And im back with another update! I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything and I thank you all for your patience. I am a college student and I decided to take some summer classes to get ahead of the pack. This effectively destroyed my social life and my sleeping patterns. I figured it is time for me to suck it up and dedicate some serious time to my stories. So in accordance to this, I have come up with some important News/updates.

I took some time to create a twitter account for my FF stories! If you are a fan of this story or Sunflowers please subscribe to it so you can get all my updates on my writing progress as well as leave any criticism and ask questions. Just add /tallman0029 to twitterDOTcom to find my profile. I hope to see you all there!

I am getting a brand new PC on Monday so I can finally get a real office-like work space for me to write in. Writing is so much easier when im not bent over my piece-of-shit laptop and holding the charge cord in with duct tape.

In celebration of my birthday(July 29) I want to hold a Fanart contest! The fanart can be about any of my stories. I would prefer it if the art was a picture of your favorite scene or moment in the story but it doesn't have to be. As long as there is some kind of marker in it that assures me it is related to my work. I don't want people to just pull images off google and send them in. The winner of the contest will receive some sort of prestigious prize. I am not sure what it will be yet. But I am sure I can work something out to reward that person. I had an idea to put it on a shirt, but im not sure if I need to buy the rights to do that or something. Another idea I had was to use that person's full name as a character in the real book I am writing. Please send your art to Tallman0029 At gmailDOTcom. There isn't a limit to how many you can send in as long as they are your own work or you have that artists permission. Please have fun and I can't wait to see your art!

I think that's it for my big news. I hope you all will forgive me for taking so long to post! With all these new motivators in my life I will be sure to post the next chapter very soon! Probably sooner if the fanart is good! Im so close to my milestone 1000 reviews! Review! Review! Review!

The early sun was rising upon the grassy clearing where Naruto and Jiraiya had been training for the past few months. Thick and fluffy clouds were seated all across the sky causing the sun to be blotted out in various spots across the field. The wind was blowing a strong, yet calm breeze across the tall grass.

Jiraiya inhaled a deep breath and smiled as the faint smell of pine tickled his senses. The sun was hot on his neck but the cool breeze kept his skin refreshingly cool. The tree branches were swaying with the wind and the sound was absolutely serene.

Jiraiya exhaled in a slow, controlled manner. Peace of mind…..

Pffffttt!

Jiraiya's ears perked up at the grotesque sound as his brain tried to catalog the source. Suddenly, Jiraiya's nostrils were assaulted with a foul stench. His eyes started to water and his peace of mind was violently shattered.

"Damnit, Naruto!" Jiraiya shouted though his hand as he tried to block the offensive odor. "What the hell was that?"

"What did you expect? We have been sitting here, doing nothing, for hours!" Naruto shouted, jumping up to yell at Jiraiya.

"We aren't "doing nothing", you brat!" I am trying to show you how to obtain peace of mind so you can control your chakra better! You need better chakra control if you want to learn all the advanced techniques I am going to show you!"

At the mention of techniques, Naruto's frustration instantly vanished. "Why didn't you say so!" he retorted and eagerly sat back down next to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya cleared his throat loudly and tried to flaunt the position he was sitting in. Naruto nodded and crossed his arms and legs as well. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Good." Jiraiya sighed slowly and relieved himself of his irritation. "Now, still your thoughts and open your mind to the world around you."

"Huh?" Naruto asked with a dumb look pointed towards Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's forehead twitched and he fought to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "Quiet your mind and listen to the sounds of the forest around you. The wind is all around you. Listen to the differences between the wind coming through the trees and wind coming along the grass."

Naruto nodded again and his face contorted in effort as he tried to hear what Jiraiya was describing.

"Stop concentrating!" Jiraiya reprimanded without even opening his eyes. "This isn't something you try to do. This is something you just allow yourself to do." Jiraiya inhaled loudly though his nose. "This forest has a distinct smell. But can you distinguish between the different scents? Can you smell the cedar mixed in with the pine? Can you smell the grass, the trees, the flowers, and the air as different entities? Every single thing is comprised of many smaller and more complex parts. You need to grasp this concept in order to master more elaborate techniques."

Once again Naruto tried to do as his master dictated, but as he tried to focus his mind on other things his skin started to itch and Naruto was hounded by the obsessive need to scratch it.

