Chapter 5
Ino felt bad for her friend, Sakura told her about her crush on the Uchiha, and even if she hadn't told her the girls actions would have been proof enough, but since their second year of the academy Sasuke seemed colder and colder to her.
"Hey Sakura, nice match." Ino tried as she approached her friend who was nursing her bruise in a corner.
"Don't patronize me Ino, it was no fight I got taken down in seconds." Ino raised her hands in surrender wanting to show the girl she came in peace.
"Woah Woah, relax Sakura. I'm not your enemy here." Ino told her with a frown appearing on her face.
"Oh yeah! Then why do you hang out with her." Sakura hissed as she pointed at Hinata. Ino was not liking this side of her friend one bit and it was making her angry.
"Look here Sakura, I get you are angry you lost. Even more so because it's to Hinata but don't take your frustration out on people who don't deserve it. I don't deserve it and neither does Hinata!" Ino spoke with anger and she bared her teeth at Sakura.
"So stop your jealous hissy fit. It doesn't suit you. You haven't even confessed to Sasuke-kun how you feel and yet you behave like a girlfriend being wronged." Sakura was at a loss for words, her anger gone and replaced by shame because what Ino said was true.
"Now move your arm, I want to take a look at your sides I'm sure it's already bruising." Ino did not give Sakura the time to respond as she bent down, moved Sakura's hand, and began checking her over. Sakura felt even more terrible for saying all she said to her best friend.
'Just apologize to her dammit.' Sakura thought frustrated at the fact she couldn't bring herself to apologize for her behavior. In the end, she just kept quiet and let her friend do her thing.
"And I forgive you." Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at Ino who was now looking at her in the eyes with a smile. "What? I'm a Yamanaka I can tell these things, By the log Sakura I think your forehead is so big because your head is full of stubbornness." Ino teased poking said forehead.
"Hey watch it Ino pig! Don't think I'm too injured to take you down!" Sakura's reply was quick, both girls stared each other down wanting to see who would back off first. Ino was the first to snort and break into a fit of laughter which were contagious enough for Sakura to get infected and laugh as well.
"I'm sorry Ino." Sakura finally apologized feeling a weight get taken off her back.
««««"»»»» Naruto was ready to put Duncan Mac duckass in his place, but the boy kept calling him a 'dobe' which was kind of ironic seeing as Naruto was ahead of him in class, Hinata had already won her match and he would win his.
He wasn't the best out there when it came to the art of taijutsu, he would admit Hinata was better than him. Then again he knew for a fact Hinata was the best in their entire class at the art of hand-to-hand combat. Sakura losing to her shouldn't break the girl's spirit. The difference in skills was just too big and leaving herself open by looking away from her opponent was a mistake that cost her.
Naruto watched as 'Duckass' made his way to the other side of the ring. Looking so eager to bash Naruto's face in. 'Not if I bash him in first.' Naruto thought with a scowl as Iruka sensei told them to make the seal of reconciliation. They approached each other and did as instructed it did not last more than a split second before they jumped away from each other.
If you blinked you would not have seen it.
"Hajime!" Iruka sensei said and Sasuke began circling Naruto. Naruto stayed rooted to the spot observing the boy with his eyes.
Every day Naruto trained with Hinata after they finished doing homework, studying, or revising their academy work, and after that, they would go crazy on different exercises they found in books, scrolls, or their imagination. Conditioning their bodies and after doing so for 2 hours they would move on to Hinata's home and spar the night away. They would either buy dinner on their way to the Hyuga compound or Hinata would make them something when they finished.
Sasuke strikes first seeing Naruto was not going to do anything.
"What's wrong dobe, you scared ?" Sasuke taunted as he threw different combinations of attacks at Naruto who backpedal away from the strikes making sure he was just out of reach.
"As if Duncan" Naruto snorted as he weaved into Sasuke's latest jab and got into his personal space before shoving the boy away from him.
Sasuke grit his teeth as he regained his footing quickly he would have countered with a high kick but Naruto never pushed the advantage. He hated that name 'Duncan Mac duckass.' It infuriated him, the dobe infuriated him.
