A/N - Okey dokey. I figured it was time to update something other than Who I Am. lol. Sooo, here's a new chapter for To Love Naruto! Yay!

I was hoping to introduce Yami in this chapter, buuuuuut, I kinda couldn't. This whole chapter revolves around something pretty big that was bound to happen eventually. You'll see as you read. I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter, as I worked really hard on it.

Now, I haven't had much sleep, so I'm going to end this here. I am just way too tired. x.x

Chapter 7 – A Promise Made

After having such a wonderful birthday, the first happy birthday that he could remember, Naruto had hoped that things would have continued the way they had been. Things had been great, no more suitors had shown themselves since Ghi Bree, and he was genuinely enjoying life for the first time he could remember. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

Things had started off normally enough. Naruto woke up, kissed Lala good morning, taken a shower, and got ready for school. Simple, small things that one would normally never think much of. However, to Naruto, it signified that he was finally leading that normal life he was deprived of. Hell, the walk to school wasn't even a bad one! He had chatted with his friends and was actually quite eager to see what he might learn today.

Upon arriving at Sainan High, Naruto immediately came to a dead stop. Standing right in the way of the school, preventing anyone from entering, were the newest incarnation of the InoShikaCho combination: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. Sighing softly to himself, Naruto looked at Lala and said, "Lala-chan, please hold my things for me. I need to talk with these people. Hopefully we can settle things peacefully this time."

The pink-haired alien frowned as she took her fiancé's things. "Just be careful, okay? I don't trust them."

Naruto smiled at her before he turned and approached the team before him. Ignoring Ino and Choji for the time being, he looked into Shikamaru's eyes and said, "I knew you'd find me soon enough. You always were a smart one, and I didn't exactly do a great job of hiding myself. Was it really too much to ask that I be left alone for a change? I don't mean anyone any harm, and I'm no longer there to bother anybody. Whatever happened to that old adage: live and let live?"

Ino glared at Naruto, but when she went to snap at him, Shikamaru held up his hand and said, "Don't say anything, Ino. You're only going to make things worse."

Switching her glare from Naruto to Shikamaru, she exclaimed, "This bastard killed Sasuke-kun! How can you expect me to just forgive him for that?! This asshole just takes and takes and takes. He's ruined so many lives! He deserves to pay for his crimes! Especially for killing my darling Sasuke-kun."

Shikamaru let out an aggravated sigh before looking into Naruto's eyes. "Ino, just shut up. I warned you not to let your personal feelings affect your judgment. Let me do the talking. I'd prefer not to have to fight if we can help it. And if you attack him, I won't come to your defense. Do you understand me now?"

Ino squawked in indignation. "Excuse me?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"I'm your friend. I don't want you to recklessly throw away your life trying to kill someone that's practically a god in human skin. You know damn well we can't defeat him. So maybe you should think things through before you get all pissy about Sasuke. He never returned your feelings, Ino. Sasuke didn't care about ANYONE but himself. Personally, I believe what Naruto said. Sasuke would have continued on his campaign of revenge if nobody stopped him. No, killing Sasuke wasn't a choice; it was a responsibility. It was his duty to do whatever needed to be done to save the most lives." Shikamaru said, narrowing his eyes on Ino. "So shut up and think things through."

"B-But…! Sasuke-kun…he…I…"

"Ino…I know you hate me." Naruto said, looking sadly into her eyes. "Shikamaru's right. Sasuke didn't know how to love. All he knew was hate and the desire for vengeance. He was so consumed by revenge that he never quite grew up. He never matured as a person. And…he never loved you. He would have never returned your feelings. I know, you genuinely fell for him HARD, but it just wasn't meant to be. Ino…" Sighing sadly, he shook his head for a moment as he thought over what he had to say.

After some time, Naruto looked directly into Ino's eyes and smiled sadly at her. "Ino, you're a beautiful woman. You deserve better than Sasuke. You truly do. Find someone that will love you for who you are. Don't…" Unable to look her in the eyes anymore, he said, "Don't throw away your life for something as horrible as revenge. Don't let it consume you like it did Sasuke. Please. Hell, if you don't feel like you have a future in the Elemental Nations anymore, join a school here in the outside world. Make new friends. Be happy."

Ino frowned as she absorbed Naruto's words. Going silent, she turned to Shikamaru and waited for whatever he would say and/or do. Is…is he right, Shikamaru? She wondered silently to herself.

Looking into Naruto's eyes, Shikamaru said, "Thanks, Naruto. You're still too damn troublesome, though." Letting out another tired sigh, he looked up at the clouds hanging far above them. "Naruto, why would you make it so easy to find you? Anyone with half a brain could have figured out where you were if they studied a little about this world. Or were you hoping to be found? If so, why?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Honestly, I had hoped that nobody would care enough to chase after me. Guess my luck just wasn't working for me. Seems to happen way more often than I'd like it to." Chancing a quick glance at Ino, he wondered what she'd do now. Shrugging it off, he looked back at Shikamaru and said, "Shikamaru, now that you're here, what do you want? I'm not returning to the Elemental Nations, and I'm not about to subject myself to some sorry excuse of a trial. I'd be convicted of my supposed 'crimes' without being permitted to speak in my defense. No one would care to hear the truth. So what the hell did you expect to happen when you found me?"

