Note: This chapter has a lot of Sakura, since the flashbacks are through her memories of events. I've found I'm having a hard time writing her character for some reason. She's more difficult to write than the others. So… I hope she comes off okay, feisty, aged appropriately for a shinobi teen, but still at the core Sakura.

I was going to italic the flashbacks to set them apart, but for me looking at big chunks in italics is hard on the eyes - it makes me cross eyed, so instead I just set them apart. Hopefully it'll still be easy to follow, if not tell me, I'll figure something out and change it to make it easier for you guys to follow.

Part 3: Sakura's Memories

Thinking: The talking of the soul with itself.

- Plato

Sakura looked around at the destruction, the scattered, broken bodies and matching broken trees that once belonged to the former Land of Rice patties. The earth was torn up in places and smoke rose in the distance, just visible in the failing light. She was responsible for some of the damage, but most of the death her boys had caused. She tried so hard to keep up with them, to be able to walk beside them, and not watch their backs like she had done as a young and naïve girl.

But still - still - they protected her.

Death wasn't anything new, not as a kunoichi and definitely not as a medic-nin. Ambushing a squad of shinobi, just for the purpose of assassinating them though, that was different, it was also an inescapable part of ANBU.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai had separated and went off to hunt down the remaining scattered shinobi and finish them off. She would have gone too, but Kakashi had ordered her to wait for them. They took it upon themselves to protect her from the act of assassination as much as they could. She didn't know if she loved them for it, or despised the treatment.

A feint groan caught her attention. One of the poor men must still be alive, she thought.

In the orange light of dusk, the pink-haired kunoichi made her way over to where the sound had come from. Sure enough, there was still someone alive. His breathing was shallow and irregular, and her trained medical eye could tell he didn't have much time left. Her first instinct was to heal the man. It was her specialty, after all, and what had earned her the rank of special jonin. She couldn't; though, as orders were not to let anyone escape.

Since she couldn't heal him, it would be better to end it then let him suffer. Sakura steeled herself, then focused her chakra as a blue glow engulfed her hand.

The pink-haired kunoichi leaned over the prone figure, intending to use the chakra scalpel to end his life quickly, but paused when the injured man suddenly opened his eyes. His eyes were cloudy but they still focused on her. She felt her resolve waiver at the silent pleading look.

Her hesitation made her feel weak. She couldn't always rely on the others to do everything for her.

I have to, I'm sorry, she thought as her glowing hand, still perched over the man, began to shake with emotion. Do it, just do it! She ordered herself. She took a deep breath to steady her hand and try again.

Still she hesitated. No wonder her team had to do everything for her. Where was all her resolve to keep up and always push forward?

Emerald eyes went wide behind her mask as someone caught her trembling hand by the wrist. The dying man convulsed suddenly when a familiar sword pierced down through the prone figure and into his heart. Sakura sat frozen in that position and watched as the light died in the shinobi's eyes.

A gentle tug on her wrist broke the spell and she let herself be pulled to her feet. Once she was standing, Naruto pulled the blade free and went about wiping it off before sheathing it. Sakura watched him move around and couldn't help but appreciate the nice figure she saw, even with ANBU gear on.

He had grown taller than her years ago. He was far from short, but he still wasn't as tall as some of the other men, like Kakashi or Rock Lee. The pink-haired kunoichi didn't mind though, it made him seem more slender somehow, a little more effeminate to her eyes – something she would never tell him, which combined with those ocean blue eyes and a smile that could light up the entire room, the whole effect was easy on the eyes. He had let his hair grow longer too and it now framed his face when it wasn't hidden like it was now.

Sakura couldn't remember when she started to appreciate her teammates looks, since she had been around him for years, but it had to be when other girls started to pay attention. That had sparked a protective streak in her she didn't know she even possessed. The amount of jealously that attention caused, it took her a long time to admit that's what it was too, startled her. It's not like she had a right to be defensive. They were just teammates.

Naruto had worked hard to gain the village's respect and he had been making progress, but it was after Pain's attack that people really started to look at him differently. He had been becoming stronger and protecting the village since he first became a genin, but after that attack, people actually noticed. His popularity in the village shot up after that, especially after he became one of the heroes of the 4th Shinobi War.

With that popularity though, came the fangirls. Sakura felt a vein throb in her head just thinking about them.

