Hey! Chapter 5 is here and it is a big one! And a lot happens in this one, so buckle up! Have at you!

For the absolute sweetheart of an anonymous reviewer, I know that you stopped reading this right after the first chapter, but seeing how you interpreted my Sakura made me think about how others might view her. SO! If anyone is interested, at the bottom of this chapter you can find an assortment of my thoughts regarding the Sakura in this story.

Now please read, review and enjoy!

Life had crashed and burned.

Naruto had always called himself prone to having an existential crisis once every two years or so. Most of the times he meant it as a joke, a very self-depricating joke that he would laugh at while ignoring how true the statement actually was. Only this time it wasn't funny. This time it dragged him through hell and back.

It had only taken two meetings with Hinata to rouse feelings inside of him that he had thought long dead. He had owned up to these sensations quickly; ignoring them would only amplify them and put him in predicaments. Only that hadn't been enough. Admitting to himself that he had a crush on the girl had only served to make said infatuation grow. On his first day of work he had forgotten about the Dagger altogether; he had instead spent the day observing Hinata wherever she went, actually doing the job that the Hyuugas paid him to do. He didn't want to let her out of his sight. Whether that was because he didn't want anything to happen to her or because watching her was just so hypnotizing, he didn't know. Probably both.

Of course Kakashi had been furious. Naruto had ignored the man's constant calls after his first day because everything that had happened had warped Naruto's mind, had made him confused. He had awoken the next day to find ten missing calls from Kakashi and three from Konohamaru. Naruto had dialled the man's number with sleep still fresh in his eyes.

Kakashi had listened to his excuse, a simple enough story where he claimed that he had to show his worth to the Hyuugas first before he could do anything that would further their chances towards stealing the Dagger. Because Kakashi always sounded either bored or indifferent it was hard to guess if he believed Naruto, but truth to be told, Naruto didn't care. He was a legal adult these days and he was capable of making his own decisions. And he had chosen to ignore his duties to the Gang that day on his own accord.

If Naruto were honest with himself he would have to say that the Dagger was the furthest thing from his mind right now. Personal matters had taken over his thoughts. Sakura and Hinata. Both girls were swirling in the vortex that was his mind, both of them fighting to earn the spotlight.

One thing was for certain though: His relationship with Sakura was over. His first whole day in Hinata's presence had convinced him of that. As soon as he had been forced to admit to himself that Hinata would turn out to be more than just a passing infatuation, Naruto had seen no other alternative than letting Sakura go. The steps they had been taking to grow close once more had been destroyed in the span of a single day. And to let Sakura believe that there was still a chance that they could work out would be utterly unfair. She shouldn't be competing when there was no contest.

The two days after the first weren't any easier. Naruto had felt the constant need to keep Hinata close and not because he was her bodyguard on paper. Hinata was so fragile and sweet. She was so very opposite of him and perhaps that was what made her so attractive. Naruto had gone about his job and had accompanied Hinata to wherever she wanted to go. He had been her shadow around the Mansion as well. Wherever she went, he went too. And it made him feel good, keeping her safe like that.

Naruto had already made a promise to himself to try and be more than a bodyguard to Hinata. He did not have to be a friend or a lovr. If anything, he considered himself a teacher on this situation. Not only would he protect her with his life, but he would also do everything in his power to let Hinata blossom. It was a pity to see a girl so nice and so pretty with so little confidence. That just couldn't be.

So he had done his best to boost her ego whenever an opportunity arose. Hinata loved to draw and paint. While she herself claimed that she was only just starting out, Naruto complimented her on everything that she made, even if she only drew a straight line across a piece of paper. She would blush every time and thank him, but he could see in her eyes that she didn't believe him, or at least not yet.

He would also tell her that she looked good; it was the first thing to come out of his mouth every day. At these words they would both turn a bright scarlet and a spark of something that Naruto couldn't name would travel between them, seemingly trying to pull them closer. Naruto resisted though; even if he would ever give himself permission to try anything with Hinata he would first have to cut things off with Sakura. He might be a thief and even a murderer, but he was still no cheater.

Strange morals to have?

Probably.

If anything, two extra days by Hinata's side had cemented his feelings for her. Saying that she was nothing more than a crush would be an outright lie. Naruto had silently observed her as she had gone about her house, speaking with the staff or with relatives. There wasn't a shred of evil in the girl and she treated everyone with respect. She was a rarity and that made the attraction even worse.

All in all, he was a confused mess. Back to basics then.

At the end of his third day Naruto came home just after six. The sun had already made the hills its grave and his apartment was dark when he entered it. After shedding some light around the place Naruto dropped himself down on his couch, sighing as he undid the bowtie around his throat. It was still the fucking clip-on.

A glance at his phone told him that Kakashi had tried to reach him so Naruto called back right away, thinking it best to get it over with as soon as possible. The man wanted to know if Naruto had been able to get anything at all done, even if it were only catching a glimpse of where the Dagger had actually been put. Naruto told him that he had no idea yet, but that he had taken photos of the work schedules of every employee at the Hyuuga Mansion. This seemed to put Kakashi at ease for the time being and Naruto hung up on him after not even two minutes of conversation. Keeping up with Gang activity wasn't high on his list of priorities.