"Honestly? I hadn't really thought about what I'd do when we found you. On the one hand, I could try to convince you to return with me and hope we could figure something out. On the other, you really didn't ask for any of this. Killing you just wouldn't feel right. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of those 'live and let live' situations. I don't really care. But they're not going to give up in their hunt for you, Naruto. You know that. So are you just going to kill everyone that comes after you? You'd be no better than any of them if you chose to do that." Pausing for a moment, he looked hard into Naruto's eyes and asked, "What happened to Kakashi and Sakura? I was sure they'd have found you first."

Naruto frowned deeply and said, "When those two found me, they threatened to kill the students of this school. They threatened to kill people I cherish. So I did what I had to do. I killed the two of them and then disposed of their bodies. You're not going to hurt anyone though, are you?"

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "Too much trouble. No, killing innocent people just isn't in my nature. Still, I need to ask you this: will you return with us to stand trial, Naruto? Or will you resist?"

Quirking a brow, Naruto suddenly vanished from sight. A mere second later, he appeared behind Shikamaru with a kunai pressed against his throat. "Don't even think about it, Shikamaru. You may think you could fool me, but I'm not quite as dumb as you think I am. Let go of them, or I'll MAKE you release them."

The lazy genius chuckled so himself and said, "Can't blame a guy for trying. I kind of figured you'd notice. I really don't want to start a fight here, but I do have my orders."

Before Naruto could say anything in reply, the shadow beneath him suddenly spiked upwards, impaling him throughout his body. However, when he went up in a puff of smoke, they were shocked to see a piece of concrete hovering in the spot Naruto had been mere seconds ago. Sighing to himself, Shikamaru turned to face Naruto and said, "You're not making this easy, Naruto."

The whiskered teen shook his head before shooting a quick glance at Choji. Throughout the entire conversation thus far, he had simply been snacking on chips. He didn't seem to be concerned in the least, which honestly bothered Naruto something fierce. He knows something I don't. I don't like this…

Before Shikamaru could do anything else, Ino snapped at him. "What the hell?! You get on my case for my bad attitude towards him, and here you are trying to kill him! Which is it, dammit?!"

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "I don't want you carelessly throwing your life away, Ino. You're one of my dearest friends. Besides, you know as well as I do that Naruto isn't some evil monster. He deserves to live, too. Besides that, you have to know that we don't stand a chance in hell of beating him. Capturing him is damn near impossible. And killing a veritable god in human form? We never stood a chance. But, I wanted at least you to live on, Ino. I think you should take Naruto up on that offer to live in the outside world. Go to school, learn what he's been learning. Lead a good, happy life. That kind of life was never in the cards for me. I resigned myself to my fate a while ago. And Choji…" Glancing at his portly friend, Shikamaru smiled and said, "Choji knew my plan all along. We've resigned ourselves to our fate."

It was at this point that Naruto's eyes widened as he realized the problem. Quickly creating some shadow clones to deal with Shikamaru and Choji, he spun around and dashed towards Lala and Riko. Seeing what was coming towards them, he cursed under his breath and quickly summoned his staff into his hand. Without warning, he threw the staff between the girls and watched as his staff knocked their assailant out of his spin, forcing the young man to hit the ground.

Summoning his staff back into his hands, he glared at the members of Team 8 as they approached. "Dammit. I can't fight like this. Not with all the innocents here." Upon spotting Hinata, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. This is sooo not good. I still don't know what her deal is.

Smiling serenely at Naruto, Hinata slowly sauntered her way closer to him. "Naruto-kun. Why did you leave me all alone like that? I would have kept you safe. I would have made you happy. Then you left me… How could you do such a horrible thing?"

Naruto shook his head and clutched his staff tight. "Hinata, there was literally nothing you could have done that would have ensured my safety back there. As for these 'feelings' you have for me, I don't buy that for a second. Sure, I'll buy the possibility that you actually care about me on some level, and I thank you for it. But you don't love me. You never TRIED to be there for me, Hinata. No, if anything, you likely cherished the image you had of me. A Naruto that could do no wrong. A Naruto that never gave up and inspired courage in you. You fell for this perfect image you created. However, if we had ended up together somehow, you would have quickly realized that I'm not perfect. I'm very far from it, actually. And once I let you down, I have no idea what you would have done. I'll admit it right here and now: I was scared of you. I didn't trust you. I still don't feel like I can trust you. So what the hell do you want from me, Hinata?"

Hinata frowned at him and shook her head. "No, you aren't perfect. You ran away, Naruto-kun. You abandoned me. The Naruto-kun I know wouldn't have fled like a coward! You hurt me, Naruto-kun. But I'm willing to forgive you. I won't hurt you. I won't try to kill you. I WILL make you my husband and I will bear your children. If you don't want to return to the Elemental Nations to stand trial for what you've done, then I'll stay here and take you for myself. Just don't fight me on this, Naruto-kun."

Naruto scowled at her for a time before looking past her at Kiba and Shino, her teammates. "Why can't you people just leave me alone and let me live in peace? Is depriving me of happiness that important to you monsters? I really don't understand! You come here to the outside world in search of me, and the first thing you try to do upon seeing me is attack my fiancé and my girlfriend! How the hell do you expect to get away with that?!"

Naruto quickly realized that this was the exact WRONG thing to say. Hinata's eyes went wide for a time before she turned her gaze onto Lala and Riko. "I see. They've corrupted your mind then, it would seem. Just let me dispose of them real quick and we can be on our way. After all, you're mine, Naruto-kun. Nobody else can have you."

