The Shinobi of the Stone
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything even Naruto-ish. You all know who does own it, Kishimoto Masashi.
A/N: Woo hoo hoo! Chapter two is coming up! I'd just like to thank all the people that have reviewed, and say please continue doing that! The chapters should be longer than I normally write (in Microsoft Word™ it is about seven pages) because I don't update this story very much. I also realized that this story has no good summary, because the plot is nothing special…I need to think of a plot twist…hmm…while I do that, though, Please R&R!!!
"…" Denotes speech
Italics Denotes thought
Bold Italics Denotes Kyuubi/Inner Sakura
Bold Denotes sound effects
Certain Sounds:
GOOMPH! Means fainting
DOONG! Means shock. Just something that I like to do.
::blah:: Denotes time/time change
------------- Denotes scene/scene change
######### Denotes daydreams and sleeping dreams
Chapter 2: Results and Inspection
------------------------Hyuga Residence, Neji's Room----------------------
"Where is it?" Neji asked himself, rifling through his stuff.
"Wow, your room is so nice, Neji-kun," Tenten said, exploring.
"Where did I put it…" Neji said. "BYAKUGAN!" He immediately went to a as of yet unopened chest and opened it. "Aha! I got it!"
"That's great, Neji-kun!" Tenten exclaimed. His door slid open and Hiashi walked in.
"Greetings, Hyuga-sama," Neji said, bowing.
"Neji, the branch and main families are leaving, so you must find a different place to lodge," Hiashi said.
"What? Where are they going?" Neji asked.
"Last night I was attacked by Shinobi from an unknown village. We have to go find where they are from," Hiashi said.
"Oh…" Neji said. "And I can't stay here by myself?"
"No. They have a possibility of coming back, and I do not want the one graced with most talent in the Hyuga clan to perish, now do I?" Hiashi asked, smiling.
"Yes sir!" Neji said, bowing his head.
"Well, when you have lodging you should inform me and the head of the branch family. You may carry on," Hiashi said, and he left. Neji looked around his room a bit more.
"Nothing here, Tenten. What's the next thing we should look for?" Neji asked.
"Ah…hmm, I have a precious gem at my house. It's my mother's," Tenten said. She was slightly distracted as she said this, because she was thinking about Neji. More specifically, she was thinking about Neji staying in her home. If only Neji would agree and if her parents would accept…
"Then let's go," Neji said. "Lead the way."
"Right," Tenten said, snapping back to reality. They sped away.
---------------------Kiba and Shino----------------------
DING-DONG!
"Yes?" a man answered.
"Excuse me, do you have a precious gem and or a precious artifact?" Kiba asked. Akamaru barked excitedly.
"And why would I tell you if I did?" the man asked suspiciously. Kiba held up his scavenger hunt list.
"We just need you to sign here if you have it, for this scavenger hunt we're doing," Kiba said.
"Aren't you guys a little old to be doing scavenger hunts?" the man asked. Kiba clenched his fists suddenly.
"Yes! It's our stupid sensei's fault that we're doing one! ARGGHHHH!!!" Kiba cried out in frustration.
"Ah…okay. I have a rare plant if you'd like to see it," the man said.
"Really?" Shino asked. "I would love to see it."
"Okay, right this way," the man said. Kiba and Shino followed the man to a weird huge plant.
"Hmm…" Shino said. Kiba offered the man the list.
"Can you sign it?" He asked.
"Sure," the man answered while Shino studied the plant.
"Why do you keep looking at it?" Kiba asked.
"Here," the man said. He looked at his plant. "OH MY GOODNESS!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY PRECIOUS PRECIOUS PLANT?!!!" he suddenly screamed. The reason for this outburst was the mere fact that thousands of Shino's bugs were crawling all over it.
"Don't worry, he's from the Aburame clan. The bugs aren't hurting the plant, right?" Kiba asked.
"I don't think so," Shino answered.
"YOU DON'T THINK SO?!!! OUT!! OUT!! AND TAKE THOSE PESTS WITH YOU!!!" the man screamed in fury. Uh oh, Kiba thought.
"Pests?" Shino asked. "Did you call my bugs pests?"
"Ah…Shino, don't get too worked up over this, I'm sure he meant no harm!" Kiba anxiously said. Shino's bugs began to crawl back to Shino, and the plant was in fact unharmed.
"YES!! NOW LEAVE!!!" the man shouted, not noticing his intact plant. Shino leaned closer and the bugs advanced upon the man.
"AHHH!!! G-GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!!" the man suddenly cried in horror.
"Do you want to feel the wrath of my bugs? Or wait, did you call them pests?"
"NOO!! TH-THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL BUGS!!! I BOW TO THEIR BEAUTY!!" the man cried again, in abject terror.
"That's more like it," Shino said, and the bugs crawled back to him and went into his skin. "Let's go, Kiba," he ordered.
"Right behind ya!" Kiba said, and he looked at the man who was breathing heavily. At least he didn't do anything this time… Kiba thought. The man calmed down and noticed his plant intact. His face brightened.
"What was so darn special about that plant, anyways?" Kiba asked.
"Oh, nothing. But it was rare, I was just seeing if it could have any useful purpose besides this scavenger hunt," Shino replied.
"Okay…well, let's go to the next house now that we've got number two down," Kiba said. They knocked at the next door.
-------------------------Sakura and Lee------------------------
------------------A Novelty Store in Konoha----------------
Sakura landed in front of the store lightly. She could not see Lee anywhere, but she had a map of Japan and the hideous pink gem she had received for her birthday.
"Ohh, but it's so cute!" her mom had told her. "Sasuke-kun will definitely recognize you if you wear this!" It was so, so darn ugly!! My mother knows no fashion at all! She thought. She waited. Lee still did not arrive. Lee wouldn't not keep his promise…maybe he's inside, still buying stuff. Sakura went inside. Indeed, Lee was at the counter, and it could be seen that he was arguing quite viciously with the clerk.
"But I need it!!" Lee shouted as Sakura came over. "Oh, Sakura-san!"
"I don't care, you still cannot buy it," the clerk said.
"Sakura-san, tell him how much we need this poster!" Lee said, and showed Sakura the poster of Come Come Paradise The Movie. It had a slightly suggesting picture on it, with a scantily clad female running away from a guy towards a palm tree on a beach.
"You must be 18 years or older to buy this, I'm sorry, that's the rules," the clerk said.
"No! It cannot be!!" Lee cried. Sakura patted his back. She turned to the clerk.
