Thanks for the reviews guys, they are a real encouragement. Special thanks to Keltosh, I loved the review because it was both ego-inflating and constructive. I ask everyone to point out any weak points in the fic because it'll help me stop obsessing over the fine details since I am a bit anal about details in storyline.

Thanks .

Chapter 8:

Trees. Trees. More trees. A sane person could be driven crazy simply jumping from tree to tree looking for someone in Konoha. Lucky for Sasuke, most people could say that he was far from sane. Despite the fact that he could see the finest details of each piece of bark and each leaf, he allowed the scene itself to just wash over and off of him as he continued his search.

He had lost track of time looking for Sakura though he didn't think it had been that long. He spent most of the time half in a state of awareness, and half in a state of deep thought. His body was pretty much on auto-pilot, every so often his attention was drawn to a rustle of a particularly large bug or particularly small woodland creature.

He sighed, and for no particular reason, he simply stopped on a thick branch. His shoulders slumped a bit and his gaze lost focus as he let his guard lax a little bit. For a moment, he zoned out completely, lost in a stream of such complex thoughts that it seemed to himself that he wasn't even thinking about anything at all.

All at once there was a large rustle underneath him and his attention was caught. In an instant he was on full alert, crouching a little bit and in no more than a second his hand was full of kunai ready to throw at the poor fool below. Despite the fact that it was all reactionary, hehesitated for a moment, in his mind imagining that it might've been Sakura passing through.

On the contrary, it was a small bunny that leaped out from the foliage, landing onto the leaves and continuing to hop onward. Sasuke relaxed a bit and almost zoned out again until a small fox kit jumped out of the same bush and continued after the bunny. It took only a few leaps for the fox catch up, and only one more it to leap completely over the bunny and stop it in it's tracks. The scene didn't really interest Sasuke as he figured the fox would simply kill the little thing and eat it, which didn't bother Sasuke at all, though something did catch his eye; a small shimmer of light came from something in the bunny's paws. It wasn't until it had turned completely around to run the other way that he had seen the object, a small shard of broken glass that wasn't particularly sharp on the edges.

The bunny took a leap forward only for the fox to jump over it and stop the bunny again. It growled a bit and sunk into a pouncing stance, and Sasuke could've sworn that it's gaze was on the small piece of glass and not the bunny itself. He relaxed in the hunched over position and watched the confrontation with slight amusement, since he had pretty much resolved that he would be either cleaning up dog shit or washing said shit off his hands for most of the rest of the day.

The bunny stepped back once, clutching the shard like it was the only thing it owned and the fox took a step forward. The kit leaped forward, snapping with it's jaws and stopped just short of the bunny who's reaction only kicked in mid leap. The bunny's step back was late enough to let Sasuke know that the kit had no intention of killing it so soon, though the look of fear in the bunny's eyes showed that both it and Sasuke knew it was competely outmatched. The kit snapped again, a good few inches from the bunny and it stepped back again, though not as far back this time and the movement didn't seem as jerked.

Sasuke watched with interest as the cycle continued, the kit snapping, the bunny retreating and growing more comfortable each time; occasionally a leap or attempt at reteat would be thrown into the mix, but it was very much the same. Eventually, the bunny seemed to get the rhythm of it and it seemed to lose it's fear of the kit, moving against each attack, but smooth enough to show that the fear had mostly drained away from it.

By this time, Sasuke was about to get up and leave, having lost interest in the scrap and believing that nothing worth watching would come out of it, though his attention was caught as the rhythm changed. The kit snapped, but the bunny didn't flinch, instead it stepped back a bit, and while the fox was still out stretched, reached out with it's front paw to strike it in the face. The fox, realizing the change, pulled it's head back and avoided the paw, and lashed out again. The bunny jumped back fully, though placing more weight on a single foot, rose the other one up in the air, and as the kit leaped again, brought to the foot down.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow as the kit managed to avoid the massive thumping, and charged again. Before long, the two were exchanging attacks though the bunny was mostly kept in the same spot while the fox moved about. The advantage was as clear to Sasuke as if they had been ninja's sparring, and it was obvious that the fox was still toying with the bunny and that it could end anytime the fox chose.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another rustling in the bushes. He thought about sticking around, but decided that he had other things to do at the moment. He let out a slight grunt and rose to full stature, he took one last look two below before taking off--soundlessly--back in the direction he had been going.

