A Soul's Salvation

A/N: This chapter was slow in coming to me. However, the next chapter will mark the beginning of a more personal, and emotional bond between our favorite couple. So, please enjoy and review.

~!~

Sakura awoke to find herself wrapped in a very warm embrace. Her breath caught as the memories from the previous night came to her, and she closed her eyes tightly, praying that this wasn't some sort of dream, and that when she awoke, she would be alone.

Naruto smiled and knew the moment she awoke. He stayed very quiet and waited for Sakura to make the first move, but when she didn't, he grew impatient and decided to take the matter into his own hands.

“Good morning, Sakura.” He said, his tone soft. When she turned her head to look over her shoulder, he allowed his arms to loosen, and gently pull her so that she were on her back. Once she was settled, he leaned down and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead.

Sakura smiled, and watched as he pulled back to look down into her eyes. Reaching up, she brushed the back of her hand against the skin of his cheek, absently thinking that he needed to shave, but she ignored the thought and softly replied, “Good morning.”

Settling back down beside Sakura, but not releasing her from his hold, he said, “The village's elder told me yesterday that he invited the kazekage and his siblings to enjoy the festival, but that they would arrive today, seeing as how they were finishing up business, elsewhere.”

Sakura nodded. “The elder wants to show Gaara that he is anxious to begin the alliance, and wanted Gaara to be comfortable with valley.” She explained. “I suppose that the elder is also going to be studying Gaara to make sure that he is not the threat that he once was.”

Naruto nodded. That made a lot of sense. However, if anyone ever thought that Gaara was not dangerous, then they were badly mistaking. Gaara was just as vicious, even without the demon within him.

The couple looked over at the door when they heard a knock. Sighing, Naruto said, “Go into the bathroom, and get ready for the day. I'll see who is at the door.”

Sakura quickly agreed and jumped out of bed, and grabbed her bag. When she closed the door, Naruto's face broke out into a wide grin. When Sakura left the bed, she didn't notice that the back of her dress had been pushed up sometime during the night, and she ended up flashing him with the sight of her pretty pink panties.

But, he wasn't stupid enough to mention it to her, and would file that sight away for those long, lonely nights when he was on a mission. After learning what it felt like to sleep with the woman he loved in his arms, he seriously doubted that he'd ever be able to touch another woman, not that he planned to, but he was pretty sure that he was ruined for all other women.

His Sakura was all he needed, and he'd show her that she had no reason to look beyond him. In fact, he was almost positive that she knew that, already.

Walking over to the door, he chuckled when he heard a shriek of embarrassment, and then opened the door. The young woman was a few years younger than Sakura, and she was looking down at the floor, her pretty face holding the faint trace of a blush when she took in the sight of a shirtless Naruto.

“The elder has asked that Ambassador Haruno and you join him and his wife for breakfast.” She said, shyly, and then turned her eyes back to the floor, reminding him of Hinata, when she was a girl.

Nodding, Naruto said, “Tell the elder that we will be there in a few minutes. Sakura needs a few minutes to get ready.”

The girl nodded, and turned away, but not before she stole another glance at Naruto, over her shoulder, and was treated to a wink by the handsome young man. Hurrying down the stairs, the girl sighed happily. She knew a good guy when she saw one.

When he closed the door, he heard Sakura's soft footsteps behind him and turned to see that she had changed from her dress to a pair of pants, and a tank top. He looked her up and down, earning himself a blush, and then casually said, “We've been invited to breakfast. So, are you hungry?”

Sakura was very hungry. In fact, her stomach was grumbling and she knew that it wouldn't be long until it grew vocal. Hell, she'd already flashed Naruto, and she didn't want to further her humiliation.

Once he had put on another shirt, and changed pants, they left the room and headed towards the center of the village. Sakura had wondered where they were going to eat, but when she saw that they were headed straight for the elder's house, she paled and could hear inner Sakura whimper.

Apparently, the traitor had decided not to desert her and now was going to pay for it.

