Disclaimer: I still do not make any money off of my little story.

I have no rights to Naruto.

I still cry into my pillow every night because of it!

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

Girls

Though I've tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve
As I've done from the start

~The Police~

The weak early morning light was just barely streaming though the kitchen window and onto the table where Kakashi and the shirtless Naruto sat eating their breakfast. In between bites, the boy asked, "So are what's going to happen to Sensei Mizuki now?"

"He was taken into Anbu custody. He will be interrogated then he will stand trial for his crimes against Konoha. If he is found guilty, he will go to prison."

Naruto yawned widely and sleepily blinked his eyes several times. He asked, "So who is going to be our new instructor now?"

"I'm not sure, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out. We have a lot to do today." Kakashi suddenly got a very serious look on his face. He cut off Naruto as he opened his mouth to speak, "I am going to tell you all about this new jutsu of yours. Your training is about to increase."

"Really?! Cool!"

Kakashi had stayed up half the night considering what his options were. With the amount of chakra Naruto possessed, he knew that the boy would be able to take full advantage of the shadow clone jutsu. "Go get dressed and meet me in the backyard. I want to see just how many clones you can make."

A few minutes later, the half-dressed Naruto stood outside waiting on his father to join him while shivering with excitement. He had just finished stretching when his father walked out. Without any hesitation, he shouted, "Multi-shadow clone jutsu!"

A sea of pajama bottomed and orange shirt wearing clones flooded the backyard, front yard, and roof of their house. Kakashi hazarded a guess that there may have been at least five hundred of them. "Uh, which one of you is the real Naruto?"

"Right here dad!" said the boy standing right next to him.

"I think we are going to need to move to a bigger field."

"I don't understand. Why do I need clones to train?"

"Because you will get all their memories."

Confused, he asked, "Huh?"

Kakashi patiently explained, "You will remember everything they do. So if they train on a new jutsu, you will learn everything they learned. You can cram year's worth of learning in months or maybe even less. Just remember to dispel them a little at a time or you will get all of their memories all at once. Also, any strength training cannot be done by clones. You still need to do that by yourself."

"Uh, hey dad…does that mean that they can do my homework as well?"

Kakashi snorted. "Yeah son, that also includes homework. Of course that also includes studying new jutsus. I want you to leave ten clones here to study. I left some scrolls in the living room for them."

Naruto pointed at the closest bunch and ordered imperiously, "You heard the man. Get to work!"

"Hey not fair!"

"I want to fight!"

"You're a slave driver!"

"So not cool…"

Naruto yelled, "Stop complaining all of you!" he looked at Kakashi and said, "Can we go now?"

"Mah, why don't you finish getting dressed? Dispel the rest of your clones. I think we should try to keep this as much as a secret as possible?"

"Why?"

"Until the time is right, it's your secret weapon."

"That is so awesome dad. See, I told you I would be Hokage someday. With all the jutsu I am going to learn, I'm going to be the strongest in the village," he said while following Kakashi into the house.

His clones were just getting settled down to study when one of them yelled indignantly, "Hey boss, this one isn't about jutsu; this is military strategy!"

"Yeah, and this one is about politics!" said another with a dismayed look.

"I've got one on interpersonal communication," said another glumly.

"None of you should complain…mine is on Animal Husbandry…with full color illustrations… Do you have any idea what this is going to do to my brain?" complained another twin. "I'm going to have nightmares."

"You don't sleep baka…"

Well, if I did, then this would; so there," he said sticking out his tongue. "This stuff is going to drive me insane!"

"Don't worry," commented Kakashi lazily, "You don't have to be crazy to be a shinobi; we'll train you."

An irritated clone sat on the floor with a book in his hand. Sweat beaded along his brow while his face held a panicked expression. He threw the book down in disgust and shouted, "What the hell is macroeconomics anyways and why the hell do I have to learn it?" The other clones looked up at him in shock when he grabbed a stray kunai from the table. He held it threateningly to his midsection and demanded, "I'll do it... I swear, I'll do it! Give me training or give me death!"

"Hey boss, I think he's serious."