"Stop running you coward, and fight me," Sasuke said as he began his assault anew. But somehow Naruto kept dodging his strikes. Sasuke decided to throw kicks in there as well and Naruto began using his knees to block Sasuke's low kicks.
"Mmh I don't think Itachi struggled like this against his opponents when he was in the academy?" Naruto said, acting like he was thinking to himself aloud. Sasuke heard this and immediately saw red, he swung his right leg to Naruto's side with all the power he could muster, kicking said boy hard on his sides.
Sasuke smiled when he felt his kick make contact, but the smile dropped when his leg did not return to him. He looked and saw Naruto had it in a vice grip as the blond grinned before flipping the leg up causing Sasuke to do an involuntary backflip when his back was to Naruto with his head parallel to the floor did he register the hardest kick he had ever felt on his back.
"Agh!" Sasuke grunted in pain as he was sent flying, he immediately twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet. As he wobbled a little before finding his footing.
"Does it hurt Mac Duckass?." Sasuke's eyes widen as he immediately turned around just in time to block a fist heading for his face as he backpedaled away from the blond. "Note to self don't talk when trying to sneak up on an enemy," Naruto said to himself but it was loud enough for others to hear.
"Your just an idiot." Sasuke said as he took up his taijutsu stance on the interceptor fist. "I'm gonna beat you black and blue." Sasuke threatened.
"Yeah whatever," Naruto said rolling his shoulders as he beckoned him to come with his hands. "Come!"
Both boys flew at each other, reaching first Sasuke threw a jab at Naruto's face which the blond parried with the back of his palm.
Naruto then threw a hook at Sasuke which the raven-haired boy ducked under before doing a leg sweep to try and topple his opponent. Naruto jumped over the offending appendage and did a front flip with his leg outstretched ready to bring it down on the crown of the Uchiha's head, said boy rolled out of its path.
They both straightened and immediately rushed each other this time grappling. They fought for strength and although Sasuke was older than Naruto, Naruto was built for power so forcing his arms on top of Sasuke's. Naruto broke the stalemate by viciously pushing Sasuke's arms apart before grabbing his high collar shirt in his fist and clocking him in the face 3 times.
Sasuke saw stars, the punches were heavy but he did not plan on losing so spitting the copper in his mouth at Naruto's face he distracted him enough to shove the boy away and jump up to land a double drop kick to his face which gained him some distance as Naruto was sent off his feet.
«««« "»»»»
Choji wondered if this was still a sparring match, it became bloody very quickly. He looked over to his best friend Shikamaru who was watching the fight with interest.
"You think they are trying to kill each other?." He looked at the owner of the voice and saw it was Kiba who asked. Akamaru had his eyes covered with his paws and Kiba winced occasionally when a devastating blow landed.
"This is troublesome." Shikamaru spoke up "Why isn't Iruka sensei stopping this?" He asked no one in particular and Choji had to admit he was wondering the same thing.
« ««« "» » » »
Iruka had never seen academy students turn so brutal against each other, he did not know if he should be proud of the level of skills they showed or whether he should be worried due to the amount of blood being spilled.
Naruto was brutal, whenever Sasuke gave him an inch he would take a quarter mile handing out punishments. Sasuke was faster than Naruto but it seemed the boy was used to fighting opponents faster than him.
Sasuke was struggling, that much was obvious to Iruka. The boy had the techniques and skills but Naruto seemed to know just how to fight to get the better of him. Fighting the boy both physically and mentally, taunting him on the left just to knock him across the face on his right.
Sasuke only landed blows because he was a practitioner of the interceptor fist which relied on counterattacks.
Iruka decided to end this match before it became something of a war zone. Both boys were separate from each other now clothes in tatters and bloody, face bruised and if Iruka was a betting man he would wager under those clothes were some nasty bruises.
««««"»»»»
Sasuke was panting hard, the 'dobe' was dealing him more damage than he had anticipated. His face hurt, his left rib ached and his left ankle throbbed from a nasty twist when the 'dobe' grabbed onto it and twisted to bring him down on his front.
The young Uchiha wasn't gonna play his part in injuring the 'dobe' as a small thing. He couldn't feel what the 'dobe' felt but he knew he gave as much as he took. Naruto's face was bloody he had a small trail of blood running down his cheekbone Sasuke didn't know if there was a cut there or not, but he wished there was and he hoped the boy felt as bad as he did and then some.
