You guys are the best!
While this is a few days after two weeks, which I do apologize for, I can officially say that I have a new car, I moved into my apartment, and finished a project that lasted almost two years. I say all that to say that basically all of the things that were eating my time before are now done, so hopefully that means I will be able to devote more time to HotE than before.
In addition, I tried my best to make the confession scene feel in line with how the characters' would act and feel, and thus tried to avoid making it sappy. I honestly don't know if I succeeded or not, so if you awesome guys could let me know, it would be awesome.
And apparently quite a few of you guys are looking for the harem at this point, so I will go on the record to say this: There is now a higher chance of a harem then not having a harem.
AU Changes: Given that genjutsu is treated much like some kind of magic mind trick in canon, I changed it so that while it still has the mind trick 'feel', it now explains how it achieves it as well as possible damage it can do.
And without any more delay, here is the next chapter. Chapter 30: Confessions
It was a strange feeling, Naruto mused, to know that he was now officially recognized as the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Perhaps it was because he no longer cared what the village thought, or perhaps it was because one of his most trusted friends, Kyubi itself, had told him that his parents loved him long before the village even thought of his heritage. Either way, there was a strange sense of relief mixed with numbness in regards to him gaining Headship of the Uzumaki clan. Naruto sighed, allowing himself a moment of pensiveness before shaking his head. Worrying about his current emotions wouldn't help anyone.
Shoving the mixed feelings aside, Naruto put his mind to work, carefully considering the best way he could contact Tazuna. He was the only builder Naruto knew who had little to no chance of being on conscripted or coerced into creating sub-par work. Naruto quickened his pace as he headed towards his destination, the Last Uzumaki's mind starting to create a rough visualization on what the future Uzumaki compound's walls would look like. "And I also have to figure out what seals would be best to incorporate directly on the walls." Naruto paused, considering. "But what if we literally build the seals into the walls?"
Mebuki Haruno was preparing for Team Eight's celebration for obtaining Chunin status, as well as Naruto Uzumaki gaining official clan headship of the Uzumaki clan. It hadn't been too much of a shock when Sakura revealed Naruto's heritage. If you knew the pink-haired girl well enough, - and Mebuki liked to think she most certainly did - you could ask several inconspicuous questions that would give pieces of information, slowly assembling the entire picture. A knock at the door prompted her to pause at the stove, about to put the chicken into the oven. "Dear," The blonde haired nurse called to husband, "Can you get the door?" Hearing his affirmative, she continued with what she had been doing before the interruption.
Hearing the always welcome voice of Naruto conversing with Kizashi, her husband, Mebuki quickly washed her hands, drying them on the towel near the oven door as she headed out towards the living room.
"Naruto-Kun." The blonde-haired woman smiled warmly, "Welcome." She moved forward to give him a quick hug. It warmed her heart that he didn't flinch back from the hug. Instead he returned the hug without hesitation.
"Mebuki." Naruto pulled back from the hug, "It's good to see you." He shook his head, his blonde hair shifting slightly as he did so. "But as much as I enjoy being here, that's not what I'm here for. Not today anyway." Seeing Mebuki's and Kizashi's confused expressions, the Last Uzumaki continued. "Today I'm here as the Uzumaki Clan Head."
Turning to fully face Sakura's father, Naruto's back straightened and a calm political mask fell over his face. "Kizashi Haruno, you are the current Head of the Haruno Clan are you not?"
Kizashi, to his credit, quickly answered despite his confusion. "As far as I know, yes."
"In that case, I need to speak to you regarding clan matters." Naruto pulled out two documents from a small seal scroll. "I am proposing that that Uzumaki Clan allies with your Clan, the Haruno Clan." Rising a hand to forestall any comments, the Head of the Uzumaki Clan continued, "You are not required to do anything special as part of this alliance. It is more of a protection contract than anything else. The Uzumaki clan will protect you and your clan if needed from threats outside of Konoha and from within."
His blue eyes locked with Kizashi's green ones. "Do you accept?"
Kizashi nodded, his normally jovial face serious. "Yes. I accept on behalf of the Haruno clan, given that I am the only male Haruno known to live in any of the shinobi villages."
"In that case, we need to sign a few documents..."
Arriving at home after dropping off the signed documents stating that the Haruno Clan was under the protection of the Uzumaki, Naruto headed into the house, intent on finding all of the necessary supplies to start sketching out a rough outline of his plans before unleashing his clones on the project. "Naruto-Kun," Sakura's voice was oddly emotionless as she called out to him as he passed the living room, "Could you come in the living room? Hinata-Chan, Haku-Chan, and myself have something important to tell you."
"I'll be right there." Naruto instantly called back, automatically pulsing out a chakra pulse to locate Hinata and Haku. To his slight surprise, they were sitting in the living room with Sakura. "Has something happened?"
"This was a terrible idea." Sakura's mentally cried as she felt Naruto's chakra pulse move past her. Outwardly, she was maintaining a strong composure, but barely so. And with every step she felt Naruto's warm chakra grow closer, it became that much harder for her to not break down in a embarrassed puddle. It took perhaps several seconds for him to reach the living room, but to the pink haired young woman, it seemed like a lifetime.
Haku folded her hands over her lap, but she couldn't help but shift them, her hand rubbing over the back of her other hand. It was a needless gesture, but she took some comfort in it. She knew that Naruto-Sama couldn't love her, given that her other friends loved him as well. No matter what happened, someone was going to get hurt. And her Naruto-Sama would be miserable because of it. But still, it was better for Naruto-Sama to be unhappy for a little while then to have him taken advantage of by some...girl. And she would be here for him always, as his most precious servant.
Hinata's emotionless mask was all but completely obliterated by the time Naruto entered the room. "How can I manage to speak clearly enough to confirm that I-I l-love Naruto-Kun?" The red hot flush was firmly affixed to her face, no matter how she tried to push it away. "W-what if we are all wrong and ruin everything?" Shaking her head, Hinata shoved the thought away. "It doesn't matter. If we can help Naruto-Kun, I will be happy with any outcome."
"What's going on?" Naruto scanned each of the girls present, attempting to discern if they were hurt or distressed in any way. They...didn't seem injured, physically or otherwise, so why was their chakra rolling with some unnamed emotion? "What can I do to help?"
If it had been possible, the three kunoichi would have fallen in love with him all over again at his expression of sheer concern and earnestness to help resolve whatever issue was bothering them. Grabbing onto that feeling with both hands, Sakura wet her suddenly dry lips and forged forward.
