Chapter 4
Chains of The Past
The two blondes that had been previously atop the Hokage Monument were now en route back to the village, the sun having sunk into the distant horizon already. The day was slowly giving birth to the night, meaning that most of the activity in the village was also snuffing out alongside the dying day. The same could also be said for the mood of one Uzumaki Naruto, his face currently contorted into a frown since things had not gone along the way he had intended them to. As he walked a bit irritated, his hands folded on his chest and his gaze focused on the girl ahead of him, who was not holding his hand this time, he remembered with disappointment how the rest of the day had been anticlimactic.
Yamanaka Ino, who walked ahead of him with certain nervousness in her step, shot a glance backwards to satiate her growing doubts over Naruto's current mood. True to what she had been worried about for a while now, the boy she had been with for the rest of the day was still not in a happy mood, and she had a funny feeling she knew the reason why. Giggling nervously, she felt a drop of sweat make its way down her forehead as she attempted to make the situation better.
"Hey, cheer up will you? I already said I was sorry I made you miss your chance," an idea popped in her mind and she immediately latched onto it," Look! I said to make it up for you I would escort you home! Is there anything that could possibly beat that?" She allowed herself an inward smile at what she thought was a valid penance, but the stern look on Naruto's face did not even seem to be fazed. Dismayed, the blonde girl refocused her gaze ahead of her, deciding that it would be better to continue the rest of the trip to Naruto's home in silence.
The truth of the matter was, ever since Ino had made that bold move on Naruto earlier on the mountain as she attempted to make things clear to him regarding his dilemma with Sakura, the two had not descended the mountain till a few minutes ago. Of course, once Naruto had received a pat on the back from the blonde girl, he had been more than willing at that point to go and see Sakura immediately and ask her what he wanted to know. However, before he could make quick on his plans, Ino asked him for a teensy weensy favor, with the cutest expression she could muster. She asked Naruto to spend the rest of the day with her on top of the mountain, and keep him company until the evening. The blonde man was hesitant at first, asking Ino whether he really needed to be there for such a trivial event, but she insisted that since it was her first time at the Monument since forever and it would probably be a long time till she went there again, she wanted it to be special. Besides, she added on, such things were more special when they were done with others.
Naruto looked at her unsurely, pondering over whether it would not take too much of his time, but seeing no harm in staying a few moments longer with someone who had helped him out earlier, decided to keep her company a bit longer. Like that, the two sat at the edge like they had the first time they had come there, engaging in idle chatter and talking of things that would help pass the time. Unfortunately, however, Uzumaki Naruto was not one to engage in one activity for a long time, especially if the activity involved staying in one place, so after what seemed to be an hour, his eyes began feeling heavy. Unresisting, he gave in to the impulse and allowed himself to doze off, but luckily, before he could tip over to the other side, Ino managed to catch on his unusual silence a few seconds earlier and caught him. She was surprised to have found him dozed off, but she mused to herself that she had probably not offered enough conversation to keep him lively the whole time, feeling slightly displeased by herself. As she stared upon his peaceful resting form, taking special note of how he looked so cute in that state, she smiled a little to herself, then slowly, so as not to wake him, she placed his head on her lap, where he continued to nap, his chest heaving slowly upwards and downwards. She stroked his hair a few times, as she looked upon the setting sun, wishing moments like that happened more often.
A few minutes later, after the sun had completely disappeared, Naruto woke up with a start, at first wondering where he was. He caught on what had transpired; mentally berating himself for not waking up in time, but more than that, he was angry that Ino had not woke him up. The girl, half expecting this reaction from him the moment he got up, realized that she may have gotten too carried away in the bliss she had been enjoying moments earlier, apologizing to him and offering to escort him home herself. She knew as well as he did that it would not bode well to go see Sakura at that ungodly hour of the day, so the best Naruto would do was wait till the beginning of the following day.
As she remembered what had brought on this slightly distant treatment from Naruto at the moment, Ino felt slightly embarrassed as she realized that she might have been a bit selfish back then. Luckily for her, however, Naruto had not exactly noticed the position he had woken up in, so she had been able to try something she had never had with any other boy in the past. She prayed that more chances like that would offer themselves to her soon, realizing that if they did she would welcome them with open arms like she had just done.
