Time: 11 am
Place The Village Hidden in the Leaves, Hokages office
"The scroll?" Asked Tsunade Senju, the fifth Hokage.
She looked in a good mood. A certain glow to her face indicated she was happy about something, but nothing Sakura could pinpoint at the moment. Maybe she just had a good nights sleep and was content team 7 completed the mission without too much hassle.
"Right here. As requested" Answered Kakashi, pulling it out of his backpack and handing it over.
"You didnt open it, did you?" She asked.
"Come on, granny, were not that stupid." Said Naruto.
"Could have fooled me, brat" Tsunade answered, but without her usual bite. "What happened to your arm?"
"Your 'successor' over here jumped in front of a kunai flying my way, with an army of his clones around that could take the hit" Sakura answered, sarcastically.
Tsunade and Shizune laughed
"Hey, whats so funny grandma?" Naruto asked, in that 'offended Naruto' way.
"Nothing, brat. Just brings backs memories" She said, cryptically. "Youre certainly getting a reputation in the hospital as the leafs n.1 Crash Test Dummy"
"hrmhrmhrm" Naruto grumbled as everyone laughed.
"Anyway, you did good. Mission complete with minimal setbacks. What about the rogue ninja?" Tsunade asked
"Well, we left them knocked out a few miles away from here." Kakashi answered "The sellers had sand village headbands, so we told the Kazekage about them when we met him on our way here. He sent some of his honor guard to collect"
"Good. So, a resounding success for team 7." Tsunade said, signing three papers and handing it to the three ninjas before her "You know where to collect the cash, I assume?"
"YEAH! Cha-ching!" Naruto celebrated
"Ugh, you idiot!" Sakura groaned
"Thanks, Hokage-sama" Kakashi said
"The three of you, take the rest of the day off. Sakura, youre up early for training with me tomorrow. Naruto, Jiraya wants you training tomorrow as well. The usual places, around 8 am. Dont be late" Tsunade said to the two teenagers.
"Yes, shishou, Ill be there." Said Sakura
"HEY! That pervert was supposed to train me today! Is he 'busy' snooping the girls bath again?" Naruto said.
"For your information, brat, Jiraya is doing a secret assignment for me!" Tsunade answered. "And he knows Id kill him if he did that again, so if you find him doing that, let me know. Now go, I have to get ready for the Kazekage"
They left, got paid and walked out, Kakashi leaving for some errand he had to run, while Naruto and Sakura remembered Jiraya just released a collection of short stories, as he left
It wasnt their biggest pay ever, but a solid amount, Naruto getting 10% additional as a compensation for injury.
"So, you only get injured to the get the extra pay, is that it?" Sakura asked, insulted
"Hey, its not like I was thinking about the money back there!" Naruto said, defensively.
"Yeah, yeah, Ill pretend I believe it" Sakura said, half joking. "Well, youre paying for lunch. Ive been dying to try that 'Kazuma' place Ino wont shut up about"
Naruto got quiet. Oddly quiet.
"Can… Can we not go there?" Naruto asked, in a somber tone.
What happened? Did Sakura say something wrong?
"I mean, uh…" Naruto scrambled for words "Ichiraku is our go to! Come on, that Kazuma place is probably a fancy, fork and knife place that charges way too much for that weird foreign food! You cant beat Ichiraku, right?"
He was still nervous, but he definitely didnt want to talk about it, so Sakura decided to take his explanation at face value.
"Come on! We always eat at Ichiraku!" Sakura "Dont you wanna eat something other than ramen?"
"Hey, I eat other stuff too!" Naruto interjected.
"Yeah, right, not that Ive seen it." Sakura answered "Really, you might be resistant to battle damage, but jurys still out on heart disease."
"What heart disease? Im 15!" Naruto answered
"And a few decades from now, youre gonna be 45 with ME treating you for a corollary if you keep eating that way." Sakura answered. "Come on, lets try something different"
"Forget it! You can eat anything you want at that Kazuma hellhole, Im going home!" Naruto interjected
She felt really hurt by this, as Naruto walked away.
Not just annoyed. Hurt.
Why?
Why did that feel so awful?
Why was he being so weird about this?
'Really? You have no idea what this is about?' Inner said
'What? No, of course not!'
'Why would Naruto of all people be weird about certain places in the village, I wonder?' Inner said sarcastically.
'Come on, hes just mad hes not eating his precious ramen!'
