INTRODUCTION

Ok so here ismy latest work. It's a Christmas One Shot that I've been working on. I was trying to get it done before the Holidays but it didn't work out. The story is pretty simple. It's the Christmas Eve and Naruto is on a mission to find a gift for certain someone. But, as usual things don't go as planned. As always I do not own Naruto. All hail Kishimoto! Please remember to leave a little review when you're done. Remember this is a one shot story.

Konoha – December 24th - 2:26PM

"C'mon Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "Quit falling behind! We still have three more places to get to before the end of the day!"

Naruto groaned under the weight of the several dozen shopping bags he struggled to carry. "I'm moving as fast as I can Sakura-chan!" Damn these are heavy! He thought as he slowly trudged along. How the hell did I get roped into this?

NoodleTime Studio's Proudly Presents…

A RamenRenegade Tale…

With Characters and Locations Created and Owned by Misashi Kishimoto

Naruto Uzumaki & Sakura Haruno

Jingle All The Way!

Konoha – December 24th – 6:15AM

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rockJingle bells swing and jingle bells ringSnowin' and blowin' up bushels of funNow, the jingle hop has begunJingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell twistJingle bells chime in jingle bell timeDancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell SquareIn the frosty airWhat a bright time, it's the right timeTo rock the night awayJingle bell time is a swell timeTo go glidin' in a one-horse sleighGiddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feetJingle around the clockMix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feetThat's the jingle bell rock, yeah

Suddenly a hand emerged out of the thick sheets on the bed next to the nightstand and smashed the button on the clock with such force it not only turned it off it nearly destroyed it. Naruto yawned and stretched as he rose from under his sheets like a bear emerging from hybernation. Lazily he reached over and picked up the radio alarm and looked at the time though his heavy eyelids before tossing it aside and rolling under the sheets and hugging himself. I can lie down for a few more minutes! He thought to himself. Why the hell did I decide to get up this early on a day off anyway?

Almost immediately, the reason for setting his alarm this early hit him and he sat straight up in bed. "Shit!" He yelled. "I need to go shopping!"

Sitting on the side of the bed, Naruto sighed as he scratched his side and farted. He then heaved himself out of the bed and padded into the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and changed his clothes.

"Ahh!" Naruto yelled joyously as he stepped out of the bathroom. "Man, nothing like cold water in the face to wake you up!" He quickly walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a small bottle of milk. He then pulled his only bowl and spoon out of a nearby cupboard and picked up a half finished box of cereal. "Time for some breakfast! I need to head out and by a Christmas gift for Sakura-chan!"

As Naruto quickly ate, he strolled over to his window and opened the curtain. As he stared out in amazement, his bowl slipped out his hand and crashed to the floor. "Wh-Wha~t!" Naruto quickly turned and ran to his door and opened it. As he stepped out he paused and snapped his fingers, before running back inside. "Where?!" He yelled excitedly as he began frantically searching under the random piles of clothes and garbage in his room. "Where!? Where is it!"

His eyes lit up when he finally saw what he was looking for. He pulled an orange and black winter coat out from underneath a pile of discarded ramen containers. Naruto shook the coat and smelled it. "Good enough!" He shrugged as he threw it on and sprinted out of his apartment and leapt down from the second floor hallway and into a fresh pile of fluffy white snow!

"Yaaattaaaa!" Naruto yelled as he triumphantly emerged from the snow with his hand up in victory. This of course wasn't the first time he'd seen snow. He remembered the mission he'd had many years back in the Land of Snow. Not to mention his excursion to the Land of Iron to appeal to the Raikage on Sasukes behalf. But this was the first time he'd ever seen it snow in Konoha.

Last night Naruto did notice how strangely cold it was but thought nothing of it. Konoha's climate was usually warm and very humid. Rarely did the temperature dip below sixty, for it to be so cold that it would snow was unheard of. But here he was, looking at a village that was now blanketed in a thick layer of white heaven.

The streets were littered with young children, happily leaping though snow banks and tossing it at one another. While many adults looked on in amazement as well as annoyance, knowing that it would fall on them to clean this mess up.

"Naruto-niisan?" Naruto looked around and saw the perplexed faces of Konohamaru and his friends Udon and Moegi. "What are you doing? Don't you think you're a bit too old to be playing around in the snow like this?"

One by one, Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi were struck in the face by a snow ball. "I'm not too old to enjoy that!" Naruto said with a bright smile as he tossed a snow ball in the air.

Konohamaru and his friends glared at Naruto and then looked at each other with devious smiles. Naruto then found himself running from a barrage of snow balls. Naruto leapt behind a large snow bank as many of the children and adults in the area looked on. Naruto peaked over the top and saw his three opponents hiding behind a pile of snow of their own. As loud as he could, Naruto yelled, "Snow ball fight!" All of the children in the area screamed in joy as they ran about, quickly taking sides and throwing snow at each other.

Using the sudden chaos to his advantage Naruto ran out from his shelter, hitting one kid after another with snowballs as he made his way around to his true target. He saw Konohamaru and his friends hiding behind a small hill of snow as he approached from behind. Grabbing a large amount of snow off the ground, Naruto immediately leapt into the sky and landed on top the hill of snow. "Naruto-niisan!" Konohamaru yelled in shock as Udon and Moegi gasped.

