A.N: Alright, I'm excited to say that next chapter they will be around the age of where they get to graduate! I know there isn't much, but to get more into my plot I had to cut out some things, sadly. I apologize for that. I also still have no clue who she will end up with - if she even does - since it isn't really even a romantic story. I do have somewhat of a plan, but it has a few holes, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Tough
Chapter Five
X X X
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yells, running towards the lonely pinkette, "Will you come eat lunch with me and Sasuke?" Sakura looks up from the book she's reading and sighs, closing it.
"I have a feeling if I reject your offer, you'll make me do it, Uzumaki-san." Sakura replies, "I've eaten lunch with you guys for the past week, I have to catch up with all the lessons I missed." Naruto pouts while grabbing her hand and pulls her up, much to her dislike.
"Please? Sasuke-teme will help you, please!?" Naruto begs smiling brightly, "I promise he'll help you! Come on Sakura-chan, you can't ruin our tradition, can you?"
"It's hardly a tradition if it just happened, Uzumaki-san," She mutters while picking up her bento and nodding towards him, "You'll continue to whine at me until I agree - thus making our lunch time go to waste. Just lead the way, Uzumaki-san." Naruto smiles happily while grabbing her hand and pulling her towards a tree where Sasuke is waiting for them.
"Teme!" Naruto shouts, breaking out into a run, "I got her, and you have to help her catch up in the lessons she missed!" Sasuke looks up and nods at Sakura while turning his attention to the blond idiot, his eye twitching in annoyance.
"I have to do what?" Sasuke asks while pulling out a tomato from his lunch and taking a bite out of it.
"Hehe," Naruto laughs nervously while rubbing the back of his head, "I promised that you'll help her catch up, if she agreed to eat lunch with us! I mean, she can't ruin our tradition now, right?" Sasuke's eye twitches in annoyance.
"Uchiha-san," Sakura greets, taking a seat next to him and putting her lunch next to Sasuke and putting her book on her lap. She pulls out a rice ball and takes a small bite while reading her book.
"This is hardly a tradition, dope." Sasuke grumbles out while looking at the book Sakura is reading, "If you... really want help, Haruno-san, you can come over to my house and I'll help you catch up."
"I wouldn't want to be a burden to you," Sakura replies turning the page and taking another bite of her rice ball, "But, if you really do want to help me, I guess it won't hurt. Kenji-sensei isn't training me today since I need to catch up on my studies, and he's proud of my target practice." Sakura turns her head and smiles lightly up at Sasuke, "So, I suppose it'll be alright, as long as I actually study."
"We'll take you home with us then, Sakura-chan!" Naruto promises before the three of them start to each their lunch.
X X X
"Guys, can't we go play or something?" Naruto groans out while blowing some of his hair out of his face, "You two have been studying for the past few hours, and I'm bored!" Sasuke turns to his friend and growls lowly.
"Dope, get out of here if you're just going to complain. I am still helping her with some of the lessons - that you promised that I'll do - so go bother Itachi-nii."
"Itachi-nii?" Sakura asks while looking up from the book she's reading, "You have an older brother, Uchiha-san?" Sasuke turns to her and smirks.
"Aa," Sasuke answers, "Come on, I have to walk you home soon, and we aren't done with the lessons." Sakura nods and looks back down at her book, reading. She really isn't a fan girl. She had no clue that I even have a brother, that's quite interesting, to tell the truth. She doesn't freak out when I smirk at her either, maybe she will be a good friend, possibly.
X X X
"Thanks for dinner, Uchiha-sama" Sakura thanks, bowing before straightening up and sending them all a soft, small smile, "I should get going now though. Kenji-kun wouldn't like it if I came home later than this." Sakura turns to her classmates and bows again, "Thank you for helping my studies, Uchiha-san, and thank you for inviting me over, Uzumaki-san." Sakura turns on her heel, heading towards the door.
"Haruno-san?" Mikoto calls smiling, "Please do come again, I'm sure we will all appreciate it if you did." Sakura turns to her and nods once, "Sasuke-chan will be walking you home, too, along with Naruto-chan. We can't have a young lady like yourself walk alone!"
"Of course," Sakura replies waiting for Sasuke and Naruto to catch up to her.
X X X
"Thanks for walking me home, guys." Sakura thanks before walking into her house and shutting the door. She takes off her shoes, rushes into the living room, and jumps onto Kenji with a big smile on her face.
"Kenji-chan!" She yells while he wraps his arms around her before chuckling, "My classmates, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, invited me over to Uchiha's house to help me study, and then the mother was kind enough to have me eat dinner with them." Sakura crawls off of him and sits on the seat next to him while stretching her legs out, "Uzumaki-san refuses to leave me alone; he dragged me to lunch with them, again!" Kenji smiles down at his adopted daughter.
"Is that so?" He replies calmly, "I'm going to be going on more missions, okay?" Sakura nods, "I'm also going to make you a special training schedule that you have to follow." He stares into her eyes and smirks, "You are going to have to do all your academy work - fight or not - and then you get to do the training schedule. So, academy work and this doesn't mix together, alright?"
"So basically, if I have to do fifty push ups in the academy it won't be added to the set amount you gave me?" Sakura asks watching him nod. "You're so cruel, Kenji-chan." She pouts before wrapping her arms around him again to give him a goodnight hug, "Night, Kenji-chan, sweet dreams."
