Why do I have to hide?

Chapter 9

Brought to you by: Anonymous Joe

Edited by: Anonymous Joe

Disclaimer: I do NOT…I repeat I do NOT own anything related to Naruto….this honor belongs to those who own its copyright…which sadly is not me.

"speech"

'thought'

"Kyuubi speech"

'Kyuubi thought'

"Writing on scroll"

(I don't know Japanese so…techniques are in English and I use honorifics whenever I feel like it…so don't ask me why, I put them in when they feel right, Sorry if you don't like this)

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Bedroom-

Ouch: my head! What happened last night?' the lavender eyed girl thought as she began to stir from her slumber. She awoke and found herself in a large bed, in a strange room with a pounding headache. As her eyes began to focus she saw that she was indeed in a large bed in a very nice room. Her sleepy eyes began to scan the room for clues to what had happened to her the night before. Her nearly invisible pupils dilated upon seeing her jacket hanging on the back of a chair and a sick feeling began to work its way into her stomach as the light sound of snoring reached her ears.

These normally mundane things brought her a feeling of alarm and a sensation of fear to a pivotal level for three reasons. Number one: She did not remember taking off her jacket the pervious night or getting into bed for that matter. Number Two: IF she had done just that, her sense of cleanliness would have demanded she have hung up that jacket in the closet and most importantly: she was not sleeping and thus it could not be her snoring.

Frightened at what might have happened the night before she turned her head toward the sound of the snoring. It seemed with every one of her heartbeats the snoring got louder only increasing her suspense. In her mind she thought, "Please don't let it be a guy… let it be Kurenai-sensei, helping me"

All hope of it being her innocent teacher was gone when her eyes were greeted with the image of man. She didn't have nor care to take the time to identify the male sitting in the chair to her right. In her mind all she had time to ponder in those few moments were: her clothes in a chair, being in a strange room with man sitting near her bed. With all this information she did what many a woman would do…she screamed.

Suddenly a door neither Naruto nor Hinata noticed before blew open with the figure of a very tired, pissed and hung-over Kiba. With all the noise Naruto quickly arose from his deep slumber. Hearing the scream of the girl and door opening he only assumed the worst, with a flash of hand signals he sleepily released a Jutsu.

The resulting effect of all that had happened was quite humorous. Kiba was standing in the doorway in his pajamas which consisted of an undershirt and boxers with dogs on them, Hinata in the bed with the cover pulled up around her with a surprised and confused look on her face and Naruto in his ready stance while his unruly hair all stood up at odd angles.

"What the HELL is going on?" Kiba asked angrily.

"Sorry…"Naruto groggily said, "Thought you were an attacker or somthin'…" with that he released the jutsu and Kiba fell on his face.

"I am gonna get you, fox boy…" Kiba growled as he got up from the floor.

"Ano…w-what is going on? What h-happened last night and why was Naruto in my room?" Hinata asked determinedly but the trace of a blush was still there.

Kiba's booming laugh began and Arkamaru stuck his head in the door. "You were drunk! I can believe how drunk you got! Naruto had to take you back to the room and stayed in here to make sure you didn't do anything too stupid."

At this point Hinata turned bright red and mumbled an apology, "Sorry I never drank like that before." Then her face suddenly turned green and she urgently yelled, "Excuse me!" as she jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom.

Kiba gave Naruto a tired glance, "I am gonna take a shower in my room. Do you have this situation handled?" Naruto answered him with a curt nod and the man and his dog proceeded to leave for the adjacent room closing the door behind them.

Naruto had a sad and knowing smile that grew on his face as he heard the poor girl heaving her guts out through the closed bathroom door. He slowly walked up to the door and gave a short and soft knock and waited for an answer.

"Why, Kit, what are you doing?" the mocking voice dripping with mirth came in his mind. Naruto could tell that his father was on the verge of laughter but no longer cared for some reason.

'Say what you want but I can no longer deny it. I care deeply for her and I want...I want to comfort her' his voice somewhat melancholy but full of hope and determination.

The feeling the boy had, began to permeate the mental link and the smirk seemed to leave the old demon's face only to be replaced with that of great seriousness. "Kit…Are you sure? Can you deal with rejection or predigest form her or others?" his voice was caring and almost concerned.