Happily, Naruto's hand found Sakura's and he pulled her along, oblivious to her sudden discomfort and was soon knocking on the elder's door.

“Ambassador Haruno!” Mina exclaimed, her face beaming with excitement. Reaching out, the large woman engulfed her into a bone-crushing hug and when she finally let go, Sakura had to fight not to slump to the floor and gasp for much-needed breath.

The woman finally looked over at Naruto, and her eyes narrowed. Puffing out her chest, she stalked over to Naruto, and began to look him over, her eyes not missing a single detail. When she was finally done with her examination, she noticed that her husband had come to stand beside Sakura and she firmly said, “Yes, he will do nicely. Their children will be most beautiful, mark my words, husband.”

Sakura's mouth flopped open, and she was about to say something, anything to ease her nerves, but Naruto laughed loudly and wrapped his arm around the woman.

Glancing over at Sakura, he cheekily said, “See honey, someone else agrees with me. Finally, I get to meet someone with such good taste.”

The woman giggled and grabbed onto Naruto's arm and rushed him towards her kitchen. The elder was quietly issuing apologies for his wife's statement, but she replied, “It's fine. I was more worried about what Naruto would say, but I can see that my fear was for nothing.”

The elder smiled and patted her hand. She frowned for a moment, but then asked, “Naruto told me that Suna's kazekage might show up. Is it true?”

“Yes.” The elder replied. “In fact, he and his siblings have already arrived. They, too, were invited for breakfast and only arrived a few minutes before you.”

Nodding, Sakura and the elder walked into the kitchen, and sure enough, Garra and his siblings were sitting around the table, while Naruto helped Mina bring out the covered dishes. Taking a seat by Gaara, she smiled at the stoic kazekage and said, “I'm glad that you are able to join us for the festival, Gaara.”

The young man gave a slight nod. He didn't tell her that his reason for attending was to ensure that Sakura and Naruto had no interruptions during this get-away. Konoha's hokage was worried that the Uchiha would attempt to force his way between the couple, and that was something that he was not going to allow.

Temari smirked and said, “So, ambassador. Feel like a round of sparring after breakfast?”

Lifting her eyebrow, Sakura's eyes met Temari's and she nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.” She replied, and glanced over at Naruto. “I'll be with Temari, ok? You can run around the village, if you want.”

Before Naruto could reply, Gaara said, “He will be with myself and Kankuro. We have matters that we need to discuss.”

Nodding, and missing the look that passed between Gaara and Naruto, Sakura took in a deep breath and waited for Mina to announce that it was time to eat.

She didn't have to wait long, much to inner Sakura's sorrow.

When breakfast was finished, Temari and Sakura emerged and glanced at each other before trudging towards the training grounds. When they finally arrived, Temari sighed and said, “Screw training. Let's just lay down and pray for a quick end.”

Nodding, Sakura followed the older girl to a large tree and together, they sat in the shade. After several minutes, Temari said, “It seems that you and the loud-mouth are making nice.”

“Things have gotten better.” Sakura replied, a soft smile upon her lips. “I think that they are much better than before.”

Smiling, Temari turned her eyes to the sky, then frowned. She couldn't help but wonder if Sakura knew what Sasuke was doing and why. Sakura was a smart woman, and didn't need to be coddled as to what the Uchiha was doing, and since no one has ordered her to keep quiet, she wasn't.

“What do you think about the Uchiha?” Temari demanded, her tone gruff. When the younger girl's eyes turned to her own, Temari sighed. “Do you still care for him the way you used to?”

Biting her lip, Sakura pondered the question. But, what startled her was that she was able to honestly say that the love she had felt for Sasuke was nothing compared to what she felt for Naruto. Hell, it didn't even come close.

