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Neji went downstairs to get breakfast. When he was expecting a big pile of pancakes on the table, he saw Hinata making a bento box. It was much more than Hinata could eat by herself.

Neji asked," What are you doing so early today?"

Hinata jumped back a little at the sound of his voice," O-Oh I'm going out with a friend t-today." There was a slight blush on her cheeks. Why a-are you up so early. I can m-make y-you breakfast if you w-want."

Neji thought ' Why is she blushing? Is she meeting with the lazy one? It could also be the bug boy' Neji said slowly," Yeah...can you make some pancakes for me? Anyways try to make them quickly because I'm going to the movies with my friends later."

" Okay Neji." Hinata put out a plate of pancakes she was going to eat, but she guessed it wouldn't hurt to share the bento with Naruto. Her face flushed at the thought of Naruto feeding her. Neji gave her a questioning look ' Theres the blush again' " A-Anyway Neji, have fun with your friends okay? My friends are going to come over in the n-noon so, I don't know if y-you want to have your friends over too. "

Neji groaned. Hinata friends were just too strange, or rather too much for him to handle. " Do whatever you want,but don't be home too late." Hinata bowed and left with the giant lunch with a big smile on her face. The training grounds weren't too far away from her house. It was almost time to meet up, and Hinata hasn't even left her house yet. Hinata showed up there out of breathe because she ran there without stopping. Since Naruto wasn't even there yet, Hinata felt stupid dor sprinting like that.

The shady tree beside her looked comfortable and shady. She just wanted to rest her eyes, but ended up falling asleep in a blink of an eye; the weather being nice and warm.

The late boy ran to the training grounds in a panic. ' OH NO I OVERSLEPT. I hope she didn't leave already!' Naruto looked for Hinata frantically, relieved when Naruto found the young girl sleeping. ' She probably got tired waiting for me' Naruto shook her gently, waiting for her to open her eyes. " Hinata, I'm sorry for showing up late," he said in a shushed voice. Hinata turned slightly, but remained asleep..

" Naruto-kun," Hinata ended up whispering back. Who knew what kind of dreams she was having?

Naruto didn't know why, but he immediately back away from the sleeping beauty unable to understand why he did so. Hinata woke up, still feeling sleepy. " Oh Naruto! Your f-face seems pale and your sweating a little"

"Well I thought I saw this giant bug on my shirt and panicked." he lied.

Hinata laughed" I thought you w-were invincible, but e-everyone has there weaknesses."

Naruto also laughed nervously," Now that we're here, what do you want to do?

" Do y-you want to stay here and train?"

Naruto thought about this. He didn't want to stay here all day because she would probably get bored. " I think we should go out to town and do something together." True the towns people didn't like him, but Hinata probably would like to explore what they had to offer. " We could look at the shops and stuff."

Hinata's eyes sparkled ' Does this count as a date?' " I'd love to g-go with you!"

Naruto grinned feeling good that he made the right choice," Just let me grab my mask." Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out a red dragon mask. " I got this mask from my dad. I wear it when I go into town sometimes because its just easier. Besides your dad wouldn't want the heir of the clan to walking around with a nobody like me, right?"

Hinata looked down at her feet. Her dad really wouldn't want her to ruin the family name, but she thought Naruto was still amazing. " I guess your right. The m-mask is beautiful by the way."

" Thanks Hinata, you know your the only person I've ever shown this to? It's because I feel that nobody would care who gave me the mask because everyone would think I've just stolen it." Even though the thought was sad, Naruto still had a goofy smile on his face.

When they started walking towards town, the tension dissapeared. They talked about what they did at home, hobbies, and Naruto asked suddenly," Hey Hina-chan, what do you think of me?"

Hinata blushed. This was way too sudden for her. She couldn't just lie about her feelings, but at the same time she just wasn't mentally prepared. This was also the perfect opportunity for her!," I-I-I really l-like you!" she said quickly. Hinata waited for him to say something. ' Did I just say that? I can't believe it! Now what should I do if he says no...The moment was totally off. I shouldv'e waited some more!' Hinata looked up to see Naruto face. Than she saw how happy he looked.

" Thats great!"

" I-It is?" she said shocked.

" Yeah, I'm glad we're friends Hinata," Naruto said eagerly.

Hinata mind was racing once again with thoughts. ' Stupid stupid Naruto-kun! Well being friends right now is good enough I guess.' Hinata sighed a little, but than said," Yeah I'm glad we're fr-friends too." and she flashed him a smile and Naruto returned it.

Breakfast was the only thing on Naruto's mind at the moment. Naruto who was wearing his mask bought dango, and cinnamon buns for Hinata. The one who sold him the sweets gave him a peculier look, because Naruto did look odd. The only benefit he got wearing the mask was that nobody reconized him, and tat meant nobody could judge him. ' I'm glad I borrowed money from Iruka-sensei yesterday. I hope I'll actually be able to pay him back though' She laughed when Naruto tried to eat one with his mask still covering his mouth, leaving the mask a little sticky. Hinata grabbed a hankerchief and wiped it clean for him, laughing at his blush.

