Thanks for the reviews, readers, especially Duesal10. Please, if I'm vague in anything or skip over things, review or something, and I'll fix it to the best of my abilities. But don't expect me to change a central aspect of the story; it ain't gonna happen. Anyway: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 6

The next morning, Kakashi was greeted by an irate Sasuke, a quiet but well Sakura, and a slightly happier Naruto, though his eyes retained their haunted look from yesterday. Kakashi was still worried about the blonde's mental state, but hopefully with what he had overheard last night, his worry would be baseless. His mind flashed back to yesterday's events: Sakura's and Sasuke's nonexistent reaction, Sasuke's words, and Naruto's attempted suicide.

He shuddered to think what might've happened if Sasuke hadn't of been fast enough, but what the Uchiha had said about the Kyuubi was…disturbing. Sakura had also shown no reaction to the reveal of an S-rank secret, and as if they had already knew about what happened the night of the attack. But how? It was a closely guarded secret, but then the entire village seemed to know about it, so maybe Naruto's jinchuriki status wasn't so closely guarded. Kakashi knew that Naruto had been told by that traitor Mizuki, and he now knew why the villagers hated him, even though he had probably suspected it. That kind of treatment would only the recovery harder, but fortunately the blonde had a team to fall back on, and what hopefully looked like a girlfriend.

Kakashi's mind turned toward the reactions, or lack thereof, of Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke he could explain a bit easier; the massacre could've desensitized him to blood and gore, and from what Kakashi had heard, Itachi had put him under a genjutsu that replayed the entire slaughter for twelve hours, or so it seemed to the young Sasuke. After a while of that, the part that defines emotion in a person erodes away, leaving a killing machine incapable of feeling. Kakashi, however, had seen Sasuke display a wide range of emotions, at least for an Uchiha. Kakashi shook his head and felt a headache coming on, one that would only get worse as he turned his attention to Sakura.

He had expected her to react the most violently out of the three, but instead when he arrived at the scene of the battle, Sakura was comforting Naruto, a total opposite of what he predicted. Not that Sakura hadn't felt anything; he could see gloom in her eyes, but for that to be the only reaction from a fresh Genin kunoichi was unsettling. He sighed, bringing with it the attention from the rest of his team. Kakashi looked up and eye-smiled at them, and asked, "Well, how are we this morning?"

"Hn."

"Fine, Kakashi-sensei."

"Fine, dattebayo," responded Naruto halfheartedly, reaching for his pack from which he pulled two scrolls. He unsealed a pan and some freeze-dried ingredients for a light soup from one, and a small pile of wood from another. He glanced at Sasuke, who understood. With a few handsigns, he blew a small stream of fire onto the wood, igniting it. Sakura got up to get water from a nearby stream, and Kakashi poked his head into his favorite book, irritating his Genin. When breakfast was ready, Kakashi wrenched himself from the notorious orange book.

"And I was just getting to a juicy part," he complained, and an urge to say something perverted rose in Naruto, but he didn't have the energy to say it, so they ate their meal in silence. After they were done, Naruto resealed all of the things, and the three Genin stood at attention in front of their sensei. Kakashi eye-smiled at them, and directed a question to Naruto and Sakura, "So, are the two lovebirds of this group finally ready to go?" Sakura blushed slightly but then glared at the Jonin; Naruto simply glared. "I guess so. Team 7, off!"

They reached the Konoha gate by mid-afternoon; the hot sun making them all sweat slightly. The team checked in with gate Chuunin, and entered the village. They headed for Mission Report, and along the way ran into Konohamaru. "Boss! How ya doing?" he asked excitedly.

"Fine, Konohamaru, fine. Just need to finish a mission," mumbled Naruto, not looking at the boy. Konohamaru could sense that something had happened on the mission, but at the looks of the blonde's teammates, he didn't ask.

"Oh, sorry. I'm going," he said, disappearing down an alley. A moment later, Ebisu landed in front of them.

