Game On!

Even later that night...

Sakura glanced down at the colorful spinner with a wicked smile as it slowed to a stop. "Alright, Sensei," she said, a drunken laugh leaving her lips. "Right foot red!"

"Nooooo." Kakashi slurred. "It landed on the greeeeen."

Naruto stifled a laugh and said, "No, that's just where you wish it landed."

Every part of Kakashi's body was on a yellow or green circle so naturally, he was hoping to stay in that area. Tough luck.

Kakashi squinted as his one eye targeted the closest red circle. "Shut up, Naruto. You're the one who made me think this game would be easy. 'It's not complicated.' he said. This is all your fault..."

"The only thing at fault for your predicament is old age," Sasuke mumbled. Naruto and Sakura started giggling to themselves but Kakashi was having none of it.

"Oh, really!" Kakashi said, glaring daggers Sasuke's way (alcohol made him a bit more sensitive to jokes about his age). All at once, he did an acrobatic twist that resulted in his right leg launching from a green circle and across the mat onto the red one he was eyeing. "There!" he said, turning his head up in pride.

Naruto looked over to where his Sensei's foot had landed and cooed, "Ooooohhh. Impressive!"

Sakura gave her approval as well by bobbing her head up and down ferociously, pink bangs flying everywhere.

Sasuke, however, remained in place, face still set harder than stone. "Yeah, just don't throw your back out next time you try something like that."

Naruto and Sakura stifled giggles once more, but the only thing heard from Kakashi was a guttural growl. The Uchiha got a little alcohol in him and suddenly he was a comedian. Frowning more than normal, he turned to Sakura and said, "You know, Sakura, I do believe it's Sasuke's turn now."

"Yep, sure is!" Sakura stretched out her middle finger to the tip of the spinner then gave a forceful flick. Hopefully, Sasuke would get some circle that was hard to reach. It was unlikely since he was more in the center of the mat, but it was a nice thought.

The spinner slowed to a stop and Sakura's eyes dropped in disappointment. "Left foot yellow," she said flatly.

"Aw, come on!" Kakashi groaned. Naruto echoed the disappointment of his sensei with a protest of that being unfair.

"Fair is for fools," Sasuke replied with a smug smirk. His left foot was already on a yellow square, so he just dropped it down a circle and continued to enjoy his comfortable position on the dotted mat.

"Lucky," Naruto mumbled as he eyed Sasuke angrily.

Sakura moved to flick the spinner again, this time for Naruto. The spinner looked like it might stop on a blue, but it inched its way to a green. "Right foot greeeen," Sakura called out with a smile.

Naruto shook his right foot wildly as he tried to pick a green circle to land on. His right leg was already close to one, but he was cooking up a plan in that twisted brain of his. It was time to even out the playing field - Naruto style. After a few more seconds, he eyed the green circle farthest away and contorted his body through Sasuke's so that they were a jumble of limbs.

Smiling widely, he said, "Now, allow me to streeetch over to this green circle over here." As soon as his foot had landed on the circle, his plan went into motion and he used his leveraged position to shift most of his weight onto Sasuke, a wicked grin growing between his whiskers. "Hehehe..."

"Naruto...stop that." came Sasuke's voice in a low growl.

Naruto tilted his head back towards him, all of his teeth showing as he flashed an innocent smile. "Stop what?"

"You know what you moron!"

Naruto started chuckling uncontrollably. "Fair is for fools, remember?"

Sakura started giggling to herself while Kakashi echoed his approval by saying something about the shoe being on the other foot. His voice was a bit slurred from the alcohol though, so Naruto couldn't make everything out. Sasuke simply gave an annoyed sneer then decided to fight back by trying to use his weight against Naruto. It didn't really work out though, mostly due to his poor positioning. Grrrrs and grunts rang through the air as he tried (and failed) to combat Naruto's guerilla tactics. It was an ironically pitiful sight. Two grown men in weird positions trying to shift all their weight onto each other.

Sakura flicked the spinner for herself and decided to ignore the shoving match her knucklehead teammates were currently having. After a few seconds, the verdict was in. Left-arm green. Her frown grew as she realized how difficult getting her left arm to that position would be. The closest free green circle was still pretty far away and the mess of limbs in the way didn't make it any easier. She knew this game wouldn't be as easy as Naruto said it'd be...

