Sakura was tied to the wooden stump, arms bound behind her back and a look of pure frustration on her face. Her stomach growled loudly as the smell of food reached her.
Naruto and Satsuki stood a short distance away, each holding a lunch box that Kakashi had given them.
Naruto was already digging into his with zero shame, shoveling rice into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.
"Man, this is so good!" he said with his mouth half full, completely ignoring the fact that Sakura was glaring daggers at him.
Satsuki sat a little farther away on the grass, eating quietly and neatly. She didn't say much, but every now and then she would glance at Sakura with a calm, almost pitying look.
Sakura's face turned red.
"You two are the worst!" she snapped. "How can you just sit there and eat in front of me like that?! This is torture!"
Naruto paused mid-bite and looked at her, genuinely confused.
"Huh? But Kakashi-sensei said only the ones who got the bells get to eat. We passed, y'know?"
"That doesn't mean you have to rub it in my face!" Sakura shouted, struggling against the ropes. "At least have some decency!"
Satsuki finished chewing a piece of food before speaking in her usual calm tone.
"You were the one who didn't get a bell. That was the rule."
Sakura's eye twitched.
Naruto laughed awkwardly and scratched his head.
Naruto paused mid-bite and glanced around. Kakashi was nowhere in sight. He looked back at Sakura, then at his lunch box, and let out a small sigh.
"…Fine," he said quietly. He stood up, walked over to her, and crouched down. "Here. Open your mouth."
Sakura blinked in surprise as Naruto held a piece of food near her lips.
"As long as he's not here… what he doesn't see didn't happen," Naruto said with a grin. "So hurry up before he comes back."
Sakura hesitated for a second, then leaned forward and took the food. She chewed quickly, clearly relieved.
Satsuki, who had been quietly eating a short distance away, watched the exchange. After a moment, she stood up without a word, walked over, and held out a piece of her own food toward Sakura.
"…Here," she said simply.
Sakura looked at her, surprised. Satsuki didn't meet her eyes, but she kept her hand steady until Sakura leaned in and took the bite.
Naruto grinned wider.
"See? We're not heartless."
Satsuki shot him a flat look but didn't deny it.
They continued sneaking bites to Sakura for a couple of minutes until a familiar voice spoke from behind them.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
All three of them froze.
Kakashi appeared out of nowhere a few steps away, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his book. He looked at the scene with an amused eye.
Sakura's face turned bright red.
"I-It's not what it looks like! They slipped and their chopsticks accidentally went in me— I mean my mouth!?"
"You three have a long way to go…but you all pass."
The three of them stared at him in surprise.
Kakashi closed his book and looked at them properly.
"The real test wasn't about getting the bells. It was about whether or not you could work together… even when the rules seemed unfair. You three showed teamwork in the middle of the fight, and just now, you showed it again by helping your teammate instead of leaving her to suffer alone."
He glanced at Naruto and Satsuki.
"Especially you two. You worked surprisingly well together out there."
Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"So we all passed?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Naruto you showed some real improvement mid-fight. That was interesting."
Naruto perked up, still chewing.
"Really?! You noticed?!"
Kakashi gave a small nod, then glanced at the three of them.
"Anyway… I'll untie Sakura. But from now on, you three are officially Team 7. Whether you like it or not."
Satsuki simply went back to eating her food in silence, though there was a very slight, almost unnoticeable softening in her expression.
Naruto, on the other hand, was beaming.
"Alright! Team 7, huh? This is gonna be awesome!"
Kakashi finished untying Sakura and stepped back, slipping his book into his pouch.
"Alright, that's enough for today," he said in his usual lazy tone.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll meet here at the training ground every morning at eight. Don't be late."
Sakura rubbed her wrists where the ropes had been and muttered under her breath,
"…Says the guy who showed up two hours late today."
Kakashi ignored her comment and continued.
"We'll be doing basic team training for a while before we take on any real missions. I need to see how well you three can actually work together when it counts."
Kakashi turned to leave, waving a hand over his shoulder.
"Get some rest."
With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
The three of them stood there in silence for a moment.
Naruto was the first to speak, still grinning.
