Firevixen73 - So I am attempting to get myself back into the swing of things before heading back to my previous stories. I was away, literally out of the country, for a year and am now back. This is supposed to be a pretty short story but hopeful still has all the elements everyone likes. I'm glad to say the copy cat who was copying my stories had their stuff taken down :) For this one I'm looking at 3 chapters max so I get to refocus on my other stories. For those who do like what you read I have a few one shots that are also Sakura/Sasuke based and a Sakura/Itachi story that I promise I will finish. So glad to be back! Enjoy!

Sakura, while a loving and compassionate individual, was known to have a temper. It was a fact of life that her friends had learned long ago to pay attention to. This was only naturally learned through their own personal experience with her. No one faulted the foolish newbie who thought nothing of their prank or teasing gesture. Bets were usually made about how far Sakura would let them go before she tore them to pieces, Tenten had made a good three hundred when Lee was introduced to the group. And this particular lesson would usually end in some form of horrible embarrassment, bruises and laughter on everyone else's part. Everyone eventually learned Sakura Haruno had a backbone made of something far stronger than bone.

There was an ongoing theory between the group about how she was able to deceive nearly everyone around her, one that revolved around her seemingly innocent appearance. Others would see a charming looking five foot three girl followed by perfectly curled long bubblegum pink hair and a set of vibrant green eyes that made emeralds embarrassed to shine. The natural instinct of many was to think 'how sweet'. Mistake number one. She was not sweet, she was terrifying. The next common thought was that what she looked liked defined her capabilities. Essentially that she was only designed to nurture and care thus causing others to underestimated her. This was mistake number two. She was a lightning bolt aiming specifically for the tree you were standing under.

If people were being smart, which was a rarity in today's world, they would look at the facts. Some of the same facts that you learn when you are a small child and reading stories in your bedroom after your parents tell you to turn off the lights. For example when you read about princesses and princes, fairy tales with dragons and magical quests to find true love, a common theme of these stories is a villain with powers beyond normal comprehension. And, more often than not, said villains disguise themselves to extremes, sometimes as the beautiful enchantress and other times the ugly old hag. The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Enchanted and the new and improved Rapunzel were all examples. Heck, even Sleeping Beauty captured that particular element. Kiba swore up and down that Sakura was truly a supervillian for these very reasons. But no one pays attention to the logic that was so helpful to them as children. No, we are all much too grown up for that.

The second thing that others should pay attention to were Sakura's friends. A lot can be said about a person by observing the people they choose to surround themselves with and all of Sakura's friends were of the more colorful variety. She often had the daughter to Hiashi Hyuuga's empire, the creator of the silent fist martial arts technique, on one arm and a tattooed crazier than shit stunt double on the other. Hinata, while initially sweet and fitting the description bestowed on Sakura so regularly, was no walk in the park. She had a strange dichotomy about her. One where she was the most precious thing that you could come across but could walk over a dead body without being phased. It was as if she accepted everything bad about the world as a natural consequence that she could do nothing about. In all honesty, it had even the infamous Neji a little creeped out.

Then there was Kiba. Oh Kiba. Very few words could describe the half man half adrenaline junky that was her brother through everything but blood. They had known each other for over 15 years now and absolutely nothing could break that bond Well, maybe him trying to recruit Sakura into one of his little adventures like when he kidnapped her to take her bungee jumping off of the empire state building. The man was a walking disaster who paid for his lifestyle by making just as stupid stunts on camera as he did in real life. Everyone swore that the only difference between his recreational activities and his work was that one paid for his hospital bills.

But really, people tended to ignore this about her. So now we have to review all the other people she hung out with.

Neji was one of the top martial artists in the nation who was also from the Hyuuga family. They had met shortly after she had befriended Hinata and while they initially did not get along they had somehow forged a bond like none other. If Kiba was like a brother Neji was like possessive ex-boyfriend who you had ended on good terms with but he still judged every man that ever spoke to you. It was actually very sweet when one stopped to think about it, especially with knowing how indifferent he was to everyone else.

Then there was his girlfriend Tenten. Now she was someone Sakura had connected with on an entirely different level. Unlike the others she understood Sakura's passion for violence but with a more somewhat feminine mindset. Unlike the men surrounding them, and Hinata who really just ignored it all, Tenten understood the rage and the reasons behind it. She saw what made Sakura snap and supported her full heartedly. At the same time Tenten took it to a new level. While a level headed person she was Neji's weight trainer for a reason. The girl was raised by her Uncle Asuma, who never having a girl around before had forever treated her like one of the boys. To this day Sakura wasn't sure Tenten even owned a dress, let alone wore one.

Then of course there was Lee, one of the top sprinters in the world who had placed second at the Olympics two years ago. Sakura swore up and down that his endurance was his biggest asset, even as annoying as it could be. While his stamina and perseverance had won him medals across the country it did have its downsides. For instance, every coach wants a runner who doesn't know the word no and just pushes through it. Sakura on the other hand found it extremely unsettling every Thursday when he dropped by with flowers and the promise to sweep her off her feet on their non-existent date the next day. It was even worse when he adamantly promised completely unfeasible feats like lapping the station on only his hands to prove himself to her. See, crazy. Internally Sakura was a little more than pleased to hear that he would be overseas for the next few months for a new fitness program.

Then there was Shino. While initially he did not appear incredibly odd on the outside he was probably the strangest out of the bunch. He was a reporter for one of the biggest newspapers in the Tokyo area. Shino, much to his dismay, was often overlooked and all but ignored. While his social life was non-existent because of this inability for people to remember him it was perfect for his work. No one could figure out how he got all the confidential information that he did, but really he just stood there while people spoke.

Last, but most certainly not least there, was Sai. She had met him while doing a report on one of the up and coming kendo competitors. Sai, being oblivious him stepped into her filming and started explaining his paintings on live television. While her interview was ruined she couldn't help but admire the street vendor who dared to upstage her broadcast like that and they quickly began talking. He, the newest member of their ragtag group, seemed to enjoy learning the lesson that will forever be dubbed as 'Thou shall not mess with Haruno'. It made her think that he was a little more than turned on by the violence which was extremely unnerving. It certainly explained why his artwork was also so morbid.

But that was her posse; Hinata the silent heiress, Kiba the stunt double, Neji the martial artist, Tenten the trainer, Lee the runner, Shino the reporter and Sai the artists. That must have been how the rest of the world saw them but anyone who had ever spent any time around the group knew the truth. They were all insane.

Naruto, who had heard of Sakura by reputation but never by name for four months should have calculated that. He should have realized that Kiba, while a born storyteller was not one to lie. He should have, but he didn't. Which was how he ended up where he did. Bruised, gasping and barely standing.

The cause of his downfall began with a simple training exercise with his best friend Sasuke Uchiha. The two had known each other for quiet some time and despite being rivals often trained together. Their respective Master's were two out of the three legendary Sannin and had therefore spent more than enough time together than either one truly wanted. Still, friendship like theirs were hard to come by and they somehow remained by the other's side without killing one another.

Despite this forced closeness they would always be there for each other. Sasuke had been there for Naruto during his search for his birth parents and the millions of miles that trip had taken them. Sasuke had silently helped as Naruto searched every newspaper, visited every town and finally every grave site. He had been there when Naruto eventually broke down at the slabs of stone with dates and names of strangers that he would never know but had every right to.

Naruto had also been there for the dark haired fighter. While he had never been on a life long quest to find his parents a small portion of Sasuke always wished that he could have. Instead he was stuck with the family he was born with and though he might have been privileged he was far from happy. His family was known for their fighting and legendary skills. He was born and raised to honor his family name, but most of all to succeed. They were rotten to the core and were willing to do anything to win. It was why when he silently disowned himself from the family, and it truly was silent because the family would rather have him killed then live with the shame of someone leaving voluntarily, Naruto's had been the first place he went.

They had an unspoken bond between them as surrogate brothers. Brothers who wanted to kill each other half the time but brother's none the less.

"Sasuke! You are a fucking bastard and you know it. You are just mad that I got that last hit in," screamed the blonde while trying to collect all the fallen weapons surrounding him.

Sasuke Uchiha did not even dignify that with a response. He didn't have to. It was true that he was a little miffed that his long time friend and personal sparing partner had maybe got more than a little hit in on Sasuke's side but that was not the reason why he threw Naruto into the lockers on the other side of the dojo. No, this was much more annoying than some stupid little hit. "Shut up you idiot, I can't stand your voice anymore."

Insert glare infamous to the Uchiha bloodline that no normal human can withstand.

