AN: (Did you know that the spelling of Blond and Blonde refer to gender? Such as Ino is Blonde while Naruto is Blond…. I didn't know that until recently! Also sorry for the slightly short chapter….im turning 21 soon so I will be off to Cabo!)

(Sorry for this huge long delay! So many things went wrong! Such as blue screens of death and just simple failure to upload by the site. I hope you all enjoy this long overdue chapter!)

Chapter 13: Lingerer

*Knock Knock*

"Come in."

Ino pulled the door open quickly after hearing permission to enter and stepped into the large office. Scanning the room quickly, she took note of the people who were already occupying the space besides herself.

Sakura and Hinata stood in the middle of the room in front of the Hokage's desk. Both gave Ino a smile and wave, which she greeted back with a smile and hello of her own. Over slightly to the left of Sakura and Hinata, Shikamaru sat on the large sofa that was placed in front of the desk. He threw a lazy wave over his shoulder without looking at her properly.

Over against the right wall of the office stood Naruto with his arms crossed, leaning back against the wall quietly. His right arm that had been in a sling the past couple of days was now free of its restraints, since Kurama had gone into overdrive to heal the arm quickly. It seemed he was able to move it normally since she last saw him little under a week ago on their first date. Now it was wrapped in white bandages, while he still wore his orange athletic tape on his left arm.

Naruto's head was turned towards the window that was beside him, looking out into the village and not acknowledging her presence in the office. Ino slightly frowned at this, but then grew a cheeky smile, seeing the pink tint that now spread over his cheeks with her presence and the quick glance in her direction. She hadn't seen him since their date, but she knew by that glance of his she was still always somewhere on his mind.

She figured his blushing was reinforced by the new mission uniform she was wearing. She picked it up for herself a few days ago since her previous outfit had become just a little old for her taste.

Her new gear was comprised of a purple compression top that hugged her curves nicely. The top had short sleeves that cut off just over her shoulders and had a mesh lining that ran along the side of the top beneath her arms. Her midsection was left exposed, as usual. Her new compression pants that matched her top stopped just above her knees and had the same mesh ling running up the side just as her top did. She wore a new equipment pack that hung around her waist, larger than most, with a Konoha protector fastened to the strap of the bag. Lastly, she wore a mesh sleeve on her right arm with a matching sleeve on her left leg to finish of her new look.

The tightness of the outfit drove Naruto - and he was sure other men - crazy. He especially enjoyed the fact that she was wearing her hair down and not in a ponytail like how she usually wore it. He loved her hair when it was down.

Ino walked forward to stand next to Sakura and Hinata as Shikamaru stood from his seated uninterested position. But before she could even get a word in, Tsunade spoke up from her readings as she placed the document that previously occupied her attention onto her desk.

"Well… it would seem that everyone who was summoned is finally here," Tsunade said calmly, folding her fingers together with her elbows resting on the wood surface of her desk.

The shinobi filed into a straight line in front of Tsunade's desk and gave her a confident nod. Well… all besides Naruto, who still stood against the far right wall, only acting like he was listening to Tsunade. It was now clear to Ino as she more closely focused on his demeanor that something was seriously bothering the man. He looked to be in deep thought.

"May I ask why we were summoned, Lady Tsunade?" Shikamaru asked in a lazy tone, rubbing the back of his neck as if it was sore. "Usually, our summons have at least a brief description as to why we we're being called on… but there was nothing on the scroll I received."

Sakura also nodded with agreement, showing how she had been thinking similar thoughts ever since she got the letter early this morning.

Tsunade only closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation before she pointed a lazy finger over to Naruto, who was now looking at the group of shinobi that stood in front of him, his attention gone from the window.

"I sent the summons…" Naruto informed calmly and in a tone much softer any of them were used to.

This information got a raised brow from Shikamaru, but more of a knowing understanding look from the three girls beside him. They each had a feeling that this particular mission would be coming very soon.

"Huh?" Shikamaru asked with an intrigued brow. "Why would you summon us for a mission?"

Naruto unfolded his arm and strolled his way across the room to stand right besides Tsuande's desk, facing his friends. He had a calm, confident aura to him today. It was refreshing, to say the least.

"We're going to find Molly," Naruto said confidently, receiving a confirming nod from Sakura, Ino, and Hinata.

Shikamaru, on the other hand, only had an even more curious look upon his face than before. He gave Naruto a quizzical gaze, trying to think of a way to go about all the questions that sprung in his head with this given information.

"That's great and all, Naruto… but we don't even know where the hell she is," Shikamaru said calmly, expecting a quick response from the man before him, but only receiving a closed eye and quiet frown.

Shikamaru was about to rattle off another series of questions after Naruto's sudden questionable silence before Tsunade stepped in to fill in some blanks.

