A/N: And I'm back! As I said last time, I have no social life and love writing, so each chapter is gonna come out pretty quickly. I hope that my writing will improve from last time, and I'm going to try to write more clearly. To all of the people who followed and reviewed my story, all I can say is thank you, and I'll try to improve my writing to make it a better read.

Review Response

WesDunne: Thanks for all the feedback! I know I can be a bit repetitive when it comes to referencing characters, and I tried to do a better job of it. Along with that, I know that Naruto's yelling may seem a bit out of character for him, but remember that he's never felt this kind of thing before. His anger stems from concern and fear, and it's just his knee-jerk reaction. Also, I kinda suck at writing character interactions, especially because there were 9 other people around Naruto and Hinata. Any scenes with multiple people in them aren't going to flow as well as when there are only 3 to 4 people. But I'll try to figure out how to write them so that they flow better. And with the Neji thing, I tried to make him, Kiba, and Shino seem like big brothers. Because I have been in this scenario once, I can tell you the anger you feel is incredible. Seriously, I wanted to kill the kid. But generally, thanks for making the feedback constructive.

Mari: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! If you feel like you figure out what was missing, just let me know. I'll be happy to listen.

jack hopper, Black's Wolfgirl22, shishuco, Arymed: Glad you like the story so far, hope you like this chapter too!

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Naruto groaned at the soft light that filtered through the roof of his tent, pulling his blanket up around his head.

"Just five more minutes…" he thought, only one thing on his mind: more sleep.

Rolling away from the light, he rubbed his before opening them slightly.

"Hey," Kakashi said with his usual disinterested voice, his eye smiling.

"AHHHHH!" Naruto screamed as he jumped away from Kakashi. "What the hell are you doing Kakashi-sensei!"

"Waking you up of course," Kakashi stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We've got a lot of work to do, and it has to start before noon. After all, your little break is over now, isn't it?"

Naruto frowned, recalling that he had been given the week off after his battle with Pain. Sighing, he got up and walked over to his pack before pulling out his clothes. He looked over at Kakashi, who was reading his usual perverted books. "Kakashi-sensei, get out!" he shouted as he threw the nearest pebble he could find.

Kakashi caught it without looking away from his book, then smiled at Naruto before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Grumbling something about perverted teachers, Naruto put on his usual orange and black outfit before stepping outside. Stretching his hands over his head, Naruto put his usual grin on before heading off.

"Alright!" he shouted as he ran through the camp, "Let's get to work!"

As Naruto ran through the villagers, each one of them turned and smiled as he raced past. Gone were the usual looks of suspicion and hatred, replaced by looks of admiration and happiness because of his actions.

Naruto, dense as ever, didn't even notice as he exited the camp. He jumped into the trees, traveling through the canopy for a short distance before he reached the remains of the Hidden Leaf Village.

It had been a busy week for the shinobi of the Leaf. The first two days were spent filling in the massive crater. Every ninja who had an affinity for Earth-style had been called upon, and the crater had been filled in record time. It also helped that Gaara of the Desert Sand, Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand, had sent supplies and people to help with the project.

As soon as the crater had been filled, the normal villagers and the rest of the ninja had begun to clear the rubble. While this was going on, Captain Yamato, with his unique wood-style, had rebuilt the hospital in just under a day. All of the wounded were then placed inside, drastically increase their chances of recovery. This freed up some of the medical volunteers, and they also started clearing the rubble.

Naruto smiled at the sight of the nearly-cleared area behind the walls. The work was nearly finished, and the reconstruction efforts could begin in earnest. Placing his hands in his favorite seal, Naruto shouted "Shadow-Clone Jutsu!" Instantly 100 other Narutos appeared in a puff of smoke. They all jumped down and got to work clearing the rubble.

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"One thousand, two hundred and ninety four." Hinata whispered, deactivating her Byakugan. "Again."

She sighed as she looked around her hospital room, bored. After she had had one of the best nights of her life with Naruto, Sakura had found her and dragged her to the medical tent, insisting on giving her an examination. After finding out that Hinata had severe exhaustion, and that her internal injuries were still healing, she had put the Hyuga heiress under house arrest, making her stay in her tent and then the hospital, once it was completed.

