Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Of Kunai, Shuriken and Shinobi Love ❯ That's What You Get, Of Kunai, Shuriken and Shinobi Love ( Chapter 8 )

I was nervous and felt naked without my masks. She made me stop using them. I must have stayed at Sakura's for hours last night, talking. I could just act like myself, like the Sasuke I'd been ten years ago. It felt really good.

I was still jittery without my masks.

Two days later, Sakura showed up again at training. Naruto, being Naruto, immediately began yelling and greeted her with an enthusiastic hug. I'd known she would be back today—Naruto had thought she would have taken a day off training—so I just smiled at her. “Okay, Kakashi-sensei,” I said. “Sakura-chan and I are off—if Naruto-dobe stops strangling her!” “WHOA!” Naruto shrieked. “YOU JUST CALLED HER SAKURA-CHAN! WHAT'S UP WITH THAAAAAT?!?” I just grinned. “C'mon, Sakura-chan,” was all I said. Kakashi-sensei patted my shoulder as I went past him.

Sakura and I stopped in the clearing we'd been in the first day her training had been passed on to me. I stretched. “Ok,” I said. “Kage Bunshin, ten clones, have at it.” She nodded, flashed the hand seals, and ten other Sakuras popped into existence around her.

I watched her fight them critically. The way she ducked that punch was too unbalanced, I thought, or That kick wasn't high enough. When she had about four or five clones left, I gave a small grin, and pulled my little trick.

About a dozen Sasukes leapt out of the woods, myself included, armed to the teeth and screaming bloody murder. She whirled around, eyes wide with surprise, and raised her arms to shield herself from the attack.

Two clones grabbed her legs, one grabbed her arms, and a fourth's foot landed directly on her chest. She went flying backwards out of the clones' grips, and landed herd on the ground, bouncing twice and lying still.

“Shit!” I yelped, dismissing the clones. I got her four with a few kunai as I went past, and knelt beside her. Gently I rolled her over.

She was awake, but her eyes were half-focussed and her face was blank. She hit her head pretty hard when she landed… “Sakura!” I cried, shaking her carefully. “Are you all right??”

Sakura shook her head to clear it. “S-Sasuke?” she mumbled, blinking at me. She struggled to sit up. “Careful,” I said, supporting her back. “Take it slow.” She looked back at me, and there was an odd look in her eyes. I felt shivers go up and down my spine. “What?” I asked. Sakura smiled. “There's something different about you today, that's all,” she said. “You seem more human. More happy. Less like a human icicle.” She turned away and rested against me. “I like you better this way.” I blushed, and from the corner of her face I could see, I saw she was too. “I'll stay like this, then,” I mumbled. “We should get on with training.” “All right,” she answered, and lifted herself to her feet. She staggered to her feet. “Whoa!” she yelped. “I'm dizzy!”

I grabbed her shoulders. “Easy,” I said. “Take a couple of steps.” I went around in front of her and let go of her shoulders. “Walk toward me slowly.”

She tried to take a step, then stumbled forward. She literally fell into my arms.

I went very still. She didn't seem to be able to keep her balance. My arms rose slowly, almost of their own accord, then they became mine to control again. I threw them around her and pulled her tight to my body. She gasped, startled, then hugged me back without hesitation.

In that instant, all the fear, uncertainty, nightmares left me. I knew I would never dream of Orochimaru or Itachi again. They were the past. Sakura was present, and Sakura was future. In that single moment, I knew what I felt. And it felt so right, just so goddamned right, to have Sakura Haruno in my arms. I opened my eyes wide at this realization, and my mouth opened in a whisper.

“I love you, Sakura.”

 

Hatake Kakashi watched his two young shinobi from a tree, carefully hidden in the branches. He was glad be had his clone back with Naruto. The blond shinobi would never have been able to take this. He was so certain he was in love with Sakura.

But watching this scene, Kakashi knew Naruto would never have a chance with her. He could scream, yell, throw things all he wanted, but all he'd get from Sakura was friendship and a brother/sister relationship. Sighing, Kakashi turned away to give Sasuke and Sakura some privacy. He knew he'd now have a broken heart to patch up and some Squad 7 feathers to smooth.

But I guess that's what you get, the Jounin thought resolutely, travelling swiftly though the trees back to his charge, of kunai, shuriken and shinobi love.