More Than He'd Have Hoped

“So, who’s your pretty girlfriend, Naruto-kun?” Ayami asked with a shark-like grin, leaning over the counter at the pair. Ino’s face had been like a tomato for the last half hour, after Naruto had indeed caught her nearly a dozen times as she worked on Tree Walking. When they finally made it to the village, she was exhausted but enthusiastic about learning more from him.

“Ino and I are teammates, Ayami-chan,” Naruto said after a moment of contemplation, “though I might teach her a thing or two, as well.” If he’d taken the time to look, he would have seen a small gush of blood drip from her nose, but he was already ordering. “I want four Naruto specials and a miso for Ino here, please.”

“Coming right up!” Teuchi yelled from the back, saluting the two on their ‘date’ as he brought out a larger pot and began to fill it up with an assortment of vegetables, fish, and of course the noodles. Itachi had made sure that if Naruto was going to eat such a salt-filled food, it was going to be filled with things that were good for him.

Ino received her bowl before Naruto, though she looked worriedly down at it as she muttered, “I’m on a diet…” Naruto rolled his eyes and nudged her with his elbow.

“You don’t need to be dieting, Ino. You look great.” He was sincere in that regard, only to immediately regret it when she looked at him with stars in her doe blue eyes.

“Really, Naruto-kun?” He nodded after a moment of silent prayer before adding,

“And my special ramen is healthy for you. It will build your muscular endurance and give you the nutrients you need as a ninja in training.” He grabbed her bowl and slid it away as he said, “Truth be told, you should be eating that not miso. How about I trade you one of my bowls for this one?”

“Okay!” She jumped up and down excitedly in her chair, looking damn pleased with herself. Had he just been conned? “You know,” she said after a moment of silence, “I never thought you were this sweet in class. You were always off doing your own thing, even when you’d help the rest of us.”

Now it was his turn to blush as he scratched the back of his head and gave her a wide grin. “Yeah, well… I’m just a bit of a recluse, like my old sensei. He was always so apathetic that it rubbed off on my social interactions. The more comfortable I get, the less you’ll see that side of me.”

He was suddenly very aware of her as she leaned her head on his shoulder and asked, “Are you comfortable with me?” Gulping, Naruto tried to smile but it probably came out as more of a grimace. Thankfully, or not depending on how you are looking at it, he didn’t have to answer as Ayame walked back towards the booth and squealed,

“Oh, how cute! You two make such a great couple.”

His life was so messed up, Naruto thought with a sigh as Ayame began to snap pictures with her new camera, promising she’d send them both copies before setting down their ramen and nearly skipping away to give them ‘alone time’.

It was nearly two hours later that the pair finally left, having sat and talked until dark while they slurped on the noodles. Apparently she loved to run every day, which was why she’d always been near the top of the Kunoichi portion of the class. More so, she was a daddy’s girl and always got what she wanted, which was why she wore the style of clothing she did.

He’d always noticed her, as she was one of the more attractive females in the class, but it was only that day that Naruto began to actually look. Most of her outfit consisted of bandages, which were a necessity for Kunoichi. He couldn’t really tell with that loose purple top she wore, but Naruto couldn’t help but wonder about her body.

Her skirt was split up to the hip on both sides, so it really was more of a loincloth. He couldn’t be sure, but when he’d caught her during tree climbing he hadn’t felt any other cloth on her besides the bandages, her top, skirt, and arm slips. All in all, what with her pretty blue eyes, she seemed a lot like a much more feminine version of himself who liked the feel of bandages constricting the majority of her body.

Honestly, though, the biggest change for him came from Asuma. The man had been shocked by his shinobi skills, and while this was something he prided himself on, Naruto didn’t even count himself at Chuunin level yet. He’d always thought most Genin should be about the same. After listening to both Ino and Shikamaru, he realized that most Academy students started out with the basic three and maybe a few family Jutsu. He’d always been so critical of their skills, but Itachi really had been a fantastic sensei.

If only…

Naruto shook his thoughts off, looking towards his teammate who walked silently by his side. He really didn’t feel like thinking about Itachi, and Ino made a great distraction.

“Ino, how about we head over to our training grounds and get a good few hours of practice in? I could correct your Taijutsu forms, maybe even help you with another Chakra control exercise.” She looked undecided, but quickly nodded her head.

“Hai, Naruto-kun. I told daddy I’d be back sometime tonight, so he won’t question me being gone until dark. Race you there!” She immediately sprinted away in what she probably thought was a fast speed. Naruto laughed, pushing Chakra into his legs before bursting straight past her and literally gliding in his jump onto the rooftop. “Not fair!”

“Aww, is little Ino-chan angry?” He mocked, only to receive a petulant huff in return. With a wave of his hand she felt the wind suddenly flow from beneath her body and lift her up towards the roof. Now used to this, she just held out her arms and he caught her. What Naruto didn’t expect was her tripping on the slanted roof and falling backwards, carrying him right along with her.

“Agh!” They both screamed as they fell, though thankfully Naruto buffered them and the ground so their landing was relatively soft. Still, he was going to land right on top of her and…

They both stared in shock at the other’s eyes, lips locked even as he caught himself on the ground. Slowly, her eyes closed and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Well, well, well… what do we have here?” The blond boy immediately pulled away, sitting up and staring wide eyed at a pair of shinobi dressed in the standard Konoha uniform. They were wearing vests, though he couldn’t tell if they were Jounin or Chuunin.