He hesitated slightly when he saw Naruto, but he asked, "Did you see the honorable grandson anywhere?" Naruto grinned weakly up at the man, who flinched slightly; however, Naruto kept quiet.

"Yeah, we did. He went that way," replied Kakashi, pointing to an alley opposite of the one Konohamaru had run down. Ebisu thanked them and took off down the alley. The silver-haired Jonin chuckled slightly, and they walked the rest of the way to Mission Report uninterrupted. Once in the room, they saw Team 8 along with their sensei Kurenai.

"Hey, Naruto! How's it going?" asked Kiba loudly, not noticing this downcast side of Naruto. The blonde stayed silent, and only talked when he handed the scrolls to the Chuunin in charge of missions.

"Here are the scrolls," he muttered, backing away from the table. Kakashi glanced at him before stepping forward.

"Team 7 has successfully completed the C-rank mission. The entrance was smooth, but on the way back we ran into a group of bandits. Their number was sixty, roughly, and now they're all dead or incapacitated. After that, it was smooth again. The village head said that bandits in that area are vicious and determined to take over Gyoku, and he might ask for a couple of highly experienced Chuunin or new Jonin to take care of the problem permanently." The Chuunin behind the desk nodded, and Kiba nearly exploded when he heard 'C-rank'.

"What? Team 7 has already got a C? That's not fair! They have the Dead Last, of all people!" whined Kiba, the white puppy barking to agree. As a response, Naruto pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and slapped it onto the back of Kiba's neck. "Hey, what-" Kiba's mouth clamped shut before he could finish, and he fell to the floor. Shino looked from Naruto and Kiba and raised an eyebrow; inwardly he was applauding the blonde and laughing at his teammate. Hinata also looked between the two, and she was struggling to decide which to agree with. She chose to help her teammate as he was the one on the ground. She pulled off the seal, which read 'paralysis', and Kiba jumped to his feet. "You little squirt! Why I oughta beat you right here!"

"Bring it, mutt," said Naruto in a monotone, though his eyes were flaring, replacing the despair. 'Great. Something else to throw him further off his rocker,' thought Kakashi, and he stepped between the two.

"C'mon, quit it. Don't act like children," he shook his head and looked at the other Jonin sensei, "Can you believe this, Kurenai? Three seconds together and they're already at each other's throats. "She sighed exasperatedly. 'Kakashi, you have no idea,' she thought. Kakashi eye-smiled at her, and said, "Heh-heh, I wonder how the two males of your squad interact?"

"One's a wannebe dominant male," she replied, earning a glare from the Inuzuka, "and one's a bit creepy, and a nitpicker." This earned her a sinister look from the Aburame. "Alright, team, we did our mission for the day. You have the rest of the day off. Enjoy while you can." All of Team 8 exited the room, and Kakashi turned toward his own team. "Same thing she said," he said lazily, and all of them exited the room, except for Kakashi who shunshinned out.

The team wandered the streets of Konoha for an hour, stopping and gazing through windows of shops, but they only browsed. Sakura tried to force Naruto out of his bright orange jumpsuit by dragging him into a reputable clothing store, only to be kicked out unceremoniously. Sasuke had smirked when he had seen this and at the fact that a demonic aura was enveloping the pink-haired kuniochi as she marched back into the store. Naruto looked nervously at Sasuke, who simply shrugged and said, "Their fault." Naruto nodded understandably but still winced when the screams of terror and pain erupted from the clothing store. Sakura came back outside, a bright smile on her face, which unnerved both of them.

"C'mon in Naruto. I made them apologize, and now they'll sell you clothes!" she informed them, and she dragged the helpless blonde into the store, Sasuke smirking at the two of them and waiting at an outdoor café. An hour later, the pair came out, Naruto now almost unrecognizable with his new clothes.

