Chapter 10

Naruto sits on a nearby water tower on top of the school both mad and upset. He's frustrated over the fact that he's in the same squad as Sasuke. He then looks and sees Sasuke in a nearby window eating a rice ball. Naruto then gets a devious look in his eye and jumps down.

Meanwhile, just across from Sasuke's window, Ino's team was sitting on a small balcony eating.

"Alright" said Ino. "If we're in the same group you're going to have to follow my lead. That's the only way it will work."

"Yeah yeah" said Shikamaru.

"Why don't you lead us to some barbeque Ino" yelled Choji.

Ino puts her hand on her face. "Hopeless" she says.

"How interesting" said Menma suddenly appearing in the middle of their group. Ino jumps back in shock.

"What are you doing here Menma?" asked Shikamaru.

"I was looking for Naruto. I figured he would be either with Kiba or you guys" said Menma.

Shikamaru averts his eyes. "Well he's not here so why not bother Kiba."

"Well that's the thing. I can't find Kiba or his team."

"Well do you have to bother us?"

"Well yeah aside from me, you, Choji and Kiba are the only ones Naruto even talks to."

Choji then notices Naruto just on the other side of the roof crawling to Sasuke's window. "Eh guys," said Choji "Naruto is over there."

Everyone looks over at the window where Sasuke is and sees Naruto crouched just under the window. Naruto jumps into the window knocking over Sasuke and closing the shutter.

"Naruto" said Ino "If you so much as put a scratch on him you're on my enemy list for life."

"I'm sure everyone's on your enemy list Ino" said Menma. Menma then smiles. "Everyone except Sasuke."

"You're at the very top Menma."

"Aww I'm flattered. You and everyone else has me at the top. What makes you so special, that fact that you're a dumb blonde?"

Ino glares angrily at Menma.

The shutter suddenly opens and Sasuke jumps out.

"He beat Naruto without breaking a sweat" said Shikamaru.

"What did you expect?" said Ino. "Naruto to against my Sasuke, no contest."

"Your Sasuke?" said Menma as he chuckles. "I wonder how Sakura and Aylana will feel about you saying that?"

Ino glares intensely at Menma clenching her fist and raising it. "Relax I'm only teasing." Menma stands up. "But if you intend to win over Sasuke, you'll have to find a better way to woo him especially since you're not on his team. My advice would be to appeal to him in a way none of the other girls would think of." Menma jumps over to the other side and peaks into the room. He sees that Sasuke was tied up instead of Naruto. He smiles and closes the shutter. He then jumps down and tracks down the disguised Naruto.

Back with Sakura, she's sitting on a bench looking depressed that she couldn't find Sasuke. Sairana is hiding behind a nearby tree. Sakura looks up and sees Naruto disguised as Sasuke in front of her. She gets a surprised look on her face.

At that same moment Menma catches up to them and hides behind the same tree Sairana was hiding behind. Sairana is shocked to see Menma behind her instead of being disguised as Sasuke.

"What happened?" asked Sairana.

"Naruto" said Menma. "He decided to knock out Sasuke and take his place. I don't know what he's planning but I'm interested in seeing what happens."

Naruto walks over to Sakura. "Sakura your forehead is so wide and charming. It makes me feel like kissing it."

Menma looks at Naruto severely disappointed. "Really Naruto?" says Menma. "You got to try better than that if you want Sakura to hate Sasuke."

"Just kidding" said Naruto. "That's the kind of dumb thing Naruto would say"

"Ohh" said Sakura.

"I want to ask you something" says Naruto as he sits down by Sakura. "Naruto what do you think about him."

"What do you mean?"

"He is our teammate I want to know how you feel about him compared to how I feel about him."

Sakura looks down at the ground. "He knows about my feelings and purposely tries to get in the way. He enjoys interfering and making me feel bad. Naruto he doesn't understand one thing about me. He's just annoying." Sakura looks up at the sky. "I don't even get why he's so fixated on me. There are other girls he can bother but he chooses me. Why can't he annoy some other girl like Aylana or Ino? At least then he would be out my hair."

Sairana notices Menma starting to crush the bark of the tree with his hand. She grabs his hand.

"Calm down" said Sairana. "You don't want to do anything reckless."

Sakura looks back down at the ground. "All I really want is for you to accept me Sasuke that's all" said Sakura.

"You just want me to accept you?" said Naruto

Sakura turns to Naruto blushing hard. "Yes that's how I feel." Sakura leans over to Naruto. "I'd do anything for that." She leans closer to him getting more and more in his face.

Menma expression softens up and him and Sairana watch on with curiosity.

"Maybe this is a good thing" said Menma. "Naruto does need something positive to focus on." Menma starts laughing quietly to himself. "And this is perfect blackmail material."

