Naruto and all other characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. I've just stolen them for my own nefarious purposes, which basically involve making as much fun of Sakura as possible and giving Naruto a nice present for awhile.
"He's late!" They both cursed at the same time.
Naruto and Sakura were waiting on the usual bridge. Sakura was leaning against the railing and Naruto was sitting down, having just woken up from a nap and surprised to find that Kakashi-sensei STILL hadn't come. Well, not that surprised actually.
"I wonder where Sasuke-kun is..." Sakura wondered aloud.
"Eh, who cares about him?"
Naruto promptly found himself with a bump the size of a fist on his head.
Naruto sighed. "The least he could do is let us know he was gonna be late so I could get a little more sleep..."
At the sound of footsteps, they both looked up. "There he is!!" They both declared.
Just as Sasuke was making his way to the bridge, walking with a cool stride with his hands in his pockets, Kakashi appeared on the arch above the bridge. "Sorry, I was doing some training on the way when i ran into..."
"LIAR!!!" Sakura and Naruto interjected.
"Anyway," Kakashi's tone turned serious. "Today's mission is going to be one of the most dangerous ones you have ever encountered..." he leapt down from his post and faced the group with a cold, narrowed eye. "...you might even die."
Sakura gulped. Sasuke stared on, his arms crossed. Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yeah!!! Bring it on!!!" He began to jump up and down. "So? What is the mission?"
"We have to rescue an old woman's lost cat."
Sakura was perfectly still. Sasuke stared on, his arms crossed. Naruto turned to stone, his face bearing his trademark pout. "Whaaa...?"
"Dangerous, my ass!!" Inner Sakura punched the air. "Sha-n-naro!"
"So how is this mission 'dangerous?'" Sasuke asked as the other two seemed to be involved in their own thoughts.
"Well," Kakashi said. "The cat has actually been found. But it seems that it has wandered up into the mountains, in a region full of snakes, mountain lions, and other dangerous animals. There are also many hidden cliffs, and the area has been classified as forbidden for anyone besides Jounin. However, the nature of the mission ranks it as a D-rank mission, so Genin are the only ones that can take it."
Naruto slowly began to come back to life. Inner Sakura was calm. Sasuke still didn't care... or at least wouldn't admit it if he did. When Kakashi found that all of his students had returned to normal, he continued on.
"Now, normally I would have us split up and scout the area, but for now I think we should go in pairs. Let's see... Sasuke, you come with me, Sakura, you go with Naruto."
"Whaaaaa??!!!!!" Sakura shrieked.
A few minutes later Sakura found herself walking alone... well, next to HIM, but still basically alone in her own mind. Naruto walked along humming softly, looking here and there, dashing from one side of the road to the other in hopes of finding the cat before Sasuke could get his hands on it. "Well, it's hopeless, OBVIOUSLY Sasuke-kun will get it before we do, because I'll have to spend the whole time saving Naruto's ass!!!" Sakura muttered under her breath.
"Huh? Say something?" Naruto looked back at her, his body bent over a cluster of bushes. She imagined that if he was a dog his tail would be wagging spastically right about now.
"You heard Kakashi-sensei... the cat is up the mountains, not here!! So you can stop searching!"
With his tail between his legs and his hands in his pockets, Naruto came sulking back. "Right..."
As a beeping came through, Sakura's hands flew to the headset covering both her ears. "This is Sasuke. We are approaching the estimated location. Over."
"How are you guys doing?" Kakashi's voice came through.
Sakura was stunned. They weren't even halfway there! And it was all Naruto's fault!!!! Her eye began to twitch. "Na-ru-to!!!" She screamed.
Unfortunately for her, she had stopped walking while communicating (let's just say Sakura isn't very coordinated) and since they had been approaching the top of a hill, Naruto was nowhere in sight.
She heard a sound behind her and froze. She turned her head to find herself face to face with a mountain lion about as big as herself.
"GYAAAAAHHH!!!!!"
Just then something jumped out of nowhere and tackled the lion. Her eyes widened as she watched Naruto.... well, three Narutos, actually... wrestle with the creature, and a fourth take a defensive stance in front of her. "Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" He asked.
"Baka!!! Run!!!" She took his hand and they dashed up the hill.... only to find themselves on the edge of a canyon. They heard the sound of disappearing clones on the other side of the cliff and they knew that Naruto had been beaten. Then with a snarl and a jump, the lion landed in front of them, snarling. "You made it angry!! Why did you do that?"
"I... I was just trying to save you!" Sakura thought she could feel a twinge of hurt in his voice, and part of her wanted to slap herself for being so mean to him. The other part of her was thinking frantically for a plan.
"If we gather enough chakra in our feet we should be able to jump to the other side!" She shouted.
"Got it! I'll distract him while you go! I'll follow!" He put his fingers together. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Once again three more Naruto's appeared, and they both stood at the edge with their eyes closed. Blue chakra began to swirl around their feet, and they both crouched down low.
"Ready, JUMP!!!"
Naruto's clones disappeared as he worked to control all of his chakra into his feet. We're gonna die if this doesn't work... he thought desperately.
"Ahh!! Naruto!!!" Sakura shrieked as the last of her chakra disappeared and she began to fall.
"Sakura-chan!!" He let his chakra go and reached out his arms, wrapping himself around her so that he would be the first to hit the ground.