Hinata smiled at the thought of her night with Naruto. They had eaten at the temporary Ichiraku, then wandered around the camp, talking and laughing together. As it became late, Naruto had walked Hinata to the Hyuga tents, before pulling her into a hug. She nearly passed out, but thankfully she managed to stay conscious. Bidding her crush goodnight, she entered her tent to find Sakura waiting for her.

"I wish he would come see me again," Hinata thought with a tinge of sadness. She hadn't seen Naruto since that night. "Maybe he doesn't want to…"

As to get rid of her doubts, Naruto tapped on the window, his trademark grin stuck on his face. Hinata's face lit up, and she carefully got up and opened the window.

"Hey Hinata, how are you?" Naruto asked, a slight bit of concern in his voice. "Sakura told me that you were here, are you hurt?"

"N-no Naruto, I-I'm fine." She said as she smiled at the concern he held for her.

"I'm j-just a little tired, so Sakura told me I had to stay here for a while."

"Good. When do you get out?" he asked curiously.

"Umm, t-tomorrow I think," Hinata stammered, blushing at the attention he was giving her.

"Great!" Naruto said enthusiastically. "Well, since, you know… you get out tomorrow, I was wondering if you, um wanted to…" he trailed off, blushing profusely.

Hinata, her own blush reddening, twiddled her fingers. "W-What i-is it, N-Naruto?"

"I want to…" Naruto took a deep breath, then looked right in her eyes. "Would like to walk with me?"

Hinata nearly fainted as all the blood in her body rushed to her face. "I-I-I w-would l-like t-t-that N-Nartuo," she managed between shaky breathes.

Naruto's blush receded slightly, and his face stretched due to the huge grin he wore. "That's great Hinata! So what time do you get out?"

Hinata, still blushing intensely, did her best to burn a hole in the ground with her stare. She wanted to answer him, but she didn't trust her voice. Naruto, seeing the redness in her features, smiled warmly at her embarrassment.

"Hinata." She managed to look up at the tone of Naruto's voice, and when she saw his small but warm smile her embarrassment melted away, along with her heart. She smiled back at him, filled with a confidence only he could bring out of her.

"I get released tomorrow at 2:00," Hinata said calmly, still smiling at him.

"Okay Hinata, I'll see you then." Naruto said as he moved towards the window. Smiling back at her, he leapt into the night, excited for their time tomorrow.

Hinata just stared at the spot where he had been, the warmth she felt from his smile and her own heart racing through her. She turned around and managed to make it to the foot of her bed before she collapsed onto it. "Naruto…" she thought, the last image in her mind being his smile, before she slowly faded into her dreams.

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The next morning, Naruto woke up bright and early. Despite his tiredness from the previous day's work, he was invigorated by the thought of spending time with Hinata later.

"I gotta get this stuff done so I can go on that walk with her." Naruto thought. He was still unsure of his feelings for the Hyuga heiress, but he still wanted to be around her. She was the only one Naruto didn't keep up his tough-guy façade. He could be himself around Hinata, and she wouldn't reject him.

As Naruto worked, he thought back on all the times he and Hinata had been together. The Chunin Exams, hunting for the Bikochu beetle, their trip to the Land of Vegetables, teaming up with her and Kiba, and hunting the Three-Tails. He smiled as he remembered how strong she had become, and her obvious feelings for him. He frowned as he looked back at all the clues he had completely missed.

"Wow, I know I don't catch on as quickly as everyone else, but man, I'm really dense." Naruto thought. A sense of guilt came over him at his ignorance. "It must have hurt her when I ignored her and looked at Sakura instead."

Naruto, lost in his thoughts and busy removing rubble, never saw the wooden beam that smashed into his head.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted as he sat up. Rubbing his head, he looked over at a grinning Kiba.

"Whoops, sorry about that Naruto." Kiba said.

"Oh yeah," Naruto screamed, a vein on his head twitching, "then you won't mind when I do this."

The Inuzuka frowned, wondering what he was talking up all the way up until the two-by-four snapped over his head.