Naruto quickly stood up as he tried to channel his fury. His glare had little to no effect since Naruto had become all but immune to it over the years and the oblivious boy continued. Naruto had a date with the girl of his dreams tonight and he'd be damned if Sasuke bruised him up for the big night. And lockers tended to leave rather large marks when thrown into them. So not cool Sasuke, not cool at all. "You're just some pansy who is pissed off because Neji beat your last rotation score."

Insert even worse glare where flesh melted like acid from the bone leaving nothing but the remnants of what was originally a human corpse but was now an unidentifiable mass of goo.

Naruto, who never took an opportunity to tease his long time friend for granted, happily placed his hands behind his head and rested them there while strolling up towards the fuming Uchiha. "Must kinda suck being behind in rankings with Hyuuga, I mean, he's like totally kicking your ass with the fans too. Who knew someone as bastardly as him could have a fan base. Don't ask me how he is getting across a better impression than you. The stick up his ass is twice as long as yours."

Sasuke had heard enough. While Neji was an annoyance that seemed incapable of dying an extremely painful death full of electrically charged bolts sent down from the heavens themselves that man was not the current issue. Naruto was the problem and it was on Naruto alone that his fury was channeled towards. What's more Naruto was attempting to change the subject and Sasuke wasn't about to fall for it, "Stop dating his cousin."

Naruto's face scrunched up in annoyance. Whether it was because someone was telling him what to do or because Sasuke had effectively redirected the conversation no one would ever know, "Don't tell me who to date."

"Stop talking about her, its annoying," replied Sasuke as he completely ignored Naruto's earlier come back. In all honesty he was sick of hearing about the girl. There was no way she was as great as Naruto made her seem especially if she was a Hyuuga. Nothing good ever came out of that clan. If it wasn't about her eyes it was about her legs, if it wasn't about her legs it was about her hips, if it wasn't about her hips it was about something else that made him gag. No woman was worth Naruto's obsession. No woman was worth betraying your best friend over. No woman was worth betraying yourself over.

"She's not annoying you bastard, she's perfect!" yelled Naruto as he attempted to defend Hinata with every fiber of his being. "She's way better to look at than you."

Sasuke, hearing enough, walked over to the end of the mat to pick up the cold washcloth he had laid out earlier. He was tired of this argument. If Naruto couldn't see that Hinata was using him then that was Naruto's problem. He on the other hand wouldn't be used like some puppet. No one was about to pull his strings, "Whatever."

Naruto wasn't done with the conversation though and wasn't about to have Sasuke walk out by having the last word like that. Everyone knew that Naruto had to be the one to say the last word. It was just common knowledge. "Hey I wasn't done yet!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he walked over to the weight station. As he perused the area Sasuke quickly settled on the free weights. Without turning to his friend Sasuke started the line of questioning everyone knew Naruto had been avoiding, "You, me, Gaara and the Hyuuga. We are the top four contestants for the National Martial Arts Medals this year. You don't think it's strange that Hyuuga cousin magically started dating you right as you are training for the biggest match of our lives?"

"Shut up would you? Not everyone is out to sabotage us. There are good people in the world you know. Hinata is one of them. She really cares about me and is actually rooting for me to win over her cousin," defended Naruto while crossing his arms over his chest. "She comes to all my sporting events, brings me dinner and even puts up with your shitty attitude."

"What does her father think?" asked Sasuke as he lifted each weight before him while attempting to figure out which one he felt like lifting. At the same time he was watching for Naruto's response. Sasuke knew that the blonde hadn't been introduced to anyone in her family, he would have heard about it for hours if he had, and was hoping this would be what finally made Naruto stop being so blind. Sasuke could deal with his friend dating someone Sasuke couldn't stand, that was a given because they were obviously mental if they wanted to date that walking ball of sunshine, but he couldn't deal with his friend dating someone who was just using him.

Naruto paused for a minute as he tried to think up an answer to that question. He hadn't heard a thing about Hinata's family if he was being completely honest. Naruto probably knew more from news reports than anything he heard from her. She never talked about her younger sister or father. In fact, she spoke more about Neji than anyone else in her family. Even then the information was usually about his day than anything else. Nothing about training or martial arts at all. That was a little odd considering that was supposed to be his passion and therefore his life.

At first Naruto thought it might be a problem what with Neji being so close to her but it really hadn't come up. In fact, nothing about her life had really been a problem. In reality it was because she never talked about herself. Everything was about Naruto and his day. And despite how often they hung out Naruto had only met two of her friends.

The first one was named Kiba who for some reason Naruto felt an immediate bond with. Of course the idea of his girl spending multiple amounts of time with such a fun guy was a little daunting. While he was confident in himself he knew Kiba was a little more than lucky with the ladies. And heck, for all Naruto knew the two had dated, or were thinking about it, or were dating. He had no clue. Holy crap, Kiba had a thing for his girl! Hell, he might have hit on her repeatedly and she was doing everything in her power to stage him off but was failing miserably due to Naruto's inability to be around her all the time hence not reminding her why they were perfect for each other.

He did not want to appear crazy to his friend, or relay the insecurities that were swimming throughout his head. Naruto's eye brows scrunched as he thought about how little he really knew about Hinata. "Well, we are keeping it low key."

Sasuke did not even dignify that with a response. Naruto didn't understand the phrase low key let alone practice it. Heck, the first time he met Naruto was at a martial arts match when they were 12 years old. The idiot came running onto the mat in a bright orange get up screaming about him being the best in the nation let alone the regional tournament they had both qualified for.

But yeah, Naruto was totally down for a low key relationship.

"It was a mutual decision," defended Naruto to the completely unasked assumption. Sasuke by this point wasn't even paying attention to the conversation seeing as he had deemed it unworthy of his time now that the point was getting across. "We want to take things slow."

Again, anyone who knew Naruto knew nothing was ever done slow. A speeding bullet was unable to keep up with him when he wanted something. "Embarrassment or using you, take your pick," stated Sasuke in his typical better than thou manner, "either way stop talking about her."

Naruto's face turned red at the accusation, "Shut up okay, just cause you are mad that I know how to have a relationship while you sulk alone at night doesn't mean you can be a prick to the rest of the world."

Sasuke dropped the weight he was lifting in mid curl once he realized that Naruto was not done complaining. He knew he shouldn't have started a conversation. They always continued past his initial statement which was usually the opposite of why he started one. It was as if people saw it as an incentive to keep their mouth moving. Once placing the weight in the appropriate place Sasuke turned to his friend, "You need to stop being such an idiot and concentrate on training. Not that you have a chance of beating me but you should at least try. You'll look even more pathetic if you don't."

Naruto's face suddenly turned white at the mentioning of further training. Placing his hand behind his head he scratched it guiltily, "Oh well I can't really do anymore today. I told you I have a date."

Sasuke could feel the laziness rolling off of Naruto and was making mental bets in his head about where the moron would place with all the slacking off he was doing. Maybe that was Hinata's plan all along. Like trainer like student I guess. Jiraya always could be distracted by a pretty face. It's why even though Orochimaru had a little more than a few oddities Sasuke hand selected him as a Master. The man only shot for being the best of the best and never anything else. Standards above all else were something they shared and it was more than difficult to catch Sasuke Uchiha's eye. Of course, if you managed that feet then congratulations, you officially had his attention. But throughout the years very few, perhaps Orochimaru and Naruto, were the only ones to truly perk any curiosity or respect in him. But it was moments like this that he wondered if the respect in his friend was misplace. It didn't matter though, because Sasuke was sure in his decision as a fighter and would stick with the choice in his Master thus negating his current disapproval of Naruto.

After reassessing his decision and once again finding that he had made the most productive choice per usual Sasuke returned to the mat to work on his forms. Most people thought that a new technique was the most important thing in a fight but being steadfast in your basics was the true advantage. It didn't matter how fancy someone's move was, if you were set in your stance, had a clear mind and could keep your breathing even you would be a hard opponent to beat.

"Its pretty cool though, having someone cheer for me like she does. Makes it more fun in the ring ya know?" laughed Naruto as he attempted to forget the conversation Sasuke had been pushing. It was a typical Naruto move. It was like he couldn't think of anything negative let alone talk about it. What was he on, happy pills?

Sasuke, who was still practicing his breathing, scoffed, "A fan is a fan."

Naruto shook his head as he once again got in the way of Sasuke's training. Standing directly in front of him, while being ignored of course, Naruto began the one sided conversation, "It's different when you are trying to impress someone. Last week I totally pulled that move out of no where because I couldn't stand being pinned down on the ground in front of her."

"Why would I want to impress anyone other than myself? It's just another distraction. No one else has ever been worth my time when it comes to the mat. No one is worthy to be a distraction. The sooner you learn that the better," Sasuke couldn't help the mockery that came out of his voice. In fact once he thought about it he didn't want to stop the mockery coming out of his voice.

