" I had a rubber bone that squeaked under the tree!" barked a puppy irately.
" My favorite tennis ball is gone!" agreed one of older Inuzuka.
" Everyone's toys are missing!" Tsume yelled, hushing everyone. " But its not because they were moved. Someone else found them while they were looking for where they buried things. So everyone, just shut up."
" But you found your stuff!" someone woofed. " You didn't get effected by this."
" Yeah, but I have to pay the kids tab at some restaurant he goes to a lot. Its probably going to cost a lot." Tsume whined.
" Who cares? Its just money! My squeaky toy is gone!" the irate puppy snarled.
Tsume sighed. She was never having Naruto clean the manor again.
---
Asuma hobbled down the street, lingering on his right leg no more then necessary. It felt stiff so he was trying not to use it. The Inuzuka manor came into view slowly. He was going to have Kiba and Akamaru go get the other two for him. They lived nearest to him and he didn't feel like walking around the entire village today.
As usual, the main gate was wide open. Asuma walked in. The Inuzuka didn't really care who got in. He found the house buzzing with more action than usual, which was something. Nearly every single Inuzuka seemed to be out and digging up sections of the yard and guarding dog toys from each other.
" Akamaru, its mine! I only chewed on mine a little!" Asuma heard Kiba yell. He looked over and saw Akamaru and Kiba struggling over a rawhide bone. Akamaru barked something and all the younger Inuzuka and puppies let out giggles.
" Take it back!" Kiba said, looking shocked and angry. Akamaru barked again and let go of the bone, then sunk his teeth into Kiba's leg. Kiba cried out in pain and wobbled over and began to wrestle the dog off.
" Hey you two. Break it up. You've got training in a hour." Asuma said, hobbling over. The pair stopped fighting and looked at him in surprise.
" Uh, hey sensei. What are you doing here?" Kiba said, standing up and dusting himself off.
" Telling you that you have training. Go get Hinata and Naruto and meet me at the group training field."
" All right! Lets go, Akamaru!" Kiba said before running off. Akamaru followed, also seeming to have forgotten their fight.
---
Neji was up and doing his morning training. The Hyuuga courtyard where he was practicing was empty save for him. The stupidity of his situation stuck him again. Here he was, a hardworking genius, but because he was of the branch family he was seen as less than that pathetic reject.
The last four weeks since Hinata had become a genin had been tumultuous, and Neji had to admit he didn't like what had happened. He was glad to see Hiashi gone, but since this had given Hinata the ability to activate his seal it gave her power over him. He resented that she had that power only because of the merit of her father being born first.
And the ridiculous story of her beating a S-Ranked individual. It had to be a lie. True, she appeared to have finally mastered the Divine Sixty-Four Strikes, but her hand to hand was still inferior to Hanabi's and far below his own.
Neji was interrupted from his hateful brooding by a heavy knocking on the main gate. Sighing, he walked over and opened it. A scruffy boy and dog he recognized as Kiba and Akamaru from the group trainings Guy forced him to endure was waiting.
" Hey Neji! I'm here to tell Hinata that we have to go to practice today. Sensei said we'd have today off, but I guess he changed his mind." Kiba said, seeming to bristle with pride at having been given this duty. Neji remembered immediately why he had hated him during practice.
" I will show you to her." Neji said, voice laden with disdain. He began leading Kiba towards Hinata's room. She was likely still asleep. They arrived and before he could knock, Kiba opened the door and barged in.
" No!" Neji cried while trying to grab Kiba to stop him, but it was too late.
" Hinata? Hey, you here?" Kiba called, looking around. It was tidy and girly, but he figured if he didn't stay long it couldn't effect him.
" You idiot! What are you doing?" Neji said, grabbing Kiba and trying to pull him out. " This is Hinata-sama's room!"
" Yeah, it is." said a mischievous voice behind them. Slowly, Neji, Kiba, and Akamaru turned and saw Hanabi standing in the doorway, a evil look on her face. " Your going to be in trouble when I tell her!" she said as she darted off.
" You….idiot….I'll….kill….you…." Neji hissed though his clenched jaw.
" Hey, come on. She's just a little girl." Kiba said blankly.
" I wasn't talking to Hanabi-sama." Neji said, his eye twitching. Kiba nervously began edging away before he ran out the door with a roguish grin on his face. Neji could swore that, at the last second, the dog had stuck his tongue out at him.