"We really have to be 18 years old to buy a poster?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm really sorry, but it's the rules," the clerk replied.
"But we need it for a scavenger hunt by our sensei," Sakura said, putting on her cutest smile.
"No, I'm sorry miss, but I'd get fired if I sold you it," the clerk said. Sakura's smile turned into a pout.
"Rats," she said, turning to Lee. Suddenly someone shouted.
"Why if it isn't huge-forehead girl!" Sakura turned around to see Chouji and Ino walking in to the store.
"What are you here for, Ino pig?" Sakura asked.
"Hmmph! Well, if you must know, we're getting item five," Ino said.
"You can't get it. They won't sell you it," Sakura said.
"Ha! They won't sell it to you, forehead, but they will to me!" Ino said. She grabbed the poster that Sakura had been holding and went up to the clerk.
"Hi, I would like to purchase this poster," Ino said in the most seductive tone she could manage. Chouji, meanwhile, was looking at the food in the food aisle. ("Need more BBQ potato chips if I'm to last this long with Ino," he said)
"I'm sorry, but you must be 18 years or older to purchase this poster," the clerk said.
"But I," here Ino winked "Am 18 years old."
"I'm sorry miss, but I already have a girlfriend. Do you have an ID?" the clerk asked. Sakura, meanwhile, was laughing with her hand over her mouth. Ino's jaw hit the counter. She quickly recovered, however, and replied sheepishly that she didn't. She walked over.
"Darn that clerk! I need to buy a stupid poster!" Ino said, sulking. Chouji came up.
"Oh? Did you get it?" he asked.
"NO!" Ino bellowed. Chouji backed away and, mumbling an apology. Where's Shikamaru when you need him? He asked himself. Kiba and Shino suddenly entered the store.
"Hey, it's a party!" Kiba said. "What are you guys doing?"
"Trying to buy item five," Ino said.
"Well, too bad for you, we've got it already," Kiba said. "I just need to buy a pencil and pen."
"WHAT?!! HOW DID YOU GET ONE?!!!" Ino shouted, rushing over and grabbing Kiba's jacket by the collar. Akamaru yipped in anger and fear for his partner. "TELL ME!!" she shouted, shaking Kiba who was saying something unintelligible.
"Ino! He can't tell you if you're killing him!" Sakura said. She wanted to know how too, and she didn't want Kiba dead. Ino stopped.
"Well?" she asked.
"Number five? I asked someone for it," Kiba said.
"Actually, he meant a different number. We haven't retrieved number five," Shino said.
"Oh yeah, you're right Shino! I was looking at the list incorrectly," Kiba said, studying it more thoroughly.
"IDIOT!" Ino said, slapping Kiba on the face. SLAP!! Akamaru growled at Ino.
"Ouch!! What was that for?" Kiba asked contemptuously, rubbing his sore face.
"For lying!" Ino said.
"So it is impossible to get number five?" Shino asked. Lee nodded.
"Yes, they won't sell it to someone who is under 18," Lee said.
"I'll get it!" Kiba said, and he grabbed the poster that Ino had and went to the register. "Clerk, I'd like to get this!" he said loudly, annoying people and drawing glares.
"Are you over 18?" the clerk asked.
"YES!" Kiba shouted, almost reveling in the fact.
"Do you have ID?"
"YES!" Kiba said, and he brought out a card.
"No way!! I didn't know Kiba was over 18!!" Sakura said.
"Okay, I guess you are over 18. That'll be 1000 yen," the clerk said.
"HAHAHA!" Kiba roared in laughter. More people glared and one person even shouted, "Throw him out! He's so rude!"
"Yeah, read the sign!"
"Stupid!"
"HEY YOU GUYS! SHUT UP!!" Kiba roared. Suddenly the clerk pointed to the sign.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot sell you this poster," he said.
"EH?!! Why?!!" Kiba asked.
"Read the sign," the clerk ordered, and pointed to a sign. It read: All Customers that roar in laughter and are a general disturbance to the public are not allowed to buy items from this store. Kiba's jaw dropped in surprise and his eyes bulged.
"Are you jo-joking me?" he asked, more calm.
"No," the clerk said. Kiba walked back dejected.
"Idiot!!!" Sakura hissed.
"Kiba, that was very unwise," Shino said.
"Jeez, who'd have known they have a rule like that," Kiba said. The door slid open and Sasuke entered.
"Sasuke-kun! Over here!" Sakura cried, waving. What are they doing here? Sasuke asked himself. He slowly walked over.
"Why are you guys wasting time here?" Sasuke asked. "Especially you, Lee, I would have thought you would be running everywhere to get items you need."
"Well, I can't buy the Come Come Paradise Poster, so there's no point in continuing," Lee sighed. "We lose already."
"Why not?" Sasuke asked.
"Because you need to be 18 years or older, Sasuke-kun!" Ino said very nicely.
"That's a dumb rule. Oh well, might as well leave and tell Shikamaru to stop," Sasuke said. He turned to leave.
"Wait! Sasuke-kun! I'd bet they wouldn't even ask you for ID if you tried to buy it!" Ino said, desperate to have Sasuke to stay. He kept on walking.
"Yeah, and I heard Naruto and Hinata already got one!" Sakura said, knowing that this would definitely make Sasuke try to get one. Sasuke stopped walking.
"Naruto…he got one?" he asked.
"Yes!" Ino said. Sasuke walked back and took the poster from Kiba.
"Yes?" the clerk asked.
"I'd like to purchase this poster," Sasuke said.
"Oh? Okay," the clerk said. "That'll be 1000 yen."
"You can put it on this," Sasuke said, taking out a limited edition Uchiha™ credit card.
"Oh, so you're the last survivor of the Uchiha clan!" the clerk said.
"Yeah, so?" Sasuke said.
"That means…your Uchiha Sasuke, right?"
"Yeah?"
"That means you're under 18. I'm sorry, I cannot sell you this," the clerk said. He gave the card back. Sasuke walked back to Sakura and the rest of them.
"How did Naruto do it? No one would believe he's 18, and I know he can't actually be 18," Sasuke asked. Sakura squirmed.
"Uh…I don't know, he just showed me the poster that he had…" Sakura lied.
"Maybe he took it by force…" Sasuke suggested. No one answered. Suddenly Naruto and Hinata entered the store.
"Hey, everyone's here!" Naruto said. "Hello everyone!" he waved. Hinata waved too, a rare smile on her face. They walked to a different section of the store.
"Woah! Did you see that?" Sakura asked.