A sound of creaking wood brought her to the realization that she had arrived at her destination with her comrade, looking down to find herself stepping on the wooden floor that led up to his room. A feeling of dismay washed over her, since she had not expected the trip to take that short, but then again, she was not sure if she would have been comfortable walking with someone who made no visible attempt at a conversation for a long amount of time. She walked up the stairs to Naruto's home, looking back to find him doing the same, but unfortunately he had not seemed to have dropped his slightly saddened mood. With things like this, how was she even supposed to tell him goodbye?
Once she had made way for Naruto to open his door, she lingered a few moments longer at his doorstep as she mentally looked for a way that she could part with him on a good note. To her surprise however, he took one step in the house then turned back at her, this time the hint of a smile on his face, before telling her," Thanks, Ino. For everything." Ino widened her eyes in surprise, momentarily forgetting about what she had been pondering about earlier, looking at the blonde man before her in shock. What had happened to the expression he had sported earlier? Struggling to form a coherent sentence, she opened her mouth, disbelief showing in her words," Wait, what for? I made you miss your chance!" She nearly protested, and for a moment she thought that he was trying to sweep his disappointment under the rug. The thought of this made Ino slightly irate. There was no way she was going to allow him to do that.
"Well, you did," Naruto started, keeping his cerulean eyes on Ino's sky blue ones, "but I was thinking about it as we were walking here. You helped me to know what I was supposed to do next, so it would be unfair of me to hold a grudge over something so simple. Besides, I'm not exactly in a rush to find out. So I might as well go see Sakura-chan tomorrow! It's not a big deal as I made it out to be in the first place. Sorry I acted that way," he concluded his statement, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly in a show of apology. Ino took in each word he was saying, realizing the sincerity they carried, and allowed her to calm down as she shot him a warm smile. The small falling out they had had earlier now seemed a thing of the past, and Ino felt a bit silly for worrying herself over it. However, even after all had been said and done, there was still one thing she needed to do, a sly smile forming on her lips as she looked upon the unknowing man before her.
Taking one step ahead of her, and catching Naruto completely by surprise, Ino stood on her toes so as to reach his face, and then placed a small kiss on his cheek. Naruto himself was astonished, as the kiss sent a tingling sensation throughout his entire body, but still feeling the girl's warmth awfully close to him, he had a feeling she was not quite done. And true to that, he felt her warm breath on his ear, this time sending a fuzzy feeling throughout him.
"I'm not giving up just yet," Ino whispered in Naruto's ear, and feeling him slightly twitch next to her left her feeling amused at his antics.
Lowering herself back to her normal height, Ino closed her eyes then began walking away from the door, leaving a slightly befuddled man in her wake. Naruto stared at nothing for a few moments, as his mind struggled to process what had just happened. The growing distant sound of Ino's footsteps brought him back to the reality that the blonde woman was departing, and he took a step out of the house to call out for her. Ino, however, had a feeling what he was about to do, so beating him to the punch, she told him, with what was a finalizing tone," Goodnight." She never looked back, keeping her eyes still closed in bliss and her arms at her back, as she felt pleased at herself for what she had managed to accomplish that day.
One Hour Earlier
Haruno Sakura was currently in her shower, the descending water washing over all the fatigue and weariness she had accumulated throughout the day. She was also deep in thought, as she pondered over all that had transpired so far, more specifically what had happened the previous day.
The pink haired girl was practically still in disbelief, as she remembered how she had boldly, and in front of all the peering eyes of the villagers, welcomed Naruto back into the village by hugging him. Back then she had barely given the action any thought, realizing how more than happy she was to see him return well and okay, but now, in the solace of her own home, she found herself wondering what had spurred on her actions back then. She simply churned it to having simply not being in control of her actions back then. As she brought her fingers to her face, the water slowly running through them, she realized that she could still remember how warm he had felt under her fingers, how her small fingers placed themselves on his large back. The vivid feeling brought a warm feeling to her cheeks, making her feel rapidly embarrassed, and she quickly withdrew them from her gaze, realizing that her cheeks were still in that warm state.
In the midst of her embarrassment, however, she realized just how pleased she had felt over what she had done back then. She harbored no regrets over what had happened, and realized that even if she had been under the watch of everyone, she did not mind it a single bit.
