Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

The moon glowed radiantly in the night, its glow peeking into the dimly lit office that overlooked the village below. In the office a desk chair creaked and leaned back as the woman sitting in it stretched her arms. "Uwaaa~! Finally I'm done...!" She said to herself, grunting in relief as she felt the muscles in her back and arms come back to life from her stretch. Just after, she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake. Her pupils shrunk slightly in glee as her smile widened and drool ran from her mouth; surely a look that betrayed her striking features. "Now I can kick back and drink to my hearts' content~!" She gleefully told herself, pouring herself a dish of the rice wine and sipping it down.

"Puuha! That's the stuff!" She told herself, swiveling in her chair as she stared down at the village below. Her smile fell to a more somber look; as she watched the still busy streets below. She couldn't help but think about how she fell into this role almost too easily. It was all so bizarre to her; it felt like just yesterday she was exploring the world with Shizune, gambling and drinking whenever she possibly could. "It hasn't even been that long since I took up the position, but I feel like I've been at it for years..." She muttered to herself, sipping down another serving of the alcoholic beverage.

As she took another sip of her drink, her eyes glanced down to see a flash of blonde run through the lit up streets. "There he goes, the little brat..." She pointed out, smirking a bit as she set her dish down. "Guess I'd have him to thank for all of this... Damn kid's too stubborn for his own good." She commented, swiveling back in her chair to face the rest of her office; sighing loudly at the quiet room. "Still, he could be a little less of a pain in the ass! The amount of times I had to go to the hospital personally just so he wouldn't do anything rash while still injured was way to high!" She complained, pouring herself more sake and drinking it down. She let out a gruff sigh, before a smile laid on her features. "Still... Can't stay mad at the brat." She pointed out to herself, setting the dish back down.

*Knock Knock*

"You may enter." She told her visitor, as the door opened. "Ah, Kakashi. Good to see you." She greeted the masked man, who stepped in and closed the door behind him.

The gray haired jounin rubbed the back of his head, as he walked to her desk. "Good evening, Lady Hokage." He greeted back, giving a rather informal bow.

The pale blonde woman laughed as she looked at the man in front of her. "Kakashi, you may call me Lady Tsunade if you'd like." She offered, hoping to ease the man's nerves around her.

Kakashi sighed a bit in relief as he stood fully. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." He thanked, closing his eye as he gave an eye smile to her.

Tsunade's smile faded as she looked at the man, while folding her arms on her desk. "So, you're here to give me a report, yes?" She asked, assuming that's why he was coming to see her.

The masked man nodded as he pulled out two files, and placed them on her desk. "I originally was only going to gauge their combat abilities, but due to last minute changes I decided it would be best to also gauge their team work." He explained, allowing her to read Naruto and Sakuras write ups.

The blonde read the files in front of her, as her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I see... Thank you for bringing these to me, Kakashi." She thanked him, while resting her chin on her palm, using her arm as support. "Still, I'm not totally surprised by all of this... Especially Naruto's 'lack of communication and not understanding how to work with others'." She quoted, her eyes glancing back up at Kakashi. "Nice wording, by the way." She commented, holding the boy's file.

Kakashi folded his arms as his eye closed slightly. "It's because of his upbringing; he was always alone, so he always had to get things done on his own. He was starting to show progress... But I guess what happened with Sasuke has made him regress... Almost as though he's afraid to trust a comrade again." He commented, raising his concerns about the boy's well being.

Tsunade leaned back in her seat, staring down at Naruto's picture on the file. "Can you blame him? I read the report that you filled out about what happened, and I heard directly from Sakura in gruesome detail about what you saw... Sasuke didn't just beat him, he could have killed him, but he didn't... He tried to break him." She explained, her eyes narrowing as she grimaced. "I can relate to betrayal like that..." She muttered, her thoughts briefly drifting to the snake himself, Orochimaru.

Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose, while also staring down at the file. "I could talk to him about it... Unfortunately, all these years of bottling his negativity has made Naruto damn near impossible to talk to about heavier subjects. He always finds a way to get out of it." He pointed out, putting a hand on his hip. "All we can do is wait... See if he brings up these concerns on his own, or simply... Moves on from what happened." He proposed, hoping Tsunade would agree.

The blonde sighed a bit as she looked up at him. "Sadly, you're right. All we can do is hope for the best, and maybe Sakura can get through to him." She concluded, as she looked down at Sakura's file. "Speaking of Sakura..."

