This is my first story so you need to be nice. Always wanted to write a fanfic but to be honest I'm not sure on a lot of the spelling of certain things in Naruto. Please review and share your thoughts.

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto


Sakura was patiently waiting in tsundae's office for her to finish her morning paperwork so they could finally begin their morning training routine at the Konoha medical hospital. She had just begun to learn the more advanced techniques in the hokage's endless repertoire of medical jutsu like repairing the complex nerve systems of the spinal chord and was suppose to start on the brain stem, she was anxious to say the least and the paperwork seemed to be going slower than usual.

Sakura was browsing Tsundae's library for the 50th time trying to find something to pass the time when the double doors to the hokage office slammed open. Ibiki was wearing his bandana and his leather trench coat as usual and his boots made a hefty clunking sound as they made their way to the chair in front of Tsunade's desk. He sat down with a simple nod to the hokage and didn't wait for a question as to why he was there before he began speaking. "I need permission to send several scouting parties out in search of an ANBU as soon as possible; we haven't had any contact with him for 2 weeks."

With gaining interest Tsunade asked, "What was the mission regarding?"

"Hunt and kill of an S-class missing nin in foreign territory."

"Doesn't sound like anything we could justify sending scouting parties outside our boundaries to find your missing ANBU now does it? You suicidal ANBU hunters know the high risk involved. Especially with s-class missions. There is no way I can do what you're asking of me without weakening our treaties with our trigger happy neighbors"

"I know, but its Naruto…" The room fell deathly silent as Sakura dropped the book she was pretending to busy herself with to stay out of the conversation. Tsunade looked to her student and then back to Ibiki with fury overflowing from her eyes.

"How the hell do you even think that sending him, off all people, on S-class missions is a smart decision?!"

"I didn't" he replied keeping his stern face. "I assigned him others but he wouldn't take them, he threatened to go a-wall and do it on his own if I didn't comply. Apparently he has a very big grudge to settle with Akatsuki."

"AKATSUKI?! You let him go after Akatsuki? You do know they're after his life and the kyuubi don't you?"

"Of course I do, the baka is too stubborn for his own good. He's been going through their ranks killing them off one by one for the last 3 months. At least i've been keeping tabs on him making him report back. Now he's a week overdue on his update and I need confirmation on his death."

Sakura's eyes began to turn red and water as the news was so casually thrown around her about the closest friend she'd ever had. Her lips parted to object verbally of his possible death but nothing came out but a whimper. Naruto wouldn't end like this, he wouldn't let himself. His dreams would not go unfulfilled.

It was then two ANBU came through the wide doors and stood to the side of Ibiki. "Sir, you told us to contact you if he returned to the village... He just walked through the gate. He looks like he's in bad shape."

Ibiki simply nodded to the two, excusing them from the office. "Well it looks like I got you all upset for nothing, send your student over to give him a once over and make sure he's not too bad. This was his fifth kill though; he's going to need a psyche evaluation. Send that blonde mind walker over while your at it, kid could stand to let some things off of his chest." He waited for Tsunade to acknowledge his requests with a nod and simply walked out of the office as calm as he came in.

Sakura hadn't realized she was holding her breath since the moment the two ANBU showed up and she sighed deeply as her back sank into the bookshelf behind her for support. Relief washed over her as she felt that she had almost lost him.
It all made sense now, ever since that night he wasn't the same person. To be honest she had no idea what he had been doing for the last 3 months since he joined ANBU. She figured he was doing something important but not hunting akatsuki. Since he joined he had stopped showing up at the hospital, stopped walking her home, stopped begging her to go with him for ramen, and simply stopped wearing that foxy grin on his face. Though the last part was probably because of that night when they went to the bar…

FLASHBACKFLASHBACKFLASHBACK

The night was all about him, Naruto had finally made ANBU black ops, his dreams were falling into place and he was proud. "Next stop is hokage!" He yelled all through out the night to the semi crowded bar after every drink. There were only two besides Sakura at the bar celebrating with him. Everyone else seemed to be on missions at the moment. Ino was there and got excessively more flirty with him the more she drank, he was to naïve to realize it though. It wasn't a big secret she had started to develop a thing for him (much to the dismay of sakura) ever since he had gotten back from his training trip. The other person was Hinata. Who wasn't doing much of anything besides blushing every two seconds when would smile at her.

It was a mystery how he had ended up with the hottest women of the town that night but he wasn't going to concern himself with it. He was here to celebrate with some of his closest friends on his success. It was getting late and sakura and naruto were really the only ones not hammered at that point. Ino and hinata decided it was time to stumble home and gave him a kiss on the cheek and final drunken congrats before they both turned and left, leaving sakura with him alone.

"Hey sakura…"

"Yeah Naruto?"

"I just wanted to thank you for being there for me; you were always there by my side to keep pushing me. You have no idea how much I appreciate your TOUGH love." Emphasizing the word tough a little to much

She laughed "I don't think it was me as much as your stubborn self that got you this far."

