Bitch Nights

A/N: Finally, an update! You guys are so patient! Oh, and there was a little problem with my earlier chapters. Inner Sakura actually had dialogue, but it didn’t show up when I posted it, so I had to go back and fix it. It’s not a big change; she didn’t actually say much, except for chapter 4, Lemonade. So you might actually enjoy re-reading that one bit.

And some love out to my people: I love each and every one of you that reviewed. Oh, and the one who didn’t give a name, but asked if I’d posted anywhere else on line(and thanks for the glowing review, btw. You made me blush!)? This is it. This is the first adult site I’ve found with Naruto fanfiction. I could easily have written this up without the smut for ff.net, but I find it’s worth the tradeoff. In exchange for more adult material, I get a much more mature, open-minded audience. And anyone who’s ever been flamed by an eight year old can testify to that.

That being said, though, feel free to drop me a review or a line with some other sites I can check out! The more Naruto fanfiction in the world, the better.

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Bitch Nights
Chapter 6

Practice was exhilarating. She'd never realized before just how carefully the group had treaded around each other. It was as if all this time they'd gone out of their way to not to touch her, or each other, in any way that could possibly construed as an invasion of personal apace. They'd touched each other as little as possible, and for as short a time as possible, and in the most appropriate of places. Sakura wasn't sure whether they were trying to avoid making each other uncomfortable, or pissing each other off, but even she was guilty of it. There had been multiple times, especially in the last year, that she'd intentionally chosen inferior holds while sparring, simply to avoid the man she was matched against from thinking the wrong thing.

Now, though, it felt like everyone had relaxed. There was a sort of silent 'it's okay' that was nearly impossible to put into words, but manifested itself in how they came together in training.

It wasn't as if they were suddenly groping her, but Naruto's holds were firmer when he tried to throw her into the nearest tree trunk; when Kakashi tried to improve on her senbon throwing stance, he actually came up behind her and guided her body into the correct position. The same went for Sai during sword practice.

And it went equally for the guys in the group, as well. Before, they'd had the 'manly man' thing going, probably exacerbated by Sai's fascination with emasculating the others at every possible opportunity. Now the three of them, Naruto and Kakashi most notably, were much more casual with each other.

Amazing what a little orgy action could do for the sexual tension between friends . . .

They were awesome. They were easier with each other, could read each other's movements and looks better, and fought together better than ever before.

They were a team.

When Kakashi finally called a halt, the four collapsed as one together in the shade beneath on of the larger trees. And they stayed that way, rather than follow habit, which would have had Kakashi up in the nearest overhanging branch with his beloved Icha Icha, or Sai wandering off with his sketchpad. Granted, both items made an appearance, but theie owners were still part of the group.

Sakura felt like a mass of jelly, and both of her arms ached. Sai and Kakashi had been quite earnest in training her and Naruto in the use of short blades like the ANBU carried on them at all times, and had been teaching the both of them for the last couple of years. Sakura preferred not to think of all the months spent simply training in basic movements until they became second nature; Kakashi, being a perfectionist in all things ninja, had insisted that they also learn to use said blades equally in either hand, which, of course, meant twice the practice. Sakura, more pressed for time than the others, had finally asked for a pair of matching wazikashi so that she could practice both hands simultaneously. It had taken her some pride swallowing on her part to realize how right-arm dominant she was due to Tsunade's training. Her shisou had emphasized strength, but had left little room to learn balance. Her left hook was indeed to be feared, but most of her training had been without any stress on being ambidextrous, leading her to be stronger on her right side.

And, of course, Kakashi couldn't have that. So. . .

Sakura groaned, feeling every bruise on her body all the more because she knew she was too tired right then to heal herself. And once she did have the juice for medical jutsu, she'd probably end up squeezing it into Naruto, who actually looked worse than she did.

She smirked. To her everlasting delight (and Sai's everlasting amusement), Naruto sucked at swordplay. He didn't argue, since he knew there was a good purpose behind it, one that would bring him closer to his dream of being Hokage, but he simply couldn't seem to grasp the whole 'the blade is an extension of your body' spiel that Kakashi and Sai were attempting to drill into their heads. He'd tried copying her idea of training with two swords at once, and had actually been worse. He'd tried speeding up the process by training with his shadow clones, but while they could grant him extra knowledge and experience once dissipated, they didn't help the process of training his muscle memory. Learning to use a weapon took not only determination and strength, but also patience and persistence, which he was short on.

