He had no idea what to do! He was so board. The old grandma of a Hokage told him that he had the month off but…..but that was supposed to be a good thing….right? Naruto rose his head. Everything around him looked as if they had their eyes on him; even if it was a piece of furniture or a plant. "Stop staring at me!" The 19 year old yelled as his closet. That was it. He was crazy. He needed to get out. With his eye twitching, Naruto stood up and walked over to his door. He walked out of his room and peered around the corner to look in his small living room area. Things seemed to be staring at him in there too. His eye kept twitching as he walked into the small kitchen. The blonde went through a drawer and found a deck of playing cards. 'How long have those been in there?' He thought to himself as he looked at the box. Then he shrugged it off and put the cards in his pocket.
The fridge shot him a glare; or at least he thought it did. Naruto was going crazy….remember. The blonde looked at it and raised a brow. "I've been stuck in this apartment doing nothing for 3 weeks…" He mumbled as he opened the fridge. "I think…no….I KNOW I'm going crazy." Naruto shut the door when he found that there was nothing to drink and looked at his front door. 'Might as well go get some food and drink since I'm not doing anything…' Naruto thought as he opened the door. He put his jacket on and then exited the small apartment for the first time in a few days. When he left the complex he looked up to the summer sky. It was a perfect day and he was stuck with nothing to do. How lame.
"Naruto?"
The blonde blinked and looked to his left in the corner of his eye. The pink haired kinoichi of his dreams was walking towards him with a smile. He then looked down and smiled back. "Hi Sakura-Chan." He greeted as she stopped in front of him. The pinkette known as Sakura smiled at him with closed eyes before reopening them.
"Hey, I haven't seen you almost all month where've you been?" Sakura asked. Naruto only sighed and scratched the back of his head. Has he really been in his apartment that long? So long that he wasn't able to see any of his friends? How…..lame….
"Naruto?"
He blinked and looked up. He was staring at the ground for awhile and almost forgot she was standing there. "S-sorry Sakura-Chan….I was just staring into space." The blonde said nervously. "Yeah….I've been stuck in my apartment with nothing to do…..Tsunade-baa-Chan gave me the month off and I've been board outta my mind." Naruto let out a deep breath and saw that she was smiling. Why was she smiling?
"I have the month off too." Sakura said; surprising him a little. "In fact…" She continued with a smile. "Everyone has the month off; you're not the only one Naruto." The pinkette chuckled and his mouth nearly fell to the ground. He could have been hanging with his friends this whole time? Instead of staying in his apartment and thinking that his furniture has eyes…..he could have been with his friends??! ! How……LAME!
"Naruto….you ok?"
Naruto blinked and retracted his mouth only to cross his arms and look away. "Yeah….I'm fine…..just a bit disappointed." He then muttered. She giggled at his pouting face and looked away. He didn't see it, but she was slightly blushing. "So why didn't Tsunade-baa-Chan tell me anyway? I was board outta my mind. I started talking to furniture….."
Sakura stopped her blushing and gave him a crazed look. Furniture…..he was talking to furniture? "Um….Naruto…..why were you talking to furniture?" She then asked as he looked at her again. He only blinked with an expressionless face asking her, 'Do you really wanna know?' She looked at Naruto for a second then sighed. "Never mind that…..I'll be going see you…."
"Wait Sakura-Chan." Naruto called as she walked away. She turned around and blinked. He had nothing to do so he might as well ask. "Um…Since no one has anything to do….maybe we can all get together and do something this week-end as a big group of friends you know…." He blushed and scratched the back of his head as he asked. Just because he was asking for everyone to come…..he was still asking HER to come too.
"Sure"
Naruto opened his eyes in surprise. Her eyes were closed and a big smile was stretched across her face. "Re-really?" He then asked. Sakura nodded and started to walk away. She actually said yes. He mentally cheered and had a party inside his head. If it could happen….he probably would be pissing Kyuubi off.
"I'll ask everyone and we'll meet at the training grounds at 4." Sakura said as she turned around. "Then we can talk about what we're going to do ok?" Naruto nodded and she nodded back. "You try and find people too Naruto." She then called out before disappearing around a corner.
Naruto nodded again and turned around to go find someone. 'Well so much for getting more food.' He thought as he jumped on top of a building. He smiled and looked at the sky once more before disappearing.
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Sai sat on the top of his apartment. He had a sketch book and was sketching the landscape. He seemed to love that one little field. He had 10 different pictures of it. This will be his 11th. Sighing, the expressionless man set the book down to enjoy the view itself. Even a guy like him had interests….other then drawing that is. Sai blinked and saw an orange flash to his left. "Naruto?" He asked as he stood up. The orange flash stopped right away and looked at him from the roof on the other side of the street.
"Heeey Sai…." Naruto mumbled as he waved to the expressionless man. He really didn't want Sai to come along where ever they were going. He really didn't. Sai jumped over and landed next to him with his trademark fake smile and then stopped. 'Please don't ask to assist me or anything…'
"What is it that you are doing Naruto?" Sai asked as he looked in the direction Naruto was headed. No. Naruto wasn't going to tell him what he was doing. Sai would just ask why or ask to help. If Sai came to whatever they were going to do…Ino would be all over him AND he would most likely ruin any moments he had Sakura by pissing her off. If he did that….then Sakura would turn her attention to Sai and punch him through the roof….or into the sky…..depends where they're gonna be.
"Nothing Sai…Just looking for…." Naruto stopped. Who was he looking for at the moment? 'Make someone up Naruto…' The blonde thought. Then he finally thought of someone and smiled. "Just looking for Kiba." He told the pale boy. Sai blinked. 'Oh no…..Please don't ask what I think you're about to ask…'
"May I assist you?"
