Having encountered the members, Naruto got a gist of why they were there. Thankfully, it wasn't to capture Gaara, but to find Deidara who was on the run, and recruit him, while he just so happened to be in Sunagakure.
As for their attempt on Gaara...well, as Kankuro said, they had no intention of engaging initially, but did so when they were pursued. In short, they brought it upon themselves...
Naruto rubbed his temples
"Well, I still can't be one hundred percent sure that they won't attack, but I'm ninety percent sure considering how they were about to leave Sunagakure entirely" Naruto muttered
"This will be fun" A small smile crept onto his face as he looked up and let out a creepy laughter
[Kid, stop laughing like that, I warned you so many damn times!]
'...'
Naruto returned to Kankuro's home, where Tayuya was also waiting. He had her stay with the clone he made, since he wasn't sure what would happen during his confrontation with the Akatsuki members.
"How'd it go? Did you find the ones you're looking for?" Tayuya asked
"Yeah, I had fun"
"That's not what I asked"
"It was fun" Naruto replied
"....you're a dumba*s" Tayuya cussed
"And you're a b*tch" Naruto said
"So you can respond normally" Tayuya rolled her eyes and said
"I'm just in a pretty good mood" Naruto said as he licked the side of his lips with a smile
"Stop smiling like that, it's creepy" Tayuya said with a disdainful look on her face
"..."
'Why do people keep saying that? Is it that bad?' Naruto wondered
[Worse than you can imagine] Kurama replied
Naruto sighed
'I should ask Ino if she finds it creepy'
[She definitely does, pretty sure she mentioned it before]
'That was before we started dating officially, kay~'
Kurama rolled his eyes, he gets the feeling that Ino will be very honest with her opinions, but he didn't mention it.
"Naruto, you're back?" Gaara entered the room with Kankuro, his eyes brightened up when he saw Naruto.
"Yep, I've got some good news and bad news, which one do you want?" Naruto asked
Kankuro frowned
"What's the bad news" He asked
"The Akatsuki were stronger than I thought, and there were four of them here" He said
!!!
"Four! This is bad, do we need to relocate Gaara?" Kankuro asked
"Ah ah ah, I said there was also good news" Naruto wagged his finger and said
Kankuro bit the bottom of his lips, can't this guy just give him all the information at once? Why drag it out like this?
"Then, what's the good news?" He asked
Naruto revealed a grin
"The good news is that they are not going to stay, they were here to recruit a new member, and just so happened to run into you and Gaara, otherwise, they would not have engaged you" Naruto said
"Th-This...so Gaara is safe?" Kankuro asked
"Not quite, only for now, because they are definitely still going to target the Ichibi, so what I need you to do is make sure I am updated on any possible movements of the Akatsuki around the village" Naruto said
"Will do, we owe you another favour" Kankuro said
"Hey now, I said it when I gave you my kunai, use it how you will, this isn't a favour, this is helping a friend" Naruto punched his chest lightly and grinned
Kankuro's eyes softened even more
"Yeah, thanks then, friend" Kankuro laughed
"I want to join in" Gaara poked his head between them and said
!!!!!
'So-So precious!!!!!' His eyes looked up at them with innocence and shimmered with eagerness, it was simply too much on their hearts!
"Yes, we're great friends" Naruto laughed as he patted Gaara's shoulders
Gaara's eyes curved as he smiled
"It's nice" He said
"I won't stay any longer, I left the village without notifying anyone, so the Hokage must be having a headache right now" Naruto said
"Take care" Kankuro and Gaara said
Naruto grabbed Tayuya and Kimimaro
"I'll visit often, don't forget to prepare some local specialities for me next time" Naruto winked
"Of course" Kankuro and Gaara both nodded as they watched him leave.
-Konoha-
"So, you left because..." Tsunade tapped the table and asked Naruto, who was seated by the side.
