Because I Belong To Him

by Kyuumei

Your typical Naruto-returns-to-Konoha story. Hinata enlists Sakura's help in getting Naruto's attention. Kind of sappy, if I say so myself. Naru/Hina. Absurdly long for one chapter.

Disclaimer:Welcome to the disclaimer. The author, heretofore referred to as 'me' or 'I', hereby disavows any and all ownership of characters, places, or ideas not his own and belonging to the Japanese manga comic and anime known as 'Naruto'. Such material is the sole property of one Masashi Kishimoto. Any and all ideas, characters, places, etc. not pertaining to the manga or anime known as 'Naruto' are sole property of the author, or me. For those of you who don't speak 'Lawyer', perhaps a translation to 'Ninja' would be acceptable: Covering My Ass From Lawsuits No Jutsu. Also keep in mind that this is smut, hentai, Adult Only material. If you aren't of legal consenting age or mature enough to enjoy it regardless of age, go read something else. It is rated 'M' for a reason. Now that that's over and done with, I present for your reading pleasure...

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Because I Belong To Him

The First Chapter:

Twice Shy Once Bitten

A Naruto/Hinata Story

---

For the first time that she could remember, Hinata's father was actually yelling at her. Not his typical 'yelling at you without actually raising his voice' yell, mind you, but actually shouting. Hyuuga Hiashi was not a happy man at the moment. She couldn't really blame him though, considering the circumstances. From what she could tell, her father had always disliked Naruto. At least now she knew why.

Sighing, she stood mid-tirade and made her way to the sliding door. Pausing in his rant, Hiashi eyed his eldest daughter. "Where do you think you are going, young lady? I am not finished with you."

She nearly lost her nerve, feeling his heated gaze on her back, but a pulse of something warm and comforting from where her right collar-bone and neck met reassured her. Turning around, she looked her father in the eye. When she spoke, it was with confidence. She did not stutter, nor did she avert her eyes. For the first time in her life, Hinata stood up to her father's will and spoke her mind. "Yes father, you are finished. I'm leaving."

The force of her father's glare only increased and she could feel barely contained killing intent with his next words. "If you go through with this, you will be excommunicated from the clan. You will be dead in the eyes of the Hyuuga."

Hinata nodded. "So be it, then. I have no use for a clan that would enslave half of its members with politics, protocol, and procedure and the other half with a seal originally designed for prisoners of war. Goodbye, father." That said, the girl stepped quietly from the room and slid the door closed behind her, making her way to her room to gather her things.

Had she used her family's bloodline limit to look she would have seen a barely detectable smile on Hiashi's face, mixed with the fury it held. Despite her poor choice in men, Hiashi was proud of his eldest child. She was finally able to stand up for herself, to make her own decisions, and live for her own goals instead of those of others. Perhaps, in time, he could come to thank the Uzumaki boy for giving his daughter this freedom. ...After he had words with the boy for stealing his eldest child away in the process. Hiashi sighed, slumping back into his chair. In that moment, his current sentiment resembled that of a certain other clan. "Troublesome," he murmured.

Upstairs, Hinata finished packing her clothes and the things she wanted to take with her before slinging her bag over her shoulders and heading back downstairs. She was unsurprised to find her younger sister waiting for her in front of the doors leading out of the Hyuuga complex. "What is it, Hanabi?" she asked, not bothering any more with the formal tone she'd kept for so long.

"Where are you going?" the younger—and now only—heir to the clan asked.

Hinata smiled down at her sister and answered the only way she knew how. "Home."

"'Home' with the Uzumaki bastard? You bring disgrace to the Hyuuga name!"

Hinata's smile faltered, reversing course and heading straight for frown-country. "I am no longer Hyuuga, and I believe the clan has been bringing disgrace to itself for long enough without any help from me."

Hanabi ground her teeth in frustration, causing Hinata to smile once more. "What shame is there in being the most powerful of the clans? Uzumaki-teme has no clan, no family prestige. He is not worthy of a Hyuuga, even one such as yourself. He is worth less than shit. And you would lower yourself further by becoming his bitch?"

Everyone in the Hyuuga compound paused in what they were doing as a familiar-yet-not chakra pulsed through the building. Hinata's fist connected with Hanabi's face faster than the younger girl could track, sending her sprawling against the doors where she slumped down to the floor bleeding and in pain. The younger girl's eyes were wide in fear that, for the moment, was slipping through the composed mask that all of their clan wore. "Say what you wish about me, but you will not speak of Naruto-kun in such a manner." As she spoke, the split across two of her knuckles caused by connecting with her sister's face quickly closed over. After a moment, it was gone... healed far faster than any human could hope to achieve and leaving nary a sign that it had even been there save for a smear of blood.

Hanabi got back to her feet and quickly slipped around her sister. "Fine, go sully yourself with that demon-shit. You are dead to us, sister. Freak."

Hinata shrugged, opening the door to the house and closing it softly behind her as she left. Before exiting the compound, she paused to remove her hitai-ate from around her neck and replace it on her forehead. She took her time walking through the village, letting anyone that bothered to look get a good look at what her hitai-ate had previously covered. There, where neck and right collar-bone joined was a strange seal composed of a spiral surrounded by what looked to be nine tails. She wouldn't care what anyone else thought of her from now on. Only one person's opinion truly mattered any more. A small smile graced her lips as she thought back to how she'd gotten the mark...

---

Hinata smiled as she made her way towards the business district of Konoha. Today was turning out to be a good day, even for a Monday. The clouds that had blanketed the sky for the previous week had lifted some time during the night and now the sun shone brightly over the village. She even went so far as to dare to hope that perhaps the return of the light to Konoha portended a return of another light that had been sorely missed in the village, in the form of a certain blond-haired hyper-active ninja that always managed to bring a smile to her face no matter what mood she was in.

She came upon an intersection and turned down onto the main thoroughfare. Within moments, she spotted a familiar head of pink hair seated at a table outside of a popular ice cream parlor. Smiling, she greeted the other kunoichi warmly before having a seat herself. "So, Hinata... hear the news?" asked Haruno Sakura, med-nin in training and apprentice to Tsunade-sama, the Godaime Hokage.

Hinata shook her head, picking up the menu and glancing through it. "No, what news?"

Sakura's face lit up in a grin. Oh, this was going to be good... "He's coming back."

Hinata's grip tightened on the menu and her breath stilled for a moment. Slowly, she folded the menu closed and took a deep breath before leveling her best glare at the girl across from her. "That isn't nice, you know. You're always teasing me," she whined, losing the glare for a pout.

"Who said I was kidding?"

Hinata's mouth opened to reply, but before she could a presence at the side of their table drew her attention away from Sakura. A civilian boy about their age stood there holding a small note pad and a pen, wearing a brightly colored apron over plain clothes. "So, are you ladies ready?"

Looking at Hinata out of the corner of her eye, Sakura's grin became devious. "Oh, I'm sure someone here is ready."

Hinata blushed and hastily gave the teen her order, jumbling the words together. Sakura followed suit, without the stutter and rushed out gushing of words. The boy nodded, writing everything down and hurrying away. Once he was gone, Hinata threw another glare towards Sakura. "I. Hate. You."

Sakura nodded. "Just be thankful Ino isn't here."

A voice from behind her caused Sakura to cringe. "You talking about me behind my back, Forehead-Girl?"

"No," Sakura ground out. "I'm talking about you while you're behind MY back, Ino-pig. What do you want?"

The blond kunoichi's arms snaked their way around Sakura's neck in a loose hug from behind. "Hi Hinata," the Yamanaka greeted, before turning her attention back to her on-again off-again rival and friend. "So's the rumor true?"

"Ye—wait, which one?" asked Sakura cautiously. Years of being around Ino had conditioned her into thinking her responses through thoroughly before answering anything the other kunoichi asked. Ino would find and had found ways to turn even the most innocent conversation onto dangerously perverted ground. Nose-bleedingly, Hinata-passing-out perverted ground at that.

"You know. The one about a certain vertically-challenged, orange-clad loudmouth coming back soon."

Hinata looked between the two kunoichi in front of her, curiosity evident on her face. "Naruto-kun is coming back?" she asked quietly.

Sakura sighed, her head drooping. She'd wanted to string Hinata along just a little further... Oh well. "Yes. He's due in this week. Now, go away," she said, making shoo-ing motions towards the blond girl as the boy who had taken their orders dropped off their ice cream and left.

"Yeah, whatever," Ino grumbled. Reaching out, she snagged Sakura's ice cream cone and gave it a long lick before handing it back to a mildly grossed-out looking Sakura. "Later, Forehead."

"Scram, Pig!" yelled the pink-haired kunoichi, pouting over her 'ruined' ice cream. After a moment, she shrugged and decided not to let it go to waste. "Mmm, still good," she mumbled around a mouthful of strawberry-flavored goodness.

"When did you find out?" Hinata asked, digging her spoon into her cup of ice cream with a little more restraint than her pink-haired counterpart.

"Last night," answered Sakura.

"I wonder when he'll get in..." murmured the indigo-haired Hyuuga heiress, her gaze taking on a distant look.

Sakura sighed. "You know, you could tell him. If not for yourself, then at least think about my needs. He's been hounding me for a date since we were in the academy."

Hinata giggled, a smile gracing her lips. "What would I say?"

"The truth, for starters," answered the pink-haired girl. "And you know how he is, you'll have to come right out and say it. He's completely dense about this kind of thing. It's like talking to a brick wall."

Nodding her agreement, Hinata sighed. "But... he always makes me feel so flustered. I always stutter and lose my nerve. He probably thinks I'm weird..."

"Knowing Naruto, he does," Sakura agreed. "But it's only because he's got mush for brains."

"That's not true! Naruto-kun is very smart, he's just..."

Sakura smirked. "Easily distracted? Absent-minded? He has too much energy to focus on any one thing for more than five seconds?"

Letting out her breath in a huff, Hinata nodded. "Yes."

"I swear, the boy would probably work better if he just used Kage Bunshin and left it that way. The only person with more enthusiasm than Naruto is Fuzzy-Brows," Sakura shuddered, picturing Rock Lee's gigantic caterpillar eyebrows removing themselves from his face and attacking the village. Hinata let out a strangled choking noise and blushed violently. Seeing this, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Are you ok, Hinata?"

"I-it's nothing, Sakura-chan," stuttered the girl, averting her eyes.

Sakura was not fooled. Going back over what she said, something clicked in her mind. Her smile morphed itself into a lecherous grin. "Volume Nine, chapter eighteen," she guessed. A small trail of blood leaked out of Hinata's nose. "That one was pretty good. Who knew that Jin-kun had a twin brother... two of them, actually?"

"Stop it," grumbled Hinata, mortified at having been found out.

"You know who writes those, right?" Seeing Hinata shake her head, Sakura laughed. "Naruto's new sensei. He's supposedly one of the Densetsu no Sannin. And from what Tsunade-sama tells me, the lech gets all of his 'research material' from real life."

"Oh, Gods," Hinata groaned, knowing where this conversation was going. After a minute however, she straightened up and glared at nothing in particular. Seeing Sakura's inquisitive look, Hinata referenced the same volume of the Icha Icha series as well. "Same book, last chapter."

After a moment, a look of comprehension dawned on Sakura's face. "That BITCH!" she growled, scaring several passers-by. After a moment, she took a deep breath and settled down. "Wait, this is Naruto we're talking about. The chances of that happening are about as likely as Kakashi going a day without Icha Icha and his mask."

A look of relief came over Hinata's face and she slumped back down in her chair. "You're right."

"So!" Sakura said, perking up. "Thought up a solution to your little confidence problem?"

"No."

"Hmm," Sakura mused, thinking on the matter. "Well, there's always the ninja way of going about it. In fact, that's probably the best course of action in this case."

"The ninja way..." Hinata questioned, but caught on after a moment. "Approach it like a mission?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, that would work. Step one, lay out a clearly defined set of goals you wish to accomplish: in this case, that would be telling him the truth and seeing what happens from there.. Unless you already have something in mind?" Seeing Hinata nod, Sakura grinned. "I see... Well then, step two: study your target. Know the target's habits, mannerisms, and possible reactions to any given situation. You already have a good idea of all of this, don't you?"

"Yes," Hinata confirmed, smiling. "The first thing he'll do when he gets back is go straight to Tsunade-sama. Next, he'll visit Iruka-sensei and probably go to Ichiraku Ramen. Iruka-sensei will wind up paying. Afterwards, he will go back to his apartment and put away his travel gear, followed by a quick shower. Then, he will seek out his friends, starting with you."

Sakura blinked, slightly taken aback. "...Just how long have you been watching that idiot?"

Hinata's smile turned slightly sad. "A very, very long time."

"Right. Ok, then on to step three: plan your mission. Generally, it's best to set a few sub-objectives and improvise the rest on the spot. If you plan everything too finely and leave no room for the unexpected, you will fail. And with Naruto, you have to expect anything to happen," said Sakura, drawing a nod from Hinata. "So, what's your plan?"

Hinata thought for a moment, recalling all she knew about her blond-haired crush. "If this were a mission.."

"It is," interrupted the other kunoichi. "That's the only way to look at it."

Hinata nodded. "Then an ambush would probably work best. But the timing will be key. If I spring the trap too soon, he will simply break free and ignore me. Too late, and he will have slipped away."

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "So you can't do anything the moment he arrives. He'd just brush you off."

"The best time then," continued the indigo-haired girl, "would be after he has relaxed and let down his guard."

"So definitely after he's eaten and showered. Nothing can distract Naruto from ramen," Sakura pointed out.

Hinata giggled. "Yes. Though..."

Sakura's eyebrows crept towards her hairline. She had caught on, apparently. "An offering of ramen and a virgin sacrifice? Too subtle, you think?"

A sound suspiciously akin to a cross between a snort and a choked gasp escaped Hinata's throat. "...Probably," she agreed after a moment. "And if I try before he has spoken with you, it would wind up in another brush-off."

Sakura nodded. "So, what would he do next?"

"That depends on the time of day," answered Hinata. After a moment, a small smile lit her face. "If it were night, he would be bored enough to go home and go to bed early. If we timed it correctly..."

"Then that would be the perfect time to strike!" Sakura grinned. "But uh, how do you suppose we do that? Naruto's pretty unpredictable sometimes."

A smirk slowly crept its way onto Hinata's face, looking fairly out of place there. Sakura had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, all of a sudden. "Manipulation of the target. Force him to stick to a schedule. Make sure he will be at a specified location, at a specified time."

Sakura groaned. "Oh no. You don't mean..."

"Yes. The one thing, besides ramen, that Naruto-kun would never say no to," Hinata's smirk became devious. "He would agree to a date with you with no hesitation."

"You're right, and I hate you for it. Ok, so what time? Seven?" Sakura asked, resolving herself to this small sacrifice for Hinata's sake.

Hinata thought for a moment and came up with a good time-frame. "No. Better make it eight. If you go anywhere other than Ichiraku's, you will be guaranteed at least an hour of time with him." Her smirk reverted back to her usual innocent smile. "Besides, you two have some catching up to do."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I suppose so. What should I wear? I don't want to wear something that says 'bend me over and take me now,' that would be kind of counter-productive."

Hinata's blush returned. "Something suggestive, but less revealing? Something that, while not saying that outright, would make sure the thought crossed his mind?"

Again, Sakura groaned. "You want me to seduce Naruto for you?"

"Maybe just a little," Hinata admitted with a giggle. "And you'd have to make sure that he understands what kind of occasion it is."

"Right," Sakura nodded. "In other words, make sure he knows that large amounts of orange is out of the question. He doesn't have any formal wear, does he?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. At least, he didn't before he left. Who knows now though? He would be more comfortable in something less traditional, while still semi-formal though."

Sakura snickered. "Something easy to cut through, you mean?" she asked, trying to get a rise out of Hinata. Seeing the other girl blush, she continued. "If he doesn't have anything, Ino and I can get him something. So, what do you plan to wear? Remember, you've got to make a good first impression. Preferably something that says something like 'I'm a dangerous and sexy kunoichi.'"

"I... I don't have anything like that," Hinata admitted quietly.

"...Maybe you do," Sakura mumbled, looking the other girl over. "Stand up and unzip your jacket," she suggested. Hinata complied and Sakura eyed her outfit critically. The black pants she wore hugged her body like a second skin and the purple shirt below her jacket showed off her considerable assets nicely. "Yeah, unzipping the jacket definitely helps. I think what you've got on now would work."

"You really think so?" Hinata asked, sitting back down but leaving the jacket unzipped.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I do. You've got bigger breasts than me... or any of the other kunoichi our age for that matter, including Temari. Why do you hide in the jacket?"

"It's embarrassing," Hinata blushed, twiddling her fingers. "I'm the only one in my family..." she trailed off, willing Sakura to understand without her having to vocalize it.

"Wait, you're saying..." Sakura asked. At Hinata's nod, Sakura smirked. "So most of the other Hyuuga women are flat-chested. I see. That would explain Neji." That drew a laugh from Hinata. Sakura trailed off, but picked up again with another smirk after a moment. "Are you wearing panties?" she asked, voice pitched low.

Hinata's face, which had been losing its blush, lit up again. "...You do that on purpose, don't you?"

"Yes. Now..."

"If you must know, no," answered the Hyuuga girl. "They're easy to see..."

Sakura nodded sagely, understanding. Pantie-lines were the enemy of any good kunoichi out to look sexy. "Good. Keep it that way. Make sure you drop something at some point. If he doesn't notice that, then something's wrong."

Hinata sighed. "Do you really think this is going to work?"

"Maybe," said Sakura. "Well, if it doesn't there's always 'Plan B.'"

"'Plan B?'"

"Volume nine, chapter nine. Knock him out, tie him up, and have your way with him."

Hinata spluttered, nearly choking to death. After a moment, she recovered enough to speak. "Have you memorized the series or something?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "As much as I would like to answer no, that would be a lie. It's Kakashi's fault, really. Always flaunting that book of his around everywhere he goes. He corrupted me!"

"Oh, did he?" asked Hinata innocently. This time, it was Sakura's turn to splutter and choke. Hinata smirked in triumph. "It serves you right. Now you know how I feel."

"No, I don't. I'm sure Naruto will though..."

Hinata rolled her eyes. "You really have been spending too much time with Ino."

"Shit, speaking of time," Sakura stated, looking at her watch. "I've got to get going if I'm going to find a dress and get any time studying in." She stood from the table, leaving her share of the bill.

Hinata stood as well. "You're right. I should go practice. Thanks for the talk, Sakura-chan."

"Hey, it's no problem. Just remember, since I'm helping you with this I'm going to want all the details when all is said and done," Sakura grinned, starting off towards one of the clothing stores. "Best of luck, Hinata-chan!" she called, waving over her shoulder.

Waving at the other girl, even though she knew Sakura wouldn't see her, Hinata sighed. "I can do this," she whispered, trying to reassure herself. Nodding, she bounded onto the nearest roof and in the direction of the training field closest to the west village entrance.

---

Outside of Konohagakure no Sato, an orange-and-black clad figure stood in the upper branches of a tree looking over the village. From his position the Hokage tower was back-lit by the sun, which coated everything below in a golden light. To the north of the tower, he spotted the Hokage monument and grinned. A fifth face had been added there now, that of the Godaime Hokage... otherwise known to our blond hero as Tsunade-obaachan.

"Get down from there and let's go already!" yelled an annoyed voice from the forest floor.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he dropped from the tree, landing in a crouch in front of Jiraiya. "Damn it Ero-sennin, you interrupted my moment!"

Jiraiya smirked. "Stop your whining, brat," he said, walking towards the west gate.

Naruto grumbled curses at the sage, but followed. Over the last two and a half years, our favorite blond had changed much from what he'd looked like as a genin starting out. He was taller now—though not quite as tall as Jiraiya—and lankier, where he'd been short and stocky before. He had lost his baby fat which had been replaced by hard, well-developed muscle thanks to a strict training regimen courtesy of the toad hermit and a certain nine-tailed fox.

