Updating early due to major headache.

Shikamaru watched Naruto train, biding his time until he could approach the blond without him jumping and trying to make a run for it. Next to him, Chouji was munching on chips, comfortable enough to wait with his best friend to go to lunch, even if it was on his family's tab. The restaurants in the village were happy enough to let the Akimichi clan keep a tab, mostly because the clan always paid it off at the end of every month, and they order more enough food to buy each place several times over.

"Remember, no mention of that troublesome picture or anything like that. We want him to relax around us," Shikamaru droned after Naruto sat down to catch his breath.

"Gotcha," Chouji answered emptying his bag into his mouth and crumpling the bag into a pocket for later disposal.

Shikamaru stood up from his sitting position into his usual slouch and started walking towards Naruto, hoping that he wasn't about to get a second wind, that would be troublesome. However, it seemed that he was in luck, as Naruto simply sat there as he approached. "Oi Naruto," Shikamaru called out a few feet away, "Chouji and I were heading to Ichiraku's and thought you'd like to join us. Chouji even offered to put it all on the Akimichi's tab."

The mention of ramen had snagged Naruto's attention, however it was the thought of free ramen that sparked the delighted glint in Naruto's eyes. "Sounds good Shika, I was just about to head in for some lunch. Can I get a shower before meeting you guys there?"

"It's less troublesome to eat without having to smell you..." Shikamaru droned dryly with a bored look to his face. "Since your house is on the way, how about we just walk you there, and then wait outside for you?"

Naruto looked suspiciously at Shikamaru for a few seconds before a wide grin split his face. "Nah, you guys can come on in, have a drink. I'll be as quick as I can be."

Shikamaru smiled and nodded, "Sounds good, your furniture will be less troublesome to sit on than the ground."

A short while later, the trio were leaving Naruto's house, after the blond had showered and given a brief tour. They were just chatting casually between themselves as they went out to eat some lunch. Arriving at the stand, they sat together, each placing an order. Naruto and Chouji both go with a starting order of three beef ramen first, while Shikamaru only had a pork bowl.

"It's troublesome Naruto, but you seem out of sorts today," Shikamaru asked while waiting for his ramen, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Naruto answered quickly while not looking the shadow user in the eyes, "Nothing wrong... just some things that I need to deal with. Nothing to worry about ya know?"

"I know how that goes," Chouji answered around a mouthful of noodles. "Like when that time I bought a bunch of discount pudding cups, turns out it was because they were near expiration, so I had five dozen pudding cups left, and one day before they went bad."

"I remember that," Naruto laughed as he dug into his ramen, slurping noodles. "We made a bet, Kiba and I, on if you'd actually manage to eat them all. You won me two packs of gum, and a bottle of glue. I pulled a prank on some guys that I saw picking on you with them. Just felt the right thing to do."

"You did that a lot for us... anytime we got picked on or bullied, you'd prank them," Shika answered thoughtfully as he waited for the ramen to cool a little bit. "Should have said this to you ages ago, but it was troublesome then, not that it isn't now but... Thank you."

"Yeah Naruto, thanks again," Chouji echoed with a laugh. "So what'd you do to them? Glue their mouths shut with the gum?"

Naruto laughed before shaking his head, "No, close, but what I did was actually set up a simple trap. I put the gum on the floor where they could find it, and then coated the entire area. They walked right into it, and I got to keep the gum."

"Sounds like a less than troublesome result... eh Shika?" Chouji teased his friend with a laugh. The shadow user snorted a laugh around a mouthful of noodles. "Another bowl please, Miso."

As Teuchi got the order from Naruto as well, Chouji took the opportunity to study his small blond friend. On the surface he seemed much more relaxed then when he saw him this morning, but there was tension in the corner of his eyes, just a hint of being ill at ease. The ramen was helping, but something more neutral as a topic would be good.

"Say Naruto, how're the wedding plans going? Any idea who'll be your best man?" Chouji asked after the ramen arrived, catching Naruto in mid-slurp.

"Well, I initially wanted Iruka-sensei to be my best man, but he declined, so I asked Kiba, and he said that he would be a groom's man instead, less pressure to be appropriate I guess... and then I asked Saukra who I should ask, and she said she'd do it," Naruto explained with a shrug after finishing his mouthful. " So I suppose Sakura-chan's going to be my best... uhh... man... and Ino's Hinata's maid of honor..."

"You know Naruto, it's troublesome... but the Best Man should really be a man..." Shika droned as he rested his head on the counter. "Though I suppose she's butch enough to pass for it... Hopefully that troublesome woman never hears I said that though..." Little did he know that right now Sakura was being held back by the Hokage directly behind him. "But she accepted, so she must have some evil plan for your bachelor party planned..."

"You're kidding right? She's so prim and proper I doubt he'll even have a party," Chouji added with a laugh.

Some divine force must have been looking out for the guys today, because while they were laughing, Sakura tore herself free from Tsunade but instead of curb stomping them she stalked away with an evil smile on her face.

A few more minutes of slurping noodles and idle conversation followed until Shikamaru asked, "You're nervous about something... the wedding?"

"No, it's more that... uh... the others have been acting weirdly lately," Naruto responded, looking into the bowl of ramen before him nervously.

"It's probably from the picture you showed us the other day Shika," Chouji suggested between mouthfuls before he snapped his jaw shut.

Naruto's eyes bugged widely as what Chouji had said sunk in, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "It was you? You guys set them on me... you're working with them, this is a set up isn't it?"

"No Naruto, we've given up... just calm down and sit with us..." Shikamaru answered soothingly, trying to placate him into relaxing.

Naruto was having nothing of that, and took off out of the stand at a run, heading home. He never noticed Gama-chan fell out of his pocket and landed on the ground, revealing a picture of Hinata blushing at Naruto's sexy no jutsu form, barely covered in whisps of clouds. "Finish up Chouji, we have to go talk to Hinata... we messed up."

"Sorry Shika," Chouji replied while he finished the bowl of ramen.