AN:Hello and Happy New year to all. I know it has been some time since my last update and I do want to apologize for life getting away from me. To update everyone, I started a new permanent job last January. It has been occupying much of my time. I have to work weekends and Holidays as my company doesn't have any days of the year where they aren't somewhat working (We do the testing of clinical pharmaceuticals and don't get days off because sickness doesn't take holidays). My health has much improved, I am currently taking medication to manage my depression and I recently bought a house in a quiet neighborhood. I know it's quite a bit of information to take in, but I needed to keep all of you in the loop and this year I wanted to finish up many of the projects I have started long ago. Now, for my writing I am trying to keep things on my previous schedule of 1 chapter every 4-8 months. I don't have as much time to sit and write, but I'm making an effort to get out these works. I hope you all enjoy the chapter update and I love it when you review.

*Hokage Tower*

Tsunade sat at a spotless desk, but couldn't bring herself to finish the last piece of parchment before her. It was past midnight and she felt little relief at seeing the carefully stacked outgoing orders; that reached eye level from the floor. A long exasperated sigh escaped her mouth as she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tired hands upon her equally exhausted face. She planned to return to the Hokage mansion for a much needed respite, but the abrupt meeting with Aika Yuse was the reason for her further lack of sleep. The matchmaker wasn't intentionally irritating, but the mountain of paperwork she needed completed was.

Tsunade thought that the woman's role focused on pairing people together based on personality. However, she didn't know that she took genetics, cross breeding blood limit miscarriage rates, and special dietary needs of pregnant clan members into account. It was humbling to feel clueless on vital village information, but clan medical information wasn't something she was always privy to. It took the near death of Choji Akimichi in order for her to get a glimpse of that clan's secret pill formulation. It was abundantly clear that she needed to sharpen her knowledge in that area, yet she couldn't do such a thing. While she was the Hokage, clans weren't required to share secrets with her; so long as they didn't endanger Konoha.

Aika visibly showed her frustration with the realization that the leader of the village wasn't aware of the complexity of her role. Koharu was the one that contacted her and was going to discuss these fine details. Though, she now knew just how much knowledge was lost with all of their elders being deceased.

Tsunade moved to rubbing her sore palms, having regrets; regarding the security approvals of the ten women Aika intended for Naruto. These ten women were dictated to be Naruto's potential child bearers, based on their health, family, and personality. The only reason Tsunade had to overview these women, was the fear of genetic theft by other villages. Each female was born here in Konoha, but there was no limit to the creativity enemies took to steal. Tsunade had to groan, knowing that there wasn't any blaring evidence to disqualify any of the mentioned females. The real issue was the sheer quantity. She thankfully mitigated the numbers, since Naruto would be actively training and taking lunch with Kakashi. However, the schedule had each female getting 30mins of his time, meaning he'd have a two hour breakfast, with a 3 hour dinner. At the end of the week, he'd rank them based on his attraction. These preferences would not only determine who'd get to date him for another week, but also the personality and appearances of the next seven who weren't the top three.

"That kid is going to be exhausted, even with his stamina." she thought, knowing he'd be shocked by the revelation that was going to hit him like one of her punches.

She already sent one of her personal guard to inform Kakashi of what was occurring. She had issued the instructions of where the dates would be taking place, also informing him that he could be disdhonest or truthful at his discretion. Nevertheless, if Naruto refused she told him it was considered a mission; so there was no way he could refuse an S ranked mission from the Hokage.

Tsunade had intentionally left out the fact Kakashi, Taro, and Gai would all be in the same situation. Their schedules weren't as harsh, allowing each woman a full day to spend with them, if the women so chose. It would keep them busy, but it was the sight of the order before her that caused her to sense imminent danger.

Tsunade decided to stand up from her chair, looking out upon Konoha and the various lights that flickered to hold back the darkness. The meeting with Aika revealed that she needed to establish a new elder council, since she lacked knowledge regarding every aspect of Konoha. On one hand, a new elder council would remove an abundant weight from her shoulders; hopefully providing some needed time to drink, rest, and enjoy herself. The real problem, were the candidates likely to be voted to such a role. Elder council members were elected from the clan council, and by popular vote; with nominations being put forth by other clan leaders. It was the best way to elect officials, since all the clan members had known each other for several years. Making it easy to know who had the weaknesses and strengths to accomplish the role. Anyone could be nominated, but total votes were the decider.

Masahiro had been on his best behavior lately, which was the reason for the unrest on her mind. She knew he wouldn't do anything that would endanger the village of Konoha, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make life hell for her and anyone else who he felt scorned by. It wasn't until she realized there was a need for the elder council that a possible diabolical plan came into clarity

"Taro is highly qualified for the job," she thought, but the notion made her sick to her stomach.

Being an elder wasn't as simple a job as many believed, each member oversaw different parts of Konaha's hidden framework. They were information, elimination, and procreation. These pillars needed to be upheld in order for a village to thrive. Danzo had overseen the covert operations that kept threats suppressed. Homura was head of information allocation and worked closely with Jiraiya in establishing a superb spy network. Koharu oversaw village birth rates and the immigration of random civilians and ninja into the village. Masahiro had worked closely with the elders for about 15 years, making him the only living expert on what each role could encompass.

Each of these positions had such a plethora of responsibilities that not just anyone was able to accomplish them. There was also the long-standing rule that the elder council needed to be made of two males and one female. This didn't necessarily mean the female would be responsible for birthrates, but to offer a more understanding outlook. It was also composed this way so that when a vote was needed on critical matters, a tie was never able to be the outcome.

Tsunade had to rub her forehead, though it was a vain attempt to reduce the headache that was already hindering her body. No matter how she looked at the situation. Taro was the most qualified for the role; a fact that no one on the clan counsel would overlook. She wasn't worried about the quality of job Taro could accomplish, since he seemed to excel in everything that he put his mind to. However, it was the power he would wield that made her nervous. There was some semblance of a balance of power, between the clan counsel, elder counsel, and Hokage. The only problem was that the elders had the ability to overrule any decision that the Hokage made; so long as they had 70% of the clan council with them.

While Taro wouldn't be able to create any crazy laws with that fail safe. He was an expert manipulator. Tsunade had never actually seen the male use something like blackmail. The only issue was that in all negotiations the person with the most information usually won. Masahiro did appear to have eyes and ears everywhere, which would make him terrifying to have on the elder council; even if he was a desirable candidate. Wanting to be an elder would explain the reason Masahiro was being nice. Especially with Elders being able to exempt themselves from orders, which meant he could dodge restoration and possibly his near revoked ninja status.

"Whatever he plans on doing, I'm going to stop him." she whispered, looking up at the clock to see it was four in the morning.

"Damn, I better head home." she thought, suddenly remembering that her body required sleep.

She didn't even manage to reach the doorway when Shizune burst through with a shocked expression on her face. The female was covered in sweat from the swift run, but had foregone dressing fully to reach the tower as quickly as possible. She was in a grey night robe, which didn't compliment her sunken eyes and disheveled hair.

"Tsunade-sama, you need to read these, immediately!"

Tsunade's face turned stern, figuring that it had to be something of urgent danger to Konoha. Shizune handed her a large set of scrolls, two of them were on charcoal black parchment. Her tongue felt dry at recognizing the type of paper, since only Daimyo's would use such a thing; when issuing decrees. She grabbed the first, it carried the seal of the Fire Damiyo, with the second carrying the Earth Damiyo's. She placed each upon her desk and unrolled them, and her mouth went agape at the realization of their content.

Tsunade Senju, I have received word that you have ended all business practices of Taro Masahiro within Konoha and beyond. While I do not know what he could've possibly done to warrant such a response, I must inform you of this action causing me to alter my decisions toward Konoha. I have invested heavily in Masahiro's businesses and demand compensation of twenty million ryu per month to compensate for the money I am losing by your actions. If compensation of this form cannot be met, and said businesses are not reopened, I will be forced to label Konoha a rogue shinobi village operating in Fire Country. To which, appropriate actions will be taken to remove rogue ninja organization from my country, by domestic or foreign power. That being said, I do still owe a great debt to Naruto Uzumaki, which is why I will wait until the end of the month before moving forward on these plans.

Takahashi Tsubasa

Tsunade gulped, trying to contain the fear at reading such a note. She was surprised to know that Masahiro had favor with someone that could sway an entire country. Though, she was now curious to what extent Masahiro's business deals went to afford such a large sum of money. She knew that his businesses stretched into neighboring countries, but what exactly did he do to acquire the Damiyo's favor?

She was afraid to see what the second one contained. If the earth Damiyo sent it, there was the possibility that this was an open declaration of war. Damiyo's would ask for support from other countries to remove hostile shinobi forces.

She was relieved to see that it was not from the earth Damiyo, but it was sent through him as an intermediary.

Tsunade Senju, I do hope that you have been well. I am writing you this to alert you of the danger my scouts have discovered entering fire country. Two men dressed in black robes with red clouds were seen attacking a small group of monks and fled into your territory. I believe these men belong to Akatsuki and it would be a great service to all if they were dealt with. I have sent my best Anbu to kept sight on them, but I am unable to send a large force after them due to our treaty.

In other note, the news of the only child of the 4th Hokage has reached my ears and I wanted to be the first to offer my congratulations of this remarkable discovery. Every Iwa shinobi respected the 4th for his combat prowess and it is a pleasure to see that legacy not lost to time. Nevertheless, as a token of our standing treaty, we humbly request you and Naruto Namikaze come and negotiate matters to deepen the bond between our villages.

Onoki Kamizura

Tsunade felt sweat wash down the back of her neck. There wasn't any real way around this meeting, since refusing to go could be considered an insult to all of Iwa. However, how she could manage to take Naruto out of the village when he was the last of his clan would be an uphill battle with the new elder council.

"Shizune, summon Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Temari, and Jiraiya. Also, call all members of the clan council, and bring me some sake," she ordered, watching Shizune's worried face refuse to alter.

"Tsunade-sama, there isn't any alcohol left in Konoha, Masahiro owns all the alcohol sellers and a majority of the produce vendors."

A silence filled the room, before a soul rending shout was heard throughout the entirety of Konoha.

*Kakashi's house*

Naruto stared at the ceiling and wondered if he even got a single hour of sleep. It wasn't that the couch was uncomfortable, since it was several times better than the cold ground. Despite the abundance of comfort, sleep continued to elude his grasp. He squeezed his eyes shut with all his might, wanting to be well rested for the training he was promised.

"I better fall asleep soon, I think I'm hallucinating baa-chan screaming I'm so tired," he thought, confused by his mind's inability to find rest.

He tried to close his eyes again, but felt his body tense, upon realizing the reason for his awake mind. Konoha was no longer a place he could feel safe. The village was always a place where he let his guard down, even after the attack by the sound and sand village. However, he wondered if he had to always be on guard with his new title. Naruto Namikaze, son of the fourth Hokage. Jiraiya did tell him that he'd be in danger with the revealing of that secret. It just never occurred to him that there could be a threat inside the security of Konoha's walls.

"I'll just need to get stronger so that anyone who attacks regrets it," he thought, but wasn't reassured by his ability in battle.

Naruto knew that Jiraiya had trained him to the best of his ability, but he still had a long way to go. Truth be told, he worried mostly about the Akatsuki now that he knew they were collecting the tailed beasts. There was already a mark on him for having the Kyubbi, but now he had his father's old enemies to contend with. While the new threats against his life started to pile up, his mind turned to the person who brought comfort.

"I didn't even get the chance to walk Hinata home, or tell her goodnight before I was "rescued"." he panicked, trying to figure out how he could make it up to her.

It wasn't like it was his fault. Kakashi was the one to pull him away from the ceremony without warning. It was just his luck that he ruined the date on the night he confessed. He figured that the disaster of their first date would overshadow this mishap, but he still was working on the whole understanding women. Hinata wasn't like the many females he knew, which was wonderful in that he wasn't getting smacked around whenever he screwed up. Though, he did secretly wonder if there were some horrible mistake he'd make that'd cause her to beat him.

He sighed as he looked between the nearby shades and saw faint glimmers of the sun coming out to wake the world. A yawn generated as he knew it'd be difficult to perform an entire day of training on such a low amount of energy, but he'd make do with the chakra the Kyubbi provided him.

"I almost forgot, I need to contact Hinata and let her know where the training is," he thought, looking over at his sleeping sensei to determine if he could make a clone to send over.

It was still in the early hours, yet it would ease his troubled mind in concern to the emotional state of his girlfriend. His hands came together in their favorite seal. He didn't have a second to focus his chakra before his "sleeping" sensei broke the silence.

"I can't let you send out a shadow clone Naruto. Besides, they wouldn't make it out the window before the Anbu detained all of them," Kakashi said, putting a hand over his mask to stifle a morning yawn.

