Sakura's Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did... I would do away with filler episodes! And replace them with a mini-series starring Rock Lee And Might Guy as two college students sharing a dorm room! Bwhahaha. Vote for Me in the '08 Presidential Elections! That is all. -cough-

Author's Notes: Aha, we're on to the second chapter! Or the third, or even the final part of the first and a bit of the second, depending on how you're keeping count. Anyways... Not much to say at the moment, so I'll get on with review responses. I know how much you love those!

Masterkeyes2: I really do enjoy responding to your reviews, heh. And yeah, people re-writing the Bell Test is rare indeed, but every single one I've ran across (all three or so) left my crying in agony by the end. As for guerrilla warfare, I do believe that ninjas of the Hidden Leaf would be taught it, if not in name than in principle perhaps. Think about it: They live in a forest, so they should know how to fight properly in a forest. Training them to be hippies was out of my jurisdiction. I'm probably only going to utilize the teaching once in a great while: not every encounter they have will start out as a 'hide-and-seek in the bushes', fear not. However, I like to introduce my readers to seemingly OOC/AU ideas before just tossing them willy-nilly into the tale, if you understand what I mean. And finally, let me put your (and every other reader, perhaps) fears to rest: I AM pairing up Naruto and Sakura. I marked it Romance for a reason, and if the pairing comes as a shock to anyone, you obviously didn't read the last little bit in the Summary: 'NarutoxSakura' (I even dropped a hint of SakuraxNaruto in the first chapter's AN). I know where you're coming from, though. As for when said pairing occurs, I can not say. The two will become closer, but I can't reveal just yet how soon. It won't be too far along the horizon, but it may not be just this chapter.

Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain: Very observant, you are! However, let me make one little point clear: That dream was NOT part of the effects of the Genjutsu. Kakashi used a form of the Forced Sleep jutsu, as first seen in the fight between Naruto and Gaara. He didn't make her dream in pink, and he wasn't making Inner Sakura speak up in such a manner. Sakura simply started dreaming after he put her to sleep, that's all. Sorry if it confused anyone.

Rickp2006: Well, I can't say if you're right or if you're wrong in your assumptions, since that would ruin the joy of interpreting the tale in your own view. However, let me say this: I love adding in little clues and plot devices, leaving trails of literary 'breadcrumbs' for my readers to notice. It keeps things fresh, and keeps you, Constant Reader, thinking on your feet, as Rick was when reading the last chapter. Keep an eye peeled for any further minor details, and perhaps you'll gain a better understanding of the events to come, if that makes any sense at all.

PS: Two things about my reader reviews! I will only be responding to reviews directed at the previous chapter, so please make sure to select the most recent chapter when you review if you want me to perhaps choose your review to respond to. Secondly, the longer the review, the more criticism/praise I have to work with, so the more likely I am to choose said review for response. Even if it's a negative review! As long as it's well-constructed, I'll consider it ("ur story suxx sasuxsaku 4 life"-type reviews will never be responded to).

Chapter Three: Out Of The Frying Pan

Sakura opened her eyes, and managed to pull herself into a sitting position. Whatever was behind her felt stiff, straight and round. What... Where am I? T-the test! As she struggled to pull her thoughts together, a familiar voice spoke up from her right.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake, thank Kami!"

Naruto? Turning her head towards the sound, Sakura's eyes immediately shot open, and she couldn't stop the shout of surprise that at once rose to her lips. "W-what the hell?!"

Naruto was tied to a post beside her, perhaps a little more than a yard away. The ropes bound his hands to his side, wrapping several times around his ribcage. Sakura was sure it was painful: she could see where the binding was already tight against his torso.

"Hehehe... Sorry about the scare. But, you're up now!" Naruto smiled brightly, then turned his gaze to a point seemingly over her head. "You had me worried, sensei!"

Sakura spun around, and indeed, their teacher was standing to her left, near a familiar-looking obelisk... The memorial! They seemed to have returned to the location they had met their sensei. And if her sleep-deprived memory could be trusted, the pole she seemed to be leaning against was one of the three that had stood near the stone. Craning her neck back to the right, Sakura's thoughts were confirmed: beyond Naruto sat both the third pole and their third teammate, Sasuke.

