Just a little something I whipped together (with a little groundhogs day flavor)... Hope you enjoy

story takes place in the canon timeline at about the point Fukasaku trains Naruto in Sage arts.

Good Morning Konoha!

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…" Naruto groaned and hit the snooze button. He wasn't too sure about how he liked waking up to 'Konoha Radio', but it wasn't like this was his living quarters, just a temporary place until he can find an apartment again. It had been a few, actually many, months after his return with Jiraiya and it was of no real surprise that his old apartment complex was torn down just weeks after leaving those many years ago. Since life had been busy with chasing down Gaara, the Akatsuki, and developing a forbidden jutsu resulting in his hospitalization for a long few months, there had been little need for a permanent place to live.

Naruto sat up in his bed and ruffled his hair with a yawn. The inn he was staying in after making it out of the hospital was on the edge of modern technology and while it was fun, it just didn't have a feeling like you belonged there. Because of this, today was the day he was going to set out and find a new place to live.

The deep pile of the carpet pressed between his toes as he headed for the bathroom. He cranked on the hot water and let the steamy spray was away his sleepy visage, returning him to his usual energetic one. Within a few minutes the water suddenly turned cold which resulted in a fast path to getting dressed. Since the forecast for the day was to be abnormally warm, he opted to forgo the orange jacket and stuck with his black T-shirt and usual pants. He stepped out of the inn and breathed in the fresh warm air, stretching his arms outward.

Looking out across the bustling city, everyone was going about their daily business. An old lady was struggling to pick up some baskets which were knocked over at her stand and the other villagers were scampering around to purchase many other items. It was pretty much a normal day in Konoha.

"Let's go!" He suddenly shouted and headed out into the village.

Since the years of his training, there was considerably less degrading comments being thrown around upon his return, which made shopping a much easier task. This was a very good development for him, but there were still a few of them haunted by the October 10th attack.

Early in life it was very troubling thing to experience, but when taking the perspective of those grieving their losses, he couldn't find it in his heart to hold it against them… He just wished that they could have been able to stand in his shoes for a while.

Shaking off the negative thoughts he headed to the local bulletin board to check on possible places to live. There were only a small handful of places within his meager price range, since a stipend for a genin wasn't much to throw around. He headed to the first address on the list, but quickly threw that one out as it was his previous landlord who was running it, and he never liked that old hag.

The second apartment on the list was obvious as to why it was vacant; it was next to the new village trash incinerator. He quickly scratched that one off the list and headed for the third one. He had a good feeling about this one, but the address seemed familiar. He couldn't quite place it and continued towards the address on his piece of paper.

"Oh hey; it's Naruto." Greeted a feminine voice when he stopped right in front of the building on his list.

'Now I remember this address.' He thought to himself and had to figure a way out of renting that one.

"Hey Ino." He returned with a small wave. Of course the address was that of the Yamanaka flower shop and the apartment was the small room above the shop. He let out a sigh and crossed that one off the list. It wasn't that he disliked Ino, actually she was pretty hot, but it was more the idea of doing business with friends and their family… Well that and Ino's mom liked to yell and she was very good at it.

"So what are you doing today?" She inquired. She flipped her long blonde hair and gave a flirtatious smile. She was like that with nearly everyone and it caused many issues with guys and many of their wives, but she enjoyed the attention.

"I was…" He had to quickly think of a lie since if he told the truth, he knew she'd offer their apartment and he always had troubles saying no to a friend.

"I was just looking around. I never really noticed how much has changed around here. I came back just to take off fighting enemies and never stopped to look."

"Oh, that makes sense. I should have guessed that since it had to take forever to come up with that Jutsu. Man that guy was so strong that it took all of us to fight him and you come along and hit him with one jutsu and level him… It's just too bad you can't throw that shuriken thing."

"Yeah, I'm working on it, but I was ordered to take a day off, so…"

"So you're free today?" She inquired while leaning closer to him.

"Pretty much."

"Well, if you'd like I could show you the big changes around town. Mom is taking over here around lunch."

"Well you know me, a free spirit, I can't predict where I'll be by then, but if I'm close I may take you up on that offer."

"Sure, you bet!" She chirped. Naruto waved goodbye and headed into the village.

'That was strange…' He thought. Sure she was always flirtatious, but that was a little more than usual. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the sheet of paper.

"Three left…" He muttered.

The next two he inquired about had been filled the previous day which left the last one. He grinned when he noticed that this apartment complex was right across the street from Sakura's place. He quickly imagined about all the run-ins he was sure to experience and hoped for his imagination to come to fruition. He hurriedly ran up to the office when he saw an older guy stepping out of the door.

"Thanks for taking the last of the rentals!" Called out a voice from inside the apartment office. The man stopped and turned back with a smile and waved. Naruto sighed, he was just a little too late.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura hollered as she ran up to him from across the street. His head was down and had a depressed aura about him. She tilted her head in wonder as to what was getting the usually happy guy down.

"Not now Sakura-chan…" He groaned as he walked away, dejected. "I guess I get to live in a trash heap after all…" He muttered and took off in a run to avoid looking at the pink haired girl.

He grumbled a few choice swear words as he used the keys to enter his new apartment; the odor was appalling. The trash incinerator next door was quite odoriferous, but the alternatives weren't really much of an alternative. He looked at the clock on the wall and sighed, it was now past lunch and he couldn't even salvage a tour through town with a hot chick so there was only one thing left to do… eat lots of ramen. He slammed the door and rushed to his favorite spot which would always bring a smile to his face.

"Hey Old man, It's been a bad day." Naruto announced when he arrived in the ramen stand. Teuchi turned with his always kind smile and wiped his hands with a towel.

"Well then I've got your medicine right here." He told him while he started dishing up a bowl for the ninja.

Naruto's smile started coming back to life at the scent of his precious ramen. It never failed to turn a bad day better. Not more than a few seconds passed from the time the large bowl contacted the counter to when it was completely drained to be replaced by another; an action repeated more than a few times. After having his fill of his 'liquid gold' he waddled out of the ramen stand, holding his swollen stomach with one hand and waving a thank you to Teuchi with the other.

While he was walking backwards to wave, and not paying attention to where he was going, he bumped into someone small. The sound of the high pitched squeak and crashing of objects afterwards brought his attention around to someone huddled on the ground scrambling to pick up items that fell from a dropped picnic basket.

"Sorry, you're not hurt are you?" He asked as he picked up a partially empty lunch box and held it out to the fallen girl.

"No, Naruto-kun…" She didn't turn to face him and grabbed the box and stuffed it in the picnic basket and took off in a sprint without even turning to allow the blonde to see who it was.

"Wait!" He shouted out to the retreating girl.

"That was Hinata, wasn't it?" He asked himself. He blinked while looking in the direction she vanished in before shrugging and standing.

"Well, I guess it is about 3:00 now… What's next?" He started off in whatever direction he was pointed while thinking of everything he needed to do before the next day. There was buying food for the kitchen, maybe just canned and instant food since he wasn't much for cooking and who knows when he'd be called for a mission. Then there is the thing about furniture and other living items like towels and other hygiene products… He just let out a sigh, there was just too many things to worry about and decided to take them one item at a time…

'Or maybe one day at a time.' He thought after leaving a furniture store still in sticker shock.

With all the displays in that store, it was a learning experience to actually see how other people would decorate the different rooms. There were some things he never even thought existed being used in decorations. He spent many minutes looking things over until he noticed that the number on the items were actually the price and not a stocking number. Nothing like having an extra zero over what he thought.

He was now sprawled out in the center of the park, enjoying the warmth of the sun, since he knew that was free. It was so soothing and comfortable there that he managed to fall asleep in the sun. Hours went by and the sun was starting to set when the blonde finally woke. He stretched his arms and sat up. When he rubbed his eyes there was a dull pain on the surface of his skin. Looking down he realized just how long he was out in the sun, his arms were bright red.

"Great, a sunburn… just my luck. I knew I should have worn sunscreen today." He cursed the fact that he wore short sleeves instead of his usual fare. He looked around a bit at the setting sun and let out a yawn before heading back to his new apartment. There was nothing there, but he didn't care and planted himself in the center of the carpet and fell asleep again.

Day 2

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…" Naruto groaned and hit the snooze button. He instantly sat up and looked around the room.

"What… what the hell was that?" he wondered while blinking his eyes. He thought that he had grasped something weird, but the feeling faded as his feet hit the plush carpet. His memories faded just like a dream and decided to treat them as such. Once showered and dressed for the day, he stepped outside and inhaled the air. Looking out at the villagers, he was having a strange feeling…

"Déjà vu?" He wondered…

He watched the old lady out front trying to pick up a stack of baskets that seemingly fell over from her stand and the various other villagers about their day of shopping. Cautiously he turned away from the scene and slowly headed for the bulletin board. He slowly took down the addresses of the vacant apartments in his price range and each and every one of them were familiar to him but couldn't place where he knew them from.

He was starting to get really suspicious by the time he left the apartment with the trash incinerator next door. His eyes were slightly glazed over while he tried to pry into the constant feeling he was having while continuing down the street. He didn't know where he was headed until a voice rang out.

"Oh hey; it's Naruto." His eyes instantly came back to life as he started into the blonde woman's eyes.

"Hey Ino." He greeted cautiously.

"So what are you doing today?" Naruto watched closely as she flipped her long blond hair and gave a flirtatious smile

"I was…" He paused while thinking about the conversation. He never had the best memory of things, but this time he knew a conversation like this has happened before.

"I was just looking around? Didn't we have this conversation before?"

"Uh, no… I don't think we've really talked much, especially since it had to take forever to come up with that Jutsu. Man that guy was so strong that it took all of us to fight him and you come along and hit him with one jutsu and level him… It's just too bad you can't throw that shuriken thing."

"Yeah, I'm working on it, but I was ordered to take a day off, so…" He faded out again; this definitely were words he used before, but when and to whom?

"So you're free today?" She asked.

"Pretty much."

