The Race For Hokage Chapter 2
Boys
Naruto slumped into his small home what the girl at the ramen shop had said really hit him hard. He knew that other progressed at different times but he was already behind everyone because hw was older and graduated from the Academy. Now he was falling behind because everyone had already gone to Chunin. He slammed his fist on the wall.
"How could I have been so stupid? I should have been watching my time and now everyone is further then me again!" He balled up his face as he thought of that girl again. "That stupid girl! I'll show her who the idiot is!" He made his way to his small kitchen. He had left out so quickly he had not finished eating and he just realized that he was still hungry. He opened the cabinet and pulled out a cup of ramen. He put water in a pot and went about cooking it. While he was doing that his mind started to wonder about all he had learned and wondered how much he really missed out on while being with Jiraiya-sensei. He sighed putting his head on the desk.
"I know one thing I really need to get up to pace with the others meaning I need to take the Chunin exams coming up soon."
Sakura, holding a small shopping bag was heading her home when she could hear the yelling of Naruto. She looked up and could see him from his bedroom window looking as if he was going to pull his hair out. She snickered softly because he had not changed much in the past couple of years he had been gone. She sighed softly as she walked over and knocked on his door. She had been a bit harsh when he asked her out again. It was annoying to her because she still had feelings for Sasuke and she knew that one day they would find him and things would go back to normal. Until then h was still a teammate and she had to get along with him.
She hesitated for a bit and then knocked on his door. Naruto head shot up hearing the knock wondering who that could be as he starched his head and walked over opening the door and seeing Sakura standing there.
"S-Sakura what are you doing here?" She smiled happily at him as she held up the small bag.
"I went shopping tody and was heading home. I saw you so I figured I would stop in and say hello." Naruto looked at her and smiled happily thinking maybe she was going to give him another chance.
"Well come on it!" He allowed her to walk past and Naruto grinned haapily as he closed the door. Sakura looked around. It was strange, all this time she had knew him and this was the first time she had been in his house. Their wasn't really much too it though because it was under furnished most likely because he didn't have much money or much of a reason to worry about those things since he wasn't home that much. She walked over to a small couch that was almost the same color as the soft yellow walls that surrounded her and placed her bag on the ground beside her. She then noticed the pot on the stove seeing that he must have been cooking ramen for himself.
"Hey Naruto, I thought Iruka-sensei was taking you out to dinner tonight as a welcome back?" Naruto walked over to the pot and sighed softly but then turned to her and smiled softly.
"Yeah he did, but then this annoying girl came in and ruined all the fun and Iruka-sensei had to leave." Sakura blinked looking at Naruto.
"Annoying girl?"
"Yeah she had bright blue hair and pink eyes! She was all loud and burst in ordering my favorite kind of ramen." Sakura laughed softly and Naruto made a face at her. "What is so funny!?"
"That annoying girl as you call her is Kaiya. She was my teammate for a while and is being trained by Lady Tsunade. She acts just like you." Naruto growled feeling that was in insult.
"How could you say that?! I am nothing like her!" Sakura looked out the window and smiled softly.
"She even told Lady Tsunade that she was going to become the next Hokage."
"She did what!" Naruto almost knocked the pot off the stove but held it steady. "I'm going to go and beat some since into her the next time I run into her!" Sakura.
"You have not changed at all since you left Naruto. And Kaiya is the same way you are. She is just not going to give up. In fact she will fight back if she has to. Don't let her disposition fool you. She is really strong for a female almost just as much as Lady Tsunade herself.
"Oh please I saw how much work you've done Sakura and you're the only girl around that has any kind of power that she has." Sakura smiled softly Naruto would never give up on trying to impress her. She didn't mind to be honest because it means that the same guys still think she was worth the time. Even Rock Lee would hover over her whenever he saw her. Sakura stood up and grabbed her bag.
"But I should get going. It's getting late." Naruto kicked out his anger for a second and ran over to Sakura and took one of her hands.
"You don't have to leave yet. Come on and stay a while we can sit and talk. I haven't seen you for two and a half years. Something had to happen in your life." Sakura sighed softly as she softly pulled her hand away.
"Yeah I guess but not much really. The only thing that really happen was that I started training under Lady Tsunade." She started to walk to the door with a desperate Naruto behind her begging her to stay a little longer. No she wondered why she had even come over here. She wanted to be nice to Naruto be he was once again becoming his annoying self and she had taken her fill for the day. She walked over and opened the door about to head out when Naruto grabbed her hand again.
"Hey how about I treat you to dinner tomorrow night. We can go whenever you want to. It doesn't have to be a ramen shop. "Sakura turned and looked at Naruto. His blue eyes glowed softly wanting and pleading with her. She shook her head softly.
"I'm sorry Naruto but I have work to do and I won't be done in time."
"Can't you like finish up fast or something. Come on Sakura give me a chance at least!" she turned away from him and Naruto turned and sighed. "I should have guessed you have not changed as well thinking Sasuke will come back and you will be with him. You know that he is not coming back and if he does he's not going to be with you." Sakura looked at Naruto annoyed.
