Hello, my readers! Thank you again for the reviews, faves, and follows!

Still liking it: Not quite sure what you mean by "more upgrades". You mean more gadgets besides the scanner Naruto has now? If that's what you mean, I won't spoil it, but I will say maybe... But as for your thoughts on Hinata becoming Black-Cat/Catwoman...argh! I can't think of a good way to explain stuff without spoiling anything. I'll just say I have plans for Miss Hinata, but she will stay the sweet good-girl she is. You'll just have to wait and see.

TheAngryKids64: Thanks! Hope you like this one too!

Shinobi of life: I know we talked in a PM about this already, but I want to answer you here as well just in case anyone else is wondering the same thing you asked me. No, Naruto hasn't met Sasuke yet. When he was talking to Hinata, he was referring to Arashi from Chapter 1. And no, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, etc. don't have the same abilities as they do in the manga. Everyone's a normal human in this story except for Naruto right now. However, that doesn't mean that won't change later. You'll just have to wait and see. ;)

thor94: Thanks! Yup, she is, and yes, he does. I like Hinata as a nerd, and Neji isn't quite Neji if he starts out nice. But don't worry! He'll work that stick out of his butt. Hopefully, he won't start to beat guys to death with it, though. Hahaha! You'll have to wait quite a while for Naruto to learn about his family's secret. It would be kind of anticlimactic for him to learn about it now. Just be patient! ^^

Fadelucky: I might have someone make fun of his superhero name at some point just for fun. 10,000 cookies to whoever can guess who I'll make be that someone. Here's a hint: He calls Naruto "dobe". :P Hahaha. Naruto will be going to school soon, and there'll be more NaruHina even if they're just friends for now, so no worries there! But it'll be a while before secrets are revealed. As I've said, it'd be too anticlimactic and sudden to let them be known now. :)

StormSurfer: Thank you so much! It means a lot to me to hear (read?) that I'm doing a good job with the characters and such, and I'm glad you liked the fluff. ^_^ I was mildly concerned I'd get reviews telling me I did too much fluff too soon even when I'm keeping them as just friends for a while. Yeah, I debated making Naruto clueless about Hinata's attraction to him and all that usual stuff, but I decided to not use the "traditional beat around the bush style" as you call it (I like that name for it btw) for a few reasons. First one being I have a hard time writing Naruto as THAT clueless. I want to punch him so many times in the manga for being that clueless about Hinata's feelings. I get why he's like that—living alone and being ignored all your life would generally make a person incapable of telling when someone as shy as Hinata actually likes you—but it's so frustrating at the same time. Which is what led me to my second reason for making their feelings more straightforward: In this story, Naruto has his parents and has had girlfriends in his past, so he's more in tune with others' feelings toward him than canon Naruto. The last reason is just what you said: to make opportunities for really cute or really hilarious situations. You can expect Naruto and Hinata to be fairly flirtastic in this story—well, Naruto more so than Hinata, but she will have her moments. :) And yeah, I have no life, so that leads to quicker updates. Hahaha... Ah, well. At least I'm having fun. :P

WaveWind91: Thanks! Always nice to hear my story's unique. ^^ And I will indeed keep writing to the end!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: *sighs deeply and slams head on desk* Okay, so I done goofed something. Apparently at my 25 years of age, I already forgot how old I and my classmates were a long, long time ago in high school. I realized that I made Naruto a year younger than he should be for what grade I put him in. I'm keeping the characters' birthdays the same, so that would mean that Naruto now at 15 would be turning 16 in his junior year, and then 17 in his senior year. I want Naruto to be 18 when he reaches his last year of high school in this story, so I've bumped him down a grade. I've already went back and fixed this in the previous chapters, but for those of you who already have read the original, I'm letting you know here. Hope you guys actually read my notes 'cause if you don't, I'm going to direct you to them if you send me reviews or PMs asking me. However, do let me know if I've missed something. I think I fixed everything in the previous chapters, but being the human that I am, I'm not infallible. So feel free to tell me if I've missed something (but do so nicely. No need to flame over that).

Sorry for the confusion. I tend to forget how old I am sometimes, so when you consider that, it's not too surprising. -.-'

So without further delay, on to chapter 4!

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next day, Naruto actually managed to wake up in the morning. After completing his morning routine, he stood in the middle of his room wearing his normal outfit thinking. He'd been about to go down to the kitchen for breakfast before leaving to go to Hinata's when a thought had struck him. He had this unexplainable feeling that he should take his gear and outfit with him today, and deciding to trust the instinct—if that's what it was—he started thinking of how he could bring his stuff with him.

"I could bring a bag, but would that be weird? Carrying a bag around with me? Seems too much like carrying a purse, although even if I was a girl, this wouldn't be any easier—my stuff wouldn't fit into a purse..." he argued in his head. Sighing, he decided just to grab his bag that he used for a backpack in school—it was a light brown, drawstring bag—and started throwing his ninja gear into it. "I'll think of an excuse on the way. In the end, it's better to have this stuff in case I need it and risk ridicule I guess than to not have it and end up needing it." Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Naruto left his room to go eat breakfast.

He grabbed some cereal instead of ramen, thinking he would just get some later at the mall, and went to eat in the living room. Jiraiya was already there working on his new book on his laptop as he watched the news on TV. Naruto sat down on the other end of the couch opposite his grandpa and started eating. He wasn't surprised when the news started talking about the Kitsune Ninja again, but when the reporter started interviewing a police officer about last night's mugging and the hero who caught the perpetrator, he was shocked by the officer's reaction.

"He's a menace. This Kitsune Ninja is no hero as he would have us believe. He's taking the law into his own hands, and last night, he nearly beat the prime suspect to death." the officer argued vehemently when the reporter asked him about his opinion on the vigilante.

"But officer, our sources tell us that the suspect was still left in better shape than the victim," the reporter countered.

The cop sighed. "That's true, and at least it shows the guy has some restraint. But we can't have civilians dressing up in costumes and thinking they can do our job. It's not safe for them, and it interferes with due process."