Naruto frowned, "One day you'll see what it is like, how much it will suddenly mean to you and its going to hit you out of know where to. Suddenly someone is gonna catch your attention. And you'll see what it's like. I am going to prove myself to her one way or another. I'll be the most loving and devoted boyfriend ever! Then you'll be jealous because I am going to be so happy!"

Oddly enough it was only a month later that Naruto found himself in this very position. Looking back on it nothing felt more natural as he announced his affections for Hinata on national television. He had strong feelings for the girl and had always felt an overwhelming need to announce himself to the world. It was a genetic trait of pure obliviousness inherited from his father's line because if he would have been paying attention he would have noticed that Sasuke had a point. Hinata had been going out of her way to keep their relationship secret. He was an up and coming fighter with reporters stalking him and sponsors harassing him at every turn. Yet somehow none of them had ever caught them together which was odd. It would have been a huge scandal and have sold plenty of newspapers considering what family she came from. Hinata had been doing everything in her power to keep people from knowing that she was dating Naruto Uzumaki, but it wasn't out of malice or embarrassment. Her reason's were very different from what Sasuke had proposed. Very different indeed.

So, when Naruto turned to the pink haired reporter as she announced the final contestant of the final tournament scheduled in one months time, he took his cue. Personally Naruto had never had to much interaction with the pink haired reporter from a small town outside of Tokyo. He had of course heard about her, she was after all Sakura Haruno. She was considered one of the most popular up and coming reporters of Japan. Perhaps it was because she was a smoking hot female who reported on sports thus giving every man their personal wet dream to think about at night. Maybe it was because when the big boys started talking about scores and probabilities she was right up there with her own theories that to be honest, typically won. Or maybe it was a combination of the entire package.

Either way it was a well known fact in the sports community that one of the perks of being the best was being able to sit alone in a room with her and do an interview. It was a goal Naruto had strived for up until a few months ago. He had been convinced that with one look at him she would fall madly in love and they would have beautiful nationally recognized children. That dream was over the moment he met Hinata but hey, that didn't mean he still didn't have a little crush on her. She was freaking Sakura Haruno.

So after he got over the fact that he was meeting the perfectly proportioned, long haired and green eyed beauty Naruto made his stance. He grabbed the microphone out of her hand and smiled, "I want to say thanks to the love of my life Hinata Hyuuga for being so awesome and always supporting me. You and me forever! Believe it!"

He was too wrapped up in himself to notice the shocked look on Sakura's face. He was getting to many pats on the back from the surrounding men in the room to watch Sakura purposefully close her dazed mouth and shake her head in disappointment. Very carefully she pulled the microphone back to her lips and smiled, "You heard it all here at KY News, this is Sakura Haruno signing off."

Once the camera had lowered and the red light was no longer flashing the pink haired reporter turned towards Naruto. While he had been pushed a few feet away by his trainers and martial arts master she once again shook her head. Hinata had tried so hard to make their relationship last. She had done everything possible to keep everyone who needed to be in the dark stay there in order to give him enough time. Hopefully Naruto had enough to prepare himself because what was coming would not be pretty.

Sasuke was training vigorously as he prepared for the tournament set in one month's time. Four of the top fighters in the nation were going to be competing and he swore to himself he would win. Most of it was for himself and proving that he was indeed the best but the other part was to finally settle Naruto's relationship with Hinata. Naruto had sworn to win this for her and Sasuke had half a mind to beat the crap out of his friend just to prove to Naruto how much Hinata was manipulating him. Luckily he knew Naruto's technique so he was spending less time focusing on the blond. Sasuke also knew Neji's fighting style since the Uchiha's and Hyuugas had been at odd for years but this Gaara's was more of a mystery to him. He had only fought him a couple of times and he had always come across as brutal in his techniques. And for Sasuke to call someone intense was saying something.

Today was completely dedicated to figuring out how to best these styles by perfecting their own. It was why, despite what was coming up, Sasuke and Naruto continued training together for this week and this week only. Each had called in the best trainers that they knew as a mutual pact for that week. Naruto had called in Jiraya, of course, and the man's old master Sarutobi. Sasuke had brought in Orochimaru and his elder brother Itachi, who had studied for years in the family dojo. Even Kakashi, Sasuke's Uncle and only family member that he trusted was going to be flying in from out of town.

Despite Sasuke's fallout with his family Itachi and him had a somewhat different relationship. While Mikoto and Fugaku pretended to love their son and gush about him when asked by family friends they had little to no interaction with him in the real world. They had the monthly mandatory family dinners to satisfy the press but those were usually done in silence and a condescending air of disapproval. Itachi and him had somehow kept up a pretense of a relationship. They spoke civilly to each other about every two weeks due to Itachi often renting out Sasuke's dojo to get away from the ever watchful eyes in the Uchiha dojo. They did not get along but some part of the other respected each other. Itachi for his ability to tolerate the family and Sasuke for his ability to leave. It was why when Itachi overheard Sasuke talking about a few extra pair of eyes to help with training that Sasuke was a little shocked when he volunteered. One or two of Itachi's old sparing partners were also set to come later on today which was a blessing and a curse. Kisame and Sasori were not exactly the calmest of individuals and Sasuke could already feel his headache growing.

Either way the fresh set of eyes were welcomed for the most part. It had been three days and everyone was already starting to see the differences. Both of their stances were stronger and the attacks more precise. Sasuke found himself focusing on the intensity of the attacks, since he usually exercised more control, and Naruto was stuck in practicing the basics.

Both recognized that they needed the training but Naruto was having a slightly more difficult time. Said blonde was more than a little miffed that Sasuke was getting to channel fierceness while he was stuck on breathing techniques. Sasuke inwardly chuckled as the blonde once again failed to hone himself. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Naruto, in an effort to keep his momentum going, chanted Hinata's name. Inwardly Naruto could only hope that they lasted that long though. Hinata had became distant since his proclamation. Naruto claimed up and down that all of their recent goodbyes had felt like it might be their last and he didn't know why. But he was determined to prove himself to her, and since she wasn't around to hear them, Sasuke had unfortunately been on the reluctant receiving end of those speeches.

He swore if he heard one more I love you declaration from Naruto he would lose it. There was only so much a best friend could tolerate. Adding to that particular annoyance was having his fucker of a brother correct him all day. The man was more than good in a fight but he was like every other member of the Uchiha family. Controlling and believed himself better than everyone else. Sasuke had never done well with someone challenging him. Just because he unofficially left the Uchiha clan didn't mean he didn't have their blood continuously running through him.

This was why in the middle of an extremely painful stance with less that light weights it took him a few seconds to register the doors to the dojo bursting open.

In stepped the perfectly immaculate Hinata Hyuuga. Now, it was a surprise to all because it had been an unspoken agreement that the Hyuuga heiress was to never step foot in the training grounds. To much could be relayed to her cousin and no one wanted to chance it. Naruto had originally disagreed but had been outvoted by everyone in the vicinity. Even Jiraya had been skeptical when they first started dating and had agreed to Sasuke's demand. To everyone's surprise Naruto had one supporter which was the ever aloof Itachi that had more than present recently. Why he disagreed with the group was unclear but it was quickly bypassed and forgotten. He was a guest during the day and had little to no say about anything other than his schedule.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto as he dropped the weights on the floor while ignoring the sound of them hitting the mat. "What are you doing here?"

Hinata, for her part, looked flawless. While she would never radiate an air of confidence or stop multiple men in their tracks by just a glance she had a sense of innocence about her that seemed to lighten a room. So it was a surprise when she did not walk further and hug her boyfriend. It was a shock when she stopped three feet in front of him and placed her hand out to motion his own body to halt mid lunge.

Naruto glanced around as he waited for her to speak. Once it was clear that everyone in the room was not only baffled, but starting to get annoyed, Naruto turned towards her. He wasn't sure how to start the conversation since this experience had him off balance and wondering what to do. He knew he should kick her out, there was serious training going on and the group had already decided no Hinata Hyuuga on the premises. At the same time the boyfriend in him wanted to pounce and remove that worry right off her face. "So…how've you been?"

Sasuke could have left the room out of sheer principle in that very moment if the dojo hadn't of belonged to him. What was Naruto, twelve?

Hinata's eyes slowly moved up from their spot on the ground as she made eye contact with Naruto, "I like us being together, I really do, but Naruto, there are a few things that you need to know about me."

Naruto's own face immediately went a pale and an obvious shade of green quickly followed, "Y-your breaking up with me?"

Sasuke, who had been privy to his brother's criticism for the last three hours, was not in the mood to deal with this drama. He did not care that Naruto was supposed to be his biggest rival. He didn't care that he had been warning Naruto about this for the past few months. So when he saw Hinata hesitate in her answer to his reluctantly admitted best friend's question Sasuke snapped.

