Where Eagles Dare

by dave-d

Off training with Jiraiya, Naruto literally runs into someone he hadn't seen for a long while. [Naruto x Hinata]. The story will be humorous and slapstick to start, but grow deeper and more serious as it evolves.

9. nine

"Well Naruto, it looks as if you caused quite a stir."

Kurenai didn't sound judgmental. But, there wasn't a smile on her face either. Naruto wondered what this was all about. No doubt it had something to do with Hinata.

"I didn't mean to," he replied. By force of habit he spoke gruffly, his body stiff.

The jounin signaled for Naruto to follow her. She led them to a secluded area in one of the city gardens. They both took up seats on an ornately carved stone bench at her request. "So. Let me guess. Everything just kind of happened before you knew it, right?"

"Yes." Naruto swallowed hard. Was she talking about the effects of Nine Tail's chakra, or about his moment alone with Hinata?

"Then it went faster and further than you might have guessed it would?" Kurenai pushed her hair away from her face. She looked like a dream, sitting there bathed in moon light.

"Uh huh." Naruto tried not to stare. Now was not the time to realize that people you once took for granted were actually quite attractive.

"What might have happened, if all those people didn't show up?" The jounin spoke very pleasantly. She kept her eyes on Naruto's face, waiting for his answer.

"I guess. Maybe. I think I had everything under control." Naruto stuck his lip out, feeling a bit defiant. He wasn't a child or something. Where was this all headed?

"Those years are really awkward, aren't they? The ones when you're not an adult yet, but no longer a child. Especially when you are faced with so many different kinds of pressure. Professional tings. Peers. Your personal life." Kurenai looked around the nicely manicured gardens. Prying ears were not welcome during this kind of talk.

"Sure. I know. I've heard this before. Next you're going to tell me that you were a young shinobi one day, too." Naruto had heard variations on that theme on more occasions than he cared to remember.

"That's right. But it's more than that. I was a young woman once, just like Hinata."

"Huh?" Naruto sat up straighter. He began to fidget a bit.

"You're the first one I've done this with." Kurenai looked a bit unsure of herself. "You've spent a lot of time with Jiraiya. A number of people wonder what kind of effect he might have on you."

"Ero-Sennin? I don't understand." Naruto shrugged.

"I guess it would be best if I just came out with it. This may be somewhat uncomfortable for you. You need to deal with it. You're a young man and I…" Kurenai was interrupted when Naruto stood up.

"That's why you brought me here. You're hitting on me!" Naruto felt a strange mixture of excitement and self righteous anger. "Hinata would not like that!" Kurenai was so stunned, that she couldn't deny his accusation immediately. "Wait until that damn pervert hears this. Maybe he will write another book. Konoha Paradise. Probably be a best seller." Naruto took one of his classic poses. "Because Hinata looks up to you, I will not tell her what you're doing. I don't want her to be hurt."

"THAT'S NOT IT!" Kurenai put her hand to her head. That shout might well draw attention. She could understand how the boy could get enemy ninjas riled up so easily.

"Right! Of course not. Now that I have rejected you." Naruto struck a pose. "You don't have to try and convince me. I already have reason to be quiet, just like I said. Women!" Naruto couldn't help but feel somewhat proud. He had been tempted, but remained strong.

Before he knew it, there was an illusion of a great tree surrounding him. This was much more convincing than the one that Hinata had created, especially in the night time environment. He felt the cold blade of a knife against his neck.

"Not... another... word." Kureni felt like cusring. No wonder Kakashi looked so worn out after each of Team Seven's missions! "You certainly are not making this easy. For someone who is good at tricky strategies, I thought you would be brighter. But, I guess test scores do mean something after all."

Naruto swallowed. He wisely decided that it was a good time to keep his mouth shut.

"I simply wanted to ask you if either Iruka or Kakashi talked to you about the Birds and the Bees?" Kurenai gasped when Naruto jumped. She came close to accidentally severing his carotid.

"WHAT?" Naruto's eyes went wide. It was one thing to think that some woman was trying to get cozy with him. It was altogether different to think that one wanted to discuss that kind of stuff!

"Well? Answer the question, Naruto." Kurenai sat back down.

