Author's note:

This is the raw chapter. I will post a revision of this chapter later. My beta-reader, Gymchick is busy.

It's not often I see a review where the person is threatening to go into withdrawals because they can't wait for the next chapter to appear!

This chapter is dedicated to Deserter and Kankuro882 – two folks who just can't seem to get enough of the big bad puppeteer! Enjoy, ladies… this one's for you.

Please review if you feel brave enough to do so – it's always good to hear your thoughts…

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It's sad but true… just leave me be to write the next chapter already.

A plan is revealed

Kankuro was sitting on his bed, ready to go to the training grounds but not quite ready to face Hinata. He groaned silently "I am not looking to have anyone in my life… the last thing I need is a woman…"

He couldn't deny the fact that he found her extremely attractive and that he'd been fighting the attraction from the moment they crossed paths in the training ground. He frowned. He still couldn't figure out how she had known who he was. It had been a long time since he last saw her but he had to admit to himself that he was flattered that she had thought of him in some capacity…

"I shouldn't have kissed her." Kankuro thought sadly to himself. Even if he had a chance with her family's approval, he just didn't think he was capable of giving her the love he felt she deserved.

He couldn't help but think about that kiss… and how much he had wanted to keep kissing her.

Kankuro sat on the edge of the bed still wrestling with his unfamiliar emotions and brooding on dark thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door.

The sand shinobi quickly tamped down the sudden bubble of excitement he felt at the prospect of Hinata being on the other side. It was highly unlikely though that the girl would return anytime soon. He sent her away in what he felt was a rare moment of clear thinking on his part before anything disastrous happened.

He looked at the door and sighed softly to himself. Who ever it was - was quite persistent!

"Who's there?" asked the puppeteer to the door.

"It's Shino." replied a voice on the other side of the door.

Kankuro heaved himself up and answered the door. "He's probably here to warn me to stay away from his friend." thought the puppeteer.

The sand shinobi opened the door a crack and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shino didn't answer but pushed through and kept walking into Kankuro's room.

What he wanted to ask and say to the man in front of him was not open for the public enjoyment of others.

Besides, he didn't want a hint of this particular conversation getting back to Hinata's family.

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Shino closed the door behind him and faced the puppeteer with a determined look on his face. He noticed that the man had a grayish tinge to his face, despite the colorful kabuki makeup and felt a moment's pity. Kankuro really did look like he was dealing with some inner turmoil.

Shino needed to determine what type of man he was dealing with and cut to the chase. "What was Hinata doing in your room?" he asked without preamble.

Kankuro looked over to the bug wielder with a weak smile and then continued to brood at the wall. "I didn't invite her in if that's what you asking me… She broke in." he replied.

Shino was more than a little shocked by this little bit of news. He just couldn't picture his shy team-mate doing something like that. At the same time, the sand shinobi didn't look like the type to fabricate something like this to save his hide. Shino also didn't miss the slight hesitation in his reply. Kankuro had seemed reluctant to divulge that last bit of information to him.

He looked closely at the shinobi and noticed he was blushing scarlet under his makeup.

Something had certainly happened between them for him to be acting in this way!

He couldn't blame the man for being embarrassed about some strange woman breaking into his room for whatever reason.

"Did she say why she was in your room?" He asked.

This line of questioning just seemed to make the man burn up even more under his makeup. Shino looked at the puppeteer for a moment and then sighed, "Kankuro, I don't know what went on between the two of you but its obvious there's a definite attraction there."

"Just be careful… I don't want you breaking her heart."

The sand shinobi frowned slightly at the kikaichuu master, thinking that this was the most he had ever heard come out of his mouth at the one time. He sighed and reluctantly confessed, "I'm trying to keep my distance but it's hard… especially now that I know that she's attracted to me."

Shino frowned – this confession was unexpected. He didn't know what to say in return – it was obvious that what was going on between the two was beyond their understanding.

So, he did the next best thing and changed the topic.

"Well, you can't stay up here and hide forever. Come on – the rest of the team is expecting us down at the training grounds."

Kankuro studied Shino for a few moments and nodded slowly. "Yeah, we better get going." He picked up Karasu, slinging the puppet across his back and followed the other man out of the room.

The two men exited the inn and shortly stepped out in the noon day sun, both wincing a little from the overhead glare.

The two men made their way towards the training grounds in companionable silence.

Kankuro stopped momentarily, a thought crossing his mind. "How is Akamaru doing?" The bug master softly chuckled at the question. "He's hungover like his master."

Both men grinned at this answer and continued on their way to the training grounds.

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Hinata was excited and yet dreaded the appearance of the sand shinobi at the training grounds.

She was trying hard to make small talk with Kiba but it was obvious that he was still a little worse for wear from last night's activities. She caught herself resorting to an old nervous habit of hers. She looked down at her fingers pushing together in her lap and sighed.

The two men appeared at the top of the hill and Hinata swallowed her disappointment.

