Mikomi: DUDE where's my cornpops? Hey folkies chapter t-woooo for you. Summary: Naruto get's pwned :D And Neji too :O oh my Jesus Christ, sorry to those who are Christian and/or Roman Catholic. Betcha don't know what type of pairing this is I'll let you guess and if you guess right I'll give you a shoutout on my page and if you include your email I'll send you a supa-kawaii msn display pic, made my the uno et only Mikomi. So knock yourselves out trying. BWAHAHAHA-Ha? No. On with teh story…
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Title: Hunter and HuntedDisclaimers: everything from last time
Chaptuh T-Wooo: Party Animals. (I Miss You)
"Y-Y-Yondaime?" the guard stammered at the blonde pre-adult. He was taller than the guard himself even though he was much younger; his blond hair stuck out by nature and his swirling blue eyes just as recognizable as ever. The man even acted like him, he was like an exact replica, that or the real Fourth was standing right before him. Immediately, the guard bent down to his knees and bowed respectfully, a couple of times. The young male cocked an eyebrow and rubbed the back of his head, he couldn't help but blush at the attention he had never received before. He turned to the white-haired man behind him and gave him a questioning glance, the older of the two shrugged with a sheepish smile plastered on his face.
Naruto turned back with wide eyes to the guard who was still bowing. He chuckled nervously, "I'm not the Fourth Hokage."
"That's impossible, if I may say so, Hokage-sama, you're exactly like yourself!" Exclaimed the guard without a doubt.
Naruto shook his head, "It's me, Naruto."
"Naruto?" the guard jumped to his feet and examined him closer, "Is that you?"
The blonde man nodded vehemently. The guard sighed and released them. Naruto gave him a sheepish grin and restlessly stepped back into his home village. –Konoha, it's been too long- he thought, taking in the familiar attractions. The smell of Ramen wafted his way and up his keen nostrils as he inhaled deeply to savour the delectable scent. Without even warning, Naruto bolted from Jiraiya's grasp and toward his oh so favourite Ramen stand. Jiraiya sighed but nonetheless glad he too was home. Three long years since he's step foot back on Konoha soil and it felt comforting to just be in the presence of familiarity. He looked up to the rock cliff where the faces of previous Hokage's were carved expertly in. –Speaking of Hokages, time to pay a certain one a prolonged visit- he smiled tenaciously to himself. If his nose wasn't bleeding because of how Tsunade looked, it'd be cause she punched him in the face with her inhuman powers.
He made his own agenda to visit Tsunade and separated from where Naruto and him were last together. –Damn it, kid, three long years of training so you better be some good- he knew that what he was thinking was just teasing because he also knew that Naruto had excelled excellently during the past years, he was just giving the poor kid not enough credit.
"One miso with everything in it," Naruto's aged voice perked up. Even though it had changed a little somewhat, it was still a little screechy when he needed it to be. Aside from that, he sounded very manly. The old man whipped his head around and stared at Naruto with eyes as wide as they could get at his age.
"Naruto!"
Ayame, the daughter of the old man, turned around and let her jaw go slack, "NARUTO?"
"Yeah, it's me," he said conceitedly. However, the reaction he had hoped didn't exactly happen…
Ayame squealed her girly voice all the while pinching his cute new dimples, "Wow, you're all grown up! You look so handsome, Narutoooo!"
Naruto squirmed under her control of his cheeks, either it was turned red from her excruciating pinching or because he was blushing at what she had said, "Yeah, I'm finally home to see just how much my training has paid off."
"That's great! One miso with everything in it on the house," the old man ordered.
"Can you guys save it for later? I have to go surprise everyone else!" Naruto shouted happily. He slid off the stool of the ramen house and ran off in the direction of downtown, only turning back to wave them bye. Turning the next corner, he could have sworn he saw a bleach blonde bun and an unforgettable bunchy, black ponytail. He leapt up on to a roof to get a birds eye view of the two lovebirds it seemed as he sneered at their linked arms. They seemed to be walking out of a restaurant talking merrily with each other. Out of the blue, an idea struck him like a bolt of lightning that made him snicker copiously. He followed the pair going in the direction of the examination arena, concealing his chakra so they wouldn't notice that their assailant was following them closely, in a more secluded area, where the village people didn't loiter the streets, he decided to carry out the plan, "Oi! Ino-pig!"
