Hi! I've been crashing classes and put up with a bunch of crap in between, but it's all settled now.

Also, I've been forgetting to make comments about my story. And that would be no more relevant than last chapter. Since in the manga both Uchihas appear evil, I thought it would make a great twist if one was with the bad guys only to protect his brother. After all, before the massacre, Itachi seemed to be a distant but kind person who loved his brother. If he really did kill the Uchiha clan because he felt superior or because Madara told him so…I feel that is weak writing (remember, I haven't read the Naruto manga for a while now; don't tell me whether or not that is indeed the case). So, I thought since the story specializes in taking interesting twists, a scenario like that would be very fitting. And yes, Soragakure does mean "Village Hidden in the Sky." You won't find out how that is possible for a long time now. Not much else I can say, except read the reviews, which have gone up again!!

J.A. Jasper: Thanks for the comment. I don't think Naruto was 100 percent illiterate, but I am aware he had trouble reading. Even so, that is negligible in this story.

Maxslayer10: Um, probably not as much as you like, but this chapter will be mostly fluff. Also, there's going to be lots of fights in the future, since this is my view on how Naruto should end (well, maybe not should, but its one way it could've gone).

Unspoken Emotions: Yeah. It's not quite over, and won't be for awhile. Also, I hope I didn't offend you with my little rant on chapter 5. It's mostly the die-hard fanatics of SasuSaku (and NaruHina) that annoy me. But you seem to be cool though (the fact you're reading my NARUSAKU fic and stated you're loving it speaks volumes). Sometime, I might try a SasuSaku fic, but as of right now, I'm too biased…

HawkofNavarre: I feel embarrassed being corrected by a 14 year old (I'm 23). But you're right; I'll fix that right away. And I'm glad you liked how I played out Itachi's killings.

Mrfipp: Regarding how Sasuke feels: (Speaks in a Will Smith like voice) Ya THINK!? Well, it's nice to know you miss Kenji. I thought of doing a Heaven scene between him and Mana, but for some reason I didn't feel comfortable taking a stab at the afterlife, and it's too late for a scene between Kenji and Mana. Maybe I'll edit Chapter 11 a little. As for your question regarding Sakura's secret: Well, first off, that's not the secret I had in mind. I'd imagine any guy trying to figure that out has a death-wish filled with pain…unless of course it's Naruto and he happens to score.

Disclaimer: I do not understand why this has not gotten through your thick skulls…but I HONESTLY DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

Edit: My apologies, but I noticed that there were some grammatical errors, inconsistencies, and sentances that just sound plain bad. Once I finish writing the rough draft of a chapter, I rush through and try to get it up online. I'll try to show more restraint next time. In the meantime, enjoy this slight revision!

It was the morning after Naruto talked with Iori and Mrs. Miyamoto. Currently, he was sleeping in his apartment. It felt so nice to finally relax…until he heard a knock from his door. He grumbled and looked over at his alarm clock. "Eight in the morning!?" Naruto struggled to get his crutches. The knocking continued. "I'm coming, I'm coming!!" Naruto made his way out, wondering who was seeing him at this time. He couldn't be summoned by the Hokage…if it was an emergency, he was in no condition to fight. So why was someone bothering him? He looked in the peephole, and saw it was Ebisu. He never interacted much with him, so why was he here? Something wrong with Konohamaru? No, Konohamaru wasn't in any trouble; Naruto knew the boy would sometimes sleep as late as 2:00, unless it was a mission. Besides, Ebisu was way too calm for it to be an emergency. Naruto needed to test the guy, just to be sure it was him. He opened the door, and screamed "Ninja Centerfold Harem!!"

Ebisu passed out at the sight of several forms of Naruto's female form. "Yup, it's him." Naruto mused. "Sorry about that. I just had to be sure it was you. Anyway, what brings you here?"

Ebisu stood up and adjusted his sunglasses. "Uzumaki, Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately."

Naruto blinked. "But I'm off duty right now."

"It concerns your student Miyamoto."

When Naruto arrived at the office, Tsunade looked like she was a cross between confused and amused.

"What's wrong, Ba-chan?"

Tsunade's trance was broken and she looked at him with a vein popping across her forehead. "DO YOU HAVE A DEATHWISH OR SOMETHING, BECAUSE YOU ALREADY MISSED TWO GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR IT TO BE FULLFILLED!!"

