Book 1, The Power of Gai- By Matt Sterling
Chapter 1 Love
Hinata looked to her right, it was as she feared. Naruto stood not ten feet from her, buying Ramen from the RamenBar. He smiled to the cashier and walked away. He held a steaming bowl of Ramen. He spotted her. Naruto said, "Yo! Hinata! How's the training going?" her face turned a crimson color.
"F-fine. . ." she looked down and started to walk away.
"Hey-you want to get some Ramen, I'm paying." It was a rare thing for Naruto. He smiled at her and she looked up.
". . .Okay. . ." she gave him a weak smile and started to walk towards him. Naruto walked back up to the cashier and put another bill over the table.
"Another Beef Ramen, 'kay?"
"So Hinata! What are you doing at training lately? Last week Master Kakashi told us about some of his missions, you know he's pretty kickass!" Naruto said as he took another spoonful of Ramen into his mouth. He looked at Hinata, "Whach 'rong?" he said through a mouthful of food.
"Huh!?" she shot back to attention. "Oh sorry, I was having a day- dream. . .I think." Naruto looked at her and stood up, looking around, smiling.
"Well, you aren't eating, and I'm full, wanna take a walk?" he placed a tip on the table and then stopped for a second and took it back. "You really should eat, ya know. It helps the muscles.
"Sorry. . .you paid for it too. . ." she stood up and gave another weak smile. "Where are we going? It's already about nine."
"Where do you live? It's getting cold out, so you should get going home." He smiled. She started to walk, Naruto instinctively started to follow her.
"It's not that far from here actually." She began to walk west, trying to build courage to do something that she didn't even know she could do. They walked the whole way, Naruto talking every step they took. Hinata listened carefully at every word. She only stopped him once, and that was to say she was home.
"This is it, good night." Her body moved forward and she stopped, so suddenly she tripped. Naruto quickly tried to catch her but she fell face first into the hard earth. Naruto picked her up as quick as he could, hoping that she didn't hurt herself.
"Hinata, what's wrong with you, you almost killed yourself right there!" he said with a small laugh. Her face was beat red, as if it was blood. "Uh, Hinata?"
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" she said as if it was one big word, she then ran inside her house. Leaving Naruto to dwell on what had just happened, and leaving her to wonder why she stopped.
"Girls." He said as he walked off.
"Naruto!!" shouted Sakura through her window. "What is he doing here. . .throwing rocks at my window. . ." She opened the window and walked to the edge of the balcony. "Naruto," she said through clenched teeth.
"Hey I need to talk to you!" he said. "You know. . ."
"Grr. . . .about what, it's three in the damn morning!" she growled one more time before hearing his answer.
"It's. . ." he looked down, trying to hide a red face. "It's about love."
"What do you mean?" she looked at him and immediately figured it out. "I'll be down in a sec." Naruto crossed his arms and tried to gather his thoughts. The door in front of him opened and Sakura looked at him.
"It's hard to say. . ." he said. Sakura looked gently at him and walked inside as Naruto followed her inside.
"So. . ." said Sakura sitting opposite Naruto, her on a couch and him on a chair. "Who's the lucky. . .I mean. . .girl."
"Hinata." His faced turned even more red. "Last night. . . . I bought her Ramen 'cause she seemed said, we talked and I walked her home. When we got there she went pow!" he smacked his hands together. "She kissed me. I don't know how to explain it-it was like all these emotions going into my heart. Before that-I thought I liked you, but those emotions I guess were really for her. It's weird." Sakura's face had turned a little red.
"Naruto. . .in love?" thought Sakura. "With Hinata. . .woah. Deep." Naruto looked at her. "What should I do?" said Naruto.
"Yeah. . .right. . .uh. . .go tell her that you love her." She said with a smile. "She'll come around eventually, and a gift or two would help out." She stood up and walked over to Naruto, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up."
Naruto smiled at her and stood up, both of them at eye level. Naruto had grown since he graduated. Now he stood Sakura's height. "Thanks. . ."