"What! Who said that!" Ino demanded. Her smoky blue eyes hardened into a glare, she looked very offended. Naruto smirked at his victims, Shikamaru was not as angry but Naruto could already read his thoughts, 'How troublesome.' In a blink of an eye, Ino was gone and Shikamaru stood dumbstruck, grasping the air where Ino's hand use to be. Above him, Naruto held his prey captive, his hand over her loudmouth. He twisted her around to let her see who her kidnapper was, she gasped and he could feel it beneath his hand. Naruto grinned deviously and put one finger to his mouth to indicate her to be quiet once he released her. She slowly nodded and his hand was removed from her mouth.
"Naruto," she whispered, "It's really you."
He nodded and looked back down at his other friend who was now annoyed at her disappearance.
"What's up?" she asked, a confused expression on her older face.
"Just play along," he insisted but before she could ask, he yelled out, almost lustfully, "Mmm, Ino-chan" he groaned exasperatedly and signaled for her to give it a go. Her eyes were bulging but she complied to follow suit into the game. She mewled believably and moaned now and then to express her supposed ecstasy. Naruto pretended to growl and roar with her and punch the building rhythmically and Ino would moan louder and louder with each one. They looked over the side of the building to view the now livid Shikamaru, desperately trying to find his lover. Ino did a heart-piercing scream as they "climaxed" and watched the young man on the streets below flew upwards. He found them on the top of a building fully dressed and rolling in laughter. His anger dissipated into embarrassment as he joined into the laughter and greeted his longtime childhood friend and elusive prankster, "Naruto-baka!"
"Yo," Naruto grinned mirthfully.
Jiraiya reached out carefully as to not give away his position. It felt like this was his hundredth try without giving himself away, -Damn, she's paranoid as ever!- Slowly, ever so slowly, he crept silently for a closer distance from his target. Finally, he gave it a little squeeze and heard it screech like a little girl it use to be. He giggled perversely and scampered off like a little sneak, "Hee hee."
The woman of his objective was infuriated, he wasn't sure if she was boiling red with complete rage or complete embarrassment. She caught him with ease and gave him an expected, although powerful, punch to the nose. Her anger subsided as she straightened herself out to regain some regality. His muscles fidgeted profusely from his awkward landing and his bleeding nose was bleeding more than so because of the added enjoyment of groping her full, round buttock. He was still giggling pleasantly until she hovered over him cautiously, "Jiraiya, you fool, what do you think you're doing!"
He didn't fully register what she was saying; he was too distracted by her unclad cleavage. She stomped on his eyes and kept her feet there, waiting for his pathetic reply.
"Why, I'm just humbly greeting the Hokage, what else?" He answered innocently. Tsunade rolled her eyes and released him and stalked away, "Oi! Where are you going?"
"To the ANBU Selection Exam," she replied curtly.
"Aren't you going to wait for Naruto? He's probably on his way here," Jiraiya suggested, buying him some more time with her and her body.
"I doubt it, by now he's probably being led to the arena by his friends. Come," Tsunade said smiling deviously. –What could that hag be scheming at?- He decided to comply, if not only for the sake of being in the presence of her beautiful person.
"What are you planning, Tsunade?" he asked somberly.
Tsunade sneered, "You'll see."
Like he guessed, she did have something up her sleeve. He frowned; he didn't like it when she had a plan, because they were usually and scathingly brilliant. He followed her anyway; he could take whatever she was about to hit him with unless it was her fist. They leapt from roof to roof across the village to the examination arena in welcomed silence. He looked at Tsunade, her honey-glazed eyes promising an unwanted surprise. They arrived at the stadium together and entered with majestic presence only the three Sannin possessed and the Hokage. She led him to the judging area. There, he recognized Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko as the other judges, and also the chuunin exam proctor, how expected. Naruto, who entered and spotted them right away, soon joined them.
"Naruto-kun!" Tsunade yelled out in excitement.
"Hey, Tsunade-obaachan!" Naruto reached them and hugged the old woman loosely.
"Sit down," she offered and he complied without question. She looked at him with a smile plastered across her face, he looked like Yondaime so much that it almost made her genuinely smile. Naruto was so oblivious; he just smiled back at the Hokage, then to Jiraiya, who had one eyebrow cocked like it was stuck. He gave him a question glance and Jiraiya pointed to Tsunade with a chilly look across his leathery face. Naruto scratched his head dumbly as Jiraiya smacked his forehead.
"All right, Tsunade, you prolonged this long enough, what the hell is up?" Jiraiya demanded rudely. She glared at him scornfully and motioned her hand towards the field below.
"Take a look for yourself," Tsunade retorted.
