Author's note: Okay, well... I got permission from Diamond Avatar to write an ending for his story 'With the Heart and Underwear of Fire' when I wasn't happy with how he did end it (aheh), so here I am writing it.
Now onto the important bit. If anyone reading this hasn't read the previously-mentioned story by the previously-mentioned author, then this one-shot might not make a great deal of sense. Sorry. It's basically that Naruto's been running around, saving the day, as a masked super-ninja the media labelled Boxer-sama... and he very nearly got found out, but was spared.
Oh and one last thing. The style of writing's being altered very slightly (such as thoughts being in italics), but not any of Diamond Avatar's words, which end at "EHHHH?!" (except the 'he' in the first sentence being changed to 'Naruto' to avoid confusion, the 'they' being changed to 'they'd' and some bits added on to direct speech), or his plotline. They stay as they originally were.
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Well, I guess I'm still going to be Boxer-sama... Naruto thought to himself with a smile. Still, I wonder what would've happened if they'd found out the truth... Hahaha. I guess Boxer-sama's gonna be around for a while!
Or so he thought, until a sharp arrow of sand slashed past his face, ripping his mask to pieces... and, as the shards of fabric floated to the ground, the face of Boxer-sama was revealed.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Um... surprise?" Naruto said awkwardly.
"EHHHH?!" everyone screamed at once.
Naruto grinned in embarrassment, his hand jumping behind his head to scratch his neck and his face burning a million shades of red... and who could blame him? Every single face in the crowd of hundreds was gawking at him... and his heart-patterned boxers, which had always been Boxer-sama's trademark... with wide eyes and jaws scraping the floor.
"Aheh... uh..."
"NARUTO?!" Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Temari screeched, Hinata merely staring at him in shock.
"UZUMAKI NARUTO?!" Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji and Lee shrieked, Sasuke, Shino and Neji also merely staring at him in shock.
Shit... Naruto thought, sweat-dropping in anxiety, they know...
"You-! You're-!" Sakura stammered, making wild hand gestures, clearly unable to believe her eyes.
"YOU'RE BOXER-SAMA?!" everyone screamed at the same time.
Naruto flinched. "Um... y-yeah?" he replied awkwardly.
Instantly, utter chaos ensued.
The girls were screaming.
"OH, MY GOD! I WAS IN LOVE WITH NARUTO!" Sakura and many much older women shrieked.
"OH, MY GOD! I DATED NARUTO!" Ino shrieked.
"OH, MY GOD! I NEARLY SLEPT WITH NARUTO!" Temari shrieked.
"OH, MY GOD, JIRAIYA! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME IT WAS NARUTO?" Tsunade shrieked, punching Jiraiya across the face and sending him to the floor.
The boys were panicking.
"OH, MY GOD! I WAS GONNA KILL NARUTO!" Kiba and many others, young and old, yelled, Akamaru barking in agreement.
"OH, MY GOD! I WAS GONNA SABOTAGE NARUTO'S DATES!" Shikamaru yelled.
"OH, MY GOD! I WAS GONNA STRIP NARUTO OF HIS BOXERS AS PROOF OF DESTROYING HIM!" Itachi, who was still completely naked, though nobody was really noticing anymore, yelled.
Utter, blinding chaos.
During this time, Naruto looked at the floor in embarrassment, his face feeling as though it'd been shoved in an oven and left to burn.
Man, this is so humil- Wait a minute... he thought, spotting something on the floor. What's that? He reached over and touched it, pinching it and letting it run through his fingers. Oh yeah... sand. This is what ripped my mask to pieces... though, in the embarrassment, I forgot all about it. So, where did-? His eyes widened. No way... it can't be.
He turned in the direction of the area the sand had come from, searching for a certain... someone... but he wasn't in the crowd... so was he higher up? He looked up at the nearest tree and gasped.
Gaara.
The youngest sand sibling sat crouched on a branch, staring intently at him... so he'd obviously figured out he was Boxer-sama. What a bummer.
Crouching next to Gaara, oddly enough, was Kyuu... the red-haired girl in an orange dress that was the result of the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out of Naruto and gaining a human form. Thank God she wasn't really evil... or she'd probably be causing destruction about now.
Kyuu, seeing Naruto looking at her, smirked and gave a two-fingered salute.
