Naruto Uzumaki grinned to himself as he strolled through the streets of Konoha with his hands behind his head. He was feeling very accomplished with himself, having discovered a new training technique to help him evolve his favorite ninjutsu into a much more powerful one. Kakashi had informed him of this method of training after coming back from a mission that led him to see Sasuke again for the first time in three years. He was determined to continue his training and become stronger, seeing as he'll need to if he has any hope in bringing Sasuke back. And he felt compelled to do it without the aid of the Kyuubi's chakra, as his heavy reliance on it wasn't exactly the safest thing to do like it had been when he was younger.

He decided to change his train of thought into the events that lied ahead. He hadn't forgotten about his proposal to train Ayame, as she was someone who was very important to him. He had always known this, but lately, he began to think about it more and more, especially after the events that transpired last night. Even when he was a child, Ayame and Teuchi had always treated him with kindness. They always cared for him, smiled at him, helped feed him, and helped him feel as though he wasn't the monster everyone else tried to make him out to be.

And Ayame in particular... she was always a sweetheart. She teased him mercilessly and was a bit of a smartass in many cases, but Naruto knew that she always meant well. Besides, it kept things fun and interesting between them. She always cared for him, inquiring about his feelings if he was down, and always looking to put a smile on his face, whether it was with food or the things she said. And that was all Naruto needed for him to know that she deserved to be cherished as a precious person in his life.

As he turned a corner to Ayame's home, it was then that he began to think about what she said to him that night. About Sakura. It was actually something he thought about when he saw Sakura earlier today before training with Kakashi. He was almost tempted to confront her about it, but what could he say? 'Hey Sakura-chan, am I wasting my time by trying to get you to like me'? Let's not be ridiculous.

After thinking about it, he concluded that it wasn't a question he had to ask her, since he pretty much knew the answer himself. He was older now. Smarter. If it got to a point where Ayame could even tell that he was wasting his time, then it must be blatantly obvious.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts again and prevent him from putting himself in a bad mood, Naruto arrived at the front of Ayame's doorstep. He knocked three times and waited. After about fifteen seconds, he knocked again. No answer.

"Is she not home?" Naruto wondered, "I told her I'd be here at sundown..."

Just as soon as Naruto was about to conclude that she was probably just busy, he turned around and was about to walk away until he noticed a circular shadow rapidly increasing in size on the ground in front of him...

"GOTCHA!" He heard, looking up to see Ayame in the air above him with a huge smile pasted on her face. Naruto chuckled and caught the woman that attempted to pounce on him from above.

He caught her and held her in the air by her waist, while Ayame pouted, seeing as her plan hadn't gone how she'd expected.

"You do know that I'm a ninja, right?" He asked her with an amused grin.

"I know, which is why I would have given myself props if I managed to get the jump on ya." Ayame replied while still pouting.

"Well, the first thing you'll want to know about sneaking up on someone is that yelling 'gotcha' as you do it kind of defeats the purpose." Naruto said with a laugh, setting Ayame down onto her feet, "I had to learn that the hard way."

Ayame crossed her arms, "Yeah, well... you could have at least pretended to be surprised to make me feel better."

"There's no fun in that." Naruto teased, "And you should be more careful about jumping off of your roof to surprise me. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Woulda been worth it." The brunette said, shrugging, "So are you here to help teach me how to kick butt?"

"As long as you don't jump from your roof like that again."

"Deal." Ayame nodded. Naruto smiled.

As Naruto lead Ayame through the streets of Konoha to the training grounds on the other side of town, she noticed the mixed amount of looks that Naruto received from the local villagers. They weren't looks of hatred or fear or anything like he would have been looked at when he was a kid. Heck, not a whole lot of people were paying him much attention at all, which was at least an improvement compared to the past. But she did notice the few people that looked at him with a stare that simply lasted too long. Their demeanors weren't overly offensive, and it wasn't as though they looked at him with animosity, however their eyes scanned him and judged him in an apprehensive way. Kind of similar to how one would stare at a rabid dog that was a good distance away. It wasn't anything worth mentioning, but it was definitely something Ayame noticed.