"I told you twice Naruto, it was a simple Genjutsu." Kakashi's voice drew her attention forward as the man slowly made his way from the obelisk to a point several yards ahead of the trio. "And now that all three of you are done napping, let us discuss the outcome of this little 'exercise'."

She couldn't help but cringe at the tone Kakashi-sensei was using. T-this... I failed, didn't I? Sakura's head drooped lower, and her silent struggle against the tears began. Those two a-at least did something... All I did was hide and fall asleep. Stealing a glance at Naruto, she couldn't help but feel slightly surprised at the grim expression on his face. What does he have to be mad about? Her gaze was pulled forward once more though, as Kakashi continued.

"Naruto... The stunt you pulled at the beginning of the lesson could have gotten your entire team killed. A squad of shinobi must think as one, plan as one, and act as one. In a live-combat situation, attacking without warning leaves the rest of your comrades defenseless, and leaves you open to counterattack." ... Even if it was part of your plan Kakashi thought to add. The blond opened his mouth to give a retort, and their sesnsei silenced him with a raised hand. "As for you, Sasuke... I'll admit, your move was a powerful one. But, judging by your movements afterwards, you used up way too much chakra. You have power, but you need control. Without control, you'll waste too much of your reserves, and too much time." The raven-haired student nodded grimly. "As for you, Saku-"

Naruto couldn't take Kakashi's verbal lashing anymore. Especially not to Sakura-chan! "It's not her fault, Kakashi-sensei! I was the one tha-"

"Kept her out of combat because she was hungry? Allowed her to sleep in because she was exhausted already?" the man before them dead-panned, his visible eye boring into Naruto.

"Naruto-kun noticed all of that? What the hell?! It wasn't that obvious, was it!?" Sakura didn't know what to think. Part of her wanted to stand up and punch the boy, just to show him exactly how exhausted she wasn't. And yet... Another part of her wanted to thank him for saving her the humiliation that would have occurred had she engaged Kakashi-sensei with her two teammates. Her Clones weren't all that impressive, and there was no way she could have produced a jutsu with as much destructive power as Sasuke's attack. All she would have done was gotten in the way.

"Y...Yeah. I did. But... I had a good reason!"

"Oh?" Kakashi's gaze softened slightly, and he looked intrigued. "And what would that be?"

Naruto cleared his throat, and Sakura could tell that he was nervous for some reason. "W-well, I wanted Sakura-chan to watch the fight, so if you had a weakness, she could s-see it... But, since Sasuke's jutsu had no effect on you, I knew it was a lost cause, so I t-tried to buy her time to escape, but..."

She couldn't believe her ears. Naruto wanted me to watch? But... Observationists usually have to be the most intelligent ninja in the squad! "Well, he obviously picked the right person when he picked us! Cha!" Sakura didn't buy it. There had to be another reason for the formation, and she would get to the bottom of it. Even if she had to punch it out of the orange-clad blond.

"Hmm." Kakashi collected his thoughts for a minute. Naruto had proven his assumption wrong once again. His reasoning was sound, and had very few noticable holes. However... "However... A ninja team must act as a team, not as individuals. If even one member stumbles, that puts you all in danger." The man gestured at the ground before them, and Sakura looked down, finally noticing the two lunch boxes. One was sitting in front of her, and the other was in front of Sasuke. The alarm clock was nowhere in sight. "I'll give you one more chance. You have fifteen minutes to eat your lunch." At the mention of food, all three teammates could hear the groans of hunger issuing from their stomaches. "Oh, and Naruto goes hungry."

Sakura was perplexed. "But, Kakashi-sensei, you said..."

"He brought it upon himself at the beginning of the exam, by attacking early. If either of you feed him, you fail. My word is the law, when you're under my command. Begin eating." With a quick hand-seal, Kakashi promptly vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"Heheh... This'll be easy! Don't worry about me you two, I'll be fine..." Naruto's stomach growled loudly, betraying it's master's assurances, and as Sakura looked up at the boy she caught the look of pain that swam across his face. It was horrible to watch, but Kakashi-sensei had said...