The boy closed his eyes and a little smirk crossed his face, 'I can…for her and this heart of mine.' The Kyuubi closed his eyes as he sighed, 'You're growing so quickly kit…almost too quickly…' The demon chuckled to himself, 'It took me years to understand not to mention acting on the feeling you have now…' The demon said to his son, "I just hope you know what you're doing" the voice was forlorn and foreboding.

The blonde gave a determined and silent nod before cutting contact with his father.

He still heard no reply from behind the door so he asked softly with another knock, "Hinata-chan…are you decent?" After moment of ruffling from behind the door he finally heard a very timid and ashamed, "Y-yes…"

His sad smile seemed to grow and he opened the door to see a sad and pitiful sight. There on the floor in front of toilet sat the purple haired girl. Her hair was a mess with strands askew about her head and her eye-lids only half open and still dressed in the attire she had worn the pervious day. Her right hand was on the top of the toilet supporting her weight. Her gaze drifted away from the man of her admiration from the feeling of guilt along with being ashamed for allowing him to see her in this shabby state. She felt her stomach begin to twist again from the alcohol and the impending scolding she had expected from the grown man. She could not hold it anymore and quickly held her head over the toilet and released some of the contents of her stomach into the awaiting trough.

Then the man did something she did not expect in the least. She felt a heavy weight land next to her and she moved her glance to see what it was to find him kneeling next her with a sad grin on his face. Unable to move from her present position she could only blush toward him and give him a glare that said, "You want to say something?"

Seeing her in such a vulnerable position all he could do was smile. Gone was her façade of the shy cute quiet girl that seemed to agree with everything, stripped by the pain of the hangover and early morning. In its place was the real girl underneath, the vulnerable and hurt girl but at the same time a confident and self-reliant girl who now was glaring at him, daring him to make a comment. He liked this girl, this was the girl he had seen glimpses of and loved. Sure he loved the shy, timid and agreeable girl but he knew that girl was only the product of conditioning. He himself had considered such a path once thinking it would help him avoid the pain of loneliness and rejection. One battered by abuse and deprived of the warmth of love has one of two options. He chose the mask of a fool and acted out. She had chosen the submissive posture.

This girl, the one in front of the toilet right now, in comparison was what she really was; strong, smart and self-reliant but it was usually hidden by invisible scars of her youth. Not knowing just what to do; his instincts began to scream to tell him what to do. Slowly he extended his hand and placed in on her back and she let out a gasp of surprise. She then turned her head and began to heave once more. Sighing a little he began to rub her back gently in circles and he murmured softly and full of care, "Let it out. It will make you feel better."

She was surprised by his actions but at the moment did take the time to ponder the implications of them; she had more pressing matters to deal with. She felt her stomach lurch once again and he continued to rub her back tenderly and hum reassurances to her the whole time. 'This…this feeling….I…I haven't felt this for a long time. What is it?' Hinata thought somberly to herself. As another round came and went and with it a look of understanding shot across her face, 'I feel safe and…dare I say it? Accepted.' She darted he gaze toward the boy and she felt her hart warm. She could see his eyes held neither disapproval nor coldness but instead warmth and if she had to place the glow in his eyes she would have to say they contained concern and…love.

After she felt her stomach was satisfied she stated in quiet voice full of self loathing, "I must be pitiful."

It pained him to see her in such a state and he said in a warm tone, "No Hinata-chan I see quite the opposite."

She raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "Oh really what do you see Naruto-kun?"

"I see a girl who has been afraid to be herself, forced inside a cocoon while running from fear. I feel privileged to see a glimpse of the real woman on the inside; for she is strong and smart and beautiful. She stands up for herself and sticks to what she believes in. I saw it once at the Chunnin exams last time and I see it now. Those scars are painful, for I know how they can be but I ask you, why do you have to hide? Especially from me?" he said resolute and kindly never faulting in his gaze.