"See what?" Chouji asked, eating the potato chips he had bought.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked.
"I did!" Ino replied.
"What what?!!" Lee asked, a fire behind his eyes.
"Hinata-chan!" Sakura and Ino replied at once.
"What about Hinata?" Kiba asked.
"Did you see how happy she was? And she didn't look like she was noticing anything around her!" Sakura said.
"Maybe they're on their last item!" Kiba suggested.
"You should know her better than that," Shino said. "It probably has to do with something else, unrelated to this scavenger hunt."
"Perhaps with…Naruto?" Sakura asked. She knew how many times Hinata had watched him from the background, how much of a crush she had on Naruto. She liked to compare it with her love with Sasuke, though only privately would she make this comparison.
"What would that brat have to do with anything?" Sasuke asked.
"Oh Sasuke, you don't understand anything about love!" Ino said. "And that just makes you even cuter!♥"
"?" Sasuke asked.
"Hey, they're back!" Kiba said, and Naruto and Hinata were at the counter buying something that was rolled up.
"Is that?" Sakura asked. It seemed that only she and Ino knew that Naruto really didn't have the poster.
"It must be!" Ino exclaimed.
"Great!" the clerk said. He put the item in a cardboard tube. "Thanks for shopping with us today." Naruto laughed and put his hands behind his head, carrying the cardboard tube with his right hand over his head, and it seemed he was chatting lightly with Hinata.
"Hey! Dobe!!" Sasuke called out.
"Hmm?" Naruto asked.
"Over here, idiot!" Sakura said.
"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said. "What do you want?"
"We want to know how you bought the Come Come Paradise Poster if you're not 18," Sasuke asked.
"Aha! Trying to cheat I see! Tsk tsk tsk, Sasuke-kun I didn't think you were that helpless, heh heh," Naruto said. He began to walk away.
"Wait!" Sakura cried. "We really want to know!" Naruto paused.
"Well…if Sakura-chan really wants to know…"
"Tell us already!" Kiba demanded.
"Please, Naruto," Ino begged. "I don't want to do this any longer than I have to."
"Yeah, Naruto," Chouji said while chomping down on a potato chip.
"Well…someone actually gave it to me…" Naruto admitted.
"Who? Who?" Ino asked.
"Well, first I asked Kakashi-sensei to give me one of his several dozen he owns, but he refused saying I'd get them dirty and torn. Next, I tried to buy one, but they said I had to be 18 years old, and neither Hinata-chan nor I are 18."
"Will you get to the poster part?!!" Kiba demanded.
"Hey you dog lover!! Hold on!!" Naruto shouted. Akamaru baked at Naruto.
"You tell him, Akamaru!" Kiba said. Naruto ignored Kiba and continued.
"So I went to my last resort, though it was pretty hard to find "that" guy," Naruto said.
"Who is it?" Sakura asked.
"Oh, it's the Ero-Sennin, Jiraiya," Naruto said.
"Whaaaaaaa-? You personally know a Sennin?!!" Kiba asked, shocked.
"It's true that it would seem very unlikely," Shino said.
"And since he's the one who writes Come Come Paradise, he gave me a free poster!" Naruto finished. "Though I had to trick him using the Sexy no Jutsu…"
"Idiot!" Sakura said. "You did Sexy no Jutsu in front of a girl?!!!" She raised her fist. Hinata seemed to snap out of her daze that no one knew why she was in.
"N-no! Naruto-kun told me to close my eyes and look away!" Hinata said hurriedly, not wanting any harm to Naruto to come to pass.
"Really?" Sakura said. She had once – only once – seen Naruto's "Sexy no Jutsu" and had regretted it the month after. She still got nightmares from it. "Okay, well I'm glad to see you're getting smarter, Naruto." She lowered her fist.
"Well, if that's it, I'm going to the ninja academy because that's our last item!" Naruto said, and he left with Hinata.
"He knows a Sennin…and that Sennin wrote Come Come Paradise…" Kiba said. "Unbelievable that Naruto would have contacts like that!"
"Curse him!" Sasuke said. His face was in the form of a death glare.
"Sasuke…who's your partner?" Chouji asked. He stuffed his hand into the bag and ate.
"Shikamaru. Oh darn it, I was going to meet him at the bridge. I guess I'll go tell him that it's useless, now." Sasuke left as Ino and Sakura had no more ideas on how to get him to stay.
"What should we all do?" Sakura asked.
"Probably just go to the ninja academy and say we couldn't get the poster. Then maybe we'll go home for the day and they'll dismiss us," Shino said.
"Yeah, good idea," Kiba said. "Darn that Naruto!!" he cursed as they left the store.
-----------------Tenten and Neji at Tenten's house-----------------
"Oh, hi Ten-chan!" someone that Neji could only assume was Tenten's mom said. "And who is this? Oh wait, it's Neji-kun from the Hyuga clan!" She's seems really happy, Neji said. Oh well, better to have happy parents, I guess. "Tenten has told me all about you!"
"Mom!!" Tenten whined. She didn't want Neji to think that's all she said once she reached home.
"Don't be shy Ten-chan. She speaks so highly of you, I know you must be thenumber one ninja in Konoha," Tenten's mom kept talking, just embarrassing Tenten even more. Tenten coughed. It didn't work.
"Tenten is quite talented too," Neji said, clearly whishing to get off the topic of himself.
"Oh, I know you're just saying that!" Tenten's mom said.
"MOM!!!" Tenten shouted.
"Yes? What is it, Ten-chan?"
"We have a reason why we're here. We need to borrow your necklace with the precious gem on it," Tenten said.
"Why?"
"Because we're doing a scavenger hunt, mom."
"Oh, okay." Tenten's mom took off her necklace and gave it to Tenten. "You know, I've always thought scavenger hunts were really fun!"
"Thank you, mom," Tenten said, and she pushed Neji out the door.
"You can come back anytime!" her mom said.
"You go, Neji, to the store, and I'll catch up," Tenten said. "I just need to ask my mom something."
"Nn," Neji agreed, and he left.
"Mother?" Tenten asked, coming back.
"What is it, Ten-chan?"
"If Neji needs a place to stay for a while…"
"Yes, Ten-chan, he can stay here."
"Thank you mom!" Tenten said, and he left.
--------------------The bridge--------------------
"I wonder where Sasuke went? Why would he take so long?" Shikamaru asked himself. He had been waiting for a while now. "Maybe someone attacked him along the way. If that's the case, I should probably go help him." He thought for a while. "Nah, anyone that Sasuke can't handle, I as sure as heck can't." He lay down on the bridge and watched the clouds pass by overhead. "This is so much better than going on a silly scavenger hunt." The clouds passed by, and a few people crossing the bridge looked at him curiously, but nothing major happened.
