Warning: This chapter contains M-rated material such as; tear-jerkers, drinking, lewd sexual comments and jokes, both genders shoves their tongues down Naruto's throat, drunken Sasuke and Neji, Lee trying to put the moves on Naruto, secrets being revealed, and Hinata being a predator.

Chapter 2: Unexpected! Naruto… Assassinated!


Hinata and Kiba walked swiftly aside Kurenai and Anko. They were just returning from the mission they had three days ago, and they hadn't slept not once. They were nearing the village gates, and by it being early night in the late summer-early autumn, no one was in sight; expect the two Chunin guards.

"Ah, Hinata-sama, Kurenai, Anko, and Kiba-sama! Welcome back! How was the mission?" Izumo asked as Hinata was kind enough to reply, unlike the rest of her team who walked pass the men with middle fingers waving and muttered curses.

"Umm… it was a success, though since it was a simply prisoner transfer it was to be expected… How is Naruto-kun taking it all?" Hinata said as Izumo and Kotetsu looked down in sadness.

"Not well, Hinata-sama…" Izumo said as Kotetsu nodded.

"Two days ago he was fired up to save the Haruno girl, but now he's locked himself inside his house and refuses to come out. I think the hopelessness of the situation is hitting him full force." Kotetsu explained as Hinata looked on the verge of tears. She knew she had to do something to cheer Naruto up.

"Perhaps you can help him, Hinata-sama." A voice came from behind her. She and the two Chunin looked to see Neji alongside the rest of the Genin and Sand trio; except Naruto, Sakura, and Kiba.

"What do you mean, Neji?" Hinata asked as Neji walked up to her.

"He refused to see all of us, but you have something we don't. Naruto wouldn't even open his door for ramen, but maybe he'll open his door if he hears your concern for him. He's always been weak when it came to you, Hinata-sama." Neji explained as Hinata covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. Naruto… not wanting ramen? The madness! This had to be really serious, so she had to be too. Her resolve strengthened as she gave Neji a nod to lead the way to Naruto's apartment, even though she knew the way like the back of her hand.

"You can do it, Hinata-sama!" Kotetsu shouted in encouragement.

"Yeah, bring back our idiot blond prankster! He's the life of the village! We believe in you!" Izumo encouraged as Hinata blushed from it all.


It didn't take long before they had arrived at Naruto's apartment building, mainly because Neji had taken them through shortcut #37 which was one of the three shortest routes to Naruto's place from the village gate. Hinata looked up at the rundown building and saw only one window lit. That meant, since Naruto was the only person who actually lived in the building, that he was home and everything they had said was true. Naruto not wanting his precious ramen, what was the world coming to? Hinata took a deep breath and regained her confidence. She'd cheer Naruto up, and then he'd love her.

"Do you still have the ramen?" Hinata asked as Tenten nodded and Choji pulled out the steaming hot bowl of noodles. Hinata sighed in relief. It was always better to have more of an incentive for Naruto. She had learnt that on Day #3,478 of her… observation of her crush. They quickly made it up the stairs of the building and in front of his apartment. Hinata took another calming breath to help her fast-beating heart. She knocked on the door lightly while fumbling was heard from inside.

"Go away…" a somber voice groaned out from inside the apartment.

"Naruto-kun… it's me, Hinata." Hinata said as more fumbling was heard, but this time it was closer to the door.

"Hinata… please, go away… I don't want to see anyone…" Naruto said as Hinata looked saddened. He must have been very upset by the sound of his depressed voice. The last time she had heard him sound like that was when he was trying to figure out why people avoided him.

"Naruto, please open up. It's not healthy to keep everything bottled up inside, or to hide away from the world. You taught me that. The others are here too, and they're just as worried about you as I am. They care about you, I care about you. Please, Naruto-kun… let us help you. Even Sasuke is here for you." Hinata said, her voice breaking as she held back the tears in her eyes. It hurt her so much knowing that Naruto had closed himself off from the world while she was gone. It hurt knowing that he had been in pain while she was away.

Behind her, Lee was crying alongside Choji and Kankuro as Temari looked annoyed, though tears were in her eyes as well. Ino was sniffling with a handkerchief drying her eyes. She passed it to Tenten who blew her nose with it while Ino looked on in disgust. Shino, Shikamaru, and Gaara stood silently as Sasuke and Neji leaned toward each other.