She gasped at what he said and felt her heart begin to flutter. Her blush seemed to radiate heat from her face but unlike in times past, something told her it was imperative to continue this conversation. So looking him in the eyes she repeated the question curiously, "Why do I have to hide?" and he nodded slowly and reassuringly. Her thoughts seemed to swirl as she pondered and he just gazed back gently; patiently awaiting her reply. After a moment it seemed to click and she began to say her thoughts aloud, "Because...This isn't how a woman should act…this is not how a Hyuuga acts…This is how father told me not to act. I…I…I am a woman and as such should think to a certain extent but remember that the head of the household makes the decisions and…"

Naruto's eyes widened with shock and anger but then began to fill with pity, "Hinata-chan whoever told you that never saw the woman you are! You are smart; just as smart as or smarter than everyone else! Your father and your clan have been telling you something your not! You are Hinata, not a Hyuuga or just a woman as some unjust people say! You are a person, a human being and great one at that."

"I KNOW THAT!" she shouted back before she realized what she was doing and promptly covered her mouth. "Gomen, Naruto-kun…"

He shook his head and said sternly, "There you go again! You don't HAVE to be sorry for how you feel! Nor do you have to feel sorry or apologize for your opinions or what your thoughts are!"

"But…" she said sadly.

"But what? They will yell at you? Tell you; your behavior is unacceptable? Hinata I know it must have hurt in the past but know this: no matter what you say, no matter what you do…whether or not I agree with it…I am always on your side. You don't have to hide anymore. I will always be here to support you and if something happens; I'll help pick up the pieces" he told her in caring but stern tone.

"B-but….aren't you d-disappointed right now? Look at me! I got drunk and am hanging over the toilet during an important mission! I am the weakest on the team and I am only holding you and Kiba back!"

His eyes turned to ice and he said coolly, "Is that something else he has been telling you?"

She felt intimidated by his change in demeanor but said, "W-what do you mean?"

He quipped back, "Is that something your bastard father has been filling your head with? That you are weak and useless? Is that why you carry around such a large burden? Are these the chains he uses to enslave you?" She finally diverted her eyes but after a moment she sheepishly nodded before heaving again into the toilet.

He sighed and said with just a bit of anger penetrating his voice, "One of these days I am going to have to have a long talk with him…"

She gasped and snapped her eyes back on him. "No you mustn't! "

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Because you ask I will put that off…for now. But back to the point of this, you said this was your first time drinking this much right? So why would I be angry or disappointed with someone who made a mistake? I think you learned your lesson, am I right?" She quickly nodded her head and he continued, "If you are so weak, how have you overcome so much to get this far? If you are weak, who was that girl I saw fight her cousin and stated her nindo so proudly?"

She stared at him for a moment contemplating what he had said. 'He is right! Why the hell do I have to continue this charade! I am not weak!' Her eyes seemed to gain a shimmer behind them and brought out something he had only seen a few times before but this time it stayed and his eyes softened. And he asked softly, "Are you going to hide from me anymore?"

She smirked with her head still safely over the toilet but feeling better she raised it to look him properly in the eye. "No…I won't hide from anyone anymore."

"Good" he stated as he smiled and chuckled a little. Only now realizing he still had his hand on her back, he began his rubbing like before as he asked, "Feel any better yet?"

She looked at him woefully and said, "No, my head feels as if someone put a vice on it!"

He shook his head and mumbled more to himself, "Well not even a fox can help you there…"

Her ears perked up and she shyly asked, "What was that you said?"

He quickly tried to cover and said, "Nothing Hinata-chan" as he took his hand off her back and bopped his finger on the end of her nose. Then in one swift motion he stood up and headed for the door. He called over his shoulder, "We still have a mission to complete so I am gonna go over to the other room and get fixed up. Why don't you take this time to do the same? Can you meet us in the lobby in Fifteen minutes?"

While normally she would have accepted this immediately, after her talk with Naruto she no longer feared him deserting her for voicing her requests. "Ano…Naruto-kun…" but bad habits die hard.

The realization dawned on him and he smiled, "Oh right, girl things. Then meet us in an hour in the lobby. Okay?"

Standing up from the floor she nodded and replied as cheerfully as her hangover would let her, "Yes."

Once he was gone, her face became a bright red and confusion overwhelmed her. 'Wait. Was he just rubbing my back…like…like…' she dared not finished the thought for fear of fainting. Instead she took a seat on the bed to contemplate what had just happened.

