Hey! I'm back with another installment of Unseeing Eyes! The next chapter it goes back to the main storyline =D

Thanks to:

nagitana - yeah, I agree, but I also have to have some way of showing their developing emotions. Young people's emotions are everchanging lol

RedRangerBelt - I believe I answered all of your questions via a PM. Thanks for reviewing!

Alpenwolf - *Hugs!* Haha I only have Kakashi and my mom has an Iruka plushie. My oldest sister has a Gaara one.

Elemental Dragon Swordsman - I believe I've answered all of your wonderings in the chapter ^_^

Chapter Thirteen

Uzumaki Versus Ryuujin

"Iduna-Hime, let me carry those!" Doku pleaded as the white haired kunoichi took the flowers. She sighed, exasperated, and turned back to the purple haired boy.

"Doku-kun, I'm fine." She said while patting his head, "holding a bunch of flowers won't hurt me." she continued, withdrawing her hand and starting to scour around for a bench to sit on while Naruto was retrieving the stuffed animals.

"Ne, Iduna-Hime?" the purple haired Genin asked the white haired kunoichi who sat beside him.

"Hm?" she grunted, turning her attention from the passerby to the preteen sitting next to her. He looked at her with admiration and adoration clear in his purple eyes, but Iduna could tell that the question he wanted to ask was a serious one.

"Why do you like the Uzumaki boy so much?" the other Genin questioned with a tilt to his head. Gaidoku hissed, bobbing his head up and down as if agreeing with the boy's question.

Out of all the questions her cousin could have asked, Iduna was not expecting this one.

"Wha? Why do I like Naruto?" she questioned, looking down at the slightly shorter boy. "Well…maybe because we're the same…yet we are different." She said. Neither of the two realized that the blond shinobi had come up behind them. he had been about to interrupt their conversation, but then he heard Doku's question. He wanted Iduna to explain her answer as well.

"How so?" Doku questioned, confusion evidently shown through his visible eye. the white haired kunoichi sighed and closed her eyes, absently running her fingers through her bangs.

"Well, we're alike because we both have something sealed inside of us. Something great and terrible at the same time."

"The Kyuubi and Him. His power." Doku said, nodding.

"But Iduna-Hime…you are so much better than he is! Your burden is worse than the Kyuubi."

"Oh really?" Iduna's gaze turned icy as she opened her eyes. The temperature surrounding the general area dropped several degrees. "Who are you to compare us? Naruto is a much better person than I can ever be. I was raised by Iruka-nii and Naruto is an orphan. I have you – my cousins – and Naruto has no one except me and Iruka-nii. He has very little to rely on and he is still so much braver and stronger than I can ever hope to be." She spat out, the temperature eventually turning back to normal.

"But he's the Kyuubi! He's a demon, Iduna-Hime! Uncle told us so many, many times." The purple haired Genin protested, placing his hand on Iduna's shoulder.

"Do you really think so, Doku-kun?" came her tired voice. It was silent for a few moments before the poison affinity responded, shaking his head.

"No, I don't. from what I've seen, he's like any other person, but I think he likes you, Iduna-Hime." The white haired kunoichi couldn't help but laugh and Naruto thought it was a good time to interrupt.

"I'm back! I got some good stuffed animals, believe it!" the blond shinobi shouted, startling the two distant cousins. Iduna smiled at the two large stuffed animals Naruto was carrying. Between the two white stuffed dragons, there was a small orange stuffed fox.

"Oh how cute!" she squealed, "Naruto, did you buy that, too?" Iduna asked, not really caring that her best friend bought the fox. Naruto lowered his head with a blush.

"No, the shopkeeper gave it to me for free," he said, shifting the stuffed animals so he could scratch the back of his neck. "You can keep it if you want." Naruto said, offering the small fox to the white haired kunoichi. She grinned and nodded, taking the small plush toy and tucking it into her obi-belt. Doku glared heatedly at Naruto and was about to open his mouth, but someone cut him off.

"Iduna-Hime!" a familiar voice exclaimed; Doku's eyes widened and his fingers inched towards the senbon hidden in his sleeves. A familiar green clad Genin and Jonin appeared, making the white haired kunoichi groan. She liked them, really she did, but she could only take so much of their antics in one day.

"What's he doing here?" Naruto growled, eyes narrowing at the sight of the spandex clad men. They had just gotten rid of them no more than two hours ago.

"Iduna-Hime I have come too late! My precious flower has gained yet another love interest, but fear not! I shall win dear flower's affections in the end!" Lee said, tears flowing down his face.

"Lee! The burning flames of youth surround the four of you!" Gai exclaimed, a literal carbon Copy of his green clad Genin student. "They've already showered her with gifts of flowers and stuffed toys! Show them that you have the most youth of all and claim your flower as your prize!" Gai shouted as Iduna's face turned into a tomato.

"Yosh!" Lee replied, "I will do whatever you need, Iduna-Hime! You can count on me!" the spandex clad boy said, sticking his thumb out as his teeth started to sparkle. Iduna, Doku, and Naruto were speechless before Iduna had an idea.

"Lee, can you do me a favor?" she asked, giving Lee a sweet smile. Lee's eyes turned into hearts and he eagerly nodded his head.

"Any task you set for me is an opportunity to show my youth!"

