Chapter 5

Naruto slammed his apartment door behind him and quickly removed his soaking wet shinobi sandals and black jacket. He took extra care to hang up his mother's scarf before making his way to the bathroom. Quickly, he turned the water on as hot as it could go, then removed the remainder of his clothing and stepped in. A groan escaped his lips and the hot water drenched his hair and ran down his back. His head rested on his forearm against the wall as he tried to shake the image of Sakura out of his head.

He had to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. Earlier that day he had been declared as Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. It would be quite a while before he actually sat in the Hokage's office and assumed the position, but he couldn't care less. For all intent and purposes, he had accomplished his lifelong dream. Now all he had to do was wait and let the future play out.

That wasn't even close to the main thing on his mind.

He tilted his head back and let the water slam against his closed eyes. The second Kakashi had released him, his body had taken over. Before he knew it he had landed at her front door. He hadn't meant to do it, and the journey there was a blur in his mind. The only thing that remained clear was that she was the only person he could imagine sharing the news with first. In that instant, he had forgotten about all his efforts to distance himself and only wanted to see his best friend.

He could have never guessed where the night would end up. It didn't surprise him that Sakura was as excited as she was, that part he had expected. Everything else that happened, however, was a total curveball for him.

Her falling on top of him. His hand on her lips. The walk. Sharing his family's memento with her. Telling her about how it happened. Pushing her on the swing. Feeling her hands on his back. Her confession. His fist tightened and he began furiously scrubbing his skin with soap.

Her confession. Could she really be over Sasuke? Just like that? It would explain why nothing had happened since the Uchiha returned. Then again, he couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke instigated something, would she reciprocate? So many questions popped into his mind, and he had answers to none of them.

And then there was that look.

That damn look. All Naruto could think was that he wanted to see it again. After all their years together, Naruto thought that he has seen every one of Sakura's expressions. Yet, this one was new. She looked almost...wanting. 'Almost...desperate?' He thought to himself. It had to be his imagination. There was no way Sakura Haruno was looking at him with any kind of desire. He pushed the thought out of his head.

"Damnit" he said softly as a tear formed in the corner of his eye. "I was so close, so close to moving on, and then she drags me right back in. And I let her! I practically begged her too! It took so little."

His mind shot back to the fateful encounter in the Land of Iron. He remembered his heart tearing in two when she tried to fake her feelings for him. He hadn't been able to sleep for a week after that, and even now the wound hurt like hell.

"I'm so damn week," He mumbled into his forearm.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when he felt the water turn cold against his neck. Letting out a soft sigh, he turned the water off and grabbed a towel hanging on the back of the door. He dried his golden hair, rubbed the rest of the water off of his body, and headed into his bedroom. The bed creaked when he flopped down on it. Groaning one last time, he slammed the lights off and buried his head in his pillow. Nothing was going to get solved tonight, so he decided to force himself to bed.

...or at least he tried to for a solid five minutes before letting out a guttural scream and throwing his pillow against the window.

He sat upright in his bed, crossed his legs, and cleared his mind. He needed to talk to someone, and there was only one person he could think of that he currently had access too.

"Hey, Kurama! You awake? Get up you lazy fox, I need to talk." With that, Naruto disappeared into the recesses of his own mind to speak with the demon fox that called his body home.

Sakura sat across from her best friend, rival, and newly turned roommate at a local tea shop close to their apartment. The owner had migrated to the Hidden Leaf from the Hidden Cloud after the war. The two roommates had immediately fallen in love with the foreign decor and friendly service that the quint tea shop emitted. Her cheek rested on her hand as she played with the straw sticking out of her drink.

She had gone right to sleep when she got home last night, much to Ino's dismay. Her best friend had hounded her for details about where she had been, and when she noticed the blush and embarrassment she had almost looked into her memories to find out what was up. Sakura finally managed to fend her off by promising they could get breakfast before her shift at the hospital. Not that she minded, she loved spending time with Ino, and she desperately needed to unload about the emotions she couldn't seem to shake.

"You look rested," Sakura looked up as her friend gave her a genuine smile. "I haven't seen you look this...well this alive in a while." Sakura returned the expression.

