Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. He's all Hinata's people! Hehehe! Alright guys and girls, my husband and I are moving across country. So internet will be spotty for at least two weeks and i doubt I'll have time to write much. As of now, this story has 8 chapters planned so there's not that much more to go. So hopefully this chapter will tide you over until then. Anyway, enjoy this crazy chapter with lots of sweet emotional moments peppered in as well. Enjoy!

~Old People Have No Lives!~

Naruto gasped desperately for air as he came to a rest atop the Hokage monument.

"Well that was emotionally scarring!" exclaimed Naruto to himself as he tried to catch his breath. "Sai's been *gasp* a freaking a horrible influence on Ino!"

The poor blond rested there for a few minutes watching the clouds. Once he could actually breath properly again, Naruto leapt to his feet.

"Alright, whatever. I've got one last chance!" yelled Naruto as his determined spirit sprung to life again. "Shikamaru and Choji can't have known!"

And so off Naruto sped to the Hokage's office.

"-and I think we should start using Training Field 5 instead of the Forest of Death because-" said Kakashi as he conducted the Chunin Exams meeting in his office when-

*BAM!*

"Naruto! What are-"

"SHIKAMARU! CHOJI!" yelled Naruto at the top of his lungs as he slammed open the door to Kakashi's office. "YES OR NO! DID YOU LOSERS KNOW HINATA WAS IN LOVE WITH ME? AND IF SO, SHIKAMARU, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME AFTER I CONFESSED THAT I LOVED HER!"

Iruka, Kakashi, and Tsunade just stared at the wild-eyed blond in shock as a crow flew outside the office window going "Caw! Caw!"

Naruto then blinked and finally took in the people who were actually standing in the room.

Unfortunately, neither Shikamaru or Choji were even there.

"Oh, shit," sighed Naruto as he face-palmed.

This snapped the three out of their frozen states.

"YES!" "HELLS YES!" exclaimed both Iruka and Tsunade as they high-fived over Kakashi's desk.

"Why the hell, are you so happy, Tsunade?" asked Kakashi as he dug around for his wallet. "You lost the bet, too!"

"Ahh... but see that's why I bet against it!" replied Tsunade happily as she paid Iruka. "I always lose. So I wanted to make absolutely sure this would happen!"

Kakashi just sighed, counted out his money and handed it to Iruka. "I'm never going to hear the end of this from either you or Gai, am I?" sulkingly asked Kakashi.

"Nope!" replied Iruka cheerfully as he pocketed the cash. "I'm also going to need Gai and Kurenai's winnings, too. We promised to give them to Naruto if we won, Hokage-sama."

"Fine!" sighed Kakashi pulling out more cash, "But remind Gai this loss doesn't count towards our Rivalry Battle!"

"You're just mad we didn't have resort to 'Plan B' in order to get them together," teased Iruka as he grabbed the rest of the money.

"Wait..." whined Naruto, defeatedly, "You guys knew, too?"

"Hai," confirmed Kakashi. "What can I say, we're old. Your life is like our soap opera."

Naruto's right eye started to twitch.

"Iruka, Gai, and Kurenai bet that you two would get together naturally," explained the Sixth Hokage calmly, "where as Tsunade, Shizune, and I thought it would take... more drastic measures..."

"What kind of measures?" grunted out Naruto between clenched teeth.

"Well... Part 1: of Plan B consisted of locking you two in a room with a copy of 'Icha Icha Paradise' with the words 'Here's how to do it' written on the cover," admitted Kakashi with a shrug.

"OI! Watch it Ero-kage!" yelled Naruto as he chucked a kunai at Kakashi's head.

Which of course, he easily caught and stuck into his desk. "Now, now, Naruto" scolded Kakashi with a sweat-drop, "What did I say about calling me that?"

This just made Iruka snort into his hand and Tsunade burst out in her boisterous laughter.

"You forgot about, Part 2," added the blond-haired woman, "Where you send in Pakkun and the rest of your ninja dogs to teach him the ways of love."

"Oi! Pakkun is the Guru of Love!" protested the silver-haired man. "Do you know how many puppies he-"

"ERO-KAGE!" roared Naruto as he went to chase Kakashi around the office. There was some back and forth sparring until Kakashi decided he had enough and left a log in his place with a note tacked to it saying he was taking a break.