"GOD DAMMIT!" Kiba roared, holding the back of his head. Growling at Naruto, he picked up another wooden beam, while Naruto did the same. "I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THE DUMBASS!"

"BRING IT ON DOG-BOY!" Naruto yelled right back. The two swung their beams at each other, hitting on another at exactly the same time.

Recovering first, Naruto's blue eyes blazed with fury. Picking up his beam, he brought it down on Kiba's head once more. However, the Inuzuka wasn't done. Mimicking Naruto, he smashed his own beam over the spiky-haired blonde's head as well.

"ASSHOLE!"

"DOG LOVER!"

"IDIOT!"

"BASTARD!"

They exchanged blows in a sick parody of Whack-A-Mole. Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura, who had been passing by, stopped to watch as the two cursed and pummeled one another.

"Should we do something?" Ino asked her two companions.

"No, with the amount of stamina those two have, they could keep this up all day." Shikamaru drawled. "Besides, breaking up fights is such a drag," he whined, remembering the last time he had tried.

"Hee-hee yeah," Ino giggled. "What do you think Sakura?"

"It's funny to watch, but a guess I should get these two idiots to stop. The last time they fought one of the training grounds ended up destroyed." Sakura sighed, then cupped her hands to yell. "HEY YOU IDIOTS!" she called, putting her angriest face on.

Naruto, his mind clouded with anger, swung the beam around at her voice. "SHUT UP UGLY!" he yelled, bringing the beam down on Sakura's head. As she stared at him, unfazed by the blow, Naruto and Kiba's faces slowly turned to horror as they realized what he had done.

"NA-RU-TO…" Sakura said, killer intent radiating off her in waves. Ino and Shikamaru shared a look, and with a muttered "Troublesome" they took off running. Reaching up, Sakura snapped the beam in half, then glared at the boys with fire in her eyes. "YOU'RE DEAD!" she screamed, running straight at them!

A look of horror came across Kiba and Naruto, and they clung to each other and shrieked as she bore down on them.

The next five minute of horrendous pain could not be described to anyone. The ratings on this site do not go high enough to even begin to cover the horrors Sakura inflicted on the two.

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Hinata hummed happily as she thought about her plans for later. "Naruto wants to spend time with me! It's almost like a date!" She blushed lightly and squealed at the last thought, but she was interrupted by a commotion outside.

"Come one, keep up that pressure! We can't let the internal bleeding get any worse!"

"Prepare one of the operating rooms and get the Hokage! We're gonna need her all her skill to keep this one alive!"

"Dear God, what did they do?"

Hinata, curious as to what could warrant such concern, got off her bed and walked over to her door. Peeking through the opening, she gasped and flung open the door. "Naruto, Kiba!"

The bluenette looked at her teammate and love with tears as they were wheeled past. Naruto and Kiba looked worse than she had ever seen. Their bruised and bloody bodies were splayed out on gurneys, and the doctors and nurses around them were very serious.

She watched with tears flowing down her face, and was completely unaware of the pinkette coming up behind her.

"Hinata, you should go check out now," Sakura said in an emotionless voice. "I know you're concerned for them, but they'll be fine. I made sure of it," she added with a dark look on her face.

The Hyuga heiress, scared by her friend's anger, merely nodded as she walked past. However, curiosity got the best of her, and as Ino ran past in her nurse's uniform, Hinata reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

"Ino, what happened to Naruto and Kiba?" she asked.

"Listen, I don't have time to…" Ino began, but stopped as she saw tears in the pale lavender eyes. "Look, Kiba and Naruto were fighting about something, and Sakura got mad when she got hit in the middle of it, so she… well, you know her." With that, she took off down the hall, shouting instructions to the nurses.

Hinata sighed, wondering what would happen to her and Naruto's date. Despite her concern over his condition, she couldn't help being disappointed that they wouldn't be able to spend time together.

She went back into her room, grabbed all of her things, and then checked out of the hospital. As she walked back to the area where the Hyuga tents were, she had a sudden idea pop into her head. Smiling at the thought, she ran home and got ready.

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"Man, I wish Hinata would come by…" Naruto complained to himself, staring up at the ceiling above his hospital bed.

