Greetings everyone. Here's chapter 9. This one is pretty lengthy, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.

As always, thank you all for reading and supporting this story. Your support means the world to me as it is the only retribution I get from writing, and it also serves as a motivation boost for me to keep going.

Anyhow, let's get on with our latest issue of Gal's Ai.

~ Chapter 9 : Matters of the Heart ~

Naruto awoke that day sporting one of the biggest grins he'd ever mustered on his whiskered face. Not even waking up at 5, getting through his usual training routine and fighting his kage bunshin in an epic battle where he went all in had managed to erase the grin on his lips.

Heck, he was still grinning by the time he went back home and realized that day marked the beginning of the first of three final exam days at school, which would have made anyone in their sane minds stare at him like he'd gone mad or something.

His grin never faltered one bit even when the doorbell rang and he forced himself to leave his half-eaten breakfast behind. 'Ah, not a problem! I'll just let one of my clones finish it up later!', he told himself before heading towards the entrance. Naruto was humming joyfully to himself as he unlocked the front door and saw just who he was expecting to see on the other side. "Ohayo, Koharu-chan! How are you? Isn't this a great day?"

The aforementioned girl blinked confusedly both at the barrage of questions she was being sent her way and at seeing the young shinobi so cheerful. Right until a few seconds earlier, Fujiwara had been expecting her student to feel nervous or worried at the very least. But here he was, standing right in front of her with his summer uniform on and that bright grin of his. "Good morning to you too, Naruto-san", she managed a kind smile. "I'm doing fine, thank you for asking", her pale eyes watched as he nodded his head excitedly and exited the house, though not forgetting to lock the door before leaving.

"Awesome!", he was oozing energy and enthusiasm as they walked side by side towards the street. A warm breeze blew against them, and Koharu inwardly thanked the heavens it was still early, as it was one of the few moments in the season when it was still nice outside as the days were getting hotter and hotter. "Feeling fine is important, especially now that we're getting close to summer holidays. Hehehe, yeah..."

Koharu couldn't help but glance the way of Naruto with curious eyes. Now it was pretty much clear he was acting weird for some reason. "...You sure are looking happy today, Naruto-san", she mentioned, her interest piqued. "Did something good happen?"

Of all the reactions she was expecting to get from him, seeing his grin turn into a smaller yet equally happy smile and his cheeks grow red wasn't one of them. "Hah... you can say that", an almost... satisfied sigh escaped his lips as his eyes focused back on the path ahead, refusing to elaborate any further. He looked so contented Koharu could not recall ever seeing him that way, and it only made her curiosity grow.

She considered asking him for details, but a stray thought that crossed her mind made her forget about Naruto's current state for the time being. "Ne, Naruto-san, I was wondering..."

"Yeah?"

Koharu bit her lower lip for a moment, trying to come up with the right words to say what'd been in her mind for a couple of days now. It was difficult thing to ask, but she hoped Naruto trusted her enough by then to share some more of his secrets with her. "Can your jutsus... be learned by anyone?", she asked in a hopeful manner, looking up at him with her big, pale eyes.

"Yeah, actually you c- Huh?", catching himself just as he was about to respond, Naruto suddenly caught up the meaning behind Koharu's words, and glanced her way with a weird look. "Wait, why do you want to know that?", there was genuine curiosity in his voice as he addressed the shorter girl by his side.

And said girl merely allowed a blush to tint her cheeks. "I... If I told you, will you promise to be honest with me?", Fujiwara felt a little bit embarrassed at what she was about to tell Naruto, hence why she wanted some sort of compromise to be reached if she was going to reveal her rather silly idea to him.

"Sure."

"P-Promise me."

"Okay okay, I promise", Naruto responded, finding the way she fidgeted very cute. "Now, what was that about my jutsus?"

Koharu took a deep breath and steadied herself as a group of primary school students passed them by on the street, pointing and giggling at them for some reason. "I-I wanted to know if you could teach your techniques to somebody else", she said seriously as she did her best not to let embarrassment betray her confidence. "Someone normal maybe, like a non-shinobi person. Someone... like me", at an incredulous look from Naruto, Koharu ultimately lost her composure. "A-Ah, n-not that I want to learn them myself, it was just an example!"

"Huh", Naruto scratched the back of his head and turned away from the raven-haired president. His face scrunched up in concentration as he inwardly pondered over something, with Koharu staring at him expectantly all the while. "Well, all jutsu can be learned if you have chakra. Except kekkei genkai, those are special kinds of jutsu that can only be inherited by blood if you belong to a clan that has one."

Koharu felt her eyes widening at everything she'd just learned. In the short time she'd known Naruto, she'd respected his decision not to openly talk about shinobi and their secrets by refraining from asking too many questions about said topic. Hence why this was the very first time she heard the words 'chakra' and 'kekkei genkai'. "That's really interesting, Naruto-san", she felt her curiosity reaching unmeasurable heights and couldn't hold herself from trying to seize the opportunity to ask a bit more about it. "Then this chakra energy, is it something that only some people have?"

Much to her surprise, Naruto shook his head no at that. "Not really. Back where I come from, everyone has chakra inside their bodies. Even civilians... Ah, careful here", a firm hand rose to her shoulder to prevent her from taking a step further as they had reached an intersection and the red lights were on.

Koharu blushed noticeably at the sudden contact, but soon the warmth that emanated from his hand had her relaxing. "T-Thank you", she mumbled, before returning her attention back to the matter at hand. "So, Naruto-san, if I understood correctly, ordinary people have chakra too?"

