Naruto:Death's Second Chance

by Le loup de Kaiser

Ever since the attack of the Kyubi, Naruto was shunned as ‘Konoha’s Demon’ when he was born with the Kyubi sealed in him. His life was miserable beyond grief. NaruHina, Naruto/Bleach Crossover.

16. The Road to Wave

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Ever since the attack of the Kyuubi, Naruto was shunned as 'Konoha's Demon' when he was born with the Kyuubi sealed in him. His life was miserable beyond grief. Time passed by and he has slowly proven himself as its jailer instead of its incarnate. But despite this, love never truly touched the young jinchuuriki's heart until death came over him.

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A/N: I do not own Naruto, Bleach or any other canonical characters. If I did, I wouldn't be here in FF now would I?

A/N: There will be fluff in this one and it will stabilize their relationship together.

Talking
'thinking/flashback'
Kyuubi Talking/Jutsu
'Kyuubi Thinking'

Chapter 16

The Road to Wave

As the one-eyed jounin arrived…

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Kakashi arrived just in time to see the angry deathglares that shot at him from his three students in the middle of the training ground. Ignoring their riled up blood, He then spoke,

"Hi fellows, Good morning."

All three of his 'loveable' students simultaneously shouted,

"YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi, as level-headed as he could be, made his very annoying excuse.

"A black cat crossed my path, so…"

Seeing their still angered glares, he decided to drop the useless excuse and get right to the point. He then cleared his throat and began his explanation of the test. He placed an alarm clock on a stump set at twelve p.m. and pushed the timer. He then took out two silver bells and said,

"Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me. Whoever can't, will have no lunch."

Sasuke and Sakura were surprised with the turn of events while Naruto inwardly smirked knowing all to well what this test implied. Kakashi then pointed to three wooden stumps and continued.

"I'm going to tie you there and eat lunch in front of you."

The stomachs of the three genins began to grumble at the realization of why they weren't supposed to eat breakfast.

Naruto paid his empty belly no heed as he began racking his brains for every possible strategy needed for his team to cooperate and succeed. With his hands in his pockets, he took advantage of his preoccupied teammates and placed a henge on two rocks in his pocket so that they looked exactly like the silver bells as he mentally said,

'Kakashi-sensei must be laughing in his head by now. And if I'm right, Sakura should have realized there are two bells.'

And right on schedule, Sakura then said,

"But wait, why are there only two bells?"

Kakashi's visible eye formed a u shape as he replied,

"Since there's only two, at least one will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail since he failed to complete the mission. The person will have to go back to the academy. It might be just one or all three. You can use your shuriken. You won't be able to get this unless you have the will to kill me."

Sakura then protested as she said,

"But that's too dangerous, sensei."

Kakashi paid it no heed and monotonously continued.

"We will start after I say, 'Ready, Start."

Naruto inwardly grinned as he removed his hands from his pocket while secretly holding the fake bells and charged at the one-eyed jounin. He ran fast enough for a genin level, but slow enough so that Kakashi would underestimate him. His teammates gasped at the sudden outburst of Naruto as he charged their jounin-sensei. Halfway through to the white haired jounin, Naruto swung his right arm down revealing his hidden kunai which raised an eyebrow on Kakashi and caused Sasuke and Sakura's eyes to widen. They knew Naruto was armed to the teeth, but to even hide a kunai in his sleeves? When the young blonde readied the kunai in a reverse grip to stab the jounin, Kakashi then took advantage of the situation as he began putting the blonde in the same submission technique he was once in during his past lifetime. Naruto of course, knew how his sensei did that this time, as he saw every movement in slow motion. Naruto then quickly stole the bells from Kakashi and replaced it with the fake ones without him even noticing as he gripped the real ones along with his kunai and was forced to submit in the same position as last time with his kunai aimed at the back of his neck.

Sakura and Sasuke were shocked at the speed and skill that the jounin displayed to them. Kakashi then said to the brash young blonde,

"I didn't say 'start', yet. And by the way, nice tactic with the concealed blade, it really caught me off guard there although your movements were a bit to slow making it easy to predict."

Sakura and Sasuke took a few steps back as Kakashi released his grip on Naruto. The young blonde then irritatedly remarked,

"Kuso! I thought I had you there with my hidden kunai! Guess I have to think harder if I want to beat you."

Sakura and Sasuke were utterly shaken into seriousness. Naruto was able to catch him off guard because of the concealed weapon but obviously, it wasn't going to be easy to truly catch the one-eyed jounin off guard in time to take the bells.

Naruto inwardly grinned once more as he saw the shaken morale of his team as he retracted the hidden weapon back in its sleeve. Kakashi of course, made a mental reminder of the new revelation about the young blonde and became even more wary off him but not to the point it was an actual threat. This would change however as the blonde had deviously prepared for this day.

Kakashi then said,

"It looks like you have the will to kill me. I think I can begin to like you three. We're going to start now."

The three genins took a defensive position as they prepared themselves for the test. Kakashi saw their ready forms and decided it was time to begin. He then gave them the signal and they took off into the forest.

When all three disappeared from sight, Kakashi took a look around as he began to look for their presence within the area. He managed to locate Sasuke in the tree branches near the forest to his right and Sakura in the underbrush of the bushes in the same direction and mentally said,

'Good, everyone is hidden nicely…'

His thoughts were broken as he looked in front of him and saw Naruto standing there with his arms crossed. He sweatdropped as did Sakura and Sasuke at the stupidity of the young blonde as he screamed at the jounin in front of him,

"Let's have a match fair and square!"

Naruto then intentionally charged recklessly once more before stopping midway as he saw Kakashi reach into his back pouch. Naruto then revealed his hidden kunai in his right hand as he took it in a reverse grip and steeped his stance deeper to prepare for any assault. What Kakashi pulled was exactly what Naruto was expecting, the first edition of Icha Icha Paradise.

'Everything is going according to plan Kyuubi. Looks like we'll be out of here in no time.'

Sakura and Sasuke both blushed as they saw the book for they knew of its contents as they have been able to read it. They were surprised at how laid back their sensei was to them. But after seeing how he treated Naruto earlier, they weren't dropping their guard anytime soon.

Kakashi then read the book and giggled pervertedly after every page. Naruto then took this chance and recoiled his blade and then made his trademark handseal and said,

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

He made ten clones and charged at the busy jounin while one clone lagged behind in the back. Kakashi then took another mental note.

'Oh? So he knows the Kage Bunshin. Not bad. It's pretty useful in training and reconnaissance. But…'

The clones gave it all they got as Kakashi evaded their blows and made several counterattacks without looking up from his book. Until he spotted the clone lagging behind and swiftly got behind him in the all too familiar kneeling position as he said,

"A ninja should never allow himself to be caught by the enemy behind him."

Kakashi had his book in between his hands in the tiger seal as he pointed it in the only place were it would matter up close. Sakura and Sasuke who were observing the battle, were shocked at what was going to happen.

Sakura then mentally said,

'That hand position…is he going to use a high level ninjutsu on Naruto?'

Sasuke who knew the seal all too well mentally said,

'That seal is for…Fire Elements. That teacher isn't going to just run around.'

Sakura panicked as she realized that Kakashi-sensei wasn't just going to beat around the bush this time. She then screamed,

"Naruto, run! You're going to die!"

Naruto didn't respond as Kakashi said,

"You're too late. Konohagakure Hiden, Taijutsu no Ougi, Sennen Goroshi!"

Naruto's anus was the target of the attack as Kakashi threw his fingers into it and sent the young blonde screaming and flying into the air as his remaining clones dispersed causing his temmates to sweatdrop as Kakashi smirked at his triumph and said,

"Well, that should help him cool off. Now for the—"

Before he could speak again, the Naruto that was sent flying into the air, puffed out of existence. He felt a familiar presence behind him and the voice of a familiar loud mouth genin speak as it said,

"Like you said Kakashi-sensei, a ninja should never allow himself to be caught by the enemy behind him. Konohagakure Hiden, Taijutsu no Ougi, Sennen Goroshi!"

Kakashi was sent screaming and flying into the air as he dropped his scandalous orange book allowing the young blonde to nab it and disappear in the foliage. His two teammates were surprised and embarrassed nonetheless by the antics of the young blonde and the one-eyed jounin. But why didn't he take the bells like he was supposed to and took the book instead? Their questions were soon going to be answered as Naruto appeared behind each of them. This time of course, he purposely let them feel his presence so that they would turn around and see him.

The Naruto behind Sakura then said to her,

"Sakura-san, I've figured out the purpose of this survival test. Let's head further in the forest. Sasuke's waiting there for us."