"I'm right here, Naruto…" Hinata's voice purred.

"Eh?!" Naruto shot to a sitting position, only to find himself face to face with a scantily clad Hyuga girl. "Hinata?! What're you…"

"Just sit back and relax…" she whispered in his ear, pushing him back onto his bed. Naruto just stared into her pale lavender eyes, shocked at her newfound confidence.

"Hinata…" he began, only to be silenced when she pressed her lips to his. Naruto, taken completely by surprise, backed away from her, pressing his back against the wall.

"Naruto? Na-ru-to…" she said, beginning to blur.

Gasping, Naruto bolted upright, taking in his surroundings. He was still in his hospital bed, but Hinata was gone. Standing by his bed, Sakura looked at him, puzzled at the expression on his face.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" she asked, concerned at his sleep mutterings.

"Wha-" Naruto said, his mind still racing from his dream. "It was a dream? Now I'm dreaming about her?"

"Dreaming about who?" Sakura asked, a sly smile slowly appearing on her face.

"Err, uh, no one." Naruto said, staring at his sheets with a bright crimson blush on his face.

"Hee-hee, okay Naruto." Sakura giggled, knowing exactly what he was dreaming about. "Anyway, I came to check up on you. Are you okay? Any pain or dizziness?" She inquired, slipping into her professional mask.

"No, I'm fine Sakura," he said, waving her concerns away. "Can I go now? I kinda had something important to do this afternoon."

"No Naruto, you can't. You have to stay here overnight so we can watch you. Just because you're healed on the outside doesn't mean you're okay on the inside." She said sternly. "And no sneaking out for ramen. Otherwise, I'll make sure you have to stay another night." Sakura cracked her knuckles to get her point across.

"Yeah, sure Sakura, whatever you say!" Naruto stammered, recalling the vicious beating she had given him earlier.

"Good. Now I'm going to check on Kiba. Just stay in bed, and I'll bring your food by later." She said as she walked out of the room.

With a sigh, Naruto flopped back onto his bed and put his arms behind his head. Thinking about Hinata, he tried to get the dream out of his head, but it was impossible. "I guess this what I get for having Kakashi-sensei and Pervy Sage teach me." He thought resignedly. "Still, I never had these types of dreams about anyone else before, so why Hinata?" Naruto had never had these types of dreams before, not even about Sakura, so why now? "Maybe I do really like her…"

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, and a delicious smell wafting through the air. Drooling, he shouted "Come in!"

"H-Hello N-Naruto," Hinata stuttered as she entered. In her hands she had a wrapped box, which was the source of the smell. "A-Are you f-feeling b-better?" she asked.

"Yeah, I feel great Hinata!" he said, smiling at the Hyuga. "But how did you know I was here? At the hospital I mean."

"Well, I-I w-was still in my own room when I s-saw you and Kiba. I had to leave the hospital, but I came back to see how you were doing." Hinata explained, mentally patting herself on the back for not stuttering through most of the explanation.

"Thanks Hinata!" Naruto said, his grin returning. However, his face dropped a little as he remembered their prior engagement. "Oh crap! Hinata, I'm sorry I wasn't there to walk with you. I was, well, ya know…"

"It's okay Naruto, I understand." Hinata smiled. "I know that Sakura has a really bad temper."

Naruto was relieved by her acceptance of his apology. Sniffing, he drooled at the smell of the box she was carrying. "Hinata, did you bring me ramen?"

She giggled at the expression on his face. "Yes, I got some from Mr. Teuchi for you. He said for you to get better soon."

Hinata had stopped by the old man's temporary ramen stand on her way to the hospital. Upon hearing it was for the Hero of the Leaf (and his best customer), he had given it to her for free. Hinata had protested and tried to pay for it, but he had been adamant.

Naruto cheered at the announcement. "Hinata you're the best!" She blushed at his words, and quickly handed him the box. Before she could step away, Naruto grabbed her hand. "C'mon Hinata, sit down and let's talk! We didn't get to walk together, so now's a good time."