The only aspect of the Gang that he did invest his time in was his training of Konohamaru. The boy arrived at Naruto's place some time after seven. Naruto let him in and Konohamaru began to bounce through his living room as soon as he had put a foot over the threshold. Naruto couldn't blame him; he himself had already laid out a set of black clothing for tonight. When the clock struck midnight they would depart for Konohamaru's first ever mission for the Demon Fox Gang.

Naruto briefed him on the situation as soon as Konohamaru had settled down.

"So are you ready?" he felt inclined to ask.

"Definitely," Konohamaru replied, cracking an infectious grin. "I was born ready!"

"I doubt that," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Anyway, Kakashi sent me the mission details yesterday, so I'll explain it as quick as I can. It should be easy enough to pull off."

Naruto took out his phone and used the search engine to look up a photo, which he showed to Konohamaru.

"A tree?" the boy asked, confusion etched across his face.

"Not just any tree," Naruto said. "This tree is called the Original. It's supposed to be over six hundred years old and it's the oldest tree in all of Konoha."

"And we have to set it on fire?"

"That about covers it."

"And how will we do that?"

Naruto sighed. "Geez, Konohamaru. Didn't you ever play with matches when you were a kid?"

Konohamaru rolled his eyes. "I know how to start a fire, man. I mean how are we gonna do that and get away with it?"

Naruto showed him the black clothing that he would wear that evening, as well as a set for Konohamaru.

"You seem to be about my size. we'll wear these to keep visibility as low as possible. We just go over there, light the thing up and get the hell out. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Konohamaru said, lifting a hand up in the air as if he were in a classroom. "What if anyone sees us?"

'We're planning to avoid that," Naruto pointed out. "but in that case we can either split and hope for the best or we have to take measures to make sure that no one will ever find out. Do you remember our lesson from yesterday?"

After beating Konohamaru's lights out for several days in a row Naruto had concluded that the boy was capable of fending for himself. Right now Konohamaru's face was a map of cuts and bruises; his upper lip was swollen and one of his eyes was black and turning on yellow. Naruto himself was sore all over as well, but he had taken extra caution to keep his face out of harm's way; it would do no good for Hinata to have a bodyguard who got himself beaten up outside of working hours.

Now that the first part of their training was over with, Naruto had enlisted the help of one of his good friends to carry on with the next lesson. Gaara had been happy to help. The first meeting between the boy and the Moon worshipper had reduced Naruto to tears of laughter. Gaara had shown up at his apartment with a briefcase clutched in one hand, an image that was hilarious all on its own. Konohamaru had looked at this new arrival with caution, not liking the way Gaara's eyes expressed his insanity. When Naruto explained to him that Gaara would teach him the second stage of self defense Konohamaru had lifted his eyebrows, as if he didn't understand how this crazy person could help him keep from dying.

When Gaara had opened his briefcase the laughing fits started. Gaara had pulled out an anatomically correct dummy of the human body, the same one that stood in every biology classroom around the world. The next two hours had been dedicated to teaching Konohamaru all the vital spots to hit if he ever got in a situation where he would have to fight for his life. Konohamaru had listened in growing mesmerized horror as Gaara detailed all the reactions that would ensue should he stab or shoot or hit or kick someone at these vital areas. Naruto thought he had heard the boy hold back his dinner when Gaara recalled a particular instance where it had taken him several days to get brain matter off his jeans.

Back in the present day Konohamaru confirmed his knowledge of this lesson.

"Good,"Naruto said. "I don't think anything will really come up, but it might come to blows, so be prepared."

Konohamaru nodded at this, though he seemed reluctant to actually consider the possibility. Naruto could understand that; taking his first life had messed him up good. But should Konohamaru ever be forced to do the same, Naruto believed that the end result would be much the same as with himself. It was scary how easy it was to push the guilt of it away. Logical reasoning could make everything seem okay.

With the mission briefing over there wasn't a whole lot more to do that watch television and talk. Konohamaru was curious about Naruto's new job, not only because it tied in to the Gang. Naruto would rather not hear these questions, but when they got the ball rolling he ended up confiding in the boy. He'd tell himself that he didn't know why, but that was a lie of epic proportions. The reasoning was simple enough. Konohamaru was just like him and was becoming more so every day. This recognition made him, in Naruto's eyes, trustworthy.

"So how's that Hinata girl?" Konohamaru asked halfway through the night. It was obvious that he had done his best to keep the question to himself, but couldn't.

Naruto did not reply right away. First he debated with himself whether or not he should be honest. When he couldn't find a reason not to he simply stated the truth.

"Amazing," he said. A smile spread across his face without his knowledge.

"Oooh, not good," Konohamaru said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "Definitely not good."

"What's not good."

"You being in love with Hinata, of course." Konohamaru told him this as if he were talking about tomorrow's weather forecast. "You need to sort that mess out and quick, or else you won't have a girlfriend at all."

That made Naruto sigh. "I know," he said, reaching for the coffee table and grabbing himself a can of energy drink. He didn't speak again until he had drained over half of it, belching loudly and patting his stomach. "I probably won't have a girlfriend starting tomorrow."