Naruto's head bowed itself with a sigh. 'How….did I know…' He blinked and looked up. "Yeah….sure…" He then mumbled. Sai nodded and looked around. 'Might as well let him go….he was pretty much invited once I stopped to talk with him." Naruto thought as they both started looking around town. Now he just had to remember where the canine boy liked to hangout. The training grounds? No….He probably was on a date with Hinata. If he was that would be perfect. He could ask them both at the same time.
"Naruto….Is that Kiba down there?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder and saw that Sai had stopped and was pointing at someone down in the street. Of course! Naruto didn't think about looking in the street. He felt stupid at that moment. Stopping, Naruto turned around and then walked over to where Sai stood. Then he looked down in the street and saw Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata and Shino all walking together and talking. "Oh Perfect. Thanks Sai. See you." Naruto said as he jumped down. Sai must of not have heard him, because the expressionless man jumped down as well.
When Naruto landed, he made his way to the 4, counting Akamaru and greeted them with a smile. "Hey guys. Can I ask you a question?" Naruto asked almost in a Chibi like way. Kiba stopped his furry friend from walking into Hinata who had stopped once she saw the blonde. Shino almost didn't even notice him. Naruto had his hand behind his back and smiled at the three people as Sai made his way over as well.
"Yeah sure what is it?" Kiba asked as Naruto gave Akamaru a nice pat on the head. Naruto then looked up and gave his longtime friend another chibi like smile.
"Well, Sakura-Chan and I were planning a big get together. So I was wondering since everyone had the month off that we could all do something this week-end. How does that sound?" Naruto held out both his hands and leaned forward with another chibi like smile as Kiba thought about it. Hinata thought as well and Shino…well I guess he looked like he was thinking. Naruto couldn't really tell. He was just standing there.
"Sure. Why not?" Kiba then said with a slight laugh. Then he looked at the timid Hyuuga and she nodded as well. "Y-yeah…I'll go." She said. Then all eyes lied on the bug boy. He stood there for a moment and almost looked like he was sleeping. They couldn't see his eyes because of those damn glasses of his. "Um…Shino…You still in there?" Kiba asked as he swung his hand in front of his teammates face. "I'll go." He then said out of nowhere. Kiba then nodded and looked at the knuckle head ninja. "Alright that settles it. We're all going." He said with a smile.
Naruto nodded back. "Alright, we'll talk about it later at 4 at the training grounds." He then said. All 3 of them nodded and Naruto then turned around to walk away, but only received a little welcoming from Sai. "Damn it Sai….You scared me." He mumbled after a small yelp.
"Can I come along?" Sai asked as the team behind Naruto walked away. That was the question Naruto feared he would ask. Now what was he going to do? If Sakura asks Ino to go then Ino's gonna get mad because he turned the expressionless man of her dreams down. She probably wouldn't get so mad if Sai was never asked or Sai never asked to go himself, but now the guy just did so.
Naruto gulped. It was either bring him and get his chances with Sakura ruined or….say no and get beat up by Sakura's best friend. "….Fine…you can go." He mumbled in defeat. Sai gave him a fake smile and nodded before walking away without another word. The blonde blinked with narrow eyes. 'He's so weird….I hate him.' He then thought as he turned around; only to bump into someone. "S-Sorry." He said as he helped them up.
"It's ok." The brunette said; bringing his attention to her. It was Tenten. "Oh…Hey Naruto. What's up?" She said as she realized it was him. Should he ask her? She was a friend of his in a way. He barely talked to her but still…..there was every once in awhile when he did.
Naruto smiled and nodded. "I'm doing fine actually." He said. Then he looked around and threw an arm over her shoulder. Then they walked out of the busy street as he made a sly face. "Tell me Tenten. Are you doing anything this week-end?"
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Sakura sat on the wooden post in the training grounds. She stared at the sky as the sun made its way to the horizon. It was almost 4 and she had asked everyone she saw since 1. She just hoped that Naruto found a lot of people too. She kicked her legs as she stared at the clouds. They always looked the same to her. They even looked the same from the first time she set foot on this training field. Thinking about the old times made her laugh silently to herself. 'Naruto….he was so funny and so small…..' She thought as she looked down. She sat on top of the post the blonde was tied up to way back when. The memory made the pinkette smile. 'How come I never saw that until…now?'
"Hey Sakura-Chan"
Sakura looked to her right and saw the blonde that she was just thinking about. He was alone though. She thought he'd come with a few people. Then again it wasn't 4 yet. "Hey Naruto." Sakura said as she jumped off the post. He walked over and smiled before looking at the post she was just on. She could tell he was thinking about that day. Every time they come here he does. She can't help but think about it either. "Why are you here so early?" She then asked after a few minutes of silence. Sakura saw him blink and look away.
"I asked everyone I saw….I kinda accidentally got Sai to come…" Naruto said as he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. Sakura smiled and pulled his arm down. He could tell she was about to say something really sweet, and he knew he was going to like it. Then it happened. Sai appeared on the closest wooden post with a swift 'Yo'. Sakura let go of Naruto's arm to look at Sai and Naruto grumbled in annoyance. 'That is exactly why I didn't want him to come….'
"Am I here too early?" Sai asked as he jumped down. What a perfect moment….and Sai had to go and ruin it. Like always. He glared at the expressionless man as Sakura shook her head.
"No Sai. It's fine." She said to him with a slight smile. Sai smiled back and nodded before looking around. He then jumped on the post to draw the view. Little did he know that Naruto's angry eyes were still laid upon him. "You ok Naruto?" Sakura asked as she noticed the blonde glaring at the black haired boy. Naruto blinked and immediately gave her a smile with closed eyes.
"Yeah of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He gave her a thumbs up as he kept the smile strong. She raised a brow and looked away. Again she was blushing, but Naruto didn't see. "So….What time is it?" Naruto then asked; making her turn around.
