One shot Naruto

N/A: AU, modern. The Konoha 12 is in his fourth or fifth year of high school. Age: 17. Naruto's parents are alive. Naruto is a natural prankster, creates incredible plans and has a log (notebooks) where he plans his tricks, of course in a code that only he understands.

Sakura didn't know when she realized how cute Naruto was, but she noticed him staring at her a lot more than usual. She liked how, when she was deep in her Uzumaki research, he would squint to concentrate. She loved how when he got nervous, he would scratch one of the marks on his adorable whiskers.

As soon as Naruto entered the classroom that morning, Sakura was coming down the steps. She tripped over her own foot and fell forward, a look of horror crossing her face as she plummeted downward. Naruto shot forward and caught her in his arms, causing them to be nose to nose, staring deep into each other's eyes. Sakura couldn't help but stare into his large, sapphire blue eyes staring back at her.

"Are you okay?" he said, steadying her, then took a quick step back. "It's a good thing I was there to catch you."

"Lucky me. Thanks, Naruto." Sakura smiled, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She watched Naruto shrug and walk past her to take his seat at the back of the class.

"Naruto looks very handsome today," Sakura muttered to herself in an almost dreamy tone, quickly catching the attention of Ino and Kiba. Before the pinkette could say another word, the duo grabbed her and dragged her to the side of the classroom, while Naruto was lost in writing or creating a new prank to play on his godfather or parents while the class hoped he didn't notice them leaving.

"Do you think he looks handsome?" Ino pressed a hand on Sakura's back, giving her a stern look as her eyes watched her expression intently. Then she saw the look on her face, the look she'd seen on Naruto's face for the past four years every time he thought, saw, or spoke of Sakura. It was like watching a little golden retriever in love, and Ino wanted to laugh at the irony.

But her eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of her Narusaku finally happening. "You have to tell him, Sakura."

“W-what? No, I can’t do that, he thinks we’re just friends!” Sakura squealed, drawing the attention of her other classmates. Lee suddenly threw his history book into Tenten’s bag, making sure his blonde classmate didn’t see it before launching himself at Naruto, grabbing his shoulder.

“Naruto-kun, my young companion! Do you have a history book you could lend me?” Lee’s energetic voice managed to wake Naruto from his reverie, giving him a kind smile.

"Oh, I should have one in my locker, but class is starting soon..." Naruto trailed off, but when he saw Lee about to shout something about youth, he hurriedly stood up. "Calm down, Lee. I'll go get it quickly. You don't mind letting Iruka-sensei know, do you?"

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun! I'll tell Iruka sensei. YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN LIKE A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS!" Lee shouted, louder with a conniving grin on his face as well. The whole class had that look in their eyes, thinking that something they'd been waiting for so long was finally coming to light.

As Naruto walked out of the classroom, everyone surrounded Sakura with big, goofy grins on their faces.

"Naruto's been in love with you for years, troublemaker." Shikamaru leaned back in his seat.

Kiba, on the other hand, put an arm around Sakura's shoulder, grinning like a fool while everyone else nodded. "We kept quiet out of respect, but since you feel the same way..."

Sakura's mind suddenly felt like it was spinning. Naruto liked her too. Naruto liked her, Sakura Haruno, while she thought he hated being around her! And here she thought he'd been in love with Fuu...

“Naruto is quite the romantic.” Ino’s voice broke her thoughts and made her refocus on the conversations raging around them. Her best friend’s eyes were full of mischief, and Sakura could practically see the gears turning in her head, her smile growing ever more devious. “You should make a grand gesture, Sakura, something that will surprise him. Then, when he accepts your confession, it will be like a fairy tale!”

"Like a princess declaring her love for her prince." Hinata sighed dreamily and leaned into Shino's embrace, who kissed her forehead with a smile. "Oh, Naruto would love that! He's told us all about all the things he wanted to do for you, Sakura, how many times he's tried to confess..."

"How about a scavenger hunt?" Sakura snapped, then felt her cheeks flush as several eyes fell on her. She smiled nervously as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You know, sending him to places that were important to both of us? Stuff like that?"

"That sounds pretty good, actually." Neji smiled as he thought about it before nodding. "Yes, that would be the best course of action."

With wide smiles, the class began planning the whole thing with a nervous and starry-eyed Sakura...

They fixed everything on Friday so that if something went horribly wrong, they'd have damage control over the weekend. Extra precautions never hurt anyone.