"Here," said another clone, handing him his book. "You can read this one called Make Out Tactics…"

"Whoa," shouted Kakashi, hastily snatching the book from the clone's hand, "How did that get there?" He picked up another tome and handed it to the suicidal clone. "This one is on the history of the clans in Konoha."

The double, now slightly mollified, set the kunai down and opened the book with an interested look. "I would still rather learn some awesome new jutsu," he muttered under his breath.

Naruto turned and asked his father accusingly, "What's the deal dad?"

Kakashi laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "A Hokage needs to know more than just jutsu, pup. He needs to know how to run the village and keep it financially stable."

"Well, like I said, you heard the man. Get to work!"

One of the clones muttered, "Crap, this is going to be a very long day." The others morosely nodded in agreement.

~O~

Kakashi took Naruto to one of the most remote training fields in Konoha. "We haven't been able to train on a lot of jutsus because I didn't want to damage your chakra coils, but now that you can make clones, they can train as hard as they can without you getting injured and be at risk for permanent injury."

"Is that why I am not practicing with them?" he asked.

"Yes, now you can focus on the one thing they cannot do for you…strength training." He ignored the boy's groan of protest and instructed him to make two hundred shadow clones. Splitting them in half, he showed one batch how to do the water whip jutsu and the other, an earth wall. Kakashi warned the hyper excited clones, "It may still take you quite a while to learn these. Also, these jutsus may not be very powerful for you since we do not know what your natural affinity is yet."

"What do you mean?" asked the real Naruto.

"Shinobi who have an affinity towards a certain element are able to produce stronger and more powerful jutsus with that element. They are easier for them to learn and manipulate with more precision. We have to wait until your chakra coils have completely finished developing before we can test you to see where your talent lies."

He left a clone of himself to stay with the Naruto clones and drew the boy away to another field where a familiar green clad jonin stood waiting with three recently graduated genin.

Naruto recognized Neji right away. Although he had never spoken to the older boy, he had seen him walking with Hinata through the years. The girl with twin buns in her hair and black-haired boy with huge eyebrows seemed vaguely familiar as well. Guy boomed out an exuberant welcome which had Neji and the girl cringing.

"Yosh, look here my youthful students! This is my eternal rival Kakashi Hatake and his most talented progeny, Naruto." He introduced everyone to each other enthusiastically before adding, "Little Naruto will be joining your training today!" They all gave him glances ranging from curiosity (Tenten), annoyance (Neji), and excitement (Lee).

"Thanks for agreeing to do this for me Guy," said Kakashi calmly.

"Anything for my most worthy adversary, Kakashi! What do you say Lee, would you like to spar with a truly challenging opponent?"

"Oh yes, Guy-Sensei!" shouted the boy with a manic grin on his face, "If you do not think he is too young and a true challenge for me then I would be honored to do as you ask!" He copied Guy's trademark nice guy pose perfectly. "I promise not to injure him with my youthful skill and power that you have so diligently taught me!"

"Oh Lee!"

"Guy-Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-Sensei!"

Naruto had to rub his eyes when an image of a beach at sunset appeared behind the two. Neji scowled while Tenten blushed in embarrassment. Naruto's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What kind of genjutsu is this dad? I mean, what's the purpose of it?" whispered the boy to Kakashi while pointing at the seagull flying overhead.

The copy-nin rolled his eye and commented dryly, "Kami only knows son. Just ignore it. The boy has been training very hard under Guy and I promise you will learn a lot from them."

"Do I have to?" he whined as Lee grabbed his arm and dragged him to the middle of the field.

"Don't worry…it'll be fun," said Kakashi with a wave; his nose already buried in his book.

After an hour of taijutsu with Guy's student, Naruto was very impressed. Rock Lee just didn't quit. Naruto was easily stronger, faster, and more skilled than the other boy was, but he never lost his perseverance. Even Kakashi put down his book to watch the two fight.

Guy commented, "Have you ever seen such spirit and youthful passion, Kakashi? You won't recognize him in a few months training under me. He is even wearing fifty pound weights on his legs right now."

