Chapter 25: It's About Frickin Time…

Naruto had woken up especially early on this particular morning. Kaoshi-kun usually made him get up at around 8 AM for his training. But today was special. Today was the day he finished his training. He had mastered every jutsu that Kaoshi taught him. All he had to do now was land a solid blow on his sensei. Naruto crept up to Kaoshi's bedside, and rammed his elbow into Kaoshi's stomach.

"BYARGHENFLARGENGRADS?!" Kaoshi yelled to the unexpected pain in his gut. He saw Naruto grinning next to him. "Naruto?! What the hell was that for?!"

"Gotcha." Naruto said as he flicked Kaoshi on the head. "I think that was a fairly solid blow." Kaoshi sat staring for a second before he realized what Naruto meant.

"That's not what I meant dumbass!"

"It doesn't matter." Naruto said slyly. "You never said I had to wait until you woke up. You only said that I had to land a hit on you and never specified a time or a place. You just said it had to be today."

"Fuckin…" Kaoshi bit his lip. Naruto was right. He had only said today. Sometimes he swore that Naruto would make a better lawyer than ninja. "Fine." Kaoshi said with a pout. He wanted to test Naruto one more time before they finished training, but he guessed it was okay. He had watched Naruto progress incredibly quickly through the rigorous training. "Go off and frolic, or whatever it is you kids do."

"Way to sound like an old, sore loser Kaoshi."

"Suck it."

"Ummm no." He smiled and waved at Kaoshi. "Later." Kaoshi sighed and waved him off. Naruto darted away from their secluded training grounds. He had made sure to memorize the way back to the village on their way up because he wanted to be able to rush down as fast as he could, and not have to wait for Kaoshi.

The trail seemed a bit different now. It was slightly more overgrown and seemed smaller. It was true that he had grown a bit in the last two years, and was over 6 feet tall now, but he hadn't expected it to change this much. His white, hooded coat flapped in the breeze. He had finally almost managed to forsake the color orange, and adopted a White coat, which reached down to his knees. The word Uzumaki was written in orange down the back. His hair had not been cut in some time and now resembled the hairstyle of the Yondaime Hokage. In fact, at a glance it was not hard to mistake him for the deceased Hokage. The only noticeable difference was that Naruto carried a Katana.

Naruto jumped from branch to branch in the densely fogged forest. He couldn't wait to see everyone, especially Hina-chan. He hadn't had any contact with anyone other than Kaoshi and Izuna for two whole years. Not even the Kyubi.

After some time, he reached the border of the village and walked in through the gate. The gatekeeper didn't recognize him at first and gave him a little bit of trouble, but Kaoshi arrived shortly and cleared up the matter. Naruto started to scour the village for any signs of his friends. He focused his chakra to his feet, used his wind manipulation and blasted into the air.

He had learned how to manipulate his chakra to move the air around him so he could hover for a few seconds. He sensed saw two people at a training ground a little to the east. One had black hair and the other had pink hair. He floated back down to the ground and headed in that direction.

"Now Hinata, remember to control the chakra and take of a later of wood at a time." Shinobu said with a sigh.

"H-Hai." Hinata hit the wood with her jyuuken and managed to remove the outer layer of wood from the stump.

"Good job!" Shinobu said with a smile. "One more time, and we'll break for food."

"H-Hai." Shinobu sighed again. No matter what she did she couldn't get that stutter out of Hinata's speech. Hinata readied herself and lunged at the stump. Just as her hand was about to meet the stump, Naruto ran up onto the grounds.

"OI!! HINA-CHAN!!" He yelled.

"N-Naruto-kun?!" Hinata lost all focus on what she was doing. Her hand hit the stump and it exploded into sawdust from the amount of chakra in the strike. She blinked and looked down at herself. She was covered in sawdust.

"Hinata!" Shinobu yelled. "Control!"

"H-Hai…" Hinata said bright red. She managed to mess up in front of Naruto on his first day back. He must think she's a terrible ninja.

"AWESOME!!" Naruto yelled. "Hina-chan that was so cool!" He put his hand on her head. "Here, lemme clean ya off." He used his wind manipulation again moving his chakra under the thin layer of dust that covered her. "Bam!" He yelled as he pushed the chakra away from her making all the dust fly off. "How'd you do that?" Naruto asked like a little kid.

"Umm…" She blushed. "I can use my Byakugan to see through the stump and note all the crevices and push my chakra through and shave off a layer or the stump. What you saw was the uncontrolled version where I push my chakra through the whole stump causing it to do that…"

"DOOD!" Naruto yelled again. "That's so cool! I wonder what'd happen if you did that on a person."

"I already know that Naruto-kun." Shinobu said stepping forward. "If it's a glancing hit, a few layers of skin will be ripped off. If it's a solid hit however, depending on the person's amount of chakra and how well they can defend against this type of attack, it can do either of the following: It can destroy a person from the inside out, or literally blow a person in half." Naruto's jaw dropped. "She may be stronger than you now Naruto."