When the pink haired girl heard the mention of Sasuke, she agreed and followed him in the forest where Sasuke was waiting with another clone of Naruto. They then sat down as the original opened his map and took out the scandalous orange book as the clone disappeared. Sasuke then broke the ice and said,

"So what do you mean you found out the purpose of the test? Isn't it about grabbing the bells?"

Naruto shook his head as he said,

"Not really. I figured it out as Kakashi-sensei explained the instructions. You have to read what's underneath the underneath. The test is about teamwork."

Sakura frowned with a questioning expression as she said,

"Explain."

Naruto then said,

"Think about it. All the genins are each put in a four man cell, right? Yet the test has only two bells and not three so one is supposed to fail no matter what…or at least that's what it looks like. Then there's the other thing in which we are faced with an opponent much stronger than us, a jounin of a greater level and experience than we can handle alone."

Sakura and Sasuke nodded but were still confused. Naruto then continued his explanation.

"When we look at the scenario, it forms out like this…We are faced with an opponent much tougher and stronger than us in our current strength. The only way we can ever get a chance at taking the bells is because we are a team. But the number of bells shows that one of us would fail anyway so it breaks our teamwork and we end up going at it alone since it's an all or nothing type of test. But then why were we put into groups in the first place?"

Sakura was the first one to understand it as she slapped herself and said,

"The bells were just a distraction! It's not about getting the bells but working as a team even if it means the impossible. I think I'm the one who should be blonde in this group. Is that why you didn't get the bells?"

Naruto nodded. Sasuke then smirked and said,

"So that means even if you did get the bells, you would've still failed because you did it alone. I'm impressed. So what should we do now 'fearless leader'?"

Sakura was surprised by Sasuke's remark. Never had the raven haired prodigy this type of respect for Naruto before. Somehow, she herself began to have respect for the young blonde after he got it from her crush. Naruto then decided to go all out with his planning as he said,

"We still have to get the bells to show that we're working as a team. The reason why I attacked Kakashi-sensei the second time was for me to find a weakness that we can use to our advantage, namely this book since he was so preoccupied with it. Right now he should be pissed off as hell looking for it. Since I have better taijutsu skills than Sasuke, I'll hold on to the book and become the decoy. Sakura-san, use the time I'm buying for us to cast a genjutsu so that when I give the signal, it looks like Sasuke made a fire jutsu and burned his book so that we can catch him completely off guard for Sasuke to grab the bells. It won't be easy since we have to time it right or else he might realize it too soon and we would fail at getting the bells. If we get this right, we can be out of here with some time left in the afternoon are we clear?"

Sakura and Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement as they continued to listen about the brilliant plan of Naruto. They were amazed once again with his knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses and the way he went about the entire test with his strategic prowess.

Kakashi was beginning to get amused as he felt their presence clustered in one area as he thought to himself,

'So they decided to go for a team approach instead and it probably has to do with my book. Looks like things will get interesting. I wonder how they will do on their first mission?'

Kakashi warily entered the forest in search of his team. When he entered a slightly confined area in the forest, he saw two shuriken flying at him. He evaded the first one as the second one zoomed past him. Just when he thought he was safe, the shurikens behind him transformed into clones of Naruto that each had wire wrapped around the right arm of one and the left of the other with the wire connecting them. They ran around Kakashi and tying him with it only for the one-eyed jounin to transform into a log allowing him to quickly knock out the clones only for him to grow wide eyed as he saw an exploding tag on them. Without time to move quickly he dove into the ground to avoid the explosion as it's loud and flashy destructive force burned that patch of land and shook that side of the forest.

'Explosive tags. They're much clever than I thought. Better be careful or else…'

Kakashi was broken from his chain of thoughts as he stood up to evade another attack by Naruto. This Naruto had Kakashi's book on him. The young blonde attacked carefully so as not to arouse any suspicion of his true strength while keeping the white haired jounin at bay.

Naruto then threw down his right arm allowing the hidden kunai to reveal itself as he charged to stab the jounin. Kakashi evaded to the side as he nimbly took back his book from Naruto's pocket. Unfortunately, it was a trap as he noticed wire was attached to the book. When he traced the wire to its source, he was wide eyed once more as he saw it was attached to Naruto. The young blonde grinned deviously as Sasuke appeared and formed handseals for a familiar jutsu. Kakashi's visible eye grew wide at when he realized what jutsu Sasuke was performing. Sasuke then hollered out,

"Katon, Hosenka no Jutsu!"

Sasuke blew the fire on Naruto who was consumed by the flame as the plumes of fire traveled quickly on the wire. Kakashi tried to reach his kunai with his other arm when he realized that it had another wire wrapped around it, restraining him to his spot. He had no choice. It was either he lets go of the book and remains alive or gets singed by the flames. He hung on the book for dear life as he closed his eyes and heard Naruto shout,

"We got it Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi was bewildered when he opens his eye. His book wasn't singed nor was it attached to a wire and Naruto was still alive. He saw Sasuke behind the young blonde release the henge and transform back into Sakura. When Kakashi put two and two together, he turned around and saw the real Sasuke with a small smile on his face as he held up the two bells. The one-eyed jounin then said,

"Great job on grabbing the bells. So who's going to get the other bell Sasuke? You only need one to pass."

Sasuke tossed the other bell at Naruto who then gave away the bell to Sakura who reluctantly accepted it. Kakashi then raised his visible eyebrow and said,

"You know what this means Naruto. It means you'll end up back in the academy as part of the sixty-six percent who failed the test."

Sakura then protested.

"But why should he fail? Naruto was the one who said that it was a test about teamwork and made up this plan for us to grab the bells. So what was the real purpose of the test?"

Kakashi then clapped his hands as his eye turned into a u shape and said,

"That is the purpose of the test. The fact that you figured it out means you pass. And I'm surprised that such a brilliant plan was carried out. You mentioned that Naruto was the one who figured it out and planned everything. Could you kindly explain to us Naruto?"

Naruto then nodded as he explained to them.

"I realized the purpose of the test when you explained the instructions to us. We were put in a four man cell so that we can develop teamwork. But your test contradicted that and made us fight for our right to pass. It was a ruse to make us lose that teamwork. And if I was wrong in my understanding…"

Naruto then took out the real bells from his pocket as the bells in Sasuke and Sakura's hands reverted back into small rocks. Kakashi nodded in understanding as he said,

"I see. It must have been at that time you attacked me when you switched the bells. You put a henge on those rocks before hand and managed to take my bells from me along with my book am I correct?"

Naruto nodded and said,

"Hait! When you said start, I took the time to hide quickly so I can transform those rocks and then find a weakness by attacking you."

Kakashi nodded as he mentally said,

'The profile I was given was completely inaccurate. His mind is way beyond what his test scores said. He may be no genius, but he's a lot cleverer than he lets on with the way he handled and tackled the test. But why do I get the feeling he's not giving out the complete truth? I guess I'll have to ask the Hokage what's going on.'

The white haired jounin then said,

"Congratulations on your effort today team. From now own, we are Team Seven. I'll be headed of to the Hokage's place to file in the report that all of you passed. Good job today team. Dismissed."

With that, Kakashi took the bells and his book and puffed out of existence leaving the trio to themselves. Sakura began to jump up and down in joy knowing she had passed while Sasuke smirked. Naruto on the other hand calmly placed his hands in his pockets as he silently walked away. Sasuke managed to get a glimpse of the retreating form of Naruto before a gale wind with leaves flew by his eyes and Naruto disappeared once again. Sakura looked at Sasuke at saw the bewildered expression on his face and realized what just happened as she said,

"I can't believe he ditched us again. You know ever since he got his hitai-ate, he's become a completely different person. I wonder if he's alright."

Sasuke then gazed back at her and said,

"Why don't we find out?"

Sasuke and Sakura then began walking back to the village until they realized that they didn't know were Naruto lived or where he was at the moment. They sweatdropped at their own stupidity and decided to go their separate ways instead.

----------o)0(o----------

The young blonde was nimbly leaping from tree top to tree top until he felt the familiar chakra and reiatsu signature he was looking for. He stopped just a few meters away were he gazed lovingly at Hinata who was practicing her juuken on a training log. A blush formed on his face as he gazed at her and saw her beauty and boldness. How could he have ignored such a wonderful person all his life? She was brave, caring, intelligent, and beautiful and yet he never saw that and returned back all the love she had for him in his past life because he was much too dense at that time. Of course, now was a different story.

It was then an idea hit him as he masked his chakra and reiatsu and got closer without being spotted. Hinata was panting hard as sweat began to form all over her body. She had been training harder ever since she had grown closer to Naruto. Especially, when she found out that he had similar feelings for her. She was ecstatic as she felt like she was in a never ending dream where her wishes came true.