Both men peered over and looked from the exam proctors to the examinees. There were two lines of four people, in the line of the examinees, there were two unknown shinobi from another area, Hyuuga Neji, the Hyuuga prodigy, and last but least, a rose coloured hair of a Konoha shinobi. They couldn't recognize her, her face was half-masked like Kakashi and she was too far away to see her clearly. She was garbed in ANBU apparel consisting of fishnet tee and black breast armour, she wore black rubber capris and there were straps all over her. On the left side of her hip, was a dangerously unsheathed katana and on her left leg was a holster for the rest of her weapons. On either elbow were strapped on metal pads. Her fingers were wrapped in bandages and her wrists and ankles were adorned in heavy weights Naruto recognized as Lee's. A necklace was wrapped around her neck several times and hung loosely on the end was a familiar insignia, Naruto just couldn't figure out where from.
"Tsunade-obaachan, who is that last shinobi there?" Naruto asked.
"I'll let you figure that out, you'll get to see her in battle later," Tsunade replied, not giving them the least bit of a clue. They observed her carefully but she was just to far away to determine who it was.
"So how does this part of the exam work?" Naruto asked instead.
"This is the last course and their purpose is to fight these former members of ANBU, if they are successful then they are passed immediately, but if they kill them then they are immediately disqualified. Of course, the ANBU members will edge them on emotionally so that they try to kill them, but the point is to control their emotions. But they must also demonstrate to us that they can effectively take them out, it's actually quite hard to keep from killing them but then again, it's even more difficult to try to, these are professionals," Tsunade explained. Naruto was too confused –so the point is to kill them… but not?-
"Why, Naruto, shouldn't you be down there?" Tsunade teased.
"Why should I?" Naruto grumbled. Tsunade laughed aloud at him, irking him even more.
He had forgotten to pay attention to the battles when he began incessantly chatting with the other familiar judges until it was Neji's turn. To Naruto, Neji looked a bit like a nervous wreck, in actual, Neji didn't even want to be there, even his uncle protested when he said he was going to become ANBU. But becoming ANBU would defeat the whole purpose of joining it anyway, the consequences were emotionally severe. It meant that any settling down with family was completely out of the question, and he had been planning to the exact thing with Sakura. But Sakura was determined to become an ANBU member, so if he was going to do it, he was doing it for her sake.
He stepped up for his turn to battle, his opponent was Kurenai-sensei. Already he had gained a major disadvantage, Kurenai knew he was a Hyuuga, it was quite obvious, never mind a genius one. Although Neji couldn't perform Hakke manually, if he could get some wire around Kurenai, the battle would be over in an instant. He activated Byakugan without any seals and observed his adversary's chakra circulation precariously and watched her move to throw her shuriken at him. With lightning speed, Neji whipped out a single kunai and deflected all shuriken and threw the kunai at her. It landed square in her chest but she was replaced with a puff of smoke and a log in it's place, -so it was just a distraction, she's attempting for a close contact!- With his peripheral vision, he spotted Kurenai in midair, holding a kunai with both hands for major impact. Neji evaded the attack and managed to close one of her tenketsu holes in her arm, effectively paralyzing it. Kurenai landed unevenly and growled in annoyance at her handicap, "Damn, I won't let that happen again."
She raised her capable hand to perform a one handed jutsu, a water attack expertly formed from the water particles in the atmosphere and formed into a shape of a tsunami. The water engulfed Neji in it but instead Neji presented an effective shield to block out the water. The arena was now an Olympic sized swimming pool. He forced his chakra to his feet to stand on the water surface and chased his rival down. Kurenai, of course, ran away, preventing all close contact from happening but Neji was smarter than that, he threw a never-ending horde of weapons at her to conceal the one kunai with a piece of long wire attached to it. Kurenai managed to dodge all the weapons and block the ones she couldn't with a kunai she caught. One particular kunai passed her, a piece of wire twinkled in the light and caught her perceptive eye. She cut the wire and saw the contender curse his luck. The relentless flock of weapons stopped in time for Neji to complete an ice jutsu, the water beneath them opened to swallow up Kurenai in an iceberg. Neji smirked victoriously but what he hadn't expected was that Kurenai released her chakra to melt the ice around her.
"Damn!" Neji cursed.
"You're not as smart as everyone thinks you are after all," Kurenai teased. Neji wasn't affected too much, "Perhaps Hinata-sama is more of a challenge than you are."