With a brief inhale, she wiggled her fingers and resolved to give it her best shot. 3, 2, 1... GO! She was only inches away when she felt herself losing her balance, one leg popping off the ground as she wobbled uncontrollably. The wobbles seemed to get worse as she stretched farther, her entire body wobbling like one of those noodles Naruto was slurping earlier. It was very likely she would have lost the game...if her foot didn't find Naruto's face first.

PLAT!

"Owwwww," Naruto whined; his face now scrunched up weirdly from the pressure of her foot. "That's cheating, Sakura-chan!"

"And what you're doing isn't?!" Sasuke yelled.

Sakura flinched but kept her foot firmly planted, palm slamming into the ground as she finally reached her destination. After breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to Naruto with a smirk, "Sorry Naruto. You started it."

"HERHY!" he whined, voice strangely muffled due to one side of his cheek being pushed in.

Sakura just ignored him and turned to Kakashi. "It's your turn right, Sensei?"

"Yep," Kakashi answered.

"My face iz still bein' squirshed!"

"Ah, chill out Naruto." Sakura chirped. "It's not as smelly as yours..."

"HERHY! DAT"S NOT FUNNY!"

Sakura spun for Kakashi and he found himself happily smiling at his circle this time. Right foot green. It was practically like he was back at the beginning! Oh, the joy of being comfortable again! He would be even more overjoyed if Sasuke hadn't also gotten the easiest possible circle to move to. Somehow, the stoic faced Uchiha had gotten another left foot yellow! At this point, he was just shuffling his feet up and down one row of circles. It wasn't fair!

Next up was Naruto again. Sakura kept ignoring his muffled cries and read the spinner. "Right-hand red."

Naruto eyed a red circle near the middle of the mat then decided to use the opportunity to free himself from the...oppression of Sakura's foot. As soon as he moved, Sakura noticed the loss of a face to plant her foot on and almost lost her balance. She wiggled frantically for a second, but her ninja skills steadied her before she could tumble. She looked towards Naruto and saw that he was now in some type of inverted V position facing towards her, his face not all that far from hers. How in the world could he have turned his body around that much? He had to have broken at least twenty rules getting into that position...

"That's cheating," Sasuke said in monotone.

"Well, I think it works for my face so deal with it!"

"Jerk..." Sakura mumbled.

"For not letting you cheat?!"

"You didn't know," Sasuke said. "It's only ok when he does it."

"Double standard much." Sakura snorted.

"Fine!" Naruto snapped. "If we're all just gonna keep getting at each other, it's payback time." With a disgruntled sneer, his right arm shot up and he reached towards Sakura, aiming for her sides and armpits.

Before he could get anywhere near her, her left arm was already up and swatting away at his.

SPLAT! was the first sound to resonate through the apartment walls as she swatted his hand away. "I'm not ticklish anymore," she said, eyes resolute as she continued swatting away at his persistent jabs.

"Oh, yeah?" he said, arm striking at various angles as he tried to find an opening. "Then why are you trying to keep me from touching you?" His eyes were beady as he waited for whatever baloney response she was gonna give.

"B-b-because," she stuttered, averting his gaze. "I...just don't want you to..."

"Yeah," he grinned, eyes filling with mischief. "Right..."

It wasn't long before the two were having some type of one-armed Taijutsu match, both smiling wider as the mini brawl intensified. Eventually, Naruto broke through, a few fingers rubbing near her armpit, and eliciting a giggle she wished she never let out. "Liar," he said, all of his teeth showing as she started giggling more, her resolve falling away as the giggles rang through the apartment walls.

Sasuke's response to the two was a simple roll of his eyes. By now, she wasn't even trying to stop him, she was just acting like she was. Pathetically predictable. Just like he said, they'd be fine if it was just the two of them...

Kakashi's response was much more direct. "Can you two lovebirds stop messing around and keep the game going already."

Sakura registered what he said and almost turned as pink as her hair. Thinking on her feet, she quickly replaced her blush with a leer and scowled at Kakashi with everything she had. Maybe it was worth losing the game if it meant being able to go over there and choke that stupid old man. Where did he get off on calling them lovebirds?! With an angry frown, she looked back towards him and spat, "What's the matter?! Having a hard time keeping up?!"

