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[lil-door-knob]

The Flower Prince: Gather 'round The Campfire

Prompt- At first, he felt prideful of the praise his teammate [Sakura] was getting from the Prince. But the moment he saw the blush on her face and the arm around her waist, pride was no longer what he was feeling.

Word count: 1,688 words

Estimated Read Time: 7 minutes

Warnings: Not edited.

Previous Part

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It was Naruto who had found a safe place to make camp, a small clearing surrounded by massive trees nestled next to a cave where they could sleep, a small stream only a five-minute walk away. Daiki, ever eager, was instructed by Kakashi on how camping worked and how they would set up their camp. Sakura was quite annoyed that Daiki had decided on camping- she had already made detailed plans for what she’d do once they’d arrived at the Flower Village. Said plan involved convincing Sasuke to come with her to try some of the festival games and watch the fireworks, something she’d assumed they’d have for Daiki’s return. Building up the courage to do so, she made her way to the stream where Sasuke was fishing to ask him.

Approaching the focused boy she noted that he seemed hyper-focused on the flowing water, like he was lost in thought. “Sasuke-kun?” she tentatively asked. Sasuke glanced at her an indication for her to go on. “I was wondering when we get to the village would you want to-” A huge splash cut her off as both she and Sasuke turned to the source of the disruption. 

“Eh?!” Naruto whined as he brought his head up from under the water. He stood, his new attire fully soaked and the firewood he had been instructed to fetch now wet rendering it useless for a fire.

“Naruto!” Sakura yelled, concern just as evident as the suppressed laughter, “Are you okay?” She had made her way over to where the jinchuriki had fallen in. He nodded in affirmation and complained about someone tripping him even though no one was near. After Sauke commented on it being a ghost, he quickly shut up and scurried his way back to camp scavenging anything that could replace the now-soaked firewood. Sakura allowed a smile to form on her face before turning to look at Sasuke- who already had his eyes on her. Her face burned as she looked away and mumbled about helping him catch fish.

Shaking his head he brought the almost full bucket in his right hand. “We should head back.” his voice plain. After two minutes of silence, Sakura decided to break the silence. 

“Daiki seems nice doesn’t he?”

Sasuke only shrugged.

“I mean he’s much better than some of the other escort missions we’ve had, remember Hitoshi- san? We had to carry him to the sand village.” Sakura reminisced.

“You mean Naruto had to,” Sasuke smirked. Sakura let out a small giggle. She enjoyed spending alone time with Sasuke. Although he wasn’t as social as she’d like him to be, she was happy that he’d listen to her and often entertain her conversation- although she knew he wasn’t always fully there. 

“I was going to ask earlier Sasuke-kun, but would you want to go to the festival with me tomorrow?” she eagerly waited as no response came. Sasuke simply stayed silent, as if contemplating a life-altering decision. “No worries if not, I’ll enjoy it myself. I’ll make sure to win you something too!” A strained smile made its way onto her lips, glassy eyes not shining as they usually did. 

“I’ll think about it.” Was his final response as they entered the campsite, he parted ways with her as he headed to make the fire. Smiling brighter now, Sakura went to set up their sleeping bags in the cave, making sure to place hers right next to Sasuke’s. 

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“Ne Daiki, how old are you?” Naruto inquired as they sat by the fire, fish and a small portion of rice cooking.

“I’m 14, I'll be 15 in a few months. Why?” the brunette tilted his head to the side.

“Wha-?!” Naruto nearly jumped off the log he sat on at this revelation, “Then how are you a prince- you’re barely older than we are!” he gestured towards himself and his teammates. 

“Well…” Daiki paused in contemplation, “I’m technically not a prince or anything, I’m the heir to the Yamanaka clan in my village. My dad is basically in charge there- similar to what a Hokage is in your village except we’re civilians. If my dad were to die, get too old to perform his duty, or if he resigns then I would take charge.”

“So you’re a prince?” Naruto restates, confused as what Daiki described sounds like a prince to his understanding. 

“I guess so but I don’t have a kingdom or anything. When I think of a prince I think of all those fantasy stories- so in that sense no.” Daiki lets a gentle chuckle escape his lips. 

“But you are the son of a monarch who’s in charge of a village, it doesn’t have to be a massive kingdom or anything.” Sakura explains, “So you are a prince by definition.” She states matter of factually.

Naruto gasps at this- “So does that mean when I become Hokage I’ll be king?” his voice low as if he were discussing top secret information. 

“No.”

“No one asked you teme!” Naruto glares at his teammate who meets his glare with just as much intensity. 

“Sasuke’s right Naruto,” Kakashi adds.

“Oh.” Naruto sulks staring up into the night sky, his stomach rumbling. It had been three hours since they first made camp and he was starving. He’d never admit it out loud, but right now he hated Daiki for making them camp out. They would’ve been at the flower village by now staying in the compound’s comfortable guest quarters after being treated to a five-course meal prepared by the best chef around, instead, they had to eat boring ol’ fish and share two portions of rice because the prince wanted to. Naruto rolled his eyes at the thought and tried to shake his discomfort. His mind traveled to recent events. 

