An exhausted medic slowly made her way through the streets of Konoha. Sakura had just finished her shift at the hospital and was now on her way home. The problem was that she seemed to notice every couple on the street that night. She sighed. It's all because of that Ino-pig!

She thought back to the "Conference of the Kunoichi Four" or whatever it was. It had already been a couple of days since then, but the events kept recurring in her memory.

After storming out of the Yamanaka house, Sakura kept dragging Hinata down the road in no particular direction.

"Can you believe her? Sticking her nose in other people's business like that… Why can't she just stay out of it!"

Hinata wasn't sure what to do, so she tried to speak up. "B-but Sakura…"

The furious medic didn't hear the poor girl; she was too busy ranting. "I mean, she's been like this since we were kids! She always had to take charge and get her way! When will she-"

That's when Hinata halted abruptly, pulling a surprised Sakura to face her.

"I know that's not how you feel, Sakura. Yes, she does interfere, but are her intentions really that awful? You told me what happened when you were young and how you met her. Do you honestly believe she should have minded her own business then?"

Sakura gaped; Hinata had never sounded so confident before! 'And she's got a point…'

Hinata sighed. "I can't say that I feel comfortable about it either, but you know it's her way of saying she cares."

Sakura stared at Hinata, letting her words sink in. Her eyes softened; not just because of Ino, but also Hinata. 'She's so loyal; she never stutters when she's defending a friend. Both of them have their own way of showing that they care.'

She gave a smile, "I guess you're right, Hinata…"

At those words, Hinata seemed to relax a little out of relief.

Sakura put her arms behind her back. "So… does that mean you want to take Ino's advice?"

She smirked when she saw Hinata blush. "That's what I thought."

Sakura sighed. I know Ino's intentions are good, but I just can't bring myself to face him. If he hasn't done anything by this time, that just means he can't return my feelings. I can accept that; I can't force him to like me.

As much as she wanted to sulk, she knew she couldn't. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "I can't think about that now; I have a mission first thing in the morning."


At the Hyuuga mansion, Hinata silently went to her room and walked straight to her window. She smiled as she gazed at the moon, but it faded. She didn't let Sakura know, but Ino's words had hit her hard.

It's true. Naruto hasn't responded. Maybe he doesn't remember at all…

Feeling rather insignificant, she sat down on the side of her bed. "Why am I so weak?" she whispered.


Ino paced in her room, trying to come up with a plan. She had told Shikamaru she could take matters into her own hands, but she had no idea what to do next. She tried to concentrate.

"So, if Sasuke and Naruto are completely clueless about their own feelings, maybe I can force them to wake up and smell the roses… but how?"

This was the more difficult part of the scheme. Her secret weapon had always been seduction, but that option was next to impossible. The new "mature" Sakura would never attempt to flirt with Sasuke, and Hinata would faint at the thought. She giggled as she tried to picture Hinata being seductive. Maybe in an alternate universe…

She held her chin as she continued to think. "Hmmm… well, guys are also pretty competitive…" A light bulb flickered on as Ino came up with a brilliant idea! "There's only one option! I have to make them jealous!"

And she knew exactly how to do it. All she had to do was plant the seed that those two have been seen with other guys. They'll probably be indifferent at first, but they'll take off when they think no one's looking! "And when those idiots find the girls, they'll realize how much they mean to each other! It's PERFECT!"

Ino was so excited, she started squealing and doing her happy dance! "Oh, I'm so amazing! What a gem I am!"

After three minutes of that, her eyes widened and she stopped. "Oh, wait. I need to find some guys to make it look like Sakura and Hinata are seeing other people…"

Hinata was simple; Kiba Inuzuka was really close to her as a comrade. Of course, he was well aware of Hinata's crush and would tease her about it all the time. But Naruto doesn't know that. Ino smirked to herself.

Making a match for Sakura would be a bit more difficult. Sure, she had guys like Rock Lee chasing after her, but could the Uchiha really get jealous over Bushy Brows and his spandex?