'Oh my kami, this is infuriating! Fine, Ill cut you a deal. You obviously want him to have lunch with you, right? That much you can admit?'
'Yeah, hes my friend!'
'uh huh… Anyway, tell him that! Hes definitely gonna go just because you asked him that way. NOW GO, THE ORANGE IDIOT IS GETTING AWAY!'
"Naruto! Wait!" Sakura screamed at his direction
"Nope. Not going to Kazuma" Naruto said
"Come on. Pleaaaase?" Sakura said
"Come on, Sakura, why do you wanna go to that place so much?" Naruto asked
"Because I was up all night on a mission and I want to celebrate with you, idiot!" Sakura said, with unbridled honesty.
"Really?" Naruto asked, a glimmer in his eyes replacing his earlier grumpiness "With me?"
"Yeah, you knucklehead!" Sakura said "I mean, I want to go to that fancy place with a friend. Come on, dont you wanna do something special with me?"
Naruto breathed for a moment as if in deep thought. As if this was a very hard decision.
"Fine, well go to Kazuma and eat that weird foreign stuff, with forks and knives." Naruto said.
"YES!" Sakura celebrated. "Come on, its that way. My treat!"
"Heh, its no problem, Sakura-chan. I got that injury bonus, remember? Ill pay" Naruto said
"Yeah, but you got injured protecting me." Sakura said "Again"
"Yeah, and you stitched me up. Again" Naruto answered "And Ill probably be fine by this time tomorrow. Again."
"Wow, Tsunades right, you are the Leafs N.1 Crash Test Dummy." Sakura said
"HEY!" Naruto countered "Speaking of which, wasnt she a bit weird back at her office?"
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Sakura said "Too happy."
"So, its not just me, right?" Naruto said "She didnt even beat me over the head once!"
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Sakura said "Probably just got a good nights sleep."
"Or won some big prize on the pachinko machines for a change" Naruto said "Come to think of it, the pervy sage has been weird for a few months now"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked
"Well, I havent seen him snooping at girls in a while" Naruto said
"Well, you probably just didnt catch him snooping at girls during the past few months" Sakura said "weve been pretty busy, you know? Missions, training, meetings…"
"Yeah, youre probably right. Hes probably off somewhere doing 'research' right now. Old pervert!" Naruto said
Meanwhile…
"Achoo!" said Jiraya, with a bag of booze bottles at some store. "Someones talking about me."
"That will be 560 Ryo, sir" said the cashier "Planning a party?"
"Nah" Answered Jiraya "Just drinks with a friend who drinks too much"
Back to Naruto and Sakura
As they entered the restaurant, Naruto was being weird.
He was quiet, with a deadpan look on his face, almost like he was…
Afraid? Sad?
But why? Whats so weird about this place?
'Still dont get it?' Asked inner
'Oh, shut up, will you?'
As they walked in, Sakura was looking for a seat until she heard
"Man, those westerners are weird. Who cuts their own food at the table? So troublesome…" In that distinctive 'Shikamaru' way.
"Oh, shut up, will you? Its just different than chopsticks, get used to it, you lazy idiot!" said Temari next to him.
"Yeah" Said Ino, across from them. "Hey look, its billboard forehead and Naruto!"
"Hey! Come sit with us!" said Temari in a friendly manner.
Naruto and Sakura walked over to their table.
"Hey guys! You ordered yet?" Naruto asked, with a smile Sakura could tell he was forcing.
"Nah, theyre taking forever to choose! Women are such a drag…" Shikamaru said, before Temari decked him over the head.
"What are you eating Ino-Pig?" Sakura asked. "Youre the one that wont shut up about this place."
"Well, forehead, Im eating this thing called 'Par me jian' that's fried meat with cheese and tomato sauce. Youre gonna love it!" Ino said.
As Naruto sat, still quiet, the girls talked for a bit. Shikamaru also got quiet. Sakura was half listening to some story Ino was telling about the flower shop, but curious as to why the two males had nothing to say. They were good friends, after all. Usually, by this point, Naruto and Shikamaru would usually have some topic of conversation between each other, like missions, training, places to hang out…
But this is what broke the silence.
"She got you to come here, right?" Shikamaru asked
"Yes" Naruto said, sounding dejected "And Temari insisted, right?"
"Right." Shikamaru said, looking guilty. "Sorry…"
"Its nothing, really." Naruto said, then looking up as if he saw someone he didnt want to, he said "Im gonna go to the restroom, okay?"