"Wow, now I know why you made us look for her. She's a really good actress. I mean, that actually sounded like it came from her heart." Sasuke said as Neji shook his head.

"Not at all; that did come from her heart. She's had a crush on Naruto Uzumaki since she was four years-old, and has been in love with him since the Chunin Exam Preliminaries four months ago." Neji said as he kept his gaze focused on Hinata, and Naruto's apartment, both of which were silent. It was then Shino stepped forward behind them.

"He's her everything, and her idol. She looks up to him, and hopes that one he'll see her in the same position that she sees him; that she's strong just like him, and love her back." Shino said as he adjusted his glasses with his index finger.

Gaara caught every word they had said as he gazed silently at Hinata with a new sense of understanding and enlightenment, "I know how you feel Hinata. Someday, I wish to show him that I can be like him someday too" Gaara thought, but then frowned as he added more thought, "… though I draw the line at love. You can have Naruto that way, so long as he's still him and my… first ever friend."

"Wow… so that's why she didn't chase after me during the Academy. I thought it was because she had one of those long-term rape plans, but it turns out it's gonna be used on Naruto." Sasuke stated cheerfully as Shino and Neji looked at him oddly.

The door to Naruto's apartment came open just as Kiba ran up to them. Naruto looked a mess, and that was saying something compared to the way he always looked. His hair was even more unruly than normal, it was maddened and unkempt. His eyes had slight, yet very noticeable bags under them. Sasuke knew that Naruto must not have slept for the past three days since he had gone straight to his apartment and locked the door before Kakashi and he had come. Naruto's happy grin was nowhere to be found on his face. It was just a pitiful expression; sort of like a kicked puppy.

Hinata nearly broke down crying just at the sight. Sakura was Naruto's teammate, his first crush, and they were just becoming really good friends. For her to be ripped from him and his team; though Sasuke dealt with emotional pain by blaming Itachi for everything and Kakashi had the Memorial Stone, Naruto was the worst off since he didn't know how to cope with lost except curling up in a ball and crying. Even Tenten, Temari, and Ino felt bad for him, all three females and Hinata were checking him out too since his pajama shirt was completely unbuttoned, though Temari tried not as she peeked at him from the corner of her eye.

Tenten looked back from Naruto to Neji, and then back to Naruto and then at Lee. Naruto was more muscular than either of her two teammates, though Lee wasn't that far behind. She had to wonder where muscles like those came from on a fourteen year-old. Shino and Shikamaru exchanged glances and nodded while Neji and Sasuke stepped forward.

"Hinata…" Naruto breathed out as he gazed deep into Hinata's eyes. She stood there, blushing wildly as he and her eyes locked. Then Naruto broke their eye contact as he sniffed the air, "… Ramen?" he asked excitedly as he locked onto the bowl in her hands that Choji had given her.

"You brought me ramen, Hinata-chan? Thank you…" Naruto said as he moved to the same chuckling, "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners. Wouldn't you all come in?" Naruto said as he scratched through his hair in embarrassed amusement.

They filed into his apartment, each looking around since none of them had ever been inside before. It was… surprisingly clean. It was small, but since he lived on his own it must have been more than enough space for just him. He could just as easily live with another person, a girlfriend or roommate as well without too much trouble. The kitchen was bare, much like the rest of the house. They could see very clearly that Naruto lived on either a tight budget, or barely had a budget due to the little money he made.

"Naruto, dude… you live here all by yourself?" Kiba asked as this was the first time he, like everyone else, had been inside Naruto's apartment. If he remembered correctly, then Naruto had been living in the place since before they had even started at the Academy. Naruto simply nodded with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yup! Been livin' here since I was six!" Naruto said with a chuckle as everyone made themselves at home in his apartment. Tenten looked around his storage closet while Neji used his Byakugan to see every inch of it. Gaara looked around a bit and frowned ever so slightly. No sand anywhere… how boring.

"I must say, Naruto, I'm impressed. This place is very well kempt to say someone like you lives here." Neji said as Naruto nodded… but then thought over what Neji was implying and grew anger.

"What's that supposed to mean, Neji?" Naruto shouted as Choji and Kiba held him back. Ino gave Neji a look as he smirked to himself.

"Neji, that wasn't very n-nice." Hinata said as he glanced at her and bowed.

"My apologies, Hinata-sama. I was just implying that Uzumaki is a bit more… well kempt and tidy than I would have expected, given the fact that he's relatively… simple-minded." Neji said as he chose his words carefully.