Around lunch time

After they ate Hinata's bento they walked around town looking at the people selling good. Naruto really liked Hinata's cooking and he asked," Do you mind making me lunch again some other time? Ya know if it's not too much trouble because your cooking is just too good!"

Hinata said," It won't b-be a problem. I'm really happy you l-like it." she gave him a radiant smile. For a second, Naruto thought his heart went dokidoki. The curious girl wondered off for a second. Hinata saw this hair pin that cought her eyes and she went over to get a better look at it.

Naruto who just realized that Hinata was missing from his side and called out panicked," Hinata! Where'd you go?" he took a deep breathe and looked around quickly. His face flushed with relief when he saw that she was safe. At the same time Hinata's cousin, Neji spotted her after his movie was finished. His friends were with him, but they didn't seem to notice Hinata. Neji was about to aproach her, but saw a suspicious looking guy wearing a mask come close to her. The boy who was being overly familiar in his book grabbed Hinata's shoulder. " Why'd did ya leave like that?"

Sasuke wondered ' Now who is that guy with Hinata?'

Hinata turned around startled," S-Sorry I didn't really h-have a reason," she lied because she didn't want Naruto to know she wanted the pin. She wasn't suppose to be selfish and asking Naruto to buy it for her was too much. What if he thought she was stupid for wanting such a thing? Before they left Hinata took a quick glance at it again.

A worried cousin was about to go after them, but it suddenly started to rain. Not just a light drizzle, it was a raining hard. They were drenched in seconds. The frustrated boy grabbed Hinata's hand and pulled her to a small roof on a shop.

" Naruto," Hinata whispered embarrassed.

" What's wrong?"

" Y-Your hand..." Naruto let go of her faster than you could say "shy"

Naruto apologized," Sorry bout that. Ahaha" he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Hinata was secretly happy that he held her hand. " No problem." She felt so happy, she could faint! ' I'm feeling a little dizzy, but I really don't want this day to end.'

It didn't look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon, but he should at least get an umbrella. Naruto said," I'm gonna see if there are any umbrellas I can buy, just wait here!" Naruto dashed out in the rain looking for a store. It wasn't too difficult to find one. After exiting the store, Naruto quickly spotted the woman who was selling accessory's. ' One look never hurt anybody.'

The shop owner greeted him. She was a woman in her early 20's. She had long silky, black hair. Her eyes were warm." Welcome little boy! Anything here that interest you?" she gave hin a suggestive look " Or maybe its something for a girl."

Naruto reddened, but his face was hidden by his mask. " How much for that pin?" He asked pointing to the exact one Hinata wanted.

She smiled," 100 yen will be good enough"

Naruto didn't think he heard her right. The pin had a giant orange flower on it. Sure it was made of plastic, but it was still beautiful. ' This would look awfully nice on Hinata...maybe I should get it for her.'

" Onee-san this has to be more than 100 yen. I have money so you don't have to worry about anything."

She laughed.' I'm not interested in making money. Happy, young faces are enough for me. I made these pins myself so, they weren't worth much.' " Thats the right price alright." She looked at the boy again. Even with that mask on, she could tell he held great affection for a person. The young woman used to be a fortune teller in her younger days. " Usually it would be more, but this rain is really ruining my business. Nobody would think of buying something like this in the rain right?"

Naruto nodded. He gave her the money he owed and said," I can come back here and help you if you want"

" I run a small store. My items never need repairing. " she saw the loook on Naruto's face, how he looked dissapointed. " If you want to make it up to me than you can bring the lucky lady here next time."

Naruto grinned," It's a promise!" He ran off to find Hinata.

Hinata spotted Naruto and waved her hand.

" Did I make you wait Hinata?"

Hinata responded," No I-I didn't wait long." Hinata was feeling cold wearing wet clothes.

Hinata was freezing now. Her jacket wasn't helping her, and the tank top she wore under the jacket was too thin to keep her warm.

Naruto handed her the shirt he was wearing. " You should wear this. It probably won't fit you, but its better than wearing just that." he noticed how much Hinata was shivering compared to him.

" Thank you Naruto." Hinata smiled and took the shirt. She went into the shop, the one under the roof there using. She put on the blue shirt Naruto gave her. Even though it was a little big, it was warm. Hianta came out and said," Let's go back to my house, the rain doesn't seem too bad right now." Naruto thought ' She looks adorable with my shirt on...' Naruto held the umbrella and they stuck close to each other occasionally bumping shoulders. Although he was still wearing a mask, and he had no shirt on, everyone was so concentrated on finding shelter on the rain that only few noticed.


Neji wasn't enjoying hinself too much. He lost track of Hinata quickly and decided to go back home.

Meanwhile Neji was already home wondering what happpened to Hinata. All of his friends and Hinata's friends were already over and it was getting ugly. TenTen was fighting with Sakura and Ino. Choji was going ballistic because Kankuro ate the last chip. Lee was running around trying to solve everything to no avail. Sasuke was just sitting in a corner untl Gaara went and took his seat. Now they were glaring at each and Shikamaru was having a fight on which was better, street smarts or book smarts. Kiba's dog ripped one of the expensive pillows.

