A Ninja's Guide to Surviving High School
By: JAJapster
Copyright Stuff: I was dreaming about how cool it would be if I owned Naruto. I think I would go around and mostly make fun of little kids and make them cry to bring some sort of validation into my existence. How that correlates to possession of Naruto is beyond me.

Summary:
AU- High school is tough, but it gets a lot tougher when a demonic fox lives inside you and all your friends are ninjas. It's a world of angst, rivalries, friendships and romance inside the halls of Konoha High, but outside, trouble is brewing. A dangerous world waits a new generation of ninjas after graduation…assuming they all don't kill each other first.

Chapter Ten: Marital Trouble

Hatake Kakashi disliked rain. It was a type of weather he categorized with hurricanes, tsunamis and tornados -parts of life, but ones he could definitely do without. The enmity between the Konoha Jounin and the unfavorable weather was mutual. Just as Kakashi loathed rain, the rain also seemed to have something against him as well. Something bad always seemed to happen to the white-haired ninja on rainy days. Take the safe house for instance.

Kakashi looked around the "safe house" that the Hokage had selected for his team to operate out ofwhile in Kakami.It was the second floor of a local antique shop and was more or less an apartment that looked like someone had begun renovating it, but changed their mind halfway through. The walls were a mural of mixed colors, none of which matched, and the windows were boarded up with pieces of cardboard. No electricity ran to the room either, Kakashi discovered after pressing the switch to a non-existent light fixture, and the multitude of cracks in the roof leaked in the rainwater from outside. The pervasive stench of mold lingered in the apartment, and it would only get worst once the rain let up.

The white-haired Jounin sighed at the depressing state of the new living quarters he would have to endure for the next several weeks. He was tempted to rent a room at a nice inn and file the cost under "miscellaneous" when he reported the team's expenses, but the Hokage would probably ask for receipts to justify each and every expenditure Kakashi had made on behalf of Konoha. The old lady could be such a stickler when it came to money.

"Thanks, Tsunade," he muttered, stalking back into the living room. The only touch of civilization that graced the dismal apartment was a large stack of boxes that contained his team's equipment. Inside were maps, weapons, and communication transponders that Kakashi would have to unpack and set up before the first of the Genin teams arrived in Kakami. The white-haired Jounin glanced at his watch. He still had more than an hour.

With that in mind, he plopped himself down on the apartment's only piece of furniture –an old dilapidated sofa -extracted the pink novella from his vest, and began to read.

--------------------

To the casual observer, the young man and woman that strolled into the Paradise Hotel that rainy afternoon were no more than another set newly weds, no doubt the son and daughter of some rich trading tycoon if their gaudy apparel was any indication. The man had blonde, spiky hair and wore a black suit made of the finest material imported all the way from Cloud Country. His wife, a pretty little thing with short, dark blue hair, was dressed equally as extravagant in a low cut silk dress that shimmered in the hotel chandelier's artificial light. Behind them, carrying their luggage and shielding them with umbrellas from the rain, was the hotel staff, eager to accommodate their new, wealthy clients.

Uzumaki Naruto tried not to smile at the charade. His partner, Hyuga Hinata, stood beside him, her arm linked with his as they walked toward the front desk. He felt awkward wearing such expensive clothing. The jacket alone cost more than his meager stipend as a Genin made him in a year, but the money had been provided by the Hokage, and it seemed foolish to leave it unspent. They were acting the part of an affluent couple; it made sense to dress like it too.

That and the damn outfit itched like mad. He resisted the urge to scratch where the fuzzy collars rubbed uncomfortably against his neck, drawing inspiration from the cool, composed way Hinata was performing. She did not seem the list perturbed by all the attention they were receiving, as if the fawning and pampering by all these servants was normal. Naruto had to continually remind himself not to offer to help the poor hotel employee with their bags.