"Where do you get off Hyuuga?" he said fiercely while gliding ferociously over towards the pair. How a person could manage to do that only Sasuke knew but somehow he made it possible. Naruto, who had tried for many months, had decided that gliding was apparently a trait you were born with and it could not be learned. But Sasuke did indeed glide, and he did so with the look of an avenger in his eyes.

Hinata faltered briefly while looking at the extremely fierce looking martial artist. As soon as she sized him up, and for some unfathomable reason to everyone else in the room determined that he was not a threat, she turned back to Naruto. "I'm not breaking up with you its just…dating me is complicated. There are certain rules that we all have to follow. I tried to keep you out of it, I really did."

Sasuke stopped mid step as he processed her answer. While he was more than turned off at the idea of someone so casually disregarding him he was more interested in her reasoning. Even if Naruto was an idiot he wanted the best for him.

Naruto blinked repeatedly as he felt an extreme weight lift off of his shoulders. With what could only be described as a sigh of relief Naruto exhaled and slumped, "So you aren't breaking up with me?"

No response was given back. He glanced again at Hinata as she appeared to contemplate the question. After a few more seconds she seemed to find the answer she was looking for, "I wont be breaking up with you. I like you very, very much."

Naruto fell to the ground in relief. With a laugh he glanced around, "And you all thought she was using me. Don't you all feel like total dipshits now?"

Then he felt Hinata grab his shoulder and force him to look at her. Once she was crouched in front of him she shook her head, "I won't be breaking up with you Naruto but that doesn't mean that we will still be together. You see, my Master has a strict dating policy when it comes to fighters."

Naruto didn't say anything back. To be honest he didn't know Hinata had a master. She had never really mentioned anything from the Hyuuga fighting styles or any martial arts moves. She had never corrected his form or complemented something specific that he did when in the arena. In fact, she acted like she didn't know much. Combine that with her reportedly rocky relationship with her father and he figured there was no reason to ask. While he contemplated this Jiraya spoke up, "Your master? I was unaware that you were trained, though I always felt that your father preferred fighters in the family. Even if Naruto does not come from a long line of them he has established himself as one of the best. Isn't that enough?"

Hinata glanced back around the room as she again chose her words carefully, "My father is not my Master, I was trained under someone else. She is the one that has the policy and it is something that has served all of her students well in the past."

Jiraya's face scrunched. Most female fighters were all muscle and no beauty but if he had to he was always open to persuading this master through other methods. He was willing to do anything for his students and he would make this woman's night by doing it. He was a legend for a reason, on and off the fighting mat. The legendary Toad was about to make his sacrifice clear but before he could ask for the name of Hinata's master another man came strolling through the front doors.

With a happy whistle the black haired and pale skinned man stepped next to Hinata. His fingers were covered in paint and there appeared to be black splotches all over his clothes. Said clothes were rather oddly fashioned. He wore a half shirt and extremely baggy pants that had holes throughout the bottom half of the legs, "Did I miss the beating? I feel like it will be very enjoyable to watch."

Hinata blushed a bright red color, "We don't know that he is going to loose Sai."

Another booming voice quickly joined into the confusion and Naruto looked up to immediately see a man he recognized. It was Kiba, the man Sasuke had convinced him Hinata was having an affair with. The truth was that Naruto had convinced himself of that fact and Sasuke had never even mentioned the man but Naruto only believed what he wanted to believe. Not caring that they had bonded like true men over beer and an open grill Naruto went on the defense. Immediately jumping to his feet the blonde quickly joined in, "No one kicks Naruto Uzumaki's ass!"

Kiba just laughed again as he pictured the future scenario. While laughing he walked over to the crowd and sat down cross legged, "Oh you are gonna get your ass kicked it's just a question as to how long she gives you. This seems like a pretty good seat."

Hinata rolled her eyes but her voice stayed soft, "Give him some credit Kiba. Are you forgetting who he is?"

Sai, who was never one to be left out of a conversation that he felt he knew something about walked over to where Kiba sat and gracefully crossed his own legs, "I agree Kiba, this is optimal seating for the ass kicking."

Hinata obviously wanted to stomp her foot in frustration but wouldn't dare due to her more demure nature.

Kiba scanned the room while pretending to sniff the air. Perhaps he realized how much he looked like a dog and didn't care but he kept up the act and grinned wolfishly, "We should be able to smell the blood from here."

Hinata's hair could have been standing on end with the obvious amount of frustration she was feeling, "There will be no blood!"

Kiba only snickered, "Why? She gonna beat him that fast? I bet twenty bucks she throws him across the room within a minute of meeting each other."

Hinata's displeasure could not have been more obvious.

"Sorry I'm late, Neji and I couldn't find any parking but we are here now!" yelled a girl happily while she skipped through the front door. She wore her hair in what could only be described as buns on the top of her head, looking somewhat similar to giant bowls of brown rice. Behind her being dragged by his wrists was none other than Neji Hyuuga.

Everyone in the room seemed to stiffen at his entrance. It was well known between all levels of fighters that you do not step into another man's dojo unless you were looking for a fight. Sasuke immediately stood in a more predatory position as he made his claim clear. He didn't know why the man was in his dojo but he wasn't welcomed.

Neji looked stoic as usual, but oddly enough not displeased. He wore what appeared to be the Hyuuga families traditional training gear and from the tape wrapped around his fists this visit had caught him off guard. Once they were halfway into the building Neji yanked his arms out from under the strange woman, "I know how to walk Tenten. I am not an invalid."

The now identified woman rolled her eyes. Despite them dating this type of talk was a common type of communication between them. "Well you could have fooled me what with how slow you have been moving this past week. You better watch it or Uchiha really will kick your ass and it wont just be me saying it."

Neji seemed to bristle at the statement, "Endurance may be key but being sure in your movement is the most important aspect of a fighter. Stamina is nothing if you are doing things inadequately."

Kiba scoffed at that statement, "You fighters really need to get together and determine what the most important thing is. It changes daily. You guys are all just pulling things out of your assess."

Sasuke felt his headache grow even bigger. He didn't know why these people were here, let alone one of his upcoming rivals, but he wanted them out. He had never been one to place his social life above his life goals and he was not about to let someone else's impede on his day. Not liking the crowd in his work area he quickly made sure the inhabitants of the room knew exactly where they were and who they were dealing with, "Get out, all of you."

Neji, who was used to Sasuke's blunt and rude statements mainly because he used the same tactics, quickly gave him the due attention he deserved, "I assure you I wish to be training as well but it is only proper I stay. This battle shall not be an easy one and as a fellow competitor it is only fair I give Naruto my support. My honor would be damaged if I were to leave."

Everyone in the room could have dropped to the floor in shock. Well, everyone but those who knew what was happening. Hinata just crossed her arms and tried not to show her desperation, "I really like him, try not to talk about him as if he has already lost."

Tenten, seeing an opening grabbed Neji's hand and pulled him over to the area now designated for guests. She had been through Hinata's turmoil and knew nothing but immediate action would relieve her. Heck, even then it would be beyond nerve racking. It had taken Neji four tries before they were allowed to date. "All he can do is his best, you know she will accept nothing less. Neji had to prove himself to date me and Naruto will have to do the same. Despite what you are telling yourself her standards are there for a reason."

Silently agreeing Hinata moved over towards her friends and sat down next to Kiba. With an empathetic hug, or what could be described as an attempt at an empathetic hug, Sai tried to comfort her. "It's alright, she will only break him a little."

It appeared that was the straw to break the camel's back because Jiraya was hearing none of it. He immediately started to defend his favorite student against this unknown foe, "I don't know what is going on but someone is insinuating that they will be able to beat my top student. He is my best and I have taught him everything I know, and no one has ever defeated me thus giving him something akin to my reputation. I think I know greatness when I see it and that boy is going places."

Orochimaru snickered. He had been silent up until this moment due to his observatory nature. He was named the Snake during his prime because he studied situations and fighters until he understood them completely. When it was the optimal moment he would strike in a powerhouse blow that destroyed whomever stood against him. He was very similar in his personal life in this way. His friendship with Jiraya always did lead him to new and unusual paths though, which is why he felt the need to speak up now. Unlike most other's who were present he had been around long enough to tell when the man's stories were fact or fiction. The two had been rivals for years, even before they trained under Sarutobi, and they knew each others stories almost as well as they knew their own. "You will need to retract that statement you fool."

Jiraya turned towards his long time rival but as equally as long friend. Offended by the statement because he really was a good fighter Jiraya challenged it, "You've never beaten me."