"Oh that lazy, never mind," said Iruka as he read the letter and the shred it to pieces. "Sometimes, I think he's better at getting out of work than you, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade just laughed and joked, "Oh, no. I still hold the title on that one!"

It was then that both Iruka and Tsunade noticed Naruto sitting cross-legged with his slumped over back facing them.

"Hey... Naruto..." said Iruka as he approached the man he considered a little brother.

"Are you okay?" the brunette asked as he gently placed a supportive hand on Naruto's shoulder.

It was then that the blond's stomach gave off a mighty "GROWL!"

He turned to Iruka with tears in his eyes as he said with a sad sniff, "I was so upset, I forgot to eat LUNCH!"

Iruka sweat-dropped and comforted Naruto saying, "There, there, it's not too late. Let's go get some food in you and we can talk about everything with Hinata, son."

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," replied Naruto sincerely as he gave his old teacher a hug.

A quick cough behind them, then broke them apart.

"Sorry to interrupt the moment boys," said Tsunade with a grin. "But I would like to speak with Naruto alone for a little bit if I could."

The guys just gave each other a quick glance and Iruka replied, "Of course, Tsunade-sama."

Iruka then gave Naruto's arm one last reassuring squeeze, saying, "I'll meet you at Ichiraku's when you're done, okay?"

Naruto simply nodded as he stood up and turned toward Tsunade.

"Oi, Oba-chan what's this about?" asked Naruto as Tsunade gave the obstinate brat a good knock on the head.

"Ow!"

"What did I tell you about calling me that?!" growled Tsunade brandishing her fist. "Now come with me up to the roof. There's something I want to talk to you about..."

And so, the two made their way to the roof of the Hokage's office.

Tsunade walked slowly toward the railing as Naruto followed a few paces behind.

"So... what's this about, Oba-chan?" asked Naruto as he leaned up against the railing next to Tsunade.

The Fifth Hokage simply stared out over the village for a few moments before she took a deep breath and answered him,"I wanted to talk a little bit about you and Hinata."

This made Naruto blush and nervously start itching at the back of his head.

"Oh... okay then..."

"Naruto... you know about how I lost my little brother, correct?" questioned Tsunade solemnly.

"I... Hai," confirmed Naruto sadly.

"...Did anyone ever tell you... about Dan?"

"...Well I know that you loved him... and that you weren't able to save him... That was why you were afraid of blood for all those years, right?"

"Correct," confirmed Tsunade with a sigh, "Dan... he was the love of my life, Naruto..."

The blond just stared at Tsunade's far away look.

"You have been given a very valuable gift, kiddo," she said turning towards Naruto. "So don't you dare squander it."

Naruto's face became serious and he nodded. He had no intention of ever doing such a thing.

"Treasure every moment you have with her, son," Tsunade said seriously as she reached out and grasped Naruto's arm. "And if anything, or anyone threatens to take away what you have, you fight them Naruto, you fight with all that you are."

"Hai," agreed Naruto softly.

"When Dan... died. It broke me. It destroyed me so completely that I thought I could never be whole again," she confessed in a strained tone.

Naruto simply stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"But then this little blond ball of energy came along, and saved me from myself," Tsunade whispered hoarsely as she stared back at her little brother.

Naruto simply smiled in return.

"I never want to see that happen to you, Naruto. And... I think you agree, that someone like Hinata is worth the risk," she said with a gentle laugh.

It made Naruto snort in reply.

Tsunade then continued, "I respect that girl immensely, Naruto. Almost as much as I do Sakura."

This made Naruto look up in shock. He had never heard Tsunade talk about Hinata.

"Really, Oba-chan?" asked Naruto surprised.

"Hai... she actually reminds me a little of myself back in my youth," replied Tsunade nostalgically.

Naruto just froze and looked at her like she had lost her mind.

"H-Hinata... reminds you of yourself?" asked Naruto incredulously, once he regained the ability to speak.

"Oh, hush up you and let me explain!" Tsunade exclaimed as she elbowed him sharply in the gut.

Naruto gasped in pain and promptly shut up.

"Anyway, when I was younger from the second I was born, I was expected to surpass my grandfather. But I was only born with Earth affinity, not Wood, and my chakra reserves weren't even close to Hashirama's capacity."

