Inbred

Soft_touches: There will be a happy ending but that's all I'm going to say.

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Chapter 33

Naruto tried to shake the image of Sasuke dragging an involuntary Neji into his bedroom as he knocked on the door opposite his own, down the main hall. He heard a movement on the other side but when it suddenly became quiet again he alerted the girl inside that it was just him. The lock clicked and the door was gently pulled away from its crease to reveal the coy tenant.

She blushed slightly and stammered her greeting, "G-Good morning, N-aruto-kun." He wondered what she was so bashful about and he assumed it was probably because she was wearing pajamas, but that didn't make much sense to the blond because he had seen her in less...alot less. He mentally shook his head, Hinata was a strange person when it came to her modesty, because she really didn't have anything to be modest about.

Naruto could tell the two-piece ensemble she wore belonged to Neji because the outfit looked three sizes too large for the tiny waif. The collar of the buttoned-down silk top clung carelessly to her narrow shoulders and as she shifted uncomfortably from side to side one end would droop ever so slightly to reveal a smooth, pale shoulder. The buttons themselves were large and spaced too far apart and most of her cleavage was visible in the 'V' shaped neckline. She had rolled up the long sleeves but not by enough and it completely swallowed the hand she had by her side.

Neji had a fairly long torso so the hem of the shirt that would usually fall just below his waist was now dangling just above the girl's knees. The pants, he imagined, were probably just as uncomfortable and she had both hems rolled up so she could walk in the thing but the silk material didn't stay in place very long so she had to keep adjusting it.

"Good morning Hinata," he mumbled. His usually chipper voice and exuberant personality were not present with him this moment. He should be ecstatic that he found the girl of his dreams and that they were now together, living just a stone's throw away and he should be celebrating that he defended her honour by confronting and rescuing her from her personal demons and although Hinata meant so much more to him than Neji he could not shake the concern he had for the other man and in that moment Naruto knew that he really did care about the obstinate prick.

Hinata was worried when she saw the downcast expression on her crush's face, she didn't like to see him that way. She supposed he was still upset about what happened to her last night and she worked quickly to allay his consternations. "Naruto-kun, please don't worry about me. I'm fine now."

The boy suddenly snapped out of his acute depression and was relieved that she had misunderstood his concern. He'd let her think he was worried about her because if he disclosed that he was worried about Neji then it would only upset her. He broke into his fox-like grin and rubbed his hand behind his head, "That's good to hear Hinata-chan, I didn't get much sleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about you." It was a half-truth, he didn't get much sleep last night because he was too busy seeking vengeance on her behalf but that was something he wouldn't disclose to her either.

Hinata blushed profusely and a warm feeling spread throughout her body. Naruto had been thinking about her all night? She suddenly felt very anxious and brought a finger to her mouth to nervously nibble on it. It was an incredibly cute gesture made even more so by the shirt's neckline that had slipped off her shoulder by a few centimeters. "I...I'm sorry I was the reason you didn't get much sleep."

He shrugged one shoulder then stifled a yawn, even talking about sleep was making him exhausted. Hinata caught the action and bowed politely, "If Naruto-kun wishes he can sleep here."

The perverted switch in him suddenly flicked on and he leaned closer to the girl and waggled his eyebrows, "Only if Hinata-chan will sleep with me."

She stifled a gasp and her already pink face burned a deep rouge, she brought both hands to her cheeks and averted his gaze. "P-Please don't tease me, Naruto-kun." The boy laughed at her discomfort and it only made her face turn shades darker.

He reached out and tapped his index finger against the tip of her nose, "You're so cute when you blush, you know."

"Naruto-kun!" she whimpered. "Please stop!" She couldn't take it anymore, her face was on fire and it was rapidly spreading along her neck and to her shoulders to disappear beneath the shirt and Naruto suddenly wondered how far it was going.

"Aww, I'm sorry Hinata. I promise I won't tease you anymore....right now," he added with a wink.

It was dangerous for them to be standing there in the hallway with the door open so Naruto let himself in and Hinata closed it behind him, putting the lock back in its place. "Naruto-kun," she asked. "Where is Neji-niichan?"

He stiffened visibly then decided to play ignorant. "Umm, Neji?"