The taller one, who had a long scar across the cheek of his rather average face stepped forward and pushed Naruto back towards the ground. He let them, realizing quickly what this was about. He didn’t want Ino getting involved.

“I wonder what Inoichi-san would say if I told him I caught you trying to sexually assault his daughter in some back alley, filth?” His eyes were solely on Naruto, ignoring the shocked Yamanaka who had gone from bright red to pasty white in just a few seconds.

“Leave her out of this-“ Naruto was cut off when the man stuck a boot in his stomach, sending him crashing back into some garbage cans.

“Naruto-kun! Get away from him!” Ino ran forward, only to be grabbed by the other man who ordered,

“Shut your mouth! We’re dealing with the demon as he des-“ He was cut off as another form appeared in front of him and snapped his wrist in one clean motion. Ignoring the man’s screams, the monotonous voice of an ANBU said,

“For defying the Sandaime’s law, you are sentenced to death.” The pair disappeared in a burst of smoke, leaving a gaping shinobi staring at the two blonds. Naruto saw it coming before it happened, though this time he didn’t have to worry about Ino as there was only one. As the man jumped forward, kunai suddenly in hand, the scarred boy disappeared.

“Come out, you shit stain! I’ll kill you for what you’ve done! First you took my sister, now Soji!” The man’s crazed eyes caught a horrified Ino’s and he spat, “You would kiss that monster? Protect him? Here’s what happens to Kyuubi love-“ He never got the chance to finish, his neck snapping from the force of the kick that sent him careening into the trash cans where he lay deathly still.

Ino immediately grappled on to the other blond, crying her eyes out as he slowly felt his rage disappear. Nothing good could come from killing that man, even if Ino wasn’t running away in fear from him now that she knew he was a ‘monster’. Instead, she seemed to cling to him tighter than ever as he contemplated exactly what that man was going to say. What did he mean about the Kyuubi?

And then it all clicked: his birth date, all of the hatred and glares, the fact that no one could ever tell him who his parents were. Was he really a demon? Naruto began to shake with emotion, before his rational mind began to kick in. Why wouldn’t he know if he actually was a demon? It would be pretty obvious because as far as the stories went all demons were innately evil, especially the Kyuubi. He’d never killed a man before today and never desired to again, even if he knew it was his profession’s biggest source of income.

He just couldn’t be the Kyuubi, could he? Clutching tighter to his current greatest source of comfort, Naruto barely noticed the sudden appearance of two more shinobi. The wind, more than anything, alerted him to their presence. Immediately pushing her back to the way, he spun around with his summoned ninja-to already unsheathed.

“Be calm,” ordered the ANBU that stood before him, “the Hokage requests your presence immediately.” Naruto turned to Ino and asked,

“Will you be able to make it back to your place?” She looked lost, but he honestly wasn’t too surprised by that. He probably looked lost, as well.

“The both of you are to appear before your Hokage as soon as you are able.” Naruto grimaced and asked,

“May we Shunshin there on our own? I’ve already taught her the Jutsu.” With a quick, affirmative nod the pair both hazed out of sight. Naruto calmly grabbed both of Ino’s cheeks and pulled her eyes up to look at him. He said, “Let me do the talking, Ino-chan. He will ask for your recounting of the event, but I have more information on why they were doing it and I’m not sure if you are ready for that to be answered.”

“But-“ Naruto kissed her again, unsurprised when she melted against him and he was forced to move his hands down to her hips to hold her up.

“No buts,” he said with a small smile after pulling back, slightly ashamed of himself for using her obvious attraction to him as a tool. He was a shinobi though and it was important that this information remain as secret as possible. The scarred blond frowned at the thought. Was it really such a secret right now? Maybe from him, but it seemed like everyone else but his classmates knew what had really happened to the Kyuubi.

Would even they hate him in the end? He tried not to let that tidal wave of emotions play out on his face as he all but ordered, “Shunshin just outside the Hokage tower. I’ll meet your there.” She didn’t seem to want to let go of him, her hands grappling at the front of his shirt. He noticed how desperate she was for comfort and couldn’t help but wonder if she was cut out for the life of a Kunoichi. What if she was ever captured?

Nearly growling at the thought, a sudden protectiveness he’d rarely felt for others flowing through him as he kissed her again, this time much more possessive and hungry than the one before. She gasped aloud, her eyes immediately closing, as her legs once again became jelly. He noticed her tense as his hands found purchase lower than they had before, though Naruto hardly cared as he decided with the same instinct that led him in any battle situation that her being captured would never happen.

Later that night he’d wonder to himself what he was thinking at that moment, but as his sensei always said: “To mask your emotions, you must first understand them. Confusion leads to fear, which ends with your death.” If he were perfectly honest with himself, he’d realize that her general lack of timidity attracted him, not to mention the fact that she was one of the only unusually featured females he knew. The dark eyes and hair of the Konoha majority bored him.

Or maybe it was Naruto’s subconscious narcissism. Who knew?