"Uh, yeah, a friend from Sunagakure called me over, so I hopped over" Naruto replied
"...Sunagakure? The one that attacked our village during the Chunin exam?" Tsunade's lips twitched as she asked
"Yeah, them, but hey, I made a few friends there, I don't look at politics when I look at personal relationships" Naruto shrugged
"Then what about Kumogakure?" She asked
Naruto smiled
"Oh them? I don't hate them~" Naruto laughed as he waved his hands
"Really?" Tsunade asked
Naruto's laughter paused, he then stared back with dark eyes
"I didn't lie, I don't hate them, I loathe them, but I'm not so petty to harm the innocent, I will dig even deeper, find out who it was that was involved with the nine tail's attack, and kill every last one of them" Naruto's eyes flashed with ferocity.
Kumogakure may have been why his parents died, but they are not to be blamed as an entirety. He isn't so blinded by rage that he would harm the civilians there, or people who were clueless about Kumo's cooperation with Danzo and the third party that he is still trying to figure out.
"Good, knowing where to direct your anger is good, sometimes I wonder how you're this mature for your age"
"Sis, when you were young, you lived through war, that is why you are able to steel your heart and make tough decisions, as for me? I lived a life where I could hardly trust people, and felt no connection with anyone, I needed to be mature, or I'll die" Naruto replied
Tsunade leaned on one hand as she listened, when he finished, she gestured for him to walk over to her.
"Come here, next to me" She said
"Mn, and?" Naruto stopped right next to her
*Bang*
Tsunade's fist came down like a meteor, striking his head slammed him into the ground
"Don't go thinking you have no one to lean on, that may be the case of your past, but not anymore" She said
"Tsss, was hitting me really necessary? I appreciate the motivation, but not the action" Naruto rubbed his head as he got back up
"You can leave now, I'll just tell the elders that you left on a mission I assigned" Tsunade said as she waved her hand
"Aw, thanks sis~" Naruto said coquettishly
"Gross, get out, don't disturb my work" Tsunade said
"Kay~"
Naruto then returned home with Tayuya and Kimimaro in tow.
"Hey, I can get used to this, just keep making clones so I can stay home and sleep around" Tayuya nudged Naruto and said
"You are actually quite close to what I plan to do, however, instead of sleeping around, you will be training with Haku whenever you can" Naruto said
"Urgh...well, he's fun to mess with, better than following you around" She muttered
[Seems like she's having fun with the twink]
'Don't go calling Haku that-....wait, where did you even learn that term?'
[I was bored, so went back to looking through your memories]
'....well, as long as you enjoy it'
[I do fufufufu]
Naruto noticed that Kimimaro's complexion has been looking a lot better compared to when he first met him.
'Perhaps the nine tails chakra is helping him more than I expected'
"Yo Haku-nii, Tayuya is back if you want to train with her" Naruto called out
"He's in the courtyard" Zabuza's voice travelled in from the kitchen
"Kay~"
Kimimaro went to the kitchen to help out Zabuza. He started to learn cooking from him to pass the time, while Tayuya went and followed Naruto to the backyard.
*Bang*
The moment they stepped out, a piece of ice flew past them, and smashed into the wall before shattering.
'Would you look at that' Naruto's eyes widened with what he witnessed.
Haku summoned a wave of ice towards someone, and at the same time, created an ice mirror within the wave of ice. He stepped back into another mirror, and when the ice wave struck the opponent, he appeared right in front.
*Swoosh*
Senbons were thrown out upon leaving the mirror, and Haku then struck out with a palm strike.
His palm became blue, as if it was frozen.
*Ding*
The senbons he threw were repelled by a powerful spinning force, and a palm strike was returned.
*Bang*
Their palms met, and on contact, Haku coughed out blood before getting set flying back, slamming into the ice wave he made earlier.
*Cough*
Haku wobbled up
"You did better than before"
It was now that they got a clearer look at who it was. Hinata walked over to Haku, and reached a hand out to him.