His relationship with the fox had changed as well. Where before they had been only jailer and tenant, now they were willing allies. After Naruto had nearly lost his life in a barely-averted attack by Akatsuki, he and Kyuubi had reached an understanding and common ground. Now, the fox let him use its power freely and in exchange, Naruto had loosened his grip on the seal in order to allow the fox access to the sensations it had been denied. In short, they were now two minds sharing a body instead of constantly at odds in a struggle for control.

As if to emphasize all of his mental and physical changes, Naruto had changed his wardrobe as well. He still wore orange pants, but they were offset by black in places. He still wore ninja sandals, but had opted for black instead of blue. His blue cloth for his hitai-ate headband had been replaced by a longer, black cloth. The biggest change was in the zipped up sweater he wore, which was black along the shoulders, sleeves, down the zipper, and along the bottom with the familiar orange spirals on either shoulder and orange in the middle.

As the two approached the gate, Naruto wondered if his friends would even recognize him now that he was back. A snort from the back of his mind drew his attention. As though anyone with eyes could mistake you for anyone but Uzumaki Naruto. Orange and blond is a dead giveaway.

"Shut it, fox. I haven't seen a mirror in over a year, so I don't even know what I look like any more. Kage Bunshins just don't count in my book."

I have a good hunch, mumbled the fox, stalking back to its corner of their mind and contenting itself with watching the world through Naruto's senses.

A voice from the gate drew their attention. "Man, this is so troublesome. State your.. Naruto?"

Naruto focused on the figure speaking and grinned. "Hey, Shika," greeted the blond.

The pair looked each other over for a moment before Shikamaru spoke again. "Well, she's in for a surprise," he mumbled. Louder, he said, "Go on through. The Hokage probably already knows you're here by now."

"Wait, you're stuck guarding the gate? I thought you were a Chuunin, with big important missions now," Naruto pointed out.

Shikamaru snorted. "Who did you think would guard the gates, elite Jounin like Hatake Kakashi? Besides, I happen to like gate duty. It means lots of free time where the only thing to do is watch the clouds float by."

Naruto tried and failed to imagine Kakashi watching the gates. It just didn't fit with what he knew of his perverted sensei. "You've got a point. So how is everyone doing?"

"Why don't you ask them yourself?" Shikamaru shrugged. "Besides, waste any more time here and Tsunade-sama will bitch at me for holding you up. Get going."

"Heh. Yeah, knowing her short temper," Naruto laughed. "Later, Shika."

Shikamaru gave a half-hearted wave over his shoulder. "Later."

Naruto and Jiraiya started on their way again, but stopped when a tall blond kunoichi with a battle fan strapped to her back stepped into their path. Jiraiya leered while Naruto grinned. "Hey! It's Gaara's sister!"

The girl rolled her eyes. "I have a name, you know. It's—"

"Temari," Naruto said, causing the girl to come up short and blink. "So how're Gaara and Kankuro?"

Temari snorted. "Gaara's busy with paperwork and Kankuro's dorking it up with his dolls."

"Paperwork?" asked the demon container.

"Wait, you didn't know?" Temari asked. Seeing the blond shake his head, she elaborated. "Gaara is Kazekage now."

"Shit!" Naruto yelled, causing the other blond to flinch. Having lived with a jinchuriki for a brother, she wasn't too keen on the idea of pissing the demon hosts off, even if this one didn't seem likely to harm anyone. "He beat me to it, damnit!" Naruto groaned, shaking his head. "Oh well. So, what are you doing here if your brother's a Kage?"

Temari smiled, her eyes shifting towards the gates. "Officially, I'm here as a diplomatic envoy. And speaking of which, I need to go convince a certain lazy-ass Nara to help improve.. village relations."

A startled "Oh, crap!" from the gate drew their attention to a fleeing Shikamaru.

Temari growled. "You can run boy, but you can't hide!" she yelled, taking off after the Chuunin. "Later Naruto! GET BACK HERE NARA!"

Naruto could have sworn he faintly heard a parting "troublesome" from Shikamaru, but passed it off as a trick of the wind. Laughing at the pair's antics, he and his new sensei once again set out for the Hokage tower. They hadn't gotten three steps before both Naruto and the fox felt their collective hackles rise. We're being watched, the fox pointed out.

Naruto's gaze went semi-vacant as he gave a small nod. "Yeah, I feel it too," he thought towards the fox. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply through his nose and stretched out his senses. He felt a familiar chakra signature off to his left, and the wind carried the scent of lavender. Naruto smiled and relaxed his guard. "Hinata-chan."

Naruto got the impression of a grin from the fox. The Hyuuga girl, the fox confirmed, supplying a mental image of the Hinata Naruto remembered. She wouldn't be half bad to look at, if she didn't wear that jacket full time, he commented.

"Not bad at all," Naruto agreed softly, not realizing he'd spoken aloud.

Beside the boy, Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Kid," he murmured out of the corner of his mouth to get Naruto's attention. "Remember what I told you about talking to yourself in public? People are going to think you're weirder than usual."

"Shut your mouth, Ero-sennin," Naruto grumbled, but took the hint.

After a brief meeting with Kiba, Akamaru, and fan-girl pursued Shino, teacher and student found themselves climbing the stairs of Hokage tower. At the top of the stairs they were greeted by Shizune, who gave Naruto a hug and showed the pair into the Hokage's office and went back to her duties. Looking up from her work, Tsunade grinned.

"Hey, Baa-chan," Naruto greeted, returning the woman's grin.

Tsunade stood and made her way around her desk to Naruto, where she threw her arms around him in a crushing (literally) hug. "Brat," she muttered into his ear by way of greeting, noticing that he now stood ever so slightly taller than herself. "You grew up."

"Tsunade," Jiraiya greeted, drawing the woman's attention, which proved to be a bad thing as he'd just interrupted a 'moment' between her and the boy that now filled the place in her heart of both a little brother and son.

"Dirty old lech," Tsunade returned, hugging the other sannin as well. "You'll keep your hands away from my ass if you know what's good for you," she warned as Jiraiya's hands strayed that direction with a mind of their own. Letting her old teammate go, she returned to her seat and motioned for the pair to sit down. "So, tell me what you've been up to in the past two and a half years. You can consider this your official debriefing, by the way."

The pair took turns telling Tsunade about their two and a half years outside of the village, Jiraiya skipping over his 'information gathering' sessions and Naruto conveniently forgetting to mention that he'd been convinced to join the sannin in his peeping sessions on more than one occasion. They had both decided beforehand that it would be best for their health if word of that never got back to Tsunade, ever. Both had seen Tsunade's temper and the results thereof up close and personal and feared it as any man should.

"And that's pretty much it, Baa-chan," finished Naruto.

Tsunade nodded, turning her gaze to Jiraiya. "The seal?"

"It's fine," confirmed the toad sannin. "Apparently it was supposed to do this eventually anyway, if what the fox said can be believed."

A flick of demon chakra from the blond beside him let Jiraiya know of the fox's displeasure at having its word called into question. I have little reason to lie. In fact, if telling the truth would somehow allow that bumbling fool to stop the process, I would have no problem with doing just that, grumbled the fox in question.

Naruto relayed the fox's complaint, shrugging. "He gets annoyed easy, don't mind him," he explained to Tsunade. "Damn fox has an ego the size of the tower."

Stuff it, brat.

"Bite me."

The fox smirked. If only I could.

"So, can I go now?" Naruto asked, ignoring the fox. He was starting to get antsy. He wanted to grab a bite to eat with Iruka-sensei and shower.

Tsunade nodded. "Sure thing, kid. Oh, Sakura's got the day off today, so you might want to meet up with her while you can."

Naruto grinned, standing and making his way to the window as he was too lazy to take the stairs back down. "Great! Later, Baa-chan!"

The blond disappeared out the window and Tsunade shook her head. Turning back to Jiraiya, she regarded her teammate seriously for a moment before reaching under her desk and withdrawing her bottle of 'Emergency Sake' from its hidden drawer. Pouring a cup for herself and one for Jiraiya, she set the bottle down between them and sipped her drink. "So, what's the news on Akatsuki?"

---

Naruto had found Iruka-sensei grading papers in his classroom and promptly dragged the scarred Chuunin out of the academy and in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen. Halfway there, he and the Chuunin had run into Sakura who was just stepping out from a shop that sold formal wear with a cloth bag under her arm. The two chatted for a moment before they were ambushed by Kakashi, who invited them to meet him in their old training field in an hour, which by Kakashi-standard-time gave them at least two hours for Naruto and Iruka to eat lunch and Sakura to put away her purchases.

When they got to the training field, Naruto and Sakura found Kakashi standing there patiently reading his new copy of Icha Icha Tactics which Naruto had given him as a present. Kakashi looked up from his book and grinned under his mask. "You're late."

Naruto and Sakura shared a dumbfounded look for a moment before turning on their old sensei, identical grins on their faces. "A black cat crossed our path and we had to take the long way," the pair deadpanned in tandem.

Kakashi laughed and pulled out a familiar pair of bells, attaching them to his belt. "You remember the rules?" he asked. Seeing the pair nod, he reached up and uncovered his left eye, his Sharingan spinning slowly. "Well then, let's get serious. Shall we?"

The pair nodded and dropped into ready stances. "Have you got a plan?" Sakura asked her blond teammate. When he tried to speak, she cut him off. "Besides 'rush in and attack with everything we've got and hope we win.'" Naruto snickered, nodding. Leaning in, he whispered his plan in Sakura's ear. The pink-haired kunoichi regarded Kakashi for a moment before turning back to her partner. "You really think that'll work?"

"Believe it!" Naruto affirmed. "Ready?" Seeing Sakura nod, he grinned. "Then let's..."

"GO!" both ninja yelled, springing towards Kakashi with weapons drawn.

Less than a minute later, Kakashi opened his eyes and looked down at his two former students—the two students he had neglected and who had now bested him at his own game. Each of them held in their hands a shiny, silver bell that had previously been attached to Kakashi's belt. "...I can't believe I fell for that."

The pair grinned. "We got you good Kakashi-sensei," Naruto laughed.

"I can't believe that actually worked. To think, the great Copy Ninja Kakashi bested by a couple of rookies using his favorite book," mused Sakura, an incredulous look on her face.

Kakashi rolled his...eye. He probably rolled both of them, but seeing as his Sharingan eye had been covered again there was no way to tell. "Looks like you guys pass. Congratulations," he said, grinning as well under his mask. "It's good to have you back, Naruto." With that, he POOF!ed away in a cloud of smoke and chakra, leaving the two teammates to their own devices.

Naruto turned to regard his pink-haired comrade, who was smiling from ear-to-ear. "Say Sakura..."

"Yeah?" asked the girl as the pair began to make their way out of the training field and back into Konoha.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" asked the blond. "I'd really like it if we could go out for dinner or something."

"Uzumaki Naruto," Sakura growled, but the look on her face was playful. Thinking back to her conversation with Hinata from earlier in the day, Sakura grinned. It was a little earlier than she'd expected, but this would suit their plans nicely. Her voice reverted to normal, if somewhat teasing. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Hmm," Naruto hummed, thinking it over. "Nope."

"...No?" asked Sakura, sounding slightly crestfallen.

"Nope. I'm asking if you want to go somewhere and have dinner with me. Totally not-a-date."

Sakura laughed. "Ass," she snickered. "Sure, I'll go out on a not-a-date and have dinner with you. It sounds like fun, and it'd give us time to catch up. Do you have anything to wear?"

Naruto looked confused. "Huh? Wear?" he asked, looking down at the clothes he was wearing. "What's wrong with what I have on now?"

Inside the boy's mind, Kyuubi no Kitsune groaned. She means something other than orange for a change, brat.

"Other than orange!? They make clothes like that?"

Ass.

"Hey, Naruto, are you ok? You kind of spaced out there for a minute."

Naruto shook his head, then nodded. "Yeah, sorry Sakura. I'm fine. What were you saying?"

Sakura looked slightly concerned, but shook it off. "I asked if you had anything other than that to wear. You know, like something formal?"

Naruto shrugged. "No, not really. There wasn't really a point to buying anything like that on the road. I didn't have anywhere to wear it, and even if I did I've been growing so fast that I'd have out-grown it in a month or less."

Sakura blinked. "What?"

Stopping just on the edge of the woods, Naruto held up a leg for the girl to look at. His pants legs were clearly several inches shorter than they were probably meant to be, coming up almost to mid-shin. "I'm kind of in the middle of a growth spurt. Have been for a while, now."

"I...see," Sakura mumbled. Weird, commented Inner Sakura. "Well then, let's get you some clothes."

Naruto suddenly took on a look akin to a cornered animal. "You don't mean..."

"Oh, yes," Sakura smirked. "We're going shopping."

Naruto whimpered, knowing there was no way around it now that she'd set her mind to it. "Do I at least get a say in what I have to wear?"

"If you're really, really lucky."

An hour and some change later found Naruto loading yet another armload of clothes into the arms of a Kage Bunshin, to be delivered to his apartment. Glancing outside the store he had been dragged into, he saw that it was getting close to dark. A look at his watch confirmed that it was nearly six. "Are we done yet?" he asked, receiving glares from the two kunoichi with him.

"No, now stop complaining. You've got two of the best looking kunoichi in the village here helping you pick out clothes. You should feel honored," said another blond, this one Ino.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. So what's left?"

"Well, we got your shoes and socks," started Sakura.

Ino picked up where the pink-haired girl had left off. "And a dozen changes of clothes that aren't orange."

"But but... I like orange," Naruto whined. He was silenced by a pair of glares.

"Black slacks," added Sakura. "So all that's left is the shirt you'll be wearing."

Naruto shrugged, glancing around as the two kunoichi set off in search of the perfect shirt. A flash of color nearby caught his eye, drawing him over to it. What he found caused his eyes to light up. "Hey, guys," he called, picking the shirt up off the rack and looking it over.

Inside his head, the fox looked on curiously. Not bad, kit, it commented.

Sakura and Ino returned empty handed to see what the male blond wanted. "That's..." Ino started.

"Perfect," Sakura finished for her, taking in the shirt.

"Heh. Yeah, that's what I thought too," Naruto said, going over the shirt again. The shirt in question was a shiny black silk. What had caught Naruto's eyes however were the orange flame patterns circling the bottom of the shirt and the bottoms of each sleeve, each of which went down to slightly below the elbow. The buttons holding the shirt closed were a black matching the material of the shirt itself, so as to be unnoticeable while it was worn. And on the back of the shirt, between the shoulder blades, was a large orange spiral.

"That's everything, I guess," said Sakura.

Ino shook her head. "Not quite. It feels like it's missing something."

Naruto shrugged. He was about to turn away from the rack when a second shirt caught his eye. On an impulse, he picked it up and looked it over. Shrugging, he added it to the other shirt in his arms, along with the pair of black pants Sakura had picked out. "What else is there?"

"A tie, maybe," Sakura suggested.

"I like this one," said Ino, who had already been looking through the ties. She picked one up and threw it at Naruto, who caught it and held it up for Sakura to see. The tie in question was black as well and thin, with a single crimson flame stretching up a few inches from the tip.

The fox grinned. She has good taste. Apparently, it approved. Then again, it usually approved of nearly anything that particular shade of red, especially when combined with black.

"I don't know," said Sakura, looking between it and Naruto. "It's up to you, Naruto."

The boy in question looked it over once more before putting it in the stack with the rest of his clothes. "It looks pretty good," he said, walking to the register and paying for his new clothes. Afterwards the trio made their way out of the store and paused in the street. "So, what time do you want to meet?"

Sakura grinned, glancing at her watch just as a formality. Pretending to think about it a moment, she shifted her arm slightly and caught sight of a certain indigo-haired Hyuuga girl on the rooftop behind her in the reflection the dying light cast on the watch. She winked covertly, and Hinata waved before taking off. "How about eight?" she asked finally.

Naruto shrugged. "Eight works for me. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

"Anywhere but Ichiraku," Sakura stated immediately.

Beside the two, Ino looked confused. "Hey wait, all of this is for a date?" she asked the pair.

Naruto and Sakura traded a look before replying simultaneously. "A not-a-date."

Ino narrowed her eyes at Sakura. "But I thought Hi—" she was cut off by Sakura grinding her heel into her foot. "I thought he would be busy tonight," she covered lamely, glaring at Sakura.

Naruto grinned. "Nope. I'm not doing anything for the next few days, besides catching up with you guys."

"I see," Ino said, glancing at Sakura. "So, have you seen anyone else yet? Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata..."

"Well," said the blond, "I saw Shika and Kiba, and Shino too. Haven't seen Hinata yet though," he answered, taking that last one literally. He had felt Hinata nearby for a while now, but had yet to see the girl. He shrugged. "We'll probably bump into each other sooner or later."

Sakura, seeing the lecherous look Ino's face had taken, quickly covered the other girl's mouth with her hand. She had a good idea just what the next words out of her mouth would have been. "Well Naruto, gotta go. I've got to go get ready, and so do you. And remember, we aren't running by Kakashi time. If you show up late, I don't care what your excuse is, I will knock you into next week."

Naruto cringed fearfully. "Ok Sakura, I'll be on time," he agreed before quickly taking off for his apartment.

Once the blond boy had disappeared, Hinata jumped down from a nearby rooftop and joined the other two girls. She had left the three of them for a moment and retreated to the edge of her Byakugan range to make sure that Naruto wouldn't accidentally spot her. "Well?" she asked, sounding somewhat out of breath.

The two other girls grinned. "He looks really good," Ino offered, Sakura having removed her hand from Ino's mouth. "Were you watching the entire time?"

Hinata blushed, but nodded. Sakura smirked. "I thought you might appreciate the trips to the dressing room."

"Uh huh," Hinata confirmed, a small trail of blood leaking from her nose before she wiped it away quickly.

"Why Hinata-chan, I didn't know you had it in you," Ino commented, tossing a sidelong glance at Sakura, who picked up on the lead and went with it.

"She hasn't yet, anyway," Sakura murmured just loud enough for Hinata and Ino to overhear.

The Hyuuga girl stumbled, her face inventing a new shade of red by the second. "I hate you all," she whined.

"You love us," the pair of mischief-makers disagreed in tandem.

Hinata sighed. "I do. So, what does your dress look like?"

Sakura grinned. "I think it'd be best to show you. Come on, let's go. You can help me get ready."

---

Naruto stepped out of his shower and toweled himself dry, stretching and popping several vertebra in his back and neck simultaneously. "Man, that feels so much better."

Of course it would. We've been bathing in streams for the past month. While I appreciate a stream bath just as much as the next kitsune, I've found showers to be far more enjoyable.

"You just like the fact that they're heated."

Perhaps. What time is it? I would prefer not to have to heal any wounds caused by that freakishly strong teammate of yours tonight.

Checking his clock, Naruto shrugged and dug around in his clothes for a pair of boxers. "We've still got over half an hour. It won't take long to find Sakura."

Kyuubi shook its head. You are forgetting one of the most important rules concerning females and any event in which they set a specific time for you to show up.

Naruto pulled on a pair of blue boxers and grabbed his pants, slipping those on as well. "What's that?"

If you aren't early, you're late.

Naruto stumbled, falling back onto his futon. "You're kidding, right?"

I only wish that were true.

"Crap!" Naruto yelled, hastily putting on his socks and shoes before standing and tugging a new version of one of his favorite shirts over his head, the classic black shirt with the orange spiral. Glancing around, he found the two new dress shirts he'd bought. However, before he could pull the one he wanted on, the fox spoke.

Kage Bunshin.

"Why?" Naruto asked, suddenly suspicious.

So you can put on both and then see how each looks.

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever," he said, creating a kage bunshin and throwing it the second shirt while he quickly donned and buttoned the black shirt.

Leave the other unbuttoned, suggested the fox.

Naruto relayed the command to the clone before turning around to regard it. "That's actually pretty cool," he commented, walking around the clone and taking in the shirt. Unlike the one he wore, this one was white with a red flame pattern. "It looks kind of familiar though," he mumbled, handing the clone the tie so it could put it on him.

The fox, meanwhile, sat in stunned silence for a moment before shaking its head. He's a spitting image of the Fourth, thought the fox. Aloud, it addressed Naruto's last statement. It should look familiar. It's modeled after the Yondaime Hokage's battle cloak.