Naruto walked out of the house and walked east. He looked upwards, and thought, deep, he tried to think of words to say. And things to do. Ten feet away, Kakashi was doing the same thing, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Come on Kakashi. . ." he thought to himself. "She's always been there for you. . .not really. . . She's cute, funny, and an awesome fighter. . . what else do you ne-" he was cut off.
Kakashi and Naruto collided. Naruto fell back, surprised. Kakashi's bouquet flew up and hit his face, Kakashi sat there for a second and then sat up. The bouquet hitting his head, then falling to his knees. "Hel-lo Naruto." He said putting his hand up. "Where are you going?"
"What-oh, nowhere, just walking." Naruto looked at the bouquet and smiled. "Who are those for?"
Hinata looked out of her window and sighed. "Naruto. . ." she sat in that trance for a while. "Naruto!" she yelled throwing her boots on. "I forgot about Naruto!!" she quickly combed her hair and ran out of the house.
Naruto smiled," Heheheheheh. Master, are you in. . .lub!?" he said half laughing and making a funny face as he finished. Kakashi smiled.
"Unlike you, I can admit it. Naruto, she's special to me, and I'm attracted to her. You get it right?" Naruto looked at him seriously, then his eye twitched and he broke out laughing.
"Whew!! That was funny!"
"Yeah, uh huh." He stood up, and Naruto followed him. "Well, where were you going?"
Naruto gave him a stupid look, his lips outward. "Get some Ramen, hey, can I bum a five off you?" he put his hand on the back of his head.
"Why?"
"I. . .uh. . .forgot my money." He thought for a second. Kakashi gave him a look and reached into his pocket as if to get money. He took his hand out of his pocket and handed a toffee into his hand.
"Out," he simply said. "Sorry!" he started walking away and Naruto said-
"What!? Hey-c'mon man I really need that damn money!!"
"See ya!" he quickly disappeared and where he left, a twenty sat.
"He sure likes screwin' with my head. . ."
Chapter 1 Love
Hinata looked to her right, it was as she feared. Naruto stood not ten feet from her, buying Ramen from the RamenBar. He smiled to the cashier and walked away. He held a steaming bowl of Ramen. He spotted her. Naruto said, "Yo! Hinata! How's the training going?" her face turned a crimson color.
"F-fine. . ." she looked down and started to walk away.
"Hey-you want to get some Ramen, I'm paying." It was a rare thing for Naruto. He smiled at her and she looked up.
". . .Okay. . ." she gave him a weak smile and started to walk towards him. Naruto walked back up to the cashier and put another bill over the table.
"Another Beef Ramen, 'kay?"
"So Hinata! What are you doing at training lately? Last week Master Kakashi told us about some of his missions, you know he's pretty kickass!" Naruto said as he took another spoonful of Ramen into his mouth. He looked at Hinata, "Whach 'rong?" he said through a mouthful of food.
"Huh!?" she shot back to attention. "Oh sorry, I was having a day- dream. . .I think." Naruto looked at her and stood up, looking around, smiling.
"Well, you aren't eating, and I'm full, wanna take a walk?" he placed a tip on the table and then stopped for a second and took it back. "You really should eat, ya know. It helps the muscles.
"Sorry. . .you paid for it too. . ." she stood up and gave another weak smile. "Where are we going? It's already about nine."
"Where do you live? It's getting cold out, so you should get going home." He smiled. She started to walk, Naruto instinctively started to follow her.
"It's not that far from here actually." She began to walk west, trying to build courage to do something that she didn't even know she could do. They walked the whole way, Naruto talking every step they took. Hinata listened carefully at every word. She only stopped him once, and that was to say she was home.
"This is it, good night." Her body moved forward and she stopped, so suddenly she tripped. Naruto quickly tried to catch her but she fell face first into the hard earth. Naruto picked her up as quick as he could, hoping that she didn't hurt herself.