Chouji managed to convince Naruto to clear his schedule for that evening, as he had a special game planned. Naruto, not wanting to turn down one of his best friends, agreed. An afternoon wouldn't hurt anyway; he needed a little break from everything he was going through.

As soon as the last class of the day ended, Chouji handed the blond a piece of paper and told him to follow the clues.

Naruto looked at the piece of paper and carefully read the words.

'Where you have your secret horizon of inspiration, I often see your beautiful face light up with joy.'

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed at the note's wording, then he racked his brain for where this 'horizon of inspiration' might lie. Then it hit him. The mountain overlooking all of Konoha.

He laughed as he headed over, curious about the kind of games Chouji was playing. Shikamaru was sure to help him. His lazy friend always came up with these kinds of random things from time to time, so he didn't think much of it.

Naruto quickly reached the mountain, then smiled to himself as he made his way through the trees, enjoying the view around him. He hadn't been here in months, and he'd missed it terribly.

When he turned to the side he could see an envelope with a rose tied to the branch of a tree.

"Ha, how original. Shika" Naruto took the envelope and opened it, scanning the contents of what was written.

`While it is the food of the gods for you, it is not for others, so to speak, eating with you made my day.'

Naruto looked up at the sky, silently groaning at the state of these puzzles. Shikamaru certainly wasn't at his best today. Besides, all Naruto could think about was a stand with food of the gods, so he headed to Ichiraku Ramen. While he was very glad he hadn't made many plans that evening, this scavenger hunt seemed to be taking him all over Konoha. As soon as he saw the stand in sight, he picked up his pace.

"Oh, Naru-chan," Ayame smiled at her, then handed her an envelope containing a familiar-looking rose. She gave him a cheerful smile and bowed. "I hope you find your next location quickly."

"Thank you, Ayame neechan, Shikamaru and Chouji came up with the idea of ​​doing this today," Naruto told her.

'To where we first met, with drafts falling on Sensei. Thinking about that moment today makes my heart skip a beat.'

"Hey Ayame, I can't tell this one apart." Naruto sighed as he sat down across from her, Ayame leaning over the counter. "I think she means the Academy. I mean, that's where I met Shikamaru and Chouji, right after I played a massive prank on the sensei, not that they could pin it on me without proof."

"Are you sure they're from Shikamaru and Chouji, Naru-chan? Maybe they're from someone else." Ayame smiled at her little brother figure, since the pinkette was the one who had given her the envelope with the rose, but decided to keep quiet about it, both ways. It was best to just let Naruto experience this on his own, have a little fun now and then.

So Naruto thanked Ayame, promising to return soon, and ran toward the Academy, smiling as he reminisced. This was the starting point of everything in his life; his friends, his career as the greatest prankster/magician in all of Konoha, his experiments, and even his most deeply held values.

This place was special to him. So imagine his surprise when he approached the front of the school and heard the sound of a bell. He stopped and watched in surprise as his godfather Jiraya's nephew's ice cream cart drove toward him, Jenry with a big smile on her face. It stopped right in front of Naruto, blocking his view of the academy.

"Hey, Naruto-kun. It's been so long and look at you! You've grown up, you look too much like your father and who knows? Maybe you'll see your soulmate very soon" Jenry said happily, hugging the surprised blond, before giving him a long, calculating look.

Jiraya's family had a gift, the gift of seeing one's soulmate. It wasn't for nothing that his uncle wrote those books that returned the money when they were released. And Miss Sakura Haruno had begged the man who ran the Academy to give her uncle's godson, Naruto, a slice of ice cream to show him who his soulmate was.

And who was Jenry to stand in the way of love? He'd happily agreed, so eager to unite two souls who were destined to be together, tied by the red thread of fate.

"Raspberry and lemon for eyes that make your heart flutter, blackberry for your life wrapped in chaos, and strawberry for lips that make you stutter." Jenru said happily as she took the ice cream, noticing the boy take out his phone and answer a text, she then happily handed it to Naruto and then gently patted him on the head. "I see great happiness for you two, because you both see each other with such true love."

With that, Jenry let him in, pointing him toward the Academy steps. Naruto, considering simply following, tried the delicious ice cream and continued on his way, but not before giving Jenry a polite thank you and greeting his perverted old godfather.

What he saw at the top of the steps of his old high school wasn't what he expected. He'd been expecting Chouji, Shikamaru, and some of their friends with some strange prize or an explanation for all this.