"Oi, Shikamaru," Sasuke said, coming. Finally, Shikamaru said. He didn't bother to get up; he felt he deserved to lie on the ground a bit longer.
"Well? What took you so long? I don't really care, though," Shikamaru asked.
"I couldn't buy the poster and that darn Naruto got one!" Sasuke grumbled.
"Oh?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah, apparently you have to be 18 years or older to get one, but Naruto got one from the author of Come Come Paradise itself," Sasuke said.
"Hmm, I didn't know Naruto knew people like that," Shikamaru said.
"Yeah he also said…hey maybe we can steal one from Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke said.
"Steal from a jounin? That's way to trouble some," Shikamaru said. "It's better to just lose. It's not like it matters, anyways," Shikamaru said. Suddenly Sasuke descended upon him and grabbed his collar. He had an evil glint in his eye.
"I…must…beat…Naruto…" he growled. "Let's go." He released Shikamaru and started walking towards Konoha.
"Jeez, his competitive spirit is too much. How bothersome," Shikamaru said, sighing. He followed Sasuke.
--------------------------Kakashi's House---------------------------
"Shh!" Sasuke hissed at Shikamaru as they entered through an unlocked window. Shikamaru mentally sighed. I didn't actually make any noise… he grumbled to himself.
"This is too easy," Sasuke whispered. "Sharingan!" he hissed, and looked about for traps. He saw no telltale charkra signs that would reveal a trap.
"Okay, Shikamaru, take one of those posters carefully. If we rip one, Kakashi-sensei may not forgive us," Sasuke ordered.
"Why me?? Why don't you get it?" Shikamaru said.
"Just do it!" Sasuke hissed. Shikamaru took out the cardboard tube that Sasuke had brought to put the poster in. Jeez, Sasuke must know a lot about Kakashi. I don't know that much about Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru thought. Perhaps it's more of a fear factor than anything else. Shikamaru finished un-tacking a poster and he rolled it up carefully and put it in a tube. BREEE!! BREEE! BREEE! Suddenly an alarm went off.
"Theft in progress…theft in progress…" a mechanical voice droned. Heavy metal shades slammed in front of the windows and doors. BAM! BAM! BAM! They were trapped.
"I told you this wasn't a good idea," Shikamaru said.
"Darn that Naruto!" Sasuke swore. POOF! Kakashi suddenly appeared.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke exclaimed.
"Hey, you guys shouldn't be stealing other people's property," Kakashi said.
"But we needed to finish the scavenger hunt…" Sasuke started.
"Fool, it's already over. I won," Kakashi said.
"Alright, then let's go home," Shikamaru said.
"You still need to go to the ninja academy where everyone is waiting. Step on the window sill and I'll see you there," Kakashi said. POOF! He disappeared.
"So it was a Kage Bunshin," Sasuke said. One heavy metal shade opened.
"Oh yeah, we should probably leave this here," Shikamaru realized, and he dropped the cardboard tube onto the desk.
"Let's go," Sasuke sighed. He and Shikamaru stepped on the window sill.
-----------------------Ninja Academy----------------
"Boom," Kakashi said.
"What was what?" Gai asked. BOOOM!!
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" came a loud cry. Everyone looked up and Shikamaru and Sasuke were flying through the air, their clothes on fire. BAAAAAAM!!! They landed on the ground.
"Owww…" Sasuke moaned.
"Oh!! Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Ino and Sakura asked, running towards the prone figure of Sasuke. Chouji and Naruto looked at Shikamaru.
"Oi! Are you gonna live?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah…" Shikamaru said, and he stood up shakily.
"Get off me!" Sasuke shouted. "Jeez, I can stand up by myself."
"But you might hurt yourself!" Ino said.
"Ino, let him get up by himself if he wants," Chouji told her, munching on (you guessed it!) some potato chips.
"Yeah, we should…" Sakura said. She stepped back and Sasuke stood up and brushed himself off.
"So who won?" Neji asked. He and Tenten had also been thwarted at the poster.
"I did," Kakashi said.
"YES!!!" Rock Lee shouted. "Even if I did not win, Gai-sensei winning is the next best thing!!! Yosh, I'm happy!!" He pumped his fist in joy.
"That's right!! I told you guys I would win!!" Gai said, flashing his teeth. Everybody except for Rock Lee sweat-dropped.
"Liar!!" Naruto shouted.
"What?" Kakashi asked.
"Kakashi-sensei, I got here first with Hinata-chan!! Hinata, tell Kakashi that he arrived after us!!" Naruto shouted.
"Idiot!! Don't we trust Kakashi-san more than you?!!" Kiba shouted.
"Bu-but it's true…" Hinata said.
"See?" Naruto said in triumph. "Hinata-chan knows what she's talking about!"
"Hinata-chan, is it true?" Kurenai asked.
"Y-yes, Kakashi-san actually did arrive after us…" Hinata said.
"Really?" Kakashi answered. "I don't remember seeing you guys."
"That's because your left eye is always covered up!!" Naruto shouted in fury. "Don't be dumb!"
"Oi, it's true. How bout we compare the quality of our items to see who's the real winner then?" Kakashi said.
"Great idea!!" Gai shouted. "With our superior items, we are sure to win!!"
"And if they don't, I will do one thousand pushups!" Rock Lee declared.
"That's my student!" Naruto and Kakashi took out the items.
"Well, we can disregard all items except two and three and five, because they're all the same anyways," Kakashi said.
"Why five?" Naruto asked.
"Why because no one can beat me on five!!" he declared, and he suddenly whipped out his huge 5 feet by 3 feet poster.
"So? I have one signed by the author of Come Come Paradise," Naruto said, and he brought out his poster that Jiraiya had signed ("You can have an extra special one!" he had declared).
"What??!!!" Gai shouted, his jaw dropping. "No! It cannot be!"
"Don't worry; this one is signed by the main actress herself!" Kakashi proudly declared. "So we're even on the poster. What have you got for two and three, then?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes!! We cannot lose here!! Look at my special Gem of Eternal Youth that burns with the fire of everlasting youthfulness!!!" Gai shouted, and he brought out his gem that no one knew he had nor wore (except Rock Lee). It was blue, and you could barely make out a little orange in it that sparkled when the sun hit it and seemed to be a roaring fire inside.