"Naruto-Kun," She did her best to keep her emotions out of her tone, being mostly successful, "Please sit down. There isn't anything wrong, but we having something we need to share." She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the road ahead. "It's not going to be an easy thing to say, so please do not speak until we are done."
"Okay." Naruto sat down in the chair that faced all three of them. "I'll wait here until you are ready." His soft and understanding tone did not help their emotions, "Take your time. I'll listen for as long as you want me to."
"Why are you so nice?" Sakura groaned inside her mind, ignoring the irony that it was one of the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place. "You are making this confession this much harder!" Now that she had the opportunity to confess, the words wouldn't come, and an embarrassed flush started to creep up her neck.
Haku glanced at Sakura who seemed to be having trouble starting her confession. A side-long look at Hinata showed the normally composed girl was almost glowing from her blush and looked close to fainting. Gathering every ounce of courage, the ice user took a deep breath. "Naruto-Sama," Her voice was soft, but determined, "We called you in here so we could tell you our most important secret." Spotting Sakura sit up, a determined expression on her face, Haku leaned back, glad that she was able to start the process.
"Naruto-Kun," Sakura pushed ahead before she could lose her newly found courage, "We love you." Naruto blinked, his expression not giving any clues away. "All of us do. Haku-Chan, Hinata-Chan, and I love you." Her breath left her in an explosive whoosh. "That's...what we wanted to tell you."
Naruto fell back against the back of the chair. What was he supposed to think? What was he supposed to feel? Within the last minute, he had went from believing that they didn't even like him, to having their love for him being confessed. "What can I say? How can I tell them that while I like them, I don't even really know what love is?" Thoughts and feelings both of being simultaneously happy and desperate raced through him. Happy, because they liked him too. Desperate, because he didn't want to hurt any of them. "How can I not hurt them?"
"N-Naruto-kun." Hinata's voice was understanding and loving, "We know t-that this is a lot to take in, the fact that Sakura-Chan, Haku-Chan, and I love you." She pushed her words forward, ignoring the way her heart rate sped up at the thought of love, "But we know that you don't understand love. Not yet." A beautiful smile crossed her face. "So we decided to wait for you to figure out what love is."
"I-I..." Naruto, for one of the first times in his life, was overwhelmed. "I don't know what to think or say." His hand drifted back to rub the back of his head unconsciously. "I like you all." It was freeing to finally confess. "But I don't know what love is." Helpless tears pricked at his eyelids. "I don't know what I can say or do to not hurt any of you." He swallowed the thick lump in his throat.
Haku nodded in understanding. "We will be willing to go as fast or as slow as you want." Her dark brown eyes looked lovingly on her beloved master. "Remember, Naruto-Sama, that above all, we want you to be happy."
"This..." Naruto ran a slightly trembling hand through his hair, "...is a lot to take in." He felt horrible that he couldn't return their feelings, given that he didn't truly understand the feelings. "I don't want to hurt any of you, but could I try to sort out my feelings before giving you an answer?"
"Of course Naruto-Kun." They murmured, their replies coming within seconds of each other. Waiting until Naruto's chakra signature left the area, Sakura let the emotions that she held inside flow out, causing hot tears to trickle down her cheeks. They had talked about it, even planned for Naruto's lack of understanding of love, but it still hurt for your feelings not to be returned. She covered her wet face with her hands. This is why she waited until she was certain her Naruto-Kun had left the area before breaking down. Because, above all, none of this was his fault.
Feeling the couch sag slightly as Haku and Hinata sat next to her, the pink-haired girl looked up, spotting the same expression on their faces as the one that she was sure was on her's. "Misery loves company." The thought wasn't quite sardonic, but it wasn't a happy thought either. Throwing her arms around the two next to her, the three let themselves cry, knowing that they wouldn't be judged for their tears.
Jiraiya rushed towards Training Ground Thirty-Nine. A shadow clone of his godson had informed him that Naruto was having 'girl trouble' and was requesting his presence at the training ground. Skidding to a stop at the edge of the clearing, Jiraiya readjusted his metal bracers as he calmly walked towards the log his godson was sitting on. Pausing as he grew closer, the white-haired man tilted his head as he felt Kakashi's and Hayate's chakra signatures grow closer.
"Jiraiya." Kakashi greeted, "Did Naruto call you here as well?" The white haired Sannin nodded. "It was about girls, right?" This time Jiraiya's nod was much more enthusiastic. "Hayate also got the same summons. Anko, I, Hayate, and Yugao were about to have lunch together when the shadow clone showed up."
"Double date, eh?" Jiraiya grinned.
"Oh look!" Kakashi raised his voice, "Naruto noticed we are here."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow towards Hayate as he watched Kakashi hurry towards Naruto. "Who exactly does he think doesn't know that he and Anko are dating?"
"Well," The swordsman came to stand beside him, "They are officially still just friends." He shrugged. "But they didn't refuse the idea when Yugao-Chan and I proposed it."
"So still dancing around each other then?"
"Yep."
"Oh well." Jiraiya shrugged, "They have some time before I get involved." Cracking his neck, the super pervert strode up to his godson. "So...what's going on Naruto?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Found out if the curtains match the drapes?" A giggle sneaked out.
"Huh?" Naruto was confused. "What does furniture have to do with girls?"
Jiraiya's grin grew even larger. "Well...you see...when a woman's hair i-"
"I can't hear about your perverted things right now." Naruto cut off the super pervert's words, "Sakura-Chan, Haku-Chan, and Hinata-Chan confessed that they loved me." There was stunned silence in the clearing.
"Naruto," Hayate was the most calm out of all three men, "How about you start at the beginning and we can go from there?"
"Well then." Jiraiya sat back, "That's...unexpected. Not that it's wrong." He hurried to add, "But now we have to figure out what to do." Tapping his chin in thought, the super pervert considered what advice he could give his godson. "I got it." He snapped his fingers and pointed at Naruto. "The solution to your problem."
"It's not perverted advice is it?" Naruto's tone was wary.
"No." Jiraiya shook his head, "Not this time." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "I'll make up for it next time though, so don't you worry." Despite the tone he had taken, Jiraiya secretly feared that his godson wouldn't accept his advice. And given that Kakashi still hadn't had an official date before and Hayate had taken several years to tell Yugao that he loved her, the Toad Sannin wasn't sure that either of them could provide helpful advice.
"Ok." Naruto sighed. "I'll listen. But," He warned, "The moment your advice turns perverted, I'm going to stop listening."
