Well, here's a return to how I would have wanted the story to go.

Something new to me is coming up. You'll understand what it is once you read the episode.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

CHAPTER RATING: T

Episode 6: "You said I could ask you for anything."

Naruto sluggishly walked up the stairs and approached the door. His hand slowly reached out and turned the doorknob. Slowly, he slid open the door and flipped the light switch. His shoulders slumped and he walked to the bathroom. Once he became situated, he removed his clothes and stepped into the shower. As the water rushed to his hair and slowly trickled down his body the events of the past four years streamed through his mind.

…

His heart raced as he recalled the events that occurred when the members of Team 7 were announced: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Looking back at how much of a child he was then, he started to reminisce about what a despicable act he had committed just to get close to her.

"What do you think of Naruto?" Sasuke asked Sakura

"He's become accustomed to interfering with my love" She replied "He enjoys seeing my struggle with my troubles…Naruto knows nothing about me…I just want you to accept me, Sasuke-kun."

The water flowed down his eyes as he remembered her words. She had hated him like everyone else; she even said that the one thing she hated was him. He brought his hand up to support himself as he remembered the promise he had made to her.

…

"Naruto" she stated "This is a once in a lifetime request…Please, please bring Sasuke-kun back."

Naruto's eyes looked at her, worried. Then he smiled and replied:

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll bring Sasuke back for sure! I promise!"

A pain shot through his heart.

"…The promise that I could not keep." He said aloud.

…

Two years of training had passed before he returned to Konoha-returned home. His training with Jiraiya had been difficult, but had made him stronger. He returned home, and the first person he saw was her-the one person that he loved more than anyone else.

"What do you think? Don't you think I'm more womanly now?" she had asked him.

"Don't worry! You haven't changed at all!" He had enthusiastically replied.

His clenched his fist and felt heat from his blood gather at the pressure.

"How could I have been so stupid?...so childish?" he murmured under his breath. Blood rushed to his face, he was embarrassed to admit this to himself. Two years of training, he had grown stronger, but he had not matured at all. How could he have made himself look like such a fool in front of her? Even Jiraiya knew what to say to women. Two years under his tutelage, and Naruto didn't even know how to speak the words that were always on his mind; three simple words that meant the world to anyone willing to say them.

"I love you." He mumbled again; those three words that he could not repeat out loud to her in complete sincerity. When he had tried to articulate these words, he had always said something stupid and ridiculous.

Let's go on a date

I thought we'd have the chance to be alone

Why is he here? I thought it was only going to be you and me?

Things that little kids would say to give hints, but he was never direct. It was such a stupid decision.

As his mind raced back, he felt the cold air on his face and the melting snow in his hair.

…

"What did you just say, Sakura-chan? I thought I heard it wrong…" His eyes were wide with surprise.

"Like I said…Naruto…I love you." Sakura replied, with her cheeks flushed in red. "I said Sasuke-kun doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I must have been crazy to carry a light in my heart for him for so long. Listen carefully when someone confesses their feelings to you."

His eyes shimmered with a hint of water in them, before he answered her back.

"But why? What for?!" He shouted back. "This isn't the time or place to be joking around, it's not funny, Sakura-chan!"

"This isn't a joke, Naruto. I just opened my eyes. Why should I love a rogue ninja who's a criminal? I'm not a child anymore, I can face what reality is…So Naruto, you can forget about that promise you made to me. You can stop chasing after Sasuke"

"This is all too sudden." He said back to her.

"Nothing happened; it's obvious why I fell in love with you."

His mind raced through every time she had worried about Sasuke.

Sakura walked forward, and gently embraced him.

"Sasuke keeps getting farther and farther away from me. But you've always stayed by my side, and cheered me up. I finally realized who you truly are. Even with that time with Pain, you returned when everyone needed you. You are the hero, who protected the village, and now everyone admires you…and I'm simply one of them now."

" You used to be a prank loving loser, but now you've grown into a wonderful person; and I've seen it with my own eyes. Meanwhile, Sasuke keeps adding to his crimes, and breaking my heart. He's always walking away, always getting farther."