After that last heated kiss, the pair separated and Ino tried to make herself look presentable. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were abnormally puffy and her eyes were still red from the tears she’d shed. The blond kunoichi had a hard time looking him in the eyes, what with the boiling heat she felt in the pit of her stomach that she’d never once attributed to the reclusive prodigy.

He just smiled at her, setting her heart rate soaring once again as she longed for another kiss.

“It’s time to go. I’ll meet you there, Ino-chan.” Naruto disappeared with a half-ram seal, appearing in front of the tower’s doors. He caught her a moment later with his freakish reflexes as she appeared, stumbling a bit at the abnormal sensation. “You’ll get used to the feeling soon.”

As they walked, he was surprised when she grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers with a small smile. He smiled back, a bit confused but pleased despite himself. Possessiveness was an unfamiliar feeling for the generally Spartan shinobi, but it was there none the same as he gripped her hand tighter and tried to walk casually up the stairs.

The receptionist gave him her usual dirty glare before opening the door without a word. Naruto stepped through, prepared to face his punishment and tried to release Ino’s hand. She just gripped him tighter, glaring at him and he sighed in resignation.

“Naruto, Ino good evening,” the Sandaime said, his eyes taking them in. Naruto clearly noticed the way his eyes trailed down to their intertwined fingers and he said, “Clearly the two Chuunin who presumed your relationship was nonconsensual were wrong.” The elderly man took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaling slowly.

“No disrespect intended, Sandaime-sama,” Naruto said from his spot on the opposite side of the oaken desk, “but the activities going on in that alley had very little to do with why they attacked. And I am beginning to understand what it had to do with. Am I truly Kyuubi?”

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze, looking quite shocked for a moment before asking, “Where did you come upon this information?” The blond shinobi noticed Ino looking at him oddly from his side, not understanding the question herself.

“It’s an accumulation of things from the first days I can remember as I child up until today’s incident. My life has always been one, continuous struggle against people who hate me unconditionally for something I do not understand. They taunt me, spit on me, and call me a slew of things from ‘demon’ to ‘filth’. I could never, for the life of me understand why.

“That is, until it all clicked nearly thirty minutes ago. Before I killed the second Chuunin,” and at that the Sandaime’s face settled into a frown, “he told me I’d taken his sister and his friend from him. He also called me the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Now, I’ve always asked you why and you’ve always avoided the question, but today I need those answers. What am I?” Naruto was desperate by then and it must have come out in his voice because Ino hugged him from the side. He took comfort in her, trying to not let his emotions get the better of him, but it was hard.

“Naruto…” The village leader seemed at a loss for words, rubbing his nose directly between the eyes as he took the time to think about what to say.

“All I want is the truth, Jiji. If you can’t give me that, punish me for killing that man and let me be on my way.”

“You won’t be punished, dear boy... There is a law, unknown to all your age,” he resignedly said after a deep, cleansing breath, “and any who break it are immediately sentenced to death. I wrote this law after the Kyuubi’s defeat.”

“The same day that I was born.” Ino gasped, looking between the two in shock as she seemed to add up exactly where this was going. She seemed to want to interject, but Naruto’s soothing hand ran circled on her back and she seemed to calm.

“Yes, Naruto. It was because of this attack that the Yondaime, who could not find a way to permanently kill such a malevolent beast of pure Chakra, was forced to create a seal.” And Naruto nearly sagged in relief. He’d read about the Jinchuuriki in books and old scrolls given to him by his sensei. Life for them was rough, but he should have realized.

“So the demon is sealed inside me? Can he escape?” The man slowly shook his head, though he himself looked unsure.

“We can never be certain, of course, but the Yondaime was a Fuuinjutsu master. If anyone could make sure that such a beast died with its host, it would be him.”

“So then why didn’t you just kill me?” He was surprised at the twin glares he received from both his front and right, though it was something he would remember for the rest of his life.

“For starters, you were just an infant with a terrible burden. I would not allow them to execute you for a little piece of mind after all the Yondaime sacrificed.” Naruto wanted to rage. What had that man given up? Had he been a pariah his entire life? Spit on? Beaten? The young man looked away, trying not to let his Jiji see the pain in his eyes, when he caught sight of a picture on the wall.

Stalking over, barely noticing Ino release his hand in her surprise, he slowly touched the face of the man who sentenced him to this fate. The Yondaime looked…

“My father…” Naruto spun around, his eyes now lit with rage and pain as he roared, “did he do this to me? Was Namikaze Minato my…” his voice cracked, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream or sob as he sunk down into the closest chair and held his face in his hands.

“Naruto…” Ino could feel his pain from across the room and ran to him, dropping to her knees by his side. He looked up at her and she wanted to cry when she saw his eyes were glassy. He looked broken. Ino whipped around to her leader, noticing that he too looked near tears as he finally whispered,

“Yes, my boy. Minato-kun did everything he could to keep you safe, but if the village were to fall then his enemies would hunt you to the ends of the elemental countries and beyond. His wife died birthing you and he died saving you and us all from a terrible fate.” And the saddest thing was, Naruto understood. If he’d been subjected to that choice, would he have been able to do differently?

“But why me?” It was his final question, but it meant the most to him.

“If he could not sacrifice his own son to save the village, then could he ever ask another family to do the same?” Sarutobi looked like every word caused him pain, his pipe forgotten on the desk beside him as he spoke.

