Author's Note: The story is now starting to roll, but this is because I'm using the two chapters of the story to introduce you all to the situations going on throughout Konoha. Do you notice all the hints I'm dropping about their issues too? Yep! Please stay tuned to find out what will happen to Neji and Shikamaru and what is with Hinata?! Will Kiba be alright? And I know, Taku is my OC. Don't worry though he is most definitely not going to be a Gary Sue. And earthbender068 has brought it to my attention that the other girls need to make their appearances! They will though! Next chapter for sure.

Disclaimer: I do not own a lick of Naruto. The characters all belong to their rightful and ingenious owner whom I praise, Masashi Kishimoto.

The Lies Don't Stop

His feet rammed ferociously into the wooden dummy; his fists fired into its sides. Sweat was pouring off him like rain now, he realized wiping it off his brow. Hours of practice was necessary, especially for someone like him he decided. He had a dream didn't he? He stood looking at the famous cliff for the Hokages of the past.

Honestly, it seems like it was just yesterday that he was an overly energetic prepubescent teen running around telling people that he would most definitely become Hokage. It seems like it was just yesterday when everyone was berating him for being so foolish. He shook his head smiling because in reality... that was almost seven years ago.

Now it seemed like everyone would be shocked if he didn't become the 6th Hokage.

Ha... as weird as it sounds... sometimes he found himself rather missing those days. Why? Well... it's hard for him to explain really, well, especially for him. Something about being the underdog and being underestimated was sort of invigorating he supposes. It was, for a lack of a better term, "cool" to prove people they were wrong about you.

He snorted at the thought, "wrong about you". Those words described no one better than that man... Sasuke Uchiha.

Yes, he was back. Although it wasn't an easy task, it had been done, just a year or two ago. The worse part of all was that reacquainting him to the village and villagers was much more difficult; a million times more difficult. He would have much rather have chased Sasuke 20 times more over. Yet, Sasuke was back... and that was all that Naruto could ever ask for.

"Naruto," he snapped his head to the side only to find Kiba stepping through some bushes. He brushed himself off.

"What's up?"

"Sasuke's looking for you man. He and Kakashi," he swatted a fly from his face. "Are waiting for you outside the Ramen joint. They were saying something about going out to-"

As realization dawned on the blonde his eyes blew up to twice their size, "OH. SHIT." He exclaimed.

Speeding away to said noodle shop he could hear the Inuzuka screaming something about good for nothing Hokage wanna-bes that couldn't even keep a date.

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He leaned over, his hands firmly planted on his knees, as he tried to catch his breath as both Kakashi and Sasuke stood looming over him, their arms crossed and toes tapping. Well, the latter only applying to Sasuke anyways. I mean, he was the only one on time. Besides, if Kakashi were to chide Naruto about being late... well... let's just say that that in itself would have been an oxymoron.

"Finally you decide to join us Naruto," the former sensei greeted.

"Yeah dobe," Sasuke rolled his eyes coolly leaving the two males as he made his way into the restaurant. He waved his hand back to them saying 'follow me idiots', and well... they did. Talk about self esteem.

But really now, they should be more used to all of this Sasuke thought with a sigh. I mean, they have been having lunch at least once a week ever since his return and every time it was the same exact thing. He'd be the first to arrive, he'd roll his eyes and get a bit huffy about it and act surprised. Then Kakashi would show up two hours late (or one hour if he was lucky, although he hardly ever was) before Naruto would come pretending he'd forgotten all about it. Or- was he even pretending?

Sasuke just shook his head as he sat down at their usual table and began rubbing his temples when he realized how noisy Naruto was beside him and how perverted Kakashi from across them was being, taking his book out like that. Sasuke began fisting his hands in frustration.

That book... god, Sasuke thought. Jiraiya should be sent to hell for even thinking about that storyline, let alone mass producing them. I mean, the first time Kakashi ever allowed him to read it was more traumatizing than monumental if you were to ask him. Looking at those "pictures"... ugh. He cringed at the thought. But yet, he couldn't really blame Kakashi for introducing him to the XXX material, actually, according to the older nin he really should be thanking him; because after Sasuke had complained he said,"I'm sure that Naruto would enjoy these himself." And no, he didn't miss the wink that he'd been given.

But Sasuke wasn't really sure about what that meant exactly. His gaze shifted slowly to the blonde as he thought, did that mean that Naruto would enjoy looking at the book? Or was it that Naruto would enjoy um... "re-enacting" it himself? Well... he would now make it a personal mission to find out. I mean, what kind of lover would he be if he didn't?

Naruto flashed him back a knowing smile.

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Shikamaru slid away from the no longer benign kitchen conversation and began shifting his way up stairs. Really, with his mother coaxing his father the duo became almost unbearable when it came to egging him towards marriage. It happened every once in a while, but more often now that he was of age, 21. Needless to say it was getting old.