Naruto began pacing. "Well… uhhh... Iruka-sensai tried to once… but the class was too rowdy." Naruto wondered if the jounin could tell he was blushing furiously. "He said it was about 'propagating the species'. Yes, those were his exact words. He started off talking about bees pollinating flowers. Birds laying eggs. He didn't get further than that. He said to ask our parents." Naruto frowned. He didn't have any parents. He saw Kurenai put her head in her hands and mumble. "But, Kakashi-senai told Sakura, Sasuke, and me some stuff."

"Oh?" Kurenai looked up.

"Yeh. He read a lot of stuff out of that book he carried. One of the ones that the Frog Hermit wrote." Naruto twitched, remembering how he had felt at the time. "He decided it was a bad idea when Sakura tried to kiss Sasuke."

Kurenai spat out an extremely nasty swear word. "Men! I would have thought that one of them would have had something meaningful to say. I can't say much about Iruka; but, I know Kakashi is an expert on the subject. That sharingan can copy other kinds of techniques too." Kurenai coughed and looked away. "Please don't repeat that last part to anyone, Naruto."

"Huh?" That last part had gone over Naruto's head at the moment.

"It looks as if it's up to me, after all. I suppose I should give you a good general explanation. There are so many conflicting things shown on the media, talked about amongst students, or discussed in families. And those stupid books! That's not where a boy needs to learn anything!"

"Hey. Wait. I think you have us mistaken. Hinata and I are not...well… you know… Naruto fought the urge to run. Every fiber in his body was vibrating like a plucked harp string.

"Yes. It's hard to talk about, isn't it. It's even hard for civilain boys and girls who don't have as many things to worry about as we do. This is not necessarily about today or tonight, Naruto. I care about Hinata, and want to make certain she's happy and well-taken care of." Kurenai thought a moment before continuing. "Do you understand the concept of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure?"

"Yes. Of course." he cleared his voice. He automatically began telling a fable. Having gotten into that habit with Hinata:

"A Muleteer set forth on a journey, driving before him an Ass and a Mule, both well laden. The Ass, as long as he traveled along the plain, carried his load with ease, but when he began to ascend the steep path of the mountain, felt his load to be more than he could bear. He entreated his companion to relieve him of a small portion, that he might carry home the rest; but the Mule paid no attention to the request. The Ass shortly afterwards fell down dead under his burden. Not knowing what else to do in so wild a region, the Muleteer placed upon the Mule the load carried by the Ass in addition to his own, and at the top of all placed the hide of the Ass, after he had skinned him. The Mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself: 'I am treated according to my deserts. If I had only been willing to assist the Ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing, together with his burden, himself as well.'

"My. That was very insightful. Are you Naruto, or someone pretending to be him?" Kurenai's remark had Naruto stammering. Her laughter made him grin sheepishly. "You didn't spend the day telling fables to Hinata, did you?"

"Uhhh…. hah hah hah...of course not…. what kind of date would that be!" Naruto began to sweat ever so slightly. This woman's opinion strongly influenced Hinata.

"Really?" Kurenai looked at Naruto and then shook her head. "I'm going to have to have a word or two with that girl. But, that's a task for another day. Back to business."

Naruto swallowed hard. Except for the things he saw in the course of an average day with Jiraiya, he was quite the innocent. This promised to be embarrassing. Not just that, though. Daunting. Confusing. A lot of things. Damn.

"Let's start off with a discussion of anatomy." Kurenai coughed. Her throat suddenly felt very dry. Maybe she had bitten off more than she really wanted to chew.

"I can help!" Naruto created a clone, then made it look like the naked girl who had the starring role in the Sexy No Jutsu.

"What!" Kurenai was taken aback. "We won't need that."

"Oh. I see. You don't mean that you will…" Naruto's jaw fell. He began to sweat even more. "Are you going to…"

"NO!" The jounin had to fight to keep her calm. "We won't need any visual aids. Words will suffice." She sighed with relief when the clone popped out of existence.

Kurenai managed to get through her talk on male and female anatomy without too much trouble. Naruto asked her for an explanation of the slang words he had heard while hanging out with Jiraiya. After Hinata's sensai threw a kunai between his legs, he decided to leave the choice of curriculum up to his temporary teacher.

