Someone Gets the Wrong Clue

As the sun started to fade away, Sakura finished off the last bit of ramen in her bowl. Looking over, Sakura glanced at the five empty bowls next to Naruto as he simultaneously ate and drank down his sixth. ‘How does he afford to keep eating here?’ Sakura tried to puzzle out her teammate’s spending habits as the two ninjas paid their bills before stepping out on to the streets. Naruto stretched his arms over his head with a satisfied crack “Alight you ready to hit the hot springs? I hear they have a nice section set up for the evenings.”

Sakura saw Naruto quickly pull out his notebook before replying. “I don’t know it’s getting kind of late and I think that would be a great idea.” Sakura perked up at the suggestion. The hot springs in Konoha were supposed to be super relaxing and the hot water was just what she wanted right now. “That does sound nice.” Plus, since Naruto could use the women’s side, she could look at his body the entire time which if she was being honest made her a little hot.

The young woman’s thoughts were suddenly halted. “Hey Sakura, act natural.” Sakura saw her teammate’s face take an unusually somber expression as he kept looking ahead. Sakura without losing a step followed her teammates lead and kept moving forward without missing a step. “O.K. Naruto what’s the situation?” Naruto let his hands fall to the side near his kunai pouch. “Someone’s been following us since we left the Ichiraku’s.” Sakura considered who it could be ‘maybe it’s those Akatsuki guys making their move on Naruto again.’ Sakura tried to recall everything she had heard about the group since being briefed on them by Tsunade. ‘They usually travel in groups of two so one of them might be hiding. It might be worth it to gang up on them now and take him out before his partner can interfere. Then again, that might be their plan. They’ll turn it into a double ambush.” Sakura’s mind whirled with potential plans and strategies as she considered the potential threats she might have to face.

Only to turn and notice Naruto had disappeared when she wasn’t looking.

Noting her missing companion, Sakura quickly spun around kunai in hand. ‘Empty barrels to the left, trees to the right. The roofs look empty. Where could they be hiding? What did they do to Naruto?’ Sakura considered several worst-case scenarios before focusing her eyes down the street. She blinked once before seeing Naruto jogging up the road towards her waving with a big smile on his face. “Hey Sakura don’t worry I figured it out!” Sakura just barely managed to stop herself from punching her teammate before asking the question of the hour. “So, who was it?”

Naruto gave his trademark fox grin. “It was just Hinata. Apparently, she was just picking up some flowers and was walking the same way.” Sakura shook her head in relief and exasperation as her teammate kept talking. “You know I never noticed how much she’s changed since I was gone.” Sakura’s mind immediately went to the gutter at that comment and under her breath spoke the words “idiot pervert.”

The orange shinobi tilted his head at this teammate. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sakura slapped her face as she looked at her blond companion. ‘I need to give him a hint otherwise it will be a hundred years before he figures it out.’ Sakura collected her thoughts as she tried to come up with the most obvious hint she could. “Listen Naruto, that was an excuse. Hinata has a crush on someone and she was following them in order to get a chance to speak with them.”

Unfortunately, like many video game developers, Sakura learned that some players have trouble with even the simplest hints. That’s not to say Naruto was stupid. It was more that twelve plus years of social isolation tended to not produce the most socially adapt individuals. This is why Naruto’s next thought turned to ‘Man, it must be tough for Hinata not being able to confess to Sakura. Even worse, Sakura seems to think Hinata is some pervert.’ Glancing down at the notebook at his side, Naruto’s face morphed into a confident grin of determination. ‘Well maybe I can help them both out.’