As promised: I've re-written. Mostly the old chapter... but some new paragraphs added. I hope it's better now.
At the end of this Chap, as Naruto talks with Sakura, she knew it from Tsunade but hasn't told anyone. I just want to say that from the start, so I don't have to explain anything later. Hope you like it, so enjoy reading and pretty please leave some reviews. AND please tell me if I made some mistakes. :3

"Am I green in my face? Or have I spots or what?" Tenten asked the round as they sat together for tea.
"Naa, not as far as I can see… why?"
"Neji acted strange today in training. Honestly, he didn't even look at me! Lee was grinning the whole time! And as we were finished he sped off like devil himself was hunting him!"
"You have problems too?" Ino said with big eyes. "Shikamaru didn't even show up to training! I mean, Choji and I are already used to that, but we weren't even able to find him!"
"Strange." Sakura mumbled. "Was Choji grinning too?"
"Sort of, if you can tell… he was munching the whole time."
"What if they eavesdropped on us?" Sakura asked.
"Naa…" they looked at each other. "Maybe… OH NO!"
"We're finished." Tenten sighed.
"They're finished." Ino grumbled, cracking with her fingers. "They're sooo finished."
"Hey Ino, keep the ball down." Sakura said. "What if it was kind of an accident? No need for a bloodshed."
"Hmpf. Maybe. But how will you find out?"
"Naruto." Sakura grinned evilly. "I have my methods…"
"Speaking of him, has anyone of you seen Hinata?" Tenten asked.
"Nope. Now that you mention it I'm missing her too." Ino mumbled.
"Man, and we call us friends." Sakura sighed.
"Wait, I think she mentioned something about not leaving the house… something about Naruto…"
"Oy! I'm really stupid!" Sakura laughed.
"Nice you believe it yourself." Ino chuckled and got punched for it.
"You'll get that back, Blondie." Sakura glared at her. "But that's not what I planned to say. He's sort of pissed because she always faints when he's around. He mentioned something about changing that…"
"Yeah, like he can do that." Tenten grinned.
"But she has to change that, she'll never be able to go on a date without fainting."
"Getting weak knees while kissing is ok, but if you only have to talk…" Ino sighed.
"Well, if you have something to talk about…" Tenten sighed too.
"There's always something to talk about, either training, or missions or stuff like that. You don't have to talk about feelings for the start." Sakura stated.
"Yeah, sure. But you need someone to talk to, and that's the BIG problem." Tenten pointed out and Ino nodded.
"Well, get your ass moving and look for them. It can't be that hard to find a lazy-butt like Shikamaru. And we all know pretty well where to find Neji."
"Finding him is no problem." Tenten grumbled. "But getting him out there is one."
"Now that's really a problem." Sakura sighed.
"But you could ask Hinata…" Ino mumbled.
"Or Lee." Sakura suggested.
"Yeah." Her expression lighted up. "Yeah! Hell, that's a good idea! I can plot something with him."
"And he'll be on it?" Ino asked curious.
"Yeah, he will. Definitely."
"Well, then we only have to find the place where that dreamer's hiding." Sakura grinned.
"And that can be difficult. He knows every loophole in the village."
"Than we have to find them too. That's all."


"Now it sounds really easy." Ino stated sarcastically.
"Better get your butts moving. Or we won't find him."
"Tenten, that's a word." Sakura laughed, and a short while later they had paid and left.

As they were walking down the streets Tenten asked Ino:
"Ino… just a question… if that lazy-guy normally is sooo unimportant for you, why does it bother you that he didn't show up? I mean, Asuma-sensei can't be the only reason…" she looked at her sheepishly and Sakura inwardly was laughing her ass off.
Ino pouted and remained silent.
"Ha! Gottcha!" Tenten laughed. "Just admit it, it's no problem for you if he ignores you, but you have to have him around."
"Let's say that I'm a little used to him." She said, slightly blushing.
"OY! Ino! You should wear red more often, it really fits with your blonde hair." Sakura now laughed loudly.
"Give it a rest! You stupid cow!" she burst out, only causing both to roar with laughter.
"You act like it's a crime! He's a nice guy, he's true blue, reliable, he's good locking… sure, he's sort of lazy, but he doesn't jump after each skirt." Tenten said between giggles.
"And he looks so in peace with himself and the world when he watches the clouds…" Ino mumbled, slightly smiling.
"Finally it reached your brain!" Sakura laughed.
"Just shut up and help looking for him." The blonde grinned.

