Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 6 - Changing of the seasons
It had been 2 months since Sakura had returned to the village. Her training of the new medics was progressing well, albeit a little slow and she had settled back comfortably, despite her annoyance at the length of her stay as she had been expecting and wanting to return to Suna as soon as possible but had underestimated the amount of help the new trainees would need.
Nevertheless, she kept busy and devoted herself to training for lengthy hours a day in an attempt to speed up the duration of her stay.
The village had been under repair and with the added help of the sand siblings, it had now returned to its familiar look with a few new additions, whilst Tsunade continued her peace talks with the surrounding countries with the support of the Kazekage and was also making smooth progress.
On top of her training and helping out in the hospital, Sakura had steadily improved her relationship with Naruto, much due to his constant visits to the hospital as part of his Hokage training, and her responsibility of guiding him throughout the hospital due to being the head medic.
She enjoyed his visits, not that she'd admit it, and savoured the chance to talk to her best friend as they had done previously. Forgetting of the outside world and its problems, she'd laugh and joke and scold him, reminiscent of old times.
That sweet dream would be shattered in a matter of minutes upon the arrival of his fiancée or her family. Pulled out of her fantasy world within the walls of the hospital, she'd return to reality, where the one she loved was promised to another and as such ended most of her nights on a sour note.
It came to a point where the rosette was fed up of feeling sorry for herself and frustrated at her constant longing. She had now come to accept the circumstances of her life and how it had all panned out. She threw herself into work and blocked out all feelings she had once held onto so heartedly.
Presently, she was surrounded by a group of trainees as she worked on an injured patient in one of the operating rooms. With her hair tied up in a messy bun and her bangs falling down framing her face, she looked every inch the head medic she was.
She was supervising two of the trainees who were attempting to heal the patient, when Natsume entered the room.
"Sakura-san, there's someone here to meet you." She whispered to her.
Nodding at her assistant, she ushered one of the watching hospital medics to take over as she washed her hands and disposed of her gloves and apron.
Pulling her hair down from its tied up form, she pushed opened the green doors to see Natsume on the left standing with a tall, dark haired male.
Smiling at him and then at Natsume she walked closer.
"Ren-kun, this is Sakura-san." Natsume announced, gesturing towards the rosette.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-san." The male said, extending a hand to her.
Shaking it, Sakura smiled and then turned to Natsume, still confused. But before the assistant could speak, he had already begun his self introduction.
"My name is Ren Asahara, I've been sent here from the leader of Tanigakure who's currently in talks with Tsunade-sama about building trust between our countries." He stated, smiling.
"Right..." Sakura replied, still unsure about what it had to do with her.
"And as such, I've been sent to help Konoha with treating its injured or ill. You have my services for however long you need them." He finished, bowing quickly.
Sakura looked over to Natsume, the two exchanging confused, yet impressed looks.
"Erm, ok. That's great. But I dont really see why-" Sakura began, interrupted by her assistant.
"Ah, Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama said for Ren-kun to be allowed to shadow you and be under your command throughout the hospital." She explained.
Understanding things much better Sakura nodded, "I see, that makes more sense." She joked, earning a chuckle from the two in front of her.
"So tell me, how much medical training do you have?" She inquired. "I mean, would you be able to treat the patients here?"
"Yes, yes, of course! I've been training since I was about 14!" He replied, earning an acknowledging nod from Sakura.
"That's great, I guess we can use your assistance in treating our patients then?" She asked, receiving a nod from him.
She spent the most of the morning with Ren, guiding him through the hospital and explaining all of the procedures. The two had got along quickly and were working and talking with each other with ease and comfort, albeit having just met.
"Yamanaka Ino for Haruno Sakura please." A voice came from behind Sakura. She turned to look at a platinum blonde girl smirking at her.
"What's with the formalness?" Sakura questioned, handing a file to the receptionist.
Following the rosette down the corridor, Ino tried speaking but broke out in a series of huffs, "Hah!" She gasped, "Looks like I'm actually not in shape after having the baby!" She breathed, earning a loud laugh from her friend.