Then again, when the deal was too good, such as in such instances, one had to simply think twice. Sakura realized that no matter how hard she tried, she could not simply banish her memories over what had happened prior to her embracing of Naruto. No, it happened even before he had left the village to go and meet Nagato. The Medic could remember quite clearly how a certain lavender haired girl had bravely confessed to Naruto in the middle of his fight with Pain, even going so far as to fight for him for a while before she had been brutally defeated by the Akatsuki Leader. Sakura of course had been there to heal her moments later, bringing her out of harm's way, but when she caught wind of what she did, she realized that she was not exactly happy. She found herself slightly envious of the girl, as she pondered herself whether she would ever be able to do something of that magnitude for Naruto.
The pink haired girl knew full well that she was not supposed to be feeling that way, comforting herself with the fact that she had been there for Naruto in her own way for the longest time, even longer than anyone else, but as the water covered her entire body, she found herself wondering whether it was enough.
She caught her arm, feeling something course its way throughout her body, as she questioned herself as to when she had started feeling that way for Naruto. A small tear escaped her cheek and melded with the water on the ground, as she came to the conclusion that she was slowly growing to feel the same way for him that Hinata had. Perhaps she had been feeling this way for a while now, but she had been oblivious to her own feelings, and seeing Hinata doing what she had did back then had brought her full circle to what she felt about Naruto. Her heart was currently in turmoil, as she thought to herself whether this was what it felt like to love someone.
At the mention of the word love in her mind, her thoughts drifted away from the lavender haired girl and came to rest upon a certain raven haired Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke had been someone she had loved in her youth, someone she had pined for and someone she had hoped to one day win over with her charms. As she pondered over the man, she found herself thinking over the feelings she had for him back then. Were they really true? She had said to him once that she had loved him, and told herself several times on each waking day that she loved him, but then again, had she really known herself back then what the word love truly entailed? Like she did now? Naruto had managed to cause these new feelings to sprout in her, something she realized had never happened with Sasuke.
Perhaps she had not known fully what the word had meant back then, but Sakura realized, with a small sinking feeling in her chest, that perhaps even now, a small part of her heart still beat for Sasuke. She was not sure exactly herself how that had happened, but then again, it were difficult moving on from someone without getting a proper final resolution on your feelings for them. And that had happened with Sasuke, since he had said nothing to her last-ditch attempt to dissuade him from leaving the village, saying a simple 'Thank You' to her tear-filled confession. Was that supposed to mean something? She found herself wondering why these thoughts came to her now, and with a sickening feeling in her stomach, realized that she did not like it one bit. Her feelings for Naruto were growing into something she found did not displease her, something she found special and embracing whole-heartedly, but here an old part of her was still in love with Sasuke. The mere thought of it made her feel like a terrible, and a second tear threatened to spill out of her wet face, but she held it in and realized that crying over it was not going to solve the dilemma she was facing.
She stopped the running water and covered herself with a towel, and exited the bathroom, surprised to find that the moon had already crept over the land. She had lingered in the shower longer than she had expected, but then again, it was due to good reason. As she made her way to her room to get herself a change of clothes for the night, she found herself musing over how Hinata probably loved Naruto with all her heart, and that she didn't have to be so fidgety with her feelings like how Sakura was at the moment. The pink haired girl felt herself growing increasingly green with envy over the lavender haired girl, and slowly growing to hate how she was feeling at the moment as well, but as she changed into her favorite set of pajamas and placated herself over her bed, she resolved to put a stop to how she was feeling at the moment. Her mind was already set over Naruto, so she needed to do something first before she could proceed with whatever she had in mind already.
An hour later, realizing that it was becoming increasingly difficult to sleep owing to the maelstrom of emotions that had not offered her peace of mind ever since they had cropped up in her, Sakura heard a knock on her front door. She extricated herself from the top of her bed, wondering who it was that dared visit her at that time of the day, when most of the village was bound to be asleep. She walked to her door, curiosity welling up in her, and when she opened the door, she was surprised to find that it was her best friend, Yamanaka Ino.
"Ino?" The pink haired girl asked, and the blonde girl let herself into the house, surprising the Medic a bit more. She closed the door then turned to face her best friend, who had one arm on her waist as her eyes were focused on Sakura. "What are you doing here?" Sakura asked a bit unsurely, as she rested herself on her door, her arms on her chest.
"I came to check up on you," Ino stated in a matter of fact tone, but taking note of the grave expression ion her best friend's face, decided to continue, this time in an equally stern tone herself, "and I think I made the right call. What's wrong? Did I interrupt you in the middle of something?" She added on, her eyes darting around the house as she wondered whether Sakura had been engaged in something prior her untimely visit.