Naruto retreated to the other side of the room, quickly as he could, and Shizune hugged Ton-Ton in fright.

Tsunade finally calmed down. "Anyway, I found something very interesting about the form Mrs. Miyamoto sent me." She pulled it out. "It's hard to see, but if you look closely, you'll see that some of the lines are cracked, almost as if they were hand drawn…"

Naruto said "You mean…she sent you a fake?"

"You're half-right. It's a fake, but I don't think Mrs. Miyamoto was the one who made it."

Naruto then looked shocked. "Yuji…"

"This is good for your team for two reasons. First, since this is a forgery, I can't call it a valid resignation form, therefore making it null. Second, your student as shown me some interesting skills. A skill like this could come in handy for stealing files and making sure no one notices it, or tricking an enemy during war-time. Genin that display certain extraordinary talents are not allowed to withdraw. So, your student is still on the team!"

Naruto could only smile. Though it wasn't a talent he thought of, such a talent actually WAS very unique. "That's awesome!! But I bet Mrs. Miyamoto is going to be pissed."

Tsunade smirked. "I won't tell her just yet. Don't worry, there is nothing she can make me do now."

Naruto was about to walk away, when someone else opened the door. His normally bright smile became a wary and suspicious face. Right in front of him was Danzo, the man who ordered Sai to kill Sasuke. He looked to Danzo's left, and his suspicion turned to surprise. His student, Shiguri, was standing right next to him! "Shiguri." Naruto said. "Sorry I didn't come by to visit you. I was-"

"No need to worry about it…sensei."

Naruto then looked back at Danzo. "Shiguri…any reason why you're with him?"

Danzo scoffed. "You didn't know? Well, given our colorful past, that's not surprising…he's my grandson."

Naruto's eyes widened. One of his students was Danzo's grandson!?

"I wasn't too fond of the arrangement." Danzo said. "But because he worked closely with that peasant, I couldn't get…Hokage-samma…to transfer him to another team." Shiguri stood back while Danzo made his way to Tsunade. "Rumor has it that Orochimaru is on the move. We need to set another trap for him."

Tsunade folded her hands. "If what you say is true, then we should definitely prepare the troops. But we can't set a trap. He is far too smart for that, and when it fails, that will be nothing but bad news for us. We'll have our spies keep a close watch on him, and defend the village as we see fit. Besides…you don't have an ulterior motive by any chance, do you?"

Danzo said nothing. He began to storm out, but before he left, he turned toward Naruto. "I expect my grandson to become chunin when the exam comes by."

Naruto was in fact weighing in on whether or not he should send his team into the exam or wait for a year. He still hadn't decided, but he gestured to Danzo that he would, even though he didn't mean it. Soon, the pair left. Naruto looked back at Tsunade. "Ba-chan…"

Tsunade sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto. I did know, but I didn't know what you would do if I told you. Besides, the fact is that he's the best teammate for Yuji. I felt I would tell you eventually as soon as you got to trust him, but now that you know the truth…"

Naruto sighed. "It's all right. I think I understand what you're talking about. Don't worry, I won't think any less of Shiguri; he's a bit crude, but he's talented. So far he's nothing like his grandfather; he hasn't been spewing any comments about you or the state of Konoha"

Later that day, Tsunade continued with her paperwork. Though she loved her job, it WAS a lot of work. In addition to that, her work at the hospital didn't help and made her even more stressed, perhaps more so than her predecessors. She could hardly ever drink, and she had no time for gambling other than bets with fellow ninja. And the paperwork…most people would be tempted to skim it, but she HAD to read the whole thing. Especially now, since she was tricked into sending a genin team on an S-ranked mission. But that was behind her when she heard a certain knock on the door. "Enter."

The door opened, revealing one of the genins she sent on a faulty mission. Iori bowed, and said "You wanted to see me, Hokage-samma?"

Tsunade smiled. "Well, at least his students don't have his bad habits." Tsunade said. "First, I apologize for sending you and your team on a mission you were not ready for. Now, onto business; I'm sure that your sensei informed you of why you were summoned here." Iori nodded yes. "We will keep your inheritance a secret. Your sensei had a hard enough time as it was, and I'm not going to put that burden on you." Tsunade got up from her desk. "We're going to run a few tests. Maybe a few questions. That's all."

The tests were simple. Just a blood sample to be analyzed later, a basic check up. Nothing bad at all. But then she was guided to the training grounds. Yamato was there as well.