Tsunade stared at Naruto as she continued on, tightening her iron grip on the railing, "I had my strength, but most people in my family had that. So I was pretty much labeled a failure before I even had a chance to try."

This comment made Naruto look at the ground sadly as he remembered how the Hyuga had treated Hinata.

"The villagers and the other ninjas would always call me 'hime' and I could always hear their sneer of insincerity every time they said it. I hadn't earned that title, it was only because my grandfather spoiled me rotten. They called me that because they thought HE was great, not me."

Naruto glanced away, remembering how Neji used to spit out the term "-sama" whenever it came to Hinata.

"And honestly, I don't really blame them," admitted Tsunade. "Because I hadn't earned it, yet. But I couldn't be the second coming of Hashirama. I learned that fairly early on, so I blazed my own path... It wasn't until after my brother's death and I had petitioned the council to make medical ninjas mandatory on every team that people began to see me in a different light... you see what I'm getting at Naruto?"

"Hai," answered the blond sincerely, "Hinata had to work very hard to be acknowledged by people, just like you and I did."

"Correct, she is a very impressive kunoichi," Tsunade said seriously. "And of all the women in this village, ninja and civilian alike, I truly believe she is the only one worthy of you, son."

Naruto looked up just as Tsunade placed a chased kiss upon his forehead, just as she had done once all those years ago.

"Love her, Naruto," said Tsunade sincerely as she wrapped him in a bear hug. "And allow her to love you, because you both deserve to experience life's greatest source of happiness. Let it fuel and drive you both... and never let it go... "

Tears filled Naruto's eyes as he croaked out "Hai," into his second mother's shoulder.

After a few more words, and the drying of eyes, Naruto then made his way to the ramen stand to met with the rest of his surrogate family.

"Naruto!" called out Iruka waving as he approached. "I saved you a seat!"

Naruto rushed over and sat next to Iruka.

"Oh, and I almost forgot," stated the brown-haired man as he pulled a big wad of cash out of his wallet. "Here's all of our winnings from the bet. You treat Hinata really well tonight, okay? You both deserve it."

"I... thanks Iruka-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto as he pulled out Gama-chan and pocketed the cash.

"No problem, but remember to thank Gai and Kurenai-sensei as well," reminded the teacher as he dug into his bowl of ramen.

"Hai!" agreed Naruto as his stomach decided to loudly rumbled once again.

"Oi! Old man Teuchi! Three ramen pork bowls, stat!" yelled Naruto, grabbing at his burning tummy.

"Coming right up, Naruto. I was wondering where you were!" replied Teuchi as he got to work on Naruto's order.

"Oh my! Oh my I'm so excited!" cried Ayame as she caught sight of Naruto. "Tell me it's true! After all this time, did you and Hinata-chan really get together?!"

"Oh, ho ho!" laughed Teuchi merrily, "You finally figured out that pretty young thing was in love with you, huh?"

Naruto's only reply was simply banging his head repeatedly against the counter top as he cursed out everyone he freaking knew.

This just made Iruka laugh as he caught Ayame's eye.

"How are you doing, love? Not working too hard I hope..." asked Iruka of his wife as she patted her round tummy.

"I'm fine, you worry-wort!" she teased back brandishing her ladle at her husband. "I'm pregnant, not an invalid!"

"Tou-chan!" cried out a small child as she ran out of the kitchen door. The little brown-haired girl wore her hair in a high ponytail just like her father.

"Hi, Nori-chan!" called Iruka as he lovingly picked up his daughter and placed her in his lap.

"Why is Uncle Naruto hurting himself like that?" asked the small girl as she pointed to the blond still repeatedly banging his head.

"Uh, that's because Uncle Naruto is kinda... silly," answered Iruka as he tried to figure out how to explain what was going on to his daughter. "He uh... didn't know Hinata-san 'liked,' liked him."

"What? Did you finally kiss Hinata-san, Naruto?" asked Nori as her eyes lit up with joy. "She's been wanting you to do that for a long while!"

"Even the three-year-old knew!" cried out Naruto in despair as he went immediately back to banging his head.

"Tou-chan?" questioned the little girl as she turned back towards her father. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's fine Nori-chan," replied Iruka trying to hold back a laugh. "Why don't you head back into the kitchen and help kaa-chan with the dishes."