"I got you now!" Naruto yelled with an evil grin as he held several snowballs in his hand. Before they could react he began hitting them in the face with snowballs. But to Naruto's surprise all three of them exploded in a puff of white smoke. "What?" As the smoke cleared Naruto was amazed to find that in their place were three laughing snowmen. "Shit! Substitution Jutsu!" Naruto said to himself as he turned around and saw Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi and all of the other children with snowballs in their hands.

"Get him!" Konohamaru yelled. Naruto was hit with a barrage of dozens of snowballs. He yelled as he dropped the snow in his hands and fell back off the snow bank.

A minute later the attack ended and slowly Naruto emerged from under a mountain of snow. He was covered from head to toe in snow as he wiped the ice from his face. "You guys are so dead." He said to himself before leaping to his feet. "You want a war!? You got it!?" Just as he was about to launch his counterattack he heard a familiar voice.

"Naruto! Naruto is that you!?"

Naruto looked around and saw Sakura making her way towards him. She wore black boots and tights, a dark pink jacket it white fur trim that was open showing the white turtle neck sweater underneath. "Good morning Naruto!" Sakura said happily. "Crazy weather we're having huh?"

"Oh hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied. "Yeah, I've never seen anything like this in Konoha!"

Sakura then looked at the snow balls in his hand. "Uh, Naruto what are you doing with those?"

"Eh! What?!" Naruto turned bright red as he hid the snowballs behind his back and nonchalantly dropped them to the ground. "Those were just uh…umm…well you see…"

"Aren't you a little too old to be playing around like that?" Sakura asked.

"Playing!? Oh! You thought I was playing?!" Naruto said as he waved her off. "I was actually uh…teaching a these kids a new snow…jutsu!"

"A snow jutsu?" Sakura asked as she glared at Naruto who smiled nervously. "You're a terrible liar." Sakura turned her back to Naruto and folded her arms. "Look Naruto, I know you want to goof off but you have a lot of responsibilities now. People look to you for inspiration and protection now. It just wouldn't look right if they found you…frolicking in the snow like some little kid. You need to be more manly."

As Sakura spoke Naruto listened intently when he was suddenly struck in the head by a snowball so hard he nearly toppled over. He immediately looked over to Konohamaru and his friends who were hiding behind a snow bank laughing. Naruto silently shook his fist and glared at the kids in anger. "Do you understand Naruto?"

Sakura asked as she turned to face him. Naruto immediately turned back around just before Sakura saw him and smiled. "You got it!" He replied.

Sakura looked curiously at the new snow that clung to side of his face. A bit of it fell off and dropped to the ground. "You're hopeless," Sakura groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "Anyway Naruto I came here to get some help."

"Sure, what do you need?" Sakura asked as he wiped the snow off.

"Can you help me go shopping?" Sakura asked. "I have a lot of things to pick up and I could really use the help."

"Shopping?" Naruto asked. "For what?"

"Duh!" Sakura responded. "It's the day before Christmas dumbass! What do you think I'm going to get?"

"Oh! Right!" Naruto said happily as he scratched his head and looked up in the sky. "I-I-m sorry Sakura-chan but I really can't go with you today. I have other plans."

"Huh! Like what, playing in the snow?" Sakura asked.

Naruto laughed nervously with his eyes closed. "No! Not that at all!" More like spending the day trying to find the best Christmas gift for you, he thought.

Naruto opened his eyes and to his surprise, Sakura was leaning in close to him with an innocent look on her face. She was blushing deeply. "Are you saying you won't help me Naruto?" Her voice was sheepish and Naruto couldn't help but feel his heart beating faster. He took a deep breath as he could see Sakura's breast hanging tantalizingly under her tight sweater.

"Ah! You know what; perhaps I can put off my errands for a few hours!" Naruto said with a grin. "Let's go!"

As Naruto walked off Sakura smiled devilishly. Boys are too easy, she thought.

Why do I feel like I was just played? Naruto thought as he kept walking with Sakura behind him. Oh well, even if I help Sakura-chan for a little bit I should still have plenty of time to buy her a gift. How bad could it be? As Naruto walked he was suddenly struck in the side of the face by another snowball. I'm gonna kill that Konohamaru! He thought.

Konoha – December 24th - 2:26PM

"S-Sakura-chan! How many damned gifts are you buying!?" Naruto screamed as he struggled to walk through the two feet of snow under the mountain of Sakura's ever growing purchases.

"Oh stop being such a baby Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "We're already half way done."

"Half way!" Naruto yelled in disbelief. "Oh, my aching back!" He yelled as tears streamed down his face.

"A-Are you crying?!" Sakura yelled.

"No!" Naruto answered as he immediately forced the tears to stop.

"Good," Sakura replied. "Because we need to still get gifts for Ino, Choji, Lee, Kakashi-sensei, Neji, Hinata…umm…Did we pick something up for Tonton?"

"The pig!?" Naruto yelled in disbelief. "You're really getting something for the pig!?"

Sakura gave Naruto a death glare. "Are you saying Tonton isn't worth getting a gift for?"

"No! I just..!" Naruto groaned. At this point I'll never have time to get Sakura-chan her gift.

Just then Naruto heard someone calling Sakura's name. Looking across the street he saw Ino, cheerfully waving at them. "Sakura! Over here!"

"Eh! Oh, Ino!" Sakura replied as she waved back. "There you are! Wait there I'll come over!"

"Hey Ino!" Naruto yelled. "How are..?"

"Hold it Naruto,' Sakura said as she stood in front of Naruto with her hand up to block his progress. "You stay here with my stuff."

"What!? Why!?" Naruto replied. "It's no problem to walk over there. Besides I'd like to say hi."

