Chapter 21: Fun Times around the Village

Hokage Tower:

"All right, just hold still like that. Now, smile!" There was a click, then a flash. "And done."

Naruto let out a breath he had been holding. "Can I relax now?" he asked.

The cameraman nodded. "You can," he said. Behind him, the Hokage chuckled.

"Don't worry, Naruto," the old man replied. "You'll have your shinobi license soon enough."

"I know that" Naruto said. "But I can't wait. The hitai-ate is nice and all," he pointed to the forehead protector wrapped around his head, covering his eyes like a blindfold. "It makes it feel like I'm a real shinobi. But the license is going to make it official."

The Hokage chuckled as he smoked on his pipe. "I understand, Naruto," he said. "I felt the same way when I got my shinobi license. Don't worry. You won't have to wait long."

Naruto nodded, knowing the old man was right. Naruto knew he wasn't the most patient guy around. But he could wait for this.

A moment later, his patience would pay off when his license was handed to him. "I must admit," The old man started. "I am a little impressed. You look good in your picture. I see that you decided to use your hitai-ate as a blindfold. That is something you don't see often.

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't see much point in wearing both it and my blindfold," he said. "Plus, it made me look kind of like a mummy." He looked at his license, liking how his picture turned out. "It would have been better if Sara let me go with my idea."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" he asked. "And what would have that been?"

Naruto smiled. "I thought that I should come in with war paint on. And making a pose like this," he got to his feet and made the pose he had been practicing. He imagined himself with the red and white war paint covering his face. He thought he would have been really cool, but Sara had a different idea.

The Hokage gave him a blank stare. "That might have been a bit much," he said.

Naruto shrugged and sat back down in the chair. He liked it. "Is there anything else, or can I go now?" His friends were waiting for him, and he couldn't wait to show off his shinobi license to them.

"Just a few more things," the Hokage said. "Then you can…."

"I got you this time, old man!" A voice shouted. A young boy burst into the room holding a pair of shuriken. He tried to charge at the Hokage, but about three or four steps in, he tripped on the long blue scarf he was wearing. The boy lost his footing and fell flat onto his face.

Silently Naruto and the Hokage stared at the boy for a moment. Then the boy got up and looked around the room, confused. "What happened?" Then he locked eyes with Naruto. The boy jumped to his feet and pointed an accusatory finger at Naruto. "Hey, you tripped me!"

A tick mark appeared on Naruto's forehead. "What was that, kid?" He growled.

The kid ran up to him, looking at him like an angry puppy. "I said you tripped me." Naruto stood up and grabbed the kid by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up. "Hey, let go of me." The boy struggled against Naruto's grip.

"Look here, you little brat," Naruto said into the face of the boy. "You were the one that tripped on your scarf. Not to mention your form was poor as hell." Naruto then turned his head to face the Hokage. "Jiji, who is this little brat? I saw him sneaking around in the tower, and he was lingering outside the door just a moment ago."

The Hokage removed the pipe from his mouth and blew out a cloud of smoke. "That would be my grandson Konohamaru," he said. "So please be gentle with him."

Naruto saw the boy giving him a smug grin. "Yea, I'm the honorable grandson. So, you better let me go or else."

Naruto stared at the boy for a moment processing the new information he got. If he was anyone else, he might have let the boy go and apologized.

Thwack!

Too bad for him, he was dealing with Uzumaki Naruto, who did not give a damn who he was. The boy fell to the floor, clutching his head. "Ow! Would you do that for?"

"Because you're a brat that pissed me off," Naruto said. "I don't give a damn who you are. You mess with me again like that, and I'll give you another knuckle sandwich."

The door slid open, and a man with dark glass ran into the room. "Honorable grandson," he said, looking around the room. When he saw the boy, he visually relaxed. "There you are. Honorable grandson, how many time?" Then his eyes narrowed at Naruto. "What have you done with the honorable grandson, you vile villain." He said, taking a fighting position.

Naruto rolled his eyes and walked past the man. "Jiji, I'm leaving now," he said, opening the door. "Let me know when the weirdos are gone." Then he slides the door behind him. Unknown to him, the boy was staring at him intently.

Ichiraku

"Wow, Naruto, you look great," Ino said. "I like how you used your Hitai-ate as a blindfold."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, Ino," he said, putting his license away.

"I bet it would have been better if they let you wear the war paint," Kiba said. "Man, I wish I would have thought of that. I would have looked so cool."

Ino and Sakura rolled their eyes. They had been unimpressed with Naruto's idea for his picture. "Still, can you believe it?" Ino said. "We're all Shinobi, and soon we'll get our teams."

"You think we'll be on each other's teams," Choji asked, sounding a little nervous. "You guys are my friends, and I can't imagine being on a team with strangers."

"It is a possibility," Sasuke said. "There's like thirty students in our class, and we all passed. So that's like, what ten teams?" He got nods from the others. "So, there is a chance we'll all be separated."

"I guess," Choji said, looking downcast. "If that does happen, what will we do then? Will we remain friends?"

"Of course, we will," Naruto said. "It doesn't matter if we do get separated. We'll always be friends. Besides, there's no way they would separate all of us like that."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Shikamaru said, then yawned. "Though personally, I think it's troublesome to worry about something like that."

Yakumo giggle. "You think everything is troublesome," she said.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Only because of troublesome blondes."

"Hey!" The resident blondes said, eliciting laughs from everyone else.

"Though I don't have much to worry about," Yakumo said. "When you add me to our class comes to thirty-one students. Someone is going to be left out, and I think it's going to be me."

"What makes you say that?" Sasuke asked, a worried expression spreading across his face.

"Remember I came in late," Yakumo explained. "I only joined for this year. So I imagine there wasn't enough time to figure out what team I could fit on."

Naruto nodded, figuring that made sense. "So, what happens if you don't get a team?" He asked. "What do they do with you then?"

Yakumo shrugged. "I'm not really sure," she answered.

"Actually, I asked my mom about that," Kiba said. "She said that, more than likely, Yakumo will be placed into the reserves until a team becomes available."

Sasuke looked over at Kiba. "How long can that take?" He asked.

Kiba shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Whenever a team gets an opening, I guess. It could be a day or a month."

Yakumo nodded. "Don't worry about me, guys," she said. "I don't mind being left in the reserves for a little bit. It might even give me some more time to train."

Sasuke put a hand on Yakumo's shoulder, causing the girl to blush. "Don't, Yakumo," he said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll get your own team soon enough."

Yakumo smiled at Sasuke. "Thank you, Sasuke," she said.

Naruto leaned on Kiba and whispered. "When do you think they'll notice their feelings for each other?"

Kiba stared at him for a second. "Pot meet kettle," he said, getting a confused grunt from Naruto. Kiba shook his head and waved it off. "Never mind," Than looked behind him. "Speaking of noticing things."

Naruto turned his head over to what Kiba was looking at. The others do the same, focusing their attention on the square-shaped rock behind them. That had holes in the front.

"Yea, that thing has been following me around ever since I left the Hokage tower," Naruto said. He slid off the stool and walked up to the rock. "Hey, kid, when are you going to come out?" He said with a kick to the rock.

"Just what I would expect from my greatest rival," a voice came from the rock.

"Rival?" Naruto said before smoke started to come from the poor disguise. He took a step back, not wanting to get caught in whatever was going on.

Which would be proven to be the wise move as the square-shaped box exploded into a cloud of smoke. "What in Kami's name," someone shouted, sounded like Ino.

Everyone coughed as they breathed the smoke in, including the little brat responsible for it. As the smoke was blown away by the wind, Naruto saw the same kid he met in the tower sitting on the ground, coughing into his hands.

"I think I might have overdone it with the smoke bombs," he muttered in a raspy voice.

"You think," Naruto deadpanned.

The boy looked up at Naruto, recognition quickly flashing across his face. He jumped onto his feet and held his hands out in a pour taijutsu form. "I'm not surprised you saw through my disguise," he said. "You are, after all, my rival."

Okay, now Naruto was really confused. "Naruto," Sasuke said. "Who is this kid, and what is he doing here?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know," Naruto said. "Just some kid that I ran into the room while I was getting my license. He tried to," Naruto made some air quotes. "assassinate the Hokage." Like that was going to happen.