Naruto started laughing to himself while Sasuke smirked ever so slightly.

"No..." Kakashi answered with a squint, although he was starting to feel the effects of being in the same position for so long... The joints were starting to creak a bit...and the muscles were also starting to feel a little tired now that he thought about it... Alright, fine! Kakashi Hatake might be getting a little old, but that didn't mean he couldn't win using some...unorthodox tactics! If they could make jokes about his age, then anything was fair game now.

"Everyone wants to make jokes, huh?" Kakashi mumbled looking around angrily. What he was looking for, he wasn't quite sure, but it had to help him get his revenge. No one insulted the great copy ninja Kakashi and got away with it. Nobody. He searched and searched and searched until, finally, his eyes fell on it. There it was. Payback sprawled out in a neat little package. Stretching out one hand, he wiggled his fingers towards a dead cockroach under the couch. "Bwahahahaaa," he laughed inwardly, his creepy smile hidden beneath his mask. As he picked up the critter, one leg twitched and he realized it was still alive. Even better! His face fell darker than Yamato's as he turned towards Naruto, eyes beady. "I'll give you my entire Ichi Ichi collection if you put this on Sakura."

"Sensei?!" Sakura screamed. "Naruto, you better not! Roaches have been associated with the spread of over 30 bacteria including E. coli, Salmonella, parasitic worms, and a variety of other human pathogens! They feed on poop, they can have polio, and they can literally make you sick!"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOAAAAA!" Naruto said, blinking in an attempt to process the loads of information that had been dumped on him. "Who the heck knows all of that?!" he blurted out, still trying to process it all.

"I DO!"

"Oh, right." he mused. "I forgot. You're one of those people."

"Those people?! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!"

"Ah, don't worry, Sakura-chan. I don't even read those stupid Ichi Ichi books anyway."

"As a ninja, you shouldn't really be all that bothered by a bug," Sasuke mumbled.

"WELL, MAYBE HE CAN PUT IT ON YOU THEN!"

Sasuke fell unusually quiet after that.

"Come on Naruto," Kakashi said, smiling an eye closed smile. "Ichi Ichi is calling..."

"You're crazy if you think I'm gonna put that on Sakura-chan, especially if I'm doing it for your stupid smut books."

"He would never give them away anyway," Sasuke added.

"Yes, I would..." Kakashi mumbled.

"Are you really that drunk?" Sakura asked.

"I'd-I'd-I'd-I'd give them away," he insisted defiantly. "Ok...maybe after I'd died..."

"That's more like it," Sasuke said.

"Fine." Kakashi countered, turning to Naruto. "I'll give you my entire Ichi Ichi collection, starting today, for a month, two even! Maybe you'll even read one and see how good it is. They're an acquired taste..."

"I would never acquire a taste for poop."

Sakura couldn't hold in her laughter and Sasuke just shook his head, the faintest smile on his visage. Kakashi seemed a bit more hurt by the insult though. "Fine! If you won't do it for the beauty of the Ichi Ichi series, then do it so I can't read my smut around you guys. 'Kakashi-sensei, you need to get a life. Kakashi-sensei, you need to get a better hobby. Kakashi-sensei, you need to get laid.' I've heard it alllllll before." he continued. "Now, I can't read my smut around you guys without my collection now can I?"

He dangled the cockroach enticingly...or at least as enticingly as dangling a cockroach could be. "Two months of you guys not having to deal with my Ichi Ichi obsession. Heck, we might even have some type of real conversation! And maybe I'll even take you guys up on one of your crazy suggestions about what I should do with my life while I go through my Ichi Ichi detox."

The poor roach sat suspended in the air, the same leg moving up and down in slow circles.

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed. This was so stupid. A drunk Kakashi was always stupid though... "Why don't you just do it?" he finally asked.

"Because if I did it, she'd actually kill me," Kakashi replied. "She just threatens to kill you. She never follows through."

Sasuke silently mumbled, "God knows that's true..."

"And what does that mean?!" Sakura nearly yelled.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Come on, Sakura. I think we can all stop pretending not to see it by now."

Sakura turned redder than a tomato and managed to land a successful kick to Sasuke's stomach.

"DURGH!" he grunted, nearly stumbling over and losing the game. Fortunately, Sasuke Uchiha was stronger than a cheap shot to the stomach.