A flicker of fury sparked in the Hyuuga's pearly eyes. Before Kurenai could move, Neji charged with stupendous amount of speed and connected with Kurenai 's ribcage. He was about to perform his ultimate attack when he finally noticed that it was a clone. The real Kurenai wasn't anywhere in sight. In fact, Kurenai was hiding behind his blind spot and delivered a harmful blow to his spinal cord. Neji was knocked back and lost control of his chakra and began to sink in the water. He was close to losing consciousness until he heard some cheering from above the water. The density of the water muffled it but he could slightly make out the words.
Above in the crowd, everyone was quiet but staring at Naruto who was cheering his ass off.
"COME ON NEJI! GET UP AND KICK SOME ANBU BUTT! SHOW SOME HYUUGA PRIDE!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. Neji heard every word and smiled, Naruto had returned from his training and he could hear him cheering in the crowd for him. It was the boy that everyone had made fun of, including himself because he was a dropout, but did he show Neji! The last time they fought was the chuunin exam and Naruto had come out on top. Naruto was going to change the Hyuuga's when he was Hokage, but he didn't even have to be Hokage to change it. After the tournament, his uncle came to apologize to him. Naruto had already dramatically changed it. –Naruto…- Neji swam to the surface where Kurenai was already getting praise from the crowd. –Damn that cocky wench.-
Neji climbed out of the water, "Yo."
Kurenai turned around; her expression betrayed her surprise, "Back for some more?"
"Yes, actually," Neji replied.
"Is that so?"
Neji didn't respond this time. He focused all his speed to chase Kurenai but just as he connected, he connected with smoke.
Kurenai was as a safe distance and watched it happen but another puff of smoke joined hers and before she knew it, Neji was behind her closing more of her tenketsu holes. Kurenai escaped him and sneered haplessly, "Okay, no more!"
With her one capable hand she performed another water jutsu, but Neji couldn't determine what it was, after she finished, nothing seemed to be out of place. Instead, he felt his chakra draining, "Are you starting to feel tired?"
"What the hell is going on?" Neji demanded to know.
"The water you're standing on," Kurenai pointed to the water beneath him, "Is draining all your chakra that you're putting to your feet to keep you standing on it."
-Dammit!- He fell to his knees, the jutsu was draining his chakra too fast. Before he could think of another plan, his chakra reserve was left with zilch. Neji failed but he passed out before he did.
In the crowd, Naruto's jaw slacked at Neji's defeat. He was defeated so easily to Naruto, he didn't even know that the ANBU here were so good.
"Where have I been all along?" Naruto asked himself.
Jiraiya scoffed and replied, "You were training with me, baka! You can do better than those jounins, you beat the boy before didn't you?"
Naruto nodded dumbly and returned his attention to the arena below. It was the mysterious shinobi's turn and she was against the best of them yet, Genma. Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle at the pairing. Genma, her henchman, stood across from the kunoichi with a bored stare through his half-lidded eyes. But his thoughts were a little different. Although the girl was pleasing to the eyes, he had never really paid attention to her before, her previous records were not very helpful, she had taken the chuunin test twice and the jounin exam the year after that, she progressed quickly, so she must be good. She did look a little similar to this one genin during a chuunin test before the attack of Sand and Sound but it was hard to verify, she was wearing a damn mask. Other than that, he had never noticed her before.
"The next battle," the referee announced, "between Genma and Haruno Sakura."
Jaws went slack. The senbon in Genma's mouth almost fell out. –So she is the same little, pink-headed girl.- The crowd around them cheered noisily but Tsunade was the loudest of all.
"GO, GO, GO, SAKURA-CHAN!" Tsunade shouted. Naruto and Jiraiya were thoroughly shocked to say the least. Naruto looked at the kunoichi on the battlefield, edging dangerously over the railing to the point he almost fell off. –Sakura-chan sure did grow!- She was hardly recognizable. He couldn't believe his eyes; he couldn't believe that that shorthaired shinobi was his Sakura-chan! That she was trying out to be ANBU, sure he was proud even jealous but could she take the pressure? She sure seemed a lot more dangerous than she use to. Maybe she was.