"Naruto and I were discussing this before any of you arrived," she said flatly. "Naruto knows that it's a blind trail to find the girl, but we feel we might have a way to at least get some information on where she is. Or, at least, to find out more on who the people were that took her."

"How...?" Shikamaru asked calmly.

Shikamaru looked from Tsunade to Naruto as he reopened his eyes, looking as if he was going to finally explain as to where and how they were going to get such information.

"Back in my travels with Ero-Sennin… I accompanied him to many meetings in which he met with informants that specialized in… well, let's say many areas. In one of these meetings, we met with a man who specialized in… the illegal trading of human beings and information." Naruto spoke slowly so that everyone could understand what he meant.

"Illegal trading of human beings and information?" Sakura repeated with a raised brow, not liking at all how that sounded. "What the hell does that mean?"

Naruto looked slightly to the floor as if he was not very happy about the answer that would be given to the innocent question. Tsunade stepped in to answer for him.

"The man you will be meeting with has no name and is only know on the streets as The Lingerer. He is a wicked and twisted man who has avoided our assassination attempts for years," Tsunade informed before calmly deciding to answer Sakura's question. "And Sakura… He runs and coordinates an underground female slave organization. He hires top league rouge ninja to kidnap noble woman for him."

Everyone in the room besides Tsunade and Naruto went wide eyed and had to take a moment to process what they just heard. The girls were immediately filled with rage while Shikamaru tried his best to find the reasoning to meet with such a man. He decided that short quick questions would get him his answers quicker.

"So when you say… female slaves… you don't mean?" Hinata tried to ask out, but couldn't keep herself from stuttering from the slight shock she felt.

"Yes… his trades usually have the minds of perverts behind them," Tsunade answered with a stern gaze.

The girls only growled with disgust.

"Why are we talking to this guy, then?" Shikamaru asked blandly.

"He does indeed run a slave ring, but he is also the leading man with information on who is being targeted for kidnapping and who has already been snagged," Naruto retorted with a hiss, obviously not at all happy with the man's work. "His business thrives on the kidnapping and distribution of women for his… well… you know… so If there is anyone on this earth that might know with whom, why, and where Molly is… it's him."

"That's a great theory and all, but how do we actually know he has information on Molly, and where do we even find him?" Sakura asked in a rather heated tone, not at all liking this. "Like you said, he's avoided the Anbu for years… he's not a man to be found easily."

"The Lingerer always tries to kidnap girls of noble blood, which Molly undoubtable is, with her father being the legendary sword crafter for the seven swordsmen. I have no doubt he will have at least some information on Molly and possibly her whereabouts," Tsunade informed. "He wouldn't let a high class target like her just fall of the face of the earth without at least some information on how to find her himself."

"And I know where to find him" Naruto said with a frown, knowing what he was going to say next would piss off his friends. "Or at least where to start looking…. Like I said before… Ero-Sennin and I have met with him once prior to get information on a missing woman. He bounces from many different hideouts over the years to remain undetected… but we have information to believe there is a city he frequents regularly."

Silence swept the room for a moment.

"You… you were in the same room as that bastard and you didn't kill him!?" Ino growled out, not believing that Naruto would just let scum like that slip by without a scratch. "How could you!? How many more girls has he taken and made slaves since you let him go years ago!?""

Naruto's frown deepened and his eyes lost some light. He didn't know how to respond; he knew very well at the time he'd wanted the man dead but Ero-Sennin it was ordered from the Hokage herself to let the man live. Tsunade frowned and closed her eyes.

"I gave the order to keep him alive…" she said sadly.

Sakura and Ino's eyes went wide at hearing this and their mouths only hung in somber silence.

"At the time, it was in a better interest to leave the man alive so we could get information on the Akastuki's whereabouts," Tsunade said with a slight frown as Sakura and Ino shot daggers back at her while Hinata showed utter distaste. "It was dark times for the ninja world, if you will remember, so we in turn had to rely on… unconventional means to get ahead."

"But times are different now!" Naruto spoke up, getting the group to look at him. "With the world at peace, there is no need for that scum to be alive. That's why once we get the information we need… we're taking the prick out. And we're gathering any information we can on the whereabouts of his sex rings so we can shut them down," he finished with a dark, narrowed eye, earning a satisfied smile from his female friends and an understanding nod from Shikamaru.

"B… but… how will we even be sure he will see us or answer our questions?" Hinata asked politely.

"He owes me a favor that I plan to cash in." Tsunade informed sternly. "Looking away for these last few years and not killing the bastard when Jiraiya met with him has left him quite a ways in my debt. So as a favor… he will give you the information you need."

Hinata nodded, as well did the others.

"Now…" Tsunade said calmly, spinning her chair slightly to her left so she faced Naruto who stood beside her desk. "Naruto will be leading this mission, with Shikamaru in second command."

Shikamaru as well as the others nodded in understanding.

