Residence is dead

Great news everyone, I was horribly sick this past week :) Which means I couldn't work in the restaurant. Flem, sneezing and coughing just isn't a good look around other people's food, so I was sent home which gave me a lot of time to write out ideas and outlines. I just finished this chapter and I have most of the next one done. I just need to go over that update a couple more times and it'll be ready, so expect another update soon.

Enjoy and I look forward to updating soon.

KURENAI

The gorgeous Jōnin-sensei exits the bustling streets of Konaha's Market District and into the decently-populated Jōnin bar, Elite Spirits. Her goal is simple: find Kakashi. While Kurenai was eager to implement her plan for Uzumaki-kun, the first challenge she believes will posse an issue would be informing the genin's assigned Jōnin-sensei, and getting his express permission to interact with his student.

Kurenai can understand the significance behind the obscure rule of one sensei to a triplet of students. At such an impressionable time in their education of a very dangerous profession, a single sensei can better map out a timeline for growth and skill traits design for each student. A single sensei is integral to the development of their, hopefully, long careers, thus understands where the genin ninja is in their education and where they should go over a long period of time.

Even if the student receives lessons from another Sensei, it usually means the primary sensei doesn't match well with the student's clear talents, or simply is too inept to care. For example, a close-range taijutsu fighter would not be a good match for Kurenai's long-range, genjutsu instruction. Unfortunately, Kakashi is the furthest you can get from inept, and he seems to be a suitable match for Uzumaki, so any leeway Kurenai might've had for borrowing the blond won't apply to this.

Fortunately, Kurenai doesn't have to traverse the entire village looking for the shameless porno reading Jōnin. After leaving the cemetery, she finds the silver-haired Jōnin in their group's usual section of their bar. Walking through the moderately crowded, off-duty Jōnin and turning down two invitations for drinks, Kurenai sits across from her fellow sensei. Even if Kurenai's relatively certain her subtle tricks will work on the non-too-discreet pervert, she decided early on she wouldn't need to use her feminine wiles on a friend and senior Jōnin. It would be underhanded and there's always the possibility he takes the care of his students as seriously as she does.

After quick pleasantries and a firm demand from her to put his orange-covered filth away, Kurenai informs him, "I wanted to make you aware that I'll be using one of your students." Asserting confidence that she will have the thing she wants, even if it depends entirely on someone else has a better chance of success than simply asking, which is a sure way to hear no.

"Which and to what end?" the aloof Jōnin asks.

"Uzumaki-kun," she casually answer before adding, "and the reason is of a personal nature, but what I can tell you is it's to help one of my students."

"As a punching bag," he casually inquires.

Kurenai gives a head tilt and look of disbelief, answering, "no, nothing like that." Kurenai understands some shinobi—particularly those in clans—use younger or weaker ninja as little more than punching bags for a prized pupil in order to instill confidence in the favorite, which goes against everything she believes in. Kurenai wants all her students to succeed honestly; to learn and grow on the merits of their hard work and not on a fabricated sense of confidence. "I would never do that nor would I ever condone that behavior."

For Kakashi's part, he simply nods once, but he doesn't speak of her friendly appeal to use his student. A quiet moment or two passes between them before he simply hums, "...hmmm."

"What's the problem?" Kurenai asks, hoping to convince him there isn't a problem and his student's growth will not be hindered in any way.

Kakashi leans in a little and tilts his head as he asks, "have you approached him before informing me?"

She wasn't expecting that and answers, "no, I know the procedure." And he should know her well enough to not even bother asking, prompting her to ask, "why?"

He falls back again, shrugging once, conveying, "lately, he isn't acting like I expect, is all. Will you be instructing him in any way as a shinobi?"

"No," she quickly asserts. Truthfully, while she may want the blond to succeed and inherit the Will of Fire, she would prefer not to be tasked with that assignment. As challenging as Hinata-chan is, she can't imagine trying to mentor that blond failure as well.

"Will you be attempting to sabotage his development in any way," he follows up and before she can answer, he quickly adds, "and so we're clear, that has everything to do with your father."

"No, Kakashi!" she says with a little more heat than necessary. She doesn't talk about her father much. When all her friends have terrible stories of their own, it's just accepted that while it may drive the shinobi, it doesn't have to be spoken aloud. When she does speak about her father, it's only with her closest friends. While she's never told Kakashi, she's not surprised he knows. It's his job to know psychological triggers of ranking Jōnin, and during the mental eval to become Jōnin, she abruptly learned how much her father has shaped the Kunoichi she is today. "I require Uzumaki-kun's assistance for a simple function that will not impair his training in any way while simultaneously helping my student."

"Fine," he easily answers as if she asked him to pass the salt. He then wonders aloud, "are you staying?"

Kurenai smiles for her little victory and for the invitation, answering, "no, I need to get a move on this." A little giddy, she teases, "why? Will you miss me?"

As always, unless Kurenai was sex written out on the page of a dirty book, the silver-haired Jōnin doesn't seem interested as he casually shakes his head, 'no,' before nudging his chin toward the door. When Kurenai tilts her head to the right, in walks Asuma with Princess Tomoko by his side.

With the princess' delicate white-gloved hand resting on his strong, outstretched forearm, it looks like a delicate rose growing on a thick log. Kurenai's internal organs seize at the sight of them. Tomoko-hime is clearly beautiful and immaculate. He's well-groomed down to his beard which is neatly trimmed, lining his masculine jaw in such an appealing and powerful way, it makes her ache to see him. His uniform is brand new wrapped impressively around his wide shoulders and Kurenai can't help but recall the last time she had her arms wrapped around them, holding on desperately as they made passionate love. It seemed too long ago.

Kurenai breaks out of her daze the moment Asuma's eyes sync with hers. Brown and red irises locked together as they are, she can't help the way her mind thinks of him; his smell, his touch, his gruff laugh, his passion for her, the love they share. There's a lot in his eyes and she's relatively sure he sees a lot in hers until he abruptly turns away from her in favor of speaking with the gazing princess. As the princess' guide, Asuma was clearly explaining the establishment and its elite clientele but Kurenai can't deny that hurt. It hurt like a kick in her stomach.

"You okay?" she suddenly hears Kakashi ask, bringing her out of her heart-thoughts.

Schooling her features like many kunoichi have been taught—extensively—she answers in her calm voice, "fine," before walking around the gathering and leaving.