Kakashi had been awake for some of the night. He didn't expect an attack yesterday, but kept a watchful eye until finally being relieved. Tsunade has sent a ten man Anbu unit to secure the perimeter, but also had informed Kakashi of the day's agenda. It was still too early for his taste, but it wasn't going to do them any good to sleep in.

"I was just going to invite Hinata to train with us," Naruto said, but bit his tongue upon realizing he had let slip that secret.

If Hinata did come and train with them it was going to tell everyone that she was using jutsus, but he didn't need to go and just tell Kakashi so bluntly.

"But only to help with her taijutsu" he added, but his worried tone betrayed his ability to make a convincing lie.

Kakashi's single eye stare told him that the male already knew that he wasn't telling the truth. He lowered his opinion about Naruto, since he had made up plenty white lies in order to protect the dignity of women that visited for night training. The real problem was the fact that he never heard of a Hyuuga openly using ninjutsu. Hinata was going to be a better student than Naruto, since she had clan level training and understanding of all ninja skills. The problem that arose was what could be the ramifications of teaching her to use ninjutsu, since clans would sometimes have severe repercussions for going against their rules. Then again, worst-case he could always say that it was Naruto's idea to bring her along.

Kakashi didn't like the idea of throwing one of his students into a trap, but given his closeness to Hinata. He was certain the Hyuuga elders wouldn't do anything to possibly anger the sole Namikaze heir. There were things Kakashi had to take care of beforehand, one of which required Naruto to be present. He checked his clock and saw that it was only 5:30, which meant that Naruto would have his date in 30 minutes.

"You can send a shadow clone and tell her we'll start training at 8 o'clock at training ground 13, but there's one place we have to stop beforehand, just the two of us." Kakashi instructed.

It didn't take Naruto more than a second at the confirmation to create a clone. The Naruto copy was gone in an instant, jumping out the window and heading toward the Hyuuga compound along the village roofs. Unknown to Naruto, a trio of Anbu broke off from the protection squad and kept a close pace behind him.

*Hyuuga Compound*

The shadow clone came to a slow halt, skidding along the dirt so that it stopped directly in front of the compound doors. It scratched the back of its head, realizing that it had gotten here possibly too early for Hinata to be awake. However, the volume of people coming out of the open gates told him that wasn't a correct assumption. He peered through the moving mob, trying to locate a guard so he could ask for entry. Naruto felt his jaw drop when suddenly one of the many branch house members noticed it was him. A graying Hyuuga male was carrying a basket of semi fresh produce, but upon noticing Naruto his current task became showing respect.

The male instinctively went to a knee, bowing his head, which the entirety of the branch members followed suit.

"Good morning, Namikaze," he stated, his greeting being echoed by the entire crowd that parted and mirrored said action as well.

Naruto could only smile uncomfortably as he passed by and approached one of the guards.

"I came to talk with Hinata-ch-san," he stated, all the more surprised when the guard he spoke to went to a knee as well.

"I'll see to it immediately," he retorted, both guards abandoned their posts, one headed straight for Hiashi's room, while the other escorted Naruto to Hinata's.

*Hiashi's room*

The sound of erratic stomping was what brought him out of his much-needed rest. Hiashi was enjoying a good night of sleep, since he had successfully mended ties with the sole Namikaze. Today had very few things for him to finish, which is why he was enjoying sleeping in. He attempted to return to the land of slumber, but a series of pounding knocks told him that he couldn't.

"There better be a good reason for you to wake me," Hiashi stated, sitting up and rubbing his neck.

"Forgive me Hiashi-sama, but Naruto Namikaze arrived and requested to see Hinata-sama, we were told by Lady Chiaki to inform you and the elders upon his arrival."

Hiashi would've cursed if he hadn't thought it beneath him. He expediently began to dress himself and prepared for an informal meeting with one of the most prestigious clan members. It only went to figure, that he would be sleeping in the day that Naruto would come to see his daughter.

"Go to Hinata's room and do not allow Namikaze to enter, nor allow him to leave before I have words with him." Hiashi instructed, hurriedly washing his face and looking for his most formal clothing.

*Hinata's Room*

Hinata felt her heart ache, the lack of restful sleeping feeling like it was taking a physical toll. It wasn't the news of Naruto's prestigious bloodline that had her shaken. It was the conversation she had with lady Chiaki that frayed her nerves down to a single fiber.

*Yesterday Night*

Hinata followed closely behind the female elder, wondering what they could need to speak of. The sisters already knew that their interactions would alter the future relationships with the new clans. The thing that caused Hinata to become worried was that the other elders weren't present when they arrived at lady Chiaki's personal quarters. In fact, she and Hanabi were the only two there, which would've made sense if this didn't feel like an important matter. Usually, Hiashi was the one to pass down the orders of the elders, yet his absence made her stomach turn.

They entered and Chiaki was quick to the point.

"I want to inform the two of you that we elders have been watching your interactions with other clan members closely."

Neither sister physically displayed the fear they felt at that comment. Hanabi knew that she had little to hide, but her rushing off to train with Konohamaru could be looked down upon. Training alongside any male that wasn't a designated teammate could be seen as being inappropriate with the opposite sex. Hinata wondered if her ninjutsu training secret finally caught up with her, knowing that Naruto being a Namikaze or not wouldn't protect her from some form of punishment.

"Your interactions with Namikaze and Sarutobi have become matters of interest and opportunity."

Hinata looked over at Hanabi, confused to hear she was actually interacting with people. It was unexpected, since her sister was usually training alone or with their father.

"Pay attention," Chiaki thundered, watching each young woman return their stare to her.

"As you are aware, clan restoration has been approved and each of you has been designated by the Hyuuga clan as an adult that is capable of assisting the village." Chiaki began, noting the two nod their heads. "The purity laws of the Hyuuga clan prohibit pregnancy and all acts of such a nature before an official marriage, but given the near extinction of Sarutobi and Namikaze, the elders would be willing to overlook the use of all physical means to ensure ties to the Hyuuga clan."

Hinata flushed cherry red. The thought of her and Naruto being physically close in a manner that would produce offspring caused all the blood to stop in her head. Hanabi didn't appear phased by the news, but was using all the self control she had to prevent her body's natural reactions. The only cue she was struggling was the minute tremors that went through her legs and hands. Hanabi knew as a female, she'd be bound to use her body to grow the clan, but the thought of revealing her body to someone like Konohamaru made her feel disgusted.

"Namikaze and Sarutobi will be here next week to celebrate the establishment of our clan and my birthday. The elders want each of to ensure they feel welcome, in every way, you may go rest and prepare in whatever way you desire."

Hinata left swiftly with Hanabi close behind. Neither of them decided to break the silence, each collecting their thoughts regarding the complete alteration of the clan's strong adherence to traditions and rules. Each refused to raise their voice, their minds occupied with different issues that had the same effect. Hinata couldn't fully wrap her mind around the idea of being intimate with Naruto, since they had only just confessed and kissed on the rare occasion. It was only natural that their feelings would mature into other forms, but the idea of revealing herself to her love was heart rending. What if he didn't like the way she looked? What if their first experience was terrible and that changed the way he looked at her? What if they weren't attracted to each other in that way? However, even thoughts of a positive response were shocking. What if he enjoyed the action so much that he wanted to do it more often? How often was she supposed to offer that kind of intimacy? What if she got pregnant the first time?

Hanabi was more focused on the idea of actually being in a relationship with someone else. She didn't really feel anything toward Konohamaru, yet knew if she were to be the new clan head; a loving relationship wasn't required in producing children. Sex wasn't something at the forefront of her mind, yet she didn't have any emotions for or against it. Though, she wondered what would be the proper etiquette when actual physical intimacy was required between her and future husband. She'd need to ask about that of an elder Hyuuga, since there wasn't any way for her to practice her skills in such a manner.

Hinata finally managed to get her blushing under control as they stopped at her sister's room. She pushed herself to speak, since they hadn't really discussed anything of importance; not since her rescue from Hensa.

"Are you alright with this Hanabi?"

Hanabi stopped in her tracks, pausing partway through opening the door to her room.

"With what Hinata-san, the clan restoration, clan celebration, being told we are free to use all our attributes to obtain a male suitor?"

Hinata froze, her emotions mixed on that type of response. It was comforting to know Hanabi wasn't mentally damaged by her kidnapping, though any real adverse reaction would've help to ease her own frayed mental state.

"With using our bodies to trap a male," Hinata spat, her face redden at just alluding to physical union.

"No, I find the elder's decision is meant to provide equality between us and females without morals."

Hinata felt the edges of her mind crack at that response. She previously overlooked the simplicity of such a tactic. Reconnaissance wasn't a skill of hers, but they had been informed at the academy they'd receive special instruction if they choose that path. It was only after graduation that she was told they'd be given special techniques to loosen a male's tongue and other parts.

Her heart felt heavy, now realizing that the announcement not only increased the attention that would be directed toward Naruto. The manner in which it would be displayed was going to adhere to his baser instincts.

"It would be wise for you to find the resolve for such a task, Otherwise, Namikaze will find others to fill that role," Hanabi offered, her voice sounding more concerned than condescending.

*Present*

Hinata had great difficulty allowing her mind to rest after that unofficial order. She had slept in only her intimate wear, since the heat from all the blushing made it impossible to rest in a night gown. She was trying to use the time she couldn't rest to good use, contemplating the problem of clan restoration in a relatively calm manner.

Naruto was the only child of the fourth Hokage. No matter what he had done or where he would go in his life, she loved him for just being the way he was. The issue was that not everyone in the village felt that way. For shallow women, a man who came from a place of wealth or privilege was greatly alluring. Naruto was now the sole survivor of the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan, the apprentice of the toad sage Jiraiya, and the clan head of Namikaze. The later not only bestowed upon him an assortment of privilege, but the incredibly vast wealth of a clan as well.

Hinata knew that Naruto had far more things going for him than he did during his younger years. All of which made him far more desirable in the eyes of the average woman. She felt relief with Sakura becoming the mother of the future Uchiha clan, since a competitor for Naruto's heart was gone. However, the new allure of being in a relationship with him, meant that there could be tens to hundreds of women she'd need to compete against!

"What should I do if the matchmaker puts him with someone better suited to his needs," she thought, sitting up as these thoughts doomed any chance of rest.

She reached over to her nightstand, deciding to brush her hair as she thought. The slow action helped her to clear her scattered thoughts of inadequacy, yet wasn't able to fully keep them at bay. The more she tried to push them down, the harder they rose up to fracture the peace of mind she barely held together.

"I love you Hinata-chan," Hinata thought, feeling the stinging behind her eyes as even the memories with Naruto could provide her more strength than she believed possible.

Naruto had confessed his feelings to her, which caused her to cry even when he wasn't the one speaking it. It made her smile, but as she rubbed the small tears at the edges of her eyes that she recalled there was one very important matter to see too.

"I need to tell Naruto I love him," she whispered, looking into the body mirror to build up the courage she required for such a task.

"How should I say it to him," she thought, wondering if there was a perfect time or place to do so.

Hinata looked at her reflection and didn't know if she could openly tell him she loved him. It'd be too difficult to tell him in public, where anyone could hear about her feelings. The only good choice was to tell him when they were alone. That only made her face start to burn, the order to make him welcome made her wonder what would happen if she returned his feelings and they were alone. Her head felt like it released a burst of steam, as her thoughts overloaded her mind.

She had to shake her head a few times, if only to toss off the deeper physical and emotional connections they'd make, maybe one day; if she could. Hinata had to take a long steadying breath to get her goals back in order. There wasn't any point in worrying about other things. First, she needed to tell him her feelings. If she could accomplish that, then they could work together towards the other matters. She stood up before the mirror and imagined the man she loved, his blonde hair, azure eyes, and warming smile like the sun.

"Naruto-kun, I love..."

"Good Morning, Hinata-chan," Naruto shouted, through the sliding door.

Hinata's mouth slamed shut and felt a pressure in her chest as she attempted to swallow her words. It took her a second to get her breathing to return, since she wasn't expecting an early morning greeting from her boyfriend. Her heart took a second to return to normal working order, still causing her to stutter as she recovered.

"Na..Naruto-kun," she responded, her voice shaky, but questioning to be certain it was him.

"Sorry, I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I was already awake, I just didn't expect you to arrive so suddenly."

"Oh, well, I wanted to first say I'm sorry, I didn't expect Kakashi-sensei to snatch me, I'm starting to wonder why both my sensei's like to kidnap me," he stated.

The comment made Hinata giggle, knowing that Naruto just stated two perverted old men liked to steal one particular young male.

"I'm just happy to have you visit, you didn't sneak in, did you?"

"Nope, the guards let me in, but also said I'm supposed to wait until your father comes and speaks to me."

Hinata didn't have the time to rapidly dress into her normal clothes. She instead quickly wrapped herself in a white robe that she frequently wore during her days off. She barely got into her slippers when she slid the door open and saw a sight she wasn't prepared for.