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Lobby

Naruto sat in one of the big puffy chairs that littered the lobby of the inn and began to reflect on his prior conversation with Hinata. That was until his father decided to have a little chat with him. "Kit…Do you know what you just did back there?"

"It's called compassion. You should try it sometime…" he jokingly said back to his father.

"No! Not that!" the demon's voice was on edge. "You…you were rather intimate for someone who only has a crush…"

Naruto released a heavy sigh and thought sincerely, 'I know…It will probably effect how we get along and our friendship but I can't help it. I'll admit it, I love her and all I can do now is pray she accepts me for who I am."

"Why don't you tell her then and get it over with?" the Kyuubi asked.

'No! Are you crazy? If I did that I would scare her away!" he shouted back, appalled by the very suggestion for such an outrageous thing.

"Kit, your human dating rituals will always perplex me. If you are looking for guidance I would suggest talking to another human…" he replied as if uncaring.

'I WASN'T ASKING FOR HELP' he roared back to his father.

"That hurt kit! Here I am trying to give you advice…fine you be that way" said the demon is a mock outraged voice.

'Thank You!' he replied haughtily.

At that moment the doors opened and most everyone in the inn bowed as the Kazekage walked into the room, except Naruto that is. Slowly making his way over he stopped in front of the blonde and Naruto rose to look the man in the face. All watched on as a cold staring match began and the temperature began to drop in the room by a few degrees. Killing intent seemed to ooze out of the two combatants as there angry gazes were locked. They stayed like this for three minutes while many in the room were on the verge of wetting themselves for the intensity. Just then Naruto sneezed making his eyes close.

"I win" came the cold and seemingly uncaring voice of Garra.

"Who the hell was talking about me, behind my back?" murmured the abashed Naruto.

"Too many to count" countered the other vessel.

"Hey!" upon seeing the unchanging face of his friend Naruto just sighed, "Fine a bet is a bet" and the blonde whipped out what looked to be some negatives and photos of the sand's leader in some uh... "Compromising" positions. The man quickly grabbed them and allowed his sand to destroy them.

"As per our bargain, here is the "hat" as you put it. Also I need to see you in private about our mutual friends" Gaara said stiffly. Naruto gave a swift nod and followed the man to private room in the back of the inn, usually used for conferences when the city hosted exams. Once inside Gaara clapped twice and the walls turned a translucent purple and the quickly changed back to how they looked before. Naruto stifled a laugh as the Kagekage shot him a glance that asked, "You got a problem with purple?"

After they were both seated Gaara began his briefing. "I spoke with my council last night about your offer. Although we would gain power and other appealing things I have come to the conclusion that it is too dangerous for Sunagakure to enter into an alliance." Upon seeing Narutos brewing counter he held up his hand, "I see patients is still something you lack."

Naruto's eye twitched and his father began to chuckle, "Told you so"

'Don't push me right now dad…' he responded restraining his annoyance with great difficulty. The boisterous laughing of the demon rang in the man's head while he only sighed inwardly.

"As I was saying, An alliance solely between our two peoples is impossible because it would cause global destabilization and probably cause a war against us for fear of our power being too great" Gaara finished politely but with and edge of formality.

Naruto begrudgingly nodded his head, "Yes, I could see that as a problem."

"But" the red headed vessel paused to be dramatic. "If we were to allow you to join into the Suna-Konoha accord it might be enough of a deterrent for other nations to pick a fight with our nations" the Kagekaze finished with a small smile.

A thoughtful and unhappy sounding sigh escaped the lips of the blond heir. After a few long minutes the boy said out in a light but powerful voice, "You really put me in a rock and a hard place, Gaara."

The red-head cocked his head a little and said, "Why? Don't you like your village?"

Naruto shot him a glare that was cold as ice, "Never question my loyalty!"

Gaara a little shocked by his friends response, "I…I did not mean it that way."

The glare continued for a moment, "Good, now that is settled. I guess it would be…tolerable… to have a talk with them. Although for this to happen, you must to remember a few things about me, my clan and Konoha."

"That would be?" came the curious response.

"The village hates the Vulpine for the attack on the village and in return my clan hates them for killing our hero. I couldn't tell the village council what I am now because they will think I am my father and thus kill me. I never planned on making a treaty with my home village until first blood had been drawn and these dealings could be forgotten because a larger threat loomed. I had planned on hiding my identity until we were well into the darkness, but I guess comfort is best forgotten to save us from that darkness."