Eyes widening in horror, Naruto went to protect his loves, only for Kiba to launch himself at him again. Snarling at this point, the blonde decided right then and there that he would need to end Kiba's life if he wanted to save the loves of his life. Taking a deep breath in, he focused on his chakra and called forth over 1000 clones, blanketing the whole area in smoke. Without a word needing to be said, he was grateful when they immediately went about removing the innocent bystanders from the area. The rest of his clones began to fight Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino. The real Naruto, on the other hand, appeared above Kiba and Akamaru. Grabbing hold of Kiba's head, the whiskered teen quickly snapped his neck before kicking him into the ground. Then he looked at Akamaru and muttered a quick prayer for the innocent animal. Then, in a second, he ended the large dog's life.

Meanwhile, Hinata activated her Byakugan and began to stalk towards the sluts that had dared to steal her Naruto-kun away from her. When the smoke began to dissipate, she quickened her pace and dashed straight for Lala, aiming a palm strike towards her heart. However, before her attack could land, a hand firmly gripped her wrist and halted her in place. Turning a fierce glare on the one that dared to stop her, she was confused to see what appeared to be a genuine knight standing before her. However, she wasn't in the mood to deal with this interference. "Release me! I need to make these bitches pay for taking what is rightfully mine!"

Zastin frowned at the young woman and said, "I shall not permit you to harm milady. We were warned ahead of time about you. I'm going to give you this one chance to take your team and leave. Do not force my hand."

Before Hinata could say anything more, Naruto patted Zastin on the shoulder and said, "Thank you, Zastin. I'm glad you're here. Can I trust you to deal with her?"

The knight nodded without ever taking his eyes off of Hinata. "Yes, you may. Deal with your foes how you see fit, Master Naruto. I won't let any harm befall the princess or those dear to you both. If that means I must take a life to do so, then I will do so."

Before Naruto could move to deal with Shikamaru and Shino, Hinata reached for him with her free hand. "Naruto-kun, wait! Don't leave me! Can't you see we're meant to be together?!"

The blonde glanced at Hinata over his shoulder. Sighing, he turned away from her once more and proceeded towards Shino Aburame. The entire time, he could hear Hinata calling out for him, trying to play on his emotions and his supposed 'love' for her. It bothered him greatly to hear such things coming from what was once a shy wallflower of a girl. Dammit, Hinata. To think, I almost believed you were sincere. Dammit.

Stopping mere feet from Shino, Naruto peered into his sunglasses and relaxed himself. "Shino."

Shino nodded in greeting. "Naruto. It is good to see you again."

"Likewise, Shino. Have you been keeping well?"

The bug-user shook his head and said, "Things could have been better. With your departure from the village, things spiraled into a state of chaos. It's quite possible that a Fifth Ninja War may begin. But…"

Naruto shook his head and offered his old friend a smile. "It's no longer my concern, right?" Seeing Shino nod, the blonde walked up to him and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm sorry, Shino. Please, go home and do whatever you have to do to keep your family and friends safe. Find yourself a nice wife and raise a family together. Be happy. Okay?"

Shino slowly returned the hug, patting Naruto's back awkwardly. "Thank you, Naruto. Please, be well and lead a happy life with your loved ones. I'll work to keep a war from breaking out. I'll do whatever I can to ensure you won't have to come save us again."

Naruto gently patted Shino on the back before he stepped back and looked into Shino's shades. "I trust you, Shino. If another war DOES break out, you know where to find me. I just hope nothing comes of it. Let it just be a lingering fear and be happy. All of you."

"Of course. What will you do about Shikamaru?" Shino questioned.

The blonde glanced back at Shikamaru, who was currently watching him and his every move. He wasn't resisting the clones that came at him, and Choji was barely reacting. It was almost as if they were waiting for something. "Shino, I may have to kill them both. I don't want to, but if they don't agree to leave peacefully, I won't have much of a choice."

Shino nodded in understanding before he stepped back. "Good luck, Naruto."

"Thanks, Shino." Naruto said before he snapped his fingers, causing all of his clones to disappear in bursts of smoke. Waiting for the smoke to be blown away, he stepped forward towards the clever Nara. "So, will you leave, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru frowned distastefully before he glanced at Ino. "Goodbye, Ino." He said before he turned and began walking towards Naruto, Choji joining him at his side. "No hard feelings, Naruto. But we can't go back emptyhanded. Please understand."

Naruto looked into Shikamaru's eyes and realized that he was more afraid of whoever the new Hokage was than he was of Naruto. Frowning at this revelation, he asked, "Who took over as the new Hokage? It has to be someone dangerous if you're more afraid of them than you are of me. You have to know that if you don't stop, I WILL kill you?"

Shikamaru shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter. Just make me a promise, Naruto."

"This has to do with Ino, doesn't it?" Seeing Shikamaru nod, the blonde sighed and asked, "What's the favor?"

Looking over his shoulder at his friend, Shikamaru said, "Take care of her. Make sure she leads a happy life here with just the right guy for her. Don't let her get hurt. You should know how I feel about her, Naruto. I'm trusting you to take care of her."

