I don't own naruto... wish I do...

Chapter 5: What are you hiding?

Hinata comforted Naruto at his apartment. The enjoyed one another's embrace during that time.

"Naruto-kun, you better rest at my apartment…" Hinata then stopped embracing Naruto.

"Why, this place is fine for me…" Naruto said.

"Who would be able to rest properly in a trashed apartment?" Hinata asked.

"Well, I guess you're right…" Naruto then stood up but he fell down.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" Hinata asked.

"I-I think I'm still out of chakra…" Naruto said. Hinata then pulled right arm and she placed it over her shoulder.

"Here, I'll help you walk…" Hinata then pulled Naruto up.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan…" Naruto then smiled at her. Hinata helped Naruto walk out of the apartment. They quickly went to Hinata's apartment. When they arrived, Hinata led Naruto to a room. He let Naruto lie down on the bed. She cleaned his face and she removed his forehead protector. She then put the forehead protector at the table beside the bed.

'Rest here…" Hinata smiled at Naruto and she brushed her hands through his face. Naruto then grabbed her hand.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto said.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"I owe you too much already…" Naruto smiled.

"Well, that doesn't matter; you don't have to repay it with something…" Hinata smiled.

Naruto tighten his grip on Hinata's hand. "No, I promise… I'll pay you with something…" Naruto smiled again.

"Rest now, Naruto-kun…" Hinata then kissed him on his forehead. Naruto then fell to a deep slumber once again. Hinata approached the door, before she left she looked at Naruto again.

"Hinata-chan…" Hinata smiled and then she left.

"…Will you marry me?" Naruto muttered after Hinata left during his sleep.

---

At the Hokage office, Tsunade took care of things while Naruto was missing.

'I hope that kid is alright…' she thought. The door then opened and the woman at the front desk entered the room. She bowed down at Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, you have a visitor…" she said.

"Who is it?" Tsunade asked.

"Hyuuga Hinata…" the woman answered.

"Oh, let her in…" Tsunade said. The woman then left the room and Hinata entered the room after a short while. Hinata bowed down respectfully at Tsunade.

"Hinata, why are you here?" Tsunade asked.

"I know where Naruto-kun is…" Hinata said.

"Where is he?' Tsunade asked.

"I won't tell anyone until you tell me your plans about him, Tsunade-sama…" Hinata said.

"Hinata…" Tsunade sighed. "I don't plan on hurting him, I do not plan to kick him out from Konoha, and I just want to know his current condition…" Tsunade smiled gently.

"Then, you don't have any bad plans for him?" Hinata asked.

"No, I never had any bad plans for him…" Tsunade said. "So where is he?" Tsunade asked.

"He's at my apartment, resting…" Hinata said.

"How is he?" Tsunade asked.

"He is alright… and…" Hinata said.

"…And what?"

"Kyuubi is gone…" Hinata said.

"What, he's gone?!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"Naruto told me, he was gone, but he didn't seem alarmed…" Hinata added.

"We still have to tighten security, in case Kyuubi attacks…" Tsunade said.

"Tsunade-sama…" Hinata bowed again. "I have to leave now and check on Naruto-kun… if you want, you can visit him later…" Hinata then left.

---

"You're going now, Ichiro-san?" a red haired man asked a man walking at the woods.

The man turned around and saw that his inquisitor was sitting at a thick tree branch. He looked up at him.

"That's the fifth time you asked me the same question today, Kenji-san…" Ichiro sighed. "You're like a little brat, you know…"

"What's wrong with asking anyway?' Kenji pouted.

"Well, you're just annoying me… that's all…" Ichiro sighed again.

Reiji raised his right eyebrow. "Well, are gonna answer it or not?" Kenji asked.

'It looks like I have no choice but to answer him' Ichiro thought. "Yeah I'm going now…" He turned his back at Kenji and he started to walk away.

"Ichiro-san…" Kenji called out his name. Ichiro's face twitched and he turned around again.

"What is it now?" Ichiro asked with an irritated look in his face.

Kenji grinned at him. "What if you had a son?" Kenji asked.

"That wouldn't happen…" Ichiro turned his back again. He started to walk but after a few steps he stopped. "The woman I love is now dead, how could that possibly happen?" Ichiro walked again. When Ichiro wasn't at the forest anymore, Kenji sighed.

"But you have Ichiro-san… Jiro-sama, only took him away from you… months before Mizuki-san died…" Kenji whispered.

---

'What was that question for?' Ichiro thought. 'Sure something happened between us but… that was many months ago… wait… many month ago… she could have possibly… and…' Someone then tapped his shoulder. He turned around and he saw his father, Jiro.

"What are you thinking of?" Jiro asked.

"It's not your business old man…" Ichiro said. "What do you want from me anyway?" Ichiro asked.

"I have a mission for you…" Jiro then smirked at him.

"Please let it be a good mission not another dumb one…" Ichiro whispered.

"Don't worry…" Jiro said.

"What is it then?"

"Assassinate him…" Jiro said.

"How can I do that? He's like a demon… last time he fought me I almost got killed." Ichiro said.

"Kyuubi is not with him anymore. Days ago, Kyuubi left his body… so he is more vulnerable now…" Jiro said. "Failure is not an option…" he added.

---

Kenji jumped down from the tree branch. He went out of the woods and he went to the grasslands. He then lied under the shade of a big tree. He yawned a few times and he closed his eyes.