"Naruto-ku-? Argh!" someone said before Naruto felt something smack into his lower half.
"Huh?" he asked, turning to see a very red-faced Hinata lying on him. "W-What the-?"
Hinata squeaked. "G-Gomen, N-Naruto-kun..." she stammered, her byakugan eyes staring straight into his blue eyes unblinkingly, "s-someone p-pushed me over b-by accident..."
"Um... okay... no problem."
"I-I was t-trying to... get... to you..."
Naruto blinked at her. "Oh... okay... thanks."
"NARUTO!" someone screamed angrily at the top their lungs, instantly silencing the whole crowd.
Naruto and Hinata, the latter slowly sliding off the former to sit on the floor, looked round to see that it was Sakura, who's hair had been oddly mangled... presumably from her ruffling it in her panicked state of mind.
"Uh... yeah, Sakura-chan?"
"RAWR! JUST HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO BE THAT STRONG?"
"Yeah..." Tenten added, "Boxer-sama was a super-ninja..."
Naruto sweat-dropped again. "Um..." he replied, "aheh... well... it's a... funny story actually..."
"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled.
"I'm just... special, I... guess."
"Special's right!" Kyuu interjected, leaping down from her tree branch to stand beside Naruto.
"Kyuu..." Naruto said.
"Uzumaki Naruto's an interesting kid all right," she said, folding her arms and smirking. "In fact... contrary to what he thought, he didn't need me after all."
"Huh?" Sakura asked, utterly confused.
Kyuu tossed her red hair to the side. "Don't worry, Sakura... I'll tell you all about it one day... but, right now, cut Naruto some slack... the deal is, he's special... and that's all there is to it."
"... Well... okay... fine... but still... why'd you do it, Naruto?"
"Yeah!" Ino yelled in agreement. "Why'd you disguise yourself as Boxer-sama, the most amazing super-ninja ever?"
Naruto waved his arms around frantically. "Hey, I didn't mean to invent Boxer-sama! It wasn't even me who came up with that name! I just... Sasuke said that if I stayed away from him for twenty-four hours, wearing only my boxers and undershirt, he'd acknowledge me... so I wanted to prove I could do it..."
Suddenly, every head present turned in perfect synchrony towards Sasuke, who was still clad in trunks-style briefs and nothing else. The boy blushed, sweat-dropped and looked away, making Itachi glare at him.
"You're the one that started this?" he asked angrily. Sasuke merely whistled innocently in reply.
Everyone glared at him before looking back at Naruto.
"You guys need to understand... I never wanted a Boxer-sama! He was created by accident! I needed to hide my face from Sasuke... who, I'll tell you now, did not see what boxers I was wearing, 'cause he closed his eyes... so I covered my face in the ceiling camouflage I was hiding under, just so I could help out him and Hinata here when they got attacked!"
Hinata smiled softly and stared embarrassedly at her sandals.
"OOH, I HAVE HALF A MIND TO KILL YOU, NARUTO!" Sakura screamed.
"YEAH!" many other women, including Ino and Temari, yelled in agreement.
"WHAT?!" Naruto yelped. "Why?"
"BECAUSE, YOU DOLT, YOU MADE US ALL FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU!"
"AND YOU KNOW ME AND SAKURA ONLY HAVE EYES FOR SASUKE-KUN!" Ino screamed.
Naruto gulped, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"CHARGE!" all the women shouted as one.
Suddenly, there was a humungous stampede of furious kunoichi, all cracking their knuckles threateningly, their eyes blazing with fire... and an unwilling Tenten being shoved along with them.
In a flash, Hinata was on her feet, her byakugan activated and her hands and feet positioned for a fight.
"STOP!" she yelled at the top of her lungs... which was amazing, as no one knew she could shout that loud.
Just like that, the stampede was over... and everyone, kunoichi and shinobi alike, were staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at Hinata.
"Huh?" was all Naruto could say in the situation.
"Don't anyone even think of attacking Naruto-kun," Hinata said in a very threatening voice. "You try it, you answer to me."
Everyone merely blinked at her, unable to say anything.
At that moment, Naruto found himself very drawn to Hinata... more so than ever before... and he knew he had to make his gratitude known.
Standing up, he laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Thanks, Hinata-chan... you're a true friend."
