A/N: This particular chapter is a rewrite of my previous one-shot too which I wrote back in 2015 or 2016. I planned on extending it one day if I had the mood and so here we are.

P.S: Naruto SD: Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals (or Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth) is canon for me. Rock Lee and Naruto are constantly competing to win Sakura's heart. I've tactfully included Kiba into the mix.

Thanks, Greatness Alone, for your review.

Chapter 2

How the Hunter became the Hunted

"She is beauty, she is grace, and she'll punch you straight in the face!" Naruto and Lee warned Kiba as they started out on their mission.

"So what? All I said is that Ino is hot. Sakura has to accept the fact," Kiba said, not understanding why Naruto was biting his fingernails and trying to get as far away from Sakura as possible by pushing him towards her. "Sakura has her eyes and heart set only on Uchiha, like that has a future when he's off being a rogue ninja, so I doubt she cares."

Lee coughed, already massaging his head where Sakura had hit him earlier for being forward. Surprisingly, Sakura did not make a single comment and continued to walk silently.

"Woof!" Akamaru barked as they neared a stream and ran forwards to lap his tongue in the water.

"Why don't we set up camp for the night?" Kiba suggested as he unceremoniously dropped all the bags he was in charge of carrying.

Sakura finally spoke up. "No," she said shortly. "If the rogue nins cross the border before we can track them down, we'll have trouble in our hands."

"Relax," Kiba told Sakura. "You're with me."

Naruto raised his eyebrows as Sakura actually blushed at this statement, turning away. Sakura had not ever reacted like that towards him. He needed to up his game. He could tell Lee thought the same.

"I agree with Sakura!" he said boisterously. "We should not rest at all! Even while asleep we can continue!"

"How are we going to catch any nins when we're exhausted from two days of traveling?" Kiba said exasperatedly. "We've been up and walking since dawn practically and we only stopped once to have lunch."

Naruto was noticing this exchange and he was in for a surprise when he actually saw Sakura get flustered. She was not one to succumb easily. Kiba was already seriously annoying them by stopping every once in a while so Akamaru could mark their territory. She saw no point in it but she finally relented after Kiba said it'd be easier and quicker for them to get back, not to mention keeping a track of areas they had already covered searching for the rogue nins.

"Fine then. Naruto, you set up the tents. Kiba and Akamaru, you guys go hunt us something to eat. I'll collect water and Lee, you get a fire going."

Sakura had not been willing to admit it, but she was actually exhausted. Her training of her chakra control to achieve byakugō coupled with the continuous walking, tracking, and healing was inflicting a serious drain on her body. She needed to regain chakra, and her training with Tsunade-shishou before they left had already drained her as she could only use a fraction of it and had to store away the rest.

But no way in hell would she ever show weakness in front of the cocky boys she was stuck with.

As she went to the stream to collect water, she had a sudden urge to bathe. She was covered in a film of sweat and dirt. The boys didn't mind dirt on them for some reason, especially Kiba, which is understandable. She sighed, because they really needed to get the fire going if they hoped to have dinner on time. She'll bathe after everyone goes to sleep.

She sighed again as she got back and watched Lee setting the fire, and Naruto was finishing setting up the second tent.

"Sa-kura-chan," Naruto called to her in a song-song voice as he popped up in front of her, sticking his face close so that their cheeks almost touched in front of the fire. "It feels so nice, ne?"

Sakura backed off, blushing at the sudden closeness and instinctively pushed him away.

"Baka! Can't you see that I'm thinking?"

"But… Sakura-chan. That's what you've been doing this entire mission. What's bothering you? Share it with me. Is it about what Dog Head said?"

Naruto grinned evilly, but hid the satisfaction from his face. Kiba was completely wrecking his chances with Sakura. Naruto could swoop in like a hero and show her that he actually respected her. Sakura was sure to like him more that way. Kiba had set up the stage perfectly when he mentioned his date with Ino.

Sakura did not want to admit to Naruto and Lee the fact that Kiba's remark about Ino had majorly pissed her off.

"It's nothing," she said shortly as she poked the fire.

"Wha-? How can it be nothing when you just said that you're thinking?" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

A familiar vein began popping up Sakura's temple and Naruto instinctively backed off ten paces. Lee pushed Naruto aside and held Sakura's hand.

"Don't-don't worry Sakura-chan," Lee said dramatically. "For what it's worth, you know that I think you're the most beautiful kunoichi in the village."

"Yeah! Believe it!" Naruto reiterated, and held her other hand.

Sakura's shoulders had just relaxed and she almost smiled at Lee and Naruto when Kiba's voice called out.

"Are you kidding me Fox Breath? Don't let Hinata ever hear you saying that," Kiba said, coming out of the hedge of trees, a deer slung over Akamaru's back and some berries in his arms. "You'll break her heart!"

