Act 9: Its show time!

A fairly heavy man of about 5'8" walked into a dance bar. He was obviously of great importance because he was heavily guarded by 15 goons. However he selected only 6 to come with him into the bar, the rest were instructed to roam around the club outside. Among these 6 there was a certain blonde in a serious mood.

"You!" The fat man said pointing to the guard next to Naruto, "Get me a drink from the bar." He instructed as he took a seat front and centre table in front of the stage. The guard made his way to the bar where Jin was waiting.

"Are you here to take a peek at the ladies?" Jin asked the guard as he ordered a drink from a raven haired bartender.

"Yeah" The man said with a lustful voice.

"Is that your boss?" The bartender asked handing him a glass of sake.

"Sadly yes," answered the guard.

"I feel your pain." Sasuke said, pouring the guard a drink. "Here, it's on the house." He said sliding it over the counter to the guard.

"Thanks!" The guard took a sip and fell over unconscious. A few people looked over at him. Jin waved them off.

"Ahahaha! My friend here is already passed out!" Jin laughed making it look normal. Then dragged the goon off to the washroom.

By that time Sasuke had already snook off with the drink, taking the place of the unconscious guard. An hour or two passed by and the fat man was drunk and laughing flirting with random women in the bar. Finally the sake took a toll on yet another of the guards and he headed off to the washroom where Jin knocked him out and took his place.

"All set, it's up to you" Jin whispered into his collar mic.

"Roger." Sakura whispered back to a tiny microphone. She was dressed up showgirl style, in a sparkling white bikini-looking getup. She wrapped around a matching skirt with the slit high enough her side that her panties could be seen. Sakura had used her genjitsu to disguise her pink hair; she turned it red and her eyes orangey, but her features other than that remained the same. She tucked the mini-mic into her bra and touched up her lipstick. She was due onstage.

The lights went out and the club owner came onstage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, especially the gentlemen. We have a special treat tonight, a new star has fallen out of the heavens tonight just for you! So without further a due Honey Bar presents 'Lady Rose'" The audience roared with anticipation as the lights went out again and Sakura took her mark centre stage on a high stool; mic in hand and ready to go.

""Lady Rose'" She thought "What a stupid name --;;…" Her music started and the spotlight slowly descended upon her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Its show time." She thought fluttering her eyelashes as she started into the first verse. She glanced around the bar for the location of her target, she found him. "Eww… he's ugly…" She thought. But never the less, she focused on doing her job. "I have to flirt eh?" She kicked up one of her long legs crossing it over the other, and her free hand glided up her calf to her thigh. She winked and the crowed roared with hooting and whistles. She shrugged one shoulder upwards causing the strap of her bra to slide slightly down. Sakura then blew a fake kiss to her target then winked at him.

"Whoa momma!" The fat man gleamed. He grabbed the manager by the collar and handed him a wad of cash. "She's mine tonight!" The manager didn't protest as he counted the money in his hand.

"Come and hold me… Come and touch me…" Sakura sang seductively, rising from her stool. She made her way to the front of the stage where men were fighting to get close enough for a whiff of her perfume. She spun in a circle flirtatiously, flicking her hair until she stopped to sing more and it gently came to a rest along her back. The song was slowly coming to an end.

"To… you!" She reached out her free hand to the crowed who was still roaring with appraisal. She smiled and flicked her hair once more before taking a bow and stepping off the stage, leaving her audience craving for more.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke who was standing next to him at the moment

"Do you think she can do that at my bachelor party?" he whispered jokingly only to receive an elbow in the belly from Sasuke. "Ouf… I was joking… geez." Sasuke's cheeks were red, but his eyes were closed and his eyebrow was twitching. "That Sakura… was she enjoying it! Damn." He heard the fat man going on and on about how he was going to get her tonight. "Stupid man --;;…" He thought deciding not to let it bother him… after all; she was just doing her job. Right? He remembered what happened last night, and questioned himself.

"Why did I do that?"

Images of her slightly frightened and confused face burned in his mind.

"What the hell was I thinking?"

He remembered her eyes, how she looked at him… it was like, longing.

"There's nothing between us!"

Sasuke kept telling himself that she didn't mean anything to him, but all he could remember was her.He closed his eyes but all he could see was her… all her could hear was her voice… all he could feel was the warmth of her body underneath his…all he could smell was her… That's all he wanted anyway.

"Damn it!"

He avoided contact with her and she him as they escorted their "boss" and "his" lady to a hotel. Sasuke and one of the goons stayed guard at the hotel room door. Two guards were in the lobby, while the remaining 11, including Jin and Naruto, waited outside.