A lot had happened since the formation of Team 7, Naruto himself had grown a lot from the neglected little boy to a slightly less neglected teen with some respect being put on his name. His teammates had also done a lot of growing. Yet Sasuke was the one who’d puzzled him the most, his personality was always so wish-washy that he’d have better luck making sense of tidal waves than Sasuke’s moods. It was ironic, the stoic member was the most emotional out of them- and they were on a team with Sakura who bore her feelings on her sleeve. Even so, Sasuke had learned to work with him and count on him which Naruto knew Sasuke hated. 

In his own strange way, Sasuke had grown to care about his team despite his efforts not to. Naruto grinned at this. Sasuke really was an idiot, despite his best efforts to push them away he only solidified their bonds- especially with Sakura. Now, Naruto wasn’t stupid. He knew the extent of Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke. She put her life at risk to save Sasuke, she had cried when they all thought he was dead, she showered him with undeserved affection, and even caught him when he’d fall both emotionally and physically. Sakura had developed real feelings for that undeserving jerk, she loved Sasuke. The hug she had given Sasuke at the hospital was confirmation of this- it was such an intimate moment that even he had caught on. But… Naruto wasn’t sure if Sasuke felt the same. Yes, he did care about her but did that go any further than comradery? Looking over at the two he pondered on this.

“Naruto-san?” Daiki, who had suddenly appeared next to him, piped up. Startled by the sudden appearance Naruto flinched back. “Ah, I didn’t mean to scare you. You looked lost in thought but I have something important to ask you.”

“What?” he leaned forward, genuinely interested in what he wanted to ask. “Is- God this is embarrassing-” Daiki blushed and lowered his voice, “Is Sakura seeing anyone? Like… does she have a boyfriend?”

Naruto’s eyes widened at this. “Uhhhh, no?” Although coming out as more of a question Daiki’s face lit up.

“Oh- that’s great! You know, Sakura’s an interesting girl, I’d like to get to know her more.” he bashfully confessed. Naruto wasn’t sure how to respond, he’d never heard anyone so outwardly display an interest in his female teammate besides Lee.

“Why don’t you go talk to her, then?” the sudden sound of Kakashi’s voice startled the boys. Kakashi remained in his squat position next to them, sparing a smile as he continued to read his book adding, “I bet she’d want company at the festival, I overheard she was looking for someone to go with.”

Gobsmacked, Naruto looked at his sensei as if he was insane. Although never confirmed, it was pretty established that Sakura was set on Sasuke. However, Daiki would treat Sakura better than Sasuke ever could, hell he’d already displayed that. Gah- this was none of his business, although aloof, Naruto knew when to stay out of something… on certain occasions.

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“We could be in a warm bed right now.” Sakura grumbled as she sat down on her sleeping bag next to Sasuke, who nodded in agreement. “It’s a good thing Kakashi makes us bring our sleeping bags just in case, it finally came in use.”

“Hn. We wouldn’t have to if we just kept going.” Sasuke added, a subtle jab to the prince.

“Yeah.” the kunoichi continued, “I don’t know why Kakashi agreed to the idea.” She yawned and allowed her head to fall onto Sasuke’s shoulder. The rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathed luring her deeper into her drowsiness. 

“If you’re that tired then go to sleep.¨ He softly moved his shoulder causing a piece of her hair to cover her face. Moments like this had started to feel normal to him, her touches being such a common occurrence that he no longer felt the need to fight them, not that he felt the urge to anymore. Her tired eyes looked into his before she gave him a small smile and nodded. 

Slowly pulling herself off his shoulder and settling into her sleeping bag she slowly spoke, “Good night Sasuke-kun.”

“Go to sleep, Sakura.”

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Next Chapter

[lil-door-knob]

The Flower Prince: Brewing Emotions

Prompt- At first, he felt prideful of the praise his teammate [Sakura] was getting from the Prince. But the moment he saw the blush on her face and the arm around her waist, pride was no longer what he was feeling.

Word count: 1,180 words

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

Warnings: Not edited.

Previous Part

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Kakashi wasn’t sure how they ended up in this situation, but they did. A small group of men had approached them asking for directions. On alert, team 7 proceeded the conversation with caution yet one of them had managed to steal a wallet from Naruto. So they initiated a confrontation only for the fuckers to run away. They thankfully had managed to catch up to them and surround them but they weren’t going down without a fight. To make things even worse though, due to Kakashi’s orders, they would only use taijutsu to not raise suspicion of them being ninjas. 

“This is a piece of cake, it’s a fair fight, 4 v 4!” Naruto shouted as he rushed the man who stole his precious frog wallet.

