A/N: Yo! I'm going to update the first part of the second Rubies and Sapphires part to get things rolling and then go on to the others. Unfortunately, one person PMed me to say he didn't want this made public, but he was too lazy to read the long AN, and told me to stop making them long. He even said it might be against the rules. How stupid. So, you don't have the energy to scroll a mouse wheel down several times, yet you have energy to breathe? That's got to be the most hypocritical thing I've ever read. You know it takes more energy to breathe than to scroll down several times? Not even Shikamaru is that lazy. Want to know this person's penname? It was Howardbrown2. Naturally, he's written no stories of his own. So you know what? I'm going to make an extra long A/N just for you. If you have something to say, have the guts to say it in front of others.

For those of you who're worried that Unryu Itachi was just a person I needed to be introduced for that part of the story and then forgotten about, don't worry. I don't introduce OCs and then forget about them. I have plans for him.

People who mention that any of my characters are Mary-Sue or anything of the sort will be instantly blocked from now on. When you say 'Mary Sue' you're not just labelling the character, you're also severely insulting the author. Go and read the Wikipedia definition of it. Mary-Sue is not a term to be thrown around lightly. You want to know something? I took a 'Mary-Sue' test for canon Naruto. The highest rating score was 50 or more, meaning the character is without a doubt a Mary-Sue. Know what Naruto's canon score was? 158. So I thought, hell, why not try a test for canon Gaara? Score: 167. Trust me, every single main character in the canon Naruto universe is a 'Mary-Sue'. And you call my versions of Naruto Mary-Sue? That's sad. How can you call my version of Naruto a Mary-Sue when the canon Naruto is so Mary-Sue he's off the charts? I even put all of his faults in there and still got that result. What's another 41 points going to change?

I've been thinking of a name for this new fic, and I decided to continue with the colour comparing theme. So, I decided to go with hair colour. The first one that came to mind was Obsidian for Kurenai. Going with the mineral theme, I wracked my brains for another mineral that is known mainly for its' yellow coloured variety. Now, this is where the problem starts. Can anyone tell me the name of a well known yellow mineral apart from gold that everyone knows? 'Obsidian and Gold' just doesn't have the ring to it that 'Rubies & Sapphires' does. So, instead I could use something like 'Bismutohauchecornite', but that would just look incredibly stupid. 'Obsidian and Bismutohauchecornite, Spec's newest addition to his NaruxKure story!' Sure, the story would be good, but the name would turn away half of the potential readers before they even clicked the link to open the first chapter… The only other option I could think of at the time was to stick with the colour theme and move away from earthy objects. And this is where I ran into the next problem. Yes, I could use 'star' to describe Naruto's hair, however, that's not an accurate term. Stars range in colour from the black/white of neutron stars all the way up to blue super giants. Yellow stars like Sol, commonly known as our Sun, are main stream stars, the most common type in existence. Naruto's particular blonde colour is unique in his world besides Yondaime. That's the first problem. I could use 'neutron star' as Kurenai's description, but that would imply she's stupid. Why? Because neutron stars are possibly the most dense objects in existence besides black holes. To give you an idea of how compact their atoms are, take a twenty kilometre wide city. Now, crush all of it into something the size of a marble. That's the scale of density that neutron stars are. So, I'm stuck with earthly objects again… And that's where I ran into the next problem. I went with precious gemstones and decided on Topaz for Naruto. Although the yellow variety of Topaz is not as valuable as the brown or pink varieties, it's possibly the most well known yellow variety of gemstone thanks to Diablo 2. The first one that came to mind for Kurenai was Onyx; however, Onyx is a semi precious gem, not a precious. The only precious gemstone that even has a black variety was diamonds. Now, when you think of diamonds, what colour do you automatically think of first off? Most of you will think 'silver/white' or something like that. Stupid thing is it's another example of people clinging to things they understand, labelling everything else as a lie. Gems come in a wide range of colours. In fact, there are practically no gems that come in one colour only. If I did decide to call this Diamonds & Topaz, people would spam reviews saying 'OMG damondz r whit, nub!' Even if they had used the correct spelling, they would have been incorrect. The variety of diamonds they are referring to are completely transparent when cut and polished, assuming they have no flaws. But just to see how many people are going to be stupid and say that, I'm tempted to call this fic Diamonds and Topazes. But black diamonds are not exactly… Pretty. They're actually rather ugly. I could use black pearls, but I'd have to shorten it to pearls or break the 'tradition'. Now, when I said pearls, if I hadn't said black before it, most of you would have thought I was talking about the milky white version. And then it hit me. The ultimate name. One that no one will make incorrect assumptions about. There was another mineral that I had completely forgotten about that's only colour was yellow. Citrine. So, I now dub this fic; 'Rubies & Sapphires Book 2: Onyx and Citrine.'… Corny name compared to the last one, but due to the fact people are going to incorrectly point out that my fic title is 'incorrect', I'm going to save myself the effort of reading their 'smart' replies.