Hinata already but a knife to his throat that day she thought he'd stop her from being with "her Naruto-kun" as put it. Ever since then she's brandished the same knife on him if he even thought about Naruto Uzumaki the wrong way. Hell, he could see the gleam of the knife right behind her back. Yup… he'd be getting cut up when they got home…

"Um… Hinata, what's that behind your back?" Ino asked as a shine caught her eye. Hinata raised her arms from behind her back, the knife safely tucked away inside her kunai pouch.

"Umm… what do you mean?" Hinata asked in timid confusion while Ino gave her a suspicious look, but shrugged all the same.

"Tsk, I thought we were here for the Dope, not to play games and ogle his furniture." Sasuke said as he swiped a finger along the coffee table. Hmm, no dust; Naruto really does keep a tidy house. Then he looked at the curtains in disgust, "By the way, those curtains are clashing with the floor." Sasuke stated off-handedly as everyone stared at him blankly, "What?"

"… Nothing…" They all chorused as Naruto shook his head.

"…um, I'm glad everyone was so worried about me, but I'm fine; really. Listen guys, just make yourselves at home if you want; my place is your place… or something like that." Naruto said as he turned from them and walked into the back of the apartment, where his bedroom was, "But remember; only ladies are allowed back here." Naruto said as he waved a hand to them without turning around. Ino and Tenten blushed as Neji and Shino had to catch the completely red-faced Hinata from collapsing on Naruto's living room floor.


"What's he gonna do?" Kiba asked as he hopped on the couch and got comfortable.

"Change into something decent, I hope." Shikamaru drawled as he stretched out on the living room floor with Naruto's remote control. He turned on the TV and started flicking through channels while the others watched.

"So, do you guys think Naruto will really be okay? I mean, he seems alright now, but I think that's just a front to stop us from worrying. Who knows how Naruto will be if one of us isn't around." Ino said as Choji and Shino nodded alongside her behind the couch.

"Yeah, you're right. The dope will probably just mope around if we don't kick him back into shape. How about tomorrow we find a mission for him and a few of us to do? That'll help him, and since we're still low on ninja they'll be plenty for us to do." Sasuke said in indifference, though they could clearly tell he was trying to help his friend.

"Yeah, you're right." Ino said as she looked down at Sasuke, who was at one end of the couch next to Kiba and Lee.

"So, you guys wanna crowd my TV, huh?" Naruto's voice came from behind them. He had dressed himself in a black t-shirt with a Konoha symbol on it, and a pair of black pants. He was grinning at them as he came up and put a hand on Hinata's shoulder as she eep-ed.

"Hinata… thank you." Naruto whispered to her as she turned red again. He then looked over all his fellow Genin with a smile on his face, "Thank all of you for caring about me… you have no idea how much it means to me…"

"Ah, stop Naruto! You're making us blush!" Ino said happily with a giggle beside Tenten, both blushing lightly from his sincere smile. Temari crossed her arms and turned up her nose at the statement, yet even she was blushing slightly as Naruto chuckled.

"Sasuke… how are you holding up?" Naruto asked as Sasuke looked at him and they locked eyes. He shrugged as Naruto nodded. They both knew not to speak about it anymore and that they'd help each other with the pain later.

"Well, why not have a little party since we're all here?" Ino suggested as Shikamaru looked at her incredulously.

"Ino, the guy's teammate, and now our former classmate/comrade, is being sentenced to death. Have a little tact will ya." Shikamaru chastised as Ino looked down in shame. Naruto chuckled a bit as he placed his free hand on Ino's shoulder.

"No, Ino's right. We shouldn't wallow in self-pity because of Sakura-chan. She'd want us to be lively while she's alive. I say that if she's g-gonna… you know, then we should live it up so we can cry that much more when it… finally h-happens." Naruto said as he kept himself together while his friends looked at him with even more respect than ever. He was pushing himself to move past Sakura inevitable fate long enough so that when the day came for her execution he could be front row center to tell her they had a party in her honor.

"Yeah, the dope's right. Sakura will beat us if we just mope around, especially me and Naruto." Sasuke said as he lifted himself off Naruto's couch and stretched. That damn thing was so comfy to, "So what do we need to get for the party. I'll buy everything."

"No, allow us to pitch in as well." Gaara said as Temari and Kankuro nodded. It was the least they could do since Naruto was in so much emotional pain.

