True Love Occurs Naturally- A Naruto Shippuden love story (With whom? Well, you'll have to read to find out...)

Chapter 1- Encounters

My first day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves changed my life forever. The gate loomed over me as I walked into the village. Two Jounin greeted me at the entrance.

"Welcome, Savanna," said one. "We hope you will find this village pleasurable to live in. The loss of your parents was very tragic…" he trailed off.

I smiled. "It's fine. I'm sure I'll like it here. Maybe I'll even stay permanently!"

The other Jounin chuckled. He had on green spandex, and his shiny, black hair was styled into a bowl haircut. "I like your enthusiasm. What is your name again?"

"Savanna. Savanna Raiyn."

"Oh," he said. "The Raiyn clan. You are the only one left, correct? Do not worry. There is another person your age here that is the last of his clan, too."

Another person like me? I had no idea who this guy was, but I hoped I could meet this mysterious person soon.

The first Leaf Jounin I talked to walked back to the lookout station, but the green spandex one stayed back and chatted. He was… well, certainly interesting. I shifted my purple bag a little, but then set it at my feet.

"Oh! You must be starving!" he said after a while. "There is this great place called Ichiraku Ramen a little ways down this road. It was nice meeting you, Savanna!" And so help me, he winked, grinned, and gave me a thumbs up. Nonetheless, I smiled and waved as I walked down the gravel road.

Wow… This town was so full of life. People of all ages bustled past me, and there was a constant stream of noise. Today was sunny, which was nice. When I spotted a shack known as Ichiraku Ramen, I lifted the flaps and sat down on a stool. I could hear the owner conversing to someone next to me, but I didn't take any notice.

"Hey… I've never seen you here before."

I glanced up and took in the sight of the one who addressed me behind the counter; he looked like he was in his fifties. "Well… No," I said. "I came here from the Village Hidden in the Rainbows."

A confused expression fell upon his face. "Oh? I've never heard of that village before."

Of course he didn't… It was a secret town hidden by genjutsu. "It's a secret place," I partially explained.

He nodded. "So, what would you like to order?"

I ordered my food and observed the shop. It was small, but it had a cozy feel to it. I froze when I looked to my left; a boy smirked at me as if I was his best friend.

"Hey," he said. He wore an orange and black outfit and he had spiky blonde hair. He also had the most brilliant blue eyes I had ever seen. But what surprised me the most was the markings on his cheeks.

Were they… whiskers? No… They were just three lines on each cheek that resembled whiskers…

Whatever. I'd met a lot of strange people in my life. I politely smiled. "Hey," I said.

"What's your name?" the boy asked. Wow, he was extremely friendly…

"Savanna. Savanna Raiyn."

"Nice to meet you, Savanna! I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he grinned.

"Nice to meet you too, Naruto."

"I can see that you're a shinobi because of your headband," Naruto remarked. "But I've never seen that symbol before."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm from the Village Hidden in-"

"The Rainbows. Oh, yeah! I heard you before. It's secret… That's so cool."

I couldn't help but smile a little. This Naruto kid amused me. All my headband had was a rainbow- two upside down u's.

"What rank are you?" asked Naruto.

"I'm a Jounin."

Naruto's face fell. "Of course. Everyone is at least a Chunin but me. I need to train harder…" he trailed off when our food arrived. He put on a smile again.

"Ichiraku Ramen is the best! You'll love it, too."

I looked down at my bowl and sighed. All of my friends, family, gone…

"What's wrong, Savanna?"

I glanced to my left and Naruto's bright, blue eyes were wide with concern.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little homesick, that's all."

"Try your food. It will bring anyone's mood up," said Naruto. He seemed to really like this place, so I tried some of the ramen.

"Wow. This is really good," I said.

Naruto chuckled. "I told you!"

When I finished, I fished in my bag for my wallet, but Naruto stopped me. "It's my treat," he said. "It's your first time in the village and all, so it's the least I can do."

He was probably the friendliest person I had encountered in a long time. "Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded.

"Thank you so much, Naruto. I've never met anyone like you before."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and smirked. "So, how old are you, anyway?"

"Actually, I just turned sixteen yesterday."

"Oh. We're the same age, then!" I couldn't not respond to Naruto's enthusiasm, so I giggled.

"I think Team Guy is nearby. I can introduce you to them," said Naruto.

I nodded. One person I met could have become by comrade, and I was lucky to have come across a person who seemed to know so many people.