The reporter nodded. "True. So how is the KPD planning to stop him? Do you have any leads on who he is?"

"No," the officer grumbled. "Witness reports suggest that he's young by the sound of his voice, but that's all we've got so far. Hopefully, he's watching now and listens when we say: Stop playing superhero and let the police do their job."

"Fat chance of that," Naruto retorted mentally as he took another bite of his cereal. "You guys would never have found that bastard without me, so what're you complaining about? Stupid donut-sucking pig." While Naruto as the Kitsune Ninja found the culprit by tracking his scent, he was able to prove the guy did it because the man's clothes had the victim's blood on him as well as the victim's credit cards and wallet. "But I should make a note to change my voice and talk different while being the Kitsune Ninja from now on," the young hero thought.

Tuning out the rest of the interview, Naruto looked over at his grandpa, who was apparently so engrossed in his writing he hadn't even noticed his grandson was in the room. The blonde frowned at the perverted expression on the old man's face and shook his head.

"Oi, Ero-jii-san!" Naruto called to get his attention.

A vein popped on Jiraiya's forehead in irritation at the old nickname. "Naruto! Don't call me that!" he yelled.

The boy just giggled impishly. "Sorry, sorry. Hehehe."

"Hmph. So what'd you want, gaki?" Jiraiya asked as he folded his arms.

Naruto's expression turned more serious and just a little sad. "Well, nothing really, but now that you ask, I was wondering...have you heard from Mom and Dad lately?"

Jiraiya's face went from irritated to sympathetic, and he put his computer on the coffee table. "Yeah, Naruto. I talked to your dad a couple of days ago. Your parents are fine and said they'd call you as soon as they could." Naruto just nodded while looking down at his now-empty bowl. The white-haired man moved closer to his grandson and put a hand on his shoulder. "You alright, gaki?" he asked gently.

"Yeah. I just miss them," Naruto replied, his voice low and sad. He looked up at his grandpa. "Why can't they call me?"

Jiraiya sighed. "They're just really busy," he told him, hating having to tell Naruto that. He knew it made the boy feel like his parents didn't have time for him, which while true, it didn't mean that they didn't want to talk to him or that they considered their work more important. Jiraiya knew that Minato and Kushina wanted nothing more than to be with their son again, but what they had to do was more important than what they wanted and it was for the safety of their son as well. Jiraiya only wished he could tell Naruto about it, but he couldn't. Seeing his grandson wince in sadness at those words, Jiraiya added, "Believe me, Naruto, they want to talk to you—actually, they want to be back here with you. But they just can't."

Naruto stood up from the couch. "Ya know, it'd be a lot easier to believe that if someone could just tell me what exactly it is they're doing."

"Naruto, you know that—"

"You can't tell me. I know," the boy finished for him. He sighed and headed for the kitchen saying, "Well, let me know when they find the time to talk to me."

Not knowing what to say to make him feel better, Jiraiya just returned to his work with a frustrated sigh.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

As Naruto walked along the sidewalk heading for Hinata's house, the boy tried his best to get his mind off his parents and what they could possibly be doing by thinking of his new blue-haired friend. A light dusting of pink crossed his whiskered cheeks as he thought of Hinata's long silky indigo hair, her beautiful eyes that made him think of lavender-colored moons, her soft smile that made his heart race, and that laugh of hers which sounded like the sweetest music to his ears.

"And that's just her looks. Her smell is amazing too. Never thought lavender and cinnamon could smell so good together... And from what I know of her so far, her personality far outshines all that... Sweet, quiet, shy...nerdy." He chuckled at that last one. "More girls should be nerds like her. Makes her far more interesting..."

To passersby on the street, the boy looked like a blushing, grinning idiot, but he was oblivious to their looks of confusion and amusement. It wasn't until he heard a familiar voice—one that he would never forget—that he came to his senses.

"Long time no see...Naruto."

Whipping his head toward the source of the voice, the blonde came face-to-face with none other than Kurama, who was sitting beneath a tree alongside the sidewalk. But something was different. While Naruto was instinctively sure it was Kurama sitting before him, he was confused as to why the fox looked so different from before. The most notable changes were Kurama's size, which was now that of a normal fox, and the number of his tails, which was now down to one. Besides that, though, Kurama also looked...cuter for lack of a better word. His head was rounder and his eyes a little bigger—completely different from the fiercer, sharper look of his head and face from before.

Looking left then right just to make sure he was alone before he started talking to a fox, Naruto said, "Kurama? Is that really you? What happened? You look...different!"

The normal-looking fox chuckled. "In a minute, Kit. I want you to come with me where we can talk more privately." He started to walk into a small group of trees, gesturing with his tail for the boy to follow.

"Okaaay..." The blonde muttered as he went after him.

Once they were both hidden from view, Kurama turned to face Naruto, who crouched down to be more level with the fox. "So what happened, Kurama? Why do you look so different, and how'd you get here?" the blonde asked before the fox could speak.

Kurama sighed. "Impatient, aren't you, Kit? I look like this because the experiments those white-coat bastards did on me gave me the ability to alter my shape. That's the long and short. As for how I got here, I told you I'd get myself out, didn't I?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, you did. But aren't they looking for you? And how far can you change your appearance? Can you look human?"

"No," Kurama answered with a shake of his head. "I can only change shape within the limit of looking like a fox, but I don't know the scientific details, so don't ask. And also, yes, they are looking for me. However, finding a fox isn't easy, and they can't exactly make their search known to anyone. Can you imagine the panic that would result if they let anyone know there's a science-experiment fox out there that can make itself the size of a horse?"

The boy chuckled at the thought. "Okay, so then why're you here? What'd you need to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what you've been doing with my gift," Kurama said as he sat down and curled his tail around his legs. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, "Crime-fighting?"

"Is that disapproval or ridicule?" Naruto asked dryly as he sweat-dropped.