Just a note, I don't know why I didn't realise this earlier, but after watching the latest filler, something hit me.You know when Lee/Gai open 3 or more gates thier skin turns red? There's actually a real reason for that. Alot of things in nature, especially plants, turn red when dealing with extreme physicalstress. For example, if a plant is doused with an irregularly high amount of solar radiation, it has a few choices. It can either shed it's leaves to deal with it, die, or turn it's leaves red.It's not the best solution, but it's not bad. I can't remember the exact chemical changes that take place or chemicals that are released that help reduce physicalstress, but it reduces stress on the body by an unusual amount for a 'simple colour change'. Can't explian the eyes though...

Anywho, the date in this chapter isn't going to be what the majority of people would consider a normal date. Yes, it will involve eating at a restraint, formal dress and all that. What it won't involve is small talk during the meal. One of the things I hate most is when people beat around the bush at a meal. They say things that to me are completely meaningless and shallow. 'It was fairly warm today for a winter's day.' That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. 99 percent of the time, it has no hidden meaning and makes the conversation in my opinion cold, informal and boring. This date is the way I would have it go.

Oh, and an offer I'm putting out to other authors. If you want something translated into Japanese, say any original jutsu names that you want to use in your fic, send me the English name and I'll translate it. I can't guarantee I'll be able to do all of them, but I will be able to do about 90 or so percent of them. Send me a pm with the ones you need and I'll get on it and send you a pm back with the results.

On a lighter note, I reached 500 reviews for the first part too! Sweet!

Comments/Questions/Suggestions:

RevanLah: No one save the people who create Naruto know for sure what they want. There's theories, yes. I even have my own, but we don't know for sure. Apart from the ones you mentioned, it's highly unlikely I'll put another Jinchuriki in here, canon or not. I can't remember the name for Nibi's container, but she's a kunoichi from Kumo. She's in some of the more recent Canon manga issues. As for Orochimaru's power coming from something other than a Bijuu, it mainly relies on some facts and a little common sense. Orochimaru is scared witless of Itachi. Now, if Orochimaru was the container for the Orochi, which people insist is the Hachibi, then even if the 'ring theory', which states that the members of Akatsuki were to absorbthe Bijuu that corresponded to the finger where their ring is located, Itachi would get the Rokubi. Now, logically, Hachibi is more powerful than the Rokubi, right? So why was Orochimaru so scared of him? There's no real answer to that. That's what makes me think Orochimaru gets his power from something else. Also, Orochimaru's Akatsuki ring was located on his left pinky. There was no 10th Bijuu, so that just supports my theory. Video game? Which one? Raiden 3 or Star Wars: Empire at War? Anyways, it was one of them.

Shinobi's Fire: True, good point. It's just that it seems strange that no one else seems to have ever been able to use Mokuton Jutsus from his family…

GhostofKenshin: Oh no, I have plans for Itachi. Not sure how big yet, but he's going to be… Around…

dee-unlm1t3d: Well, it helps that right now, the only things I have to do each day are look for a job and a place to live. That takes all of… 30 minutes to do? The rest of the day is mine to do what I wish. I spend the majority of it writing.

a Foolish Writer: You didn't happen to read the very next sentence did you? I explained it right there.

obliviandragon: The two dances he used were both versions of Omnislash. Gogo Cloud!

fabarati: Hmm… I reread that issue and in mine, Kakashi said 'Something like a bloodline limit.' He even said that Haku's Bloodline Limit was just a unique manifestation of the Hyoton. Still, we could argue back and forth for all eternity… Right now, I'm more interested in getting the second part up and running. As for who did which jutsu, Naruto did Odama Rasengan and Itachi did Dai Raikiri. I explained why Itachi was able to do it. Being Rokubi's container, who apart from the god of lightning, Raidon, had the best power of lightning, that would mean that simple activation of the body to produce lightning wouldn't be hard, especially in a tailed form where their chakra control is so perfect it exceeds anything regular humans are capable of achiving.

ki master: Oh trust me, Itachi's still in this story. He just won't be making an appearance 'in the flesh' any time soon. We'll still hear of him or from him. And I've read 'Team 8'. Damn fine fic. Went to my favourites by the end of the second chapter.

SotF: Diamonds and Emeralds? I understand Diamonds for the black variety, but I can't think of anything about Naruto that would have to do with Emeralds… Unless you were referring to the yellow variety of emeralds? Rubies & Sapphires were chosen for a reason. Namely, their eye colours… Still, I'd be interested to hear your reasoning behind the choices.

halo2freak007: Futatsu is '2'. However, that was '12'. It took me ages to figure out what 'twelfth' was in Romaji. I used google and it only had one site with it in Romaji…

Dragon Noir: Yo! Hmm, true, I could have done that… As for Orochimaru's attendant, It was Kabuto… Probably should have put that in there…

Silver-Foxie: Well, I'm going with the assumption that 1 tail of any Jinchuriki is 'even' with one tail of another. Sure, their power types and the way they use chakra will be different, but I think that their power levels would be equal if they had the same number of tails.

Itallia: They also said in the Chuunin Exam that with each match, you get more chances to impress the judges. I'll explain why they get promoted in this chapter.

Aidis: Ya, he's around somewhere. I don't introduce an OC like that without having plans for them.

xxxxLostPuppyxxx: Read the start of this chapter for the answer to both those questions.

DreadCraft: Hmm, well, Sakura's always been a 'Damsel in Distress'. As for Kurenai, she didn't stand much of a chance against Uchiha Itachi in canon, so I just put a bit of a twist on their fight to suit the story.