Kakashi was about to respond when Naruto suddenly halted. Lee, unable to stop his momentum, kicked him in the chest, causing the blonde boy to sail through the air and land heavily on the ground with a grunt. He immediately jumped up, shook himself, and ran over to Kakashi, shouting, "Oh dad, I get it now! I really do! You won't believe what I just learned!"

"What is it pup?"

"One of my clo…uh, you know, our secret thing at the house," he said looking meaningfully at Kakashi. At his father's nod, he continued, "It got bored with what it was studying and found a new book from the den."

Kakashi wondered what could be in the den that would excite the boy so. He cautiously asked "What book?"

"A Shinobi's Guide to Understanding the Kunoichi's Mind"

Kakashi turned a little red while Guy looked away as though he didn't hear. "Um, that's not mine," he said quickly, "I don't know where that came from."

Naruto snorted, "Yeah, sure dad."

"So what do you get?"

"I figured out how to get Sak…uh, you know who, how to like me!"

"I don't think that's such a good idea. None of that stuff in that book works, uh I mean, that's what I've heard." Kakashi noted the stubborn expression on his pup's face and instinctively knowing he wouldn't change the boy's mind, muttered, "Good luck with that son."

~O~

By the end of the week, the shadow clone was now his favorite. Kakashi showed him two new jutsu which he had nearly figured out already. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to do it to get out of school, but it still had its uses… cleaning his bedroom and doing chores was now a breeze.

Sasuke was extremely jealous, but he got over it quick enough once he figured out there was no way for him to perform the same jutsu. However, he did vow that he would learn just as many new techniques as the boy…

And the brotherly rivalry continued on with that promise…

~O~

Hinata slipped out of her house before anyone awoke. Today was a very important day for her and she didn't want something to happen that would prevent her from being there. She could barely prevent her excitement and fear from overwhelming her as she traipsed through the silent sleeping clan compound and out the gate. Heaving a great sigh of thanks, she ran to her favorite place in Konoha to wait until it was time. She watched the sun slowly rise, shivering in the icy cold, but refused to leave for somewhere warmer. The field, which bordered the Uchiha clan compound, was conveniently close.

Noon seemed to take forever, but when the sun was finally in the correct position, she headed over to the gate. Sasuke was there, but there was no sign of Naruto. Hinata was about to give up and go home when he caught sight of her. Trapped by her inability to be rude she gathered her thin supply of courage and approached the Uchiha.

"H-Hello S-Sasuke," she stuttered.

"Hinata," he said with a regal nod. "Naruto informed me that you would be joining us in our training this morning. Follow me."

"Oh uh, w-what about Naruto? Shouldn't w-we wait f-for him t-to get here? I w-would not want t-to be impolite."

Sasuke stood close to the trembling girl, increasing her nervousness. He placed his hand on the tree beside her and leaned in a little to speak in his quiet manner. "I was waiting here for you not him. He knows how to get to my training grounds. He comes here all the time. Come on, that baka is always late. I'm sure he will join us soon."

"If you're s-sure." Hinata was so tense of the Uchiha boy. Most of the time, he acted so serious and controlled that it reminded her of her father. But he could be so different too and always when he was around Naruto. Then he was more relaxed…and happy somehow. Naruto just had a way of bringing out the best in everyone.

He never said a word as he took the basket she carried and led the way to a large, isolated training area surrounded by a small lake. She gazed at its dark murky depths and shivered in trepidation. "D-Do you think h-he will b-be along soon?"

"Most likely. We should start without him."

They began to spar after stretching. After a few minutes, Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin when Sasuke suddenly barked out, "Stop it!"

"P-Pardon me, but s-stop w-what?" she squeaked.

"Stop what you are doing. You aren't fighting me with the best of your abilities. You are acting like a frightened rabbit. I don't like it."

"I'm s-s-sorry."

"Don't apologize. I've seen you train when no one else is around you." Hinata gave him an odd look while he continued, "Are you afraid of me?"

"N-No."

"No one is watching you now. Fight me as if you are all alone. Now!" he demanded.