NARUTO

Walking up the final flight of stairs, Naruto can hear before he sees someone knocking on his door. He had just finished some intense training with his clones, so he was sore, tired, dirty, just getting over his migraine, and his chakra coils felt chalky, like fire-damaged, but checking out the curvy figure knocking on his door, oddly enough, made him feel much better. His eyes land on the bubble of her butt before eventually moving up to her lustrous mane of ebony hair.

She noticed him as he approached and he recognized her as Team 8's sensei. Even under the ugly glow of the old flickering fluorescent lights of the hall, he can still see how extremely gorgeous she is. He's suddenly very mindful of his appearance in front of such a stunning beauty, but as he's just come back from training, there's really nothing he could do about it.

"You're Team 8's sensei," Naruto absentmindedly comments, stopping just in front of her, when suddenly, he realizes he doesn't know her name.

"I am," she responded. "I'm Jōnin-sensei, Yūhi Kurenai."

Forgetting his exhaustion for the polite beauty before him, he smiles as he returns, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Konoha Hokage!" It's not very often he meets others who don't immediately look irritated or disgusted to see him. So he wants to impress her with his best attitude.

'Arrogant,' Kurenai mentally asserts. Easily recalling his Academy grades, she just can't see how anyone could boast about a future when all evidence says otherwise. That sort of delusion is a pitiful pitfall she's trying to help Kiba-kun steer clear of—though in Kiba's case, he does possess credible ability and his clan has always been headstrong, so Kurenai isn't sure how much success she'll have with the Inuzuka. Uzumaki-kun, however, isn't her student and doesn't care nearly as much. Still, Kurenai does need his help, so she presents him with a tight smile, asking, "can we speak inside?"

"Sure," he exclaims before opening his door.

She regretted it as soon as he opened the door. His residence was a complete mess. She felt stricken by the clutter, trash, unwashed clothes, and he didn't even seem to notice. The old, rancid, musky odor is so overwhelming, Kurenai's eyes water as they feel infected. Realizing her uniform will more than likely retain the infectious smell forever, she plans on throwing it away later. Her worry graduates to her skin and hair, to which she makes a mental note to buy several bottles of odor neutralizing conditioner and pray it'll work. 'How is he not embarrassed,' her mind yells.

After moving the only chair in the small space to the filthy couch, and taking a seat he waits for her. She isn't sure why he doesn't remove the old ramen cups, the clutter of papers, an adult magazine off the old stain couch for her to sit—not that she would—as it would be the hospitable thing to do when she remembers he's an orphan and probably doesn't know any better. Refusing to sit anywhere, and eager to leave, she forgoes setting him at ease with polite conversation and jumps straight into the purpose at hand. "I would like you to help a student of mine. Do you know Hyūga Hinata?"

Tapping his chin, he hums, "Mnnnn, yeah," guessing himself, "dark hair, white eyes?"

"Yes, that's her," Kurenai politely confirms, though wonders how he can be so oblivious about a girl he attended school with for four years. "This might be tricky to understand but don't be afraid to ask me any questions when you don't understand something."

"Got it!" he responds with gusto.

"So, I want to help Hinata become more assertive-"

"What does assertive mean?" He interrupts.

Inhaling in disbelief, she slowly answers, "it means confident. I want Hinata to be more confident." After he nods she continues. "This is where I feel you can help. She's noticed how confident you are, and I believe if you were to talk with her, than she will learn to be more confident as well."

"So, you want me to tell her she should be confident?"

"Not exactly," Kurenai patiently states.

"I'm confused," Naruto interjects.

"Let me finish, Uzumaki-kun," she states.

To which he happily expresses, "you can call me Naruto!"

He's really testing her patience, but in order to keep him comfortable, she corrects herself. "Naruto-kun, the thing that's difficult for Hinata is that she's very very shy, which is why she's never talked to you before. Now, before you say anything, my plan is to convince her that she's only talking to a genjutsu version of you. If she believes it's only a genjutsu that she's talking to, I believe she'll eventually feel safe enough to talk to you in person and grow more confident because of it."

"Soooo, you want to trick her," Naruto simplifies as only the best pranksters can.

With a tighter smile, Kurenai digs deep to answer, "...I wouldn't use those words exactly, but if it'll help you better understand, than yes. A simple play to help ease her anxiety."

With squinted eyes, deep in thought, he asks, "and you know how to use genjutsu?" It sounded like fantasy the first time he heard of the discipline, and he's been told many times he doesn't have the head for it.

"Yes, Naruto-kun, I do," she answers tightly, doubting her reputation as the best for a moment. "Now, would you assist me in helping her?" She didn't need to tilt her head and look at him with soft eyes, but she wanted him to agree quickly so she can leave. Asuma had already annoyed her enough today. Add to that she's standing in front of the seal containing within the cause of her father's death on top of the gagging odor of this apartment, and her annoyance is rapidly eating away at her patience.

Even with a slightly pleading look on her attractive face, Naruto answers, "I don't know. How long will this be for? I have a lot of training to do." Normally Naruto is all for helping, however, he's dedicating every waking moment to his training with Naru-nii. Knowing what some of the future will bring and those it'll hurt is a powerful driving force, and Naruto is making progress he doesn't want to slow down for anything… unless it's for Sakura-chan… or Ino-chan.

'Maybe he's too dense for that type of subtle play,' she wonders before speaking, "evenings would be best, every day until she's better. I've already asked your Jōnin-sensei and he's approved, so any training Kakashi has you doing can wait."

Quirking his brow low in agitation, Naruto nearly laughs when he asserts, "I didn't mean Kakashi-sensei's training. All he ever teaches us is team drills. We spar in the mornings before we do D-rank missions and that's it!" Crossing his arms confidently, he smirks as he proclaims, "I meant my own training. It's super important and I can't waste any time."

Though mildly glad he seems to take independent training seriously, Kurenai has her mission and for Hinata's sake, she will have her way. "Surely helping out a fellow genin is important to you."

"Yeah, it is," he answers, adding, "but so is my training. There are no shortcuts to becoming the greatest Hokage ever, which means I have to train hard every day."

With a bit more genuine a smile, she replies, "that's admirable, but Naruto-kun this is also for the village. I can see how much you want to be Hokage, and strong, powerful leaders always put their village first. Help Hinata. You may even make a friend out of it." Desperate to leave, Kurenai lowers herself to his eye level, so her chest swings forward some and he can see a bit of cleavage before sweetly asking, "can I count on you, Naruto-kun."

Eyes wide by her forward posture, he hesitates for half-a-second before aggressively nodding with slack lips and declaring, "okay!"