"Yeah, you keep laughing, wait till it's you." Ino mumbled the latter.
Getting a bottle of water from a nearby vending machine, Sakura handed it to the girl, still smirking at her.
"Why are you here if you can barely walk?" She asked.
"I can walk! It's you!" Ino replied, annoyance evident.
"Me?! What did I do?!" Sakura yelled back, hurt by her friends blame.
"Y-you! You walk so fast!" Ino breathed.
Sakura looked at her friend for a few seconds and resumed her laughing. "Oh Ino!" She said, helping her friend up. "Fine, I'll walk extra slow for you." She said, walking by her friends side.
A pleased Ino nodded at her and began their slow journey down the corridors.
"So what is it you want?" Sakura asked whilst being handed a file from a passing nurse.
"Nothing much, just felt like coming to see you." Ino replied nonchalantly.
Sakura narrowed her eyes at her friend and nodded slowly, "Uh-huh..."
"Really! I did!" Ino protested, failing to convince Sakura. She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly, "Fine! There is something."
"I knew it." Sakura replied, shaking her head, "Go on then."
"Well, it's just, I'm worried about you." Ino stated seriously.
"Worried about me?!" Sakura asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor.
"Yeah, I mean we've not spoke about things for a while..." Ino began.
"Wha-what things?"
"You know, Naruto and-" Ino started.
"Oh god Ino! What is there to talk about! I've told you before, everything's ok!" Sakura yelled, being quietened by Ino.
Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, "Look, if there's anything to talk about then I'll come to you okay?" She said looking up at her.
Ino sighed, then nodded and continued their walk around the hospital, "Yeah, I know. I just dont want to see you end up alone in a one-bedroom apartment with a million cats." Ino said, solemnly.
"Wha-I'm not going to be some sort of spinster!" Sakura complained.
"Well how do you know that?! Some people, they go everyday trying to find their love and get no success and each day they lay in wait for the one that's meant to be for them, growing lonelier and older as the long days go on." Ino replied, her hands clutched to her chest and her eyes dreamlike, thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Sakura looked at her in confusion and snapped her fingers, bringing her back. "Well I'm not going to be like that!"
"Yeah but how do you know for sure?!" Ino whined.
"Because I do! There's someone for everyone! One minute you're going about your life then BAM it hits you right in the face." Sakura explained looking at her friend, who was nodding slowly, considering her answer.
As Sakura turned the corner, she was greeted with a hard folder smacking her in the face, sending her to the ground.
"Whoa!" A male voice bellowed, during the collision.
"Sakura!" Ino yelled, who had instinctively taken a step back. Before she could, Sakura had already begun being helped up by a tall brown haired man.
"I'm so sorry Sakura-san!" Ren apologised, holding Sakura by both arms as he lifted her off the ground.
"Re-Ren?" Sakura questioned rubbing her nose. "Wha-" She started.
"I was just going to deliver these to the front desk but I wasn't watching where I was going." He answered once she had straightened herself up.
"Ahh no! That's alright, I'm sorry too! My attention was elsewhere." Sakura replied, pointing to a shocked, yet smiling Ino.
"Hello." Ren said, gesturing his hand towards her.
"Hi." Ino replied, shaking it.
"Ren this is Ino, Ino this is Ren. He's a new medic sent from Tanigakure to help with the patients." Sakura explained.
"And Ren this is Ino-" She began, only to be interrupted by Ino.
"Yamanaka Ino. I'm Sakura's best friend. I'm also a medic here but I'm off for a while, just had a baby." Ino boasted.
"Wow! That's amazing! You dont look like you had a baby!" Ren replied, adding to Ino's proud smirk.
"Yeah, why dont you try asking her to walk for a bit." Sakura mumbled, earning a slight nudge from Ino.
"Well it was pleasure to meet you Ino-san, I should get going now." Ren said smiling at the blonde and Sakura, making his way past them.
"Oh wait, Ren, could you tell Natsume I have to be at the academy in a bit so if she could brief the trainees for next week's session please?" Sakura asked, moving past Ino and towards Ren.