"Deal." Jiraiya couldn't believe his good fortune. "So my advice is simple: Go out on a date with each of them."
The Last Uzumaki blinked. "But I don't know if I love them."
"That's fine." Jiraiya reassured the blonde, "Sometimes people go out on dates to see if they really like each other."
"Hmmm..." Naruto considered Jiraiya's words. He had seen many couples going out on dates before, now that he thought about it. "It could work." He finally decided. Glancing at the three men sitting on the logs near him, he posed a new question. "How do I date someone? Or three someones for that matter? What do you do on a date?"
"Hayate," Jiraiya tilted his head at the swordsman, "Do you want to field this one?"
"Naruto," Hayate began, "Let me explain in more detail what a date typically involves..."
"Stupid emotions." Sakura grumbled as she punched the training dummy, "Now everything is weird and messed up." The dummy once again suffered a substantial hit. "Stupid village. Making Naruto-Kun not understand what love is." Another punch. "Stupid council for making us confess before everyone was ready." Another hit. "Stupid. Stupid! Stupid!" With a loud crack the dummy snapped off of its stand and flew several feet back before slamming into the ground. "Well damn." The annoyed pink-haired kunoichi muttered, "Now the dummy's broken."
"Sakura-Chan." Naruto's welcome voice brought her out of her ruminations, "Could you come in here a moment?" Curious, Sakura headed back inside their house, wondering what Naruto had called her for. She didn't dare even hope that he had come to a decision, given that it had been only a few hours. Walking into the living room, she was slightly surprised to see Hinata and Haku there as well. "Sit down Sakura-Chan." Naruto requested, his normal confident tone back.
Waiting until everyone was seated, Naruto began. "I'm going to explain why I call you all here in a minute, but I ask that you all wait until I'm done explaining before saying anything." Receiving nods of acceptance, the Last Uzumaki took a deep breath and began. "I like each of you equally." Attempting a valiant effort to ignore the blushes that each of them sported, Naruto forged onwards. "And as such, I've decided to take each of you on a date over the few weeks."
"The first date will be a week from now to give each of you time to plan what you would like to do, as well as give us distance from today's emotional events." His plan was logical, and had been given the approval of Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Hayate. However, Naruto didn't fully grasp what his words would mean to the three young women that he was addressing.
"N-Naruto-Kun is going on a date with me!" Hinata couldn't have imagined anything more perfect. It was a dream come true.
"Naruto-Sama..." Not in all of her wildest dreams did Haku imagine that Naruto would be willing to take her on a date, despite her status as his servant.
"I get to go on a date with Naruto-Kun!" Sakura mentally pumped her fist, "Hell yeah!"
The week flew quickly by, seemingly taking no time at all. During the week, Tazuna had started on the Uzumaki Clan compound, declaring that 'it would be the strongest compound ever built'. Naruto worked extensively with the builder, starting the process for integrating several dozen sealing arrays directly into the architecture itself. In addition, he had joined the Shinobi council for a meeting. Given that it was his first one, as well as the information hadn't been anything he, nor the Uzumaki Clan cared about, Naruto had stayed quiet during the meeting. It had, however, given him insight into how the council operated.
Sasuke Uchiha had contacted him as well, and requested a sparring match between them. Seeing no reason to deny him, Naruto had agreed. Incidentally, that was the reason Naruto was heading to Training Ground Forty-Three, one of the private Uchiha training grounds. Pushing the well-oiled gate open, Naruto walked into the open training ground. Spotting Sasuke already waiting for him, Naruto raised his hand in greeting. "Sasuke."
"Naruto." Sasuke returned the greeting coldly, but his hand twitch minutely upwards in spite of himself. "Let's get started." He was rather impatient to test his strength against Naruto's; to test his eyes against Naruto's speed; to find out what enabled Naruto do get so strong. He was certain that it was hidden hate.
Dropping into the famed Uchiha Interceptor Fist Stance, Sasuke watched his rival drop into what looked like a basic combat stance, one that favored punching over kicking by the looks of it. It looked basic, but the Last Uchiha knew that his opponent was anything but normal. A timeless moment passed. Sasuke closed his eyes and pulsed his chakra to his eyes, activating the famed Sharingan. Opening his now red eyes, the Last Uchiha tightened his stance.
Naruto nodded. Sasuke's head moved minutely, signaling his readiness.
The Last Uzumaki blurred forward. His right hand snapped forward, and were it not for the slowdown that the Sharingan provided, Sasuke would have never seen it coming. Snapping his arm across his body to block the attack, Sasuke couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock as Naruto's right fist snapped open and grabbed the Last Uchiha's wrist.
Still moving forward, Naruto lowered his shoulder and slammed it into the Uchiha's body, knocking him off his feet. Snapping his left hand forward, Naruto hurled Sasuke over his head with a smooth flow of motions. Sasuke shook off of his shock mid-air, and quickly moving through the hand motions for a fire ball technique, breathing out four burning balls of fire.
Naruto vaulted into the air over the fiery attack, snapping three kunai at Sasuke as soon as he cleared the katon jutsu. Twisting his still falling body in mid air, the Last Uchiha managed to dodge the first kunai, twist out of the way of the second, and almost dodge the third. He felt the throwing weapon skim a line across his shoulder and knew without looking that it already was oozing a thin line of blood. Sasuke discarded the pain. It was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Immersing himself in the power of his hate, Sasuke didn't stop the snarl that twisted his features. Then Naruto appeared in front of him, a leg already chambered for a kick, and Sasuke didn't have time to think; only time to react.
Exchanging a blistering series of attacks, Naruto moved from one close combat attack to another, each different, each one learned from a different source. Changing a sternum cracking attack into a strong shove, Naruto threw the Last Uchiha back once again. Charging the Uchiha once again, Naruto spat an overcharged water bullet that canceled out Sasuke's fire technique and bathed the clearing in a faint mist.
Sasuke couldn't get over his shock as he waited for Naruto to move once again. The Uzumaki had attacked him with different types of attacks, and if Sasuke saw it correctly, even one of the moves from the Hyuga Gentle Palm combat style had been thrown in. If he could describe Naruto's combat style in one word, it would be 'unpredictable.' 'Controlled chaos' if using more than one word. The Last Uzumaki didn't have a specific stance or use only a certain element. Instead, every technique was mixed, each time differently, seemingly coming up with new combinations on the fly.
But yet...in spite of himself, Sasuke found that he was somehow, ever so slightly, enjoying the sparring match. Then Naruto sent a wave of blasting wind towards him and Sasuke didn't have time for anything but dodging.
