Consolation Prize
Naruto is 2nd best...right
Chapter 1
She was furious, seething with boundless anger because Ino had lost to Sakura, and now she had to hear the terms of the bet: Ask Naruto out on a date. The platinum blonde cringed at the thought of dating the orange loving prankster.
Now, Ino was standing outside of Naruto's apartment, looking around, Ino fumed at the terrible shape the building was in.
Steeling her nerves, Ino knocks on the door.
Several moments pass with no movement which only serves to spike her ire
The door opened slightly.
"What?" Naruto answered his door, looking haggard, none of his usual happiness visible on his face. Seeing this makes Ino forget her anger.
"What is it, Ino?" Naruto asks, his voice hoarse and barely audible.
"N-Naruto, I-I was wondering if maybe you would like t-to?"
"No." he said flatly.
"What?"
"I know that Sakura put you up to this and I don't care why, but I will not be a runner-up in whatever sick game the two of you are playing, now leave!"
Shocked, Ino quickly takes her leave.
(Next Day)
Sakura, Sasuke, Lee, Hinata, and Kiba are all at Ichiraku's, they were waiting for Ino and Naruto to show up, they are disappointed when ten minutes later, Naruto showed up alone... and he only stayed long enough to pick up his fifteen bowl order, not even looking at Sakura or the others.
"Hey baka!" shouted Sakura. Paying the screaming rosette no mind, Naruto kept on walking.
'He...ignored me! Chaa! Naruto is so dead!' Inner Sakura roared.
At Naruto's apartment
Naruto ate his ramen in the calming silence that he now he enjoys, as Naruto was finishing his tenth bowl, his front door burst open, revealing an irate Sakura.
"Who do you think you are?" growled Sakura.
"What did I supposedly do now, Haruno?" the blonde answered, his voice soaked in bitterness, something Sakura had trouble registering.
"You hurt Ino-pig's feelings!"
"Did I now?" the blonde replied sarcastically.
"What could have Ino wanted with me?" Naruto asked mockingly.
"She..." Sakura tried to speak, before the blonde cut her off.
"Don't say a word, Haruno, I already figured it out."
"What are you talking about, Naru-?"
In a flash, Naruto had his one-time crush pinned against the wall, his left hand wrapped tightly around her throat.
"You tried to pass me off as some kind of consolation prize! Like I'm so terrible to even consider dating!"
"Naruto, I..." d-don't know what t-to say, Naruto, I'm s-sorry."
"Just leave Sakura, and don't ever come back here again, also, don't ever speak to me again." Naruto hissed.
In an instant, Sakura's world came to a screeching halt, the pinkette suddenly felt light headed and short of breath.
Had she heard right? Had Naruto Uzumaki, her long-time unrequited crush just cut ties with her?
"C-come on, Naruto, are you serious right now? Sakura asks, fear soaking her words.
The serious look the normally goofy blonde was giving her really unnerved and unsettled Sakura.
Realizing now that Naruto was dead serious, Sakura lost the tentative smile that she wore.
"Pl-please Naruto, don't do this, I-I d-don't want to lose you." Sakura said as she began sobbing.
Naruto scoffs while rolling his eyes.
"Lose me? You can't lose something that you never had in the first place." Naruto growled.
Sakura turns and walks away from the angry blonde.
Three days later...
Naruto was leaving Ichiraku's, he was heading home since he had two weeks off.
Naruto thankfully hadn't seen Ino or Sakura in three days, which suited him just fine.
"Hey Dobe." Sasuke called out, but Naruto ignored him, continuing on to his apartment. Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto was ignoring him.
Meanwhile, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Temari, and Kiba were meeting with Tsunade in her looks at the assembled shinobi and kunoichi, they all have worried looks on their faces.
"I take it that you're all here to talk about Naruto?" the older blonde asked.
Nods come from everyone, Ino stepped up first.
"Hokage-sama, I had only tried to ask Naruto out on a date and he...ripped my head off."
"Ino, why would...?" Tsunade asked, but then shifts her eyes to Sakura.
Seeing disappointment in her Sensei's honey-colored eyes, Sakura stepped forward and began explaining.
Tsunade was shocked at the utter heartlessness the pinkette displayed by reducing Naruto to a consolation prize in a bet.
"I can see why Naruto cut all ties with you, Sakura." Said Tsunade.
"I know that now, Tsunade-sama, and now all I want is for Naruto to forgive me. I-I'll do anything to have Naruto's forgiveness."
"That may be true Sakura, but both you and Ino have hurt Naruto more severely than anyone else could have, the two of you have destroyed his self-esteem, the belief system that he had built for himself, his protection. It's gone now. Forever, I fear." Tsunade said, looking down.