Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or any characters mentioned therein. Writing for fun, and to share the Kishimoto-love.

Special thanks to all… two people who reviewed the last chapter… Hopefully I'll get a better response to this one! (And I apologise for this one seemingly being filler – I'm setting the scene and mood for the next few chapters with this, so it's a necessary filler!)

Also, apologies again for the delay with this chapter. Just about everything that could delay it has done so, and one of my betas are getting snowed under with schoolwork too – and I'd rather she did that before these chapters. Schoolwork and grades affect the rest of her life, after all – this fic is just for fun. If you don't like that… well, what can I say?

"Here we are," Risa stated brightly, stopping outside a room and handing a set of keys to Shikamaru. "You've got rooms next to each other, and the windows face south, so the sunrise won't bother you. If you need a wake-up call, feel free to let me know."

Risa handed the second set of keys to Sakura as Shikamaru unlocked his door, indicating the room they gave access to before bowing to the four ninja and hurrying off downstairs again. Her cheerful manner was quite refreshing for the group after their journey, but they still couldn't help feeling a little tired after what they'd gone through that day.

"Well, I'm calling it a night," Shikamaru stated, stretching one arm in the air as he yawned. "We don't know how busy we might be tomorrow, so we'd be better off getting a good night's rest."

The two girls nodded in agreement to this, Hinata bringing one hand up to cover her mouth politely as she yawned too, and Naruto gave a vague grunt of affirmation. He had been hoping to go and look round the town for a little while, but it wouldn't be as much fun if he went alone.

"Well, goodnight you two," Sakura murmured as she opened the door to her and Hinata's room. "Sleep well."

The two gave her a little wave in reply, and Hinata bowed a little, a blush on her cheeks. "G-goodnight, Naruto-kun," she said softly, her eyes a little hopeful as she glanced up at him.

The boy grinned widely. "Goodnight, Hinata-chan," he bid her, before stepping through into his room. "Oh, and sweet dreams!" he called out the door. "Sakura-chan too!"

Shikamaru could have sworn he saw Hinata go starry-eyed as she drifted into her room, and sighed heavily as he moved to retire to his chambers too. Only Naruto could have such a profound effect as to make the shy Hyuuga girl forget her manners.

"Oh!"

The squeak of dismay that came from the girls' room made Shikamaru pause, and barely a second later Hinata's face appeared from her room. "Gomen! Goodnight, Shikamaru-kun!" the girl blurted out with a deep bow, horrified that she'd overlooked the boy.

The chuunin winced a little, half-expecting Hinata to bang her head against the doorframe, before smiling as she stood without injury. "Yeah… goodnight Hinata," he replied, at least having the courtesy to not sound like answering was troublesome. "Sleep well."

"Wow… these rooms are kinda cool…" Naruto observed as he set his pack down. "They've got all the stuff we need."

"Yeah…" Shikamaru replied somewhat indifferently.

Truth told, Shikamaru wasn't as impressed as Naruto, but when he acknowledged the price they'd paid, he supposed they were more than reasonable. There were two futon in the room, a set of drawers and a cupboard to one side – not that they particularly needed them – and a sink tucked away in one corner. There was also a small, somewhat cramped shower set into the wall, but no toilet in sight. Shikamaru assumed that there'd be a communal bathroom at the end of the hallway.

A low, impressed sound came from Naruto as he drew a set of floor-length curtains back, and even Shikamaru couldn't help a quirked eyebrow. Apparently, they'd been given the two best rooms in the inn – he didn't suppose even for a second that all of the others had a small balcony at the back of the room.

"Suki…" Naruto breathed as he opened the door and set foot outside. The view wasn't the most spectacular – a lot of the surrounding countryside was obscured by the buildings in the 'richer' segment of town – but when he leaned forward over the railings that bordered the balcony to look round the side of the inn, he could see the forest they'd journeyed through to get there, and swore that he could even make out the mountains that he saw every day from Konoha in the distance.

"Ne, Shikamaru!" he called brightly, turning to point them out to the Chuunin. "Look at-"

The boy stopped and frowned as he saw his party's leader had already settled down in his futon, and was apparently asleep. "Bah… lazy…" Naruto grumbled, before returning to the room and closing the door behind him. Might as well sleep, then, if there was no-one for him to sit and talk to.

"Ne, Hinata…"

"Mm? Nani, Sakura-chan?"

The two girls had both showered and changed for bed, and now each was laying in her futon, enjoying the feeling of the soft, fresh sheets and the scent of the detergent Risa had used. Hinata couldn't quite decide if it was vanilla or magnolia, but it was relaxing regardless, and she found few things to feel better than a freshly made bed.

"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but… what do you see in Naruto?"