"You did well." Naruto complimented the exhausted Uchiha. "Much better then when we've sparred before." Wiping the sweat from his brow, Naruto grinned down at Sasuke. "It's been awhile since I had that much fun sparring." It was an honest assessment. He tried to judge Sasuke on his own merits, rather than comparing him to someone else. It wouldn't be fair to judge Sasuke by Jiraiya's standards or even Itachi's. Sasuke was Sasuke.
Sasuke was too tired to do anything but grunt as he fought the urge to fall asleep right there in the heavily damage training ground. He tried to summon the anger at Naruto's words, but it was far too much effort to do so. "Next week I'll win..." The words came out much more tired than he wanted.
"I'll see you next week." Naruto grinned once again. He hesitated, glancing down at the Uchiha who still hadn't moved after he had slumped to the ground when the sparring match ended a few minutes ago. "You alright?"
"I'm fine." There was heat in Sasuke's tone. "I don't need pity. Especially from you!"
"Ok then." Naruto shrugged. "See you next week."
Sasuke pushed his increasingly heavy eyelids up to watch his rival leave, once again wondering what enabled Naruto to become so strong. "I will find the secret to your power, Naruto Uzumaki. And then I will kill my brother with it." The Last Uchiha promised. He would put more thought into it when he was more awake. Sasuke closed his eyes and slept. And for the first time in a very long time, the nightmarish memories and taunting whispers did not trouble him.
Naruto grunted in consternation as he stared at the two formal outfits that one of the nice sales ladies picked out for him. "What is the difference between the two of these?" They were both dark blue and had buttons. "But they came from different sections of the store, so clearly there must be a difference."
"Can I help you with anything Uzumaki-Sama?" The young sales person asked from a short distance away as she moved closer. "Are the shirts I picked out for you not to your liking?"
"It's still really weird for people to call me 'Uzumaki-Sama'." Naruto noted uncomfortably. Outwardly, however, he simply rubbed the back of his head as he directed an slightly embarrassed grin at the early twenties sales associate. "I'm not sure what the difference between these two shirts are." He confessed, a look of slight confused bafflement painting across his face.
"Hmmm…" She moved close enough for Naruto smell her perfume. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but he didn't understand why she had to move so close to examine the shirts. "...If I may be so bold, what occasion are you purchasing these shirts for?"
"Well," Naruto shifted shyly, "I am going on a date with each of my three different girl friends." Not noticing the look of feminine outrage, the oblivious blonde continued. "I liked each of them equally, and they love me back." A frown twisted his face. "But I don't want to hurt any of them, so I figured I would go out on a date with each of them."
"And they know that you are going out with each of them?" The sales associate raised a sculpted eyebrow, skepticism coloring her tone.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded, his eyes still shyly looking away, "I made sure that each of them was alright with me doing that before I agreed to go out on a date with any of them."
Perhaps if it had been said by someone else, she would have viewed him as a pervert, but Rei, the sales associate, couldn't help but to want to help the confused young man. "All right." She nodded to herself, her eyes flickering up and down his form, taking the color of his features, "Let's try these..." She pulled several shirts seemingly at random from the clothing rack, "And these too." Moving quickly over to the pants rack, she selected a few different colored slacks before moving back to the clearly outside of his comfort zone blonde. "Try these on Naruto-Sama."
Naruto nodded and quickly moved off to the dressing room. After closing the door, he laid the items down and considered what he would try on first. "Orange is pretty awesome." Picking up a black shirt with a small stylized orange swirl on the one side, he began to change.
"Why would three different girls want to date the same person?" Rei wondered, "I mean, Naruto-Sama is good looking, but not that good looking." Hearing the changing room door open, she glanced up and all of the thoughts she had promptly disappeared from her mind.
"How do I look?" Naruto wasn't sure if it fit him correctly or not, given that he had never worn nice clothes like this before. "It's not bad is it?"
"Huh?" Rei snapped out of her stare. "Those girls are lucky." "Y-Yes, they look good."
"Okay." Naruto nodded, "I'll go try on the next one."
Life, Rei decided, was good today.
"Thank-you for shopping today at Leaf Clothing and Apparel." Rei smiled brightly at Naruto, having long since realized that he wasn't a pervert. She held back a romantic sigh at the thought of the dates he would go on.
"Thank-you for all your help." Naruto smiled brightly, earnest thankfulness shining from his eyes.
"Y-You're w-welcome, Naruto-Sama." Rei couldn't help but stutter, feeling the faintest flush warm her cheeks at the sight of his handsome smile. "Any time Naruto-Sama." Watching him exit the store, she couldn't help but think, "They are so very lucky, whoever those girls are." Spotting a new customer enter the store, she banished the flush from her cheeks and moved forward to greet them. "Welcome to Leaf Clothing and Apparel. How can I help you?"
It wasn't wrong, Jiraiya told himself, to spy on his godson as he prepared for his first ever date. Pride had swelled within him as he watched Naruto enlist the help of the rather attractive sales associate by the name of Rei. She was one of Jiraiya's favorite sales associates to...watch at the hot springs. Still, he couldn't help but notice that Rei had given his godson a five percent off of his purchase. It wasn't much, but it assured the Toad Sannin that at least some of the people in the village saw Naruto as Naruto, rather than the Kyubi. Plus the location of Rei's name tag was quite...stimulating. "Naruto is already getting discounts from the ladies!"
Sakura fidgeted as she waited outside her parent's home. She had gone to her parent's home to ask her mother to help her prepare her hair and to ask assistance with clothing options, and several hours later, here she was. "I hope Naruto-Kun likes my hair and dress." While she never felt nervous before while in Naruto's presence, she couldn't help the butterflies that danced in her stomach. Fighting the urge to clench her fists, the pink haired girl attempted to calm herself. "It's no big deal. You're just going on your first ever date with your best friend who you love." Sakura wasn't the best at reassuring herself.
Naruto moved at a reduced pace - reduced from his normal speed - as he didn't want to mess up or dirty his new clothing he had bought just for his date with Sakura-Chan. Arriving at her parent's home, he spied Sakura standing outside the gate, absently chewing on her bottom lip. "Sakura-Chan?" She quickly turned in his direction and Naruto felt his mind temporally stutter. She had a light pink dress that flowed down past her knees, the cut and style of the dress emphasizing her slim and athletic form. Her hair was styled slightly differently, but it somehow drew attention to her bright intelligent eyes. A small amount of make-up completed the look, enhancing her already pretty features.