Just then Naruto grabs his stomach in pain. Menma smacks his face with his hand.

"What just happened?" said Sairana.

"I told him to throw away that damn milk" said Menma. Naruto gets up and runs away.

"Hey what's the matter?" yells Sakura towards Naruto.

"I'll be right back" said Naruto

"I didn't know Sasuke was so shy" said Sakura.

"I guess that's my cue" said Menma. He goes to the end of the sidewalk and transforms into Sasuke. He walks back to where Sakura is. Sakura stands up in excitement.

"Sasuke you're back" she says. "Don't be so shy you naughty boy."

"What the hell does Naruto see in her?" Menma thinks to himself.

"Are you ready now" said Sakura. "You know mentally prepared, because I am I'm ready to go."

Menma walks up to Sakura. "We shouldn't do this now" he says. "We should get back to Naruto."

"There you go again. Why do you even care about Naruto he just picks fights with you" said Sakura.

"Do you really think you should talk ill about your…I mean our teammate like that? Like it or not, we need to work together with him."

"Working together with Naruto is impossible for me. He would just annoy me the entire time. Everything he does is annoying…. If fact, do you know why he's so annoying because he wasn't raised right."

Sairana face turned white in fear. "Sakura, you should really shut your damn mouth now" said Sairana to herself.

"He doesn't have a mother of father to tell him right from wrong. He just does whatever comes in his head. If I did what Naruto did I get in trouble and my parents would get mad. Naruto lack common sense because of that." Menma starts clenching his fist.

"Don't do it Menma" said Sairana quietly.

"If you don't' have parents to tell you right from wrong how would you know. He's selfish and bratty. He's all alone. I mean he does have his brother but he's just as bad getting into fights with kids from school all the time not having a care of what he does. I just wish the sensei didn't put him on the same team as us. He and his brother belongs back in the academy where the failures that they are belong."

Menma then slaps Sakura across the face. The sound echoes throughout the entire area. Sairana eyes widen and she covers her mouth in shock. Sakura touches her cheek and looks up at Menma with tears starting to swell up in her eyes. Menma glares at her extremely pissed off.

"Naruto's not the only person without parents bitch" said Menma. "How could someone like you understand what it means to be lonely? It's not about your parents scolding you for doing things wrong. Someone like you who's blessed with parents can't possibly understand what it means to be alone. To wake up every day and see your home devoid of parental figures. To live with people looking down or not even caring about you. To go each day seeing all the other kids happy and you can't even share the same happiness."

"Wha-Why are you saying this Sasuke?"

"Because …you're annoying." Menma walks off leaving Sakura by the bench.

Sairana sighs in relief. "Well at least he went easy on her" said Sairana.

Menma runs into Sasuke as he walks away from Sakura. Sasuke looks at him annoyed.

"Glad to see you're free" said Menma. Menma then dispels the transformation turning back into himself. "If you're worried about Naruto I already took care of it."

"What did Naruto do while he was transformed as me?" asked Sasuke

"He wanted to get a feel on how each of his teammates will treat him. It's clear that Sakura hates him. Nothing he says or does will be enough to please her."

Sasuke relaxes. "Humph, a team will only slow me down. Both of them are useless to me."

"Which is why I took some precautions. Sakura will most likely not talk to you for a while and I suggest you find a different path to get back to the academy."

Sasuke grunts then turns to leave.

"By the way," said Menma. "I'm very protective of my brother. I don't take kindly to those that will possibly leave him to die in very dire situations."

Sasuke stops as he clenches his fists. "You should reframe from mentioning brotherly love around me."

Menma's eyes glow red as he starts to chuckle. "Is that so, I wonder why that is." Menma then turns serious. "Don't think of me as incompetent as Naruto. I'm well aware of your situation. That's why I've left you alone all this time. But now that the situation is unavoidable, and I'm going to have to give you some friendly advice."

Sasuke turns to Menma. "Don't think your threats will work on me."

"Threats? So you want me to give you a threat?" Menma suddenly rushes Sasuke and picks him up by the neck and starts choking him. "Here's a threat." His grip tightens and Sasuke grabs on to his arm trying to break free. His face starts to turn blue. "Naruto's worked real hard to get to where he is now and I can no longer be his crutch. I don't expect him to get things right away or even get strong as fast as you. But if you do anything to jeopardize Naruto's dream or threaten him in any way, then your specific bloodline of the Uchiha will end with you." He throws Sasuke on the ground. Sasuke desperately tries to catch his breath. "Good luck Sasuke." Menma walks away giving Sasuke a huge fake smile.

Back with Sakura, She's sitting on the bench thinking about everything that's happened. Sairana decides to go to the end of the path and starts walking up like she's just arriving.

"Sakura?" said Sairana. "Do you have time to talk?"