“So I’m a Jinchuuriki,” Naruto finally said after a moment of silence, “my life is one, great human sacrifice.” He caught the elder man’s surprised face. “Itachi-sensei tried to tell me without truly doing so. He gave me books on the Shinobi wars and I read chapter after chapter on the way sealed-demons were used as preemptive threats and final solutions towards a hostile country. I’m so blind…”

“Naruto, please…” Ino was crying for them both as she rubbed at his shoulders, trying to get him to open up to her. The Hokage just sat back in his chair, rubbing at his face as he said,

“Please do not hate us, Naruto. We all have done what we had to do, to protect you and the village. I know it must hurt, more than I can possibly describe in words…” he trailed off, unsure if saying anything else would help. Naruto, meanwhile, slowly stood and bowed to the man.

“Thank you for telling me all of this … Jiji.” The old man let out a small, relieved smile. Naruto was still in there, underneath all that pain. “I need to go think for a while,” and as he said this he turned to the kunoichi who tried to stifle her sobs beside him, “but I don’t want to be alone.” She let out a shaky, relieved smile of her own and hugged him tight around the neck.

They disappeared with a swirl of leaves from the Hokage’s office.

The next morning, Naruto awoke from his surprisingly dreamless sleep to the wonderful warmth of a second body curled up into his chest. Ino was apparently already awake and had just lain there against him, stroking his hair. He kissed her slowly, as they’d done last night after hours of snuggling in silence.

She had just let him think and her silent presence had helped more than he could ever say. “Thank you, Ino-chan,” he said as he pulled back, his forehead resting against hers.

“You’re welcome.” Neither knew what else to say as they curled deeper into their embrace, wondering how such an unhappy day could ever be followed by a morning like this. “I really should be getting home, soon. My mother and father are probably worried sick about me.” Naruto sighed, but nodded resignedly as he sat up and rubbed a hand through his tousled hair.

As she sat up herself, his eyes caught sight of skin he’d never before seen. Some time in the night she’d unwrapped the bandage cloth that ran up the length of her body, leaving her in the purple double-split skirt and shirt that covered everything, but… he tried not to get a nosebleed at the thought, though teasing her wasn’t out of the question.

“So, Ino-chan.” He cooed as she was running her hands through her hair to try and straighten it out. “When did we advance so far in our relationship?” His hand ran down the bare skin of her back and she went cherry red and admitted,

“I … I kind of wanted to see what your reaction would be.” Ino looked up at him, biting her lip as she whispered, “I’m naked under here and…” Her hands went to the front half of the skirt, shyly playing with the hem. He watched her indecision and placed his hands over her own as he said,

“You can tease me all you like and I … I definitely want to see you like that, but we…” he trailed off, realizing that while they hadn’t known each other for long, she still knew more about him from his own lips than anyone else he could still talk to. “Go wrap yourself up, okay?” She nodded, slowly pulling herself up to her knees. Still, he couldn’t help but catch a glimpse as the fabric fell forward on her way up, sending him into an embarrassed mess as the image burned into his mind.

She soon had her bandages on and they stood at his door, just looking at each other before she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly to her. He kissed the top of her head and said, “I’ll see you in a few hours, Ino-chan. Thanks for everything. I mean it.” She nodded, before struggling for a second and backing away.

He watched her run down the stairs and off in the direction of her home before walking back inside and collapsing on his couch. His life had just gotten complicated.

It was only a few hours later that Naruto stood in front of his sensei, Ino and Shikamaru by his side as they waited for his command. Asuma was still sore from yesterday, having not anticipated anywhere near as hard of a workout from a newly graduated Genin of all people. It was hard to admit that he could possibly be beaten, unprepared for a hard battle or not, by someone as supposedly inexperienced as that boy.

But if Uchiha Itachi truly was his sensei, could he really be all that surprised? That man was a prodigy of the likes of Yondaime-sama. If he hadn’t been so introverted and dark, a regular trait of the Sharingan wielders it seemed, then maybe that boy could have been Godaime.

Brushing those thoughts away quickly, the man pulled a pack of cigarettes from his flak jacket, lighting one blissfully as he tasted the sweet nicotine he craved.

“Alright, you three. It’s time for training.” None of them seemed exactly enthusiastic at the prospect, though he could never tell with Naruto. The boy was everything stereotypically looked for in a shinobi, but it worried him that he might not carry the Will of Fire his father had tried so hard to instill in the newest generation.

“First,” Asuma ordered, “I want each of you to learn how to better control your Chakra output. To do this, I want you to climb trees.” He placed his foot against the tree and began to walk up sideways, to Shikamaru’s astonishment. Asuma wasn’t surprised at Naruto’s lack of interest; he had no doubt the boy had already learned both Tree and Water Walking, but Ino’s foreknowledge of the skill surprised him.

He didn’t even have to ask.

“I have already taught Ino the fundamentals of Tree Walking, though she could always use more practice. If it is alright with you, I’d like to work on kunai balancing while you work with her and Shikamaru-san?” Asuma nodded, waving the teen away. Still, he noticed the difference in formal address between Ino and Shikamaru. He would have to watch how the two blonds interacted to see if he could decipher exactly what was going on between them.

