OTL

I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long for another UD! / I honestly thought I'd have time to UD before now, but my study abroad was a lot more intense than I'd expected, and I had some personal issues to attend to once I returned home. Once again, my apologies, but I really appreciate everyone's patience, understanding, and support. :) You're all amazing!
Special shout-out to mikasa-sama for reminding me I had a story to attend to ;)
Now, without further delay, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any affiliated characters; all such belong to Masashi Kishimoto :)

Chapter Eight

"Oi, Jin, pass me that board would you?" Naruto called over his shoulder to a coworker. It was Saturday, three days since he and Haruka had left for supplies, and they were finally finishing the building they'd been working on; the workers had gotten a tremendous amount done just in the time that he and Haruka had been absent, which said a lot for their work ethic and determination to rebuild their home. Now that the Leaf nin and the lead architect had returned, work would get done even faster, especially with Naruto's cloning ability. They expected to complete their current project by the end of the day.

"Yo, Uzumaki!" called Haruka from across the yard. Naruto looked up in question but before he could reply he heard:

"Naruto!"

Naruto gulped as Sakura made her way through the crowd of workers, her green eyes blazing. He hadn't been back to Amaya's yet, as he and Haruka had thought it easier to get straight to work once they returned rather than haul the supplies all the way to their homes and then back to the work-site. The blonde looked frantically for an escape route, glaring mightily as the men around him snickered. He thrust the board Jin had just handed him back into the man's hands and turned to haul ass right as Sakura reached out, grabbing his ear between her thumb and forefinger to hold him in place.

"Wahh! Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, knees buckling slightly at the pressure she exerted to keep him still. She ignored him, her eyes finding Haruka as she gave the older man a wide smile.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow Naruto for the remainder of the day?" she inquired, though the look in her eyes brooked very little chance of her accepting any answer other than one of acceptance. Haruka's eyes twinkled with amusement and he met Naruto's blue gaze dead on as he answered the kunoichi, "Not a problem; he's all yours. His clones will be enough." Naruto glared at the architect before Sakura called out her thanks and pulled him away, still by his ear.

The blonde's cries earned him another series of snickers but before he could muster up a decent death-glare Sakura had pulled him off the site and around the corner, out of sight.

She gave him a slight shake before releasing him, causing him to stumble backwards into the building at his back, rubbing his abused ear with a pout. He raised his gaze to hers, reading the annoyance there and swallowed hard.

"Sakura-chan..."

"That was for leaving without telling me first," she growled at him, hands on her hips as she glared at him. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm sor—" he began to apologize, but she cut him off.

"I don't want your apology; I want you to promise that next time you do decide to do something that irresponsible, you think about telling your teammate in person first. Okay?" she waited, now folding her arms under her breasts, tapping her foot impatiently. Naruto sighed; she was right, after all she was team Captain. He was supposed to run such actions by her before they could come to an ultimate decision together. She had every right to be annoyed with him.

"Right, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry; I'll remember next time." He told her, offering a small smile in hopes it would soften her. Her eyes studied his momentarily before she sniffed, nodding in satisfaction.

"Good. Now, let's go." She turned on her heel and began to walk off. Naruto raised a brow and called after her, "Where are we going? I ought to go back and help Haruka and the others finish up; don't you have a shift at the hospital?"

Sakura sighed as though his questions were ridiculous and answered without pause, "We are going to have lunch and then we're going to spar; it's been too long since our last training session. Satoshi-san ordered me to take the weekend off; everyone at the hospital is stable, and the few who are in danger of becoming unstable are in good hands with the nurses. And you're no longer needed at work, in case you didn't hear Haruka-san; your clones can help them finish. Now come on."

Naruto's eyes brightened at the words 'spar' and 'training'; she was right, it had been too long since their last training session. Besides, it sure beat having to help build houses! Grinning, he took off after Sakura at a jog, quickly catching up with her.

They paused by Amaya's house to pick up a picnic-basket that the woman had packed for them and then set off again for the outskirts of the town where a large field of grass seemingly stretched for miles before ending at the threshold of forest. The two made their way across the field, finding a comfortable clearing within the dappled shade of the trees where they proceeded to set up for lunch.

Once comfortable and having succeeded in getting some food in their bellies, Sakura inquired casually, "So, how was your trip with Haruka-san anyway?"

Naruto smiled a bit and shrugged, taking another bite of the rice ball in his hand before replying, "It was fine. The village we visited is in better shape than this one since they traffic a lot of supplies for the surrounding towns. The people were kind of sketchy though; y'know, those sly kinds of venders who try to swindle every cent from you for products that aren't worth even half of the price they charge." He shrugged again, taking another bite before continuing, "Haruka got into it with the lumber guy; he had the shipment in but wanted Haruka to pay double what he'd asked for before we arrived. I swear Haruka was gonna pummel him!" He laughed, blue eyes shining in amusement.