ShenobiKageKitsune: Hmm? I thought I said at the end of the last chapter that I was going to continue the story in a new fic…

dragonmirage: Yah, I don't like the rebels. Much. Empire FTW! Anyways, as for Jinchuriki's healing a broken neck, did you mean that you doubt even they could do that or did you mean shouldn't they be able to do that? If it's the former, then I think Naruto actually did that. Remember at the Valley of the End? After Naruto did the clone chain and slammed Sasuke into a wall, Sasuke used Ryuuka no Jutsu and then did that sickening move on Naruto? That would have broken any vertibrate's neck, Jinchuriki or not.

The Demon King of Hell Kyuubi: Need suggestions, huh? Well, before I give you suggestions, I need a few raw details about your plans for the fic. I'll PM you with the questions.

makami: Since you provided a theory as to why this wouldn't matter, that puts you a leap ahead of the others and takes you out of the 'baka' group. The others just assumed that it would automatically happen and called me an idiot for not putting it in there. You didn't miss anything. You just needed to follow your own logic a single step further and then follow it from there. The Genjutsu did indeed only incapacitate Genin and non ninja. However, these were it's intended targets so that there wouldn't be a stampede and make it much harder to fight the 'real ninja'. In a battle, a mob of people, even with no training, can be a serious threat, both directly and indirectly. If they decide to attack a target as a mob using the 'safty in numbers' theory, evena Jouninwould be distracted just long enough for the Konoha Jounin to kill them. Indirectly, they would stampede and most likely make it easy to take a wrong step and lose balence from a flailing person and the Konoha Jounins would definately use that opening to kill them. Basically, singularly, they're nothing. Together, they're a serious annoyance and threat. Especially the Feuadal Lords that were present. If they had killed the Feudal Lord of the Lightning Country, Kumo would make a temprary alliance with Konoha to crush Orochimaru. Which would be rather... Undesirable... For him. Also, people who can use such wide area Genjutsu sucessfully are rare. Very rare. Even including the fillers, I only knowthree people who can dowide area Genjutsu of any typeat alland another who should be capeable of it. One was Kabuto, another was Yoroi. Another is Uchiha Itachi and the final onewho should be capeable of it isYuuhi Kurenai.As for wide area sleeping Genjutsu, I think only Kabuto, Itachi and Kurenai are capeable of it, meaning that Orochimaru had no one to replace him with.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! And now, ladies and gentlemen, book two of Rubies & Sapphires: Onyx & Citrine!

Legend:

'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'

'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Rubies & Sapphires Book 2: Onyx & Citrine:

Chapter One:

The Date:

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The Day After the Finals:

As Kurenai had said, Naruto had woken up the next day completely healed. Naruto was woken by the sunlight streaming in through his window. He opened his eyes groggily and looked around to see Kurenai there, smiling at him. Naruto crinkled his eyes into a trademark lazy smile.

"Ohaiyo, Kurenai-Chan."

"Ohaiyo, Naru-Chan."

Kurenai leaned in and gave him a full kiss on the lips, taking advantage of the fact that his face mask was on the floor next to him. Naruto was still half asleep and was not expecting this in the least. He quickly got used to it and kissed her back, slipping his tongue into her mouth and she did the same. After several minutes, both of them pulled back, breathing slightly faster than normal. Naruto remembered the final match and looked at Kurenai questioningly.

"What happened after I lost consciousness?"

Kurenai chuckled.

"The crowd were half expecting you to get back up again and keep fighting. However, the match ended in a draw. All judges agreed that both teams should be promoted to Jounin. The promotions will be done back in our own villages."

Naruto smiled and he remembered the damage that had been done.

"So, how's the stadium?"

Kurenai sighed.

"At least the rest of Suna is undamaged…"

Naruto smiled lazily as he put his mask back on.

"That bad huh?"

Kurenai nodded and the door to the room opened, revealing Tsunade, Shikamaru and Chouji. Tsunade smiled at Naruto.

"Good to see you're up, Naruto. All that people are talking about is the final fight between you and Itachi. Did you have to do so much damage to the stadium?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"My bad…"

Tsunade dismissed it and checked his temperature to make sure he was ok. Naruto blushed slightly when Tsunade bent down to do this, revealing her ridiculously large cleavage to him. Tsunade may be 50, but the human body responds to what it can see rather than logic in some situations. The situation Naruto was in currently was one of them. Tsunade straightened herself, satisfied with Naruto's health.

"Naruto, we're leaving at sunset."

Naruto sighed and got out of his futon.

"I'm going to see Itachi."

Tsunade nodded as Naruto walked passed her and his team mates, who smiled at him which her returned and walked out the front door. When he stepped out into the busy street, everyone stopped their activities and stared at him. Not the stares he got until he was four. These looks held no malice or hatred. It held a mixture of awe, admiration and disbelief. Naruto smiled at them and raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo."

People nodded in acknowledgement and went back to their work. Naruto continued walking down the street until he heard a distant rumbling. He turned around to see something he had hoped never to see again. Fan girls. Naruto sighed and smiled at them before using Shushin to warp on top of a nearby building where he saw Itachi with a wide eyed expression. Naruto smiled lazily.

