Sakura's mask was a plain stile white mask with four pink (they match her hair) cherry petals in a clover formation between it's eyes.
Ino answered the door and went wide eyed at the dress Sakura was wareing.
"Well you like it Flowers?" Sakura asked as she spun on the spot for Ino and use Ino's nick/work name. Ino's mask was like Sakura's excepted it had four flower buds and all the stems were interwoven.
"You look just wonderful Cherry" Ino's father Inoichi said as he stepped out behind Ino and started down the steps.
Ino finally unstuck her throat about half way to the ninja h.q.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going shopping Forehead girl!" Ino pracitcally shouted at Sakura.
"Well you see Flowers I did it on a bit of a spur of the moment thing, you know, you see something and you just have to have it, and well....." Sakura lost the will to talk for several moments as she cometemplted what she'd done.
Ino just looked at Sakura with a scense of pity, she had thoughs thought several times a week and was slightly immune to them (very slightly), Sakura had them only once in a while and then it hit her like a wrecking ball, plus she had a very limited income and any expenditure had to have a resonse or some kind of pay back or she just couldn't afford it.
At the next intersection their group met two others, one contained Lord Hyuuga and two younger indaviduals, one was odivously Hinata and the other they didn't know but it was a boy and probibily an older one two.
The other group was made up of Nara Shikaku and his son Shikamaru.
Everyone greeted each other by their work names and walk the rest of the way in an agreeable silence.
When they came to the Hokage's mansion they were greeted by the Hokage himself.
"Well a good evening to you all, few you will wait one moment for the final member of the group and the..." Fox dropped out of nowhere to stand next to the Hokage "oh well shell we get started then?" he turned and held the door open for everyone but Fox quickly tookover that duty.
"Well I feel that sences we all know each other then we can dispense with the masks and get to the bisness of eat." the Hokage was the first to remove his mask and toss it in a corner as he sat down. Everyone else followed suit and soon only Fox had his still on.
Everyone was eyed the Fox nervesly as he started to reach for his mask but stopped short and looked towards the Hokage as if begging for something.
"What on your mind Fox?" the Hokage asked as he filled a bowl of soup.
"Well sir, its just that I still haven't been told why I'm here, sir" he said nervesly as he sat down.
"what are you complaining about Fox? sit down, shut up and enjoy the meal that the Hokage as set for us" Hinata snapped as she filled a bowl with beef stew.
"I know Hinata" Fox still had his eyes locked on the Hokage "its just that when Lord Hokage wonts me to do something I might rebel at he always bribes me with food"
Everyone head shot up when the Hokage burst into laughter.
"Guilty as changed" the old man said in between boughts of rib cracking laughter "and I don't just any food ether" he started to reach for a covered pot torwards Fox's end of the table.
"Please wait sir" Fox said as he raised his arms in a cross block "please just tell me what you wont before you unleash the ramen on this poor soul"
Sakura was in shock as she watched this happen, Fox, the strongest of their year was being betten by the old man with A POT OF RAMEN, oh please only Naruto reached like this and he wasn't the type to be invited to the Hokage's residents for dinner.
The Hokage smiled evily as he lad a hand on the pot lid and looked at Fox.
"Well Fox what I wont is for you to keep an eye on this lot for a while, you know kept'em out of major trouble until some of the senior ninja can be spaired to train'em properly."
"You mean you wont me to babysitt'em?" Fox asked. Five heads shot up from their food to growl at Fox and Hinata when so far as to swat him over the head.
"Ya that 'bout somes it up" the Hokage said sarcastically. Five angry heads changed targets then remembered that they couldn't do anything to the Hokage and when back to Fox (oh and Hinata swatted him aguin).
"I guest I'll do it" Fox lowered his head in defeat. Hinata didn't know what she hated more, being treated like she was helpless, or seeing Fox look so defeated.
"Great!" the Hokage pull a clipboard form under the table and started signning a dazsan differant forms, "Ha Fox you going to let that ramen get cold" he looked up to see Fox digging into the pot to strain out a large bowl of meso beef ramen.