After a long battle of wills, Naruto finally gave in and his hands flew around his body scratching every inch of skin he could reach.

Jiraiya sighed hopelessly. This was never going to work. He was going to have to find some way to get Naruto focused. "How about I show you one of the most advanced techniques I have ever invented!" Jiraiya asked with a flashy smile.

Naruto's eyes slanted suspiciously. "Sure…" he said hesitantly, having been tricked by Jiraiya one too many times. This wasn't the first time he had heard that shady line.

Jiraiya ignored the mistrust in Naruto's voice and simply held out his index finger towards Naruto. He took a deep, slow breath and went silent for a moment. For a minute, Naruto thought he had been tricked once again but then he noticed that there was a swirl of chakra gathering at the tip of Jiraiya's finger. He watched closely as the little ball of chakra began to vibrate furiously. It was almost like a tiny rasengan had grown on his finger.

Naruto's eyes sparkled with innocent fascination. "Wow…. So why is it so small?" He asked excitedly. "Is it powerful?"

Jiraiya laughed. "Much more powerful than you could imagine. Trust me. You use this on someone and they won't be able to stand for hours!"

"Cool! I want to try it!" Naruto shouted with the pent up energy he had been gathering by sitting still all day. He held out his finger and tried to imitate Jiraiya. Chakra started to swirl around his finger, but it was much too large. It was closer to the size of an actual rasengan. Naruto instantly tried to fix his mistake by condensing the chakra, but that only caused it to spin violently out of control and explode in his face.

Jiraiya bit his tongue to hold back a flood of laughter. "If you use it like that you're going to end up killing someone. Most likely yourself."

"Then teach me how to do it properly!" Naruto shouted angrily as he rubbed his stinging face.

"You need to focus on making the chakra as tiny and as controlled as possible. Then you have to excite the chakra into a pulsing, vibrating motion. In order to do all of this you are going to need to find your inner peace. Which is why we spent all day meditating!" Jiraiya said, his voice escalating in frustration with each sentence.

"Yeah, Yeah." Naruto muttered. "Inner peace and whatever. I get it."

"You better. This technique is quite hard to master, Naruto. However, I guarantee Hinata will be impressed."

"She will?" Naruto asked with a dramatic increase in motivation.

"Of course! She is going to love this technique." Jiraiya said with a grin that was clearly hiding something.

But Naruto had already closed his eyes and was trying to find his inner peace of mind. Jiraiya was pleasantly surprised. This Hinata girl might be more useful than I could have hoped…

"That's it, Naruto! Imagine her smiling face, her smell, the feel of her skin…." Jiraiya whispered encouragingly, coaxing Naruto into a deep meditative state.

Naruto took a slow, deep breath and held out his finger again. He gathered his chakra around the tip of his finger, but it began to swirl out of control just like before. Naruto let out his breath softly and focused his mind on the image of Hinata smiling with his animal cap seated tightly atop her head.

The ball of chakra suddenly started to calm down and diminish in size. Jiraiya stared in shock as the ball shrunk down to an ideal size. It would have been perfect except that the ball did not stop shrinking. It kept getting smaller and smaller until the chakra became too thin and vanished.

Jiraiya smirked slightly, but he was still quite surprised at Naruto's progress. Just thinking about that girl had that much of an effect on him?

Naruto opened his eyes hesitantly and frowned once he realized the jutsu had failed. "Damnit! I thought I had it that time."

"This isn't a technique you can learn in just one day. You are going to have to practice this jutsu hundreds of times before you are ready to actually use it on a person." Jiraiya said as he demonstrated the jutsu once more.

Naruto stared in wonder as Jiraiya's finger and the chakra around it vibrated furiously. "So what kind of effect does it have when you use it?"

Jiraiya frowned as he tried to think of an appropriate answer. He bent down to pick up a pair of thin twigs. He then adjusted them in his hands so that they resembled a pair of legs. "You just lay your girl down and then…." Jiraiya slowly lifted his finger so that the ball of vibrating chakra touched the apex of the twigs.

Suddenly it dawned on Naruto exactly what this jutsu was meant for. "T-That's a perverted Ninjutsu!"