Finally, she softly said, “A few years ago, I would have told you that I loved Sasuke with all my heart. But, things were complicated back then, and I confused love with like. After my parents died, I desperately wanted someone to call my own, and I wanted Sasuke, or at least I thought that I did. But, nowadays, things are so much clearer, and I can honestly say that I consider Sasuke as a friend, nothing more, nothing less. In fact, I can't even remember what it was about Sasuke that attracted me, in the first place.”

Smirking, Temari nodded. “And, how do you feel about the blonde?” She prodded.

“I love him.” Sakura said, not even hesitating. To say that she loved Naruto was as natural to her as breathing was. “I think that I've loved him for a long time, but only realized it recently. I suppose that you can say that I've been pretty blind, but now, I can see clearly and all I see is Naruto.”

“Yeah, it's pretty obvious.” Temari stated, earning herself a shocked glance. “It's easy to see. Your eyes give you away, every time. You look at him, and your eyes go all soft, just as his does with you. But, you have a serious problem, my friend.”

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura said, “Sasuke.”

“You got it.” Temari affirmed. “It seems, from what I've been told, that the Uchiha has grown quite smitten with you, and thinks that you need to be by his side, and not Naruto's. He really is an arrogant bastard, you know that?”

“So what else is new?” Sakura mumbled, and frowned. When she thought about it, now she could understand why Sasuke has been acting so strangely. He was trying to put the moves on her, but was stopped each and every single time. It must have pissed him off greatly.

Good.

Temari watched as Sakura's eyes glazed over and silently decided that she wouldn't want to be Sasuke. From the look in Sakura's eyes and the way her mouth was pressed into a thin line, Temari could almost bet that someone was going to get hurt.

If she was lucky, she'd get a front row seat.

~!~

“The Uchiha forgets his place.” Gaara said, his tone blunt. “He desires Ambassador Haruno, and he refuses to take no for an answer.”

Naruto snorted. “Yeah?” He asked, “Well, perhaps he and I need to get everything out in the open, and when I am done using his head as a punching bag, then maybe he'll think twice about fucking with my girl.”

Kankuro's eyebrow lifted and he casually asked, “So, you and Sakura are together, then? You did call her your girl.”

“I'm working on it.” Naruto snapped, his eyes narrowing in a silent challenge. “Besides, I've got a few days to decide on how I am going to handle Sasuke.”

“You best decide quickly.” Gaara said, his tone firm. “I doubt that the Uchiha will waste any time, when you and Sakura returns, to make his move. If you have a move, use it quickly.”

Naruto's eyes stared at the ground for several minutes, before softly asking, “How do you tell someone that you love, that they are your world? I don't know how to tell her that I love her, and I'm scared that if I come right out and say that I love her, that it will scare her away.”

Kankuro leaned back, his hands behind his head. “You could always show her.” He offered, his face twisted into a leer. “Nothing says 'I love you' than a good roll in the hay, you know?”

“Ignore the idiot.” Gaara said, his eyes narrowing dangerously on his brother. “However, he is correct when he suggests that you could show her that you love her, by listening to what she says and involving yourself in the activities that she enjoys.”

“You've been reading Temari's books, haven't you?” Kankuro asked. “She's the only one of us that reads that horse shit, and look at how well she is doing with her own sex life. She's at home, every night, so that line of thinking is not helpful.”

Gaara's lips formed a tight, thin line and he said, “You're there, too.”

Ignoring Kankuro's sheepish look, Gaara turned to Naruto and said, “I do not know much of how a woman thinks. I've never claimed to. But, I can tell you that a woman like Sakura will not like being placed into a situation where it is hinted that sex will bring her closer to you. From what I understand, sex is used to strengthen a bond, but what you need to do is create that bond first.”

“We already have a bond.” Naruto said, thoughtfully. “But, maybe what we need to do is start off slowly.”

Gaara nodded in approval, and glared at his brother when Kankuro sighed and shook his head sadly. But, both males glanced up when Naruto said, “Last night, I got to hold her. She slept in my arms, and it felt like she was meant to be there. I can't let her go. Not after that.”

