A/N: Hello everyone, great to see you again! Last chapter was more of a success than the previous one by a decent amount actually! I was presently surprised on its debut. You guys keep me motivated to keep this up, despite the slight feeling that this isn't as good as I thought it would be, but hey. You live and learn, and in this case, write and learn.

I have been reading a lot of other fanfictions recently and I must say that the best one that I have read so far would have to be You Said Yes a NaruSaku based fanfic that has a writing style that absolutely blew me away. I have never read a fanfic so well versed and well written before, so I recommend checking that out. Oh and as I finish this chapter up, there is another NaruSaku one called Perfectly Imprefect Love and while I'm sure if you are an avid NaruSaku fanfic reader, you have already read those two, but they are just so fantastic.

Anyway, I think this is my longest period between chapters and it has only been like a few days! I know that is way too long, I'm sorry xP I would really like to thank my two new favorite people, Key and Lock and theIrishWriter for once again reviewing, you guys are the best. Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well, and remember, if you have a suggestion or a simple comment or question, please leave a review or message me or something so I can address it.

Thank you all and here is Chapter 7!


Chapter 7: We are underway

(Two day-ish skip)

"Ugh! What is taking him so long?!" Naruto grumpily complained. Kakashi-sensei was 45 minutes late and counting to his first day of training he had promised when Naruto was in the hospital.

'He told me 3 o'clock exactly and it is 3:45! I am going to be so pissed at him when he gets here!' Naruto fumed in his own head, kicking the ground with his special white boots already on his feet. Along with his boots, he had a white t-shirt on with the Konoha leaf insignia in the center of it in orange, and then dark black shorts.

He decided that if he was going to be waiting a while he might as well relax for the time being, and lazily leaned back against the rough metal wall of the academy, and slid down until he was sitting on the ground. He extended his legs out and examined the boots that were on his feet, something he seemingly did on a daily basis ever since his first day at the academy where he had given quite the performance, but even he was confused at the quick change in form and athleticism.

'These really are something special aren't they? The shoes seemed as if they emitted light from them, though the white color that they were adorned with was pretty faded and was beginning to be overtaken by a light brown color.

Just then Naruto heard footsteps coming towards him, and looked towards their direction. As if he didn't even realize what the time was, or that he was 45 minutes late, Kakashi-sensei strolled up to the boy, "Why hello Naruto," he said giving the boy a smile underneath his mask, closing his eyes in delight.

"DO YOU REALIZE THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR THE PAST 45 MINUTES?!" Naruto shouted, blood pulsing through his head at an unbelievable rate, so that it made it seem as if his head was about to explode.

Kakashi just chuckled, "Well, it's just that there was this old lady crossing the street, and well, being the kind person I am I…"

"ENOUGH WITH THE EXCUSE, KAKASHI-SENSEI! WE ARE WASTING VALUABLE TRAINING TIME HERE!"

"Alright, Naruto, settle down. I am here now, so we can get started."

"Then hurry up and unlock the practice area already!"

Kakashi then reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys and chuckled. He fiddled with the lock for a second and opened up the door. The door led directly into the practice field from outside, as opposed to the normal way of going through the front door, through the entrance area, and through the locker room.

As soon as Naruto got through the door and sprinted over to a bag of soccer balls that lay against a wall on the side of the field. He returned to where Kakashi was and poured the bag out at his feet.

"What are we going to do first?!" he asked excitedly, slightly jumping up and down in anticipation.

"Alright Naruto, calm down now," Naruto stopped jumping, but left the large grin on his face.

"The first thing I want you to do is juggle the ball." Kakashi said rather plainly.

"Juggle? You mean with my hands?" Naruto said now holding a ball in each hand.

"No, not with your hands, with your feet."

Then a look of bewilderment came over Naruto's face as his eyebrows furrowed together as he tried to think of how somebody can juggle a bunch of balls with their feet.

Kakashi sighed at the boy's foolishness, "Well, I guess you don't understand at all, I will just show you." He then proceeded to roll a ball from the ground, flick it up in the air with a delicate touch and proceed to juggle.

