there in their group. 'Uchihas don't have friends Sasuke' he chided himself and looked up to see Sakura standing in front of him again apparently having made a decision. 'Listen up duckbutt I only forgive you because Naruto-kun told me to' at this point Sasuke looked at the guy he tried to kill and saw 'Naruto-kun' looking at him, smiling 'but if you ever try to hurt him again, I will not just block your kunai, I will use it against you,' he again looked up to Sakura glaring at him. 'Sakura-chan, forgive him already,' Naruto said. His eyes widened as Sakura then hugged him. 'That's my forgiving hug, so everything's all right between us,' said a smiling Sakura. 'Why don't you play with us tomorrow?' asked Naruto as he and Sakura ran off, 'be at the swings by ten, okay.' Sasuke stared after them shocked, he had just made friends.