Akimichi Chouji; 7 Years Later

Age 19

-This Drama-

Last year, we hadn't done too well when Gai gave us a test.

He wanted to make sure that we were ready for the chuunin exam so, under very extreme circumstances, we were supposed to complete a mission on the spot.

How had we done?

Well, we'll just say that we weren't quite ready for the exam.

This year, Gai practically replicated the test.

We had done quite well this time around and beat him back up to the top of the mountain.

Then, upon returning home to report to the Hokage, we were all greeted with a special surprise.

Shikamaru!

He was the Hokage!

At the age of nineteen, Shikamaru was the Hokage while I had been training up in the mountains for two years as a genin.

He told me that he had only recently been promoted to that position, but Shikamaru had always been sort of the backseat Hokage.

By the way he went on about the previous Hokage, she was even lazier than he was.

Shikamaru promised me we'd celebrate sometime since I missed his introduction speech.

I think he just might be the very youngest Hokage our village has ever seen!

So now that that was all over and done with, Kiba, Naruto and I all strolled down the streets of Konoha getting ourselves reacquainted with our surroundings. It was fun to point out things that we remembered, but even more fun to point out the things that had changed.

Even though we had only spent two years together, these two felt like my life long friends.

"This chuunin exam will be no problem this time around!" Kiba said suddenly since no one else was saying anything.

He tended to do things like that.

"Yeah, I know!" Naruto said. "I am SO ready for it!"

Naruto and Kiba were usually fully capable of keeping a conversation going on their own just fine and did not require for me to join in, but sometimes I liked to contribute.

"Do you think we'll be able to pass?" I asked.

"Of course we will!" said Kiba immediately, almost as if he was offended that I would bring something like that up. Naruto looked like he had been ready to say the same thing.

That was why I didn't normally add to the conversation.

It's not that they always shot me down whenever I said something, it was just that the both of them usually had the same opinions on things while mine vastly differed.

Just when I was about to change what I had just said, Naruto became distracted.

"Sakura!" he yelled excitedly.

He waved to two figures off down the road. The two came closer to reveal themselves as Hinata and Sakura, two girls I didn't have very strong relationships with.

However, they were the two girls that Kiba and Naruto spoke endlessly about.

Naruto had loved Sakura ever since we were in the academy.

Kiba had only just recently developed a thing for Hinata but he certainly was enthusiastic about it.

Me?

I wasn't really concerned with any of that.

I was focusing hard on becoming a good ninja like Shikamaru and Ino.

I mean, especially since I had gone so long with NOT focusing my energy on ninjaness.

"Naruto?" Sakura said once they had caught up to us. "So you're finally back?"

Naruto only stood there with his mouth gaping open. I felt like nudging him to hurry up and say something to her.

I could tell that she was staring at me slightly because I had gotten so big in the past two years and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I was relieved when her eyes wandered downwards to Kiba.

"Kiba?" said Sakura, sounding surprised. "Is that you?"

It's no secret to anyone that Kiba has gotten…er… well, let's just say he's gone through puberty in all the RIGHT ways.

"Who else would it be?" Kiba said.

Unfortunately for him, he's the most oblivious person on the planet so, while most men his age would be gawking at themselves in the mirror, Kiba still has no idea that every single girl we'd ever meet would be swooning over his mere presence.

I don't doubt that Kiba is fully aware of his good looks, but I just don't think he realizes what they can do for him.

I looked at Naruto who wasn't being proactive about asking Sakura out on a date.

Then I looked at Kiba who wasn't being proactive about asking Hinata out on a date.

Should I be doing something to push them along? Both of them so obviously wanted to ask them out but neither of them were doing a thing to make it happen.

That's when Naruto turned as around to tell us something.

"So what do you think?" Naruto said. "Should I ask Sakura out on a date now or wait for her to ask me?"

I would think Naruto would have a clue by now.

"What if she doesn't ask you?" I said in the nicest possible way, trying not to say right out that Sakura would never ask him out in a million years and he was being a fool for believing it.

"Oh come on…" said Naruto. "I've been gone for two years! She probably misses me so much!"

I rolled my eyes.

He wasn't going to get anywhere with that attitude.

Then I looked at Kiba who appeared as though he was thinking about saying something.

"I'm going to ask Hinata out." He said.

"Like we didn't know you were going to." Said Naruto.

We were both thinking it, but only Naruto would say it.

"Kiba, what…" Hinata began suddenly as the three of us turned around.

I realized that maybe it was a little rude that we had just turned our backs so we could talk about them.

"Kiba, are you doing anything later today?" Sakura interrupted.

Naruto's mouth dropped to the floor.

"I might be." Kiba said.

He let out a small gasp.

"Well what would you say to a date?" she asked.

Even I had to gasp.

"…All right!" Kiba said.

…What? Sakura and Kiba?

Whatever happened to Sakura and Naruto?

Or Hinata and Kiba?

"That wasn't so hard!" said Sakura to Hinata.

"Ha ha…" said Hinata. "Yeah…"

"Hinata, are you unhappy about it?" asked Kiba.

"No." Hinata said. "Have a good time. I have to go."

Hinata ran off.

I was still a little confused.

Kiba, Sakura and Naruto had a short exchange that clarified everything…to an extent.

Apparently, it had all been just one big misunderstanding.

It ended with Kiba running off after Hinata.

"Ha!" Naruto cheered. "He DOES still love her!"

Now, I know that Kiba had never been too secretive about his feelings towards Hinata, but it was pretty obvious that Sakura had just developed a crush on him. And, for Naruto to just scream this to the world probably made Sakura feel stupid for trying to ask him out.

Him being Kiba, not Naruto.

"Naruto, I don't know if that's very nice to just ANNOUNCE that to everyone." I said.

"So what?"

He raised an eyebrow at me.

So I avoided eye contact. There was no getting through Naruto's thick skull when it came to getting Sakura to come around and go on a date with him.

"Hey, didn't Kiba said he'd go on a date with me!" said Sakura.

"Who cares about Kiba?" said Naruto. "Come on, Sakura! Come on a date with me! Or…not a date! Just a welcome home dinner!"

I don't know if now was really the best time after Sakura had just gotten shot down by Kiba.

But I guess Naruto thought she'd fall for that.

She wasn't going to fall for that.

Argh! I just got back! I didn't need this drama!