"YESSS!!" Rock Lee shouted. "The Gem of Eternal Youth saves the day again!!" There was fire in his eyes.
"Ha!! Items two and three in one package!!" Gai taunted.
"So? I've got this," Naruto said, and he unzipped his jacket and showed his necklace, the necklace of the first Hokage.
"What's that ugly thing?" Sasuke asked.
"Idiot!" Naruto shouted. "This is the first Hokage's necklace!!! It is super duper rare!!! It obviously beats that silly gem!" Naruto pointed towards the Gem of Eternal Youth that Gai just a minute ago had been flaunting.
"Hmm," Kakashi said.
"Where did you get that, idiot? You must have stolen it," Sasuke said.
"NO I DIDN'T!!! I WON IT FAIR AND SQUARE!" Naruto shouted. "Tsunade obaa-san gave it to me, so there!" Naruto stuck out his tongue.
"T-that must be a fake!" Gai said shakily, recovering from his initial shock.
"No, it's not!" Naruto declared. "So I win the hunt!!"
"Since when did Naruto have these types of things?" Ino asked. "I always thought he was a first rate stupid brat type of ninja."
"Well, he's gotten better," Sakura said.
"Don't ever underestimate him!" Kiba declared. "Still, I hate that he has that…"
"Huh," Neji said. "Guess Naruto won again."
"No, it's real, and it does beat your Gem of Eternal Youth, Gai," Kakashi said, after a close inspection.
"I WON!!!! YESSSS!!!! I'M THE BEST!!! I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!!! WOO HOO HOO!!!!" Naruto shouted, grabbing Hinata's hands and dancing something that made Naruto look like a fool.
"A-ah, Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed.
"He's too happy over something so little," Neji said. Naruto continued to run around in a big circle shouting his joyful proclamations.
"You idiot!!! It's not that good!" Sakura said, stomping her feet in frustration and raising her hands in anger.
"That's just because me and Hinata-chan won instead of you and fuzzy eyebrows!" Naruto said.
"No it's not!! It's just that you're being totally overexcited! It's just a scavenger hunt!" Sakura shouted.
"Hmmph, you're really just jealous," Naruto said, finally calming down. Hinata was dizzy. She swayed and began to fall.
"Hinata-chan!" Sakura cried.
"Naruto! Catch her!" Kurenai commanded.
"Got you!" Naruto said as he caught Hinata in his arms. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah…" Hinata replied, nervously as usual. Kakashi spoke up.
"Naruto, I'm curious to know how you got that gem. The fifth used to guard that with her life."
"Haha, it's a long story," Naruto said, putting one hand behind his head.
"Does it have to do with her becoming the fifth Hokage?" Asuma asked.
"No, not really," Naruto replied.
"Please tell us, Naruto-kun," Kurenai asked. She too, was intrigued.
"Ah, I don't really want to…" Naruto said, a very odd behavior indeed for the number one hyperactive ninja.
"C'mon, Naruto!" Sakura asked. She was also interested.
"Err…" Naruto faltered.
"N-naruto-kun," Hinata started. "It can't hurt, right?"
"Well…it's kinda embarrassing. Though there are cool parts," Naruto said.
"W-well, we all want t-to hear it, Naruto-kun," Hinata said.
"All right. Well, okay, this necklace has more to do with a bet Tsunade obaa-san made," Naruto said.
"Ah, that would explain a lot," Kakashi said. "She's the famous sucker after all."
"And, well, Ero-sennin was teaching me a cool new jutsu," Naruto continued. Sasuke's eyes perked up. Perhaps he could learn more about this jutsu. Naruto hadn't shown Sasuke it…yet.
"It's really cool and really hard. And Ero-sennin was no help at all, he just explained something very little about it. But, heh, being the super genius that I am I eventually got it," Naruto said.
"But what about the necklace?" Shino asked.
"Oh yeah, okay, so at the same time we were looking for Tsunade obaa-san to become the fifth Hokage. We finally found her, but back then she was a bum, and didn't like becoming Hokage. Well, that's not acceptable!! I squarely called her various names, and was going to beat up upon her, heh heh," Naruto said, pausing in his story to laugh.
"You called the Hokage NAMES??!!!" Sakura asked in disbelief.
"Well, she wasn't the Hokage then," Naruto explained.
"BUT SHE WAS STILL A SENNIN!!! THE GREATEST EVER!!" Tenten yelled. Everyone stared at her. She never yelled. "Oops! Heh heh…" she said, realizing she had let her anger at Naruto for calling her Idol names take over.
"So we took it outside," Naruto said.
"You took it…outside?" Asuma asked. "Are you dumb?"
"Hey!! I was going to cream her!" Naruto said. "I had started to use my new jutsu that Ero-sennin had been teaching me, but she cheated!"
"She went full force against you?" Kakashi asked.
"Well…no. She used one finger…" Naruto said hesitantly.
"One finger? And you lost?" Sasuke asked. "You're really a stupid ninja after all."
"Hey!! She was more powerful than anyone I've ever seen!" Naruto said.
"Stupid, she still beat you with one finger," Sasuke said. "Does this story get interesting?"
"Yes!" Naruto confirmed. "After seeing the new jutsu, she bet that I couldn't master it within three days."
"And you did?" Kakashi asked. He seemed to be the only one who knew that Naruto could perform his Rasengan with a little help from a Kage Bunshin clone.
"Yes!"
"Just like that?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, it got messy with Orochimaru and Kabtuo being there…" Naruto said. Sasuke's eyes widened and his hand reflexively went to his curse seal. Orochimaru… he thought. That #$! Incidentally, Sakura was thinking the same thing.
"And I saw an ultra cool battle between Tsunade obaa-san, Ero-sennin, and Orochimaru, who ran away after being crushed," Naruto said.
"And what about Kabuto?" Kakashi asked. He had fought him before and wondered how strong he really was.
"Oh, I hit him with my jutsu, and he couldn't fight anymore," Naruto said. "It was awesome, you should have seen it!! That's when I sort of fell unconscious…but I also won the necklace!"
"Ah," Kakashi said. "Well, that's it…so I'll be leaving now. I'll see all you guys tomorrow. Be at the bridge bright and early."
"What's the point if you always arrive two hours late?!!" Sakura shouted.
"I never plan too…"
"Liar!!"
"Jeez, you should trust your sensei more," Kakashi said. He jumped away. Everyone started to move towards their respective homes.
"Want me to walk you home, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked. She grabbed one of his arms.