"Here." Sakura turned to Sasuke, and immediately let out a gasp of surprise: he was offering Naruto his own lunch box.

"B-but, Sasuke! Our sensei said that we'd fail if we fed Naruto!"

Sasuke glanced at her, and shrugged. "He also said that if one of us stumbles, it puts the rest in danger. We need Naruto at full potential. And besides, Kakashi's probably miles away by now."

Sakura stared down at her own lunch, deep in thought. Naruto had helped her without even thinking of the consequences. So... Wasn't it her duty to help him, too? Standing up slowly she nodded to herself, then held out her own half-eaten lunch.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto was over-joyed: they were both willing to risk failure to help him out? For the first time in his life, Naruto found himself in the company of true companions, ones that supported him without fear or hate. The smile on his face felt too huge to be contained. A few moments later, though, he realized the slight problem in the situation.

His arms were still tightly bound against the post.

"H-hey... Uhm... Could you one of you feed me? Please?! I promise I won't bite!"

"No way in hell." Sasuke chuckled, then tossed Sakura his own lunch box. "I've seen you eating before. Not even Kakashi could order me to put my fingers near your mouth when you're hungry."

The blond stuck his tongue out at the raven-haired boy, then turned to his other teammate. "I-if you don't want to, Sakura-chan, t-that's alri-"

"I'll do it, don't worry" Sakura cut him off, then smiled softly. "If he so much as nibbles on one of our fingernails, he's in for a world of pain! Cha!" "Just... No biting, alright? And try not to get too much of it on me, either."

"I'll try not to, I promise." Naruto couldn't help but feel an odd warmth in his chest, a feeling quite unlike the stabs of hunger coming from his stomach. Slipping his sky-blue eyes closed, he opened up his mouth and waited patiently for Sakura.

Picking up a set of chopsticks, the girl managed to get a fair amount of seasoned rice balanced on the end of the utensils. Moving slowly, she raised her hand to Naruto's face, and got the small amount of food inside of his gaping mouth without spilling more than a grain or two. Naruto's tongue felt the contact of the chopsticks, and he immediately snapped his lower jaw upward, encasing the thin strips of wood.

Sakura nearly giggled at the look on Naruto's face. "Hehe... Naruto-kun does look pretty cute while he's eating" She could feel his tongue pushing the chopsticks around, trying to get every last morsel of food. Pulling on the sticks, Sakura managed to dislodge them from his mouth, and watched as he quickly chewed and swallowed.

"Thanks, Saukra-chan! But... More please?" Naruto opened his mouth once more, eagerly awaiting the second mouthful.

"We've got company." Sasuke's tone was grim, and Sakura felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. Company...? She slowly turned around, only to come face-to-face with the man they had just seen vanish into thin air. Kakashi-sensei had returned. And he looked pissed.

"Well, well, well... What do we have here?" Kakashi's voice was as dry as his gaze. "You seem to have disobeyed a direct order. I have only one thing to say..." All three prepared for the worse: they were heading back to the Academy. "You three... Are the first, and perhaps the last... To see 'under' the underneath in this test. All three of you pass, and are hereby officially Genin of Team Seven. Congratulations."

Sasuke and Naruto were speechless, and Sakura felt like she had been sucker-punched in the solar plexus. I... We... W-we didn't obey Kakashi-sensei! How did we pass if we broke the rules?! "Who cares! We passed! We're officially real ninja now! Cha!" "S-sensei..."

The man in front of the three held up his hand, requesting silence. After another moment, he began to talk. "I know what's on your mind. You went against my authority, and broke a 'law'. Well, let me tell you this. In the ninja world, those who disobey their superior's direct orders are considered worthless, the lowest of scum. However..." Kakashi looked towards the teens, and somehow they could tell that the man was smiling at them beneath the mask. "Those that abandon their comrades are worse than worthless, lower than scum."

Sakura felt a pair of eyes on her. Turning around, she almost laughed out loud: Naruto was staring at right at her, wiggling his head. As he noticed that she had noticed him, he instantly hid the bright blue eyes on either side of his nose in thin flesh prisons. "Sakura-channnn... Please?"