"Okay, Lee…you can show me your youth by getting me some targets at the academy and some hanging lights from the furniture store?" the white haired kunoichi asked, cocking her head to the side and trying to be cute. The spandex clad boy shook his head furiously and stuck his thumb out once again.

"Yosh!" Lee shouted for everyone to hear. "Your wish is my command, Iduna-Hime!" and with that, he took off before Iduna had the chance to hand him the money for the hanging lights. Then, she retrieved some paper and ink from a generous vender and wrote out a short message for Kakashi and Mizu. The not only enclosed the list of items that had retrieved and where they planned to have the party. She sent Saiki off with the note and the three of them trudged back to the training grounds.

They were met there by Lee, who had somehow known where they were going to have the party. "Stalker." Naruto coughed, but Iduna elbowed him in the ribs.

"Be nice." She hissed gently, "Lee helped us on our mission. It's the least you can do."

To Lee she said, "Thanks, Lee. I don't know how I would have managed." While holding up her arm with the cast.

"No, no! I was happy to bathe in the flames of youth!" and he stayed to help despite the fact that it was not his mission. Doku glared at the green clad shinobi. Now he had two rivals to deal with. Shaking his head, the purple haired Genin walked to Iduna's side. The sun had since set and it was time to work on decorating the training grounds.

Doku and Naruto set out to find firewood and it soon turned into a small competition. Doku was winning at first because Gaidoku used his poison breath to melt the dead branches from the tree. Naruto felt a spark of competitiveness well within his chest as he once again sent a glare towards the poison affinity. He then performed the move he learned from the forbidden scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he yelled and ten clones appeared. All of them had the same goal in mind. Doku was shocked when five Narutos climbed five separate trees and started to throw wood for the bond fire down towards the five counterpart Narutos. They were done quickly and the Narutos raced back to the clearing.

Lee had to steady both himself and Iduna when all of the Narutos suddenly burst from the forest. They built a giant tower for the bond fire in the middle of the training grounds. They had been hanging the lights on the trees that bordered the training grounds. When Iduna got the streamers, she would weave those through the branches of the trees as well. Iduna thought that Kosumo and Uchuu would like the decorations.

Lee hoisted the white haired kunoichi up on his shoulders and handed her a bit of rope so that she could tie the stuffed dragons to the lowest branches of the two largest trees. She also tied the branches together so she could weave the white Carnations in the branches as well.

While her back was turned, Doku and Naruto shared a heated glare.

All of the Genin, plus the four Jonin Senseis and Gai – who volunteered his services just like his student – worked hard through the night. They took shifts sleeping so they wouldn't become exhausted. Mizu left at thirty minutes to noon the next day so she could intercept Kosumo. She would keep the Dragon Sennin busy until the afternoon, when all of the invited people had shown up. Among those invited were: Aburame Shibi and his wife, Akamichi Chouza, Nara Shikaku and his wife, Hyuuga Hiashi, and Yamanaka Inoichi and his wife.

All of the Genin were invited as well, however, Doku and Naruto's little competition had come to a climax. Doku approached the blond Genin when the guests started to arrive.

"What do you want, Teme?" Naruto used the nickname he usually had on reserve for Sasuke.

"Who are you to call me 'Teme?'" Doku quietly said, angered at the blatant show of disrespect. It was true that he had been abused at his childhood home, but he knew that the outside world was different. Naruto had no right to call him such names when he had done nothing to the blond shinobi. "Stay away from Iduna-Hime. She deserves someone much better than you." Naruto's eyes widened and then narrowed. Was everything he overheard a lie? Naruto's whiskers deepened and a small wind started to pick up around them.

"So you think you're better than me? Don't deny it. I know you have a crush on Iduna."

"See? There you go. You don't even address her with her proper title!"

"She doesn't need a title! We decided a long time ago, even before she found out what I am, that we weren't going to give each other titles or suffixes. I am Naruto and she is Iduna."

"Which shows that you don't know who she is."

"I know she's the Dragon Princess. Ryuu-Hime."

"But you don't know what she holds inside her – what she was forced to carry at birth. She is like you, but the power she holds is much greater." Doku said. Naruto frowned – why didn't Iduna tell him that? Well, she would obviously tell him when she got comfortable. She was always like that.

"You'll never be good enough for Iduna-Hime!" Doku, who was normally a soft spoken person, raised his voice.

"Shut up."

"She'll never choose you when she can have anyone!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Make me, fox-boy!" and that was the only incentive Naruto needed. He clenched his fist and put a much training as he could behind the punch. Naruto sprang forward and several of the female civilians screamed. Iduna's head snapped to the side as the sound of her two friends reached her ears."

"Naruto, Doku-kun, stop!" the white haired kunoichi screamed as Doku's hand started glowing purple. He plunged a poison needle into the ground where Naruto's arm used to be. The two boys grappled, completely forgetting in their rage and jealousy that they were shinobi.

"Stop it!" Iduna screamed again as tears formed in her eyes. She would have jumped in and frozen them solid, but she was reluctant to injure her two friends. Neither of the Sensei's wanted to interfere. They didn't want to risk offending the other party. The two were rolling on the floor of the training area when a voice exclaimed.

"Well, now that is what I call a party!" followed by a soft twang. Two shimmering arrows flew across the field, each nicking the fighting Gennin's clothing and pinning them to one of the targets. Iduna whirled around and gasped in surprise.

"Kosumo-itoko!"