"Wait," Sakura said, walking up to the boy. "Isn't this the honorable grandson? Konohamaru, right?"

Naruto saw the boy frowned. "Yea, that's him," he said. He explained his encounter with the boy.

Sakura was looking at him in worry, while the others had amused expressions on their faces. "Naruto, you can't just hit the honorable grandson like that," Sakura said. "You could get into trouble for that."

Naruto shrugged. "Like I said. I don't care who or what he is," he said. "Besides, the old man was right there when it happened, and he didn't seem to mind."

"N-Naruto," Sakura said in an exasperated voice. "You still can't just do that."

"Hey, boss," Konohamaru. "Who's this girl? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"What, no!" Sakura sputtered.

"Yea," Naruto said, taken aback by Konohamaru's statement. "She's just a friend."

"Oh good," Konohamaru said. "Because you can do a lot better than washboard here." Poor choice of words. "Eh?" Konohamaru turned around when he felt an oppressive aura. Then paled when he saw Sakura glaring daggers at him.

It was only through the combined efforts of Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, and Hinata that kept the boy from having an early meeting with the Shinigami.

"So, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked Konohamaru. He and the other guys had taken the boy down the street while the girls tried to calm Sakura down. "Why have you been following me around?"

"Simple," Konohamaru said. "I want you to teach me everything you know."

Naruto looked at the boy questioningly. "What?" he said. "Why?"

Konohamaru smiled. "So, I can beat the old man and become Hokage," he said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Why did this boy want to beat his grandfather and become Hokage? "What makes you think I can beat the old man?" Naruto asked. "And what makes you think I'll teach you how?"

"Because you already have," the boy said, causing the other boys to look at Naruto.

"You did?" Kiba asked, "How?"

Konohamaru nodded. "He did; the old man said so himself," the boy said. Naruto had an idea of where this was going. "He said he used some super powerful and forbidden jutsu."

Sasuke frowned. "A super powerful and forbidden jutsu?" Sasuke repeated as he crossed his arms. Then his eyes widened. "Don't tell me," he turned to face Naruto, an action that was mirrored by Shikamaru. Both boys stared at him with narrowed eyes. Meanwhile, Kiba's face had turned a shade of red.

Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so?" he asked, hoping to find a way off the topic. "What even makes you think I'll teach you?"

For a moment, Konohamaru looked nervous but quickly replaced the expression with a determined look. "Because you have to," the boy said. In Naruto's opinion, that wasn't a very good reason, but then again, what else would he expect from a little kid? "I have to get stronger than the old man as fast as possible."

Naruto had a thoughtful expression on his face. "So, you're just looking for a shortcut to being powerful," Naruto said. "Okay then."

"Why do you want to become the Hokage?" Shikamaru asked. "Seems so troublesome, so why bother?"

Konohamaru's checks turned red, and he turned his head away. "That's none of your business," he said. Then he looked back at Naruto. "So, are you going to teach me?"

It didn't take Naruto long to decide. "All right," he said. "I'll consider it."

Konohamaru smiled and ran up to Naruto. He gave him a deep bow. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you, I promise you won't regret this, boss."

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Boss?" he muttered. The other boys mouthed the same question.

Konohamaru nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, you're the boss," Konohamaru said. "Because uhh?" He trailed off, seemingly looking for an answer. "Because you're the boss."

Naruto smiled at the simple response. "Boss, huh?" he said, liking the sound of it. "I think I like the sound of that. What do you guys think?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever, dope," he said.

"Sounds troublesome," Shikamaru said.

"Just don't let it go to your head," Kiba warned.

"Trust me, he will," A certain nine-tailed fox said.

"Who asked you?" Naruto shot back. "And he can't even hear you."

Getting no response other than a snort, Naruto turned his attention back to Konohamaru. "Alright then, you can call me boss," he said, getting an excited yelp from the boy. "But I'm afraid I can't teach you anything for today." He then added.

Konohamaru stopped his little celebration and looked at Naruto with an incredulous expression. "What? Why can't you teach me?" he asked. "Didn't you hear what I said? I have to get stronger than the old man as fast as possible."

Naruto waved the boy off. "Don't worry, I'll teach you," he said. "But I want to spend the day hanging out with my friends." He gestured to the guys and the girls who were now walking up to them. Sakura shot the boy a heated glare for a second. "Pretty soon, we'll all be given our team assignments. So this might be the last time we get to hang out like this for a while."

Konohamaru looked down casted as he seemed to understand what Naruto was saying. "Oh, okay," he said. "I understand." He turned around and started to walk away."

Naruto frowned as he felt something tug at his heart. He had seen that expression and body language before. "Konohamaru," he called after the boy,"

The boy stopped and looked back at Naruto. "What?"

Naruto looked between his friends, getting nods from the guys. While getting questioning looks from the girls, he silently mouthed he would explain later. "Would you like to hang out with us?" he asked the boy.

Konohamaru looked at him for a moment, "Hangout with you?" He asked carefully.

Naruto nodded with a grin. "Yeah, me and guys are going to spend the day together," he said. "While girls go off and do whatever girls like to do. Girl stuff, I guess." He felt the glare from Ino and Sakura before he saw them. "Anyways, the guys and I are just going to hang out. You want to come?" At the uncertain looked he got from the boy, Naruto decided to add a little extra incentive. "Who knows, maybe you'll learn something that'll help you."

That got him an answer fast. "I'll come," Konohamaru said, running back up to Naruto. "But you had better teach me something and not waste my time." He pointed a finger at Naruto. "Or else I'll make you regret it."

Naruto smiled. "It's a deal then," he said, taking the boy's hand and shaking it. Today was going to be an interesting one.

Ino clapped her hands together, "All right then," she said. "Before we split up for the day. Would you big strong b…" Ino trailed off at seeing the empty space the guys occupied. "oys, help us with the shopping. Oh, come on!"

Meanwhile, several blocks away, the boys laughed and bent on their knees. "Looks like we got away in record time," Naruto said. It was funny seeing Ino stomping her foot down and shouting at them.

"Yeah, we just save ourselves from a fate worse than death," Kiba said.

Konohamaru looked between the group of boys with a look of bewilderment. "What just happened?" he asked. "Why did we run when the blonde-haired girl was about to ask us something?"

Naruto smiled and patted the boy's head. "Trust me, we just got out of something that not even Madara and Hashirama together could survive." The boy still looked a bit confused but nodded his head anyway. "Consider this a free lesson. If a girl asks you to help her with shopping, try to find a way out of it. Trust me, you do not want to experience that."

Konohamaru nodded again. "If you say so, boss," he says.

Naruto grinned. "Then let's get going," he said to the others. "The sun is still, and time's wasting."

Unknown to all but one of them, a figure was watching them from the shadows.

Ino was still grumbling even as the group of girls left the shop with bags full of new clothes.

Hinata thought it was funny that Ino was still upset that the boys were so quick to get out of shopping. "Ino-chan," Hinata began. "Are you still upset that the boys didn't come with us?"

Ino huffed and put her hands on her hips. Her bags justling against her. "Of course, I am," she said. "Just look at all these bags." She held her arms out, showing they were both covered with bags. Sakura was the same way, while Hinata and Yakumo bags were limited to one arm. "A young lady shouldn't have to carry her own stuff. If there had been any proper gentlemen among them, they would have come with us and helped us to carry our stuff." In other words, they would have been their pack mull.

Hinata giggles at Ino's antics. "I don't think that would have been very fun for them," she said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, a man's purpose should be to serve their lady," she said. "Those boys should have been honored to come with us. Honestly, boys are so annoying."

Now it was Hinata's turn to roll her eyes. "Ino," she said.

Yakumo giggle. "I'm not sure if I subscribe to your idea of men," she said. "But I admit it is kind of fun dragging them around from one shop to another. Seeing them slowly become mindless zombies as they are forced to carry more stuff. It's oddly refreshing."

Ino smiled at the Kurama girl. "See? She gets it," she said. "The boys were being selfish. Because of them, we can't go to all the shops we want. Honestly, the next time, we shouldn't give them a choice. Just make them to come with us."