"Well, if you'd like, my Mom is taking over around lunch and we could chat a little more. I'd like to know more about that jutsu of yours."

"Yeah, well… I might take you up on that if I'm free. You know how I am, you never know what I'll be doing in an hour." She giggled and nodded.

"Sure, if you find yourself free around then, just stop by."

"Yeah, ok." He waved and headed back out into the village with even more thoughts hanging on his mind.

"This is nuts…" He muttered while walking down the road and thinking about the strange course of events. The next two apartments on his list were already filled, and he had a feeling that they would be, and then he approached the last apartment. An older guy was stepping out of the door when he got there.

"Thanks for taking the last of the rentals!" Called out a voice from inside the apartment office. The man stopped and turned back with a smile and waved. Naruto cursed under his breath; he knew that would happen.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura hollered as she ran up to him. His face wrinkled up in confusion of the events. She tilted her head in wonder as to what was bothering him.

"Not now Sakura-chan…" He groaned as he walked away. "I just don't get it." He muttered over and over while shaking his head.

"Hey old man! I need some thinking food."

"Well then you came to the right place." He replied while wiping his hands on a towel. Naruto mindlessly thought as he went through bowl after bowl, still not coming up with an plausible answer. Once he was completely stuffed, he decided his mind wasn't going to cooperate and decided to take his leave from the ramen stand.

"Thanks and come back anytime." Teuchi called out.

"Yeah, you know I will." He replied while turning to wave.

Once again he was not paying attention to where he was going, and he bumped into someone small. The sound of the high pitched squeak and crashing to the ground brought his attention around to Hinata huddled on the ground scrambling to pick up items that fell from the dropped picnic basket.

"Sorry, Hinata, you're not hurt are you?" He asked as he picked up a partially empty lunch box and held it out to the fallen girl.

"No, Naruto-kun…" She didn't turn to face him and grabbed the box and stuffed it in the picnic basket and took off in a sprint.

"Wait Hinata!" He shouted out to the retreating girl.

"What is with that girl?" He wondered and headed off towards the park. He sprawled out again to think about what happened that day. It was about 3:00 when he felt himself drifting off. Suddenly he sat up, almost remembering something and realized that many hours had passed and it was nearing sunset. He looked down at the red hued skin and sighed.

"Another Sunburn?" He recalled just having one… "Wasn't that today? Yesterday?" Naruto stood and walked back into the heart of the village. He still didn't have an apartment to sleep in so he was headed back to the inn when he saw Lee come running up to him.

"Naruto-kun!" He shouted in his overly energetic voice.

"Hey Lee." He replied, now letting his thoughts about the repeated day fade since this seemed completely new, so it just had to be his over active imagination.

"It's been a long time since we all got together as a group, So I was thinking we should all hit the bathhouse tonight…"

"Nice Idea Lee, but I don't think this sunburn will go very well with the hot bath water."

"I suppose you are right… Perhaps another time?"

"Perhaps…" Lee gave a quick thumbs up and took off down the road doing backflips. He had a quick chuckle to go with the boy's usual antics before heading into the inn and crashed face forward on the bed, quickly falling back asleep.

Day 3

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…" Naruto groaned and hit the snooze button. He instantly sat up and looked around the room. He looked down at his skin and didn't see the slightest hint of a sunburn from the previous day.

"This… You're kidding right?" He asked himself before jumping to his feet. He ran across the soft carpet and whipped the door open and looked into the streets of Konoha. He let out a relieved sigh when everything looked different from what he remembered.

"Thank god…" He muttered. For a moment he thought he was going crazy. He turned and entered the Inn, but just before he closed the door, he saw two kids tossing a ball back and forth across the street. It wasn't an unusual thing, but what seemed strange was the one boy was headed straight for the baskets the old lady was selling. The boy stumbled and crashed into the baskets on display and sent them tumbling to the ground. Naruto stared at the scene unfolding. There were three stacks of baskets knocked over and the old lady picked up the first two before starting to struggle on the last one and it all hit him.

"No fucking way!" She was struggling to pick up the baskets while everyone else went on their way. Naruto blinked once and then rubbed his eyes. This time he knew it wasn't a simple case of déjà vu, it was a complete repeat of the day. He quickly tossed on some clothes and ran out the door, bolting straight down the road and stopping outside the apartment building next to Sakura's. He walked into the office and looked at the person behind the counter.

"Do you have any vacancies?"

"Why yes we do, one just opened today. Will this be cash or drawn directly from your stipend?"

"Stipend."

"Perfect… Would you like to see the property?"

"Nah, I'm sure it'll be fine. Better than sleeping outside." The older guy smiled and chuckled.

"Indeed it is… This is your key and should you have any issues with it, let me know right away.

"Sure thing." He replied while taking the key. He grinned happily and made his way to the door.

"Oh, and thanks for taking our last vacancy."

"Yeah… you're welcome." Naruto stepped out the door right as an old man came to enter. The blonde held the door open for the guy with a teasing grin. That was the same guy he saw previously walk out of the office with the key.

"Well, maybe this is my lucky day." He clenched the key tight and hurried to take a look at the place.

The door stuck a little bit and he had to give it a shove before it opened fully. He smiled when he saw the place. He didn't remember seeing in the listing the fact that it was already furnished, but there it was, couch, end tables, kitchen table and even what looked like a brand new mattress on the bed. The place was just perfect. He happily locked up the door and headed out to get the place stocked.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura hollered as she ran up to him while he was stepping away from the apartment building.

"Hey Sakura-chan." He greeted happily.

"What's gotten you so happy today?"

"Well, I just got around to getting an apartment today. It's been quite a few months since I returned and needed a place to call my own."

"Really? That's cool. Where at?"

"Right here." He commented while pointing at the building behind him.

"So we'll be neighbors, kind of…" She commented. Her voice kind of started trailing off at the end indicating something was not right with her.

"Yeah, I guess… Is there a problem?"

"Eh, not really. I was out looking to move out" The older guy he beat to the apartment just then stepped out of the office with a disappointed look and shook his head.

"Oh, there's my dad… I should go." The pink haired kunoichi ran up to the older guy and walked away mirroring the guy's disappointed look.

"Maybe luck isn't on my side…" He sighed and headed off for ramen.

"Hey, old man something weird happened to me today. I think I'm losing it."

"Kid, with the way you go through ramen, I'd say you've already lost it…"

"Maybe… got anything to fix it?"

"Sure do… It's called the best ramen in the world." The man wiped his hand on a towel and set in preparing the shinobi's late lunch. Once again, Naruto was stuffed full and he waved to Teuchi, but decided to head left instead of right while waving. Right as he moved to face forward, he ran into a head of dark hair. The girl stumbled to the ground and had picnic items rolling on the road.

"Sorry Hinata, I should have been paying more attention." He thought that it was quite strange that he turned the opposite direction from the previous encounter, but still managed to hit the petite girl.

"It's ok Naruto-kun… I wasn't paying attention either." She quickly snatched the box he was holding in his hand and quickly took off with a dark red color on her cheeks.

"Well… that was the same at least." Naruto told himself and headed towards a different park than before. He sat down on the park bench with a sigh, then soon fell on his side. That was the problem with eating too much… you always needed a nap. His eyes closed while thinking of all the strange things he encountered recently.

Day 4

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…" Naruto jumped to his feet in a panic and hit the snooze.

"What the holy hell?" He shouted while determining his location. Once again he was back in the room at the inn with the long fibers of the luxurious carpet crushed under his feet.

"Where did the rest of that day go?" He asked himself while simultaneously realizing there was a bigger problem at hand… He was back where he started again. He ran to the door and sure enough, those little kids where throwing the ball and knocked over the old lady's baskets. He quickly slammed the door and leaned up against it.

"I think… I think I need to test this…" He quickly gathered his clothes and took off into the village.

"Oh hey; Naruto!" Shouted a lively voice flagging him down.

"Hey Ino." He greeted after coming to an abrupt stop in front of the flower stand.

"So where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I was…" He paused while thinking about what to say.

"I was looking for Lee. He was thinking of getting everyone together for a trip to the bathhouse… well the guys anyways."

"Hey, that sounds like fun… Maybe I can get the girls together as well. Anyways, are you doing anything for lunch? My mom will be taking over for me around then and I'd like to hear more about that jutsu of yours.

"You know… I just might be free today."

"Great! Come back around noon."

"Noon, got it." Naruto made a quick wave and headed towards the apartment by Sakura's. He rushed into the building and snagged the key to the place before heading out the door, and right on cue, Sakura showed up after her dad entered the complex.

"Hey Naruto!" Sakura hollered as she ran up to him while he was stepping away from the apartment building.

"Hey Sakura-chan." He greeted happily.

"What's gotten you so happy today?"

"Just this." He commented while jingling the key in front of her.

"Keys to an apartment?"

"Yeah, I heard you were looking for an apartment of your own near your parent's house and when such a steal as this one showed up, I had to come by early to make sure you got it. This thing is awesome; it's all furnished and everything."

"Really?" She asked. He nodded and handed the key to her. "I'll come by and see how the move is going a little later."

"That's… that is almost too thoughtful." She commented. He just smiled and started back towards the Yamanaka flower shop. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Sakura's smile… That definitely made her day.

He showed up at the flower shop right at noon and was met with a smiling Ino. She was dressed in an outfit just a little more alluring than usual… actually the proper term would be skimpy.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Sure; where would you like to go?" He asked.

"Really? I get to choose? I thought you'd drag me to Ichiraku's."

"Well, that is a choice if you'd like, but I can go a day without."

'Actually I've already had four days' worth of stuffing myself.' He thought to himself

"Nah, that's not my thing. There's this top notch sushi bar around the corner, is that good?"

"Sure, why not." He relented easily. They started walking to the restaurant when Ino stepped closer and placed her hand on his arm so he could lead her properly. This was intriguing to him, so he just went with it.