Down in the arena, it was still sloshing with gallons of water as the battle commenced. Genma noticed her eyes were radiating with a horrible gleam of amusement. To Genma, who was use to be intimidating, was not sure how to deal with an amused kunoichi, and it became bothersome to the extent that he had to begin, he spat the senbon in his mouth at her, aiming right between those jade irises. Sakura caught it between her fingers and smiled beneath her mask, her two fore fingers were joined with the rest, which already held two other senbons. She threw them at him and he blocked with a kunai but it was only a distraction. She pursued him with amazing speed and sent a fatal punch towards him. The punch broke the surface of the water, creating a wave raining over the crowd. She used that hand to support her instead while she executed a roundhouse kick, knocking Genma off balance before he could even fuller appear behind her,-How did she know I was going to be there!-
He fell on to the surface of the water and quicker then he could blink, she was by his side with one leg raised for a drop kick. He rolled away and let her heel break the surface of the water again, sending another wave raining over the rest of the audience. She watched him perform an earth jutsu, the ground shook beneath the water and opened to swallow the water and Sakura along with it. A sopping wet Naruto gasped in shock with the rest of the spectators, they had expected it to be the end of Sakura. Genma, however, did not. He stood cautiously on the wet dirt, waiting for Sakura's return. The moment was prolonged until he truly thought she wouldn't come back. He sighed and took out another senbon to suck on, unaware of Sakura's hands emerging from the earth and grasping his ankles tightly. She pulled him under and exploded out again, Genma still in her tightening grip, they were suspended in air as Sakura swung him around and released him, sending him hurtling back down and colliding into the arena wall.
Naruto and Jiraiya's eyes were bulging so much, Tsunade was afraid their eyes might fall out of their sockets.
"Sa-Sakura-chan," Naruto managed to stammer. It was obvious Tsunade had trained her since he had been gone, he could tell by the proud gleam in Tsunade's eyes. Her strength was stunning; it was like having another Tsunade! But her movement was lightning fast too, Naruto's eyes could hardly keep up and imagine how much faster she'd be without the weights! Sakura landed gracefully on to the battlefield, waiting patiently for Genma to attack. She caught his hand from behind her and twisted his arm around; she turned to meet his gaze, amusement still playing frivolously in her eyes. His other free arm took out a kunai to stab her but he stabbed his other arm instead, she had manipulated his arm to shield her at the last minute. She released him for him to recover; she wasn't fighting fairly, in fact she was fighting in his favour. She was giving him the chance to attack every time. By now, he could tell that she had been receiving extra training from a certain Hokage. He raised an eyebrow in the direction of Tsunade who was just acting girlishly, clapping her hands in approval. –Damn, that's why she's been gone so frequently, leaving me to deal with Shizune!- He clasped his hands together and released a fire jutsu. She instantly countered it without performing any seals with a water jutsu of the same type, water overpowered fire and blasted him back. After the attack ceased he threw a kunai, she bent back and watched the kunai skim above her breast armour. She flipped back and landed on her feet with the kunai in her hand.
"Too bad you didn't have perfect assets," Genma played her with a shrug, "Or I wouldn't have missed."
She didn't seem to mind; actually, he could see her grinning mischievously underneath the mask, "Would you like to measure?"
She was teasing him! The nerve! -Her emotions are properly kept- he thought, so he played along, just for fun, "Yes, of course. Just to make sure."
She began an attack this time also without seals, it was a wind attack!
"Sakura breeze no Jutsu!"
-Two compatible elements! Damn!- he was captured in a whirlwind of sharp and cutting cherry blossoms. He couldn't escape it so he had to fight it. He did another earth jutsu and raised an earth shield around him. Before it closed, Sakura sent a sutra in it. Within a matter of moments, the earth shield detonated from within. It was an explosion seal. Genma wasn't done though, he through relentless amounts of weapons at her, she dodged most and blocked others, those that hit her, hit a log instead. Quicker than anyone could blink, she had pinned Genma beneath her straddling legs that wrapped around his waist intimately and a kunai pending above his heart balanced between her one finger and his vest. She took the senbon in his mouth into hers leaving him completely unarmed, "I hope you have a measuring tape."
"Damn, woman," he smiled, painfully trying to hide his hardening member from the hovering girl on top of him.
"Are you boning?" she asked with her innocent façade. He blushed and averted his eyes from her captivating green ones.
"It only happens when there's a lovely woman on top of me," he replied honestly. She laughed at him quietly.
Naruto watched the interaction, but not without blushing like every other male in the audience. Sakura had fought an amazing battle and won! He was ecstatic and proud of his former teammate, mentally noting to talk to her later; he joined the crowd in a roar of praise when they announced she passed. Sakura was elated and released Genma a little hesitantly; he took it as a compliment as he congratulated her. She hadn't even had to use her bloodline limit, not that she was going to that is. She waved to the crowd and caught a glimpse of a particular blonde haired boy cheering the loudest, "Naruto!"
"SAKURA-CHAN!" He yelled out in response. He jumped defiantly from the bleachers to capture her in a hug, she hugged back fiercely savouring the scent of spicy ramen Naruto always carried. It was so appetizing; she just wanted to eat him up.
"I missed you so much, Naruto!" She confessed into the crook of Naruto's neck.
