Chapter Thirteen:
"Hey sensei." Fumio wiped his brow, "Is it just me or is it really hot here?"
Naruto laughed, "Fumio, you're in the Village Hidden in the Sand. It is hot here the year around."
"Escaped from your fan club?" Katashi questioned with a grin.
"Yup."
"Where's Hinata-san?" Hanako looked around.
"She went out with Sakura and Ino for some shopping." Naruto smiled, "She looked gorgeous today, didn't she?"
'Yup… gorgeous all right. That sleeveless v-neck shirt and the shorts…' Naruto shut his thoughts up before he got too excited.
"Pervert!" Hanako shouted.
"She's my wife, knucklehead." Naruto rolled his eyes, "You guys practiced the rasengan?"
The three held out their bandaged hands.
Naruto laughed quietly, "Guess you really are ready, huh?"
"You bet!"
Naruto gazed at the three fondly.
"Hey, Katashi, have you already asked Noa out or will you ask her when we go back?" Hanako asked curiously.
Katashi looked uncomfortable, "You're friends with her, right? I'll ask her once we get back, so we can go on a proper date and all. Don't tell her I'm going to ask her, though."
"I'm not exactly friends with her, but… yeah. Good. She has a huge crush on you."
Katashi then grinned, "What about you two?"
"What? What about us?" This time Fumio looked embarrassed. His cheeks reddened slightly.
"When are you two gonna go out?"
Hanako grinned, looping her arm through Fumio's.
"Fumio-kun was going to ask me out today, weren't you, Fumio?"
Fumio nodded, "There's a great place I know of. Will you?"
Her smile widened, "Definitely!"
They smiled at each other.
Katashi groaned, "I'm gonna have to go through the entire exams with these two lovebirds."
Naruto gazed at his team, a faraway look on his face.
"Naruto-kun." A hand grabbed his arm and he jumped.
Hinata laughed quietly, "Sorry if I startled you."
"It's okay." Naruto kissed her quickly, "I thought you were out shopping?"
She nodded, "We've already done. What about you guys? Ready?"
"Bring it on!" Hanako and Katashi said together.
Then all three laughed.
"You know, Katashi, I liked you more when you were an emo." Fumio told him.
"Hey! I was never an emo!"
"They've changed a lot." Hinata told him as he put his arms around her waist from the back, bringing her into his chest.
Naruto nodded.
"You're an amazing sensei."
"Arigatou, Hina-chan. Hey, Katashi, Fumio, Hanako, quit arguing for a minute. Why don't you guys go on and check out the sights now? I think you've done enough training. Get some rest now."
"You really think so?"
Naruto nodded at them, "Hina-chan?"
"Hai?"
"You wanna go back to the hotel? It's really hot here." He whispered in her ear, "And I'm really hungry."
"The heat makes you thirsty, Naru-kun. Not hungry." Hinata whispered back, "I think I need to change out of these clothes. They're really wet."
Naruto nuzzled her back, "I think you need a nice, hot shower."
They grinned widely, and disappeared in a flash.
Hanako picked her jaw off the ground first.
"Hinata-san? Hinata-san? That was way too creepy for me." Hanako said as she recalled the grin that had been on Namikaze Uzumaki Hyuuga Hinata's face.
"I don't think I'll ever sleep without nightmares again." Fumio agreed.
"I think it was kind of hot." Katashi shrugged.
They stared at him.
"What?" He shrugged again, "Now, if you'll excuse me."
And he whipped out Icha Icha Paradise, and walked away, his back to them, nose buried in the book.
As Hanako and Fumio stared with huge eyes and dropped jaws, Katashi disappeared in a puff.
"I can't believe… your faces! You actually fell for it!" Katashi was right behind them, laughing his ass off, "You really believed… dudes, I'm thirteen!"
After shooting him death glares, eventually both Hanako and Fumio started to laugh too.
"That was sick, Katashi." Hanako hiccupped, "Really sick."
Katashi controlled his chuckles, "It was gross. Sensei was practically groping her in front of us."