"Nope!" Sakura said as she folded her arms. "I'd rather you stay over here. Now stay put and I'll go speak to Ino alone."

"But…" Naruto protested.

"No buts!" Sakura yelled angrily. "You stay here and stop being so damned stubborn!"

"Okay! Okay!" Naruto yelled. "Can I at least put these boxes and bags down while I wait?"

"No way, I don't want them get dirty on this dirty snow!" Sakura yelled. She immediately turned and crossed the street leaving a completely flabbergasted Naruto behind.

What the hell is that all about? Naruto wondered as he watched Sakura meet Ino and the two began to chat. Naruto strained to try to hear what the girls were saying but their voices were too low and he was too far away and the surrounding noise of the dozens upon dozens of holiday shoppers didn't help matters. Why would she not want me to go over there with them? Unless…could it…be that she had Ino pick up my gift? Yeah! She probably asked Ino to get it for her since I'm with her!

Just then Naruto caught the two girls take a quick peak at him. "Hey Naruto!" Sakura yelled. "I need to go with Ino of a second! I'll be right back! And you better not put my bags down!" Sakura and Ino walked around the corner and out of Naruto's sight.

"Tch! Now I'll never see what they're up to!" Naruto said to himself in frustration. Unless… Naruto looked around and saw a little red haired girl, no older than twelve or so, walking by. "Hey kid!" The girl looked over and pointed to herself. "Yeah you! Come here will ya!"

"Yeah mister, what is it?" She asked as she walked over.

Naruto quickly put all the packages down next to the wall of the nearby building and began to dig into his pocket. "I'll pay you twenty ryo to watch my stuff for a few minutes."

The girl looked at the packages indifferently. "I don't know," She said. "I'm here to buy gifts for my parents. I don't really have much time."

"Ok look I'll give you twenty five!" Naruto said desperately as he pulled out five more.

"Make it fifty," the girl said flatly.

"Fifty!?" Naruto yelled in disbelief. "No way! Twenty five!"

"Fifty or no deal." The girl said with a wide girlish smile that was obviously fake.

"Look here kid, do you know who I am?" Naruto said with his best charming smile. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. That's right, THAT Uzumaki Naruto. Hero of the village."

"Oh!" The girl said as she thought it over. "Forty Five."

What!?" Naruto yelled as the girl merely smiled. "Shit!" Naruto dipped into his pocket and took out the money and gave it to the girl. "Little brat!" He said under his breath as he glared at her. He then quickly ran across the street and snuck up to the corner and peeked around the edge.

He saw Sakura and Ino speaking. Between them were several shopping bags, presumably Ino's. "So did you get it?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Ino said as she reached into a bag and removed an ornate, yellow, silk kimono shirt. "It was the only one left too."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed under his breath as he stared.

"Great!" Sakura said joyously as she took the shirt and looked it over. "Please bring it to my place later. I'll pay you back then."

"Are you sure he'd like something like this?" Ino said as she looked at the shirt with a grimace.

"Yeah! He once mentioned that he liked this," Sakura answered.

"It was pretty expensive," Ino replied.

"That's okay," Sakura responded with a smile. "I can afford it. Besides he is the only guy in my life."

Naruto turned away and, clutching his heart that suddenly began to beat uncontrollably, he slid down the wall until he sat in the cold snow. "Sakura-chan," He moaned almost wistfully. "I can't believe she would get me such a nice gift! But when did I tell her I wanted something like that?!" Naruto suddenly daydreamed of the moment Sakura handed him his gift. He'd have to act surprised of course and she'd probably act all cute and embarrassed as she handed it to him. And of course there would have to be a kiss. And he couldn't believe that she actually referred to him as "the guy in her life." Now he knew he had to find Sakura the greatest gift he could afford.

Just then he heard Ino say, "But that shirt is hideous. I mean those colors!"

"I know but he's always had terrible fashion sense!" Sakura replied.

"Terrible fashion sense!?" Naruto said to himself as he again peaked at the two girls who both laughed.

"Anyway," Sakura said as she put the shirt back in the bag. "Thanks for picking this up for me Ino, he'll love it."

"No problem," Ino said with a smile. "By the way, did you find something for Naruto yet?"

Naruto suddenly felt his heart sink and his stomach felt like it was tied in knots. His world suddenly seemed to collapse around him as those words were uttered out of Ino's mouth. A gift…for me? So…that means..?

Naruto got up and, as if on auto-pilot, trudged back over to where the little girl waited with the packages. As he walked, he was struck twice in the face by snowballs, but he continued to walk without even acknowledging the assault. "I'm not…the guy in Sakura's life?" Naruto said to himself as he looked at the blue sky. "Then…who…?"

"Hey mister you okay?" The girl asked. But Naruto didn't answer. The girl shrugged and walked away leaving Naruto alone.

Who? Who? Who could she be talking about? Naruto racked his brain trying to think. Could she actually have found someone else? I mean…I know she moved on from Sasuke but…I just thought…that we…Who? Who? Who could it be?

Just then Naruto felt someone tap him on the shoulder. At the same time the person said, "Hey Naruto."

"WHO!?" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs as he turned to face the person. He was wild eyed and tense with a vein bulging on his forehead.

"Who, what!? What are you talking about?!" Sakura yelled as she leaned back in shock at Naruto's reaction.

"Ah…oh, hey Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he quickly calmed down.

"Don't hey Sakura-chan me, Naruto." Sakura replied. "Didn't I ask you not to put my things down on the dirty ground? And what was all that about a second ago anyway? And why do you have snow on your face?"

