Disclaimer:I hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this collection. Props to Masashi Kishimoto, indeed.
Just in Case You Missed It: To quote the brilliant forthright, "This is a story in snippets, so if you believe a proper tale cannot be told on a small scale... flee now, before you are taken in!" All of the chapters will be one hundred or two hundred words.
This is an exercise in experimenting with new writing challenges, especially with a format that I've grown very fond of due to a favorite author's work, and it will not change. :) I totally understand if the short chapters are not for you! Just please don't ask me to lengthen them.
Week One: Heavy Lifting
About a mile out into the woods beyond Sakura's neighborhood, two work out attire-clad individuals settled in a small clearing amongst the trees, hidden behind the fiery veils of the changing leaves.
"Now what?" Sakura asked with an edge. She was suddenly feeling a bit more nervous now that they were out here, but it's not like she was about to show it.
"Here," Naruto said. "Let me lift you up."
"Excuse me?"
"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan! I'm not gonna try anything dirty—I just want to help you practice!"
"I'll bet."
"Please, you know me better than that!"
"Do I?"
"You should. Now let's do this—here, give me an ankle."
"You'll drop me!"
"I won't! Kakashi-sensei's been upping my training, so this much weight won't bother me, I promise!"
"Are you implying that I'm heavy?"
"What? I never—"
"Give it up, Naruto—not happening."
"Who else will? You gonna let Sai help instead?"
Crap.
"That's what I thought," he smirked.
"Shut up, Naruto... All right, fine. Brace yourself—no, not like that, moron! I'm not going to punch you!"
"You're not?"
"Not yet."
Original Posting Date: December 8, 2011
Story Prompt: "the flexibility of Haruno Sakura" by cutecrazyice
Word Count: 200 words