Just as he left the branch, the fox managed to get close, and with a quick movement that the bunny didn't expect, snatched the piece of glass in his jaw.

The scene had been an interesting distraction, though it got Sasuke thinking a bit. Seeing the fox had reminded him of Naruto, or more specifically, Kyuubi in Naruto. He hadn't spent too much time thinking about it lately, simply accepting the boy's power as something that was given to him in the same way that he himself had been given the Sharingan. But there was an odd difference between the two of them; in every fight, every battle, everything that had required even a decent level of skill, the Sharingan was the first thing that he would go to. His powerful bloodline being the root of his power, he trusted it for any opponent even close to his level.

Though in the countless fights he had been in with Naruto--both against him and along with him--he had only felt an odd chakra once. He had to admit, Naruto's chakra was freakishly huge for his age, but there was a definite difference between when he had fought him on the roof to the hospital and when he had fought him in the Valley of the End. It sent a chill down his spine even remembering the feeling of the air itself when they had fought, and the odd red eyes had appeared in more than one of his nightmares since the fight. He'd never forget it, and he'd recognize it anywhere.

That was the part that irked him, he'd recognize that chakra anywhere, and he had just tustled with Naruto a bit and he had felt none of it. Kakashi had said they could use all of their powers as long as they didn't fight to kill, and so he had activated his Sharingan as soon as they had squared off. But Naruto fought without his advantage. It was thoroughly confusing.

His train of thought dwindled to almost nothing as he continued on his search and he found himself with little to entertain his mind. It was then that the sound of grunts, shuffling, smoke, and other various sounds of battle alerted him. He slowed his travel and reduced himself to near silence. Up ahead of him the trees parted into a clearing, and from there he could hear the sounds of the tussle originating. The feminine grunts and casual chuckles let him know that Naruto had managed to find Sakura, and reaching the edge of the clearing, he saw for himself a spectacle confused him.

Sakura was attacking Naruto with full furiousity, and Naruto was fighting back--though it was apparent that he was holding back. Sasuke settled into the trees and watched, completely silent.

By the looks of things, Sakura was quite exhausted, but she was still fighting at the best of her ability. She vainly attempted to get the upperhand in a taijutsu battle, every now and then throwing in a basic jutsu. Naruto--on the other hand--had a look of both content and pride as he dodged attacks left and right, throwig shuriken and kunai only to block those thrown at him, and occasionally fighting with the help of a single Kage Bunshin.

Sasuke watched as Naruto patiently countered and fended off Sakura until it looked like she was about to fall to her knees. Then--after a moment of staring each other down which was undoubetly so that Sakura could catch her breath--Sakura charged once again, opening with a wide-swing punch to Naruto's left side. As expected, Naruto saw it coming, and stepped into the attack. He side stepped the punch and grabbed the wrist, then with his other hand, lifted her off the ground by pushing up on her waist. He turned his whole body and threw her, upside-down, to the other edge of the clearing.

Only Sakuradidn't see his hand slip into her pouch and retreat with the bell.

Only Naruto didn't see the small golden ball hurled towards him as the girl sped away.

As the plume of golden smoke exploded around an unsuspecting and quite livid Naruto, Sakura's hands touched the ground and vaulted her further away. Amidst Naruto's confusion, she escaped into the foliage, feeling very proud of herself for putting up the fight that she did and getting away with the bell.

A couple of coughs from inside the cloud alerted Sasuke that Naruto had made a rather large mistake, and with a shake of his head and a short grunt, he dropped to the ground and entered the clearing.

Elsewhere, in the same forest, a gila monster watched a bunny escape into a bush after giving a playful fox kit a rather nice thump to the head. Flicking it's tongue out, it stepped into the clearing, red and black scales clashing against the green around him. The fox kit was still a bit dazed from said thumping; however, a short growl from the reptile alerted it to the presence of the newcomer. The kit turned, and upon seeing the gila monster (and the two illusions that were standing to it's sides) sunk into a pouncing stance; wobbling as he did so.
"Well that was dumb."

It was Sasuke's voice that let Naruto know that someone else had entered the clearing, and with a bit of a grumble, he jumped backwards to get a look around. His feet touched down a moment later and he skid back a few inches before coming to a stop. To his left, he saw the bastard, and he crossed his arms before addressing him.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I was hoping that since you got your precious bell you'd be willing to put up a fight."

He sunk into an easy stance, raising his arms and turning to the side. His eyes shifted to his Sharingan in what was no more than a flicker of time.