“Hn. We wouldn’t have to be fighting if you were just careful for once.” Sasuke argued as he ran toward his opponent. Amid the chaos, Sakura’s target dodged a kick and made a run for Daiki, knife in hand. Paralyzed in fear, Daiki could only stare at the approaching male. Shit, he thought as the knife neared his chest. Eyes squeezing shut, rapid footsteps made their way towards him when suddenly a thud was heard. Sakura had gotten in between Daiki and the man and deflected his knife with her kunai. Not allowing for response time she had rotated her body to land a kick to the side of his head sending him a few feet away. The man let out a loud grunt as his limp body fell to the ground- he was unconscious.

“Is Daiki okay, Sakura?” Kakshai called as he tied the men up. The fight had come to an end with Naruto regaining possession of his prized possession- the frog wallet.

“Are you okay?” Sakura asked, eyes widened Daiki stared at her in shock. He slowly nodded. “Good." Sakura smiled at him and stood to face Kakashi. "He’s fine, sensei!” 

“Thank you Sakura-chan, I’m so sorry for the trouble!” Daiki tenderly grasped her calloused hand bringing it towards him. Sasuke scoffed. “Once we get to my village I promise to pay you back for what you’ve done, I’ll pay all of you back!” Quickly rising to his feet, he gave them a deep bow. 

“No need Daiki.” Kakashi stood next to the boy, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “It’s our job.”

“Tch.” Sasuke crossed his arms, a scowl now on his face. “Let’s go, Naruto held us up enough.” He turned around to resume their journey.

“It wasn’t my fault they stole my wallet!” Naruto raced behind him to continue the argument. Kakashi sighed and pushed the prince and Sakura to follow the two boys, leaving himself to trail behind.

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Team Seven traversed the new terrain. Dirt paths lined with towering trees with occasional clear patches that bled into small fields of flowers; it was irregular but a signifier that they were nearing the flower village. They made idle conversation along the way. 

Watching the teens converse ahead gave Kakashi time to observe them. The tension in his team had started to wear off at the motel, and at this point, it was almost completely gone. Even so, the distaste Naruto and Sasuke had for one another was alive and well yet they had managed to subdue it so far. Sakura had also become less rigid- now enthusiastically talking to the boys about her life or sharing random information she had learned while reading and even entertaining the random shit Naruto would say. They all seemed comfortable.

“I’ve also been talking to Hinata-”

“Hinata?” Naruto cut Sakura off almost too excitedly.

“Yeah!” Sakura smirked as she saw a small blush making its way onto Naruto's sunkissed skin. “What, do you like her or something?” she nudged his shoulder with her own.

“Of course I do, she’s super nice and cool.” Naruto shrugged, his blush darkening.

“That’s not what she meant,” Sasuke added, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he made eye contact with Sakura, a silent agreement to mess with Naruto forming. Naruto looked at them with confusion written all over his face. “Do you think she’s pretty?” Sasuke inquired, a subtle teasing tone present. 

Taken aback, Naruto stopped walking. His face felt hot and he wasn’t sure why. “Wha- Sasuke! Do you?” Sasuke simply shrugged, he didn’t have an opinion of her looks; she'd never crossed his mind. “Ha- you do!” Once again Sasuke shrugged, not a fan of being on the receiving end of these questions. Sakura shifted uncomfortably.

Of course, Sasuke would find Hinata pretty, anyone would. She had such long, pretty hair with an inviting and caring aura to her. Hell, she was the heiress to the Hyuga clan, she was powerful with natural beauty and a kind demeanor. Nobody could ever say anything negative about her. Sakura couldn’t think of a better match for Sasuke than Hinata- the pretty and powerful princess of the Hyugas. She was the epitome of the girl Cupid would pair with Sasuke. Sakura could never compete with her, Hinata was everything she wasn't. Tears started to well in her eyes at the thought. 

“I think Sakura’s pretty.” Daiki blurted out. He had noticed Sakura’s change of demeanor and had assumed it was due to her insecurities- an assumption he made after hearing Ino’s words. The forest seemed to come to a pause at Daiki's words. Shock evident in everyone. Naruto nodded in agreement, glad the attention was now off of him. Sakura brought her head up, wiping the pooling tears from her eyes and smiling at him. 

“Thank you.” Her voice was just above a whisper. Daiki blushed as his words settled in, the moment feeling oddly intimate to him. Quickly his eyes darted away from her and locked gazes with Sasuke who bore an unimpressed look.

Sasuke wasn’t sure why, but this bit of information bothered him. Knowing that people found Sakura attractive felt wrong. Of course, he’d known about Naruto’s crush on her- everyone did- but that had faded over time, a momentary thing. But seeing some random guy calling her pretty and wielding the ability to make her smile and blush rubbed him the wrong way. Another guy had her attention… he clenched his fist at the idea. Sasuke didn’t understand what he was feeling and he didn’t like the implications of these newly found emotions. Diverting his train of thoughts he circled back to the task at hand- the mission. “If we keep moving, we’ll be there before sundown.” He spoke. Everyone nodded, except Daiki. 