"Hinata, what's wrong with you, you almost killed yourself right there!" he said with a small laugh. Her face was beat red, as if it was blood. "Uh, Hinata?"
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" she said as if it was one big word, she then ran inside her house. Leaving Naruto to dwell on what had just happened, and leaving her to wonder why she stopped.
"Girls." He said as he walked off.
"Naruto!!" shouted Sakura through her window. "What is he doing here. . .throwing rocks at my window. . ." She opened the window and walked to the edge of the balcony. "Naruto," she said through clenched teeth.
"Hey I need to talk to you!" he said. "You know. . ."
"Grr. . . .about what, it's three in the damn morning!" she growled one more time before hearing his answer.
"It's. . ." he looked down, trying to hide a red face. "It's about love."
"What do you mean?" she looked at him and immediately figured it out. "I'll be down in a sec." Naruto crossed his arms and tried to gather his thoughts. The door in front of him opened and Sakura looked at him.
"It's hard to say. . ." he said. Sakura looked gently at him and walked inside as Naruto followed her inside.
"So. . ." said Sakura sitting opposite Naruto, her on a couch and him on a chair. "Who's the lucky. . .I mean. . .girl."
"Hinata." His faced turned even more red. "Last night. . . . I bought her Ramen 'cause she seemed said, we talked and I walked her home. When we got there she went pow!" he smacked his hands together. "She kissed me. I don't know how to explain it-it was like all these emotions going into my heart. Before that-I thought I liked you, but those emotions I guess were really for her. It's weird." Sakura's face had turned a little red.
"Naruto. . .in love?" thought Sakura. "With Hinata. . .woah. Deep." Naruto looked at her. "What should I do?" said Naruto.
"Yeah. . .right. . .uh. . .go tell her that you love her." She said with a smile. "She'll come around eventually, and a gift or two would help out." She stood up and walked over to Naruto, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up."
Naruto smiled at her and stood up, both of them at eye level. Naruto had grown since he graduated. Now he stood Sakura's height. "Thanks. . ."
Naruto walked out of the house and walked east. He looked upwards, and thought, deep, he tried to think of words to say. And things to do. Ten feet away, Kakashi was doing the same thing, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "Come on Kakashi. . ." he thought to himself. "She's always been there for you. . .not really. . . She's cute, funny, and an awesome fighter. . . what else do you ne-" he was cut off.
Kakashi and Naruto collided. Naruto fell back, surprised. Kakashi's bouquet flew up and hit his face, Kakashi sat there for a second and then sat up. The bouquet hitting his head, then falling to his knees. "Hel-lo Naruto." He said putting his hand up. "Where are you going?"
"What-oh, nowhere, just walking." Naruto looked at the bouquet and smiled. "Who are those for?"
Hinata looked out of her window and sighed. "Naruto. . ." she sat in that trance for a while. "Naruto!" she yelled throwing her boots on. "I forgot about Naruto!!" she quickly combed her hair and ran out of the house.
Naruto smiled," Heheheheheh. Master, are you in. . .lub!?" he said half laughing and making a funny face as he finished. Kakashi smiled.
"Unlike you, I can admit it. Naruto, she's special to me, and I'm attracted to her. You get it right?" Naruto looked at him seriously, then his eye twitched and he broke out laughing.
"Whew!! That was funny!"
"Yeah, uh huh." He stood up, and Naruto followed him. "Well, where were you going?"
Naruto gave him a stupid look, his lips outward. "Get some Ramen, hey, can I bum a five off you?" he put his hand on the back of his head.
"Why?"
"I. . .uh. . .forgot my money." He thought for a second. Kakashi gave him a look and reached into his pocket as if to get money. He took his hand out of his pocket and handed a toffee into his hand.
"Out," he simply said. "Sorry!" he started walking away and Naruto said-
"What!? Hey-c'mon man I really need that damn money!!"
"See ya!" he quickly disappeared and where he left, a twenty sat.
"He sure likes screwin' with my head. . ."