"Yes, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, grabbing the other arm.
"No, I don't want you two to walk me home," Sasuke said, taking his arms out of their grips.
"Wait, Sasuke-kun!!!" Ino cried as Sasuke retreated into the distance.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura also cried. The three disappeared.
"Man, those guys never stop. They should learn something," Chouji said.
"Wow, rare snippet of wisdom from Chouji!" Kiba said. Akamaru barked. "What is it, Akamaru?" He barked again. "Oh! Okay," Kiba said. He took Akamaru out from his jacket and set him on the ground.
"What are you doing?" Shino asked.
"Just letting him do his business," Kiba said. Sure enough, Akamaru had walked to a tree and lifted his leg.
"That's gross, Kiba. Tell him to go further in the bushes," Naruto said.
"Hey, a dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do!"
"Why doesn't he do it in private?"
"It's just a dog!!!" Kiba shouted in frustration. Akamaru turned around and started barking angrily at Kiba. YIP! YIP!! YIP!!!
"Oh, I just meant in terms of…no, I'm sorry Akamaru!! Come baaaack!!" Kiba cried out, as Akamaru ran away. Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai came over.
"You guys know where to meet tomorrow, right?" Kurenai asked.
"Yeah…" Kiba said.
"Y-yes, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata answered. Shino nodded.
"Hey, Shikamaru, can you join us tomorrow?" Asuma asked.
"If the fifth doesn't assign me something troublesome, I might drop on by," Shikamaru said. He adjusted his chuunin vest.
"Okay," Asuma said.
"You know, how come we don't have a third person on our team?" Chouji asked. "Isn't it always vital to have three people on a team? Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"
"Yeah. Though it's probably due to the lack of shinobi available," Shikamaru commented.
"Don't worry, Tsunade-san has already noticed this and she is going to rearrange the other teams so everyone's even," Asuma said.
"Oh, okay," Chouji said.
"Well, let's go home, Chouji," Shikamaru said, walking slowly towards the city and away from the ninja academy.
"Yup!" They left.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Asuma asked Kurenai.
"What?!" Kurenai asked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Sorry, sorry, I'll go," Asuma said, and he started to walk away.
"Ah, wait a minute Asuma, I have to ask you something," Kurenai said, and they both also left. Tenten, Naruto, Neji, and Hinata were left, along with Gai and Rock Lee.
"Hinata-sama, have you found a place to stay?" Neji asked. Hinata turned a little red, though only Tenten noticed it. Huh? She thought.
"Ah, y-yes, I did," Hinata said. Naruto was chatting with Rock Lee and Gai while they did one-handed handstand pushups as they had promised..
"Do you know why this is happening?" Neji asked.
"N-no, I'm sorry," Hinata said. "Father didn't tell me anything."
"Ah. Where are you staying?" Neji asked.
"A-ah with Naruto-kun…" Hinata said very softly.
"With whom?" Neji asked.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata answered again.
"Naruto?" Tenten asked. Why was Hinata staying with Naruto? She had her suspicions about Hinata, but she wasn't very sure.
"Y-yes," Hinata said.
"Hmm…that is good, Naruto has good eyes," Neji said. "But that's too bad, I was hoping to stay with you and I know Naruto can't possibly have enough space at his apartment." Tenten saw her opportunity to invite Neji to her house.
"Err…Neji-kun?" Tenten asked.
"What is it?" Neji asked, thinking presumably about where he was going to lodge.
"Would you l-like to come and–" She didn't get to finish, as Naruto came barging in.
"Hiya Neji! Hiya Tenten!! Hiya, Hinata-chan!" he greeted very loudly as he walked over.
"H-hi Naruto-kun," Hinata said.
"Naruto, I heard that Hinata-sama is staying with you," Neji said.
"…oh yeah!! I forgot!!" Naruto said after a pause. "That's right, she is. Why? Do you need a place to crash too?"
"Well, yes, but I wouldn't want to have two people imposed upon you. So I was just going to say–"
"It'd be no problem for me if it's no problem for you," Naruto said. "I have a smallish apartment, but three people could easily fit. If you can live with it, I suppose I have no objection if you want to come over." NO!! Tenten thought. I'll kill you Naruto!!!
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean, I'll give Hinata-chan the bedroom and us guys can sleep in the living room. It's not like we'll spend that much time in my apartment," Naruto said.
"Well…" Neji pondered. "Maybe…"
"No!! That's not necessary!" Tenten suddenly interjected.
"What isn't necessary, Tenten?" Neji asked.
"Because you can stay at my house, Neji-kun!" Tenten blurted out. I did it!
"I don't want to impose on your family, though," Neji said. "Don't you have a big family? Like four siblings or something like that?"
"Ha ha," Tenten laughed nervously, "Don't be silly! We can deal with one more person!"
"Are you sure?" Neji asked. He had a place in his mind where he wanted to stay. He actually wanted to stay with Naruto for several reasons and not with Tenten for several other reasons. One of them being he had met Tenten's mom.
"I'm sure," Tenten said decisively. DARN YOU NATUTO!!! She thought in fury.
"Whatever you do Neji, it's up to you. You can stay at my place no problem, but it seems that Tenten wants you to stay with her," Naruto said.
"W-what? N-no!! I'm simply offering a place to stay!" Tenten declared. Why am I denying it? She thought.
"Hmm. Well, I guess since you already have Hinata-sama staying at your apartment, it would be rude to force another Hyuga onto you," Neji finally said.
"Okay," Naruto said.
"But, Naruto, you had better take good care of Hinata-sama," Neji warned.
"Of course!" Naruto said, and he and Hinata walked away. Neji and Tenten were left. Distant sounds of encouragement came from behind them, where Lee and Gai were still doing one handed handstand pushups.
"Well, I should probably tell Hyuga-sama," Neji said. "Let's go to my house." Neji sighed and walked towards the Hyuga residence. Why had he let himself be swayed so?
-------------------------------Hyuga Residence------------------------
"Hokage-sama, I have finalized the plans," Hiashi said, and gave a piece of paper to Tsuande. She read it.
"Good. Can I keep this?" she asked.
"Yes, that is an extra I have made. We are almost ready to leave," Hiashi said. "Everything's packed."
"And what about Hinata-chan and Neji-kun?" Tsunade asked.
"I don't know. I have yet to hear from Neji, but Hinata-chan is staying with–"
"Tsunade obaa-san!!!" a voice shouted. The only person who would call her that of course. "What are you doing here?" Tsunade's eye twitched and an angry vein popped out.