"Namikaze, we are pleased that you would honor us with your presence"

Hinata took a glance down the hall toward her father, surprised by the sight before her. He wasn't in his normal white robe that he always wore. Today, he was dressed in a blue formal kimono and had his hair pinned back into a ponytail using a silver hair needle; embellished with the Hyuuga seal. He was even wearing sandals that she didn't think he'd ever worn before.

"Yeah, I was just stopping by to let Hinata know when and where we'll be training," Naruto said, knowing he now needed to choose his words wisely.

"What training are you planning to do now, Namikaze?"

"I'm not sure, but Kakashi-sensei and ero...Jiraiya are going to be teaching us some new techniques."

Hiashi nodded at the comment, deciding that he could allow this. Any training bestowed by one of the sannin and the copy ninja would be beneficial to Naruto, but to have Hinata there would also improve her skills. In addition, any time they spent together would help to ensure his attention to her. Hiashi didn't know much about Naruto as a person, but he was of great importance; which would be useful to the Hyuuga. Not to mention, he had to see to the elder's will of using his daughters to push the clan forward.

"It is a great honor to be trained by such skilled ninjas. I thank you for offering such a gift to my daughter, could I ask you to have a meal with my family as a sign of our clan's appreciation?"

Hinata couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Her father was treating Naruto as if he were an equal. The thought of him using their training as an excuse to eat with her family was invigorating. However, it also meant there was a great possibility of secrets being revealed. She did trust Naruto to do his upmost in protecting her, yet knew that slips of the tongue happened with no ill intention.

"Sorry, I'm having breakfast with Kakashi-sensei, but we'll be at training ground 13 at 8 o'clock."

Hiashi felt her jaw tighten at the refusal of his offer, but knew that sometimes a pre-discussion of the days training would improve efficiency. In addition, him coming and offering to have Hinata join him in specialized training, spoke clearly about his connection to her. This fact would've initially made him disgusted, but now those feelings were turning into vague acceptance.

"Another time then, I do hope that my daughter is of use to you during your training."

Naruto smirked, confused as to why exactly Hiashi was being kind with him. Normally, he'd be shoved out of the clan house the second he was done. Now, it was like they didn't want him to leave.

"Could the name change really be that important to people," he thought, waving goodbye to Hinata before dispelling into a cloud of smoke.

Hinata reached out with an open hand and mouth, wanting to actually get a chance to speak with him. It was terrible to know her opportunity at a conversation was stolen by Hiashi-sama, but for him to be so cordial with Naruto made her wonder if someone was impersonating her father. Nevertheless, she now knew where and when to meet her boyfriend so they could spend some time together.

"Hinata," Hiashi began, watching his daughter go ram rod straight at his stating her name. "I want you to focus and learn all that you can during this training, but make certain you make yourself useful to Namikaze, if your intentions are to seek courtship."

Hinata's mouth would've fallen off if she hadn't clinched her teeth in anticipation of the scolding she'd receive over Naruto's unannounced visit.

"Father actually wants me to form a relationship with Naruto-kun," she thought, knowing that there were several reasons for the change in attitude.

It made her feel sick. Knowing that the older generation of her family was petty. Altering their opinion, based on nothing more than the genetics someone carried. They wanted to ensure they were the ones with the closest relationship to the Namikaze, with a marriage or blood related child only fostering closer ties. While it was selfish for them to see her potential happiness as a tool to ensure the Hyuuga's continual rise; getting permission to follow her affections felt worth it.

"Hai," she shouted, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

Hinata bowed quickly, rushing back into her room to get dressed and start preparation on the lunch she could prepare for their midday break.

*The Gilded Lily*

Naruto scratched the back of his head at the choice of eatery that Kakashi had decided upon. This was a rather expensive restaurant, which didn't really follow the pattern for his sensei. He would avoid these places, unless there was some important person or occasion. That possibility didn't make any sense, since they were training and the other people who knew about this were Baa-chan and Ero-sennin. Neither of them would stand on ceremony. He shrugged off the fact something was off, deciding that there was probably something special he would need in order to be prepared for the training.

It was when they entered into the restaurant that he felt his instincts scream of danger. Inside wasn't anything like the previous times he went into any business. The place was mostly empty, save for four people he already knew. Choji, Sai, Kiba, and Yamato were all sitting in different booths, but each of them was with a female he had never seen before. It wasn't of any concern at first, but when he noticed Sai having female company that wasn't Ino; something was off.

He glared at Kakashi. The swift glance told the copy ninja that his student figured something was amiss. The older male sighed, knowing that he wasn't being honest about the situation. Though, there wasn't really any easy way to tell anyone their genetic survivability was going to be something the village oversaw.

"Naruto, clan restoration was announced, what were you honestly expecting to happen in its aftermath?"

Naruto looked perplexed, caught between conflicting emotions. The clan council wanted to get the blood limit populations back to sustainable levels. However, he didn't think they would go about it in this fashion. He figured they'd just give the female population medication to make them more likely to get pregnant.

"So, what's exactly going to happen," Naruto asked, his voice a mixture of curiosity and contained horror.

Kakashi wanted to laugh at the response to just going on a few dates. Granted, Naruto was technically dating Hinata, but his hands were tied in this situation. Tsunade was the one who ordered this and he doubted there was any way to get out of it. Besides, it wasn't like he was being forced to impregnate these women.

"You'll be meeting four different women in this two hour period, and there will be six more during your three hour dinner."

Naruto's jaw dropped at the news. How exactly was he going to explain this to Hinata? He was new to the whole boyfriend and girlfriend rules, but he was certain that dating someone else at the same time wasn't allowed. He wasn't sweating before, but Naruto felt bullets of sweat cascade down the back of his head like a waterfall. Hinata was always calm and sweet, but even she would have a sinister reaction to this information.

Naruto couldn't form the words he needed, looking down as his face sunk at imagining how much worse a gentle palm strike to the groin would hurt.

"Naruto, it's just breakfast with new friends." Kakashi assured, deciding to head off to a booth.

Naruto didn't know how to respond to that, yet found himself eyeing the door behind him. His first instinct was to run away, he only turned ninety degrees before a trio of Anbu materialized before the doors. It wasn't clear if they were the squad meant to protect him, or restrict him from leaving. Then again, maybe there was that great of a threat to his life with the new name.

He admitted defeat in the situation, knowing that even massing a shadow clone distraction wouldn't fool such highly experienced shinobi. He looked around the open tables, seeing a female around his age sitting alone. She had long black hair, sapphire eyes, and two bangs she kept together with two wraps of some grey pink material he couldn't determine. Her outfit was a pale purple kimono with a maroon obi. Naruto felt a small bit of bile come up, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy, but maybe he could learn something from this.

He walked over and did his best to smile, but the goofy grin appeared to be a forced front.

"Good Morning, Namikaze-san, my name is Shigure Takashima and it is a great honor to have breakfast with you," she whispered, bowing her head in respect to the male.

Naruto felt his sweat from before return in twice the volume, uncertain if the name would ever not make him uneasy. He did always want his name to precede him when he was younger, but now it felt like a means to inflate an ego.

"Just Naruto would be fine, Shigure-san."

"As you wish, Naruto-sama."

Naruto sat down with a sigh, eyeing through the menu to hopefully find something he could eat that would help to make this awkward moment bearable.

Kakashi had to chuckle at the less than heroic fashion the sole heir of his sensei encountered this obstacle. It was ironic to know that Naruto would stand up to fight with the strongest shinobi, but when it came to actually interacting with women he'd hesitate. Though, he would've admitted that just meant he was wise over inexperienced.

He shrugged off the thoughts, taking a seat at a nearby booth. He did need to keep an eye on Naruto, yet now realized it was going to be worse for him to sit and watch his student date. His visible eye flinched, seeing an unknown female sit down opposite him. She wasn't someone he recalled running into, but there were a few Anbu he didn't know on a first name basis. Her skin was dark, far more than he would've anticipated for a person who worked in the shadows. She took the mask of a deer from her face, revealing a pair of golden colored eyes and a confident grin. Kakashi blinked, wondering exactly why she did such a thing and even removed a pin from behind her head, allowing a proverbial waterfall of green strands to frame her face.

"It'd be better to have some company while you ate," she affirmed, waving to a series of waitress that appeared upon her sitting down.

Kakashi felt his jaw lock. It only figured that he'd overlook something with guarding against potential threats and pondering how to teach Naruto affinity training. His mind was too occupied to realize he had walked right into the same trap with his student. However, he was more skilled at disarming such a situation.

"I'd enjoy that, miss?"

"Fujino, Copy ninja Kakashi." she retorted, her voice almost tempting a rise out of him.

*Masahiro Clan House 6:30am*

Taro awoke with a grunt as the normal wakeup call of his maid was replaced with the thundering of a fist against the reinforced wooden door of his study. The entirety of the clan house was cleaned by the several servants that normally kept the rising sun cathouse in order. He had to push people around to other businesses, to ensure that none of his workers were disrupted by the overreach of Tsunade. He would've fought against the action tooth and nail, but knew he wasn't in the best position to do so. It wasn't possible for him to win against Tsunade. She was the current figurehead of the village and could only be kept in place by the clan council; or the threat of a violent coup should she go crazy.

While the idea of a hostile takeover wasn't a discouraged choice, there were far more civil means to achieve a goal before blood was shed. Also, losing any ninja wasn't in the best interest of Konoha. Taro opened his one eye and took in the sleeping arrangement he was forced to have. The tight confines of his couch were perfect for a peaceful night, but with the morning's arrival, much needed to be accomplished before the start of the restoration process. He yawned as he popped his neck and felt a piece of paper slide off his chest as his hand instinctually moved to catch it.

The paper had the seal of the Hokage upon it. He already knew what the content was, since the only logical turn of events meant that a new elder council was going to be appointed. The smashing fist against his door made him growl as he struggled back onto his crutches and hobbled to the doorway. The injured leg felt like the least of his worries, as he took a shuddering breath and prepared for whatever hell awaited him. He was in a black robe, since he couldn't sleep in his normal clothing.

He cracked the barrier, seeing a woman that wasn't on his payroll; nor had a planned appointment. She was brown haired, tall, and slender, but the loose fitting clothing told him that she was of the Akimichi clan. It was funny to him that their clan could shrink and grow; depending on how much chakra they needed to produce. However, it was also a false advertisement when the usual bulky frame was hidden by an overexertion during training.

"Can I help you," he asked, putting on his best fake sincerity.

"I've been waiting for half an hour, when are you going to wake up so we can start our date?"

"Huh?"

*Gilded Lily 7:50am*

Naruto felt like the situation was starting to turn to the worse for him. He thought he was going to just speak with each female for thirty minutes. The only problem, none of the women wanted to leave when their time was finished. He peered around the table that was now crowded and trapped him in place. The first two women who appeared weren't the issue, but the last two were what caused him to feel like he'd have a heart rupture.

The first two, Shigure and Kara were timid in their approach to dating him; sitting opposite and only responding when spoken to. Kana and Keida were far more forward in their advances. He looked to his right to see the dark purple haired Kana, making sure to lean with her shoulder against him. The red head Keida on his left made him blush, her arm wrapped around his and pushing it into her chest enough to separate her well endowed breasts.

Naruto wasn't able to focus, the sensation of soft flesh preventing his mind from properly forming cognitive thought. He knew now that a relationship would eventually lead to a physical courtship. That wasn't the issue. The problem was that he wasn't even at this relational hurdle with his girlfriend! The thoughts of Hinata were what held heavily on his mind, since he could just see the hurt on her face if she saw this. It was terrible for him to have such clarity in hindsight, knowing now it was emotionally painful to watch him fawn all over Sakura when she cared so deeply for him. This would ultimately break her heart, but he didn't have a single thing he could do about it. He barely was able to get in a word, since anytime he opened his mouth to speak, one of the women would spoon in some of the feast. Offering reason for their need to see him well fed.

"A strong man needs a woman to see he is well taken care of," Kara whispered.

"I'd treat you like the king you are every meal, and night," Keida stated, trying to guide his hand to someplace, but failed as he gripped the outside of his left leg.

He wanted to throw them off, but looked over to see his sensei and friends tolerating the situation well. However, it was when he noticed the various women shout at Sai, and the last one throw water in his face that made him wonder if there was something he could do. Before he could even contemplate any potential pranks or impromptu drastic acts, there was a loud chime and a collected groan of all the women present.

Kakashi said his good-byes to Fujino and dashed over to his student.

"Naruto, I hope you ate enough." Kakashi stated, watching his student need to dislodge himself from the potential matches.

He managed to get out, bowing to them and leaving in a hurry.

The two men finally got through the exit and groaned collectively, neither feeling like they were able to focus or relax. They looked at each other and neither really had the nerve to speak about what occurred. They began their journey to their training ground, but only five minutes in did Naruto break the silence.