Naruto nodded sadly before he took a kunai and thrust it through Shikamaru's neck and up into his brain. Slowly removing the kunai, he watched as Shikamaru's body collapsed to the ground. Afterwards, he turned his attention to Choji and asked, "Is this really what you want, Choji? You could be happy here, if you wanted. I don't want to kill you."

Choji walked up to Naruto and handed the blonde his oversized bag full of snacks. "I want you to have these, Naruto. You were always a good friend to me, and it only feels right to give you my entire stash of snacks. I know you'll get the most out of them." Giving his friend a hug, Choji said, "Do it, Naruto. I've lived a good life and I'm proud of my accomplishments. Take care of yourself, okay?"

Naruto frowned sadly at Choji, but nodded and proceeded to sever Choji's head from his body. Afterwards, he gently laid Choji's body on the ground beside his friend. Naruto's breathing became labored as he felt tears stinging at his eyes. However, he had one last problem to deal with before this situation could be truly resolved. So, chancing a quick glance at Ino to check on her status, he nodded once before he stood up again. Turning towards Zastin and Hinata, he saw that the knight was doing a most excellent job of keeping the psychotic woman distracted.

Walking past his loved ones, Naruto patted Zastin on the shoulder before he stepped up to face Hinata. "Hinata, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for abandoning you. But I don't love you. I never did. Hell, I didn't even love Sakura." Sighing in agitation, he shook his head for a moment. After taking a moment to think on it, he looked back into Hinata's eyes. "I don't want to kill you, Hinata. Please, return to Konoha and try to find happiness there. You don't need me."

Hinata scowled at him and wanted dearly to yell at him again. However, she clenched her fists tight before relaxing her body. "I can't go back without you, Naruto-kun. You don't know what he'll do if we fail. Besides that, you are MINE. I won't let anyone else have you if I can't!"

"Who the hell became Hokage? I figured they'd put Kakashi in charge, but he's dead. I don't know who else could fit the bill." Naruto questioned.

Ino stepped up beside Naruto at this point and said, "Orochimaru. They had no one else in the village powerful and knowledgeable enough to take the position. So, they pardoned Orochimaru for all his crimes and put him in charge. He wants you back, but no one is quite sure why. Some people believe he wants to kill you for killing Sasuke. But a lot of us believe he wants you for his sick experiments. You're the closest thing to an immortal this world has to offer, after all."

Naruto facepalmed himself at this point and said, "You have got to be fucking kidding me. I can't believe they'd really be THAT damn stupid." Sighing once again, he looked into Hinata's eyes and said, "Hinata, I don't want to kill you. But if you try to harm my loved ones, I WILL kill you. I suggest you return to Konoha and tell Orochimaru that if he wants me, he'd better come at me himself. Then again, I'd just erase the bastard from existence. So I want you all to leave me alone. If you refuse to spread my message and continue on the warpath…"

Hinata looked from Naruto to his girls. "What do they have that I don't? Why wouldn't you share your love with me? Am I not attractive to you? Am I too ugly? What is it, Naruto-kun?!"

The whiskered teen looked calmly into Hinata's eyes and said, "Hinata, you're beautiful. Never doubt that. But you were in love with this image you had of me in your mind. You were too afraid to approach me and offer me your friendship. When I needed someone to be there for me…you were never there. You didn't take the time to really get to know me as a person. I'm sorry, but the feelings you think you have for me just aren't real. You can find happiness with someone else, I'm sure. But it won't be me."

Hinata scowled at him for a moment before she moved to attack him. "If I can't have you, then no one will! I won't accept this!"

Once more, Zastin caught Hinata's wrist before she could strike Naruto. Frowning, he looked at Naruto for a moment and pondered the current situation. Seeing that the blonde didn't want to deal the killing blow, Zastin decided on a course of action. Pulling Hinata's arms behind her back, he slapped some galactic-brand cuffs on her wrists, preventing her from lashing out. "Excuse me, Master Naruto. I will take this girl to stand trial in the galactic court of law. For attempted murder of Lala-sama and her chosen husband, she will face a number of years in a maximum-security prison. We shall see. Is this agreeable to you, Master Naruto?"

Naruto frowned slightly as he looked into Hinata's eyes. After some time had passed, he said, "Do what you have to do, Zastin. I need a long break after dealing with all this crap."

Once Zastin nodded and disappeared with Hinata, Naruto turned to Ino and decided to nip this final problem in the bud. "Do you still want to kill me, Ino? Shikamaru and Choji gave their lives to ensure you would stay safe. If you want, I'll ensure you can join this school and even end up in my class. You deserve the chance to really be happy here, away from the chaos of the Elemental Nations."

The platinum blonde frowned and lowered her gaze to the ground. "Shikamaru…he loved me, didn't he? How could I have been so blind to his true feelings?" Sighing sadly, she nodded her head once. "I can't guarantee I'll ever forgive you, Naruto, but I won't try to hurt you. I won't go back to Konoha, either. But I have nothing here. I can't be on my own. Where the heck would I live?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said, "You can live with me. Or I can buy you a house of your own, if you'd prefer. I won't just let you be alone on the streets or something."

Ino looked into Naruto's eyes for a time before she said, "Sure, Naruto. Just promise not to peep on me or something."

The whiskered shinobi smiled kindly at her and said, "I won't. I've never tried to peep on my girlfriends, so you'll be safe from any perverted tendencies I may or may not have. I'm not like Jiraiya was."