She struck the log with all her might as every blow devastated the log. Naruto was amazed at how much power she outputted on the poor log. The Hyuuga heiress momentarily stopped to catch her breath as she unzipped her jacket and tied it around her waist revealing her black sleeveless V-cut shirt and mesh undergarments. Even those were already sweaty as several areas were damp with sweat. Hinata had only one thought in mind…

'I will become stronger so that I can impress Naruto-kun! Just a little more…all I need is a little more…and…'

She then clenched her fist as chakra started to visibly flare around it. With her strength prepared, she threw the fist into the log…or at least that's what she thought she threw at. What her fist hit instead was none other than the young blonde she adored. She was terrified that she had given a blow to the young blonde that flew a few meters away. Her heart stopped until the skidding form of the blonde became nothing more than a puff of smoke.

"Nice work Hina-chan! That was a good strike!"

Naruto called out from behind her. She looked and saw the log she was giving blows at with Naruto beside it. She was too shocked at what just happened that she seemed ready to faint. Feeling that it was a very bad idea to have played that prank on her, Naruto frantically ran over to her as he said,

"Gomenasai Hina-chan! I-I saw you sparring and thought that I-I could…"

Hinata managed to regain consciousness until she realized how close she was to Naruto. She then promptly fainted in Naruto's arms. The young blonde smacked himself for being so ignorant of her weak emotional state.

'Kuso! I can be really stupid at times.'

His tenant just smirked as the young blonde sat down on the grassy plain where his princess lay in his arms. He wished to wake her, but when he saw her pale skinned face return to normal, he blushed at how pretty she was.

'She's so frail, but she's also so strong. To hold on like this despite the heavy burden she was given, both in her name and standing. Hinata-chan…you may not realize this, but you're my hero. I could never find another girl like you. To me, you're amazing.'

The sleeping Hyuuga Heiress finally awoken to see her blonde protector gazing at her lovingly as a blush adorned his face. She gazed deep into those flaming azure eyes as her face bore the shade of crimson. She quickly got up and moved a few steps back and sat down on the grass, looking away. She then said to him,

"Naruto-kun I didn't expect you to find me here. But I really got worried when you did that."

Naruto sheepishly replied,

"Gomen, Hina-chan. I should have showed myself before doing that. I'm really sorry for frightening you."

The young blonde moved closer to her as she smiled back at him making him know it was alright. Naruto then grinned as he exclaimed,

"But Hina-chan, that was really cool! You really impressed me back there!"

Hinata perked up at that point as her eyes dampened in joy knowing she had impressed him. She then stood up to meet him face to face and give him something in return for that fateful night in Ichiraku Ramen. The young blonde saw the deep passion and love in her heart as she tiptoed to give her present.

However, Naruto placed his fingers on her lips and shook his head to which she was utterly confused. Naruto's face became very serious at this point, worrying her even more.

"Why Naruto-kun? What's wrong? Is there something bothering you?"

Naruto's eyes gradually showed fear as he trembled ever so slightly. She was even more worried as he sighed and said,

"Hina-chan, do you trust me?" 'This is it. I don't know what to expect, but…she needs to know. I just hope she puts Konoha above all else.'

Hinata nodded as she said,

"With all my heart Naruto-kun. Why do you ask?"

Naruto then somberly said,

"Hina-chan, I want you to understand that what I'm about to tell you is the greatest secret of Konoha. And I want you to know it because I trust you. However, despite what you may feel, please…promise me you will support Konoha above all else."

"Why are you saying this so suddenly?"

Hinata said as she questioned the young blonde before her. She knew that at times he was more mature for his age, but whenever important matters would arise, he would get serious as those flaming azure eyes of his sharpened meaning he was serious. She and the blonde had known each other for six years now so their bonds developed strongly as she opened up to him and he would slowly, but surely open up to her. He had told her that one day, he would explain everything. And this must be that day.

Naruto then placed his hands on her shoulders and said,

"Please promise me Hina-chan. I trust you with all my heart which is why I'm telling you this. So, please…for me…."

Hinata reluctantly nodded. She had no understanding of what Naruto meant, but knowing how serious the young blonde is at the moment, she agreed.

And so, Naruto began to tell Hinata of his tale, little by little as he saw her become wide eyed at what he was saying. He told her of his story and the reason he was hated in the village as he showed her the seal in his stomach when he pumped chakra to make it visible. He told her about his real age and how he was from the future as well as their tragic end in the seal of the Pheonix. Every word stirred many emotions in the heart of the Hyuuga heiress as she painfully absorbed everything down to the last drop. When he had finished his tale, Hinata was wide eyed and speechless as she bowed her head down. Naruto sighed once more as he turned his back and said,

"I understand if you don't believe me since even I find it hard to believe. But everything I said was the truth. I know you may not like me anymore for who I am but, I'll always be with you and take care of you like the way I will with the entire village of Konoha. I love you too much to ignore you the way I did in my past life. But please, fulfill your promise to me. After all, it's all I ask of you. Arigato Hina-chan. Sayonara…"

Naruto was walking away with his flaming azure eyes closed in defeat as he mentally said,

'It's over. I said it…I don't know how she will take it but hopefully, she would put the village over everything else. After all, I am the shadow guardian of this village. As its dark angel, I will put it first above all else…'

As Naruto began to walk away, he felt the back of his jacket gripped tightly by two soft hands as he heard sobbing and felt the dampness of her tears pour on his jacket. He then felt the sobbing sounds muffle as her head leaned on his back. She then poured out her heart to him as she said with tears streaming down,

"I understand now Naruto-kun…everything makes sense now. The reason you have been acting so differently and why the village hates you. You're a hero Naruto-kun! My heart has fallen in love with you even more after finding out the truth. You were always so strong and now I know how strong you really are. What makes you think I could ever hate you Naruto-kun? I love you too much to ever hate you or turn my back on you! I won't ever leave you Naruto-kun!"

Naruto was dumbfounded at her loyalty and deep passion and love for him. In fact, the truth made it even deeper and harder to kill. She was so rooted in love for him that he began to cry himself as he fell to the ground with his head on the lavender eyed girls bosom as he hugged her as if they were back in the seal of the Pheonix to die once more. She hugged him tightly in return as she sobbed on his head before they each wiped each other's tears. Both of them smiled knowing how much love they had for each other. Hinata then placed her hand on his whisker marked cheeks as she mentally said,

'Naruto-kun…I love you so much even more now that you have entrusted me with your deepest secrets. I want you to know that.'

"Naruto-kun….I want you to know that I will be with you always even in the afterlife. My heart, mind, body, and soul belong to you and I will never leave you or forsake you. That is my eternal vow to you my kitsune."

The Hyuga heiress sealed it with a kiss on his right cheek. Naruto blushed, but smiled lovingly as he placed his hand on her cheek and said,

"Hina-chan…I want you to know that I will always be here to protect you with all that I am. I am sorry to place this burden on you, but I will give all of me to you even in the afterlife for you are my eternal mate that I will never leave or forsake. That is my eternal vow to you my Hina-hime."

Hinata was so surprised that she was called his princess. Here she was, sitting so close to him and making vows as if they were to be wed. It was silly, but serious and real nonetheless as the sun began to set and the cold breeze began to die down. She then leaned in to his face as their faces bloomed and said,

"I don't have any regrets kitsune. Its alright…I am ready."

Naruto was shocked at what they were about to do as her lips came closer and closer to his. He never felt any happier than this moment as he mentally said,

'I never expected this…but I'm glad that this happened. I thought she would end up shocked and not knowing what to do, but I was wrong. I don't know how this could happen, but I am so glad that I was wrong.'

Naruto immediately backed away as he twiddled his fingers and sheepishly replied,

"G-g-gomenasai Hina-hime. But, we're still twelve years old so we can't really do this yet. I'm really sorry. But I need more time to be ready for this."

Hinata was surprised that he was so pure and innocent in such manners despite his true age. But it can't be helped as she smiled, nodded, and twiddled her fingers as well.

'I guess it's normal for Naruto-kun to be this way. Even I'm too shy to do such a thing with him. I had no control back there with everything being so sudden. After all, to him I just look like a silly little girl while he's a twenty four year old man. But somehow, it doesn't really feel that he's that age.'

Hinata then rested her head on his left shoulder as they both lied down in the grass talking about sweet nothings until Naruto said,

"Ano, Hina-hime…why did you call me kitsune?"

Hinata then replied,

"I guess it's because, somehow, you remind me of one. And the fact that you are the jailor of the Kyuubi no Yoko."

Naruto then remembered something he forgot to mention to her.

"Ano…Hina-hime, I forgot to mention to you that, I learned a technique that allows me to merge with my spiritual elemental affinity. It allows me to materialize my true spirit form into my physical body. And mine is a three tailed white kitsune."

