-Disclaimer: Naruto is not owned by me. I do not profit from it either. Damn.

Hello all. This is a story for a challenge put out by DustBunny3 some time ago. The criteria were as follows;

01) It has to be at least five hundred words, but that's the only limit. If you want to write a one-shot, that's cool. If you want to write an epic, go to town.

02) Rating and secondary genre are up to you. If you have an idea to turn it into a sci-fi thriller, be my guest. If romance is all you need for it, okay.

03) The basic elements have to be the same. (ei: Sakura has to approach Tenten for help training, Tenten has to initially decline but then give in and Sakura has to initiate the first kiss.) All the vague little details, however, you can have fun with. For example, how long Tenten takes to give in to Sakura's request and how she reacts to the first kiss. If you want her to freak out the first time, go ahead. If you want her to be so turned on that she jumps Sakura then and there, that's fine too. It can be from Sakura's perspective if you prefer, or anyone else's.

04) How far you delve into the relationship is up to you. Write to the first kiss, a first date, moving in, telling friends, whatever.

05) If you take up the challenge, please let me know. I'd like to read what comes of it.

I was taken with the idea, so here is my submission. Please don't be afraid to tell me what you think. Also, keep the challenge alive! If the idea grabs your attention, then take it up.

Anyway, enough chatter, here it is. Updates every three days, with about five parts by my count. Enjoy!

Sakura was, by now, fairly confident in her abilities as a medic-nin. From minor contusions to shattered bones and internal bleeding, she could heal them all. These were all related, maladies of a physical nature and their healing techniques were useful on the field, which in turn made Sakura useful when she used them. The monstrous strength method of her mentor meant that she had offensive ability as well, and her natural intelligence resulted in her being able to manipulate most situations to her advantage. She could have been happy with all this. She should have been happy to know that within a few years her training would be complete. Sakura Haruno would be a successful Kunoichi, ninja of the leaf village. One of the giants, respected for her knowledge and wisdom if not her strength.

It had taken others to realize her potential before. She had little confidence as a child, and only a little more as an adolescent. Now though, after all that had happened, her graduation, promotion, her team mates leaping from strength to strength, it was her turn to grasp herself and what it was that she desired.

She sneered at the thought of Sasuke's quest for power. It had taken years of Naruto's presence to finally realize that power truly lay in the strength gathered from love and affection for others. He was her brother in arms, and she found herself laughing, smiling now that he was back. She found herself slightly poorer too, as she somehow always managed to get stuck with the bill for who knows how many bowls of ramen. Sasuke had been her team mate, too. She couldn't hate him, but she did pity him. The puppy love of her adolescence dissipated soon after he left the village, and soon she only came to worry about him and his health, rather than pinning for something that just wasn't available. That boy was having a love affair with something far removed from anything she could compete with. And she was okay with that. Sure he was cute, gorgeous she had remembered thinking at some point, but that didn't warrant her love, she had realized.

She was better than that, and that was all she needed to know. The next step was self improvement. People had in the past come to her, only to stumble across something that was of worth unexpectedly, and helped her appreciate it. Now she would highlight these things of worth, so that rather than stumble over them, people would see them a mile off, and know her that bit more, acknowledge her. This was what she desired now.

Being an only child, Sakura was doted on by her parents. They invited her over every other Sunday for the traditional family dinner and she found herself savoring that experience too, like her impromptu lunches with Naruto. Sakura Haruno was a family woman, she found out, and a dependable friend. These little tidbits of information she gathered helped her piece it all together.

One particular Sunday as she was ushered inside by her beaming mother, Sakura felt the back of her neck prickle, as if someone was watching. She cast a glance over her shoulder on the off chance that it was a threat. What she saw was far from it. A downcast girl turned away from the scene of a happy family, and continued to walk down the road, her sandals squelching in the mud. On a whim Sakura almost called out to her. She almost extended her hand into the steady rain that fell just outside the perimeter of the tiny awning that protected the doorstep of her childhood home. She didn't however, considering that the last thing that the woman would want was sympathy, pity. The dinned passed as it usually did. Her mother was a wonderful cook and never failed to sate Sakura with her simple, hearty food. Each member of the little family recounted the stories of the day and basked in the simple contentment that they felt. Sakura Haruno was a lucky girl, she conceded.

And so Sakura had a list. She was a good ninja, a good daughter and a good friend. She was lucky to be all these things and reap the rewards from them. That evening though, as she lay sprawled out on the couch in her tiny living room listening to the rain beat down on the roof, she realized she needed more. She wasn't sure what it was, but her ambition wouldn't allow her to simply sit on her laurels. It seemed that Sakura Haruno wasn't the kind of woman to settle for her lot in life.

Soon she was working harder than ever, reading through medical texts on antidotes, bandaging and psychology. Her chakra control was near masterful. She sparred with Naruto as often as she could, and asked for guidance from her former Sensei, when he wasn't busy with a new bunch of Genin. It wasn't enough to be good, she decided. It was with this in mind that she wandered down one of the main streets on a busy market day. With her head in the clouds it was hardly surprising that Sakura wasn't paying much attention to where she was walking. If she had ambled into a villager then she surely would have ended up face first in watermelon or something. Thankfully though the person she very nearly collided with darted to the side of her, avoiding tripping over her feet. A light tap on the shoulder snapped her out of her daze, and she turned to face the person who had so skillfully avoided her. Not that she had noticed that.

A scowling Tenten was a veritably scary Tenten.

"Haruno, be more careful would you?"

When Sakura looked at her in obvious confusion, Tenten sighed.

"You nearly ran into me. Just try to look where you're going." She finished, obviously exasperated.

Then she was gone, quite suddenly blending into the throng of people Sakura had barely noticed until now. That was when she noticed just what it was that she needed.

The next one will be up on Friday. Drop me a line if you are so inclined. Thanks for your time!

Omnixx.