Day 2

*ACHOO!*

The sound shook the room as the pinkette awoke from her slumber, rubbing her nose lazily with her arm. "I hate sleeping in a cold room..." She muttered, getting out of bed and stretching her limbs. Her eyes wandered her way to the still broken air conditioner; her eyebrows furrowing as she huffed in annoyance. "I don't even have Naruto's coat this time to warm up...!" She whined, rubbing her hand through her messy pink locks, while walking to the bathroom.

As she closed the door to the bathroom, her eyes slowly opened more and more. "Wait... Huh? Why did I think of Naruto so soon after I woke up?" She asked herself as she turned on the faucet to her shower, watching water screech out of the showerhead.

Oh come now, did you seriously forget about what you said yesterday? Inner asked, a huff escaping her non existent lips.

Sakura shook her head as she looked toward her bathroom mirror, dropping her shirt onto the floor. "I didn't. It's just... Wasn't expecting it was all." She explained halfheartedly, disrobing completely and stepping into the shower. A sigh escaped the girl's lips, as she began washing away the previous day.

Seriously? You think I'm gonna buy the 'Oh, I just wasn't expecting to think about him so soon!' crap? Inner asked, kicking down and stepping all over Sakura's lie.

The pinkette looked up as she was washing her hair, as a slight look of annoyance showed on her face. "You already know what it is, why do you even bother asking?" She asked back, reminding her inner self that she was still a part of her.

Oh I know. I just want you to say it. Inner replied, and if Sakura didn't know any better, she could've sworn Inner was smirking.

Sakura looked down, groaning all the while as she finished washing her body. "Fine...! I may have said that last night..." She trailed off, before leaning against the shower wall, and hugging herself. "...But I'm also kinda anxious..." She said quietly, before turning off the shower and stepping out.

After finishing drying up and getting dressed, she walked back into her room. She slipped on her shoes, before sitting back on her bed. "I mean... Why wouldn't I be? I've never been in love more than once..." She explained, getting up and walking toward her porch. She then blinked, before looking over at her desk; gazing at her forehead protector folded and resting neatly. She then took a deep breath, and opened the porch door; her eyes squinting at the sunlight in front of her. "Well... Guess I'll enjoy my day off before tonight." She told herself, before jumping off her porch.

So what you're saying is that you're going to be nervous all day, and not be able to really enjoy yourself at all? Inner asked, attempting to translate Sakura's words.

N-No, that's not what I'm saying at all! Sakura responded, denying her inner self's words as she walked through town.

"...I hate it when I'm right..." She muttered as she stood near Ichiraku's, watching the sun go down. Her eyebrow twitched as she watched the sunset, as she thought back to the day up until that point.

I was aimlessly wandering around town for half of the day... Ino was too busy to talk to me, so I was stuck with nothing to do... She thought to herself, kicking the dirt beneath her. So I went to the usual cafe and wouldn't you know it, I was so shaky from the thought of being on a date with that blonde idiot that I couldn't even properly relax! She mentally shouted in annoyance, sighing heavily as the sun fully set; veiling her in twilight.

The pinkette started tapping her foot in annoyance as she looked around, her patience starting to wear thin. "Not to mention... Naruto was supposed to be here by now, so where is he?..." She asked herself, agitation filling her voice.

Hopefully he's coming. He could've just decided not to at the last minute. Inner chimed in, giving a very real possibility to the pink haired girl.

Sakura's face twisted into a grimace as she looked down, hoping she wasn't right again. The last thing her confidence needed was being stood up, and by Naruto of all people. "Come on, girl... Don't get yourself worked up." She told herself quietly, lightly smacking her cheeks. "He'll come... He has to..." She muttered in hope, while squeezing her arm nervously.

"Uhm, are you talking to yourself?" A voice asked, causing the pinkette to jump a bit, turning to face the source of the voice immediately. A laugh escaped the person as they gave her a grin. "Sheesh, didn't mean to scare you, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, laughing all the while.

Sakura folded her arms as an annoyed pout formed on her lips and her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "You're lucky I didn't deck you for that one, Baka..." She pointed out, while tapping her foot. "Any particular reason why you're late?" She asked him, her fingers tapping her arms as impatience veiled her person.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he looked at the irritated girl, all the while folding his arms behind his head. "Well, you never actually said when you wanted to come here, you just said 'tomorrow'." He reminded her, seeing her irritation fade from her face, only to be replaced with confusion.

Sakura's arms fell while staring at the blonde. "I-I didn't say when to meet here?" She asked, surprised by her own lack of detail.