Naruto's jacket was black with orange flames (Sasuke guessed that he couldn't let go of the orange completely) encircling the cuffs of it, not to mention it seemed to have many inside and outside pockets for him to store his fuinjutsu scrolls. He wore it open, showing a black shirt with a red swirl in the middle of the chest. The pants were also black, but instead of orange flames, an orange stripe ran up the outside of either leg. Underneath all of it, Sasuke could glimpse flashes of mesh armor. He was stunned for a few seconds; since when had the dobe developed fashion sense, but then his own fashion sense had gone right out the window whenever he met that snake.

The two sat down next to him, and he smirked and voiced his thoughts, "Since when do you dress without all that orange?"

The blonde sighed. "Sakura-chan forced me to. I don't like dark colors, but at least I kept some orange." The Uchiha smirked and rose to leave. He just about to walk out of earshot, he heard the painful reminder.

"So, Sakura-chan, how about the date?" That question brought with it another pang, which he wrestled down. Sasuke couldn't hear the answer as he walked out of earshot of the two. The jealously that he had been wrestling down now came to the forefront, and was slowly turning to rage. 'Why does the dobe get Sakura?...Well, I have been an ass, so I guess it's logical, plus Naruto has been nothing but nice to her, so it's not like he'll do something bad to her…If he did, he won't live to see another day,' mused the Uchiha, now walking aimlessly down the street while lost in thought. He wandered to the outskirts of the village, into the Training Grounds. He arrived at Training Ground 7, and looked up to see Kakashi standing in front of the memorial stone.

Sasuke went to stand beside him, and peered at the stone. Engraved on it were several Uchiha names, none of them immediately recognizable. He wondered about the story behind each person; their life, their family, their dreams were now gone or rested on Sasuke, an unwanted burden. Kakashi spoke after a minute of silence between the two, "Sasuke…What brings you here?"

Sasuke didn't answer for a moment, studying the stone. Eventually he replied, "I don't know. Just wandered here." Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment. After another minute of silence, Sasuke asked, "Kakashi, can you answer a question for me?"

"Depends on the question."

Sasuke asked anyway, "I've read in the bingo book that one of your monikers is 'Sharingan Kakashi'. It said that you had a Sharingan implanted in your left eye, earning the name. I mean to ask how you got it." Sasuke lied about how he knew the moniker and the Sharingan; he doubted that the Jonin would believe he knew of the future. Kakashi sighed, and tried to avoid the question.

"How did a Genin like you get a bingo book? They're only given to Chuunin or above."

"My brother left one lying in his bedroom, and I found it one day. I was scanning through it when I saw your picture and name. You're an A-rank borderline S-rank former ANBU captain with the ability to summon ninken. Your affinities are lightning, fire, water, and earth, the affinity decreasing in that order. Your signature jutsus are Chidori and Raikiri. But that is beside the point. What I want to know is how you received your Sharingan." Sasuke knew it had something to do with someone called Obito, the one that, along with Madara, had killed them all in the original timeline.

Kakashi's visible eyebrow rose as he heard 'brother'. There was no hatred buried in the word; in fact, there seemed to be a hint of respect. He frowned, which couldn't be seen from behind the mask. He hoped this wasn't sign of early insanity, the respecting of the one who murdered most of your family. Kakashi eyed the last Uchiha carefully and answered, "I got from a dear friend, who is now dead." He knelt in front of the memorial stone, and brushed his fingers against a certain name: Obito Uchiha. "Here is his name. He was my teammate, and was the one who taught me the importance of teamwork. He also saved my life." He bent his head, and Sasuke knelt beside him.

The Uchiha studied the name. "I've never heard of him. Not once. Is it because he gave his eye away?"

Kakashi nodded. "No offense, but your clan were a bunch of pricks." Sasuke shrugged. He remembered that the main family, his family, were especially arrogant, the exception being Itachi. "When they heard that Obito had given his life and eye to me, they burned his name out of the family history of the Uchiha. The only proof of him living is my memories, and this stone." He brushed the name again.

