Based on feedback from chapter one, I have decided to drop using honorifics going forward for the most part. I have also gone back and taken them out of the first chapter as well.

CHAPTER 2: Say Hello 2 Heaven


Konohagakure main hospital, morning, 4 days till Naruto's departure.

Silence had finally fallen upon Sasuke Uchiha. The Medical-nin had come in earlier to discharge Sasuke's former roommate, which left him all alone with peace and quiet. Not that Sasuke noticed as he had returned to the land of unconsciousness after he woke up the previous night. This was a different kind of dream though.

He was standing in the middle of a vast shallow ocean. The water coming just to under his kneecaps. Surrounding him was a dense fog that he couldn't see through. A chill came to his body in this dreamscape, and he felt goose bumps starting to form. Slowly, he started treading water, looking to see if there was anything else in this god forsaken place. He was about to give up his search when he finally heard something.

"S-S-S-S-Sasuke" The Uchiha boy turned to the direction of the voice but saw nothing through the fog. After his brief pause, he started to walk again, this time towards where the sound had come from.

"S-S-S-S-Sasuke" There was the voice again, only this time it came from another direction. Sasuke was getting tired of this little game.

"Whoever you are, come out and face me!" Sasuke proclaimed, hoping this creature will accept the challenge. He then heard a large creature starting to move, but it wasn't walking. No, it was slithering to him. Eventually, out of the fog he saw a giant snake head appear. Its sharp yellow eyes trained on its target. Sasuke went into a defensive stance and tried to grab a kunai, but his hand found nothing.

"There's no need to be afraid Sasuke, I'm only here to help you." The snake hissed out. The voice of the serpent had changed. It sounded familiar to Sasuke now. It almost sounded like...

"Orochimaru?" Sasuke said questioningly. He soon got his answer. The snake looked like it was about regurgitate. When the giant snake finally did open its mouth, Orochimaru's head was there. He continued to slither further and further out of the snake until he finally landed in the water below. Once out of the snake, he turned on his back and kicked himself up from the ground. He then turned to Sasuke.

"Yes Sasuke, It's me, Orochimaru." The snake sannin said this with just a bit of theatrics. Before he could continue, Sasuke asked him a question.

"Is this the curse marks doing that's allowing you to communicate with me in my mind?" Sasuke deduced. He knew Orochimaru had a vast knowledge of jutsu and a trick like this would be right up his alley.

"Indeed Sasuke, it's the curse mark that is allowing me to be here right now." Orochimaru answered the black-haired boy. Seeing as Sasuke was satisfied with this answer, Orochimaru continued with a small chuckle.

"I see you had trouble leaving your pathetic village." He spoke in a mocking tone. Sasuke at first scoffed at the snake sannin in front of him before retorting.

"I would have made it out if it wasn't for that damned Naruto. That little shit just keeps getting in my way." Sasuke verbalized with a fire starting to burn inside him. Oh, how he wanted to wring the neck of the orange jacket wearing boy.

Orochimaru laughed to himself a little bit more. It seems Sasuke's and Naruto's relationship is starting to mirror his own past relationship with Jiraiya. Finishing his small laugh to himself, Orochimaru became more serious.

"We can't change the past; we can only move forward and adapt. That is why I'm here right now. To adapt your training." Orochimaru stated this as clearly as he could.

"How are you going to do that? I did not reach you and Konohagakure will certainly be watching me like a hawk, so I'll have no chance to escape that wretched place." Sasuke proclaimed this with anger at the situation, but mostly at himself.

"Oh Sasuke, you underestimate me. I had a plan thought up just in case you did fail to get to me. Tell me, what do you think this place is?" Orochimaru asserted to the Uchiha.

Sasuke at first scoffed at Orochimaru before retorting, "Obviously it's a realm inside my mind."

"Oh no Sasuke, that's not entirely correct. You see your mind is the catalyst for this, but this place was created by the curse mark. From here, I can train you as if I was there in the flesh." Orochimaru decided to let this sink in a bit, knowing that Sasuke would have questions.

"If you could do this all along, why have me escape?" Sasuke finally said after taking a few moments to gather his thoughts.

"There is a drawback to using the curse mark like this. I can only visit you twice a week and only for a few hours at most." Orochimaru frowned ever so slightly having to say this. He was going to have to work on this aspect of curse mark when he either fixed his arms OR gets his new body.

Satisfied with this answer, Sasuke nodded his head in understanding. "Well, if you only have a few hours then let's not waste any more time." Sasuke said this, wanting to get the ball rolling.

A grin suddenly formed on the face of Orochimaru as he said back to Sasuke, "Let's get started then shall we."

For the next few hours, Orochimaru laid out his plan for Sasuke. What he should do on the days they couldn't meet. How to prepare for these sessions. What items he will need to get. All this so Orochimaru would have the perfect vessel when he could swap bodies again. Near the end of this little session, Orochimaru gave Sasuke some parting words.

"Unfortunately for you, you are not strong enough yet to escape from Konohagakure on your own. You will have to bide your time until the right moment strikes and then you can be free from the claws of that place." With this said, Orochimaru faded away in front of Sasuke until the boy was all alone.

He soon woke up back in his bed, it was now afternoon. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, adjusting to the sunshine entering the room. Once they were adjusted, he took a glance around the room. His eyes fell upon a man who had not previously been here. This man had already seen that Sasuke had awoken and was already putting his book away in his pocket.

"I see you are finally awake Sasuke." The man spoke aloud as he strolled his way to Sasuke's side in a calm and relaxed manner. The boy in the bed was clearly irritated, he had not wanted to see the man next to his bed so soon after waking up.

"Why are you here Kakashi?" Sasuke questioned his uninvited guest. Kakashi responded to this inquiry by giving the boy an eye smile and a grin behind his face covering and vocalized.

"I had heard you finally awoke and wanted to be the first person to greet you. After all you are my student, and I have to look out for you." There was another meaning behind these words and Sasuke at once knew Kakashi wasn't being completely truthful with him.

"I'll ask you again, why are you really here?" Sasuke said again, showing a little antagonism in his tone. Dropping his eye smile and grin behind his clothed mask, Kakashi articulated.

"I forget sometimes how smart you are Sasuke. I wasn't lying when I said I was here to look out for you. The extent I will be watching out for you though has greatly increased." This got Sasuke's attention. He raised his brow in a confused manner, hoping Kakashi would continue with his dialogue.

