Kyuubi spent the night in contemplation. Bright and early the next morning, they packed up what little they carried, and by Sunrise, they walked into the village of Hidden Sand.
Hyuuga Hinata was more than slightly annoyed. Seven days ago she had, as per Tsunade's orders, moved all of Naruto's things into that house on the outskirts of town. But when she got to the gate to look for Naruto, she had been told that she wasn't allowed to leave the city. THEN when she had gone to look for Tsunade, the Hokage wasn't in the tower. Hinata had spent more than three hours tracking down the fifth. When she finally found her, Tsunade was roaring drunk in a gambling shack, and was playing cards, and losing… badly.
----Flashback----
"Well if is ishn't my buddy, Hinata! Howsh it going Hyuuga-chan?"
"Um Tsunade-sama? Are you drunk?"
"Drun? I'm not Drun! You woudden dare call me Drun if I wash shober!"
'Sigh' "Come on Tsunade-sama, it's time to go home"
----End Flashback----
Hinata had dropped Tsunade off at the house she was sharing with Shizune, and then walked home. The next morning she had to endure a lecture about how young women of her statue should NOT be in as disreputable of an establishment as she was seen in last night. As Hinata knew that, and knew her father wasn't the type of person to listen to excuses, she hadn't even attempted to explain why. THEN when Tsunade was FINALLY sober, Hinata had found out that she and her team were to escort a group of Suna nobles To the Village of Hidden sand. All in all she was fairly annoyed. Which she showed in her usual way. She kept her eyes fixed on the ground ten steps in front of her, and tried to stay out of everyone's way.
WHY! Why can't I get a break? Just once? I could have done it that day! I could have told Naruto-kun that I love him… 'Sigh' I hate being so weak.
As Hinata was walking, and attempting to stay unnoticed a streak of Tan and white rounded the corner ahead of her. All she could see was this Tan and white blur go past her and then…
"AFTER HIM!"
A horde of Suna girls, some of who appeared to be shinobe came barreling down the street. Hinata barely had time to get out of the way. As she stood staring after them she heard a voice above her.
"Sickening isn't it?"
Surprised Hinata looked up There standing in the branches of the tree above her was…
"T…Tamari? W… What are you d.doing here?"
"Well, this IS where I grew up. I was given leave by the Hokage to come back and visit what few friends I still have here."
"A…anno W...What was all that about?"
"Hmmm? Oh you mean the fan girls?"
"Y..Yes them."
Tamari looked Hinata over
"Do you always stutter like that"
"A..Anno Um N..No Tamori-chan but when I've been V..Very startled, it tends to come back."
Again Tamari gave Hinata an appraising look.
"Alright, I suppose that it can't hurt. Early this morning a young man came into town a very HOT young man. As far as I can figure he and his Instructor got a hotel room, and by the time he stepped back outside rumors of him had already given him his own fan club. Personally I have yet to see the fellow; he seems to be able to stay one step ahead of the girls there so I'm guessing that he's a Shinobe. Anyway, it might be interesting to see what happens when they finally catch him. He was running toward a dead end street last I saw so, if you'll excuse me."
With that Tamari jumped away following the fan girls.
Hinata was leaning near the wall attempting to get her breath back when suddenly a voice seemed to speak up behind her.
"Are they gone?"
Hinata Jumped pulled a Kuni and started scanning left and right before she had time to think.
"Hinata-Chan? Are they gone?"
"Who's there? Who is this?"
"Don't bother looking, just pick up the leaf in front of you and start walking."
Hinata was having a rather hard time believing this was happening to her, but looking down she noticed a green leaf by the side of the nearest shop. There were no trees nearby.
Kyuubi was having a ball. As part of his training he had arranged for rumors of Naruto's arrival to circulate around the city the moment they had arrived. Then, and this was the part he found the most humorous, He had sent Naruto out to get some new clothing. Kyuubi grinned his usual foxy grin. To be honest he almost felt sorry for the kid… almost.