"Oh…its 4:05, people should be getting here soon." Sakura told him turning away as fast as she could. She still had blush formed under her eyes and she didn't want him to notice. He nodded and looked away almost like he knew she didn't want him to look at her. For awhile Sakura has had a crush on him but she never really found the words to tell him. She was scared he didn't like her anymore; scared that he'd think that she was only replacing Sasuke. The thought about their former teammate made her snap back to reality. Sai was sitting on the post the Uchiha sat next to that day. She wanted to punch it but at the same time….she wanted to keep it safe and untouched.
"Sakura-Chan…..you still on earth?" Naruto asked; interrupting her thoughts. Her mind has been all over the place lately. She's been doing it a lot. "Sakura-Chan?" He asked again. Sakura blinked and looked at him with a small smile; telling him she was still there. The blonde nodded and looked away. "Man I hope everyone gets here fast I'm so board…." But it wasn't like he's always been board……How…..lame…..
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10 minutes later everyone was finally there. Naruto was surprised at all the people Sakura got compared to him. He only got Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Tenten The pinkette got Ino, Choji, Lee, Neji, Kakashi, Yamato and Shikamaru. Naruto guessed that the two sensei s could come since they were mostly friends to them then any other. He glanced over to the wooden post to his right and sighed. That's right….he forgot he got Sai to come too. "Alright we're here to discuss what we want to do." Sakura said as she sat on the wooden post to the left. Naruto sat on the one in the middle and as motioned earlier, Sai was on the post to the right. Ino raised her hand. "Yes Ino." Sakura said with a smile. The blonde stood up and looked at all the boys before looking back.
"How about we all go to one of our houses and play spin the bottle or something?" She said. She immediately got some sour looks from the boys. But not Sai. He was preoccupied with his drawing. "Never mind…." Ino then said with a sigh as she sat back down. Naruto kind of liked the idea, but ONLY if he got to kiss Sakura. But that was an unlikely chance.
"Alright anyone else?"
Kiba stood up this time with an idea. Everyone looked at him except Sai of course. "How about we have some kind of Battle royal and see whose last standing?" He said with a fist in the air. This suggestion made Sakura look at Naruto. He didn't seem to be interested. The blonde shook his head and Sai kept drawing. "Alright it was just a random thing." Kiba then said as he sat back down as well.
As more people threw out ideas Naruto dug his hands into his pocket. He was now just staring into space. What were they gonna do? He wondered. Then he felt something in his pocket and pulled it out. It was the deck of cards he found in his small kitchen. Then he sprung an idea, and anther followed. It was perfect. "HEY!" He called as he stood up on the post. Everyone looked at him, even Sai. "I have an idea." He then said as he held up the deck of cards with one closed eye and smile. Everyone blinked and looked at Sakura. She was staring at the deck of cards as well.
"What's with the deck of cards Naruto?" The pinkette asked as she pointed. Naruto opened his closed eye and looked at her. 'What could he possibly have in mind?' She thought as all attention was on him. Even Sai had his attention to the blonde.
"Why this deck of cards is part of my idea." Naruto said as he gave her a smile. Then he looked at the group below. "This Saturday we should go on a camping trip with tents and everything." He said proudly. "We can even camp next to a river and swim in it and then when it gets late we should all sit around a campfire and play a game I like to call Mafia." He held up the cards and winked with a big smile. "It's a card game. Have you heard of it?"
Everyone just looked at him then Kiba stood up. "I've heard of it. Didn't you me, Shikamaru and Choji play it awhile back?" He then asked. Naruto nodded and Choji stood up. "I remember that game now…." The chubby ninja mumbled.
"Yeah but it wasn't exactly that fun with just 4 of us."
Naruto looked at Shikamaru and raised a brow. "Well so, now we have more people to play it with us. See…." He presented the group to the lazy ninja and smiled. "We can totally do it. What do you say?" He looked at Sakura and smiled at her; just asking for a yes from her. She sat there for a moment and then stood up on the post as well.
"Sounds good to me"
Naruto gave her a huge smile and then looked at the group. Kiba and Choji were nodding and everyone else was thinking. Then Ino and the girls stood up. "We're up for it." They all said. Then Shikamaru sighed and stood up as well. "I'll do it." He then said with a yawn. Naruto's face lit up as he looked at Kakashi and Yamato. Kakashi nodded and Yamato raised his hand.
"Um…Yea Yamato?"
"I'll only go if I get to tell scary stories with my flash light." The ANBU said. Naruto slouched his shoulders and sighed. He just had to have his flash light. His face gets so scary under that thing. He really didn't want him to do that but Sakura wanted him to go so….
"Alright you can take your flash light and tell scary stories…" Naruto mumbled looking away. Then he looked at Lee and Neji who were both nodding. So that was everyone. Naruto smiled and looked at Sai. "Sai, you gonna come?" He asked; surprising himself. Sai shut his sketch book and stood up as well. Then he nodded.
"Alright then!" Sakura yelled as she jumped off the post. "That settles it! We'll have a camping trip and we'll have fun around the camp fire and river and such." She had a huge smile on her face as Naruto jumped down as well. Everyone nodded and soon made their way home. "Saturday morning at 8 meet here!" Sakura then called before anyone got too far. Naruto smiled as they all disappeared.
"Good idea Naruto."
The blonde looked to his left and saw Sakura smiling at him. "Um…Thanks." He said back with a nervous smile. They were alone again. Finally. Maybe….maybe he could tell her. "Um….Sakura-Chan…" He mumbled as he messed with his jacket. She was picking up her back pouch that she decided to take off since she was going to be sitting for awhile. She blinked and looked up at him.
"Yea?"