Naruto seemed unbothered by it, however. He even had a slight smile on his face. Anyone that gave him that look was ignored, and it made Ayame wonder how he could get used to something like that if he even noticed at all.

She decided to keep in mind that this was the future Hokage! She believed in his dream ever since he was little. Back then, when he was still flunking in the academy, she believed in it then, but also knew that kids always had the biggest dreams. Now? With how pure and considerate Naruto has become over the years, she was beginning to believe that Naruto could potentially be the best fit to oversee their village. It would take a lot on Naruto's end, she was aware of that much, but knew that Naruto was shaping into a very fine and credible shinobi. She'd heard his name pop up in a good light more and more lately.

The pair then arrived at the training grounds in comfortable silence. It was a very large open space, one with a giant waterfall somehow sitting in the middle of it. It only seemed slightly out of place, considering how a large portion of the terrain was flat otherwise.

Naruto had stopped walking once he got to the edge of the riverbank that the waterfall ended at. He turned to Ayame and grinned.

"Alright! This looks like a good spot." He stated, "First, I want to start off by saying that I've never really taught anything to anyone before. The closest thing I've done to teaching techniques is when I taught Konohamaru two of my jutsu when I was younger. So if I'm not a good instructor, I apologize."

"Oh, teaching someone younger than you how to do techniques that you know sounds like it counts!" Ayame said, "What techniques did you teach him?"

"E-Err... just my Rasengan and a silly technique that I created when I was fresh out of the academy."

"Oh really? Can you show me?"

Naruto began chuckling nervously, "Hehe... maybe some other time. I'd rather start on assessing the skills you have right now."

The subject was changed, much to Naruto's relief, "Assessing my skills? How are you gonna do that when I hardly have any?"

"Easy." Naruto said with a grin, "I want you to attack me."

Naruto thought the look on Ayame's face was priceless.

"Attack you?!" She repeated incredulously, "I don't want to hurt you!"

"You won't." Naruto assured, "I'll be dodging your attacks the whole time. I just want to see what level you're at so I know where to begin."

Ayame seemed to have understood, but was still very skeptical, "But what if I end up hitting you anyway?"

Naruto crossed his arms, still grinning, "Hey, if you can successfully land a hit on me, that just means that you're a lot farther along than I thought! As a shinobi, I've gotten my butt kicked a lot, so if you can land a hit, don't worry about it! I can take it."

Ayame did not particularly enjoy hearing that Naruto had been injured many times, but knew that it came with his career path, "I see... well, when do you want to start?"

"Right now." The blonde's grin grew and his eyes taunted her with a challenging look as he shifted into a stance that showed he was prepared for battle, "C'mon, show me what you got!"

Ayame's hesitation with the matter dissolved when she saw the look on his face. It was one that challenged her, but also let her know that it would be fun for her to engage with him. After all, he was the shinobi here. After seeing how easily he handled her attacker last night, she was sure that he would control the situation properly.

"Alright then!" Ayame said, cracking her knuckles and readjusting her ponytail, "I think you might be a little surprised at what I can do."

"Bring it!" He declared. Ayame grinned and lifted her fists up in front of her chest. Naruto's hands were up to his chest as well, but his hands were open and his eager eyes were watching her body movements like a hawk.

She cocked her left fist back and launched it to his chest. Naruto dodged the attack easily with a quick maneuver of his torso. Ayame followed up with her right fist, aimed at Naruto's chin. Naruto avoided that attack as well, sidestepping to Ayame's side.

Ayame's eyes were glued to him, and she rounded up with a high backspin kick to his temple, which Naruto barely ducked under, due to his shock in seeing that Ayame's taijutsu was more advanced than he expected.

"Whoa, your form and timing are pretty good!" Amended Naruto with a huge smile, "I have a feeling that there's something you're not telling me."

Ayame giggled and placed her hands down, "Well... I may be rusty, but I picked up a thing or two from my one year at the academy a good amount of years ago."

Naruto made no effort to hide his surprise, "You used to be in the academy?!"

She shrugged, still smiling, "Only for about a year. I dropped out before taking my exam."