Naruto blanched. "What's that supposed to mean? Hinata's sweet and all but she's too shy and not my type. In fact, she's sort of... creepy, how she's hiding around all the time. Sakura-chan, on the other hand…"

"Is a dangerous woman," Kiba shuddered. "I face two of them on a daily basis at my home, and you have no idea how much of a pain that is, getting bossed around all the time."

Sakura gritted her teeth. Not only had he called her dangerous, but also a woman! She was just fifteen! He had compared her to his violent mother and his boisterous sister. Did she really look older than her age?

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said angrily.

"Well, it's no secret a man wants a woman who spoils him for once!" Kiba continued. "Hinata spoils Shino and me a lot. She always cooks on our missions and even cleans up afterwards and refuses our help. We actually look forward to our missions because that means we can at least taste Hinata-chan's cooking."

"Well, I gotta give you that one," Naruto said. "Hinata-chan is awesome, especially her bentos. Sakura-chan can't cook even if her life depended on it, and it's always up to Sai to clean up afterwards as Sakura-chan's things are always everywhere."

Sakura pulled her hands away, clenching them into fists along with her already gritted teeth and popping vein. She realized she had done just that; thrown her shoes across and her robe off without looking where they had landed. But she was exhausted!

"I don't mind cleaning up after Sakura-chan," Lee saluted as he picked her things up.

But she could cook just as well, and better than that Hinata.

"I can cook!" she said angrily as Kiba began skinning the deer. Naruto chortled at that but hid his smile behind his fist.

"I'll show you just how well I can!" Sakura insisted.

"Sakura, trust me, while I have full faith in your medical abilities," Kiba started, "Ino-chan told me that you can't even boil noodles and if left alone, you'll burn the water. She said that you're hopeless in the kitchen."

"Ha! That's true. Even Sakura-chan's instant ramen are always soggy," Naruto said.

"WHAT?" Sakura stood up, pupils disappearing from her eyes as they rounded in anger. Naruto backed off ten further paces. Kiba apparently was still unaware of the killer intent radiating off of Sakura as he barely even looked up from his task. "What does that PIG know?"

"B-but Sakura-chan can do other great things! May-Maybe Sakura-chan can help you skin that deer," Lee said weakly, trying to cover for Kiba and spare him from imminent pain.

Kiba, however, shrugged. "It's ok, I'm quite fast. While I fully trust Sakura's surgical abilities, remember the time you went for a mission with Team Guy when Tenten was busy? Bushy Brow here said that even though Sakura-chan is flawless, she hunted the animal so roughly that there was very little meat left to eat! If it weren't for the fish that Neji caught, they would've starved."

Naruto blanched. There was no helping Kiba. And people said that he was the one with the big mouth. Kiba had no experience of Sakura's wrath, which was why he was mouthing off so easily, Naruto thought.

Lee covered his face. If Kiba couldn't flirt for the life of him, why was he making things difficult for him by ratting him out?

"Now, Tenten on the other hand, that girl sure can use a kunai," Kiba said, whistling in admiration. "That one time when Hinata was sick, Tenten substituted for her in our mission. That girl is fierce. She whisks off animals and hunts them in one swift motion like it's nothing, without damaging the meat at all. She even cuts off the skin so neatly and all in one piece. I think her aim is even more precise than Hinata's, if that's even possible."

Sakura slowly stomped her way towards Kiba, tightening her gloves. Naruto was amazed that Kiba did not even give heed to the minor earthquakes she was causing with each step she made. Cutting off the meat into pieces and staking them, Kiba said one last thing to stop Sakura cold in her tracks.

"Sakura was completely useless in that mission, Ino-chan said," he laughed.

Useless, her inner self screamed. It's a running joke around the village.

The word reverberated in the crevice of Sakura's mind. She already knew she was of little help on missions nowadays because of her training to preserve chakra, but she was strong too! She was just exhausted all the time from storing chakra to achieve the byakugō.

Above all, she was the only kunoichi in their group who did not have a special quality. Kiba had stated it clearly; Ino was the hottest, Hinata was the most responsible, Tenten had killer aim, and Sakura? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

How was she supposed to argue back? I can heal? Well, so could Ino and Hinata. They actually made their own medicine as well.

The raging anger Sakura was feeling suddenly transformed into a chilling hurt.

"So what you're saying is… I… have nothing which is unique to my character?"

"Oh, no, you're a monster, Sakura," Kiba said simply, shrugging.

Naruto spoke up. "Kiba's right, you have monstrous strength! Believe it!"

"Sakura-chan is a strong medical ninja as well," Lee argued. "It's not just monstrous strength."