Sasuke was silent, and then he asked, "Can you tell me about him?"

Kakashi nodded. "We were on a mission. My team was made up of me, Obito, and Rin," he brushed his hand against the name beside Obito's: Rin Nohara. "She was…special to Obito. The mission was to destroy Kannabi Bridge, a vital supply line for Iwa. Along the way, we ran into Iwa nin, and Rin was captured. I was prick back then as well, and I said to continue the mission without Rin. Obito wouldn't have it; he struck out on his own, but not saying, 'Those who abandon the mission are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum!'." He stood along with Sasuke. "He left, and I stood there, stunned by his outburst. I realized that he was right, and I chased after him. When I found him, he was about to take a kunai in the chest, but I stopped it, at the cost of my left eye. At that point, Obito's Sharingan activated, and he defeated the enemy nin. We rescued Rin, but not before one of the remaining nin used a jutsu to collapse the cave that Rin was in. We were running, and a rock hit me, causing me to stumble. Another boulder was about to crush me, but Obito, his brave self, pushed me aside and took the boulder for me." He uncovered his Sharingan and looked directly at Sasuke. "Before he died, he gave his remaining gift, and made me swear to protect Rin." At the last part, Kakashi broke eye contact, and looked back at the memorial stone.

"How did she die?" asked Sasuke. Kakashi's shoulders hunched and he covered his left eye again.

"Don't want to talk about it. This memory is painful enough," he answered, sticking his hands in his pockets. He looked back at Sasuke, "Did that story answer your question?" The Uchiha nodded, and Kakashi walked off. Sasuke stared in the direction that he had gone, mentally stewing over Kakashi's words. 'Obito…reminds me of Naruto. Never abandoning your friends is essentially his second motto. An Uchiha with feelings…that's actually kind of amazing.' He shook his head, and walked to the Uchiha complex. When he arrived, he looked at the gate with the clan insignia. 'To be an Uchiha was considered to be royalty at one time. But with power comes corruption. Obito was one of the few pure at heart. I was unfortunately not one of them, but I vow to never give up on this village, or my team. I swear on my life, as well as Itachi's.' He smiled slightly, and entered the complex. Inside, he headed straight to the practice field, along the way unsealing Raijin and activating his Sharingan. Time to get to work.

"So, Sakura-chan, how about the date?" asked Naruto, his eyes smiling. Sakura smiled back, and thought to herself, 'This is really happening. I may as well, since during my younger years I was kinda mean to him. Plus, he was always nice to me, a definite upside.'

"How about tonight at about seven?" she suggested. The blonde smiled slightly at her.

"Tonight it is. Where do you want to go?" Sakura giggled. 'Huh, my first time giggling in a long time. Anyway, since when had Naruto been chivalrous?' She thought about where the date would be, and tried to pick a place where both of them would be comfortable, and eventually one came to her.

"Hey, Naruto, what about Ichiraku?"

Naruto's brow furrowed; not that he had a problem with it, but it was an unusual place for a first date. "You sure?" She nodded. "Alright. Err, thanks Sakura-chan." Her eyebrows rose at this. He explained further, "For picking Ichiraku. You know that it's one of the few places that will serve me, and where I'm comfortable." She smiled widely at him, who blushed. He rose and said, "Well, see you at seven, Sakura-chan." He walked off, leaving Sakura behind. She smiled again, and shunshinned off.

Naruto's mind wandered as he walked. An image of the body of the bandit he killed floated through his mind's eye, causing him to shudder. Kami, he didn't want the fight to end up like that. It was one thing to kill from a distance with a kunai or seal, but to actually cut someone's throat...He shuddered again. 'Maybe this will get better over time. Maybe.' He sighed. Who was he kidding? Time never made things better; the villagers still thought him a monster even after twelve years. He sat down on a bench beside a lamppost, and put his head in his hands, the kill replaying in his mind. He started to shiver, and then grow nauseous. As he was about to black out, a voice broke through his thoughts.