They had a pleasant time chatting about his jutsu and other aspects of being a ninja and when it came time to leave and the check was sitting there, Naruto stood up and doled out his portion on the table. He then heard Ino grumble something and threw her portion on the table and stormed out of the restaurant right by him.

"What was that?" He wondered while stepping out of the restaurant. He looked down the street at Ino's retreating body and shrugged. He stepped backwards and turned right into someone, knocking them to the ground. He looked down and saw an overturned picnic basket.

"Hinata? What are you doing here?" She just stood while shaking her head and took off down the road without her basket.

"Hey! Hinata!?" He called out with no results.

"That girl…" He commented while picking up the items that fell to the ground. This was the first time that he actually got to see the entire contents of the basket. There was actually quite a lot packet into that basket. He looked at it once more and shook his head.

"How can she eat this much?" He stood up with the basket in his hand and headed out after her since she forgot her lunch. Hours went by as he scoured the village for that girl but came up with nothing, it was almost like she completely disappeared. He sat down on a bench with a sigh.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted while skidding to a stop in front of him.

"Hey Lee."

"I was thinking…"

"Bathhouse?"

"Yes! Our youthful minds are on the same track. We're heading in at about 6:00."

"Ok, I'll be there."

"Great!" After the usual thumbs up, lee took off running on his hands. Naruto stood and decided to drop the basket off at her house since he was having difficulty finding her. It had been quite some time since he walked to the Hyuuga Manor and although the place looked smaller than he remembered, it was still and amazing piece of real estate. Knowing how the Hyuuga were, he just set the basket by the entrance and retreated from the building. There was about an hour to go before the meeting time, but he was also on the other side of the village and needed to get going.

"Shikamaru! Hey." He shouted when his friend turned a corner and came into view.

"What's up Naruto?" Ha asked lazily.

"Not much, I've been doing a lot of running around today, I don't know how Lee does it all the time."

"I see… I also heard you had lunch with Ino."

"Yeah, it was fun and all, but she acted really weird at the end." The lazy chuunin let out a sigh. He never liked these topics, but Naruto was an idiot after all, so he could use the help.

"I would suggest that the next time you have a date with a girl; you should pay for her as well."

"Whoa… A date? I thought we were just talking."

"She was wearing different than usual clothing, right?"

"Uh… so that is what it was…" Naruto thought about it for a few moments until they arrived at the bathhouse. He looked and the different entrances, one for the men and one for the women.

"Hey Shikamaru… If you knew the day would repeat and no one would remember anything you said or do… what would you do?" The chuunin looked back at him with an inquisitive glance.

"With no consequences… I'd do whatever I wanted to do." Naruto smiled until his grin became wider and mischievous.

"Thanks Shikamaru!" He shouted and ran straight into the women's side without a moment's hesitation. Women started screeching as he darted through the dressing room and leapt into the air.

"Cannonball!" He shouted while splashing down into the center of the bath, fully clothed.

"NAAAAARUUUUTOOOO!" The blonde prankster turned and saw Sakura with her arm across her chest stomping towards him.

"Hey Sakura… do you wear a padded bra?" He commented, taking in the rather lack luster state of her chest. Her face turned red and steam nearly poured from her ears while she cracked her knuckles and without further warning, punched him straight through the wall dividing the two bathing areas.

Day 5

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…" Naruto's eyes opened and a smile spread across his face when he remembered the previous day's event.

"You know… this just might be fun." He commented while hitting the snooze button. He jumped to his feet and ran out the door without changing from his sleeping attire. Luckily, for the village, he was one who had clothes on when he slept. He ran down the street when Ino called out to him again.

"Hey Ino." He greeted while skidding to a stop.

"Naruto, what…" She then looked down in pure horror and his action that stopped her speech; his hand was grabbing her chest.

"Well… I can say those are real." He mentioned before high tailing it away from her. He was gone in a cloud a smoke before the girl had the chance to register what happened and started to scream while covering her chest.

Naruto laughing like a maniac while dashing through town. He knocked over a few produce stands owned by a few who still eyed him wrong and even pantsed Kiba in front of his sister. The Inuzuka started to give chase, but tripped over his own waistline and face planted in the street. The energetic blonde was back to dashing through town in the direction of Sakura's home. He then spied the girl stepping out of their family home with her father.

"Hey Sakura!" The pink haired girl lifted her head in his direction right as he slipped behind her and placed both hand on her chest.

"Heh… they are padded." He commented… then it all went black.

Day 6

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…"

"Did… did she just kill me?" He wondered since the next day came quick and swift. He didn't even remember her flinching before the day reset. He grinned and hit the snooze on the alarm.

"Well, I won't need to do that anymore, although that was enjoyable to a degree." He jumped to this feet and showered while thinking of all the fun he could have without having consequences and better yet, he thought that maybe he could find the correct combination of words and actions to get whatever he wanted. On that thought, he turned off the water and got dressed. Once outside of the Inn, he made his way towards the Yamanaka flower shop.

"Oh hey; it's Naruto." Said shinobi smiled happily while approaching the tall blonde.

"Hey Ino." He greeted and leaned on the counter, inching a little closer to the girl

"So what are you doing today?" She asked while backing off a little

"I was… Looking for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah… I thought that maybe you and I could…"

"Uh, no…" Ino turned abruptly and headed to the back of the store.

"That's strange… I guess I could go for another…"

"Cannonball!"

Day 7

"Oh hey; it's Naruto."

"Hey Baby."

"Belly Flop!"

Day 8

"Oh hey; it's Naruto."

"Hey Ino, wanna have sex?."

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Hell no!"

"Make way!" He was in mid backflip when he realized that it wasn't a good idea that day.

Day 9

"Good morning Konoha! It's going to be another sunny day out there, so be sure to wear that sunscreen…"

Naruto groaned and sat up… that last jump into the women's side of the bath house definitely could have gone better. Apparently the last comment he made to Ino somehow had the effect of getting Tsunade into the Bathhouse, so when he leapt in there, he was caught by the older woman and had the life crushed out of him, which was a very painful experience.

"Alright… let's dial it down today." He could almost feel his bones cracking when thinking about jumping in there again.

"Oh hey; it's Naruto."

"Hey Ino." He replied normally

"So what are you doing today?"

"I was just looking around. Things have changed quite a bit around here."

"Sure have.. I bet you haven't gotten to see all the changes, especially since it had to take forever to come up with that Jutsu. Man that guy was so strong that it took all of us to fight him and you come along and hit him with one jutsu and level him… It's just too bad you can't throw that shuriken thing." Naruto smiled at the fact that it only took him being himself to get her to talk to him.

"Yeah, I'm working on it, but I was ordered to take a day off.

"I see, well, if you'd like, my Mom is taking over around lunch and we could chat a little more. I'd like to know more about that jutsu of yours."

"Yeah, sure. You want me to come back for lunch, we could always go to that sushi bar?" She giggled and nodded.

"Sounds good."

"At least it isn't ramen right?" He blurted out in laughter.

"Or barbeque." She chimed in.

"Ok, I'll see you in a little while, Ino." Naruto headed out and wondered why there was such a difference in the outcome with just a different choice of words.

An hour later, Naruto headed back to the flower shop and just like in that one previous day, she was all dressed in that skimpier version of her usual clothes. He politely held out his arm for her and she giggled lightly before placing her hand on his arm.

"You're more of a gentleman that I thought." She mentioned while walking a little closer to him.

"Well, I did learn from Ero-sennin." He paused when she gave him a discrediting look.

"Really?"

"Sure; whatever he does, just do the opposite." She gave a warm chuckle at his joke and followed him into the sushi restaurant. After an hour of talking about their training and missions, it was time to leave but remembering Shikamaru's suggestion, Naruto pulled out enough bills to cover for them both.

"I can pay for my own." She told him. He looked at her for a moment knowing full well she'd be pissed if he let her.

"Nah, that's ok. I have a little extra since I haven't gotten an apartment yet." He replied. She looked at him and then nodded triumphantly.

"We've got an apartment available. Let me show it to you."

"I don't know…"

"Ah, come one. It'll be fun." She urged while grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the restaurant. She was giggling and intertwined her fingers with his. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going and bumped into someone.

"Oops." She muttered and continued to pull Naruto towards their family's shop. He tried to pause since he thought that it was someone he knew that they bumped into but the blonde girl was very persuasive.

'Naruto-kun…' Whispered the girl as she picked up the items from her picnic basket through blurry, watery vision.

"Here we are!" Ino announced while opening the apartment door. It was a small place with flowers tucked away in the windowsills, but it was fully furnished.

"I used to live here until I wanted something further away from the shop. I was always scared I would get caught up in a burglary or something." She revealed as she turned on the lights.

"This isn't too bad." he commented while looking around. He stepped into the bedroom to look around when Ino passed him and dove onto the bed. Naruto watched her land and realized there was something missing from her wardrobe.

"Hey Ino…" She rolled over and grinned when she saw the look on his face and the direction he was looking.

"Yes?" She called back flirtatiously while widening the stance of her legs, further proving his earlier thought.

"You're not wearing any…"

"Nope." She replied and situated herself so he had an even better view. She motioned for him to come closer and as he did, she pulled her skirt up and bared everything. He was amazed at how a real female body looked at that angle, it was just too enticing of a view to pass up. He nudged closer and closer until Ino could feel his breath on her skin.

"Don't keep me waiting." She cooed. "Let's see if you're better than last place in our class." This comment made him pause and look up.

"What do you mean by that?" She just nonchalantly waved him off.

"I've tried out everyone already." She revealed, making Naruto jerk upwards. He looked down at her bare skin once more before turning around.

"Very, very, very tempting, but… It just doesn't feel right." He headed to the door thinking about how he probably would have if she didn't come on so strangely and advertised that she'd been around the block, when he felt a pillow wiz by his head.

"What, you gay or something? Even Lee had more balls than you." He turned to her and she had a 'yeah I did him too' look on her face. Shaking his head in disbelief, he started to leave. That really pissed him off, but then something came to mind, causing an evil grin.

Day 10

"Good morning Konoha…."