Naruto blushed as did Hinata when she realized what he said. She then smiled deviously as she looked at him and said,

"So you've been stalking me ever since Mr. Fox. I'm very flattered. I never would have expected you to have picked up one of my own habits. But that means you've seen me naked a few times."

Naruto blushed even more as he timidly said,

"G-gomen Hina-hime. But when I saw you naked the last time, I didn't expect you to have taken a bath. I only saw you once that's all. You're really scaring me right now."

Hinata giggled as she placed her arms inside his jacket and hugged him feeling his developing muscles. She had never done this before, but she had changed over the years and so it was just a matter of time before her real self came into the light. Naruto smiled lovingly at the angel in his arms. He had never felt happier as they lay there till sunset talking about many things.

Eventually, it came to a point in which they talked about more serious matters including the chuunin exams and the Akatsuki. In fact, she volunteered to train with him so that she can become stronger for him during those times as he prepared for battle.

Meanwhile…amidst the happy moment the new couple was in, Kakashi was deep in the forest of training area forty-four as he gazed in astonishment at the hollowed tree that was presumably Naruto's home. Dumbfounded and angry at the predicament his student was in, he said to himself,

"Naruto, I'm sorry that you had to go through this. I failed you as your sensei for being so ignorant to what happened after the Uchiha massacre. But you don't have to carry the weight on your own."

He took several steps before he noticed that there were booby traps all over the area where he was about to make his next step. He took a step back and sighed knowing that these traps were all well placed and well constructed to prevent entry from outsiders should they happen to have found his hiding place.

After Kakashi had asked of the Hokage of Naruto's predicament, his suspicions were confirmed when the Hokage had similar thoughts as they both decided to investigate the matter deeply.

When Kakashi was informed of what had happened after the Uchiha massacre, he was shocked at how low the people would go to find any decent excuse to kill the poor boy and how thrilled they were when they found out a seemingly 'plausible' accusation that Naruto was behind the massacre in the first place.

Kakashi took flight to the apartment of Naruto where he would discuss the matters with him. When he saw the burnt down rubble that was Naruto's apartment he sighed knowing what the Hokage said was true and went to the place he was informed by the old warrior as to where Naruto was currently living in.

Kakashi then silently waited for the young blonde in a nearby tree as the sun began to set. And just in time, Naruto had appeared rather suddenly before tripping on his own traps as one trap over another began to activate upon the clumsy blonde.

He ducked, dodged, dove and jumped over every obstacle which mainly consisted of ducking from spiked branches that swung to pierce his head, dodging kunai, senbons and a form of black gum that melted whatever it touched, dove into the ground from being smashed by several logs with poisoned spikes attached at each end and finally jumped over the multitude of caltrops and spiked pits coated with a special acid that burns flesh with ease. The one-eyed jounin sweatdropped at the irony that was set before his visible eye. Here he was, the intruder sitting at a tree branch to avoid possible traps and yet the one who set them was the one who fell for it. Naruto cursed himself for falling for his own traps as he angrily tore down the traps before entering the small hole under the roots of the large tree that was his home. Kakashi then turned on his heel and left the forest instead so that he can ask Naruto when he wasn't in the mood to tear apart anyone.

----------o)0(o----------

Many days passed for team seven as they routinely accomplished their D-rank missions. Naruto spent most of his rest days training and spending time with Hinata. She was slowly but surely gaining more confidence in herself as they spent more and more time together. Thankfully, their relationship hasn't gotten out in the open to most people so they were able to keep it hidden for the moment as they happily enjoyed each other's company.

Naruto taught her a lot of things to which Hinata drove herself hard to learn whenever they weren't on missions. Though her zeal was real, Naruto knew she was burning herself out and decided to lighten and shorten the training so that they could relax and spend more time together.

Though she had greatly improved having learned to walk on trees and water and the basics of harnessing reiatsu as well as learning one or two jutsus, she still had a long way ahead despite having an apt for the training. Naruto knew this and always encouraged her allowing her to shine every single time. However, the happy moments didn't last as another D-rank mission was given to team seven and Naruto knew exactly what that specific mission entailed.

----------o)0(o----------

The trees that shrouded the area left little to no room for the high risen sun to pierce through with ease. Four figures hid amongst the shadows as they slinked closer to their intended target. One of the figures then placed his finger on a button of his choker and said,

"This is Snake, arrived at point B." 'Why the hell am I Snake? I shouldn't have let Naruto pick our code names.'

Another figure approached from the tree branches and placed a finger on the button on her choker and said,

"This is Cherry Demon, arrived at point C." 'Kuso! I'll beat the crap out of Naruto for giving me such an evil codename Shannaro!'

The last figure then made it at his post and placed his finger on his choker to confirm his location as he said,

"This is Kitsune, arrived at point A."

The fourth figure that was nearest to the target then placed his finger on his choker and said,

"Okay seventh unit…capture the target!"

All three of the four figures charged and captured the mysterious target. It didn't see them coming as Naruto managed to get his hands upon the target and tie up its paws together.

Kakashi then said from their intercoms,

"Does it have a ribbon on its ear? Is it our target Tora?"

Sasuke calmly then reported,

"It's the target for sure."

Kakashi then went closer to them and saw the hissing cat, hog-tied to prevent it from escaping. He sweatdropped as he saw the grinning Naruto triumphantly holding the cat by the end of the rope with Sakura worried as hell about the now helpless feline caught in the clutches of her devious teammate while Sasuke hadn't a care in the world about the cat. Kakashi then said,

"Okay, 'Operation Capture Tora the Lost Pet' complete. Let's head over to the academy to report to the Hokage about the mission."

Sasuke then approached the blonde as did Sakura with a menacing look on their faces as they simultaneously screamed at him,

"WHAT'S WITH THE STUPID CODENAMES BAKA?!"

Naruto just laughed making them even more agitated as the young blonde then replied,

"What's wrong? Isn't it great that we have codenames? I think it suits the both of you just fine."

Sasuke had veins throbbing in his head as he said,

"I don't care much about the codenames but why am I named Snake?"

Naruto then replied,

"C'mon! It doesn't mean anything wrong. Besides it suits you. Now unless you had longer brown hair and a bandana and a full beard and a connected mustache, then the name Snake takes on a whole new meaning of cool. But then again, if you had really long black hair, a pale face, with purple eyeliner and yellow slit eyes, and then the name Snake takes you to a whole new level of gayness and pedophilia."

Once again they marveled at the young blonde's vocabulary and subtle insults to the raven haired boy. Sakura then ranted next to Naruto who reminded her that it was the second meaning of her name making the pink haired banshee even angrier as her colorful language filled the air as Naruto ran towards the academy to avoid being pummeled to a pulp.

When they finally arrived, they understood why the cat ran in the first place as they saw the helpless feline being drained of its life from the clutches of the Wife of the country's Fire feudal lord. Team Seven shuddered at the thought of being clutched in such a way.

The Hokage sat at the long table with many other chuunins as he looked over the report of Team Seven. While looking over the list of missions available, he then said,

"Now then, Kakashi's seventh unit's next mission is…Babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy, Grocery shopping at the neighboring town, helping dig up potatoes at…"

Naruto carefully planned for this day. He knew that it had to come sooner or later since Haku and probably Zabuza would be favorable allies during the chuunin exams and beyond. He then did exactly the way he did it in his past lifetime as he said,

"NO! No thanks to all of those! I want to do more exciting missions! Choose something else!"

Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement feeling exhausted of doing menial work like the D-ranking missions they were periodically given.

The brown haired chunnin with a scar across his nose known as Iruka beside the Hokage, then protested as he said,

"Baka! You're still a novice shinobi! Everyone needs to start with the easy missions to gain experience."

Naruto then sat down on the floor as he crossed his arms as he said,

"So what if we are? Everyone needs to start somewhere just like you said. But if we keep doing these easy missions, then how can we really gain experience for real life situations when we need it the most? Besides, we have Kakashi-sensei looking out for us so if anything goes wrong, he can handle it."

Although Naruto had a good point, Iruka was worried nonetheless since they were still fresh genins not ready for such a scenario. When he was about to protest once more, the Hokage then raised his arm to silence Iruka as he took over for the worried chuunin. The old warrior then took his pipe and began to smoke as he explained to Naruto the reason for such menial missions.

"Listen Naruto, a lot of clients come to this village everyday. They request things from babysitting to assassinations. On the request list, a variety of requests are listed on it…and they are separated into ranks such as A, B, C and D according to difficulty. In this village, we separate the people into Jounins, Chuunins, and Genins according to their abilities. We higher officials assign the missions to ninja with the appropriate abilities. And if we complete the mission, we receive a fee from the client. You have all become Genins just recently, so D-rank missions are best for you"

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement. Sarutobi just smiled seeing the blonde accepted his point until Naruto said,

"Even if we are just genins, these missions are so boring! I want to be able to test my skills on real missions so I know how strong I am and how strong our teamwork is. What use is all our training and efforts if we continue to stay in these easy missions where we can't really use anything we've trained hard for?"

