Author's section

I DON'T OWN NARUTO, IT BELONGS TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO

"Kyubi talking"

'Kyubi thinking'

"Normal speech"

'Characters thinking'

Sorry for any mistakes.

Now with the story

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"A NINJA'S LIFE"

Chapter 13

"I'm getting there." The soaked blond chuckled happily. In just an hour he had learned how to maintain himself steady, but he still needed to walk without adding too much chakra to his feet, thing that he tend to do a lot and thus, making him loose his balance. He needed to correct that. Well, climbing trees had taken a lot more. But he still needed to finish. Naruto gave a trembling step on the water when he heard a tiny voice coming from the forest.

"N-Naruto-kun." The blond turned to the girl that had called him.

"Hinata wha-" the blond said, regarding the girl, but his words were suffocated as he lost his focus and submerged in the water.

"Naruto-kun!" The girl ran towards the river to check if the blond was ok. Naruto emerged from the water coughing.

"A-Are you all right?" the girl asked worried. The blond swam towards her and pulled himself up to the ground.

"I'm fine. Just swallowed some water." The blond responded standing up.

"I-I'm sorry." The girl apologized, lowering her head.

"Meh, don't worry." The blond said waving it off. "What you doing here?" he asked. The shy Hyuuga turned very still. She was holding a plate with five colored dangos. The kunoichi was about to speak when her eyes fell on the blond's underwear, that lead to a very red Hinata. The blond noticed that he only had one layer of clothes on and hurried to put on his pants.

"Hehe, sorry about that." He apologized, scratching his head embarrassed with his hand engulfed by his wrist weight. The black haired girl forced her eyes to the ground, avoiding the sight of the boy's naked chest. She took a deep breath to gather herself, at least a bit.

"N-Naruto-kun, I-" the poor kunoichi stuttered, her head bowed. "I b-brought uhm-" she paused, hesitantly.

"Huh?" the blond inquired, raising his eyebrow, still wondering why she was there.

"-S-Since you've b-been training, I-I thought y-you might b-be hungry and… and…" she'd tried her best, but couldn't finish it. Hinata just stretched her arms and offered the confused boy the dumplings. Naruto looked from the offerings to the girl.

"These are for me?" the blond asked incredulous. The dark haired girl nodded vigorously. 'Why would she do that?' the boy asked himself, not quite getting the gesture. Hinata was suffocating in anxiousness, waiting for the Kyuubi container to say something, anything!

"Uhm, thanks Hinata." The blond responded finally, as he grabbed the plate. He sat on the ground and put the plate on his lap. He was about to eat the first dumpling when he noticed Hinata was still standing.

"Don't you wanna join me?" he offered, looking up at her. Hinata jumped in surprise.

"Uhm… I-I don't want to b-bother you." The pupil-less girl replied, playing with her fingers shyly.

"C'mon, I could use some company." The blond said with a grin. The girl still doubted. "It can't be that bad." The girl finally gave in and sat down next to him with her arms embracing her knees. Now that Hinata had sat down, the blond started digging in his food.

"Did you make them?" he asked Hinata, who was in a daze, watching him eat. She snapped out of it as soon as she heard his voice.

"I h-helped." She responded, looking away.

"They're really nice." He noted, as he took another bite. "I shouldn't be surprised; after all you're a great cook." Hinata reddened at the compliment, but the blond didn't seem to notice as he was already on his fourth.

"I was getting kinda hungry, you know?" The timid girl gave him a small smile.

"I-It's nothing." She assured. The blond finished his treat and stood up.

"Well, I should continue training. Still need to master something." the whiskered genin said. The girl nodded as she stood up also.

"W-water walking, is it?" she wondered. The blond turned to her.

"Yeah, you know something about that?" he asked hopeful. "Can you walk on the water?"

"W-well, I-I uhm, hai." She responded timidly.

"Hey, can you show me how you do it? I think that'd really help." the blond said. "All I got for was a verbal lecture." 'And a very annoying one.' The blond though bitterly. Why in the world did she ask? She should have stayed quiet and let him alone. What if she screwed up in front of Naruto? The thought mortified her. Hinata bit her lower lip, unsure.

"Please." Naruto pleaded. "This time I'll leave my pants on." He joked. Hinata blushed at the comment and nodded, she just couldn't say no to anything he asked for. The boy smiled.

