So as promised here is chapter 1. Hope everyone likes it! Not much to say really. My computer crashed and I lost about three days of writing, not for this story though, but still a royal pain.

Anyway, here it is

(I don't own any part of Naruto)... pity.

Chapter 1

The Sixth Hokage found himself at his office the next day, without anything to do. He looked at his desk in confusion. Three sheets of paper and the mission scrolls were the only things on it. Naruto looked around. Shizune hadn't come in yet. He wondered where everyone was. Hesitantly he walked over and took his seat. He glanced at the papers on his desk. Three were completed mission reports. One was a letter written in response to his request that the Hidden rain village host the Chunin Exams this year. He opened it and started reading.

A moment later he put it down. The Rain village had sadly declined his request. But he understood why. They were still having problems and while hosting the exams would boost their economy, it would also strain what recourses they had. Naruto thought about where they could host the next one. Out of the past ten exams, four of which had been held in the Leaf. Naruto pulled out a piece of paper. He would write to Mei the Misukage to see if she would be interested.

As he started writing there was a noise outside his door and Shizune burst in. She quickly ran to his side and whispered in his ear. "Naruto-sama I'm sorry I'm late but I heard another rumor on the way here and I had to confirm it."

Naruto dropped his head. This was really starting to wear on him, "That's Naruto... remember... Na..ru..to. Say it with me...Naruto."

Shizune was frustrated. She blurted, "I heard that Ino spent the night with you at your house and Ino said she was at your house and even had dinner with you and not to mention that you ignored what I told you yesterday!" It all came out in a rush and it left Shizune breathless.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yes that's right, Ino did come over to my house last evening. And I invited her to stay for dinner. We stayed up talking, but she had to leave. What is so important Shizune? What are these rumors?"

She calmed herself saying, "Well the last rumor was that you stole Ino from Kiba while they were on a date...and now everyone thinks that you two are romantically involved!"

Had Naruto been eating something at the moment he would have choked to death on it. As it was he merely gaped at her. Naruto asked loudly, "They think I'm sleeping with her!?"

Shizune nodded.

Naruto groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "This...is what I get for being nice you know. I take her home when she's drunk and everyone thinks I stole her from Kiba. I have dinner with her and everyone thinks we're having sex. That's just great." He gave the OK sign with his hand, "Things couldn't be better..."

Shizune thought that sarcasm wasn't likely to fix anything. But she didn't know what to do about the situation. Being younger than any other Kage besides Garra made him the object of may discussions. He was also single, unlike Garra. Besides that, he was a jinchuriki, which still made him the subject of argument and controversy. Being the hero of the world and at the same time, having so few people know what he was like in person...it all made him the target of the most intensive rumor mill in the Leaf village. And apparently they were out for blood...well, at least his personal life.

She asked, "What are you going to do about it Naruto?"

He threw his hands up in the air. "What am I supposed to do?! Walk out on the balcony and command everyone in the village to stop gossiping about me?!...yeah that's a great idea. Or maybe I could send out the AMBU to quash the rumors at their source...!" Naruto looked at her and dropped his arms onto the desk with a thump.

"I have no clue what to do about it. I mean, we both know that Ino and her family aren't spreading the rumors. Otherwise..." He shut his mouth and thought about it. "Wait...Ino visited me last night...for no apparent reason. She stayed much longer than she should have. We even talked about relationships. So...what if Ino likes me and is trying to use rumors to coerce me into a relationship with her... After all she never said what she had come over for last night. And what if Inoichi came over to test the waters at Ino request..."

Naruto stood up. "I have an Idea. It's kind of farfetched but it makes sense. I'll be back in a while, possible more...possibly less."