“Actually…” the Prince nervously played with his hands, “I was hoping to spend a night out in the woods. I’ve never done it before, and well… this seems like the perfect situation as I’m with you guys.” finished Daiki, making momentary eye contact with all of them as he spoke. Kakashi simply nodded, indicating that he was okay with it. And so, Team 7 scouted the area for a suitable place to make camp- Daiki following behind Sakura like a lost puppy much to Sauke’s dismay. 

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Next Part

[lil-door-knob]

How many chapters do you plan for your fic to have? Love your fic btw♥️

Thank you so much I appreciate it! <3

As for chapters- I have no idea. I wrote this about two years back and I never finished it. It was so frustrated finding this and realizing I left myself on a cliff hanger lol. So I’ve been working on finishing it and trying to get back in that mindset from when I first started. I have like one more prewritten chapter before I have to start writing new material. It’s been a journey but it’s fun!

[lil-door-knob]

The Flower Prince: The Third One

Prompt- At first, he felt prideful of the praise his teammate [Sakura] was getting from the Prince. But the moment he saw the blush on her face and the arm around her waist, pride was no longer what he was feeling.

Word count: 1,476 words

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

Warnings: Not edited.

Previous Part

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“Yo Sakura,” Kakashi called as he sat up in his bed. Sakura, who had just exited the bathroom was still drying her hair with a towel when her sensei called. Standing up from her futon she turned to look at her sensei. 

“Yes?”

“Do you think Daiki’s cute?” taken aback by his sudden question, Sakura’s face became beet red. Kakashi smirked under his mask at the girl's reaction. 

“I-I, why are you asking me this?!”

“I was just curious about your thoughts of him.” Kakashi shrugged. In reality, he just wanted payback for how they had embarrassed him in front of the receptionist, Kiyomi. Sakura was the easiest target to get back at first since she was just so easily flustered, and the only one in the room with him. 

She stammered as she thought of what to say, “Well… it’s not that I don’t think he’s cute, because he is, it's just that…” Sakura couldn’t deny the fact that she found the boy attractive, not to mention his kind smile. The moment she had laid eyes on him she couldn’t ignore that fact, but when she turned back to look at Sasuke, those thoughts had just vanished and were replaced with guilt. “He seems really nice.” she finished vaguely. 

“Maybe you should tell him, Sa-ku-ra.” he teased., “I bet he would appreciate your kind words, especially you thinking he’s cute.” He was about to continue giving her a teasing smile until the room door swung open. 

“Kaka-sensei!” Naruto yelled as he ran in and stood in front of the jounin. “You have to marry that receptionist chick, she’s so nice! She even gave me ramen! Not to mention her body…” Naruto blushed as he scratched his cheek. “Daiki and I were heading towards the bathroom when we saw Kiyomi, and let me tell you, she has some great b-” The boy was silenced by a punch. His limp body hit the ground. 

“Naruto, you idiot!! Don’t talk about a woman like that!” Sakura huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

A concerned Daiki spoke, “Wow Sakura-chan, I think you knocked him out.” he crouched down to check on the orange-clad boy.

“Sorry about that, he can just get really annoying sometimes.” Daiki nodded in understanding and gave her a sly smile as he concluded that Naruto was indeed unconscious.

“Sakura, you should tell Daiki about the conversation we were just having.” Kakashi sat criss-cross applesauce style on the bed with his elbow on his knee and chin resting in hand.

“No! I mean- it’s nothing really! You don’t have to worry about the conversation Daiki-san.” she quickly shook her hands in front of her face as she blushed once more. The door to the bathroom opened, stopping their conversation. Taking this as her opportunity to escape, she went over to Sasuke and kept him company as he resumed his task of sharpening his weapons, much to his visible dismay. 

Looking at Kakashi with a questioning look, Kakashi just shrugged at the young prince and laid down to read his book once more. As of right now, Kakashi had gotten even with Sakura, now he only needed Sasuke and Naruto. Although Kakashi had to admit that it was fun teasing Sakura about this new boy, he seems to have found his new hobby for this mission.

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“Isn’t this a bit…” Sakura said as she looked at the clothing placed in her hands. 

“Impractical.” Sasuke finished as he glared at his sensei who was trying to hand him his own change of attire. Kakashi shook his head as he explained that they should be undercover in a village with little to no ninjas- mostly civilians. 

“If we stick out as ninjas- then they’ll know we’re there for a reason and connect the dots that we’re escorting someone important and maybe try to ambush us.” he finished. 

“Didn’t you just say that the village doesn’t have ninjas? We could handle an ambush from some normal people!” Naruto argued, he just didn’t want to take off his orange tracksuit, he was sentimental about it. 

Heaving a sigh, Kakashi continued, “That doesn’t mean ninjas won’t be there. The King is holding a festival to welcome his son back into the village, so news spreads. Anyone can get that information and try to kidnap the prince for ransom, especially low-ranking ninjas or criminals.”

“Fine.” Sakura agreed. 

“Great!” Kakashi said with exaggerated enthusiasm, “I’m glad one of you understands.”

