A/N: Hello, people! COVER ART BY: Niyuu_Trickster_Kat!

I don't own Naruto.

I have no beta.

ENJOY!

CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON!

TAGS for this Chapter: SWEARING.

Nara Shikaku sighed. Because of his troublesome son they had to join the Yamanaka and Akimichi Head families in a joint meeting. This had the potential to affect the future of their clans so they had to get it all out of the way now before things festered for too long.

While it made extra work for him, he was proud. Shikamaru was learning to stand up for what he believed in and was willing to defend his friends, even if it meant straining relations with their partner families. Doing what was right was much more difficult than going with the flow. And as Shikamaru was not in the wrong, it was good of him to hold people accountable for their actions regardless of partnerships.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were also present for this meeting, and Ino remained the only one unaware of what was going on. She merely looked bored while everyone else was tense.

Inoichi cleared his throat to begin the meeting. "Ino, it has come to our attention that your friend group has become a concern to people." He was putting it very lightly, probably to save her feelings. Shikakau thought he should just get it over with. Rip it off like a bandage and save them all the trouble.

The girl in question frowned, the hat hiding her missing hair looking ridiculous in the process. "I don't understand, tou-chan."

Her father sighed, obviously feeling the same way Shikaku did in this scenario. "The Sasuke Fanclub has apparently, followed Uchiha-san home, stolen his possessions and sold them at ridiculously high prices to other fans, told him they'd 'heal his broken heart', told him he was 'so lucky he didn't have parents to order him around' and that he was cool for being 'his own man', spread nasty and inconsiderate rumors about anyone who won't join their fanclub but is still a threat to them, and threatened harm to others who don't bow down to their obsession."

There was more to that list than what Shikaku had been told. He sent a look toward Shikamaru who had a stony expression on his face and looked perfectly awake for this meeting. Apparently Shikamaru had truly been angered with this, and not just mildly annoyed. It wasn't a good idea to anger a Nara, because they could be relentless in getting revenge.

Iniochi's daughter paled as the accusations came out one by one, until Shikaku wondered if she'd pass out.

"B-but I've barely done any of that! I can't be blamed for their actions!"

"But you are the self-declared president of the club," said Shikaku quietly. "Their actions reflect on you and you haven't reined them in at all. And I'm not so certain you're telling the truth either."

She quaked beneath his blank stare, eyes shifting to the side instead of meeting his head on. A suspicious action to take.

Inoichi cut in with, "If I made you swear on your status as Clan Heiress, that you did not participate in any of these actions, would you 100% do so without hesitation?"

And that was it. Ino bowed her head and shook it a few times.

Of course they'd have to get the exact extent of what she'd done out of her, but the talk was far from over and that would come out eventually. He could only hope she'd own up to everything so they didn't have to treat this like pulling teeth.

"Shikamaru has expressed concerns over being on a team with you because of the attitude you've formed thus far. He refuses to be convinced and has threatened to fail this year just so he won't be on a team with you. He used some unpleasant words when explaining what your club has been doing this year," Inoichi explained. "Especially to his friend Yuuki while she's remained unaware."

When Ino turned to look at Shikamaru, his face adopted the same expression as Shikaku's, and she looked away in haste.

"I don't like bullies," Shikamaru stated plainly. "And my willingness to work with them is incredibly low. If you don't grow up and stop being a creep, I have no problem leaving you to be on a team with perfect strangers."

Yes, while it was annoying that they had to do this, he was very proud of his son anyway.

"Alright, Naruto! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to break into the record room, uncover the birthdays of the people on this list, and report back to me with the info you acquire," Yuuki said, handing over a small piece of paper. "Think of it as infiltration training. Make use of your Kage Bunshin as potential distractions. If you can get in and out without being caught, I'll buy you as much ramen as you can eat in one sitting at Ichiraku for your birthday."

He looked excited but also confused. "Why do you need to know their birthdays?"

"'Cause after Shikamaru's I realized that people who aren't poor celebrate their birthdays and get gifts and stuff and as I like them I would like to give them something too."

"Oh! Okay! You can count on me!" Of course she could. She'd put ramen on the line and there was no way he would pass up ramen. Naruto would do anything for ramen, especially if he didn't have to pay for it himself. She understood the feeling very well as she was a cheapskate.

He took the list and then he was gone.