"Please tell the manager that Mr. and Mrs. Mimura are here," Hinata said. "And that we require the finest suite in your hotel."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mimura," the employee behind the desk said nervously. "But I'm afraid you need a reservation if-"

Hinata reached into her purse and dropped a large pouch full of coins on the counter. It clattered loudly, echoing throughout the hotel and instantly silencing the clerk. "This is my reservation," she sneered haughtily. "Need I say more?"

"I will lead you to your rooms at once," said the clerk, greedily eyeing the heavy bag of money. "Please, follow me."

The clerk led Naruto and Hinata up several flights of stairs until they reached an elaborate looking red door. It was far removed from the rest of the rooms. Hinata guessed it's remoteness from the rest of the hotel's cliental was intentional, no doubt to nullify the volume produced by a newly wed couples' amorous love making, but for the two ninjas its privacy would serve a more practical purpose. With any luck, they would be able to come and go from the hotel without being seen by any of the guests or staff, and thus reducing the chances of their faces being remembered. On a stealth operation, familiarity with anyone other than your team mates was never a good thing.

The clerk fished into his pocket and removed a gold key. He opened the door and then stepped aside, allowing Hinata to curiously peek through. It was a large room, lavishly furnished with expensive pieces of decorative art that was conducive more to the atmosphere of wealth and riches than any actual aesthetic beauty. Their room was undeniably beautiful, but nothing exceptional. Having grown up in a wealthy family with their own private estate, Hinata was well acclimated to the finer aspects of life.

"Wow," Naruto whispered to Hinata. "Pretty swanky."

Hinata suspected her friend was dying to say more, or worse, itching to explore the room not unlike a child in their first museum. But thankfully, he was able to control himself. On their way to Kakami, Hinata was glad she had taken the opportunity to brief Naruto on what to suspect from their room in case he blew their cover. They were supposed to be a wealthy couple and Naruto's acting like a mere commoner would rouse suspicion.

Naruto took Hinata's hand and together they walked in.

"Everything seems to be in order," Hinata said, adopting an air of sophisticated snobbery that all rich people seemed to use. She reached into her purse again and withdrew a handful of coins which she tossed to the clerk. "You may leave now."

After the clerk had closed the door behind him when he left, Naruto grinned and leaped on the bed, bouncing on the springy mattress like a playful child. He looked at Hinata and with a teasing grin he said, "You seem pretty used to ordering people around."

The heir of the Hyuga clan blushed embarrassedly. "Merchants come to visit my clan estate all the time and that's the way they talk to their servants. It's quite degrading really."

"Yeah, being rich kind of sucks," laughed Naruto. He tugged at the irritable collar. "Especially the clothes. I don't know how you people stand wearing these things."

Hinata smiled. She remembered the first time she had to wear the lavish kimonos of the Hyuga clan during a wedding for a cousin. They were so hot and heavy that she had passed out from the heat in the middle of the ceremony, interrupting it for a half-hour while medical ninjas rushed to revive the young girl. Her father had been livid with Hinata and forced her to wear the kimono until she could wear it without fainting.

"You can take it off while we're in the room," Hinata suggested, not quite realizing the implication of her words until a second later when Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Good idea," He said, hastily stripping off the offending jacket and undershirt, leaving the young Genin shirtless on the bed. Hinata gasped and turned away, blushing madly. That wasn't really what she meant at all, though that nagging, inner part of her personality wasn't really complaining about the miscommunication.

Don't look! It's not polite! Her conscience told her.

Look! He's doing it on purpose! The more corrupt, moral-less side of her countered.

No, he just misunderstood you!

Are you joking? He's a guy, but he's not a complete idiot! He wants you to look!

Well…I guess if you put it that way...Ok, fine. But only for a second!

It was unnerving how easily her conscience had given into temptation. It was pathetic performance really, a gesture of resistance more than a concerted effort. But once again, the wicked side of Hinata that she suppressed daily had emerged if only briefly, and before her conscience could mount a second attempt at persuading the morally conflicted ninja against stealing a peek, Hinata slowly turned her head.