"Yes of course Sakura-san." He said nodding and walking away from the two girls.
Sakura smiled and turned to see a wide-eyed Ino looking at her.
"What?" She asked, walking past her.
"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed.
"What?"
"That's it!" Ino said, confusing Sakura, "That's your BAM!"
"My what?"
"Your BAM! It's what you were talking about!" Ino continued, ignoring her friends confusion.
"Look, I have no idea what you're talking about and I've got to go to the academy now so...go away." Sakura replied, pushing her friend slightly.
"Oh my god, this is so great! Your totally not going to be a spinster now!" Ino squealed, walking away, resembling a mad woman talking to herself.
Sakura remained standing, watching her friend exit the hospital, clapping excitedly.
What the hell got into her? She thought to herself, walking back to her office.
Sakura stepped out of the hospital to be met by gust of cold air sweeping past her and in through the closing doors. She shivered slightly and continued her journey away from the hospital and down the road.
The weather had slowly been changing, the sweltering heat that had greeted her upon her arrival back to the village had subsided and the changing of the seasons was in full swing. Crossing her hands across her chest and rubbing her arms gently she made her way past the villagers and the opened stalls.
There was a sense of togetherness about the village at this time of year, one which hadn't changed throughout the years. The neighbours would all come together helping each other out during the colder months and as such, despite the cold enveloping the village, a sense of warmth was felt.
Karin had asked Sakura to come in and give a talk about health and safety, one she felt her students were in desperate need of courtesy of their constant visits to the academy nurse.
Sakura had hesitantly agreed, unsure of whether she'd have enough time to, but her hard work in the previous months had paid off and the hospital was now operating smoothly, allowing her and the staff some time off.
She stepped into the academy and could still smell the freshly painted walls. It had been a while since she had come here, spending most of her time in the hospital and as such she took her time walking down the hallway.
Pictures of past students and their present achievements were hung up on either side of the hallway. She smiled looking at them, recognising her friends. Squirming slightly upon seeing a younger picture of herself, she quickly moved along to see a picture of young blond with a toothy smile adjacent to her.
Looking up at the picture she chuckled, shaking her head at the picture in which Iruka could be seen in the distance, looking not so pleased. Tip-toeing slightly she moved to read the inscription, "UZUMAKI NARUTO" She read aloud to herself.
"THE 6TH HOKAGE" She continued below the name.
The 6th Hokage? She thought to herself. These pictures must have been put up recently then. She thought, looking around her.
Sighing loudly she continued her way down the corridor and stopped outside a brown door, "UCHIHA KARIN" was emblazoned in the middle at the top of the door. Breathing out sharply, she knocked on the door and slowly opened it, peeking her head through.
Karin stood at the front of the room by her desk, in the middle of talking to her students. She turned to look at the familiar rosette. Gesturing her to come in, Sakura opened the door quietly and stepped into the familiar room, one she had spent many a time in during her younger years.
The academy had been one of the many old building that had survived the attack and had benefited from the renovations around the village. New desks and facilities had been put in, the walls repainted and the floor glossed.
She remained standing by the door, smiling to herself as she eyed the room, filling with nostalgia. Unbeknownst to her, the students' attention was now solely on the pink-haired woman by the door.
Clearing her throat loudly, Karin managed to get Sakura's attention.
"Hmm?" Sakura mumbled, startled at the numerous pairs of eyes staring at her.
"Class this is Haruno Sakura, as I'm sure most of you all know." Karin began, as Sakura made her way beside her at the front of the classroom, trying to hide her embarrassment by rubbing her forehead.
"As Konoha hospitals head medic, she is here to give us a talk on everything to do with your healthcare, whether during missions or not and what it takes to be a medic-nin should any of you be interested." Karin explained. She nodded at Sakura and walked over by the window to her right.
Smiling nervously to a beaming Karin, Sakura regained her composure and began her lecture to the eagerly awaiting class.
The manor was quieter than it usually was. Ever since the announcement of her engagement, Hinatacould hardly enjoy a moments peace when she returned to the family home. Breathing in deeply the newly forming crisp Autumn air, she made her way across the silent ground and towards the main house.
