No I am actually running out of disclaimer jokes now.

After recovering from the council meeting and wiess's poorly worded confession of attraction to naruko, naruto decided he needed to return to a sense of normality just for once. To do this he essentially and politely told wiess, blake and yang to go home while he took ruby on a good old fashioned outing in the village. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he decided he wanted to introduce his girlfriend to all his old classmates that graduated with him.

Now you would wonder why he would do that, considering that they tormented and destroyed his self confidence in himself as a younger man. Well it was because he was naruto uzumaki, the most forgiving and caring shinobi/huntsman in the village… he was also incredibly proud of his ruby-hime and couldn't wait for everyone to know that HE was the first one to find love in his class. Not those fangirls, not those arrogant pricks like kiba or those geniuses like sasuke. He, the dead last. He, the dobe, had found someone who loved him and was happy with him.

Why wouldn't he brag about it?

Yamanaka flower shop

Ino was at her family's shop, working the counter…. And SHE WAS BORED AS HELL! She had been shrugged off by her team AND sensei because they 'needed a day off' despite the fact this was their 8th DAY OFF IN A ROW! She was just about to leave, not caring she might get punished, when the bell FINALLY rang meaning, someone had decided to grace her shop's doorway. "welcome to yamanaka flora, where we have every flower under the sun. what do you need?" "well do you have anything in red or orange?".

Recognising the gravely voice, she looked up to see naruto and some strange girl she had never sen before 'probably some tourist taking advantage of naruto' not that she would care. He's only a dobe after all "oh.. hey naruto-baka what do you want?" "well for starters you can stop calling me baka. Or have you forgotten that I'm not the naruto you know?". The realisation hit ino like a train, she had just insulted her, classified, dead ex-classmate infront of his JOUNIN reincarnation. "oh my god naruto I'm so sorry! It was a force of habit!".

Ruby frowned at the blond infront of her, not appreciating that she had just insulted her naruto-kun. Squeezing his hand, as was their secret code for when they wanted to prank someone, ruby turned to naruto and said in a small voice "naruto-koi… why did she call you baka?" naruto, seeing the joke almost instantly, played along "oh um well you see" "you didn't lie to me when you said you were jounin did you?" "of course I didn't ruby-hime! She's from my old class and hasn't seen me since. I was dead-last and so" "WAIT! You were dead-last! How dare you even try something with me!".

The two looked towards ino to see her drowning in guilt as it appeared she had just ruined naruto's first relationship. Both looked towards each other once again. 'time for the killing blow' "and to think I'm carrying your child!" 'OK, NOT WHERE I WAS EXPECTING HER TO TAKE THIS!' "um.. ruby hime.. I think we took this a little to far" he pointed to where ino was stood and was now laying, passed out.

"oh shit. Well best wake her up and tell her it was a prank" "yeah.. shame it was going so well too". Walking up to her and lightly slapping her cheek a few times, ruby woke up ino only to be met with a blank look and the bluntest question she had ever heard. "you fucked naruto?!". going bright red, ruby shook her head while naruto helped ino up so he could explain. "no she didn't ino. She's just my girlfriend and she decided to play a prank on you because you insulted me".

Ino looked at the giggling teenager and noticed how she STILL had naruto's hand in hers. This was when naruto realised the mistake he had made… ino was konoha's gossip queen! This was gonna be all over the place before they knew it. "how!?" or not…. "um well I uh…" ruby, seeing naruto was takne off guard by her question, stepped in. "he saved my life" "what!? tell me everything!". And tell her everything she did. A huge fabricated story of how naruto had saved her and her friends from slavers that would have raped and sold them. How naruto had gone into a cold rage and killed their leader while holding her bridal style, proclaiming 'no-one shall hurt these gentle flowers! For I shall be the thorn to protect them!'.

Ino was seeing naruto In a brand new light. Deciding that she was not the only one who needed to hear this story she proclaimed that she would gather up every member of their old class to hear naruto's tale of heroism. Unfortunately this was when naruto told her of sakura and sasuke's fate. It did not need to be said that she broke down in tears hearing her ex-best friend was injured beyond recovery.

"I never got to tell her I was sorry!" surprisingly it was ruby who hugged ino "you don't need to… if what naruto has told me about you two is true, then you and sakura-san never lost a bond. It just became a rivalry.". even though she did not know this girl before today, ino felt like ruby was someone who she could trust with her life. 'probably because she's naruto's girlfriend… he always was a good judge of character'. Naruto then broke the moment "ok ino, I'm sorry but me and ruby need to get going. I have many other places to take her before nighttime".