"It's nothing," Naruto replied solemnly as he picked up the packages. "Hey Sakura-chan."

"Huh?" Sakura asked as she walked with Naruto in tow.

"We're friends right?" Naruto asked.

"Of course!" Sakura said with a smile. "The very best!"

"And you'd…tell me if there was a guy you…liked, right?" Naruto asked.

Sakura's mouth hung open as she came to an immediate halt. "Would I…tell you?"

"Yeah!" Naruto said. He could feel every nerve on his body on edge. He hadn't been this nervous since he fought the Jubi last year. "I mean, if you were dating a guy you'd tell me right?"

"Would I tell you if I liked a guy?" Sakura said without facing him. "That's probably the dumbest thing you've ever said."

"So?" Naruto replied. "Who…"

"What's with these embarrassing questions?!" Sakura yelled as she turned to face him. Her face was bright red. "Don't you know you're not supposed to ask a girl such questions no matter how friendly we are?!" Naruto was suddenly speechless. "Now come on," Sakura said with a sudden smile. "We have shopping to finish." Sakura turned and began to walk. Naruto sighed and began to follow her into a nearby store.

Konoha – December 24th – 3:11PM

Time passed as Naruto followed Sakura from store to store as she continued to make her purchases. With every minute he could feel his heart sinking further and further to the point where he couldn't even to manage a fake smile. The idea of Sakura dating another guy consumed his thoughts. Who was he? Where was he from? Was he a ninja or a civilian? Why hadn't he noticed anything?

"Naruto? Naruto?" Sakura called as Naruto was pulled out his thoughts. He was sitting in chair in another store as Sakura shopped.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"I asked you what you think of this shirt for Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Whatever," Naruto said dismissively.

"Ok, that's it!" Sakura yelled as she tossed the shirt aside. "What's with you? You've had an attitude for a while now."

"It's nothing!" Naruto snapped. He then looked away and took a deep breath.

"Ok, well if you're going to have an attitude maybe I should just finish up on my own!" Sakura yelled.

"Maybe you should!" Naruto replied.

"Fine!" Sakura yelled.

"Fine!" Naruto answered as he stood up and stormed out of the store leaving Sakura in the store.

Sakura took a deep breath as she watched Naruto storm off. What the hell is his problem!? She thought.

I can't believe it. Naruto thought to himself as he walked down the busy streets with his hands in his pockets. She's actually dating another guy, isn't she? Maybe…maybe I should finally just give up on Sakura-chan. I mean, if she still has no real interest in me after all these years then I guess…I should move on.

Konoha – December 24th – 3:42PM

Sakura walked up to the front door of her house. Behind her were two men each carrying dozens of boxes and shopping bags. Sakura unlocked the front door and turned to the men. "Please put them right inside by the door," She said.

"No…problem miss," One of the men grunted as he struggled up the two stepped and into the house.

Just down the block Naruto peeked around the corner. I'll move on all right. He thought. As soon as I first get a good look at this clown. Naruto was suddenly struck by a snowball in the face. He ignored it and wiped the snow out of his eyes and nose. I wonder if he's in there with her right now. I bet he's some short, ugly, idiot!

As Naruto looked intently he saw Sakura step out of the house with a smile on her face. Just behind her came a tall, handsome, dark haired man. Oh no he's hawt! He thought as he covered his face and cried with his right fist clenched. But then another shorter, older pot-bellied man exited behind them.

"All the packages are inside miss," The older man said with a smile. "They were pretty heavy, even for two men. We probably should have brought a third."

Sakura laughed. I think of one guy who could do it himself. She thought. "Thank you both for your hard work," She said as she handed each man a tip.

"Thank you miss," The taller, younger man said as he and the older man bowed.

Oh! I guess not! Naruto thought as the two men walked away. They were just delivery men. Anyway, I'm going to follow her and see what she's up to. If she is dating a guy then she'd definitely go see him on Christmas Eve!

Sakura then locked her front door and walked down the street. Naruto took extra precaution as he followed her knowing that, as a ninja, Sakura would notice him if he slipped up. Naruto followed her back to the shopping district as she once more began going through stores. Damn! He thought as he watched her from a distance. How could she afford all those things!? How much money does she get paid per mission!? I'm gonna have to talk to Baa-chan!

Konoha – December 24th – 4:53PM

Naruto yawned as he hid behind some bushes as Sakura emerged from yet another store with several bags in hand. Outside of meeting up with a few friends, she'd done nothing but shop. Naruto had yet to see her speak to anyone out of the ordinary. Just then Naruto heard someone call Sakura's name. The guy, an auburn haired guy of average height and a band-aid under his right eye came running up. Who's that?! Is that him!?

Naruto strained to here as the young guy walked up to a smiling Sakura. The pair talked briefly but happily. That's him! That has to be him! Naruto thought as he could feel anger rising within him. The guy suddenly grabbed Sakura by the hand and bowed while Sakura laughed and blushed slightly. The two then waved at each other and walked off in opposite directions.

Naruto turned around and sat back behind the bushes. Naruto leaned back on his hands and sighed deeply. Well, at least now I know who he is. Naruto stared up at the white clouds and the blue sky. And now I can kill him.

Konoha – December 24th – 5:09PM

The young auburn haired man walked down the block happily when suddenly someone yanked him by the collar into a back alley. Before he knew it he was now suspended in the air against a cold brick wall. The man screamed in fear as he looked down at the blonde stranger who held him up. "So you're her new boyfriend huh?!" Naruto yelled. "Well…are you?!"

