Thank you, Naruto
Sakura: Age 13
Sakura was walking toward her house to pick up a few things before leaving to train with the fifth hokage.
"Sakura-chan!", Naruto screamed while running hoping to grab her attention before she entered the door.
Naruto was going to leave the leaf village to train with Jiraiya.
He wanted to eat some ramen with Sakura before he left.
Sakura heard Naruto but she didn't bother to turn around. She hasn't been feeling like herself lately.
Naruto always seemed to anger Sakura with his energetic and ambitious personality. Especially when she wasn't feeling so well.
While he was running, Naruto tripped over his feet and fell upon the hard ground. A thump was heard.
Before Sakura entered her house she looked back to see Naruto on the ground.
She didn't even bother to ask Naruto if he was all right. The expression on her face was blank.
She turned back around and finally entered the door.
She went upstairs then she went into her room.
Sakura looked around as if her room was foreign.
Sakura gazed at a certain spot for a long period of time.
It was a picture frame. It was dusty because she hadn't looked or touched it for quite a while.
The man she loved was in the picture.
Uchiha Sasuke.
She remembered when she used to look at it every day.
She would cry. She missed Sasuke more than anything.
No one could understand her love for Sasuke.
Sakura went over to the spot where the picture frame was placed at.
She slowly picked it up.
Then tears started to drop from her eyes.
"Why, Sasuke-kun? Why?", Sakura said as she fell to the ground.
She cried without a sound.
"Things will never be the same again, will they, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said as she wiped the tears dropping from her eyes with her hands.
Before placing the picture frame back where it was, Sakura glanced at the picture frame before leaving her room.
"Bye, Sasuke-kun..."
Before Sakura even took a step outside her bedroom door, she glanced back one more time at the picture frame.
She saw Naruto.
He was always desperate to see Sakura smile.
Sakura was Naruto's teammate. Naruto cared for Sakura as much as he cared for Sasuke.
She stopped smiling a lot after Sasuke left.
Sakura smiled at Naruto's face in the picture.
Sakura then made her way back downstairs and out the door.
Sakura forgot the thing she was meaning to pick up.
She thought maybe it was unnecessary. So she didn't bother to go back.
Actually, she just didn't want to see Sasuke's face again.
Naruto was sitting on the ground awaiting her.
Sakura looked at Naruto with a smile.
Thinking of the promise Naruto made her.
Sakura sometimes thought Naruto purposely got on her nerves.
But she did care for Naruto.
"Why does he always bother me?", Sakura thought.
Is it possible Naruto understood her pain as well?
Of course he did. Sasuke was like a brother to him.
Sakura felt bad for even thinking that.
Naruto and Sakura shared equal affection for Sasuke, except Sakura loved Sasuke as a love interest and Naruto loved Sasuke like a bother.
Sakura continued to smile and looked at Naruto.
"Naruto, are you all right?", She asked with the smile still on her face.
"Sakura-chan! I was calling you. Didn't you hear me?", Naruto screamed.
"No, I didn't hear you. Sorry.", Sakura said while helping him up.
She lied to Naruto. She did hear him.
She couldn't come to tell him she was depressed because of Sasuke.
"Let's go eat some ramen before I have to go. Okay, Sakura-chan?", Naruto said with a big smile on his face.
Turning Sakura's smile into a frown.
"No way in hell would I eat ramen with you!", Sakura said as she punched Naruto.
Sakura walked away upset.
Though honestly she was happy by Naruto's simple-minded statement.
"Thank you, Naruto."
Sakura thought as she smiled; looking at the sun.
The sun reminded her of Naruto's bright hair color.
"We'll bring you back, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said as she turned to look at Naruto.
He smiled like an idiot.
It made Sakura laugh.
Naruto wondered why she was laughing.
"Sakura-chan, What's so funny?", He asked with a questioning look.
"Nothing.", She said while getting her last laugh in.
"Sakura", Naruto said with a serious face.
"I promise to bring Sasuke back!", Naruto said with his serious face.
"Naruto, I believe you.", Sakura said as she walked away.
Sakura stopped for a second and turned around.
"Naruto, I will get stronger. I will help you bring Sasuke-kun back to the Leaf village. I won't be a burden any longer.", Sakura said with passion in her eyes.
"Me too, Sakura. Together you and I will bring Sasuke back. ", Naruto said with a smile.
"Good luck, Naruto.", Sakura said as she continued to walk away.
Thank you, again, Naruto.