"Thank Kami for that." Ino said, giggling for a bit. Then she turned to look down at the bodies of her dearest friends. "Can you use some of your clones to properly dispose of their bodies? We can't have anyone outside of the Elemental Nations learning about chakra, after all."

Naruto nodded and summoned ten clones, ordering them to dispose of the bodies. Once they were gone, the whiskered teen looked at the school building for a time before shaking his head. "To think things would get screwed up this damn badly. Oh well. Come with me, Ino. We'll explain things to the principal and get you settled in. You've got a LOT to learn about this world, trust me."

Ino nodded once before she looked at Lala and Riko, who had been discussing things with one another. "Naruto, just who are these girls?"

As Naruto led them inside the school building, he said, "Lala is my fiancé. She's the cutie with the tail. Riko is one of my girlfriends. I'm also in a relationship with Koyuki from the Land of Spring. Then there's another girl I happen to be involved with, too. Trust me when I say it wasn't planned. Circumstances just led to this."

Ino frowned as she followed Naruto and his girls to the principal's office. However, as she walked along, she couldn't help but notice how empty the hallways were. "Did all those students make it inside okay?"

Naruto nodded and said, "My clones brought them inside and warned them to stay in their classrooms. They'll be fine. I'm more concerned with these two right now." Glancing at his fiancé and his girlfriend, he asked, "Are you two okay? I had to kill again, right in front of you."

Riko quickly shook her head and said, "N-No! I-I-I'm okay! Honestly! I just…I don't think I'll ever get used to it. The senseless loss of life…"

Lala hugged Riko and said, "It's okay. Just let it out, Riko-chan. No matter what, Naruto-kun will keep us safe from the bad people."

Ino frowned sadly at this before looking into Naruto's eyes. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't realize…"

Naruto looked apathetically into her eyes and said, "I think Shikamaru and Choji did. They recognized that the people of this world haven't seen things like that very often. Whereas we came from a war-torn land, the people out here are still innocent. Well, mostly. There's always going to be a bad seed somewhere. But my point stands; these people haven't seen war. They haven't seen death. But people from the Elemental Nations don't care about that fact. Or they're truly unaware of it. Either way, it's cruel to expect these people to just casually toss death and destruction aside without a care."

Ino flinched and slowly nodded her head. "There's only one more team from Konoha out here. Tenten, Lee, and their new teammate: Yakumo Kurama. I don't know what they'll do if they find you here. Lee wouldn't be able to piece it together like Shikamaru did. Tenten, though, might be able to find you. Are you ready to deal with them should they appear?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Lee is loyal to Konoha to a fault. He is a bit simple-minded that way. Yakumo I'm friends with. Tenten's an unknown to me. I don't know if she'll find me or not. But yes, Ino. I'll send them back to Konoha emptyhanded, if I have to. Otherwise, let them explore for a while. They might find that they like the outside world."

When Naruto shrugged his shoulders, Ino frowned sadly at him for a while longer. Turning to face Lala and Riko, the blonde stepped up to them and said, "I'm so, so sorry. Are you going to be okay?"

Lala looked into Ino's eyes almost searchingly. After some time, she shook her head and said, "We will be. But you have to promise not to try and hurt Naruto-kun EVER again."

Ino nodded slowly before watching Naruto open a door. Before moving through the doorway, she looked at Lala again and said, "I won't try to hurt him ever again. I promise." And with that, she stepped into the principal's office and looked at the short, overweight man. Immediately upon seeing him, she shivered in disgust. He just gave off such a bad feeling.

When Ino looked at him, Naruto chuckled softly before leaning in close and whispering to her. "This is the principal of this school. Nobody knows his name, but we all know the kind of person he is. Think Jiraiya levels of pervertedness. Only the principal will actually chase after girls and try things…yeaaaah."

Ino groaned and said, "You have got to be kidding me." under her breath. Afterwards, she stepped forward and bowed to the fat man. "Hello, sir. I am a, erm, 'friend' of Naruto's. My name is Ino Yamanaka and I am currently 17 years old. Will you permit me to join this school? I'd prefer if I could be in the same class as Naruto, if at all possible."

The principal looked Ino over for a moment before chancing a glance at Naruto. Seeing the ninja nod, the principal turned back to Ino and said, "Of course you can join! A beautiful young thing like you is just what this school needs! But, I need to be sure of something first." Looking back at Naruto, he asked, "They came for you again, didn't they?"

Naruto nodded in response. "Yes, sir. They did. The enemies have been disposed of and a message has been sent back to those in Konohagakure, courtesy of a friend of mine. I'm afraid that I had to take more lives. I never wanted this. All I wanted was to come here and be happy. I am sorry to bring my troubles to this school and the city as a whole."

The principal frowned sadly at the younger male. "I see. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you have to go through this. No child, your age or otherwise, should have to deal with so much chaos and strife. You've been through far too much. You don't need to apologize, Naruto. Now," turning to Ino again, the principal said, "Ino-chan. I'm trusting you not to try and hurt Naruto again in any way. If you can promise me that, then I'll send you to Mikado to get fitted for your uniform. If all goes well, you should be able to join the class in a matter of hours."

Ino said, "Of course, Mr. Principal. I won't try to hurt him again. He has invited me into his home and to this fine school. I would be a fool to look the gift horse in the mouth."