Jin and Naruto managed to take out the 9 guards using some sake and sleeping pills, but had to fight a few of them. All that was left now was for Sakura to kill the fat man.

"Come here my darling!" The fat man croaked, drunk. Sakura shuttered, "Damnit! I should have let Naruto do his damn Sexy-no-jitsu, this man is nasty!" But she put on a smile and went anyway. The fat man reached out his hands and grabbed onto her waist eagerly pulling her close.

"EWW! >. !" She thought, hiding her disgust with yet another fake smile. "I better kill him now." She did a few hand seals and activated a jitsu similar to THAT jitsu done by the late Uchiha Itachi; putting the fat boss man in a sort of trance. She then took out her trusty sword and sliced the man's neck in a manor that his blood didn't touch Sakura's white garments. The man let out a dying croak of pain. That was Sasuke's cue and he thrust a kunai into the guard's head, killing him instantly.

Sakura opened the door about 5 minutes later dressed in her ANBU uniform. She sighed relieved, and put her pink hair up in a messy pony tail. Sasuke looked at her.

"Done?" She blinked.

"Yeah…" She avoided eye contact with him.

The two of them made their way out of the hotel to rendezvous with their other two teammates.

"Eh? Is it done?" Jin asked. Naruto was busy tying up the rest of the guards.

"Yeah. Lets go." Sasuke said walking past them and making his way back to the campsite. Jin grinned. Sasuke had given him a chance to move in on Sakura. He turned to face her but she had already followed Sasuke's lead and was also on her way back to the camp. Jin frowned.

"Hey Jin, do you think something happened between them?" Naruto asked as they followed far behind.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Well I've known them for quite a while… and ever since I met Sakura she's been in love with Sasuke. I couldn't figure it out why when we were kids, so I asked her once when we were Chuunins."

"Oh what did she say?" He asked eagerly hoping he can become they type of man Sakura wanted.

"I remember it went something like…" Naruto drifted off in thought.

-FLASHBACK-

"Neh Sakura-chan, can I ask you a question?" Naruto asked taking a break from his individual training time. He approached his female teammate who was sitting under a beaten up tree, kunai everywhere and the ground around her was greatly disturbed. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Sure Naruto, go ahead."

"Well… I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now."

"Oh?"

"Sakura-chan… Why do you like Sasuke?"

She was a bit surprised when he asked… But smiled at him anyway. She looked over her shoulder and glanced at the Uchiha who was still training his ass off in the distance. Then she turned back at Naruto.

"Why do you work so hard Naruto?"

Naruto was puzzled why she would say this.

"Umm… because I want to become stronger and become Hokage one day and have everyone acknowledge my existence!" He did his cool guy pose, Sakura giggled a bit. "But you know all this already Sakura-chan… why did you ask?"

"Because, that's why I like him." She closed her eyes and smiled. "When I'm with you Naruto, I don't have to prove myself. But with Sasuke, I always push myself, even though I don't have too. He makes me feel… well. Wanted. Important, and he acknowledges me especially when I need it. Like when I'm down and stuff. He may not admit it, but he implies that he needs me just as much as I need him. That is my dream."

Naruto looked at her taking it all in. He smiled at his comrade and did his cool guy pose again.

"Then let's do our best Sakura-chan!"

-END FLASHBACK-

"So they do have a history. My guess was right." Jin said trying to picture a younger Sakura.

"Yep. I remember her being much happier then, now she seems to be colder. I miss the old Sakura."

"Oh? When I met Sakura she was already like this, how she is now I mean. I wonder why she never told me about Sasuke…"

"Oh? I'm not, she's been trying to forget him."

"But she hasn't"

"No, neither has he… he thinks about her, even though he'll never admit it. It took me a while to realize that he loves her just as much as she loves him. The sad thing is they'll never admit it to each other…" Naruto frowned.

"I see…" Jin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

"EH! Are you planning to propose to her?" Naruto asked surprised to see the box.

Jin nodded. "Yeah, I already have, three times."

"THREE TIMES!" His eyes widened and jaw dropped. "What did she say?"

"She turned me down the first 2 times I asked. But the last time I asked her, she asked me to wait. The next thing I knew she was on her way to Konoha." He put the box back into his pocket.

"I didn't understand why, but now I do."

"What are you going to do then?

"Well, if she still loves him, and he loves her, then I'll back off and give them a chance. But if he doesn't do anything, then I'll make her my own."

Jin walked off leaving Naruto with a mixture of surprise and concern for his two best friends.