Naruto was walking down the road, hoping to spot a comrade that could help him with an upcoming mission, which was on stay due to lack of two members.

After a while of wondering around, he came across a duo, who were talking indistinctively. He recognized one of them as Shikamaru and waved to him "hey Shikamaru!"

Upon hearing this both of them turned their attention in Naruto's direction. "Naruto? What is it?" Asked Shikamaru jumping straight on the point.

"Hey Naruto! It's you. Long time no See" said the guy who was with Shikamaru. The young ninja was chubby in visual aspects but if one knows him as a friend they will know his kind hearted spirit as well. He had box wrapped in cloth with his hand stretched out towards Shikamaru. He was a member of team 10 and a chunin from hidden leaf.

"Chouji! You're lot bigger than before. Hehehe" Naruto smiled, meeting his old friend made him happy.

"Well I suppose so!" Chouji replied sheepishly, scratching back of his head.

"What is it Naruto? What brings you here?" Asked Shikamaru

"Yea, about that. I want two team members for a mission, I'm going on. To make a four man squad, you two are fine for the job" Naruto explained the purpose of his visit.

"Lady Tsunade had me for proctor for upcoming chunin exams. I'm sorry Naruto but I can't help. It's such a drag being a proctor!" Shikamaru replied.

"Oh common! This mission is the clue towards Orochimaru's hideout and this can take us one step closer to the Sasuke."

"I'm sorry Naruto-"

"Oh common Shikamaru, Naruto is our old friend, it's the least we can do for him."

"What are you talking about Chouji? You have a mission with Asuma." Shikamaru reminded Chouji of his work.

"I'll talk Asuma into it, you don't worry" Chouji replied consoling Naruto. Chouji's reply gave him a little of relief and just one more team member was remaining or that's what he was thinking but soon enough that dream was shattered by Shikamaru.

"You may get past Asuma but he has to get past Lady Hokage and there's no way she'll allow it" Shikamaru stated making him realize the problems ahead.

"I'll talk to Lady Hokage about it!"

"If it was that easy then I would have been assigned a mission same as you and not a proctor for some stupid exam!" Shikamaru said giving a hint that Tsunade won't listen to any reasons.

"It's okay Chouji. Besides grandma Tsunade is one hell of a person to deal with!" Naruto replied with a disappointed look.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I want to help but-" Chouji opened a pack of chips and started eating without saying anything.

"Same as olden day's always eating but-" before Naruto could finish, Shikamaru tackled him to the ground. He felt something coming and it was aiming for Naruto.

"Partial Expansion jutsu" Chouji shouted expanding his arm and punched. The Punch was directed to a black n white creature that attacked them. It looked like a tiger but not for long. After punching, the creature splashed into nothing but a black liquid which spread around.

While Naruto was pinned down with Shikamaru on top, another tiger attacked them. Shikamaru didn't have time to counterattack and if he would have dodged, it would have gone for Naruto. But they were lucky to have Chouji who grabbed it by his expanded hand and splashed it.

"Over there" Shikamaru spotted the one who attacked them. Facing towards him, Shikamaru formed a hand seal and his shadow started extending towards the attacker.

"This is just great! Now I can't even let my guard down even in my own village!" Naruto pouted raising from ground and dusting off the clothes. Looking towards the attacker Naruto asked "and by the way who that sucker is? Attacking us in broad daylight" he tried to take a good look at his face "umm... he is wearing Leaf's head band"

He was white toned and was holding a paint brush in his hand, sitting on the roof of a house located just in the opposite direction from where Naruto came.

"In any case we'll have to capture him for interrogation. Naruto you go, I'll cover you" Shikamaru ordered Naruto.

"Got it!" And Naruto dashed towards the attacker.

Attacker started painting tigers on the scroll and as soon as he finished, he made a hand sign, saying "Ninja art - super beast scroll". With that the drawn tigers emerged from the scroll coming to life and as they emerged, they attacked Naruto.

Naruto saw his attack coming and formed a hand sign but before he could perform any jutsu, Shikamaru yelled "Naruto go straight for him" as his shadow approached him and started to split.

Naruto jumped and extending his arm sideways to takeout a kunie which was hidden up his sleeve. Just as he jumped, shikamaru's split shadow pierced through all the tigers that were about to attack Naruto.

Naruto reached the guy and attacked him with kunie which was blocked by a short katana his opponent had. "Umm..." Naruto turned his head sideways to see something. Taking this distraction as an opportunity, attacker punched him.

Naruto just skidded an inch or two and regaining his posture he asked gritting his teeth "Who the hell are you?"

He just gave Naruto a smile and said "weakling... do you even have anything between your legs". Just as he noticed a shadow approaching him, he jumped to evade it.