Kakashi started to lean closer to his student. He had to make sure Sasuke clearly heard what he was about to say. "You know, a lot of your fellow shinobi got seriously hurt trying to get you back. The worst though was Naruto. I had to revive him after your little battle in the valley." Kakashi uttered solemnly, remembering just how close he was to losing another member of his team.

Mentally, Sasuke was extremely pleased with himself, hearing about he had managed to kill the blond genin, if only briefly. Sasuke didn't let this pleasure show on his face, it would only bring further questions, and he wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible. Not seeing a reaction from the black-haired boy, Kakashi went on ahead.

"Just because you are back does not mean things will go back to normal. We have seen just how far you are willing to go for your vengeance." Kakashi paused for a moment before collecting himself. "You were never considered a missing-nin, officially it was called a kidnaping. It would be awkward if we imprisoned you as soon as you left the hospital."

Kakashi's tone turned even more serious as he ventured more into his speech. "That doesn't mean you are getting off the hook so easily though. The Hokage has decided that until we believe you are no longer an escape risk, you will be under house arrest and will not be able to leave Konohagakure unless escorted."

Sasuke's mood instantly soured at this news. He had expected it, but he still felt anger and frustration at his current circumstances. Sasuke remembered Orochimaru's final words to him before he woke up and relaxed ever so slightly. He would indeed leave this place on his own accord. He just needed time.

"Even inside the walls of this city, you will not be alone. If you are not being accompanied by me, you will be tailed by ANBU and if they even get a thought in their heads that you might be escaping again, they have been told to consider you a missing-nin and deal with you as such." Kakashi gravely said to the seated boy.

Sasuke didn't care though. Although Kakashi and the ANBU were formidable. Once he collected enough strength, there would be nothing holding him back on his quest. Calmly, he turned his head to his teacher and asked him, "I assume you will still be teaching me then?"

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement and told Sasuke, "Again, it would look weird if I didn't continue your education. Plus, this gives me an easy excuse to keep an eye on you and see if you will truly stay in Konohagakure this time."

At the mention of the village again, Sasuke felt fury rise in him. He smothered it and steeled himself for his next response. "I see, will there be anything else from this conversation? If not, I want you to leave."

Seeing as how the Uchiha boy was still connected to the machines in the room. In addition to the obvious pain Sasuke was still in but hiding it well. Kakashi knew he wouldn't even think of escaping for the time being.

"No, there is nothing else. I'll let you be then." Kakashi phrased as he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him. The adrenaline was starting to leave Sasuke's body, and he started to feel the pain return. Oddly though, despite this pain, Sasuke had a half grin on his face.

XxX

Streets of Konohagakure, late evening, 3 days until Naruto's departure

Sakura finally started to feel some joy return to her life after she heard that Sasuke had finally awoken. Her actions that she had done upon Sasuke's return still lived on in her mind, but she was able to push them back while she focused on Sasuke. That boy was the very reason she was currently in the streets of Konohagakure.

I wonder what I should get Sasuke. Flowers? No, Ino already left flowers for him. A card? Damnit, Ino beat me to that too. Come to think of it, despite all the time I've spent with him, I don't really know Sasuke all that well. He's always been so distant and cold. I need to break him out of that.

Coming up with nothing else to buy for the boy, Sakura decided to buy him some dango to change up his hospital diet a bit.What flavors does he like? Does he even like dangos? Of course he does! Who doesn't like dangos?

After making her food purchase, she made her way towards the hospital where the only light currently in her life was. As she was walking towards her destination, she saw Ino coming from the opposite direction. Sakura tried to avoid eye contact with Ino but failed. The blonde kunoichi quickly turned her head away in disgust from Sakura, clearly still mad at her. This once again started bringing back the memories of what happened only a few days ago but she quickly pushed them back down. She wasn't ready yet to fully confront what she had done.

She eventually arrived at the hospital and gingerly walked in. She was finally going to talk to the boy she was infatuated with after all these weeks again! She didn't need to ask for directions this time and so went ahead to the stairs to the second floor and now stood in front of the door of the room that Sasuke was in. She had already heard Naruto was discharged the previous day and so she had no fear that the Hyūga princess would make good on her earlier threat.

She was nervous and her body was trembling a bit. She needed to get through to Sasuke, get him to open up. Then everything could eventually go back to the way it was. In the darkest corners of her mind though, she knew that was an impossibility, but she easily ignored it. She clenched her hand, brought it up, and knocked on the door.

Silence

After a few seconds of hearing nothing coming from the room, she thought maybe he had not heard her or maybe he was still asleep. If he was asleep, she was going to stay in the room until he woke up. She then opened the door. Shadows formed in front of her due to the harsh light behind her and the darkness that was in front. Despite the lack of light, she was easily able to see Sasuke and he was sitting up, not even looking in her direction.

So, he is awake. Did he not hear me knock or is he deliberately ignoring me?

These thoughts swam in her head as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her as darkness once again ruled the room. She took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the blackness.

"Umm, I'm sorry if I woke you up. You must be tired and in pain still." She could still see the IV drip next to him, giving him fluids and pain killer medication. She strolled over to the table in the room with the flowers and card on them and placed her dangos down.

"I brought you some food, so you are not stuck eating this bland hospital crap." Again, no response from the black haired Uchiha. Not even a glance in her direction, if anything it seemed he was averting his face even more.

Why is he acting so strange? Does he perhaps feel shame or guilt about what he did? Did the curse mark perhaps make him forget what he was doing while escaping? Does he just want to be left alone right now? Or perhaps it's just me he doesn't want to see.

That last thought stung Sakura quite hard. She wanted to be there for Sasuke and help him get better. She needed this just as much as he needed it, she thought to herself. After placing the food on the table, she went to the boy's bed side. Hoping he would acknowledge her presence. Now that she was here, she was at a loss for what to say. All her earlier interactions she had in her head about this moment completely vanished from her mind, leaving her with no words to speak. For the first time since she stepped into the room, she wasn't the one to break the silence.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke muttered eerily the same way he asked the very same question to Kakashi. His head though never turned up to Sakura as he spoke this.

Delighted that the boy was finally acknowledging her, she retorted, "It should be obvious. It's because I love you and you are my teammate, and I wanted to see how you were doing." Sakura uttered with as much compassion as her voice could muster. If Sasuke noticed the tone change, he didn't make it known as he was still not looking at her.