"Us too." Choji and Ino said as Neji, Tenten, and Lee nodded in agreement.

"I'm game, so count us in too." Kiba said as Shino nodded as Hinata cuddled into Naruto with him blushing slightly.

"Well, sorry guys, but I don't have cash to burn since most of it goes to my place here, but we can use my place for the party and I have some stuff in the back that I've been saving up ever since me and Pervy Sage met." Naruto said as Temari raised a brow.

"Pervy Sage?" she asked as Naruto looked put off, but chuckled a little.

"Sorry, I mean Jiraiya-sensei. He's a self-proclaimed super perv, so I call him Pervy Sage since he's the Toad Sage. He keeps telling me I need to show more respect, but since he's always-" Naruto was explaining until Temari raised a hand, looking annoyed that such a legendary figure was so… urgh, she just didn't know where to start.

"Never mind, Naruto; I don't want to know." She stated curtly as Kankuro backed away from her… and Gaara followed his example.

"So… um… whose gonna go get the stuff?" Kankuro asked as Naruto grinned and formed a cross-seal to get his point across while Kankuro rolled his eyes, "of course…" he muttered.


It only took about an hour or so for them get everything, and Naruto had his clones go with them and carry most of the stuff. Gaara and Hinata had stayed with him to help setup the place for the party and when everyone was back and everything setup, Naruto had run to the back of the apartment for the "special" things he had been saving up.

"Sake? Dope, we're under age." Sasuke said as Naruto set a glass in front of everyone and opened the first bottle with a nod to him.

"Yeah, that's what I said before I tried it the first time with Pervy- I mean, Jiraiya-sensei. He told me that we're ninja so if we're old enough to k-kill, we're old enough to drink, gamble, and have s-sex." Naruto said, but blushed and mumbled a bit with him last words as he poured the drink in each saucer.

"Fine…" Sasuke said as he downed his drink with little problem, though on the inside he was not happy at all. His throat burned, he wanted to cough like that chain-smoker Asuma, and that sake was not as sweet as he had hoped it to be. Thank goodness for ninja training or less he wouldn't have been able to hide his discomfort from everyone else though Shino, Neji and Gaara could see it in the small twitch of his eye and mouth.

"I guess it couldn't hurt, right?" Ino said as she looked to Tenten and Hinata, who nodded unconvincingly, yet they all took small sips like the others, except Naruto and Shikamaru who downed their drink with experienced ease.


"Come on Shika, have a little more." Ino said, slightly slurring her words as she poured sake into the young Nara's saucer.

"Yeah, man! Why won't you drink with us?" Kankuro whined at the still sober Nara. Three hours of them all drinking, playing games, eating, and everything else the only people still sober enough to walk a straight road were Naruto, Gaara, Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee.

"Someone has to get all you troublesome people home, and I know it's not gonna be you." Shikamaru said taking a sip from his sake, which had only been his third. Sasuke scoffed at him from his position on the floor with Temari and Kiba.

"I can go home by myself. I'm the cool one, the living apathy, the avenger." Sasuke said, standing up and falling down like an infant learning how to walk. Temari laughed at him, while Kiba stood on wobbling legs.

"I'll walk drag home with me if I have to." Kiba said, his jacket already off like just about everyone else except the ones who didn't even where jackets.

"So that's why people don't like you? Man, that's harsh." Kiba said as he sat at the table with Naruto, the both drinking in somber quiet as the others were in the kitchen as well.

"Yeah, but when I found out about it I was all like, "Holy crap, the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into me!", but now I'm just, "Hey fur-ball, give me power or I'll kick your furry ass." You understand how it is, right Gaara?" Naruto said as he looked to Gaara, who nodded out of politeness.

"Man, I feel for ya. My clan gets harshed all the time. One time I caught a guy whispering something about us practicing bestiality. I don't even know what that means!" Kiba whined as he nursed his glass and downed the contents while Naruto and Shino nodded sagely.

"I can concur, since people thing my clan's bugs will just suddenly attack them, or that we have a fetish with them."

"What's a fetish?" Naruto asked as Sasuke patted his back.

"You don't wanna know, my friend." Sasuke said as Gaara nodded.

"Well, people think my clan is always in their heads. Plus, they think that I'm some cheap tavern girl or something." Ino said as she knocked back her drink and leaned into Naruto with Hinata growling a bit on the other side of the blond.