Konohamaru's eyes went wide. "Are you gonna ditch Sakura?"

"I'm not going to 'ditch her'," Naruto corrected him. "I'm going to be honest with her. Or at least as much as I can. It just won't be fair to her if I get feelings for someone else, ya know?"

"Absolutely not," Konohamaru agreed. "It's a dick move, alright. So I'm not coming over tomorrow?"

"Better not, unless you want to see Sakura crying."

"Yeah I'm gonna pass," Konohamaru said. "Sucks though, I really liked Sakura."

"I know you did," Naruto told him, grinning. "You little pervert."

Konohamaru squinted at him. "That's not what I meant."

"Nah, of course it wasn't."

"I'm being serious!"

"Sure." Naruto drank the rest of his drink and crushed the can in his fist. "Anyway, so no hard feelings for dumping your dream girl?"

"Maybe a little," Konohamaru said, then laughed. "Just promise me you'll be more of a gentleman with Hinata. I didn't give you those lessons for nothing."

"Who says that I'm going to try anything with Hinata?"

"As if you would be able to resist her."

"I love how low your expectations of me are."

"That's your own fault," Konohamaru pointed out. "Besides, you're already head over heels for the girl, so you might as well take your best shot."

"I would if I could. It's just that there is something that I need to steal. And there is no way in hell that I can ever show my face there again after we pull of our heist."

"That's true, but no one is forcing you to do this."

That silenced Naruto. He wanted to reply that he had his duties to the Gang, but that just wasn't the truth. Every member of the Gang had the possibility of stepping out whenever they wished under the pretense that they kept a vow of silence regarding the Demon Foxes. If Naruto told Kakashi that he did not want to do the job anymore right now, that would be the end of it. And Kakashi wasn't one to hold a grudge either, so Naruto would be able to retire in peace and quiet.

Only that wasn't him. He needed some form of excitement in his life to give it meaning. He only truly felt alive when his heart was pounding in his throat and the edges of his vision were swimming with lack of oxygen.

Backing out was not an option. As long as there wasn't anything else to catch his interest he would have to stay on his current course.

"Maybe you're right," Naruto said. "but life would be so boring without some fun from time to time, right?"

Konohamaru shook his head. "You're such an idiot, Naruto. If I were you I would have grabbed the girl and never looked back. But hey, you're allowed to make your own stupid decisions."

Naruto couldn't help but sigh. "When did you turn out to be such a smartass?"

The Original. A tree so ancient that it existed even before the first brick of the first house in Konoha had been placed. It was a monument and it deserved the title.

Naruto and Konohamaru reached it just after one in the morning. Both boys looked up at the giant, which seemed to loom hundreds of feet above them, branches shooting out like a banshee's fingers. A thick and lush canopy still swayed in the wind despite the coming of winter. The tree stood in a bare field in the middle of a residential area. They would have to be quick about it; people would be apt to turn up as soon as the first flames began to yearn for the sky.

"Wow, it's big," Konohamaru said. "It makes me wonder what it will look like on fire."

"Well you're about to find out," Naruto said. He dropped his backpack from his shoulders and opened it to retrieve the three bottles of lighter fluid that they had bought the day before.

"Why would anyone want to burn it down?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto handed the boy a bottle and instructed him to douse the foot of the tree with it. Meanwhile he explained the reason behind the mission.

"You know the cult Gaara belongs to, right?"

"The Children of the Moon?"

"That's the one. Well there are a few of them in Konoha and they seem to feel that the Original is a spit in the face to their religion. This tree is also a landmark for the worpshippers of the goddess Kaguya."

"So we're burning it down because some religous nuts think it's ugly?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Huh." And that was all that needed to be said. The two of them continued bathing the Original in lighter fluid until almost nothing remained. Naruto was just finishing tossing the last drops against the trunk when someone yelled at them from behind.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder and saw a middle aged man staggering their way. His face was a crater of scars and blemished patches. Dark circles around his eyes betrayed a perpetual lack of sleep. His clothes were ragged and filthy. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out the guy was a homeless drug addict.

A pull at the mask over his face confirmed to Naruto that he wouldn't be recognized. Konohamaru also had his features shielded, so when the boy turned to him with a scared look in his eyes Naruto simply nodded. There was no need to call off the mission. They wouldn't be caught.

"I said what the fuck do you think you're doing?" The man shouted again. His pace increased and soon he was beside the two arsonists. "I sleep here, thank you very much!" He explained, making big gestures towards the tree. It was only then that he sniffed at the air and understood what the two black figures in front of him were planning on.

"No!" the man yelled, throwing his arms out wide to shield the tree from harm. "All of my stuff is in there. I won't let you. I'll fight you if I have to."

Once again Konohamaru's eyes found his and Naruto did his best to convey his own relaxation with nothing but his gaze. Konohamaru picked up on this for the most part, which was a good thing. If he lost his cool it could turn out very ugly.

Naruto took a step forward, prompting the homeless man to take one in the opposite direction. He was almost pinned to the tree by now.

"Please step aside," Naruto told him. "We have no business with you."

"The hell you do," the man quipped. "As long as you're planning to take down this tree, I have no choice but to protect it."