Smirking, Gaara looked over at his brother and saw that he, too, was smirking. “Then, you need to decide how you are going to deal with that Uchiha and decide quickly. Once he is extracted, then you can concentrate fully upon Sakura, and then, you can plan your life, together, if that is what you both wish.”

~!~

The day went by rather quickly and soon found Sakura and Naruto back in their room. They had decided to join up with their friends from Suna, and quickly picked out their outfits for the evening.

Sakura walked into the bathroom, and turned on the water, ready for a nice, hot shower. Once she was underneath the steaming water, she sighed happily, and did not notice the door to the bathroom opening.

All he wanted to do was brush his teeth. He was going to sneak in, brush them, and get out, leaving her to her privacy. However, he did not account for the image behind the shower curtain. His eyes were staring at Sakura, from the mirror, and he took in a large breath as his cock hardened.

He had previous out of body experiences, mostly when he was doing something stupid, but now, he felt as though someone else was controlling as his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of his boxers, and pushed them down his legs.

Once he was nude, he slowly walked towards Sakura, and quietly entered the shower, his eyes never straying from her body. He lifted his hands and before he could stop himself, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

To say she was startled would be an understatement. She turned her head and found Naruto looking down at her, his eyes soft. Before she could say a word, he leaned forward and kissed her, his lips firm against hers.

Despite her initial shock, when his lips touched hers, she forgot that she was naked and that he, too, was naked. Instead, her brain simply focused on the feel of him, and when his tongue touched her lips, she opened her mouth, slightly, and felt him deepen the kiss.

His large hands moved from her shoulders to her waist and he slowly turned her until her soft body was molded against his, and when her firm breasts touched his chest, his eyes closed in pure pleasure and he deepened the kiss even further.

Sakura thought that her knees were going to give out on her. Naruto was a god at kissing and just so that she would be sure that she didn't end up falling and humiliating herself, she decided to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

He knew that she was aroused. With the kyuubi's enhanced senses, he could smell her sweet arousal and his body tightened. His embrace grew stronger, as he pulled her as close as he could without hurting her.

She did not resist him as he slowly backed her up against the shower wall, and pressed himself tightly to her. He lifted her, forcing her legs to wrap around his waist, and he allowed his hands to move from her waist to her backside to support her.

When his mouth left hers and began trailing a path to her neck, her eyes closed and she moaned. As the water ran over their bodies, Naruto took his sweet time, exploring his Sakura, and from the breathy, little sounds she was making, she was having the time of her life.

When he finally lifted his head, his blue eyes stared into her green, and he decided to throw caution to the wind and tell her how he truly felt.

“Hey, kiddies! Let's get a move on, alright. Temari is hungry, and we're getting a headache from all of her bitching.”

Frozen, Sakura and Naruto stared at each other, the spell between them broken. Slowly, he allowed her to slide down his body, his poor cock softening when it realized that it wasn't going to be called to action, and he sighed.

Sakura's cheeks were cherry red, but her body shook as it tried to come down from her arousal. She had only one thought.

'Kankuro must die.'

Yeah, that sounded like a plan to her. Besides, Gaara and Temari would never miss him.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto softly said, “I'm going to hurry and get dressed, so take your time and I'll see you when you get out.”

Nodding, she watched him walk away, and inner Sakura cried in frustration. Killing Kankuro was too good for him. She'd have to think of something even worse.

~!~

Stepping into the room, Naruto found Kankuro lying face down on the ground and Temari sitting on top of him. The elder of the siblings was smirking with her arms folded over her chest. However, when she caught sight of Naruto, her smirk faded, but she managed to control herself and simply gave him a nod.

Gaara, who had been watching the entire fight between his siblings, looked over at his friend and watched as Naruto dressed. When finally clothed, Naruto calmly asked, “So, how did you get in here?”

“Stupid, here,” Temari said, indicating Kankuro, “Picked the lock. We told him that it was a bad idea, seeing as how neither of you answered, but he insisted, and so, here we are.”