"In theory, yes", what Naruto failed or opted not to mention is that he didn't know if the same rule applied to people in that world compared to the Elemental Nations. "But even if you did have chakra, you'd still need to train very hard to increase its levels to the bare minimum."

"What do you mean by the bare minimum?"

The blond nodded his head. "The level of chakra needed to perform the most basic jutsus, like my Oiroke no Jutsu", he saw Koharu staring intently at him and she didn't even seem to notice his hand had left her shoulder. "Every technique requires a certain amount of chakra. The most powerful jutsu consume more of your chakra, so there usually are some requisites you need to take into account before actually trying your hand at ninjutsu or genjutsu."

Koharu absorbed everything she was being explained like a sponge, but still took a moment to fully process things and try to give it some sense. When she was sure she'd gotten her head wrapped up around the idea of anyone being able to learn supernatural things like transforming into other people, she nodded her head. "I think I got it, Naruto-san", an appreciative smile was flashed his way as a sort of thanks from Koharu. "I'd like to know more though, but I guess that's enough for now. Maybe some other day we could continue where we left off...?"

There was a hint of hope in her tone, but Naruto didn't notice or decided not to comment on it, and instead gave her a thumbs-up. "Sure thing! You gave me a big hand with my studies Koharu-chan, so I'll tell ya anything you want to know as thanks!"

"Really?", Fujiwara's face lit up in joy as the Uzumaki all but gave her confirmation in the form of a cheerful nod. She then mustered a happy grin and said, "okay then! I'll take your word for it, Naruto-san", Koharu brought her hands together, evidently pleased.

Naruto chuckled at his tutor's enthusiasm as they made their way down the last street that separated them from the Academy, only now noticing the many students that were on their way towards the imposing building in the distance. Koharu glanced around and saw the way most if not all her fellow classmates were either glaring daggers at the teen by her side, or looking at them in incredulity.

Koharu immediately turned her eyes away from them the moment they started whispering among themselves, tuning their voices out. This wasn't the first time others had seen them arriving to the Academy together, and more often than not she'd find herself scowling at the rudeness her fellow students displayed without even trying to be inconspicuous.

Then again, all it'd take was a quick look at Naruto and Koharu would opt to follow his example and pretty much ignore them.

"By the way, Naruto-san, have you ever watched Menma Hissatsukenden?"

"Hah? Menma?", the aforementioned inquired, furrowing his eyebrows. "You mean, that ramen topping made out of bamboo shoots? Ugh, I did try it once, but it didn't taste very good. It's kinda bland."

Koharu shook her head amusedly. "No, Naruto-san, I'm talking about that popular anime so many people are watching nowadays", she saw Naruto making an 'o' shape with his mouth as a response, before he shrugged his shoulders, a gesture she took as an indication to elaborate. "It's about a young samurai called Menma who fights against shinobi", a stray thought crossed her mind then, and she couldn't help but smile. "Now that I think about it, the main character looks a lot like you. He is energetic and strong like you and even has the same hairstyle and eyes, though his hair is dark."

Naruto listened intently as his tutor went on and on about that Menma Hitsuken or whatever the name was, beginning to see why she was bringing it up in the first place. "A guy who fights shinobi and looks like me, you say?", he blinked his azure eyes, inwardly wondering whether that show was like a fictional representation of his own homeland, and if so, how accurate was it really? "So shinobi are like the bad guys, and samurai the good ones?"

"Uh-huh, exactly!", Koharu responded excitedly, before her features softened and she gave a frowning Naruto a reassuring look. "Ah, but that's just an anime. I don't really think shinobi are evil. Well, not all of them, at least", the last part was uttered with a sort of interrogative tone that the Uzumaki did pick up on, if the way he glanced her way was of any indication.

"That's right, Koharu-chan. Most of us are decent folk, I promise", he really meant those words, and seeing just that made Koharu nod her head in agreement right away. It was clear she didn't doubt him in the slightest. "But hey, I can't believe there's a show like that on TV. Then again, if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known. I don't really watch TV anyway."

Koharu took that as the opportunity she'd been waiting for and it was with hope written all over her face that she said, "still, I think it'd be a good idea for you to check it out for yourself. You know, to see how they portray shinobi and decide if it's accurate or not."

"Huh, I guess so", Naruto shrugged, placing both hands behind his head. "Should be fun."

At his response, the beautiful raven-haired girl by his side gave him a wide smile. "Then, we could watch it at my house!", there was a bright look on her face as she looked up at the slightly taller blond. "I bought all the DVDs for Fuyuto, my little brother, so maybe we can hang out after classes one of these days. Or perhaps on Sunday, if you'd prefer."

Koharu inwardly hoped she wasn't coming across as too straightforward or annoying, but she'd proposed her idea to him before she could think things through. She was also aware of the fact Naruto could very well be thinking about spending his free time either revising for all the exams they would be having that week, as she no longer tutored him from that day onwards, or resting after having worked so hard. If such was the case, all Fujiwara would have to do was to be more patient and wait a little bit more.

As they made it past the front gates, Naruto seemed to be contemplating her proposal, and it was after a full minute that he glanced back to her with a foxy grin. "Sure, Sunday sounds fine to me!

The Uzumaki was then treated to the sight of the girl's young visage brightening like a lamp, her eyes shining in something akin to joy as she brought her hands together in delight. "Great! It's a date then!", she blurted out, and almost immediately realized the words that had left her mouth, a fierce blush taking over her cheeks.

"A... date?"