"Who the hell are you!?" The boy asked.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled. As Naruto looked at the boy he realized how soft his features were. "Wait…how old are you?"

"F-Fourteen!" The boy muttered.

"Fourteen!?" Naruto yelled in disbelief. "Sakura-chan's a perv!" Naruto yelled as he covered his eyes with his left hand to hide the tears. "Why!? Why would you date such a young kid Sakura-chaaan?!"

"S-Sakura-chan?" The boy said. "You don't mean Haruno Sakura? She…She's not my girlfriend!"

"Eh! So why were you two meeting up?" Naruto asked.

"I-I help out at the orphanage!" The boy responded. "Sakura wanted me to come by later to pick up the gifts she donated for Christmas."

"What's that?!" Naruto asked.

"I-It's true," The boy said. "I mean I would like to be, but she refused my confession months ago! She said I was too young and she already had a guy she liked."

"What?!" Naruto asked as he violently shook the boy. "You know who her boyfriend is?! Who?! Who!?" Naruto yelled but the boy was now unconscious from being shaken too hard. Naruto tossed the boys limp body in the snow. Damn it! He thought. Now I'll never know who that guy is! Damn it!

Naruto put his hands in his pockets as he walked out of the hallway. "Man what am I doing?" He said. "This is nuts. I'm acting crazy! And for what?" Naruto then walked off.

Konoha – December 24th – 7:15PM

"Wow! That really sucks man," Kiba said before taking a big drink of sake. Naruto, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru and Sai were all sitting at a table in the corner as the music thumped and dozens of people danced and talked merrily.

Naruto's face was lying on his folded arms on the table as he stared into an empty cup of sake; his sixth. "Look Naruto, are you sure about this?" Shikamaru asked. "I mean none of us have seen Sakura with a guy. Maybe you're jumping to conclusions."

"Naaaah!" Naruto said drunkenly. "I know what I heard."

"But…" Shikamaru replied.

Naruto sat up and reached over, grabbing Shikamaru by the collar. "I know…what I heard man!" Naruto grimaced and looked around the expansive room at all of the people of all ages as they celebrated during this annual Christmas party. Some were eating or drinking, while others merrily danced to the music of the live band on the stage on the far side of the room. Children played happily as they eeled through the crowd with sparklers in their hands. Naruto scanned the room until his gaze fell on Sakura who was standing on the other side of the dance floor laughing with Ino, TenTen and Hinata.

Naruto grunted. "You know what? I'm done with her," He said. "If she doesn't want me then screw her!" Naruto threw his arms around Chouji and Kiba. "I've got my boys, I've got looks and I've got my sake!" Naruto looked at his empty cup. "Speaking of which…I need more sake." A nearby waitress herad his drunken demand and nodded.

"You don't mean that Naruto-kun," Sai responded. "According to this book I read many people make rash, regrettable decisions during times of emotional distress."

Naruto sat back in his chair and looked at Sai, he was listing in his chair like a sinking ship in the ocean. "Sai, you can take your books and shove them up your ass." He said. "Wait…I don't mean that. I'm…I'm sorry Sai. Imma…Imma…I'm a bit drunk You're a good friend Sai. So please…please…don't shove those books in your ass. That would be painful and I like you too much for that.."

"What's up guys!" Neji said as he a Lee walked up to the table. "What are you guys up to?"

"Hey everyone!" Lee said enthusiastically as he and Neji pulled up chairs. Lee placed his cup on the table and said, "Why do you look so serious?"

"Ah, nothing much," Choji answered. "Naruto's here just getting drunk as his world falls apart around him."

Neji laughed and said, "That sounds like a Tuesday for him."

"Ha…ha," Naruto said sarcastically as everyone laughed.

"Hey Lee," Shikamaru said. "You're not drinking are you?"

"What? This?" Lee answered as he picked up his cup. "Nah, this is grape juice. Anyway, what crisis is Naruto dealing with now?"

"He found out Sakura likes a new guy and it's not him," Kiba replied.

"Oh!" Lee said as he tried to hide his excitement. "She…didn't say who it was did she?"

"No," Naruto answered as the waitress came with another drink. "I don't know why she would keep it a secret! I followed her all day and I couldn't find the guy! I mean why's she hiding him?!"

"Maybe because she's scared that you'll jump him in an alley." Neji said with a smile.

"What are you talking about?" Choji asked.

"Didn't he tell you?" Neji answered. "Ino told me that Sakura told her that one of the male teenagers who volunteers at the orphanage got jumped in the alley by an insane blonde accusing him of being her boyfriend. Poor guy nearly pissed his pants."

"You what?!" Shikamaru yelled in disbelief.

"Okay…okay," Naruto said as he waved them off. He then took a deep drink and then said, "In my defense…that kid was tall for his age. I really think they're putting something in the milk."

"So this guy," Lee asked. "Did she happen to mention how tall he was? Or if he happened to have brilliant white teeth or great fashion sense or…"

"Lee for the last time Sakura's not into you." Kiba said with a smile. "Let it go bro!"

"Hey!" Naruto yelled angrily before drinking the last of his sake. He then grabbed Kiba by the collar. "I hear you guys saying Sakura this and that! When you refer to that woman I want you to call her that little pink haired bitch…who tore out my heart…put it in her mouth…chewed it up and spat it out!" Naruto then started slapping Kiba in the arms and yelled, "You hear me Kiba!? You hear me!?"

