Hey all you avid fanfiction readers. This is Rauchster checking in with my first little story. It's a 5k word oneshot about Naruto's homecoming. I hope you enjoy it and I have already started another story as a work in progress. I will post it soon and it will probably be heavily modified as the storyline develops.
A quick note about reviews: As with all writers, I would heavily appreciate reviews. I am a typographical and grammatical perfectionist, so if anything is wrong at all please tell me in a friendly manner, and I will correct as soon as I hear about it. If the story doesn't flow, tell me. If there is a sentence that doesn't make sense, tell me. If you want translations, tell me. If you think I am a good writer and want to hear more, tell me. If you think I'm full of hot air and should never write again, tell me. I might disagree with you, but I value your opinions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto and all characters/places/ideas related are under copyright of Masashi Kishimoto. And, if you say I own Naruto, well you're just wrong. Deal with it.
EDIT: I edited the middle part of the story. I never really liked how Tsunade just popped in, so I added in Kakashi and a new little scene. I still don't like it, but I think it's at least better than before.
She stared into Ichiraku Ramen Shop, hoping to see the boy with the spiky blonde hair. No, she corrected herself; he was no longer a boy, he was a man now. He had grown up in the 6 years that he had been gone. He was no longer the 12-year-old hyperactive knucklehead she last knew. But, she stared into the noodle shop hoping to catch a glimpse of him anyways.
Her name was Hinata, and she was a member of the Hyuuga Clan, a very prestigious clan that had the special ability of Byakugan. This bloodline trait of their clan allowed them to see in a 360 degree radius and could even see an enemy ninja's energy flow of charka and the points and paths along which it traveled. She was not just any member however; she was the eldest daughter, and the heir of the main family.
She pushed a hand through her long, inky-bluish hair, and reminisced about the many times she had seen the spunky, blonde-haired boy sit on that very stool, eating his favorite meal. She treasured those memories of him laughing and enjoying himself, because she knew that when he was there, he felt truly happy. And if he was happy, she was happy for him.
She had watched him from afar many times before he had left on a training program with his mentor, and knew most of his sad story. He had grown up alone, both his parents killed in a gigantic battle just after he had been born. Raised in the streets, and respected by nobody, he had entered the ninja academy with the hopes of becoming the village's leader, the Hokage. Then he might earn the respect that he had been deprived of. She had sat in the same classes as him for several years, always watching from the back row, as he would make up some antics to get the attention he so desired. He had little ninja skills, but worked hard to improve himself, and that was why she admired him. She, too, had been weak and fragile. But, with the courage he had given her by never giving up on himself, she found the strength to improve herself.
They had graduated the academy together, and along with 7 others from that graduating class, and a 3-ninja team from the previous year, they were quickly dubbed the rookie 12. They were divided into 4 teams of 3. Unfortunately for her, she was put into a separate team as her object of admiration. And, to make things worse, he had been put onto a team with another girl ninja, kunoichi, one that he had a crush on. Luckily, the girl, Sakura Haruno, did not return his affections.
Separated from him, she had been crushed, but she knew that he would still be near. She would take time away from training and watch him sit at Ichiraku, where he had downed many, many bowls of ramen. Or watch him in the forest, where he always trained to become stronger. And, they even had the occasional mission where they were teamed with each other, and these made her happy, just to be near him.
She knew down deep in her heart that she loved him, but was too shy and meek to ever approach him and tell him about her feelings for him. Those rare times that he had looked at her, talked with her, and on a couple occasions had held her, she would blush a bright red and stutter so badly, that she couldn't say what she wanted to say. She cursed herself for this weakness, but had never been able to conquer it.
Suddenly she woke out of her reverie at the sound of a familiar voice. It sounded almost the same, but deeper, manlier. Then she saw what looked like him. He had donned an orange jacket and pants like he always had, but they were different than before. They had stripes of black across the shoulders and down the sides. His hair was longer too, although still in the traditional spikes. She could clearly see that he was bigger too. The stool on which he had always sat had been high enough to that his feet barely scraped the floor, and yet he still hadn't been tall enough to easily reach the bowls of hot, steaming noodles as they were delivered to him. Now, though, he seemed to dwarf the stool. He sat down, with both feet planted firmly on the floor, and still his knees had to bend to be comfortable. He was hunched over the counter, when the shop's owner smiled in recognition of his previous favorite customer and asked him what he wanted.