"A-Ah, a plan! I meant a plan!", Koharu felt her heart thumping wildly in her chest as Naruto stared at her with a cryptical look, boring his eyes into hers. Fortunately for her, it was after a couple instants of scrutiny that he merely shrugged his shoulders and glanced away, seemingly convinced that was what she truly meant.

Fujiwara let out a sigh in relief when he lost interest, glad her feeble attempt at an excuse had managed to fool Naruto. She wasn't sure where did that idea of having a date with Naruto come from, but it left her a bit flabbergasted. 'What am I thinking? This is just something I'm doing to find out more about shinobi', she told herself. 'I absolutely have no interest in Naruto-san other than as a friend. Yes, that's right. Just a friend.'

That was all there was to their relationship, and Koharu knew it.

Then again, why was her heart still beating rapidly in her chest even though that meeting between them would just be one between two friends?

Koharu shook her head out of those thoughts and tried calming herself down, realizing it wouldn't do for others to see her in that state. As the president of the student council, she always needed to maintain a certain façade of serenity and confidence.

No further words were exchanged between both teenagers as they approached the main building's doors, with Naruto now glancing around seemingly in search of something -or someone- amidst all the students that were making their way inside the academy. Koharu was about to ask him about it when his face suddenly lit up in recognition and a happy grin found its way to his whiskered face.

"Ah, Miku-chan!"

Koharu raised both eyebrows as Naruto dashed towards the gal waiting by the door, the latter's hands resting on her bag as she leaned against one of the walls. The former had to pick up the pace so as not to be left behind by a very enthusiastic Naruto who had practically ran up to Miku. Said girl only then seemed to acknowledge his presence but didn't take long for her to cheer up noticeably and turn his way. "Ohayo, Naruto-kun!", she greeted enthusiastically, immediately reaching for his right arm and trapping it between her breasts. It was an act that made the young man grin in an indescribable way, and Koharu frown. "How are ya today? Ready for the exams?"

"As ready as I'll ever be", a nervous laugh escaped his lips, but he continued to ignore all the jealous, angry or hateful looks he was getting from all other students passing them by. "I couldn't study much yesterday, but I don't really care."

"Hehe, me neither~", completely ignoring Koharu, Miku pressed herself even tighter to Naruto, eliciting a blush from him. "I spent all day thinkin' about a certain someone..."

Naruto blushed even harder at her latter statement, and watched as the beautiful gal by his side batted her eyelashes invitingly at him. She bit her lower lip in a very sensual manner and lowered her sight until she was staring at his mouth, an act that had the Uzumaki's heart fluttering in anticipation.

"Ehem!"

Miku and Naruto turned their heads abruptly in the direction of one Koharu Fujiwara, staring dumbly at the latter as she folded her arms over her chest and looked strangely upset for some reason. "Ah, Fujiwara-chan!", despite being interrupted just when she was about to kiss her boyfriend, Miku managed a friendly smile at the president. "Soz, didn't see ya there. Were ya standing there too long...?"

"Uhm, yeah, she was with me before we ran into you, Miku-chan."

"Oh", the gal saw the ashamed look Naruto sent her way and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed herself. "S-Soz about that Fujiwara-chan. I almost got a little carried away, h-haha."

Koharu moved her pale eyes from an apologetic looking Miku to Naruto, then to Miku again, before ultimately shaking her head with a disappointed expression on her visage. "Those displays of affection are not appropriate student behavior at school, Okazaki-san. Please make sure to refrain yourself next time when in public", Fujiwara said firmly, turning around. "You too, Naruto-san. You don't want Mooroka-sensei catching you breaking his rules again. See you."

And it was with those parting words that Koharu hurriedly left the scene, not bothering to look back. Everyone else who'd been staring at the trio had already made their way to their respective classrooms, with the exception of a few newcomers who'd either fallen asleep or were late for any other reason and were forced to run so as to make it to class in time.

Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit confused at the president's strange reaction and proceeded to scratch his head for a while, trying to make sense of what could have gotten her so serious all of a sudden. "What was that all about?", he asked, more to himself than to Miku, but the latter still felt the need to address the matter.

"I think...", she furrowed her eyebrows, "Fujiwara-chan was jealous."

"Hah?", it didn't take more than a few seconds for incredulity to become visible in his face. "Koharu-chan, jealous? Of what?", he couldn't even think of one reason why she'd feel jealous of all things, especially since she was always all smiles around him.

"Hmmm. It's nothing", Miku said mysteriously, opting not to reveal what was on her mind. She stopped paying it any mind and instead pulled Naruto inside by the arm, taking him to a corner by the lockers that wasn't visible from the outside.

Naruto had barely time to blink before he found her lips pressed against him, making him return it almost as soon as he realized what was going on. It only lasted for about two or three seconds, but he was smiling contentedly by the time she reluctantly pulled away from him.

"I'd almost forgot how good kissing Naruto-kun feels~", Miku chirped before she couldn't resist it and gave him another quick peck on the lips. "Hehe. Consider that my little good luck charm for the exams."

"T-Thanks, Miku-chan", the Uzumaki said affectionately, reaching for her hands and giving them a light squeeze. "With you supporting me, I'm sure I won't fail! "

His fellow blonde giggled at his determination and Naruto thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard. "You put too much faith on me, Naruki", next, she smirked slyly, her teasing side intent on seizing the new opportunity that'd just arisen. "Buuuut if you really feel that way, you better take responsibility and repay me later. Let's say... at lunch break?"

Naruto had the decency of looking sheepish as he quickly caught up with the meaning behind her suggestive tone. He couldn't wait until lunch break was upon them!

Exams were seriously taking a toll on the Uzumaki's sanity.