"There are so many topics of importance," Kurenai said. "If you want to learn about slang, I suggest you ask amongst the boys. Disease. Pregnancy. Contraception. Those are things you need to learn about." She spoke with strong conviction and kept a close eye on Naruto, hoping her words were sinking in. "You need to understand that sexual relationships involve caring, concern and responsibility. Like any kind of learning, those things take time. Discovering how to express love…take responsibility for another person…stay healthy… and make informed decisions may come easy like some jutsus, or may leave you sweating and worrying for days on end." The jounin cleared her throat. "With me so far?"

"Do we have to go over all of that tonight?" Naruto stiffened. It had been a busy day. If he could create a long-lasting clone, maybe he could sneak away and get some sleep. No. He thought about Hinata. Kurenai was doing this for her benefit. He owed Hinata a lot, especially since their date had not gone as planned. He sighed. Girl friends were certainly not low maintenance. A pet would have been easier!

"We won't be all night," Kurenai answered with a laugh. "Men. You're all so rough and tough when it's mission time. You act so bad and bold when you're drinking in a bar with your buddies. But sit down for a talk about sex education, and you all start bawling like babies, or get itchy feet." She tossed another kunai. "Developing a strong character is the core of that kind of education program. Do you follow me?"

"Yes... please continue..." Naruto knew enough to realize that if the second blade had struck an inch closer to his crotch, these talks would no longer be a necessity.

I CAN TEACH YOU JUST AS WELL. COPULATION IS COMPLETED IN FIFTEEN TO TWENTY MINUTES. THE LOUD VOCAL CLAMOR IS OPTIONAL. THE MALE PARTNER DOES NOT ENTER THE MATERNITY DEN, BUT DOES PROVIDE HIS MATE WITH FOOD. IN TIME THE PUPS ARE BORN. THAT IS ALL.

Great. That's all he needed. Two teachers. An over-protective woman with a razor sharp arsenal, and a talkative fox demon with a god-complex. What more could he ask for?

"While I have your attention, I would like to stress one thing." Kurenai took out her entire brace of kunai and lined them up at her feet. She checked the sharpness on some of them.

Naruto sat uneasily as she did so. Something the woman had said earlier was true. Sex education was scary. "There are a number of ninjas have a 'just do it' mentality in everything that they do. Perhaps you know some shinobi like that." The jounin raised one eyebrow.

Naruto felt as if he had been pinned like a butterfly to a cork board. He nodded his head.

"Some boys initiate sexual advances because their girlfriends or dates want them to. Some boys think that they would be considered 'queer' or 'unmanly' if they didn't 'get some.' There are plenty of girls who might think that they are 'losers' if boys don't want to have sex with them." Was Hinata's sensei speaking from personal experience? Naruto was not about to ask her. "If you ever sense that a girl feels that way... take, say Hinata for example... I hope that you would be man enough not to take advantage of her."

HUMAN BEHAVIOR IS MADDENING. YOU ALL DESERVE TO DIE. DURING COURTSHIP, A MALE AND FEMALE FOX ESTABLISH A TERRITORY BY MARKING LOGS, ROCKS, AND BUSHES WITH SCENTED URINE. ANYTHING ELSE WOULD BE POINTLESS AND REDUNDANT

'Gee. Thanks. Great. That's all I need to know.' Naruto didn't want to picture himself doing any of that, with Hinata or anyone else.

"I'm not worried about that kind of thing yet," Naruto said. He had felt any number of stirrings when he helped with his master's research… and had even snuck back to the hot springs on his own at times…but Hinata was the first girl he had spent time with outside of training and missions. They weren't in that kind of relationship...

"Yet!" Zip zipp zippp. Three more kunai. Kurenai tossed her hair, then sighed. "Sorry. That was a bit excessive. I'll limit myself to two knives from now on." She didn't sound as if she were joking. "Pay attention. Boys often make the mistake of assuming that girls are under some kind of obligation to say no once or twice before they give in, that it's simply part of the game. They may hear the girl say 'No!' but think her body is saying a very loud 'Yes!'" Kurenai walked without making a sound. She put a hand around Naruto's neck. The boy swallowed. "If Hinata or any other girl says no, it means no. Do we understand each other?" She squeezed ever so slightly.

THIS ONE MAY BE MORE SUITABLE. HER PUPS WOULD HAVE SHARPER TEETH. TAKE HER.

"Well. How am I doing so far, Kakashi?" There was an character to Kurenai's voice. She had sensed the presence of an interloper.