The Hokage just sighed knowing that Naruto wasn't going to budge from this. But he wondered why Naruto was so eager to go after a hard mission so quickly? Sure he was bored, but from what he had observed from the young blonde lately, Naruto was much more patient and understanding than before and the way he talked had become different despite it being subtly hidden under his loudmouthed personality. Sarutobi slightly tipped his white cone hat signaling Kakashi to bring out his infamous orange book. The one-eyed Jounin knew what the old Hokage was implying and was ready to continue his investigations of Naruto's hidden agenda.

"All right Naruto…I give up. I will assign your team a higher ranking mission."

Iruka was distressed as Naruto leaped up from his seat while the old Hokage took the yellow scroll beside him with the letter C written in bold all over it. He then unraveled the scroll and said,

"You're going to escort a person back to his country of Wave. He's important to the country's economy so make sure to get him back in one piece. Will you please come in now?"

And so Tazuna showed himself as he slid the door behind the team open, drunker than a skunk with sake bottle in hand. he had a rope tied on his forehead and a heavy baggage on his back with several holsters for his sake bottles while he had glasses and wore a sleeveless, dirty dark green shirt and mocha colored pants and a purple obi sash. Naruto smiled seeing the old man once again. He knew very well the mission and what happened in Wave. He missed Tsunami and Inari as well. The drunk old man then came in and said,

"What? They're all kids! Hey, is the smallest one there with the idiotic face really a shinobi?"

Naruto's tenant chuckled evilly while the young blonde made it look like he was struggling to hold his temper when in fact he didn't mind it at all. The old man then introduced himself.

"I am the bridge building expert Tazuna. Once I have returned to my country, I will have all of you protect my life with yours while I complete the bridge."

Soon, they arrived outside the gate and began their long journey to Wave. Naruto was busy reading his black book while he took point out front. Behind him was Tazuna on the right, Kakashi beside him and Sasuke beside Kakashi with Sakura beside Sasuke.

Kakashi and Sasuke were curious with what Naruto was reading. Unfortunately, the young blonde's head was covering the book so they gave up on the idea.

As they moved onward, Naruto could feel the uneasiness of Tazuna even though he couldn't see the old man's expression as a tear of sweat poured down his face. Naruto knew that the Demon Brothers were close by. With just a little more concentration, he was able to locate their position. As the team moved onward, Naruto saw the puddle a few meters away and closed his book and tuck it away. Kakashi and Sasuke then sharpened their gaze at Naruto until the young blonde let out a yawn and placed his hands behind his head.

As the stares softened, Naruto began to debate what to do about the two ex-mist nins with his tenant.

'Should I let them live, or die?'

I think you should cut them down and burn the remains. If you're up to it, feast on their flesh.

'Forget that I ever asked you…but other than these two missing nins, there are other chakra and reiatsu signatures on our trail. They're pretty faint since they're much farther behind us, but they're definitely after us.'

Right now, worry about the two nins ahead of us. Once they're taken cared of, we can deal with the ones fast approaching behind us.

Naruto nodded causing Kakashi and Sasuke to eye the boy carefully not knowing what was happening. When they came close to the puddle, Naruto then spat at the puddle causing Sakura to yelp in disgust at her blonde teammate. Kakashi however shook his head knowing who was hiding in that puddle. And when the team had left the puddle, the two angry ex-mist nins leaped into action and charged at the young blonde falling for his trap. They threw their chains at the young blonde and squeezed him to death. The choke hold on his body was too strong that it ripped through his flesh and bones leaving blood to spew out of the remains. The other two genins were terrified by what just happened. Kakashi on the other hand knew what Naruto did and turned to face the chuunins who ripped through him with their claws leaving another heaping pile of flesh as they ran towards Tazuna. Sasuke then leaped into action and threw a kunai at their chains connecting them which ended up pinned on a tree. They struggled and broke the chains with little effort until two Narutos with kunai drawn, landed on top of them and quickly slit their throats leaving blood to spray and color the ground as their dead bodies slumped to the floor.

"Nice job Naruto. But you didn't have to kill them."

Kakashi said emerging behind the blonde. Naruto then dispelled his clone and took back the other bloody kunai it dropped and cleaned it before returning it to its holster. Tazuna was left speechless as did Sasuke. Sakura on the other hand was confused and said,

"But I saw you two were torn apart! How did you—"

"Live? Kawarimi no jutsu is a useful technique for escape you know."

Naruto said looking at the splintered log where he once stood and the other splintered log where Kakashi was as he retracted his other drawn kunai back in his sleeve. Tazuna then fell down on his behind as he panted by the sudden rush of events. Sasuke and Sakura were no better as they paled in realization that their teammate had just killed not one, but two shinobis. Kakashi then inspected the cadavers before turning to his team and saying,

"These were two missing chuunins of Kirigakure known as the Demon Brothers. I knew they were hiding around in that puddle that we passed earlier and it seemed that Naruto did as well."

They looked at Naruto who began inspecting the two bodies for anything valuable until he found a letter and gave it to Kakashi and began reading his book once more as if nothing happened much to his team's dismay. Kakashi then continued his speech as he read the letter.

"I hid in order to assess the situation while Naruto hid in the trees above them. They attacked Naruto because he spat at the puddle where they hid earlier and then me because I was the strongest shinobi in our group. Normally, if they were simply just raiders, they would have attacked you guys as well, but instead they went for Tazuna with the intent to kill him. Which makes me wonder why when this was a C-rank mission. Could you explain to us Tazuna?"

He finished his deduction of the situation as he showed the letter to Tazuna. It contained only two words, 'Kill Tazuna'. The builder from Wave then gripped the letter and somberly said,

"My country is poor and is currently being ruled by a ruthless man known as Gato. He has a monopoly over the entire shipping industry and if I don't get back to Wave pretty soon and finish the bridge, my people will forever be under his control."

And just in time, the familiar chakra and reiatsu signatures became visible as Team eight had arrived on the scene much to Kakashi's surprise. The entire team eight saw the bloody cadavers of the two missing nins and paled as they saw the mess. Kurenai then approached Kakashi and said,

"What just happened here Kakashi?"

"Kakashi turned to Kurenai and replied,

"What are you doing here Kurenai?"

"I was told by Hokage-sama to head out and join your team on its first C-rank mission. And by the looks of things, I'd say this mission is cancelled."

Kurenai replied. Sakura then asked why to which Kakashi replied by saying,

"These are missing nins hired by Gato to kill Tazuna. Normally, when the threat entails other shinobi aside from bandits and gangsters, it is classified as a B-rank mission. But Tazuna never mentioned that there would be threat from other shinobi and paid for the C-rank instead of the expensive B-rank."

Kiba then looked at the cadavers and asked the white haired jounin,

"So who killed these guys?"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at the young blonde making team eight except Hinata, pale at the realization. Kiba began to tremble as did Akamaru. Shino, though his eyes were hidden from view, narrowed as he looked at the young blonde carefully. Hinata then approached Naruto and asked him,

"Are you alright Naruto-kun?"

Naruto closed his book and tucked it away as he grinned and replied,

"I'm fine Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled knowing her beloved young blonde was in good shape. Kurenai however looked at the young blonde in astonishment while Kakashi held her shoulder gesturing her that 'I'm looking into it as we speak.' The white haired jounin then asked her,

"But why would Hokage-sama send us on a joint mission? He couldn't be that worried."

Kurenai then responded,

"Actually he is. We've just gotten reports that there have been rumors of a man roaming the roads to Wave and many shinobi have been killed on that road when they saw the man. The description from witnesses said he was orange haired and wore a black hakama and kimono and type of cleaver sword as tall as he is on his back. Another description was he had a black long sleeved coat over his hakama and wore a mask and his sword was actually a black nodachi. They called him the 'Orange Death' since you won't live after seeing him."

Naruto and his tenant shuddered at the bitter realization of the description of such a man. They knew very well who the crimson eyed kunoichi was describing and it wasn't funny. Naruto began to inwardly curse himself for using his reiatsu based abilities so often without heeding its consequences. Hinata saw the worried expression on Naruto and she too understood why he was that way because he had told her of his friends from Karakura Town and about his adventures with Ichigo. Of course, this did not evade the watchful eyes of Sasuke and Shino. Kakashi then replied to Kurenai's statement.

"So that's why he sent you guys to tag along. However, we won't go any further since obviously the mission is invalid as of now."