Shizune inquired, "What are you thinking of Naruto-sama?" He didn't answer, instead he walked around the desk and jumped right out the window. Shizune sighed. Once Naruto had his mind set on something there were few things that could stand in his way. She wondered distractedly if his idea was to go and stomp out the rumors himself...she prayed that wasn't his plan. It would only stir up more trouble.

ooo

ooo

Ino sat in her parent's house, looking out her open window. She thought about the previous night. Naruto had been so friendly...as always, but he had seemed more mature than she remembered. It might have been because she rarely saw him anymore. Or it could have been that he really was more mature than a year ago. But Ino's mind kept straying to how completely relaxed she had been for a few hours, just talking to him. She was never relaxed, except maybe with Choji or Tenten, her two closest friends. There was always tension, like a taught wire strung between her shoulders.

She thought, "Naruto seemed to be pretty generous with his time, I mean he still trains all the time, even though he's Hokage. I must have put a serious dent in his training schedule, if he didn't miss it entirely. Not to mention how I...stupid!, stupid!, went and dumped all my problems on him. He doesn't need to hear me complain. He's got the whole village complaining 24/7. He get more hassles than Lady Tsunade ever did...grrrrr! It's all dad's fault for trying to play at matchmaker!"

Ino heard a noise. It was a whistle of something moving fast, like a kunai slicing through air. Ino blinked and nearly had a heart attack. When she had been looking out her window before it had been empty. When she blinked, Naruto was sitting in the open window. Ino nearly fell out of her chair. She was about to curse him out for scaring her, but he wasn't even looking at her. Ino stopped and watched him.

His blond hair swayed in the breeze from outside and his sharp, exotic, blue eyes were focus outside. He was dressed in his Hokage's clothes minus the hat. He turned his head slightly to where he could have seen her out of the corner of his eye. Then looking forward he asked, "Do you like me Ino chan?"

Her breath hitched and her heart beat in her ears. "This is so sudden...Is this because of me visiting him last night, or does he like me already...or course he does or he wouldn't be here asking." She glanced to the side, avoiding contact with his exotic fox's eyes. "Yes Naruto...I do like you, but...why are you here?"

He glanced at her in return. His eyes were so blue and they seemed to stab into her chest, grabbing hold. He looked back out the window, releasing the invisible hold he had on her. Naruto explained, though it sounded like he was having a slightly hard time speaking. "The whole village seems to think we're a couple now, and it's only been a few hours since I woke up. I...wanted to know if you knew or had any part in it."

Ino's jaw dropped, "You think I would use rumors to force you to date me?! Is that it!" "It's not a half bad idea...but that's only if I was interested in him!"

Her mental commentary was cut short by Naruto. "I don't want to get a bad reputation as Hokage Ino. I didn't think that you would do that to me...maybe you might have done it to Sasuke a while ago, but the reason I came was to try and prevent the rumors from getting out of hand. You used to have an iron fist over the rumor mill...didn't you?"

She had to give him that. "Yes I use to be called master of rumors, but I would never do that to the Hokage even...if . . . I would do it to you..."

A long breath escaped Naruto. He wondered aloud, "Then who has been watching me like a hawk this whole time?" Ino shook her head in defeat. She planted her elbows on the desk that was abutting the window. She was only about a foot from Naruto...the Sixth Hokage.

At last Naruto's hands fell to his sides and he slumped, "Thanks for that Ino...at least I'm safe from one Yamanaka." Ino caught a scent as he spoke. It reminded her a bit of the extremely musky, but faint perfumes that you could buy at a specialty shop. She could smell rosemary and something sweet mixed in. Ino couldn't help it she asked, "Um...Naruto, are you wearing cologne?"

He glanced at her a bit startled by the random question. He shook his head, "No...uh...why?"

Ino looked away. She bit her lip, "You know...I work at a flower shop, I mean I like things that smell good, and...um...you smell kinda..."

Naruto smirked, displaying his signature foxy grin. He finished her sentence, "Kinda good?"

She blushed and snuck a peak at his face. Catching the quick look, Naruto sniffed the air. "You smell good too Ino chan..." Ino felt caught again and her stomach churned pleasantly. He held her gaze again. His exotic eyes, with those slit pupils were burrowing in.