"That does it! You are done for!" Naruto furiously ran and punched him but before it could reach him, he said "See you soon Naruto" and vanished.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted but he was gone.

"What was that?" Asked Shikamaru standing on his feet.

Naruto was standing on his place thinking about something, something he felt. Over the years of training with Jiraiya, Naruto gained the ability to sense the chakra but it was not quite as good as any sensory type but good enough to detect the presence around him. 'This chakra? It's very less for a shinobi but colder than anyone's I've ever felt. I know I've felt it before but it wasn't this cold'

"Chouji! I knew I'd find you here" Ino shouted arriving at the scene "Asuma sensei is angry that you haven't shown up yet!"

Chouji turned to see angry Ino looking for him. They were getting late for the mission "I'm sorry Ino, Some weirdo attacked us and..." Chouji tried to explain it to her.

"Weirdo? What weirdo?" Ino tried to find this weirdo and noticed a guy standing on rooftop straight ahead of her "weirdo...? hey it's Naruto"

"From weirdo, I didn't mean Naruto, Ino" Chouji tried to talk to her but it was useless.

"NARUTO! HEY NARUTO OVER HERE!" Ino shouted to get his attention

"Chouji don't even try... it's such a drag"

Naruto was just staring in the space without any movement. He knew someone was coming for him so he just waited there for the entity to arrive. 'Who was that guy anyways? And why did he know my name? What did he mean by-' Naruto was in deep thought and suddenly out of the blue somebody came and hugged Naruto.

"Hey-" Naruto tried to talk but it was no use. He could hear the person sobbing in his chest.

"Hey who's that?" Ino asked looking at the scene. She saw some girl came running and hugged Naruto "could it be that Naruto has a girlfriend?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know that either" Chouji replied looking at Naruto and the girl in Naruto's embrace.

Shikamaru looked carefully and spoke "judging from the clothes I think it's Hinata though I didn't get a look at her face"

"Hinata, I thought it was you but-? Hey are you crying? did something happen?" Between her sobs she let herself loose into Naruto's arms and lost her consciousness. Naruto held her body away to take a look at her and to his surprise, she was all wrapped up in bandages, her clothes were ripped. "What all happened to you... you're all messed up!" Naruto asked looking at Hinata's unconscious body.

Naruto had to take her to hospital, so he picked her in his arms and made a hand seal by one hand only and "Release! Ahh this feels good now!" And with that he took off without saying a word.

In lady Tsunade's office...

"That's great! Your mission was a success but where is Hinata?" Asked lady Tsunade

Flashback

At the village gates...

'Found him' Hinata's Byakugan was active and was searching for someone.

"Hinata, you better take it easy or you'll faint due to chakra exhaustion" Kurenai, a jounin leader of the squad warned her.

'Since her fight with that guy, she is acting all weird. She wanted to get back to village as soon as possible that's why we had to run all along without any rest' Kurenai was in deep thought about her recent actions.

'Kurenai sensei, Shino and even Akamaru is tired due to all that nonstop journey and with all that injuries and chakra exhaustion she shouldn't be able to move. Then what's driving her-' Kiba was also in a deep thought.

"Sensei and you guys, head to the Hokage's office to file the report. I'll see you later" and without even waiting for the reply she vanished with great speed.

"She still have that much energy left?" Kiba was shocked as well as others were.

Flashback end...

"I see! Take three days' rest. You're dismissed"

"Yes my lady!" Said the jounin leader and left the office along with her team.

"To think that Hinata would do something like this..." Tsunade was in deep thought as well, she got up from her seat to look out of window.

As soon as she turned to her seat someone breakthrough the window of her office. "Granny Tsunade!" Naruto shouted standing in her office with Hinata in his arms.

"You idiot, can't you use door to enter into someone's office?"

"Never mind that, would you check on Hinata, she fainted a while ago. I went to Sakura's house but she wasn't there so I came here straight" Naruto explained while setting her on Hokage's chair.

Tsunade started healing her and asked "where did you find her? She said to her team that she had some important work to do and thus didn't show up before"

"What important work?" Naruto started to explain and turning red he said "all she did is hug me and cried a little before losing her consciousness"

"Oh boy..." Tsunade sighed and continued her healing 'it's like they said, her fingers bones have fractures and she's lost too much chakra, no wonder she lost consciousness'

"What happened to her?" Naruto asked out of concern.

"I don't know! She just came from mission but instead of coming to file the mission report, she went to do some important work. And now you show up and say that she just hugged you." Tsunade explained.

"Something must have happened to her when she was on mission" asked Naruto.

"Well..." Tsunade started to explain the details that were given to her by team Kurenai. Normally Hokage wouldn't disclose any mission report to someone who's not from that team but Naruto is a different person for her, she always saw Dan and Nawaki inside of him.