Every day that went by was filled with pain and suffering as he faced a six page test for each subject. The worst part was that he was seriously giving it his all to pass the final exams - his position as the cooking club's member depended on it after all. He'd always end up feeling depleted of energy at the beginning of lunch break, and if it wasn't for the fact that Miku would be waiting for him, he was pretty much sure he wouldn't be able to get through that hell which were exams.

Like they'd been doing for the past couple of months, Naruto and his new girlfriend would meet up for lunch as soon as the bell rang, purposely alone. Hana and Makoto had tried joining them a few days earlier, but one look from Miku had prevented them from doing so. Now, the Uzumaki wasn't even sure the other gals knew they were dating, but he guessed it was a matter of time before they found out.

And when they did... Naruto could only imagine the endless amount of teasing he was going to get from them. Not that he had a problem with that, anyway. If that was the price to pay for going out with Miku, then he'd pay it any day with a huge grin on his face.

Currently, they were not in their usual, secret spot by the track field. Summer was almost upon them and as such, the heat was getting too much for anyone to bear, especially outside. So they'd decided to use the koto clubroom instead, a place Naruto not only knew was empty, but one he also had the key for thanks to Koharu. He felt a bit bad at using this place for anything other than studying as he'd promised Fujiwara he did in his free time, though that feeling would fade away the moment he and Miku found themselves alone in the room.

"Naruto-kuuun~"

The aforementioned shinobi was pretty much trapped in Miku's embrace the moment they got inside the clubroom. She was looking particularly eager that day for some reason, but Naruto wasn't about to complain any time soon.

"..."

Instead of replying, the young man merely limited himself to placing his arms around her slim waist and pull her close, meeting her lips almost a moment later. It was a feeling he'd quickly learned he could never get tired of, no matter how much he kissed her. Her lips were so soft and tasted so sweet he felt he was beginning to get addicted to them.

Miku herself was even more enthusiast at kissing than he was. She'd not hesitate to smooch him whenever she had the chance of doing so, even going as far as stealing kisses in places like the hallways where it was pretty risky to do so. She didn't seem to care whether other people could see them, and if it wasn't for Naruto insisting to do those kinds of things in private, he had the feeling Miku would be even bolder than she already was.

They were also getting better at it, too. They did it so often that it was almost second nature to them by that point, though none of them were showing any signs of starting to get tired of it.

"Mmmm, Naruto..."

Unfortunately, there was only so long those two could keep their lips locked together before the need for air would force them apart. A single strand of saliva stretched between them as Miku pulled back from Naruto, yet she didn't make any visible attempts at removing her arms from around his neck, and neither did the Uzumaki, both happy with staying as close as they could to each other.

"Hehehe, that was just what I needed!", the gal chirped, sighing contentedly. "A kiss from my cute little Naruki is worth having to spend lots of time away from him~"

Naruto could not avoid but smile her way. "Same here", the blond pressed his lips gently against her forehead, before adding, "all I look forward to these days is seeing you at lunch break, Miku-chan."

"Aww, when you say those things, my heart can't take it!"

"Haha, I mean it though", Naruto turned his eyes to hers, resisting the urge to kiss her again at seeing the adorable look she sported on her face. "I can't wait to get done with exams so we can see each other more often. I wanna take you out on a proper date, now that we're dating."

Like many times before during the week, his mind suddenly realizing that this was actually real and he was dating Miku Okazaki would make him shake his head in incredulity. Sometimes Naruto felt it was all too good to be true, but then he'd notice the way she'd look at him every now and then and his doubts would disappear like they weren't even there in the first place.

"I'd really like that, Naruto-kun", Miku said sincerely, hugging him tighter. Naruto could feel every curve, every inch of her body pressed against him, but he did his best not too focus on that. After all, their relationship was quite new to him, and he wasn't sure whether Miku would appreciate him having those thoughts. "Speaking of which...", his fellow blonde proceeded to draw an imaginary circle on his chest, her tone growing suggestive. "I was thinkin'... You never really invited me to your place. You've been to mine already, so it's only fair I get to know yours..."

Ignoring the meaning behind her words, the Uzumaki had the decency of looking mildly embarrassed. "Ah, I don't mind, but you sure you wanna come over? My place is nothing really special, I bet we could have more fun if we went somewhere else...", Naruto said earnestly, truly thinking a café or theme park would be much more enjoyable for a date than them meeting at his rather boring place.

"Mou~ But I really wanna see your house", Miku pouted, an act that elicited a pair of raised eyebrows from the shinobi. She then did her best at a puppy look as she bore her emerald eyes into his azure ones, and said, "d-don't you wanna spend more time with me, alone...?"

"O-Of course I do!", he immediately retorted with as much conviction as he could muster, "you can come home if you want to Miku-chan, it'd make me very happy to have you!"

"Yaaay~ I get to visit Naruto-kun's house~", she had a childish look on her visage as she chirped, making Naruto grin at her enthusiasm. Though it was seeing just that which had Miku's expression growing sly for some reason. "Hmmm, why're ya smiling so much for? Oho~, I bet you're having all kinds of perverted thoughts right now. My my, Naruto-kun, I never knew you had it in you!"

Almost as expected, Naruto blushed heavily and couldn't stop the panicked look that then crossed his features. "E-Eh!? I w-wasn't thinking anything like that at all!", he fervently denied, though his efforts were all in vain as Miku kept inching closer to his visage with a knowing look.