"Fan girls are a pain. Especially when you're already taken."

Itachi nodded in agreement and stared at the group of girls who were shouting and screaming out their names. Itachi turned to Naruto with a questioning look.

"I remember you telling me something about her during our talk in the first test. From your brief description, I'd say it was your Sensei."

Naruto nodded and Itachi smiled.

"She's beautiful, I'll give you that. I don't know what her personality is like, but I can tell you have good tastes. As one of my team mates would say 'nice catch.'"

Naruto chuckled as they sat there, sighing in relief as both of the groups of fan girls decided to move away to keep searching for them elsewhere. When they were alone, they dropped their facades and shared a mutual silence of understanding, with the occasional bit of meaningful chat. They stayed there until the sun was about to set and Naruto sighed.

"It's unlikely we'll ever get to see each other again with the relationships between our villages…"

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"We'll have to change that, won't we?"

Naruto smiled at the implication. They both needed to become the Kages of their villages so they could try and patch relationships up. They wouldn't be able to see each other often, but seeing each other at all was better than nothing. Naruto became aware of two chakra signatures approaching from opposite directions. One Naruto recognised instantly as Shikamaru while the other one he recognised soon as Kinsuke, Itachi's team mate. Both of them hopped up onto the building their captains were on. Shikamaru sighed.

"Why do you have to make me go to the troublesome effort of bringing you back? We're leaving with the Godaime in 10 minutes."

Kinsuke nodded in agreement.

"We're leaving in fifteen, Itachi."

Itachi nodded and both captains stood up smiling as they extended their hands.

"I hope to see you soon, Naruto."

Naruto smiled lazily as he took Itachi's hand and shook it.

"You will, Itachi. You will."

Both boys split up, taking one last look at each other over their shoulders before they lost eye contact and went their separate ways.

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4 Days Later:

The people of Konoha arrived back at their village gates mid morning three days after they had left Suna. The guards passed them through and everyone returned to their 'normal' lives. Early on the fourth morning, Tsunade called Team 8 to her office. She was fighting a losing battle against the monstrosity known as paper work as they came. She seemed glad for the distraction as she finished off a signature for a trade contract between Konoha and Kumo and looked up.

"Naruto, your little display of power during the finals has practically doubled our mission requests. I'm sure Kumo is in the same condition as we are. If it wasn't for the Kazekage threatening the construction workers of Suna by crushing various inanimate objects every time one of them mentioned Kumo and Konoha should foot the bills for the repairs, I would have you pay for it out of your own money."

Naruto smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. Shikamaru sighed.

"Mendokusei…"

Chouji smiled as he pulled out a bag of chips and began munching away. Tsunade sighed as she stood up and walked to the window, looking out over Konoha.

"However, that's not the reason I brought you here. Everyone of the judges agreed that both yours and Kumos' first two fights showed skill, leadership and team work, while the last fight showed you have more power than strictly necessary for a Jounin. The judges practically demanded we promote both teams, but I decided to use my own judgment."

Naruto knew where this was going and tried to suppress the grin that was trying to force its way onto his face.

"My judgment tended to agree with the others. I am now officially promoting Team 8 to the rank of Jounin."

Naruto smiled lazily as Tsunade produced the three jackets that were hanging inside a cupboard. Inside though, he was happier than he had been for quite some time. Tsunade handed Naruto his jacket which he accepted with a smile. Naruto took off his old Chuunin jacket and put on his new Jounin jacket. Tsunade gave both Shikamaru and Chouji their jackets which they swapped their old Chuunin jackets with. The three newly appointed Jounins were unsure as to what to do with their old jackets. Kurenai sensed this and smiled.

"Most people keep them for sentimental purposes."

They nodded and held onto them as Tsunade sat back in her chair and gave a lecture about what it meant to be a Jounin, their responsibilities and finally their rights. After the explanation, Tsunade dismissed them. Kurenai smiled at them.

"I'm proud to have taught all three of you. Now that you're Jounin, my job as your Sensei is done. Next time we work together, it won't be as a teacher-student cell, it will be as a fully fledged squad. To celebrate, we'll have one last barbeque lunch together. Meet up tomorrow at lunchtime at the usual spot, ok?"

They nodded and thanked Kurenai for teaching them for three years. Both Shikamaru and Chouji began walking home while Naruto and Kurenai began walking back to their apartment blocks. When they got to Kurenai's apartment block, she turned to Naruto who smiled happily at her. Kurenai enveloped him in a hug.

"I told you I'd come back, didn't I?"

Kurenai nodded as she let a single tear run down her cheek and whispered into Naruto's ear.

"When?"

Naruto understood instantly. When did he want the date. After a few moments thought, he knew he might not get another chance for a while.

"Tonight."

Kurenai's eyes widened but she accepted it none the less.

"Dress?"

"Formal."

Kurenai nodded. Either he'd prepared for this already, or he was going to try his luck again. One last question.

"Time?"

Naruto thought for a moment.

"6:30."

Kurenai nodded as she pulled down Naruto's mask and kissed him before she pulled away, smiling.

"I'll see you tonight, Naru-Chan."