Orochimaru's eyes almost slithered towards him with a glare, "You have been beaten though, no matter what you tell yourself. Do you not remember how you got that scar on your chest?"

Naruto glanced at his own master in shock. For years Jiraya had boasted about his record, about how no one could truly keep him down. Now he was hearing that the legend was just that, a legend? "You got that in a fight? You said you got it in a life threatening experience with a wild beast!"

Orochimaru couldn't help the snicker partly because the wild beast analogy could be considered true. Tsunade had never been a force to recon with especially when mad. The woman, despite her beauty, was a whirlwind of fury and violence. Jiraya and him had fought over her long enough to realize that particular fact. Despite Orochimaru's thoughts on the matter he did not voice his opinion. He had always been the quiet one out of the three and less likely to cause a riot that he was near enough to get pulled into. He was usually the on looking instigator.

Instead it was the oldest man in the room, Sarutobi, that spoke, "He was looking where he should not have. I am glad to say that was the last time he ever poked his head into the women's changing rooms during a meet. I warned you not to upset her. She always had a violent temper."

Naruto and Sasuke both gave a collective sigh. Of course Jiraya had sustained the injury while trying to look at a woman. The female body would forever be that man's downfall.

"Did I miss it?" asked a small, almost a whisper really, voice that was once again near the doorway. All parties looked only to see what appeared to be a man in dark sunglasses wearing a dark colored rain coat. Why he felt the need to wear it was unclear considering it was the middle of winter and absolutely frigid outside. Still he stepped into the room as he assessed if he was truly late.

Naruto was the only one to immediately give him a response. "Hey I know you. You are the other friend of Hinata's that I met. Shino right?"

Even through his glasses and high collared jacket everyone could feel the man's smile, "You remember who I am?"

Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment, "Well yeah, you were supper strange. That level of creepy is a little hard to forget."

"I'm here! Sorry I am late. This interview went over and then I had to do some stupid promo with the street racers. Thank god traffic wasn't bad or I would have missed it all together," laughed an extremely familiar voice. As quickly as the others had come so did she; the infamous Sakura Haruno. She wore her hair in a fancy up do and an extremely classy looking black business suit with a deep red silk tank. Without glancing at anyone else she turned to Shino, "Shino! I didn't think you would make it either. Did you get your info about the voting scandal?"

Shino nodded happily, "And Naruto remembered who I was."

He stated the fact like it was more important than a million dollar voting scandal that could effect the lives of thousands of people in the area. But then again Shino had always been forgotten and this was probably going to be the highlight of his week. So patting his back and conveying as much affection as possible Sakura's face beamed, "See, I told you not to give up!"

But before anyone could speak another word Itachi was standing before her. He had somehow moved across the room without anyone noticing. Grabbing her hand he placed it to his lips and smiled, "It is a pleasure Haruno. I felt that you would be stopping by soon what with Naruto's declaration."

Sakura glanced at her hand then back at Itachi. Her first instinct was to pull back and slap him but her television etiquette knew not to make someone like Itachi upset. He was his mother's son after all and that woman was nothing short of a hornet's nest that just got sprayed with water. "Well if it was up to me I would just let them date. It's a little obvious how much they love each other but rules are rules. Besides," Sakura glanced towards Hinata, "Master was more upset that someone hadn't told her they were dating Jiraya's student than the fact that it was announced on national television. Really Hinata? Naruto?"

Hinata crossed her arms and gave a small pout, "I can't help who his master is."

It was clear that Hinata dating Naruto was some form of offense but no one outside of the immediate circle of friends was even slightly aware of what that was, except perhaps Itachi. It appeared he knew something more than the average instructor. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he contemplated the situation further. To be honest Itachi and him had very little in common. Itachi had been trained by the family and had taken on their beliefs and methods. Sasuke had taken his own route and had isolated himself from many relatives by going to learn under Orochimaru. They shared a gym and that was where most of their relationship remained. They annoyed the crap out of each other and tolerated what the other knew but that was it.

Perhaps that was why he was so confused with the way he was treating the pink haired woman. He had not seen Itachi in anything other than an instructor role in years. His elder brother obviously had some form of relationship with the newscaster. He had never seen Itachi move across the room like that for any woman other than their mother. Had they dated? Were they dating? Was that why Itachi had agreed to help him train? For a woman?

Tenten, who was not privy to Sasuke's thoughts and therefore not bogged down by his spiraling thinking, was still next to Neji as she tried to think of what must be going through her own Master's mind. After giving it a few seconds she couldn't help the smirk, "But come on Hinata, you dating Naruto is a pretty low blow. That would be like Sakura dating Sasuke. She would rather die, or heaven forbid give up drinking, than let that happen."

Itachi seemed to stumble at the statement but Sakura, who was still rubbing the back of her hand on her thigh, ignored it. In fact, she ignored everyone's statements when it came to her dating Sasuke Uchiha.

While she was gliding in and out of her thoughts in an attempt to stay out of the Sakura and Sasuke conversation both her and the nearly forgotten reporter walked over towards the group, Itachi not a foot behind them. Hinata was about to concede defeat but Sai decided that this too was something he knew about and was therefore privy to the conversation, "I have only known the Hag for a bit but she is more than a little protective over Sakura. I feel the response would be much worse if she decided to date the Uchiha. It is possible that she would cause the world to implode on itself out of pure frustration."

Sakura sat down next to Neji and Sai, effectively blocking off Itachi, and rolled her eyes. She had tried to stay out of it, no really, she had, "Please, he is so not my type. The world has nothing to worry about. " She smoothed out her pant suit, looking for any wrinkles, as she tried to maneuver her feet so her heels would not be digging into her legs.

Sasuke, who usually did not pay attention to women because they were plentiful and willing so therefore below his immediate notice, couldn't help the look of inquiry on his face. While he did not think that every woman in the world wanted him he knew from Naruto's past obsession with her that she dated fighters. He quickly blew it off and deemed it unimportant as soon as it crossed his mind. She was probably dating his brother already anyways, not that it particularly mattered to him.

It appeared that not everyone saw it as unimportant as he did because even Hinata the sweet and silent one scoffed at that, "Not your type? If you looked up your type in the dictionary there would be a picture of him."

Sakura, like a mature individual who was raised on strict principles like she had been stuck out her tongue as her act of defiance, "I only like decent fighters who care about the art form and not the scoreboard. I don't do mainstream wannabees."

Kiba slapped his legs while laughing, "Those be fightin words little missy! I'm not sure who should take up the challenge though, Uchiha or the Hag. His for the insult or her for the idea about dating him. Either way a war is brewing if you keep talking like that. I say you date him just to see the Hag's response. I bet you he'd show up dead with Orochimaru suspiciously being the prime suspect. She'd set him up real good."

Sakura scowled, "Can we please just concentrate on how we can help Naruto not get beat to a bloody pulp instead of incriminating murder scenes? He is going to need the help if he is going to survive."

More than a little miffed that the conversation had turned back to her situation Hinata looked towards Shino, who had decided that the safest spot was next to Itachi, for sympathy. She was incredibly grateful that he was there next to her. Out of everyone in the bunch he was probably the most sympathetic to the situation. Under normal circumstances Shino would go sit next to Sai but he seemed to enjoy messing with Sakura recently. There was no reason to be around that level of violence unless necessary or a willing participant. Hinata latched her arm around Shino's raincoat covered bicep and frowned, "They are doing it again."

Shino pulled her close and patted her hair in a comforting manner, "Jiraya's student? Really?"

Hinata yanked herself out of his grip and walked over to the still baffled Naruto. Standing next to him she tried to look reassuring. "Just remember your form and stay clam. She will have more than a little fun in this so don't let her get to you. She promised she wouldn't kill you so at least we know that."

Naruto glanced down at his girlfriend with a more than baffled look, "Wait, so I need to fight this master chick?" His face looked appalled but it was unclear why. After a few seconds of steady breathing Naruto tried to explain himself. He had always been more than a little extroverted and talking things out loud to himself was just one of the ways that he coped. So in a very loud voice he began his rant, "I cant hit a girl! And she'd have to be like 70 in order to be a real master! She'd be like a grandma with a cane! I can't fight an unwrapped mummy!"

"What did you just say?!"

Tenten, Hinata and Sakura all dropped into an immediate bow position when they heard the voice. Their foreheads touched the ground, they rested on the balls of their feet and they did not dare look up. In stepped, through the same doorway, a busty blonde haired woman who appeared to be in her mid 30's. She wore and old fashioned kimono cover and her hair hung in low pig tails. Her arms were crossed, which effectively pushed her breasts up even higher thus making them the size of balloons, and her glare was firmly in place.

Jiraya, who would recognize that particular breast size no matter how long it had been, stuttered, "Tsundae?"