Hearing Naruto's call, Sakura turned to face her best friend, only to feel her mouth go dry. He had on a light blue shirt that was loose enough to not be form fitting, but tight enough to show hints of his well muscled chest and arms. Black slacks completed the casual yet formal look. His blonde hair looked slightly restrained, somehow enhancing the look. His ocean-blue eyes were deep enough for her to fall into, and the four whisker lines drew her attention to his lean and slightly angled features.
Realizing that they had been ogling each other at roughly the same time, they both glanced away, blushes quickly staining their cheeks. "S-Shall we get started?" Naruto's asked offering his arm, still unable to fully look at her yet, the sheer beauty she possessed still stunning him.
"Y-Yeah." Sakura glanced at her best friend as she stepped closer, placing her arm in his offered one.
It was an awkward walk to the small restaurant that Naruto had picked out, each of the young adults glancing at each other only to look away shyly as they met the other's gaze. Just outside the restaurant, Naruto stopped, surprising Sakura.
"Sakura-Chan," Naruto began as he dared to look over at her, "You are very beautiful tonight." The pink-haired girl felt her cheeks grow hot at his words, even as she gazed back. "But," Naruto continued, "I don't want you to feel you can't talk to me because we are dressed differently."
Sakura paused, her mind clearing. This was Naruto, her best friend. She had never felt shy in front of him before now, and she wasn't going to start now. "You're right Naruto-Kun." She smiled up at him, bumping his shoulder with her own. "Let's go have dinner." With her words, the pair walked inside the restaurant. Giving them his name, Naruto and Sakura were quickly escorted to a private table.
After ordering their meal from a rather helpful waiter, conversation flowed between the pair. Naruto's warm and unrestrained chuckles echoed in the small area as Sakura related a story she had heard from her mother about a patient who had somehow managed to tangle themselves up in the bed sheet and then release the brakes on the bed wheels. Eventually the bed had been stopped, but not before several nurses and one doctor had joined the chase.
"Heh Heh." Naruto wiped the lone tear of laughter from his eyes as Sakura finished the story. Looking at her, he was struck by how beautiful she looked as she smiled happily, sharing his laughter at the ridiculous image of the hospital personnel chasing down a racing bed. While they both knew that the story had been exaggerated, it was still quite the amusing image.
After consuming their pleasant and tasty meal, Naruto paid and the pair moved out, slowly making their way to the top of the Hokage's Mountain. Climbing with a dress, Sakura soon learned, was considerably harder than with her normal ninja pants. Before she could seriously consider ripping her dress to allow for more leg movement, Naruto paused in his movement, and clinging to the rock face with his chakra, swept the pink haired girl off of her feet to hold her in his arms.
Letting out a combination of a cry of surprise and a breathy giggle, Sakura couldn't help but feel safe and content in her love's arms as he quickly moved upwards. It was all too soon when he reached the top, and Sakura reluctantly put her feet down when Naruto bent to let her down. "You should have warned me." Sakura couldn't banish the smile on her face, although she wasn't trying very hard to do so. Grabbing his hand, she pulled the willing blonde closer to the edge of the mountain, allowing them to look out over the village itself.
It was an impressive view, Sakura had to admit, even if she was starting to dislike most of the village itself. As the evening sky drew colors of orange and yellow, she glanced at his face, only for her breath to be taken away. The evening sky highlighted his already pleasing features, throwing his face into just enough shadow to add a certain air of mystery to him. Darting her tongue to wet her suddenly dry lips, she felt her eyes drawn to his lips, that somehow looked more inviting then she remembered.
Feeling the heat of her gaze, Naruto turned and felt a jolt run through his system at the sight of an unknown expression on her face that prompted a strange, but quite pleasant, emotion in him. There was an almost undeniable pull towards her, and he noticed how nice her pink lips looked in the evening light.
Abruptly realizing what direction his thoughts were going towards, he quickly turned away from her with an almost physical effort. But he turned slowly enough to spy a hurt look on Sakura's face before he returned his gaze to the village, cursing himself for having to cause her pain.
"Y-You don't want to kiss me?" Sakura's voice was small and uncertain, the tone sounding wrong coming from her.
"No." Naruto shook his head. "I very much want to kiss you." Feeling her confused gaze snap to his face, he swallowed and attempted to banish the image of her face gazing up at him just a few minutes prior with that almost hungry look on her face. "But I can't. It's not fair to you, Hinata-Chan, or Haku-Chan." He sighed. "I don't want to favor one of you over the other." He risked a glance over at her. "You understand right?" After a moment, he added, "I'm sorry. I wish I could kiss you." Regretfullness colored his tone.
"It's alright." Sakura reassured her best friend. "I understand." And she did. And while Naruto's steadfastness to keep equal time and energy with each of them warmed her heart, it didn't stop the pangs of disappointment that followed the realization that she wasn't going to be kissing the man she loved.
A few moments of silence feel over them, the air wasn't strained, but it held a note of disappointment. "Hey Sakura-Chan," He finally broke the silence, "Do you want to see something cool?"
Sakura blinked, disappointment fading into curiosity. "Yes. What do you have planned Naruto-Kun?"
Naruto turned his back to her and crouched down slightly. "Climb on." Still confused, Sakura hiked her dress up slightly and carefully climbed onto his back. As she wrapped her arms around his middle, she was suddenly very conscious of only the thin material separating them. Pushing the thought aside, she perched her head on his shoulder before giving him a squeeze to indicate she was ready for whatever her Naruto-Kun had planned.
"Do you trust me?" Naruto asked, his voice filled with anticipation.
"Always." The answer was instant. "With everything that I am." She felt the warmth of his smile as he heard her words. A sense of accomplishment filled her as she felt his unspoken gratefulness at her words.
"In that case," Naruto shifted Sakura's weight to a better position, "Hold on tight!" Taking a running jump, Naruto hurled himself and Sakura off of the top of the Hokage mountain. Other than a slight tightening of her grip, Sakura didn't react as they fell downwards in free fall. She trusted Naruto. And after a few seconds, she realized with a slight start, that she actually enjoyed the sensation of freefalling through the air, without a care in the world. A giggle bubbled up in her, and she couldn't help but let it out.
As they neared the ground, Naruto pointed his hands downward and shoved wind chakra into his hands, slowing their descent until Naruto could safely land in a crouch. Sakura slid off a moment later, her eyes still bright. "We should do that again, Naruto-Kun!" She grinned, her eyes shining with excitement.
Naruto grinned back. "We will." He promised, "Next date then?"