"N-Naruto-kun? A-are you a-alright?" He looked up to see the Hyuuga heiress Hinata looking at him worriedly.

He smiled hollowly, and replied, "Yeah, Hinata, just a bit sick, that's all." The girl turned slightly red at his words, and again Naruto wondered if she didn't have a cold, but then the red faded, replaced by a concerned expression.

"A-are you s-sure?" she asked. He finally met her eyes, and she gasped quietly. She remembered his cerulean eyes to be full of life and optimism, but now…now they were despairing and painful. Before she could properly think, she sat down beside him. "Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" she asked, not stammering a single word. He looked at her, and smiled that smile that she loved so much, but Hinata could see it was a show now. It was plain as his eyes.

"Nothing. Don't worry about me. After all, I'm not Konoha's hyperactive knucklehead for nothing," answered Naruto, looking up at the crystal blue sky.

Hinata frowned. She contemplated on the option of shaking the answer out of him, but instead said quietly, "You d-don't have to h-hide." His head snapped toward her, and he gave her a calculating look.

After a minute of scrutiny, Naruto said hesitantly, "That mission my team just returned from, the C-rank, right?" She nodded, wanting him to continue. "It was fine until we were on the return journey, and then we were attacked." She gave a gasp, and stared at him with her huge, moon-like eyes. "It was a group of about sixty bandits. Kakashi-sensei took twenty, and we took forty. We were just about done when one snuck up behind me and swung his sword at me. Sasuke yelled to warn me, and I ducked and-and-" He sobbed, holding his head in hands and pulling at his hair. "I killed him, Hinata. I didn't want to, but I did. Maybe what the villagers say about is true. Maybe I am the Kyuubi." He sat there pitifully, ripping out strands of his hair.

Hinata had heard what the residents had murmured about the blonde; that he was the Kyuubi, the incarnation of the beast, the beast's container. She had eventually come to the conclusion that the fox had been sealed into Naruto when she was ten or so; but instead of distancing herself from the blonde like everyone else did, she admired him for his perseverance and determination. He was a hero of the village, yet the villagers were too dim to see that. She wanted to comfort him, but how?

Naruto's mind was in turmoil as the bloody memories resurfaced and began anew. He thought there was no salvation for him in this veritable mental hell, but a soothing warmth enveloped him, and slowly he was wrenched from the torturous depths of his mind. He looked to see the arms of the Hyuuga heiress wrapped tightly around him. She spoke softly, reassuringly, not stumbling over a single word, "Naruto-kun, don't believe the villagers. You are not the fox. I knew the truth about the Kyuubi since I was ten, but I never gave up on you. You have endless determination, and being remorseful about killing proves that you are not the Kyuubi. A true monster would not feel anything, but anything, but you…you would feel sorry about killing a fly," she gave a choked giggle, from which Naruto realized she was crying, "So don't believe what the villagers tell; you are Naruto Uzumaki, the hyperactive knucklehead of Konoha, and the future Hokage. Don't ever let people tell you otherwise."

Her words reverberated deep inside Naruto, whose grief was slowly fading away. A single thankful tear fell from his face as he hugged Hinata back. "Thanks Hinata. I needed that," he whispered, squeezing her close. Hinata pulled away from him, and gave him a watery smile.

"N-no n-need to t-thank m-me, N-Naruto-kun," she said, wiping her eyes. He smiled at her, and then looked at the sun, which was now slowly setting.

"Hinata, it's getting late, and I have to be somewhere tonight," for some reason he didn't want to tell why, "Do you want me to walk you home?" She nodded, and the blonde smiled. They got up, and slowly they walked in the direction of the Hyuuga complex. About halfway there, Naruto spoke, "So, Hinata, what do you do in your spare time?"

