It was sometime later that Naruto caught up to Sakura. He hadn't realized that she could run that fast or for that long. After nearly an hour he was able to catch up enough to grab her by the back of her shirt and halt her progress. With a shriek she was yanked off her feet and found herself on her back, looking up into the eyes of an out-of-breath and more than slightly miffed Naruto. The frown on his face looked so out of place and comical, she couldn't help but laugh. She had to get to her feet on her own since his arms were crossed over his chest and he wasn't offering.
"Care to tell me why Baa-chan was thundering toward me like a herd of cattle with Shizune right behind her? Care to tell me further why she looked like she'd kill me if she caught me? What did you do?"
Sakura had the grace to look sheepish when she gazed up at her much larger companion. She was out of breath herself and hadn't realized how long she had been running. They were several miles outside of Konoha now and with the time they'd made, they should be close to a town by now. At least she wouldn't have to sleep in a tent tonight.
"I ran Shishou's underwear up the flagpole. Shizune's too. They caught me when I was running up the last pair and gave chase. I guess that I was in too much of a rush to stop and say hello when I saw you. I didn't think it would take you that long to catch me though."
"You were running extremely quickly and I didn't think to disengage my chakra weights or push chakra to my legs."
"You mean you caught me on your own strength with several handicaps?"
"Yeah. So?"
Sakura merely looked at him and turned around while shaking her head. He had changed much and yet was still himself. It was then she realized that her bags weren't with her. She had forgotten her pack at the flagpole when she ran for her life. Things were already looking bleak and they hadn't even got started yet. Naruto noticed her crestfallen look and sighed inwardly.
"Alright, what's the matter?"
"I forgot my pack in my rush to get away."
"So what do you have with you?"
"The clothes on my back and a couple hidden kunai. I don't have any money."
"You have your master's luck, that's for sure. Well, we'll have to get you some new clothes in the next town. At least until we reach a decent place that sells clothing for shinobi. Let's get a move on. I want to get to town before dark."
He walked away from her without a look back. Sakura huffed in annoyance and picked up her pace until she was beside him. Shifting her sight so that she could see him out of the corners of her eyes, she tried to strike up a conversation.
"So, what town are we going to first?"
"Hell if I know. You're the one who took off in a random direction. You tell me."
"You mean to tell me that a Sannin doesn't even know where he is or where he's going?"
Naruto stared down at his short companion and smirked.
"I believe that's the pot calling the kettle black, Sakura. You're a Sannin too, you know."
Blushing furiously, she mounted her counter attack.
"Pervert."
"That has no relevance here, but no, I am not a pervert."
"Are too."
"I'm not playing this game."
Sakura walked along in silence for all of thirty seconds.
"Are too."