Sakura huffed, realizing that she had to get used to her best friend's straight forward nature by then, but feeling grateful that she had come at that moment. Sakura was not sure whether she would be able to carry out what she had in mind by herself, taking a small mental note that she probably needed to talk to someone with all that was plaguing her mind at the moment. And what better person to talk to than her best friend? It was by chance that she had come, but Sakura realized that if she did not take this chance, it might be too late to act later on. She focused her emerald eyes on her best friend's blue ones, and then told her, with a more confident voice this time," I'm glad you could come, Ino. I need your help with something."
Ino was surprised to hear her friend speak in such a manner, sensing a slightly pleading tone in her friend's voice, but surmised that what Sakura wanted help with was probably what had put her into such a mood in the first place. She nodded brusquely in response, and Sakura ushered her further into the house, taking her into the confines of her room where they could speak more privately and more comfortably.
Once inside, Sakura explained the entire situation to her best friend, the two seated on her warm bed, and Ino's expressions as she listened to her best friend's woes and worries were certainly not any to be scoffed at. Sakura's voice was a bit edgy throughout the whole time, placing special emphasis on each and everything she said so as to make sure that her best friend understood just what she was going through. Ino was shocked as Sakura concluded on her explanation, her eyes threatening to shot holes through Sakura, but the pink haired girl had an equally determined glare in her eyes as she looked at her best friend. She had a feeling Ino would react this way, or for that matter anyone if they heard of it, but if she faltered here, she would probably come to regret it sooner than later.
"So, what are you planning to do about all this?" Ino asked, once Sakura was done, in her heart fearing for what the pink haired girl was going to say next. Then again, there were only two probable things to do at such a moment, and for Kami's sake Ino prayed that her best friend would not pick any of them. It was simply too big of a risk.
Sakura, still retaining that determined look in her eyes, stilled her breath, and then told Ino, with as much determination as she could muster," I'm going to see Sasuke-kun."
I had a feeling she would choose to do that. Ino thought, with a resounding feeling of disappointment, wondering why her best friend would make the harder choice of the two. She immediately began to protest, deciding that she would not let her best friend embark on such a dangerous decision. It was simply too much to risk. "Wait! What good will that do now?" As she voiced her protest, Ino realized, to a small extent, that she could somehow understand what Sakura was getting at, but then again, she had not expected her to act on her resolve so soon.
Sakura had of course expected her best friend's disapproval with her decision, but she had resolved to make her see the logic in what she had decided to go through with. It had sounded equally as bizarre to her as first as well, but the more she thought and thought of it, the more it seemed like the only way she was going to set things straight. She closed her eyes, taking in a whiff of fresh air, as she debated in her mind one last time over what she was going to say next was right. Her mind felt strangely serene at the moment, something it had not been for quite a while now, and she took it as a sign of reassurance that she was doing the right thing.
"I intend to start a relationship with Naruto," the pink haired girl stated boldly, revealing her desire to her best friend. Ino wowed softly underneath her breath, but Sakura continued, "For me to do that, I don't want to be chained down by anything in my past. Once I start dating him, the only thing I want to ever be concerned with is the present and the future, I never want to look back again and find myself dwelling over things that should have been long gone."
Slowly, but surely, Ino began understanding Sakura's point of view. It made perfect sense for any girl who had finally set her eyes on someone, but still, she didn't have to do something as dangerous as see Sasuke before she became Naruto's girlfriend. Was it really worth it? Surely there had to other ways for her to move on from the Uchiha for good without having to put her own life in danger right? The blonde girl realized that she still remained to be fully convinced, a small part of her still in arms over what Sakura had just told her," I know that, but still-"
This time, however, Ino was not going to be allowed to complete her retort, as almost immediately Sakura interrupted her, saying," If, just if, I decided to start dating Naruto as I am right now, the shadow of Sasuke-kun will be looming over me every time I'm with Naruto. That means that I would never be able to give my all in the relationship, something which I'm sure Naruto will be more than willing to do for me. If I ever found myself doing that, I would never be able to forgive myself."