The blonde shook his head while looking over at the store. "Nope, so I've spent the day occasionally checking in to see if you were around. Guess I got lucky this time!" The blonde explained, as a cheeky grin formed on his whisker adorned face.

I guess his considerate nature counters your carelessness. Inner remarked, making a jab at her own failure.

Sakura hung her head as she gave a light sigh. "S-Sorry... Guess I didn't think this all the way through." She apologized, looking back at the blonde.

The boy chuckled as he lowered his arms. "Don't worry about it, us hanging out is already enough of a foreign concept, can't blame you for forgetting a couple things." He responded, waving off the apology as he walked past her toward the ramen shop.

Well, he certainly knows how to hit the nail on the head... Sakura commented inwardly as she looked toward him, a frown forming on her features.

As she was about to step inside with him, she felt something... Off. She turned and started looking around, she could feel someone's gaze on her. Her eyes glanced around in every direction, but she couldn't see anything. I could've sworn...

"Sakura-chan, you gonna just stand out there?" The blonde asked, the pinkette turning to find him smiling at her.

Sakura shook her head in response as she walked in, as a man stepped out from around a corner. His being veiled in darkness as he watched the two walk back into the ramen booth. "Well, she's more aware of her surroundings than I expected." Kakashi commented, leaning against the wall and opening his book.

It may be disrespectful, but I need to know what exactly is going on between them... He thought to himself, staring at the building for a few moments before looking down at his book. It's for the best.

The blonde sat down on his usual seat, his grin widening as he closed his eyes. "Oii, old man I'll have a large pork ramen!" He told the owner, his cheeky grin never wavering.

Teuchi looked over, laughing a bit as he saw the blonde. "Back again, huh? Alright, and what would the little miss like?" He asked the pinkette, causing her to look at him.

Sakura put a finger to her chin as she sat down at the booth; letting out a humming noise. "...I'll have the same?" She half asked, clearly not used to coming here.

"Wow, That's a gutsy move. Naruto-kun says a large pork ramen, but his definition of the word large is very different from what we actually serve." Ayame pointed out as she walked from the back.

Sakura laughed nervously as she looked at the woman, before hanging her head. "I-Is that so?..." She asked rhetorically, her diet plan effectively being thrown out the window.

Oh please, that diet was just starving yourself. Inner pointed out, huffing all the while. Just enjoy it. She ordered herself.

Sakura took a deep breath, before looking at Ayame with a smirk. "Well, bring it on! I'm sure I can handle... It..." She trailed off, her confidence wavering as the bowl was placed in front of her, visibly shaking the counter.

Oh... Uh... Good luck! Inner cheered her on, uncertainty filling her voice.

"Aah! That was fantastic!" The blonde sighed happily as they walked through the streets, patting his now full belly. "Nothing like a bowl of ramen to make my night!" He commented, a toothy grin showing on his features. He then looked over at the pinkette. "Thanks for the meal, Sakura-chan!" He thanked her, hearing only a mumble in response. He blinked as he leaned over a bit to get a better look at her face. "Sakura-chan?" He called out again.

The pinkette had a hand over her mouth, and her face was paler than usual. "Urf..." She choked out, her eyes narrowing. "I regret eating all of that..." She finally spoke, regret filling her voice.

Naruto laughed as he folded his arms behind his head. "Alright then, wanna go find a place to sit? I doubt all this walking feels good on your belly." He offered, looking toward the park ahead of them.

Sakura couldn't retort, it was taking everything she had not to throw up. All she could do was nod in response as she followed him to the park.

After finding a bench the pinkette sat down, taking a deep breath. "Oh my god that feels so much better...!" She told him, relief washing over her features.

Naruto chuckled at her reaction to being able to sit down, before folding his arms behind his head. "Your face still looks really pale... Want anything to drink? There should be a vending machine around here." He offered once again, concerned that she was still feeling nauseous.

The young girl nodded as she pinched the bridge of her nose; shutting her eyes tightly. "Water would be amazing, thanks..." She requested, the relief leaving her almost immediately. She heard the blonde's footsteps get quieter and quieter, signaling that he wasn't within earshot of her. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked around; the park being softly lit by street lamps.

It was quite relaxing for her; the cool summer breeze, and the quiet from the lack of people around. It was nights like these that Sakura loved above all else, nights where she could stay there for hours in the quiet and simply appreciate it. It also gave her time to think.