"Naruto… this will be your first mission ever in which you are leading a platoon. Be strong, and earn the title of Jonin you now wear." Tsunade said firmly, but with slight motherly pride she didn't show outright.

Naruto nodded confidently with little waiver in his eyes and his posture. He knew that there was no way he was going to fail this mission… no way in hell.

Shikamaru understood all of what he needed to except for one last thing.

"So… where do we find this… Lingerer?"

Naruto let a smile spread over his face, actually happy about this answer.

"In the Party Capital of the Five Nations! Luqor… In the Land of Rivers!" Naruto informed with a wide smile and thumbs up.

The group only blankly stared at the man before all responding in simultaneous confusion.

"Huh?"

Tsunade smiled, knowing the town very well, and decided to fill the team in after Naruto's now defeated posture at his friends not knowing of what he was talking about.

"Luqor Town is a club, casino, and bar-enriched city in the middle of the Land of Rivers." Tsunade informed with a smile, seeing the surprised and excited looks that came over the faces of those in front of her. "It's a beautiful village with large sky-reaching buildings, lights, and music ringing out through the entire town. It's quite normal in the day light with nice restaurants and flourishing businesses… but at night… I can assure you, it's called the Party Capital of the Five Nations for a reason."

"How much money did you lose there back in the day, Shishou?" Sakura asked with a smirk and knowing eye.

Tsunade's blush and rambling stutters were all the answer she needed.

"Alright, enough talk," Naruto said sternly, getting the attention of his team. "We head out in 30… Be ready at the village gate by then. Oh, and one last thing… Bring a pair of… party clothes"

The team all nodded with curiosity but decided to let it slide for now, knowing that they had been ordered to leave. The team gave a polite bow, Ino winking at Naruto, and left the office to gather their materials. The door closed after a moment of shuffling feet and Naruto and Tsunade were left alone in the office.

"You said you need to speak with me earlier once we were alone, Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked calmly, turning his attention to the motherly figure next to him.

"Ah, yes, I had almost forgotten," she replied with a relaxed demeanor. "I needed to talk to you about my retirement."

Naruto raised his brow curiously at this, wondering how he was needed for anything that could be happening with her stepping down.

"A little birdy has told me that Kakashi wants you to be his advisor once he takes office," Tsunade said with a smirk while Naruto kept his stern face. "Is this correct?"

Naruto furrowed his brow slightly.

"Yeah, he asked me… what of it?" Naruto responded almost as if he was put off by the question.

"Well… are you going to accept his offer, Naruto? I mean, he takes office in three weeks… not a lot of time for you to dwell on the matter," Tsunade informed, wanting Naruto to understand that if he was going to accept, she needed to hear it sooner rather than later.

Naruto turned away with a glare in his eyes as he thought about the question.

"Speaking of Kakashi-Sensei, I sent him a summons so he could go on this mission too, but it looks like he didn't want to show!" Naruto spat out in distaste, trying to change the subject.

"He's out of the village on personal matters right now, Naruto, and I'm sure he's very sorry he could not accompany you on this mission," Tsunade replied with a sigh in her voice. "Now stop dancing around the subject and tell me if you're going to accept Kakashi's offer or if I need to tell him to find someone else. "

Naruto narrowed his eyes to the floor as silence rang out in the office, the soft sound of chirping birds being the only thing to break it.

"I'll give him an answer after I get back…" Naruto said sternly as he shunshined out of the room in a large puff of grey smoke before Tsunade could protest.

Tsunade only growled slightly at how hard-headed the boy could be before pulling a sake glass from her drawer and taking a swig straight from the bottle.

'That man always finds a way to bring me to drink!'

(8 Hours Later) 6:53 P.M. Deep in the Land of Rivers –

Leading the team with great pace, Naruto could begin to see familiar surroundings of his travels with Jiraiya as they reached ever closer the town of Luqor. Trees that only grew in near proximity of the town were beginning to pop up her and there, bringing a smile from Naruto, knowing after their long travel they would soon be able to rest. And sure enough, just as Naruto was about to inform his team of their location… the village came into view in the distance.

Naruto looked at it with a slight smile that quickly contorted into sternness, knowing what the town lay in store for himself and his friends.

The rest only looked on at the town – no, more of a city, if they could say so themselves, with awe at its brilliance. They were easily still a few miles out from the town, and yet the tall towers and beautiful glass buildings could be easily seen. Sunlight shimmered and danced off the glass as the setting sun behind them created a warm, orange sky above. It looked amazing.

'So beautiful…' Sakura thought with an open mouth. Not once in her life had she seen such amazing and dazzling architecture.

With the glittering buildings becoming ever closer, only Naruto and Shikamaru even registered that they had made it to the front of the city's gates. As their running slowed into a comfortable walk towards the guard's booth outside of the closed gate, it was hard not to notice the sound of muffled music of clubs and what they could guess were festivities going on on the other side of the large gate.