Hinata shook her head. "I don't think they would like that very much," she said, getting a nod from Yakumo.

"It does sound a little excessive on our end," Sakura said. "We shouldn't force them to do anything."

Ino whips her hair around with a scoff. "Who said anything about forcing them?" She said. "All we have to do is put a bit of our feminine charm, and they'll be putty in our hands. Kiba should be the easiest. He never did have much use for that brain of his. Choji shouldn't to be hard convinced either. Normally, he's such a sweet boy."

Hinata nodded, agreeing with the Yamanaka girl. "But what about Naruto and Sasuke?" She pointed out. "I don't think any kind of feminine charm will work on them."

Again, Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh please," she said, giving Hinata a suggestive smile. "The only reason none of our charms work on him is because you have him wrapped around your finger."

Now Hinata was blushing. "Ino," she said. "I d-don't have him wr-wrapp ar-around my f-finger." She turned redder at hearing her stutter. She thought she finally got control of that.

Ino's smile grew. "Don't deny it, Hinata," she said. "We all know how you look at him." Hinata looked away. "I can't blame you, though. Naruto is cute. He is nice and sweet most of the time. And so, as long you're not the target of his pranks, he's got a great sense of humor. He's like a little ball of sunshine. Trust me, there are times when I want a piece of that."

Hinata felt her heart jump. She had to remind herself that Ino was just kidding and meant nothing by it. "Remember, it's okay that other girls can like Naruto, and it's okay that he likes them back. You want him to be happy." She told herself, wondering why that thought hurt so much.

"Come to think of it, with his spiky blond hair," Ino continued, oblivious to Hinata's thoughts. "He sort of looks like a miniature Yondaime." Nearby a couple of ANBU stiffened. "I wonder if his original eyes were blue?" Hinata didn't want to tell her. Ino shook her head to clear away her musings. "What I'm getting out is it's not that hard to see why you like him. Or why he likes you."

Just when Hinata felt her face was cooling down, it turned a whole other shade of red. "N-naruto l-l-likes me?"

"Well, duh," Ino said. "Just like we all see how you look at him, we can all see how he looks at you. The boy is head over heels for you. He probably has been since you were kids."

Hinata felt like her face could burst into flames at any moment. Naruto had feelings for her? Could it be true? Hinata shook her head. No, it couldn't be. Naruto was just a friend to her. Ino was just saying things to get a rise out of her.

"W-we're just friends," she said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Say whatever you want, Hinata," Ino said. "But the boy does care a lot for you. That much you can't deny."

Hinata nodded. That much she could accept. Naruto was a very caring boy. It was one of the things that drew her to him.

Ino looked over at Yakumo. "The same thing goes for you, Yakumo," she said. "Out of all the girls that tried to get his attention. You're the one that manages to land his heart, and you weren't even trying."

Hinata noticed Sakura shifting uncomfortably. "Weren't you one of those girls?" she asked.

Ino shrugged and turned away. "For a little bit," she said. "Then I realized it was a lost cause."

"A lost cause?" Sakura question.

"Sure," Ino said. "He wasn't showing any interest in us. So why waste my time on him? I had better things to do." Then a slight frown appeared on the Yamanaka's face. For a moment, Hinata thought she heard her mumble something under her breath. But just as quickly as it came, it was replaced by a smile. "Come on, girls," Ino said, pumping her fists into the air. "We got some more shopping to do."

The other girls smiled and followed along with Ino.

Konoha bathhouses

"Wh-what are we doing," Konohamaru said with a red face.

"What any boy in their right mind would do," Kiba said with a wide grin.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I don't think right mind describes it."

Kiba waved him off. "You're only jealous because I found this spot before you did," he said. Then turned his head back and resumed looking through the hole in the fence. Under his breath, he giggled perversely as he watched the women bathe.

Today must have been his lucky day because most of the women in the bathhouse had a nice set of knockers on them.

"I'm sort of with Shikamaru on this one," Naruto said. "I don't really see the point of this."

Kiba shot Naruto an annoyed glare. "This coming from the guy who invented the sexy no jutsu," he said. "Seriously, how long did you spy on some women to get that thing down?"

Naruto frowned at him. "That was all for a prank on the old man," he said with a blush. "And any pervert I come across." Then he got a dangerous look in his eyes. "Like you, would you like a demonstration."

Kiba gulped and tried to fight back the blush creeping up his face. "N-no," he said, then quickly looked back through the peeping hole. That technique was entirely too effective. Really Naruto was probably the biggest pervert in the group. He just didn't realize it. Kiba imagined that in about ten or twenty years, that would be something that make Hinata very happy.

"You sure we should be doing this?" Choji asked. "I feel like this is kind of wrong."

Again, Kiba rolled his eyes. But kept peeking through the hole in the fence. "What is so wrong about wanting to have a peek at some women?" that was when two new women walked into the bath. One had long black hair and red eyes. The other has purple hair and brown eyes. Kiba's grin grew wider. "Especially with women as hot as these."

"Kiba," Sasuke said. "I think you might have a problem."

"I think that was agreed on a long time ago," Naruto said.

"You think he might be compensating for something?" Shikamaru lazily asked.

Kiba suppresses a low growl. There was no way he was going to get caught because of his friends.

"Compensating?" He heard Konohamaru ask. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kiba didn't have to turn around to see the wicked grin on Naruto's face. "You'll understand when your older," he said.

"Guys," Choji said, sounding worried. "I think we really should stop. What if we get caught?"

Kiba was surprised he hadn't gotten vertigo with how many times he had rolled his eyes. "Just one more minute," he said to reassure the boy. "Besides, we're not going to get caught. Not if they kept making a noise like this.

"Next time we hang out, we don't let the mut pick where we go," Sasuke said. "We have better things to do than spy on some women."

Kiba just waved him off and looked back through the peeping hole. Honestly, how did he get stuck with friends who were a bunch of prudes? Wait. Where did the lady with the purple hair go?

Then suddenly, Kiba was staring directly into a brown eye. "Like what you see?" Uh oh.

With a yelp, Kiba backed away from the fence and turned to face his friends. "Uh, guys, I think it's time that we?" He fell silent when he saw that they had already left. "Oh, you traitorous bastards." He said, getting up and getting ready to make a run for it.

Except for the simple fact that the Inuzuka boy was surrounded by a bunch of angry women with towels wrapped around them. Kiba gulped. Maybe it was a bad idea to spy on the kunoichi side of the bathhouse.

"I hate all of you guys," Kiba said minutes later, arching all over from the beating he got.

The boys were sitting in a barbecue restaurant, Choji's idea. "Sorry, Kiba," Naruto said. "But you know the unspoken rule. Every man for himself."

Kiba growled at the blonde-haired boy. "You could have given me a warning."

Naruto shrugged. "Not our fault that you couldn't sense the danger," he said. "Maybe next time, you should pay a little less attention to the ladies and spend a little more time listening to your instincts." Then he had a thoughtful expression. "Then again, listening to your instincts was what got you into that mess."

Kiba growled. "You have it easy," he said. "All you have to do is fly some eyes in, and no one will notice. In fact, I bet you're doing it right now."

Naruto had an unimpressed look on his face. "Kiba, I have better things to do than spy on girls."

Konohamaru was looking between the two older boys. "I don't get it," he said. "Why would you want to peek at a bunch of girls? And," the boy looked up at Naruto. "How can the boss spy on anyone if he can't see?"

Kiba looked at the younger boy in surprise. "Why wouldn't you want to peek at girls?" He asked. "Don't you like them?"

Konohamaru reeled back in disgust. "What?" he said with a wrinkled nose. "No, girls are yucky. Why would I like them?"

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the boy. He looked at his friends and saw a devious smile on Naruto's face. A smile that Kiba shared. He looked back at the young boy. "Okay, so you don't like girls," he said. "Nothing wrong with that."

Konohamaru crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah," he said with a smile.

"Not every guy has to like girls," Naruto said with a grin.

Konohamaru kept nodding. "That's right," he agreed. "I don't get why everyone insists that one day I'll settle down with a fine young lady. Whatever that means."