Naruto blinked. The clone finished tying the tie and pulled off the white shirt before setting it on the bed and POOF!ing out of existence. "Really?"

Yes.

"That's really cool." That said, Naruto tucked his shirt in and looped a belt into his pants before stepping back into the bathroom. Once there, he looked himself over in the mirror. "What do you think?"

...It'll do.

"Glad to hear that the great Kyuubi no Kitsune approves of the way its host dresses."

Was that sarcasm, brat? I'm sorry, I must have missed it.

Naruto shook his head. Running a hand through his spiky hair, he shrugged and grabbed his apartment keys before leaving. A glance at the clock before he stepped out the door confirmed that he was still somewhat early enough not to earn a beating... hopefully. Locking his apartment, he set off in search of Sakura. His not-a-date for the evening wasn't very hard to find, considering the fact that he knew her well enough that he could feel her out in a crowd and it wasn't very crowded to begin with. "Sakura-chan!" he called, waving to the girl who stood in front of a restaurant. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, hoping to forestall a beating.

Sakura glanced at her watch and smiled. "You aren't late. You're about ten minutes early, actually."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah but I'd heard somewhere that if you didn't show up early you were late anyway."

"Sometimes, but after putting up with Kakashi for so long, it's kind of hard to get mad at anyone for being less than an hour late to anything," she commented, smiling. Raising an eyebrow, she took in his state of dress. After a moment of pause, she licked her lips subconsciously and grinned up at him. "You clean up nice."

The boy in question grinned, giving her a once over. The dress she'd chosen was a black and green one piece affair that went well with her hair and eyes. It hugged all the right curves and came down just low enough to be decent while still slightly dangerous, and the neckline was low, but again stopped just shy of being in dangerous territory. Naruto gave a low whistle. "You look nice too, Sakura-chan."

The girl gave him a smile before turning and motioning for them to go inside. As he moved closer to the girl, the fox seemed to regard her more closely. I smell... girl.

"Well duh, there's one right here," mocked the blond, rolling his eyes behind Sakura's back.

Not this one, idiot. The Hyuuga again.

"She probably stopped by to say hi to Sakura or something," Naruto shrugged, tuning the fox out and bringing himself back to reality.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to slip a kunai holster in there somewhere," Sakura commented as they were being seated.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "I tried, but it just wasn't working. I feel kind of naked without it, you know? How about you?"

Sakura smirked. "Who said I wasn't wearing one?"

"What?" Naruto asked, blinking. "But I didn't see one anywhere..."

The fox snickered. That's because you weren't supposed to.

"You weren't supposed to," Sakura echoed.

"Where the hell are you hiding those things?" asked the boy, though he already had his suspicions.

Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Sakura scooted over to that her right leg stuck out from under their table. Seeing that the blond had leaned over and was watching intently, she pulled her dress up ever so slightly to reveal the holster wrapped around her inner thigh. "Where else?" she asked, quickly readjusting her dress and sliding back into her chair.

Naruto blushed, trying and failing to resist the urge to snicker. "Tease," he accused, throwing her a foxy grin.

"Maybe," Sakura agreed.

The pair quieted down once their waiter arrived and took their orders, but continued their conversation once he left. "So, what's been going on in the village since I've been gone?" Naruto asked, taking a sip of his water.

Sakura shrugged. "Not much. Just the usual, really. Training, missions, the fan-girls finding a new boy-toy to chase after..."

"Poor Shino."

"You remember that examiner for the second part of our first Chuunin exam?" Sakura asked, a grin coming to her face.

"You mean the snake-lady?" asked the blond. Getting a nod, Naruto shuddered. "Anko, wasn't it? She was creepy."

A hand came down on the blond's shoulder and a moment later the feel of something warm, wet, and all-too-familiar running across his cheek caused him to shudder. "Glad to hear you remember me. I remember you, Naruto-kun," purred the Special Jounin in question.

Naruto's face couldn't decide whether it wanted to go very pale or very, very red. Sakura's had turned an interesting shade of pink. "Anko-sensei," she started, but was cut off by the Jounin who still had her face pressed against Naruto's.

"Don't call me sensei, kid."

Naruto was beginning to look like a cornered animal. "Uh.. um, could you..." he started, but shut up seeing as he had drawn the Jounin's attention again. He knew she was toying with him, and it made him feel very odd.

"Could I...?" the Jounin purred again, turning up the charm further. By this point, the blond beside her was hyperventilating.

"I think you're killing him," Sakura muttered, trying to draw the older woman's attention away.

Anko sighed, straightening up and running her hand through the blond boy's hair. "Awe, I'm just messing with you, fox-kid." Looking back towards the door, she grinned. "Looks like my date's here. Be seeing you," she said, strolling towards the door where a certain gray-haired mask-wearing Copy Ninja was just walking in.

Seeing that she was out of earshot, Naruto sighed. "What the hell was that?"

Sakura smirked. "I tried to warn you. She and Kakashi are seeing each other now."

After a moment of thought, realization dawned on him. "Wait, does that mean...?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded, "she meant it when she said she'd be seeing you. She'll probably either be tagging along with or substituting for Kakashi if we get sent on any missions with him."

Naruto whimpered. "She scares me."

Inside the blond's head, the fox smirked. I don't know, I kind of liked her...

"Shut it, you stupid kitsune."

Sakura was laughing when Naruto refocused on the outside world. "To be honest, you shouldn't worry too much about Anko. She likes to mess with people's heads... both of them," she said, muttering the last part under her breath before continuing. "But she's harmless for the most part. There are other women you should watch out for though..."

Naruto was curious now. "Oh, like?" he asked, just as their food was arriving. Once it was set in front of them, he began to dig in with as much manners as he could muster and still carry on a conversation.

Sakura smirked at the blond. "I could tell you, but it'll be more fun to watch you stumble around avoiding your own little gaggle of groupies. Word gets around fast, you know? Apparently, despite the fact that you're a complete bumbling idiot who has no clue when it comes to women, there are some out there who would love to get to know you..."

Naruto blinked, swallowing a mouthful of food before speaking. "Wait, was that innuendo? I'm kind of new to this..."

Giggling, Sakura nodded. "Yes, Naruto. Gods, you really are that dense, aren't you?"

Naruto shrugged, waiting until Sakura was taking a drink before asking his next question. "So, are you one of those women?"

The question got the desired result as Sakura nearly drowned. Coughing, she glared at the blond. "Oh ho, I see. So, 'two can play at this game,' huh?"

"Uh huh," Naruto grinned. "I may not know much, but I learn fast."

And you've got a several-thousand year old demon fox coaching you, supplied said fox.

Deciding to drop that line of conversation, Sakura asked the question that had been on her mind since the blond got back. "So, what have you been doing all this time?"

Naruto shrugged. "Training, mostly. Gathering intelligence on Akatsuki, moving from town to town, taking on the occasional mission... It was kind of fun. I even did some ghost-writing for Ero-sennin."

"You what?" asked the pink-haired girl, blinking.

"Ghost-writing. It's when an author gets someone else to help them write something or to write it for them. ...It was mostly that second one."

Sakura took on a slightly dumbfounded look. "Wait, you wrote for Icha Icha?" she whispered, not wanting to draw attention.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Ero-sennin's style sucked, and I got bored one night and just started writing it for him."

"Which one?"

"Tactics," answered the blond. "And Volume Nine of Paradise. Why?"

Sakura shook her head. "I thought something was off about the last two..."

"Wait," Naruto grinned. "You read them? I thought you hated perverts. Now you've become one?"

The kunoichi had the good grace to look embarrassed. "We kind of all read them," she mumbled.

"Huh? We? As in...?"

"All the kunoichi..."

Naruto snickered. "Yeah, right. Ino maybe. And Temari. But Tenten and Hinata? No way."

Sakura didn't correct him, knowing that if he didn't suspect Hinata then things were going to get very interesting soon. "Maybe you should keep that bit of information to yourself," she suggested. Besides, she was going to tell the other kunoichi the moment she got the chance anyway.

"It's not like I was going to go bragging about it. Besides, I'm not totally perverted like Ero-sennin."

Sakura shook her head. "But you write for Icha Icha, how can you not be? ...You're not gay, are you?"

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Glaring at them until they turned away—save for Anko and Kakashi, who smirked and raised an eyebrow respectively—Naruto leaned in closer to Sakura. "What? No! I like girls!"

Sakura snorted. "Have you even kissed a girl?" she asked. Oh, this was turning out to be more fun than she'd hoped. Information gathering was always more fun when the other party didn't suspect a thing.

Naruto glared. "I offered, but you had your head stuck so far up Sasuke-teme's ass you couldn't see the light of day," the blond growled lowly.

Across from him, Sakura's eyes narrowed into a glare and her fists clenched. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. "That was low, Naruto. I didn't expect that, coming from you of all people."

The blond looked away, guilt written on his face, but pressed on. "People change, you know. I'm not the kid who left here any more."

"And some things don't change," Sakura smiled. "You're still my friend, and you're still the annoying brat who had the biggest crush on me."

Naruto pouted. "Well I don't anymore. And stop confusing me. You're mad one minute and now this. What the hell?"

In his mind, the fox snorted before falling over in laughter. OH! You finally learn! Get used to it kit, ALL women are like that.

Naruto's eyes widened fearfully for a moment before he schooled his expression back to normal. Across from him, Sakura sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pressed..."

"I shouldn't have snapped. Sorry."

Sakura nodded. "So, are we ok?"

The blond smiled, ignoring the fox in his head. "Yeah."

Seeing that her blond counterpart was back to normal, or what passed for normal with him anyway, Sakura grinned. "So... have you?"

Naruto groaned. "Does Anko count?"

"Do I count for what?" asked the Jounin in question.

Naruto stifled a shriek. Turning his head ever so slowly, he regarded the woman who had once again managed to sneak up on him without either he or the fox noticing. "Stop doing that!"

"No, I like the look your face gets," Anko smirked, sticking her tongue out. "So, what do I count for?"

Sakura's grin turned evil. Seeing Naruto shake his head desperately only spurred her on. "I asked if he'd ever kissed anyone and he wanted to know if your fetish for licking people counts."

Anko looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I wouldn't say so. But if you want, I could..." she trailed off, leering at the blond.

"No thanks," Naruto croaked, face turning red. "Aren't you with Kakashi-sensei anyway?"

The Special Jounin shrugged. Pausing, a look of realization came over her before her face took on an evil look that made Sakura's look positively innocent. "You still haven't had your cherry popped yet, have you?" she asked lowly, licking her lips.

Naruto gulped and Sakura giggled. "I knew it!" the girl laughed. "Would you believe he wrote the last three Icha Icha books?"

"You what?!" The Jounin turned to the blond, suddenly seeing him in a new light. "...Have my babies."

"WHAT?!" the blond choked nearly dying on the spot. "NO! Go away!"

Anko pouted. "Awe, but you're so cute when you're flustered."

Growling, Naruto reached under the table into his sock, drawing out a lone kunai which he waved at the Jounin. "Go. Away."

Anko snatched the kunai away and smirked. "Please," she snickered. With an idle flick of her wrist, the kunai embedded itself into the wood of the chair, directly between the blond's legs. "But since you asked so nicely and all, fine. Wait 'till I tell Kakashi about this," she mumbled, starting back towards her table. After a few paces, she turned back and leered at the blond. "Oh, and if you ever decide to take me up on that offer, you know how to find me."

Oh, I like her, snickered the fox, watching the woman's swaying backside through Naruto's eyes as she left.

"Damn that woman is scary," Naruto groaned, pulling the kunai out of the chair and sticking it into his back pocket where it would be easier to reach.

Sakura giggled across from him. "I thought you said you didn't bring any weapons."

"Hey, even I'm not dumb enough to walk around unarmed. I just said I couldn't find anywhere to put the pouch. ...So, did that answer your questions?"

The girl nodded. "Most of them. So, if you're not still trying to get into my pants, who's the lucky girl?"

Naruto again spluttered. "None of your business! Besides, who said I'm not?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm a girl, we can tell these things. Besides, if you were trying to get into my pants you'd have done it by now. Or at least made a pass. So far, you've treated me pretty much like 'one of the guys.' ...Which, while nice of you, I still hate. A girl wants to feel appreciated, you know?"

The blond blinked before a sly grin crept over his face. "So... can I get in your pants?"

"Now you're just making fun of me."

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe."

"So, who is she?" Sakura asked again. "You can tell me. It's not like I'm going to go out and tell everyone I know." Yes I will. Hell yeah!

Yes she will.

"Yes you will."

"Nun uh. Now tell me."

Naruto shook his head. "No. Not telling."

Sighing, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm going to guess until I get it right and since you won't just tell me who, you have to at least tell me when I do get it right."

"Whatever," Naruto huffed, but realized that there was no way around it now.

"Great!" Sakura grinned. "So... you sure it's not me?"

"No, it's not you," Naruto denied. "You're like the annoying sister I never had or wanted but now that I have you I can't get rid of you. But I love you anyway."

The girl across from him giggled. "Awe, that's so cute. Ok, so... is it Ino?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hell no. She's too... Ino."

"I agree with you on that," nodded the pink-haired kunoichi. "Tenten?"

"I barely know her. Besides, she's got that thing for Hinata's cousin, Neji."

Sakura blinked. "...Wait, how did you know about that? You're completely blind when it comes to women!"

The blond made an annoyed face. "Maybe, but that one was kind of obvious."

"Obvious, huh?" Sakura snorted. "Ok then... Temari?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm too much like her brother for her taste."

"Gaara, or Kankuro?"

"Gaara."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, thinking back to her encounters with the now-Kazekage while he was still a genin. "No, you aren't. What makes you say that? I mean, sure he's settled down some but he's still kind of creepy. Cute, but creepy."

"Can't say," the blond shrugged. "And that isn't his fault."

Deciding to let the subject drop, Sakura pondered for a moment before her look turned devious once more. "It's Anko, isn't it?"

Naruto cringed, looking to his side to make sure the snake Jounin hadn't suddenly shown up again. Seeing that she wasn't there, he let out a deep sigh. A warm hand planting itself on his head nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. "Talking about me again?"

"Eep."

Sakura smirked. "As a matter of fact, we were."

"Oh?" the older kunoichi asked, looking interested. "What about?"

"I was just asking Naruto who he was interested in and your name came up."

Naruto growled. "Only because you brought it up!"

The woman behind him smirked, leaning down closer to the blond and making sure to press her chest firmly to his back, causing him to squirm. "So, you're interested in taking up my offer, fox-brat?" Anko purred, her breath warm in Naruto's ear.

The boy shuddered for a moment, trying to escape without rubbing against the breasts pressed against his back. "Would you please stop doing that? You're like twice my age, lady."

The sound of teeth snapping shut dangerously close to his ear caused Naruto to flinch. "Are you calling me old?"

Naruto knew he was on dangerous ground, here. On the one hand, commenting on her age was bound to piss her off, which would probably convince her to leave him alone for the rest of the night. On the other hand, the woman was dangerous and wouldn't hesitate to draw blood. After all, with the way she kept calling him 'fox-brat,' she was probably one of the adults who knew about the demon and what it could do so she wouldn't be afraid of hurting him much. Finally, he decided that discretion was the better part of valor and went with the safest answer. "Uh... no?"

Teeth grazed his ear, causing the boy to flinch once more. "Good. Wouldn't want to upset a lady by making fun of her age, would we?" she breathed.

"No," Naruto squeaked.

Nodding, Anko straightened up and disentangled herself from the blond. "Kakashi wants your autograph, by the way," she said by way of parting, leaving the pair to their conversation again.

"How does she do that?" Sakura wondered, mirroring Naruto's own thoughts. "So, I take it that Anko doesn't interest you."

Naruto suppressed the urge to once more check behind and beside him for the woman. "Not in the least."

"Hmm. Then that leaves just..." Sakura grinned, watching as Naruto went slightly pale. "Hinata-chan."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Gods, I thought you were going to say Baa-chan for a minute there."

Sakura flinched, looking around for the sannin in question. Seeing that the coast was clear, she sighed. "No. I wasn't going to go there."

"Good. That's kind of... ew."

"Yeah, just a little," agreed the kunoichi. "So, it is Hinata-chan, isn't it?"

Naruto went red. "Maybe."

"You're blushing," the girl pointed out, smirking. Seeing the boy glare, she continued on. "So, do you at least plan to tell her?"

Naruto shook his head. "She'd probably think I'm weird. And that I've still got a thing for you."

"No, she won't," thought Sakura. Aloud, she said, "You could tell her the truth. So... how long?"

The blond shook his head. "Since just before the Chuunin exam, I think. I was kind of confused then. And telling her wouldn't work. You know how things go around me. Something would come up. The village would catch fire, or Itachi would show up, or Neji would hunt me down and kill me if he's gotten that stick out of his ass and figured out how much his cousin loves him."

Sakura giggled. "The scary thing is, you're probably right. Even so, you should still try."

"Can't," said the blond. "There are other things I would have to tell her first, and I don't know if I can."

"Like what? You're not living a secret life behind our backs, are you?"

Naruto glared. "No. I'm not telling you either. If you really want to know, ask Baa-chan or Kakashi-sensei."

"Wait, why would they know and not me?" asked the kunoichi.

"It's... complicated," Naruto mumbled, looking at his watch. "It's getting kind of late, Sakura-chan. Don't you have to do stuff tomorrow?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, but Naruto..." she trailed off, looking her teammate in the eye for a moment before looking away. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here. And if you tell Hinata, I'm sure she would understand too."

Pulling out his froggie-wallet, Naruto paid for the meal and stood. He waited for Sakura to stand before the pair left the restaurant. "It was good seeing you again, Sakura-chan," Naruto said as the two were getting ready to part ways.

The kunoichi smiled, nodding. "I had a good time. You're not half-bad, for a not-a-date."

The blond grinned before setting off for his apartment. "See you tomorrow, Sakura."

"See you, Naruto," the girl called back, shaking her head. She sighed, wondering what it was that Naruto was keeping from them that he couldn't tell his own teammate. After a moment, she put the thought out of her mind and checked to make sure the blond was out of ear-shot. Seeing that he was far enough down the street, she lifted the arm with her watch on it near her lips. "You catch all of that?"

On the roof of the restaurant, Hinata nodded though she knew the other kunoichi wouldn't see. "Yes. Poor Naruto-kun."

Sakura grinned. "Well, now's not the time for worrying about that. Are you ready?"

"...Yes, I think so."

"Good luck," Sakura said, turning to walk down the street towards the apartment she shared with Ino and Tenten. "And remember, be aggressive."

There was silence from the other end of the radio for a moment before Hinata's response came. "...Affirmative."

Sakura dropped her arm and grinned. "Go get him, Hinata," she said to empty air. After a moment more of walking, an idea occurred to her and she smirked before breaking into a run for her apartment. "If I'm quick, I can get a front-row seat..."

Unnoticed by either girl or the blond, Kakashi and Anko looked on curiously. "What do you think's going on?" asked Anko.

Kakashi, observing his student and the Hyuuga girl, grinned. "Apparently, the dinner was a stall tactic. I think they have plans for Naruto."

"Oh?" asked the woman. Her face lit in a grin. "Think the dark-haired one will put the moves on him?"

"Perhaps," answered the Jounin.

Anko smirked. "Want to make a bet on it?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What are we betting on?"

"Well, I say she gets him into the sack tonight."

"Not likely, knowing Naruto," Kakashi said. "So what are the stakes?"

The kunoichi thought for a moment before smirking. "If I win, you have to go without Icha Icha for a day. And without your mask. And it has to be public. You can't just stay home all day."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. The stakes were high indeed, it seemed. Giving the matter some serious thought, he came to a reasonable solution. "Ok. And if I win," here, he leaned down to whisper in the kunoichi's ear.

Anko proceeded to turn a shade of red typically reserved for Hinata. Whatever it was that could make the typically unabashed snake Jounin blush like that had to be big. Finally, she nodded, holding out her hand. "Deal."

Kakashi shook the offered hand and grinned. "Well then, shall we go?" he asked, and the pair took off after Kakashi's blond student and the girl who had the crush on him.

---

Naruto took his time walking back to his apartment. He wasn't really in a hurry, and walking usually helped to clear his mind. "Man, this sucks."