The girl nodded before she continued. "Uchiha-san came by earlier this morning and took niichan into his room, but he's not back yet and I thought maybe...maybe you saw him while you were over there."

There was no getting around it, he'd have to lie to her. "Umm yeah, Sasuke and Neji are working on this group thing and they get really anal whenever I interrupt them so Neji asked me to keep an eye on you to give me something to do." His excuse sounded authentic enough but the important thing was that Hinata believed him, it was also important that she didn't go looking for her cousin right now. "Why, did you want him or something?"

She shook her head. The truth was that she was feeling a little disoriented after waking up in a strange, new place. At Hatsumomo's she always had Ten-Ten or one of the other girls to talk to but after Sasuke arrived and took away Neji she felt terribly lonely, but Neji had sent Naruto over to keep her company so she suddenly felt much better.

Unlike Neji, Naruto hadn't bothered to bathe or change his clothes after he got back from their little mission and he felt apprehensive about sitting on, much less touching the man's upholstery. Hinata saw his hesitation and encouraged him to make himself comfortable.

"Eh, I'm not..." he couldn't find the appropriate word to use, "I'm not clean Hinata."

She furrowed her thin brows, not quite sure to make of what he'd just said. "Umm, Naruto-kun can have a bath if..." her voice trailed off and Naruto noticed that she was blushing profusely again. He couldn't resist, she made that one much too easy.

"A bath sounds nice," he admitted then gave her a wolfish grin. "But only if Hinata-chan will scrub my back for me?"

She made an embarrassed noise deep in her throat and brought her hands up to her cheeks again. "Naruto-kun, you promised."

He laughed and brought his hands up half-way to wave them in mock surrender. "Okay, okay I'm sorry. But," he sighed and dropped his hands to his hips slipping one into the pocket of the black jeans pants. "I'm serious about that bath though."

Hinata escorted him to the bathroom and when she flicked on the light he suddenly believed that taking a bath was a bad idea. Could it be possible that the room where one did most of their day-to-day functions be so clean? The white tiles shone brilliantly against the overhead fluorescent lamp, the large mirror was spotless and had no dried water-marks on it. The bottles and assorted toiletries on the sink's counter-top appeared to have been arranged by height and colour and the bathmats were completely dry. The place was immaculate and Naruto wondered if they even used the bathroom at all.

"Please enjoy your bath, Naruto-kun," she bowed her pink face slightly then excused herself to give the boy his privacy.

Naruto stood transfixed in the middle of the room and stared stupidly at the shower / bathtub suddenly feeling very intimidated by it. He eventually overcame his fears and stripped himself of his clothing before stepping into the tub and closing the sliding door behind him.

The powerful spray of water relaxed him and he turned his head towards it to let it beat against his face and chest. Usually Naruto didn't mind sharing soap, to him it was one of those things that cleaned itself but he didn't feel comfortable using either of the two bars in front of him; one which he assumed was Neji's and the other was most likely Hinata's. Apparently they didn't like to share soap either.

He sighed and contented himself to at least wash his hair but the shampoo smelled too flowery and his masculinity refused to let him use it. He looked up at the two bars of soap again and having no choice reached out to take the bigger one. His amazing powers of deduction told him it was Hinata's since she had only been here last night and she would have been given a new bar. Unfortunately, it was pink and while his testosterone should have been screaming at him to put the damned thing back he was suddenly excited because the soap belonged to Hinata. This was the bar of soap that she had bathed with, this was the bar of soap that had caressed her entire body and knew every intimate part of her. He was suddenly envious of this bar of soap.

He heard her voice then saw her misshapen figure through the textured glass. It got closer and he heard that quiet voice ask if he was alright.

Naruto grinned and placed the effeminate soap back in its place. "Hinata, could you get me a bar of soap please?" He saw her head nod before she moved over to the counter-sink and opened a drawer to remove an unidentifiable object. Naruto watched her the whole time but wished the glass was plain so he could see her clearly. That would also mean that Hinata would be able to see him and while Naruto didn't care he imagined the girl wouldn't even be in here if that were the case.

She approached the shower again and slid the door open slightly, just enough so she could slip her hand inside and offer another bar of pink soap. Naruto's face fell flat. He reached out to take the object but before the girl could pull away he grabbed her wrist with his other hand. He heard her gasp and felt her tug against him but he didn't release her.