"Yes… excellent." Naruto muttered while tapping his fingers evilly; today he was exacting his revenge…

"Naruto-nii." Konohamaru greeted with a cheery smile.

"Konohamaru; just the ninja I was looking for. I've got the next phase for your training for the ultimate 'sexy jutsu'."

"Really? When do we start?"

"Right now." Naruto took out a sheet of paper with a script on it. It contained the very same things he said the day before when he was with Ino and told the kid to follow along.

"Oops." Ino muttered while knocking over a girl and continued to drag the orange clad ninja down the road. The young Hyuuga's eyes were watering as she set in on picking up the contents.

"Hey Hinata." Naruto greeted while he stooped down to help her out. She quickly looked up and then back to the orange ninja being dragged down the road.

"Naruto-kun?" Following her train of thought he just smiled.

"Just a little prank." He revealed while handing over a box to her. She stuffed it in her basket and with barely a sound, quickly turned and ran off.

"One of these days, I should really try to figure her out, but right now…" He grinned and took off into a run back to the flower shop. Not more than a minute after he arrived there were two screams. One from a kid who just dropped the transformation technique out of shock and the other was Ino screaming when she realized she was about to do it with a 12 year old. Konohamaru came crashing out of the door with a horror filled look on his face. Tears were streaming from his face and his arms were clawing to help propel him forward.

"How was it Konohamaru?" Naruto asked as he ran by.

"Horrifying! I'll never look at a girl again!" Naruto burst out laughing and fell to the ground, rolling on the gravel surface. Before long he felt a presence hovering above him. He paused and looked up to see Ino seething above him.

"You should… really cover that. It has to be drafty." An embarrassing red color flowed to the Yamanaka's face, but she made no attempt to cover herself and instead pulled out a kunai.

"I am so going to kill you." She promised while inching closer.

"Or perhaps… I'll just may make you my love slave. Your clones could be lots of fun." She reached down and grabbed him by the neck collar and started to drag him toward the back of the flower shop.

"You're awfully quiet." She muttered and turned to find she was just dragging a log around in his shirt instead.

"Whew, that was a close one." Naruto commented while looking over his shoulder to make sure Ino wasn't chasing him. He was chuckling while walking past one of Konoha's many parks and saw Konohamaru huddled in the corner of a grove of bushes, shivering.

"Hey Konohamaru!" The kid looked over with a sickly face and scowled. "What? It wasn't that bad. She actually has a nice one."

"That… that just isn't human." The kid muttered before falling unconscious.

"Yep… too much for a 12 year old." He laughed and started in on thinking about what to do for fun the next day... and the fact that maybe those years with Jiraiya was too influential.

"Hey, I know… I can always try to talk with TenTen, she's kind of hot… and not as slutty as Ino… and not as flat chested as Sakura."

"Who're you calling FLAT!" Naruto turned just in time to see the pink haired girl's fist smacking him right in the face.

Day 11

"Yeah, yeah… don't forget your sunscreen." Naruto muttered while rolling out of bed. Some days the memory of the pain suffered the day before was a lot to bear. He felt the relaxing feeling of the fluffy carpet massage his skin and sighed.

"Well, let's go see TenTen." Once he was all showered and ready, he headed out the door and watched the old lady struggle with her baskets. He shook his head and darted off to the place where Neji and TenTen would usually train.

He arrived and heard the usual sound of metal striking wood. Right in the middle was the weapons mistress striking a target with various weapons, each landing perfectly on their mark. She next picked up a kunai and with a grin, Naruto grabbed his own to knock hers off target. Almost instantly after he let his go, Tenten grabbed another and hurled it forward. Her first kunai struck the target perfectly, followed by the second hitting its mark with Naruto's dangling from it by the eye hole.

"I'm glad you weren't in my class." Naruto shouted while jumping over the small line of bushes. The older girl waved and smiled seeing the familiar face.

"Naruto, what brings you out here?"

"I was looking for you actually."

"Really?" She asked while wiping her face with a towel.

"Yeah, I've never really talked to you before."

"True… so what's up?"

"Uh…" He froze a bit, trying to think about what to say, making a complete idiot out of himself.

Day 12

"So what's up?"

"Uh, yours…" he commented with a grin and pointed at her chest. Her cheeks reddened and she turned away.

"Don't tease a girl like that. It's uncontrollable… just like yours." She mentioned with a snicker as she looked over her shoulder at his own problem.

The two of them ended up sitting in the training ground with their backs touching so they would face away from each other and avoid making those comments.

"You know… I think Ino would take care of you little… er big problem there if you play your cards right."

"I'm sure she would." He admitted. "But she's not quite my type… a bit too slutty." Tenten laughed, her small body rising and falling against him.

"True. As a woman I don't respect her. I mean Lee is one thing, but Kakashi-sensei too, man that it too much." She continued without thought.

"Wow… Kakashi too? I didn't hear about that one."

"Yeah, well, he was one of the teachers for the Kunoichi training."

"I haven't heard much about that special training, but I did hear about some of it from Ero-sennin, er Jiraiya."

"It's only offered to chuunin kunoichi and you need to take it to be considered for jonin promotion. It mostly involves spy tactics only suited for women."

"Seduction?"

"Yep."

"Has everyone I know taken that class?"

"Actually no. Just Ino and Sakura."

"Oh… whoa, wait… does that mean Sakura did Kakashi-sensei too?" He asked incrediously.

"Oops… I shouldn't have said that, huh?."

"Maybe I should ask him some time."

"About what?"

"Having sex with an Ironing board." The both of them suddenly burst out laughing.

"Weren't you like, totally into Sakura?"

"Yeah, but there just seems like there's something different now…"

"Like?"

"I don't know how to put it. Since I have returned I can tell she will never look at me like she sees Sasuke. I know she has tried to forget him and move on, but it all to hide the truth. No matter what she says, she will never be able to love me."

"Really… You have a little more insight and depth than I thought you'd have, well actually more than an average guy does. Someday I'm sure you'll find someone who will appreciate you."

"Like you appreciate Neji?"

"What? No way! I'm into guys with a little more energy."

"Like Lee?"

"Eh… not that much energy."

"So then… What would your ideal guy be like?" She thought for a minute while looking to the sky and tapping her chin. She then suddenly stood and spun around to face the blonde. She sweetly held her arms in front of her body and swayed back and forth.

"Well, he'd have to be sweet, kind, strong and able to make me laugh… Basically someone a lot like you."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yeah, but out of respect for someone… I'll never date you."

"Someone? Who?"

"That, you'll have to figure out yourself." She replied and tapped his nose before twirling around and abandoning the field.

Day 13

"So what's up?"

"Up or out?" He commented while actually poking the object. TenTen gasped and slapped his hand away.

"Totally not cool!" She shouted and stomped away.

Day 14

"So what's up?"

"I've been hearing rumors that you know someone who'd like to date me."

"Yeah, there are a few, why?"

"Care to share?"

"Um… no, I promised not to until she can make a move herself."

Day 15

"So what's up?"

"I was looking for someone to join me for lunch, you wanna go?"

"Yeah, er… I don't know… Actually I think you should ask someone else. You're fun and all but…"

"You don't want to hurt someone?"

"Yeah… wait, how did you know?"

"I'm perceptive. Could you tell me who it is you're referring to?"

"I thought you were perceptive."

"A hint then?"

"Just one." She agreed with a smirk. "She's deceptively big."

"Big?" TenTen nodded and made a rounding gesture in front of her chest

Day 16

"So what's up?"

"Flash Quiz: Of the people you know, who has a big chest?"

"Hokage-sama."

Day 17

"So what's up?"

"Of people our age, who has the biggest chest size?"

"Well, that would have to be… Actually… Why don't you ask around?" Naruto let out a sigh... he was getting nowhere trying to pry that information out of her, therefore there was only one thing left to do.

Day 18

"So what's up?"

"Wanna see?" In a quick move, Naruto dropped his pants with a grin. TenTen looked down and blushed.

"That it is…" She commented and walked away. Not exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

"Cannonball!"

Day 19

"Good morning Konoha…"

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted while completely destroying the radio, including the wall it was sitting in front of. He flopped backwards on the bed and closed his eyes.

"I'm taking this day off." He muttered before falling back to sleep.

Day 20

"Good…"

"Morning to you too." Naruto finished with a refreshed smile. After getting frustrated with the previous days of trying to force information out of Tenten with little to show for it. He quickly showered for the day and rushed out the door. Taking a deep breath of the morning air, he decided this would be a special day. The baskets outside had just fallen over, and for the first time in his time loops, he decided to lend a hand.

"Here, let me help." He offered with a smile and started to stand up the baskets for her.

"Why thank you young ninja. It is good to see there are a few people with manners these days."

"Just doing my part." He replied, brushing off the compliment.

"Nonsense I've only ever had one other person help me like that."

"Really? That is too bad."

"Indeed. Oh, you know what? You should really date the young gal who comes by my place every day, you two would be perfect… Oh where are my manners? You're probably taken."

"No, I'm actually single.

"Well I'll be… In that case, I should set you up with her. She's been chasing this one guy for years and has gotten nowhere with him. Such a sweet little one deserves someone just as sweet."

"I don't know… I guess it can't hurt." He decided since the day was going to repeat anyways.

"Well that's just wonderful…" She expressed while clasping her hands. "She always comes by here at 11:00. If you come back then, I'll introduce you."

"Ok, take care then." Naruto waved to the old lady and decided to take a different way around the village for a change. There was a cloud of dust billowing up from the road ahead of him which could only mean one thing. The green clad chuunin skidded by Naruto before jogging backwards to meet him.

"Naruto-kun! Your youth shines brightly this morning!"

"Same to you."

"Why thank you! Gai-sensei gave me a free voucher for the bath house, so I was thinking that since we all have the day off; that we should all get together."

"Yeah, sure. What are you thinking? 6:00?"

