Seeing Sakura's not so smooth landing on the ground, Minato hurriedly went near her to examine her condition.

But, Sakura misinterpreted his intention. "Hey, hey! I yield. You won now, so don't attack me again." Sakura exasperatedly said while clutching her sore body part. "Can't you see that my body's now beaten black and blue?"

"That's not my intention." Minato argue. Sakura raised her right eyebrow and looks at him suspiciously and he internally facepalms before saying, "I promise."

'Do I look like the type of person to hurt someone who can't defend themselves? I hope not.' Minato thought.

Sakura continues to stare at him then sighs. "Fine, I believe you. Help me to stand up?" Minato nodded and helps her.

"Now, now. That's what you called a great and inspiring spar!" Tachibana-sensei said and offered them a smile. "Namikaze-kun and Haruno-kun, please form the sign of reconciliation. And thank you for that wonderful spar, the two of you really are my top students. Keep it up!"

Hearing that, Minato-kun and I smile politely.

"Oh, before I forgot. Namikaze-kun and Haruno-kun, both of you go to the clinic to get treated. After that, the two of you are free to go home early."

We thanked Tachibana-sensei then we took the path leading to the clinic.

"Your last blow was really strong. How did you become that strong?" I asked Minato-kun. Although I'm still a little bitter being defeated.

He looks at me thoughtfully as if weighing my mood before he speak. "Today?" He jokingly said.

I glared at him and smack him. "I'm serious."

"Hi serious, I'm Minato."

"K. Nice talking." I rolled my eyes on him and speed up walking towards the clinic though because of that, my body aches more.

Minato-kun immediately catch up to me. "Hey! I'm just joking. Slow down, we don't want your injuries to get worse, right? Here lean on me for support."

I raised my right eyebrow and looks at him defiantly but he was not deterred, so in the end I followed what he wants.

As I lean on him for support, I can't avoid to smell him. He really smells so nice and remembering what Mikoto-chan just said earlier, my face burns again.

Thankfully, it seems like Minato-kun didn't noticed it. Or if he did notice it, he chose to not comment on it.

We finally entered the clinic and the nurse there just spared us a glance and indifferently ushered us to the beds.

The nurse treated me first because I'm in so much pain. I flinched when her medical chakra touched my skin. It was so cold and uncomfortable.

The way she also healed my bruised ribs hurts. And here I thought medical ninjutsu doesn't hurt. Maybe she isn't that good in terms of healing.

I almost loudly sighs in relief when the nurse was done healing me. Thank Kami, its over!

'If I ever become a medical ninja, I'll be better than this nurse, Shannaro!'

After Minato-kun was treated by that dreadful nurse, both of us hurriedly left the school grounds.

"We're free for the whole afternoon. This demands a celebration!" I said excitedly, planning on how we'll spend our afternoon.

"A celebration? Where?" Minato-kun asked me looking so clueless.

"Are you serious? You're asking me where? Of course at your house, so that I can eat grandma's delicious homemade dango!" I said and dragged him towards his home.

"Hey! Slow down. And I still haven't gave my permission." He protested weakly.

I stopped and looked at him horrified. Oh no! There's no way he's going to stop me eat grandma's delicious dango!

"What do you want?" I asked him and a smile rose from his face immediately.

"You'll join me at the library later and help me study." He said hopefully and I became confuse.

"That's it? That's all you want?" I asked suspiciously and he nodded.

Bewilderment is written all over my face, "You sure? We always study together so no need to ask me that. What do you really want? Come on, just tell me and I'll give it to you."


Seeing his best friend's bewilderment, Minato wants to laugh. He knows that Sakura-chan meant what she said that she'll give him anything that he wants. After all, the Harunos don't lack anything. But he doesn't want anything of those material things, what he wants is knowledge.

And only Sakura-chan can help him on his new project.

"Like I said, I want you to join me at the library and help me study later. That's what I want." I said while trying to hold back my laughter because of the dumbfounded expression on her face.

She narrowed her eyes and smack her forehead before sighing. "Fine if that's what you really want. Come on, let's go. I can't wait to eat grandma's dango."

After she said that, I find myself being dragged again. However instead of being irritated just like when other people drags me, warmth blooms in my chest.

Sometimes I wonder why am I always surrounded by dominant women. First is my grandmother who basically rules the family. Then, there's my late mother who never take no as an answer. Finally, there's my best friend, Sakura-chan, who will do everything to get what she wants.

But don't get me wrong, I don't hate being surrounded by dominant women, its the opposite of it. I'm thankful that I'm surrounded by them. Life will be boring without them.

In additional, they are also fierce when it comes to their love ones. They love and protect intensely.

"Oh! Did the two of you skip class?" Minato snap back into reality when he heard his grandma's voice. They already arrived at his house without realizing it.