Naruto pulled the majority of his clothing off as Asuma discussed the exercise with his team mates, until he was left in just his bandage wraps. Kunai balancing was an incredibly difficult art that could be disrupted by something as simple as the wind. If he waved in concentration for even a moment, that delicate balance that separated his finger from the tip of the kunai would disappear.

Not that in the process of learning the skill, he hadn’t messed that balance up more times than he could count, but it was always better to be prepared.

Watching and feeling as his chakra formed around the tip of his index finger, glowing a brilliant azure, he slowly lifted himself up with his left hand until his feet were pointed directly vertical. It was a precarious, tedious process, but if he didn’t do it than his vast amount of Chakra could never be as refined as he wanted it to be.

Asuma was barely watching Ino and Shikamaru, though he could definitely see the difference in control refinement between the pair. The majority of his attention was centered on the amazing young Genin who seemed to have perfected the most difficult Chakra control exercise known to Konoha shinobi. His body was already covered in sweat, beads slowly dripping down every muscle and sinew as his eyes never wavered from the infinitesimal distance between blade and skin as he finally came up off his balancing hand and put all his weight onto the kunai.

As he was distracted, he didn’t notice the obvious way Ino would stop for a breath at the top of her route. Her eyes traveled up and down the still form of her team mate and secret … what? She wasn’t really sure what to call him yet, but she knew that she wanted it to continue.

His body was godly for someone of their age, with not a stitch of fat covering the solid muscles that rippled across his entire body. Every few moments, she could see each muscle contract and then relax as he continued to force all of his Chakra into such a tiny area on his body. Not to mention how he was practically naked.

“Pretty amazing, huh?”

Ino whipped her head around, blushing to her roots at being caught by her other team member. Shikamaru was panting in exertion, sweat dripping off his brow as he rested at the top of the tree he had just climbed for the fifth time using just Chakra to his feet. She nervously replied, “Yeah, Naruto is something else.”

She frowned when he smirked, though her blush only got deeper as he said, “I was talking about this exercise, but I guess you could say he’s amazing as well.” Then he turned and made his way back down the tree, leaving Ino to wonder if her plan to keep their relationship away from others would be possible. She really was infatuated with him…

It was nearly two hours later that Asuma called the trio back to front and center, all of them once again dressed and fit for their first mission. As they made their way to the Hokage’s office, Ino found it much harder to ignore the cold glares and disgust pouring from villager after villager as Naruto walked by. He was such a good person! How could they all treat him like some pariah?

The final straw was when one man, holding a crate of apples in arm, intentionally changed his course while walking past to ram into the scarred Jinchuuriki. While Naruto didn’t react, the man dropped the crate and pointed his finger at the blond.

“You destroyed a bushel of my best apples, boy! You better pay for all of them, with interest.” He was in no way prepared for the fist that knocked him off his feet, Ino standing over him cradling her hand as she nearly hisssed,

“I saw you, bastard! Don’t pretend like you’re some hurt victim here when you and the rest of these villagers make Naruto’s life hell and do things like this on purpose! You disgust me.” She spat at his side, leaving the man in a dumbfounded stupor as she grabbed Naruto by the arm and said, “Come on, Naruto.”

He allowed her to drag him away, trying to keep his face impassive despite the small that threatened to split his face. His Ino-chan really did care and it made him happier than he’d been even this morning, when he’d held her comfortably in his arms.

Asuma was contemplative as he wondered when Ino had become so protective of her teammate. Naruto seemed unusually comfortable around the other blond, unless the report he’d received from his father on the boy’s general mannerisms was incorrect. He doubted it, after having seen the boy in action. So what was the blond pair’s connection? Did she know about the Kyuubi? Hell, did Naruto?

Shikamaru seemed like the odd one out in this equation, but he would have to see how that developed.

Deciding that all these thoughts were best kept for another time, when he knew more about his team and their dynamic, Asuma pulled another cigarette from his pack. The Jounin whistled, causing Ino and Naruto to stop in their tracks.

“If you are done walking the opposite direction of where we need to go, Ino…” Her jaw slackened and she blushed at something Naruto whispered to her before nodding and asking,

“Can we all just Shunshin to the Hokage tower? It would be easier than walking and Naruto taught both Shikamaru and I.” Frowning and feeling like his role as a sensei was all but moot at this point, Asuma simply said,

“Sure.” With a seal he disappeared, leaving the three students to their own thing. Shikamaru disappeared as well without a word, allowing Naruto the time to grab Ino and disappear into the darkness of the alley beside them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up on her toes, capturing his lips in her own. He squeezed her hips, pulling her closer as he rested his forehead against hers and whispered,

“Thank you.” She kissed him again, though for the first time her mouth opened and he hesitantly responded. Their tongues twisted around each other and she slowly moved her head to the side for a better angle, moaning into his lips. His hands dropped, grasping her cheeks and pulling her even tighter against his hips as they explored one another, until her toes were the only things grazing the concrete.

