Note of special thanks: Please thank my wonderful beta, kawaiicrimsonkitsune, for her awesome beta-ness. Please show your appreciation and read and review some of her stories.

Note of thanks: To Silvermane1Kyuubiplushkouga's true loverYura-chankawaiicrimsonkitsuneTsumetai TaiyoukaiTehGlompingKitsune45creepy crabSony BoyEvil Ball of Fluff, and Ore no Naruto for reviewing! Even if I didn't respond to your review individually I still got and appreciated it, I'm writing this for ya'll and I can't thank you enough.

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My eyes flicker open as warm sunlight spills through the un-curtained window. I move to sit up but a soft mummer accompanied by a tightening of the strong arms wrapped around me stops my movement. I glance down at the human's who body is tangled with mine and smile. I feel a possessive pride as I look at the beautiful creature snuggled against me, my mate. He must have felt my gaze because he slowly begins to open his beautiful blue eyes. I disentangle one of my arms to stroke his face and smile as the first word on his lips is my name. I am disinclined to ever move again, but a small knock on the door disturbs our peace.

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A loud knock startled Naruto back to reality. He sat bolt upright, yelped, and fell backwards off the bed. Kuro smiled before rising smoothly and pulling on the first pair of pants that came to hand.

"What are you doing?" Naruto cried, and Kuro raised an eyebrow.

"Answering the door, I'm told it's the polite thing to do with someone knocks." He resounded and Naruto glared him.

"Well then wear you own pants!" He snapped. Kuro looked down to discover that the pants he had grabbed were a painful shade of orange and a few inches too short. He smirked and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by another loud knock. Kuro flashed his teeth before striding through the door leaving a very naked Naruto to watch his pants disappear into the kitchen.

He contented himself with sitting sulkily on the floor till Kuro came back. He could hear muffled voices through the wall but didn't care to pay attention. He was just considering pulling on Kuro's too long pants when the owner of the pants re-entered the room.

"It was your pink haired friend, does she normally blush so much?" Kuro questioned, as he stripped out of Naruto's pants and grabbed a clean pair of his own much less remarkable ones. Watching Kuro discard his clothing Naruto was much too busy blushing himself to answer Kuro's question.

"She said the Hokage would like to see us as soon as possible to discuss our new duties." Kuro started towards the bathroom before pausing.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, care to join me?" He inquired. Naruto blushed again and Kuro smiled. "I'll be good," He promised, "It'll just be faster this way." Naruto thought that Kuro looked too innocent, but followed him into the bathroom. True to his word Kuro behaved, but it was apparent that he would have preferred not to.

After they had showered, found clean clothes, found Kuro's hair tie, and healed Naruto of his soreness they discovered that they were endanger of trying the Hokage's patience by keeping her waiting. As they walked towards the red tower at the center of the town Naruto was mourning the loss of his breakfast, while Kuro was silently praising a higher being for saving him from anymore ramen. As much as Kuro loved Naruto he found the blonde's taste in food questionable.

The pair entered the Hokage's office and found them fixed with her hawk like gaze.

"Naruto, as was our agreement you are now a Chunin. The elders would prefer it if you took on the job of guarding the village, or teaching at the academy. They are worried that the Akatsuki view you as a target and think it would be safest for everyone if you remained here. I think that threat the Akatsuki present is not as prevalent as the elders believe so I see no problem with sending you on mission with the rest of your team. That being said, the finial choice is up to you." Her stare was changelings, but Naruto matched her gaze.

"I won't become Hokage by filing papers, though it might be an important skill to know." Naruto said gesturing to the mountains of unsigned paper work, "I would like to continue missions with my team." Tsunade smiled and turned to Kuro.

"The elders and I have decided that it would be unwise to allow you to run missions outside the village, so I have assigned you a job here. You will assist with the paper work here and on occasion be asked to guard the gate." Kuro nodded, but never took his eyes of the Hokage. "Izumo and Kotetsu will be arriving shortly to go over all that your job entails with you. Naruto your team will be waiting to train with you at training ground five. Dismissed." The Hokage's eyes followed Kuro as he left the room, and she would have been content to stare broodingly at the door if Shizune hadn't dumped even more paper work on top of her desk.

"I swear it breeds." Tsunade muttered poking one the precarious stacks.

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AN: I apologize for taking so long to update this story. I am having mild writer's block, but I have a plot outline so I will be able to work through it! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. -Morana