"Is that all that it'll take to shut you up?"

Naruto also fell into a stance, though it was a bit lower as his legs were spread further. His arms were in fists down at his waist. He cringed a bit as he sunk into the stance, feeling his body resist a little bit. From there he felt the muscles from his shoulder down to his hands and on his torso tensing involuntarily. It wasn't particularly painful, but it was uncomfortable.

Sasuke looked a bit puzzled, under the gaze of his Sharingan, he noticed the every flicker and twitch that Naruto made, and he managed to see his muscles constrict on his neck and face.

Naruto's discomfort further spread as he felt every muscle in his body constrict, and he tried his best to stay pretty still since every move felt like he'd pull something if he did otherwise. It wasn't long before he was grinding his teeth in order to bear the growing pain that came with expanding his chest to breathe. He noticed Sasuke staring and slowly drop his stance, rising to full stature.

"What are you staring at you bastard?"

Naruto shouted for all he was worth, the screaming itself being to ease the stress for the same reason one screams when injured. The fact that it was diguised as an insult did little else than ease his pride, since Sasuke saw through it rather easily. The major discomfort he was feeling was almost as bad as the fact that Sasuke was simply walking up to him and staring at him.

"What kind of fucking jutsu is this?"

Somehow the unnecessary swear eased a little more of the tension, but that didn't change the fact that Sasuke was just mildly walking up to him. It wasn't until he was right in front of him that he stopped. The only part of him that didn't hurt to move was his eyes, so he looked up from his hunched over position.Sasuke put his hand on Naruto's forehead, and the blonde didn't move. He shut his eyes and sighed, then easily pushed against the boy, knocking him to his back.

"What the Fuck!"

Sasuke ignored comment as he watched Naruto hit the ground, eyes scanning everywhere in held back panic. He could see thedesire to flail about in the blonde's eyes. He shook his head slowly turning around and walking away, disappointed.

"Where the hell do you think you're going! What the fuck did you do to me Bastard!"

There was such a sweet, subtle relief with each screamed word, if he hadn't been so angry and uncomfortable, he'd have enjoyed it a little.

"It's kind of ironic, isn't it?"

Sasuke's voice was low, but Naruto still heard him.

"After all that Konoha did in the fight against the Kyuubi, every jutsu and weapon that they tried, all that it took to stop it was a little paralysis powder."

Sasuke turned back with a smirk on his face. Naruto's head rose a little as he glared back into the Uchiha's smug eyes, watching them fade back to their original dark nature.

"What, what are you talking about?"

Naruto didn't shout this time. He merely spoke softly as he attempted to keep from cringing all over his body, the answer to why was clear to him now, and he mentally scoffed himself for inhaling the smoke from Sakura's bomb.

"I don't know much about it, but from what I've heard, the Kyuubi didn't really do many jutsu, but it's chakra was just so powerful that it deflected everything they attacked it with. Obviously, they didn't try that powder that Sakura used, because it's working on you now."

"What makes you think I'm using the fox's chakra?"

Naruto's expression calmed to quiet anger at the turn the conversation took.

"I know your not right now, because I can see it with my Sharingan. It lights up like a bright flame when it's outside of your body, human chakra is blue, and Kyuubi's is red. But the thing is, obviously it does something because you still can't get up."

Naruto's frustration about being paralysed was only beaten by his anger at Sasuke's ignorance of the situation.

"Whatever Sakura used on me has nothing to do with why I'm not using Kyuubi's chakra."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, he reactivated his Sharingan and loosened his limbs a bit. He was hoping that Naruto would flare up a burst of the Kyuubi's chakra and give him a good fight.

"Oh really? Then why aren't you?"

Naruto's anger faded quick as a sudden wave of pity ran through him. He let his head fall back on the soft grass below and shut his eyes. He relaxed his body in spite of the discomfort and merely rested in spite of it. He let out a sigh before replying.

"Why should I?"

The question itself through off Sasuke's guard.

"What?"

"Why should I? Why should I use that damn fox's chakra."

"Why wouldn't you? That thing was the most destuctive thing Konoha's ever seen. It wreaked havoc and instilled a fear that I'm sure even Kakashi hasn't completely gotten over. You have that power, of course you should use it. It--it would be wasted...squandered if you didn't!"