Naruto then protested saying,

"But what about Tazuna-oji-san?! We can't just leave him to die by the hands of Gato or that wandering killer! You heard his story. If we don't get him safely to Wave, then he'll get killed by Gato's men and his country will suffer at the hands of that villain!"

Tazuna eyed the blonde in astonishment while Kakashi then said,

"Naruto, you have to understand that these things do happen. Those men that Gato sent were of Chuunin level. The next thing he would throw at us would be Jounin level since his Chuunins weren't able to get back to report their mission. Who knows what could happen out there."

Kurenai then nodded in agreement as she said,

"Even if we were to head out and continue this mission, your lives would be in danger since we don't know the extent this Gato would go to make sure that he succeeds."

Naruto then shouted at them,

"No way will I back down from this mission! This is the only chance I can prove myself and to everyone else how much of a great ninja I am. I won't let someone like Gato take away the lives of innocent people for his greed and I won't give up on Tazuna-oji-san. His friends are in trouble and I can see he wants to save them the only way he knows how, by building that bridge. If we leave him now, it's like he left his family and friends for dead so he can save his own skin. I don't know about you, but those who break the rules are called scum. But those who don't take care of their friends are even worse than scum!"

Kakashi was hit pretty hard by the devout valor and comradery that he displayed. And he even quoted the very phrase that Kakashi had engraved in his heart. The white haired Jounin was at a dilemma here until he found one way to settle things as he said,

"Ok, so we seem to have a problem deciding. So I've decided to make a vote. Those who wish to continue the mission regardless of the dangers ahead raise your hand."

Naruto was the first to raise his hand followed by Hinata which was no surprise since she had feelings for him. Sasuke then raised his hand and was reluctantly followed after by Sakura. Kiba was a bit hesitant, but the prospect of going on a C-ranked mission excited him and he raised his hand followed by Tazuna. They all then looked at Shino. He just adjusted his glasses and said,

"It's obvious that we're going anyway."

Kurenai and Kakashi sighed in defeat and they continued on in their journey. Since there was the danger of enemy shinobi lurking around, they went into formation around Tazuna with Kurenai and Shino behind him, Kakashi out in front with Kiba and Akamaru, Naruto and Hinata on Tazuna's right and Sasuke and Sakura on his left. Tazuna then spoke to them and said,

"Thanks for lending me a hand. I feel real safe now that there's a lot of you."

Kiba then enthusiastically replied,

"No problem oji-san! Like I'd let Naruto and Sasuke have all the fun."

Akamaru however, kept a keen eye on Naruto and would make a low growl every once in a while at the blonde. Naruto paid it no heed as he continued reading his book while Kiba kept trying to calm his partner down. Sakura who was curious of Wave then asked the old builder.

"So what's the country of Wave like?"

"It's a quiet country, but when I finish that bridge, it's going to be super popular and super rich!"

Tazuna proudly replied to the pink haired girl's question. As the old builder kept speaking about his beloved country, Hinata stole glances at the young blonde every once in a while. Naruto then looked at his beloved lavender eyed girl and said,

"What's wrong Hinata-chan? Is there something on my face?"

Hinata blushed and replied,

"N-no! Nothing's wrong N-Naruto-kun."

She began to twiddle her fingers once more as she looked away with a blush on her face. Naruto however, being the old soul he was, was able to take notice of Hinata's habits and knew when she had something on her mind or not. He couldn't directly ask her, but if they ever made a pit stop, he would. So he just shrugged it aside for the moment. Sakura then grew tired of Tazuna's story and tried to strike another conversation with Sasuke as she attempted to lighten the mood. Eventually, they managed to make a pit stop since the darkness had crept in.

"Alright everyone, we're taking a break so start setting up camp."

Kakashi commanded as they stopped at a small clearing surrounded by bushes and a few rocks. Although Team Seven was prepared for this trip, Team Eight on the other hand wasn't as prepared since they were told to rush at the scene to join up with Team Seven. So Kurenai proposed that everyone would have to bunk beds with each other for the night.

As they began to unload their equipment and build a fire, Hinata ran over to Naruto who was having trouble putting up his tent. She then said to him,

"Do you need help Naruto-kun?"

Naruto blushed as he gazed upon her and sheepishly replied,

"Hait, Arigato Hinata-chan. I've never been good at putting up tents so it always takes me awhile before I can set up camp."

And so they went to work setting up the tent. Naturally, the young blonde was corrected every now and then by his lavender eyed girl as she happily helped him. Occasionally, there came a point that their hands met and she would bloom like a flower whenever they accidentally touched.

Kakashi, with his visible eye in a u shape, saw the cute couple and began to think deviously upon some ideas on how to tease them. Kurenai clearly was happy that Hinata managed to make her move to get closer to him not knowing how close they already were. But the moment she saw the devious grin Kakashi was making under his mask, she frowned and said,

"Kakashi, you better not try anything on those two or I'll make sure that you lose that book of yours and personally burn down all issues of Icha Icha Paradise in Konoha."

Kakashi shuddered at the ice cold deathglare that she gave at him and continued to his chore of cooking for the team. Sasuke began to put up his tent after collecting the last pieces of firewood for the fire. Sakura, who had already set up hers, went over to the raven haired boy and began helping nonetheless despite his attempts to shrug her off. Shino on the other hand unpacked the food as Kakashi began to boil them in a stew. When everyone had settled down, they sat by the fire and ate their fill.

"Oi! Kakashi-sensei! What the hell is this piece of crap?"

Kiba said as he and Akamaru spat out the food in disgust. Soon, Sakura and Sasuke had the same feelings as it infectiously passed around the group. Kakashi sighed and said,

"Sorry, but I was never a good cook."

"Then why the hell did you cook for us?"

Sakura said as she tried to hold her ground from the meal that she just ate. Kurenai then closed her eyes in disgust as she said,

"Anyway, we'll be keeping watch from time to time. The first watch will be me and Kakashi. The second will be Shino and Kiba. The third will be Sasuke and Sakura and the last will be Naruto and Hinata in that order."

Hinata suddenly blushed when she heard that she would be keeping watch with Naruto as she momentarily glanced at him before looking away. Kakashi saw this very clearly and smiled deviously underneath his mask. But eventually, they all agreed as Tazuna was already asleep from all the liquor to protest in any way. Kakashi, with some help from Sasuke and Kiba, managed to get Tazuna in Kakashi's tent for the time being. The two Jounins then took off towards the nearby road for the first watch. Since it was still early, the genins decided to talk around the fireplace as they reminisced on some past times and eventually talked about more recent ones.

"So do you think this 'Orange Death' guy will really appear around here?"

Kiba enthusiastically asked. Sakura decided to answer.

"Well whoever he is, we have Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei with us. And if he does come around, Sasuke-kun will protect us."

Sasuke then looked at the young blonde across him and said,

"Naruto…how does it feel to have killed someone?"

Like a lightbulb, it suddenly flashed in their mind that Naruto had killed two missing chuunins earlier. The young blonde was in a bind since he knew he was being observed rather carefully. His movements in Konoha had attracted a shinigami from Karakura Town and several suspicions from his fellow genins and some adults. He then gazed into the fire as he remembered what he just did earlier and said,

"Pretty normal really. We are shinobi after all. Eventually we will end up killing people on missions. I always kept that in mind till the day that I would kill. And now, it doesn't feel like I did anything horrible…it felt normal."

Hinata gazed upon the young blonde in astonishment. To everyone else, they thought he was lying and just hiding his true emotions. But to the Hyuuga heiress who knew the young blonde well, she could see that he wasn't lying. After all, he was death itself and had fought in a war were killing was the only way to survive. For him to stay so calm despite having killed many people and get a good nights rest every single day meant something.

Kiba then asked the young blonde.

"So Naruto, what's that book you keep reading?"

Naruto then looked at the book sticking out from his jacket. He then faced the crowd and replied,

"It's the BINGO book. I managed to get a copy from Hokage-oji-san and it's pretty useful. I found a lot of info about the missing nins including the Demon Brothers. I can't wait to get the bounty for killing them after the mission. It's a pretty big amount."

"Interesting, May we see the book?"

Shino said as the light from the fire illuminated his dark shades for everyone to see his serious eyes behind them. They were a bit cold, but piercing. Even Sasuke became a bit terrified as he inched away from Shino and unknowingly, to Sakura. Naruto then crossed his arms as he said,

"No way! I haven't finished reading it yet. I want to be able to finish reading it before I lend it to anyone else." 'Great. At least it's not Shikamaru who's here. I would really lose my cover if it was his team who was here instead.'

Kiba then replied,

"Fine, who cares about your stupid book anyway? I'm done for the night. I'll be bunking with you Naruto if you don't mind."