"Why did you drop out?!" Naruto had many questions at this point, "And why am I just now finding out about this?!"

Ayame's smile died down a tad. It made her feel good to see that Naruto was taking so much interest in her life events, however...

"Um, I used to want to be a kunoichi when I was a kid, but I figured that it'd be better for me to work in my dad's shop." She told him, lacking a bit of energy in her tone. She then passed it off with a short chuckle, waving it off, "But that was me just being young and dumb. I know that I'm not cut out for anything like that."

Naruto made his disbelief known, "What?! Ayame-chan, it's one thing if you dropped out to tend to your dad's shop, but dropping out because you thought you weren't cut out for it is crazy! I think you would have made a great kunoichi!"

The woman in front of him was touched, but slightly uncomfortable, "You're sweet, Naruto... but that's all in the past now."

Naruto crossed his arms but nodded understandingly, "I see. Well, considering what you just showed me, your earlier claim of not having skills isn't holding much weight. You seem like a natural!"

Ayame blushed, "I just remembered some basic things that my instructor taught me, that's all."

"Well, at this rate, you should be able to handle yourself in no time." Praised Naruto. He was expecting Ayame to smile after saying this, but instead, she frowned a bit, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ayame didn't respond immediately, but she eventually lifted her eyes to meet his, "I'm not sure how to say this, but... I don't really know how to defend myself."

Naruto scratched his head, "But with what you just showed me-"

"I kind of already know how to fight, but... I'm not sure how to use it to defend myself." She clarified, "Like... I know what to do with you because I know you'd never hurt me, and it was the same way when training with my instructor. But in situations like when that guy last night started getting aggressive, especially with a knife... I don't know, my mind kind of just shuts down. That's why I dropped out of the academy because I've always had that problem of dealing with... real threats."

Naruto rubbed his chin, "I see, I see... Well, the good news is that you already have some basic knowledge stored in there. We just have to figure out how you can use it when you really need it."

This lifted Ayame's face into a little bit more of a smiling position. He was always determined to look for a positive for her.

"How do you do it?" Ayame asked him.

"Huh?"

"How do you... you know, get into that fighting mindset? You jumped into that situation last night without a thought." She elaborated.

Naruto crossed his arms again, "Well, that time it automatically happened because I saw you were in trouble. Anyone who tries to hurt you has a guaranteed Naruto Uzumaki Ass-Kicking coming to them."

Ayame giggled.

"But to answer your question, I'm not really sure. I guess I've kind of always had a fighting spirit in me, especially thanks to my rivalry with Sasuke. Plus, that guy was just some sleazeball, I know shinobi younger than me that could have handled him."

The brunette nodded, wishing she could be a bit more like him. She never really experienced the true competition of a rivalry before but was well aware of his rivalry with Sasuke. Sometimes that's all he would rant about when he was younger.

"I wish I could feel that way sometimes. When I see that someone actually wants to hurt me, I just... blank out. It's almost as if any thoughts about defending myself are thrown out the window and I just panic internally..."

Naruto saw her demeanor sliding down again and reached his hand forward to rub her shoulder.

"That's okay, Ayame. It can be scary when someone throws hostile intent at you. I'm going to figure out a way we can overcome it so that you can handle it and yourself with no problem. I believe you can do it."

Ayame smiled again and grabbed the hand on her shoulder, wrapping it in both of hers in the space between them, "Thank you, Naruto. It amazes me that you're this thoughtful and caring."

Naruto blushed, rubbing the back of his head with his other hand, "Ah, it's the least I could do."

The employee of Ichiraku's released his hand and then placed one of her own on her hip, "Well, if you're still up for it, we can still do some training. I confess that what I showed you is pretty much all I know about taijutsu."

Naruto smirked and got back into position, with Ayame following right after, "Sure thing. Just keep trying to hit me and I'll give you some pointers as we go along."

After watching Naruto do the "bring it" motion of his hand, Ayame grinned, tightening her fists, "Alright, here I come!"

*Two hours later*

It was now dusk as the starry sky encapsulated the two figures in the lone, naturally illuminated clearing.