Naruto shook his head and sighed. "As you wish." He then turned to Konohamaru, who understood right away. Naruto nodded and his student dashed forward, running at the man with surprising speed.

The man held his footing and braced himself for the collision. Konohamaru threw his weight behind his shoulder and charged into the guy, hitting him in the sternum and making him wobble on his feet. He had a lot more flesh on his bones than the boy though, so he was able to maintain his balance and prepare for the next assault.

Konohamaru attacked again, this time acting as if he were going for another head-on confrontation. When the man threw up his hands to keep a fist from smashing his nose in, Konohamaru flanked him and drove his knee into the back of the man's leg. He crumpled up like a paper ball, shins hitting the dirt and elbows pistoning out the catch the rest of the fall.

Naruto only observed. It was much the same as what Gaara had done to him. He could choose to help Konohamaru out, but that would defeat the purpose of all the training they had been doing for the past week. Besides, the boy could handle this on his own. The worst that could happen to him was breaking a bone or two.

The homeless man scrambled back to his feet and managed to dodge two punches coming his way with a sense of agility that caught Naruto off guard. After this he seemed to find it necessary to go on the offensive. He swung his arms at Konohamaru in wide arcs, missing every hit, but not giving up. After some time he even appeared to get the hang of it, finding a steady rhythm at which to throw a punch or a kick that would never connect.

Konohamaru was playing with him. Not strange, considering how he had gotten his ass handed to him five days in a row. He was probably just trying out some moves that he had picked up in the meantime. This went on for a little while until Konohamaru grew bored. What he did then impressed Naruto more than he could say. If he ever told it to Gaara Konohamaru could expect a gift basket in the mail the following day.

Both of the man's fists flew at Konohamaru's face with less than half a second between them. Konohamaru caught each arm by the wrist and crossed them over each other, locking them and preventing the man from making any additional moves.

"Let go of me!" the man yelled, struggling to break free from Konohamaru's crushing grip. He grimaced when the boy put more pressure on the bone, grinding the two wrists together and creating a horrible gnashing sound. When the man realized that Konohamaru would not be letting go he reduced himself to frightened whimpers.

This was likely a good position for Konohamaru to be in, at least when the Gang was concerned. If the boy really wished to join them on their endeavours, blunting his conscience was a necessity. And there weren't a lot of better ways to achieve this than staring down a man pleading for his wellbeing and denying it to him.

Konohamaru sought Naruto out with his eyes again. In time he would learn to act on his own accord, but for now he desired the confirmation from his role model. Naruto nodded at him.

The kid was merciless. He took the man's left wrist and added enough pressure to close off any blood circulation to the hand. And just as the man began to scream, Konohamaru twisted his right hand by half a turn.

A snap resounded through the night. Screams followed.

The homeless man pushed his longues to their limits as he gave voice to his agony. Konohamaru released him and his left arm fell to his side, now useless. The man stumbled on his feet for several seconds, then dropped to his knees. Only then he did something that jeopardized their entire mission. On his way down he robbed Konohamaru of his ski mask, revealing his face to the man whose wrist he had just broken like a bit of tinder.

Naruto cursed under his breath and Konohamaru did so out loud. The man slumped down to the ground when not even his knees could keep him upright any longer. He curled up into a ball and pressed his wrist against his chest, rocking back and forth, mewling like a young child. The sudden reveal had rendered Konohamaru immobile for several moments. Any action had befallen him.

Still, they had to do something and they would have to do it fast. Naruto stepped up to Konohamaru and nudged him in his ribs to remind him that they were still on a mission. The boy shook himself out of his stupor and turned to his teacher.

"What do we do?" He whispered in mild panic.

"Well first we have to get this tree going," Naruto said. "And we have to do it quick. There's no way that no one is going to hear this guy scream if he keeps going like that."

Konohamaru nodded and fished around in his pocket. His fingers shook when he found the box of matches and took one out. The boy deserved bonus points for his nerves of steel, though. After taking a deep breath he regained most of his composure and struck the match in a quick movement. The sulphurous end caught fire in an instant. Konohamaru tossed it at the tree and in the span of less than ten seconds the entire base of the Original was a flaming hell.

Both of the boys looked at the fire for a little while, the light of the flames reflected from their irises and turning their eyes into diamonds in darkness. Then it was time to make an important decision.

"What do we do with him?" Konohamaru asked, gesturing at the man who was now reduced to a crying mess.

"That's up to you," Naruto said. "He saw your face, so there's a chance that he will rat you out. You can take your chances or..."

"Or what?"

"Or you could erase the problem altogether."

Konohamaru looked at him with eyes the size of dinner plates. His questions had only been a means to figure out whether ot not there was an alternative to the only thing that registered as a solution in his mind. Sadly, that was not an option. If he really wanted to be certain of his secret there was only on thing he could do.

Naruto handed him his switchblade. Konohamaru's grip was firm as he took it.

"Your call," Naruto reminded him.

It took Konohamaru a long time to decide. It wasn't strange. He quite literally held the life of another human being in his hands. Naruto gave him the time that he needed, even if they did not have a whole lot of it. Just when he was about to make a break for it Konohamaru moved.