She forced herself to look away saying, "Thanks Naruto, but what are you trying to say..."

There was a minute where Naruto didn't speak. He just looked at her. Then he opened his mouth to speak.

ooo

The door to Ino's room opened and Ina poked her head in. Ino's mother asked, "Hey Ino are you coming out of you room today or...!" She caught sight of Naruto. His eyes lifted to look at her. At the same time Ino spun around in her chair to gape at her mother. Ina looked between Naruto and her daughter, her mouth open in surprise. She closed her mouth and pulled back, shutting the door.

Ino shouted, "Mom! Wait!"

Naruto heard Ina's footsteps recede quickly. Ino continued to call for her mom, but her voice wasn't loud enough for her mother to hear. Naruto sighed, "There goes the part where we're not together. If your mom thinks we're a couple then I won't be able to convince anyone that it's not true..."

Ino stood up at his words and grabbed him by the shirt. She said, "Do you like me Naruto? Cause if you don't then I'll convince my mother that we aren't together!" Naruto was taken aback by Ino's sudden attitude change. He thought, "How am I...damn it..."

Ino heard Naruto say, "I do like you Ino, but if you let this slide then the villagers will assume that the other rumors are true!"

She let go of him and paced away from him. "Then what do you want to do?!" Naruto racked his head for what to do. Then it occurred to him. They were looking at it like it was black and white.

"Go tell your mom exactly what happened. I'll go back to my house and that way she'll understand that even if we...do have...feelings for each other that he rumors about everything aren't true."

Both of them thought about it for a moment, then Ino said, "That could work...ok. I'll go find my mom and explain things. You get back to your place so you're stalker doesn't catch you here." Naruto nodded and turned to head out the window, but he stopped.

Ino felt a hand on her shoulder...turning her around. She found herself being hugged warmly. Naruto's warm breath brushed her neck. "Thanks for helping me set this straight. Maybe you could come over to my place again once this gets cleared up..."

Ino's heart fluttered a bit, "What was that..." She blinked, "Ok Naruto. But go already!" He released her and was gone in a flash. Ino glanced at the window and then ran to catch her mom.

ooo

She caught Ina down the stairs. She shouted, "Mom! WAIT!" He mother stopped and turned. Ino hopped down the stairs in a single leap to stand in front of her mother.

Ina looked at her suspiciously, "Not up there with your lover?" Ino found her cheeks flaming red again as she set about explaining.

"Mom...Naruto is just trying to stop all the rumors going around about him. We aren't lovers! For Kami's sake he hasn't even kissed me on the cheek. The most he's ever done was hug me."

Ina regarded her daughter. Ino wasn't the kind to outright lie, but she twisted the truth like a pro. She asked, a bit too serious. "You and the Hokage aren't romantically involved in any way...at all? I find that hard to believe. You looked like I caught you red handed just now."

Ino was well aware of how guilty she look. She frowned and continued, "It's not that I...don't care for ...him...It's just that I do, but it didn't happen the way everyone is saying it did. I didn't even realized that there were all these crazy rumors going on about us until Naruto stopped by."

Ino saw that her mother was taking this with enough salt to kill Tsunade's summoning slug. Ino shouted, "MOM! You have to believe me. I...I just started feel...to feel like ..I like Naruto..." Ino trailed off and lowered her head. She knew that sorting out her feelings right now was a bad idea, but it occurred to her that all she had to base these gooey feelings in her chest, were two meetings.

Her mother said dryly, "So your saying that you have developed a crush on him in what...two days? And he feels the same way? I think that your father would be appalled at how fast your moving. Going from indifferent to a crush in two days is a bit much. And from what I heard, Naruto basically stole you out from under Kiba, who asked you out...let's see...two days ago."

Ino cried, "But that's one of the rumors. It's why I've been sulking. I didn't even want to go out with Kiba, but he looked so pitiful that I decided to go anyway. We both started drinking since we didn't have anything to talk about. I don't...really remember that much of it, but Kiba was drunk and challenged Naruto to a drinking contest. After that I couldn't even walk and Naruto took me home! Don't you get it. He was just being nice. He wasn't stealing anything. And then when Tenten told me that day went and interrogated Naruto at his house, I went over to apologize for him trying to match make again!"