"That's what you get," she said, head turned up to the side to hide her blush. Naruto simply stifled a laugh and Kakashi's reaction was, of course, hidden behind his mask.

After Sasuke finished getting his breath back under him, he turned to Naruto and spoke through gritted teeth. "You know, I'm starting to think that you putting that thing on her isn't such a bad idea after all."

Sakura's head swiveled back towards him at light speed. "SASUKEEE!" she yelled. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

He didn't care. It was personal now. He'd spent his whole life trying to get revenge, it was second nature by now. With a sneer, he turned to Naruto, eyes dark. "Do it and I promise to buy you ramen whenever you want for the next two weeks." There was something akin to mania growing in his eyes.

"YOU JERK!" she said, launching another kick his way. He dodged it this time though.

"Don't kick me with that thing," Kakashi said, nearly getting clipped by Sakura's foot as it missed Sasuke.

Meanwhile, Naruto's mouth was watering at the offer presented to him. "Unlimited Ichiraku's...for TWO. WHOLE. WEEKS." Turning back to Sakura, he made a weird face she didn't like at all. She couldn't tell if he was teasing or serious, but he scrunched his lips and said, "You're not really that scared of bugs are you?..."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"But you hang out with Shino sometimes, right?" he whined. "He's a creepy bug guy!"

"Naruto, if you put that thing on me, I swear..." A vein ticked on her temple as she swiveled her head away. "I'm a bit drunk, NOT disabled."

"Awww, come on Sakura-chan. It's two weeks' worth of free ramen."

"Yeah," Sakura growled. "Just remember that you need to be alive to eat it."

Sasuke huffed. "You know she'd never actually kill you right? All you'll have to deal with is recovery time."

"I second that!" Kakashi chirped.

Sakura could feel her blood boiling as the vein on her temple grew in size. Leave it to Sasuke to hit Naruto with straight-up facts. First, she growled, then she huffed, and it was only after those two actions that she finally felt calm enough to speak her mind. "You know what, if you guys are so intent on making offers, then I'll just make a better one." She thought about it for a second, then sweetly said, "Naruto, I promise not to hit you for the next week."

"Hmmm," Naruto said, considering the offer with a few nods.

"That was the best you could come up with?" Sasuke asked, obviously unimpressed.

"Laaaaaaaaaaaaame." Kakashi drawled. After a short pause, he quickly whispered, "IchiIchiisbetter."

"Well, two weeks then!" she quickly blurted out. "To match Sasuke's ramen wager!"

"Hey, that's not so bad," Naruto said, nodding a bit more this time.

"Mmhmm!" Sakura reaffirmed, nodding so viciously that her pink bangs were flying again.

Sasuke made sure to quickly counter before Naruto could think about it any longer. "You do realize that Sakura doesn't hit you every day, right? The math doesn't add up. I'm pretty sure you would make me buy you ramen every day so if you do the math, she'd probably have to agree not to hit you for like a month. We both know she'll never promise that, and if she does, she's lying."

Sakura let out a low growl and tried to send another kick in Sasuke's direction, failing miserably once again. That sneaky little bastard. He needed to stop being such a logical Larry and drop it already!

An evil laugh reverberated on the insides of Kakashi's mind as he watched the three bickering. His evil plan was working perfectly. In their drunken states, the three were starting to turn on each other. It wouldn't be long before this game came to an end and he got to rest his weary joints...

Sasuke wore a small grin as he saw the cogs turning in Naruto's mind. Excellent... His revenge would soon be complete. No one kicked Sasuke Uchiha and got away with it. No one... "Come on, Naruto." he coaxed, face straight as ever. "With any luck, she'll catch the heebie-jeebies and hop right out of the game."

Naruto started fighting laughter and said, "That's so wrong."

Kakashi didn't care if it was right, wrong, left, right, up, down, or any other weird direction, he just started wiggling the cockroach and mercilessly chanting, "Doooo it. Doooo it. Doooo it..." After a brief pause, he added, "Bonuspointsifyouputitonherface."

Naruto cast a glance at Sakura and couldn't help but fight a laugh. Her body was leaning so far away from his that it looked awkwardly funny and the pensive half-frown on her face made it obvious that she was trying to think of a way out of this. He assumed she hadn't thought of any good ideas...but then she pulled out her trump card.