There was no further doubt to be seen in any of his motions. He released the blade from the handle as he sank to his knees, leaning over the man and casting him in shadows. The knife came down and penetrated the man's flesh just below the base of his skull. Konohamaru severed his nerves with a quick flick of his wrist. The man couldn't even scream anymore.

Blood spouted from the wound like a geyser. Konohamaru had sliced right through carotid arteries; two branches of the aorta found deep within the neck. His black pants turned to a pasty maroon. Even Naruto wasn't spared. Some of the droplets got up as far his throat.

The man twitched a few times before his life left him. They were nothing but weak kicks of the legs, but Naruto figured that that particular sight would haunt Konohamaru for perhaps the rest of his life. Every kick tensed the muscles in the body and forced another gout of blood into the air.

Konohamaru stood over the man, the bloodied knife clenched into a tight fist. His face was dripping red, the skin beneath it ashen and pale. But his eyes were alive.

They were gone long before the first sirens could be heard in the distance.

They spoke very little as they burned the black clothes on the grounds of an abandoned factory, nor as they walked back to Naruto's apartment. The only conversation that passed between them was about Konohamaru's parents and how he had managed to stay out so late on a Wednesday. Konohamaru once again reminded Naruto that his parents didn't care what he did, as long as he had a sense of what money really was and how to handle it responsibly. According to him it was all they knew.

Hearing that was saddening. Naruto thought he could understand how the boy felt. Growing up with absent parents was much the same as growing up without them. Neither of them had gotten any real parental guidance in their lives and they had learned what they needed to learn from life itself, if not from one another.

It was around two in the morning when they arrived at the apartment. Naruto was very much awake. This was almost always the case when he had pulled a job. His heart was pulsing in his temples, every throb sending more of that sweet adrenaline into his veins. He figured that he would watch some television until five o'clock rolled around. After that he would go on an extended morning run. This would give him the chance to see how far word had spread about the Original going up in flames. It was also mental preparation of sorts; Sakura would return from her mother's somewhere during the day while he was off on his bodyguard duties. He wanted to take the time to align his thoughts and think of what he would say to her. Not that any of that would hold up, but at the very least it would make him feel prepared.

Konohamaru walked right past him when he opened the door. Naruto took things at a slower pace, tossing his backpack away in the hall before entering the living room. Once there he found Konohamaru standing in the middle, his eyes glazed over and his mouth a little ajar. He had put his goggles back on his head and with his hair flying in every direction it pleased he looked somewhat like a mental patient.

"You alright, Konohamaru?" Naruto asked. He walked over to the kid and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him a bit to get him back into the world of the living.

Konohamaru clapped his hands against his cheeks to force himself awake. The blood there had dried and was now raining down in flakes. There were larger smears across his neck and throat.

"Mind if I use your shower?" Konohamaru asked, eyes still distant.

"Not at all."

Konohamaru didn't say anything else as he barged into Naruto's bedroom to get to the bathroom connected to it. Naruto let out a long sigh and sat down on the couch. He could use a proper wash himself. Konohamaru had left things real messy, coating the both of them in rich amounts of blood. After his shower Naruto would have to vacuum too; the last thing he needed was for the girl he was going to dump tomorrow to find the carpet dusted with bloodflakes.

The couch was comfortable and in minutes Naruto could feel the rush of the night draining out of him. He still didn't tire, though, nor would that happen before the next day was at an end. And when tomorrow was finally over he could probably sleep for three days straight.

The clock in the hall ticked and ticked. Naruto did not have much sense of time right now, but after a while it became clear to him that Konohamaru had been in the shower for at least half an hour. A part of him -that semi-adult part- told him that his water bill would be sky high, but he let it slide. Once again the situation was very familiar; after Naruto had been doused in blood for the first time it had taken half a dozen showers to feel clean again.

Even so, maybe it was a good idea to check up on Konohamaru. No one was there to give Naruto moral support on how to cope with death but that didn't mean that the boy had to face the same struggle.

Fear took hold of him when knocked on the bathroom door and received no answer.

"Konohamaru?" Naruto asked, rapping on the door once more. "Konohamaru, are you okay?"

Srill no answer. Slight panic took hold of Naruto. Seeing no other option, he twisted the doorknob. It opened without any resistance. It was unlocked.

A curtain of steam drifted from the open door and obscured Naruto's vision. He waited for it to clear before stepping into the bathroom.

Konohamaru was there alright. The boy had turned on the shower and after that he had sat down in the tub to allow the water to cascade all over him. He had his knees drawn up against his naked form, his hair stuck over his face in a thick, dripping layer. The flow was scalding hot and it had long since turned Konohamaru's back into a giant red patch.

"Hey," Naruto said. Konohamaru did look up at him now. "Are you doing okay?"

"How do you do it?" Konohamaru asked.

"Do what?"

"How do you kill someone and just feel okay like that? I feel horrible. I feel so dirty. I..."

Naruto ignored the boy's confused ramblings as well as his nudity. He sat down on the edge of the tub and remained silent but for a deep sigh. Konohamaru kept his gaze trimmed on him, the desperate need for an answer readable on his face.

"There is no trick to doing it," Naruto said. "You either do it or you don't. It's what comes after that is so hard to deal with."