In his mind, the fox shrugged. It could be worse.

"Really? How?"

They could all already know and openly hate you.

"Who's to say they don't already? Or that they won't hate me if I tell them?"

Kyuubi rolled his eyes. You have to tell them eventually. Besides, if they hate you for something you have no control over then they aren't really worth keeping around for friends, are they?

Naruto suppressed the urge to groan and hit something. The fox was right, of course. And he hated it when the fox was right. "This sucks," he reiterated.

Stop moping, brat. You're dripping angst all over me. Do you have any idea how hard that stuff is to get out of fur?

The blond cracked a smile, choking back a laugh. "Stupid fox," he mumbled quietly. He was about to continue insulting the fox, but was cut off by a blur of motion to his side as a figure dropped down from one of the roofs above. The only problem with this was that Naruto and the fox had failed to notice the figure. This led Naruto to the only logical conclusion that his experiences from the night would allow. "ANKO!" he yelled, backpedaling. The figure stepped out of the shadow cast by the building and into the light of a street lamp. Recognizing the figure for who it had to be, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Hinata, it's just you. I was worried for a minute there."

A look of irritation passed over the girl's face at the words 'just you,' but passed just as quickly. "Naruto-kun," she greeted, smiling at the blond. "How are you?"

Naruto, though relieved that he wouldn't have to suffer the snake Jounin's attentions, was slightly put off by the appearance of the Hyuuga girl. Something about her seemed different, though he couldn't quite place it. He shrugged it off, putting it down to the effects of two years of change. "I'm good. How've you been?"

"Good."

"So, uh..." Naruto was at a bit of a loss. "Where are you heading?"

"Nowhere in particular. And you?"

The boy felt slightly more unnerved. "I was just on my way home."

Hinata nodded. "I'll walk with you."

It wasn't a question, and the way she said it told the blond that she wouldn't be dissuaded. That did it, in Naruto's mind. "Ok, who are you and what have you done with Hinata-chan?" he asked, suddenly suspicious.

"W-what do you mean?" the girl asked, blushing and losing her nerve ever so slightly.

Naruto grinned. "That's the Hinata I remember."

The girl frowned, pouting ever so slightly. "That was mean, Naruto-kun."

"Sorry," the blond apologized, looking suddenly sheepish. "Um.. Can I make it up to you?" Seeing the girl nod brought the smile back to his face. "Great! So, um... want to talk for a bit?"

"I would like that," Hinata nodded, following the blond as he led the way back to his apartment mostly in silence. "I wonder what he thinks of me, now."

Naruto, for his part, was more than a little confused. "Why is she acting so weird?" he mused, not really expecting an answer.

The fox, however, was very curious. Perhaps... she is interested in pursuing you, and this is her way of going about it.

"I wish."

They made it back to Naruto's apartment and the blond unlocked the door, holding it open for Hinata. The girl smiled, stepping inside and looking around. She could have navigated Naruto's apartment with her eyes closed, she knew it so well. But Naruto didn't need to know that... "It's..." she started, looking for a suitable word.

Naruto beat her to the punch. "A dump."

"No," Hinata shook her head. "I was going to say 'cozy.'"

"You really think so?" asked the blond.

"Yes."

The boy looked slightly embarrassed, but grinned. "Thanks. So, um... can I get you anything to drink?" he asked, making his way over to what passed as his kitchen. Seeing as his apartment only had two rooms, three counting the bathroom, his kitchen and living room were the same room.

"No, thank you."

Shrugging, he went over to one of his cabinets and fished out a glass. He wasn't thirsty really, but he felt the need to keep his hands busy otherwise she would probably be able to see just how nervous he was. Pouring a glass of water, he nearly dropped the glass when he felt the kunai in his back pocket lifted out. He turned around in time to see her set the kunai down on the counter. Looking down into her eyes, he gulped. She stood very, very close to him now. A step forward would have them brushing against each other. "Um... Hinata? W-what are you doing?"

Inside the Hyuuga girl, a war that had begun so long ago had finally come to a head. She felt conflicted. One part of her, the shy little girl that had fallen in love with the loud blond that was everything she wasn't, desperately wanted to show him that he was loved but was afraid to. The other part of her, the strong young woman that had grown in the boy's absence, had come to the fore to take the step forward that the old Hinata had always been too timid to take. The internal struggle ceased and everything became clear.

Hinata's hands came up and she wrapped her fingers into Naruto's shirt. At the same time, she stepped forward and pressed the length of her body against him, driving the boy's back against his sink softly. She brought her head to rest on his chest, the top of her head brushing against his chin. "What I should have done before you left," she answered quietly.

Carefully, slowly Naruto reached back and set the glass he'd nearly dropped on the counter. "What's that?" he asked, equally softly.

"I need to tell you something."

Naruto tried to swallow around the lump that formed in his throat and found himself failing. He finally found his voice after a moment, however. "What... what do you need to tell me, Hinata?"

Unseen by the blond, Hinata smiled. "I prefer 'Hinata-chan,'" she told him quietly, rubbing her head against his chest ever so slightly.

"I-is that all... Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, his fight-or-flight instinct once more rearing its head. With more effort than he thought it should take, he shoved it down and ignored it.

Hinata shook her head. "No, that isn't all, silly."

Finally, the suspense became too much. "What then?" he croaked out, his voice changing pitch half-way and causing him to flinch in embarrassment. He felt her head tilt slightly and felt something warm and soft brush his neck. A warm breath of air flowed over his neck at her whispered response too low for him to hear, her lips tickling the skin there as they moved. "What was that? I couldn't hear you..."

"I love you."

The hands Naruto had been half-using to support himself came up from their places on the counter top and slowly made their way around the Hyuuga girl in a tentative hug. "Why?" he asked softly, almost not believing her words.

Her lips brushed the skin of his neck again, this time in a light kiss before she answered. Her voice, though soft, was clear and strong. "Because you are everything I'm not. You make me feel like I can become better than I am. And because you believed in me when no one else did."

"I did all that?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes."

Naruto was even more confused. "But I ignored you, or brushed you off for Sakura. I've never really made an effort to get to know you. How could I have done all of that?" he started, but was quieted by a small finger pressing against his lips.

"I already know you better than you think. I've sort of been following you around for a while now," here, she giggled. "I hope you don't mind." Feeling him shake his head, she continued. "And you did all that by just being yourself. Every time you got back up after being pushed down. Every time you stood up for yourself. When you refused to give in, no matter what... I wished I could do the same."

"Why didn't you?"

The girl sighed, grazing her lips across his neck once more. "I was afraid to. But I think now, I'm not scared any more. I'm tired of hiding."

Naruto's arms tightened on the girl pressing herself into his chest slightly, without him realizing it. "Hiding from what?" he asked, curious.

"My family, you, myself," she shrugged. "Everything, I suppose."

The blond's head tilted and he pressed his cheek into the girl's hair, his eyes closing. "...I know how you feel."

"I know," she affirmed softly. "All that's left now is for you to know me. Me... the shy, dark, weird little girl with the worlds biggest crush. And me."

Naruto nodded slowly. "I think I would like that," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and steeled himself for what had to come next. "There are... things you don't know about me, though."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "Yes. I would like to know what it is, though. What are you hiding from everyone? Why do nearly all of the adults hate you so when the worst you've ever done is pull a few silly pranks?"

Knowing this was it, Naruto straightened and pulled away slightly. After a moment, he answered the only way he knew how: straight to the point. "Kyuubi no Kitsune. I'm it's vessel... it's prison. The Yondaime sealed it in me right after I was born. I'm a jinchuriki, a living human sacrifice to contain a demon."

Hinata pulled away enough to look up into the blond's eyes, her own widening at the realization. Everything she'd seen and heard about Naruto as a child suddenly made sense. She shook her head. "But you're Naruto, not the fox itself. Why would they hate you for keeping it from destroying us?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess people just don't see it that way. All they can see is the stupid fox. I can't blame them for it any more though. I'm still me, but in a way I'm the fox too now. It's kind of hard to explain..."

Hinata's eyes narrowed. "Am I talking to Naruto, or the Kyuubi?"

"Me," answered the blond.

She nodded, smiling. "You see? I can tell you apart from the kitsune, and so can you."

"But... you don't hate me? You aren't scared of me?"

Shaking her head, the girl returned her head to her new favorite spot, resting against the blond's shoulder with her lips pressed against his neck. "I could never hate you. And why should I be scared of you? The fox, maybe, but you? Besides, if it wanted to hurt anyone I'm sure it's had plenty of opportunities."

"Yeah, but we..."

Hinata cut him off again. Rolling her eyes, she tightened her hold on Naruto's shirt and stepped away, pulling him across the room and pushing him down onto his couch. Hesitating only a moment, she quickly removed her jacket and threw it onto the arm of the couch. Once free of the bulky jacket, she knelt down and straddled the blond's lap, putting her hands on either side of his face and making sure she had his full attention. "No arguing. It's just another part of what makes you you. It doesn't change the fact that I love you," she assured him, leaning down and pressing her forehead to his. Somehow knowing what he needed to hear, she smiled down at the man who had captured her affection. "I accept you."

Naruto blinked, his mind working sluggishly to make sense of her words. "You do?" he asked finally.

Hinata nodded in confirmation. "I love you, I accept you, and I would very much like to spend the rest of my life with you... Uzumaki Naruto-kun."

The blond was stunned even further. He hadn't expected her to take the truth of his nature this well. Really, he'd been expecting tears and screams. Slowly, a small smile crept onto his face. "Are you sure, Hinata-chan?"

Pulling back slightly, Hinata brought her head back down to smack her forehead against his in a light head-butt. "Yes, Naruto-kun. I am yours, if you would have me."

Naruto's smile widened, until he remembered one vital piece of information that caused said smile to falter. "What about your family? I'm pretty sure your dad really doesn't like me. They're going to be pissed."

Hinata shrugged. "Then I'll leave the clan. Hiashi-sama has never been much of a father. And at this point, I don't particularly care what the elders think. I am not living my life for the clan any longer," she said, her voice becoming resolute and carrying a tone of finality.

"Wow, Hinata," Naruto said, somewhat awed by this sudden change in the girl's demeanor. This was a side of Hinata that he had never seen before, adding just one more facet to the personality that made up who he was just getting to know as the real Hyuuga Hinata.

The girl, realizing what she'd done, blushed slightly but did not apologize for her outburst. "I mean it. I don't go back on my word. That is..."

"Our nindo?" Naruto asked, his smile returning.

"You mean...?"

The boy nodded. "I've felt the same about you for a while now. I just needed some time to figure that out, I guess. I'm sorry it took so long."

Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss before pulling away again just enough so that her lips brushed his. "I don't mind," she whispered. "You are worth it."

"Hinata-chan, I lo—" Naruto started, but was cut off by Hinata's lips pressing against his again. When she pulled away this time, a mischievous smile lit her face. "Love you," Naruto finished.

With some shifting on Hinata's part, she convinced Naruto to lay back on the couch. Her body flush against his, she lay her head on his chest and gave a happy little smile. "So..." she started, the smile widening just a little. She already knew the answer to what she was about to ask, but wanted to hear it from him.

"So...? So what?" asked the blond, curious where she was going with this.

"Would you hate me if I told you that we—that is, Sakura and I—planned all of this?" she asked, drawing little spirals on his stomach with a finger in place of pressing her fingers together.

"You did?" Naruto laughed. Feeling her nod, he laughed harder. "Wow, you two must have went through a lot of trouble just for me."

"Not much."

Naruto paused in his laughing. "So that's why she was coming out of that clothing store this morning!"

Hinata nodded again. "Yes. She would have asked you out tonight if you hadn't beaten her to it."

"So it was all a set-up!" Naruto cried in mock-outrage. He blinked. "Wait, what about Anko? Was that part of the plan?"

"No," Hinata denied. "But it was funny."

"Hey," Naruto asked, "how do you know about that if you weren't there?"

Hinata blushed. "Byakugan," she answered simply. "And two-way radios."

"You heard all that?" the blond asked.

"Yes," she answered. "By the way..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, somehow dreading what was coming. "Yeah...?"

"I liked the last few books," Hinata said, giggling.

"Oh, man," Naruto groaned, mortified. "You read those?" He felt her nod again, accompanied by another giggle. "This is so embarrassing."

"Why?" Hinata asked, shifting so she could look into his face. "I thought they were very.. creative."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me that Sakura and Ino have corrupted you. What happened to my sweet, innocent little Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smirked ever so slightly. "She grew up, just a little."

"You have, haven't you?" said the blond.

"Mhmm. And you as well."

Naruto blushed. "Uh... thanks."

"You're welcome," said the girl. After a moment, she sighed and shifted into a more comfortable position. "Will you tell me about your time away?" she asked, a yawn creeping into her voice and her eye-lids growing heavy.

Naruto recounted his mis-adventures with Jiraiya during their time on the road, losing track of time. After a while, he felt Hinata's breathing slow and her body twitch ever so slightly as she passed into sleep. Smiling softly, he reached back and grabbed the jacket she'd thrown over the arm of his sofa. Placing the jacket over himself and the girl, he bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Good night, Hinata-chan," he said softly. He felt her snuggle into him and his smile widened when he heard her softly mumbled "Naruto-kun."

The presence of the fox in the back of his mind drew his attention. I told you so.

"You did," Naruto agreed. "Now go away, I'm trying to sleep."

The fox huffed, but retreated to what it considered his corner of their mind, where it circled for a moment before settling down itself. After a few moments, it smirked and threw out one last question, not expecting an answer. So, when do you plan to consummate this relationship?

"Shut your mouth, baka kitsune," Naruto growled.

---

Sakura burst into the apartment she shared with Ino and Tenten and hurriedly made her way into her room. As fast as she could without damaging it, she pulled off the dress and slipped into her normal ninja-wear. Grabbing a pair of binoculars, she rushed back out of the room and into Ino's.

The blond girl was in the middle of getting changed for bed when Sakura burst in. Turning around, she glared at the pink-haired kunoichi. "Sakura, what the hell?!" she yelled.

"Get dressed and come on, if we're quick we won't miss the show."

"What show?" Ino asked, slipping her shirt back over her head and pulling it down. Reaching down, she grabbed her sandals and slid her feet into them.

"Naruto and Hinata," Sakura answered, leaving Ino's room and banging on Tenten's door before walking in. The older kunoichi was already in bed and cracked one eye open. "Hinata's going to tell Naruto, come on," the pink-haired girl explained before Tenten could question her.

Tenten blinked, sitting up in bed quickly. "What?! Why didn't you tell me beforehand, damnit?" she yelled, rolling out of bed and casting about for her clothes.

Two minutes later—record time for a group of girls to get dressed and ready to go anywhere, had anyone cared to note it—found the three kunoichi bounding across the rooftops of Konoha. They were joined by a fourth kunoichi halfway there, as Temari had spotted them from the street and came up to see what all the ruckus was about. "What's going on?" she called, following. Hearing Ino and Tenten take turns explain, Temari grinned. "Oh, this should be good," smirked the pig-tailed blond as the four came to a halt on a rooftop across from Naruto's apartment. Luckily for them, the roof they were on happened to be slightly above the level of Naruto's room, and looked in on the kitsune vessel's rooms through its sliding glass doors, giving them a good view.

"Yo," called a voice from behind the four kunoichi as they were settling into prime spying position. Looking back, they spotted Kakashi and Anko.

"Anyone think to tell Kurenai?" asked Anko, back in her regular Jounin outfit and munching on a stick of dango.

"Tsunade will want to see this too," Kakashi advised.

Sakura glared at her sensei. "Well don't just stand there, Kakashi-sensei. You're the fastest here, you go get them."

Kakashi shrugged, forming the seals for Kage Bunshin and creating a pair of clones, each of which POOF!ed away in a burst of smoke as they used Shunshin to speed their progress. "Looks like the show's starting," the copy ninja pointed out as the lights in Naruto's apartment came on and Hinata entered, followed by Naruto.

A moment later, another pair of kunoichi landed on the roof to join the group of voyeurs already there. "What'd we miss?" asked Tsunade, eying the apartment.

Sakura had the binoculars to her eyes already, watching the pair across from them. "Not much. They just got there," she said, then grinned. "Oh, I almost forgot." The group turned their attention on the girl as she adjusted a hidden switch on the side of her watch.

"It's..."

"A dump."

"No. I was going to say... cozy."

"You really think so?"

"Yes."

The gathered ninja looked at Sakura in surprise. "Hehe. We were using these so that she could listen in while Naruto and I were talking. She left hers on," Sakura smirked.

"Smart girl," Kurenai said, watching as her student approached the blond from behind and went for the kunai.

Anko snickered when the blond turned around. "Look at his face," she giggled, the look of terror on the blond's face amusing her to no end.

"Quiet," Tsunade said softly, and the group focused on the conversation coming over Sakura's radio, hanging on every word.

"I prefer 'Hinata-chan.'"

"I-is that all... Hinata-chan?"

"No, that isn't all, silly."

"What then? ... What was that? I couldn't hear you..."

"I love you."

"Pay up, bitch," Tenten said softly, holding her hand out towards Temari, not taking her eyes off the scene playing out in front of them.

The Suna kunoichi grumbled curses, but handed over a small wad of cash. "Damn it. I thought for sure she would have passed out before getting that out."

"Man," Ino grinned, snatching the binoculars from Sakura. "This is better than Icha Icha."

Nods and sounds of approval came from all around, save for Kakashi, who held a hand to his chin in thought. "Well, not quite. However..." he said, trailing off and leaving it open for interpretation.

More than a few lecherous grins and giggles spread through the gathered kunoichi. "Perhaps we should have brought a camera," suggested Kurenai.

"There are... things you don't know about me."

That caught the attention of the gathered younger ninjas. "He's going to tell her?" Sakura asked, turning up the volume.

"Tell her what?" Tenten asked.

Ino shrugged. "Probably something dumb."

Next to them, Temari shook her head, a look of sympathy and something else coming across her face. "No. I think I know. He is... like my brother."

"...Why do nearly all of the adults hate you so when the worst you've ever done is pull a few silly pranks?"

"Shit," muttered Tsunade, knowing what was coming next. She turned her gaze from the apartment to the younger ninja gathered there. She noticed that Kakashi, Anko, and Kurenai were also watching for their reactions.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune. I'm it's vessel... it's prison. The Yondaime sealed it in me right after I was born. I'm a jinchuriki, a living human sacrifice to contain a demon."

The younger kunoichi, save for Temari, turned towards the adults for confirmation. "This is an S-Class village secret and does not leave this group. Understood?" asked Tsunade. The girls nodded before turning back to the show across from them.

"But you're Naruto, not the fox itself. Why would they hate you for keeping it from destroying us?"

"I guess people just don't see it that way. All they can see is the stupid fox. I can't blame them for it any more though. I'm still me, but in a way I'm the fox too now. It's kind of hard to explain..."

"Am I talking to Naruto, or the Kyuubi?"

"Me."

"You see? I can tell you apart from the kitsune, and so can you."

"But... you don't hate me? You aren't scared of me?"

"I could never hate you. And why should I be scared of you? The fox, maybe, but you? Besides, if it wanted to hurt anyone I'm sure it's had plenty of opportunities."

"Yeah, but we..."

"No arguing. It's just another part of what makes you you. It doesn't change the fact that I love you."

"I accept you."

"You do?"

"I love you, I accept you, and I would very much like to spend the rest of my life with you... Uzumaki Naruto-kun."

A collective sigh came from the women gathered, causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow in amusement. Afterwards, the group continued to listen in, trading the binoculars back and forth.

"...By the way..."

"Yeah...?"

"I liked the last few books."

Ino glanced at Sakura who had broken down into a fit of giggles. "I don't get what's so funny. What books?"

After composing herself, Sakura grinned. "Icha Icha."

"What's Naruto have to do with that?" asked Tenten. She knew that the boy's sensei wrote the books, but other than that...

"Everything, kid," answered Anko. "He wrote the last three volumes."

Tsunade, Tenten, Ino, Temari, and Kurenai blinked, their jaws falling open. Kurenai turned to Kakashi, who she knew kept up with that series almost religiously. If anyone would be able to spot any discrepancies in the books, it would be the copy nin. "Is it true?"