Naruto's oblivious gene seemed to be kicking in because he crossed his arms defiantly and scoffed to the new comer, "They want me to fight some old lady hag to prove myself? Can you believe that? Like some girl could ever beat me, let alone one whose got wrinkles and probably has fake teeth."

The woman's left eyebrow rose, "Wrinkles?"

Naruto nodded, "Well duh. No girl is pretty once they get past 50 let alone however old this grandma lady is. She's probably saggy and stuff. I bet-" and then he fell over. Jiraya had effective stopped his student by pushing him halfway across the room and landing face first on the blue mat.

"Tsunade!" yelled Jiraya in half surprise and half in an attempt to cover up the idiotness of his student.

Orochimaru, who was as equally surprised as his colleague, stepped forward and bowed a small bow, "It has been many years Tsuande. I see you have aged well."

Tsunade assessed the two men before her as she tried to ignore Orochimaru's snide comment about her age. She wasn't an idiot. He was a sadistic little fucker and he knew she had always been sensitive about her looks, "I see you both picked students as arrogant as you. Tell me were they hard to find or were they naturally drawn to your similar presence?"

Jiraya laughed while scratching the back of his head, "I see the years have been just as nice to you, three students huh? Makes you feel a bit old watching the younger ones run around doesn't?"

Tsunade stiffened, "It appears both student and master like pointing out my age! Do you want another hole in your chest or was that locker room experience not enough for you?"

Jiyara took a step back as he threw up his hands in defense. He always had a particular skill at pissing off Tsunade. Orochimaru would normally just let him suffer and Sarutobi always said something about a lesson needing to be learned. He learned his lesson all right, the woman was freaking crazy. "No! You look great! Like you are in your twenties! I can't even make out the plastic surgery!"

Steam could have come out of her nostrils for how angry she was at that statement.

Sarutobi, who was beyond excited to see the last of his three favorite students quickly stepped forward and smiled a true smile. He was well into his eighties and had a memory that was decaying by the minute but he would be damned before he ever forgot her. Stepping around the bowing ladies he reached in for a hug. Tsunade was always happy to see her own Master and couldn't help the smile, "I see you are still with these fools."

Sarutobi laughed, "And I see you still hate them as much as ever."

Tsunade pulled away and laughed, "I have never been one to tolerate idiots and both are rather stupid. Nothing was worse than watching those two compete with each other."

Sarutobi patted her back and let loose another laugh though a cough cut it off before he could fully enjoy it. After assuring Tsunade that it was just him getting older and his body was paying the price even if his mind was not he resumed his former seat on the ground. He did stare briefly at the three women on the floor that were still bowing as respectfully as possible. While raising a brow and winking just slightly he nodded a brief approval of her choice in students. He was more than certain that they hadn't moved an inch since she entered the immediate vicinity.

While she stepped back Naruto had finally regained his footing and gotten over the shock of being tossed to the floor like a disobedient pup. He all but marched up to the unfamiliar woman, one who he was starting to get seriously annoyed at, and all but jumped into her face. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Sasuke, who was already on his feet and hoping that the situation resolved itself quickly because it was already bothersome, could have smacked his friend, "This is Tsunade you idiot, Jiraya and Master Orochimaru's old teammate or do you not listen to anything anyone tells you?"

Naruto blinked a few times as it registered but it wasn't until Sasuke once again called him a dobe that he seemed to come back to reality, "But Jiraya said she was like super pretty."

Tsunade's eyes flashed a vibrant red before she hurled him across the room with one hand. He landed with a loud thump against the wall and could immediately feel the bruising that was forming around his back muscles. He slumped to the ground, tried to regain his bearings and to be honest, a little bit of his masculinity.

No one noticed as Kiba was silently handed the twenty dollars he had bet with Sai earlier.

Instead everyone was focused on the woman as she walked up to Hinata. "Stand," she commanded.

Immediately all three girls rose to their feet as they assessed what was happening. Tsunade circled Hinata once, giving the girl a quick look over before glancing at Naruto. It seemed her decision was made, "No."

Hinata's face visibly fell but she did not argue with her Master. Instead she nodded and tried to hold it together. Sakura, who knew from her experience with Naruto on the air that his big mouth was sure to get in the way of their relationship wanted to comfort her friend like nothing else but knew she needed to wait.

Sarutobi on the other hand felt different. He immediately stood up, bones creaking and all, to dissuade his former student, "Tsunade Naruto has always had a big mouth. Do not punish Hinata for that."

Tsunade could have rolled her eyes at his foolishness. Instead of walking away like she had planned Tsuande decided to explain herself, "Listen, the brat may have pissed me off but that is not the reason why I said no. Yes he is Jiraya's little toy and yes I would like to rip his bright patch of hair from his obviously spray tanned body but that has very little with my reasoning. If I can let Tenten date the stick up his ass Hyuuga then I can let Hinata date the idiot over there. But my girls only go to the best. Neji needed to prove his worth to me and so will every other man that comes their way. Naruto did not live up to the standards I have set and that is unacceptable."

Sarutobi seemed the most interested in this decision, but it could have been due to Jiraya being busy as he helped Naruto stand, because he kept going, "What does he need to do to prove himself to you?"

Tsunade watched as Naruto re righted himself and pushed his Master off of him. He glared a deep glare at the woman who was keeping the love of his life away from him. And why Hinata was going along with this was a mystery. He wouldn't care bat shit if Jiraya said he couldn't be with someone so why would she? "Screw this Hinata, lets go!"

Hinata did not even turn to look at him but instead tried to reason with her Master, "Please reconsider."

Tsunade's mouth twitched downwards as she saw the most obedient out of the three become defiant. Still, she loved those girls like her own children even if she was most partial to Sakura, and signed dramatically, "Really Hinata you are acting like I don't give second chances. I mean how many times did I kick Hyuuga's ass before I let him within ten feet of Tenten?"

Tenten giggled but quickly covered it up when she realized the sound was not only in her head. Despite the laugh she knew Tsunade wouldn't care. She was only strict like this, as surprising as it was, was when it came to men. One could only guess that she had been burned before. From her attitude towards her former teammates she could only assume it was by one of them. What Tenten was more worried about was Neji's response. He would not be happy to find out that she found his pursuit more than entertaining once the fear of never seeing him again faded.

Tsunade sighed dramatically and massaged her temples. When she reopened them an idea was already beginning to form. She would give the whelp another chance but it was going to take a lot to impress her. They all had come out to the dojo so it was only logical that it happen now. Besides the girls would never let her live it down if she flat out refused Naruto's pursuit. Well fine, but she was going to give them hell. "He can earn my approval but he will have to work his ass off to get it. Jiraya is not going to help his pathetic case. If he thinks he is the best then fine, let him prove it."

Instead of turning towards Naruto the older woman faced the entire room. With a vindictive gleam in her eyes she smiled, "In fact I believe I am feeling more than generous today so Itachi will be given another chance as well."

Tenten immediately felt her body lurch forward in a rage, "No way that pompous ass gets near her! He is everything we hate about this sport. And that is exactly how he views it, as a sport and not a way of life. He is conceited and could care less about the art form. He is like every other Uchiha. A good for nothing trophy with no true talent!"

Her words seemed to have little effect on the group, though Sasuke was more than a little interested in her perspective on his family. It appeared that from Sakura's earlier statement, and Tenten's, that they not only understood his clan but also associated him with them. While Sasuke was taking in Tenten's words and glancing over at the pink haired reporter, Itachi smirked as his eyes all but glowed red with determination, "I appreciate the opportunity."

Hinata stepped forward as well, "Please Master, the Uchiha way should have nothing to do with us or our style."

Tsunade snapped her fingers and hushed her student, "A deal is a deal and it would be unfair for me to give Naruto a second opportunity and not Itachi. He has expressed an interest for far longer than the blond haired brat."

Sakura growled, "This is hardly fair."

Tsunade waved her hand, "None the less it is the decision I am making."

Hinata, despite the threat of Itachi looming, saw the small light of hope that Tsunade was giving her and Naruto for their happy future. Stepping forward again she tried to cut in, "So what do you want them to do? Fight each other?"

Tsunade shook her head as she walked over towards where Naruto was still standing. As she went past Jiraya she grabbed Naruto by the upper arm and yanked him forward. Pulling him to the center of the ring, where Itachi had also moved towards, she pushed him forwards, "Hell no. What would them fighting each other prove? That they are superior to one another? Now how would that help me? No, I want them to fight the best while also proving to my halfwit ex-teammates that I am still better than all of them. They will be fighting Sakura."

Sakura could feel her jaw dropping as she tried not to kill her Master in cold blood. "Excuse me!"