Feeling irritated by her presence, Sasuke coldly replied, "You can see I'll be ok. Now leave." The annoyance he conveyed in his message struck Sakura hard. She was hoping for a little more conversation from her love, but it seemed he wasn't in the best of moods right now.

Sakura could now start to feel her heart break ever so slightly at his words. It wasn't a big break, but it was there. Something was telling her that this is how certain blonde-haired knucklehead felt when he was being sincere and rejected countless times. She decided that it would indeed be best if she left now.

"O-Ok Sasuke. I'll come by and see you tomorrow then." She muttered in a quiet voice that Sasuke could barely hear. She spun around and walked to the door and opened it. Letting golden light to once again flow into the room. She gave one last look at the light of her life and then slowly closed the door, leaving the boy to his darkness.

XxX

Yamanaka Flowers, afternoon, 1 day until Naruto's departure

Ino Yamanaka was bored. Super bored. So bored that she would rather her teeth be pulled out than to sit here for a minute longer. The early morning rush her families shop experienced was now in the rear view mirror and it left Ino alone holding down the shop while her mother went out for deliveries.

"ugggh" Ino exclaimed as her forehead hit the counter. "Could someone please show up, I'd take even forehead coming in for a chat." Her mind then started replaying the events of the past few days. From that fateful day with Sakura, to the discussion with Shikamaru, to her chats with her fellow blonde-haired shinobi, to finally her finally seeing Sasuke this morning before the shop opened.

Sasuke barely spoke to her when she arrived. It was like he was distracted by something but by what she hadn't the faintest clue. Getting fed up with the silence coming from the Sasuke, she left earlier than she had expected and opened the shop early with her mom. Her infatuation with the Uchiha has been slowly eroding away the more she got to see him. Fate had decided to relieve Ino of her boredom and she heard the front door open with the ring of a bell signaling the person's entrance.

Ino picked up her head from the counter, straightened her clothes, and shouted out with excitement, "Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers! What can we do...Naruto?" Her voice went from excitement to more sincere when she saw the boy with whiskers on his cheeks.

Naruto closed the door behind him and shouted back, "Hey Ino, how have things been going for you?" Naruto uttered in a surprisingly upbeat voice. Who wouldn't be excited when you were only a day away from beginning a whole new adventure!

"It's got much better now that you are here. You are the first customer we have had in over an hour. My mom is currently out doing deliveries so I'm stick here and can't leave till she comes back." She moaned out, getting the cobwebs out of her mind.

Naruto walked towards the counter that Ino was behind, chuckling as he proclaimed, "Well, I'm glad I was able to save you from your boredom." Naruto truly was glad he could help his fellow blonde kunoichi. There talk a couple of days ago did open his eyes to her. Not in a romantic way, he wasn't ready for that, perhaps ever. No, he was hoping they would become good friends when he returned from his little trip.

The two of them once again chatted for a bit, recalling academy stories, Naruto talking about the various pranks he used to pull, Ino talking about the strange rumors that went around the school. It was a very pleasant conversation that sadly had to come to an end as he remembered why he came here in the first place.

"Actually, there is something important I wanted to tell you Ino. Don't worry though, it's not a bad thing I promise." Naruto tried to get ahead of any feelings of dread Ino might have felt when he got more serious. It seemed to do the trick as she retorted.

"What is it Naruto?" She asked questioningly. She had no clue what important thing he wanted to talk about. Could it be another mission he was about to go on? Did he perhaps get promoted to Chūnin? It turned out none of these were correct.

"Tomorrow I'll be leaving with pervy sage to continue my training. He's planning on taking me everywhere with him for the next 3 years so I can learn from him." Naruto said with a mixture of excitement and seriousness. Ino had a clarifying question, one that needed to be asked as she heard his future teacher's title.

A chill started to enter the shop. It was emanating from Ino Yamanaka. Glaring at Naruto she said with a hint of danger, "You are going to leave for 3 years to learn from a man called pervy sage? Just WHAT will he be teaching you?"

Naruto gulped when he heard Ino speak. A sweat drop appeared on the back of his head.Oh, that's right. She doesn't know who pervy sage is. I need to clear this up quickly before I end up back in the hospital.

"That's what I call Jiraiya. Sorry about the confusion." Naruto pleaded with Ino, hoping to save his skin by clearing this up.

As quickly as the chill had come, it left just as fast. Ino now no longer giving Naruto a death glare, needed to be sure he was talking about the same Jiraiya that she was thinking of.

"Jiraiya? You mean the sannin Jiraiya? That's who's going to be training you?" Naruto nodded his head yes, confirming her suspicions. "I have to say Naruto, you sure get a lot of legendary teachers. Stop hogging all the good sensei's, would ya?" She said jokingly and giving him a light punch on the arm, all in good fun.

Naruto laughed when she gave him the punch and responded with, "I'll make sure to leave you with a good one as well."

"So, who else have you told so far?" Ino queried the blonde in front of her. She was genuinely curious at who he considered important enough in his life to tell them personally he was going away for 3 years.

"You are actually the first person I have told." Ino felt something hearing that she was the first person he had told, it quickly went away when he continued. "I was originally going to tell Hinata first, but Hiashi told me that Neji had finally woken up, along with the rest of the retrieval team. Hiashi said that Hinata had gone down to the hospital to see Neji. Your shop happens to be on the way to the hospital, so I figured I'd stop by and tell you first." Naruto took a moment to catch his breath after that long winded explanation.

If anyone knew Ino, they knew she loved to tease. It was one of her favorite past times. Unfortunately, the man she liked was never receptive to her advances. She wondered how her fellow blonde would react to what she was about to do.

In a VERY teasing tone, Ino spoke. "Ah, I wasn't the first girl on your mind? What do I have to do to be first next time Goldie?" Ino said as she leaned over the counter, giving him a better look at her figure.

Naruto's mind was stunned. This was the first time he had ever been teased like this, and he had no idea how to react. He knew for sure that he didn't want any romantic ties now, but he's also a growing teenager and was starting to get raging hormones in his system. Not only was this the first time he was being teased, but he was also being teased by the girl most of the other boys found to be the most pretty in the academy.

"U-U-U-U-hhhh" was all Naruto could stutter out before a huge blush came across his face. Ino could only give a full hearty laugh at what had just happened between the 2 blondes.