She was hoping to see his naked face again but he had his kabuki makeup in place and his hood firmly on his head.

Maybe that's just as well. She thought sadly.

Hinata didn't think that her poor heart could handle looking at that face everyday. Just one look totally destroyed her equilibrium for the day. If she had to see it everyday, she'd be a walking basket case!

Shino and Kankuro now approached the shelter of the tree and she couldn't help but blush a little and look away.

Kankuro noticed that telling movement and sighed. He knew exactly what she was thinking about… he was thinking the same thing.

Hell, he couldn't help but think about that kiss!

Kiba turned out to a welcome distraction to his psyche. "We better start training or I am going to fall asleep, just sitting around!"

Kankuro grinned at the tattooed man. It definitely sounded like an excellent plan of action to him.

The puppeteer followed him onto the training area, Akamaru trailing after his owner and whining.

"Quit it, Akamaru! You should have stayed with the one bowl of Sake like I suggested instead of consuming your body weight in the stuff!" grumbled Kiba to his canine companion.

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The puppeteer and cell 8 trained the rest of the afternoon away. The men and dog started feeling themselves sobering up rapidly after an hour of practicing in the open area.

It wasn't as though they much of a choice in the matter. Hinata was cracking the whip and making them suffer.

The men looked at each other sheepishly. She was way too nice to yell at them and they appreciated that fact about the young woman. Another woman of their acquaintance would have gone all shrewish on them at the first sign of their inebriation.

Kiba finally begged Hinata to take pity them and ease up on the grueling pace she had set during the training session.

"Hinata, please - we're sorry for getting drunk the night before and making you wait… can we stop for the day? You're going to work me into an early grave." pleaded Kiba.

Hinata gave the tattooed man a soft smile and looked up at the horizon. The sun was indeed slipping down over the mountains.

"Okay, Kiba… but on one condition." replied the silver eyed woman.

"What's that." replied a relieved Kiba. At this point, he would agree to anything just to put a halt to her torturous training regime.

"You guys tell me why you had to get drunk last night. I understand it from you Kiba but Shino – well, that's a different story." The beast master flushed slightly at that comment.

He couldn't deny the observation. His family had a reputation for being a wild bunch in more ways than one. He silently agreed with Hinata's observation regarding Shino. It was certainly out of character for the bug master.

All three men looked at each other sheepishly and then at the young Kuniochi. She was right – they owed her some sort of explanation for being grossly late for training this morning.

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Shino sighed deeply and sat down on the nearby bench. "Hinata, we got some bad news after you left last night."

Hinata turned concerned eyes towards the kikaichu master. She trying not to look at the puppeteer but it was difficult. Even clad in his usual disguise of kabuki makeup and cat hood, she found herself drawn to the dangerous looking man. The attraction was even more pronounced, now that she knew what lay under the costume. She got the impression that the only people who saw that particular side of him were his family.

She sighed silently and redirected her thoughts back to the conversation. She was starting to think about that forbidden moment in his room when she was in his arms. Hinata peaked out from under her lashes and caught the sand shinobi blushing brightly under his makeup. It seemed that he was dwelling on the same thoughts.

Hinata gave Kiba a slight smile and asked, "What was the bad news?"

Shino looked at the young woman and answered, "We found out that Dog boy here had told Choji at breakfast that our colleague from the sand was looking for a wife."

Hinata felt a little spurt of jealousy at that comment and was surprised at it.

"Why is that a problem? Choji is a notorious match-maker but he's harmless. Shikamaru won't let him get out of control."

She heard the puppeteer groan. It was obvious that the last thing he wanted to hear about was Choji's match-making prowess.

"According to the tattooed wonder here, Shikamaru is out of town for a week." replied Shino.

Hinata looked at the men and dog with a shocked look in her eyes.

No wonder they got drunk! They were all in trouble! No single shinobi in the village was going to be safe with an unchecked Choji on the loose!

A part of her was not thrilled at the prospect of other women poaching on her territory!

She looked at Shino suddenly and noticed that the Kikaichu master was not blind to her inner struggles.

"Did you come up with any ideas to avoid Choji's attentions?" asked Hinata, looking concerned.

Her team-mates grinned and Kiba replied "Yeah, as a matter of fact… we have, Hinata."

Kankuro looked at the two men, frowning slightly. This was news to him!

He suddenly didn't have a good feeling about this.

"What's your plan, then?" asked Hinata.

"Well, we figured if Kiba and I made ourselves as undesirable a catch as possible, that will deter the young women." replied Shino. "They will give up on their pursuit once they confronted with a constant cloud of bugs or Akamaru's continual interference."

Hinata looked at the two men. It was clear that they had given this a great deal of thought.

She had this nagging sensation that she was in trouble as well as a result of her friend's scheme but couldn't figure out why she felt that way.

"Well, it sounds like you have sorted out a way to deter Choji from matching you two up but what about Kankuro?" asked Hinata, looking concerned.

Kankuro was interested in the bug master's response as well.

