Naruto couldn't believe Hinata asked him to do this. It was Hinata. She was supposed to be sweet. Of course, he didn't mind "misbehaving" every now and then. That was when he had the most fun. Right now, he was walking over to Neji, who coincidentally stood beside the wine table, isolating himself from the rest of the party. He was the same as always. As Naruto continued, he spotted Hinata nearby, his phone in her hand. Her grin grew and she winked.

"Hey Neji," Naruto greeted as he walked up. Neji gave him a cold glare but didn't say a word. "If you would join the party like everyone else, you probably wouldn't be so grumpy." No response. Naruto glanced at Hinata, who motioned for him to continue. "Have you noticed you're the only one wearing a white suit? That's a little awkward…" When Neji still refused, Naruto let out a sigh of frustration. "I get that you don't like me but for Hinata's sake, maybe we can try to be friends?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Neji shot back almost immediately. Naruto slowly backed away towards the table.

"Geez, what's up your ass?" Naruto wondered as he turned and faced the pyramid. He had to draw Neji closer for Hinata's plan to work. "Why don't you come over here and have a couple drinks-" he thought Neji would be stubborn and stay but eventually he joined him.

"You know what makes me mad?" Neji wondered as he picked up a glass.

"Everything?"

"This," Neji motioned to the party. "Every year it's the same but no one notices because Hiashi tries to cover it up with fancy dinners and wine and music. It's pathetic."

"It is? Huh, I never noticed." Naruto informed as he shrugged, ready to get out of there.

"That's because you're too busy drinking and having fun!"

"Well why not? This party would be boring as hell if there wasn't anything to entertain me."

Neji sighed, aggravated. "You… You are a pain in the ass." Deciding it time and hoping it would work, Naruto pulled the glass out from underneath, jumping back to avoid the breaking glass and red liquid. He heard a small cry and when he got his bearings, he saw Neji stood there angrily. He was spotless and angry.

Naruto's mind went to the back-up plan as Neji advanced and Hiashi appeared in his peripheral view- both angry. He dashed forward and grabbed a hold of Neji's pants. As Naruto slid between his legs, he tried to pants him but knocked him down instead. He could hear Hinata laughing as he scrambled to his feet and ran. When he thought he was in the clear, he stopped with his hands on his knees, out of breath. "That was close."

"That wasn't what I'd expect from you." He heard his mom say, making him stand and regain normal breath.

"Mom, I- I didn't plan that! Hinata wanted me to do it." Naruto snitched as he tried to defend himself.

"I figured you didn't do it- plan it. However, knocking him over was pretty nice. Your father got a kick out that one." She informed as she brushed his coat off.

"At least somebody laughed." Naruto looked away from Kushina. "Besides Hinata, of course. Hiashi and Neji were so pissed- Oh my god, mom I have to tell you some- Okay, so earlier, when I first talked to Hiashi, I was messing around with him and telling him last year was terrible and no one would forget it but it was opinionated. Fumio probably loved it and Nori hated it. I was telling him what my favorite parts were and he was so mad- When Hinata came over and stopped me, he acted like he knew I was joking."

Kushina shook her head with an amused smile on her face. "You find enjoyment in anything- especially torture."

"I wouldn't call that torture…" Naruto laughed before looking around. "Where's Hinata? She was over here about five minutes ago."

"She's with Fumio. He asked her about… zombies," she seemed unsure of that. "They're over there." She directed Naruto towards the staircase where Hinata, Fumio, and a few others were conversing. "That man she danced with was very handsome. If I were you, I'd be careful."

Naruto frowned and started to walk off. "I don't have to take this."

"What? Oh come on Naruto!" His mother called after him. "I barely said two words. He was quite a hottie, don't you think?"

Naruto felt his face flush and he bowed his head, wishing for it to go away. As he mumbled under his breath, he ran into Nori. He stepped back, startled by her sudden appearance. "Oh, hey Nori."

Naruto knew what Nori thought of him just as Nori knew what he thought of her. In her eyes, Naruto was disobedient, rotten, spoiled, inconsiderate, and so on. He learned all of this just last year within a few minutes. Nori was leaving the party and she decided to let him know how she felt, having had enough of him. She even threw in a few cuss words and spit in his face. That pissed Kushina off but before she could anything, Nori's escort took her away and left his mother to fume. Naruto assumed she took it out on his dad when they got home. Naruto bore no grudge towards her. He couldn't please everybody.

Nori showed her disgust with a look of disdain. "I see you came back."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry about last year. I got a little out of control but this year will be different." His eyes lingered on the light-skinned, middle-aged beauty. Her brunette hair was curled and sat on her shoulders. Her green eyes were narrowed and full of spite as they stayed focused on him.

"Different? That stunt with Neji was different?"

Naruto thought about it for a second. 'Does she want me to be serious and sound like a smartass or does she want me to say no, as in, no it's not different because it's still a prank?' He fought the urge to smile. "Yes," he nodded, very serious. "At least I wasn't drunk."

Nori gasped. "I hope you learn to control yourself because that attitude will get you nowhere."

"My attitude? You're the one who asked if it was different; I was being honest."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

Naruto sighed, knowing he shouldn't be sarcastic with Nori. "Okay, yeah, fine, whatever." He looked past her and at Hinata. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get my zombie-"

Nori placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. "I would like to have a few more words with you."

Naruto moaned. "Are you going to spit in my face again? 'Cause my mom is right over there." He pointed behind him where his mother was watching intently.

"I've heard some things about you and Hinata since I've been here."

"Like…" Naruto urged her to continue when she said nothing more. He didn't want to say it was true when he had no idea what was even being said.

"You're dating?" Naruto nodded. "You bought her that gown?" He nodded again. "You've been dating for less than two weeks?" Again, Naruto nodded. Nori pondered over some things a moment. "I have one last question and if it's true," she set her lips in a straight line, her glare never gone. "You're even more reckless than I thought."

Naruto was getting tired of her questions and this conversation. "Hurry, I have someplace I need to be!"

"Are you really getting married?"

"Who told you that?" Naruto's insides were churning at the thought and he looked at Hinata. She was oblivious to what people were saying.

"I overheard it from a small group as I passed. They sounded very excited and as impossible as it seems, I was too."

Naruto frowned and pushed her hand off. "I'm sorry to disappoint. You better start telling people we're not because that's probably the last thing her father wants." He brushed past her and walked up to Hinata's group, Hinata turning to him.

Hinata smiled, happy he could join. "Naruto, I-" Naruto wanted to join their conversation but he needed to speak with her.