Kiba and Naruto shared a glance and nodded. It was time to wrap this up. "Of course, you don't have to do that," Kiba said. "After all, there's nothing wrong with liking other boys."

Konohamaru nodded. "Yeah, there's nothing wron-? Wait, what!?" The boy turned red face and shot Kiba a glare.

"What," Kiba said with a wide grin. "I just said there's nothing wrong with liking other boys."

Konohamaru was sputtering now. "B-b-but I don't like b-boys," he said. "N-not like that."

Kiba looked at Konohamaru and acted confused. "But you said that you don't like girls," he pointed out. "So that only leaves the guys. Right Naruto?"

Naruto nodded. "That's right," he agreed.

"B-boss," Konohamaru whined.

Kiba started to rub his chin like a thought occurred to him. "Now that I think about it," he said. "Maybe, the real reason he was following you around today was that he has a crush on you."

Konohamaru's eyes widened, and his face went through three shades of red. "What? No!" He looked over at Naruto, who was barely holding back his laughter. "I swear, boss, it's nothing like that."

Now Naruto couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "It's okay, Konohamaru," he said between chuckles. "We're just pulling your leg."

Kiba nodded as he laughed. "We just wanted to get a rise out of you," he explained. "Seriously, you should have seen the look on your face."

Konohamaru crosses his arms. "It wasn't funny," he said with a pout. The others at the table let out small chuckles.

Kiba got control of his laughter and spoke to the boy. "But seriously, there's nothing wrong with not liking girls now. But trust me, in a few years, they will be all you think about." Or not. Like Kiba said, there really was nothing wrong with liking other guys.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Kiba, he's not going to be like you," he said. "Sure, the old man is a pervert.

Back in his office, said old man, almost sneezed into his book.

"But that doesn't mean he'll turn out like him." Naruto finished. Then he turned his attention back to Konohamaru. Who was still pouting in his seat. "Konohamaru, don't be like. We were just having some fun."

The boy's pout faded away. "Just don't do it again," he said. "Okay?"

Naruto nodded. "It's a deal," he said just as the food arrived.

Ino smiled as she took another bit from her cheesecake. "Mmm, this is so good," she said. "Sakura, you have got to try this."

After their shopping spree through Konoha, the girls decided to settle down somewhere and grab a bit to eat. They were at a little restaurant that offered salads and desserts.

Every girl had ordered some form of sweet to eat. Hinata had gotten herself a batch of Cinnabon and looked to be in heaven. Ino had gotten herself a lighting-style cheesecake, while Yakumo herself had ordered a plate of pastries.

Sakura, however, was the only one to have ordered a salad. Yakumo took a bit from a pastry as she waited for a response to Ino's offer.

"I'm not sure," the pink-haired girl said, looking at the cheesecake. There was a look of longing in her eyes. It was obvious she wanted to try it but was holding back.

Ino scoffed. "Don't tell me you're still on that ridiculous diet," she said. "I thought you said that you stopped doing that."

Sakura looked away and down at her measly salad. She had barely taken a bit out of the thing. "I did," she said defensively. Then a look of uncertainty appeared on her face. "At least I'm trying to."

Yakumo swallowed on her pastry. "Why are you still dieting?" She asked. "What's the point?"

Sakura looked at her for a moment, an expression of apprehension on her face. "It's because Sasu-" She stopped and corrected herself. "Because boys like thin girls. Right?" She looked over at Ino.

Ino shrugged as she took another bit from her cheesecake. "I don't know," she said. "Ever since I got off my diet and started taking my Shinobi training seriously, I noticed that more boys have been looking at me."

"R-really?" Sakura said excitedly. Then got control of herself and looked away from Ino. "Well, I don't want just any boy to look at me."

Yakumo raised an eyebrow. She could already guess which boy Sakura was talking about. Ino exchanged a look with her, telling Yakumo that the Yamanaka girl had the same thought. "Sakura," Ino said. "Are you still holding out on Sasuke?"

Sakura looked like a Kunai had hit her. "What, no," she said quickly. "W-what makes you say that." That confirmed it in Yakumo's mind.

Yakumo remembered her first days in the academy vividly. Mostly how the girls looked at her when they learned she was friends with Sasuke. Yakumo quickly learned that Sasuke had been exaggerating about his fangirls and how rapid they could be when they sensed a perceived rival.

By now, most had learned to back off from Yakumo when she stood her ground. But there were still a few holdouts that didn't learn. She would never tell Sasuke, but she had gotten a lot of genjutsu practice over the year.

Sakura, however, was a little different. Sure, the girl took an immediate disliking towards Yakumo when she learned how close she was to Sasuke. But over time, that dislike faded. Nowadays, Sakura seemed more sad whenever the subject of Sasuke is brought up.

Yakumo had always wanted to ask her why she seemed so sad. She knew it had something to do with Sasuke, likely the fact he didn't share the same feelings she did. She also wanted to ask her why she liked Sasuke and wanted him to return her feelings. It was possible it was more the same superficial reasons the other girls wanted to. But something in Yakumo told her that Sakura had other reasons.

Yakumo opened her mouth to say something. "Honestly, Sakura," only to have Ino cut her off. "You need to learn to let go. Look at me," she gestured to herself. "I gave up when I realized I would never win. Plus, it was hurting our friendship."

Yakumo and Sakura looked over at Ino in surprise. From what Yakumo had seen of the two, she never thought their friendship was in danger. They seemed so close. Even when they threw insults at each other, she could see they never meant any harm by it.

"Hurting our friendship?" Sakura said. "How?"

Ino had a sad smile on her lips. "Well, we already know how stubborn you are," she said. "The same goes for me. Me and you, we both had massive crushes on Sasuke. But only one of us could win his heart. We got really competitive if you remember correctly.

Sakura nodded. "I do," she said. "I wanted to beat you so badly, and you wanted to do the same. It was a shock when you said that you wouldn't pursue Sasuke anymore. I thought it was a trick."

Ino nodded. "Yea, but it wasn't," she said, getting a nod from Sakura. "I realized that if we both kept pursuing Sasuke, our friendship would have to end. I decided then that he wasn't worth it and that our friendship was more valuable."

"I-I didn't know," Sakura said. "I didn't realize how much it was tearing us apart."

Ino leaned back into her chair, her cheesecake forgotten. "To be truthful, I didn't figure it out at first myself. Not without a little help."

Now Yakumo was intrigued. "You had a little help figuring it out?" She spoke. "From whom?"

Ino looked at Hinata. Hinata's eyes widened, and she pointed to herself. "Me?"

Ino chuckled and shook her head. "No," she said. "From your special someone."

"Naruto?" Hinata said, surprised. Then clamped her hand over her mouth. Hinata's face turned beet red.

Ino nodded. "That's the one," she said. "He helped me figure it out. It was during one of our little play dates our parents liked to arrange so much. He must have noticed how the competition for Sasuke was affecting our relationship."

"We all did," Hinata added.

Ino shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't obvious to us," she said. "Anyway, at some point, I guess I must have left to do something. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Naruto was following me. I guess he was the only one who had the guts to confront me about what was going on between you and me," she looked at Sakura. "We talked for a little bit until finally, he asked me a question that would have me tossing and turning all that night."

Yakumo looked on at Ino in anticipation. "What did he ask you?"

"If Sasuke was really worth ruining my friendship with Sakura," she said. "He pointed out how our efforts to get Sasuke's attention affected our relationship, among other things. How at first, Sakura and I were the best of friends. And now we were ready to tear each other's throats out." Ino smiled and leaned onto the table. "I had a lot to think about that night, and I realized a couple of things. First, Naruto was right, our competition was hurting our friendship, and it was even hurting my other relationships. Which led me to my second conclusion."

"Which was?" Sakura asked slowly.

Ino smiled. "That no boy," she began, "not even Sasuke was worth destroying our friendship. My friendship with you, Sakura, was too important. Even if one of us did manage to get his heart, and that is a big if." She gave Yakumo a sideways glance. "It would have been at the cost of our friendship. We would have never been able to hang out again. Never would have been able to gossip. Never would have been able to go out shopping together. And so many other things. I didn't want to lose that."

"Ino," Sakura said. "I didn't know that you felt that way."