Her face fell downcast as she looked away sadly, eyes almost seeming to change to a deeper shade of green as she worked her magic. "Please don't put that on me..." she said, voice soft enough to soothe a baby as she pushed out her bottom lip.

Kakashi's single eye dropped significantly as he let out a sigh. This foolishness again... Meanwhile, Sasuke's eyes were rolling so hard that they could've got stuck in the back of his head.

Naruto stared for a second, then looked away, his bottom lip dangling as well. "That's not fair, Sakura-chan," he whined. "You know I don't like seeing you sad..."

Sakura simply pushed her bottom lip out a tiny bit further and dropped her head the slightest bit more.

"She's playing you, you moron!"

Sasuke's statement seemed to fall on deaf ears because Naruto didn't respond. He simply looked back at Sakura who gave him a small pity me glance then looked back down at the ground.

Naruto let out a sad sigh then said, "Fine...No ramen."

"Teehee," Sakura thought, a Cheshire grin hidden behind her pink bangs as she realized her plan was successful. Wiping the grin from her face, she lifted her head proudly only to find herself face to face with the roach as Naruto dangled it a few inches away. A shocked yelp left her throat as she leaned as far away from him as possible. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"HA!" Naruto yelled. "I was watching you the whole time! Faker! I'm not falling for that again!"

"Well, how about that?" Sasuke grinned. "The dobe's not as dumb as he looks."

"Shocking," Kakashi agreed.

"Wait!" Sakura cried. "I can explain!"

"Too late!" Naruto chirped. And with that, another wrestling match started as Sakura used one hand to stop the hand Naruto was using from coming any closer to her. Unfortunately, he was strong enough to overpower her. Slowly but surely the roach drew nearer, her squeals intensifying as it did.

Facing the imminent threat of a cockroach to the face, she blurted out the only thing that came to her mind. "I'll give you a kiss!"

...Ok, it wasn't the only thing that came to her mind, but it seemed like the best option for reasons she didn't really feel like acknowledging at the moment. And besides, she was under duress...

There was a long pause as Naruto and the others assimilated the words. After a while, Naruto squinted at her and let out a dumbfounded, "Huh?"

Sakura found herself awkwardly avoiding his gaze and a bit of pink dusted her cheeks as she repeated herself in a noticeably more reserved voice. "I said I'll give you a kiss."

Naruto's remained motionless, eyes wide and mouth hanging the slightest bit open. Sakura averted her eyes, suddenly feeling a lot more self-conscious about what she had said. It didn't help that everyone had just quieted down after her bold little statement either. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now, it was looking more and more...questionable. Maybe it was the alcohol talking...

"Who are you kidding?!" her inner self replied. "You want this! The alcohol is just a convenient way of getting it! Now rope that boy in and never let go!"

Sakura paused for a moment, thinking about what her inner self had said, and after some careful deliberation, came to the conclusion that she was right. Heck, if she could muster up the courage to say it the first time, she wouldn't back down now! With an enticing air to her voice, she continued, "I suggest you accept my offer now before I come to my senses."

"Are you kidding me?!" Naruto blurted out. "You've got yourself a deal!"

Sakura wore a smug smile and bit her bottom lip. Seemed like Naruto wanted it just as much as she did. There was still a bit of pink on her cheeks, but she glanced towards Sasuke and whispered, "Beat that you little potsticker!"

Sasuke frowned then huffed while looking away. Even he had to admit there was probably no beating that offer. Sakura had won...for now. Oh, well. At least Naruto would get something out of it.

Kakashi frowned as well, but for much different reasons. Just like that his plan had gone down the tubes. Of course, the two had to choose now of all times to address their budding relationship. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for them, he was, but it felt like a cruel twist of fate. Their relationship would probably finally take off, but he also wouldn't find any rest for his weary joints. His disappointment was immeasurable, and his day was ruined...

The only person who seemed to be genuinely happy was Naruto, whose Cheshire grin made it look like he had just gotten injected with a little too much botox. He was only trying to get back at her for trying to play him. He would've never actually put the critter on her...but no one needed to know that now! He was getting a kiss and that was all that mattered, and at Sakura's suggestion to boot! All he had to do was wait a few more minutes for it...What the heck was he talking about?! This game needed to be over right now!

