Originally I intended for this to be part of the last chapter, but all together it would have been too long so I split it into two.

Chapter 19 The Calm

Over at the Yamanaka house, Ino woke up feeling rather good. After she left Sakura's home and went back to her own, she had been confused and asking many questions she still didn't have answers to. When she got in bed, her mind didn't let her relax, and her body was restless too. So she resorted to a certain habit of nightly self pleasure to get herself relaxed enough to fall asleep.

It worked, but the strange part was it only worked when she fantasized about both Naruto and Sakura. Never before had she masturbated to the thought of a girl, but this time it was quite effective.

'Weird, I never thought of myself as bi or willing to experiment like that.' She thought as she changed into a clean set of panties. 'Now that the thought is there, I have to admit that it doesn't feel wrong. Maybe I always was bi but with a preference towards men so I never noticed? Or was I just caught up in the passion of the moment? The only way to know is to get frisky with Sakura again and try to go further. If it feels right, then yes apparently I am bi.'

More thoughts of kissing and running her hands over Sakura's body came to her, making her own fingers eager to get to work. She resisted, but then Naruto joined her mental images and he used his clones to get to work on both girls. Hinata popped in there too with her making out with the platinum blonde in a way that would surely make the real Hyuuga heiress blush herself to death if she could see this.

Ino shook her head. 'That's it, I need a cold shower now.'

After cleaning and cooling herself off, Ino finally got dressed and made it downstairs. In the living room she saw her mother Noriko Yamanaka seated on a couch looking like she was waiting for her.

"Ino dear, could you please have a seat with me?"

Raising an eyebrow, Ino did just that though keeping some space between the two. "Is something wrong?"

Noriko handed her a piece of paper and Ino read it. It was clearly a notice from Tsunade informing her parents of their daughter going on strike. It read as an FYI, one that Tsunade was legally required to do, and while it didn't say so there was a subtext of 'I can't tell you to change her mind but I would appreciate it if you did'.

"What exactly made you do this Ino?" Noriko asked, using a tone that sounded curious yet disappointed.

"Before I answer, I need to ask you something Mom. What are your exact thoughts regarding Naruto or me being friends? I know about the fox, so don't sugarcoat anything or dodge the truth. Tell me what you really think of him."

Noriko blinked. "What does he... oh no, you went on strike because of him? Why? What are you trying to accomplish?"

Ino frowned. "Naruto's a hero Mom, he's done so much good for Konoha yet nobody does anything but criticize or ignore him. He's my friend and I want to help him, and the only way left to do that is force Hokage-sama to take this seriously. Other than betrayal or crime, what better option is there to get her to understand?"

Noriko looked at her daughter before sighing and shaking her head. "Fifteen years old and you still haven't changed. Still doing stupid stuff over a boy."

Ino's frown deepened. "First off Mom, it was Sakura that did that, not me. And besides, this is completely different. I never made any sacrifices for Sasuke, and honestly he wouldn't have deserved it even if I had. Sasuke was put on a pedestal and he didn't do anything other than not die on one night. Naruto actually earned the right to be a hero, and you know what I realized?"

"No, what?" Noriko asked.

"Over the years I had to go to other countries on missions, and in some of those they saw Naruto as a hero. I would hear about him from the locals when they heard I was a Konoha ninja and they asked where he was. I didn't think much of it at the time other than it was weird that everyone praised him instead of the rest of Team 7, but a few days ago Naruto talked to me and he pointed out that no one in Konoha gives him that kind of praise. All anyone says about him is what he's done wrong."

Noriko's eyes widened. "Really?"

Ino nodded. "Yeah, I didn't realize it until he pointed it out, but once he did I couldn't unsee it. And it tore me up inside. Naruto doesn't deserve to have his own home crap all over him. He deserves to be happy as much as anyone else, yet everyone who can do something about it won't. The jounin won't teach him, the hokage won't give him options, apparently he wasn't even given sex ed."