"Neither, really," Kurama said with his version of a foxy grin. "I'm actually glad you chose to do something useful with my gift. I was mildly concerned you'd take the usual human path of using it for your own personal gain."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind," Naruto admitted while scratching the back of his head. "But in the end, I knew it wasn't my style. Besides," he chuckled, "it's not like these abilities you gave me are 'take over the world' strong, ya know."

"Hmph!" the fox grunted as he feigned indignation. "Perhaps I should just take my gift back then."

"What?! You can do that?!" Naruto shouted in alarm.

Kurama slapped his tail over the boy's mouth and held it there. "Shush! Geez! Do you want people to come over here?" Naruto shook his head, and the fox removed his tail. "And to answer your question, no, I can't take it back. I was just kidding."

"Oh."

"So back to what I wanted to talk to you about," Kurama flicked his tail in mild irritation, "I'm coming with you."

"Huh? What do you mean you're coming with me?" Naruto asked confused.

"I'm joining you on your crime-fighting spree," the fox clarified.

"But how? Why?" The boy didn't understand why Kurama would want to help him take down robbers and such.

Kurama sighed. "Naruto," he began, and the boy was taken aback by the seriousness of the fox's tone. "Something bad is about to happen in this city. Something only someone with your superhuman abilities will be able to deal with. But even then, you won't be able to do it alone.

"The ones behind the coming danger are none other than the white-coats whom I escaped from, and I intend to make them pay for experimenting on me. And you...you want to save the people of this city, correct?" the fox asked Naruto.

"Yes, of course! If those lab guys try anything, then I wanna stop them!" Naruto growled with determination burning in his blue eyes as he clenched his fingers tight into a fist. "But what are they gonna do exactly?"

Kurama shook his head. "I do not know. As I made my escape, I heard a few of them talking about this city being 'one giant experiment' and that they were going to start on their plans soon. My instinct that warns me against impending danger is screaming at me about this."

"I wonder if that's what was telling me to bring my gear with me today," Naruto thought as he nodded to what the fox was telling him.

"So what say you, Naruto? Shall we join forces to get my revenge and save the people of the city?" Kurama asked as he held out his right paw.

"Yeah!" the young hero declared as he grasped the offered paw and shook it. "We'll be partners in crime...fighting! Hehehe!"

Kurama sweat-dropped and face-pawed. "Kit...that sounded idiotic!"

Naruto just laughed and picked up the fox by the scruff of his neck. "Ah, go chase your tail, Kurama!"

"What are you doing?! Put me down this instant!" the fox growled and flailed his paws, trying to claw at Naruto's face.

The blonde just slid his bag off his shoulder and opened it with his free hand. Then he stuffed Kurama into the bag as he said, "Oh, calm down! If you want to go with me, then this is the best way in case you need to hide!" Mentally, he added, "And it's just the excuse I needed to carry around my bag."

Kurama popped his head back out of the bag still growling. "Fine. But you will pay for this later." He narrowed his eyes at the boy.

Laughing, Naruto stuffed the poor fox's head back down in the bag and tightened the drawstrings. Slinging the bag back over his shoulder—somewhat gently—he told Kurama, "Don't be such a grump! I'm on my way to meet my friends, and you gotta pretend to be my pet."

A mixture of a growl and a sigh came from the bag. "Again, fine. This will NOT be a permanent arrangement, though."

"Whatever you say, Kurama," Naruto smirked as he stood up and continued on to Hinata's house. "And remember, you can't talk to anyone, ya know?"

"Well, duh. You really are an idiot."

Naruto just laughed, amused by his fox friend's sarcasm and grumpiness.

-But if you can understand this, then I can talk to you with others around,- came a series of yips and growls that the blonde was shocked he could decipher instantly.

Naruto stopped walking. "Kurama? What was that?" he whispered over his shoulder to the bag.

-So you can understand this?-

"Yeah. How—What are you doing?"

-Keep walking and stop whispering to your bag before someone thinks you're crazy. I'll explain,- the fox instructed him, and Naruto obeyed. -To put it simply, you can talk to animals.-

"What?!" the boy practically shouted.

Kurama wiggled in the bag, wanting to get out and strike Naruto for his sudden outburst. -Be quiet, you idiot! You're going to get yourself hauled off to the funny farm!- There was a sigh and a pause before the fox spoke again. -It may not be all animals, but at the very least foxes, if not the entire canine family. Don't expect intelligent conversation from any other besides me, though. Keep in mind that the experiments done to me made me as smart as a human.-

Naruto nodded and risked replying in a whisper, "Gotcha." In his mind, he said, "This is beyond weird. But freakin' cool!"

-Good. Now hurry up to wherever you're going! I want out of this bag!-

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The whisker-faced boy rang the doorbell of the Hyuuga household, and like before, it was answered within seconds by George the butler. "Ah! Master Naruto! Good to see you again. Come in," he ushered the young man inside. "Lady Hinata and her friends have been waiting for you up in her room. Follow me."

George led Naruto up to Hinata's room, and along the way, the blonde asked, "They haven't been waiting long, have they?"

"No, no. Master Kiba and Master Shino arrived only fifteen minutes or so before you," George informed him.

"Ah. That's good," Naruto replied.

Reaching Hinata's doorway, which was open due to her father's rule regarding when she had male guests, George knocked on the doorframe, catching the attention of the young blue-haired woman and her two friends sitting on her couch as well as a large white dog with a black spot on each ear laying on the floor. "Lady Hinata, Master Naruto has arrived."

"Thank you, George. Let him in, please," Hinata said sweetly.

George stepped to the side to allow Naruto in. As the blonde walked into the room, he gave Hinata a foxy grin.

"Hey, Hinata! How's it going?"

Said girl and her two friends stood up from the couch, and Hinata limped over to Naruto. "Hello, N-Naruto. Glad you could make it," the bluenette returned his greeting as a slight shade of pink crossed her cheeks.

"You're not using your crutches," the boy observed.

"Yeah, those pain pills really helped. My ankle's still a bit sore, but I can walk without my crutches today," she told him happily.