“Mmfumufh” Kankuro muttered, though nothing that he said was understandable. When his sister finally let him up, the tall, young man brushed himself off and muttered, “Sorry, but we're hungry.”

“So am I.” Sakura said, as she walked out of the bathroom. She had chosen a simply pair of slacks and a white tank top. She grinned over at Temari, who was also dressed casually, and asked, “So, are you ready to go?”

When her friend nodded, Sakura followed Temari out of the room, only to be followed by the three men. When the girls were far enough away not to hear them, Kankuro chanted, “One day, she'll be gone. One day, she'll be gone.”

Gaara lifted an eyebrow and calmly said, “If you didn't provoke her, she would leave you alone. You ask for it, each and every single time.”

Glaring over at his brother, and then Naruto, when the blonde started to laugh, he sighed and gave up. Hell, he knew that he deserved it, but it was just too tempting to see Temari blow her top.

The three men quickly caught up with their companions and Naruto made sure to stay close to Sakura's side. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he smiled down at her when her surprised eyes met his, and she then returned his smile before cuddling close to him.

Sakura wanted to close her eyes as she felt the warmth of his body embrace hers. Timidly, she wrapped her are around his waist and sighed happily when his other hand came to hers, and entwined their fingers.

For the first time, it was clear that they were a couple. The villagers of valley smiled indulgently at the pair and knew that their elder was rooting for the young man to win their ambassador's heart. He was handsome, and if the elder's suspicions were correct, this young man held a strong tie to Konoha's fourth hokage.

Even in valley, the fourth hokage was well known. His looks, kindness, and ability to cause mischief were well renowned, and the young man with the ambassador looked like a mirror image of the fourth. The elder believed that the man with their ambassador was the child of the fourth hokage. But, they were warned not to speak about their elder's suspicions, and so, they were content on watching the budding love between the pink haired woman, and the man with whisker marks on his cheeks.

Gaara smirked at the closeness of his two friends. He was more than pleased to see just how close they had grown on this trip, and he knew that no matter what the Uchiha tried, the blonde would stop him. But, the battle was already won, if appearances meant anything.

Sakura wasn't going anywhere, and looked quite happy in Naruto's arms.

Looking over his shoulder, Gaara's eyes went wide, and then narrowed. So, the fool finally decided to show himself.

~!~

“Damn it!” Kiba yelled, dodging tree limbs. “How in the hell did he give them the slip?”

Neji shrugged. “Apparently, he used a shadow clone, just as Naruto used on me, at the chunnin tournament.” He said, his eyes staring straight ahead of him. “The bastards much more resourceful than we gave him credit for. Who knew that he'd use a tactic that Naruto was famous for, just to give us the slip.”

Kiba fumed for several minutes, and then heard Akamaru bark. Both young men dropped down, and Kiba smirked. “Well, Akamaru picked up his trail, so either he was too stupid to cover his tracks, or he just doesn't give a damn that we know where he is heading.” He announced.

“I see the two of you have finally decided to join us.” Kakashi drawled, as he stepped from the shadows. Both young men glared at him, but the silence was broken when Neji demanded, “How did you know which way he would take?”

Shrugging, Kakashi replied, “Sasuke is a creature of habit. He knew the path that Sakura would go, and followed her, not caring about anything except for her. He also knows that we would probably guessed that he would have taken this path, and didn't care if we followed.”

Neji nodded, but then glared at the man when he said, “Or, he could have decided that since he is an Uchiha, and that much better than the rest of us, he would do as he pleased, and how he pleased to do it, and to hell with what we think.”

“Now, that sounds like the Uchiha that I know.” Kiba spat, his anger growing. That man needed to be taken down a few notches. His arrogance knew no limits.

Kakashi motioned for the young men to follow and led them to a small camp. They were surprised to find Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gemna, Shino, Shikamaru, Tenten, Lee, Gai, and Ino, sitting around a fire, discussing what to do now. However, before they could join, two of Lord Masaharu's companions appeared and smiled.