"I see" the soft response came.

"Yes, so I will allow a conference discussing an accord, among other things, between our peoples but I am not guaranteeing anything" Naruto murmured stonily.

"That is good; it will benefit our people mutually. I will call my messengers to…" he was cut off by a hand from Naruto.

"I never said there weren't conditions. I am not going to be able to approach the village council nor will any of my kinsmen before the summit because we will most likely be killed on sight. So, I need Sunagakure to be our endorsers and mediators during the talks." Naruto said curtly.

"I will be honored, besides it gives us a seat of power since it will seem we are in good graces with the Vulpine. But they will want something to make sure this isn't a trick." Gaara replied.

"I am willing to have the summit in their village but in exchange I want a written promise that no harm will be brought to any of our entourage or leaders, sealed with a drop of blood from their Hokage. I have already signed a document which basically states "If unprovoked, the kitsune pledge that none from their ranks shall be killed." So I believe it will be an even trade."

"Your terms are heavy Naruto…" Gaara mentioned softly.

"Of course, we demons take our deals seriously." Naruto scoffed as he handed a sealed scroll to Gaara.

"I'll see what I can do. Well that is all I wished to speak to you about. I wish you well and good fortune in the finals…even though I know the Suna team will win this year." He smirked at the end of this as he gave his friend a polite bow.

"Thanks. May the Kami watch over you and your village" finished Naruto and he gave a little bow and left to go looking for his teammates.

"That means a lot coming form Naruto or should I say…a kitsune" Gaara said to himself with a smirk as he left for his office.

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The path back to Konoha-

After finding Hinata and Kiba, team eight left Suna without much further ado. At the moment, Naruto was in the rear of the formation, Kiba, while riding his companion, took the front leaving Hinata to be in the center.

"Ha! That was too easy…but at least the booze was good!" Kiba's boisterous voice cut through the still air of the woods they were currently traversing.

"Is that all you ever think about?" Naruto asked upon hearing the same comment for the umpteenth time on this journey.

"No It's just….wait something is not right" when Kiba finished his sentence a click was heard and suddenly about seventy shuriken flew towards them from different angles. Reacting on instinct the group separated in a scatter pattern trying to avoid the onslaught.

As Naruto jumped the shuriken came with in hair length of drawing blood but instead, due to his quick reflexes, only parts of his clothing had little tears. Luckily the rest of his team faired better only a part of Kiba's pants were damaged. It seemed that the shuriken were aimed to take out Naruto.

The Kyuubi began to cackle and Naruto's face became stricken. "Kit, these attacks are lame and the auras I sense are laughable. I am guessing some Gennin have it in their heads to try and take us out."

'Yeah…I'll hand it over to you if their souls are more than 73 black' came Naruto's strained voice.

'Thanks for the sentiment but they would only be a waste of my time…' came the off handed comment.

Naruto smirked as he came back to the real world. He caught a glimpse of one of the attackers and his soul was indeed not that blackHe senses told him there were two more.

He quietly scooted over into a better position and was able to create visual contact with both of his teammates and he began to send hand signals back and forth devising a plan. After a few moments all three nodded their heads with determined looks on their faces.

The plan was for Hinata to use her Byakugan to locate the enemies. She would relay the information to Kiba who, acting as a decoy, would start a frontal assault on the group and Akamaru would "mark" them, so Naruto could detect them easier. Right after the diversion was done Naruto had planed to unleash the new techneique that his father taught him due to their bet. He was still unsure of it but he knew it still look cool it if didn't work completely correct.

Activating his natrual genjutsu; Naruto faded into the background thus signaling to Hinata it was time to begin the first stage of the assult. Putting her hands together whispered a few choice words and soon her eyes became active. But this is where their combined plan fell apart. Suddenly a voice screamed, "Look she has it!"

Another gruff one shouted back, "If we capture her we can get the bounty afterward AND pass this stupid test!"

Suddenly, three burly cloud-nin dog piled the girl with their kunai drawn. What happened next surprised all that were present.

Naruto with speed began to run towards her when his body would no longer listen to him. "Kit, just watch and you'll be surprised!" He said with a confidant smirk.