To Sakura's satisfaction, this time Ino had not opted to chip in her own two cents, as she sat attentively on the bed and listened to her best friend keenly, her blue eyes never leaving her and one arm propped under her chin for support. Sakura smiled softly, then added," Even if by chance that didn't happen, and I was able to date Naruto contently and we were both happy together, what about when Sasuke-kun comes back? "Sakura paused a little, allowing herself to breath as she remembered how strongly she believed, when she had been a kid and even now, her faith never waning, that Naruto would definitely bring Sasuke back to the village. It was one of the many things she knew that he would achieve one day without fail, just as his dream of being Hokage. She continued, smiling inwardly at the image of the blonde man that had appeared in her mind," If he comes back, and I wasn't able to resolve anything before then, the feelings that lay dormant for Sasuke-kun might threaten to come back in a rush at me, and in a worst case scenario I might end up falling for him all over again. There's no way I could ever allow that to happen."
She paused again, thinking of how painful the expression on Naruto's face would be as he tried to cover it under a smile and told her to go to the one she loved, and she felt a part of her break at this thought. Her resolve deepened, and she realized that she was never going to allow herself to see that expression from Naruto. The mere thought of it was enough to break a small part of her, and she wasn't the least bit curious to learn what would happen if it actually did.
Her blonde best friend took in everything Sakura was saying, finally coming round to her best friend's words, and she remembered something her mom told her a while back. At the time, she thought the words sounded absurd, but seeing Sakura now, she realized that maybe, just maybe, and they weren't as ridiculous as they had sounded.
"If you fall in love with two people at the same time, choose the second person, because if you truly loved the first, you would have never fallen for the second person."
Perhaps this was what was happening to Sakura at the moment, as she was growing increasingly aware of her feelings for Naruto and slowly growing out of the girl she was in the past who loved Sasuke with every fiber of her being. It was proving a hard thing to do for the pink haired girl, what with her current turmoil, but she was trying her hardest, something Ino acknowledged, and she felt a surge of pride for her best friend.
Smiling outwardly at her, she chuckled a little, to Sakura's confusion, before finally telling her," Heh, you know you're really something. To go through with something like this, you're really brave, Sakura." Sakura's eyes widened, not expecting a compliment from Ino at that point, but this time it was Ino that prevented her from saying anything, musing to herself more than Sakura," You may have adopted some of Naruto's recklessness, you idiot."
Sakura had to hold back a laugh that threatened to break out, but she knew that Ino was probably right in regards to her last statement. Glad that her best friend had finally come round to her way of thinking, she felt satisfaction filling up her insides, as she was about to finally get to Ino's role in all what she had planned. Ino spoke up to her again, however, before she could get a word out, this time posing a question rather than a statement," When are you planning to leave?"
"Tomorrow morning," Sakura said, her mind already made up that she needed to do this as soon as possible, which was the next day. The sooner she handled it, the better. At this response, however, a memory prodded at Ino's mind, as she remembered that upon her parting with Naruto that evening, he had promised that he would go see Sakura the following day, yet the pink haired girl was planning to leave by then. The blue eyes girl chose not to speak of the matter, realizing that it was probably not in her place to speak of such an important matter to Naruto. Sakura,realized that Ino's silence meant she had no objection to her chosen time of departure, decided to continue and tell her just what she required her assistance with.
"And that's where I need your help, Ino. I want you to stay with Naruto and take care of him while I'm gone," Sakura said, her voice coming out in form of a plea.
Surprised was an understatement for what the blonde girl was feeling at the moment. She was bewildered! For Sakura to make such a request, she had seriously given the matter more thought that Ino had originally thought. Opening her mouth weakly, she muttered at Sakura, finding herself disbelieving of the request that she had just bestowed upon her," Just what do you mean by that?" After all, Ino knew just as well as Sakura that Naruto was fully capable of taking care of himself just fine without any of them around.
"You know exactly just what I mean, Ino," Sakura replied, in an earnest tone, making it clear that her best friend was not going to try and play dumb with her request. Ino, underneath the initial shock that had plagued her, had known, perhaps from when the request had been made, the real meaning Sakura's words carried. It pained her to admit it, and she thought it unfair to Naruto, but it was a request from her best friend, and she knew that she probably would be unable to find a valid reason to turn down the request. Naruto was not supposed to learn about Sakura's disappearance until after the pink haired girl was gone.
Then again, Ino wondered, why give such an important task to her. Surely there were people more suited for such a thing than her, and her current standing with Naruto was certainly not going to allow her to carry out the request as nonchalantly as she would have in the past. She voiced her doubts to Sakura,"But…why me?"
Sakura shot a small smile to her best friend, before telling her, this time in an affectionate tone, "You're my best friend."