It was true. For the past two weeks Sakura knew she hadn't been sleeping well. A blush crossed her face as she thought of the reason she had slept so soundly.

Naruto. Entirely Naruto.

The sheer relief of having contact with him again, combined with getting emotions she hadn't realized she had been holding in for a long time off her chest, was enough to totally knock her out. She thought about the night before. She couldn't get the feeling of his hands on her back to go away, and her cheek still felt where his thumb had wiped away her tears. She had felt so safe with him, and all he had done was tell her she was okay.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or am I gonna have to pry it out of you?" Sakura shuttered at her friend's words. She knew Ino was entirely capable and didn't want to test her friend.

She sighed and looked up at her friend. "I was with Naruto."

"Big surprise there, but a little late to be hanging out with your boyfriend on a school night isn't it?" Ino teased and shot out her tongue, before seeing her friend blush and avoid her gaze again. Ino suddenly dropped the joker act, she could tell this was gonna be a serious conversation.

"What happened?"

"Well he...he had some big news he wanted to share..." Sakura caught herself before continuing. Naruto had asked her to keep his Hokage appointment a secret and she didn't plan on breaking her word. "About the timeline of his promotion to Jounin. It's happening faster than expected and he was really excited and wanted to tell me."

Ino raised an eyebrow at her friend. "That it?" She asked before taking a sip of her tea.

"No, pig, that's not it. We decided to go for a walk, and ended up at the Academy. We sat in the courtyard for a while, and talked, and..."

She paused for a second, before letting out a deep breath. She knew that if she didn't give her friend the whole story any advice she would receive wouldn't do her any good.

"Can I start over?" She asked and her friend smiled and nodded.

Sakura told Ino everything, albeit still leaving out the news about Naruto's appointment. She recounted how she had fallen on top of him, their encounter on the swing, and her telling him her feelings about Sasuke. She explained to her friend the butterflies that she had been getting in her stomach every time they were close, and how sad she had been when he had ignored her for the last two weeks. By the end, Sakura was fighting back tears as she finished filling her friend in.

Ino might be loud and abrasive at times, but she was also an incredible listener. She nodded and commented on everything Sakura said, asking questions, which the pinkette answered to the best of her ability. When Sakura finished her story, Ino sat in silence for a few moments, taking in what her friend had told her. Finally, she looked back to Sakura and started laughing hysterically, to the point where she almost fell out of her chair.

"What the hell is so funny, Pig!?" A shocked Sakura reached across the table and grabbed Ino by her collar. Ino kept laughing until she finally was able to calm herself down.

"You are! Both of you!" She wiped her eyes and took a giant swig of her drink in order to regain her composure. "You are both so blind to the situation that you can't see what's right in front of you!

"Ino, what are you trying to sa..."

"Sakura, you love Naruto, don't you?"

Time stood still for Sakura. Her eyes widened and her breath got caught in her throat. The straw she was playing with fell back into her drink as her arms went numb at her sides. Ahe starred dumbfounded straight ahead, no longer focusing on the blonde in front of her. She tried to say something, but couldn't bring herself to make any sound.

Ino held back another fit of laughter as she watched her best friend short circuit in front of her. After waiting a minute for her friend to respond, she continued on.

"Don't try to hide it from me, forehead, I know you better than that. I understand you're confused, but everyone else has seen the signs for a while. The way you two hang out, the looks you give him when he isn't watching. The annoying way he answers your every beck and call. Bleh." She stuck out her tongue and made a gagging motion. "It's nauseating really, but it's also kind of adorable."

The realization hit her harder than one of her mentor's punches. Sakura's jaw hung open as she finally managed to pull herself together.

"I...love...Naruto?"

"You do. Don't beat yourself up over it too much, it was only a matter of time. I mean, he is the one who has been with you from the beginning. He's always been by your side."

Ino was about to continue when she noticed tears silently falling from her best friend's face. "Sakura! Don't cry! This is a good thing!"

"How is this a good thing!?" She screamed at her best friend, getting the attention of the other two customers in the tea shop. "I can't love him! I can't even like him! I just can't. I have put him through so much, I have ignored his feelings for years!" The tears continued to fall down Sakura's face and she didn't stop them. "I hurt him. I broke his heart. And now, I'm supposed to expect him to just forgive me. That's not how this works Ino! I don't get a happy ending with him. He deserves so much better than me."