“He's at the festival that valley is holding.” The young, self-proclaimed holy man named Midoru, said. Satchi nodded. “From what we saw, the kazekage, himself, was dealing with him.” She murmured, and then shuddered. “He looked so angry, and that sand that he controls is scary.”

Kakashi sighed. “We'd better get over there.” He said. “We don't need an all out battle in valley, and we can force Sasuke to return to the village.”

“That boy,” Tsunade growled, “Had better be unconscious when I get to him. If he isn't, he soon will be.”

Jiraiya smirked. He could remember being on the wrong side of her punch, and never wanted to relive that experience, again.

Sasuke was going to get it.

~!~

The air around them was thick with tension, and Gaara's eyes stared into Sasuke's, daring him to move. The dark-haired young man glared back, his body tense with anger, and his eyes flickered between Gaara, and the sight of Naruto holding Sakura.

Gaara stepped forward, intent on removing Sasuke's presence, but it was Sakura's voice that stopped him.

“What are you doing here, Sasuke?”

Dark eyes turned to Sakura, and he struggled to keep his temper in check. He did not need to accidentally activate his sharingan, nor did he want to do anything to shake her trust in him.

“I simply came to enjoy the festivities, Sakura.” He replied, his tone smooth. “I've done nothing wrong to warrant being told to leave. In fact, if anyone is guilty of anything, it would be the kazekage, for attempting to intimidate me.”

Naruto stepped in front of Sakura and sneered, “Poor baby. Did the big, bad kazekage frighten you, Sasuke?”

“Listen, dobe.” Sasuke snapped, his eyes in a hard glare, “This is between me and Sakura. So, be a good little loser, and get lost.”

“Don't you talk to him like that.” Sakura snapped, her anger clear as she stood at Naruto's side, her fists curled into tight balls. “You don't have the right to speak to him like he's the dirt at your feet.”

Sasuke silently regarded her, the angered words filtering through his brain. Suddenly, it became clear to him. Naruto had somehow convinced her that he was her equal. Poor Sakura, she was being taken advantage of, and she was too blind by her guilt to see it.

“Sakura,” Sasuke gently admonished, “Please do not involve yourself in matters between me and the moron. I know that you have some misguided sense of guilt, but let me assure you, he deserved every single one of the blows that he got from you. You have done nothing wrong.”

Naruto was never any good at keeping his temper, or mouth, in check. Snarling, he yelled, “What in the hell do you mean that she hasn't done anything wrong? She hit me, belittled me, and pushed me aside, all in an attempt to gain your attention. She has every right to feel guilty.”

Sasuke smirked, and watched as Naruto's blue eyes widened in horror. Temari quickly went to Sakura's side, whispering words of comfort, but to no avail.

Spinning on her heel, Sakura bolted from the large group, sobbing into her hands. Now she knew how he truly felt, and that he had only forced himself to try and suffer her presence. But, as hurtful as his words were, one stray thought hurt her the most.

He had played her for a fool, and had only been acting nice just so he could get close and deliver the fatal blow, and he did it in front of everyone.

She really was a fool.

~!~

“Go after her.” Gaara said, quietly. “Make sure that she doesn't do anything stupid, and see her safely to her room.”

Kankuro and Temari nodded, and shot Naruto glares before they took off. Before he could speak, a fist came down on the top of Naruto's head, causing the blonde to whine in pain.

“YOU ASSHOLE!” Ino screamed, and had to be held back by Tenten and Shikamaru. “Let me go! I'll take both of them out, I promise!”

Tsunade walked over to Naruto, who was still staring in the direction that Sakura had run off in. Taking a deep breath, she tried to control her raging emotions, but gave up after a couple of moments, and lifted her hand and aimed a well-placed flick to the side of Naruto's head.

The young man slid to a stop right before Kakashi and the older ninja sighed. “Well, I can't say that you didn't deserve it.” He said, as he helped the young man up. When he was stable on his feet, Neji approached him and calmly said, “He baited you, and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker.”