'What a boring day…' he thought. He then sensed someone, he got up quickly and he pulled out a kunai. He saw a shadow of a man on the ground near him. 'Where is he? He's up at the tree!' he thought and then he looked up. He then put back his kunai in his holster. He sighed. "Jiro-sama, it's only you..." he said.

"It's dangerous for a missing-nin to sleep and laze around in the open…" Jiro said. He then jumped down.

"What do you want Jiro-sama?" Kenji asked.

Jiro then shoved his hands inside his cloak; he then pulled out a black scroll. He gave it to Kenji. "Gather all the missing-nins that you can possibly find, starting with the ones you know…" Jiro said. Kenji opened the scroll and he read it.

"This is a hard task…" Kenji said. He then placed the scroll inside the pocket of his jacket.

"You have plenty of time for it…" Jiro said.

"Send me the signal if I have to stop, alright?" Kenji said. Jiro nodded and then Kenji disappeared.

---

Naruto, for the past few days, was given a time off by Tsunade to see if anything has change in his power since Kyuubi's chakra will not be there to aid him anymore. He continually sparred with his Kage Bunshins that are as powerful as him during his time off from office. He was surprised that nothing has changed, except that his extraordinary healing power is gone. He was still able to summon Gamabunta. He was given another day off to relax for a day. Well nothing has changed… my chakra is still great, I'm still very fast and…' He was walking at the village's marking when he saw that almost all of his friends are there. They were watching something.

'' 'Now what are these guys up to?' He thought. He approached them.

"Neji-san, I challenge you to a duel!!!" Naruto heard Lee shout. He then tapped Shino on the back. Shino turned around.

"Shino, what's happening around here?" Naruto asked.

Shino shrugged "I just got here too, don't ask me…" He said.

"The one who wins will be TenTen's boyfriend!!!" Lee shouted again.

"Well that explains…" Naruto whispered. Lee and Neji were facing each other. Lee was making fists while Neji had both his hand shoved in his pockets. Neji then glared at Lee.

"I don't want to make her a prize of a duel; I'm not like that…" Neji then turned around and he started walking.

"Then you are a coward!" Lee said. Neji stopped walking away.

"I'm not the type to back down from a duel, you know that Lee-san…" Neji said.

"Then why don't you fight with me?" Lee asked.

"Like I told you, I don't want to make her the prize of our duel; it would be very disrespectful, especially if she doesn't know…" Neji turned around and glared at Lee.

Lee grinned at Neji. Neji wondered why. Neji then pointed at Neji's back. Neji and everyone else looked at where Lee pointed his finger and they saw Sakura, Ino and TenTen.

"Well, would it be fine if she does know?" Lee asked. The three girls then approached the crowd. The three girls approached Naruto.

"Hey what's happening here?" Sakura asked Naruto.

"Lee is challenging Neji…"Naruto said.

"Well that's not a rare sight so why watch them?" Ino asked.

"It is rare because the winner will be the one who will be TenTen's boyfriend…" Shikamaru said.

"NANI?!" TenTen exclaimed after Shikamaru spoke. They were all surprised including Neji and Lee. TenTen then approached Lee and Neji with an angry face.

"Lee-san, Neji-san… is it true?"

"Yeah…" Lee smiled. TenTen then punched him in the face and he was thrown back. Neji's eyes followed the flying Lee.

"I told him it was rude…" Neji then looked at TenTen. TenTen glared at him and punched him too.

"You didn't have to do that TenTen…" Shino said.

"Why?" TenTen asked

"Because he didn't want to make you a prize after all…" Kiba said. Naruto then left.

"What's wrong with him?'" they all asked in unison.

"Girls, I smell something fishy…" Sakura then laughed.

---

Naruto then walked away form the crowd. Usually he would laugh very loud if he was his self, but something was bothering him. He then entered a jewelry store.

"Hmmm…something isn't right…" Sakura repeated. They were following Naruto.

"What?" TenTen asked.

"Usually, if things like that happen, he would laugh a lot… but it seems he is not his self right now…" Sakura said.

"Yeah, and what is he doing in that jewelry store?" Ino asked. They then looked at one another and they grinned.

"Hinata would be very happy…" TenTen said. Then Naruto left the store with his hands shoved inside his pockets like he was hiding something. They all approached Naruto.

"Hi Naruto!" Sakura greeted him with a big grin on her face. Naruto sweat dropped.

'What are they doing here? What are the gossip girls doing here?" he asked himself, he then shoved his hands inside his pockets more. "Oh, hi…" he then smiled.

"Naruto-sama, could I ask you one thing?" Ino asked with a big grin on her face too.

"What?" Naruto asked he sweat dropped again.

"What are you hiding?" Ino asked.

They saw Naruto gulp. "N-nothing!" he exclaimed.

"Is it what we're thinking?" TenTen asked.

"What are you all thinking of anyway?' Naruto asked with a tense voice.

"E-N-G-A-G-E-M-E-N-T R-I-N-G" Sakura said.

"Why should I answer you anyway?" Naruto asked.

"Because we are asking…" Ino said.

"Yes it is…" Naruto replied nervously.

"Then can we see it?" They all asked in unison.

Naruto removed his hands from his pocket. "No." He replied he then gestured his hands.

"Then good luck…" They said.

"Thanks…" Naruto said. "And girls… please don't spread this around the village; I really want to surprise Hinata-chan…" Naruto said.

"OK. " They replied.