Naruto nodded and watched as Kurenai closed the door behind her and went up the stairs. Naruto turned towards his own apartment block, thinking out a plan. He'd dug himself a rather large hole, but given the circumstances, it couldn't be helped. Naruto opened the foyer door and took the steps two at a time before opening the door to see Kakashi smiling at him.

"You've dug yourself a big hole, Otouto."

Naruto smiled sheepishly. He'd learnt long ago that Kakashi seemed to know things you'd rather he didn't, never giving a real explanation as to how. After the first few years of living around him, you got used to it. The only plausible explanation anyone had come up with was Kakashi employed a regular army of Kage Bunshins to scout the city for 'goss', but Kakashi dismissed that with one of his usual cryptic replies used when skirting around a secret.

"Yup."

Kakashi looked at him in an amused fashion as he pulled out two tickets to a rather fancy restaurant and smiled as he saw Naruto's eyes light up. However, Naruto's eyes narrowed when he remembered all the other times Kakashi had waved 'free' things at him. He would always want something of equivalent value in return.

"What do you want for them?"

Kakashi smiled. Feeding right out of the hand. He had thought of a million different things he wanted for them, and then some.

"Surprise me."

Naruto's grinned as he walked past Kakashi to his room and closed the door, going to the only secret stash he'd ever made that Kakashi had never found out about. Naruto walked to the third tatami mat from the far wall and formed several hand seals, whispering his jutsu.

"Fuin Kai…"

The edges of the mat glowed faint blue and then the seal vanished. It was a special seal that Naruto had invented that sealed the floorboard down and then had a secondary seal placed over the top to mask both its own and the seal below its chakra. Naruto lifted up the tatami mat to reveal what the majority of people would call their 'porn stash'. However, Naruto had this for a very different reason than just about anyone else who had one did. He did not use this for his own self satisfaction. Well, not directly. He used it in these sorts of situations for their 'trades'. If he left it unsealed or hid it poorly, Kakashi would plunder its' 'wealth' for himself. Naruto pulled out the top item, which happened to be an Icha Icha video. However, this was not your average one, or not yet anyway. It was a limited pre release edition of Icha Icha Tactics, the movie, signed by the director himself, the king of perverts, Jiraiya. Naruto replaced the mat and redid the dual seal before opening the door to his room and waving the video at Kakashi whose eyes lit up. He started shivering in unsuppressed anticipation as he made a grab for the movie. Naruto pulled it back out of reach and held out his hand, making a beckoning motion.

"Tickets."

Kakashi slammed the tickets into Naruto's palm and lunged at the movie like his life depended on it. Knowing Kakashi, Naruto was pretty sure it did. Naruto pulled it away again and Kakashi, who had lost all sense of reasoning and motor skills around this 'divine' piece of smut fell to the ground before Naruto chuckled and handed him the movie while he was still on the ground. Kakashi hugged the movie like he was a child hugging its' favourite stuffed plush toy. Naruto smiled in contempt and debated whether or not to take a picture and have it published. Naruto decided he'd teased the man enough so he pocketed them and smiled at Kakashi as he raised a hand and opened the door.

"I'm going to get some clothes for tonight, ok?"

Kakashi nodded, not taking his eyes off the video. Naruto closed the door behind and walked down the stairs. He may be a 'genius', but when it came to fashion sense, he was quite possibly the 'dobe' of his group of friends. Well, maybe except for Rock Lee. Naruto decided to visit the Yamamanka flower shop to see if he could get some advice from Ino.

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20 Minutes Later:

Naruto pushed open the door to the flower shop and Ino who was serving behind the counter looked up as the bell rang when the door hit it to see Naruto. She smiled at Naruto. She'd long ago forgiven him for what he did to Sakura because what he did any other Shinobi should have done.

"Unusual for you to drop by, Naruto. What's the occasion?"

Naruto smiled lazily.

"I have a date."

Ino's eyes lit up and then her face set into a lecherous grin. Naruto sweat dropped. That grin always meant trouble when used by a female.

"Who's the lucky girl?"

Naruto smiled as he weighed his options. If he told Ino, the whole village would know by the end of the day. However, if he didn't tell her, she'd just pester him about it until he did, and then the whole town would know about it. It was a lose-lose situation.

"Kurenai-Chan."

Ino's eyes widened before the grin set in much wider than it was before.

"So, need some flowers?"

Naruto nodded.

"I also need some advice…"

Ino smirked and decided to rub it in a bit.

"The greatest genius to graduate the academy in 14 years needs some advice from me? I'm honoured."

Naruto sweat dropped. Girls were scary. He could see why Shikamaru feared them so much.

"What do you need?"

Naruto pulled out the tickets and Ino's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I need some advice on what to wear…"

Ino smiled.

"Advice won't do. We're going clothes shopping."

Naruto sweat dropped. This is exactly what he didn't want. He waved both hands in front of him nervously.

"No, no, it's alright, just some advice-"

Ino looked upstairs and called out.

"Mum, I'm going out for lunch."

"Sure thing, Ino-Chan."

Ino took off the apron and hung it on the rack before turning to Naruto. She smiled as she grabbed Naruto's hand and literally dragged him out the door. If there was one thing Ino liked more than gossiping, it was clothes shopping. Especially if it was with someone else's money. She dragged a hapless Naruto down the street, much to everyone's shock.