"Great!" the blond shouted cheerfully. "Let's go." He said, directing towards the river with a Hinata following him. The girl took a deep breath to relax. She sent chakra to her feet and start walking on the river calmly. She gave a few steps before she turned to the blond that was watching her carefully.

"J-just make the f-forces between y-your feet and the w-water surface equal u-using your chakra."

"Right." The blond said with a nod. He put both his feet on the water first. In the moment he began to walk his body trembled and he was starting to sink.

"You t-tense your c-chakra too much ." The girl noted, walking towards the blond and stepping near him. Naruto looked at her confused. "J-Just feel the water flowing and r-release the amount of e-energy it n-needs." She explained. 'Just feel the water huh?' He might as well give It a try. The blond did as she said and closed his eyes to relax. His shaking slowly ceased. It didn't feel that hard this way. Now time to walk. The container gave a step and stood still. Nothing happened. He was still standing. He gave another two without any problem.

"I'm walking." He said with a smile. With just a few directions he had done it. "Hinata, I'm walking!" The girl smiled at the blond jumping up and down childishly. But her smile was rapidly gone when she felt two strong arms embracing her. Naruto had just given her an unexpected hug of joy. An electric current spread all the way through the kunoichi's body. 'He's hugging me.' Was all in the girl's head. 'He's-' Her face was filled with a heavy blush now. Oh boy…

'Splash'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A drop of water fell in Hyuuga Hinata's face.

"Hinata?"a familiar voice was calling her. She was cold and her clothes felt heavier than usual. She shifted a bit and felt grass underneath her. The dark haired Hyuuga slowly opened her eyes to see a pair of cerulean eyes looking at her in concern. 'Naruto-kun?' she wondered confused. 'What is he doing here?'

"Hinata." The blond repeated in an alarmed voice. The girl slowly sat up straight helped by the boy with a hand on her back, just in case.

"W-What happened?" the girl asked disconcerted.

"You fainted and sunk." Naruto responded alarmed, water dripping off his hair. "You ok?" he asked. The Hyuuga nodded slowly.

"I-I'm sorry, N-Naruto-kun." The raven haired girl said, embarrassed. Kami, he'd think she was a freak that faints because of everything.

"You don't have to apologize." he asked, still worried. Hinata kept quiet, looking at the ground. "You were just too tired from your trip from Konoha." The blond said with a sympathetic smile. Hinata looked at him shocked. Does he really think that? She pondered. Well, his deduction was just fine with her.

"It's getting dark. C'mon, let's get changed before we get sick." The blond said, helping the girl stand up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell!?" were Kiba greeting words, as soon as he saw the drenched pair standing on the door frame. His eyes wide open, not knowing what to think. There was Naruto, with his shirt around his neck and his jacket was covering the blushing girl's shoulders. When the blond offered his jacket, she had opposed energetically, but the blond had insisted.

"What happened to you two?" asked Sakura rushing over said pair with a frown on her face. Sasuke and Shino regarded them with an arched eyebrow.

"Kami, you're soaking wet." came Tsunami's alarmed voice. "Wait right there, I'll bring a towel for each of you." She said as she turned on her feet to look for the towels.

"I-It was a-all my fault." The young heiress apologized, bowing her head.

"You can't blame yourself for fainting, Hinata." The blond said, looking at the girl. Sakura looked at him expectantly, as did Kiba.

"She was just showing me something but blacked out and fell to the river." He summarized. Kiba let out a sigh of relief but Sakura wasn't quite satisfied with his explanation. She was about to ask the blond something else when her green eyes landed on the boy's stomach.

"How is it that your abs are already starting to build up and Sasuke-kun's aren't?" the pink haired girl asked with her hands on her hips. Both Naruto and Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, not really caring about that kind of insignificant stuff like that, but suddenly the Uchiha's eyes widened as something came to his mind.

"Wait a minute! How do you know whether I have or I don't have abs?" the raven haired boy asked in an uncharacteristic alarmed tone. Sakura quickly clasped her hands over her mouth nerviously. A grin made its way to the blond's face in realization and let out a bark of laughter.

"I think Sakura's been stalking you Sasuke!" the blond said as he continued to laugh.

"Dude!" said Kiba howling with laughter. He might be an ass most of the time, but he did have a good sense of humor. Naruto thought. Sakura was blushing like mad, she looked like she had shrunk in embarrassment. Sasuke's face was of total shock. He knew he had fan-girls, some really obsessed, but stalking?

"I-I didn't want to, but Ino convinced me and-" her words couldn't be heard by the new round of laughter that filled the house.