"Miso flavored ramen, old man!" She knew that's what he would say, and even mouthed it along with him, as she always had used to. She was happy to see that some things didn't change after all but she could see he seemed calmer, and definitely more mature than when he had left. She knew he had changed, she just didn't know how much.
"You're coming, right?" Sakura said, with excitement in her voice. Sakura, who had been the blonde-haired boy's teammate for until he had left on training, was a pink-haired kunoichi that was always a bundle of energy and raw emotion. If she was happy you knew it, and if she was mad, you knew it even faster. She wore her favorite outfit, the plain red dress with a white circle on the front, and slits up to her waist. She wore her pink-hair quaffed so the her Konoha-symbol protector sat delicately on top of it and made her bangs fall to either side of her face. She and Hinata and become friends after he had left, because they both had missed him, and that gap needed to be filled somehow. So Hinata joined the group of the 3 girls, which consisted of Sakura, a blonde bundle of energy called Ino Yamanaka, and a slightly more reserved brunette named TenTen. The 3 of them, and now Hinata, were planning a surprise party for their returning comrade.
"W-Well, I don't know Sakura." Hinata replied, as shy as ever.
"Aw, come on. You know this is for Naruto right? Don't you want to see him again after 6 years? Or are you going to watch him from the shadows at Ichiraku again?"
"I don't do that!" the shy girl exclaimed, fear evident in the remark.
"We all know it, every time Naruto is at Ichiraku, you're sitting in that bush across the pathway, watching. We've all seen you there."
Hinata knew she was caught, so she didn't even respond. She just hung her head, embarrassed that they all knew.
"It's okay, we've all known for a long time. That's one reason we're throwing the party, so that you and Naruto can get together finally."
Hinata just blushed more and returned to her old standby nervous habit of playing with her two index fingers.
Sakura reached over and clasped Hinata's hands, so that she would stop that little habit. "Hinata, we have to get you some confidence. Let's go shopping for some clothes, ok?"
Hinata just stared at her, then said quietly, "Ok. Thank you Sakura."
"Well, we're gonna need some fashion advice, so let's stop at the flower shop and pick up Ino, she'll know what you should wear. We can get some flowers too."And with that, they headed out to town.
"It's good to be back!" sounded the 18-year-old blonde haired boy. His name was Naruto Uzumaki, and his dream was to become the Hokage. At least that's what he told everyone, since he couldn't really tell them his true dream. He was far too embarrassed to attempt that. For a long time, he had just wanted to be noticed, to be respected, to be loved. He had no parents since he was a baby, and couldn't even remember them. He grew up alone, and shunned from society. Even in school, he was the outcast and had to resort to being a class clown to garner attention. When everyone laughed at him, even though they laughed in scorn, he was happy because they at least knew he existed.
He then found a familiar soul in his sensei from the academy, Iruka. He too, had lost his parents in the same battle as Naruto's had died, and felt like they were kin. More like brothers than father and son, they had goofed around much, and finally Naruto had one friend. Then he graduated, and was partnered with his crush Sakura, and the brooding Sasuke Uchiha. He became friends with both, although the casual observer would think they were enemies, what with all the fighting between the three of them. As he grew and went on missions with all of the Rookie 12, he came to know them all. Finally he felt like he was noticed and maybe even slightly respected, but never loved.
"Another bowl of ramen, old man! Make this one pork!" Naruto shouted to the friendly man who ran Ichiraku. The noodle shop had always been his favorite hangout, and he could be seen there at all hours of the day. Everyone in town that knew him, knew that to find him, just wait around the shop until he showed himself.