"Awesome! But let me know if it gets worse, alright?" Naruto requested with a small smile.

Hinata nodded, a gentle smile and soft blush on her face as she had a feeling he was suggesting he'd carry her. Brushing that thought aside, the bluenette motioned for her two friends to come closer. "N-Naruto, I'd like you to meet my friends here. This is Kiba Inuzuka and his dog, Akamaru," she indicated the boy on her right who had short slightly spiky brown hair, sharp-looking eyes, wore a dark brown hoodie and blue jeans, and had a red fang-looking tattoo on each cheek.

His dog sat on his right side and gave Naruto a friendly bark, which the blonde understood as, -Hi!-

"And I thought I'd get flak for my whisker-marks if I called them tattoos..." Naruto thought wryly as he shook Kiba's hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

"And this is Shino Aburame," Hinata indicated the boy on her left. He wore a sage green hoodie with the hood up covering his hair, black jeans, and dark sunglasses—or rather, goggles—that prevented anyone from seeing his eyes.

Naruto shook his hand as well and thought, "It's freakin' August! I know I'm wearing a black coat, but it's nowhere near as warm-looking as this guy's getup!"

"So you're the one who saved our Hinata," Shino said in a monotone as he stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. "Thank you, Naruto. Hinata is like a little sister to us. We appreciate you looking out for her." He gave the blonde a small bow.

"Ah, it was no big deal," Naruto replied with a grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I just couldn't stand by while those guys were trying to hurt her, ya know?"

Hinata smiled at him, and Shino just gave a nod while saying, "Indeed."

Kiba, however, did not look convinced. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at the blonde while looking him up and down. Before Naruto could ask him if there was a problem, though, Akamaru stepped toward him and started sniffing him, paying particular interest to the boy's bag.

Akamaru barked. -Fox!-

"What'cha got in the bag, Naruto?" Kiba asked suspiciously as he folded his arms.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! It's something I found along the way, but before I show him to you guys, I wanna be sure Akamaru won't attack him," Naruto answered as he took the bag from his shoulder and held it in his arms.

"Akamaru, come here," Kiba commanded his dog, who instantly obeyed. "Sit, boy, and stay." Again, the dog obeyed. "Alright, he'll be good now. So let's see this thing!"

Naruto grinned and opened the bag. "Okay! Everyone meet my new friend Kurama!" Naruto announced, and the fox popped his head out of the bag. The other three humans were surprised, but Hinata recovered first.

She let out a happy squeak and exclaimed, "Oh, Naruto! He's cute! Can I pet him?" She reached out a hesitant hand.

-She may,- Kurama told Naruto, and Akamaru cocked his head at the fox's speech.

"Yeah, sure. He doesn't bite," Naruto said to the bluenette, who smiled happily as she began scratching behind Kurama's ears. "At least I don't think he'll do to you what he did to me. He better not..."

-She's really good at this,- Kurama let out a few contented yips. -Is she your mate, Kit?-

Naruto's face took on a distinct crimson shade as he struggled not to say anything to the fox lest he look like a nutcase. But Kiba noticed his blush and asked, "Something wrong, Naruto? Your face is all red."

Naruto coughed awkwardly into his free hand. "O-Oh, it's nothing." He grinned through his blush and added, "I just noticed how pretty Hinata looks today is all."

Which wasn't a total lie—he thought she was beautiful every time he'd seen her so far, and today was no different. However, she looked extra cute to him today in her light blue T-shirt that fit her torso well and her blue jeans that conformed to her shapely hips and legs and with that adorable smile on her face as she petted Kurama. Her smile faded momentarily as she blushed at Naruto's compliment, but it quickly returned.

"Th-Thank you, Naruto," Hinata said quietly as Shino raised an eyebrow at the interaction between his good friend and their new blonde acquaintance.

But Kiba was not pleased. He wasn't comfortable with this guy who they just met flirting with shy naïve Hinata, however slight that flirtation was. Unable to think of a good way to voice his opinion, though, he just made a slight cough to gain attention and asked, "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Oh yes, we should," Hinata agreed and stopped petting Kurama, who whined a little in disappointment.

"Okay, Kurama, gotta get your head back in the bag!" Naruto said a little too cheerfully as he stuffed the fox back down.

-Ow, Kit! What the crap?!- Kurama growled.

"N-Naruto! Be more gentle with him!" Hinata chided softly when she heard the growl.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "It's okay, Hinata. He just doesn't like the bag. But it's the only thing I have to carry him in, so he just kinda has to deal with it until I get home."

"Why'd you pick up a wild fox anyway?" Kiba asked.

"He kept following me and wouldn't leave me alone, so ya know, I figured I'd just take him with me," Naruto half-lied with a shrug. "I always wanted a pet anyway."

-Pet!- Kurama scoffed. -I'm smarter than you are, Kit! Can't believe I have to pretend to be some mere pet...-

"He sure makes a lot of noise," Kiba observed as they listened to the growls and snarls coming from the bag. "You should probably take him to a vet and get him checked. Make sure he's not rabid or something."

-If you do, so help me, I will tear something important off your person,- Kurama threatened with a low dangerous growl, causing Naruto to sweat a little—he knew the fox wasn't bluffing.

"My sister's a vet. We could swing by her clinic to get him checked," Kiba suggested.

"No, no! That's okay!" Naruto said quickly. "I'm sure he's fine, but I'll have him checked later. Let's just go hang out for now."

The fang-tattooed boy was about to argue, but Hinata laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to keep him quiet. "It'll be fine, Kiba. Let's just go have fun, alright?"

He sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "Alright. Let's go."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The four humans along with Kurama in Naruto's bag and Akamaru got into Kiba's car to head to the mall. Kiba, obviously, was driving, Shino rode shotgun, and Naruto and Hinata were in the back with Akamaru. And because Kiba's dog liked to look out the window, Hinata sat in the middle in the back between him and Naruto, not that she minded sitting closer to Naruto and neither did the blonde boy.