For reasons unknown to Sasuke, anger started to well up in him. The sheer thought that Naruto had such power and didn't want to use it filled him with wrath. After all, he had worked so hard for what he had, and he had taken every opportunity to get stronger. He knew that he would've killed for power like Naruto had, to have it dropped in his lap. He'd go out and kill his brother without a second thought, and he'd show the world who he was. Everyone would know...yet Naruto was just sitting on it. Sitting on a power that he could use to make anyone quiver in their shoes.

"And your point?"

"M-my point!"

Before he knew it, Sasuke was shouting.

"Listen Sasuke, you don't understand why I do this, because you don't have anyone precious. You don't have anyone close enough to you because you simply push everyone away."

"What does that have to do with..."

"It has everything to do with it Sasuke!"

Naruto interupted, agitation coming back. In the corner of his mind, he noted his the tension in his muscles declining.

"Power like this isn't supposed to be used whenever the hell you feel like it. It isn't supposed to be used when you get angry at someone for ignoring you. It isn't supposed to be used when people make fun of you. It isn't supposed to be used to take revenge on the people that make your life Hell Sasuke! It isn't supposed to be used at all!"

There was a certain silence that descended upon the two of them. Naruto was trying to hold his feelings in check as the memories of his unhappy childhood began to resurface, and Sasuke was trying to understand why the words effected him so much. A sudden breeze blew through the clearing, sending Naruto's hair over his face, and Sasuke's back as far as it would go. After the wind settled, Sasuke was the first to break the silence, his control over his voice having been regained.

"Then that makes you a hypocrit doesn't it?"

Naruto let out a sigh.

"That power isn't supposed to be used Sasuke, but sometimes it has to be. But those times aren't for when you run up against someone who's strong. Their for when you run up against someone stronger than you, and someone you want to protect is in danger. You use it when you have to win a fight for someone else's sake and you can't take a chance upon losing it."

There was a long silence before Naruto continued.

"When that snake-bastard gave you that love-bite. It gave you a whole bunch of power, but it wasn't yours Sasuke. Having it doesn't make you a stronger ninja, it makes you a weaker one with a trump card."

Naruto managed to get himself into a sitting position, the pain mostly gone, now he was just numb in the parts that weren't tensed. He saw no flicker of anything in Sasuke's face as he spoke, but he looked at him with eyes that showed so much pity that Sasuke could almost feel it. It angered him a little, but he didn't show it.

"I don't use Kyuubi's chakra often, because I don't become any stronger using it. It's not my strength, it's not my power, so the the wins aren't mine either. I only use it when I know that I absolutely have to win, otherwise, I rely on my own strength."

With a little ache and the lasting numbness, he pulled himself to his feet, albeit slowly.

"If anything, I figured that you'd understand that."

Sasuke's gaze made a slight shift into a glare.

"That doesn't make any sense you know."

"Well, the only time I've ever fought you with Kyuubi's chakra was when I chased you down. All the other times when we've fought to draws and all the times that I've beat you, those were the wins that I remember. The ones I'm proud of because I've earned them."

"Your saying that you can match me without Kyuubi's chakra?"

"Well..."

Naruto sunk into a stance, he forced that lasting discomfort out of his mind. He didn't like the idea of fighting numb, but he'd be damned if he punked out now.

"You've got those eyes of yours, you tell me if I use that damn fox's chakra!"

In an instant Naruto sprung forward, almost catching Sasuke off-guard as he closed the difference. Sasuke loosened his limbs just in time to dodge to the right and narrowly avoid a punch. He dodged back to the right to avoid another one, then jumped back as Naruto tried to side kick him above the hip. He skid to a stop a few feet back as Naruto charged forward. He noted that Naruto's movements were still a bit on the slow side, but he was still a bit peeved at the moron for his stupid philosophy and decided that he wouldn't hold as much back.

He deflected a punch with his wrist and dodged under an inside chop. He noted the opening made as Naruto spun from the attack, but stepped back to avoid a punch come from a plume of smoke to his right as a Kage Bunshin came out of thin air. He smirked, loving the advantage of his Sharingan as the clone jumped over him. Naruto charged forward, pincing Sasuke between himself and the clone, as he attacked again.

Sasuke decided that now was the time to counter, and ducked under a blow from behind from the Bunshin. He effortlessly, fingered a kunai from his pouch and flicked it backwards, nailing the clone in the chest and dispelling it. Then, he parried a forward punch with his own wrist and went in for a punch of his own.