'You WANT me to just STAND here while my mate is harmed!" Naruto yelled back in an insane animalistic voice.

The older demon began to chuckle, "Mate now is she? I don't remember any…"

Naruto retorted with a growl. Upon hearing this sound the demeanor of the Kyuubi changed drastically.

"KIT! DON'T LET THE BLOOD GO TO YOUR HEAD! YOU'LL JUST MAKE MY MISTAKE!" He yelled desperately.

After a moment Naruto calmed down and said, 'Do you promise me she will be alright?'

"I would never put another's mate, if that is what you call her now, on the line."

Naruto blushed at his previous choice of words knowing he was going to regret them. He silently agreed with the fox and felt himself dropping out of his father's time frame.

When time unfroze and things began to move once more a shout from under the pile rang out, "Get your filthy hands off of me!" and a very familiar crack came out from beneath the pile.

"Uber fist of doom!" yelled the girl and the crack soon formed the cone of destruction and the three cloud-nin were thrown back five feet from the blast. While still in the air, Kiba was there to meet them with a kick to their stomach and Akamaru added insult to their injury by…um…"Relieving" himself on their beaten faces.

Naruto was smiling as he walked over to the girl who at the moment was bent over panting. "I wonder where you could have learned such an awesome attack" he finished slyly.

She looked up at him with a devious gaze and said with lingering doubts, "I…I only learn from the best."

Kiba scoffed, "I'll give ya both credit. Naruto's technique actually works. That's a surprise and Hinata, good job taking down those creeps."

She blushed at the comment while Naruto said, "I'll hand it to you too; you picked up on those cloud-nin pretty fast."

"Yeah, goes to show that a dog can always find things better than a fox" Kiba smirked a little.

"Don't push it" Naruto playfully growled.

"Ano…I wonder what their objective was?" Hinata said still clinging to old habits.

The three tails gave her a little glance out of the corner of his eye and said, "Well, lets search their persons and take anything of value" Naruto said answering question.

"Isn't that a little ruthless?" Hinata asked

"All is fair in love and war. Right now, this is most defiantly war" was his cool and detached reply.

Each member of team eight took an opposing ninja to search. After the search they gained twenty-three kunai, twelve shuriken, three vials of poison, two first-aid kits, some blunt sticks, a blind fold, a length of rope, a branding iron and finally a suspicious scroll. Hinata and Kiba looked expectantly as Naruto began to unravel the scroll and read what was on it.

"Scroll 12-C

Skill Practiced: Interrogation

Difficulty Level: Medium

Mission Objective

-Track and find an opposing team within the exams and through any means; have a member from afore mentioned team divulge their target, name and rank. Along with this have them disclose their teammates and their team's weakness(es). Along with that, get him/her to confess to a horrendous crime with they did not commit. To prove you have broken them, have them then sign a confession which is to be turned in as proof of completion of this task. This is what is necessary to pass the portion of the exam.

-Anko Mitarashi

Proctor of the Second Exam"

Naruto had a disgusted look on his face as he finished reading the scroll aloud. He gave a glare full of venom toward the tools they had confiscated on the ground. "They are just lucky that they didn't get to begin their little "mission" on you. Otherwise I doubt they would be returning to Kumogakure…ever" he said darkly.

"Like I would have let that happen to my teammate" scoffed Kiba.

Hinata stared in awe at the weapons that were intended to be used on her and her face became cold. "I'll never let anyone break me…again" she whispered more to herself but Naruto picked up on it. He decided it was something that didn't deserve an answer.

"Hinata do you have any clue what they were talking about when they jumped you?" Kiba asked curious.

Her eyes got distant and she nodded her head. Soon her voice, seemingly in a far off land began to recall a tale. Telling the tale and leaving out the clan secrets she finished in a hush. She coolly said, as the story began to sink into her teammates, "I guess they still have a bounty out for my kekkei genkai."

"Kit, do you really want to put up with a clan like that? I mean…" the great demon asked.

'Did you care about mother's family?' replied the blonde sadly.

"Touché" chuckled his father.

"Woah! I thought my clan was touchy. Remind me never to piss off a Hyuuga."

"Shut up Inuzuka, that wasn't appropriate" Naruto shot back disapprovingly.