"May I help you?" a younger gentleman asked from within the guard's booth as they approached, grabbing the attention of Naruto.

"We are from Konohagakure. We are here on personal matters and have been given access in advance to enter your city," Naruto informed politely as he pulled out a scroll from his bag and handed it to the guard which Tsunade had given him earlier.

After a quick read through, the guard handed back the scroll, and with a quick pull of a lever, the doors to the city slowly began to swing open, revealing the boisterous and loud commotion that laid within. Naruto furrowed his brow while his team showed faces of amazement and curiosity.

Once the large gate doors finished their slow creak open, the team finally understood why Naruto referred to it as the "Party Capital." Walking through the streets, the entire team's heads were swiveling as they tried to take in all of the sights and sounds in one impossible go. People walked by in costumes and bikinis and formal clothes, all seeming to be coming from and going to exciting and fun locations. Shop vendors beckoned out to the streets for wandering customers to make their way into their shops. The smell of tantalizing food almost made them give in to their calls.

Music played out from shops that were packed with customers and street bands that walked through the crowds of people trying to make a quick tip. The buildings of casinos and resorts lined the streets in massively tall and miraculous buildings. The resorts were all fenced off, but one could still see the massive pools and hot tub side bars that laid in front of the large locations. Relaxing in a hot tub sounded amazing to Shikamaru at the moment, who wanted to get off his aching feet.

"This is amazing!" Ino said with an exited squeal, grabbing Sakura's shoulder and pointing to a store they were passing by that had just caught her attention. "Sakura! They have a Henry Vuitton here!"

Sakura gasped with sparkling eyes, knowing she absolutely had to at least step inside.

"We have to go! I heard they just came out with their summer collection!" Sakura squealed with equal excitement.

The pair made a move through the large crowd to begin walking over to the store before a very loud whistle caught their attention, making them turn back to where the team was walking. Naruto glared at them, not happy that he had to stop in this bustling crowd. He lowered his fingers from his mouth, showing he was the one who whistled.

"Don't forget, we're on a mission!" Naruto yelled over the crowed with a stern look, earning a frown from the two woman who sulkily marched their way back to the group. "We need to check into our hotel before doing anything else…. But just maybe I'll let you all go and have fun tonight before we get to work tomorrow morning!"

'Hard ass,' Ino thought bitterly, following Naruto once again through the crowd.

Making their way for what felt like forever to Ino, they eventually made it the front gates of a rather large resort/casino building located in the innermost part of the city.

The group walked up the long stone path that led to the large building that must have been at least 50 stories high. Ino and Hinata enjoyed watching the courtyard fountain that ran with the path dance and shoot water high into the air with amazing patterns and displays. This place just kept getting better and better.

Once reaching the front, they were greeted by two gentlemen who pulled back the doors and allowed the group to walk into the large lobby. The inside was bright, with shiny reflective tile lining the floor and high rise ceilings above, giving off the mood of a high class feel. The sound of music and commotion could be heard from deeper within the building, with also the sound of what they cold guess were slots and casino games.

Naruto made his way to the front desk in the middle of the dome-shaped room, followed by his team.

"Reservation for Uzumaki," he stated, letting his backpack roll of his shoulder and onto the floor next to him, finally able to relax slightly after their long days travel.

"Oh, so now you know what a reservation is, eh?" Ino said from behind jokingly. Naruto twitched in agitation and threw a glare over his shoulder at her.

She only giggled and waved off the curious looks the others gave at her comment.

"Ah, here you are!" the receptionist said with a smile as she typed some information into the computer screen in front of her. "I have you booked for the master suite on the top floor!"

Naruto nodded, seeing as that was where Tsunade informed him they would be staying when she had given him the mission scroll holding all of the little details of their travel. After being handed the down payment for their stay, the hostess quickly gave him a keycard and directions to the nearest elevator, which was down the hall in the casino.

As they made their way through the casino, Naruto looked over the large room that was filled with slot machines and poker tables. There were no windows, as usual with high end gambling halls. The music and chimes of the machines were loud but also tantalizing, edging the group to stop and spend a few dollars and see if they had the good fortune to win some back.

Naruto only rolled his eyes seeing the sparkle the glowed in his friends' eyes… well, except Shikamaru, who looked more interested in a nap than anything else.

They wedged themselves in to the elevator, barely fitting in. Sakura scanned over the buttons, looking for the highest number.

"Man, this building is big! The highest floor is 45 stories up!" Sakura exclaimed as she pushed the button, initiating the movement of the small ascending room.

As the elevator slowly made its way to the top, Ino decided to pass her time by reading a pamphlet she picked up when they were check-in at the front desk. Scanning over the information, she delighted with everything she found that piqued her interest.