Blushing even deeper, Hinata nodded her head vigorously, not trusting herself to speak. She let out a small squeak, however, when Naruto pulled her onto his bed. Hinata turned even redder as she sat on the bed, and struggled not to faint at the mere thought of being in the same bed as him. Naruto, unaware of her internal struggle, scarfed down the ramen in thirty seconds flat. He wiped his mouth and grinned at Hinata, placing the bowl on the bedside table.

Naruto, still somewhat oblivious to Hinata's furious blush, sat next to the shy Hyuga on the edge of his bed. "Hey Hinata, do you mind if I go take a shower real quick? I still kinda stink from all the work earlier, and I know you don't want to smell that." He said, self-conscious of his smell.

At the mere thought of Naruto taking a shower, with only a single door separating them, all the blood in Hinata's body went straight to her head, and she fainted.

"HINATA! WAIT, DON'T FAINT! DAMN IT, WHAT DID I SAY?" Naruto shouted, concerned by her sudden collapse. Holding her head in his lap, he gently shook her, then smiled with relief as she woke up. "Hey. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned something like a shower around you, huh?"

Despite the close proximity, Hinata didn't blush. She smiled softly at him, and unconsciously snuggled closer to him. Pale lavender eyes met bright blue, and they merely stared at each other as Naruto ran his fingers through her midnight blue hair.

"Wow, she really is cute…" Naruto looked deep into her eyes, seeing every part of her for the first time, her entire life reflected in the gaze she was giving him. Neither one had felt this kind of connection before, and while Hinata felt her love for Naruto grow even more, he was unable to comprehend his feelings for the girl in his lap.

Gently removing her head from his lap, Naruto distanced himself from her, trying to get used to the new feelings he had. Hinata, initially hurt by his actions, was immediately worried at the blank expression on his face.

"Naruto?" she asked hesitantly.

"…Hmmm? Wha- oh crap! Sorry Hinata, I didn't, ummm, mean to, uh…" Naruto trailed off, gathering his thoughts. "Listen, I'm just a little confused that's all. I know that you love me, but I just don't really know how I feel about you yet."

"You like Sakura, right Naruto?" she said. She knew about the blonde boy's feelings for his teammate, and while it hurt, she just wanted to see him be happy.

"No! Well… I thought I did." Naruto said slowly. "When I came back from my training with Pervy Sage, I thought I would be really happy to see her again. But I guess it had just been a little kid crush. I love Sakura, but more like a sister now."

Despite Naruto's obvious discomfort, Hinata couldn't help but cheer at his words. With his feelings for Sakura clear, she hoped that he would return her feelings for him.

Naruto, for his part, was still extremely uncomfortable. Despite the fact that what he said was true, it still hurt him. He had only had feelings for one other person in his life, and it had been Sakura. It had hurt him every time she had ignored him and turned to Sasuke, even though he acted like it hadn't, and finally coming to the realization that he no longer had feelings for her made his heart wrench. This pain was dispelled when he looked over at the girl sitting beside him, and he smiled at how easily she made him feel better.

Hinata and Naruto continued to talk and laugh late into the night until Sakura came in and, mindful of the fact that she was interrupting, told them that visiting hours were over. She left the room quickly, allowing Hinata and Naruto some privacy to say goodbye.

"So, do you want to go do something tomorrow Hinata?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Seeing the hopeful look in his bright blue eyes, and happy that he still wanted to spend time with her, Hinata smiled at him. "Of course Naruto."

Grinning at her, he said his goodbye, promising to meet her near her tent after he got out of the hospital. Hinata walked out of the hospital with the biggest smile she had ever had, her happiness stemming from a certain orange-loving shinobi.

Said shinobi looked out the window of his hospital room and the departing girl, and he felt the same strange feeling in his stomach. Frowning at the unfamiliar sensation, he quickly shook it off and, walking over to his bathroom, took a long shower. Later, he fell asleep quickly, dreaming about a certain blue-haired Hyuga heiress.

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A/N: Well, how was that? Let me know what you guys think. Did I do better? Worse? Also, sorry for the length, I tried to make it longer, but I feel like the next section of the plot just wouldn't sit well with the tone of this chapter. There is going to be a time-skip (I know, I'm coppin out, but really, you wanna here about every single conversation?).