"Hey, stop! Let go of me!"

Ino paid no attention to her captive as she thought of several clothes shops to go to.

"HELP!"

"Be quiet! You should be thankful I'm even helping you with this."

Naruto decided to just sulk as Ino dragged him into the first shop and begin what Naruto would come to know of as the worst day of the last 11 years of his life.

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4 Hours Later:

Ino strode out of the shop, quite pleased with herself. The door opened and Naruto stumbled out looking like he'd been to hell and back. As far as he was concerned, that wasn't far from the truth. How the hell does Ino have so much stamina for things like this but not when it really mattered, like on the battlefield? Ino turned around and smirked at Naruto.

"Now, all we need is some flowers."

Ino decided to have mercy on Naruto and let him walk along beside her instead of dragging him along. Naruto was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that both of his hands were full of shopping bags rather than having mercy on him.

'Great… The shopping's more valuable than I am…'

They walked inside the Yamanaka flower shop and Ino turned to look at Naruto, slipping easily into 'lecture mode'.

"Now Naruto, you can't just choose a flower because it looks pretty. Every single flower means something. For example-"

Ino picked up a single red rose.

"A bouquet of roses of this colour red means that you think she's pure and beautiful. If you picked a single rose that was in full bloom it would tell her that you have always loved her and always will."

Ino could see Naruto's blank expression of incomprehension so she sighed and put the rose back.

"Tell me what you want to tell her or compliment her on. Anything. No matter what you want to say, there's either a single flower or combination that will say it."

Naruto thought it over. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. 'I love you', 'I'll always be there for you' and so on. Naruto decided to keep it tame.

"Her eyes…"

Ino smiled as she turned around and pulled out 5 different coloured tulips before turning back to Naruto.

"A few different coloured tulips tells her that her that you think her eyes are some of the most beautiful things you've ever seen. Personally, I don't think I could have picked something better myself."

Ino walked up to the counter and checked down a list of prices and then punched them into the cash register.

"1250 Ryou."

Naruto sighed as he forked over the cash and Ino smiled sweetly.

"Have fun tonight, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and trudged out the door muttering a half hearted 'thank you' and tried to make it back home without collapsing halfway there.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

6:15 That Night:

From the mass of formal clothes Ino had insisted Naruto buy, he had settled for a black suit with a white shirt and a blue tie that made his hair stand out as well as accentuating his eyes. He grabbed the bouquet carefully and waved at Kakashi who smiled at him.

"Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do, Otouto."

Naruto smirked.

"Hentai."

Kakashi smiled lazily as Naruto closed the door and made his way to Kurenai's apartment. He opened the front door and walked up the stairs to her door. Steeling himself, he pressed the buzzer and waited. He heard footsteps from beyond and then heard the lock click and the door opened. Naruto had decided that it would be inappropriate to wear his mask tonight, and was now regretting that. He just caught himself before his mouth formed a perfect 'O' at the sight before him. Kurenai had straightened her hair so that it was now a solid wall of black. Normally, her hair had a certain unkempt element to it; however, her hair now was perfectly groomed and reflected the light from the lamp in her room like an obsidian mirror. She still wore the usual lipstick as well as the faint purple eyeliner. But what really caught Naruto's attention was her choice of dress. It was a pure black sleeveless one piece that complimented her hair and made her eyes stand out. It revealed a lot of skin, but not enough to be considered indecent. Naruto could see that Kurenai was having a rather similar reaction to his choice of clothing and silently thanked Ino for her suggestions. Naruto recovered and smiled at Kurenai as he handed her the bouquet of tulips, which she smiled at. Naruto really could not have picked a better choice of flowers. Kurenai had specifically chosen this dress to make her eyes stand out, and the fact that he'd said 'your eyes are beautiful' through flowers meant a lot to her. She accepted the flowers, which she put into a vase near the doorway and extended her arm, which Naruto took in the crook of his as Naruto led her down the stairs and towards the restaurant that the reservations were for. When they got to the door, the bouncer looked at them in an uninterested fashion.

"Do you have your reservation tickets?"

Naruto nodded and handed them to the man who gave each of them a brief glance before handing them back to Naruto.

"They're fine. Go inside and wait for a waiter to take you to your table."

Naruto nodded and led Kurenai through the doors and into a lavishly decorated classy restaurant. Naruto stood next to a sign that said 'please wait here for service'. Within 10 seconds, a waiter had approached them.

"May I ask which table you have reserved?"

Naruto smiled at him.

"Table 8."

The man nodded.

"Please follow me."

Naruto and Kurenai followed the man passed several tables to one that was unoccupied and extended a hand to indicate it.

"Please be seated. I will bring menus to you momentarily."

Naruto knew that Kurenai would take offence if he tried to pull her chair out for her. She was perfectly capable. He let her take her seat and then took his. The waiter came back with a pair of menus which he gave to them. He stood with a notepad and pen ready to take their order. Naruto looked down the menu at the rather exotic list of foods. He was mentally smirking as the stay thought of ordering ramen came into his mind, but dismissed it immediately. Naruto decided to go for something rather simple. The waiter looked at Kurenai.

"What would madam wish to order?"

Kurenai put the menu down and looked at the waiter.

"Could I get a Katsudon."