Placing her shoes to one side, she slid open the large doors to the main room. With no one in sight, Hinata planted herself on the large couch, her back facing the sliding doors. Tilting her head back she closed her eyes and smiled to herself, feeling relaxed and content.
The past few months had been taking their toll on the Hyuga heiress. The constant talks of preparations and the urge by her father of setting a final date had tired her out and it was a rare occasion for her to return to the manor and be met with silence.
She had decided, with Naruto, to not set an immediate date for the wedding. The matter of her being appointed head of the Hyuga clan and Naruto's upcoming inauguration had limited their time to make preparations and so they had decided to prolong their engagement, although their decision had been met with annoyance and confusion from Hiashi and the Hyuga clan. However the young couple were adamant in making this their decision and so the others were now forced to compromise.
The unset date hadn't hindered the planning and preparations. The head of the Hyuga clan had taken it upon himself to begin sorting out things for the couple whilst dealing with other affairs. The young heiress remained a constant presence in such meetings to ensure nothing her or Naruto didnt agree with occurred.
Around the same time she had begun a relationship with Naruto, Hiashi decided to appoint Neji as her personal aid, helping her with the new responsibilities imposed on the young girl. Not only would he be there for her during any meetings or public engagements but he would also accompany her during any missions she'd be sent to.
The ease and understanding among the two had led them to become closer and more trusting of one another. She had felt comfortable with Neji around, knowing he would help with anything needed and give her his honest and best advice.
The warmth and friendliness between the two had now begun to fade, albeit on her part, courtesy of his open confession of his feelings towards the heiress, twice.
Shocked at his revelations, she had made herself clear to him about her feelings for Naruto. Accepting this he insisted on remaining by her side, if only for his own reassurance. His constant presence had become uncomfortable for the young girl, her mind and feelings playing havoc.
It had been three days since she had last seen Neji, for reasons she knew not. Although relieved at her 'freedom' her mind would still wander to the missing man. Never openly questioning his whereabouts, she was curious as to his absence. However every time her thoughts went to him, she'd forcefully snap out of her stupor and focus her attention elsewhere, such as her fiancé.
"It's ok to be worried Hinata." Naruto's voice echoed in her ears, her eyes ripping open. Her attempt to hide her concern had obviously not gone unnoticed.
"Worried..." She repeated, whispering her words to the ceiling.
Before the girl could gather her thoughts, the doors slid open quickly, the room was enveloped in a cool wave of air, blowing her long locks.
Jerking her head around, her eyes widened upon seeing the familiar figure standing at the door, looking down at her.
"Ne-Neji!" She exclaimed, breathlessly.
With his arms behind his back, he entered walking in slowly and keeping his back to her.
"Are you okay? Where have you been?" She asked quickly, surprising herself with her forwardness.
Making his way to the fireplace, he remained silent, gazing down. When he finally spoke, it was quiet and soft, "I didnt think you would notice." He said keeping his eyes away from her.
"What?" She questioned, her voice quiet too.
"You're so busy nowadays I didnt think you would notice if I went off on a lone mission." He answered, finally turning to look at her.
Raising from the couch she stood facing him and spoke with worry etched in her voice, "Of course I noticed! I do care about you!" She replied, her voice raising.
"Do you?" He whispered to himself, thinking she had not heard.
"Pardon?" She asked, walking towards him.
He quickly moved past her and turned to face her again, smiling widely, "Nothing!" He exclaimed sitting down on the couch.
She herself sat on the opposite couch a sudden feeling of uneasiness creeping in.
"So how have you been?" He asked, the smile still on his face.
Returning the smile she spoke, "Good, father's been keeping me busy and I've been on some small missions too."
He nodded, acknowledging her answer. His smile slowly began to fade as he prepared himself for his next question, "And Naruto? How's he been?"
Pursing her lips for a few seconds, she took a sharp intake of breath, "Great! He was out training a few days ago and I went along to watch. He's still improving his techniques and he's becoming even stronger." She started, talking at a much faster pace, "He was sparring with Konohamaru and just when I thought he'd been beaten he comes out and surprised everyone!" She exclaimed, getting excited during her explanation.