The ball went up and down and up and down, perfectly hitting the same spot on Kakashi's right foot each time. Naruto could only watch the professional with curiosity and admiration at his abilities. The silver-haired professional continued on what he was doing for a little bit longer. He was able to then switch feet, and then began to alternate feet.

He then let the ball fall to the floor and put his foot on top of it, stopping it. "Now, it's your turn."

Naruto just looked at the ball at his feet, confused as to where to go from there, "You want me to do that?"

"Yes I do, it's really simple actually. If you don't want to flick the ball up like I did, pick it up and start from your hands."

Naruto then picked up the ball from the ground and lobbed it in front of him. As the ball got closer and closer towards the ground, he put his foot out to hit it and flicked it up. Naruto didn't quite have the control that his current teacher did, but he was able to keep the ball close to him for him to do it a second time, and then a third, and a fourth and so on. All with his right foot, once he was around 20, he was starting to get the hang of it and the ball got more and more under his control, "Hey, I'm not as bad at this as I thought I would be!"

Kakashi just chuckled, 'For someone who has never done it before, he really is getting the hang of it pretty fast,' just then Naruto began to lose control of the ball and it began to get away from him. Naruto still was trying to hit it with his right foot as it came across the left side of his body, causing him to spin around in a circle.

"Don't be afraid to use your other foot, Naruto."

As he said that, Naruto regained his composure and began to use his left foot, but that didn't last long, as he found himself favoring his right and neglecting his left again, now that it was under control.

But the ball did come back to his left foot, and this time, he couldn't save it. He stuck out his left leg and the ball hit his ankle and rolled to the ground.

"Well that was honestly better than I expected, Naruto, I must say that I am impressed," Naruto just rubbed the back of his head and chuckled underneath his large, infamous grin.

"I guess now that I have seen you are able to do the fundamentals of basic control, why don't we get a little more advanced, shall we?"

With those words, Kakashi walked a ways away, kicking a couple of balls along with him and once he got a good enough distance away, turned and faced him. Without warning, Kakashi kicked the ball in the air at good speed towards him. Naruto had little time to react and try to get the ball under control, thus, the ball hit his leg and went far out of his reach.

"Hey! I wasn't ready for that one!"

"How many times are you actually prepared for something to happen in a game, Naruto? Not everything is going to come at you perfectly and not everything is going to happen the way you expect it. So be ready at all times."

Then Kakashi rolled another ball out at a reach and let the ball fly. The ball came with more height and less speed this time, and was aimed right at Naruto, so that, apart from adjusting, he didn't have to move.

Naruto put his right foot out to stop it, and cushioned the ball. The ball bounced in the air, but Naruto was able to get it under control after a few more touches.

"Try and get the ball at your feet with your first touch this time!"

Then another ball came flying towards Naruto. This time, it was more of a line drive; it had a lot less height on it, but a lot more speed. The ball seemed to hover perfectly over the grass in a straight line directed at Naruto's feet.

This time, Naruto was on his toes, prepared for it. He let the ball come to him, positioned his body for a good touch of the ball and received it with the most delicate of touches. A ball going that fast is difficult for a lot of people to handle, and he just made it look almost simple.

"Nice job, Naruto! Just like that!"

And for another two hours that is how training went. A different drill, a different way of doing things, but all of the drills had the same basic purpose. Control.

How well could the boy learn to control the ball at his feet or with his chest and body, how could he react when the ball wasn't coming towards him, and could he put himself in position to receive the ball and move with it?

All of those things were covered on the first day, 'I never thought he would do that well on just the first day, but he still needs a lot of work with it.' Kakashi thought as he watched Naruto in almost the same position as he had caught him in a few nights ago, sprawled out on the ground, rather exhausted from a hard day's work.

Walking over to the boy on the ground, he extended his hand again courteously to help the boy up, "Well, Naruto," as he spoke they grasped one another's hand and Naruto began to rise off the ground, "I must say I am pretty impressed with how much you were able to accomplish in just one day."

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei! It was a lot better this time with a good teacher with me."

If Kakashi was the type of person to blush, he would have done so slightly at that nice compliment. The two then walked towards and out the door they had entered, saying their parting words and going home. It was a rather déjà vu-esque ending to a nice training session.