Someone was knocking on the door and Neji went to answer it.

He was glad to see Hinata safe, but a glare quickly showed up on his face when he saw the masked boy. It was even worse considering Naruto didn't have a shirt on. Neji asked," Hinata, who is that? Why are you wearing an over sized t-shirt?"

Now everyone's eyes were focused on them. Hinata nervously explaned the situation," Th-this is the person I w-went out with t-today. It st-started raining, my c-coat was s-soaked so, he gave me his shirt."

Naruto just nodded his head. " Okay that explains one thing, but why is he here?"

" W-well, I thought it'd be a good idea to come here so, maybe you can lend him some clothes?" she squeaked out.

She expected me to give this stranger my clothes?

Neji sighed," Okay, go upstairs and get new clothes Hinata. If you catch a cold Hiashi will have my head."

Neji went upstairs to get a shirt for him. Naruto said he didn't want to borrow someone else's pants. While he was gone there was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Even though it was so loud and rowdy before. After Neji gave the shirt to him he said," Now whats your name? Take off that mask"

' Who the hell was this guy? Did he think I would just do everything he says?' Naruto thought. Hinata rushed downstairs to see if everything was okay. She could see the tension between them.

TenTen whispered excitedly," This is better than any other drama I've ever watched!"

Hanabi popped out of nowhere and said," Naruto-nii? Is that you? How come you didn't come by and play with Konohamaru and me?"

Anger rose in Neji " How do you know the ruffian?"

" Thats easy, he comes by and plays tag, and give candy to me and Konohamaru sometimes."

Naruto replied," Oh well I had something else to do today. Maybe I'll come visit you guys next time."

A headache was forming for Neji. 'Not only does Hinata hang out with guys I approve of, but Hanabi has been ditching her training to play with others that aren't on par with her skill. The boy with the kyuubi in him is just too much'

All the other guest just gawked. They all knew who Naruto was since he was infamous. Even though there has been no attacks on the village in so many years. Sasuke and Sakura were his teammates, but that was it. Naruto memorized everyone's else from his class before.

Hinata said," Maybe you sh-should take off your mask Naruto."

Naruto did just that. He didn't want to, but Hinata asked so he couldn'r refuse. Naruto was just waiting to hear what kind of insults were gonna be thrown at him, but nobody did. The silence was killing him inside.

Surprisingly Hinata was the first to say something," This is Naruto,...I don't kn-know if you all approve of him, but you should at l-least give him a chance. He's my friend and I want all of you to treat h-him well, and if you don't I-I won't forgive you."

Temari said," Anyone who can make Neji that mad can be my friend and seeing Hinata like this is even rarer."

Shikamaru sighed," Stubborn woman." ' Why can't she mind her own business. heh, it reminds me of the first time we ever talked.'

" Yup I agree with Temari, Neji's just too uptight. Plus, Naruto has never done anything bad to the village , and his pranks never left any pernament damage." TenTen commented.

It might not have been everybody, but it's a start.


It was only 3 p.m. and it was still raining. The weather channel said that it would rain until tomorrow afternoon, and would be best if everyone stayed inside there house since Bback outs were to be expected.

Hiashi said," Its probably best for everyone to stay here. I don't want any complaints from parents. Especically those who are clan heads."

Ino asked," Now what?"

Sakura said," We could flirt with Sasuke"

Temari laughed shaking her head at the two girls," Thats all you guys ever do! Hahaha!"

Sakura and Ino said," Is Sasuke not good enough for you?"

" He's deffinitely not my type, but I do like his face."

They broke into an arguement about it. Sasuke trying to block out whatever they were saying by talking to Hinata. " So, how come you never hang with us?" he gave her an indifferent look " I'm sure your friends wouldn't mind."

Temari yelled," Oh! If your gonna be like that than I'm just going to be with Hinata in her room because its wayyy better than Neji's room!" Before Hinata had a chance to reply, Temari dragged her away and the rest of her friends up to her room. Shikamaru was asking himself how she has so much energy. Gaara was getting dragged not really caring what happened. Gaara could relate to Naruto though. His kyuubi caused many problems for him before too because all the villagers feared his power.

Downstairs Ino decided that they should all go in Neji's room just because she was bored.

Naruto couldn't help but gawk at the room he was in. It was spacious, and heck bigger than his entire apartment. Curiousity got the best of, so he went and looked through all of Hinata's games, occasionally stopping to commenting on one.

Temari said evily," Who do they think that are? Your cousin is such a jerk! I say we should do something to get them even madder than before."

Shino raised an eyebrow. ' This could be interesting'

Hinata protested," W-We shouldn't d-do anything too rash guys."

Naruto agreed with her. Pranks were his specialty though. TenTen whined," I want to see Neji mad again! He rejected my Valentine's chocolate last year. It wasn't like they were romantic chocolates, but I made them for all my friends. I spent all night making it too, because they just never tasted right! Neji didn't care and stepped all over my feelings."

True the chocolates TenTen made weren't the best, but all of her friends ate them just for her.

Temari laughed," Did you guys forget that we have the super genius with us?"

Everyone turned to face Shikamaru. " This cant be good," he said tiredly.