Ina asked, "And what did you do over at his house then?"

Ino looked down, "I got embarrassed and pretended that I forgot what I came for and he invited me to stay for dinner. We ate and stayed up late talking...then I went home. But SOMEONE saw me go in because now there's a rumor that we're sleeping together!"

Her mother smirked, "Well that was a long winded story. But is it true?"

"YES!"

Ino was getting frustrated, "Weren't you listening mom?!"

She nodded. "I was just making sure...So you do like Naruto and he likes you it seems, at least enough to come and tell you about it?"

Ino glanced away, "Well not exactly, He thought that I started the rumors to try and force him into a relationship with me." She smiled weakly..."It was actually a great idea."

Ina giggled, "So he thought that it was all your fault? That's interesting. What else did you talk about?" Ino tried her best to meet her mother's eye. She said, "Not much...he hadn't been there long..."

ooo

ooo

Naruto opened the door to his bed room and flopped there. This day was getting to be one he would remember. He hoped that these damn rumors would stop already. It was getting tiresome. As he lay on the bed he heard a shifting sound. Then a second later Kurama hopped up on the bed. The fox looked down at him curiously,

"No duties to attend to?"

He shook his head, "No, just another mad rumor that I have to deal with. I stopped by Ino's house...I thought that she might be helping the rumors along...but it seems I was wrong. I mean, Are there any other people in the village who would do that sort of thing? Who befits from me dating Ino?"

"Would you like me to keep an eye out. I can be very inconspicuous when I want to be. Whoever is starting these rumors has to keep a close eye on you."

He nodded, "That would be great...but if you catch this guy don't nail him right there. Come back and tell me."

Kurama twitched his ears asking, "Dare I ask...perhaps you should go along with these rumors...the Yamanaka girl would be a fine mate."

Naruto groaned. "Not you... You can't be serious about that. Are you seriously telling me you like her?" The fox sniffed and sat his tails curling around him. He said matter of factly,

"My nose doesn't lie. You like her. She is an attractive female from an upper class family. You couldn't find a higher ranking mate in this village. And she even has a family line ability."

Naruto sat up and looked the fox in his eyes. He put one finger up saying, "First of all, humans mate according to different rules than demons. Second, when did you become such a matchmaker? And third, Why are you so interested?"

Kurama blinked slowly, "Don't kid yourself kit. Demons mate according to our own desires. You humans are the ones who attach rank to everything. I thought I was looking at it from the human perspective and besides...her parents actually like you."

Naruto dropped back to the bed groaning, "I don't want to talk about that damned Hiashi right now. I could care less what that selfish prick thinks of me."

"Temper temper. All I'm saying is you need to find... someone... You aren't aging right now. You might be the only one who knows about it. And you well know what I told you."

He sighed, "Yes I remember. You said that I almost died...what three times. And that my chakra network couldn't take the strain."

"Yes and like I told you. I restored you chakra coils with my own,, which draw off nature energy to replenish themselves. As a byproduct...your aging slowed down to a nearly nonexistent fraction of normal."

"And you told me that when I made a final choice about who to marry that you would do the same with her...I remember ok. It's just hard to think like that. It's only been a year. I might not have even realized my aging stopped for years. And that's not counting your offer. How do I choose a girl to marry. She'll out live her family and friends. How can I do that to someone?"

The real question you should ask...is how can you live alone for the rest of your very...very long life."

ooo

ooo

There was a ghost of sound as Naruto landed inside his office in Hokage tower. Shizune, who was looking over a pile of paperwork that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, glanced up. She asked, "How did it go?"

Naruto strode over to the desk and sat down. "Well it wasn't the Yamanaka rumor mill. I'm not really sure who it could be if it wasn't them."

