Naruto scratched his cheek. He was only a knock away from seeing the girl who he had hurt so badly over than a year ago.

Here goes nothin.'

Knocking three times, he quickly retreated from the door as if it was plastered with paper bombs. The sounds of the multiple locks being released made him cringe a bit as the door slowly opened.

"Shino?"

"Can I help you, Naruto?" he asked with his trademark blank stare.

"...Doesn't Hinata live here?"

"Yes, she does. She stepped out for a moment and asked me to watch over her house."

An awkward pause followed.

"Can I come in?"

"No."

"C'mon! Why not? I'm one of your closest friends!" He waved his hands emphatically.

"Hmph." Shino grudgingly acknowledged and slowly began to close the door. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel right letting you in after…" He took one last look at Naruto and slammed the door.

"It's fine, Shino! I'll just wait right here, outside!" he yelled bitterly from the sidewalk.

Hinata had just finished shopping and rounding the corner, she was stunned to see him, of all people, yelling and making a fuss outside her home. Slowly walking up behind him and contemplating her next move, she dropped her keys, alerting him to her presence. Twisting around to face her, he saw a red tinting her cheeks as she tried to smile up at him while up her keys.

"H-Hi." She ignored the trembling in her legs. "You're lucky I c-came so soon. You probably didn't want to wait outside all th-this time."

"I was all set to camp out, actually," he joked. "I was about to head back home and bring a cooler."

She laughed awkwardly.

What do I do about him?

"Can I help you with those?" he asked, noticing the two bags she carried.

Before she could muster a response, the man who had made her feel all types of ways swooped in and took the weight off her shoulders.

"Thank you." She bowed faintly and walked up to her door; opening it and walking inside, she felt an absence behind her. "You're not going to come in?"

"Not without your permission. Plus, Shino is there, and he pretty much told me to get lost," he grumbled, still displeased at the quiet shinobi.

"Don't mind him; he just looks o-out for me. You can enter if you want and help me put away the groceries."

Naruto entered the home of the Hyuuga and was promptly directed by Hinata to the kitchen. He'd always known the Hyuuga clan was well-off, but there was a definite difference between hearing rumors of lavishness and witnessing it firsthand. His eyes were soon captured by a gargantuan dirt pile in the courtyard of her home. "What's with the dirt?"

"Oh." She blushed, embarassed. Hinata never liked going into details about her clan's wealth and their plans. "We're building a-a small pool."

"SMALL?! Are you kidding me? I thought you guys had amazing eyes! Look at mountain of dirt," he grinned, pressing his face to a window that opened onto the courtyard. "It has to be at least ten feet high! You should really have a barbeque when it all gets finished. And everyone will come in their bathing suits."

"B-bathing suits?" She felts her cheeks get hot once again, wondering if her appearance would please him.

"Yeah, and everyone will bring food and booze, lots of booze. Actually, scratch that. I was so wasted the night of your homecoming; it's still a blur in my mind." He rubbed his head shyly.

"You weren't that wasted, you walked me home safely that night."

"Did I, now?" His eyes shot up as he began to place the groceries in her pantry, hiding his face from hers.

"Yeah, don't worry, you were a perfect gentleman." Her back was also turned to him as she washed her hands to drown out her thoughts.

A deafening pause lingered in the air. "I didn't say anything dumb that night?"

Turning off the faucet, she hesitated. "No...you didn't, you just complained about Sauske."

"Ah, now that sounds like me." He grinned at her as he put the last of the groceries away. "That's the last of it. I should get going, unless you want to do something...?" The Jinchuuriki's voice trailed off questioningly.

"Don't go. You're m-more than welcome to stay. Kiba is coming over in a couple of hours for our weekly date night."

"So you guys are a thing?" he asked, desperately trying to bury any anger or malice towards the dog-boy.

"No. He's just a friend, that's all. Like Shino."

Upon hearing his name, Shino poked his head out and glared fiercely at Naruto, who returned the favor wholeheartedly.

