The next day Asuka awoke to the sun shining through the curtains onto her face. She got out of bed and looked through her closet. Thinking about what Naruto told her yesterday there was nothing that seemed quite right. Since she had a few hours before meeting all of Naruto's friends she figured she would do some shopping, so she threw on something comfortable and grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Lets see... in order for Naruto's idea to work I should go for something that is made of lighter fabric than most things and I will want to still be modest but feel like I'm not wearing it. As Asuka browsed the shops and tried on several different outfits she finally found one that worked. A blue halter top that showed off her stomach but hugged her neck gave her the modesty and the coolness she needed. Also to give more of a look of modesty she had a fishnet t-shirt underneath. For shorts she found the snug ones gave her the most mobility and were also a thin fabric so she didn't feel like they were holding her back. I sure hope this works. She decided that even if this didn't work she liked this style much better than what she usually wore so she bought a few sets. Asuka then returned home and put her new fashion choice on and examined herself in the mirror again. She still felt content with how it looked so that was a good sign. Looking at the time she saw she still had two hours so she went to her favorite park in the village. Upon arriving she realized that Ichiraku's was only a block away. She then continued to lay down on the grass and look up at the clouds in the sky. Asuka loved looking at the clouds, there was a certain peace about it. It also gave her time to think. Should I tell everyone about my habit up front or should I wait and see if this works? Last time I didn't say anything it caught poor Kakashi Sensei off guard and created an awkward moment. But I also don't know how everyone will take it. I guess the best thing to do will be to wait and see what everyone is like and go from there.

Finally it was time to meet Naruto. As Asuka approached the restaurant she only noticed Naruto.

"Hi Naruto," she said as she approached.

"Hi Asuka,"

"What do you think?" Asuka asked as she spun around to show Naruto her outfit.

"Looks good. Lets go meet the others. I forgot that we all couldn't fit here so I told everyone to meet us at another restaurant and I would come here to get you."

"Okay sounds good."

Naruto lead Asuka to a restaurant with a larger seating area. As they entered there was a large group of people at the back... and they were headed straight for them. Oh boy, did I get in over my head here?! Just breath, you know Naruto at least so you should be fine.

"Hi everyone! We're here!"

Everyone in turn returned Naruto's greeting.

"Everyone this is Asuka Nakamura." Naruto said as they sat down.

"Nice to meet you Asuka," responded the pink haired girl on the other side of Naruto, "I'm Sakura."

Eventually everyone introduced themselves. Asuka studied the group, they all seemed pretty relaxed although she was able to pick up pretty quickly that although Naruto was okay with her random stripping it probably wouldn't be a good idea to mention it to the rest of the guys. The girls seemed like they would be okay though so she would probably tell them one on one. The conversation buzzed around Asuka. She just listened and watched.

"So Asuka how come we haven't seen you around before?" Ino asked.

"I mostly keep to myself. I only met Naruto yesterday and he convinced me to come meet all of you."

"Didn't you get lonely?" Tenten asked.

"Every once in a while but I dealt with it."

"Why isolate yourself? To be a successful shinobi you need to be able to rely on others." Shikamaru asked.

"Its because she randomly takes off her clothes." Naruto answered for her.

Everyone went silent. Asuka blushed. Naruto! Why would you say something like that in front of people I just met and in a public place! This is so embarrassing. Please someone break the silence.

"Naruto you pervert! You only just met her yesterday and your already picturing her without her clothes!" Sakura shouted landing a good solid punch on his head.

Everyone else laughed.

"But it's the truth Sakura," Naruto whined.

Asuka felt her face get red hot with embarrassment.

"Ya right Naruto! You are unbelievable you know that!" Sakura continued scolding.

"I'll be right back." Asuka said excusing herself. She did a speed walk to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She was angry and grateful to Naruto at the same time. On the one hand he told everyone without asking if it was okay. On the other hand when she tells them it's true it might not come as big of a surprise. Asuka looked at herself in the mirror. She was still fully clothed. After being as embarrassed as she was, she thought for sure she would have taken her clothes off to cool down. Asuka smiled. Naruto's plan had actually worked. Naruto you brilliant idiot. You mean well. But what do I do about the current situation? Should I tell everyone? Might as well, once I explain it and that the problem is now fixed they might be understanding. If they don't then they may not be worth having as friends. From what I have learned from Naruto, friends accept you as you are. That decided it. Now for the hard part... actually telling them that Naruto wasn't making it up. Asuka took a deep breath and left the bathroom and went back to where everyone was. Naruto was still at the mercy of Sakura and pretty well everyone was laughing. Asuka sat back down.

"Sakura, you can stop beating up Naruto," Asuka said.

"Why? He shouldn't be spreading lies like that!" Sakura protested.

"See that's the thing... he's not lying."

Everyone stopped and looked at Asuka. Asuka explained everything that had happened the day before and how Naruto had helped find a solution to the problem.

"That is some intense training! You are an inspiration Asuka!" Lee piped up.

"Naruto... if you tell anyone about this again without my permission I will knock you into next Tuesday. Got it." Asuka said intimidatingly

"N-no problem," Naruto said shrinking back.

"Ice is a kekkei genkai I haven't seen before." Tenten said.

"Not many people here have. And that's why I only started training with Kakashi Sensei yesterday."

The conversation then continued to buzz around her ability to use ice. It seemed that after the shock of Asuka revealing the truth no one out rightly hated her for it so that was a relief to Asuka. She did feel some cold stares from Neji. He is probably more traditional then the other guys.

As everyone was going their separate ways Asuka felt like she needed to talk to Neji one on one. She ran to catch up.

"Neji wait!"

Neji stopped and turned around

"What is it?" he responded.

"I wanted to talk to you. I saw you disapproved of the training I went through. I thought I would give you a chance to speak more freely on the matter."

"I have nothing to say. How you choose to train is your business."

"Please, I want to hear what you have to say. Naruto went through all the trouble to get everyone together to meet me." Asuka pleaded not knowing why she wanted Neji's approval.

"Very well, since you really want to know. I think its undignified and that your mother is a fool for training you that way. There are other ways to train and get used to the cold."

"Okay, thank you for being honest. You may be right, maybe my mother was a fool."

"Was?" Neji inquired.

"Yeah she died about five years ago now."

"I'm sorry I meant no disrespect to your mother's memory."

"Its okay you didn't know. May I ask one more thing of you?"

"And what would that be?"

"I can't change how I was trained and I have made an effort to fix the issue. I ask that you look at it as an issue of the past."

Neji was silent as he thought about what Asuka had said.

"Very well." he said finally.

"Thank you Neji,"

"I must be going now."

"Alright I'll see you later." With that Asuka and Neji parted ways.

Asuka retreated to the park she was at before and sat down and thought about how she felt. Neji gave her this feeling of wanting to be better than she was. Also she really cared about his opinion. He seemed traditional but also chivalrous. He did say his reason for disliking the training was because it was undignified, and he apologized after finding out her mother was dead. Asuka wasn't sure how she felt about Neji but she figured only time would tell.