On top one of the large stone pillars ringing the garden, a shadowy figure stood upright. "Your choice of lessons has been exemplary. The scare tactics might have been a bit much, however."

Kurenai's bell-like laughter carried throughout the night. "This is Naruto we're talking about."

"Point taken. I retract my statement." Kakashi waved to Naruto.

"Besides…if I remember correctly…you used to enjoy the knives." Kurenai's voice sounded smooth, bordering on seductive. Kakashi coughed, but didn't answer.

"Kakashi-sensei. What are you doing here. Have you come to rescue me?" Naruto realized his mistake the moment those words left his mouth. Chips of stone flew when Kurenai's kunai ricocheted off of the bench.

"I was out for a walk. I got lost. Everything looks the same in the dark." Kakashi shrugged.

"Liar!" Naruto said. How many times was the Copy Ninja going to use that same lame excuse?

"You've said that before," Kurenai said to Kakashi. "So, if you're going to stay, you're going to help."

"Fine," Kakashi said. "I probably should have done this before." He chuckled. "When you're done Naruto, I'll let you repeat things to Sakura."

"This is no joking matter," Kurenai said, her voice a bit cross.

"Who was joking?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto grumbled something rude about jounin.

With pleasantries out of the way, the two jounin took turns teaching Naruto a few salient points that they felt he should take away from their talk. The first topic they tackled was sexuality in general. As advanced as the ninja students generally were in physical skills and the illusionary techniques, they often lagged behind their civilian contemporaries in certain realities of life.

At one point, Naruto made a sour face. His head realized that a boy with a fox in his belly was the last person who should be bigotted or overly judgmental. His heart felt differently. Just the same, something obviously rubbed him the wrong way. "Some guy came to Jiraiya with a lot of money. He wanted him to write a new novel. The idea was to take his well known and popular characters and change them all around. Boys and boys. Girls and girls. Crap like that." Naruto shivered. He stuck out his tongue. "I just don't understand it! Why do people need to mess with a good thing? It's like ketchup on ramen."

"Afraid someone might some day write a story about you, but choose to pair you up with Sasuke or Iruka instead of Hinata?" Kakashi smiled under his mask.

Naruto felt his fangs growing again.

"Or one with Kakashi and Gai." Kurenai kept a straight face. It was hard. That was the first time that she had ever seen Kakashi looked shocked.

"So, what did the great Sannin do?" Kakashi worked a series of hand seals and drenched Kurenai with succession of water bullets.

"He turned down the money. He said that what people did in the privacy of their own homes was their own business. But, he said that he would decline to take on the commission because he was serious author, with class." Naruto tugged at his ear and smiled. "He never really got upset until the man started laughing about that." Naruto winced. "The guy will be walking funny for a while. That damn hermit's scroll case was much too big to fit up his…"

"Naruto…" Kakakshi shook his head.

"Serious author? Kurenai laughed. "Class?" Kurenai snickered. Kakashi put his book away.

After sexuality, the jounin moved onto the topic of sexual involvement. They brought up specific questions that youths often asked. What is intimacy? Is lust the same as love? How do you know when its love? Is it alright to have sex with a friend? How does one knows when he or she is ready for sex? Is fifteen or sixteen too young for sex? And so forth and so on.

WHY ALL THE WORDS? THE LIFE-SPAN OF A FOX IS SUCH THAT FEMALES BREED TWO OR THREE TIMES ON AVERAGE. ONCE FOR MALES. IT'S SIMPLER THAT WAY.

Naruto felt compelled to agree. He had gotten to the point where he was about to keel over from exhaustion. That did not improve his judgment any, however. Quite the opposite. When he finally caught onto the mature interplay between his sensei and Hinata's, he stood up, walked to the middle of the garden, and shouted.

"Kakashi and Kurenai... sitting in a tree... k… i…s… s…i… n… g…"

He listened to the echo of his voice, and then grumbled. "Get a room, you two!" he felt pretty proud of himself, joking like that. Kurenai gave him reason to think otherwise.

Zip zip zip zip zip zip zip zip zip zip zip zip.

A ring of kunai sliced into the dirt, forming a near perfect circle around Naruto. One had nicked his ear on the way down.

THWACK-K-K!

Kakashi's ubiquitous novel bounced hard off of Naruto's forehead protector.

"Was he like this before?" Kurenai asked Kakashi.

"Worse." Kakashi answered.