Instead, there was Sakura, holding a bouquet of roses and wearing a red dress. Seeing him, her smile grew and her cheeks flushed, her excitement skyrocketing once she saw the colors of her ice cream. The rest of the class stood around her, looking anxious as they took a few steps back while Naruto began to climb the stairs.

"Sakura, were you the one behind all this?" Naruto smiled at the blushing pinkette, taking another spoonful of his ice cream, noticing Ino filming them out of the corner of his eye. "I have to say, that was a pretty impressive scavenger hunt you ran. What's my prize?"

The words made Sakura's blush worsen and she began to play with the bouquet, trying to get the speech she had practiced over and over in her head out.

“Naruto… I um… I’ve always thought of you as a friend, you know? But not just any friend, my best friend actually… You’re just…” She tightened her grip on the bouquet. “You’re so amazing, kind, and wonderful. You’re the biggest jokester we’ve ever met, always there to help, even when it’s over something really stupid, you know how to make anyone smile, and sometimes without even trying. And you’re always there for me… I’ve been told you’ve done some things for me that I… I might have been too blind to notice. It took me until today to realize that you’re the most important person in my life. You’re the first to truly understand me.”

"Oh Sakura, that's so sweet. You're just as cool, you're someone so determined. That's what I love about you." Naruto smiled brightly, and Sakura felt her heart thunder in her chest. His words gave her courage, and she puffed out her chest.

Finally, she would tell her prince charming exactly how she felt.

Many of the girls were squealing and hugging each other, while the boys gave Sakura a thumbs up, except for Shikamaru who gave her only a slight nod.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I'm- I'm in love..."

The roar of an engine interrupted him, causing the entire class to stare as an expensive-looking motorcycle parked at the base of the school steps.

The tall figure on the motorcycle dismounted and removed his helmet. Sakura met the most piercing pair of green eyes she'd ever seen. The young woman was beautiful, with sandy blonde hair tied in four pigtails and a very defined jawline, matching her figure covered by jeans, a black shirt, and a purple jacket.

"Who is she?" Ino whispered to Shikamaru as the girl dropped her helmet and appeared to greet the group, a smile crossing her beautiful face. "Does anyone here know her?"

As everyone started to say no, Sakura saw Naruto's face light up and he ran down the stairs.

"Temari-chan, you're here!" he said, opening his arms as she lunged at him—Temari—though he was careful not to spill her ice cream. He laughed when she kissed him on the cheek, then kissed his in return. "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find the place."

"You give me perfect directions, whiskers, I was able to find him quite easily." The two shared a quick kiss, and Sakura felt her heart fall to the floor and shatter.

"Naruto, who is this?" Ino chimed in, carefully putting away her phone as she headed down the stairs, everyone else following her lead.

"Oh, sorry Ino, this is my girlfriend, Temari-chan. She's visiting this week from Suna." Naruto smiled, casually wrapping an arm around her waist as she leaned toward him, taking the ice cream from his hands. "I was going to introduce you all once we got settled."

"You have a girlfriend?!" Sakura blurted out before she could stop herself, then blushed in embarrassment as Naruto and Temari focused their gazes on her, the former curious and the latter observant.

"I mean, um, you've never mentioned it before..."

"Well, we met a few years ago, around our second year at the Academy, actually, when I went away for the summer with my baachan Tsunade, and we got along well." Naruto explained happily, holding Temari's waist as she tasted him.

The second year of his time at the Academy.

The same year she started dating Sai Shimura, a fellow member of another group, to surpass Sasuke Uchiha.

Oh.

Oh no.

"Really? I thought you were still keeping an eye on someone." Ino pointed at Sakura with her eyes, only to get a small, albeit slightly tired, smile from Naruto.

"Well, I decided you can't wait for miracles to never happen." Naruto shrugged, and Temari met Sakura's gaze. Then she simply raised an eyebrow and smiled a little.

Those who act too slowly lose the game.

"Anyway, that was a fun game, Sakura. I had a lot of fun. Now Temari-chan and I have to head back to my house. Mom wanted to show her how to make her secret ramen recipe tonight so she could finally surpass Karura-san's cooking." Naruto allowed Temari toss the empty cone into the nearby trash, then caught the helmet Temari tossed to him. The pair shared another soft kiss before they both climbed onto the scooter.

Naruto gave his friends one last bow before setting off with Temari holding his waist, leaving the class in stunned silence.

Sakura watched dejectedly as the boy she'd fallen in love with walked off with his new girlfriend. But she'd seen the colors of his ice cream, and that meant he was her soulmate.

That it wasn't too late, that maybe... I still had a chance with him?

TRUE?