"Good," she quickly states, standing straight again and already leaving. She can't stay for another second. On her way out she makes sure he meets her at the Hokage tower at six sharp… right in the middle of his training time.

Usually, after missions he tends to have six or so hours to train, but this help Kurenai-sensei needs for Hinata will cut right in the middle of that. Still, he wants to help Hinata since he doesn't recall ever having any problems with her, and so decides to leave clones in his apartment training while he helps Hinata. He doesn't get why she's so shy that she won't talk to him, but hopefully, it won't take her long to become confident.

The young genin learns the very next day that Naru-nii is a big fan of this plan.

'That sounds great,' Naru-nii chimes. 'That means things are working out well over there. Hinata-chan is one of the strongest kunoichi Konoha will ever have. Since she was always so quiet and shy, I never knew how badass she actually was. Trust me, if she can get rid of that early, than it'll definitely be better.'

"Cool," Naruto states surprised to hear the declaration.

Abruptly, Naru-nii asks, 'so, any luck with Ino?'

"No. A clone saw that she's back with her team," he states, taking one of Naruto's suggestion to use a clone for surveillance and reconnaissance. "She looks fine, almost like nothing happened. I figure I'll try and talk to her when she's alone."

'And you haven't told Sakura-chan?'

"She's too busy healing every little scratch on Sasuke-teme to notice me!" he says angrily, blaming Naru-nii for his constant agony of witnessing his teammates. "And I'm the one that gets hit the most when we spar! You would think she can spare a bit of Iryō-jutsu for me!"

'I really wish I could see you to help with your taijutsu,' Naru-nii comments yet again. Prayer beads are for voices and if it does include a visual connection, then Naru-nii hasn't figured it out yet. 'I learned a lot of good stuff I wish I can show you. You should ask Kakashi-sensei if he has any scrolls or something that can help.'

"Yeah I will," Naruto mumbles.

'Are you close to getting the second stage yet?'

"No," Naruto grumbles. "This part is crazy hard!"

'You have to remember to focus and retain until the final second,' Naru-nii reminds him. 'Don't worry, I think you're doing great so I'm sure you'll get it soon.'

Naruto is waiting at the Hokage tower when Kurenai arrives promptly at six. He didn't trust himself to be on time and so arrived ten minutes earlier. Though he was lamenting not training, the mesmerizing sight of her approach made him feel better about it. As attractive as she is, Naruto would still prefer training which is why he has teams of clones training in his place. A team of ten are in his apartment working on the second stage of Rasengan while another team of ten are in the forest working on chakra control, so it's not a complete loss.

Kurenai explains how this play was going to go. "I've already explained to Hinata that she will be seeing a genjutsu version of you, but she will not know that it's actually you. For this to work, it's imperative-"

"What's imperative mean?" he curiously interjects.

Exhaling deeply, she corrects, "for this to be effective, it's important that she continue to think the entire scenario is genjutsu and not the real you."

In hopes of probably getting out of this, Naruto asks, "why not just make an actual genjutsu of me?"

"Because, I don't actually know you and the 'you' that she sees needs to be as authentic as possible for this to cover any and all unforeseen variables. Also, if you see me materialize out of nowhere, you cannot react to me in any way. If you react to me, it may tip her off that you're the actual Uzumaki-kun and then we fail."

"Wait, I said you could call me Naruto."

"I prefer Uzumaki-kun," she returns a little chilly. "Do you understand how this is going to go? Can you repeat everything I explained to you."

As the pranking king of Konoha, he feels insulted but humors her nonetheless. "I'm going to pretend I'm a genjutsu you created to talk with Hinata-chan. And if I ever look at you, she'll figure us out."

"Close enough," the raven-haired Jōnin mutters before they prepare for the play. Expertly hidden by Kurenai-sensei, Naruto watches Kurenai-sensei enter the kitchen where Hinata is washing the dishes. Kurenai asks, "are you ready Hinata-chan?"

Shocked, nervous and red in the face, Hinata asks, "Wh-wh-wh-what? Now?"

"No time like the present," Kurenai easily states while mentally thinking of showing up the girl's asshole of a father. "Now, remember, it's only an illusion, but it will feel very real. And don't use your Byakugan." Kurenai doesn't expect the girl to see through her genjutsu but she wanted to make certain the girl didn't spot Naruto from where he's hidden.

"S-se-sensei," Hinata nervously starts. "D-d-don't you n-n-need a good understanding of Na-Na- of the person you'll be m-m-making an illusion of?"

"You shouldn't underestimate your sensei, Hinata-chan" Kurenai confidently yet playfully relays. "I'm very good at what I do. Now, are you ready?" Hinata takes a few deep breathes before nodding. "Okay, you can keep cleaning if your hands need to keep busy, and keep in mind you can do no wrong here."

When he got the signal, Kurenai disappeared and he walked into the kitchen, casually greeting her, "Hey, Hinata-chan."

Her eyes round to near perfect circles under raised eyebrows and her cheeks blush a deep shade of red. "Na-Na-Na-," she tries and her pupils roll back into her skull as she passes out.

"Hinata!" he calls as he quickly catches her. Whipping his head around in search of Kurenai-sensei, he yells, "is she okay?" Kurenai reappears beside them, checking on the young girl. "What happened? Did I do something wrong?"

"Kami, what are we going to do with you?" Kurenai slowly comments of her ward, ignoring Naruto's concern in favor of checking her pupil. "She's fine. Go and hide and we'll try it again."

Hesitantly, Naruto gently lays her down and returns to his hiding space. It takes Kurenai a few minutes to gently coax the girl to consciousness. Confused as to why she's lying on the floor with her Sensei over her, gently stroking her hair, Hinata asks, "Sensei," when it all returns. Hinata can't help but turn away ashamed of her failure. It wasn't even a real Naruto and she passed out from his close proximity.

"It's okay, Hinata," Kurenai reassures the embarrassed girl. "This is a good first attempt. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"…I passed out," Hinata weakly counters, clearly alleging it's something to ashamed of.

"This time, maybe," Kurenai asserts. "But the next time maybe not. Don't worry about how you react because the only way you can fail is if you quit and I will not let you quit. Now, do you think you can try again?" With a slight sniff, Hinata nods her head, yes. "Okay, how about I keep him silent? He'll just stand there so you can get used to it. That's all this is, Hinata-chan, practice." The girl nods again and they get off the floor. After a quick moment to gather her expectation, Hinata nods at Kurenai.

"Okay, here we go," Kurenai says, giving him the signal before she disappears like a mirage in the desert; a jutsu of beauty in Naruto's opinion.