Heh, Oh to be young again! He really should thank me. Knowing him he most likely won't know how to enjoy himself properly however. 'Sigh' I suppose I'm going to have to teach him how to deal with women to… oh well. There are worse tasks. The best part is, as long as he's out avoiding the fan girls, I'm free to wander. Right now I agree with Tsunade's sentiment. I need a drink and a card game… and possibly a young lady to speak to… we'll see
With that Kyuubi left the apartment.
Uchiha Sasuke was in WORLDS of trouble… Literally. Tsunade had been checking him over for the last couple of days.
"Well Shizune, Naruto's visit seems to have helped a little bit at least."
"In what way Tsunade-sama"
"You recall that right before he left Naruto and kyu… um Kyuito his new teacher stopped by?"
Shizune wondered momentarily at Tsunade's stutter, but answered anyway
"Of course Hokage-sama"
"Well, Naruto told Sasuke that he was still alive, and that Sasuke shouldn't worry."
Shizune shivered.
"For the tone of voice he used you'd think that Naruto was speaking to his worst enemy."
"Can you blame him?"
Shizune paused for a moment
"No I really can't"
"Anyway, it appears that Naruto's voice put him into some kind of stable delusion. As far as I can tell, he's re-living everything that he and Naruto went through since team seven was created."
"ALL of it?"
"Yes… care to place a wager Shizune?"
(Cautiously) "On what Tsunade-sama"
"I'll bet you a fifty that Sasuke wakes up within three days"
Shizune thought about this for a moment.
"No deal Hokage-sama, when it comes to medicine, your luck is usually perfect."
Hyuuga Hinata's day had gone from poor to odd. First she had woken up in Suna, over a hundred miles from her beloved Naruto-kun, then she had nearly been trampled to death by raging fan-girls, and then a strange voice (that SOUNDED like Naruto-kun) had told her to pick up an oddball leaf and go downtown to the shopping district. Well, she had just arrived.
"Thanks"
Said the Mysterious voice
"If I could ask you to do me one more TINY favor?"
"Um I… I suppose."
"Could you set me down in a changing room in the men's store over there?"
Hinata felt a little odd walking into a men's store, and setting a leaf in the changing room. Just to be on the safe side she had pulled the curtain shut behind her when she walked out of the room. She heard a slight 'Puff' as though a jitsu was being realized and then…
Uzumaki Naruto was having a less then perfect day. It had started off well enough, he and Kyuubi had arrived in Hidden Sand shortly after sunrise. Then had rented an apartment and then… all hell had broken loose. Kyuubi had sent him out to get new clothes when he had been jumped by no less than fifteen women, all of whom seemed to want something from him. To hold his hand, a locket of his hair, (this one had startled him) a kiss. Well, he had been as polite as possible, but when they had started discussing who it was that got first dib's on marriage, he had bolted. He had spent three and a half hours attempting to lose the mob, but all he had accomplished was that he had picked up more of them. It had been sheer luck that he had noticed Hinata-kun while running down a side street. With the dust behind him he had felt fairly safe pulling a quick switch. He created a clone to keep running and then transformed into a leaf (looking back a poor choice, but it was the first thing that came to his mind) and switched places with a small stone by a merchants shop.
Kyuubi, if I didn't know that it wasn't possible, I'd swear that you did this to me.
He seemed to hear a distant cackle of laughter, but it was probably only his imagination. Luckily for him Hinata had been willing to help without knowing who was talking.
After what Tamari had said I'm glad that I had pulled the switch. Getting caught could have been bad news.
Naruto walked out of changing room and stopped. Hinata was staring at him with her mouth hanging open…
"Heh, thanks for your help Hinata-Chan, that could have been bad."
Saying so Naruto walked past her and started looking through the men's clothing. He had wanted to thank her, to tell her how pretty she looked, but he had gotten nervous… that and the staring had gotten to him a little. It seemed to be happening more and more often as well. Hinata, Ino, Ten-ten, even the lady behind the counter was staring at him. He was used to people staring of course, but usually it was with hate… now it was more like… well, the way that Jiayria stared at women actually. It was disconcerting. Naruto grabbed some clothes, the white robes that the suna people usually wore as well as a white shirt with a couple of golden emblems on the sleeves. He turned around… Hinata was still staring at him.