"This place has a spa, indoor and outdoor pool, 24 hour room service, and a bar and club located on the bottom floor after 10pm!" she announced in excitement.

"We're not here for pleasure, Ino-Chan…" Naruto retorted with a growl, not comfortable at the moment in the claustrophobic elevator. "We're here to search for the Lingerer and get the information we need from him."

"Ya, well, I'll definitely be starting my search and intel gathering at the spa!" she replied happily, earning rolled eyes from Naruto.

After a few more agonizing moments, the elevator doors opened to the top floor. Naruto pushed everyone out so he could take a breath.

Looking around, they noticed how it was just a short, red, carpeted hallway that lead to a slick pair of double black doors at the end. The plaque on the door said '5 Star Suite.'

Naruto and the others made their way to the door and he slid the room card through the slot. The doors slowly creaked open to reveal the most amazing hotel room Naruto had ever seen.

'Damn, Baa-Chan! You go all out!' Naruto thought with wide eyes as he made his way into the suite.

The group slowly filed into the large opening, a living room-like space.

The living room was in the shape of a dome, with a huge glass chandelier hanging high above in the center. There was a large, U-shaped couch that faced a wide-screen TV on a wall. The entire far wall from the front door was a large sliding glass door that lead to a balcony that over looked the city. Off to the left of the room was a large luxury kitchen that was made of marble with stainless steel appliances.

To the right of the front door, there was a hallway that led to 5 doors that they were guessing were their bedrooms and bathrooms.

Shikamaru whistled, looking at the high-class living room.

"Nice place," Ino said with an awestruck tone.

Naruto threw his bag onto the couch as he walked by, making his way to the large glass door. He pulled open the door, letting the fresh air sweep through the suite as he took in a large breath.

"Alright… we've had a full day's travel. So I'll give everyone the night off, but come 6 O'clock tomorrow morning… we start our mission!" Naruto said sternly as he looked out at the view the balcony provided.

"Don't you think we should try and get some information on the Lingerer?" Sakura asked, kind of shocked that Naruto had taken such a turn in his prioritizing. "You know the sooner we find him, the sooner we can rescue Molly?"

Hinata and Shikamaru agreed with small nods.

"Trust me, Sakura, I want to find Molly more than anyone… but a tired and distracted team does me no good," Naruto replied calmly. "So since this is all your first time here in Luqor, I will allow you all to enjoy yourselves for tonight. And with everyone out and about, we might stumble upon something we never would have even thought to look for!"

Naruto smiled to himself softly.

"It's a trick Ero-Sennin taught me years ago," he said as he turned to look back at his team. "The best way to get information on a hard-to-find person is to act like you aren't looking at all."

The rest of his team all raised their brows to this reasoning.

Naruto huffed at their expressions in exasperation, and physically deflated for a moment.

"If we go asking questions and actively look for the Lingerer, he will just run… he has spies for him coating this entire city," Naruto informed, getting a more interested reaction from his friends. "Trust me… the Lingerer already knows we are in the city… and he most likely knows we are interested in finding him. So if we show up prowling the city… he will flee, and are hopes of finding Molly are going to go to shit."

"Well, what are we going to do?" Ino asked, obviously trying to understand the reasoning for such a plan. "It's not like we can just sit on our asses and wait for him to come to us…"

Naruto smiled at the question.

"Yes… that's exactly what we're gonna do." Naruto said with a calculating grin.

"What?" Hinata asked in confusion.

"When Ero-Sennin and I met with him before, he came to us after a while of us being in the city… so there's no need for us to look at all… We'll receive an invitation to where he is lurking in the next couple of days…" Naruto informed as he crossed his arms. "Trust me."

"W…why would he do that? I mean, he would be giving us exactly what we want!" Ino remarked with obvious nods from the rest.

"And can't we just find him with your Sage Jutsu? You are able to sense people from miles away with that thing…" Shikamaru chimed in, making a rather good point. "There would be no use for us to waste time waiting if you're able to do that."

Naruto turned to the side and looked back out to the city with a calm demeanor. The wafting breeze that came through the room ruffled his hair softly.

"My Sage chakra won't be able to find him…" Naruto informed with a sigh. "He is always held up in safe houses with more protective seals than anyone's abilities could penetrate… How do you think the Anbu haven't been able to find him unless he wants to be found?"

"And Ino-Chan… sometimes the easiest way to get out of a confrontation is to give the person what they want," Naruto said calmly. "He knows we want information… and once he realizes we aren't leaving until we get it… he'll cower, just like the little chicken shit he is, and he'll give us what we want so he can continue with his days. Well, he doesn't know we plan on killing him this time though, he-he."

The team nodded and smiled as they actually liked Naruto's reasoning. It was understandable for the man to be under sealing protection to avoid being found, and it also helped that Naruto and Jiraiya had actually lived through this before and if that's what the Lingerer was known for doing… then they would wait for his invitation.