"This is kinda cool. We're gonna be working together from now on."
Sakura crossed her arms, still a little embarrassed from being tied up earlier, but her expression wasn't as sharp as usual.
"Yeah… I guess so," she muttered.
Naruto looked between the two of them, his grin widening as an idea popped into his head.
"Hey! Since we're officially a team now, how about we go eat something together? Like, as a team! My treat! Well… kinda. I don't have that much money, but we can find somewhere cheap!"
Satsuki didn't even hesitate.
"No."
Her answer was short and blunt, her usual calm tone leaving no room for argument. She turned slightly, already starting to walk toward the path that led back to the village.
"I have things to do."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, not looking too bothered by the rejection.
"Eh? Come on, Sasuke! It'll be fun. We can talk about training and stuff—"
"I said no."
Satsuki kept walking without looking back.
Naruto sighed but didn't push further. He turned to Sakura instead, still hopeful.
"What about you, Sakura-chan? Wanna go eat something? Just the two of us if Sasuke doesn't wanna come?"
Sakura blinked, caught off guard. For a second, her mind registered it like he was asking her out on a date. Her cheeks warmed slightly, but she quickly tried to play it cool, crossing her arms and looking to the side.
"Sure… I guess I'll go," she muttered, trying to sound indifferent. "But don't make it weird!"
Naruto's laughed.
"Really?! Awesome! No promises though!"
Sakura sighed, but there was a small, reluctant smile on her face as she started walking with him.
They headed toward Ichiraku Ramen, the familiar red curtains already visible in the distance. The smell of broth and noodles grew stronger the closer they got. Naruto walked with his usual energy, hands behind his head, while Sakura kept a slightly more reserved pace beside him.
Once they sat down at the counter, Naruto ordered two bowls without hesitation.
"Six miso ramens!A Miso Ramen for the lady and Extra pork on mine!"
Sakura rested her chin on her hand, glancing at him from the side.
"You really don't hold back when it comes to food, huh?"
Naruto laughed.
"Ramen is life! Plus, after all that moving today, I'm starving."
They sat in comfortable silence for a minute as their bowls arrived. Sakura picked up her chopsticks and started eating slowly, while Naruto dug in like he hadn't eaten in a week.
After a bowl, Naruto spoke up between slurps.
"So… today was pretty crazy, right? I didn't think we'd actually pass."
Sakura nodded, stirring her noodles.
"Yeah… I was sure I was going to fail when I didn't get a bell." She paused, then glanced at him. "You were pretty good out there, those clones were cool . I didn't know you could do that."
Naruto grinned, a little bashfully.
"Heh, thanks. Still got a long way to go though."
She quickly looked back down at her bowl, trying to hide the small shift in her expression.
"Don't let it get to your head, Sasuke's still better." she muttered.
Naruto just laughed again, completely missing the change in her attitude and Sasuke comment.
"Too late! I'm feeling awesome!"
Sakura sighed, but this time there was a small smile on her lips as she continued eating.
They continued eating for a bit until Naruto, still riding the high from the day, slipped up without thinking.
"Plus, what does she have on me anyway? I'm way better than her!"
Sakura's chopsticks paused mid-air. She slowly turned her head to look at him, one eyebrow raised.
"…Her?"
Naruto froze, realizing what he just said. He let out an awkward laugh and quickly tried to backtrack.
"I-I mean—! Well, he's more emotional and moody than you and all the other girls from our class! Sasuke might as well be a girl with how he acts sometimes!"
Sakura stared at him for a second, then let out a small sigh and shook her head, though there was a faint smile on her lips.
"You're such an idiot, you know that?"
Naruto laughed again, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sakura rolled her eyes but didn't seem genuinely annoyed. She went back to eating, the small smile still lingering.
Naruto grinned to himself and kept eating, glad he managed to dodge that one.
They continued eating quietly for a little while. After a few more bites, Naruto glanced at Sakura from the side and spoke up, trying to sound a little smoother than usual.
"Hey, Sakura-chan… you look kinda cute when you eat, y'know?"