Just before the attack connected, he saw Naruto smirk. Then there was a flash of blue so bright that Sasuke was forced to shut his eyes. He felt the blow connect, but was more concerned about his watering eyes, wondering where in the hell Naruto got the notion to release such a burst of chakra like that.

Naruto took the opportunity to grab Sasuke's wrist and pull him forward. He caught his own footing and turned the wrist, then reached with his other hand to push the elbow so that it bent at the joint. He stepped to the side so that he was behind Sasuke, pulling his arm so that it was laying against his back, when pulled it up as to increase the pain. He then swept Sasuke's legs from under him and leaned forward, effectively sending both of them to the ground. With his weight he held Sasuke's arm in place, and quickly drew a kunai and put it up to Sasuke's neck.

It all happened so fast that Sasuke was still stunned, angry that he had taken that time to shut his eyes. But it had been forced and he knew that. He cringed as he realized that Naruto had bested him fair and square, though the blonde's heavy breathing went to show that it had taken a toll on him.

"So..."

He said between labored breaths, a smile on his face. He was still mostly numb but it wasn't interferring with his movements too much.

"Who's chakra did you see?"

Sasuke was seething, and if it wasn't for the blade against his neck, he would've wriggled out of the basic arm lock he was in and showed Naruto what happened when you pissed an Uchiha off. His mind quickly listed things he could do, trying to figure out the best solution to his current problem.

The sound of something small moving through the air alerted both of them to a new threat. And the both turned their heads to see a small white ball flying through the air heading for their vicinity. It spun in such a way that you couldn't see the clearly the black Kanji that was imprinted upon it, but they both realized it was something bad.

Naruto pulled the kunai away while distracted and Sasuke started to try and force him off, at the same time, he tried to get up to get away. The result was the both of them sprawled on the ground until just before the ball landed. They managed to get to their feet and jump away, shutting their eyes at the last second as they realized what the Kanji character read: Flash.

As soon as it touched down, there was a soundless explosion of light. The clearing was filled with such a brilliant white flash that even through closed eyes, it seemed bright. The only thing that either of them heard was the light sound of a bell ringing.

Sasuke was the first to react, waiting for the flash to die down to look around. He quickly saw Sakura making a dead sprint for the line of trees to his right, he could faintly see the glint of a bell in her hand. In slight agitation, he moved as quick as he could, hopping forward a few strides before jumping over her to cut her off. She skid to a stop, surprise in her eyes as she saw Sasuke just come out of nowhere.

She stepped back a bit, analysing the area around and looking for another escape route, she clutched the bell close to her chest. She nearly jumped when she heard a voice from behind.

"Sakura?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Naruto rubbing his eyes, she figured that he didn't cover them well enough in the flash.

"You're headband Sakura..."

Sasuke got her attention again with the notice of the slight change she had made before attempting her plan. The leaf headband glinted in the sunlight over her forehead, some of her hair falling over it in the front.

"Yeah..."

"What about it?" Naruto called from behind, unable to see it.

"She moved it over her forehead." Sasuke called, more to Naruto than anyone else.

"Oh, that again?"

"What of it?"

"Oh yeah, you weren't there. She did that in the exams. Somethin about being seen as a ninja I think..."

Sasuke turned to look at Sakura looking for her response. In return, he got a shy nod from her, before she gave him a more firm one. She slid the bell back into her pouch and fell into an uneasy stance, her hands held open out in front of her.

Elsewhere, a fox kit and a gile monster stared each other down. Each had scratches of their own as they looked at and through each other. The shard of glass forgotten to the side, they were about to charge in again when the bunny from befor re-entered the small space. It leapt through the air, kicking both animals in the face as it passed and scooped up the shard of glass. It was about make an exit as the gila monster grabbed a hold of it's tail in it's jaw and drug it back, causing the poor creature to land right between the two combatants.

Sasuke shrugged, then, before she noticed, he was before her. He moved so fast that she couldn't see him, and in a likewise manner, she didn't see his fist hit her face. The only thing she had that the sudden sensation of pain flow through her body, starting from her face. She vaguely heard Naruto cry out in surprise, though she didn't pay it too much mind as her attention was wrapped around the jolt that assaulted her now.