"What the hell Kakashi-sensei!?"

The copy ninja knew that wasn't an overreaction, but was thankful his student didn't take a swing at him.

"I'm just as surprised as you Naruto, but if you have an issue with this, you'll need to take it up with Tsunade."

Naruto couldn't help his glare, since it was underhanded and insulting to throw him to the wolves. Ending this situation was in his best interest, but until he could speak with baa-chan, approaching this moment to moment would be the only course of action. Though, one thought remained on his mind above all others.

"How the hell can I explain this to Hinata," he asked, watching his sensei return his expression with one that told him he was dead serious on the matter.

"There's an easy answer, you won't."

Naruto felt his mouth widen at that answer. How could he not tell her about this? They shared so much with each other, yet not telling her about this wasn't just sinister; it was diabolical. It wasn't right that he was dating while having a girlfriend. His conflicted expression told the older male that he needed to elaborate, pouring some cold reality on his blazing fury.

"Do you think Hinata isn't in the same situation," he questioned, causing Naruto's face to sour at the idea of the woman he cared about dating someone else. "These matches are meant to increase the village population, maybe they will lead to loving relationships, but they are meant to create children. The Hyuuga clan would have potentially chosen people to court and procreate with both Hyuuga heiresses."

Naruto froze at that comment. Hinata and Hanabi would be already destined to produce children. They would've already picked who'd be the best choice for her and ensure the rising prestige of their clan.

"I can't lie to her Kakashi-sensei," Naruto stated, knowing that he had to hold to his ideals.

Kakashi knew that the kid wouldn't back down from what he knew was right. However, this wasn't the situation to just tell Hinata what was happening. He wasn't foolish enough to think this information would remain hidden. The Hyuuga would eventually find out and take declarative action against it. Either pressuring Naruto into making his relationship with Hinata formally declared, or tricking him into impregnation. Given the shy nature of Hinata, he doubted the second option would be used. That technique was underhanded and given the standing of the Hyuuga, such a tactic was beneath them.

That didn't mean that telling Hinata about this would be in either of their best interest. Relationships were like stretching a strained muscle, something too drastic could strain or brake the fragile thing. If done slowly and with care, then the pain would subside and it increase in strength.

"I'll let you decide whether to tell her or not, just remember how you reacted about hearing Sasuke died."

That comment hit a sore spot in Naruto's heart, though the overwhelming crippling sorrow was now a dull sting.

"This isn't the same thing!"

"Maybe to you, but Hinata may see it as the death of your relationship with you seeking other women."

Naruto had to give pause. He believed that maybe his sensei was exaggerating with how Hinata would respond to the news of him going on dates. It wasn't by his choice, but as he meditated on the situation he did know that his sensei was correct. His girlfriend wasn't the type to overreact to harmless circumstance, yet he knew that the things that he did, tended to hurt her heart when it concerned his affections. He was too dense before to notice when she was in pain, yet now saw the same fake smile he used to use. When they visited Sakura prior, he saw it and started to try taking more care in his actions.

Granted, Sakura was the one he chased after for so many years. There had to be some underlying fear she still had about losing him to Sakura.

"And that's with someone that I actually cared about in the past, how terrified would she be if she didn't even know the person I was meeting with," he thought, only more worried because of the way that the previous women had actually acted.

One of them in particular was coming on too strongly. Being physically open and comfortable were good things to have, if you were trying to do a mission that required infiltration. However, going that far with him only shortly after meeting him was bound to cause several future issues. He felt too embarrassed to even think about telling Hinata of that happening. They barely entered into the realm of physical contact themselves, which were few and precious. Their miniscule progression wasn't the issue. The problem was that he had not more than a few minutes ago been touched by the breasts of two different women. He hadn't even gone that far with Hinata yet, though he had to blush recalling the encounter at the fire Daimyo's palace.

Hinata wasn't conscious of that and he was going to take that secret to his grave. He didn't know what would happen to her if he told her about that. Though, a sinking suspicion of his said that they'd both end up unconscious with nosebleeds; or she'd never trust sleeping near him again. He had to calm himself down with a few steady breaths, focusing his mind to finish weighing the pros and cons of telling Hinata. It was always the best in any relationship to be open and honest about everything, since those were bonds that tended to make things stronger. The con was that she'd breakup with him if she found out about everything that was happening.

He didn't know if this was the standard for relationships, but it definitely made him understand why so many people seemed so touchy about this kind of topic. He grabbed his head and released a frustrated and overwhelmed groan.

"Is there even a right decision in this situation," he asked, hoping that his sensei could impart some very much-needed knowledge on him.

"Unfortunately Naruto, there isn't always a right choice in a situation like this," he began, putting his arm around his student's shoulders and taking him down an empty alleyway. "You could not tell Hinata and she might never find out, or she'll find out and no longer trust you. On the other hand, if you tell her, she'll be hurt and have trouble trusting you."

Naruto came to an abrupt halt, perplexed by the situation he found himself.

"I can't find a way out of this that won't make Hinata not trust me," he asked, thinking that there had to be some option that would allow this entire thing to blow over.

"It's just the way the world is Naruto, would you feel secure if Hinata was dating ten different men a week," Kakashi asked, surprised when he felt the arm of his student grab hold of him and yank him to look him in the eyes?

"For a week," he shouted, his eyes appearing more feral than Kakashi ever recalled.

"Now he learns to listen," Kakashi thought, knowing they'd need to discuss this in depth.

*Hokage Tower*

Tsunade tapped her fingers against her desk and wondered if it was wise to send out a team to attack the two sighted Akatsuki? She didn't question the validity of the message from Iwa, but the real issue was going into this fight practically blind. The only information that Konoha had been able to procure about the rogue shinobi group was that there were nine in total. Their numbers had diminished with Sosori, Deidara, and Itachi being killed. However, each of these individuals was an S rank shinobi. That meant she was best to assume the two inside of Fire country were just as skilled.

This limited knowledge was the reason she was sending a five person squad to battle. The leader of the group was going to be Jiraiya, who had thankfully recovered after her emergency care of the idiot's inflicted alcohol poisoning. She had removed all the dangerous fluid from his body and kept him under observation at the Hokage mansion until he improved enough to no longer need a shadow clone caretaker. The others would be Shikamaru, Ino, Choji and Temari. She had chosen said group, since they were the best skilled at capturing opponents. Shikamaru and Ino both possessed techniques that would allow for the living capture of an opponent. Choji could provide necessary brute strength. Temari was being sent due to her own skill level, being on par with Shikamaru in intelligence and nearing Anbu level in combat.

A knock on the door meant that they had arrived. She was surprised to see that Jiraiya had used the front door like a normal person for once. She could still see the wear on his face from the dehydration and hangover he was still likely suffering from. Nevertheless, the male arrived punctually when called upon to protect Konoha.

"Hokage-sama," they all greeted, bowing in respect for whatever mission they were to be assigned.

"Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Temari, Jiraiya, There is an S rank mission of great importance that I am entrusting you to carry out."

Shikamaru looked visibly shaken by the fact it was so high rank. Though, he figured it had to be urgent and dangerous if Tsunade was sending Jiraiya and Temari with them. It was a political risk to send out a relative of a Kage on such a dangerous mission. Suna could easily see this as too great a risk to put on someone of such great importance. However, Temari would be a great asset. Her wind jutsus could devastate large areas and provide a viable means of retreat; if necessary.

"The TsuKage has sent word that the Akatsuki have been seen hunting monks near the border of Earth country. They have fled into our territory. If these two are attempting to collect a bounty, they are likely heading toward Ginjiro market."

Jiraiya knew the place well, since it was essentially a black market located about five miles from the border of Fire and Sound country. It was a place where money bought information, friends, and favors. He had many a time bought sensitive material about Konoha and their enemies. Though, his familiarity with the location was also cause for concern.

"We'll need to move quickly and intercept them before they enter Ginjiro, there are only two ways in, so we can separate and guard both entrances." Jiraiya interrupted, already taking his role seriously.

"Why can't we just wait until they enter Ginjiro and ambush them inside," Ino questioned, knowing that a surprise attack would be easy if she could manage to use a mind transfer technique.

"Ginjiro market has three rules, Anything is for sale, All signed contracts are honored to the letter, and no combat of any kind within the marketplace." Jiraiya said, his tone flat and serious.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino all looked confused by the fact there was a place they weren't allowed to fight. Though, Temari's stern look told them that she understood why that was.

"Gaara told me that Ginjiro is operated by missing nin, two in particular are supposed to be Retreat on sight with at least a hundred more Anbu ranked, any fighting within the city ends when those who started combat are killed." Temari stated, seeing the reason for their immediate departure.

"Exactly, we're also worried that Akatsuki might be using it as a place to recruit. Therefore, you are to capture them, only kill them if necessary. We need to know what they are after and living prisoners could tell us more about their group and their objectives."

Tsunade felt a small tickle at the back of her head, uncertain if this would be enough? She was sending them with Jiraiya and he could handle most situations, but if these two Akatsuki weren't scared of being discovered; then they were bound to be powerful. Regardless, she didn't have an abundance of Jonin or higher shinobi that could freely leave the village.

"Jiraiya, if you are able to arrive before them, enter Ginjiro market and acquire additional allies, you have the authority to offer anything within the power of the Hokage to having the advantage, you're dismissed."

"Hai!"

*Training Ground 13 8:20am*

Hinata sat patiently on the edge of a small pond, letting her feet soak to keep cool. She had used her Byakugan a few times to be certain she hadn't missed her boyfriend or Kakashi's arrival. She peeked into the picnic basket that contained their lunch, worrying that the contents she worked on would go to waste. She wasn't scared something happened to them; since Kakashi and Naruto were able to defend themselves. The only problem was that Naruto had developed a penchant for being on time. He was rarely late, though Kakashi could've done something to make them late.

If they had been called in by the Hokage, someone would've been sent to explain the reason for such a diversion. She pulled around her sling bag and reached in to find a small watch, it was 8:21 and all she could do was think something was amiss. She decided to abandon the belief that something terrible occurred and instead tried to focus on what they'd be doing for training.

Training ground thirteen had a little bit of everything, a small pond, some forested area and rocky terrain. While it did provide them with plenty of opportunity, it felt confusing as to what chakra manipulation was going to entail. Her mind soon turned to the negative, knowing she was still a novice at ninjutsu, which meant she could hinder Naruto's progress.

"I could always use water clones to help speed up the process but that also means I'll burn out faster," she thought, already concerned that she was going to be more of a burden than a use.

It suddenly felt like she had to prove herself to someone once again. Ever since sparring with Hanabi, she had been on a metaphorical high point of her life. Her father saw potential in her, her entire family saw that she wasn't a failure, and Naruto and her were a couple. Her father's comments resonated in her brain, telling her that she needed to be useful to him in all manner of ways. It was possible he was just trying to give her some encouragement, but the total shift in his disdainful attitude was too opportune. Hinata wasn't stupid enough to believe the Hyuuga didn't want Naruto as part of the family, since wealth and genetics were the things they valued most. Whichever reason, she was happy so long as she continued to be with Naruto.

Though, after that brief conversation with Chiaki she was quite certain they wanted her to do more than remain with him. The very implication of such a thing made her blush. In fact, it caused her to feel like she was burning up in several places of her body. It reminded her of how it felt when they had first kissed. The contact felt like it passed a fire into her that dissipated into comforting electrical tingling in her limbs. She had been able to endure their first real kiss with some ease, but she feared the only reason she didn't faint was because she had been sitting during that contact. Her assumption was correct, since she fainted when he kissed her on the forehead at his apartment. It seemed incomprehensible to imagine them doing anything more than those innocent physical contacts. However with the mounting pressure for population growth they'd have to...

Just as her mind began to travel down along those adult based thoughts, she realized it was impossible to contain the overwhelming emotion the boiled around inside her heart, and mind. She felt the dizziness starting to come with the potential fainting spell. She reached both hands into the pond, throwing handful after handful of water upon her face. The cool fluid did help to lower her temperature and make her emotions controllable; though she was certain that it was turning directly to steam as it touched her skin. Even though the water was ice cold it didn't seem to help alleviate the heat that continued to grow in her body.

"I have to find something else to focus on." she thought, throwing one last handful of water on her face.

She decided to take inventory of the supplies she brought. Finding that her sling bag still contained the water jutsu scroll she had yet to finish. She was still only in the C ranked jutsus, since the ones in the B rank proved far too difficult with her understanding of ninjutsu. The prior techniques did require some knowledge about using her water affinity, but there was something else she couldn't quite grasp on her own. Nevertheless, she looked through them and saw a few of the lethal techniques that she would soon possibly attempt. The top S rank technique caught her attention, since it involved flowing high pressure water around the body to create a perfect defense.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Naruto called, a large smile on his face upon spotting her.