Naruto was red. He really wanted to tell her. But something was keeping him from doing so. He kept messing with the bottom of his jacket and stuttered. He looked to his right then up then to the left. What was he going to say? She stood up and walked a bit closer.
"Naruto are you feeling alright? You're turning red…"
She set a hand on his forehead and he nearly lost his knees. She was close. Closer then usual. "Sakura-Chan I need to tell you something…." He mumbled; surprised with himself that he didn't stutter this time. Sakura blinked and pulled her head back. This was it. Naruto was going to tell her. If he told her now, then he'd be one happy guy on that camping trip. "Sakura-Chan….I…I…lo—" "Hey when are we meeting again?" Sai interrupted as he appeared between them.
Naruto exploded. Or at least he did in his mind. "AAAHHH!" He screamed as he fell over. Sakura and Sai both looked over and blinked. "Are you ok?" Sai asked in wonder as the blonde stared at the sky angrily. Sakura walked around the expressionless man and knelt down next to her long time friend. She had asked the same thing but Naruto only blinked. Then he slowly looked at Sakura; then Sai. "We meet here." He growled. "Saturday morning….at…." He trailed off and looked at Sakura.
"8"
Naruto blinked again and looked at Sai. "We meet at 8." He growled. Sai nodded and then disappeared. "I hate him…" Naruto then grumbled to himself. Sakura cocked her head to the side at this. What was with his odd and random scream? He blinked again and just closed his eyes. 'Man…..why does he always have to ruin me and Sakura's moments?' He thought as he felt Sakura's finger poke him. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Naruto are you ok?" She asked. He was acting strange and she didn't like it. He nodded and sat up. "Do you want to walk me home like you usually do? The pinkette then asked with a smile. Naruto blinked and looked at her in disbelief. Did SHE just ask him if he wanted to walk her home? It was weird. Naruto lazily nodded after a moment's thought and she then helped him stand up. Then the two made their way home together.
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Saturday finally came around. For Naruto it took forever. He sat there in his room everyday till then staring at his closet that didn't stare at him anymore. He was happy about that. Very happy. The Saturday sun woke the blonde up that morning. When he sat up he saw that is was 7. Then he remembered he had to be at the training grounds at 8 so he slowly took his time. When he walked into his bathroom he washed his face brushed his teeth and combed his hair. Not liking the end result of his blonde locks, he shook his head around to receive the mess it was before. Then with a proud smile he walked out and into his small kitchen.
Naruto was happy that his fridge wasn't giving him mean glares anymore. He didn't like feeling a bit crazy. He pulled out a few things to eat and drink before walking over to his cupboard to pull out a couple of ramen cups. Make that A LOT of ramen cups. He walked back into his room and grabbed his backpack. Then he put all the food and drink he took out inside it. Then the blonde decided to go get dressed.
After getting dressed, Naruto grabbed a sleeping bag. 'I hope someone will let me sleep in their tent….' He thought as he rolled it up. He didn't have a tent. Then he stared into space with sparkly eyes. 'What if no one but Sakura-Chan has room?' He then thought in a dreamy daze. "That would be AWSOME!" The blonde threw his arms into the air and fell back with a smile on his face. But doing that let him see the clock. It was almost 8.
Naruto sat up fast after that. He was going to be late at this rate. He thought he had more time but apparently he was slaking off a bit. He grabbed everything he could; a swimsuit for the river, sunscreen that wasn't old and crusty and the deck of cards. If he forgot that….then what would the point of the trip be? Everything else he grabbed in a flash and was soon out the door. He wasn't going to be late.
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"You're late." Sakura said as Naruto walked over. He sighed and threw his bag to the ground. He knew he was going to be late. "Don't worry though Naruto, other people are late too." She then said as she knelt down in front of him. He looked up from the ground and smiled. That was a relief. At least he wasn't the last person. She smiled at him and saw that he didn't have a bag for a tent. "Naruto…." The pinkette said gaining his attention. "Where's your tent?" She then asked.
Naruto blinked and then looked at his side. Only one bag. No tent bag. "Oh…I um….don't have one…" He said as he chuckled nervously. Sakura blinked and looked at him again. "I was um…wondering actually…..if you had room in yours?" He then said; even more nervously. That question right there was going to decide his fate. He closed his eyes as he rubbed the back of his head; afraid of what she was going to do next. Then it happened. She punched the top of his head and shook her head.
"Idiot." Sakura growled as she grabbed his collar. She pulled him to his feet and glared at him. "You should really get your own tent you know." She then mumbled as she set him down. "But until then sure, you can sleep in mine." His eyes shot open. Did she just agree on letting him sleep in her tent? There was no way! Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked at her like he was examining her. She opened her eyes and gave him the same look. "What?"
"Who are you…..and what have you done with Sakura-Chan?" Naruto mumbled as he pointed to her. What was he getting at? Sakura was confused at this and only raised her hands up.
"Naruto what are you talking about. It's me." Sakura said with a smile. Naruto raised a brow and looked away with a huff and a 'Whatever…' then he walked away. The pinkette blinked in confusion as he walked away and then turned her attention to the blonde kinoichi walking her way. "Hey Ino, you late." She said playfully. Ino only laughed back before setting her things down.
"Alright so what are we using to carry all this stuff?" Ino then asked as she looked at all the bags. It was a mountain of bags and boxes. There wasn't even that many people going; only again some of the girls did like to bring lots of stuff and Kiba had to bring a few extras for Akamaru. Ino sighed and looked back to Sakura; who at the moment was staring at the group. But she wasn't just staring at them all. She was staring at that one person she knew would always be with her. "Sakura?"