Sakura nodded. "Next date then." She confirmed. Watching Naruto head off to train some more, the pink haired girl braced herself as she headed towards home, she knew that she would have to give the entire retelling of the date. After all, she wanted them to do the same...
"Naruto!" Tazuna smiled, "Tomorrow is the day." Watching the blonde tilt his head in slight confusion, the self-proclaimed "super-builder" continued. "You are a hero to Wave. And as such, the men of Wave have decided to help build your compound."
"Oh." Naruto didn't understand why he was considered a hero, but he wasn't going to turn down the extra help. "How many of them are coming?"
Tazuna's grin grew. "All of them." The Uzumaki compound was built within two weeks. Not only did every single able-bodied man from Wave come to Konoha to help, but Naruto and his clones also assisted, creating the first fusion of sealing arrays and architecture. Later, when asked, all Tazuna would say about the Compound was 'that it was as strong as the Head of the clan was defiant'.
The next date was with Hinata. After they had dinner in a rather high profile restaurant, the pair had gracefully left the dining place after paying. While Naruto was merely taking her on a date, Hinata knew that her choice of venue would cause quite a few people to notice, thus giving Naruto a shield of sorts from the average ill-intentioned women. Once they had departed, Hinata and Naruto had moved into the market district. The purpose was two-fold. First more exposure for the pair, hopefully making any woman think twice, and to pick out koi fish for the new koi pond at the Uzumaki Compound.
After picking out a dozen koi fish, the pair arranged to have them delivered and moved on. "Naruto-Kun," Hinata requested, "Could we go somewhere quiet?" As much as she hated it, picking open venues that exposed them to all had downsides. For example, not maintaining proper distance or displays of affection was not something an unmarried woman did. Hinata had enough political training to know exactly what was proper and what was not, and she had toed the line more than once tonight.
As soon as they were out of sight of the crowds, Hinata stepped closer to her love, ever so slightly breaching proper distance. She didn't particularly care. She had kept herself in check all night, being so close to him, but having to maintain a proper three feet at all times. While she didn't care what others thought of her, keeping an image for the Uzumaki Clan was important. Without it, there was a chance Naruto may lose respect of some of the higher ranking clans, and that was something she would not allow to happen if she could avoid it.
Not only that, but she knew she wasn't nearly ready for a closer relationship, and neither was Naruto. So while the distance was frustrating at times, especially when he smiled at her, Hinata knew it was perhaps better this way. But now, away from prying eyes, it was just the two of them. Heat bubbled up in her stomach, and she found the slightly exotic features of her Naruto-Kun utterly fascinating.
"Hinata-Chan?" Naruto tilted his head, "Is something on your mind?"
"No, Naruto-Kun," Hinata smiled and wrapped her arms around his, comfortably pressing her body into his, "Nothing is wrong. Tonight was wonderful." The warmth of his smile made the night perfect.
Thud. Sasuke slid back yet again, his arms aching from blocking Naruto's blow. Tiredness edged at the corners of his mind. But he refused to give in. This was the third time he had sparred with the Last Uzumaki like this, and each time had ended with Sasuke dropping off in exhaustion. He had gotten a few lucky strikes in, but Naruto had simply shrugged them off. Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew that Naruto was holding back. And it galled him. Annoyed him. He hated it.
But...at the same time, it was freeing. To finally find someone who he could test himself against, again and again; someone who didn't care about who he was or what his clan was. And here amidst the dirt, pain, and sweat, Sasuke could forget that that he was the Last of his Clan and all of the crushing responsibilities that came with that. He could forget the whispers that haunted him; the visions that taunted him; the fears that choked him; the hate that defined him.
"I'll do better next time." Sasuke panted out as he sagged gratefully to the ground, "I'll beat you yet." Feeling Naruto settle onto the ground a short distance away, he couldn't help but turn to the Last Uzumaki and ask, "Why are you still here, Dobe?" In spite of himself, there was a lack of malice in his tone.
"I was debating telling you this," Naruto's voice was quiet, "Given that you tend to overreact whenever your brother is mentioned." Sasuke's hand instinctively twitched towards his kunai holder before he was aware that his hand was moving. "Just like that."
"What are you saying?" Sasuke was tired, and his already weak hold on his temper was even weaker right now.
"I fought your brother."
"What?!" Sasuke instantly jolted from his hunched position, tiredness banished from his mind. "When? Where?" His eyes gleamed with raw desperation and interest. "Why was I not told?"
"Do you really want to know?" Sasuke nodded quickly, knowing that attempting to demand answers as 'Sasuke Uchiha of the Uchiha' would not get him anywhere with Naruto. "You know how Jiraiya and I went to go find Tsunade?"
"Yes." Sasuke grunted impatiently, not caring about anything but Naruto's recounting of his fight with Itachi. "What about it?"
"Well, when we reached the first town we searched..."
Naruto couldn't help but smile as he watched Sasuke move off to the Uchiha compound, a new determined step in the black haired avenger's movements. He had given Sasuke nothing less than the truth. He had held nothing back, explaining exactly how outclassed he had been by Itachi and his partner. He had explained exactly how Itachi and Kisame had fought. And when he had finished, he waited as the Last Uchiha shifted though his emotions, figuring out what he, Sasuke, thought and wanted. Something birthed in that moment, a new drive to train, that hadn't been there before.
Disappearing in a shunshin, Naruto began preparing for his date with Haku. The ice user had requested a dinner place that was quiet, followed by the pair simply being next to each other at the waterfall. "I think I know of just the place." Naruto pulled on his newest outfit he had gotten specifically for Haku's date, and checked himself in the mirror. "I hope Haku-Chan likes my shirt." It was a white button down, with light blue snowflakes tailing down the one side of the shirt.
Haku sighed happily as she leaned into the comfortable side of her beloved master. Tonight had easily been the best night of her life, and she couldn't think of a better way to end then sitting here, enjoying the quiet with the man she loved. The ice user wasn't blind, knowing full well that Naruto could only be married to one of them, but here, with the sound of the waterfall in the distance, she could forget all of those worries and fears.
Glancing over and slightly up at Naruto's face, Haku couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked in the reflected light from the shimmering water. He turned and smiled that small, wonderful smile that she loved so much, and she suddenly felt the urge kiss him. Holding back from not pressing her lips to his was a struggle, and judging from the look on his face, he felt exactly the same way. Heat blossomed between them, making the air tingle.