Looking at the pair of black shorts and the blue sleeveless hoodie Sasuke wasn’t completely put off by the idea until he turned it around and frowned at the missing Uchiha crest. “Where will we put our weapons then?” he mumbled and stood up to go get dressed in the bathroom. 

Naruto eyed his clothing- it was a shame that his regular attire was to be compromised, but at least Kakashi had been considerate enough to get them dressed in their usual colors. Speaking of which- “When did you get these clothes?” Naruto questioned looking at the orange shirt and baggy orange pants, similar to his current outfit. 

“I got them at the store,” Kakashi said dismissively, not answering his question, as he pulled out his book to read while he waited for them to get changed. 

Looking at her predetermined outfit, Sakura felt relieved that it was just a simple pair of black shorts, a red tank top, and an accompanying light pink jacket. She didn’t know what to expect her sensei to pick out for her, but she was glad it wasn’t a complete no-go in the fashion world. “Aren’t you going to change too, sensei?” Sakura inquired.

“Of course. I just need you guys to get dressed first.”

“I’m next!” Naruto said as he ran into the bathroom when Sauske walked out in his new outfit, hitting Sasuke’s shoulder as he did so. The former let out an annoyed grunt before making his way to his shared bed as he tried to figure out how to make his weapon pouch as discreet as possible. Sakura sat next to him as she waited for Naruto to exit the bathroom. 

Daiki shifted his sitting position so he was facing the pair, smiling as he scanned the room. He wasn’t used to such ‘normal’ conditions. Having been born into such status and wealth rarely left the room to be normal, let alone make friends. His entire life was anything but, so being in this room, journeying across the fire nation, and meeting new people with no expectations put on him has been a pleasant surprise. His gaze drifted to the now empty spot where the pinkette once sat, a voice dragged him from his thoughts. 

“Hey, we’re leaving.” Naruto stood by the door, grinning as he left the door open for him and walked away. Quickly getting to his feet, Daiki followed behind him. Maybe it was silly, but seeing all of them in regular attire made him feel even more in place. Like they were just a bunch of friends going on a journey home. Quickening his pace, he made his way back to the group. Kakashi stopped right before the front desk, looking around almost frantically. Sakura huffed.

“Oh- you’ve got to be kidding me.” Snatching the keys from his hands, “Just go.” she gestured towards the exit before she marched up to the front desk. Naruto stifled a laugh as he made his way out of the building. 

“You’re really that embarrassed sensei? It’s just a girl, I don’t even act like that.” Naruto laughed walking backward, “You should’ve seen the panic in your eyes! The way you looked around like we were in-”

“Ouch!”

Whipping around Naruto was met by a beautiful girl with black hair and brown eyes. Her freckled face bore a disdained look, one he’d seen in Sakura often when he’d upset her. Not knowing what to say he simply gawked at her, mouth agape. She also stared back, a small blush dusting her cheeks as she turned to walk away. “S- sorry!” Naruto sputtered out.

“At least I can talk to women.” Kakashi gently smacked the back of his head as he made his way out, leaving both Sasuke and Daiki behind. Sparing a glance, Sasuke shrugged and followed suit. About to go as well, Daiki looked back for Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t mind them, they’re always like that.” she shrugged. Daiki nodded. With all this talk about women, he’d be foolish to say he didn’t find Sakura attractive. Her soft features, pink hair, and emotional eyes drew him in. Smiling at him she spoke, “Thanks for waiting for me, we should go.” He could only nod as they rejoined the rest of the team. 

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Next Part

[lil-door-knob]

When is the next chapter going to be out?

I plan to have it out later today!

[lil-door-knob]

The Flower Prince: Hotel Stay

Prompt- At first, he felt prideful of the praise his teammate [Sakura] was getting from the Prince. But the moment he saw the blush on her face and the arm around her waist, pride was no longer what he was feeling.

Word count: 1,502 words

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

Warnings: Not edited, sorry sorry.

Previous Part

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“How many beds sir?” the receptionist asked a slight blush coming to her cheeks as she stared into Kakashi's only visible eye.  

“Two, could we also get a futon or two?”

“Of course,” she answered almost too quickly. “Alright, your room will be 305. I’ll be up shortly with the futons.” Grabbing two keys from the hooks behind her, she handed them over to Kakashi. Naruto’s grin widened as he saw the receptionist's face at the slight contact of his sensei’s gloved hand.

“Thank you.” he gave a quick bow before walking off in the direction of the room.

“Ne, Kakashi?”

“Yes Naruto?”

“Don’t you think she was pretty, the receptionist?”

“She wasn’t ugly.” Kakashi shrugged. “Why?”

“She was totally into you!” Naruto exclaimed looking at his sensei.

“That’s what you call being nice-”

“Naruto’s right.” Sakura piped up. “Did you not see the way she blushed or the eyes she gave you when we walked in sensei?”

“You’re both reading into it too much.” Kakashi groaned.