"Um… Hinata-Chan? Are you alright?"
Me? He's talking to me? He… He called me Hinata-CHAN… only one person has ever called me that, and that's…
Hinata fainted, and Naruto, being a ninja, caught her. The lady behind the counter rushed over.
"Is she alright?"
"Most likely she just has a sun stroke, or heat exhaustion, many foreigners do."
"Any way I can help?"
"Just set her on that bench there, I'll get some ice for her wrists."
"Alright"
Gently Naruto picked her up, and gently laid her on the bench
"She'll be alright though correct?"
Wow, probably doesn't know the girl and he's THAT worried bout her?
"Yes, she'll be fine."
"Ok"
Naruto shrugged and went back into the changing room. Inside he stopped momentarily. The Face in the mirror startled him. Tall, Bronze, angular face and a dusty white shirt that was about to rip at the seams.
Heh, I look like an Inverted Pyramid
And indeed he did, He wasn't over muscled like a body builder, but over the past couple of weeks he had become a broad shouldered muscular young man. He had noticed his voice change from the high child's voice to a melodic Tenor when his voice had started cracking while talking to Kyuubi three or four days ago.
To be honest,
He thought to himself
I look a lot like dad… a lot like the fourth Hokage.
He shrugged,
What I need now is a bath and to change. I hope one outfit will be enough… tomorrow I'll come and pick up some more under a Henge.
He grabbed his new shirt and walked out into the room… as he did a remarkable change seemed to come over him. He went from an upright strapping youth in a white suna robe to a stern faced old man… in a white suna robe. A trick Kyuubi had taught him, it was a series of artificial aging techniques, the opposite of what Tsunade did in fact. He had waited until leaving the changing room to do so, so that the lady behind the counter knew that it was still him.
"Take care of her alright? Oh! When she comes to, tell her that I'll be… (Naruto scribbled out the address of his hotel) Here, in room twelve."
Noticing the odd look the girl was giving him.
"She did me a BIG favor today, so I own her one in return."
The Lady just nodded, and Naruto walked out into the sunset whistling.
Me: Well, thats it for today... and possibly for the rest of the weekend. I have a bit of a retreat through my hometown church, and I kinda of doubt that I'll have internet access. You can most likely expect an update no Sooner than... um lets say Tuesday of next week. Possibly later.
Naruto:Awwww, I wanna Hear MORE! You left off just as it was starting to get good.
Hinata: I agree!
Naruto: (blushing) Where did you come from?
Me: Settle down you two, there is nothing I can do about it. Anyway, on with the replies.
Chibified Kitsunes:
Don't be to suprised, I only started a couple of months ago. I didn't really get into Fanfic untill one of my friends (Crazith) got me hooked and that would be.... last August I suppose. Then again once I was hooked I probably spent the better part of three months doing nothing but reading the Manga and Fanfic so...
Element:
I don't intend to give him a HUGE amount of summons, and he'll probably be restricted to two at a time or so... perhaps some will only come solo. I haven't decided yet. As for the Tattoo's They look like scars, and they are waaaayyyy up on his forearm. They won't be noticable unless you know what to look for.
Boredathom:
I hope you got some of your answers this chapter, your right, Puberty isn't done with him yet, but it's a rapid spurt and then a week to kinda... Fill in the rest.
Dragon Man 180:
no doubt your correct, but as a friend of mine likes to put it."Deep down we're all perverts, some of us just hide it better than others". Dunno if I agree, but if you think about it hard enough, it is kinda true.
To everyone else:
Thanks for the reviews! for those of you who haven't figured it out yet it's ALWAYS nice to get reviews, even the less than complementary ones. It means that someone is reading this. Thanks even more to everyone who DOES take the time to respond. Your input is now and always will be, Valuable to me.
Thanks,
Manatheron