Naruto's face scrunched up, "I can't fight her! She's a girl, and has pink hair, and weights what, maybe 100 or 105? I'd crush her!"

Sakura felt her temper rise at his condescending words but let it pass. This was not a time for the evil queen in her to make an appearance. If she wanted to get out of this fight she needed to be smart about it, "Sure, what he said."

Tsunade just rolled her eyes at Sakura's submissive act. She was not getting out of this one, it held to much opportunity to be amusing. "If Naruto or Itachi can pin you for fifteen seconds then congratulations, I am impressed. You were always the best out of my students and I will personally bless anyone who can get by you." Tsunade walked back over to the edge of the mat as she grabbed said favorite student by the arm.

Sakura yanked it back as her disgust crossed her face, "I will not date that poser. He is worse than his brother! And I am an advocate of Hinata being happy so I concede to Naruto."

It should have been over with that. Sakura had given up to Naruto and publically declared her lack of interest in Itachi. Unfortunately things never really worked out the way people planned them.

Tsunade did something unexpected. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out what looked to be a key ring. Grabbing a gold one with an emerald flower painted on it from the pile she shook it mischievously, "They are a team Sakura. If one wins so does the other. If Itachi or Naruto manage to do the impossible and pin you, or you concede, then I give my copy of your house key to Itachi. I will also have Shino print a nice little article about your upcoming engagement with said man. I wouldn't want you deciding the outcome of the winner just because you disagree. Naruto has to prove himself Sakura and I will do what I have to in order to make my point."

Sakura was floored. Glancing over to the two men standing behind her Master she grimaced. Itachi was slime who only cared about endorsements and the monetary value of his name and she would rather be six feet under than ever be affiliated with him. Tsunade shoot her out of her musings as she made a statement about there being no rules in this match. It was skill versus skill. With one swift push from said Master she was quickly tumbling onto the mat. Her heels dug into the blue padding as her eyes widened.

"Go!"

And then it started. Itachi was the first to move, probably because Naruto was still trying to figure out what was going on. He quickly jabbed to her right and did a quick roundhouse to her left. Sakura instinctively dodged and pushed herself out of the way. Turning to Tsunade she yelled, "He is warmed up, I'm in a work suit and Naruto has been in intense training for hours. This is hardly a fair fight!"

Tsunade laughed happily while walking around the mat, "And what better conditions could Naruto have to prove himself in than these?"

Sakura grumbled as she did a quick tumble to the right after blocking another hit. Pushing herself further away she glanced towards Naruto as the situation dawned on him. Her movements were giving away her martial arts nature and it was clear that Naruto had figured that out. She may just be dodging and weaving but she was quick and precise in her movements. The same passionate glow illuminated his eyes as the prospect of a fair second chance hit him. Shoot. She honestly didn't know what to do. She wanted Hinata to be happy, she really did, but was it worth having Itachi in her life? Was it worth being affiliated with everything she hated about endorsed martial arts?

Sarutobi shook his head, "Banking on your students pride or dislike of the Uchiha? I see you have thought this through by threatening her with something she cannot run from."

Tsunade laughed, "This is no different than how you trained me with those lumps over there. You agreed that the winner would pick the room arrangements at that Kyoto final. I had to share a room with Jiraya for two freakin weeks thanks to you!"

Sarutobi just chuckled while Tsunade scowled at the memory. "I know Sakura and I'd bet my entire sake stash that she flattens them like bugs. Her pride as a warrior and her independence won't let her be beaten."

Sarutobi shook his head, "You would make Naruto and Hinata suffer?"

Tsunade didn't dignify that with a response but instead continued to pay attention to the fight. Sarutobi, who knew Tsunade was trickier than she appeared watched her gaze. To his surprise she was not following the pink haired reporter's form but the powerhouse blonde. Every movement, every twitch was being calculated. She did not even give Itachi a second glance despite his more aggressive moves on her earlier proclaimed favorite student.

So he decided to watch. Maybe there was more to this match than torturing her students.

In the mean time Sakura was still trying to figure out how to respond. To be honest she could probably dodge them for a bit longer but she was itching to get a punch in. But that would be making her statement and she couldn't do that to Hinata. While she was thinking a silent 'sorry," and an 'I'll make this quick' was heard in her ear when suddenly a very tanned arm came right in Sakura's way and threw her off balance. Her heels, which were very high and keeping her from stabilizing her footing, pushed her backwards and she fell. Rolling to her side and out of the way of a foot Sakura all but summer salted right afterwards while pushing herself off of the ground from another attack. Blocking an uppercut and slicing combo from Naruto followed by a powerhouse kick from Itachi Sakura stumbled backwards and landed straight on her ass.

While still on the ground she glanced at Hinata's conflicted face. She couldn't do it. She couldn't take this from Hinata. The girl was head over heals for Naruto and she would do what she had to do in order to make sure they could be happy. If that met stopping any rumors and repeatedly kicking Itachi out of her house then so be it. She would manage. She would survive.

Placing her hands down and bracing herself for the impending attack Sakura was immediately blindsided and pushed face first into the ground. The force of the throw had her seeing flashes of white and she grimaced about the future headache. Her arms were thrown behind her back and she felt an almost back breaking weight pulsing on top of her.

Itachi always was a dirty fighter.

But instead of pushing him off like her instincts told her to Sakura let her body go lax in defeat. While it killed her she would lose this fight and take it like her Master had taught her. On the chin and with a glare. So it was with incredible surprise that Sakura suddenly heard a voice coming from the mat, "That's an illegal move Uchiha! You could break her back with that much force and that positioning. Get the hell off her!" Much to her surprise it was her blond opponent who yelled it.

Itachi didn't dignify that with a response but tightened his hold even more at the prospect of winning actually being within his grasp.

Naruto continued to yell and it looked like he was about to charge Itachi and tackle him to the ground in order to free Sakura.

Hinata had other plans. She immediately stood and yelled to her friend, "Kick is ass Sakura! Naruto and I will find another way to make it work!"

That was all it took. Hinata's consent was all Sakura needed. She was no longer the prim and pretty little newscaster who tilted her head just right and had hair that curled perfectly. She no longer had to be the little girl that the boys adored and the men dreamed about. No, she was now a fighter who had a reason for winning. She was the freaking Evil Queen with a vengeful agenda and a bitchy attitude. With a look that could only be described as terrifying she went into action. Locking her right leg around Itachi's calf and her semi free arm around his neck Sakura quickly thrusted upwards and flipped him like a pancake onto the floor. Unhooking her body from his she stood and glanced at Hinata, "You sure? I'll throw the match if you want me to."

Hinata shook her head, "I don't want that man anywhere near you."

Naruto, who had never seen a move like that pulled off by someone so much smaller than her opponent and somehow still making it work, shook his head to clear his mind. He smirked and glanced at the pinket. It really was a shame that he was so infatuated with Hinata already because Sakura was like the perfect woman to him right now. After internally reminding himself why he loved the Hyuuga so much Naruto verbally agreed with her, "I want to prove myself to your master the right way. I want her to accept me because she knows I can take care of Hinata, not because Itachi is good at cheap tricks."

Sakura nodded her own silent approval as she glanced at said talked about man. Drawing in a breath and coming to a silent conclusion Sakura agreed. Kicking off her high heels to the side mat and stripping off her coat Sakura began to take the match seriously. She hadn't stretched today but she knew that wouldn't matter. She routinely kept up with her practice and was just as flexible as she was a year ago. Luckily the adrenaline was already rushing through her at the thrill of a real fight, let alone one to keep Itachi away, and she knew her body wouldn't betray her. "Alright, I'm ready to kick your ass now."

Sakura smiled, Naruto smirked and Itachi lunged. Knowing that they had no formal training as a team Sakura felt it in her bones that they would fight independently of each other. That was a huge advantage that she would be sure to use. Sakura immediately grabbed Naruto's incoming arm and thrusted it into Itachi's face with a palm push. She heard the crunch and knew that he would have a broken and bloody nose from that one. With an internal smirk she imagined the perfect Itachi with a crooked nose. She wished she had more time to think about it but she had a fight to win and would therefore have to laugh about it later.

Drawing her leg up she caught Naruto straight into his gut while still holding his arm from when she had forced his attack on Itachi. He physically lifted off the ground with the force of her kick. Naruto somehow managed to push his body around mid fall and place his feet back under him. Sakura watched as he landed but had little time to pay attention to it seeing as Itachi was not happy about the blood trickling down his face. Well screw that, he had tried to break her back in two with an illegal move. He could handle a broken nose from a move that was completely legal. His temper was showing though as he came at her with an extremely dangerous combo that would have left her black and blue while bleeding all over if she had not been so good at dodging.