Hinata looked taken aback at this question, and nervously pressed her fingertips together under her sheets. "W-well…" she began, a timid smile coming to her lips as her cheeks took on a soft tinge. "He's just…"

"Loud?" Sakura supplied helpfully, a playful smile on her face as she propped herself up on one elbow. "They do say opposites attract, you know."

Hinata nodded at this. "That's true…" she murmured, before realising what it sounded like she meant. "Not that he's loud!" she added in a rush. "Well… he is, but…"

Sakura couldn't help her smile widening. Whatever it was, it had Hinata flustered badly.

"Ano… It's… it's just him," Hinata finally decided. "He's had so much pain in his life, but he never wants sympathy. People always look down on him, but he just smiles back. He makes lots of mistakes, but he learns… he's a proud failure, because when he does things wrong, he knows he gave it his best. He's so determined, and brave… but it's never for himself. He always gives his all for someone else, even if it means he's putting his life on the line."

The Hyuuga girl smiled fondly. "He'd give his life for anyone in the village, no matter what they do to him, just because that's who he is. That's the kind of person I want to be… and to be with…" she added with a soft sigh. "His eyes are what attracted me first… They're so beautiful, but with so much pain underneath. I wish…"

The girl swallowed a little. "I wish I could be the one to take that pain away…"

The smile on Sakura's face had dropped by the time Hinata had rolled over to see what the girl thought, replaced by a look of awe. "That's the most I've ever heard you say," Sakura observed quietly. "But everything you said was right…"

The pink-haired kunoichi mulled over this answer for a few seconds, repeating Hinata's words in her mind. Thinking back, she'd experienced it all first hand – Naruto throwing everything he had at Gaara to defeat him; Naruto risking his life to save her when they and Jiraiya went to the sound village; Naruto fighting all but to the death to try to bring Sasuke back…

She'd always complained that he was loud and annoying, and had written him off as a loser back in the academy. There was so much more to him than she'd seen, she realised now – more than anyone else had seen, in fact. Hinata was the only person who had really looked at Naruto for who he truly was. She might have had the Byakugan to aid her in a fight, but…

"No special eyes can help you see something like that…" she murmured softly.

"…nani?"

"Oh, nothing!" Sakura returned cheerfully. "I was just thinking!"

Hinata nodded acknowledgement of this with a small smile, and after faltering for a moment, she forced herself to ask a question that often weighed on her mind. "Sakura-chan…" she murmured softly, sounding a little hesitant. "I… I know that Naruto-kun likes you… are you interested in him too?"

"Hinata," Sakura began with a knowing smile. "Believe me. I've spoken to all the girls in the village about who they like, and I can promise you one thing – Naruto is all yours."

Hinata perked up noticeably at this statement, optimism shining in her eyes again, before she faltered once more. "Ano… d-does he like me, though?" she asked quietly, the question directed as much toward herself as Sakura.

A contemplative silence fell over the two. "I think," Sakura began. "He has a lot of admiration for you, especially after your fight with Neji. He got really worried when he thought you'd disappeared too, so he obviously cares about you in at least some way." The girl's emerald eyes closed in thought as she lay down on her back again, linking her fingers and resting her hands behind her head.

Sakura knew that she was getting caught up in the moment, enjoying her chance to possibly play matchmaker, but in the back of her mind, a voice insisted that she was right – under the weight of good intentions, she was beginning to convince herself even without firm proof. "He's never said anything to me about liking you like that," she admitted with a soft puff. "But then, I don't think he'd realise he did until it was pointed out to him anyway."

"A-ano…"

Hinata fumbled for her words, smiling to herself as she felt her cheeks warm up again. "H-he did say something like that to me, once…" she began. "Well, not that he liked me, but…"

Amid much blushing, stuttering and prodding together of fingers, Hinata relayed to Sakura what had happened on the day of the Chuunin exams, when Naruto had met her at their old training ground. She recalled what she had said, and the look on Naruto's face. She recalled his questions, his doubts, and the way he'd brightened up so much after she'd poured her heart out to him. Most importantly, she recalled what he'd said to her as he left.

"You know something? I like people like you."
Hinata tried to suppress a small, happy squeak as she repeated those words out loud for the first time, but failed miserably. With a little hint of excitement in her voice, though it was carefully balanced with heavy caution too, Hinata propped herself up so she could look at Sakura properly. "What do you think, Sakura-chan?"

After a moment had passed, Sakura felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, though she forcibly kept it at bay in case Hinata noticed. Perhaps there was something she could do to help them out.

"Who knows…?"

"Ohayo, baachan!"