Yakumo and Hinata looked at each other surprised at what they were hearing. Somehow Yakumo felt that she was intruding on something that should have been between Sakura and Ino. Judging by the look on Hinata's face, she felt the same way.

Both girls nodded at each other and looked back at Ino and Sakura. "Ino and Sakura," Hinata said, getting both girls' attention. "It seems like the two of you have a lot to talk about. We could leave and give you some privacy if you want."

"Yeah," Yakumo said with a nod. "We don't mind. We can always meet back up later."

Ino and Sakura looked at each, seemingly holding a silent conversation. "Don't worry about us girls," Ino said, looking back at them. "Sakura and I do have a lot to talk about. But that can come later."

Sakura nodded. "Yea, this is supposed to be a day for us girls. Not just me and Ino-pig here."

Ino shot Sakura a glare. "Forehead is right," she said, getting a glare from Sakura. "She and I can discuss things later. But right now, it's time to hang out and have fun."

Yakumo let a sigh of relief and smiled. "If you say so," she said. "Hinata?"

Hinata nodded. "It's fine by me," she said.

Ino looked at Sakura. "We'll talk later," she said. "Hopefully, clear some things up between us."

Sakura nodded. "I would like that," she said.

Ino nodded and let out a sigh. "You know, it's kind of funny," she said, looking at Hinata. "If it weren't for Naruto, I would have broken off our friendship the next day. He came in at just the right time."

Hinata smiled. "He's more perceptive than people think," she said.

Ino snorted. "That he is," she said. Then let a groan that surprised everyone. "Damnit, how is it that all the good ones are already taken?"

"All the good ones?" Yakumo repeated.

"You and Sasuke," Ino pointed out. "Then there's you and Naruto," she looked at Hinata. "You laid claim to that boy long before anyone realized what a prize he is."

Hinata blushed and looked down at her plate of cinabons. "W-we're not like that," she said.

Ino ignored her and went on with her tirade. "As I was saying, all the good guys are already taken. What is there for me, or any other girl for that matter?"

Yakumo smiled. "Don't worry, Ino," she said, reassuring the Yamanaka girl. "I'm sure there's someone out there for you. One day the right guy will come by and sweep you off your feet."

Ino gave her an appreciative look. "Well, I hope it happens soon," she said. Then she puffed her chest out and stood up. "But enough of my sad love. It's time we got back to our fun time. Come on, girls, we still have a lot of shopping left to do, and time is wasting."

The other girls murmured their agreement. Walking away from the restaurant, Yakumo and Hinata watched on as Sakura and Ino chatted about the latest fashion trends with a vigor that wasn't there before. She looked over at Hinata, who silently walked along with them with a content smile on her lips. It was a feeling that Yakumo shared. She felt happy. She had friends to share the joys of life with.

With the boys

"I don't get why we're doing this," Konohamaru said.

"Because it's fun," Naruto said with a wide grin. Something that Konohamaru noted was strangely like a fox's.

"Besides," Kiba jumped in on the conversation. "Haven't you pulled a prank before?"

Konohamaru shot the Inuzuka boy a wary expression. He wouldn't call this a prank. The six of them were hiding out on a rooftop overlooking one of the countless shops that littered the village.

Konohamaru wasn't sure what kind of shop it was; it looked no different from the others he had seen before and didn't seem to sell anything special. Nor could he see why it was being targeted by the boss.

Come to think of it, he didn't even know what the boss did. All he saw was the older boy sneaking into the place and doing something. He looked over at Naruto. "Hey, boss," he said, getting the boy's attention.

"What, Konohamaru?" Naruto said, turning his head to face him.

"What did you do in there?" He asked. Maybe if he knew what the boss did and how he did it, Konohamaru could use it to beat the old man. Then he would become Hokage, and people would stop calling him the honorable grandson.

Naruto's smile grew wider, making it look even more like a fox's. "Oh, you'll see," he said. Then a look of anticipation morphed across the boy's face. He looked back down at the streets. "He's coming."

The other boys did the same. "You were right, Naruto," Kiba commented. "He does look like he got a stick up his ass."

Konohamaru tilted his head to the side. He silently mouthed what the Inuzuka boy said. What did that mean? Was it supposed to be an insult? Maybe he would toss it at the old man next time and see what happened.

Then a strange little thing happened. The Uchiha boy (Sasuke, was it?) hit Kiba on the side of the head. "Hey, what was the for?" He growled, rubbing the sore spot on the side of his head.

"For not watching your language around the kid," Sasuke said.

"Oh, come on," Kiba complained. "Kid's probably heard worse before. I did when I was his age."

Sasuke and the other boys rolled their eyes. "Not all of us come from a clan as troublesome as yours," the Nara boy said. "Believe me, none of us will help you when the Hokage hears what his grandson will repeat."

Kiba scoffed. "Yeah, whatever," he said. "Bunch of prudes, can't have any fun."

"Just don't expect any help when you wake and see a very angry God of Shinobi standing over your bed." Sasuke commented.

Naruto harshly shooshed them. "Quiet, guys," he said. "The fun is about to begin, and I don't want to miss a single moment of it."

Briefly wondering how the boss would be able to see his prank unfold, seeing he was clearly blind, Konohamaru looked down at the shop as a man walked in. Moments later, he heard what sounded like something exploding, followed by a splattering noise and someone screaming.

Moments later, the same man came running out of his store all red-faced, with his nostrils flaring. Well, Konohamaru imagined he would have been red-faced if it weren't for the layer of orange paint on his face. And chest and arms. Everything else below his chest was fine, but that didn't stop him from looking ridiculous. Several onlookers looked at him with mixtures of worry and surprise. More than a few passed along snide sniggers.

Up on the rooftops, Naruto and the other boys were laughing, except for the Shikamaru, though he was smiling. Even Konohamaru couldn't hold back his laughter. He had never done anything like this, and it felt great.

He had never had this much fun before. Usually, he was stuck at his clan's compound training or studying. When he did leave, he was usually followed by some old prune like Ebisu-Sensei. And always, people would bow to him and call him the honorable grandson. The only ones that didn't do that were his friends Moegi and Udon.

But these boys were different. They didn't treat him like the honorable grandson. They didn't bow to him or praise him for coming from a prestigious clan like the Sarutobi. Most of all, they didn't compare him to his grandfather, the Sandaime Hokage. They treated him more like he was a little kid, and it felt nice.

He briefly looks over at Naruto. "I don't give a damn who you are. You mess with me again like that, and I'll give you another knuckle sandwich." No one had ever talked to him like that before, either. Too afraid that it would upset his grandfather, but Naruto didn't seem to care about that.

His mind then went back to what his grandfather had said.

"Hey, Jiji, who was that?"

"Oh? That was Naruto. Don't mind his attitude. He's a good kid."

"Is he a shinobi?"

"Why yes. He just came out from the academy. But don't let that fool you. He's stronger than he looks. In fact, he even beat me once."

"Really?"

That was all Konohamaru needed to hear before he went after the boy that had the guts to hit him on the head. And his grandfather was right Naruto was super stronger. He even saw through his clever disguise, and that was while he was blindfolded.

He decided then and there that he would learn from Naruto. He was getting nowhere with Ebisu-sensei and his shortcuts. If he could learn whatever Naruto used to beat the old man, he would be closer to becoming Hokage.

He just had to be patient and wait for him and his friends to stop fooling around. Until then, he would at least try to enjoy his time with them.

Suddenly the laughter ended as someone grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Uh oh, got to go." The boss said in a hushed tone.

Konohamaru didn't have enough time to get a response. He caught a glimpse of the angry shop owner shouting at them. Then his vision became a blur. But just as quickly, everything went back into focus.

Konohamaru noticed they were still on the same rooftop, and he could still hear the shouts of the shop owner. He looked over to see what had stopped the boss and turned pale. It was one of the masked Shinobi he would sometimes see around the village and around the old man.

The boss laughed nervously. "Hey, Neko-chan," he said. "What are you doing here?"

The woman with the cat mask and long purple hair looked down at them. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Naru-Kun," she said.

"Oh, nothing too much," Naruto said. "Just hanging out with my friends and having a bit of fun."