"That could have something to do with the way you dress." Lee mumbled, but in the drunken silence they all heard him. Ino raised a brow as she looked over her shoulder at Lee and shrugged.

"You're probably right. Hey, weren't you gonna win Sakura's heart or something?" Ino asked as Lee's grip on his saucer tightened a bit.

"I was, but a few days before that mission she and I had a talk on the bridge. I would- no I will win her heart, but not right now!" Lee said as he sipped his drink in determination.

"Well good on ya. Now that I think about it, Sakura and I wasted so many years chasing and fighting over this asshole." Ino said bluntly as she jabbed a thumb in Sasuke's direction, "But I think we can final let it go, ya know? We always knew he'd never chose us, and it was always something we could bond over, but now if she lives; we can just be friends."

"Hey, I'm not that much of an asshole!" Sasuke yelled indignantly as Shino and Choji gave him a look, "Okay, so I am, but at least I have an emo backstory to explain it."

"You've had too much to drink, haven't you?" Temari said as Sasuke scoffed.

"Not yet I haven't. When I start ranting about my family, that's when I know my thoughts are out in the open and I can step back from the bottle."

"Right… so, um… anyone got a story?" Naruto asked hopefully as Choji looked up in interest.

"Oh, I have one!"

"Then please, do share." Kankuro said as he moved Temari over in her seat so he could sit with her.


"… and that's why I'll never rice balls again." Choji finished as everyone stared. Drunk or not they were all completely disgusted by that story. Half of them didn't even know a woman could do that with a rice ball, and the male half didn't want to know why the guy ate it afterward.

"Choji… you just turned me off of one of my favorite foods. Never ever say anything like that again." Sasuke said as Choji chuckled nervously.

"I'm still trying to comprehend how she got the sea weed out of the-" Naruto began but Hinata shook her head.

"Remember, the guy used his tongue and-"

"Okay, that's enough reliving that story! Can we please move on to something else?" Sasuke said as he covered his ears. They were making him think about all the precious rice balls he had made at home, and now he would be able to pig out on them while he reminisced about the good times with Sakura.

Suddenly he realized that it was gonna be a very short reminiscence…

"How about Spin the Kunai?" Ino suggested as she, Temari, and Tenten got a weird gleam in their eyes. Naruto wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

"Um… what's Spin the Kunai?" Lee asked as Naruto sighed in relief. Sometimes he didn't want to seem like the goofy out-of-the-loop kid. Thank Lee for being even more goof and out-of-the-loop!

"It's a game, Lee." Tenten began as she pulled out a kunai, from Kami knows where, "Basically it's like the civilian's Spin the Bottle, but with a kunai. Also, you have to do it, even if you land on someone of the same gender."

"So… I might have to kiss one of the nine other males here…?" Lee said… a little too hopefully as he looked at everyone in the room. Naruto was really hoping it was just the sake making him and the others smile the way they were, especially Hinata with her predator's smile aimed at him.

"Yup, that's the way it works; if it lands on you, you must kiss the person that spun it." Tenten said with a shrug as she fiddled with the kunai.

"No cheating, Tenten." Neji said as she looked struck.

"Neji, how dare you accuse me of such a thing; I would never cheat!" Tenten said, offended that Neji would even think her so low.

"So you didn't just add a magnetic chakra pulse to it to make it land on Naruto, myself, or Lee? Remember who have the all-seeing eyes, Tenten." Neji replied, sipping his drink with a smirk playing on his lips.

"Damn you, Hyuga…" Tenten muttered darkly as she removed her jutsu from the kunai. Okay, she was low, but at least she would have been with a great set of lips on hers.

They all sat in Naruto's living room as they began the game. Naruto wasn't sure why he was so calm about the whole thing. He had only had one kiss, and even though that one person didn't complain about it, he felt like multiple people were watching him with a predatorily stare. Unknown to him and least half the people in the circle for the game had become curious about Sasuke's drunken rant earlier about just how good a kisser Naruto was. They really wanted to find out.


Naruto couldn't tell if he was winning or not, but that didn't stop him from having his lips on those of Hinata, or her from shoving her tongue down his throat with the proclamation that she had been waiting nearly ten years for the eight kisses they had shared so far. He was sure she was cheating somehow, because the only under people she had gotten on her spins was Ino, Temari, and Shino once. He himself had gotten just about everyone, and after their lips would make contact, each and every one of his partners would roughly shove their tongues down his throat, even Sasuke, Gaara, and Shino! Hell, even Lee did it, but at least he apologized for it afterward, even if he did with a grin and wink.