Jiraiya scowled. "It's the "Ultimate Perverted Ninjutsu"! This doesn't even compare to those low level techniques you used on me when we first met. This move could turn even the most reluctant, chaste women into my own personal-"

"nuh uh!" Naruto screeched as he clamped his hands over his already corrupted ears. He focused all of his might on not thinking about what Jiraiya was saying. But he still found himself wondering what kind of effect it would have on Hinata. He shook his head as hard as he could trying to tear the thought from his mind.

"I-I am going to take a bath!" Naruto shouted as he ran into the forest. He hoped the cold water would help clear his thoughts.

Jiraiya chuckled as he watched Naruto go. Naruto didn't realize it but that technique required immense chakra control. His ninja skills could seriously benefit from him practicing that jutsu.

Naruto ran all the way to the lake without breaking his pace for a second. After several months the forest was starting to feel like his own backyard. Naruto began tearing off clothes as soon as he saw the water's surface. He was naked and in the water within seconds. He immediately dunked his head underneath the chilled water and sighed with relief as the thoughts of Jiraiya and girls dribbled from his mind.

Naruto rose to the surface and filled his lungs with oxygen. He took another deep breath and dived back down beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, Hinata had just finished her daily training and was headed back towards camp. Today's training was especially intense and her skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat. Her clothes were sticking to her body and her throat was parched.

She reckoned Naruto would continue training for several more hours so if she went back to camp now she would only end up sitting around by herself until Naruto came back. She decided to pass some time by taking a quick dip in the nearby lake. She also wanted to wash off the grime from training and freshen up a bit for Naruto.

Hinata slowly ambled towards the water's surface. Her sore legs were begging for the sweet relief the cool water would offer. She took off her shoes and stepped out of her pants. Still wearing her underwear and shirt, she sauntered into the water until it was at her knees.

Hinata sighed softly as she curled her toes in the soft sand-like mud beneath the water. She reached down and wrapped her fingers around the hem of her shirt. She stripped off her shirt and tossed it onto the bank behind her. Her shirt removed, Hinata groaned in discomfort as she adjusted her bra.

In the recent months both Hinata and Naruto had undergone tremendous physical changes. Naruto grew a few inches and his muscles were becoming much more defined. Hinata had gotten taller as well but just barely. Her hair had grown down to her shoulders and her hips had widened slightly. Her slender figure was starting to mature into a women's curvy frame and her boobs were no exception.

Her bust had increased in size by a large margin. Her bra was now several sizes too small and it was becoming excessively uncomfortable for Hinata. As she reached back to unstrap her bra, there was a sudden bubbling in the water in front of her. She froze as a person abruptly emerged from beneath the surface.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata gasped as she recognized the blonde figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelped in surprise, still gasping for air. He turned his head slightly and eyed his discarded clothes on the adjacent side of the lake. He gulped quietly before turning back to face Hinata.

Hinata was still frozen in place with her hands behind her about to unclasp her bra. She quickly recovered and brought her hands down to her sides. Naruto's gaze remained transfixed on her causing a bright red blush to cross her cheeks.

Naruto's burning stare started to become too much for Hinata so she dipped a cupped hand into the water and flung a stream of water towards Naruto.

Naruto quickly averted his face to avoid getting splashed in the eyes. The water droplets peppered against the side of Naruto's face. He turned back to Hinata with a devilish grin. He threw both arms behind him and then quickly thrust them forward causing a giant cascade of water to fly towards her.

Hinata deftly dodged the brunt of the attack but her underwear still ended up getting soaked. She threw her modesty out the window and tackled Naruto pushing him underwater. The two wrestled beneath the surface for a moment before Naruto finally gained control and brought the both of them up for air.

The moment their heads broke through the surface, Naruto and Hinata began laughing uncontrollably. Hinata held onto one of Naruto's shoulders to help keep herself afloat as she tried to catch her breath.

The two hadn't noticed it yet, but the sun had begun to set whilst they were playing in the lake. This caused a vibrant pattern of red and yellow to scatter across the water's surface. Hinata was the first to notice it once her breathing had returned to normal. She tapped Naruto's shoulder and he turned his head to face the direction Hinata was staring.

"Wow…" Naruto breathed as his gaze fell upon the splendid array of colors before him. Naruto placed his feet on the bottom of the shallow lake and stared up at the ambient light in the sky.

"It's beautiful." Hinata whispered as she stepped behind Naruto and wrapped her arms around his chest. Naruto's heart skipped a beat and he gulped quietly. "It kind of reminds me of the night when you taught me how to swim."