"All right Iori." Tsunade said. "I need to ask you to do something that will be hard on you emotionally. Your father was killed right in front of you, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"I need you to go back and remember that day as clear as you can. You have my permission to pound anything around you minus us." The hokage then wrapped a necklace with some kind of crystal around girl.

Iori inspected the necklace curiously. "Hokage-sama...what is this?"

Tsunade replied "It belongs to Naruto. I needed to borrow it from him, just in case you get too out of control." Tsunade stood back, next to Yamato.

Iori closed her eyes, remembering that night. She could still remember it clear as day. Whether or not those murderers were dead now did not matter: The thought of them still filled her with rage. Then, she began to change.

"She shows the physical characteristics of a beast." Tsunade noted. Then silver chakra surrounded her. She roared, and the earth started to crack.

"This is getting bad, Tsunade-samma! I'm going to…"

Tsunade held her arm out and barked "Not yet! Let's wait to see if she develops any tails. Subdue her only if virtually all human traces of her are gone."

Iori pounded all the ground available to her, and plateaus began to emerge. They waited for fifteen minutes, but Iori did not change any further. Soon, she collapsed and her transformation disappeared. As she struggled to get up, the Hokage came over to help her. "Very good. I've seen what I needed to see. I'll summon for you again within the next week."

The days went by, and soon Naruto was completely healed. Under normal circumstances, he would go straight to training. But today was special: His first OFFICIAL date with Sakura. Sure, he called the many times they hung out alone dates, but he was really just joking around. He was sure that Sakura was still in love with Sasuke at the time, and he simply wanted to spend any time he could with her before he brought him back. Even now he would still try to find a way to bring Sasuke back, but now that he knew she wasn't in love the Uchiha…he just couldn't put it in words. Right now, he had 15 minutes left to get ready, which he was. Since he was off-duty, he didn't wear his headband. That went double for his vest. He wore a traditional Japanese uniform instead, with hakama pants, and his trademark whirlpool symbol on his back. It was a gift to him from Tsunade when he turned 17.

"If you get lucky enough to meet a certain someone, you will have to wear this." She said.

Naruto had a feeling in the back of his head that she was trying to hook the two of them up. Of course, he didn't mind. Then Naruto picked up a scroll, one for carrying certain objects. But this wasn't carrying ninja gear. It sealed inside a swimsuit. Sakura stopped by his apartment the night before for a final check-up, and they discussed their date.

They of course discussed times and the like, but in the middle of it, Sakura said "Oh, Naruto. Do you think you can bring some swimwear? I know a place in the forest behind the village that has a nice lake. I'd like to start out there."

Naruto gave himself a final evaluation in the mirror, and once he was satisfied, he made his way. But then a thought occurred to him: What was SAKURA going to wear when they went swimming? He thought of the possibilities: A one piece suit seemed the most likely. Then again, she might get a two-piece. Or a string bikini? "That would be…" His mind went further down the gutter when he imagined Sakura in a g-string swimsuit, or even a Venus swimsuit!! At that point Naruto smacked his temples. "Put yourself together!! Seeing Jiraya again has corrupted me!!"

Naruto got to the corner where they were supposed to meet. The only problem was she was late. Only by 5 minutes, but he was a bit worried. "Geez, the relationship hasn't even officially begun, and I'm already getting overprotective."

"Naruto!"

The blonde turned around and found his date. He knew no matter what she wore, Sakura would look nice. But still he was stunned. She was wearing a beautiful white kimono covered with Sakura petals, the colors matching her perfectly. Her hair was free flowing, without being tied or bound by a headband, and she had a little flower comb in her hair. Naruto also caught emerald earrings on her ears. Such practices were strongly discouraged among shinobi, but since they were simply enjoying their free time, there was nothing wrong with it. Naruto could only stare.

"What?" Sakura asked.

Naruto snapped out of it and said "Oh! You look…you look great is all!"

Sakura's face darkened in color at the comment. "Th-Thanks." Soon Sakura composed herself. "So, I take it you're ready to go?"

"You bet! Off to the lake?"

"Yes!"

Naruto could not believe he never came to this place. The lake was in the middle of the forest and off the trails, so it wasn't too much of a surprise no one was around. But he always got lost in the woods on bad days during his childhood; how did he miss it? The lake was clear, with some small fish swimming around, and with the perfect day they had before them, it was sparkling. Even without Sakura, Naruto would not be able to resist taking a dip. He was eager to get started. "Well, I think I'll go into a bush and get changed." Naruto told the pink ANBU.