Now Naruto was always and forever a fun-lovin' guy, but he knew that things were starting to get a little out of hand, especially with Kankuro shoving his hands down other people's pants, though Temari remedied that problem with a smack to his head by a meter tall fan which weighed roughly around twenty pounds. Gaara seemed to be coming out of his shell to. He, Shino, and Kiba had even started rating people on how good they were; currently Naruto was winning, but Ino was a close second and she promised she would not be beaten by Naruto of all people, even if he was incredible with his tongue. Sasuke and Neji were fighting over whose hair was better, and somehow it ended with Sasuke and Neji braiding Tenten's hair while Choji put theirs in pigtails.

Man this little party was getting out of control…


"Hey," Naruto yelled as he separated from Hinata, "my kitchen sink is not a bathroom, Kankuro! Kankuro, I'm not messin' around with you!"

"YOU ARE MY FRIEND!" Sasuke sang to Naruto, "Aah, you still remember the dream we had that day, don't you?"

"YOU ARE MY DREAM!" Naruto sang to Hinata and Sasuke, "Aah, we'd just gotten started!"

"You are MY LONG LOST FRIEND!" Naruto and Sasuke sang as everyone else laughed at them.

"Whoa, it's time to get moving!" Shikamaru drawled as he looked at his watch.

"THANK YOU MY FRIEND!" Kiba sang loudly as Shino dragged him out of Naruto's house, having sobered up enough to remember he didn't live there.

"Aah, I haven't forgotten what happened on that day!" Ino sang as Shikamaru dragged her out with Choji close behind, munching on the plate of food Naruto said he could take.

"YOU ARE MY DREAM!" Kankuro sang, but then got smack by Temari and she

"Aah, next time I'll protect you MY WAY!" Lee sang as Tenten shook her head at him. She got up on unsteady feet and drunkenly stumbled over to Lee as they leaned on each other with practiced ease. Neji shook his head as he glanced back at Hinata, who was still on Naruto's couch.

"Whoa, THE DISTANCE!" Naruto sang as he shut the door behind Neji. Sasuke and Hinata were still there, but they looked really comfy on his couch and floor.

He was just about to go in the back and get cleaned up when Sasuke got up.

"Hey, Mr. I don't need your water, because I'm Sasuke and I don't get hangovers." Naruto said as Sasuke trudged up to him and smack him weakly.

"Shut up, and get me some of that damn water." Sasuke said as he briefly remembered singing with Naruto and then passing out the next second. Damn, now he knew why Uchiha didn't party…

"Here ya go, asshole." Naruto said as Sasuke caught the bottle barely. He downed the thing like it'd keep him young and beautiful forever.

"I'm gonna go now, because if I stay here any longer I'll throw up on your floors, or those curtains just from looking at them." Sasuke said as he glared at the curtains.

"What is with you and my curtains, man?" Naruto said as he opened the door for Sasuke, who stopped just outside of it and turned back to Naruto.

"At least they're not as bad as Kakashi's. Red silk drapes with lime green carpet." Sasuke said as he repressed a shudder while Naruto could actually see why that was a bit scary.

"Whatever, see ya tomorrow." Naruto said as he tried to close the door, but Sasuke stopped it with his foot.

"What're you gonna do about her?" Sasuke said as he looked past Naruto's shoulder at the couch with the resting Hyuga heiress.

"I don't know. Neji said to just let her sleep, and that he'd tell Hiashi she was with Ino. Did you know that's both a lie and the truth?" Naruto said as Sasuke shook his head. Yes, the party was a success and their lovable moron was back to full idiotic capacity.

"Yes, Naruto, that's what we smart and intelligent people call a half-truth." Sasuke replied as if he were talking to a four year-old. Naruto gave him the middle finger and told him to fuck off as he slammed the door in Sasuke's face.


Naruto sighed as he leaned against his door. While they had been going through songs the last hour of the night he had his clones do the cleaning, dish washing and reorganizing of his house. It was so good to know that he had clones to do all his work…

He took a shower and got into his sleep wear as he sat at his bedroom study desk. There was only one thing that he needed to do before he went to bed tonight. He needed to be sure this last thing was done. He had his fun and laughs with his friends, but he needed to get back to business. This was important to the future! If not, then everything could fall apart before he went to kill S-

"Naruto-kun…?" a soft and timid voice cut through his thoughts as he looked at his bedroom door and smiled softly. It was Hinata, standing there with a blanket draped over her shoulders.