"Umm, Naruto-kun," her voice was shaky and he imagined she was embarrassed but he suddenly felt like making her even more uncomfortable. He relinquished his hold on the sop to leave it clutched in the girls hand then flung the sliding door wide open to give her a daring view of his naked body glistening with water droplets.

Hinata gasped and her eyes flew open wide and the bar of soap slipped out of her palm and thunked noisily against the tub.

Naruto grinned at the heated blush that tainted her face and when she realized that she had been staring much too long at him she clamped her eyes shut and turned her head away in shame. "F-Forgive me, Naruto-kun," she stammered her apology and made another attempt to free her wrist from his grasp. He felt her try to pull away but instead of allowing her her freedom he gently tugged her towards him into the shower.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at him in shock, his eyes were smoky and half-lidded and a slow languid smile was plastered across his lips, it got wider as he pulled her into the bath and slid the door shut. Hinata backed away from him but Naruto immediately closed the distance between them and trapped her against the shower wall with both arms planted on either side of her head. Her breathing was laboured and he knew she was nervous, he hoped he wasn't scaring her but she looked very enticing right now.

She kept her head low and although he couldn't see her eyes he knew that she was looking at anything except his rapidly hardening erection...or she probably had them closed. Naruto cupped her chin with a thumb and forefinger and tilted her head backwards to look into her face. Her eyes were open. Hinata made a strangled little sound in the back of her throat that he assumed was a whimper, she opened her mouth to say something but no sound emerged so she closed it again, then she did something she shouldn't have. It wasn't a large gesture, it was very subtle and if Naruto hadn't been paying attention he would have missed her tiny, pink tongue peek between her small lips to offer moisture on their dry surface.

Naruto moaned and dipped his head to claim her mouth in a ravenous kiss, Hinata gasped and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her soft lips to search for the little muscle that had teased him earlier. She was reluctant to produce it but he patiently coaxed it into participation. Naruto tilted his head to gain better access and Hinata raised her arms to rest them on his shoulders, but when her skin came into contact with his own she quickly removed them.

The blond boy chuckled, "It's okay Hinata, you can touch me if you want to."

The girl blushed furiously and averted her eyes from his gaze, "But...Naruto-kun you're-" she suddenly broke off, she couldn't say that word so she substituted it with another one that was more appropriate. "You're wet."

He slipped one hand easily into the front of the pajama pants to fondle her womanhood causing her to gasp and her hips to twitch in reflex. He chuckled, "So are you, Hinata-chan."

"Naruto-kun?" Her voice called out to him and the sharp rap against the shower door snapped him out of his little fantasy. Shit! It wasn't real. He gave a disappointed sigh and turned to look at the obscure figure of the girl through the carved glass.

"Yeah?" he muttered then began to lather his hands with the soap he still had clutched in them.

"Umm, I...are you...alright?" Hinata had been worried about him. She'd slipped in quietly to rest a couple of towels on the clothes hamper for him to use and although she had made a very firm effort to avoid looking in his direction while he showered she noticed that he wasn't moving at all. She had even called out to him a few times but he didn't respond and she wondered if something was wrong.

"Yeah I'm okay!"

Well he seemed fine enough now so maybe her imagination was just running away with her. She informed him about the towels and Naruto asked her if she'd be so kind as to dry him off when he was finished but she politely declined.

The pink soap wasn't so bad, it mildly smelled of flowers but it was not as strong as the shampoo, in fact he even ended up using the soap to wash his hair. He shut off the tap when he was finished and stepped out of the shower, grimacing when the thirsty bath-mat absorbed every drop of water that fell from his body to leave dark patches in its fibers. So much for trying not to make a mess. Well, there was nothing he could do about that now, it would dry again but he hoped that it would do so before Hyuga noticed it. The boy snatched up a thick, white towel and opened it to cover the top of his head and dry his hair, he caught a movement from the corner of his eye and turned to stare face to face at the sexy young man reflected in the mirror.

Naruto thought he was hot and so did his reflection who ran his azul eyes across the lean, muscular body and nodded with approval. He was indeed a fine specimen. Naruto wouldn't say he was vain or anything because he liked it when other people admired his body as much as he did and why, oh why, would he keep all this masculine goodness to himself. Sharing was caring right? And Naruto loved to share!