Kakashi nodded, pulling out his new copy of Icha Icha Tactics. "I didn't believe it at first, but it started making sense when I compared it with Volume Eight. The writing is cleaner, and more in-depth. I had just passed it off as Jiraiya improving, but..."

Tsunade growled, fists clenching. "That old lech, I will kill him."

"Wait," started Temari, glancing around at the others.

Tenten picked up where Temari left off. "He writes Icha Icha..."

"And he's still a virgin?" Ino finished, asking the thought that was on most of their minds.

Sakura and Anko both nodded, a slight trickle of drool escaping the corner of the snake Jounin's lips. "A very tasty virgin, actually," she added.

"But... he isn't openly perverted like his senseis," Kurenai said, finding the concept hard to believe.

Sakura giggled. "No, but he catches on and plays along pretty quick." After a moment, she added, "But he's still dense when it comes to innuendo."

"How can he be, when he writes that.. that smut," Tsunade asked, not quite comprehending this newest facet to her little brother/son figure.

Kakashi shrugged. "That just goes to show you that he's still Naruto."

The group fell silent at that, listening to Naruto recount his adventures with Jiraiya to Hinata. After a while, they heard a light snore from the radio as Hinata fell asleep. They watched as Naruto covered Hinata and himself with her jacket and closed his eyes in preparation for sleep. "Well, looks like the show's over," Ino announced, standing up.

Kakashi turned to Anko, his exposed eye crinkling in a grin. Anko groaned. "God damnit Kakashi. You're going to hold me to that bet, aren't you?"

"Of course," grinned the copy ninja.

"What bet?" asked Sakura, turning the radio on her watch off.

Anko growled. "Shut your mouth," she grumbled, taking off into the night.

As the other ninja stood and prepared to leave, Tsunade, Kurenai, and Kakashi gathered together and addressed the young kunoichi with a look. "Well?" asked Tsunade.

"Well what?" Temari asked, cracking her neck. "Compared to Gaara, Naruto's pretty harmless."

"Unless someone threatens his friends," Sakura amended, thinking back to the times she'd seen the blond use that red chakra. "It explains a lot."

Ino grinned. "Yeah, like the whisker marks. I always thought those were kind of cute, anyway."

"And the constant pranks," added Tenten.

Sakura snickered. "And the complete lack of anything resembling an attention span."

"Wait, if Naruto has the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and you said Gaara was a demon host too..." Ino started.

Tenten picked up where Ino left off. "Which one does Gaara have?"

Temari sighed, looking up towards the moon above them. "Ichibi no Shukaku, the tanuki."

"I wonder what else is different about them," Ino mused.

Sakura looked at her sometimes-rival and smirked. "Tan Tan Tanuki..." she sang softly.

Tenten looked between the two and Temari before smirking herself. "no kintama wa..."

"Kaze mo nai no ni..." Ino joined in around a fit of giggles.

Temari turned an interesting shade of red and glared at the trio, but finished the rhyme. "Bura Bura." She shook her head. "Gods, if Gaara hears about this he's going to feed us all to his sand," she groaned.

"Well, it's good to see you're all taking this well," Kurenai interrupted.

Kakashi nodded, looking between the girls. "You should be getting home."

"And remember," said Tsunade as the two Jounin took off. "Don't breathe a word of this to anyone." Seeing the girls nod, she took off for the Hokage tower.

"So..." Ino began, looking between the other girls with a devious grin. "Who's up for a slumber party? I'll bake cookies..."

Sakura shook her head, but grinned. "I'll bring popcorn."

Tenten sighed. "Guess that means I have to bring the porn this time."

"I'll bring booze," Temari grumbled as the four headed for the three younger kunoichi's apartment. "I'm going to need it."

---

Hinata woke slowly to the scent of ramen, the outdoors, and a hint of fox. "Naruto-kun," she thought, a smile coming to her face. She stretched languidly, making sure to rub as much of her body against that of the young man beside her as possible. She felt the jacket he'd draped over them shift and fall to the floor. She sighed, curling back up to Naruto's warm body and wrapping her arms and legs around him. About to close her eyes and go back to sleep, she paused and opened them again to regard a suspicious lump in Naruto's pants. Risking a quick glance up into the sleeping fox-boy's face, she slowly brought her hand down and lightly brushed it with her palm. The lump twitched. "Naruto-kun," she giggled, her face going red and a drop of blood falling from her nose onto his shirt. "What are you dreaming about?" she asked quietly, turning her gaze back to his face... but settling her hand on the lump.

As to what Naruto was dreaming, well...

Naruto sat in a large, leather chair behind an equally large oak desk in the Hokage's office of the tower. He wore the formal robes of the Hokage, but had tossed the hat into a corner somewhere. A medium sized red fox with nine swaying tails lounged across one side of the desk. Hinata lounged sprawled on the other side, regarding him with an upside down grin due to the way she lay on the desk. Also, she was completely nude. "Naruto-kun," the girl purred—literally.

The double doors to the office swung open and in walked Sakura, followed by Ino, followed by Tenten, who was followed by Temari, Shizune, Kurenai-sensei, Ichiraku Ayame, and lastly Anko. All of whom were each carrying a very large bowl of steaming hot ramen. ...All of whom were equally nude. Kakashi POOF!ed into a corner, Icha Icha in hand. Kakashi was, thankfully, not nude. "Just as you ordered, Hokage-sama," reported Kakashi in that perpetually bored tone of his. "Nine willing virgins, each with an offering of ramen."

Naruto nodded and was about to wave the Jounin away, but paused and recounted. "Kakashi, I see only eight ramen. Why do I see only eight ramen?"

"You ate one already, Naruto-sama," purred Hinata.

Naruto looked around and spotted the discarded bowl. "Oh, right. Silly me. Carry on, Kakashi," Naruto said, dismissing the copy nin with a wave of his hand, who promptly vanished.

"Naruto-sama," the eight standing girls cooed, approaching slowly. "Are you ready?"

Naruto's face split into a grin and a giggle that sounded suspiciously like one of Jiraiya's escaped his lips. "Uh huh!" he nodded.

The girls continued to approach, hips and breasts swaying seductively, each wearing an identical look of lust and need...

Well, I hate to interrupt this wonderful dream, the fox spoke, lifting its head and eying the girls, who paid him no mind. But the real world calls, brat.

Naruto's eyes suddenly grew three times their size and gigantic tears welled up in their blue depths. "But but... the good part...!" he whined.

You'll get over it, the fox grinned before raising a tail and swatting the blond across the back of the head, sending him hurtling towards the waking world. Looking around, he noticed that the dream had yet to fade. Smirking, he let out his own perverted giggle. A flick of youki to manipulate the dream and...

"Kyuubi-saaamaaa," the girls purred.

The fox raised its tails, sending one towards each of the girls... just as the dream dissolved around it. Kyuubi blinked. But but... the good part...!

Naruto woke to several feelings, some of them familiar and some not. The first, and most noticeable was a certain morning stiffness in his groin, which he had become far too familiar with during the last three or four years. The second was an uncomfortable stiffness in his lower back, which meant he had fallen asleep on his sofa again. Third, he realized that something very warm, soft, and smelling of lavender had attached itself to his side some time after he had fallen asleep... or was it before? He struggled to remember, but a fourth sensation made itself known. This last sensation drove all thought out of his mind and brought his attention back to that first sensation of morning stiffness. Something warm, firm, and soft had wrapped itself around his aching groin and was apparently content with slowly stroking it.

Naruto's mind tried to make sense of what his body was reporting to it. "Penis, warm..body?, penis, lavender... mmm, hand on the penis..."

Hinata, kit. Or did you forget? a certain annoying kitsune spoke up from the depths of his mind.

"Hrm... Hinata, hand, on the penis..."

Naruto's eyes shot open and the rest of his body joined his member in going stiff. "H-hinata-chan?" Naruto croaked, looking down at the girl laying on his chest. Her head and body blocked his view of what her hand was doing, but he didn't need to see to know.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," the girl greeted, using her body and free arm to give him a hug. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, shifting her head so she could look into his face. From what he could tell, they were in nearly the same position they had fallen asleep in.

"I did," answered the blond, before her hand stroked him again and drew his attention back to it. "Um.. what are you doing?"

"Hmm? What am I doing?" she asked, putting on her best innocent look—which wasn't very hard at all.

Naruto nodded. "Your hand... is on my.. uh..." Naruto spluttered, choking on the word. He nearly swallowed his tongue when her hand gave it another... 'pet' seemed to be the only word that came to mind to best describe exactly what she was doing.

Hinata's eyebrows crept towards her hairline and she turned her head, regarding her hand. "It is, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically, a smile creeping onto her face and laughter not far behind.

"Why?" Naruto got out as her hand continued what it had been doing.

The girl on his chest once more shifted her head so she could take in his face. "You don't like it?" she asked, poking her bottom lip out in a cute pout.

Naruto whimpered, squirming under both the girl's gaze and her hand. "Yes I like it, but... are you sure you should be doing that? I mean..."

"Good," she smiled, removing her hand. Seeing her love pout, she quickly grabbed the top of his pants and with a sharp flick of her wrist had them unbuttoned. "I'm sure," she answered, fingers finding the zipper to his pants and slowly dragging it down, making sure to drag her hand across his swollen member as she did.

The blond groaned, trying desperately to ignore what Hinata was doing so he could form a coherent thought. "But you.. we... just last night."

Hinata propped herself up so that her face was hovering above that of the blond. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," affirmed the boy, nodding. "Of course I do! But we..."

Hinata shushed him with a finger pressed to his lips, straddling his lap. "And I love you as well," she said softly, leaning in closer to the blond. "Is there a problem with expressing that?"

"No, but... we're too young, and not even married, and I thought girls cared about that sort of thing."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata sighed. "Maybe I have been with Sakura and Ino too long and they are a bad influence on me.. But none of that matters to me. Our lives are not a fairy-tale book where everything can be right. We became adults in the eyes of the world the moment we received our hitai-ate and became shinobi. We are old enough to take on missions, old enough to kill, old enough to die for our precious people, and old enough to express ourselves as adults. And honestly, I refuse to wait around to 'grow up' or go through some silly ceremony to be able to do so while there are people out to end our lives—yours in particular."

"...You've thought this through, haven't you," the blond asked after a moment of silence.

Hinata nodded. "Yes. I was committed to this course of action the moment I found out you were coming back. When I told you I was yours if you would have me, I meant all of me. I give myself to you freely. Do you understand?" she asked, willing him to do so.

"I think so," the boy answered. While he hadn't grasped exactly what she'd meant at first, the fox had, and had passed along its understanding to the blond. "What happened to my shy, dark little Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, a smile creeping onto his face.

"She's all grown up," answered the girl, smiling. After a moment, she took his right hand in her own and held it to his chest. "But she's still here," she said, then brought their hands to her left breast, pressing the palm of his hand into her flesh over her heart. "And here."

"You're sure about this, Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto once more.

Hinata nodded. "Yes," she answered, scooting back slightly in his lap and grabbing a fist-full of his shirt. With a sharp tug, she untucked it from his pants and began working on unbuttoning it. She had managed to get halfway through the buttons there when Naruto took her hands in his own.

"Are we going to... here?" he asked, a faint blush lighting his cheeks. For some reason, he couldn't quite bring himself to voice what they were about to do.

"No," Hinata answered, shaking her head. "Bed," she breathed against his neck before standing and pulling him to his feet. Grabbing another fist-full of shirt, she lead Naruto into his bedroom.

Naruto, for his part, was starting to feel somewhat apprehensive. He voiced his opinion to the fox. "She's being unusually... forward."

Aggressive, you mean? I noticed. She's staking her claim on you. Or us, I suppose.

"What do you mean? And why?"

The fox smirked. Because she wants you, kit. And it's probably because you won't. I bet she isn't even consciously aware she's acting somewhat against her nature. Then again, she is heiress to the Hyuuga... And pay attention, brat.

Hinata had managed to drag her soon-to-be lover into his bedroom and turned around to look at him. Seeing the slightly vacant look in his eyes, Hinata huffed in irritation. "Naruto-kun," she whined cutely. "Pay attention to me."

Naruto shook off his slightly dazed look and grinned down at the girl, one hand going to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Hinata-chan."

Hinata brought her hand up and grasped the back of Naruto's head, drawing the boy down the short distance between them until they were eye level. Pale lavender pupil-less eyes stared into bright blue irises. After a moment, the blue irises slitted, ever so slightly. Hinata's eyes narrowed. "Am I always going to have to fight for your attention?" she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Naruto had a feeling that while the question had been asked to his face, it wasn't directed at him. The fox confirmed his suspicions when it barked a short laugh before retreating to its corner of their mind. Naruto's eyes rounded back out and he shook his head. "Uh, no?" he asked, somewhat unsure himself.

Hinata nodded, standing on her tiptoes and bringing her lips close enough to brush against his. "Good. Bed?" she breathed, tugging him in that general direction.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. After a moment, he felt his shins bump into his futon and stumbled, falling sideways onto the bed accompanied by a series of pops and the clatter of plastic hitting wood.

Hinata looked mildly embarrassed. "Oops," she mumbled, looking at the scattered buttons of his shirt. "Well, I suppose that works." Shrugging, she joined her blond love on the futon, giving him a light shove to get him onto his back so she could resume her position atop his lap. "Much better," she sighed, leaning forward and pressing her body against his once more. Her lips found their new favorite spot on his neck once more. "Don't you think so?"

Naruto nodded, a lump once again forming in his throat. In his mind, he had finally made the connection that he had been unable to before. Hinata's attitude and manner now reminded him of that of a certain snake jounin: predatory, dangerous, and incredibly sexy. But where Anko, while scary had been playful, Hinata was not. The indigo-haired beauty currently seated atop his lap was completely serious. The thought scared him somewhat, but he put his stubbornness to work and shoved that feeling aside. He wouldn't let his uncertainty of the situation control his actions. He grinned, that same foxy grin that had spelled doom for so many of the victims of his prankster years. "Yeah."

Hinata blinked, raising an eyebrow. Something in the boy's voice had changed. It seemed his confidence was back, that same confidence she had admired in him for so long. A smirk graced her lips. "Well, two can play at that game," she thought, parting her lips and grazing his neck with her teeth, nipping at the soft flesh there. After a moment, her lips replaced her teeth as she planted a soft kiss there. "Shirt," she breathed, grabbing said item and giving it a tug upward. She leaned back as Naruto sat up and she quickly pulled the offending items over his head and tossed them negligently to the floor.

Her warm hands ran over his arms, shoulders, stomach, and came to rest spread against his chest. Shifting forward slightly Hinata applied a little weight to his chest and the blond got the drift of what she wanted, laying back onto the bed. Looking down into his face, Hinata gave the boy her own version of his foxy smile before reaching down and taking hold of the bottom of her own shirt. Slowly, she drew the shirt up over her body and off, pulling her long hair out of it before tossing it aside with his own shirt. Returning her attention to his face, she giggled. His face had taken on a stupefied look. From his nose leaked a thin trail of blood, and from his open mouth a trail of drool. Reaching down, she took his hands in her own and brought them to her breasts. "You can touch me, you know? I want you to."

Naruto's hands unconsciously cupped the breasts in their palms. They were warm, smooth, and so very soft—perhaps the softest thing he'd ever felt before. Beneath his hands, twin pink nipples quickly stood to attention and he found himself flexing his palms so as to both squeeze and rub the nubs of flesh there. Hinata drew in a sharp intake of breath, letting it out in a slow hiss. "Just like that, Naruto-kun," she said breathlessly. The sensations coming just from that minute dragging of his cool flesh against her nipples had sent small tremors all through her body and she could feel her sex becoming wet with excitement. Without really realizing it, she shifted and squirmed her lower body, trying to bring much-needed friction to the junction between her legs. Her inner thigh brushed something warm and solid, drawing her attention.

Hinata shifted slightly and ground herself into the hardness of Naruto's groin, hissing slightly at the feelings it sent rolling outwards from her own sex. "H-hina..." Naruto gasped, his hips unconsciously grinding up to meet hers. The swelling of his cock was becoming unbearable, causing his pants to become uncomfortably tight. He could admit to himself that he wasn't quite as innocent as Sakura and the others thought he was—he had his fair share of dirty thoughts and wet dreams, and he'd been bringing himself to orgasm since shortly after they'd become genin. He did write Icha Icha after all, as they kept pointing out. But this... He'd never been this hard before in his life, not even the times when he had stroked himself to relieve his frustration while on the road. A pair of lips coming into contact with his own brought his already sluggish train of thought to a standstill.

The Hyuuga girl brought her lips down onto the boy below her. After a moment, she parted them and sucked lightly on Naruto's bottom lip before sucking it into her mouth. She dragged her teeth against his lip and released it, once more grinding herself into the stiff rod in his pants. Despite her newfound assertiveness, she didn't have much of an idea of what she was doing. She wasn't even trying to mimic what she had read in Jiraiya and Naruto's books. Really, she was just doing whatever came to mind and felt good. And right now, running her tongue over Naruto's lips and rubbing her sex against him through their pants felt really good. Feeling his lips part slightly when her tongue brushed them, she pushed it further into his mouth.

Naruto's eyes went wide when he felt something small, warm, and wet worm its way past his lips and into his mouth. Instinctively, his tongue brushed against hers. He'd heard about this kind of kissing before—he'd written about this kind of thing before—but he never thought he'd find himself on the receiving end. Shaking off his shock, he flicked his tongue against hers and pushed back against it. He may have been inexperienced, but as others could attest he was a very fast learner when he put effort into something. As their tongues continued to brush, rub, and twin against one-another, he decided that he really, really liked the taste of Hinata's mouth. She tasted faintly of cinnamon and something sweet.

For Hinata's part, she was unsurprised to discover that her love tasted faintly of ramen and something else that she simply defined as 'Naruto.' She hummed into his mouth, sighing her content. Drawing her tongue back, she captured his between her lips when it tried to follow and gave it a light suckle. After a moment, she released his tongue and brought her head back down to his shoulder, her lips finding their place there on his neck. She kissed the flesh there lightly before running her tongue across it, causing Naruto to shiver all over. A choked laugh escaped the blond's lips, bringing a smile to hers. Bringing her lips to his ear, she flicked her tongue against it before breathing into it slowly, drawing another shiver from the blond. "Tickle?" she breathed into his ear, poking her tongue into it briefly and causing him to squirm, which resulted in the hardness in his pants shifting and pressing against her cloth-covered sex more firmly.

"A little," Naruto confirmed, his hands leaving her breasts and trailing across her sides and up her back, drawing her into a hug. "But I liked it."

"I know," she breathed, grinding herself down against his crotch. Deciding she'd had enough of this teasing she lifted herself up and shifted off of him, drawing a whine from the blond. Reaching down, she grabbed the sides of his black dress pants and tugged. Getting the message, Naruto lifted his hips so she could get them the rest of the way down. Yet another article of clothing found its way to the floor. Hinata regarded his boxers with narrowed eyes. "You wear too many clothes," she complained quietly before taking hold of them and pulling them down his legs. The boxers joined the rest of their clothes on the floor. Her attention turned to the now-freed hardness she'd felt pressing comfortably against her sex just moments ago and she licked her lips. Taking a steadying breath, she reached down and grabbed the button to her own pants.

Deciding that maybe he should take the initiative, Naruto sat up and grabbed her hands, drawing them away from her pants. Looking up into her eyes, he grinned before returning his attention to her pants. Slowly, carefully, he unbuttoned the pants and brought the zipper down. With as much reverence as he could muster, he took hold of her pants and pulled them down her legs—somehow avoiding looking at her sex on the way down. Hinata stepped out of the pants and stood still, looking down on her lover, awaiting his approval.

Approval wasn't long in coming as the blond trailed his eyes back up her legs slowly, taking in the finely toned muscles of her calves and thighs and finally landing on a neatly trimmed triangular patch of indigo hair above a glistening set of slightly parted lower lips. His breath caught in his throat for a moment before his eyes continued upward, taking in the girl as a whole. Finally, his eyes settled on her face and he smiled. "Hinata-chan, you're... beautiful," he whispered, wondering how he had ever missed seeing this... this goddess that now stood before him.