---
" Hinata!" Hanabi yelled as she raced into the clan leaders study, causing Hinata to jerk awake. She had fallen asleep at her desk reading the jutsu scroll.
" What is it?" Hinata said, stretching and stifling a yawn.
" I caught Neji and some boy in your room." Hanabi said, smirking.
" What?" Hinata said blankly.
" Get this guy away from me!" Kiba yelled, diving into the study. A furious looking Neji was close behind him, the chakra in his hand charged for a Jyuuken strike. Realizing too late which door Kiba had entered he was unable to stop himself. Hinata sensed the chakra in Neji's forehead seal trigger a second before he collapsed to the ground, shaking soundlessly in pain.
" What's with him?" Kiba said, standing up.
" Help me!" Hinata commanded, grabbing Neji's arms and beginning to pull him out of the room. Kiba helped her and a moment later they had him in the hall outside. Neji was clutching his forehead and gasping for breath.
" Neji, I can stop some of the pain, but I need you to move your hands." Hinata said. Neji glared at her for a moment but complied. Hinata took off his forehead protecter and inspected the still glowing seal. He gathered chakra into her hand for a medical jutsu that reduced pain and held her palm to the seal. Neji relaxed immediately.
" What the hell is that?" woofed Akamaru.
" What is that thing on his forehead?" Kiba asked.
" It is the Caged Bird Seal which marks me as a member of the branch family." Neji said, voice laden with hate.
" Why's it hurting?" Kiba asked, still confused.
" Because I entered the clan leaders study, activating it. It is a mean for the main house to control the branch families." Neji said, pushing Hinata away and standing up. He turned and walked away, radiating killer intent.
" Woah. Wait, do all Hyuuga have that?" Kiba asked.
" All the branch families. My sister and I are part of the main family so we don't." Hinata replied, standing up and re-entering her study.
" So it hurts if they go in this room?" Kiba asked, following Hinata.
" Yes, but if I need to I can also activate the seal at will." Hinata said as she rolled up several scrolls and put them on a shelf.
" Wait, you can just switch it on? That'd be great! Someone gets on your nerves, then bam, instant headache! That's cool!" Kiba said, examine the room.
" That would be a misuse of it, stupid. Its for real situations." Hanabi interjected. " Anyways, who are you and why are you here?" Hanabi asked.
" Oh, that's right! Hey Hinata, we need to get Naruto and head for the group training thing. Asuma-sensi came by and told me."
" Oh! Alright!" Hinata said, perking up at the thought of seeing Naruto. " Lets go!" They turned and left immediately, leaving behind Hanabi, who's question was still unanswered.
---
Naruto-kun's apartment.
She was standing outside Naruto's apartment. She inexplicably loved the building, though it looked a little run down. She hadn't seen Naruto since they had been on their date, and she suddenly felt nervous.
" Hey Naruto! You there?" Kiba said, banging on the door. Hinata immediately cursed herself. She should have knocked.
" I'm coming, I'm coming." Naruto called from behind the door. A moment later he opened it. He was still in his pajamas and walrus hat and was rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Hinata had to force herself to not yell " Kawaii!" so hard she felt she was going to explode.
" Oh, hey Hinata!" Naruto said, noticing her. " Whats going on?"
" We came by to pick you up. Asuma-sensei says we have training today." Hinata said breathlessly.
" All right! Hey, let me get dressed real quick and I'll be ready." Naruto said, racing off to his bedroom. Kiba and Hinata walked in. The first thing they noticed was that the apartment was clean.
Insanely clean.
Kiba hadn't noticed when he'd been here last, but Naruto's apartment looked more like a hospital room. He'd figured it would be like his room, but he didn't see a single pair of underwear on the ground or sock stuffed under the couch. Akamaru jumped down and began smelling around suspiciously.
" Woah. I didn't know Naruto was a neat freak." Kiba said. Hinata glared at him. " I didn't mean that in a bad way. Please don't hit me." Kiba said, trying to placate Hinata.
" All right, lets go!" Naruto said, walking out. He looked so much different without that jacket, even though the rest of his clothes looked the same. " Aww man! Kiba, you didn't wipe your feet!"
" What?" Kiba said blankly before looking down. There were footprints leading to him. " Hey, my bad. I'll clean it up."
" No, I got it." Naruto opened a closet and took out a small rag. He shooed Kiba outside and began to clean the dirt up.
" Can I help, Naruto-kun?" offered Hinata.