"Naruto man! Calm down!" Kiba yelled as he and Choji grabbed him and held him down as passers-by looked on in confusion.

"Okay." Naruto said. "I'm okay. I'm calm." Naruto then leaned back too far and crashed to the floor, his legs suspended in the air. "Yeah, I uuuhh…think it's 'bout time I called it a night."

All the guys began to laugh at their drunken friend. "Alright, alright!" Neji said as he waved at his friends. "Why don't you guys leave me and blondie alone for a minute."

"Alright we'll see you later," Lee said as they all got up and walked off.

Lee got up and walked over to Naruto and lifted him up. "Alright," He said as he helped Naruto into his seat. "Okay Naruto, you and I need to talk," He said as he sat next to him. "What's wrong with you Naruto? What happened to never giving up on your dreams?"

"There's never giving up and then there's reality," Naruto said as he lifted his empty glass and looked at the little bit of alcohol running down the inside of the glass. "And reality sucks my friend."

Neji laughed. "Naruto you can't see the forest for the trees," He said.

"Huh?" Naruto asked as he sat up.

"Here we are at the annual Christmas party right?" Neji asked. "And at the end of the night it's customary for everyone to exchange gifts. This is the perfect place for the big romantic gesture that would win a woman's heart." Naruto nodded. "And when the party is over Sakura will give you the gift she got for you and you…spent all day following her around. So…what exactly did you buy her?"

Naruto paused for a moment. The his face began to get redder and redder until he screamed and leapt out of his chair and sprinted out of the room leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Konoha – December 24th – 7:42PM

"Yaaah!" Naruto screamed as he ran through the streets going from store to store but each one was darkened. "C'mon! C'mon!" As he ran up to another store that was closed he slapped the door in frustration. "Shit! Isn't there at least one store that's open!?" Naruto was then struck in the face by a snow ball. "Damn you Konohamaru!"

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto turned and saw Lady Tsunade and Shizune standing in the street. They were both wearing brand new silk kimonos and stared at Naruto in confusion. "What are you doing?" Shizune asked.

"Who? Me?" Naruto asked as he walked over and wiped the snow from his face. "I…uh…I was just doing a bit of last minute window shopping? Heh! What are you guys doing here?"

"We were just finishing up some last minute paperwork," Tsunade answered. "We're on our way to the party."

"Oh! Okay," Naruto replied. "Well, I guess I'll see you there!"

Tsunade looked at Naruto for a moment before turning to Shizune. "You go on ahead Shizune," She said. "I need to speak to Naruto for a moment."

"Alright, see you," Shizune said before walking off.

As soon as Shizune was out of sight Tsunade turned around and struck Naruto on the top of the head. "Idiot!" She screamed.

"Ahh!" He yelled as he grasped the large knot on his head. "What was that for?!"

"That's for forgetting to buy Sakura a gift!" Tsunade yelled.

"How did you know?!" Naruto asked.

"Oh please!" Tsunade responded. "As nervous and sweaty and desperate as you look right now; what else could it be?"

"Damn you Granny!" Naruto said as he rubbed his head. "Speaking of which how come Sakura-chan could afford all those gifts!? How much more money is she being paid?!"

"Idiot!" Tsunade yelled as she struck Naruto in the head a second time. "Don't you know it's rude to ask such questions!? Besides, all ninja are paid according to their rank. If she has more money to spend it's because she's saving it instead of spending it all on ramen and perverted magazines!"

"I don't read perverted magazines!" Naruto protested.

Tsunade glared at Naruto and said, "In your room, bottom drawer in the back on the left."

"Eh!" Naruto said in shock as he tensed up. How the hell did she know about my secret stash!? He thought. Damn that old woman!

"Anyway, just shut up and come with me," Tsunade said as she turned and started waking back towards her office.

Konoha – December 24th – 7:48PM

"Sit down, Naruto," Tsunade said as the entered her office. Naruto sat as Tsuande sat in her seat behind her desk. Naruto felt like he was about to receive the lecture of lifetime and hung his head. "So you think Sakura is seeing another guy huh?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "She admitted that there was a guy she liked. I just don't know what I have to do anymore Granny."

"Hmm," Tsunade said as she regarded the young man before her. "Naruto may I ask you a question? How much do you like Sakura?"

"Uh!" Naruto exclaimed. He suddenly turned beet red as he wasn't prepared for such a direct question. "W-Well I like her a lot!"

"Do you love her?" Tsunade responded.

"L-Love?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yes. Do you love her?" Tsunaded repeated herself.

"Y-Yes! Yes I do!" Naruto yelled.

Tsunade merely smiled as she looked at him. She then reached into her bottom drawer. As she did so she said, "Naruto do you know how I knew you'd forgotten to get her a gift? It's because I'd seen that look before. When I was seventeen, it was Christmas and that old pervert Jiraiya promised to get me the greatest gift ever to win my heart. I acted like I didn't care but to be honest I was very excited to see what he'd get me."

Tsunade sighed. "But of course, because of all the sage training he was doing he forgot and when Christmas came around he didn't even show up. I acted like I didn't care that he'd forgotten but in reality I don't think I'd ever been so disappointed."

Tsunade sat up and smiled at Naruto. "Anyway, the day after Christmas Jiraiya shows up with the same look on his face and hands me this." Tsunade placed a small, cherry red, wooden box on the table. It was worn and dusty. Naruto reached over and took it. He opened it and found a silver necklace with a red ruby shaped like a tear and the size of a walnut.