After two hours of searching they saw Lee walking towards them. Tenten started to say something, but he was faster:
"Hi Tenten-san! Nice day today! Wonderful weather! And those clouds… Ah! It's good that I meet you. I'm off for a mission for the next three weeks. Tsunade-sama just put me on it, sorry. So you and Neji-san have to train without me."
Now Tenten looked sad.
"Oh, don't look that sad, Tenten-san. It's just for three weeks! I never thought you will miss me that much."
"Have a nice mission then, Lee." She just stated, disappointed that he couldn't help her right now.
"Thanks. Have a nice time too. Bye Sakura-san, Ino-san, Tenten-san…" and he sped off.
"Sometimes it's such a pain in the ass…"
"What?"
"Fate…" she mumbled.
"You sound like Neji… I think he's rubbing off on you." Ino grinned.

It took them three more days until they found the lazy Naara and three more days to make sure that he's there every day.
The next day as Sakura walked up to the hospital she saw Tenten with a big grin on her face.
"What's up? You're grinning like a Cheshire cat."
"Have you seen Ino already?"
"Nope. You?"
"Yeah, she walked past me with a real determined look on her face."
"Oh no!" Sakura called. "Either we need a big pot of ice-cream later or I have to fix a beaten up Shikamaru."
"Maybe nothing of this will be necessary."


"Then let's hope the best." Sakura laughed. "Give me news, if you find out."
"Sure!" she laughed. "Now get moving. Not that Tsunade-sama gets angry."
"Yeah. Tenten…?"
"Nani?"
"Sushi this eve?"
"Sounds great! When?"
"Seven?"
"I'll fetch you. See ya later!" she waved and went down to the training grounds, while Sakura continued her way to the hospital.

"You know what?" Tenten said between two bits.
"What?"
"Neji told me during training… Naruto met Hinata every day."
"What?!"
"Yeah! Only 'accidentally', just in case you're going to ask. AND, come on, give me some drum rolls… she only fainted three times!"
"Wow! Now that's news!"
"Yeah. They managed to have a quite normal training session this day, after us. I stayed and watched. Slowly she's coming over her shyness."
"That sounds really good. What about Ino? I think I don't have to ask about Neji…."
"No, there's no need to ask. Nothing changed. He disappeared faster than an eye-blink. Well, Ino stayed the whole afternoon with Shikamaru. I don't know what exactly she did, if she had knocked him out, caught him with her shin-ten-shin or else…"
"Fine! No ice-cream and no fixing-up! Now that's fine! Wonderful! Now we only have to fix the problem with you…"
"Naw, no need to. I'll fix it with Lee. I just have to wait for two more weeks."

One and a half weeks later Hinata was sitting in a clearing, watching the birds in the trees.
"Yo, Hinata!" Kiba grinned.
"Oh, Kiba… hi." She said smiling. "Going for a walk?"
"Sort of." He answered.
"Where's Shino?"
"Coming soon. We have a mission…"
"Where?"
"Kusagakure. Trouble at the border."
"It's been a longer time now since we have been on mission…"
"E, so desu…" he answered. "Demo, as far as I know we're not going alone."
"Who will join us?"
"Ahh, I don't know." He grinned. "Shino is the one with the information."

"Sorry I kept you waiting." Shino said, as he stepped on the clearing.
"Shino!" Hinata smiled. "Kiba said we're going on mission?"
"Hai." He answered. "A bunch of Shinobi and normal thieves are making trouble at the border from Kusagakure."