Sakura snapped out her trance and looked at Ino. "What?" She then asked. Ino rolled her eyes and asked the question again. "Oh right. Well my dad was nice enough to lend me one of the carriages his workers use." She told the blonde. She pointed out the carriage and horse behind her and smiled. "That's it right there." She then said.
"Hey Sakura-Chan"
Sakura blinked and looked to her left and saw Naruto. He was holding a map and was smiling at her. "Yes Naruto?" She then asked as she turned to face him. He held out the map to her and she looked. "What am I looking at?" She then asked.
"Right here." He said as he pointed to a spot on the map. "That's the perfect place for us to camp." He then said as he looked at her with a smile. She smiled and nodded. Then he made a few clones. Sakura then looked up.
"What are you doing?"
Naruto looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Just gonna have them help." He said as he looked at the clones again. "Alright you guys." He started as he pointed to the pile of bags. "Load those into the carriage." They all nodded to the blonds command and started working. Then Naruto turned around with a smile. "See now it will be done faster." He said keeping the smile strong. Sakura couldn't help but smile back after that. He was such a nice guy. She almost couldn't believe how badly she used to treat him.
"So when are we leaving?" Kiba asked as he and Akamaru walked over. Sakura looked over and saw that everyone was there except one person. Kakashi. She sighed and looked at the ground. Of course he was late. He always was.
"Once Kakashi-sensei arrives then we'll get going." Sakura then said as she looked back up. The canine man nodded and looked at his dog. He said something to the furry animal and they both walked off back to the group. She smiled and looked at Naruto, who was now sitting at the horse and staring at the sky. It was sunny and summer like. She guessed that he liked it. When she saw him Monday he was staring at the sky then too. 'He must really like looking up there…' Sakura thought as she looked up as well.
"Hello Sakura, sorry I'm late."
Sakura blinked and looked away from the sky to see Kakashi standing by the carriage. She then smiled and giggled a bit. "Let me guess sensei….you got lost on the path of life or found some lost kid and had to take him home?" She giggled even more as the lazy ninja only blinked. Then he closed his eye as if he was smiling and nodded.
"One of the two."
Sakura rolled her eyes at that. "Whatever sensei, do you have everything before we leave?" She then asked as she walked over. He nodded and pointed to the carriage. She then nodded and looked at the group. "Alright everyone we're leaving!" She called; gaining everyone's attention. They all nodded and made their way over soon after. "Right then…Naruto?" She looked over to the horse and saw that he was still staring blankly into the sky. "Naruto….Are you ready?" The pinkette then asked.
Naruto blinked and looked over. Everyone was waiting for him with smiles. He then jumped down and crossed his legs with his arms behind his head. "Ready when you are."The blonde then said. Sakura nodded and she walked over to the horse. Then she jumped up and grabbed the rein. She gave it the command to go and everyone followed the moving carriage out and away from the village.
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The spot Naruto picked was perfect. Everyone loved it. It was a simple little area in a tree clearing and there was a river next to it. Up the river a bit there were rapids and a little further there was a waterfall. There was enough space for all the tents and for I large fire pit. It was perfect in every way. It wasn't too amazing and yet it wasn't too bad. It was right there in the middle.
"Wow great job on finding the place Naruto." Ino said as she looked around. Naruto smiled proudly with closed eyes. He was lucky he decided to stare at a map for 3 hours or they wouldn't have a place. "This place is great!" Lee then yelled as he woke up from his sleep walking. Sakura smiled at the place as she found a place to put the horse. When she did, she jumped off, tied it up, gave it some food and water, and walked back to the small camp.
"Nice Naruto." Sakura mumbled as she took her place by her long time friend. Naruto smiled as people looked around to find their spots for their tent. "Where do you want ours?" Sakura then asked after she remembered that he was going to sleep in the same one as her. He blinked and looked at her. Then he looked at a spot in the direction of the river.
"There." Naruto pointed to the spot and Sakura looked. "It's not too close to the river and it's not too close to the spot where Kakashi-sensei is making the fire. You know….just in case one of us wants to go to sleep early, we won't be kept up by the talking." Sakura was impressed. He was thinking. That was good. He'd need to think if she was going to share tents with him. Or she'd just beat him up.
"Alright then." Sakura said as she lightly smacked his stomach. "Let's go set the tent up." She then said as she walked over to the carriage. Naruto nodded and walked over as well and when she arrived she pointed to Sai which one was hers and he handed it over. "Alright come on." She walked over to the spot and set the bag down. Naruto was not far behind. "Let's see….." The pinkette looked at the instructions and cocked her head to the side.
Naruto looked over her shoulder and studied it as well. "Have you ever set this one up before?" He then asked. She shook her head and looked at the tent again. "Ok….then…..this will be fun…." The blonde then mumbled with a sigh. She chuckled nervously as they both started putting the tent together Unaware of the onlookers.
Ino looked over to the two teammates as she finished her small tent. Sai was sitting next to it on a rock and was….well….sketching the area. "Look at them…" She mumbled as she watched them both drop the fabric. "It's like they've never seen a tent before." The blonde blinked and looked at Sai. "Oh would you quit that?" She said as she grabbed his sketchbook. He blinked and then nodded. Ino then grabbed his bag and threw it at him. "Now let's make our beds…" She mumbled as she walked inside. The expressionless man nodded and followed her in.
On the other side Tenten, Neji and Lee finished setting their tent up. "Do you see that over there?" Tenten asked as she hung upside down in the tree. Neji and Lee both looked over and saw that Naruto and Sakura were having a rough time setting their tent up. "Have they ever set one of those up before?" She then asked as she looked at the Hyuuga. Neji only shrugged and went inside to set up his bed. Rock Lee on the other hand was still looking over in their direction. After he shrugged Tenten sighed and jumped off the tree. "Come on lee, let's set up." The bushy browed man obeyed the command and walked inside with her.