I hope I didn't mess things up by getting nauseous... She thought to herself, chastising her own stubbornness. She really shouldn't have powered down that huge bowl of ramen.

Honestly I think your stubbornness is what saved this 'date'. Inner responded, as the pinkette looked toward where the blonde was. Cause here's the thing... You two didn't talk at all when you were at Ichiraku. Not once. If you hadn't gotten sick from overeating, Naruto probably would've just left. She explained to herself, as the pinkette let out a sigh.

Well... I guess making myself look like an idiot was worth it... If I actually end up talking to him, that is. She told herself, watching the blonde come back.

The blonde smiled as he held up two cans. "Sorry about the wait. The water got jammed, so I had to get something else for you. Hope you like strawberry." He explained, holding the pink can toward her.

Sakura accepted the drink, opening it and taking a sip. "Good guess. And thank you." She thanked, sighing in relief at the cool drink.

"Blech..."

The pinkette blinked at the sudden noise as she looked over at the blonde. "Something wrong?" She asked, seeing the blonde cringing a bit.

Said blonde looked at her, before laughing nervously. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing!" He told her, laughing a bit as the pinkette raised an eyebrow at his antics.

Well he was cringing for some reason, what was... it... Her thoughts trailed off as she looked at the can he was drinking from. Black coffee.

"...Snrk..."

The blonde caught the noise as he looked at her. "Uh, Sakura-chan? You okay?" He asked, seeing the pinkette tremble in a hunched state.

This concern was blown away by a wave of laughter coming from Sakura, as she was covering her mouth. "D-Did you seriously get black coffee to try and look cool?!" She asked, her giggling breaking up her sentence.

The blonde pouted in response as he folded his arms. "...I don't have to answer that." He grumbled, before looking down at the can. "I just wish there was some sugar in it, it's so bitter!" He whined, pouting all the while. This only made the pinkette laugh even more, as she put a hand to her chest. The boy could only smile at her amusement, happy to see that she was enjoying herself.

The pinkette's laughter started to die down as she wiped her eyes from the building tears, giggles occasionally escaping her lips. "I-I'm sorry...! I shouldn't have laughed so much, but for some reason... It was just so funny!" She explained, catching her breath and giving him a wide smile.

Naruto could only chuckle in response, finishing his drink and crushing the can. "Hey, I'm glad I was able to make you feel better. You don't look nauseous anymore, too." He pointed out, before sitting next to her.

Sakura nodded, smiling as she put a hand on her chest; still catching her breath. "Yeah... Thank you." She thanked him, her face slightly flushed from her laughter.

After that, silence fell upon the two. The blonde had sat down next to her on the bench, and neither were looking at each other. It would have been awkward, had it not been for the peaceful and beautiful scenery in front of them. The park was gently a lit from lamps spread across it; all the while fireflies complimented the lights by dotting themselves all across the park.

"Breathtaking..."

The pinkette blinked, as she looked over to find the blonde staring at her. Her pupils slowly shrunk as her face started to grow red. "H-Huh?" Was all she could utter out, but it was all that was needed to snap Naruto back into reality.

The boy stammered as he realized what he said, before turning back to the park. "T-The scenery, I mean! Y-Yeah, suuuper pretty!" He stuttered out, clearly tripping over his words, and clearly full of shit.

The young girl chuckled silently as she looked back at the park. "Yeah... It really is." She responded, deciding to go along with his bad cover up.

Actually... Fuck it. She thought to herself, as a shadow of a smirk appeared on her features. I think I'm gonna investigate that little slip up... She thought to herself deviously, as her plan started to take form.

"But Naruto, how could you say the scenery is breathtaking?" She asked, causing the blonde to look over at her in confusion.

His eyes closed as his eyebrow raised. "Well... I mean it is." He answered, not really understanding why she asked him that.

Sakura folded her arms and crossed her legs, all the while staring at the blonde. "Can't really appreciate the beauty of this place, when up until now your eyes were glued to me." She pointed out, waiting to see his response.

The blonde immediately sat up straight from his relaxed position, his eyes wide as he began sweating bullets.

Bulls-eye.

The pinkette leaned over, resting her elbows on her now crossed legs, and resting her chin on her hands as a alluring smile spread across her cheeks. "So tell me... Why did you say breathtaking?" She asked, taking notice of the blonde staring at more than just her face. All that meant to her, was that he had fallen right into her trap.

Oh this is fun. You need to do this more! Inner pointed out, clearly enjoying herself.