"She seemed normal untill they split apart. Something might have happened during the fight, because only after that her behavior changed or that's what the report says" Tsunade deduced this from info. After thinking for a while, Naruto asked "Do you have any details about her fight with the stone guy?"

"No! When the rest of the team reached her, she had already killed the guy" Tsunade relayed all the info to Naruto. (A/N: in series they've shown Naruto a total dumbass but I think if he's a shinobi then he should think a little and analyze the situation) "It's not like you to think before you act Naruto. What's with you?"

"What do you mean granny?"

"You've changed a lot Naruto in past years. You're actually analyzing the situation" Tsunade praised Naruto about his mental growth.

"Well I'm the same guy 2 and a half years ago but sometimes situation needs to be analyzed so I do." Naruto smiled at lady Hokage.

"I've finished healing her. She'll be alright. She just needs rest."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted in excitement, he is always enthusiastic about everything.

"Keep it low, will you!" Tsunade said irritated due to Naruto's antics "and now take her and let her rest"

"You got it!" Naruto picked her up and jumped out of window but came back again. "Ummm granny where do I take her to rest?"

"Take her to Hyuuga compound to her home!" Tsunade said while signing some papers.

"I doubt that they'll like unconscious Hinata in my arms" Naruto stated the problem, as he was never friendly with any hyuuga.

"Then take her to hospital room" she gave him another alternative.

"But people at hospital, they'll blame me for her condition and I don't want any mess now" Naruto said cause he knew about everything, about nine tails and why people hate him. And because of that Naruto only visited hospital when Shizune was around. After he became a shinobi and over a period of time other fellow shinobis' started accepting Naruto but he was unaware of it.

"Oh common just take her to somewhere safe and stop badgering me!" Tsunade shouted in frustration.

Naruto brought her to his apartment and laid her on his bed "now what should I do? Let's see" Naruto looked around to find his stuff all messed up. "I'll just clean the apartment".

He cleaned his whole apartment and put a glass and a jug of water on the table near the bed.

After an hour of waiting, he left the apartment to buy some stuff and he was back in another hour only to find Hinata sleeping soundly.

"She's sleeping for 5 hours now, she might be too tired. I should let her rest and go for training and I don't think she'll be up before I come." And Naruto got up to leave but before that he started writing a note. "In case she wake up!" Laying the note on table, Naruto left the apartment.

Naruto reached the training ground landed on a plain ground. "This'll do" and without wasting any time he made a hand sign "multi shadow clone jutsu" and with the smoke around 100 Naruto clones appeared.

"Ok then, 10 of you practice taijutsu, another 20 will go and practice wind style Justus and make them perfect. Another 20 work on chakra control and rest will fight me" Naruto ordered clones and with that he began his training.

Around 7 in the evening...

"*huff* *huff* arghhhh" Naruto dropped on knees 'I don't have enough chakra' Naruto was too tired to get back on his feet, he tried very hard but his body wasn't responding well. Then just as he was about to give in he remembered his friend 'Sasuke...'. He clenched his fist and tried to get up with sheer determination "not yet! I'm not giving up!" Due to pressuring to the limit, a blue aura appeared around Naruto and forming a hand sign Naruto shouted "Multi shadow clone jutsu".

10 clones appeared beside him and only 10 were remaining from the sparring session. "Let's do it! 11 against 10! You don't stand a chance!" Naruto mocked his remaining clones because he thought he had an upper hand.

"What! I thought we're all gonna fight you" one of the newly popped clone said.

"Wwhaa-! I'm already exhausted and by making all of you, I wasted too much of chakra, I can't go anymore" Naruto said in a gloomy tone.

"You don't have any choice!" saying this one of the clone charged towards the original, and the rest followed him.

"All that chakra and what for, more trouble?" All of the clones were closing in "I guess I have no other choice" Naruto smiled saying this and went through different hand seals and shouted on top of his lungs "WIND STYLE JADE WIND HURRICANE". Wind around him was getting compressed at a single point and it was then blasted just as he shouted, towards the group.

"Wind style jade wind hurricane" first 6 clones in front shouted and rest formed Rasengan in pair of two.

As the Justus collided there was a huge blast with several meters of blast radius. Naruto was blasted few yards and clones disappeared. "I over did it, I guess hehehe..."

The ones practicing taijutsu and ninjutsu gained the knowledge about battle "it's already past 7:30, we should head back" shouted one of the practicing clone and the rest agreed, they vanished all at once.

"Argh! Idiots! They had to disappear at the same time" Naruto leaned to a tree to take some rest. He was already too tired to get back on his feet and then every clone dispelled himself giving the knowledge and all the fatigue to the original one.

"Common lets head back, Hinata might be up!" Came a voice from the dark.