Naruto poked the bump on Lee's head Sakura had caused earlier and he yelped, causing them to all to double up laughing.

It was not until she ran past them into the forest did Naruto, Lee and Kiba stop laughing, confused.

Kiba scratched the back of his head. "Did we say something wrong?" he said.

"Beats me," Naruto replied. "Girls, I don't understand them."

Sakura did not come for dinner, nor did she come back to her tent to sleep. Kiba had the first watch, and he looked worriedly into the forest, a far-off expression on his face.

"Fox Butt, I know I was supposed to take first watch but I'm leaving Akamaru to do that. I'm gonna go look for Sakura. You should go get some sleep."

"Ahou!" Naruto argued. "I'm going to go in search for Sakura and you go to sleep. I doubt she wants to see your doggy face after you teased her like that. So far, you've only been successful in summoning a very close call with a slap-me jutsu. Be warned!"

Kiba blanched in guilt. "That's exactly why I should go to her, ramen-for-brains. I mean, I still don't know what I said wrong but I should go apologize. They were just jokes. I didn't realize that she was taking it all to heart. My mum actually used to pull my ears out whenever she teased me and I started to cry and told me to stop being such a sissy. Actually she said something else, which starts with "p" and rhymes with sissy. So I often forget that not every girl is as emotionally strong as the ones at my home, even though I'm in the same team as Hinata. It just came to me how Hinata doesn't like it when we tease her about her hairstyle and how it's the same as Bushy Brow's either."

Lee crawled over from the boys' tent, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "My hairstyle is flawless! And so is Sakura-chan, hence I'm going to be the one to go look for her."

Naruto smacked his head. "Teme, Dog Brain! For kami's sake don't start to tease Sakura-chan about her hairstyle either. Some things are off-limits when it comes to girls, like how you always say a girl looks nice even though she looks horribly ugly, like something Akamaru dragged in."

"Woof," Akamaru yipped in protest.

"Wow Fox Breath," Kiba said and Lee nodded in agreement. "You're much smarter than I thought. I'm just used to being honest, is all. I still don't know how to impress girls or get to their heart. All they do is slap me when I try to flirt."

Naruto huffed up in pride. "Believe it-dattebayo. But let's see where Sakura-chan ran off to."

Kiba sniffed the air in search of Sakura. A giddy, lustful feeling took over him and his mouth drooled. He hadn't realized before, but Sakura's scent was actually kind of sweet. Scratch that, it was amazingly sweet.

"Naruto, I hate to break it to you but I'll be the one to get to Sakura," Kiba declared.

"HA! Keep dreaming Dog Boy! Not if I get to her first," Naruto rubbed his nose.

"You both are sorely mistaken if you think you can win against me in a race," Lee announced. "A race to Sakura-chan's heart indeed!"

With that said, Lee ran off without further ado into the forest, with Naruto close behind, leaving a big cloud of dust in their wake. Kiba smacked his head. No way would I let them get to her first, he thought as he ran off, ordering Akamaru to guard their belongings.

Sakura sighed, happy to be alone. She was used to letting her anger out by punching a few boulders, but she didn't feel like it. Instead, she followed her earlier plan. She decided to go for a good soak and relieve her mind.

She sighed in satisfaction once more as the water touched her. She dipped in completely before resurfacing, staring up at the starry night sky, basking in the moon's glow. She thought about how those dumb boys had teased her, especially that dog Kiba.

Sakura-chan.

She was thinking about Kiba so angrily, that she thought she could actually hear him. She grit her teeth. Curse that dog!

"Sakura!"

His voice was much nearer now. Confused, she turned back to see him staring straight at her.

She fell backwards, taken by surprise, arms splayed before remembering that she was completely naked. She covered her chest submerged in the water with her arms just in case.

"Kiba!" she yelled. "The hell?"

Kiba felt an inner satisfaction of having found her before the others. How could Naruto and Lee have hoped to best him when Team Kurenai was the best in tracking?

"Sakura, you've been gone for hours. We were worried," he said, crooking his head. "Are you... naked?" he asked, a blush coating his face.

She had completely lost track of the time, but she didn't even feel like encountering their faces back at their campsite. Especially the current dog-nin staring straight at her while she bathed!

"Kiba, look away or I'll kill you!" Sakura warned.

Kiba was confused but still didn't turn away, as he was transfixed by the beauty ahead of him. "Why?" he asked. "I can't see anything, honest."

"GO AWAY!" she huffed.

Kiba licked his lips to cover his trembling as Sakura buried herself neck deep and drifted further away from shore, turning her back to him.

He kicked off his sandals and took off his shirt. "I'm coming in too," he informed her. "The water looks amazing."

Sakura thought that he was joking, that is, until she heard a loud splash behind her as the spray hit her, heavy ripples misbalancing her.