"I-it is alright Naruto-kun" Hinata smiled lightly at him, "I'm used to it."

"Yeah but…" he tried to say but she shook her head and he stopped.

Laughter erupted in Naruto's mind and the Kyuubi roared, "Damn! You re being hen pecked already and you're not even dating yet!"

'Am not!' screamed back Naruto.

"Sure you aren't kit."

The blonde clenched his fists, 'Shut up' and he got no response. 'Some parent you are' he grumbled which only got another round of laughter from the great demon.

After gathering all the useable equipment from their battle team eight set forth on returning to Konoha to finish this leg of the exam.

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Gates of Konoha-

It was late, judging by the stars Naruto would have to guess that it was about 10:45 at night. He smiled, "Looks like we've made it in time!" he said cheerfully to his companions.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that" yelled Kiba as his pace began to pick up toward the large wooden gates.

"What do you mean dog boy?" called Naruto.

Disgusted with his teammate's stupidity he just shouted, "LOOK YOU STUPID FOX!" as he pointed to a newly installed clock tower that peeped over the outer wall. Upon seeing what the gargantuan structure said Naruto's heart dropped.

"WHAT?" he screamed. The Clock face relayed that the real time was 11:50. "How the hell did that happen?" the blonde yelled.

"Time zones you idiot!" he yelled back.

At this point they were at the foot of the gate and a booming voice called, "Halt! What is your business here?"

"Chunnin exams!" desperately called the blonde.

"Oh crap! You guys are cutting it late, aren't you? Alright, OPEN THE GATE" was the reply from the insignificant chuunin.

"Thank you!" Hinata said politely as they sped toward the tent.

"Kiba, why didn't you remind me of the time difference?" he asked accusingly.

"Well….I kind of forgot too…but that's not the issue!" the sheepish reply came.

"Why you, saying that this is my fault when you didn't know either…why I ought to…" Naruto stated

"This…isn't…the…time to…be fighting!" panted out their female teammate as they rounded a curve which brought them closer to their goal. Slowly the image of the tent slowly grew on the horizon and with it their hopes began to rise.

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Inside the canvas tent-

Bursting through the canvas doors they were met with the astonished looks of the judges within the tent. Anko looked at the group and then to a digital clock that read their time and back toward the group. After a few cycles of this she continued to just stare at team eight. Tsunade wore a smirk on her face as she sighed and shook her head. Kakashi's eye was in the upside down "U" shape and he seemed to be chuckling.

Due to the strange behavior all of team eight began to get nervous. Kiba began absentmindedly stroking Akamaru's head. Hinata was shifting uncomfortable from one foot to another and Naruto was clenching his fists. After a few silent moments of this Naruto couldn't take it anymore, "What?" he asked demandingly as he placed the hat on the table before the judges.

Kakashi seemed to brighten further has he raised his hand and pointed to the clock behind them. Team eight held their collective breath as they turned to see the clock. 11:59.57 was flashing on it, showing their time for the second exam.

Naruto was shocked by the time and began to chuckle and said, "Damn, we still had three milliseconds to spare! I told you, we still had time" the end of the comment was jokingly directed towards Kiba. The comment got a laugh out of everyone but Anko.

"You little brat, you guys just screwed everything up!" she yelled as she let out a growl of frustration.

"How do you mean?" asked the curious Hinata. This got a raised eyebrow from many in the room from her lack of stuttering.

Anko didn't care to notice, she was angry now from the mounds of paperwork she was going to have to fill out. "Before you got here we had an even number of teams: one leaf, one grass, one stone and one sand but now since you are here we have an odd number of teams" the woman sighed.

Tsunade smirked and said cheerfully, "Oh don't be that way Anko-chan." The Hokage added the suffix because she loved to see the woman twitch when she heard it. "Now we can have round-robin competitions which will last three days! And we all KNOW what that means!" Everyone gave her a puzzled glance so she indulged them in sweet voice, "MORE INCOME! This will be great, instead of just having the tourists here of one day, they will now be forced to come here for three days! This will definitely help with our deficit and that means less paperwork and more sake for me!" Her eyes widened, "Wait, did I just say that last part out loud?" The room collectively nodded their disapproving heads and she mumbled, "Ignore that part."