Before I left Ichiraku Ramen, I left the owner a tip on the counter. "Thanks for the food," I said. "It was delicious!" He smiled and Naruto grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the shop.

Jeez. He barely knew me, and now he was pulling me places. My long brown hair trailed behind me as I caught up to Naruto. "Why are you in such a hurry?" I questioned.

"I want to see what you can do," said Naruto. "When you get there and everyone finds out that you're a Jounin, Bushy Brow will want to fight you!"

I looked up, confused. What…? Bushy Brow? Fight? "Uhh… This will be just training, right?"

"Of course," said Naruto. "Bushy Brow is so polite to everyone. It's kind of annoying sometimes."

Although I was still confused, I didn't ask any more questions. He led me to the right until we got to the woods bordering the village. I thought we were going to stop there, but we kept on walking until we got to a clearing.

There were two boys and a girl, both my age, training excessively. I couldn't make out what they looked like, though.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. Everyone but one person stopped training; that boy was taking out a tree stump. But the other two came over to Naruto and me.

"Hey, Naruto," said the girl. She had on what looked like a white robe, with scrolls on her back. She also had her brown hair put into two buns, and she had brown eyes, unlike my emerald ones. "Who's the girl?"

Naruto grinned. "She's Savanna Raiyn, and she came from the Village Hidden in the Rainbows to live here!"

"Oh," she said. She turned to me and smiled. "I'm sorry… I should introduce myself. I'm Tenten and this is Neji Hyuga." She gestured to the guy next to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Tenten," I said.

She nodded. "Guy-Sensei is going to kill me if I stop my training right now. See you later!" She zipped off into the trees.

"I've never seen her train so hard before," said Naruto. "What's gotten into her?"

"I believe she and Lee are trying to catch up to me and become Jounin," said the boy named Neji. I turned so I faced him, and for some reason he was looking at me, not Naruto. He had long brown hair tied when it reached his lower back, and he had milky, light purple eyes. I felt like he could see right through me! He also had on a white robe.

"Savanna's a Jounin," Naruto trailed off.

Neji's eyes showed a little surprise, but then the corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile. He beckoned me and started walking towards the other boy. "Come, Savanna. You should meet Lee."

I looked quizzically at Naruto, but something in his expression told me he knew what was going to happen. He grinned. "Remember the reason I brought you here."

I walked through the grass to get to Neji and this mysterious Lee. When Naruto and I caught up to Neji, the other boy stopped in the middle of kicking a tree stump. He had on green spandex, a Chunin vest, and orange leg warmers. But his black hair was… well… shiny, for a good thing. The bad part was that it was in a bowl haircut. He bore an uncanny resemblance to that shinobi who greeted me at the entrance of the village…

"Neji, who is this girl?" he asked.

"This is Savanna Raiyn of the Village Hidden in the Rainbows," said Neji. "She'll be living here from now on."

Naruto coughed. "She's a Jounin!"

I sighed and glanced at Naruto, but his eyes were still closed and that grin was still plastered on his face.

"You will make a worthy opponent!" said Lee. "My name is Rock Lee and I issue you a challenge!"

Naruto stood off to the side, but I heard Neji's voice in my ear. "Accept the challenge. Just like Naruto, I want to see what you can do."

I turned around and looked up at him. "How do you know that Naruto wants to watch me fight?"

Neji smirked. "Oh, come on. It's written all over his face. Can't you tell?"

I turned back around and assessed Naruto. He watched me intently and smiled. "I have no idea what Neji told you, but you should accept the challenge," he said.

I shook my head and chuckled. "Okay, Rock Lee. Let's do this."

Lee took up a formal defensive stance and held the back of his right hand out to me. Both of his hands and his forearms were bandaged; he obviously was a master at Taijutsu. I tensed my body, waiting for him to make the first move.

Lee suddenly zipped towards me. Hmm… He was fast, but not as fast as I was, He struck his leg out to kick me, but I blocked it with my forearms. His face reflected surprise at my speed, and he sprang into the air before I could do anything else.

I made three hand signs. "Wind Style; Air Sword Jutsu!" The air around me compressed into a long, smooth, transparent blade. So far, nobody had broken it. As it was forming, I grabbed four shuriken from my purple bag around my shoulder.

When Rock Lee came down, I jumped out of the way and his leg connected with the ground, cracking the earth. I threw my four shuriken, but he dodged them with ease, running towards me.

So… he liked close combat. He struck out with his arms and legs, making five moves a second. However, I blocked every one of them with my air sword. As Lee dropped his leg from his last kick, I swung my sword, making a gash on his left leg. He flinched, but I knew the fight wasn't over.