“Naruto,” she whispered in a gasp of breath as he pulled away, kissing up her cheek and down her neck, “we can practice more, later. Let’s get to the Hokage tower.” He nodded with a small frown, his eyes searching hers for a second before he released his hold on her bottom and let her drop back onto the ground. She turned around, smiling at him over her shoulder before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto, sadly, could no longer get enough of just her presence. He wanted to hold her to him as much as was possible, kiss her until she was left panting for breath, and so much more he kept imagining that would most definitely not be okay with her father. He frowned down at the annoying tightness that was carefully concealed by restrictive bandages. When had this sudden lapse in control come from? Something so addicting that it wouldn’t leave your head for an entire day should be strictly prohibited, his shinobi teachings told him.

But then why did the very thought leave him laughing? What possible reason could there be to give up something you hold precious? He’d also learned from his sensei that the life of a shinobi is short, so you should always do what you have to do to survive.

The saddest truth, he admitted to himself, was that he now needed time alone with Ino. Maybe for that connection he had with the only person his age who knew of Kyuubi, or maybe for the wonderfully developing body he was going to be the first to explore, but either way he knew it would involve her. He also knew that it was necessary to his happiness, now that he had tasted the forbidden fruit of companionship which Itachi had so stressed be denied.

The team soon stood before the Sandaime Hokage, who seemed terribly amused at his son’s petulant face. Naruto wasn’t sure what had been said before he’d gotten here, but neither apparently did Ino or Shikamaru it seemed. Still, whatever it was had his Jiji chuckling to himself every few moments,

“So, Naruto-sensei –I mean Asuma, I’m sorry. What would you like today: painting fences, catching Tora, grocery shopping, or infrastructure repair?” The scowl sent the old man’s way clued Naruto in to a few things. He hoped that Asuma didn’t think him too advanced, so as to be a burden on the development of Ino and Shikamaru. Not that he would ever leave Ino’s team unless officially forced to, but he would try and run through their exercises if it helped.

Though that might also show the development gap…

“Catching Tora sounds like a great first mission for this group.” Asuma said with a mean grin, catching Naruto’s eyes. If they really did have to catch a tiger, it wouldn’t be alive when Naruto wrangled with it.

“Alright, then,” the Hokage said with another chuckle, “Tora the cat it is. She was last seen in the alleys outside the shopping district’s east entrance. Apparently, the smell of all the food entices her.” A cat? What trouble could that possibly pose?

Naruto whipped his hands through the air, forcing a strong gust of wind to pick the demonic little creature off of her feet and he once again grabbed the fur ball. His shirt was nearly in tatters from the multiple claws that had been dug into his skin. Wherever this cat was supposed to be, he knew it was probably a horrible life. Well, except for the well-groomed fur and expensive little ribbon, but that’s probably why there was actually a mission to retrieve the little monster.

Striking a quick pressure point on the back of the neck, Naruto all but paralyzed the feline before proclaiming, “Mission success. Tora the cat captured.” Shikamaru was sitting on a bench, looking up at the clouds a few yards away while Ino was standing right beside her secret lover.

Was his butt just grabbed?

Turning, Naruto gave the blond kunoichi a questioning smile. She just stuck her tongue out and spun around, though she definitely jumped when he lifted her off the ground with one hand, holding her with mostly her bottom as he carried both her and the cat back over to Shikamaru.

“Naruto-kun,” Ino hissed and he noticed she was blushing to her roots. “Your hand…” He was definitely touching more than he was supposed to, that was for sure.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said with a grin and dropped her back onto her feet, giving her bottom a good swat as he cradled the cat tighter in his arms.

“Oh, really?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, “then what does it look like?” Naruto looked over to Shikamaru, who looked oblivious as he stared up at the sky. Leaning close to her, he tickled her ear with his breath as he admitted,

“You’ve got the cutest patch of blond hair directly over top, but not covering anything below.” From what he’d seen, she was just like him: completely blond all over. He smirked when he saw her freeze up, hissing,

“When did you see?” Shrugging, he kissed her cheek and replied,

“Tonight?” Now her breath stopped with her body and when she finally gulped he nearly burst into laughter.

“Okay.” This he hadn’t expected, giving her a raised eyebrow when she just kissed his cheek back and moved past towards a silently watching Shikamaru.

“What’s going on with you two, Ino?” She glared at him, hands on her hips as she asked,

“Isn’t that a troublesome question?” Naruto was amused when the boy nodded and shrugged his shoulders as he muttered,

“I was just asking, but if you are all moody then yes.” Thankfully, Asuma showed up to take them back for another mission before she could kill the dark haired Genin. Painting the fence was a simple task, after watching as the Daimyo’s wife smothered her cat in her ridiculously giant bosom. Add to that satisfaction Naruto’s Kage Bunshin and they had the long fence painted in under an hour, giving them time for one last mission, which Asuma gave them off with a grin.

“Good work, team. If you keep up this progress, we could possibly get our first C-rank in a month or so. Same time, same place tomorrow. sayonara.”

Naruto grabbed Ino around the waist as soon as Shikamaru and Asuma were gone, disappearing back to his home in a burst of Chakra. He tried to kiss her, but the blond girl pushed him away and asked, “Bathroom?” Pointing towards the door with a frown, Naruto watched her walk in before running a hand through his hair and talking off his battle-ready equipment.

Now dressed in just his orange mesh shirt and black pants, Naruto grabbed some water from his sink and sat at his table waiting for Ino. While he felt like adding Chakra to his ears so that he could even hear her heart beat if he wanted to, that would be invasive and he was taught to be patient.