The two of them were trying really hard not to notice that Hinata's right leg was touching Naruto's left as they sat there, but they were both blushing all the same—Hinata more so than Naruto. And the whisker-faced boy was trying hard not to say something flirtatious. Meanwhile, Kiba was doing his best to keep his eyes on the road and not watch—or glare—at Naruto through the rearview mirror, and Shino was quite intrigued as well as amused by the whole situation. Not that anyone would know by looking at him, however. He remained outwardly as impassive as ever.

Only a few minutes into the drive, though, Kurama burst out of the bag with a loud yip, -Freedom!- He looked at Naruto and told him, -As long as we're in the car, Kit, I'm not staying in your bag.- Naruto just replied with a barely perceptible nod, and Kurama looked over at Hinata, who picked up the little fox and put him in her lap. She began petting him and scratching behind his ears, and Kurama responded by purring and rubbing his face against her hand.

"Lucky bastard," Naruto thought with a scowl on his face.

Seeing Naruto's expression, Kurama decided to have a bit of fun at the blonde boy's expense. -What's the matter, Kit? You're not jealous are you?- The young hero just gritted his teeth and looked out the window. -Ignoring me, are you? Well, let's see how you handle this!- Naruto couldn't help himself and turned back to see what the fox was doing. Kurama climbed up from Hinata's lap and started to nuzzle her face and then her well-endowed chest. Hinata giggled at the fox's cuddliness, and Kurama gave Naruto a fox-equivalent of a smirk and said, -Hehehe. Kit, you have no idea what you're missing! Your mate is really soft and—-

-Shut up!- Naruto suddenly growled in rage, and five pairs of eyes looked at him in surprise.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked concerned. "Are you okay?" All three of the other humans heard him growl, but only Kurama and, to some extent, Akamaru understood him.

"Yeah, man. Why'd you suddenly growl?" Kiba asked while watching the blonde through the rearview mirror.

Naruto coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat. "I-It was nothing. I just have something caught in my throat is all." To make it believable, he cough-growled a few more times while subtly saying to Kurama at the same time, -You had your fun. Now stop.-

"Maybe we should stop by a restaurant first and get you something to drink," Hinata suggested with a smile. "It's lunchtime anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Naruto agreed as did Kiba and Shino.

As Kiba turned the vehicle to head for the agreed-upon restaurant, which happened to be the ramen stand that Naruto had found on his first day exploring the city, Kurama moved from Hinata's arms and climbed up on Naruto's shoulders. He put his muzzle next to the boy's ear and said, -Calm down, Kit. I was just playing with you. I don't have any interest like that in a human anyway. I'm a fox for crying out loud!-

Naruto looked sidelong at him, but was unable to say anything to him without looking like a lunatic—and any more cough-growling would probably make Hinata think he was choking to death. So he settled for reaching up and scratching Kurama behind the ear while giving him a glare. The fox got the message: "I forgive you this time, but don't do that again."

Parking on the street near the stand, the four humans and two animals got out of the car and walked over to the restaurant. The ramen stand, which was called Ichiraku Ramen, was an open-air restaurant where customers sat on stools at a bar to order and eat their food, which was cooked in the kitchen behind the bar. The four humans each took a stool—Naruto on the far left, Hinata on his right, then Kiba, and then Shino. Akamaru lay down behind Kiba, and Kurama curled up on the one stool to Naruto's left. The humans placed their order—with Naruto ordering three bowls while everyone else ordered one—and while he was preparing the food, the cook started talking to Naruto.

"Hey, blondie," the man called to get the boy's attention.

"Huh? Who me?" Naruto asked pointing to himself.

The cook chuckled. "Well, who else here has blonde hair?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head as his companions chuckled a bit at him. "Right. What'd you want, old man?" he asked good-naturedly, causing the cook to chuckle again at him.

"I was just wondering something. You were here the other day, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. I just moved here and was out lookin' at the city and thought I'd stop by here since you guys serve my favorite food," Naruto told him.

"Favorite food indeed! The main reason I remember you, kid, is 'cause you ordered eight bowls!" the cook guffawed.

Naruto laughed as well, especially when his companions looked at him with a bit of shock in their eyes. "Well, what can I say, old man? When I like something, I really like it, ya know!" he stated with a pointed look at Hinata, causing said girl to blush at his implication.

The cook laughed again as he brought Naruto and the others their orders. "Well then, I guess I can expect to see you around here pretty often, huh?" He held out his hand to Naruto, which the boy shook, as he said, "Name's Teuchi Ichiraku. I'm the owner here."

"Nice ta meet ya, old man!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully with a foxy grin. "I'm Naruto Namikaze, and these are my new friends, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."

Teuchi greeted each of them and said, "Hope to see you guys around here again." And with one last smile, he returned to cooking for some of the other customers who just arrived at the other end of the bar.

The four teenagers then turned their attention to their food, the other three marveling at how fast Naruto could put his away. Eventually, the blonde noticed their looks of incredulity and paused in his eating. "What?"

"Geez, Naruto. You act like you haven't eaten in a month!" Kiba nearly shouted, staring wide-eyed at the whisker-faced boy.

"So? I'm a hungry guy, and this is good stuff!" Naruto defended himself, not feeling the least bit ashamed of his eating habits.

"Still, perhaps if you slowed down, you wouldn't have to eat so much," Shino suggested in his monotone voice.

"Nah, I tried that before," Naruto replied. He slurped up some more noodles before adding, "It just made me pace myself enough to make me able to eat more. Trust me, the faster I eat, the less I eat."

Hinata just smiled at him as she finished a bite of her own. "He's like a little kid the way he eats. It may not be good manners, but he's too adorable about it for it to be offensive." To her other two friends, she said, "T-To each his own, guys."

"Thanks, Nata," Naruto smiled at her while Kiba just let out a 'hmph' and Shino just raised a brow before returning to his food.

"'Nata'?" Hinata questioned the nickname.

"Do you not like it?" Naruto asked slightly nervous.

Hinata shook her head. "No, I don't mind it. It just surprised me a little."