"Hinata…" Naruto said lightly as she stepped into the barely lit room. The only light he had in his bed room was the desk lamp he was using to light the scroll he was writing in. She looked away from him as she blushed lightly.

"I know it's late and all-" Hinata began but Naruto pointed a finger at the window, which showed a very faint orange hue.

"It's either very late or very early, since the sun will be up in about two or three more hours. We really put the night away." Naruto said with amusement as Hinata fidgeted with the blanket.

"W-would it be t-too much trouble if I w-were to… stay and talk with you for a little while?" Hinata asked as she mustered up all her courage. To say that Naruto was shocked was a bit of an understatement. Hinata hadn't quite been out of it earlier like Kiba or even Sasuke, but she had been at least buzzed. She was trying to put the moves on him. He shook his head as he got up from his chair. The writing could wait just a little while longer… or perhaps he could kill two birds with one shuriken.

"I-If you say no, I'll u-understand!" Hinata said as Naruto chuckled.

"Hinata, you're my friend and a guest in my house. Do you really think I'm that heartless, even at this time a night?" Naruto said as he guided Hinata into the room, "You can come in and sleep on the bed, but until you fall asleep we can talk as I deal with this really important thing."

"Um… right…" Hinata said as she laid on Naruto's bed, hugged his sheets close to her, and engulfed their scent with her nose. Ahh, old habits die hard…

Naruto retook his place beside the bed at his desk. She could tell he was writing something, but if he was writing it and not sleep, then it must have been important. Whatever it was she probably shouldn't bother him with questions about it…

"So what is it, Hinata?" Naruto asked, not lifting his eyes from the scroll as he spoke. His voice was so warm and kind…

"Umm… well… I'm sorry, I d-don't remember…" Hinata said sheepishly as she covered her head with his sheets. She was making a fool out of herself thinking she could talk to Naruto with no problems.

"Well, that's fine." Naruto said with a chuckle as she uncovered her head, "You know, you're a very good person Hinata. You're so strong, and yet so kind."

"No Naruto-kun, it's you whose the strong and kind one. You're always helping others, and shouldering the burdens of your life all on your own." Hinata countered as he gave a slight chuckle.

"I'm glad I have you… and all the others as well; I'd want all of you to go on and make sure that you help each other. That will be my last wish, Hinata… Noble, don't you think?"

"Naruto…" Hinata whispered out as she gazed at his writing form. Was he serious, and why was he bringing it up now all of a sudden?

"Naruto, can I ask one more thing of you?" Hinata said, no stuttering yet he could still hear the timid undertone of her voice.

"What is it, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he continued his writing, unraveling the scroll further.

"If it wouldn't bother you, and I promise no more questions or anything; could I just lay here and watch you." Hinata asked as Naruto chuckled and turned to her, his eyes so full of amusement at her request.

"Sure, you can stay there as long as you like, Hinata. Just fall asleep and I'll finish up with these writings. I'll go to sleep on the couch tonight so you can have the bed to yourself." Naruto said kindly as he turned to her with a smile that made her believe everything, no matter how saddening, bleak, or hopeless; that things would always turn out alright. He was the only person she knew that could smile like that; a smile of absolute determination and hope.

"Thank you… for everything, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said as she settled herself and watched him while he wrote. He would switch out the scrolls he wrote on, but he still wrote in complete silence as she watched him.


It wasn't very long before sleep claimed her. She fell asleep with a smile on her face as her dreams were filled with the peace that Naruto's smile seemed to promise.

Unknown to her though, as soon as Naruto heard her quiet snoring he frowned as he wrote feverishly. His peaceful and kind smile turned into a grim frown as he looked over his words. They were perfect, now all he had to do was get the scrolls to the right people and he'd be able to stop all the madness and the chaos that would soon engulf them all. After he delivering the scrolls he'd confront that bastard about everything he had discovered and then he'd put an end to it all before it even got started. E glanced out the window and saw that it was daybreak, which meant that in a couple of hours every ninja would be awaked.

He needed to get a move on… and fast!

He left his apartment silently and swiftly as he moved from one place to another. It didn't take long for him to accomplish the first parts of his plan, now all that was left was to confront the bastard. He had arrived at Training Ground Seven almost twenty minutes after he had set out. He knew what he had to do here, and he knew the person he had to speak with was already there.

