Chapter 4: Sakura and Ino begin to prepare for Sakura's big night. Meanwhile, two young shinobi at a ramen stand decide they need girlfriends.


Sakura walked up to Ino's cute little blue front door and rang the doorbell on the gray stone facade. As she stood there for those few seconds, she admired Ino's cute house. Ino's home near the family shop is a beautiful cottage-style split-level home with gray stone and beautiful blue and white trim. As expected, it has a beautiful garden out front with bright perennials and evergreen landscaping. Two windows facing the front had flower boxes containing tulips in a variety of mixed colors. She couldn't see it from the front door, but Sakura knew there was a whitewashed trellis around the side with jasmine crawling up. The fragrance is heavenly. The young Yamanaka home's curb appeal was cheery and beautiful, much like the homeowner.

"Hold on! Troublesome. . ."

"Hey Shikamaru! It's me!"

Shikamaru opened the door to his girlfriend's little house to let the pink-haired kunoichi in.

"Hey. You look gross." Shikamaru stared at the sweaty and filthy girl like she might have a disease.

Sakura's vein bulged out of irritation. "Thank you, Shika. Let me in." 'Remind me why my friend is in love with you? You certainly aren't a charmer.'

Shikamaru stepped aside while Sakura barged in with her bag. "Don't tell me you're having a sleepover. Troublesome."

"No, I'm changing into clean clothes after a shower. I have a date tonight. Ino's helping me get ready."

"Billboard-brow! Don't let that vein of yours bulge out. It looks like a neon sign on your gigantic forehead!" Ino ran down the stairs to her best friend. "What took you so long?"

"I took the long way here. I didn't really want to be seen in this state." Poor Sakura was covered head-to-toe in dirt. She had some scrapes and a nice welt on her forearm, but nothing a medical expert like the Hokage's apprentice couldn't fix in mere seconds. When her chakra level returned to a better level, she'll be good as new. The caked-on grime is another story.

"Can't blame you. Did you bring the dress?"

"Check."

"Shoes?"

"Check."

"Jewelry?"

"Check?"

"The correct lingerie?"

"Troublesome." The girls noticed the tall spiky-haired genius was still standing there. Not a smart idea, genius.

"Sweetie, go in the backyard and take a nap in a patio chair." The silky blond-haired girl lowered her threatening fist and turned her ironic sing-song voice back to Sakura. "Did you bring them?"

"Yes! Let me take a shower now. I feel disgusting."

"Go. Run! Now! You smell! Then we'll begin!" Ino twiddled her fingers and grinned like a maniac with diabolic plans for her friend.

Sakura lunged up the stairs towards the loft-style master bedroom, where she knew Ino would have an assortment of bubbly and exfoliating shower products. She was right.


Sasuke ordered another bowl of ramen for himself, and the fourth bowl for Naruto. They haven't talked much about anything yet, mainly due to Naruto stuffing his mouth with food. For once, Sasuke wanted his mouth to flap so he would spill the beans on Sakura's plans tonight.

"Hey. I heard you were meeting Sakura somewhere."

*Slurp!* "Oh, right! I almost forgot! I need to take a shower and get over to Ino's!"

"Yamanaka? Why are you going over there?" 'Why deal with that annoying bitch?'

"Well. . .Sakura and Ino are helping me with something. Sakura's getting ready for her date over there, so she told me to come over this afternoon."

"Hn." Sasuke paused, trying to find an easy way to ask about Sakura's date without acting too suspicious. "Sakura needed to take a shower after practice today. She made a mess of things."

"She made a mess of me, you mean!"

"Hn. Yes, she did. Well, maybe her date doesn't mind." Now he's searching for a clue, hoping Naruto will drop a name.

"I think anyone would mind dating a stinky girl."

'Dobe. You're just an idiot.' "Hn."

"Besides, Sakura already knows Kiba's taking her out to a fancy restaurant tonight. She's getting really dressed up. That's why she needed Ino's help, Teme. Girls use a team of other girls to help them get ready for this stuff. At least, I think they do. Team effort, right?"

'Kiba? Dog-boy? With those perverted hands of his, he'll be caressing my Sakura? And those good looks, that great physique and. . .shit. Competition. I was silently hoping it was Rock Lee.' "Hn. I don't know about that, Dobe."

"I know sometimes you need help from friends when there's this one person that you're trying to get. You can ask your friends advice. You can count on them for help, right?"

'What the Hell is Naruto trying to say? This dimwit couldn't possibly be onto me, could he?' "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you were trying to win over a girl, I'd help you. You know that, right?"

"Hn." 'Seriously, what the Hell?'

"And you'd do the same for me, right?"

"Hn." 'Where is this going?'

"I'm meeting Sakura over at Ino's to get help for asking out a girl, but I don't really want Ino's help. I wouldn't mind Sakura's help, but I think I need guy help. Could you help me?"

'Is this Crazy Day? Someone forgot to write it on my calendar.' "Are you serious?" Sasuke's eyes nearly bulged out in surprise, but he held it back. It's the Uchiha way. He even managed to keep his tone low and slightly indifferent after that unexpected declaration.

"Yes. I'm serious. I think I'll need help from a noble family, like from you. You see. . ." Naruto looked around the ramen stand to make sure no one could eavesdrop. The workers were in the back, making more ramen. Naruto has nearly cleared out the pots of prepared ramen for other patrons. "I need help asking Hinata out on a date."

Sasuke almost choked on his ramen - almost. He's an Uchiha, dammit. Composure. 'The Dobe finally realized Hinata likes him, huh? But the reality of them dating is a bit more complicated than that.'

"The Hyuuga clan? That's quite an obstacle, Dobe. You'll need to ask the clan leader's permission to pick her up on the family grounds. Very formal. Hinata just happens to be the clan leader's eldest daughter. And you're not of a noble clan. You're likely to get shot down. You'll need something else gunning for you." 'This is going to be a shot in the dark for this imbecile.'

"Sakura says Hinata would agree to go on a date with me. She likes me, too! Can you believe it?"

"Hn." Of course, Sasuke noticed Hinata's long-standing fascination - no, obsession - with his blond friend. He wasn't blind. In fact, he believes those in the village who are blind could tell.

"So? Any help you can give me? Tips? A plan? Anything?"

"Well, I think I may have a plan." 'A plan to help me keep an eye on Sakura and help my best friend.' Sasuke began plotting, and clued his best friend in on it. 'Perfect.'