"Ah. Well, I tend to give people nicknames—some good and some bad. And the bad ones don't necessarily mean I don't like the person, ya know," Naruto explained after another slurp of his ramen. "Like with Teuchi here. I'll keep calling him 'old man' but that just means I like him and his shop here."

"Thanks, Naruto!" Teuchi called from where he was cooking, overhearing the boy.

"You're welcome, old man!" Naruto called back with a grin. Turning back to Hinata, he said, "And I call you 'Nata' 'cause I like you and don't want to give you a bad nickname." He scratched the back of his head.

"I see," Hinata replied with a smile. "Well, I like my nickname as well as the one you used yesterday."

"Hmm...you mean 'Gadget Girl?" he asked and she nodded. "Hehe. I can call you that too every now and then." He gave her a foxy grin, making her giggle.

"So what would you call me and Shino then?" Kiba asked, bringing himself and the silent boy to his right into the conversation.

Scratching his chin in thought, Naruto replied, "Well, I'd have to know you guys better first. Right now, I can't think of anything other than 'Dog Boy' and 'Unusually-Silent-Kinda-Creeps-Me-Out Guy'."

Kiba laughed at Shino's nickname, and said boy just raised an eyebrow at Naruto. The tension grew as Shino continued to stare and Kiba's laughter died away, and Naruto was starting to feel really uncomfortable about making that joke when suddenly Shino said, "I like bugs," before returning to his food.

Naruto burst out laughing. "Alright! 'Bug Boy' it is!"

A small, nearly imperceptible smile appeared on Shino's face.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Sometime later, the group of four was wandering around the mall. Dogs were allowed, so Akamaru was there as well at his master's side. However, the group figured it was best if Kurama stayed hidden in Naruto's bag since he was technically a wild animal, and that might get them kicked out. The fox in question begrudgingly agreed.

None of them really had a goal in mind, so they just wandered wherever they felt like it. At some point, they'd ended up at a bookstore where Hinata bought a couple of fantasy novels as well as a book about electronics, Shino bought a book about various kinds of insects, Kiba likewise bought a book about dogs, and Naruto bought a few manga volumes from a couple different series that he liked—one was of course about ninjas, and the other centered around a guy and his little brother in a world where people could use a science known as alchemy.

Their next stop happened to be a video game store, which didn't hold much interest for Kiba or Shino as they didn't quite share the love for gaming that Naruto and Hinata possessed, so they hung back while the blonde and bluenette looked through the games for sale. Naruto ended up buying the game he tried out at Hinata's the other day, and Hinata bought a new game that was an RPG that involved space, aliens, and plenty of hard science fiction fun.

When the group stopped for a snack break, Kiba asked Naruto if he could talk to him alone for a second, and the blonde obliged him, leaving Hinata and Shino as well as Akamaru and Kurama—in Hinata's care and still in the bag—at their table in the food court. Kiba had been wanting to say something to Naruto about the blonde's flirting with Hinata all day, but hadn't had the opportunity to bring it up because he didn't want to embarrass his blue-haired friend. But as the day had gone by, Kiba had watched as Naruto's flirting with Hinata continued, and he decided he needed to say something now.

"What's up?" Naruto asked when the two of them were out of earshot of the others.

"I just wanted to ask you what your plans toward Hinata are," Kiba replied.

"My plans? What do you mean?" Naruto inquired innocently. He really didn't get where the fang-tattooed boy was going with this.

"I mean, you've been flirting with her all day! Are you planning to ask her out or what?" Kiba answered with some slight irritation.

Naruto sighed. "Look, Kiba. I get that you're her friend and just looking out for her, but I just met you today and don't really feel like I need to tell you anything, ya know?"

"No, you look, Naruto," Kiba said through gritted teeth. "Hinata's one of my best friends, and all her past boyfriends have been real jerks to her. So I wanna make sure she doesn't get hurt again."

Naruto studied the brown-haired young man for a moment before asking, "Kiba, do you have any interest in her?"

Kiba blinked in mild surprise at the question, but answered, "If you mean romantically, then no. Hinata's like a little sister to me and Shino. Sure, we can see how she's attractive, but we just never really felt that way about her. And I'm pretty sure she's never had any interest in us like that. But what—"

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't asking me out of jealousy or anything," Naruto cut him off. "Now that I know you're just trying to protect your sister, I'll tell you this: Yes, I am interested in her. However, she and I both agreed to just be friends for now. We both agreed to get to know each other first before going anywhere else."

"Wait. Seriously? She told you she likes you too?"

Naruto sweat-dropped. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

Kiba shook his head. "With Hinata it kinda is. She's so shy I would've thought if you guys liked each other at all, you'd be beating around the bush about it forever."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, in her defense, I told her I like her first, and those pain pills she was on seemed to take quite a bit of her shyness away, so I think that's how she was able to tell me she likes me."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Kiba said with a nod. "But just friends for now, huh? Why? If you both like each other, then why not just date?"

Naruto shrugged. "You'll have to ask her why she agreed to that, but as for me, I prefer to take things slow. At least with romantic-type stuff," he added when he noticed Kiba's eyebrow raise as the brown-haired boy thought of Naruto's eating speed. "Besides, you've met her dad, right?" Kiba nodded. "Well, then you should know what I mean when I say I didn't feel like walking into that potential minefield. I'm not sure what a guy like him would do if some guy his daughter just met suddenly asked if he could date her, ya know?"

"You gotta point there," Kiba said with a laugh. Then he looked at Naruto for a second. "Alright, you seem like a good guy, Naruto. But if you hurt Hinata in any way, me and Shino will kick your ass."

To his surprise, Naruto smiled at him. "Believe me, Kiba. If I do, I won't resist that ass-kicking 'cause I know I'll deserve it. I may've only known her for about three days, but I can tell Nata's a really good, sweet person. No one should ever hurt her, and anyone who does deserves an ass-kicking. Even if it happens to be me."