"Oh, Naruto." Sakura chimed in. "I'm just curious: What kind of swimsuit did you think I brought?"

Naruto took a second to think about it. "One piece. Even if I'm wrong, she won't pound me for it."

Naruto didn't get a chance to say anything when the kunoichi said "Were you thinking a two piece?"

"Uh…"

"With the top a bit too small for me?" Naruto's face reddened at this. Sakura just grinned. "And with a bottom that's very tight fitting? And a thong in the back?" Naruto was practically counting down the seconds before he would faint. Sakura reached for her scroll, and Naruto looked in wonder. Sakura then pulled out…a red one piece swimsuit. "Too bad!" she said, smiling mischievously.

Naruto fell over in shock. "She got me!" he thought. Naruto scratched his head as he got up. "Good one…you had me there."

"Well, maybe if you weren't such a pervert…"

"If that little fact bothers you that much, you shouldn't have bothered accepting my offer."

"Not as much as it used to. Provided, of course, that you do not peak when I'm changing or try to pin me down and have your way with me. I promise that will not end well for you" She grinned. She looked toward the lake, then back at Naruto. "Hurry up and get changed! I can't wait to swim!"

After changing, both emerged with their respective swimwear on. When they caught sight of one another, they stared for what seemed to be the longest time.

Though she was only wearing a one piece, Naruto thought it still made her look sexy. He could see every curve of her body, as well as her well-defined thighs. Just when he thought he managed to see what he needed to see and suppress his lust, he moved his head to meet her face, but he stopped half-way to her chest. "Whoa. She…she filled out." She was not anywhere near as big as Tsunade in that respect, but considering she hardly grew in height after their reunion, that was a good thing. To him, they were the perfect size: Big enough that any man would want to touch them, but not so large that it would get in the way of her kunoichi duties. "SNAP OUT OF IT!! SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME IF I DON'T!!" he thought. "You look great, Sakura-chan." He said, wanting to at least complement her. When he didn't get a response, he looked at Sakura. She appeared…spaced out.

"He's…hot." Sakura thought. Sakura had never seen Naruto bare-chested before. "Well, there was that ONE incident, but I focused on something else at the time." She reminded herself. Naruto was well-built, with well defined muscles everywhere, but they were thin enough that in hand-to-hand combat, he could move quickly. When she got her super strength, Sakura worried that strong, well-built men would no longer turn her on. But she knew she was much stronger than Naruto, yet just the sight of his body made her feel safe and aroused. Coupled with the fact that now she only came up to his shoulders, and…. "Oh God, I've got to get in the water now!!" Sakura snapped out of her own trance and said "Race you?"

"With pleasure."

The two shinobi crouched to the ground, and took off. Soon, both were racing across the water. Naruto had a slight lead, but decided to slow down and let Sakura get ahead, then at the last minute cut her off. The blonde put his plan into motion, but as soon as Sakura took the lead….Naruto fell straight into the water.

Sakura turned around and said "Naruto! What's wrong?"

Naruto, with his head in the water, replied "Nothing." Truth was, without the semi-skirt she often wore, Naruto could see her breasts weren't her only new asset. But at least the cold water calmed him down. Then, a smile appeared across Naruto's face, and he submerged himself underwater.

Sakura just smirked. "I know what you're planning. I'm not falling for that." As if on cue, a hand emerged out of the water, trying to grab her ankle. Sakura jumped out of the way, playfully screaming "Catch me if you can!" Just when she thought she was in the clear, she bumped into someone. Sakura turned around to see Naruto holding her shoulders firmly, but not enough that it would hurt. Then a bushin grabbed her ankles and swept her off her feet. "Nar-"

The two Narutos began swinging her body. "One, two, three…four!!" The two blondes threw her into the air. Granted, it wasn't high, but with her spinning out of control at the same time, it was disorienting. She hit the water, and Naruto dispelled his bushin and laughed. "Sakura! You should have seen the look on your…"

Naruto almost went silent as he saw Sakura emerge from the water with her kill face on. "NARUTO, YOU BAKA!!" Sakura punched the water, which sent a tidal wave Naruto's way.

"Oh sh-" The wave came, and there was nothing the jinchuuriki could do about it.