"Man….he still has no clue on how to set that thing up does he?" Kiba mumbled as Akamaru and he stuck their heads out of their tent door. Hinata sighed as she set her bed up and looked over.
"Didn't his team….never use one?" She asked as Kiba stuck his head back in. He thought about that for a moment. She was right; Naruto's team never really used a tent.
"Well yeah….but after that mission with us, I thought he'd at least know how to set up a simple one." He said as Akamaru lied down on his blanket.
"Well their tent isn't that simple." Shino said as he walked inside. They both looked at him as he sat down on his blankets. "It's small but complicated." He then said. They all sighed and went back to their business.
"Now why is Ino staying in the same tent as Sai?" Choji asked as he ate a bag of chips. Shikamaru was busy setting up his blankets as his teammate slacked off and ate.
"Because she likes him and Sai really has no choice." The lazy ninja finally responded as he threw some blankets at his chubby friend. "Now get going on making that bed of yours." He then said as he made his way out of the tent. As he stepped out, he looked over to his left and saw that Naruto and Sakura were having trouble setting their tent up. 'What a drag….' He mumbled as he walked over.
"Hey guys, do you need help?"
Kakashi and Yamato stood by the newly built fire pit and nodded proudly. "I did good…." Kakashi mumbled to himself as he took his book out. Yamato looked over in the corner of his eye and smiled.
"How did I know that you were going to bring that?" He asked himself with a smile. Kakashi looked over in the corner of his eye as well and they both started to lightly laugh. Then Yamato's eyes drifted over to Sakura and Naruto. "Looks like someone finally decided to ask to help." He said as he looked at Shikamaru. Kakashi blinked and looked over. Naruto and Sakura were finally done after the lazy ninja came over to help.
"Well at least they got help." Kakashi mumbled as he looked at his book again. "I was about to come over and do it myself." He chuckled as he flipped the page. Yamato smiled and shook his head. "How long was Naruto planning on having us up here?" He then asked as he noticed Yamato about to walk away. The brunette stopped walking and looked over.
"I don't know actually." He then said as he looked at the blonde. "I'll go ask him." He then made his way over to the jinchuuriki. "Hey Naruto." Yamato asked as he was close enough. Naruto looked over as soon as his name was heard and Sakura couldn't help but look too. "How long do you plan on being up here?" He then asked.
The blonde set a hand on his chin to think. How long WAS he planning for them to be up there? After a few seconds he looked at the sky. It was Saturday now at it was getting late. So that means a there's no time to hang at the river before dark. So they'll have to do that tomorrow. That makes 2 days. So maybe they can play Mafia tonight….swim and tell scary stories tomorrow. Then Monday they can play another game of Mafia. It was the perfect plan. "Alright. We'll head home Tuesday." Naruto said after moments of silence.
Everyone blinked as he smiled like a chibi like character. "Um…OK then Tuesday…" Yamato mumbled as he turned around to tell Kakashi.
'He was thinking again…' Sakura thought as Naruto walked inside the tent. She grabbed her things and soon followed him in a daze. When she got inside she noticed he was staring at the ground. "Naruto?" Sakura asked as she walked over. She set her thinks down on the way and looked where he was looking. Then her eyes widened.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! LIZARD!!!!!!!!!!"
Everyone stuck their heads out of their tents to see what happened. Sakura was outside of the tent yelling at Naruto to kill it while they could clearly see that Naruto was running around trying to catch it. The poor lizard made its way out of the tent and into the bushes. Naruto soon followed but was too late. The lizard was gone. "Damn…I wanted to keep him…" Naruto mumbled as he walked out. Sakura blinked at the boy in disbelief. He wanted to keep it? That nasty little creature? Then he sighed and looked at her. "Alright Sakura-Chan, the tent is pest free." He then said with a smile. She smiled back and walked inside to set up her things.
'The place had better be pest free.'
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Later that night, they all finished with their beds and were all sitting by the fire dressed like they were ready for the cold night. They all had sweatshirts on and sweatpants. Naruto wore the same pants but his jacket didn't have a zipper. It was now a black pull over with an orange hood. Shikamaru was talking to the blonde for awhile to clarify the rules of the game since he just HAD to know before Naruto explained to everyone.
"Alright…" Naruto said as he stretched. He pulled out the deck of cards and walked over to a spot where everyone could see him. "Are you guys ready to play?" He asked. Everyone nodded and he nodded back. "Alright so here are the directions. Let's see….there's 12 of us playing since I'll be the narrator. So that means…..lets have 4 mafia, 1 guardian angel, and 7 citizens." He took out a number of cards from the deck and started to shuffle them. "Ok let me explain. If you have a face card," He held up a king and then put it back. "You're the Mafia. And if you have the Ace," He held up the ace card and then put it back. "You're the guardian angel. Everything else is a citizen. You get me so far?" Everyone nodded.
"OK. So the Narrator; That's me; tells everyone to close their eyes after they get their cards. Don't show anyone your cards. Keep them to yourself. Then I'll tell the mafia to silently; I repeat SILENTLY to open their eyes. Then I will tell them to silently pick who they want to kill. After they decide I will tell them to close their eyes. Then I will ask the guardian angel to open their eyes and then they will pick who they THINK is mafia silently. Then they will close their eyes and I will tell them if they were right or wrong. After that I will tell you all to open your eyes and I will tell whoever was chosen by the Mafia that they are dead. After that they are out for the rest of the game. Then after I tell them that they are dead the town's people, or citizens debate on who the killer was. The guardian angel can't say he or she is the guardian angel. BUT they can try and convince the town's folk to vote on the person they chose correctly. Then if there are too many suspects, I will do a vote and whoever gets the most votes is out of the game. Understand?"