"Now, go enjoy the town! We can only pass the time, after all!" Naruto said with a winning smile as he turned to look back at his team.

However upon turning, he only caught the pink and purple blurs of Hinata and Sakura as they sprinted down the hall to his left towards the bed rooms so they could change and head out to do whatever. Hinata smiled sweetly and saluted before turning and running off to her own room. Naruto frowned and grumbled under his breath at being blown off.

'Bastards… they could have at least waited for me to finish!' he thought bitterly.

Shikamaru simply sighed in laziness and plopped down on the large couch, resting his head now that the tiresome conversation was over.

"You know, your face will stick like that if you continue to silently fume with your face all contorted. Maybe you should chill," Shikamaru said calmly with a yawn, getting Naruto's attention. "Trust me… being a leader isn't always getting everyone to do everything you want."

"I'm just trying to…" Naruto started before narrowing his eyes at the snoring coming from his friend.

"ZzZzZz…."

Naruto twitched an eye at the man sleeping before him, not knowing if he should be impressed or worried of how quick he was able to nod off.

'Some things never change…' Naruto thought jokingly. "But… maybe he's right. Let the girls do as they please… we have to be patient, after all.'

Naruto sighed heavily, deciding to just relax and let time flow for now.

He turned with heavy shoulders so he was facing out towards the balcony again, but to his surprise, he saw Ino staring out over the railing to the city below. He was kind of shocked that she had somehow got by him in the brief encounter he had with Shikamaru, but with a shrug he just simply smiled and made his way to stand beside her.

Ino stared calmly at the bright neon lights below before noticing the sound of footsteps coming up behind her on the creaky wooden balcony. She didn't pay it much mind, however, as she was very aware of who the steps belonged to.

"Hey… Ino-Chan" Naruto said in a soft tone as he took the spot directly to the left of her, leaning just as she was on the railing.

Naruto loved the view from their room. They were in the resort and casino side of town so they could easily see over the smaller buildings around them and get a true feel for the city. Neon lights shown down below them from the streets. They could easily see Downtown Luqor, which was about a mile away. The tall skyscrapers and bright flashing of clubs and bars could even be seen from this distance. Naruto couldn't decide if he loved the city… or hated it. He scanned the view from right to left before finally landing his eyes on Ino.

Ino seemed to be doing the same as Naruto as she eventually landed her eyes upon him as well. She simply looked him up and down before returning to enjoying the view. She placed her chin in her palm with her elbow on the metal bar of the railing. Naruto didn't know how to feel about that interaction.

"So… what's up?" Naruto asked awkwardly, just realizing this was the first time they had been alone since their brief kiss after their date a few nights back.

"Eh… nothing much." Ino stated calmly with a shrug, almost seeming uninterested.

Naruto felt let down at her casual response, but then finally saw the faint red tint that crossed over the woman's cheeks. He relaxed just a bit, knowing she was feeling just as awkward as he was.

"So… uhh-"

"Was that your first?" Ino suddenly interrupted, turning to look up at him with a soft shimmer in her eyes from the lights around them.

Naruto arched his brow.

"My first what?" he asked carefully, truly not understanding the question.

Ino's blush increased as a quivering smile graced her face. She turned back to the view.

"Kiss… was that your first kiss?" she asked in a shy tone that didn't really fit her personality. Usually, she would have been kind of sexual if she had asked that to any other person, but like a lot of things with Naruto… it was different.

Naruto looked away with a tint.

"W…what do you mean? You saw me kiss H…Hinata?" He replied with a quivering tone.

"If you even count her…" Ino replied bitterly not liking she had forgotten such a detail.

Naruto's face then fell into a sickening white as he twitched and convulsed with horror as a certain memory resurfaced in his mind.

Ino looked over seeing the man's actions, wondering what could be possibly be going through his head to make him act in such a way to her question. She really felt kind of offended for a moment.

"What the hell are you freaking out about?" Ino asked heatedly, watching Naruto shiver and spit out his tongue in disgust.

"You Nor Hinata were…. my first kiss…" Naruto stated in a quivering tone. "Sasuke was…"

Ino looked at the man before her with slowly widening eyes. His awkward answer had thrown her for a loop before she, too, remembered what had happened to the two of them in the classroom almost 7 years ago.

Her reaction was to be expected.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ino burst into a loud boisterous laughter that made Naruto twitch in anger.

He watched as she bent over, clutching her sides. Still laughing at the top of her longs, she was practically rolling on the floor with hysteria.

"I had… (giggle) completely forgotten… (giggle) about that!" Ino gasped in-between her fits of laughter. "If only I'd had a camera that day!"

Naruto continued to watch her roll around in laughter with narrow eyes. He was very much unamused.