"Thanks...but I don't think I'm getting closer to beating you" Haku said wryly
Hinata smiled
"You'll catch up soon" She replied
After she helped Haku up, the two finally realised Naruto and Tayuya.
"N-Naruto....h-hi" Hinata waved, but when she saw Tayuya, her expression became sharper.
"Sup, didn't expect you to be here, Hinata, but I'm glad you can spar with nii-san" Naruto said with a cheerful smile.
"Mn..." Hinata nodded, but she kept staring at Tayuya
"Right, I don't think you met yet, this is Tayuya Uzumaki, my cousin" Naruto said as he pushed Tayuya up
"You're lying" Hinata said immediately
"Aw shucks, am I that easy to read? Fine~, she's actually my bodyguard"
"That's also a lie, you are stronger than her" Hinata said, her voice was slowly becoming colder with every word he spoke.
"Fine, fine, I'm using her for a human experiment where life and death is possible if not managed well, thus, she needs to remain by my side" Naruto sighed and said truthfully
"...I don't sense any trace of lying...but why does it sound so unrealistic" Hinata muttered to herself
"Oi oi oi, don't go talking about someone when they're right here" Tayuya interjected
"You're right, mind if you introduce yourself to her?" Naruto said
Tayuya smirked
"Sure~" She said
She turned to Hinata, then put on a look of anguish.
"He...he uses my body however he wishes, and poured his substances into my body on a daily basis, I-I-, I'm being used so casually after being forcibly taken from my home" She covered her face with her hands as she burst into tears.
"...beast" Haku said with a dead pan look
"Oi oi oi, wording, I mean, it's true, but wording" Naruto exclaimed
"I-It's true?" Hinata gasped
Naruto lifted a brow, he then noticed Tayuya's smirk before she covered her face with her hands again.
*Swoosh*
Hinata appeared in front of Tayuya with her fingers pointed at Tayuya's throat
"The Naruto I know is dedicated to only one person, that is why I am willing to pursue him, because he is honest and is willing to do his best for those around him, if you are trying to slander him in front of me, I will not show mercy" Her voice was laced with venom, every word she said rang in their ears, making them shiver uncontrollably.
Haku and Naruto were both in stupor as one thought came to their minds...
'H-Hardcore'
Tayuya on the other hand, her fake tears stopped running, instead, she ws sweating buckets!
Hinata's tone was so cold and sharp that she wondered if she was really facing a girl, or if she was facing orochimaru himself! The killing intent emitted from her was scarily dense, and she could see blood drip from Hinata's lips as she gnashed her teeth too tightly!
'Scary! She's too scary! Orochimaru-sama, save me! I don't want to be here anymore!' Tayuya screamed in her heart.
Naruto's lips twitched
'It's funny how much stronger Tayuya is compared to Hinata, but is still so scared of her'
He knows how strong Hinata is from the duel he just witnessed, and he also knows how strong Tayuya is from the duel they had the other day. It was obvious who'd win in a fight, but at this very moment, it seems she is being suppressed in terms of momentum.
"Hey, you're really not going to take her in?" Haku nudged Naruto and whispered
"Of course not, I will only dedicate myself to one person" Naruto whispered back
"But she's so awesome" Haku said
"If that's all it takes to like someone, would you expect me to feel the same way about your dad?" Naruto cussed
!!!!
Haku quickly shook his head
"See, just cause she's awesome, it doesn't mean I'll like her romantically"
"Difference is, she is into you" Haku replied
"Won't make a difference" Naruto shrugged
"Well, I won't force you on this" Haku shrugged as well
Meanwhile, Tayuya was apologising to Hinata...
'Perhaps I should ask her to keep Tayuya in check' Naruto rubbed his chin and laughed in his heart.
He has never seen Tayuya this submissive before, not even in front of Orochimaru.
"Tayuya, wanna re-introduce yourself now?" Naruto smiled
"Yeah..." Tayuya said in a depressed manner
Tayuya then told Hinata about her actual purpose, how she was just helping Naruto with an experiment related to seals. Only after making everything clear did Hinata's complexion return to normal.