Not believing her ears, she turned to see Kiba resurfacing. He had apparently canon-balled into the water.

"Yahoo!" he yelled. "That felt good."

"Kiba!" Sakura shrieked. "Go away or you'll be sorry!"

Kiba smiled naughtily. "Oh? Why are you getting shy?"

He was actually completely mortified himself at his daring. What he really wanted to do was run away with his tail between his legs. He was never good with girls and he always said something wrong to make them slap him straight on his face.

Sakura blushed, her skin color becoming one with her hair. She didn't want to admit it, but Kiba's shaggy hair and hairy torso sent a tingle through her body. Scared of the feelings, she ventured deeper. She loved Sasuke! And she still wanted to hit this rugrat who didn't even know how to properly talk to girls very hard indeed.

Kiba smirked as he slowly approached her. Sakura sent water splashing his way.

"Fine! I'll close my eyes. Sheesh, you don't have to throw water on me," Kiba said, as he came close enough to grab both of her forearms to stop her, his eyes tightly closed. "Actually, I've come over here to apologize."

She could have easily knocked him off, but his touch had sent electricity spiraling down her body as goosebumps prickled her skin. In fact, she felt his own trembling fingers, and realized he was more nervous than she was. The way he was facing her, with his nervousness unmasked by closed but twitching eyes, made her legs turn to jelly and her lungs run out of air. Her heartbeat rapidly accelerated.

"Why?" she said breathlessly. She had never looked at Kiba in this way before.

"Haruno Sakura. You smell… Intoxicating. I haven't… smelt someone like you... in ages," he let out, and his animal-like growl just kept on exciting her. "Dammit, I'm a hunter, yet you always make me feel like a prey."

"But…" she said as the water pulled them closer and she pushed him away, smacking his arms. "You called me a monster."

"Well, you do have monstrous strength. You're wild, and you can make anyone your bitch," he growled again as a smile started to spread on his face. She wanted to slap it away but shoved his face. They were so close that she could feel his breath. She shuddered as he inhaled deeply again and she shoved his chest as well.

"Ow!" he complained.

Sakura's heart sank as she remembered the one word which had sent a knife through her heart.

"You also called me useless," she said, accidentally swallowing a mouthful of water and coughing as the water pushed them closer again.

Kiba snarled in exasperation and the close proximity made him shudder more. "Sakura, I just told you what Ino-chan said. It doesn't necessarily mean I agree with her. I personally do not think you're useless at all."

"That doesn't excuse you," she huffed.

"Besides," he said in a low, sexy voice as their noses almost touched. "To be perfectly honest, I think you're better than Ino, even if Ino is hotter. You certainly smell better."

Sakura sighed. Way to spoil the mood. Boys were completely hopeless. She needed to teach this dog a few tricks, for her own sanity.

"When you're trying to praise a girl," she started, pushing him away once more, "You do not compare her to others nor do you mention how you think the other girl is hotter. You call the other girl, especially if the girl is Ino, an ugly pig."

"But… that would be lying," he wondered, eyes still closed.

"Yes Kiba. You tell a girl she looks good even if she looks like something Akamaru dragged in," she explained.

"Now that certainly sounds familiar," Kiba mumbled.

"Didn't you say you want a woman who'll spoil you for once?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrow.

His eyes were still closed, and he was glad not to be looking at her. "Actually, yes, but…" he trailed off. A few seconds passed before he spoke up. He cursed. He wanted to kick himself for getting tongue-tied as usual.

"I've-always-wanted-to-be-the-one-to-do-the-spoiling," he said in a rush. A deep blush crept up his face and met his hairline. He wanted to drown in the water he was in. Once more, he was glad his eyes were still closed and he couldn't see her expression.

"My ma and sis are both very... dominating," he justified. "They've always treated me like an overgrown baby because they think that I can't do anything on my own, ever."

"Are you... Afraid of strong women? Do you long to be an alpha male for once?" she asked, and as he couldn't see her expression, he completely misread her tone.

"Well, I... I... You see, I am an alpha," he cleared his throat to stop his stuttering and to clear his suddenly blocked throat. What was happening to his voice? He cursed himself. He was stuttering even worse than Hinata! "I'll have to lead my clan someday. And I... I've actually always wanted to spoil and take care of my girl, you know, and not just the hounds at my compound."

"So you think girls are hounds?" Sakura asked. Her gnashing of teeth reverberated around the forest and echoed amongst the trees.

"What? No-" he finally realized, eyes popping open.

"SHANNARO!" Sakura yelled before he could finish. She had already pulled her hand back and punched him so hard that he went flying a few yards away.

Kiba was actually lucky that Sakura went easy on him because she was not fully covered. He only got away with a black eye and no broken bones.