Haruno Sakura was a ninja. And as far as she was concerned, ninjas weren't supposed to be afraid of anything. The problem was that she was afraid of something that she would never get over.
Haruno Sakura was deathly afraid of being embarrassed. That, and seeing Naruto naked by accident, but that was on a completely different level. Embarrassment, she supposed, would come knocking at the least expected times, and there was nothing that she could do about it. That being said, it was no surprise when one of the most embarrassing and meaningful moments of her adolescence came when she was least expecting it – right in the middle of the Chuunin exams.
"Ino-pig." Sakura glared.
"Forehead." Ino spat.
"Begin." The examiner brought down his hand, as if slicing the boiling air between the two girls.
After a long and rigorous battle, the two girls lay sprawled on the floor of the arena. Unable to fight any longer, the match was called as a tie.
"Man, is Sakura okay?" Naruto leaned over the railing to get a closer look.
Sasuke pulled back harshly on the collar of Naruto's jacket. "Watch it, dobe. You'll fall over."
"Teme…" Naruto growled.
"Hn?"
"Let go of my collar now."
Kakashi caught Asuma's eye and nodded. They jumped down from the balcony simultaneously and scooped their students up into their arms. Kakashi only glanced down at Sakura's limp form for a moment before ascending and jogging off to the hospital with his student who was currently out cold held against his chest.
Passing civilians stared but didn't question the spectacle before them, as they were all to aware of the infamous Chuunin exams being held in the close by stadium. No one saw anything out of the ordinary when he rushed into the white-walled stereotypical chemical-scented interior of the Konoha hospital. He made to set her on a bench off in a corner while he went to get a nurse. Upon setting her down, he saw that in his haste he had forgotten to zip up his jonin vest and both halves of the vest were swaying loosely in Sakura's rather firm grip. He heard a snicker from somewhere behind him and turned with Sakura still in his arms to see Sasuke (who was glancing around the room uninterestedly) and Naruto (who had been the one snickering).
"Looks like someone made themselves at home, eh 'Kashi-sensei?"
Kakashi sighed in response and attempted to peel his vest out of Sakura's grip while still holding her with one arm.
"Leave her, she looks comfortable." Sasuke offered his advice.
The three of them sat down on the bench where Kakashi had been about to set Sakura. She groaned in her state of unknowing and snuggled into his chest, inhaling deeply.
*Snicker*