"Whoa!" Naruto said. "He got you this?!"

Tsunade nodded. "Obviously I was impressed." She said. "But of course by that time I was already seeing Dan and as interested as I was in Jiraiya I couldn't betray Dan and the feelings I also held for him. So I still turned Jiraiya down. But to my surprise, he told me to keep the gift anyway. So I did. Even though I never wore it."

"This is incredible!" Naruto said as he picked up the necklace and looked it over.

"I want you to give this to Sakura." Tsunade said.

"No," Naruto responded. "I couldn't take this from you Granny. Ero-sensei gave this to you. I couldn't…"

"Naruto, you and Sakura are like grandchildren to me," Tsunade protested. "And as such I think I have a responsibility to ensure that Sakura doesn't rip you in half." Tsunade laughed. "Besides, passing things on like this is something the old like to do with the young. It makes us feel connected to you even after we pass on. I was planning to leave this to her anyway."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Granny."

Konoha – December 24th – 8:48PM

Naruto was breathing heavily as he turned the corner and sprinted towards the party hall. As he finally arrived, he was shocked to see the place empty. "What the?!" He said as he ran inside to see the place torn up. Tables and chairs were turned over. Glass shattered on the ground and the place was empty outside of the staff that were busy cleaning. "What's going on?"

"Oh! Hey Naruto!" Shikamaru said as he walked by in the hallway behind Naruto.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled as he ran up. "Where is everyone? I thought the party didn't end until eleven?"

"Yeah, well, the party ended kind of early," Shikamaru said as he shrugged.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"Well, it appears Lee mixed up his grape juice with someone else's cup," Shikamaru said.

"You mean?" Naruto asked as he realized what Shimaru was alluding to.

"Yup," Shikamaru answered. "The guy drank that one cup of sake and suddenly went berserk, tearing the place up. He then drank another and another and kept destroying everything. It took the combined efforts of both Guy-sensei and Kakashi-sensei to bring him down. By that point the place was wrecked so everyone decided to call it a night. We all exchanged gifts outside once things calmed down."

"You did?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "I just came back to get my moms purse." Shikamaru turned to leave when he said, "By the way, Sakura was looking for you. She seemed annoyed that you left early. Anyway, later bro!"

"Shit," Naruto said as he left the hall. "I can't believe I missed it." Naruto walked outside and looked up at the stars in the sky.

Just then he heard someone say, "Hey."

Looking around he saw Sakura leaning against a tree. "Sakura-chan." He said.

"I went by your place but you weren't there," Sakura said. "I thought you'd come back here. Where did you go?"

"Uh, nowhere important," Naruto answered. "Look Sakura about earlier…"

"Don't worry about it Naruto," Sakura answered. "I was acting like an idiot too, I guess. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you got this." Sakura then handed Naruto a small gift wrapped box. "Merry Christmas," She said with a bright smile. "Remember, don't open it until tomorrow!"

"Thanks," Naruto replied. "Oh, right! Here you go Sakura-chan!" He then handed her his gift.

"Thank you!" She said. She then looked off behind her. "Listen…I gotta go catch up with my parents."

"Right! Right!" Naruto replied. "I'll see you later."

Konoha – December 24th – 9:37PM

Naruto closed the door to his apartment behind him and entered the room. He looked around at the small darkened home. He could here the sound of water dripping and hitting the plates in his sink. It was on nights like this he missed his parents. It was on nights like this he remembered why he never really cared much for Christmas. At least I got her something. He thought as he turned on the lights and placed his gift on the night stand next to his bed.

He then removed his clothes and went to his bathroom to wash up. He was no longer drunk but he could feel the mother of all headaches creeping in. Naruto moaned and rubbed his head as he walked over to his bed twenty minutes later and slumped down into the sheets. He slowly slipped under his covers and took a deep breath as he tried to go to sleep.

An hour passed as he lay in the bed unable to fall asleep. He looked over at the little gift box and after a minute or so he sat up in his bed. "To hell with it!" He said as he grabbed it and tore it open. When he opened the box he looked in and was surprised to see that there was nothing inside. "Empty?" He whispered. This can't be right. Naruto thought as he looked closer inside as though he couldn't believe his own eyes. Why would she give me an empty box?

Naruto tossed the box and the top on the cover in disgust. One last indignity, it seems. I can't believe she would… Just then Naruto saw a slip of paper peaking out of the top of the box. He picked it up and pulled the paper out and unfolded it. In it there were just a couple words: Step outside.

"Hmm," Naruto said as he got up and put on his jacket and opened his front door. He looked to the left and to the right and saw nothing. Confused, Naruto looked around again and that's when he saw another slip of paper attached to the column ahead of him. He walked over and grabbed the paper. Opening it he saw more words: Walk to the end of the hallway.

Naruto shrugged and walked down the hall as instructed till he got to the end. He was surprised to see Sakura leaning against the wall around the corner waiting for him. She smiled and shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't be able to wait until the morning." She then turned to face him. "You're so damned impatient."

Naruto smiled and scratched his head "Yeah well…" Just then he noticed something around Sakura's neck. "Maybe I'm not the only one." He said as he pointed to the necklace he'd gotten her.

"Yeah well," Sakura said as she blushed. She then walked up to him stopping two feet from him. "It's beautiful Naruto."

As Sakura stood with the snow behind her the moonlight glistening off her Naruto said, "You…you're the one who's beautiful Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled and raised and envelope up to him. Naruto looked at it curiously and took it. "Open it," Sakura said. Naruto took a deep breath before opening the envelope. Once again there was a single slip of paper with one word: Up.

