You never realize it when you are there, but your hometown has a smell, and a taste, your home town has a feeling that no other place on the planet has. Naruto could feel a shudder engulf his body as he entered the gates of The Hidden Leaf Village, he hadn't realized how much he longed to be home, until he was there. Kakashi smiled, he could tell how happy they where to be home. "Tell you guys what, you go ahead and relax and I'll handle the debriefing."

Naruto smiled. "You're a saint you know that right."

Kakashi shrugged coolly. "You can repay me by being rested for our next mission." By the time he finished talking they were already gone. "Oh okay, I'll um see you guys later."

They all scatter to their separate corners; Naruto however didn't make it very far from the gate before he was stopped. "Um Naruto?" Naruto felt a tug at his wrist as he walked down the street.

"Oh hey Hinata!" He greeted cheerfully. "Are you leaving the village?"

She shook her head. "I heard you where getting back from your mission, so I thought I'd come and welcome you home."

"Oh, that awesome thanks!" He gave her a bear hug. She let out a soft moan.

"I,I was wondering, if maybe, since you've been away for so long, if you might, you know, get some ramen. My treat."

"Hinata." He announced putting his hand on her shoulder. "That's the best Idea I've heard in my entire life."

Hinata smiled shyly. "Then let's go." Suddenly her heart grew stronger, hesitate she did no longer. She grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction of Ichiraku.

Naruto was a little taken back by this. Usually Hinata was so shy and quite, but now she was, well she was still quite but in a strong way, and still shy, but not in a crippling way. "I'm impressed with you Hinata, usually you're a shy mess, what happened?"

"My therapist gave me some pills." She admitted. He face crimsoned, and she looked away from him. How could he like her now? He probably thought she was some kind of nut! She couldn't believe she'd said that, in front of him no less!

Naruto place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She could have melted right there and then. He didn't say anything at first; they just walked on like that for a minute or so. Hinata didn't quite know how to feel just then, but one thing was for certain, the blush was there to stay. "Don't worry about it Hinata. If those pills make you a little looser, then I'm not complaining." He paused. "Wait that didn't come out right." He laughed nervously, they were both blushing now. "What I meant is that, if it makes you a little braver then I'm grateful. Otherwise we might not be on this date right now."

She could have died right there and would have been happy. "You really mean it?"

"Of course!" He gave her a hearty pat on the back. "Eating Ramen is always more fun with a friend!"

Hinata giggled to herself. 'One step at a time.' She smiled warmly at Naruto and squeezed his hand. "You're lucky you're cute."

Xxx Haruno Residence xxX

Lord Haruno was a mountain of a man a good seven feet tall with a muscles he'd developed from twenty years in his salt mines. He was of course extravagantly rich, chances where if you where salting your food or serving hard labor, his mines wyere involved. He had messy brown hair, and dark bottomless eyes. He was well respected with the civilian population; he'd even been called in a few times to assist the Lord of Fire in a few political situations. In the eyes of the ninja clans, however he was just some up-and-coming man using his money and influence to rear his head into their realm. They weren't entirely wrong, he thought with a smile.

Lady Haruno was a goddess among women she was tall and slender and was usually enveloped in her golden mane. Whenever she left the house she would always turn heads. Her beauty however was far from her finest trait. Other than her flawless looks, she was just about the smartest person you've ever seen, which put her in charge of R&D for the Haruno clan.

Sakura bowed before the heads of the Haruno clan. It never sounded quite right calling her family the Haruno clan, after all it was just the three of the and her uncle Lan, But Lord Haruno had big plans for them. "You got the job done right?" Lord Haruno inquired from his 'throne'. Sakura nodded revealing the blood samples to her parents. "Well good work! Get those analyzed ASAP. I need to know where we're proceeding for phase two."

"Right away sir." Sakura stood up and made her way into the bowels of the Haruno mansion, into their lab.

Xxx Uchiha Complex xxX

The Uchiha complex had gone untouched for years. Haunted by ghosts most would say, when they neared the abandoned houses. Only one thing haunted Saskue when he walked the hallways of his former home, the memories of those who died that fateful night. Saskue often wondered the area soaking up the memories and feelings he'd experienced in certain places, but today was different today he could feel the spirit of vengeance leading him somewhere. The path was marked out for him, not quite like road signs pointing the way, but close enough. He could feel something pulling him towards the utility closet tucked away in the corner. He could hear the tortured souls of his family leading the way.