Some might wonder why Yuuki didn't just walk on up to the people in question and ask for their birthdays, but she was embarrassed over not knowing them and didn't want to admit that she hadn't bothered to learn them before. In her mind, it sounded like she was an insensitive prick who didn't care to learn about her classmates, and didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. And despite knowing that none of them knew her own date of birth, it still bugged her.

So this way was better. And Naruto was a better sneak than she was. Her skills lay elsewhere, so she was putting her trust in him to do right by her for the ramen in his future.

On her way to class, she did a few squats to try and stretch out her shorts a bit. She'd put on some weight thanks to her PCOS and it made her clothes even more tight than when she was just growing out of them.

She might have to cave and buy a new wardrobe early. But she would at least attempt to stretch out everything before doing that!

It was being treated like a mission. And ramen was on the line so it was extra important that everything go smoothly. Naruto didn't know why Yuuki couldn't just go up and ask everyone for their birthdays, but since he was getting ramen for this, he didn't really care.

The best way to get into the records room was to be brought in willingly. And there was no way a teacher was going to bring him inside if he looked like himself.

This was where Kage Bunshin came in handy. After learning that he picked up the memories from them when they dispelled, he'd been working on how to make the best use of them possible. Naruto's Henge abilities were unparalleled. He could turn into a shuriken and if he was dispelled, he could quickly turn into something else in the smoke, and could do this for an unlimited number of times.

He and Yuuki had tested it one afternoon and the number of changes they got to before she got bored of the exercise, was seventy-three. And he'd used different items of different sizes and weights each time.

So it was all about getting in the room somehow, and using the Henge to turn into common, everyday objects was the best way to go. That way he could get carried in personally. Getting out was simple because the Bunshin would just dispel itself and leave no trace behind.

Making one hundred Kage Bunshin and ordering them to each turn into something that would be found in a school, but was inconspicuous enough to not get much attention for being out of place, was the first order of business. Pens and pencils. Papers. Paperclips. Something would eventually get carried into the records room if he was lucky.

Personally, Naruto had situated himself on the roof in case he had to make more Kage Bunshin. He needed all of his concentration on this task and the influx of memories from the clones would get in the way during classwork, so he was personally skipping today, not that Iruka knew it since he had a Kage Bunshin in his place just in case. And it was for ramen! And while he knew Yuuki would have bought him a bowl for his birthday anyway, this was all-you-can-eat ramen on the line. Naruto was far poorer than Yuuki and he would take what he could get.

As he meditated, he hoped his clone in the classroom didn't get hit too hard during Taijutsu practice because how would he explain when it poofed away?

Naruto was not the best in that class. He just didn't 'vibe' as Yuuki would say, with the style the Academy taught. It was restricting and annoying and he hated it. But he knew enough to stay in the middle of the class roster.

He was no longer the dobe of the class. That was Shikamaru. And it was only Shikamaru because he was too lazy to pick up a damn pencil and answer more than the amount of questions necessary to get him a pass.

Why Yuuki had a crush on him, Naruto didn't know. Though he was pretty. And nice.

Over the next few hours Naruto sat in the same place, wincing now and then as the memories came to him. He'd need to find a way to combat that because too many at once gave him a headache. One hundred clones doing different tasks was worse than a thousand all doing the same thing.

The memories they gathered through chakra training were all exactly the same because they all did the same stuff. Memories from doing different things for hours were harder to file away and make sense of.

Eventually though, he managed a success because one of his clones popped and the knowledge hit him instantly. A pen taken into the records room to modify some documents. When it didn't work it was thrown in the trash and left there. When the teacher was gone, the clone go to work and then poofed away.

At once, every other clone dispelled, leaving him lying on the roof with a massive headache as various experiences came to mind.

But it was all for the ramen! Ramen was worth almost any kind of struggle there was! Besides, he could put away like seventeen large servings if he really tried his best. And that was what he did this for. He could order one of each kind too!

When he met up with his friend at the end of the day, he handed over the list she'd given him and said, "You owe me so much ramen!"

"I know. Thanks, dude."

Hinata - December 27th

Shino - January 23rd

Choji - May 1st

She'd managed to write them all in order of their birthdays too. "Good job, Naruto. Get whatever you want, I got brainstorming to do."

As in, what the hell was she going to get them?

Hinata was easy. A picture of Naruto and her day would be made. After all this time living in the same complex as him, Yuuki had gotten a few pics. All she needed was a cute frame to put it in and Hinata was set.

Choji would take food and that wouldn't be hard to handle. They even shared a birthday which was surprising. There was no way she'd forget his birthday if hers was the same day.