Noriko gasped. "He wasn't? So... your father was wrong about him?"

Ino nodded. "I imagine he told you that we were having sex in a mind share jutsu, didn't he?" Noriko bashfully nodded. "Well rest assured we didn't. He doesn't know how to and is afraid that wanting to will make girls like me hate him. I was just trying to help him with that fear, reassure him that I wasn't looking for an excuse to be mad at him."

Noriko softly smiled. "That's good. I'm glad that you were being helpful to him. I had always hoped that someday you would start being nicer to that boy."

Ino blinked, confused. "You did? So, you're okay with him? Not like Dad?"

Noriko sighed. "Your father isn't being cruel dear, he's thinking of the clan. The sad fact is there was a time when many wondered if Naruto was an abandoned Yamanaka, in the event they viewed him as a human at all, and we did suffer a stigma from that. Some people wondered if we were secretly Kyuubi worshippers or something, and with our clan style involving the manipulation of the mind that only made the haters more paranoid. Your father had to make sure no one interacted with him unless legally required to in order to alleviate those accusations. I know you think that's not fair, but his priority and duty is the clan and you, not Naruto. So he doesn't hate the boy, but he is worried that if you were to get too close to him that you would get the brunt of that social stigma and be seen as nothing more than a 'demon's whore'. He doesn't want people to include you in their hate of Naruto."

"Then why hasn't he done anything to dispel that hate in the first place? He's had fifteen years to do so." Ino asked.

Noriko found herself unable to answer, which surprised her.

"That's the problem right there Mom. You know it exists and you know it's unfair, but when asked to actually do something about it you just bail out. And it's not just you and Dad who've been having that attitude, everyone has been doing that." Ino added. "If Naruto was a burning building, the firefighters would only be concerned with making sure the fire doesn't spread to other buildings. Not with actually putting it out."

Noriko slowly nodded in understanding. "That's a very good analogy dear. So you're on strike to make everyone actually put out the fire in this case?"

Ino nodded. "Not just put it out, but rebuild the building. Naruto deserves to be seen as the hero he is, so until he is I won't support a government that takes him for granted. And regardless of what the clan or other people think, I'm going to date him so he can learn that he deserves to be loved too."

Noriko was surprised but then smiled. "I was wrong, you have changed since you were a kid." She put her arm around her daughter, who smiled and leaned in to the embrace. "So tell me, does he kiss well?"

"Mom?!" Ino asked, blushing and putting distance between them again.

"If you think that's embarrassing you should have heard what my mother asked me when I started dating your father." Noriko replied with a fiendish smirk. "She actually asked me how many times I had seen him naked by then. Apparently it's quite common in our clan to not be serious with someone until after we see their naked bodies, accidentally or otherwise."

Ino blushed and looked away.

Noriko laughed. "I knew you did more in the mind share jutsu than just kiss."

Hinata woke up in her room feeling content. Unlike the other two girls she was less confused about the situation she was in, but that didn't mean she wasn't without concern.

'I can date Naruto-kun like I've always wanted. This is perfect. Sure I have to share him, but I agree to that so I can't complain. But how do I make sure he stays interested in me? My biggest fear has always been that Naruto-kun would think I wasn't good enough for him. I have my chance to prove otherwise, but how? What can I offer that Sakura and Ino can't?'

While she didn't want to believe that Naruto would judge her, the sad truth was that it was inevitable in the situation she had joined into. Naruto was going to date all three of them, which meant at some point he was going to ask himself which one he liked the most. That was the whole point of this, and Hinata only had a one out of three chance of being the one he chose. Those odds didn't make her feel too good when she really thought about it.

'Is that why Sakura, or Dark Sakura, suggested the harem approach? She and Ino have the same odds that I do, and I'm pretty sure that Sakura doesn't want to come out of this as 'just friends'. No more than I do. And I'm sure pretty soon Ino will feel the same way. Maybe Sakura was on to something, maybe she foresaw that all three of us would fall in love with him, and sharing him would give us all what we wanted. So maybe instead of competing with each other, we should be trying to get Naruto-kun to accept us all.'