He gave her a weak smile and leaned forward, "That's nice." He said quietly, "What about his Hokage training?" He questioned, looking up slowly at the girl.
"Erm...y-yeah, that's also going well. He's been so busy with Tsunade-sama recently, you know with learning everything." She said, playing with her hair.
"Interesting, so you'll know that he's due to give his first public speech at the academy today?" Neji asked a confused Hinata.
The beaming smile had faded and her hands had stopped their playful antics with her hair. She swallowed thickly and began fidgeting, "Wha-" She began, only to be cut off by Neji.
"I assumed you already knew that, what with him being your fiancé an all." He said in a condescending tone.
"Y-yes, of course I know!" She replied, quickly getting up and walking towards the door.
He too got up and stood by the couch looking at the shaken girl, "Hinata." He said in a serious tone. She turned to look at him slowly, keeping one hand on the door.
"If there's one thing I've learnt it's that there is a difference between love and admiration. Too often are they mixed up and the wrong feelings conveyed." He finished, his milky eyes boring into hers.
She returned his look and lingered there a few seconds before yanking the door open and disappearing behind it.
Sighed loudly, he brought his hand up to brush through his long brown hair. As he raised his arm, a sharp shooting pain pecked at him and he winced lowering it back by his side.
"Now are there any questions?" Sakura asked, smiling at the young children looking at her.
A flurry of hands shot up immediately, all eager to be picked. Sakura's eyes lit up upon seeing the reaction from them, as she prepared to call on someone she was interrupted my Karin, who was now standing beside her.
"Any questions NOT regarding her hair colour?" Karin asked, her hands on her hips.
Sakura looked at Karin in confusion and then turned to face the class. The numerous hands that had shot up so quickly before had now begun to be lowered, disappointed murmurs growing from them.
A shocked and slightly disappointed Sakura looked on at the students, regretting her previous impressed behaviour.
"Yeah that's what I thought." Karin exclaimed loudly. She turned to look at Sakura and spoke in quieter tone, "Dont worry, I got that all the time when I first started, shallow little-" She began, only to be cut off by loud cheers from the class.
The two turned to look at the now overly excited class, the boys leaping out of their chairs and waving madly, whilst the girls remained seated, smiling widely and whispering amongst each other excitedly.
Looking towards the door, which had been left opened by Karin during Sakura's lecture to let in some air, they saw a tall blond smiling widely at the class and waving clumsily.
"Naruto-nii!" A young boy yelled.
Presenting a huge toothy smile, Naruto spoke loudly and charmingly, "Good Afternoon class!" He said, receiving thirty fast replies.
Chuckling to himself, he walked in and turned his attention to the women by the desk. Walking over to them he continued to display his infamous smile as he greeted the two.
"You're here again?" Karin asked, folding her arms.
"Hmm? Oh right, yeah. Baa-chan says one of two visits isn't enough, as Sakura-chan can tell you." He said nodding at the rosette.
Sakura nodded slowly, "Yeah, about 30 more should be enough..." She said smiling faintly and rolling her eyes.
He chuckled at her sarcasm but stopped abruptly. He looked at her once again, with confusion, "Wait, Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, that's me! I asked her to come and give a talk about health and safety to the class." Karin explained, "And we were about to take questions before you disturbed us." She continued grimacing.
He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. Sakura returned a light laugh and shook her head at the exchange between the two cousins.
"It doesn't matter really. I dont think there are any questions. Besides they all seem to be more interested in you anyways Naruto." Sakura said, looking at the eager students, their eyes filled with adoration for the blond.
"Alright calm down everyone. I know how excited you all are but unfortunatley we do still have lessons to get through." Karin announced, earning groans from the kids.
She frowned at the classes' reaction then turned to face the two individuals who were now near the door.
"Thank you Sakura for taking time out to give us an insightful talk and I'm sure if anyone is interested they won't hesitate to come see you." Karin began smiling at the pink-haired girl.