Kiba left the fire with a tired Akamaru as he crept in to Naruto's tent. Shino had the same idea as he went to Sasuke's tent leaving only Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Hinata by the fire.

Hinata then rummaged through her rucksack and brought up some rice balls for them to eat.

"Here Naruto-kun. I made them myself."

She said as she handed him the triangular one with a blush on her face. Naruto then smiled and said,

"Arigato Hinata-chan! You should've brought these out earlier. Why didn't you?"

"Because there wouldn't be enough for you to eat if you liked it."

The Hyuga heiress said as she handed out some to Sakura and Sasuke. The pink haired girl then replied,

"That's so sweet Hinata-chan. It's almost like a picnic."

Sasuke then smirked as he said,

"A picnic at night when there's enemy shinobi around and the occasional weirdo that pops up around these places."

Naruto then replied to Sasuke's sarcasm.

"You really know how to make a good mood turn rotten. But I won't let that interrupt me from enjoying this meal. Itadakimasu!"

The young blonde dug in the rice ball as did his other two teammates. Hinata gripped her jacket as her heart pounded hard and fast. She had made those especially for her team so she didn't expect Naruto to dig in her food. She didn't know how he would react. Would he love it? Or would he spit it out like Kakashi's failure of a meal? The young blonde grinned as he said,

"This is really good Hinata-chan! It's a whole lot better than Kakashi-sensei's cooking. You're a really good cook."

The Hyuuga heiress brightened up as she smiled and blushed. Sakura was the next to comment as she said,

"This is good! Hinata-chan, do you think you can teach me how to make rice balls this good? Every time I try to make some, it ends up falling apart."

Hinata then replied,

"Sure Sakura-san. It's not easy to get the rice to stick together, but when done properly it comes out really well."

"Is that so?"

When they looked over Sakura's back to see who spoke, Naruto said,

"Kakashi-sensei! You're done with your shift already?"

Kakashi nodded and said,

"Yup. Naruto, can you wake up Kiba and Shino? And Hinata can you hand me one of those rice balls? I'm pretty hungry myself."

Hinata handed the riceball over to the one-eyed Jounin as Naruto went to wake up his comrades for the next shift. Kakashi then took out his scandalous book and ate rather quickly his meal much to Sakura's and Sasuke's dismay as they sighed in defeat. The white haired Jounin then put his book away as his visible eye turned into a u shape and he said,

"That was great Hinata. Did Kurenai teach you how to make riceballs?"

The Hyuuga heiress nodded as she said,

"Hait. Since no one was around to teach me, I asked her how to cook. I only know how to make riceballs so far."

"Really? That's good to hear. Your husband in the future would be really happy whenever he eats your meals."

Kakashi said making the Hyuuga heiress fluster into the shade of crimson. Sakura giggled when she saw the expression Hinata was making as she nervously twiddled her fingers. Sasuke, however, was tired of where the conversation was going as he went into his tent while Kurenai paid no attention of the conversation by the fire as she went into Sakura's tent and slept peacefully. Sakura, who also was feeling drowsiness befall upon her, went into her tent as she bid them goodnight leaving only Kakashi and Hinata by the fire since Naruto had never come out of his tent when Kiba and Shino took to their shifts. Hinata was packing up her remaining things as she too decided to get some rest. Curious about why the white haired Jounin was still awake, she asked him.

"Why are you still up Kakashi-sensei? Shouldn't you get some rest?"

Kakashi then replied,

"Well, I will in a while. Someone has to make sure that the base camp is alright. Since there are no more places to sleep in, why don't you sleep with Naruto for the moment?"

The white haired Jounin's eye became the u shape once more as he looked at the now blushing Hyuuga at the thought of sleeping with Naruto. Though it had happened many times in the past when Naruto would sneak in her house in his soul's elemental affinity, but in his human form was completely different situation all together. She then reluctantly replied to him,

"I-I shouldn't K-Kakashi-sensei. I-It wouldn't be right for me to s-sleep with him."

"Oh? You're just sleeping together. I don't see a problem with that. I was thinking it would be best to sleep with Naruto since you would be most comfortable with him. It's not like you're going to do anything else in bed now."

Kakashi replied suggestively as he winked at her. Underneath his mask, he was grinning like a madman. Hinata flustered into a deep red color as many thoughts came rushing into her mind. She then forced herself to smile and said,

"It's alright Kakashi-sensei. I'll stay out here instead."

"Oh, but I can't let you stay out here in the cold it's just not proper. And besides, Kurenai will kill me if she sees her favorite student sleeping outside in this dangerous night."

Kakashi replied to her. She had no choice as she was defeated and left out of options. She nervously approached the tent until Naruto came out and said,

"Oh, Hey Hinata-chan what's up? Where's everyone?"

Hinata backed away a few steps to give him room to move out of the tent. She sighed in relief as Kakashi then smacked his head at such a wasted opportunity. The white haired Jounin then said,

"They're all asleep. Shouldn't you be as well?"

Naruto then replied,

"Not really. I had a hard time resting so I needed to get some fresh air. I hope you don't mind."

Hinata who was already drowsy, bid Naruto good night and entered Naruto's tent and slept peacefully leaving Naruto and Kakashi by the fire. Kakashi knew this was the right opportunity to question him and so that he did as he first said,

"You know Naruto, being part of the team is also being a close friend. If there is something bugging you, you can always tell us."

Naruto knew where this was going and said,

"Actually, something is bugging me."

Kakashi's visible eyebrow was raised as the young blonde continued.

"I've been thinking, this is my first real mission outside of Konoha and it made me think…can I really succeed?"

Kakashi then looked at him with all seriousness and said,

"Naruto, it's not really about doing things alone but as a team. I don't know everything that goes on around you, but I do know that you are part of this team and I will do what I can to help you in any way I can. So don't hold the whole world on your shoulders. It's nice to distribute the weight evenly at times."

Naruto felt much better from what Kakashi said. Though it wasn't time to tell him everything, but he knew that Kakashi would be true to his word.

After another hour, the young blonde woke up Sasuke and Sakura as Shino and Kiba slept in Sasuke's tent while Naruto fell asleep by the fire. Kakashi then took the blonde and placed him inside Naruto's tent where Hinata lay fast asleep. The Hyuuga heiress reflexively clung unto the sleeping blonde as she wrapped her right arm around his waist while her head lay in his left shoulder. Naruto unconsciously wrapped his left arm around her making Kakashi smile at the sight of the sleeping couple. As he sat by the fire, he noticed that Naruto had dropped his black book where he was seated. He took this priceless opportunity and opened the book as he said to himself,

"Now let's see what Naruto has been reading lately."

He was speechless and astonished by what was written. Never had he read anything like it. The many passages of writing were all written in an unknown language. He was shocked and amazed by what the young blonde was reading this whole time.

'I've never seen anything like this before! I never knew that Naruto could read other languages. But if this is written in another language, then that means it doesn't matter who reads this since no one but him can decipher it. I'm really curious now. The deeper I get into investigating him, the more mysterious things get. Looks like I'll have to go to the Konoha Library to find out what language it's written in…if I can find it there.'

Kakashi then took out his orange book and wrote at the empty back page of the pornographic book, a few of the passages from the black book of Naruto. He then tucked away his orange book and flipped through page after page until he saw a half-filled entry and the pages next to it were empty as well. It was then that Kakashi realized something as he mentally said to himself,

'Not only can Naruto read the language, but write it. So that means he's been using the notebook and then encrypting his entries in a foreign language. It's rather ingenious for his age. Until I know the language he's been using, I won't be able to understand a thing and the reason he hides it so much behind the cover of the BINGO book.'

A frustrated Kakashi decided to return the book to Naruto's rucksack and was once again shocked as he saw what Naruto was carrying in his bag.

'So many weapons and rations as well as a first aid kit! And not a single cup of ramen. It's either Naruto has matured in the sense were he realizes its impractical uses in the field, or it's not Naruto at all. But he does live in the Forest of Death so I'm sure he's learned a thing or two about survival. So the second reason flies out the window.'

Kakashi broke away from his thoughts as he placed the book in the bag and sat by the fire once more, reading his perverted book.

After another few hours, Sasuke came back carrying Sakura in his arms. This of course, raised an eyebrow on Kakashi when he saw them. Sasuke had a faint blush on him as he told the one eyed Jounin,

"She fell asleep on the way back so I had to carry her."

"Riiight."

Kakashi said with his visible eye in a u shape as Sasuke ignored his sensei's attempt to tease him by laying down Sakura inside her tent beside Kurenai and went over to Naruto's tent to wake him up for the next shift. Sasuke was wide eyed by what he saw.

Somehow, like a sixth sense, Naruto knew that it was Sasuke who was there standing at the tents entrance. But as he opened his eyes, he realized that something or someone was lying on top of him. It was soft and warm and he could hear the sound of breathing on his chestas felt its warmth on that spot in the center of his chest.

