A/N: Sorry this chapter took forever, it's exam season. :-P

The mess at the Hyuga compound was slowly getting cleaned as people were gathering the chunks and pieces of the roof, the walls and the furniture. Hiashi Hyuga, having had just finished a training session with Hanabi, was overlooking the clean up.

"Excuse me, Lord Hiashi…" A member of the clan council approached him.

"Yes?" Hiashi replied blankly.

" We had summoned a meeting the previous evening to discuss the situation and it has come to our attention that Lady Hinata is not in the premises. Why weren't we notified about that?"

"How do I know that one of you is not responsible for this?" Hiashi still didn't even look at him.

"That is absurd! Why would you come to such a conclusion?!" The man shouted angrily.

"You never hid your disappointment in my daughter. On top of that the guard who brought the explosive device inside the compound could not detect anything inside of the package because a protective seal was used to mask the content inside from the byakugan. The same seal we use for maintaining privacy in our compound. You have access to it."

"That might be true… but it is totally irrational…" The man lowered his voice.

Hiashi looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Explain."

"We all know that in order of taking the abilities of the byakugan from a Hyuga the one must be alive as the byakugan does not function anymore without chakra in the ones' body. This was an attempt to kill Lady Hinata, to add to the ridiculousness of your conclusion we already posses the byakugan…why would we want someone else's?"

Hiashi closed his eyes. "That is a valid point… unless you were stealing the byakugan for someone else."

"But if that person has an alliance with someone from the clan then they should know that the target must stay alive."

Hiashi faced the man. "You would rather kill her than let anyone get away with the byakugan."

"This discussion is a waste of time!" The man yelled in anger. "We must find Lady Hinata and bring her here were she will be guarded in the clan dojo with maximum protection."

"I already know of her whereabouts."

The man stared at Hiashi. "What? And when were you planning of telling us this?"

"I wasn't." Hiashi answered calmly.

"And why exactly?" The man was getting agitated.

"Didn't we just have a 'ridiculous' conversation about that?" Hiashi added walking away.

The man grunted and took a deep breath to calm his anger, shaking his head he walked away.

Hiashi walked over to the undamaged part of the training area and took a seat. Seconds later he was approached by Hanabi's caretaker and maid Natsu.

"Would you like some tea?" She placed the platter next to him.

"Thank you." He took a sip. "It is somewhat unusual as I'm used to Hinata making tea for me." Natsu was one of the people he trusted.

"Is it not good?" Natsu asked concerned.

"It is fine." He took another sip.

Natsu thought for a moment. "Speaking of Lady Hinata…will you allow me to ask you a question?" She asked quietly.

"Go ahead." Hiashi put the tea back on the platter.

"I've heard about who she's staying with. Do we trust the boy?"

Hiashi was quiet for a moment. "Take a seat. I will explain."

Natsu raised her brow in confusion but sat next to him.

"When Hinata was made a genin she was in her room with Hanabi, I was passing by just to hear about Hinata finding her mother's precious silver locket. I admit I stopped to listen for a moment to hear where she had placed it… I wanted to take a look at it as the locket was my gift to my late wife and I haven't seen it in a long time. I did not want to ask her to give it to me personally as I did not have a reason to take it other than to take a look at it. I thought Hinata would have found my behavior odd as I do not usually have any interest in anyone's possessions…"

Natsu listened carefully as he got to the point. "I went into her room and took it from beneath her pillow… the boy's picture was inside of it."

Natsu's eyes widened in shock and surprise. "I placed it back so I suggest you keep this between us."

"Yes." Natsu said quickly.

" I have made my daughter's life miserable in many ways, keeping her away from someone who makes her happy and someone who could possibly repair her mental state will help no one. He is an outcast, a jailor and most definitely not fitted for my daughter but Lord Hokage has trust in him so I have no choice but to trust him as well. Besides, no one would suspect him. "

"Yes…" Natsu agreed.

Naruto stirred in his sleep, sniffing the air his eyes snapped open at the smell of cooked food. He looked towards the kitchen only to see Hinata serving homemade ramen into a bowl making him drool.