"Very good. Naruto, I want you to guide Ino-chan to see Dr. Mikado. Lala-chan, Riko-chan, head to class and inform Honekawa that Naruto will be bringing a new student to see him. If he complains, tell him to take it up with me. Now, you are all dismissed. I have some things I need to take care of." The principal said, making a shooing motion with his hand.

Turning around, the group of four left the office. Bidding Riko and Lala a quick goodbye, Naruto turned and began to guide Ino to the doctor's office. As they walked, Naruto glanced at Ino and said, "You should know that Lala and Mikado-sensei are aliens. Lala's father has threatened to destroy the Earth if I fail to keep Lala from being snatched away by her other suitors. I have to keep Lala safe and happy, otherwise he'll blow up the planet. I've already promised that I'm going to kick his ass when we meet. Oh!" Eyes wide, he found himself chuckling a bit. "There's another alien in our class. Well, two of them. They're brother and sister, but they're stuck sharing the same body. I've only ever met Ren, so I have no idea what Run is like. Still, they're good people. I'll have to introduce you sometime."

Ino smiled thankfully at Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto. For trying to make me feel welcome. You have no reason to do all of this for me…"

Naruto shrugged and said, "I told them I'd take care of you. I refuse to go back on my word. Now, enough of that. This is the nurse's office. Go in and explain the situation to her. She'll understand. I don't expect this to take very long."

The mindwalker frowned slightly and asked, "What if there are no uniforms in my size? Would I still be welcome in class?"

Naruto nodded and said, "You can join in on the lesson, yes. Mikado-sensei should have your uniform ready before the end of the day. You'll be fine."

Nodding in thanks, Ino pushed open the door and stepped inside. She was thankful that Naruto chose to remain in the hall. Thank you, Naruto.

Later

Stepping into the classroom, Naruto walked up to Honekawa and whispered in his ear that Ino was ready. Hearing this, the teacher instructed Naruto to take his seat so he could introduce the new student to everyone. So, taking his seat, Naruto glanced towards the door and thought, This should be interesting. Hmm, now that I think on it… Looking at Ren at this point, he found himself feeling rather curious. Maybe they'd make a good pair? I'm not too sure about that. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Ren's still hung up on that promise he and Lala made. Kind of annoying, but he's not a bad guy. Meh. Shrugging it off, he returned his attention to Honekawa.

"It seems we have another new student joining us today. Little lady, you're free to come in now." Looking towards the door, everyone watched as Ino stepped inside and bowed to them. "Please introduce yourself to the class."

Ino straightened up again and smiled at everyone. "My name is Ino Yamanaka. I'm…a friend of Naruto's. I'm hoping to make a new life here and make lots of new friends. Please treat me kindly."

While the guys in the classroom began to go gaga over the hot new student, Haruna looked from Ino to Naruto, a worried frown etched on her face. Seeing this, Naruto smiled at her and promised that he would talk with her and the others about it later. Turning her attention back to the front of the classroom, the blue-haired girl began to compare her figure to that of Ino's. Considering she didn't have the perfect figure that girls like Lala and this Ino girl had, it was only natural for the young woman to feel a bit insecure. Does Naruto-kun like girls like that? Should I try to be more like them?

It was easy for Naruto to notice that something was bothering his girlfriend right now, but he couldn't really say anything at the moment. Class was about to start, after all. Still… Haruna, I wish you wouldn't worry so much. You're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. At least, I think so.

It was at this point that both of them were interrupted by a loud voice shouting, "Do you have a boyfriend?!"

Sighing, Naruto facepalmed himself and shook his head. Dammit. Of all the things you hormonal idiots could have asked.

Ino frowned momentarily before offering everyone a disarming smile. "No. The…the boy I liked…" Looking at Naruto at this point, she smiled apologetically to him. "The boy I liked did some really bad things and we were never able to be together. But Naruto and…and my friends…"

Naruto frowned sadly as tears began to trickle down Ino's cheeks. Standing up, he walked up to Ino and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay now, Ino. Come on, let's get you to your seat. You're going to be right behind me, okay?"

Ino nodded and walked along with Naruto to the back of the classroom. Once there, he gave her another hug before he took his seat. Smiling at Honekawa, he said, "Sorry, Honekawa-sensei. Ino has been through a lot. That question brings up bad memories for her. I ask that you guys not bother her about her past and what she's been through. Please."

Saruyama and the other guys in the classroom nodded, though frowns were clear to see on their faces. The girls were looking at Ino sympathetically, though those close to Naruto knew that there was far more to Ino's being here than they were letting on.

Honekawa looked at Ino for a time before turning his attention to the class as a whole. "Alright. With that little distraction out of the way, let's get started. Yamanaka, as you likely don't have your textbooks yet, you should share with Yuuki. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then feel free to move your desk beside Uzumaki's and share with him."

Ino nodded before she smiled somewhat awkwardly at the girl next to her: Riko Yuuki. "S-Sorry. Nothing against you, I promise, but I think I'll share with Naruto."

Riko nodded in understanding before watching as Ino shifted her desk around so she was sitting beside Naruto. Sorry, Ino, but I still don't trust you with Naruto-kun. You'd better not try to hurt him again.

Naruto looked at Ino curiously for a moment before shaking his head. Moving his textbook to the center of their connected desks, he pointed to a specific note in the book. "This is where we left off last time. I'll teach you the Shadow Clone Technique later so you can try and speed up the learning process. You've got a lot of catching up to do and even more you need to study if you want to acclimate yourself to this world. For now, I'll try to point out things that might be a bit difficult for you. And fair warning, Honekawa can be worse than Iruka sometimes."