When his eyes had fully opened, he saw his sleeping beauty peacefully slumbering on top of him. It would have been a nice view hadn't it been for the fact that it was time for their shift and Sasuke was wide eyed by what he saw from the entrance of the tent.

Naruto then gently rocked his princess as he said,

"Hinata-chan time to wake up."

Hinata quickly woke up and flustered into a crimson color when she saw the position she was in. before she could scream out in embarrassment, Naruto then placed his hand over her mouth and said,

"I don't think it's a good idea to scream right about now."

Hinata nodded as she quickly got up and ran to her post with her face still flustered. Kakashi chuckled when he saw the fleeting form of Hinata as Sasuke fully entered the tent and slept while Naruto marched over to Kakashi with a blush on his face as he told the one eyed Jounin,

"I think you're behind all this."

Kakashi tired to look as innocent as possible but Naruto knew otherwise. It was then that Naruto realized he could do the same thing as well. He had his infamous foxy grin as he carefully crept into Sakura's tent and placed her in his tent beside Sasuke. He then unzipped her red dress halfway and placed Sasuke's hands inside the dress as Sakura rolled over and slept in a way that Sasuke's hands were wrapped around Sakura's back. The young blonde then deviously unzipped the raven haired boy's shorts and placed Sakura's hand inside the now half open shorts and took out Sasuke's copy of Icha Icha Paradise from Sakura's bag and opened it in the middle and placed it by Sakura's side so that it looked like she had been reading it.

When the young blonde exited the tent, he was snickering silently as he turned tail and ran to his post. Kakashi who was curious at what Naruto had done, took a peek at the tent. He then quickly took out his camera and snapped a photo of them as he snickered as well while putting out the fire and sleeping in the tent where Tazuna slept. If it wasn't for the bridge builder's alchoholic breath, Kakashi would have a peaceful rest.

Meanwhile, on the tree nearest the road as the midnight sky covered the ground in darkness, Naruto climbed up the tree and sat beside his princess and said,

"Even though were on a mission, we can still enjoy the view."

Hinata gazed at him lovingly as she wrapped her arms around his left arm and lay her head to rest on his shoulder as Naruto rested his head upon hers before removing his arms from her grip as he wrapped it around her waist.

It was a beautiful night for romance indeed as the fireflies buzzed around the tree they were in while the stars dotted the navy blue sky. Naruto once more broke the silence as he said,

"Hina-hime, why were you so worried awhile ago?"

Hinata then replied,

"Why wouldn't I be worried? When I saw what happened, I wanted to know if you were alright."

"Don't worry too much about me Hina-hime. I'm fine. But you know, I really don't know how things have come to this. I never expected that things would turn out this way and I'm scared that I might not succeed and that many people are going to die needlessly if I fail."

Naruto's words made Hinata gaze at him with much passion and desire behind her lavender eyes. She understood why he was so frightened. He already lived a life of pain and failure once and he wished not to live it again. She then placed her hands upon his cheeks and turned his face to face hers as she blushed and said,

"Naruto-kun, you don't have to be afraid anymore since I will be here for you…we all are. You don't have to do all this alone. I will be with you for all eternity and will never leave you. I love you Naruto-kun."

Naruto blushed at the proximity of their faces from one another. He wanted so much to turn away, but his heart could not. Instead, he cried in her arms she felt the heavy sorrow pouring out of his heart. She comforted him as she laid him to rest in her arms. When all of his tears had dried out, he then lay in her lap as they gazed at the stars. Naruto then remembered that faithful night under the stars in Soul Society as it replayed once more in his mind. Naruto then said,

"The moon has light because the sun provided light for it. No one is perfect. Everyone is just like the moon, looking for light that only the sun provides. Everyone has his or her own pains that show their weaknesses and the darkness in them. But when they do find that light that can change them and set them free, they become just like the bright full moon out here…a light for others to follow."

Hinata who heard his words then said,

"It's just like the Konoha Fire Lilies that you gave me. It grew because of fire and light that it lacked that the fire gave to it. If you are the moon, then I will be your light. Just as you were the fire to me, the Konoha Fire Lily."

Naruto then sat up straight as he nodded. They were being philosophical and yet romantic in their own very way. They need not say another word as they just enjoyed each other's company. Soon enough, the wee hours of daylight broke through the night as dawn finally arrived. Soon Kakashi and Kurenai had gotten up and arrived at the post for their last turn of the watch. When they arrived, they smiled as they saw the sleeping forms of Naruto and Hinata as they had slept halfway through the watch. Kurenai then approached the tree and woke them up as she said,

"You've done enough already. Get some well earned rest were you can both be comfortable."

Naruto and Hinata leaped down from the tree and walked towards the camp. When they finally found the camp, they entered the now empty tent of Sakura and lay down in the bed peacefully in each others arms. Before they shut their eyes and drifted into sleep, Hinata then went closer to the young blonde and gave him a kiss. As their lips touched, Naruto's tongue began to slither into her mouth as she gladly permitted entry for their lips to lock as they deepened their kiss. Their tongues battled but eventually, they let them wander in the other's mouth before pulling back as a blush emerged on their faces. Naruto then said,

"Hina-hime…We agreed that it was too early for this…but I'm glad that we broke that agreement. Otherwise, I would not have the pleasure of kissing you once again."

Hinata then replied,

"I'm glad to have broken it as well. Gomenasai Naruto-kun but I couldn't resist anymore. But it was a good first true kiss."

And so their eyes shut as they finally drifted into sleep. Eventually, the others soon awakened as the light of the sun rained down on the team. Tazuna had surprisingly woken up early and without a hangover that normally accompanied a night of drinking. Most likely, the reason was because he had gotten used to alchohol. Shino woke up next and began to clean up the residue of the fire. While Akamaru, who awakened next, roamed the outskirts of the campsite in search for food aside from the meal of last night that was left untouched by even the flies. Kiba then joined Akamaru shortly leaving the only other two aside from the young blonde and the Hyuuga heiress to awaken in the most embarrassing situation.

"IIIIIIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

It was the scream of a howling banshee as the pink haired girl woke up in utter shock and embarrassment. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Sasuke lying on top of her with his shorts slightly down and open while her red dress had fallen past her waist and her green shorts were slightly raised passed her middle thighs. All in all, it didn't look good as only one thing could possibly describe the situation….Sasuke had urges in his sleep.

While the other couple was fast asleep in their tent, the other team members rushed to the scene. Sasuke had just woken up and was even more surprised than Sakura with his predicament. He quickly sat up making things even worse as his shorts had fallen down. Sakura covered her face as she desperately tried to hide her blush while her inner self was more intrigued to see the shocked raven haired Uchiha.

Kurenai opened the flap to the tent and her blood ran cold as she saw the Uchiha kneeling down in between the pink haired girl's legs. Sasuke had sweat pouring all over his head as he felt the spine tingling sensation that said danger was nearby and swallowed hard as he turned around and made a very bad imitation of Naruto whenever the blonde tried to fake a smile. If it wasn't for the dark shades that hid the Aburame boy's eyes, they would have seen a blush form under them. Kiba covered Akamaru's eyes as his dog used its paws to cover his master's brown ones. Kakashi began to sneak away from the sight until he could hear knuckles crack and feel a dark aura of an angry crimson eyed kunoichi behind him. It was a good thing that Naruto and Hinata were asleep or else they would've died from the several girlish screams that Kakashi made as Kurenai pummeled him with her fists, nails and who knows what as an array of colorful language filled the air.

As the team traveled once more in their formation, all the men excluding Naruto walked with a larger gap between them and Kurenai as they had seen firsthand experience of the saying, 'hell hath no wrath than a woman scorned'. And that particular woman was scary beyond belief.

Sakura had an almost permanent blush on her face as she was a little bit farther in proximity from her raven haired crush that she could not completely recognize from the similar beating he received from Kurenai's wrath.

Kakashi however, felt the full brunt of her wrath as he walked lifelessly ahead of the rest. Not only did he receive a beating that could equal Tsunade's soft punches, but he suffered the most emotionally. He had lost his favorite book as he was forced to witness its demise with his own eyes as she forced him to burn it with his own hands. Had he known better, she could very well make Morino Ibiki's methods of interrogation look like child's play.

And so their journey continues as they traveled to onward to their destination while a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows follows them from a safe distance as they traveled on the road to Wave.

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IT IS FINISHED! I am tired so don't expect another update to come up quickly. Hopefully, this chapter works out great. I need to find more ways to bring the two closer together. I know I'm being too rough on Sakura and Sasuke but I can guarantee that it won't be that harsh on them in the next chapter.