Okay, so maybe he WAS a little vain! Naruto shook his head and laughed at himself while he continued to dry the rest of his body. A quick scan around the room revealed that his clothes were no longer present and substituting in their place was a neatly folded pile of apparel. Hinata must have taken his clothes when she came with the towels and left some of Neji's for him to wear.

Okay, he'd bathe in the man's shower, use his cousin's soap and now that he felt somewhat clean he'd even risk sitting on the man's furniture but there was NO chance in hell he'd wear the man's clothes. There was also no way he was going to walk around naked, well...he wouldn't mind, he'd really love to give Hinata an eyeful but he supposed he'd spare her this one time, besides he didn't know how soon Neji would be back (if he came back at all) and if he saw him parading around stark naked in front of his cousin he'd probably slit his throat and toss his lifeless body through the top floor window.

Being the ingenious lad, he wrapped the towel firmly around his waist and made sure it was secure to avoid any embarrassing moments before leaving the bathroom and stepping into the hall. He didn't see Hinata but he heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen and he wondered if Neji had somehow managed to escape from Sasuke and made it back here in one piece. If that were the case then he'd better make his presence known, it wouldn't help to be sneaking around in a half-naked state, Neji might just end up getting the wrong impression.

He clutched the towel firmly then rounded the corner, "Neji?"

But it wasn't the Hyuga boy, it was the Hyuga girl. She turned to acknowledge his presence but the second she laid eyes on him she gasped and her face turned red, the frying-pan that she was holding in one hand fell noisily to the tiled floor. Her breath hitched once before it started coming out in little puffs and she stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the almost naked man a few feet away from her. Her face burned and it tingled uncomfortably and she wondered if the first layer of her skin was going to peel.

He said something but Hinata didn't hear it over the rapid beating of her heart and when she didn't respond he tilted his head to one side and gave her a funny look before he shook his head and smiled. He approached her then and Hinata's gaze never faltered from him even when he kneeled down in front of her to pick up the kitchen utensil and from this close angle she could see that his yellow hair was still damp near the roots. He rose and she was suddenly looking at a bronzed chest with dark, flat nipples spaced parallel and evenly apart.

She didn't mean to stare but she couldn't force herself to look away.

He held out the pan to her but she didn't take it. Naruto sighed and took one of her hands to give it to her by its handle but she didn't grip it and it slipped and fell towards the floor again but this time it didn't land on the tiles, it landed on Naruto's foot.

He hissed as the sharp pain shot through the bones in his foot and the nerves quickly relayed a message to his brain to scream 'That fucking hurt!'.

"Naruto-kun, I'm so sorry," she had snapped out of her trance by now and the nurturing part of her immediately took over. She pulled out a chair and made him sit on it, before she got to her knees and held the abused foot in her small hands. Her touches were gentle to avoid irritating the already tender flesh and she massaged her fingers into little circles, the soft pads making a therapeutic attempt to soothe away the pain.

The boy watched, transfixed as she kneaded the skin with her hands, the girl was an expert and he suddenly felt jealous of all the other people she must have honed this skill on. His body didn't give him a chance to simmer in his jealousy because he was suddenly starting to feel very warm. It tingled wherever she touched him and even though the place where the heavy pan struck him earlier was now a dull ache he didn't feel it. His breathing came in little pants, muted as the air escaped the thin gap between his lips and her image was blurry as he watched her from heavy-lidded eyes.

His exhaustion was starting to kick in and her ministrations were suddenly making him very sleepy but there was one part of him that was wide-awake and if the towel had been a few inches smaller then she would have got an interesting view.

He also noticed that, for some reason, Hinata was not at all embarrassed by this because her blush had completely vanished and in it's place was a concerned expression and the furrowed brows indicated that she was concentrating on what she was doing. If only she knew what she was really doing.

Naruto slid his hand towards his crotch to hide the evident arousal. He was a little disgusted with himself for getting hard just because a girl was caressing his foot but then again this wasn't just an ordinary circumstance.

She looked up at him and he became lost in those translucent eyes. "Naruto-kun does it feel better?"