Hinata smiled in return, glad to see her boyfriend unharmed. She stood up, slipping her sandals upon her feet and the scroll into her bag.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," she began, not missing their teacher. "Good Morning, Kakashi-sensei,"

The jonin offered a wave with a yo, as he did a quick stretch of his arms and prepared for teaching.

"I hope it wasn't assuming too much, but I made lunch for all of us," Hinata stated, revealing the contents of the basket she brought along.

Naruto was glad to see Hinata brought food for them. He didn't want to even imagine having to eat a meal with other women touching him. Kakashi inspected the container, seeing a large arrangement of rice balls, and stackable metal containers he imagined contained soup.

"If she can get Naruto to eat anything other than ramen, affinity training is going to be simple," he thought, clearing his throat to speak.

"Alright, we'll begin by discussing the essence of putting elemental affinity into a jutsu."

Naruto and Hinata looked disappointed at the abrupt start to their training, but figured they could talk during if time permitted.

"You learned at the academy that ninjutsu is performed by converting stamina into energy; that energy is called chakra, the use of hand seals and our natural ability to mold chakra is what allows for the use of jutsu techniques," Kakashi began, not missing the affirming stare of Hinata's and the blank expression on Naruto's face.

He internally sighed, deciding to provide a visual demonstration as well. Kakashi extended his right arm and focused chakra into his palm.

"My original ninjutsu, Chidori, requires pinpoint focus of chakra to create an expulsion of energy," Kakashi explained, the overflowing of chakra into a single point causing a chirping noise on the air. His stance shifted as he struck the ground, causing a minor explosion of dust and debris.

The pair peered through the dust to see that the attack had broken through the dirt, but was stopped against the rock beneath. Kakashi flexed his hand, feeling the usual ache that came from using the attack.

"By learning to convert chakra into affinity form, ninjutsus gain power and new functions."

Kakashi held out his palm again, this time the chirping noise was replaced with crackling snaps of electricity and the overwhelming scent of ozone.

"Lightning Edge," Kakashi shouted, plunging his hand into a spot adjacent to his previous strike.

Naruto's mouth dropped, seeing that it was different in appearance and power. Kakashi was now shoulder deep into the ground, with the rock barely hindering the movement of his thrust. He retracted his dusty right arm, patting the dirt loose.

"Amazing," They said in unison.

"Did either of your notice anything different between these two strikes?"

"Yeah, you added affinity to the second and used more power."

"That's incorrect Naruto, I used the exact same amount of chakra."

Naruto looked like the gears in his head stopped, not knowing how it was possible for him to create such a difference without pumping more chakra into it. Hinata could grasp the idea, but wasn't certain how he managed such a feat without changing hand seals.

"Wait, how's that possible," Naruto asked, starring into the two separate holes and trying to fully understand.

"This was to demonstrate two separate aspects of elemental affinity," Kakashi began, still continuing to dust his arm clean. "First, by learning to change your chakra to match your elemental affinity, ninjutsus can be changed to increase power and efficiency. Second, elemental affinities have inherent strengths and weaknesses. There are five elemental affinities, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. In this instance, lightning is far more effective against earth," Kakashi ended, waiting for the first round of questions.

"If there are only five affinities, than what type of affinity does Shikamaru have, and how was Haku able to make ice, and Yamato make trees," Naruto asked, showing everyone that he was capable of good questions.

"Haku and Yamato are blood limit holders, some blood limits allow the holder to possess two separate affinities. By using these two elements together a new type of jutsu is created. Earth and water allow Yamato to create trees, while water and wind can create ice. We'll get into light and dark affinity at a later time, but first we need to determine your affinities," Kakashi said, reaching into his pocket for the testing material.

"How are we going to do that, Kakashi-sensei," Hinata inquired, having already known she was a water user.

He pulled out a plastic packet that had several sheets of two inch paper squares. He removed a single piece and held it between his finger tips.

"This is specially treated paper, by pushing chakra into it, the paper will respond in a way representing your affinity. Fire, it'll burn into ash, Water: moisten, Earth: crumble into dirt, Lighting: crinkle, Wind: Split in half."

Kakashi pushed some of his chakra into the paper, unimpressed by it crinkling into a ball. He handed a piece to each student, watching them each hold their breath and push chakra into it. Hinata smiled as her piece soaked into mush, but starred at seeing Naruto's paper tear into two.

"A wind affinity, that's rare." Kakashi stated, uncertain who he inherited that from. Kushina was a water user and the Minato had been fire, only adding to the proof that Naruto was special.

"Alright, now that we know what affinity you have, we need to start by training your bodies to learn the feeling of changing your chakra into its affinity form, then we'll begin practicing incorporating that into ninjutsus you already know."

Hinata had a blush on her face, feeling that she somehow managed to get a head start on their training; already knowing a few jutsus that matched her element. She raised her left hand, awaiting for their sensei to acknowledge her.

"Um Kakashi-sensei, I already know a few water jutsus."

Kakashi blinked his visible eye, not certain how it was possible for her to know things like that. He never in his past encountered a single Hyuuga that used ninjutsu, but knew too that Hinata wouldn't boast something she wasn't capable of.

"Can you demonstrate," he asked, watching the female form a seal and in two puffs of steam create two water clones.

He was impressed by her knowledge and natural ability to learn that technique, but also knew that there weren't too many water users in Konoha. They lived in a country referred to as fire country for a reason. Nevertheless, he now had to dig for some new information.

"Those are impressive Hinata, but where did you learn these techniques?"

"I received a jutsu scroll from our clan doctor." Hinata explained, taking the item from her sling bag for the Jonin to examine.

Kakashi swiftly checked the text, noting the knowledge and clarity of each individual technique. The scroll was encyclopedic, complete with two S-rank techniques he had only heard rumors about. One of them was only because it was created by the second Hokage. Kakashi was concerned about the depth of knowledge given to a Chunin, since three of the A ranked water jutsus were considered forbidden for the strain they placed on the user's body. Though, the side notes and penmanship told him who he'd need to speak to. He handed the item back to Hinata, and she carefully returned it to her bag.

"Hinata, I'll be providing you hands on instruction, since you have advanced further than Naruto has. Naruto, I want you to take a leaf and practice cutting it into pieces using only your chakra," he said, watching Naruto's face slump, but recuperate as he walked over to the small wooded area.

Kakashi prepared to offer further instruction on how to speed along this training, but didn't need to as Naruto created thirty clones and each of them began trying to cut leaves in half. Hinata didn't create more than the two she started with, and awaited instruction from Kakashi.

"How powerful will these two become," he thought, seeing many attributes of the 4th in the two of them.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and created a clone of his own.

"Go find Taro Masahiro." he stated, knowing he'd need to pick the brain of his previous classmate.

*The Gilded Lily*

Taro sneezed into his napkin, feeling like he had a headache that only refused to leave because of the female before him. She wasn't overly annoying as he felt many of her kind could be, but the only thing that grated on his nerves were her table manners. She talked with her mouth full and that didn't assist in his ability to hide the normal demeanor he'd been trying to restrain for tactical reasons. With the cease and desist order, his financial situation spiraled into a difficult state. He had plenty of money saved to compensate his workers and made certain to delay the order of various pleasure items into Konoha. Sake, fresh produce, chocolate, and physical comforts of the flesh were no longer available to the public.

"Masahiro, are you listening to me?"

Taro blinked coming out of his thoughts, the woman had been talking the entire time. Thankfully, he hadn't been listening. Otherwise, he'd likely toss an insult at her that'd make the situation turn ugly.

"I'm sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts, the color of your eyes reminded me of the forest at first light, I apologize for losing myself," he stated, putting on his best fake smile.

She giggled, rolling her eyes at the colorful words that came from a sour man.

"That's fine, could you manage to respond and take an interest when I speak?"

"I'll try."

Taro looked at the meal before them, noticing that the fruits and veggies at the gilded Lily looked brown on the edges. He knew that Konoha didn't have any prevalent natural resources. There was an underground river that provided safe drinking water, but they didn't possess any farm land to provide for their citizens. There had been a push by the previous elders to extend the wall and start using the money they paid for food to establish self sufficiency. However, with the attack by Sound and Suna, all funding abruptly vanished. With all notions of it fading from the clan council and no one had mentioned it since. It was harrowing now to see that without his business importing supplies, Konoha was slowly bleeding; which was starting to show.

It was a cleaver tactic that his father taught him early on; control food and alcohol and you can cripple any community. While he had a plan for taking revenge on Tsunade, there wasn't anything he could conjure to avoid the clan restoration. He didn't have any detrimental information against the Hokage, nor of prospective elder council members. It was this knowledge that put him at his current state. He'd need to suffer these dates like all the male clan members. The only difference; was that he planned to make the best of the crummy situation.

He took a bite out of the dango he ordered, and noted the positive and negative aspects of the female before him. On one hand, she didn't have an annoying voice, nor any major medical issues. On the other hand, she was riff with poor table manners. An irony, given how much and often her clan ate. Nevertheless, now that he chose to focus on her, there were a few questions he needed to ask.

"I'm curious, why would you come on a date with me if the consensus among the village is that I'm difficult to be around?"

She shrugged her shoulders and he felt his eyes expand as she stretched with her arms over her head. It was shocking when her breasts jumped two full sizes. Taro stifled choking, but the devilish smirk on her face told him that she planned that. It also showed him that those expansion techniques had other uses than combat.

"What can I say, I've never backed down from a challenge," she chirped, her physical shape no longer a factor in attraction.

Taro smiled at her attitude, taking some encouragement from it.

"Nor have I," he retorted, but felt his face slump upon seeing Kakashi enter and take a path directly at him.

"Are you out of your mind," Kakashi shouted, feeling a rare spike in anger at the nonchalant way Taro stared at him.

Taro didn't have a shocked response, since he normally did things that caused this type of reaction. His would've guessed what his overreaction was about, though he was too bored to do so.

"I was about to ask the same thing, it's rare you'd interrupt someone on a date," Taro retorted, turning the situation on the male.

Kakashi was quick to recover, noticing the female in question glaring at him as she put another slice of barbeque beef into her mouth.

"I don't care about your date, I'm talking about the jutsu scroll you gave to Hinata Hyuuga."

Taro looked at Kakashi with a smirk, turning to his date to get a little time alone.

"Would you excuse us, we'll continue our date later Nami."

Nami rolled her shoulders and left, being certain to bump into Kakashi as she departed.

"I'm starting to like her more," Taro said, still nonchalant about the issue in discussion.

"As terrifying as it is to imagine you as a father, I wanted to know why you provided a Chunin rank Shinobi with a scroll containing A and S rank forbidden jutsu?"

"Is that all?"

"If the Hyuuga clan or the Hokage knew about this you could end up in prison."

"You'll pardon me if I don't take your advice in the area of teaching," Taro began, drinking some green tea to prepare his voice. "Hinata has never been admitted to the hospital for chakra exhaustion, nor do I believe her to be one to take unnecessary risk, taking that into account, I provided her with materials that both met and exceeded her skill level. A good teacher needs to assure and challenge his students."

Kakashi didn't sneer beneath his mask, but knew Taro was making a valid point. Hinata hadn't injured herself with her new scroll, nor kill anybody in practicing. She showed great control and knowledge with her new abilities, but it was still reckless to allow such information to wander about.

"Two of those jutsus are in the forbidden scroll, you know it's a crime to have a copy of those."

"Wrong, it's a crime to copy from the forbidden scroll, I just so happen to know the shinobi who can perform said jutsus, there's no law against sharing personal experience in written form."

Kakashi had to laugh, seeing that Taro again knew how to maneuver around the rules. Regardless, if it illegal or not, he couldn't let him off without a warning.

"I wonder if the Hyuuga will be so accepting of her new skills?"

"You act like I care what the Hyuuga or you think, they wouldn't know what was best for their shinobi if it stabbed them in the face, nor would I take advice from a jonin that couldn't even manage to keep a team of genin safe."

Kakashi felt that stab, his visible eye looking down at the table.

"But enough about serious matters, you'll want to come to the clan meeting, it's going to be a hell of a show," Taro stated, talking the cup of hot tea and tossing it at the jonin.

The Clone was quick to dodge the hot fluid, carefully catching the cup without issue. It suddenly burst into smoke, forgetting to dodge the stab to the foot Taro accomplished with his cane.

Taro felt relief with the male turning into smoke, thankful that he could vent his anger on someone who wasn't likely to be stuck with him for their entire life.

*1pm*

Naruto felt the sweat rushing down his face as he looked at the leaf in his hands, and the absence of anything that could be considered a cut. It didn't make sense. How could he be pushing out such a large quantity of chakra and the leaf remained unharmed? He pressed it back between his hands and forced out his chakra in a single burst, causing an alteration in the shape. He smirked in triumph, feeling that he finally figured out how he needed to mold his chakra. However, when he opened his hands to see shreds of plant pulp, his mood dropped.