"Of course he will! When he left he said thank you to me. He knows how much I love him and he loves me back and he will come back to me!" Naruto shook his head.
"No he won't just like you will never give me a chance he will do the same thing and he will never see you the way I do. Besides that he's a rouge ninja now. If he wanted to come back don't you think he would be back by now?" Sakura balled up her fist in anger not wanting to believe what the orange shinobi was trying to tell her.
"What nerve do you have coming back here and talking about Sasuke like that! You never knew him the way that I did! I would never leave his side!" She turned from him and started walking off. Naruto sighed softly as he stood thee for a minute and then closed his door. After a while he walked back in and closed the door. He slowly turned to stove off and headed to his bedroom once again his depression was setting in as he looked over to see Sakura walking to her house.
"I'm sorry Sakura.." He then went and closed the blinds to his window as he went and got ready for bed.
Sakura was walking home heading past the small park. She had never been so angry in her life. She wanted to punch Naruto but knew there was no point in doing that. She just muttered softly as she kept walking but soon saw the blue haired shinobi sitting on a bench.
Kaiya happened to see Sakura as well and could tell she was far from happy.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I would rather not talk about it Kaiya if you don't mind. Let's just say that boys are jerks."
"You don't have to tell me that. I already know." Sakura looked at Kaiya. The girl was a huge competition with her because of her great skill. Almost the same way Naruto and Sasuke used to be. Thinking of his name made her slump to the gound her eyes full of tears.
"Sasuke, why did you have to go? I need you." Kaiya sighed softly annoyed as she looked up at the night sky. This had happened many times since she had known Sakura. She would be fine one minute and the next she would think of Sasuke and get all depressed. It was annoying because she got so worked up over a guy. A guy that didn't looked as if he cared for her as much as he could.
"You're a sad sight to see Sakura. You sit here and cry and whine over this guy that has been gone for two and a half years. You need to get over it seriously." Sakura shot her a nasty look.
"I don't need this from you Kaiya. It's your fault that Naruto is acting the way he is and now he is talking bad about my Sasuke." Kaiya laughed softly as she looked at her.
"How in the hell is it my fault? Your Sasuke please if he was so yours he wouldn't have ran off. And I have nothing to do with how Naruto is acting."
"He ran into you at the ramen shop. I'm not stupid."
"I was just telling him the truth. Besides he was talking smart to me and so I just went back at him."
"You know its very unattractive for a girl to act the way you do."
"You act as if I care. I am a shinobi I am not out looking for a boyfriend; which is not what I can say about you and the rest of the other females that are around here. I remember your days at the academy you all used to drool over Sasuke it was sad."
"Just because I can get a guy and you can't doesn't mean you have to take it out on everyone you come across."
"I don't do that!" She growls as she gets up. I am just keeping my eye on the prize and not crying about some guy like you are! No wonder Lady Tsunade had to take in another shinobi. "
"She took you in because you wouldn't shut up just like Naruto!"
"Stop comparing me to him! I am not Naruto!" Sakura looked at Kaiya as her cheeks turned red and walked off. She wondered what all of that was about. She was used to being talked about like that. Lady Tsunade had even called her Ran Naruto because she was so much like him even down to wearing a lot of the color orange. Even now the shinobi sat wearing orange pants with her black leg strap a black netted shirt under a very small orange and blue vest with a blue belt strap with blue shoes. Even her light neon blue hair, that was spiked up in the front with small bangs and pulled down in the back into two are hoop pony tails, were held together with orange bows. Sakura just sighed softly as she turned her attention back to the road and headed home.
The sun shone rightly into the home of the orange shinobi. Soon the rays touched his eye lids and he opened them softly allowing his blue eyes to glow with a new fire and passion he hadn't had since he was fighting to get back Gaara. He jumped up and looked out the window.
"YES!! Today is the day I show everyone I deserve to be a Chunin!" he got up and washed himself down and threw on his clothes. He walked over to the small hanger near the door and pulled off his black headband and ties it around his forehead. He grinned widely as he opened his door and headed out. "I will be Hokage and kick anyone's butt who gets in my way!"
Naruto now sat around with Sakura waiting for Kakashi for appear. As always the Jonin was late. Naruto just got to the point and assumed that Kakashi would only be on time if it was life and death. Right now was not one of the cases. After a bit of pacing and screaming out swear words Kakashi appears.
"Hello you too. Sorry I am late. Just enjoying the morning how have the two of you been?" Naruto just looked up at Kakashi, Sakura was still angry over what happened that night before. "Nothing to say? It was usually the two of you who yell when I am late. Are you two having a lovers quarrel?" Naruto blushed happily but Sakura was not pleased. "Well anyway we have to get a new mission now so lets head on up to the main office.
Shizune was putting away a few thins when there was a knock on the door.
"Come on it." The three shinobi walked inside. "Oh hi everyone. You're here for your mission right? For some reason she wouldn't let me tell you so she is waiting for you out in the field. " They feel the ground shake and dust rises from the ground.
"Damnit Kaiya! If I didn't know any better you were out to kill me?!" Naruto heard that name and growled.
"It's her! I'll show her!" he then runs over jumping out the window.