"Hehe, you can deny it aaaaall you want Naruki, but I don't believe ya", the beautiful gal smirked at the dumbfounded expression he had, knowing she had him right where she wanted him. "Buuut I can't say I don't get it. After all, it's only natural you'd feel that way with such a beautiful girlfriend like me", for further emphasis, she made sure her breasts were pressed tightly against his chest, an act that made Naruto stiffen.

"I'm telling you, i-it isn't like that!", Naruto insisted and did his best to calm down. If he didn't have those kind of thoughts before, he definitely was having them now both at her proximity and the multiple feelings he was experiencing. He was a man, and having such a beautiful and curvaceous girl such as her pressing her body to his was really putting his self control to the test.

Now that she was his girlfriend, it was getting more and more difficult to ignore his hormones, especially with how much time they spent kissing and being close to each other.

"...Just kidding!", the gal felt she'd enough teasing the poor blond and finally stepped away from him, grinning. "Soz Naruki, I couldn't help myself! You're still the cutest when you're embarrassed~", watching as Naruto frowned in mock annoyance and turned his eyes away from her, pretending to be upset, Miku turned around and glanced at him over her shoulder. "Then again... I wouldn't mind it if you wanted to do all that stuff with me. Ya know, what c-couples do..."

Naruto had to scratch his own ears to make sure he hadn't imagined that last bit. Was Miku really saying what he thought she was saying...? Like many times in the past, Naruto initially thought she was just teasing him again, but nevertheless, a wave of excitement washed over him at the idea and his cheeks darkened once again.

The rest of lunch break was spent with both of them pretty much enjoying their bentos and basking in their company, but Naruto was unable to fully get his mind off the idea that Miku had implanted in his brain, no matter how hard he tried.

The following days had gone by before anyone could realize it, and Sunday had finally arrived. Exams were officially over, and now it was only a matter of time before results were posted and Summer holidays began. Koharu could only imagine how eager Naruto would be to get his marks after all that hard work, to see whether he could avoid attending make-up lessons and being expulsed from the cooking club due to his low marks.

She doubted that'd end up happening, as she had complete faith in the shinobi's succeeding in his efforts to pass. Still... If, and that was a big if, Naruto somehow failed and was forced to abandon his current club, the current school council president planned to make use of her position to try and convince the headmaster to revoke said decision.

And if that failed... Naruto could always join the student council. Koharu was sure it would benefit from someone with such energy and positivism to bring about change around the school, not to mention it'd change the view many people had of him if they saw him working hard.

That and it'd allow her to spend more time with the blond shinobi now that their private lessons were over.

Koharu grunted as she moved a rather heavy bag full of trash out the way and by the entry door, planning to take it out later. She dusted off her hands and proceeded to take a quick look around the house. She was soon pleased to see the place spotlessly clean and tidy, and a contented look found its way to her face. 'Took me a while, but it's all ready', she thought to herself, checking the time. 'Hmm, and just in time too!'

That Sunday was not like every other day to her, as Naruto Uzumaki was coming over. The mere thought of being visited by none other than the handsome shinobi made Koharu excited and anxious at the same time, especially because there would be no one else but the two of them. Alone, at her place.

A blush tinted her cheeks at the last bit, the implications of said fact very clear in her mind. She knew they'd just be meeting to watch some episodes of her little brother's favorite anime for research purposes, but Koharu could not help but feel nervous at being alone with him. All those times they'd met after classes at the koto clubroom didn't count, as they mainly focused on studying, nor did that time she'd found herself inside his house after seeing him half naked. Back then, she'd just embarrassed herself in front of Naruto.

But now... things would be different. Fujiwara had been planning that afternoon the whole week, even going as far as using part of her allowance to buy a variety of refreshments and snacks for the occasion, not really knowing what Naruto preferred. Fuyuto would be spending most of the day at their grandparents' house and her parents were away on a business trip, which meant they practically had the whole place to themselves.

'Yes!', she promised herself, nodding decidedly. 'I'll make sure we have a great time today!'

Just then, the bell rang, alerting Koharu to the possible arrival of the one she'd been waiting for.

"Ah, that's must be him!"

Anticipation and excitement grew inside her as she ran towards the entryway, fumbled with the keys 'till she found the right one, and unlocked the door in a matter of seconds. A big, welcoming smile was drawn upon her lips the moment the door was pushed open...

...Only for said smile to deflate and give way to a mixture of surprise and confusion when she saw not only Naruto Uzumaki standing on the other side, but someone unexpected as well.

"Hi hi, Fujiwara-chan! Long time no see!", Miku Okazaki said nonchalantly, waving her hand in an overly cheerful way at her. Koharu stared dumbly at her, and then at the way she was holding Naruto's hand as if she was his girlfriend of something.

By her side, Naruto rubbed the back of the head awkwardly. "Hey Koharu-chan, I hope you don't mind me bringing Miku over", he said almost apologetically, "she insisted on tagging along when I told her I was paying you a visit."

Koharu felt as if she'd been told there would be no Christmas present awaiting her in December, and her heart sank at realizing her perfect plan of a Sunday was pretty much ruined. Still, she mused, steeling her looks into a friendly façade, it wouldn't do to just throw Okazaki out and keep Naruto to herself, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Ah, not at all, Naruto-san", she lied, faking a sweet smile. "Please, come in."

"Excuse me~"

"Oi, slow down a bit, Miku-chan."

Immediately, Miku pulled Naruto along by the hand and made her way inside, changing into some slippers Koharu fetched for her. Only then did she let Naruto's hand go and took a good look around. "Whoa... Your house sure is pretty, Fujiwara-chan!", a girlish grin was flashed in said raven-head's direction, one that Koharu met with a polite smile.