Ino's heart almost melted at this simple, but genuine response from her best friend, rendering her speechless and drawing her full throttle into accepting the request. Unknown to her, however, there was another smaller, minuscule reason that Sakura had bequeathed this request to her. A reason that would probably disgust Ino if she learnt of it. Inwardly, the pink haired girl realized that she was somewhat comfortable with the idea of Naruto spending time with her best friend, rather than Hyuuga Hinata. She did not know how she knew exactly, but Sakura had a nagging feeling that after the blue haired girl's confession, she was bound to be bolder with her advances towards Naruto, a thought that unnerved Sakura. The thought of Hinata spending time with Naruto and making merry with him in her absence made her feel more uncomfortable than she had thought, her heart aching a little. She wondered whether this thought made her selfish. This thought served to harden her resolve, however, as she promised to come back as soon as she could. After all, she thought, with a smile, she was bound to be Naruto's soon, and likewise, him hers.
The blonde girl was completely assured that Sakura was doing the right thing, even assenting as to her request, but even after all that had been said and done; there was still one thing she wanted to make sure of. This time, it was something which she could simply not keep secret from her best friend, like the matter with Naruto she had decided to keep her lips sealed over earlier. A bit unsure as she was treading upon unchartered waters, she asked her best friend," What if…just what if, something was to happen between me and Naruto? What would happen then?"
Sakura was surprised at being asked such a question, much less from Ino, of all people. Ino had never shown any form of interest in Naruto, more than was considered normal between people who knew each other, but with the recent turn of events that had occurred in the village, it certainly did not seem such impossibility. Naruto had been accepted as the hero of the village, which meant that soon enough, girls, would begin to express interest in him and make their advances on him. Perhaps Ino had been the first of all of them, Sakura realized, but she chose not to spoke of it. After all, what mattered, more than anything, was that Naruto was happy, with or without her nonetheless.
She smiled again at Ino, for what was the second time in a matter of minutes, and then told her, this time in an uppity voice," In that case, then you just have to focus on making him happy!" This response had Ino thinking that her best friend was making a joke in terrible taste, but she banished the thought as she realized that with the current mood in the atmosphere, it was hardly any time for joking. Her expression herself was also stern, a sharp contrast to the tone she had used in replying to Ino's question, and with that, Ino realized that underneath all the bravery Sakura outwardly expressed, inside, she was probably fearful over not knowing what was going to happen from that point onwards. With all the planning the pink haired girl had made and all the thought she had poured into it, there was the chance that Sakura would not come back, since one never knew what could happen to them amidst a mission, and the Medic, bearing full knowledge of that, had in a sense given Ino a chance to give Naruto the happiness she would be unable to give him. She was not sure whether he would be willing to accept it, but there were no rules that dissuaded Ino from trying. Sakura felt her intuition prickling at her, telling her that in the best case scenario, even if she came back safely from the trip she was about to embark on, there was no chance she would come back unscathed.
Ino, her thoughts mirroring her best friend's thoughts at that moment, grew increasingly worried over what would happen to her best friend, but she knew as well as she did that it was already too late to go back on her word. So she proceeded to do the only thing she could do in such a situation, shifting slightly in her position on the bed, and drawing her best friend into a hug. Sakura was caught off guard by the sudden gesture, but returned it with as much warmth as she could muster, allowing her to show weakness in front of her best friend as her heart suddenly grew heavy, and tears welling in her eyes and making their way down her cheeks. Ino told Sakura, her mouth resting near her ear, and herself bearing as heavy a heart as her best friend at the moment," Take care of you. If you don't come back I'll find you and make you pay."
Sakura stifled a giggle, then replied, in the age-old manner she had been used to calling her best friend, a habit she had not done in so longer but that had never really left her mind," Thanks, Ino-chan."
Later on that night
Uzumaki Naruto had just curled into his bed, preparing to take his first winks of sleep, when he heard a soft prattle on his door. He thought it to be a figment of his imagination at first, but then the rattling increased, slightly unnerving him. He had just come from taking a long shower himself, realizing that he had spent more energy than he had intended upon that day, after which he proceeded to treat himself to a bowl of ramen, courtesy of the packs he kept stashed in his refrigerator, and just a few moments ago, he had been about to call it a day, before this intrusion happened upon him.
His first thought was that it was a shady person, since the village security wasn't exactly at its best owing to the recent tragedy that had befallen the village. Cautiously, he made his way to the door, his arm posed to land a devastating blow as whoever had thought to raid him so boldly, but when he swung the door open, it was his eyes that threatened to pop out of their sockets.