"You have my sympathy." Kurenai began massaging her temples.

Naruto came very close to giving his two elders a literal hot foot. Very very close.

"We're almost done here, Naruto. Pay attention. I'm certain that Sasuke would be able to do that much." Kakashi knew what buttons to push. And, despite the fact that Naruto was ready for it, the ploy still worked. Force of habit is an amazing thing.

A disgruntled naruto grumbled, but sat attentively. He frowned when Kakashi took out a pair of bells for a moment, and then put them away. The message was quite clear. He had a lot to learn.

"OK, Naruto. The first time that you think you might want to have intimate relations with Hin…" The masked ninja wasn't able to finish that last word. Kurenai moved like lightning, put a hand over Kakashi's mouth, and said "a girl" instead of Hinata.

Kakashi paused a moment and then continued. "The first time that you think about having intimate relations with a girl, ask yourself why you want to have sex. Is it because you want to make your partner happy or make her love you? Do you want to feel more grown up? Are you thinking about having sex because everybody else is doing it?"

"Those are all really bad reasons to have sex." Kurenai gave Kakashi a hard kick for some reason. "Sex doesn't prove that you're in love, and it won't make someone love you more. It doesn't make you into an adult overnight, either. The truth is, not everybody is doing it. If you find that you are afraid, then you're not ready. What's the rush? You're young and have plenty of time. Wait until it's really right for you."

That sounded like closure to Naruto's ears. He took a deep breath. Much of what he had heard made sense. Some day, it might even come in handy. For now, he was more interested in a soft pillow and a warm blanket. Those, and a bowl of ramen. But, his 'torture' wasn't over yet.

"Bravo." There was the sound of applause. "As much as I hate to admit it, that was almost an adequate job my old rival." Gai stepped through a bank of hedges. "You didn't mention anything about green stretch suits and their effect on the gentler sex." He was carrying a case of beer. "That was a major omission." His teeth still managed to sparkle, even in the limited light.

"You also left out some of the better graphic details, but I'll fill the kid in later, if necessary." Asuma walked into view from a different direction. He lit up one of his cigarettes and then offered the pack around. He didn't find any takers.

"Some of the anatomy lecture was sketchy, Kurenai. No problem. I'll touch it up later, so to speak." Shizune stepped into the light, a bottle of wine in her hand. She was accompanied by Nurse Kaoria and a number of other nurses that Naruto didn't recognized.

Before too long, Ebisu, Anko, Genma, and a number of others joined the growing crowd. It looked for all the world like a small party. The gathering was unplanned, but once someone realized what was going on, word spread fast. Everyone felt compelled to pass along a little wisdom. It was too much for Naruto. Do a good deed… walk a girl home… and then this!

They all took turns . Some bragged. Others were too busy flirting to pay any attention to Naruto. Kurenai did her best to keep things on track. Iruka stood up and offered a toast. "To Naruto. A really good sport!"

"Among other things!" A number of jounin had answered the same thing at the same time. The laughter that followed was good-spirited, but did not sit well with Naruto. Seeing that the older shinobi were all finished with him, he left in a bit of a huff.

His walk soon became a very fast stride, a gallop, and then a sprint. He felt an illogical urge to get as far away as possible. But, with every step he took, his anger grew. He felt like a hive of bees that had been beaten one time too many with a stick. Sudden;y he stopped. Could those bastards back there be talking about him after he had left? Were they making jokes about him?

Seeing red, literally, Naruto reversed course. He headed back the way he came.

He was going to be Hokage some day. He had his honor to uphold. Peering back into the garden, he listened carefully.

"Well, it sounded like the lesson went very well." Anko's comment was followed by a round of congratulations for Kurenai and Kakashi.

"Yes," Kurenai said. "He listened to the thinks that I thought he needed to hear. It was important. The whole thing may have been excessive, thanks to you morons. He may not even want to think about sex for the next ten years!"

"You mean like Gai? " Kakashi spoke nonchalantly, peering at his book again.

"What!" Gai stood up and struck a pose. "Kakashi, my greatest opponent, your sly attempt at slander will do you know good. As many can attest, I was a bright and shining flame in my youth. Now, I am a hot and raging bonfire. No, a conflagration that must be seen to be believed. I serve as a fine example for all who follow! The youth of Konoha must grab life with both hands experience life to the fullest, so they can face death knowing that they passed through life like a blazing comet!"