"Anyway, it wasn't necessary in the end; some Rain Country official came in and set the guy straight. He even managed to get Haruka a discount in the end." Naruto's face scrunched up in thought. "I can't remember his name now, but he mentioned coming to visit to see how the village was holding up under the financial debt; he said something about wanting to help out, since it's his country that's causing the issue."

Sakura raised a brow in curiosity. It was unusual for Naruto to recall so many specifics about something that didn't really concern him directly; she was surprised he'd recalled so much about one man. Something must have been interesting about the Rain official for Naruto to even bother mentioning him.

"Well, I'm glad everything worked out well," she said simply, sipping at her drink. She studied the blonde, noting how relaxed and at ease he seemed; it was a complete contradiction to the aloof, edgy Naruto she'd seen so recently. He seemed back to his old self, for which she was thankful; she wasn't quite sure how to handle a quiet, tense Naruto, at least not for very long.

"Yeah. So things are going well at the hospital?" he asked, reaching for the thermos to refill his cup. Sakura smiled, nodding.

"Yes, everyone is doing exceptionally well! It was terrible how many people needed to be treated when we arrived, but now only a few are still in too ill a condition to leave." She beamed as Naruto exclaimed, "Wow, that's amazing Sakura-chan! You're awesome!"

A light blush colored her cheeks and she waved away his praise, saying, "It wasn't just me; I've had some incredible help. There may be few, but the nurses here are extremely fast learners; I've taught them a bunch of basic medical skills, which they picked up on almost immediately. There's one girl in particular who has the talent to become an exceptional doctor someday; I've been teaching her some more in-depth things so that when we leave she can become the hospital's top medic and manager."

Naruto grinned at her and teased, "Aw, you're just being modest." Sakura huffed at him half-heartedly, changing the subject by insisting that they clean up the remains of their picnic. Naruto's eyes brightened at the reminder that their training session wasn't far off and they hurriedly packed the picnic-basket as anticipation thrummed through them.

"Okay," Sakura said, nodding in satisfaction once they were done. "Let's get started then, neh?" Seeing Naruto's enthusiastic nod, Sakura grinned and reached into her pocket while Naruto looked on in curiosity. Seconds later, Sakura held something up to the light for him to see.

It was her bell, the one she had won from their match against Kakashi-Sensei when they'd first been reunited as a team. Naruto grinned, reaching into his jacket to pull his own bell. Sakura gave a nod, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"How about we train today with our own bell test? Whoever manages to capture the other's bell first wins?" She gave him a confident grin, jingling the bell for emphasis. Naruto's eyes narrowed in amusement and he asked playfully, "And what exactly does the winner win?" Sakura quirked a brow and seemed to seriously ponder it before shrugging.

"Whatever they want, no questions asked." she finally said, jade eyes locked with his azure ones, which widened at the proposed prize. They stared at one another in silence for a moment before Naruto's eyes narrowed in challenge. Each tied their bell to their hip before Naruto raised his hand before his chest, fingers forming the sign to signal he was ready to begin their match. Sakura smirked before mimicking the action; they watched one another a second longer before both murmured in unison, "Begin!"

They disappeared, each finding their own hiding spot to plot their strategy.

Sakura immediately hid herself within the uppermost limbs of surrounding trees while Naruto hunkered down in the field, his blonde locks a perfect match to the golden stalks surrounding him.

For a long time the only sound was that of the wind whispering through the leaves until, finally, a kunai shot out from one edge of the field towards the tree-line, impaling the bark right next to Sakura's head; her pink hair lifted in the undercurrent caused by the kunai while a confident smirk flirted with her lips, her bright jade eyes tracking the direction from which the kunai had come. She gripped the weapon's handle, yanking it from the trunk and sending it right back from where it'd come from, watching as a cloud of smoke indicated the loss of a shadow clone.

Naruto's eyes twinkled as he watched from his position in the field, tracking Sakura's movements through the trees. She leapt from branch to branch, bringing herself closer to the edge of the field, though she refused to leave the cover of the trees, knowing he was out there somewhere. Naruto gripped the shuriken in his hand, waiting for her to pause in her decent; finally he took advantage of a slight slip-of-the-foot and sent a handful of shuriken sailing towards the kunoichi. He heard her curse before she dropped to the ground to avoid the assault, disappearing behind the tree-trunk for cover.

Sakura waited a moment before sending her own handful of shuriken back towards Naruto; another puff of smoke told her she'd hit her mark. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes, concentrating on trying to track Naruto's chakra signature. She smirked once she found it; of course the brat had created multiple shadow clones to cover for him as he snuck around. She was surprised, really; he usually went straight for the attack, being the crazy, impatient knucklehead that he was.

'He must really want to win,' she thought right before the familiar sound of his Rasengan reached her ears, moments before the tree at her back began splintering under the force.