"And Naruto-" She began, frowning, still annoyed at the disturbance his unexpected arrival had caused.
"Next time, I'll tell you all about how I fought your teacher's husband!" Naruto yelled, his fist pumping in the air, ignoring Karin.
The children cheered loudly, jumping out of their seat, unable to keep their excitement. Sakura quickly noticed the deepening annoyance and rising anger building up in Karin and quickly ushered Naruto out of the room, laughing nervously and slamming the door shut.
"Wha-Sakura-chan?" Naruto began, regaining his balance after his fast removal out the room.
"Do you enjoy being punched in the face or what?" Sakura asked, leaning against the closed door with her hand still on the handle.
"Eh?" He replied, confused.
She sighed loudly and shook her head, "You're an idiot." She said, moving away from the door and walking down the corridor.
He quickly ran after her and began walking beside her, "Geez Sakura-chan, you really need to learn to make more sense when you talk."
She stopped abruptly, ironically by the picture of him hanging on the wall. Pointing at the picture she spoke, "You know, you may be becoming the 6th Hokage, but that doesn't mean I can't punch you through the wall." She said, her face serious and her eyes narrowed.
His eyes widened upon seeing one of her clenched hands and quickly backed a few steps away from her, increasing the distance between them.
She sighed and walked past the scared male. Running her fingers through her hair she spoke calmly, "What are you doing here anyways? Dont you have a speech to go to?" She asked, looking at him suspiciously.
"Huh? How do you know about that?" Naruto asked.
"How could I not? You wouldn't shut up about it every time you came to the hospital." Sakura replied, rolling her eyes.
He chuckled loudly, nodding, "Ahh right, right. Well actually I was just on my way there."
"Really? Then how comes you ended up in Karin's classroom?" Sakura asked, suspicious.
"I was just taking a walk. " He replied, nonchalantly.
"Oh yeah? You're taking such a walk that you're walking further away from the room?" She retaliated, smirking at his confused state.
She stopped walking and gestured to their surroundings. They had now exited the academy and we're standing outside the building.
He let out a small nervous laugh, "Oh look at that." He said looking around.
"Naruto." Sakura spoke, looking into his blue eyes. "Are you running away?"
"What? No! I dont run away from nothing!" He proclaimed loudly. "It's just, I'm-" He began, looking to the floor as he struggled to string a sentence together.
"You're scared? Nervous?" She finished, receiving a small nod from the blond.
She smiled softly at this and put a hand to his shoulder, "It's ok to be nervous. It shows that you care." She said, a huge smile greeting him as he looked up her.
"Yeah?" He asked, wanting her reassurance.
"Yeah!" She answered, calming the nervous blond.
He smiled whole heartedly at her, "Sakura-chan, why dont you-" He began only to be interrupted by an unfamiliar male voice from behind him.
"Sakura-san?" Ren called out from behind Naruto. Carrying a small black bag in one hand and his other hand in his pocket, he walked over to the two.
"Ren?" Sakura asked, surprised by his sudden appearance.
"Ahh I thought it was you!" Ren said, smiling at her, ignoring the confused blond between them. "I was on my way back to the hospital from my break and I picked up some herbs from one of the shops. I thought they could be used for a remedy I'm working on." He began, shaking the bag slightly.
"I was hoping you could look through the remedy with me? Give me your input?" He asked, hopefully.
She looked down at the bag and then him and smiled, she nodded, "Yes, of course! That sounds very interesting!"
A pair of blue eyes caught her attention and she quickly turned to Naruto standing to her left. "Ahh Naruto, sorry, this is Ren Asahara. He's a new medic sent from Tanigakure to help us with the patients here." She explained, receiving a slow nod from Naruto, his eyes fixed on the dark haired male in front of him.
"And this is-" Sakura started, beginning to introduce Naruto, only to be cut off by an excited Ren.
"Uzumaki Naruto!" He greeted, grabbing Naruto's hand and shaking it, "I've heard all about you!" He said, smiling widely.