"Why, thank you, Okazaki-san. If my parents were here, they'd surely appreciate you saying so."

"Man, you have tons of pictures here!", somewhere not too far from their position, Naruto found himself staring at a set of photographs lined alongside the staircase that led to the second floor. "Look, there's one when you were a baby!"

"Hah? Oh, I wanna see~"

"W-W-Wait a minute..."

Despite her feeble protests, Koharu could do nothing but watch as Naruto and Miku took hold of that picture in particular where she had been photographed eating a bowl of noodles and making a mess in the process. "Aaaaah~ Fujiwara-chan looks so adorable here!"

"Yeah. She was so tiny too!"

"And chubby!", Miku added good-heartedly, pointing at Koharu's stuffed cheeks, an act that had her fellow blond laughing at the scene.

All the while, they never really noticed how flushed Fujiwara was, nor the exasperated look on her face. Why was fate oh so cruel to her, she wondered?

Naruto tensed as he sat down in the middle of the sofa, feeling Miku instantly encircling his arm with hers. She giggled mysteriously and pressed herself as much as she could against strong arm, making him stiffen. To his left, Koharu was scowling deeply, not at him but rather at the gal for some unknown reason. Maybe she just disliked Miku's continuous displays of affection?

"Soooo, what are we watchin'? Oooh, is it a romantic movie? I totes love romance, especially when there're lots of kissin' and stuff, hehehe~"

After saying that last bit, Miku sent Naruto a coquettish smile, one that had him gulping silently. She either wasn't aware of the pair of pale eyes that was glaring her way or didn't mind, though the Uzumaki could not help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Absolutely not!", on the other side, Koharu folded her arms and huffed angrily. "Naruto-san and I were planning to watch Menma Hissatsukenden, an anime series", she added as much emphasis as she could to the words 'Naruto-san and I', in hopes of the real meaning behind her words would be conveyed to the bubbly gal.

"An anime?", Miku blinked innocently. "Huh, I never knew you two were into anime."

"That's right", for the first time in a while, a sly smile found its way to Fujiwara's lips, and she said, "but you don't have to stay and watch it if you don't want to. I mean, it can get pretty dull if you're not into it..."

The blonde beauty shook her head vigorously at that, making her point clear without having to speak her mind. "Nuh-uh, it's okay, Fujiwara-chan. If Naruki here likes it so much, then I'm sure it'll grow on me if I give it a shot. Right, Naruki?"

"H-Hah...", her beloved troublemaker responded, shrugging. He briefly entertained the idea of explaining why exactly they were about to watch Menma Hissatsukenden, but quickly refrained from doing so at a silent look Koharu sent his way.

"Then it's decided!", Miku giggled excitedly, getting comfortable on her side of the sofa. Her hands were still around Naruto's arm, as she had no intention of letting it go. "I'm ready, Fujiwara-chan!"

"...All right", a silent, resigned sigh escaped the aforementioned girl's mouth as she took the remote in her hand and pressed the play button, leaning back the moment the first chapter in the series began playing on the TV screen.

As the show started, the trio were treated to the sight of a majestic temple, standing atop a snowy mountain in what seemed to be a deep valley of sorts. It all looked very peaceful and quiet, until the sound of a loud, echoing yell shook the temple to its very foundations.

'MENMAAAAA! Come back here this instant!'

'Bwahahaha! You'll never catch me, old fart!'

'Damn you, brat! You've desecrated the ancient statues of our ancestors for the last time! I will make sure this deed does not go unpunished!'

There was a sudden scene change and the camera focused on the massive, wooden doors that served as the entrance for the place. The doors suddenly burst open and a onyx-haired 13 year old kid jumped outside, laughing childishly all the while. The image got closer to his face, and Miku gasped.

"Eh? That kid looks just like you, Naruki!", she declared, pointing at the screen with a look of innocent realization on her visage.

One that Naruto met with a light frown.

"...No, he doesn't."

"He totes does! Look!"

Both focused their attention back to the episode which now showed the onyx-haired kid from earlier, running down the mountain and getting inside a narrow cave that was concealed from view by a couple of bushy trees. The kid waited for his persecutors to run by him before he emerged from the shadows, and everyone in Koharu's living room got a good look at his full appearance.

Apart from the color of his hair, the missing whiskers on his cheeks and the fact Menma was younger than Naruto, they really did look alike. Even their eyes and the shape of their faces were the same, not to mention the way the kid grinned to himself as he dusted off his hands.

'Hehehe, nobody can out speed me. Not even that old fart, ttebara!'

'...I don't talk like that, now, do I?', Naruto thought to himself, the frown on his face deepening a bit. He was starting to seriously dislike this Menma character, he was loud and annoying and didn't even look strong to begin with. If that was really meant to be a portrayal of him, the creators of the show had done a very poor show at depicting his younger self.

"Ah! He even has a verbal tic like you!", Miku said as she tugged on his arm excitedly. "Don't tell me... the main character is based off you, Naruki!?"

"Pfft, of course not", Koharu responded, snorting in an unladylike way. "They're just similar, that's all."

Naruto dutifully ignored both girls and opted to keep watching, though now in a less enthusiastic way than before.

The episode focused on showing Menma's life in what Miku and Naruto soon learned was a Samurai temple, the way he basically stood out of sight to avoid some stern-looking adults and having to participate in an ongoing tea ceremony, before ultimately heading towards the training grounds located at the back of the main building.

It was there that Koharu spoke up, alerting the blond male by her side.

"Naruto-san, here, this part is..."

"Oh, gotcha."