"I kid, I kid Naruto! Kami I needed that laugh." She exclaimed while trying to get herself under control. She soon leaned back to her original position. She felt wonderful right now. It was nice having a friend like Naruto around. She also just now learned that he was receptive to her teasing. Oh, she was going to enjoy this in the future. She did have to say though, he did look oddly cute while blushing with those whiskers on his face.

Naruto took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.I wonder if that was just a one-time thing. Kami, I hope it was. I don't know what I'll do if I get embarrassed like that again.Fate would show eventually that it had it out for the boy in this regard.

Just then, the backdoor opened and out stepped Ino's Mother. "Oh, who's this boy Ino?" Ino's mom queried her daughter.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki, he's the one I told you about who was on the mission to rescue Sasuke." She had to lie to her mom about the rescue part. She had learned from Shikamaru in the previous days that Sasuke had not been kidnapped but willfully left the village to seek out Orochimaru. The kidnapping part was a story concocted by the hokage at the behest of Naruto and Sakura so that he wouldn't be considered a missing-nin.

Ino's mother turned to Naruto and gave him a slight smile as she bowed slightly to him. "Thanks for rescuing Sasuke. Ino was worried sick about the boy and what could have happened to him."

"Oh, it was nothing. He's my friend and teammate so I would have done anything for him." Naruto uttered and then continued. "I was actually just about to head to the hospital to see how the rest of the team is doing. Thanks for having me here." Naruto bowed his head to the Yamanaka matriarch. After bringing his head back up, Naruto turned on his feet and started to march towards the front of the shop.

"Hold up Naruto." Ino articulated with an air of authority. It stopped Naruto in his tracks. "Mom, can I join him? I want to see how Chōji and the rest are doing as well. The shop has been dead for the past hour anyways and we don't have our usual rushes for the rest of the day."

Ino's mother thought through this for a few moments and then replied. "Normally I would say no, but since it is your teammate you are checking in on and I have completed all the deliveries already. Sure, you can go!" Ino's mother uttered this, hoping to bring up her spirits even more.

"YAY!" Ino shouted out and ran to her mom to pull her into a big hug. "Thank you so much! I'll be back in time for dinner!" Ino's mother could only chuckle at her daughter's enthusiasm.

Ino released her hug of her mom and strolled to Naruto. "Lead the way, Goldie!" Ino announced in a triumphant fashion.

It was only now that Naruto realized what Ino had called him now, was the same name she did earlier when she was teasing him. "Are you going to call me that from now on?" Naruto groaned out his question, and to his horror she told him

"You know it!"

Just what have I signed myself up for? Well at least I'll have company when I see the guys. It will be less awkward this way.And so, the 2 friends started making their way to the main hospital in Konohagakure.

XxX

Konohagakure main hospital, afternoon, 1 day till Naruto's departure.

Hinata Hyūga was now in front of Neji's room. When she heard that he and the others were finally awake and doing well, she rushed to the hospital to see how they were doing for herself. She had debated with herself all throughout her walk if she should stop and get something for all 3 boys but decided against it. It would have taken too long for her to come up with a personal gift for all 3 of them.

When she had arrived at the hospital, she saw that Shikamaru was leaving the hospital as well. He wanted to personally see how they were all doing and to ask forgiveness for his failings in the mission. Of course, they all said there was nothing to be sorry for but still forgave him none the less. After this exchange, he started walking back to his compound, muttering something under his breath about a troublesome woman. Hinata paid it no mind though as she was glad the boys were getting visitors from friends.

Now she stood in front of Neji's room. She could feel her nerves starting to get a hold of her. She knew what she was about to ask was highly unusual and against tradition, but it was the only way to help Naruto.

Hinata gained her confidence back upon thinking of the Uzumaki genin and proceeded to open the door to Neji's room. When she entered the room, her eyes first glanced to her teammate Kiba. She was glad to see that he was asleep and looked at peace. Her eyes then turned to her cousin's bed on the opposite side of the room.

Neji had been awake for a while. Contemplating his life until this stage. He looked back on how he acted and came to regret a lot of his actions. Would he take them all back? Some yes like attempting to kill Hinata but for the most part he wouldn't change what he had done. It made him who he was currently, and he quick liked his current situation... minus the whole hospital bit, that he wishes was changed.

When he heard the door open, his eye lids lifted and revealed his milky eyes to the world. He trained those eyes onto the visitor in the room. It was his cousin Hinata. He sat up from his bed to get a better view of the girl, ignoring the pain the action did to him.

"Please sit back down Neji, you are still in a great amount of pain." Hinata said with a worried tone to her voice. Neji was loath to admit but she was right, and so, he sat himself back down and spoke to her.

"Kiba's still resting. You should go into the waiting room." A tense air started forming between the 2 Hyūga. Neji did regret what he tried to do to Hinata, but not enough time had passed to heal the wounds. It would take a lot longer than a few months before he could fully let go of his animosity.

"Umm, actually, I'm also here to see you too." Hinata announced to the boy. Neji closed his eyes again and retorted to his cousin.

"I'm doing fine now, just in pain. You can leave now." Neji sternly said but to his surprise, not a lot of anger. He really didn't want to talk to the Hyūga princess right now as he was still dealing with his own issues.

Undeterred by his statement, Hinata elaborated. "I didn't come just to see how you are doing." Hinata uttered as she started to walk to his bed side. The caused Neji to open his milky eyes again and he gave a curious glance to the main branch Hyūga member. What else could she be here for if not just to see how Kiba and himself were doing?

Once she got close enough to Neji's side, she hardened her resolve to say what she was about to say. She bowed to Neji. "Once you are out of here, I ask that you train me please." She finally told aloud the words that had plaguing her thoughts for the past few days.

Neji took some time the think over what had just happened. The person who he had tried to kill in the exams those months back was now seeking his help to train. There truly had to be no fate if something like this could happen. Unfortunately, he knew he couldn't deny her request.

Neji, with some venom in his voice, uttered out. "Because of this," Neji said as he pointed to the seal on his forehead, "I can't deny your request even if I wanted to."

Hinata had not foreseen how this request could be misconstrued. In all her life she had never used the seal to force someone to do her bidding, it was completely against what she stood for. With her head still bowed to the boy, she continued.

"This isn't a demand from me. You are free to deny me if you wish." Hinata spoke. She could feel her will starting to crumble a little under her cousin's gaze but kept firm in her course of action.