"Kami, they're more!" the dog ninja said, rolling on the floor and tear's already forming in his eyes. From the couch, Shino had both eyebrows raised. What else had they seen? Asked Sasuke in his mind. This caused a more horrified look in the Uchiha's always stoic face. Naruto was never going to forget that face.

"There's probably a stalking club." The blond said, bending over and holding his sides. Besides him, Hinata had a hand over her mouth, trying to suppress her giggling but to no avail. No no no no Sakura couldn't handle that humiliation anymore.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun!" She shrieked before she ran upstairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What are they up to this time?" Kurenai asked the masked ninja, as they heard the noise from downstairs. Kakashi didn't really care, as long it didn't involve him. They heard stomping steps coming from the stairs. Then they saw Sakura entering the girl's room rapidly, wearing a non-friendly face, muttering deadly threats to Naruto. Kakashi sighed.

"Whatever it is, I don't want to know." He responded lazily. The red eyed woman nodded in agreement and they returned to their training plan discussion.

"Sasuke you should be flattered." The blond managed to say, gasping for air. The dark eyed boy recovered from the initial shock and scowled at him.

"Shut the hell up, dobe." He said as he walked to the backyard door, exiting the house. The mirth had already died when Tsunami returned with two large towels and handed them to the couple.

"You better change your clothes immediately if you don't want to catch a cold. You can leave your wet clothes hanging on the ropes in the backyard. " The kids thanked her and parted in the direction of their respective rooms after Hinata returned the jacket to the blond.

"Dinner will be ready soon, so don't get too far." She added as she returned to the kitchen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dinner was the first time, since team seven's arrival, when there wasn't an uncomfortable atmosphere between Naruto and Inari. Maybe it was because the kid didn't comment about ninja matters, but mainly because the blond was too busy mocking Sasuke with stalking related comments, to which the Inuzuka would add something himself and then snicker.

Being the dining table average size, they had to split into other locations to eat their food. Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba and Shino were the ones who had to leave the table. Shino went outside to eat his food and feed his bugs. Sasuke decided to sit on the couch, but to his and Sakura's dismay, Naruto and Kiba decided to follow him, not willing to leave him alone when they still had so much to mock him about. Naruto wasn't the person that would go after someone and make fun of him. But the stoic Uchiha's situation was so hilarious that he still had more to tease him about. So the dog ninja and the Kyuubi container sat beside the seething Uchiha, and they started the torture on him.

It seemed awkward they were getting along. They were always trying to humiliate each other. It was nice to see them getting along. Hinata had thought from her seat at the table. Although it was at Sasuke's expense. She looked at the pink haired girl that was located in front of her. Every time a comment concerning Sasuke's harassment she winced and cursed. Poor girl, she tried to apologize to his stoic crush, but all she received as a response was a 'Hn' and the view of Sasuke's back.

He tried to ignore their comments as much as his patience let him, especially Naruto's that were the sharpest. He finished quickly, thanked for the food, sent hateful glares at his two laughing tormentors and left the house.

"Man, that was hilarious." muffled the Inuzuka, introducing more food into his mouth. "I think he's crying out there." The blond nodded.

"Well, he's got Shino to comfort him, you know?" The blond said with a smile on his face, finishing what was left on his plate. This earned another bark of laughter from Kiba.

"I can't believe your behavior towards Sasuke." Kurenai scolded from her seat on the table. "It's not right to make fun of other person's predicaments, especially your comrades." Sakura was glaring at them dangerously.

"All right, all right." The blond said with a smirk, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. "I think he's got enough."

"You're a jerk, you know that?" the pink haired girl spat.

"He, you're just mad Sasuke's gonna be more alert next time you want to see him naked." The blond replied, while washing his plate in the sink. Sakura blushed at the comment and said nothing. She promised herself never to follow the Uchiha genius ever again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The blond went upstairs after thanking Tsunami for the food. It was somewhat passed eight and the blond though he still had a few hours to hit some trees or rocks before he could go to sleep. He entered the boy's room, to find his sensei lying on his mattress, reading his favorite book. He could already move his arms, enough to hold his book high so that he could read.

"How's the book going?" asked the blond with a mischievous smile to his sensei. Kakashi narrowed his eyes but did not answer. Naruto chuckled as he went towards his respective mattress and browse over his bag that was lying on it. He took his iPod and left the room. 'Just wait till I can move Naruto.' The grey haired man thought darkly to himself. 'You'll regret taking my Icha Icha.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This will do." The blond said in approval after checking on a big, fat tree he found not too far from the house. He took off his jacket and put his headphones on, already blasting with muffled music.