"Yes! Youthful minds do think alike! I shall see you then!" Lee kicked up a plume of dust and was off running again. Naruto shook his head and continued on through that part of the village. Just down the road, the outline of a man sitting in a tree started to come into view.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted until he let out a snort when recalling the comment he made to TenTen on a previous loop.

"What's that about?" Kakashi asked before looking to make sure there wasn't something stuck to him.

"Oh, nothing. I was just remembering the mole Ino had on her left thigh."

"Don't you mean right?" He asked before he realized what he just revealed.

"Ha! I knew you'd fall for it! So how loose was she?" The silver haired jonin ignored him and buried his face in his book.

"Wow, that bad? Like throwing a hotdog down a hallway bad?" That comment actually got a snicker from the usually composed man.

"Naruto, why don't you go pester someone else?"

"I would, but you broke the man's law."

"Broke the what?"

"The man's law. You know the one that states that the moment one man learns of falsifying bra size, he shall inform any and all parties interested in said party."

"Huh?"

"Don't hide behind your ignorance, you should have told me that Sakura padded her chest… Man what a letdown." Naruto continued chuckling while walking away from the man who was still trying to figure out if that was really Naruto and how he came up with that top secret information.

Naruto was enjoying just strolling through town on this particular day. He couldn't quite place why, but it just felt like a good day, despite having lived through it 20 times. He started whistling a gentle tune when he noticed an old guy with a produce cart, cursing over the broken wheel. Since it was a good day, he just had to help.

"Need a hand?" The old man looked up and had a relieved look on his face.

"Yes, most definitely. If I don't get my produce to the sellers in 15 minutes, they'll stop using my far as the supplier."

"Hmmm, well we can't really fix the wheel in time, but I've got an idea." Naruto summoned a large group of clones and with a loud shout, they all grabbed the kart and started carrying it to where it needed to go. They rolled up to the seller's stand in the nick of time, just as the clones collapsed in a heap, followed by plumes of smoke.

"Thanks a lot… Naruto was it?"

"Yep, no problem… Oh hey, what time is it?"

"Almost 11:00 why?"

"Oh crap, I gotta go!" Naruto took off in a flash and hurried to the basket maker's stand. The old lady was smiling happily when he arrived.

"Right on time sonny boy." She greeted. "She'll be here any minute now." Naruto nodded and started waiting. 5 minutes… 10 minutes… 15 minutes… 30 minutes… He even waited 45 minutes before he started to get annoyed.

"Well, I guess I'll be going." He muttered. It was strange to feel disappointed about such a small thing,

"Sorry son, I was sure she'd be here."

"Nah, no worries." He gave the apologetic woman a warm smile and headed out once more. While darting through the many people he saw a large man salivating over various produce out for sale.

"Choji!" He called out, catching the attention of the plump ninja.

"Oh Naruto… How is everything?

"Great… I've been in a good mood recently and felt like barbeque. You want to come along? My treat." Pure fire blazed in the young man's eyes.

"BARBEQUE!" He shouted and took off in a bolt with Naruto being dragged helplessly under his arm. They barreled around the next corner where Shikamaru was lazily walking in no particular direction, and before he knew what was happening, he was caught up in the stampeding Akamichi's path.

Once the dust started to settle out side of Yakiniku Q, it became all too apparent that Shikamaru wasn't the only person caught off guard. Naruto stumbled around in a dazed circle until he finally became aware of his surroundings and saw that Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, and even Kiba managed to get caught in the stampede. The blonde jinchuuriki grabbed his head to gain his composure and sheepishly smiled.

"Well, that hasn't changed." He commented.

"You're treating, right?" Shikamaru asked while dusting off his pants.

"Well, that's why we're here. Let's go guys!" Kiba was puzzled but shrugged his shoulders and followed the three into the restaurant. Ino was stumbling dizzily behind them when Neji paused and looked down the street as if he saw something. After brushing it off he decided that since it was free food, it'd be rude to not partake.

"Wooo man I'm stuffed!" Choji exclaimed happily while barely making it out of the restaurant doors.

"Yeah, but Gama-chan isn't." Naruto muttered in a sad voice while stuffing the deflated coin purse back into his pocket. His distraction caused him to bump into someone, a now very common occurrence when exiting a restaurant.

"Sorry… Hinata?" Now he was really confused while he picked up the items rolling on the ground and stuck them back into the basket. Every time he'd leave a restaurant around lunch time, no matter the time or place, he'd end up running into her and knocking her basket to the ground.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." She muttered before taking off with her basket.

"Was that Hinata-sama?" Neji asked while looking to the young woman's retreating form.

"Yeah… any idea what she was doing today?"

"No, she left the estate early today. She did say something about preparing a lunch, but other than that…"

"Does she eat a lot?"

"No, why?"

"Well her picnic basket… she can't possibly eat everything inside of it."

"Really?" Neji muttered while hiding a smirk from view.

"Hey, you know something, don't you?" Naruto shouted while edging closer to him.

"No, I really don't." He defended and turned to resume his day without allowing any more information to drop. The blonde turned back and saw all his other friends were deserting him while they had the chance.

"Oy, Shikamaru!" He called out and caught up to the lazy guy.

"I don't know anything either." He replied without having the question asked.

"No, that isn't what I wanted to ask."

"Then what?"

"Well, let's say you are stuck in a time loop where the same day repeats itself."

"Yeah?"

"So everything happens exactly the same, what could cause you to run into the same person at different times in the day no matter where you are?"

"That is a really weird question. First it is impossible to be in a time loop and second, why are you thinking of such things?"

"Never mind the reason, just go with it and answer the question."

"Tsk… well, if there was such a thing; it would be the one aware of the loop who would alter the day. The only way the outcome of the day would change would be by influencing it. Either that or perhaps this person is aware of the loop as well."

"Really… Thanks a lot Shikamaru!" Naruto turned and took off in a run, to where? He had no idea.

"Ok, so Hinata is either aware of these loops or is… Gah I don't know! I guess I should just find her." He searched the village and just like the time he tried to return her basket, she was nowhere to be seen. Not at home, not training in any of the training grounds, not even checking in at the hospital, it was like she just up and vanished. There was only one place he knew she would be, and that was running into him after lunch.

Day 21

"Hey, thanks old man." Naruto stepped out of the ramen shop and like he was accustomed to, he bumped into the young Hyuuga.

"Oh Hinata." He mentioned like he was unaware that he was going to run into her. HE bent down and helped to pick up the fallen items.

"Thank you Naruto-kun."

"Hey Hinata…" Before he was able to finish she was already standing and ready to take off. He quickly reached out to grab her wrist to stop her, but her movements were faster and she was gone.

"Damn…"

Day 22

"Thank you Naruto-kun." This time Naruto lunged at her with both hands and caught nothing once more.

"Crap!"

Day 23

"Naruto-kun, thank you."

"Gotcha!" He shouted as the bricks of the street jumped up into clones and pounced on the girl, only to watch as she effortlessly dodged and sidestepped his clones and made her escape.

"What is the deal? She's a slippery one."

Day 24

"Naruto-kun, thank you." She stood to leave and realized that within an instant she was surrounded by a wall of orange completely surrounding her. Her eyes looked scared as her face reddened before she huddled into a ball and fainted. Naruto looked down at her and felt really bad for causing her trauma. He let his clones disappear and set her up against a nearby tree.

"I guess, you really dislike me that much… I'm sorry." He left her be, but was determined to not let her go without asking if she was repeating the day as well.

Day 25

"Thank you Naruto-kun."

"Yeah, no problem." She gave him a quick little smile and took off. The moment she dove around a corner, she was met with the face of Sakura.

"Whoa, what's the rush Hinata?" The girl just squeaked and ducked under her

Day 26

"What's the rush Hinata?" Ino asked. Once again the young Hyuuga ducked around her and ran.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Day 27

"What's the rush Hinata?" Tenten asked. The young woman paused and hung her head.

"Naruto-kun."

'Whoa… so Hinata will talk to Tenten?' Naruto thought, tucked carefully into a henge.

"Is he bothering you?"

"NO! I mean no… it's I still can't."

"Can't what?"

"I can't, well, you know…"

"Escape this time loop?"

"Huh?" The confused look on her face said it all; she had no clue about the time loop. Naruto/Tenten let out a sigh.

"Well, if you don't want to see him, just tell him to stay away."

"Wait what? I… I don't want him to stay away! Why are you acting so weird?" Out of instinct, Hinata activated her byakugan and instantly realized it was Naruto. She froze up and fell forward, unconscious.

"Weird… so Hinata doesn't hate me, but can't stand to be near me… What a weird girl."

Day 28

Naruto woke to the sound of the radio blaring its usual rhetoric. After silencing the device, he hit the shower and started yet another day. The usual happenings of the day was getting very boring, so he decided it was about time to liven things up. He transformed himself into a trio of naked women, thanks to his harem technique, and started to slowly saunter down the main street. The village fell into an uproar as men were falling over themselves at the sight of them and their wives were seething.

"NARUTOOOO!" Apparently all the commotion brought out Sakura, who was overly pissed at him. Three cracks to the heads of the women left only one orange clad ninja kneeling at her feet.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You're not 12 anymore, so you can't get away with these stupid pranks!"

"But Sakura-chaaaan…" He whined while crawling closer.

"There's no way you can get out of this now!" She shouted while cracking her knuckles but Naruto suddenly grinned.

"Yoink!" In a sudden motion, he had pulled her skirt to her ankles, and surprisingly taking her underwear with it. He grinned perversely when he saw her exposed bottom half and had to commit it to memory quick so he could high tail it out of there. He took off as fast as he could go, leaving Sakura struggling to right her wardrobe and give chase.

"Someone save me!" He shouted while bouncing off of walls and darting between people, struggling to stay ahead of the pink haired devil. He soon came to a fork in the road and sent a clone down one road and himself down the other. Lucky for him, Sakura took the road with the clone, leaving him to make his getaway. He looked behind to make sure she didn't follow him and collided hard with an object. He tumbled to the ground and felt a pillow like softness under him. Looking down his eyes met the blank stare of the person under him. He had her pinned to the ground and started to back off when he recognized her.