The woman snorted. "More like getting into trouble," then she seemed to notice Konohamaru's presence, who waved at her nervously. "And I see you managed to drag the honorable grandson into your mess."

Konohamaru frowned at the mention of that name but made no reply. "I don't suppose you'll let us go."

The masked woman just stared at Naruto blankly.

"I'll take that as a no," he said, letting go of Konohamaru.

Behind him, Konohamaru heard the Nara boy mutter, "Troublesome."

The boys would spend the better part of that day cleaning the shop. Except for Konohamaru, on the basis, he was the honorable grandson. As much that grated at his nerves, there were some perks to being the honorable grandson.

Sometime later, with the sun starting its descent, the boys were lying around in one of the open areas of the park. They were participating in one of Shikamaru's favorite pass times, the excitement that was cloud-watching.

"This is boring," Konohamaru said. "I thought you said this was fun."

"It is," Shikamaru said with a serine smile, still looking up at the clouds.

"But there's nothing to do," the young boy complained. "All we're doing is just watching clouds go by."

Naruto heard Shikamaru mutter a soft "Troublesome." Before he responded to the boy's complaint. "That's what cloud-watching is. It's in the name. Now stop being troublesome. Let me be in peace."

"But it's so boring," Konohamaru whined. "Can't we do anything else? Boss, aren't you a little bored?"

Naruto smiled and shrugged. Under normal circumstances, he would agree with the boy. Naruto didn't like to sit or lay doing nothing, which was what cloud-watching was, no matter how Shikamaru liked to spin it. But strangely enough, it felt relaxing to Naruto to just lay on the ground and watch the clouds roll by.

"Maybe," Naruto said. "But it is relaxing just to watch the clouds." He admitted.

He saw Konohamaru's face scrunch up in thought. "I guess," he said. But boss, how can you watch the clouds if you can't see?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. Hadn't the kid noticed the eyeballs floating around them?

"Give the little monkey some credit," Kurama commented. "Floating eyeballs are not something people see every day."

Okay, Kurama did have a point there, and he never explained his Futogan to the kid. Most people around knew about his ability or never bothered to ask. So usually, he assumed that everyone knew.

Naruto smiled, sensing a good chance for a prank. "What makes you think I'm blind?" He said, moving a pair of eyes over to the boy.

Again, the boy's face scrunched up. "Because you're wearing a blindfold," he said.

"Okay," Naruto said. "But that doesn't mean I can't see anything."

Now Konohamaru looked annoyed. "Yes, it does," he said. "You can't see with a blindfold on."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sur, aaahhhhh," Naruto was sure that Konohamaru's scream could be heard in Suna. The boy jumped into the air and landed on his feet. "Wh-wh-what is th-that," he said franticly, pointing at the set of eyeballs now directly staring at him.

Naruto burst out into laughter while the others sniggered.

Konohamaru looked at him like he was crazy. "B-boss, why are you laughing?" he asked. "S-seriously, what are th-those t-th-things?"

Kiba stood and patted the boy on the back. "Calm down, little guy," he said. "They're not going to hurt you unless Naruto wants them to. He's just getting a good look at you, is all."

The boy looked at Kiba and the eyes with a confused look. "The boss," he said, calming down. "He can see me?"

Naruto got control of his laughter and smiled. He sat up and turned his head to face the boy. "Sure can," he said. He had several pairs float down around the boy, who noticed as he did a complete turn looking at them. "In fact, I probably see you better than most people."

Konohamaru looked on at the eyes surrounding him with a mix of wonder and fear. "These eyes," he said. "Are they all yours?"

Naruto nodded. "They are," he said. To demonstrate, he had them do different tricks in the air. Mostly spinning in the air or getting into formation and rotating around.

"That's," Konohamaru said in a blank tone. "That's so cool." The boy leaped at Naruto with what he swore were stars in his eyes. "How many of them do you control? Can you use them in a fight? Have you spied on the old man to learn all of his secrets?" The boy shot out question after question that Naruto didn't have any time to answer them. Or really to process them.

"Now hold on, Konohamaru," Naruto said.

"We thought we would find you here," a voice said. The girls had just arrived.

Ignoring Konohamaru for the moment, Naruto turned over to face the girls. "Hey guys," he greeted them. "Did you have a great day?"

Ino snorted and rolled her eyes. "It would have been better if you guys hadn't run off," she said, lifting two arms full of bags and then some. "We could have gotten through our shopping a lot quicker."

Now it was Kiba's turn to snort. He looked over at the Yamanaka girl with a sarcastic expression. "More, like you, would have done more shopping," he said. "And made us your pack mules."

Ino gave the Inuzuka boy a sly smile. "Well, that's what you boys are here for," she said. "To carry around all our stuff. That and be eye candy for some of us." This cause some of the boys to blush. "Though you're not very good at that dog breath."

Kiba growled. "Why you," he started.

Whatever retort he had was cut off by Ino. "Seriously?" she asked. "How can you expect us poor delicate flowers to carry all of this stuff by ourselves. We're not built for it." Said the girl, who had no problem lifting the hundred-plus bags wrapped around her arms.

Naruto saw Shikamaru mutter something under his breath, though he couldn't make out what it was.

Ino, though, seemed to pick up on it somehow. "What was that?" She asked the lazy boy.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and let out a tired yawn. "Nothing," he said, then added. "Troublesome blonde."

Ino tsked and was about to say something when Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder. "Be nice, Ino," she said with a smile. "They're still boys, so you can't expect them to be gentlemen."

Ino gave her friend a critical eye. After a moment, she let a sigh and crossed her arms. "I guess you're right, Sakura," she said, giving the boys a mischievous eye. "We have to wait a few more years before their brains start working properly. Although Kiba might take a little longer."

"Hey!" Kiba growled out.

"Ino," Sakura warned.

Ino snorted. "Alright, I'll behave," she said.

Sakura smiled and nodded. She looked at Naruto. "We had a great time," she said.

Hinata walked up beside Sakura and Ino. While Yakumo went up to Sasuke and started a small conversation with him. "How was your day Naruto," Hinata said with a soft smile.

Naruto smiled back at her. "It was great," he said. "We had lots of fun."

Hinata giggled, which sounded nice in Naruto's ears. "Let me guess," she said. "You spent the whole day pranking people."

Naruto put on his best innocent face. Something he had practice with but never seemed to fool anyone. "Maybe," he said.

The girls in front of him rolled their eyes. "Come to think of it," Ino said. "There was this one shop owner that seemed a little on edge today. And I could have sworn I saw specks of orange on his face. Care to explain?"

"Not without incriminating myself," Naruto commented.

Ino sighed. "You really need to get a better hobby," she said. Then she looked over at Konohamaru, who was looking between the group of friends. "Naruto, please tell me you didn't drag the Hokage's grandson into your pranks. The Sandaime already has enough problems dealing with you. He doesn't need a mini-you walking around the place."

"Hey," Konohamaru shouted, pointing a finger at the girl. "The boss is a great guy."

Ino gave the boy a light-hearted chuckle. "Think whatever you want," she said. "Just try not to take too much after your boss. Otherwise, the village won't be standing for long.

Konohamaru scowled and crossed his arms. "Girls," he muttered under his breath.

Ino giggled. Then a thought seemed to occur to her. "Out of curiosity," she said. "What was that scream we heard just before we got here?" At that, Konohamaru's face turned red.

"Oh, that was just me pulling a prank on the little guy here," he said, gesturing to the red-faced boy. "He thought I was blind, so I showed him otherwise."

Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. "Naruto," she said. "I hope you didn't traumatize him. I don't think the Sandaime would be happy about that."

Naruto shrugged. "I didn't show him what was under the blindfold if that's what you're worried about."

The others around him shuddered. "Pl-please don't," Sakura said.

Ino nodded. "Yeah, don't," she said. "It's creepy like hell when you do that."

Naruto was about to say something when Konohamaru got fed up and shouted. "Hey, stop ignoring me," He glared up at them.

Naruto and the others looked at the boy in a mixture of surprise and amusement. Naruto sheepishly chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that," he said. "So, did you have any questions?"

The young boy nodded. "Sort of," he said. He eyed a pair of eyeballs floating next to him. "Like, can you see through those things, and how many of them do you have?"

