A few days later Sakura and Ino were moving Ino's boxes from her apartment to Sakura's house, when Sasuke and Naruto stopped by, "Hey you two." Naruto said, "What are you doing.
Sakura gave him annoyed glare as she heaved a box into her house, "What's it look like genius?"
"It looks like your moving boxes. What for?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, sometimes Naruto's incapability to put things together drove him crazy, "Someone's moving, Naruto. Given the fact their putting boxes into Sakura's house and Ino's helping I assume Ino is moving in with Sakura."
"Oh." Naruto said, "What for Ino?"
Ino and Sakura had already planned out a story for this so Ino shrugged and replied, "Well, me and Sakura are best friends. She has a house so there's more room, and I can help her with cost." Naruto nodded, accepting the story. Sasuke on the other hand looked skeptical.
"Come on Naruto" Sasuke said dragging him away, "Let them move in peace."
"Thanks for the help!" Ino shouted at them. Sasuke ignored her and Naruto to his house
.
When he got there he started to prepare some Raman for Naruto. "There's something else going on between them." He told Naruto
"Who? Ino and Sakura? You're joking." He said laughing and started eating the Raman when Sasuke set it out.
"No."
"There strait, they both liked you."
"Things change; they could be bisexual and not have known it."
"There also rivals." Sasuke just threw a look at Naruto that said, it didn't stop us. Naruto finished eating his noodles and persisted there was nothing going on. Sasuke shook his head.
"Now for my part of the deal." Naruto said, getting up he went over to Sasuke and kissed him. Sasuke mumbled something and let his slide up Naruto's shirt. Naruto laughed, "Sasuke let's go to the bedroom first this time. It gets too cold on the floor."
When Ino and Sakura were done unpacking Ino's boxes Sakura said, "Ino did you have to bring all your furniture? I have a couch you could have sold yours."
"My couch is better; you had to buy a secondhand one because you spent your money on the house." Ino told her.
Sakura rolled her eyes, "Whatever fine we'll sell my couch." She looked at a clock, "It's getting late, Ino since you don't have your room set up, you can sleep in mine. I will sleep on my secondhand couch." Ino laughed and kissed Sakura good night and went up stairs.
When there was banging on her door early in the morning Sakura jumped, she had fallen asleep at the table. She ran and opened it. Standing there were Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke and Naruto. She blinked at them, "What's going on?"
Shikamaru shrugged, "The Godaime wants to see Team 7 and Team 10. Ino said she was moving in with you, is she here?"
Sakura nodded and went upstairs to wake up Ino. She paused for a minute at the bedroom door just to stare. Ino looked like a blonde angel. Gently Sakura shook her awake.
"Ino, Ino, Tsunade-sama wants to see us get dressed." Sakura went to her own room when Ino woke up. She changed into different clothes, and by the time she was finished, Ino was already downstairs.
"Okay, let's go!" Naruto said pumping his fist in the air and started to walk towards the Hokage's office. When they got there they assembled in a line, in front of Tsunade's desk. "What's up Granny-Tsunade?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade looked up from her work, "I want you six to go to Suna. Not as an official mission or anything but Suna is having a shortage in there shinobi and they requested help. The Kazekage particularly requested for you in particular," she said looking at Naruto, "Sakura you are going because you can help at the hospital."
"Why is Sasuke allowed out? And team 10?" Sakura asked.
Tsunade-sama sighed, "Sasuke's going because I need to know I can trust him, and with the five of you I figure you can stop him before he gets far if he decides to ditch, with two squads along I figure you could stop him and drag him back before he gets that far."
Some of the faces of the jounin brightened. Sakura was happy that Ino was coming, too. Tsunade nodded-- she wanted them to get more experience out of their home territory. It was the main reason she was sending them, her last stretch; things were going to change when they came home. She dismissed the two teams, and they left.
Tsunade got up and locked the door to her work room when they were gone. She was watching Shizune work on reports in the other room not wanting to disturb her but the thought on the Godaime's mind was nibbling at her. Shizune noticed Tsunade right away and looked up, "What's wrong?"
Tsunade sighed and settled down beside her, "What will you do after?"
Worn out, Shizune leaned on Tsunade whispering, "I'll follow you, I always have and I always will, I promise, Lady Tsunade."
Naruto shoved off the tree branch. He was excited to see Gaara again, although he was a little disappointed that Gaara was Kazekage, and he wasn't the Hokage yet. It had been his dream for almost a decade, now.
Naruto couldn't complain though-- Sasuke was coming along which was more than he expected. He glanced over his shoulder, Sasuke had a scowl on which wasn't that unusual when they were in public. Even when they were alone Sasuke often wore that pissed off face, although Naruto could usually coax a smile out of him.
His eyes wandered, Shikamaru looked like he was halfway asleep, while Ino and Choji discussed Suna with each other. "Naruto maybe you should look where you're going." Sakura advised. He whipped his head around and ducked just in time to avoid a branch.
"Thank you, Sakura." Naruto said. She smiled at him, and then turned her head back to watching where she herslef was going. Naruto blinked as he landed on another tree branch and pushed off again. When had Sakura's smile stopped giving him that fuzzy feeling?
He still liked her well enough, but it wasn't the same as when he was younger. Had she ever truly given him that feeling or was it just he was convinced she did because of something he couldn't understand. Naruto shook his head. It was too complicated to think such thoughts, and it didn't matter, anyway. His love was just, behind him slightly to the left, with that scowl on his face.