"Sorry Hinata." She kept her blank stare on until her senses were properly processed, resulting in a red color and letting out a shrill scream. She moved to get up but passed out before making another move.

"Hmm, this time I wasn't even at lunch…" He contemplated what to do next while placing her spilled items back in her basket. He decided after much deliberation that he'd sit with her until she woke up. For some strange reason he really wanted to talk to her now. After slinging his arm through the handle of the basket, he stooped down and picked up her light body. Her face was peaceful and it just caused him to smile while looking at it. He placed her on a patch of soft grass at the nearest park and sat next to her sleeping body.

He never really took the time to watch a girl sleep, mostly because he's never seen one outside of mission, but this time, he had all the time in the world to study her. Her tiny pink lips were moistened in her sleep and were now glistening in the light of the day. He couldn't help but enjoy the scene and brushed a strip of her dark blue hued hair out of her face.

"Naruto-kun…" She mumbled sweetly in her sleep while her tiny arms wrapped around his wrist, tugging him closer. She let out a little moan before her eyes suddenly popped open to see a wide grin on that whiskered face. She gasped and jumped backwards. There was panic in her eyes and her sight darted around, trying to plan her escape.

"Hinata, stop." Naruto ordered in a commanding voice, causing her to flinch and focus her eyes on him.

"Why do you have to be so scared around me; I just don't get it."

"I… I…" She muttered and babbled nonsense. Naruto leaned in closer trying to make heads or tails of what she was saying.

"What Hinata? We used to talk a little bit before I left to train. Have I changed that much?"

"No, yes… I… I mean… I… you…" Naruto reached out and touched her hand.

"How about I take you out for lunch and you can organize your thoughts and tell me them when you're ready?" He saw just the tiniest of movement of her head agreeing to his offer, but she remained sitting.

"Um… I… I…" She muttered and grabbed the picnic basket next to her and held it out, forcing the best smile she could through her embarrassment.

"You… want to share your lunch with me?" The small nod was all he needed; he had been dying to try the stuff she had packed away in there since he was being teased by it constantly in the previous time loops. Her nervousness was obvious as she shakily pulled the contents from the picnic basket and laid it out.

"Wow Hinata, did you cook all this yourself?" She smiled and looked away from him.

"Y… yes…"

"THERE YOU ARE!" Naruto looked to the source of the voice and cringed when he saw Sakura. Her face a dark with anger and he knew there was no easy way out of this. He scrambled to his feet to make his escape and tripped over the picnic, scattering it all over the place, and causing him to land on the ground with a high pitched squeak.

"Uh…" The blonde's voice was shaky and his head roughly ratcheted around and saw a cute flushed face looking back at him. Her eyes were closed and her face was scrunched up from not being able to retreat.

"Sorry… I" He went to push himself up and off of her, but the moment he did, she let out another squeak. Confusedly, Naruto attempted it once more when he then noticed that his hand wasn't on the ground, but on her chest instead.

"Quit molesting Hinata!" Sakura shouted while making contact with the back of his head.

Day 29

Naruto woke with a moment of anger. Normally the aggravated assaults by Sakura were humorous to him, but there was one really big problem this last time… He didn't get to eat any of Hinata's cooking. Once awake, he picked up the radio based alarm clock and threw it across the room before rolling back over in bed. It wasn't a big deal since the day was repeating once more like usual, but he just couldn't shake of the sour feeling he had over the whole thing. A few hours of rolling around sleeplessly in bed resulted in a shower and heading out for the day. He pulled open the door, happy to see a different scene upon his arrival, but then there was the old lady with the baskets and… Hinata?

He quickly jumped back inside the room and left only a small crack open with the door. He curiously watched the young girl talk happily with the old lady like she knew her personally. After noticing that, he felt weird inside, a feeling he didn't feel all too often.

"Why can't she talk to me that way?" He whispered to himself. He continued watching until the young Hyuuga scurried off into the crowd. Naruto bolted from the door and ran up to the old lady.

"That girl who was just here… Hinata, do you know her?"

"Oh, that little sweetie? Of course, she comes by every day she's available to talk to me at 11:00 on the nose. It's too bad she has a thing for some guy."

"Really?" He wondered… this was the first he had ever heard about that and he couldn't really place the reason why he didn't like the sound of it either.

"Oh yeah, she's been trying to catch that guy for quite some time. I even gave her a basket so she could bring him food for lunch, but she's just so shy."

"So the basket… was for a guy." He felt depressed and walked away from the old lady. He tried to make sense as to why he felt that way but couldn't come to terms with it and decided that he should begin a new assignment… Figure out who Hinata was trying to meet.

Day 30

Naruto was awake before the usual sounding of the alarm clock that morning. He had stayed in his room the whole previous day to devise a plan to catch Hinata in the act. He knew there were only a few times when he could run into her; after lunch, no matter where he was, and at 11:00 at the old lady's basket stand, but only when he hides in the inn. This was very little to go off of, so he headed out to meet up with TenTen, the only person Hinata would respond to in the days he tried to physically catch her.

"So what's up?" She asked in the every predictable pattern he had grown accustomed to.

"I was wondering… I'm trying to spy on a girl, but not like ero-sennin!" He shouted quickly to clarify, since the comment was a little creeper like.

"I was curious about this one girl. I've heard she's really into someone and I want to find out who."

"OK, so who is this girl, and what make you want to know who it is?" She inquired flirtatiously. Her curiosity was quite high and she scooted even closer to him.

"I really don't know why… It's just… I don't want her to get hurt."

"Hmmm?" She sounded while inspecting the look on the blonde's face. She looked disappointed when she finally slumped back on the ground with a huff.

"Liar." She grumbled.

"Huh? What do you mean 'Liar'?" She looked over at him and grinned confidently.

"What I mean is you like her."

"Yeah, so?"

"Not like that, I mean you see her differently than other girls or women."

"Well… that is true, I guess. She's always seemed different than everyone else."

"See, a woman never is wrong, so who is she… Wait let me guess…" Tenten looked up to the sky and started tapping her chin with a finger while pondering the possibilities.

"Well, it can't be Sakura, you could ask her directly… Ino? No she's too dirty. Wait! No it can't be me either; that would make this conversation too weird. Eh… Temari?"

"Yeah, no." He responded quickly.

"Aw fine I give up!" She shrieked and fell backwards, exasperated… She really needed to make more female acquaintances near their age.

"Just tell me who it is."

"Its… well… Hinata." Tenten bolted upright and stared at him with a straight face.

"Wait… Seriously?"

"Uh… yeah."

"So you want to spy on Hinata and find out who she's interested in?"

"Duh, that's what I've been saying all this time." Her serious face faded into a grin followed by unlady like laughter billowing from her lungs.

"You…" She muttered through fits of laughter and slamming her hand on the ground.

"I can't…" She shouted. Her personal hilarity roller coaster continued without end, resulting with her rolling on the ground and gripping her side from the pain of continuing.

"Yeah, yeah… Laugh it up." He sighed and stood. There was a little disappointment in his eyes as he turned to leave the laughing teen.

"No, wait…" She called out, trying to forcefully speak through the uncontrollable need to laugh. He turned to her for a moment. She took a deep breath to retain some dignity.

"What?" He asked coarsely.

"Sorry, it was… just too much. Your idiocy is still legendary."

"If all you're going to do is insult me, I'll be going."

"No, that's…" Tenten let out a sigh and hung her head. Although it was very funny from her perspective, she could see how he would be put out by it.

"If you really want to see who she's taken by, disguise yourself with a good henge and let one of your clones do whatever you would do for the day and follow her. It should be good training for you as well… following a Hyuuga…"

"Finally…" Naruto commented. "Why couldn't you have come out with that at the start?"

"Easy… Then I couldn't tease you." She grinned and waved him off so she could restart her training regimen.

"Girls… I'll never understand them." He commented and headed for the inn, there was still time to trade out with a clone and follow Hinata when she comes by the basket maker's stand.

Once back at the inn, Naruto set up his clone to go about a well-known routine from a previous loop while he transformed into a very common looking villager and peered out of the barely cracked door, waiting for his mark. The moment the clock hit 11:00, the cautious young Hyuuga scurried across the village street to the old woman's stand. While she was occupied with the old woman, he took the chance to close in. He hoped that she'd let her guard down when in the village, and he wasn't disappointed when he was able to stand next to her while admiring one of the baskets.

"… So today is the day sweetie?" The old woman asked.

"I… I hope so. It is just so hard to talk to him, well actually he's easy to talk to; it's just that I get so flustered when I see him that it goes so wrong."

"Maybe you're over thinking things?"

"Yeah, I know… I just want everything to be perfect that I forget about actually doing it… God, why do I have to like him so much?" The old lady smiled at her and placed her aged hand on the girl's shoulder.

"One day at a time… eventually there will come a time when you can tell him how you feel. Until then, do your best… You never know; today could be the day." Hinata smiled and nodded happily.

"Right… today might be the day; no it is the day!" She corrected and took off with a happy bounce in her step.

"Well sir, did you have any ques… tions…" By the time the old lady turned her attention to the man browsing her products, he was gone in the blink of an eye.

The young Hyuuga was moving through town while the inconspicuous Naruto was following right behind her, making sure to look as though it was just a coincidence that he was going the same way. He couldn't quite figure out where she was going, but soon the strong scent of ramen flowed into his nostrils and he almost lost control over the transformation from his hunger. Doing his best he tried to push the thought from his mind, but then Hinata suddenly stopped in front of the ramen stand and just stood there. 5 minutes… 10 minutes… even 15 minutes passed and she was frozen in that one position.

'I wonder if there is actually something wrong with her.' Naruto contemplated while sitting leisurely at the side of the street, keeping a glancing eye on her. Soon she came back to life with a jump and she scrambled to move away, but she couldn't make up her mind on which way to turn.