She couldn't help but smile at the look on the boy's face: it was so innocent and care-free, it practically warmed her up just seeing it out in the open. Sakura nodded, then realized that their teammate couldn't really see anything. "Sure, Naruto"

"You're the best, Sakura-chan!"

"One of my teammates acts like he's 5 most of the time... This is going to be a real pain."

"Now, on to more important matters... Where did I put that Icha Icha Paradise book?! Did I drop it back in the clearing? Hmmmmm..."

For better or for worse, Team Seven had officially formed.

Half an hour later, the only forms of life on the training grounds were the two figures sitting on the bench beside the memorial, talking animatedly. The man with one eye had left shortly after the test, still mumbling about his 'novel'. The raven-haired Genin had helped Sakura untie Naruto from the post, then promptly walked off. Sakura felt like following him, but something (or someone, depending on if you counted the voices in your mind as actual people or not) had told her to stay behind. As of now, she was glad she had.

"So then, after I messed with the guy's shop sign, he runs out of his shop and starts yelling at me!" Naruto threw his arms up, apparently disgusted with the person's past actions.

"Well yeah, you were ruining his property, duh." Despites her some-what serious tone, Sakura still held a small grin. Her teammate had spent the last twenty minutes telling her about random pranks he had pulled, before his Academy days. Some of them were pretty odd, but she had found a similarity in many: Obnoxious though they were, it was still funny hearing about them.

Naruto flashed one of his fox-like grins. "What he didn't see, though, was the bucket of paint I had above his door!"

"Wait... How did you manage that?"

"With a few dull kunai and a bit of string I had on me, hehehe..." Naruto stuck his hand behind his head, and idly scratched at the small gash in his neck. "He was completely covered in pink paint!"

Pink... Like my hair? Sakura couldn't put her finger on why that thought made her want to blush. "He... He was pretty mad, right?"

"Oh yeah he was! The first thing he did was start shouting again. Then, some random ANBU saw us, and I had to run for it!"

She knew where this was going. "How bad was it when he caught you? Did you get punished?"

"Huh?" The boy looked at her with a bewildered expression on his face. "I didn't say I got caught. I got away from that pig-faced weirdo pretty easily."

"Yeah right, Naruto." The girl knew about ANBU: They were part of Konoha's most elite security force. Not only did they guard the streets of the village, they also tracked down renegade shinobi, or Missing Nin. A nine year old boy eluding one of them was laughable at best. Each member had been in training for nearly their whole life, and some say that their skills rival most Jonin's. However, Sakura decided to drop the point.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you still hungry? That meal was way too small to fill me up, and you barely ate a quarter of it... I have a few coupons for a ramen shop I go to... So, uhm... Do you want to go get some lunch?"

Lunch... Lunch! Damn it, I forgot! "Our mother's going to kill us..." "Sorry, Naruto, but I promised my mother I'd come home after the test, to tell her all about it."

The blond looked crestfallen. Sakura-chan probably just doesn't want to be seen with me in public... An idea hit him. "It is alright if I walk you home? I mean, if you don't mind it, or..."

Part of her wanted to tell him no, and yet another part of her wanted to hear more about Naruto. "He can't be that bad, can he? His stories are pretty hilarious... Especially that one with the cats!" Sakura nodded to herself, then smiled again. "Sure, Naruto. And while we walk... Can you tell me another story?"

Naruto abruptly shot off of the bench, then extended his arm, offering it to Sakura. After a moment she grasped his hand in hers, and using him as a support, she managed to make it off the bench without falling over. He had been right: she did really only eat part of the small meal. Inwardly, Sakura prayed that her mother had made something a little more filling than another salad.

As they both began to follow the trail away from the monument, Naruto felt like he was floating along the well-packed dirt patch. I'm walking Sakura-chan home! He didn't know which was better: The fact that she was actually talking to him, or that he hadn't heard a word about Sasuke-teme the entire time.

"Naruto...?" Sakura's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he cleared his throat before responding.

"Oh! You wanted a story, right? Well, this one time, I found an explosive tag lying around..."