Naruto nodded. "Sure can," he said. He and the others began to sit on the ground finding comfortable spots. Ino and Sakura laid their bags next to them. "And my eyes don't even have to be near me for me to see. I can see everything here or something from across the village. I can even tell you what your grandfather is eating right now."

Back at the Hokage tower, Hiruzen was enjoying a plate of cake. Watching the crystal ball, he raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. Then shrugged and resumed eating and watching the events unfold.

Back with Naruto and friends. "As for how many I have," Naruto placed a finger on his lips, trying to remember how many pairs he had. Honestly, he didn't know, and Konoha gave him a fair supply of eyes, so it made it hard to keep up with. "I don't really know," he admitted. "I'll have to count them and get back to you. But it should be clear that I am not as blind as you think I am."

Konohamaru nodded with a blush forming around his cheeks. "Sorry about that, boss," he said. "I didn't mean to offend you." He scratched at his cheek.

Naruto waved the boy off. "Don't worry about it," he said. It wasn't the first time someone had made that assumption, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. "You're a good kid. Sure, you can be a bit bratty."

"A bit?" Sakura whispered lowly.

Naruto ignored her, and Konohamaru took offense to his comment. "But you're not a bad kid. Just a little lonely, I think," he said. "You don't have many friends do you?"

Konohamaru looked away and remained silent for a couple of seconds. "I have a couple of friends."

Naruto nodded, glad to hear that. He knew what it was like to be lonely, albeit for different reasons. "I'm sure they're good kids," he said.

Konohamaru nodded. "They are," he said. "They're the only ones that don't call me the honorable grandson. And," he trailed off.

"And what?" Naruto asked.

"They want to help me become Hokage," the kid said.

Naruto smiled and turned his head to face the sky. "I see," he said. "I remember you saying you wanted to be Hokage."

Konohamaru nodded energetically. "I do, and I will," he said. "One day, I'm going to beat my old man and become the next Hokage."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Trust me, becoming Hokage isn't that easy," he said. "If it were, I would have been Hokage ages ago. After all, I did beat the old man once before."

At this, the boy perked up. "I know," he said excitedly. "The old man himself told me so. He told me you used some super powerful and forbidden jutsu to beat him."

At this, Naruto got looks from all his friends. Kiba and Choji were a deep crimson red, with the former having a trail of blood coming from his nose. Shikamaru and Sasuke gave him wary looks. Meanwhile, Yakumo had an amused smirk on her face. Ino and Sakura, though, were giving him heated glares. Lastly, Hinata was giving him a blank stare with a red face.

Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, sure," he said. "I suppose you can call it that."

Konohamaru quickly crawled up to Naruto. "Can you teach it to me, boss?" he asked. "With it, I know I can beat my old man and become Hokage. Come one, please? I'll do whatever you want."

Naruto gulped as he felt the Shinigami float over him. Ino's and Sakura's glares had intensified, while Hinata's blank looked too on a dark expression. "Maybe not right now," he said quickly. "Besides, it might be too powerful for you right now."

Naruto felt relief come over him when he saw the girls soften their looks. Although Ino and Sakura were still glaring at him.

Konohamaru's look deflated as he pulled away from Naruto. "Oh," he said dejectedly.

"Hey, don't worry," Naruto reassured the young boy. "I'm sure one day you'll be strong enough to beat the old man. You just got to be patient."

The boy frowned. "But I don't want to be patient," he said. "I want to be Hokage now."

"Trust me, kid," Naruto said. "There are no shortcuts to being strong. And certainly, no shortcuts to being Hokage."

Konohamaru gave him a surprised look. "But Ebisu-Sensei says his techniques are shortcuts to becoming a powerful shinobi," he said. "He said if I did everything he said, I would be Hokage faster."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Ebisu-Sensei," he asked.

Konohamaru nodded. "Yeah, he's the lame-looking guy from before."

Now Naruto remembered. The strange man with the dark glasses. "Oh, that guy," Naruto muttered. "Well, either he lied, or he's a fool."

Konohamaru looked at him, surprised. "But he said,"

Naruto cut him off. "I don't care what he said. There are no shortcuts to being strong." He said. "And if there are. I am certain they all have a string or two attached to them."

"A string?" Konohamaru said.

"What he means is there is usually a price to be paid," Sasuke said. "Even if it is a shortcut and makes you stronger. There is always a downside to it. Some price you will have to pay."

The others looked at him. "It sounds like you have some experience with it," Shikamaru said. "Yakumo, I can see, but you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Let's just say my clan is familiar with the concept," he said. "Believe me, the old fashion way may be preferable."

Naruto nodded at Sasuke glade for the support. "He's right. You're not going to become strong overnight. You have to work hard and gain strength for yourself."

"But you're so strong," Konohamaru protested. "Why can't I be like you and the old man. I want to be strong now."

Naruto placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's only because I worked hard for what I had. I train every day to become stronger. We all have," he gestured. "We all have worked hard for what we have. Even mister lazy bones here works his ass off." He pointed to Shikamaru, who yawned.

"Only because you and my mom are so troublesome," he retorted. "Also, language."

Naruto ignored him. "Strength doesn't just come to you," he said. "You have to work for it." He paused for a moment letting the boy digest what he was saying. "Konohamaru, can I ask you something?"

Konohamaru looked at him questioningly. "Sure," he said. "What is it, boss?"

"Why do you want to become Hokage?" Naruto asked.

"Because the Hokage is the strongest person in the village," Konohamaru said. "So that would mean if I became the Hokage, then I would be the strongest in the village."

"I see," Naruto said. He had expected as much from the kid. "And it has nothing to do with the fact that you're the honorable grandson?"

The boy tensed up for a second. "I don't know what you are," he said quickly. "I want to become Hokage so I can be the strongest person in the village."

"You don't like being called that, do you?" Naruto asked the boy. "The honorable grandson." Again, the boy tensed up.

Then he crossed his arms and huffed. "Yeah, so? It's what I am?"

Naruto noted the choice of words and pressed on. "It must be hard being called that. The Honorable grandson, it sounds nice, doesn't it? The grandson of the Sandaime, the man feared across the elemental nations as the Kami no Shinobi. What title would be more fitting for the grandchild of a man like that?"

Konohamaru had a smile on his face, but it was wavering. "Yeah, it is nice," he said. "I'm the grandson of the strongest shinobi in the world. What could be cooler than that?"

"True," Naruto said. "Having the Sandaime as your grandfather must be a nice thing. But there is one problem with that."

Konohamaru looked at him. "What?" he asked.

Naruto turned his head to face the boy. "It's all people see, isn't it?"

Konohamaru tensed up. "What?" he said.

"The grandson of the Sandaime," Naruto said. "That's all they see, don't they? They really don't see the boy, only the honorable grandson." Konohamaru remained silent as Naruto continued to speak. "It sounds nice and all. The honorable grandson, it sounds like someone that deserves respect. But the trouble is, most people pay attention to the title, not the name it's attached to."

Konohamaru looked down at the grass, "I guess," he said.

"You have grown up all your life hearing how great your grandfather was," Naruto said. "Regaled with tales of how powerful he is, how wise of man he is. Told what a genius he was in his time. When people look at you, they see him. They see the next coming of the Kami no Shinobi, not a little boy named Konohamaru. The expectations you have must be hard to carry around all the time like that."

Konohamaru frowned and glared at Naruto. "So what?" he said. "What would you know about expectations?"

Naruto smiled. "Trust me, I know what's it like," he said. "I know what it's like to have others look at you and see something else. Granted, for me, it's for different reasons."

His mind went to the cold stares he still received. To the whispers of 'that child' and 'demon.'

"It's not easy," Naruto said. "Seeing people look at you like that. You want to tell them that you're there. That there is a person behind what they say if only they looked past it. You want to be noticed, but no matter what, that is all they see."

Konohamaru's frown melted away as it gave way to awe. "Yeah," he said. "You're right."

Naruto's smile grew at seeing he was making some headway with the boy. "Some of the others here know what it is like, too" He gestured to his friends.

