A/N

Hey guys, what's up? So here is chapter 9 (whew, almost to chapter ten!) and I just want to thank all of you for your support and loyalty :)

Special thanks goes to:

AnimeAuthorForevr: Lol, thanks for the advice. Also, I'm afraid that I don't do yaoi, so no guyxkakashi stuff, my dear.

Jedininjagirl: Haha! Thank you very much! I'm so glad that you like it!

Hitokiri Shinzui: Thanks! I took quite a bit of inspiration for that from a different fic though, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Ichiro Kuragari: Yes, yes, Ichiro my friend, Kiba will be with someone. Just not someone you know ;) Also I figured that Naruto would still have his natural simplicity of mind but blended with the maturity that he has gained in the latest chapters of the manga, so that's why he may seem OOC.

Sweetclementines: Hehe, leave more comments like that and I will!

And also to Ms. Life for complimenting my other story "Thank you for Beating me Up" so highly!

Anyhow, when we left off Shikamaru was pretty much getting owned by Gaara and Kankurou. Oh, and did I mention that Naruto kissed Hinata? :D

"HOLY HELL!"

The shout woke two sleeping forms, only distinguishable between one another due to the one's blonde hair and conspicuously flat chest. The one with the blue hair awoke.

"What the…" she muttered blearily. Looking up she beheld a certain grey-haired and wide-eyed individual pointing an accusatory finger at her and the one she currently lay beside.

"D-Deidara?" he stammered, "You got lucky… with Konan?"

The blonde one of the pair also looked up groggily.

"What… wait, what?" he murmured simply, "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, I've heard of horror flicks turning people on, but seriously! This is just… whoa! I mean, she's Konan!" The immortal spluttered, never moving the damning finger from its spot.

"Oh, right!" the events of the past night came back to Deidara gradually, "Well, not exactly got lucky, just slept with. No, not like that," he added, seeing the shocked look on Hidan's face.

"How?" came the incredulous reply.

"Well, she got scared by the movies so…" his words were interrupted by Konan kicking him in the leg underneath the sheets, "Ow! I mean, she couldn't sleep, so she crawled in here." Deidara smirked evilly. "Apparently she feels more comfourtable when I'm around."

"Don't overdo it, lover-boy," Konan muttered in his ear, before turning over and trying to fall asleep again.

"Senpai, what's Hidan so upset about?" Tobi asked innocently.

"He's just jealous, Tobi, pay no attention."

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Host scampered through the scrub like a rat, leaping over the crumbling marble that littered the ground like the bones of some ancient ogre. He had zeroed in on Kiba's mind for that particular excursion, and the filthy black claws that the Inuzuka's mind had garnished his fingers with made the likeness to a rodent even more striking.

"Not yet, not yet, it's not time yet," he muttered the words like a mantra, "Uzumaki, what are you doing?"

As he scurried through the bushes and scrappy trees, he detected a mind ahead. Releasing his hold on Kiba's mind he felt his fingers mold themselves back into the indistinct and spindly digits that were his norm. Probing the new consciousness, he found it to be that of Ino Yamanaka.

Better deal with her quick, he thought feverishly, I don't have much time! It's not ready yet.

He engulfed her mind in his own, taking on the dark Latin features that she was so partial to.

Strolling casually over to her he said: "Evening, Ino."

She started, looking up. "Oh, hi, Host. Is it evening?"

He shrugged casually. "It doesn't really matter much here. The moon is the only sentinel over time in this place." Why is it that females go all gooey over the kind of talk that doesn't make any sense?

"I suppose. Still, it's a bit strange not having time here."

"I can imagine," he sat down beside her a little uncomfourtably close, "Still, when there is no time, that means there is an abundance of it."

"What do you mean?"

He draped his arm around her shoulders, "I mean that in this world, anything can happen." He removed his mask, shaking out the dark curls on his head.

Ino was shocked at his appearance. He's actually… kind of cute, she thought in spite of herself.

"I have to go," she said somewhat curtly. He may have been cute but he was still a jerk.

"Suit yourself," Host said in an oily voice, "But if you ever need… a friend, I'm right here."

"Right, I'll remember that," Ino turned and flounced away.

Host sighed in relief. Whew, that hadn't been too hard. Still, it was difficult to seem obliviously repulsive when you knew exactly what the one you were flirting with was attracted to.

Shedding his former appearance he continued to scurry through the underbrush. Left, right, up, and down, leaping over obstacles with the agility of long practice. After what seemed like an eternity he found the base of the edifice he searched for.

Now, Uzumaki, to deal with you, thought the specter as he began to scale the pillar at a frustratingly slow rate.

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Naruto gently brushed Hinata's lips with his own.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata whispered, frightened and exhilarated at this most recent development.