"What do you have to know about a Hokage's duties, Naruto?!!" Tsuande shouted, turning around.
"Whaaat?!! I'm just asking a question!" Naruto pointed out.
"A stupid one!!! I forbid you from asking any questions, otherwise you get the death sentence," Tsuande said, and she turned back to Hiashi.
"Now wait a minute, Tsunade obaa-san!!! You can't do that!!!" Naruto shouted.
"Oh? I can't?" Tsunade asked, turning back around to face Naruto. "And who says?" Shizune standing by sighed. Tsunade-sama always likes to play with Naruto, she thought. Probably because he reminds her of Jiraiya-san so long ago, and this is her chance to get back at him.
"I do!!" Naruto bellowed.
"Hah!! You couldn't do anything about it if your life depended on it!" Tsuande said, and she flicked her wrist to motion to Naruto that she was done with him. "No more questions."
"How dare you!! I'll get you!!" Naruto shouted. He put his hands together in the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu seal and bellowed "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!!" POOOF!! Several Narutos appeared.
"Hah, like that will matter," Tsunade said. "I can do that. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," she said lazily, and one clone appeared.
"Take this!!" Naruto said.
"A-ah, Naruto-kun!" Hinata exclaimed. Shizune sweat-dropped. He's actually attacking Tsunade-sama? BAM!! With a simple slap the Kage Bunshin of Tsuande had rid all of Naruto's clones.
"Why you!" Naruto exclaimed.
"You think kid like you can do anything?" Tsunade's clone taunted.
"RRRRRGGH!" Naruto shouted, and he started attacking the clone which again was stopping everything with one finger.
"So where were we?" Tsuande asked Hiashi, as the fighting in the background continued. "Oh yeah, who is Hinata-chan staying with?" BAM! POW! BANG!
"With Naruto," Hiashi said, not so sure as he peered at the fighting Naruto.
"DIE YOU STUPID CLONE!" Naruto shouted. "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!"
"Naruto?!!!" Tsuande asked in surprise. Why would Hiashi do that? She turned around to see ten Naruto clones trying to hit her clone. "Naruto, stop it," she said more seriously.
"Eh?" the clones said, looking up. The clone Tsuande gave a kick and hit them all.
"Waah!" POOF! They all disappeared and Tsuande released her clone as well. POOF!
"Well? What is it?" Naruto asked more calm. Hinata sighed in relief, as she had been tense all the time. But she was also amazed as she saw the power of the Hokage. Wow, she was beating all of Naruto-kun's clones with only one finger, she thought.
"Are you sure you can handle having Hinata-chan staying at your apartment?" Tsuande asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto asked.
"Well, if anything happens to her, it's your hide that is going to be flayed," Tsuande said, glaring her most evil glare. Heh, that should get him riled up.
"Okay!! Yes, I'm sure!! I get the picture!" Naruto cowered. Tsuande obaa-san looks really scary! "I'll check on her everyday!! I'll make sure she's safe!! I'll quit team seven and join her team!! I'll stay up all night guarding!! I'll–"
"Okay, Naruto, that's enough," Hiashi said. "But since you're here, I would like to inspect your apartment."
"No need for that, Hiashi," Tsuande said. "I've seen it, and you don't want to. But Hinata-chan will do fine. What about Neji?"
"I don't know."
"O-oh father? Neji-kun said he'll be staying with Tenten. I think he's on his way," Hinata said.
"Tenten? Of what clan is she?"
"Ah…I don't know," Hinata admitted.
"Okay. Well, thank you Naruto for taking care of Hinata-chan, and I hope you'll keep to your word to keep her safe?"
"Yes, sir!" Naruto said. He bowed low.
"Go help Hinata to pack and then be off," Hiashi said. Naruto bowed again and left following Hinata.
"Heh, I guess he's going to be more mature when this finishes," Tsuande commented. "Shizune, let's go. Hiashi, the plan looks good and I'm sure Tenten is a fine girl," she said. She had met briefly with her, since Tenten considered Tsuande her idol.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Hiashi said, bowing. Tsunade walked out and Shizune followed.
"Tsuande-sama? Is it really good to have Naruto living with a girl…alone?" Shizune asked worriedly.
"What? He's not Jiraiya, he won't do anything perverted. This is Naruto, we're talking about," Tsuande said. She giggled. "I'd actually like to see what happens, because Naruto has no clue what he's in for!"
"Yes, Tsuande-sama," Shizune responded.
------------------------Hinata's Room-------------------------
Hinata and Naruto were in a larger type room. It was bare except for a dresser and mirror that hung in front of the dresser. There was a closet that Hinata went into and pulled out a suitcase.
"Oi, Hinata-chan," Naruto said, suddenly appearing behind Hinata.
"Naruto-kun? What is it?" Hinata asked.
"Do you need help?" Naruto asked. Hinata had been taking out clothes and packing it by herself. Naruto felt slightly guilty – after all, Hyuga-san had told him to help Hinata pack.
"Well…erm…I guess you can pack up those i-items over there, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. She pointed to a shelf where various loose items were placed.
"On that shelf?" Naruto asked.
"Y-yes. Here," Hinata said, and she handed a small bag to Naruto. "Put them in this bag, p-please."
"Sure thing, Hinata-chan," Naruto said. He took the bag and went over and started to put things inside the bag. Hinata packed her clothes and other things, like a towel and pillow. She also packed some of her favorite food; perhaps she could cook occasionally for Naruto.
"Oi, Hinata, these won't fit," Naruto said, and he came over carrying a box. Hinata turned around and blushed a deep shade of red as she saw what exactly the box contained, "feminine products." (A/N: Hey, she's a teenager!! She's bound to have some!)
"A-ah, I'll take them!" Hinata exclaimed in extreme embarrassment and put them in her large suitcase.
"?" Naruto asked. He, of course, was oblivious, not knowing what the things in the box were for. "Huh?" Hinata was still red as she finished packing and she zipped up her suitcase. "W-we can go now, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said, but she couldn't look at his eyes. I'm so embarrassed! She thought, though Naruto would never know what about.
"Okay, let me take this and we're off!" Naruto said, and he took the suitcase and walked out of the Hyuga residence and towards his little apartment in Konoha.
-------------------------A room in the Hyuga residence----------------------
"Hyuga-sama," Neji said, bowing low upon seeing Hiashi. Tenten, not exactly sure what to do, did the same.
"Hello, Neji-kun. This is Tenten, I presume?" Hiashi asked.