"Well, we did come up with an excellent plan for the puppeteer too but it's kinda dependent on you to make it work, Hinata." grinned the Kikaichu master.

Hinata looked shocked. She certainly wasn't expecting that.

"W-what do you mean?" asked the young kuniochi nervously. She was tempted to look down at her hands and push her fingers together.

"Well, Kankuro is going to attract attention given his bad boy looks. The ladies won't leave him alone unless we make it clear that he's unavailable." Replied Shino.

"That's where you come into this, Hinata!" exclaimed Kiba. He was starting to warm to this topic now that he wasn't feeling so hunted.

The silver eyed woman looked at her two team-mates blankly. She had no clue what these two were blathering on about and it showed on her expressive face.

Kankuro was a little confused as well. He didn't know what strategy these two had come up to solve his present dilemma but he was curious despite his apprehension.

"It's simple really, Hinata. You stay near Kankuro and give the women the impression that he's taken." said Shino calmly.

Hinata couldn't help but think that her family would have a problem with this plan of action.

Kankuro groaned silently. "Great! This was no plan at all! Give me a temptation instead of providing one for the women of the village."

The sand shinobi looked at the two men. He could have cheerfully strangled them at that point. He was almost tempted to take his chances with the unknown than have to spend more time with the beautiful, shy lass.

At least he wasn't running the risk of losing his heart to these would-be pursuers!

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The atmosphere was noticeably subdued after the plan was revealed to the team.

Kankuro distracted himself with the task of re-wrapping Karasu while he gathered his thoughts. He couldn't fault Shino's calm calculated logic. It was a brilliant stroke of planning on behalf of the Kikaichu master. Apart from the fact that Hinata's family had already warned him away from the Hyuuga Heir, the plan was perfect.

The puppeteer was concerned that Shino's plan though sound, would not be good enough to thwart a persistent match-maker.

Kankuro couldn't help thinking that Choji may turn out to be a better strategist than these two give him credit.

He finished the task of wrapping Karasu and slung his silent partner across his back. He looked at team 8 to see if they were ready to leave the darkening training ground.

Kiba suggested ramen for dinner and everyone groaned. The group made their way up over the crest of the hill and out of the training grounds. They were still having a good natured argument about where they should eat when they reached the heart of the village.

Hinata was dreading the moment that Neji would make an appearance on the horizon. She secretly wanted to have dinner with her team-mates and a certain sand shinobi. The last thing she wanted to do was be ushered home by her self-imposed warden to spent a lonely and boring night in her room. After what happened this morning, she was feeling rebellious enough to take the risk and sneak out of the house and meet up with them at a later time. Hinata was planning to make the suggestion and risk shocking her team-mates when the group spied a familiar figure strolling up the road towards them.

Kiba cursed under his breath, Shino visibly stiffened his spine and Kankuro scowled at the approaching person.

Hinata looked at the new arrival with mild dismay and started hoping that her cousin would materialize soon and whisk her away from here. She knew it was cowardly of her to think about her own self-preservation but she was willing to take her chances with Neji at this point!

Choji was thrilled to see that the group had obviously just returned from practice.

He grinned broadly and said, "Excellent, you're all here! You must be hungry, Kankuro.

I know this great Korean Bar-B-Que place we can have dinner at, my treat."

The ninjas looked at each other, trying in vain to hide their collective alarm from the jolly shinobi. They were thinking that they would prefer to refuse the offer of dinner with the man but it would be rude to do so without a plausible reason.

Shino sighed and replied, "That sounds great, Choji. Why don't you lead the way."

Choji was delighted at this answer. He started to lead the recalcitrant group down the road to the Korean BarBQue place when he saw the approach of Neji Hyuuga.

Kankuro saw the young man's features harden with resolve upon seeing Choji with them.

Choji however wasn't about to let Neji steal Hinata from him.

"Neji, we're about to head off for some BarBCue. You're welcome to join us!" exclaimed Choji heartily.

Before the young man could answer in the negative, the chubby shinobi whisked the silver eyed man by the arm and dragged him protesting down the road. It was quite a sight to behold for the team-mates and the puppeteer. They collectively groaned as they realized that there was no way Choji was going to be denied!

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This was turning out better than Choji had originally planned. He was expecting feeble excuses from the group, especially Neji and Hinata. He wasn't about to let that clan of theirs deter him from his glorious match-making schemes.

With no missions to distract him, he had spent yesterday and today carefully organizing his next plan of action.

The group had reached the Korean Bar B Cue place with Choji cheerfully dragging along a still protesting Neji.

They were ushered into a back room with great ceremony. Neji frowned at the suspiciously romantic setting and quietly asked Hinata why Shikamaru wasn't here to keep his friend in line. He looked upset at Hinata's news that the shadow wielder was on mission for a week.

Kankuro sighed at the look of sheer panic on Neji's normally unreadable face.

What is it about Choji that causes normally tough shinobi with nerves of steel to quiver like jellyfish?