Shizune shrugged, "Well while we're on the topic of romance...you have another love letter."

Naruto face-palmed. "The usual suspect?"

Shizune nodded, "It's form the land of Stone and it has the seal...so yes. Almost certainly."

Naruto sighed, "Curse her for including Kage level information in her love letters. She puts the diplomatic stuff that I need to read, scattered throughout the rest, so I'm forced to read the whole thing."

Shizune giggled, "Actually it's quite genius. You should applaud her for her skillful misuse of her Tsuchikage powers." Naruto made a very un-kage like face and opened the letter.

ooo

Five minutes later he put down the letter. Shizune raised her eyebrow as if to ask, "Well?"

Naruto thought about how to describe it. "I think I'll paraphrase. She's lonely, and she's coming here for a week or more."

Shizune blinked in surprise, "That's going to be interesting. So it's been almost a year since she tried to kiss you at the Winter festival and now she's getting serious." Naruto nodded as he turned the letter over...and saw the date,

"Uh...Shizune, when did this arrive?"

She answered him quickly. It came today by courier. Why do you ask?" Naruto rubbed his eyes, "I don't know...maybe I'm just tired, but the date shows that she wrote this letter a week and a half ago...If I know her, she sent this the day she ...left."

Both of them stopped as the information sank in. Naruto's jaw dropped as he came to a conclusion, "She's already in the village..."

Shizune face-palmed. "Well, you have to give her that as well, she knows how to plan stuff out."

Naruto asked lamely, even though he knew the answer, " And going at an easy pace...how long does it take to go from the Village hidden in the Stone to here?"

"About ten days."

He stood. "Shizune, I believe we have an intruder in the village. I think I'll be going out to make sure she doesn't get into mischief. She's almost as bad as I used to be."

Shizune looked at him with a strange expression, "Considering the dates and recent events, is it possible that she is responsible for your trouble with rumors?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Shizune...I think you might still be suffering from a hangover. Now.. why...would she want to try and involve me with Ino when she wants me for herself? It just doesn't make sense... Anyway, I'll be off. If you want to be cruel, get Granny in here to help with paperwork."

He was about to leave when another thing occurred to him, "Granny probably hasn't heard any of these crazy rumors yet. Please don't tell her anything. She made me her heir and she always goes overboard when it comes to me dating. I don't want her trying to hook me up with Ino or Kurotsuchi."

Shizune nodded, "Ok, I'll get on that. See you later."

Naruto gave her the thumbs up and flashed out of the office.

ooo

ooo

Landing on the head of the Fourth Hokage's monument, Naruto looked over the village. Then he called on Kurama's chakra. It rose to the surface, turning his skin to burning white flames. His awareness expanded and the emotions of the entire village came rushing in.

Almost as soon as he did so he flung himself to the side as a sword...about as wide as he was tall, slammed the top of the monument where he was sitting. It was grey stone, but that only served to confirm what he had felt. Kurotsuchi was in the village...stalking him and using her unparalleled skill in traveling through stone and soil to hide from his normal senses.

However the moment she saw him using Ninetails chakra mode she knew the gig was up. Naruto sent a gust of wind at the blade. A very nasty gust of wind, formed of thousands of microscopic wind currents that diced the hardened stone to pieces.

Naruto smiled as he saw Kurotsuchi come fully out of the cliff face behind him...and blinked in amazement. His demon eyes locked on to her, showing him the flow of chakra through her. Somehow...she was channeling fire release and stone release even as she pulled free of the wall.

Then he remembered her special ability. 'Ok...nice try Kurotsuchi...not going to work on me.' Naruto flashed behind her.

Kurotsuchi suddenly found herself trapped in a complex web of Ninja wire...and her arms had been moved behind her to be bound as well. Even as she realized this the wire was drawn tight and she was unable to move.

She sighed as Naruto laid her down on top of the stone head. He looked down at her. "Nice try Kurotsuchi. Did you think that you would be able to take me by surprise?"

