Disclaimer-I don't own Naruto...nor do I own the computer I am typing on, the chair I'm sitting on, the site I am posting on, or the pants that I'm wearing(I think their my sister's)

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"Hey Kiba!" I yelled running towards my brunette friend. Kiba was standing next to the vending machine at Anko's Garage/Gas Station. He was standing there with his dog, Akamaru, and Gaara.

"Hey Naruto!" Kiba said as I got up next to them. "It's about time you got off. Jiraiya works you too hard"

"Naw, it's an easy job. All I do is edit his books. The only hard part is getting him to actually work." I replied. Kiba laughed, he knew my grandpa just as well as I did. "So, we still on for tonight?", I asked my friends.

"Yep,"stated Gaara in his coldly warm way,"7:00 at Ichiraku's." I nodded. We were going out to eat with everybody to celebrate Hinata's birthday. Of course, it was going to be a surprise for her. Her boyfriend Shino had set it up.

"Great! I can't wait. I love Ichiraku's." I said with a huge grin. "Of course I'm happy to get together with everybody too", I threw in. My two companions snickered,

"We know you just want the ramen, Naruto!" Kiba stated with more snickers. Even Gaara was smiling, in his smirking like way, at the statement.

"So I like ramen." I countered.

"Naruto, ramen is the ONLY thing you eat." Gaara said in a flat tone.

"Is not! I eat other things!" I shouted.

"Only 'cause Iruka forces you too." debated Kiba. I had no answer to that. It was true that I mostly ate ramen when I was by myself, but when Iruka, my foster-dad, was home he cooked. Turning my back on my friends, I started to pout when I realized there was a bus stopped at the station. A guy got off the bus and looked around.

"Hey, guys, look. Somebody got off the bus!" I said turning back to my friends.

"Well that's rare. Nobody new ever gets off on this stop. On purpose." Gaara stated plainly. The guy at the station was young looking, probably not much older than me. He had spikey hair that practically stood up in back. The guy was wearing black jeans with a tanktop He looked strangely familiar, like I had seen him before.

"Definetly a city kid." Kiba muttered. Gaara nodded in agreement, but before they said anything else I pointed at the kid who had sat down on one of the benches,

"I'm going to go talk to him!". With that I ran over the the guy.

"Hi! I'm Naruto." I said with my trademark grin.

"Hn. Go away dobe." He muttered. I couldn't believe it, I had just been friendly and he insults me.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME TEME?!" I shouted. Being used to insults by the older townsfolk, I was used to hiding my actual reaction. It hurt to be insulted like that, but I just shouted to cover it up. Before the guy could answer I heard a familiar voice saying,

"Hello Naruto-kun, Sasuke" I whirled around to find nobody else than Itachi Uchiha. Uchiha-san worked for a company in town called the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki were a group of detectives who had their base here in Konoha.

"Uchiha-san! What are you doing her..." I was cut off by a ,

"It's about time you got here, Aniki." Sasuke said coldly. He stood up and grabbed his bags. Standing next to him, I realized he was taller than me.

"I'll see you later, Naruto-kun, Let's go Otouto." He nodded to me before turning around and walking to his car. Sasuke followed sulkily not even looking at me. 'What a jerk' I thought. 'No wonder he looked familiar, he's Uchiha-san's brother.' I ran back over to my friends who had witnessed the whole scene.

"How'd it go, Naruto?", Kiba teased. "You make a new friend." With this he snickered.

"What was the shouting about?" Gaara asked me after glaring at Kiba. Gaara may be cold but he was one of my best buds. "Did you insult him first?"

"All, I did was say hi, and that teme called me a dobe!" I responded, "He started it. I just can't believe he is Uchiha-san's brother!"

"He did look like Uchiha-san." Kiba pointed out. "Alot like him."

"Yeah well." I looked at my watch. It was almost 5. " Hey, I am going to go. I'll see you at 7." I waved goodbye to my friends and ran back to my apartment a couple blocks away. When I got there I ran up the stairs and unlocked my door. I needed to get ready to go out.

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By 6:30, I was all ready to go. I was wearing my usual outfit; baggy orange cargo pants, black t-shirt, and an orange hat. Looking in the mirror, I adjusted my hat, then grabbed my necklace before going to the living room. That necklace was my most valuable possesion. I had won it in a bet against Tsunade, a close friend of Jiraiya's whose known me forever. I always wore it under my shirt.

When I got in the living room, I saw Iruka grading papers from his 7th grade class. He looked up at me as I walked to the door.

"You going out now?" He asked happily.

"Yeah, I'll be at Ichiraku's for Hinata's birthday, but I'll be back before 10." I answered, smiling back at him.

"Okay. That's fine. Just don't cut through the alleys." He told me. Iruka didn't like me going by alleyway. The was still some guys in town who don't like me very much, especially Mizuki. I nodded and Iruka waved me out the door,

"Well, have fun then. I'll probably still be working when you get back." I shut the door and ran down the stairs and out of the apartment building.

I got to Ichiraku's at the same time as Chouji, a friend of mine whose family owned the grocery store in town. Chouji walked into the restrurant with me. As we looked around, we saw a couple of friends of ours sitting at a huge table. When they saw us they waved us over. At the table sat, Ino and Sakura, two friends of mine, Neji and Tenten, Hinata's older cousin and his girlfriend, and Shikamaru, Chouji's best friend.

One by one more of our friends showed up till only Hinata and Shino weren't there. Finally they came into the restrurant, we're all snickering cause Shino, being odd they way he is, had blindfolded Hinata. He lead her over to the table where we were sitting, quietly I might add. Shino sat her down and pulled off the blindfold,

"SURPRISE!!" We yelled as she looked around blushing like crazy.

"Happy birthday, Hinata-Chan" Sakura, who was sitting next to her said in explanation.

"Happy 17th baby." I heard Shino whisper in Hinata's ear. Finally her blushing stopped and she got comfortable again. We spent out time enjoying each other and toasting our soft drinks to Hinata.

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"Oh man, I can't believe it's already 9:45!" Lee exclaimed.

"What," I yelled." I got to go. I'm supposed to be home at ten." I got up from the table. Throwing some money on the table, I turned to Shino and Hinata, "There's my part of the bill, Happy Birthday Hinata." Gaara also stood up,

"I'll walk home with you." He stated also putting some money on the table."Temari will be mad if I'm home too late."

I waved good-byes to my other friends as me and Gaara walked out. We walked back towards my apartment, talking as we went. Well, I was talking, he was listening and commenting occasionally. We got to my apartment and I went inside saying good-bye to Gaara. Iruka had fallen asleep on the couch, so I walked over and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over him before going to my room. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.
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A.N. I'm sorry this took so long to update. Thanks to everybody who put me on alert. It motivated me alot. I promise I won't do everyday from both points of view. I just was trying to get in the story.