Ino let out a groan and muttered, "You can't be serious. Iruka was soooo boring. It's a miracle we learned anything at all in the academy."

The spiky-haired youth chuckled softly and said, "Yep. Alright, let's pay attention before Honekawa-sensei gets on our case for disrupting the class."

Ino giggled a bit and nodded her head. "Okay, but I'm going to hold you to your promise. Don't forget."

"No worries there. I'll do my best to help you out, Ino. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or our classmates. Heck, ask Lala-chan for help. She's way smarter than most everyone in this classroom." Naruto said, smiling kindly at his fellow blonde.

Before Ino could say anything in thanks, Honekawa got everyone's attention. "Enough chitchat. Today, we're going to skip ahead a bit and take a look at some advanced formulae. I want you to read from where we left off last time until page 79, which is where we'll begin today." Turning around, he began to write out a complicated mathematical formula on the blackboard. Once he was finished, he turned again and began to glance around the class at everyone. "Everyone, I'll begin by explaining some of the items you're likely still unfamiliar with. Then, I want you to try and solve this problem, Uzumaki. Don't be ashamed if you can't answer the problem. I'm purposely trying to push all of you to be the best you can be. If you need any help with any part of the equation, don't hesitate to ask."

Naruto nodded and said, "Of course, Honekawa-sensei."

Ino leaned in close and whispered to him. "How the heck does he expect you to solve something like that without learning about such formulae yet?"

The spiky-haired teen shrugged and said, "Wouldn't be the first time I was called on to answer a question like this one. If you remember, Mizuki loved to pick on me for my 'lack of intelligence'. At least Honekawa cares."

Ino flinched, but nodded slowly. "Sorry. Didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Naruto shook his head and offered her a disarming smile. "It's fine, Ino. Now, let's pay attention and hopefully learn how all of this works."

Smiling back, Ino looked back at their shared textbook and began to listen as Honekawa began to drone on and on. Now I understand why Shikamaru and Naruto slept through most of Iruka's lectures. I can barely stay awake!

Lunchtime

Naruto and Ino sat down with the former's group of friends, Saki and her entourage included in their number. Sitting down together, Naruto was a bit caught off guard when Ino sat down much closer to him than he had expected. Shrugging it off after a moment, he offered the kunoichi a smile and began to introduce his friends. "Ino, this is Lala-chan. She's my fiancé, and if we have anything to say about it, we're going to be wed whether people like it or not."

Lala beamed at Ino and said, "Nice to officially meet you, Ino-san!"

Ino smiled at Lala and said, "Nice to meet you as well, Lala-san."

Motioning to Riko and Haruna, Naruto chose to introduce them next. "These two are my girlfriends: Riko Yuuki and Haruna Sairenji."

When the girls waved at her, Ino waved back and smiled at the duo. However, turning to Naruto, she asked, "How did this happen? Are you comfortable with having a harem? It just doesn't seem like you."

Naruto shook his head and said, "It just kind of happened this way. Besides, apparently, once I become the new ruler of the universe, it's kind of expected for me to have a harem. I'm certainly not complaining, but I agree that it can be a bit awkward sometimes. Still, we're really happy together and I wouldn't have things any other way. I've never been so happy, Ino. I'm really glad I left the Elemental Nations. These wonderful people are like family to me."

Ino looked into Naruto's eyes for a time before she offered him a warm smile. "I'm glad, Naruto. You deserve to be happy. But you're going to have to explain everything to me later. I'm still a little confused about what's going on."

Naruto nodded before he turned and began to introduce the others, one by one. Once the introductions had gotten out of the way, Naruto took out some bento boxes and handed a couple to his fiancé and Riko. The third one he gave to Ino. "Here, Ino. Dig in and enjoy. I worked hard on it."

Ino frowned as she looked down at the bento in her hands. After a moment, she opened it and looked at the delectable morsels within. "Are you sure, Naruto? What about you? You need to eat, too."

Naruto shook his head and pointed towards the bento. "I can go without lunch for one day. It'll be fine. Besides, you need it more than I do. Think of it as comfort food after all you've been through."

Frowning as she looked at the food in her hands, Ino soon gained a wicked idea and smirked to herself. Picking up a piece with the chopsticks provided to her, she held it out to Naruto and said, "Open wide, Naruto. Say 'ahhh'."

Naruto blushed at the affectionate gesture, but soon complied, taking the piece of meat into his mouth and chewing it for a while. Once he had swallowed, he glanced away and scratched at his whiskered cheek. "Thanks, Ino. Seriously though, you should eat."

Ino giggled a bit and said, "Only if you eat with me. We can share this, you know?"

Smiling at the platinum blonde, Naruto said, "Sure, Ino. That sounds good to me."

"Good. Because I wasn't going to take no for an answer." Ino said, nodding sagely to herself.

Meanwhile, Lala and the other girls interested in Naruto were feeling quite displeased by what they had just witnessed. Looking at one another, they decided that they would deal with it later when they could get Ino alone. For her sake, she'd better not show any interest in our man. Lala thought, a deep frown on her face.