He walked into his room and locked the door behind him as he recalled last weeks "family meeting". He sighed. One of his mother's sister in laws had a friend who reportedly had a "beautiful" daughter that was "perfect" for him. They said she was pretty and that she was smart, but really now, when it came to them there wasn't a girl that was not. In fact, downstairs they had just been talking about some girl who was "one in a million". The Nara just had to roll his eyes at that. He doubts that he was lucky enough to have met 5 of these "one in a million" girls every month,

His parents were never going to get it were they?! He was gay! He was gay, gay, gay, gay, gay. He was gay! No matter how many times he said it his parents still couldn't get a grip on the idea, he thought as he stretched out on his bed. It wasn't so much they didn't accept it, that much he was sure about. It was more so that they didn't understand it.

Since no one in their families had ever been gay (or openly gay anyways, because he was sure there was something fishy about his cousin) his parents didn't know that it was a definite state. It wasn't a "phase" that twenty year olds all went through or else all the guys in the world would enjoy a little rimming action. Actually, it was more so a thing of preference. He didn't want women; case closed.

A knock on his window jolted him back from his thoughts, "Shika." A few successive knocks followed, "Shikamaru."

He unlatched his window, "Baby." And immediately their lips met in a heated, and barely controlled kiss. His lips smacked up against the others felt amazing, their month long separation only fueling his lust.

"Gods, I've missed you so much Neji." He whispered prying their lips apart.

The other pressed a kiss onto his forehead, heatedly laying a trail of butterfly down to his lips once again, "I need you so bad Shika." The husky tone in his voice sending a tingling sensation through his body, "Its been such a long time."

He agreed. It had been such a long time; too long of a time. He licked his lips as he thought, but damn... his parents were just down stairs. And knowing his attentive mother, she would probably walk in on them way before anyone even got close to half way naked.

Sensing this Neji raised an elegant brow, "Or do you think you can make it back to my place?" He always did have a knack for just knowing.

"But what about-"

Neji shook his head, "Don't worry about that. Genma swears that he doesn't care about what happened last time."

The Nara couldn't help but mentally sigh at the recollection and under Neji's smirk, he knew he was thinking the same thing.

It was on an occasion just like this, a few months back, although it was Shikamaru that had just returned, hot and heavy, showing up at Neji's window sill. Lucky for them, or more like unlucky, they had barely gotten each other buck naked before a loud knock interrupted their work. Now, if it were anyone else Neji would have killed the guy, but looking through the peephole he knew different. Instead, he came eye to face with a very familiar nobleman knocking heavily at their door. And since Neji's family didn't know about his sexual preferences quite yet, they'd begged Genma to distract the elder. And ahem by "distract" they meant come on to.

And let's just say that now, Genma can't afford to show his face around the Hyuuga complex unless he's with his "sister"...Genmanita.

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Hinata quickly palmed the rest of her change, "Thanks Suzuka!" She yelled to the girl before making her way out the restaurant door. The rain was pouring harder than usual at this time in Konoha. It was already April and just now she could barely head out the door without three layers of sweaters; usually that occurred in March. Strange she thought quickly shielding her head from the rain. Her feet sped off in the direction of their home when-

She bumped into someone. "Oh my god!" Hinata scrambled to the fallen stranger. "I'm so sorry! I- I wasn't looking where I was going. It was completely my fault!"

She said steadily helping him back to his feet. Although she found herself slightly confused by the way he was chuckling beneath the hood of his sweater. "It's alright. Actually," his eyes met hers. "I'm the one at fault. I'm running a bit late for a meeting with the Gondaime so I got careless." He said rubbing the back of his neck, "My apologizes miss."

"It's perfectly fine. I'm in a bit of a rush myself. I was trying to get this food home be-" But the smile on her face quickly drooped to a frown. Her food-it- it was ruined, she gritted her teeth. In the chaos of ensuring that the stranger was fine she hadn't even noticed that she'd dropped her food, which was now laying in a mush of crushed Styrofoam and soggy rice and noodles. She sighed, "Well... that was pointless."

He peered over her shoulder and at the catastrophe. He couldn't help but feel he was at fault. He did run into her, "Uh... listen miss. Why don't I just take you to dinner." Noticing the shock in her eyes he quickly tried to clear up the obvious misunderstanding, "Its not a date." He assured her. "It's just dinner. Um think of it as a debt that I'm paying to you."

She didn't answer quickly however, rather she began fiddling her thumbs together. Gods, she hadn't done that in so long, she thought. She wasn't sure if she should go. I mean, the man did seem kind and, looking at his ninja band, she could tell he was a ninja from Suna. She knew she could trust him. Besides, Gaara only sent his best to the village. But... what would Kiba say? He'd be furious... wouldn't he?

He further tried to ease her discomfort, "It's the least I could do for making you drop your dinner."

She looked to him and couldn't help but smile. He laughed. "So what do you say?" He asked. "Yes or no?"

Then for reasons far beyond her own comprehension, she nodded. It was as if on impulse, she didn't even realize when she started walking beside him. "Alright," he said. "Let me just hand this to the Gondaime and we'll be off. Er- I hope you won't mind the wait mi-"

"No I don't mind," she shook her head chuckling. "But please, just call me Hinata. 'Miss' makes me feel like an old maid."

He spared her a sideways glance, "Alright... Hinata. By the way my name's Taku."

R & R to feed my hungry muse.