The boy himself could barely speak. Did that just really happen? He thought, bewildered. There was a scratching sound on the pillar below them but neither cared.

Stop! This is wrong! Came the small, annoying voice in his head, This could turn out very badly!

Shut up, he told the voice. Right now he just didn't give a shit what the voice wanted to say.

He caressed Hinata's cheek with his hand, unable to tear his eyes away from her. Again he bent down and put his lips to hers, but this time more confidently, experimenting with the new phenomenon.

This is really happening! Hinata thought, excited and terrified, N-Naruto is… kissing me!

Timidly, unsurely, she raised her small hands and gently grasped Naruto's shoulders. She felt him smile as he pulled her slightly closer.

The scratching noise was getting louder, but neither of them could hear it. They were completely oblivious to everything except each other. The burning fire spreading from where their lips connected, the powerful sensation of each place their bodies touched. It was a dream state.

"No!" came a shriek, not far away. The pitch awakened the individuals from their mutual reverie. The broke apart reluctantly, searching for the cause of the noise.

They didn't have very far to look; it was only a four-foot square column. There were two indistinctly shaped hands grasping the edge of the dais for dear life. An ever-changing head rose up behind them. Throughout every shift the expression once again stayed the same, that of shock and dismay.

The two previously engaged individuals wore similar expressions of shock, although Naruto's was tinged with anger.

Whoops thought Host, Uzumaki's going cross-eyed. Better pick a form.

The shifter cast around desperately for a mind to zero in on. When his eyes alighted upon Hinata he took the form without thinking.

Instantly he shrunk to just under six feet, his eyes took a dull gray colour, his hair turned white and spiky, and his skin became waxy and gaunt.

Hinata didn't want to see anything, he thought to himself, My form is completely neutral. This should actually be best for explanations.

"What do you want?" Naruto almost shouted at the now completely normal humanoid in front of him.

"You can't do this," the said humanoid responded, "You don't understand, Naruto, this is bad."

"Are you insane?" Naruto laughed mirthlessly, "How could this be bad?"

Host slapped his palms down on the column's head. The three instantly materialized on the ground.

"Phew, sorry, I don't like heights very much," Host apologized, "But that's not the point, the point is that this is neither the time nor place for… well, you previous activity."

Naruto let go of Hinata and stood up, anger and frustration bubbling in his chest. "What is wrong with you?" he shouted, "What do you mean this isn't the time or place?"

"I'm sorry." Host said before clapping his hands together.

Reality distorted, rippling from the point where Host's hands connected. Gradually, reluctantly, space was twisted and was absorbed at the point of contact. It was like the skin on a can of paint being stirred back into the liquid. Colours faded, became fuzzy, and finally dissolved. Senses were filled to bursting with smells, scenes, possibilities of existence. Anyone who was dumb enough to watch it all either blacked out or threw up where they stood.

I'm sorry, everyone, the master behind this macabre happening thought, If there was any other way…

Everything was pulled into Host's oblivion. Dirt, plants, animals, architecture, even humans were sucked into the expanding concentration of possibility between Host's hands. Eventually even Host allowed himself to be sucked in. Before he was completely absorbed however, one last thought entered his mind.

I wonder if any of us will survive this?

A/N

And that's the end of the chapter! Quite a cliffhanger eh?

…

No, seriously! That's the end! I asked my mum whether or not I should do this, and she said go for it, so yeah. Anyway, sorry for the short chapter, but I wasn't really sure how I was going to do this. Also I just wanted to get a chapter off.

OMAKE*OMAKE*OMAKE*OMAKE*OMAKE*

Shino walked into Ichiraku ramen one night despondently. It was rare that he would show up at Naruto's regular haunt, but tonight he was feeling down. The novelty of this occasion was noticed by Teuchi, the ramen chef, and was noted vocally.

"Shino, we don't see you here often. What's the occasion?"

The Aburame prodigy merely grunted by way of a reply. Teuchi was taken aback. "What's got you so down?" he asked.

"Kiba and I got in a fight, and he said that he wouldn't talk to me for a month," Shino explained unhappily.

Teuchi was aware that Shino didn't have many friends, and for his best friend to do something like this must be a real blow.

"Gee, I'm really sorry, Shino. Here, the ramen's on the house tonight."

"Thank you," Shino mumbled, "I appreciate your generosity, but I don't think you quite understand."

"Hm? What do you mean?" The noodle chef asked, confused.

"The month ends today," Shino sniffed, putting his face in his hands.

Ahaha! Ohoho, oho, aha, oh ouch! Anyway, no offense to any Kiba fans out there, he's pretty awesome, I just think that Shino might react this way. Hehe, who knows?

Anyway, see you guys all later, please leave reviews my darlings!