The night drudged on and the sake glasses began to pile in front of them fairly high. Sakura, not having naruto's quickened healing abilities, was taking the alcohol full front and Naruto had finally finished his last bottle as they left the bar with her on his shoulder for support.

"You know naruto, I never told you but ever since you came back from that training trip you've had half the women of konoha talking about you."

"Ok, now I know your drunk, you're giving me compliments." He laughed

"I'm serious; it's making me damn jealous. You know I don't like to be second in anything, especially when it comes to men."

"Sakura?..."

"I'm just going to say it. You are a stud, I mean just look at your body now. You're a hot piece of ass and I can't say that I haven't appreciated the fact that I can catch you in a towel every now and then when I stop by your shitty apartment."

"You are not gona remember saying any of this in the morning you know that?"

"Oh come on, stop denying it. And don't say you haven't thought the same about me. I've matured pretty well if I do say so myself. I've seen the way you look at me, my eyes are not, and never will be at my chest Naruto-kun…"

"Ok, ok ok… were almost to your apartment. You need to lie down."

As they reached the door Naruto had to carry her bridal style to her up the stairs to her bed. She wasn't making it any easier on resisting the obvious temptation in front of him when she began to nuzzle her face into the nape of his neck. Letting her lips brush against him. He sighed in angst as she began planting soft kisses leading up to his jaw.

Years of desire for her came crashing down on his shoulders as her hands reached up to his face to turn it to meet hers. "Naruto, I know you want to… so kiss me" His cheeks flushed red and he scrambled for an answer trying to keep his mouth busy from meeting her soft lips.

"As much as I do want it, you're drunk right now and are going to regret this in the morning. I've pictured this a thousand times and each time its left my happy but I don't want it to be me taking advantage of you." He pleaded. His mind was beginning to weaken as he let her feet drop to the floor. She turned quickly so that her perfect chest was pressing against his and his gaze met hers.

"Naruto you still don't get it. This is what I want." And with that she pulled him into her, letting her lips crash against his causing the sexual tension to peak. She let out a moan sucking his bottom lip and letting it go, massaging it with her tongue. He seemed lost as her tongue entered his mouth and began dancing with his.

Finally pulling away he put up one more futile plea for this night to end with just that. "Sakura, I don't want you to regret this, it'll kill me knowing you would."

"Damnit naruto you baka, I need you." As soon as the words left her mouth hands snaked under his shirt pulling it over his head. She quickly grabbed his waist and pulled him on to the bed over her.

Morning came too early as the sun shined through her window onto her now very broken alarm clock. Her head was two sizes to small and she struggled rationalizing that meeting up with her sensei was a must. Naruto lay in bed next to her sound asleep, jaraiya had a habit of waiting till the afternoon to begin and she was thankful of his laziness for once. A tinge of regret echoed through her head along with the memories of last night as she slowly slid out of bed quietly trying to avoid the inevitable conversation by not waking him.

She had on her training uniform when he stirred. His eyes opened to reveal his ice blue pupils that seemed to smile gently at her. "Come back to bed." He pleaded.

"Naruto…" her heart began to split. "About last night… W-we were both drunk, and … I think it would b-be for the best if… well, we pretended like it never happened." Her words seemed to die off as his facial expression changed to show he had captured the meaning of her statement before it fully left her lips. "I-I'm so sorry naruto" She turned to walk out of her apartment leaving him on the bed, hoping he would be gone before she got back. All she heard as she closed the door was a silence that filled her soul.

END FLASHBACK

Tsunade didn't wait long before excusing her from the daily routine to get fetch ino and check out naruto. Since Ino's house was on the way over it wasn't long until they were both on his doorstep. Sakura was reluctant to knock at first and slightly relieved it wasn't answered. Ino simply shrugged at her and said "Knock again, maybe he's asleep." Once again she reached up and knocked, this time a little louder. Still no answer from him.

Ino seemed to be fed up with waiting and let out a loud huff as she pushed past sakura and walked in without waiting for him to answer. Sakura followed slowly trying to ease her way into his apartment like it was going to make seeing him less painful. Once inside she heard the shower running and figured that's why he couldn't answer. They each took a seat around his table in comfortable silence, although sakura seemed a little edgy.

Soon enough the shower water turned off and naruto could be heard shuffling around in the bathroom. He appeared a short time later in the hallway walking up to them in nothing but a towel, hair still dripping wet. Ino's eyes seemed to widen and her stare became fixed onto his well toned body. Sakura looked him in the eyes to by met with a cold stoic stare.

"What brings you two here?"

"Sakura needs to give you the once over and I need to do a psyche evaluation before you can do another mission. Ibiki's orders"

"hnn… I'm not hurt anymore." He said over his shoulder as he turned to boil some water, probably for ramen.

As he turned his back on them they each took on a shocked expression as the kanji symbol for 'Pain' seemed to be carved into the center of his back just between the shoulders.

"Naruto… when did you do that?" sakura seemed to just barley squeeze out the sentence before tears welled up in her eyes dreading the answer.

He stopped what he was doing and simply just stared down into the bubbling water, already knowing exactly what sakura was talking about. "3 months ago."