“For someone who strictly reads romance novels, I’m surprised you’re so blind to obvious flirting.” the kunoichi spat back.

“Sakura.” Kakashi stopped in front of the door to room 305, “Naruto. She was just being nice, it’s her job.”

“Too nice,” Sasuke added.

Giving a stern glare to his genin, he opened the door to the room and walked in. “Kakashi-sir, for what it’s worth, I agree with your team. She was flirting with you.” Daiki teased as he entered the room behind the genin. Rubbing his temples, the jounin closed the door and sighed.

“I call dibs on the bed!” Naruto flung himself onto the bed closest to the wall away from the door. He sprawled out and rolled around in the bed before Sakura dragged him off.

“Naruto! Let Daiki-san choose first.”

“No Sakura-chan, that’s alright. I’ll sleep on the futon.” Daiki insisted but was instantly shut down by Sakura who insisted. “Ah- you’re all too kind I guess I’ll-” a knock came on the door.

“Um, here are your futons sir.” the receptionist from earlier bowed.

“Thank you.” he reached out to grab them but the woman took a step back.

“Allow me to set it up for you and the kids.” before he could respond, the woman gently pushed her way past him and entered the room. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Daiki sat on a bed as they watched the scene before them- a mischievous aura around them. Kakashi gave them a stern look warning them to behave. “They sure are cute, uh- Hatake, was it?”

“His name is Hatake Kakashi!” Naruto called. “And I’m Uz- Hatake Naruto! We’re his adopted kids.” the jinchuriki smiled brightly at the woman. She gave him a sweet smile in return.

“I’m glad to hear that! Kakashi sounds like quite a good man.” she then turned to face Kakashi. “My name is Tanaka Kiyomi, it’s a pleasure to meet you Kakashi-san.”

“Likewise,” Kakashi responded as he secretly cursed under his breath. “You can give me the futons, I can do it myself. No need to worry, Kiyomi.” Once again ignored, Kiyomi placed them on the floor and started to lay them out.

“Don't be rude, help Kiyomi-chan,” Sasuke said in a mocking tone, a smirk starting to form.

“Yeah, don’t let the pretty lady do it by herself!” Daiki added. All four pre-teens stared at him expectantly.

Mortified Kakashi made eye contact with Kiyomi and nodded, “They’re right. Let me help.” he crouched down next to the flustered woman. After laying out the two futons Kakashi sighed, his embarrassment would finally be over. Extending a hand to help her up, he opened the door for her to leave, trying his best to not seem rude. Though, before she stepped out she spoke softly.

“You know…” she looked up at Kakashi, “I find it sweet that you adopted those kids. If anything it only adds to your appeal. A family man...  I’d like to meet with you sometime. L-like as a date.” her face was no longer visible to him but he could only imagine she was blushing- if she hadn’t already done enough of that. For the first time, Kakashi didn’t know how to react, it wasn’t anything new for him to get hit on or asked out (come at me, I swear this is canon), but this had never happened in front of his team, let alone on a mission. “I understand that you’re a ninja and probably don’t have time to date, but I’d appreciate it.

“I have to get back to work now Kakashi-san, I’ll await your response.” she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and quickly ran off. As soon as the door shut behind her, laughter erupted from Naruto, Sakura, and Daiki. Even Sasuke allowed himself to smile.

“See, we told you she liked you!” Naruto stated as he rolled off the bed and pointed at Kakashi.

“Naruto, you’re sleeping on the futon,” Kakashi stated firmly.

“What- why?!” Naruto rose to his feet, “I already called dibs on this bed!” he whined as he pointed to the bed where he was previously seated.

“Sasuke, you will share a bed with me. Daiki, you get a bed to yourself, and Sakura, you're also sleeping on a futon.”

Sakura heaved a heavy sigh, “Yes sensei. But can I at least move my futon? It’s too close to Naruto’s and he moves around a lot. “ Kakashi gave her a nod before heading to the bathroom.

With the sleeping arrangements made, Team 7 and Daiki got ready for bed.

Once Kakashi came out of the bathroom Sakura immediately ran in to take a warm shower to get rid of the thin layer of sweat that had laced her skin- it was a hot day. Naruto groaned as he heard the water from the shower start, he knew his teammates well, and although he loved Sakura, he couldn’t deny her flaws. She took forever in the bathroom.

Anytime they would go on a mission and they stayed at a hotel or motel, she always headed for the bathroom first. For at least thirty minutes Sakura would stay in said bathroom. Once she would exit a weird smell of a weird berry and a flower mix could be left behind, it was something Naruto just couldn’t quite describe. The closest word he could use was ‘girly’. Although not horrible, he always hated it when he had to use the bathroom or was hungry as it made him feel nauseous. And today was one of those days. 

He was steadily growing impatient.