Women of all ages noticed Naruto now and with his open and chatty personality; he was a natural flirt with people. It wasn't just that either, Naruto had a natural charisma about him that touched people inside. Now that they trusted him and weren't afraid of the Kyuubi's container, people just wanted to be near him. He motivated people to want to be better and try harder at everything. That charisma drew people to him like a moth to the flame. And Naruto, dense Naruto, had no idea he had that effect on people, or what it did to the females. Just like Naruto, she mentally sighed.

The pink-haired kunoichi already knew she cared deeply about him, he was one of her best friends along with Ino. It was just that lately, some times when he entered her personal space, it became uncomfortable. She could feel her pulse and breath quicken when he got near and she wanted to reach out and touch. That feeling of need confused her.

It was probably just lust, she had decided. That was natural when around someone attractive, right? And they were still teenagers. How could her hormones not be set off? Yes, all fine and normal. But somewhere along the line, she had to admit; she had slowly been sucked into the flame like the rest of the moths, without even noticing. Sometimes late at night, while waiting for sleep to claim her, she had to wonder what it would be like to be with Naruto, to have someone so intense focus all their endless energy on her. It was kind of a scary thought, but not all together unpleasant.

Naruto finished off another shinobi and that act brought her mind back the current situation.

Why? Why was she still so much weaker than the others? Always standing behind him when all she wanted was to be beside him?

Naruto reached up and lifted his fox mask to perch it on the top of his head. She could see the thick orange outline around his eyes and the yellow irises. He probably went into Sage mode to expand the area he could sense chakra to run down the stragglers easier.

"This thing suffocates me, I swear," he remarked running a hand over his face.

"You're not supposed to have that off," she responded automatically.

She tried to make her voice as steady as possible, but it sounded weak even to her own ears.

"No one here is going to tell. Kakashi-senpai and Sai are still some distance away and there's no one else is in the area. I won't let anyone sneak up on us," the blond shinobi reassured her.

Okay, steady Sakura, take a deep breath and move on, she thought, all you have to do is scoop your wounded pride off the ground before Kakashi gets back. No big deal.

The pink-haired kunoichi tried to take a steadying breath, but it came out shaky. She felt the prickle of frustrated tears and she let out a little sniffle. Don't you dare cry, she told herself and was glad the mask hid her face. She only hoped Naruto hadn't heard her.

The jinchuriki's eyes narrowed slightly and she knew he had heard. Damn that sharp hearing of his, she groaned to herself.

Naruto came to stand beside the kunoichi and put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"You aren't weak, Sakura-chan," he said softly.

And damn him for knowing what I'm thinking! How did he always know? Ino couldn't even pick up on her emotions so well. She didn't deserve the assurance right now. Not when she still needed to be protected. She might be a special jonin, and not a full jonin yet, but damn it, she was part of Team Kakashi and the apprentice of a legendary sannin! Her and Tsunade were the best medical-nins in any of the shinobi nations; she should be better than this.

"Yes, I am!"

She ripped off the mask and held it out toward the blond shinobi.

"I don't deserve to wear this! Not when you have to protect me all time! I'm a special jonin, I shouldn't need you to do my job for me!"

By the end of her rant Sakura was yelling and she could feel the angry tears spill over and slide down her pale cheeks. The fact that she was crying made her feel like that useless little girl in the Chunin exams all over again.

Naruto was stunned and stood there looking wide-eyed at her. For a moment Sakura wondered if she went too far and was about to apologize, but the jinchuriki snapped out of his stupor.

"Is that what you think we're doing?" he asked in a strange tone she didn't recognize.

Sakura wanted to yell back yes, of course you are, but something in that tone made her pause. She couldn't tell what he was thinking from his expression either, but in the weak light she could see the hard set of his jaw.

Naruto grabbed her outstretched wrist and she dropped the mask in surprise.

"What are you…?"

Her question was cut off when the blond shinobi forced her wrist close to her face. His grip wasn't hurting her, but it was firm and she was forced to look at her gloved hand.

"Do you see these hands Sakura-chan?" he asked in that same strange tone and shook her wrist slightly for emphases.

"These hands are made to heal people. They can fix and treat anything from a scratch to having a fucking sword run through someone's chest. They can siphon out poison and perform operations. They can comfort and touch and heal, don't you understand that?"