"A little, but if you kiss it it would feel alot better," he had meant it as a tease but his voice was husky and to Hinata it sounded as if he were serious. She blushed then and dipped her head to press delicate lips against the tiny bump that had formed. He gasped and his cock twitched against the rough fabric of the towel and the friction sent sparks shooting along his spine.

"Is it better now Naruto-kun?" she asked and the boy nodded his head in response. Hinata smiled and gently placed his foot on the ground before standing to make her way towards the frying pan but she barely made two steps before she had to stop and adjust the cuffs on the pajama pants again.

It was an innocent gesture but what she hadn't realized was that as she leaned over she was giving Naruto a great view of her ass. It wiggled when she shifted to adjust the second leg and it took most of his self-control not to jump on her right there and then. She retrieved the pan and washed it at the sink then turned to the boy who was watching her intently.

"Umm...are you hungry, Naruto-kun?" He suppressed the urge to respond to the double entendre and nodded instead. "What would you like to eat?"

That one, he didn't ignore. "You!" he replied with a wicked grin and Hinata put her hands against her cheeks as she suddenly remembered what he did to her in the park that day.

"Naruto-kun, you're teasing me again," her voice was very low and the boy had to strain to hear it.

"Who said I was teasing, Hinata-chan," he drawled then pushed himself off the chair to gingerly walk over to her, the foot still smarted somewhat. His chest was suddenly within her view again but this time she drooped her head to stare at her feet. One hand cupped her chin and the other held her firmly by the waist. He lifted her head until they were face to face and Hinata's breath caught in her throat at the smoldering expression on the boy's face.

"I just want a little taste," he whispered then brought his head down to take her lips in a searing kiss. Hinata gasped and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth to playfully encourage her tongue to join his. She willing complied.

Naruto moaned and drew her wet muscle into his mouth to suckle it with fervor. Hinata brought her hands up to rest them coyly on his broad shoulders and when her skin touched his he shivered and roughly pulled her flush against him. She felt his erection poke suggestively against her inner thigh and Hinata jumped back, breaking the kiss and breaking free from his embrace but her foot got caught in the hem of the oversized pants and she fell backwards against the sink. Her arms reached out in her desperation to clutch at anything for support but one brushed against the Rubbermaid dish drain causing it and all the utensils therein to clatter noisily on the floor next to her.

"Hinata!" the concerned boy cried out to her and got to his knees, she was cradling her wrist and biting on her lower lip, a pained expression evident on her round features. Naruto snatched the hand she was holding and brushed away the annoyingly long sleeve to reveal a large bruise that was steadily becoming darker. She must have hit her hand against something hard when she knocked down the drainer.

He was relieved it wasn't a knife or any other such sharp implement but it still upset him that she had been hurt. "Dammit, Hinata," he swore and administered the same massaging action she used against his foot upon her wrist. "You should really take that pants off before you hurt yourself," but this time Naruto wasn't teasing, he was dead serious. The girl muttered an apology and Naruto swore under his breath. He released her hand a bit too roughly then went about the task of clearing the floor and putting everything back in its place atop the sink.

"Hinata you should be more careful," he muttered angrily. He didn't mean to sound so harsh towards her but when he saw her fall backwards the worst thoughts popped into his head. She could have hit her head against the sink, she could have punctured her hand against a knife or those utensils could have come crashing down on her. It wasn't an entirely life-threatening situation but in that one instant he was unable to do anything to protect her. It had all happened so fast and he wasn't able to save her in time. He'd never be able to live with himself if something awful happened to her and he had to watch it happen.

Naruto wasn't gentle as he shoved forks, spoons and knives into little slots, they clinked together noisily and Naruto cursed each and every one. Finished, he turned to berate Hinata again but his words vanished and he stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the girl before him. She was blushing and her face was turned towards the floor and cradled in her arms was the pajama pants that Naruto had warned her about. She had actually taken it off? His gaze dropped lower, over the hips and thighs that were well hidden beneath the over-sized shirt to rest on pale knees then dipped to take in her smooth calves and dainty, little feet.

Whatever he was going to say got lost in his mouth and for the life of him he couldn't remember why he was so mad at her in the first place. She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny and he watched as her feet padded softly against the cold tiles. "Naruto-kun, I'm sorry if I made you mad at me."

He gave her a reassuring smile then reached out to caress one cheek with the back of his hand. "It's okay Hinata-chan, besides," he added with a smile and a warm peck against her forehead. "When you look at me like that, it's hard to stay mad at you."

