~~Naruto's Pov

~

I couldn't focus at all during the construction. After the fight we began wrapping things up but my mind never left - it couldn't stop replaying the scene of sakura getting beat up by a genin.

When I first saw it with these eyes I was angry. I was mad enough to truly hurt the kid who done it but now all I feel is worry, regret. I stood there watching the entire time, watching like some kind of by stander.

'I know! Ill head to ichiraku's, Maybe I just need some ramen.'

Making 15 shadow clones and just in case one of them poofs another can take up their slack. 'With this strategy the work can continue even while I'm eating ramen!' Naruto thought and took off in the direction of his favorite restaurant.

~~

"Boy that was good! Thanks again Ayame, ichiraku!" I thanked the best cooks in the leaf when it came down to ramen.

'Huh?' Just as I left the shop I saw a pink haired person walking through the the village. "Sakura!" I called out.

The pink haired turned out to really be Sakura. She turned around and started walking towards me.

When she was close she stopped and asked with an irked expression. "Naruto where have you been-" then her eyes took spotted the ramen shop behind me. "Never mind. Come with me." She said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

Feeling like I had a hundred things to say - there were only a few things I really wanted to say but I chose one.

"Sakura I wanted to apologize." I said and she stopped in her tracks and let go of my arm. "For what Naruto" she asked looking me in my eyes.

"That girl from before.. I stood by and did nothing when it was getting bad for you. I was of no use to you Sakura." She said nothing but watched me as I lay bear what's been eating at me non-stop. "That's not all. I was there and watched it all happen. I watched her beat!-" She covered my mouth with a hand. "Think of where we are." She told me.

True enough the public eye had gradually begun to turn its attention toward us.

With a slight frown she told me to follow here again; I listened, when she hopped on the roofs of buildings above I was just behind her keeping the appropriate distance.

~

We finally stopped. When I looked up I realized we were at the training grounds reservered for team 7. This entire time I was in thought and merely followed Sakura's back so realizing only now wasn't an oddity.

"Why did you bring me here Sakura?" I said in confusion.

"Naruto.. I wanted to ask you something." Sakura said without turning to face me. She had been looking dead ahead since we arrived. "Naruto.. During that fight - Sasu had been knocked out by you and the girl had targeted me but then you saved me. But you said 'My Sakura' right?" She inquired me.

"Wha- huh wha huwa wha huh? What!?" My stutter was so bad I thought I had become mentally impaired somehow. 'But that's not important though; what did she say right now?! She actually heard that?'

"Naruto if you still have feelings for me say so now." She said as she glanced back at me but still faced the forest ahead of her with her back still faced with me. "For a long time.." She said as returned her vision to the brush of the forest before her - with a breath she spoke to me and said. "I won't say sasuke has been gone so I lost my feelings for him, but when I was young; sure I crushed on him. I felt truly in love sometimes. He was good looking." She stabbed my heart with a kunai. "He was strong." My body was in pain. "He was - he had been very ambitious.. He still is I'm sure." 'Sakura please stop..' I thought and clutched my chest as pain spread and I grabbed hold of my stomach - I was gonna be sick. "Many things and yes he was my crush when I was young." My soul.. 'I feel a pull.. - is that you Death god?' "But every now and then I feel my heart waver.. You have slowly helped me conclude that Sasuke has been nothing but a crush, someone I liked as a child. When Sasuke abandoned the leaf village I still had these feelings right? And then he left right in front of me!" She cried whining emotionally.

But then just as she turned towards me I saw that there were tears in the eyes of Sakura the pink haired maiden. And she said while time seemed to just slow down all of a sudden. She spoke "And as they say absence make the heart grow fonder right?" And the tears fell.

In seconds, in just a split second I closed the distance with me and sakura. Between us was nothing to stop me from embracing her - and I did. "Naruto.. I didn't mean to.. I just held onto Sasuke once he was gone! And before I realized it!!" Saskura cried through a mess of tears. "The feelings I felt for Sasuke changed! I wanted to see him again.. I held on to the feelings I had.. But because he had left.... I sent you out to go and find him.. And without realizing it I caused you misery and you were in pain over and again." The crying slowed down a bit. And she said "But I did realize it. When Sasuke left the feelings and attachment I had for him only grew. But I was blinded, I thought if I continue, if I had continued to love him.. Maybe.. Just maybe those feelings, him being just a crush could become true." She buried her head onto my chest. "I'm tired..I'm just so tired Naruto." She told me with emotions at their height. At this one moment.. In my arms the strong Sakura disappeared leaving nothing behind but this small seemingly fragile girl.

'I should tell her..' I thought as I pet her head with a hand to comfort her.. With the hand I had on her head I called her and gently caused her to look up at me. "Sakura.. Hear me out please... I don't mean to sound like an idiot but.." She gazed into my eyes with her eyes. Her ears open.. Her Full attention was only for only me. "Sakura I'm in love with you." 'There I finally said it! .....But... Now what?'

Sakura smiled as she told me "You are an idiot." Before she buried her head in my chest but this was different..it felt warmer than earlier. Passionate - she spoke while buried in my chest "You're my idiot though.. Naruto."

Emotions had been welling up in me since some time ago for a while and now I felt I just couldn't resist any much more. "Sakura." She began to lift her head so I took her chin and lifted it up with the fingers of my hand and planted a kiss on a soft.. Smooth pair of lips.

Sakura looked shocked at first but appearing to accept it she slowly closed her eyes and even returned the kiss.

~

Minutes passed - the kiss it came to an unfortunate end. The kiss felt warm, soft, passionate and most of all the solicitous kiss was real. These feelings I now had were the satisfaction of expressing how I felt to Sakura but there was something else..

Happiness.. Finally I have Sakura like I've always wanted.

"Naruto." Sakura said as she took a step back. "I have to go meet up with tsunade, or she'll be angry with me" she said grudgingly.

'Curses!' I thought before responding with a smile "Well tell granny Tsunade hi for me." I told her and waved as I watched her go.

Turning around she was just about to jump but I interfered. "Ah! Wait a second Sakura." She stopped and turned just to find my lips on her cheek. I took a step back and told her "hey weren't you going somewhere?" She nodded slowly and turned around. She jumped up and started tree hopping back to to the leaf but it wasn't long before she looked back at me with a glare. "Naruto you knuckle head!" She shouted while blushing.

"Eh? I thought you wanted it!" I shouted over the distance.

Her blush got even redder and with a grudging look she accepted that I was right and mutter something she was to far for me to hear. Turning back she refocused on tree hopping and vanished behind the trees.

"I actually feel really good now!" I said loudly while stretching. 'I guess I should head back to finish up the construction and make sure my clones are not falling short handed..'

When I was about to start my walk to the leaf village I heard something in the brush behind me.

~~

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