"'Morning." He said quietly not to spook her.

Hinata looked up at his smiling face and returned the smile. "Good morning, sleepy head." She giggled.

"Did you make that?" He asked excitedly getting up and walking up to her. "That looks amazing!"

"Yes, I wanted to thank you for letting me stay s-so I decided to s-surprise you…" She pushed her fingers together.

"I told you already, no need to keep thanking me."He looked straight into her lilac orbs. "I love having you here…I've actually always wanted someone to wake up to…" He said timidly.

Her heart fluttered at his loving words.

"I'll go change and I'll be right back." He went to the bedroom to get his clothes but upon opening his closet his eyes widened when he saw his nicely folded clothes. "Did you fold my clothes?" He asked sheepishly. He got a giggle in response. He smiled and shook his head. "You know, I didn't bring you here to clean I brought you here to protect you."

"Well, if you won't clean who else will?" She giggled again.

"I'll clean! I'll do everything! You're the guest, you're not supposed to do that!" Now dressed he went back into the kitchen.

After they finished their breakfast Naruto patted his full belly. "Man, that was good! I bet you could even make vegetables taste delicious!" He grinned at her.

She giggled. "Well I guess we could add those to our grocery list then."

He blinked at her. "Fine…" He rolled his eyes playfully.

And speaking of groceries, that's where they we headed next. Getting ready and locking the apartment they made their way towards the supermarket.

But they weren't the only ones. After grabbing a basket Sakura went down the aisles looking for what her mom told her to buy. A few minutes later she heard a familiar laugh. Peeking from behind the shelf she was next to she saw Naruto and Hinata with an almost full basket. Looking at the aisle with shelves full of jars Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I guess finding what you need among all of these jars would be quite a pickle, huh? He joked earning a cute laugh from Hinata and a smile from Sakura whom they were unaware of. She wanted to say hi but quickly changed her mind remembering their last conversation.

"Yeah, it's jarring isn't it?" He continued the joke. Hinata almost dropped the basket after her knees buckled from laughing. Naruto grabbed the basket. "I got it." He smiled at her enjoying her adorable laugh.

After they got what they needed they paid and headed back home. After sorting out the groceries Naruto sat on the couch and sighed.

"Well, this is our last day off…what do you wanna do?"

Hinata leaned against the kitchen table looking at him. "I don't know…" She replied.

Naruto looked around trying to think of something, his gaze stopped at the plants in his kitchen. Then he remembered that Hinata said she liked gardening so he got an idea.

"Well…I guess I could use some more plants to brighten up the place a bit. We could go around some flower shops?"

She smiled. "Sounds fun."

And off to the shops they went.

Meanwhile, some other ninja were on those same streets. Asuma and Kurenai were sitting in a bar they frequently visited having some sake and enjoying the peace as they both just finished training with their teams. The two liked each other's company. Asuma even restrained himself from smoking when he was around Kurenai.

"…They've been making amazing progress. Ino isn't as frustrated about not having Sasuke on her team as before and their teamwork has gotten better." Their conversation continued. Asuma took a sip of sake. "How are things with your team going?"

Kurenai sighed after a big gulp of her drink. She put the dish down and pinched the tip of her nose in frustration.

"Sakura has been…quieter lately…"

"Considering her constant yelling at Naruto, isn't that a good thing?"Asuma asked confused.

"I suppose it should be but…I think something has happened that I don't know about that put out some of the fire she had in her before. Whatever it is she won't tell me abou-" Kurenai stopped mid sentence as something caught her eye.

Asuma raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked in the direction she was looking. Walking down the street were Naruto and Hinata, both eating an ice cream and walking hand in hand.

Kurenai's breath caught in her throat. She knew about Hinata's crush on the blonde but the sight still very much surprised her. However, there was something else that caught her attention.

"Ice cream? Shouldn't they be training for a make-up exam?"

Asuma's hand froze right before the cup touched his lips. He looked at her in surprise.

"Wait, you hadn't heard? Kakashi passed them."