"You say something, Gai?" Asuma, Anko, Kurenai, and Genma had all spoken at once, using Kakakshi's famous line. The look in the Copy Ninja's eye mirrored the smile hidden by his mask.

Naruto would have calmed down if that was all he overheard. Unfortunately, someone chose to make a joke at his expense. Soon enough, more followed. The comments were all good natured, but that didn't matter. Naruto was in a bad mood. 'Got fire?'

NATURALLY

The red chakra was there for the taking. Naruto felt like a kid in a candy store. This would be short but sweet. Concentrating, he released his first jutsu. Sexy No Jutsu, harem style. That ought to have Ebisu, Iruka, and like minds squirting nasal blood like a fire hose.

After that, he reached out with foxfire and set the pants of everyone who had made a remark about him ablaze. Gai's green spandex caught fire in particularly spectacular fashion. He looked an awful lot like a comet as he ran.

There was a series of loud screams and shouts, followed by a concerted hissing noise in the direction of the great central fountain. A small cloud of steam made its way skyward.

"Ha! That ought to give them something to talk about." Naruto folded his arms over his chest, proud at his memorable comeback. His satisfaction turned sour fairly quickly. He realized just what kind of people he had pissed off. There were a fair number of accomplished ninjas in that group. Some of them had notoriously short tempers. They might come after him now. He could only imagine what their idea of revenge might be.

Sure enough, the hairs at the nape of his neck stood up. There weren't any sounds to support his feeling of unease. That's what worried him. There wasn't any reassuring reason for ninjas to be moving silently in a social situation. He had to run! No, they would be sure to find him that way.

Tapping into his Kyubi powers, he transformed himself. This time, he selected an inanimate object. Not a stick, but a tall lamp post, one identical to the others lining that stretch of avenue. He made certain to add the same kind of festive lanterns that festooned the other posts.

At the same time, he used his ability to track heat sources. information. People were moving about the general area. Some were moving extremely fast. All were moving in a coordinated pattern. They were looking for something. Or someone. Him.

Fortunately, the heat sources were moving further and further away from his location. A few had flashed by his position, but none of them had stopped anywhere near him. That was much to close. One of these days, his temper was going to get him into really big trouble.

Wait. There was a small hot spot heading his way. Slow, but steady. Naruto created a small hidden eye, so that he could have a visual view of the area. There. It was a dog. A squat ugly dog with a Leaf forehead protector. Pakkun!

The dog walked over to him, and then sniffed a bit. Lifting one hind leg, Pakkun urinated on the Naruto light post. Standing there for a moment more, the dog shook his head and headed back off into the darkness. Naruto had to fight the urge to do something in return.

Something sped into his vicinity, too fast to track. It was Kakashi. He was standing right next to the post. "How interesting," his former teacher said. "I was certain that there were three lamp posts here, not four. Hmmm. It seems that Pakkun was here. I wonder why he chose this post." The Copy Ninja took out his book and leaned up against Naruto.

Naruto lost track of time. He had no idea how long he had maintained his current shape, or how long Kakshi stood their reading. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

"It must take a great deal of skill…not to mention a formidable amount of stamina… to maintain a shape for so long." Kakashi put his book away. "Right, Naruto?"

Naruto resumed his normal form. He looked tired, hungry, and upset.

"Kurenai meant well," Kakashi said. "You might also keep one thing in mind. If she didn't take the bull by the horns, the Fifth may have. Can you imagine the kind of lecture she might have given you?"

Naruto froze. That same talk, but from old lady Tsunade? He shivered.

"I didn't barge into the lesson to hassle you, Naruto. I hope you understand that. Don't go discounting the things you were told, just because you're angry." Kakashi sighed, and then closed his visible eye. "Like I said, I probably should have had that talk with you before. But we were always so busy. Things were especially hard after the Sand and Sound attacked." He opened his eye up. "The rest of those guys. They tried to help you in their own way. I hope you can relate to that."

"Shit. Bunch of assholes!" Naruto spat on the cobblestones. He knew he was being overly sensitive. In the past, when people joked about him, it had not kind-hearted in any stretch of the imagination. That didn't matter right then. "Jerks!" After a few moments of silence, he sounded more reflective. "Why did she bother, Kakashi-sensei. Why did you? It's not as if I did anything wrong." Naruto scratched his head. Kakshi waited, since Naruto looked like he was searching for more words. "If anything, you guys have got me thinking about things I might not have worried about for a while." Naruto rubbed his nose.