Hinata gulped and then took her stance, hoping that Naruto would arrive soon. She activated her Byakugan and stared into his Sharingan; dōjutsu against dōjutsu. It was almost as if they both fell into nothingness. There was no sky, no earth, and no one else at all, only Sasuke and Hinata.

They began to fight furiously in a dance of strikes, counter strikes, kicks and blocks. His Sharingan caught most of her strikes before they could make contact, but she managed to slip a few jabs in as he did as well. She knew he had to be hurting as much as she was, but he never uttered one word of complaint.

With each passing moment, she grew more confidant, more powerful, more alive. Her jabs grew quicker, her kicks stronger, her blocks faster. She didn't want it to end, but her body grew weary.

Badly needing a chance to rest, she pleaded for a break after two hours of sparring. When he stepped back and nodded, she sunk gratefully in the grass. Years of ingrained politeness were the only thing that prevented her from staring in surprise when Sasuke handed her a water bottle, sat down beside her, and said, "That was good. You did very well."

Hinata hung her head and stuttered in embarrassment, "Oh n-no I w-wasn't. My s-stance was o-off and I m-missed s-several strikes and…"

"Stop that," he said sternly while poking her in the forehead. "Hold your head up in pride. You are a Hyuga." He added conceitedly, "If I say you fight well, then that means that you fight well."

Hinata blushed and stammered, "O-Okay S-Sasuke."

"Why did you choose to become a shinobi?" he asked out of the blue.

A little confused at the change of subject, she answered, "T-To protect m-my clan and v-village."

"Then stop acting afraid. You can become a powerful kunoichi someday. Maybe it is time you believe it. You remind me of my mother."

"I d-do? H-How?"

"She is a gentle and soft-spoken woman."

"My f-father d-does not think that is a w-worthy trait. It d-disappoints h-him."

"Fathers can make mistakes," replied the boy with a haunted look in his eyes. "My mother was also a strong jonin before she retired and she was clan head before my older brother took over. Being quiet does not mean your spine cannot be made of steel."

"Really?" asked Hinata. It made her feel good that Sasuke compared her to his mother, but she hard a hard time thinking of herself as a strong kunoichi someday. In attempt to bring the focus off her, she pointed to the basket laying several feet away in the shade of a nearby tree. Snacks," she blurted out awkwardly, then blushed, "I uh, I m-made some snacks f-for us t-to eat."

Sasuke got up, brought the basket over, and sat it down next to her. He opened it up with interest and began to root around, picking out rice balls. He handed her one then another for himself. He took a bite and chewed with relish.

Hinata asked, "Shouldn't w-we wait f-for Naruto?"

"He would not want us to wait as long as we save him some, although that might be hard because these are very good," commented Sasuke. He pulled out a container and opened it to find a small mound of his favorite food. "Tomatoes?" he asked with a lifted brow.

Hinata felt foolish and uncomfortable under his piercing stare. She blushed again. "W-Well, Naruto t-told me that y-you would be here as well. I heard y-you liked them."

"Hn."

"I'm b-beginning t-to think that h-he may n-not coming. I'm sorry you had t-to waste y-your time w-with me."

Sasuke poked her head again and chastised her, "Never apologize Hyuga, especially when you have done nothing wrong."

"S-Sorr…I mean o-okay."

"Hinata, Sasuke! I'm sorry I'm late!" shouted Naruto from behind them. "I was on my way when Anbu stopped me and dragged me in to see the old man! He chewed me out, for like ever!"

"Naruto!" squeaked Hinata with a shy smile.

"What did you do now, baka," sighed the Uchiha with a frown.

"Nothing!"

At their disbelieving stares, he said again, "No really, I didn't do anything! Some civilians were in the market shopping in their night-clothes. They were under the impression that they were dressed." Naruto snickered at the mental picture.

Hinata giggled behind her hand then blushed while Sasuke just shook his head. "If you didn't do it, then why are you laughing?"

"Hey," yelled Naruto, insulted at their reactions, "You know how bad I suck at genjutsu. I can't do it at all. I was laughing because whoever did do it is a freaking genius!" He suddenly scowled as a new thought occurred to him. "But you can and you are!" he yelled, pointing at his friend.