Naruto steps into the kitchen, and immediately forgets he isn't supposed to speak. "Hey Hinata-chan!" he says with a bright smile, causing the girl to squeak and hop back.

Looking around, Hinata can't help but ask, "I-I-I-I- th-th-thought h-he wasn't g-g-going to-"

"He wasn't," Kurenai says from nowhere with a little more force than she intended, and quickly covers for the blond's slip up. "I only wanted to shock you a little, by doing something you didn't expect. And look, you haven't passed out, so you're getting better already." Hinata can barely look at Naruto, her index fingers poking each other nervously, but it's true. At least she's conscious. "He'll stay quiet now, if you want to walk around him."

Hinata takes her time, moving close to him, always avoiding eye contact but at least trying to look directly at him. After several minutes of Hinata observing from several paces away, Kurenai can see Naruto start to fidget. He never struck her as a patient person, and she can see he's starting to become antsy. Hoping to avoid another blunder from the boy, Kurenai suggests, "why don't you do some housework together. That might make it feel more normal."

For the next two hours, Hinata and Naruto do chores while Kurenai observes her pupil under the unseen cloak of her genjutsu. Though Naruto wanted to help Hinata-chan, he couldn't help but feel this is a complete waste of his time. He's big enough to admit he doesn't understand much more than tricking Hinata into thinking he's a fake-Naruto when he's actually real, but he can't believe this is the only way to cure the girl of her shyness.

'Maybe Kurenai-sensei hasn't tried everything,' he thinks, 'because this is barely better than a D-Rank mission.' He hopes there's something else Kurenai can do because he can't see himself just doing housework for two whole hours with a girl who can barely look at him every single day. 'Better than the glares,' another part of him mentally admits. As previously discussed, Kurenai alerts Naruto to be ready for a quick and stealthy exit. The Raven-haired sensei had already left the door open for him so he can wait outside for her before Kurenai's voice ends the session.

"I think that's enough for tonight," the beautiful sensei announces, materializing out of thin air. "Hinata-chan, before I dispel Uzumaki-kun, would you like to say anything to him? Remember, he's only an illusion."

Hinata looks from her sensei to the general vicinity of her long-time crush. She opens her mouth to bid him goodnight, but little more comes out than, "g-g-g dd n-n-n-ni t-t."

She takes a breath, exhausted for some reason as Naruto-kun smiles at her, replying, "Night, Hinata-chan!"

The girl's sensei places a gentle hand on her shoulder and has a proud smile on her caring face. It reminds Hinata too much of how her late mother would be with her and overcome with emotions of gratitude, acknowledgment, and affection, the indigo-haired kunoichi couldn't help but hug her sensei dearly; for what she did, for what she's doing, and for believing in her when no one else does.

Hinata feels as if she's discovered someone who seems to genuinely care about her, regardless of her clan or ability. It's as if her sensei sees more in her than she can in herself and Hinata hasn't felt anything like that since her mother's death. Until now, she hadn't known how much she missed that feeling. Holding her sensei tighter, as if to make sure the feeling doesn't disappear, Hinata is comforted by the woman's warmth. It's slightly scary, but Hinata feels as long as her sensei is a part of her life, she could amount to something even she would be proud of.

'This is why it's all worth it,' Kurenai thinks as she holds her brave pupil. Dealing with the arrogant Hiashi, the Kyūbi container, even having to bear witness to Asuma escorting Princess Tomoko by his manly arm. At this moment, nothing mattered but the compassionate girl giving her one of the most appreciative hugs the red-eyed Jōnin's ever felt. Kurenai felt euphoric gratification by helping a girl who was in desperate need of it, by the good that may come of her growth in the future, and by the next generation that might inherit her Will of Fire. 'Yes, everything is worth this,' the devoted sensei easily determines as she lets out a comforting exhale. After a few more minutes of embrace, Kurenai pats the girl on her shoulder, suggesting, "why don't you get ready for bed. We have an early day tomorrow."

Stepping away, Hinata bows respectfully. However, before she leaves, she shyly asks, "will we be doing more of these training sessions?"

Kurenai smiles at the girls reddening cheeks, neck, and forehead, and answers, "yes. Every day until you see that there's nothing to fret over." With a final nod, the girl goes to get ready for bed, while Kurenai quietly slips out the door.

The impatient blond was on the porch, restlessly waiting with his arms crossed and fingers tapping his clothed bicep. "What-"

Kurenai quickly put her hand over his mouth, lifting an index finger over her full cherry red lips, silently telling him to be quieter. Ignoring his question, she whispers to the blond genin, "be by Hokage Tower same time tomorrow and I'll come get you when I can."

"Isn't there another way," he quickly asks. "This is boring! And I have a lot of training that I have to do."

"No, this is the best way," Kurenai quickly shuts him down. The last thing she wants is to lose a handle on him when Hinata made more progress in two hours than the past two weeks with her. "You're doing okay, just try to pay more attention next time. Good night." And with that, she turns and leaves him.

Upset, angry, annoyed, Naruto felt each one of these emotions until he returned to the excessive mess of his apartment. The exhausted-looking clones were still working on trying to pop the rubber ball and Naruto became even more upset that he couldn't be here with them. Naruto felt the first stage was very difficult, but attempting to amplify the volume and density on chakra spinning in multiple directions immediately sounded impossible. Even with Naru-nii's tips, it doesn't look like there's been any progress, but as he grabs a rubber ball and moves to the last spacious area in his one bedroom apartment, he's determined to take the challenge on, even if he has to work on it throughout the night.

SAKURA

Sakura happily walks the moderately busy streets of Konoha, holding a birdcage with the purple starling Naruto-baka had brought to her. The idiot knows she only just started training in medical ninjutsu, yet for some odd reason, he thought she could heal the bird's injured wing—not that she minded all that much. It was a beautiful bird, but the goal of her training was her team, more specifically Sasuke-kun—if she was being honest with herself—not healing birds.

It's the reason Sakura has been so happy this week. She finally managed to heal a few cuts on his arms, three bruises on his back and bicep from when Kakashi-sensei sparred with them and the most marvelous one of all was the small cut on his cheek. She had been so nervous, yet so thrilled to be so close to him—to feel his body heat—her hands were shaking from sheer joy and womanly thrill.

Her absolute jubilation is the only reason she's taking the mostly healed Starling across town to the idiot's apartment. Her parents do well and they have a two story house in some of the better civilian blocks while Naruto's one bedroom is somewhere between the civilian markets and bars. She didn't recognize the area as she's never stepped foot in this part of the village. It's easily one of the seediest parts of Konoha most are warned to stay out of.

