It was their first mission together after his three-year training journey. Overjoyed at the perspective of traveling with her genin teammate, Sakura couldn't keep the grin off her face as she pranced over to the village gates.
"Naruto!" She leaped into his open arms. "I've missed you so much. It's been too long, ya' know?"
"Hey now, I've only been back for one night." He pointed a finger at her in mock accusation. "I even visited you yesterday!"
As soon as the words reached her ears, the pinkette's whole body began to shake. Her demeanor drooped as she buried her face into her best friend's chest.
"I know. I just haven't seen you enough, I guess. It feels almost like a dream. You're really back now."
Even in the presence of the Konoha villagers, Naruto could care less as he began rubbing her back. The girl stiffened at the contact, but soon relaxed as his warm hands began to work their way through her tense shoulders. She moaned, it just felt so… good. The wanton noise brought awareness to the Uzumaki brat's conscience. Immediately, he released her as if burned, while hiding his blazing cheeks. She could only stare at his retreating figure as he began to head out of the gates.
They had been jumping from tree to tree for some time already. Whizzing through the air at high speeds, they silently sneaked longing looks at one another. The wind blew a comforting breeze over their slightly sheened faces, relieving the ninja of having to deal with the sweltering midsummer's heat.
As they made camp for the night, all Naruto could think about was the way she felt in his hands. How soft she was, how supple. Oh, the moan she made could make any hot-blooded man lose their senses. Her cherry lips formed that perfect "O" shape as she relaxed into his hold.
At that moment they weren't childhood best friends - they were a man and a woman relishing in each other's touch.
He would have to spend a long time bathing tonight. Yes, a nice, cold dip in the river would definitely help his predicament.
The Haruno girl wasn't in any better condition. She was confused yes, but she was also in the midst of denying how good Naruto made her feel. He just seemed so manly at that moment. His growth spurt sure added a lot to that, especially combined with the tough training Master Jiraiya subjected him to. It just had to make sense that he became so muscular and appealing. Why else would she be craving his touch?
Flushed, Sakura immediately dismissed the lewd thoughts invading her mind. Instead, she quickly set up camp, making sure to leave some of their pre-packaged food out for Naruto, before scurrying down to the nearby lake.
In her haste, the pinkette never realized she forgot to flare her chakra - to check for enemies and to alert her boys to give her some privacy.
"Kami, what am I doing to myself?"
The teen buried his face in his hands before hurriedly running them through his blonde mane. He had, in fact, been relieving himself of previous frustrations caused by a certain pink-haired kunoichi. Now Naruto finally understood his sensei's (both his sensei's) perverted needs. They would certainly get a kick out of it - but that was only if they found out. He would keep his pride intact, as well as protect his teammate from any unwanted teasing.
Looking around, the boy realized how much of a sticky mess he had made. Even his goddamn clothes were covered with his bodily fluids. Sakura would pummel him to dust if she ever saw him in this state. Without a second to spare, he brought over some leaves to scatter over the affected area, before heading over to the lake himself.
As Naruto was walking, sudden flares of chakra charged the air with static before a loud BOOM was heard, followed by an earthquake. Instantly, he knew that Sakura had gotten into a fight somewhere, forcing him to sprint all the way to the waterside.
The first thing he noticed was all the debris floating in the air, along with wood splinters and decimated trees. Moving in once the dust clears, he sees his partner in her fighting stance, waiting for the enemy to show.
"Sakura!" He yells at her before signaling for them to get into a back-to-back formation.
The bandits emerged right as Naruto created ten shadow clones to cover his teammate. He immediately sprints up to the enemy shinobi, testing their skill with taijutsu. Sakura joined, throwing her chakra punches with fervor, effectively incapacitating three of the five shinobi. Slamming her heel onto the ground again, she opened up an opportunity for Naruto to stab one of his opponents with a kunai, before forming one of his clones to help him form a Rasengan, making sure to slam it directly in the center of the second opponent's torso.
The last bandit looked at the pair in disbelief, before poofing away in a cloud of smoke. Black smoke.
The pair never realized it was a poison until they already breathed in the gasses.
The inhalant tingled as it traveled through the shinobi's bodies, leaving an icy trail in its wake. Sakura felt the sensation slide through her veins only to pool around her chakra stores. The poison tightened its vice-like grip on her chakra coils, before suddenly pulsating the energy all throughout her body.
Turning around to look at Naruto, she saw him fall to the ground, a red aura surrounding his body. She glanced down at her own hands, realizing that she, too, was also emitting the strange light.
Sakura's world tilted as she swayed like a willow tree in the breeze. Thump. The pain didn't even register in her mind as she crashed onto the ruined earth. Her world flooded with darkness.