"Yeah… haha…" Naruto responded in complete monotone, his arms crossed over his chest showing his displeasure. "It was real funny, Ino-Chan."

Ino sat up and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Awh man…. You have to warn a girl before you bring up funny shit like that, Naruto-kun!" Ino said with a now red face, her cheeks hurting.

Naruto flipped her the bird and turned away with a childish huff.

"Oh come on, Naruto-Kun! It was funny!" Ino pleaded as she stood and tried to pry Naruto away from the bar of the balcony by his arm, but was failing horribly.

Naruto shot a jokingly irritated look over his shoulder as Ino still tugged on him to turn towards her.

"Well I hope you enjoyed yourself with your little comedy sesh, because you just blew the possibility of ever getting kisses from this guy… ever again!" Naruto said with a humorously bad snobbish tone as he tried to keep himself from laughing at this point as well.

Ino stopped tugging on him after hearing that, making Naruto feel that he had won their little play fight. But Naruto couldn't see the wicked smirk that spread over Ino's face as she leaned in close to him.

Naruto's eyes shot open from his closed eyed smirk as he felt Ino wrap her arms around his torso with her body pressed to his back. Her breath was right on his neck, which made his entire body tingle with shivers. He tried to keep himself composed as the soft pressure that was on his back made his head go blurry, knowing, without even looking, that it was her chest pressed seductively against him.

Ino raised up on her toes so she could reach Naruto's ear easier as she let her breath tickle him even more. She could tell her hot breath was getting to him by the slight shiver she just felt him make. She smiled wickedly, leaning in close so Naruto could hear her soft whispers.

"But Naruto-Kun… if we can't kiss… however am I supposed to get you in the mood for what I had planned for…. Later Tonight?" Ino whispered seductively, putting a little more emphasis on tonight than Naruto could handle as she clearly felt his back stiffen at her words.

As she hummed in a way that sounded more like a moan, Naruto finally let his head turn with an almost robotic slowness. His face was a dead blank with a deep strawberry red coating his tan features. His nose which now sported a crimson stream sniffled ever so slightly.

"W… w… what?" was the only word Naruto was able to mutter as his head swirled with sudden impure thoughts.

Ino batted her eyes with her thick eyelashes, giving a little more effect as she leaned up even further so her nose was touching Naruto's. Naruto trembled as he watched her slowly raised up closer to him. Their eyes locked as the seductive look never left Ino's face before she finally leaned even further so her breath tickled Naruto's lips as she whispered.

"Just… kidding…" Ino burst into laughter and turned on her heels so she could make her way back inside, knowing she had hands down just won their play fight. As she made her way with a boisterous laughter, she turned and gave a wink to the dead-faced Naruto.

"I'm going shopping and you will be escorting me! So be ready, because we will be leaving as soon as I'm ready!" Ino said with a giggle as she pulled the sliding glass door closed behind her, walking towards her room.

Naruto was left standing alone with a blank face towards the direction Ino had just departed in.

His red ace slowly went back to normal and his nose dried… however his fully wide eyes that were still showing his absolute shock at what all had just gone down in the past 30 seconds never relaxed. He slowly and robotically tuned back to the view behind him as he contemplated what had just happened. He stared blankly into the night.

"So… that's what it feels like to get played…"

-1 Hour Later -

The crowds that slowly moved through the streets were loud and lively in the night air. It was getting late, but the city showed no sign of dyeing down any time soon. Naruto walked casually with his hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone listing to Sakura chat away about nonsense she had seen on the other side of town. His headband was left at the suit as to not rouse suspicion with the town's people. He watched Ino just a few passes ahead of him jump back and forth from one side of the street to the other looking into shop windows with enthusiasm. The strip mall they were going through had no idea they had a professional shopper in their mists.

"Yeah, Sakura-Neechan, everything's fine over here…" Naruto said casually into his phone never taking his eyes off Ino. "Just be sure that you and Hinata keep your eyes open…we could very well be under watch."

"Yeah, yeah I'm on it. Shikamaru is even with us so I'm sure if something were going to happen he would notice immediately.' Sakura's voice chimed from the phone.

Naruto nodded to no one in particular to Sakura's words before a cheer from Ino sounded out over the crowed grabbing his attention.

'Well, at least she's enjoying herself…' Naruto thought with a sweat drop watching the full grown woman bound about like a child along the streets.

"Ohhhh Naruto-Kun! Come in here!" Ino called back with a giggle as she practically sprinted inside one of the larger purse shops in the mall.

"Sigh…"

"Alright, Sakura-Neechan I've got to go. Ino's dragging me away into some store." Naruto said with absolute no interest.

He heard Sakura giggle at that.

"Alright blockhead just keep your wits about yah. Especially with that pig with you." Sakura said with a snicker.

Naruto only rolled his eyes and pressed the end call button after a shallow goodbye.