"Thanks old man!" Shouted an orange clad ninja as he stepped out of the ramen stand, resulting in the usual series of thumps and squeaks.

'Well, at least I know why it is so easy to bump into her… She's weird." He chuckled to himself while standing and brushing off his pants. Studying the movements of the two, he was able to tell in which direction she was going to run off to, based on previous loops, and started in that direction before she did. Proving his deduction, the small girl soon was bolting right by him. He kept following her as she slowed down after the first half hour of incoherent running and they eventually ended up on top of the Hokage monument. The downside to being there was that there was only one small path heading up it and it would be beyond difficult to conceal the fact that he was following her. Lucky for him, she was walking with her head down, oblivious to her surroundings. She walked up to the only tree on the mountain and leaned against its large trunk.

"I… I couldn't ask him." She mumbled while sliding down the trunk, and rested upon the ground beneath the tree. Naruto couldn't let her sit with a face like she was wearing and decided to make his still disguised self known.

"Hey uh… missy. What's the problem?" Hinata's small head jerked upwards and looked at the unfamiliar man with tears threatening to leak from her eyes. She wiped her face on her sleeve and held a slight smile for him.

"Nothing much." She mumbled and looked away. "I'm just… I'm too shy to really talk to the guy I like."

"Oh… Well that is nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know but… I… I really don't want anyone else to take him. When I think about it, I get scared." She then suddenly stopped talking and looked over at the guy.

"Do… do I know you?" She asked.

"Don't think so, but I know you. Everyone knows the daughters of Hiashi."

"I see… but I don't understand… I feel like I can tell you anything but I don't even know you."

"Well that is weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, but you know, I kind of like people like you." Hinata's eyes widened and she stared to scoot away from the man.

"No, I don't mean it like…"

"Na… Naruto-kun?" The moment she mumbled those words, she activated her byakugan and verified her suspicions, resulting in a quick one way trip to embarrassed unconsciousness.

"Dang it… how did she know… but why does she faint when it is just me around… It was like that when we were all genin." He pondered the thought for a while until his head started to hurt without a plausible answer. He let out a sigh and dropped the transformation. Now in his normal form he move the small Hyuuga to a more comfortable position and left her to peacefully sleep while he headed back to the village. Part of him wanted to keep an eye on her, but he knew that the whole situation would probably repeat if he did. While continuing to mull over the strange dealing with her, a loud shouting was heard, then a streak of green skidded by.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee shouted.

"Hey Lee… Bath house, 6:00?"

"You are right! Great minds think alike." He repeated like usual and took off again. Naruto chuckled and shook his head… these days were starting to get too predictable… Except for Hinata… she was still very much unpredictable.

Now that the remainder of the day was set, it would go like usual, so after skipping out on many loops worth, he decided it was time to indulge himself a bit at the bath house.

"CannonBall!" He shouted while soaring through the air. He really couldn't explain which was more fun, seeing all the naked bodies or the look of surprise and horror on their faces.

"Naruto-kun!?"

"Huh? Hinata?" His form faltered and he crashed headlong into the water. He sputtered and stood in time to see the young Hyuuga fall face first into the water.

"Aw crap." He lunged forward and quickly grabbed her limp body. Her chest was pressed against his while he struggled to pull her from the water.

"NAR-U-TO!"

"Hey it's not my fault! Hinata has never been here before!" Despite his pleading, he knew the end was coming with the cracking of Sakura's knuckles along with many other kunoichi and other women in attendance.

Day 31

Good morning Konoha!

"What was Hinata doing there?" He wondered until something finally registered. He immediately jumped to his feet.

"Are you kidding me!? Where did Hinata hide that rack?!" His memory was foggy in the hectic course of events, but there was one thing he was sure about… She wasn't flat like Sakura.

"Although… now that I think about it… I did land on something very soft that other day… Well I guess she is deceptively big." He headed towards the shower and paused when he remembered something Tenten told him over half a month ago.

"You can't mean…? Nah, it can't be her… but… that is… she is awfully cute…" He nodded to himself a few times and decided that it would be something interesting to think about while he continued his investigation. If nothing else, it would be something to bring interest in the increasingly boring repeats of the same day.

Naruto impatiently waited in his room and waited for the 11:00 appearance of the young woman. The morning drug on longer and longer; like anytime you wait for something. Finally she arrived and he jumped from his room and hurried out into the street.

"Hey Hinata!" He shouted in greeting and ran towards her. She froze stiff and eyed multiple directions, looking for a way out and a direction to run.

"You're free today, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her hand and started pulling her through the streets. She had a blank look on her face since she couldn't figure out what was going on and blindly followed. Her face started heating up when she noticed the rough hands clasped over hers, something she only could dream about up until that point. Eventually they arrive at Naruto's favorite thinking park; the small play area outside of the academy.

"I'm not taking you away from something am I?" He asked when he finally stopped. She made a few small shakes with her head while never once looking away from the hand that was being held.

"Oh, sorry." He muttered when he traced her gaze and released her. She sighed in the back of her mind but had to push her thoughts out of her mind to focus on whatever Naruto had to say. He felt a little embarrassed and sat on the small swing he always rested on in the early years.

"I've been hearing things about you…" He started, catching her attention.

"L... Like what?"

"Well its, erm…" He didn't like being serious and let his usual smile spread across his face and just blurted out the question.

"Do you like anyone? Like romantically?" Her face reddened and she turned away from him.

"Sorry, you don't have to answer." He recoiled quickly.

"No… I, yes I mean."

"Really? I didn't know… So who is he… or she?" There was a quiet noise that escaped her lips after hearing the obvious joke.

"I… I… its… y…" She shook her head violently and realized that she couldn't actually say it in front of him just like that and just thrust out the picnic basket she toted around with her.

"Oh, the basket… I heard that you made this for the guy you like." He commented while standing from the swing. She looked at the ground and made a tiny nod.

"Wow… I wish a girl would make me something like this; I'd just love it." This was enough to start Hinata's eyes watering, making the blonde think he shouldn't have said that.

"Hey I'm sorry… I didn't mean it." She shook her head again and forced a smile.

"I'm h… happy." She mumbled.

"Really? For what?"

"For… You… would a… appreciate this."

"Well yeah I would, but you should really give it to him, it would be all the more special to receive it than to just imagine." He let out a sigh, he could see in her eyes the same look that he saw over and over again with Sakura; Hinata was in love with someone… something that couldn't be swayed. It was a look that disappointed him. It was easier to go through life thinking you had a chance with anyone you meet but the knowledge that someone is off limits strikes hard at your personal reality. Despite wanting to test the hair brained theory he had about her possibly liking him, he threw it all out the window; she was off limits…

"Well, thanks for taking with me." Naruto turned to leave until he felt a gentle tug on his shirt, causing him to turn and face her. She was looking away and towards the ground with one had gripping his shirt and the other still holding out the basket to him. She was unable to say anything and hoped he could piece it together.

"What is it Hinata?" He asked, not quite getting what she wanted.

"F…for y… you." She finally muttered.

"But… isn't that to convey your feelings to the guy you like?" She slowly nodded her head and started to feel faint and the blood rushed to her cheeks.

"I… I… I made it… f… for y… you." She suddenly then stumbled forward, feeling lightheaded. Naruto lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground. He eased her onto the soft grass and felt her forehead; it was hot to the touch.

"Why do you wear this jacket when it is so hot out?" He questioned the girl who was drifting in and out of consciousness. After getting no answer, he unzipped the jacked and let the two halves fall open to reveal what she wore underneath… Anko would be proud. It was almost like a completely different person. The wardrobe of a seductress hidden under the shy exterior… it was almost too much to fathom. After seeing all that, he knew that there was probably much more to the young woman than what she led on; it could be very educational to get to know her better, then he pieced together what she said before falling… If she made that picnic for him, and wanted to give it to the guy she liked; wouldn't that make him the guy she liked?

He flopped down next to her with astonishment. He always threw out that possibility even when some clues would elude to it. Why? Because she seemed out of his league. It was hard enough thinking about going after Sakura who wasn't particularly pretty or from a prestigious clan, but Hinata? He leaned back and rested his head on his hands while looking up at the cloud in a Shikamaru-esque fashion. He looked over at Hinata and noticed her gentle eyes were looking back at him.

"Do you… Do you really like me?" He asked. She nodded with a shy smile, waiting for his reaction to it.

"Really? That is something…" He turned back to the clouds and sat in silence.

"W… what do you t… think?" She stammered. He looked back at her with a bright smile.

"I think it is great, but since you're always so quiet, I don't really know much about you." Her faint smile faded into disappointment.

"… but… That is easy to change. How about you spend the day with me?" Her jaw dropped a little displaying her astonishment and quickly nodded in agreement before he changed his mind.

"Great! Is it ok to have lunch now?" Hinata quickly sat up realizing that she wasn't imagining things.

"Uh… y… yes." She awkwardly started to set out the picnic… at last, Naruto thought, he would get to try her cooking.

The meal was quite awkward, Naruto noted. Hinata still wasn't saying much while he had to carry on the conversation, talking about his training with Jiraiya and creating his forbidden rasenshuriken with Kakashi were the main topics. At least through it all the Hyuuga woman looked like she was enjoying herself.

"That was great Hinata, where did you learn to cook?"

"My m… mother taught me before, well… you know…"

"Well, at least you have something." She nodded and sadly started putting the items back into the basket.

"I… I guess I should g… go." She went to stand until she found her hand being grabbed.

"Don't go yet." He pulled her hand lightly to keep her planted. "I mean… you can stay longer right?"

"M… Maybe a little longer, but I still h… have to train."

"To hell with training!" Naruto shouted angrily causing Hinata to forcefully jump to her feet and broke free of his grip and took off running.

"Hinata, I… I just got to talk to you…" He mumbled quietly. "Well, there is always tomorrow…"

Day 32

"I… I guess I should g… go."

"Don't go yet." He pulled her hand lightly. "I mean… you can stay longer right?"

"M… Maybe a little longer, but I still h… have to train."