" Thanks Hinata!" Naruto said cheerfully. " There's another rag in the closet." Hinata got a rag and helped Naruto scrub the dirt off the floor. It didn't take long, and they were soon all outside Naruto's apartment.
" All right! We got a half hour before we have to be there." Kiba said. " Lets go get…"
" Some ramen!" Naruto interrupted. " I haven't eaten yet."
" Aw, come on. I don't want ramen for breakfast." Kiba pouted.
" I do." Hinata said, supporting Naruto. " Lets go, Naruto-kun."
Kiba sighed as they went towards the ramen stand. He was going to have to get used ramen every meal for a while, since Naruto and Hinata were going to outvote him on it every time.
---
Teuchi was busy tallying up Naruto's tab when he noticed Naruto and his friends walking towards them. Thanking whatever deity that had blessed him with such a customer, her put on his friendliest smile, cash-registers ringing in his ears.
---
" Kiba, what happened? Where's the other two?" Asuma asked as the lone genin walked up. Guy and Kurenai had been here earlier than him and their teams arrived on time. He hated when Kakashi wasn't around to make him look punctual.
" Naruto and Hinata decided on a trip to the ramen stand. I couldn't get them away." Kiba said, pouting. Off in the distance Naruto and Hinata appeared, running towards them.
" Asuma, don't be too hard on your apprentices. Its just their youthfulness." Guy said. " Neji and Ten-Ten have the same problem sometimes." Guy slapped Neji on the shoulder. Neji's eyes were bugged and twitching while Ten-Ten blushed. Ino let out a insidious giggle. Asuma almost laughed. Neji just couldn't get a break.
" Sorry, Asuma-sensei! I didn't realize the time until I was on my seventh bowl of ramen." apologized Naruto.
" I tried to tell you!" Kiba said irately.
" Naruto-kun was hungry! You kept interrupting him so he took longer." said Hinata accusingly.
" But we didn't have time for that! And anyways, who eats that much ramen?" Kiba said defensively.
" I do. Every meal." Naruto said blankly.
" Naruto, shut up." Kiba said.
" Kiba, don't tell Naruto-kun to shut up!"
" Everyone, stop!" Asuma said, wading into the argument.
Everyone watched in fasicination as the team argued, Kiba telling everyone to shut up, Hinata defending everything Naruto said and did, Asuma helplessly trying to stop everyone, and Naruto contesting everything Kiba said.
---
" Sorry 'bout that." Asuma said once the quarrel had ceased.
" Nonsense! It is just their youthfulness expressing itself!" Guy said loudly. Kurenai and Asuma sighed. They knew him well enough to know he really believed that.
" Anyways, Asuma, Guy, and I have a different type of training for you all today. Rather than sparing, we are going to practice escaping genjutsu," Naruto shuddered as Kurenai mentioned the word, remembering the last time, " and then work on basic tactics and strategies by teaching you chess."
Guy looked less than interested.
" Now, can anyone explain how a genjutsu works?" Kurenai asked as the genin assembled. Naruto positioned himself as far from Lee as possible. Ten-Ten raised her hand.
" Genjutsu anchors your chakra to someone else's so that it messes up their senses." Ten-Ten said.
" Correct, and excellent phrasing." Kurenai said, smiling to the girl. Ten-Ten looked proud of herself. " Now, being trapped in a genjutsu is likely the worst situation you can possibly get into. You might be convinced your allies are enemies and attack them, be unable to detect your opponent, or even tricked into killing yourself."
The genin all gulped at the thought.
" There two ways to escape a genjutsu: break it yourself or have someone break it for you. If you strike someone in a genjutsu you can usually knock them out of it, but not always. The best method it so break it yourself. There are three steps to breaking a genjutsu." Kurenai held up three fingers for dramatic effect. " First, noticing you are in a genjutsu. The more chakra and focus a person has, the more detailed they can make it. This means that there will always be flaws. The real world has unlimited detail, while peoples chakra and focus are not unlimited. For example, what is wrong with this."
Kurenai formed several hand signs and besides her appeared what looked like Guy, who gave them a thumbs up. Hinata couldn't see anything wrong.
" Kurenai-sensei! The illusion lacks Guy-sensei's thick eyebrows!" Lee said quickly.