Naruto smiled slightly. He had been considering a Domburi dish. The waiter scribbled it down and turned to Naruto.

"And for sir?"

"I'll have a Tekkadon."

The waiter scribbled it down and bowed before retreating to place the order. Naruto knew they were supposed to make 'small talk', but that was something he was never good at. Kurenai smiled at the perplexed look on her date's face and decided to quote a part of one of his lines. She leaned forward and in a quiet voice that would not be heard by anyone except the two of them, spoke to him.

"Talk's cheap."

Naruto smiled at her as the waiter came back with a small plate of spiced bread and a jug of water to tide them over until their dishes arrived. Both of them went for the bread and went for the same piece, which was the smallest one there. Naruto's hand brushed hers and he went for another one. Kurenai blushed slightly at the submissive gesture from Naruto and took it. They both ate the pieces of bread in silence. Naruto had to force himself to eat slowly. He'd eaten fast ever since he'd gotten his first face mask at the age of five. Now that he wasn't wearing it, there was no reason to eat fast. Kurenai poured herself a glass of the water. Naruto did so after her. Kurenai made for a second piece of bread when Naruto extended his hand and rested it on top of hers. Kurenai relaxed after the initial shock and let Naruto hold her hand as he looked into her eyes with a mixture of emotions which Kurenai blushed at. It was a mixture of affection and happiness. Even though Naruto had managed to learn how to rein in his emotions, Kurenai still caught the fleeting look of love in his eyes. The waiter took that moment to arrive with their dishes, spoiling the moment. They separated as the waiter placed both bowls on the table in front of the person who ordered them and bowed before leaving. Both of them unfolded the napkin next to them to reveal an ornate pair of black lacquered chopsticks. They both muttered the same pre dinner prayer and then took the first bite of the food. For the price they were charging for this food, it was certainly worth it. Both of them savoured the taste as they continued eating their dishes. At one point, Naruto felt Kurenai's foot touch his and his eyes widened before he saw her smiling at him. Both of them finished off their meal and after a minute the waiter approached.

"Will you be having anything else tonight?"

Kurenai shook her head.

"We're fine thanks."

Naruto nodded in agreement and the waiter produced the bill. Kurenai reached for her wallet when Naruto pulled his out and paid the bill in full with a healthy tip. The waiter nodded and took the money and bowed deeply to them.

"Please enjoy your evening."

Naruto nodded as they both got up and Naruto took Kurenai's arm in his and stepped outside. Naruto knew that dinner alone wasn't going to be enough, so he decided to take her to the park. Naruto looked up at the sky. It was a full moon and not a cloud in the sky. Naruto found a bench and directed them towards it. They both took a seat and looked up at the sky. Naruto wanted to say exactly how he felt about Kurenai, but he feared that if he did she would say she didn't feel the same. Kurenai pulled Naruto's hands apart gently and interlaced her fingers with his. Naruto turned to see Kurenai was on the verge of tears as she spoke her mind.

"Naruto, I've known for a long time how you feel about me. When we first met, I thought you were cute. However, when I saw that your feelings for me became a crush, I was scared. Scared that you would turn out the same way he would, so I suppressed those emotions. When you fought Gaara in the Chuunin Exams, I almost couldn't watch in case you were killed. When I saw you at the Valley of the End, my heart died as I felt your life slipping away. I thought history had repeated itself. When you came back from your training mission, I knew it would only be a matter of time until you went to the Jounin Exams. The only fight I was worried about was the finals. I knew you would face the Kumo Team. When I realised you were going to fight with that much power, I killed my heart so that I wouldn't break down in front of everyone. Even for you, using that much power is life threatening. After the fight, it took all of my strength not to cry in public. You had lived passed the point he could not and kept the promise he had broken… I think… Now I can begin… To love again…"

To illustrate her point, Kurenai closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. Naruto let a tear run down his cheek. This was the one type of acknowledgment he had been denied for his entire life, the one type he craved more than anything else… Love. Sure, Kakashi had 'loved' him, but that was in a sense a brother would love a younger sibling. The love Naruto was talking about was the love of a partner or a real parent. He would never be able to feel the later; however, he was still able to achieve the former. And now, he finally had. After a few minutes, they broke the kiss and hugged each other tightly. Naruto whispered into her ear.

"I'll never leave you unless you leave me, Kurenai-Chan. I'll always love you…"

Kurenai sobbed as she squeezed Naruto tighter and whispered the words she had considered taboo for almost 20 years.

"I love you too… Naruto…"

They sat there in each other's embrace for another 30 minutes before they separated. Naruto smiled as he kissed her again and then drew back.

"We should probably be going back…"

Kurenai nodded and stood, as did Naruto. They walked side by side slowly back to Kurenai's apartment. Kurenai turned to Naruto and gave him a hug and a peck on the lips.

"Thank you for tonight, Naru-Chan."

Naruto smiled at her and wanted to know one thing before he left.

"Ano, Kurenai-Chan… Are we…?

Kurenai smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips using her tongue before pulling back.

"Does that answer your question?"

Naruto blushed and nodded.

"Good night, Naru-Chan."