She noticed a few rougher necks standing or passing by would either monitor her as a mark or just plain ogle the roundness of her sixteen-year-old posterior. Like every kunoichi in the village, Sakura had to take special classes on the affects women can have on men, so she understands—as repulsive as it makes her feel—their carnal gaze of her body is in part due to her being a ninja—a very popular fantasy among civilians, she's been told—as well as the positive physical affects daily chakra use and physical conditioning can have on a body. Molding spirit energy with physical energy as Kunoichi often do, they develop slightly faster than civilians her own age. Her breast may not have grown much as of yet, but her derriere was developing nicely. With her long lustrous pink hair, hips, butt, and toned legs, Sakura appreciates what she has, and judging by the attention she receives, others do as well.

In stark contrast to her attractive features—her long pink hair being the most noteworthy—it seemed like everyone in the area was ugly, dirty, poor, and or unsavory in some other way. Dirty laundry hangs outside on laundry pins, garbage littered much of the area, some of the streets were muddy, and the smell of raw meat from the market permeated the air. She actually spotted a dirty broken toilet on the road. Sakura made a vow when she neared Naruto's four-story apartment that she would never visit him again.

"That idiot better be grateful," Sakura spits out as she makes her way to the top floor. Fortunately, his is the only occupied apartment on the top floor, and once outside his browning red door, she kicks it a few times, rather than mar her knuckles on the rusty surface. She hears a, "coming," a few seconds before the door opens.

Naruto, in his abhorrent orange jumpsuit, instantly smiles at the unexpected visit, "Sakura-chan! Hey!" It should feel nice to see someone regard you this happily, but Sakura can't stand him. 'He's just so clueless... well, aside from his suggestion I study Iryō-ninjutsu.' "Come in! Come in!" He happily beckons.

"No," she tells him. "I'm not staying. I just came to give you this." She raises the birdcage with the purple Sterling keeping perfect balance on its swinging perch. "I wouldn't even have come here today but okaa-san is making me. Tou-san's allergic to the feathers, so, here." She shoves it forward and he automatically takes it.

"Uh, well, thanks," Naruto says. "It's so cool you managed to heal her, really, but I think I'm just going to let her go."

"Baka, that's the first thing I did," she responds. "She leaves and then she comes right back."

"Okay," he tells her. "I was heading out, actually. I could walk you home if-"

"No way," Sakura returns. "Thanks, but I can't let someone see us together without our teammates. They might think we're friends or something worse," she says making a queasy face that sort of hurt Naruto to see. It sort of reminded him of the face Ino-chan made after the last round of sex. He hadn't seen her at all during the week, and thus far he was beginning to think the flower she was looking for didn't work as well as he'd hoped.

Since that amazing experience with Ino, Sakura-chan's constant scorn, and Kurenai's cold attitude toward him, Naruto is starting to wonder what it is about him that women don't seem to like. Outside of Ayame-neesan, he didn't have much interaction with women, but even then talking with Ayame-nee is only ever for a few minutes when she has a break from work.

He just doesn't understand what woman want from him, and on top of that, he doesn't understand how Sasuke-teme can be the object of their affection when he acts like he doesn't even care about them. Sure he's the last Uchiha, and he seems to have a face girls like, but he never smiles, or cracks jokes, or plays pranks. Naruto was so excited to be on the same team with Sakura-chan, and even after he gave up pursuing his love for her growth, she's still treating him as if nothing's changed.

Still, she did bring the pretty bird all the way here, and if he was ever given the option of being friends or not, he'd always pick friendship. So, Naruto smiles as best he can, which barely pushes at his cheek and offers an olive branch. "Well, maybe next time. I have an old camera that prints out the photos right away, if you want to keep a picture of her. You can even name her if you want."

Sakura pauses for a moment, considering the offer. She did love the way the purple shines, and starlings are one of her favorite birds. Sakura nods, saying, "make it quick though. I want to get out of here as fast as possible." Running inside, Naruto quickly grabs his old camera and his last cartridge and takes a picture of the pretty bird. Handing it to Sakura, she reminds him, "and don't feed it Ramen, or you'll end up killing her after I went through all the trouble of healing her. Get bird food, please."

"Mhn!" he sounds in the affirmative. "Do you think they have ramen flavored bird food?"

"I'm leaving," she yells over her shoulders.

With a shrug, Naruto reenters his home and sets the bird cage up in a nice spot near the window and opens the cage door, just in case the bird wants to fly.

INO

The week had been a test of wills for Ino. She hadn't given much thought to how difficult keeping up appearances would be. The days were unremarkable, and her routine could be as normal as any other day, but the moment it feels her deflowering was truly well in her past, something would jolt her back to that day, to that reality, and sadly, the physical response that came with it.

Her walk to meet her team could be peaceful, until she saw two dogs, or cats rutting desperately for that release, and instantly her mind returned to Naruto taking her doggystyle just as desperately, spreading her just as deliciously until she came, knotting her like she was his bitch. And until Ino can return home to relieve herself, the rest of her day is a constant battle against the rousing desire of her moistening quim.

A conversation with her mother about clothes could be as normal as it ever was, until she grips anything cylindrical with a curve, testing the firmness of a cucumber or banana, anything with sausage links, or sucking on a Popsicle, then Ino would immediately excuse herself. Couples with blond hair, stretching in a provocative fashion, or even bathing can all trigger a physical response. Ino found herself getting horny a minimum of five times a day. So she threw herself into training, finding the exhaustive focus a good remedy for her arousing thoughts of blue-eyed blonds.

She, of course, kept her 'old Ino' mask on with her team as much as her parents, but she couldn't quite be as domineering as she used to be. So much mattered far less than it did a couple of weeks ago. Her figure was still important, but the innocence she was saving for Sasuke-kun is gone now, so how pure could that gift for the man she loves really be; she'll always know what she did. She makes certain to chastise and heavily critique her teammates and sensei when she felt they didn't meet her expectation, but again, she lost her virginity to their class's Dead Last; a bigger idiot than Kiba. And she did it happily, with a hunger comparable to Chōji and his chips. How can she expect from them when she's failed her own expectation?

She knows her mask is creating the image she needs to present, but it's also a constant reminder of why she needs it in the first place: Naruto. The boy who's apartment she's currently walking toward under a knee-length cloak. Ino wouldn't willingly search the blond subject of her trepidation but she was given little option. If she wanted the money form the orchid, than she needed to see him.