Flipping backwards and landing on the balls of her feet she did a handstand flip over his head landing a few inches behind him. Dropping to the floor she swiftly kicked his legs out from under him. Sakura didn't have time to relish in the fall though because Naruto was once again hot on her trail. He was aiming for her feet. She could only guess that he realized her agility, being one of her strong points, was not good for him. If he could mess up her footwork he had a much better chance of catching her unawares. To bad for him her agility was not her biggest asset, her strength was.

The moment he went in for a debilitating kick Sakura went in for a knock out punch to his stomach. He immediately flew back a good couple of feet and stumbled until he landed on his back. Without a moments pause, but obviously in pain and seeing stars, he quickly flipped himself back up with only the strength of his arms and abs as he readied himself in the newly perfected stance. She watched as he charged but immediately felt her arms lock behind her as Itachi grabbed her in the middle. Caught of guard but not without instincts Sakura kicked her feet into the air and used Naruto as what could only be described as running board while she used his momentum to flip herself over Itachi. Naruto landed with a thump on the ground about the same time Sakura landed on the mat effortlessly. Kicking her right foot out Sakura pushed Itachi right on top of him and another 'umph' sounded as the two collided.

Sakura, knowing that Itachi would not be happy about that move, quickly regained her stance and evened out her breathing. Both men pushed themselves off the floor and stood a good three feet away from each other but still in proper form.

"Enough!" yelled the obviously pleased voice. Tsunade had seen more than enough to make her decision and as much as she enjoyed watching her prized student pummel everyone else in sight, which Sakura had clearly been doing, they did need to finish sometime today. The mandatory five minutes had long passed and she had given more then enough time to the two fighters to prove what she already knew.

All three warriors turned towards her as she stepped out onto the mat. Sakura bowed at the waist with her hands at her sides, as was expected, and Naruto and Itachi bowed a half bow. She watched each of them with a critical eye. Turning towards Itachi first she scowled. "You are as I member. Just as bad as your father and somehow even more arrogant. I'm pretty sure that her kicking your ass twice now should be enough for you to know that you are in no way good enough for her. Scram you little Uchiha rat."

Itachi, who was obviously not pleased with the assessment, growled as he picked up his shoes and marched out of the dojo. While doing so he wiped the blood from his nose and smeared it across the door as if that would somehow show just how angry he was. While he was not normally one to show his emotions he was beyond furious. He had apparently been hanging around his brother for no reason for the last few weeks. That was not only time wasted but he did not even steal the prize at the end of the tunnel.

He was not given a second glance though as he walked out. Instead all eyes were on Naruto who was beyond nervous at this point. He knew that Sakura had effectively beaten him. He didn't know how in the world someone so small could have so much power in one body but it was clear that she did. Scratching his head nervously he suddenly felt very small and a heck of a lot more respect for this woman called Tsunade. She had been the one to teach Sakura and was therefore a kick ass fighter herself. And Neji had fought her? He suddenly felt a heck of a lot more respect for Neji as well.

Giving him one more glance Tsunade gave her assessment, "You rely completely on your strength and have no wit about you. Everything was a head on fight and you forget there is power in deception. Still, you are a more passionate and trustworthy kid than I gave you credit for. You might be good enough for her, but I still haven't decided. The way you stood up to that mangy weasel about hurting my girl says something. I'll give you another chance Uzumaki. One month after the finals, so two months from now. That should give you enough time to heal and practice from the last rounds. If you can stay away for those two months and you still feel like trying I will give you your five minutes in the ring with me. If you can impress me then and prove that you deserve Hinata I will give my blessing."

Naruto's face flushed in excitement. He didn't know why her approval, even if it was a semi-approval, suddenly meant a lot. "So like, she's mine?"

Tsunade suddenly had a tick on the right side of her face as she tried not to picture Jiraya. Bopping the young idiot on the head she yelled, "Women are not possessions!"

Naruto grabbed his head but continued to smirk, "You'll see! I'll prove myself to you! Believe it!"

Sakura stepped forward and patted the warrior on the back, "Bring some sake, she'll marry you two herself if you get the good stuff."

If Naruto had known how true that was he would have bought an entire liquor store for the woman, but unfortunately for him he didn't. As Sakura passed him he gave her a proper bow of respect, while of course checking out her ass because hey, she was freakin hot. Mid bow he saw a shadow step in front of him. To his surprise it was Neji, "You did well. Sakura has her master's evil streak and you managed to not die. I have more respect for you than I do most."

Sakura turned and glared, "I am not evil."

Kiba laughed, "Can we get her a scepter and a crown or something? Or a crow! Evil queens always have crows following them around and doing their dirty work. Or maybe we should stick with the super villain theme and get her a cape?"

Hinata giggled, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Villains tend to have more interesting stories than superhero's."

Slowly moving off the mat Sakura walked over towards her previously kicked off articles of clothing. Ignoring her friends, because she honestly wasn't that bad, she completely bypassed the situation, "Well I'm out. I've got to go over my schedule for tomorrow and prepare for the rest of the week. I have to do an interview with that Gaara guy's trainer tomorrow and I don't know nearly enough about his style to ask the good questions."

Neji quickly moved as well. Grabbing her jacket he handed it to her, "Inform me if there is anything I don't know about him."

Sakura scoffed while placing her shoes back on the correct feet, "As if Neji. When do I ever give you inside information?"

Tenten grabbed Neji's arms and pulled him towards her, "Can we try the restaurant down the road? I hear it has great reviews. A new chef named Choiji is working there after the old one got fired for sexual harassment."

Neji growled, "He would rot in jail if it were up to me."

Tenten laughed as she motioned both Kiba and Sai to follow. After they began their way out Tenten continued her conversation, "I think him landing belly side up on the table was enough of a punishment Neji. Seriously, you fighters are so freaking possessive!"

Sakura listened as she placed her coat on. After turning towards the group, and already motioning to Shino to come with so he could help with the research, she bowed towards the remaining group, "It was great meeting you all and I hope to see you in a few months Naruto. I think you guys make a cute couple."

Grabbing Shino's arm she waved goodbye and booked it out of the room to work on her interview questions. Tsunade nodded to Hinata once which was apparently enough of an indicator. Hinata ran up to Naruto and kissed him on the nose, "I'll wait for you Naruto. I'll always wait for you."

She hugged him quickly and ran out the doors to catch at least one group of her friends. Naruto smiled his dumbfounded smile as he waved absent-mindedly. Tsunade rolled her eyes as she attempted to ignore her old teammates. "Two months Uzumaki. I'm expecting you to go all out, not this pansy shit you displayed today. I mean really, she took on both of you and was still skipping out of here like a little girl in pigtails."

Stepping outside she ignored his screaming comment from the blonde and disappeared with the rest of the group. She was more than prepared to give Naruto the ability to date her student, hell, she had been today. But she knew that the value of something increased exponentially when you had to work for it. Smiling to herself she though about how much fun she had that day. As she walked to her car she stopped suddenly. It had been a good day, and extremely good day. Despite seeing Orochimaru and Jiraya she was privy to Sakura beating the living crap out of Itachi and Naruto. Looking around warily she tried to ignore that gut quenching feeling in her stomach. She ignored that little voice in her head that reminded her that even if was it hypothetically, she had won a bet. She had said Sakura would win. Tsunade never won bets. She only won bets when something unimaginably horrible was about to happen.

On the inside of the dojo a very different conversation was happening but one more than related to Tsunade's dreaded feeling. While Naruto and Jiraya assessed the damages done to Naruto in the fight Sasuke took a different approach. Instead he walked over to Orochimaru and did something he was usually very wary of. Standing next to his master Sasuke started a conversation, "Sakura Haruno?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow as he contemplated his student's newfound curiosity. "She is much like Tsunade though there are definite differences. She shows more control than Tsunade ever did."

Sasuke nodded, "She is interesting."

Orochimaru glanced at Sasuke in slight wonder, "But she does not find you that way."

Sasuke didn't answer at first. Instead he reviewed the day's events and the feelings they had evoked in him. Perhaps Naruto was onto something. Perhaps he wasn't as big of an idiot as he thought, "She thinks I am like my family." He said with slight disgust.

Orochimaru scoffed, "You are better than they could ever be and that is all you have ever tried to prove."

Sasuke glanced towards the door. "Maybe it's time I prove myself to someone else."

Orochimaru was more than positive in that very moment that Sasuke was talking about both Master and student in that one phrase. It appeared that the young man had finally found some curiosity and maybe even a real reason to be in the ring. A reason to fight outside of his petty family dispute. He was going to win the attention of one Sakura Haruno. And what's more, he was going to make sure she reciprocated it.

If one thing could be said about Sasuke Uchiha it was that when he made himself a goal he always reached it.