"She's his wife. He doesn't grope her, he loves her. He's supposed to get excited when she's dressed up like that." A voice spoke from behind them.
"Thanks, teme. I could really do without the scarring of a lifetime." Katashi growled, though his eyes twinkled as he stared at Ino's student and his somewhat-of-a-rival.
"PERVERT!" Hanako shouted at Kenichi.
Fumio put his hands over his ears, "Too much information, Kenichi. Information overload. Information overload. Information overload. Information overload."
"Seriously. I wouldn't want to know my sensei had an erection in front of me either." Kenichi's teammate, Manabu, spoke up.
"Shut up, Manabu! Is your whole team perverted?" Hanako shouted.
"No, I'm not." Konata replied, jumping down from a tree, "Hi, Hanako."
"Hey, Konata. I forgot you're on their team. Hard to believe."
"That was a great prank, Katashi." Konata smiled at the young boy, "You really surprised me."
Hanako glanced at her tanned, beautiful friend.
"You changed your outfit, Konata." She said, surprised.
Konata laughed and nodded, "Hai. What do you think?"
She wore a dark blue sleeveless v-neck short blouse over a half-sleeved fishnet undershirt. The blouse clung to her body. Her wraparound skirt was faded brown and open from the side, revealing her blue see-through leggings.
"You look good." Hanako replied, "Come on, sensei's given us the day off. Let's go spar."
Konata nodded, and the two walked off.
"The exams start tomorrow. Did Gaara-san tell you what it's going to be?" Hinata asked as she brushed out her hair.
Naruto didn't reply. She turned around to look at him.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her with a faraway look on his face.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata approached him.
Only when she shook her hand in front of his face did he snap out of his trance.
"Oh… sorry, Hinata. Got lost. Did you say something?" He asked.
Hinata nodded, "Are you all right? You seem lost today."
Naruto sighed and lay back on the bed. He pulled her with him, and she curled up into his side.
"Just thinking. I was wondering how baa-chan's doing." He kissed her cheek, "It's going to be awkward without her."
Hinata hugged him, "It's going to be okay, Naru-kun. She's left behind you, and Sakura-san, and Shizune-sama. She's left behind so many cures and done so much."
Naruto nodded, "What were you saying earlier?"
"I was asking about the exams."
"Gaara said there's going to be a written one, and one like our second exam, only… they'll not get the scrolls, instead they'll have to take them from various places without setting off the alarm. They'll have to spar with chuunin instead of the usual genin."
"Stealth, strategy, information, loyalty and strength." Hinata listed, "That's a lot tougher than our chuunin exams."
"Our exams were crap. Gaara's stationed ANBU everywhere to keep an eye on the genin. Orochimaru came, messed with Sasuke, and attacked, and nobody even suspected an attack from the Sand."
Hinata gazed at him sadly, "That's one of the worst parts, huh?"
Naruto sighed, and just nodded.
"Come on, let's go to sleep."
Naruto went over with the green vests. He had asked Gaara especially to let him be the one to give them to his team.
Fumio, Katashi and Hanako were staring at him, a dazed look on their faces. Their clothes were muddy, sweaty and torn. Fumio's arm was bandaged up. Hanako had bruises all over, and Katashi had a bandage from his neck down.
Naruto slipped the vest over Fumio's head.
"Congratulations, Fumio." He ruffled his hair.
Hanako's face split into a pained grin as he did the same to her.
Katashi, however, remained serious. As soon as the vest was over his head, he whispered.
"Arigatou, sensei."
Then all the teams which had passed let out a huge yell.
"YATTA!"
Naruto smiled as he wrapped his arm around Hinata's waist.
"Come on, Konoha nins, we need to get back. We're staying here tonight so you guys can celebrate, but we'll head out tomorrow early in the morning.
Stories drawing to an end unfortunately. However, I have a sequel planned up! :P Review please.
BTW, dont expect or ask me to do lemons any time in the future. I'm 13, n just writing detailed makeout sessions embarasses me!