It was so simple for her parents to wonder if they now had the only Red Slipper in Konoha, or if there were more. Her parents explained if there were indeed more of the expensive orchid, than they would sell the orchid on her behalf and give her all the money, but if not, than the best option for the clan would be to try and cultivate more. It would take years but ninja are patient and planned for the future wherever possible. It would be well worth the wait if, in fact, they were the only clan or business with the ultra-valuable flower. But of course, they needed to ask the source who found it in the first place, and she wasn't going to ever disclose his identity to her parents, ever, which meant she needed to ask him in person.

She concealed herself under a heavy travel cloak with the hood up and he lived alone, which was fortunate as the fewer people that spot her there, the better. However Ino's luck as of late was not a thing to rely on and as Ino spots Sakura walking toward her, she was certain fate is against her as well. If Ino had only kept still, Sakura may not have noticed her, but the knee-jerk reaction of turning away caught the pinkette's attention and the green-eyed kunoichi was on her in moments.

"Ino-Pig," Sakura says with a smile that's too self-assured. More than anyone, Ino knows how insecure Sakura can be. Even in her strongest moments the pinkette was always doubting herself. It's the safety net Ino always relied on when fighting over Sasuke-kun. Ino always knew that Sakura felt undeserving when it really mattered, and that's why she never truly worried about Sakura's advances. The pink-haired kunoichi was her own worst enemy, thus never really a contender for the beautiful Uchiha's affections.

But the victorious smile plastered on her face informed Ino otherwise. Her rival for Sasuke's heart was very happy, too happy, as if in a few short weeks, life had generously handed the pinkette a large home, a beautiful husband, and a prized career. It didn't look good on her face. A month ago was the last time Ino saw her rival, and even with that majestic perfume, Sakura never looked this happy. Ino was getting a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"It's been soo long," she says, her tone with an annoying level of levity. "We really should catch up. I'll go first. Sasuke-kun is mine and I'm going to be a medic-nin possibly as talented as the legendary sannin herself. How are you?"

Forehead's interest in how she's doing is so clearly fake, Ino needn't bother answering. Her anger however focused squarely on the only statement that mattered. "You know, living out your delusions is indicative of a psychological break, a severe medical condition by all accounts. But allow me to help you on your path to recovery. Sasuke-kun is NOT yours!"

"Oh, well, I can understand how you might think that," she mocks, her cunning smile broadening as she flicks her long pink hair back. "It has been a while, after all. But, now that I'm the teams medic, I get to touch Sasuke-kun every time he's injured. The tiniest scratch mars his beautiful body, and I'm there, my hands all over him. I've touched his arms, his back, his chest, which felt amazing, his face, which is it's own heaven, and pretty soon, he's going to invite me, the only girl he's ever really cared about, to his home, so I can touch him some more."

Ino had no idea Sakura was training to become a medical ninja. It would be a brilliant move if not for her rival advancing so much further than herself. 'That Forehead's touching him?' Ino's mind torments her with. Every female with any sense for seduction knows that skin contact is very influential in getting what you want. She's heard so many stories from her mother, female clan members, or the woman in the bathhouses, that Ino's regards its use as practically a jutsu. 'And now Forehead's taken an amazing step forward to take my man!'

"Just think," Sakura continues, relishes in how silent the most confident girl she's ever met is. Sakura knows how devastating this revelation is. She herself would be utterly crushed if the tables were turned, but for the first time since they announced their rivalry for Sasuke-kun's traumatized heart, Sakura finally feels well and truly ahead of Ino. The blond heiress always had so much going for her after all—beauty, confidence, intelligence, perhaps not of her level, but she wasn't stupid either, and is an heiress of a prominent clan of Konoha. It just wasn't fair. Now, however, nothing her platinum- blond, former-friend could do would ever compare, and Sakura couldn't help but twist the knife just a little bit harder.

Moving closer than necessary to the Yamanaka flower, Sakura practically sings near her ear, "Sasuke-kun and I have only been teammates for a month and I already get to touch him practically anytime I want. Who knows what might happen when it's just the two of us… by ourselves… sweaty and hot-blooded from intense training… in his comfortable home… so near a bed."

For the first time since her newfound outlook, Ino's mask broke. Her hands move of their own accord, pushing a surprised Sakura back, not enough to fall, but more than enough to extend her hands ahead of her, directly at the heart of the pink-haired demon. The action was faster than they can rationally explain, or properly counter. Ino only reacted like a wounded animal desperate to survive against a predator toying with their prey. Maybe two weeks ago, the news would've only stunned her, if not ruined her day, but now, after everything she's lost to the worst person to lose it too, after fighting her daily carnivorous desires for more, Ino couldn't take any more beatings her life's been taking.

Her hands move fast, not with her explicit authority, but not without her consent either, as she forms her clan's signature hand seals. "Shintenshin no Jutsu," she declares like a strong war cry.

Ino's body dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut as Sakura, now under Ino's control, assesses the pinkette's body movement and hand grip. Not a second after she used her family's technique on a former-friend and now eternal adversary, Ino-Sakura picks up her unconscious body and continues her trek as she was originally doing, all the while mercilessly forming the plan to make all the hurting stop.

Kicking at Naruto's door, Ino-Sakura calculates how much time she has before she'll have to dispel when she thankfully hears, "just a second!"

Ino-in-Sakura's-body was very worried her blond defiler wasn't home and would have to do something less effective, but at least in this, things are working out. Calling through the door, Ino yells, "Naruto, it's me Ino."

"Ino-chan!" she hears him yell through the rough metal door. She places her foot on the door just as he tries to open it, stopping him from ruining her plan. She didn't exactly have time to explain to him why she looks like Sakura and is hold a body that looks like Ino. She yells back, "Look, I don't have a lot of time to explain, so you need to do everything I say, okay?"

"Um, why do you sound like Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto!" She yells back, already anticipating the chakra exhaustion if she doesn't finish in time. "Unlock the door, go to your bedroom, find something to tightly cover your eyes and sit on the bed."

"Uhh, really?" he asks from the other side of the metal door

"If you don't do it now, I'm going to leave and never come back," Ino-Sakura throws back, and within a matter of seconds, the door's three locks click unbolted and the sound of footsteps running away is heard.

Ino-Sakura quickly gets inside and places her body gently on the old ratty looking sofa. It's the first time she's been in Naruto's room and other than coming to the conclusion that it's utterly disgusting, she ignored it. Lucky Sakura's sense of smell isn't as developed as hers, not to say she didn't detect the sharp tang of garbage among other moldy odors, but Sakura's sense of smell dulled it more than her own body would've detected. Moving to his bedroom, she leans against the door frame, calling out, "you're blindfolded right?"