It was the same blonde girl who he had the unfortunate (or maybe fortunate? He was really not sure at this point) chance to spend most of his day with, and apparently, she did not seem to be quite done with him yet.
"What are you doing here so late, Ino?" Naruto questioned his friend, all the ideas he had of sleep before harshly thrown out the window as his mind raced with possibilities of why the girl had come to see him when the land was covered in darkness. His first thought was of course, that she had left something at his place when she had escorted him here earlier, but then again, that didn't make sense as she did not even enter his abode.
Surprising him more, however, the blonde girl said nothing, continuing to flash Naruto the sly smile that she had been sporting ever since he had first opened that door to see her standing there. Hastily pushing Naruto out of the way, and almost causing him to lose his balance, Ino told him, once she was standing in the middle of his living room," I'll be staying with you for a while, Naruto. No complaints."
The response left the blonde man in a bewildered mood, his mouth wide aghast as the words reverberated in his mind over and over again. What had brought on this bizarre chain of events? Ino registered the expression on his face, terming it as priceless and making a mental note to remember it. Naruto said nothing for a few seconds, so she proceeded to continue, satiating his disbelief and attempting to reassure him some," I'll be staying on the couch, silly, so you won't have to worry about bedspace."
As if a man who had just seen a ghost, Naruto robotically said, speaking for the first time since Ino had voiced her bold statement earlier," That isn't the issue here."
Ino did not catch his response just then, or if she did she gave no sign of having listened to it, adding on,"I'll need to borrow some old clothes from you while I'm here. "She then proceeded to make a beeline for Naruto's bedroom, which luckily was the next room after his living room. The blonde man remained rooted to the ground at the entrance to his own house, his mind still in disarray over what had happened? Was this a dream? He pinched himself, the sharp pain showing him that it was still reality. Moments later, Ino appeared clutching a blanket, which he recognized duly as having been taken from his bed. She then placed herself on one of his couches, covering herself with it and hiding her face from his view, reassuring herself that she would see a lot of those expressions from Naruto in her tenure there. The couch, while slightly cold, was surprisingly cozy and comfortable, and she knew that it would not take her long to doze off in that condition. With a note of finality in her voice, she mumbled a "Goodnight" to Naruto from under her blankets.
The blonde man, now irritated at having been ignored the whole time, half shouted at his fellow blonde," I'm not done talking to you!" His hands were placed on his chest, and he was tapping a finger at his elbow, a show if his increasing impatience.
"Oh put a sock in it, will you? We'll talk in the morning," Ino replied underneath her blanket, her tone bearing an air of defiance.
Realizing that lingering there longer would probably cost him a night's worth of sleep and energy, Naruto huffed in exasperation, deciding to keep quiet. Grumbling underneath his breath however, he locked the front door to his house for the second time that evening, and with heavy footsteps that threatened to shake the entire house, he returned to his room to sleep. Unknown to him, however, the blonde girl that had intruded upon his company that night was making a slight cheer of victory, her plans already proving fruitful.
The following morning-Wee hours of dawn
A pink haired girl was currently standing in front of Tsunade's door. Her resolve, as well as everything else, was now set in stone, so the final thing she had to do, which would be a mountain of a task, was to get permission from the Fifth Hokage to desert the village.
She knocked twice on the door, and was surprised to hear a response from the other side. "Come in," said Tsunade, in a half-distracted tone. Sakura was surprised to find Tsunade awake at that early moment in the morning. Usually at those wee hours of dawn the blonde woman would be sprawled over her desk, suffering a massive hangover from having drunk too much the previous evening, or in a best case scenario she would have overworked herself and fallen asleep on her desk, to be woken up by either Sakura or Shizune.
The Hokage, meanwhile, was neck deep buried in work, owing to the state the village was in. She had to deal with a lot of diplomatic issues, since scrolls bearing all forms of reactions came in left right and centre from the Village Council and from the Daimyo. Upon hearing someone knock and subsequently come in after she agreed to it, she was a tad surprised to see that it was her pink haired protégé who had been the one to come in. Stopping momentarily in her current action of going through a certain scroll, she placed her hands on her desk and focused her attention on Sakura," What's wrong? What brings you here so early in the morning?"