"I-I press f-flowers sometimes, b-but usually I-I train w-with m-my clan," she replied, looking down at the last part, something that didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.

At the Uchiha complex, a completely random though popped in Sasuke's mind, 'It's amazing how this dobe can read people so effectively, yet be totally clueless to other things.' He frowned at the thought but then shrugged and launched a ball of lightning at a practice dummy.

"How does the training go?" asked Naruto, not wanting to be blunt like he usually was.

Hinata visibly hesitated, and answered, "I-it g-goes f-fine." Naruto had noticed the hesitation and increased stuttering, and thought, 'Something's not right. The way Hinata-chan's acting…it's like me when I'm alone. Wait, does that mean-?' The blonde hadn't noticed when he had unconsciously added the –chan to Hinata's name, and he turned toward her.

"Hinata, if you don't mind answering, does your family look down on you?" In shock, she nodded in confirmation. "Why?"

"T-they, t-they s-see m-me a-as a-an f-failure," stuttered Hinata, looking at the ground in shame. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up in surprise to see Naruto looking her directly in the eyes.

"Hinata, can you do one thing for me?" She nodded. "Don't listen to them. You're not a failure, just like I'm not the fox. You have a big heart, and I like you because of that. You never gave up on me, and I give you my word that I will never give up on you." He held out his hand, which she shook. He smiled at her. "From now on, Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki will never abandon each other, even if the hardest obstacles stand in our path. We swear on it," said Naruto, the last sentence being said in unison.

Hinata felt her heart lift at her crush's words, and said, "I'm not a failure. I will be the heiress to the Hyuuga clan."

"Damn right!" shouted Naruto with a grin, earning him annoyed glances from other villagers. She giggled, and they walked the rest of the distance to the Hyuuga complex in comfortable silence. As they stood in front of the gate, Naruto hugged Hinata. "Thanks for everything, Hinata. You're actually nice and awesome. Heh-heh, I used to think you were kinda weird, but now that I know you, I actually really like you!" She blushed brightly, and waved her goodbye. She walked through the complex to her room. Inside, the events of the evening replayed through her head, and she thought, 'I was so close to him…I-I told him so much…Naruto-kun hugging me…HUGGING ME!' She gave a small 'eep' before fainting and falling on her futon.

The sun was setting in the west, and Sakura waited in front of Ichiraku. She was a bit early, to be honest. It was about five minutes before seven, but there was no sign of Naruto. She crossed her arms and leaned against the stand's wall. Her eyes glazed over as her mind wandered. Eventually, about a minute before the appointed time, Naruto rushed over to Sakura. "Sorry, Sakura-chan! I was doing a few things, and time kinda rushed by me!" he explained, rubbing the back of his head. Sakura giggled.

"No problem. As long as you're not Kakashi," she said. Naruto looked at her, and she saw that his eyes were now clear, the life back in them. 'Whatever he did must've really helped. That's good.' Naruto grinned at her, a genuine grin, and they walked into the shop. A strange feeling washed over Sakura, and it took her a moment to place it: dread. Why, of all places and times? She shook the feeling off, and sat down next to Naruto. An old man came over and smiled at the two of them.

"Hey, Naruto! Is this your girlfriend?" he asked jokingly, taking out a notepad and pen.

Naruto blushed. "Well, uh, Sakura-chan's here a friend, I guess, but this is a date, so…" He glanced at her. She was compelled to nod, but withheld it. "I guess not." The old man chuckled, and took their orders. Naruto turned toward her, and asked, "So, Sakura-chan, has anything happened in your life, besides our mission, of course?

'You have no idea,' she thought, smiling. Another wave of dread washed over her, and she shrugged it off. Nothing could happen. "Well, you know about my elemental training, and that's about it. I really don't do much except study medical ninjutsu outside of training."