After several timeless moments, they both managed to break their locked gazes, looking away from each other. The heat slowly dissipated, moving back to the comfortable warmth. Had Sakura not explained what had happened on their date, Haku would have felt hurt. Instead, she only felt the vague sense of disappointment, but at the same time relief. Neither of them were ready for the next step, and now they knew that, they could resist the urge of moving forward too fast. "Still..." Haku couldn't stop the blush from flushing her pale cheeks, "His lips looked very desirable." Firmly moving her mind away from those dangerous thoughts, she settled more firmly on his warm shoulder with a contented sigh.
"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune poked her head into the Hokage's office, "Naruto-Kun is here to see you."
"Send him in." The buxom Hokage instantly replied, all too eager to push the mound of paperwork she had aside. After her godson entered the room, she quickly but carefully moved the papers out of the way so she could fully see Naruto. "Naruto-Kun, what can I do for you?"
"Well," Naruto scratched his head slightly, "I was talking with Sasuke about my fight with Itachi earlier this week, and I have a few medical questions about genjutsu, and more specifically, Tsukuyomi." Noticing her cocked eyebrow, Naruto hesitated before continuing. "What...exactly does genjutsu do?"
"Ah." Tsunade leaned back, "I can answer that for you." Pushing her chair back and standing up, the Legendary Healer walked over to the white board she had recently installed in her office. Picking up a black marker, she drew a basic outline of a human as she began her explanation. "All genjutsu, if successful, create a hallucination that encompasses all five senses. This is accomplished by carefully overlaying the caster's chakra with their own." She tapped the head of the outline. "However, if the person's chakra is either many times that of the caster or too chaotic, low level genjutsu just simply won't work on that person's chakra."
"Medically speaking," Tsunade drew a quick diagram of a human brain, "Normal 'low-level genjutsu', B-Rank and lower, cause no permanent damage to a person's psyche or body. However," Tsunade made several small red circles with a red marker on the brain diagram, "A-Rank genjutsu and higher are completely different. They are designated 'A-Rank' or 'S-Rank' by two factors: The complexity of the genjutsu itself, and the amount of damage it can permanently cause."
"A-Rank genjutsu can cause permanent minor mental trauma as well as induce unconsciousness. A talented genjutsu user can easily subdue a target without even touching them. But S-Rank genjutsu on the other hand," Her voice grew grave, "Is much more terrible. S-Rank genjutsu can permanent major mental trauma and deeply scar the psyche. Not only that, but the highest ones can cause organ failure as the brain is tricked into thinking the organ is damaged."
Naruto nodded in understanding. "So if you died in an S-Rank genjutsu, you could die in real life?"
The Slug Sannin nodded. "Yes. Fortunately, S-Rank genjutsu users are rare. Not only that, but a person with a strong will can mitigate the effects of a genjutsu or even ignore them. Obviously, the two ways to escape a genjutsu is inducing pain from an external source, which makes your brain realize it's an hallucination, or by spiking your own chakra counter the foreign chakra, thus breaking the hold it has on you."
Naruto pulled out a small notebook and noted a few things down. "And what about Tsukuyomi?"
"Tsukuyomi is noted to be the ultimate genjutsu. Usable only by Uchiha for some reason, it allows the caster to completely subsume the person's five senses and slow the passage of time inside the genjutsu." Tsunade grimaced. "Not only that, but users of Tsukuyomi have been rumored to be able to fully control what the victim experiences, effectively creating a miniature world while the genjutsu is affecting the target." She blinked, realizing something. "Why are you so interested in Tsukuyomi?"
"Well," Naruto finished his latest notation, "When I fought Itachi, he stuck Fifty-Eight into Tsukuyomi." Tsunade's eyes widened. "Don't worry." Naruto dismissed, "I spoke to him later. While it was kinda bad, Itachi didn't have nearly enough chakra to keep him in there long enough to do anything permanent." The Last Uzumaki paused, considering. "Fifty-Eight really doesn't like genjutsu now though."
"Huh." Tsunade blinked before deciding to not even attempt to understand how Naruto's shadow clones worked, "Regardless, it's very impressive that your clone, and by proxy you, is still sane."
Naruto managed to not duck his head in shyness at the praise, but it was a near thing. "Thanks." His expression flickered. "Sasuke said that he was put under Itachi's Tsukuyomi for three days. I wonder if that did anything to him."
Tsunade stilled, the med nin in her coming to the forefront. "That wasn't mentioned in any of the reports." She turned to the office door. "Wolf, can you come in here?" A moment later a ANBU entered the room, his mask having a stylized depiction of a snarling wolf, "Can you retrieve Sasuke Uchiha and bring him to Exam Room Four in Konoha Hospital? I will be there shortly." The elite ninja bowed and quickly moved out of the room to complete the Hokage's order.
"Naruto-Kun," Tsunade turned back to her godson, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Hmmmm..." Naruto considered, "Not that I can think of."
"Ok." Tsunade nodded, "Please remember that my door is always open. And if it is past six in the evening and I am not here, you are always welcome to stop by my house, no matter the hour." She smiled Naruto. "You never were, and never will be, a bother. I will always have time for you."
"Thank-you." Naruto's response was heartfelt, as some emotion swelled within him. Shooting a glance at the clock, Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Oh crap." He turned towards the door. "Sorry, but I have to go. I have to meet a few people in a few minutes." Throwing the words over his shoulder, he rushed off.
Watching her godson hurry off, Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle at his demeanor. A few moments later her chuckles faded as she shifted into her medical ninja mode. The Legendary Healer moved towards the hospital.
Naruto swiped his hand across the specialized sealing scroll, feeling the seal sample his chakra before verifying it. A moment later a small second storage scroll popped out of the security array, which the Last Uzumaki promptly picked up. Concentrating, he created a dozen clones to start sealing everything in the house in preparation for the move to the just finished Uzumaki Clan Compound. Plus, he had some new variants of the storage seal he wanted to try out, and now was a perfect time for his clones to test them. Shoving extra chakra into his shunshin, Naruto disappeared in a swirl of wind.
Arriving a moment later in Training Ground Twenty-Four, Naruto noticed Neji was already waiting for him. Walking closer to the Hyuga male, Naruto motioned to the clones scattered around the area. Now given the command they had been waiting for, the clones channeled chakra into the seal traced on the ground, blocking sight and sound for anyone attempting to spy on them.
"Are you ready to have the Caged Bird Seal changed?" Naruto questioned, giving the Neji one last chance to back out.
"Yes." There was no hesitation. "I choose my own fate."
"Then let us begin."