"I don't think…" Hinata started.

"I wouldn't doubt it!" He said shocked. "Remind me to never piss you off!"

"I don't think you could even if you tried." She said with a smile. Naruto reddened a little. Shinobu sighed.

"Well since Blondie is back Hinata probably won't be able to concentrate…" She shooed them away. "Why don't you go catch up elsewhere?"

"Good idea." Naruto said with a smile. "C'mon Hina-chan! Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Eh? Um no…"

"Awesome! Let's go!" He said as he grabbed her arm and started tugging her off.

"N-Naruto-kun…" she said. "Is it going to be just us…?"

"Yeah…?" Why did it matter? "I guess." Naruto noticed Hinata's blushing. "I-If you want…we can find some other people to go…"

"N-No…it's fine…" She said with a smile. Naruto smiled back. He suddenly got an idea.

"N-Neh…" He said blushing.

"Yes…?"

"Y-You… wanna…I dunno…make it…a…date…?"

"A-A-A-A-A-A-A d-d-d-d-d-date???" She stuttered, surprised. This was like a dream come true. Hinata never imagined anything like this happening.

"If you don't want to…"

"NO!" She said with far too much conviction. "I mean…n-no…I'd l-like that…" Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and smiled his big smile.

"Awesome! Let's go!" The two of them found a small restaurant which Hinata and Shinobu frequented.

"This place has good ramen Naruto-kun…"

"Awesome!" They walked in. It was even smaller on the inside than it looked. It was basically a ramen stand inside.

"I know it's not much…" Hinata said, "But I know how much you like ramen…"

"Thanks, Hina-chan." He said smiling. The two of them sat down. Naruto ordered a bowl of miso ramen and Hinata ordered a traditional breakfast. After several moments Hinata excused herself to go to the bathroom.

"Hey, kid." The woman behind the counter said.

"Mm…?" Naruto couldn't annunciate properly due to the ramen hanging from his mouth. He slurped it up. "What's up?"

"For the past two years that girl's been coming here almost every day." The woman leaned forward. "You don't know how many times I've seen people try to get with that girl." Naruto didn't follow and the look on his face showed it plainly. "There have probably been almost a hundred people she's turned down."

"Wow…" Naruto said, lacking anything better.

"Not too long ago I asked her why."

"Uh-huh…?"

"She responded, 'Because there's someone special I'm waiting for.'" Naruto felt his heart crack a little on the inside.

"Oh…" Hinata was waiting for someone.

"She said it was someone from back home." She propped her head on her hand. "And since you're here, chances are it's not you." The woman shifted her weight and continued. "She really digs this guy. She always talks about how nice, fun, sweet, and strong he is. She's liked this guy for quite some time apparently."

"I see…" Naruto looked down. "I…I didn't know…" Naruto opened his wallet and put some money on the table. "When she comes back…tell her I said I'm sorry and I didn't realize that there was already someone else."

"Will do."

"Bye…" Naruto said with a wave as he walked out, head hanging low. Shortly after Naruto's departure, Hinata returned from the bathroom and noticed a lack of Naruto.

"Umm…" Hinata asked the woman at the counter, "Aoi-san…The boy I was just with…"

"Don't worry, I told him all about your special someone." Hinata's jaw dropped. "He left and said he was sorry. Nice guy though. A looker too."

"A-A-A-Aoi-san…" Hinata said with tears flowing down her face. "Th-th-th-that was him…the special…"

"It was?!" Aoi almost yelled, her voice full of guilt. "Oh my god…I'm so sorry Hinata!"

"D-Don't be…you…didn't…" She couldn't finish her sentence through her sobs.

"Go after him! He just left!"

"H-H-H-How…I d-d-don't even know…"

"You don't know if he likes you?" Aoi sighed. "Well that's a risk you'll have to take isn't it?" Hinata sniffed. "Or do you wanna lose him forever and never know how he feels?" She walked around to Hinata. "If he didn't at least care about you a little bit, do you think he'd have left in such a hurry?"

Hinata was afraid. She didn't want to lose Naruto. She wanted to tell him how she felt. She got up and wiped her tears away and ran out the door.

"Good luck kid…" Aoi said guiltily. "Sorry…"

Hinata raced down the street. She had no idea where Naruto was even headed, but still she ran. There was only one place she thought to go. That was the cliff that she had almost confessed her love to him on. It was far away, almost a twenty-minute run.

She got there as fast as she could. Sure enough, there he was. She watched him from afar for some time, not knowing what to say or how to approach him. She was nervous but she had to do something. It took her almost another ten minutes to gather her courage. She took a deep breath and…

"Neh…Hina-chan…" Naruto said with no voice inflection. Well that solved one problem at least.

"H-Hai…Naruto-kun…I…" She started to say but was interrupted by Naruto's hand.