(Another two day time skip)

Today was the Konoha academy's first game against Kirigakure. The academy team from Kiri had arrived the night before and was staying at a hotel close to the academy facility where they would play.

Naruto and all of his teammates were in the locker room, waiting for Iruka sensei to come in so that he could give a talk before the match started. Everyone was in their own little world at the time. Kiba and Neji both had headphones over their heads and around their ears. Sasuke just gazed blankly at the sight of his open locker with a few clothes in it, his elbows on his thighs and hands together while his head rested on them. Choji was still eating, and Shino sat quietly on the bench. Then there was Shikamaru who was asleep sitting up, and then Rock Lee, who was looking in the mirror doing wild and "youthful" stretches.

Naruto sat alone in front of his locker, but unlike the others, he was lost in thought. He couldn't help but feel nervous. Was all this effort and practice going to be worth it? Was he going to be worse than he was before his injury? Would he get injured again?

Then, the savior to Naruto's thoughts came through the door. Iruka had his clipboard and pencil in hand, with a hardened look on his face.

"Alright everybody today is the big day," he spoke, "It will be our first game as a team and your first game as an academy member. No matter what the end result is tonight, I want you guys to remember this moment for the rest of your lives," Iruka began to pace side to side at the front of the locker room where everyone could see him, "I have told you time and time again what we would be doing today, so I hope we are able to at least get the basic skills down for today's game. The lineup is the same as the one I have been saying, and I know that you all will be prepared for this. I have faith in you guys, and I know you will do the legacy of this academy proud today," Iruka smiled, "Now make sure you have every piece of your uniform and equipment on and we can all head out."

Iruka walked to the door and some of the players immediately followed. Naruto just stood up, and looked intently at the back of his locker, lost in his own head again, engulfed with vicious thoughts that could haunt him, should he stay in them.

He let out a deep sigh and laced up his special boots and put on his jersey. The green on the jerseys weren't very flattering, but the white numbers on the back seemed to pop. Naruto walked towards the door, at the same time, walking with and behind him were Sasuke and Shikamaru. Then, Kiba and Neji slowly appeared and trailed behind. As the field came into sight, the number 9 had entered the field.

Naruto had jogged over to the side that his team was on and met up with his teammates before they had to enter the field. On his way over, Naruto was able to catch a glance at his opponents. The Kirigakure academy wore a bright blue jersey with ripple patterns that were darker shades of blue and went across the chest of the jersey. Most of the kids were rather small and weak in stature, but there was only one player and someone else that caught his eye. Next to the bench that they sat at, was a boy with long black hair, a pale complexion, and arms and legs that seemed dainty.

'That must be that Haku girl….guy,' Naruto thought.

But it was the person that was next to him that sent a shiver down Naruto's spine. Seeing as he was much taller and older looking than everyone else, Naruto could only assume he was the coach, or at least he hoped it was. His hair was spiked up like Kakashi and Ryko's but found a middle ground between the two and was a dark brown color. His eyes were a pitch black; much like Sasuke's, and his muscular definition was enviable, to put it lightly. The thing that gave you the chills though, was the mask of bandages that covered all of his face apart from his eyes and the area around it.

Once Naruto had gotten close to Iruka, he felt a need to ask, "Iruka-sensei, who is that huge guy over there?" he asked, pointing in the direction of the opposing team.

Iruka eyes widened for a quick second, as if not noticing before, but his demeanor soon became calm and serious, "That man is Zabuza Momochi. In the last few years I have managed the academy team, I have never seen him coach the Kiri academy, but I guess I am not all to surprised. He was a member of the best group to ever come out of Kirigakure, the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, but all 7 aren't there anymore. They are part of the reason their Premier League team is called the Kiri Swordsman (or Kiri FC for short)."

Naruto gulped looking at the guy again, 'He sure is scary.'

Before entering on the field, Naruto gave the large crowd he heard in the background as he entered a look for the first time. Much to his surprise, the bleachers that housed the fans were almost completely full! The academy's first inaugural game is a pretty big deal, but he sure didn't expect the turn out to be like this. To Naruto though, this didn't help his nerves very much, now on top of the nerves was a feeling of pressure. 'Great. Just the feeling I needed.'