Now this was truly a sight to behold for Neji. A main branch member was not ORDERING a side branch member to do something but instead ASKING and to top it all off, said main branch member was BOWING to the side branch member while doing so. If it hadn't been for Naruto shattering his views on destiny before, this moment may have very well also caused those views to crumble.

Neji felt something rise in him, whether hate or something else he didn't know but it was there. In this situation, Neji had only one question he could answer back with.

"And if I refuse?" Neji said with as much seriousness as he could muster. If he had a choice in this matter, then he didn't want to train her. Wounds still too fresh to his mind and ego, and he wasn't ready for it.

Hinata knew Neji would say something like this. She knew of his hatred to the main branch was still there despite the changes he had made in the past few months. She hoped that he would give her a chance to explain herself more thoroughly.

"Then I would ask you to hear my reasons for seeking you out." Hinata muttered, still bowing to her cousin. She wanted him to know just how serious she was in this request.

Neji was growing more curious as this conversation was going along. He knew Hinata's personality quite well and her current actions were at odds with what he pictured of the young princess. What could have possibly changed within her to act this way. He had a suspicion that it would lie within the reasons she wanted to tell him.

"Alright, I'll hear you out, but I offer no guarantees it will change my mind in the slightest." Neji said curtly. He didn't think anything Hinata could say would change his decision. He was simply curious as to why the Hyūga girl was changing.

Finally raising from her bow, Hinata took a deep breath before she began. "It's because of Naruto. I need to become better for his sake." Hinata blurted out to her cousin. There was no going back for her now and she pressed on. "I've cared about him for the longest time and seeing what happened to him changed me. I've seen how he never gives up, despite his circumstances and I admire him greatly for that. He's confident in everything he does, and I want that confidence too." She paused for a few seconds to catch her breath. As she was saying these things to Neji, she felt a warmth rising in her. It felt good. She tried to convey this warmth to Neji as best she could in her tone and inflections, and she hoped he could see that.

"I-I don't want to be the meek little girl I used to be. I need to become a strong woman for his sake, for my sake! Please Neji, I beg you to train me!" Hinata almost shouted out but kept herself in check. She was once again bowing to her cousin to show just how much she needed this. What felt like an eternity passed between the two Hyūga. Hinata was starting to lose her cool until she finally heard something from Neji. She had expected a myriad of responses to her reasoning. The one she was not prepared for was laughter.

Despite the feelings in his body, Neji Hyūga was giving the biggest laugh of his life. Hinata decided to stand straight up, confused at what Neji could have found so funny about her reasoning. He laughed for a good long while before he finally started to calm down and collect himself.

"What's with Naruto and our clan? First you, then myself, and finally your father Hiashi." Neji said this while wiping the tears from his face. He had never laughed for so long and boy did he need to feel this. "He's single handedly changing this clan for the better."

Hinata, though still confused, at least saw that Neji wasn't laughing at her but more at how much a single boy had affected their lives. She patiently waited for Neji to continue.

"So, you really mean it when you said you wanted me to train you?" Neji queried and got a nod of approval from Hinata.

Well, I do owe Naruto for showing me the errors in my philosophy. This training may also go a long way to helping me with my animosity toward the main branch.

Neji took a few seconds to figure out what he wanted to say. He eventually found the words and said, "Ok Hinata, I will train you. Make no mistake though, I'm mainly doing this for myself and for Naruto." Neji let that set in before further adding, "When I get out of here, I will seek you out and then we can begin. Do you understand me?"

YES! Neji accepted! I need to take this seriously. I can't let this opportunity go to waste.

With a huge grin on her face, Hinata responded with, "I understand. Thank you so much cousin." Satisfied with her response, Neji uttered out.

"Good, now if you don't mind, do please leave. I need to get some more rest now." Neji said this not with malice, but with a hint of warmth towards his cousin. Neji saw just what Naruto meant to her, and he was glad a good influence had come into the Hyūga clan's lives.

Hinata took another bow towards her cousin, and then walked out the door, shutting the door behind her. She had gotten what she wanted and couldn't be happier in this moment. She went down to the waiting room and sat in there, waiting for her teammate Kiba to awaken so she can see how he's feeling. She saw people coming and going through the main hospital doors but paid them no mind. That is, until 2 blondes walked through.

"Can you please stop calling me Goldie? It's embarrassing!" Naruto pleaded with his fellow blonde while looking up into the ceiling but to no avail.

Ino chuckled at Naruto's statement, but she was undeterred and turned her face to him. "But it's so fun seeing your reaction to it." Naruto groaned at her response. It was embarrassing but he found it becoming less so the more he heard it. It was also nice to finally have a non-negative nickname for the first time in his life. He brought his head down to look at his surroundings and he saw the very person who had had expected to meet first today.

"Hey, Hinata! Glad I could catch you before you left." Naruto exclaimed, remembering what Hiashi had told him this morning. Hinata had noticed Naruto when he first came in. She once again started feeling warm again just seeing him. Then she saw that Naruto wasn't alone.

I see he's brought someone along...and it's Ino. They seem to be getting along so casually. Wait, am I jealous of Ino? No, stop it Hinata, he's just being his usual self. I should be happy he's finally starting to make new friends. Still though...

"Uhhh, Hinata? Did you hear me?" Naruto questioned the dark blue haired kunoichi as he walked over to her in the waiting room. This brought Hinata out of her thoughts and she responded.

"S-Sorry about that. Ummm, what did you want to see me about?" Hinata questioned Naruto right back. Ino was now beside them both, only observing the proceedings. She already knew what he was going to say, and she wanted to see Hinata's reaction.

"It's actually some super cool news! I'm going to be leaving the village with Jiraiya for the next 3 years and he is going to be training me!" Naruto made sure to refer to pervy sage as Jiraiya just to avoid another Ino incident.

Hinata's heart sank when she heard the news.Three years? THREE YEARS? I'm not going to see him for 3 years!? No, no this can't be. He and I were finally starting to have a real connection and now I have to wait 3 years to build on that?

"Are you sure you are ok Hinata? You look gloomy all of a sudden." Naruto remarked about the Hyūga princess.

"Oh, sorry about that, I'm fine. I was just lost in thought." She replied in a nervous manner that went over Naruto's head but not Ino's. "W-Well I'm happy for you Naruto. I've heard great things about Jiraiya, and I know you will learn a lot from him." She further said but this time without the nervousness in her voice.