After a few minutes of crying, and having Ino come over to rub her back, Sakura managed to calm down. She wiped the tears from her eyes but continued to stare down when her friend returned to her seat.

"Feel any better?" Sakura nodded her head slightly when Ino's hand reached out and grabbed her own.

"Sakura, I get how you are feeling. A lot of what you said is valid. But the reality is, you don't get to decide what he deserves, he does. I'm not pretending to know what goes on in that knucklehead's brain, but I do know there is a reason that he isn't with any of those annoying fangirls, or even with Hinata."

The name made Sakura wince as a fresh set of tears threatened to take hold. She had been trying her best to ignore the thought of Hinata. She was keenly aware of the Hyuga's feelings towards Naruto, but at the time hadn't even acknowledged her own. Now that she was starting too, the last thing she needed was to feel even guiltier.

"All I am saying is don't ignore your heart. I don't know what that reason is, but if I was a betting girl I would bet it was you." She gave her friend a warm hug which she gladly returned, thanking her for the support.

After a few more minutes of calming down, Sakura took a look at the clock on the wall. It read Seven Forty-Five.

"I have to go. My shift starts in ten minutes, and I think I am supposed to meet Naruto for lunch. Just what I need." She mumbled the last part under her breath. "Thanks again Ino."

"No problem forehead! Don't stress too much. Everything will work itself out eventually. And if it doesn't, you can always join me and Sai for some fun!" Sakura rolled her eyes before leaving enough money for her drink plus tip. She smiled one more time at Ino before headed to the hospital.

—

Sakura stretched her arms over her head as she exited Konoha Hospital. She shivered as the cold air blasted her face, and a strong gust of wind pushed the hood of her coat off her head. It wasn't snowing but was still cold enough to knock out any post-shift fatigue she was feeling. She had only worked a short shift and was glad to have the rest of the day and night off to get some much-needed rest.

Sakura had to stifle a laugh when she saw him. It wasn't how she expected to react after her talk with Ino, and she was grateful for that. Granted, she did clock the lump in her throat that hadn't been there previously, but the sight in front of her proved distracting enough for her to ignore it.

There he was, leaning against one of the pillars of the hospital gate, one leg on the ground and one leg raised to support himself. His arms were folded across his chest, and his head was tilted down. His eyes were closed and the tiniest line of drool escaped his parted lips.

Naruto had fallen asleep standing up.

She walked up to him, and ever so gently pushed on his shoulder. It wasn't much, but given that he was completely knocked out it made him lose his balance and land on the ground with a loud "thud"

His eyes shot open and he immediately jumped up into a battle stance. He looked around rapidly in every direction.

"Who, what, when, where, how?" He said before his eyes finally found the laughing pink-haired woman staring back at him. He pouted in her direction, which only caused her to laugh more.

"Very funny Sakura-chan."

"I couldn't help it; you gave me the perfect opportunity." She smirked at him and began to walk. He quickly fell into line next to her and the pair began to walk. Naruto had his hands behind his head in his usual stance, and Sakura pushed her hands into her pockets trying to keep warm. She had to fight the butterflies that were threatening to explode out of her stomach when he smiled in her direction

"Long day?" She asked. It was rare for Naruto to be tired, and she was a little more concerned than she cared to admit.

"Yea...truth be told I didn't sleep that great last night." He shrugged and continued walking.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to keep you out past your bedtime, my lord." She winked in his direction and he let out a deep laugh which made her heart skip a beat. She loved making him laugh, and hadn't realized it until that moment.

When did messing with him become so second nature? When did they become so comfortable around each other? Now that she thought about it, she guessed it really was a gradual thing after the war ended.

"It takes two to tango, my lady." He returned her expression before blushing a bit and breaking eye contact. Sakura didn't notice as she was entirely focused on maintaining her own composure.

"Is Ichiraku's okay?" He asked and a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Sakura giggled. She knew it was coming, but it was still nice of him to ask. There was a day when he would have just dragged her there, but it was good to see he had grown up a bit.

"That actually works. I haven't been feeling fat enough lately anyway."