"What's wrong Mac Duckass, you tired?"Sasuke grit his teeth at the taunt but couldn't act he needed to catch his breath he was exhausted.
"Shut up dobe!" Sasuke retorted after a second.
"Ohh, he still barks? Kukukuku "Sasuke saw red at the fact Naruto was still belittling him and now was even laughing at him Sasuke decided fuck his body and its protests he was gonna put the 'dobe' in his place right there and then.
"Match" both boys blinked in confusion when they heard Iruka's voice. They turned to him and found him approaching the ring."Good match you two, a bit extreme for a sparring match but to each his own." Iruka shrugged as he wrote down some more notes in his book.
"You may both go ahead and join your classmates or you could head over to the infirmary to get yourselves looked over and healed," Iruka instructed both boys.
"Before that, please do the seal of reconciliation." Both boys looked at the man like he was stupid but did as they were told, their fingers barely touched before they drew them back, and Iruka's sweat dropped at that.
Sasuke limped his way back to his classmates immediately getting bombarded by his fan girls he tuned them out. Not wanting to hear any of their blabberings. He was confused though when he saw Ino dragging Hinata along as they approached him.
"Hey, Sasuke-Kun! Great match, though I'd wish you guys wouldn't get so violent." Ino congratulated Sasuke but the raven-haired boy didn't register what she said, his eyes were on one Hinata Hyuga though the girl was facing the other way.
Ino saw this and elbowed Hinata who jumped a little and faced her friend, Ino was indicating Sasuke with her eyes not so subtly, and Hinata sighed.
"Great match Sasuke-San, you fought honorably, and with great skills, I hope to one day have the privilege of coming up against you," Hinata said with a small smile at the Uchiha. Oh, only if she knew what she did to the poor boy's young Uchiha heart it was beating so hard Akamaru could hear it.
"T-thank you." Sasuke stammered and if his face wasn't already bloody people would have seen his blush. Someone did notice it though and that someone had pink hair, she balled her fists and grit her teeth as she silently fumed.
««««"»»»»
After giving Sasuke their best wishes Hinata immediately left Ino who went to Sakura to talk.
"Are you alright Naruto-Kun," Hinata asked the blond when she got to him, he was sitting in a corner stretching his limbs. He smiled when he saw her and nodded.
"Yes, Hime I'm fine just a bit sore." Hinata watched him stretch again and wince. Hinata felt a pang in her chest when she saw he was in pain.
"Let me take a look at that, I have some ointment in my pouch we can apply to soothe the pain," Hinata said reaching into her pouch and pulling out some ointments in a bottle.
"Don't worry about it Hime, I'll be fine just give me..." Naruto stopped talking when he saw the look Hinata was giving him ."hahaha….sure I'm a little sore over here." Naruto pointed at his side with an awkward laugh.
Hinata smiled and nodded sitting down Indian style across from him before she raised his top and looked at where he pointed. Seeing a bruise there that was already in the process of healing, Hinata applied the ointment to the area rubbing it softly. Then she began searching for other areas where she might need to apply them.
She found four more before she was done. "There." She said as she brought his top back down and patted the area with a smile glad she could be of help. "Now how do you feel?" She asked him gently as she stood up and offered him a hand which he took and stood as well.
"I feel better thanks Hinata-Chan." Hinata had to hold back a blush when he kissed her on the cheek, she heard what he said but that was seriously the last thing on her mind at that moment.
Hinata and Naruto walked back toward their classmates side by side as Shino and Shikamaru walked into the ring.
"Hajime," Iruka said not a second later.
"I forfeit, troublesome," Shikamaru said and the whole class groaned at his antics. While Kiba and Naruto laughed.
Authors note
Naruto and Sasuke are about even when it comes to taijutsu. But Naruto heals faster, has more stamina, and hits harder those factors mean he would have won at the end of the day.
Though it might seem like Sasuke and Hinata might become an item in this fic I assure you that will not happen. Next chapter Hiruzen makes an appearance, Naruto bumps into Shisui and Sakura gets brave. •~