"Really." Naruto replied dryly. Sakura looked at him in annoyance at the tone of his voice and the lack of greeting on his part.
"Of course! Everyone knows about the hero of Konoha! And now the future Hokage too!" Ren exclaimed, "I must say, many congratulations from my village!" He added.
"Right... What village are you from again?" Naruto asked, eyeing the male.
"Tanigakure, why?" Ren replied.
"I see, wasn't it your village that initiated the attacks on Konoha first?" Naruto questioned, staring down at Ren angrily.
"Wha-" Ren tried.
"Why would your village now suddenly want to help Konoha?" He demanded.
"Naruto!" Sakura yelled, lightly hitting him on the arm. "Why are you being so rude?! Tsunade-sama allowed this so there's no need to bring all of that in!" She scolded him, moving to stand between the two men.
"Sakura-chan-" Naruto began, interrupted by a feminine voice coming their way.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelled, waving at him.
"Hinata?" Naruto said, turning to face her. "What's wrong?"
"I-I came here f-for your speech." She breathed, struggling for breath as she stood by Naruto.
"Sakura-san!" Hinata greeted upon seeing the rosette, receiving a warm smile from her.
"That's right, your speech. You should go or you'll be late." Sakura stated, crossing her arms.
Naruto turned to look at the emerald-eyes staring at him and then to the brown eyes beside her. Still suspicious and angry at the new male, he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Hinata.
"Erm, hello." She squeaked looking to Ren, who turned to face her and smiled widely.
"Hi, I'm Ren-" He began, reaching out his arm to shake Hinata's hand only to be slapped away by Naruto's.
"Yeah, yeah, you dont have to tell everyone who you are." Naruto grunted, returning to stand in between the two girls.
Hinata looked at Naruto worryingly and quickly tried to ease the building tension.
"Sakura-san, Ren-kun, why dont you both come and see Naruto-kun's speech too?" Hinata asked, looking at them expectantly.
Naruto slowly turned to face the two beside him, looking through his bangs.
"Ahh, sorry Hinata, but we've got to get back to the hospital. I've been gone for too long now and Ren and I have some things to discuss." Sakura apologised.
His eyes quickly darted down towards the earth and he sighed loudly, "Yeah, I dont think you'd be allowed in." Naruto stated, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking up.
"Excuse me?" Sakura questioned, annoyed.
"Well, I dont know who he is and I'm pretty sure no one else does too." Naruto answered, returning his glare at Ren.
"Right. Well, good luck anyways." Sakura replied, turning away from the couple, "Come on Ren, let's go back."
Giving the couple a parting smile, he turned to walk beside Sakura down the path and out of sight.
He remained standing, watching the two leave together, his hands still in his pockets. Eyes fixated on the figures conversing happily and animatedly, moving further away from him.
Slender hands weaved their way through his arm and tugged slightly, taking him out of his daze, "We'll be late." Hinata said, smiling at him.
Naruto looked down at her and returned her smile, leading her back to the academy entrance, turning around one last time to see an empty street. He shuddered slightly, now aware of the much colder breeze.
"Oh great, you're back." Sakura said with a monotone, rolling her eyes and walking to the front of the desk.
"Yeah, I forgot the actual reason I came here earlier!" Ino joked, laughing to herself. She reached into her small bag and pulled out a pink envelope and handed it to a curious Sakura.
"A birthday party invite?" Sakura asked dryly, quirking an eyebrow at her friend.
"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" Ino questioned, hurt by her friends' reaction.
"Your birthday was like a month ago. Why are you having a party now?" Sakura said, putting the invite down on the desk.
"My birthday was 3 weeks ago Sakura!" Ino whined, "And I tried to have it for then but everyone's been so busy and the baby's been taking up a lot of time too." Ino continued, watching her friend fiddle with paperwork.
"But now things have calmed down a bit and they've all said they can come!" Ino squealed, earning a light chuckle from Sakura.
"You are coming, right?" She questioned, worryingly.
"Erm, I dunno..." Sakura mumbled turning away from her friend.
"What?! What do you mean 'I dunno'?!" Ino yelled.