Renewed interest found its way back to the Uzumaki's face as he focused on the scene unfolding before his eyes. The kid, Menma, now faced a training dummy of sorts and had his hands balled into tight fists. He stared at his opponent for what felt like an eternity, before he shut his eyes, focused some kind of weird white-energy around his body, and aimed the palm of his hand in the direction of the dummy.

'Take this!'

A gust of wind was shot out of his appendage, yet all it did was to push the dummy backwards, not even making a dent on it. Despite the underwhelming result, Naruto could not help but gasp at what he saw, attracting one look of curiosity from Miku, and a hopeful one from Koharu. "N-No way, that almost looked like what Asuma-sensei could do!", he all but say, unaware his companions were staring his way.

"Really!?", in her excitement, Koharu inadvertently placed a hand on Naruto's forearm, failing to see the frown the gal sent their way. "So what Menma did was like a jutsu?"

"Yeah!", Naruto mustered a wide grin. "Fūton. One of the nature transformations."

"What? There's more than one?"

"Uh-huh. We have... five, in total. Wind, fire, water, earth and lighting. Combined, they make some of the many Kekkei Genkai in existence."

"Whoa...", Koharu's eyes widened at what she heard. "That's impressive!"

"Mastering them all is even more impressive", Naruto casually commented, chuckling to himself. His azure eyes focused back on the screen as he allowed nostalgia to fill his being for a while. "You're born with one special affinity, or two in some rare cases. Mine is wind", as his explanation continued, Koharu's interest could only grew. "You can learn the others but it's really, really hard. Takes years of tough training and practice."

"I s-see!", Fujiwara took a moment to reflect upon the new things she'd learned about shinobi and Naruto, too. She wondered for a moment what her affinity was, or if she even had one to begin with.

As they both got lost in their own thoughts and idly watched as Menma was being reprimanded by the head of all Samurai, Miku now stared at Naruto with a pout on her lips. She couldn't help but feel left out, her mind unable to comprehend what were all those things Naruto and Fujiwara had been talking about up until then. It was almost as if there was some sort of secret code between them, and she didn't like it. She didn't it like it all.

Jealousy bubbled up within her, and no longer interested in the show playing on the TV, the beautiful gal stood up from her seat, turned to a curious looking Naruto, and plopped down on his lap before he could even see it coming.

"...Huh!? M-Miku-chan!?"

"Ah, excuse me~"

"W-What on E-Earth a-are you doing O-Okazaki-san!?"

Miku grinned slyly at seeing the flabbergasted expression on Koharu's visage, and put her arms around Naruto's neck for support. "Why, I just felt like I needed a more comfortable seat", the gal said nonchalantly, pulling her tongue out at the raven-haired girl. "Naruki's legs are so comfy, I think I'm gonna stay here!"

A slight blush tinted Naruto's cheeks at the last bit. "Miku-chan, please, can you get off me?"

"Hmmm", the aforementioned gal pretended to think carefully about his request, but quickly shook her head no. "Nope! Don't wanna!", her proclamation was accompanied with a sweet smile she flashed the incredulous Uzumaki, before she made herself comfortable on his lap, moving her butt dangerously close to a certain area that had Naruto tensing noticeably. "Hehe~ That's more like it!"

Meanwhile, the poor shinobi was unable to do anything other than stay still in fear Miku moved right on top of his crotch. Their position was already having an effect on Naruto, but with Koharu sitting next to him and staring at them with shocked eyes he grew horrified at the prospect of a certain thing reacting to Miku's proximity and them noticing it. Worse even, he couldn't even bring himself to push his girlfriend off him without making her upset or hurting her feelings.

But if he let things continue the way they were... There'd be hell to pay, one way or another.

So it was with that train of thought that Naruto Uzumaki did the only thing he could do to escape that situation:

"I... I need to use the bathroom!"

He came up with a believable excuse that had Miku groaning in disappointment and getting off him reluctantly, before he jolted up from his seat and dashed away from the living room, not really aware of where the bathroom was but happy to be away for the time being.

As he left, Koharu watched as the gal pouted and folded her arms over her chest in a very dejected manner, one that only added to the former's incredulity. 'Just who's this girl? Is she really that shameless!?', Koharu wondered, completely aghast. She could not believe what had just transpired before her very eyes, much less the lengths to which Okazaki was willing to go to get Naruto's attention all on herself.

There was something else that'd caught her attention, something that had been on her mind for a while now and that she wanted an answer to. This was the first time she and Miku were alone, so it was probably the only chance she'd get to ask what she desired to know.

"Okazaki-san", Fujiwara began, waiting until the gal's emerald eyes were on her before proceeding. "Forgive me for my bluntness, but do you like Naruto-san?"

"If I like Naruki?", Miku blinked innocently as an initial response, but she was soon smiling brightly. "I don't just like him; I really, really like him. In fact, I'm soooo head over heels for him!"

'S-So confident!', Koharu could not avoid looking taken aback at the heartfelt response she got from the gal. At first, she was just expecting the blonde to say yes and leave it at that, not basically admit she was in love with Naruto. Still, hearing those words had produced a strong pang of jealousy in her heart, one that had Fujiwara furrowing her eyebrows on the outside.

"Why?", she heard Miku inquiring, her tone hiding a tint of something unknown to the president. "You like him too?"

"...E-Eh?"

A blush of atomic proportions took over Koharu's cheeks at hearing that, an expression of her sudden shock which was also reflected in the way her eyes widened like balloons. As the gal stared at her, patiently awaiting for her response, Fujiwara could do nothing but grow nervous the longer she kept silent, unable to come up with a proper answer.