About 2 hours later, the two redressed and continued their date. It was close to 5 p.m., and Naruto was about to take Sakura out to a restaurant. "So, where are we going? Nothing I hope I'd be underdressed for." Sakura said.

Naruto grinned "Don't worry, it's nice, but nothing fancy."

"Speaking of which…what are YOU going to be eating?"

"Oh, ramen of course."

Sakura frowned. "I've never seen you eat anything else. You're going to eat something else when we get there. If you need me to, I'll pick it out for you."

Naruto looked horrified. "B-but, Sakura-chan…"

"No buts!! You're going to eat something with meat and vegetables, or this date is off!!" Sakura's now rarely seen inner-self screamed "I don't care what it takes: If we have to put you on a diet of fruits and vegetables or increase your workout by a hundred, you're keeping that hot piece of ass!! Shannaro!!"

Naruto sighed and said "Okay. I don't eat much else besides ramen, so you're going to have to choose something for me." Sakura smiled at this.

Once Naruto turned to face the road, his eyes widened. "Yuji!? Is that you!?"

Sakura turned away from Naruto, and saw the genin carrying a bag with groceries.

"Naruto-sensei!!" The small kid ran up to them. "Listen, thanks for seeing my mom!! She decided to let me be part of the team again!!"

Naruto smirked at this. "No problem. Besides, the pseudo-withdrawal form you made cancelled out her request anyway, and now even if you wanted to, you couldn't withdraw."

Yuji just stammered "Y-yeah. I knew my mom wouldn't notice, but I was counting on the Hokage to. I left those lines cracked on purpose. If I wanted to, I could have made it completley identical to the original. Just don't tell her I swapped hers with a fake. All she did was go to the Hokage and tell her that she changed her mind. She still doesn't know." Yuji then looked to Naruto's side and noticed Sakura. "Is this a date?" the genin asked.

Naruto chuckled and said "Yes, yes it is."

"Oh. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Besides, I've got to get home before the ice cream melts." Yuji waved goodbye, and let them be. Naruto turned to Sakura, and noticed she looked a bit distressed. "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura snapped out of her trance, and said "Oh, it's nothing. Listen, are we almost there? I'm starving!!" As she and Naruto made their way towards it, she thought back to their brief encounter with the genin. "There's no mistake." Sakura thought. "That's him. That's Ryu-sensei's son..."

The restaurant was situated on the hillside. It looked like a daimyo's castle, but inside the staff was serving common people. Sakura looked in awe.

"It's a new restaurant, it opened only last month." Naruto stated matter-of-factly. The couple went in, and they were seated on the balcony. Some gave the two odd looks, and they knew why. But they were not going to let something as petty as that bother them. After Sakura looked at the menu, she ordered things for both herself and Naruto. The blonde decided now would be a good time for a conversation. "So, is this to you're liking?"

"Naruto…it's beautiful out here. I can't imagine the dent this will make on your income."

"Don't worry, I checked the prices before I made reservations." Soon, both of their meals were served. Sakura had a full Sashimi dinner. Naruto got tempura, a salad, and chicken teriyaki simmering on a plate. "Wow. This actually looks pretty good."

"Try it, Naruto."

Naruto was okay with the salad. But the other two dishes were delicious. "Thank you, Sakura-chan!! I actually wouldn't mind trying things like this again!!"

"So, do you have a new favorite food now?"

"Sorry, but no." Naruto grinned.

Sakura sighed. "Well, I didn't expect to change your mind. Tell you what: Next time we go out, I'll let you have ramen in addition to anything else I recommend."

Naruto was taken aback by this. "Y-You mean you want to go out again?"

This time, Sakura looked shocked. "Why not? You're not enjoying this?"

Naruto stretched over the table and touched her hand. "Believe me, this is the best time I've had in years!"

Sakura's skin turned another shade of red when she heard that. Eventually, they got around to talking about other things: Work, upcoming movies, festivals…Sakura even admitted to Naruto she went out on a date with Lee before he came back, but it didn't start off very well and tanked once the taijutsu specialist had some sake. "I don't get him…" Sakura laughed. "He had only one drop by accident, and he would've torn the whole restaurant down had I not knocked him out." Naruto could only laugh hysterically. "Well, I can't exactly say I'm sad he didn't make a good impression on you, Sakura-chan!!" The two stopped laughing when some chanting caught their attention. They saw a family with a small child, and the waiters were singing the traditional Happy Birthday song in Fire country. The kid looked overjoyed. Both Naruto and Sakura smiled and sighed.