“Don't you think that I know that?” Naruto snapped, his eyes moving back in the direction where Sakura ran. “I need to go after her.”

Kiba shook his head, and said, “I sent Akamaru after her. He'll find her and bring her back, but you have got to decide if you are honestly able to let it go, or if you are going to continue to hold that grudge against her. If you are, then you need to walk away and not look back. It's clear that she loves you, but do you love her?”

Naruto glared at the dog ninja and nodded. “I love her with all of my heart.” He said, his tone soft. “I'd die for her without a second thought. I-I need to go to her. I am not going to give her up.”

The young ninja quickly ran off, intent on finding the heartbroken young woman, leaving behind his friends and his rival.

Sasuke smirked, knowing that Naruto had effectively destroyed any hope of a romance between him and Sakura. However, when Gaara cleared his throat, and gained his attention, Sasuke realized that he, too, had trouble of his own.

“I did nothing wrong.” He said, folding his arms over his chest. He glared at Gaara, who stepped forward.

“You have hurt the two people whom have watched your back, time and time again, only because of your own selfish desire.” Gaara replied. “The fact that you will not back off and allow Sakura to explore what her heart wants is proof enough of your selfish nature.”

Tsunade stepped forward, her anger rising at Sasuke's cocky display. “From this point on, you are not to come into contact with either Sakura or Naruto. I will place you on another team, for the time being, until things are resolved between Naruto and Sakura. You will not interfere.” She said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but slammed it shut when he saw just how serious his hokage was. Glaring at the ground, he bit his tongue, and nodded sharply. This had not gone as he had planned.

~!~

Temari found Sakura, who was crying into the fur of a large dog, who Temari recognized as being the partner of the dog ninja. The animal made soft growling sounds at the young woman, and watched as Temari stopped right in front of them.

Stooping down, Temari reached out and touched Sakura's head. When Sakura's watery eyes met hers, Temari smiled and said, “He didn't mean anything he said, Sakura. Sasuke knew where to hit Naruto at, and the fool went with it. He wasn't trying to upset you.”

“I can't help but think that he's been pretending to be nice to me, just so that he could get me back when I least expected it.” Sakura said, as fresh tears began to course down her face. “If he said it in the heat of the moment, doesn't that mean that it is truthful?”

“Well, in most cases, but in this one, no.” Kankuro said, as he stepped out of the brush. He adjusted his large puppet and then looked down at Sakura. “The fox wasn't trying to dig at you. He was trying to prove to Sasuke that there was a good reason why you had felt guilty. Granted, his way of doing it sucked, but he didn't mean for it to come out the way it did.”

Stepping forward and moving to Sakura's other side, he knelt down and looked Sakura in her eyes. “He loves you.” He said, his tone soothing. “He loves you more than he has ever loved anything, the title of hokage, included. You didn't see the look on his face when he realized what he had said, but it was enough to make him look as if he had just been stabbed. Sasuke knew what to say, and Naruto simply reacted.”

Sakura sniffled, and closed her eyes as a fresh wave of sorrow flowed through her. When she opened her eyes, she found Naruto, standing in front of her, his eyes locked onto her face, and she found that she just could not look at him.

Naruto had finally caught up to Sakura, and heard every single word that Kankuro had said. While the words were true, she needed to hear it from his own mouth. He needed to be the one to sooth her, and he would not do it with other people watching.

“Sakura and I need to talk.” He said, his eyes never leaving her. “Will you please leave?”

Temari stood up, intent on telling Naruto to go to hell, but Kankuro grabbed her arm, and smiled. “Yeah, sure.” He said, giving Naruto a look that told him not to mess this up, or else. “We'll take the over-grown puppy for a walk, and meet you back at the village.”

Huffing and growling viciously, Akamaru followed the sand siblings and all three were soon gone. Once they were alone, Naruto moved over to Sakura's side, and saw that she was doing her best not to cry, but tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

Sitting down, he stared at the ground and softly said, “I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and there is no excuse to why I said what I said, but I wanted you to know that it was never directed at you.”