Risa smiled as the enthusiastic blonde youth's singsong voice floated down the hall. She glanced at her watch, surprised to see it was still only nine o' clock in the morning, and chuckled softly. "Polite and early risers," she murmured. "My, their parents have done a good job with them."

Naruto soon skidded into the dining area, trailed by his three teammates, and hopped into a seat at one of the tables. His initial instinct was to call his order out from where he sat, but Sakura swiftly cut him off with a warning glare, which the Genin returned with equal venom.

Shikamaru ambled across to the nearest seat, the one opposite Naruto, and slouched down in it with a soft groan. At least he wouldn't have to put up with his mother nagging him about manners for this meal, he decided with a yawn. She was so troublesome sometimes…

Hinata, meanwhile, eyed the two chairs that remained somewhat nervously, her hands fisting in her jacket pockets. Should she take the one next to Naruto-kun? It would be nice, sitting beside him for breakfast, but…

Swallowing, Hinata began hesitantly toward the seat on the far side of Naruto, before pausing again, contemplating veering toward Shikamaru. 'I can't…' her mind whispered frantically. 'I can't… I'll…'

The girl's dilemma was soon resolved, though, as Sakura brushed past her toward the seat beside their Chuunin leader, giving her a little nudge toward Naruto as she went – not enough to even put Hinata off balance, but just enough to let her know that Sakura insisted she take that seat. Catching her breath in her throat, the Hyuuga girl began moving again, shuffling round Naruto and slipping into her seat with her head bowed, watched curiously by the blonde boy as she hunched her shoulders up a little nervously.

"Ne, Hinata," he called, frowning a little as she gulped and ducked her head lower. He could swear the hair hanging beside her cheeks looked a little… well, like it had a reddish tint. "It's okay, you know," he smiled, patting her lightly on the back. "I don't mind you sitting there."

The girl stiffened a little at his touch, before forcing herself to sit up and relax, turning to face Naruto with what she hoped passed as a relieved smile. "H-hai… Arigatou, Naruto-kun."

A soft chuckle from Risa caught Naruto's attention, and the old lady gave him a sly wink as he turned to look at her. This was met merely with a blank gaze, Naruto not at all sure what she was getting at, and Risa shook her head with a small smile, unable to believe the blonde boy hadn't noticed his companion's reaction to sitting beside him.

"So, what's for breakfast then?" she asked the group brightly, pulling a notepad and a pencil from the apron she wore. "There's no set menu, but we've got all the usual things you'd expect, and a couple more besides."

"Ramen!" Naruto called enthusiastically. "Ramen! With-!"

"Ah, let's see if I can guess…" Risa interrupted, tapping the end of the pencil against her pursed lips thoughtfully. "I think a boy like you would go for… pork and miso?"

The blonde gave Risa a wide grin at this, before laughing a little as he nodded. "Hai! You already know me too well, baachan!"

"Oh, one of my boys used to be just like you," the lady remarked with a smile as she jotted Naruto's order on her pad. "And how about the rest of you?"

Before long, the dining room was filled with the sound of four youths tucking heartily into their meals, the clink of chopsticks and cutlery against plates and bowls interspersed with conversation and the occasional loud slurping of noodles.

"Ne, Sh'kam'ru," Naruto mumbled around his ramen, spotting Sakura's disapproving glare at his bad manners and moving his leg just in time to avoid a sharp kick. "What're we doing after we go to the bar?"

"We need to find out whether or not they recognise Soin," the Chuunin answered. "After that, we'll have to see. If they can tell us anything useful, we might even head out this evening – and no, we're not getting your money back," he added as a look of indignation came across Naruto's face. "You're the one who booked longer than we should need without asking us."

The blonde tried to object to this, but accidentally swallowed his ramen at the same time as he drew his breath to complain, resulting in a harsh choking fit. The boy turned side-on in his chair and began hitting himself on the chest to try to alleviate the problem, leaving Shikamaru to carry on his explanation as a rather panicked Hinata began slapping Naruto on the back with a softly squeaked, "Ah! Naruto-kun!"

"Anyway," the Chuunin sighed. "If they can give us a clue, we'll work from it as best we can. If not, we'll have to go around town and try to find out anything of use at all. I doubt he'd just stop at the bar and move on, so someone somewhere must have some information for us."

Sakura nodded her agreement of this proposal, before sighing as she noticed Naruto still hadn't recovered from his choking. "Oh, for goodness' sake," the girl scolded, before grabbing a glass and pouring Naruto some water from a jug on their table. "Just drink this."

Once the four ninja had eaten, showered and dressed, they left the inn and began on their way back into the town's main square, in the hope of getting to the Okitaki bar early and avoiding a crowd. It appeared, however, that every other person in the town had set out with basically the same idea.

