(A/N) Friends! And graduation.
"You never mentioned a man in an orange mask before."
"Well, I don't know why, he was all swirly, and things went through him like he was a genjutsu, but then he killed them, and he clearly wasn't."
Iruka stood. "You four, don't move for a moment. I'm going to get Inoichi. Don't move, alright?"
Sakura, Shino, and Naruto nodded. Sasuke was still confused but nodded as well.
Iruka left, and there was silence for a couple of moments.
"So, will you be my friends now?" Sasuke asked out of the blue.
Sakura shrugged. "I don't see why not, Shino? Naruto?"
Shino nodded. "It would not be unwelcome."
Naruto nodded tentatively, somehow ending up next to Sasuke's bed with his hand out. Sasuke shook it with a slight smile. Sakura grinned, bright and happy. Shino simply adjusted his glasses, but Sakura could tell he was happy. If Naruto was fine with him, they were quite on board with being friends.
"Oh, Sasuke, do you remember your fangirls?" Sakura asked, a slightly mischievous smirk on her face.
Sasuke tilted his head. "Not my own, why?"
"Oh, no reason, I'll tell you later. For now, I believe those are Iruka-sensei's footsteps."
Shino tilted his head. "She is correct. Why? Because my Kikaichu remember footsteps. Those are Iruka-sensei's footsteps."
"Very good Shino," Iruka praises, walking into the room, followed by a blond man with long hair.
"That's Ino's dad," Sakura told Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded. "Okay. Who's Ino?"
"A fangirl," Naruto said solemnly. "Blond, pale blue eyes."
Sasuke's face remained confused, so Naruto just shrugged and retreated back behind Sakura when Inoichi came to stand next to Sasuke.
"Alright you three, time to go. He'll be out in a few days, and he may come back to school, you can see him then. Or come by to see him some other time. I know you have homework, so shoo, and go do it." Iruka shooed them out of the door, closing it behind himself. "I have paperwork."
"You always have paperwork," Sakura pointed out dryly.
"Don't we all," Iruka muttered, breaking off from them as they exited the hospital.
"Ours is just renamed homework," Naruto said, giggling slightly.
"Come on, Sakura's parents offered to spar with us," Shino said. "Why? Because they believe that it will assist us."
"And it will," Sakura agreed. "They were chuunin before they had me."
Iruka smiled. "Have fun with that." He disappeared in a shunshin, and Sakura puffed out her cheeks.
"I want to learn that jutsu."
"When we're genin," Shino said.
Sakura sighed. "But that's so far away."
"Just three years," Naruto offered.
"Alright, as this is a new school year, we'll be introducing a few new things this year at the request of the Hokage. It is an attempt to adapt the curriculum for other types of learners," Iruka said pointing to the board. "First, we will begin a series of games, if you protest, I will take you aside during the games for a nice lecture on the intent of that day's game instead. I am happy either way."
Naruto stared at the board. "Isn't those variations of the games we played as children?"
"Look," Shino said. "They are intended for strategy. We are given situations, and we are to fight the game with strategy."
Sakura hummed in agreement. "You're right. They are strategy games."
Sasuke frowned slightly. "A weird way to learn strategy."
"Is it? Would you learn strategy better by doing it, and figuring out strategies on your own, or a lecture?"
"Hands-on," Naruto said immediately.
"See?" Sakura said. "Don't think it's beneath you, I'm willing to bet Naruto will beat you in most of these games."
Naruto looked shocked. "Why?"
"Pranks, they require a lot of planning, right?"
Comprehension dawned on his face. "Ohh! I get it now!"
The games were indeed dominated mostly by Naruto, with Shikamaru coming out on top when he was feeling particularly driven that day. Sakura tried, she just didn't quite have the same knack for battlefield planning that Naruto did.
The games didn't stop, they just got larger over the years, culminating in team games in their last year. One team and their army, vs another team and their army. Sometimes, there were even chaotic three-way battles.
"Finally, graduation!" Sakura declared, throwing her arms in the air.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "We were going to graduate eventually."
"But now it's happened," Naruto pointed out.
Sakura smiled happily, leaning down to pick a couple of the Bird of Paradise flowers blooming near their feet. Most other flowers were dead around now, and she was glad for the extra happiness the flowers meant.
"Were we going to exchange gifts?" Sasuke asked, amused as they passed the spot they were going to stop at to exchange gifts.
Sakura looked around quickly and giggled. "Oops! We almost walked past the spot!"
Shino shook his head slightly and followed Sakura down to the ledge overlooking the river.
"Oh, it's beautiful!' Sakura said happily, holding the dress up to herself as she pulled it out of the box. "So that's where that one dress went, you dissected it for a pattern."
Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Hehe, yeah, sorry about that. It was Shino's idea."
Sakura waved it off. "It's fine. Just a single dress." Besides, this one was much prettier and much more resilient. It was black with embroidered red Kikaichu that faded to white as it moved up the dress to form a circle on the front and back. The kikaichu on the bottom formed Uzumaki swirls and mini Uchiha fans, and a couple of sakura blossoms. It was fairly heavy, and Sakura turned to Naruto. "Did you reinforce it or something?"
Naruto nodded sheepishly. "Mesh armor."
"Very pretty," Sasuke agreed, handing her a second box.
Sakura opened it, smiling at the wooden bracers. "This is why you casted our arms."
Sasuke nodded, smiling proudly at the bracers. "They should fit perfectly."
Sakura slid them on, noting that yes, the bracers fit perfectly.
"It's Sakura wood," Sasuke said. "They should be able to take a kunai easily, the Hokage helped me enforce it with seals when I asked."
Sakura nodded, running her fingers over the sakura blossoms carved into the wood. She handed one of the boxes she had to Shino, one to Naruto, and one to Sasuke. "Here you go!"
Shino opened his, pulling out a long sweater with a high collar done in forest green, and lined with grey fabric. "Thank you, Sakura, Naruto."
Naruto beamed, holding up his navy blue sweater. "I'll line this with orange!"
"I wouldn't expect anything else," Sakura replied, smiling happily.
Sasuke held up his, Something all three had worked on, a navy blue sweater lined with black fabric and the Uchiha symbol on the back. Around the neckline, bottom, and cuffs of the sleeves were small Uzumaki spirals, Sakura blossoms, and Kikaichu in orange, light pink, and silver, respectively. Sasuke slipped his on immediately, dislodging his headband, and forcing him to fix it. Sakura was the only one who hadn't worn it around her forehead, instead placing it around her neck. She was wearing an orange ribbon Naruto had made her right now, the ones Shino had given her were tied above her kunai pouch.
Shino didn't put his on, but Sakura had made it to go under his big coat, so it was sensible. Naruto exchanged the jacket he had been wearing for the crocheted one.
Shino handed Naruto a box, and Naruto happily opened it to show a pair of black pants and shirt embroidered with Orange Kikaichu that were arranged in Uzumaki swirls, Uchiha symbols, and Sakura blossoms.
Sasuke gave Naruto and Shino boxes, and they opened them quickly, showing bracers with their clan symbols carved into them. They both slid them on, both sets disappearing into the sleeves of their jackets.
"Thanks," Naruto said, grinning.
Shino nodded. "Thank you as well."
Sakura beamed at her boys.
(A/N) Aww, isn't that cute. SDC has it's replacement poll up, so go see that. The top three options will be what replaces its update spots, so, yeah.