"I wonder who will be happiest to see me? Sakura? Kakashi-sensei? Iruka-sensei? Hmmm… Maybe even… No…" he pondered, going through the list of his friends. He knew who he would be happiest to see, but didn't know where to find her. "I wonder if she will be happy to see me too?"
He had thought he had been in love with Sakura ever since he had graduated the academy, but since she had been his teammate, he had found out that he didn't like how pushy and out-going she could be. She was exactly like him in many ways, and that was actually scary. After getting to know her well, his love for her diminished, and although he could still say they were friends, he could no longer say he loved her. Instead, after he had left for his 6-year training session, he had thought more and more of a different girl. But he wasn't sure what his feelings for her were. He had talked with her several times, and she always looked away, or sometimes even fainted when he was close. He had wondered if this was because she didn't like him, or if she was just a little weird. Either way, throughout the past 6 years she had crept into his mind again and again, until he couldn't get her out.
After polishing off the last bowl of ramen, he found his unique frog-shaped purse Gama-chan. He opened it up, and like always, on top was the one photo of her that he had. She wasn't looking directly at the camera, but slightly to the side, with her head cocked at a slight angle. Her dark bluish hair was nearly shoulder-length, and parted so that some of it fell in front of her ears. Her eyes were large and soft and as white as pearls. He had got lost looking into those eyes so many times he couldn't count. She was smiling slightly, with just enough of a blush to make her cheeks a rosy pink. She was wearing the light grey jacket that she always had worn, and the blue pants of a ninja. Her hands were in front of her, her two index fingers pushing together in her cute little habit.
He pushed aside the picture for a moment to gather enough money to pay the shop owner, and then gave another glance at her face before he closed the slightly lighter frog-wallet and stepped away from the shop. 'I'll find her and talk to her' he thought to himself.
"Sakura, Hinata! How are you guys today? Ready for the fun tonight?" Ino Yamanaka called out as she saw her two friends enter the family's flower shop. Ino was Sakura's best friend from the ninja academy, and although the two always were bickering over some such thing or other, the two were so close that nothing could have driven them apart. Her long, flowing, blonde hair ran down the length of her purple half-shirt and ended at her hips. She had on her matching purple short-skirt, and her traditional tape around the upper calf and right arm. Her Konoha-symbol protector was draped around her waist, which marked her as a ninja.
"Ino, we need your advice. Hinata wants to impress Naruto at the party tonight, and I said we would help. We're gonna go clothes shopping girl!" Sakura responded.
"But… Tha-That's not what I…" Hinata was cut off as Ino squealed in excitement. The girl loved nothing more than a trip to the boutiques and stores around town.
"Ok girl, you're gonna get the best outfit in town! Let's get going!" Ino was almost jumping for joy as she called out, "Mom, I'm gonna go downtown and go shopping with my friends! I'll be back later." She then grabbed the hands and raced off, nearly dragging the two girls behind her.
"This is gonna be so fun!" Ino was excited as they walked into her favorite boutique. "I think a dress would look really good on you Hinata, something flashy and sparkly. I mean something to balance your shyness." Ino was already searching the racks as she found something that lit her eyes up. "Oooh, this is perfect! Go try it on Hinata." She practically shoved Hinata into the dressing room with the dress.
Sakura looked at her friend with wide eyes after seeing the dress she had picked out. "You sure about this Ino? That dress is pretty bold." Sakura showed her concern, but knew that she would go along with whatever Ino picked out. Sakura was better at doing the make-up than choosing the clothes anyways.
"Of course, Sakura. My sense of fashion has always been better than yours." Ino smirked as she said this.
Sakura begrudgingly admitted she was right, but only in her mind. On her face she wore a glare that would have stopped anyone cold, but Ino was used to those looks.
"Uhm, H-How do I l-look?" stuttered Hinata as she emerged from the dressing area. She was embarrassed because she had never worn anything like this before. It was a red silk spaghetti strap dress with a slightly darker red rose pattern embedded within. Along the low-cut top was a line of sparkling sequins that only seemed to enhance her body. The dress was tight, so her figure that had always been hidden underneath that bulky overcoat, was showing. She gave a quick half-turn and looked at her two friends who were awestruck at the sight. They had known that she was pretty, but hadn't really imagined that she looked like that.
