Finished with his mission, Naruto eagerly hurried home. It was past six, and he was getting hungry, He planned to bring Airi to his favorite ramen place for dinner. Well, he thought, if she's like to eat ramen, that is. He ran up the stairs to his home and barged through the front door.

"Hey! Airi! Airi! Let's g-," he stopped as soon as he saw her. She was laying on the floor, face down, and next to her was an open scroll.

Upon recognizing its contents, he gasped. "The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he exclaimed. He ran over to where she lay and felt her neck for a pulse. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a steady beat.

"I guess she didn't attempt to follow the directions," he murmured gratefully, knowing fully well that she would have perished, as she was not even a ninja. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu required an exclusive amount of chakra and stamina. Anyone other than the Hokage, Master Kakashi and a few other selected ninja such as himself may be lethally hurt. I really do need to fix up my place, he thought as he gathered his scrolls. He was nearly done when Airi stirred from her deep slumber.

Seeing Naruto, she sat up immediately. With a smile on her face, she greeted Naruto. "Welcome back! How did your mission go?" Before he could answer, she continued. "Naruto! Guess what!"

"What?" he asked, curious to know what could have made her so happy.

"I was reading your scroll on the..." she struggled to remember. "Oh, yeah! I was reading your scroll on the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and I wanted to try it out, so I-"

"But you didn't." Naruto finished for her, chuckling.

Airi looked confused. "Huh? No, I decided to try it out!" She grinned oddly similar to Naruto's famous fox grin. "It was strangely easy to understand! I practiced it while you were out!"

During the time she was speaking, Naruto gaped at her. Airi laughed at his expression.

"No. Way." He was apparently in a state of disbelief.

"Yes way!" she burst out. "I'll show you!" She then stood up and produced ten doppelgangers.

He gazed up at her in admiration, and his face lit up into a huge smile. "You have got to show that to Master Kakashi!"

Airi felt proud of her accomplishment.

"Oh, yea! Hey! Let's talk at the ramen place!" His stomach growled. "Ha ha! I'll race you?"

"Sure!"

They ran out into the street at full speed. Naruto, being a ninja, was much faster than Airi, but she did her best to keep him in sight for fear of getting lost. She had noticed the disapproving glares the villagers shot at Naruto and their puzzled expression when they saw her running after him. At that moment, she didn't care. She felt happy and free.

When they had reached the shop, they were greeted by a cheerful young waitress. "Hi there, Naruto!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up. An old man grunted and nodded at them.

"Hey!" Naruto grinned, happiness taking over his features.

"Ooooh! Naruto! Who is this beautiful young woman?" she asked, referring to Airi.

Airi blushed. She wasn't used to people calling her beautiful.

"This is Airi!" Naruto burst out, eager to introduce his new friend.

"Hello," Airi said nervously.

"Well, hello there!" The young woman smiled. "Well then, come on, come on!" She ushered them to a nearby table. "Let's get you two something to eat now shall we?" She then quickly hurried away.

The people from nearby tables turned to them. Coldly looking at Naruto, they stood up and left. Soon, their entire section was deserted.

Airi stayed quiet. From Naruto's downcast eyes, she knew he felt depressed. She didn't know the reason for their condescending behavior, but she had a feeling that it wasn't Naruto himself they hated, but something else.

"Well anyways," he began. "You have got to come with us tomorrow for our mission!" His fox grin came back. "These boring D-ranked missions would go by faster if we could both do the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"'D-ranked'?"

"Yeah...they're the lowest, most boring missions of all time." He sighed. "They could be anything from weeding to babysitting. I can't believe we got stuck with them again!"

Airi laughed. "So A-ranked would be the hardest?"

"That's right! They're reserved for the Hokage and a few other ninja!"

"Hokage? Come to think of it, you mentioned 'Hokage' earlier."

He grinned even wider. "The Hokageis the best in Konohagakure no Sato, Village Hidden in the Leaves. He is respected, and I," He puffed up proudly. "am going to be the next Hokage!"

She smiled. "Wow! You sure have a big dream! I think I understand now." she said. "What are the rankings for ninja?" She was curious of his current status.

"Well, I'm a Genin now." He frowned. "You could say that's almost the lowest."

Airi was a bit disappointed, but she let him continue.

"Sakura, Sasuke, and I had just graduated some time ago. Now, we're training under Master Kakashi." Then he smiled again. "Then there's the Chunin! They-"

He was cut off by the kind waitress from earlier. "Here's your meal!" She set down two huge bowls of delicious ramen in front of the pair. "Eat up!" Then she bent down and whispered to them. "It's on the house." She winked and strolled away.

"Alright!" Naruto shot up his fist into the air.

Sharing his enthusiasm, she joined his as he clasped his hands together and gave a quick bow. "ITADAKIMASU!" they yelled. "Thank you for the food!"

They ate their meal and continued their conversation. Airi learned all she needed to know about Konoha and its ninjas. It was also decided that she would join his team tomorrow as they worked. They chattered away and couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would have in store for them.