Hinata blushed ever so slightly, a smile gracing her own lips. "I'm glad you think so," she said quietly, kneeling and re-joining him on the bed, one hand finding his chest and pushing him down. She straddled his lap again, sighing in pleasure as she felt his hot length press into her wet sex. Leaning down, she looked into his eyes while brushing her lips against his. Noticing that his eyes had once again slitted, she smirked. "Stop peeping," she mouthed quietly, her lips brushing his.

The fox, who had been previously gaping in awe himself snickered. Pfft. Make me, it thought to itself.

Seeing that the boy's eyes had not rounded out but had in fact become more slitted, Hinata shrugged. "Naruto-kun," she breathed against his mouth, drawing his attention.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan?" he asked, shaking off his dazed expression—which actually hadn't been caused by the fox.

Hinata grinned at the term of endearment. "Your kitsune is peeping."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Bastard fox," he growled warningly, both aloud and in-mind.

The fox in question shrugged—or what passed as shrugging for a fox. Get used to it.

The boy groaned, looking up at Hinata apologetically. "Sorry Hinata-chan. But it won't listen and I can't really make it any more."

Thinking back to their conversation from the night before, a look of understanding dawned on her face. "You are becoming one with it, aren't you?"

Naruto nodded. "I tried to explain that last night, but like I said, it's kind of complicated and confusing. If it bothers you—"

She cut him off, her lips brushing his own. "It doesn't. I suppose I'll just have to get used to it and accept it as just another part of what makes you who you are."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, baka kitsune. I am," she assured, running her tongue over his lips before he could say anything else. Once she felt he was sufficiently distracted from that train of thought, she once more ground her sex into his. This drew a pleased gasp from both of them, and Hinata brought her tongue back into play in his mouth.

Naruto's hands were far from idle, as they ran along Hinata's back, arms, and around to her front where they cupped her breasts. Hinata hummed in approval, running her tongue along the roof of Naruto's mouth and grinding herself against the blond again. On a whim, she closed her eyes and triggered her blood-line limit, allowing her to take in everything at once. His lower body ground against hers, short golden hairs brushing against her own. His body was lean and hard, his muscles well toned from years of ninja training and his skin several shades darker than her own from playing in the sun. She smirked as she both felt and saw his hands leave her breasts and trail down her abdomen and hips, coming to rest against her ass.

Pulling back from the kiss, Hinata opened her eyes and placed her hands on Naruto's chest, fingers splayed across his pectoral muscles. Naruto noticed the veins around her eyes standing out and raised an eyebrow, cracking a grin—which turned into a groan as she used the change in position to grind herself down against him more firmly than before. She repeated the action, drawing another strangled groan from the blond and putting a small smirk on her face. Hinata definitely enjoyed getting these kinds of reactions out of the boy, especially when she knew that it was she who was causing him to react this way. Grinding down harder, she slid herself forward slightly and gasped, a shudder running through her body as his stiffness lodged itself between her swollen labia and brushed against her clit. Naruto's hips came up on reflex, causing it to grind into her harder.

Hinata's eyes rolled back in her head for a moment before refocusing on Naruto's face. When she could see clearly again, she focused her sight at where their sexes met. Experimentally, she slid herself back slowly and was rewarded with another grinding/scraping sensation. She could see how her clit was being dragged across his shaft due to their position. She rocked forward, then back again before settling into a slow rocking motion. Judging by the moans and gasps escaping from the blond, he was enjoying this nearly as much as she was. She closed her eyes again, not needing to have them open to see everything going on around her. Naruto's own eyes kept wandering between her face, her slightly swaying breasts, and their joined hips where their sexes ground together. He had yet to actually penetrate her, but neither of them cared at the moment.

Naruto's hands moved from her ass to her hips, where they squeezed and dug into the skin there not quite painfully. He ground his hips upwards, meeting the pace of her rocking motion and causing her to shudder against him. She increased her pace, her hands clenching against his chest and her nails digging in there, drawing tiny beads of blood where they pierced his skin. Hinata's nails weren't long, or very sharp, but apparently her hands were stronger than they appeared.

Naruto hissed, his own hands clenching harder against her skin and drawing her attention away from watching her sex sliding against his cock. Her eyes opened when she spotted the smear of blood and her hands unclenched and brushed softly against the skin there. Once she cleared the small blood smears away, she found only uninjured skin. She smiled, leaning down to kiss the areas she had inadvertently damaged. In doing so, she shifted their position slightly once more and her eyes widened as she felt his cock slide against her clit harder.

"Oh, Gods," she groaned, her hands fisting in the sheets below the blond. She could feel herself growing closer to release, which she desperately wanted. She didn't want to stop what they were doing, but she wanted her very first time with Naruto to be with his cock buried into her to the hilt. Allowing herself to grind against him just a little harder, she leaned down to his ear and drew her teeth against his earlobe before telling him exactly what she wanted. "Naruto-kun, take me now," she growled, sending a jolt through the blond below her.

Naruto's hands came up and grasped her upper arms, pulling her back far enough that he could look into her eyes. Hinata shifted her weight to the side and Naruto followed, drawing her under him. Her legs spread below him, hips arching up and seeming to welcome him. A look passed between them, he asking once more for approval and she granting it. Releasing her arms, he put his weight on his left arm and pulled his hips back slightly from her, taking his cock in his hand and guiding it towards her entrance. Feeling him brush against her opening, Hinata brought her legs up around him and drew him inward, causing his cock to slide past her outer lips and into her waiting sex. Thankfully, there was none of the pain she had been told to expect when his hips finally came to rest against hers—only an incredible feeling of fullness as her sex stretched and conformed to his shaft. Hinata suspected that her hymen had torn at some point during her early academy days.

Naruto groaned, Hinata's tight wetness surrounding his cock and gripping it firmly. He could feel it squeezing around his shaft, as though trying to draw him in deeper. Seeing her nod, Naruto drew out of her slowly, savoring the feeling of her slick, tight cunt around his cock. She reached out and took his arms, pulling him down until her mouth was level with his ear. "Make me yours, Naruto-kun," she moaned, thrusting her hips up against his and spreading her legs further, placing her feet on the bed and bending her knees so as to elevate her ass slightly to offer a better angle.

The blond complied, his hands finding the sheets on either side of her head. He thrust himself into her hard, watching as she gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled out quickly and repeated the motion, quickly finding a rhythm with Hinata that was making the girl's toes curl into the sheets and her nails rake against his back. Heeding her breathy commands of "harder," and "faster," he picked up his pace.

Hinata felt herself approaching that peak that she had been so close to just moments ago and renewed her efforts to reach release. She could feel herself beginning to grow tighter around his shaft and the sensations coming from their joined hips were reaching a fever pitch. Atop her, Naruto could feel himself coming closer to the edge and grit his teeth, pumping into her tightening sex harder. And in the back of the boy's mind, a certain demon fox watched, and waited. Just as the boy hit the peak of orgasm, the fox subtly directed the boy's next actions. Youki and chakra surged forth as the boy fell forward, buying his face into Hinata's shoulder and sinking in a pair of elongated canines.

Hinata felt something sharp dig into the flesh where her neck and right collar bone met just as she reached her release. She felt a sudden influx of something hot originate from that point and spread through her body, joining her orgasm and causing her to draw a sharp intake of breath, cutting off what had started off as a keening wail of Naruto's name. A moment later, she felt herself arch forward, her mouth opening and finding Naruto's neck. She tasted something hot and coppery as the surge of...something passed through her body and back into the blond atop her. She fell back against the sheets, spent and breathless while Naruto nearly collapsed on top of her.

"Hinata-chan," the boy murmured, kissing her shoulder absently.

Hinata's arms found their way around the blond and she hugged him to her, not at all minding his weight pressing her into the bed. "Naruto-kun," she panted, a smile lighting her face. "That was..."

"Awesome?" supplied the blond tiredly, feeling suddenly drained.

"Heavenly," Hinata mumbled, rubbing the side of her head against his.

And in the back of his mind, a certain nine-tailed menace suddenly cackled—a sound that the blond knew meant trouble. Putting two and two together, Naruto's hand fisted into the sheets and he closed his eyes. "What did you do?!" yelled the blond in-mind.

The fox smirked. You'll find out soon enough.

The blond's tirade at the fox was cut short by Hinata shaking his shoulder to get his attention. "Naruto-kun?"

"Huh? Sorry Hinata. What's up?" he asked. A forceful knock from his apartment door answered his question. Naruto growled. "I'll be there in a second, now CUT IT THE FUCK OUT!" he yelled, making sure to turn away from Hinata to do so to keep from yelling in her ear. "Who is it?" he asked her quietly.

Hinata reactivated her Byakugan and focused past the door. "Kakashi-sensei," she answered, withdrawing her vision from the door. She was about to release the technique when something drew her attention. Two identical somethings, to be exact: one at the junction of her right collar bone and neck, the other just above that on the blond's neck. "N-naruto-kun?" she questioned, her tone somewhat fearful.

"What is it?" he asked, glancing towards the door and back to her. After a moment, she turned her head to the left and bared her shoulder. "What the hell...? That damned fox," Naruto growled, but another knock came from the door. "Ok, don't panic. We can figure this out, ok?" he said, trying to reassure the girl.

Hinata nodded. "Just... hurry back."

Nodding his agreement, Naruto glanced down at their still-joined bodies and flushed slightly. Carefully, he pulled back and his deflating member slid from her slit. Hinata clenched her legs shut and pulled the sheets over her form once Naruto had climbed out of bed. The blond pulled on his discarded boxers and made his way out of the bedroom to the front door. Undoing the lock, he opened the door partway and glared up at his former sensei. "What?"

Kakashi grinned. "Orders from Hokage-sama. She says you are to join her in her office in," here, he checked his watch. "Five minutes."

"Fuck," Naruto growled, nearly slamming the door on the jounin.

Kakashi however, stuck his foot in the door. "Naruto, why do I smell blood?"

"Huh?" asked the blond, sniffing the air for himself. Now that he tried, he could indeed smell blood. He turned around in a circle, looking for its source. Kakashi spotted it before him.

"Why is your back smeared with blood?" asked the jounin. A moment later, another question made itself known. "And what is that?" he asked, pointing at the mark on the boy's neck. The mark in question looked very much like a seal. A seal composed of a spiral surrounded by nine tails.

Naruto shrugged. "Beats the hell out of me."

"...I felt the Kyuubi's chakra a moment ago," Kakashi pointed out.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, so did I."

"Did you and Hinata...?"

"Go away, we'll figure it out later." Naruto grumbled, pushing the jounin out the door and closing it behind him. Locking the door, he sighed and made his way back to the bedroom.

Hinata sat up, gesturing the blond to sit beside her. "What did he want?" she asked, leaning back and looking at the blood smears across his back. Looking down, she found that her fingers were tinged with the red substance and there was a little bit of skin under her nails.

"Baa-chan wants to see me now."

"Did I hurt you?" she asked, showing him her hands.

The blond grinned. "Nun uh. I don't think I even noticed."

Hinata brought her hand up to rub the mark on his neck. "Do you know what they are yet?"

"No," the blond grumbled, his face scrunching up in annoyance. "That stupid fox won't say. Whatever it is, it can't be good though. He keeps laughing."

Hinata frowned, scrutinizing the marks under the gaze of her Byakugan. "They look like seals of some sort. I can see chakra coils leading from yours to that other set of inner coils, where they join. ...Mine are doing something funny."

"What's that?"

She focused inward. After a moment of watching, she gave her best guess. "It looks like new chakra coils are growing outward from it. It's like the seal is trying to duplicate your secondary coil system in me."

In the back of Naruto's head, the fox perked up. That was fast.

Naruto glared, turning his attention to the other occupant of his mind. "Out with it, damnit. What are they? What did you do to us?"

Nothing, to you, answered the fox. You should go see that large-chested woman before she gets her panties in a twist.

Refocusing on the outside world, Naruto rolled his eyes before making the hand-seals for Kage Bunshin. A clone POOF!ed into existence in front of the pair before bringing its hands up and forming a Henge to make it look as though it were wearing more than its boxers. "Right, distract Baa-chan. I'll try to buy fifteen minutes or so," said the clone, taking off from the apartment through the sliding glass doors to the balcony.

Naruto returned his attention to Hinata. "So... shower?" he asked, a grin creeping onto his face.

Hinata smiled, but shook her head. "Go ahead without me. I'm afraid that if we both try it you won't make it to Tsunade-sama before she comes looking for you."

"What about you?" he asked, looking unsure.

"I have some things I should get out of the way while you're gone," she answered vaguely.

"You sure?"

Hinata sighed. "Yes, I'm sure. Now get," she said, reaching out and pinching his butt.

Naruto jumped up from the bed, grabbing his ass. "Hey! Cut that out," he snickered, heading into the bath room.

The sound of running water met her ears and Hinata lay back on the bed, a small smile gracing her face. She let her thoughts wander back to the events of the last day and found herself blushing despite how intimate they had been just a short time ago. She didn't notice when the sound of the shower cut off, but she did notice when a nude and still-damp Naruto dashed back into the room and began rummaging around in his things for clothes. Sitting up, she admired the view, a quiet giggle escaping her lips.

Naruto turned his head to regard the girl, his face scrunching cutely in confusion. "What's so funny?" he asked, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers.

"Nothing."

"If you say so," Naruto said, looking at her suspiciously for a moment before grabbing his orange pants and pulling them on. His black spiral tee-shirt followed the pants, along with his orange and black sweater. Looking around, he frowned. "Uh... where are my shoes?"

Hinata giggled again. "Under the couch, silly."

"Oh. Duh," he groaned, scurrying into the living room and retrieving his ninja sandals. Returning to the bedroom, he hopped around from foot to foot in order to get the sandals on before sitting back down onto the bed. "I'll try not to take too long, ok?" he said, wrapping his arms around the nude girl.

Hinata smiled, nodding. "It's ok if you do though. Meet you back here later?" she asked, returning the hug and planting a small kiss on his neck—over the place that was now covered by that weird seal.

Naruto shuddered slightly, turning his head to the side slightly in an effort to encourage her to continue. After a moment, he groaned and stood. "Ok, I'd better go or I'll never leave," he said, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Yeah, I'll come back here as soon as I can." Seeing her nod, he took off the way his bunshin had gone, throwing a wave over his shoulder.

Sliding the balcony door closed behind him, Naruto took off at a ninja-run for the Hokage tower. Three minutes and several stairs later, Naruto made his way past Shizune and into Tsunade's office. Grinning, he plopped down into a seat in front of her, throwing his feet up onto the desk. "You wanted to see me, Baa-chan?"

Tsunade looked the other blond over before her face broke into a grin. "So, what's this I hear about you and Hinata, Naruto?"

"Heh, how'd you hear about that?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head in mild embarrassment.

Tsunade smirked. "Oh, you'd be surprised what interesting bits of gossip find their way to me... mister Icha Icha."

Naruto gulped, going pale. "Uh, what? I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. Slowly, his feet came down from the desk and he inched towards the edge of his seat, ready to spring up and run at a moment's notice.

"Sit," Tsunade commanded, her tone causing the blond to flinch and obey immediately.

"Yes, ma'am," he squeaked, suddenly fearing for his life. "Well, at least I can say I won't be dying a virgin," he thought idly.

As though she had read his mind, Tsunade's grin turned lecherous, resembling that of her teammate. For a moment, Naruto wondered if it was Jiraiya using a henge, but disregarded that idea as suicidal on the frog sannin's part. "I heard you two slept together."

Naruto flinched. "Kakashi," he growled.

Tsunade blinked. "...Wait.. I was just teasing, I meant in the literal sense. ...You didn't, did you?"

"No?"

"Na. Ru. To," Tsunade ground out around clenched teeth.

"Maybe? Don't kill me!"

Tsunade sighed, leaning back in her chair. "When did this happen?" she asked, suddenly sounding weary.

Naruto blushed, his index fingers poking themselves together in an all-too-familiar manner. "Uh... right before Kakashi-sensei came to get me," he told her.

Shaking her head, the woman suddenly seemed several years older to Naruto than her genjutsu would lead one to believe. "Did you at least use protection? ...And I swear to everything holy, if you make some smart-assed comment about having a weapon nearby not even the fox will be able to save your scrawny ass."

"Hey! I'm not scrawny," denied the blond. Seeing the woman glare, he continued. "And I wasn't going to, Baa-chan."

"...Well?"

"Well what?" he asked, looking shifty-eyed.

Tsunade growled. "You know damn well what!" she yelled, but asked again to clarify. "Did you or did you not use protection, Naruto?"

Naruto brought a hand up to his chin, putting on his best contemplative look—which most would say looked very odd on the blond. "I'm not going to lie to you, Baa-chan," he said finally, nodding.

After several moments of silence in which Tsunade waited for him to continue, she finally realized he wasn't going to. Her hands clenched into fists and her eyes narrowed. "That isn't funny," she growled out. "You didn't, did you?"

"Um... should I have?" he asked, looking somewhat confused now, unsure why she was making such a big deal about it.

With an unnatural calm, Tsunade reached out and tapped a button on her desk. A moment later, Shizune popped her head in the door. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" asked the smaller woman.

"Shizune," Tsunade started, still calm. "I want you to prep an operating room."

"For what?"

Tsunade's look became positively evil. "Immediate vasectomy."

Shizune cringed, looking fearfully between the two blonds. "For who?"

"What's a vasectomy?" Naruto asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

Tsunade's eyes trailed from Shizune to Naruto and back again. Shizune gasped. "Why?"

"Answer my question, damnit!" Naruto yelled. Both women ignored him. The fox, however, decided that it was in his best interests to preserve the well-being of his host. Naruto paled, looking fearfully between the two women. "Oh hell no!" he yelled, jumping from his seat and making for the window. Tsunade, however, was faster. She latched onto the boy's arm and swung him around until his back slammed down atop her desk. "Forget the O.R., we'll just do this right here."

"Naruto-kun, what did you do?" asked Shizune, concern for the boy evident on her face. Naruto would have answered, but was cut off by Tsunade who gave her apprentice the abbreviated version of the story. "I see. Well, did you at least use protection?"

"No, the idiot did not. Apparently, he doesn't grasp the concept."

The look on Shizune's face went from one of sympathy and concern to one of cold fury. Closing the door behind her, the girl strode into the room towards the desk. "Naruto-kun," she growled, a blue glow surrounding her right hand. Before Naruto could blink, the hand plunged itself between his legs and slammed into the desk. Naruto lost consciousness.

---

After Naruto disappeared out the balcony, Hinata stretched for a moment before standing. She made her way into the bathroom and set about taking long, hot shower. Once her muscles had relaxed and she felt that she was free of sweat and other bodily fluids, she cut off the water and stepped out. She took her time toweling herself dry, in no real hurry and using the time it gave her to plan her next course of action. Something would have to be done about her family... the question was 'what' though. "I suppose I will simply tell father and go from there. That seemed to work best last time," she thought, a smile coming to her lips as she remembered the events of the previous night.

Reaching out towards the mirror of Naruto's bathroom, she used her towel to wipe away the accumulated moisture there. A woman she barely recognized met her gaze in the glass, a small smile gracing her lips. Hinata couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed, but something seemed different between the young woman wearing her face in the mirror and what Hinata normally saw in her reflection. The woman in front of her held herself up straight and unabashedly, not flaunting herself but not trying to hide herself away either. And while the familiar gentle features of the face she remembered were present, they now seemed to convey a sense of self-confidence that she had wished to possess for so long and had only rarely felt around a certain blond ninja.

The explanation for the discrepancy between the Hinata that looked back at her now and the Hinata of the past became slightly clearer when her eyes fell upon a new feature of her body that was quickly becoming familiar. The black of the seal—roughly an inch in diameter and composed of a spiral circled by nine tails—stood out sharply against her somewhat pale skin. She realized, after a moment, that she didn't really mind having the mark there—especially knowing what it represented. In her eyes and in those of anyone who chose to look, this would mark her as belonging to the hyperactive and over-affectionate blond ninja that had done so much for her without even realizing it. Even now he was doing something for her without even being there, simply by acknowledging and returning her feelings.