Tsunade's voice was a bit edgy, bringing Sakura to the realization that she was probably exhausted from having worked the whole night and not having taken any single wink of sleep. Doubt crept in her heart for a moment, as she dreaded to find out the reaction of her mentor, but she steeled her nerves, and mustered all the courage she could, before laying out her wish to Tsunade," Tsunade-sama, I'd like to file for permission to go and look for Uchiha Sasuke."
Tsunade's reaction, while slower than Ino's, was undoubtedly scarier since it did not show outwardly. Sakura registered an eye batting on her forehead, and then the blonde woman brought her hands to her mouth, covering it slightly. A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed, then the Hokage simply said," Sakura, do you realize the implications of what you're suggesting?" The Hokage herself was of course undoubtedly shocked, as she wondered what had brought forth such a preposterous request from her student, but she would do her best to try and understand what had happened. However, realizing that a certain blonde haired man was not next to the pink haired girl at the moment, Tsunade had a faint feeling that it had something to do with Naruto as well.
At this question, the pink haired girl nodded brusquely, affirming Tsunade's question, but the Hokage almost suddenly pressed another question on her," What brought this on? Why did you decide to do this just now?" It was weird. Normally, the one who would grasp at straws at any mention he heard of the word Sasuke was Naruto, who would then pressure for a mission to go out the village to look for the raven haired Uchiha, but here was the third member of their team, Haruno Sakura, now the one asking for such a mission. Something had definitely gone wrong somewhere, Tsunade realized, and she intended to get to the bottom of it whilst Sakura was still here. To this second question, Sakura hesitated slightly, debating whether or not it would do to tell the Hokage the same things she had discussed with Ino the previous night, something that Tsunade noticed silently. Her mind made up, however, she simply told the Hokage," It's for personal reasons, Hokage-sama."
Bingo. Tsunade concluded, having an almost certain idea of what had caused this. The glint in Sakura's eyes at the moment only served to further her suspicions. She closed her eyes momentarily, then said, in a stern tone," This is for Naruto's sake, isn't it?" After all, Sakura only had that glint in her eyes whenever she wanted to do something for Naruto, Tsunade thought, as she remembered a time long ago when the pink haired kunoichi, who was still a girl back then, had come and requested to be trained as a Medical Ninja, bearing the same look of determination in her eyes.
Sakura was surprised, not expecting the Hokage to catch on so quickly, but she suddenly found herself rendered speechless. Tsunade took her silence as a sign that she had hit the nail on the head, and she felt irate with her protégé. While she admired the lengths to which she was going for Naruto, she simply could not give her leeway to embark on such a dangerous mission while she knew the stakes at hand. She bit her lower lip to suppress her anger that threatened to burst out right there and then, but still she could not control the tone of the words that poured out of her palate next, "Grow up, Sakura! You're no longer a girl. You know as well as I do that Uchiha Sasuke is a rogue Ninja, and missions like this require protocol. Understand the situation!"
The younger Medic nearly reeled back in the display of anger, but stood her ground and countered herself, with as much ferocity as she could," Tsunade-sama! Once I deal with this, I'll be on my first step to growing up! Please, just allow me this one request, and if you do I will forever be grateful to you."
Tsunade rubbed her eyes in exhaustion, her earlier outburst of anger draining her lungs of air. She debated in her mind what she would do to quell the younger girl's resolve, but realizing that it would probably take forever to do so, finally gave in, telling Sakura once she had calmed her breath.
"Fine then, I'll give you permission to go, but only on two conditions. " She registered the beaming expression on Sakura's face before continuing," One, you go with someone else, of your own choosing. Two, if you don't come back within a week you'll be classified as a Rogue Ninja, the same as Uchiha Sasuke. Are we clear on this?" Tsunade asked Sakura in a resigned manner.
The pink haired girl agreed, in her mind already having decided who would come with her. After all, it was a man who she had revealed to her dreams as a kunoichi the first day Team Seven had been formed, someone who had been witness to the way she had fawned over Sasuke back then. He would certainly be a great asset to this mission, as it would be a chance to see how the lone female on his team had come so far as a Kunoichi. Yes, his name was Hatake Kakashi.
A/N: The ending feels a bit rushed, I know, but my hands are getting a bit cramped up and I had to finish this no sooner than today owing to a promise I made to a certain big fan of this story. Either way, really sorry on the delay to the update, but I hope this chapter turned out okay. If it did, make sure to leave a review after reading. Toodles!