Doubt began clouding her mind as Koharu looked away, and she started pondering over what Naruto really meant to her. He was her friend, that pretty much was clear to her, and she enjoyed his company the most out of all the people she spent time with at school. Naruto was funny, kind and really looked out for those he cared about, which is something she admired about him. On the other hand, they had only started meeting after classes for his tutoring lessons, and if the president didn't know his secret, they wouldn't have met that day at her house or had any reason to keep seeing each other after exams were over.

Apart from learning more about shinobi just to sate her curiosity, Koharu felt like she wanted to get closer to him, become a really important person in his life and spend more time with him. At the same time, and despite her wishes, it was evident their relationship would never go past a mere friendship, maybe a really close one, given enough time.

So why was it so difficult for her to just open her mouth and tell the gal she only saw him as a friend?

"...I get it", Miku suddenly said, sighing to herself. She then saw the look on Koharu's visage and decided to elaborate. "You like Naruto. It's all written on your face."

"...! N-No, that's not..."

Despite her feeble attempts, the mere assumption had made Koharu's heart skip a beat for some unknown reason. "There's no need for that, Fujiwara-chan. I can tell just by looking at you that you're falling for him. Maybe not yet, but you totes will", her sincere words had Fujiwara shutting up and looking like she had been smacked across the face.

Her heart was pounding madly in her chest and her cheeks were set ablaze, but she couldn't bring herself to deny the accusation. No matter how hard she tried mustering the necessary will to do so, her lips would not part and the words would not come out. She hated lying, even if her name or reputation was at stake, but she truly believed her feelings for Naruto were only those that friends had for each other.

"It's better if you're honest with yourself", Miku told Fujiwara, mustering a small smile. "That way, you'll be able to get over your feelings sooner."

"Get over... my feelings?"

Even though she was feeling gobsmacked both at the Okazaki's words and at her own inability to speak up her mind, Koharu's eyes glanced intently into Miku's emerald ones, noticing the conflicted look on her visage.

"Yeah. Listen, Fuji- no, Koharu", the gal corrected herself, feeling as though addressing the other girl by her surname wasn't enough for her at that time. "I have nothing against you. I totes think you are a really nice person and all, but I can't let ya go after Naruki. He and I, well, we're dating."

"H-Huh!? You two are dating!? Since when?", her tone was more surprised than anything else, as Koharu clearly remembered Naruto telling her they weren't going out a couple of weeks earlier. If what Miku said was true, then that meant...

"Some days ago", the blonde beauty said simply, forcing herself not to smile at the memory of Naruto confessing to her under the moonlight. It was a moment she'd treasure for the rest of her life, but at the same time she didn't want Fujiwara to feel sad or worse. "We're kinda figuring things out, ya know? But so far it's been great for us. I think it's really meant to be."

Koharu was left looking stupefied, her mind working non-stop to grasp the full implication behind her words. But when she finally did, her features softened and she looked down, a small smile drawing itself on her lips. "I understand, Okazaki-san", she said softly, placing her hands atop her lap. "I'm sorry for not noticing before and for any misunderstandings I may have caused, but I promise I don't plan on getting in between you two or anything of the sort. Naruto-san is my friend, just that. Then again, if me being around him makes you feel uncomfortable just let me know and I'll try to stay away from him."

"Eh? No no, you don't need to do that, Koharu", Miku waved her hands in an appeasing manner, growing slightly remorseful at making the president even suggest something like that. "I know Naruto appreciates you being there for him, and me too! Like I said, you're a really kind person, and Naruki trusts ya. I don't want you to stop being his friend, on the contrary, Naruki needs people like you in his life."

Despite her kind words, all Fujiwara could muster was a weak smile. "Very well, as long as you're okay with it..."

"'Course I am!", Miku said sincerely, placing a hand on the president's shoulder and giving it an appreciative squeeze. "Thanks, Koharu."

There was an awkward silence that ensued that short exchange between the two of them, and it was only broken when Naruto tentatively walked back into the room about two minutes later, hands behind his neck and looking more relaxed after escaping the embarrassing situation he'd found himself at earlier.

The moment he got into the room and saw both the credits of Menma Hissatsukenden rolling on the screen and the tense atmosphere looming over both girls, he couldn't help but wonder, "did I miss anything?"

~ To be continued... ~

What's this? Another cliffhanger? Yeah, definitely is. Sorry ladies and gents, this is all I have for now. You'll have to wait 'till next week to see where things go from here in, yes, you guessed right, the farm trip episode. I've been pushing that chapter away so as to write some topics you've read today and on previous installments.

As regards Miku and Koharu, I'll be sticking to how Gal Gohan's author Taiyou Mari imagined their relationship to be. Not hostile or tense, but pretty much like rivals in love. The only difference in this fic is that Naruto is already dating Miku, so poor Koharu is at a clear disadvantage. My idea is not to make her suffer or have her take Naruto away from Miku, but as you may have guessed, she is already interested in Naruto, so we'll have to see how she deals with these new feelings of hers. Like I said in many different occasions, she won't be the only girl apart from Miku who'll be interested in our hero, as there will be one more... probably. I have a plan regarding that.

Next chapter will be special and loaded with 'good' stuff, which you'll hopefully get to see soon. After that, there will be a couple more chapters left before we reach the end. I'm both looking forward to it and not so much at the same time. You can't imagine how much fun it is for me to write this story and all the interactions between the characters, so it'll be a bitter-sweet feeling to wrap things up. But oh well, let's just try to enjoy things while they last.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. This is Luke, signing out for now. じゃね！