Through his speech Sakura could feel Naruto's grip on her wrist becoming gentler, but he didn't let go.

"These hands," he gave her wrist a slight shake again, "give life to people."

Naruto brought his free hand up and laid his palm against hers. The slightly intimate touch caused an unexpected pleasant feeling in the kunoichi's stomach.

"These hands," he indicated his own, "were made to punch, break bone, and hurt people. They were made to take life."

The jinchuriki let go of her wrist finally, but the two held that pose.

"You're hands should never be used to take life unless you have to. We aren't protecting you, Sakura-chan, you don't need us to. We're letting you do what you're good at, what you're meant to do. What we can't do."

It was Sakura's turn to stand there speechless.

A tear rolled down her cheek, but for a different reason this time. The pink-haired kunoichi had never felt so overwhelmed by anyone's words in her life. No one had ever described her status as a medic-nin like that before. As a life giver. It was flattering, to say the least, and she appreciated every word of it. The description was even more endearing because she knew he wasn't lying. Naruto said what he thought, so when he complimented someone, it wasn't bullshit.

Reacting to the emotions swirling inside her, and to what felt right at the moment, Sakura leaned in to place her forehead against his.

"You're wrong," she said quietly.

He gave her a questioning look and she could tell he was about to try to make his point again.

"These hands," she continued, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, "weren't made to hurt. They protect people. Kakashi-senpai, Tsunade, the villagers and… me. They protect us all. It's what you do."

Sakura could tell her unexpected praise made him emotional as Naruto dropped his gaze to the ground and swallowed hard. After he collected himself again and looked up, the blonde shinobi finished by intertwining his fingers with hers so they were holding hands.

Like a moth to the flame, the phrase came to her.

That memory reminded her of her earlier train of thought and the fact that she was standing nose-to-nose with Naruto, holding his hand even, became blaringly obvious.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed as the two became aware of their close proximity. Her breathing and heartbeat quickened in response and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. She was sure she was blushing, of all things. The touch of his hand felt warmer and his breath caressed her face. The pink-haired kunoichi could feel the tension in Naruto's body and she could tell he was breathing faster too, but neither one of them moved away.

Naruto cautiously brought his free hand up to brush away the tear tracks on her face. The touch was warm, gentle, and unsure. His hand sort of lingered there afterward and the pink-haired kunoichi unconsciously leaned into the touch.

Warm, dry lips brushed hers in a gentle kiss. The kiss was chaste, fleeting, and made her insides flutter.

Naruto backed his head away, but only an inch or so, and seemed to wait. Most likely to see if he was going to get flattened, she realized. Sakura licked suddenly dry lips and stared into clear blue eyes, Sage mode forgotten.

Liking the sensation, this time she initiated the kiss. Sakura brought her hand to the back of Naruto's neck and pulled his head to hers. The kiss was a bit harder this time as both involved became more confident in the act. Naruto relaxed at her action and the fact that he wasn't going to get punched. She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer.

The pink-haired kunoichi felt a light touch on her lips and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. She didn't have a lot of experience with this type of intimate kissing; tongues, touch and all… but her teenage hormones knew what they wanted. Right now, they demanded more contact.

Naruto's arm around her waist held her firmly against his body, but she wanted more. Sakura reached up to run her hand though his blond hair, knocking the mask and bandana clear off. The blond shinobi reacted to her hands in his hair with a soft moan and she couldn't help but feel satisfied. The jinchuriki's free hand started to roam and caress her body where the armor didn't block the way. The sensation was intoxicating and she couldn't help but moan in response to his touch.

One hand still gripping Naruto's hair, Sakura's free hand somehow found it's way under his armor to grope firm muscle. When did she take her gloves off? The more he reacted physically or vocally to her touch, the more she explored.

The pink-haired kunoichi grunted, but never broke the kiss, as her back slammed into the trunk of a tree. When the hell had they moved? It didn't matter - her brain was shutting down anyway.

Using Naruto and the tree as support, the kinoichi wrapped her leg around the blond shinobi to secure him to her. The action caused their hips to grind together and Sakura was sure her insides were going to melt. Naruto's lips left hers and started to move down her neck nipping and licking. The kunoichi was glad the tree and Naruto's grip were holding her up, because right now she wasn't sure if her legs would.