"I feel sick."

"That feeling will pass eventually," Naruto told him. "You'll probably feel dirty like that for a few more days. Maybe even a few weeks. But it will pass. What may never go away, though, will be the guilt."

Konohamaru immediately shook his head. "I don't feel guilty. I know I had to do it. What is making me feel sick isn't anything stupid like that. I just feel so... strange. Because of me someone will never be able to breathe again. Someone whose blood I just saw wash away into the drain." He gave several powerful scrubs over his arms. "I can feel it sticking to me," he told Naruto. "The blood, I mean, It was gone after a minute but I can still feel how sticky it was."

"I've been there," Naruto agreed. "That will also happen less if you do it more."

The kid gave half a nod at this information, but his mind wasn't truly present. Naruto felt inclined to ask.

"So do you want out now?"

Another shake of the head. "No. Nuh-uh. I may have never felt this sick, but I also never felt this... alive."

The most inapproriate thing Naruto could've done then was smile. And he did.

"So I guess you can see the magic."

"Black magic, but yeah."

Naruto chuckled. "Well kid, don't let this get to you too much. I know that sounds strange since you just killed a man, but like I said, those feelings will go away after some time. I just hope that you can own up to them, because I'm gonna want you by my side for every job now."

Konohamaru looked up at him, a twinkle in his eyes that spoke of a strange sort of ecstasy. His corruption process was already underway. Then he leaned his head back against the edge of the tub, water pouring into his hair and soaking away the grime on his scalp. He didn't seem capable of any other action; he was just too numb.

Naruto sighed and then smiled. He reached for the shampoo and went about helping Konohamaru. He did warn the kid that he would have to clean himself up next time; Naruto wasn't his mother. Konohamaru agreed to this with a simple grunt, for once not trying to defend his masculinity.

The whole ordeal ended in a laughing fit on Naruto's end. Just as he aimed the shower head at Konohamaru the absurdity of the situation passed through his mind; if Sakura were to come home right this minute she would find her boyfriend soaping up a naked, underage boy in their bathtub. He wouldn't even have to break up with her anymore.

And just like that he was laughing. Busted by your girlfriend in the gayest possible set-up. If only he had such luck.

Konohamaru had had the grace to thank him after Naruto had gotten him cleaned up.

"Don't expect me to do it again," Naruto had warned him. He had still been laughing at the thought of Sakura walking in and taking things out of context. Although if he was true to himself he would rather tell her that he was gay than give her the actual reason for that little Christmas card moment.

"I didn't ask you to help me," Konohamaru had pointed out.

"True, but if I didn't you'd've ended up drowning yourself in the tub."

Konohamaru slept on his couch that night. Naruto didn't sleep at all. He watched the morning crawl closer and was there when the sun made its presence known to their part of the world. At five thirty he went out the door for a good and long run after calling Kiba. Said boy told him that he was just thinking the same and that it was a shame that they hadn't been able to line up their schedules for some time now. Naruto agreed to this.

Kiba did not have a whole lot of news worth mentioning. Naruto congratulated him when he heard that Kiba had grown a pair and had asked Ino the coffee girl out on a date. Kiba accepted this show of good faith with a smile, saying that he was supposed to take her out to dinner and a movie the following day. Naruto said that he would be rooting for him. Not a word of a lie, but in the end he just couldn't find it in him to care.

When he got home it was already time to go to work. He let Konohamaru sleep in; the kid had told him that he had the day off today and he was going to need every bit of rest that he could get. Naruto threw on a suit and clipped on his bowtie and was off.

Even with the confrontation of that night in the back of his mind the going was slow that day. He allowed himself some freedom in his feelings for Hinata, even if only to kill some time. After all starting tomorrow he would be, and excuse the phrase, single and ready to mingle. First he would have to figure out how he would work around the obstacle of his duties to the Gang. Truth to be told he didn't really give a damn about the Dagger anymore. He hadn't taken on the job for the money but for the rush. And with the predicament that he was in stealing the Dagger would accomplish nothing more than giving him a sense of guilt. He would be a lousy teacher to go against what he had told Konohamaru the day before; guilt was the real killer.

Hinata was her bubbly, breezy self today and that made it easier for Naruto to lose himself in her. Whenever his mind could take a minute to rest Sakura popped into his thoughts. Images of her crying and asking how it all went wrong. He did not need these pictures haunting him; tonight he would be facing the real deal. So instead of thinking about it he took to talking with Hinata. It wouldn't hurt to get to know her.

He learned that she felt that she only had talent for things that were considered creative: drawing, painting, sometimes poetry. When Naruto asked her what her plans for the future were she grew a fiery red. For a few moments she was that shy thing that he had met in Konoha Park, but when her courage returned to her she confided in him that it was her dream to write a children's book.

"What's so bad about that?" Naruto asked, leaning his chin in his hands and looking out over the sea of green that was the patio. "Does your dad want you to take over the company or something?"

"No, it's not that," Hinata replied, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. "I don't want to and neither does my sister Hanabi. Father is fine with that because cousin Neji will take over from him once he retires."