Sakura lost herself in the story, and neither of the teens paid much attention to actually heading in a specific direction.

Ten minutes later, Naruto suddenly stopped walking. Sakura took a few steps forward before realizing she was alone, then turned to see what the matter was. "Naruto, why are you... Oh."

Beside the boy, she could see her family's own mailbox. She hadn't been really looking around much, and they had somehow come to her house almost without her noticing. "Well, that's a bit... Uhm. Silly of us? Hehe..."

Naruto smiled sheepishly, then stuck both his hands behind his head. "Sorry it took so long, but I sorta got lost on the way here..."

"You... Know where I live?" "Stalker! STALKER! I'll slap that smile off of his face!"

"Y-yeah... I wander around a lot, and I saw you leaving for class one day, so I figured that this was your house." The boy was already having doubts at bringing Sakura-chan home. From the look in her eyes, she was debating whether to hit him or not. In the past, usually the urge to cause pain came out on top. This time, though, he was in for a real treat.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Naruto. I'm glad you were paying attention, or we probably would be hopelessly lost right about now." "Not that that's a bad idea... I wouldn't mind it too much, at least." Sakura found her cheeks heating up: She could tell by her Inner Self's tone that whatever she meant by that remark, it had very little to do with location.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Sorry, got lost in my thoughts for a second there."

"Oh. Alright..." Naruto turned towards the house, then back to her. "So... I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Kakashi-sensei told us to meet him at the training grounds before he left... But... He didn't say a time, did he?"

"We could just show up at 10 again, like we did today."

"Good idea. Alright, I'll see you then." Sakura turned to leave, but stopped as the blond spoke again.

"By the way... Congratulations on becoming a Genin, Sakura-chan. I knew you could do it!"

Sakura blushed, then shrugged. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." Leaving behind a speechless Naruto, she walked up to her front door and slipped quietly into the house.

Neither of the Genin saw the face withdraw from the second-story window of Sakura's home.

Something was beeping. Loudly. Every other heartbeat. Naruto groaned, then peeked his head up over the blanket covering his small bed. Bleary blue eyes surveyed the room, trying to locate the source of the noise. Finally, they focused in on a small nightstand beside the bed.

It was the brand-new alarm clock, telling him it was exactly 5 AM.

Naruto reached over and managed to hit the small switch on the side of the infernal device, silencing it's incessant beeping. Lying back down, the blond couldn't help but feel happy.

It had been a week since he had become an official Konoha ninja. And he was loving it.

Kakashi-sensei proved to be one of the strictest instructors Naruto had ever had. Iruka-sensei's lectures paled in comparison to the work load the team was now under.

Every morning, they would begin the day with stretches and simple breathing exercises. Then, the pain began. It started out simple: sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, jogging. Then, it got worse. Kakashi called them 'suicides'. They would all start at the end of a field. Kakashi-sensei would throw three kunai out, and they had to sprint out, retrieve them, and run back to him. Then, he would repeat the process, only throwing the kunai a little further. And further. Eventually, it would span nearly half a mile. The third day, Sakura had gotten brave enough to ask Kakashi-sensei just how far he could throw one of the small daggers. Kakashi only smiled, then promptly drew another kunai, set his feet apart, and threw it so fast the three could barely see his arm move. By noon, they gave up searching, having covered nearly two miles of forest beyond the field.

After noon, and a short lunch break, Kakashi led them all to the Hokage's tower, to collect the day's missions. The first day, they only got one: weeding out one of the herbalist's gardens. Several sweaty hours later, and Kakashi was throughly pleased with the three. Naruto had proven to be a hard worker, and the fact that there were multiple Naruto's working at the time only increased the potential. Since each one was in fact a solid being, and not an illusion, they were more than able to actually weed the garden. Each one seemed to have a mind of it's own, and Kakashi often overheard them talking amongst themselves. Every so often one or two would dissipate from exhaustion, and Naruto would stop whatever he was doing in order to make more.

