Vacation Memories

"Here we are. Home away from home" Kakashi bubbled. Team 7 moaned wearily from the days travel. They looked at the resort with wide eyes. It was huge. The outside paneling were logs making it look like a log cabin, a wide wooden staircase that led to a large wrap around deck. On the deck, tables and chairs were set up with a few people scattered here and there talking and eating. Large sitting windows graced the first floor. The building had 4 floors. Naruto gave a low apreciative whistle of the building. " Lets get inside and settled. Sakura will be in her own room as will I. Sasuke and Naruto your sharing."

" WHAAA!! NO WAY AM I SHARING A ROOM WITH HIM!!!!" Naruto shouted pointing a thin finger at Sauske. Inwardly he was really conflicted. He wanted to share a room with him, to be close to Sasuke but he had hoped to have his own room so he can practice, study and drop his happy, enthusiastic, idiot mask and just be himself for a little while. After all he did need to re-energize. He groaned inwardly, this was definitaly going to be a bad week.

"Tch.. you think I want to share a room with you.." Sauske had a smirk on his face but was blatenly rejoicing at his luck on the inside.

Kakashi saw the gleam in Sasuke's eyes and almost laughed. "You have no choice.. now shut it and lets get moving"

Naruto let out another groan but continued walking towards the Inn. He walked grudgingly up the stairs, shoulders slumped. He had really hoped he would be able to drop his mask for a little while when he got to the solitude of his room. Sighing he whispered lowly "shit.. and here I thought I would be able to relax..." unfortunatly Sasuke heard the whispered words and gave a curious look to the blond who seemed oblivous.

" Hey dobe, whats the matter with you?

" Leave me alone.. not in the mood to deal with you Uchiha." he said coldly eyes narrowed in a glare that made even Sasuke shudder. He realized to late what he had done and mentally slapped himself ::Fucking great not here for 10mins and Im already letting my mask slip.. shit::. Sighing he realized this was going to be alot harder than he thought. His patience, though almost never ending, was a little short since he left Konoha. "Ehehe... guess Im just tired.." he scratched the back of his head and gave them his best fox grin hoping that would be enough.

Still looking warily at Naruto, Kakashi just nodded and went through the double doors. This was a side he knew was there, but never seen. He made a mental note to watch the boy a little more carefully in the future. He had suspected that Naruto was hiding something from them all. Their first mission together to the Wave country proved he was smarter than he let on. At least he thought he was smarter.. but one can never be to sure with him. What was the saying about idiots harboring moments of true intelligence?

Sasuke had his usual stoic look back on but was watching his kitsune a little more closely. It was very unusual for the boy to act as he had and he wondered if there was more to it than he was telling. He decided to give Naruto some room.

"Hey umm..Sasuke, sorry bout that. Not sure what came over me. I guess sometimes even I get a short moment. No pun intended." Naruto laughed a little nervously.

Sasuke gave him an odd look and only nodded.

Naruto rolled his eyes and bounced in his normal loud way into the Inn. Kakashi gave them their keys after talking to the desk clerk and made his way upstairs to the fourth floor to their rooms. Before they entered their respective rooms Kakashi spoke up " Hokage-sama has informed me that the jounin test will be taking place when we return. I brought the information and entry forms if any of you are interested. Just come to my room, we will discuss it and decide weather you are ready or not."

Of course Naruto ran over to him and yelled at Kakashi to give it to him now, fire blazing in his eyes. Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Get in your room, get unwound, and comfortable then come talk to me. You need to know all the details before you just jump into it Naruto." he said exasperated.

"Whatever, I already know whats required. Tsunade-baa-chan already told me, and we've already had this talk.. I'll come by shortly to get everything." he grinned at Kakashi's expresion " yeah she forces me to talk to her.. you know she knows about me wanting to become the next hokage..." he rolled his eyes and went to his door leaving the odd stares in his wake as he entered the door. He wasent supposed to tell anyone, but Tsunade had already recoginized him as her successor. And gave him special privilages to forbidden jutsus and already started some of his training to becoming the Rokudaime. He had sat in on several meetings, and made a few desions, with her approval of course, for the village. She had been very impressed by the true intellegence, shrewedness, compassion, and love he had for the village. She had recoginze his true potentional and helped to bring it out.

Sasuke shared a look with Kakashi and then silently followed behind his surprising blond. He needed to get to the bottom of this, and fast. He watched as the blond effeciantly put everything away, he noticed in Naruto's backpack there were a few scrolls, alot of kunai's and shurkens with a few other ninja paraphenilia items.

Naruto grinned a moment, back turned to the brunette, then spoke " Im going to go find the training field... actually I think Im going to go get lost to find a quiet training spot. I need to.. umm.. do a little alone time since I will be stuck with you as a rooming partner." He smiled a fox grin at Sasuke. ::Actually I need to meditate and talk to Kyuubi as well as practice this new jutsu but he doesnt need to know all that::

"Damnit kit, cant I ever get a break from you!!" kyuubi said with amusment. She didnt really mind teaching and helping her kit out.