Her head snapped towards him. "You're kidding?!"

"No, it's true." He took the sip as his hand unfroze.

"But he's never passed a team before. Looks like there is something about those three."

Asuma chuckled lightly. "Could you imagine what a scandal would it be if the Uchiha genius and the Hyuga heiress hadn't passed?"

Kurenai sighed and shook her head. "I need another drink."

After finishing their ice cream the two began picking out plants. Looking at all the colors and shapes of the leaves and buds, Hinata made sure to pick a plant that didn't require too much maintenance. Naruto on the other hand was curiously looking around the plants, he actually wanted Hinata to pick out the ones she liked the most. He looked at her to see if she had picked anything, she bended over to smell a big, bright red flower but taking a sniff she made a face and straightened quickly. She shook her head making her indigo locks sway and then put her hand over her nose.

He laughed at her making her jump. She blushed in embarrassment and pushed her fingers together. After he stopped laughing Naruto walked over to the flower and took a curious sniff himself. Pulling away he looked at her.

"Agh! That freakin' stinks!" He laughed again.

"I know…I-it smells like…like…um…" Hinata's blush faded as she tried to recognize the peculiar smell.

Naruto thought for a moment and took another sniff. "It smells like rotten onions." He grinned at her sheepishly.

She blinked then laughed at the randomness of the comment.

"So which ones do you like?"He smiled at her.

"M-me?" She gave him a startled blush.

"Yeah, I could use some uh…'feminine touches' in my apartment." He chuckled.

After the plants found their new home Naruto and Hinata needed to find what to do next. Sitting at the kitchen table with his hand under his chin he looked at her.

"Should we go train?"

"Sure." She nodded.

Even though they went in and out of the apartment all day they got out once again and made their way towards the training ground.

"So what do you want to work on?"

"Well…maybe I could spar against some of your clones?"

"Sure! And I need you to help me with chakra control. I suck at it…"

"You are not that bad at it, Naruto…"

"Please, don't sugar coat it Hinata…remember the tree walking we did in the Land of waves?

"I do! It wasn't that bad, really…"

Flashback:

"What are we doin' here Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked confused. After they made sure the thugs weren't around Kakashi took them to a woodsy area nearby.

"Now, we are going to learn about chakra control. "

"Huh? But didn't we already learn all that at the academy?" Naruto asked annoyed.

"You only learned the basic about chakra. You never learned how to properly control it." Kakashi explained. "Now, what is chakra exactly?" He looked at his students.

"It's the thing we use in jutsu, right?" Naruto scratched his cheek.

"Yes, but in definition?"

"M-may I, sensei?" Hinata shyly raised her hand.

Kakashi gave her his one eyed smile. "Go ahead."

"Chakra is essential to even the most basic techniques. Through various m-methods, the most common of which are hand seals, chakra can be controlled and manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as exhaling fire, or c-creating illusions. Chakra is ordinarily not visible to the human eye unless it is manifested in large amounts." Hinata explained.

"Excellent." Kakashi looked at her proudly.

Naruto smiled at her. "I don't know if it's because I like your voice or what but I understood every word of that."

She looked at him and her blush increased.

"I guess she should be the one to explain things to you then." Kakashi added making her blush even more.

"So, are we doing what I think we're doing?" Sasuke asked lamely.

"If you're thinking about climbing a tree then you're right."

"Hn."

"Climbing… a tree?" Naruto was even more confused now.

"Yes… But without using your hands."

" How are we supposed to do that?"

"Like this." Kakashi made a hand sign then walked up to a tree placing his foot on it, horizontally walking up the tree.

"Woah…" Naruto watched in amazement as Kakashi walked back down. "What do I do?" He asked excitedly.

"First concentrate your chakra to the bottom of your feet then just walk up the tree."

"Heh! Piece of cake!" Naruto made a hand sign then molded chakra into his feet but after two steps up the tree he landed on his rear. " What the…Ow!"

"Hn…loser." Sasuke gave it a try himself but after five steps his feet slipped off of the tree. He landed smoothly next to Naruto who was still on his rear.