Sasuke played the role of supervisor/observer, and managed to keep the 'group' of Shadow Clones in line, correcting any mistakes they made. The boy's eyesight was incredible: Although there were several 'people' working at the same time, he kept track of every Clone's movements, easily noticing any blunders made. After one Clone made several mistakes in a matter of minutes, Sasuke promptly dispatched it with a well-thrown shuriken, then threatened the rest of the 'beings' with similar fates, should they stray from the path of correct behavior.

Sakura didn't do much in terms of physical work, but instead kept the old woman who owned the garden company. They both sat around a small table in the shade and watched the boys work, drinking freshly made iced tea and discussed random matters. Sakura provided the woman with a solution to the weeds that constantly threatened her crops: A close friend of the kunoichi's worked at a local gardening store, and would most likely be more than happy to design some fertilizer that would only provide nutrients to her plants. She gave the old lady a street address, then reminded her to bring in a sample of all the herbs she was planting, so they could be researched.

By the end of the afternoon, all three Genin were tired, so their sensei let them go, reminding them to be at the grounds in the morning. By the fourth day they were averaging nearly two missions a day: baby-sitting, walking dogs, more gardening, trimming trees, rescuing lost pets, tracking down Academy students who were skipping school... The list never seemed to end. Yesterday had been their first three-mission day, and by the time Naruto managed to get into his apartment, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

There was one good thing about taking on so many missions: The more they got done, the more they got paid. Once a task was accomplished, the team that completed the contract got a small amount of the fee, which they then split amongst each other. It wasn't much, but Naruto actually had money. The man who ran the ramen shop that he ate at on a regular nearly cried for some reason the first time he had started paying back the tab that spanned nearly 7 years, back to when Naruto had first discovered the place. And although it was small, the funding gave him a chance to restock his refridgerator, and repack it with food that wasn't two months past it's expiration date. It also gave him an allowance to purchase other items, besides food.

Like alarm clocks.

And shampoo.

Clean socks, too.

Naruto managed to seperate himself from his covers, then ran into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, and he was ready to grab breakfast. Preparing fast had been one of his specialties before purchasing the alarm clock: since he didn't know when he was going to wake up, it always helped to be able to get going as quick as humanly possible.

After looking through the fridge, Naruto grabbed a few things. Kakashi-sensei had put them all on strict diets once the training had started. Naruto was forced to curb down on his ramen intake, and Sakura was being forced to eat things high in protein, like meats. The last he had heard, Sakura-chan was annoyed at her mother, because of her attitude regarding animal products. Peeling the foil top off of a fresh container of yogurt, he rummaged through a random drawer and managed to find a spoon that looked half clean. After slurping down half of the container, Naruto slapped the top back on it, then threw it into the fridge, for tomorrow's breakfast.

Eyeing a few carrots, he decided to take two, one for the road and one to eat with lunch. Sticking one in his pants pocket and the other in his mouth, the blond shut off the kitchen light, grabbed his orange jacket off the back of a cheap wooden chair, then headed for the front door. He opened it quietly: it was still early, and from past experiences, the boy knew better than to make loud noises, lest he anger the landlord. Slipping a small key out of his coat pocket, Naruto locked the door, then made his way outside. The sun was barely visible in the east, although if the red horizon was any indication, it wouldn't be long before it was up.

Naruto had a feeling today was going to be a good day.

Finishing Notes: Huzzah! I like what I did with that chapter. And I liked the place I ended it, so go me! Oh, and for those that want to know... Yes, I did see Shoot Em' Up last night at the theaters! And no, Naruto will not be stabbing people through the throat with that spare carrot. Or delivering a baby while fighting enemy ninja. Or having sex while doing the same. Although... Nah, we won't go there. For now. Muhahaha. Anyways! That was the good news, now here's the bad bit: The 28th of this month (September, for those that don't know) I will be moving back up to NY. I may not have any internet for a little while (at least, that's what I'm being told) so sometime around then, the updates will cease for a bit. Don't think that I won't be working on the story, oh no. I'll simply be unable to post new chapters for a bit. I will be working on the story until then, and updating as often as I feel comfortable doing so, so don't think I'm saying goodbye right this moment, I'm simply warning you of things to come. Anyways, see you next Chapter, dudes and dames!

Lucky Thirteen

PS: Trivia question! Why is thirteen considered an unlucky number?