Naruto sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I need to get Kakashi-sensei to teach me that elemental stuff. I hope he doesn't try to put it off." He sighed again, and rested his elbows on the table. "Well, I've gotten to mid-advanced fuinjutsu. Thank Kami for shadow clones. I can make any seal from storage seal to explosive tag. The paralysis tag I used on Kiba is also another one. Besides that…I can't think of anything." He glanced at Sakura. "Ever wanted to go anywhere? Like the Land of Iron or Wind? I've heard that Iron even has samurais!" At the mention of the Land of Iron, an unbidden memory came to the surface. It was based in the Land of Iron, in the other timeline.

Naruto was sitting on beside an inn and Sakura, Sai, Lee, and Kiba slowly approached him. He didn't turn to acknowledge them; he kept staring up at the sky, lost in thought. All of the twelve stopped about six feet away, and Sakura stepped up. "Naruto," she called. He turned his head, and smiled slightly. He rose and stood in front of her. 'Here it goes,' she thought. "Naruto, I have something to tell you. I've fallen in love with you." Lee exclaimed at this, and Naruto simply stared at her.

"I, Sakura-chan, what did you say? I must have something in my ears. Say that again," he asked, the dumbfounded look still on his face.

"Naruto, I said I've fallen in love with you. That Sasuke-kun means nothing to me now. I don't know why I ever like him. I'm confessing how I feel about you, so the least you could do is listen!"

Naruto stared at her, and then slowly bent his head. He looked up again after a moment, and asked, "But why? Why now? If this is some kind of joke, it's not funny, Sakura-chan. I mean, what happened?"

Sakura mentally gulped and replied, "Nothing in particular. I finally opened my eyes. How can I love a rogue ninja, a traitor, and a criminal? I'm not a child anymore. I can see things as they really are. You can forget all about that stupid promise now. Why don't you and I forget all about chasing after Sasuke-kun?" Yamato tried to force his way to the two, but was stopped by Kakashi. Sakura remember that she had made the promise to tell him about this, but now…it felt awkward.

Naruto, after a moment, said, "Seriously, what happened, Sakura-chan? This is all coming out of nowhere-"

"Nothing! I have plenty of reasons to love you!" interrupted Sakura. Naruto's face hardened as he remembered all the things that Sakura had said to and about Sasuke, but was broken out of it by a hug from Sakura. "Sasuke-kun only gets farther and farther away, but you've always been there, Naruto, supporting me. I finally see you for who you really are. You're a savoir of the village. Everyone back home loves you now too. I'm just one among many. Bit by bit, you've grown from a prankster and a slacker to a strong, dependable young man, and I've seen it happen right before my eyes. But Sasuke-kun has just compounded his crimes. He broke my heart. He's become a completely different person, one who exists far away from us, but you're here, Naruto. I can hold you. I feel safe with you. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, I love-" She was cut off by Naruto, who grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Cut it out, Sakura-chan! I told you, this isn't funny!" He looked her straight in the eyes.

She answered hesitantly, "Why're you getting angry? I just moved on from Sasuke-kun to you. Girls can be fickle, you know?"

Naruto's eyes hardened and he squeezed her shoulders. He said forcefully, "I hate people who lie to themselves!"

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice broke through her trance, and she started slightly.

"What?" she asked blankly, blinking her eyes. The words of the future Naruto echoed in her mind, and she tried to ignore it.

"Oh, the food's here. You were kinda gazing off into space. Didn't want your ramen to get cold," he replied, grinning. She smiled wanly, and started to eat mechanically, meanwhile pondering her decision on taking this date. 'Maybe this isn't such a great idea…Ah, who am I kidding? I don't love Sasuke, and I do mean what I said to Naruto…but what it actual romantic love? Was it love like between siblings? Gah! I never liked to discuss my feelings, even with myself!'

'CHA! Pick which guy you like and stick with him!' exclaimed her Inner Self, startling her. She hadn't heard from it in a long time.