A rather sharp knock at Anko's door caused the purple-haired woman to shove herself off of the couch where she had been sitting. "I'm coming. I'm coming..." She grumbled under her breath. Casting a glance at the still sitting Kakashi, she rolled her eyes. A slight chuckle from him made her smirk as she made her way to the door.
"Naru-Kun?" Anko was confused, but happy to see the person she had come to consider as the younger brother she never had, "What are you doing here?"
"Anko-Chan," Naruto grinned happily, "I have some good news about your seal."
"Oh." Anko was momentarily taken aback before recovering with a shake of her head. "Come in!" Closing the door after the blonde entered, Anko headed to the kitchen to grab one of the snack trays she had on hand. She was, after all, totally not trying to get used to having other people over her apartment. But if she somehow had been, it would have only been because people came over to Kakashi, and she given that they were just best friends, it was perfectly normal to plan for such things.
"Kakashi." Naruto nodded towards his grey haired teacher, "How are you doing?"
"Good." Kakashi nodded before a teasing look entered his lone visible eye. "How did your dates go?"
"Naru-Kun is dating someone?" Anko popped around the corner, a snack tray carefully balanced in her hands. "Who is it?"
"I finished my first round of dates. Haku was last this round, but she's first next round." Seeing the look Anko was giving him, he elaborated. "I'm going on dates with Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, and Haku-Chan. Sakura-Chan designed a schedule that allows for everyone to be first at least once for a date, and doesn't impact training at all."
"Very impressive." Kakashi complimented, "And did you set up Anko and my gift to you, Hinata-San, and Sakura-San?"
Naruto nodded as he sat on the second loveseat. "Yeah. My clones and I set up the bed yesterday." His eyes widened in amazement, "It's really, really big and soft." He gestured wildly to show how big it was.
"Well~...," Anko smirked at Kakashi, "We are just getting in practice for buying beds that fit more than one person comfortably..." She tilted her head cutely. "Isn't that right, Kaka-Kun."
Kakashi didn't twitch and maintained his normal bored tone that he was best known for. "Perhaps it would be better to have a small one. More contact that way."
"Oh~?" Anko did her best to not show her interest in his words. After all, it was just a game they played. Best friends flirted with each other all the time, right?
"Why are they talking about bed sizes as they are looking at each other?" Naruto wondered. Still confused, Naruto decided to continue to explain what was happening at his clan compound. "The contractor Jiraiya hired to build the Hot Springs at the compound finished today, so we will be moving in. Speaking of that, at some point you two need to come over to have your chakra signature added to the sealing ward array so you have access to the compound."
Glancing over at Anko, who shrugged, Kakashi nodded. "Perhaps a little bit later today."
"Ok." Naruto nodded before shifting to look at Anko as he grabbed a carrot stick from the snack tray, "Anko-Chan, I'm about Ninety-Five percent done with deciphering the Cursed Seal on you. The last inner seal is one I've never seen before, so it's giving me a bit of trouble." He grinned. "But Jiraiya found some old Uzumaki sealing books, and given that they are rightfully mine, I'm having a few clones checking them for anything like the unknown seal."
"That's..." Anko was almost overwhelmed. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that there was a chance that she could actually be free of the seal that haunted her. "...beyond awesome." Gratefulness colored as she thanked the Last Uzumaki. "I don't know how to thank you enough for all you have done so far."
"Just say it." Naruto smiled, not seeing why he needed to be thanked, but understanding why Anko wanted to.
"Huh?" Came Anko's intelligent reply.
"Just say 'thank-you'."
"Thank-you." Anko's thanks was heartfelt. A moment later a thought occurred to her. "Naru-Kun, will Hina-Chan, Saku-Chan, and Haku-Chan be at the compound in about two hours?"
"They should be." Naruto had long given up trying to fully understand Anko. He could always ask Kakashi later, since he and Anko spend so much time together.
"Good." Anko nodded. "That should be plenty of time for me to gather what reading materials I need." Noticing Naruto tilt his head to the side in confusion, she just grinned widely and patted the blonde's head. "Don't worry your innocent little head, Naru-Kun."
"Ookay...?" Anko was the older sister he never had, but she was completely confusing sometimes. "I'll see you then?"
"We'll see you then." Anko and Kakashi watched the Last Uzumaki leave.
"Box set of Icha-Icha?" Kakashi enquired.
"Box set of Icha-Icha." Anko confirmed. "Plus two extra copies of The Lone Warrior and the Kunoichis.
"Good idea."
"Of course, being that I am just a fair maiden," Anko dramatically placed her hand on her chest, "I need a strong man to accompany me to the market." She widened her eyes as much as she could. "Who knows what manner of men or beasts might attempt to assail me?"
"We can't have that." Kakashi stood up and moved towards the front door. "Shall we go, my fair lady?" Anko giggled as they headed out.
"That was a good comeback." She grinned at him, her eyes mischievous.
"It was." Kakashi eyed her warily, recognizing that look.
Anko pounced verbally. "But I didn't know you were thinking of me in bed..." Placing both of her hands over her heart dramatically, she raised the pitch of her voice. "You pervert." She was only able to hold the expression for a moment before breaking down into laughter. "You should see your face!" She cackled, "It's like you have no idea how to react." She paused pointing at him, "I win this round." Giggling and pumping her fist in victory, she dodged Kakashi's half hearted swipe, before bumping her shoulder with his.
"Let's go get the instruction books, Bed-Kun."
So what did you guys think? Drop a review and let me know.
And in case anyone missed understood, Naruto hasn't kissed any of the girls yet, and Anko and Kakashi still only best friends.
To my reviewers' direct questions:
Vanishing Raptor: While I am still waiting for feedback from a few people with more relationship experience than me, I can say that there is a very very decent chance it's going to be a harem.
Guest: Given that Karin is a Uzumaki and Naruto is now the recognized Head of the Uzumaki Clan, I have a few plans regarding her. So yes, she will be featured in the future.
AkRuiner: As of right now, I can't see anyone else new being added to the harem (provided it ends up being one).
Czar Joseph: Each of the girls provided a different set of skills a Matriarch, so I'm still debating and planning on how that's going to work out.
DemonFiccer: Currently the seven closest people to Naruto are: Sakura, Hinata, Haku, Kurenai, Kakashi, Anko, and Yugao.
Guest: Tsunade explained how Genjutsu worked (or at least how I interpreted it, given that I'm not dismissing anything as PFM). If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me and I'll do my best to explain in more detail.
bankai777: Yes, Naruto will eventually meet the 5th Mizukage.