Eventually, she'd realized that it actually felt more natural to have two blades than one; she actually felt off-balance with a single wazikashi. Kakashi had, rather unfairly, been annoyed, since he wanted her to stick to one, but once Sai had pointed out that an extra blade was actually permissible under ANBU uniform codes, he'd thrown up his hands in defeat and let her fight the way she was most comfortable.

That didn't stop him from doubling her practices accordingly, the anal-retentive prick.

She just thought he was jealous because-genius though he was-he himself couldn't fight as efficiently with both hands at once. Though he'd taken to practicing with her in her style, she suspected it was because his pride couldn't handle the idea that he wasn't perfect at everything.

“Hey, Kaka-sensei,” Naruto muttered from his prone position. “We’re doing this sword stuff for our future ANBU careers, ne?”

“Hai.” Kakashi didn’t even glance up from his page.

“Well, we’ve been practicing it for two years now. We’ve done a shitload of missions. Tsunade baa-chan acknowledges my strength. Why the hell aren’t we in ANBU yet?” He sat up, beginning to show some of his usual energy.

Kakashi stole one last regretful look at Icha Icha before shutting the volume and giving Naruto his full attention. “ANBU answers directly to the Hokage. She alone appoints its members. If she hasn’t picked you two already, there’s a reason.”

Naruto scowled, looking more like the brat she’d first met in the Academy than the future Rokudaime, “WHAT? You mean Baa-chan doesn’t have to go through the council like she did to get me promoted the other times? She could just do it? Then why-”

A well-placed tap on the head was enough to face-plant the blonde in the dirt. “Baka! Let sensei get in a word, will you?” Sakura crossed her arms to keep from whacking the kyuubi any more.

Naruto picked his face up off of the ground, furious, “But Sakura-chan! She could have promoted both of us! She’s not getting any younger! What if she dies before I get to ANBU and they appoint some uptight bastard like Ebisu? Then I’ll never get to be Hokage! What if-”

WHAM!

“Shut up, Naruto!”

“Sa-Sakura . . .”

Kakashi eyed the two of them wearily, but didn’t bother to say anything. “As I said, Naruto, she probably has a reason. ANBU are the absolute elite of our village. They’re assigned the most vital of missions. They have to be extremely well rounded in all of the ninja skills required. That’s why I’ve been working you two so hard, to eliminate your weaknesses. If you want to be ANBU, you can’t have any.”

“WEAK?!? I’m not weak! I-”

WHAM! “How about being too damn loud, Naruto?”

Sai, who’d been silently scribbling away for this whole exchange, suddenly spoke up. “Naruto-kun, you’re very skilled at combat, but you’re extremely weak in the areas of stealth and investigation. Those are two of the most important aspects of what ANBU operatives are required to do.”

Naruto pouted, rubbing his abused skull.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. “You’re impatient and impulsive, but if you could start leaning to balance your head against that huge heart of yours, I think you’d be in the running fairly soon. There are a few different positions in the organization that you would be suitable for.”

“Oh!” said Sakura, clues falling into place. “So there are different things a shinobi can do in ANBU, too? Like the way Kurenai's team is considered a tracking team, and how we’re usually put in front-line combat?”

“Hai.” He gave her a happy eye crease for having caught on so quickly. “You’d likely be one of the medical ANBU, but the Hokage could send you on any type of mission, really. You’ve actually become incredibly balanced in your skill sets since Tsunade-sama took you on.” He gave her a teasing look. “Though I’d like to think I helped some.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I suppose it’s safe to say you’ve been there for all my . . . shall we say, MAJOR milestones.”

Sakura and Naruto grinned as Kakashi blushed a bit. It was hard to see, with the mask and all, but if you watched, whenever Kakashi got embarrassed, the tip of his one visible ear would turn pink. After a moment, though, he started looking thoughtful. “I do wonder, though. Tsunade-sama’s usually one to push her shinobi past their limits. Has she not discussed the possibility of advancement with you?”

It was Sakura’s turn to turn pink. Er. “I-I think that the reason Naruto-kun and I haven’t been chosen has to do with Sasuke. ANBU is Konoha’s elite, right? So what good would we be to the village if we were always haring off on wild goose-chases? If we . . . put out own needs before that of the village . . .”

Silence reigned as all four of them considered. It made a lot of sense, and the set of Naruto’s shoulders showed that she’d hit close to the truth.

The blonde sighed, “That makes sense. I really am a dobe, aren’t I? I always thought, ‘Can someone who can’t even save one of his friends become Hokage?’”

Sakura jolted a little, recognizing the same question that Naruto had asked Sasuke, the first time they’d gone to find him. He'd asked the Uchiha that very thing.