"Yes, Hyuga-sama," Neji said.
"Good, good. Well, are you packed?" Hiashi asked.
"Packed?"
"Were you just going to live there without anything?" Hiashi asked.
"No," Neji answered.
"Good. Then after you pack, I will go with you and visit the house of…Tenten. Tenten, what is your clan?" Hiashi asked after a moment.
"Oh! It's the Nakano clan," Tenten said (A/N: Tenten does not actually have a last name in the manga. I looked. And looked. And was thwarted at every turn. So I made a last name up. If perchance you actually find it, please tell me in a review!)
"Hmm…" Hiashi mused. "Well, get going."
"Yes, Hyuga-sama," Neji said.
-------------------Tenten's house---------------------
::After Packing::
"Hmm…" Hiashi said. He had been "hmm-ing" ever since leaving his house. What is he up to? Neji wondered. Tenten walked up to her house and knocked. The door slid open and a young boy opened the door.
"Oh, it's only you, ne-chan," he said.
"Only me? What's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asked.
"Never mind." He started to walk back in.
"Wait! Eiji, call mom out!" Tenten cried.
"Sure," Eiji said. "Yo mom!! Ne-chan wants you."
"What was that, Eiji-kun?" Tenten's mom called out.
"I said Ne-chan wants to speak with you," Eiji shouted louder.
"Oh!" Tenten's mom came running down.
"Hello Ten-chan. Hello, Neji-kun!" Tenten's mom said. "And who else do I have the pleasure of greeting?"
"I am Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan. I'm pleased to meet you," Hiashi said, bowing low.
"Oh my, the great Hyuga-san. Well, I'm Fumiko Nakano, Ten-chan's mother," her mom said, bowing also.
"I'm here to examine the temporary residence of Neji-kun," Hiashi said.
"Oh, okay. I haven't prepared anything, but I know what we're going to do," Fumiko said. "Neji-kun can stay in the basement with the boys. They won't mind him." They took a tour while Neji lugged his bags to the basement.
"So, how many siblings do you have?" Neji asked.
"Three. All younger than me, but one sister and two brothers," Tenten said. She smiled broadly.
"And your brothers sleep here?" Neji asked again.
"Yeah, this is their room," Tenten said. And indeed it was a boys room, for target boards and dummies littered with throwing objects (all sharp) were hung up on a wall, a couple action figures and models were displayed on a dresser between two beds, and there were scrolls skewed in random places on the floor. "One, who you met, is named Eiji, and the other is Kenji. My sister is named after Hana. She's a girly girl, though, as her name suggests." (A/N: Just in case you were wondering, Hana means flower)
"I see," Neji said. He needed more space to himself, or perhaps more older guys.
"Ne-chan!!" someone shouted. A small boy grabbed Tenten around the legs and hugged her. "Who's this?"
"Ah, Kenji, this is Neji-kun," Tenten said.
"You're not going to steal my ne-chan away from me, are you?" he asked suspiciously.
"No," Neji said. "I'm not."
"Good!" Tenten felt disheartened, but kept up her stolid exterior. Perhaps after staying with me, he'll feel differently… she thought.
"So you're the number one gennin in Konoha that ne-chan talks about?" the boy from before said, climbing down halfway. Eiji stopped and waited for an answer.
"Not the number one, but probably among the highest," Neji said. He didn't like to brag, but he couldn't lie either.
"Ah," was all Eiji replied before he walked back up the stairs.
"All right, let's go and see if Hyuga-sama is done," Tenten suggested. "Then, I'll guess dinner is probably ready."
"Dinner?" Neji asked. He ate dinner by himself usually when he found the time between training. Actually, had it not been for this digression, Neji would have been training right now.
"Yeah, my dad and mom insist on eating dinner together as a family every night. It's very odd." Tenten walked back upstairs with Neji following her. I don't think I'll survive here very long, Neji thought.
"Ah, there you are, Neji-kun," Hiashi said. "Is everything set?"
"Yes, Hyuga-sama. Please have a safe trip," Neji said.
"Where are you going?" Fumiko asked.
"Last night I was attacked by Shinobi from an unknown country and village. I'm going to track them down," Hiashi said.
"Wow, sounds like a very important mission. Why doesn't Neji go along with you?"
"It would be too burdensome. The branch family is already traveling with us, and we need to keep some people behind. Plus, Neji is old enough," Hyuga said. "And skilled enough. I will return someday, Neji." Hiashi turned to leave.
"We'll be waiting!" Fumiko cried out, waving as Hiashi faded away into the distance. There was a silence that followed. "Well, who's hungry?" Fumiko asked.
-----------------------Naruto's Apartment----------------------
"N-naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah?" Naruto responded. He paused from cleaning up his room to make way for Hinata.
"You don't have to clean your room f-for me. I can sleep out here on a futon…"
"Nonsense! I have to take care of you…or else Tsuande obaa-san might kill me! Plus, I'm a hardy guy and don't need to sleep in a bed all the time!" Naruto said, pounding his fist on his chest.
"O-okay…" Hinata replied. Naruto continued to clean up. After a while, he stepped back and wiped his brow.
"Okay, that's it. Whew, I'm hungry," Naruto mentioned. He opened a closet where boxes and boxes of instant ramen stood. "I think I'll just eat here tonight, instead of Ichiraku's. Do you mind Instant Ramen, Hinata-chan?" (A/N: I'm not sure how you spell Naruto's favorite Ramen Place. Is that it?)
"N-no, not at all," Hinata said.
"Good, because you'll probably be eating it a lot," Naruto said. He took out two packs and started the water to boil. Hinata went inside Naruto's room and sat on the bed, not wanting to unpack anything yet. I'm actually in Naruto-kun's house! She thought. I thought this would never happen! But I do hope father is alright… She hugged her knees. Knock! Knock! Naruto knocked on the door.
"Hinata-chan, the Ramen is ready," Naruto said.
"O-okay! I'm coming!" Hinata cried out. And I do hope I get to know Naruto-kun better…
"You should eat it while it's hot, Hinata-chan. It tastes better that way," Naruto advised, slurping down his own. Hinata took it and slowly ate the noodles hot, the warmth of the noodles paling in comparison to the warmth in her own heart.
A/N: Okay, this chapter was long. Very long. Too long, but I decided since this story isn't updated very often, I'd make the chapters longer (though don't expect this kind of length regularly). Should I make any other pairings? A quick review would help! I was also wondering whether I should put in a chuunin exam, which would be cool. Any ideas about these or the story so far, Please R&R!