"Naruto…Kurenai was right… who can tell when certain things might happen. You're growing up fast. But there's more than that. You have a lot on your shoulders." Kakashi spoke solemnly. He was truly fond of Naruto. No one deserved to be treated the way he was treated by some of the townspeople. It wasn't his fault that he was chosen by the Fourth to be Kyuubi's vessel. It was bad enough that Itachi and Kisame implied that Akatsuki had their sights set on the boy.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Naruto picked up a stone and threw it far off into the dark.

"It's hard enough growing up. Its harder, when you're a ninja. Harder yet, when you're a ninja in a village who suffered what we did from Orochimaru's attack. But, no other boy in this village has the Nine Tail Fox inside him." Kakshi's voice took on a slightly stern tone. Naruto looked down at his feet. He closed his eyes. His breath hissed out slowly. It always came down to that. "Girls can be a powerful distraction, Naruto. I can remember your antics around Sakura. Now, you're moving towards something more serious." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Says who!" Naruto stuck out his lower lip.

Kakashi simply continued on. "Even after the lessons we tried to give you, you will find yourself in confusing situations. But, you will be even more confused if leave you to stumble through things on your own." Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's hair and gave his head a slight shake. "We could simply have told you 'no paying attention to girls until the danger ends.' But, who can say when that will be? And, we all know all too well what you do when you're told not to do something."

"Yeh..." Naruto grudgingly admitted that was true enough.

"You need to stay focused, Naruto. I can't stress that enough." Kakshi's voice became very stern. "For all our sakes."

"So, this isn't really for me. Not even for Hinata. It's for the village." Naruto threw another stone.

"Yes. It's for Konoha. It's for the people you would take care of if you were Hokage." Kakashi let that sink in. "But it's more than that. We ninjas are a family. Our life long rivals are only that in the quiet times. In times of hardship, we are one team. You've seen that." Kakashi took a quick look up at the stars. "But, it's more than that, no matter what you might think."

"Sensei?" Naruto loked at Kakashi.

"Kurenai cares a lot for Hinata. She's recognized the role that you've played in that girl's life, even when you probably didn't have a clue. Because of that... and because of what you have done for our village... she cares about you too." Kakashi slapped Naruto on the back. "A lot of people do. You'd be surprised how many."

"Sure. Uzumaki Naruto. Mister popularity. Isn't it obvious?" Naruto felt somewhat uplifted, despite his own words.

"What? You don't believe me, because you are nothing like Sasuke was? No one keeps saying what a genius you are? The girls don't all follow you around? The only reason people pay attention to you is because of the thing inside you, or the commotion you cause? A lot of the townspeople still hate you or fear you?" The masked ninja had a good idea how Naruto must be feeling.

HE SAYS THAT LIKE IT'S A BAD THING

"Yeh." Naruto looked down at his feet. Part of him wanted to say "So what!" Another part wanted to shout "Why me?"

"You did get a bridge named after you, didn't you?" Kakashi asked that nonchalantly, like he was making pleasant conversation.

"Yes… but..."

"And you helped a good many people get through the tenth question in the Chuunin exam?" The Copy Ninja looked over his fingernails.

"Sure… but..."

"You stood up to Orochimaru and a giant snake to protect your team mates, even when they were too afraid to act?" Kakashi had heard that story from both Sakura and Sasuke.

"I... it was just…"

"You trained hard, because no one thought that you had the natural abilities that the others had. You defeated foes that no one thought you had a chance of beating. You saved the village a sand demon. You helped bring us the Fifth Hokage in the process." Kakashi paused a moment, before continuing, a sad look on his face. "You risked your life to keep a promise to one team mate, trying to save another from his own selfish choices. You left everything and everybody you know behind, to go off and train... not just for your sake, but for everybody's sake."

"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto bowed his head.

"Well, I've probably talked too much. See you." The Copy Ninja vanished into the night.

Naruto stood there for a while. He had been through so much that day. He had seen a lot.

Done a lot. Heard a lot. And learned a lot. At that moment, he felt a renewed sense of purpose. He felt better about himself than he had in a long time.

All because of a white-eyed girl that few people took much notice of.

"Hinata."