At the drop of a hat, Hinata froze, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates and her jaw smacking the floor, her breath coming in short rasps. Oh, God, she was hyperventilating!
"Huh... huh... huh..."
"Hmm? Hinata-chan?"
Fucking hell! she thought, disproving everyone's theory that she didn't know how to swear. I wasn't hearing things! He... he called me... Hin... Hina...
She fainted.
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled, reaching out and grabbing her before she hit concrete.
"Hinata!" Sakura, Ino, Tenten and Temari yelled, suddenly in a panic.
"Quick, Naruto! Get her to the hospital!" Sakura commanded. She turned to the crowd. "And no one touch him while he does so!"
Every kunoichi grumbled and settled down as Naruto picked Hinata up bridal-style and carried her to the hospital.
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Sitting by Hinata's bedside, Naruto waited patiently for her to wake up. Honestly, he had no clue why she'd suddenly fainted out of the blue, but he knew he'd be sure to ask her that when he could.
"Naruto?" a gentle voice said from the doorway.
"Hmm?" Naruto asked, turning to see Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Temari and Kyuu at the doorway.
"We... we came to say we're... sorry..." the same voice said. It was Sakura.
"Yeah..." Ino agreed, "we were too rash."
"You really are an amazing fighter, y'know," Temari added.
"For sure," Tenten said.
"Heh... thanks," Naruto replied. The girls came closer... right up to him, in fact. "Hey, what're you doing here, Kyuu?"
Kyuu smirked. "I'm part of the gang now, Naruto," she replied, "so you're gonna have to get used to seeing me around."
"Mmm hmm," Sakura said, nodding.
"Wow, that's great news!" Naruto replied, grinning.
"C-Can you ever forgive us for being so horrible?" Temari asked.
"Of course, I never hated you," Ino said. "It was mainly Sakura."
"WHAT?" Sakura screeched, glaring at Ino, electricity crackling in her eyes. "Everyone knows you were in on it too, Ino-pig!"
"Why, you little-!"
"Whoa! Take it easy, girls!" Naruto said, sweat-dropping. "It's cool, really. I forgive you all."
Everyone relaxed, heaving great sighs of relief... minus Kyuu, of course, as she'd never actually been part of the We-hate-Naruto-for-making-us-fall-in-love-with-him club.
"You know," she said, folding her arms and smirking, "all the villagers have been talking... and they've decided that they're no longer going to hate you."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yep," Ino replied, nodding. "Now that they know how great you really are, they've all chosen to honour you as the hero and super-ninja of Konoha... and they're all supporting you immensely on your dream to one day be Hokage."
"YEAH!" Naruto thrust a fist in the air. "AWESOME!"
Suddenly, Hinata stirred awake from the noise.
"Ugh... wha-?" she asked groggily, waking up to a blonde boy sitting beside her, grinning like an idiot.
"Hey, Hinata-chan!"
She froze again, her face turning a very bright shade of red as she gaped at him and came dangerously close to fainting again. Naruto, however, stood up, grabbed her hands and pulled her into a sitting position before being seated again himself.
Hinata began pushing her fingers together and staring at them. "Um..."
"How're you feeling?"
"Uh... I'm... g-good... thank you."
Tenten stared at Hinata, taking note of her red face... and trembling voice... and fidgeting fingers... and tightly zipped mouth... and, finally, she understood.
"Hinata... you... you have a crush on Naruto, don't you?" she asked.
Hinata's head bolted upwards, her eyes widening so much they looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. "HMMM?!"
Now she really looked as though she'd faint again.
"Hmm?" Naruto asked, facing Tenten. "A crush on me?"
Kyuu smirked. "Of course," she replied for the brunette.
Naruto blinked at them for a moment. "Hahaha! Nice one, guys. You almost had me fooled for a second there."
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm kidding?" she asked.
"Hehe, yeah! I mean, let's face it! Since when has a girl ever been likely to have a crush on me?" He suddenly turned serious. "I've been rejected my entire life... and have constantly strived to win the acknowledgement of everyone... It isn't possible anyone's got a crush on me." He turned back to Hinata, a goofy grin plastered on his face. "Right, Hinata-chan?"
Hinata gulped at the use of that term being placed on the end of her name... but took a deep breath, deciding to reply the best she could.
"N-No, Naruto-kun..."