Shino… she had an idea. She'd make him a Dirt Cup in a Bug Mug she saw at the shop. And she'd use chocolate pudding with buggy gummies with worms sticking out! It would have to be made the morning of his birthday though so nothing went bad, but that didn't mean she couldn't get the ingredients now.

Yuuki felt accomplished!

Tuning back into the present, she found the bar filled with empty bowls. Eleven in total so far, in two stacks that reached pretty high. Naruto was still going strong with no sign of stopping.

He was such a dork sometimes. And she wouldn't have him any other way.

"Shishou, I just found out that the Kato Foundation will be receiving set donations in the name of Yuuki-san come January."

Tsunade looked up from the desk cluttered with paperwork. As the Hospital Director, she now had to fix all the problems going on behind the scenes and somehow find out how to keep things afloat. It had been taking up her time ever since she got back.

When Shizune came in, she'd hoped it would be for a good reason, and for once she got what she wanted! And also a distraction!

"Did you find out why?" From what she remembered, the girl was a poor orphan and wouldn't have enough to donate to a charity fund. So how was this happening?

Shizune handed over a form. After a few minutes she smirked. "The girl has a brand of games now and will be getting paid soon?"

"Apparently. She's splitting the amount she'll receive each month in half and donating it to the Kato Foundation."

Tsunade didn't know of any children who would just up and donate the money they earned, to a good cause if they weren't being forced by their parents. It took a decent character to be willing to do such a thing.

Her opinion was raising by the day.

Also, any donations would help and the Kato Foundation was non-profit and they needed all the help they could get.

"I look forward to meeting your future Apprentice."

In the past month, Yuuki had employed Naruto once again for a big task. It was purely fact that he was a better infiltrator than she was. His skill set oscillated between 'hard-hitter' and 'espionage' depending on the day and where his attention was focused. she got to him on a good day.

This time, she'd paid him in dinners, to break into the library and find her some notes on other types of Bunshin. She wanted to have one outside the standard taught at the Academy, ready by graduation, which was five months away. She wasn't of a rank high enough to get to the sections necessary so it had to be Naruto who had the talent in this particular area.

"Why can't you just do the Kage Bunshin like me?" he asked.

And all at once, the answer came to her without her ever knowing it beforehand. Like her mind whispered it to her. "Because it evenly divides the chakra and I might not have enough where making a single clone would be safe for me. You have an ass load which is why you can spam them so much, but not everyone is so lucky."

He looked put out. "You should make your coils bigger so I can teach you some day! I'm a good teacher! -ttebayo!"

"We'll see what happens," she conceded. "But for now can you just get me all the info you can? I'll even teach you a new clone too if you want. it shouldn't be too hard."

Naruto saluted. "No problem! My clones will get in and out and no one but us will ever know about it."

She handed him a notebook. "Write down what you can get on each clone. I'll make dinner. I made blueberry cobbler last night by the way."

The blond gasped and rushed to the fridge where said confection was indeed waiting, the sugar glazing the top perfectly. "Awesome! Are we splitting it in half?"

"Don't we always?"

"I can't wait!"

A dozen Kage Bunshin were made then and sent off to do their duty.

"One is going to go in and loitering around the children's section for picture books. That will keep the librarian's eyes on him while the rest break in from the back and get the stuff."

"Smart," she complimented. Using an idiot's prejudice against them to get what you wanted. Genius. She was so proud of his growth!

He'd gotten so much better at planning in recent years and he never got caught in pranks anymore. She was proud to call him a friend and partner in crime!

Interesting how they fell into a friendship so easily when she'd spent so long angsting over how people could become friends. Being yourself really was the only answer, huh? Corny but true.

For fuck sake, there were like a bajillion kinds of Bunshin!

Bug, Ink, Flower, Leaf, Water, Sand, Stone, Sake, Grass, Man-Beast, Oil, Diamond, Crystal, Snow, Blood, Wood, Chocolate, Plasma, Gold, Silver, Iron, Saliva, Mucus, Fire, Lightning, Nature Chakra, and Shadow.

All but the Kage Bunshin got an explanation, but that was because it was the most dangerous and was Kinjutsu. Specifically a Kinjutsu of Konoha that was created by the Nidaime Hokage and no one wanted it to fall into the hands of the other villages. It was supposedly only written down in detail in one place.

"Leaf would be best," suggested Naruto. "In Hi no Kuni we're surrounded by them so it'd be the easiest thing to do and you could spam it over and over again."