"Yes, sir!" said Nori with a little salute as she ran back through the door to go help her mother.

"Order's up, Naruto!" called Teuchi as he placed Naruto's food down in front of him.

This finally snapped Naruto out of his funk as he started slurping up his noodles.

"Okay, Naruto. Now, spill!" commanded Ayame, "How did you finally wake up to Hinata loving you?"

Naruto swallowed up the rest of his noodles and finished with a sigh. "Okay so it was like this... you know how Hanabi was kidnapped, right? Well..."

"And then we... kissed under the light of the full moon," ended Naruto with a blush.

"Aww! That's so romantic!" cooed Ayame as she held little Nori in her arms. The small girl nodded her approval as well and let out a massive yawn.

"Well, I guess this little one's ready for a nap, huh?" asked Ayame as Nori rubbed at her tired eyes. "Say bye to Uncle Naruto, honey."

"Bye *yawn* Un'cle Naruto, I'm super... happy for you..." Nori whispered as Ayame carried her off to bed.

"Night Nori-chan, thanks," said Naruto as he waved her good-bye.

"So Naruto, you got plans with this girl of yours tonight?" asked Teuchi as he started drying the dishes.

"Hai, I'm a little nervous about it actually..." admitted Naruto with a bit of a blush.

"Don't worry kiddo, I've got just the thing!" exclaimed the old man as he headed into the back of the kitchen.

"Uh oh," thought Iruka as he had a pretty good idea what Teuchi had left to go get.

"So Naruto," said Iruka teasingly, "still think that part of my lesson was stupid?"

This made Naruto laugh, "No, Iruka-sensei. And... for what it's worth, I'm sorry for being such a pain back then..."

"There's no need to apologize, Naruto, I understand," replied Iruka with a smile as Teuchi returned carrying what appeared to be a cup of steaming hot tea.

"Besides," thought Iruka wickedly, "Revenge is best served cold... or in this case, a piping hot cup of tea..."

"What the heck is this old man?" asked Naruto as he sniffed the cup suspiciously.

Teuchi was about to answer when Iruka stopped him with a hand.

"Uh, why don't you just try it first, Naruto," suggested Iruka with a tense grin.

And of course, Naruto didn't even notice. He simply shrugged and started chugging the drink down.

"Huh, this is pretty good!" the blond exclaimed and then continued drinking it.

Iruka covered his mouth to hold back his laughter.

"Ah! See I knew the boy had good taste, Iruka!" declared Teuchi gruffly. "This is my own concoction. I call it: 'Sexy Time Tea!' It's great for the libido! Sends the damn thing right into overdrive!"

"PPFF!" spat Naruto as the tea flew right back into Teuchi's wrinkled old face.

This caused Iruka to erupt into a full on fit of laughter.

"You know, Iruka-sensei..." growled Naruto as he grabbed some napkins to wipe himself off. "I find that your old prankster ways, still come out at the worst freaking times!"

This just made Iruka laugh all the harder as he croaked out, "If you say so, Naruto!"

"Oi! Watch it there you young-in," grumbled Teuchi as he wiped off his face with a clean kitchen towel. "That drink got me two grandkids, so don't disrespect the tea!"

This made Iruka snort and whisper to Naruto that he had nicknamed it 'Icha Icha Tea.' Naruto simply looked at his brother horrified.

"What can I say," explained Iruka whilst laughing, "vengeance comes when one least expects it! That's the ninja way!"

This sent the poor blond back to banging his head against the table.

Naruto had the awful feeling he was going to have one loooong, hard, night.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Did I mention that I think innuendo is the highest for of art? LOL And before you ask, yes, I am the living embodiment of evil! Hehehe! And also yes, Iruka and Ayame are married in my story and I hope in Boruto's series we find out they are, too. And that they have a little female Iruka running around the village chasing after Boruto to keep him out of trouble. And yeah she's called Nori as in seaweed. What? I thought it was fitting! Anyway, it's my story so there! LOL Next Time: "Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?!" Naruto heads over to the bbq place to make reservations and low and behold finds Shikamaru and Choji there! And Naruto finally asks the main question on his mind: "Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?!" All this and more, next time!

And remember! Please read and review! They will really make me smile as I go on my two week road trip!