Last Chance

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I make no profit from this, I only write so I'm head doesn't explode!
Warning: Bitchy Sakura. Sorry to any Sakura fans, she will get a bit bitchy in this chapter.

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Naruto felt Sakura's eyes on him the rest of the time he was in the library. He just couldn't study anymore with her watching him so careful so he decided to leave. When he put the scroll back he noticed Sakura had followed suit. He exited the library, waving bye to Kome and walked down the street. He noticed Sakura was trailing him a ways behind him. She must still have still thought he was a fake. It was almost laughable. Well, this might work out to his advantage. If she was tracking him he would't have to make excuses to be places she frequented. And she was attempting to hide so he would feel rude to ignore her; it almost killed him to dismiss her earlier. It had sounded so easy but he really didn't think he had a hang of this bored and uninterested act. As long as she was following him he might as well go somewhere he wanted. He decided he would go have ramen at Ichiraku.

Sakura watched from her hiding place as the Naruto look-alike walked up to Ichiraku and plopped down on a stool. Well, at least that was normal Naruto behavior. Maybe she had been wrong but then again, everyone knew that Naruto liked ramen. Maybe it was all part of the plan to infiltrate Konoha and learn their secrets. The owner was now greeting the blonde, would he notice a fake? He did see Naruto almost everyday. But the owner showed no signs anything was wrong and served the man.

Sakura was begining to feel unsure of her self but something strange was going on. She noticed the girls that were passing by were openly admiring the blonde. Some even giggling behind their hands as they talked to their friends making gestures toward him. When had girls started paying attention to Naruto? Sakura gave the blonde a closer inspection. She hadn't paid much attention to his clothes earlier and now noticed he was not wearing his normal Jounin uniform. Instead he wore a net top under a black-sleeveless muscle shirt. The two shirts clung tightly and showed off a well-muscled chest and flat abs. Only the orange pants screamed, NARUTO!

One of the giggling girls grew bold and walked up to the blonde. As he stood up to greet the girl Sakura could now see that he was actually very tall. The giggle girl's head didn't even come half way up his chest. Naruto had always been the shortest in their group but now he looked like he was probably taller than Sasuke. The giggle girl was telling him something and his face broke into a wide grin and a rich laugh filled the air. When had his face changed, she had never noticed. It was no longer round and chubby but angular with a strong jaw. Well, it was no wonder he had girls fawning over him. He had grown into a handsome man and that wide smile added to his features.

Sakura noticed Sasuke as soon as he rounded the corner. He seemed to be heading to Ichiraku. This was perfect; if anyone could pick out a Naruto fake it would be his best friend. She decided to wait were she was and see what happened instead of greeting the raven-haired man.

Naruto was laughing with the girl who had sat down to eat beside him. He really wasn't interested in any girl but his Sakura-chan but it wasn't in him to be anything but nice to everyone he met. His response to her joke was stopped when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around and looked up to see a very perturbed Sasuke glaring at the girl beside him. The famous Uchiha glares had only become more terrifying over the years and the girl quickly dismissed her self and ran off. The girls only got up the courage to talk to the gorgeous blonde when the moody Uchiha was not with him, and these times were few and far between.

"What was that for Sasuke?" Naruto whined at his friend. "She was good company."

"Hmph. I thought you were trying to get Sakura not just any girl." Sasuke looked around to see girls from other table still watching the two, despite the presents of the Uchiha. He turned back to Naruto and sneered as he looked him up and down. "Your in outfit is drawing them like honey, even with the orange pants."

"We were just talking." 'Worse than a damn mother hen,' he mumbled under his breath. Sasuke chose to ignore the comment.

"Well how is the plan unfolding?" Sasuke asked sitting down on the stool next to Naruto. "I thought you would be at one of her places right now."

"Wait, Sasuke..," Naruto franticly tried to stop the man before he said too much. Sakura was still hiding around here somewhere; he could feel her chakara even though she was trying to mask it.

Naruto was waving his hands in front of him but Sasuke was still trying to glare off some of the more delicate patrons. Sasuke continued oblivious to Naruto's distress. He was still too upset about finding him laughing with some strange girl even to be aware of his surroundings or pay attention to chakara signatures. Jealously is a stong emotion.

"Is cool and aloof working for you. Has she started to show any interest toward you? Although, you need to work on it if earlier with that girl was your idea of cool and aloof." Sasuke turned back to look at Naruto and finally noted the panicked look on the blonde's face. "What's the matter?"

"Sasuke be quite!" he said leaning closer to his friend. "Sakura thought I was acting too weird earlier today and she has been following me because she thinks I'm an imposter," he whispered franticly through clinched teeth.

Too late!

From her hiding place, Sakura noted the way Sasuke immediately stared scolding the blonde and then the relaxed way he sat down. It had to be the real Naruto. Sasuke-kun would never be fooled and especially by someone pretending to be his best friend. She started down from the tree she had been hiding in to greet the Uchiha; then heard the conversation.

PLAN?!

Naruto felt the girl's anger before she even entered his line of sight. He clinched his eyes shut and prayed; this was going to be bad! He looked up to see the pink-haired girl looming over them with her eyes blazing. Her lovely, pale skin was now a blotchy red that really did not go well with her pink hair.

"You were trying to trick me to pay attention to you?!" Sakura ask incredulously as she slowly moved closer to the blonde. "What makes you think I would EVER give you the kind of attention you're seeking? I have NEVER giving you any reason to think I might like you that way!"

Naruto jumped up from his seat and held his hands in front of him defensively. "Wait, Sakura. I..."

"I don't want to hear it," she stalked up to him. He back-peddled was she got closer until his back was against the building. Her hands were waving wildly above her had as she spoke, "I will never like you that way! I will never go out with you! I wouldn't date you even if you WERE the Hokage!" She drove her point home by jabbing a finger in his chest.

Naruto could feel a stinging behind his eyes and he tried to push the moisture back. He loved Sakura, he always had. He thought if he could just give her time, or if he could become what she wanted, she would eventually be his. He looked that the livid female and as her words sank in he saw his dream shatter.

Hearing a growing murmur he looked around and finally noticed the scene had drawn a crowd. He had to get away, now! Taking one last look at Sakura's angry face he brushed past her and ran, keeping his head down as he made it through the crowd.

Sakura watched as he ran, oblivious to the crowd. Her chest heaved as she huffed with anger. They had had a plan! And it had worked, but not the way they had thought it would. She had followed him thinking he was a fake. How dare him, he tried to trick her and Sasuke too! She finally remembered the dark-hair man and turned to give him a piece of her mind. He was gone.