It wasn't the first time she had seen him shirtless. On a few occasions she had watched from afar while he and the other guys went swimming, but never had she seen him bare-chested so close. Like most of the other ninjas, Naruto was well toned, every muscle in his abdomen apparent. He had the body of an athlete more than a fighter, built for speed and grace; not strength.

"Gorgeous," Hinata whispered.

"Ara?" Naruto queried. "What did you say, Hinata?"

Flushing a brilliant shade of red, the young Hyuga quickly looked away again. "Nothing," she said shyly. Hastily, she did her best to recover her lost composure. "I suppose we should set up our things."

Naruto agreed and together they spent the next fifteen minutes unpacking their luggage. It was mostly clothing, more of the same expensive attire they would need to hold up their illusion of prosperity, but secreted away in hidden compartments was the ninja equipment they had smuggled past village customs. Together, they set up a variety of anti-intruder seals which they placed against the door and windows, and then began stashing away kunai, shruikens –various tools of the trade –underneath cushions, in flowers pots and other strategic positions. A good ninja was a ready ninja, and a ready ninja always had a weapon nearby. In the occasion that they should be ambushed in their rooms, both of them would have a tactical advantage of knowing where to locate weapons.

After they were finished, Naruto sat down on the bed. A moment later, a thought came to the young Genin, and sheepishly, he ran a hand through his hair. "Eh, Hinata?" he called anxiously. "I just realized there's…well…only one bed."

Hinata nodded, not daring to look at her friend in friend in the eye in case she fainted again out of sheer embarrassment. She had noticed the same dilemma as Naruto hours earlier minutes after they had been assigned to the same team, and during the long journey to Kakami she had been mulling the problem over in her head. Tapping her two index fingers together, a gesture she was known to perform when nervous, Hinata murmured something under her breath.

"Well?" Hinata asked hopefully.

"Hinata, I have no clue what you just said." Naruto replied blankly. "Again, slower this time?"

Trying to ignore how hot her face had become, Hinata said in a barely audible whisper, "I suppose we could share the bed."

She said this so incredibly quickly that Naruto was still not completely certain he had heard her correctly. Had she just suggested they share the same bed? The timid, shy Hinata had dared to offer something so bold? Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He was at a loss for words, a definite first for the loud mouthed ninja, and he quickly became aware of how awkward the silence felt.

Her suggestion was definitely not without its appeals. Hinata was on Naruto's "hot girls of Konoha High" list after all. But there were other definite factors to consider before taking the young Hyuga up on her offer, not the least of which was that Hinata belonged to an extremely wealthy family and had an insanely over protective father. If word ever got out about this, Naruto definitely did not want to have to answer to a man who was renowned for killing assassins with a single strike. The other element of this equation that stupefied the blonde-haired ninja was why Hinata was even contemplating something so risqué and socially inappropriate.

He scratched his chin, trying to buy some time. Hinata didn't even like him the last time he checked. He talked with her off and on and it was true he had been a bit more forward in flirting with the purple-haired ninja over the last month, but nothing to warrant Hinata falling in love with him so abruptly. Right? It wasn't like Hinata had been nurturing some childhood crush on him all this time. He wasn't that oblivious.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Naruto said casually, finally deciding that Hinata was just trying to be polite. "I'm used to sleeping on the floor. Thanks for offering, though."

Hinata stared at her friend for a long moment, her mouth hanging open in shock at the rejection. She inhaled deeply in a futile effort to console her crushed heart, but her devastated feelings would have none of it. Tears of anger sprang to her eyes, streaming down the side of her face, and deep inside, something snapped. Maybe it was all that suppressed anger. Or maybe it was all these years of unrequited affection. Or maybe it was just the stress from the anxiety of their first mission. Whatever it was, it made poor Hinata delicate psyche snap.

"I've fucking had it!" Hinata screamed loud enough to make Naruto jump.