Naruto almost couldn't keep from grinning. That Neji and his ambitions. No wonder he wanted out. A criminal record was kind of a setback if you wanted to be the CEO of one of the world's biggest companies.

"So what's the hold up?"

"I don't know," Hinata said. "I think I'm just not sure if I have it in me."

And so Naruto spent the rest of the day looking through her drawings. He praised every single one of them and he delighted in seeing her face gain more colour with every new compliment. Just before his time was up she put all of her materials away and thanked him.

"No one has ever been so nice to me about my dreams," she said with her eyes glued to her feet.

"Well it's no use to have a dream if you don't believe in yourself."

He left her with that bit of wisdom. Now all that remained was tying up the loose ends. He did not look forward to it.

Sakura's shoes were in the hallway when he got home. Naruto swallowed hard. There was no getting out of this now. He planned on doing it quickly so they could both leave it behind them. Of course that did not soften the blow; they had been an item for more than three years. Time that they would never get back.

She greeted him with a smile and he did his best to mirror it. He didn't even get a chance to sit down before she began to talk about everything that had happened while she was away. Naruto let her ramble a bit as he searched for the right words to crush her soul with.

She caught on to his silence midway into her story.

"Naruto, is something the matter?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows forming curious arches.

"Sakura... I..." The lump was back in his throat. "I have to talk to you."

"What is it?" she asked. The innocence in her voice sent a painful pang through Naruto.

"I... okay here goes..." he sighed and then threw caution to the wind. "I think that you and I aren't working out anymore."

That smile fell away and turned into a frown. Sakura was silent for a very long time and with every second that passed Naruto could feel the dread growing. He knew she wasn't going to yell. She would only cry and ask questions.

"Is it that Hinata girl?" Sakura asked him then, her eyes drilling holes into his. "Are you involved with her?"

Naruto's hands shot up in defense. "No. Really not. No."

"Then... why?"

That was a difficult thing to explain, even if he knew perfectly well why. He sat down on the couch next to her as he tried to find the right words, time dragging on and amplifying the tension in the air a thousandfold.

"I've been feeling this distance between us for a very long time now," Naruto eventually began. "I spent a long while hoping that it was just something temporary, that we would realize that we were being stupid. I hoped that we would try to fix things between us."

"But we have!" Sakura protested. She rose from the couch to face him, her hair flying around her in a furious pink cloud. "You had your job and I was busy around the house. we were doing so well again..." Her hands went to her temples, the fingers setting in angles and turning the limbs into pale spiders. "And at night, when we make love..."

Naruto shook his head and she fell silent.

"Sakura, listen to me," he said, upon which she shook her head. Her gaze fell away from him and her hair covered her features; she did not want him to see the first tears spill. "Sakura please." He stood up also and lifted her chin up so he could look at her. "Listen. You're right. We were getting back on track. But, and I'm so, so sorry for saying this, but we never would have been able to make things like the used to be. Those times are over. And please know that I will always love you without question. But I just can't keep going like this. If we don't do this now we'll do it in five years, and then it will only hurt more."

She shook her head vigorously, not willing to listen, not allowing the bad words to register in her mind and make them a reality.

"No!"

"...Yes."

"NO!"

"Sakura..."

"NO! NO! NO!" She was really crying now. There was nothing more that he could do about it. He watched as she sank to her knees and just cried into the palms of her hands. It was hell listening to her giving her misery voice.

"No... No... No..."

In the end he cried with her.

A week passed by quicker than he could have imagined. Sakura had left the apartment that Thursday with a suitcase in her arms and tears dripping down her chin. Naruto had tried every apology and every kind word that he could think of, but she wouldn't have any of it. She just told him that she would come by next week to pick up her stuff. He hadn't seen her since.

It had lifted an enormous boulder off his chest. Now he actually felt like he had breathing room and lots of it. This newfound freedom had prompted him to go over to Kakashi two days after the whole ordeal with Sakura. He had a message for the man and he knew that Kakashi wasn't going to enjoy hearing it, but that was alright. He could always compromise.

Naruto stated quite bluntly that he wanted to stop working on the Dagger mission. Kakashi had looked at him as if he were disturbed, but when Naruto's resolve hadn't wavered Kakashi had accepted this turn of events, but not until Naruto promised him to take every single measure so that the rest of the Demon Foxes could take over.

"I hope you know what you are doing," Kakashi had said to him, those bored eyes looking curious for a change. "If this is about the girl you better make this work. If you don't I might have to have you taken out."

"You can try that," Naruto had replied. "but if I find out it'll be you who ends up dead." After that they had shared a laugh and a beer and life had gone on as usual.

Now, a week later, Naruto was at work. In the past few days he had done his best to get Sakura out of his mind and he had done so with success for the most part. Hinata's continuous presence was a big help in that. He was getting accustomed to the routine that they were building up. It involved them going out early in the morning and then spending the afternoon in the patio. The weather was turning so they would have to spend those hours indoors soon, but for now he would just enjoy the sight of her sitting by the pond, a paintbrush behind her ear and her eyes twinkling in concentration.

However, today the routine would be broken. Today was special, although Naruto himself had forgotten this.