Naruto blushed, "Me too."
"Did you see me fight!" she asked excitedly, ready to boast to him how strong she was.
Naruto nodded, "Yeah! You kicked Genma's butt! I'm so proud!"
She pulled her mask off to reveal her sparkling smile, now Naruto could recognize her, "That reminds me!" She turned to the leaving Genma and shouted, "I owe you one, Genma-sempai!"
Genma turned his head around with a cocked eyebrow, "One what?"
She took her index fingers and drew around her back to her frontal chest. She smiled mischievously when he blushed and nodded before reeling off in the direction of the exit. She laughed when Naruto gave her a funny look but brushed it off, "You're done with your training?"
"Yeah, I came back to do the jounin exam only to find out you're a step ahead of me," he stuck out his tongue at her. She followed suit and they laughed it off. Tsunade came down and pulled her into a congratulating hug and then with the formal ceremony, "I'm so proud, Sakura, you really showed yourself off with the Tsunade-style."
Sakura grinned and accepted the pledge of allegiance and the ANBU mask. It represented nothing in particular; it looked like a normal human, one like Haku's when they first went to the Hidden Village of Mist. A Konoha leaf was carved where a forehead protector's would have been placed. To Sakura, it represented the ability to be able to retrieve Sasuke. She wore it over her face; her green eyes barely peered through the slits of the mask. –Sasuke, I'm coming after you!-
"Let's go celebrate with sake!" Tsunade suggested loudly. Everyone looked at her skeptically but joined in, roaring with laughter.
At the restaurant licensed for drinkers only… and friends of Tsunade, everyone downed a cup of sake, everyone but Lee, only too known as the Drunken Fist Fighter. Everyone that knew Sakura was there, partying hard. Sakura, Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya sat in one booth, "A toast to our Sakura-chan!"
"Toast!" Everyone raised their glasses in honour of Sakura, who was blushing because of all the attention she was receiving instead of the amount of alcohol her liver was filtering. She had high tolerance for alcohol thanks to a certain Hokage. The restaurant cleared some of the tables for the guests to dance because the music was pumped high and Sakura was feeling it! She spotted Genma with a measuring tape and bounced off her seat in his direction, "Genma-sempai!"
He smiled humbly, but the mood changed with the music as he used the tape as a whip and roped it around her waist and pulled her into his arms with a jerk of his hand. He shimmied the measuring tape up and wrapped it securely around her chest, "Hm, 47½ inches, not bad."
"What do you mean 'not bad'?" Sakura pretended to be insulted.
"Well, if I could see them in person…"Genma trailed off in a sarcastic tone. They laughed blissfully together.
Sakura returned to the table of cynical people, "What?"
"You sure have a way with men, Sakura-chan," Jiraiya noted blandly.
"I learn from your interactions with women, Jiraiya-sama," she poked fun at him.
Jiraiya looked at her with beaming proud eyes, "Atta girl!"
"You should see her in action, she has a waiting list you know!" Naruto added, laughing ecstatically at Sakura's deep blush.
"Including you, you know!" Sakura retorted jokingly.
Naruto feigned hurt, "But Sakura-chan, I thought I was your one and only man!"
Sakura laughed at his whine and hugged him, "You wish!" They fell into another round of laughter.
"First it was just kids your age, now she's got older men too!" Tsunade jabbed, "Tell, Sakura, how do you do it?"
"Well, with a body so much like yours, how couldn't I!" Tsunade laughed, obviously flattered at her comment.
Their jokes ceased as Naruto dragged her to the dance floor exuberantly, "Show me what you got!"
Sakura complied and moved her body against his well defined one. They moved with the rhythm of the music as Sakura observed Naruto learned more than just ninja moves during his training. The movements were sensual and captivating, temptation crawling underneath their skins like a disease, even the slightest touches made them that more erratic, a trailing hand here, a soft caress there. They moved in sync with each other and they could feel the eyes of masses around them staring. Roving over their bodies. Song after song morphed into each other, all of them stimulating and telling them to continue and they complied without hesitation.
Naruto noticed that during the years he was gone, Sakura had grown so beautifully, but more importantly, her attitude was more reckless, more like Naruto's own attitude. He had heard Ino tell them about her "Inner Sakura" and it sounded almost ridiculous, but not so much anymore. The two egos seemed to have melded into each other to form one being that was swaying her hips rhythmically with his.
Finally, a different song played, a slow song and Naruto was far too exhausted to carry on, so he returned to the table when Neji finally whisked her off. Tsunade and Jiraiya were snickering at him when he returned, "Damn, Naruto, you sure did shake what your mother gave ya!"