"See, was it so hard to act like a normal human being? Jeez, you made Hinata so angry" Naruto sighed as he shook his head
"Urgh, what is up with that girl" Tayuya grumbled
"Dunno" Naruto shrugged
To him, Hinata is a respectable person, she's strong willed and really f**king awesome. But those changes were caused by her feelings for him, which made him feel conflicted.
Her changes aren't bad, but what if one day that will breaks? He will keep rejecting her, that is how it will go, but each rejection will definitely hurt.
'I hope she can grow with a better motivation in mind, or find a better target than me, I'm too selfish for that' Naruto sighed inwardly
"I'll go back home now, but I'll visit often" Hinata said
"Sure~, Haku-nii will surely be happy to have more people to spar with" Naruto said with a smile
"Mn" Hinata nodded
She stared at Naruto for a bit, then at Tayuya...
"Naruto" She asked
"Yeah?"
"If...you conduct the same experiment on me, will I get to stay by your side like she is?" She asked as she pointed at Tayuya.
Naruto was bewildered, he didn't think Hinata would go this far.
"No" He said resolutely
"This experiment is dangerous, and she is picked because I find her to be more expendable than those I am close with" Naruto said with a cold tone
"The f**k does that mean!?" Tayuya slapped the back of his head and shouted
Naruto didn't turn around, and faced Hinata with a stubborn frown. Hinata didn't linger on it, and simply nodded.
"Alright, then I'll just have to find other ways" She said as she reached out one hand, and clenched it into a fist.
"Naruto, I know this road is hopeless, so do not feel burdened by my feelings, I walk it to satisfy my own selfishness, someday, I may finally give up, but that day is not today" She said as she slammed her fist into her own chest, looking incredibly resolute as she spoke.
She then turned around, and jumped out the courtyard.
"...."
"Nii-san..."
"Yeah?"
"Why is she so cool" Naruto asked
"She became that cool for you lil bro" Haku replied
"I seriously don't deserve her" Naruto sighed
"I agree"
"Hey now, that was the moment where you're supposed to comfort me and say I'm good in my own way" Naruto clicked his tongue and said
"You're terrible in nearly every way, especially that creepy smile" Haku replied
"Right!?" Tayuya joined in and agreed
"His smile is damn aweful!" Tayuya added
"And weird" Haku nodded
"It makes me shiver" Tayuya continued
"I wonder if it's even humanly possible to be that creepy" Haku held his arms and muttered
"Oi oi oi, the f**k are you two talking about when I'm right here???" Naruto exclaimed in stupor, weren't they talking about Hinata? Why did it turn out this way!?
Haku smiled
"Anyway, It's funny how a girl way out of your league is chasing after you, yet you're never going to accept her" He said
"I will not disagree with that, I also think she's out of my league, she's an amazing person, just, I already have feelings for Ino, call it bad timing I guess" Naruto replied
Tayuya glanced between the two of them
'They have some pretty good synergy, no wonder they're siblings' She thought
Naruto let out a chuckle
"Well, have fun playing with a girl's feelings" Haku patted his back and said
"Nii-san, when have I ever played with a girl's feelings?"
"Aw, did our little Naruto forget? You confessed to me way back then, and used it as a method to follow me home....then bombed me and my dad" Haku said with a wink
'The f**k?!' Tayuya gasped in her heart
Naruto rolled his eyes
"Nii-san, are you calling yourself a girl now?"