"Tch, as if I would resort to pulling childish pranks like you do," he said evenly.

"Hmm, well yeah I guess that wouldn't be you at all." Naruto train of thought was instantly derailed as he spotted the basket of food. "OOH, what's this?" he asked while digging into the basket and pulling out rice balls. Shoving one whole into his mouth he thickly asked, "Who bro foo?"

"Close your mouth baka. Hinata made the food."

"Fanks Henana." Naruto swallowed hard and grinned. "Oh man, Sasuke, these rice balls taste as good as your mom's do. Try…"

"I've already had…mumph…"

Sasuke tried to glare, but with his cheeks bulging out with food, he just looked like an angry chipmunk. Of course, after Naruto told him that, the food began to fly through the air…quickly followed by fists.

Hinata, a little anxious at being around the roughhousing boys, stood up, backed away slowly and picked up the empty basket to leave. Trying to pick sticky rice out of her hair and clothes, she stammered. "W-well, s-sorry, but I have t-to go. S-Sorry I couldn't t-train with you N-Naruto. Th-Thank you S-Sasuke."

Sasuke's head whipped around. "Hinata wait!"

"Hey teme, did I just hear you raise your voice?!"

"Shut up, baka."

"I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I…urk!"

Sasuke put Naruto in a headlock and dragged him over to where Hinata stood waiting. "I want you to spar with me again soon."

(To make things a little easier to understand, I put the names of who is talking in parenthesis)

(Naruto) "Let…me…go…"

(Hinata) "Oh uh, I'm n-not s-sure…"

(Naruto) "Can't…breathe…teme…"

(Hinata) "M-Maybe you should l-let Naruto g-go."

(Naruto) "You…tell him…Hinata…"

(Sasuke) "He likes it."

(Naruto) "Life is…passing…before…my eyes…"

Hinata nervously tapped her fingers together. "Umm…"

(Sasuke) "Say you will Hinata."

(Naruto) "I see…dead…people…"

(Sasuke) "Shut up baka. Well Hinata?"

(Hinata) "I-If you really w-want me t-to."

(Naruto) "Goodbye…cruel…world…"

(Sasuke) "I do."

(Naruto) "Mother…is that you…?"

(Hinata) "O-Okay."

As soon as she was out of sight, Naruto squirmed out of Sasuke's hold and smirked at him. "Now who is the baka? You should try asking instead of demanding. She is a really nice girl you know."

"Hn."

"You know, we really need to work on your people skills."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I hate people."

"Sooo…"

Sasuke grudgingly replied, "I owe you one."

Naruto shouted, "No, you owe me two, teme! That was quite a lecture I had to sit through. It lasted forever and ever and now I will have to sit through another when my dad finds out. Why did you put those people under a genjutsu anyways? I told you I would stay away."

Sasuke ignored the question and commented, "I asked my mom to make your favorite cookies."

"Nothing you say is going to make up for… Did you say cookies? The ones with the frosting and little bits of candies on top… Man those things are good." Naruto's eyes unfocused and his face got a dreamy look. "But you hate sweets."

"You don't… and besides, my brother seems to like them too."

"Alright, you only owe me one," he said while throwing his arm around the Uchiha's shoulders, "But it's big one. Maybe I should make you help me with Sakura."

"I'm not a miracle worker baka. Honestly, what do you see in her? She is so annoying and loud." He fingered the hem of Naruto's bright orange shirt and added, "Then again, so are you."

The blonde chibi pulled his shirt from Sasuke's hand and smoothed it down, saying, "Hands off the threads teme. I have a great sense of fashion."

"You have no fashion sense."

Naruto shoved Sasuke playfully and tried to trip him. "Whatever. I still don't get what you see in Hinata. I mean, sure she's nice and all, but she's always turning red and acting weird."

"Baka, it's because she has a crush on you," he admitted resentfully. "She's just shy. You're the one that acts weird."

"Wait, wait, wait… Hinata has a crush on me? But I don't…and you… what?"

"Don't worry about it."

"What a mess."

"Hn."