Naruto chuckled. "You were so scared."

"Hey!" Hinata faked a glare and flicked Naruto's ear. "I am still a bit afraid of places where I can't touch the ground, but it's a lot easier when you are with me."

Naruto turned around to look Hinata in the eye. The sun had finished setting and the moon was streaming just enough light to reflect off the surface of the water and onto Hinata's smooth skin. Her eyes shone a brilliant shade of lavender and Naruto was deeply entranced by her quiet aura. It was just like the moment when he had seen her naked at the waterfall.

"You're….beautiful…" Naruto murmured softly.

Hinata had to strain her ears to hear him, but his words were unmistakable. Her face flushed with a crimson blush that was only amplified by the pale moonlight surrounding her. "R-Really?"

Naruto averted his gaze and scratched his cheek nervously. "Yeah….Believe it." He flashed his trademark grin and Hinata's heart melted. She threw her arms around him and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

Naruto really enjoyed being hugged by Hinata. To be squeezed so hard by something so soft was a feeling that Naruto couldn't describe. Never before had he felt so needed. The feeling of someone else's happiness being dependent on him was absolutely surreal.

But before Naruto could fully catalog his emotions, Hinata pulled her head back and pressed her lips firmly against his. Naruto's brain went into sensory overload and a wave of lightning shot all over his body. His heart rate spiked and his skin began to tingle with excitement.

After the initial intensity, the kiss grew softer until Hinata finally drew her head back and nestled it onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto smiled and nodded his head. "Definitely beautiful."

Hinata laughed as she adjusted her body closer to Naruto's. She opened her mouth to respond, but something suddenly pressed into her stomach and she let out a small yelp.

Naruto's eyes shot open and the color drained out of his face. He hadn't been aware of what was happening to his body because of the cold water, but now it was painfully obvious to him.

"I think a fish just poked me!" Hinata exclaimed as she stared down into the dark water.

Naruto gulped. "Y-Yeah… a fish… I'll go look for it over there." He said, gesturing to the spot where he had left his discarded clothes.

"I'll come with you!" Hinata shouted , her fear of water kicking in as she realized she could no longer see the bottom of the lake. She pressed her body against Naruto and once again came into contact with the "fish". She slowly looked up at Naruto and as she followed the shape of his body beneath the surface of the lake it dawned on her exactly what the fish was.

"You're naked, aren't you?" Hinata asked in a calm tone.

Naruto nodded meekly. "I was trying to take bath before I realized you were here."

Hinata nodded slowly. It made sense. She was about to do the same thing when Naruto had emerged right in front of her. A moment of awkward silence passed between the two of them as neither one could think of something to say.

Finally, in complete silence, Hinata reached back to unclasp her bra. Naruto panicked and quickly grabbed her hands preventing her from removing it.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked with wide eyes.

Hinata blushed, but she refused to look away. "Is it weird for a married couple to bath together?"

"N-Not at all!" Naruto stammered. "It's just…. I think it's time for us to get out! The water is getting cold and my skin is starting to prune…"

Hinata smiled. It didn't show very often, but Naruto definitely had a shy side. She found it quite adorable, actually. "I guess you are right. It is getting late. We should head back to camp."

Naruto nodded and headed towards the bank where he had gotten undressed. Hinata watched as he waded onto the shore and grabbed his clothes. She couldn't help catching a quick glimpse of his bare bottom before turning towards the opposite side of the lake where she had left her clothes.

By the time she had gotten out of the water and found her clothes Naruto had already finished getting dressed. He approached her from behind as she stepped into her pants and pulled them over her wet underwear.

He couldn't stop himself from watching her as she got dressed. But something unfamiliar caught his eye as his gaze swept over her body. There was a tiny roll of skin being pinched beneath the straps of her bra. Naruto frowned slightly as he stared at the roll.

"Hinata…. Did you gain weight?"

I don't really like how short this chapter is. I kinda rushed it so I could post before my birthday. I hate doing that but I felt it was necessary because of all the aforementioned updates and news. Ill make up for it by making the next chapter a bit longer. I might even come back and edit this chapter so it flows more smoothly. Please don't forget to review and check out my twitter page! I look forward to seeing some fanart from you guys as well!