"What the hell?"

The sentiment behind Naruto's exclamation was shared by the three other Konoha ninja as they took in the bustling crowd that already filled the square. Men and women roved back and forth between the masses of stalls, children ran between adults as they played together, sightseers busied themselves with souvenirs and games, and there was even a man leading several horses through the crowd, presumably either selling them or taking them out to the pastures.

"And this is with the tourist season dying out…" Shikamaru muttered dryly. "Geez, this is troublesome…"

With a sigh, the Chuunin began to lead his team through the crowd, trying to dodge through gaps and small clear areas where he could. It was impossible to avoid the throng entirely, though, and the group found themselves getting jostled this way and that frequently. Children, not watching where they were going, often came close to colliding with the group, and the ninja's efforts to avoid them resulted in them getting elbowed awkwardly by other people more than once.

"M-maybe it's market day today," Hinata suggested as she spotted a man wheeling a cart of fruit through the crowd.

"That'd explain a lot," Sakura agreed, hissing under her breath as someone's bag slammed into her shin. "Damn it, there'd better not be much further to go!"

After what felt like an eternity, the group finally emerged on the other side of the piazza, each member nursing a new set of bruises. Giving each other a look that showed their disbelief at the crowd's mentality, they walked a little further along until they came to the Okitaki bar.

Much to the team's relief, when they found their goal there wasn't as great a crowd as there had been in the square, and they were easily able to make their way to the bar and attract one of the staff's attention.

"We don't serve kids," the man warned the group as he approached them, eyeing them all sceptically. "It's the manager's policy to not let anyone under 21 in."

"It's okay, we'll be going soon," Shikamaru assured him, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "We're just looking for someone, and we know he came by here recently. We were wondering if you could help."

"Lots of people have come here recently," the man countered. "I don't make a point of remembering faces, you know. Unless he had any distinct marks, you're out of luck."

The tone of the man's voice indicated he thought the four in front of him were wasting their time, and Shikamaru couldn't help a small tut of annoyance. 'So he's already decided he won't recognise him.'

"Sakura," Shikamaru called, turning to the girl. "You're probably the best at Henge among us. Did you get a good look at him?"

The pink-haired girl paused a moment, frowning in thought, before nodding. "I can remember enough," she confirmed, bringing her hands together to form the necessary seal. "Henge!"

A puff of smoke filled the air, and when it cleared an almost exact replication of Soin stood among the Konoha ninja, an arrogant look on his face as Sakura tried to mimic him as best she remembered. The man at the bar made a noise of approval at Sakura's technique, and his demeanour immediately became a little friendlier toward the group. "To be honest," he admitted, "I've been away for the last week, and only got back last night, so I can't help. She-" He nodded toward his partner for the day, "-may have been on duty when he came here though. One moment, please."

The man waved his companion over, and they began talking in hushed voices, both occasionally glancing toward Sakura and gesticulating. Shikamaru strained to listen, but could only catch a few snatched words that were meaningless on their own.

Eventually, the barman returned to the group, leaning on the counter as he relayed the conversation to them. "He came here last Wednesday, but she only saw him for a couple of moments, between looking after the customers at the tables. The manager, who was covering for me, served him, but he's not around at the moment – something about a business trip," he added, as if this held an iota of importance to the group. "He should be back in two days, but until then we can't offer you any more help."

For the second time, Shikamaru tutted in annoyance, before nodding toward the barkeep as Sakura released her jutsu. "Thank you," he replied. "We'll come back then, and talk to the manager. Please let him know we'll be by."

As the barkeep nodded his agreement, the group turned to leave, Hinata pausing to bow in gratitude to the man who'd helped them. "Arigatou," she uttered softly, almost whispering, before turning to catch up to the others.

"Geez… that's troublesome…" Shikamaru grumbled as they left the building. "I guess that means we've got two days to relax and see if we can find anything else out though," he added. "So we can go enjoy ourselves, I guess."

"Yatta!" Naruto cheered, immediately grabbing Sakura and Hinata by the wrist. "Let's go look around!"

Not waiting for an answer, Naruto dragged them both off into the crowd, Hinata's cheeks flaring brightly even before she was out of Shikamaru's sight. The Chuunin rolled his eyes at Naruto's reaction, before glancing either side of him as he searched for a landmark he might recognise.

He was sure the map he'd studied said something about a Shogi parlour…

Translations:

Futon – Japanese-style bedding
Suki – I like it (literally 'to like')
Ohayo – Good morning
Shogi – Japanese chess

Please review! (And fear not – despite what it may seem, this isn't going to turn into a sudden 'ZOMGZILOVEJ00!111!1!' thing. I'd rather not fall into that cliché!)