She smiled up at him, not bothering to squirm or ask for release, "Well, Naruto-kun. I have bee tracking you closely for the better part of a day without you being aware. I think that deserves some applause."

He sighed and dropped down next to her. His hand flashing out to cut...most...of the wire restraints. He left the ones binding her arms. "I've been distracted, now...tell me a few things and I'll cut you loose."

She sat up, raising her eyebrow in time with the movement. Kurotsuchi scooted closer to him. Her voice was a bit sad, but he know it was an act. "Ok...Naruto-kun. What do you want to know?"

"First of all, why do you include diplomatic information in your letters to me? It's a pain to sort through and it kinda takes away from both messages. Second why did you deceive me in an attempt to sneak into the village a week and a half early? And third... Did you have anything to do with starting all the rumor that recently started up about me?" He gave her a serious look and said, "Spill it."

Kurotsuchi's full lips twisted into a knowing smirk, "First...because then I know you have to read through everything carefully to catch the hints and info I drop. Second... Because I wanted to properly prepare. And third...um...what rumors?"

Naruto cut her bonds and laid back. She was just...too good. He'd only felt a trace of deceit, but he couldn't tell if she'd lied or just hid information. He let out a sigh. That last question hadn't helped determine anything at all. It would just serve to make her curious now.

Then Naruto felt fingers tip-toeing over his chest. He looked to the side. Kurotsuchi was staring at him. Her dark eyes playful. "Come on Naruto-kun... you must have at least thought about it..."

"You mean, about checking my drinks and food for poison? Or are you talking about inspecting my house for traps?"

She leaned in close. He held her at arm's length. Her hurt expression didn't sway him. He said, "Don't give me that poor abused puppy look. You're to crafty for your own good and I don't trust any of your facial expressions."

Her tongue poked out at him and she smiled. "You aren't as gullible as you used to be." She sounded impressed.

Naruto grinned back at her, "Trick me once, shame on you. Trick me twice, shame on me. Trick me three times and I won't trust a single thing you say..." It was a good saying to live by when it came to her.

Kurotsuchi was the granddaughter of the previous Tsuchikage. An old man who could have easily won the title of most manipulative Kage in history. Naruto was well aware that she had learned everything from her old man and was just as clever and hard to pin down. He never knew...even now, if she liked him, or if this was an intricate plan to get something else she wanted.

One could not know what went on behind those sexy dark eyes.

Naruto let his Ninetail's chakra recede as Kurotsuchi lamented, "It's just too bad. If you were as easy to lie to as you used to be...I could have you for myself in a heartbeat. But, since you caught me...I guess I'll have to do this the hard way."

Kurotsuchi broke the lock on his elbow and forced the joint to bend. Naruto realized she was using a lot of chakra to power herself. He was on the brink of doing the same when he felt a tug on his pants. It broke his concentration. 'Damn...she got me...again...'

Her lips brushed his nose before he was able to maneuver out of reach. He rolled away, before getting to his feet.

She stood up as well, smirking, "You're pretty agile when you're trying to avoid a beautiful girl...are you sure you don't swing the other way?"

Naruto coughed, "Huh!? No! You know me better than that, besides, It's natural for me to avoid situations where someone might get an advantage over me. And you...are defiantly a predator I want to avoid."

Kurotsuchi walked towards him and Naruto circled around her, wary. "Don't get any funny ideas about turning this into some kind of game of catch. I'm not a piece of meat."

She stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Ok, then how about a compromise?"

"I'm listening."

She said, "Take me out to lunch and we can talk this whole thing over...regardless if I get something to eat...I won't be hungry anymore."

Naruto dropped his guard, "Fine..."

ooo

ooo

So how did everyone like the story so far? It's only been a few days since first posting... and this isn't a cross over so it's probably a bit hard to find, but still a lot of follows.

Some drama in next chapter... maybe, it really depends. Do I make Ino and Kurotsuchi fight? or do I have them moving around each other without really interacting? hm...

Anyway, Kyoto out, and remember to review!