With a sly squint, he shot a leg out tripping Sasuke and sending him tumbling to the ground. "What the hell?!" he yelled. Naruto paid him no mind and went straight after Kakashi next. The single visible eye widened as the already weary joints collided with the ground making a loud clattering sound. "JEEZ!" Kakashi yelled, groaning a bit and rubbing at his hip. "Chill out, Naruto..."

Naruto was already getting ready to take out Sakura, but unfortunately for him, she caught on before he could do anything and it was him who tumbled to the ground after a swift kick of her leg. "Owww," he complained, nearly rolling into the Christmas tree. "That wasn't cool..."

"Too bad," Sakura smirked, bouncing to her feet. "You're just mad I beat you to it."

"This is why we can't play games with you," Sasuke said, brushing himself off angrily.

"Come on," Naruto whined, grinning. "That was fun."

"Which part?" Sasuke replied. "When you leaned 99% of your body weight on me or when you tripped me a few seconds ago."

"I think Naruto sees fun in a very different way than most," Kakashi said, now rubbing his back. "Anyway," he continued. "As president of Team 7, I declare this game invalid."

"Ah, phooey." Naruto pouted. "You guys are just mad because I'm the game master."

Sasuke deadpanned. "You just lost."

"...Well, I win most of the time!"

"Cause you cheat," Sasuke mumbled, picking himself up off the floor.

"Ah, whatever," Naruto said, waving him off. "In any case," he cooed, turning to Sakura with a seemingly innocent smile and rubbing his hands together in his lap. "I think you have something for me."

"What?" she said meekly, pretending she had already forgotten.

"I thought Naruto was the one with the bad memory," Sasuke said.

Sakura shot him a death glare, but he didn't flinch one bit. If she was gonna claim victory, she better be willing to pay the price.

Naruto sat on the floor anxiously drumming his fingers together, still smiling innocently. "Come on Sakura-chan, I won't bite...unless I'm hungry."

Sakura tried to hold it in, but eventually, she broke, the side of her lip twitching upwards ever so slightly. "That's not funny," she said.

"But you smiled," Naruto whined.

"Doesn't mean it was funny..." she said, forcing her smile away.

"Whatever," he said. "Too much talking, too little kissing!" And with that, he jumped to his feet, stretching both arms out towards her, puckering his lips, and closing both eyes. The way his lips were moving made him look closer to a fish than a human being. A very...weird-looking...whiskered fish...

Sakura gulped as the whiskered cheeks turned inward and started leaning towards her. She chanced a glance at Sasuke and Kakashi and found both of them staring with one eyebrow raised. To add insult to injury, Sasuke actually motioned with his hand for her to go ahead, and he was smirking the whole time he did it! The nerve!

Sakura scrunched up her face then looked away resolutely. She knew what she was gonna do.

Naruto kept his lips puckered as he waited...and waited...and waited, and then he felt a soft pair of lips...on his cheek.

It took him all of two seconds to realize what had happened, but when he did, his eyes went so beady that they were smaller than old man Teuchi's. Sakura couldn't help feeling a little guilty at the sight. The poor boy had been promised one thing and given another. She had to admit his pout did make him look a little cute though...

Despite his stubborn little pout, she looked away, silently saying, "I didn't say a kiss on the lips…"

Naruto wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, but that was the loudest he'd ever heard Kakashi laugh.

"Fatherly lesson number one." Kakashi laughed. "Never trust a beautiful kunoichi."

"Yeah," Sasuke added. "Especially if she's interested in you."

Sakura shrunk back trying to stifle her laugh, and she didn't even realize when Naruto had jumped over to Sasuke, very angrily strangling him. "YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY, TEME?!"

"Immensely," Sasuke said, grinning more than usual.

Naruto growled with a scrunched up face then threw Sasuke aside. "Bastard," he muttered. With a pout, he moved one hand to the side of his face, wiping off where Sakura had kissed as if it had been stained with her lie.

"Come on," she giggled, using her hand to stop him. "Don't do that."

"Why not?" he mumbled. "Traitor..."

"It might not be what you thought, but it's still worth something, right?"

Naruto's mouth scrunched up as he avoided her gaze. "Yeah," he said after a pause. "I guess..."