His goal was supposed to be a clear single cut straight through the leaf, yet he couldn't seem to actually manage that. Elemental manipulation wasn't similar to either of the techniques he frequently performed. It wasn't like shadows clones, since he could pour a massive amount of chakra into the technique and expect better results. He thought it'd be like the Rasengan, which was why he was holding it between both hands. Using one hand to control the shape and the other maintain the flow of chakra. However, it wasn't merely a matter of control and shape. There had to be some other factor he wasn't quite grasping.

"What am I doing wrong," he thought, looking over at Hinata as Kakashi oversaw her practicing with water spheres.

Hinata wasn't sweating profusely as he was, but that was because of the quantity of water that soaked her clothing. She was holding her hands around an orb of water, but was slowly pulling her hands further apart and increasing the size of it. It was a form of intensive chakra training. Moving her hands apart required her to keep the orb together with a strong chakra frame, but also forcing her to create more water to enlarge it. She already could manipulate her chakra to convert into the water elemental form, which was a step ahead of Naruto. However, that meant she needed to become accustomed to making water with chakra over stealing it from her body. For water users, taking water from the body was the simplest way to perform a technique, since it required less chakra. However, it was the most detrimental as major organ failure could occur if too much was taken.

Hinata was only able to get her hands shoulder length apart, keeping a water orb the size of a soccer ball in her palms. Each time she attempted to move beyond that, the sphere would begin to warp and rupture; soaking her from head to toe. This was great for keeping cool in the late fall sun, though there was obvious frustration on her face. Naruto could now see the small furrow in her brow as she concentrated on what she was doing incorrectly. Though, he had to restrict himself from smiling at the fact her serious face was also cute.

"I need to catch up with her." he thought, holding the leaf in his hands and focusing on how his chakra flowed.

He knew that the Rasengan used chakra waves spinning at high speed to act as a grinding stone. It was this reason that the attack would tear through objects, and anything it couldn't penetrate would be pushed back. The only question was how he could use that to cut through something, without pulverizing it.

"Cutting, kunai, shuriken, fuma shuriken, what's the difference between these things and the Rasengan," he wondered, comparing the items in his mind.

"Wait, grinding...sharpening," Naruto felt his mind wander as he recalled the sharpening he did on his tools.

When putting an edge on a kunai, it was required to use an abrasive object that was harder than the metal. The only problem that he couldn't get his mind around was how he could make his chakra like wind? He closed his eyes and tried to think about it, not really certain what qualities he needed to cut with air. He took a deep breath, exhaling through pursed lips. He felt like a bolt of lightning hit his brain. He took another slow breath and keeping his lips tightly together heard a whistling and felt the force behind the pressurized air.

"Could it really be that simple," Naruto thought, wondering if that was a possibility.

He created two more clones beside him and they nodded together. He put his right hand around a new leaf and the other clones put their hands upon his.

"Chakra," Naruto began, pushing out as much as his hand could handle. "Control," The first clone did its best to keep the chakra flow contained with its own. "Restriction," The third clone created a restriction on the flowing chakra, having to tolerate a building intensity that felt like it'd explode his hand.

The trio continued for only ten seconds before he felt the leaf change in shape. They smiled in exhilaration, the leaf feeling like it would be torn in half in no time.

"Yes," shouted the third Naruto, but released its waning restriction.

Kakashi and Hinata froze as an ear rending whistle was heard, followed by an explosion of air that dispelled the two clones and sent the real Naruto flying five feet back.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata exclaimed, reaching him at the same time as Kakashi.

He didn't appear severely injured, but he hadn't gotten up from lying flat on his back. She didn't feel reassured by him smiling, but was surprised to see him hold up his right hand and reveal a leaf that was cut halfway through.

"I'm catching up with you, Hinata-chan," he groaned, sitting up to try again.

Hinata blushed, failing to realize that Naruto was chasing her for once. Also embarrassed to know she was motivating him for a change. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to see him destroy his body to catch up.

"That's wonderful Naruto-kun, but please don't hurt yourself."

"Sorry," he replied, not expecting that much energy to be released.

"You both need to be careful when performing affinity techniques, the backlash of an unsuccessful jutsu can be intense and sometimes fatal," Kakashi warned, the two looking at him with expressions that understood the seriousness of the situation.

"That being said, we should take a break for lunch," Kakashi said, knowing they were pushing it back farther than he liked.

Hinata retreated from her impromptu hold, casually dusting herself off before walking over to the basket containing the food she prepared. She opened the top to reveal a trio of stacked food containers. They were metal insulated, which meant being kept in the basket in the sunlight would ensure all the food was still hot. She handed one to Kakashi and Naruto, each of them looking at the three tiers with marked anticipation. Naruto opened his first, seeing that the top layer was miso soup. Beneath that, was a mixture of grilled tuna, salad, and a few pieces of tempura shrimp; complete with a full container of white rice at the bottom.

Naruto licked his lips in anticipation, sitting down so he could dig into his girlfriends wonderful cooking.

"Itadakimasu." He shouted, about to dig in, but was halted by a cough from his sensei.

"I think this one was meant for you Naruto."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering how he could have the wrong one. All of their meals looked exactly the same. Kakashi handed him the bottom tier of his meal, which had white rice as well. Save for the I love you kanji made from pickled plums. Naruto and Hinata felt their faces redden, since neither was expecting that. Naruto knew it would take some time for Hinata to return his words of affection, but never dreamed he'd get a love note in his food. Hinata felt a panic rise up, since she must've done that subconsciously. The entire time she was cooking she had been practicing to tell Naruto that she loved him. This was the way that her feelings managed to manifest.

Naruto recuperated and smiled as his girlfriend.

"I love you too." he said, cringing afterwards, expecting her to faint to the ground.

Hinata lied down on the ground, her face steaming with how crimson it turned. A high tone squeal was heard as she lied there trying to remain calm.

"Hinata-chan," he asked, watching her raise a hand with a single finger up and cover her eyes with the other.

"At least she's starting to get over the fainting," he thought, trying not to giggle at the innocence of the woman he cared for.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, hoping these two had a long and nurturing relationship. He felt a cold chill on his spine as he turned to see Yugao appear from nowhere. He wasn't surprised by her appearance, but did wonder why she would show up in such a fashion. Nevertheless, if she came in that manner, than something important was likely being sent.

"Yugao," he greeted, but it acted also as a question.

"I apologize Hatake, but all clan heads are required to attend an emergency council meeting, You may finish your meal, but arrive at the council chamber as soon as you are able." she stated, disappearing in an instant.

"Guess that's the end of training for the day." Kakashi said, turning back toward his students to show he had already eaten the entire container of food in the moment he was turned away.

Naruto felt annoyed, for lack of a better word. He was already being hounded by the restoration process, but now the title of Namikaze was forcing him to cut short his training and lose time with Hinata-chan. The amount of respect and acknowledgment was a lifelong wish being answered. However, he already had enough of both of those from his senseis, and friends. He felt a growl form in his throat as he followed closely behind Kakashi. He was just thankful he hadn't overdone it in training, since he was barely able to move without the strain in his hands pulsing sparks of fire. Having to use three clones to maintain the various aspects of the training was exhausting. Though, he now knew he could master the elemental affinity training with enough time.

"I'm going to catch up with Hinata-chan." he thought, confused when he bumped into Kakashi's back.

Naruto didn't know what his sensei was doing, since they weren't anywhere near where he assumed the clan council met. They were near the Hokage tower, passing by a painted forest mural that was located on the area below the Hokage monument. It was artwork that was rarely seen, since it was located off the beaten path. Naruto had seen the work before when he planned to deface the Hokage monument, yet wasn't able to bring himself to destroy the artwork. The old man 3rd had been the only friend and confidant he had when he was growing up, which was why he didn't disrespect his work.

Kakashi's hand glowed with chakra as he touched the tip of each of the trees and finished by sketching the symbol for Konoha using the dots on the trees as a guide. The rock creaked, as a false wall moved away to reveal a reinforced stairwell that was surprising well lit for being inside a mountain.

"Amazing," Naruto said, impressed by the hidden workings of Konoha.

"Just be certain to draw the symbol correctly, since you'll need to be able to reach here on your own in the future."

"I know how to draw the Konoha symbol Kakashi-sensei," Naruto groaned, feeling like his sensei didn't give him enough credit.

"You also went on a mission with food supplies that all required boiled water."

"That was a training exercise and I was younger then."

"I'm sure you aren't nearly as immature and impulsive as you have always been," Kakashi retorted, walking down into the cooler area.

Naruto felt his brow furrow at the comment, as he felt his frustrations boil up.

"Why do I need to be here anyways?"

Kakashi felt his shoulders slump at his student's pointless question. Naruto was always someone to see responsibility as something that hindered him. It showed in how he approached his missions, sometimes failing them so long as he did the right thing. Ideals were great things to have, but sometimes it was better to do something morally questionable and succeed.

"Naruto, being a member of the clan council bestows you with great privilege." Kakashi began coming to the bottom of the stairs and heading down a long hallway. "You will now have access to clan funds, oversee passing of laws, and be able to shape the village into what you desire it to become."

Their path felt like it was going to reach the center of the Hokage monument with how far they walked in.

"Privilege is always accompanied with responsibility, we are distinguished from the general population, but we must serve an even higher standard so that we can establish a safe and rewarding life for all those in Konoha," he stated, opening a large wooden door to reveal the clan council chamber.

The shouts were overpowering as many of the clan heads audibly revealed their distaste for the emergency call. Many of them were dressed in their normal clothing, save for the Hyuuga who always showed up as formal as possible. The council chamber silenced as Naruto appeared behind Kakashi. Naruto was in awe as he looked around and was surprised to see many faces he didn't know with a few that he actually did. Shino was sitting beside his father, with Kiba sitting by his mom. Naruto felt relief to know there were some peers of his on the Council. He looked around and wondered where he would sit, since there wasn't any specific assigned seating. Thankfully for him, Kakashi lead him to sit in the chair to his right. He felt a smile cross his face when Sakura arrived and sat on the other side of their sensei.

The sound of the room silenced with Tsunade coming in with a menacing aura that put everyone into a curious mood. The sannin was furious. The decision in reopening Masahiro's businesses were what had her in a sour mood, but the lack of sake felt like gas poured on a fire. At least the election process was the only reason for the meeting.

"Clans of Konoha, I would like to first apologize for calling this meeting, but the restoration process requires the establishment of a new elder council. I will state the rules for taking these roles, since we are recently joined by two new clan members. You are free to nominate anyone that you choose, but all nominations need to be accepted by at least two other clan leaders. There will be a vote and if the majority of the clan supports the person, than they will take on this role. In addition, nominations can be declined," Tsunade explained.

The Hokage waited with a small smile at the balance created by this system. It ensured that people couldn't nominate themselves and if a small group attempted to gain power, the vote by the rest of the clans prevented any such plan.

The silence was broken by the sound of Choza Akimichi, standing up to offer his nomination.

"I nominate Shikaku Naru,"

Tsunade was glad to see that at least one person of high qualification was going to be brought onto the Council. Shikaku was known for his incredible intelligence and his tactics during battle. He was a man of clear cut logic. He wouldn't be likely to let his emotions sway the overall choices he made. In addition, he was also laid-back, and couldn't easily be instigated into acts of war.

The older Naru stood, rubbing the back of his head and mumbling some words that no one could hear.

"I humbly accept this nomination and would gladly serve Konoha, if elected," Shikaku said, though held out hope that others would be elected instead of him.

A second and third nomination came from Inochi, and Shibi. The next to be nominated was a surprise to her, since it came from Hiashi Hyuuga.

"I nominate Taro Masahiro."

The room was filled with silence, since no one expected Hiashi of all people to elect Taro. It was obvious that Taro held little affection for the Hyuuga, but to have them want him in a position of power was the greater concern.

Taro smirked at the statement, carefully standing on a single crutch. It was now time for him to make his move.

"I appreciate the nomination Hiashi. However, I must decline, my business investments would conflict with my role as an elder, as would my primary profession of being the Hyuuga clan's doctor. I would like to instead offer my nomination to Shibi Aburame and Tsume Inuzuka."

Tsunade felt like her jaw was going to break off with how shocked she was. What the hell was Taro planning? He could've easily made the argument that with his businesses shut down, he wasn't conflicted. In fact, the tactical choice would've been to take the nomination and then use it to negotiate to get his businesses reopened. However, with him knowing about the message the Daimyo sent, he likely didn't need the position. She blinked a few times, realizing the superb strategy Taro managed. He had the winning hand, there were two ways he could've played this and was already so confident in the first that he was throwing the second away.

There were a series of conversations that followed, but when all was said and done, the council agreed with Taro's nominations. A quick vote was called and each nomination was elected to the elder councils.

"Clans of Konoha, our newest elder council will consist of Shibi Aburame, Shikaku Naru, and Tsume Inuzuka." Tsunade confirmed.