Once dressed and her hair brushed, Hinata took a look at herself in the mirror. She knew some people thought of her as beautiful, but most of the time she had a hard time seeing it. But Naruto clearly saw something in her and that made her feel proud of herself.

'Yes, I don't need to compete or one-up anyone. I just need to show Naruto-kun my love and I know he'll give me his. And if he chooses to give his love to Sakura and Ino too... together we can make sure he never feels unloved again. As for 'loving' Sakura and Ino too, I'm still not sure how to feel about that, but maybe it would make this work better.'

She left her room and went to the dining room to have some breakfast. Not surprisingly, Hiashi, Hanabi, and Neji were there already eating with her own meal set up.

"Good morning Hinata." Hiashi greeted.

"Good morning Father." She greeted back.

"Last night while you were away, I got a notice from Hokage-sama informing me that you had gone on strike. Can you please elaborate?" He asked.

"You went on strike?" Neji asked, surprised.

"What's that mean?" Hanabi asked too, confused.

"It means that she refuses to take missions until Hokage-sama does something for her first." Neji explained.

All eyes were on Hinata, who took a deep breath. "Father, Neji, you know that Hokage-sama is fond of Naruto-kun, right?" Both men nodded, having heard Tsunade talk fondly of the whiskered blonde many times in the past. "Yet despite that, she is holding him back and doesn't seem ashamed of it."

"Holding him back?" Neji asked.

Hinata nodded. "Yes Neji. Think about it, you're a jounin. Did you ever fight Orochimaru, the kazekage, or members of the Akatsuki before you got that rank? Did you ever receive any training from a sannin? Did you win a chuunin exam fight against an opponent everyone was convinced would curbstomp you?"

Neji shook his head. He had been in some tough fights, but not those ones. The Akatsuki were the only ones that came close, but he had already been a jounin when that happened.

"Naruto-kun has done all that, but he's still a genin. And apparently he had no idea there were alternatives to the chuunin exams in getting promoted. No idea. That means every adult he knows is keeping him in the dark. Can any of you come up with an explanation that doesn't point to conspiracy?"

The other three Hyuuga thought it over. Hanabi had no idea what to think as she was the least involved and least informed.

'I had always been under the assumption that Naruto's level was the result of his own shortcomings. While he might not be the failure I originally presumed, I did believe he had all the same opportunities as the rest of us. But then why would someone worthy to receive training under a sannin still be unfit to be promoted? Is she right? Is Konoha's governing forces deliberately keeping Naruto at the bottom rank?' Neji asked himself.

'Strange, I've completely overlooked this fact. I've no responsibility to Uzumaki, but I know that Hokage-sama is fond of him. Surely she has informed him of how to proceed in his career.' Hiashi thought.

"You sure no one is telling him anything?" Hanabi asked for confirmation.

Hinata nodded then looked to her dad. "Father, you can ask Hokage-sama yourself if she's ever actually told him what options are available to him. When I did, she brushed it off saying others already did, but even if that's true she's never bothered giving Naruto the chance to prove it. Honestly, I think she wants him to stay a genin forever."

"That's a bold accusation Hinata."

"If I'm wrong, let her prove it. Until then, I refuse to serve her."

Hiashi leaned back. "What if I told you I do not accept this strike and commanded you to go rescind this claim?"

Hinata squirmed a bit, feeling a little worried that the Hyuuga head would make good on such a warning. But she could remember Naruto's face after their first kiss and she felt some security return to her. "Naruto-kun means the world to me. I love him, and I want him to succeed. How could I claim to do so if I gave up as soon as you put an obstacle in front of me?"

That confession surprised the other three Hyuuga there. Not what she said, but the fact that she was actually willing to say it.