"Yeah," Kakashi said, stretching his arms behind him and letting out a loud yawn. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. And I hope that makes you feel better about rejecting my Ichi Ichi collection and missing out on ramen for two weeks."

"Loser," Sasuke added.

Naruto growled gutturally but remained silent. He had been thoroughly duped. There was no point in denying it.

"Anyway," Kakashi continued. "I'd better get going. I think I've seen all I need to see."

"Same here," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said, jumping to his feet. "Laugh it up."

"We already are," Sasuke replied as they headed for the door.

"Yes." Kakashi echoed. "This will be a Team 7 story for years to come."

Naruto simply nodded with his eyes staring off into blank space. He would have his revenge. He wasn't sure how and he wasn't sure when, but he would have his chance. He would have his chance...

"I'm gonna stay for a bit."

As Sakura's gentle voice broke him out of his stupor, he looked towards the door to see her turned towards the other members of his team who were now standing outside the doorway.

"Ah, staying a little longer," Kakashi said, smiling under his mask.

"Yep," Sakura said, wearing an eye closed smile.

"So what are you gonna do?" Sasuke said. "Finish what y-"

"If you know what's good for you, you won't finish that sentence," Sakura said, shooting him another death glare.

"Hn. Whatever," he said. "See you guys around."

"Till next time," Kakashi said, waving his goodbyes as well.

"See you guys," Sakura said.

"Don't let the door hit you!" Naruto called out.

As they left, Sakura could hear the beginnings of their conversation from down the hall.

"I need to get some sleep," Kakashi said.

"You mean rest your weary joints," Sasuke replied.

"Watch it..."

Sakura smiled before closing the door and turning around to face Naruto once more. Much to her surprise, he was already sitting on the couch, his head leaned back so that he was looking at the ceiling, or at least he would be if his eyes were open. It wasn't long before she was greeted with a familiar sizzling sound accompanied by a faint vapor rising from his skin.

"Burning off the alcohol?" she asked, relaxing onto the seat next to him.

"Yep," Naruto replied. "You know I don't like the hangover. Good thing Kurama takes care of it for me."

"Wish it were that easy for all of us..."

"You're not too bad off with your chakra control."

"No, I guess not."

After a spell of silence, she finally mustered the courage to speak her mind. "Hey, Naruto?" she asked. Her voice sounded less confident than she was used to, but she powered through.

"Yeah," he replied, eyes still closed.

"About earlier..."

"Mmhmm."

"You're not still mad about that whole kiss thing, right?"

"Hmph! Why would I be?" he pouted, bottom lip dangling. "Not like I missed out on anything special."

And just like that, any sense of her being uncomfortable evaporated. Leave it to Naruto to say something so stupid and completely out there that you couldn't help but smile. With a sly grin, she bit her lip and said, "Ouch," grinning like mad. "So that's how you're playing it?" She moved closer so that she was only a few inches from his face.

Naruto simply shrugged, his face still in a stubborn pout. "I can be mean too..."

"Yeah," she said. "I guess you can." Then she nudged him. "But you're not as good at it as I am."

A faint smile could be seen growing on his lips as he finally dropped his act. "Probably not..."

"Nice try though."

"Thanks, I guess," he said, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. He glanced at her sideways and added, "Although I'm not sure what that says about you."

"What do you mean?" she said, leaning back.

He gave her a stank face then said, "You're kinda mean, Sakura-chan…"

"Oh, really?" she said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. "How?"

"Well, let's see." he started, sitting up and starting a count on his fingers. "You yell at me, stop me from eating ramen every day, use that sad face to make me do things like earlier, complain about my apartment being dirty - Naruto," he began, voice changing pitch to mock hers. "Stop being such a slob. Naruto, don't leave ramen cups everywhere. Naruto, make sure to eat your green vegetables. Naruto, don't make me have to come over there..."

As his voice trailed off, she shook her head and her smile just grew.

"...You hit me, call me idiot, and, oh yeah," he squinted, wagging a finger. "Don't think I've forgotten how you said you barely noticed I was gone earlier today..." His rant stopped for a moment when he noticed she was just watching him and smiling. "What?" he said, a bit more reserved. "It's true..."