Ino simply nodded and let the reaper go, watching as she and naruto walked out, hand in hand, smiling all the way. She herself had to smile watching how the sunlight illuminated them. 'things are changing around here… for the better'.

Training grounds

Team 8 was taking a much needed break after training. Kiba and akamaru were sharing a packed lunch, shino a bottle of water and hinata a bento with kuranai. They were going over team plans and tactics when they heard laughing and leaves rustle. Jumping out of the foliage, ruby giggled as naruto walked out covered in leaves. "you just had to trip me up" "you were zoning out, I have to keep you on your toes somehow, mr jounin" naruto was about to respond when he noticed team 8 out of the corner of his eye.

"oh hey guys! How are you doing?" he waved towards them, strangely not getting any smiles or waves in return. Each member had different thoughts going through their mind 'grrr that dead-last, how did HE get a girl like THAT?! first hinata then HER?' 'hmm naruto-san seems to be in a relationship with this girl.. hinata will not be happy' 'WHO IS THIS GIRL WITH NARUTO-KUN!? Oh please tell me she isn't his girlfriend!?' 'he does realise he just disrupted my team's training right?'.

Sensing that he and ruby weren't welcome, naruto decided to wrap up his talk "sorry, I can see I've interrupted things here. I didn't mean to, I was just showing my girlfriend parts of our village. I'll get out of your hair now" and they did, never noticing hinata somehow summon the Shinigami behind her.

Ichiraku

"come on ruby! I want to introduce you two some really great friends of mine" ruby, looking forward to naruto's surprise, was suddenly hit with the smell of ramen. Realising just WHO naruto was taking her to, she ran even faster with one thought in her mind 'RAMEN'. Upon reaching the stand, she saw naruto talking animatedly with the man behind the bar and a chunnin with pineapple shaped hair. "… and she's so beautiful! Her silver eyes are like pools of liquid metal and- oh hey ruby, come on! I want you to meet touchi and ayame ichiraku and iruka-sensei!". Blushing at how naruto was praising her before, she walked in with a shy blush as the four smiled at her. She now understood what naruto had meant by a welcoming and loving atmosphere. "so you're the mysterious ruby rose that naruto has been talking about? I can say that his words about you are more than true miss rose" "thank you ayame-san.". "oh shush, you don't need to thank me. Now sit down and I'll get you a bowl of miso."

Sitting next to her boyfriend, ruby watched as naruto bragged and spoke about his career and about HER like a little kid would to his parents and siblings. That's when she saw that THAT WAS what naruto was doing. He was telling his father, brother and sister about how happy he was now, trying to earn praise for his accomplishments and, something that was melting her heart, trying to get them to approve ruby as his girlfriend.

'theres no doubt about it now… I love you naruto-koi… and I am more than ready to accept that. I don't need jaune anymore… I found someone better' still aware of her surroundings however, she noticed a blue haired girl crying from behind a wall, staring at the two of them. Pretending that she needed to pick something up from the house and that she would be back soon, she snuck around hinata and came up from behind her.

"why are you staring at me and naruto?" hinata jumped around and saw ruby, cross armed and glaring at her "b-b-because you don't deserve him! He's MY hero not yours!" ruby, now seeing how hurt this girl was, lowered her glare and instead placed her hand on hinata's shoulder "ok.. I can see what's going on now. You've liked him for a while but never asked him out, did you?" "N-N-n-no… no I didn't.. I lost my chance and now… you've stolen him from me!"

*SLAP*

Hinata stood shocked, feeling the sting on her cheek as ruby had her arm outstretched. "get a hold of yourself! You didn't ask him out and lost him, SO WHAT? you'll find someone else, we're in a time of piece, you have your entire life ahead of yourself for crying out loud! Find someone else or stay a crazed stalker, I don't care. But you hurt my relationship with naruto AT ALL… and I'll show you just how sharp this rose's thorns are!"

Saying nothing else as she knew that her point had been put across, ruby walked back to the stand and to her hot tasty treat.. her ramen was also over there. She looked back to see a crying and shaking hinata, sobbing into her hands. "ughhh… look. I really don't care who you chose to like.. but don't focus on someone you cant get.. you don't want to go through that pain."

Hinata looked up in shock, hearing such a sincere and pain filled voice, she somehow knew that she would benefit from listening to this girl. 'I might hate you rose-san… but if naruto trusts you then so will i. I won't give up on him, but I won't stay alone..I refuse to say thank you though"

And that was the first in a LONG string of days that naruto and ruby shared

"bitch/slut"

and the start of the war between red reapers and blue hyuugas