'Shit!' She leapt out of the way, turning in midair to face the onslaught, landing on the balls of her feet, balancing with one hand to the ground. Naruto's whiskered face appeared from behind the remains of the tree, a big grin plastered over his face; she mirrored it as she pressed her weight onto her hand, sending a large bought of chakra into the ground, creating a quick-moving crater that reached hungrily for the blonde. He yelped as the ground opened beneath him, swallowing the tree stump and the blonde at once.

The crater didn't go very deep, as she was trying to be considerate for the Grass Country's land; she walked towards the edge, gazing down into the depths as she jingled her bell over the space. She grinned and called, "You're not going to win coming at me like that, Naruto." His laugh was all the answer she stuck around to hear as she disappeared into the trees to plot her next strategy.

Naruto watched as Sakura jumped away from the new crevice decorating the Grass Country's property, grinning at her words. She was right, he probably wouldn't win attacking her head-on like that, but it was always fun to try; besides, a diversion was a diversion, regardless of its subtlety or blatancy.

Having decided upon her next course of action, Sakura ran towards the field, heading directly towards one of Naruto's clones; the two met, battling hand-to-hand for a while before a chakra-induced punch sent the clone disappearing into a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced with two others. Sakura rid herself of them with a sound two-jab and roundhouse combo, turning and running straight towards the last clone hidden near the tree-line.

The two met head-to-head, this clone obviously aiming less to fight and more to simply dodge until he had an opportunity to snatch the bell from her hip. Sakura applied a more aggressive onslaught, refusing the give him the opportunity to win; finally she landed a punch, the clone vanishing. Letting out a deep breath, she stiffened as she became aware of Naruto's presence coming from directly behind; she turned and blocked a punch, having no choice but to go on the defense as he rained blows down on her, forcing her back.

Her back hit the trunk of a tree and she ducked, dodging one of Naruto's fists; she responded with her own punch, slightly chakra-induced, which he blocked with ease, swatting her fist away and lunging for her. She yelped, dropping and rolling away, disappearing into the trees once more.

Panting, Naruto grinned in the direction she'd gone, moving to follow when a silvery glint from the ground caught his eye.

Sakura's bell.

He did a double-take, surprised, then grinned at the supposed good-luck; bending carefully, he took hold of the bell gently; instantly, a rope appeared from beneath the leaves, wrapping around his ankle and hauling him up into the trees above. He laughed again, the bell having dropped to the ground and rolled away, before disappearing into a puff of smoke.

'Damn! Another clone?' Sakura thought agitatedly, worrying her bottom lip as she searched for the real Naruto. He laughed, appearing not far from where his clone had been caught, and called out in amusement, "Did you really think I'd fall for that old trick, Sakura-chan? Give me a little credit!" And then he bent to retrieve the bell.

'Gotcha,' she gloated inwardly as yet another trap was sprung and Naruto was caught yet again, hanging from the branches by his ankle. His curse made her giggle, until yet again, he disappeared. It was her turn to curse as the bell sailed through the air, straight towards the awaiting hand of Naruto—the real Naruto.

Naruto grinned, reaching out and grasping the bell; his fingers touched the cool metal an instant before it was jerked away from his hold, sailing back towards the trees. His eyes widened and he cried, "What?! Chakra strings?"

Sakura grinned, reeling the bell in quickly. Naruto lunged for it, grabbing hold, groping for his chakra-blade. Sakura growled, yanking with all of her inhuman strength, lifting the blonde off of his feet and causing him to sail through the air, still gripping the bell.

"Damn it," she cursed, launching herself from the branch she had occupied, steadily reeling in the chakra string. Their eyes met as they faced each other in the air and Sakura caught the glint of metal before the two crashed into one another, their momentum pushing them towards the field. Naruto's arms instinctively came around Sakura protectively as he twisted his body so that he landed on the ground first; they slid across the field a few feet before coming to a stop, dust settling around their prone bodies.

Sakura coughed softly, groaning as she lifted her chest off of the blonde to give him some breathing room; she opened her eyes to meet his blue ones, which were already focused on hers. They stared at each other a moment before Naruto burst into a wide grin, lowering his arms from around her waist and holding up a hand before her.

Between his fingers he held her bell, safe and sound. Sakura stared in shock, though she couldn't help but smile at Naruto's ensuing chuckles, so obviously filled with joyful victory. She blew out a breath and shook her head, saying, "I was so sure that chakra-string trick would work."

Naruto laughed, his blue eyes shining with triumph; he grasped her hand in his, passing her bell back to her as he murmured, "So, winner takes all, no questions asked, right?" Sakura grinned in response and agreed, "Right. No questions asked."

Hope that sparring scene wasn't too awful XD I don't think I'm very good at writing action scenes, but I tried!
Hope you enjoyed (and that it was relatively worth the wait...)! Thanks again for your patience and support! :D

~Miah-Chan