Kiba laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder and with a grin told him, "You and I are gonna get along just fine, Naruto. Now come on. We should get back to them before Hinata worries about you too much."

Naruto grinned as well and the two of them walked back to their table and rejoined their friends. The four of them made light conversation about where to go next as they ate their food when suddenly a loud female voice was heard.

"Hey, Hinata!"

The aforementioned girl and her three male friends turned to see two other girls approaching them. One had short pink hair that nearly reached chin-length with a red headband worn over her head to keep it out of her jade-green eyes and wore a red tank-top and black shorts, and the other had rather long, light blonde hair tied up in a ponytail with her bangs covering the right side of her face, light blue eyes, and wore a purple tank top and purple shorts.

"Hello, Ino, Sakura," Hinata greeted the two girls with a smile and wave.

Ino, the blonde and also the one who had shouted, came up to Hinata and hugged her from behind. "Hey, girl! What'cha been up to? Besides hanging out with Dog Breath and Bug Man again?" She giggled at Kiba and Shino good-naturedly, who just rolled their eyes or raised an eyebrow respectively. But then Ino spied Naruto. "Oh, but who's this?" she asked as she sauntered over to the spiky-haired blonde. Then she gasped and pretty much glomped the confused boy from behind, draping her arms over his chest and smiling slyly as she said to Hinata, "Is this the knight in shining armor who saved you the other day?"

Hinata blushed heavily at Ino's choice of words, especially when Naruto cocked an eyebrow at her. "Y-Yes, th-this i-is N-Naruto."

"Ino! Stop! You're embarrassing her!" the pinkette—apparently Sakura—chided her friend.

Ino rolled her eyes and muttered, "Like that's hard to do." Then she smiled cheerfully at the blonde boy, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her hugging him. "Hey, Naruto. My name's Ino Yamanaka. I've never seen you around school before. Did you just move here?"

"Uh...yeah. A little over a week ago from Hajime," Naruto answered as he cast a look to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino that said: "Someone please make her get off me."

"Hajime? Never heard of it. Small town, huh?" she asked and he nodded. "Hm... Well, then you'll need someone to show you around the city. I'd be more than happy to," she said suggestively as she began to trace small circles on the bare part of Naruto's chest, causing the poor boy to turn red with embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Kiba was trying not to burst out laughing, Sakura was rolling her eyes, Shino remained impassive while thinking the blonde girl was being foolish, and Hinata...she was doing her best to stay calm. Naruto had already admitted that he likes her—Hinata—and she'd told him she likes him, so seeing Ino hanging all over him like that made the blue-haired girl feel something she rarely ever felt. Jealousy.

"What about Sai, Ino? I don't think he'd appreciate you going out with another guy," Hinata pointed out calmly. She didn't stutter, nor did she blush. And for those reasons, Hinata felt somewhat proud of herself for saying what was on her mind with confidence.

However, the moment was short-lived as Ino merely shrugged and replied, "He and I aren't dating at the moment. The guy shows absolutely no emotion, even when he tells me I'm keeping him from his drawing. So I'm free as a bird now." She turned back to Naruto and started nuzzling his cheek with her own. "So what d'ya say, cutie? Wanna take me out to dinner tonight?" Naruto sweat-dropped, and was trying to find a way to let the girl down gently so she didn't scream in his ear or something.

Hinata was borderline livid now, but thankfully Sakura noticed and decided to intervene. The pinkette walked over to her blonde friend and grabbed her arm. Pulling her off Naruto, Sakura said, "Okay, that's enough, Ino-pig! Can't you see your making the poor guy uncomfortable?"

"Oh, back off, Forehead! You probably just wanna ask him out yourself since things are currently off again with Sasuke!" Ino shouted at the pinkette, using the nickname that Sakura hated most as she was self-conscious about her larger-than-average forehead, while snatching her arm back away from her.

"WHAT?!" Sakura shrieked in rage.

The two continued to argue, standing almost right over Naruto, and the aforementioned boy decided slinking under the table to the other side was the best escape route. He popped his head up on the opposite side right next to Hinata, who giggled slightly at his actions, and he leaned toward her and asked, "Are they always like this?"

Kiba could no longer hold in his amusement and exploded with laughter. "Oh man! You have no idea, Naruto! And it's too bad for you that they like you!"

"Hey! I do not!" Sakura shouted at the fang-tattooed boy, her argument with Ino momentarily forgotten.

"Well, I do!" Ino yelled happily as she made to move toward Naruto again.

In response, the whisker-faced boy pulled Hinata up from her chair and placed her in front of himself as a human shield against crazy, loud females. Seeing his actions, Ino paused for a moment and looked the two over. A smile that just barely masked her irritation crossed her face.

"Oh, I see now. Hinata's already dating you, huh, Naruto?" Ino asked but didn't wait for an answer as she added, "Come on, Naruto, you can't seriously think shy little Hinata here is prettier than me. Even Forehead would make a better date than her!"

Before responding, Naruto looked over the two other girls once more. Ino and Sakura both had a slender frame, but Ino was just a bit more endowed and had more of a curve to her figure than Sakura. Neither one of them, though, compared to Hinata's figure, so in terms of physical appearance alone, Naruto thought Hinata won hands-down. But physical appearance was secondary to him as he knew how it felt to be liked for only one's looks and nothing more. However, neither Sakura nor Ino—especially Ino—could match Hinata in terms of personality either. They were both too loud, and Ino was way too clingy and eager. He also had a feeling she would be one of those girls who'd ridicule him for playing video games while simultaneously complaining that he never spent time with her. And what Ino had just said about Hinata and even Sakura was pretty harsh in his opinion.

As he was about to speak, Sakura cut in, saying, "Hey! What do you mean even I would make a better date than her?! How low on the dating chain do you place me?!"

"Oh, get real, Sakura! Hinata could beat you hands down if only she'd grow a backbone!"

"Oh yeah?! W—"

"SHUT UP!"