Sakura heard his words, and she wanted to believe him, but she just couldn't. She did forgive him for what he said, but if he said those words so easily, how could they not be true.

Naruto looked over and sighed. “I suppose there is a part of me, a small part, that is still cautious.” He admitted. “However, I am not angry at you, anymore, and I do enjoy spending my time with you. Damn it, I've dreamed of holding you in my arms for several years, and last night, my dream finally came true. I'm not going to let you walk away, not now, not when I know what we can have.”

Looking up, Sakura stared at him, and then took in a deep breath. “And, what can we have?” She asked. “If all it takes for you to go back to when you were angry at me, is a couple of words from Sasuke, then what exactly do we have?”

“We have faith.” Naruto replied, his large hand smoothing back her bangs before he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “We have faith that no matter what, we know that the other loves us, even when we are acting like complete assholes.”

Closing her eyes, as his lips touched her forehead, Sakura bit her lip and nodded slightly. She knew that she was just asking for it, but she needed to believe him. She needed to believe that he would never hurt her, intentionally.

She needed to have faith.

~!~

It was dark when they finally emerged from the forest, and silently, Naruto carried Sakura back to where their friends stood, ignoring the curious glances from the villagers, and his fellow ninja, as he walked. However, his eyes locked on Sasuke, and Naruto stopped, comfortable with the action, especially since he had used a sleeping jutsu on Sakura, to relax her. She was resting peacefully in his arms, and he wasn't about to let that asshole hurt her, ever again. He would make sure that the Uchiha understood.

Moving over to Gaara, he calmly asked, “Would you hold her, for a moment? There is something that I need to do.”

The kazekage nodded, and accepted the woman, and watched as the blonde turned to look at his former teammate.

Tsunade stepped forward, intent on stopping any fighting that might happen. However, Jiraiya stopped her.

“No.” He snapped. “This has been a long time coming. They need to settle this in their own way.”

Narrowing her eyes, she finally relented and watched as Naruto and Sasuke squared off.

The blonde came to a stop before his former friend. Looking him up and down, a lot of the anger he had previously felt quickly melted away as he finally saw what had become of his friend.

Instead of hating the man, he felt pity. It was clear to him that Sasuke was a very lonely, sad human being, but despite the pity he felt, the need to protect Sakura outweighed what Sasuke needed.

The dark haired young man watched as the blonde looked him up and down. When he was finished, Sasuke lifted his eyebrow as Naruto shook his head.

“It's a real shame, you know?” Naruto said, his tone neutral. “All these years, I have envied you for everything you are, and now that I see you clearly, I am sad to say that I have wasted so much time for nothing.”

“It's not my fault that you are so pathetic that you felt the need to envy me.” Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I'm glad to see that you finally realized that you are nothing like me and never will be.”

Nodding, Naruto replied, “Me too. I'd never want to be known as someone who felt the need to come between his teammates, and then attempt to stab one of those teammates in the back. I also would never want to be the one who caused Sakura to cry.”

“I wasn't the one who made her cry.” Sasuke snapped, his tone hard. “That was you.”

Shrugging, Naruto sighed. “Whatever you say, Sasuke.” He said. “However, you are the one who decided to bring up all that shit, knowing that I'd explode. You also knew that whatever I said, I'd be blunt and not even think over my words. It's true that I am able to control myself, but you made sure to press all of the right buttons, leading to the inevitable. At the core, you are the one responsible for what happened today, and all because you want my girl.”

Sasuke heard his words, but the one statement that set him off was the last. “She isn't your girl, loser.” He snapped, his eyes flashing from dark to red. “Sakura belongs to me. She's wanted me ever since we were kids, and she wants me now. You are confusing her, that's all.”

“Stay away from her Sasuke.” Naruto warned. “Stay away from her, and let us be. If you don't....I'll make you. Believe it!”