Suddenly another question came to her mind, and she had to know it's answer. "Ummm, when will you be leaving? I'd at least like to see you off." Hinata uttered. This would give her some time to prepare for his departure. The answer she got back was not to her liking.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow at noon from the main gate. I know it's really sudden, but I want to get started training as soon as possible." Naruto blurted out.

Again, Hinata's heart sank even further.That gives me only a little over 24 hours to prepare myself! I don't think I can do it that quickly!

Hinata quickly halted this train of thought before Naruto could worry about her again. "O-Ok then, I'll see you off tomorrow then?" Hinata queried him, hoping he would accept the invitation to see him again.

"Of course, Hinata! I'd be glad to see you again before I left!" Naruto exclaimed with vigor, causing the girl to blush, that again went by Naruto but not Ino. This brought a lot of joy to Hinata knowing the man she loved wanted to see her before he departed. Ready or not, she was going to be there tomorrow for him.

"W-Well I should go and see if Kiba is awake now. He went back to sleep before I got here." She said gloomily, not wanting to part from Naruto's presence. Fortunately for her, she wouldn't be out of his presence for a while.

"Why don't you join Ino and I and see Chōji? We can visit the others after that as well. What do you say?" Naruto asked Hinata, himself not wanting her to leave just yet. He didn't have to wait that long for an answer.

"YES, I-I mean yes I would like to join you." She said the first yes a little too loudly and felt embarrassed by it, especially as it got a chuckle from Naruto.

"Well then let's go, we don't have all day." Naruto sounded out excitedly as he started to make his way to Chōji's room. The blonde and dark blue haired kunoichi's flanked both sides of him as he was walking.

Oh, she has such a HUGE crush on Naruto it's adorable! They would make a pretty fine couple. Their strength's and weakness's in their personality's match up really well. It seems I have a new thing I can tease Naruto about as well as Hinata.

Ino was going to have a lot of fun with these 2 when Naruto comes back in 3 years' time. Although, she too felt the slightest hint of jealousy thinking of the 2 together.

XxX

Konohagakure main hospital, 30 minutes till Naruto's departure.

Today's visit was so far, a mirror image of all of Sakura's previous visits to her black-haired crush. She had shown up with a gift and placed it next to her untouched previous gifts. Her previous attempts to get him to open up either about himself or why he left in the first place had all ended in failure. Every time he gave her the silent treatment until he eventually told her to just leave. It had frustrated the pinkette.

Sakura was determined to make this time different. She had already placed her gift right next to the untouched other gifts she had given Sasuke. That same teenager was still in the bed but without the machines attached to him. It seemed he would be going home either tonight or tomorrow. She walked towards him and now stood in front of his bed. Sasuke had already turned his face away from his teammate.

Frustrated that all she had been doing for Sasuke seemed to go to waste. She stomped her foot on the ground and got mad at her love for the first time. "Look Sasuke, I've been trying my best to finally get you to talk to me these past few days. I have come every day since you woke up to talk to you and you have refused me every time!" She said with some anger in her voice. Even if she did love him, there was only so much of this a person could take.

"I hardly know anything about you! Why won't you open up to anybody? Why won't you open up to me?" Her anger was also starting to make her eyes tear up a bit. "I just want to get to know you better!" She truly knew almost nothing about the man she loved, and it was starting to scare her a bit.

This finally got a reaction from Sasuke. He sat up from his bed and turned his face towards Sakura. Glaring at her, he finally spoke. "You want to know something about me? Fine, I'll tell you something."

Finally, I'm making progress with Sasuke! Even if I had to get a bit mean to do it. It's worth it.She would soon come to regret these words.

"I hate everything about this village, Its people, its structures, its institutions. I hate it all because it is all holding me back!" This startled Sakura a bit. She knew he was still angry that he was brought back to the village, but she didn't expect this kind of hate she felt emanate from him.

"I hate how I'm stuck here now, not being able to seek the power I need to fulfil my revenge on Itachi. This village is denying me what is rightfully mine!" Sasuke said in a low roar with venom laced in his words. Sakura bravely held her ground as he continued his rant despite the anguish she was starting to feel.

"I don't need friendships, I don't need love, I don't need teammates. I need only power and I will never acquire the power I need if I stay in this village." Sasuke's voice was filled with wrath as he made sure his former teammate understood how far he would go for his vengeance.

Sakura had a single tear come down her cheek. "Why Sasuke? Does vengeance mean so much to you that you would forsake everything we have built together? Why can't we just go back to how things used to be in team 7. We were so happy then!" Sakura voiced her thoughts, and her words contained the hurt she was now feeling at the Uchiha teenager. Laughter was the last thing she was expecting to come from the man she loved.

Sasuke gave out a maniacal laugh as Sakura finished her statement. After collecting himself, he finally responded. "For the supposedly smartest girl in our class, you can be absolutely moronic at times. Let me tell you this just once. I was never happy with team 7, I never want to go back to what I was before. And, even if I did want to go back to how things were. That will be impossible with Naruto leaving soon." Sasuke's last sentence caught Sakura off guard.

"What do you mean he's leaving soon? For how long?" She hadn't been told by anyone that Naruto was leaving soon. Granted she really had not been interacting with anyone outside Sasuke and her parents. Ino, Shikamaru, and Naruto all seemed to be avoiding her ever since her blow up at Naruto those days ago.

"HAHAHAHA, I guess even he got tired of you! I overheard Jiraiya and Naruto talking a few days back. They will be leaving for 3 years so that Naruto can train with Jiraiya. I hate that yellow haired freak. He gets to leave and achieve power, and I'm stuck in this Kami forsaken village." Sasuke articulated with as much fury as he could muster.

Naruto's going to be gone for 3 years? That's too long! I know we are not on good terms right now, but I can't face him right now. It's too soon and the wounds too fresh for both of us.

"When is Naruto leaving? Please tell me!" She pleaded at Sasuke to give her an answer.

Sasuke looked at the clock in the room and smiled to himself. "He leaves in 20 minutes from the main gate. Better hurry if you want to see him again." Sasuke uttered this in a mocking fashion.

20 minutes? OH NO, I will barely have time to make it there. I need to leave right now! I'm not ready for this though! What will I say to him when I see him for the last time in 3 years?

The pinkette halted her thoughts for the moment. She left the foot of the Uchiha boys' bed and went to open a window and leapt out, using her kunoichi skills to leap roof top to roof top. All while a black-haired boy laughed from his hospital bed.