Ino smiled and said triumphantly, "If you can't get Naruto's attention while wearing that, he's either blind or dead." Sakura just nodded, still amazed that she and Ino both looked like undeveloped schoolgirls next to her.
For the first time in her life Hinata actually felt pretty. She craned her to look at the mirror and saw her figure. She stopped instantly, not realizing just how revealing the dress really was. She tried to pull it up to cover herself a little more, but there wasn't anymore fabric. Ino and Sakura caught this little movement and said, "It's fine, it's supposed to look like that." "It looks spectacular, you don't have to adjust it."
Hinata was just happy that she felt so pretty, and was in a slight daze as her friends bought the dress for her and brought her back to her house. "Now remember, I'll show up at 7:15 for the makeup! See ya then!" Sakura reminded her. Hinata just nodded as she walked into the Hyuuga compound.
Naruto wandered around town for a while, reveling in how much everything had changed, including him. He was no longer the scrawny little kid that everyone remembered. Instead he had filled out during his training, becoming muscular and defined. He now stood a little over 6 feet tall and his mop of spiky blonde hair made him look even taller. His skin had tanned from the constant exposure to the sun and he wore his normal training outfit of orange and black.
His old shirt and jacket didn't even come close to fitting him anymore and he was forced to go downtown and go clothes shopping, since he was down to only one outfit. He stopped in a men's clothing store, and was pleasantly surprised at the reaction, or lack thereof from the store owner. Used to being tossed out of stores, he was almost shocked at the fact that the guy at the counter seemed to barely notice him.
Realizing he was free to do as he wished, he tried on some new clothes. He liked how the shirts stretched across his shoulders and back. He flexed an arm for experiment and found out that he almost busted the loose-knit shirt he was trying on. His legs were long and he could barely find anything that would fit him. He finally walked out of the store wearing a new set of clothes, something he thought suited his new looks well. Out of habit, he still got something with orange, but more more subdued than his old jackets. Just a black jacket with an orange spiral symbol on the back, and a fire style t-shirt with orange/yellow/red flames on it, along with traditional black ninja pants. As he looked in the mirror, he thought he looked good. Of course, his fashion sense was more than a little off from the norm. But then again, everything about him was off from the norm.
After leaving the store, he was walking down the main street, enjoying the day. The feel of the soft breeze on his face, the murmurs of the busy crowd, the smells coming from the varying food stalls, nothing was quite like Konoha. He was broken out of his reverie by a commotion across the street. Two ladies, one with pink-hair and the other a blonde, were practically carrying a third, darker haired woman, and gibbering in excitement. He thought he recognized the faces, but they passed so quickly he wasn't sure. He thought to himself 'The voices were different and the faces were different, but I swear that those women were familiar. They were really pretty too, I'll have to try and find them again.'
He finished the walk back to the apartment, and as he was about to enter he found that his old keys no longer worked. He then realized it had been six years since he had paid rent for the place, and of course it would have been emptied and sold to someone new. So here he was, proud to be home and yet when he reached home, it wasn't his anymore. It was ironic he thought.
Disappointed to be out of a place to call home, he quickly thought of all his old friends that might be able to let him stay a night. Going through a mental checklist, he crossed of Hyuuga Manor. He knew he wouldn't be welcomed in the stuffy, prestigious, and hallowed halls of the most stuck-up clan in town. Even if he did want to see Hinata and Neji again, there was no way that would work. He did know where Sakura lived, but he doubted that he would be comfortable around his former teammate in that sort of situation. Maybe back when he was 12, but not anymore. He didn't know where the clan houses for the Akimichi, Inuzuka, Aburame, Nara, or Yamanaka were, although he did know that Ino worked at a flower shop often. Again, he ran into the same problem, he didn't think he'd feel comfortable with staying over at a girl's house. And again he doubted that any of Konoha's prestigious clans would even allow him entrance. He barely even remembered TenTen's name, much less where she lived. And, he KNEW he didn't want to stay at Fuzzy-Eyebrows place, that would probably get way too strange, way too fast. He held nothing against Rock Lee, but his... well "unique"... personality just might drive him crazy. Well, crazier.