" Good, Lee. You need to keep on the lookout for things that don't look right to you. Hinata and Neji have a advantage in this. While their Byakugan are active they can see the chakra of the illusion. Byakugan users are nearly impossible to fool with genjutsu, making them one of Kohona's most useful assets in the field. However, you two should refrain from using your Byakugan today. Some techniques are capable of fooling your eyes, so you will need to be ready."
Neji and Hinata nodded.
" Now, once you notice you are in a genjutsu, you must calm yourself and focus your chakra. This is the second and easiest step. The Third, however, is the hardest. Once you have focused your chakra, you must completely stop its motion. This will break the genjutsu from you."
" That seems pretty easy." Naruto said, folding his hands behind his head.
" Unfortunately, this will not always work. If the other person has more chakra then you or is a unusually skilled genjutsu user, you will still be trapped. All right, I am going to put a genjutsu on each of you. Try your best to escape it."
Kurenai performed the genjutsu and trapped each of the genin in the illusion that they were in the middle of a blizzard. As they fumbled Kurenai walked over to the other jounin.
" So, who do you think will be first?" she asked.
" Kurenai-sensei, I believe I have succeeded!" Lee called out. Kurenai looked to him and could sense the chakra was gone.
" Lee, excellent job." Kurenai said.
" Yosh! My youthful apprentice has learned quickly!" Guy said, patting Lee on the shoulder.
A minute later Ten-Ten and Hinata joined Lee in having broken though the genjutsu. Neji, Choji and Ino took a little while longer, followed by Akamaru, and a minute later Kiba. Shikamaru finally put some effort in and finished with ease. Naruto, however, seemed to be having a great deal of trouble. They heard him muttering to himself and he seemed to be trying to focus, but wasn't getting anywhere.
" What's taking him? I know he had trouble learning things in the academy, but I thought he was improving." said a bored Shikamaru.
" Naruto," Kurenai said as she broke the genjutsu. " You seem to be having trouble. Were you focusing on stopping….oh." Kurenai stopped for a moment as it struck her. " You can't stop your chakra. That's what's keeping the seal functioning."
" No, I was close! I almost got it. Give me another try." Naruto pleaded.
" Naruto, you can't. The seal will force you to continue using chakra even if you don't want to. This probably is what helped you build up your huge chakra reserves."
" Oh. Did anyone else have any trouble?" Naruto asked, sounding hopeful.
" Lee got it immediately, and the others didn't take long. It was a fairly weak genjutsu, though. Since you can't shut off your chakra, there's another technique we can try. Its called genjutsu reversal. It double's the genjutsu back on its creator. You have to sense the chakra in the illusion and match yours to it, then force it away. Everyone, lets try this as well."
Kurenai performed the genjutsu again. Everyone began to focus, except for Lee.
" Kurenai-sensei, I believe you may have made a mistake. I only saw the genjutsu for a moment before it collapsed." Lee said.
" A mistake?" Kurenai said dryly. Asuma and Guy edged away nervously. Kurenai got very angry when someone insinuated her genjutsu technique was bad. "I'll try again."
Kurenai performed the jutsu, putting all the power into it she could. As it took hold Lee smiled for a second, then blinked.
" Um, sensei, it happened again." he said, sounding confused. " Is everything alright?"
Asuma, Kurenai, and Guy all stood there, mouths agape. Breaking though one of Kurenai's genjutsu like that was amazing.
" Lee, are you stopping your chakra like in the first exercise? We are practicing another technique now." Guy said.
" No, sensei. But in the first exercise the genjutsu only lasted for a second like that as well. I though it was because I stopped my chakra." Lee replied earnestly.
Kurenai blinked for a moment as Neji reflected the genjutsu. She dismissed it. Neji stood there looking superior and smug for a moment before he noticed Lee talking. The others, save for Naruto, didn't take much longer. Naruto struggled and struggled, obviously getting nowhere. Kurenai dismissed the genjutsu, leaving a dismayed looking Naruto.
" Well, it seems like we have a pair on unique individuals in this group. I can't get my genjutsu to stick to Lee, no matter what, and Naruto seems to be particularly vulnerable to genjutsu thanks to the seal." Kurenai had not meant it meanly, but she felt guilty as Naruto slumped in shame. Lee, however, seemed overjoyed.
" It might be because Lee has so little chakra that genjutsu simply cannot attach to him, and with Naruto's excess of chakra he is unable to force the chakra to break."
" Let me try again, please." Naruto said in a quiet voice. Everyone was a little startled by the softness.