Naruto abruptly stopped his administrations and brought his head right next to hers. He was panting, they both were, and his blond hair hung around his face. He looked good flushed and disheveled like that, some part of her brain still capable of functioning, noticed.

"Sai," he said with a disappointed pant.

"Who cares about Sai," the pink-haired kunoichi said leaning in to kiss him again.

Naruto stopped her by bringing his hand up to cup her cheek and moving his head back.

"No, I mean Sai is coming, any second now and Kakashi is right behind him," he said still breathing heavily.

"Oh?" was all Sakura could come up with in her dazed condition.

After a moment, her brain rebooted.

Mission, ANBU, other teammates. Squad captain coming!

"Oh!" she responded standing up straight.

Naruto, still breathing hard, backed away from her finally. The two shinobi straightened armor and concentrated on slowing their breathing down. Naruto ran a hand through his free hair and Sakura patted dust and bits of tree off her backside.

The blond shinobi walked over and bent over to retrieve the forgotten about mask and bandana, while Sakura desperately tried not stare at him bending over. Okay, so maybe being teammates with Naruto and Kakashi rubbed off on her and she was a perv now too. The thought didn't bother her as much as it should have.

"The removal of the ANBU mask during a mission is strictly forbidden," an overly pleasant voice broke into her thoughts.

Sai cocked his head curiously at the matching murderous glares he was receiving. Naruto didn't bother to respond as he tied the bandana around his hair and slipped the mask on.

"Thank you for the reminder, Raven," Sakura said in her best professional voice as she calmly walked over to her dropped mask.

She appeared calm, but inside she was cursing Sai and his whole existence, while struggling to slow her breathing. The pink-haired kunoichi picked up the mask and slipped it back on. Gloves, gloves… where are my gloves? She thought frantically looking around.

"Here," Naruto said beside her.

The jinchuriki held out her gloves and Sakura grabbed them. Her hand was just touching his on the fabric, and they both let their hands linger a moment before he let go.

Sakura couldn't help but smile a bit under the mask. She might be cursing Sai's name right now, but at least it was him that came when he did and not their captain. Kakashi wasn't as oblivious as Sai, and there was no way he would miss the scattered pieces of uniform and flushed looks on the two. He would have known right away there was more going on than simple waiting.

"At least that wasn't Wolf-senpai," Naruto said quietly mirroring her thoughts and she nodded in agreement.

"At least what wasn't Wolf-senpai?" came from right behind the pair.

Naruto and Sakura both jumped and turned around to face Kakashi standing right there.

"Nothing!" they responded in unison.

"Uh huh," drawled Kakashi in a tone that said he obviously didn't buy it.

Damn it Naruto! What happened to not being snuck up on? The pink-haired kunoichi silently fumed.

"Well, lets wrap this up and head out," Kakashi said after a pause.

"Right!" the remaining three shinobi answered.

Anger aside, Sakura couldn't help but be smugly pleased that it was likely her presence beside the blond that was distracting his senses. Take that you fangirls! The mask hid the matching smug smile as she followed Kakashi to take care of the bodies.

"Sakura!"

The shout brought the kunoichi back to the present and she narrowly missed the tree branch her head was heading straight for.

Beside her, Yamato gave a relieved sigh, and she sent out a silent thank you. At the speed they were traveling through the trees it could cause serious injury to go headfirst into one. Since becoming ANBU, Kakashi had really trained the team hard in speed and stamina. It was a painful experience, but Team Kakashi could cover large distances in a short amount of time. Most shinobi would be hard pressed to keep up with the group, but the fact that Neji stayed with them easily wasn't surprising. The Hyuuga was on that stamina freak Gai's team for years, after all.

Sakura couldn't help but let her mind wander some. She had kissed Naruto, okay practically made out with her teammate, and she couldn't regret that part. It was nice. More than nice, it made her insides burn with the desire for more, and she had never experienced that before. She admitted that she definitely wouldn't mind doing it again.

Her head had even been stuck in the clouds for a couple of days after that. Ino caught onto that mood instantly and wanted to know why her pink-haired friend was practically glowing, she called it. Sakura had wanted to tell her to stuff it, but Ino made her living off of torturing and interrogating people for more information. The platinum blonde could be very persuasive when she wanted gossip and damn if she wasn't persistent. So when Ino cornered her during her lunch break, Sakura had told her.