'Great, I get mounds of paperwork so she doesn't have to do any' angrily thought Anko.

"All right you three you pass. The competition will held in one week at the stadium you're dismissed" Kakashi stated with mirth in his voice.

"What? ONE WEEK! LAST TIME THEY GOT A WHOLE FREAKING MONTH!" protested Kiba. His dog began barking to show his agreement with him.

"The year you are remembering had an elimination round thus exposing some ninja and their techniques and making it unfair. This year that has been eliminated with the round-robin format. This way the contest can take place sooner" Tsunade explained to the irate dog user.

"How does the round-robin format work?" asked Hinata.

Tsunade smiled, "That's a secret! It will be explained at the beginning of the matches. Now, I would bet you are all tired so why don't you all go home now?"

With that dismissive comment the trio left the canvas tent.

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Streets of Konoha-

Once outside the tent Kiba looked towards his teammates began to cheer. "Yes! We did it! We are finally going to become chuunin!" he yelled as he began to play with his dog. His enthusiasm began to rub off as the rest of his teammates joined in as they set off toward the residential district of the village. Hinata began to giggle and Naruto was cheering along with his friends.

Soon enough they reached a crossroads and the time for celebration had ended. "I live this way. So I guess this is good bye for now" Kiba said happily as he pointed to the left and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Oh alright, I'll see you around dog breath." Naruto playfully jabbed.

"Good night, Kiba-kun" the girl said politely. With that the man not so quietly left toward his home.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked tensely.

Surprised by his sudden change in tone Hinata looked over at him and said quietly, "What is it Naruto-kun?"

He grimaced a little but then swallowed hard from his nervousness. His actions made his father break out in laughter but the three tails pointedly ignored this. "C-can I walk you home?"

She let out a little gasp at the request and he thought he had done something wrong. Naruto was about to open his mouth and apologize when the lavender eyed girl gave a foxy smile and said in a velvety voice, "I…I would like that."

He smiled as they turned right toward her manor. The walk was pretty much silent with both parties stealing glances at the other only to look at the stars when they were caught. Faster than either had hoped the manor appeared on the horizon.

Suddenly he could feel the nervousness of the girl next to him rise. She then said a little forcefully, "I can handle myself form here. Thank you."

Upon hearing the tone these words were spoken in he could feel his heart sink and his smile fell. "Oh…okay, well see you tomorrow."

She felt horrible as his face fell. She was puzzled by why he seemed to become depressed at first. Then the realization dawned on her, 'He thinks I am rejecting him! No, that's not what I meant I just didn't want any trouble form the clan!' As he slowly turned and began his disheveled walk back down the street her heart hurt even more. Knowing she had to do something and quickly; she did the first thing that came to her mind. "Naruto!" she yelled desperately.

He turned to face her with a confused look on his face. She felt herself run up to him and kissed him innocently on his cheek. She whispered sweetly in his ear as she broke away, "Good night Naruto-kun." Their faces were burning red from their recent contact.

After he got back his composer her stumbled out, "G-g-good night, Hinata-chan." She gave him a sweet smile and a nod and afterward she ran off toward her home.

He just stared blankly at the spot where she had previously occupied. He slowly raised his hand to the spot where her lips had touched his cheek.

"Kit, you really need to get over this…" grumbled the great fox.

He thought back in a monotone, 'I am never going to wash this cheek again…'

This got a chuckle from the demon, "Do you think she would kiss you again if you did that?"

That was the last coherent thought he was able to process as he began to walk home in a stupor. In a few moments he found himself in front of his apartment door. He began fumbling with his keys when something peculiar happened. The sound of a commotion was coming from the guard tower of the east gate and a familiar aura gnawed at his senses.

"What the hell?" he thought being brought out of his trance. He quickly raised his hand and snapped his fingers, disappearing in a swirling inferno of flames.

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Hey,

Sorry about the length of this chapter but I think it seemed good for another evil cliffhanger. Also I want to thank you all for the great reviews you have been giving me. If you haven't noticed this is on a monthly update schedule and if you take into account I started this in September I am ahead of schedule. Other than that I have nothing else to say. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this latest installment and as always please read, review and be kind!

Joe

Ich werde Sie später sehen!