"Two thousands of each." He said cracking his knuckles, taking his stance and starting punch the thick and hard surface. Hitting trees or rocks was recommended by the imprisoned fox for hardening bones and developing a greater striking power to damaging opponents. Every two weeks he would increase the number of hits by five hundred, each time resisting even more, without crushing his bones. This was determined after he had fractured his hands because of trying to double his usual routine.

Reaching half of his accorded number of hits, blood was starting to leak from his knuckles and run through his fingers, but he did not mind as he continued to launch blows at the tree that had shattered spots formed from the force of Naruto's blows.

"Right, now with the legs." He said aloud, his respiration a bit agitated but still not tired. Ignoring the blood leaking from his battered hands, he stretched his legs a bit and kicked the side of the same tree.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The blond carried himself back to Tazuna's house at quite a slow pace. His soring legs, although bruised, were not as bad compared to his bloodied hands. Covered in cuts, bruises and dripping blood. He'd just pour some water and bandage it, waiting for them to be healed during the night. He entered the house by the backyard door. It seemed that they had gone to sleep, well most of, he sensed Kakashi flicking a page of his book and Sakura was walking outside, not too far from the house. Oh yeah, she was the first guarding.

He made his way to the kitchen and washed his wounds, grimacing slightly. He watched how the blood flowed with the falling water and tainted it red. He heard someone walking down the stairs and turned his head. It was Hinata. 'How did she notice me?' the blond asked himself, he had been careful not to make any noise and maintaining his chakra suppressed.

"Naruto-kun." He heard her calling his name as she approached him.

"Hinata, I thought you were asleep." He said turning to face her, hands shielded by his back. She stopped a few feet away from him.

"Uhm I-I waw… well w-worried." She flushed at saying this and started fidgeting with her fingers.

"Uh? Why was that?" he asked confusedly. Why would she care?

"W-well b-because there m-might be ninja o-out there w-waiting for attacking us." The girl responded with a lot of effort.

"Heh, don't worry 'bout that, I was just training." He told her with a meekly smile, scratching his head. Maybe It was just her nature to be caring for others. The boy reasoned. The girl relaxed but then she saw the blond's bloodied hand and alarmed.

"W-what happened to your hand?" she asked very concerned. 'Aw shit.' Seeing himself discovered, he took out both of his hands from his back.

"It's nothing." The blond reassured, showing them to her, as if it wasn't a big deal. "See?" The girl gasped at the sight. She approached him to get a better look. Suddenly, an idea popped to her mind.

"W-wait here." She told him, hurrying towards the stairs and to the girl's room without making any noisy, not giving him time to say a thing. 'Now what?' he wondered disconcerted. After a moment, Hinata returned with a small recipient in her hands.

"What's that?" the blond asked intrigued.

"I-It's a medical salve." She responded shyly, approaching to the blond and opening the recipient.

"L-lend me y-your hand." The dark haired kunoichi requested with her face flushed.

"Hinata I don't think it's neces-"

"I-It will help." She insisted. The fox's healing powers were enough to all of his wounds but he couldn't explain that to her. The blond sighed in defeat, for some reason he couldn't deject Hinata's help. The blond stretched his right hand towards the girl. Hinata took his hand into hers and applied the ointment gently on his wounds and did the same with his left hand. His scratches immediately began to heal. His skin's damages were closing up quickly, leaving no trace of any injury. Both kids were startled by the speed of the medicine, Naruto not that much because he knew the reason, but Hinata had never seen the medicine act that fast.

"Wow, where did you find that stuff?" the whiskered kid asked, looking at his hands in amazement. Hinata was wondering about the effects of the salve in the blond but his words made her stop thinking.

"Uhm I-I made it." She replied looking down at her feet.

"Really? It works really well, Hinata. I didn't know you could made this." Hinata's blush intensified at his compliment.

"I-I thought it might h-help my team, I always b-bring some in c-case." Naruto nodded.

"Thanks Hinata." The whiskered boy said with a smile and Hinata also gave him a small smile.

"Why are you two still awake?" Kurenai asked from the stairs. "You should rest for your guard."

"Gomen." Both kids said at unison and went to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's section

REVIEW

C'ya later

- Patty