"I see…" she stated.
"And we're not going alone. Sakura and Naruto will join as well. First because of her medic-nin-abilities, and second because he bugged Tsunade until she gave in."
"Ha, I think his 'I want a real mission…'-stuff, right?" Kiba grinned. "That's so Naruto!"
Hinata blushed slightly and nodded.
"Yes, that's Naruto-kun…"
"We shouldn't waste too much time." Shino said, catching their attention again. "Your introduction as Clan-leader will take place in three months."
"Hai…" she nodded sadly. How could she forget about that? In two months was her 20th birthday…
"Well done Shino." Kiba hissed. "Now she has that mood again…" but Shino didn't answer.
"Does father know already?" she asked Shino.
"Tsunade said she had already informed him. He wasn't very pleased, but since you're shinobi and she's the Hokage…"
"Fine." She said, sadly smiling. "I think this'll be my last mission for quite a while, huh?"
"You shouldn't say that!" Kiba burst out. "That won't end anything!"
"Not end but change."
"Oy Shino! Would you please stop making everyone mad?" Kiba rolled his eyes.

As they left Hinata's mood wasn't her bright normal one, she was caught in thoughts.
"What's up with her?" Sakura asked Kiba silently.
"She thinks it's her last mission… you know, because of the clan-thing."
"Oh… right. I nearly forgot about that."
"Nee, Hinata-chan…" Naruto said to her.
"Hmm?" she made.
"You're looking so sad…" he stated, not knowing what else he should say.
"If you think that's sad… you should've seen Neji-nii-san." She replied.
"Yo, Hinata!" Kiba tried to cheer her up a little. "That's not that bad! Your family is highly respected!"
"I know, Kiba." She answered, trying to smile.
"Actually you shouldn't worry about that too much." Shino stated, as she caught up to him. "The most important thing now is the mission, we can think about the rest later."
"Hai." She mumbled.
"We won't let you down, we are more than just a team, and we are friends." He said.
"I know." She answered, but now her smile was an honest one.

As they rested for the night Sakura sat down next to Hinata. The whole day there was a sad spirit around them all.
"Hinata…" she started quietly. "Don't let that get you down."
"You say that so easily, Sakura." She replied silently. "That's a huge burden, and the knowledge that not even my own father is confident of me doesn't make the whole thing easier."
"But you'll be the head of your clan, doesn't that mean that you can change some things?"
"The traditions are hard, I don't think that I'm strong enough to break with them."
"But if not you, who should it do then?"
"Sakura has a point." Shino stated who was sitting near them. "You can do it, if you really want."
"It's good to know that at least you trust me." She said smiling.
"But first thing to do is our mission, right? The rest can wait until we're back."
"Right." Sakura smiled. "Slowly you get the right attitude." And grinned widely at her friend.



Naruto felt sick. He lay in his sleeping bag, arms crossed behind his head and looked up to the stars. He had promised Neji that he would change the Hyuga-clan when he became Hokage, now Tsunade was already showing him how to do the things right, but he still had no clue how he should keep his promise. And then he just learned about Hinata's love for him, and he felt like the biggest idiot.
'Man, seems that Sasuke-bastard was right with the 'dobe'-part…' he thought. 'I already should've recognised it at the Chunin-exams, man, she was cheering me up before the battle.'
"Naruto?" Sakura asked him, after she had seen the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Hn? What? Oh, nothing." He said.
"Sure." She stated sarcastically. "Once in a blue moon you look that lost in your thoughts."
"I was just thinking about how stupid I'm used to be…"
"Was." She interrupted. "Was, Naruto. The last two years you really improved."
"Thanks." He grinned at her. "That's what I owe my parents… I can't become Hokage and act even more stupid than a little kid. What would they say?"
"So you finally found out, huh?"
"Not that straight, Tsunade told me."
"And?"
"What? There's nothing to add, everything they had done has had a purpose. I haven't figured out all the reasons, but slowly get to them. Plus, it feels really good to know who they were." He grinned.
"If you really know where you belong to."
"Right." She smiled, and snuggled up in her sleeping-bag. "Good night Naruto." She yawned.
"Good night, Sakura-chan." He mumbled back, still looking at the stars.