Clearing his throat he walked into the room and made his presence known. "I apologize, Hinata. I wasn't aware you wanted company in your home."

"It's alright. Will you be staying with us tonight?" She peered shyly up at him.

"Actually, no. I have other plans."

"Really? What do you have planned out? Are you meeting someone?"

"No, just other plans." He nodded curtly to both of them and escorted himself out.

"Strange. He always stays for team bonding night..."

"He's a busy man, we all know that."

She couldn't stop herself from laughing breathily. "Does your team still bond together?"

"Funny you should ask that. Bond isn't quite the word to describe it. I'm thinking of another word that starts with the letter 'b.' "

"I'm d-drawing a blank."

"Bone."

"Bone?"

"Yeah! You don't know what bone means?"

"N-no," she said very timidly.

He looked around for props to use as an accurate physical description. Finding a cup and a bottle of sake, he demonstrated for her, slowly inserting the bottle into the cup and removing it. He repeated the demonstration, unsure if she had gotten the message or not.

After the third time Hinata understood the meaning of the exercise and blushed heavily.

"Ahhh, now you've got it!" He laughed at her embarrassment. "C'mon, let's go take a seat."

"Y-yes, I'll take you to the entertainment room."

True to her word, she led him to a stylish room full of shogi tables and cards.

"Why do you have so many decks of cards?" he asked curiously.

"Practice?"

He blinked at her quizzically.

"For my eight trigram justu. Staking cards helps with my coordination and speed. D-do you...want to see?"

"Sure!"

In the blink of an eye, Hinata had activated her Byakugan and fabricated a four-story house of cards.

"Whoa."

"It's not that impressive. Neji made them bigger."

As quickly as it had been built, a sudden burst of wind from the open window blew the house into shambles.

Hinata sighed and muttered, "I'll never be good as him."

Naruto heard her self-defeating thoughts and grabbed her hands, gazing earnestly into her eyes.

"Sometimes all people need is a little help," he said, activating his sage mode as he began to help her construct another house of cards.

Although he didn't see it, a slight grin tugged at her lips as she focused her attention on her companion's backside.

/

"Any reason we aren't traveling like real shinobi?"

"We're more visible this way. We don't want them to think this is some sort of ambush or something. Focus on the task at hand, will you?" grumbled Shikamaru.

The squadron was perched on a grassy hill just out of the village; they traveled forward with little organization as each soldier strolled lazily next to the other. It was still quite early in the morning. Even though a mountain range was directly behind them, its cooling effects certainly weren't felt. It was muggy and sweltering. Their socks had been heavily embroidered with seeds from dollar weeds and stained with the morning dew.

"There's the gates!"cheered an enthusiastic Hakomo.

"Alright. Remember, we are here to on a diplomatic mission, and we shall conduct it in good faith. Be courteous," the Nara warned the squadron.

Step by step, they trudged until the gate was right before them. Slowly raising their hands in the air to indicate peacable intentions, a thunderous clank was heard, followed by the sound of a suspicious voice and dark eyes peeking from a slit.

"Who goes there?"

"Do not be alarmed. We are the United Shinobi alliance. We wish to enter your village and give supplies to those who may need it."

"We don't want your supplies. Our people are strong and well fed."

"While that may be the case, the cold winds from the mountain will be making their way down here in a few months. Our food won't perish."

"No, thank you. We don't take food from anyone loyal to aggressors," the man said, closing the slit.

Hakomo signaled to his men not to move away. Another, muffled voice could be heard through the slit; it sounded like a discussion was taking place. Moments later, the slit reopened. "You may proceed." Immediately after, the gates rose reluctantly, and everyone was awestruck by the natural beauty of the village. Rows of flowers hugged and danced around every corner. Trees towered, shading much of the village. A collective wow emerged from their throats.

All eyes were glued to the decorated officers and the men who followed in their wake. Even as isolated as the village appeared to be, the citizens knew who they were and what they represented.