"I wish I had a family that would do that for me." Naruto said.

"So do I." Sakura chimed in.

Naruto chuckled. "What are you talking about? Of course you do Sakura-chan." He opened his eyes and noticed Sakura giving a sad, sideways glanced. "You do…don't you?"

Sakura slowly turned to face him. "No." she said. "Not really."

Naruto couldn't believe this. He knew she still lived with her parents, and during her childhood as well. Why wouldn't they throw her a celebration like the family they just saw? "Why not?" Naruto could tell she was slowly becoming upset, though not with him. Naruto cupped Sakura's chin. "Sakura, look at me. A long time ago we promised each other that if there was ever anything that was bothering us, we could rely on each other. I can tell whatever's bothering you needs to come out…you don't have to tell me here. I can pay the bill and we'll go somewhere private."

Sakura smiled slightly. "Yeah…sure."

After dinner, Naruto and Sakura walked to the park. Neither one said a word, but Sakura did cling to the Jinchuriki's arm.

"So…" Naruto started. "You ready to tell me what's on your mind?"

Sakura looked across the bridge they were on, right into the water. "Remember when I told you that my family never hosted a birthday party like that for me?" Naruto nodded. Sakura began. "My father was the last of his clan, which had a rare but invaluable kekkei genkai. I don't understand what it is or what it does, but all I know is that I did not inherit it."

"What's the big deal about that?"

"He considers me nothing but a waste of space because of that."

Naruto was mad at the thought that someone, much less her own father, could think of her like that. But he held it in and said "If having his ability passed on to the next generation is that important, can't he just have another child?"

Sakura nodded no. "My birth was very difficult on my mom. I had to be delivered by C-section, but at the time, the staff working at the hospital was low and a lot of proper medical equipment couldn't get through. As a result, her uterus was destroyed; she can't have anymore children."

Naruto yelled "But you're his only child!! How can he not love you!?"

A tear dropped from Sakura's face. "I don't know. I really tried to make him proud back at school. But none of it mattered."

"But surely your mom loves you!!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura said "I think so. But she never gets a chance to say so. You see, the marriage between my parents was arranged by their families. So, they had no saying whatsoever, and they're both too conservative to divorce. We pretty much have the traditional family structure: She does all the chores while my father either goes out on missions…or whatever the hell he wants. I'm helping out nowadays when I can, but I've been so busy lately…Not only that, but she has no say whatsoever in the house. Not in my upbringing, fun times…nothing. They never noticed that I was bullied, they were never there to help me get through the traumas of being a ninja…they didn't even realize I had a mild case of anorexia before I began training under Tsunade-shishou." There was silence between the two.

"Sakura…I never knew. I always thought you had the same type of family everyone else did. If I had known…" Naruto wasn't sure how to finish his trail of thought.

Sakura then brought up something else. "Looking back, I guess it's part of the reason why I fell in love with Sasuke. Neither of my parents got to choose who they would spend the rest of their lives with. I wanted to find my love before the same thing could happen to me. But I didn't know where to start, and I looked only into the most superficial qualities. And when I learned about Sasuke, I thought that if I got married to him my dad would think better of me." Sakura looked at Naruto, who seemed to be dumbstruck, and laughed half-heartily. "Pretty dumb, huh?"

Naruto scratched his head and giggled to. "No, not really. Not under those circumstances." Naruto could only sigh internally. "I knew we had more in common than she thought, but after all she's told me…"

"Naruto."

Naruto snapped back to reality and looked at Sakura, who looked at the river with a look of sadness once again. "You said I could trust you with anything that was bothering me, right?"

Naruto nodded his head. "Of course. That's what I'm here for."

Sakura turned toward him with her head bowed down. "Remember when you first got your team and you told me all about them? And I said one of them, Yuji, sounded familiar?" Naruto remembered. At first, he brushed it off as nothing…but then he realized Sakura looked unhappy when they ran into Yuji earlier today. "I knew his father Naruto."

Naruto said "Oh!! So?"

Sakura then grabbed Naruto and embraced him. "His father is dead because of me!!" Sakura sobbed, and all Naruto could do was hug her back.

Well, that's another chapter done, and you know what Sakura's secret is!! Next chapter will tell us just how this little mess occurred.