Ino looked stunned for a second, then blinked as her thoughts caught up and smiled that secretive smile of hers, the one that says, I know something you don't know.

"Well it's about time," the platinum blonde said out loud.

She practically made out with her teammate and that was all Ino had to say? Sakura didn't know why she let Ino provoke her still, but she got defensive anyway.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked gritting her teeth.

Ino sighed and face palmed which sent Sakura's blood pressure rising even more.

"Honestly Sakura, some times you really are dense."

Sakura crossed her arms, huffed, and tried not to throw her drink at the poor innocent pigeons near the park bench.

"Okay then," the platinum blonde said before she could think of a response, "so now what?"

"What do you mean now what?"

"Don't play coy with me pinkie. What I mean is, are you going to do something about it or not?"

That question caught her off guard.

"Like what?" was all the pink-haired kunoichi could come up with.

Sakura could tell her friend was putting in the effort not to face palm again and it made her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. To further add to the annoyance factor, Ino continued in a voice one used to explain things to a five year old.

"Okay… lets go over this slowly. Girl and boy kiss, girl likes kiss, boy has been known to like girl a lot in the past, now the big question is – does girl want to keep doing that with boy? And if she does, girl really needs to act on it."

Despite the mocking tone, Ino did have a point, which frustrated Sakura even more. She had thought about doing that again. Just remembering the image of Naruto panting and disheveled, standing nose-to-nose with her, made the kunoichi's breath quicken. To be honest, hell yeah she wouldn't mind acting on the situation, but with Naruto, there was no half way. If she went for it that would mean to make the commitment to give a relationship a try.

Ino, used to her friend's thought process, interrupted her thoughts.

"Come off it, you aren't the type to do things half way either. Neither of you are. Honestly forehead, if you like the kiss so much and you know there could be potential, why don't you just try it? It's Naruto! You know he'll worship the ground you walk on."

Ino made it sound so simple. The platinum blonde must have understood the hesitation in her thoughts.

"Think about this then. Naruto's easy to be around, a lot of fun - if kind of dorky some times, he's probably the most powerful shinobi in the village, would be totally devoted to whoever he has a relationship with, he's most likely going to be our boss soon, and – your personal favorite right now, he's attractive."

"Why don't you go out with him if you think he's so great," Sakura couldn't help but say.

"Don't think I haven't thought about it, forehead. I'm just not ready to date one person yet, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. Trust me."

"Now let me finish," Ino continued putting her hands on her hips for emphases, "if you don't get your head out of the clouds and take the chance with Naruto, someone else will – lots of girls are looking for that chance. Naruto's been trying to get your attention for years, but he's not going to wait forever. Believe me when I say this, he is going to take notice of one of them some day and move on. I wouldn't even blow off Hinata's chances lately. They've become pretty good friends, if you haven't noticed."

Ino picked up her forgotten drink and bag and looked Sakura straight in the eyes.

"Think about it, but don't take too long. Make up your mind and if its something you want, just take the chance already! Unless the thought of someone else being by Naruto's side for the rest of your lives doesn't bother you. Who knows, if you take long enough, maybe I might even go for it. And I get what I want."

Ino left without another word, leaving Sakura to her thoughts.

Sakura's mind had been in confusion after that. Sure she liked him, but was she ready for a relationship with anyone? It had taken her years to get over Sasuke, what if she tried with Naruto and it didn't work? How would she handle that one? Could they still work around each other? Naruto was probably going to be the next Hokage, was she even worthy to date a Kage? Did she even want to take on that responsibility in the first place? Urg, it was so confusing to have feelings for your future boss!

Naruto had shown up at her place later that night to talk to her and she still had no answers.

The blond shinobi had taken to wearing the jonin flak jacket and dark shinobi gear like Yamato and Shikamaru, along with one of his Sage jackets. He liked the jackets because they reminded him of Jiraiya and the legacy his father left and provided color to the otherwise dark shinobi garb. Shima was so pleased that he liked the first one she made for him, that the old toad made him at least four more, in a variety of colors.

It's not like shinobi gear was the most flattering thing to wear, but he still looked good that night. She hadn't made up her mind whether she wanted to try a relationship with him yet, but his physical presence was very distracting. Too distracting. Her mind might not know what it wanted, but her body sure did.