"You played with my innocent heart" Haku sighed as he placed a hand on his cheek
"Bah, innocent my a*s, your kill count is higher than the years I lived when that happened" Naruto raised the middle finger at him and said
Haku chuckled
"Well, jokes aside, handle Hinata's situation well, I can't bear to see that girl get hurt" He said
"You like her?" Naruto asked
"Pfft, she's way out of my league" Haku waved his hand and said
Naruto laughed and nudged Haku
"Right, I found a way so Tayuya can stay home with you from now on to train" Naruto said
"Really now? What a good little brother you are~" Haku smiled
"Tch, I'm still annoyed about being the little brother" Naruto muttered
"I hope you are, little bro" Haku revealed a smug grin
'So this is how Shukaku feels....I think I'm starting to find him to be more relatable' Naruto sighed in his heart
Naruto ruffled his hair and sighed once more, ever since Haku had him call him nii-san, he's been getting more and more carried away with it.
"Anyway, I'm gonna go visit Orochimaru again, there are some matters I need to discuss with him" Naruto said
"Go ahead~" Haku waved
"Do you want to tag along to meet him?" Naruto asked Tayuya
"Nah" Tayuay waved her hand, living here was much more comfortable, so she'd rather not go back if necessary.
"Suit yourself" Naruto said
Naruto had some inquiries he wanted from Orochimaru. After he met the Akatsuki at Sunagakure, he got the feeling that they might have been related to the nine tails being released.
The basis being that they were after the tailed beasts, so it is possible that they attempted to capture it at that time, but couldn't find a chance to do so. Of course, it could also be a coincidence, as it was an incident from many years ago.
-Orochimaru's lair-
Naruto teleported in, whilst in disguise, in case he teleported in while Sasuke was in the room.
"You're here again? You're dropping by more and more often these days" Orochimaru was by his lab, conducting some sort of experiments with some chemicals.
"Well, you're my go to man when I need information and research help" Naruto shrugged
"Then spit it out" Orochimaru said
"I had some run ins with Akatsuki lately" Naruto responded
When he mentioned the Akatsuki, Orochimaru's hands paused. He shifted his gaze over to Naruto, and shook his head.
"I see, so they have begun their plans" He muttered
"You know them?" Naruto asked
Orochimaru gave him a faint nod as he stopped working on the chemicals
"I used to be in the Akatsuki myself" He smiled
"Seriously? What happe-...wait, let me guess, you wanted Itachi's body, but found yourself unable to beat him, so you ran away and went after his brother instead" Naruto snapped his fingers and exclaimed
Orochimaru's smile stiffened
*Cough*
"I-Indeed" He said
"Bwahahahaha!" Naruto burst into laughter
"Grr, do you want to know about them or not?" Orochimaru snapped
"Hah, yep, yes I do, please tell me what you know" Naruto asked
Orochimaru glared at him before continuing
"They are a small elite group, each member are incredibly powerful, and often are rogue shinobi, or missing nins from different villages, they only have one goal, and that is to extract the chakra of all nine tailed beasts" He said
"Interesting, what is the purpose of doing so?"
"I am not too sure myself since I didn't stay for long, I do know that they wish to extract the chakra, and seal it within a statue, that is all I know about their goal"
Naruto nodded
"If you can, please compile a document on all the members, anything you know about them" Naruto said
"Will do, I can't have you dying on me" Orochimaru nodded
"Fantastic, then let's move onto my next inquirie" Naruto clasped his hands together and smiled
"Ask away" Orochimaru replied
Naruto rubbed his hands
"Well, you know how Danzo helped Kumo shinobi infiltrate the village and caused the realse of the nine tails? I want to know the third party who was involved in this" Naruto said in a low voice
His gaze became sharper upon mentioning this, and Orochimaru could sense a thick killing intent emit from Naruto.
"So it's this...I'll be honest, I also have no idea who it is, the only information I know is that he appeared in Kumogakure and gave them the information of Kushina giving birth, no one could track him, as if can just vanish" He told Naruto what he knew about this matter, though it didn't help much.
Naruto rubbed his temples and fell into deep thought
"Tsk, and I thought he might be from the Akatsuki" He muttered
"I don't know anyone in the group that can vanish like that masked man, so I cannot say for certain" Orochimaru added
"Fine, I'll need to figure that out myself, last thing, is the thing I asked of you last time completed?" Naruto asked
Orochimaru chuckled
"Are you kidding? It was the first thing I did when you gave it to me" He smiled
"Gimme!" Naruto's eyes lit up as excitement filled his heart
Orochimaru took out a steel ball, which had a seal engraved on it.