She clutched the article of clothing closer to her chest and smiled up at him. He loved to see her smile.

There was a ruckus at the main door and Naruto instinctively pushed Hinata behind him to hide her from view. The knob turned and he heard muffled voices on the other side. Who the hell would be trying to get into Neji's place...except...

The door swung open and Sasuke appeared in the archway.

"Don't you have your key, Hyuga?" he asked as he removed the copy he had from the lock to slip it back into his pants pocket.

"No, I don't have my fucking key, Uchiha. I didn't get a chance to take it with me after you dragged my ass out of bed this morning."

Sasuke tsked and stepped back to let his lover storm past him, "Sorry!"

"Look forget it, Uchiha just get out so I can get some sleep."

"Are you throwing me out again?" he teased but Neji wasn't in the mood.

"Fuck you!"

"If you're tired, koi I can tuck you in."

"Haven't you punished me enough, Uchiha?" he spat venomously and crossed his arms over his chest. They glared at each other and amused onyx eyes clashed with furious violet. But it was Sasuke who broke the gaze when he noticed a familiar patch of blond hair from the corner of his eye. Neji turned to see what he was looking at and his blood pressure rose significantly when he saw the half-naked boy standing in his kitchen. "Naruto, what the fuck do you think you're doing? You can't walk around my place like that, what if Hinata sees you?"

The girl in question peeked out from behind the tall blond and whispered a nervous greeting to her cousin. Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he took in the appearance of the two and he sincerely hoped they hadn't come in at a bad time.

"Hinata!" Neji reprimanded her for her half-naked attirement as well. "Don't walk around like that when you know you don't have any panties on."

Naruto stiffened, Hinata blushed and Sasuke slapped his forehead with an open palm.

"B-But Naruto-kun said I shouldn't wear them if-"

"Wait! Naruto told you to take them off?" The girl nodded and Neji's eye twitched. "AND YOU LISTENED TO HIM?" Hinata yelped and hid behind the boy again who was now having a hole burned through his skull by the Hyuga's fiery glare. "Naruto, I'm going to kill you!"

He made an attempt to rush at the boy but Sasuke managed to grab him in time.

"Oh for fuck's sake, Uchiha, not this shit again," he rolled his eyes and tried to break free of the submissive hold Sasuke had around his arms. "Let me go already."

"Neji calm down," his lover barked and pulled him firmly against his chest.

"I'm NOT going to calm down," he shouted back. "This is all your fault you know, if you hadn't sent that horny little bastard over here in the first place then he wouldn't be here trying to fuck my cousin in the first place."

Sasuke knew that this was just some misunderstanding although Neji couldn't see it. He knew the boy wasn't stupid enough to try to have sex with the girl with Neji close by but, apparently, he was stupid enough to ask the girl to take off her clothes for him, and why the hell was he walking around Hyuga's place in just a towel anyway?

'Naruto,' he groaned inwardly. 'What the hell is wrong with you?'

"Neji, you're misunderstanding," the blond teen spoke up in his defense and made an attempt to explain the situation.

"No! You're the one that needs to understand something Uzumaki. If I catch you sniffing around my cousin again I'll break off your ba-mmph." His threat was muffled by one of the Uchiha's large hands over his mouth. He had managed to silence him just in time, Sasuke was sure Hinata didn't need to hear the rest of that sentence.

"Neji please try to get your temper under control." That was easy for him to say but Sasuke didn't have any sisters or a female cousin for that matter and although he wasn't entirely sure how the Hyuga boy felt, he imagined that if he did in fact have one he certainly wouldn't want to her to wind up in this same situation, especially with Uzumaki Naruto of all people.

Sasuke then released the other man who continued to glare daggers at the boy but he didn't make any movements towards the him, "Sasuke," he growled. "Please take your friend and leave."

The short-haired brunette nodded and beckoned the blond over to him. He obeyed and made his way to Sasuke's side while keeping his gaze locked with Neji's. Sasuke stepped between the two, effectively obstructing their eye contact and he shook his head and gave Naruto a look that told him he was in deep shit now.

Naruto sighed. Not only was he going to have to pay for what he did earlier this morning but apparently he was going to get in trouble for this too.