So... he was kind of stuck. Until, a masked ANBU popped up via Shunshin no Jutsu, right next to him.
He rolled his eyes. Why bother wearing a mask if your face is already half covered anyways. The answer? Because, it's just the sort of thing Kakashi would do.
"Kakashi-sensei, I thought you left the ANBU. And what's the big idea of trying to startle me like that?"
Kakashi just stood there and replied in his normal lazy drawl, "Naruto, the Hokage wants to talk to you. And, I'm back in the ANBU because she forced me to either re-join ANBU, or teach another team. After you guys, I wouldn't want to wreck my stellar reputation."
Naruto did a sweatdrop anime style. That's Kakashi for you. Blunt, lazy, and as messed up as ever. Only he would think it's easier to go hunt S-class missing-nins than to teach rookie genin.
Approaching the tower, they were waved in by the chuunin guards, and proceeded up to the Hokage's office. Tsunade was old, easily over fifty, but used a technique of sorts to make her look young, since she appeared to a normal person to be mid-twenties, along with a ridiculously enhanced bust-line. Her youthful looks were matched by her ferocious strength, and fierce temper, which is why she was the leader, or kage, of the village hidden in the leaves. But, Tsunade was a character, just like Kakashi. Naruto wouldn't want her to change for anything.
Walking in the door, Naruto smiled at her. "Hey Obaa-chan." He greeted her using his not-so-endearing term of Granny. Just like he called Jiraiya, his mentor, Ero-Sennin or Perverted Hermit, he had his nicknames for many of his most loved people.
Tsunade just eye-rolled and grinned. That was Naruto's charm. He endeared himself to anyone and everyone, as long as they cared enough to notice. "Since you were gone for such a long time, some of your friends knew that your old apartment had been sold. So they took all your belongings and reserved a new place for you when you came back." She dropped a set of keys into his palm. "It's almost ready, and you should be able to get in by 8:00 tonight."
His jaw dropped. 'My old friends remembered me?' was his first thought. He hadn't told anyone that he was coming back, so how did they know he was already in town. 'Had some of them already seen me around town? Why didn't they say anything?' He was lost in thought so Tsunade just left him as he was, knowing he'd figure it out eventually.
He glanced down at his watch, and saw that it was already 7:10. He wanted to find the new place and take a look around before he went around town. He could really use some rest, but knew better. Ever since the fox-demon inside him had been awakened and partially tamed, he would lie awake most nights and Kyuubi would berate him. "Kit, you're just not strong enough." Kyuubi would start off. That would then set off an argument that would, and normally did, last until the next morning. He couldn't remember a good night's sleep in months. But, that was the price he paid for becoming stronger. And, Kyuubi wasn't always bad. On the other hand, he was just as perverted as his last sensei, Jiraiya, And, if his body wasn't screwed up enough, he had gone through puberty while the Kyuubi inside him wanted to chase after every female nearby. Not that that was always a bad thing, it just made for some difficult explanations at times. He sighed.
Meanwhile, across town at the Hyuuga residence, Sakura was entering Hinata's room. "Ok, Hinata, it's time for your make-up!" she exclaimed gleefully as her friend turned around, already stunning in the new dress.
"You look so pretty tonight, Sakura." Hinata said politely as her friend sat down with the cosmetics next to her.
"Thanks, Hinata, but you're going to be the star of the show tonight. Now let's get going." Sakura replied pulling out different shades and colors and checking them against her friends face.
"I think this will look good." Sakura said as she pulled out some black mascara and dark purple eyeliner. "Just a touch though."
And so, for the next forty minutes the two friends chatted and thoroughly enjoyed the fun of the situation.
After it was all done, she gave Hinata a small mirror. Hinata looked at her reflection and simply stopped breathing. One hand slowly came up and traced the outlines of her face. She had never worn make-up before really. She had no idea how much better she looked with it. Her face was smooth and pearled, her almost-white eyes shone out from under dark lashes that looked downright seductive. She winked at herself just to see and was pleased with the results. She giggled with glee and hugged her friend.