Why had she fallen in love with such an idiot? Why couldn't this brainless moron tell how much she loved him? How was it possible was this ignorant buffoon could not pick up on her most overt attempts to display her affection? It had been ten years since she decided that she loved Naruto, and this stupid lout still could not even acknowledge her most forward endeavors to win his heart!

"Why do you have to be so dumb?" She yelled at Naruto. Hinata wanted to hit him, to slap him, to kick him in the shin as hard as she could -anything that might awaken this incompetent dimwit to her feelings for him.

Naruto cautiously approached the infuriated young girl. "Uh, Hinata?" he ventured, carefully putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted. Roughly pushing his hand away, Hinata grabbed her purse and bolted for the door. She paused in the doorway, glaring at Naruto with undisguised malice. "I hate you!" She cried.

And with that she was gone.

The confused Genin just stood there for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had just happened. More importantly, he needed to figure out why Hinata had just gotten so mad at him. He didn't think he had said anything to provoke such an angry reaction, but then again, Hinata was a girl, and girls were innately irritable creatures prone to such hostile behavior. She couldn't help being so illogical and violent, but this unique turn of events did put Naruto in another difficult situation.

He looked out the window and once again took notice of the heavy rain pouring outside. Right now, if Hinata had gone outside like Naruto assumed she would, she was no doubt both angry and miserable. He could only imagine what rain did to that tight dress of hers. Wonderful things probably, but the question was whether or not Naruto was willing to confront her wrath once again to find out.

Naruto sighed. He thought Sakura was the only one who got so mad and irrational when offended. Apparently all girls were like that. Maybe Shikamaru was right about the fairer sex. How troublesome, indeed!

"God damn it!" Naruto snarled, kicking the bed.

----------------------------------

On the other side of the city, Hyuga Neji stared silently into the outside world from where he sat on the floor beneath the windowsill. It was still raining hard, torrents of rain falling freely from the ominous gray heavens, and there was little indication that it would be letting up soon. He frowned at this observation. He had wanted to do a little reconnaissance of the city before their first check in with Instructor, but the tourists he and Tenten were portraying would have little excuse to be scouting around Kakami with this torrential rain outside. The streets were bare of its usual pedestrians, and it would look more than a little odd if someone spotted two strangers roaming about when everyone else had wisely gone indoors to wait out the storm.

"Still raining, huh?" Tenten observed, peeking over the miniature stove that the room was equipped with. She had begrudgingly surrendered her trademark jumpsuit for a simple brown skirt and green blouse, attire more endemic to the area, and her black hair was braided into pig-tails that draped down her back.

Neji nodded. He was wearing a pair of gray trousers and a loose black tunic, and his long hair fell freely down the side of his face. Both of them had left their forehead protectors back in Konoha, eliminating any trace of their village affiliation.

The beautiful markswoman emerged from the room's small kitchen bearing two cups of steaming coffee. She handed one to Neji who graciously accepted it. They drank the hot brew in silence, both watching the peaceful cascade of rain outside.

"Why do you think they chose us as a team?" Tenten asked.

Neji took another sip of the coffee. It was hot enough that it burned his tongue and threatened to melt his lungs as it traveled down his throat. Perfect. "The Hokage must think we work well together."

"Think so?" she mused.

The young Hyuga thought for a second and then slowly nodded. "We both cooperate effectively with one another."

This comment made Tenten beam happily, Neji saw, and this caused him an unexplainable feeling of unease. He had not meant to imply any sort of connection linking the two ninjas together aside from their common loyalties to Konoha, and even Tenten's slightest indication of satisfaction hinted towards a potential miscommunication. Neji certainly did not want that, particularly not in the middle of their first B-Ranked mission, and momentarily entertained the idea of establishing the limitations of the strictly business relationship they shared. He wanted to tell her she was nothing more than an ally and he appreciated her talents, but not necessarily her company. He wished to make it completely clear that he was not interested in her any further than the mission entailed necessary.