"Up?" Naruto questioned as he looked at Sakura who said nothing and just pointed up. Naruto looked up and saw something hanging on the low roof directly above him. Looking closely he noticed that it was a little plant. "Huh? Wait, is that a mistle-"

Before he could finish his sentence Sakura moved in and grabbed him and kissed the startled man deeply. Within a second the pair melted into each other as they continued to kiss passionately. Finally they separated and Naruto stood frozen with contented smile. "By the way," Sakura whispered into his ear. "The guy I was talking about earlier was you. You stupid idiot."

"Me?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded. "But wait, if I am the guy you were talking about then who's the guy you told Ino was "the guy in your life"?"

"You were eavesdropping on my conversation!?" Sakura asked angrily.

"Oh!" Naruto stammered nervously. "Uh! Well! Yes! I mean no! I mean..!"

"Well I guess it can't be helped," Sakura said with a smile. "I was talking about my father Naruto. He mentioned that he liked that kimono shirt when we were walking by the store a couple months ago. Satisfied?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm such an idiot."

She then took a step back and looked at Naruto. "So!" She said as she stared at him.

"So?" Naruto asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So this is where you ask me to be your girlfriend!"

"Oh!" Naruto responded. "Will you…um…will you be my girlfriend?"

"Nope!" Sakura said with a smile.

"What!?" Naruto said in shock.

Sakura shook her head. "You're too easy to mess with!" She quickly hugged him. "Merry Christmas Naruto," She said lovingly.

"Merry Christmas Sakura-chan," Naruto replied.

Sakura let go and turned to leave. "Oh, don't forget to stop by my place tomorrow around five for diner!" She yelled as she ran off. "My parents want to meet you!"

"I already met your parents!" Naruto yelled back.

Sakura stopped and turned to look at Naruto. "Don't you know parents always want a chance to talk to the man dating their daughter?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah!" He responded happily. Sakura waved and ran off down the street leaving a shocked Naruto behind. For a while he just stood in silence trying to make sense of all that happened. He then looked up at the mistletoe and pulled it down. Staring at it, Naruto recalled the kiss and the feeling of Sakura's lips against his. "Yatta!" He yelled triumphantly as he raised his hands in the air. Just as he did so, a snow ball struck him in the face.

Undeterred, Naruto wiped the snow from his face and walked back into his room. Silently, he closed the door and took off his coat. He then sat on his bed and stared at the mistletoe for moment before taking the box on his bed and carefully putting the plant inside and placing it on his nightstand. He then lied down and stared at it before closing his eyes.

Just outside, hidden behind some bushes, was Konohamaru and Moegi. Konohamaru laughed raucously as he and Moegi emerged. "Now that is how you pull off a prank!" He said.

Visibly annoyed, Moegi glared at Konohamaru. "Don't you think this went too far?"

"C'mon Moegi this was too funny!" Konohamaru replied as he and Moegi walked down the street.

"It stopped being funny six hours ago," Moegi responded. "Even Udon went home three hours ago. You're lucky I chose to hang around just to make sure you didn't get into too much trouble."

"Ah! I don't really see what's the big deal," Konohamaru said as he waved her off.

"Well, you spent all day chasing Naruto down that you didn't even buy me a gift for Christmas," Moegi said as she stopped walking, folded her arms and turned her back on him. They had reached the intersection where they would split up and go to their homes.

Konohamaru stopped. "Uh!" He said as he realized his mistake. He turned to face Moegi who had her back to him. "Moegi…I-I'm so sorry. I'm such an idiot! I'll make it up to you I promise."

Moegi then turned with a smile and said, "You're as big an idiot as Naruto-kun!" She then kissed Konohamaru on the cheek and ran off down the street.

Konohamaru touched his cheek and then smiled. "Alright!" He said as he walked down the street. For the next few minutes Konohamaru whistled merrily until he saw someone standing in the middle of the street. "Oh!" he said as he got closer and recognized Naruto standing there. "Naruto-kun! How are ya!?"

"Fine, fine," Naruto said with a smile. "I just wanted to stop by and compliment you on your prank."

"Thanks Naruto," Konohamaru said nervously as he looked around, expecting an attack.

"In fact I wanted to stop by first thing and give you my gift," Naruto said as he showed a snow ball he was hiding behind his back.

Konohamaru got into a defensive stance. "Is that supposed to be your revenge?" He asked.

"What, this?" Naruto said as he looked at the snow in his hand. "Nah, this isn't your gift." The to Konohamaru's surprise, Naruto dropped the snow on the ground. He then pointed behind Konohamaru and said, "That is your gift."

Konohamaru turned around apprehensively and saw dozens upon dozens of Naruto clones standing on the ground behind him and on every nearby roof, tree branch and fence. And each and every one of them held a massive snowball in their hands and had a venomous smiles on their faces.

"Oh boy!" Konoahamru said in horror as he looked into the eyes of every clone.

"Hey Konohamaru," Naruto said as Konohamaru turned to face him. "Merry Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Dashing through the snowIn a one horse open sleighO'er the fields we goLaughing all the wayBells on bob tails ringMaking spirits brightWhat fun it is to laugh and singA sleighing song tonightOh, jingle bells, jingle bellsJingle all the wayOh, what fun it is to rideIn a one horse open sleighJingle bells, jingle bellsJingle all the wayOh, what fun it is to rideIn a one horse open sleigh

END