Fox broke his chopsticks, cryed "bottoms up!" , and started to lifted a bite to his mouth when he remembered that he still had his mask on.
"Opps all most forgot" He said and sat his mask on the floor between him and Hinata. "Now were was I" said a voice that was annoying to all but one and then it was sweet music.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hinata was in shock at the sound of Naruto's voice in the room and for a moment she was sure sameone was playing a cruel joke on her and had taped Naruto's voice and was now playing it to torture her.
Just as she was about to pass it of as a practical joke when it came aguin.
"old man you sure know your bribery don't cha" said the magic voice.
"Yes I do, It's kind of comes with the job..."
Hinata held her breath as she wait the spit second for the sentance to continue.
"...Naruto... honestly if you wont the job learn the tricks that go with it." the Hokage said.
Hinata sat for a moment unable to move, to even diside if she should kiss, hug, or pound the ramen loving foul next to her that was her whole world. she work up just anaph caruge to turn her head and confirm the voice.
Slowly Hinata twisted her head to look to her right and there sat the person skurffing down ramen. Hinata activated her Naruto Identification System, blond spiky hair...check, three whisker-like marks on each cheeks...check, true blue eyes...check, Mouth stuffed with some form of ramen...check, check, check!
Hinata felt like a cable in her mind had started to unravel, slowly but surely. she felt her eye tighten as she glared at Naruto's ramen stuffed face, her checks started to puffout as her temper built.
Naruto seemed to notice something and turned to look at her. his eyes instantly pick up on the problem and he quickly downed his last mouthful before he turned to Hinata and took a look at her expression.
"Something on your mind oh puffy cheeked one?" he asked.
Hinata felt her eyes narrow even more as she tried to diside what to do, under normal surcomstances Hinata would just spit it out and be done with it but she didn't know what she was trying to spit out.
Naruto seemed to get what was happenning in her head and quietly waited for it to come out. Hinata fought for a long time with where she was going to start what was going to be a painful discussion.
"Why?" was all she finally managed to whisper. Naruto thought for a moment then turned and bowed to the Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, if we may be excussed?" he asked.
"Go" was all the old man said and Naruto wasted no time turning to leave, Hinata was just as quick and soon they were in a small garden out back.
As soon as Hinata was in the garden Naruto turned on her.
"Alright Hinata out with it" Naruto leaned aguinst the wall of the garden and stared at Hinata, waiting for her to start talking. Hinata figitted for a few seconds before she found her voice.
"Why?" Naruto raised an eyebrow like he didn't understand, Hinata felt some of her anger coming back and it started coloring her voice "Why didn't you tell me...a...y....ANYTHING!"
"But I did tell you Hinata, I told you more then I told anyone but the Hokage and I expected you to figure me out a long time ago." Naruto looked honestly surpised that she hadn't found out his identity a long time ago.
Hinata was momentarily dumbstruck, he had told her alot and she hadn't noticed a single thing, she hadn't noticed when he'd been absent, or injuried, or late or when he'd chatted with the teachers like he'd been their too and not just been begging for a good story. Boy she'd been blind.
Naruto was smiling like he know what she was thinking and that just helped to life her spirits.
"So no more secrets?" Hinata asked, she was hopeing that he'd be completely honest with her from now on.
The smile desappeared from Naruto's face as he seamed to conscider something.
"No, there are still some things that I'd rather keep from you and most everyone else." he said. Hinata felt all the anger returning.
"Why?" she asked, her cheeks pushed out to maximum.
"Its just better if you don't know right now." Naruto said as he walked towards her and pinched her cheeks. Hinata felt the blush forming on her cheeks and reacted.
Her left hand swep Naruto's hands way opening up the range and allowed her to drop a stinging right-handed slap to Naruto's left cheek. As Naruto's head recloiled from the slap Hinata grab him and pull him towards her.
"Jerk!" Hinata quietly growled just afew inches from Naruto's face. Naruto just grined and rubbed his stinging cheek.
"Back to normal then?" he asked. Hinata just couldn't resist a small smile.
"Almost" she said and followed him back to dinner to listen to everyone else complain with a smile on her face.