"Leaf Hurricane!" he shouted. Lee spun around and around and jumped with incredible speed. When he dropped from the sky, I held out my sword and his legs connected with it.

And suddenly… the sword shattered.

Now wasn't the time to react to my sword breaking. I jumped to the center of the field with Lee not far behind me. Quickly, I spun around to face him and casted a genjutsu, weaving hand signs.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and Lee froze, his eyes going wide with terror. In my genjutsu, all the air around him was being sucked into an unknown vortex. Even though he could really breathe, Lee clawed at his throat. I didn't want to make him suffer, so I tried to end it quickly.

"Earth Style: Grass Encasement Jutsu." Suddenly, the grass around Lee grew long and encased his whole body except for his head. When I focused all of my chakra into my hands and spread them over the grass, it hardened into what felt like rock.

I knelt down and touched Lee's forehead. "Release," I said. His eyes focused on me and he struggled in my trap, but to no avail. Neji walked up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"The fight is over," he stated. I nodded and formed a hand sign, letting the grass fall off of Lee and grow back to its original length. Naruto came over and bent down so that our faces were at the same level, only a few inches apart.

I stared into his blue eyes, and he stared into my emerald ones. "Wow, Savanna!" he exclaimed. "You're amazing!" I smiled a real smile, one that I hadn't shown in a year.

"Thank you," I said. Naruto smiled back and he opened his mouth to say something, but I heard Lee grunt beside me. I remembered the cut I gave him with the sword and rushed over.

My hands started glowing green, and I reached over his leg, healing it gradually. Lee sat up, and I saw what looked like admiration on his face.

"You're a medical ninja as well?" asked Neji. I glanced up and nodded. Everyone's' faces were filled with awe.

"Savanna," said Rock Lee.

"Yes?" I asked. I looked at him, wanting to hear what he wished to say.

"You are a wonderful and courageous fighter," said Lee. "Please be my girlfriend. I vow to protect you with my life. Not that you need any protecting. I will still protect you until I die!"

My eyes widened in surprise, and Neji shook his head. "First, it was with Sakura, and now it's Savanna…" he trailed off. When I glanced at Naruto, I couldn't read his expression; he was staring at the ground.

My healing was finished, and I helped Lee stand up. "I really appreciate it, but I just barely met you. You're really nice and everything, but I think I'll pass." I smiled, indicating that we could still be friends.

Lee had a determined look on his face now. "Alright. Once you get to know me, I will earn your respect and protect you at any cost so you will eventually be my girlfriend!"

"Uhh… I don't think…"

Lee was too busy caught up in his dream. "Yes! That is what I will do. I will catch up to Guy-Sensei and ask for his advice! Goodbye, Savanna." Before I could react, he scooped up my hand, kissed it, and zipped off into the trees.

"Lee can be annoying sometimes," said Naruto.

Neji still shook his head. "Ridiculous," he muttered. Then, he looked up at me so quickly I jumped where I was standing. "Have you met Guy-Sensei?" he inquired.

"It depends," I replied. There was a resemblance between Rock Lee and that weird Jounin I met at the front gate, though…

"Does he look like Lee?" I asked. Neji nodded. "Then I have," I clarified. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps in the grass coming towards me.

"Hey, Naruto. I heard the new girl would be with you. You attract new people like a magnet."

I turned around and saw another guy my age standing next to Naruto. He had dark, black hair pulled into a spiky ponytail, a Chunin vest on with a green uniform, and brown eyes.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I just ran into her at Ichiraku Ramen. Who doesn't love that place?"

The guy sighed and faced me. "Anyway, the Hokage sent me to find you. I thought it would be a drag, but I kind of wanted to meet you myself. You're Savanna Raiyn of the Rainbow Village, correct?" I nodded.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Shikamaru Nara."

"Hi, Shikamaru," I smiled. "Why did the Hokage want to see me?"

"Oh," said Shikamaru. "Actually, she's too busy right now to actually speak with you herself. She wanted me to show you where your new home is."

I laughed. "I nearly forgot about that!"

Neji bid his farewells, and Naruto looked like he was sulking. "I wish I could come, but I need to catch up on my training with Kakashi-Sensei," he said. "I just hope he isn't too late this time…"

"Okay," I said. "Bye, Naruto!"

Naruto waved and started walking off into the trees. "See you later!" he called.

Shikamaru chuckled. "You're popular already," he remarked. "Come on… Let's go."