"Good night, Kurenai-Chan…"

Naruto watched as Kurenai walked up the stairs, leaving Naruto in a happier mood than he had been in since Kakashi had adopted him. Naruto arrived home, got out of his suit and crashed into bed, falling into a completely dreamless sleep, knowing that a hole in his heart had finally been filled.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

10 am Next Morning:

Iruka decided to give his class an outdoor history lesson on the Hokages. He'd pointed to each Hokage and told his students a little bit about each of them. After he had finished talking about Tsunade's reputation as the world's best medic, one of his students raised a hand.

"Iruka-Sensei! Who's the Rokudaime?"

Iruka was about to make a joke about how he might be when a certain blonde haired blue eyed rookie Jounin walking towards the Hokage Monument, minding his own business.

"He's behind you."

Every one of the students turned to see Naruto stop comically mid step and turn to where all of the focus of attention was coming from.

"Nanda nanda?"

Every one of the students had the same reaction

"EEEEEEH?"

"He looks really lazy!"

"How can he be the Rokudaime?"

"He's only a bit older than us!"

Naruto smiled and walked over to where Iruka was motioning him to stand.

"Everyone, this is Uzumaki Naruto. Despite his… Laid back attitude… He's most likely going to become the Rokudaime."

Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"We don't know that, Iruka-Sensei…"

One of the boys smirked.

"I bet I'm stronger than he is."

Naruto smiled at him.

"Really?"

The boy nodded, completely confident in himself. Iruka sighed.

"Everyone, by the time Naruto was your age, he was as strong as me…"

Everyone's mouths formed a perfect 'O'. Naruto smiled lazily.

"It did help to be trained by 4 Tokubetsu Jounin from the age of four…"

Another boy called out.

"Why did you get special training?"

Naruto smiled at the boy.

"It's a long story…"

Iruka sighed and looked at Naruto.

"What brought you here today, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled.

"I was going to see my dad."

Iruka smiled but most of the children looked at him disbelievingly.

"No one lives up here!"

Naruto smiled at the boy who had said that.

"True. However, my dad died on the day I was born."

The boy instantly regretted what he had said.

"Gomenasai…"

Naruto wove it off.

"No problem."

Another girl looked at him.

"Naruto-San, if you're visiting your dad, why aren't you going to the cemetery?"

Naruto smiled at her.

"I don't know where my dad's grave is. But I do know where his monument is."

The same girl looked at him expectantly.

"Where?"

Naruto pointed over his head to the face of Yondaime.

"Behind me."

Everyone's lower jaws practically hit the ground when they saw what he was pointing at. Naruto smiled at their reactions. Priceless. Iruka smiled as well.

"To become Hokage, you have to be the top ninja in your village."

A boy in a tie stood up.

"Then I'll become Hokage! You have to be strong and cool, right?"

Iruka smiled.

"Not with your current grades, you won't."

Everyone laughed at the boy's expense except Naruto, who just smiled.

"There's something else you need to become Hokage that you forgot, Iruka-Sensei."

Iruka smiled.

"What would that be, Naruto?"

"To take care of those people who are important to you."

One girl called out to him.

"Important people?"

Naruto nodded.

"People you accept, believe and love from your heart. You have people like that, right?"

The girl nodded.

"My parents and although I hate him sometimes, my brother."

A girl with dreadlocks called out to him.

"Do you have important people, Naruto-San?"

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"My aniki, Kakashi, my girlfriend Kurenai-Chan, my Sensei's… And everyone in this village."

Everyone's mouths which had just recovered fell back to the ground again as Naruto looked up at the Yondaime's face.

"Just like you did, Dad…"

Iruka smiled with pride at his best student.

"You've really come far in two and a half years, Naruto…"

Naruto smiled at Iruka.

"Yeah… It's still hard to believe I only graduated two and a half years ago…"

Everyone was now in complete shock at this boy. One boy called out to him.

"How did you become so strong in two and half years?"

Naruto smiled at him.

"I had one on one training with one of the Sandaime's students, Jiraiya of the three Sannin for those two and a half years."

Another boy called out to him.

"Naruto-San, why do you wear a mask?"

Naruto chuckled.

"You guys are full of questions, aren't you?"

The boy tried to retreat into an invisible black hole.

"I didn't say questions were a bad thing. I personally think those who question things, especially things people take for granted are smarter than your average person. Why do I wear a mask? My aniki wears one, and I idolise him. I have other reasons that I'd rather not reveal…"

The boy nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer and Naruto looked at the other students.

"Remember this. People who do not follow orders are trash. Those who don't take care of their friends are not even worth the title of trash. They're much worse than that."

Naruto smiled lazily at Iruka.

"Anything else you need, Iruka-Sensei?"

Iruka shook his head.

"No, that's fine. Thanks for that, Naruto."

Naruto smiled.

"No problem."

Iruka whispered to him as he walked passed him.

"Nice catch."

Naruto smiled at Iruka and whispered back.

"Thanks."

Naruto left the students and his academy teacher there as he powered chakra to his legs and sprang half way up the Hokage monument and then the last half with a second leap, taking a seat atop his dad's head and looked out over the village he had sworn to protect with his life.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: I hope I did the date scene well enough. Most of you guys seem to say that even if I doubt my work, it's better than normal, however, this is breaking tradition in my view… Well, I'll catch you all later.

Ja na,

Specula.