"But Naruto, you've been close to me this whole time, you comfort me. I care about you, from the bottom of my hear-"

"That's enough!...Sakura-chan…This joke isn't funny!" he shouted while pushing her away. He saw a ripple in her eyes

"Why are you so upset? I'm just telling you that I like you now instead of Sasuke."

His grip tightened around her shoulders

"I hate people who lie to themselves!" he shouted at her.

"I'm lying to myself?" she shot back. "I'm the one who decides how I feel!...If you hate me, just come out and say so! Don't make up some convenient excus-"

"It doesn't make sense!" he said cutting her off, "You came all this way just to confess to me?"

"just to confess to you?..." Sakura replied in a low tone."JUST?! You don't think it's a big deal for a girl to confess her love?! Of course I'd come all the way out here…I'm saying that it's not necessary for you to chase after Sasuke!"

He looked at her, with resolve in his eyes.

"This just sounds like a painful excuse."

"Why don't you understand? I don't care about Sasuke anymore; the promise between us doesn't matter anymore."

…

His mind raced as he heard every syllable of the conversation and recalled the words she had used.

'…you can forget about that promise you made to me."

"… and now everyone admires you…and I'm simply one of them now."

"Meanwhile, Sasuke keeps adding to his crimes, and breaking my heart."

"…I like you now, instead of Sasuke."

"…chase after Sasuke!"

"Why don't you understand? I don't care about Sasuke anymore; the promise between us doesn't matter."

He noted that back in the Land of Iron, she couldn't stop mentioning Sasuke, or that promise. His heart sank at the thought. She hadn't changed, her heart was the same. He was severely hurt by her words.

His breathing became erratic as he grasped his heart and began to regulate his breathing. Slowly, he turned off the shower and stepped out. Physically and mentally exhausted, he put on a pair of light blue boxers and fell onto his bed. As he put a pillow over his face, he started to think about the recent events that had happened to him.

After he had jumped in Sakura's way to protect her…she had helped him recover in Yamato-taichou's wood conjured home. His heart rate picked up as he recalled how she had confessed to him on that night.

Unlike the incident at the land of Iron, Sakura had taken action that she could not go back on. He could feel a soft pressure on his lips as he remembered how she had sealed her sincere feelings with a kiss. He couldn't believe it at the time. There was one thing that she recited that has stuck with him this whole time.

"We aren't kids anymore, Naruto…" with those five words, she was able to inject to him a beautiful reality that opened his eyes. This girl that he had loved for so long was a girl no longer.

She was a woman, a strong and beautiful woman. She was the woman of his dreams.

And then he recalled a woman that he, regrettably, never paid any attention to.

"Hinata…" he voice rang. His mind flashed before him the image of her freefalling from the sky and landing head first to the ground. His heart ached with rage at the thought. Then he heard her voice in his head.

"…I love you, Naruto". Those words rang through his ears like a gong, constantly being struck. His heart stopped as his mind raced at the thought.

"How could I have let this happen?" His heart was strained from regret. This woman who he had never acknowledged just admitted to him that she loved him, and here he was now, in a relationship with the woman he loved, but his heart ached to think that Hinata's heart was broken.

"I'm sorry, Hinata…I'm sorry." His eyes flinched as he began to realize what he was doing to her; thinking about how he had always chased after Sakura in his childish manner, he knew the pain she must have been feeling now. Now, he was out of her reach; there was no way that he could give back that love that she held for him.

With a heavy heart in his chest, he let his exhaustion take him and soon, he was fast asleep.

Before he knew it, he was woken up by the sight of the pink-haired, emerald-eyed beauty. He smiled as she took his hand. She brought her hand to his face and wiped away tears that had fallen from it.

"What's wrong?" she asked him. Feeling the regret in his heart for Hinata, but not wanting to burden her with his pain, he replied.

"Nothing…I was just yawning." She smiled at him and looked into his eyes. Her strong grip dragged him up and hugged him. He returned the embrace with his heart. As she slowly pulled away, she turned her head and kissed him.

"Naruto, do you remember that conversation we had in the forest?" Naruto nodded.

"You said I could ask you for anything…" she whispered

"Anything. Anytime. Anywhere." He replied

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a woman enter the room.

A woman with blue hair, and a lavender sweatshirt.