Scanning through the crowd, he saw the typical Sasuke fan club in attendance as well as the parents and all, but nowhere in sight was the person he was looking for, 'Oh well,' he thought, 'she is probably just running a little late getting over here,' sure enough as he was about to look away, a pink haired girl came walking towards the stand dragging a girl with long blond hair behind her and looking angrily at her.

Naruto just chuckled, his nerves were washed away and he felt that sense of ease he needed to feel. He was also beginning to feel that confidence that Iruka was talking about a few days ago. There was no holding back; he was going to give it everything he had and more. If he hadn't already made himself noticed to everyone in attendance already, he sure would tonight, along with everyone on Kiri. 'They will all go back to their village, remembering what I did to them today-attebayo!' Naruto thought excitedly to himself. He was pumped, and he was ready.

Soon enough, a few referees walked onto the field, and the one in the center blew a whistle.

"Alright guys, gather in one last time!" Iruka shouted at his team, the boys all ran over and huddled around one another.

"I know you guys are ready for this. We may be still have some things to work on and need to get to be a team more, but our season starts today. You guys have to give it everything you got and really take it to them. Play your game and be confident, and there is no doubt in my mind that you guys will win. Everyone who is a starter go get in your positions. Good luck guys."

And with that the Konohagakure academy took the field for the first time in a game. Upon entry, they were accompanied by the applause of the supporting fans. Cries for Sasuke could be heard from the girl's fanclub, much to his dismay and annoyance, but one cry caught Naruto's ears,

"Naruto! Sasuke! Good luck you guys!"

A smile crossed Naruto's face as he made eye contact with the speaker, he looked over towards Sasuke who was looking at her as well and while his facial expression was cold, a hint of eagerness was present in his eyes. Naruto just chuckled and they both were then looking at her.

Sakura couldn't help but let a blush come to her face as the two boys looked up at her.

Then, Naruto and Sasuke were lined up together at midfield, the ball on the ground between them. They looked at one another, while the look only lasted a second or two; it was one of those looks that showed understanding and a connection. Off the field they may be like frenemies, or whatever you want to call them, but on the field they are a duo, a partnership. And a damn good one at that.

Then, another whistle was heard from the referee, the game had begun. It was time for everything that the boys had done to be put to the test; it was time for individuals to shine and the team to prove itself.


Naruto rolled the ball to Sasuke who then passed it back to his teammates in the midfield. Both forwards jogged up the field to get into their attacking positions and watched as the ball flowed towards the left side of the field. As the ball came to Lee, he was under light pressure from a defender and he was able to pass it back towards Kiba who played it towards the Kobayashi twins who passed it between one another before finding Ryko on the far right side.

Sasuke darted in a diagonal run that cut in front of and between the two center backs, seeing this Ryko let the ball roll out in front of him and unleashed a powerful, lofted kick that was headed towards Sasuke's path.

In order to find the ball, Sasuke had to look up and over his shoulder. The ball was nearing its target and rather quickly as it moved with a slight curve in the air. The Uchiha reached a foot out for the ball and was somehow able to control it at his feet. Two defenders caught up with him, as it took a second and he had to slow down to gain control of the ball.

Sasuke took it upon himself to get past the two as he dribbled away from goal towards the sideline to create space for anyone looking to support him. As if on cue, Lee was darting in from his wide left position. The exuberant boy's speed was too much for the players trying to keep up with him and he quickly filled the space Sasuke created.

Kiba filled the gap that Lee had left open and gave Sasuke a trail (A) option. The Konoha academy was really giving the Kiri academy something to worry about. A small mistake here and there and it was sure to lead to a scoring opportunity.

Lee's run ended up being too quick though and Sasuke wasn't able to get ready to give him the ball before he was already in an offside position. Instead, Sasuke opted for the back pass to Kiba who then gave the ball to Shino in the middle of the field.

Shino quickly passed the ball to the opposite side to Neji who then took the ball in stride at his feet, weaving in and out of defender after defender until he found himself in a 1 on 1 situation with one of the Kiri centerbacks. He did a few step overs (B), but the defender didn't fall for his quick skills.