Deciding that she had put off what was to come long enough, Hinata gave herself one last look over in the mirror before putting the towel in the dirty clothes hamper and exiting the bathroom. It wasn't difficult to find her clothes from the previous day and after only a few moments she had pulled on her pants and shirt, along with her ninja sandals. She spotted her jacket on the floor in front of Naruto's couch and picked it up. Regarding the jacket for a moment, she folded it neatly and placed it on the couch. "I won't be needing this any more," she mused. Looking around, she found her hitai-ate on the floor of the bedroom—apparently she had pulled it off along with her shirt earlier. She picked it up and slipped it over her head, adjusting it so it rested in its usual place and covered the seal for now. She wasn't quite ready to show that off to the world just yet.

Giving the apartment one last look-over to make she she wasn't forgetting anything, Hinata left the same way Naruto had and took off across the roof-tops of Konoha in the direction of her clan home. Nearly there she was met by Kiba and Akamaru, who stopped and greeted her. "Hey, Hinata!" called the boy. Beside him, Akamaru barked a greeting himself.

"Kiba-kun, Akamaru-kun," the girl returned, nodding to each in turn.

"So, are we still on for practice later?" asked the Inuzuka heir, drawing nearer to the girl. If he thought anything of her not wearing her jacket, he didn't mention it.

Hinata thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "No. I'm sorry. I promised I would be somewhere," she said, trailing off at the end as her teammate suddenly breached her personal space and leaned his face in closer to her. She heard him take in a long drag of air through his nose.

Kiba's eyes narrowed as he continued his impromptu inspection. "Why do I smell fox? And Naruto? ...And sex?" he asked, blunt and to the point as ever.

Hinata squeaked. "How did you...?" she asked, flushing slightly.

Kiba rolled his eyes before tapping his nose. "Inuzuka clan, duh. So, did you two...?"

"But I showered..." Hinata muttered softly, confusion on her face.

Kiba shrugged, taking the girl's statement as admission. "Scent lingers. It's there, even if you don't notice. You'd need to bathe in bleach to keep me from smelling it. ...He didn't force anything on you, did he?"

"No!" Hinata protested loudly and quickly. She looked sheepish for a moment before continuing. "I kind of..." she trailed off, leaving it to her teammate to figure out the rest.

"You?" Kiba asked, stunned. Seeing her nod, he groaned. "Damnit! Well, I can't say I'm not jealous," he grumbled. After a moment, a thought occurred and on a whim he reached out and pulled her hitai-ate aside to reveal the mark there. "...What the hell?"

Hinata stepped away, replacing the cloth quickly. "Don't tell anyone, ok?"

"Yeah, but what the hell is it? I was expecting teeth marks or something, not something that looks...like a seal," he said, trailing off as a thought occurred. "Nine tails, smells like a fox... no, not possible," he mumbled, shaking his head and dismissing what had swiftly become a very disturbing train of thought.

"You're... not mad?" Hinata asked, knowing her teammate had a thing for her though whether it was because he actually liked her in that way or because he was her teammate and was just looking out for her she didn't know.

Kiba sighed. "A little disappointed, but not mad. Well, at least now everyone will know you're off-limits," here, he grinned. "And if that blond idiot hurts you, tell me and I'll kick his ass. Well, I'm going to go tell Shino the news. Practice tomorrow?" Hinata nodded and the boy waved, taking off with his dog following close behind.

Hinata sighed in relief and resumed her journey to her home. That had gone better than she had hoped. Now if only her luck would hold out the rest of the day. The gates to her home came into sight and she jumped over them before slowing to a walk. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve and stepped into the large main house. She walked straight down the hall to the door to her father's study. Knocking lightly, she entered when Hiashi called for her to come in. Striding into the room, she seated herself before his low desk, kneeling on the cushion there. She wasted no time in speaking what was on her mind, drawing a slightly stunned look from Hiashi when she did so without stuttering or breaking eye contact. "Father, there is a matter I must discuss with you," she stated quietly but firmly.

And that is how not 'Hyuuga Hinata' but simply 'Hinata' found herself walking through the streets of Konoha, her hitai-ate tied around her forehead and baring the seal on her shoulder for the world to see and a carrying bag containing only the clothes and possessions she would need and valued back to her lover's small apartment. She drew a few curious looks on her way, but none were scathing or hateful at the moment. Well, once the general populace found out that she had become 'that Uzumaki bastard's bitch,' that would probably change.

Hinata found it very difficult to actually care how the people around her that didn't truly matter regarded her. The list of people whose opinions mattered to the ex-Hyuuga had become very short: it was down to just six people, after having removed her family from that list. Naruto—whose opinion mattered most—was at the top of the list, followed by Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama, Kurenai-sensei, Kiba-kun, and Shino-kun. Not even her cousin Neji made the list at the moment.

She looked up and found herself in front of Naruto's apartment complex. Knowing the front door was locked, she made her way back in the way she had left. Hinata dropped her bag onto the futon in the bedroom and sighed, looking around. Naruto wasn't back yet and she had agreed to wait for him here. Deciding to fix herself a light meal of instant ramen—which she knew Naruto had plenty of to spare—she made her way into the other room, nearly tripping over a pair of discarded black dress pants on the way. That decided her next course of action for her. Until Naruto returned, she would tidy up what had suddenly become their apartment.

"But first, ramen."

---

Naruto woke spluttering, half drowned by the bucket of water that had been dumped over his head. He coughed up a lungful of water and sat up from the Hokage's desk. "What the hell?" he choked out.

"That was for being an idiot," grumbled Tsunade, taking her seat behind her desk. "Now sit back down, we aren't done here."

After taking a moment to make sure that everything was still attached where it should be, Naruto did as she commanded. "So, what is it?"

The older woman sighed. "You really have no patience, do you?"

"Nope."

"That was rhetorical, brat," she growled before settling down. "Let's cut the bullshit, ok? Are you serious about pursuing an actual long-term relationship with Hyuuga Hinata?"

Naruto nodded. "Of course! I'm not some jerk who just says he likes a girl so she'll put out, you know. Don't you have any faith in me?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, I just want to be certain that you're being serious about this."

"I am," the boy confirmed without hesitation.

"Ok then. Just so you know, the Hyuuga elders are going to be pissed. So will the village council. And the civilian population. And anyone else who has ever had a grudge against you. You know, since they'll see it as 'the Kyuubi brat stealing the Hyuuga heiress' or something equally asinine."

Naruto shrugged. "Fuck 'em. Who cares what those bastards think?"

Tsunade smirked. "I thought you'd say something like that. So, what are you going to do if one of you is attacked for this?"

The boy's somewhat serious look shifted into something Tsunade had never seen on the boy before, and to be honest it frightened her to see her brother/son figure carrying the look of a cold-blooded killer even if only for a moment. "It wouldn't happen but once," he said simply.

"Just," she said slowly, feeling suddenly much older that even her real age. "Just make sure it's a clear case of self-defense. Even I couldn't bail you out if it looks like you instigated it, do you understand?"

Naruto nodded and the cold look left his features. "So, anything else? I kind of promised I'd make this quick..."

Tsunade groaned and rolled her eyes. "Teenagers," she muttered under her breath. Louder, she said, "Yes, there's more. It concerns your current living arrangements."

"Huh?" came the blond's eloquently intelligent question.

"Frankly, your apartment is a dump. It's not fit to live in and should have been condemned years ago."

Naruto snickered. "Yeah, but no where else will take me. They always say they've got no vacancies."

"How much money do you have?" asked the woman suddenly, her look turning thoughtful.

"Why?" Naruto asked, suddenly suspicious. "Even if I love you, you aren't getting your hands on it so you can go piss it all away gambling."

Again, Tsunade rolled her eyes. "No, brat. I wasn't going to take your money and use it for gambling. So seriously, how much do you have?"

Shrugging, Naruto did some quick estimates in his head. "Well, I've got the money from all of the official missions I've done up until now, plus some extra cash I made doing odd-jobs and missions on the road, plus the cash payments for Icha Icha since I wrote the last couple—even though getting Ero-sennin to split the profits with me was a bitch... So, I have about... Well, it's a lot."

Tsunade blinked. "How much is a lot?"

"More than a little," answered the blond, throwing her a cheeky grin.

"Got about eighty-thousand ryo?" asked the woman, shuffling some papers on her desk.

Naruto whistled. "Well... yeah, but what do you want with it?"

"Well you see, there's a small piece of land and a house that has been available but off the market for about fifteen years now... I can't just give it to you, since that would raise too many questions, but I have the deed and eighty-thousand is the relator's estimate on the property and house together."

"You're going to make my buy some crappy old house?" Naruto asked, looking annoyed. "Why the hell should I do that when I've got the money to just buy a new one?"

"Watch your mouth, you shit! That's the Yondaime Hokage's grounds you're insulting."

Naruto blinked. And blinked again. His mouth fell open slightly. "Why would you give me Yondaime's house?"

"He wanted you to have it, once you got old enough," answered the current Hokage. "There are some other things he left for you as well, but you only get those if you get the house. And part of the deal is that you can't just get rid of the place once you have it."

"Why would he...?"

Tsunade smiled softly at the blond before her. She knew why, but she couldn't tell him that secret quite yet. Instead, she used the excuse that Yondaime himself had left. "Consider it payment for having the burden of the fox thrust upon your life at birth."

"...Then why the hell do I have to pay for it?!"

"Like I said, it would cause conflicts if you didn't."

Naruto groaned. "Fine. You've got a deal. I can have the money within the week. Is that good enough, Baa-chan?"

Tsunade nodded, grinning. "Yup," she said, opening a drawer in her desk. She withdrew an old envelope from the desk and threw it to the blond across from her. "The keys to the grounds and the house are in there, along with the address and instructions for the maintenance and upkeep of the property. Now, beat it kid. I've got work to do."

Naruto nodded, standing and heading for the window. "Thanks, Baa-chan," he called, jumping out of the tower. Once on the ground, he opened the envelope and took out the key ring therein. He glanced at the address written on a small sheet of parchment and shrugged before hopping onto a rooftop and making his way in that direction. He found the place easily, as it was one of the only residences on the same street as the Hyuuga compound.

He jumped over the front gate and made his way into the grounds. Looking around, he took in the state of the property. "Man, this place could use some work," he groaned, walking up a short gravel path to the front of the house. The house had probably been white with blue trim at one point, but the paint had faded and peeled after so many years of neglect. The building itself looked to be a single story and built in the traditional style.

Taking out the key ring, he looked over the keys there. Each key had a small slip of paper tied to it, clearly labeling them as 'Front Gate' and 'Main Entrance.' Taking out the main entrance key, he stuck it into the lock on the front door and turned it, pushing open the door. He stepped inside the building and looked around. Naruto groaned. "Shit, this is going to take forever to fix," he whined aloud.

Kage Bunshin, you blond baka, supplied the fox.

Naruto glared at empty air. "Shut up, I'm still not talking to you until you explain what the hell you did to Hinata," he said, pulling out the letter with the instructions for maintaining the grounds.

Get to work and go see the girl and I'll explain, the fox replied, giving the blond the impression of a smirk.

Naruto nodded. Reading the instructions over, he nodded and walked outside, making the seals for Kage Bunshin. Over two-hundred clones POOF!ed into existence, filling the open grounds nearly to capacity. "Ok guys, you know what to do. I'll be back tonight with Hinata. If you have any problems, come and get me."

"ROGER, BOSS!" called the bunshins in tandem, throwing their creator a salute before dividing themselves into groups and getting to work.

Before he left, Naruto grabbed a bunshin out of the crowd. "You're in charge while I'm gone, ok?" he told his clone, handing it the instructions.

"Sure thing, boss," agreed the bunshin, grinning. When the original blond took off, the bunshin turned back towards the crowd. It formed the hand-seals for Henge and POOF!ed into a new set of pirate-captainy clothes, complete with 'The Hat.' "ALL HANDS ON DECK! Rig the mainsails, hoist the mizzenmast, make ready the cannons! PREPARE TO BOARD!"

As one, the rest of the clones turned towards the designated leader. "Do you even know what any of that means?" they asked.

The foreman-clone looked sheepish. "Um... no? But I've always wanted to say that. Carry on."

Rolling their eyes, the other bunshins nodded before breaking out into identical grins. "ARR!"

And nearly back home, Naruto had the sudden feeling that his clones were doing embarrassing things once again. Shaking off the bad feeling, Naruto entered his apartment and paused, looking around. He had climbed in through the balcony he usually used, but he was clearly not in his apartment. "What the hell is this?" he asked, looking around. For the first time in the history of ever, Naruto's apartment looked clean. It hadn't looked this good when he'd first gotten it. It even smelled faintly of lemon and pine. "Oh man, Hinata must have cleaned it," he murmured, suddenly embarrassed beyond belief.

He checked the apartment and found that while it still smelled of Hinata the girl herself was nowhere to be found. What he did find, however, was a note. A note which read: "Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan came by and asked me to join her in the baths. She wouldn't take no for an answer. I'll be back soon. Love you. -Hinata. P.S.: I hope you like what I've done with your apartment."

"Figures," he grunted, putting the note back on his table where he'd found it. He considered making instant ramen for lunch but decided against it. Instead, he once more left the apartment and headed for Ichiraku's. Once there, he ordered a large bowl of ramen and told old-man Teuchi to keep them coming. After his third bowl, an idea came to mind. He wanted to see Hinata, but going to find her was out of the question. When Sakura got done with him, there wouldn't be anything left but a red smear. On the other hand...

Naruto smirked, forming the seals for Kage Bunshin once more. This time, a single clone POOF!ed into being beside him. The clone then formed the seals for Henge and was replaced by a clothed version of Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu form. The pair shared a wicked grin for a moment before the clone took in the sight of fresh ramen. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, she snatched some of the noodles from Naruto's bowl and stuffed them into her mouth before Naruto could protest. Swallowing quickly, the clone took off with a wave over her shoulder. Turning back to his ramen, Naruto grinned. "This should be good."

"What should be good?" a voice called from behind the blond.

Naruto dropped his chopsticks and turned around on his stool slowly, fear written on his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked fearfully.

---

A knock at the door drew Hinata's attention from where she had been wiping Naruto's table clean. She paused in her work and set down the cloth she'd been using for the task. "Just a minute," she called towards the front door. She quickly washed her hands clean and made her way to the front door. Opening it, she found herself looking into a pair of bright green eyes framed by pink hair. "Sakura-chan?"

Sakura strolled into the apartment, looking around. After a moment, she turned back to Hinata with an angry expression on her face. "Don't tell me that idiot has you cleaning his apartment for him."

Hinata shook her head. "No, I got bored and.. well, this is the result."

Laughing, Sakura took a seat on Naruto's couch, noticing the jacket folded and placed neatly there. Raising an eyebrow, she turned her eyes back to Hinata. Now that she cared to notice, she could see several changes in the girl before her. "You look different," she pointed out.

Hinata blushed slightly, but nodded. "Do you like it?" she asked, turning around in a slow circle for a moment before facing the other kunoichi again.

"Yeah, you look good," Sakura affirmed. Something had caught her eye though, and she stood. She approached Hinata slowly, causing the other girl to take a step back reflexively.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

Sakura shook her head. "No," she said slowly. "You moved your hitai-ate," she pointed out.

"Yes," Hinata agreed, smiling. "I thought it felt appropriate."

Sakura noticed something else. "What's that?" she asked, leaning her head in closer and scrutinizing the mark on Hinata's neck. "This looks kind of like that thing Orochimaru put on Sasuke... Where did you get it?"

Hinata blushed a pretty shade of pink, stepping away from the other girl and sitting on the couch. She picked up her folded jacket and clutched it to her chest. "It isn't like that," she denied softly.

Something in Sakura's mind almost seemed to audibly click as she put the pieces together. "A spiral and nine tails... Naruto's obsessed with clothes with spirals on them. And he's got that spiral seal on his stomach... which houses the nine-tailed demon fox," she mumbled, just loud enough for Hinata to hear. Hinata had begun paling rapidly the moment Sakura began speaking. "Naruto did this?" Sakura asked finally. Getting a small nod from Hinata, Sakura continued. "How? Why? And when? You didn't have this last.. night..."

Hinata's blush came back. "We don't know the hows and whys," she said softly, leaving the last part unanswered. However, her refusal to answer the last part was answer enough for Sakura.

Sakura channeled chakra into her hand and held it over the new seal, a look of concentration coming over her face. "It doesn't seem to be doing anything... But there's some odd chakra in there—probably the red kind Naruto uses when he uses Kyuubi's power."

"Yes," Hinata confirmed with a nod. "There are new inner coils, too. It created an entirely new chakra circulatory system, nearly identical to Naruto-kun's secondary inner coil system. From what I can see, the red chakra is flowing from the seal through the coils, but not going anywhere."

"...Wait, you mean to tell me that in the span of about twelve hours, a seal that Naruto somehow put on you constructed a fully functional secondary inner coil system, which apparently carries the fox's chakra?"

Hinata shook her head. "More like four hours," she corrected, after some quick math.

Sakura gaped. After a moment, she collected herself enough to ask, "Does it hurt at all?"

"No," answered Hinata. Focusing inward, she smiled after a moment. "Actually, it feels kind of nice. It's... warm," she said lamely, lacking the ability to put the exact feeling into words.

"Well, I suppose if it isn't causing any problems then there's no need for concern. But I'm going to kill Naruto the next time I see him."

"It wasn't his fault!" denied Hinata vehemently.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How do you figure that?"

Hinata blushed once more. "It was... sort of in the heat of the moment," she answered, almost too low for Sakura to hear.

Sakura however, did hear. After taking a moment to let those words sink in, she smirked. "The 'heat of the moment,' huh?" Seeing Hinata's blush deepen, her smirk grew wider. "I want details."

Hinata shook her head. "Nun uh."

Standing, Sakura took hold of Hinata's hand and pulled her up from the couch, the jacket falling to the floor. "You and I, along with Ino, Tenten, and probably Temari are going to have a nice, long chat," she said, using her superior strength to drag the protesting girl from the room and across town to her shared apartment with the other girls. Kicking the door open, she dragged Hinata inside and into the main room, where three other kunoichi were still passed out in various states of undress. "Wake up!"

After waking the other girls, Sakura formed a plan. It was a simple plan, really: kidnap Hinata, drag her to the baths, and drag a confession out of her... along with all the juicy details. Hinata, seeing that she wasn't getting out of this, agreed on the grounds that this was probably going to be painful and embarrassing and it would be best to get it over with quickly. After writing out a note to Naruto and dropping it off, the group of girls made their way to the hot springs. Once there, the girls disrobed and slipped into the water, going to a back corner of the bath and forming a loose circle around Hinata there.

"Hinata has some things she would like to tell all of us, don't you Hinata-chan?" started Sakura, grinning. She hadn't told them anything more than that they were going to the bath for a 'girl's day out.'

Hinata sighed, sinking low in the water and trying to hide. "No," she answered, glaring at Sakura.

Glancing between the two, Ino's innate sense that something naughty and/or perverted was afoot told her that something was up. "What's this about?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Tenten had heard that tone in Ino's voice before and knew what it meant. Turning her attention on Hinata, she decided that being direct was going to be the only way to get Hinata to tell them anything. "You slept with Naruto, didn't you?"

Temari rolled her eyes. "Geeze, is that all?" she groaned. She didn't know any of the kunoichi well enough to be able to read the subtle signals there. She continued, not noticing Hinata's mortified look. "I mean, they fell asleep together last night, so of course she 'slept with him.' Duh."

"No, you dumb blond, I meant she slept with him," growled Tenten.

"Hey, I resemble that remark," Ino whined.

Temari blinked, looking between the other kunoichi and settling on Hinata, who had turned an interesting shade of maroon. "Wait, you fucked him?!"

Sakura nodded. "Oh, I think she did."

Three sets of eyes focused on Hinata, causing the girl to sink into the water up to her nose. "Details," they demanded in unison.

Hinata whimpered, causing the others to grin. "So..." Ino started. "Was it good?" she asked, tossing out a feeler question to see if she could get the shy ex-Hyuuga talking.