But he didn't because it would have been a lie.

Truth be told, Neji's thoughts had continually returned to Tenten with alarming frequency over the last month. It was all because of the injury, the gash on his arm where Tenten's kunai had penetrated his Kaiten. The projectile had torn a ligament in his arm, and the healing process was taking longer than the medics had predicted. He could still operate at fully capacity, but using his wounded arm still hurt. The pain reminded him not so much of his failure on the battle field, but of the girl who had caused the injury, the girl who had the wit and ability to pull one of Hyuga Neji. Every time he used his arm, the pain reminded him of her.

His mouth twisted into a disgruntled scowl as he looked out the window. This was a distraction he did not need right now. Neji had always prided himself on his ability to remain calm and focused regardless of the situation, but Tenten's presence disrupted his concentration. He almost wanted to ask Instructor Kakashi to switch the teams so that he could focus more on the mission, yet that was the last thing he wanted to do as well. For the first time, his heart was rebelling against what his mind told him. Common sense dictated that he switch teams for the sake of the mission, but his emotions refused to let him do so.

"How is your arm doing?" Tenten asked curiously.

Neji shrugged and concisely said, "It's healing."

"I still have bruises thanks to you," the young markswoman said grinning. "It still hurts like hell to lie down on my stomach."

"You did say you didn't want me told hold back." the young Hyuga reminder her.

"Yeah, well, you surprised me I must admit. Don't think you'll be so lucky next time."

"I look forward to it."

Tenten cocked her head sideways. "Really?" She asked curiously. She could not recall Neji ever expressing interest in doing anything ever. He usually just went ahead and did it without consulting anyone else.

"It's been a long time since anyone has injured me," Neji replied, tapping his wounded arm meaningfully. "You're the first one to show the potential to actually defeat me."

Her classmate's bold arrogance made Tenten chuckle. For a moment it almost sounded like Neji was softening a bit, revealing the humane interior hidden away buried beneath his icy personality. It was nice knowing that he wasn't the soulless robot that many perceived Neji to be, but there was something unique about his stern persona that appealed to Tenten. While many of the other girls had been driven away by Neji's indifferent attitude towards other, Tenten found herself strangely attracted by it nonetheless.

It also helped he was absolutely gorgeous and brilliant. That also might have contributed somewhat to Tenten's liking for the young Hyuga.

She walked over towards where Neji sat and placed her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her questioningly. There was something oddly comforting about her touch; it had a warm soothing presence that radiated its own glow ofoptimismin contrast to the grim,gloomy weather outside. His instinctive reaction was to draw away from her hand, topull himself in a protective shell void of any interfering influences, but gradually he relaxed and somehow his own hand found its way on top of hers.

"Don't think of taking advantage of me, Hyuga Neji," Tenten teased lightly.

Neji snorted derisively. "You wish."

The young girl smiled.

Yeah, she thought to herself, I do.

-------------------------------------

Author's Notes:
Jeez, how can guys be so dense? And how can girls be so irrationally overactive? And why is this story resort to cheesy clichés and overused generalities to advance the plot? More action and killing up ahead for all you action buffs to offset the romance. This arc will last up until chapter fourteen about I'm guessing, and will introduce some more familiar Naruto characters into the mix. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I planned to write a Sakura/Sasuke part too, but I got busy on a different writing project so unfortunately it got canceled. Probably no update next week too as I have quite a bit of stuff going on.

Make sure you drop a review because reviews are just awesome. Oh, also, if you want me to review a story you're currently working on, feel free to mention that in your review and I'll be happy to take the time to read your work.

What happens when ninjas go gambling in casino and Sasuke loses all their money? They need to get that information about Gato, the underground crime syndicate boss, somehow, but will they go so far as to wager Sakura's body to cover one decisive hand of cards? And what happens when they runs into a beautiful woman…who really isn't a woman at all? Find out in Chapter Eleven, Ante Up, coming soon!