He didn’t have to wait for long, either. The door to the bathroom opened and a very naked Ino stepped out, smiling nervously at him as she slowly closed the distance between them.

Naruto had never been so happy.

The Yamanaka’s breasts were firm and round, despite what he’d always thought of her, with light brown nipples that took up basically none of her shockingly ample chest. Apparently her breasts were wrapped well when training. Of course she was small and skinny, especially about the waist, though the flare of her hips when she spun in a circle made him realize that her bottom came out farther than he would have expected. Due to this, he could still see a flash of pink when she was turned around.

And his eyes had not deceived him. She had not a spot of hair on her that was not blond. Holding out his arms, he wrapped her up as she plopped down on his lap, kissing her softly.

“I’m definitely liking this initiative you’ve developed, but what led this on?” Naruto asked as he pulled away, his fingers trailing down her arms and over her entire body, leaving shivers across her skin. She wiggled when his fingers trailed from the tips of her ears, to the tips of her toes. As he came back up, she spread her legs and he dove right on in, hoping to explore.

Her back was pressed against his chest as one of his hands began to run circles up her belly, reaching her nipples and tickling them with the tips of his hesitant fingers.

“I wanted to,” she finally whispered, gasping when he realized there was a hole in the silkiest region of her body and plunged a finger in. “It just seemed like it would happen eventually anyways, as I have no plans of suddenly stopping this, so why not today? You said it first, after all.”

Her voice changed in the most amazing ways as Naruto continued to explore, realizing that the area just below the blond, downy hair was incredibly sensitive. He soon began to rub soft, slow circles on that spot and it was obvious by how her body began to involuntarily shudder that she liked it. Soon though, he could feel something growing firm beneath his fingers and when he looked down between his spread index and middle digits, he saw a protrusive piece of flesh.

“Do you know what that is?” He asked, only getting a jerkily shaken head as she hissed,

“Keep rubbing it, though. I’ve never felt this good.” He brought both hands down, one pulling her lips apart while the other gyrated quickly until she was left a drooling mess against his chest, panting and gasping into his neck. He realized as they lay there that her legs must have been jelly, because he spread them as far as he could without any signs of reaction.

Naruto’s new favorite spot looked different like that, the two lips’ bisection obvious as they fell apart to either side and the hole he’d been exploring sat clenching and loosening over and over as she shook on top of his body.

“I –I can’t even think…” She gasped aloud, her fingers now delving her own body expertly as she knew just what she wanted. Naruto, having emulated Itachi for years, quickly got how she brought herself over the edge and brought her fingers to his mouth with one hand as the other took its place. Immediately, she was sent back into a convulsing mess as he brought her to orgasm for a second time that afternoon.

An hour later she was asleep on his bed, Naruto just lying beside her watching as her chest rose and fell. She’d begged him to cuddle with her and sleep, but he rarely slept more than a few hours a night so if he did so now it would never happen when he actually needed to. Still, he snuggled up to her form, kissing her shoulder softly as he wondered over the last few hours.

Ino muttered something unintelligible in her sleep, rolling over until she was draped over his chest. Naruto smiled into her hair, content in peace and quiet for the first time he could remember. Closing his eyes and lying back on the bed, he just listened to the sounds of her breathing and came to terms with this new aspect of his life.

It was only a short few hours later when Ino began to stir against him, her hair splayed across his chest as she rubbed at her eyes. He pushed her blond, silky tresses to the side and pressed his lips against her forehead. “Sleep well?” She nodded into his lips, seeming suddenly shy as she asked,

“What time is it?” When he shrugged she rolled off of him, sitting up and remembering her state of undress. Blushing and grabbing the covers, Ino wrapped them around herself only to be stopped by a frowning Jinchuuriki.

“Ino-chan, I was enjoying that view.” She let him unwrap the sheets, though he noticed that the red of her embarrassment went all the way down her neck as she struggled to not turn away. “Hey,” Naruto asked, grabbing her cheek with his calloused hand, “what’s wrong?”

She shrugged, trying to smile as she admitted, “I guess I’m just not used to this yet. Even after…” Ino trailed off, looking down at her nude form only to squeak in surprise when he took a firm hold of her too lower cheeks and held her up against him. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck as he explained,

“I’m comfortable with you, even in my home where I’ve only ever let the Hokage before. I want you to be comfortable with me, especially when we are exploring this relationship.” He kissed her softly on the lips, trying not to let his eyes trail over her body as he wanted her to know how serious he was. “How can I help?”

“Let’s take a bath together, Naruto-kun.” She grabbed at his waistband and pulled the mesh shirt up to his armpits. He walked over to the wall and leaned her against it, removing his hands for her derriere as he pulled it completely over his head. Her hands traced his body, noting the scars before she unwrapped her legs and slid down his body, her fingers following.

“Go ahead, Ino-chan.” He was completely erect, but she couldn’t tell that until his wraps came off. He watched as she pulled at the strings of his pants, letting them slip off and hit the floor at his feet. Knowing where the bandages came together, Naruto pulled a piece apart from the rest and she quickly began to unwind it from his leg. As she completed that thigh, her breath caught and she had to stop for a moment and fret over some string on the carpet at her feet. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m … nervous. I’ve never seen one before. What does it look like?” Naruto couldn’t help but laugh at her ridiculous question, but when she pouted and glared at him he relented.