She flew back, the force of the blow carrying her off her feet. It hurt so bad that she wanted to cry, she had never experienced a direct blow of that magnitude before. The pain was only matched when she felt herself hit something solid. She realized, after a moment, that the large solid object that caused her whole back to erupt with pain was a large tree. She blinked open her eyes, her mind fuzzy as she tried to figure out what the hell to do, Naruto had held back, she could deal with that. Sasuke wasn't, and if he was it wasn't near enough.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a colossal ball of fire head her way. She went cold and her breath hitched in her chest. She froze up completely as she realized that she was going to die. She couldn't scream, she couldn't move, all she could do was close her eyes. The heat from the flame closed in, making the air around her go from warm to scorching, then just like that there was the cool feel of a breeze.

She opened her eyes again to see Naruto holding her bridal style, his eyes focused on Sasuke. She looked over to see him, looking at Naruto, completely indifferent. The moment was interupted as Naruto touched down, the sudden jolt bringing back all sound and sensation to Sakura as the shock of what just happened slowly ebbed away. Naruto set her down, legs first and let her stand. She heard him ask if she was alright, and she merely nodded, not making a sound. She let herself fall to her knees, hugging her arms as she tried to cope with near-death, her head bowed to the ground. There were tears in her eyes.

"You Bastard! What the hell was that for!"

Naruto shouted for all he was worth.

"You would've killed her. What was the big deal with that! Kakashi-sensei said not to fight to kill!"

Sasuke scoffed, feeling a little better to have his stress relieved.

"The same reason I attacked you the way I did."

Naruto's mind wheeled back a moment before he realized what he was talking about, and a fresh amount of rage erupted in him.

"She's not a decent fight for you Sasuke! Don't treat her like one! I can't believe you, you fucking bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Sasuke's eyes got a bit dangerous as he began to glare at Naruto.

"She was the one that said she wanted to be treated like a shinobi, not me. I did like she asked!"

"You fucking idiot! That means she wants us to stop babying her. That doesn't mean try to kill her, that means work with her!"

Sakura was beginning to shake a little bit, and she almost jumped when she felt a hand fall on her shoulder after a nearly inaudible "poof".

"Time!"

Kakashi appeared out of no where, a hand on Sakura's shoulder, the other one pocketing his book.

Naruto and Sasuke slowly cooled down as they turned to look back at Kakashi.

"Well, that was some show. Congratulations Naruto, you can go home. Sasuke, come with me. Sakura, you know where the park is, come by as soon as your feeling alright."

And with that, Kakashi was gone.

Sakura stopped shaking a little bit, and looked up a Naruto, who was looking down guiltily.

"I...I--uh...I snatched it when I saved you from the Katon."

She nodded in understanding then went back to trying to steady her nerves.

Sasuke grunted then turned and walked away, heading towards the park, and knowing he was gonna get a major ass-chewing from Kakashi for putting Sakura's life in Naruto's hands like that.

Naruto walked over to Sakura and sat down in front of her, grabbing her chin and raising it so that she was looking into his eyes. There were tear-streaks all down her face, but she had stopped shaking.

"Sakura-chan, are you gonna be alright?"

"Y-Yeah..."

He was surprised that she actually spoke, but was happy that she did.

"Sorry about the bastard..."

"No...no, it's ok. I...I shouldn't have frozen up like that."

"What? No, Sakura, don't blame yourself. It's his fault, he shouldn't have gone so hard on you like that."

He saw her start trying to get to her feet, and he rose to his own. He grabbed hold of her elbows and slowly helped her up.

"But...if it had been another shinobi...they wouldn't have held back..."

"That may be so...but..."

Naruto found himself at a loss for words. He knew she was right, she knew she was right, but saying the right thing right now wouldn't help her feel better.

"No Naruto...I...I can't slow you guys down anymore...not without trying at least."

Naruto could only look at her, her gaze was off to the exit where Sasuke had just left. He still couldn't find the words to say, and it pissed him off.

"I have a mission to do, thank you Naruto, but I have to go."

She walked by and he stepped to the side, still speechless. Her steps were still a bit wobbly from the punch to the face, but she was walking. She had walked only a few steps before she stopped.

"Naruto, after the mission, do you wanna come by today and help me traina bit?"

Her question caught his attention, and he finally had something to say.

"I can't today, I have someone to go visit in the hospital. But, tomorrow will be fine. Is that okay with you?"

She smiled a tired smile and noddedbefore turning and walking away.

"Oh yeah, Sakura? Try and get some ice on that cheek as soon as possible."

She kept walking but held a hand up to wave to him from behind. He grinned to himself as he turned to exit the clearing the other way.