"I mean that, you know, I just, I dunno, there's a lot of work to do around here and..." Sakura began, trying to hide her stutter.
"Sakura-san?!" Natsume called from behind the girls. "What are you still doing here? You finished a couple of hours ago!" She continued, walking over to them.
"Oh, Natsume I-" Sakura began, interrupted by Ino.
"Oh she did, did she?!" Ino asked, narrowing her eyes at Sakura.
"Yes, Sakura-san's been working so hard here that all the chaos from before has now finally settled!" Natsume exclaimed, oblivious to Sakura's silent actions telling her to be quiet.
"And so Tsunade-sama gave her the weekend off, which is great and fitting because she deserves it!" Natsume finished, beaming at them, unaware of what she had revealed.
"Well, isn't that interesting." Ino remarked, keeping her eyed fixated on Sakura, who was doing everything not to look at her.
"Is it?" She said, her voice becoming uncharacteristically high. Before Ino could continue, Sakura had changed her attention to her assistant.
"Well, I'll be off home now. You should leave soon too Sakura-san." Natsume said, bowing slightly and making her way past the reception furniture.
Nodding slowly at her assistant, Sakura turned to her right to see Ino staring at her, eyes remaining narrowed with her arms crossed.
"Well?" She said, her head tilting to the right.
"Well what?" Sakura replied, picking up the papers.
"What excuse are you going to use now? You're obviously aren't busy here and you're not going to be here over the weekend either, in fact you're not even supposed to be here right now!" Ino yelled following Sakura to her office.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sakura mumbled, walking to her desk and throwing the papers on it.
"What 'yeah yeah yeah'? Does that mean you'll come?" Ino questioned, walking over to her.
Turning around and sighing loudly she nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'll come." Sakura answered, earning a loud squeal from Ino.
"Ah thank god! I really wasn't prepared for a showdown to force you into coming." She revealed to an amused Sakura.
"So why didnt you want to come in the first place then?" She asked, curiously.
Crossing her arms and looking out the window, Sakura spoke in a mature tone, "Just, you know, kind of grew out of birthday parties a few years ago." She finished, smirking at her friend.
"Whatever." Ino replied, rolling her eyes and walking towards the door. "I'll see you on Sunday and hurry up and go home, geez it's kind of creepy how you're always here!" She said, shutting the door behind her.
Walking down the corridor and past the front desk, Ino was in such an elevated mood, now that her best friend would definitely be attending her party, that she had completely ignored the male standing by the front desk.
"A birthday invite?" He questioned aloud.
Her attention quickly changed to the questioning voice and she turned to see the brown-haired male by the desk, holding a piece of light pink paper in his hands.
"Oh, Ren-kun!" She said walking over to him.
"Ino-san? What are you doing here?" He asked, looking up from the paper.
"Ahh nothing, just came to see Sakura." She brushed off waving her hand in front of her.
"I see. This must be yours." He said, handing her the paper.
Taking it from him, she smiled. She was about to walk away but stayed and watched him jotting things in a file. Looking down at the paper and then up at him, she smirked widely and looked at the individual in front of her.
"Here." She said, handing the paper over to him.
He looked up at her, then down at the coloured paper being handed to him. Before he could speak she had already begun,
"It's an invite to my birthday party this weekend." She said, settling the paper down on the desk.
"And you want me to come?" He asked, confused.
"Of course I do! We're friends aren't we?" She said laughing loudly, earning a nervous chuckle from him.
"Plus, It'll be a good way for you to meet other people from around here, considering your new." She said, impressed with her own persuasion.
"When you put it like that, I guess you're right. Ok! Yes, I will come." He said, after thinking about it a little.
"I mean you are coming for my birthday, obviously...right?" She said, her face now more serious, her eyes boring into him.
"Y-yes! Of course!" He quickly answered, backing away from her.
"Great! Oh and erm, there's one more thing..." She said, quietening her voice and ushering him to come closer.
This took longer to write because term started again :(
So the next update might take a while because of Uni and work but your reviews are always welcomed and help with motivation!
Thank you for reading! :)