They had chatted a little bit as the situation felt awkward between the two. When Naruto gathered his nerve and tried to talk to her about what happened in the woods after their last mission, Sakura had done her best to avoid the topic. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet and he was just too distracting to be around. Her mind kept imagining the feeling of his hand on her or imagining pinning him to the wall and kissing him senseless.

Sakura couldn't take the sensory overload and decide whether she wanted to commit to a relationship at the same time, so eventually she made up an excuse that she had to get back to the hospital and needed to get ready, so could he please leave, and I'm sorry about this, we'll talk later.

She wasn't quite sure all what she said, but she could tell that he didn't buy it, even if he didn't argue with her. Ever since Naruto trained to control the Kyuubi's chakra he had an unnerving knack for telling if people were lying to him, and she knew she was busted. He never said anything though and she felt guilty for lying to him.

They never did get around to talking about that night or the night in the woods, after that. Sakura made sure she stayed busy and away from her teammates the next couple of weeks.

She avoided him until they ran into each other last week in that restaurant with flirty, pretty Ino practically hanging off him.

"There are chakra signatures up ahead."

Neji's words snapped her mind back to the current situation faster than a swift kick ever could. The group stopped on instinct.

"How many?" Kakashi asked immediately.

"Six at about 400 meters and 15 closing in at 800. The larger group is scattered, like they are searching. It is possible there may be more heading our way that have not yet come into range of my sight."

"The six ahead must be a scouting party," Yamato remarked.

"Likely searching for Naruto to try to stall him for the others to catch up," Kakashi continued, "can you see him?"

Neji almost squinted in concentration for a few seconds.

Those felt like the longest few seconds of Sakura's life. If the enemy shinobi were here that meant Naruto was in the area and if he was alive the Byakugan would find him immediately. Why was there a delay? There shouldn't be a delay!

"I believe so. Straight ahead, he is not moving," Neji finally answered.

Sakura released her breath - she wasn't even aware she had been holding it.

"Believe so?" she couldn't help but speak up.

"It is Naruto's chakra signature, but it's wrong from what I know it to be," the Hyuuga tried to explain.

"Wrong how?" Kakashi spoke up this time.

"Naruto has always had two chakra pathways, but only one is usually active. When he brings up the Kyuubi's chakra, while his own is still present, the fox's chakra is the dominant one. There is never a mixing, but that's what's happening right now. That's not all, both are very feint and growing weaker."

"He's trying to keep him alive," Sakura remarked.

Everyone looked expectantly at the kunoichi when she spoke.

"If Naruto dies, so does the Kyuubi. I've seen it happen before when Naruto is seriously injured, the Kyuubi is trying to keep them alive until help comes, by using it's chakra to sustain his body. The only problem is, that chakra does a lot of damage to his pathways and without Naruto conscious to control it, he can only withstand it for so long."

Kakashi nodded his head in understanding of the explanation then got down to business.

"Then we need to hurry. Where is Team Nara?"

"We are farther ahead of them because of our intense pace, but they are holding the parallel route we planned beforehand. Hinata-sama and I are still within Byakugan range of each other. In fact, her range of sight is farther than mine, she can likely see Naruto and the enemy shinobi as well."

"All right then…"

"The scouting party has changed directions, they are moving toward Naruto!" Neji cut Kakashi off.

"No time then, lets go!" he ordered and took off.

The rest of the team followed without complaint.

"If Hinata can see all this already, Shikamaru knows the situation," Kakashi said while they continued on their breakneck pace, "we'll trust in him to react accordingly. Sai, as soon as we secure Naruto and Sakura gives you the all clear, take them both back to Konoha and let Tsunade know what's going on. The rest of us will handle the Sound-nin."

"Understood," Sai spoke up for the first time.

Hang on Naruto, I'm coming, Sakura mentally pleaded. I promise we'll work this out later. The pink-haired kunoichi was clenching her firsts again, this time in determination. She would sort out her feelings and make things right between them. But first, she had to save him and if anyone touched Naruto before she got to him – I'll kill them, she vowed.

TBC

Originally I had planned to include the flashbacks AND them finally getting on with the story, all in this chapter, but the length was getting up there, so I decided to break it off here and split it up. The back-story took longer than planned to write, but I thought that first kiss needed some attention.

Again, thank you for the lovely reviews and to everyone who added the story to their favorites! They've motivated me to work on this story faster! Normally, I'm a phenomenally slow updater.