"I used to ask that of myself. Every day. That question was what pushed me on in my training with Ero-Sennin. But losing friends does happen, doesn't it. Shit happens. Life and death happen." Naruto looked up at Kakashi, an odd sort of pleading in his eyes. "It's just . . . I always took your first lesson to heart, Kaka-sensei. You know, 'those that don't care about the rules are scum, but those who don't care about their friends are worse?"

Kakashi's head bowed a little. "The friend that taught me that is dead, Naruto. I couldn't save him. Like I couldn't save Rin, or the Fourth, or Third."

"But their deaths were the only thing that stopped you from trying, right?"

"Naruto . . ." Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, searching for the right words. "Sasuke didn't want to be saved. He wanted to leave Konoha, just like Orochimaru did before him. And yes, Jiraiya-sama tried his best to bring his teammate back, just like you did, but it wasn't enough. And he had to learn to accept that. It's a sign of being truly strong, rather than simply stubborn." He rose to his feet and reached out a hand to Naruto, bringing the kyuubi to his feet. "There's a difference between giving up and letting go."

Naruto gave them a watered-down version of his smile. "I understand, I think. It's just too bad that we all finally let go now, just as he came back." He closed his eyes, grief etched in his features.

Sakura stood as well and wrapped her arms around the blonde. A moment later, she saw Sai approach from the other side and place a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I loved him, you know," Naruto said conversationally. "The same way you did, Sakura. The same way I love you guys now."

Sakura sighed sadly. "If he'd only let us in, do you think we could have filled the holes in his heart?"

"We'll never know because he never let us. I tried too. I thought taking him under my wing would open him up a little, but it didn't." Kakashi sounded every bit his age right then. "And after the Sandaime died . . ."

Naruto visibly flinched. "I wish I'd paid a little more attention to the old man. He was good to me, at a time when most people weren't. And back then, I didn't even understand why people hated me so much. I hated them right back, for the longest time. But he told me that to be a Hokage, you had to love the village more than yourself. And I . . . I've been putting Sasuke before anyone else, until recently." Sakura had never heard Naruto sound more ashamed.

Sai had cocked his head in thought. "I was always taught that shinobi are supposed to be as unfeeling as the weapons they wield. The idea of the strongest warrior in the village being required to feel so much for others, even people they barely know, is . . . conflicting." He shook his head, looking perplexed. "The bonds I have with you . . . they're . . . they DO make me weaker. Less efficient. I've failed missions in order to protect my bonds and yours. I've made the decision to protect the three of you, rather than carry out the assigned objectives. Does that mean . . . was Duck-Butt correct?"

"No." Kakashi's voice was firm. "If you had never bonded as friends with Naruto and Sakura, would you have been willing to place your life on the line for them and their ideals so often?"

Said blonde and pinkette watched as the wheels turned in the artist's head. "No. I would have done exactly as my orders dictated, so long as my life was not endangered. And once the mission objective was complete, even my life was no longer important. I would never have gone out of my way to protect Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan, unless my mission was specifically to do so. But . . . when I rush to place myself between them and danger, regardless of the state of the mission, is not my decision-making impaired?"

"That's one way to look at it," Sakura said softly. "Feelings can affect the overall efficiency of your decisions, and it adds a lot of grey to situations that would normally be black and white," the metaphor wasn't lost on any of them, "but those bonds, love . . . can give you a purpose. To keep fighting, no matter the cost. I made a vow that I would be able to protect my teammates, all of you, and . . . and Sasuke-kun as well. I pushed myself harder than I would have otherwise. Even when I thought I'd reached my limits, I'd keep trying until I'd surpassed them. I never gave up! I did better than my best, for the people who were most important to me!" Her voice was strong, reflecting her resolve.

Naruto grinned, tears forgotten. "Being Hokage means making every villager your precious person, even the ones you don't know very well. Even," his eyes dimmed a bit, "Even the ones that hate you. Maybe even especially them."

"So . . ." Sai's voice was slow and soft with realization. "When you have precious people to protect, rather then people you care nothing for, you'll fight harder and stronger to protect them. And that's why Sandaime fought to his death without fear. Because he was protecting every person in the village."

Naruto was all smiles again, making Sakura wonder-not for the first time-if he was bipolar. The fox thumped Sai soundly on the back. "You know, we just might make a human being out of you yet!"

Sai smiled back, a mischievous look in his eyes. "And perhaps soon, Sakura-chan will be able to find you a donor for a dick transplant, so you can have one all your own."