Naruto snorted, earning a strange look from the other occupant. " Its nothing.. maybe I will tell you sometime." he said, ::not likely:: he thought inwardly and heard Kyuubi laughing.

"You know you will tell him.. I still think you should make him your mate."

Naruto frowned ' Kyuubi you know as well as I do he's A-sexual. He doesnt like anyone. No matter how much I care.. he doesnt.' Kyuubi just snorted but didnt respond. She knew better, but she wasent about to say, he would only deny it more. Though it was plain for anyone else to see how much the Uchiha brat liked her kit. She sighed, would he ever learn.

"Umm.. Sasuke later on you wanna spar together?" he really could use a partner for some taijutsu training. He had been going up against Gai-sensi and had learned alot. He was alot more well rounded now. Not that he would let anyone know how much he has truly improved. Not even Tsunade-baa-chan knew, it was just safer that way.

“ Yeah sure, why dont you do whatever your going to do at the training grounds? I can come along with you. I have a new jutsu I want to practice anyway.” Sasuke had picked up on Naruto’s odd behavior and far off look but didnt say anything.

“ Err.. ehehe.. I would rather do that somewhere else...like I said, I need some alone time.” Naruto waved then threw over his shoulder “ I’ll see you at the training ground in two hours?”

“Hai.” Sauske said, waiting a few moments then discreetly following behind Naruto, curiosity piqued at his odd behavior.

Naruto had gotten the papers from Kakashi and ran swiftly in the tree branches, he had talked to the Inn keeper and he had told him of a clearing where alot of ninja go to meditate. He knew Sasuke was following him, he sighed inwardly. ‘ Dammit!! I suppose this means I wont get to practice that new jutsu.. and I was really looking forward to it to. Hey Kyuubi do you think you can set something up for me to practice in my mind like the last time?’

“For you kit, you know I can. Though it really is better to practice the hand signs outside of your mind. Its not the same. You can easily slip past him if you really wanted to”

‘ I know that, but then I would have to explain how I got so damn fast, and alot better at chakra control to him, and Im not ready to reveal or deal with anything.’ he groaned.

“Whatever kit, you know eventually your going to have to tell them. One of these missions everyone is going to figure it out. Anyway, are you really going for jounin?” Kyuubi asked curiously. She really loved him, he had taken so much hatered for her and not once blamed it on her.

‘ Hai, Tsunade-baa-chan said she would make sure that I get what I deserve, she wants me to be an Anbu captain, but you know how the elders are. I wonder how shes going to handle them’ he laughed. ‘ I wish I could see their faces’

Kyuubi snorted, “ Im sure she will give them hell and then some. But I really hope she doesnt make you Anbu captain, you know what that life is going to be like. I know you have killed on some of your hidden missions but still..” she trailed off leaving her concern for him to figure out.

‘ I understand Kyuubi, I would turn it down anyway. No time to train a genin team like I want to, plus the more dangerous and frequent, missions would kinda get in my way. I wouldnt be very happy and I think it would really make me more suspious. Its bad enough I have to show a little more of my real power for the exams.. Im really not looking forward to it. Anyway I think we are here I’ll be right there. Are you going to come this time to train me some more?’

“Of course kit. You know how much fun it is to train and spar with you” she grinned baring her teeth.

“Sasuke, I know your there just come out already. No sense in hiding yourself anymore.” Naruto said over his shoulder, surprising Sasuke who had thought himself well hidden. He really wanted to see how the little blond trained. Since becoming chuunin they didnt have time to train together anymore, he was quite curious to see how much he had improved.

“Hn. You been acting weird lately dobe, I was...” he stopped, pushing his blush back down. “Anyway I asked the front desk clerk for a good meditating place and he suggested here, you were heading this way so I just followed” He shrugged.

Naruto rolled his eyes, “ Whatever, Im going to be meditating for the next hour or so... “ he sat down, bringing his right leg over his left in an indian style position, then closed his eyes. He made a quick hand seal that Sasuke didnt recoginize. His features immeaditly went slack. The hand sign still formed, breath slowed to a steady pace, as if sleeping.

Sasuke stood slack jawed and staring unbelieving of what he just witnessed. ::How the hell..if I had not seen it for myself I wouldnt believe it possible to go into meditation so fast..something else for me to remember:: He watched Naruto for a few minutes before deciding to follow his comrade. He sat down in his normal meditating posture and began empting himself of all thoughts, steading and controlling his breathing and going into meditation.

“Ready kit?” Kyuubi was in her human form. A long black dress caressing her thin sultry form tightly, off setting all of her features. Long red hair flowed in waves to her ankles and bangs that framed her red tinted face. Red slit eyes looked at the blond consentrating on seals he had just learned the night before.

‘ Hai. Just let me practice this a few more times and we can get started on our spar or do you want to train me in something else?’ Naruto grinned boyishly at her. She really was beautiful in this form. She had a mother look in her eyes as she watched him.

Kyuubi only let a laugh out. “ I think we will spar today. You need the practice in your taijutsu, you have been slacking off since Gai has stopped training you.”

‘Pfft, thats not my fault’ he squrimed. After a few more practices, he stretched his lithe body like a cat then bent down into a fighting stance and told her, he was ready