All eyes were suddenly on Naruto with various degrees of shock and surprise in them. Clearing his throat, the young hero continued in a calmer tone. "Ino, Sakura, I know I just met you guys, but if this is how you talk about Hinata on a regular basis, then I gotta wonder why she even calls you friends." Ino started to argue with him, but he cut her off. "I'm not done talkin'," he growled as he narrowed his blue eyes into an icy glare, and everyone decided staying quiet was the better option right then. "Now, it's none of your guys' business, but Hinata and I are not dating. At least not yet anyway. We've decided to just be friends for now, got it?" he paused, and the two girls nodded. "Good. But in the meantime, I'm not interested in dating anyone else, especially girls like you who are too clingy, too loud, and don't even care that they're being mean to someone they call their friend. Who, I might add, is someone anyone would be extremely freakin' lucky to have as their friend. You got that?"

Again, both girls nodded, and Hinata turned around and hugged Naruto tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest.

He returned the hug while whispering back to her, "No need to thank me for speaking the truth, ya know."

Letting her go, Naruto looked back up at Ino and Sakura, and both girls were shuffling their feet awkwardly, feeling ashamed for how they treated their friend.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I was out of line," Ino said as she stared down as the ground.

"Yeah, me too. You're a really nice person, Hinata. We shouldn't have treated you like that," Sakura apologized.

Hinata just grab a hand from each girl and held them tight. "I forgive you guys, okay? Let's just be friends and forget about it."

Ino hugged the shy girl, and Sakura followed suit as soon as the blonde girl released the bluenette. "Thanks, Hinata," they both told her.

Then Sakura looked at her watch and said, "We gotta get going, Hinata, but we'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay!" she replied happily.

Ino smiled at her and then at the blonde boy behind her. "And thanks, Naruto. You were more than a little blunt, but I guess you were right."

Naruto gave her a foxy grin. "No problem! I have no issues with speaking my mind, but I hope we can at least be friends."

The blonde girl and the pinkette nodded. "Of course!" Ino said cheerfully. "Especially if our shy little friend here starts dating you soon." She laughed as Naruto and Hinata both blushed a little. "Well, we'll catch you guys later! Bye, Kiba! Bye, Shino!"

And then both girls were gone.

Kiba sighed in relief as did Shino, although he kept his unnoticed. Hinata and Naruto took their seats again, and the blonde let out a loud groan as he clutched his head in his hands with his elbows leaning on the table.

"Oh man, that was annoying!" he complained, causing his companions—including the fox in his bag—to laugh. He was about to say more when suddenly a strange coldness came over his body along with a feeling that he could only describe as 'impending doom'. His friends grew quiet as they saw Naruto wasn't saying anything and just sitting there with a look of terror in his eyes, but before anyone could say anything, Kurama burst from Naruto's bag and ran off with it.

As he ran past Naruto, he growled, -Follow me! Quick!-

Naruto obeyed, calling over his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, guys! I'll get him. You stay there!"

Thankfully, they did as he told them.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto ran after Kurama, and the fox led him into the nearest men's restroom, which fortunately was empty. Kurama instructed Naruto to lock the door to the restroom and to get changed into his outfit. The boy immediately obeyed.

As he took off his coat and shirt and traded them for his ninja shirt in the bag, he asked, "What's going on, Kurama?"

"I assume you felt that chilling sensation as well as the feeling of incoming danger?" the fox asked before getting to the answer. Naruto nodded, and Kurama told him, "That's the instinct I told you about—the one that warns you of imminent threats. Something bad is coming if it isn't here already."

Hearing that, Naruto started changing clothes faster. He already had his ninja pants and sandals on, and was in the process of putting on his gloves, mask, and equipment pouches when he asked, "Seriously?! Well, what good is that instinct then?! I totally froze up 'cause of it until you jumped out of the bag!"

"It's because you're not used to it! Now just hurry up and get changed!" Kurama ordered him. He started stuffing Naruto's discarded normal clothes into the bag. "I'll hide your stuff and join you," he said once he saw the boy was now finished changing. "When I do, I'll be my normal size, but with black fur just so no one recognizes me."

"Got it," the Ninja said with a nod as he went for the door.

"Wait, Kit!" Kurama called out, and the young hero paused and looked back at him. "Call me 'Kyuubi' when I help you. If any of your friends are nearby and hear you call me 'Kurama', I don't think I need to tell you that would be a major tip-off as to who you are."

"Right!" the Ninja nodded again and opened the door. As he ran out, he heard a large crash and a whole lot of people screaming. "Gotta hurry!" he thought as he put on a burst of speed. "Hinata, I hope you're safe...!"

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

And so end the chapter. With Cliffhanger no Jutsu! Hahaha! But at least I update quickly, right? Hopefully nothing happens to change that, but at least keep in mind that I'm not abandoning any of my stories.

Author's Note: Okay, I have no idea whether or not foxes purr. I did a little internet research to find the answer, and all I really got was "some say yes, others say no". So in the end, I decided who cares, really? In this story, they freakin' purr, and I know I'm not the first Naruto fanfic writer to make foxes purr. Pretty much every story I've read where Naruto ends up merging with Kurama and gets fox-features, Naruto gains the ability to purr as well. So while Naruto may not necessarily end up that way here, Kurama at least has the ability to purr. Hopefully, that doesn't bother anyone, but if it does, well, I'm not keeping you here. (Not sure why anyone would have a problem with that anyway, but whatever. We all have our quirks). *sigh* Anyone else got the song "What Does The Fox Say?" stuck in their head now? *facepalm* Geez...

Also: Ero-jii-san basically means Pervy Grandpa or Pervy Old Man. Just so everyone knows.

The next chapter should have much action, but bear with me because I don't have much faith in my ability to write fight scenes. Apparently no one's had a problem with the other scenes I've written before here or in my other stories, but maybe people just think I'm doing an adequate job. I guess I can live with "good enough" but I will do my best to make the fight scenes better than that. Especially since the one coming should be fairly epic as Naruto will be fighting something more dangerous than some pathetic robbers.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know with a review if you're having fun with the story! ^_^