Naruto blushed momentarily, then shouted, "WHAT THE FUCK? You know DAMN well I've got a dick! You were all over it this morning!" He shook a fist at the unphazed artist.

"I know, Naruto-kun! You said if I made any more remarks about the subject, you'd-"

"THAT WAS NOT AN INVITATION TO MAKE FUN OF ME!!!"

Sakura and Kakashi each took a step towards each other, and away from the boys. She wasn't sure about Kakashi, but a giggle was threatening to escape her. She bit her lip, wishing she had her own mask to hide behind.

"But Naruto-kun-"

"IF YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A BLOWJOB, JUST ASK! YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A DICK TO GET A DICK, YOU OVERLY LITERAL ASSHOLE! I OUGHTA-"

That was it. Sakura and Kakashi howled with laughter, all pretense forgotten. She'd never seen the older jounin laugh so hard out in the open like this. Hell, he didn't usually express himself like this even when the foursome was alone within closed doors.

Just one more boundary crossed, she supposed.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're in high spirits, Sakura!"

At the familiar voice, Sakura froze in mid-giggle and leapt to attention, wiping away the tears streaming down her face. "Tsunade-sama!" The other three immediately followed suit, though Naruto's face was still beet red from yelling.

Tsunade and Shizune were casually walking towards the group from under the trees. Sakura would have bet money that they'd been there to watch Team Kakashi train. It wouldn't be the first time her teacher had suppressed her chakra signature in order to observe Sakura undisturbed. Tsunade would use any excuse to get out of that office, including the now well-used 'I need to go see what that Hatake kid is teaching my pupil,' line.

The Hokage smirked knowingly at her student. "So, Sakura, guess who brought me flowers today, out of the blue?"

She was going to KILL Ino.

Inner Sakura started cracking her knuckles. [I hope she tries to use the mind-transfer technique on us. Oh, PLEASE let the pig be that stupid!]

Outer Sakura smiled sweetly, an expression that had the boys edging away, Sai in particular. "Oh, shisou, how nice of Ino to do so."

"Oh, indeed. Apparently, she found you indisposed this morning. She said you were in an interesting . . . state."

Her smile was matched by her wide, simpering jade eyes. "And you rushed out here to find me just like that? You're so honorable, Tsunade-sama."

Shizune, ever the sharp one, suddenly realized where Sakura was going with this. 'Oh, shi-'

Tsunade jumped as Sakura thrust out open palm, still in suck-up mode. "How noble of you to go out of your way to pay off your debts on time!"

Tsunade sweatdropped. "D-debts?"

All smiles, Sakura shook her other finger at the chronic gambler. "Oh, yes, indeed! All three of them, in the bed. Not a single one kept their hands to themselves. Yaoi action all around! I win!"

There was a very pregnant pause as Tsunade paled, and Naruto flushed back to his previous red color.

"YOU TWO HAVE BEEN BETTING MONEY THAT WE'D FUCK EACH OTHER?!?"

Tsunade flushed as well, "No! I bet that you wouldn't. I thought it was logical, since you never gave in to Jiraiya."

"JUST BECAUSE I HAVE STANDARDS-HEY! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU MAKING BETS ABOUT MY SEX LIFE, ANYWAY? YOU'RE AS PERVERTED AS ERO-SEN-"

WHAM!

"Jeez, get a grip, Naruto," Sakura muttered.

Kakashi and Sai graciously helped roll the unconscious kyuubi onto his back. Sakura dusted her hands off and turned to have the Godaime, her happy act dropped. "What can I do for you, Tsunade-sama?"

The older woman glared, "I came to see how the four of you were doing. If this new . . . development is going to cause problems, I need to know." Her gaze softened a little, "But from what I've seen, and what I know of you four, you're doing better than ever, and Shizune's willing to back me up to the council, if need be."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Sakura replied with heartfelt gratitude. With the Godaime on their side, half the battle was won.

Tsunade looked at her searchingly, then gestured her over. When Sakura was within arm's reach, she laid her hands on her student's shoulders. The Hokage spent several seconds gazing into her clear jade eyes, then whispered, "You didn't do this because of Sasuke, did you?"

Sakura shook her head firmly. "No. I think this was bound to happen someday. His coming back just . . . made us realize what is really important."

Her teacher smiled in relief, and Sakura realized again how much Tsunade must truly care for her to have put up with so much. "That's fine then. I just don't want you to have any regrets, Sakura."

She smiled, "I only regret not having done this sooner. Well, I take that back. I regret answering the door this morning when I knew Ino-pig was on the other side."