Naruto started. "N... No?"
"No... I-I've... l-liked you since... I-I was... around... e-eight years... old..."
"WHAT?!" everyone shrieked at the same time. "EIGHT YEARS OLD?!"
"M-Mmm hmm..."
"And... you were the only kunoichi not interested in Boxer-sama, weren't you?" Temari asked, shocked.
"Mmm hmm..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"BLOODY HELL!" everyone screamed.
"Naruto!" a male voice from the doorway said. Everyone turned to see it was Lee... accompanied by Sasuke, who was now fully-clothed, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji and Neji.
"Oh, uh... hey, guys..." Naruto said awkwardly.
In an instant, tears began flowing from Lee's eyes.
"Oh, Naruto! We are all so ashamed of our wretched behaviour! Even though I, indeed, hated Boxer-sama for converting my sensei to the dark side of the Boxer-sama fandom, I am most upset that it is you I was all set to kill!"
"Um..."
"NARUTO!" Without warning, the leotard-clad ninja with an upside-down soup bowl for a haircut ran towards Naruto, his arms spread out wide.
"GAH!"
"NARUTO!"
"STAY AWAY!"
"NARUTO!"
"I'M WARNING YOU!"
"NARUTO!"
With a great thwunk, Lee smacked into the heart-patterned-boxer-clad ninja and slung his arms around him, crying heavily into his shirt as a great sunset appeared outside the window.
Naruto's eye twitched uncomfortably, as his once dry white shirt was now soaked through with 'the salty tears of youth' as Lee or Gai might have called them...
Sasuke sighed. "Look, Naruto..." he explained, "what Lee's trying to say... is that we're all really sorry to wanting to kill you."
"Hmph..." Neji said, folding his arms and looking away.
Sasuke glared at him. "All of us."
"Whatever."
Now Shikamaru glared at him. "Do you want me to fetch the plank of wood or are you gonna say you're sorry?" he asked threateningly.
Neji was silent.
"Do you want me to go angsty on you?" Sasuke asked in a depressing, emotionless tone. "I could talk about how Itachi's ruined my life and all the reasons why I need to kill him and avenge my clan."
"Alright! Alright!" Neji said. "I'm sorry for wanting to kill you for ruining my honour..."
"Heh... it's alright, guys," Naruto replied, grinning.
"And... one last thing..." Sasuke said, "you're... you're the..." His eye began twitching.
"What?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
Sasuke looked away. "You're the better ninja..." he muttered.
Naruto's face broke into the biggest grin humanly possible. "Hehe! I know... but thanks for finally realising, Sasuke!" Suddenly, he stopped grinning. "Now... can someone get this thing off o' me?"
Shikamaru cracked his knuckles. "Sure..." he said, "just wait here. I'll go get my trusty two-by-four."
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Once all the boys had cleared off, the girls took off too, deciding to leave Naruto and Hinata alone for a while to talk things over.
"So... you... like me, huh?" Naruto asked, grinning like a loon once more.
Hinata blushed, looking elsewhere. "Um... mmm hmm..." she replied awkwardly.
"And... you never liked Boxer-sama?" His grin grew wider.
Her blush grew stronger and her fingers returned to pressing together. She jerked her head to the side and back again. "Mmm mmm."
"Hahaha! That is so awesome! I didn't think anyone would ever like me like that at the rate my life was going!"
Hinata, once again, smiled softly at her sandals, an odd image appearing in her head of Naruto approaching her seductively... pinning her against the wall... and kissing her passionately... declaring his undying love for her...
Suddenly, she was hyperventilating again... especially since he'd now leaned forward to rest his head-holding elbows on her knees.
Why had he done that? To test her reaction, of course... but, now, it was time for the ice-breaker.
"How about going to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar with me tomorrow? It'd be... kind of like a date, y'know?"
"... H-HUH?! A... D-DATE?!"
"Yeah! I mean, you didn't get to date Boxer-sama, so Naruto's giving you a chance to date him instead! Whaddaya say?"
Hinata fainted.
Naruto chuckled. "Guess that's a yes then, huh?"
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As every member of Konoha looked at the morning paper the next day, they all read the same headline.
BOXER-SAMA'S IDENTITY REVEALED! NARUTO-SAMA SHINES THROUGH!
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The End