Everyone blinked as he stood there with the cards. They had almost lost him. Then they nodded and Naruto nodded back. "Alright let's start, remember… no peeking, 'cause if I catch you, you're out." He said as he held the 12 cards face down. He walked around the circle and let everyone pick their cards in secret. The when there was one left, he personally handed it to Sakura and she gave him a sweet smile. That smile kind of confused the blonde since she didn't normally just give him one so randomly but he decided to shrug the thought off.
Everyone put their card in their own little spot so no one could see. Sakura stuck her card face down on her lap with her hands over it. Next to her Hinata put it in her pocket. Next to her Kiba had put his card face down and up his head band close to his ear so he could still see. Next to him…….well who knows where Shino stuck his. Naruto didn't even know if he got one. 'I gave him a card didn't I?' Naruto thought as he looked at the bug user. Shino must have noticed him; He pulled his hand out of his pocket and showed Naruto that he had the card in his pocket. The blonde nodded and looked at Tenten. She had her card face down in her sandal. Naruto wondered why she was still wearing them but then shrugged it off.
Kakashi was next to Tenten and his card was somewhere horizontal in his headband. Naruto saw him put it there. Yamato had it horizontal too but it was sticking up from his head protector facing the black night behind them. Shikamaru was next to him and his card was stuck in his hair tie facing his hair so no one could see. Sai was still looking at his. "Sai. Hide your card." Naruto mumbled as the expressionless man examined the small card. He nodded and put it in his pocket. Lee had it facing down in his orange legwarmer things and Neji had his laid flat on his lap like Sakura had hers. Then it all came down to Choji. He was eating. 'Who knows…..he may have eaten it….' Naruto thought as he glared at the eating man. Then he sighed and looked forward.
"Alright, everyone close your eyes." They obeyed his command and he looked around the fire with a smile. "Alright if you have the face card, you're Mafia. So open your eyes Mafia and don't make a sound." Naruto looked around the fire. Kiba, Sai, Kakashi, and Rock Lee opened their eyes. "Alright pick who you want to kill but don't talk." He walked over to Sakura and stood behind her to get a good view of the Mafia. Kiba looked at Sai and gave him a sour look, and then he looked at Kakashi who was measly pointing out that he wanted Yamato. Kiba then looked at Lee. The bushy browed ninja responded with a silent nod and Kiba looked at Naruto.
"OK, you choose them?" The blonde asked. He felt Sakura flinch as he spoke. She didn't know that he walked right behind her. "Ok, close your eyes." He then said after Kiba nodded again. They closed their eyes and Naruto walked away from Sakura. "ok…..Ace. You're the guardian angel. Open." He looked around to see who the angel was, and then he saw Sakura open her eyes. 'Oh yeah….she's an angel alright…' Naruto then thought in a daze. Then he mentally slapped himself after he saw that Sakura was patiently waiting for her orders. "Um….ok…Guardian angel choose who you THINK is Mafia."
Sakura looked around the circle. It was hard for her to choose since everyone had their eyes closed and was making the same face. She glanced over in Ino's direction and saw that Kiba was biting his lip. Raising a brow she pointed to the canine man and looked at Naruto. He nodded at her and she put her arm back down. "Close your eyes and the guardian angel was right." Sakura smiled. She had him now. "ok….Everyone open your eyes." He then said as he made his way to Yamato. The man had no idea he was out. "Yamato your dead. You're card please." Naruto held out his hand and then man sadly handed it over. Naruto showed the group that he was a citizen and then walked back over to his spot. "Now who would kill Captain Yamato?"
Everyone started debating on who it would be as Yamato crossed his arms and pouted. "I think it was Kakashi!" Tenten yelled as she stood up. "Me? Why me?" Kakashi asked with lazy eyes. "You two are so close and look; you're sitting next to him. It's easy to just point at someone next to you." The brunette said as she crossed her arms. "Why would I do that? I think it was Sakura." Kakashi said as he pointed to the pinkette. All eyes were now on her.
"What!" She stood like the rest of them and pointed to herself. "Why would it be me?!" She then yelled. Her eyes traveled over to Kiba and she pointed to him. "I think it was Kiba!" Everyone looked at Kiba and he looked at her. "What?!" He yelled. "You heard me! I saw you biting you lip when we all opened our eyes."
Everyone started yelling at each other as Naruto looked back and forth through the 3 suspects. Sakura, Kiba, and Kakashi. 'Wall that's 2 Mafia and the guardian angel…' He thought as he looked at each one. Then he sighed and put his hands in his pocket. "Hey……….Hey!" They all kept yelling back and forth; making the blondes eye twitch. "HEY!!" Everyone finally looked at him. "Thank you…" The blonde mumbled as he walked over to Sakura. He set his hand over her head and looked at the group. "Time to vote. Who thinks its Sakura-Chan?" He asked.
Kiba, Lee, Kakashi, Sai and Ino raised their hands. Then Naruto walked over to Kiba and he set his hand over his head. "Who thinks its Kiba?" He then asked. Sakura, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata, Shino and Choji raised their hands. Naruto counted and pointed to Kakashi. "And who thinks its Kakashi?" Only Tenten raised her hand. Then she immediately put it down. "Alright majority rules. You're out Kiba. Give me your card." Naruto said as he held his hand out. Kiba mumbled the words 'Damn it' before handing it to him, then he slouched down in his chair.
"And look at that." Naruto held up Kiba's card. "HA! YES!" Sakura cheered as everyone saw that it was a King. "He was Mafia. Now there are only 3 left." Naruto said as he put the card away. Sakura stuck her tongue out to the canine man before everyone had to close their eyes; well except Kiba and Yamato. Naruto told the Mafia to open their eyes and Kakashi, Sai and Lee did so. Yamato glared at his ANBU companion as he made his choice. 'How did I know Kakashi-senpai would pick me…?' He thought as Kakashi looked at Hinata. He pointed to her and Lee shook his head. Lee wanted Neji out. Kakashi lazily blinked and then nodded. Naruto nodded back and told them to close their eyes.