Naruto sighed, placing the phone in his pocket, and weaved his way through the large crowd to make his way to the door of the shop. As he waited for the lagging mechanical doors to slide open he could already see Ino standing in the checkout line waiting to purchase the purse she was holding.

'(Sigh) at least we won't be in here long…' Naruto thought in a laid back lazy voice, making it seem that Shikamaru had rubbed off his personality on him over the years.

"That was quick!" Naruto said in a mockingly interested voice.

Ino looked over to the approaching man and smiled wickedly.

"Can you believe my luck!? They only release this brand of purse once a year and only in limited quantity! Once I saw it was the last one, I just had to have it!" she replied with a wicked laugh that earned a sweat drop from Naruto.

He looked over his shoulder to see two men walking a bewildered woman away on a gurney, peeking Naruto's curiosity.

"What happened to that woman?" Naruto asked casually as the line slowly moved forward towards the register.

"She tried to get the bag for herself… I thought otherwise…" Ino said darkly with a wicked giggle and grin.

Naruto turned his head back to face her with a flick. His eyes wide in awe.

"What the hell, Ino?! You were in this store for like 5 seconds before I got here!" Naruto asked with shock that something like that went down in the few seconds Ino had enter the store before him. "What the hell did you fucking do?!"

"Like I said Naruto-Kun... I HAD to have it! He-he!" Ino said with an evil glint.

"You have issues… you know that…?" Naruto said in a monotone voice watching the woman be carried away.

"Don't we all?" Ino replied wittedly as she handed over the money for her purchase at the cash registers desk.

Naruto decided to look around casually for a moment waiting for Ino to finish so they could leave the store and watch Ino take off again like a bat out of hell to the next shop. He scanned the crowed of woman in the store trying to find something interesting to grab his attention in this shopping trip of hell.

'This is so boring….' Naruto thought bitterly still scanning the crowed as Ino chatted away with the cashier, not noticing the glares she was getting from the woman behind her in line.

Naruto took one last glance over the crowd before another pair of eyes staring right back at him caught his attention. It was that of a female… he could tell that much, but the hoodie she had pulled over her head kept her features from being fully seen. She was standing about 15 yards away, right next to the entrance of the shop. She didn't move.

Naruto stared back into the blank eyes of the woman that surprisingly did not waver with his gaze. She seemed to be completely focused on him… like the rest of the world was just washed out.

He recognized her… or at least felt like he had seen her face before. He squinted his eyes as he gazed upon the woman. He was just about to begin walking over towards her before a large, burly woman walked across his field of vision for just a moment, obscuring his vision of the mysterious girl. By the time the woman had fully passed… the girl was gone.

'What...? Did she just Shunshin or something?' Naruto thought in shock as he quickly made it over to the spot the woman had just been standing to see if she was hiding just out of sight. But no… she was truly gone… like a ghost.

"What the hell... Who was that?" Naruto whispered to himself, looking around the store to catch a glance of the woman once again.

He looked all around before frowning and raising a brow.

"She seemed so… familiar... Just where have I seen that face before?" Naruto asked himself quietly, a blank, deep in thought look over his features.

He took a casual look down to the floor in a childish pout and saw a small envelope placed directly on the spot the woman had stood. His eyes widened in shock to see his name was neatly written on the front.

Quickly bending over, he picked up the parchment and turned it over to see it was sealed with a stamp.

"Naruto-Kun! What are you doing?" Ino asked in a cheerful tone as she walked up behind him, not noticing Naruto didn't hear her in the slightest.

Peering over Naruto's shoulder, she could see what appeared to be a torn open envelope in his left hand and what looked to be a letter in his right. She was about to ask another question when, without warning, Naruto dropped the letter he was holding and took off in a dead sprint out of the store and down the crowded street, not caring if he knocked over pedestrians as he did so.

Ino was left flabbergasted, watching him take off out of nowhere. She had to take a moment to understand what just happened.

"H… Hey! What the hell, Naruto-Kun!? Where are you going?" Ino yelled in anger with a shaking fist, knowing damn well Naruto was already too far to hear her.

Huffing in frustration, Ino turned back to the letter Naruto had just dropped, wondering if it held some clue as to why he had just taken off with pure determination in his eyes.

Picking it up and unfolding it with a flick of her thumb, she read over the contents briefly. Her eyes slowly widened as she did so, and just as Naruto had done… Ino began booking it down the street after Naruto.

Ino growled bitterly, throwing her shopping bags over her shoulder so she could run more freely. "That idiot could have at least waited!"

As Ino sprinted her way through the streets, she tried her best to dial Shikamaru's number.

The letter she had let fall softly landed on the store floor. Its paper unfolded with the contents available for anyone to read.

Uzumaki Naruto,

Gonza Club, Westside.

You Have 10 Minutes… Not a second longer.

Sincerely, T.L.

END CHAPTER 13