" Naruto…" Kurenai began
" Please." Naruto cut her off. Kurenai sighed and performed the jutsu. Men and their need to prove themselves. she mused. Naruto was trying to save himself from the embarrassment of being the only one unable to do something, but he was only going to make it worse. Naruto put his hands together and began to struggle with his chakra.
---
For the next hour everyone practiced at noticing and breaking genjutsu but Lee, who went and did several laps. Except for Naruto, everyone improved. Kurenai explained that it would be harder to notice genjutsu in a real battle, but the practice would serve them well nonetheless. She finally broke Naruto out of the genjutsu.
" Naruto, not everyone can do everything. Some people just can't perform some techniques." Kurenai said, trying to comfort the boy. " Just because you can't break a genjutsu doesn't mean you're a poor ninja or anything."
" But it means I'm a easy target for genjutsu users." Naruto said.
" True, but you have Hinata on your team. She's excellent against genjutsu. She'll be able to detect them for you." Kurenai said. Naruto looked over to Hinata, a smile creeping onto his face.
" I hope I won't be too much of a problem, Hinata-chan." Naruto said, using the suffix for the first time.
" It won't be a problem, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, blushing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ten-Ten and Ino stifling a giggle.
" Now, for something different." Asuma said loudly. He had gone away with Guy a while ago to get the chess sets and were now walking towards them, each with several boxes. Kiba sighed.
" I was looking forward to a few days without chess." he moaned.
" Shut up, Kiba." Asuma said, walking past the boy. " So, everyone pair up."
Naruto and Hinata quickly stood by each other. Hinata almost giggled when Lee sidled up to Neji.
" Lee, no." Neji said, sounding exasperated.
" But you are my rival! Beating you in this exercise…" Lee began.
" Lee, it's a board game." Neji said with a sigh.
" Yes, but it is still a challenge. Guy-sensei was forced to play a board game against Kakashi in one of their recent challenges."
" Can I play Akamaru?" Kiba asked, grabbing a board and chess set. Akamaru yipped at his mention.
" There's only nine genin. Akamaru will have to play someone else so you can all play." Asuma replied.
" Akamaru can play…. Ino." Asuma pointed to the girl who had been abandoned by her teammates. Akamaru let out a whine and trotted over to a dismayed looking Ino.
---
" You win again, Hinata-chan. Your good at this came." Naruto said. " That's four wins for you, one for me"
" Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata replied, beginning to reset the pieces. They had been practicing chess for almost a hour. Asuma-sensei had told them about how important strategy was and how chess taught strategy, but Hinata thought he had just suggested it because he didn't want to do anything.
---
" No! My rook has been defeated!" Lee cried as Neji took the piece. Neji sighed. " You shall be avenged!"
" I just can't get this game! They don't tell you what weapons the pieces are using, how skilled they are with them, or anything!" complained Ten-Ten as Kiba took a pawn. " What kind of simulation of battle is this?"
" A dumb one." Kiba said. " Your turn."
" Fine. Fine. Seriously, though, there are other games with a much more detailed system of combat resolution than this. Had I know I would have brought the rulebooks and dice…" Ten-Ten began mumbling to herself.
She is such a nerd. though Kiba.
---
" Uh, Choji, where's my knight?" asked Shikamaru as he set up the board again.
" I don't know." said Choji, taking a bite of a potato chip. He and Shikamaru looked at each other in shock.
" You didn't." Shikamaru said. Choji picked another one of the pieces up and licked in.
" I think I did. I remember one of the chips had a hickory flavor, even though these are nacho cheese." Choji set, setting the piece down.
" Choji, that's both of my knights and three pawns." sighed Shikamaru.
---
Akamaru scooted his bishop forward with his nose and barked. Ino reached lazily for a pawn, but Akamaru barked again. She looked at the pieces.
" Oh. Check. Good move." Ino said dryly. Akamaru rolled over. " Fine, fine, I'll rub your tummy, but next time you can't use your pawns like that."
Akamaru just smirked.
---
" Come on, Guy, it's called a knight, not a 'horsy-thing'!" Asuma said, nearly crying as Guy left his knight open to be taken by a pawn. Asuma looked down at his watch. " Yes! Switch partners! Kurenai, your turn with Guy!"
" See you in a bit Hinata!" Naruto said, standing up.
" Finally." said Neji. He was looking forward to playing anyone but Lee. After Lee had sworn vengeance for his third pawn Neji had been desperately wanting to switch.