Unable to wait any longer, she moved one hand to his face and, with the gentleness befitting a first kiss, softly pressed her lips to his. She could sense his initial shock, but it didn't take long for him to respond with a few gentle kisses of his own. A small smile tugged at her lips when he moved one hand up to the side of her neck, gently pulling her towards him.

After a while, she pulled away, her face only a breath away from his own. "Still think I'm kinda mean?" she whispered, smirking ever so slightly.

Naruto averted her gaze, his cheeks a faint red. "That isn't exactly the word I'd use..."

"Thought so…" she chirped. With a grin, she leaned back towards him starting the string of kisses once more. They probably would've continued well into the night, but Sakura couldn't ignore her instincts when she felt a slight nibble on her lower lip.

"Hey!" she said, pulling away slightly.

"I was a little hungry…" Naruto said, giving her a playful smile.

After realizing what he said, she started giggling uncontrollably, and soon after, she fell into his chest laughing. "Stop being an idiot!" she said.

Looking back up to him, she kissed him once more then rested her head in the crook of his neck. She was content in the moment. Just sitting there with his arm wrapped around her felt right. Like it was somehow meant to be.

"So," she sighed. "What now?"

"Well," he said. "We basically know each other inside and out but I wouldn't mind finally getting some of those dates I used to ask for."

Sakura smiled, nestling a little closer. "I wouldn't mind that either."

After sitting in silence for a while, Naruto continued, "You know, you could've done that earlier. Kissed me, I mean. It would've made me look cool in front of the guys."

Sakura deadpanned. "I didn't want to kiss you in front of Sasuke and Kakashi-Sensei. That would be weird."

"Hmph. Funny you should say that..." he replied nonchalantly. "I'm pretty sure they're both listening outside the door right now."

Sakura's eyes went wide as saucers as her head jerked towards the door, eyes alert. With how she was looking, Naruto could tell she was sensing the area out and when she sensed the two chakras he had been sensing for a while now, the fire in her eyes was enough to rival one of Sasuke's fireball jutsus. Naruto smiled wide. Looks like he would get his revenge sooner than he thought.


WHOOSH! was the only sound heard as Naruto's apartment door nearly flew off the hinges, slamming into the wall with a thud. Out emerged an enraged Sakura with eyes that glowed white and a scowl that made her look even scarier than an angry Yamato. Sasuke's eyes widened before he disappeared in the blink of an eye and Kakashi followed suit, or at least he tried to. He wasn't a good five steps away when a loud popping sound resonated through the halls followed by an exclamation of, "Ah, my back!"

Poor Kakashi Hatake. An unsuspecting victim of Father Time.


The Rookie Nine were eating at their favorite barbecue restaurant when they heard a growing commotion headed their way. All heads turned to see an extremely alert Sasuke jumping from rooftop to rooftop while being chased by a multitude of Naruto clones, and if that wasn't enough, they were soon followed by an enraged Sakura who was quickly gaining on a hobbled Kakashi.

"What a drag," Shikamaru said, returning his head to his upturned palm after the spectacle had passed.

"Hm." Kiba mused. "So that's what Team 7 does on their free nights."

If only he knew they had no idea.

END


Author's Note (IMPORTANT):

Lol, XD I hope you all enjoyed this stupidity. Please let me know if you did. I'd really appreciate it since I don't usually do short stories or crackfics/parodies in particular. I'm also interested in which part you all liked the most. Personally, my favorite part of the story is the ending. I think the NaruSaku moment works and that from there the story devolves in a good way lol.

Last thing! This is the important part lol, at least to all the NaruSaku fans. I don't know how many of you know this, but there's an alternative manga for Naruto: The Last that's really good on Deviant Art. It's by tokai2000 if you're interested. I highly recommend it. His artwork is on point and the story itself is so good and reads so naturally that it literally feels like it should be the actual ending to the show. He's not done with it yet but he's pretty far along in the story. Please give it a look-see if you have a chance. I'm sure that after checking it out, a lot of you guys will be as happy as I was when I found it. I always felt like the Naruto story ended in a way that didn't give me much closure, and I really hated that. Fortunately, I've found a sense of closure while reading this manga in particular. I sincerely hope that those of you who check it out share in my joy. In any case, thanks for reading. Peace. And please do leave me a review if you're so inclined!