Sakura-chan let go of him and run towards his grandma excitedly.

"Grandma!" She said happily and hugged the old lady. "We didn't skip class, Tachibana-sensei let us go early today."

The old lady/Minato's grandma hugged the pinkette too and ruffled its hair. "Is that so? Very well, let go inside the house and I'll cook your favorite dango." Hearing that Sakura-chan squeals.

We joined grandma at the kitchen and watched her cook while Sakura-chan was chattering and asking grandma stories about how she met grandpa.

"Well you see, I was crying back then because my parents' just informed that they arranged my marriage to someone that I didn't know. Then, while I was crying, a man approached me and asked why I am crying. I told him the reason and vent all my frustrations to him. I cursed the unknown person that I'm going to marry in front of him, without knowing that he's that person." Grandma reveals and laughs. Sakura-chan looks so focused on the story and I just shook my head. I have already heard this story a thousand times but it never gets old.

"What happened next?" Sakura-chan inquires and grandma happily tells her the whole story.

As I observe two of the most important people in my life, warmth spreads again in my heart. My grandmother looks so happy unlike when my parents' died. She locked herself on her and grandfather's room and didn't let anyone entered it. She also didn't eat and talk to anyone, my grandmother lost her light. I was so scared and feeling helpless back then. I just lost my parents and to add to that, it was like I'm going to lose my grandma too.

Thankfully, Sakura-chan was there. Just like a sun, she brought us light in our gloomy days. She did her best to cheer us up, and she succeeded. Through her, my grandmother saw a reason to live. Through her, I didn't felt alone and didn't wallow in misery. She's my family's sun, my sun, my one and only best friend.


After the two finished eating, they go on their way to the Konoha's library. They both greeted the ninja acting as the librarian and went to their favorite spot to study.

"So now that we're here, what do you want to study? 'Cause you know, we already finished studying the whole learning material for this school year." Sakura asked her friend while roaming her eyes to see what book looks interesting to read.

"Chakra manipulation." Minato said seriously and like he expected, his friend's eyes suddenly widens.

"W-what? Why? That will be discussed next year. Why the rush?" Sakura tried to protest but it comes out weakly.

Of course Minato knows that. This year, the academy is focusing in teaching weaponry and taijutsu. Next year, will be the chakra manipulation and a bit of ninjutsu. The year after that will be ninjutsu and genjutsu. Sakura and him had already studied and sort of master the lesson about weaponry and academy style taijustsu but he is bored. So who can blame him in wanting to study chakra manipulation?

Furthermore, he's not the only one who feels this. The person in front of him is also a glutton when it comes to knowledge.

Minato offered his friend an innocent smile and said, "Why not?" Sakura let out a strangled noise. "We already studied advance, why not do it further?"

For Sakura, Minato's voice feels so seductive and the words he muttered are so tempting.

She bit her lower lip and stared at her friend's blue, blue eyes and she saw the seriousness and determination in there. She contemplate a little bit but her desire for knowledge wins. "Fine," she agrees.

Both of them searched for books about chakra manipulation and find one book about it that is available for academy students.

"Only one! out of all the books here at the academy." Sakura frustratedly said and pouts.

Minato sweat dropped and tried to placate her, "It's because we're still academy students. We need to be at least a genin to have an access to most of the books here."

"Fine." Sakura said then she suddenly holds Minato's two hands and look at him pleadingly, forgetting her earlier embarrassments. "When you become the Hokage, promised me that you will give me access to any books, okay? No matter what my ninja rank is, promise me that you will give me access to any books."

Being under Sakura's intense stare, Minato's ears reddened and automatically nodded. It was like he was hypnotized by those intense beautiful emerald eyes. Sakura hugs him happily for a moment before she cleared her throat and shyly and get back to her seat. She just suddenly remembered Mikoto's teasing and become embarrassed again due to her daringness.

The same goes for Minato, remembering the warmth that Sakura excludes while hugging him and by what she said earlier.

'She said, 'when I become the Hokage'. She didn't said 'if I become a Hokage'. She truly believes that I'll be one, that its just a matter of time.' He mentally said feeling so touched.

"According to this book, one of the best way on learning how to control chakra is by doing the leaf concentration practice." Sakura said cutting Minato in his musing.

Sakura continues, "This training method is done by placing a leaf oven an individual's forehead and having them direct all their chakra onto the leaf, using it as a focal point."

"Sounds easy. Let's do that later." Minato replied. "What else is one of the best way on learning chakra control?"

"Wait. Let me read more." Sakura browsed the book for a minute before finding what she's looking for. "We also got the tree climbing practice. It says here that this training involves focusing the right amount of fixed chakra to the bottom of one's feet in order to climb a tree without using one's hand."

"What does it means about the right amount of chakra?" Minato asked but Sakura just shrugs before replying, "I don't know. That's all what the book stated."