"Okay" Sakura said.
As he walked out of earshot, Ino asked
"Okay, whats wrong with him? Hes not that quiet, EVER!"
"I dont know, hes been like this ever since I talked about coming here!" Sakura answered.
"Well, thats because if it wasnt his precious 'Sakura-chan' asking, he wouldnt set foot in this dump" Answered Shikamaru "And if it wasnt for you two, neither would I"
He put so much bite into her name that Sakura felt bad. As if she committed some great offense against Naruto.
Why?
"Thats because you two are uncultured swine who dont want to eat foreign food!" Temari said
"Yeah, and Naruto is just mad hes not eating at Ichiraku" Ino said
"Its not about the food!" Shikamaru said "Or the forks and knives or anything like that."
"Then, what is it?" Sakura asked "Did I do something wrong?"
"Yeah, tell us!" Temari added.
Shikamaru pondered. Like he was weighing the pros and cons of talking about it.
"Alright, but as soon as hes back from the toilet, you didnt hear this from me, got it?" Shikamaru said.
The three girls nodded.
"That guy over there?" Shikamaru pointed at a man wearing a western style suit and tie, with a mustache, probably in his late 40s. "Thats the douchebag owner. Remember how me, Naruto, Chouji and Kiba used to skip class?"
"Yeah" Sakura said
"Well, we came here one time. We were, what? 9? 8? Doesnt matter. Everyone else walked in, no problem. As soon as Naruto walked in, that guy got LIVID. Started calling Naruto a demon, telling him to go away. Even kicked Naruto in the stomach." Shikamaru said.
That was like a knife to Sakuras heart.
Thats why hes acting like this.
Idiot. She should have known!
'You DID know, remember? I told you about it!'
'You did, not me.'
'Im literally you! Im that stuff in the back of your head you dont want upfront'
'Yeah, I guess youre right.' Said Sakura. 'Poor Naruto'
'Yeah. Poor Naruto who wouldnt be here at all if WE didnt insist. Why would he of all people be so weird about certain places in Konoha? Because people used to treat him like he was the fox!'
'I KNOW! Im such an idiot!'
"Why didnt you tell us before?" Ino said
"Yeah, we wouldnt be here either!" said Temari
"Because I didnt want to talk about Narutos personal stuff!" Shikamaru said "Do you think he likes everyone knowing about his past like that?"
No, he doesnt, Sakura thought. He really doesnt. He wants to forget that he was ever treated like this.
Like he was always who he is today.
"He comes, back, we all leave for Ichiraku. Deal?" Sakura said "If you dont, I will"
"Me too" Said Shikamaru.
"All of us, right Ino" Said Temari
"Yeah. Who needs that much tomato in their food, anyway…" Ino said.
Naruto walked back to the table as everyone was standing up.
"Hey guys. Whats going on?" Naruto asked. "Were leaving?"
There was an actual glimmer of hope in his eyes
"Yeah. This place is such a drag, right?" Shikamaru said
"Yeah, datebayo!" Naruto said, joy coming back to his face, much to Sakuras delight. "Miso pork, here I go!"
As they got up, the owner went to talk to them.
"Are you leaving? Is everything alright?" he asked.
And suddenly it came. A white-hot rage inside of her. A very protective instinct, mixed with more fury than shes used to, even with her temper.
HOW DARE HE? ASK IF EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT? LIKE NOTHING EVER HAPPENED?
THAT MISERABLE…
EVIL PIECE OF…
AAAAARGH!
'LET ME AT HIM! LET ME TAKE THE WHELL! CHA!'
'TAKE THE WHEEL!'
Sakura looked at him with a fake smile
"Oh, nothings wrong, really. Except I heard the OWNER OF THIS DUMP HAS A HABIT OF BEATING UP 9-YEAR OLDS FOR NO REASON!" Said Inner Sakura, taking control
And punching the man in the stomach.
"Come on, guys! I need some Chiken ramen!" Sakura said, walking out.
She could almost feel Naruto smiling, behind her.
'Yeah! That will teach him not to mess with our Naruto! Cha!'
'YEAH! Wait, 'our' Naruto?'
'Oh, right. Sorry. Spoiler alert!'
'No, its not like that.'
'Again, Im literally you'
As they walked to Ichiraku, she looked back at Naruto. He had such a smile on his face. As if it was the very sun, shining and brightening everything around it.
And she felt good shes partially responsible for this glowing dawn.