"Hmph!" Naruto crossed his arms and turned away.

"Use a kunai to mark your highest point, then try to make it above that point over and over until you get to the top."

"Easier said than done…" Naruto got up on his feet.

"Oh, really? And I thought it was a 'piece of cake'. " Sasuke mocked him.

Naruto growled at his rival and started to concentrate his chakra again. After a dozen of failed attempts Naruto was on his rear again. His highest point was a few feet higher while Sasuke had made it to almost the third of the tree.

"Well I hope he's doing worse than…huh?" He looked around." Hinata?"

"Up h-here!" She cried out shyly.

Naruto and Sasuke looked above their heads to find Hinata sitting on the highest branch of the tree. She gave them a timid wave.

"Woah! Hinata you're awesome!"

Kakashi nodded proudly. "Just as I expected. Hyugas are known to have excellent chakra control."

"Well done, Hinata." Kakashi smiled at her under his mask. "You can rest now, but the two of you will have to keep tying until you get to the top." He said looking at Naruto and Sasuke.

She blushed and smoothly walked back down. "Y-yes."

Naruto walked over to her. "Hey, can you help me out? Please…" He whispered.

She twiddled her fingers. "Well…y-you do not need to use a lot of c-chakra, and you need to c-calm down. Being angry will not help you, it will only affect your chakra flow…try to r-relax."

"Ok. Thanks Hinata, you rock!" He grinned at her then ran back to his tree.

After Hinata's advice Naruto had almost climbed higher than Sasuke. His rival didn't like that but as he was about to approach Hinata and ask her what she told him one of the workers from the bridge ran up to them telling them that somebody spotted a few of the thugs. So Kakashi had to put their training on hold.

End of flashback.

But now they could finally continue it. After getting to the training ground and sparing for an hour the two were resting on the grass next to the three wooden stumps. Naruto turned his head towards her.

"Hey, how about you help me now?"

"Ok." She got up. "And I know the perfect way, come on."

She led him to a nearby river. "This is a perfect chakra control exercise for you, my… father taught it to me. "

She made a hand sign and calmly walked over to the river. Taking a step onto the water she began walking on its' very surface like it was only ground. Naruto looked at her in amazement.

"How…you're…you can do that?! Can you teach me?" He said in a hopeful voice.

She smiled at him. "Of course. All you have to do is to concentrate your chakra to the bottom of your feet, and relax just like I told you."

"Ok!" He made a hand sigh and his eyes closed in concentration for a few seconds, when they opened he took a step on the water. He was surprised that it felt solid so he took another step, and another, and another and then he ran up to her and grabbed her around her waist, lifted her up and spun her around.

"Woohoo! I did it! Thanks a bunch, Hinata!"

He let her go and her knees buckled as her blush reached her neck making her almost loose her balance. "Y-you a-are w-welcome…" She stammered out.

After a long cheerful walk they were half way back to their apartment. After Hinata's stomach rumbled she fidgeted her fingers in embarrassment earning a laugh from her crush.

"You hungry?" He smiled pointing his thump towards Ichiraku. She nodded shyly and he grabbed her hand dragging her inside greeting a few of his favorite people.

"So you were training?" Teuchi asked giving him another bowl.

"Yep! Hinata just taught me how to walk on water!"

"That's great. She's pretty cool, isn't she?" Ayame winked at Hinata who turned tomato red. The tomato red went to beet red as she felt Naruto's fingers intertwine with hers.

"Yeah!" His grin was replaced with a soft honest smile. "Thanks for always being there for me." He said softly as he lifted her hand towards his lips kissing the back of it.

Her eyes became watery and she gave him a bright smile. "Always…"

Finishing their meal they headed back home. Brushing their teeth together again they got ready for bed.

Tucking her in he wished her good night and walked to his couch. She nuzzled her face in the pillow suppressing a squeal of happiness. This was the best day ever. Hearing him start to snore she calmed herself and quickly fell asleep… not knowing that a nightmare was about to ruin her slumber…or will it?