"You've been tailing me for quite some time now. When are you gonna get tired of the shadows and face me… Sai?" Naruto said as he slowly turned to face the tree line behind him, from which Sai came out grinning playful.

"I suppose all good things and people must come to an end…" Sai remarked as he unsheathed the tantō on his back, revealing it to have no tip, "That's an interesting blade yo have there." Sai commented as he gazed at the sheathed sword at Naruto's right hip. It was a simply normal katana with a green handle; the only decoration being the guard, which was a hexagon instead of the standard rectangle. The two sides parallel to the blade were long, whereas the four sides above and below the blade were shortened, making it into almost a diamond or prism-like shape. It has a green handle.

"Thanks" Naruto replied curtly as he began unsheathing it, "But you've seen it before, many times with the way you've spied on me and kept track of my movements for Danzo. The jig is up, Sai; no more deception. Oh, let's skip the rest of the witty banter and fight. I told you not to underestimate me." Naruto said with a serious face and frown as he and Sai began to build up their chakra-levels, causing the very earth around them to uproot as the air became dense.

"Fine, I was hoping to have a little more fun before business, but business is business I suppose." Sai said as he leapt at Naruto.


Hinata awoke from the most peaceful sleep she had ever had. The bed wasn't as soft as she remembered her bed being and the constant smell of ramen filled the air, unlike what she remembered of her room since she'd always liked the smell of lavender. Her eyes fluttered open as an alarm clock went off… wait; she didn't have an alarm clock.

She sprang up as she looked around, obviously not in her room or even her house for that matter. She looked around and found the alarm clock as she shut it off. It read… 9:30! She was late meeting with her team, half an hour late for that matter. She jumped out of bed, realizing that she had been fully clothed as she looked around more wildly. Where was she? Memories of last night filled her head as she clutched it. Damn the hangover, it was killing her! Okay she was in Naruto's apartment, but where was he?

"Naruto, Naruto-kun!" she called out as she ran through the apartment, grabbing one of his bottles of water and rushing out his front door.

"Why didn't he wake me up before he left? He and my team meet around the same time." Hinata said aloud as she jumped from his building to another.

"I'll have to use shortcut #23 just so I'm not ten more minutes late." Hinata said as she jumped from off a roof and ran through an alley. The alley opened up to what used to being the village meeting hall, but ever since Orochimaru attacked the village meeting place became either the Hokage tower or the Chunin Exam Stadium.

Though while she was running through the place something wet fell on her forehead as she ran under the high court wall. She didn't really bother with it because she didn't care, but then it slipped down her face to her nose where she could see it slightly. She stopped just short of being out of the old square when she brought a hand up to where it was. She touched it and brought her hand out to where she could see the liquid better. She was already pretty close to the training ground, so it wouldn't matter much if she pondered her thoughts.

"Blood?" Hinata whispered to herself as she looked at the crimson red liquid. Her eyes went back to where it fell on her and she quickly realized that her footprints were made in blood as well. She followed the trail her footprints made and saw a rather large and unhealthy pool of blood, but what was worst was that it seemed to ripple every now and then. She walked over to get a better look, and saw that the rippling was coming from drops of blood coming from up above.

She looked up, expecting to see a small animal or even some random ninja dead, but what caught her sight was something she would never forget. The blood was everywhere, smeared roughly over the pale white wall. Impaled into the high wall by a green handle katana, which her mind would later work out as a form of display, was a young teenage boy who looked no older than she was. His sun-kissed blond hair was damped to his face. His cerulean blue eyes held no warmth, but were no more than lifeless orbs that showed his death. His whisker marks were barely visible as the blood stained his face. His once cheer filled and peaceful smile was now no more than an empty grimace upon his face. The boy's clothes stained with his own blood.

Her eyes widened in horror. She felt like breaking down, like throwing up, but it was like her body had yet to register what her eyes were seeing. She felt bile rise in her throat as she wanted to fall to her knees, but couldn't. Tears of shock and anguish mixed with disbelief brimming over her eyes and dripping onto the ground as she couldn't tear her gaze away from the mutilated body of the blond boy. Finally her mind caught up to her eyes as she let out an ear-splitting scream that was heard all over the village.

"AHH!" Hinata screamed, loudly at that as she could do nothing but that. The volume of the scream let out only a mere fraction of what her heart was feeling as she looked up at the boy.

Naruto Uzumaki had been murdered…