"The seal you gave me was very effective, so it wasn't hard to complete it, now, all you need to do is fill it with the beast's chakra, and it will be complete" He said as he passed it over to Naruto.
Naruto grabbed it
"I'll go test it, want to watch?"
"It is my creation, of course I have to watch" Orochimaru revealed a wicked smile
Naruto clasped Orochimaru's wrist before teleporting out of the lab. The two of them ended up in a forest, dozens of kilometres away from Konoha.
"Why do you have a flying raijin mark all the way out here?" Orochimaru asked
"Testing, if I ever need to test new jutsus or seals, coming all the way out here is for the best" Naruto replied as he took out the steel ball.
Kurama's chakra began to coat him, and he started to inject it into the ball.
'Kurama, condense it for me'
[....what will you do with it?] He asked
'Nothing much, threaten Danzo with it' Naruto smirked
[If that's the case...]
Naruto suddenly felt the chakra condense several folds as it got sealed into the metal ball. In a short few moments, the seal on the ball began to glow red.
"Done" Naruto smiled as he held the ball
"Look slike it worked quite well, now, how powerful is it?" Orochimaru asked with an intrigued look
Naruto jumped into the air, and threw the ball as far as he could. They watched as the ball fly over a hundred metres away, before...
*Boom*
A massive black explosion occured in the distance, sending a powerful shockwave past them, and destroyed the vicinity completely. When the explosion cleared, the ground was overturned, and all there is a massive crater, with cracks spreading across the land.
"Roughly as strong as a full power bijuudama in my current state, but if I can mass produce them, then throwing a dozen at once will likely destroy anything and anyone under the S rank status" Naruto muttered
"I love it" Naruto smiled creepily at the sight of the explosion
Orochimaru stared at the destruction in awe
"Fascinating, the creation process isn't easy, but for such a result, the process is worth it" He laughed
"The chakra usage is massive, compared to actually shooting out a bijuudama, it uses almost five times the amount, but it doesn't matter since these are meant for being stored away for future usages" Naruto licked his lips
"How many more do you have?" Naruto asked
"Three more" He replied
"Keep producing it, if you need anything, tell me right away" Naruto said excitedly
As he spoke, another thought came to mind
"Make smaller ones as well, I want ones that can store less chakra, and if you can, produce a few bigger ones" Naruto added
Orochimaru rubbed his chin
"Smaller ones are possible, but bigger ones...I will need to look further into it, not many materials can handle the chakra of a tailed beast, making it too big will cause it to crumble" He shook his head and said
"That's fine, then just make some smaller ones while you're at it" Naruto replied
Though the power behind one of those are great, it isn't ideal to use in most situations. But if he could get smaller ones, then they could be used during combat without himself caught in the explosion.
After giving him the directives on the seals, Naruto returned to Konoha. With most things sorted out, he decided it was time to get back to training with Guy, as he felt that his physical strength was gradually falling behind.
-Training ground-
"Yo, Guy sensei" Naruto smiled as he approached Guy
When Guy saw Naruto, his eyes brightened with 'youthful' flames.
"Naruto! It seems that your burning flames has yet to extinguish! Perfect time, Lee and I were just about to go for a run around the village!" He smiled brightly
"Sure, mind if I borrow some training weights?"
"Of course not, take as many as you need" Guy laughed as he tossed Naruto a few
Naruto tied the weights to his arms and legs
"Naruto, I'm glad you decided to join us in our training once more" Lee said with an enthusiastic grin
"Come on, I can't ditch my best physique training buddy, I've been busy for a while, but now I have free time" Naruto laughed
"Yes! Let us shine brightly together!" Lee shouted with great vigor
"Hahahaha! Yes! If we cannot finish one hundred laps around the village, we shall all do one thousand pushups!" Guy laughed
"Yes sensei" Naruto and Lee both answered
With that, the three of them began running. During the run, Naruto placed a cigarette in his mouth in order to not feel fatigued. As strong as his body is, it's still not comparable to Rock Lee in terms of raw strength.