XxX

Konohagakure main gate, 5 minutes till Naruto's departure.

Naruto was feeling great. He was about to set out on a whole new adventure and get super strong while doing it. It did pain him to say goodbye to his friends though. He had already said goodbye to Tsunade and Iruka-sensei on account of them being busy with their official duties. He had also said goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame at Ichiraku Ramen. They were sad to see him go and decided to give him a free Ramen bowl to see him off. He was going to miss that place a lot on his travels.

The last group he previously said goodbye to where his teammates on the retrieval mission. They had all woken up finally, and he was able to tell them in person what he was doing. They were all happy for him and each vowed to get just as strong as Naruto did. He would hold them to that. He had also said goodbye to Sasuke. Naruto still considered Sasuke a friend, despite what the Uchiha had done. The two's conversation had been completely one sided though as Sasuke hadn't said a word.

That just left the group, who had decided to meet him at the front gate. They were all already at the main gate when Naruto and Jiraiya arrived.

Shikamaru was the first to step forward. "Man, you had to leave before I normally wake up. You can be a drag sometimes you know that." Shikamaru uttered as he sauntered over to Naruto.

Naruto had to grin at his friend's faux anger. Naruto knew Shikamaru would miss him and vice versa. Shikamaru extended his hand out to Naruto and said, "I'll miss you buddy. Don't think you will be the only one training. I'm going to be putting in more effort than normal...ok even I know that's lie." Naruto gave that statement the laugh it deserved and shook Shikamaru's hand.

"I can't wait to see how strong you become when I get back. We'll have to spar when I do." Naruto enunciated to the pineapple hair boy.

"I think I'll take a pass on that. That would be a pain to go through." Shikamaru replied as he retreated his hand and stood back with the others. Kakashi was the next to step forward.

"I see you are not late for once Kakashi-sensei." Naruto deadpanned out. Kakashi paid it no mind and simply replied with, "If I was late this time, I wouldn't be able to say I'm sorry for 3 years. Can't have that now." Kakashi said to his student as he too stuck out his hand to the blonde genin and gave him the biggest eye smile he could. Naruto eagerly shook his hand.

Kakashi then turned his head to Jiraiya and asked him. "When is the next Icha Icha book going to come out?" Kakashi was dying to know when that book would finally be coming, and he finally had a chance to get a concrete answer.

Jiraiya laughed for his part and leaned over to Kakashi. "I'll be writing it on this journey, and I can guarantee it will be twice as spicy as my last one."

"I'll be holding you to that." Kakashi said to Jiraiya as he stopped his handshake with Naruto and took a step back.

Next to come forward was Ino. She had her hands behind her back, holding a gift for her fellow blonde. "I know you are doing this for a very good reason. But it just sucks I won't be able to see you again for the next 3 years." Ino pouted to Naruto, giving faux sobbing sounds as well.

By now, Naruto was getting to know when Ino was being serious and when she was being playful, and thankfully this was her playful side. He was ecstatic to have gotten to know her over this past week and delighted in calling Ino a good friend even before he left. "Don't worry. These next 3 years will fly by faster than you know it. When I return, you will be one of the first people to know, I promise you that."

"I'll be upset if you don't." Ino retorted back in a joking manner. She then finally brought her hands in front of her. "Here you go, I wanted you to start your journey out on a good note with these dangos." She handed the box to Naruto and let her arms drop to her sides.

Naruto took some time to inspect the box and its contents. Satisfied, he put it in his pack. Ino then reached out to hug the boy. This was going to be the last time she saw him in years and didn't want to regret anything. This move brought curious glances from Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. They were not expecting for Naruto to be on the receiving end of such affection from a girl. Hinata had a different reaction, Jealousy. She couldn't deny that seeing Ino give Naruto that hug made her feel these emotions. She knew it was just platonic affection, but it effected Hinata all the same.

Naruto was initially surprised by such a gesture but quickly returned it. Yes, he was going to miss this very much. "Thanks for the treat. I know I'll enjoy them real soon!" Naruto remarked.

It's your turn now Hinata. I have set the bar. Now let's see if this will motivate you or not.Ino thought to herself as she finished hugging Naruto and went on back to the group.

Hinata was the last of the group to speak to Naruto. She was initially very hesitant, but seeing what Ino had just done, it hardened Hinata's resolve. She stepped forward towards Naruto with no hesitation. In her hands was the gift she had bought for Naruto, a chakra necklace.

She held out her hands in front of Naruto and spoke. "I bought you this chakra necklace, so you can remember me while you are gone. If you put your chakra in it. It will tell you what you are truly feeling in that moment." She was slightly blushing while saying this but was feeling extremely happy.

"Wow Hinata, that's so cool!" He let Hinata deposit the necklace into his hands and proceeded to put it on and poured some of his chakra into pendant attached to the chain. It turned yellow. "Do you know what this color means?" He queried the kunoichi in front of him.

Hinata shook her head no and articulated. "I'm sorry I don't, but I'm sure you will figure it out during your travels. I heard the same color can mean different things for different people." After finishing her statement, she too went in for a hug just like Ino.

That's my girl. I knew you just needed the proper motivation.Ino thought to herself.

This time it was only Jiraiya and Kakashi that gave more curious glances. Shikamaru had already seen what Hinata did for Naruto and so wasn't fazed a bit seeing this public display. Ino had a Chesire grin on her face.

"I'm going to miss you so much Naruto. When you come back, we will all go to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate our trainings." Hinata uttered, squeezing the boy just ever so slightly more.

This time, when Naruto received the hug, he wasn't surprised at all and had immediately returned it. If one were paying attention to the necklace he just put on. One would have seen the pendant switch to orange. "Thank you so much for this wonderful gift, I'll treasure it forever."

With these last words, both released each other and Hinata took her step back much like the others. She still had a small blush on her cheeks.

"Well kid, are you finally ready to start your new adventure?" Jiraiya vocalized with enthusiasm.

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go pervy sage!"

"You know I hate that nickname, right?"

"See you later Goldie!"

"You know I hate that nickname, right?"

Both Jiraiya and Naruto then turned from the group and started heading towards the gate. Both were halted when they heard a voice cry out "NARUTO!" It was a voice that made the whisker cheeked shinobi instantly freeze up.Why is she here?He thought to himself.