The moment he replies, "uh, no," she notices an insta-camera. "What? Why not?"

The dolt surprises her some by asking, "how do I know it's you and not some trick?"

"Fine," she states, admitting that made sense, but she was on the clock and went with the most obvious proof. "You and I had... sex… two weeks ago in the forest… a lot of it," she adds, feeling Sakura's cheeks heat with blush. She grabs the camera as he tells her he's ready.

Walking in with purpose, she's quickly on her knees in front of Naruto's seated position on the edge of his unkempt bed. His blindfold seems intact and unlikely to see Sakura's notable features. Her original plan was to fool Naruto into thinking that it was Ino in the henge form of Sakura, but that would've involved more complications than she can plan for in the heat of the moment. Ino also wants this to be uniquely Sakura's penance, and with the old camera, it completed her plan neatly. That is to say, a perfect plan after she gave the boy a blowjob.

She hates that she's both dreading it and looking forward to it. It's not as if she hasn't had him in her mouth before, but she's been working hard to quash her craving for that feeling he gave her two weeks ago. It was a daily struggle, sometimes hours long to refuse that longing, and she was getting better as time went on, but now her hands are on his strong thighs, moving up to the ambrosia that gave her a taste of pure bliss. She wasn't sure what would happen afterward, how hard her fight would become, but if it meant Sakura's mutual destruction, it would be worth it.

Set in her task, she sets Naruto at ease. He doesn't seems to know what to expect and is nervous. "Naruto, I can't stop thinking about what we did, and I want to do some more now, but I'm really nervous, which is why I asked you to put the blindfold on."

"I guess I can understand that," he casually mentions. "But what did you want to do?"

She moves closer—between his legs—and begins to unbuckle his trousers, fettering with the zipper before bringing it down. The sound is deafening, nearly causing Ino to second-guess herself, but she squares her shoulders, reaches for his toad covered boxers. "Lift your hips," she asks, and she slides both trousers and boxers to his ankles.

It's smaller than she remembered, but as she moved closer, the heat of her exhale and proximity sent a thrill through Naruto that had him hardening in no time at all. Of course, he also had his memory of the girl he gave his virginity to, which he masturbated to at least seven times a day.

Ino was very surprised by the size of his erection, now wondering how the hell something this big fit inside her little slit. The physical echo of how it thrust into her to the hilt made her—within Sakura's body—wet... very wet. Juicy enough to make the girl ponder her rival's physical health, that is until Ino feels her chakra slip. She wonders if Sakura is fighting it as she leans down and licks the tip of his hard manhood.

He moans to the touch, adding a little thrill to her already soaking center. It all comes back to Ino, and in no time at all, she's licking the underside of his throbbing pole. Ino grips the base of his veined member with her right hand, wondering about his bulbous membrane as her left-hand massages his balls. She sucks on his head as she strokes him and Ino can feel herself get into it. Hearing the groans escaping his throat tells her she's doing good, but she doesn't have much time. Ino needs the money-shot.

With a final suck of his thick crown, Ino's promptly wraps Sakura's open mouth around his cock. Taking him in her small mouth a tentative inch at a time, Ino barely remembers the camera, grabbing it in annoyance before returning to the saliva covered meat in front of her.

Bobbing her head up and down as he groans in blissful satisfaction, Ino is more enthused than she originally planned and squeezes his balls for the fun of his pleasured growl. When he thighs tense from a particularly hard suck, her mind reminds her for the second time of the camera. Knowing instinctively how the photo would look from the perspective of the old camera, she angles her bobbing head as she wantonly tries to take him in her throat—noting he has too much meat for it. A click and a hum later has the thick paper falling to the ground, clearly showing a still capture of Haruno Sakura, on her knees, sucking Uzumaki Naruto's long, thick cock, and best of all, loving it.

Ino-as-Sakura took another photo of her managing to take a little over half his thick length down to her small throat. Naruto couldn't last much longer, but Ino didn't know that as he didn't warn her and blew his boiling load, hard, like a water pistol, in her mouth, cheek and pink hair. The smell of his cream was instantly in her nostrils as much as numerous shots were in her mouth, and Ino missed the feeling. She honest to Kami, felt numb with tingling pleasure.

Some of the cum Ino-Sakura swallowed, some she left nestled between Sakura's teeth and tongue like runny yogurt. Ino made sure there was plenty enough white cream on her rival's face and hair, and it was exactly what Ino needed to take Sakura down. When he stays hard, Ino feels such a rush of excitement ripple through her. Nipples like pebbles, Sakura's panties and shorts were soaked from Ino's recollections and the heat vibrating from Sakura's core nearly makes her discard the plan for a night of orgasms. It took all her will to pull away.

While the boy caught his breath, Ino gathered the photos, but rather than check them, she hurries to leave as she can feel her jutsu ready to dispel. "You better not mention this to anyone," she says closing the bedroom door behind her. As she picks up her body, she can hear Naruto redressing himself as he calls to her, "wait!"

Ino-Sakura moves fast as she replies, "you better not even think of coming after me! I still-" Ino cuts herself off, concerned that finishing that sentence might imply she's unsure if she wants to be with him, and that simply can't be possible since Sasuke-kun is the only man for her. Managing to just close the apartment door before he can see them, she tries again to keep him from coming after her. "You're still not-" she pauses again, as the thought of him not being good enough made her falter. Unsure why, she continues, "you don't make me feel good at all!" she lies, and quickly adds a low blow to keep him away. "You don't even know what you're doing, so, so-" Cut from finishing, Ino-Sakura rushes to the dirty and tatted stairwell, lays her actual body down and puts the photos in Ino's pock just as the last of her jutsu gave away.

Sakura's vision slowly takes in the grungy, pale yellows and greens of a stairwell with a flickering light above. Palming the ache of her head, Sakura didn't know how she got there, but she knew the setting disgusted her. Rubbing her forehead a few times, she's puzzled by a thick fluid on her skin. Bringing a bit of it to her green eyes, she rubs it between her fingers and it reminds her a bit of the face cream she uses. When Sakura begins to question the slimy liquid in her mouth and teeth, Ino groans awake. At the sight of her rival, Sakura's memory rushes to tell her that they were on the street only moments before.