Of course, if he used sage mode with Kurama's chakra, he can beat Lee, but he considers his base strength to be the standard to compare. If he cannot beat Lee, or at least fight him to a draw in his base, then he will always consider himself weaker than Rock Lee.
During the run, his mind also began to drift
'Once Orochimaru finishes the mini bombs, I'll begin the next step of my plans against Danzo' Naruto was in a good mood, a very good mood in fact.
A smile began to form on his face
"Uh, Naruto?"
"Naruto!"
"HEY NARUTO!" Lee, who was beside him called out to him numerous times, and as a last resort, shouted into his ears.
!!!!
Naruto felt his ears ring, and turned to Lee
"Uh, what?"
"We're done, but you kept running, so I had to call out to you" Lee replied
"Oh? Man, thanks, I was lost in thought" Naruto laughed
"Bwahahaha, it is fine, to be so lost into training, I understand you completely! With so much enthusiasm, let us move onto the next exercise!" Guy laughed as he slapped Naruto's back.
Naruto moved his body
'The body isn't under much strain as of yet'
"Alright, let's keep going" He grinned
"That's the spirit!"
"Naruto, let our youthful spirits burn brightly!"
-Days later-
"I'm starting to think his brain is turning into muscles" Ino sighed as she leaned on a desk, while Sakura was on the other side, looking through medical reports.
"Why? because he's training with Guy sensei?" Sakura asked
"Well, not just that, he's shouting 'youth' with them as he runs through town the past few days, I think he's infected by them, and I'm worried he'll start wearing that green jumpsuit and cut his hair into a bowl cut..." Ino muttered with a terrified look on her face
"....I won't deny that..." Sakura coughed
The thought of Naruto in such a getup made her shiver
"But it's not like we can ask him to stop, right? Training is important, and he isn't neglecting you either" Sakura replied
"That's true..."
*Swoosh*
Naruto suddenly appeared behind them
"Hey, Sakura, do you know where Ino-, ah, you're here, perfect, when I ran through town, I saw a new dessert, and it happened to be strawberry flavoured, so I bought it for you" Naruto grinned as he held up a small bag in his hand.
"Aw~, thanks Na-kun" Ino smiled sweetly when she received the bag
Naruto then leaned in and hugged her
"I'll be off to training now, tell me if you need anything, ah, am I training too long now? Should I make more time for you? Anything bothering you?" Naruto asked as he leaned back
"No, no, you're already taking so much time out of your own training to be with me, I can't ask for more" Ino smiled
Naruto smiled
"Alright....."
He then turned to Sakura immediately
"Uh, tell me if she's lying"
Na-kun, do you not trust me?" Ino puffed her cheeks up and said
Naruto smiled wryly
"Fine, fine, I'll be off now" He said and teleported away
After he was gone, Sakura's eyes curved into a crescent shape as she grinned at Ino
"So~...should I tell him about your complaints?" She asked
"Nope, nope, pretend I didn't complain, he will glare daggers at me if he found out what I complained about" Ino waved her hand and said
Sakura laughed, but as she laughed, her mood seemed to plummet slowly...
"Sakura?"
"Ino...do you think I'll meet Sasuke-kun again?" She asked
"Of course!" Ino replied
Sakura's eyes moistened a little
"He didn't trust me, despite all we've been through, and left the village to find Orochimaru...can we really meet again? And even if we do...won't it be as enemies?" Sakura asked bitterly
Ino furrowed her brows as she gave Sakura a hug
"Bestie, things will turn out okay" She said as she patted Sakura's back
Sakura sniffled and nodded
"Yeah"