"Yeah, you're really coming along, Ayame!" Said a sweaty Naruto, just barely dodging a swift hook from Ayame. A while back, Naruto had shed his jacket and wore the t-shirt underneath, while Ayame shed her blouse and sported the small tank top under it. She smiled at his praise, but huffed as she was running low on stamina.

"I think we should call it a night." She declared, putting her hands on her sides. In the two-hour session they had, Naruto had given her some constructive pointers to aid in her attack maneuvers, all while avoiding or parrying every one of her attacks. Sometimes he would reverse an attack and put her in a hold, testing her ability to break from it. At first, she had trouble losing focus seeing as his body would consistently press against her in these holds. He was always gentle but firm with her, which was something she appreciated.

But now, she was exhausted. She seemed to have given Naruto some good exercise as well, seeing as his golden locks were now soaked with sweat.

"Yeah, it's getting dark anyway." Naruto said, letting out a deep huff of air himself, "I had a blast doing this with you, though."

"Likewise..." Sighed Ayame with a tired smile. She was hunched over with her hands on her knees in an attempt to regulate her breathing, "But MAN, you really wore me out..."

"I'm kind of known for my stamina, sorry." Said Naruto with just a hint of pride, "Sometimes I would just train for hours nonstop as a kid, and I was really enjoying myself with you. I could have kept going all night."

Ayame made a bit of an awkward, yet intrigued face, but Naruto seemed oblivious to the use of phrasing that he used, making her almost want to question her own sense of humor. Was Naruto just somehow that... innocent? In the world of shinobi? After all, after allowing him to sleep over last night, she couldn't really think of any other man who wouldn't try something if they were in Naruto's position.

Either way... Ayame's thoughts started wandering to other intriguing scenarios and she had to condemn herself for even thinking of them at this particular time.

And as if by perfect timing, just as she lifted her head to look at Naruto, she almost collapsed as she witness the sweat fly off Naruto's hair as he shed the t-shirt he was wearing. His glistening and toned torso kissed the summer night air as he huffed his chest.

"Whew, I could sure use a shower, though." He said, still oblivious to Ayame's internal malfunctioning, "This shirt is soaked."

"Damn..." Was the only word that echoed in Ayame's mind before he noticed her.

"Ayame, are you okay? You're kinda red in the face..." He asked with genuine concern.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I'm just a little out of shirt these days..." She huffed before she replayed her sentence in her head, "SHAPE. I mean, a little bit out of... shape."

Despite how oblivious Naruto had been to her thoughts before, he suddenly hit a nail on the head with his next question.

"Oh. Was it because I took my shirt off?"

Ayame, simply exasperated from this day, simply huffed, "I guess the cat's out of the bag."

"Yeah, well... you're the one who didn't wear pants last night."

"Touchè, Naruto. " She was just impressed at this point. He could definitely take it and dish it back, "You look good. I'm shocked that you don't have a bunch of fangirls following you everywhere."

"Nah, just one. Sometimes I have to tell her to stop jumping off rooftops, apparently."

Ayame couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, alright, mister funny man. Let's head back. And buy me some ice cream."

"I'm guessing I have no choice, considering that didn't sound like a request."

"You don't. And it's not."

As the playful pair continued bickering amongst themselves while walking out of the training area, unbeknownst to them, a young violet-haired kunoichi with lavender eyes watched on from the edge of the clearing by the bushes. There was a growing source of anxiety forming inside her, something that also felt familiar. She decided not to pursue the situation any more than she had, as she felt she may have seen enough for today. Besides, she knows how her over-thinking mind will just cause more stress for her.

Hinata Hyuuga simply sighed and walked back home.

*In a semi-crowded district in the Eastern part of Konoha*

"I didn't even know green tea ice cream was a thing."

"Oh yeah, they have a ton of flavors to choose from, most of which I've tried. I like to be adventurous with my taste buds... unlike someone I know."

"What?! I'm totally adventurous with my taste buds!"

"You literally order the same flavor ramen almost every time you come to Ichiraku's."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Well, that's different. Ichiraku's is more of a traditional thing for me."