Neji and Shikamaru must've realized their solution to getting through the defense at the same time because as Neji turned to look for a pass, Shikamaru was already there waiting to receive it. Neji gave a quick pass to him and made a run in to space to receive it again. Shikamaru gave the ball back to Neji who then did the same as he had just done and moved into space, taking another defender out of the equation and Shikamaru receiving the ball. Again, Neji got the ball back from Shikamaru, and with that pass they only had to get past one defender before they were through on goal.

Without even hesitating, Shikamaru lobbed the ball over the defender's head and onto the path of Lee who had darted past Neji as they made similar runs into the box. Lee got it at his feet and in two swift touches, struck the ball as hard as he could. The ball rocketed off the post, leaving the goal shaking and going behind him, but they still retained position of the ball.

The Konoha academy held the ball for what seemed like forever just trying to find a way through the organized defense. Naruto was on the opposite side and waited for the ball to swing around to his half before he would try his idea. The ball was swung over to Ryko at the right fullback position and Naruto gave a checking run (C) to the ball as Ryko played it to him. As he came to the ball, a defender pressed with him. This opened up space on the right side so that they could attack down it. As Ryko filled that space they had just opened up, Naruto played a pass to Shikamaru, who found Ryko with the laziest, but the most perfect, of passes.

Ryko rushed the ball all the way to the goal line and crossed the ball in. Lee was at the back post (D) and Sasuke was in the middle of the goal box, but was guarded by a slightly taller defender. The ball hung in the air for a couple seconds before it was obvious that it would fall to Sasuke who tried to out-jump the defender in front of him, but the defender beat him to it and headed it away.

The ball was only headed as far as the top of the box and was bouncing slightly. In a flash, Naruto was on top of the ball. He unleashed a powerful strike, it was curving away from the keeper because he didn't exactly hit it in the center, but it was too fast for the keeper to react. The goalie and his defenders watched as the ball hit the back of the net.

The crowd stood and clapped as Naruto dashed towards the corner flag where his teammates, sans Sasuke, mobbed him in celebration. They all cheered, patted him on the back, high fived him, and jostled his hair. Who better to score the first goal of their careers at the academy then the boy-wonder who just couldn't stop surprising people?

Naruto couldn't stop grinning his huge grin as he waved in acknowledgment of the fans, and gave a wink to Sakura.

They both chuckled at their exchange.

Naruto moved his glance to behind him once he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke was there, "Not bad, dobe." Sasuke just gave a small smirk and Naruto couldn't help but smile more at the emotionless boy.

Naruto then turned his head towards Iruka and gave him a big thumbs up to his teacher who was clapping for him. It was all rather surreal for Naruto, this is something you dreamed about, people cheering for you after you score a fantastic goal. The world seems to revolve around you and there is no better feeling.

Haku was standing next to Zabuza after the goal, the two exchanged some words and Haku jogged back into position. As soon as the whistle blew to restart the game, his teammate rolled the ball towards him and he took off in a blur of speed.

He was already beyond Sasuke and Naruto and moving on to the midfield, Shino was the first one to come into his path and brushed by him so fast that he almost couldn't react.

As soon as Haku was jogging back to midfield after talking with his coach, Shikamaru had a hunch and moved to a more defensive position before they even kicked the ball off. As Haku attacked him, there was enough space in between them that Shikamaru could react to his movements, but with one quick step over, Haku seemed to glide past him, 'How troublesome.'

Next was Satoyuki and Sakutarou in defense, Sakutarou approached the girly looking boy and stuck out a foot for a tackle. At the last moment for Haku, he moved the ball out of the path of his leg, so that it only brushed him and deflected a little to the right.

Before Haku could regain possession of it though, Ryko came from the side and blasted the ball high into the air and away from their half, delivering a crunching blow to Haku in the process.

As the ball went out of bounds for a throw-in, Haku lay still on the ground for a second before hopping to his feet and getting back into position.

At halftime, the score was 2-0 to Konoha. At just about the end of the half, Satoyuki was able to get on the end of a corner kick and he headed it in without even jumping.