“Well, it depends. If I’m not aroused, my penis hangs limp. As I am now, though.” He grabbed the obvious bulge that ran down the opposite leg and Ino’s hands flew up to her mouth.

“T-that big?” He rolled his eyes, quickly undoing the bandages with practiced ease. Each round about revealed more skin until she could only blush and silently inspect his exposed flesh. Each inch of his erection widened her eyes just a bit more until it pulled itself free and bobbed to attention. With one, final tug he pulled the bandages free from his leg and they fell haphazardly to the ground. “Let’s go.” She stood up, though her eyes couldn’t seem to leave his apparently voyeuristic phallic. When she finally turned around, he innocently said,

“Do you want to touch it?” She whipped back around, her eyes wide as she immediately latched onto it and whispered,

“It’s so warm.” Naruto was trying to be calm about this, but it was difficult when the girl he was so attracted to had him in a vice grip and didn’t seem intent on letting go any time soon. When she stroked him a few times, as she’d heard guys do it, he let out a shaky breath and reminded her,

“Aren’t we taking a bath?” Now it was her turn to roll her eyes as she said with a smirk,

“I only wanted to get in the bath to get you naked. Now that you are, I’ve got you right where I want you.” Naruto didn’t much mind that, letting Ino have her way as she began to play with him more confidently.

Of course, that’s right when someone knocked on the door. Ino froze, her hands dropping from his genitals like wildfire. He pulled her up, crushing her against his chest as he hissed into her ear, “Go start the water. I’ll be in within a couple of minutes.” She hurriedly did as told, though her playful glare when he swatted her bouncing bottom told him she wasn’t too worried.

Walking to the door after slipping his pants back around his waist, Naruto frowned when he was met by a pair of Chuunin who were immediately all business,

“Uzumaki Naruto, you are ordered by the council to appear before them tomorrow morning at oh-nine hundred.” Biting his tongue, realizing he was more annoyed that they were taking his private time with Ino away than anything else, he simply asked,

“On what context?” As always, he gave an appreciative thought to Itachi’s diction, which had quickly rubbed off on him. Totally concise and totally confusing to a young orphan who had never heard half the words that the man used before. His explanation of the definition was usually just as confusing, though the man was as apathetic to that as the original problem.

“The death of two Chuunin shinobi of the Leaf,” the second man’s voice was much colder than the first, his eyes glaring hard into Naruto’s as he quickly handed him a scroll with the information and stalked away. His partner followed after adding,

“Those two were his friends. Despite the fact that they attacked you first, you killed two-“

“Excuse me.” Naruto cut off sharply, his arms folding across his chest. “But I only killed one of the two. The first was taken by ANBU after mentioning the Kyuubi in my presence.” The man froze, looking for all intents and purposes like he wanted to jump right off the balcony of the apartment.

“Y-You know?” Rolling his eyes, the blond nodded as he replied,

“Of course I know. The bastard is in my body, after all. If anyone should know, it’s the jailer of the strongest Bijuu in existence. Now good day, Chuunin-san.” Turning and closing the door, Naruto was unsurprised to see Ino waiting in the doorway. She held out her arms and he walked into her naked form, grabbing her up and carrying her off towards the bath.

It was a comfortable pair of early teens that found themselves cuddling in the warm water nearly an hour later, their skin pruned and clean despite the sweat that they had built up. Ino was rubbing slow circles on his arm with her fingers as he held her face to face. A soft kiss slowly led into a tongue twisting exchange that left Ino breathless.

“I might be charged with the deaths of those Chuunin, Ino-chan.” Her lazy smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by a frown as she asked,

“On what charges? You were defending us both!” He stroked her wet hair a bit, smiling despite his own worries.

“The council is only doing this because of the Kyuubi,” he explained, “if I was any other Genin they would never think of punishing me for this… not that it would ever happen to any other Genin.” She rested her head on his shoulder, trying to comfort him despite her own discomfort. If she hadn’t been so weak, maybe it would have been both of them who fought the two. Maybe he wouldn’t have had to let them hurt him to take their attention away from her.

“Naruto-kun, will you train me to be a great Kunoichi?” He looked surprised as she sat up and continued, “I mean, you’ve already taught me a bit, but you know so much more than I seemingly ever will. Maybe if you train me, we can actually work as a team.”

“We do work as a team-“ Naruto stopped at her frowning face, realizing that she didn’t appreciate him basically lying to her. “Look, you and Shikamaru are right where you are supposed to be for our age group. The fact that I am so far ahead is solely because of Uchiha Itachi’s tutelage and … of course I’ll train you.” Her bright smile when he relented made him happier than he anticipated and it was only then that he questioned: is this love?

Shaking the thought off, subconsciously desiring to leave it for another time, Naruto continued, “We’ll start tonight, Ino-chan. I’ll first help you understand the theories behind your Chakra manipulation and even some elemental manipulation if we get that far, then we can work on finding a Taijutsu style that fits this tight little body of yours.” His hands trailed down her back and then up her stomach. She shivered as he cupped her breasts.

“Naruto-kun… I can’t think when you touch me like this. Save the fun for later.” He relented after giving her nipples one, last pinch. If only they could just stay like this forever.