"Baka, I don't have a mother," he joked, not at all fazed by the fact that he didn't right now.
"Neji-kun," Sakura acknowledged, he pulled her into his arms as the rocked slowly with the sluggish tempo of the song. She rested her head on his chest, she was too tired to stand without help even though she didn't feel the same way that Neji felt.
"This may be the last time I'm blessed with the chance of speaking with you," Neji said softly. She made a noise that told him she acknowledged what he was saying.
"I hold you very dearly in my heart, do you know that?" he continued gently.
"I do," Sakura replied truthfully, she might have lied if it wasn't that alcohol was like a truth serum to her.
"Is that so?" he chuckled lightly. He didn't know that she was actually being honest with him. So he joked with her, "So why did you join ANBU then?"
"So I could seek Uchiha Sasuke," was her modest answer. Neji released her like she was poison to the touch. She didn't feel rejected, she felt bad. Sakura looked at him, his face was stone cold and expressionless. Although his face held no hint of feeling, his eyes were like an open book to her, she read every emotion that flickered in those pearly depths. She could even read hate coming from his eyes and she accepted it, she saw it coming even without her bloodline limit. But it didn't mean that she liked it, "I'm sorry, Neji-kun—"
"Don't be," he interrupted her, "Just…why didn't you tell me?"
"Same reason why I don't tell Lee, because I don't want to see you broken," Sakura replied. Her voice held no sympathy though, just truth. He nodded, "I'm glad you understand."
Neji took her hand again, "Can we finish our dance at least?"
"Of course," Sakura agreed softly. She ran her hand up and down his back to comfort him if he was feeling any pain. She wasn't nice, she wasn't mean, she was just good. The song ended and they faded away from each other, Sakura returned to the table to her 'gang', "Another one, eh Sakura?"
She shoved Jiraiya playfully and took a seat next to him, "Only cause you're the man for me."
Jiraiya blushed unabashedly and rubbed her lower back, she pinched his hand and twisted the flabby skin painfully, "AIEE!"
She turned to Naruto who pointed into his mouth with his tongue stuck out. She nodded and laughed and downed another cup of sake waiting for her to curve her lips on. The night dragged on and Sakura went home soberly, accompanied by Naruto, but not before getting a kiss on the cheek by every older man in the restaurant she knew. "Congratulations," they told her and she said thanks automatically, every man envied why she was ANBU, every man envied her goal in life, every man actually meant, "Good luck in finding Sasuke" and she said thanks automatically.
Naruto and Sakura were walking alone up the dark street towards her home in comfortable silence a joke now and then coming from Naruto. Finally, when all was silent, Sakura spoke, "I've really missed you, Naruto."
He slung his arm around her shoulder and leaned on her form some support, "I missed you too."
Naruto was somewhat staggering now, he didn't have half the alcohol tolerance she did, at least he could keep up with decent conversation. Obvious, alcohol only affected his physical capabilities. So she continued, "I miss our whole team seven."
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted in agreement, "Damn, Sasuke, if he wasn't so power-driven, we'd still be all together in this thing!"
She chuckled lightly and nodded, "I wanted to ask you a favour."
"Anything for Sakura-chan," he responded on impulse.
She smiled appreciatively, "After the jounin exam is done, I want you to come with me to find Sasuke."
Naruto stopped and looked at her, "I've been meaning to ask you the same thing."
They hooted blissfully and walked up Sakura's front steps.
"All right, bye."
Naruto tottered unevenly away; alcohol sure did a number on him. Sakura was about to invite him in but hesitated, she didn't want any funny business going on but she knew Naruto lived five blocks away from there and would probably collapse by the time he reached then end of her block, and she lived on the corner. So she called him back, "Naruto!"
He turned around, "Yeah?"
"Why don't you come in?"
"Is that an invitation? Not that I'm complaining," Naruto asked lecherously.
"You look like you're not gonna make it home. Why don't you stay over so I can escort you and your hangover to the Jounin exam?"
"All right," Naruto concluded and dragged himself up her steps again. She opened the door to her house and led him in, her hand holding his tightly. She turned on the hallway lights and pulled him up the stairs and into the bathroom. She left him there alone, instructing him to wash up first and then he could go lay down on her bed while she went next. He pulled off his flashy, lime green jacket and his white khaki shorts, his mismatched sleeved fishnet top, black undershirt and his blue and white striped boxers. He stepped into the small shower stall and pulled the knob to cold, trying to sober himself up. He became accustom to the coldness and reached out to find some soap, lathering it thickly on to his rough, tan skin. He finished as quickly as he could and dried up with the white towel she left him and dressed into the clothes she had also left him. Obviously, they weren't hers, he deduced that they were her father's, -where are her parents anyway?- she hadn't mentioned them once since he arrived. He collected his clothes and opened the door. Sakura stood patiently outside with her own clothes; he looked like the fourth face on the cliff above Konoha.