Just after they had come back from their morning shopping Hinata called Naruto into her room. As was customary he glanced over his shoulder to see if no one was spying. He had told Hinata before how it might give off a wrong impression if they were spotted like this, but Hinata did not seem to concern herself with that. So with the knowledge that protesting was pointless he went inside.

Hinata was standing opposite of him and she was holding something behind her back. Naruto couldn't help a confused frown.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" he asked.

She smiled at him and made him feel like butter on a hot plate. "I got you something for your birthday!" she chimed.

Naruto felt like he could smack himself. Of all the days in the world to forget about.

"Don't tell me you forgot it is your birthday!" Hinata exclaimed. "How do you do that?"

"My birthdays have never been all that special," Naruto admitted. "I just don't really celebrate it."

"Well, here's to new beginnings." She revealed the bag that she had been hiding.

Naruto took it from her after inclining his head in gratitude. In the bag was a box. When he opened it he burst out laughing.

"Oh wow," Naruto said, laughing. "That is incredible, Hinata. Thanks a million!"

She had given him a pair of sneakers. They were so orange that they made his tracksuit look yellow.

"I heard you say that orange is your favourite colour," she told him. "And I never got to thank you properly for what you did in the Park so..."

"This is brilliant!"

He then noticed a change in her demeanor. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, fearing that he had said something stupid.

"I... I w-wanted..." the stutter was back and that made Naruto nervous. Whatever came out of her mouth now would be a surprise.

"Iwantedtogiveyousomethingelsetoo," she blurted out the whole sentence in a single breath. "C-Close your eyes for a second, okay? Otherwise I don't think I can do this."

Very curious and mildly terrified, Naruto obliged her.

For a long while there was nothing. Then came the sound of feet shuffling on the carpet. And then...

It startled him so much that he almost yelled out. Something soft and sweet pressed against his lips. His eyes flared open wide in shock and they saw Hinata, her own eyes closed and her own lips brushing against his in a gentle and inexperienced first kiss. Her hands went up and found his face, her fingers resting along his chin.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds. Hinata grew redder with every one of those ticks of the clock. When she drew back she saw him looking at her, too stupified to speak.

"S-Sorry," she mumbled. "I just... That first day, when you joked about how I thought you were c-cute... I..."

But she didn't need to say anything. Naruto smiled at her and she fell silent. And ever so softly he kissed her now. He drank her in, needing her more than he had realized. He had wanted this so much more than he had been able to say. And now he didn't have to speak at all.

When they drew back Hinata looked at him, her lips curved up in serenity. She had made him smile too, and what she said that made him laugh like a lunatic.

"Oh god, Father is going to kill me."

So, Sakura...

I read more than comment that said that Sakura was portrayed as a girl with no ambitions. My dearest anonymous reviewer pointed out that pre-timeskip Sakura could have behaved this way, but that she is far more determined and confident after the timeskip. And, what stood out to me most: "She isn't one to overly rely on others like that".

I have to agree. Canon Sakura at the age of nineteen would have been a very determined, strong-hearted girl who does not need someone else to get by. That is the truth. Only this isn't canon Sakura. In the series she came to be that way because she realized the nature of the sinobi world and that she couldn't keep relying on other people to keep her safe. This story doesn't feature shinobi whatsoever. This particular Sakura stayed with her protective parents for seventeen years before moving out of the house. She has never known danger and hard times are a rarity for her. So, taking that into consederation, I think it's fully justified that Sakura is less driven to fend for herself.

And that isn't even the actual reason that this particular Sakura acts the way she does. The paragraph above this explains her behaviour to some degree, but it doesn't fully justify it. Once again I'd like to refer to how Sakura wouldn't depend on someone else. And that is still true. Because here's the thing:

You have been reading this story solely from Naruto's eyes. We only see his emotions and interpretations of the events in the story. You have no actual idea of how Sakura feels or what drives her. Naruto comes home to her watching TV a lot, or her not having done anything around the house. And because his POV is the only one being used it is very easy to just take that as fact and think of Sakura as some useless tea towel of a character. But she's not. Not at all.

Being the writer of the story has given me the privilige of having insight into the other character's minds as well. Just because I do not portray them doesn't mean that they don't exist. It's just that I want to tell this story through Naruto's eyes and his eyes alone. But, once again, that doesn't mean that my other characters can't think or have feelings.

Sakura in particular is very interesting to me. Portraying her the way I have done so far (this chapter included) has all been done purposely. Just think about this: Maybe, juuuuuust maybe, Sakura feels like she is working very hard herself. She has no idea that Naruto even has a 'paying job' at the beginning of the story. She thinks he is unemployed. She sees him sitting around the house and she can tell that he might be depressed (which I think he is). What Sakura's response to this is, is trying to get Naruto to get his life back on track. That is what she perceives as her job. Making sure that her partner is happy and doesn't need her anymore to motivate himself. Does that make sense? It does to me :)

So in short, Sakura is a very loving character. She loves Naruto like no one else in the world. The only reason why she seems so vindictive is because she thinks that it will help him do something with his life so he can find purpose. That is what her purpose is. And the only reason why she comes across as a mean and distant is because that is the way Naruto feels.

But hey, if I convinced you all of that I guess I did a good job of portraying her the way I wanted to.

Peace!