"I'm the son of Fugaku Uchiha," Sasuke said. "And my brother is Itachi Uchiha." Konohamaru's eyes widened in recognition of the names. "So, trust I know what's like to be compared to other family members and told I'll turn out like them one day."

"I'm the heiress to the Hyūga clan," Hinata said. "But the elders think I'm unfit to lead the clan. They expect me to be stronger and more ruthless. They think I should be cold and uncaring to everyone around me. They don't like that I'm a kind caring person."

Now it was Yakumo's turn. "My clan, the Kurama, has fallen in prestige," she said. "For a while, it looked my clan would fall into obscurity. Then I came along, possessing the strongest abilities my clan had ever seen. I was expected to lead our clan back to greatness."

All three were looking at Konohamaru. "You see, Konohamaru," Naruto said. "You're not the only one who has expectations on their shoulders."

Konohamaru looked between the three. "How do you handle them?" he asked. "How do you make people see you?"

"We didn't let them carry us down," Sasuke said. "They are not who we are."

"But we still shoulder them," Hinata added. "Even if people start to see you. There will always be someone who only sees what they expect. But you can't let that carry you down."

Yakumo nodded. "You have to press on," she said. "And keep showing them who you are. By remaining true to yourself."

Naruto smiled. They all may have had different reasons, but they all knew what it was like to be faced with the expectation and prejudice of others. But they all overcame them with a little help. "You can't let those expectations define who you are," Naruto said. "Konohamaru, do you know what it means to be Hokage? What do you have to do to become the Hokage? What you have to do when you do become Hokage."

Konohamaru opened his mouth to answer the question. Then shut it as he realized he didn't have one. "I don't know," he said. "It just means I would be the strongest in the village, right?"

Naruto shook his head. "Not completely," he said. "Sure, you would be the strongest Shinobi in the village. But do you know what that would mean?"

Konohamaru shook his head. "No," he said, looking at Naruto, hanging onto every word he said.

"First off," Naruto said, standing up. "Being Hokage doesn't make people acknowledge you. In fact, it's the other way around. You have to be acknowledged to even be considered to take the position. Konohamaru, you have to earn respect first, then take the title. Otherwise, it would be no better than being called the Honorable grandson."

Konohamaru frowned. Evidently not like what he was hearing. "But everyone respects my grandfather," he said. "Everyone looks up to him."

Naruto nodded, not denying what the boy said. "But that's because he's earned their respect," he said. "He became Hokage through hard work with his own blood, sweat, and tears. He fought through all three of the Shinobi Great Wars and led the village through some of its darkest times. By the time he became the Hokage, he had earned the right to be called Hokage and later made it his own." Naruto faced his head to Konohamaru. "Tell me, how many times have you heard people call your grandfather by his name."

"What?" the boy asked, confused.

Naruto pushed aside the streak of annoyance. He didn't like to repeat himself. "I said," he said evenly. "How often have you heard people refer to your old man by name? Do you even know it?"

Konoha looked down at the ground. Naruto gave the boy time to think. "Never," he said after a moment. "I don't think I ever heard people say my grandpa's name."

Naruto nodded his head. "When people think of him. They think of the Sandaime or the Kami no Shinobi. Both of them titles, like the Honorable Grandson."

Naruto noticed how the boy stiffened up. How a look of realization grew across his face, tinted by an expression of fear. "So, people will never know my name." he whispered. But everyone still heard what he said.

"No, they will," Naruto said. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "One day, people will look at you, and they won't see the Honorable Grandson. They'll see Konohamaru Sarutobi, a good little boy who just wants to be seen. And perhaps future Hokage. But you'll have to work hard for it. Show them you deserve to be respected. Show them there is more to you than some title given to you." The whole time the boy was looking at him in awe. "One day, people will see you for who you are."

Tears started to come down Konohamaru's cheeks. "But I," he said. "But I want to be seen now. I want people to know who I am."

Naruto smiled. "You already do." He said, causing the boy to look up at him in shock.

"R-really," he said hopefully. "Who?"

Naruto sighed. "Tons of people," he said. "Like me." He pointed to himself, then to his friends. "And them." Konohamaru looked over at Naruto, seeing that his friends were all smiling at him."

"You guys?" the boy questioned.

They each nodded or, in the case of a certain Nara, shrugged their shoulders lazily. Naruto nodded and turned his attention back to Konohamaru. "Then there's your friends."

"My friends?"

"Yeah, didn't you say you had a couple of friends who didn't call you the honorable grandson?"

Konohamaru nodded. "Udon and Moegi," he said.

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Then shouldn't that be enough?" he asked. "If a few see who you are now. Then one-day others will as well. You just have to be patient and work hard for it."

Konoha opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and nodded. "I don't want another title. I just want people to see me like they see my grandfather. I want them to respect me and look up to me."

Naruto nodded, understanding what the boy desired. It was something he wanted as well. "That will happen," he said. "But for now, is it enough that your friends acknowledge you?"

Konohamaru had a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is." He said.

Naruto smiled. "Trust me, Konohamaru, one day, people will respect you," he said. "And who knows, one day you might become Hokage. But believe me, kid, I won't make it easy for you."

"You won't?" Konohamaru questioned.

"Because that's my dream, too," Naruto said with a proud smile. "I want to be the one that takes the hat from the old man. You can have it when I'm done with it."

Konohamaru frowned and shot up to his feet. "There's no way that will happen," he said, pointing the finger at Naruto. "I'll take the hat from the old man before you can."

Naruto's smile grew. "Then I guess that makes us rivals, now," he said. "Let's see who takes the hat first." He held his hand out. "But, kid, I won't make it easy for you. I'll work hard to become the Hokage. Harder than anyone. You got that?"

Konohamaru had a determined look on his face as he took Naruto's hand. "I got it, boss," he said. "But I'm going to become Hokage before you. I'll work hard for it like you. I'm not going to take shortcuts anymore. I'll work hard to become the strongest in the village. Harder than even you."

Naruto nodded. "I'm looking forward to it," he said.

Around them, Naruto's friends were enjoying the sight. Some with amused smiles like Yakumo and Hinata. Others rolled their eyes but still smiled like Sasuke and Shikamaru. Ino sighed and raised her hands into the air. "Oh, great, we got another one," she said, causing to Sakura to giggle.

Konohamaru's and Naruto's hands parted. Both boys sat back down at on the ground and stared up at the clouds. The sky was starting to change colors now, telling all that the day was ending. Some light conversation passed as the group enjoyed the peace.

"Oh, boss," Konohamaru said, breaking the lull. "You never told me what it meant to be Hokage." Naruto nodded, realizing he had forgotten about that. "So, what does it mean?"

Naruto smiled as he began to tell the boy about what the old man had told him years ago.

A short distance away, hidden in the shadows of the trees, Ebisu smiled. At the suggestion of the Hokage, he had tailed the honorable gran- Konohamaru, as he followed the village's Jinchūriki.

At first, he wasn't sure what sort of influence the boy would have over his young charge. He knew what the older boy contained, but he was not one of those who believed the boy was dangerous. He had complete faith in the Yondaime's work.

Even still, Ebisu was not sure of the boy. He knew the boy had a reputation as being a brass troublemaker. A part of him thought he would be a bad influence on Konohamaru.

But now, after seeing how the boy was and the way his friends treated the young boy. He was happy to note that feeling was wrong. Naruto had been just what Konohamaru needed to get to knock down on his training. Ebisu had even learned something about the young charge he would have never known about.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Ebisu whispered as he pushed his glasses into place. He had thought about testing the boy to see what his resolve was like. But had determined that was unnecessary after hearing the boy talk to Konohamaru. Plus, he didn't want to offend his friends, most of whom came from prominent clans. "I think I will be keeping an eye on you." He gave a sideways glance to the pair of eyes watching him.

Then he looked back at the group of kids. He decided to wait for the sun to set before collecting his charge. He would let the boy enjoy this moment, then come tomorrow, he would put the boy through his paces.

As I said a bit of lighter chapter, where our characters are kind of hanging out. Also, Konohamaru makes his appearance. Next chapter we'll finally get to the team formations, it only took me like twenty chapters to do so, but we got there. Bodes well for how long this story could be.

Hope your looking forward to the next update.