Naruto yelled something about Ramen being the only necessary food group and Sakura broke out laughing. The two continued walking to his favorite place, making small talk. Naruto got caught up on her last two weeks at work, and she learned about some of the specifics for his accelerated Jounin training. Sakura didn't notice Naruto sneaking glances at her whenever she wasn't looking.

The entire time, Sakura could feel her heart in her chest. 'It's Naruto, It's just Naruto. Don't do anything stupid Sakura.' She repeated these words in her head like a mantra, so much so she didn't realize they had arrived at their destination until Naruto lifted the flaps that served as a door to the ramen bar. He ushered her inside.

Both of their jaws dropped to the floor when they saw an ever stoic Sasuke Uchiha sitting alone at the ramen bar. He was softly blowing on his noodles and his mouth was open, ready to take a bite, when he noticed his two teammates. He blinked three times before slowly putting the noodles into his mouth.

Naruto and Sakura stood frozen, as they watched their friend realize he had been caught red-handed eating at Ichiraku's by himself. Finally, they both broke out laughing before taking a seat beside him.

"I thought you hated this place Sasuke?" Sakura teased before ordering her usual from the old man behind the counter. Sasuke shrugged.

"It was close by; I haven't gotten groceries for my place yet. It's his fault." Sasuke pointed to Naruto with his chopsticks before continuing to eat his meal.

Naruto, on the other hand, was internally screaming. 'Oh come on!' He thought. 'This was supposed to be my time with her, and he HAD to show up. Just great. I am absolutely going to kick his ass later.' However, he was able to force a grin onto his face and struck up a conversation with his two teammates. Even if the situation wasn't ideal, he was glad that all three of them could spend time and eat together. It wasn't lost on him how long he had dreamed for this day.

The team was interrupted when the flaps of the ramen stand opened again. This time it was Sakura's turn to curse internally when she saw the Hyuga heiress walk into the now crowded restaurant. She greeted everyone in the restaurant with a warm smile, before her eyes landed on Naruto

'Great, now its a party!' She thought to herself before returning Hinata's greening and turning her attention to her food when it was brought out. She dropped any act of kindness however when the byakugan user began to speak to Naruto.

"Um...Naruto-Kun? I thought I might find you here. Do you...do you have a second? There was something I wanted to talk to you about. If that's okay..." Hinata blushed as she managed to get out the sentence. "It's okay if now isn't a good time…"

Sakura's heart sank and she had to look away for fear that her emotions would get the better of her. Naruto didn't notice, but Sasuke did. He couldn't help a small grin form on his face. 'About damn time.' He thought.

Naruto couldn't believe his luck. Out of all the times Hinata could have chosen to ask for a private conversation, she had to pick today. Not to mention that with his feelings for Sakura being as strong as they were after last night, he didn't really know what he would do if she approached the subject he had been avoiding for a while. All he wanted to do was spend some time with his best friend. He sighed before resigning himself to fate and smiled back at her.

"Sure Hinata, let me just finish my..." Before he could finish however, his eyes narrowed.

Everything else happened so quickly. He shot Sasuke a glance as the Uchiha nodded his head. Sakura looked confused until she sensed the beginnings of Naruto infusing chakra. Before either of the two women could react, they both felt Naruto's arms around their waists. He spun to shield them, and they were suddenly engulfed in the bright yellow chakra of his Nine-Tails form.

In the split second it had taken the chakra head of a fox to take shape around them, Sasuke covered it with his own Susano'o Armor, but not before grabbing Old Man Teuchi and pulling him into the defensive shield behind Naruto.

Not a moment later, the ramen shop exploded into a mass of white and blue fire. The sound was deafening as burning wood and metal slammed against the chakra that was protecting the group. It was so bright and so hot that even Sasuke had to shield his eyes for fear of being blinded. When the light cleared, Sakura looked around and the sight she saw almost brought her to tears.

As Naruto's fox shield disappeared, she could get a clear view of what had happened. Everything within a two-block radius of the ramen shop was decimated. It looked like the Pein invasion from before the war. People were screaming, buildings had collapsed, and the same blue and white fire engulfed their surroundings and was quickly spreading.

She looked at Naruto's deadly serious expression, and at Sasuke's hand on his katana as she finally realized what was happening.

They were under attack.