The boys all sat down, some on the bench and some on the ground as they passed around the bottles of water that they had and listened to what Iruka had to say, "Fantastic half everyone! Everything seems to be working really well. You guys are passing the ball great, finding space, and everything we have been working on in training is being executed perfectly, I couldn't be happier with the way things are going right now, just remember to not take the opposition lightly and we will secure ourselves our first victory."

In response a few players let out some small cheers as they anticipated picking up a win in their first game. The same 11 players that started the half took the field again, accompanied for the second time, by the applause of the crowd.

The game started with Kiri in possession, they passed it around the midfield a bit before forcing it up to Haku. The boy brought it to his feet precisely and began to attack forward. He had received the ball already around the midfield and was able to make his way to the defense again with ease, but before he could make it to the center backs this time, he was hit from the side by Kiba and the ball rolled out of both their paths and Haku was knocked to the ground.

Before Kiba could gain ground on the boy, Haku was already standing and sprinting towards the ball.
As the ball rolled towards the right side of the field, Haku got ahead of Kiba and retained possession, he faked the Inuzuka into thinking he was going back to the middle with a fake turn and ran at the right side of the Konoha academy defense.

There to deliver another cracking blow and clearance was Ryko, but this time, Haku shielded the ball from the reckless Maru and ended up taking the kick himself. Haku feel to the ground in pain, but as the referee was about to blow his whistle for a foul, Haku was yet again on his feet and able to get on the ball. The ref decided to play advantage instead (E) and Haku continued on.

Naruto just watched in awe at the boy's sheer determination and desire. He saw that no matter what hits he had to take or what things he had to do, this boy was going to accomplish his goal. Maybe he was a little selfish, but the teammates around him seemed to rely on his attacking abilities. Naruto watched as Haku skillfully did a roulette (F) and evaded the Kobayashi twins, splitting them and finding himself 1 on 1 with Choji.

Choji hadn't had any action all game, so he was surprised when the boy with the girly looks was 1 on 1 with him. The boy faked to the left and then the right, but Choji stood his ground and waited for the boy to come just a little closer before he would react.

Haku then tried to place the ball in the bottom left corner, but Choji made a great save to parry it out for a corner kick. His fellow defending teammates all came up to him and gave him pats on the back and told him good job for saving their asses.

The ensuing corner led to nothing and the ball was in Konoha's possession. Naruto couldn't help but be left in shock by Haku's desire and heart he had for doing his best and getting through every situation. The blond boy with whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks felt inspired by the young Kiri kid's efforts. Even if his position seemed hopeless, the boy fought and fought and fought. That's something that needs recognition.


The rest of the game was smooth sailing for the Konoha academy team, and thanks to two more goals the game finished 4-0. Neji scored a goal after he found space in the center of the field and curved it into the top right hand corner, and Sasuke did some silky skills and finished it off with a cool, calm shot that rolled its way into the corner, much to the delight of the Sasuke fanclub.

Afterwards the two teams shook hands and wished each other good game, but Naruto felt that he wanted to say more to one of his opponents, "Hey!" Naruto shouted gaining the boy's attention. He walked over to the boy with long bangs on the side of his face that extended past his shoulders, "I just wanted to say great job out there, and you really impressed me with your will." Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he said that and Haku just gave a small smile.

"You must be Naruto, word is traveling fast about your displays in the academy tryouts."

Naruto kind of blushed at the thought of him being known outside his village.

Haku continued, "A lot of people ask me why I work so hard when my team just loses a lot, and the answer to me is simple really," Naruto was really paying attention at this point, "I play because of my coach, Zabuza. His wish is my command and no matter what he asks of me, I will do it to the best of my abilities. I live and breathe just for that purpose."

Naruto was a little taken aback by his words, "Why would you go through all that just for him?"

"I am basically a tool at his disposal, he took me in when I had nothing and I will do his bidding to the best of my abilities and I will do everything I can for him."

"But Haku, there is so much more to this game and to life than just that!"

"That is what I am meant to live for, Naruto. You will understand."

"But I don't understand, I really don't!"