"You know, we really need to work on your communication skills too."

"You talk enough for the both of us."

"Aw shut it. Didn't you say something about cookies?"

Sasuke shrugged Naruto's arm from his shoulder and grabbed a bag he had laid there earlier. "Here," he said, handing it to the other boy.

Naruto peeked inside and saw a large batch of cookies. "I thought we were going to your place."

"Sakura may be under the erroneous conclusion that I will be training at the field by your house soon."

"WHAT!" yelled Naruto agitatedly, "…and you're just telling me this now! What'll I do? What'll I do?"

"Honestly, you baka, this is precisely the reason why I didn't say anything earlier. I knew you would panic. You need to calm down."

"How can I calm down? What'll I do?"

Sasuke, exasperated with his friend, rolled his eyes and commented calmly, "You told me about that book and it worked well with Hinata. Just do exactly what you planned on doing."

"Oh yeah, right," laughed Naruto abashed. "Wish me luck," he hollered over his shoulder as he ran as fast as he could towards his home.

Sasuke muttered to Naruto's retreating back, "Tch, with that female, you'll need more than luck; you will need a miracle."

~O~

No one was there.

Naruto gave a sigh of relief before nervously pacing the field. Knowing he was beginning to blow it, he sat down to meditate. It wasn't long after when he felt her presence. He opened his eyes to find her there looking down at him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I live here," he said, nodding to the building that lay at the edge of the field. "Why are you here?" he asked while getting to his feet to stand beside her.

"Oh well…I heard that Sasuke was going to train here."

"Yeah, he should be along sometime soon. You can stay if you want, I guess." Naruto turned and walked away from Sakura and; ignoring her completely, began to throw shuriken at a wooden post.

The pink haired girl was stunned to say the least. Naruto never acted that way towards her. She sat down and watched him while she waited. After what seemed like forever in her mind, Naruto stopped throwing the stars and turned around. She noted the surprise in his face when he saw that she was still there.

He forgot she was there?

He forgot she was there!

"So, Sakura…how is Ino doing?"

"Ino?"

"Uh yeah…you know…cute blonde…pretty blue eyes…really nice…friend of yours…you know, Ino Yamanaka?" he teased.

"I know who Ino is," she snapped. "Why do you want to know?"

"Gotcha!" Naruto gave a smug inner smile. "Oh, you know…just was curious, that's all."

"How would I know? She is probably at home not thinking of you."

"Ouch." Naruto clutched his heart, "That's harsh, Sakura."

"What the…" thought the girl. A swift pang of remorse shot through her heart. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean it."

With a teasing, cheerful tone, he said, "Yeah, I know. It's all good." She didn't see his face as he quickly turned away to hide his disappointment. For a very brief moment, he wanted to give up and then he remembered who he was. He was Naruto Uzumaki Hatake and he didn't give up…ever! "So…"

"Where could Sasuke be?"

"Eh, beats me. So do you want to get some ramen or something?"

What like a date? As if, Naruto!"

"No, no, no, not a date with you. I was hoping maybe you could bring Ino along."

"What! You don't want to go on a date with me…I mean, I mean…What!" she shrieked. "I'm leaving!"

"Well okay then, see you around Sakura," said Naruto with a wave. He put his hands in his pockets and nonchalantly walked away from the fuming girl with a low chuckle. He just knew she would be wondering all night why he didn't like her anymore.

She would be thinking of him…

AN

Well, hopefully that explains to all of you why Sasuke seemed a tad bit hostile to Kiba. After all, they were friends! Also, yes I know that Lee, Tenten, and Neji shouldn't be with Guy yet, but it's only by about half a year (It's AU anyways!).

As for Naruto and Sakura...well what can I say...I love how she is in Shippuden and I can't wait until she matures.

Thanks to Pakkun101, who commented on every chapter...you rock! That goes to the rest of you that have commented as well!

Sakurafairy - this is for you... (Even though I haven't heard from you in forever!)

P.S. - Reviews have dropped, does that mean I've lost a lot of interest in the story? I have had quite a few people tell me this story is too long. There are only two chapters left so bare with me.