The clan council applauded the fair election, as the meeting was now drawing to a close. However, it was soon shown that was a false belief.

"Are there any other issues the council would like to address before we adjourn," Tsunade asked, thankful to get some assistance in dealing with village issues.

"I have an issue that I wished to see clarified Hokage-sama," Taro stated, standing up and deciding that now was the best time to strike.

Taro knew that the message from the Daimyo should've arrived and scared Tsunade into relenting in her crack down on his business assets. It was obvious with the way she locked her jaw when she spoke. This was going to hurt her, but it was serving a greater purpose; in his mind.

"With the announcement of clan restoration, we as the council have done our best to ensure we assist in the growth of Konoha," he began, baiting the water slowly to build up the appetite of his fellow clan members. "However, given your genetic lineage as a member of the Senju clan, I as many of the other clan members have wondered what steps you have taken to ensure the growth of your clan?"

Tsunade felt her heart skip a beat at that comment. Now she saw the sick and twisted game Taro was playing. This meeting was the best place he could put her on the spot. The new elders were now in place and they could force her to adhere to the restoration. She felt her thinking capabilities stall, as thoughts of Dan and children rattled her brain. She recuperated enough to retaliate, but that proved to be a fatal error.

"As the Hokage, I must remain in a state that would permit me to protect the village in case of attack."

"No one here would've asked for anything otherwise, it is the role of the Hokage to protect the people of Konoha," Taro stated, deciding to now deal the final blow. "As the granddaughter of the 1st Hokage, I would've thought using a surrogate would be the best choice to ensure the potential of the wood blood limit, and sage ability not perish. We only wish to see your clan live on, what with the near extinction of the Uchiha and Namikaze clan."

Tsunade felt her stomach bile rise into her throat. A combination of rage and nausea overtaking the controlled exterior she desperately tried to reinforce. What kind of a bastard would hit her while she is down? She peered around the room and could see that the clan council was deliberating the reasons for and against such an action. Their murmurs were loud enough, but their swift ebb told her that Taro had won.

"Well spoken Masahiro," Said the voice of Shibi, already deciding to take his new found role by the reins. The Aburame male could see that Taro was doing such an act with malicious intent, despite being right in the preservation of Konoha blood limits. Nevertheless, actions needed to be taken to allow the Hokage time to process and prevent clans from trying to influence her choice.

"Lady Tsunade and we elders will discuss such arrangements for her reproduction at a later time. Now, we must reestablish normalcy for the sake of Konoha's citizens. Ordering so many emergency meetings will cause distrust and fear among the general population. Shikaku, Tsume, and I will work to maintain our new roles and provide each clan opportunity to reproduce and return to daily routines."

Taro smirked at how well suited Shibi was for the role of elder. The man could take charge of a room and all the while dig right to the intellectual point of the matter. It would've only been better if he had been able to get Tsunade to name the male who'd be the father of her child in public.

"Seeing as there are no objections to this, we will inform specific individuals of a return in a week to discuss further details and evaluate the progress of restoration."

*5 pm*

Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura each were stunned by that revelation at the end of the meeting. A majority of the council decided to march out while there was still an uneasy calm. It felt like the aftershock after a powerful jutsu, silence being the only thing to dare retort such intensity. The older male wondered if Taro had a death wish, since that was fighting dirty at its worst. It was well known among Konoha that Tsunade had lost her spouse before they had the chance to have children. Having that old wound opened and forcing a person to then pick someone to be the father and baby carrier. That was harsh, but with how precise and methodical Taro had been in the last war, he wouldn't be surprised if he were a sadist.

"Are all the meetings that intense," Naruto asked, visibly shaken that there was something that could break the controlled exterior of baa-chan.

The only other time he remembered her looking so visibly shaken was when she still was fearful of blood.

"No, today was a rare and unexpected event," Kakashi replied, wondering how things would progress from this point.

"What's a surrogate anyways," Naruto inquired, making Kakashi cover his visible eye with his hand and Sakura to sweat drop.

"Another woman uses her body to provide a child for someone who can't," Kakashi replied, placing his arm around Naruto and setting their direction for the Gilded Lily.

"How is that possible?"

"You don't need to worry about that, you need to worry about the conversation you'll be having at dinner."

Naruto's face fell, the combination of guilt and frustration evident.

"If you're both having dinner, do you mind if I join you," Sakura asked, wanting to get more social interaction before the baby started to play havoc with her body.

Naruto smiled, thinking that maybe things wouldn't be too bad with a friend there.

Kakashi looked at the pair and sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to dissuade them. Besides, it wasn't like he was trying to date Sakura.

*5 miles from Ginjiro Market*

They had been walking for miles and to his great disappointment, Kakuzu had been quiet for a majority of their trip. He only spoke when confronting the now dead monk that he held by the neck and supported over his shoulder. It was in their orders to kill this monk, but Kakuzu's need to acquire wealth was what disgusted him. Hidan looked over at his companion and laughed at the sheer idiocy of them doing such a deed in the country that they were actively being hunted.

"Kakuzu, do you really think there won't be any repercussions for you wanting to make some fucking money by exploiting the Akatsuki?"

Kakuzu didn't openly respond, choosing to keep silent and ignore the prodding of his companion. He would've rather come alone, but Pain was unwavering in his decision to have them work in pairs. He was likely trying to protect his remaining allies, with Sosori, Deidara, and now Itachi dead. Sosori and Deidara he wouldn't miss, since their attitudes and thirst for thrills in combat were what got them killed. Itachi was one that he still couldn't wrap his head around, since he long thought it near impossible to kill an Uchiha with so many years of experience. Then again, he had fought and survived against the 1st Hokage.

"I don't really fucking care about the money, but I'm just wondering if you don't have a brain beneath that mask or if you're just in Akatsuki to find something as pathetic as gold, but maybe you're just fucking around with the organization until you find someone that can kill Pain..."

Hidan raised his scythe in an instant, blocking the free left hand of Kakuzu that had been swung with murderous intent. The fist was black, since he hardened his skin with ami and would've actually hurt him if he didn't block. The residual sting of his hands against his three bladed scythe made him smirk at the response.

"Finally decided to respond, care to put down that useless baggage and settle this little spat," Hiden asked, his face already brightening at the idea of fighting his partner and enemy.

Kakuzu's hand returned to a normal flesh color, as he tucked his hand back beneath his cloak.

"As much as it would please me to close that mouth forever, so long as you are a member of Akatsuki I won't kill you, even if doing so could be seen as an act of charity to the world."

"That's the only reason, I guess when we return and I tell Pain about our little adventure, maybe he'll banish you and let me break your heart again?"

Kakuzu continued walking, hoping to soon see the blue and black flag that displayed for Ginjiro market.

"I should tear off your head to get some peace and quiet."

"Feel free, we both know that wouldn't do any fucking good, Kakuzu-chan."

*6pm*

Hinata couldn't believe what was happening as she walked to another store and saw the same orange sign as the previous six.

By order of the Hokage, this business is to remain closed until further notice. All questions concerning the reason for closure should be submitted to the Hokage in person. No compensation will be offered to any previous patrons.

After their training was cut short, she decided to prepare a special menu. Her chakra coils ached worse than when she first started spinning water into a sphere. The only relief was that being in Konoha provided her access to cold water to soak her hands. She returned to the clan compound and took a shower, taking some extra time to ease the pain in her palms. When the aches diminished to the point she could make a fist without pain, she left to prepare tomorrow's lunch. However, it was when she visited the clan kitchen that she was confused. The normal access to food stores were under lock, and guard. She had asked what the reason for it was, but all she was told was the elders had issued a food reserve warning until further notice.

"I never imagined finding fresh fish, vegetables, and rice would be so difficult." she thought, thinking that she might have to forget cooking a lunch for their training session.

It was bizarre for so many grocery stores were closed down, since there hadn't been any warnings concerning specific foods. Regardless, she was running out of ideas of where to go. She sat on a bench and knew there had to be a solution, yet kept coming up with zero new ideas. Her stomach awoke and that lead to a moment of inspiration.

"I'll try a restaurant, they're sure to sell their ingredients."

*The Gilded Lily*

Naruto felt his nerves fraying with how frustrating these other six women were. It wasn't like with breakfast, since these six were all waiting for him at once. They sat at a large table and before things began there was the argument of who got to sit closest to him. They bickered among themselves for about twenty minutes, before Sakura shouted at them for acting immature. Sakura took a seat beside Naruto to act as a buffer against these women, and forced them to all sit on the other side.

"I feel like my brain is decaying with all of them fighting this whole time, I apologize for ever envying you Sasuke," he thought, rubbing his right temple to deal with the growing headache.

He was barely able to keep his attention on a single one of them. The moment one of them began to talk, another would cut in to try standing out. It was some weird popularity competition that he had the bad luck of being judge and prize. He picked slowly at the ramen noodles before him, surprised by the lack of green onion, and naruto. In fact, the quality of the food seemed to dwindle between now and the morning. Though, that could've just been his imagination.

Naruto peered over his left shoulder and saw he wasn't the only person to be bored out of their mind. Kakashi didn't appear phased by the added attention, but the way he always acted cool and collected around women might've just been how he coped. Yamato, and Kiba appeared to be having difficulty with the few women they were with, but for what reasons he couldn't detect. It was only the first day of this torture and he wished it would end. The only relief he felt was looking to his right and seeing Sakura. She was peacefully eating a large assortment of fruit with some chicken skewers for protein.

He did his best to not chuckle at the fact she was keeping a nutrition focused diet for the child she was caring for. Though, a faint chuckle escaped his mouth at imagining her child trying to sneak junk food when Sakura wasn't looking. The moment of levity was overtaken by a groan escaping his mouth. He went face first into the table.

"Why is time moving so slow," he thought, wishing with each second that the three hour period was done with.

The wood against his head stung, but waned when he felt a hand grab his neck and begin to rub.

The contact was foreign, but the result was a wave a pleasure as the tensed muscles relented to the calculated movements. The feeling was short lived as shouts of envy arose and he soon found himself being grabbed and rubbed on several places by the many women.

*Outside the Gilded Lily*

Hinata smiled at the fact this place was still open, but was wondering why the restaurant wasn't packed with people.

"People were going on more dates with the restoration in mind," she thought, trying to walk inside.

She didn't even make it to the door before she was stopped by four Anbu.

"Sorry Hyuuga, but this business is being used for clan restoration and we can't permit any unauthorized females to enter the premise."

Hinata felt her mouth go agape, because she was now entirely out of ideas. If she couldn't purchase directly from a restaurant, than Naruto was going to be disappointed tomorrow when they had nothing to eat but rice and green tea. She sighed and began to walk away, but caught a glimpse of blonde hair through the window. Her face turned and her heart felt like it was torn from her chest. Naruto was surrounded by women, and all of them were touching him so openly.

She felt her eyes moisten at the fact she was blind to the obvious results of clan restoration. Naruto-kun was going to be approached by several women and there wasn't anything she could do about it. He had six of them all trying to touch and hold him, doing physical contact with him that nearly made her faint each time. She had to force her body to breathe again, since it probably tired to kill itself over seeing the sight before it.

Hinata turned her back and wanted to run away, but found her legs refused to respond to her. No, it wasn't just her legs that denied her emotional response, but her eyes as well. It was when she saw Naruto's face that she realized something was off. He wasn't smiling. Actually, he looked like he was in physical pain with all the touching and noise that she could sense even outside. Her tears dried as Naruto pushed them all off him and he rose up with a frown on. A cautious smile spread across her face when she noticed Sakura beside Naruto as she shouted at all the females; causing them to flee from her murderous intent.

Naruto looked to ease as the women fled and allowed him to sit and start talking with Sakura. She didn't know what she felt, since it wasn't the normal feeling of inadequacy. Instead, she felt courage and determined to fight for Naruto; the same way he always fought for what he wanted.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, but I think Baa-chan is going to be angry with you scaring off my dates."

"Let her be angry, the least they could do is let you go on individual dates, otherwise you'll just get attacked like meat to starving animals."

"Yeah, that sounds about right, though I'd rather be food for animals right now," Naruto groaned, slurping up the broth of his ramen without his normal exuberance.

"I heard you were going to be receiving affinity training, is it that complicated," she asked, thinking Naruto should've been in a wonderful mood with that special gift.

"I don't want to date all these women, and Hinata-chan just told me she loved me too."

Sakura looked at her teammate with a smile, glad to see that he managed to encourage his girlfriend to openly confess. Though, that was also the bad news for his day.

"I'm guessing that Hinata doesn't know about these dates, does she," she asked, watching Naruto cover his head with his hands in despair.

"I'm a terrible person."

"No, a terrible person wouldn't feel bad about what they were doing," Sakura clarified, but it was of little consequence to the troubled male.

"Fine, but I'm still a terrible boyfriend."

