"Hey, Kiba!"

"Mmmmeerrrrrrr?"

"KIBA!"

"AH! I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"And it's about time! Your breakfast is getting cold. Hurry up and…Kiba, what's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, mother."

Kiba sat up and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes, his mother looming over him.

"Naruto wasn't looking too good last night, so we stayed up to watch him."

"Oh. Well, if you think there's something wrong with him-"

"Yeah, hospital, I-"

"No. Just…send someone for Sakura-san. She can examine him here."

"Umm…alright."

As his mother retreated downstairs, Kiba found something with long sleeves to hide his injured arm and added what she said to his growing mental list of 'things that made no sense but were probably very important.' Downstairs, Shino and friends were already eating, some destruction bugs attacking a few pieces of rice that had fallen to the floor. Kiba grimaced as they flew upwards and back into their host. Kiba liked the guy, but he did not need to see that before breakfast.

"Good morning, Kiba."

"Morning. Where's..."

"Hinata is still asleep."

"Oh, good."

"Hmm?"

Hana looked up from her food, and Kiba hoped she didn't know that they knew about…whatever it was they weren't supposed to know about.

"Naruto wasn't looking so good last night, and Hinata was worrying herself sick."

"Is he alright?"

"I think so, but I'm going to call someone to take a look anyways. Sakura-san, maybe."

"Y-yes, that would be fine…"

That would be 'fine?'

A few minutes later, a very haggard-looking Hinata came downstairs to join them, and other then the expected pleasantries, the rest of breakfast was eaten in silence, and once Tsume and Hana had left for the days' mission, the three genin headed for Naruto's room. Inside, he was snoring loudly, the skin on his stomach unmarred and looking completely at peace.

"Damn…"

"Kiba?"

"Yesterday…really happened, didn't it? The way he reacted, then going right back to normal."

Kiba pulled one sleeve up, the marks he received on his arm nothing compared to what Naruto did to himself.

"And now, there's not a mark on him."

"I think…I think I remember from the chuunin exams…"

"Hinata?"

"After his fight with you…his injuries healed so fast…"

"He has always been a fast healer. Even for a shinobi."

Kiba began pacing, muttering to himself as he circled the room.

"None of this makes any sense...so many weird little things...nothing that would explain anything."

"They are clues, nonetheless. We need only put them in their proper context and follow them to a conclusion."

"Heh. Easier said then done."

"Maybe…we could ask Shikamaru-kun for help? I've heard he's good with these sorts of things…"

Kiba stopped his pacing, turning to his teammate with a wide grin.

"Yeah…yeah! But…"

"What is it?"

"Think…bigger."

"So…"

Shikamaru sat in the most comfortable chair in the room, rubbing his shoulder after Kiba had forcibly dragged him to the Inuzuka complex. He spared a half-hearted glare at Chouji and Ino, who had done nothing to help him when the demented genin had grabbed him in the middle of the street and began to carry him away.

"Why are we all here?"

The rest of the assembled genin all turned to look at Kiba and Shino, who looked back with the utmost seriousness. Team Gai and team Asuma minus their sensei sat or stood around the room, waiting with varying degrees of interest.

"And why did you want us to keep this a secret from the jounin?"

"Hinata, bring him in."

Hinata walked into the room, followed by Naruto and Sakura. Tenten gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at Naruto with the other.

"Naruto…he's…"

Kiba immediately turned towards Tenten. Could she know what was going on?

"He's so CUTE!"

Akamaru whimpered and covered his ears as Tenten let out a squeal that was probably heard by half of Konoha, and Kiba dropped his head, dejected.

"I mean, Ino told me about him, but I didn't expect…he's just…and he's even got a collar…"

While Tenten was busy staring, Kiba caught Hinata's gaze and nodded. In turn, she laced her fingers together and activated her Byakugan, scanning the surroundings and breathing a sigh of relief when she was finished, sinking into a chair with Naruto sitting on the floor next to her.

"We're alone."

The genin around her began to mumble to each other, and Kiba let out a sharp whistle to get their attention.

"All right. The reason we called you all here…it's simple. Does anyone here know why everyone in the village seems to hate Naruto?"

A chorus of confused, exchanged looks, mumbled out-loud thoughts and shaking heads were his answer, and Kiba flopped back onto his chair, resting his chin on his hands.

"Sakura, you have to know something."

Everyone turned to look at her, and she stiffened at the sudden attention.

"N-no. I…I never knew. I mean, I wondered why my parents told me to stay away from him…"

More mumbling, and Hinata suddenly jumped to her feet.

"Is that it? You all just…saw what people were saying about him, what the people did to him when they thought no one was around to see it! And…and…none of you did anything? How can you just…"

She stopped as Naruto mewed quietly, tugging on her leg and looking up at her. Hinata sat next to him on the floor, smiling even as a tear formed. Neji took in the scene with a cool gaze, having learned about Hinata's crush on Naruto long ago.

"Look…whatever the big secret is, it's been purposely kept from us. So getting to the truth will probably mean breaking a lot of rules. If you're not okay with that, you should leave now. But everyone that stays agrees to do whatever it takes to find out what's going on."

Lee jumped to his feet in a full-on resolute-strength-of-youth-pose, weeping dramatically.

"It is true we did nothing before, but we are shinobi now! This dark pall over Naruto's life has lingered far too long, and I will give every ounce of strength I have to unraveling this conspiracy, no matter what challenges I may face!"

"Right!"

Tenten joined him on her feet with a pose all her own, and the two looked back at Neji in unison, who blanched at the sight but nodded his agreement.

"You're right."

"Chouji?"

Chouji stood, and with shaking hands, pulled out the last chip of the bag he was holding. Slowly, reverently, he fed it to Naruto.

"I cannot call myself a shinobi of the hidden leaf if I ignore this. You will have my help."

"Mine too!"

"Ino…"

"After everything Naruto has gone though for this village, it's despicable the way the villagers still look at him."

After a few moments, Shikamaru was the center of attention, and he let his head drop over the back of the chair, groaning loud enough for everyone to know how much he didn't like being shanghaied into this, but he agreed all the same.

"Alright!"

Kiba unrolled a scroll and spread it out on the table in front of him.

"This is how I think we should start…"