"We bring them free food and supplies, and they can't even smile?" Hakomo whispered to Shikamaru.

The lazy Nara just shrugged, expressing his indifference.

They continued to march onwards towards the local gubernatorial hall, hoping to find someone they could shake hands with, hopefully with photographers on hand to snap pictures of their friendly gesture.

After a few minutes of surveying the village, they discovered that the local building of government was only a few blocks away. Storming the building, they asked who was in charge and what branch it represented.

"We come with supplies, good intentions, and all that," one of the soldiers said despondently.

Wary glances shot between the secretaries and other government workers, confused by this group of strange men. After a few more moments of awkward silence, one of them phoned the mayor of the village with a plea to help deal with the outsiders.

A gush of warm air entered the room after some time as the mayor swept in.

"Hello. I am Colonel Hakomo. We represent the United Shinobi Alliance, and we come with gifts and supplies for you and your village." He stuck out his hand; the gesture wasn't returned. "This is my lieutenant, Lieutenant Nara. He's one of the brightest shinobi in the land."

The mayor took a look at him and a slim smile bloomed on his face. "We'll discuss the gifts later. I invite your men to rest at my compound, and for you two to join me in a tour of the town."

Shikamaru looked askance at his superior, who accepted the offer. Gazing at the mayor, he mentally took inventory of all his features. He appeared to be somewhere in his fifties, sporting a thick black beard. His forehead was marked by wrinkles, his lips were traced by lines, and he smelled of thick soap and cotton. Shikamaru didn't realize that he had placed his hands on them until he patted him on the back. "Shall we?"

They followed him, side by side, and gazed at the vines that roofed over many of the villages. "Does your village have a bird problem?"

"Funny that you ask. I wouldn't say it's a problem." The mayor glanced over at the litany of stalls serving fried crow. "It tastes a lot better than it looks."

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "I heard from my superior that the village has a sizable tree, and that a special type of flower blooms from it. Do you mind showing us where it is?"

"It's special? You mean the dragonfruit?"

"I suppose so."

"I'll lead the way."

Between reassuring smiles and glances with the townsfolk, he asked the officers, "What is the real purpose of this visit?"

Hakomo stuttered a bit as he tried to gather an intelligent answer, but Shikamaru filled in for him.

"Do you want the real answer?"

He stopped walking and turned around and gazed at the Nara. "You say very little, but you command attention when you speak. We are a proud, friendly people, not dumb. We know the purpose of this little stunt. But do not worry." He raised his hands. "We aren't savages or murderers like the government makes us out to be. I understand that you wish to speak directly to the leaders of the rebellion, but why should I be the bridge between you? I believe our interests are in opposition ."

"We are the United Shinobi-" Shikamaru quickly pulled Hakomo to the side, cutting him short.

"We don't play around or speak for any single government, we speak for all. Legitimate or not." He gave the mayor a stern look, hoping the older man could understand.

"Well, what would you do? How would you stop an obtrusive government that violates your citizens' rights and persecutes them unjustly?"

"Are you talking about fighting tactics or in terms of being recognized?"

Hakomo sputtered at that and immediately reentered the conversation. "I apologize profusely; my lieutenant has been feeling under the weather this week." Quickly pulling Shikamaru to the side, he whispered, "What do you think you're doing? As your superior, I'm giving you direct orders to stop this at once! We aren't trying to escalate this situation any further. Shut up! Shut up!"

"This man isn't dumb! He knows-"

"I said shut up!" The whisper was a little too loud; the mayor turned his head towards them and smiled.

"It seems as though you two have some matters to sort out. I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day, but I invite you both over to my compound tonight for dinner." He clasped his hands together and reached out to grab a white flower from a tree. Handing it to Shikamaru, he nodded for him to take it. "That is the flower you were talking about. I suggest you hide it, the villagers don't like anybody trimming the vines of the great tree." With that, he studied Shikamaru's worn face and walked away.

A/N: Sorry for the little delay. Hope everything is going well for you guys!