Sakura kept silent, unable to really say that this was okay by any standard. Nevertheless, she wanted to try and help the knucklehead.

"If you feel so bad about it, why don't you tell Hinata about this?"

"Because if I tell her she won't trust me anymore, and if I don't she'll find out and never trust me, which would ruin our relationship, because you can't have a relationship without trust," He spat, managing to accomplish the logical reasoning in a single breath.

Sakura blinked a few times, worried in the fact that Naruto's argument did make some level of sense. She bit her lip and thought, deciding to offer some of her own advice about this.

"Given what I know about Hinata, I think if you told her about this, she'd likely be hurt, but she'd trust you more with you telling her," she began, watching Naruto turn his head on the counter to look at her with over dramatic crying eyes.

"Really?"

"As a woman, I think you can trust my advice on women, since I'm guessing Kakashi is the one who told you not to tell her."

Naruto just rubbed the side of his head and chuckled, feeling like he could be read too easily by others. He looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late, technically his date was supposed to go on for another thirty minutes. However, with all his potential dates missing, he couldn't really be abandoning this task. He stood to leave, but felt Sakura grab his hand before he could.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something Naruto," Sakura whispered, her face serious.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but recognized that expression from before. It was the same on the day he promised Sakura that he'd bring Sasuke back for her.

"As you know, I'm pregnant with Sasuke's child."

"Yeah, I didn't think you two had a chance to do that," he said, watching her expression turn angry.

"That's beside the point," she shouted, doing her best to contain her anger about the way the conception took place.

"I got pregnant without even getting to do it once, damn that fucking Taro" Inner Sakura thundered, her personal opinion about that doctor causing the rage in her to boil over.

"I wanted to ask you something, since this child isn't going to have a father to teach them."

Naruto felt sweat wash the back of his head, not liking where this was going.

"I wanted to ask, if you're willing."

Naruto panicked, waving both of his hands in front of his face.

"Wait, I mean, I'm flattered, but I have Hinata-chan and I mean I know you never felt that way toward me, but I thought with you being with child you'd start to have emotional outbursts and I don't think it would work out between us, not that I didn't think about us being a couple, but..." He rambled, only stopping when Sakura grabbed him by his jacket.

Her glare made him think he was going to black out from the intensity.

"I'm not asking you to be my husband, dumbass, I was going to ask if you'd be the child's godfather."

Naruto's face went blank, as the request finally registered in his brain.

"Oh, sure!"

*Outside Ginjiro Market*

Jiraiya sat with his legs crossed and eyes shut, uncertain of what they were about to encounter. He had a run in before with Itachi and Kisame, they had fled from that encounter long ago. However, he didn't know if he could've fought them if they chose to stand their ground. While it was a relief to know that Akatsuki lost their infamous Sharengan user, there wasn't any doubt that the two he'd be battling were at least at the same skill level as Itachi. Thankfully, his team had time to prepare and develop a strategy for the coming fight. They had arrived outside the market in record time, with Jiraiya transporting them via the means of a toad that followed the market whenever it moved.

Ginjiro appeared to be more a bazaar in appearance. There were about a hundred stalls with various people inside of each. Along with more permanent looking houses, complete with guards at every entrance. The entire perimeter was surrounded by a wall like Konoha's, but appeared to be made from some black stone.

Jiraiya had devised a plan from the start, knowing that they had to prevent Akatsuki from entering Ginjiro market at all costs. If inside, there wouldn't be any means to kill them, nor would they be able to wait patiently for them to leave. In addition, there was the danger of them recruiting more allies before departing. They had moved about two miles away from the market, moving toward the mountain path that led in. There was no guarantee that Akatsuki would take the beaten path, so Ino performed her sensor technique. Allowing her to detect anyone within a two mile radius, giving them advance warning of their opponents. Choji and Shikamaru guarded a kneeling Ino, and would support Jiraiya as necessary. Temari was standing several hundred feet away from the group, acting as a final line should the two try and rush past them.

Jiraiya's hands maintained a bizarre seal that none of them had seen before. He wasn't certain how long it would take for the Akatsuki to arrive, but he wasn't going to take any chances. It had been such a long time since he gathered natural energy and blended it with his chakra that he wasn't certain if he could reach sage mode. Regardless, he needed to remain still.

His ears twitch, as Ino's voice came to him from the radio receiver in his ear.

"They are just about here,"

Jiraiya smirked as he felt his appearance change as the natural energies altered his body. He could sense their enemies. Each of them pulsed with great amounts of chakra; yet neither projected as much natural energy as living things did.

"Jiraiya-chan, it's been such a long time since you called upon us," Crocked a female voice from his left.

"What's the meaning of pulling two of the great toad sages away from their dinner Jiraiya," Crocked a grouchy voice from his right, which made light chewing noises.

"Sorry for interrupting your dinner, but there are two powerful enemies I need your help with."

Shima and Fukasaku went silent, each of them sensing the coming maelstroms of chakra. However, they too were confused by the unnatural energy that emitted from the two humans.

Hidan came down the mountain path first, coming to the open field where he spotted the five man squad awaiting him and his partner. He grinned looking over his shoulder.

"Hey Kazaku, looks like Konoha found out about your plan to sell that monks body."

The other male stood beside Hidan, throwing the corpse to his feet with little care.

"We should be honored, I believe that is the toad sage Jiraiya we are about to fight."

"Toad monster would be far more suitable, look at the fucking ugly heads he's grown."

"Don't be stupid, Konoha wouldn't have sent shinobi that would be easily defeated."

"Won't be easily defeated my ass, you sit back and don't interfere, I'm going to enjoy getting to slaughter something other than some helpless monks."

*8pm Kakashi's apartment*

Naruto felt sick and exhausted beyond all reason. He knew he couldn't rush elemental affinity training without feeling the drain on his stamina. Though, it was his heart and mind that felt worn. He was thankful for Sakura scaring away the unwanted company, but now felt peculiar in knowing he was going to be a godfather to the boy or girl that Sakura gave birth to.

"I'm a godfather, and a terrible boyfriend," he thought, wondering how the guilt hadn't eaten a hole through his chest yet.

He was being forced into this situation, yet knew that couldn't vindicate the dates. It was just horrible to know that no one else knew what he was going through. Almost all his male friends didn't have girlfriends, so none of them could understand what he was feeling. Hell, Kiba, Yamato, and Kakashi all appeared to be enjoying themselves.

He touched the door handle to Kakashi's house and feared what horrors tomorrow would bring. It was going to be a repeat of hell for breakfast and dinner. Topped with the fact he'd need to look Hinata in the face during training without letting his pain show. He missed the doorknob entirely, resting against the door with a firm smack of his forehead on wood. The burn upon contact ebbed, but physical pain didn't help numb the hollow void in his chest.

"Good evening, Naruto-kun," Hinata said, seeing the obvious signs of distress that Naruto emitted.

Naruto flinched, doing his best to turn and offer the best fake smile he had.

"Hello Hinata-chan, what are you doing here," he asked, putting his years of hiding his pain to good use.

Naruto thought that his charade was working, but felt his stomach turn with what he next heard.

"I saw you at dinner, and wondered if you'd like some dessert, and fewer companions."

Naruto felt his heart valves squeeze shut. He couldn't even manage to keep his situation hidden for a single day? It figured that the first loving relationship he was in was going to be destroyed in record time.

"You aren't mad," he asked, wondering if this was the incident that caused her to snap.

Hinata dragged her teeth along her lower lip, unable to lie about her feelings. It did make her sad, angry, and flustered to see Naruto chased by other women. However, the look of displeasure he wore in the time she observed him was enough to suppress the anger.

"No, but I was hoping we could talk."

"I'd like that," he whispered, opening the door to see the home now completely clear of clutter.

Naruto wondered if Kakashi had sent that clone during practice back to his home to clean up. It would've made sense, but he now feared that his sensei had tidied up to prepare for an overnight date.

He lowered his head and shoulders as he walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the two person table. Hinata revealed a plastic container with a pair of wafer fish, each filled with ice cream and a chocolate caramel combination. She placed it between them and kept her calm composure. This had the unexpected side effect of making Naruto feel like more of a snake with each passing second.

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I should've told you before I left from training," he grumbled, taking a small bite from the sweet treat.

Hinata continued to remain silent, her mind still processing through what she felt in regard to the extra attention Naruto was receiving. However, with all the emotions that she felt, none of them were of anger or betrayal. While she continued to choose her words, Naruto began to ramble in his own worries.

"I wanted to say something, but Kakashi-sensei surprised me with four dates this morning, and just after the clan council elected new elders and is going to force Baa-chan to have a child, I was taken to have more dates and all the while I couldn't stop thinking about how horrible of a boyfriend I am, then Sakura asked me to the Godfather of her child."

Hinata to his surprise giggled at his rambling, since it was refreshing to be the one not struggling to find the correct words for the situation. Her tittering came to a sudden end, watching the hyperactive blonde freeze in nervousness.

She reached across the small table and took his hand. Relishing the warm comfort that his touch elicited. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn't want to share this sensation with anyone. It made her take pause and close her eyes as she needed to have a few things answered.

"Do you enjoy the extra attention you're getting Naruto-kun?"

"No, absolutely not, I don't want to date anyone other than you."

She smiled at his comment, but knew there was one issue that plagued her mind. Hinata saw the tactics those women were using to garner Naruto's attention; using their physical allure to persuade him into choosing them. While she knew Naruto loved her, he would need someone who was able and willing to accept his genetic legacy. The order Chiaki-sama provided was the real reason for the stress she felt at seeing those women seducing him. Naruto would need a woman able to bear his children and able to be intimate and accepting of his desires.

It was taking all the courage she had to just ask such a question, but knew her heart and mind wouldn't have peace until she had an answer.

"Do you want someone who can be physically intimate with you?"

Naruto's face flashed bright red, surprised that Hinata of all people would ask such a thing. It wasn't outside his normal thoughts, since he had recently thought about Hinata's body. The education Iruka provided had caused him to imagine adult things about his girlfriend. Hell, he felt the blush intensify when he looked at her chest and imagined what beautiful sight lied beneath that jacket and... He turned up to return her stare, only embarrassed by the blush on her face at him examining her.

Hinata felt overwhelmed by the way Naruto looked at her figure. It was a new experience to know he thought of her in a passionate way. However, it filled her with worry and love. His gaze lingering upon her body was energizing and told her where his heart truly was for her. The only issue; was that it made it obvious that intimacy was something he wanted. Naruto was a human of flesh and blood, which meant it was only natural for him to have physical needs. That caused her to lose her composure and cover her face with her hands.

"Well, I mean, I've thought about it and, and, I...I want to only do that with someone I love" he whispered, shoving the remainder of the treat into his mouth to prevent any more words from escaping.

Her smile betrayed the red blush that dared to boil her brain with how hot it was.

"I...Naruto-kun, I don't..." Hinata stuttered, but stopped as she grabbed the treat and consumed it in record time.

"I don't think I'm ready to do something like that," They said in unison, both of them having a confused stare, but began to laugh at the fact they each felt the same.

The moment of laughter faded, forcing them to confront the issue.

"I don't know if I can get out of these dates Hinata-chan, I want to, but as a shinobi we're sworn to put the needs of the village above our own." He stated, for once hating the loyalty he swore to Konoha.

Hinata didn't have anything she could say to negate that fact. Konoha was their home and every shinobi was prepared to make every sacrifice to see their home safe. The only problem was that she didn't want to sacrifice the man she loved. She closed her eyes and fought with all her strength to not cry, since this wasn't something she would give up! Naruto-kun loved her, so why did they need him to have a child with someone else?

Naruto couldn't take the silence. Only further wounded upon seeing the minute tears that squeezed from his girlfriend's shut eyes. He didn't care to deal with the silence and moved to her side. His arms found their way around her, pressing her chest into his. Hinata felt dazed, her moistened eyes caused blurring in her sight, but she saw Naruto's eyes start to cloud with tears as well. He didn't know what he was doing; wanting to show her how strongly he felt for her was something he was still a novice at. Nevertheless, he moved in and kissed her. This contact wasn't like their previous kisses, it wasn't innocent and soft. It was hot, rough, and feelings of fear and desperation were adequately felt. Hinata had to struggle for air, as neither moved away from this contact.

It only lasted for a minute, but both gasped for air when the smooch finally ended. They each felt shocked by their own actions, but maintained their hug, out of fear the other would run away if they were to release.

"Would you like to have breakfast and dinner with me Hinata-chan," he asked, noting the confused stare from Hinata.

"How can you eat with me if you can't get out of the restoration dates Naruto-kun?"

"Just because the real me has to suffer, doesn't mean I can't send a clone to be with the person I really want to be with, could you meet me on top of the Hokage monument for breakfast," He smirked, finally feeling certain in his actions when the Hyuuga embraced him with exuberance.

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto laughed in relief, feeling like there was some hope in their dire situation.