"You too." Kenji mutters while hugging her back and standing up. He stretches his back slightly before walking up stairs with her still in his arms. He sets her down on her bed and kisses her forehead before walking out. "You are going to be quite a strong girl, Sakura-chan. As long as you actually do you exercise and don't turn into a crazed fan girl." He mumbles to himself, disappearing into his bedroom.
X X X
"Naruto Uzumaki! You better stop pranking me! I haven't done anything to you lately! So why? I avoid you at all costs!" Ami growls out while shaking her fist angrily at the male in front of her, "Well, as long as you aren't by Sasuke-kun." She adds, batting her eyelashes.
"You should know why." He grumbles, glaring at her with hate, "You said some pretty rude things in the past few months, specifically towards a pinkette..." Naruto takes one step forward, making Ami back up into a wall, "I don't appreciate people talking about my friends like that. And, you know you deserve it. You're a bitch." He growls out the last word before tilting his head towards Sasuke, who is leaning against a wall by them, "Don't you agree, teme?"
"Hn," Sasuke replies, pushing himself off the wall and walking towards Naruto. He stops next to his friend and stares at the girl in front of him. Instead of her normal purple hair, she has puke green hair with bright red dots all over, thanks to Naruto's recent prank. "Listen." Sasuke demands while crossing his arms over his chest, "You touch Haruno, or harm her in any way - rather it be physical or mentally - I will find out. And you'll have one pissed off Uchiha to deal with, got it?" Ami stares up at her crush with fear while nodding her head frantically, trying to get on his good side.
"Y-Yes of course, S-Sasuke-sama! I will leave the bi-" Naruto glares down at her with his fangs showing, "I-I mean Haruno-san. She w-won't deal with me bullying her anymore. A-And I'll tell my f-friends to leave her alone!" Ami promises.
"Let's go." Sasuke demands, turning on his heel and walking away. Naruto, sending her one last glare, quickly follows with his arms behind his head.
"Oh, and you better tell them you tried to do something with your hair. I didn't have anything to do with it." Naruto orders, sending her a smirk, "Or else it'll be worse." Ami nods weakly, watching the two vanish from her sight. That bitch, has my crush and his friend on her side! What does she have that I don't? No. She doesn't have a family. That's what I have. Maybe I can make it look like Sakura attacked me? Yes. It'll work perfectly. Ami thinks to herself while smiling evilly and standing up.
X X X
Sakura sits down on her favorite swing and looks up at the sky, sighing softly to herself when the wind blew against her cheeks. She just got done doing her work out schedule that Kenji - cruelly - gave her. She's been running around the village as fast as she can, knowing he would just make it worse if she didn't finish it. She closes her eyes and stretches her arms over her head, smiling when she hears a successful crack. All I need to do is return home and eat. Suddenly, Ami runs up to Sakura and sends her a dirty look before smirking. Ami pulls out a kunai knife from her bag and turns to Sakura, sending her another smirk.
"You're about to be murdered, Sakura-chan." Ami giggles, gently running her finger across the blade, watching a sliver of her blood start to drip, "You're going to be dead, and I'll finally be able to have Sasuke-kun to myself. Isn't that great?" Sakura stares at Ami and quietly climbs off her swing, taking a small step back. "Oh, this isn't for you sweetie. It's for me." Ami giggles again, moving her head to cover her mouth.
"I think you need help," Sakura mutters quietly, watching Ami move the kunai knife closer to her neck, "No, I know you do." Sakura slowly walks over to her. When she's close enough to touch the knife, Ami stabs her own stomach before screaming out in pain, drawing everyone's attention.
"S-Sakura-chan, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, don't kill me!" Ami yelps, falling onto the ground while a ANBU suddenly appears in front of them.
X X X
"What happened?" The ANBU demands, staring down at the bleeding academy student. When the pinkette doesn't answer, he turns to her and frowns - which is hidden under his mask - "I said: What happened?" He repeats again, his voice demanding for the pinkette to answer.
"I-I," The pinkette stutters out, staring at him with fear, "I-I was sitting on my favorite swing when she suddenly appeared. She was talking nonsense about me being murdered. She then stabbed herself and yelled out my name!" Sakura answers, after seeing the male's red eyes, "I-I didn't touch her though, I promise!" The ANBU stares down at her before nodding and picking up the injured girl.
"Stay away from her and go home, Haruno." The ANBU orders before disappearing, leaving Sakura alone.
X X X
"Kenji?" Sakura cries, running into the house with tears falling down her cheeks, "Kenji!" She screams. Kenji, who was working on her training schedule, rushes into the room and pulls her up into a hug and gently soothes her by rubbing her back.
"Shhh, shhh.." He whispers while carrying her over to the couch and sitting down with her curling up to his chest, "What happened to you?"
"I-I finished the schedule... a-and Ami suddenly appeared with a kunai knife..." Sakura starts, her tears rolling down her cheek, "S-She said she was going to murder me and stabbed herself!"
"Explain everything, from the start." He orders firmly, still rubbing her back gently to encourage her. Sakura nods, and finishes explaining everything, even the ANBU with the red eyes.
X X X
I'm actually really worried right now, I feel like I'm doing something to disappoint the readers, since it's not getting as many reviews as it first did. I know I'm probably just being paranoid - and no worries for those who do review, I am not going to stop the story just because people don't seem to be reading it, after all, I still have loyal fans, ne? - I just feel like people are losing interest in the story. Anyways, I'd like to thank the following for reviewing: L, MiyatheEarthninja, ChErRyBlOsSoM274, Black n' Blue sun, Dina Sana, and Guest! Yet again, I also want to thank all of those who are favoriting and following my story, so thanks!
Kimi-the-Writer