The training grounds were muddy, but the boys didn't mind. They were just glad to be outside and able to move around. They had been sparring for several hours before someone else arrived. Of course, they were too focused on each other to notice...
"Who's that..." wondered the new person as he watched from behind a tree. "Looks like Naruto and Kiba...Hmmmmm...Since when do they spar together?" He watched for a few minutes before the boys stopped for a break.
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"My god Naruto, what kind of training does Jiraiya have you doing? Last time I faught you I could at least see where the hell you were. You're almost as fast as Lee now."
"Yeah, I wish. Bushy-brow is wayyyyyyy faster than I'll ever be," panted Naruto.
"Not by much."
"Hahahahahaha. Thats what you think. You should see him without his weights on now. You think he was fast before, now he moves at the speed of light."
"Ehhh i guess... Toss me my water, will ya?"
Naruto tossed him the water bottle and sat down on one of the wooden logs. Kiba grabbed his pack and sat down next to him pulling out their lunches and handing Naruto his. Ever ready to eat any and everything in front of him, Naruto dug right in.
"Slow down Naruto. You're going to choke if you keep eating like that." "Now I know how he beat Choji in that eating contest..."
As if on cue his eye's bugged out and he started choking. Kiba slapped him on the back untill he coughed it up. He inhaled deeply and took a drink of water.
"What did I just tell you? I swear, sometimes I wonder if you and Choji are related. You eat just like him."
Naruto grinned. "I may eat like him, but at least I train harder. Anyway you're a good cook. Lord knows I can't cook like this. Well, I can grill better than you, but everyone knows that."
Kiba punched him playfully in the arm before ruffling his hair. "You scamp, I don't know why I put up with you."
"Becuase you love me," grinned Naruto.
"There's that..." he smiled, "...and you make everyhting so interesting. It's too quiet without you my little blonde kitsune."
Naruto's face shone like the sun.
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They never heard the startled gasp or the dull thud of a body falling onto soft earth. They stragner watching them was shocked. "Since when are Naruto and Kiba together???" he thought as he picked himself up of the floor. "Hmmmmm maybe Kiba offering to let Naruto stay with him wasn't so weird after all. I wonder if anyone else knows about this?" The stranger turned and ran back to the village.
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"Did you hear something?" asked Kiba as he reached for his water.
"Hear what?"
"Hmmmmm...must have been my imagination. He shrugged and reached for his pack, pulling out some fried dumplings.
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"What!?! Are you serious!?!" gasped Ino, not believing what Shikamaru was saying.
"Ino, when am I not serious?"
"Good point." She blinked. "Wow, they are the last two I would've expected to hook up."
"Same here. I can't believe you didn't know. I mean come on, you're Sakura's best friend aren't you? You'd think she would have told you."
"I don't think she knows. She would have at least hinted to it by now."
"Do you think they've told anyone?"
"If Sakura doesn't know then probably not. Shino might, since Kiba tells him everything, but he'd never tell us if he knows or not."
"Yeah, he'd never tell anyone."
"You think Kakashi or Kurenai know?"
"Doubt it. Naruto's not going to tell Kakashi anything like that, because he knows that blabber-mouth Jounin would tell everyone. And I don't think Kiba would have told Kurenai, even though she'd keep it a secret if he told her too. We might just be the only one's in the whole village that know."
"Know what?" asked Choji as he walked into the resturant.
"It's nothing Choji," dismissed Ino with a wave, "Don't worry about it."
"What, the think about Naruto and Kiba?"
Shikamaru and Ino blinked. "How do you know about that?"
"I heard Kurenai mention it to Asuma a little while ago."
Ino and Shikamaru stared at each other and blinked. "Remind me never to tell Kurenai anything I don't want Asuma to hear," said Ino, blushing slightly. Shikamaru nodded.
"So anyway..." said Choji as he placed his order, "What's knew with you two?"
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Back at the training grounds the two oblivious teens finished up their lunch.
"I want that dumpling recipe," said Naruto as he packed the leftovers.
"Can't; it's a family secrete."
"Awwwwwww," whined Naruto. "Then you're just going to have to make them a lot more because I think I've fallen in love with them."
"As long as you grill at least once a month I will."
"Fair enough," he said as he threw his pack behind the log the had sat on.
"So anyway...what do you want to work on now?"
"I don't care. Whatever..."
"Okay then," he said as he pulled a hand full of shuriken out.