Sakura paused mid-bite and slowly turned her head to look at him. She raised an eyebrow, clearly catching what he was trying to do.
"…Is that supposed to be flirting?"
Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Maybe? I mean, we're kinda on a date right now, aren't we?"
Sakura stared at him for a second, then let out a small sigh. She didn't look annoyed though. If anything, there was a faint trace of amusement in her expression as she went back to eating.
"You're really bad at this," she muttered, though her tone wasn't harsh.
Naruto laughed, not discouraged in the slightest.
"Hey, at least I'm trying! And you did agree to come eat with me, so that's gotta count for something, right?"
Sakura shook her head, but she didn't tell him to stop. She kept eating, the corner of her mouth slightly curved upward.
They kept eating, and Naruto's light flirting didn't stop. Between bites, he kept throwing out small compliments — telling her she looked pretty when she smiled, or that he liked how focused she got when she was eating. He even complimented her forehead!Sakura would roll her eyes or call him an idiot , but she never told him to stop. If anything, the small smile on her face stayed there a little longer each time.
By the time they finished eating, the sky had already turned dark. Naruto walked Sakura home. The walk was mostly quiet, but not uncomfortable. Every now and then he would say something dumb to make her laugh, and Sakura would shake her head, secretly enjoying the attention.
When they finally reached her doorstep, Sakura turned to face him.
"Thanks for walking me home," she said, her voice a little softer than usual.
Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No problem. I had a lot of fun tonight."
He hesitated for a second, then looked at her with a playful smile.
"So… no kiss?"
Sakura stared at him for a moment, clearly caught off guard. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. She looked like she was about to call him an idiot again, but instead, she stepped forward and quickly kissed his cheek.
Naruto's entire face lit up like he had just won the lottery.
Sakura pulled back, still a little red, and muttered,
"…Thank you for everything today."
Before he could say anything else, she turned and quickly went inside, closing the door behind her.
Naruto stood there frozen for a few seconds, then slowly raised a hand to his cheek where she kissed him. A huge, dopey grin spread across his face as he turned and started walking home, practically skipping.
Sakura stood in her room after closing the door, her fingers lightly touching her cheek where she kissed Naruto.
"Why did I do that?!"
Inner Sakura: (Because you wanted to, obviously. Don't act all shocked now.)
"It was just a thank you! He walked me home and we had a nice time. That's all it was!"
Inner Sakura: (Oh please. You could've just said 'thanks' But nooo, you had to go and kiss him on the cheek like some idiot.)
Sakura's face turned red.
"Whyyyy did … I kiss him! What was I thinking?!"
Inner Sakura: (You were thinking he was actually cool today. He fed you when you were tied up, before stupid Sasuke; He took you out to eat, and he wasn't being annoying and you seen him in a new light. Face it you find him cute!)
Sakura: "I-I don't find him cute! Don't say that!"
Inner Sakura: (Oh really? Then why are you still touching your cheek like an idiot?)
Sakura: "I'm not—! I was just… thinking!"
Inner Sakura: (Yeah, thinking about how he looked at you when he said you looked cute while eating, his compliment on your forehead And how he fed you first before Sasuke did. Keep lying to yourself.)
Sakura: "Shut up! It didn't mean anything! I was just being nice!"
Inner Sakura: (Sure. Keep telling yourself that. But we both know you're not gonna stop thinking about it tonight.)
Sakura: "I'm taking a shower and going to bed. I'm done with this."
Inner Sakura: (Good luck with that.)
Sakura: "I said I'm done!"
Inner Sakura: (Then why haven't you moved yet?)
Sakura: "Because—! Because I'm just… processing everything that happened today!"
Inner Sakura: (Processing the fact that you kissed Naruto on the cheek and liked how it felt?)
Sakura: "I did not like how it felt!"
Inner Sakura: (Liar. Your face is still red.)
Sakura: "Ugh! I'm going to shower now. And I'm not thinking about him anymore."
Inner Sakura: (Whatever you say~)
Sakura: "Stop that!"
Inner Sakura: (You can run from it all you want, but I best not catch you with the pillow again!)
Sakura groaned loudly and finally stormed off toward the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.