"What about terrain not from Hi no Kuni? Some places don't grow trees and I don't want to limit myself here."

"I don't know. Fire? That would hurt."

Well she did have Katon Chakra for her elemental affinity. In theory it would be the easiest to learn too as she already had half the work toward it finished on her own thanks to the Academy adding Chakra Natures to the curriculum.

"You should learn another type too. Just to fuck with people who think they know everything about your fighting style. And maybe learn some specific jutsu for your Chakra Nature while you're at it. You got the resources to do it faster than an average shinobi could."

"I know Kaze no Yaiba, Reppusho, and Daitoppa already."

She blinked, having not expected him to say that at all. "When did you manage to find out about those and then learn how to do them?"

The blond shrugged. "I sneaked into the library once already and got a bunch of books on cool jutsu. I couldn't do much of them though," he admitted with a slump of the shoulders. "I don't have that kind of patience and reading is hard still. And my second Nature which is really minor, is Raiton. The most I can do for that is make a spark in my hands and that's it."

Opposing Chakra Natures? That rarely happened. Wind made Lightning useless basically. But there were no Wind Bunshin. Something about air not having some sort of physical substance like all the other Bunshin bases did. The others were created with things that could be touched and held on to. Wind could not truly be contained.

But it was also something interesting to have up his sleeve. No one would expect a Wind user to have Lightning as their second affinity. Naruto was a mass of contradictions.

"Learn the Raiton Bunshin, and if you master using the Kawarimi with it, it'll zap people when they hit it hard enough. Might knock someone out if it's got enough power in it."

"Cool!"

Maybe oil and fire would be the best combination for her specific skill set as they often went together to add juice to Katon Jutsu. The Abura and Katon Bunshin could be a dangerous combo move as the oil would be incredibly flammable and the explosion would be huge! Might even make enemies think twice about coming in her direction. The less confrontation she had to face as a future Iryo-Nin, the better.

If the work wasn't an absolute necessity, the odds of her willingly doing it were slim to none.

She hated doing work that was boring, sue her.

And the difference between she and Shikamaru was that he was too smart to be able to handle things not geared toward his attention span. It's why he got bored so damn quickly and found cloud watching a better waste of time because at least it wasn't failing at challenging him. Yuuki just didn't want to do work at all if she could help it. Lack of motivation for anything was far different from just plain old laziness.

"I've made my decision."

"Would you like to go train?" Shino asked hat afternoon once classes were let out. "I wanted to test my skills against a different opponent and your style is interesting."

Yuuki blinked twice at him, before shrugging. "I mean, you'll cream my corn. It won't be much of a challenge for you."

"I distinctly remember you saying something similar about Shikamaru because he's smarter, but you managed to bring it to a tie."

"I guess. Fine. Let's bring Naruto! He always makes training interesting."

Shino didn't mind Naruto in the least, but he had hoped that it could just be him and Yuuki training. And then if they had trained for too long, he could take her out. For dinner. Somewhere nice. It wouldn't really be a date but he could think of it as one.

"Hey, Naruto! We're going to train!" Yuuki announced with a mad wave of the arm.

The blond beamed and bounced on over. "Cool! I've been wanting to try out three-way battles! We can go for ramen afterward."

Both Yuuki and Shino sighed because of course that was where his mind wandered to first.

"Fine," Yuuki agreed.

There was nothing romantic about ramen. But still, at least he got to spend time around Yuuki outside of classes when she wasn't around Shikamaru, so that was good at least.

"Why don't we invite everyone along?" Naruto then suggested, and Shino could just felt that pit in his stomach growing and spreading as it tried to swallow him whole. Any attempts he'd make at romance, were going to fail completely, he realized. Perhaps he should wait for a better time to strike. Like when they were all shinobi and on their own teams and had duties to see to.

"Only if you are the one getting them in on it. I don't feel like moving if I don't have to yet." Yuuki was relaxing in the shade of a tree and looked to be on the verge of sleeping. Maybe he hadn't picked a good time to ask?

Then again, she always looked tired so how could he really know?

"I'll be right back with everyone! -ttebayo!"

Yuuki grinned up at Shino, looking mischievous. "Imagine if we have a big group of people and we go out for dinner at a buffet, then we all split the bill evenly and it won't be super expensive!"

Ah. He probably should have also considered the money-saving opportunity. Though as he had planned to pay for her meal anyway, she would have saved money.

The gods of love were not being kind to him. What must he do?

A/N: Another chapter is done!

How was it? Let me know.

Ja ne! :D