"Please…" He turned and looked at her. "There's something I have to say as a man." He stood up. "I know you're waiting for someone. But I just can't sit by and ignore what I feel."

"N-Naruto…kun…?"

"Hina-chan…I've been doing a lot of thinking…" He said as he walked over to her. "These last two years have given me a great opportunity to sort out what's going on inside my head," He placed his hand over his heart. "…And my heart." He smiled a sad smile. "When I was little…I liked Sakura…or…thought I did. She was the only girl I ever really hung out with at all…so I thought it was only natural that she be the girl I like. Looking back…I realize that I didn't like her…I can't explain what I was thinking…but that's all there is to it." He motioned for Hinata to sit, as he was monologuing. "Do you know when I realized this?" Hinata shook her head. "Not long after this mission started. More specifically when I started to talk to you and spend time with you." A lump grew in Hinata's throat. "I didn't know it was possible to have so much fun and get along so well with anyone…" He smiled. "I remember it like it was yesterday…"

"W-W-What is th-that?"

"Remember when I told you what my ideal girl is…?" Hinata thought back to two years ago when Naruto and her were walking alone on that mountain trail.

"I mean Sakura's nice…but she's also a very angry person. Not to mention she's Sasuke-crazed. Even if she wasn't, I'd have to say I want a more subtle girl. One who doesn't jump all over you when you're around. Someone…cute, who will listen to every word I have to say, no matter how silly, who will blush when I put my arm around her…"

"H-Hai…"

"Well, when I said that…I realized that there's only one person I know who could possibly fit that description…and she's the person I really want to be with…" He looked at Hinata and smiled a very sad smile, which pained Hinata to look at. "But I guess it's impossible…She's gotta guy who she's wanted to be with for a while now…" Hinata was shocked. He couldn't possibly be talking about her, could he?

"N-Naruto…k-kun…do you…I mean…is it…?" Hinata was stammering all over herself, she couldn't believe where this was going.

"I'm crazy about you Hinata." Hinata's heart almost stopped completely. "I really, really like you. I have for two years. All I could think about while I was training was to become strong enough to protect you…" He looked away from her.

"N-Na…" Tears of joy were streaming down her face.

"I know it's impossible…" He sighed, "That guy you like must be really amazing…"

"He is…" Hinata said smiling through her tears. Naruto looked away to hide his tears. "He's the most amazing person I know…you may know him…"

"Hina-chan…please…don't…"

"His name…" Naruto clenched his eyes shut and turned his back to her. Hinata wrapped her arms around his stomach and hugged him gently. She put her lips right next to his ear and whispered, "…Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto's eyes widened very, very slowly.

"Y-You mean…" Naruto slowly turned around. "Even though I have the Kyubi…?"

"I've watched you for as long as I can remember Naruto-kun…" She buried her head into his back. "At first I just admired you for being able to say what was on your mind and live happily with who you were." Tears or joy flowed down both of their faces. "That soon turned into a crush…but I was too shy to say anything…especially since you were so avidly trying to go out with Sakura…" She smiled. "You're the most amazing person I know…I hadn't even dreamed that you would like me…"

"I like you Hina-chan." Naruto said wiping his tears away.

"I like you to Naruto-kun…"

"Neh…" He said looking up at the sky. "Will you be my girlfriend…?"

"H-Hai." She said smiling. She let go of Naruto and he turned around to look at her. Naruto wiped her tears away. "Th-this is the happiest day of my life…" She said as a fresh set of tears flowed from her eyes.

"I never thought anyone would associate…let alone like me…being a monster…"

"You're not a monster Naruto-kun…" she said as she put her hand on his cheek. "You're you."

"Thank you, Hina-chan." He looked down at her blushed, smiling face. The sun peaked through the fog for a brief moment shining light on the two of them. The light danced in Hinata's eyes, which gazed lovingly back at Naruto. "I'll protect you."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Naruto watched her lips make every syllable. He suddenly felt compelled to kiss her.

"Hina-chan…" He gulped. "I'm sorry if this is going too far…but I can't help myself…" He pulled the girl forward towards him and their lips met. They were soft, much softer than Naruto had expected. His heart fluttered with excitement as she wrapped her arms around him.

His face suddenly felt wet. He opened his eyes and saw Hinata was crying. Concerned, he pulled away. Their lips tugged at each other as if they too were reluctant to separate. She opened her eyes.

"Why…did you stop…?" She asked. "Was it…unpleasant…?

"No." He said smiling. "It was amazing." He said as he wiped away her tears. "You're crying, and I was concerned."

"I'm just so happy…" Naruto held her head against his chest.

"I am too." He said smiling. "We should probably go…we still haven't eaten." He said and started to move. Hinata grabbed his shirt.

"Can we stay like this a while longer…please…?"

"As long as you want." He said stroking her hair.

"Thank you…" she said. They had had a stressful day so it's no surprise that the new couple dozed off sometime during mid-afternoon and slept until dusk. The two of them had not a care in the world. Life was good.