"I was wondering when you'll show up." Said Naruto, trying to get up. He was just about to fall back but was caught.

"Let's go" as the both of them jumped from tree to tree.

At the apartment...

Two Narutos' entered the apartment, one was supporting another but both of them were tired like hell, just the difference was the original was unable to move.

"Hinata should be up by now" said the clone and took the original to the bedroom.

"What! She is still sleeping? She must be too exhausted to recuperate this soon" original one stated.

"Well then, I'm out!" And with that the clone vanished.

"I'm too tired to make anything to eat" and with that Naruto also fell asleep on the floor itself.

Next day...

Hinata wake up early in morning feeling invigorated. She looked around only to find herself in a clean room that looked familiar "where am I? Could it be Naruto's apartment? What happened?" After a little pause 'oh yes! I remember hugging Naruto' she turned red even at the thought 'I don't remember anything after that though'.

She looked at her fingers and the torn clothes 'My wounds... they are gone. Who did it? It would take very high level of skills to heal the injuries that were inflicted on me. My bones were fractured and to heal them... just who was it'

Hinata looked down to find Naruto snoring in deep sleep. She picked him and laid him on bed 'He is cute as ever!' Said looking at his face.

She turned towards the door and as she was about to open it, she remembered about her clothes "I'm messed up, I should change into something!"

She opened Naruto's closet but didn't find anything other than his night wear. Getting a little down she said to herself "Don't he have anything to wear?" Then she looked at her clothes "even if he had anything, it wouldn't be girl's clothing!"

After 2 hours Hinata came in bedroom with breakfast. She cleaned herself and prepared a green vegetable breakfast for herself and for Naruto.

"Oh god! This might become embarrassing with all the loose clothes I'm in, and on top of that, I'm not wearing any bra."

Shaking her thoughts aside she approached Naruto and called out for him with a little shaking. "Wakeup Naruto! Naruto! Naruto!" Her voice was soft as always so she had to call out for more times.

"Five min more!" Naruto said pulling blanket.

"Naruto wake up! I brought you breakfast" Hinata pulled the blanket off Naruto.

"Just five min more please" saying this Naruto shifted pulling his blanket.

"Ok then! I'll eat ramen all by myself!"

"What! Did somebody said ramen" Naruto jumped out of his bed to see Hinata holding breakfast plate but there wasn't any ramen dish. "Where is ramen? Where is it?" After a looking at Hinata's expression "how could you be so evil! Using ramen as a bait" Naruto was sulking.

"You wouldn't wake up, so I had to come up with something!" Hinata said laughing at Narutos' antics.

"Now go wash your mouth brush your teeth and then we'll have breakfast" Hinata ordered Naruto.

This was the second time she's been in Naruto's apartment with Naruto. She's getting used to Naruto and overcame her attitude around him and could control herself.

At dining table...

"Umm Hinata" Naruto started while eating.

"Ah yes?"

"Why are you wearing my night clothes?"

"Well... ummm you see..." she started playing with her fingers "ummm my clothes were all torn and ummm well my mo..st of t..the b.. was ex..posed" she turned tomato red at that.

"Well I noticed that much that's why I brought you some clothes yesterday itself."

"I didn't find any in closet" she was still red and her voice was still timid.

"It's on the table with a note I left!" Naruto mentioned this, after that it clicked to her about the bag she noticed on table.

"I'm done! I'll go and change into something else!" Hinata said and went inside bedroom.

After she came out wearing the new clothes, Naruto was dumbstruck and was just staring at her. It was orange t-shirt and blue pants.

'He's staring at me... what should I do? Oh god just tell me' "Naruto how did you know that I'll be needing all these clothes?" Question just slipped out of her mouth.

"Umm… well I noticed your torn clothes, so I thought I'd buy you some. It'd be too embarrassing for you to move around with those clothes" explained Naruto

'We'll that didn't explain why he had brought a bra. Did he take a look? It's Not that I don't want him but I should know' "well… ummm…" she started poking her index fingers with each other and tried to ask him the reason but she couldn't do it. Hinata become red hot due to her running thoughts and neither one uttered a single word. There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a while.

Hinata was the one to break that awkward silence "Naruto, you ought to eat more green vegetables and not only depend upon ramen alone."

"I do have them. You can look into fridge" Naruto said in his defense but he kinda had an intuition that he'll get caught.

"Ya I looked into fridge and vegetables were fresh but then I took a look at garbage bin. You dumped the rotten vegetables of last time!"

"Well that's what you do to rotten things. Put them into Dustin"

"That's what I want to say. Eat them before they rot and not just ramen" Hinata was lecturing him about his bad habits but like usual he didn't pay any attention.

After a while of lecture, Naruto left for training ground and Hinata for Hyuuga compound.