"The only thing that's traditional around here is your taste buds." The vendor then passed two perfectly scooped cones of ice cream to the pair, both showing a light green color.

"Try it!" Encouraged Ayame as she took her first lick, "It's pretty good."

Naruto looked at the ice cream cone again before sticking his tongue out to take a lick. Before his tongue made contact, however, Naruto's nose and mouth had suddenly made full contact with the cold dairy snack as Ayame jerked his hand forward. She snickered and chuckled as Naruto separated his face from the cone, the bottom half of his face now covered in the melting cream.

"Jeez, eat much?" She teased as Naruto stared daggers at her. It didn't last long, however, as Naruto tasted the ice cream on his face and hummed in approval.

"Hey, it is pretty good!" He then continued to eat what was left of his ice cream, forgetting about the ice cream that was still dripping off his face. Ayame shook her head in amusement, smiling as she made sure to ask for extra napkins.

Naruto and Ayame then proceeded to head to Ayame's home, eating their ice cream along the way and throwing away the trash when they were finished. Once they arrived, Ayame stretched and yawned before giving Naruto a hug.

"Thanks again for everything, Naruto. For taking care of that guy, for the training, for staying over yesterday..."

Naruto smiled, "It's nothing, Ayame. You don't have to keep thanking me."

"Yes, I do." Ayame stated, "I won't forget the things that you did and continue to do for me. You're an amazing friend."

Naruto tried to humbly brush off her compliment as best as he could, "Ah, thank you, Ayame. You're an amazing friend yourself."

Ayame and Naruto stood there in silence for a while, both unsure of what else to say at this particular moment.

"I-In any case... I guess I'll be getting ready to head off to bed soon. You don't have to stay over again, I think I'll be okay tonight."

Naruto nodded, "Sure, Ayame. Are you going to work tomorrow?"

"Nah, I might just stay inside for the most part tomorrow. I have to do some cleaning anyway." She answered, noting that he probably asked so he could offer to walk her to work. She could even predict whenever Naruto was going to try to do something for her, and it was something that touched her heart.

"No worries, then. I guess I'll see you around?"

"Definitely. I know where you live, Naruto Uzumaki." Was Ayame's playful threat as she turned around to head inside.

"Okay, creepy stalker fan-girl." Naruto teased back. Ayame's response was nothing more than her sticking her tongue out at him before closing the door behind her. Naruto snickered before turning around to walk off.

After about a dozen or so steps, however, just as he turned a corner, he found that he was very suddenly and abruptly face to face with his pink-haired teammate. She seemed to be just as surprised as he was.

"O-Oh, hey, Naruto." Sakura greeted as she took a step back, "You're actually who I wanted to speak to."

To Naruto, this was another surprise. Sakura wanting to reach out to talk to him was something that came in rare occurence, to say the least.

"Uh, sure, Sakura. What's up?"

Sakura seemed to hesitate for a bit, "Well, it's a bit private so we'll have to go somewhere else. Do you mind coming over my house for a bit?"

And yet another surprise for Naruto. Not only had Naruto never even been to Sakura's house, despite how long they knew each other, but what could possibly be so private that she'd want to talk about it there, anyway?

Had Naruto not have gotten some endorphins flowing in the training with Ayame earlier, he might have struggled a lot more coming up with what to say.

"Um, y-yeah, sure."

Sakura noted his awkward body language and blushed, "D-Don't get any funny ideas, alright?! It's not like that, I just..." She facepalmed herself before grabbing a good portion of Naruto's jacket and began pulling him, forcing him to follow, "Just c'mon!"

"Alright, alright!"

Little did they know, Ayame watched from her bedroom window as Sakura walked off with Naruto. She squinted her eyes, a growing feeling of suspicion lingering about in her mind. She shook these thoughts off, of course, as she knew that friends were friends and it's all a part of life and developing relationships. There was simply no real reason for her to feel suspicious of anything.

Right?

"I better make some tea." She said to herself as she headed into the kitchen, making sure that she was going to use the rest of her night to get some good sleeping in, as opposed to being occupied with her overthinking mind.