Naruto, at this point, was as red as a tomato. Sakura was already gorgeous to him, and this only made it even more difficult for him to get a word in edge wise. "Y-Y-You know why, Sakura-chan..." He answered, hoping that would be enough. He wasn't surprised that it wasn't enough, but what did surprise him was what Sakura did next.

The pinkette put a hand down on the bench between them, and leaned in really close to the blonde. Naruto could feel her breath on his nose and cheeks as she looked deep into his eyes. "I want to hear it straight from you, Naruto..." She ordered, her voice veiled in sincerity and allure. "Tell me... Do you find me breathtaking?... Why do you?..." She asked him, her face slightly flushed as her stare never wavered.

Her last question caused the blonde's eyes to widen, knocking him back into his senses. He knew what she was up to, and he wasn't going to let his emotions get the better of him again. His eyes closed slightly as he gave her a surprisingly solemn stare, in spite of his flushed face.

"Not until the seventh day..." He answered calmly and quietly. He could see the pinkette's alluring stare crack and shatter to pieces, her eyes slowly widening as her smile faded to a frown as she slowly backed away from him.

I'm such an idiot... They both thought, as the blonde got up from the bench and the pinkette stared down at her legs, not daring to look at the boy in front of her.

Sakura's pupils were as tiny as dots as her mouth was left somewhat opened, she couldn't even believe not only how far she went, but also the things she started saying. He must be furious... He probably thinks I was playing with his emotions again... She thought to herself grimly.

To be fair, you kinda were. Inner pointed out, sighing a bit. You might want to work on your teasing skills. Mostly the words, you had the allure going perfect! She added, trying to lighten Sakura's mood.

Sakura shut her mouth tightly as guilt washed over her being. She slowly looked up at the boy in front of her, who still had his back to her.

Naruto...

"N-Naruto, I'm..."

"Four days..." He suddenly said, cutting the pinkette off as he looked back at her. A sheepish look formed on the blonde's face as he rubbed the back of his head. "The summer festival's in four days... Wanna go together?" He asked her, not looking her in the eye.

Sakura stared at the blonde with big eyes, not expecting him to ask her out. Maybe he just wants to move past what just happened... She concluded, before smiling softly. "Sure... That sounds great." She answered, accepting his invitation as she got up from the bench.

She looked up at the stars, taking in a deep breath. "Well... I should be getting home... Don't want to be out all night, ya know?" She asked rhetorically, giving the blonde a small smile.

The blonde nodded, before giving a toothy grin. "Alright, run on home now!" He exclaimed, rubbing her head and laughing all the while.

The pinkette grunted as she furrowed her eyebrows. "H-Hey, stop it! You're messing up my hair!" She told him, pulling his hand off her head; her hair was quite ruffled as she gave the blonde an angry pout. "You're lucky I'm going home, otherwise you'd be one foot in the grave..." She warned him, as she cracked her knuckles.

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine as he laughed nervously. "G-Guess touching hair is a no go..." He uttered, his voice cracking a bit in fear.

Sakura huffed as she put her hands on her hips. "You got that right." She told him, before turning away. "Anyways... I'm leaving now, good night, Baka." She told him, bidding her farewell to the blonde.

"G'night, Sakura-chan." He responded, waving to her as she walked off into the darkness.

Once he could no longer feel her presence, he took a long and deep breath. "You can come out now, Sensei..." He told his teacher, looking at nothing in particular as the jounin appeared behind him.

Kakashi walked over to the blonde, while closing his book. "I'm surprised you knew I was here, Naruto. Your observation has improved greatly." He complimented the boy, who turned to look at his teacher.

The boy could only frown as he stared at the man in front of him. "Why were you spying on us?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The gray haired man shook his head, before walking past the boy. "I wanted to make sure everything was okay between the two of you. Neither of you have been yourselves since you were recovered, and now I see why." He explained, before looking back at the boy. "So now I need you to tell me... What are you hiding from Sakura?" He asked the blonde behind him.

The blonde's eyes were hidden in shadow, as the wind began to pick up and rustle the trees around them. His fists could only tighten, as he finally started to tell his teacher the truth. His words were deafened to any possible passersby by the wind, leaving only his teacher with the truth.

Eyyyyyyy. Been a while.

So yeah, life be busy! Finally found the opportunity and the desire to right the rest of this chapter. And yes, I did say rest. 75% of this chapter was finished in April.

Anywho, the date seemingly went well. But there's something yet to be seen, and only Kakashi knows what exactly is going on! Who knows what'll happen?!

Later.