Then he told the guardian angel to open their eyes and Sakura did so. She looked around and saw that no one was making any faces. 'That's why she saw me biting my lip…..because SHE was the angel…..damn it…' Kiba mentally kicked himself for being as stupid as Sakura looked around. She looked at Choji and saw that he was slowly reaching for a chip. With no choice Sakura pointed to him. Naruto nodded and told her to close her eyes. Then he told her that she was wrong. 'Damn it…' She thought as Naruto told everyone to open their eyes.
"Neji you're dead. Card please." Naruto held out a hand next to the Hyuuga and he angrily handed it over. He was a poor sport in a way. "Thank you." He blinked and held up the 7 of hearts Neji had and then put it into the deck. "Now….who would kill Neji?" He then asked.
"I THINK IT WAS TENTEN!" Lee yelled as he stood up. The brunette girl stood up in an instant to protest. "Why woul—" "Because you loooooooove him!" Rock lee said as he held his hands together and close to his face. He was looking up in a daze with imaginary hearts floating around. She bit her lip and pointed. "WHY WOULD I KILL HIM IF I "Loooooooove" HIM" She mocked the taijutzu user and put her hands on her hips. Then they started going at it. A couple ties she blamed it on him and he blamed it on her a few more times. Then Naruto decided to stop it.
"Ok, ok….Who thinks it was Tenten?" He asked as he pointed to the weapons specialist. Rock lee, Kakashi, Sai, Choji and Shikamaru raised their hands. Naruto nodded and pointed to lee. "Who thinks lee did it?" He then asked. Tenten, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino raised their hands. They all looked at Shino. He was still in the game and he hadn't voted yet. "Shino, who do you think did it?" Naruto asked after a moment. Shino blinked; or at least I think he blinked. Then he pointed to Tenten.
Everyone who had voted for lee slouched in their chair and all the Mafia sighed in relief. 'That was a close one…' Rock lee thought as he sat back down. Naruto nodded and walked over to Tenten. "Alright you're dead Tenten. Card please." She handed him the card and he looked at it. "Oooo….Look who you killed." He held the card up and showed everyone that they had killed a citizen. "Damn it!" Choji yelled as he threw his empty chip bag in the fire.
Naruto smiled as he put the card back and turned around. Then they went through the same routine. The Mafia chose to kill Ino, and Sakura guessed Kakashi. Naruto told her that she was right and then everyone opened their eyes. "Ino you're dead." Naruto said as he held his hand out to her. She made a mad face and gave it to him before pouting. Naruto showed everyone that she was a citizen and put it into the deck. He then asked who would kill Ino and the yelling immediately started.
"IT WAS SAKURA!" Choji yelled as he stood up. "No! It was Kakashi!" Sakura yelled as she pointed to the sharingan user. He only shrugged and looked at Yamato; who was sitting there pouting. Then he glanced over to lee; who was debating on Sakura. "OK! OK! Stop!" Naruto yelled as he walked over to Sakura. "Ok, who thinks its Sakura-Chan?" He asked. Everyone except for the dead people raised their hand and Sakura's mouth was wide open with disbelief. "Alright Sakura-Chan, you're dead. Card please." He held out his hand to her and she gave it to him. When he held it up all the rest of the citizens groaned while mumbling "Damn….it….she was the freakin angel…."
Sakura sat back down and crossed her arms as Naruto told everyone to shut their eyes. He told the Mafia to open their eyes and Ino nearly shouted out that she knew Sai was one of them, but she stopped herself when she remembered it was a silent game. Sakura just huffed and looked away; only to see Naruto standing right beside her. He had a smile on his face as he watched the Mafia debate silently on who their next victim was. Then she noticed something. He was still holding her card.
"Psst Naruto." Sakura whispered. Naruto blinked and looked over as Lee silently yelled at Sai. "You're still holding my card." She said as she pointed. He blinked again and looked down. He WAS still holding it. Then he silently chuckled and put it in the deck.
"Thanks Sakura-Chan. I totally forgot." He then whispered as he looked at the Mafia again still slightly chuckling. She silently giggled back and looked over. They had chosen Choji. Sakura watched him tell them to close their eyes and since she was dead he told everyone to open. "Choji you're dead." He then said as he held out a hand.
"DAMN IT!"
The chubby ninja handed the card over and Naruto showed everyone that he was a citizen before putting it in the pile. "Who would kill Choji?" The blonde then asked.
"I think it was Lee." Shino said as he pointed to the bushy browed ninja. "He's right next to Choji anyway."
"I think it was Lee too." Shikamaru said as he rubbed his chin. "Just look at his face." Hinata nodded in agreement. Rock lee did look a bit guilty. He didn't even protest. He just stared at the fire sweating a bit.
"Alright who thinks it was Lee?" Naruto then asked. All 3 of the citizens that remained raised their hand. The mafia didn't even bother to save their fellow member. "Ok that settles it. Lee you're dead. Card please." Naruto held his hand out and rock lee handed the card over. "Well there goes another Mafia." The blonde said as he held up the card with a smile. Shikamaru smiled proudly and Hinata did as well. No one knew Shino's reaction.
Right before they were going to keep going, Sakura stood up and got Naruto's attention. Not just Naruto's though, she got everyone's. "I'm going to bed so be quiet when you come in." She said as she smiled at the blonde. Naruto nodded and smiled back before she walked away to find their tent. He watched the light inside it turn off and then turned to face the camp.
"Alright let's finish 'cause I'm getting tired too."