"You love him?" Hanabi asked.

"You actually said that without blushing or stuttering?" Neji added.

Hinata nodded, her eyes closed but otherwise looking and acting normal.

Hiashi surprisingly smiled. "If you can say that to us, that means you've already said it to him, haven't you?" Hinata nodded, eyes open and showing happiness. "Tell him that I'd like to speak to him before you have your first date. For now, keep to this strike. I wish to see what you accomplish with it."

"Yes, Father, and thank you."

Naruto woke up feeling like he had barely slept at all. Last night with Shizune had been incredibly awkward for him, but informative to say the least. The descriptive details of how sex happened embarrassed him to hear about, but they did answer his questions. Namely why would anyone want to have sex in the first place. Naruto could beforehand admit that he never saw the appeal of sex, why anyone would want it so badly. Sure he could understand the beauty of the female body and why it was enticing, but as far as he knew sex itself was just work done to procreate and that's it. Like training except you didn't have the satisfaction of getting stronger when it was done.

Now though, he knew better and berated himself for being so ignorant on the subject. Apparently it was more than just peeing on a girl's crotch and getting her pregnant, to which Shizune said she was going to punch Jiraiya for never bothering to correct that thought all these years. Shizune went into detail on the physical act, the concept of foreplay, orgasms, and human reproduction. Naruto had been surprised to learn that women were not in a constant state of fertility and therefore were not at risk for pregnancy every day. Shizune had also told him about a woman's cycle and periods, grateful that the whiskered blonde wasn't acting overly grossed out by it. Sure he looked bothered, but that was because he misunderstood it to mean women peed blood, which she corrected.

Before she left, Shizune had instructed Naruto on masturbation, telling him that 'hands on' experience would hopefully settle any remaining hesitation on the appeal of sex. She also promised him that this was healthy if done in moderation and not perverse as long as he had the decency to keep it to himself, and not to be worried since everyone did it, even girls. Honestly she was surprised that he never had. After that, she left, and with shaking hands Naruto managed to do some self exploration.

'So now I've got three girls who want me to do that to them.' He thought as he took a shower, briefly imagining Sakura washing his back for him. Then Hinata washing his chest and Ino washing his crotch. This time he allowed himself to enjoy the fantasy rather than avoid it. 'And all I have to do is figure out which one I want to do it with.'

His body was saying take all three and saw no reason not to. They were young beautiful women who wanted him to be happy, so as far as his body was concerned there was no need to be selective. His mind and heart though wanted to take it slow, make it good for them and more than just sex. Not to mention he wanted it to be special.

"The biggest thing I can tell you and that you must know is this one very important detail Naruto." Shizune had told him near the end of their discussion. "Sex is not love. People can have sex and feel nothing for each other. Just because a girl is willing to have sex with you doesn't mean she wants to marry you or date you. In a healthy relationship, sex does come with love, but don't ever tell yourself that just because a girl is willing that she intends to give you anything else. Make sure beforehand that if you want more, she knows it and is willing. And don't tell yourself that just because you had sex with a girl that you are bound to her forever. Not everyone ends up in love with their first love."

After a while Naruto exited the shower and dried off, still unsure what to think. "I don't want meaningless sex, I want to be with someone who wants to spend their life with me. But I can't do that with three girls... or can I?"

A knock came at his door, so Naruto quickly got dressed and went to answer it. A part of him was disappointed to see Kakashi rather than one of the girls.

"Hey Naruto, glad I caught you. Listen, the Hokage wants to see you in her office right away. So grab anything you need and follow me."

Naruto agreed, got dressed more appropriately, then went to the hokage tower. When he got there he saw that Tsunade looked somewhat annoyed. Shizune was there too, looking as casual as ever, though he found himself struggling to look her in the eyes.

"Naruto, do you know why you're here?" Tsunade asked.

He shook his head. "Nope, not unless you have a mission for me."

"No I do not. Sit down, we need to discuss something."