Getting to her feet, Sakura is about to question the platinum-blond kunoichi when she feels a foreign substance slide down her throat. Curious still, Sakura wonders why her jaw and throat ached, which shouldn't be the case. Sakura is further mystified when she pulls a blond hair from between her lip and teeth. It's at that moment Sakura remembers her former-friend using some sort of jutsu on her; a jutsu she can only assume was taught to her by her Jōnin-sensei or her clan.

"Ino-" Sakura tries than quickly rubs her jaw, before continuing, "what did you do?!" Ino slowly rises to her feet, ignoring the question for the gold content in her pocket. "Using jutsu on a fellow shinobi is vile even for you, Ino-Pig," Sakura screams, still working her jaw, spitting out what she could and swallowing some of the salty substance too far back to spit. Vaguely observing her quiet rival as she spits, Sakura doesn't grasp the blonde's interest on the cards in her hand, but at the moment, she's too angry to care.

"You think it's okay to overreact like that just because you lost Sasuke-kun to me? What you did is a punishable offense! And you can bet your ass I'll tell the Hokage about this. You'll be lucky if you're still a ninja after this." Having to take a break, Sakura finally feels something is more wrong than she can understand. Ino should be scared, she should be apologizing, she should be on her knees groveling. Instead, she's smirking, or outright laughing depending on which card she looks at. Ino shuffles from one to another, questioning each one as if trying to decide which is the best, and Sakura finally asks, "w-what are those?"

"Oh, these," Ino finally speaks as if every threat Sakura declared on the blond was never spoken. "They're pictures, Forehead. I thought even you would be smart enough to see that."

Sakura couldn't see the front of the pictures but she dreaded what they might depict without fully comprehending why. "What did you do?" Touching her face at the drying substance, Sakura fearfully asks, "what is this?" Several seconds pass as Ino shifts her sights between two photos she seems to be deciding over. "INO!" Sakura tearfully yells, feeling arrested somehow.

"Mnn?" Ino playfully returns looking at the cum covered, pink-haired girl who's ready to cry. Ino smiles wickedly. 'This girl thought she had the upper hand,' the blond's thoughts happily express. "You're not going to tell Hokage-sama, or anyone for that matter-"

"The hell I'm not-" Sakura tries to interrupt but is cut off by a louder Ino.

"And you're going to stop all attempts to be anything more than Sasuke-kun's teammate." That stunned Sakura even as Ino continues. "Outside of trying to be the best teammate possible, nothing else is permitted; no more asking for dates, no more trying to seduce him, no more gifts, no more special treatment. Unless it's something that you do for your other teammates, it's not allowed. Hell, if I ever find out you dreamed about him, well, I won't be very happy."

"How dare you!" Sakura screeches. "Who gives two shits about your happiness! Nothing you say will ever keep me from being with Sasuke-kun!"

"No, not what I say," Ino plays. "But I bet this picture of you sucking Naruto's dick will," Ino states as she extends a photo of a girl with pink hair sucking Naruto's dick, happily, cheerfully. The absolute, dumbfounded expression of unsettling shock on her pink-haired rival's face was like a quick release of all the pent up stress and anguish Ino's suffered these past few weeks, like a radiating tingle running up and down every part of her chakra exhausted body.

Sakura was speechless as she glared at her clear visage with a large penis in her mouth, cheeks caved in as she sucks at his man meat like trying to suck the grease out of a sausage. No matter how much Sakura stared at it, unable to believe it with her heart of hearts, but undeniable to her sharp mind, all she could see was her face wantonly sucking Naruto-baka's dick. 'His dick!' Her mind yells.

"I also got a money shot," Ino tells her, casually overlaying the petrifying polaroid with another stunner of said blond-bushed penis firing white goo all over her face. In a fraction of a second, Sakura knows the fluid substance she felt on her face, hair, and in her mouth... that she swallowed…

...is, "…Naruto's sperm?"

The irrefutable truth Sakura's mind slowly spelled out was that she, under control of Ino, gave the worst loser of their class, a boy she didn't even like, let alone love, a blowjob, but sinking her deeper in despair was that she can taste his seed, thick and slimy, as her mind automatically tries to break it down to her great disgust. However unlikely, Sakura could sense the foreign secretion traveling down her throat and her stomach lurches, as if trying to jump out of her mouth. Sakura immediately doubles over and starts vomiting, heavily. It was unattractive, to say the least, as if a large quantity of bile was being forced through a throat too small. Though it'll do nothing to help her forget the taste of it, she'd welcome the burst of acidic burn her mouth and the putrid smell if it burned away Naruto's semen.

"Not bad, right?" Ino sarcastically asks after the worst of her retching ceases. "I'll assume you already know what these ten pictures mean, what with being the top kunoichi in our class after all. You know what I can do with these if you upset me, or who I can show them to if you don't do as I say."

After some dry heaving, having already expelled the content of her stomach on the disgusting floor, Sakura tearfully asks- yells, "Why?! How could you do that?"

"Well, I can't say I liked it," Ino lies. "But he was nearby and I was really working on the fly. If we were somewhere else, I might've done something else instead."

"Something else? …You- You raped me!" Sakura screams, eyes filled with running tears and pleading.

"And you were being a bitch!" Ino furiously returns, gripping the rails as a dizzy spell hits her. "Equal only to how piss-poor of a kunoichi you are! 'Sasuke-kun this and Sasuke-kun that,' like a dumb little lamb, lucky enough to be oblivious to anything or anyone else. You were innocent, Forehead, but now you know how easily everything can change... Now you know how easily it could all be taken away," Ino trails off, fighting back her own tears from a drained body. Forcing fervor she didn't feel, Ino continues, "forget about what you want. All is fair in love and war, so unless you want Sasuke-kun to see these pictures of you sucking the Dead Last's dick, you're going to be the smart Forehead I know you are and do as you're told."

Sakura said nothing. Even as Ino left, Sakura could not utter a sound of protest. Her resistance died along with her hopes for the raven-haired boy in her heart.

For Sakura Fans out there, I just want to say that I AM a fan of hers as well, but I think we can all agree, in the beginning Sakura was... lacking personality wise. I want her to be hella strong in my fic... a girl who wouldn't pick a man who tried to kill her twice to marry... and this is a necessary step to break that.

For those who brought up the knotting thing, I get why it's distasteful(minor beasting and such) but there's a reason I thought of which I liked that will be explained in the future. For now, just know it's not something that I even bring up all the time.

WindyCitySlayer1 had a great suggestion I try for 9 partners for Naruto. I like the symbolism and I'll try it but if it doesn't make sense why a girl may somehow be with him-that is to say organically- than I'm not going to do it. I want to write this but I also want it to be as grounded as possible.