Sakura was a little taken aback with the new-found confidence Hinata had just gained from seeing herself pretty. She had never heard Hinata giggle like that unless Naruto was the subject and she rarely hugged anyone. "Well, let's get going, we don't want to be too late." Sakura said as she pulled her friend up of her knees.
Hinata glanced at the clock in her bedroom. It read 7:59. "Oh no, We're gonna be late, Sakura!"
"Don't worry, we want to be a little late. That way you can make a grand entrance in front of everybody" Sakura retorted, forgetting that this friend wasn't well acquainted with the social world.
"I-In front of e-everybody?" She stammered, now feeling a little embarrassed. "But Sakura, I don't want…" She was cut off by Sakura's shush.
"Now, now, just trust me. We're gonna go pick up Ino and make a big scene upon entry so that Naruto will notice you the instant you walk in."
With that, the two women walked down the street to the Yamanaka flower shop where their friend, Ino, was waiting for them.
Naruto had just found his new apartment at exactly 8:00. It was located on the hillside above the Hokage's monument, and looked pretty large from the outside. He thought he noticed an aura of people around, but figured it was just another apartment in the same building, so he dismissed it as he opened the door.
The group inside heard the door open and saw a silhouette in the doorway. All at once, they flipped on the lights and simultaneously yelled "Welcome Home, Naruto!"
Naruto almost jumped out of his skin. Never in the depths of his mind had he thought that the rest of that Rookie 12 group would throw him a party. His eyes scanned over the crowd and he quickly recognized faces. Shikamaru, came over to him and patted him on the back, "It may have been troublesome, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world." He said, his usual lazy self. 'Some things never change' Naruto thought to himself.
He continued to look out at the smiling faces. He noticed Kiba and his dog Akamaru, who had both grown and Akamaru was now a full-grown dog. He heard the yip and soft whine, and heard Kiba translate. "I'm happy to see him again too, Akamaru."
Naruto's brain was working furiously to pair faces with names. 'The large guy in the center of the crowd munching on the bag of potato chips must be Chouji. Iruka-sensei looks like he always has. That must be Neji and TenTen over in the corner. Are they holding hands? And Neji is smiling? Some things do change, I guess'
'The guy with the sunshades must be Shino, does he ever take those off? Is that Kakashi reading Icha Icha Paradise still? And bushy-brows looks the same as ever. That's everybody? Where's the rest of the girls?' Naruto thought, slightly bummed that the one he wanted to see the most wasn't here. But, as he always did, he put on his happy face and beamed his trademark fox smile out at everyone, since he was truly happy that this many people remembered him.
He started chatting with all of his friends and someone turned on some music. The snack table was being hogged by Chouji, so everyone just sat in the spacious living room and talked with Naruto about his adventures. He was in the middle of a story about him and Sasuke, when the door opened and two women appeared. Naruto turned around, and instantly recognized the figures as the ones from the sidewalk earlier. 'That means that was… and that was…' his brain was a little scrambled from how they looked though. Both the pink-haired woman and the blonde had styled their hair and gone all out with tasteful jewelry and beautiful dresses. They were no longer the little girls he had known, they were full-blown women. He was barely able to restrain a nosebleed from just looking at the two of them.
Shikamaru got up and took Ino's arm as she walked in, and they sat down together next to Naruto, while Sakura sat on the other side of him. "Hey, Naruto" they both said, quite seductively, since they now realized that he had developed and was actually handsome. Sakura thought 'Wait a minute, this is Naruto, the same dumb little kid who can't do anything right.' But it wasn't the same little kid she realized. He was much more handsome than Sasuke had ever been, and sitting down next to him and made her flush a little bit.
"Sakura?! Ino?! Is that really you guys? Wow, you really grew up!" He was so happy to see them too, that he gave them both a quick hug. Sakura blushed again when Naruto gave her a hug, since she could feel the muscled arms and torso through the orange and black jacket. She looked unsteadily over at Ino and saw the look that must have been on her face mirrored in hers.