"You can skip one day of training, right?"

"I…"

"What if I told you that the day would repeat tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

"Well, what would you do if one day always repeats over and over?"

"I… I don't know. That is impossible isn't it?"

"Not from where I am… This same day repeated for me at least 30 times. Like that old lady you talk with at 11:00, Lee wanting to go to the bath house tonight… It is all is the same each and every day."

"Really?" She stared at him for a long time, looking for any sign that he was lying. "You're… this isn't a prank?"

"No, let me go prove it to you." Naruto jumped to his feet and pulled Hinata away from the academy. He led her by the hand through the village and stopped outside of an apartment.

"Who l… lives here?" He looked at the confused Hyuuga and smiled.

"Sakura."

"Doesn't she…?" He knocked on the door loudly and much to Hinata's surprise, the door opened and out came the pink haired medic.

"Whoa, Naruto and Hinata… How did you two know I moved here? I haven't even started moving my stuff yet."

"Just a hunch." Naruto commented while looking at Hinata.

"That doesn't p… prove anything."

"Ok fine… Hey Sakura; what time is it?"

"Almost 1:30; why?"

"1:30…" He thought for a moment and then smiled.

"Alright Hinata, watch this… Lee, bathhouse, and 6:00; remember that." He grabbed her hand again and took off, nearly dragging her behind him until he came to a stop a few blocks from Sakura's new apartment.

"Naruto-kun… W…what are we doing?"

"Wait for it…." Before long a cloud of dust billowed out from the feet of a green person who just skidded around a corner. In a fraction of a second, Lee was running in place next to them.

"Naruto-kun, great timing. I was thinking we should all get together at the bath house, say around 6:00?" Naruto looked at Hinata again who was now amazed at what was going on.

"Sure Lee, Bath house, 6:00." The green ninja smiled and raised his thumb before bolting away.

"Believe me now?"

"Well… n… not quite. This could be a p… prank."

"Ah come on Hinata. What do I have to do to make you believe me?" She stopped to think about it and smiled.

"Tomorrow, w… when the day repeats, bring me here and before I say this… k… k… k… kiss me." She forced a smile and quickly moved away from him, back into the village.

"But… how is that going to prove anything?"

Day 33

"Believe me now?"

"Well… n… not quite. This could be a p… prank."

"Ah come on Hinata. What do I have to do to make you believe me?" She stopped to think about it and smiled.

"T…" Her sentence was stopped barely after starting with a soft warmth pressing to her lips. Her eyes widened when she realized she was being kissed… by Naruto… She wished this dream would last forever but before long he pulled away and looked at her.

"Yesterday… You told me to do that if the day repeated." Hinata's hand came up to cover her astonished, gaping mouth. At that moment she was going to say just that…

"I… I believe you Naruto-kun." She stepped closer to him and reluctantly reached out and touched his hand.

"Good, so let's skip your training for the day so I can really get to know you." He grabbed her hand and led her on a walk around the village. After a few moments of silence, Naruto was determined to get her to talk and open up a little bit.

"So, tell me about the real Hinata; and I don't mean the one who hides in a baggy jacket. I mean the one who dresses like you do under the jacket." Her face heated up while she slowed down.

"I… um… I thought it c… could give me confidence."

"And did it?" She just shook her head. "So then… why do you keep wearing it?" She looked up with a coy smile.

"I… I like it."

"Really?"

"Y… yes. I feel like it's me."

"Interesting… so secretly you want to be sexy?" She nodded.

"Is… is that bad?"

"Not at all. Actually I would like to see a sexy Hinata, but the shy quiet one is pleasant too."

"Um… well… maybe… maybe I c... can show you sometime?"

"Wow Hinata, just wow… this really is a different side of you…"

"So… what do you like… in a… um… woman?" She asked while finding a bit more confidence than usual.

"Hmm, well I'm not that picky, but she has to be cute, fun to be with, and it helps a lot when they are nice to me."

"Doesn't s… sound much like Sakura."

"No… no it doesn't, but it does sound a lot like you." He threw back with a smile. Her lips curled up while she looked away from him.

"Shy or s… sexy?"

"Both, like you… Actually if you want the truth, I do like you, you've just been so weird around me that I never really got to talk to you and get to know you, but I will always remember the times when you weren't so weird and encouraged me... No one has done that for me like you did."

"You, it… I … um… Thank you." Naruto suddenly stopped and looked at her closely before pulling her around to face him.

"This… you talking to me like this is how I want to see you. You aren't a shy and weird girl; you're a misunderstood beautiful woman." After those words he pulled her even closer and locked lips with her.

"Wha…what was that for?" She gasped after reluctantly pulling away.

"Well, the first kiss was because you told me to yesterday… this last one was because I felt like it. Did you mind?"

"No… I … I liked it." She answered with an embarrassed giggle. She moved closer and held his hand tighter, enjoying the wonderful feeling she always wanted, but despite it being everything she wanted, something was missing and it started to bother her.

The two talked about various things and Hinata slowly came out of her shell and wasn't as shy as she normally was around him, which was a very good thing, but there was still that weird feeling she had that she couldn't shake… like being involuntarily pulled along… Unfortunately their time together seemed too short as they arrived at the bathhouse at the appointed time.

"So… is this it or… can we get together after I'm done here? I just don't want my day to end and have you forget everything."

"I…" A small tear rolled down her cheek when she realized that raw fact, she would not remember the happiness she felt that day…

"I will be on the other side… don't leave without me." Naruto kissed the small tear on her face and gave her a smile before heading into the bathhouse.

For the first time in all of the time loops, there was no desire to run and invade the other side. It was strange to not have the want… well actually the want was there but he really wanted to stay conscious to finish out the whole day with her.

Naruto stepped out of the bathhouse and grinned when he saw the wonderful face of Hinata turn to greet him. The sun was setting and the way the shadows cast down from the trees overhead made her light colored eyes glitter in the waning sun.

"Hinata… let's… let's get some dinner."

"Sure… but… could we g… go somewhere quiet?"

"Yeah… any ideas?"

"Um…" She slowly tapped her fingers together and looked at the ground. "T… take out?"

"Yeah, we can do that… where do you want to eat?"

"Y… your place?"

"OK, I guess…" He led her back to the rented room and opened the door for her.

"It isn't much." She passed through into the small room and noticed that there was no place to sit, just the bed. With an embarrassed glance she sat on the corner, barely even touching the bed.

"Come on, don't be so shy now." He teased and leapt onto the bed, throwing out his arm to drag her with him. She let out a screech in surprise and landed with a smile next to him.

"There, that's better." Their faces were just a few inches apart, looking at each other. "You're cuter than I remember." He ran his thumb across her cheek before jumping to his feet.

"Well, time for dinner." He ran to the door and strangely, to Hinata at least, there was someone there with a meal for them.

"When did you?"

"Yesterday, er… what you remember as yesterday. He brought the meal in and after they quietly finished it, they were back lying on the bed next to each other.

"Am I really going to g… go back to how I was tomorrow?" She finally asked after sitting in silence.

"Yeah… I still don't know how to end it, so tomorrow morning I will wake up to the same phrase on Konoha radio, take the same shower that ends with cold water and head outside to see the old lady pick up baskets that a group of kids knocked over. Then I'll do something, head to lunch and bump into you, then you run off."

"I… I do?"

"Sure do… I actually tried for quite a few days to talk to you but you are just so fast."

"oh…"

"Why would you run away all the time?"

"I was… probably trying to ask you to lunch. I get flustered and feel the n… need to run away."

"Makes sense…"

"I wonder though… have you ever tried to stay up until the next day and see what happens?"

"Hmm… no I haven't… you want to stay up with me?" She agreed happily as they continued talking into the night. Hinata's eyes started to look heavy and there were pauses in her conversation.. .she was beyond tired.

"How early did you get up?"

"F…five… had… … to make … lunch." She yawned and tried to liven herself up, to no avail.

"To think you did that all for me… Would you… when you forget today and it all starts over would you like for me to spend the day with you again?"

"No..."

"No? But I thought after all this… I …"

"Its not… I want to spend every day with you but… this is all wrong I… let me… wait for me to tell you how I feel… don't come after me until… until I can say … say… say… I … lo…ve… … you."

"Huh? What? Hinata?" Her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly. "Hinata?" She was completely out. Naruto sighed and looked over at the clock as it hit 12:00 it was officially the next day.

"Now what? I'm afraid that if I close my eyes that it will all reset and Hinata won't be like she is…"

"The day will reset tomorrow anyways Naruto." The blonde quickly turned and saw Fukasaku standing on Hinata's shoulder.

"Fuka? Why are you here?"

"To end this part of your training."

"Training? What training?"

"This." He pointed to the girl under him. "To properly control nature chakra you needed to understand this part of nature… to know these feelings… now release yourself so the real you can experience what you have."

"The real me?"

"You didn't know? Well that genjutsu worked better than I thought… You are a clone… and if I remember correctly… you are number 33."

"What?"

"You didn't notice when you would get hit hard that you'd disappear?"

"Eh… so that is why… I just figured Sakura killed me."

"Now that you know, release the jutsu."

"But Hinata?"

"She won't know anything, but I will do you a favor… today she will remember only as a dream…"

Naruto disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving Hinata alone, destined to forget all that happened. Elsewhere, orange lidded eyes opened after receiving the memories of his clone.

"Interesting…" He commented

(few weeks later)

"Hinata! Go away! You can't handle him!" Naruto shouted out while he was pinned to the ground with dark rod jutting out from .

"I know… I'm just being selfish." The fierce Hyuuga continued striking the dark rods holding him to the ground.

"Why, why would you?"

"Because… because I Love you." Naruto saw the surprised, and pained look on her face when her body was hurtled through the air by Pain's jutsu.

"Hinata!?"

'Why now… why did she have to say it now!?"

"HINATA!"

Well that was it... Kind of a fun little thing. I've always wanted to do a 'groundhog day' style story.

...Later