The utility hut, was just a little tin shack thrown together to house the Generator for the complex. Or so Saskue thought. It was only now that Saskue noticed the hatch hidden under a shelf of tools and appliances. He pried it open and scaled down the latter. It led deep beneath the village, so deep he could hear the sewer works above him. And when he finally stopped descending he found a little concrete room, lined with lead, to keep prying eyes away. (Huygas cough cough)

The room had a barbers chair in the middle with a whole array of cruel looks surgical equipment dangling above it by robotic arms. "No hair cut for me thanks." Saskue whispered running his hand along the side of the chair. He turned his attention to the second and last Item in the room, a laptop computer. He pressed the power button and was surprised that it came to life immediately.

"Salutations Master Uchiha! This unit has not been in use 1,472 days, how can I help you?"

"Who are you?" Saskue picked up the computer and inspected it, no microphone, no one was broadcasting off of this thing, it appeared to be a functioning artificial intelligence.

"G.A.R.Y"

"What do you do?"

"I'm in charge of the medical equipment in the facility. I'm versed in: one form of surgery."

Saskue rolled his eyes. "So you're pretty much useless, a medical program with only one surgery, why would they hide you down here?"

"I like to think it's a quality over quantity type of situations. I've performed dozens of Sharingan Implants, and none of them have been rejected."

"What was that?"

"Well with lesser operating software, the body might reject the implant, but since they upgraded to me, that hasn't occurred once!"

Saskue's head was spinning. "Wait, so you can give me Sharingan implants?"

"Affirmative."

"Right now?"

"Affirmative."

Saskue jumped into the seat without the slightest hesitation. "Start the surgery!"

"Are you allergic to any form of anesthesia, or pain killers?"

"No, none of that, no pain killers, or anesthesia."

"Very well, as a computer I have no concept of pain, but I hear that this operation provides plenty of it."

"Good, I want to be reminded of my mission, the pain will provide me with focus. Now give me the best model Sharingan you have."

"Affirmative, Sharingan MK I operation initiated.

The restraints of the seat clamped shut and Saskue could hear a buzzing sound from above his head. He would have looked up to check but his head was clamped in place. "MK I that's the worst model! I said give me the best!" He thrashed in his seat.

"My Apologies sir, but all of the higher models have been erased from my database, the MK I is the best I have to offer. Now please stay still the surgery has begun.

Saskue gritted his teeth as his eyes where spliced open. 'Even after he's gone Itachi still manages to sabotage me!'

Xxx Naruto xxX

"That really hit the spot thanks Hinata!"

"My pleasure."

"I really needed some company today, thanks for being there for me."

She smiled sadly. "Was your mission really that bad?"

"I saw people die." He whispered. "You think your ready, I'm mean you're a ninja killing is in the job description, but to actually see someone die, it's horrifying."

"Oh Naruto." She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. She was starting to get worried, that maybe these pills were working a little too well. Just look at the way she was handing out hugs, if she didn't show some self control she just might end up pregnant!

"I've never taken a walk after eating ramen; I usually just go home and lay down."

Hinata nodded, going along with the change in subject. "I do it all the time. It's a great time to think."

They walked for a little bit longer, the village was behind them now and they found themselves in the training fields. The sun was setting so the sun and its reflection on the lake joined together before slipping beneath the horizon. "What do you think about when you walk?"

"You." She answered off handedly. "Oh." She whimpered. "I think about the horrible things that you've seen on your mission, and I think of ways that I could make you feel better."

Naruto's heat melted. He embraced her. "God Hinata, you're such a sweet girl, I wish more girls where like you." He paused and ran his hand up and down her back. "That's not true; I've got to make sure you stay one in a million."

'Hinata when did you get so smooth?' She smiled to herself. She couldn't believe how well this date was going. She'd never heard him say anything as nice about Sakura, maybe he was starting to see her for the girl she was, the girl for him. "I,I was wondering, do you want to come over to my house? My dad bought me a new gun for graduation, and I know you are kind of a gun nut, so I thought you might be interested."

Naruto looked at her his mouth agape. "Hinata you know the way to a mans heart."

Xxx Sakura xxX

"A Heart like a bull, and an expiration date you wouldn't believe. He's going to out live all of us by at least a hundred years."

"Explain." Lord Haruno commanded.

Sakura shook her head. She flipped through his DNA sheet, it was all baffling. "I'm not sure I can. According to this, he's not even human. He's got a charka reserve off the charts, and he heals at a rate at least a hundred times faster than a regular human."

"So you're saying that he's not human?"

"No I'm saying he's the perfect human, as far as longevity is concerned."