Shikamaru leaned over and said quietly enough to convey the meaning, but just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Watch out Naruto, don't get too frisky with my fiancée."
Naruto whipped around, and he saw Ino blush a little at the remark. "Fiancée? You mean Ino? Congratulations man!" He shook Shikamaru's hands with gusto and was busy congratulating him again when the door opened a second time. He hadn't heard it because he was too busy talking, but he noticed that every other guy was staring slack-jawed at the door and turned to look.
There stood a woman. But, not just any woman. A woman so beautiful that it took his breath away. Time seemed to stop as he looked at her. She had long wavy inky-blue hair that looked silky smooth to the touch. She was wearing a slinky, sparkly red dress that showed off a lot of her chest and exaggerated her beautiful hourglass figure. She had a gorgeous face with long eyelashes that were currently closed over her eyes, her red lips slightly parted in a half-smile. "Who is this angel?' thought Naruto as his heart skipped a couple beats and then resumed, making more noise than a jackhammer.
The long eyelashes lifted revealing a set of pale pearly eyes, and Naruto instantly recognized her. She was the girl from the photo, the girl whose face and name had been embedded in his memory during his training, the girl who he thought of in his dreams when he slept and held in his heart when he was awake.
"H-Hinata? You look so grown up." It was the first time Naruto remembered stuttering at all. He was absolutely flabbergasted at how much the girl from his memories had changed into a woman.
She held her breath as he came near, and as he was almost to her, she mustered up all the courage she had and went through the motions that she had practiced all day. She had wondered for years what he would like upon his return and what she would say to him. She closed one eyelid in a wink and placed one hand on his shoulders and stood right next to him. She put the other hand behind his back, took a deep breath to prevent any stuttering and said. "Naruto-kun! I have to tell you something." She pulled him close to her, draped her arms across his shoulders, and with more courage than she thought she had in her, she zeroed in on his lips and kissed him.
Naturally, Naruto was absolutely shocked. The shy timid little girl that had been in his dreams and thoughts for years had turned into a voluptuous woman who seemingly had lost the shyness and finally knew how to express herself. 'And boy, is she expressing herself' the Kyuubi within him said. He was unable to react to anything for a moment, and then realized that he was wasting the kiss of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He reached out and pulled her closer to him, and savored the feel of her body pressing against his.
Then the thought that they weren't alone suddenly clutched his mind. Apparently, she had the same thought at the same time, because she suddenly and shyly broke the lip lock and they glanced about the room. The twelve other people in the room were staring at the newly founded couple and what they had just done. Kakashi's trademark book had dropped from his hands. Shikamaru was grinning at his friend, proud of what had happened. Sakura looked like she was almost ready to cry, whether from happiness or sadness, he couldn't tell. Even Chouji had his hand frozen on the way to his mouth, potato chip having long since shattered and fallen to the floor. Naruto glanced around and saw Neji's expression of amazement turn to shock and then into anger, and remembered why he had never spent much time with Hinata in the first place.
He quickly stepped slightly away from her, and while still keeping his arms around her, said "Okay, I guess this means party over, Everyone out!" He then leaned over and whispered "Except you, Hinata." She blushed violently at the remark, but still nodded just the same.
The people filed out, all wishing Naruto well and expressing happiness at his return and apparent new romance. Hinata just stayed by his side and let her head rest on his broad shoulders, happy for once that she had finally made her move.
The last to leave was Neji, and he leaned in close to Naruto's ear, and whispered quietly enough for Hinata not to hear, but violently enough to convey his expression. "You better not break her heart, or I'll kill you." As quickly as he said it, he pulled back and smiled at the two, giving them his best wishes, and then walked out the door with TenTen in hand.
Naruto said quietly once the guests were all gone, and he had checked the windows for a peeping Kakahsi, "Hinata, I never knew you could be so bold. Let's try that kiss again shall we?" And Hinata just blushed again, and leaned over to feel his lips meet hers.