Then, Ino thought back to earlier that day. She had been on her way to report to the Hokage for her shift when she overheard an interesting conversation regarding a new mission for Sakura.

"I simply cannot believe how lucky she is! I would give anything to be in her place right now!"

"I know how you feel. After seeing a picture of that man, I'd be begging for that mission, too."

"To think, Sakura gets to be the guide for one of the young lords of the land!"

"But it's not fair. She didn't even want the mission."

Ino knew her friend quite well; even if she didn't want to do it, she'd put on her best act to please the young lord. She had to make a good impression for the sake of the village. And if Sasuke sees them together… Ino grinned; now she had the perfect plan.


The next morning, Ino dashed over to the training grounds. I doubt Naruto and Sasuke know about Sakura's mission; they probably think she's at the hospital again. So, they should be sparring about now.

Her theory was right on the money. When she reached the grounds, she saw the Uchiha gracefully avoiding the attacks of three Narutos with ease.

Ino sweat-dropped. I guess they set a limit on the number of clones. I'd expect that baka to use about a hundred or so…

As one of the Narutos got tossed in the air by the clones for an aerial attack, Sasuke prepared to counter.

"HEY! SASUKE! NARUTO!"

Naruto turned his head. "Eh? Ino?" Due to the distraction, he lost his focus and didn't notice Sasuke move out of the way; he crashed into the ground. "GAH!"

Ignoring the groans and grumbles of his teammate, Sasuke narrowed his eyes a bit. He was a little ticked to have his training interrupted. "What do you want, Yamanaka?"

She ran up to them. "I was looking for Sakura. Have you seen her anywhere?"

Naruto paused in his tantrum and turned to her. "Sakura? Isn't she at the hospital today?"

Ino shook her head. "I was just there."

Naruto was near panicking now. "You mean, she didn't go? That's not like her!"

Sasuke remained silent; he had no reason to be concerned. But that didn't mean he wasn't curious. If she's not at the hospital, then she should be here training.

Ino inwardly smirked. They're hooked. She turned to the side with her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess it's possible she's with that boyfriend of hers…"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Sakura has a boyfriend?! Since when?"

Sasuke's mouth was slightly agape, but the dobe was much more noticeable. When he realized it, he quickly composed himself and returned to his indifferent state.

"Oh, yeah. She helped out in a nearby village, and she got to know the lord's son." Ino brought her pointer-finger to her cheek. "Actually, I think she might have mentioned him coming for a visit…"

Naruto folded his arms. "Why should we believe you? Sakura tells us everything!"

"But it's true. I haven't seen her around as often because of it. She and Hinata have been so busy lately. But then again, I spend plenty of time with Sai."

Naruto blinked. "Wait a minute. You said 'Hinata.' She has a boyfriend, too?"

Ino nodded. "Kiba asked her out a couple of days ago. She said they're meeting today. I guess she was sick of having her feelings ignored." Judging by his expression, Ino could tell something had clicked in his head. Bingo.

Deciding she had said what she needed to, she turned to walk away. "Well, I guess I better get back to the shop. Sorry I interrupted your little session. Carry on." She gave a small wave before walking away. I give them a minute before they go looking for them.

The two shinobi simply watched the blonde walk away. Once she was out of sight, Naruto turned to Sasuke, laughing awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "Man, are girls weird or what? I mean, does she honestly expect us to believe that?"

Sasuke spared a brief glance, followed by his signature grunt. "Hn."

As if he understood the language, Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah, you're right. It's not like it's any of our business."

Silence followed that last comment. They both stood there for a minute before Naruto spoke up. "A-actually, Teme, I'm kind of… beat. I think we did enough training for today."

"… Alright. If you're so weak to have already exhausted yourself, there's no point."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his "friend."

"Teme," he grumbled.

"Hn. Dobe."

After exchanging one final glance, they took off simultaneously in opposite directions.


Ino Yamanaka, what have you started?

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