"Yes," Hinata whispered, nodding as a large smile came to her face. She was embarrassed and wanted to keep it private, but she would at least confirm that.

"So, how big is he?" Temari blurted, asking the question on all of their minds.

Once she recovered from nearly drowning, Hinata glared at the sand kunoichi. "Why should I tell?" she growled, sounding very un-Hinata-like.

"Because we're your friends," answered Tenten.

"Because we love you," added Sakura.

Ino grinned. "Because we've told you. ...Well, those of us that have anything to tell, anyway," she said, sending a side-long glance at Sakura.

"Shut. Up," growled the pink-haired kunoichi before turning her attention back to Hinata. "You don't have to tell us, you know. You could show us."

Sighing in defeat, Hinata held up her hands to give a rough measurement of length and width. "About so," she said quietly.

The other kunoichi gaped. "No," started Ino.

"Way." Tenten

"In hell," finished Temari.

Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment before giggling. "Don't those measurements sound familiar?" she asked, a teasing tone in her voice.

"What do you mean, 'no way in hell?'" questioned Hinata, glaring. "I would know..."

Ino blinked. "Icha Icha," she answered Sakura's question.

"But that's..." Tenten said, trailing off.

"Almost painfully large?" supplied Temari.

Ino's look had gone slightly dazed and wistful. "Man, some people get all the luck," she groaned.

Tenten noticed the look and shook her head. "Perv."

Ino nodded. "Yes?"

"Did it hurt?" asked Sakura after a moment.

Hinata shook her head. "No. It was very nice."

Ino sent a look at Tenten and Sakura, and the three of them threw their arms around Hinata in a hug. "Welcome to the group," Tenten said, smiling.

"Now, if we can just get Sakura laid," Ino snickered, getting an elbow in the ribs for her trouble.

Once Hinata had extricated herself from the trio of huggy kunoichi, Temari asked, "So, how many times did you do it?"

"J-just once," Hinata stuttered slightly, before a look of annoyance came over her face. "Kakashi-sensei came to get Naruto-kun for Tsunade-sama."

"That blows," sympathized all four girls.

Ino's grin turned lecherous. "Speaking of blowing..."

Hinata squeaked, ducking down in the water once more. She was saved from further embarrassment when someone else entered the baths. A towel-clad blond girl with her hair in two large pig-tails looked around the hot springs and spotted the group. Grinning a disturbingly familiar grin, she made her way over to the group. The blond took off her towel and slid into the water immediately beside Hinata before throwing her arms around the dark-haired ex-Hyuuga. "Hello Hinata-chan," giggled the blond.

"Uh... who're you?" asked Temari, eying the newcomer warily.

Hinata blushed, turning to regard the girl that had suddenly latched onto her. Blue, partially slitted eyes over familiar whisker marks drew her attention, causing her to blush harder. "Na—"

Sakura's growl cut the girl off. "Na. Ru. TO!"

"EEP! Don't kill me!" yelled the girl

"Naruto?" echoed Ino, Tenten, and Temari.

Ino grinned. "So, this must be the infamous Sexy No Jutsu. Wow, he's good."

The Naruto clone nodded. "Thanks."

Tenten produced a kunai seemingly from thin air and lunged for the girl, only to be held back by Sakura. "Let me at him! I'll kill him!"

Sakura shook her head. "There's no point. Naruto isn't dumb enough to come here himself. It's just a Kage Bunshin, aren't you?" she said, directing that last at the clone.

The bunshin nodded. "Yup. He sent me to say 'hi' to Hinata-chan and to tell her that we've got news," she said, giving the dark-haired girl in question a squeeze. That got the other girls' attention, momentarily distracting them from the fact that there was a boy in the bath with them, even if he was another girl at the moment.

"What news, Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata, feeling somewhat awkward at seeing this 'new' side to her boyfriend up close and personal. When she let herself think on it, she realized she actually kind of enjoyed the feeling of being held by this Naruto. It was still all Naruto, but much softer now.

The Naruto-bunshin grinned, leaning in close to whisper in Hinata's ear. "That's a secret," she said, making sure to duplicate the way Hinata had breathed into Naruto's own ears like that earlier that morning.

"...Is anyone else besides me absurdly turned on by that?" Ino asked quietly, somewhat dazed. Four slow nods from everyone but 'Naruto' were her answer, as the pig-tailed Sexy no Jutsu Bunshin didn't seem to notice. After a moment, Ino grinned. "Hey, Naruto," she called, getting the boy's—err girl's attention. "Stand up for a minute, will you?"

"Why?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Just do it!" growled Temari and Tenten.

Sakura smirked. "Consider it compensation for sneaking in here."

"Whatever," shrugged the clone, standing up. Seeing Ino make a 'turn around' motion, Naruto turned around in a slow circle before facing the rest of the girls. "Happy now?"

Ino nodded. "Detailed..." she mumbled, drawing nods from all the other girls present. "Man, if I were into girls..." she said, snickering.

'Naruto' grinned. "You're just jealous 'cause Hinata-chan has me all to herself." The girl in question blushed once more. The bunshin smiled down at her and bent over until her face was upside down in front of Hinata's. "I should go before Sakura decides to kill me," she said quietly, smile spreading. Before Hinata could react, the bunshin leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Hinata 'eep!'ed when a feminine tongue tasting of ramen poked into her mouth and ran across her own tongue. Pulling back quickly, the bunshin waved. "Later!" it called, POOF!ing into a cloud of smoke.

Hinata shook herself out of her shock and noticed that everyone was staring at her. "What?"

"That," Sakura started.

"Was." Tenten.

"Incredibly." Temari.

"Hot." Ino finished.

Hinata blushed once more, sinking into the water. After a moment, she nodded, causing the others to giggle. "You're going to make him use that again, aren't you?" Ino questioned, causing Hinata to splutter.

Sakura smirked. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," she said simply, letting the others pick up on her train of thought.

Temari blinked, before her mouth dropped open. "Oh, Gods," she groaned, blushing a bit herself.

Tenten shook her head in something akin to wonder. "He's a walking orgy waiting to happen."

"Let's just hope he never figures that out," Sakura said, though her voice said otherwise.

Ino put Sakura's un-said thought to words. "Let's hope he does."

A small, almost-perverted giggle came from the direction of Hinata, drawing the others' attention. The girl was blushing several new shades of red at a speed that had to be unhealthy. "Very interesting," she mumbled quietly, drawing looks of shock from those who knew her best. They could tell from the girl's expression that she wasn't idly fantasizing, she was planning. And whatever it was she was planning had to be very naughty.

---

Naruto was back in his apartment sorting through his stuff to see what he could take to the new house and what needed to be thrown away when the Sexy Bunshin dispersed and the information it had gained in its short existence popped into his mind. He blushed madly, grinning. "Sakura is going to kill me. And I'm going to have to kill that bunshin for making Sakura kill me," he said quietly, now thoroughly distracted from the task at hand. From the back of his mind, the fox snickered, drawing his attention. "What do you want?" Naruto grumbled, still pissed that Kyuubi had put a strange seal on Hinata and the fox was still being vague about the exact details of it.

Oh, nothing, the kitsune snickered. After a moment, it sent mental images to the blond that should have put him in the morgue with a toe-tag labeled: 'Cause of death: kitsune-induced-nosebleed.'

Naruto grabbed his nose and staunched the blood-flow. "Damn fox," he cursed, trying to clear the image of himself in his Sexy no Jutsu form doing very interesting and perverted things with Hinata-chan. For the next half-hour, Naruto proceeded to ignore the fox. Eventually, the sound of the balcony's sliding glass door drew his attention away from his packing. He heard light footsteps approach and looked up to see Hinata had come back. "Hinata-chan, welcome back! Have fun in the bath?"

Hinata nodded, wrapping her arms around Naruto in a hug. "Yes, even though they teased me to no end."

"What were they teasing you about?" Naruto asked, hugging her back. "Was it because of the bunshin?"

"That too," she said, a smile on her face.

"What else?"

She blushed a bit and resisted the urge to look away. "This morning... They made me tell."

Naruto laughed. "I'm not surprised. Sakura and Ino are nosy as hell, and Sakura can be a bit pushy when she wants to be."

"You aren't mad?" she asked, unsure.

"Nope," Naruto denied with a shake of his head. "Why would I be? You must have had a good time if it was good enough to tell them."

Hinata nodded. "I did," she agreed with a yawn, her eyes blinking sleepily.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, setting aside the clothes he'd been stuffing into a bag.

"The bath made me feel like a nap," Hinata answered, closing her eyes and leaning against the blond.

Naruto grinned, shifting and pulling Hinata down onto the futon so that she lay against his chest. "Then take a nap," he said, one hand slowly stroking the girl's back.

Hinata gave another cute yawn, already nearly asleep. "You sure?" she asked, barely getting the words out before her breathing evened out.

"Sleep well, Hinata-chan," Naruto said softly, pulling a nearby blanket over them before closing his own eyes even though he didn't really feel like sleeping. Quickly growing bored, Naruto 'poked' at the place the fox usually occupied in his mind. "Hey, fox," he thought towards it, hoping to get more information about the seals out of it. The fox didn't answer. "Fox?" Naruto asked, casting about in his mind for the demon. "Oh, shit," he thought, realizing the fox was nowhere to be found.

And in Hinata's mind, something stirred. The ex-Hyuuga 'woke' to darkness. Looking around, she blinked and attempted to activate her Byakugan. Nothing happened. "Naruto-kun?" she called out, her voice echoing off of walls she couldn't see. A presence nearby caused her to flinch. A deep chuckle filled the air, seeming to come from all around. Above and in front of her, a gigantic pair of red slitted eyes opened. Below them, a smirk of epic proportions composed of very large, very sharp teeth materialized from the darkness.

Welcome to my world, little girl.

Hinata froze, staring up into those massive eyes that seemed to bore down on her. "K-kyuu..."

Yes? Go on, say it.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Yes. Hyuuga Hinata. Do you fear me, little girl?

Hinata looked around, realizing that the world around her was growing lighter, suffused by a red glow. The fox before her shifted and she noticed something pass between her and it. Focusing, she could make out a large gate. "No. How am I here? The seal?" The fox said nothing, but she got the impression it wished her to continue. "Why did you bring me here? Why did you give me that seal? What else does it do?"

What do seals usually do?

The question was probably rhetorical, but she answered anyway. "Bind, store, summon..."

Connect.

"Connect what?" she asked, already suspecting the answer. When the fox was silent, she narrowed her eyes at it. "Connecting Naruto and I?"

And I.

Hinata blinked. "Why? What do you get out of this?"

The fox shrugged, or what passed for a shrug for it. A glimpse of life through the eyes of someone besides the loudmouth. Insurance, to make sure no one damages our mate. ...Someone to talk to who doesn't have mush for brains. It gets terribly boring in here.

Hinata... snickered. "I see. And what do I get for not trying to find a way to remove or disable it?"

The fox snorted. Good luck with that. It isn't something I came up with on a spur of the moment. Parts of it may be new, based on my observations of the Yondaime's seal on the brat, but the thing itself is based on very old magic. The likelihood of anyone being able to undo it is slim.

"You did not answer my question, Kitsune-kun."

I didn't, did I? Seeing the girl narrow her eyes, the fox rolled its own. Fine. You're almost as impatient as the other brat, you know that? You get an unbreakable connection to the brat, access to my chakra, and me, it said. At those last words, the massive eyes shrunk and grew closer to the floor until they stopped just below Hinata's waist. The eyes approached the bars of the gate until the form of the fox was visible to her eyes.

Hinata giggled. "So cute!"

The fox sighed. Females, you're all alike.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I lived for a very long time before getting stuck in tall, blond, and dimwitted. This form drew that reaction from all females, regardless of age, every single time. The fox sighed. I miss those days.

Hinata vaguely felt something shake her shoulder and thought she heard Naruto's voice. "Naruto-kun?"

Get going, the fox said, flicking one of its tails at the girl and sending her back towards the waking world. In a final parting shot, it called, Be seeing you, little girl.

Hinata's eyes cracked open and she looked around. The sun was setting outside and everything in the apartment had taken on an orange glow. "What time is it?" she asked, sitting up.

"About five," said Naruto, coming back from the kitchen with a glass of water and sitting on the bed. "Good thing you woke up when you did," he said, his grin hiding the look of worry that had been there a moment ago.

"Why is that?" Hinata asked, playing along.

Naruto dipped his fingers into the water and flicked a few drops at her, drawing a giggle. "What happened?" he asked finally, unable to hold his questions any longer.

"Your pet kitsune wanted to meet me," she answered.

I am not a pet, growled the fox, a pout evident in its voice.

"Shut it, fox," muttered Naruto.

"Be quiet, you," Hinata said at the same time.

The pair blinked, realizing what had just happened. "Did you hear...?" they both asked at the time time.

Heh.

"Well, this is new," Naruto said, shaking his head.

Hinata nodded. "He wasn't what I was expecting."

"You mean that even though he's an evil bastard, he wasn't as evil as he could be?" Seeing Hinata nod, Naruto grinned. "Yeah, he's been like that since the Akatsuki thing. I think nearly dying for the first time in, oh, ever scared him."

That is far from the truth.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah, then what is the truth, fur ball?" Naruto asked aloud. Hinata giggled.

...Being that evil is too troublesome.

"That sounds suspiciously like Shikamaru," Hinata pointed out.

Naruto nodded. "Not going to make me take up cloud watching, are you?"

The fox shrugged. Why would I do that when there are much more interesting things to watch? it asked, sending the mental images it had sent Naruto earlier to both of the teens before retreating back to what passed as its corner of the blond's mind.

The pair blushed. Hinata suddenly felt a very strong impulse to find a rolled up news-paper and swat the fox over the nose with it. "Bad kitsune," she muttered, fighting her blush down.

"Told you he was evil," Naruto groaned, shaking his head. "So..." he said in an attempt to change the subject.

"So?"

"I've got a surprise," Naruto said, his tone sing-song.

Hinata smiled, looking around the apartment. "Oh? Would it have anything to do with you packing?"

Nodding, Naruto stood and created a dozen Kage Bunshins. "Come with me," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the balcony window. The two ran and jumped across the rooftops of Konoha before dropping down onto a familiar street.

"What are we doing here?" Hinata asked, casting a wary glance towards her former clan home.

"You'll see," said the blond, leading her down the street. He stopped at a gate some distance down from the Hyuuga complex. The gate doors were just slightly taller than Naruto's head and painted white with blue trim. Above them stretched a red-painted wooden arch. Naruto pushed the gate and it swung open easily. He lead Hinata down a gravel path surrounded on both sides by sakura trees. The trees weren't in bloom yet, but Hinata got the impression that when they were the effect would be spectacular.

Finally, Naruto came to a halt front of a single-story traditional style house. The white and dark blue trim paint was still fresh. From inside, they could hear the sound of many people running around making frantic last-minute preparations. Hinata spotted a few orange-clad blonds on the roof and around the sides of the house tending to various chores. Evidently, the Naruto bunshins had sent word to the head-bunshin, for a Naruto dressed differently than the rest swaggered out from the house onto the porch and took in the pair. A certain clone dressed in very piraty clothes. Hinata giggled at the sight.

"I swear, I don't know this guy," Naruto groaned, running his palm down his face in embarrassment.

Seeing its creator and his girlfriend's reactions, the clone suddenly developed a very fox-like grin. Turning around, it stood at attention. "ADMIRAL ON DECK!" he yelled. Immediately, all activity inside and outside the house stopped. "FALL IN!" Nearly two hundred blonds formed ranks to either side of the pair. Almost as one, they turned to the lead bunshin who nodded to them. All of them formed the hand-seals for Henge. A very large cloud of smoke obscured them for a moment before it cleared away to reveal each and every clone dressed in pirate outfits. Hinata burst out laughing.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Naruto growled at the bunshin he'd put in charge. The lead bunshin nodded. Taking a deep breath, Naruto let it out slowly. Glancing at Hinata, he grinned and decided to play along. "Fine. Make your report."

"SIR! The ship is ship-shape and ready to sail!"

"...Huh?"

The clone palmed its face. "We got all the chores done," it clarified. "Everything looks good as new. The only thing left to do is move your stuff in." A moment later the squad of bunshins from the apartment showed up carrying what Naruto had decided to bring, along with Hinata's things. They disappeared into the house. A moment later, they came back outside and took in the spectacle before them. As one, they grinned and joined the rest of the bunshins in formation. Apparently, some part of Naruto was enjoying this, even if he looked ready to die from embarrassment. "Well, that takes care that, then."

Naruto nodded. Seeing that the bunshins were still there, he groaned. "Oh, fine. You're dismissed."

The lead bunshin sketched a salute. "FALL OUT!" A very loud POOF! sent the bunshins back where they'd come from.

Naruto brought a hand to his head, nursing a headache both from the embarrassment and from absorbing nearly two hundred individual sets of memories at once. "Remind me not to dismiss bunshins all at once next time," he moaned.

Hinata nodded, giving the blond a concerned look before smiling. "So... I didn't know you wanted to be a pirate."

"Ninja are cooler than pirates," said the blond, shaking his head and grinning. "Although... You, me, the open sea, no one around to bother us for miles and miles..."

"That sounds nice," Hinata agreed, sounding slightly wistful. "So, are you going to show me around?"

"You're not annoyed because you did all that cleaning in my apartment and now we've got this place, are you?" he asked.

"Nope."

Naruto spent what was left of the evening showing Hinata around their new home. Even though he had the memories of all of the bunshins and knew the place inside and out by now, it still felt like the first time seeing the place for him as well. When night came they went out for Ichiraku's before coming straight back, wanting to spend time together breaking in the house. Eventually, they made their way to the master bedroom and the king-sized bed therein. They climbed into bed and lay in each others arms, simply enjoying feeling of warmth and comfort that being with one another brought. After what seemed like hours, Naruto let out a snicker, causing Hinata to look at him in curiosity.

"And what are you laughing at, my Naruto-kun?"

The boy grinned. "Nothing. I just had an idea for a new Icha Icha book."

"Oh?" asked Hinata, now very interested.

"Uh huh."

Rolling her eyes, she poked him in the ribs. "Well, are you going to tell me?"

Naruto nodded. "Ok ok, fine. It's about a ninja who leaves his village on a training mission and spends three years with a perverted old man peeping on girls. The ninja returns to the village and his old teammate asks him out on a date... only it's a setup so the girl who had a crush on him before he left could spy on them and learn his true feelings. Afterwards, the kunoichi ambushes the ninja and knocks him out. The ninja wakes up tied down to his own bed with the kunoichi standing over him. She proclaims her love for the ninja and then..." Naruto smirked, trailing off.

Hinata giggled. "But that's all stuff that happened. Well, except for that last part..."

"Well yeah," the blond nodded. "Didn't you know? All the best stories are true stories."

"Oh? Well, what happened next, Naruto-kun?"

"Want me to tell you?" asked the blond, grinning at the idea.

Hinata shook her head. "No, silly kitsune. I want you to show me."

---

Well, that's it, folks. I hope you enjoyed the story. I had fun writing it and I'm planning a second chapter but have no clue when it'll be finished. It's been over a year since I first started this project and only now am I uploading it here. In that year, I've gotten maybe a full chapter out of I spliced together what I have, but that's not really possible as it's parts to the next two chapters. Mainly, I didn't post for fear that it was too explicit for 's standards. My unofficial beta for this story waved those concerns off and finally convinced me to post here, mainly as he's annoyed with me for not getting around to finishing the next chapters.

On a side note, I realize the cast was slightly out of character, but I tried to keep it within the bounds of the premise of the story. That being, Hinata resolves herself to make her confession with Sakura's help and having Naruto accept and approve of her allows her to be the confident person she's always wanted to be. Also, I would like to apologize for the pirate/ninja joke, but it just sort of wrote itself. ...Enh, if you didn't like it then I'm sorry for wasting your time. If you liked it, then I have succeeded in doing what I set out to accomplish: which was to write a good Naruto fanfic with some smut that most people could enjoy. But mostly, I wrote it because I wanted to write a good Naruto fanfic that I would enjoy.

Until next time, if there is a next time.