The person behind said voice was running towards them as fast as her legs could manage. A few seconds after her shout, she finally managed to get close enough behind the 2 departing was desperately afraid that she would be too late and not have her opportunity to say goodbye and at least heal SOME of the damage she had done. Sakura was about to learn how bad she had hurt Naruto that day.

Jiraiya turned around and he recognized her based on all the descriptions Naruto gave of her during their mission to get back Tsunade. Jiraiya had thought it odd that she wasn't there at the gate initially to see them off but chucked it up to Naruto already saying goodbye to her because she was going to be busy.

Now this is interesting. Why wasn't she here in the first place. Clearly, they hadn't said goodbye. Why didn't he say goodbye to her? He was madly in love with her.

"Ah, you must be Sakura, Naruto here told me all about you before and said many wonderous things about you." Jiraiya said, not knowing just how much hurt was between the pinkette and Naruto.

Sakura could only look at the ground in shame upon hearing that. She really didn't feel like a wonderous person for a while now. Jiraiya was going to continue until he was cut off by Naruto.

"Don't worry Jiraiya-sensei, I'll handle this." Naruto uttered aloud not using his sensei's nickname. Now both Jiraiya and Kakashi were viewing this scene with rapt attention. Clearly something big was about to happen and they wanted every detail they could get out of it. Both Ino and Shikamaru had to hold Hinata back before she went up and slapped Sakura again.

Ino whispered into Hinata's ear, "Just stay put, this needs to happen between the two of them." Hinata, clearly still angry at the situation, did as she was told and stayed put and silent. Not without gritting her teeth and bawling her fists mind you.

Naruto continued from his previous statement, without bothering to turn around to the woman who had utterly devastated him. "Why are you here?" Naruto said with a deep cold in his voice. The pendant was now gray.

Taken a little back by his tone, Sakura lifted her head and replied, "You are my friend, I had to see you off before you left!" She pleaded to the boy. She really wasn't ready to do this, but the alternative was way worse.

"You have seen me off. Now you can go back." Again, Naruto hadn't turned around to face Sakura. His tone though was carrying what Sakura thought to be anger.

Of course he would be angry with me. I wouldn't expect anything different if I were in his shoes. You can do this Sakura, at least he is talking to you. Just say the 2 words that need be said.

In an apologetic tone, Sakura started to speak again. "Before you go, I wanted to say that I'm..."

"DON'T, DONT FINISH THAT SENTENCE." Naruto said loudly, his whole body shaking now.

I underestimated just how bad I hurt Naruto. Who knew he could feel so strongly about me.

"Naruto, can you please let me finish?" She was starting to beg him now. She really needed to say these words now or else she was going to regret it for the next 3 years.

"No Sakura, I-I-I just can't. You have Sasuke back. You can go back to ignoring me!" His whole body was still trembling, and his hands were flat against his pants.

Sakura was getting desperate now. She needed to say these words to his face and so she started to walk around and stood in front of Naruto. It was at this moment that all his previous words took on a whole new meaning. Naruto hadn't been shaking in anger; no, it was a catastrophic sadness that caused his trembling. The pendant she noticed was now completely black.

Naruto had been silently crying this whole time. His eyes were shut, his cheeks red, and the tears kept flowing down his whiskers. All the memories rushed back to him and would not let go. He was once again broken and shattered.

Naruto slowly opened his cerulean blue eyes and they caught Sakura's jade green eyes. She finally understood the magnitude of what she had done to me. His eyes no longer had any trace of enthusiasm or affection. There was no love in his eyes. All that was left in his eyes was haunting sadness and hurt that she swore would envelope her and drown her. She gasped as she brought her hands to her mouth in horror. The sun shining down illuminated all his features crystal clear.

Oh Kami, what have I done to him? How could I cause so much pain in my best friend? How was he able to continue like this? Kami, I'm the scum of the earth, the lowest of the low. I've been so blind this entire time! Even after I blew up on him I was still blinded to magnitude of his suffering.

It was now Sakura's turn to cry. Though her tears paled in comparison to Naruto's, they felt no less pain. She had done that to her fellow human being, her teammate, her best friend.

Naruto couldn't stand it any longer, still feeling like the world was ending, he ran. He ran through the gate as fast as he could, nothing stopping him. The tears would not stop flowing even while he ran as fast as he could. Not even the cries of his former friend stopped him this time. Naruto then finally said the words he dreaded saying, if only to himself in this instant. "Goodbye, Sakura."

"NARUTO, WAIT!" Sakura tried to shout out at him and turned to face his slowly shrinking back side. She had utterly fucked up and just wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and rot for a bit. It's where she belonged.

Jiraiya had long since followed Naruto. He needed the details on why the previous interaction had happened. Kakashi for his part was also desperate for details on what exactly happened between 2 of his students. He too could hear the sobbing coming from Sakura and decided it best if he wait to ask for the details. Seeing the pink haired kunoichi friends seemed to know what was going on, he decided to leave the premise and leave them alone.

Shikamaru and Ino finally let go of Hinata. They could feel her anger had washed away upon seeing the boy flee the scene. Now, a profound sadness washed over the Hyūga princess. She thought it best if she simply returned home and let Sakura wallow in her misery.

Shikamaru and Ino for their parts tried to comfort the pinkette. They could tell she was going to be sincere with what she wanted to say, she just couldn't. It helped Sakura but only a bit. The words were on the tip of her tongue the entire time she was in front of Naruto, but she just couldn't say the words until now.

Sakura had fallen to her knees, her hands now holding her face as the water works continued to flow. Through the sobbing, she finally said the words.

"I'm sorry"

XxX

AUTHORS NOTES

First off, I want to assuage any fears again that this will be a harem ending. It will not be and Naruto will be paired with one woman at the end. I can also safely tell you that it will NOT be Ino. The furthest she might get is noticing all the good qualities in Naruto and how he would have made a great boyfriend and husband to her. She will also realize her chance with Naruto had long set sail and will be content with simply being one of his best friends.

When I first conceptualized this fic, I had originally only wanted Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and Sakura to be the main focal points. As I was writing the first chapter though, I realized I wanted Naruto to have more than just a romantic life. I also wanted him to have 2 best friends who could give him different advice on all his lifes issues, one perspective male and one perspective female. Thats where Ino and Shikamaru come into play. They wont be featured as prominently as the main 4 but they will be there.

As for my chapter titles. I pick song titles for my chapter titles. They are songs I like and I think have some meaning to something in the chapter. Anyways thats all for now!