"Naruto, is there...somebody precious to you? Let me just say that when a person has something important they want to protect, that's when they can acheive anything that set their heart on. I know you have a dream, just like everyone other boy does, but you are different in that you do it for a different reason. You do it to be acknowledged,you see that it is only through the eyes of others that our lives have any significance, when there is no one who sees you or will even look at you, it is as if you don't exist. When I look into your eyes, I know you have felt that pain in one way or another."

Naruto just stood there silent, looking at Haku, stunned by his words.

Then a hand appeared on Haku's shoulder, behind him, was a man that towered over the two academy players,

"Haku, come on, it's time to get going." He glared at the Uzumaki boy a little more, "You know, you have a lot going for ya kid."

And with that they both walked away. Naruto was in a state of mass confusion at what he had just heard come out of the boy's mouth, as well as Zabuza's. It was all to much to take in at one time. The words that Haku said clicked in his head, but he just wasn't sure why. He shrugged it off for the time being, and headed over to the team that was now all laughs and smiles near the team's bench.

"Alright, everyone," Iruka spoke, "I know how excited you are, but before you guys head out, I wanted to say that you guys did a fantastic job and way to get your first win boys, you all did fantastic."

In that moment, Iruka's smile was a proud one, he was so happy to see most of his team smiling and enjoying themselves. It really is the fun of the game that is the best part, not so much the result in the end.

The boys cheered again and high fived one another and walked towards the locker room as a team. The guys were greeted a third time by the applause of the, now halved, crowd that was still there. Sasuke found it to be a fantastic time to take his shirt off before he reached the locker room and a few loud thuds were heard from the stands as girls fainted then and there.

"You couldn't have waited 20 more seconds to do that, huh teme?!" Naruto shouted against the swooning noises of the girls that were left standing. Sasuke just turned a cheek to the blond boy and they all carried on into the locker room.

After they were all done changing and ready to go home, Sasuke and Naruto walked out of the academy side by side, and arguing about something foolish again or at least Naruto was.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Hey!"

The boys turned behind them to see Sakura walking over, Sasuke turned his head the other way and didn't move, and Naruto waved at her as she approached,

"Oh hiya, Sakura-chan! Want to walk home with us?"

"Well actually, I was thinking, well…maybe the three of us could go get some dinner or something, I mean I'm sure you guys are hungry after the ga…"

Sakura was cut off by some yelling coming from the blond knucklehead, "Sounds great, Sakura-chan! Ichiraku's it is!" Naruto then looked at the bag that was slung across Sasuke's shoulder and pulled a wallet out of a side pocket, "Awe Sasuke! You're treating the both of us?! You shouldn't have offered; that was so nice of you!" Naruto said mockingly, chuckling as he held Sasuke off with the wallet still in his hand.

"Give that back you dumb dobe." Sasuke said reaching for the wallet.

Sakura giggled at the two boys in front of her. What a sight they both were to her.

The three walked off into the impending sunset as they headed off for the ramen stand that Naruto always wanted to go to. Naruto had run ahead of the two, still holding Sasuke's wallet. Sasuke and Sakura walked side by side watching Naruto playfully jog ahead.

"You know once we get to the stand I'm going to kill you right?" Sasuke said stoically.

Naruto just left and distanced himself a little more from the pair and laughed a little more. The three walked a little farther into the distance fading as they hit the bustling street market that was near their location.

Three "best friends", a win, and some ramen. Not many better things in life now are there?


(A) A trail is just a pass backwards

(B) A stepover is a basic skill in which a player tries to fake out a defender by 'stepping over' the ball and taking it the other direction

(C)A checking run is when you run towards the player that has the ball. Usually it is done to drag a defender that is marking you, out of position.

(D)Back post means that you are on the farthest goal post of the player with the ball

(E)Advantage is played by a referee when there should be a foul, but the team is better off with play continuing.

(F)A roulette (or Maradona) is when a player basically spins on the ball. It's hard to explain, if you really don't know it, just look it up on YouTube. It's pretty basic.


A/N: Damn that was much longer chapter than normal. I thought about breaking it off before the game started, but thought that you guys deserved a longer chapter because you all are the best people ever!

I hope you are really enjoying the story as much as I am enjoying writing it.

Review, review, review, follow, favorite and review some more! I love yo facez and see you all next chapter!