" Hey, Neji!" Ten-Ten said, waving him over. The moment that Asuma had said switch Kiba had bolted over to Akamaru.
Everyone moved to new games, but before they could get to anyone else, Naruto and Lee were the only two left. With a grimace they sat down at a board and began to play in silence.
Naruto started to become a little miffed as he heard the others talking. He knew that a lot of people still hated him because of the demon fox, but it was annoying being face to face with one like this. Finally, against his better judgement, he decided to talk.
" So, did the demon fox kill some of your family or something?" he asked dryly.
" No." came the curt reply.
" You afraid the demon could get out or something?"
" No."
" Then what the hells your problem with me, Lee?" Naruto asked, looking away from the game. Lee met his gaze and heir was a brief moment of silence.
" I do not have enough chakra to perform any ninjutsu. I have worked hard every day, practicing my taijutsu to compensate for this disability. The Fourth Hokage picked you to act as the container for the demon fox, gifting you massive chakra that even our teachers envy. You also were able to learn the Shadow Clone jutsu, a technique far above your skill level, with apparent ease. "
" That's it?" Naruto said with a laugh. " Your jealous because the demon fox was seal in me? That's a new one." Naruto ignored the fact that everyone had stopped their games. Lee's arm began to twitch like he wanted to punch Naruto, but Guy was by them in a instant.
" You think I want this seal? Here's some other bonus to having a demon sealed in you. Most of the villagers hate me. The only place that will serve me food is Ichiraku. Most of the storekeepers in town immediately throw me out, so its really hard to buy anything. I'd trade all that chakra in a instant if I could be normal. Hell, I didn't even have friends until I got assigned to my genin team."
Lee looked somewhat taken aback.
" And here's the best part. Want to see what using that chakra does to me?" Naruto threw off his shirt and slammed his hands together, focusing a massive burst of chakra. The seal quickly faded into view, then began to sizzle and crackle and the chakra flowed though it. A moment later the skin began to blister.
" Naruto-kun! Please stop!" Hinata raced over and put her hand on his shoulder. He did immediately, wincing in pain. Hinata performed the Heavenly Palm and began to heal the burns.
" If I'd kept going, let, I'd have set myself on fire." Naruto said with a snarl. Lee looked as shocked as anyone could be.
---
Practice had broken up after that, due to awkwardness as much as anything. Asuma and his team were walking down the street in silence.
" Naruto-kun…do you only eat at the ramen stand because you can't eat anywhere else?" asked Hinata, breaking the silence.
" Well, that and I really like ramen." Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head. " I kind though that if I let that out it would sound better."
Asuma grabbed Kiba over the mouth, muffling him, and pulled him down a different street, leaving Hinata and Naruto alone.
" I-if you want, you could have dinner at the Hyuuga manor tonight. We wouldn't need to stay in the dining hall."
" Really? I'd like that, Hinata-chan." Naruto said with a genuine smile.
---
Hanabi was surprised at how late her sister was. Dinner was over and she still wasn't home. She'd wanted to talk with her or do something. The academy had been rather boring that day, so she felt restless.
She left the dining hall as the servants began to come in and take away the dirty dishes. She headed for her room, passing by a window that overlooked her mothers garden on the way. She skidded to a halt. Sitting on the small bench in the middle of the garden was her sister and Naruto. A mischievous smile took to her face and she rushed out.
" Hey!" she said bossily, walking out onto the garden. " What are you doing with my sister out here?"
" Go away, Hanabi." Hinata said dryly.
" Are you to kissing?" Hanabi teased.
" Are we?" Naruto asked jokingly, turning to Hinata. To his and Hanabi's shock she leaned over and kissed him tenderly.
" I-I g-guess we are." Naruto said, sounding stunned. Hanabi giggled.
" I'll take our bowls back to the kitchen, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, a deep red blush taking to her face. She began to walk towards the door.
" So, Naruto-kun," said Hanabi with teasing inflection. " You really like Hinata, huh?"
" Well, the one eye's kinda weird," Naruto said without thinking. Hanabi and Hinata, who was maybe ten feet away, sweat dropped. " But she's pretty and nice. So yeah, I do."
" You idiot! Why did you mention her eye, you idiot!" Hanabi said, pouncing on Naruto and beginning to beat him about the head.
" Hanabi! Please stop hitting Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, rushing over and trying to stop her sisters assault on hey boyfriend.
---
" Idiots." Neji said to himself, watching from the window.