After school – Naruto's home

As Ino followed Naruto and Lala into what would be her new home, she couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the house. Hell, calling it a plain old house was quite the understatement. The inside looked even more spacious than she had expected, though she had a feeling that Naruto had made use of fuinjutsu to expand the inside a bit. Looking around, she said, "This is amazing, Naruto. You really live here?"

"Yep. Come, let me show you to the bedrooms. I'll let you pick whichever one you want. Except the master bedroom, of course." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Ino smiled at him and nodded her head. However, when she went to follow Naruto upstairs, she suddenly froze upon seeing five kunoichi working in the kitchen. "Umm…Naruto? What are they doing here?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "They're pretty much Koyuki-chan's bodyguards. They live here with Koyuki, Lala and me. Speaking of Koyuki, though, I wonder if she'd like to star in any movies while living here? Might have to look into that soon."

Ino blinked a couple of times before asking, "Koyuki? As in the actress and daimyo of the Land of Spring? What the heck is she doing way out here?!"

Lala beamed as she looked at Ino. "Koyuki came here to be with Naruto-kun! She even got him kitties for his birthday!"

"Damn. Lucky you, Naruto. You're quite the ladies man these days, aren't you?" Ino teased.

Naruto chuckled softly as he stopped in a hallway on the third floor. "So it would seem. Anyways, we're here. Feel free to take any of the unoccupied rooms you want. Each bedroom is fully furnished, so you don't have to worry about needing a bed or dressers or whatever else you might need. However, we will need to get you some more clothes to wear. In fact, we can take you shopping a little later, if you'd like?"

Ino nodded before she began walking down the hall, debating on which of the many rooms she'd like to claim for herself. When she finally stopped at a door on the right side of the hallway, only a couple of rooms away from the master bedroom, she turned and waved at Naruto. "I'll take this one. And you'd better keep your word, Naruto. Shopping sounds great."

Naruto chuckled softly and said, "Of course, Ino. For now, relax and enjoy yourself. I'm going to check on Celine and then get to work on some of our homework. Feels like my brain's been fried after today's lessons, though."

Ino giggled a bit and said, "I know what you mean. I'll see you later, Naruto."

Watching as Ino entered her chosen bedroom, Naruto turned to Lala and released a frustrated sigh. "Go ahead, tear into me already, Lala-chan. I know this is all so sudden and I'm likely being an idiot, but…"

Lala hugged her fiancé close and kissed him sweetly on the lips. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I'm not upset with you. I may not trust her just yet, but I think you're doing the right thing. I love you so, so much. I'll always look after you, even if I have to protect you from all those mean ninja that are targeting you. Poor Riko-chan, though. I think she's going to have nightmares after all she's seen lately."

"Yeah. I need to talk to her soon. Maybe taking her on a date would help clear her head for a while? She deserves to feel safe and secure. She deserves to be happy." Naruto said.

"Yep! Don't worry, Naruto. I'm sure Riko will be just fine. You and I both know she doesn't blame you for any of this." Lala said.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yes. I know that. Riko should never have been put in a position like that. This is the second time her life's been threatened recently. Lala-chan, I want to make her feel special. But I don't want to take things too far. You deserve to be the first I make love to and the first I marry. I know you want to be first, but at the same time, I need to make Riko feel special and feel loved. So what should I do?"

Lala frowned sadly as she thought it over. After some time, she closed her eyes and said, "Do whatever you need to to make Riko feel special. If that means a little, erm…oh, what do they call it? Foreplay? Yeah, foreplay! So long as you don't go all the way, I'll let her get away with that particular first. Just, no sex, okay?"

Naruto nodded and hugged his fiancé close. "I wouldn't betray you like that, Lala-chan. Still, hopefully it won't have to come to that. I hope that just talking with her will help. Maybe a few dates would help. Might as well try, right?"

The pinkette smiled at the love of her life and said, "Of course. I love you, Naruto-kun. Now come on, let's go check on Celine and the kitties!" And I want to warn Koyuki about Ino. I still don't trust Ino one bit. I'm still not happy about her feeding Naru-kun like that!

Naruto wrapped an arm around his lady love and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I know you're upset, Lala-chan. But you really don't have anything to worry about from Ino. We aren't interested in each other like that. I want to start over fresh with her and become true friends. And I promised Shikamaru that I'd look after her. Seriously though, you have nothing to worry about from her. She won't steal me away from you and the others."

"If you say so, Naruto-kun." Lala said, pouting cutely at him. "I trust you. If you're sure that she won't try to take you away from us…I'll try to get along with her."

"That's all I can ask for, Lala-chan. Now come, let's go see Celine." Naruto said, hugging his fiancé close. "I love you, Lala-chan." After everything he had been through lately, Naruto realized that, once again, he just wasn't meant to lead a normal life. And yet, he wouldn't have it any other way. I wonder what's going to happen next. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

A/N - And that's the chapter! Yay!

As you can see, things got pretty chaotic there. And now Ino's in the picture! What's going to happen next with her involved in the story now? We'll just have to wait and see. Feel free to let me know what you'd like to see happen with Ino in future chapters. I'm curious to see what you all have to say.

Also, a quick notice for those of you who have read Maelstrom of Cold Steel. There's a new poll up on my profile. I would really appreciate some votes for that poll because I am really undecided on who I should pair Rean with.

Now, because I am practically a zombie at this point, I'm going to attempt to get some more sleep. Hopefully I can. x.x