Naruto’s night routine was quite simple really, he would go to the bathroom and relieve himself, eat some last-minute ramen, and then he would lie down and be out like a light just as quickly. This routine has stayed true his entire life, even on missions where they would sleep in the forest. Which was why he and Sakura butted heads at night. Today was no exception to that ‘rule’.  Every two minutes or so Naruto would bang on the bathroom door and ask if she was almost finished, of course only met by the girl's silence or exaggerated humming.

Sasuke and Kakashi are similar in that they didn’t have a night routine, they would simply just do what they needed or wanted to do before they got tired, and would then merely sleep.

“Nauto, stop banging on the door.” Sasuke ordered the blonde jinchuriki after Naruto had spent the last minute banging on the door non-stop asking ‘Are you done yet?’

“Shut up Sasuke-teme! I really have to go, dattebayo!!” Sasuke just rolled his eyes and averted his attention back to the kunai he was sharpening in his hands.

“There’s a bathroom on the main floor, Naruto-san we passed it on the way here. You could just go and use that one.” Daiki added, smiling at the boy.

“I don’t want to go down there!” Naruto’s eyes widened, “What if there’s some creepy man in the urinal next to me?!” he exasperated, flailing his arms. “I’m not going there alone, so one of you is coming with me.” He huffed with arms crossed over his chest.

“Is that so?” Daiki sweat dropped. Looking around the room he noticed that the two other ninjas had simply tuned out Naruto’s complaints. He heaved a heavy sigh as he realized he was the only one who was willing to go with him. “I’ll go with you Naruto-san. Just make it quick.” out of habit the prince bowed to Naruto and left the room with him. Wasn’t he supposed to be escorting me, Daiki thought as they made their way to the communal bathrooms.

After twenty minutes of being in the bathroom, Sakura walked out in her usual attire. “Sasuke-kun, you can use the bathroom now if you have to.” Sasuke nodded and placed his kunai on the nightstand before entering the bathroom which now smelled of Sakura’s many bath products, but he didn’t mind.

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Next Part

[lil-door-knob]

The Flower Prince: A New Mission

Prompt- At first, he felt prideful of the praise his teammate [Sakura] was getting from the Prince. But the moment he saw the blush on her face and the arm around her waist, pride was no longer what he was feeling.

Word count: 1,497 words

Estimated Read Time: 6 minutes

Warnings: Not edited, sorry sorry.

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Although Kakashi may come off as indifferent to his team's dynamic,  he did pay attention to them. Which was why he chose a simple escort mission. He had noticed the slight tension between Naruto and Sasuke, hell anyone would have noticed by the way they glared daggers into each other and how Sakura always had to be near to numb the awkwardness. Kakashi had hoped that this mission would reignite even a semblance of the teamwork they once had. 

Naruto and Sakura stood talking about their mornings and whatever else came to mind. Sasuke stood to Sakura’s left, looking up at the morning sky as it finally brightened. Pink and orange fighting for dominance over the blue night sky. 

“Sasuke-kun?” Kakashi noted how instantaneously the boy seemed to turn to face the pink-haired kunoichi. He wasn’t shocked though- Sakura had a warm innocence to her that made the boys on her team fond and protective of her, including himself. It was something none of them had felt before due to the cards they were dealt. Sasuke had warmed up to Sakura the most, although the boy would never admit nor show it; assuming he had taken notice himself. 

“Hn.” came Sasuke’s typical response. 

“You’re always the first one to arrive… why’s that?” the hesitance in her question was obvious.

Shaking his head he simply stated ‘I’m used to it’ before staring back ahead. Sakura nodded in understanding. It wasn’t a secret that Sasuke had nightmares on occasion; they had experienced it firsthand on their first overnight mission. Poor kid probably didn’t get much sleep.

“Dam, that stupid flower prince is late.” scoffed Naruto, “Even Kakashi is here before him, that says a lot!” all three genin turned to glare at their sensei. Kakashi chuckled and looked behind them at the figure that approached.

“Looks like the Prince is here.” pointing behind them they all turned to look at the boy who seemed no older than them. 

Sasuke noted that the boy had dark brown curls and complimenting hazel eyes- though he wasn’t dressed as a Prince. He wore a sleeveless pale blue top with a black unzipped jacket, that didn’t seem to be doing much as it hung off his shoulders, and dark wide-legged pants.

“Sorry, I’m late. I had to stop by to visit family before I left.” the prince bowed. Returning the gesture team 7 accepted the apology, Except for Naruto who had a few insults conjuring in his head while they waited for his arrival. 

“You think sorry is gonna cut it?! We’ve been waiting for two hours for you!! I even skipped breakfast to be here early.” Naruto complained, pointing an accusatory finger at the poor guy. About to speak again and try out some of his ever-so-creative insults, Sakura cut him off. 

“Naruto! That’s no way to speak to a prince!” Sakura pulled Naruto’s ear as she lectured him about manners. Sakura had seemed to be nicer to Naruto since he saved her from Gaara, she normally would have punched him by now.

  Sasuke’s expression softened as he looked at his teammate's antics before he turned back to the prince and questioned him, he couldn’t believe a Prince would be dressed and act so… un-prince- like. “What family were you visiting?” his monotone voice came, stopping Sakura and Naruto’s arguing. 