'But I'm torn between the two. Naruto's sweet, dependable, and courageous, and Sasuke is… a traitor at least, though I have to admit he is more handsome.' She sighed, catching Naruto's attention.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" he asked, pushing aside his bowl. She shook her head, and he frowned but didn't pry.

'Naruto's also worried about me a lot, and Sasuke's nearly killed me a dozen times. Tell me, Inner Self, who sounds like the better choice?'

It remained silent until Sakura was pretty sure it had gone dormant again, until it shouted, 'CHA! Look at how Sasuke-kun's acting now! He's trying to turn over a new leaf, and you haven't listened to him!'

'That's because Sasuke has said that before, and then turned around and stabbed me in the back. I don't trust him fully yet.'

'Yet. And you said you do trust him! CHA!'Sakura sighed again, and she finished her meal without saying a single word, much to the blonde's disappointment.

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you're alright?" he asked, taking out his frog wallet to pay for the both of them. She smiled at him, and rose from her seat. One question kept echoing in her head: Do I really love Naruto?

'…I don't know. I used to love Sasuke, yes, but do I still? Or has Naruto stolen back my heart?' She remembered how she had reacted each time she had encountered the Uchiha after he had defected from the village. At Orochimaru's hideout, her heart had sunk and lifted at the possibility to bring back Sasuke. At the Kage Summit, her heart had fluttered even as Sasuke had gazed at her with maniacal, bloodthirsty eyes. But why? Why had she loved him?

'Because once a heart is stolen, it can never be given back fully. The thief is the true keeper,' said her Inner Self, speaking in a soft tone for once. Its words struck her deeply, and she clutched her chest, the spot right where her heart was.

"Sakura-chan, please tell me what's wrong," said Naruto concernedly, putting a hand on her shoulder. His touch reminded her of the Land of Iron, the words repeating over and over in her head. She shrugged off his hand and walked out of the stand. She hung her head, but lifted it when she heard the fall of running feet behind her. Naruto stepped in front of her, and pleaded, "Sakura-chan, something's bothering you. Please tell me what." She shook her head again and tried to walk by Naruto, who stopped her. "Sakura-chan, maybe I can fix it," he said softly. Sakura looked at him through saddened eyes.

"Then answer one question, Naruto. Do you love me? Without a single doubt?" she asked. Naruto opened his mouth to respond with an affirmative, but something held him back. Did he? A week ago he wouldn't have hesitated to agree, but now…A pair of lavender eyes stared at him in his mind's eye. 'Hinata-chan…Do I really love Sakura-chan, or is this just a childish crush?'

"I-I don't know," replied Naruto, looking down at the ground. Sakura smiled weakly at him.

"Then this will be easier. Naruto…I don't think I'll ever love you. Someone else has stolen my heart. Though that someone…" she trailed off, thinking of the Uchiha. She didn't trust him yet, yes, but slowly, he was working his way back. Maybe Sasuke wasn't hopeless.

Naruto blinked at her words, and felt his heart fall through the ground. This was the final rejection; there would be no more. He had strangely braced for the words though, as if he knew they were coming. Still, the pain was unimaginable. "Do you really mean that, Sakura?" he asked, dropping the honorific. She nodded, and he turned and walked toward his house with Sakura staring at his back until he rounded the corner.

Sakura's words echoed in Naruto's mind, but curiously it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He had known of course that Sakura had loved Sasuke (yes, he did figure it out), and now with this it was final: Naruto would forever see Sakura as a friend. 'Good luck, teme. You'll need it,' thought Naruto. The words of Sakura eventually stopped, and he looked up at the moon, and was instantly reminded of someone. He grinned. Maybe it was time for a change.

Hmmm, is it just me, or are my chapters slowly getting longer? Eh, anyway, what'd you think? If I go too fast during the date, sorry. I'm kinda horrible with emotions, I never really get into intense emotion in my life, so I take examples from books. But if something is unsatisfactory, review or something, and I'll fix it. I might have another filler chapter, then the Wave with a few twists.