Sakura's First Kiss (Tips and Monthly Votes Welcome-even One Yuan Shows You Care!)

Sasuke sat at his desk, his face livid. Naruto sat beside him, ready to discuss their training plans.

Mostly, he wanted to ask when Sasuke would let him see the Ninjutsu Scrolls among the Uchiha Clan's inheritance.

Just then, two beautiful girls burst into the classroom from opposite sides, shouting excitedly.

The moment they spotted Sasuke, they ran over and began vying for his attention.

Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw Sakura. He wondered how to get her to teach him to recognize Genjutsu.

"Sakura!" Naruto greeted her with a smile.

"Get lost!" Sakura grabbed Naruto by the collar and tried to drag him into the aisle.

Naruto's expression changed. He was about to fight back when he sensed a familiar gaze watching him through the Third Hokage's Crystal Ball.

Damn it! Frustration welled up inside Naruto, but he could only let Sakura throw him into the aisle and pretend to be stunned.

No one noticed how coldly he looked at Sakura from behind his sunglasses. His anger wasn't directed at her alone. It was aimed at the Third Hokage too, and at the helplessness of his own situation.

His desire to grow stronger surged again.

"G-good morning, Sasuke!" Sakura stood before him, hands clasped over her heart, her face flushed. "Can I sit next to you?"

Sasuke turned slightly to look at Naruto on the floor, then frowned. Naruto had injured his neck with a kick earlier, and now every movement hurt.

Seeing Sakura get there first, Ino tried to claim the seat beside Sasuke too. The two began arguing over it, and the other girls crowded around, unwilling to be left out.

Sasuke quietly rubbed his stomach, which still hurt from Naruto's kick. He frowned and snorted. "You're all so annoying!"

Heh. Looks like I'm not the only one chasing someone who doesn't want me, Naruto thought as he watched Sakura. But after what you just did to me, I can't let you off without a little payback.

A mischievous smile crossed Naruto's lips. He jumped onto the desk in front of Sakura and fixed her with a solemn stare.

Startled, Sakura tried to back away, but the girls packed behind her left her nowhere to go. She could only stare at Naruto, frozen, with his face inches from hers.

If Sasuke had done this, she would have closed her eyes without hesitation and leaned in for a kiss. But the boy in front of her was Naruto, whom she couldn't stand.

Naruto flicked his eyes toward Ino. She understood at once, gave him a wicked look, and smacked him on the back.

Mwah!

Naruto got his wish and kissed Sakura on the lips. At the same time, he gave Ino a thumbs-up behind his back.

"Nicely done, Ino!"

Sakura was in a daze. Her mind went blank, and she nearly fainted. She had never imagined her first kiss would go to the person she hated most.

"Naruto! I'm going to kill you!"

Sakura tore her lips away from Naruto's and clenched her fists. Summoning a thousand percent of her strength, she unleashed a flurry of punches at him.

Naruto laughed and darted behind Sasuke, shoving the unprepared boy toward Sakura. Sasuke instinctively fought back, but Naruto pinned both his arms.

Sakura came to her senses and tried to stop her fists, but she couldn't control them.

Bam!

Sasuke's head slammed into the floor.

The classroom fell silent. Every student stared at Sakura, who stood there at a loss.

"I—I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, her face pale.

Sasuke lifted his head, his expression grim. He shot Sakura a look of disgust, then turned an angry glare on Naruto behind him.

Just ten minutes ago, Naruto had beaten him up in the bathroom and left his neck aching. Now it hurt even more.

The class quieted as soon as Iruka-sensei arrived.

Naruto sat to Sasuke's right, while Sakura sat to Naruto's right, on the verge of tears.

"Congratulations! Starting today, you're Ninja who can stand on your own!" Iruka told the class with a smile. "But you're still rookie Genin. The real hard work is just beginning."

Iruka glanced at Naruto, then continued. "From now on, you'll be assigned to three-person teams. Each team will carry out missions under a Jonin instructor."

The students broke into surprised chatter.

Naruto put on a look of surprise and curiosity too.

Teams of three? Sasuke murmured. He glanced at Naruto beside him. Somehow, he felt Naruto had known this was coming—and might know even more.

Sakura stole a glance to her left. Her eyes skipped right past Naruto and settled on Sasuke, a blush rising to her cheeks. First, I have to be on Sasuke's team. Second, I absolutely can't be on Naruto's.

"Now I'll announce the teams." Iruka smiled and opened the roster, reading them out one by one, from Team One through Team Seven.

"Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno—"

Sakura's face fell. She slumped in her seat, utterly dejected.

Naruto had expected this. The moment he heard Sakura's name, he cheered.

Iruka shook his head helplessly and continued. "And Sasuke Uchiha."

"Yes!" Sakura sprang from despair to delight.

Naruto wasn't disappointed either. He simply turned and waved a fist at Sasuke.

Sasuke glared back through gritted teeth.

"All right," Iruka said after finishing the assignments, clapping his hands. "Your Jonin instructors will arrive this afternoon. Until then, you're free to do as you like."

With the assignments over, the Third Hokage's surveillance vanished. Naruto finally relaxed and looked toward the back of the classroom.

He had sensed someone watching him the whole time. Earlier, he hadn't wanted to reveal how sharp his senses were, so he had resisted looking back. Now he had the chance.

So it was little Hinata! Naruto smiled. In the original story, she had loved him steadfastly and would become the mother of his children. Naturally, he was fond of her.

"Hey, Hinata!"

Naruto greeted her, but Hinata's face instantly turned red as an apple. She curled up like a frightened quail and ducked her head beneath her desk.

"Well, Hinata, you really are shy!" Naruto smiled helplessly and got up to go over to her.

He opened his mouth to ask Sakura, who sat on his right, to let him through.

But Sakura misunderstood, thinking he was about to chat her up. Her expression soured, and she frowned impatiently.

"Naruto, we may be on the same team, but don't hold Sasuke and me back!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I'm not who I used to be, and you shouldn't think so highly of yourself. We'll see which of us holds the team back!"

"What did you say?" Sakura asked, rolling her eyes.

Naruto ignored her, hopped over the desk, and headed toward Hinata.

Sakura wasn't a bad person, really. It was just that Sasuke was the only person in her heart. No matter what he did—defecting, killing people, even destroying the world—she wouldn't care.

And no matter how outstanding Naruto became, she would never give him a second glance.

Of course, if that were all, Naruto wouldn't have been so hostile toward her.

The problem was that in the original story, whenever Sakura needed Naruto, she would shout, "Naruto, where are you? Hurry up and help Sasuke!"

But when Sakura didn't need Naruto, she couldn't have cared less where he was or whether he lived or died.

That made Sakura seem more than a little two-faced, and it was one reason Naruto disliked her now.