"Go lie down for a bit, I'll be right out," she repeated before closing the bathroom door. His aroma was prominent in there, the scent of ramen spices were usually coming from her kitchen not her bathroom. She took her time undoing all her straps and pulling off her weights and setting them neatly in the corner of her bathroom, next to the dirty laundry and on top of the drying machine. Most people had their laundry machine and drying machine some place else, but she found it convenient to keep it in her washroom. She took off her breast armour and slid out of her rubber pants and lastly, she unwound the bandages around her fingers. She stepped into the shower stall and noticed that the knob was turned to the far right, -Cold, good way to get rid of a hangover…and a boner too- she giggled softly as she thought. She pulled the knob to the little to the left, but cold enough to wash away the liquor in her bloodstream. She always felt cleaner in cold water.
Her shower was quicker than Naruto's despite the fact that she was a girl. She wrapped herself around with a pale pink towel and patted herself dry. She pulled on a black tee and some navy girl boxers, and headed out the door.
Naruto did as he was told, too tired to do otherwise and sat down on her bed. Her sheets were all a deep crimson as he rolled on top of it. He glanced over his shoulder and on to her night table. There was a clock that said 2:17 am and a white, modern lamp, and a picture. He had one just like it in his apartment and so did Sasuke and Kaka-sensei, it was the picture of team seven. He stood on the right and Sasuke on the left, glaring at each other. Sakura stood in the middle holding her hand in a peace sign and Kaka-sensei was behind her with each hand on the boys' shoulders. –Damn, I sure miss those days.- he thought and fell into a deep slumber.
When Sakura returned, she found Naruto sprawled across her bed, asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake him up so she crawled on to bed beside him, but she did have the heart to give him the scare of his life when he woke up. She took off her clothes until she was only garbed in a black strapless bra and a pair of matching black panties, -he's gonna freak!- she thought deviously. She lay back down and risked draping his arm over her body and between her breasts. She entwined her fingers into his for effect and pulled him close behind her and drifted off to sleep.
Naruto was the first to wake up, he didn't dare open his eyes though, he felt a warm entity next to him and snuggled up closer, waking said entity. She blinked her eyes open and didn't move since, waiting for Naruto to screech. Naruto was wide-awake now, can't bearing the bright sun burning through his eyelids. His blue eyes fluttered open to a pale back, he instinctively jumped and screeched, much to Sakura's delight. His arm was wrapped around her body and tucked securely in her bosom, his fingers knotted with hers. Sakura stifled a giggle but her shoulders couldn't help but shake so she laughed aloud. She turned to give Naruto a good look at her almost naked body.
"Sa-Sakura-chan, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything bad!" Naruto begged forgiveness, as she laughed so hard, she began rolling around in bed.
"We didn't do anything Naruto, you fell asleep in my bed so I thought I'd scare you!" She said, wiping a tear from her eyes. He registered this information and laughed too.
"I'm gonna get you!" And before she knew it, Naruto had pinned her in place and nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply her floral scent she upheld with her name. And she let him; reveling in the attention she craved from him since the day he left. Even though she would never love him like she loved Sasuke, she loved him like a brother, like family. With her supposed super-strength, she pushed him down and did the same, "God, I've missed you so much, you baka!"
She listened as her purred in response like an animal. The morning was young and they took their time getting ready for the jounin exam. She gave him an aspirin just in case and they left her house.
"Hey, I've meaning to ask you, since you gave me your dad's clothes to wear," Naruto began, "Where are your folks anyway?"
"They died on a mission," she replied.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, gomen," he apologized for bringing it up.
She shook her head and told him it was all right, "It's like bringing up Sasuke."
He smiled, "We'll bring him back, even if we have to drag him back by the scruff of his neck!"
"Yeah!"
"YEAH!"
"It's been three years," Too many people only anticipated for three years to pass.
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Mikomi: chaptuhh 2 is officially done WHOT! It didn't take as long as I expected. It didn't take as long as the first chapter either! I tried to keep the characters in character especially Sakura, she was tricky so I had to meld her two egos together. Thanks for all the rave reviews, love 'em all!