Naruto... he's.... protecting me.... Sakura thought as she lost consciousness.
"He's late!" They both cursed at the same time.
Naruto and Sakura were waiting on the usual bridge. Sakura was leaning against the railing and Naruto was sitting down, having just woken up from a nap and surprised to find that Kakashi-sensei STILL hadn't come. Well, not that surprised actually.
"I wonder where Sasuke-kun is..." Sakura wondered aloud.
"Eh, who cares about him?"
Naruto promptly found himself with a bump the size of a fist on his head.
Naruto sighed. "The least he could do is let us know he was gonna be late so I could get a little more sleep..."
At the sound of footsteps, they both looked up. "There he is!!" They both declared.
Just as Sasuke was making his way to the bridge, walking with a cool stride with his hands in his pockets, Kakashi appeared on the arch above the bridge. "Sorry, I was doing some training on the way when i ran into..."
"LIAR!!!" Sakura and Naruto interjected.
"Anyway," Kakashi's tone turned serious. "Today's mission is going to be one of the most dangerous ones you have ever encountered..." he leapt down from his post and faced the group with a cold, narrowed eye. "...you might even die."
Sakura gulped. Sasuke stared on, his arms crossed. Naruto's eyes lit up. "Yeah!!! Bring it on!!!" He began to jump up and down. "So? What is the mission?"
"We have to rescue an old woman's lost cat."
Sakura was perfectly still. Sasuke stared on, his arms crossed. Naruto turned to stone, his face bearing his trademark pout. "Whaaa...?"
"Dangerous, my ass!!" Inner Sakura punched the air. "Sha-n-naro!"
"So how is this mission 'dangerous?'" Sasuke asked as the other two seemed to be involved in their own thoughts.
"Well," Kakashi said. "The cat has actually been found. But it seems that it has wandered up into the mountains, in a region full of snakes, mountain lions, and other dangerous animals. There are also many hidden cliffs, and the area has been classified as forbidden for anyone besides Jounin. However, the nature of the mission ranks it as a D-rank mission, so Genin are the only ones that can take it."
Naruto slowly began to come back to life. Inner Sakura was calm. Sasuke still didn't care... or at least wouldn't admit it if he did. When Kakashi found that all of his students had returned to normal, he continued on.
"Now, normally I would have us split up and scout the area, but for now I think we should go in pairs. Let's see... Sasuke, you come with me, Sakura, you go with Naruto."
"Whaaaaa??!!!!!" Sakura shrieked.
A few minutes later Sakura found herself walking alone... well, next to HIM, but still basically alone in her own mind. Naruto walked along humming softly, looking here and there, dashing from one side of the road to the other in hopes of finding the cat before Sasuke could get his hands on it. "Well, it's hopeless, OBVIOUSLY Sasuke-kun will get it before we do, because I'll have to spend the whole time saving Naruto's ass!!!" Sakura muttered under her breath.
"Huh? Say something?" Naruto looked back at her, his body bent over a cluster of bushes. She imagined that if he was a dog his tail would be wagging spastically right about now.
"You heard Kakashi-sensei... the cat is up the mountains, not here!! So you can stop searching!"
With his tail between his legs and his hands in his pockets, Naruto came sulking back. "Right..."
As a beeping came through, Sakura's hands flew to the headset covering both her ears. "This is Sasuke. We are approaching the estimated location. Over."
"How are you guys doing?" Kakashi's voice came through.
Sakura was stunned. They weren't even halfway there! And it was all Naruto's fault!!!! Her eye began to twitch. "Na-ru-to!!!" She screamed.
Unfortunately for her, she had stopped walking while communicating (let's just say Sakura isn't very coordinated) and since they had been approaching the top of a hill, Naruto was nowhere in sight.
She heard a sound behind her and froze. She turned her head to find herself face to face with a mountain lion about as big as herself.
"GYAAAAAHHH!!!!!"
Just then something jumped out of nowhere and tackled the lion. Her eyes widened as she watched Naruto.... well, three Narutos, actually... wrestle with the creature, and a fourth take a defensive stance in front of her. "Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" He asked.
"Baka!!! Run!!!" She took his hand and they dashed up the hill.... only to find themselves on the edge of a canyon. They heard the sound of disappearing clones on the other side of the cliff and they knew that Naruto had been beaten. Then with a snarl and a jump, the lion landed in front of them, snarling. "You made it angry!! Why did you do that?"
"I... I was just trying to save you!" Sakura thought she could feel a twinge of hurt in his voice, and part of her wanted to slap herself for being so mean to him. The other part of her was thinking frantically for a plan.
"If we gather enough chakra in our feet we should be able to jump to the other side!" She shouted.
"Got it! I'll distract him while you go! I'll follow!" He put his fingers together. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Once again three more Naruto's appeared, and they both stood at the edge with their eyes closed. Blue chakra began to swirl around their feet, and they both crouched down low.
"Ready, JUMP!!!"
Naruto's clones disappeared as he worked to control all of his chakra into his feet. We're gonna die if this doesn't work... he thought desperately.
"Ahh!! Naruto!!!" Sakura shrieked as the last of her chakra disappeared and she began to fall.
"Sakura-chan!!" He let his chakra go and reached out his arms, wrapping himself around her so that he would be the first to hit the ground.
Naruto... he's.... protecting me.... Sakura thought as she lost consciousness.