They all sat in silence, their brains racing, could a super solider have been so close to them all this time and they be oblivious to it? Lady Haruno leaned over to her husband. "Of course there is the thing."

"What thing?"

"You know." She looked over at her daughter making sure not to give anything away. "The forbidden thing, the nine of them."

"Oh! Yes of course, the thing. We'll that mystery is solved. My how that would be an asset."

"I'll say, could you imagine having that on our side?"

Lord Haruno looked over at Sakura. "Our decision is just about made, but what about the Uchiha?"

"Exactly what you would expect from Ninja Royalty, Faster, stronger, smarter, than Naruto, predisposed to the Sharingan, I personally believe he's the best all around choice."

Lady Haruno laughed. "The Sharingan is waste of time unless we can get a hold of one to reverse engineer, which I don't see happening anytime soon, seeing that Itachi Uchiha eradicated all if it's carriers."

"There is one left." Sakura announced. The two of them eyed her suspiciously. "Kakashi has one."

Lady Haruno ran her hand through her silky hair; she let out a small laugh. "Now that's interesting."

Xxx Saskue xxX

The pain wasn't so bad. What was bad was climbing back up to the utility shed blind, and half conscious. What was bad was passing a few busy streets in order to get back home. But that's okay Saskue didn't mind, because he knew it all brought him one step closer to sending his brother six feet under. That thought was all he needed to keep going that was his painkiller. Although, he wouldn't have minded the real kind right about now, I mean his eyes were bleeding! Being a bad ass only gets you so far in life.

Xxx Huyga mansion xxX

"So you're going to be a sniper." Naruto ran his hand along Hinata's weapon, it looked like a Barret sniper rifle but the barrel was thicker than Naruto's arm. "Why's the barrel so thick?"

"It has Electro magnets in it that help propel the bullet."

"Woah!" Naruto shouted setting down the gun carefully. "A rail gun! You've got a piece of space age technology as a sniper rifle?"

"I can hit a target through twenty feet of concrete." Seeing that she was able to see through twenty feet of concrete that makes Hinata pretty dangerous.

"How much did it cost?"

"Oh that's not important." Hinata closed the case and slid it back under her bed.

Naruto smiled. "No it's okay It won't make me feel bad, just give me a ball park number." Hinata whispered the number into his ear. Naruto couldn't help but laugh, it was so ridiculous. "Your new gun cost more than my whole life, heh that's fantastic."

"I didn't show you it to make you feel bad, I just thought you might like to see it."

Naruto drew closer. She was sweet, not many people in the village stressed over feelings, at least not his feelings. With a few exceptions she was one of the only people how cared for him. "No it's fine, whatever it takes to keep you safe." He grinned. "I couldn't take losing my ramen buddy!"

Hinata puffed her cheeks out. Why was he so confusing! Why would he say such romantic things then friend zone her? It's hard to tell what made Hinata snap that night, whether it was the pills, her frustration with herself, or maybe just feeling Naruto so close to her, but one thing is for sure: Hinata came out in a big way.

"Hinata are you okay. You kind of zoned out there for a moment."

Hinata looked at him. He was so perfect with those baby blue eyes, and that bright yellow hair. Suddenly without warning, to even herself she pushed Naruto onto her big plush bed. She gently lay down on top of him. They where both panting a little. Neither of them completely knew what was going on, but they both knew they wanted it. Hinata gently and lovingly kissed Naruto. She could feel her heart skyrocket into her throat, his lips felt just like she dreamed they would. She could feel his hand in her hair. "Hinata." He breathed.

She couldn't keep herself propped up any longer; she was too light headed, so she collapsed on top of him. He could feel her hot breath on his ear, and it sent shivers down his spine. "I don't want to chase after you anymore. I want to walk with you for now on."

Naruto nodded breathlessly his mind felt numb. "Okay, but one condition." She gulped almost afraid of what it could be. He smiled that Naruto smile. "I get to be the boyfriend."

Xxx Author's Notes xxX

No they didn't have sex.

Golly what could those sneaky Haruno's be up to?

I think I'm back in my groove, so I hope that for now I'll give you guys nothing but quality writing. (At least for me.) I want to thank 'Guest' for giving me the kick in the pants I needed, and for suggesting Hinata be a sniper, I really like that Idea. So you see guys I do take what you say into consideration!

Thank you guys for reading, I love ya! So maybe you can repay me by letting me read some reviews? You know I love to hear from you guys =^_^=

See you later guys, and stay tuned because next chapter, we meet everyone's favorite snake!