The Godaime laughed heartily at that. "Is it true you were wearing the brat's pants?"

"Cha! Don't remind me!"

"At least we know who's WEARING the pants in your relationship."

"Very funny."

"Must have made an interesting color scheme, with that pink hair of yours."

"Shisou!"

Shizune stepped in, holding a large wad of cash. "Here's what she owes you, Sakura-chan."

Tsunade clucked her tongue in annoyance. "Do you seriously have to keep track of all my bets? Some things are better left forgotten!"

Shizune gave a small bow, then pulled out a smaller stack of bills and handed those to Kakashi. "And here's your winnings, Hatake-san." She turned her own glare back to the older woman. "I'm hoping that if you're actually required to repay your debts, you won't acquire so many."

"Hmph." The Legendary Sucker was eyeballing Kakashi and Sakura as they cheerfully counted their respective payouts. "Hey! I want my money back. Double or nothing!"

"No deal," Sakura replied. "If you taught me anything about gambling, it was to quit when you're ahead."

Kakashi cocked his head. "I'll bite. What's the gamble?"

Tsunade folded her arms, brow furrowed in thought. "An extension on what we've already bet on."

Curiosity felled the sakura tree . . . "Shisou, sensei, what did you two bet on?"

"Kakashi insisted that Naruto and Sai would end up sleeping together. I disagreed. I may have lost that bit, but to earn back my money, I'm going to guess who's seme!"

Sakura and Kakashi quickly put on their poker faces, while Sai gave one of his fake smiles. Same thing, really. They watched as the wheels turned in the woman's mind as she analyzed the two men in her mind.

Finally, she pointed. "I say Sai!"

"WRONG!" Everyone jumped as Naruto sat up. He pointed right back at the sannin, laughing. "Ha! You lose again, Baa-chan! Serves you right for thinking I'm an uke. Sai was MY bitch this morning!"

Tsunade sweatdropped, "R-really?" She looked at the other three, hoping one of them would deny it.

Sai totally blasted her hopes. "It was fun. We bonded."

"KUSO!!!" she swore, loudly, slamming her fist into a tree. Luckily, she'd held back enough that the tree didn't actually fall. Just leaned like a drunken, one-legged hermit on a windy hill. "Fine, dammit. Shizune, let's get back. The council's going to wonder where the hell we've gone." Not looking back, she stomped her way back towards the admin building like a blond cave troll on steroids.

Shizune was already handing out dough. "Hai, Hokage-sama. Hatake-san, where will your team be for the rest of the day?"

Kakashi gleefully pocketed his cash. "We're headed for the Uchiha district, for now. No telling what we'll do this evening." He winked.

She nodded, and spoke in an undertone. "Understood. The council is currently discussing Uchiha Sasuke's fate. They may want to question you. We may need you, later."

"Hai."

As Shizune left, Sakura fondly rifled through her newly acquired riches. "There are some serious perks to this job. Looks like the boss just bought lunch!"

All displeasure at his Baa-chan forgotten, Naruto leapt to his feet and punched the air. "Ichiraku, here we come!" Next thing the others knew, he was off, running towards his beloved ramen stand.

Sakura rolled her eyes, bending down to collect her two wazikashi from the ground, along with Naruto's. "I'm amazed he's not mad that I thought he was gay."

Kakashi snorted, then paused in the process of getting his own blade, "Did you think I was?" The mock-hurt tone in his voice made her smile.

"I told her you were at least interested in each other. I've seen the way you watch them when you think no one's looking." She poked him in the shoulder. "Read underneath the underneath, ne? I think it's safe to say that we all knew about the others. None of us are stupid. Well, except maybe Naruto . . ."

"Hmph."

Sai generously took Naruto's blade from her, "Sakura-chan, I have an extra sheath harness you could use, but it's about time you got one fit for two blades at once. Would you like to go to the weapon's store this Saturday with me?"

She snorted, "Only in a ninja village can that be considered a date. I'd love to."

Sai blushed a little. "D-date?"

Kakashi laughed as the three of them made to follow the kyuubi vessel. "Yes, Sai. We may have mixed up the order somewhat, but people who like each other in a romantic way usually go on dates together."

"But isn't the purpose of dating to get the other person to-"

WHAM! "NO!"

"Sai-kun, I think I'd better take back those copies of Icha Icha . . ."

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Please keep letting me know whether you like my work or not! I’m always open to suggestions on how to improve. You can review me here, or email/im me on MSN Messenger. My address is blackwidina@hotmail.com. I do save every single review you send me. They inspire me to write faster. Ja ne!

Dina-chan.