Before the prince could respond Kakashi interjected, “The Yamanaka right? You’re a part of the clan, no?” at this, the Prince brightened up. 

“That is correct sir, my name is Yamanaka Daiki. I am from the branch of the family with no real ninjas, which is embarrassing-” Daiki blushed scratching the back of his neck, ” but we try to serve our village as their leaders.”

“You’re related to that Ino-pig?!” Sakura practically screeched. 

“Ah, you must be Sakura Haruno. I assumed such based on your hair, Ino told me about you guys.” Daiki stated as he smiled at Sakura.

“What did she say?” Both Sakura and Naruto asked at the same time, Sasuke himself also seemed curious about what Ino had to say about himself and his teammates, not that he cared much about her opinion- she always irritated him.

“He can tell us on the way.” Kakashi ordered, “We should get going.”

They formed a line, not something they would normally do on a mission, but, they were close to the village, so, not much trouble would likely arise. Sakura and Sasuke stood to the right of Daiki and Naruto to the left. 

With that, they set off on their mission, Sasuke and Sakura naturally falling into pace with each other, something they seemed to do often, Kakashi noted.

“What did she say about me?” Naruto piped up.

“Naruto right?” the boy nodded, “Well… she called you annoying. But she said that you were a good ninja. She told me that she admires your bravery, although quite stupid at times. I hear that you managed to beat that Hyuga guy?” Kakashi, who was walking in front of them, allowed a smile to form as he read his book. It was good to know that his [Naruto’s] comrades were starting to recognize him as a capable ninja. 

“You bet I did! I wasn’t going to let that jerk win after what he did to Hinata-chan.” Naruto yelled.

“Stop screaming dobe. He doesn’t need to hear your annoying voice get any louder.” Sasuke gave him a condescending look, knowing that it would rile up the blonde. Naruto was about to fire back an insult but stopped as Daiki spoke again. 

“Uchiha Sasuke. You seem to have quite an effect on women. Ino went on about how ‘cute’ and ‘handsome’ you are. She rambled about how you were such a strong ninja and how she was going to be your future wife.” Daiki let out a small chuckle at the memory.

Sakura couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the expected description of Sasuke from Ino. Although, she couldn’t argue much as she probably would have said something similar a few months ago.

“Ino said that you were a mysterious guy; she likes you, I guess? You should have seen how flustered and blushy she got when talking about you” Sasuke let out an unamused huff. “But she wasn’t wrong on some of that, you do seem to be strong. You’re an Uchiha, my people have heard plenty of the Uchiaha’s strength.”

Turning to Sasuke, Sakura gave him a smile signifying that she agreed with Daiki’s statement. Meeting her gaze Sasuke stared at her blankly before looking straight ahead once more. 

“What did she say about Sakura-chan?” asked Naruto, he was genuinely curious as he knew those two girls had a past. 

“Sakura…” his voice trailed off as he let out a sigh, “I don’t want to say.”

“Why not?” Naruto questioned.

“I wouldn’t want to offend Sakura-chan.”

“Daiki-san, please? I need-” Sakura caught herself before continuing,” It’s not like I care what she thinks but, I’m curious about what she said.” Sakura stared down at her feet. Glancing behind him, Kakashi noticed how the Prince’s gaze lingered on Sakura for a moment too long. 

“Fine, as you insist.” Sakura's head shot up as she tried her best to look indifferent. “She told me about how you guys were ‘rivals’ and how you had distinct pink hair. Something about how you were weak and useless if I remember clearly?” Glancing to his right Daiki looked at Sakura’s hair, it was a nice shade of pink but it did look like it was cut unprofessionally. 

“Ah- I see.” her voice came just above a whisper. Sakura’s usually pristine posture had slumped. 

“But, she said that she thinks of you as a sister. She said that you also impressed her, like when you cut your hair and broke free from her jutsu...”

“You broke from her jutsu?” Sasuke asked. This was the first time he had heard of this. 

Sakura carefully nodded, “Yeah.” 

“You should have seen her teme- they tied, but Sakura-chan should have won. She looked so cool!” Naruto gloated for her. 

She didn’t know why but she suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as all eyes seemed to have fallen on her. She rushed ahead of the boys and walked beside Kakashi, who gave her a pat on the head to comfort the embarrassed preteen before continuing to read his interesting book. Sasuke felt some sort of pride overcome him at what he just learned. To his knowledge it was extremely difficult, if not impossible, to break from the mind-transfer jutsu, especially for a genin. 

“Sakura-chan is quite impressive,” Daiki said to no one in particular. 

Naruto nodded, “Yeah she is! She’s been improving a ton recently, right Sasuke-teme?”

Sasuke subconsciously nodded in agreement. He had noticed a drastic change in the girl after the forest of death. On more than one occasion, Sasuke had come across Sakura training on their off days.

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Next Part