Don'cha Love Me?
Episode II

"Wake up Naruto!" Master Iruka shouted, causing Naruto to fall right out of bed!

"Wake! I'm late! I'm busted! I'm late and I'm busted! What am I late for? What am I busted for?" Naruto cried.

Iruka shook him, "Calm down! I woke you up early, we've got to get Kurenai's signature, remember?"

Naruto rubbed sleep from his eyes and nodded. "Oh yeah . . ."

"Let's go!" Iruka said happily.

"Hold on a minute Sensei!" Naruto said, "How'd you get into my house?"

Iruka scoffed, "I'm a Chuunin, Naruto." He said, as if that was the only explanation necessary, and Naruto supposed it probably was.

"Well what about my training with Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I got you out of that for today." Iruka said with a shrug, "Kakashi understands. You need some time to rest after all the crazy things you've been going through."

Naruto blinked, "Last night you were so shy about this whole thing. Now you're so excited! What happened? Did you have a 'sweet' dream about Kurenai or something?" Naruto asked, jabbing Iruka in the side to make sure he'd caught on. "Better! I got another letter!" Iruka said, "I've got to know who this is!"

Naruto snatched the letter from his sensei, who shouted 'how did you know it was in that pocket?' and read through it.

He blinked a couple of times, a confused look to Iruka, "Does Kurenai-sensei like spiders?"

"What? I don't think so, why?" Iruka asked.

Naruto shrugged and quoted, "Your strong but gentle hands creeping up my thigh like a spider nearing my--"

"Quiet! Quiet! Give me that!" Iruka cried, snatching the paper back.

Naruto saluted, "All right! Let's get Kurenai's signature!"

"Wait, it's not that easy!" Iruka said, "We've got to be discreet."

"Right! Discreet! I'll be the most discreet shinobi in the village and . . . Iruka sensei, whazzat mean?" Naruto asked.

"It means we've got to be careful not to let her notice that we're trying to get her to write something for us, or she might figure out that we suspect her." Iruka said, "We've got to be super sneaky and get it from her when she least expects it in a way that she'll least expect."

Naruto nodded mischievously, "No problem Iruka-sensei, I'm all over it!"

"Excuse me, miss Kurenai ma'am." Naruto said, looking as pitiable as he could.

"What is it?" Kurenai asked, sounding annoyed as her three Genin went about early morning drills. The sort that Naruto and his team would do if they didn't know master Kakashi would be about two hours late for them anyway.

"You shouldn't call someone by their first name unless you have their permission you know. Besides, cant you see we're in the middle of training? Did Kakashi send you over here with a message for me or something?"

"H-h-hello Naruto . . ." Hinata said, then dodged just in time to avoid getting hit in the head by one of Kiba's shuriken.

Naruto nodded to Hinata, who blushed and nearly got hit again, and held out a piece of paper for Kurenai to sign. "How would you like to be the first signature on a petition to save our forest?" Naruto asked.

Kurenai frowned at him, "Save it from what?" She asked.

Naruto blinked at her a few times, then decided, "Poachers."

"Uh . . . no. No I think not." Kurenai decided, giving him an odd "are you sane" kind of look.

But Nartuo did get Hinata's signature before returning to Iruka in defeat.

"Okay, okay, this next one'll work for sure!" Naruto assured his former teacher.

"Are you sure?" Iruka asked unsure to say the least.

"Believe it! I'll get her to write something!" Naruto said with such confidence that Iruka grinned and nodded.

"Right! If anyone can do it you can, Naruto." Iruka said.

"All right," Kurenai said, "let's practice it again. Shino, make sure you don't run into Kiba, and Kiba try not to let Akamaru trip Hinata! Hinata, you need to keep your eyes open to warn them of anything that might make them mess up so stop blushing at Naruto and pay atten-Naruto?" She gasped, seeing Naruto standing against a tree near them. "Well what is it this time?" She demanded.

"Nothin'." Naruto said, "Just chillin'."

Kurenai gave him a doubting look, but turned back to her team and ordered them to commence drills.

Naruto watched them carefully, then when the timing seemed right he shouted "Oh no! I forgot to tip the milk man! I better get home or he wont leave me any more milk!"

"Milk man?" Kurenai scoffed, but it was too late! Naruto ran out to Shino and shoved him into Kiba! Kiba grunted and confused Akamaru who ran out and tripped Hinata! Hinata, obeying Kurenai's advice kept her eyes off of Naruto throughout it all and failed to warn her team about the impending slip up.

"Oops! Sorry!" Naruto said, "I guess now you're going to write an angry letter to Kakashi Sensei, huh?"

"Why would I do that?" Kurenai asked as she inspected the battered and bruised state of her three Genin, "It was an accident wasn't it?" Kurenai said, in a voice that suggested she knew exactly what it'd been.

"Of course it was." Naruto sighed, disappointed. He nearly managed to get away before Kiba and Shino caught up to him and beat down on him for messing them up.

"Sorry Sensei, I thought for sure that one would work." Naruto admitted as he held a rather delicious looking steak over his black eye.

"Don't beat yourself up over it." Iruka sighed as they sat together in the park where Kurenai had been training her Genin until Nartuo's annoying interference caused her to take them into some unknown part of the woods instead.

"Shino and Kiba did that!" Naruto scoffed, "But we'll get her next time, right sensei?" Naurto asked.

"Sure Naruto . . .we just need to think of a plan . . ." Iruka sighed again.

They sat in silence for several long moments until a bird landed on Naruto's head and he jumped up and waved his arms around to make it leave. Then, while checking the top of his head for any bird poop he had an idea!

"Maybe if you asked her for a progress report on Hinata and the others!" Naruto cried, "Then she'd have to write it all down for you, sensei!"

"Then we could compare the handwriting," Iruka nodded, "I cant send you to ask for them, she'd think you were spying for Kakashi. If I ask Kurenai for the progress report now she'll probably tell me it's none of my business how she's training them anyway."

"Here's those progress reports you wanted!" Hinata said, handing Iruka a trio of scrolls each stamped with Kurenai's symbol. "The ones you asked Miss. Kurenai for two weeks ago? H-hi Naruto . . ."

Naruto blinked through his black eye, and glared at Iruka.

Iruka took the reports, thanked Hinata and, sounding embarrassed said "Uh . . . I forgot about these . . ." He admitted. As soon as Hinata-chan was gone, he took out one of the letters and compared it to one of the progress reports and sighed, "It's not her, the handwriting isn't even close."

Naruto sighed, Iruka sighed, they sat in the part for a moment wondering what to do next.

"Well . . ." Naruto said, "Who else could it be?"

"I don't know . . ." Iruka said with a frown.

"Hey Naruto-kun." Shizune said as she walked by.

Naruto leapt into the air! "I bet it's Shizune!" Naruto cried, then shook Iruka by the shoulders, "She was totally coming on to you, sensei!"

Iruka raised his eyebrows at Naruto, "She didn't even say anything to me!"

"'Cause she doesn't want you to know she's secretly your admirer! If she weren't she would have said 'hello' to you just to be polite!"

"Hmm . . ." Iruka thought about it for a moment.

"C'mon Sensei! It's a sure thing!"

"Well . . . I don't know . . ." Iruka said.

"I'll bet twenty bowls of ramen, and my right leg that it's Shizune-chan!" Naruto declared.

"Hey, didn't you already bet me your left arm it would be Kurenai?"

"Whazzat Sensei? Didn't hear you! Fufufu, let's go eat some ramen!" Naruto said, running off.

To Be Continued . . .